#i can't wait to reach this scene in full... this is part 6 in my outline

[fortune-maiden]

Six Sentence Sunday 08.20.23

Shi Wudu gave her a long look. “Would you really be happy with some empty praises?” Ling Wen sighed. “The praises are empty, but the criticisms are loaded. There is no winning either way.” “…” “…” “You’re strong. You’re smart. You’re careful.” “And what do you think you're doing?” “It’s not empty if it’s from me.” He said it so simply that even a Ling Wen trapped in her worst thoughts couldn’t help a small smile. “I suppose that’s true enough. Lord Water Master doesn’t waste his breath on flattery. It caused me no end of trouble when we first met.” If the falsely hurt tone was a ploy at an apology, she wasn’t getting it. That was fine. The relationship they had now was well beyond such things.

SWD the otome game love interest =D

[twinsunstars]

Thoughts on The Bad Batch Episode 7 - Extraction - A Discussion Post

This episode was full of even more action and a lot more thoughts and theories than the episode before it. Let's dive into the second part!

(SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE EPISODES YET! all screencaps from www.cap-that.com! https://www.cap-that.com/starwars/the-bad-batch/307/)

Before Episode 6 ended, the clones' base on Teth was attacked, and the CX trooper emerges from the rubble that fell on him, clearly alive and well. He looks around, as there is no one to be found.

Everyone is doing okay, but the rubble blocks their way out. Batcher finds a different way out as they decide to take that way, sticking together to reach a ship they can use to contact Echo.

Wolffe arrives at the base, realizing that there were clones who were attacked. He meets CX-2, asking him what his orders were, who refuses to tell him that. Wolffe makes him follow his orders only, while the CX trooper keeps following his own orders. I've seen posts on the parallels between Tech's limping in Season 2 to how CX-2 was limping here, and I'm living for those parallels to keep the theories going. The CX trooper can't reach his ship after his device was damaged, so he sticks with the others.

Also, I love Clone Commander Hilo already.

The boys and Omega manage to find the ship and get it working to make their escape. Batcher starts licking Nemec, and Omega says, "Don't worry. She only bites half of the time," which was funny. Batcher loves all of the clones around her.

While trying to escape, CX-2 shoots their ship down, making their escape fail. They crash into the jungle.

Wolffe argues with CX-2 after he shot their ship down, and tracks down the crashed ship. CX-2 goes with while they try to continue their efforts to retrieve Omega.

Everyone makes it out of the crash safely, continuing to run. Crosshair checks in on Omega, who gets annoyed by his continuous questions. I love how overprotective he started becoming here. Omega said, "You're as bad as Hunter", and Crosshair said, "Oh, I'm much worse." MY HEART-

Howzer starts to talk to Crosshair calmly after seeing how he interacts with Omega and takes care of her, realizing that he's not the same clone he met on Ryloth anymore. Crosshair opens up about how he feels about loyalty, as that is something he values highly. With the Empire betraying him, there was no way he was going to stay loyal to them.

The Empire locates them, as they fight and protect each other. I loved the way that Wrecker had protected Batcher and Hunter was protecting Omega in this scene. CX-2 attacks them as well, and Crosshair decides to go after him. Omega didn't like that idea, to which he responded, "Too bad."

RIP to Nemec 😭

Crosshair faces off against CX-2 in an aggressive fight, and anyone else getting the Winter Soldier vibes here? CX-2 starts talking to Crosshair, saying, "You had your chance to become one of us. You chose the wrong side." If this is Tech, that's going to hurt so much afterwards. If it's someone else, it's still going to hurt. CX-2 manages to take down Crosshair, but is attacked by the others who saves Crosshair. He falls down the waterfall, left behind.

The Empire catches up to the squad, as Rex finally meets Wolffe face-to-face. Wolffe thought Rex was dead after reading the reports, and he believes in the Empire's cause. Rex tries to tell him that he's making the wrong choice and that clones are being hurt because of them, but Wolffe isn't able to believe anything right now.

Echo arrives with Gregor, as Rex waits for Wolffe to make a choice; either leave the Empire and come with them, or stay. Wolffe decides to stay, and allows the squad to leave safely. Rex looks back on Wolffe, and Gregor looks at the whole scene. They have no idea they're going to be roommates in the near future.

I swear, Wolffe looks so good in today's animation. He watches the clones leave, returning to his own squad. I can't wait until he joins them and realizes his mistakes.

CX-2 emerges from the water after going down the waterfall. Another parallel to Tech, though, who knows. My head kept expecting him to take off his helmet so he could get some air, though I guess it's too early for that still.

Rex looks so tired in the back, and Hunter goes to talk to him. Rex immediately straightens up, acting like everything's fine. (Sir, you need to take a break and let your feelings run through.) Hunter tells him he can't keep running forever, but Rex doesn't want to stop fighting yet. We know he will eventually leading up to Rebels, and I fear what will happen to make him stop.

They both talk about Omega, and Hunter vows that they will keep her safe. Rex tells Hunter they have to find out why the people on Tantiss want her so badly, and the two look at a peacefully sleeping Omega, exhausted from the fighting. She is so precious, we all need to protect her.

We lost good soldiers in both of these episodes, and there's still a whole lot to figure out. Every episode so far in this season is hitting a really good mark, as every single one is so exciting. I can't wait for whatever comes in store in the future, so let's keep the theories going!

[memes-in-a-half-shell]

Villain AU - Deadlock, Part 7

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5 || Part 6 ||

I wanted to write more but I gotta STAHP

I'll maybe have some fluff in the next chapter honohnohnonhonohnohnohnonohnohnonhonhonohnohnohnonhnonohnonh ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

The clock was ticking. With every rooftops skipped, Donnie knew that he was getting farther away from where he was actually supposed to be. At least 15 minutes ago. This night patrol was leading to nothing and his brothers only wanted to scan around the area for any troublemakers. It was a waste of time, a waste of energy, a waste of purpose. As they finally stopped on top of a building, overlooking a busy street, the tall terrapin took his chance for an escape...

"Guys, I really need to head back."

The three other turtles turned around to face the other.

"... Why? Need a bathroom break?" started Mikey.

Donnie frowned: "What? No! I have some code back home that I had left to compile. And since this patrol is fruitless right now, I'd prefer to check on it."

He noticed Leo and Raph exchanging a glance, the leader than showing some annoyance.

"Can't it just wait? Who says there can't be anything happening soon?"

"Don't ya wanna spend some time with your brothers?" cut in Raphael.

The purple clad one faked a smile: "I think we already spend much time all together." He didn't want to get their approval. "I'll see you all back at the Lair."

For crying outloud, he was a full grown adult! He didn't quite get himself why he'd need some sort of approval or anything. As he went the opposite way, he quickly flicked his itinerary on his wrist, heading towards his intended destination.

As the three brothers watched the other go, their eyes squinted gradually, following Donnie's path as he kept going across rooftops.

"Is he not gonna drop down for the sewers?" asked the orange one.

Leonardo was already getting suspicious.

"... I don't think so. He must be up to somethin'."

"Let's see what the nerd's up to," added the red banded terrapin.

"You read my mind," concluded the blue one. "Let's move."

***

It took him unfortunately another 15 minutes to reach the abandonned music store, making him 30 minutes late. As he got to the rendez-vous point, he found the rooftop empty, his mind already worrying that he must've been so late that Vee probably headed back home already. Getting his phone out so he could text her and apologize, he barely started to type when a faint sound stopped him as he walked close to an entrance to the building. ... It sounded like music.

He found the door unlocked, the sound already clearer when he peaked inside. Heading down a staircase, Donnie was then walking into a hallway, his path leading him towards a doorless entrance that gave view to a large room. There were still some old instruments here and there, all covered in a thick layer of dust. And that's also where he saw at one corner of the room an upright piano, a presence sitting at it. Vee was peacefully playing, even though the instrument had some keys not perfectly tuned anymore. The terrapin took a moment to take the scene in, somehow entranced by the skills she was exhibiting. There was this grace in her performance; it was like witnessing a hidden part of herself. ... He felt bad to announce his presence by stepping in and clearing his throat a little.

The woman immediately stopped, looking over her shoulder and showing a smile as she saw him.

"Well well well, look who finally showed up!" she said.

"I'm so sorry," started the mutant as he got closer. "It took me some time to finally get out of patrol.

Vee got up, grabbing a cup she had left on top of the piano, handing it to the male.

"No worries, it gave me a chance to get some practice in. Here- I got you a coffee, but it might be getting cold now. I already drank mine."

Donnie accepted it, already taking a sip. He grimaced a bit after noticing its lukewarm temperature, but still drank the beverage anyway.

"What you were playing sounded nice, what was it?" he asked inbetween sips.

"Ballade slave, by Claude Debussy," answered Vee, first looking at the instrument fondly. "... Anything composed by Debussy is an absolute favorite of mine." She glanced back at the turtle. "But don't get the wrong idea, piano is not my primary instrument. I'm only an amateur - I've learned most of it by myself."

That surprised Donatello a little: "Then what is your main instrument? I know you've studied music, but didn't check for what exactly."

The woman held her head high, her grin filled with pride.

"I'm all about the good ol' saxophone! Spent many years with it, alongside singing. I've also composed in my spare time."

"Well, now I'm curious to hear all of that!"

"All in due time, turtle," added Vee, coming closer. She lightly tapped his left arm, then extending her hand in a waiting gesture to get something. "But first, the data, if you please?"

The mutant smiled lightly, already getting to a pouch attached to his belt. He handed the human a USB stick, then his eyes wandering to her forehead as she inspected the hardware.

"May I?" he asked.

"Hmm?"

Seeing him point towards her bruise, Vee simply shrugged with a "sure", then feeling the mutant's free hand move some of her hair aside only to get a better view of her left side. The wound was mostly superficial at this point, her bruise now in the usual blueish coloration. His thumb softly brushed against it.

"Does it hurt?"

"If I apply pressure, yeah," answered Vee. "... Don't worry, I won't die. Not yet."

"Wouldn't want that to happen," he added, still looking over.

A quiet chuck escaped the woman, somehow amused to be given any value. As the inspection was over, she brought the key up: "So, what am I expected to find on there? Any specifics or points of interest?"

Donnie tapped something to his right wrist, allowing a device on the upper part of his right backpack strap to come to life and bring holo screens into view. Different schematics appeared, alongside command lines and various codes. Scrolling through some information with a simple movement of his hand, Vee could only observe in awe at such a display.

"I don't want to say I'm jealous, but I kinda am," she said, now standing next to him and looking over the data.

Her awe did not escape him, smiling to himself as he brought something of interest into proper view.

"Surprisingly enough, the Purple Dragons have been looking into biometrics. Fingerprints, facial and voice recognition, even medical devices such as blood monitors, and probably more. It all seems to come to down to collecting data about individuals, but something tells me there might be more... "

"Meh, at least I can give the biometric recognition stuff to my client. He'll be happy enough," shrugged Vee.

"You might be more interested to give him information about specs and powerful hardware the Dragons have been developping. ... I would advise not to deliver the metrics data."

"Then why did you give me the information if you don't want me to do something about it?"

Donnie next brought up different news articles into view, their titles all relating to a similar subject.

"People have been disappearing out of nowhere," he started. "It's not at an alarming state so far, but I suspect that as soon as the technology will be more widespread, those instances will only grow higher. ... Call it a hunch, but I'm inclined to believe that they're looking for specific individuals, based on their biometrics."

Vee snorted in amusement: "What, you want us to play detectives together then?"

"We did agree to work together. So in a sense, yes."

Right. Bringing the Foot Clan down. She couldn't see yet how investigating the Purple Dragons could ever lead back to the other criminal organization... But if it allowed her to spend more time with the turtle and get her hands on the green ooze, then she could entertain this idea.

"Alright, boss, whatever you say."

"We'll need to establish a plan on how we'll spread our research," he said, closing the holo screens. "Who are they dealing with, where are they storing the information, are they sharing the data? I'm also expecting us to do some break-ins as well."

"Does your family agrees to that? ... Personally I'm not really looking forward to working with them."

"They, uh ... still don't know," he admitted. "We'd be going without them."

Vee was instantly amused, showing a sly smile as she was then facing him, toying with one of his mask's tails.

"Oh, so I'm your dirty little secret then?"

"Don't say it like that," puffed the terrapin.

She playfully tapped his plastron, then starting to make her way to the rooftop.

"I'm just teasing you," she added. "I can't deny being surprised by your behavior, that's all."

The other followed her: "I'm not too fond of keeping secrets, but that's all I can do for now."

"Sure thing, buddy. Keep telling yourself that and you'll soon find yourself on the dark side, just like me!"

They got outside, Donnie soon getting a hold of her arm with his free hand.

"You just need some guidance to get out of it."

Vee frowned: "I'm a lost cause, turtle."

"If you keep lying to yourself, sure."

Vee's lips formed a thin line, strangely conflicted. His faith in her seemed awfully misplaced; a naivety that was either genuine or hopeful. She'd never really had anyone see her as anything else than a nuisance, even less so as someone that could ever achieve any good. She left a hand against his, her tone lightly sarcastic only to accompany her forced smile:

"When the world will stop being shitty to me, I'll believe and be your damsel in distress." She got out of his hold, playfully wailing her arms in theatrics. "Oh, Donatello! Save me from this life of villainy!"

The terrapin didn't hide his amusement, watching her act out as he finished his drink - with a renewed grimace. Crushing the cup, he was about to throw it at the trashcan down in the street that Vee stopped him, pointing at the object in his hand.

"Can you teach me how to throw it in correctly? Last time I tried when you were away, but failed miserably..."

"Huh, sure!" he answered, surprised by her request.

Donnie handed her the crinkled cup, both then side by side and facing the street.

"It's all in the wrist," he started to explain. "Once you get a feel of the object you want to throw, you'll be able to determine what kind of force you need to apply to your flick. Think of it like throwing a basketball, but instead of going upward, you'll have to aim downward."

"Woah, I can barely make a goal with a basketball, you're already losing me there."

"Wait, here-"

The terrapin got behind her, his right arm going over hers - mimicking her movement - as his left hand got a hold of her right elbow. He slowly went through the motions, explaining the physics behind them and how she'd need to aim. Vee was grinning all the way through, suddenly enchanted by the proximity. His hold felt strong, yet gentle and precise... To be encased in his arms in such a normal occurence felt like a step she never knew she'd achieve.

"-and then youuuuu- flick!" mumbled Donnie, his right arm lightly following her movement as she threw the cup over.

The object reached its destination with a satisfying clunk, Vee instantly celebrating with cheerful giggles.

"Watch out, NBA, I'll be the next top player," let out Vee, turning around to the male.

"Grow some more, shorty, then you'll be good to go," teased Donnie with a wink.

"Dream crusher!"

***

"Aye, look at him go, what a player," commented Mikey in amusement.

The trio had been watching Donatello and Vee on the roof, witnessing that little teaching moment. Leonardo exhaled sharply, clearly disapproving the situation.

"... I told him to wait," he said. "Why is he going against us?"

"Well, she does look good," added the orange clad turtle. "Can't blame him for going after that ass."

"She does have a nice ass," said Raph. "We got a nice shot of it one time when Donnie was hackin' into her stuff."

"Guys, can we focus?" stopped Leo with a sneer, exasperated.

That got quiet chuckles out of the other two, the leader still overlooking the scene. As he guessed that Donatello and the woman were saying their goodbyes, he turned to Raphael.

"Raph, you feelin' up for some interrogation tonight?"

He had asked while pointing towards the human.

"I need you to find out what she knows and to have her stop talking with Donnie."

"Didn't he want her to help or somethin'?" questionned the red clad one.

"Doesn't matter right now. Casey wants her out for the moment. We don't know her motives and it's better that she stays out of the picture."

Raphael sighed with an eyeroll, conceeding: "Aight, chief. I don't think she'll like seein' my face after the warehouse, but whatever..."

As the large one was on his way, Leo next nodded to Michelangelo.

"Let's go. We'll meet Donnie at the Lair."

"Just don't be too harsh on him," commented the other terrapin as they were next going. "You know he wouldn't act against us."

"Let's hope so, or else he's in serious trouble."

***

Donnie wasn't surprised to arrive first at the Lair, greeting his father who was meditating at the center of the main room. To keep the mood quiet, he headed for his workstation, already opening windows at his compute to continue his previous searches. His mind did wander back to Vee for a while, remininscing about that small moment they shared. Hanging with her was always ... interesting. Although he could sense her general disdain for things that were deemed "right", he also knew that she was still mindful to it and sometimes gave it a clear thought. And, frankly, he was starting to appreciate her general being. She was funny, quick, and a good-looking one - that he couldn't deny. Donatello was genuinely starting to care for her... Something he never knew could happen towards anyone that wasn't a relative or long-time friend.

He heard commotion coming from the entrance, steps approaching his way. Peeking away from his screens, it didn't take long before he saw Leonardo standing next to him, brow ridges already frowning.

"What part don't you understand of 'keep her out of it'?" asked the leader

Donnie was taken aback by such a start of conversation.

"... What are you talking about?"

"We saw you with that woman, Don. We know you're still seeing her."

It was now the purple banded mutant's turn to frown.

"I should've known," continued Leo. "That night at the Purple Dragons' warehouse, the way you were interacting with her. Tell me you did ask her to come when we were there."

"No," confidently replied Donatello. "I had no idea she'd be there. It was a complete surprise."

"What does she know? What did you tell her?" the blue one's tone rose.

"That's none of your business."

Oh Leo didn't like that, his nostrils lightly flaring.

"When it comes to this family and critical missions, it sure as hell does. I told you to wait before contacting her again!"

"Well I've waited for too long already!" spat Donnie, getting to his feet and looking down at his brother. "I'm tired of waiting and doubting and not taking any advantages when they're right in front of us. Wake up, for fuck's sake, we need all the help we can get!"

"Donatello!" interjected Splinter's voice from his meditation spot.

Both males were fuming, something that was unusual between them two.

"Stop talking to her and let us do our job," ordered the blue terrapin.

"I won't let you stop me," added the tall one. "We might be onto something, and I can't let her go now. We need to team up."

"Don't be like that, Donnie. I swear, if you don't stop-"

"Enough, Leonardo!"

That time both turtles stopped, turning around to the old rat and Mikey standing nearby. Their father came closer, clearly disapproving of their dispute.

"I did not raise you boys to go at eachothers' throats," started Splinter. "I already have enough with you and Raphael," he added, pointing at Leo. "I won't have you starting that behavior with Donatello as well."

"Sensei, he-"

"If you want to make your point clear, speak, don't shout. The roar of an ocean deafens, unlike the peaceful flow of a river."

"Woah, deep," commented Mikey.

The group took a pause, the leader taking in a deep breath simply to calm himself. As he was about to speak again, Donnie realized something:

"Wait, where's Raph?"

When Leo didn't speak, Michelangelo took it upon himself:

"He went after that woman, bro. Leo asked him to follow her."

"Mikey!" snapped the blue clad one.

The tall mutant didn't wait up, already fearing for Vee as he rushed past his older brother and went for the exit. Leonardo was about to go after him, but was stopped once more by the rat.

"Let him go. We will talk again when he'll come back."

***

As Vee got home, the first thing she did was to plug the USB key into her computer, verifying that all the files Donnie showed her were indeed present. Noticing the biometrics information, she paused, weighing her options.... In some swift clicks, she opened her conversation with her current client:

smooth_criminal: Here are the agreed files. And as a reason for my lateness, I may have sensitive information to offer for an additional price. I would advise not skipping that opportunity, especially if you want to stay ahead in the game.

... Sure, Donatello had told her not to share the information, but she could still try to sell it...! If the guy said no, that'd be it! Or else, it wasn't her fault. That seemed reasonable enough.

Her attention snapped when she heard a knocking sound at a window - the one that gave to the fire escape stairs. At a first glance from afar, there didn't seem to be any presence next to it. Vee frowned, cautiously getting on her feet and approaching the glass. It couldn't be anyone else than him....

"Donnie?" she said after opening the window and peaking out of it.

Did he forget to tell her something?

"I think ya better start forgettin' that nerd."

She glanced up, noticing a presence sitting at the level above in the metal stairs. As soon as Vee noticed the stranger's shape and their red accents, she gasped and instantly backed inside her living room. The large terrapin came down, then making his way in as well. Compared to Donatello, he was taking much more space, Vee instantly feeling smaller than she already was. Raphael first glanced around the room, taking in the view until he landed on the woman.

"I was expectin' more of an evil lair look, but I guess looks can be deceivin'."

"What do you want?"

Vee was trying her damned best to not appear afraid. The behemoth was only getting closer, backing the woman until she bumped her back into her kitchen table. Getting a sai out, the turtle placed the blade below her chin, lifting her face so she could get a better view of him.

"I wanna know what you know," he started. "We believe Donnie's been going behind our backs, and that ain't very professional of him."

"He didn't tell me anything," said the woman. "We were just hanging out."

A quick chuck left Raph: "Ya want me to believe that?" But he was quickly back to a serious look. "Do bettah than that, smooth criminal."

He got his blade away, prefering to look around the apartment some more.

"We know he wants your help in our... mission. But let's just say that right now not everyone in our party wants you included."

Vee was trying to calm her shivers, lightly rubbing under her chin.

"... What's your stance on this?" she dared ask.

The mutant took seat at her couch, the furniture creaking a little but still standing. His gaze followed her as she slowly made her way towards her computer desk.

"Frankly, I don't give a shit," he answered. "But the moment I find out you're goin' behind our backs, ya gonna regret the moment you were ever born."

Vee let out a weak laugh: "What, you'd kill a woman?"

"Do ya think I ever killed anyone?"

Their eyes locked, Raph obviously wanting to gage her reaction and thinking. The human could barely hold it, frankly a bit scared to truly know... And he indeed did not clarify.

"What do ya know?" he asked once more.

"Nothing important..."

"Woman, I swear, ya better talk-"

"I don't care about your damn 'taking the Foot clan down' mission," cut Vee, raising her tone. "Look, I only saw names and now Donnie thinks that the Purple Dragons are maybe kidnapping people. That's all I know." She pointed towards her opened window. "Now get the fuck out of my apartment!"

Raphael was back up again, his stance menacing as he approached Vee once more. In a flash, the woman grasped a pencil laying on her desk, holding it firmly as if holding a knife sideways, ready to strike. The terrapin stopped, first looking at the makeshift weapon with wide eyes. He instantly exploded in laughter:

"That ain't gonna do shit against me!"

Vee finally realized her position, frowning at her hold. Seeing the turtle still laughing, she prefered to then throw the pencil at him in a fit of rage mixed with fear. That stopped the terrapin right away, his frown instant.

"Don't try my patience, it's very short," he warned.

"Please, go away," she said in a small voice.

Raph tsked, gesturing her whole frame.

"Ya call yourself a villain? Look atchu; all shaken up and shit."

Vee could only shake her head a little, trying to calm her shivers once more: "... I never meant to become a villain. I had no choice. I didn't know what else to do."

... She never thought she'd acknowledge that in such a moment, especially with someone she barely knew. The terrapin frowned, as if disgusted by her weakness.

"Ya ain't no danger," he noted to himself. "Fuck, everyone's getting all paranoid for nothin'..."

He only needed to grab Vee's shoulder, getting her closer only to make himself clear.

"Keep yourself out of our stuff. If we spot you with Donnie again, it's not gonna be just me bargin' in here."

"Next time I'll be prepared," let out Vee.

That got a quiet chuckle out of Raph, letting go of the woman and gently tapping her cheek in amusement.

"Sure, doll."

He next made his way towards the window, giving a glance at the human before slipping out. Looking inside one last time, he pointed at Vee:

"Remember; stay outta our shit!"

And with that he disappeared. ...

Vee remained frozen for a moment, somehow expecting him to come back in at any second. Once she realized that was truly alone, she feebly made her way towards her couch, sitting down and letting her face fall into her palms. She really did say that outloud... She really did say that she had no other choice... At once the weight of many mistakes fell down on her, along the fear she just experienced. She felt like nothing more than a cornered prey, biting down on more than she could chew instead of running away and saving herself. Every actions she ever took had lead to this moment, this horror. This feeling that she was alone in the world, unable to escape this vicious cycle she had fallen into. Tears left her without effort, falling back into her couch, face still hidden in her hands after she'd remove her glasses in a swift movement. Her chest felt heavy, unable to breathe and get any clear thoughts. She wanted to escape. She wanted to run away. She wanted to disappear and never be found again.

"Vee?"

She jumped, a hand over her heart as her eyes went instantly to the still opened window. Without her glasses Vee couldn't really make out the shape of who was there, but by the voice's tone she knew it was Donatello. He didn't even ask if she was okay. He must've noticed her tears. Instantly getting in, he removed his backpack only to make himself more comfortable and then headed her way, sitting down by her side. Vee squinted, trying to better decipher his traits with her shit vision.

"... What are you doing here?" she questionned, her voice raspy from sadness.

"Raph was here, didn't he?"

She vaguely gestured towards the window: "You just missed him. Go out and you should catch up to him."

"I won't."

"Then what do you want?" she asked dryly.

"I just wanna make sure you're okay," he simply answered, gently.

That shut Vee up, her harsh eyes now softening. She couldn't bare looking at him as she felt some more tears coming up, her chest clenching.

"... Why do you care about me?" she said in the tiniest, most broken tone.

That next got some sobs out of her, trying to hide herself once more. She barely heard a soft "come here", next feeling her frame get enclosed between arms and soon against the turtle's form. ... Vee never allowed herself to be this vulnerable in front of anyone, but this time she didn't hold back. It did feel nice at some point, the terrapin's hands slowly petting her in soothing motions, tenderly nuzzling the top of her head. At once, the woman felt safe.

She knew that he truly cared.

((Part 8))

[anne8510]

Part 2 to The Perfect Balance

A Little Loyalty Goes A Long Way

Rhodey knocked on the office door and steeled himself for what was bound to be a hostile conversation. He had made a few attempts to talk to Pepper after the scene in the lab with Tony and Peter but she had dodged him until today. As he opened the door he saw she was still finishing a call and waved him inside. "Yes, fine just get the contracts in order and send them over." Pepper stated clearly then hung up the phone.

"Good Morning James, it seems you have been trying to see me. I can't imagine what you want to talk to me about." Pepper said in a tight voice. "Well I think we both know things have changed significantly since the last time either of us spent a lot of time in this building. I wanted to tell you clearly face to face that what happened in the lab last week, the relationship between Peter and Tony is for real. They have my full support and I hope that you can respect Tony's wishes and requests without being petty regarding your own past involvement." Rhodey got his rehearsed speech out first, he used his crisp military voice that everyone knew he used when he was serious. He didn't want to get emotional at least not at first.

Pepper was silent then turned on a dime and looked angrily at him talking through gritted teeth "You think this fling is for real, spare me James but once again here you are doing Tony's dirty work. Must be nice to have a lap dog to do things for you." So much for not getting emotional, Rhodey thought before he started shouting "A lap dog! Wow hitting low right out of the gate. It's not me you're mad at. You're pissed that Tony is happy and that it's not with you. That's partly your fault! You left Pepper! Told him he was too much! Tony is always going to be Tony and you made him feel like shit for it. I'm glad he isn't trying to change who he is anymore for you. He is happy and I'm happy for him. Leave them alone! Focus on your own life." Rhodey always got mad quickly when he was forced to defend his best friend for just existing.

Pepper was up and passing behind her desk. She threw her hands up "I was good for Tony, he just couldn't stop playing superhero enough to see. Now this gold digging whore came in-" "No fucking way!" Rhodey interrupted "You know I'll go to hell and back for Tony but what you don't seem to know is that I will do the same for Peter. Do not tempt me Virginia. If you haven't noticed, which clearly you haven't felt the need to reach out or acknowledge that I am in fact paralyzed from 'playing superhero' myself. I would be in a wheelchair if my best friend wasn't a billionaire genius. Now when you wake up in a hospital room after free falling from the sky it is a real sobering experience. When all your other superhero friends are still fighting each other you expect to wake up alone. But I didn't wake up alone in a cold dark hospital. I woke up to a warm room with a cozy nonhospital blanket and one Peter Parker sitting next to my bed. Another thing you don't know is Tony was too busy to sit with me during those first few weeks, Ross was breathing down his neck, he still had to go after Cap and had his own injuries to deal with. He is after all Tony Stark -even had this damn business to run. But Peter is a college student who saw the whole thing go down and he made Happy take him to the hospital with me. He sat in the waiting room then my room for hours before I woke up. Also made Happy go get blankets, pillows and snacks so it wasn't so sterile when I finally came to. So just stop! I won't sit here and have you trash him! Now they are happy and good for each other! Healthy even! "

Pepper stood silent staring angrily at Rhodey, "Well isn't it just perfect that Peter is so wonderful and everyone loves him. The media will eat him alive and Tony knows it. Let's see how long he wants to be Tony Stark's dirty little secret. He won't be able to stand by his side like I did. He won't ever fit into that life and it will implode on both of them. Then perhaps if I feel like it I'll be there to pick up the pieces and show Tony where he should have been all along... with me."

"No one wants you here Pepper and Tony is finally happy. The media can shove it and you know perfectly well Tony doesn't give a shit what the media or anyone else thinks. Tony will help Peter learn to fit in and Peter is stronger than you know and he'll learn what he needs to. He already does it so much better than you ever did. So go back to California Pepper, make a life for yourself out there and stay out of Tony's!" Rhodey yelled as he turned and stomped out the office.

He walked a few steps away from her office door and rested on a wall in the hallway steadying his breathing. After a few moments, Friday broke through his thoughts "Colonel Rhodes, Boss has asked if you are done scorching the earth for him and Mr. Parker, they would like you to join them in the lab." Rhodey huffed and shook his head, of course Friday had shared what was happening with Tony, hell he wondered if they had watched it on video as it was happening. There were very few secrets when an AI runs the building.

He was definitely right, Peter and Tony had watched the whole scene thanks to Friday. Tony gently hugged Peter from behind whispering "he said he was going to talk to her to try to make her see we were real. He thought it might help." Peter nodded, he had been silent since the video stopped and Tony was starting to get nervous. "Honey... please don't let what she said ..." Tony started but was quickly stopped by Peter as he turned too quickly hugging Tony with the force to make him stumble backwards. "I don't care what she said I am floored that Rhodey would say all those things about me, I am processing that I might have someone else in my corner... our corner and I started spiraling about what we could do to help us before it goes public." Peter rambled as he buried his head in Tony's neck to calm himself. Tony chuckled, "Good good you had me on my own spiral, you are never that quiet." Peter looked up into Tony's eyes and saw some worry there still, "oh no I'm not going anywhere stop going down that road, I'll always be here right next to you no matter what anyone says about either of us. We are the only two that matter." Tony smiled widely at his boyfriend, kissed him and whispered "You are the best thing that has ever walked into my life and I am so happy to have you by my side."

Tony stepped back and clapped his hands theatrically, "Now, on to your spiral - Of course Rhodey would stand up for you just like he would for me. He may have known me longer but what you did for him in his most vulnerable time Pete, it really meant the world to him. I'm sorry I wasn't there with you but I am also beyond grateful that you decided to stay with him when you did. I don't think I even realized all the amazing things you thought of that he will always remember."

Peter shrugged, "I could never have left knowing he would wake up alone. It didn't sit right in my gut and I was still trying to impress you." Peter winked at Tony who kissed him the cheek. "I have always volunteered at May's hospitals especially when I was too young to stay home alone. I would read to patients or play cards. Play video games with the kids or help deliver flowers. I hated seeing anyone who looked lonely or scared sitting in one of those damn ugly cold rooms." Peter quietly looked at the ceiling to compose himself.

"Maybe we should do some volunteering together at one of the hospitals. I'm sure the kids would love visits from Iron Man and Spider-Man!" As soon as Tony finished the sentence Peter's eyes lit up "Really!? You wouldn't mind doing that?"

"I love doing everything with you and this is important to you. Plus it will help others and I have a superhero duty to uphold." Tony said as the doors to the lab opened and Rhodey walked in with his hands in his pockets looking a tad nervous.

"Alright so I know Friday let you in on that shit show and that definitely was not how I planned on it going. I probably added more fuel to the fire now but she pissed me off! So I'm sorry I thought I might be able to reason with her." Rhodey trailed off like he could apologize all day. When he looked up, Tony was grabbing him into a hug. "Thanks for always having my back Honeybear. Now Pete, my dearest, the light of my life is a little astonished at your loyalty and ability to scorch petty people in your path."

Peter quickly glanced at the two "No, that's not what I said Dearest, I said I knew he would stand up for you but I didn't realize he would be so intense about defending me." Just as quickly he glanced away from the two.

Before Tony could say anything, Rhodey quickly took over "Peter I told you that day in the lab you are the best thing to happen to this guy and I will always have your back. You were the only one there for me when I woke up from the worst injury of my life. It doesn't get kinder than that kid and I won't forget it. "

Peter sighed loudly and finally looked Rhodey in the eye "I didn't want you to be alone and I knew if Tony could be there he would have been but I figured I could be a good second option. Thank you for what you said to Pepper. When we go public I can't see a lot of people being on our side so I appreciate knowing you are with us now before any fall out."

Tony quickly stepped back from Rhodey to hug Peter and held him close, "It doesn't matter what happens or what anyone else thinks. I'm not losing you Honey.” Tony clapped loudly and shouted, “Case closed! We are moving on! Rhodey, how do you feel about making some kids smile and trying out your new and improved look War Machine suit that integrates with your braces!? Let's go visit some hospitals Pete! It will make you happy and I want to see you happy, not worried about the press or Pepper or anything else."

Peter smiled brightly "Yes! That would be so awesome if all three of us went together! The kids would be so excited! And you make me happy Tony!" Punctuating his thought with a quick kiss, he ran to grab his web shooters from his work table.

That night on the news and on front pages of all of the newspapers the next morning were stories about the three superheroes visiting multiple hospitals and surprising patients. Tony gave donations for programs and new facilities that Peter showed extra interest in during their visits. While Rhodey sat and talked to accident victims with similar injuries as his own.

Six months later Tony Stark held a press conference to introduce the world to his boyfriend of more than year, Peter Parker. Rhodey stood behind the two in silent support and couldn't help but laugh when Peter took the microphone and declared Tony wasn't the only superhero in the relationship and that he was Spider-Man. He then grabbed Tony and swung them both out the window before any do the press could get him to answer any questions.

Six hours after the press conference Pepper was on a plane back to California permanently. Two days after that Rhodey found himself in a jewelry store with Tony helping design a handcrafted engagement ring of red rubies and blue sapphires. Two weeks later, Peter said yes to Tony and almost exactly a year to the day Rhodey walked into Pepper's office, he stood in front of his two best friends as the officiant in their wedding.

[measuringbliss]

Spider-Man: Comics Recommendations (The Seventies, First Half)

MASTERPOST

Following my guide for the sixties (here!), here's a list of what I personally recommend reading from the years 1970-1974.

As previously, we go chronological.

If you directly want to know the issues: ASM #83-85, 87, 90, 93, 96-98, 105-115, 119-131, GSSM #1, ASM #134-137.

In bold: highly recommended!

The Schemer (#83-85, #87): The 70s started with a good storyline as it humanizes the Kingpin, gets more into politics, and gives us more soap. I enjoyed the Black Widow crossover in #86 but I wouldn't particularly recommend it. However, you should absolutely read #87. It is full-on soap, with whumped Peter, old faces and overall great scenes. It's almost never full-on soap, so it's particularly remarkable.

2. Issue 90: Heavily referenced in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, this issue is a big one. It's technically part of an ongoing battle between Spidey and Doc Ock, but the two preceeding issues are pretty much non-stop action, which I don't care about (although they have nice perspective art). #90, however, confirms a plot point that has been a long time coming. It also has repercussions for the years to come (and it seems like in 2023, we still can't escape them). The next two issues feature disturbing scenes, but they do feel like a breath of fresh air. It's a dark moment for Peter and everybody else. You don't have to read them, but I think they're important as well.

3. Lost and Found (#93, #96-98): This is the arc that got rid of the Comics Code. Harry's on drugs, the Prowler and the Green Goblin are back, everyone tries to repress their sexuality... The art is gorgeous, but you'll get war flashbacks if you've seen TASM2 (especially if you also read #94 & 95).

4. Reunions (#105-109): This set of issues has great moments. Featured: Flash's turn to be whumped and Fifty Shaded, Harry's return, a Dr. Strange intervention, Peter's sticky and nutty experiment, a lot of soap, phenomenal art... and as said by one of the readers... "Now, with the first issue of Lee's return, ROBOTS! My God, Stan, no!"

I actually reached the pictures limit because I kept screenshotting bound men. If you're into that... What are you waiting for?

5. Whumpfest (#110-115): Look, we all know what we're here for. If you like to see Peter angsty and whumped, just read those. Nice soap. Also, this:

6. The Night You-Know-Who Died (#119-123): Here it is, the meat of Gerry Conway's run! The Hulk, a conspiracy, a relapse, deaths, tragedy all around! It made me cry actual tears on reread. It hits really hard. If you're gonna read one batch of Spider-Man comics, read this one.

7. Man-Wolf (#124-125): Grief, guilt, tears, and a lot of resonance. Jameson's time to shine.

8. The Dark Wings of Death (#126-128): A twisty plot, secret lesbians, the soap continues. As with the previous issues, the villain isn't what matters.

9. A Jackal and a Wedding (#129-131, GSSM #1): The Jackal and the Punisher are introduced, Spidey is at the silliest wedding ever, but the relationships evolve and are a joy to follow. It's all about the soap! Add Giant-Size Spider-Man #1 while you're at it. While not exactly essential, it's a stellar issue that features none other than Dracula!

10. My Friend... My Foe? (#134-137): The conclusion to this first half. Everything comes to a crash as Harry falls deeper and deeper in the abyss. The art is gorgeous, the storyline is gripping, Conway's very serialized approach pays off big time!

[totaldramafan-lauri]

2023

The year that kept on giving and giving.

While not everything was great, I can confidently say that this year was overall positive for me, and thank god, since the last few months of 2022 left me so depressed and exhausted that I was legit pessimistic about recovering from it.

And I did.

Despite some lingering feelings, I'm happy to say that I'm mostly over it. I've chosen not to dwell on it anymore, and I accepted that I can't influence the thoughts of other people I have no control over. All I can do is...improve.....and I have. I've improved a lot this year. Which....actually, that WAS my new year's resolution for 2023, wasn't it? Just to get better? In that regard....can I be proud of myself....? I know it isn't much, but...

I have a lot to thank for making this a good year for me. My interests were VERY kind to me, from Eurovision being great this year, Helluva Boss releasing a LOTTA episodes including three that I absolutely adored, getting to fight on Team Shiver in Splatoon 3 and winning, ushering in the Era Of Shiver, and finally.....CRK continuing to not only be my comfort game all year, but then not only topping itself, but BLOWING MY MIND with releasing Golden Cheese and me reacting SO STRONGLY to her that I'm STILL r-reeling from it....o/////o

Not only that, but....I'm still writing. I can be proud of that, too.

I know things will never quite be the same as they were, but....that's fine. I'm still in a pretty good place.

Three characters that made my life better in 2023 (if you're reading this, did you have any?):

As for 2024....I have two goals for this year, but technically, one isn't all up to me right now, and it's more personal, so I'll save it for (hopefully) later when I'm ready to share.

And the other one is pretty simple, and that's just Finish The Damn Fic.

---You can stop reading here if you don't care about this topic---

Seriously, this thing has been an undertaking, and working on it DAILY since October has been both tiring and fun at the same time. At this point, even if no one reads it, it's gonna feel SO GOOD when it's all done. SOOOOO GOOD! >.< Like I said before: I don't think this'll be my fav fic I've written (Naivete is just so special to me), but it'll be the biggest project I've EVER put my name on. I don't wanna rush any part of it.......I wanna get it as good as I can.

Cuz....H-Her Radiance, she....d-deserves it....

Regarding the fic, for those who care, I have two bits of good news! One is that, according to the outline of the chapters I have yet to write and the number of scenes in each one.....I think- I THINK- I'm near the halfway point of the story. That, or I JUUUUUST reached it. I'm working on the longest chapter. Once I finish chapter 3, I have three more full chapters, and I think 4 and 5 are gonna be shorter chapters than 3, with 6 being definitely the shortest.

Which leads me to the other point: I'm coming up on a good stopping point for chapter 3. It isn't the ending I WANTED, but the chapter is just so big that I'm gonna have to stuff all my leftover ideas into chapter 4.

This means that, yes....in the next few days, you guys are getting the next chapters.

P-part of me is nervous about this, since....again, it isn't the ending I wanted....b-but I don't wanna wait to post until I finish the WHOLE NEW CHAPTER 4 I didn't plan for. I dunno how long that's gonna take, and....

Well, something I'm looking forward to is coming in a couple weeks, and I wanna enjoy that thing and give it my attention without stressing about the fic too much. I wanna post on AO3 sometime in January, then release the rest of the chapters as I finish them.

It's looking like 2024's gonna be starting out on a good note....I'm nervous, but excited at the same time.....>__<

I really hope that I'm ready for this.....

[ireneaesthetic]

Pointing out little moments and details of scenes that need to be remembered.

"i love you" scene • episode 6 | part 1

this brief but intense interaction has my whole heart.

it's one of the moments throughout the season that proves simon also played an active role - whether big or small - in rebuilding their relationship: him trying to help wille to not leave hillerska, he initiates the reunion kiss, he goes checking on him after the group presentation, he even starts an argument to confront him and express how he feels.

then he just can't wait any longer and silently asks to talk in private, taking one more step forward.

their previous firm posture when being among people that is filled with tension as soon as they stand alone in front of each other. they nervously look around and can’t even make eye contact at first.

wilhelm’s eyes and expression: mixed feelings of relief, worry and realisation all at once.

the little smile of joy right after simon’s confession fading away, just as quickly, when he thinks about what he is willing to sacrifice for him.

simon keeps staring at wille for a bit with the softest look on his face and heart eyes. he's full of so much love and care.

wille is the one reaching out for physical touch *pretends to be shocked*.

he’s been communicating through his love language many times and physically responding to what he was just told, by linking their hands together, is so true of him.

wilhelm caressing simon’s hand and simon caressing him back in return. a mutual gesture of affection and reassurance.

it kinda reflects them coming to terms with each other’s perspective, for the most part, and accepting that love can hurt but it’s worth the risk. because they’re ready to risk together.

they both go for a tight hug and i love the non-kissing choice. it's not they don't want to kiss, but a ‘us against the world’ type of hug is exactly what they need at this time. it is more intimate than any kiss could’ve been.

and simon’s hint of a smile before it.

from smiling into the kiss to smiling into the hug, so to say. wilhelm holding on to simon for dear life: the “sometimes home is a person” quote has never felt so real.

simon smelling wille’s clothes to recall his sweater’s scent. it’s a habit by now, really shows how much he was missing him and all his little things. what he had lost but finally found again, not taking it for granted.

+ part 2

[littlelovelyspiderling]

Meeting The Real You (Chapter 5)

Chapter 1 -- Chapter 2 -- Chapter 3 -- Chapter 4 -- Chapter 5 -- Chapter 6 -- Chapter 7 -- Chapter 8 -- Chapter 9 -- Chapter 10 -- Chapter 11 -- Chapter 12

AO3 story link

Peter Parker can't wait to meet the newest superhero team to enter the scene: The Fantastic Four. More importantly, he can't wait to finally meet another superhero his age: 16-year-old Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch.

That is, until he does. And Johnny turns out to be a grade-A dick.

But maybe there's more to Johnny than Peter initially thought. Maybe he's not just an egotistical media star, or a short-tempered hothead, or an alarmingly pretty face who makes Peter's pulse race. Maybe they have more in common than they realize.

And maybe this feeling that overwhelms Spider-Man anytime Johnny is around isn't jealousy after all...

word count: 9,930

_______________________________

Peter jarred awake the next morning to the sound of someone knocking on his bedroom door. 

“Hmmgh?” he murmured grumpily, frowning into his drool-stained pillow. Normally, if someone needed him, they’d just have FRIDAY sound the wakeup call. The Avengers rarely ever came to rouse him in person, aware of Spider-Man’s preference for privacy. 

He lifted his head sluggishly, blinking the sleep from his eyes, scrubbing a hand across his face. He was sprawled across the bed with one leg and one arm hanging off the side, his toes touching the headrest and his head where his feet were supposed to be. Back at his aunt’s place, Peter slept on a lumpy twin bed with hardly any wiggle room. Here at the tower, the king-sized bed in the room Stark had assigned to him felt like swimming in an endless ocean of silky sheets and Tempur-Pedic pillows. He could starfish his limbs as wide and carelessly as he wanted without even reaching the edges. Peter took full advantage of the extra space while he was over, and always wound up waking in very chaotic sleeping positions as a result. 

A second knock rapped against the door, snapping another section of his brain awake. “Coming, coming,” he mumbled groggily, sliding off the end of the bed. “One sec.” He slumped across the room to grab his mask from the closet, pulling it haphazardly over his face. He stretched, scratched behind his ear, then dragged himself to the door, wincing at the light that poured into his eyes as he swung it open. 

“Yes?” Peter said through a yawn, squinting as a bleary figure took shape in front of him. A tall, lanky individual with stormy eyes and freshly combed haired stood in the doorway. He wore an unbuttoned flannel shirt over a white tee with black jeans that were ripped at the knees. He looked like he’d been up for hours, seizing the day and every heart he happened by, whereas Peter had only been awake for about ten seconds and was wearing his oversized “I Survived My Trip To NYC” shirt and a pair of pink Hello Kitty pajama pants. When Peter realized who it was, his eye lenses went wide as his ears went red.

“Johnny?” he exclaimed, voice squeaky. He cleared his throat and adjusted his mask, which was sitting lopsided on his head. “Um, hi?”

Johnny studied his face for a second, a mixture of confusion and amusement materializing across his expression. He chuckled lightly and knitted his eyebrows together. “Wow. You really wear that thing everywhere, huh? Do you sleep with it on?”

Peter tugged at the bottom of the mask where it covered part of his neck, a surge of heat curling under his chin. “This? N-no, no. That’d be unsanitary. I put it on right before answering the door.”

Johnny looked him up and down, biting his lip to try not to laugh. “Nice fit,” he managed to say.

Peter lowered his gaze to the absurd getup he had on and pulled at the collar of his giant T-shirt. “Oh god,” he giggled shyly. “This was not meant to be seen by anyone other than me and the two half-dead snake plants in my room. In my defense, Hello Kitty makes surprisingly comfortable sleepwear.” 

“I don’t doubt it,” Johnny snickered. Then he hunched his shoulders. “I’m sorry—were you asleep just now? Did I wake you?”

Judging by his bright smile and the genuine concern in voice, Peter assumed friendly Johnny was here to stay. The grinning teen standing before him today reminded him of the Johnny Storm he’d seen in countless different YouTube interviews, albeit a lot less artificial. Someone kind, gregarious, and warm—a pleasantly far cry from the Johnny he’d met a few days ago. Peter yawned and stretched, fighting the fog still clinging to his brain. 

“Pfftt, what? Of course not. That’s crazy. Nope. Nada. Maybe. A little.” He rubbed his eyes and blinked repeatedly, the elegant features of the boy in front of him gradually coming into sharper focus.

“My bad. I do tend to get up earlier than most people.”

“What time is it, anyway?” Peter asked.

Johnny checked his Burberry watch. “8:06,” he replied. 

Spider-Man half-laughed, half-scoffed. “Good gravy, man. What kind of psychopath gets up before 9am during summer vacation?”

To Peter’s surprise, a pop of pink bloomed in the apples of Johnny’s freckle-dusted cheeks. He laughed skittishly, running a hand through his hair. 

“This kind, I guess,” he said, gesturing to himself. “Sorry again for waking you. I’ll let you go back to bed.”

Johnny turned to leave, but Peter followed him through the doorway. “W-wait!” he called, taken aback. “Was there something you needed? Or were you just hoping to catch me in the act of wearing these ungodly PJs?” 

Johnny faced him again with a small giggle. “No,” he said. “Seeing you like this was just an added bonus. I wonder how much Jameson would pay for a photo of you in your current state.”

“Don’t even think about it,” Peter chuckled. “So you do need something, then? What is it? I’m already up now, anyways.”

Johnny hesitated, frowning at his feet. His fingers rubbed nervous circles into his jeans.

“I just—I slept on it, and it really dawned on me just how terrible I’ve been to you. You didn’t deserve any of that, and I wanted to try to make it up to you.”

Spider-Man’s heart skipped inside his chest. “Johnny, it’s okay. Honestly. I already forgave you, so you don’t have to—”

“I know,” he interjected, lifting his gaze with a hesitant smile. “But, um—I wanted to. So…gimme a sec.”

Johnny dashed behind one of the pillars by the staircase, making Peter blink bemusedly. He reappeared a few seconds later with his hands behind his back, like he was hiding some kind of surprise. Grinning wide, Johnny pulled out the offering and held it up for him to see. 

“Ta-da!”

It took Peter a moment to process what he was looking at—some kind of tank filled with dirt, rocks, and fake plants—but when the brown mound tucked underneath the small log moved one of its hairy legs and locked eight beady eyes on him, Spider-Man leapt back.

“Ah!” he squealed. Peter retreated a little further into the doorway, mouth hanging agape. “Holy shit. Is…is that…?”

“A tarantula!” Johnny exclaimed enthusiastically, holding the tank in front of his eyes, his face looking blobby and stretched through the glass. “A Chilean Rose Tarantula, more specifically. Isn’t he cool? I had one just like this as a kid.”

Peter gawked a few seconds longer, then swallowed, his gaze jumping between Johnny’s face and the furry creature. “Oh. Gee. That’s, uh, cool. Really cool.” He hunched his shoulders to his ears. “Is it…yours?”

“No, silly,” Johnny laughed, shoving the tank against his chest. “He’s for you!” 

Peter fumbled with the cage, holding it as far away from himself as possible. “F-for me? Why?”

“You said you wished you had a sibling, right? Since I can’t magically conjure a human brother for you, I figured this would be the next best thing. You know, since you’re both arachnids.”

Spider-Man stared at him, eyes wide, jaw hanging open. Warmth blossomed at the base of his neck. As sweet as the gesture was, Peter could think of a million other peace-seeking presents he’d rather receive than this. He peered reluctantly into the tank, shivering at the sight of the tarantula’s fuzzy, finger-like appendages scrunched against its body. It looked ready to pounce at any moment. 

“Oh…wow. This is…just wow. You, uh, didn’t have to do that. You really shouldn’t have…”

“The best thing about this sibling is they won’t pester and lecture you all day like mine does,” Johnny continued cheerfully. “All you have to do is change out the vermiculite in his tank every six months, keep his water bowl filled, and feed him a cricket once a week.”

Peter blanched. “A live cricket?”

“Of course!” Johnny said. “Don’t you eat those, too?”

“No!” Peter gagged. “I eat normal people food! Not bugs!”

“Oh. That’s lame. I thought I read somewhere that you did.” The Human Torch shrugged. “Anyways, whatcha think? You like him? He’s cute, huh?”

Peter licked his lips, trying to think of the right way to phrase this. “Johnny, this is…so nice of you. But…um…” He held the tank out for him to take back, suppressing a shudder. “I’m, er…not the best with pets. I can barely keep succulents alive. I really appreciate the thought, but I think it would be happier with you than with me.”

Johnny blinked at him, slowly retrieving the cage with a look of disappointment on his face. He stared down at the tarantula, then back up at Peter, the gears in his head gradually grinding into place. Slowly, his expression morphed from a sad frown into a knowing smile. Johnny narrowed his eyes, lifting the tarantula towards Peter again.

“No way,” he said, smirking at him from behind the glass cage. “Is Spider-Man…afraid of spiders?”

He thrust the tank at him suddenly while making a hissing sound, causing Peter to recoil back with a shriek. Immediately, Johnny busted out laughing. Spider-Man’s entire face went crimson.

“Oh my god! You are!”

“N-no!” Peter protested shrilly. “I’m not!”

“You absolutely, one hundred percent are.”

“You just—just startled me! That’s all!”

“So you don’t mind if I take Mr. Tarantula out of his enclosure here for a little bit?” Johnny asked, popping open the latch at the top of the tank. “You know, show him around, let him meet his new big brother?”

Peter didn’t want to believe Johnny would dare touch such a nasty creature with his bare hands. But to his horror, Johnny reached all the way into the tank and started maneuvering his fingers underneath the tarantula’s furry abdomen, searching for purchase so he could lift it out.

“All right! Okay! Stop,” Spider-Man pleaded. He shoved the cage away from his face, squeezing his eyes shut in dismay. “Fine,” he grated out. “No, I’m not the biggest fan of spiders. Especially gigantic hairy monstrosities that crawled out of the seventh circle of hell. So please, just—don’t take it out.”

“I knew it!” Johnny giggled, letting the cage snap shut. “Oh man, this is too funny. If you hate spiders so much, why on earth would you name yourself after one?”

Peter threw his hands up helplessly. “What else was I supposed to call myself after gaining spider powers?” he spluttered. “It’s not like I got to choose which animal gave me their abilities! If that were the case, I would’ve picked something far more likable. I’d be Butterfly-Man, Panda-Man, or—I don’t know, something that doesn’t trigger major phobias in people!” He crossed his arms with a grouchy sigh. “But I don’t hate spiders. I just…you know. Don’t really want them near me.”

“Why not?” Johnny asked, inching the box towards him threateningly, wiggling it a little for effect. “A spider getting near you is the only reason you’re the sticky, web-swinging hero you are today!”

Peter pushed the tank away with one finger, grimacing behind his mask. “Did you not hear the part where said spider bit me and made me so sick I thought I might die? It’s not that I’m not grateful for my powers, but the way I got them was seriously traumatizing! I’m allowed to harbor some reservations.” 

Johnny snickered. “I know, I get it, it’s just—so hilarious. And ironic. Do you not understand how hilarious and ironic this is?”

Spider-Man scowled at him. “This is the worst apology in the history of apologies.”

Fighting back laughter, Johnny pulled the tarantula away from him and held it at his side. “I’m sorry, Spidey. Truly. I really thought you’d like him. I wouldn’t have gotten him for you if I knew you weren’t a fan. He was supposed to be, y’know—an olive branch of some sort.”

The earnestness in his ocean-blue eyes was so sincere, Peter blushed and stared sideways, scratching nervously at his neck. “Well, I appreciate the sentiment,” he conceded. “Spider-Man having a spider-pet does sound pretty badass.”

“Can’t you talk to spiders the same way Antman talks to ants? Like, summon an army to do your bidding and eat your enemies? I thought Mr. Tarantula could be your fuzzy little spider-sidekick who charges into battle with you or something.”

Peter snorted and shook his head. “I can’t talk to spiders. That’d be cool, though. But terrifying. If I could do that, I think the public would be even more scared of me than they already are.”

Johnny frowned, disgruntled. “Man. The freaky rumors everyone spreads about you make you seem way more awesome than you actually are. All anyone ever gossips over me about is what products I use in my hair and which celebrities they think I should date or have dated or will date or blah, blah, blah. You know, the usual boring noise.”

Spider-Man forced an awkward laugh. “You and I have very different opinions about what is and isn’t ‘awesome,’” he chuckled. Then he squinted at Johnny’s perfectly styled strawberry blonde locks. “What products do you use in your hair?”

Johnny shrugged. “Just this clay stuff I get from an eco-friendly seller on Etsy. It’s super cheap, too. I’ll send you the link if you want your hair to look as elegant and coiffed as mine.”

“Tempting,” Peter giggled, “but I think I’ll pass for now. I don’t need my hair sticking to the inside of my mask any more than it already does.”

Johnny smiled at him and, less aggressively than before, held the tarantula tank out to Peter one last time. “Why don’t you try taking care of him—just for a little while?” he suggested. “Maybe, after a few days of arachnid-bonding, you’ll warm up to him a bit.”

Laughter drying up, Peter clenched his jaw. The muscles in his shoulders tensed. He battled the urge to back away. “I’d really rather not,” he whimpered.

“Just give him a chance,” Johnny prodded. “If you still end up hating him, I’ll take him off your hands. But I think Mr. Tarantula’s capacity for loyalty and companionship might surprise you.” Johnny patted the top of the cage. “Yes, his kind has a bad rep. One of the worst, as a matter of fact. But—if granted the right opportunity—I believe he can prove to you he’s more than all the scary things everyone says about him.”

Spider-Man pouted. “I see what you’re doing,” he grumbled, “and I don’t like it one bit.”

Johnny chuckled, then stepped closer to him, pasting on his most compelling puppy-dog face. “Please, Spidey?” he said, peeking out from behind the tarantula tank. “Just a few days? For me?”

Gazing into his eyes, a fuzzy feeling fluttered in Peter’s belly. I’d probably walk barefoot across hot coals if you asked while looking at me like that, he thought, followed immediately by: Wait…what? Did I seriously just think that? Goddammit, brain. I need some coffee. 

Spider-Man groaned, then gingerly took the tank from Johnny’s outstretched hands. “Fine,” he whined, glowering at the hairy creature, holding it at arm’s length. “Only for a little while. And I am not touching it.”

Johnny clapped his palms together in triumph. “Awesome!” he cheered, hopping on his toes in the most unbearably cute way. “I’ll run by the pet store and buy some crickets for Mr. Tarantula later today since you can’t catch them on your own.” Johnny coughed the word “lame” into his elbow, then smiled innocently.

“I’m also not calling it that,” Peter clarified. “If this monster has any chance of winning my affection, it needs a nice, non-threatening name.”

“What, then?” Johnny asked eagerly, placing his hands on his hips. “Rosebud? Chili Dog? Something Chilean Rose related?”

“Best leave the puns to the professionals, Flame Brain,” Peter giggled. He eyed the tarantula reluctantly, watching its fuzzy mandibles twitch and the black fangs glint in the morning sunshine. He needed something he couldn’t bring himself to hate, but not so on-the-nose that he revealed something about himself he intended to keep private.

“Think on it a bit before you decide,” Johnny told him. Peter had already made his choice, but he nodded with a small smile. 

“Okay. I will.”

“It’s very important you pick something good,” Johnny continued. “If all goes well, he’ll be your brother for the next five years, and you don’t want a brother with a shitty name.”

Peter glanced up at him in disbelief. “Did you say five years?” he balked. “These things seriously live that long?”

“Be grateful I got you a male one,” Johnny insisted. “The females can live up to ten years.”

Peter exhaled wearily, pinching his eyes shut. “For future reference, Dunkin’s caramel iced coffee and sour gummy worms. You can never go wrong with surprise offerings of that variety when it comes to your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.”

The corners of Johnny’s mouth tweaked a little higher upwards. “I’ll remember that,” he said—and it was clear he meant it.

Peter blushed again—why the hell does he make me blush so much?—then shook his head, walking back into his room. “I’m gonna leave this guy in here for now,” he said, then hesitated. “It can’t…you know, get out of the tank on its own, can it?”

Johnny shrugged. “I guess you’ll find out tonight; if you wake up with him crawling all over your face, then that’s a yes.”

A tremor shot through Peter’s limbs. “Dude! Don’t even joke about that! Do you want me to like this thing or not?”

The Human Torch cackled. “Sorry, sorry,” he said. “No, he can’t escape on his own. I promise you're safe, scaredy-cat.”

Huffing sourly, Peter stalked through the door and placed the tarantula on the desk in the corner of the room—as far away from his bed as possible. “Stay,” Peter instructed him, wagging his finger. “And don’t get too comfortable. Just because we’re both arachnids does not automatically make us friends. I’ve got my eye on you, bud.”

He pointed two fingers towards his pupils, then jabbed them back at the tarantula viciously. The tarantula just sat under his log, motionless and eerie.

One last shiver danced up his spine. Then Peter poked his head back into the hallway, rubbing drowsily at his eyes. Even after being jump-scared by Johnny’s surprise, he could easily return to the warmth of his bed and be out like a light in minutes. Another couple hours of sleep sounded heavenly right about now, despite the looming presence of his terrifying new roommate. 

“Thank you for my nightmare-inducing little brother,” Peter yawned, leaning against the doorframe. “His soulless eyes will haunt my dreams every night for the rest of my existence. Was there anything else you wanted to give me? A cobra, perhaps? Head lice? One of those demogorgon monsters from the Stranger Things show?”

“You’re such a baby,” Johnny snickered, rolling his eyes. “No, that’s all the gifts I had for you. But I do have a very important question I need to ask you.”

Peter blinked in surprise, unsure where this was going. “What’s that?” he said. 

Johnny glanced left and right, sighed, then threw his arms up in defeat. “It’s just—I can’t find anything in this giant goddamn tower. Is it seriously 98 stories tall? What the hell does anyone do with that many floors? I’ve gotten lost, like, seventeen times this morning, and I just want to make myself a fucking waffle, but every kitchen I’ve stumbled across only has lunch-type food in the pantries and refrigerators, not breakfast food.” He huffed exasperatedly and met Peter’s gaze with a timid smile. “I was hoping maybe you could be my guide? And possibly help me locate some Bisquik? Do you have any idea how to navigate this labyrinth of a building?”

Once again, Peter found himself blushing. Maybe it was the way Johnny said everything with such confidence, like there wasn’t a chance in the world Peter would dare deny his request. Or perhaps it was the surprisingly endearing image of Johnny wandering around Avengers Tower, searching in vain for his beloved waffle mix and getting lost in the endless twists and turns. Peter himself was getting lost in Johnny’s eyes as his brain tried to process his appeal. 

“Come on, lazy bones,” Johnny pressed him, punching Peter playfully in the arm. “How about this: if you help me, I’ll make you breakfast. Anything you want. I’m a great cook. What do yah say? Please?”

Realizing he’d been admiring him in silence far longer than was socially appropriate, Peter inhaled sharply, snapping himself back into the conversation. “Uh…sure,” he finally replied, appreciating for a moment that Johnny had fire powers and not mind-reading powers. “I mean, I’m no Avengers Tower expert, but I’d be honored to escort you on your perilous voyage to obtain the Quickest of Bisques.”

Johnny laughed brightly, reawakening the fluttery sensation in Peter’s belly. “You’re funny,” he decided. “That’s another thing I didn’t expect from you at all.”

Peter grinned sheepishly. “I’m both insulted and flattered.”

“Sorry. But also, you’re welcome.” 

Clearing his throat, Spider-Man jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. “I know the 78th story kitchen has tons of breakfast options. Let me get dressed really quick, and then I’ll take you there.”

“My hero,” Johnny swooned, laying a melodramatic hand over his heart. “I knew I could count on you.”

Peter chuckled, then turned towards his room. But he stopped before entering with his hand on the doorknob, glancing back at the Human Torch with a curious frown. “How were you able to find me, by the way? Did you just start knocking on every random door you came across?”

Johnny lifted an index finger towards the overhead speakers. “I asked the nice robot lady who talks from the ceiling where your room was.”

“Oh, right,” Peter said. “That’s FRIDAY, Mr. Stark’s A.I.” Another thought occurred to him, making him frown even more. “Couldn’t you have just asked her where the breakfast food was? You know, skip the waffle middleman?”

Johnny blinked, tilting his head to the side. “Huh. I guess so,” he mused. He scratched at his neck, a bashful smile stretching across his face. “I mean, I needed to come here anyway to give you your apology present. And I figured having you show me around would be more fun than taking directions from a disembodied voice. No offense, FRIDAY.”

“None taken,” FRIDAY replied.

Warmth rose to the surface of Spider-Man’s skin. It was becoming worrisome how easy it was for Johnny’s every little offer of acquaintanceship to make him feel this way. In an attempt to hide his flustered disposition, Peter feigned a dramatic gasp and clapped his hands over his mouth. “Oh my god. Is the Johnny Storm actually asking to hang out with me? The lowly little Spider-Man? Does this mean we’re…super awesome superhero besties?”

Johnny cracked up, gripping his sides and shaking his head. “You’re such a dork,” he giggled. “Sure, Webhead. We’re friends. Or whatever the hell you want to call it.”

Peter snorted. “'Webhead?'” he repeated back, wrinkling his nose. 

“That’s right. You call me Flame Brain, I’m calling you Webhead. Superhero besties have to have affectionately degrading nicknames for each other. It’s in the handbook.”

“If you say so, Matchstick.” Spider-Man retreated into his room. “I’ll be back in just a sec, okay?”

“Spidey!” Johnny called before he could shut the door. “One last thing.”

Peter swung it open again, kneading sleepily at the right side of his face, trying to rub a little more life into his still-heavy eyelids. “Hmm? Yeah?” he mumbled back. 

Spider-Man lifted his gaze to find himself staring directly into the flash of Johnny’s phone camera. He winced in surprise, blinking bewilderedly.

“Hey!” Peter exclaimed. 

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself. I just had to capture you in your kitty pajamas to cherish for all eternity.”

Peter felt his face turn the same color as his mask. “Johnny!” he laughed skittishly, making a grab for his phone. “Delete that right now!”

Johnny jumped away, cackling like a super villain. “Make me, web for brains! You’ll have to chase me around the entire tower.” He held up his phone and waved in a taunting manner. “And then everyone will get to see your adorable little PJs.”

Peter groaned, backing off in defeat. “You’re the worst,” he grumbled, embarrassed but amused. “If I see that picture on the Bugle, I’m kicking your ass a second time.”

“Hey, if that was a real fight, you would’ve been fried to a crisp within the first ten seconds.”

“True. But then you would’ve had to deal with the emotional damage of killing the hottest Avenger. I wouldn’t exactly call that winning.”

“How would I even know you’re the hottest if I’ve never seen your face?”

Spider-Man tapped his temple. “Hotness is a state of mind, Johnny—the aura you radiate. And I know for a fact my vibes are way hotter than anyone else’s around here.”

Johnny snorted. “A bold claim, but I’ll allow it.” He winked at him with a smug grin. “Glad I didn’t kill you then, hot stuff.”

An awkward and high-pitched giggling sound Peter had never heard himself make before sputtered involuntarily from his throat, causing his cheeks to burn against the inside of his mask. “Er, anyways,” he croaked, “I’ll, uh, be right back.” Then he scurried into his room, slamming the door behind himself and pressing his back against it. 

Note to self: don’t make jokes about being hot around Johnny unless you want to be flustered beyond all reason. 

He groaned, dragging his hands down his face. Stop. Being. Weird. He cracked stupid jokes like that all the time when he was around Ned and the Avengers, but never had that kind of reaction to their responses. He gave himself a few light slaps to knock a little sense into his head, then rose off the door and pulled the rest of his suit out of the dryer inside his closet. He changed out of his Hello Kitty pajamas into his Spider-Man costume, sparing a glance at the tank still perched in the corner of the room.

“What the hell is going on with me, Benji?” he whimpered, stepping closer and crouching down to see the tarantula better. Benji was similar enough to Benjamin to make him feel a certain closeness to the fuzzy arachnid, but not so much so that he’d be heartbroken if Johnny ended up keeping him instead. His aunt and uncle had always said if they had a son of their own, they would’ve named him after Ben. So it made sense that his brother share his uncle’s namesake, although Ben would probably take offense to having a giant hairy bug named after him. 

Benji offered no response to his woeful inquiry. Peter sighed, walking back towards the door, trying not to replay Johnny’s wide grin and bubbly laugh and playful remarks over and over again in his mind. 

_______________________________

“How was yesterday? Did you go anywhere special?”

Spider-Man sat at the island in the large kitchen, resting his elbows on the counter as he watched Johnny man the stove. Johnny switched from mixing batter to slicing avocados to cooking sausage patties like a pro, moving seamlessly between each task without missing a beat. He looked like a contestant on one of those insane TLC cooking shows who was most definitely going to take home first prize. 

“I did,” Johnny replied, flipping the sausages in the frying pan, a chorus of sizzles crackling through the air. “There’s this Greek bakery in SoHo my mom used to take Sue and I to when we were kids. I always got the apple tart, but Mom was obsessed with their baklava. So I bought a piece in her honor, flew to Brighton Beach, and just…sat by the water for a while. Eating it, and remembering her.”

Peter rested his cheek on his fist. “That sounds really nice,” he said. By now, the entire 78th floor smelled like a breakfast bar. The espresso machine churned and screamed while Johnny added slices of turkey bacon to the skillet. When the Human Torch had said he wanted breakfast, Peter hadn’t expected him to whip up a whole goddamn smorgasbord. 

“Yeah. It was.” Johnny poured pancake batter into the waffle iron with a sigh. “I still wish Sue would’ve come, but…I’m glad I at least did something.”

As Johnny began heaping food onto plates, Peter pulled out his phone to go through his notifications. On Twitter, he saw that Johnny had made a post early this morning. It was the first time he’d posted on any of his social media platforms since stepping foot in Avengers Tower.

i could get used to a view like this, the caption read. Underneath was a photo of the tower bathed in morning sunlight. Among the streaks of pink and gold, a tiny orange dot reflected off the glass in the center of the frame: the Human Torch immersed in fire, floating above the city. 

102K likes. 310 comments. All within two hours. 

“Cool picture,” Peter said, holding up his phone. Johnny squinted at the cracked screen. 

“Do you follow me?” he asked, breaking into a grin. 

“Yeah. Me along with eleven million others. I told you when we first met I was a fan.”

Johnny slipped his phone out of his pocket with one hand while cracking an egg with the other. “What’s your username? I’ll follow you back.”

Peter retreated, hunching his shoulders. “Oh, uh…I can’t. It’s my personal account. You wouldn’t want to follow it, anyway; I only have, like, twelve followers, and I never even post anything.”

“You mean you don’t have a Twitter account just for Spider-Man?” Johnny said, eyes wide.

“No. Someone could hack into it and figure out my real identity. Or, you know, tweet a bunch of racially insensitive memes on my page and get Spider-Man canceled. Even more so than I already am.”

“Banksy has a Twitter,” Johnny pointed out. “Or an Instagram, at least. There are ways to have a social media presence while still remaining anonymous.”

Peter shrugged. “I’d rather not risk it,” he said, poking at the fancy napkin dispenser between him and Johnny. “Besides. Twitter is a toxic cesspool of angry trolls, and Instagram has become nothing but weird ads and other people’s travel photos of places I’ll never be able to visit. I don’t think I’m missing out on much.”

“But if Spider-Man had a social media account, you could interact with the people of this city directly,” Johnny pointed out. “You know, show them Spider-Man’s true colors, tell your side of things instead of letting that Jameson guy run the narrative. Have you seen what he posted today? Just this morning, he uploaded a video claiming you were somehow responsible for the Kennedy assassination! He spreads insane lies about you every day, and you’re just letting it happen.”

“What makes you so sure I wasn’t responsible for the Kennedy assassination?” Peter laughed halfheartedly, shifting in his seat. 

Johnny slapped his palm against the countertop, a small flash of fire puffing out from his fingers. “That’s my point, Spidey!” he exclaimed, making Peter jump a little. “I’m not sure! Nobody is sure about anything about you! People hear the lies assholes like Jameson tote about you and accept them as fact because those are the only stories they have! If the real Spider-Man were online confronting him with the truth, maybe you could start clearing your name, unburying your rep, showing the world you’re not a menace.”

Johnny’s passion regarding Spider-Man’s shitty reputation surprised Peter. It didn’t seem like the kind of thing he’d spare space in his mind for. It was kind of sweet, actually—but his proposed remedy for the situation was a non-starter. 

“I don’t think going on Twitter and refuting every defamatory post about Spider-Man is going to make people hate me less,” Peter chuckled. “If anything, it’ll muck up my image even more. It’s my word against theirs, and my word isn’t considered particularly credible at the moment. I’d waste hours of my day arguing with idiots online when I could be spending that time helping people and taking down bad guys. It’s just not worth it.”

“I agree,” Johnny said, whisking the eggs together in a bowl. “Which is why that’s not what I’m suggesting. Do you see me arguing with dickheads on the internet over every little lie they spread about me?”

“No,” Peter admitted. 

“What do you see me post?”

Spider-Man frowned at his phone, running through his mental catalog of Johnny Storm’s social media activity, which was embarrassingly extensive. “Just…I don’t know. Videos about your everyday life. Photos with the Fantastic Four. Ads for unbelievably expensive shoe brands that look like they pinch your toes.”

Johnny snickered. “Exactly. All I’m doing is showing people what I’m up to, letting them see I’m a real live person, and making them feel like they’re a part of my daily life. I’m not telling them what they should and shouldn’t believe about me; I’m granting them a window into my everyday experiences, allowing them to get to know me a little bit, then letting them come to their own conclusions. Which are that I’m fun and lovable and eat lots of sushi and have washboard abs.”

Peter giggled lightly. “And in turn are not a menace to society?”

“Precisely. How could anyone this cute and charming be a menace? Now, when some tabloid news handle decides to spread false rumors about me, I don’t have to lift a finger. My adoring fans do all the fighting for me—sometimes debunking the lies and getting the post taken down before I’m even aware it exists.” 

Spider-Man narrowed his eyes. “That seems…manipulative somehow.”

Johnny bopped him on the nose with his finger. “It’s called good marketing, sweetheart. And there’s nothing manipulative about it. When you allow people to get to know you, they can spot lies being pushed about you from a mile away. If you truly are a guy with powers who just wants to help others, the people will rally behind you. But first, you have to grant them a glimpse of the real you. Not the whole picture—but snippets, at least.” 

Peter blinked, cheeks flushing pink. “And I do that by…what…posting pictures of my abs online?”

Johnny drowned a stack of waffles in syrup with a laugh. “No, dumbass—although that probably wouldn’t hurt.” He added a handful of blueberries and swirled a mountain of whipped cream in the center to top it off. “You do it by being yourself. Showing the world the things you like and the stuff you do in your everyday life. Right now, no one has any idea who Spider-Man is—or, hell, if you’re even human. If you started sharing little tidbits about yourself, like—I don’t know—the restaurants you frequent, your favorite views of the city, your love of caramel iced coffee and sour gummy worms, maybe the public would start liking you more. People love it when they can relate to their heroes; it makes them seem less mysterious and untouchable.”

Peter twiddled his thumbs in his lap, a heaviness weighing on his chest. Johnny wasn’t wrong. Maybe the reason so few people trusted Spider-Man was because of how little was actually known about him. Peter worked tirelessly to keep Peter Parker and Spider-Man on separate planes—changing the subject when the masked hero was brought up in conversation, avoiding the sandwich shop Peter Parker regularly visited if he was in costume, hiding the many flesh wounds and purpling bruises Spider-Man sustained beneath long-sleeved shirts and dabs of his aunt’s concealer. 

Peter did it to protect his loved ones, of course; if Spider-Man’s true identity were ever revealed, his friends and family might be targeted by his enemies. But he also did it to protect himself. The best part about Spider-Man was that he wasn’t Peter Parker. Spider-Man possessed everything Peter Parker lacked: power, confidence, outspoken wit. A name people recognized, even if met with disgust. Most of the world already despised him, but what if a little bit of Peter Parker began bleeding into Spider-Man’s persona? Would people start to like him more? See him as their friendly neighborhood hero rather than a malicious menace? Perhaps the name Spider-Man could inspire hope and comfort in people’s hearts instead of fear and distrust.

Or what if they just hated him even more?

No. He couldn’t risk it. For everyone’s sake, Spider-Man and Peter Parker had to remain separate. 

“I don’t swing around this city in red and blue spandex because I want to be liked,” Peter eventually replied, weighing his words carefully. “I do it because I want to help people. The world can say and think whatever they want about me. I don’t care. All that matters is that I’m able to keep helping others as the friendly neighborhood hero I know I am.” He fiddled with the Iron Man pop socket on his phone. “As for the Spider-Man social media stuff, it wouldn’t really feel right to me. I didn’t become Spider-Man to be a celebrity or gain a bunch of followers or anything. I did it to do…well, do what I’m already doing. Help people whenever and wherever I can. That’s what makes me happy, gives me purpose.” 

Johnny gazed at him in silence for a moment, holding a forkful of waffle a few inches away from his mouth. Then he bubbled with laughter, popping the bite between his lips.

“Damn. All right then, Mr. High and Mighty. It was only a suggestion.”

Peter winced suddenly, realizing what he words were insinuating. “No—I’m not saying that—I just meant for me personally—”

“Dude, relax,” Johnny mumbled over his mouthful, retrieving the now-filled coffee cup from the machine. “I get it. Everyone has their own path. And I fully respect yours, even if I don’t understand it at all.”

Spider-Man breathed a quiet sigh of relief, resting his arms on the countertop. Johnny poured steamed milk into the coffee mug and slid it across the island for Peter to take, leaning in close as he offered it to him.

“But for what it's worth, I like you.”

Peter stiffened, turning to look at him. His pulse raced at the sight of his soft, genuine gaze.

“And every new thing I’ve learned about you has only made me like you more,” Johnny continued with a shrug. “So…yeah. If you ever did share more of yourself with the world, I know they’d love you.”

Johnny carefully pressed the cup into Peter’s hands, then scampered back over to the stove, re-buttering the frying pan for his next culinary endeavor. Spider-Man stared stupidly at Johnny’s shoulder blades, his body feeling hot as a furnace and his mind clutching onto one solid thought like a lifeline.

Johnny Storm…likes me?

Johnny Storm…likes me.

“How do you like your eggs?” the Human Torch asked casually, like he hadn’t just rocked him to his very core. “Sunny side up, I assume?”

Peter scoffed, more at himself than anyone else, and blinked at the back of Johnny’s head. “Oh, uh…h-how’d you know?” he stammered out, laughing a little as he said it.

Johnny cracked two eggs into the pan and grinned at him over his shoulder. “You just strike me as a sunny side up kind of person—both in egg preferences and your general outlook on life.”

Spider-Man laughed again because he didn’t know what else to say. “Got me there,” he eventually mumbled, feeling shy and squirmy like a third grader in a talent show. When he spoke again, it took all his willpower to lift his gaze from the counter to Johnny’s face. “And, um, thank you. For saying that.”

Johnny finished off the last of his cooking exploits and presented Peter with two plates: one loaded with protein—eggs, turkey bacon, sausage, avocado toast—and the other stacked high with berry-filled Belgian waffles. It looked bigger and better than any breakfast he’d ever been served at a restaurant or by his loving but cooking-impaired aunt. 

“Sure thing,” Johnny replied, smooth as ever. He dusted off his hands and shoved another forkful of waffle into his mouth. “Now eat up before everything goes cold.”

“This looks amazing,” Peter beamed, a hungry growl rising in his stomach. As he lifted the coffee cup off the counter, he noticed the clever design Johnny had poured into the foam. “Hey! It’s a spider!” he said excitedly. He tilted the mug a little for Johnny to see, even though he was the one who’d made it. “That’s so cool! How’d you do that? It looks just like my symbol.”

Johnny chuckled at his enthusiasm. “I used to work in a bougie coffee shop,” he explained. “People requested weird shit on their lattes all the time. I may have terrible customer service skills, but I’m a pro at obscure coffee foam art.”

Peter smiled wide at the Human Torch, who still looked pretty as a portrait while demolishing his hot sauce-soaked eggs. “You know what, Johnny Storm?” he said. 

Johnny glanced up at him, chewing on a massive bite of food, smearing Tapatío across his lips with the back of his hand. “Hmm?” was all he could manage with his mouth stuffed with scrambled eggs. 

“Every new thing I learn about you makes me like you more, too.”

This time, it was Johnny’s turn to blush, which was delightfully thrilling to elicit from his otherwise suave and unshakable semblance. He choked a little on his mouthful and wiped his face with a napkin, dropping his eyes to his plate to avoid Peter’s gaze, the apples of his cheeks and the tips of his ears turning a rosy pink color. 

“Thanks,” he coughed, pounding his chest with his fist, a pained smile on his lips. “Don’t try to learn too many new things about me at once, though. I’ve been told I’m far more tolerable in small doses. Also, please don’t google my name followed by the phrase Tibetan dwarf hamster or wardrobe malfunction. I promise the information you find will not be flattering.”

Spider-Man giggled, relishing in the knowledge that Johnny’s ability to fluster him was actually a two-way street; Peter exacted the same power over him, if he leveraged his words right. 

“Now eat already, moron,” Johnny demanded, shoving the two plates towards him aggressively. “We have a big day today. Sue said our teams are doing some kind of superpower demonstration thing. You’ll need to be at your best to have any chance of impressing everyone more than me.”

Peter smirked and rolled his eyes. “Please. I already whooped your flaming ass in front of everyone once. If anyone should be worried about proving themselves to the others, it’s you.”

“You wish.”

Spider-Man chuckled, then lifted his mask up his face so his nose and mouth were exposed. He felt Johnny’s eyes watching him intently as he cut into the waffles and took a big, whipped cream-covered bite. Peter chewed and nodded and offered him a messy smile.

“It’s really good,” he mumbled over his mouthful. He dug into the rest of the feast with glee, sampling all the different kinds of breakfast foods, each of which were cooked and seasoned to perfection. Johnny’s gaze continued to track him like a laser pointer, following his every move, making Peter grow more self conscious by the second. Soon enough, his neck began to burn beneath Johnny’s unwavering stare. After a minute, Peter looked up at him hesitantly, setting down his fork and cradling his coffee mug with both hands. 

“What?” he finally asked.

Johnny blinked, as if he’d just snapped him out of trance. “Huh? What?”

“You’re…kinda staring at me?”

Johnny blinked again, a slight pink color returning to his cheeks. “Oh,” he said. “Sorry.” He gestured towards Peter with his chin, hinting a timid smile. “It’s just, I’ve never seen any part of your face until now.”

Peter’s knee-jerk reaction was to yank his mask back down and hide himself completely again. He wasn’t sure why, but he resisted the urge, knowing now it’d be pointless. He swallowed, gripping the coffee cup a little tighter. 

“Oh. Right,” he said stiffly. It wasn’t like people hadn’t seen the lower half of his face before. He ate around others as Spider-Man all the time. Why was it any different now, in front of Johnny?

“I was worried you’d have, like, giant spider-fangs,” Johnny clarified, holding his index fingers against his canines to mimic elongated teeth, “and those creepy little mouth bits arachnids have that twitch around when they kill things.”

Peter broke into a shy laugh, shaking his head. He allowed the tension in his muscles to dissolve somewhat. “No, I don’t have those,” he assured him. 

“Are you positive?” Johnny asked suspiciously. To Peter’s surprise, the Human Torch reached towards his face and pushed at the corners of his mouth so his canine teeth were exposed, brows scrunched in concentration. “Maybe they’re retractable, like cat claws. Have you ever bitten one of your enemies before? You should try it and see if they turn catatonic. Maybe you have paralyzing saliva powers, and you don’t even know it!”

Peter pulled Johnny’s hands away from his face, wrinkling his nose as he spluttered and giggled. “Blech! Dude! That’s disgusting! Ugh!” He scrubbed his lips with his palm, running his tongue across his teeth with a grimace. “I’m pretty sure I don’t have venomous saliva! But if I did, do you really think shoving your fingers into my mouth would be the smartest move?”

“What about your eyes?” Johnny continued inquisitively, unfazed. “Do you have eight of them like a real spider? What do they look like? Is that why you wear a mask? So people don’t run screaming at the sight of you?”

“Why do you assume I’m some kind of horrifying half-man, half-spider abomination?” Peter scoffed amusedly, recoiling at the thought. He’s even worse than Ned, he realized. Spider-Man waved his hand in front of his masked face. “I’m a normal human person underneath here! I have a normal number of eyes! I live a normal life outside of being a superhero that wouldn’t be possible if I looked like some nightmarish spider-person amalgamation. The only reason I wear a mask is so I can keep my regular life and my superhero life separate.”

Johnny leaned over the island to be closer to him, placing his arms on the counter a couple inches away from Peter’s. “What’s it like?” he asked.

“What? Wearing a mask?” Peter huffed. “Kind of annoying, to be honest. It sticks to your face when you get sweaty, completely messes up your hair for the day, and needs constant washing if you don’t want it to smell like Hulk’s big nasty—”

“I meant having a secret identity,” Johnny interrupted him with a chuckle. “You know, going to school and hanging out with friends and cat sitting as—whoever you are outside of all this, and none of them knowing you’re actually a superhero.”

“Oh,” Peter said, eyes wandering down to Johnny’s arms. His flannel sleeves were rolled up to his elbows so his forearms were bare. They were speckled with freckles just like his face and covered in hairs so blonde they were practically transparent. A very weird part of him wanted to reach out and touch them. He strangled the impulse to death as fast as humanly possible. 

“It’s…strange, I guess. The majority of the people in my life only know half my story. They either know me as Spider-Man, or your average high schooler from Queens. Only those closest to me know me as both, and pretty much all of them found out by accident. It’s a very Hannah Montana-esque, best-of-both-world’s kind of vibe. Minus all the wigs and pop music. I can’t sing for shit.”

“Wow,” Johnny said, squirting a dollop of whipped cream onto his tongue. “That’s wild. Who all knows the truth besides your aunt?”

“Just Mr. Stark and my best friend. It’s always very stressful and dramatic when someone finds out, so I really try to keep it a secret.”

“Is it hard? Hiding your identity from everyone?”

Peter paused, drumming his fingers against the island, his hand hardly an inch from Johnny’s arm. “Sometimes. I once had to rescue a few of my classmates as Spider-Man while we were on a field trip together. There was also a time when some bad guys tracked me all the way inside my high school and almost found me without my mask on. Oh, and my date to homecoming last year turned out to be the daughter of this crazy super villain I’d been after, and I had to leave her on the dance floor to go fight her dad, who very nearly pummeled me to death.”

Johnny’s expression shifted a little when Peter mentioned that last part. He pulled his arms off the table, suddenly very interested in the syrup-soaked remnants of his waffle. 

“That…yep, that definitely doesn’t sound easy,” he laughed, but it sounded fake and forced. “I, um, don’t think I could handle that kind of pressure. I’m not a very good liar. I also enjoy people’s attention way too much to keep my powers a secret.”

Peter noted the gloomy sheen over Johnny’s eyes, subtle but present. Had he said something wrong? Spider-Man leaned a little farther forward, trying to bridge the gap Johnny had created between them. 

“But overall, staying anonymous isn’t that difficult. Not for someone like me, anyway. I’m not exactly a member of the ‘popular crowd’ at my school. According to my classmates, I’m just some scrawny nerd on the Decathalon team who’s been picked on by the same stupid bully since the sixth grade. I’m the last person anyone would ever expect to be a superhero. I blend into the background really easily.” 

After a moment, a hesitant smile found Johnny’s lips. “I don’t believe that,” he said.

Peter chuckled. “That I’m a nerd? I listen to the Physics Central podcast unironically and build Star Wars Lego sets in my spare time.”

“Oh, no. I one hundred percent believe you’re a nerd.” He dragged his fork through the pools of syrup on his plate absentmindedly. “I meant you blending into the background. I can’t imagine that being true.”

Spider-Man blushed into a bite of avocado toast and shrugged his shoulders. “Well, believe it, Torchy. I’m not like you.”

Johnny raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean? Not like me how?”

A warm current moved through the blood in Peter’s ears. Spider-Man shrugged again, nibbling on a corner of crust, staring off to the side. “You know, like…poised. Picturesque. Having charisma and style and a face pretty enough for magazine ads.”

Johnny split into a grin, tilting his head to the side. “Oh. You think I’m pretty?”

Peter wanted to kick himself. He opened and closed his mouth like a stranded goldfish, grasping for words other than: ‘why yes, Johnny; of course, Johnny; your dreamy eyes and radiant smile make my heart do loop-de-loops.’ Instead, Spider-Man gave him a shove and feigned a laugh, heat pulsing off the nape of his neck. 

“Shut up. You know what I mean.”

Johnny pursed his lips and knitted his eyebrows together. “Hmm, no, I don’t think I do.” He leaned in close, resting his chin on his palm, a smug grin stretching from ear to ear. “Please, enlighten me: what is it about my face that makes me pretty enough for magazines?”

Godammit, Johnny, Peter groaned internally, hoping the parts of his face that were visible didn’t look as pink as they felt. Now he was just messing with him. Peter shoveled eggs into his mouth to give himself more time to think. 

“Well, er…you know. You’ve got that…like…cool guy, conventionally attractive, Disney Prince smolder thing going for yah most people can’t pull off.”

Tongue-in-cheek, Johnny crossed his arms against his chest. “Now I’m cool and attractive as well? Goodness, Spider-Man. You’re gonna make me blush.”

“You forgot arrogant and self-obsessed,” Peter added teasingly. “Can’t be magazine-worthy without those qualities.”

“True,” Johnny said through a smirk. “To be fair, it’s kinda hard not to be when superheroes I just met are gushing about how pretty and cool and attractive I am.”

Peter hid behind a sip of coffee. “Well, your eggs were a little salty, and this latte has a bitter aftertaste to it, so…write that in your next magazine spread. Not so perfect after all, huh?”

The two of them shared a laugh. “It’s supposed to taste like that, asshole.” 

“Not the kind I drink. My coffee is a smooth and magical union of oat milk, caramel drizzle, and caffeinated bliss. When I’m feeling extra special, I’ll even add whipped cream on top.”

“Your coffee is barely coffee at all. That’s like, ninety-five percent sugar.”

“Yeah. And?” 

Johnny scrunched up his nose in disgust, then cracked a wily grin. 

“Fine. Let me fix it for yah, then.”

He lifted the can of whipped cream over Peter’s cup and held down the tip, swirling layers upon layers of sugary foam onto his latte. Spider-Man yelped in alarm when the whipped cream began spilling out of the mug all over his hands and the countertop.

“Dude! Oh my god! That’s enough!” he laughed. 

“Not if you want it to taste like a sugar-laced heart attack, it isn’t,” Johnny giggled. He stopped aiming for the cup altogether and started spraying Peter intentionally, lathering him with whipped cream as he attempted to defend himself from the surprise attack. 

“Agh! Johnny!” Spider-Man cackled. He staggered out of his chair, swatting at the sugary projectile. “Come on! I just cleaned this suit!”

“Should’ve thought about that before insulting my latte!” Johnny countered. He enacted his revenge without mercy, coating Peter’s arms and chest like a hot fudge sundae. Whipped cream covered Spider-Man’s costume and the tile beneath him. As he took another step back, defending his face with his hands, he slipped in the growing pool of melted cream under his feet, yelling with a start as he fell hard on his rump.

Johnny rounded the island to find Spider-Man sitting on the kitchen floor in a sticky, messy heap. After a beat, he burst out laughing, doubling over with his arms hugging his stomach.

Peter scoffed, flicking the sugary froth from his fingers. “All right, you asked for this,” he said. He snagged a line of webbing to Johnny’s chest and whipped him forwards, pulling a gasp from his lips. “Bring it in, superhero bestie!”

“No—wait—!” Johnny cried before crashing into him. The pair slid a couple feet across the floor, drenched in fluffy foam and melted goop, laughing their asses off. Peter wasted no time scooping giant handfuls off himself and smooshing them into Johnny’s obscenely perfect face and hair. Johnny tried to scramble away but wound up slipping and falling himself, causing both of them to crack up all over again.

“What the hell?”

In an instant, all laughter died on their lips. Spider-Man and the Human Torch sat up rigidly, following the voice across the room. At the base of the stairwell, the rest of the Fantastic Four stood staring at them, dressed in their matching uniforms, faces twisted in confusion: The Thing, Reed Richards, and Susan Storm. 

“Johnny?” Sue said sharply. “What’s going on here?”

Johnny and Peter exchanged a glance. Peter felt like a toddler caught in the act of some mischievously childish scheme, ripe for a thirty minute timeout. Johnny grinned at his sister sheepishly. 

“Uh…whipped cream fight?” he chuckled, wiping his face with his sleeve. He rose to his feet, slipping a little on the wet tile, then offered Spider-Man his hand. Blushing for more reasons than he could count, Peter accepted his help, pulling his mask back over his chin. 

“Why?” Ben asked gruffly. “Does this have something to do with yesterday? Are you two still pissed at each other?”

“No!” Spider-Man answered a little too quickly. All eyes immediately turned on him. He swallowed, brushing some fluff off his shoulder. “We just—we were debating how sweet coffee is supposed to be, so Johnny started adding a bunch of whipped cream to my latte as a joke, but then it was getting everywhere, and we—well, it doesn’t really makes sense, and now that I’m saying it out loud, I realize how stupid and silly this must look, b-but—”

“We were just messing around,” Johnny snickered, flicking little globs at Peter’s face for good measure. Peter flinched and giggled, pushing him away, very nearly sending both of them tumbling to the floor again. “We’ll clean everything up. I promise.”

Sue frowned, eyes shifting between them skeptically, like it was somehow worse that they were having fun together rather than smothering each other with whipped cream out of spite. She beckoned her brother forward.

“Go get yourself cleaned up first. We’re meeting on the power demo field in twenty minutes. 81st floor. Don’t be late.”

“We won’t be,” Johnny said, including Spider-Man even though she was very clearly only speaking to him. He made a face as he ripped the webbing Peter had shot him with off his shirt, eyeing the silken thread curiously.

“I’ll clean the kitchen since you made breakfast,” Peter chimed in, nudging Johnny towards his teammates. “Go get changed. I’ll meet you with the others in a bit.”

“I’m the one who started the whipped cream fiasco,” Johnny pointed out. “I’ll at least help you clean the floor.”

“Don’t worry. Mr. Stark has cleaning bots who can take care of it. Watch.” Spider-Man looked up at the ceiling. “Hey FRIDAY, little help?”

A moment later, a panel in the wall by the elevator opened up, and a robot that looked like a smaller, sleeker version of DUM-E rolled out. The bot immediately went to work vacuuming up the mess and wiping down the kitchen floor, leaving the tile shiny and spotless. 

“See?” Peter said.

“All right,” Johnny sighed, then smiled. “Thanks. Make sure you have enough time to clean yourself off, too.”

He shot one last squirt of whipped cream at Peter’s forehead, making both of them laugh as Spider-Man wiped it off his mask, smearing it a little as he did. Then Johnny tossed the empty can in the trash and crossed the room to join his team.

“See yah in a bit!” he called to Spider-Man, following Ben and Reed up the stairs. Sue fell in line behind him, shooting a parting glare over her shoulder before disappearing with the others. 

“See yah,” Peter said skittishly, flexing his sticky fingers at his sides. It seemed he was incapable of making any kind of impression on the rest of the Fantastic Four other than weird and bad. 

After the dishes were scrubbed and the counters mopped clean, he hurried to his room to take a quick shower and switch to his backup Spider-Man suit. Maybe this power demonstration thing wasn’t such a bad idea. Maybe this was his chance to really impress the Fantastic Four.

But if Peter was being honest with himself, there was only one member of the Fantastic Four he truly cared about impressing. 

[queen-rainy-love]

Red Velvet finds Clotted at the Cookie Kingdom and screams his name out loud. Clotted is confused but sees that RV has his journal and he panicks. RV screams at him for writing hateful things about them. The PV brothers try to stop him but RV shuts them up. Out of anger, he rips the journal in front of Clotted. RV continues to yell at him, but he’s suddenly stop when Clotted let out a bloodcurdling “AAAHHH!!” He then silently cries, and says “I hate you guys..” and walks away (Part 6 soon :D)

Well...I guess I have to wait for part 6 for more pain.

*The scene is set a couple of hours later in the Seaport District of the Cookie Kingdom. Clotted Cream is walking around frantically, looking for something.*

Clotted Cream: (Where is it? I was sure that I didn't bring it to my trip here.)

*Just as he was about to run into another district, he hears someone screaming his name.*

???: CLOTTED CREAM!!!!!

*Clotted Cream turns around to see Red Velvet near the ports, running at him at full speed. Right behind him, his three brothers are trying to catch him. Now Clotted Cream doesn't understand why Red Velvet is mad but he quickly notices a brown leather book in his hand. That's when his panic start to grow. Red Velvet finally reaches him, grabs his collar, and starts yelling at him.*

Red Velvet: How dare you think we were lucky!!! You know nothing about us and you don't try to know!!! And the fact that you have the nerve to write all these things about my brothers and our father! After everything they tried to do for you!

Madeleine: Red Velvet stop!

Red Velvet: *turns to Madeleine* Stay out of it!!! *Turns back to Clotted Cream* You know nothing about them!! You know nothing about me!!!! So to read this and learn how you assumed you know tells me that I was right!!! YOU. *grabs each cover* CAN'T. *starts ripping it* BE. *the journal's spine is half ripped* TRUSTED. *the journal's spine is completely ripped apart*

*Red Velvet throws the ripped journal to the ground. He was about to yell more when Clotted Cream let out a bloodcurdling scream.*

Clotted Cream: AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! YOU MONSTER!!!!!!! HOW COULD YOU?!?!?!?!

*Red Velvet flinches when Clotted Cream screamed at him. Clotted Cream's cape ribbon tries to slash Red Velvet but misses. Silent tears fell down the Consul's face as he stares at the destroyed journal. Clover tried to calm Clotted Cream down but his hand was slapped away.*

Clotted Cream: *Quietly* I hate you guys... *walks away, leaving four stun brothers*

Anon...please tell me the next part will not hurt us.

[jaysevhls]

There's A Bomb | Jay Halstead

Request: Jay falling in love with Voight's daughter.

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Voight!Reader

Author's note: Requests are open. (The moment with a bomb was inspired on episode from "The Flash" when Joe saved Cecile.)

Your dad was always worried about you, especially when you told him that you want to be a cop like him. First he didn't approve your decision, but when he saw you graduating the police academy, he knew that it's your right path. He wanted to keep you safe and close, at least he could do that, so he brought you to Intelligence. You were happy there since day one, it was your dream to watch him catching bad guys.

He partnered you with Erin, because he trusted her the most, like you. She wasn't from Voight's family, but she was like sister to you, she knew everything about you.

But after few years it was her time to go and she moved. You took it hard, just like Jay, who wanted to propose to her. You weren't close with him, but the pain he had was very similar to yours. After she left, Voight partnered you with him and Hailey, the new girl, was now a partner to Kim.

Cases that involved drugs were your favorite. Going undercover, to make a deal, that was your favorite part of the job. You were the best in this and you were happy to do it every time. But when kids are involved... This hits just different. You usually took it very personal, it was just too hard to see them working for those bastards.

"Okay guys, we've got a case involving drugs and a murder of mob boss. I think we all know who that is, Alejandro Cortez. 32 years old, he's chasing by police and FBI for 2 years. He killed his own wife, then mob boss, two murders with a bomb. One pinned to the car, the second one in club. He's hiding since then, we can't reach him." Kevin pinned his photo to the board and gave you files about the case."But, we know that his niece was taken from her family and we all think that he took her, because he wants to take a revenge on his brother for turning him to the police."

"All of this because he's angry? And why the kid?" you asked.

"We don't know yet. She's missing for 4 days and the people who saw the kidnapper described him. Description matches to Alejandro. They're living in Chicago, that means he's here and this might be our last chance to get him." you sat on your desk and started to look into the files.

"Hey, you okay?" Jay asked you. Before nodding to him, you brushed his hand with your fingers and smiled at him. He was always caring about you in cases like this, you were so thankful for him. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Y/N? Can we talk?" your dad asked.

"Sure." you walked into his office and closed doors.

"I'm worried about you. If you want I can take you off the case." he said.

"I'm fine, really. It's just... I don't understand some things, I need to figure them out. Don't worry." you hugged him and went back to your desk.

The tension was thick, everyone were working on the case, while Jay was trying to figure out his feelings. He couldn't talk to anyone about this, because they knew that person, especially he couldn't talk about it with you.

God, he wished that you noticed how much he adored you. He stood up and walked to your desk.

"Y/N? Y/N?" he tapped your shoulder.

"Hmm?" you muttered.

"You kinda zoned out, I brought you some coffee."

"Thanks. Do you want to go with me and check on this woman who saw Alejandro? I don't want to go there alone." you asked.

"Of course, partner."

You drove in silence, Jay was watching you the whole ride. He loved to look at your smile, eyes, when you tried to be serious, but he always made you smile and laugh. He trusted you like no one, he could put his life in your hands, because he knew that you'll help him no matter what.

"Chicago PD." you said and knocked on the doors.

"What do you want?" a woman appeared and looked so scared.

"Sophia? We're from Chicago Police Department, I'm detective Halstead and this is detective Voight. We wanted to ask you few questions."

"There's no need to, I already spoke with police." she answered.

"We know, but we wanted to ask about description you gave us. Are you sure that this was the guy?" you showed her a picture.

"Yes, definitely. Now leave me alone." she said and walked away, then closed the doors.

"I think she won't say us more." you laughed and made your way to the truck.

"Yeah Adam, what's up?" Jay said, answering his phone.

"We've got a possible location where Alejandro can be, go and check this place."

"Alright, let's go." Jay said.

"5021 Frank, detective Y/N Voight, we're heading to a possible location where our suspect can be. Plain clothes officers on the scene, roll a backup and ambo."

"Copied 5021 Frank, sending a backup and ambo."

"Do you think he's gonna be there?" Jay asked you.

"I don't know, I just hope to find his niece sooner than him so I could kick his ass after. I mean, she's a kid... How can he do that?" you answered. Jay looked at you worried. After few minutes you were on the scene.

"Take the back, we're going from the front." you said to officers who were there already.

"I'm coming in." Jay went first, you right after him.

"I'm covering you." you pulled your gun low, until you noticed blood on the carpet. "Blood." you both raised your gun and checked the first floor.

"Stairs." Jay said and again you followed him.

"You heard that?" the sound reminded you a cry.

"Chicago PD! Alejandro, put your gun down and come out!" Jay yelled. "Let your niece go first!"

"Stop! Stop!" you looked at Jay confused.

"Alejandro, if you won't come out we'll come for you" he yelled again.

"Wait, it's not him." you looked at Jay and nodded over the mirror where you saw a little girl tied up, sitting on the chair.

"Please, it's gonna blow!" you hid your gun and walked into the room while Jay was calling for a bomb squad.

"Hey, what's your name?" you asked her.

"Lauren." she cried so hard. You needed to calm her down when you saw a bomb pinned to the chair.

"Okay Lauren, I need you to sit there carefully, don't move, okay? We'll get you out of here."

"He said that he's gonna make them suffer!" she yelled.

"Jay? Call for a backup, send them to her parents." you knew that at this point he wanted to kill all of her family, to make them suffer, especially this little girl. "It's gonna be okay. I'm gonna check on timer right now okay?"

"Mhm." she calmed a little. 6 minutes you saw. You knew what kind of bomb was that. Jay told you his stories when he was in the army, you knew more than he thought.

"Y/N? What are you doing? Let's go, bomb squad will help her!" Jay showed up in the room, watching your actions.

"It will be too late. Hey, Lauren. I need you to switch places with me on 3 okay?" you looked at her, she nodded slowly.

"You've got to be kidding me! You want yourself killed?"

"Jay! Just let me do my job. It has 5 minutes timer now, when she'll stand, it's gonna run down, we won't be able to get out of there and they'll be too late. I'm gonna sit there to stop it from going down fast."

"Y/N, please..." he walked closer and hugged you.

"On 3 Lauren. 1... 2... 3..." you pushed her to Jay and sat on the chair. You looked at the timer. 3 minutes left.

"Take her out, I'll stay on the line." you said.

"5021 George, I'm going out with a hostage. Detective Voight will stay on the line." he felt tears in his eyes. He let go her hand and went outside. Lauren went to the ambo to get checked out.

"Halstead, what the hell? Where's Y/N?" Voight asked him.

"She switched places with Lauren, she's holding out the timer."

"Y/N?" Voight spoke.

"D-dad, I'm fine. Just tell the squad to come here asap."

"They're 6 minutes out."

"Well... We've 2." you said.

"I'm calling them." Jay said. He put them on the line to speak to you.

"Y/N, we need you to say how this looks like."

"Well, it has a timer and 3 colors inside. Black, white and blue."

"Okay, that means he used the same bomb as on the vehicle. You need to stay calm and carefully remove the blue one." they instructed you. Your hands were shaking, eyes were blinded and your heart was pounding so hard.

"Okay, yeah, I'll do it." you took a deep breath and take moved slowly to blue cable. You looked at the timer. It has stopped.

"Y/N? Y/N!" Jay was screaming to his radio, but you couldn't respond. You immediately stood up and went downstairs. Tears blurred your vision. You reached out to the doors and opened them. All the members looked at you relieved. "Shit." he said and run to you.

At this point you were crying. He took you in his arms, softly stroking your hair.

"I can't breathe." you choked.

"Easy honey, easy. It's the adrenaline rush, everything is okay." he hugged you tighter.

You had still covered your face with your hands. They were shaking so bad. Jay tried to calm you down, so he took them from your face and kissed."Come on, I'm taking you home." he held you close and went with you to Hank.

"Oh god Y/N! What were you thinking out there?!" now he was the one holding you.

"I was doing my job, I needed to help her." you said as you felt something hugging you from the side. Lauren held your hand hard and cried.

"Thank you, thank you. I wanna be strong as you! I'll be a cop one day!" she was full of energy, she didn't realise what just happened, she was only 8 years old after all... And that fact was making you sick. That little girl almost died because of payback.

"I'm so glad you're okay baby. Go to see your mom." you pointed at police car, who just arrived.

"Hey, you sure you're fine?" Jay asked you when Hank left to speak with Lauren's mom.

"I just want to go home." he nodded at went with you to his truck.

You held Jay's hand the whole ride to your home.

"Can you go upstairs with me? I need someone right now... Also, I have your favorite beer." you smiled.

"Yeah, I'll take that beer." he answered and followed you to your apartment.

You closed the door and went to the kitchen. Taking a beer, you noticed Jay standing in the hallway, looking at the picture frame with you and him. You put the beer down and walked to him. He turned to face you, when you hungrily kissed his lips. The kiss was so desperate, but at the same time filled with passion and love. He put his hands on your back, bringing you closer. When you couldn't catch a breath, you pulled back.

"I love you. I love you so freaking much. I think about you day and night, if you're okay, if you slept enough. When I pushed Lauren into your way... I knew that I'll always want you to be the one who won't leave my side Jay. I want you to be here. Right here, with me." he pulled you into hug, just like before. It was different than the others time when he was with you. This time, there was a real love between you two.

"Y/N, you don't know how happy I am right now. You saved me so many times, you're my little miracle. I was so afraid to tell you that, but now I wish I could say it earlier. Holding you in my arms is the best thing in the world and I'll always be here for you baby. I love you." he kissed your forehead and took you to the couch. You sat next to him and covered you with blanked.

He couldn't stop thinking about how lucky he was to have you. You were his light.

[nothing-but-dreamy]

ISEKAI

Pairing: FFXV! NYX ULRIC x GENDER NEUTRAL!READER

Words: 5.205

Warnings: none;

A/N: I'm sorry that this request took me so long. Mostly, because I really loved the idea. Therefore, I really hope you will like it. I had much fun to write it.

Summary: Because of a mysterious accident you land in Eos. Finding yourself in an unknown world, you're happy that you got help by someone. Nyx saves your life and quickly, he sees more in you than just a person who was in danger.

***

You were bored. Like, really bored. Your life was barely special before Corona had overtaken the world and now, with all the quarantines, restrictions and rules, the excitement was ... zero.

So, out of boredom, you started to clean your apartment. Every single corner. All of it. From your loudspeakers, random music was playing to cheer you up. Mostly soundtracks of everything you liked: Supernatural, Marvel, Dr Who, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings ... whatever there was in the gaming, movie or TV orbit drifting around, you probably liked it.

So, while you were humming with the latest tune of some triple A video game, you put the vacuum cleaner away to get a black cloth for a last task on your list before everything would be shiny again in your small apartment: the mirrors.

With slow, circling moves, you wiped over the reflecting surface. Your face was staring back at you. Mocking you. You and your boring life even without a pandemic. Sometimes, you even got the feeling of not being in the right place. That you should be somewhere else. That you belonged somewhere else. Where you would have friends and maybe even a partner…

Your eyes were taunting you. They reminded you of all the dreams you had in your youth. All the adventures you wanted to go on. All the exotic countries you wanted to visit. All the food you wanted to discover and yet, you were captured in a boring life, cleaning your apartment at 6 pm because you got nothing else better to do.

You looked into your own eyes, the cloth still touching the mirror as you whispered to yourself, "You know, it would be so great to be somewhere else. Just to be ... Away! Away! Away!"

***

"I hate these trips!", Libertus complained for the third time since they had passed the wall.

Nyx rolled with his eyes but stayed silent. He was still slowly polishing his blades. As he looked up, his eyes met the smirking expression of Pelna who thought the same as Nyx: 'cry-baby'

"Could you please shut up? Would you rather clean the training court instead?", Crowe asked, annoyed about Libertus' non stop whining.

"At least, it wouldn't be less dangerous.", Libertus argued, crossing his arms over his chest.

Crowe leant forward, supporting herself on her knees, "Oh, really? You remember the last time where we got charged with the cleaning task? Three barracks were burning, one was smoldering and the smell of smoke lingered in the Kingsglaive headquarters for three weeks.", she pointed out.

Libertus stretched out his arms as a question, "What? I just wanted to help and to dry everything faster!"

"Yes! With fire magic, god dammit! You're not the best with magic. At all. Just ... don't do that. This mission will be a bit ... easier, I hope."

Nyx' scoffed, "Please... What shall happen on a routine mission to kill some animals which are terrorizing the outskirts?"

Little did he know...

*

"Here kitty, kitty!", Pelna called out and tried to gain the attention of some Sabertusks that had been running into small woods.

"Seriously?", Crowe asked, crossing her arms with a frown on her face.

"What? Somehow we have to get their attention back or do you wanna run after them into the woods where the space is crap to fight against them?", Pelna argued.

Libertus stepped next to Crowe while Nyx was a bit closer to the woods and watched the scene closely. Somehow, it had become silent. Too silent for Nyx’ liking. Not one single sound was to be heard except the soft rustling of the leaves of some trees.

Then, he heard something in the distance but the bikerings of his friends were too loud, so Nyx couldn't locate the source of the sound or what it was at all. After another moment had passed, Nyx turned around with a stern expression, "Guys! Could you shut up, please? I heard something!"

"What did you hear?", Libertus asked and earned a rolling of Nyx' eyes.

"I don't know because you're still talk-", but Nyx stopped as he heard this voice again. This time it was louder and came from the nearby woods.

"Help! Anyone help me!"

"Have you guys heard it?", Nyx asked and stepped forward, closer to the voice. He still couldn't see the source so his eyes darted around to find it.

Pelna stepped to Nyx' side, "It came from the woods."

"Yes, but I can't see from where.", Nyx answered serious, drawing his brows together in concern. Running blind was a bad idea. Nyx still searched the area until a figure emerged from a bunch of bushes, running and stumbling forward.

Shocked, Nyx watched you. You were dressed in some casual, short clothes. It could be just something comfortable to chill or something to sleep with. But whatever it was, it wasn't suitable for someone who was out in the wild. So, the first impressions Nyx had about you were: reckless and … cute

"Help! Please, someone help!", you cried out once again while you stumbled forward, flailing with your arms to keep your balance. Four mean and vicious lonking beasts were chasing you. The animals were jumping out of the woods and caught up on you quickly.

This was enough for Nyx to react, "Guys! Take care of the Sabertusks! I will hurry to help them!", he commanded as he saw you falling to the ground, lying there in shock while waiting for the beasts to attack you. Without a second thought, Nyx threw his Kukri to your position.

Screaming and wheezing you crawled back over the ground, cutting deep into the palms of your hands with sharp stones. Backwards, you tried to create as much space as possible for the monsters with the ugly head, the sharp teeth and deadly claws.

Once again, you cried out for help as something appeared in front of you with a soft sizzling and a sound like fire cracking. You blinked for a moment and then, a man was emerging in front of you. He was surrounded by sparks and glitter. He knelt in front of you on one knee with burning scars in his face.

You cried out in surprise and fear, trying to crawl away from him but Nyx raised his hands to soothe you, "It's okay. You're safe now.", he said, trying to calm you but he still saw the panic in your eyes.

You crawled further till your back hit a huge rock, so your way was blocked. The guy looked back at something before he turned back to you. Obviously, he was pleased with what he saw because his expression was more relaxed than before. You noticed his incredible blue eyes and his handsome face. He looked strange with the hairstyle and the tattoos on his face. Strange but not scary, quite the opposite, which made it easier for you to calm down.

While putting away the Kukri, Nyx noticed that you became calmer even if your breath was still erratic. The pure panic became less and left were two beautiful eyes staring right back at him. Your whole appearance was eye-catching as he looked past all the dirt. Slowly, he crawled closer to you, "I won't hurt you. My name is Nyx. What's your name?", he said soothingly, stretching out his hand to you to show you that he was unarmed.

You calmed down by the sound of his warm voice and the sight of the smile on his full lips, "My... My name is YN.”

Nyx smiled softly as he heard your nice voice. As you shot him a weak smile, he felt his heart making a little jump because it was so beautiful. There was something on you he liked immediately. Quickly, he checked your skin but except for a few scratches and bruises, he couldn’t see any serious wounds, “Nice to meet you, YN. Are you hurt?”

You shook your head while moving your arms and legs a little bit to check on them, “I- I'm fine- ahhh!", you cried out in shock about the view of one of the mean beasts that had chased you as its head appeared next to Nyx'. You panicked and luckily, you passed out finally so you wouldn't notice how Nyx with the nice eyes would die before you would get killed as well.

As Nyx saw you passing out, he reached out for you, catching your shoulders before your head could hit the ground and placed your upper body on his lap. As you were secure, Nyx looked up and watched Libertus stepping closer with a dead Sabertusk body as a trophy raised in the air. He was covered in blood and had a big grin on his lips. Annoyed, Nyx sighed, "Great job, idiot.", Nyx said with you unconscious lying in his arms.

***

As you awoke, you found yourself in a room. It was grey, plain, simple and you were alone. Slowly, you sat up, your head was slightly spinning and a dull pain throbbed behind your temple but your vision became slowly clearer. As you looked around, your eyes landed on a neat folded pile of clothes. Your own were torn and dirty and so, you were thankful to change them.

While you dressed in plain black pants and shirt, you heard sounds coming from behind the door. You considered staying in the safeness of the room but your curiosity won. So, you sneaked out, looking left and right the hallway before you followed the undefined sounds.

After a few metres, you found yourself faced with the view of a courtyard. You were on the second floor and looked into a wide open area. There were men flying and jumping around, all dressed in black, uniform-like clothes. They were appearing and disappearing quickly. Someone started in one corner and landed immediately in another across the field accompanied with sparks and glitter. That you had seen this effect once before calmed you.

Like a circus show, the people were making flic-flac or somersaults. A thought struck you: maybe you got rescued by a bunch of acrobatics and the strange animals had been part of their show? You leant against the handrail to watch them excited.

Suddenly, a man, who stopped right in front of you, keeping himself steady with his hands on the handrail, brought you out of these deliberations and out of your fascination, "Oh, hey, sleeping beauty! Are you good?", the tall guy asked. But unfortunately, it wasn't the one with the incredible blue eyes.

"Libertus! Back to training!", someone called out in a harsh tone, commanding the man away from you.

"Sorry, I have to go.", and with that said, the man called 'Libertus', threw his blade and disappeared in a fog of sparkling stuff.

Still amazed, you watched the others and their 'training', leaning against the handrail with your arms again. As you got used to their tricks, you liked to watch them and how easy it seemed to move so quickly around.

So, as someone appeared next to you, you were startled about the sudden sound of an unknown voice. The owner was tall, with broad shoulders and dressed in a heavy outfit with leather and decorations, "Hi, good to see you awake. My name is Titus Drautos. I’m the Captain of the Kingsglaive.", he introduced himself seriously but calmly.

You frowned, "Kingsglaive?", you asked. You never had heard such a name.

"Yeah... They are the Kingsglaive.", Drautos said and pointed at the jumping figures, "How do you feel?", he asked, checking you quickly but your eyes were clear and there was no other sign of sickness.

"Oh, I'm feeling good again. Thank you.", you said politely, unsure if he wanted to know more but you also felt uncomfortable around him even if you couldn't say why.

"Is there anything I can do for you?", Drautos said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Yeah, actually, I would like to speak with the man who saved me. I would like to thank him. I think 'Nyx' was his name?", you said carefully, watching the Captain’s reaction.

Drautos looked at you for a split second before he shrugged with his shoulders, stepping forward to the handrail, "Ulric!", he called out.

A few seconds later, you watched how a man appeared in front of you, emerging from sparks and glitter like on the field. This time, you were calmer and so, you were impressed how he did this. You never had seen something like this before. And once again, you noticed the glowing, fiery scars carved into his face and down his neck as he stepped in front of the Captain, taking position like a soldier.

"Yes, Sir?", Nyx said serious but already had caught sight of you staring at him. He was glad to see you awake and noticed you approaching with a curious glance. Your eyes were already distracting but Nyx tried to focus on his Captain.

"Since you were the one who had saved YN's life, I thought it would be just right if you would talk with them.", Drautos said serious, "Take care of them.", he said as if you wouldn't stay right next to him before he turned over to march away.

You stared after the tall man, "Actually, it wasn't his idea...", you said resentfully.

Nyx chuckled and closed up on you, "He seeks advantage from whatever he gets. Forget it. But I'm glad that you're awake again. You frightened me a lot as you passed out.", he said with a warm smile.

You chuckled shyly, rubbing the back of your neck, "Yeah...sorry for that. I never fainted before but on the other hand, I never was in such a scary situation."

"I know. Libertus can be frightening-"

"No! I meant this monster! I never saw something like this in my entire life.", you explained, shaking about the mere memory.

“You mean the Sabertusk?", Nyx asked, confused. Sure, not every Insomnian citizen knew all Lucis' animals or had seen them in real life but Sabertusks were so common that even the smallest kids knew about them.

"Saber- what? Nevermind. I just don't want to see any of this again."

Nyx chuckled, "Don't worry. Here in Insomnia, you're safe."

You tilted your head, "Insomnia?"

Nyx frowned and was concerned if you might have hit your head after all, "Yeah... Insomnia? The capital city of Lucis?"

You blinked several times because you had no idea what he was talking about, "Lucis? Is that a nickname for... Louisiana?"

Nyx stepped in front of you, looking in your eyes and checking your head but you seemed alright, "Amnesia, huh? Well, I guess this will be over soon. I'm sure it's coming from the shock. You're hungry?", he asked hopefully to be able to spend more time with you and watched how a broad smile spread on your lips.

"I'm starving!", you answered.

"Oh, no! Don't do that! Drautos will yell at me if I won't take good care of you.", he joked and showed you the way out of the headquarters.

As you stepped out of the building, you had no idea that the time for questions and wonders had just begun.

Nyx passed the entrance mindlessly and walked down the few stairs but as he couldn't hear you following him, he turned around just to see you staring at the skyline with big eyes. It was this moment where Nyx noticed two things:

First, the astonishment you showed as you looked at all the buildings and at the sky with the magical wall wasn't just an act and second, Nyx realized that he was attracted to you.

It was the second point that surprised Nyx the most. He barely knew you. He had just met you and still, there was something on you. He had felt it back on the field. Something he couldn't put a finger on. Were it your eyes? Or the way you looked at the surroundings as if you had never seen any of all this before? Or was it the way you looked at him?

Nyx thought about it like a magical aura that surrounded you. There was something on you he couldn't quite understand but he was eager to find out what it was. Amused but at the same time attentive, he watched you stumbling down the few stairs because your eyes were still directed at the sky. Nyx caught you at the last moment and shook his head with a grin, "Watch out, YN. Don't walk around so mindlessly or you will hurt yourself.", he whispered.

You noticed your cheeks redden, mostly as you felt Nyx’ strong hands on your body and how close he was, but as your eyes met his you saw the grin on his lips, "Usually, I'm more cautious but- have you seen the sky? It… Is it sparkling? It looks as if sparkling waves are spreading over the city…", you breathed, looking up once again.

Nyx looked from you at the sky and back at you before he placed you back on the ground, "Y-yeah… it's kinda sparkling. That's the magic of the crystal. The crystal which secures this city through the King's power?", he added as he saw your puzzled expression.

"Y-you… this city has a King? And a magical- what? A wall?"

"Very funny!", Nyx called out and laughed. He thought you would make fun of him but as you still stared at him with no amusement, he frowned, "Where do you actually come from?"

"Oh, I'm from New Jersey.”

“Never heard about it before. Come on, let us get something to eat and then we talk a bit.”

*

"What the hell is this building? Is this a church?", you asked, pointing at a building with two tall towers where something shot into the sky from the middle of the building, "This smoke looks … strange.", you pointed out.

This was the tenth question of that kind you had asked during the last five minutes. Nyx stopped in his tracks and looked at you, "It's the Citadel. The castle?", he tried to trigger your memories as you showed no reaction, "The 'smoke' you see there is actually the energy from the crystal that creates the wall. I told you about it before."

You nodded slowly, "Yeah… the crystal… You have some crazy stuff here.", you said, impressed, chewing on some spicy meat you had picked from a stick.

Before Nyx could react, he got a call and asked you to wait, "Ulric. Yes, Sir. Yes, we're still in the city. No, Sir.", he answered the questions asked by Drautos while he watched you wandering around. Nyx kept you in sight but was also fascinated by the way you looked at all the different things around you. He wouldn't call it naive but it seemed as if you were easily impressed. You found something interesting in the smallest things while Nyx caught himself by thinking about you as cute and … lovely.

Another question of Drautos brought Nyx back to reality and he realized that he stopped listening to his Captain a while ago, "Yes, Sir. I'm listening. Of course. Yes, I will take care of YN. Yes. Bye-", but the Captain already had hung up, "Good day to you, too, Sir."

As you noticed that Nyx was done with his call, you joined him again, "What was the matter? Are you in trouble?", you asked, concerned because you had hogged Nyx for quite a while.

"No, everything's good. It was just Drautos. Obviously, you're stuck with me a bit longer. I got the orders to look after you.", Nyx answered with a soft smile as he saw your worried expression which changed into a huge, charming, heart-stopping smile.

"Great. I still have a bunch of questions.", you said excitedly, linking your arm with Nyx' to wander further through the Crown's City.

***

But not just you had a lot of questions. Nyx too. In the beginning, he thought you would make fun of him as you asked so many things about the best known facts of Eos everyone actually knows.

But quickly, after Nyx had asked you a bunch of questions on his own, he realized that you weren't joking. Sure, as you told him that you came through a mirror, because you had been fallen through it, sounded more like a bedtime story for kids but you spoke about everything with so much conviction that Nyx believed you.

The Captain, slightly concerned about your state because Nyx had told him about his suspicion that you could suffer from amnesia, asked on a regular basis if Nyx had any new information about you. And not for one second, Nyx thought about telling him the truth.

He said neither something about your journey through the mirror nor about your life in New Jersey. That you knew nothing about Eos at all because this was simply not your world. He kept it all a secret.

Because Nyx felt the urge to protect you. Whenever he was with you in the past week he felt good. As if just your presence was able to lift his spirit. You were funny, curious and interested in him and in this, for you, new world. Nyx already liked you. A lot. It wasn't just attraction anymore, rather he really started to like you on a more emotional level even after this short of time. But he had no idea how you were thinking about him.

So, by the end of the week, Nyx collected as much courage as he could find, "Hey, uhm… Libertus and the others are meeting at Yamachang's. You… Do you wanna come with me? I- I mean us?", he asked and felt nervous. The whole week, he had been with you with no problem and now, he felt nervous because this question didn't belong to the Captain's order anymore to take care of you. For him, it was far more.

You saw the hope in Nyx’ eyes and the insecurity in his expression about what your answer would be. The past week, you had spent a lot of time with Nyx. You got to know him. His life as a Glaive. As a refugee. You had learned about his deceased family and his life in Galahd. And, not very surprisingly, you started to like the soldier with the greyish hair and the incredible blue eyes. For you, it was extremely hard to resist his charm and his handsomeness. And in the end, you didn’t want to resist him. You just had no idea how he thought about you.

You tried to get closer to Nyx so many times. You wanted to show him in a subtle way how you felt. Maybe, this invitation would give you the opportunity to make a move on him, "I would love to come with you.", the slowly growing smile on Nyx' lips gave you the sense to have done things right.

*

"YN, it's good to see that you're alright again.", Pelna said and gave you a drink.

"Yeah… Nyx did everything to bring me back on track.", you said and winked at Nyx who smiled shyly.

"The Captain already complained you two were just sightseeing all the time.", Crowe said jokingly.

You chuckled, scratching the back of your neck, "Yeah… I guess, the amnesia had hit me harder than I thought."

Nyx looked at you with a frown. After you had told him your story, he was sure you were okay. No amnesia or something like this. So, why were you sticking to this story instead of telling the truth?

"Oh, so, you remember where you come from and stuff?", Libertus asked.

You smiled at him, "Yes, of course.", you answered. Quickly, you checked on Nyx who still watched you. Were you seeing cautiousness in his eyes? Was he afraid of what you would say? You looked back at Libertus, "I come from Altissia. I was moving to Insomnia for a new job. As you found me, I was on my way but unfortunately, I had an accident with my car and then, the horrors with all these creatures started. You have to know, Altissia is built on water. We don't have such wildlife as Lucis has."

Nyx stared at you speechless. You were lying. Lying about everything. Effortlessly. But everything you said were things you knew from him. Nyx showed you a map of Eos. He told you as much as he knew about Lucis and Accordo. About all the differences he could remember. You turned your head and smiled softly at him. You even winked at Nyx and he saw in your eyes that you would explain it to him later.

*

You and Nyx walked side by side as you left Yamachang's a few hours later. The Crown's City was still buzzing. People were walking to bars, clubs and restaurants. You turned your head over to Nyx and because he was unusually quiet, you nudged his shoulder with yours, "You think they bought my story?"

Nyx looked at you with an unreadable expression, "You were lying."

"Yes and I hated it. Trust me. But what else should I say? The truth? That I fell through a mirror and landed here? Instead that I woke up in my bed in New Jersey, I awoke in an old hunters hut in the middle of nowhere?", you pointed out softly.

Nyx nodded. He understood your point. He was barely able to understand all this but he had accepted it. You had spoken so detailed about your home that there was no way that everything was just made up. But to explain everything to his friends would be maybe too much.

Suddenly, a thought struck his mind and he was surprised that he didn't have thought about this earlier. Carefully, he looked at you, "Do you miss it? Your … home, I mean."

Your brows shot up because you realized that you were barely thinking about your former life, "Actually, I uhm…", you whispered, searching for the right words, before you looked at Nyx and stopped. You had reached the plaza of the Citadel. You looked at the stream of magical power and at the beautiful sparkling light. The moon was already up and together it was a captivating view. You looked back at Nyx who waited patiently, "To be honest, I have barely thought about it since I've been here."

Nyx stepped closer to you. It was a moment that could change things and he felt it. Maybe it was silly to think about a future with someone he knew for just one week but here he was, looking into your enchanting, sparkling eyes and watching how your teeth were digging into your lower lip, "If it would be possible, if there would be a way, would you… go back?"

You also stepped forward with a pounding heart in your chest. For one week, you asked yourself how Nyx' lips would taste, how his hands would feel on your skin when he would want you and how soft his hair really felt between your fingers, "You know, as I was in this hut, before you found me? I tried to find a way to get back. Now, I think things might have changed.", you whispered.

Nyx' pulse quickened as he saw your breathtaking smile, "What has changed? I mean, this is not your world.", he said softly, stroking with the back of his hand over your cheek before he cupped your face carefully, "There's nothing that would keep you here.", he whispered.

You leant against his warm hand, even inhaling his scent, "For me, there would be a reason … rather… someone… to stay here.", you said, looking at Nyx in a certain way to tell him that you meant him. As you let your hands slid underneath his jacket, stroking over Nyx' chest, feeling him tensing, you saw that he understood, "But I- I'm not sure what this someone might think of it if I would want to stay.", you said meaningfully.

Nyx was nervous, excited and jittery at the same time. It had increased since you had started to touch him softly. Your affection gave him the courage to snake his other arm slowly around your waist to pull you closer, "You know, you have nothing to fear about this someone’s reaction. He would be more than happy to keep you here.", he breathed, nudging playfully your nose with his with a shy smile on his lips.

You mimicked his smile. The moonlight was sparkling in Nyx’ mysteriously glowing eyes which kept you in their spell, "Y- you're so sure about it?", you whispered.

Nyx nodded slowly, still looking into your eyes, "Yes, I am sure. YN, I… I'm falling for you. There's no doubt how I'm feeling about you. It's crazy because we just met one week ago but … you're so beautiful. And so amazing. The way you're interested in all these new things. How you look at everything … how you look at me… I wouldn't stop you if you really want to go back home but I… I would love to be the reason for you to stay here. With me."

You snaked your arms around Nyx' neck, pulling him closer, "You're the best reason I could ask for.", you breathed against his lips before you closed the gap finally.

Nyx responded to your move and kissed you deeply. His fingers found their way into your hair while he caressed your lips with his. The grip of his arm around you got even stronger to have you close while you played with his hair in a teasing way. He was overwhelmed by all the things he felt by just kissing you. No matter where you had come from, that you were there, with him, that you even existed was everything for him.

Under the magical, white moon of Lucis, Nyx gave you an unspoken promise. He wouldn't let you go. Never. From the beginning, you were more than just someone whose life he had rescued. You were what he had missed in his life all the time. He had been searching for something that had been out of reach. But obviously destiny meant it well and you had been falling into his life like a miracle. Literally. And Nyx would treat you like this. With his lips, he sealed this promise to you.

For the first time in your life, you felt as if you were in the right spot. You weren't misplaced anymore. You even had found people that already cared for you. You had found someone who wanted to keep you in his life. Maybe you should feel sad for leaving your former life just like that. Maybe you should feel lost because this wasn't your world. But in fact, you felt home. As Nyx kissed you, he showed you a future you never thought you would have.

For the first time, you felt excited for all the unknown things that were lying in front of you. You would discover all of these things. With Nyx by your side.

[staysuki]

[EARLY REVISIONS] SWEET LIKE CANDY | h.hj smau

a sneak peek of the original version of SLC's written part, chapter 6, just because i promised~

most of them were cut, i didn’t feel the need to add the unnecessary paragraphs describing the scene, just highlighted the parts of how it was orinigally gonna go.

(same warnings apply)

the cafeteria v1

the constant buzz of chit chatter filled your ears as you entered the cafeteria, not expecting that it would be such a packed place, though it made sense, there were no classes and students wanted to kill time before whatever next itinerary they had for their first day in college. the stale air mixed with wafting grease immediately greeted your senses, already feeling a humid stickiness on your skin.

as you popped the earbuds on your ear, you can't help but stare at the person in front of you—though you haven't met anyone else on campus, you felt familiarity emitting from their back as you unknowingly tapped their shoulder.

he turned around, immediately greeting you with a beaming smile as he recognized your face, "noona!" it took you half a second for it to click.

"jake!"

>> let's skip past some irrelevant paragraphs and into the hyunjin encounter >>

as you stepped closer, you eyed the piece of bread sitting lonely by the counter, it was the one you wanted to get and you guessed that luck was by your side now that you were next.

“i’ll have the chocolate croissant pleas—”

“i’ll have that, thank you.”

as you reached your hand for the packaged bread, a hand immediately swooped in and paid for it, looking up, you see hwang hyunjin with a mischievous glint in his eyes as he held onto the bread that you had wanted.

“that’s mine.” you retaliated, making him raise his eyebrows as he loomed over you.

“oh? but i’m the one who paid for it. not my fault you’re too slow.” he shrugged.

"you cut in line! noona was the one who get here first." jake exclaimed beside you, making hyunjin turn to him with a raised brow.

"who let a kid come in here?" he said with an arrogant smirk as he scoffed.

jake didn't let on, keeping a glare straight towards the older guy, "i just think it's unfair for those who had to wait long—"

"excuse me, if you're not gonna buy anything, don't hold up the line," the person manning the cashier said full of irritation, filling you with embarrassment.

"let's go, this isn't worth it." you said to jake, dragging him away by the arm. hyunjin just laughed, reeling in the victory—but he hasn't won yet, not until you finally partake in his games.

you both sat at the farthest table in the corner, away from hyunjin's loud and unruly group. "you can have some of my bread noona." jake offered, but you simply declined, training your glare towards hyunjin who was merrily enjoying the chocolate croissant you had hoped to get.

"they're always like that, seungmin hyung hangs out with them too—hyung is too good for them, i don't know why he chooses to stay around."

[jisung and felix was never supposed to exist, hyunjin's cafeteria friends were just lackeys 1, 2, and 3, seungmin was going to be his only mentioned companion].

the felix encounter v1

you clutched the door to the woman’s bathroom, but a hand had come up from behind you stopping you from turning it as it clasped your own hand. the sudden surprise made you jump in shock, turning towards the intruder of personal space who was preventing you from going inside. you didn’t know whether they had followed you because you heard zero footsteps at all, or perhaps they were already lurking within the shadows.

“hey there little kitty.” that deep voice, it was recognizable from a mile away despite the fact that you had just heard it for the first time earlier.

“w-what do you want felix?” you tried to guard yourself but he definitely noticed the quiver in your voice. his face loomed closer into yours, dipping to the side of your head as he trailed hot breaths of air at the side of your jaw and neck, giving you goosebumps despite not touching you at all. he stopped at the junction of your ear, whispering in his low sultry voice, “you’re scared of me. that’s cute.” you could see the faint smirk in his lips but his face barely gave away to anything that he’s thinking right now—but all you know is that he’s toying with you.

he held your chin tipping it upwards so that you'd meet his gaze, his face was close—too close, "why don't you give me a good show, hm? you owe me one, after all." you had no idea what he was talking about.

[he was supposed to be creepier— but i changed it so that he didn't touch y/n at all (bc consent pls), symbolizing how he himself doesn't want to get involved in the actual mess].

the break room v1

a few feet behind you, you hear a whistling cat call pointed towards you, making you whip you head back so fast it almost hurt your neck. “thanks for the strip tease, y/n, but we’re not really interested in seeing your grotesque body.” hyunjin called out, making you immediately cover up.

“what the fuck man?!” ryujin reacted, glaring at hwang as she stormed into their spot, “so that’s why it smells like fucking stoners in here!”

your eyebrows shot up—seungmin.

“want to join? we know how boring that fucking orientation was.” hyunjin offered, but before you could respond, he already blew a puff of smoke into your face, making you cough once again.

he took your hand, placing the blunt between your fingers, smirking at you in a proposed challenge.

are you gonna step up? or are you gonna cower like a scared kitty? you could almost hear felix say as he just look at you with a same set of challenging stare of his own.

"you don’t have to stoop to their level." ryujin said.

but you didn't need to be told twice, you immediately dropped it to the ground and stomped on it, much to seungmin's dismay.

hyunjin immediately backed you up into the corner, his eyes holding a dangerous fire, "you're paying for that."

���let’s just leave.” ryujin said, pushing hwang away from you.

“how’d you get the alcohol?” seungmin commented, looking at your friend's bottle in hand, but you were already walking away to even bother answering.

hyunjin just laughed with a scoff, muttering under his breath as you two walked away, “probably sucked someone’s cock to get it, just like the fucking whore she is."

you could feel the veins in your head popping as you turned to look at ryujin who was seemingly unbothered as she continued to walk away, you couldn’t tell whether she heard it or not but you decided to not ask.

[could’ve gone way worse]

[thatsgay-writes]

Trini Kwan x Reader Part 2

Summary: You are the white ranger.

Warnings: Light cursing?

"What the actual fuck?" You cringe at Trini's sentence, this is going a lot worse than you thought. Everyone else stood still and Trini's outburst, still confused on how you two know each other. "Trini I can explain, I swear." You say desperately, wanting to diffuse the situation as fast as possible. Trini walks up to you with a look of anger and starts poking her finger against your chest hard. "You've been keeping this from me the whole time! Is there anything else you've been lying about!?" You visibly gulp in fear, "Well I don't have a job, this where I go when I say I have a shift." For some reason, that just makes Trini angrier. "I'm leaving." She says before storming over to the above head water. Before she can jump you grab her hand. "Trini wait! You have to understand! I was not allowed to tell anyone about this stuff, you can't either! Don't you see where I'm coming from? If I wasn't the white ranger would you have told me about the Power Rangers?"

Trini knows the answer and knows she wouldn't have told you. "I... I just need some time... please." Trini never said please, so you just nod your head and give her a kiss on the cheek. "Just know that no matter what, I love you." You say giving her a watery smile. Her heart soars at your confession but she's feeling to many things at once to respond. She just nods her head before leaving. You growl in frustration, anger, and sadness. "Alpha 5, 30 putties please." "But y/-" You cut Alpha 5 off, "30 putties." Alpha 5 just nods before spawning 5 putties and pulling the rangers away.

*Major Time Skip to the final battle, plus a scene that happened during the Time Skip*

(During the camp fire thing, when Zack asks Trini if she had boyfriend troubles and then girlfriend trouble, she gives you a pointed look. The both of you haven't really confirmed or denied your relationship to the others and you both haven't talked since you revealed yourself as the white ranger.)

"Guys we need our zords! I don't think we can beat Goldar without them!" you yelled after finishing off the last of the putties. Everyone else agreed and called their zords to them before hopping in. "Alright, Kimberly attack from the air, Billy, Trini, and Zack pick a side to fight from so we can surround and over power Goldar. Y/n make sure everyone gets to safety, we don't need anyone getting stuck in the battle zone." "Aye Aye captain!" you joked before running off to clear out the rest of the civilians. Clearing them out took longer than you expected and when you got back, the scene was not pretty. All of your teammates are being pushed towards a deep pit. "Guys!" you yell in fear before sending your zord right at Goldar. Your zord gets stopped by Rita, "White Ranger! I have heard about your updated coin! Fight me so I can see it." You didn't want to stop to fight her, but she was the only thing standing in between you and goldar.

Before hopping out to fight her, you set your zord in acceleration mode so it runs right at goldar. Goldar ends up just backhanding it away. You grit your teeth in worry before turning to Rita in a fighting stance. Rita comes at you full force swinger her staff at your head. You dodge and pull out your double sided detachable scythe.

(Like this)

"Well that is new." Rita says with weird excitement. You detach the scythe and start swinging them both at her. Rita just spends her time dodging, trying to tired you out. When you do finally pause to take a second, she attacks instantly putting you on the defensive. You finally get a second wind before getting in a powerful hit, pushing Rita on her back. You put your scythes up to her neck. "Give up Rita. It's over." "Is it?" Rita asks as she smirks and looks over at Goldar. You follow her line of sight, only to watch your friends get pushed into the lava pit. "NO!" You freeze as your heart breaks. Jason, Kimberly, Zack, Billy... Trini... You forget about Rita for a second, heart breaking more as you think about your friends and girlfriend who are probably dead now. Before you can get your senses back, Rita is already making a move. She grabs one of your scythes from your hand. You turn towards her to say something, mouth wide open, before feeling your own scythe plunge into your stomach. Your eyes widen, "What-" you fall to your knees in pain.

Rita just smiles in delight at everything that just happened. "It's okay, you tried your hardest. Don't worry, you can have a front row seat to me destroying the Zeo crystal. Goldar!" Goldar turns to you before picking you up and roughly dropping you against your zord that had powered down after it got hit by Goldar. All you could do was watch as Rita walked towards the destroyed Kripy Kreme to retrieve the Zeo crystal. "No..." You say in pain and defeat, you lost. Before Rita can reach Krispy Kreme, the ground starts shaking. You groan in pain at the shaking but look around in confusion before your eyes widen. Coming out of the lava pit that you watched your friends fall in, was them in megazord form. "Holy shit..."

*Time skip to after battle*

"We did it!" Billy yelled in excitement as they watched Rita fly into space. They all get out of their zords. "I can't believe it!" Jason exclaims in agreement. "That was crazy yo!" Zack says before wrapping his arms around Jason and Billy's shoulders. Kimberly just laughs and rolls her eyes at the guys excitement. She looks at Trini who is just looking around. "Trini?" Kimberly says in concern, which catches the guys attention. "Are you okay?" Kimberly asks as she puts a hand on Trini's shoulder. "I don't see y/n. They wouldn't have left us like that, so where are they?" Trini says getting more worried by the second. The rest of the group starts looking around. "Look there's their zord, maybe they're around there." Zack said pointing to your tiger zord that was laying on it's side.

Trini took off in a sprint to look around your zord. She just had this terrible feeling in her stomach that wouldn't go away. The other rangers went to check and make sure no civilians were injured or stuck anywhere. Trini got to the zord and was by its back. She scanned the area as the she walked around the zord. "Come on y/n. Where did you—" Trini cuts herself off after she finds you limp on the ground, with your scythe still sticking out your stomach. "No no no no!" She runs over to you and kneels at your side, trying to shake you awake. "Come one y/n, open your eyes for me!" Trini looks around in a panic, she knows she needs to get the scythe out of your stomach so she can wrap the wound so it won't get infected. But she's just surrounded by rocks, concrete, and building pieces. "Guys I need help! Y/n is down and unconscious. I need something to wrap their stomach to stop any bleeding that may occur." At the sudden urgency in Trini's voice, all the rangers take off from what they were doing and ran towards your location.

People wore confused looks when the Power Rangers suddenly took off running and walked over to see what had happened. Many let out gasps of surprise at the sight of the yellow ranger holding the white ranger up. "Please does anyone have anything I can use to wrap around their stomach?" Trini was getting desperate at this point, you wouldn't wake up and she had no idea what to do. Your parents pushed to the front of the crowd and immediately ran to your side. "Me and my wife are doctors, we can help." Your father says as your mom runs to get bandages from the car, that she always kept for emergencies. The Power rangers look concerned but your father leans in to Trini's ear to whisper. "I know that's y/n. I was the white ranger before them." Trini nods in understanding and gives the rest of the rangers a nod. Your mom gets back with the bandages and kneels on the opposite side of your body, across from your father. "Okay, your going to need to hold their head when I pull the scythe out. It will cause a lot of pain and probably wake them up. After we wrap it you need to take them to Alpha 5, before I passed the coin down I updated Alpha 5's medical directory and the medical room on the ship." Trini nodded in understanding and laid your head in her lap. Your father turns to the other rangers, "I would suggest backing the crowd up, this won't be pretty." The power rangers listen to him and start ushering the crowd back.

"Okay on 3... 1... 2... 3!" Your father yells and yanks the scythe out of your stomach. Your eyes shoot open and you yell out in pain. You try to sit up but get held down by Trini. "It's okay, it's okay, everything will be okay." Trini kept saying over and over again as you cried. "Okay, we wrapped it as best as we can, you should get them to Alpha 5 fast." Your mom said before standing up and grabbing the wrap. Trini nodded before calling the rangers back over and having Zack carry you to Kimberly's zord, it being the smoothest to ride in because it flies. When they get back, Zack picks you up and to Alpha 5, who leads him to the medical room. Alpha 5 kicks the group out before getting to work. The group stands outside the room for a few minutes in silence before Trini starts sobbing. Kimberly immediately hugs her, letting her cry on her shoulder and whispers reassurances. "It's not okay!" Trini sobs out, "I never even said it back to them!" The group looks a little confused at that. Trini sniffles before answering their confused faces. "Me and y/n are dating. We have been for 6 months and that day they showed that they were the white ranger, they told me they loved me and I didn't say it back." The rangers gave her a look of sympathy before having a group hug.

An hour or two past, it felt like eternity for Trini, before Alpha 5 exits the medical room. Everybody stands up, "How are they?" "Y/n will make a full recovery. You may go in the room but they will be asleep for a little while." The group lets out a collective sigh of relief before walking into your room. As time passes, the rangers leave one by one before it's just Trini left. The whole time, she sat next to you holding your hand. You slowly start to wake up with a groan. This causes Trini to immediately sit up and rush to get water for you. When your eyes finally get use to the lights, you looks to your side to see Trini with a giant smile and holding a cup of water. She hands you the cup before taking your hand in hers and squeeze it. You squeeze it back to affirm that your awake and okay. You go to ask what happened, when Trini cuts you off.

"I love you too."

[heresathreebee]

Garrote part 2

[Starz Power Diego Jimenez X Jazmine Mann (Black!OC)]

Word Count: 1591 words

Warning(s): Rated teen (until like chapter 6?). Language, more mentions of human trafficking. Previous Masterlist Next

AN: I got excited and I couldn’t wait to post this tomorrow. The OC finally appears here. (Diego looks like he’s trying to incite a three way and/or sexy shenanigans in this photo)

@1zashreena1 @nicke0115 @mental-bycatch

Diego didn't like Agent Healy. He didn't like anything about this scenario or the way the man just knew about the baby or where to find them. Alicia and Diego were some of the biggest criminals in North America and nobody was supposed to know they were even on this side of the border. There was no doubt in Diego’s mind that Alicia blamed him for it. But regardless of fault, Healy did know, and for that, the man had Alicia's confidence (if even by a frayed thread) and his instructions were easy to follow. 

Healy hadn't given him a name nor a description, so Diego, with nothing but an address and a time, walked into a convenience store at 6 in the afternoon. She'll know you, was Healy's only explanation. Diego deeply regretted this already. 

The bell on the door rang twice and as his eyes swept across the floor, it was mostly empty. The employee behind the counter barely looked up at him. There was an old drunk woman leaning over the beers and a younger woman in deep contemplation over which trail mix she wanted. 

Feeling out of his element, he wandered through the snack section, glancing over to the young woman again. She was kind of cute. Straight hair pulled into a high ponytail and glasses perched at the end of her nose. He was going to say something (he didn't know what) when she looked up angrily and tossed the bags in her hands back onto the rack. 

"When are you going to get vegan options in this store," she yelled at the employee. 

The employee's exhausted eyes lifted from inspecting her fingernails and she pointed lazily, "next to the beer. It's only drinks, sorry." 

The young woman looked nervously at the swaying drunk woman standing guard of the path, then caught Diego's staring and disappeared as quickly as possible. The sour gummy worms Diego had in his hand returned swiftly to the shelf in a calmer imitation of the fit the other customer had thrown not seconds before. He grabbed a case of beer and twizzlers before heading for the counter. He felt foolish– he didn't know what to do or who he was meeting or even what the next step would be. The employee looked over him seeming to sense his disgruntlement. 

"Just this?," she asked. He nodded, watching her try to scan the items, fail, sigh in annoyance, and then manually enter their item codes to the register. He took a second to admire the radius of her curls. The black hair turned a caramel color at the ends and he imagined her hair tie holding on for dear life to contain the thick mass. Should it snap, the poof would be magnificent. 

"OK, $7.23." 

"That's it?" He gave her his card and ID but looking over his items, he decided to take it back. He was overpaying for this garbage. He noticed her stiffen as she spotted the name on his card. 

"You're Diego Jimenez?" 

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes…?" 

He didn't like the way her shoulders slumped suddenly. Women didn't react like that– scratch that– no one reacted that way to him. Fear or arousal, but never… resignation? She looked like she was mourning something. Finishing the sale, she gave him back his cards and grasped his wrist to keep him from leaving. This shocked him– nobody was stupid enough to lay hands on a guy like him. 

"I'm Jazmine." As if he couldn't read the name on her tag, but then she continued, "I'm your new girlfriend." 

"What?" 

"Just"- the bell of the door chimed behind him– "play along," she whispered. 

"Bella!" An overly joyful white man walked over to the counter with a bright, familiar smile. "Mi primadonna. So lovely to see you again." 

Jazmine chuckled in that 'I get paid to do this' sort of way. "Well, you know I'm always working!" 

"Of course, of course," he replied, fishing for his wallet. He wore a suit– not expensive enough to be tailored but it wasn't overly unfitting– and his hair was beginning to thin at the top. Jazmine reappeared from the store's office with a bag of prepared items in it seemingly just for this guy. Upon noticing her, he gasped in surprise and pouted his lip like a young girl reacting to getting a present from her first boyfriend. "You hold the key to heart, and every time I see your face it makes my day just a little brighter." 

Jazmine bowed her head to hide behind her bangs (were they bangs? They were textured and fell over her forehead short of her eyes). "No need to thank me, I always enjoy your visits." 

If Diego wasn't so confused, he might have noticed her lying through her teeth. At the present, he was distracted when this cheery, overly doting man looked down to find Jazmine's hand touching the wrist of this stranger. Something dark flashed in his eyes. 

"Who's this?" 

Jazmine hopped over the counter, planting herself directly in Diego's personal space, and caressed his arm. "This is my boyfriend Diego. Diego, say hi." Diego looked between him and her. "This is Jeremy. Jeremy Haagen– the guy I've been telling you about." 

"Oh," Diego managed. Go with it. "Hi. Nice to finally meet you." 

Jeremy Haagen's jaw ticked but he reclaimed his smile, albeit with a chip on the shoulder. He spoke to Jazmine, not Diego. "It's nice to know I am on your mind even when I'm not around. I think I'll be going– I've got an early day tomorrow. Goodnight, Miss. Mann. And, uh, it was nice to meet you as well, Di-e-go." 

He disappeared quickly into the rapidly growing cover of night. Jazmine was practically giddy. She lay backward across the counter top like a happy cat and stretched so a sliver of her belly showed. "I've never had him leave so quickly. I should have thought of this months ago!" 

Diego hummed resisting the urge to reach out and touch her. To satisfy his lust or his annoyance, he couldn't say which. He watched her roll back into a sitting position and meet his eyes, now a little sheepish. 

"I guess I've probably got some explaining to do… I can't do it right here, right now, it's probably best if we wait til we're somewhere less public..." 

~

His phone showed it was 9:45 pm in bold font, indicating it had been hours since the strange incident. Jazmine Mann was indeed the woman he was supposed to work with– a specimen he never expected to tangle with. The good news was that she knew a little of Healy's scheme– and the better news was that she wasn't overly fond of the man either. 

The terrible, terrible, awful news was that her shift didn't end for fifteen more minutes, and her replacement was always late to their shift. Jazmine watched over the store, stocked shelves that looked virtually OCD with how untouched and organized they were, and finally she escorted the drunken Chinese woman out the back door and across the street, then returned and immediately went back to cleaning. Diego was beyond bored. His soul had left his body and was back at his penthouse suite getting sucked off by that vegan yoga instructor from earlier. He was nearly asleep when his head hit the window and woke him up with a growl. 

"Can we fucking go?," he snapped. "Fuck your job. Nobody's been in here for hours." 

Jazmine sighed, unperturbed by his lack of etiquette. Her hand drummed on her thigh until she shrugged. "OK. I have to lock up first, then we can go over to my place and talk about things." 

Diego grunted and pushed off of the counter opting for a smoke to calm him. He made it a point not to watch her work because watching her was like watching molasses on a hot summer sundae. It didn't mean he didn't notice whenever her shadow passed by, or when the lights behind him finally went out. He was lighting a second cigarette when at last, she locked the front door. She had traded the dull red work vest for a jean jacket, allowing the music band logo of her shirt to show proudly. They walked seven goddamn blocks through city streets to get to her apartment and even with his gun tucked into his pants he had never felt more unsafe. 

"So what did Healy tell you?" She secured every lock on her door and sat down without offering anything to drink. So she didn't get many visitors-- alright then, he wouldn't put out his third cigarette. 

Diego cleared her coffee table none too gently and sat facing her. "A whole lot of bullshit. Said he's trying to dismantle and trafficking ring and that you were going to need some help getting the job set up." 

Jazmine bobbed her head. "OK. Healy let me be in charge of the details, but since the set up was already in affect, he's just taking advantage of an opportunity." She said the word opportunity while making air quote gestures with her hands. "That guy you met– he's the target. He's been coming into my store for the better part of a season and making unsutble passes at me almost every day. Healy says he runs most of the human trafficking around these parts– specifically the underage scene... and he left it at that so as not to compromise the integrity of my 'character.'

"I guess you and I are going to be a team." Jazmine leaned so she had his full attention. "I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend while I draw him out so Healy can snag him. Understand?" 

"Not really." 

"Good, we're on the same page then," she joked with a note of sincerity.

[moonlightstars16]

Psssst....Hey y’all......Bonus Chapter ;)

YEP AND ITS ALL THANKS TOO @thepurecinnamonroll and her amazing fan art of my story! (🚨PLEASE DO NOT STEAL HER FAN ART OR REPOST WITHOUT HER PERMISSION🚨)

So enjoy this weeks bonus chapter!!! :)

Chapter 6 ~ Preparations

The next few days for Connie were just studying gem royal history and the strict rules to follow. In her off time, the library became her sanctuary of sorts. There she could read and get lost in her daydreams. From time to time she helped her newly found gem friends with their work around the castle. It was slightly surprising to find a kitchen full of, as normal as one could expect, human food and nourishment necessary for survival.

Lapis explained that part of it was making sure the humans in the zoo wouldn't starve to death. Mainly, however, it was used for Steven's purposes. Though part gem, he needed his nutrients for his human half sometimes. Even some of the gems shape-shifted their forms similar to humans to experience the pleasure of digesting food...and other things. Some actually found enjoyment in it, making it a hobby of sorts from time to time. It was quite bizarre for her to process.

Not that she truly cared where he was or what he was doing (other than the fact of the deal to not harm anyone, so long as she kept her end of the deal). Mostly work consisting of plans for earth's demise and keeping to himself(Pearl informed her upon asking since she technically hasn't seen him since before her studies began). Her heart sank every time she thought about what she agreed too. Her future to live in this horrid place and be his bride.... Though unfathomable to grasp, it wasn't like she could go back on the deal. It was her life or all of humanities on the line. No matter what she thought, she would end up losing. At least humanity will have diplomatic immunity from being destroyed. How could she turn her back on them? It wasn't like her life was worth saving aynways....

One day before the first meeting with the Diamonds to talk about earth. Connie decided to ease her worries by relaxing in the library during her break. However with the situation at hand it was hard for her to concentrate on anything else. A loud clashing sound soon interrupted her thoughts. Looking up she walked towards an open window to where the sound resonated from down below. A purple gem, though a bit shorter than the others and Pearl dueling with swords is what she had only begun to witness. Peaking her interest she sat on the windowsill to watch. The idea of them sword fighting, even though they have magic, puzzled her. And though she was on the second level, she could hear the conversing during their battle.

"Come on Pearl don't hold back! I am a gem solder for Mr. I-am-no-Diamond himself, I can handle you!" The purple gem with silver hair tied up in a ponytail shouted. Just barely dodging her attack, though she missed an opportunity to take down Pearl when the opportunity was wide open. Making Connie wonder if Pearl left herself open to attack on purpose.

"Amethyst, your footwork is still sloppy and you have no coordination! Being random can't be you're only plan of attack, sooner of later you'll need a battle strategy." Pearl moved with such precision and elegance, it was mesmerizing to watch. In just a few quick motions and effortless dodges, she pinned down Amethyst with her sword pointing towards her throat. They stood in silence until Amethyst pushed her away and stood up. Walking away in anger and grumbling under her breathe. The intense staring from before said a lot between them.

However Connie couldn't pull away from the scene replaying in her mind. Looking down at her own hands she thought about her current situation. Having a few good fighting skills could be useful, certainly she couldn't hope to have someone there to hide behind. Even back on earth she felt uncomfortable going outside to take out the trash at night. Though pepper spray in hand is nice and knowing she could run for long distances was good, but now it wasn't enough. Especially in a place where she was beyond out of her element. 

That evening, while she prepping for tomorrow's important meeting, Pearl knocked and entered the room. Slightly pleased to see her studying and memorizing all the information given. Shaking her head, Pearl cleared her throat and maintained her composure.

"Steven, has requested your presence in the dining hall for supper this evening." It was quite shocking to say the least, and a tad nerve wracking since the last time she saw him was when he took care of her headache. It was odd. One minute he was a tyrant, the next caring and then back to being cruel. Just that alone wasn't making sense and made her head spin just thinking about it.

"Why me? Why now?" She asked standing up from the vanity chair and mirror. Pearl only shrugged slightly whilst shaking her head.

"It's difficult to understand him and for now, better not to question so." Her statement made less sense about the whole situation. Still she had a point. Connie gulped remembering the deal with him. If she were to step out of line then more lives would be taken, their blood on her hands as well as his. Without another word she  followed Pearl to the dining hall. Her light green dress' skirt swaying slightly with every step she took. Stepping through the doors, she instantly felt the intensity in the air. There he was with his back facing them. He was lost in deep thought until he sensed there presence. Lifting his head up slightly he felt the warmth of her presence as it surrounded the entire room.

"As requested, Steven." Pearl spoke with her hands behind her, back straight. It reminded Connie of the way solders on earth would stand when called to at the word 'attention'. Her thoughts soon returned to the man standing before her as white butterflies swirled around her mind.

"Good, now please leave us alone." The words hit Connie like a fist punching her gut. What was about to come made her uneasy. Both herself and Pearl looked at one another, Connie's eyes pleading for her not to leave, or at least not be very far. While Pearl's gaze was calm as if to say she was alright. Leaving the room with a gentle sound of the huge double doors shutting close. Connie stayed in place not knowing what to do.

"M-My Diamond" her voice squeaked(which she hated) whilst saluting and bowing slightly. A deep chuckle soon turned into a roaring laugh. the sound surprised her enough to jump a tad a the outburst. Steven breathed in deeply to stop himself as he placed a hand over his chest.

"The Diamonds are not around. You may address me as Steven, in fact I insist upon it." Slowly but surely Steven turned his attention towards her. His gaze a tad less intimidating than before. Stepping closer till he was two feet away. Extending his leather black gloved hand. "Come" Hesitantly she raised her's, trying hard to hide her trembling and failing at the same time. Her gaze held into his outstretched hand until the soft and gentle tone of his next word surprised and compelled her. "Please" instinctively their eyes' matched one another's, only this time his was less intimidating and more inviting; Her's still confusing as ever. 

Finally she accepted, feeling his grip wrap around hers as he lead them both towards the table. Decorated in candelabras, and a vast array of fancy food. The scent intoxicating as she felt her hunger grow. He lead her towards the chair in a corner position right next to the head seat, which she assumed was his. Once they both sat down, Steven gestured for her to dine on the food set before her. After a long moment she began eating, it was her first official meal  since arriving on the planet. Not feeling really hungry other than a few scraps she found from the kitchen. With her predicament, no one could really blame her for not wanting to eat.

Steven watched her as they ate in silence, her hair had fallen to the side of her face that sort of hid her from him. It was surprising, knowing himself. He basked in her natural beauty for a moment. Causing him to slow down and almost stop eating himself. But he was part Diamond, long periods without food was normal for him. However she needed to eat, and he needed to make sure she had the strength to deal with the Diamonds. On instinct he reached out brushed away her hair tucked behind her ear gently. Feeling her jump at his sudden touch.

"Are you afraid of me?" He asked watching her look upon him since they sat down.

"I'd be a fool not to be." Her reply was honest without having to say the actual word yes. "If I may" Connie began "Why don't you use other titles?" She waited till he gave a slight nod for her to continue. The look on his face puzzling as his right brow slightly raised up. "You've made it clear you don't like being called-... well you know." Carefully avoiding the phrase as best she could. "But why not any other formal titles?"

"I would rather have others address me without hiding behind formalities. Especially if one chooses to defy me, I want to hear them say my name." It was almost like he didn't want to be mistaken for anyone else other than himself. "I'm sure you have more questions... I suggest you choose your next one a bit wisely." Connie gulped and nodded her head. Her next said question was one that she had since Pearl informed her of this situation right before. Wanting to know why he needed to see her. Putting her fork down on her plate and her hands folded together on her lap. Focusing all her attention on him.

"There must be a reason you wanted me here."

"You must regain your strength. I cannot allow you to falter from lack of nourishment in front of the Diamonds tomorrow evening. Besides the complete humiliation, you won't be able to hold up your end of the deal." Steven spoke whilst grabbing a glass full of red wine, taking a sip.

"And why do you care?" Her voice low and full of annoyance. "I would suffer the most, yes, but I don't see how this affects you."

"There is not enjoyment if all I can do is easily win, I prefer a challenge after all. Besides you are to be a apart of my royal court. Whatever happens to you doesn't reflect well on me." He paused for a moment smirking "Not that it matters to me personally." He chuckled slightly as she gazed downwards yet again. It was simple, she was a pawn in his sick, twisted games and nothing more. It pained her heart deeply though she couldn't understand why. "Don't fret my dear, I am only wanting to make sure you're alright."

Once more taking her hand in his, bringing it to his lips as he placed a gentle kiss, careful in not wanting his mask to touch her. Looking back towards him, his eyes watched hers the entire time. Setting his hand down while not letting go of hers, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. The sensation oddly calmed her, yet making her inhale inwardly.

His eyes now held a depth she never saw before; it was calm, inviting, and intense in a way that she didn't shake with fear. Steven gazed into her eyes, almost getting lost in them himself. 'Snap out of it!' his inner voice shouted before he blinked and soon let go, clearing his throat slightly before instantly regaining his composure.

"Tomorrow you will accompany myself and Pearl to meet with the Diamonds to discuss matters about earth. Are you fully prepared?" Connie nodded slowly still coming out of the brief moment that had just occurred.

"Yes, Steven, I am prepared." The next day was going to be intense for her, the cruelest thing he could've done was not say anything more than what he already warned her about. She would soon see the depth of how truly horrid they were.

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

The following day, Lapis spent the hours preceding the upcoming Diamond meeting getting Connie to look presentable. A long soak in the bath making sure her skin was clean, light amount of makeup, hair done in braid adorned with jewels and a few curled locks that framed her face. And an outfit that the material it was made from was almost uncomfortable to move in. The corset underneath was no help.

The color a deep blood red dress, off the shoulders with long sleeves coming to a point against the back of her hand. The outer regal layer of the sleeves almost touched the ground. The neckline a cross between a low swoop and a sweetheart design. Both front and back. The belt had a Diamond design, and golden, all over it as it wrapped around her lower waist; while it tied to one spot and letting it drop all down her skirt towards the floor. The skirt itself gave her maneuver to walk around effortlessly but the length(hemline on the neckline and bottom skirt were black) was almost impossible to ignore. Her shoes resembled ballet flats as the color scheme matched her dress.

Though attending as nothing more than a servant, she was still supposed to look presentable. She was about to meet the Diamonds in person. Lapis could sense her nerves as she placed a black laced choker with A red pendant in the middle and three red diamond shaped jewels dangling in the front.

"You look beautiful, Connie." Lapis stated with a smile looking at their reflections in the mirror. Connie weakly smiled back weakly, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. Though she had every rule and etiquette mesmerized by heart backwards and forwards, it was hard to stop from her heart beating wildly.

"Lapis is right!" a voice which belonged to a certain Peridot exclaimed as she and Bismuth entered the room. A box wrapped in a bow in hand. Connie smile widened as they handed it to her.

"We wanted to give this to you before you headed out." Bismuth said with a proud gleam in her eyes. Connie adjusting her grip began to unwrap the bow.

"Oh you don't need to do that. It's just a box lid made too look like it's been carefully wrapped." Peridot said before getting elbowed in the gut by a glaring rainbow haired gem. "Ow-Hey! She would've found out anyway!" Connie began to laugh and the rest of them followed in suit. Opening the box she gasped and was surprised to see an almost mystical like journal, quill pen and ink. It wasn't advanced compared to gem tech. But for Connie it was perfect.

"We all thought it would be nice for you to have something more...traditional. At least for when you have free time." Bismuth explained as Peridot went into telling her how they made it and where the quill feather came from, and not to get her even started on how long the ink took to make. Which earned another elbow in the gut. It brought tears to her eye briefly before blinking them away.

"Thank you, I am truly lucky to have friends like you. I hope one day I can return you're kindness."

"We'll just say you owe us one." And that statement earning a third punch in the gut.

Pearl came to fetch her soon after. Herself dressed a tad more formal than usual with her cape flaring in a more Diamond shape. Bringing Connie to the launch pad where they we're greeted by Steven, dressed in a black suit with a red shirt underneath, his blood stained black cloak with a gold chain attached this time and more leather like black gloves. A dark pinkish red cravat accentuated his jacket and his silver mask a bit more polished than normal.

Upon seeing Connie, his eyes widened. The dress she was wearing revealed how beautiful she truly was. As she entered the room, nobody could tell she was a few days ago just carrying herself like an earthling. Revealing the true young woman, kept hidden from even himself, she now presented herself like a gem. Perfect and radiant. In his eyes rivaling even the elegance of the Diamonds themselves. Closing his eyes briefly, maintaining himself yet again.

"There is no turning back, from now on you are a member of my court. Temporary or not, do you understand my dear?" Connie nodded mentally preparing herself for what was ahead.

"Yes" Soon they were on the warp pad ready to transport to the grand Diamond palace. Steven held out his arm towards a slightly confused Connie.

"Unless you want to arrive at the grand entrance landing flat on your face, I would suggest you hold on tight." She complied without hesitation. Once he felt her tight grip, he looked at Pearl with a nod as they were ready. In a flash of light and the feeling of being elevated off the ground they were off and within moments, stood before a grand Palace. Had it not been for his insistence, she would be laying on the ground in pain. Connie breathed in sharply for a moment, gasping at it's exquisite beauty that captured her eyes. Then remembering where she was brushed herself off and tried to maintain a regal state.

“I suggest you be a bit more careful next time." He spoke coldly.

As they began walking, Connie noticed Steven still had her arm tightly around his, with no intention of letting her go anytime soon.

[blowingoffsteam2]

Part 1: I would like to apologize ahead of time, this might be a bit long. I can't help but feel a bit confused by Square Enix/Nomura as well. For me, it is pretty clear that Sora's feelings for Kairi were not much more than a crush, and it did not really become much more than that. As of Kingdom Hearts III, it seems that Sora's feelings are starting to change, that he possibly does not feel that way for Kairi anymore/he is getting over (or has gotten over) that crush.

Part 2: Or, at least, Sora is not sure of his feelings yet (for Riku or Kairi), and he is starting to figure it out. I hope that this may not mean anything, but I heard that at one of the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra shows recently, there was an encore performance of Don’t Think Twice. During the encore, they showed footage of Sora and Kairi from KH1 to 3, ending it with Sora fading away. I honestly do not know what Square/Nomura is trying to get at when it comes to Sora’s “relationships.”      

Part 3: There has been major development and build up involving Sora and Riku’s relationship throughout the series as whole. Sora and Kairi’s “relationship,” not so much. Riku’s character grew more (in KH3) by expressing and accepting his feeling for Sora for what they (taisetsu na hito), Sora’s heart lead him to the worlds he was visiting in KH3/he went to these world to learn things about himself and his true feelings.      

Part 4: Then there are Riku’s actions he has done for Sora prior to and during Kingdom Hearts III. (His sacrifice for Sora cannot be downplayed as not an act of true love, especially with that focus in KH3 itself). Sora is now close to to realizing the things (for the most part) that Riku has done for him, how Riku feels about him, that Riku is Sora’s light, and how Sora might feel for Riku. I refuse to believe that all this was for nothing. 

Part 5: I understand that KH3 was for wrapping up the Xehanort Saga, but, before Sora went to face Xehanort, he went on this journey of self-discovery for a reason. I do not want Square to pull the rug out from under our feet and say Riku recognizing his true feelings for Sora and Sora’s journey was pointless in the end.       

Part 6: Besides Xehanort’s story arc coming to a close, if Sora’s adventures and soul searching leading up to that  moment is (possibly) not going to amount to anything, then why would Square even have Sora go on this journey to realize these things about himself? To have us, the audience, pick up on non-verbal cues and a deeper meaning to what is presented to us, for it to mean nothing? Don’t get me wrong, I love the Kingdom Hearts series.  

Part 7:  I loved and enjoyed KH3 and discovering these things involving Sora and Riku on my own, through you, databoy-reekoo, and the Sleeping Realm Theory, etc., but if it possibly amounts to nothing in the end, then is KH3 only good for wrapping up Xehanort’s story and not Sora’s “self discovery” journey in between? I know you don’t have a full answer yourself (since we can’t look into Nomura’s mind), so I guess I am just wondering what you think?

Part 8: I also cannot help but be a bit concerned over how SENA will handle Sora and Riku’s possible relationship from here on out. For Riku’s true feelings getting extremely downplayed and with the romantic angle between Sora and Kairi that is still being pushed in the English version, in which these aspects were going relatively untouched in the Japanese version. Things are not quite as “romantic” for Sora and Kairi and Riku was free to express his true feelings.

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I understand it can be confusing when we can’t know exactly what Nomura is planning, and for so long we’ve all been under the impression that while Sora and Riku’s relationship was developing beautifully, we all expected it would never lead anywhere more explicit, while the main games continued with a mediocre,undeveloped straight romance.  After all, we have seen this pattern many times in media, haven’t we?  As I’ve said before, the bar for straight romance is so low it’s in the ground, and I honestly thought this was what we’d have to deal with in KH in the end.  But then KH3 came, and boy was I wrong.  Almost everything Nomura had been setting up thematically, primarily since the end of KH2 (but some things even from the very beginning), culminated in KH3.  The question of “what is true love”, what is light, what is the power that comes with being able to protect someone precious to you (the power of waking).  These were things Sora himself was learning in KH3, and will continue to learn.  But for Riku, KH3 was the result of having learned those things- he reached the break of dawn when he realized the strength to protect his most precious person came from love.  And the climax of this was his sacrifice.

So, Nomura knows very well how to set up themes and follow through with them even across multiple games (even through the mobile game!).  We have no reason to think that he would all of a sudden do a 180 on everything he’s been building slowly and deliberately between Sora and Riku.  If Nomura really was as bad at writing romance as people like to say he is, there’s no doubt in my mind that he would have confirmed a romance between Sora and Kairi in this game. It was what everyone was expecting anyway, and being so bad at romance, would he really care that he hadn’t properly developed their relationship, that Kairi had been virtually absent from all the games since KH2?

Yet instead what we got was very transparently uncomfortable and hesitant looks from Sora in the paopu scene, where he didn’t move to take the paopu until she essentially downplayed it as “just a lucky charm” (in jpn), and very big parallels on the themes of separation and fading connections.  Which, again I have to remind everyone that Nomura explicitly stated it was his intent to show how childhood friendship change and don’t stay the same as we grow older (And specifically with Kairi, the theme of friends growing apart has been on his mind since KH1, as shown in the KH2 Ultimania). So we can at the very least know without a shadow of a doubt that changing connections (or rather, fading connections, taking into account the Pooh parallel) was a theme of the game and 100% intentional.

My point here being that I would be very shocked at this point if all of this was thrown down the drain in the future, as long as KH is under the direction of Nomura.  Could it happen?  Sure. But I would say it’s not a 50/50 chance if we are taking an honest look at everything.  Not even close.  But hey, that’s just my onion :)  All we can do is wait and see to be sure.

As for the orchestra encore, I’ve said this elsewhere but having watched the montage myself, it really does come across as a heartfelt farewell montage. It starts off with the ending scene, up to Sora and Kairi on the tree, then cuts to scenes of them together through KH1, KH2, and KH3, and ends with Sora fading away. Certainly doesn’t end on a happy note.  And important to know: the tunnel scene is not included.  What an odd choice this would be, if that scene were really meant to be Sora’s grand realization that she is his light and if those flashbacks to “true love” were really about her.�� (and don’t forget that Sora and Riku got their own montage during the “Always on my Mind” section of the KH1 medley- which was actually just the Dearly Beloved part).  In any case, the orchestra is nothing to be concerned about.

And as far as the English translations go in the future, all we can do is hope that Nomura and team have a sit down with them and make it clear what their intent is.  And hopefully not have such a haphazard process with translating as we know they did with KH3.  Besides…if things keep progressing, there will only be so much they could do to obscure the truth.

So yeah, I guess those are my thoughts.  So much is continuing to be uncovered about kh3 and Sora and Riku’s relationship, I can’t wait to see what comes next.