#gonna keep using this tag cause i based him more off the comics?

[el-pada]

since im probably gonna draw my mutant mayhem interpretation of usagi a bit imma just post the design and story idea so theres a bit of context, feel free to ask any questions im open to developing him further

also have an animation assignment where i just drew him lol

(im still hella inconsistent with his ears but ill figure it out at some point maybe)

[froggyphycosis]

Sleepless nights and something handcrafted

Fic based on a headcannon by @turtleblogatlast which is here (might contain spoilers so I'll link it at the end aswell if you want to read it after)

Summary

Pretty much all of Leo's comics are destroyed from the Kraang and Shredder so he has to read them all digitally. Mikey finds out and does somthing about it.

5899 words

Uhhhhh tw's and cw's real qiuck

Swearing

panic attacks

Nightmares

Implied/refferences to death (in a dream though nothing serious or majorly descriptive)

And characters being in pain

Eughhhh that sounds bad but I swear this fic is hurt/COMFORT so

(if there's anything in forgetting to tag let me know please!!)

______________________________

It's quiet, and calm.

Its reached that rare lull in the lair where everyone is off to do there own thing peacfully without another brother to cause chaos or niose along with them.

And suddenly, (and not at all surprisingly) Mikey finds himself bored, lying in his hammock and to tired to do anything and lonely without the immediate proximity to one of his older brothers.

It's an achievement if anything, it's the first time since the invasion that there hasn't been anything to do, no medical checkups to take care of, no panic attacks to be had... Just peace.

No one is actively dying, the chores are done, hes already cooked dinner (dad had even joined them aswell! He'd been doing that more often since the invasion, it warmed Mikey up a little on the inside he liked it when dad ate dinner with them and secretly hopes he keeps doing it).

So what does Mikey do then? he already knows he's gonna seek out one of his brothers, but who....

Well Donnie is busy in his lab right now using really loud machinery, and as much as Mikey *loves* sitting and drawing in the lab with him, it would be to loud to concentrate on anything.

He could go and hangout with Raph.... but he's training, trying incredibly hard to acclimate to the lack of sight in his right eye, and Mikey doesn't want to interrupt that.

So that means.... he can hang out with Leo!

Great! The portal duo for the win! He thinks triumphantly. Mikey can't think of anything that Leo could be doing right now. He knows that Leo isn't out with Usagi, since he went out with him before dinner, and he probably wouldn't have gone to April's without texting the group chat first...

So he's definitely free!

Mikey hops up from his hammock with more excitement than is probably necessary, and skips his way to Leo's room.

"LEO!" he shouts, slamming the door open with his foot, and happily watching as Leo jumps out of his shell.

"FU-JESUS Mike what in the all living HELL do you want??"

"Company!"

"The fuck do you mean company??"

"I'm like, reaaaaaaaaal bored right now, so I need a sibling to fill that void! And I'm obviously picking you!" he doesn't move from where he's standing, because if Leo is actually doing something he doesn't want to be interrupted from, Mikey will leave.

But just as he thought, (and maybe kind of planned) Leo rolls his eyes affectionately, switches his tablet to one hand and holds out his arm, Mikey doesn't need anymore encouragement than that, he dives into the bed and cuddles himself right up into Leos side.

"Sooooooo what'cha doin?"

"Reading comics," he snorts.

Mikey pauses, looking around the bed,"What where? thought you were doing somthing with your tablet?"

"Yeah I was I'm reading them on digital." Leo lifts up the screen, and holds it out in front of him, Mikey can see the grainy image of one of Leo's favourite JJ comics. "they all got destroyed remember? And I couldn't buy them so I just read them on here."

Mikey's stomach drops.

Oh crap, he had completely forgotten most of Leos comics were *destroyed*. He glances over at the corner of the room, where sure enough, a heap of his old comics were laying in a pile, destroyed beyond repair.

"Oh Leo.... I am so sorry, I had completely forgotten about your comics that must be awful," Mikey sinks a little feeling bad for even having come into the room now "sorry for bringing it up."

"W-what Mike's it's fine it doesn't even matter! I'm not upset really!" Leo looks midly shocked and a little guilty, which is stupid because Mikey brought it up.

He chucks the tablet to the side nonchalantly, rolling his eyes "Its fine! I don't even really read comics that much anymore ya know??" he smiles nervously.

Yeah, because you don't have any, is what Mikey wants to say, but he very patiently keeps his mouth shut.

Mikey knows he's lying, he can see it, he's far more perceptive than his brothers are. He can see the way Leo's eyes get a little bit shinier,the way his brow creases and he avoids Mikey's eye contact like it's the plague.

And the box turtle's heart sinks.

It's not okay, *it's not*, all of his old comics that are still intact enough to keep, but not enough to read, are piled up in the corner, a constant reminder of lost childhood.

It makes *Mikey* want to cry looking at it, he can't imagine what it must feel like for Leo to look at it every night.

Mikey doesn't push Leo on the subject, they end up going to play animal crossing with Dee instead but it doesn't leave Mikey's head for an instant, bugging him like and itch at the back of his skill that he can't itch.

He's going to find a way to fix this, even if he has to walk across a mile of broken glass to do so.

________________________________

Mikey doesn't sleep that night, even if his body is exhausted, (even months later his body still feels drained from opening that portal).

He probably shouldn't be awake, they did all agree on set sleeping times, or at least lying-down-and-trying-to sleep-times the name was a work in progress.

And he might be a little hypocritical for not following that since it was his idea-But! In his defense, he was on an important mission! So it was like totally 100% fine.

He was trying to find copies of jupiter Jim comics for Leo, because he was obviously sad about it, even though he wouldn't admit it. And Mikey was *officially*, the worst little brother in the entire whole wide universe, if he'd didn't *try* and do somthing about it.

So that's what he was doing obviously.

Leo was the bravest person he knew. He had been through hell and back for his family, and even the world, for people he didn't know.

He was an incredible big brother, and leader, and Mikey decided this was his way to give back just a fraction of that kindness in return.

Then again.... the universe seemed pretty against him right now, blessing him with the lack of any physical copies, of any kind of jj comics, on the entire internet.

Mikey spent the whole night, scouring the internet, and using every website he could think of to find them, but alas, not a trace. Dammit, why couldn't dad have found really well known dvds and comics thrown away in the sewers for Leo's and Donnie's birthday? This situation would have been so much easier.

Maybe like Harry Potter, or something, he wonders how much different their life would be if that ever happened, maybe Dee would've believed in magic sooner. (he makes himself snort with that one).

It takes him 5 hours before he finally stops and decides to throw in the towel, he's going to have to quit, there isn't anything anywhere. Which just sucks, because Mikey hates losing, and hates giving up on anything even more, but he closes the laptop down anyway with a sigh, and shuffles down into a more comfortable position.

He glances at the clock across the room, and eughh boyyy.... Well it's 7 o'clock, so he's going to have to get up in 10 minutes to make breakfast.

He stayed awake all night.

Whoops.

Stupid vintage comics he thinks darkly.

He'll have to go up topside to try and find some in a comic book shop tommorow he thinks as he finally let's his exhaustion give in and closes his eyes.

_____________________________

"UGHHHHHHHH," Mikey groaned loudly, dropping the comics in his now 5 fingered hands. His loud outburst garnering several odd looks from the staff and other shoppers in the store.

"April they have to be somwhere right??"

Casey and April both glanced at eachother, and then over at him sympathetically.

"Look Mikey..." April starts, before CJ pipes up next to her, having resumed flicking through the comics.

"Mikey, we have been to almost every comic shop in new York, big and small i mean this as politghtly as possible, I don't think we can get Leo's comics back." he looks at Mikey softly, "I'm sure he would appreciate the effort though."

He couldn't help but diflate at that, he's failed *again*, he's failed Leo....

April walked around the box, and pulled him into a hug that he happily buried himself into, and Casey, in a rare show of public affection, joins aswell.

But when he finally pulls apart and swipes an orange sleeve over his eyes, he suddenly gets a plan so cool, so ultimately awsome and incredibly smart that even *Leo* would be jealous.

"Okay, guys, I think i know what i need to do," he looked up at April and gave her the most mischievous grin he could offer "I think we're gonna need to take a trip to the art store."

"ohhohohohono what does that look mean?? What are you up to?" she squinted at him hands planted on hips

"hush now april," Casey places a hand on her shoulder, and the other on his heart "that look can only mean great things," he grinned "so Mikes where we heading?"

______________________________

Leo hopped across the platform over to Mike's train cart, his leg was acting up today much to his own dismay, not so bad to tell anyone though.... Just bad enough that walking was a little inconvenient, he probably didn't need any meds to be honest, he should be fine.

He gets to the door of the train cart and slams it to the side as hard as he can, (payback for the other day) it bangs when it hits the frame.

"Ohhhhhh Miguelllll!!!"

He gets sight of Mikey staring at his tablet, (it's almost a mirror of April without her glasses Leo thinks with a smile) before he slams his sketchbook closed, and shoves everything within arms reach off his desk, Leo has already been there a few seconds watching this unfold.

Okayyyy....That was....Odd...

"ohhhhhh hey Leoooo...," Mikey smiled nervously, hands tapping against his plastron. It's a stim he's had since was a tot, "so ummmm what are you doing in my room?"

"nothinnnnng.... So what were you drawing?" he glanced down at the sketchbook that had been shoved on the floor, still open, he could only make out the faint sketches of boxes and nothing else, before Mikey slammed it shut and held it to his chest.

"N-nothing," his little brothers face doesn't look caught anymore, it looks worried now, and that face twists somthing in Leo's stomach.

"wait, shit, Mikey have your hands been acting up again??" oh fuck oh no "Mikes we talked about this, if they start hurting you have to tell somone even if you don't think it feels that bad."

He feels a switch go off on his brain the second he thinks Mikey is hurt and everything else goes out the back window.

His little brother has a tendency to fix things, not in the way that Donnie does, with his intellect and his smarts, with nuts and bolts and tech and limitless knowledge.

Mikey fixes sadness, and hurt, he comforts and loves with a single minded focus that leaves anyone in its wake absolutely astonished at how plentiful and sincere it is.

No matter who it is, where it is, or when it is, if it's broken he'll fix it.

But he will *always* leave himself behind.

Its not intentional, he doesn't mean to, he'd take care of himself if he realized. But once Mikey has his mind made up? Its done. He'll get it done no matter what, leaving him to forget about himself.

He's lucky enough to have a family that recognises it, and help before it gets to bad.

"What no my hands are fine Leo seriously!"

"yeah Mikey, maybe so, but I'm still gonna take a look now put 'em out ."

Mikey doesn't retaliate, just takes his wraps off exasperatedly and lays his hands out for Leo to see.

He doesn't react when Leo softly presses down on the scars, and bends his finger and elbow joints gently so they probably weren't hurting.... And the shakes are small and unnoticeable unless you look hard.

So Mikey is fine.

Then why was he so jumpy before???

"hows your leg doing Leo?"

Leo's head snaps up to meet Mikey's gaze, feeling to shocked by sudden line of questioning to actually answer immediately.

"o-oh uhm my leg is fine Mikey, thanks for asking."

He feels the tension drain out of him now that he's sure Mikey isn't hurt, he looks fine, if a bit panicky, and Leo is starting to wonder what kind of secret he's hiding in his sketchbook. The blackmail opportunities could be unreal....

He's *definitely* trying to cover something up, now Leo *can* just outright say that he knows that, but watching Mikey try, and fail, to lie about it, would be waaaaay funnier.

"OH really.....?" Leo stares him dead in the face even though its not being returned at all "so if your hands aren't hurting, why won't you show me your art? what kind of things were you drawing exactly..?"

Mikey squeaks, and his face dips into his shell a little before popping out again fully, to yell "U-UH ITS TUPER SOP SECRET!!!"

Damn, Dontron probably heard that from his maximum security sound proofed lab, *and* with full volume music blasting through his headphones.

"awww come on, please tell me, please please please please!!" he clasps his hands together and makes what he hopes are decent puppy dog eyes.

His little brother doesn't answer him, instead he sinks down further in his shell.

"Mmmmmnnno, and you still haven't told me why you were in here either?"

Its probably the most awful attempt Leo has ever seen at changing the subject, but he takes pity on his brother and decides to go along with it anyway.

"Nothing really I was just bored and wanted to see if you wanted to come and play Mario kart with me?" he grins "you do owe me for the entertainment I provided you with the other day."

The box turtle visibly perks up at this face now fully visible.

"omigosh!! yes! absolutely! I would love to!!" he threw hi sketchbook behind him, and hopped off his chair "lead the way Leon!!"

Leo couldnt help the laugh that sputtered out of him. How Mikey could go from dying of fear, to sunshine and smiles in such a short time was beyond him.

"yeah yeah alright, would you mind giving me a hand though? my leg is kinda sore today."

Mikey swings round and looks at him accusingly "I thought you said it was fine??"

Oh shit yeah.

"Y-yeah it is!! its just a little sore, promise, now come on give me a hand you goof."

Mikey rolls his eyes, but can't help the grin that over takes his face and agreeably lends Leo his shoulder.

He won't bother Mike about whatever he's hiding, Leo may be crazy curious, but he knows that if Mikey does anything to dumb or to stupid, he's got him to rely on and go to when he's in need of help, so Leo feels comfortable in letting him hide whatever it is he's hiding, plus he thinks he'd know if it was somthing bad.

____________________________

It was roughly around 3am, and the little sleep Leo got these days was unfortunately interrupted yet again with another nightmare, another dream about the Kraang again, but this time it was concentrated on *Mikey*.

His mind kept playing a loop of the exact moment when Mikey left-when he was gone, gone gone gone gone gone, went cold in Leos arms and, and-Leo woke up. Drenched in his own sweat, hot and frozen at the same time, still stuck in the position he fell asleep in. Unable to move, it took him an eternity before his *useless* muscles finally dragged themselves upright and out of his bed.

He was sprinting towards Mikey's dimly lit glittery train cart before he even realized he was doing it. Chest heaving, and the ache in his leg only second hand awareness at best.

Warm orange light was pouring out of the cart, and the smell of that citrus diffuser his baby brother always insisted on using was so subtle, but so overwhelmingly comforting, that it sort of makes Leo want to cry.

The lights being on must me he's awake then, and Leo thanks pizza supreme in the sky, because waking up his brothers from the little sleep they got nowadays felt awful. And doing it to Mikey always felt the worst, because that was his little brother he was waking up, and for his own stupid needs too.

Stupid. stupid. stupid. Stupid.

He slides open the door as quietly as he can,his eyes taking a minute to adjust.

Mikey is passed out on the floor, pens pencils, headphones and other art supplies scattered around him and it makes his heart momentarily jump into his throat seeing he's not awake-not alive *not moving*. He snaps out of the spiral quickly though and realizes he needs to calm down right now or he's gonna pass out.

Having a panic attack in his little brothers room is not the most optimal place to do so, so the slider takes a minute to compose his frenzied nerves realizing how worse it's gotten since he woke up. So sitting next to his *sleeping* brother, he breathes in and out in slow even breathes, in the way they all learnt to, it was almost muscle memory by now.

Ha, if only it was that easy to actually calm down.

Leo stands up joints creaking and leg whining in the protest, oh right, he ran here, that's gonna hurt like a bitch tommorow he just knows it.

Picking Mikey up is usually no problem, hes small and lightweight compared to his brothers, but with his shaking arms and tired body, (that's currently down a leg) the task is almost monumental, and he feels out of breathe by the time he's dumped the box turtle into his hammock.

He can still hear soft music playing from Mikey's headphones and he picks them up and listens to it. His mind is still groggy from all the running and panicking, so it takes a second to realize whats playing.

Oh! It's Mr sunshine! Ha, he's so good.

Oh, wait. it's Mr sunshine. maybe they should talk about that later...

He turns the headphones off and puts it on his desk along with his pens, pencils, rubbers, rulers-who needs four rulers?? Where did he even get this all from?who needs this many art supplies and aren't half of these markers dried out anyway??

He can't even be bothered to ask right now, he unceremoniously dumps all of it back on the desk without further question, he picks up Mikey's phone, hoping that he was just listening to music and not staring at that it, would be awful for his eyes. But when he picks it up however he's not greeted with music, but a comic book. And not just any comic book, he notices belatedly,but his favourite.

Jupiter Jim and the eight giant dragons of evil why would he be reading that?

Leo blinks a few times, a bit confused to say the least, before he finally glances down at the sketchbook in his hands.

And sees and exact replica of the page but in pencil.

And then it clicks. everything clicks.

holy shit, Mikey is trying to recreate his favourite comic book. But there's no way??

Now Leo doesn't know much about art, he half listens to info dumps about trashy a.i art, and the hatred that Mikey has for wearing gas masks (against solid protests from himself, Raph and Donnie to do so otherwise

But Leo knows that making a comic book is *hard*, harder and more time consuming that it has any right to be, even for a good artist like Mikey-and he would know! He tried making his own when he was like 12 only to get frustrated an angry 2 minutes in, and quit (he hasn't tried since).

And secondly, how did he even realize he had wanted the real version of a comic anyway? He hadn't *asked* for one, hadn't hinted at wanting it. He swore Mikey was actually a fucking mind reader sometimes, maybe this was just another "mystic warrior thing" he doesn't get.

And then, the sudden, very violent urge to cry swamps him. Even if Mikey never finishes this project never gives it to him, he still *wanted* to.

The fact is, that Mikey, with injured arms, and a hundred other more intersting and wonderful projects more worth his time, is going to attempt to make a comic for *him* and it sort of makes Leo want to cry. It *does* make him cry.

He holds the sketchbook close to his plastron and let's the tears slip down his face. He doenst know what he'd do without his family, without Mikey, he doesn't know what he's Done to deserve the endless patience and comfort that his brothers provide.

He leaves after a minute or two, when the tears on his face stop flowing, leaving sticky trails down his face, and his breathing is no longer raggid from the crying. He leaves the sketchbook and phone where they are, closed and turned off.

Hopefully Mikey will think it was another brother that came in and fixed this all up for him. Or maybe he'll simply belive he cleaned up and put himself to bed and just doesn't remember.

"goodnight little brother, get a good rest."

_____~roughly 2 weeks later~________

Mikey took a deep breathe in, and a deep breathe out. His head was starting to ache from lying it down on his desk for so long, he had decided to take a short break from drawing Leo's comic a while ago, much to his disdain. Although he can't say specifically, since everything in his head feels like molasses, and he's to busy concentrating on the never ending pain in his hands to think about it for to long.

It feels almost nauseating. His body thrumming uncomfortable, the itchy, fiery energy getting stronger, hands shaking more fiercely until it reaches its peak, and his while body seizes up and let's go.

(Its his own fault, this doesn't happen unless he pushes himself to hard. Apparently 6 hours straight of art is not good for you.

Noted.)

He *wants* to pick his head up, he *wants* to carry on drawing, he *wants* to be able to do this for Leo, but he just *can't*. He's useless, his own body is betraying itself, consuming itself in and endless mystic well of power that it itself created, and Mikey can't do anything but sit here and whimper in the dark.

He feels pathetic, he doesn't even know how long it will last. The longest period was 6 hours, which is the closest to living hell he's ever been, beside watching Leo throw himself into the prison dimention, followed closely in second by opening the actual portal itself.

He can't even move enough to grab his phone and call his brothers, he can't scream or talk. So he sits there, and cries and sobs and hiccups openly, and loudly, praying that *someone* will hear him. Thankfully but no sooner than he had started crying, had the small sliver of light coming through his door begun to get bigger, and his train cart door began to open.

".... Angelo?."

It was donnie.

*Thank god.*

His voice was still failing him, unable to speak but overwhelmed with the desire to say *something*, he just cried harder.

"woah woah woah! Okay okay Angelo I'm right here okay? Your safe, your fine." he crouched down by the desk so he was closer to Mikey's face "I'm... I'm gonna pick you up now okay Angleo? If I end up hurting you in any way just uh chirp okay?"

Donnie put an arm underneath his legs and shell, and lifted him up into a bridal carry, pausing slightly to listen for the sound of Mikey's distressed chirp, before continuing forward towards his door. Mikey slumps and closes his eyes, pressing his warm face into Donnie's cool arm. He let's out a sigh of content, no longer cramped from being stuck in a stiff and awkward position, for who knows how long.

Donnie sighs,in that long suffering kind of way he always does when his family has done something stupid, but Mikey doesn't bother to open his eyes to see what face he makes.

Mikey thinks he must have fallen asleep at some point, because when he's next aware, he's being handed off to a very worried looking Raph.

"hey big man sorry to wake you up, you can carry on cuddling with Dee in a minute he just needs to do somthing okay?" Raph is smiling down at him and holds him just a little tighter.

Mikey nods, and rubs his eyes turning his head so he can look at the scene in front of him, (his hands barely even hurt anymore, maybe they rubbed that special cream that Draxum made on them) they're in the TV room now, illuminated by the projection screen paused hlaf way through on one of Leo's favourite movies, him and Donnie are placing various pillows and blankets on the floor.

Leo is whispering something to his twin in a frantic, worried, hushed tone that Mikey is to tired to parse right now.

But Donnie looks at Mikey for a fraction of a second, before rolling his eyes affectionately and placing down the last of the pillows, (they were probably talking about him, he hopes he isn't barred from making breakfast tommorow though, he wanted to make omelettes) huffing, when Raph unceremoniously flops down on top of them shell first, Mikey still being held against his plastron. Raph opens up his arms and Leo snuggles right up beside him, whilst Donnie snuggles into Raph's other side.

Mikey can feel himself start to drift off into comfortable sleep again, when he feels a familiar finger rudely poke him in the face. He opens his eyes just barely to see a familiar blue mask and worried brown eyes peering back at him.

"sorry mi hermano this'll be quick, I promise, what were you doing that caused your arms to flare up so badly?"

Mikey feels annoyed that he's being kept up for this but sighs and concedes "mmmmm I was drawing for a really long time.... and i didn't take any breaks..." he mumbles, shutting his eyes again, falling faster into darkness this time.

"oh....." Leo sighs softly "your to nice for you own good little brother..." Mikey barely even registers his brother's voice anymore, to busy falling asleep to even notice it.

_________________________________

Mikey grins and closes the comic book, he holds it out in front of him looking at all his hard work.

Its done. It's finally done. It took him a month of non stop drawing almost every day to do it.

But he did it.

He puts the Comic down, just to spin around his room and kick his legs, orange flecks of mystic trailing behind his flapping arms.

__________________________

"Oh Leoooooooo~," he sang, sliding into the living room hiding the comic behind his back, and directly away from the view of his older brother "guess what."

"What?"

"I said guess."

"....Mikey are you being serious right now?"

"Yuppers!"

Leo threw his head back and sighed "you know I may sound like Donnie right now, but there are an infinite amount of things to guess from so you may have to give me a hint."

"okay! So I got you gift, buuuuuut you have to guess what it is."

Leo's back straightens and he stares at Mikey with much more exitement "wait are you being serious? You got me a gift?"

"Yeah haha I did, would you like me to just give it to you?" he feels nervous now, he's not really sure he's ready for this, but is going to do it anyway against his own better judgement.

"Uhm yes obviously?? Now gimme" Leo puts out his hands and makes a grabbing motion like an impatient child awaiting to be given something, it's clearly to lighten up the situations which Mikey is making weird with his nervousness.

"Pftttt okay okay here take it."

He walks over to Leo and passes him the comic praying that he likes it, Mikey does, he's so proud, but that means nothing if Leo doesnt like it.

Leo takes the comic and looks closer, his eyes widen when he realizes what it is he's holding, "oh my god Mikey did you *make* this?".

"mhm! I noticed you didn't have any physical copies of your comics and they can't be bought like anywhere, online or off, so I decided to make you one!"

Leo's hands tremble as he deftly turns each page oddly quiet.

Mikey watches as his face morphs into something warm and touched, his smile big and eyes watery-

Wait what?!?

A big fat tear slips down Leo's face without a hand coming to wipe it away and Mikey stands there stunned.

He's watched Leo cry many MANY MANY times, whether it be due to a scraped knee, or a broken scateboard when they were little or due to nightmares over the Kraang, Mikey's seen it all. Him and Leo have always cried the most. But he's never seen Leo cry over something as simple and as meaningless as a comic book before.

"Mikes, did you *make* this for me?" his voice wobbles as he speaks, a disbelieving smile still stretched across his face, still holding the book and flipping through its pages slowly and carefully, scanning each page like he hadn't read them all a million times before, like they were something new, something precious.

Mikey feels slightly vulnerable and embarrassed when Leo looks up at him, remembering that there are definitley some really awfully drawn pages in there, nights where his hands wouldn't stop shaking, or the pose was just to difficult and seeing him cry over it is a bit worrying.

Mikey looks at the corner of the room, man he should really do some dusting, "um, yeah, sorry by the way, some of them are really badly drawn, a-and i know you've already read it a million times so it's really not that goo-"

Leo cuts him off by grabbing the strap around his shell and pulling him down onto the been bag into a 10/10, ultimate crushing big brother hug.

Mikey doesn't fight it these hugs are the *best* hugs.

"mikey- i cant-*holy fuck*, this is like, the nicest and most thoughtful gift i have *ever* been given the fact you even noticed I missed my comics makes me want to hide in my shell and cry so hard my tear ducts will explode, don't you *ever* apologise ok?"

Mikey felt HIMSELF tear up.

Your artwork is incredible and so so beautiful, Leo sniffs and Mikey feels so happy, (he's pretty sure his arms are glowing, not that he can see from where his snout is buried in Leo's shoulder) "i can't believe you put in the effort even with your hands to make a whole comic book just to make me feel better, that must have taken forever."

"I'm-im-yeah, I'm so glad you it Leo."

They stay like that for far to long, sitting on a bean bag that is way to small to fit them both, laughing and chatting and crying whilst look through the comic.

______________________________________

It's not his old comic book, with ink smudged and faded colours, with nights spent rereading and loving. cherished, on its spot on the shelf, with worn edges and a broken spine. It's not the gift he was given when he was 9, a start of a long love for the franchise, and hours in the further of areas of the sewers to find more of them.

It's not any of that but it's something *more*.

Becasue it's *Mickey*.

It's his little brothers drawing, its long nights spent caring about him, and hope to make him just a tiny bit happier.

It's work, and shaking arms and passion. It's family and love and warmth, it's sleepless nights and something handcrafted, and Leo can see it etched into every line of the page. It's not old like it used to be, it's something wonderful, and something new, it's a gift, and every single line is different now because the adoration Mikey has for all of his brothers is radiating out of them.

Each mistake on the page is another mark of Mikey, another mark of his gift and it's meaning.

He can't ever get back what he's lost, he'll never be the same as he was, but he thinks now, whilst looking at the pages softly, this is maybe just a little bit better, just a little but more exciting and new.

Mikey will never know what this means to Leo, because to him, this is just another "small" act of kindness the same as he'd do for anyone.

And although Leo would never admit it, it makes everything he's been through just a little more smaller, and a little less scary, because if something this good can happen out of somthing so miserable? then maybe the future won't be so awful after all, and maybe it never was, his brothers will always be there for him, and he can't believe he ever doubted them in the first place.

_________________________________________

Please remember the idea for this fic was written by turtleblogatlast

And here's the the original little script they wrote!!! Read original script

Goooooood hahaha so uhm I hope you like it!! (Also sorry this became a little more Mikey centric than it was supposed to be I am a Mikey kinnie and tend to make everything about him😭)

I absolutely love your writing and the things you do so just think of this as a thankyou gift for being so cool!

I wanted to sprinkle more of your headcannon in haha but I didn't know where to start or when I could mention them sorry:(

Also apologies for all my head cannons I could help myself

"I will make this fic purely for someone else and won't add my own headcannons!......... F*ck."

[jacrollart]

Lucky Charm (JJK Pkmn Au Satosugu)

In recent days since Gege has made it very depressing for us, I kinda coped with this AU of Gojo and Geto lmao. I'm gonna dump some stuff about the AU (named it Lucky charm since it's mostly based on being lucky, dreams, nightmares and pokemon!)

Bullet points because it's easier to read that way:-

About the AU

+ It's based on young adult Gojo and Geto. KEEP IN MIND I'm not planning to make Gojo as the 'strongest' or the saviour of mankind in this AU. I just want goofy fluff.

+ It's semi slice of life kinda thing.

+ I like to focus more on their friendship (but feel free to interpret it as romantic if yall want)

+ Will add in Shoko, Nanami, Haibara and Yaga eventually! I just...need to design them :')

+ Haven't figured out which region they'll originate from. I probably just leave it vague. They're going to travel a lot anyway.

About Gojo Satoru, The heir to Gojo Tech. Inc.

+ His family is known as one of the most prestigious family in the region - they earned their status from way back in the last few era.

+ Their family has some superstition and culture that is considered bogus nowadays. It has ties to some legendary pokemon. Some of those rules and superstition they still care for but with less weight than it used to.

+ Satoru was going to inherit his family's legacy - Gojo Tech. Inc. it's a research company that has contribute a lot to the region's development.

+ He's more than capable to actually handle the company once he step up.

+ Decided to say fuck it, and ran away from home because he didn't wanna lmao

+ His comically big black glasses is an effort on disguise himself just in case if his family started looking for him.

About Geto Suguru, The Black sheep son.

+ He comes from a very traditional family where their main focus is on farming and crop growing. Lives in a village that is all about that as well. Main pokemon around them are grass and ground types to help with farming.

+ A very sweet, kind and caring kid. Has a natural skill in taming pokemon.

+ At one point, he attracts ghosts and dark types and started getting nightmares. Developed insomnia from a young age.

+ Started slacking off, sleeping in more and branded as lazy by his family and the villagers.

+ Eventually decided to leave and go on a journey in hopes to find what he wants to do in life.

Everything is a WIP though. I probably will change some stuff here and there (and I did leave some crucial stuff out cause I plan to make it into a comic of some sort). Check my tag to see the stuff I drew for this AU!

[co-mixed]

Fantastic Origin (Reed Sucks)

Let’s do it, let’s kick off the Fantastic Four review journey. 

The first ever run of Marvel’s first family aka the team I had been actively avoiding until recently. 

Most of Lee/Kirby books are extremely different from what we see in the comics today. You could easily attribute that to the days of yore or just the fact that these books have served as stepping stones towards bigger and more complex stories. Or you could take them for what they are.

Right away I will have to get misogyny out of the way. It’s there and it’s ugly. These books are filled with ridiculous stereotypes and absolutely unacceptable degrading behavior towards women. It’s all the more upsetting when you get to read fan letters from women, they hint at that constantly. 

I gotta say, it worked too because when Crystal became a part of the team, she was relatively badass and was treated with more respect than Sue. But dammit, poor Sue. You can try and convince me that Reed is a good husband but that won’t help a bit. In a world where literal supervillains exist, he is definitely not the worst human being but since he’s being portrayed as a hero, I’m gonna accept the fact that he’s trash. 

Of course, I see what the creators were going for: Reed was supposed to be a hyper-focused, single-minded, science-obsessed team leader with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He was supposed to be flawed but sympathetic. 

Especially compared to his beloved Sue who was supposed to be a loving and caring homemaker with her invisibility power being a reflection of her relationship with Reed. As in he only sees her when she’s in danger. 

The way it looks now, 60 years after the cosmic rays incident, is very different.

Sue is a young woman, seemingly younger than Reed, who somehow stumbled into a relationship with a man who treats her as a status symbol. She’s a tag-along, something pretty to walk with, have at home, and look at when it pleases him. Because she’s younger (bear with me, I’m only assuming this based on the Lee/Kirby age), she is very susceptible to his influence and opinions, there’s a power misbalance and she doesn’t really know that things could or should be better. Which is kind of easy to assume, considering her mother was dead and her father was in jail. She also had a brother in high school to take care of and Reed was successful and rich. 

Then after she got powers, she kind of got permanently stuck with him, and that trauma bond became even more dysfunctional. She did assume the role she probably saw in the media at the time, overly caring about everyone but herself, and she accepts material substitutes for actual comfort, such as shopping, because that’s what’s been said and taught to her. 

Her relationship with Reed is passionless too, hence when Namor shows up, she entertains the idea of him. Although, let’s not forget that he keeps kidnapping her and trying to convince her to become his queen of the seas or whatever. Maybe if he was less straightforward and didn’t try to kill her brother in the process… who knows?

But he does, meanwhile, Reed is putting that good-for-nothing brother of hers through school, so she chooses Reed. She even marries him, entrapping herself in a loveless marriage. And after two years of horrible home life with barely any time to get to know whatever she’s been wed to, she gets pregnant. All in all, at this point, at that time, it’s over for her. And as a reader you know she doesn’t escape that. It’s pretty tragic. 

Reed is a scumbag. Yelling at Susan is just part of it, he also acts like he’s the boss of everyone (which I do get when it comes to Johnny and Ben, who are let’s just say irresponsible.) 

He constantly sticks his nose into things like the negative zone, causing meanies like Annihilus to show up. He keeps using Ben or The Thing when he needs and then swears he’ll turn him back. It gets repetitive and no one can really trust him. He pretends to act like a hero after causing a problem and keeps trying to sacrifice himself forgetting his wife and eventually son. Bro, you got responsibilities over there!

I believe that’s the intention but Reed is not that different from Doom, except Doom actually has a sob story to explain his obsession with science and the occult. Reed… at this point in the run we don’t know if he does or where his assholery comes from. All we do know is he’s an equally terrible leader, husband, and friend. Bet he’s not much of a father either. 

But hey, at least he’s putting that good-for-nothing Johnny through school. 

Ben is irritating. We’ve discussed it at length with several people, how so many people can relate to him and consider him their favorite character. But Ben Grimm is awful. You know what? I think the unstable version of him that was around for a brief moment when he could switch into The Thing and back, that version is the real Ben Grimm. If anything, his insecurity is holding him back in that anger. When he gets both strength and his human appearance, that’s when you gotta run for the hills and summon the Hulk to put him down. 

Ben went from petty, insecure, and angry to overcompensating and calling himself pretty and lovable. All the while his paranoia regarding Alicia and her love for him is growing more and more bizarre. He really doesn’t trust her when she says that she likes him as The Thing, he claims he wants to be Ben for her but hey, she’s pretty uncomfortable with Ben so there’s that. 

He did act better than Reed would’ve when he thought Alicia had chosen Silver Surfer but then he ghosted her and threw a tantrum every time Surfer popped up. Have some self-respect, Ben. 

What pissed me off the most is the way he treated Franklin seconds before he found out his middle name was Benjamin. Like, seriously? You’re taking it out on a baby? Besides, neither Sue nor Reed owes you anything. Well, maybe Reed does. But it doesn’t help that Ben keeps getting into fights with that good-for-nothing Johnny.

Johnny is good for nothing. He’s an ok kid I suppose but he doesn’t attend school and somehow ends up in a university (which even managed to piss off one fan! Seriously, don’t ignore the fan mail if it’s there!) Then he spends exactly one semester, meets a friend who participates in his whacky adventures for like a week, and forgets this friend exists. He also forgets the school exists. 

Johnny is either acting out at home, fixing his car, or chasing after girls. Until he meets Crystal and immediately becomes obsessed with her, which no one really cares about. Then Crystal gets stuck under a dome with her merry Inhuman family, and he broods and throws tantrums. They are torn apart and brought back together, and then are torn apart and then brought together, it’s a whole X-men level soap. I actually liked that.

And out of all the villains I’m only gonna focus on Doom. Don’t get me wrong, Galactus is forever the star, but let’s talk Doom. 

He’s an interesting fellow but I don’t get the massive fan base. Dude’s a literal dictator of the worst kind. He experienced dictatorship on his own skin since childhood and he grew up and enslaved his whole country. I would understand if he brought prosperity and happiness to them but that? I was actually pretty impressed by the Latverian arc, in which the FF went to Latveria and were depowered and treated like Doom’s dear guests. It was a creative way to draw a little image of what this kinda system is and how it functions from within. Doom rules by fear and they experienced that fear, they even almost lost hope. I would’ve done this arc a little differently but hey, I’m here 60 years later. 

But at least Doom hadn’t killed that good-for-nothing Johnny.

The Stories

That’s what we’re really here for –  the silly early villains and the bizarre tactics that save the day. We obviously have some baddies that stood the test of time and a few that didn’t. But Reed’s approach throughout everything is pretty much “let’s throw them into space and hope they don’t come back.” They do, Doom’s been to space twice and even made a trip to the microverse. He’s well-traveled now.

In the beginning, it’s a very repetitive scheme: one issue = one arc, Ben argues with that good-for-nothing Johnny, Sue is there, Reed saves the day. But the arcs stretch to two and more issues and the stories become more and more entertaining. At some point, even Sue gets to save a few hours. Not the day though. 

Crystal gets her shining moments, and like I said before, she does very well and almost without Reed’s misogynistic crap. 

There are a few stories I liked, Galactus, of course (behold!), the would-be gamer The Thinker, Latveria visit, and the arc in which whatshisface scientist turned himself into The Thing. That’s pretty much the first time in this run when a one-issue baddie realized the error of his ways and made the ultimate sacrifice. Before that, the antihero role was pretty much Namor’s. Speaking of Namor, how’s his “movie” career? That arc was truly wild and smelled a lot like Golden Age comics.

Now if you’re thinking you’d like to read this run, do. But if you just want to know the origins and main encounters, just watch the 90’s show. Not only it covers most of the pivotal stories, but season one has a fantastic! intro song. You’re gonna love it and if you don’t, it’s gonna haunt you till you do.

I’m positive the stories are gonna get better. I was promised they’re gonna get better but I have a hell of a road ahead of me, 300 issues before I get to more modern days, and even more after that. I’m all in.

[aaronhotchstuff]

Tell me bout Harvey, Clint, and Audrey

(thank you so much for sending this in!! tagging @luucypevensie since she also wanted to know more about them <3)

tw: mentions of kidnapping and experimentation

but i’m sorry this is super duper late!! i tried to keep it short (though this is absolutely anything but) ‘cause there’s really a lot to unpack since harvey connects with several of my other ocs. i’ve also only started to outline recently so these are subject to change;

first of all, laura & their kids don’t exist in my universe. i want to include barney (clint’s older brother from the comics) but i’m not certain how to rope him in yet (i do have a couple ideas tho lol)

clint and harvey first meet around mid to late 1990s and at this time, clint’s not an agent yet (i’m still debating whether to use the circus storyline from the comics or not) and harvey is a prosecutor

some time in their relationship harvey gets pregnant with audrey

but at some point before that or before they met, harvey’s twin hailey (a natasha romanoff oc, portrayed by caity lotz) got killed (and yes she’s not even dead dead LMAO) and when nothing still gets done by the books, she decides to “prosecute” criminals her own way with the help of her friend(s?) i’ve yet to name

people called her vigilante alter ego banshee and definitely made an impact so she came up on several ✨radars✨

naked eye, a spy organization that i created, got to harvey before SHIELD

they kidnapped her, developed a project based on her then erased her memories (as well as clint’s) via their other “subject” abigail jones; formerly alexis jones before experimenting on her to create a superpowered person and use her to their advantage

kinda unrelated but there are several women put into this project, two of which are coraline thompson (a sam wilson oc, portrayed by juliana harkavy) and bianca winslow (not sure what show/s or movie/s to put her in but she’s portrayed by jurnee smollett)

though i’m really on the fence about clint also being mind wiped ‘cause they’re gonna reunite and the angst of that,,,

but also her being the reason he accepts fury’s offer to join SHIELD?? hell yes

anyways, she gives birth to audrey on christmas day of 2000 while within naked eye’s facilities and they just dropped her off to the system

audrey always felt like an outcast and felt horrible in every foster home she gets in and kept running away; doing everything she could to make it through the day so pickpocketing, shoplifting, etc. and she was only like 8 when she started all of that

eventually, she attempts to steal from a businesswoman named blythe radcliffe (an eventual quentin beck oc, played by danneel ackles), who basically ended up adopting her after offering her dinner

the outcast feeling obviously doesn’t just go away but daphne (a karolina dean oc, played by madelaine petsch), blythe’s daughter, tried to help her through & they eventually become super close (also audrey is only a year older than her)

they lived in new york and audrey made friends with one kate bishop <3 but when the incident happened they moved to los angeles (or whatever city marvel’s runaways was set in, i forgot lol)

some time between 7th and 8th grade, she dyes her hair red just to match with daphne and blythe

she’s lesbian but already felt insecure enough so she dates either chase stein or another oc of mine just to prove to herself that she isn’t

daphne is also a lesbian and is out so although she inspires audrey a lot, she just really does not want to accept it (even more so when clint and harvey found her bc she’s scared they won’t accept her and like, leave her again)

onto the part that’s very much still in the works; harvey and clint reunite in catws but it doesn’t necessarily follow steve, nat and the rest of the movie (it’d be like what happened in the background while they were taking down all the big guys)

so like clint wasn’t with them because he was handling the love of his life <3

as you can tell it’s very vague lmao i’m still going back and forth between the storylines i have in mind

anyway anyway after all that gets sorted out and harvey is back to her right mind, she remembers about her daughter and she immediately started looking for her

clint was very surprised by this (either ‘cause he didn’t know since she didn’t get the chance to tell him before she was kidnapped or because his mind was erased,, though while writing all of this i’m really leaning toward the former) but helps her with the search of course

when they finally found audrey (some time after january 2014, maybe april or may or june, and audrey is 13), it was both thrilling and scary for the both of them since harvey already has guilt all over her & convinced herself that her daughter had to go through what she did because of her and clint just literally does not know how to parent a child lol

they have a bit of a rocky start what with audrey being a bit cynical and defensive but eventually, the fact that all of her thoughts about her family just abandoning her getting debunked is very emotional for her and she just loves being with them so much

harvey giving her the love of a mother that although she got to experience with blythe was quite different coming from her real mother <3

with clint it’s like they are both teenagers and everything just goes out the window whenever they’re together and harvey isn’t around AGSHGAGAHA

EVEN MORE SO WITH NAT???

but ofc nat is definitely waaaay more composed than clint and her and audrey make fun of him a lot FAHSGSAGS

clint immediately appointed nat as her godmother, no buts or questions asked — not that she had any, she loves her little red like she’s her own <3

AND AUDREY LOVES HER AUNTIE NAT

probably spends more time with her than with clint whenever she’s visiting him (or her mom) at work LMAO

anyway the rest of the avengers just love her, they think she’s adorable (which she hates) and see a lot of her parents in her

so with having more support system (and role models) than she expected audrey’s probably more inclined and comfortable to come out to them

however the rocky start kinda goes on with clint and audrey since sometimes he’s not really there there, sometimes it seems like he’d rather be out on a mission than braiding her daughter’s hair and that does not pass by audrey

she knows that very well and it hurt a lot

but she’s not one to spill her feelings so she just kinda let it be, and this becomes a very important part in her fic, bullseye!

so they wanted to live in missouri where clint’s farm/safehouse is (i hc that every agent has a resignated safehouse for their fam or loved ones if needed <3) but audrey wanted to go back to new york

because despite all the hardship she went through there, it’s still her home and she never really liked LA, she just didn’t want to complain

so to honor audrey’s wishes although definitely against her parents’ better judgment, they move to NY once her 8th grade school year ends (this is still 2014)

some time in the summer harvey and clint will elope, so audrey’s last name will be legally changed to barton ‘cause despite the probable danger what with them being avengers, they really wanted to have something normal for once and that’s to have the same family name

they enroll audrey in midtown high for her freshman year and at some time she’ll probably date karlee kingsley (my peter parker oc, portrayed by china anne mcclain) or someone else in the spider gang but this isn’t really a fixed event rn

now when aou happens, what with both harvey and clint almost dying (side note: pietro doesn’t die in aou in my universe), which scared the living shit out of audrey, they decide it’s best for them to retire and spend more time with her

but then civil war happens and both steve and tony roped them into the accords; tony reaching out to harvey knowing that she’ll be on his side, and she was

this is because she has done a lot of bad during her time with naked eye (which she remembers vividly) and joining the avengers was kind of her way of making up for that and tried to help more people than she hurt, but even then, obviously, people still got hurt; and so she thinks that signing the accords and have someone look after the team or keep them in check will help lessen the casualties, the loss that they caused

then steve to clint, as you know

however harvey refuses to fight her former team unlike her husband which kind of put a strain in their relationship

once clint is broken out by steve, he’s in house arrest like scott, but at this point they’ve already moved to missouri — as per audrey’s wishes since she knew that her dad is a fugitive and would be safer there

aaand i’ll end it here because infinity war and the events after will be tackled in audrey’s fic, but if you want me to talk about that as well just send an ask!! <3

[incoherentbabblings]

Hi!

I love your content, your love for TimSteph, and I was actually going to ask what you love so much about them. I, for extra credit for English, decided to write an analysis of Stephanie (and why I love her so much), but I just got into comics, and cannot really put my feelings for her in words ... which is odd, considering how much I love her and writing. Also, I was going to do a section on why TimSteph is narrative genius, and I needed help elaborating on that too.

Could you help me out, please? Thanks!

(I feel the need to mention that I have read quite a lot of comics with Stephanie in them, though not all. I'm not much of a comic book fan, but I'm really interested in the Batfamily!)

I'll be very happy to write out bullet points that you could talk about, and feel free to go through my ask and I'll babble/TimSteph meta tags for anything that you think may be worth discussing in your own words - there's like four or so years of stuff there to spark your brain.

HOWEVER!!!! Keep in mind though that much of what I have written is half based on textual evidence and half me just writing what I like/wish would crop up in canon.

For example, yes I like to draw comparisons between Tim being cold and Steph being warm, moon and sun and so on, but there's genuinely nothing in text to hint as this being an actual character trait or symbolism. If anything Tim's stated to be warm several times, more than Steph.

So, and I am sorry to be so blunt, but if I take your request in bad faith for a moment, don't use either directly or indirectly what I've written for your work. Especially without actually going and reading the arcs I talk about. A lot of the time it doesn't hold up under genuine textual scrutiny, and we want to be good academics here! There's Death of the Author and then there's me making crap up because I want to include it in a fanfic. Not the same thing! My blog is called IncoherentBabblings for a reason after all!

I will therefore say this: If you want to write about Steph as a character, I would use the below video as a point of reference. Using the below, you can then go into why she resonates with you the way she does, or why her relationship with Tim is so interesting to you.

If I were you: focus on her dynamic character development: cynical to idealistic. And use three points in her publication history to do this: her introduction in Detective Comics, War Games, and Batgirl. I am sorry to recommend War Games as something to read but it is important to her character. Use the Stephanie Brown Wiki to help!

That lends itself to a biography of her character, a look at her motivations and values, her role within the batfam, and so on. You can also use this to make comparisons with her peers, specifically Tim moving in the exact opposite direction development wise; Babs and Cass in their approaches to Batgirl; and the other Robins through her similar character progression as Dick, which in turn allows her to be a good mentor to Damian, and finally how her character arc runs perpendicular to Jason's. Does that make sense?

Anyway, let's get going! If I were to write an academic piece on Stephanie, these are the main points I would work through. In other words, this is what I would do. You probably will not need nor want to go into this level of depth, and you will want to make it much more personal about why she resonates with you, which may be different to why I love her. So don't worry about touching base with all of them. This is like... 10,000 word essay level stuff. And don't get overwhelmed. I've taken your request far too seriously is all.

Again, I can't write it for you! You gotta do the reading and writing I'm afraid.

...But I still wrote 1,500 words anyway. Gosh darnnit.

Steph’s Character Development

Always keep three points in her character history in mind – her aged 14/15 in her introductory arc in Detective Comics, her aged 16 in War Games, and her aged 18/19 in her Batgirl run.

How does she change? How does she grow as a character? What events caused these changes? Compare that angry 14-year-old trying to choke her father, to the 19-year-old crying happily on the roof. A lot happened between those two points! Outline the main plot beats.

Steph's Role as a Batfam Character:

Protagonist or Antagonist: Supporting Protagonist

Static or Dynamic: Dynamic (think of her character development - angry to alturistic; she softens in her life outlook and in the way she treats others as the years go by)

Minor or Major: Minor and we all mourn that fact :(

Foil or Symbolic: A foil to Tim Drake (and to a lesser extent the other Robins, specifically Jason Todd)

Importance of the character/Position in Society: Fourth Robin, third Batgirl, own superhero. Tim's girlfriend, Cassandra's best friend, one of many of Bruce's 'children'. Initially introduced just as a one-off character for a small arc in Detective Comics, brought back with the intention of being a supporting character to Tim Drake, and eventual love interest. Eventually gained enough popularity on her own terms to support her own solo comic, but has since returned to a supporting role. The character she supports, at the end of the day, is Bruce Wayne.

Motivation

What influences their decisions?: Stephanie's dynamic characterisation comes in here. Compare her motivations during her introductory arc, versus why she does what she does in War Games, versus why she dresses up at Batgirl - Stopping her father, getting Batman's approval, need for redemption.

What do they value?: Values emotional openness, vulnerability, second/third/fourth chances.

Goals/Hopes/Dreams: No long term goals/hopes/dreams in the domestic sense... Continue to be vigilante. Be respected by her peers. Continue to improve self worth through deeds. Graduate college?

What are their views: Views the justice system and police as corrupt, but still trusts in the inherent goodness of people. Focus is usually on the individual, rather than societal or structural.

Actions

Behaviour, Attitudes, Impact on Story and other Characters, Internal Struggle (Wants versus Needs): This is why I think you are best to look at three points in her story - Intro Arc, War Games, Batgirl. Focus on her Wants versus Needs - Steph's take a very long time to align, but they finally do in Batgirl.

Character development is usually driven by the conflict between what a character wants. The plot forces them normally to confront the fact that what they want is not gonna work out, and what they needed instead takes priority.

Everything usually goes tits up for Steph when she is in the driver's seat of the narrative because what she wants from a situation is rarely what she actually needs to happen. See every time she seeks Bruce's approval. She wants it. She absolutely does not need it. And only as Batgirl do we get that acknowledgement, which coincides with her being at the healthiest point in her life emotionally. Look at what she wants as Spoiler during her introductory arc, as Robin/Spoiler during War Games, and then as Batgirl. Why is she so unhappy in the former two? Why have her wants finally aligned with her needs with her time as Batgirl?

Character Traits

Personality: Cynical but perky. Sardonic but sincere. Think about how she changes over the time. This can be attributed to her different writers, but - for example - is there a universe reason for why Batgirl Stephanie is so much more socially awkward than Spoiler Stephanie?

Strengths & Weaknesses: Link these two together because Steph is a very good example where her strengths as a character can simultaneously be a weakness. Her determination can lead to her making ill conceived decisions. Her empathy can lead to her putting her trust in the wrong people. Her forgiving nature can lead to her being taken advantage of. Her temper, whilst landing her in hot water, can also just as often get her out of it.

Relationships

How do they interact with others: Focus on which characters pop up in all three arcs – Steph and her parents; Steph and Bruce; Steph and Tim. I am chucking Cass out the window here, sorry Cass, but if you’re focusing on these three arcs, Cass doesn’t really fit in.

How others view them: Conditional love/affection from her father and Bruce. Unconditional love/affection from Tim and her mother (though both are not without serious pitfalls).

How they view others: Stephanie has explicitly never loved her father. She has also never explicitly hated him either. What does that say about her? Look at her changing closeness with her mother. What changed between them, and again, what does that say about Stephanie? Crystal got sober, supported Stephanie through her pregnancy, Arthur was removed from their lives, Stephanie makes a conscious effort to be closer to her after returning ‘from the dead’, though continues to lie consistently to her. Stephanie admires Bruce, whilst also right from the get go insisting she does not answer to him. She never quite lets go of wanting that approval.

How does society view them: Her outsider role within the Batfam. She never quite belongs, and at points her closest relationships are actively discouraged from seeing her. Which Tim specifically never entertains. This outsider nature bites literally everyone in the butt during War Games. Her outsider status is still in place by the time Batgirl concludes, due to its largely self-contained nature as a book, but this is less being an outsider more having earned to right to operate independently. Trust has been given and earned.

Dialogue

What does she say and how: A teenage girl in New Jersey from a working class background has a very distinct voice. She does not mince words, nor does she hide what she is feeling. If she is happy, she will say so. If she is annoyed, she will say so. What she won’t do is ask for help when she needs it, due to her background formulating a need for her ‘to do things on her own’.

Think of famous/important Steph quotes from the three arcs I keep talking about – the excuse me if I don’t jump when you bark, the I really was part of the legend, the only variable you can control is yourself. These show how Steph views others and herself.

When I was writing I Would Have Loved You, I literally made a spreadsheet where I have picked out what I think are pertinent quotes from every New 52 issue featuring Tim or Steph along with a synopsis that explained what they were up to/what the main theme of the issue was. Not saying you should do the same because I’m just that goddamn anal when it comes to this sort of stuff, but the point is – look for quotes by/about Steph which highlight the above things we’ve talked about. You have thirty years to go through!

Author Intention

What purpose does this character serve?: A character that young female readers could get attached to – the every girl/girl next door archetype or a character that young boys could have a crush on – the kind of girl who’s into the same sort of stuff as you, I think Chuck Dixon once said of her, from her initial appearance. Fodder for Bruce and Tim’s man pain in War Games. Batgirl it’s a combination of filling the void for a female lead solo character in the batbooks, but also tonally taking on a much lighter and self-contained book that new readers could jump into very easily, directly compared to the more lore heavy Batman, Detective Comics, and Red Robin books.

What is the author trying to communicate: Steph’s character shows that determination can only get a person so far, a support system and doing things for the right reasons (again remember that want versus need argument) is the only way a person will genuinely succeed.

What is her main theme?: Balancing cynicism and idealism – doing acts for the right reasons, and discovering what these reasons actually are.

...

Is this even usable for anyone but myself? Possibly not!

Still... Go write! And good luck!

[itsclydebitches]

I adore talking about this with you, it's so cool to be able to agree, everything I've read is just excusing yen lmao.

And with "geralt would rather do and say things Yen wants to avoid pissing her off" LIKE YEAHH I guess I annoyed yen with my answers and she teleported Geralt out of the tower thing, and then threatened to do it again like??? Like he pissed her off so she has fuck all care about him, was over water thank god but like girl??? omg and her refusing to tell the wticher bros what she was planning on doing to Uma, like I get that they would be hesistent but I mean it's cause it's cruel and painful and they have that trauma around that. She just expects everyone to do what she asks when she asks no questions. (Lambert's "I'm not geralt" when he and Yen are kinda arguring, bb red flags)

I just assumed she didn't believe him cause if she did whats her excuse for behaving how she is lmao??? Like you believe he has amnesia and you still blame HIM over the person who maniplated him KAY.

And goodddd that fucking scene when Triss and Yen see Ciri in Kaer Morhen is genuinely the worst, Triss and Yen see their sis/daughter (not gonna get into how weird I find it that Triss considers Ciri her sister and Geralt is Ciris father and she still wants to fuck him, uncomfy) for the first time in forever, she's alive and well and while Triss is hugging Ciri, Yen kisses Geralt and Triss throws a glare at her. I hated that scene so damn much, it's stupid and shouldn't have been there. (aso I get emotions and all but Yen kissing Geralt is so bitchy, idk even full of gratitude and emotion I wouldn't kiss the man who just dumped me lol, especially not in front of a situation like Triss)

I'm still mad about the women, I really wanted to like them fuck meeee

YOU GOT TO THE PART. Oh thank god, anon, I've wanted to talk about this since we started these conversations lol

Okay, let's set the scene, shall we? You arrive to find that, with our playthroughs anyway, your ex has barged into your home. I say "barged in" because although we (Geralt) know that Yen's help is necessary and she'll be tagging along, the other witchers living there are given no prior warning and, according to Vesemir, Yen teleported in without so much as a "Hello." She then immediately starts ordering everyone around like her servants, failing to explain the situation beyond there being a curse that they have to help with. No, this isn't negotiable. She (still being an ex) takes your old room for herself, which just happens to be the biggest in the keep, and proceeds to toss a bed out the window. It's only later that Vesemir recalls that Triss used to use it, so prior to that everyone apparently just accepted that Yen was destroying their stuff for no understandable reason. Classic Yen. You go upstairs to find her cursing a blue streak at her failed experiment and when you try to lighten the mood, she snaps at you. If you're of the opinion that Yen's every order must be obeyed, this is when you're supposed to drop the conversation entirely, because she said to. Except, funnily enough, you'd like to know why she's up here being The Worst Guest Ever and destroying your property. She tries to justify this by saying that destroying a bed is better than how she could be dealing with her anger over Triss. Be grateful and all that. Except, it's not really about Triss, is it? The line is "You shagged my friend. For upwards of a year. I don't know what your witcher's code says on the matter, but ordinary folk would consider it obscene, base, vile." The blame is not on the woman who knowingly manipulated Geralt into having sex with her while he was vulnerable, it's on Geralt himself! He is the "obscene, base, vile" person for... daring to have amnesia? And when you point that out - "Yen... told you already. I lost my memory" - she yells that she's "lost [her] patience" and teleports you into a lake! This is, apparently, how she really wants to deal with her anger. Not by destroying beds, but by attacking you for things outside of your control. And I do consider it an attack. Yen is meant to be insanely powerful, she is leveraging her magic as a weapon here, particularly when Geralt has spent the whole game commenting on how much he hates portals. Yen knows this. Not just because he says so in her presence, but because she frequently reads his mind, something else he's expressed discomfort with. She's not just demonstrating her power (controlling) and sending him away when he makes a point she doesn't want to acknowledge (immature), she chooses the one thing she knows makes Geralt uncomfortable, perhaps even scared. Then when you've swum your way back to shore and returned to, despite all this, begin her list of chores, she makes a dry comment about how next time she just might drop you high enough for the fall to be fatal. With the next time implied to be, you know, the next time you disagree with her. The next time you dare to do anything other than agree with her every belief and jump at her every command.

The fandom interpretation of all this: "Lol Geralt getting yeeted is so funny. And their banter is just 😍"

Me:

You mentioned red flags and yeah like that ENTIRE SCENE is a crimson banner for me. I mean, by all means, love the fictional ships that are super messed up (I often do), but it astounds me how many fans honestly think this is just a cute interaction with absolutely no problems attached. Nothing to question here, folks. I've mentioned before, but last I discussed this in depth the asker wanted to know if I'd been an asshole to Yen and... that's it. That's the perspective. Any disagreement with her, any pushback, anything that's not complete, blind obedience is something she will not permit AND something most fans take as a given. If you're not doing what Yen tells you to, you're automatically the asshole, and if you're the asshole, you automatically deserve any punishment she chooses to dish out.

Comic spoilers coming up if you want to skip, but this is made abundantly clear in "Curse of Crows." Yen and Geralt are at their best in the moment below, enjoying one another's company on a nice day. Yen asks if Geralt wants to swim and he says nah, he'd rather watch her. She appears to like that idea and, indeed, swims naked while Geralt admires from the shore.

Actually cute right? I really liked this moment! They're cuddled up together and exchanging smiles. It's a rare moment of peace where I can believe that they truly care for one another, outside of passionate sex and not wanting the other dead. Finally, something beyond that incredibly low bar.

...except Yen starts flirting with a young man who shows up, invites him to travel with them, all while refusing to explain why she's interested in his company. The sudden third wheel is clearly bothering Geralt, but Yen continues to ignore his questioning. The answer she finally gives later that night?

She did it purely to mess with Geralt! It's his "just desserts" for "refusing to swim with [her]." She is "not one to be refused - I thought you needed reminding" by giving him "a flick on the nose." When I say that Yen treats Geralt like a dog I mean she literally treats him like a dog. He's a servant who must jump at her every command and if he doesn't, he'll punished for disobedience. He might not even know why he's being punished for a long stretch because Yen enjoys making him think she's a normal person capable of accepting that he doesn't feel like swimming right now - insert the Kaer Morhen scene where she wants to go have sex upstairs, but Geralt wants to catch up with the brothers he hasn't seen in an age here - only to reveal that actually she's made their formerly nice outing uncomfortable because he needs to be put in his place. All of which is followed by, "So... willing to join me now?" The message is very clear! Geralt had better get his ass in that tub unless he wants to be punished some more. Whether he wants a bath right now or not is inconsequential.

This is also the run where she scares the women Geralt was with, despite them being separated right now. Why? "I could."

Claims that Geralt is allowed to return to his companions (who he actually waves away) only for him to realize she's cast a spell to burn him with the water. Yen loves pretending she's okay with things only to punish Geralt for them later - sometimes with physical punishments. And what would have happened if the women had actually joined him again? Do witchers weather hot water better than the average courtesan? Who knows, but Yen clearly doesn't care who might get hurt.

Just like her time in Skellige and at Kaer Morhen, she refuses to explain what's going on. She just expects people to obey her, so-called loved ones included. Geralt was to get her cider, and arrive before her bath went cold, not question what they're doing on this dangerous hunt. He's a servant.

And my favorite, petty moment: transforming her awful inn food into a lavish meal without offering to do the same for either Geralt or Ciri.

"But, Clyde, that's just the comics. They're not really canon." Nah, questions of canon aside, this is 100% Yen's characterization. She's prideful. Immature. Beyond controlling. And punishes anyone who dares to tell her "No." Fans are always pointing out that she's meant to be horrible, she could have been a villain in another life, like any of that explains why I'm supposed to root for this relationship or enjoy her existence outside of being a complex character. Yen is interesting, but she's interesting in a "I can't wait to see her get her own just desserts" way. Not "Wooo now I get to watch this story ignore her behavior again to push a True Love narrative."

She punished Geralt frequently during their first meeting, she punishes him whenever they get together, and, I think, she punished him during the reunion with Ciri. Given our playthroughs, do we really think that after breaking up with her and all this fury over Triss - an anger so deep she destroyed the bed and attacked Geralt - she's just overcome with such joy that she forgets they're not together anymore and forgets the anger she's been nurturing for years? Yen doesn't forget. She's staring at Ciri during that moment, right where Triss is currently running towards them, and then after a considering look at Geralt pulls him in for that kiss. That was calculated. She did that to make a claim she no longer had. To punish them both: make Triss uncomfortable by playing at the "perfect" family reunion; make Geralt uncomfortable by kissing him when she knows he doesn't feel the same way. But of course, the popular reading is that she just loves him so much she couldn't help herself. Riiight.

It's just all SO BAD. (Including, as you say, the ickiness of having Triss lusting after Geralt and referring to Ciri as "little sis.") I love a lot of the women in Witcher - Cerys is a fave, Ciri, Saskia, Philippa, Keira, etc. - but the two I'm supposedly meant to fall in love with are just the worst lol.

Basically:

Half the fandom: TEAM TRISS 🤬

The other half: TEAM YEN🤬

Me: TEAM REGIS 😭

[fictionplumis]

A Lambert/Aiden Thing

Okay, bear with me here, this might be long. And maybe at one point I'm gonna try to RP this but unfortunately there's no one on the Lambert/Aiden RP tags on the site I use. So I'm just gonna put this here for now. And if anyone wants to, oh I don't know, write a fic or whatever based on this, PLEASE link me 'cause I wanna read it but anyway. 

Set after the Wild Hunt, one of those rare AUs where Aiden genuinely did not survive.

While traveling together as super cool witchers, Geralt ends up telling Ciri all about helping Lambert get revenge for his Cat friend, right? 

Time passes, and Ciri starts trying to really solidify her control with her ability. Geralt ends up spending more and more time at Corvo Bianco and Ciri is out on the Path, but every so often a girl needs a break, y'know? So sometimes she'll disappear for a couple days, maybe a few weeks, just off in another world. It's a good way to practice. 

In one world, she ends up running into this man named Aiden. (This world being our world. Not a modern Continent thing, not some point in the future, I mean OUR world.) They talk, and he ends up mentioning his roommate Lambert, and the more he says about Lambert, the more it becomes obvious that it's LAMBERT. 

Now Ciri has absolutely no intention of doing anything about this. It's not her place, telling Lambert would be an AWFUL idea, and going to meet that world's version of her uncle just seems like a bad idea. But she is curious about what kind of man can inspire such a strong sense of friendship in Lambert, so she decides to pop into that world every so often, "accidentally" find Aiden, and just kind of get to know him a little bit. Plus it's another way to practice her abilities, not just pin-pointing and traveling to a specific world, but to where a specific person is. 

She does that on and off a few times, enough where her and Aiden are sort of acquaintances. 

Now in this world Aiden isn't a saint, okay? This boy pretty much grew up on the streets. He has a past that he's trying to get away from. He knows his way around a knife fight, has ample experience running from the cops, and has been through so much therapy. (I don’t get into detail here but any kind of modern Aiden I usually have some kind of neurotypical. Might be something as simple as ADHD, though I do love bipolar!Aiden and psychotic!Aiden as well. I’d imagine at this point he’s good at managing it, with the help of therapy and medication. Now the therapy wouldn’t be all that accessible with where this is going, but Ciri could help him make sure he has his medications. Hell, if wanted to have him keep things consistent with his therapy too, he could move down to appointments maybe once a month and Ciri could make sure he could get to them, the same way she helps attain other things later on in this snippet. I absolutely support positive and accurate depictions of mental illness, I’m not just using the terms bipolar or psychotic lightly.) And unfortunately his past ends up catching up with him. 

Ciri happens to get there just in time. Before Aiden can end up with a bullet in his eye, she's teleporting him to the first safe place that comes to her mind: Corvo Bianca.

Now poor Aiden has no fucking idea what happened. One second his old "friends" have him backed into a corner with a gun to his face and the next he's experiencing the worst motion sickness of his life and throwing up in a pot that smells like shit. He spends the next two days sleeping off some major jet lag and when he comes to, he had no fucking idea where he is. 

Then comes Geralt and Ciri having to awkwardly explain the whole witcher thing to him, the Continent in general, the time period, the fact that monsters and sorceresses and magic exists in this world, all that happy shit. And it's a lot to process. Before they can even get to the whole "do you want to go back to your world and handle the deal with people trying to kill you thing" Lambert shows up. 

At first Aiden doesn't even think, he's just like oh thank fuck a familiar face, I know you hate hugs but I think this can be forgiven because I've had the weirdest most stressful week of my life.

And then he's like, wait a second. Lambert is... Thicker. 

Like Lambert's always been a very physically active guy, he's a mechanic or whatever you want a modern day Lambert to do, but his shoulders weren't THAT broad before and under those spiky metal arm things are some impressive biceps. Also what are those spiky metal arm things? Lambert, what are you wearing? How the fuck did you get here? Holy shit your eyes--

He puts two and two together. Right, the name Geralt sounded familiar because Lambert's mentioned the name. That's his adopted brother. So if this Geralt is a witcher, then Lambert in this world is a witcher. And Lambert is also having a minor breakdown because, y'know, AIDEN. 

Let's just say Geralt warned him. Explained the whole situation and asked Lambert to come back to help with this, and Lambert was very torn because it's not HIS Aiden. It'll hurt too much, to see someone so much like Aiden but just slightly to the left. He knew it would. He just didn’t expect this Aiden to be SO MUCH like his Aiden. By this point Aiden has had to change his clothes into some of Geralt's trousers with a belt to hold them up and a loose tunic, but it's fucking him. 

They all talk a bit. Aiden pretty much admits that yeah, there are people after him. And they probably won't stop until he's dead. That's how gangs work, y'know? You can't really... Get out. He tried, he really fucking did, but even if it's not the ones that cornered him before, it'll be someone else. So yeah, Ciri saved his life and going back is probably not the best idea. 

Now I absolutely don't want to fuck over another world's Lambert just to make Continent!Lambert happy, so we're gonna say the two were really good friends. They were roommates, they were close, Lambert was pretty much Aiden's only friend, but they weren't lovers. Lambert was with a woman named Keira. A doctor. They were good for each other, y'know? When Lambert first started dating her, Aiden thought she was kind of a bitch but as time went on she kind of mellowed out. It wasn't that she became less full of herself, but more that she actually felt confident enough that she didn't feel the need to try to take on the world anymore. And Lambert's happy with her. So leaving Lambert behind in that world kind of sucks, yeah, but he'll be okay. And this Lambert is so similar that to Aiden, it doesn't feel like he's losing someone. 

Now we have Aiden getting to experience the Continent for the first time. Getting to experience witchers for the first time. 

Lambert. Sword fighting. 

And that's so fucking cool. Can you please teach me that?

Which of course has Lambert a little iffy, because this Aiden is human and no fucking away is he letting this Aiden anywhere near a monster, but Aiden is like, nah, relax, I just want to learn because sword fighting is really cool. Look, I'm really good with a knife, teach me some cool sword stuff. 

So Lambert gets to teach Aiden some cool sword stuff. And how to make bombs, which Aiden LOVES. And maybe some alchemy, too, because Aiden asks about the potions and Lambert is very adamant that he never drinks any but Aiden likes at least knowing how to make them. It's fascinating. You all fucking know you would love to make potions out of gross monster parts and herbs if you had the chance, don't even lie. Lambert even shows off some signs and Aiden is delighted. 

This eventually leads to one of those serious conversations about what it takes to become a witcher, and what all Lambert went through, and how people view witchers. And Aiden gets it, maybe not completely, but he gets the just of it. Because he knows about the other Lambert's past, and his shitty father, and all that stuff. And Aiden's brown, and people don't like that. And he's gay, and people don't like that either. Lambert's whole thing kind of reminds him of the X-men. 

And Lambert doesn't know what the fuck that is so Aiden explains comics and superheroes and the X-men to him. 

Because in his world they don't have witchers or magic, so they make up stories that have people like witchers, that have magic, and in those stories, those people sometimes face very similar prejudices. So to Aiden, Lambert is a lot like a superhero. 

And Lambert's like uh huh, no way, definitely not any kind of hero, that's pretty boy's job. 

To which Aiden responds, no, I definitely think you're a hero, even if you don't, so suck it up. 

And they probably kiss and stuff. 

Eventually Aiden gets restless and he's curious about the rest of the Continent, and he's tired of wearing Geralt's ill-fitting clothes because he's used to skinny jeans and shit so he gets Lambert to take him into Beauclaire for clothes. 

And Beauclaire is fucking beautiful, he loves it. 

The clothes are okay. Eventually he just asks Lambert what he used to wear and they go see the armorer instead. Aiden's not entirely sure about it, because Lambert looks like he's swallowed a mouthful of tacks when he sees Aiden in the Cat armor, even without the chest piece or the gauntlets, but Lambert assures him that he's fine. 

It just doesn't quite ease the restlessness. So the next time Ciri pops in, Aiden asks for her help and together they scheme. The next day, Aiden tells Lambert to go find something to entertain himself with for awhile because he needs to spend some quality time with his BFF. 

A few hours later they find Lambert sulking out in the vineyard, Aiden looking fine and fresh in a brand new pair of skinny jeans that show off his very nice ass, and some well-fitting combat boots that aren't nearly as durable as actual leather boots on the Continent but they have studs and buckles and look really cool.

Lambert is torn between thinking Aiden looks like a fucking idiot and thinking that he's never wanted to fuck Aiden more in his life.

Then Aiden drops the news that he also put together an outfit for Lambert because in his world, when you're interested in courting someone, the first thing you do is take them on a date. And he wants to take Lambert on the most stereotypical first date. What's that? Why the movies, of course! There's an X-men movie that just came out (I don't know which one, okay? I don't watch the X-men. You figure it out.) and he thought, maybe, he could show Lambert a little bit of the world he came from. They wouldn't be there for long, and they wouldn't be going to a theater anywhere near where Aiden's old gang would be. Nothing would be tied to Aiden's name, and he would be with Lambert, so he would be safe. 

It's a big change from the Continent. 

Lambert's never seen so many fucking people in his LIFE. Aiden had warned him about cars and technology and Lambert is pretty quick witted so while he's absolutely amazed, he manages to take it in stride pretty well. The thing that throws him off the most is when they go to buy popcorn and the girl at the counter goes, "Oh my god, I love your contacts! Where did you get them? They look so real!" 

Lambert doesn't know what the fuck contacts are, but Aiden steps in all smooth-like, "Fuck, Lamb, you've had those forever, haven't you? I think he got 'em off some cosplay site." 

Then he has to explain later that sometimes people put these little discs in their eye to help them see better or to change the color of their eyes for costume purposes. To which Lambert has the understandable reaction of, "Who in their right fucking mind would CHOOSE to do this to their fucking eyes?" 

Well, y'know, they can take contacts out whenever they want. It's a cosmetic thing. They don't know what you had to go through to get your eyes to look like that. You'll probably have some old conservative people eyeing you weird, thinking you're some Satanist or whatever, but most other people will just think it's a cool choice you made, to put those in to go to the movies.

The world is weird. Lambert can't decide if he likes it or hates it. 

He definitely likes the movie, though. And the popcorn. Probably finds the soda to be a little too sweet for his taste. There's still a lot of people, which makes him a bit on edge, but they came to the theater at an off time and not many people are actually in the room with them. They sit at the back and hold hands and Lambert decides he loves it. Ciri picks them up like a proud parent driving her kid and her kid's date home, only instead of driving she's teleporting and neither of them are her kids but whatever. 

But Aiden isn't done scheming. When they get back he tells Lambert to stay put and gets Ciri to take him back for one more little errand. 

A couple hours later they clang back into Corvo Bianco. CLANG back because each of them has a weird metal cart piled high with items and they're laughing their asses off. 

So you might be wondering, how did Ciri and Aiden afford clothes? They stole them. How did Aiden afford movie tickets and popcorn? He pick pocketed. Boy grew up on the streets. He knows how to steal wallets. And now they performed the greatest "run out the doors of Walmart with carts full of shit" EVER. Because as soon as they were out of sight, they teleported, no one the wiser. 

Aiden is thrilled with his non-purchases. Firstly, he has about a year's worth of toilet paper. he throws a package at Lambert, who's like, what the fuck is this. Toilet paper. What do you use it for? To wipe your ass after you shit, Lambert. Trust me. Once you use it, you'll never go back. It's a blessing, you'll thank me for it. There might not be indoor plumbing here, but god dammit, I want toilet paper.

He then hands Ciri two boxes of pads. Yeah, she was there shopping with him, but he just kind of dumped stuff in carts without explaining anything, and while Ciri knows what most of the things are, do you really think she's thought about how other worlds deal with menstruation? Because I menstruate, and the thought would genuinely not cross my mind. I would continue using whatever method I used back in my original world. So Aiden leans in to whisper what they are, because he's polite, and he becomes her favorite uncle just like that. And when Geralt and Lambert are like, uh, what? She tells them it's for menstruating and, "Oh, don't make that face at me, Geralt. I bleed, it happens."

Aiden admits that most of the other purchases are for Lambert, and when Lambert tires to protest Aiden makes it very clear that everything he bought is NORMAL in his world. Not even luxury, just NORMAL, so Lambert just needs to shut up and let Aiden make his life a little easier. 

First up, sunglasses. Because Lambert mentioned how painful it can be to take Cat and then step out into sunlight before the potion has run out. He tosses a pair at Lambert, who tries them on with a frown and is like, "Oh. Huh. Alright. These might actually be pretty useful." Aiden got himself a pair too. They match. There's also a tent. It folds up pretty small, but witchers travel, right? And Lambert mentioned how shit it is to camp in the rain, so here's a tent that’s better than the shit you can buy on the Continent. You lay out your bedroll in it, and you don't have to worry about bugs, and it helps protect you against the weather. It's small, but it looks kind of easy to put up, should be durable enough. 

And maybe just big enough for two, because Aiden isn't stupid. Eventually Lambert will need to take to the Path again, and Aiden wants to comes too. He wants to see the Continent. He can't help with the monsters, he knows, but maybe he can do something else to help them earn money. Who knows, right? This world isn't run by capitalism. He could make a living doing nearly anything. He can figure something out. 

He even got a water filter, and a couple filter replacements because witchers can probably drink any kind of stagnant water they want but he would rather not die of dysentery, thanks. And he got himself a sleeping bag. And he got Lambert a very, very soft fleece blanket just because he thought Lambert would like it. (He does.) Oh, also, Lambert, smell this soap. And this shampoo. Using a bar of soap has not done Aiden's hair any favors, he got actual fucking shampoo. The BIG bottle. And now Lambert has some nice pomade to use in his hair instead of bear fat. Won't make his hair greasy plus it smells better. Also there's bubble bath, just because. And beard oil for Lambert. Some moisturizer. Here, Lambert, put on some chap stick. Trust me, you'll love it. 

They set out on the Path and it's not always easy because Aiden worries CONSTANTLY. But Lambert is good at what he does. The few times they're ambushed, Lambert always keeps Aiden safe, because in this household everyone fucking survives. 

Aiden likes seeing Lambert in action. He swoons and calls Lambert his hero. 

There are some stunning places to visit on the Continent. Aiden's favorite are the elven ruins they sometimes come across. Only after Lambert deals with the wraiths, though. 

Aiden learns how to play Gwent. He's not that good at it. Aiden learns how to cheat at Gwent. He's VERY good at it. Lambert teaches him how to fish with bombs. Aiden is fucking delighted. 

Eventually he realizes how he can make money. He copywrites Disney. 

He's no bard. He can't sing or play an instrument. But he CAN tell stories, and no matter how much you hate Disney, there are probably a lot of Disney movies everyone can quote by heart, and they're either already time-period approved, or they can easily be adapted into something time period approved. Lambert comes back from a hunt to find the entire tavern listening to Aiden with rapt attention while he's in the front of the room putting on a one man performance of the whole, "I am Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die," while jumping back and forth to play each part. He's clearly having a blast with it, because who doesn't love telling other people every little detail about their favorite movie? 

As he's heading upstairs with Lambert, he just keeps raving about how he can't believe he actually made money with that. He hands Lambert a handful of coins, just like, "I don't know how much money this is, but look, it's money!"

Which probably leads to some conversation about capitalism and how easy it was in his world to feel insignificant, to feel like everything is pointless, and how much happier he is with Lambert. How it's even given him a new outlook on the world he came from. He doesn't want to go back, per se, but he doesn't want to completely leave either. He wants to show Lambert the best parts of it, to re-experience his world through Lambert, to really feel the amazement of it all the way he's supposed to, the way that's so easy to stop doing when you're actually living there. It's so easy to take it all for granted, but when you're showing it to someone who's experiencing it for the first time, you can really appreciate it all. 

So every winter they head back to Toussaint and Ciri takes them back long enough for them to do something FUN. They play laser tag. They rope Geralt, Eskel, and Ciri into doing an escape room with them. They go kayaking. They do one of those rope courses and zip-line things. They go to an amusement park. A water park. They walk around a nature trail. They go to a comic convention. (Lambert wears his armor and so many people want pictures with him. He's just sad Aiden wouldn't let him bring his swords, the kids would have fucking loved to see a sword.) They have so much fun. And Aiden stocks up on modern supplies for the year while he's there. Another year's worth of toilet paper, a new tent, another fuzzy blanket, a few pairs of sunglasses because Lambert always ends up breaking his, a nice backpack because Lambert really likes having a bunch of different pockets in his bag for organizing things.

And you know what? Give it ten years, Aiden's bordering on his forties, and he finds some way to make himself functionally immortal. Magic, fairies, a curse, a blessing, I don't know, I don't care. Their plan becomes to live until one of them dies of something--probably Lambert, because he's the one Aiden always has to patch up (he now always buys a very large, well stocked first-aid kit from his world too) what with fighting monsters and all, and the other will follow. It's morbid, sure, but it works for them. With the way things are going, neither of them thinks they'll need to do that anytime soon anyway.

Basically, they live happily ever after, okay? 

HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

[sproutsgcrden]

when the seafoam floats | chapter one

the entrance exam

summary: Aizawa Michi isn't sure of a lot of things in her life, but she is sure that Midoriya Izuku is going to be a great hero. Following him from Aldera Middle School to Yuuei High only cements that fact, even if he does have a strange new quirk.

author's note: this is a longtime coming! i've been planning Michi's story for over a year now, and i'm so excited to finally be able to share it! keep in mind that this a retelling of canon with an oc-- some things will be different, some things will be the same. i update every monday on ao3.

masterlist | read on ao3 | next chapter

want to be tagged? send in an ask and let me know!

art done by emmythetaciturn!

father | sent 06:48

good luck. don’t die. i’ll get you a kit-kat later

loudmouth | sent 07:03

HAVE FUN TODAY MIMI! YOU’RE GONNA ROCK THIS 😎😝👏💪🗣

nem | sent 07:06

You’re going to do amazing today, my little mimichan 💕💕

Missed Call | izukun💚 | 07:49

izukun💚 | sent 07:49

Hey! I’m here! Call me when you’re close? 😊

--------

Michi clicked the call back button, bringing the phone up to her ear as the familiar dial tone rang. The black skirt of her middle school uniform swayed gently in the wind as she continued her trek up the path that led to Yuuei High School. Her seafoam green hair, wavy as it was, was pulled back into her usual half-bun. Even if it was completely down, it would barely reach her shoulders. Her narrowed brown eyes began to search for the familiar green hair of her friend among the throng of middle school students in her way.

A click sound through the phone, and through the static and background noise Michi could make out a meek voice. Her lips formed a small grin, and her pace sped up. If she bumped into anyone, well, she could apologize later.

“Hello? Micchan?”

Michi excused herself past a couple who were walking extremely slow for her tastes, and tightened her bag to her shoulder with her free hand. “Hey Izukun! I’m about to pass the gates, so I’ll probably see you within a minute or two. Where are you at?” The golden gates seemed to dazzle in the sun. The young girl had been here many times with her father, but for some reason the entrance seemed especially intimidating today.

“Oh, I’m on the left side of the walkway, right by a pillar…” Michi could hear Izuku’s hesitance through the phone. “Are uh, are you nervous at all?”

“Nervous? Izukun, of course I’m nervous. This is the biggest entrance exam in the entire country. I doubt my quirk will be useful during the physical- but hey, that’s why we trained, yeah? If anyone can pull this off, it’s us!” Just then, Michi passed through the gate. She saw a glimpse of green hair behind one of the pillars, and changed her direction. “Anyways, I’m right behind you.”

A muffled and surprised screech sounded through her phone’s speaker, causing Michi to look up at the source of the noise. Izuku had turned around so quickly that he tripped, but luckily a nearby girl helped him. After hanging up her phone and putting it in her bag, Michi quickly ran towards the duo before her.

“Are you okay?” The cheerful voice of the brunette standing in front of Izuku carried through the open air. “Sorry for using my quirk on you without asking first! I know that some people may not like that, but I figured it would be better than falling!” The girl helped Izuku stand straight and released her quirk just as Michi caught up to them.

Leaning over, Michi gave Izuku a once over, just to make sure he didn’t actually hit anything before he was caught. When she didn’t see anything wrong, she nodded and turned to the brunette standing beside her. “Thanks for catching him. He can be a little clumsy- nerves aren’t really helping today.”

“Oh, it’s no problem! This whole thing is way nerve-wracking!” The two turned to Izuku, who was too busy staring off into space to be aware of anything around them. “Anyways- my name is Uraraka Ochako! Good luck in the exam!”

Michi bowed respectfully..“Aizawa Michi. And this is Midoriya Izuku. Good luck to you as well.” Uraraka nodded, and walked into the building, brown hair bouncing gracefully. Michi watched her walk inside before she turned her attention to her friend, who was muttering too quietly for her to catch on to what he was saying.

With a huff of amusement, she slapped his shoulder and began to guide him into the building. “Izukun, I know you don’t have much experience with girls, but you could at least try to introduce yourself to the one who saved you from eating the sidewalk.” Michi laughed as Izuku’s face went from shocked to embarrassed.

“Oh gosh, you’re right. I was too busy trying to figure out her quirk to even say anything! Do you think she noticed?” Their shoes scruffed against the paved stairs as they continued their walk, eventually reaching the door and going inside. “I mean, what do you think it was? I think it could be some sort of gravity manipulation based on how I floated- that’s perfect for rescue work! She would be an amazing hero, I really hope she makes it in- is that- Thirteen?!”

Thirteen was stationed at a long table at the end of the entrance hall, clearly meant to be a check-in. They pointed directions for the potential students in front of Izuku and Michi as they handed out pamphlets. Izuku began to shake, from nerves or excitement Michi couldn’t tell. She assumed a mixture of both. It wasn’t everyday you got to meet such influential heroes in person- at least for the normal civilian.

As the duo eventually made their way to the front of the line, Thirteen greeted them enthusiastically. “Welcome to Yuuei, Hero Hopefuls! Can you please give me your school I.D.s so we can get you checked in and ready to go?” Michi and Izuku, of course, already had their identification available. Thirteen quickly took them, and checked the two of them into the system. After handing a freshly printed packet to each of them, along with their I.D.s, Thirteen pointed them down the hall.

“Those packets include the booklets you will use in the written exam, along with information regarding the physical you’ll take after. Your proctor will explain everything in more detail once they’re ready to start the exam. Aizawa-san, you’ll be in room 1-E, right down the hall after taking the first left. Midoriya-san, you’ll be in room 1-G, just a few doors further down. Good luck to the both of you!”

Michi led the way to their respective rooms, clearly having some knowledge on where to go. Izuku followed her lead, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. “Uh, Micchan?” The girl in question absentmindedly nodded her head, gesturing for Izuku to continue his question. “Well, I was just thinking, isn’t it a bit strange that we haven’t seen Kacchan yet?”

“Why would you want him to see you today of all days?”

“I don’t! I just-” Izuku sighed, causing Michi to pause and pull him to the side of the hall. “If he does see me, I’d rather it be before everything starts? At least it wouldn’t be so embarrassing if he yelled at me in an empty hallway versus a classroom.”

Michi nodded in understanding, waiting a moment before speaking. “I don’t think he’d go too overboard today, Izuku. At least, not on campus? Yuuei is very strict in their policies, so he’d likely be barred from taking the exam if he started screaming at you for nothing.” She gave him a reassuring grin. “And if he did, I’d punch him in the face. Again.”

“Micchan! You can’t just talk about how you punched Kacchan!”

“Why not? The asshole deserved it for what he said. And you know it.”

“I mean, maybe he did. But I’m sure you’ll be barred from taking the exam for talking about how you assaulted another student so openly!”

“Yeah... But I could still make it into general studies, probably. Besides, my old man already knows I cracked open Bakugou’s nose.”

“Micchan!” Izuku’s eyes were wide, but he couldn’t mask the giggles leaving his mouth quite fast enough. Michi smiled in response- a large, open-mouthed smile that rarely came from the normally stoic girl. Once Izuku calmed down, he began to talk once more. “Oh yeah. I forgot you mentioned your dad taught here. I’m still upset you won’t tell me which hero he is.”

Michi huffed, a small ounce of suppressed laughter. “Dad doesn’t like me sharing his hero identity, Izukun. But, to give you a clue…”

Izuku leaned in closely, ready to hear whatever could possibly clue him in on the mysterious hero.

“You have a few pages dedicated to him in one of your notebooks! I think number eleven?”

Green eyes widened comically as Izuku took in the implications of his friend’s words. “You mean I already wrote about your dad and you won’t tell me which hero he is?!”

“I thought it was funny.” Michi shrugged with a small grin. “Plus, like I said, dad doesn’t like people knowing his hero identity.”

“I still- I wrote about your dad and you never said anything!”

“I would’ve corrected you on your analysis had you been wrong, but you actually broke down his abilities quite well! I wanted to take a picture and show it to him, but that would’ve been too on the nose.”

Michi slapped her shell-shocked friend on the shoulder, trying to snap him out of his stupor. “We have a test to take, remember? Let’s focus on that!”

Izuku, getting over his shock and embarrassment, shook his head clear of his thoughts and nodded towards his friend. Michi walked a little further with him to make sure that he made it to the correct room before hurrying to her own. It was time for the exam to get started.

--------

Michi groaned as she tightened the seafoam-colored half bun sitting on top of her head, turning her back quickly to pop it as she made her way towards the large auditorium Snipe had pointed her group in. The written test hadn’t been as difficult as she thought it could’ve been. Thanks to the endless nights she and Izuku spent studying every subject they could get their grubby little hands on, she didn’t have nearly the amount of trouble she expected to have on the math section. It really wasn’t one of her strong suits. Quirk Science and Quirks Laws, however, were a speciality of hers. Her father debated the laws with his coworkers frequently enough for her to pick up on, and Quirk Science definitely helped explain her own quirks’ functions. Sparing a quick glance down to her pamphlet, Michi took the stairs near the entrance to find her seat.

The row her seat was in wasn’t hard to find, but Michi did a double take once she found it. With narrowed eyes, she slammed her bag on the table with a bit more force than necessary. Of course they would sit her near him. She only hoped that Izuku got placed on her side instead of the empty seat on his side.

“Real mature, guard dog.” the grating voice of Bakugou Katsuki sounded from her right. She barely spared him a look of contempt before setting her gaze on the stage below. His ashen blond hair was as explosive as ever, red eyes set in the permanent glare she was used to seeing from him. The sight of his crooked nose was enough to almost make her lose her cool, letting out a short cackle.

“Yeah, as if you know anything about maturity. Want a reminder of how your nose got permanently tilted to the side?”

Bakugou snarled, turning away from Michi to face the stage once more.

It was the first day of their third year, and of course Izuku was the first one assigned to classroom cleanup. Michi offered to stay behind with him, but she ran to the restroom right after class was dismissed. She knew she should’ve waited until Bakugou and his cronies left for the day, a fact she cursed herself for months after the event.

Her shoes tapped against the linoleum floor as she hurried back to their class, knowing the sooner they got the cleaning done, the sooner they could go get some katsudon and celebrate their first day being over. She didn’t expect her vision to turn red in rage the moment she entered the room.

“If you really want to be a hero so bad- maybe you should take a swan dawn off the roof of the building and pray for a quirk in the next life!”

Fingers and the chain smoker had already turned towards the door, eyes widened in fear. Not knowing of the danger that awaited him, Bakugou turned towards the exit with a smug smirk. And that’s when he was met with a sharp crack against his nose. Blood leaked through the torn skin on the bridge, as well as one of his nostrils. He spluttered, hand moving up to catch the blood and cover his nose as his shocked eyes met Michi’s glowing red ones. Her seafoam hair, normally tied back in a half bun, floated towards the ceiling.

“If you ever say anything like that again, I won’t stop at your nose.”

The feeling of someone tapping her left shoulder brought her out of the flashback, and she turned to see Izuku smiling down at her. He set his bag down beside his chair softly, scooting his chair closer to hers as he sat down. His documents were placed on the table in a neat stack. He was about to say something to the girl beside him, when he seemed to realize that Bakugou was only two seats over. Michi knew he’d probably start freaking out, so she turned to face him completely, blocking out his view of Bakugou.

“How do you think you did on the written portion, Izukun?” The lights dimmed before going back to their original brightness, signalling that the presentation was about to begin.

The young boy fiddled with his papers, shaking his head slightly. “I think I did okay? There were a few questions on the beginnings of quirks that I had a bit of trouble with, but other than that it seemed easier than expected?”

“Yeah. Good thing we studied for the math section. I totally would’ve failed if we hadn’t gone over a majority of it.” Michi flicked her eyes towards the stage once more, seeing the silhouette of a man with very large hair walk up to the podium.

Izuku, Michi, and the rest of the participants crowded into the room focused their attention to the newcomer as the lights dimmed. His bright yellow hair, gelled up to the high heavens, was only accented by the artificial lights beaming down on him. Headphones covered his ears, and the collar of his leather jacket did little to hide the speaker connected around the man’s neck. Michi chuckled as she heard her green-haired friend let out a squeak in surprise.

“YOOOOO YUUEI HOPEFULS! HOW ARE WE FEELING TODAY?” The man certainly didn’t need the mic connected to the podium as his voice echoed clearly throughout the entire auditorium.

“That’s Present Mic! His quirk control is absolutely incredible- his rescue stats as well! I listen to his radio show every morning! I can’t believe he’s a teacher here! It’s totally crazy that all the teachers here are pros- guess that’s Yuuei for you!” Izuku was nearly bouncing in his seat, gushing over the Voice Hero with the quietest voice he could possibly muster.

“Will you stop nerding out, freak?”

Michi glared at Bakugou. “You really want me to mess up your nose again, sweaty hands?”

“Micchan! Kacchan!”

The two stopped glaring at each other and turned forwards again, paying attention to Present Mic, much to Izuku’s relief.

“WELCOME TO TODAY’S LIVE SHOW! EVERYBODY SAY HEY!”

If Michi had been paying attention to detail, she would’ve realized that no one in their position would ever reply. Tension and nerves were extremely palpable in the air; everyone was too scared to even say anything at this point in the exam. All except Michi- who was used to the loud, booming calls made by her father’s best friend. So when she replied with a decent-volume, she lifted her head, surprised to see over a thousand faces staring back at her.

Blood immediately rushed to her cheeks as she realized that she was the only one in the entire room to reply to the loudmouthed hero. She felt Izuku’s concerned gaze as she tried to block out the obnoxious sound of Bakugou trying (and failing) to hold in laughter.

“THANK YOU EXAMINEE 8978!” If Michi were any closer, she would be able to see the wink he sent her way, but from the distance she was at, she could barely see his exaggerated movements. “I’M HERE TO PRESENT THE GUIDELINES OF YOUR PRACTICAL! ARE YOU READY?!”

The large screen behind Present Mic lit up, showcasing a map of the ten different battle centers. “THIS IS HOW THE TEST IS GONNA GO, LISTENERS! YOU’LL BE EXPERIENCING TEN MINUTE LONG ‘MOCK CITYSCAPE MANEUVERS’! BRING ALONG WHATEVER YOU WANT! YOU’LL HEAD TO YOUR ASSIGNED LOCATION AFTER THIS PRESENTATION, YA DIG?”

Bakugou shuffled beside Michi, taking a quick glance at the paperwork laid out in front of each of them. “That’s so kids from the same middle school can’t help each other out, yeah?”

“Yeah. It makes sense, too. Especially considering that each consecutive I.D. number is assigned to a different location!”

“Get your eyes off of my paper, nerd!” Izuku shuddered as Bakugou whisper-screamed at him. The ashen blond grunted as he looked away. “I’ll crush all these losers. Fortunately for you, you’ll get to live another day.”

Michi felt a sinister grin form on her face as she spoke through clenched teeth. “Broken. Nose.”

They grew silent once more as Present Mic continued to speak.

“Each site is filled with three kinds of faux villains! Points are awarded for defeating each according to their respective difficulty levels!!! Use your quirks to disable these villains, and earn your points! That’s your goal, listeners!!” There was a short pause before the hero continued. “Of course, playing the antihero and attacking other examinees is prohibited!”

Michi elbowed Bakugou at the reminder, making him scowl at her.

“Excuse me! May I ask a question!”A voice sounded from below, nearly right in front of the stage. A figure was lit up by a stage light: a tall student with dark blue hair and glasses. He didn’t pause to let the hero reply before he continued on with his question. “There appear to be no fewer than four varieties of faux villains on this handout! Such a blatant error, if it is one, is highly unbecoming for Yuuei! Japan’s top academy! We’re all here today in the hopes of being molded into model heroes!”

“And you! With the curly hair!” His finger pointed towards Izuku, making the green haired boy cower behind Michi. “You’ve been muttering this whole time! It’s distracting!! If this is some sort of game to you, then please leave immediately!”

Izuku let out an embarrassed “Sorry,” in reply, making Michi glare down at the kid who singled her friend out. If it wasn’t going to create even more of a scene and cause Izuku to become even more of a nervous wreck, she’d totally give this guy a piece of her mind. Just who did he think he was?!

“Alright! Examinee 7111! Great catch, thank you!” Present Mic increased his volume, trying to lead the attention back to himself. “But the fourth villain variety gets you zero points! He’s more of an obstacle! There’s only one at each site! A gimmick of sorts that’ll rampage around in close quarters.”

“Thank you, sir! I apologize for the interruption!”

The presenting hero nodded, gesturing to the entire room with his hands. “That’s all from me, folks!” He went on to describe a quote from Napoleon, of all people. Michi knew this was the school of schools, but she also knew Mic was being forced to spew the random educational fact to them all. “PLUS ULTRA!!! Break a leg, listeners!”

With that, the main lights turned back on and the other potential students began to shuffle their way to their respective buses. The small shuttles would take them to and from campus to their testing sites. Bakugou, bag already slung across his shoulder and papers in his grasp, sped past Izuku and Michi as soon as the lights turned back on. The two shrugged as they gathered their things and made their way down and out to the buses.

-------

The shuttles, while as large as they could be, were still completely cramped. Michi found herself wishing that the battle centers were closer so that they could just walk to where they needed to be. She wasn’t much of a people person in the first place, even more-so when she was surrounded by random people with no room to herself. Luckily, she was able to grab a window seat near the back. The kid that sat immediately next to her didn’t seem too awful, either.

“Hey! Name’s Sero Hanta!” His deep black hair reached just above his shoulders, and his smile was so obviously genuine. Michi nodded, eyes flickering down to the round shape of his elbows before meeting his own. “This is totally crazy, right?”

“Aizawa Michi.” She sat up a bit straighter to provide more room for the both of them as she nodded. “Tell me about it. Didn’t know we were fighting robots… I’m going to have to be creative.”

Sero lifted his arms to give her a better view of his elbows. “I get ya! My quirk’s called Tape! I produce organic tape from my elbows.” He dropped his arms once she had gotten a good look. “What’s yours?”

“It’s called Erasure.” Michi held up her hands for Sero to see. “If I touch someone with all five fingers, I can erase their quirk. Or, I make them unable to use it? It’s not very effective on those with mutations, however.”

“Oh no shit?” Sero turned to face Michi fully, lifting his elbow to her still raised hand. “Try it on me! I wanna see what happens with my quirk!”

The young girl nodded, and placed her entire hand on the boy’s elbows. Michi felt her hair begin to float upwards, and she could tell by the look on Sero’s face that her normally brown eyes had begun to glow red. “You can move your elbow. I can still have my quirk activated if I let go.”

Sero tilted his arm away from her, moving it back and forth with furrowed brows. He shook his arm a few times, in an attempt to try to use his quirk. “It’s so weird. I know my quirk’s still here, it just feels like I forgot how to use it.” He knocked his knuckles against his elbow. “Yeah, I can’t get anything to come out.”

Michi nodded and deactivated her quirk; the feeling of her hair floating back down to normal tickled the back of her neck. In an instant, tape shot out of Sero’s elbows in a similar fashion to a grenade getting launched. He quickly grabbed the end before it could get far, and retracted it. She sheepishly scratched the back of her neck, turning her gaze to the floor.

“Sorry. I should’ve warned you before I let it go.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it!!” The shuttle came to a stop in front of their battle center, and the two of them stood as they waited their turn to make their way to the gate. “That’s a pretty great quirk though. It sucks that you don’t have a way to use it against the robots.”

Michi shrugged, following Sero as he began to walk through the aisle. “I have a few ideas of what I can do. Either way, if I don’t manage to bag enough villain points, I’m confident I’ll make it into general education. I can just fight my way into the hero course from there.”

The duo had made their way to the gate by the time Michi finished her short speech, and started to stretch while they waited for the countdown to begin. It wasn’t a long wait before a loud buzzer sounded through the area, and as soon as the gates opened up, Michi sprinted her way through it. She barely acknowledged Present Mic’s voice as she surpassed those in her group, heading straight for the nearest one-pointer.

The one-pointers were the smallest of the bunch, and therefore the easiest ones to test her theory on. Logically, these robots had to have a manual shut-off. Michi had no doubt that the exam proctors were controlling these things from a central room somewhere on campus, but that didn’t mean that there weren’t other ways to make sure they were running properly.

Thanking her dad for the parkour lessons, Michi narrowly dodged the robot’s fist before hopping onto it. Using its arm as a leverage point, she swung herself towards its neck. It didn’t take long for her to maneuver herself so she was able to look down at its back. Taking a moment to look around, her eyes lit up as soon as she glanced at a small switch between the neck piece and the back of the robot. Dodging another hit from the bot, she swung herself around once more. Hanging one arm around its neck from the back, Michi was able to stick her hand down far enough to toggle the switch. She heard a small click and immediately did a backflip off the bot and ran to find a new enemy to take on.

The other examinees were beginning to catch up to her, but she did her best to ignore them and keep to the plan she had. Now that she knew for sure that the robots had a toggle for power, Michi felt much more comfortable going after the two and three pointers. She would just have to make sure to dodge their attacks as well as she could. Without any quirk enhancements, taking a hit from one of the bigger bots was sure to at least crack a rib or two.

As Michi kicked off the two-pointer she just eliminated to land on the arm of a nearby three-pointer, she found herself regretful that she hadn’t practiced more with a capture weapon. Her father’s capture scarf, while useful, was extraordinarily complicated to learn how to handle. Even after practicing with a smaller version for about two years now, she still didn’t feel confident in handling it. At least, not confident enough to take it along for the most important exam she would probably ever take.

The three-pointer shut down with a flick of a button, and Michi jumped down to the ground as it collapsed in on itself. The ten-minutes they were allowed were quickly running out, and the examinees had fully taken advantage of every second. The young girl ran down the back alleyways of the mock city in hopes of finding a straggler or two, but it seemed to be in vain. She was sure that there were probably some more targets near the open streets, but quite frankly it was a bloodbath between the others and she really didn’t want any part of it.

Just as she was about to enter another alley, the ground began to rumble. Something big was approaching, and approaching fast. Looking out onto the main road, she spotted the biggest robot she had ever seen in her life. It easily doubled the largest buildings in the area, and the insane amount of weapons situated on its arms made it a terrifying sight to behold. That’s the zero-pointer?

Michi stared at the giant, watching it move closer and closer as other examinees rushed past her to get to safety. No wonder Present Mic said to avoid that thing! There’s no stopping it unless you want to break yourself! Michi set her foot back, hesitantly getting ready to make an escape, before she heard a terrified scream break out in front of her. A kid with strange looking balls on top of his head was cowered underneath a few pieces of rubble. It didn’t seem to be crushing him, but Michi knew sooner or later that the zero-pointer would.

With a sigh, Michi forced herself forward, running towards the other examinee as fast as she could. She came to a stop right beside the boy, eyes flickering between him and the zero-pointer. As she took a closer look, she noticed that similar balls to what he had as hair were wedged in between the wall and the pieces of rubble about to fall on him. She also noticed that his pant leg was caught in between the street and the piece of rubble as well.

“Hey!” The kid met her calm gaze with watery eyes and snot dripping down his nose. She tried not to grimace at the sight. “Those ball things are your quirk, right? Can you get them to unstick? I’d reach around to rip off the part of your pants that are stuck but I can’t reach and we really don’t have the time to mess around here.”

“I- I can’t!!” The kid was pretty much inconsolable. “I made sure they’d be super sticky for the exam today!”

Michi gritted her teeth, looking around for something she could use to help push the heavy rubble away, at least to the point where he was able to get his pant leg out of there. A metal pipe glinted in the alleyway she came from, and she made sure to tell the crying boy that she’d be back soon. Pushing herself up once more, Michi sprinted to the alleyway and bent down to pick up the pipe. A ripping sound came from above her, and she looked up to see Sero grinning down at her with a sweaty face.

“Need help?” Sero dropped down from the roof to stand beside Michi as she stood to face him, gripping the pipe tight between her hands.

“Actually, yeah.” She gestured for him to follow her as she turned to run back to the boy in trouble. “We need to move this rubble so he can move but his quirk got caught up in the mess. So we need to separate this main piece from those balls attached to the wall.”

Sero nodded, taking a furtive glance to the approaching zero-pointer which was only getting closer. Tape from both of his elbows shot out, attaching to the flat side of the rubble. “I’ll pull; you can stick that pipe up at the top and push it my way.”

Michi did as he said, jamming the pipe as far as she could between the wall and the debris. As soon as Sero called out, Michi began to push the pipe. The young girl relied more on her speed than her strength, so she wasn’t very used to dealing with this much weight. Sweat dripped down her face as she pushed harder, finally beginning to see the rubble move in the direction they wanted it to. After a minute or so of this, she felt the trapped boy grab onto her leg and pull himself out of the hole he had essentially dug for himself. Once he was a safe distance away, Sero and Michi both stopped their efforts.

The duo sent small smiles to one another, grateful that they were able to help. Unfortunately, that feeling didn’t last that long. Michi, about to ask the other boy if he was okay, suddenly froze as she felt a hand travel up her thigh.

“Oi, what the fuck!” She kicked the boy away from her, which wasn’t hard to do as he was still gripping onto her leg. Sero, who saw what had just occurred, came to stand by Michi’s side. Their glares combined sent the kid into another crying fit.

“I just wanted to say thank you!”

“Yeah, that came across real well when you tried to cop a feel.”

The boy, mouth open and ready to respond with some pathetic excuse, suddenly stopped as a loud sonic boom echoed around them. Almost immediately after, Present Mic’s obnoxious yelling sounded through the area.

“TIME’S UP, LISTENERS! PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE FRONT GATES!”

--------

The shuttles had taken them back to the main campus rather quickly. Those who had minor injuries were informed to wait for Recovery Girl to come back- apparently somebody had majorly hurt themselves in one of the other battle centers. Michi suspected it had to do with whatever caused that explosion at the very end of the test.

Michi walked through the crowded group of waiting students, searching for a glimpse of familiar green hair. Her brows furrowed as she saw no sight of him, and she pulled out her phone to see if he had texted her. The lock screen lit up, showing a photo of herself and Izuku on their first day of their third year. She was barely smiling, and he was red-faced and sweating buckets. The picture always did make her grin, but when she saw that there weren’t any notifications, she pulled up her messaging app. She was in the midst of typing up something to send to Izukun when she felt a hand land on her shoulder.

“Examinee 8978!” Present Mic stood beside her, shooting her a wink through his orange-tinted glasses. “Someone’s looking for you. Lemme take you to them, ya dig?!”

Michi nodded, following the tall hero as he led the way towards the less crowded hallway. As soon as they were out of earshot from most of the other examinees, Present Mic grinned down at her.

“What?”

“Nothin’. I’m just so proud of you! Saving people already!” The hero wiped a fake tear from under his eye, cackling when Michi groaned. They made another turn, and Michi grew more concerned when she realized they were heading in the direction of Recovery Girl’s office.

The young girl adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder. “It would’ve been better had that loser not tried to grab my ass.”

“And Mineta Minorou will face consequences for those actions. If I have anything to say about it, he won’t step foot in the school again.” A deep, exhausted voice sounded from in front of them as Eraserhead turned the corner they were approaching. His eyebags were very pronounced today, only seeming more prominent from the shadows his long, unkempt hair cast upon his face.

As Michi and Present Mic walked closer, he stopped them to hand Michi a kit-kat bar and pat her head. “Good job, kid.” All Michi did was nod her head, trying to hide her forming grin.

Of course, the moment was ruined once Mic opened his mouth. “Why can’t you two act like a normal father and daughter for once?! Give her a hug, cry! Show some emotion!”

Both Aizawas felt their eyes twitch, turning towards Mic with matching glares.

“Okay, okay!” Mic began waving his hands and backing up. “I’ll shut up! I gotta go check on the other listeners anyways since this case may take Chiyo a while!” With that, Mic sped away back towards the lobby where a majority of students were still waiting, leaving Michi and Eraserhead alone before the nurse’s office.

Michi blinked, turning to her dad in hopes of hearing an explanation. He sighed, eyes closing as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Your friend. I thought he was quirkless.”

“He is, though?” Michi crinkled her nose in confusion, “He has the extra toe joint and the special shoes and everything.”

“Then how did he level an entire zero-pointer with one punch?”

“What did you say?!”

All her father did was sigh again, and open the door to Recovery Girl’s office. Immediately, Michi rushed in, ignoring the elder woman’s protests. She couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw Izuku laying on the stretcher with a nervous smile.

“H-Hey, Micchan! How did your test go?”

She was going to kill him.

[shhh-no-ones-home]

model citizen ricky horror x reader

+++++++++

college au

prompt: Character A sitting in a college 7am lecture and Character B sitting next to them pouring an energy drink into their coffee and says, "I'm going to die." (First interaction)

Song: pretty little distance by as it is

tag list: @musicsexandpizza69 @svintsandghosts @theoneandonlykymberlee @alilpunkrock @cynic-spirit @thisplace-ishaunted @lifeisabitchandsoareyou @xyours-eternallyx

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i walked into the room and huffed as i took my seat, reaching into my bag for my notebook and a pen. i hated having a 9am again and missed being able to sleep-in like i did last semester. this was the first day though and i was hopeful my mind would change about it as the course went on. it probably wouldnt though. i sat there, catching a few more students walk in as i looked down at my phone.

nothing was too exciting yet and the teacher hadnt even shown up. i was more-so ready for the new art class though. it was my major after all and i was pretty well known by the professors at this point. as i sat there, a loud clatter grabbed my attention, making me look to my right. there was sat a shorter, skinny kid, with long inky black hair tucked under a beanie. my eyes went wide as he cracked the monster in his hand open, pouring it into his half=full trenta cup from Starbucks. he looked over at me and smiled.

"im going to die."

he said in the most sure-fire tone before putting the lid back on the cup and chugging it. i sat there in horror staring at him.

"are you okay?"

i asked and he shrugged, looking at me over the top of the cup. he had the bluest eyes i had ever seen, even in the low light of the art room. i was a little start struck for a second before shaking myself out of my daze, watching him put the cup down against the desk with a thud.

"if i pass out during class just push me out of the way and ill figure something out later."

he said, turning forward. i went to say something just as the teacher walked in.

"y/n! good to see you back. we missed you last semester."

professor crane said, looking to the student teacher as he ducked behind him and paced quickly to the front desk. his gaze followed him too before he shrugged and turned back to me with a smile.

"whatever, im sure he missed you too. but either way its good to have you back in class and i look forward to seeing what you come up with for the showcase in march."

i nodded with a smile before he walked away to the front of the class, instructing everyone to take their seats.

"you come here often?"

i heard from the kid next to me, hearing him laugh to himself as he took another drink of his coffee/monster concoction.

"yes, actually. im an art major."

i said a little dumbfounded. he nodded.

"cool, im here for film."

i drew my brows.

"youre doing film?"

i asked and he winked at me, looking to Brian as he turned the projector on. i opened my mouth before closing it quickly, feeling a little more confused than before.

"alright, first things first. i only make a syllabus because administration says i have to. the schedule is shit and we will most likely be doing something completely different so i suggest you keep a planner or something to keep track of your assignments. secondly, i will get to it later but i want you to start thinking about your projects for the spring showcase in march. we have a few short months so after you learn the basics of form you will be instructed to sketch something in your own style and present it to the board."

my mind went in and out after that, trying to catch quick glances at the kid next to me without being suspicious. every time he moved i could feel my heart pulse, giving me anxiety that he could actually pass out or something.

"y/n, your partner for this project will be mr olson."

brian said, standing over me and looking between the two of us. i nodded with wide eyes as he moved to the two kids behind us.

"guess that means we have pretty high chances at getting an A."

he said, raising his cup in cheers. i looked down at the assignment sheet, grazing over it and groaning. we had to come up with a comic strip in different style parts; the first panel a base sketch, the second panel a hard sketch, the third panel color blocking, and so on. god this was gonna be a nightmare.

"you dont seem too enthused."

the kid said amused. i sent him a testing look.

"im not, ive done something similar before and you have to get every step just right or they take points off. and we have to prove what parts we did."

i said, rolling my eyes. i looked over to him, blinking as a camera flash went off. i drew my brows as he looked down at the screen on it.

"where did you even get that?"

i asked, trying to inspect him. he sent me a smile.

"i always keep it on me. im ricky by the way, and you look great."

he said amused and i breathed deeply.

"y/n."

i said, looking back to the paper.

"well y/n i think this is going to be a great partnership-"

"alright!"

brian called, cutting him off.

"you have your assignments. i have nothing else for you today so you are welcome to either stay here and work until class time is over or you can leave and work on it on your own time. i dont really care either way, just get it done."

i hummed to myself before stuffing my notebook and the assignment sheet into my bag and standing up. i caught a glimpse of ricky starting at me with wide eyes as i turned to leave.

"what are you doing?"

he asked and i looked between him and the door, pointing at it.

"leaving, its not due for another week."

i started off, hearing him shuffle around before chasing after me.

"hey wait! cant we like plan what we're doing or something?"

he asked and i shrugged, looking over to him as he tried to put his paper in his backpack and hold the camera and cup of coffee. i stopped, staring at him as he struggled. i rolled my eyes, taking the cup and the camera from him. he looked to me in shock and i raised my brows.

"get to it, i dont have all day."

i said and he finished what he was doing, zipping his bag up and slinging it over it shoulder. i handed him the cup and camera back and kept walking.

"so uh, what kind of thing did you have in mind for this project?"

he asked and i looked to the sky, squinting but trying to think as we made it outside.

"i dont know, maybe a ball of some kind?"

he raised a brow, shuffling his feet as he tried to keep up with my long strides.

"like masks and large dresses?"

he asked and i nodded, opening the door to dinging hall.

"something like that yeah."

he nodded as i led us to a table.

"that sounds cool, i could get behind that."

i sent him a knowing look.

"you seem like the kind of guy who would."

i said, pulling my sketchpad out. he raised a brow, sitting beside me.

"whats that supposed to mean?"

he asked and i sent him  a look.

"im assuming you like vampires, and the Edwardian thing usually goes hand in hand with that."

he sent me a nervous smile.

"is it that obvious?"

he asked, rubbing his hands against his pants. i nodded.

"thats okay though, cause i like them too. so much so that i have costumes already, we can pose for each other. i think youd look great in this."

i said, sliding my phone across the table to show him the outfit i had for it. i just hoped it would fit him.

"you seem like youve been planning this for a while."

he said through a laugh and i shrugged.

"i just like to feel fancy, the projects on the other hand kind of fall into my lap."

i said, flipping through a few pages in my book. he placed his hand on one before taking it from me and looking over it.

"this looks insane."

he said and i looked around awkwardly.

"in a good way?"

i asked, finding his gaze.

"oh! yeah! of course in a good way. it looks super cool. i see why you wanted to do the ball thing now."

he commented, noting the sketch i had done already that was similar. it is what i was used to after all. he set the book back down in front of me and sent me a wide smile, picking his camera up and taking another picture of me.

"why do you do that?"

i asked and he laughed.

"i need models for my art and i think now that we've met you would be a great subject."

i set him a look, trying to hide the blush creeping its way up my neck.

"you really think so?"

i asked bashfully and he nodded.

"oh yeah, absolutely. and now that we're partners i think it will give me ample opportunity to find a new muse. you wanna be a subject for a music video?"

i sat back, a little taken aback.

"you want me to do what?"

i asked and he laughed, putting the camera on the table.

"in about a month my band is gonna need some girls for a video but its cool if not. i can live with us just being art project partners."

i cleared my throat, rubbing my hands together under the table.

"how about we get through this first and ill get back to you on that?"

he smiled knowingly at me, raising his coffee to me in cheers.

"sounds like a plan to me."

[danny-chase]

Hysterical Strength - read on AO3

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Titans (Comics) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Dick Grayson and Garth, Dick Grayson and Roy Harper Characters: Dick Grayson, Garth (DCU), Roy Harper Additional Tags: POV Dick Grayson, Dick grayson centric, Teen Titans as Family, Broken Bones, Medical Inaccuracies, climbing up a cliff, Forehead Kisses, Garth needs a hug, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, a little bit of BAMF Dick Grayson, Garth whump, Dick Grayson Whump, Roy Harper is such a dad, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Dick Grayson, Protective Garth (DCU), Dehydration, Confusion, can be read as slash for whoever you want, or no slash, idk up to you, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Garth is Tempest, Hello Kitty blankets, no beta we die like all three of them, Blood, Implied vomiting Series: Part 3 of Bad Things Happen Bingo Summary:

The one where Garth saves Dick, and Dick has to immediately return the favor.

Full Story Under Cut

It was supposed to be a simple mission. Recon. Would you believe Dick Grayson started out his night thinking he could actually handle an easy recon mission?

 Yeah, he couldn’t believe it either.

   He groaned, coming to on a damp floor. Night mode had activated automatically, and turning his head, he could see the insides of a cavern.

 Something was pinning him to the spot. He shifted and was welcomed by the sound of pebbles pattering down rocks in return. A sharp pain ran up the length of his calf. He moved slowly, pleasantly surprised to find nothing else wrong.

 What wasn’t fine, was whatever was pinning him was warm. Soft. Human… or well, too warm to be human, but warm enough to be…

 “Tempest?” He panted, cautiously shifting his arms out further. Creeping further out, he dragged himself forward, pausing whenever too many pebbles began trickling down around him. “Tempest, report!” No response. “Aqualad… Garth?” He could feel his pulse speeding up, adrenaline and worry mixing to heighten his awareness.

 Dust rained down from above as he dragged himself forward out of wreckage, the details of the mission coming back to him. Radio silence was to be maintained at all costs, the H.I.V.E. had caught on to the frequencies they’d been using. They’d been ambushed, caught off guard on the side of a cliff, nowhere to run.

 Garth had been next to him, they’d been alone. H.I.V.E started shooting, rocks started pouring out of the sky, an explosion in the distance. The last thing he remembered was being tackled out of the path of an avalanche. “Oh… Garth.” He doubled his efforts to drag the two of them out of the rubble.

 Avalanche. They weren’t safe here; the structure of the cave was possibly compromised. Silently, he thanked Bruce’s paranoia – he’d memorized the system instead of the map… which he lost… well… hopefully he still knew where they were.

 Crawling out from under Garth was tricky, but manageable. Rising to his knees, he got his first good look at his unresponsive friend. Blood trickled out from a head wound, and the back of costume was torn to shreds.

 <em>It should have been me.</em> He pushed the thought out of his mind, it didn’t matter, what mattered was getting Garth out of this; he needed medical attention. They weren’t scheduled to be back for another couple hours. He couldn’t expect help, he’d have to do this alone.

 It was his fault – he’d proposed this mission. He thought they were safe - the only way this could have happened is if someone had betrayed them. Stupid. He’d had more than his fair share of traitors, had been a traitor too – ugh. He’d have to increase the monthly brainwashing screenings to biweekly, this was getting ridiculous.

 And it was getting his friends killed. He dug his heels into the ground, centering himself in reality.

 One last tug and Garth was free of the rubble, he dragged him back a few more steps for good measure. He bit his lip, more injuries becoming evident; Garth’s right leg had snapped below the calf. “Now would be a great time for you to wake up.” He muttered, pulling a small medical kit from his gauntlets. Field dressings would have to last till they reached the exit.

 Starting with the headwound, he stemmed the bleeding best he could, taping on some gauze. He slipped a hand under the tattered remains Garth’s costume, feeling around for broken ribs and assessing scrapes as he went. He wrapped his ribs and prayed he hadn’t shifted him enough to puncture a lung. Moving on, he splinted Garth’s right leg with his escrima sticks.

 He leaned rolled back off his knees to the balls of his feet. He’d done what he could… which was never enough.

 Nothing he did was ever quite enough.

 He quickly wrapped the gash on his calf, it stung but wouldn’t kill him - like staying in the cave would. Fortunately, if they were where he thought they were, he knew a path leading out to the extraction point, avalanche, hopefully notwithstanding.

 A shiver ran up his spine, as he rose to his feet; the cave was damp and cool, the chill seeped in from rips in his costume. He hesitated, staying here wasn’t really an option – H.I.V.E. would come looking for them soon. But moving Garth like this could cause more harm than good.

 One day without having to make impossible choices. Just one day would be nice.

 As it was, he crouched down, sweeping Garth up in his arms, carefully trying to minimize the stress on his ribcage. Keeping his back straight, he slowly stood, and took a step towards the exit.

 Garth’s head lolled against his chest, warm puffs of breath tickling his skin as he walked. He tried to look at the bright side, at least he wasn’t cold – Garth was like a little space heater in his arms. On the downside, he had a mile walk, followed by a hundred-foot climb to the exit. And five miles after that to reach help. No pressure.

 Except for the crushing reality that he could be causing one of his best friends more internal bleeding. He did his best not to jostle him as he walked through the caves, watching his footing, and picking his steps carefully. It was an oddly familiar situation – if he squinted, he could pretend these were the tunnels under the manor, and he was twelve years old, carrying a practice dummy around as training.

 This wasn’t training anymore, for better and for worse. His arms no longer burned with exertion after the first few minutes; now, he could keep this up for hours though, the stakes were higher. And so, he silently walked, twisting and turning through the tunnels, watching Garth carefully as he went, scanning for signs of distress.

 Maybe it was a sign of how much time he spent in caves, but he was oddly comforted by the sounds of wings flapping in the distance. Bats.

 Garth twitched, and Dick froze in his tracks. He was a notoriously light sleeper, a hangover from the days spent alone in the wilderness – it meant the difference between life or death.

 “Garth?” His eyes shot open, and he squirmed, trying to break free of Dick’s grasp. “Calm down, it’s me, your safe. Garth please, you’re gonna hurt yourself.” He tried to sound reassuring, as safe was probably an overstatement. Either way, the man slumped back into his arms.

 “Sorry.” He croaked, and Dick’s heart sank.

 “Sorry? Garth, I’m the one who should be sorry.” He ducked down, pressing a kiss to the top of Garth’s head, and picked up his pace once more. “I put together this mission based on information I collected. This is my fault.”

 “Mm.” He groaned back, squeezing his eyes shut. Dick gritted his teeth.

 “Do you need me to stop for a second?” Garth shook his head slightly. “Garth, what’s wrong?” His voice came out more panicked than he meant.

 “You… really need to ask?” He wheezed.

 “Humor me. How are you feeling?” Dick fought to keep his arms as still as possible, climbing up a few rocks as the elevation started changing.

 “Not great.” Garth got out.

 “Can you get your arm around my neck? That might help take some pressure off your ribs. Or I could try to-”

 “Dick?” <em>No names in the field</em>, a voice eerily sounding like Bruce chanted in his head.

 “Yeah?” He couldn’t quite tell through the night vision, but Garth seemed paler then normal.

 “Please stop.” He fell silent, pressing the chin to the top of Garth’s head in acknowledgement, and rolling down to give him another quick kiss. He vowed again to fix this.

 A few minutes later they reached the bottom of the entrance. Dick swallowed uneasily. He was going to have to climb using both hands, which meant moving Garth.

 As he stopped, Garth opened his eyes. “Leave me.” He quietly suggested, staring up at the opening. Dick huffed.

 “Over my dead body.” Which, if he slipped, that’s what it would be. He lost his grapples in the previous fight, and his climbing gear had to be left behind. Carefully, he laid Garth down on the cave floor. “I’m getting you out of here.” He tore the top half of his costume off.

 “By stripping?” Garth flashed a pained smile. Dick rolled his eyes.

 “I need my arms, you’re gonna have to ride on my back, and I don’t trust you to hang on.” This was going to be a pain in the ass. Or in Garth’s ribs. Likely both. He pulled out a wingding, and began fashioning a harness, with a little seat at the bottom.

 It was funny, how he didn’t even need to take measurements. He memorized all the Titan’s dimensions years ago. He knew Garth’s girth like the back of his hand.

 “Dick.” Garth hissed. “I’m slowing you down… Go get help and come back.” Dick ignored the protests as he pulled the strips around Garth’s chest. “They’ll catch us both.” He slid the makeshift seat under Garth’s legs, looping through to connect the bottom part of the harness.

 “I’m not leaving you alone.” He promised, helping Garth sit up. He sat between Garth’s legs, physically strapping the two of them together. <em>Try leaving now, Garth</em>. “Tell me to stop if this is too much.” He raised Garth’s arms up, easing them around his shoulders, luckily not hearing Garth hiss in pain. “This is okay?” He asked, getting ready to attempt standing.

 Garth rested his head against Dick’s. “I’m fine but… you should go.” Dick reached up, taking Garth’s hands in his own. He kissed each of them.

 “I love you.” He wouldn’t let Garth go. Not after Joey. No more Titans would die on his watch. “You’re going to live.” He grabbed Garth’s thighs and braced himself.

 A low whimper escaped Garth’s lips, barely audible, as Dick struggled to his feet, lifting all two hundred plus pounds of dead weight. He gritted his teeth as he made it halfway to standing, letting go of Garth’s left leg, he grabbed a rock on the wall, and pushed himself to his full height.

 “There, that wasn’t so bad, right?” He panted, looking up at his daunting task. “Let me know if you need a break.” Reaching up, he found his first handhold. Then stepped up on a little ledge, letting go of Garth’s right leg slowly, making sure it didn’t brush the ground.

He stepped up and reached, pulling himself up a few inches higher. Took another step up. He kept his breathing deep and steady. He grunted, raising the two of them up again, reach, pull, step, repeat. “Don’t look down.” He warned, feeling Garth’s head turn.

 It wasn’t long before his muscles started shaking with effort, his fingers burning. He was grateful to have his gloves.

 They were maybe twenty feet off the floor. “Do you need a break?” Garth whispered.

 “Nope.” He grunted. “You?”

 “Nope.” Dick took a deep breath and pushed up a few more inches. He could feel sweat building on his forehead. Another few feet and it began trickling down. “I can do this.” He muttered, not sure if he was talking to Garth or himself.

 “I love you too.” Garth whispered. “We all do... You don’t have to do this.” Dick snorted, reaching up for another hold. He concentrated on the rock wall. Yes. He did need to do this.

 Ignoring his burning arms, he climbed on, scanning the rocks for handholds, listening for any sounds of intruders. Counting his breaths and sharpening his mind. Sweat poured down his face, dripping off his chin. He ignored the straps cutting into his shoulders, the unbearable weight hanging off his back.

 He was halfway up when Garth nudged the side of his head. “I hear footsteps.” He warned.

 “Well. Fuck.” He’d been pacing himself before – no longer an option. He allowed panic to wash over him, giving in to the adrenaline rush, praying it’d last to the top. He picked up his pace, scrambling up the side of the underground cliff.

 At the seventy-foot mark, he heard the faint sounds of scouts making their way through the tunnels. He doubled his speed again. Garth squeezed him tight, and Dick thought of nothing but him – how he would die if he slowed down, how it was his fault Garth was even here, hurt and broken – he had to get him out. Stopping was not an option, ignoring everything else, he focused on the top of the cave.

 He moved to step up, but his other foot slipped in his haste, leaving him hanging by his hands. Garth squeezed tighter. His arms screamed and his heart hammered in his throat. He scrambled for footing, only finding some higher than before.

 He needed to pull himself up. But his arms had frozen up, pushed to their limits.

 He couldn’t move. He was stuck.

 He was stuck and Garth was going to die.

 “Nightwing.” Garth whispered urgently. Panic ate through his chest. “Catch your breath.” He pleaded, Dick shook his head, adrenalin spiking.

 “We’ve got to go.” He bit back, not caring to hide the fear in his voice. He grunted – muffling a scream and yanked himself up. His vision blacked out for a moment, and somehow, he made it to standing.

 He continued in the adrenaline-fueled haze, blocking everything out but the wall in front of him. Before he knew it, his hands reached the top, and he pulled them the rest of the way up, crawling away from the edge, he was vaguely aware of his stomach flipping as he stood, and something coming up his throat.

 The next few moments were a blur, and taking his first steps, he moved away from foul smelling stuff on the ground. <em>Get Garth to safety</em>, was the only thought on his mind as he briskly walked through the forest he’d emerged in. Continue north, keep moving – nothing else mattered.

 He wasn’t sure how long it’d been when he finally realized Garth was saying something. “What?” He whispered, constantly turning his head, scanning for danger. He could see the extraction point in the distance.

 “Are you okay?” Garth whispered. Dick took long strides, quickly closing the distance. He pulled a camouflaged sheet off their little plane. “Dick?”

 Time seemed to slow down as the sheet drifted to the ground. Dick blinked a few times. What was he doing?

 “Nightwing?” Ah yeah. Get Garth to safety.

 “Tempest.” Opening the door, he slid Garth into the passenger’s seat, and slipped out of the straps. He ran to the other side, hoping into the pilot’s seat, and gunned the engine.

 For some reason, his fingers refused to close around the controls. He glared at them, mind over matter – commanding them to close once more. They obeyed. Soon, they were in the air once more. His entire body shook, though he hardly understood why. Time seemed to speed up. He blinked and they were about to reach the Tower.

 Shaking himself into the present, he landed the plane with a practiced ease, relying on muscle memory rather than his own confused mind. He was getting… so tired. Like he couldn’t move… His eyelids drooped… Garth said something next to him… Garth!

 Eyes snapping open, he jumped out of the plane as it rolled to a stop. “HEY!” He screamed into the empty hanger. “GARTH NEEDS HELP!” He dragged himself to the intercom. The last thing he coherently remembered was hitting the panic button, his knees giving out, and sliding to the floor.

 A flash of colors and sounds exploded around him, too much to comprehend.

   The next time he opened his eyes, he was sitting on a couch, leaning against Roy. A half empty bottle of water sat in front of him. He felt like a pile of jello. “Wha?” He had a vague tingling he was supposed to be doing something.

 “You back on planet earth?” Roy rumbled, grabbing the water and twisting off the cap.

 “How’s Garth?” He realized, the words tumbling out of his mouth as fast as he could say them.

 “He’ll be fine, drink this.” He held the bottle up to Dick’s lips. He tried to grab it himself, but his arm just limply twitched. Traitor. Either way, he chugged the cool liquid. When he finished, it finally dawned on him that someone had wrapped both his wrists.

 “What happened?” He asked. “Where’s Garth? I’ve got to-” He tried to stand and succeeded in flopping his chest to his knees. “-Why can’t I move?”

 “Because you decided to free climb 100ft. straight up with 200 pounds on your back. And then walk five miles without stopping.” Roy leaned forward and pulled Dick’s legs onto the other end of the couch. “And despite what you seem to believe, you’re a human so you probably tore like a bazillion muscles, not to mention, you were dehydrated as fuck.” He kicked his legs up on the coffee table, lifting Dick’s head into his lap.

 “Where’s-”

 “Oh, my god, bird brain. Garth is fine, he went into surgery half an hour ago to fix his ribs-” Dick bristled.

 “That doesn’t sound fine to me.” He muttered. Guilt clawed its way into his chest. “I didn’t – shit. I shouldn’t have moved him, I should have-”

 “Calm your tits! He’s sleeping in the recovery room, he got out five minutes ago.” Roy sighed. “Jeez, you did the best you could. Cut yourself some slack.” He reached over the edge of the couch and grabbed another water bottle. “And take a nap or I’ll waterboard you.” He threatened, waving the water above his head.

 Dick blinked a few times, feeling exhaustion wear him down, his body sinking into the couch. He was going to be sore as fuck tomorrow – but that was tomorrow and now was now – and right now, he wanted to see Garth. He gazed into Roy’s eyes, relaxing his brow, and meticulously forming a slight pout. Roy crossed his arms, scrunching up his nose as he stared back. Dick wobbled his lower lip, opening his eyes wider. Roy sighed.

 “Fine, I’ll wake you up when he wakes up. Are you happy?” He ran a hand through his hair exasperatedly, then grabbed a couch cushion. “Stop it, now I’m immune.” Dick squirmed as the pillow covered his face.

 “Asshole.” He grumbled, though it came out more like “aff-ole”.

 “Can’t hear you.”

 “Fine, deal.” Light filled his vision again, as the pillow was slipped under his head. Roy pulled down a Hello Kitty blanket from the top of the couch. “You’re such a dad.”

 “Call me daddy, and I will end you.” The tips of Roy’s ears turned red. Dick grinned but decided not to push it. Well, maybe not too much…

 “Will you read me a bedtime story?”

 “I’m leaving.” He spread the blanket out, tucking Dick in, no indication of getting up.

 “Good night kisses?” The lights went out.

 “Dick, I will kill you.” His eyes were already closed, and as the room fell silent, he found himself drifting into an uneasy sleep.

 Just before he nodded off, Roy kissed the top of his head.

 “Goodnight.”

[blodreina-noumou]

What's your favorite underrated Murphy moment?

I can only pick one? Impossible! I’ll give you my top 3. In no particular order, because this man is underrated in countless ways!

1 - “Your plan was better, let’s go.”

In 4x01, Emori is scavenging and preparing to flee Polis in the aftermath of the City of Light fiasco. Murphy manages to convince her that they’ll be safe with Skaikru, which is a sweet scene on its own. But my favorite moment of his comes when we see him next. 

Polis is tense, on the verge of breaking out into battle, and Skaikru is planning how they’ll keep the peace long enough for Roan to wake up and retake control. Murphy walks up to Bellamy, who’s standing with Indra and Kane. Murphy only needs to hear about thirty seconds of their plan - which includes Bellamy risking his life and offering Azgeda guns, to keep Echo occupied long enough for Abby to save Roan - before he realizes that his assumptions of safety among his people were wrong. Still he plays along for a few moments more, quietly accepts Bellamy’s gun, and goes to pretend to stand post. But in reality, he finds Emori again, and says: 

“Remember what I said about being safe with my people? Yeah, your plan was better, let’s go.”

It’s a small moment, but it shows so much about what makes Murphy amazing. He’s a survivor, not because he’s “a cockroach,” but because he’s adaptable, charming, and resourceful. This scene shows that subtly but very clearly. He hears new information, gets his hands on a weapon, and changes his plans in the span of a single scene, without doing much more than staying quiet and assessing the situation - something most other characters in this show really struggle to do.

2 - “Do I get a gun now?”

In 2x03, Bellamy and Finn are leading a team in the woods to find Clarke - a team which includes Murphy, who is pretty fresh off his Total Douchebag phase of s1. Bellamy and Finn are including him in the search party out of a lack of options more than anything else, and Murphy himself is tagging along to avoid the scrutiny of Team Adult, who have recently touched down on Earth. Nobody trusts each other, and Bellamy is still treating Murphy as expendable.

Bellamy barks out orders to his squad, leaving Murphy without an assignment until the very end. Monroe asks what Murphy will do, causing him to quip: “Yeah, do I get a gun now?” 

Bellamy snarks, “Something like that.”

The next we see of Murphy, he’s crouched at the base of a tree, tapping two stones together, looking anxious but determined. He manages to lead the Grounder they’ve targeted to a secluded spot, where Bellamy can knock him out.

At this point, although we’ve had the humanizing moment of Murphy telling Raven his story, as they both lay dying on the floor of the dropship, Murphy is still a not-yet-reformed antagonist. He hasn’t taken part in trying to save the girl on the cliff, yet, and we haven’t seen him in contrast to Finn’s later unhinged violence. He’s got a long way to go from “guy who peed on someone who asked for water” to “dashing hero who got the girl and also became a godking.” 

Because of that, there are so many wonderful little moments that help transform him in s2, but this scene is one of my favorites. It’s one of the first times we get to see Murphy used as straight-up comic relief, which is something the show will go on to fully embrace about him in the later seasons.

But it’s also one of the first times the characters get to see that Murphy actually can be a team player, and that he will put himself on the line, given the proper circumstances. Murphy has the most reason out of any of them to be afraid of the Grounders, to want nothing to do with them, to protect himself above all else - he was tortured by them, brutally, then used as a biological weapon against his people by them, and then tortured again. 

It would’ve been 100% his right to say, “No, go float yourself, I’m not facing these monsters without a gun.” But he’s brave, and far more heroic than he ever gets credit for, especially early on. This aspect of his personality only continues to develop and blossom over the next five seasons, and it’s beautiful to watch.

3 - “Tell me about Harper.”

4x13 is actually one of my all-time favorite episodes. I think it’s one of the few times this show has managed to expertly blend meaningful character moments with a compelling, exciting plot. We get to see so many sides of everyone, and the exchanges between Murphy and Monty are some of the best.

Monty (somewhat rightfully) distrusts and dislikes Murphy at this point, as the only real experience he’s had with him was when Murphy threatened to kill Jasper in early s1. Monty is freshly grieving Jasper, and it’s clear he resents Murphy’s presence. But Monty and Murphy must work together, if any of them stand a chance of surviving - including the two women they each love above anyone else, Harper and Emori, respectively.

The men are struggling to carry back a machine vital to their survival on The Ring. Monty has injured himself by removing his gloves in an effort to recover the machine, causing serious radiation burns on his hands, and he’s in a lot of pain. Despite Monty’s less-than-warm attitude towards him, Murphy does everything he can to support Monty and to distract him from his pain. 

The entire exchange is worth rereading, if it’s been a moment for y’all (it had been, for me):

(After forcing his gloves back over his radiation-burned hands, Monty reaches to lift the machine.)

Murphy: Hey, no no no no no, not with your hands, okay? I’ll do it.

Monty: It’s too heavy to carry all the way by yourself. On three. One, two, three!

(They lift the machine together, and Monty screams in agony.)

Murphy: Who knew you were a secret badass?

(Murphy and Monty start carrying the machine together, over the uneven terrain, through the pouring black rain.

Monty screams in pain again. It’s clear each step is excruciating.)

Murphy: Hey hey hey, watch your step. It’s probably a bad idea to drop the thing that’s gonna save our lives, huh?

(Monty is starting to flag, his exhaustion apparent in his face. He keeps grunting and crying out in pain.)

Murphy: Okay, okay - focus on me. Tell me about Harper.

(Monty stares up at Murphy incredulously, swaying on the spot.)

Murphy: You guys seem pretty serious, you uh, tell her you love her yet? If not, I mean, today might be the day.

Monty: I’ve told her.

Murphy (smiles): It’s crazy how it changes you, isn’t it?

Monty then proceeds to pass out. Murphy begs him to stay conscious, but after a few moments, it’s clear that he’s on his own, and that Monty is in serious danger. Murphy has to make a choice, and he makes the right one - he lifts the incredibly heavy, lifesaving machine all on his own, and staggers back to the lab, leaving Monty behind. Fortunately, they’re able to save Monty later, and he says one of my favorite Monty lines: 

“You chose the machine!? I may not hate you anymore.”

Monty and Murphy bonded here, over their love for the incredible women in their lives, and over the unfortunate and harsh reality that some things are worth dying for, worth being in pain for, worth sacrificing other people for. This scene shows so much - Murphy’s pragmatism, but also his romantic nature, his reliance on humor as a defense mechanism, and his willingness to do difficult things to survive. It’s peak John Murphy, way back in s4. 

My love for him, which had been growing strong since s2, was fully sealed with this scene.

He has many more memorable moments, but this is long enough. Thanks so much for the question! It really helps me write meta when people ask specific things. And I’ve never had the chance to really talk about Murphy!

[marvelous-imagines-for-all]

“Your Batman.” Oscar “Spooky” x Plus Size Reader OnMyBlock

Based on: “hi sweets so I wanted to request an omb imagine where y/n is apart of an all female gang and there like really powerful and stuff and there close to the santos by location . So then one day y/n and a few other members are walking and see that the core four+jasmine was in trouble with the prophets so y/n and the members save them and then y/n brings everyone to there house and when y/n brings Cesar to his house y/n intimates some santos and meets spooky for the first time staring all fluff.”

“Plus size reader x Spooky Diaz ? Hmm the gang coming over cause they have a gift for her after she helped them with something, and it’s comic book related, and her totally hyped about it and spooky goes and buys a Deadpool, Superman etc clothes to get her attention because she starts paying more attention to them and one day he just picks her up in front of everybody & takes away her comic, and she gets all wtf and they make up? Sorry if it’s weird lol thanks 🤘🏻”

Author: Alana

“Thanks for coming with me, ladies!” Monica cheered, walking down the sidewalk with you and two other women that belonged to your gang.

“Remind me why we had to come with you to break up with him?” Kayla asked, raising an eyebrow at the woman.

Monica scoffed, “Because I tried calling it off many times and he wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.” She threw her arm over your shoulder and laughed, “But he’s so scared of (y/n) over here. I knew that would get the message across.”

You smiled to yourself and let out a quiet laugh, listening to the ladies.

“Let’s just hope that you’re not planning on going back to him, like you do all the others.” Rosa joked, “Because he certainly won’t take you back after the talk (y/n) had with him. I watched him practically piss himself.” She laughed, walking with Kayla, behind you and Monica.

“Hey, I’m not that bad.” You defended yourself with a smile. “I can be nice.”

“Sometimes.” All three of the girls chimed in at different times.

You rolled your eyes and shoved both hands in your pockets as you kept walking. It was a hot day, but nothing you and your gang couldn’t handle.

Now how did a young woman like yourself become leader of an all female gang? Well, you didn’t start the gang yourself. It was passed down to you. Your grandmother started the gang when she was younger and she made a name for it. To this day, your gang is one of the most feared in your area and you like to keep it that way. You didn’t have many rivals, but there was occasionally a few who stepped out of line.

“Ladies, don’t forget that we have a territory meeting tomorrow afternoon. All of you need to be on time.” You said, making eye contact with Kayla because she’s usually the late one. “I don’t want the newbies thinking that they can show up when they please.”

Kayla scoffed at your look and mumbled, “I’ve only been late a few times.”

You raised an eyebrow at her, “Well you shouldn’t be late at all-“ You cut your sentence short when you heard shouting around the corner. “Who’s causing trouble in my neighborhood..?” You asked, glancing back at your girls before you all quickly rounded the corner.

You glared at the sight in front of you.

There stood five Prophet$ surrounding five teenagers. The teenagers were all huddled up inside of the circle the Prophet$ were forming around them and they looked nervous.

“Seriously? Why do they like picking on kids so much?” Monica seethed, walking quickly alongside you.

A smirk made it’s way to your lips, “Maybe it’s time to teach them a lesson..?” You suggested, looking at the girls. They quickly mirrored your smirk and nodded in approval.

“With pleasure.” Rosa smiled evilly, placing her hand on the gun in her waistband.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” You called out as you approached the group of men. “I really hope that you’re not picking on a group of children.. because that doesn’t go so well with me.” You let out a dry laugh and crossed your arms.

The biggest guy turned to you and chuckled, “And why should I give a damn about what goes over well with you, (y/n)?” He asked, taking a daring step towards to you.

The second he took a step towards you, Rosa pulled out her gun and placed it against his temple. “Step back.” She spoke lowly, watching the man like a hawk.

Each of the Prophet$ tensed up and quickly put their hands on their guns.

Your eyes snapped to Rosa, “There are children here, put it away.”

“But-“ She started, looking at you almost in a pout.

You stepped towards Rosa, “Now.” You ordered, causing her to quickly backdown and sigh while lowering her gun.

You turned your attention back to the man, “Leave now before I have to embarrass you in front of your pathetic excuse of a gang.” You threatened, keeping your face emotionless.

“You don’t scare me, Princess.” He chuckled, looking down on you.

You smiled sarcastically and spoke quietly, just for him to hear, “Did you forget who’s territory you’re in? Because last I checked, you signed the papers that said if you crossed into my territory then-“

“I get it.” He snapped down at you, glaring.

“Good. Then don’t let it happen again.” You winked, walking around him. “You boys can leave now.” You dismissed them.

They looked at the big man for confirmation, before hesitantly removing their hand from their waistband and following him away.

“Y’all, thank god she showed up when she did, because I thought I was gonna have to handle them.” A Hispanic girl said with a scoff, while holding onto a shorter Hispanic boy.

“I wouldn’t have let that happen.” You gave her a reassuring smile, walking towards the group of friends. “Why were they hounding you all anyway?” You asked with a head tilt, placing your hand on your hip.

“Um.. that would be my fault. I’m Cesar Diaz. My brother is “Spooky”, so I get targeted a lot. He’s head of the Santos.” he admitted, causing you to look at Monica.

You tilted your head at her, as if asking if you’ve heard of “Spooky”. Monica shook her head. She was your second in command, so she knew everyone that you did and didn’t know.

“I didn’t think they would do something with my friends around though.” Cesar continued, clearly shaken up by the whole situation.

You felt bad for the boy. You could tell that he didn’t want his friends to get hurt.

“What’re your names?” Rosa asked, causing you to give her a “you’re still in trouble” look.

Rosa blushed, knowing she would get in trouble for pulling out a gun around children. She knew that was one of your rules.

A pretty mixed girl stepped forward, “My name is Monse. That is Jasmine,” she said motioning to the girl who spoke earlier, “and that’s Ruby.” she pointed to the shorter boy who was still in Jasmine’s arms, “Then you have Jamal.” She introduced, pointing to a tall kid who was eyeing Kayla with a smirk. “And Cesar already introduced himself.” She finished, smiling at you.

You nodded your head, giving a soft smile, “It’s nice to meet you all. I’m (y/n). This is Rosa,” you pointed to the redhead of your group who nodded her head when she heard her name. “That’s Kayla.” You motioned to the shortest of your group. “And last but not least, my right hand woman, Monica.” You nodded your head towards Monica, who flipped her hair dramatically over her shoulder. “Don’t do that.” You scrunched your nose, shaking your head at her, amused.

“Thank you for saving us!” Jamal blurted out, with his comment aimed at Kayla.

You laughed softly and looked at everyone, “No problem. Do you guys need help getting home? I know that situation was probably a bit scary.” You sympathized.

The group of friends quietly talked among themselves before coming to a decision.

“I live a few houses down and Monse is with me right now. So we are all good, but thank you.” Jasmine smiled. She turned to Ruby and gave him a chaste kiss before pulling Monse along with her down the street.

Ruby stepped forward and motioned to where the girls were walking away, “And I live across from Jasmine. So I’ll just walk them home. I appreciate all the help.” He thanked you, before running to catch up with Monse and Jasmine.

“I could use some help getting home?” Jamal suggested, looking at Kayla with a goofy smile.

Kayla rolled her eyes and hooked arms with Jamal, “Come on, kid.” She couldn’t fight the smile coming to her lips. She was amused with Jamal’s very obvious crush on her.

“So that just leaves you, Cesar Diaz. I’m kinda in the mood to walk, so whether you need help getting home or not, we are tagging along.” You informed him, with a gently nudge.

Cesar shrugged and smiled while sliding his hands in his pockets, “That’s fine with me.” He began walking.

You started walking next to Cesar, both Monica and Rosa following behind you.

“So the Prophet$ have beef with you because of who your brother is?” You asked, turning your head to Cesar. Once he nodded his head, you continued with another question, “And you mentioned he’s head of the Santos? I’ve never heard of “Spooky” before. I’m interested in meeting the Santos’ gang leader.” You said, crossing the street with Cesar.

Cesar looked up surprised, “Really? Everyone around here seems to know him. And you said that you’re in a gang too? What gang?” Cesar wondered, rounding the corner and continuing down the street.

You were about to answer Cesar’s question when you approached a house that had a handful of guys on the lawn.

-

Oscar’s POV

I grabbed two beers from the fridge before heading back outside to where the guys were.

“Here you go.” I said, handing a beer to Sad Eyes and taking a seat on the steps next to him. “So that kid from 19 is starting up trouble again.” I said while taking a swig of beer.

Sad Eyes nodded his head, scanning his eyes over all of the men on the lawn, “Should we go do something about them right now?” He questioned, turning his attention to me. “I’ll follow whatever you want to do, ese.”

“Nah.” I shook my head, “It can wait. We have more important things to take care of right this moment.” I started to go into detail, but then I heard Cesar’s voice.

I looked over to where I heard his voice and noticed him standing with three attractive women.

My attention was instantly drawn to the beautiful woman standing next to Cesar though. Her presence demanded attention. She looked fierce, but compassionate at the same time. I couldn’t help but to check her out. My eyes slowly trailed up and down her curvy figure. Her outfit was certainly doing her body favors by outlining her assets.

I licked my lips briefly before standing up and walking towards Cesar. I noticed the woman I was watching earlier was watching me just as intensely. I smirked to myself, turning my attention to Cesar, “Cesar, who are they?” I asked, motioning to the women behind him.

Cesar stepped away from the women and stood beside me now. “Well-“ He started, but was cut off.

“Um, excuse me, but I can talk for myself.” chimed the fierce looking woman, looking directly at me.

This caught my full attention and I was pleasantly surprised at her boldness. No one with common sense has called me out before. I crossed my arms and nodded my head a little for her to proceed.

She continued, “My name is (y/n). This is Rosa and Monica.” She said motioning to the girls that were now standing at either side of her, protectively. (Y/n) spoke with confidence, as if she knew that she belonged there with the rest of us.

I turned my attention back to Cesar, still not understanding what they were doing at my house.

Cesar cleared his throat shyly and looked at me, “Spooky, they saved me and my friends.. the Prophet$ showed up out of nowhere and wouldn’t let us leave. Then these ladies showed up and the Prophet$ hurried off. (Y/n) just wanted to walk me home to make sure I got back alright.” Cesar informed me, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

I looked back at (y/n), curious as to how she was able to scare off any of the Prophet$. Most people don’t even dare to make eye contact with them, yet she was able to scare them off? This woman definitely has peaked my interest.

I heard a chuckle leave the mouth of one of the guys behind me, “They scared the Prophet$ off? These three hynas? Yeah right.” He spoke, his words dripping with sarcasm. I rolled my eyes, not bothering to turn around and see who said it.

I looked back towards (y/n) to see how she would handle his taunting. Least to say, she seemed unamused, not even bothering to defend herself.

The way she carried herself, like a boss, got me to thinking. I scrunched my eyebrows in thought and watched her quietly. Why does her name sound so familiar? (Y/n)? Suddenly it occurred to me, “Is your last name (y/l/n)? Are you (y/n) (y/l/n) the leader of that all female gang?” I questioned, my voice fluctuating with interest.

I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, that Cesar and a few of the men tensed up at the mention of that name. (Y/n) (y/l/n) is pretty well known in the area, but very few people have seen her in person. She has an intimidating reputation and her gang is a pretty big deal. Especially being an all female gang.

“The one and only.” (Y/n) said, turning to Sad Eyes who was now blushing and avoiding eye contact with her.

Chuckling softly, I looked between her and Sad Eyes. I was aware that Sad Eyes was never one to back down, but this time he did once he heard her name.

I clasped my hands together, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Well thank you for helping out my idiot of a brother, (y/n). We owe you one.” I insisted, placing my hand on Cesar’s shoulder.

She shook her head and waved off the suggestion, “It’s fine. It was no problem. Cesar has my number in case he needs me for anything.” She stated biting her lip and locking eyes with me again. “Hopefully we will be seeing more of each other soon.. Spooky..” she spoke my name seductively and winked at me before turning around and walking off with Rosa and Monica.

“Well damn..” I said quietly to myself, watching her walk off, effortlessly swaying her hips with each step.

I was pulled out of my trance by Cesar nudging me with a smirk, “You’re so into her!” He accused.

I looked down, blushing a bit and rolled my eyes. I turned to Cesar. “Shut up, mano. You’ve got some explaining to do.”

-

Normal POV

You quickly jumped out of the car once you arrived at the Diaz Residence. Running to the door, you banged on the door urgently, “Cesar?? Open the door! What’s the emergency??” You spoke quickly, worried that someone was hurt.

Monse opened the door confused and let you in, “(y/n)? Who said there was an emergency?”

Cesar raised his hand awkwardly and let out a chuckle, “I figured it was how I could get you here the fastest.” He admitted.

You rolled your eyes and closed the door. Turning your attention back to the group, “So? What’s this about?” You wondered, crossing your arms.

Jamal raised his hand next, “Well Kayla, my new girlfriend, told me that you love comics. She said they’re the way to your heart.” He explained, casually slipping in that Kayla was now his girlfriend.

Ruby jumped in, rolling his eyes at Jamal sidetracking, “Anyway, we all decided to get you a gift for saving us last week. We don’t know what would have happened if you didn’t come when you did.” He have you a grateful smile.

Monse handed you a gift bag, “Open it!” She urged with too much enthusiasm.

Oscar heard your voice from his room and quickly walked out. He leaned against the wall, confused about what was taking place right now. He tried to hide the huge smile that came to his face once he laid eyes on you.

You smiled at the gift bag and sat down on the couch. You carefully removed the tissue paper, everyone watching you intensely. You felt plastic sleeves and pulled them out. Your eyes widen, “No way.. these just got released like yesterday.” You stated, gawking at the several comics that were in front of you.

“I know. Everyone made ME have to stand in line yesterday for them.” Jamal said with attitude, side eyeing everyone.

You laughed softly and looked at everyone, “I love these so much, you guys!! I’m going to go home tonight and read them all. I mean, after some stupid territory meeting, but I’ll still read them tonight!” You let out an excited squeal, “I can’t wait! I’ve been waiting to see what was going to happen with Riri Williams next in the MCU!!” You spoke quickly, holding the comics to your chest and smiling so much that your cheeks were beginning to ache.

You finally took a break from talking and noticed Oscar leaning against the wall. You quickly began blushing, Did he hear that whole fangirling thing..? Oh god, this is embarrassing.

You shyly waved at Oscar, “You wouldn’t have happened to hear that whole thing, right?” You asked hopefully.

Oscar shook his head, “No, I didn’t hear a thing.” He smiled, “Just the part about you being head over heels for some comics.” He responded nonchalantly, which caused you to blush more. “Don’t worry. I’m not judging you.” He promised, “It’s nice not always seeing the tough and rough side of a leader.” He smiled down at you.

You smiled back at Oscar and looked down briefly, trying to gather your thoughts. You were starting to see Him in a different light. Oscar is more than just “Spooky”, he’s a genuinely great guy too.

“Well then maybe we should start hanging out. Then you can see that side of me more.” You offered, biting your lip a little and leaning against the wall like Oscar was doing. Oscar made you a bit nervous, and that wasn’t something that you were used to at all.

Oscar chuckled softly, leaning in a bit closer to you, “I would like that, (y/n).” He said, trying to hide the excitement in his voice.

-

Needless to say, you and Oscar began hanging out frequently after that talk. You both enjoyed every minute of each other’s company. You would even occasionally give each other advice on what was going on with your gangs and how to solve problems. Once, Oscar even called you for back up when it came to the 19 gang. You both worked well together.

You had begun to notice little things changing about Oscar. For starters, when you would come over, you noticed now there were comics on the coffee table and they were always up to date. You loved that because you didn’t mind lounging around and reading the comics all day! But you also noticed a change in Oscar’s wardrobe when you were around. He would usually make up some excuse to change his shirt and then come back with either a DC shirt on or a Marvel shirt on. You always smiled to yourself when he did this, because you could tell that he was doing it for your attention. He would even pretend to not notice what shirt he was wearing until you would bring it up. This often made you laugh and scrunch your nose, which Oscar found adorable.

Your favorite thing about Oscar was how hard he would try for you. He did his best to talk about what you enjoyed talking about, even if he didn’t really understand.

“Wait, why don’t we like Killmonger? He seems like a great character!” He would exclaim as you both watched Black Panther.

“Um, because he’s trying to murder his cousin and use his power for violence. Come on, babe, keep up.” You groaned playfully, putting his arm around you.

Oscar didn’t mind reading the comics or watching the movies as long as he got to be with you.

You reading comics was never a problem until you started to pay more attention to the comics than to Oscar. Which led you to this moment.

“Babe? Babe?” Oscar waved his hand in front of your face as you continued reading your comic. He was clearly becoming very annoyed with you. “(Y/n), I’m talking to you!” He raised his voice at you, grabbing your attention.

You looked around the living room at Cesar and his friends, plus Kayla, all looking at you with wide eyes. You glared a little at Oscar, “Excuse me, don’t raise your voice at me.” You spoke with a low and daring tone.

Oscar stared at you offended, “I wouldn’t have had to raise my voice if you were listening to me. But no, you’re focused on your stupid comic instead.” He seethed, snatching the comic from your hands.

“Oh no..” Kayla sighed out, putting her head down. “He disrespected her comics. She’s gonna murder him.”

You glared more at Oscar and clenched your fists, “How dare-“ you started, but was interrupted by Oscar abruptly throwing you over his shoulder and carrying you out of the room.

You were too angry to process that Oscar just threw you over his shoulder like you weighed nothing.

“Put me down!!” You ordered, but quickly regretted it as Oscar tossed you on the bed. You huffed and quickly got up off the bed and walked up to Oscar, “What is wrong with you?!”

Oscar scoffed and shook his head in disbelief, “What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with you, (y/n)? I’m trying to spend time with you and all you want to do is read your comics. I get that you love them and everything, but come on! They can’t always have your attention, Bebe!” He ranted at you.

You crossed your arms but kept quiet while listening to him, because you knew that he was right and you weren’t being fair.

“I’m doing everything that I can to make us official.” He said, acknowledging that you both never officially talked about being boyfriend and girlfriend.

He gently cupped your hands into his and gave them a gentle squeeze. “I’m just trying to be the Batman to your Black Widow.” He spoke softly.

You furrowed your eyebrows and looked up at Oscar confused, “Baby, what? They aren’t-” you gave a soft laugh, “They aren’t in the same universe.. those are two completely different characters and story lines.” You giggled, causing Oscar to blush.

“Oh, right.. okay, then Batman to your Lois Lane.” He looked at you hopefully.

You smiled more and kissed his hands before letting them go. “Better. Same universe, but still not together.” You informed him. You decided to help him out, “Oscar Diaz, will you be the Vision to my Wanda Maximoff?” You asked, cupping Oscar’s face with both of your hands.

Oscar sighed in relief at your analogy and nodded his head quickly, “Thank god, that one makes more sense.” He chuckled, pulling you close and kissing you deeply.

You smiled against his lips and kissed back gently. You parted your lips a bit and whispered, “What is with you and Batman?” You questioned, curious.

Oscar shrugged, pulling you closer by your waist. “No more talk of comics..” he said before kissing you once more.

[xxx-cat-xxx]

all the things we never said

Summary: Five times Nat and Tony watch over each other and the one time they don't need to any longer.

Word Count: 10k

Tags: Nat & Tony’s Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Natasha Romanov Is Not A Robot, Blood and Injury, Sickfic, Recreational Drug Use, Angst and Banter and Humour, MCU canon compliant, Team as Family, Feelings

A/N: The tumblr version is out! Huge thanks to @whumphoarder​ for being the world's best beta reader and my personal punctuation fairy. And thank you to @quietlyimplode​ for all your continuing support.

Link to read on AO3

1. Trust Issues

It’s their third mission together, but the first one they have to tackle alone. Cap, Hawkeye and the Hulk are off defending Bulgaria from a sudden invasion of slimy goo monsters, but Nat has been planning this mission for months. She fought Fury tooth and nail to go through with the original plan until he begrudgingly agreed and sent Tony along for backup. 

So now it’s her, alone, inside the Hydra base instead of a team of two, and Tony is waiting outside in the forest with the quinjet, growing more restless every minute. 

“JARVIS, how long?” he asks, twirling a box of Tic Tacs between his thumb and index finger. He opens the cockpit window, sticking his head out and searching the forest for what must be the hundredth time in the last few hours.

“Agent Romanov was supposed to return to the meeting point seventeen minutes ago,” the AI replies matter-of-factly. 

“Twenty and I’ll go in,” Tony decides, letting out a long breath. “I told her she shouldn’t have gone alone.”

“Sir, the whole point of an undercover mission is for your identities to stay hidden. No offense, but neither your face nor your suit would contribute to that aim.”

“Thanks, Captain Obvious,” Tony sasses back. “But I’m not gonna wait outside while our resident Scary Redheaded Assassin is getting murdered by a group of neo-nazis.”

“That is quite an honorable sentiment, sir. However,―” 

The AI doesn’t get a chance to continue, because at that very moment Tony makes out a familiar black-and-red shape emerging out of the green of the forest. She’s moving quickly―though not as quickly as he would have liked her to. Even from this distance he can see that Nat’s acquired a limp at some point during the three hours she was inside the base.

“Jet!” he thinks he can hear her shout even before he can clearly make out her face. 

“What?” he calls back. 

“Start – the fucking – jet!” 

Tony, of course, doesn’t listen. The suit is open next to him, already waiting, and he doesn’t hesitate a second before he gets inside and fires up the thrusters. There is no chance in hell anyone would mistake the red-and-gold armour for anything other than Iron Man, but something about the fact that Nat is currently being followed by at least a dozen Hydra agents tells Tony that their cover was blown long ago. 

He dials up to top speed, rushes over Natasha’s head and fires a round at the agents behind her―not enough to kill, but enough to hold them off for a while. Then he swoops down, and, for once glad about the lack of comms and his inability to hear her protests, scoops Nat up under her arms and flies her directly onto the quinjet. 

The landing through the half-open door is less elegant than he had hoped for. Nat ends up more or less crashing onto the ground while Tony quickly curbs the speed. When he opens the suit, the assassin is still lying there like a heap of bones, making no attempt to move—which, given her usual alertness, is frankly alarming. 

“Nat? You alive over there?” he inquires. 

The heap moves and her face becomes visible, paler than fresh snow against the dark red of her hair. “Get us out of here.”

“How bad are you―” 

“I’m fine,” she snaps with obvious strain in her voice.

“I thought you were better at lying.” 

“Stark. Start the fucking jet.” She glares at him, which is much less scary now that she’s practically lying on the ground, but still enough to make Tony turn on his heels and get into the pilot seat.

It’s a good thing he does, because the Hydra agents have apparently recovered and are less than half a mile away from the jet now, carrying heavy artillery. Tony lifts them up just in time and, resisting the urge to fly a victory lap over their heads since time is a priority now, evades the guns with an elegant loop. 

Maybe not the best idea, because the plane swerves and Nat’s body hits the jet’s opposite wall with an audible thump. She doesn’t cry out, but he knows she wants to from the way she gasps sharply before cutting herself off. Tony curses himself and concentrates on pulling the quinjet up at a gentler angle. The moment they reach flight level, he puts it on autopilot and heads back to check on his teammate.

Nat has maneuvered herself into a half-sitting position, leaning against the wall, but that’s about it. There’s blood on the ground around her, and more is marking the path she slid across the floor. Her breaths are coming out in small gasps of barely concealed pain. 

“That’s not looking too good, Widow,” Tony remarks while retrieving the first-aid-kit out from its storage unit in the wall. 

“Neither is your face.” She delivers the prepubescent insult with an expression so straight that it’s almost comical, before weakly stretching out one arm towards him. The left is curling around her stomach, blood spilling out in between her fingers in small gushes in rhythm with each breath. “Here, take this.” 

There’s a pen drive in her opened palm. Tony has to grin, and there’s a weak smile on her sweaty face too, because this means she was successful after all. He stores the pen drive in the pocket of his track pants, then crouches down and starts to remove Nat’s jacket. 

“What was the problem, huh?” he asks conversationally, mostly to distract her from the pain the movement must be causing her. “Someone recognised your phenomenally inconspicuous hair colour?”

“Fury’s fucking bullshit intel,” she says hoarsely, voice tense. “Gonna have a word with him when we get back.”

“I’ll be sure to clear out before that happens,” Tony remarks. He carefully helps her lie down on the ground, using her jacket as a makeshift pillow. “But I’d pay a fortune for the video.” 

Nat weakly flips him off, but Tony is suddenly too distracted trying to find the bullet hole in all the blood to continue the sass. “We need to take off your shirt,” he assesses, his voice sober now. 

There’s a beat where she just looks at him before clumsily starting to peel it off. There’s a lot in that look—doubt, calculation, resignation—and in the end he’s not sure whether it’s trust that’s winning her over or the knowledge that she doesn’t have any other choice. And that hurts a little, somewhere deep inside, because he couldn’t care less about Nat’s boobs while she is bleeding out in front of him. But then again, the circumstances in which they met probably put him in a less than favourable position. 

Nat is visibly having difficulty lifting her arms, so he helps her pull the shirt over the head, careful not to touch any more skin than necessary. There’s so much blood underneath the fabric that he wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else even if he’d wanted to. Tony knows first aid in theory, but he’s never had to use it on someone with a bullet wound, never really had much contact with blood apart from his own. The last time he was in a similar position, it was Yinsen taking his last breaths under Tony’s hands in a cave in Afghanistan, and no, he’s so not going there now. 

“Okay,” he says, taking a deep and measured breath. “What do I do?”

With muttered instructions, Nat guides him through assessing the wound. They decide that the bullet has to stay in for now. The next friendly hospital is only half an hour out, but she’s fading fast, lost way too much blood, and putting pressure on it has priority until they arrive. 

“You could have just waited a few weeks and gone in with backup, you know," he comments while ripping open a packet of gauze, mostly to keep her talking; he doesn’t honestly expect anything he says would alter her stubbornness.

“Now where's the fun in that?" She slurs the words a little around the edges, but the sass is enough to reassure him that she’ll be alright.

Nat talks Tony through applying a pressure bandage, her body shaking more and more underneath his fingers, revealing just how much willpower it’s taking her not to pass out. Sometime around the point when Tony applies the last of the bandages, Nat’s eyes slip closed and her body goes limp in his grasp. She’s pulled through—through the procedure just as the mission—and Tony feels the weirdest swell of pride well up in him at being part of her team. 

Nat stays mostly unconscious when he contacts the hospital and starts the landing sequence. Tony carefully dresses her in one of Cap’s spare shirts, because you never know what kind of pervert will be filming their arrival. It makes her look a bit like a child wearing her father’s clothes. 

She wakes with a gasp when the paramedics enter and lift her onto a gurney, and Tony makes sure to stay in her field of vision to give her a familiar face to look at all the while until they enter surgery. 

As soon as the doors have closed behind her, Tony pulls out his phone. He’s gonna have that word with Fury himself. 

*

Three months later, when he reads a report about Natasha being shot on a solo mission and refusing anesthesia during the surgery at the local hospital, it dawns on him that the reason she let herself give into unconsciousness this time is because somehow, somewhere, there had to be a glimpse of trust.

2. Red Wine Stains

There was a time in his life when Tony used to like galas. Or maybe like is a bit of a strong term―he used to enjoy looking at dressed-up people and being looked at, flirting a little here and there, and, most importantly, the drinks. He definitely used to like the drinks.

Today, he wishes he could have some of that glamorous feeling back, just to get his adrenaline pumping a bit. The past week held a Doom Bots attack and a sewage robot gone wild and the launch of the new Stark phone and a fight with Pepper and a Dum-E malfunction, and it’s only Thursday. The wine is cheap, the food tasteless, the people boring, and Tony is tired. Fall-asleep-under-the-car-he-is-repairing kind of tired, because yes, that has happened before, much to Pepper’s dismay. 

But exhaustion is not something he admits to people, so sunglasses and make-up are his beloved companions this evening, closely followed by the group of misfits that moved into his tower not too long ago and are currently gathered around him, answering the questions of at least a dozen TV crews enclosing them in a semi-circle.

Thor, in a suit that seems to be from the 19th century and nevertheless look stylish on him, is telling a story about a gigantic wolf he once taught to play fetch, with Bruce nodding along, looking awkward as ever. Nat is wearing a stunning high-slit white gown, red curls made up in a fancy bun. She has been having her fun this evening introducing Steve to an endless number of pretty admirers, just to leave him alone in the middle of the conversation, much to his embarrassment. 

“And now a question for Iron Man,” the aritificially cheerful reporter announces, turning away from Thor and towards Tony. “Mr Stark, there were rumours that you underwent a heart surgery at the end of last year. While I’m pleased to see that you’re back in action,  I’m curious to know whether you’re concerned that your health issues affect the Avengers’ capability to defend us in case of another attack like the one of New York?”

Tony steps forward while the crowd of onlookers falls silent. The reporter pushes the microphone into Tony’s face, but the motion seems to slow down as it happens, the world coming to a screeching halt around him. 

Breathe, he thinks. Just breathe, you got this. And then: What if they come back? What if you aren’t strong enough? What if you can’t defend anyone this time? 

“Mr Stark?” the reporter asks again. 

Breathe. In, out, Tony tells himself. Come on, it’s not that hard.

“I, uhm…” He licks his lips, dimly aware of the cloud of reporters around him, the journalist in question regarding him with a frown. More aware though of his shaky hands, the sweat gathering on his forehead, his speeding heartbeat. “I think…”

In, out. In out. Inoutinoutinoutin― 

“I think I can answer this for him,” Natasha takes two steps towards him, reaching for the microphone, and the next thing he knows, she stumbles on her high heels and knocks her glass of cheap Burgundy all over his extremely expensive suit jacket. There’s ohhs and oh my gods coming from the crowd of reporters. Nat pretends to apologise and then all he can hear is his own ragged breathing while she is pulling him away towards a side door. 

“Tony―” she starts, a hand on his arm. He takes a step back, reflexively, his back hitting the wall behind him. 

“I’m f-fine,” he gasps, trying in vain to get his breathing under control, “Just a sec.” 

“I know, Tony,” she says calmly, not judging, not freaking out. He knows he shouldn’t, either. And he wants to calm down, god does he want to, but he’s past that point now, his heart galloping in his chest and his breaths turning into wheezes.

“I can’t―” 

Fight or flight kicks in and he stumbles away from her without caring where he is going, aware only of his racing heart and the ever-tightening grip around his chest until she pushes him through yet another door into a bathroom and Tony’s legs go weak under him. He sinks to the floor, wheezing. Hugs himself, clutching a hand to his chest. 

There’s no oxygen, no fucking oxygen in this room, and Tony needs to get out, needs some fresh air, but he can’t even get up right now. He’s going to die for sure, weeks before his 43rd birthday, on the floor of a men’s bathroom with red wine soaking through his shirt, and what a headline this will be. 

“You’re not dying,” Nat says, fierce and still almost annoyingly calm, and god, did he really say that out loud? Tony has just enough wherewithal left to feel a surge of embarrassment. “You’ve been through this before,” she continues. “You’re gonna be okay.”

The room is getting blurry around the edges and he knows that he really needs to breathe, but he’s got no idea how to get there. And then Nat kneels down in front of him, removes his tie and opens his shirt buttons with quick fingers, and there’s just the slightest bit more air getting into him with each wheeze.

Suddenly, his mouth is watering. Tony hunches over and Nat can just slide out of the way before he heaves up two mouthfuls of wine, coffee, and bile, coughing and choking as he does so. This is bad, he thinks dimly. He hasn’t been sick from a panic attack in a while now. He draws in a choking breath and then another and another before retching again. 

He really doesn’t want Black Widow out of everyone to witness him like this, but at least Nat doesn’t say anything stupid like “just breathe” or “calm down” or try to hug him, and that’s a marginal relief. What she does is cower down next to the puddle of sick and take Tony’s hands in hers, almost gently, and then presses them rhythmically. “Focus on that,” she orders, and, left with no other option, he does.

After minutes that feel like years, it finally becomes a little easier to draw in air. Panting, Tony rests his head back against the wall, his whole body bathed in sweat. Just breathes, in and out, while the bathroom slowly comes back into focus. He holds on to Nat’s hand for another minute or so, almost afraid he’s going to lose his tentative grasp of his mind if he lets go. It takes a while until he gathers himself enough to pull away from her. 

“Now you’ve got something for the paparazzi,” he says halfheartedly, trying to calm the trembling in his body.

She looks at him, not missing a beat. “Nah. Panic attacks are way less sexy than drug orgies. No coke, no headlines.”

Tony lets out a breath. “No luck for me then.” 

Nat gets up and starts pulling paper towels from the dispenser to clean up the mess on the ground. Her dress, Tony realises only now, also suffered in the red wine stunt. 

After a few more breaths, he makes it unsteadily to his feet to help her. She stops him midway, takes the sleeve of her suit jacket and wipes tears he didn’t notice before from his cheeks, a sober, almost kind look on her face that he’s not seen before. It confirms his suspicion that this wasn’t her first time seeing someone panic, and something makes him wonder whether she’s been on the other side as well. 

“Let’s get back to the action,” he tries to sound convincing as he makes for the door, then remembers the palm-sized red wine stain on his own shirt. “Or maybe I’ll get this cleaned first.”

“Like hell you’re going anywhere right now.”

“But―” 

“Nope.” With a movement faster than he can blink, she fishes his phone out of his suit jacket (purely showing off, because he knows she’s got her own communication device hidden away somewhere in that fancy long dress). 

Tony makes a weak attempt to snatch the phone back, which she doesn’t even acknowledge. The screen lights up upon receiving her fingerprint and she seems almost disappointed that there’s nothing to hack into.  

“Nat here,” she says into the speaker. “Meet us at the back entry.”

Tony can make out Happy grumpily giving an answer.

“Yes, the back entry. No, nobody’s hurt.” She raises an eyebrow at Tony. “No, Happy, you don’t need a gun. Meet you outside.”

They keep silent until they’re in the car. Tony is used to being the one to start conversations around Nat―around almost all the Avengers, actually―but the panic attack left him completely drained and somehow he doesn’t feel the need to pretend otherwise.

“You know,” she speaks up once they are halfway through Manhattan. “Steve had a breakdown when it was snowing last winter. Full-on flashbacks and all. Took me an hour and a bucket of tea to calm him down.”

Tony turns his head towards her, trying to keep his face neutral while she goes on. “Bruce sees a therapist once a week.” She hesitates, as if weighing whether to disclose anything else or not. “Clint and I… let’s say we’ve been there, too. We all know what it’s like.”

He swallows. “This… doesn’t make it any easier.” 

“I know that. But it means you’re not alone with it. It’s not a weakness, Tony.” 

“I never said it was.”

She regards him knowingly. “Do me a favour and get some sleep tonight, okay?”

Tony thinks of the laundry list of things he has to finish and of the talk he and Pepper have to have before he can ask her to stay with him when he goes to sleep, both of which―talking and sleeping―he’s been putting off for reasons. But Nat’s right―it has to happen at some point. 

“Yeah, okay.” Then, after a moment, “Thanks, Nat.”

"Thanking me?" Nat raises an eyebrow. "You sure you didn’t have too much to drink?”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t get used to it,” Tony grumbles. 

“You owe me a new dress and another chance to set up a date for Steve,” she states. But when she looks at him, her eyes are warm.

*

The next day Nat convinces JARVIS―with help of some useful computer skills she picked up over the years―to disable all alarms and let Tony sleep in. At the breakfast table, she regards the newspaper Steve left lying around after coming back from his jog. The headline talks of the Black Widow’s inability to walk in high heels, and Nat, who did a roundhouse kick on four-inch stilettos just the other week, quietly smiles to herself.

3. Matchmaker

“Hey, Big Guy.” Tony rests an arm on Bruce’s shoulder, startling the scientist out of his chair by the hospital bed. “How’s she doing?”

“She’s finally asleep, I think,” Bruce answers quietly, rubbing his red-rimmed eyes.

“Damn.” Tony shuffles closer to the bed and looks at Nat, all frail and small in between a nest of blankets. She is deathly pale, except for the red fever spots on her cheeks, and her eyes are almost vanishing in the dark rings below them. There’s an oxygen cannula under her nose, and despite theoretically knowing that it had been bad, that pneumonia is something that regularly kills people, the seriousness of the situation hits him only now. “Damn, Bruce, she looks so young.” 

Too young for all of this, he doesn’t say.

“I know,” Bruce sighs. “Trust me, Tony, I know.” 

“‘m not asleep,” Nat protests belatedly, blinking an eye open and slowly turning over to them. “Hi.” She raises an eyebrow at Tony.

“Hi, disease monkey.”

“Fuck you, Tony.” Her voice catches on the last word and she tries to clear her throat, but ends up coughing, and then hacking, hunched forward over herself, until Bruce helps her to a half-upright position and holds her there until the fit subsides. No one mentions the flecks of blood on her hand when she pulls it away.

Bruce hands her a tissue and frowns down at her. “You know, this wouldn't have happened if you'd taken proper care of yourself.”

“Well,” she croaks, “Next time I infiltrate a Hydra prison, I’ll make sure to take a fluffy blanket and a hot water bottle along with me.”

Tony chuckles even while Bruce throws up his hands. “Why am I doing this job again?” the scientist complains. “I should just get a LinkedIn profile and be with people who don’t actively try to get themselves killed once a week.”

“You should get a nap,” Tony interjects. “You look like you’re about to join her.”

“I’m just tired,” he retorts.

“Which is why you should sleep, Big Green. Clint will be here in a couple hours and I’ll stay with her till then.” Tony nudges Bruce aside and settles down on the plastic chair next to the bed. “I got this.”

“You got what?” Nat croaks, but then redirects her gaze at Bruce. “Really, go sleep.”

“Yeah. Okay.” Bruce fidgets with the monitors. “You should take something before I leave—your temp’s almost up to 103 again.”

Nat rolls her eyes while Tony comments, “He’s terrible, isn’t he? How come you haven’t killed him yet?” He leaves a dramatic pause. “Oh, right, immortality and so on.”

“You’re so funny, Tony,” Bruce retorts, without any heat.

He hands Nat a fever reducer and helps her sit up enough that she can swallow it with a sip of water. Then he leaves, emphasizing again to call him in case anything happens.

“He likes you, you know that?” Tony drops casually once he’s gone.

“What are you doing here again?” Nat just gives him a look that’s probably supposed to be threatening but is mostly just tired, and doesn’t reveal any surprise at Tony’s observation. Tony might be good at reading people if he concentrates on it, but Nat is a natural.  

“Before you murder me with one of the knives I know you’re hiding somewhere in this bed, I’ve come bearing gifts.” Tony looks around to make sure Bruce is gone before pulling Nat’s tablet out of his leather jacket. 

“Ah.” She doesn’t say thanks, but her face lights up a little. While she texts Clint and probably hacks into some country’s police reports to make sure the aftermath of her mission was handled successfully, Tony goes to get a big mug of coffee and his own toy to fiddle with. 

The tablet has disappeared once he returns, undoubtedly hidden in the same place as her knives. Nat, meanwhile, is trying hard to hide the shivers now wracking her frame. A glance at the stats shows that her temp has ignored the fever reducers and hit 103, so it’s probably a good thing she put the tablet down on her own; Tony is not the person who’d like to try and convince her to rest. 

“You can leave,” she tries once more. “I’m fine on my own, and Bruce must be asleep by now.” 

Tony really wishes he could read her, just to know whether she actually believes he would go if she just asked him enough. 

“I would,” he says lightly. “Buuut, Pep kicked me out of the lab and this is the best pretense to keep upgrading my new gauntlet watch design.” He nods down to his own tablet he just produced.

It’s not true, strictly speaking; before coming here he’d been immersed deeply in SHIELD’s classified video feeds, observing Clint conduct the evacuation of the prison Nat managed to open for them the previous night. But that’s nothing she needs to know for now. 

Nat doesn’t seem entirely convinced, but gives up arguing. She flaps her hand tiredly. “Knock yourself out.”

A few minutes of silence and she’s coughing again, her whole body shaking under the strain of it. This time, she hacks up strings of red-tinged mucus into a small basin that was waiting on her bedside table. Tony isn’t one to comfort sick people and Nat isn’t one to accept comfort from anyone but a select few, so instead of putting a hand on her back and telling her she’ll be alright, he goes to grab another pillow that she can put behind her back to prop her up. 

“Water?” she asks when she can catch her breath again. 

Tony hands her a glass, then takes the basin with a barely concealed look of disgust and disposes of it in the sink in the adjacent room. “Try and catch some shuteye?” he suggests when he returns. 

Nat just shakes her head and clenches her teeth when another round of chills passes through her body. 

He recognises the look on her face. Bone-deep exhaustion, but still fighting against sleep, most likely because of the fever dreams. Been there, done that. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the Hydra goons wouldn’t touch Nat in the almost two weeks she spent in the prison until she gave the rest of the team a go for the mission. 

She’ll eventually have to talk to someone about whatever was done to her, but Tony isn’t that person. Neither of them is good with talking, not the serious type, anyway. She maybe―hopefully―has Barton for that, and Tony… has his bots. Well, and sometimes, when he’s drunk and tired or drunk from tiredness, he might have confessed a thought or two to Pepper. Most of it she figured out by herself. 

He shakes himself out of his thoughts. “So what are we gonna do then?” he asks.

“You’re the genius. Figure it out.”

She’s definitely too weak for video games and Tony’s not going to read to her, which leaves the TV. They’re in the tower’s medbay, so of course there’s plenty of streaming services to choose from, which only leaves what to choose. He knows that Nat hates cheap romances and likes Tarantino, but maybe a bloodbath is not the best after what she’s just been through. They both enjoy intelligent movies, but he probably shouldn’t do anything too taxing with her fever through the roof. 

“JARVIS, play Sherlock. The BBC series.” 

The corners of her mouth lift a little and he knows it was the right decision. 

If it had been Pepper or Bruce or even Clint, Tony wouldn’t have hesitated to crawl into the bed next to them. He craves touch when he’s ill, even if he doesn’t admit it, but he’s learned long ago that Nat’s different. So he just settles in the plastic chair next to the bed, makes sure the corners of the room are well lit, and increases the temperature enough for her shivers to finally ease down. 

She fights it, but finally falls asleep half an hour into the first episode, snoring ever so slightly through the congestion in her chest. Tony knows that not everyone’s nightmares are as visible on their faces as his own, but he thinks that despite the exhaustion and sickness, she looks a little bit more relaxed than before. 

After another ten minutes, Nat slides down the pillows and her nasal cannula slips out of place a little, so Tony bends over her to put it back. Her eyes snap open the moment he touches her face, alert and wary despite being bright from fever. 

“Easy tiger, just putting this back where it belongs.”

She nods minutely and her eyes slip back closed, her ragged breathing still a bit faster than before. He thinks she’s maybe fallen back asleep, but then she blinks again and mumbles something indiscernible.

��Huh?” Tony asks.

She doesn’t open her eyes when she mumbles, “I’m gonna die anyway.”

Tony swallows. “Come on, don’t be so dramatic.” 

“Not...now. But the thing with Bruce...this isn’t going to work. Either I’m gonna die or I’m gonna disappoint him. Don’t even know what’s worse.”

The thing is, Tony knows how it feels to have someone who is too good for you love you nevertheless. And he wishes he could tell her that she’s wrong without feeling like he’s lying. 

By the time he’s finally found his reply, she is already asleep again. 

“But you deserve to be happy,” he whispers into the air anyway.

*

Three hours later, Tony will be interrupted in designing his watch gauntlet by a very disheveled looking Bruce coming to check on Nat. Tony will follow him outside when he searches for his stethoscope, and, with a smirk on his face and a bittersweet feeling in his stomach, will tell him, “She likes you, you know? You should ask her out some time.”

4. Stoners

Nat extricates herself from the blankets with an agility acquired through years of experience in sneaking out of crowded dorm rooms without waking anyone. Bruce is asleep on the couch in Lila’s bedroom, curled a little into himself, looking rumpled and exhausted after today’s hulk-out. He passed out the moment his head touched the pillow, and Nat is honestly surprised he even made it through dinner. 

But there is no sleep for her tonight. Closing her eyes means going back to the places that the witch summoned up in her mind, and that’s something she really, really doesn’t want to do. 

Nat tiptoes down the wooden staircase, avoiding the legos littering her path and the creaky third step from the top. Clint would be her go-to person, if any, on nights when she feels like this. But Laura just got him back and it would be unfair to steal him away for something nobody can fix anyway. 

She commandeers the heavy booze in the highest cupboard behind the digital kitchen scale Laura never uses. She is in the process of filling a glass when, through the screen door, she sees the light coming from the garden. 

Nat finds Tony in the shed where he’s actually repairing the goddamn tractor. She isn’t particularly quiet while entering, but Tony still flinches when she taps him on the shoulder, raising the wrench in a gesture of defense. There’s something dark on his face, a feeling exactly matching hers. Nat hasn’t asked whether the witch has shown him something, too, but she thinks she can read the answer in his eyes.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asks, a little more casually after lowering the wrench, but his breathing is still too quick. 

“You’re one to talk.”

He snorts. “Cap’s snoring like a steam engine. No wonder he doesn’t have a girlfriend.” Nat grins, but she knows of course that’s not the real reason.  

She’s never told him, but once or twice she’s witnessed Tony waking from his nightmares on the couch in the common room or in the jet after a mission, whimpering, almost crying, barely able to catch his breath. His reason to not fall asleep in a room he shares with his teammate is the same as hers. 

She takes another sip from her Whiskey and then refills the glass before handing it to him. He downs it in one smooth motion and sets it on the dirty ground nearby, gesturing at her to refill before turning back to the tractor. 

“Can you fix it?” she asks, genuinely curious. The tractor has been in the garage for as long as she can remember, never working, so still that it's almost become part of the building itself. 

“I can fix anything.” It’s his go-to reply, and it’s a lie, but tonight she wishes it was the truth. 

Nat settles on a rusty paint can nearby while watching him work, taking sips from the bottle intermittently. His hands are moving over the vehicle like a doctor’s over a patient, both professional and intimate. There’s motor oil on his bare arms and dust coating his forehead and as much as she knows Tony loves his good looks and classy suits, now he doesn’t seem to register the dirt at all. There’s something cathartic about the way he completely immerses himself in the task. 

Nat does that sometimes when she has a bad night, or the few times Clint was laid up in medical with no visitors allowed. Goes to Tony’s lab and watches him fix things, build things, neither of them talking as is their way. Sometimes she finds herself waking up hours later on the lab bench with a stiff neck and a blanket over her shoulders to Tony proudly showcasing whatever he has finished.

“Morning, Sleeping Beauty,” he’d say and present her with a new set of Widow’s Bites or a more explosive arrow or a thicker uniform for Clint to keep him safe next time. 

He doesn’t look as satisfied now when the tractor finally starts tucking, and she suspects he wished for it to take longer, for more distraction in a night where the dark thoughts hang between them like thick clouds. 

“So, should we take this thing and drive it up to Clint’s window right now?” he asks while turning on the tap in the corner of the barn and washing his hands and face with cold water. 

“Sounds tempting,” Nat admits. “But I got a better idea. I know where Clint keeps the pot.” 

“That, Miss Romanov”―Tony spins around and points at her with a screwdriver―“is the best idea I’ve heard in days.”

They smoke on the old canopy swing on the porch, and Nat would like to say that it makes her feel better, but sometimes sadness is just a part of you that doesn’t go away. They share the silence like they share the joint, each contemplating their own ghosts. 

Nat’s thoughts circle back to the Red Room again and again. And she wonders: Why does it still hurt, after such a long time? Maybe because it illuminates what went wrong, where it went wrong, and because it makes all the other possibilities so clear. The alternatives she never got to live. What it would have been like to have a happy childhood. Parents who cared. No blood on her palms. How it would feel to live without the crushing weight of debt and death on her shoulders. 

The funny thing is that Tony might be the one who understands the feeling best. Clint knows her, knows more of her story than anyone, but he also knows―or at least, thinks he knows―where she is wrongly blaming herself, where her mistakes are not her fault anymore. For him it’s a battle she fought against the powers who wanted to make her someone else, someone horrible, and eventually she won. But on nights like this one, Nat doesn’t feel like a winner. 

And Tony, below his cocky arrogance and narcissism, still carries the guilt from his previous life around with him. They don’t talk, but as the bottle and the smoke circle back and forth between them, she gets the feeling that he has an idea of what’s going on in her head.

The night air grows colder around them and at some point Tony takes off the rough button-down he’d borrowed from Clint and wraps it around her shoulders, and tonight, just tonight, she lets him. Allows him this single gesture of chivalry because he does it out of kindness, and kindness is not something found in the memories that lurk beneath the surface, and because she knows it will make him feel like he did something right.  

When the smoke has turned to ash and the bottle is empty, Tony slides down a bit and leans his head on Natasha’s shoulder. If he’d done this when they first met, after her cover was blown, she would have punched him. Now, it feels almost good. His head grows heavy against her skin after a while and his breaths even out, the drugs and the many days without sleep finally catching up with him. 

Dawn breaks and brings with it an aura of finality, of something big drawing to its close. Nat has lived through so many endings and beginnings that it doesn’t scare her anymore. But she’s still human enough to feel sad. 

She thinks of a little red-headed girl in a huge hall with glass mirrors, turning and twisting under the ever-critical gaze of people who should have never been her replacement parents. Thinks of her, years later, taking lives without second thoughts. So many lives along the way. 

And if there’s a tear or two running down her cheek and dripping into the collar of Clint’s shirt that night, nobody will ever know. 

*

An hour later, when Tony has woken up in her lap and squinted at her and asked, “So, what do we do about the murder bot?” and Nat has mustered all her strength to store the memories away for the time being and fire up her brain cells, Laura will step out to hang clothes on the line in the yard. She will find them like this, frozen-through, exhausted, and more than slightly hungover, but with a battle plan.

4.5. Blueberry Muffin (the time they didn’t)

Natasha is not good with kids—never has been—so she is not surprised when Tony looks a bit wary as he hands his sleeping daughter over to her. She is even less surprised when the baby wakes up, regards Nat through her dark, thick eyelashes, and immediately starts to cry. 

“Here. Give her here,” Tony says, and Nat is happy enough to comply. Morgan’s sobs turn into hitching breaths and she brings her tiny fingers to her face, making discontented sounds at the back of her throat. 

Tony shushes her, almost automatically, and Nat feels a strange mixture of affection and sadness bloom in her chest. He looks at Morgan with a warmth in his eyes she recognises from the first time they met. It’s the same way he’s looked at Pepper for as long as Nat’s known him. Nat knows what it means: he’d do anything for the tiny person in his arms. It’s not something she’s ever felt for anyone, and certainly nothing anyone has ever felt for her.

“So.” He clears his throat. “How’s life at the compound? More interesting than changing diapers, I suppose?” 

Empty and lonely, she doesn’t say. “It’s a lot of work.”

He scoffs. “You and Captain Righteous against the rest of the world?” 

“Steve’s staying in the city,” she replies briskly. She knows Tony is just trying to provoke her, since Rhodey is surely keeping him updated about everything there is to know about the remnants of the team. “He’s running counselling groups, actually. I don’t see him that often.”

“Therapy with Captain America.” Tony snorts, bitterly. “Lesson One: Be honest with your friends. Lesson Two: Choose your side wisely.”

In a life before Thanos, Nat might have started an argument upon this sideblow, but losing half the world’s population put things into perspective. She’s simply too tired to react. 

Tony seems to realise that too, because he gives her a defiant glance and loses steam. Morgan makes a fussy noise and he softly runs his fingers over her head until she quiets again, burying her forehead in his t-shirt. It’s some kind of nerdy shirt with triangles and geometry equations on it, and the baby is drooling onto the Pythagorean theorem. 

The silence grows from uncomfortable to oppressive while Nat tries to think up what else to say about a kid that only sleeps and eats and cries.

“So, have you enrolled her in MIT yet?” she finally asks.

Tony musters a laugh that’s probably mostly meant to humour her. “Thought we might potty train her first.”

Nat smirks.

Pepper enters the room, saving them. “Have some blueberry muffins.” She sets a plate on the table in front of her. She is as neat and pretty as ever, even with an infant to take care of, making Nat acutely aware of her own unwashed hair, the worn-out leggings she didn’t bother to change before coming here, and the deep circles below her eyes. 

A phone rings somewhere in the other room and Pepper is on her feet again before even properly sitting down, but not before adding, “Tony made them.”

Nat stops dead in the middle of reaching for the muffin. Then she slowly turns towards the man in question. “You bake now,” she states, and it almost sounds like an accusation. 

And here’s the thing: Nat and Tony used to be founding members of the ‘Why Do I Even Own a Kitchen’ clubt. Nat is good at cooking because she had to learn it for undercover missions (nothing like chocolate mousse and a low-cut dress to seduce a target), but she’s never, ever done it for herself. Or for the team, or for anyone who doesn’t require her to. Tony considered it superfluous since he had enough money for takeout at any time of the day, which he never ceased to mention when asked. Their hate for this particular activity is one thing they had in common, along with flexible moral standards and their love for fast cars. 

“I dabble.” Tony shrugs lightly. “It helps, you know, to distract yourself. You would be surprised how cathartic it can be sometimes to watch an apple pie turn brown in the oven.” There’s a dark shadow on his face that makes her realise just how bad these sometimes get. 

Guilt—oh yeah, here’s another thing they both share. 

She takes the muffin and bites into it. It tastes horrible, which makes the whole situation only slightly more bearable. She understands now that when Tony pushed the arc reactor into Steve’s hands the day he returned from space, it wasn’t just Iron Man he said goodbye to. He renounced a whole way of life, and with it, all those who were a part of it. The one he leads now makes space for superheroes only in crayon drawings and bedtime stories.

Nat glances around in search of a new topic to start in on, but all she sees are baby photos, throw blankets, and handmade toys—all in soft, matching colours. Wooden walls and bamboo boxes, the opposite of the cutting edge interior design that used to be Tony’s preferred choice for the tower and compound. The lakehouse reminds Nat of the Barton farm, of Laura’s attention to make the smallest details homely. 

Suddenly, the domesticity of it all feels suffocating. 

“I―” she breathes out. “I need to go.” She sets down the muffin and takes a last look at the baby in Tony’s arms before getting to her feet in a rush. His halfhearted protests are lost in the sound of her heartbeat drumming in her ears. She passes Pepper in the hallway, who regards her with confusion and a bit of hurt. Nat’s throat is too tight to talk, but she sends a mental apology her way because none of the bad things that keep happening in her life have ever been the fault of Pepper Potts. 

Tony catches her when she is just about to close the car door. There’s honest surprise on his face when he glimpses the tears on her cheek. She wipes them away, angrily, silently dares him to say anything. 

“Look, this is the best possible way for me to deal with everything,” he explains, and his face looks almost like he’s in pain. “To get over what happened. Maybe you should try that some day.”

And here’s the final difference, Nat thinks as she closes the door and starts the engine. The thing he has to get over with was what made her life worthwhile.

“I’m happy for you, Tony,” she says honestly, and drives away.

*

10 years later, Morgan will scroll through old news footage in her holographic projection on the ceiling and find a photo of Nat and Tony, dressed up for one of the official Avengers events, sharing a laugh over something that’s lost to history. She’ll show it to Pepper and will listen disbelievingly to a story, told with wet eyes, about an assassin masquerading as a PA, who eventually became a friend masquerading as a teammate.

5. Time Travel

None of them sleep the night before the time heist, but at some point, sharing the anxiety makes things worse instead of better. They break up the group, pretending to go to bed. Nat hasn’t been in her own room since everyone moved back in; she’s been sleeping in Clint’s quarters or occasionally on the couch in the common room when the planning and plotting went on late into the night.

Years of going rogue have left their trace on Clint, and despite having lost none of the familiarity—that wordless understanding that has been between them forever—there are more and more times now when she senses his need to be alone. Tonight is one of them. So, instead of trying to sleep, she wanders aimlessly through the compound until she finds Tony sitting in the dimly-lit common room, staring out of the window in a rare moment of stillness. The helmet of his Iron Man suit is lying next to him on the table, blinking silently.

“Don’t turn the lights up,” he says hoarsely when she enters. Even without that warning, she would have recognised the crease in between his brows and the gesture with which he is pressing two fingers to his temple. Bad headache. Maybe even a migraine.

She doesn’t say anything, just steps near the chair and gives his shoulder a squeeze. They stay silent for a while until he shifts stiffly and turns toward her. 

“What would you do?” He looks up, really looks at her. “What would you do if this was potentially the last night of your life?”

Something in her heart clenches, although she can’t pretend that she wasn’t thinking the same. She settles on the arm of his chair before replying. “I’d spend it with my family.”

Tony looks at her wistfully. “I talked to Morgan earlier,” he says in a neutral voice. “Told her a bit about you all. She wanted to know every Avenger’s favourite ice cream flavour.” He shakes his head in disbelief, then winces at the pain it must be causing. “You know, before her, I’d forgotten how good humans can be. Literally innocent, before the world takes all that away.”

Nat huffs. “I don’t believe in innocence.”

“Well, she did try to trick me into bringing her back a ninja star.” Tony smirks.

Nat grins. “Now that sounds more like she’s related to you.”

“So…” he sighs. “In the improbable case that this goes down well and we don’t end up with Jack the Ripper or in the middle ages, I wouldn’t mind coming up here more often. And you should meet Morgan again―I mean it. Never too early for female role models.”

He squints up at her in the challenging way that is meant to hide his insecurity, and she knows what he is really asking for.

And Nat doesn’t say ‘You really think so?’, doesn’t admit to her surprise or the warm feeling welling up in her chest. But she preserves it, somewhere in her heart. 

“Sure,” she agrees instead. “But I can’t guarantee that I won’t give her a ninja star or two.”

“I think I can deal with that.” Tony rubs his hand over his eyes in a tired gesture. “So, tomorrow’s the big day. I’m gonna try and catch some shut-eye.” He gets upright, all colour draining from his face like it just flowed down into his feet. Nat’s hand shoots out to steady him, but he’s already caught himself on the armchair. “Or maybe I’ll go and puke first.”

She frowns, trying to judge whether he’s serious or not―it’s a 50-50 chance with almost anything he says―but then he gulps heavily and starts walking towards the toilet, supporting himself against the wall. 

Nat sighs as she gets to her feet, and, of course, follows him. 

He flinches against the bright bathroom lights and then opens the cabinet, squinting at the labels of the different medications lined up there until Nat takes pity in him and picks the right one. They've been there before, spent a whole night in this very bathroom once when one of Tony’s migraines hit so hard he didn’t want to move for hours. There's a reason Nat always kept up his stock of Imitrex—same with Clint’s Neosporin, and Steve's Zantac.

(Maybe she never really stopped hoping they’d come back.)

Nat shakes a pill out onto her palm and hands it to him along with a glass of water. He swallows and then lowers himself down next to the toilet, face in his hands, breathing carefully through his nose to keep himself from being sick. 

When the immediate danger seems to have passed, Tony leans his head back against the wall, closing his eyes. Nat can’t stop thinking how much he has aged, all the lines in his face turned into valleys and the gray and black in his hair balancing each other out. He’s got 15 years on her, but Nat was never as aware of the age difference as she is today. 

He looks old and tired, but also... Nat would have never thought that soft would be a word she'd one day use to describe Tony Stark, but, looking at him in worn-out jeans and a wrinkled hoodie with a few sprinkles of glitter on them (undoubtedly courtesy to Morgan), that's the only word coming to her mind right now. It’s a different kind of softness than what he displayed during her one and only visit to the lakehouse. It doesn’t feel like a desperate escape strategy now, more like something he has grown to be without being aware of it himself.

Nat gets quietly to her feet, wets a washcloth and drapes it over his eyes, blocking out the lights. He grunts gratefully. She hesitates for a second, but then reaches down and starts kneading the tense muscles between his shoulders and neck. Tony makes a low sound in his throat somewhere between pain and pleasure. But he lets her be, and she feels a smile spread on her face. 

“I forgot how good that feels,” he sighs when she’s done, squinting up at her. “Pepper never really gets the pressure right.” He swallows. “I missed this,” he adds, and she knows he doesn’t just mean her massage skills. 

“Me too,” she quietly admits what she’s been thinking for days. 

“I’ll just”―he weakly waves his hand―“enjoy this bathroom for a bit longer. Feel free to leave.”

“Nah, I’m good here,” Nat assures. She settles down next to him with her legs crossed, not too close, not too far. “Remember that one time we all got food poisoning from that burger joint Steve insisted was the best in Brooklyn? And Bruce was the only one who didn’t eat them, and then he just ran between different bathrooms the whole night?”

“Hell, don’t remind me.” Tony groans. “Clint puked on my Prada pajamas. Had to incinerate them.”

“Your own fault for buying branded nightwear,” she retorts. 

They keep sitting and talking in low voices, and Nat doesn’t feel the desire to move, doesn’t feel the urge to let this night pass. It’s stolen time, all of it, a few days of glimpses into the life they had and that they always knew would never last. They all are aware that it’s going to end tomorrow, in one way or another. But just for now, she allows herself the illusion that it could last forever. 

*

Less than 12 hours later, Natasha has turned into a martyr, and Tony finally understands that she did get to spend her last day with her family after all.

+1. The Passage

Waking up without pain anywhere in his body is a feeling so unfamiliar to Tony that it immediately puts him on edge. His eyes snap open, his heart beating hard and fast in his throat, and there’s something important that’s slipping his mind, something vital, and he–

He looks around himself, and he’s in his Malibu mansion. The one that Killian Aldrich bombed to the ground almost ten years ago.

It doesn’t make sense.

There’s a boxing ring set up in the middle of the room, and on it, sitting cross-legged, her long braid in red and gold hanging over her shoulder, is a familiar figure.  

It can’t be. 

“Natasha?” Tony asks, and she looks up at him. 

And then Tony remembers. 

By the time he gets his wits back enough to come up with a joke, Nat has slipped out of the ring between the ropes and is holding him in her arms. She’s young as ever, but something in her eyes makes Tony feel like she’s aged years since the last time he’s seen her. 

“So this is Hell, huh? Less gargoyles than I imagined,” he quips. “And I was hoping for a better view of the Lake of Fire.” 

“Oh, we’re not in Hell,” she replies calmly, pulling back. “At least not yet.”

“Where –” Tony breathes, “Where are we then?”

“It’s like a passage,” she replies. “Neither here, nor there.”

“Okay. Fine. Great.” He runs his fingers through his hair, trying to get his speeding breaths under control. “Run me through the whole thing.”

“After I jumped from the cliff at Vormir, I came to an agreement with Red Skull,” she explains. “He’s...he’s like a guard to whatever comes after. He let me wait here until… well, until someone came to let me know.”

“Let you know?” Tony echos. 

“If it was worth it.” She looks up at him, for the first time seeming as scared as Tony feels. “Was it, Tony?”

“Yes.” He nods, trying to pull himself together. He thinks of Peter and his heart jumps in triumph. “Yes, it worked, Nat. We got them back. All of them.”

“But something went wrong, didn’t it?”

He sighs. “Something always goes wrong. ” He walks her through what happened after the time heist, replaying the memories and almost unable to believe them himself. “I just― I snapped. And Pep-Pepper. Rhodey. They all were there, and―”

“Breathe, Tony.” Looking at him with both sadness and pride, she stretches out her hand to wipe something from his cheek, and Tony realises then that he is crying. 

“I,” he mumbles, his breath hitching. “I need to sit.” 

She leads him to the boxing mat and sits him down. Then it hits Tony, really hits him what this all means. 

Because he will never teach Morgan how to fly the suit he secretly designed to give her on  her eighth birthday. He will never ruin Pepper’s cooking again. He will never watch over Peter when he goes patrolling, will never snatch away Rhodey’s ice cream, will never share a late-night highway drive with Happy again. It’s gone, all of it. He’s gone. 

He’s crying like a child, unable to stop himself, and Nat hugs him without hesitation, holds him close. “S-Sorry,” he manages between sobs. She shushes him and strokes his back.

“It’s alright. I’ve been there too,” she whispers. 

“There are so many things I wanted to do,” he chokes out after a while. “S-So many things I didn’t get to share with them.” 

“I know, Tony.” She hesitates. “But they know too. Tony, you saved them. You saved them all.”

And he thinks back to Yinsen, to Don’t waste your life, Stark. To everyone he lost, everyone he outlived, everyone he killed. And he thinks, perhaps I didn’t do so bad after all.

Nat must have been having similar thoughts, because, in a quiet voice, she says, “Maybe I finally cleared my ledger.”

“Nat, what are you talking about?” he sniffs, wipes his face, and then takes her fingers into his hands, holds onto her tightly, sincerely, “None of this would have been possible if you hadn’t gotten the soul stone. We owe you. The whole universe owes you.” 

And here’s the final thing they share; they have both eventually settled their debts.

The waves are hitting at the shore outside in an endless rhythm of clapping and splashing. It’s a long time until either of them speaks again.

“So,” Tony asks eventually, and the tears have dried on his cheeks, leaving only salt behind, “you chose the setting?”

She offers the tiniest of smiles. “I thought you might appreciate the touch.” 

He knows that they are both thinking the same. Who would have thought, the first time they met each other, on a day when Tony was drinking chlorophyll and Nat pinned Happy onto the mat, that three-and-a-half potential apocalypses later they would end up here again?  

“We can’t stay,” he says. It’s not a question. 

“No,” she confirms, nodding towards the opposite wall. 

There is a door at the end of the room, heavy and wooden and ancient, that doesn’t belong with the mansion―neither in Tony’s memory nor from the looks of it.  

“What’s behind it?” he asks, although he already knows the answer. 

“Whatever comes next.”

“Maybe it’s nothing,” he says.

Nat swallows. “Would that even be so bad?”

He turns towards her. She looks ready, at peace, but also sad. And besides knowing it’s worth it, besides knowing that they both wouldn’t hesitate a moment to make that very same choice over and over again, he wishes that they’d had more time. 

They get to their feet and walk to the other end of the room. The gate seems to grow taller as they approach it until it takes up almost all of Tony’s vision. Next to him, Nat stretches out her hand and lets her fingers glide over the carvings in the wood that form patterns of leaves of a tree he doesn’t know the name of. He follows suit. The wood feels soft and warm under his touch. Alive. 

“Are you scared?” she asks. 

He shakes his head. “Not anymore.” And it’s true. Tony has been afraid for so many years of his life—ever since the sky above New York was torn apart. And now, he seems to be feeling everything all at once: grief, gratitude, and acceptance, wonder, loss, and love. But the fear is gone.

“Let’s go?” Nat squeezes his fingers and then lets go of his hand. And he knows, this is a step they must take on their own. 

He breathes in deeply. Takes a last look around. The sea, the house, the light reflecting in the red of Natasha’s hair. The calmness in her wide green eyes. He reaches for the handle of the door. “Okay.”

And they step through.

_______________

all my fics

[another-writer]

Begin Again: Chapter 6

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 7  End

Tags are at the bottom; let me know if I’ve missed you or you wanna be added! Thanks for reading along, and for all the feedback, it’s super appreciated! x

This is partially filler, I hold my hands up to that. Still some kinda fun stuff. Hope you enjoy!

‘[Y/N], don’t you think he’s got a point?’

As much purpose as you felt, you imagined you looked comically weak, walking at a slow enough pace so not to strain yourself but still serious enough. Whether it was more embarrassing or not, Bucky had slowed down from a normal speed to stay with you.

‘What do you think I’m going to do, exactly?’ you scowled. ‘I'm not an idiot.’

‘You’re just as impulsive as Stark is.’

You didn’t like the accusation in his voice. ‘Bucky, I hate to play this card but, I’m the one who got stabbed here, I think I’ve earned at least knowing who did it.’

Bucky stayed quiet.

If Bucky was going to be put off by you keeping something important from him, you weren’t going to take it lying down. You hadn’t intended on hiding it from him for the sake of his ‘fragility’ (you didn’t even think was fragile), but for the sake of Tony.

You marched into the lab, gathering the attention of everyone in the room. Tony was silently telling you to leave; the fact that he didn’t voice it meant he was being lenient. You ignored his glare and stood next to Bruce who was scrolling through several documents at the same time on different monitors.

‘What’ve we got?’

Bruce settled on what looked like a profile page. The man’s photograph on the left and information on the right, all in Russian.

‘His name’s Artur Ivanov. Born 1974. That’s all I can read from this.’

‘His mother was American,’ Natasha continued, leaning closer to the screen,  blue eyes scanning the Russian words with impressive speed. ‘Born in Norilsk, family moved here ... He’s been serving in Hydra since he was forty and formed some sub-organisation when it collapsed. Before all that ... he was a cop.’

Steve quirked an eyebrow. ‘Can we track him down?’

‘FRIDAY?’ Tony alerted.

A  hologram map of Central and North America arose across the lab bench in  the middle of the room, prompting everyone in the room to gather around  the center.

‘Scanning all cameras from Queens outwards.’ FRIDAY’s voice boomed from the speakers. The map zoomed in closer and closer on North America, until -

‘I’m sorry - Dover?’ you scowled, but not loud enough that everyone could hear you. ‘You get missions in Africa and Europe and the guy who stabs me is in Delaware?

‘Looks like was last seen here at an active base half an hour ago after being rescued. They used stolen rental cars.’ Natasha leaned away from the hologram, reading the room.

You didn’t want to admit it out loud given how strange it would sound, but the news that he was alive lightened your heart slightly. ‘Do we know what happened to the other guy?’

An image of the barista with a bullet in his skull and a pistol lying by his open fist appeared.

‘They must’ve shot him dead,’ Bucky muttered. ‘Cleared all traces.’

Wanda paled slightly at the image. ‘Why would they shoot one and save the other?’

‘That guy knew I was there and probably didn’t tell him,’ you replied. ‘I’m guessing Hydra doesn’t take too kindly to errors. Ivanov must be important if they kept him around.’

Steve was studying the image of the two men unconscious on the ground from when you had left them. ‘If these guys know Bucky is out of cryo and were in New York, then we don’t have much time before they come for us.’

'Shouldn’t you wait?’ you asked quietly, looking up at Tony for approval. You then realised you were speaking to people at a much higher qualification than you; while you were sure they hadn’t meant to look intimidating, you still took a moment to hold your own. ‘I’m just saying, I got hurt because they knew I’m close to Tony. Maybe Bucky’s not the only one they’re after. What if they’re trying to provoke you too?’

‘No.’ Bucky’s voice caught you off-guard. He looked like he had been mulling the information in his head, allowing it to settle before he had spoken. ‘If they’re after Tony, or any of you, I’m not gonna wait until they make another move,’ he continued. 'We don’t know what they want with me, but I want to lead this one.’ Despite Bucky having melted into the walls before, he spoke with an authority you hadn’t heard before.

And, as if answering an unasked but lingering question - Why do you want this so badly? - ‘I know him,’ he said curtly. ‘I worked with him, more than once.’  

You were sure you weren’t the only one drawn by the staring contest between Bucky and Tony. Although Bucky was being positive, there was still something tense about their interaction. Tony’s expression was unreadable.

‘Tony,’ you asked quietly. ‘you’re okay with them going?’

‘I’m not in charge, technically they can do what they want,’ he replied, eventually looking away.

Tony’s change in attitude took you by surprise. He could be impulsive but the severity of the situation would, under usual circumstances, cause him to approach with caution ever since Sokovia. He wouldn’t change his mind without reason.

‘I’m coming too,’ said Natasha, her eyes vacant from your conversation and heavy with her own thoughts. She looked up at everyone around her and nodded slightly, as if agreeing with her own words.

Steve didn’t seem thrown. ‘If they find out, they won’t trust you again.’

‘They already don’t,’ she said, folding her arms and shrugging lightly. ‘You guys do, though. And you’ll need what I know.’

‘So, aside from - what - the wrath of the United Nations, there’s no downside,’ Sam said nonchalantly.

‘Okay,’ said Bucky, ‘we’ll fly out in an hour.’

When you saw the others next, they had mapped their strategy out and were filing through the compound on their way to the hangar, ready to leave within the hour. With Rhodes needed elsewhere - you tended to forget he had another job - only you and Tony were the ones left. He had helped you out of the room, trying to stick to principle by not involving himself. You could tell it was killing him.

You were walking to your lab space when you saw Bucky walking towards you, and you were unsure of whether to say something or not. It was his first mission since you had arrived at the compound, and it felt odd not to, regardless if things had become rocky.

‘I know you’ve done this before,’ you said apprehensively, leaning your shoulder against the wall and folding your arms, ‘but it’s new to me, seeing you go on one of these things.’

Bucky had been making a beeline for the elevators to the main reception behind you, stopping as though he hadn’t expected you there, or was lost in his thoughts.

‘There anything I can do to ease your mind?’ he asked, recovering from his daze, hands in his pockets. His pose was a strange contrast to his tactial gear.

You shrugged half-heartedly. ‘You’ll come back in one piece, right?’ you tried to sound  nonchalant, but you heard malaise slip through. ‘You’ve  sort of got a reputation of splitting in two,’ you added, eyes  darting to his Vibranium arm and then back.

Bucky caught you looking and smiled, looking crafty. ‘I’m feeling pretty good about this one, I think it’s gonna last.’

‘As  long as the rest of you does too,’ you said before you could help it,  enjoying the banter that seemed more usual to yours and Bucky’s  conversations. ‘I kind of wish I was going. I can’t imagine I’d be of much use.’

Stop talking, you seethed at yourself.

He shook his head. ‘I’m glad you’re staying,’ he said. ‘Not because I think you’d be useless,’ he added quickly. ‘Just ... you should rest.’

After a beat, he said, ‘I shouldn’t be pissed you didn’t tell me.’

‘We don’t have to talk about that.’ You shook your head mildly. Annoyed as you were about Bucky’s reaction, it was also reasonable (to an extent) and given that he had to go and potentially risk his life at that moment, you figured it wasn’t important.

‘I just,’ he stopped, looking for the right words, one hand going to run through his hair, ‘I get why you had to. And you didn’t owe me that anyway.’

The sound of the elevator alerted you.

‘Hey!’ Sam called. ‘Jet’s ready, let’s go.’ He jerked his head towards the elevator, gesturing for Bucky to make a move. You realised he still probably had to load up on weaponry. ‘[Y/N], what are you doing standing up?’

You raised your hands in mock surrender and backed away. ‘I’m going, save your energy.’

Bucky, walking back with Sam, turned to look at you. ‘I’ll see you soon?’

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[c-atm]

Dance in the Pale Moonlight chapter 1

Based on @meku95 awesome Witchanddemonau

      She groaned as she walked out of the Delmarva public library finishing her shift and not just because of the idiocy she endured all day. Not even cause of her co-workers, who at times are annoying as all hell. No no...The source of the young witch in training groans, stood on the steps of the library surrounded by curious and flirty females and males. 

 Wearing his signature dark pink three piece suit, victorian-style bubblegum pink shirt, diamond collar pin, black loafers stood Steven Diamond Universe. In addition to his normal standout attire he placed on a pair of shades  to cover his eyes and a hood to cover his ...other features(despite being able to 'glamour' them away.) On his shoulder sat a purple owl.

She sighed at the sight of his rabid fandom and the whining they made when he pushed pass them to get to her side.

"You're looking quite lovely today, My lady." 

She grimaced at his slick tone slightly, before leading him around back into an alley for some privacy. When it was clear that no one was following them  She growled at him. 

“Steven.. Why are you here?”

“Can’t a familiar see his beautiful summoner, without summoning?”

“Not when said familiar is a demon with horns and such.”’

He chuckled as he pulled his hood and shades off, ignoring his lady’s protest, revealing..His slight tan skin, human like eyes and slight freckled face..completely human-like and teasingly smirking.as he folded the hood over his forearm. .

Connie turned away feeling her face grow a bit warm.‘ Sheesh.  His playing is gonna kill me.’ 

“So why are you here, again?.” She folded her arms  above her chest as she arched an eyebrow at the person in front of her, trying to ignore the budding affection that seems to grow just a bit every time they meet.

“I was just...around the area and figured I’d stop by.”

She kissed her teeth at his very weak answer.“Uh-huh…” With a nod, she looked at the dove on his shoulder and with a sweet smile she asked. 

"Amy. Why are you and your 'Big Bro' in the city?"

"He got into it with Pearl again!"

"Amethyst!" 

"Steven, really?"

He stiffened at her slightly dissatisfied tone, his pride of a familiar wouldn't allow him to look bad in his mistress's eyes. 

She sighed tiredly. It was common but still she rather not her master in witchery and her friend and partner... be at odds with each other so often.

."So..What was it about this time?" 

As the purple bird was about to answer, he pressed his index and middle finger on her beak, keeping her shut.

"Nothing to concern yourself with, my lady. Just a bit of a hiccup on a mission is... ah!

He waved his index finger in pain as Amethyst flew from his shoulders to the lightly chuckling Connie's. 

"You kind of deserved that, Steven."

"Mean! That was mean Big Bro."

Steven only snared in response as Connie rubbed the birds under belly caringly inciting a smug look on Amethyst face.

  "So...What happened on the mission?" 

Steven and Amethysts looked at each other  before Steven sighed in defeat, nodding.

   From Amethyst story, The Crystal Witches found the whereabouts of a demon who uses music as a weapon, lurking in North Delmarva. It was supposed to be relatively weak, enough  for two of them; Steven and Pearl..Amethyst tagged along as well.

  The demon had been masquerading as a street performer and had set up in the very center of a shopping market. It was said that the demon was targeting humans, bewitching them, making them it's slave and stealing their vitality for power...Specifically it was targeting humans with aptitude for magic.

    When they arrived they saw evidence that the information was correct. The residents were passed out appearing to sleeping peaceful and bodies with an unnatural tone of gray to their skin. They decided to split up Steven and Amethyst to the west and Pearl to the east, agreeing to inform the other when they made contact.

   The market was completely under the demon siege, the deeper they went in finding more of the same. Steven and Amethysts stopped when they heard  a lullaby being played on a ukulele, before running towards the music, they paused as they watched the purple hooded demon slowly drained the vitality of a group of young teens. The good thing is that at the time, they had the element of surprise; it seemed it was too engrossed in it's meal and performance to even register them.

Seeing this as a perfect chance, Amethyst attacked the demon first..and was unceremoniously kicked back to Steven side. Steven attacked almost immediately in a ready to send the demon back to it's world, harshly..Only to be obstructed by a small condensed forcefield of vibration keeping Steven back. With a strum of it's instrument the barrier  explodes throwing Steven, and A few unlucky bodies back. He landed hard headfirst through a pole, Amethyst was able to catch the humans that were thrown in the explosion and get them to relative safety.

By the time Steven was done shaking the cobwebs out of his head and Amethysts was done checking on the humans, Pearl was steadily beating the demon back, exhausting it's borrowed strength with quick spells and hand to hand combat. Steven and Amethysts watched as Pearl broke the instrument In the demon's hand with a stab of her staff, the gathered vitality returning to the people. The demon growled before leaping back and vanishing in a purple mist, leaving a musical note in the form of energy before that too disappeared.

After they made sure the humans were indeed gonna be alright..Pearl and Steven got into it.

Pearl reprimanding them both for not calling her when they found the demon, sloppy fighting, and being foolish enough to try to fight it alone and putting the demons victims in potential danger..

Embarrassed Steven retaliated, stating they saw a chance and took it..Also they forced the demon to use a great amount of it's stolen power before her arrival, allowing Pearl to get the upper hand, and even then she couldn't finish it off. 

From there it deteriorated to petty insults towards each other all the way back to the temple with Amethyst trying to play peacemaker.  It was when they were at the temple things got more heated and personal. 

"That's enough Amethyst, no need to talk about it anymore."

Steven interrupted as Amethyst before she said too much. Connie turned to her familiar, looking concerned at his dark tone.

"Ah!..I..I'm sorry bro."

"Not your fault. She was just mad…" He turned his attention to Connie and gave her a sly smile. "As to why we are here? Garnet stated that she saw our 'friend's is somewhere in the city. I was hoping to have you join in our investigation. "

Connie sighed tiredly, but smiled nonetheless. "Sure, but I haven't felt anything around her though."

"Neither did we, but Big bro just wanted you by him. He was worried!" 

Steven smirked and shrugged..She wasn't lying. "Demon hunting is second priority when up against even a moment with you, my beloved lady."

Connie groaned at his flirting, her face hiding it's red. "Let's just get going, can we do that?"

"Lead the way, my lady."

"Can we get some food while we demon hunt, I want a torta!" Amethyst squawked on the young witch's shoulder, making Connie winced at the loud sound. 

"Amethyst get off Connie shoulder, yeah? Cover yourself with the hood."

Amethyst with a disappointing groan leapt from the witch's shoulder and down to the ground, when Steven tossed the hood upon Amethyst, covering her completely. 

The sounds of bones cracking could be heard as the purple bird shapeshift into a body of a robust female human, short in stature. Under the hood was plump lips,a button nose, amethyst stone freckles, purple hair covering the left of a pair of violet eyes, and light almond skin with purple streaks. Overall she was what some would consider exotically attractive. 

She gave the witch in training a smile before giving her a hug around the waist. 

“Can we get those tortas now?”

Connie had to giggle at the childish request before nodding, returning the hug as well. 

“My lady! Where’s my affection?” 

Connie scoffed at Steven complaining as she pet the smaller girl's head. “You be quiet and let’s go search.”

Steven whimpered teasingly but followed along closely behind giving a chuckle towards the witch; one that Connie couldn't help but blush at.

As they walked off the property grounds a regular walked by glancing at the trio from their right peripheral, suspiciously. Steven locked eyes with them for a moment before giving a slight grin and continuing on his way. 

As they walked the populated city, Connie couldn't help but smile at the adorable actions of her demon cohorts. Amethyst stopped and looked at almost every food shop, magazine and comic stands and toy store. Each time smiling brightly. 

Steven, for his part, took a more attention towards the task of actually trying to find the demon presence at each stop. She watched as his eyes always narrow for any magic signature. As his nostrils flexed for any non-human yet familiar smell. As his ears twitched for any sound with an unearthly presence. She had to admit, her familiar was impressive when he was determined. It was an begrudgingly attractive trait.

 That didn't stop him from joining his 'little sis' in window shopping though, or taken his mistress's hand and leading her into a shop they found interesting. Her protest usually ignored to the point of her allowing it..To the point of her almost interlocking hers with his. A few hours into their investigation/playing and with the sun setting...

They didn’t find any demon.

Amethyst did get torta though..So that was one victory. 

Connie found herself sitting on a bench as stretching a bit tiredly, as the demon duo found interest in a clothes boutique.

'This..This was a great way to spend the afternoon actually..' 

Connie allowed a smile on her face at that thought. she actually needed this she realized. If it was any other day, she probably would have headed home. Get some witchcraft training, read a book..All alone in her home. 

"Probably would have summoned Steven just to kill the boredom." Her smirk was a bit cynical. 

Her home was almost always empty but that isn’t very new, comes with being orphaned against your will..that and becoming ' the quiet, cold. occult girl' as she heard people around the village she lives at called her. The little snickers and sneers about her being too weird, too uptight, too self-centered and such behind her back..It seeped under her skin for some reason. Her smile dropped into a frown.

“Whatever..They're just idiots, who doesn't know anything about the truths of this world. .. Who cares about them?” She hated how sadden her voice sounded. She leaned back before looking back at the troublemaking demons. Steven trying to get Amethyst to stop taking clothes off of random mannequins with little success. A small smirk on her face as she looked at her familiar, reprimanding his ‘little sister’ actions, before whispering something in her ear. Getting a smile from Amethyst ,who seemed determined in whatever the task he gave her. 

She felt a small heat in her cheeks when he looked at her from the corner of his eyes.and waved towards her.

“Silly demon.” 

She was a bit surprised at warmth in  her voice as she waved back before watching Steven smirk and walk out of view.

 It was then that she felt a chill down her spine..and not the delightful she gets from Steven at times..No this one was caused by the feeling of being observed. She stood up, fist clenched as she looked for any sign of an enemy.

The seal on her right glowed and surged with magic as she looked around. Her senses heighten  and more sensitive to magic signatures. She looked at the billboards..nothing..The arcade..nothing…

' Steven come to me.'

The Crest glowed at her thought and almost instantly, rising behind her from the shadows stood Steven. His face determined, and still glamoured as a human but his eyes took their original black and dark pink.

"My lady?" His voice was cool with a bit of a worry but low.. A whisper.

"Is Amethyst still with you?" 

"She's staking out on the wall..It's definitely somewhere in this area.." 

"No kidding..I feel like it was watching me. just for a moment." 

His lady's abashed tone caused the familiar clenched his fist in rage..

' To cause discomfort to my Connie..I'll see this demon dead before dawn'  

He grinned gently towards his contractor, his eyes still vigilantly searching.

"Admiring your beauty to the point of losing concentration..Can't blame them. Your visage is quite distracting, my lady."

Connie lighty smirked,  grateful for the attempt at humor.

"Not enough it seems..It's back to masking its presence."

Steven was about to agree when a female scream was heard to the west. Steven quickly crouched in front of her, looking back expectantly, who nodded before climbing on.. 

Steven knew it was serious but.he couldn't  help the warmth he felt having her so close..Arms around his neck, knees and calves squeezing his sides, and his hand folded behind him as a makeshift seat for his lady. The fact that she always seem to instinctively press against him too was  bonus.

He leapt from street lamp to street lamp heading towards the growing crowd and the presence of a fading heartbeat along with its magic.. The closer they got, the stronger the scene. They stopped on a tree limb above the crowd, watching as the police and ambulance scattered the crowd and  the paramedics went to put the body in a bag or at least attempt to .as soon as the body was touched..It broke and shattered like brittle brimstone.Though it did give Steven enough time to confirm the identify the body through smell..along with other traits.

"It's the demon, we were chasing..Someone got to them first." 

The way he spoke compounded the concern in Connie. She expected him to be more relaxed but, she could feel his anger radiating off him 

“Isn't that a good thing? Wasn't that what we set out to do?"

He glared deepened  just a bit.

"It's not the result...t's the method."

They got a quick glance at the body before it broke..and it was a sight he wished his lady didn't see.. 

The demon..It suffered..The look of pure torment on the corpses face told him that much. It was gray.. stone gray and hellishly thin...much different from the last time they met..signs of being drained of spirit and magic.

 Rather it was the landing from the drop, which Steven figured due to the splattered blood..or its executioner;  the body was mangled like a rag doll. Its bone snapped and pushing through its thin skin, ligaments torn open by what seemed to be claws..jagged claws..all for the world to see. The demon was used an example or an exhibition, to whom..Steven couldn't say, but they were certainly relished in their brutality and by the tightness of Connie's grip. She felt the same discontent at the visage.

There was one other thing he got as well. The residual presence of magic from a human and a non-human. 

"This..we need to inform the witches of this..."

Connie voice wasn't that of fear but of resignation. She would have loved to investigate and try to find those responsible, but the look on Steven face said it all...They might be over their heads. She got a nod of affirmation from her familiar. 

"Amethyst" 

Almost instantaneously the limb above them shook and the demoness poked her head out of the foliage. looking quizzically at the duo.

"Yes Big Bro?"

"Go home and inform the witches."

His voice left no room for argument or questioning.

Amethyst still did the latter though. " What about you?"

He smirked before nodding his head towards Connie. "I'll be accompanying my lady home.Before heading back here."

Connie grimaced, faced red. "Hey now! I didn't agree to that!"

"Well, how else will I be able to protect my beloved lady?"

Connie gave him a gentle tap on the back of his head. A love tap. "I'm quite capable, thank you."

Steven gave her a small smile."Of course..But I need to be sure your safe,Connie. It'll calm me."

'He's hiding something...His eyes, there's worry in them.' Connie thought with a frown on her face at the false smile. "Sure.."

He nodded as he turned to Amethyst. "Hurry up, now. I'll be there later."

Amethyst, a bit disheartened at her Big bro somber tone, nodded reluctantly. Before she left though she whispered into Steven's ear, who eyes widen in thought…

"Take it with you..I'll collect it later Now go home and mask your magic."

Amethyst  smiled a bit at his usual  mischievous tone of voice. With a nod the demoness threw the hood to her brother, before  leaping from her branch before transforming into a owl..with a box in its beak. 

He watched for a moment before turning to Connie. who nodded.. They climbed down from the tree slowly, unnoticeably, blending into the busy streets..

Or so they thought. Not to far from them, someone watched with longing, envious eyes behind a chain link fence. On there palm was the crest of a contract.