#i hope what that person said about jay wearing white means he's losing is not true

[theweirdbean]

My predictions for the men's casino gauntlet match is that I feel like Yuta might sabotage Jay during or towards the end of the match (like how Ricochet interfered/sabotaged Swerve). Leading to whoever else to end up winning, like possibly Jeff Jarrett or whoever else is competing (I hope that isn't the case, but who knows).

Since ya know they are trying to build up the beef between them, I hope that they don't build it that way, but it makes sense as well.

I'm really hoping that Jay ends up winning tho, especially since you can't have this man compete back to back for the belt to just lose the chance twice. Like c'mon Tony, don't do that.

And if he does end up getting to go against Mox for the belt, then I think that's where Yuta or Death Riders as a whole might try to intervene, but Jay still gets the win somehow. (Possibly bcuz when Yuta tried to interfere, he fucked up by giving Jay the advantage instead of Mox, causing Jay to get the title. That could lead to more problems/bigger rift between Yuta and Death Riders while also fueling Yuta's feud with Jay. If not, Death Riders just completely beating Yuta up and whatever else.)

Inclusion, I really want Jay to win at least one singles belt sooner rather than later.

[danielxricciardo]

Where do we go from here

Daniel Ricciardo x Reader

Chapters: 1/?

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 3,015

Playlist for the series

It was your fault when you agreed to go to Monaco. After what happened the last time, you swore you would never go back there. Because it fucked with your mind and soul. You were crushed and your best friend had to scrap you off the floor for weeks, he had to remind you to shower and to eat. Knowing he will be so pissed you chose to go back to him, you didn't tell him you were leaving for a week until you were on the plane. His reaction was everything you were expecting, he called you a bitch and he advised you not to get back to him with a broken heart to cry on his shoulder then he hung up on you. Sure, you both knew you will cry on his shoulder after this week.

The entire flight you were questioning your life choices. How did you get there? You wanted - you needed to know how you allowed yourself to become dependent on a piece of affection from Daniel. You were trying to figure out when you became a sucker for him but you couldn't, maybe because you always were.

You'd always been good friends, ever since he moved from Australia to Europe. You were his first non-Australian friend and he was always been grateful for you and your friendship. You were with him even when he didn't ask you to and even when he told you he wanted to be left alone. That was your first choice. You went with him to almost all the junior competitions, until he reached Formula 1, you cried with him when he had a bad race and you partied with him on a podium or a win. Fuck it, 9 years later, you were still with him. Red Bull Racing was the team that helped him discover himself as a driver and gave him confidence that he could get far. After only one year in the team, he finished third in the drivers' championship with 238 points and secured the first fastest lap of his Formula One career at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

But all this has consequences. The fact that he was so good and became so well known attracted many girls who wanted to meet him and be affiliated with him for increased media attention. The worst part was that he liked all the female attention. Who wouldn't like it? He could have a new girl every day and they would still not end. But Daniel was not the type to take such advantage of his name and his position in society, you thought at the time. But that was exactly what he did. At the end of the 2014 season, days would pass without hearing from him because he was too busy to enjoy the female attendance that crossed his threshold.

After a few months, you already had a pattern. For 5 days you would not hear from him and on Saturday morning he would call you with a guttural voice, asking you to come to his place. And you went there with some headache pills and for a few hours, you would listen to everything that had happened during the week with different girls. At first, it hurt a lot. To hear how your best friend and the person for whom you develop some romantic feelings, has fun, and fucks with different girls is not very ok, but over time the whole situation had become repetitive and you became immune.

But you didn't realize you became a regular girl in his bed too. The only difference between you and the tens, maybe the hundreds of girls before you, was that you warmed his bed on Saturday and Sunday. It was just you, all weekend, every weekend. You felt special. He gives you his full attention all weekend and you hope he doesn't need anyone but you, except that Monday was coming and you could see that to his right was another model looking for fame. But have you ever told him what bothers you? No. Because you'd rather share him with so many girls than not have him in your life at all.

So what happened when you ended up crying for weeks without eating or taking a shower? Daniel told you that he is done with all the girls and he wants to focus on his career. This is after in 2015 he finished the season in 9th place with only 92 points, without a victory, and only twice on the podium. Of course you were happy! Daniel was going to have only you in his life. But he told you that what was between you before, sex and everything else, must end as well. I mean, you had to go back to being just friends. But how do you go back to being just friends with the person you've shared the bed with so many times? Friends don't know the way you taste. Your luck was that you had to go for a visit to your parents for 2 weeks and you didn't have to see him. You had 2 weeks to lick your wounds and return to him without a broken heart. Troy, your best friend, was with you and he tried to put your heart back together. Just when he succeeded, you had to go back to Daniel as if nothing had happened. Broken heart? Who?

Making your own decisions makes you responsible for what comes out of that decision whether it was a positive move or not. Making your own decisions also allows you to make your own mistakes and learn from them. It was your decision to go back to Daniel, to your friend. It was hard to look at him and not want to kiss those fleshy lips but you could manage it.

"There she is!" you heard Daniel say as soon as the Nice Côte d'Azur airport gates opened. He was wearing his merch purple hoodie that you wore so many times before and a pair of black jeans. He had a pair of sunglasses on to keep him away from the press. You smiled. It's been 2 weeks since you've seen him and it's as if your heart has tightened in your chest. You really missed him. You ignored his calls because you didn't want to hear his voice and start crying on the phone and all the messages he sent you were deleted by Troy. You don't even know what he wrote to you.

"Hey, Daniel!" you said and hugged him. You were enveloped by the smell of his perfume and you smiled. He was your safe place. "Missed you."

He hugged you back and the force he put in that hug was enough to crush your bones. But it didn't hurt you. You wanted to be one with him, to be absorbed by him. Everything platonic, of course.

"Missed you too, Y/N."

The road to your house was not a long one but at that moment everyone seemed to be on the road at the same time as you so what needed to be a 45-minutes road trip was now more than an hour, and you were still in the car. The small talk already finished about your parents, your brother and your best friend, Troy, and about all the new things from your home town and at the moment in the car was an uncomfortable silence which none of you knew how to break.

"I tried to talk to you these 2 weeks, you know?" Daniel said and you swallowed loudly. You knew that at some point he would ask about why you didn't talk to him for two weeks, but you hoped it would take some time until then - you hoped you had more time to think about a pretty good reason.

"Yeah, sorry, I just wanted to focus on my people there, you know?" you bit the inside of your cheek until you felt the metallic taste of blood. You hoped it would be a pretty convincing reason but you knew after so many years of friendship that Daniel is not the type to press you if you don't want to say something.

"Yeah, I get it, I'm the same when I'm down under, y'know?" you both laughed, and for the first time in a long time you felt good around him. You felt yourself, no labels and no shoes to fill.

In front of your apartment block, after Daniel took all your luggage out of the car trunk, he leaned against the car, his hands folded, and looked at you.

"Aren't you going to help me get them up to my apartment?"

"Yes, in a minute," he says, still looking at you. "Would you like to do something tonight?"

You shrugged. You weren't tired after the flight, so you could have done something but you had so many questions. Just the two of you? Was anyone else coming? Any friends of his? Some girl? But you couldn't ask him, even if you were friends, you didn't want to give him the feeling that you were jealous. Were you jealous? You didn't have a reason just yet but you could become one.

"Sure. Do you have something in mind?"

"Remember Jay? He just opened a nightclub. Actually, tonight is the opening, he asked me to swing by for a few hours, want to go?"

"Yeah, sure, sounds like fun."

Daniel took two suitcases and passed you to enter the block, but he walked with the wheels over your toes.

"Hey, idiot, watch where you're going!" you yelled at him and immediately laughed. Daniel turned to you, laughing too. You didn't realize when you said it, but that was the exact phrase you told him when you first met.

You got out of the cab in front of the restaurant and slammed the door shut, despite the pleading of the driver to be gentle with his darling car.

You arranged your dress on your body and put your hair behind your ear. You were ready for this blind date that Ellie, your co-worker, planned for you. Of course, there were better things for you to do on a Friday night, such as drinking a bottle of red wine watching a few episodes of your favorite show. But you were there, prepared for a shitshow. You took a few steps towards the big glass door until someone hit you hard and made you unbalance and break a heel.

"Hey, idiot, watch where you're going!" you yelled at the boy that hit you. A tall, dark guy that made you lose the little balance you still had. A small amount of his curly dark-haired was peaking out under the white hoodie he was wearing and his brown big eyes were looking at you like you were a statuette that broke.

"So sorry," he said and the thick accent made your legs soft. Whatever accent that was, you knew you wanted to hear him talk non-stop. "Was looking for an address, I'm fucking lost."

"That's fine, maybe I can help you," you smiled at the boy and you took off your heels. One was already broken so there was no point in wearing them at this point.

"Oh, no, it's fine, you look so elegant, you must be dining with your boyfriend or something," he laughed and then saw the broken heel. "Bloody, I just broke your shoes, I'm so sorry!"

You laughed even harder at the panicked boy in front of you.

"No boyfriend, just a blind date I didn't even want to go in the first place so you saved me, I'm the one that should say thank you. Where do you need to go to?"

He came closer to you with a map in his hand. He showed you where he had to go and you explained to him that he was in the wrong part of the city but you were more than happy to show him the right way. But after you stopped at a boutique to buy a 5 euro pair of sandals.

"This city is not so big that you get lost in it," you told the boy, whose name is Daniel Ricciardo, he told you so. "How long have you been here?"

"Ugh, just a day, and I thought it was a good idea to go out and see the city, I even took this stupid map, but I still got lost."

"Okay, but why did you go out by yourself in the evening and not in the morning or, at least, when is sunny, y'know?" you ask him and point to his left, where you had to go.

"I woke up two hours ago. I slept for eleven hours with the whole time zone, jet lag, and shit and when I woke up I was hungry. I went to get some food and to visit the surroundings because why not," he shrugged.

"But where did you come from?"

"Perth, Australia, baby!" he smiled and leaned back, pulling his chest forward. Anyone could see how proud he was of his hometown.

"This is you!" you announced when you arrived in front of the apartment building, his final destination. He smiled so wide and hugged you.

"Thank you so much, you saved me!"

"No biggie," you smiled at him and then waved. "Bye, Daniel Ricciardo."

"Hey, hey, let's meet tomorrow for a brekky!" he casually announced.

"For a what?"

"Oh, sorry!" he laughed. "Forgot for a second you're not Australian. For breakfast."

"Sure, I'll come here at 9 so you won't get lost again. Bye, Daniel Ricciardo!"

"Bye, Y/N Y/L/N!"

"I'll come and pick you up at about 10 o'clock, ok?" Daniel announced just as he was about to leave your apartment after he got up all your luggage. "Sounds good?"

"Yep. All good."

"And wear something sexy!" he yelled as he was closing the front door. Something sexy? Why would he request a sexy outfit for a night out from you? His best friend. Sometimes Daniel made your head spin, that was one of those occasions, you didn't pay much attention to it, you just went to grab a shower.

The night had come too fast. Sure, you had enough time to put on makeup and do your hair, but you had no idea what to wear. You were sitting in front of the bed in your underwear, with three dresses lying on the bed when the clock struck 10 o'clock. You heard the front door open and close but you did not hurry to put something on yourself so that Daniel would not see you in your underwear; he saw you even worse than that.

"Hey, are you ready? Whoah!" he says and turns his back on you, with his hand covering his eyes. "You should have told me you were naked!"

You scoffed at him.

"Cut the crap and come help me pick a dress for tonight, Ricciardo."

Daniel removed his hand from the eyes and looked at you and swallowed hard. The underwear you were wearing was almost a silky one, black, that hugged your curves just right. He couldn't take his eyes off you and you loved all the attention.

"Stop drooling and come help me. Do you want to go to this club or not?"

Daniel came near you, his eyes were now on the push-up bra that lifted your breasts, making them fuller and bigger than they really were, and at that moment Daniel wanted nothing more than to touch them and play with them. But he remembered who was in front of him. He told his best friend that the sex games were now over because he was focusing on his Formula 1 career. That was not a lie at the time, but he just wanted to throw her in bed and make her forget the words he said that evening. He coughed a few times to regain his voice and then looked at the three dresses lying on the bed.

"That one," says the brunette and points to the short black dress that fits perfectly on your body. You would have chosen that one too.

"Ok, I'll be ready in a few minutes," you said and went to the bathroom to put the dress on. You adjusted your make-up and grabbed the bag and you were ready for a night out with Daniel. Or so you thought.

No one can see the dance floor, it's wall-to-wall people dancing to the club music. There's no room for any more but somehow Daniel was pulling my hand to where he knew Jay was sitting. The music vibrated in your ears and you were tempted to move to its rhythm, but you had to follow Daniel. After going through the whole room you reached your friend, the owner of the club. He told you that the drink for you was on the house and wished you a good time. Daniel announces that he is going to have a drink for both of you and leaves you alone among hundreds of strangers, driven by the same inner desire to get rid of inhibitions for a few hours that night.

The DJ moves everybody in ways no one has ever done before. Mixing the loud music on the turntables to the beat you desire to hear, the DJ watches the half-naked bodies of young men and women dancing around as if something has possessed their bodies. Men are wearing an undershirt, or no shirt at all, and pants. They eye the women who strut around in tank tops and tight dance pants or skirts, and who are smiling, and letting all their worries go away. A smile appeared on your face and look at the line at the bar for Daniel and you were pleasantly surprised to see that he was already looking at you. When you saw his smile you realized that the night will not end with you two still being just friends.

————————————————————————————

To be notified when a new chapter is posted, just respond to this post and I’ll tag you when the next chapter is up!

[stressedoutcanary]

Hold On - Jason Todd x Batgirl!Reader [PART 2]

WORD COUNT :- 2.3k

Warnings ⚠️: I don't even know if there are any...Swearing maybe?, mentions of kidnappings, actual kidnapping oh and also violence and angst :)

A/N 😋: I got lost while writing this so judge accordingly people. Also forgive me for any mistakes. I TRIED.

Part 1 , Part 3

•°•°•°•°

“JASON STOP!!!!!”, your voice echoed in the silent warehouse.

Jason stopped in his tracks as soon as he heard your voice, his mind was brimming with thoughts, questions and worst of all, emotions.

“Well, well, well, look who crawled out of her little cave”, He said smugly as he finally turned around to face you. The voice was his, you’d recognize that voice anywhere but it felt cold, devoid of emotions, hearing him like that sent a shiver up your spine. You could feel your determination slipping.

Even though you had your cowl on, Jason could still see how much his rampage was hurting you but he couldn’t stop now, not when all he had left to do was to capture Joker, beat the living shit out of that asshole and show Bruce how much of a failure Batman’s moral compass really is.

“Well? Got nothing to say now?... Why am I not surprised?”, Jason scoffed.

You took a deep breath, you were breaking down inside but you sure as hell weren’t going to let that stop you. You spoke, voice barely above a whisper,  “Jason...Jay...Stop all this...Please, come home, come back to the--”

“Manor? Home? Did you hit your head (Y/N)? Why in the hell would I ever go back to a place where NOBODY GAVE A DAMN ABOUT ME, WHERE HE REPLACED ME AS IF I MEANT NOTHING?!”, Jason didn’t want to lose control of himself, not in front of you. So with visible effort he calmed himself down, took a step forward and gave you a deadpan look.

“You all left me”

Your blood boiled at that statement.

“How dare you?! We lost you! We mourned for you! I mourned for you!”

Tears welled up in your eyes, listening to him you wondered whether he truly believed the words actually coming out of his own mouth.

“The Jason I knew was a roughed up street boy who still cared when many didn't, who called Bruce out every step of the way, who had this ridiculous favoritism for bread, who had the guts to take out a tire from the fricking Batmobile”, despite the dreadful situation you smiled remembering those sweet memories.

You looked him in the eye, pleading in a way, and you spoke softly, “The Jason I knew was The Robin to my Batgirl. This-this is just not who you are Jay, not really...So can you just stop?”

He looked unfazed by your words and cocked his head to the side.

“Princess, the only way you can stop me is if you fight me, knock me down real hard, make sure that I won't get back up again. Tell me Batgirl, can you do it? Do you actually have what it takes?”, he waited for an answer he knew wasn’t coming. As expected, all he was met with was silence.

Long, Painful Silence.

With that Jason knew what he had to do, he put on his red helmet and swung out of the nearest window, you couldn't stop him, for all your big talk, you just couldn't. He was right you failed him.

•°•°

You jumped awake with a start, bolting upright and immediately regretting your subconscious decision, the throbbing pain made you clutch the back of your head with your palm and you closed your eyes again to achieve some semblance of reality as a way of grounding yourself.

‘It was just a dream (Y/N)…just...a...dream’

You tried to lie to yourself knowing deep down that it was a memory, something you have already lived through, something you regret everyday. You swallowed the lump in your throat. It felt dry and your whole body was sore. You really should've called in early and then maybe Dick would've been the one stuck in this crapy situation and not you.

Pushing past your perplexed state you got up and took in your surroundings, there were vines hanging from the open roof, a LOT of flowers and some Venus flytraps by the corner. It wouldn’t even take being a detective to figure out where you were; The Botanical Gardens.

“How the hell did I end up here”, you muttered under your breath. This was getting out of hands.

“See Pammy I told ya Girl-Bat would rise and shine by now”

“I can see that Harls”

‘Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, just great, is nobody in Arkham these days’

The duo descended down from the open roof through one of the vines and stood in front of you. Harley looked as happy as a 10 year old about to get their favorite toy and Ivy seemed to be interested in anything and everything that did not concern you. Classic.

“Why the hell did you both kidnap me?”

You jumped forward and grabbed Harley by the collar of her dress, in retrospect it wasn't the best move but it's not like you were thinking straight at the time anyway.

A vine wrapped itself around your waist and you were tugged back by such force that you were sure there was gonna be a big bruise there tomorrow. You skidded across the floor and finally stopped when your back connected with a bench. You were just too drained to fight back so instead you just crawled up and sat on the bench with a grunt.

‘Not fighting my way out of this one so for once let’s try talking’

“Whoa, should ya really be this obnoxious when ya got a concussion?”, Harley burst your thought bubble as she looked you over.

“Wait, Did you just call me obnoxious?!”

“But don'tcha worry I am a doctor and I got a PhD”

“In psychology!”

“I will fix ya in no time”

“Are you even listening to me?”

Just like that you saw Harley leave the room to go get some medical supplies, or well at least you thought that that's what she was going to do, you turned your face towards Ivy hoping that she can fill in the blanks.

“So you both finally done babbling? And here I thought it was never going to end.”, She looked at you from where she was petting her plant, and made her way over to you, something about her seemed genuine. You got the feeling that whatever she had to say, it won't be a lie.

“Try and not mind what Harley does, she's just happy to make new friends for girls night.” She sighed before continuing, “As for your question, last night we were near the Gotham Central Park when we saw a masked man dragging your unconscious body out of a building and into a van parked in the alley, so we kil-- we took care of him and brought you here”, She shrugged as if that explains why the Poison Ivy just saved your life.

"Wait that means Red isn't here", you whispered more to yourself than to others.

“Pam is Red!”, Harley said cheerfully as she came back out nowhere with a bunch of boxes which would've made you very uneasy if your mind wasn't already preoccupied.

“What Harley means to say is that if you are trying to ask about that gun loving leather jacket vigilante who wears a red helmet, then no we don't know where he is”

Her words sunk in and yesterday's memories flashed in your mind, your eyes widened under your mask as the realization hit you like a bus.

The missing people, the creepy mannequins, the medical journals regarding surgeries, the weirdo in the white mask instead of a face, the poster of some Pretty Dolls parlor; Now it all makes sense!

“Pyg!”

"Huh?", the women in front of you almost jumped at your sudden revelation.

“Lazlo Valentin aka Professor Pyg that's the son of a bitch who is behind all this mess, he's the one who has got Red Hood And it's all my fault! Now, He might be dead already! I should've known, I-I should've figured it out quicker, I should've done something, DAMN IT!!”, you buried you face in your hands due to the building frustration within you.

“Don't be like that”, you heard Harley's voice as a hand was placed on your shoulder, she sat down on the bench next to you, you turned your head and eyed her warily, seeing nothing but concern.

“Don't give up. Clearly this Hoodie person means a lot to ya so you get off your ass and go get him, don't you Bat People always find a way”, you looked at her for a moment, then jumped up on your feet.

“Can't believe I am saying this but you are right Harley, I need go and I will find a way to save him, but before leaving I wanna know something”, you looked Ivy in the eyes as you worded your next sentence, “Why save me?”

“It was just my way of replaying you for saving Harls from that clown once”, instead of elaborating Ivy just crossed her hands over her chest waiting for you to leave. You gave her a warm smile, something they are not used to seeing, from a bat of all people.

“Thank you Pamela”

With that you were out of that detour and onto finding the path leading up to Jason.

•°•°

Somehow you reached the safe house without running into some kind of trouble, with how your day has been going, you were completely expecting something else to go wrong. Thankfully it didn't. You took out a spare comms unit, keys for your bike and some aspirin to dull the headache.

Soon you were whizzing past vehicles at full speed triying to contact anyone available at the moment.

“Come on pick up, pick up, pick up! What's the meaning of giving us an emergency button when no one picks the damn thing up”, you spoke into a dead line, wishing you could just bang your head against a wall, on second thought not a good idea.

Two minutes later the call was finally picked up and a screen appeared on the dash of your bike, it was from the batcave and you could see Dick, Damian and Bruce in sitting in front of the computer, Tim was connected from what you assumed to be the titans tower. However Dick was the first one to pop the question.

“(Y/N) what's the emergency? Are you okay? We haven't heard from you since last night”

“Look no time to explain. Jason's been taken by Pyg and I need you guys to give me a location. Now”, you said gritting your teeth as you narrowly missed a truck for the second time this evening.

“Todd's captured? *tt* his incompetence precedes that of Drake”, Damian's snarky remark made Tim snap his head up.

“Hey!”

“Boys”, Bruce's stern voice made them quiet enough for the time being, “Batgirl you are injured and your emotions can compromise the whole rescue, go back to the safe house and let us handle this”, Bruce ended the transmission and it made you angry.

'He said that they are going to handle it, that means they know where he is, so now all I have to do is to get Dick to spill it out'

You dialed Dick back, hoping he would understand what you are trying to do.

“I know why you specifically choose to call me back and No I am not letting you go head first into danger without any of us with you especially when you are compromised”, Dick's tone was stern but laced with concern.

“Dick the last time Bruce said he will handle it, Jason died, look I know what he is trying to say, I get him, I can't blame him for wanting to look after me but you have to understand I have to be the one to get him back”

“Why?!”

“Because I can't lose him again! The last thing that I said to him was that I might never forgive him! Never forgive him for something that's not even his fault! You are my only hope at getting him back, please don't take that away from me, please”, you pleaded with him as you slowed down the bike to a stop.

The line was silent for a while, the thought about saying more to him crossed your mind; what you are feeling about Jason, how much he matters to you, how you've failed him more than once, but ultimately decided against it and instead you just waited for his reply.

You deflated as soon as you realized that the line was cut but the ping of a notification caught your attention; The map to the possible location of Jason.

“Dick Grayson, you big softie”, you smirked, your bike roared as you made your way on to the free way heading fast towards the Gotham outskirts.

Meanwhile at Professor Pyg's 'supervillain headquarters' :

Jason slowly woke up, assessing the situation he quickly came to the conclusion that he messed up and now he is tied up to what seems like dentist's chair.

“Great, there has got to be a new record I've set in this family for messing up and getting kidnapped”, Jason muttered under his breath, he tried to tug at his restraints to get free but it turned out to be fruitless. A blinding light was switch on above him and he grunted due to the intensity.

“Man, what is up with you people and light?! Turn it off already!”, Jason said as he tried to adjust his eyes accordingly, when he came to, he was met with his captor himself.

Jason just stared at the man in front, moving towards him, wearing a pig mask and holding a butcher knife. He has seen enough crazy but this guy might just rival the Joker himself.

“Pyg know you broken. Pyg make you perfect”

“WHAT THE F--”

°•°•°•°•

(I like to think I am funny)

Cute little extra note: Yes it is the second time I'm leaving you guys hanging and NOPE I do not regret my decision.

Tagging: @ladyperceval

[anothertimdrakestan]

Dying In The Batboys Arms

reqs: "do you write dark stuff like the boys reaction to the reader dying??? i love your blog btw!" & "Hi could I get some a n g s t"

sooo i'm terrible at angst or anything involving sadness because i ~fall apart~ and give up but for you two i tried my best haha and went for a HC cuz it's easier right? anyways hope you enjoy i cried like twice while writing this but i'm a weak bitch so i had to end them all decently to sleep alright tonight oops

Damian Wayne:

- damian would never let you die, so this would have to be you fulfilling some kind of deal or something unavoidable like yeeting into the speed force or something

- rushing to his embrace one last time and throwing your arms around him

- feeling him shake in your embrace as he whispers "please don't go beloved" and "ill never forget you" reducing you to tears as well

- your last kiss is salty and desprate, like he's trying to remember every moment, every feeling of you

- telling him it's not his fault and that he'll need to move on, but he's too busy promising to find you and save you even if there truly is no hope

- when you leave his eyes are the last thing you see, they were always your favorite and after years of looking at them it felt fitting they'd be the last earthly thing you saw

- as soon as you're gone damian isn't leaving the spot for weeks

- he's basically camped out, hair grown out, cheeks permanently stained as everytime he thinks of you he's crying again- making up for all the tears he held in his whole life

- jon is the only person he'll speak to, and even in that his words are softer than they'd ever been, damian would be to broken to hold his regular facade

- eventually jon coaxes him to return, seeing your belongings unmoved for months

- he'd almost undeniably quit robin, taking up a nickname you called him or wearing a suit in your favorite color, his only driving force after losing you will be the hope you had in him, he tells himself that even in death you're still watching over him forever... it may bit be true but it's the only thing that gives him a reason to keep living and not try to join you

Tim Drake:

- coughing up blood you'd search frantically for tim until he was at your side, crying uncontrollably as he tried to push away your hair matted with blood

- "hey timbers i don't think i'm gonna make it outta this one" you whispered, your hand reaching up to caress tim's cheek, wiping away the tears

- "no, stay with me help is coming i'm right here!" he'd scream spamming the 911 button on his suit as you shook your head "i might be dying but i'm not stupid" his eyes softened at the light smile that traced the lips he loved to kiss

- pulling him down to whisper everything you needed to say all he'd be able to get out it "i can't keep going if you leave me"

- squeezing his hand with every last ounce of strength you reminded him "it's not goodbye timmy it's a see you later, right?" with a soft nod he looked at you, eyes still brimming with tears

- "i've always been so proud of you timbers, don't stop now. see you later okay? i love you" the last words were strangled, but you had to give him something to hang on to as you let go, fading into the pain

- "see you soon y/n l/n ill love you always" were the last words to grace your ears, fading into a dull white noise as you slipped into peaceful bliss, tim's fsvorite soft smile permanent on your lips

- his family found him clutching your limp body, rocking back and forth promising to make you proud, repeated pushing your hair behind your ears because he knows you hate having hair fall in your face

- the strangled noises leaving his families throats as they realized what happened didn't help, neither did dick falling to the ground next to him, and steph bawling into jason's chest. duke had softly grabbed damians hand, both staring at the sky praying to whom ever was listening while bruce pulled tim up and into an embrace

- carefully the family left, one member- and a huge piece of their heart missing. broken at the scene.

- tim threw himself into work, determined to make you proud- but his family would catch him sitting in front of the small, supposedly secret, shrine he'd made in his closet for you, if damian presses his ear to his closet wall he could hear tim softly telling you about his day and what he did that would make you laugh

- months later he seemed calmer, no one could figure it out until dick took the time to ask. tim didn't say much but he held up his left hand ring finger and in a writing dick hadn't seen in months, the perfectly messy scribbles tattooed on his hand said "see you later timmy"

Jason Todd:

- seeing you minutes from death would send jason into shock, unable to move other than sinking to his knees next to you as you groaned with pain

- "at least hold me while a go jaybird" you mumbled through the blood trying to fill your throat. quickly he'd wrap his arms around you

- jason's embrace was comforting as always, you tried to memorize the way the scars landed on your abdomen and his calloused hands tentatively held you like you could break at any wrong move- i guess he was right this time

- "just hold on babe" jason was never good with words was he? with the last ounces of strength you cupped his cheek, bringing his head down to yours "stop talking and kiss me one last time" you whispered

- jason's hands fell to their usual position, one keeping you upright by holding your lower back, his rough hands creating perfect friction with your smooth skin, his other secured to the back of your head, lightly tugging on loose strands of your hair, it was like a puzzle piece fitting together, you melded perfectly to his lips

- the kiss was slow and loving, taking a moment you deepened it just to burn the memory of his passion into your brain before returning back to his loving and slow kisses

- you realized you were crying into the kiss when his rough finger swiped away tears, his lips never leaving yours

- pulling apart to breath and cough jason clung to you "please hold on please" you gave him a sad smile "it's okay jaybird i'm last where the pain hurts that means it's coming soon" you whispered, your hand still on his cheek, feeling the light stubble you always thought was so sexy

- "i love you jason todd, but i've never lied to you and i'm not starting now, this is goodbye babe" you told him bluntly, his face contorting as he pulled you back into his chest "no no no no" were the only words he could think of "i love you jay, it's okay baby" you pulled his lips back to yours until you felt the pain incoming

- "i don't think i've got much longer. hold me?" you looked up to jason who was pushing away tears

- "always" he replied, clutching you to his heaving chest as you snuggled into his embrace, you were sad this would be the last time you got to feel his heartbeat and chest rise and fall, you loved the feeling and knew you'd never forget it, even in death

- "y/n? babe? no" jason realized you were gone, and he lost it, screaming at the universe for taking the one good thing, crying like he promised he'd never, and punching almost everything within a 5 foot range

- his family found him bloody and broken, clutching your lifeless body as he tried to wrap him mind around what happened, he might never get better, the memory of your loss burned too deep and scarred too hard, but if he truly understood your love for him he'd use that love he had for you to drive it towards good, fighting for whatever you believed in most as an homage to you, hoping that when he next saw you he'd get to remember the feeling of you throwing your arms around him like you always did when he did something you were proud of, that desire was the only thing keeping him going

Dick Grayson:

- imagine an impending death with dick grayson, maybe it's a medical diagnosis and hope has run out, or a known death date, whatever it maybe- i think only dick would be a character strong enough to stay by your side through it all

- when it just became too hard to go on you and dock both knew what was coming

- he took weeks off nightwing duties, traveling the world and falling deeper in love, eloping somewhere deep in europe to solidify your love eternally no matter where either of you were

- the day it was finally time you were wrapped up in his clothes, your favorite hoodie and sweatpants that smelled of the warm vanilla toasted marshmallow smell you fell in love with

- you'd catch dick swiping away rogue tears all day, trying to make the most of your time together

- as the final hour ticked down you both let everything off your chests, not that there was really anything left

- nestling himself one the crook of your shoulder you inhaled the warm comfortable scent, willing yourself to never forget it when he whispered "i'm not ready to let you go yet" and it broke the both of you, sobbing into each other's shoulders as time stopped

- feeling death begin creeping in you were curled up in dick's embracing, having said your goodbyes to loved ones, damian especially heart broken he was clutching one of your sweatshirts, one day he'd grow out of it but you assumed by then he'd be over the loss

- "does- do you hurt?" dick asked softly as you soaked in his embrace, feeling his tears roll down your touching cheeks

- "it's not scary when you're here dickie" you whispered, pulling his lips in for one last kiss, as you began drifting away you shifted to rest on his collar bone, inhaling the vanilla scent that had been your rock for years, you were glad it would be the last thing you remembered, the best sendoff you could ask for

- dick watched you exhale your last breath peacefully, part of him was glad your pain was over, but that didn't stop the sobs from escaping

- damian crept in, still clinging to your sweatshirt, hopping up into dick's lap, nestled between you and dick, he'd only done it a couple times but he needed it almost as much as dick this time

- and the two held you together, more family members came and went but damian and dick held your vigil, together they helped each other get up and live, falling into a routine of sitting in the same position, your sweatshirt held in their lap, occasionally they'd raise it and take a trip down memory lane with your familiar smell still lingering on the sweatshirt, and that was all they had of you, but now they had each other. and that would have to do until they saw you again

[rainygothherowolf]

Jasonette- Little Sister Pt.1

Here ~ Next ~ Last

Jason was annoyed, he didn't understand why he had to babysit a bunch of annoying teenagers. Bruce tried to make the excuse of keeping them safe while Joker was on the loose, but that didn't mean the head of security of an international company should be following some stupid tourists.

On top of that, his little sister's birthday was coming up. It was hardly a week away but Jason was already feeling the guilt, she would have turned fifteen this year. Jason remembered how a six-year-old Marinette would go on and on about when she became a teenager.

// Flashback, 12 years ago //

"Jay-Jay!" A small half-Asian girl with midnight hair exclaimed, her bright blue eyes shining with excitement as her hands shot up, asking to be held.

"Alright, alright, jeez I just got back, pixie! And you're getting to old for this!" A fourteen-year-old Jason picked up the far too light girl, balancing her on his hip as he fished the granola bar out of his back pocket. "Are you hungry?" Marinette shook her head 'no', pushing the food towards him.

"I ate yesterday, it's your turn." Marinette pouted but took the food anyways.

"Wanna share?" She offered, Jason shook his head. He insisted she eat, and eventually she did.

"Now, I have to go back." Marinette frowned, "I just came to bring your food. I'll be back soon, see you tomorrow." Jason gave his little honorary sister a hug before tucking her into bed, using both her blanket and his.

"When I'm big, like you, I'm gonna make you stay!" Jason chuckled softly before tucking her in again, on the inside he was proud. She was so smart, she'd grow-up to become an amazing person, Jason just had to make sure she lived long enough to do it.

// Flashback ends //

Jason never saw Marinette again, that was the night Batman found him and took him in. His life had changed so much since that night, if only he hadn't been so stupid and told Bruce about Marinette, Jason was convinced he would have taken her in too. But now it was too late, apparently she'd been adopted by some couple in Europe but the case was sealed and without telling Tim or Bruce he'd never get his hands on them.

The second robin was pulled out of his thoughts when Dick approached him, strangely not at work.

"What?" Dick seemed to get more and more excited as he walked with Jason.

"Where are you going, Jay?" Jason glared at his brother, shoving him off.

"I have to go babysit some french class that Bruce invited."

"Hey, you never know- it could be fun!" Jason just rolled his eyes at his older brother's golden retriever-like mentality. They turned a corner and boarded the elevator.

"What are you even doing here, aren't you supposed to be working?"

"I got the afternoon off."

"Great, wanna take my place?" Dick looked at his watch before responding.

"No, trust me, you're the better person for the job." Jason was confused by that, but the elevator doors opened and a quick glance at his own watch told Jason he was late.

"Whatever." Jason huffed as he walked to the lobby, but Dick just followed him as he messed with his phone. Odd.

Marinette was excited, her class had been selected by Wayne Enterprises for a class trip! She was so happy that she'd get to see Gotham again. No one knew that Marinette had grown up in the states and been adopted by the Dupain's, not that anyone cared. The class was quick to fall into Lila Rossi's trap, it hurt Marinette to see her friends leave her but she'd be okay. She had Tiki and her parents.

She might not have Jason, but she'd be okay. She had to be, Ladybug couldn't be emotional compromised.

Lila suddenly pulled Marinette from her revere when she gasped,

"Oh my goodness, you won't tell anyone right? Bruce always hates when people find out, our family is really serious about privacy... but you won't say anything right?" The class was quick to give their assurances before Lila continued to spin her web of lies. She was prattling about some rich boyfriend of hers and how she’s practically family.

Instead of listening to the mindless Italian, Marinette decided to take in the modern lobby. The walls were a sharp white that went well with the dark marble floors. There was a sleek receptionists desk with four busy-looking employee's. Everyone was dressed in business-wear so the french class stood out like a sore thumb. The room had tall ceilings with an understated, modern chandelier and rounded sofas. The seating was scattered throughout the large lobby.

Their tour guide was a nice blond man named Mark, he that said they were going to begin as soon as a security guard assigned to escort them arrived. Marinette was waiting near Mark and Mme. Bustier, keeping her distance from Lila's coffee and her class' harsh glares.

"Later, Dick." An almost familiar voice called, it was gruffer and deeper than it used to be but Marinette instantly recognized it.

"Jay-Jay?" Marinette called out, softly, disbelievingly, it wasn’t the first time she’d thought she heard the voice but the bluenette couldn’t help but hope. He caught it and their eyes met. Marinette could feel her eyes fill with unshed tears as she took Jason in, he was much taller with dark hair and an odd white tuft on the front. His face had matured since she'd last seen him, he now had sharp features and a strong jawline, his eyes were unmistakable. He was dressed in a suit but on top of his shirt was a bullet proof vest, sure she couldn't remember much but his voice had always calmed her and the thought of the skinny fourteen year old smirking would always make her smile, it was almost instinctual.

"Pixie pop?" He sounded like he couldn't believe his eyes, behind the shock was relief- and grief. Marinette slowly walked towards Jason, stopping right in front of him.

Jason couldn't believe it. After all these years they finally found each other again. Regret and disappointment washed over him in waves. Her eyes looked broken. He never should have left her, he should have found her sooner, he should have told Bruce, he should have done something- anything.

"Marine-?" Jason tried to speak but was cut off, Marinette had slapped him. Hard. The harsh noise of her hand hitting his skin got everyone to stop in their tracks, even the eternally busy receptionists. His cheek stung, she was stronger than she looked. He didn't stop her.

"Idiot." Before Jason even knew what was happening Marinette was hugging him, jumping to reach her arms around his neck.

He did his best to shove back his self loathing for another time, right now he had to focus on Marinette.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry." Jason just kept apologizing as he hugged her back, a stray tear seared his cheek. Marinette cut him off with a flick to his ear- he used to do that when she was bratty.

"Where did you go? Why did you leave me? I was alone. And you promised!" Marinette spoke, pushing through the tears, through the emotion- all Jason could do was dip his head in shame. He always promised they'd stay together, no matter what.

"A lot of stuff happened, Pixie. Let's get out of here- yeah?" Marinette nodded before hugging Jason again, this time around the waist.

"I missed you, you big idiot. You’re the worst brother ever, you owe me a lot of candy." Jason relaxed at the word brother, even if he had years to make up for it was better than losing his little sister for good.

"See! I told you he was looking into it for a reason, pay up!" Dick exclaimed, that got Jason's attention. Dick and the rest of his siblings saw his glare and quieted. Damian wasn't even paying attention, he was on his phone. Tim saw the glare but still payed Dick, grumbling as he did so.

"Go be idiots somewhere else."

"No way! She said brother! That makes us her brothers too!" Marinette jumped at the conclusion, Jason growled. He glared again, but the tiny person clinging to Jason took the edge off.

"Dick Grayson." The original Robin introduced himself politely, "Nice to meet you." She greeted the boy politely, wiping her tears away with her left while she shook his hand with her right.

"Tim Drake." The most exhausted of the group introduced, he was about to do something to the youngest- whose head was still buried in his phone- but was interrupted.

"Of course the slut has an american sugar daddy!" Lila loudly announced laughing, the rest of the class joined in- some more hesitantly than others. Jason noticed Marinette try to make herself smaller, hugging him tighter- this wasn't anything new to her.

Jason glared, the boys eyed him- worried about the genuinely deadly look in his eye.

"What did you call her?" Jason asked in perfect french, the children flinched. Mme Bustier stood between the students and Jason, looking nervous but determined.

"Please don't intimidate my students." The woman tried to sound firm but failed miserably.

"Then maybe you should stop your students from bullying their classmate, or did you not hear the brunette insult another student?!" Caline didn't know whether or not to answer but decided to stay quiet.

"Any of you brats insult my little sister again and you won't wanna know what happens." Jason quietly threatened, meaning every word.

"Little sister?" Alya exclaimed, "Please! Marinette is an only child, if you're going to lie at least be convincing! You don't know her at all, the lying bully is just trying to steal the spotlight again!" Jason was pissed and took a threatening step towards the girl, but deep down he knew she was right, he didn't know Marinette. But the one thing he did know was that he was her brother, and no one messed with his family.

For once, Jason's brothers were quiet. Dick and Tim were waiting to see how Jason would handle everything, waiting to see if they needed to intervene. Damian was on his laptop, not giving anyone a second glance. It seemed to Jason he had been paying attention because Damian assumed he'd be in the lobby long enough the take out his computer.

The entire exchange from the moment the insult was given to now had taken no longer than a minute but Marinette was still clinging to Jason until he tried to walk towards Alya again, she had whispered something to Lila that made her laugh and when Jason tried to move forward Marinette released him and grabbed his suit coat, trying to pull him back. Sure the pulls were weak but she meant it.

"You'll just make it worse, Jay." He huffed, there was no way in hell he was going to let Marinette anywhere near the moronic class ever again.

"Fine, let’s call security and get them out of here."

"Hey you can't do that, we were invited by Bruce Wayne himself." Jason continued as if the bespectacled brunette hadn't spoken.

"Oh wait! I am security! Get out."

"Jason-"

"B! Great, you can tell them to leave! I'm outta-here!"

"You're not going anywhere, Jason, and the class is scheduled for a tour. Tim, call Lucius. Ask him to cover for us and get someone who isn't the head of security to escort the tour. Never touch my email again." Tim sheepishly agreed, dialing Lucius' number.

Bruce then turned to the French class as they stared in awe, Caline blushed softly.

"You must be Mme Bustier?" She nodded, "I'm Bruce Wayne, my apologies for the delay, the tour will be starting shortly. If it's alright with you, may Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng be excused from the tour?" Bruce spoke in pristine French, the teacher could only nod in response to the older man's rehearsed smile.

"Mr. Wayne! Can I get a quote for an article?" Alya asked without thinking.

"What's your article about?" Bruce asked, curious.

"Uh-" Alya blushed before trying to disappear into the crowd, he politely ignored her outburst.

"It was a pleasure meeting all of you, but if you'd excuse me I have other things to attend to-"

"Wait! Aren't you going to greet Lila?" The billionaire looked confused for a moment before he noticed one girl looking particularly distressed.

"I'm sorry to say I don't know anyone by that name, now if you'll excuse me-"

"What do you mean? Lila Rossi, your honorary niece! She practically lived with you when her mother worked at the embassy here in Gotham! Your youngest son, Damian's childhood friend! Her boyfriend!" The boy on his laptop snorted at Rose's statement.

"I am not in a relationship with anyone, and I have no childhood friends." Damian shut his laptop as he ran a hand through his hair making a good portion of the class blush, Marinette couldn't help but think 'He's too good looking for his own good'. His dark hair and tan skin highlighted his jade eyes, a business suit adding to her professional demeanor. His shorter, swoopy hair was mesmerizing... and his arms were thick and seemed strong, the veins on his hand clearly visible as it moved through his silky locks. Jason seemed to catch onto her train of thought and hastily covered her eyes.

"No." Marinette giggled, coming back to reality when the boy was shielded from view. He was as protective as ever. She remembered how he'd get when the other kids used to get close to Marinette, being a little girl meant pity cash from adults and was a solid partner on the streets of Gotham. Marinette moved his hand to watch the long awaited fall of Liar Rossi.

"What do you mean?" Nino exclaimed.

"If that wasn't true, what else did you lie about?" Kim exclaimed, Alix seconded.

"Nothing, I swear." The brunette pleaded, desperately trying to convince the class.

"Does this mean you don't know those music producers you promised I'd get to meet?" Nino demanded, the class began to circle around Lila, all asking about promises she'd made

"And the acting internship?" Milene asked.

"Do you even know Ladybug?"

"Or Jagged Stone?"

"Was anything you said true?" The class continued to ask her questions, Lila looked shaken as her not-so-carefully crafted web of lies fell apart.

"Was what you said about Marinette true?"

"Did she even bully you?"

"I knew she wouldn't say such horrible things!"

"Yeah, Marinette never would have hurt anyone! I can't believe we fell for your lies!" Everyone began to yell at Lila, blaming her for all the awful things they did to her. Jason could hardly stand it, pulling Marinette into another hug- she had been dealing with morons.

"Class! Now is not the time, we have a tour. Unless you want the trip to end early I suggest you quiet down!" Mme Bustier was ignored. Mike whistled, loudly.

"Alright! It's time for the tour, so quiet down!" The tour guide quickly took a head count and led the class away, an artificial smile in place. Everyone was either glaring at the Lila girl or looking at Marinette as they walked away.

"Sorry about them, they can get pretty loud." Marinette tried to play the whole thing off, they let her.

"Bruce Wayne."

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, it's an honor to meet you sir. Thank you for the trip!" Bruce gave his three younger sons a look, Damian was back on his laptop but was quick to defend himself.

"I, for one, had no part in this, father. They bet on why Jason looked into some girl's adoption file."

"And you knew?" Damian stopped typing and looked up.

"Maybe... but you can't prove anything." Tim smirked before he remembered what he was going to do before any of the drama came up.

"Damian! Introduce yourself!" The boy who looked to be a little older than Marinette rolled his eyes with a sigh but approached the girl nonetheless, glaring at Tim before looking at Marinette for the first time. His scowl morphed into something else as he studied her.

Marinette noticed his examining her and blushed, but looked back at him just as interested.

"... Damian Wayne."

"Marinette." They shook hands, neither taking their eyes off each other. Jason looked between the two teenagers, first at Damian then to his little sister before going back to Damian and then back to Marinette before it stopped on Damian's- Jason.exe stopped working before it went into overdrive.

As if on instinct, Jason put a hand on each of their shoulders pushing them apart. Their longer-then-normal hand shake ended as they eyes snapped to Jason.

"Don't even think about it. No way in hell, brat, keep your slimy paws off my sister." Marinette blushed heavily, averting her eyes in embarrassment.

Dick and Tim howled in laughter when they heard Damian's response, Bruce smirked.

"She's your sister, not mine."

[the-knight-of-the-stars]

Shuri and Carlos and Jay

Sorry I´m so horribly late at this... But its finally done! yey! Hope is not too messy

For this Ship Game

Indiscreet

The party had lost its color several hours ago. With the passing of time, the same repetitive waltz played over and over again, and the quiet voices of the guests trying to sound demure with their flat conversation had ended up leaving those present in a strange state of boredom and fed up. The musicians themselves didn't seem to play as keenly, and the music dripped wearily from the instruments, floating on the empty dance floor as the waiters tried not to nod, beginning to lose their upright posture next to the tables of half-eaten snacks.

Shuri sat in the middle of the cottony environment, sitting at her table in the open air, resting her head on her hands and by inertia watching as Evie passed from table to table asking how everyone was spending it. The wind began to lightly shake the colored ribbons that decorated the tables, and Shuri was grateful that at least the breeze could lessen the heat of the strong summer sun. She blew out a tired breath, looking away, wondering for the sixth time why she had agreed to come to this party.

In her defense, the idea of a supposedly informal picnic, in Auradon Castle's new garden honoring the recently named Lady Mal and hosted by the very nice Evie, hadn't sounded so bad at first. Of course, Shuri couldn't have known that Lady Mal would be three whole hours late in arriving and that she would only be able to speak to Evie when she was rushing by to ask if they needed anything, as she looked at the sun to check the time, trying to hide her exasperation for the obvious failure of the party.

As Shuri fingered the bland sandwiches on her plate with her fork, Carlos returned with a couple of cold drinks. He sat down next to her, and Shuri straightened up to look at him, thanking him for the drink with a small smile. At least, Shuri thought sipping her drink, she'd had the good sense not to go to the party alone. If it weren't for Carlos, Shuri was sure she would have left the party in the first hour. But despite the uncomfortable boredom she felt, Shuri had allowed herself to enjoy Carlos's company with much more comfort than she had been able to until now. Having him close felt like sunshine.

"I can't take this any longer ..." Shuri exclaimed looking at the grassy ground and kicking it desperately "Is there any purpose to this? She is not even here "

"Yeah, sorry about that," Carlos said with a pained smile "I should have told you that the plan changes are Mal's trademark"

Shuri answered with a long, loud sigh, looking around and wondering if everyone would have the same desire to leave as she did.

Carlos gulped, daring to look at Shuri and unconsciously starting to form a smile. He could feel bubbles popping inside him. He liked Shuri in a way he could never have expected. She seemed to him to be the coolest person he knew, she was funny, fresh, sincere, and wonderfully intelligent. Shuri's talents had amazed him since he'd first seen her come as a special guest to demonstrate in robotics class, and he hadn't been able to take his eyes off her since. He admired every part of her, even though he had no idea how to show it.

Carlos had never so wished he could put his shyness aside. Just seeing her eyes made him nervous, she had a beautiful look. Carlos shook his head, and looked away, biting his lip anxiously, wondering what to say.

"Well ... you know ... if you want ..." began Carlos awkwardly trying to sound calm "I brought my headphones ... I'm not the biggest fan of parties either ... we can listen to something if you want ...

Shuri watched him for an instant. The proposal had surprised him, but an excited gleam appeared in her eyes. For the first time, she seemed slightly nervous.

"Of course, why not?" she replied with a small smile. Carlos also smiled.

He took them out of his coat pocket and handed one to Shuri to share. The afternoon heat was raging, and the wind blew, cooling their faces. Carlos chose a simple song, soft tune, and few instruments, but wonderfully happy. Shuri was surprised by how much the music managed to light up the atmosphere. She realized that she was closer to Carlos now than she had been all morning, their arms brushing, but she felt much more comfortable than she had expected.

Carlos's lips trembled slightly, but he seemed delighted to be by her side. Shuri smiled, feeling the music dance in her chest. She, too, was beginning to feel enchanted. She had always been fancied by Carlos, he was simple and brilliant. They understood each other with surprising ease, despite their differences in character. It had taken Shuri a while to realize Carlos' particular interest in her, his small approaches and spontaneous details, and the idea had amused her immensely. Shuri herself had been surprised at how much she had come to like him. He was a kind of sweet that she had never known.

"Thank you for joining me today" Shuri thanked him, believing it prudent that this time, she was the one to initiate the approach "You are much better at these things than I am."

Carlos lowered his head and smiled slightly. Was he ashamed? Shuri thought with a certain nervousness. That had been a compliment, she had paid him a compliment, hadn't she?

"It is my pleasure, I like to believe that in another life I would have been a fantastic princess" replied Carlos, a little more daring, bringing his face closer and looking into her eyes. Shuri laughed, more relaxed.

"I believe it too" she replied in a good mood.

"Or perhaps I am in this life as well, who knows?"

"Yeah, maybe, you certainly have the character"

"Oh, I do?"

“Absolutely, kind, crowd-pleasing, discrete. But you do need to be more arrogant, like a real royal "

"You are not arrogant, and you are a real royal"

"You underestimate me, white head"

"Really?"

"Sure, I'm a genius, arrogance is my life juice"

"Well, I think you are sweeter than you give yourself credit for" replied Carlos with a mischievous smile.

"Oh, shut up! I'm not sweet! " Shuri responded offended, giving him a small blow on the shoulder, holding back the laugh.

"What? You are sweet ”

Suri shook her head, smiling.

"I knew you were a boot licker"

Carlos responded with a laugh, raising his hands, in a certain attitude of Oh, you caught me there. Shuri leaned back in her seat, looking pleased with her friend. For a moment, she had forgotten how boring the party was, and even the music that was playing in her ear. The afternoon was beginning, and the rest of the guests seemed to have begun to lose their patience, fed up with the heat and monotony. But now Shuri was feeling a bit more optimistic. Maybe going there today had not been a total waste.

Shuri approached, a little more confident, and discreetly rested her head on Carlos's shoulder. He didn't move. H could hear her breathing. Shuri allowed herself to think that Carlos could be truly charming. No, not entirely a waste. There was a certain charm in that summer noon, it awakened the most subtle senses.

Just as they began to relax between the music and the soft breathing, their calm was suddenly interrupted. Suddenly, Shuri felt the tickle of a breath on the back of her neck.

"Hey!"

She looked back in surprise, and Jay's confident smile greeted her.

Unlike them, decked out in elegant clothes and neat demeanor, Jay was wearing one of his old sleeveless Saturday shirts and ripped jeans. His hair was messy, his face was glowing. Shuri guessed that he had just showered after Journey practice, and run all the way there.

"Hi princess" he greeted with his charming half-smile. Shuri answered him in the same way.

"Jay you bastard" she replied "You scared me! What are you doing here? It's a private party. You do know what that means, right? "

"Of course. It means entering is twice as fun. "

"Let's see if you keep smiling when one of the princesses sees you and sends the guards on you"

"Oh please, I thought you knew me," Jay said with an arrogant smile, sliding to sit in the chair next to her "Princesses love me"

Shuri rolled her eyes, and leaned back in her seat, suppressing a smile. Jay winked at Carlos in greeting and blew Shuri an imaginary kiss. She laughed, she knew what Jay had come for. He liked to cause trouble, he was always lighting sparks. And lately, he seemed to have gotten into the habit of showing up in the same places as her, with his seductive demeanor, bad jokes, and sassy approaches. Ultimately, Jay seemed interested in her. But Jay seemed to be interested in everyone, and unlike Carlos, he wasn't quiet about it.

"So… what have you been doing this beautiful morning?" Jay asked, popping one of the sandwiches on the table. “Did Mal already bored you to death with her speech? I heard her rehearsing last night… A nightmare”

Jay shook himself as if the idea had given him chills. Carlos gave a little laugh.

"I wish" replied Carlos "She didn't even come"

"Really?"

"Really" Shuri affirmed with a sigh.

"Well, too bad" Jay replied getting up from the chair "What do you say, are we leaving here?"

"We can't go big brain," said Shuri "We accept the invitation, now we have to wait for her to arrive"

"Oh come on Shuri ..." said Jay taking her hand and pressing his face to Shuri's shoulder "We're going to die of boredom here"

"Enough," Shuri said, pushing him away laughing, trying not to blush "I remind you that you don't have to stay, you weren't even invited"

"Well it should have been, don't you think?" Jay replied, kneeling between their chairs so that he could put his arms around both of them. "This party got so much better with me in it."

"Don't get your hopes up, we were fine without you, right Carlos?" Shuri exclaimed jokingly. Carlos smiled slightly, looking at Jay with a new twinkle in his eyes.

"I mean ... A little more fun would do us good" he replied with a shrug. Jay grinned from ear to ear.

"See? That's my man ”said Jay excitedly, leaning over Carlos to slap an enthusiastic kiss on his cheek. Carlos pulled away feeling his face heat up and gave a nervous laugh. "Come on Shuri ... don't tell me you don't want a more exciting Saturday"

Shuri refused to answer, crossing her arms, and raising an eyebrow. Jay smiled. After a heavy morning of training, Shuri felt like a delicious bucket of water. Jay liked the cool way Shuri managed to capture his humor, that she could joke with him in the same way. They managed to understand each other extraordinarily well. Somehow they were very similar, Jay could recognize it, but his own strength did not compare to the strength that emanated from everything Shuri did, it was a worthy, almost supernatural strength. But beautifully human.

Despite his magnificent intelligence, Shuri never made him feel like a fool. Jay knew how easy it would be for her to do it, but instead, she chose to be his friend. She chose to be simple, strangely, normal. Funny, exciting, awkward at moments, a little weird... like him. Although in reality, nothing about Shuri was ordinary.

Anxious, Jay rested his head on the table and ran his gaze between Shuri and Carlos. They looked gorgeous in their white party outfits, like two angels, getting bored in the sun from an emotionless party. The thought made him laugh. Maybe, he could be their devil.

Carlos looked to the sides, starting to blush to see that some guests were beginning to notice the disheveled athlete half lying on his table. Jay thought his nervousness was adorable. He could understand it, Shuri had that effect on people, you just felt the need to like her.

Seeing Shuri continue to be reluctant, Jay, with deft hands, took with his fingertips the sandwich that was resting on her plate.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Shuri asked "That's mine"

"Oh is it? Sorry princess ”Jay replied. And he put the sandwich in his mouth, holding it between his teeth "Why don't you come and have it?"

She shook her head, pursing her lips to keep from laughing.

"Don't test me, thief" she said, imitating the hissing way he called her princess "You could get burned if you play with fire"

Jay chewed on the sandwich, enduring Shuri's cosmic dark eyes, and smiled.

"I think I'd like it" replied Jay "You know would. I like... you"

Shuri knew it.

"And where would you take us?" she inquired approaching him.

"Where the wind takes us, somewhere we can be alone. All three,” Jay replied with a smile as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Shuri lowered her head thoughtfully, licking her lips. SH had imagined it, but I heard it was something different. Bum Bum Bum.

“Please Shuri, I had the most horrible morning, and you two had it too. I think we could use a little fire, ” Jay said with a shrug, a smile that invited them to fun.

Shuri thought for a moment. Bum Bum Bum. Her heart sang in her chest. What was that emotion running inside her? The brilliant thought of an unexpected adventure. She turned to see Carlos for a moment, and he too seemed excited about the idea. And the strangest of all, those two boys were an adventure. On a morning so flat, so white, it was the last thing she would have expected, but her heart kept beating.

The wind ruffled her clothes, made her skin crawl. Her friends looked radiant in the sun. The three seemed to share that strange feeling of boredom and fun at that failed party. Children playing politics, a forgotten and old-fashioned high society. Three extraordinary teenagers. They didn't really felt that way. How absurd that life they led sometimes seemed. The most normal thing seemed to be what happened between them. That first-time tender emotion, as mature as they could feel it. Wasn't that love? The most extraordinarily ordinary thing.

Shuri pursed her lips. She had done much more dangerous things in the past, she had fought, she had stood up in the name of her nation. Why did the idea of sneaking out from a party with two boys make her feel so adrenaline-fueled? She did not know it. But she liked it. A leap of courage, a little fire.

"Let's do it"

Jay laughed with victory, and ecstatic, he put his face close to hers. Shuri did not retreat, she kept her smile. So he kissed her, as he had wanted to do for so long. It was smooth and fleeting, barely lasting an instant. Shuri covered her mouth, laughing. She didn't even think about people seeing them.

Jay ran into the labyrinth of gardens, Carlos and Shuri followed him laughing, leaving behind their possessions, and the looks of the confused people watching them abandon the table. Carlos, on a happy impulse, offered his hand to Shuri. She hesitated for a second and took it, a new lightness in her chest, Carlos´s grip was firm and loving. And the two of them ran after Jay holding hands, engulfed in dreamy joy. Music of their own that resounded in their hearts. Losing themselves in the maze of roses and dahlias, jostling each other, splashing in the lily ponds, and rolling in the fields of freshly cut grass.

Daisies and herbs filled their hair, mud stained their clothes, drowned in the scent of flowers and the skin of others. They laughed until they were out of breath and were intoxicated by the embrace of each other, hiding their faces in other clothes and in the bushes of the garden. The sun was shining strong and high. Sweet, sweet summer love.

[x0401x]

Jeweler Richard Cobalt Short Story

The Checkered Half of Edward Baxter’s Life

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Raw || Index

He met him for the first time when attending a boarding school in Switzerland.

He had no plans for homecoming even as summer vacation came about. It was better to stay in Switzerland as things were noisy at home, his father had told him on the phone, and he was not a fourteen-year-old innocent enough not to catch onto the meaning of “I’ll have to look after you if you come back and this would reduce the time I have for my research” that lay underneath.

There was no helping it, so he secluded himself in the library. However, the library was full of children like him, with no place to return to. He gradually started feeling depressed.

Switzerland, which Queen Elizabeth also loved, had many picturesque tourist attractions. There was no lack of places to have a fun time from dawn to dusk and a pipe organ concert was being held at a church in town, which was quite close to the school, so he imprudently thought that it would be safe even at night.

Since he had an unnecessarily exemplary daily conduct, it was easy to earn permission for exiting the campus. The question of where he was going was disregarded, and it was hard for him when a nuance drifted about, saying that he should go play around a little, if anything. He already knew by then that he was most likely a child who did not specialize much at behaving like a child.

The summer city was brimming with sightseers. Made of brown bricks, the cityscape that looked like those from fairy tales was decorated everywhere with pink and white potted flowers. The city seemed to have many watersides, with restaurants lined up by the river shores, a big black dog that was probably someone’s pet dragging its leash around and waggling, looking like it wanted him to play with it. Just when he thought of playing a little, its owner apparently called for it from afar, so the dog turned its body around and rushed away.

The city was fun at night. Being able to get the feeling that he was with someone even without being accompanied was just what he needed.

He only realized that he was lost long after he had started losing his way. He was certain there was a church in that area where a concert was taking place, but while roaming around, what came into his field of vision was nothing but apartment complexes, garbage dumps and tunnels with no signs of life. He had apparently entered a residential area where the public order was not too good, but did not know how to get out. As he decided to just go back the way he had come from, there were people standing behind him once he turned on his heels.

“Yo.”

He was able to tell right away that they were around seventeen to eighteen years old because the boys were wearing parkas and baseball caps. With such looks that one would not see so often in a waterside of bustling terrace cafés, they spoke while chewing gums. Just as an earl would sometimes do, he pretended not to have heard them.

“Shortie, what’cha doin’ out here? Where yer papa and mama?”

“They not around? You alone?”

“Then don’tcha have a wallet with ya?”

“You’re as pretty as a doll, huh. Can’t talk?”

“Young Master, could you please spare us a blessing?”

Cold sweat beaded on his back as he wondered what would happen if he refused. He had begun having boxing lessons, but the classes were strictly separated by age and body weight, so he could not think of it as training for fighting opponents who were clearly older than him.

Just when unpleasant memories started whirling in his head as he pondered what he should do, what he had to do, what he was supposed to do to cut his way through a time like this all by himself, someone most certainly grabbed his arm from the side.

“Hey, Edward! Edward, isn’t that you?”

For a second, he did not know who the owner of that familiar voice was.

Brownish blond hair and light blue eyes, a knit vest and black slacks. Shiny leather shoes and an armor-like smile.

“Je... Jay!”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s me, Jay. I’m happy you remembered.”

The one who went around the boy from behind and hugged him from the shoulder was his cousin, Jeffrey, who was two years older than him. Even as the boy stared at him with eyes that asked why he was in a place like this and how he had gotten here, Jeffrey maintained the same-old theatrical face that he pulled off so well and hid behind his back the one who had the status of a younger brother to him.

“What’re you doing in this place? You’ll be late for the meeting if you don’t hurry. Won’t your uncle be mad if you make him wait any longer? He’s a really scary person.”

“I-I’m sorry. I will be going right away.”

“That’s it, so bye!”

Tightly hugging the shoulder of the one that he was supposed to protect, Jeffrey left the scene. Perhaps due to him handling the matter with such a lighthearted and loud voice, there were no signs of the two chasing after them.

“That was terrifying.”

“We’re leaving this place.”

“All right.”

Jeffrey walked in long strides from the semi-darkness where a fishy smell drifted about to the main street lined with the glow of light poles. The boy walked keeping his body close to Jeffrey’s, as it did not seem like the latter intended to let go of the shoulder that he was firmly holding onto otherwise.

“Honestly, good thing I was around.”

“How...?”

“‘How’, you ask? I’m your super hero, so isn’t it obvious that I’d rush to you when you’re in trouble?”

“Not that; what is the truth?”

“I meant it as the truth, though... Kidding. It was just a coincidence. If I’m not wrong, today’s the day that summer vacation started for you, right? My school was a bit faster to give us leisure time, so I planned to ambush you and make a surprise. But when I visited your school, they said you’d gone out all by yourself, so I was the surprised one,” the older cousin said cheerfully.

He was a man with a big heart, the kind that constantly changed his voice tone and facial expression as he spoke, who was always smiling and accepted first-thing the evaluation that he was charismatic yet shady. Moreover, he continuously took his little brother, who had been born to free-spirited parents and was younger than him, under his feathers. For the boy, his existence was much more than that of an older brother.

At the words “I’m the only one here”, the boy realized that he was relieved. The earl and the even older cousin from whom he would have to conceal this were not there.

“You okay?”

“Yes, but the earl and Brother Henry are not here.”

“Father was in Cannes, I guess. Henry is following him to make appearances. Looks like it’s a busy season for the high society.”

“How awful.”

“I wonder if they’re getting caught up with playing around. Aah, but Henry is a serious guy. Piano practice might be more fun to him than a casino.”

“I think I understand how he feels.”

“That’s right. Let’s go to Cannes with him someday too. Let’s live it up in a casino or something.”

“If I become penniless from buying too many books by then, what will we do?”

“Leave it to me. I might be like this, but I’m hoping to enter the financial business. I’ll lend you as much money as you want. With damn high interest.”

“You little—”

They shoved each other around as if to hug one another, and by the time they had all but arrived at the main street, filled as it was with human presence, the boy finally released a sigh. That was dreadful. He was not very used to being threatened. At school, he had already grown somewhat used to having his appearance mocked or people using the words “I’ll throw the trash away for you” as an excuse to touch his body, and had come up with countermeasures to some extent, but troubles outside the school were always beyond hypothesis.

As he gave an abrupt shudder upon recalling being sandwiched from front and back by two older boys, something landed on top of his head with a tap. It was Jeffrey’s hand.

Patting his golden-haired head in light rolls with the palm of his hand, the boy who was two years older grinned at him. “Well, first things first, you should start with not getting lost.”

“You were watching me?”

“I wasn’t. I ran around here and there because of that. It had me out of breath, but I was a prize-worthy elite actor for not letting it show, huh? I want a trophy.”

“Then how did you know I was lost?”

“You’re not the kind of kid who’d go to a place like that on purpose, Ricky.”

At that moment, the boy had the sudden realization that his cousin was a child merely two years above him, and so he was supposed to be protected, not to be protecting someone else. Fearing kidnappings, everyone in the earl’s estate had an enormous amount of money on insurance payouts. The fact that he would rather be someone who had next to no worries in going outside of school than have the presence of the bodyguards who would be tagging along with him in normal circumstances made the boy shiver again.

“Hum... Jeff, is everything all right for you? My apologies for that. Your guards—”

“You’re still on about that? Y’know, you could just leave it as ‘that was terrifying’. I lost my guards. I mean, it’s no fun with them. I think I’ll get a call from Father lecturing me again, but isn’t it kinda disturbing to have two old men in suits clinging to my back even when I go see my dear little brother’s face?”

He had probably taken that measure due to foreseeing that the bodyguards would scary his cousin, the boy realized. Before he sank into an apologetic sea once more, Jeffrey found a random shop at the side of the road and took a seat in the quiet interior. He ordered two lemonades. As he was striking a lighthearted talk about how they were perfect for Switzerland in the summer...

“Hum.”

“What?”

“Who was that Edward from just now?”

“Uh? Aah, no one. I let it out of my mouth without much thought.”

Jeffrey did not say, “It’s because they might memorize your name if I were so stupidly honest to call you Richard”. His consideration from not wanting to say it and expressly scare his cousin, as well as his carefreeness of not deeming it necessary to be said, were comfortable for the boy.

Edward, Edward, he repeated in his heart the unfamiliar name, and after drinking just a little bit of the lemonade, the boy whispered intermittently, “It’d be good if you had a name like that too.”

“Uh?”

As he said, “Like Edward”, Jeffrey laughed.

“Isn’t that ‘Jay’?”

“That was just because I didn’t manage to say ‘Jeffrey’...”

“Hmm,” Jeffrey interjected with an indifferent attitude, sucking onto the straw of his lemonade.

Aah, it’s the face of someone who’s planning something fun, the boy noted, and as he laughed a little, his older cousin showed a smile three times happier than that.

“Then give me one.”

“Uh?”

“You can give me a name like that too. Let’s make them secret names between us.”

“For Brother Henry too?”

“Keep it a secret from Henry.”

The smile of his cousin, who laughed without any maliciousness, was as sweet as nectar. The boy displayed a facial expression of sincere reassurance, then began turning over the name dictionary inside his head with “not this, not that either”. No matter what, his favorite names either were related to individuals from classic literature or leaned towards Japanese people, but none of them suited Jeffrey’s face.

The boy made up his mind about the fact that a basic name would be best and raised his head, peeking at his cousin’s eyes. “James.”

“‘James’?”

“James.”

“Huhu, roger that, Edward. I’m James, yeah? Aah, what’s my family name? Anything but ‘Bones’, ‘kay? I don’t like martini that much.”

“Jeff, you already drink?”

“We’re talking about James now and Jeff has nothing to do with it.”

While he jokingly raised the lemonade’s straw, spinning it in twirls like a magic wand, the boy observed him as if looking at a gemstone that emanated a dazzling shine. He was a wonderful person who could do anything and who showed concern for the boy – more than that, the boy considered him someone special and could not come home to anyone else in the world, no matter where he searched. He was a treasure that the boy most definitely could not exchange for anything, not even if an ancient king came up to him with an elephant loaded to the brim with pearls, rubies and emeralds on its back, and whenever the boy was in bad health, he would always think that, if they were ever pulled apart to places where they could never see each other again, he would cry profusely.

He was the one who promptly contacted the boy whenever anything happened in general, driving away the latter’s nightmares, so the honor of granting a name to someone like that gradual and silently filled the boy’s heart, turned into a word and overflowed, “Ya’aburnee.”

“Hm?”

As Jeffrey had apparently not heard it well, the boy repeated the word for him, “Ya’aburnee. The word is cut between the ‘ya’ and the ‘aburnee’. The accent is on the first vowel.”

“‘Ya’aburnee’, huh? It’s pretty yet has a mysterious ring to it.”

“It is Arabic.”

“Learned a new word again, huh, you damn prodigy?”

“I am no prodigy.”

“I meant an ‘effort prodigy’. ‘Cause you’re a hardworker. Okay, my secret name is James Ya’aburnee. Edward, what about you?”

“Uh?”

“What’s Edward’s family name?”

Taken aback, the boy hung his head after a moment of indecision, looking depressed. When Jeffrey asked what happened, the boy timidly raised his face. “Hum... The two are real brothers, so they have the same family name.”

As he said so with a voice that sounded like it was fading, Jeffrey’s eyes widened just slightly, and after nodding with a “hun-hun”, he grinned. That smile of Jeffrey’s was even now said to be difficult for his parents to distinguish whether it was fake or not, but the boy was able to tell the difference. If a dimple appeared on his left cheek, it was not a fake smile. Jeffrey himself had told him that.

There was a dimple on his elder cousin’s left cheek.

“Heeh~! That so?”

“It is so.”

“Then James and Edward are really just like us.”

“Uh?”

“I mean, we’re real brothers, right? That’s how I think.”

As Jeffrey ill-manneredly drank the remaining part of his lemonade in slurps, the clerk made a disgusted face at him. The headline on the magazine that she had in hands read, “How to Date Rich Men”, and so the boy felt like saying something rude to her, such as, “I think the person you just glared at is probably richer than the ones in that magazine”. It felt like he could do anything that the boy usually was unable to. He was cheerful, bright and warm at heart.

As he sat quietly without saying anything, Jeffrey smiled subtly and gently rested his hand on the boy’s golden-haired head. “Wanna go back to school? Or not?”

“I want to be together for a bit longer.”

“Okay. Then let’s do that.”

Holding hands with his “little brother” of two years bellow him, Jeffrey escorted him to a hotel near his dormitory, converting into a parent and calling the boy’s school to request permission for him to spend the night out, and after checking into one of those cheap inns that was would be crammed with skiers in the winter, the two immersed themselves in conversation on their bed the all night long.

Jeffrey talked about their homes and families. About his friends. About financing, which he was studying. About drama theory. About how he felt like throwing up from agony when preparing for an assignment where he completely slipped into the role of a prime minister who had only managed to rescue 150 civilians alive out of 300 that had been taken hostage by terrorists. About how he cracked up when he was told, “Everyone will stop trusting you” after he showed off too much the chameleon acting that he had mastered in drama class.

Jeffrey’s talks were not tiring – all topics were interesting, adding gemstones of lustrous gleam to the boy’s heart one after another. In return, the boy talked about the satisfying life he led in at the Swiss lodging house. About the bright sunlight, the climate that was warmer than England’s, the ever-white snowy peaks overlooked in the distance, the lively teachers who were like sportsmen. About how he not have many friends, but believed that it was due to him not conducting himself like a child, so there was no helping it, and how he would not mind it much if he did not have anyone, as long as he had Jeffrey.

As he was sprawled on the bed while resting his cheek on one hand, Jeffrey tipped Richard’s head back down. “You shouldn’t please me so much. Or else we won’t be able to stay away from each other.”

“What is so bad about that?”

“When you start hating me, I don’t want you to think, ‘I hate him but I can’t let go of him’.”

“I believe something like that will never happen. So that is okay.”

“There you go again saying something that makes me happy... Y’know, Ricky, people have this thing called a ‘rebellious phase’.”

“It seems I do not.”

“Plus, it’s pretty scary afterwards; I read a paper that said reactions also happen.”

“I do not have that, but thanks.”

After rubbing each other’s heads into a mess, they resumed the talk about Edward and James. Where the two of them lived, if their relationship was a favorable one, if they had any other acquaintances and what they usually did to pass the time. Dreams and jokes mixed up with the human drama built up amidst their sleepiness, and so they became yakuza, lived in Japan and fought over whether or not to put wasabi on sushi, but were the good-natured kind of duo that would always make up immediately. They did not endeavor illegal activities and instead were yakuza who respected the old-fashioned thinking of “humanity and justice”, of lending a helping hand to people in trouble, and did not bear tattoos as they were a little scary. Amongst the yakuza, there was a pledge called sworn siblinghood, but since they were blood-related siblings, so there was no need for such a thing.

By the time they had started to doze off, the boy woke up with a start. Jeffrey was not making a drowsy face. His bottomless eyes, which appeared to be looking into somewhere far away, even so maintained their focus immersed on Richard’s face.

“Hey, Ricky, what’s the continuation to that story?”

“Hueh?”

“What happens to Edward and James in the distant future?”

Amidst the sensation that he seemed to be airily drifting towards the world of dreams, the boy tilted his neck. He had no idea why Jeffrey was asking something so obvious. His mouth moved in a natural manner, “They continue getting along forever.”

“I see. Go rest already,” Jeffrey said, getting up from the single-person bed, giving him a pillow and putting a blanket over him, then tucked himself into his own bed and attempted to sleep.

He did try to fall into slumber, but upon noticing his small cousin staring at him with eyes that seemed to be imploring for something, he took his pillow and went back to the boy’s side. Like two hatchlings huddling their feathers onto each other, the two children slept while dreaming about the future.

The next morning, Jeffrey took a still sleepy-looking Richard back to school, scattering an amiable “I’m leaving him in your care” all over the place, shaking people’s hands here and there and returning to his angry-faced bodyguards’ side. Gossip ran about like gale amongst students with time to spare, saying that the second son of an earldom – a brilliant honors student even within a famous public school from England – had apparently come to see a sibling of his who was in this school, which became a rumor in the whole school at one point, but said rumor, like a mirage faintly surfacing over a lake in the summer, was gone before autumn came around.

“Let’s decide on your name.”

“Eh?”

“Calling you ‘Seigi’ would have a bad effect in a situation where there are only enemies. If I call you by a completely different name, there is the possibility that you would not be able to react, so I believe a name somewhat similar to your own is safer.”

“Then, ‘Seigi’, ‘Seigi’, ‘Seigi’... Make it ‘Seiji’.”

“Too close. Some people might mishear it as ‘Seigi’ instead. Think of a surname. I will call you by that.”

Richard had started saying odd things about perhaps having to throw fists at an accessories shop that was disseminating fake turquoises. For me to come up with a fake name. Indeed, revealing our true names even if by accident could be a dangerous situation.

I squeezed up a knowledge that I didn’t have, deep in thought. Something that sounded kind of similar to my real name. Yet was a different name. Hmm.

“‘Nakata’, ‘Nakata’, ‘Nakata’... ‘Yamada’, Yamada? No, ‘Tanaka’ is also... Ah~, I wonder which. Yamada or Tanaka?”

“Then let’s make it Yamada. Yamada Seiji-san. I will be counting on you. I am Edward Baxter.”

“Where’s ‘Richard’ as the base for that?”

“I will be in your care.”

“My pleasu~re.”

Wearing a red open-necked shirt that looked like it could show up in contests for rare clothing articles, I sat on the Jaguar’s passenger seat. However, in terms of outfit eccentricity, I didn’t feel like I could beat the man sitting next to me. White, white, white. It was thoroughly white from top to bottom, the hairstyle pulled all the way back. It was a bit of an underground person look.

“I’m checking just in case, but what kind of setting is this Edward Baxter-sensei from?”

“A messenger from the Great Universe who miraculously predicts fortunes and foresees the fate of gems.”

“Uh. Got it. I’ll do my best not to laugh.”

“Obviously. Laughing at a messenger of the Great Universe is insolence.”

“Hahaa~”

The Jaguar sped up like always. If this car had a voice, it felt like it would frantically cause a stir, asking, “Mister, aren’t you too different from usual?” but the Jaguar was reticent and loyal.

As the vehicle kept running, my nervousness increased a little. I wanted to say something, but Richard’s profile was rock-hard. It would feel awkward if I discussed about tea and snacks that had nothing to do with it here and now. But I wanted to talk. I was able to come up with just one thing when wondering what I should say.

“Is there... a family in the setting of that Baxter-sensei? Or does he not have any, since he’s a messenger of the Great Universe? Sorry. You didn’t think that far, did you?”

When I asked that, Richard briefly made a strange face. Unlike his usual refreshing smile, that expression could only be described as a “suggestive grin”, with a gaze that didn’t appear to be looking at me but at something in the distance.

Then he stated, “He has no relatives whosoever.”

“Roger that.”

And so, the two of us headed to the shop of shady history. Edward Baxter-shi, who claimed to have not a single relative, seemed to be making a just slightly sad-looking face within the glass of the windshield. However, Yamada Seiji courteously pretended that he was not at all seeing the weakness of a messenger of the Great Universe.

He had no idea what Nakata Seigi made of it, though.

[procrastinatorimagines]

I Can Take Care of Myself

Fandom: One Chicago / Chicago PD

Character/s: Reader x Voight, Jay, Hailey

Warning/s: guns, blood

Word Count: 2,405

Request:  Could you do a voight imagine where him and the reader are together and theres an age gap and she has to go undercover with jay and vought is hesitant but let's her go and he gets a bit jealous of jay and at one point Voight protectiveness gives it away to the rest of the team that they're together. Add a bit of fluff and a bit of smut if you can. Live your writing by the way ❤

Summary: Y/N and Jay go undercover to bust a wealthy criminal couple, but when the op goes a little sideways, Voight’s overprotectiveness becomes too much

You could tell Voight wasn’t happy about it, he’d been short with you all day even though he was the one who’d given you the assignment. Milling your way through a crowd of rich pricks on the arm of a tuxedo wearing Halstead you tried not to take it too personally, but Voight’s protectiveness was starting to raise suspicion in the unit as to why he was so against you going undercover as Jay’s fiance, especially when he’d seen what you were wearing. Did you wear a dress this low cut to piss him off? Maybe a little. Did he deserve it for being overprotective and jealous for no good reason? Yes.

You’d been with Voight a little over a year, and you’d managed to keep it a secret from everyone you worked with. Sure, there was an age gap, but most of the time it went unnoticed, at least to you anyway, it seemed to bother him more, especially recently as the two of you were starting to get more serious. He seemed to think you’d be better suited to someone more your own age, well, a guy like Halstead now you thought about it. Seeing the two of you together, even undercover, was making him a little more self-conscious than he would ever admit out loud.

It was a high end deal, a rich family, the Andersons, selling valuable stolen property had racked up a bodycount during a home invasion gone wrong, and so Intelligence had been brought in to take them down. Jay had already introduced himself as a potential buyer and the rich husband had invited him to a house party to do the deal, but he needed a date to blend in. That’s where you came in, Burgess and Upton had already interviewed various members of the family, so they couldn’t go with him, and Rojas was working a separate angle with Atwater to find the hired muscle responsible for the robberies. That only left you.

Voight hadn’t been to happy about it, he’d been hesitant to sign off, despite it being your best option to catch these criminals with their hands in the jewel encrusted cookie jar so to speak. But he still wasn’t happy, not when Jay had wrapped his arm around your waist as you took your seats with the theives on their ridiculously fancy sofas, and certainly not when he’d given you a quick kiss before heading off to fetch the first round of drinks. 

Men, you thought, equal parts annoyed and amused by Voight’s reaction to you and Halstead, mostly because you didn’t view Jay in that way at all, and visa versa.

“You know what’s up with Voight?” Jay asked quitely as you guys stood waiting for your drinks at the bar. One of the three bars these people had in their house; throwing the cuffs on them was going to be so satisfying. You shrugged.

“Why would I know?” You asked, thanking the bartender for your drink as Jay raised an eyebrow at you, unconvinced.

“Well he seemed really against sending you in, anything I should know?” He asked.

“Not that I can think of,” you told him, suddenly finding the olive in your drink fascinating. There was a dinging of a glass on the otherside of the room before Jay could reply, Mr. Anderson was preparing to make a toast, then Jay was to follow him into his study to make the deal.

“Okay,” he shrugged, not believing a word you said, but there was no time to discuss it now, you had a job to do.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if I can have your attention for just a moment I would like to thank you for coming tonight, me and my wife so appreciate your company-” Mrs. Anderson took her place beside her husband and he gave her a kiss on the cheek, “-now, our servers will be bringing out some light hors d’oeurves and gifts to show our gratitude,”

“Now please, enjoy yourselves,” Mrs. Anderson finished and everyone raised their glasses,

“Here here, cheers everyone,” you all took a sip of your drinks, Jay nodding to you as he went to find Mr. Anderson. 

His wife approached you at that point, inviting you into the drawing room for a chat while business was conducted; who the hell had a drawing room? You thought, feeling like you’d traveled back to the nineteenth century as you stepped in, not knowing whether to stare at the enormous portraits of the Mrs. Anderson lining the walls or the ghastly tastled curtains. You took a seat on an expensive looking chair opposite Mrs. Anderson.

“Now dear, while the men are discussing the dirty business, why don’t me and you discuss something else,” she smiled.

“What did you have in mind?” You asked, trying to do your best to sound like you belonged there.

“Tell me something,” she mused, raising from her seat again and heading towards a set of shelves behind her, decorated with a considerable amount of expensive looking items. No wonder they were commiting robberies, if this was where all their money was being spent, you thought bitterly as Mrs. Anderson ran her hand over an ornate box. 

“Tell you... what?” You asked, unsure as to where the conversation was heading, you hadn’t even expected to be cornered by the woman, let alone interograted. She opened the box and pulled something out, but what you couldn’t tell.

“Tell me... how long have you been a cop?” Before you could react she turned around, pistol pointing straight at you, you barely had time to dive for the floor before the first shot rang, putting a hole through the back of the chair you’d been sitting on. 

There wasn’t room for any consealed weapons in the outfit you were wearing, so you got up quickly, heading for some form of cover as she fired again; people were screaming now, you could hear them running outside the door, not knowing where the shots were even coming from. Where the hell was Jay? Was he okay? Where was backup? You had a camera in your necklace, surely they were on their way in.

You jumped up, grabbing a letter opener from a nearby desk, throwing it at your assailant. She ducked out of the way, giving you enough time to leap over the sofa now separating the two of you, grabbing her wrist as you both struggled for the gun.

Out the corner of your eye you saw Jay burst in, white shirt red with blood you hoped wasn’t his, just as you wrestled the gun from her hand, momentum causing you to lose balance as she kicked you back, causing you to fall and hit your head on a table, then everything went dark.

-

When you woke up you were still in the drawing room, you’d only been out a minute, according to Jay. Intelligence had come in at that point apparently and the Andersons were in cuffs, the husband suffering some laserations from a glass Jay had hit him with, the wife perfectly fine and cuffed in the back of a patrolcar. 

“Easy, you good?” Jay helped you into sitting position and you winced, putting your hand to the back of your head, it was wet with blood but it wasn’t too bad, the pounding in your head was worse.

“What happened? What went wrong?” You asked him.

“Kev and Rojas got the hired muscle, but not before they alerted the Andersons that there were cops after them, we were the only new comers at the party so...” Jay told you as Voight came into the room.

“What the hell happened?!” He snapped at Jay. You shakily got to your feet to try and provide a buffer, stepping forward to slightly block Jay.

“We’re good, everyone’s good,” you said and Voight shook his head, “that’s what matters.” EMT’s tried to come check you out but you sent them away quickly, you’d get looked at once you knew Voight wasn’t about to give Jay a reason to need their services more.

“That’s what matters?! She tried to shoot you, you were alone and unarmed,” he replied, “where the hell were you?” He turned to Jay.

“Sarge I was doing to deal with Anderson, like I was supposed to, I didn’t know Y/N was even with the wife, I didn’t hear anything over the comms otherwise-” he tried to explain but Voight cut him off.

“Otherwise what? You would have done what you were supposed to?” He demanded.

“What I was supposed to?” It was Jay’s turn to raise his voice and you had a bad feeling about how this argument was going to end. “I was doing what I was supposed to, my job!”

“Your job,” Voight started, “is to keep your partner safe, to not let them go off alone where something could happen to them!”

“She-” Jay began but you interuppted.

“She can take care of her self,” you said, “and she doesn’t appreciate being talked about like she isn’t in the room.”

Jay sighed but nodded and backing off a little, but Voight stood his ground. “This is unacceptable, look at you, you’re hurt.” He moved closer, looking like he was about to reach towards you but caught himself at the last minute, but you could tell by the look on Jay’s face that he caught it.

“Look you want to place blame on Jay for not backing me up? Where was everyone else when she pulled the gun, why’d it take so long to storm the place?” You turned it back on Voight, not meaning to blame him but you could tell it stung a bit.

“We lost visual as soon as you entered this room,” Hailey said, approaching the three of you to see what was going on, “this room is teched out, no signals in or out of here. Robbery-homicide wouldn’t let us come in, Jay’s deal seemed to still be going smoothly so they said it was probably faulty tech on our end, told us to stand down.” A sideways glace at Voight told you he’d been vocally unhappy about that.

The EMT’s approached again, and you begrudgingly agreed to go to Med, still a little dizzy and definitely in pain, earning a considerable amount of looks from the rest of the unit when Voight insisted on riding with you to make sure you were okay. If they weren’t a little suspicious at the start of this op, they definitely were now. 

So much for keeping work and personal life separate, you thought, out of the two of you you thought you’d be the one to slip up first, but Voight’s behaviour today had you refusing to even look at him in the ambo, and you’d asked your doctor to keep him out while you were being treated. You weren’t a child, you were a cop, this was your job, why was he suddenly not okay with that?

“If you’re not going to talk to me, at least let me drive you home.” He said once you were stitched up and ready to be discharged, a minor concussion but you’d insisted on leaving as soon as possible.

“Fine,” you said curtly, but only because you didn’t want to walk alone in the dark with a concussion, however mild.

Most of the ride was in silence, any questions Voight had about how you were feeling were met with equally short answers and eventually he gave up. As he pulled up outside you place you said: “at least let me walk you inside.”

“I’m good, thanks.” You brushed him off, going to open the doors only to find that he’d locked them.

“Hank let me out,” you said and he shook his head, “Hank, I’m tired and seriously not in the mood.”

“You’re angry with me,” he said.

“Astute observational skills, you should consider a career in law enforcement,” you replied sarcastically.

“Okay that’s enough, you got something to say, just say it,” he demanded. “What’s the matter?”

“What’s the matter?” You turned back to him, shocked that he didn’t know. “Hank you’ve spent the whole day treating me like I’m made of glass, you didn’t even want me on the op in the first place, nevermind that it isn’t something I’ve done countless times before, and then you go yelling at Halstead for not protecting me, like I’m not capable of taking care of myself?! I’m a cop, a good one for that matter, and the way you acted today, overprotective, jealous... it was out of line, and the whole damn unit saw it! That’s what’s the matter with me!” He blinked at your outburst. “Now let me out the goddamn car before I say something I’m going to regret-” 

Before you could say anymore he was kissing you, but you pushed him away when you realised what was happened. “No, that... that doesn’t change how I feel, not now, it doesn’t justify how you acted today, I-”

“I love you,” he blurted out, stopping you in your tracks. Now it was your turn to look shocked, taking in exactly what he’d said, why he’d been acting differently recently... Voight was never one to express his emotions like this, so to say this caught you off guard was an understatement.

“Hank-” you began, not really knowing what to say but knowing you should say something. You settled for a kiss instead, pulling him closer to you and resting your forehead on his when you broke apart. “I love you too,” you told him, his relieved smile making your heart swell. “I-”

“It won’t happen again,” he promised, taking your hand, “I know what you’re capable of, it’s one of the many reasons I fell for you in the first place, so it won’t happen again.

You smiled, “thank you. Now could you please unlock these damn doors so we can go inside?” You both laughed.

“I probably shouldn’t go up, we’ve got an early shift tomorrow, Superintendent’s giving up a case from narcotics to work,” he explained.

“And what, you’re worried what the unit’ll think if we show up together?” You asked, his shrug answering your question. “Like they don’t already know after today? Besides, if anyone’s going to get hell for it it’s me not you, you’re still their boss remember?” 

You both laughed as you headed inside.

[khiphop-stories]

Getting Off The Wrong Foot

[Christian Yu | Chapter X]

Warning: This chapter is quite long, consider it a double update, since I suck at posting regularly lol. A lot of things happening in this chapter, I hope you like it! Feedback is always appreciated!  Stay safe and healthy guys!

Previous Chapters:

Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | Chapter IV | Chapter V | Chapter VI | Chapter VII | Chapter VIII | Chapter IX

”So…what’s up Jay?” You mustered his face through narrowed eyes as your suspicion grew. It would be a lie to said you didn’t think this was weird. Jay had just appeared at your office without prior announcement and insisted on having lunch with you, so now here you two were — sitting across from each other and finishing the last bites of your meal, pretending like you didn’t just have a huge argument the other day. You talked about all kinds of topics like you always used to with the exception of one. But it was only a matter of time until one of you had to address it in order to sort it out. 

“I-I haven’t been a very good friend to you lately…I guess I’m trying to make up for it,” Jay stuttered as he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. He was never really a big talker. That’s why a lot of people always described him as cold and distant, sometimes they would go as far as call him rude. He found it incredibly hard to express his feelings or show his emotions, but he always tried his best with you. You saw his efforts, even just the slightest attempt was good enough for you.

“It’s ok,” you reassured him with a warm smile. 

“It’s really not. I was a little bit selfish,“ he let out a long sigh followed by silence. “What do you mean?” You titled your head, blinking your eyes at him confused.

“Honestly? I really wanted Kiseok and you to get back together. I wanted for all of us to hang out like we used to do. I missed having you around. That’s why I pushed you into forgiving him.”

“I don’t know if I can forgive him, Jay.”

“I know,“ he nodded his head. “You don’t have to. He hurt you. You have every right to be mad at him. I’m not gonna meddle in your relationships anymore.”

“Relationships? Plural?” You cocked up a brow at him. Jay had always been a rather nosy person, especially regarding your relationships. He always gave you dating tips and it was Jay who played cupid, when both Kiseok and you were too shy and cautious to make the first step, even though it was painfully obvious to anyone around you that you had feelings for each other. Jay hesitated a moment before answering.

“You and Christian…” 

“There’s no me and Christian,” you let out a brief chuckle in disbelief, rolling your eyes at him. Considering what had occurred in the past between them, you understood why Jay bore a grudge against Christian, but there wasn’t anything going on between the two of you. It was merely sex. “I’ve told you it’s not like that.” “I know, but what I’m trying to say is…I wouldn’t mind…even if it were like that.” “Thanks, but that’s not gonna happen,” you denied it without hesitation. You let out a brief laugh. Whatever Jay was insinuating was so unlikely that it sounded ridiculous to you. Christian had showed no interest in you and he made it clear that he wasn’t looking for something serious whereas you were still struggling to get over your ex.

“I saw him looking after you at the launching party.”

“So?” “Live was about to perform. There were some issues backstage.” “So?” You repeated even more impatient than before, not understanding what he was trying to get at. “He should have fixed the issue himself or at least waited for them to get fixed. He’s part of their crew after all, but instead he went after you. Because in that moment you were more important to him than the performance.”

“You’re reading way too much into it, Jay,” you laughed, gently shaking your head at him. 

There must have been a simple explanation for this, you thought. Christian probably went looking for me to help fix whatever issues they were having and then got entangled in a conversation with me and he simply forgot his initial intention - and there it was again and this time you even caught yourself doing it. Yet again you expected the worst of him. You treated him like a person who was unable to care and show affection. 

“Whatever, that’s not the point,” Jay chirped in. “I’m just saying…don’t hold back because of me. If you like him, just go for—.”

“I don’t like him…not like that” you cut him off immediately. 

“I’m saying, if.” “There’s no if,” you strongly denied again. 

“Ok fine,” Jay laughed at your insistence. “Then let’s just say, whatever you…want to do, I’ll have your back.”

~*~

[Time Leap]

Out of everything that had happened the other day at the Nike launching party, it were Christian’s words that lingered on your mind. No matter what you were doing, the things he has said to you just kept following you like a shadow. The worst thing of it all was the he was right and you caught yourself doing exactly what he had accused you of. The moment you had met him, you expected the worst from him. He could have been the kindest and most caring guy in the world, yet at the back of your head he would still be the heartless womanizer. He never did anything that would justify why you thought so badly of him. But you let the past you thought you knew about him define him. You let the rumors you had heard about him shape the picture you had of him. None of it was fair to him.

“Hey.”  

The surprise was written across his face, his eyes and mouth were frozen wide open. It took a second or two for him process what was right in front of him. “I didn’t think I’d see you again,” his eyes softened at you and the corners of his mouth curled upwards into a small smile.

“I-I came to return your jacket.” You lifted the brown paper bag in your hands up, before handing it to him. He pushed himself up from his chair and took it back into his possession.

“Thanks.” His eyes never left yours. He didn’t even break the eye contact to check the content of the bag. 

“You were right…I judged you.” You paused for him to say something, but he didn’t so an awkward silenced took over. He didn’t give off the impression that he wanted to break it, so you continued speaking.

“I guess it would be a lot easier for me if you were the guy from the rumors.”

“Why?” He furrowed his brows at you, the tone of his voice reflecting the confusion that was on his face.

“Then I wouldn’t get attached to you,” you told him honestly and it felt like you were stripping down naked. You had never showed yourself so vulnerable in front of anyone, not even Kiseok. You had always keep your pride and dignity with him, but standing here in front of Christian you tossed all of that away. 

“I don’t mind if you do.”

You cocked up a brow and eyed him with disbelief as a quiet chuckle left your lips.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“You think I’ll leave? Well, I’m not. Whether we fuck or not.”

“So, if I were to say that I…wanted to stop sleeping with you—“

“I’d still listen to you whine about Kiseok,” he added playfully, a smile played on his lips. 

“Why?” “Believe it or not, I care about you and by the way Minhee, you already ended it.”

“When did I do such thing?” You furrowed your eyebrows, pretending not to know what he was talking about. “When you were trying to be considerate towards Jay’s feelings.”

“Doesn’t ring a bell,” you shrugged your shoulders indifferently. Of course you remembered, after all you had replayed the conversation with him inside of your head again and again. However, despite what you had said, you weren’t ready to give up on your only escape from reality. Right now Christian was one of the few things that you looked forward to and kept you sane. You weren’t ready to deal with your feelings and broken heart yet, running away from your problems was way more appealing to you. “I guess you’re taking it back then?” Christian nodded his head knowingly as a teasing grin spread across his face. 

He took a step towards you, shortening the distance between the two of you. He stared deep into your eyes. He cupped your cheek that was slowly turning red. “Does that mean I’m still allowed to do this…” He grinned at you before slowly leaning into you. You shut your eyes in anticipation, allowing him to do whatever he was going to do next. His soft lips brushed against yours, gently and slowly. Like a tease he pulled away, before you could lose yourself in that kiss. You whimpered at the loss of contact and opened your eyes again.

“Damn you, Christian,” you cursed at him as you realized he was just teasing you to begin with. “The guys are gonna be back in couple minutes,” he confessed, knowing if he gave in to his desires now, the guys would probably walk in on you. Although he pulled back, his eyes were telling you that he wanted you, right then, right there. “That’s my cue.” “Can I come over later?”

You both felt the tension. Your insides craved his touch. You craved his touch. You nodded once, a slight barely noticeable nod as you didn’t want to seem too eager.  With a grin on his lips he gave you a quick peck before releasing your from his grip.

~*~

[Time leap]

Christian’s gaze cruised your figure which he had done before - multiple times even - and you got pretty much used to his unrelenting stare, but this time the look in his eyes was different. He wasn’t admiring you, it appeared as though he was in disbelief mixed with a little bit of confusion.

“Don’t get me wrong, Min, you look lovely as always…but what the hell are you wearing?” With a chuckle he shook his head at you while he was still mustering you with his eyes.

Your eyes trailed down your own body. You really liked the outfit you were wearing. It was simple and casual. You wore your favorite t-shirt combined with a skirt. Then your eyes darted to him, scanning him from head to toe. “Why are you so dressed up?” 

He was dressed in a white t-shirt - nothing out of the ordinary - but the black suit jacket, black pants, and dress shoes made it seem like he was starring in a James Bond movie. “I told you my aunt’s a little bit extra.”

You blinked at him confused still not understanding what he was getting at. 

“It’s a formal party, didn’t I tell you?” “Nope.” you shook your head. Even your makeup was kept minimal, reserved to a sweep of mascara. You thought it was going to be a casual party as most of the guests were either family members or people who were coming as a plus one.

“Sorry, my bad. Can you change?”

~*~

You changed into a simple black dress which was much more suitable for this kind of occasion and Christian seemed to approve as well. He stared at you, unconsciously biting down on his lips. 

You walked to the table where you had your makeup sprawled. It was probably not that good of idea to change into the dress before putting on your makeup, but you didn’t have the time to worry about that now. You didn’t want to be the reason Christian arrived late to his aunt’s birthday celebration. You never used foundation because lucky enough you were blessed with even skin. But you did put on some concealer to hide away blemishes. Then you applied brown-reddish eye shadows and black eyeliner. Since you had already layered on some mascara you skipped that step and finished with a deep velvety shade on your lips. Earrings were fastened to your ears, before you clapped your hands together in content. 

“Ready!” You exclaimed enthusiastically, but you received no response from Christian so you turned around to check what he was doing. You saw him sprawled on your bed, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. When you stepped closer you noticed that his eyes were closed. It didn’t even take you that long to get ready, maybe a good fifteen minutes, yet he had already fallen asleep. He must have really had overworked himself the past few days. You gently shook him by his shoulders to wake him up. 

Christian jerked awake to see your grinning face. He immediately squinted his eyes as he was still getting used to the light.

“Shit, how long was I out?” He asked you, panic spreading across his face.

“Not long, but if we don’t wanna be late, we should go now”

He was still staring at you, his breaths becoming heavy and irregular. He pushed himself up by his elbow and got on his feet. Then he wrapped his arm around your body and swiftly turned you around. Before you could even process what was happening you felt his soft lips pressed against yours. You melted into the kiss, allowing him to deepen it. But you quickly snapped back and jerked away.

“What the hell are you doing? We’re gonna get late,” you reminded him of the time, but he didn’t seem to care that much.

“What if we do?” He hummed against your skin and left a trail of kisses along your neck.

“I don’t half ass things, Ian. If I’m gonna pretend to be your girlfriend, I’m gonna be the perfect fake girlfriend.”

“I’ll be quick,” he negotiated. He had already unzipped your dress by now and he was about to tear it off your body. “Christian Yu,” you warned him sharply. “Zip it up right now!” “Fine,” he gave in defeated, a heavy sigh leaving his lips. He turned you around and brushed your hair to the side, so it wouldn’t get caught in the zipper. The fabric of your dress tightened around your body again, but he didn’t stop there. You suddenly felt his soft lips brushing against your shoulder blades as he left a trail of wet kisses. His hand that was holding your hair earlier travelled down to your breasts, giving them a little squeeze before he pushed his lower body against yours grinding on you. “Christian Yu!” You shouted at him in disbelief. “Sorry, got carried away,” he quickly let go of you holdings his hands up in the air. “But we are going to continue this later, right?” “Depends on how you behave,” you stuck out your tongue at him and gave him a wink.

~*~

During the ride, Christian prepared you for the meeting with his family. He gave you a brief summary of everything you needed to know. He told you to definitely avoid his aunt if possible, because she was the hardest person to fool. She was known to have successfully set up some of his cousins, so she knew at first sight if there was some chemistry or not. He warned you not to talk to her without him being present to guide the direction of the conversation and help you out if you were in a sticky situation. You also made him promise that he wouldn’t leave your side. A promise as it later turned out, he wasn’t able to keep.

“Let’s get out stories straight. We worked on a project together. I was attracted to you and asked you out on a date. That’s how we started going out.”

It wasn’t that much of a lie. You did work with him on a project and he did feel attracted to you physically, you just never developed feelings for the other. Christian believed the more he stuck to the truth the easier it would be to fool his relatives. You didn’t have to remember too many lies and you could also improvise if needed. “That simple?” You cocked up a brow. “Why? You wanna add something?” “It sounds so…not romantic at all,” you said playfully as a chuckle left your lips.

“Then…how about…I fell in love with you at first sight and knew straight away you were the one,” he came up with a different scenario on the spot. “Now that just sounds unbelievable. Let’s just stick to the first one,” you laughed. “Do I need to know something about you?”

“My family knows me as a family man, so try not be too surprised.” “You?” You raised your brows at him in disbelief, trying to picture it inside your head.He didn’t give off the impression of a family man at all. He seemed rather independent and distant. 

“And they don’t know that-“

“You sleep around?” You finished the sentence for him. “Yeah,” he nodded his head with an awkward laugh. “And they call me Rome. You should probably call be by that name too.”  “Why?” “People close to me always call me that.” People in his private circle all called him Rome. Christian was the name he used at work. 

“Anything else, Rome?” “That’s it.” ~*~

“Ok, here we go,” he took a deep breath, before he lifted his arm and pressed the bell. His hand was trembling a bit. You hadn’t seen him this tensed before. “Why are you so nervous?” You mustered his face. As though his nervousness was contagious you suddenly began to feel anxious too. “If you knew my family, you’d be nervous too,” he chuckled drily. His eyes flickered around the place and he couldn’t stand still. He rhythmically tapped his foot on the ground as you waited for someone to answer the door. Suddenly he passed the present he was holding from one hand to the other and held out his freed hand, looking at you expectantly. It took you a moment to understand what he wanted from you and it made you burst out into laughter. “Are you serious? You’re so stiff, it looks unnatural.” You said in between laughter. 

“Why? Real couples hold hands, don’t they?”

“You look like you are being held at gunpoint. Just act natural!”

“If you were my girlfriend, I would hold your hand.” “You’re sweating!”

As you were bickering back and forth the door suddenly opened, revealing an elder woman. Her skin looked youthful, it was obvious that she must have put a lot of effort on keeping her skin looking so smooth. If you had to guess you would say she was in her late forties, but she probably looked younger than her actual age. Some of her facial features looked similar to Christian’s. Considering those similarities it wasn’t hard to guess her identity. “Hi mum,” Christian greeted her brightly. She was ecstatic to see her son, the corners of her lips rose upwards into a big smile. Without further hesitation she pulled her son into her arms, embracing him with her warmth. He took his face into her hands, inspecting him closely. “You’re overworking yourself again, aren’t you?” She nagged worriedly as she saw the big bags under his eyes and he looked visibly more exhausted than the last time she had seen him. But that was partly due to him being sick last week. He hadn’t fully recovered from his cold yet.

“And you must be Minhee,” her eyes wandered to you. She gave you a smile that just seemed so genuinely sweet that an unexpected warmth rushed through you. You immediately felt comfortable around her. “Rome has told me so much about you. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

You glanced at Christian with a raised brow, wondering what he had told her. This wasn’t even a real relationship, why would he talk about you with his mother?

You were about to introduce yourself politely with a handshake as you were taught by your parents, but she was quicker. She pulled you into a hug, gently patting your back. 

“Come in, come in,” she invited you into the house. She linked her arms with yours and pulled you along while Christian was walking next to you. Your eyes travelled around the house and now you knew why Christian described his aunt as extra. The house wasn’t that big, but the interior made you feel like a princess in a castle. It was beautifully decorated with attention to every little detail. In the living room, where the live of the party was at, you could see caterers walking around in their black and white uniform serving finger food and drinks. There was a huge buffet on the table which was almost twice the size of Christian’s car. Next to it were piles of presents. Christian walked to the pile and left his own present on top of another, before he returned to you. 

His mother began introducing you to a few family members and you also met his aunt briefly, though she had to disappear shortly after to take care of a few things. You didn’t know how you got here as everything happened so fast. But along the way you somehow got separated from Christian and now you were surrounded by his too curious female cousins and their friends who were peppering with questions about your supposed relationship with Christian.

“We all wondered what kind of girl he would bring this time,” one of them said and if you were being honest, you didn’t remember her name. There were just too many to remember. “The last time he introduced a girl two us was over two years ago,” another girl said. She pulled you closer and pretended to whisper into your ear, but she spoke so loudly that anyone around you could hear. “And between us, we didn’t like her that much.”

You furrowed your brows unconsciously as you recalled something he had said to you when you ran into each other in the club. He had told you about a girl who was obsessive and controlling. You wondered whether it was the same girl his cousin was talking about.

“She was a total gold digger. I’m so glad he’s not with her anymore,” they all agreed in unison. 

“She bled him dry.”

At some point during your conversation one of the girls pulled you to the side. You remembered her introducing herself as Christian’s maternal cousin. She was a bit older than you and judging from the golden jewellery decorating her ring finger she was probably also married. She lowered her voice as she talked to you. “You know, Christian’s like a little brother to me. I’ve known him since he was a little baby. He might be a little reckless and dim at times, but he’s a good guy. He’s got his heart broken really badly the last time. Please take care of him.”

You nodded your head and promised to treat him well. You did feel bad for lying straight to her face when she had asked you for a favor in confidence, but since you had already agreed to do this for him you had no choice but to keep the act up.

“Tell me, is he good in bed?” One of the girls asked you out of the blue. 

Hearing that question almost made you choke on the juice you were drinking. You coughed out loud to prevent the liquid from entering your lungs. “Excuse me?” You looked at her appalled by her blunt manner. You had figured she wasn’t one of his cousins and was probably a family friend, but you still didn’t expect such a straightforward question about your sex life.

“Don’t mind her. She’s had a huge crush on Rome since forever. She still fantasizes about him sometimes,” her best friend excused her brazen behavior.

“Whenever I see him I get dirty thoughts. I can’t help it,” she shrugged her shoulders unapologetically. Her eyes were still resting on you as if she was still expecting an answer to her question. “The sex is good, thanks,” you replied shortly. A memory of Christian’s exposed body flashed in front of your eyes, you felt the blood rush to your cheeks, blushing uncontrollably. Shaking your head, you attempted to rid yourself of any dirty thoughts that were crossing your mind. “That good, huh?” She smirked at you content with the answer your body had given her.

This conversation was getting more and uncomfortable by the second. You nervously glanced around the room, hoping to find Christian somewhere so you could escape from this interrogation. You needed to get out of this situation. If they continued asking you that many questions, to most you didn’t know the answer to, your little act might get exposed. You found him sitting at the table with his uncles who were having a drink with him. He quickly caught your eyes that were desperately screaming for help. He signalled you that he was coming over, before he turned his attention back to the table, probably excusing himself. Knowing he would be coming to save you, you felt relieved. 

“Sorry, ladies. I’m afraid I have to steal my girlfriend back,” he apologised to the females in front of him as he held you by your waist. He pulled you close to him and led you away from them. 

“You’re family is quite nosy,” you told him playfully as you let him guide you to an empty table. He pulled out the chair for you and waited for you to take a seat, before he sat down himself. As always he behaved like  gentleman.

“I know, I know. Sorry for dragging you into this. They won’t ever let me live. That’s why I don’t bring girls home.”

“Except for one.”

His eyes wandered to you, the subtle surprise spread across his face. In that moment he seemed almost vulnerable. “How do you know?” His gaze lingered on you. The expression on his face appeared rather blank as though he wanted to hide his feelings from you. It was pretty obvious by now that this particular girl must have hurt him deeply.

“Your cousins talk a lot,” you chuckled lightly. Christian’s eyes travelled around the room without aim, avoiding your gaze. He was reluctant to reply. As you noticed how uncomfortable this topic was making him feel, you decided not to probe any further. It was none of your business anyway.

“I told you about the over-controlling girlfriend, didn’t I?” He then said much to your surprise. You nodded your head slowly.

“She tried to dictate my life and to some extent I let her. I thought the feelings were mutual so I tried my best to make her happy and be the person she wanted me to be. I later found out she only used me for clout. She wanted my connections to the industry, not me.”

“I’m sorry,” you mumbled under your breath as you didn’t know what else to respond to this. You couldn’t have guessed from his exterior and the way he was carrying himself. But it was self-centered of you to think you were the only one whose trust was betrayed, the only one who had been hurt. He was no exception to it. 

“Don’t look at me like that,” he chuckled affectionately. “How am I looking at you?”

“Like you’re about to cry.”

“I’m not!” You made a grimace giving him a punch for that stupid remark.

“How did you get over her?” “Sex. A lot of it.” “Of course,” you rolled your eyes at him with a laugh. “So you’re playing with people’s heart because you got your own broken?” “Nah, I don’t play them. I’m just having fun. I’m honest with them from the start. I make things clear from the get go. It’s not really my fault if they end up expecting more.” “Well, you’re charming, kind and you treat them well. You can’t be surprised they actually fall for you and want more, can you?” Christian anchored his attention on your face, his eyes unmoving lingering on you. He let the silence take over as if he was waiting for you to say something else. “What? Do I have something on my face?” You blinked at him confused, suddenly feeling self-conscious under his gaze. “What about you?” “What about me?” “Are you falling for me too?“ He asked, his eyes locked with yours. [To be continued...]

What do you guys think Minhee’s answer will be? Are they developing feelings for each other? Please let me know! Looking forward to reading your thoughts! 

[apollosvotive]

a fanfic about the cinnamon salt cinnamon characters written for the writeblr fic exchange for @apricotwrites. i chose to write about jay because i felt like i could grasp his character the best, but i dont know a lot about the characters so hopefully there arent too many inaccuracies aaaa. hope this is okay!

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

Borneo is white sand shifting underfoot. Fat winged insects sluggishly dragging their heavy bodies from one flower to the next, the audible thrum of their wings. It’s the muggy air, the heat of the glowering sun as it pitches itself at the highest point of its trajectory. It’s the constant need to slap himself on the limbs multiple times to ward away a stray horde of hungry bloodsuckers. But still. Anywhere is better than home.

Jay lounges in the shade of a coconut tree, a hand beneath his head, listening to the sound of waves lapping against the shore. Even with his eyes closed, he can tell the rest are off a little ways down the beach from the loud splashing and occasional squeals of laughter. Sohla’s voice is clear and distinct. She’s shouting at Ruben something along the lines of ‘You have approximately half a brain cell in your head, Ruben, and that’s me being generous.’ Then comes Ruben’s indignant remonstrations and Birdie’s light, high laughter and Jay starts thinking all over again about how chance, how fortuitous, that the universe might allow the paths of these seven people to cross and become what they are now: together. A ragtag team of misfits, a family.

When he first set foot onto this island, it would have been impossible for him to even think about the fact that he might find a group of people who understand him on such a level. Of course, when he first set foot onto this island, he was still angry and alone and blameful, thinking thoughts about his leg or, more accurately, the lack of it. But then he met these guys, and he saw shy and quiet Will, prone to smiling to himself and listening, really listening when someone talks as if to make up for the fact that he cannot see them. Ruben, who, for all the clumsiness of his left foot, manages to banish any impressions of awkwardness with a simple, urbane smile. Or unpredictable Alison, lover of Shakespeare, Shelley, Dickens, names of the dead. She’s always got that strange smile playing on her lips as if she knows something he doesn’t. She keeps her thoughts close to herself, never one to wear her heart on her sleeve, but he has come to know to find glimpses of her in little things, like in the way her eyes are always roving, looking for her brother, never allowing herself to let him out of her sight.

Come to think of it, there’s one voice that he doesn’t hear, floating up to him from where the rest of them are.

“Why so antisocial?”

Warmth lands on his face, flooding the darkness of the back of his eyelids with orange. He cracks an eye open. Alison is in front of him. She has shifted a palm frond away so that it no longer blocks the sun from his face.

“Not my thing,” Jay says simply.

“No?” She folds her arms in front of her. “You’re the only one not down there. How about for once in your life, don’t be a sad ass party pooper?”

“You’re here with me,” he counters.

“Only so that you’re not up here withering by yourself,” she shoots right back, without missing a beat. She isn’t looking at him. Her eyes are directed at a spot on the sand. “Oh, look at me. I’m Jay, I’m so cool, too cool to go down to the water and have fun with the others. Sorry to ruin your daydream, Jay, but from down there, you don’t look like you’re in a 1080p montage shot in a Fincher-esque style with emo music playing in the background. From down there, you look like a sad… ant.”

“Ha-ha,” Jay deadpans. “And that’s all an English lit student can come up with? Now put back my leaf. And go find your brother.”

Alison gasps in mock-affront. “Do you bite your thumb at me, sir?”

“I do,” Jay says very seriously. “I do bite my thumb at you.”

“Unbelievable! Incomprehensible!” she cries. “Hell is empty and all the devils are here!”

Finally, she succeeds in wresting a laugh out of him. She’s obsessed with Shakespeare. She’s memorised hundreds of quotes across all his plays and she enjoys quoting it back at him to annoy the shit out of him, which is, evidently, an effective method in getting him to do things. He shakes his head, unable to stop the upward twitch of his lips, and he pointedly ignores the smug and satisfied look in her eyes.

“Come on, Jay.” She jerks her head in the direction of where the others are. “I won. Let’s go.”

He covers his eyes with his arms stubbornly.

She sighs. “What’s going on? Are you homesick?”

“Homesick?” He scoffs from beneath his arms, as if it's an absurd concept. “No.”

“Woah, okay. Must you say it like the Bubonic plague originated in the tiny town of Laurels, Maine?”

“Laurels, Maine,” he repeats slowly. Just saying the name brings back to mind the feeling of inexorable boredom. Days of endless repetition. Just work and sleep and work. Days of friendlessness and hushed whispering and guilt-filled glances at his leg. The problem with a small town is that everyone knows everyone. This means that everyone in the little town knows that it was an accident that took Jay’s leg away from him when he was twelve and everyone knows he’s never been quite the same since. “More like ‘Bumfuck, Middle of Bumfuck Nowhere’. Wouldn’t go back if you paid me to. I am perfectly happy where I am now, thank you very much. It’s up to the rest of them to not go all Lord of the Flies and start killing each other.”

“Oh, considering that out of the seven of us, the only person to not scream at the sight of spiders is Will and it’s because he’s blind, I wouldn’t put my money on it.”

“I don’t scream.”

“I saw your face when there was that spider in the toilet the other day. Face of a pants-pisser.”

“You’re dysfunctional.”

“Aw,” she says. “Thank you.”

“C’mon, Jay.” She tries again. One more attempt that sounds as though its approaching finality. Sometimes Jay wonders how many times he can push others away before they stop coming to him altogether. He’s spent so long in Laurels angry and alone, convinced that no one else in the world could understand him, that finding this group of people, on the island of Borneo, of all places, feels like a rare stroke of luck he isn’t meant to have, the only thing the universe has done right by him. And the thought of losing them, that he might push them away enough times for them to not bother anymore – it makes him scared.

There. He said it. It does. It makes him scared.

“They’re waiting for you. ”

After a moment’s hesitation, Jay moves his arms away. He squints against the light flooding back into his vision, then his vision settles and his eyes come to rest on the black silhouette blocking out the rest of the light that is Alison.

She extends a hand to him. He takes it and allows himself to be pulled up.

“This better be good,” he tells her. She makes to place a hand on his back to support him but he shakes his head and moves away. All these years with a prosthesis and he’s gotten used to it even over tricky terrain. In fact, it feels no different from his old leg until he looks down.

“Come on, cranky old man,” she says. “Let’s go.”

They walk down the beach to where the rest of them are. Perched contentedly under a large beach umbrella, Will and Nolan sit, listening to music. They share Nolan’s headphones. Each one holds the muff to their ears as they quietly listen to whatever’s filtering in. Depending on who has control of the aux, the song is most probably either a romantic ballad or an orchestral score. Nolan turns one of his stimming toys over and over in his other hand. Lying next to him is a half completed drawing of the beach. Down by the surf, Ruben has sand packed on top of his entire body so only his head is visible. Birdie and Sohla stand on either side of him, and the three of them appear to be bickering lightly.

“Make me a mermaid!” Ruben is saying. “Give me a sweet pair of conch-covered tits and a cool tail.”

“No,” Sohla says. “Make him a mole rat. Give him grabby claws and a skinny tail.”

Ruben’s head swivels around frantically to look at Birdie. “Don’t listen to her, Birdie. Do not make me a molerat.”

Birdie quirks an eyebrow at him. A lopsided smile spreads across her lips. “You know I can’t do that.”

“No!” Ruben’s protests are nearly drowned out by the sound of Birdie and Sohla’s laughter as they begin patting the sand surrounding Ruben into a rodent-like form. “I am the sand guardian, guardian of the sand! Poseidon quivers before me!”

“Clam it, Stuart Little,” Sohla says lightly, inciting a string of rapid-fire protestations from Ruben, and Alison turns to look at Jay and Jay – well, Jay can do nothing more but smile.

[eliza-writes-stuff]

Oh my god, it’s a Danplan Isekai au

Maybe a new fic? A new short series? I don’t know, so have a preview instead and I’ll let you guys decide and my hyperfixation as well lol.

Warning: Mention of a character death.

“Hey, wake up!” A voice yelled.

Something hard hit his head. Jay yelps and grabs his head to numb it. Why did they do that? Is it time for class? 

He hissed, “gee, thanks for waking me up.” Jay opens his eyes a little. Now, it’s widely opened. He stands up with some struggle. “Who are you?” He questioned in resentment and pointed at him.

It’s a man wearing some kind of yoga. He has a crown of leaves and jewels resting on his green hair. In his hand, a staff with a gem shaped like a leaf. It glows throughout the darkness that surrounds them.

The man cleared his throat, “finally you're wake.” He grinned. With a wave of his staff. A desk and two chairs appeared. He sits down. “Take a seat, you look like you got stabbed.”

Jay cautiously takes a seat. “What do you mean?”

“Well, how do I say this?” He hummed. “I could just say you’re dead-”

“I’m dead?!” Why Jay? Why him of all places. Did he got murdered by one of his friends? Sure, he is a sociopath, but still. 

“Hey, it’s not a bad thing!” The man avoid Jay’s glare and clears his throat. “What I mean is that you get reincarnated!” Party poppers went off behind his head. “That’s right! Forget your wasteful, miserable life into a brand new life!  Reborn a new person! Some of your memories are detached, but who needs those?”

A paper appeared on the desk. The green haired man slides to the paper to Jay. When Jay picks up the paper. There were some user agreement and terms of service, etc. Memories erasing, but comes back as a deja vu. Appearance changes, abilities, and genetics. There are two ways to be reincarnated.

Reborn as a baby or be someone else in an alternative universe.

“Just sign it here, and you’ll be set for life.” The man pointed at the paper.

Relieve as a new person? That sounds like a good idea. Jay did kinda have a boring life, so who knows? Reborn as the mafia’s son. Reborn as a girl? Heck, even a president. It could be exciting like that time when he went to Disneyland with his… Okay, now he’s rethinking about it.

“Is there a possible way to come back from the dead?” Jay asked.

“I mean, yeah, but that’s kinda against the law.” The man shrugged, “if you worry about them. They'll be fine. I mean they’re gonna be filed with grief and be really sad. They lost their boyfriend. Who knows each other for a couple of years..” He sighed. “Yeah, I see your point. I suppose there’s a way.”

“Tell me.” Anything to be with them.

“Okay, you’ll be reincarnated, but you have a quest in that world. There’s a special item in a hidden temple called the Goddess’ Tear. It can only grant one wish, and you’ll be sent back to the real world.” He said with a grin. “I swear to myself.”

This sounds like a Isekai anime, but this could be the only way. Jay  has no choice when it comes to him being dead.

“Deal.” Jay confirmed.

“Okay, now stand still and pretend there isn’t any pain.”

“What?”

~

Great, more headaches. Why does he hit him again? It’s unnecessary. He could snap his fingers and Jay stands there. Seeing the open world of nature and people. Not in bed with a wet cloth on his forehead. Wait, hold on. He opens his eyes a little and check his surroundings.

A young man with light gray hair tied up in a ponytail. He wears a white robe that has some kind of a religious symbol engraved. Is he a priest or a doctor? Hope he is either of those because he notice that Jay is awake.

“Good morning!” The young man greeted. “I hope you’re feeling better.” He takes the wet rag from Jay’s forehead and sets it down on the nightstand.

“What happened?” Jay asked.

“While I was looking for herbs, I find you passed out on the ground and I got worried sick. So, I brought you here and healed you up.” He nervously laughed, “if you don’t mind that is.”

Jay’s a bit surprised that a stranger took care of him. Then he looks the type to be kind to others even if they’re evil. Although, he does look familiar to him. Never mind. At least Jay’s alive and didn’t get attacked by bears.

“Oh! I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Hosuh.” Hosuh smiled, “what’s your name?” He reached out his hand.

“Jay.” He shakes hands with him and smirked. “It’s a good thing I should know my saver’s cute name.” He brings Hosuh’s hand to his lips and gives it a kiss.  Why is he flirting with him? For god’s sake, he’s dating them! However, he is cute though, but still. 

Hosuh’s cheeks has been covered. He let himself free from Jay’s hand.. “O-oh yes, or that would be rude.” He cleared his throat. “If you don’t mind me asking. What were you doing out there?”

Oh, you know. A God with stupid green hair knock him out to be reincarnated in another world - where he supposed to find the Goddess’ Tear, so he can go back to them. The good Isekai stuff. “I’m on a quest to find the Goddess’ Tear to fulfil someone’s wish.” He answered.

“Oh goodness.” Hosuh sighed. “Why would you hurt yourself like that? I healed so many adventurers who went on the same quest. It’s not worth it for you.”

Oh great, Jay probably has rivals. ”Their wish isn’t like that.”

“Then what is it?” He narrowed his eyes at him.

“Their wish is to get rid of my curse.” Jay explained, you know, like a liar. “But yeah it’s stupid for a wish. I told them it’s not worth it because I was born like this.”

“What’s your curse?” 

“Well-” A loud thud on his brain made waves of pain throughout his body. Jay holds his head, but no matter how he tries to numb it. The pain won’t stop. His eyes are shut tight and teeth are grinding. There’s something growing underneath his skin. It wants to get out, but it hurts. So, he holds his hands together instead, but it still hurts.

Man, humans should be careful what they say.

Was that…

Yep, I’m in your conscious now! As in, I get to help you with not murdering people! Of course nobody’s going to believe you if you told the truth. So, I decided to help with your little lie.

What did he do? Whatever he did, the pain stops. Jay had to open his eyes. His hand, but it’s a claw. A dragon’s claw? It has yellow scales that shine with some orange mixed with it. Is this what he meant by helping out the curse? Is he going to turn into a monster? He gets to murder people and kill people with this, holy (REDACTED).

A dragon if you want to be specific. You have three months before the curse devours you. But don’t worry, once you hold the Goddess’ Tear, it will heal your curse right away and you still get to wish back home. What do you think about it?

He rather be a slime than a dragon.

“I don’t have to explain since I get to demonstrate it to you.” Jay nervously chuckled. Poor Hosuh, he’s already afraid of him. As much Jay wants some help, he’s fine being alone. Even though his heart is about to come off in two pieces.

Hosuh is still silent, he looks at the hand then back at Jay. He breathes in, “I’ll come along with you.” Huh?

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! I mean yes. I see why your friend cares about you. Plus it’s a terrible curse to have.” Hosuh frowned. “Turn into a monster and then lose your memories forever.” Then he grabbed Jay’s hands in a firm grip. “So, that’s why I’m coming with you.” He smiled reassuringly.

-

Well, that was definitely more than 500 words whoops. Also, a lot of dialogue. I’ll have to fix that in the future. Let me know if you enjoy!

Anyways, thank you for reading and so, good luck and goodbye!

[fanfictsbehereyall]

#16 : Dying / Death

Summary:

Morro is dead again. And Zane is also...dead? This can't be right, only Morro is supposed to be here, and why is Zane acting so weird?

*~~~~~~~~~~~~*

'Sigh'

Morro didn't mean for this to happen. He had gone pretty far without having any accidents. But, the curse that was stitched into his soul always looming over his shoulder like a snake, waiting for the right moment to strike.

'But why did it have to be right in front of Zane?!' Morro growled to himself, as he sat within the never ending darkness, 'It could have been preventable. A simple fight with a simple thief, and then I had to go and get stabbed by a God damn sword!'

Morro starting to pull at his green lock of hair, thinking about that last breath he took. The pain from that dull edged sword piercing through his left lung was nothing compared to the distressed look in Zane's eyes. The massive tears and heartbroken sobs coming from his boyfriend, made him try to stay a little bit longer and say everything was going to be alright.

But, the cold hand of death was pulling him away before he could say goodbye to his love.

Morro took a deep breath before thinking, 'This is fine. I'll be back by sunrise, and everyone will be none the wiser,' he raked his hands through his hair and took another deep breath, 'I just have to sit tight and wait in this dark limbo.'

But then, a bright light started to grow in the distance. Morro covered his eyes from the intensity, as it started to overtake the darkness. He could feel himself begin to be pulled forward by multiple hands clawing at his skin.

"No, no, no! I don't want to go back to the underworld!" Morro shouted with his blinded eyes widening with fear and his breath going shallow, "We had a deal!"

*~~~*

As everything came into focus, he noticed that he was on his knees with white mist surrounding him. Instead of his bloodied gi, Morro was now wearing a fuzzy white robe. And, instead of silence, he could hear crying.

Morro quickly stood up and regretted the mind splitting headache that followed, 'This is not normal, this is not right, this is not how things were supposed to be. I need to find a way back, back to the nothingness. But, that crying… it seems so… familiar.'

Instinctively, Morro walks towards the quiet cries. Each step seems lighter than the next, and all of aching feelings throughout his body starts to evaporate. Morro stumbles through the fog and trips on a… body!

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," Morro stammered as he looked at the person in front of him.

The crying figure stopped shaking for just a second, lifting their head from their knees. Their body tensed up as bright blue eyes stared back at Morro. A look of confusion and loss could be seen playing behind the tears that flowed from those familiar eyes.

"Zane! Is that really you?" Morro asked in shock, it was a little hard to recognize him since he didn't look like his usual titanium self. Morro quickly got up to try and comfort his boyfriend, but stop short of placing his hands on his shoulders because of a harsh flinched.

"How do you know my name?" Zane begged, looking around and starting to shake even harder. He was wearing all white and looked human, like in the old photos around the bounty.

"Wha… Zane, it's Morro, your boyfriend," Morro responded, a look of disbelief on his face before it was replaced with an alarmed one, "Wait, no. Why are you here? You're not… you're not really dead, right?!"

"I don't know," Zane answered as he started to pull at this platinum blond hair, "I'm sorry but I don't know, I don't know who you are, I don't know who I am!"

Zane started to hyperventilate and repeating "I don't know" over and over again, curling into himself even further. The tears seem to flow even harder from the shaking body and his heartbreaking crying was full of anguish. Morro rushed forward and engulfed Zane is a tight hug.

"It's okay, honey. We'll figure this out, and it will all be okay," Morro wept as a dreaded feeling was starting to engulf his mind; hundreds of scenarios about how Zane could possibly be dead played in his mind, 'Was Zane also killed during the fight? Was he murdered by a different villain that came along the way when I was stuck in here? Did he take his own life is a desperate attempt to try and get away from the pain... to try and find me?'

They sat there together, holding each other tight. The crying started to subside and the shaky breaths were evening out. But, that foreboding feeling never leaving the atmosphere within the thick fog around them.

"Thank you," Zane said, as he began to get up and wipe the tears off of his face,"I'm really sorry that I don't remember you though."

"It's okay that you don't remember," Morro responded, the soft stabbing feeling in his heart saying otherwise, as he started to help Zane to his feet, "I can help you remember. We did live together when we were still alive. We had friends as our family, like Lloyd, Kai, Cole, Jay, and Nya. You are the ice ninja with the heart of gold, the nindroid that saved Ninjago, the man that I fell in love with."

"You keep saying that we are dead, but why? How did I die? Where are we? And why can't I remember anything?" Zane pleaded, holding onto Morro's hands in a death grip, as the fog started to thicken around them.

"I usually come to… to a place like this when I die," Morro stammered, the hold from Zane becoming lighter as he pleaded on, "I don't know why your here, or why you can't remember. I'm not even sure if this is real right now."

The fog around them was beginning to become too much for Morro, as he started to choke on the rolling waves of gray clouds start to swarm around him, and loses his hold on Zane's hands. He desperately moves forward trying to get a grip on Zane again.

"Wait! Zane, where are you!? I can't see a thing, and I don't want to lose you again!" Morro gasps, "Please where are you?"

*~~~*

Instantly a hand shoots out from the crowding smoke and grabs onto Morro's arm. It starts pulling him forward and Morro can see parts of the familiar titanium shine from the protruding arm. He is then shoved forward into another clearing within the sickening clouds.

Morro quickly turned around to see if Zane was okay, but was greeted by the Zane who was described in hushed whispers or behind closed doors; who stood in front of him was the Zane that sacrificed himself many years ago.

Half of Zane's face was ripped off along with different pieces of skin missing from his arms and hands. His gi was torn to shreds and an intense glow from his heart was blinding. The fear that laced through his eyes shot a bolt of electricity down Morro's spine.

"Is he dead!?" Zane barked at Morro, stalking towards him.

Morro took a few steps back, unable to look away from those crystal blue eyes as a cold sweat started to bubble on his skin, "Wh...who?"

"The Overlord!"

"What? Zane are you...are you alright?" Morro asked as he just felt a wave of confusion roll over him.

"I'm perfectly fine!" Zane said hysterically, "One minute I'm throwing myself at the Overlord to try and protect Ninjago, and then I end up here! Is this another one of his tricks? Has he gotten to me and my friends? And, who are you!?"

"I'm Morro, your..." Morro hesitated, thinking about his words carefully, "your boyfriend. Everyone is okay, all of Ninjago is safe, and the Overlord was killed."

"Hehehe, you might be a stunning angel standing in front of me now, but I just don't know how I could trust you," Zane snarled, "My boyfriend? I have never seen you in my life."

A sharp pain started to suffocate Morro's heart, 'what the hell is going on!? Is the Overlord dead? I have never seen you? What is happening to Zane, why is he asking these questions?' Morro couldn't take this any more.

"Come on Zane, you know who I am. Everything is going to be okay. I don't know what is exactly happening to you. But, I do know that we are dead, and…"

"Dead!" Zane growled, picking us speed as he headed towards Morro, "What do you mean we are dead?"

"Woah, woah, woah. Let's calm down a bit," Morro pleaded, until he saw the uncertainty and anger deep in his eyes. Morro knew Zane would never hurt him, but his legs kept backing up faster and faster, "We can figure this out, togeth-ah!"

Morro could feel himself fall backwards into the thick mist. The last thing he saw was Zane pounce forward with his hands out to catch him. But, he was too slow as the fog swallowed him up.

*~~~*

Seconds past before Morro slammed against the solid misty floor, 'Ouch, I never knew a cloud could be so painful,' Morro thought as he slowly began to get up and stretch his aching joints.

"Hello Morro."

Morro swiftly turned a full 180, and was met by a hospital bad. Inside the bed was Zane. But, he didn't look the same. There was a feeling of authenticity when Morro looked upon this third, human-looking Zane. He had slow uneven breaths, his long white-blond hair was faded, and his light blue eyes were dull and lacked there usual crisp shine. He laid there in the bed, covered up by a hospital gown and blanket.

"Zane, is that you?" Morro asked hopeful that this time he would be forgotten.

"Yes it's really me," Zane squeaked, as he beckoned for Morro to come closer, "and I see that you've died again. What a shame."

"You can remember! But how? No one remembers when I die," Morro gulped, while getting closer to the bed and hesitantly taking Zane's hand into his own.

"Maybe not in the living realm, but I have been in this haze longer than the others. And, I have these visions of my living counterpart all of the time," Zane whispered, an old wisdom swimming in the back of his young eyes.

"What do you mean by the others and your living counterpart?" Morro asked, pulling up a chair that seemed to materialize out of thin air.

"I died a long time ago, and thought this was heaven. But, then I started to see things. Things like my father helping me to walk, and cook, and help others. I saw him open up my chest and fish out different colored wires and gears from where my organs should be," Zane whimpered before continuing.

"That's when I realized that my father did it! He saved me from my illness, but… but he wasn't able to save me from dying. Years went by as I watched my robotic self walk the earth and live our lives, but then tragedies would strike down on...me," Zane started to tremble, but then took a deep breath, "More of us kept showing up here. Every time I died, another Zane would appear. We are stuck here in this… this almost heaven. And I'm not sure we will ever be able to leave. Not until our final death."

"I… I don't know what to say," Morro stammered, "I'm sorry for this happening to you."

"You live with a curse, and so do I. But, maybe that is what brings us together; your never ending life and my never ending death" Zane sighed as he held onto Morro's hand a bit tighter before letting go and saying, "what a shame we only get to spend this much time with each other."

"What do you mea-ah!"

A familiar pulling feeling was forming around Morro's soul. It was time to go back, 'but what about Zane!?' Morro looks back and doesn't see that small hospital bed anywhere. The white mist is starting to turn black, and Morro can feel himself being painfully pieced together in the living world.

*~~~*

Morro woke with a start, bulging up in his bed panting hard and sweating profoundly. He swallowed as much air as he could, this feeling of rebirth ever so painful like the last. Something shifted next to him.

"Morro are you alright? Did you have another nightmare?" Zane, the real titanium Zane, asked with a look of worry on his face and a softening tone in his voice.

"I…" Morro stopped to think about his words before continuing, "I know… I know you don't like it when people bring it up…but what was it like when you died?"

Morro could see that Zane was taken back by the question. His eyes widen, and his mouth turned down into a sorrowful look. He slightly turned away from Morro, unintentionally sifting the sheets in the bed to expose Morro to the freezing room. Zane looked over to him and said,

"I was surrounded by a white mist as visions of my past play about around me."

*~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Sorry if this fic was confusing and supper late, but hopefully I can explain it a bit here at the end.

Okay, so Morro is like Kenny from South Park; he always dies, but comes back to life the next day. Everyone doesn't remember that he died, and Morro just takes it as is.

Zane on the other hand has many "deaths" that copy over into the afterlife as his robotic self continues on living after being rebuilt / revived.

So, we see three Zanes in this fic: the first Zane is when Dr. Julien lipped Zane's memory switch (He has no memories, so he technically starts a new "life"), then there is the second Zane we see and that is the one who dies in season 3, And the last Zane we see is more of a head-canon on how Zane was human and died at a young age, Dr. Julien then transferring his son into a robot.

Hopefully I can get the next fic in soon, but no promises (sorry). Hope you guys liked the story! Peace ~

( 0v0 )

[whelvenwings]

✭ Girl Like You ✭

Pairing: Michelle Jones/Shuri Word Count: 13.8k Thank you so much to @lesbiansassemble for letting me take part in her 10k femslash challenge, with the prompt “We’re Trapped”!!

MJ doesn't do opening up to people. She doesn't do dancing at lame parties. She doesn't do singing in public. She doesn't do losing control in any way that she could possibly help, ever. She also definitely does not do being trapped in an elevator - not after what happened at the Washington Monument.

And then she meets Shuri.

((I wrote this for a challenge with a 500-word minimum, and ended up writing so much more. I totally fell in love with these characters and how I imagined their relationship might grow. I hope you enjoy it if you check it out!!))

Read the first chapter below or check it out here on AO3!!

***

“- and she’s coming to our school? Our school?”

“Ned. I’m not kidding.”

“Tell me this isn’t like the time in eighth grade when -”

“No, I swear to God, it’s not like the time you ate your own eraser.”

“You said that you’d switched out one of my things for candy and it just looked so -”

MJ folded her arms, sank down in her seat on the bus, and tried to tune out the conversation Peter and Ned were having in front of her.

“I said that because I thought you’d guess , not just pick something up and chew on it…”

She closed her eyes, and pictured her desk back at home: and there they were - her headphones, sitting on top of her laptop. Exactly where she’d left them, trudging past in an early-morning haze on her way out of the door; their wire curled up in an enticing beckon, promising bass thick enough to drown out whatever was going on in front of her.

“No, no, seriously,” Peter was saying. “I swear, she’s actually coming to our school.”

MJ’s head was aching. Last night had held an accidental Wikipedia binge, hopping from article to article, reading all the new tech pages that were springing up like weeds on the sidewalk; Kimoyo Beads. Ring Blades. Vibranium Strike Gauntlets. The details were sparse and there wasn’t a lot to go on - but over the course of the six hours MJ had spent lost down the rabbit hole, at least two of the articles had already grown extra subsections. New information was flooding in.

It had made MJ’s heart thud as she sat bathed in the blueish light of her laptop at three in the morning, on the night before the first day of junior year.

And it was only now, as she sat on the bus and tried desperately to convince her body that closing her eyes constituted more sleep, that she felt even the slightest twinge of regret. Watching this stuff happen was once-in-a-lifetime.

“Hey, MJ.” Ned’s voice, loud enough to be heard clearly over the roar of the bus, made MJ frown. “MJ.”

“Mmm.” She did her best impression of a person who was extremely asleep.

“EM JAY.”

She slit her eyes open, making sure that her stare encompassed the exact right ratio of tiredness, irritation, lack of investment, and sheer dead-eyed scariness as possible. Ned hitched on a grin in the face of it, clearly not appreciating the artistry that went into the expression’s careful emotional makeup.

“Did you know about this?” he said, gesturing with one hand towards Peter. The bus rattled onto the school grounds, stop-starting to avoid the students running across the path. MJ glanced from Ned to Peter’s profile and back again, making sure to look completely disinterested.

“Know about what,” she said flatly.

“Who’s joining the school this year?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Really?” Peter spun completely in his seat to look at her. MJ’s eyes flicked over to him - his brown hair a slight mess, as usual, though she could see that there had been some attempts to school it into a definite style. He, too, looked tired, though MJ could concede in the privacy of her own head that he wore it with better humour than she did herself. “How’d you know?”

“Because we’re best friends already,” MJ said.

“You what?”

“Oh, yeah. Me and my dear friend Please Shut Up go way back.” She glared at the pair of them, and then shut her eyes.

“What’s up with you?” she heard Ned say. “Late night?”

“You really wanna know?”

“Uh… yeah, I gue-”

“I was hanging out with Please Shut Up. Having a ton of good times.”

“You’re mean.”

MJ snorted. The bus came to a complete stop, and the doors sighed open; MJ kept her eyes tightly closed for a few seconds longer, trying to enjoy the feeling as much as she possibly could while everyone around her scrambled for their bags and began to pile out into the parking lot.

“Ding ding,” she heard Ned say. “This is our stop.”

“Ugh.”

Rolling her eyes behind closed lids, she grabbed for her backpack on the empty seat beside her, and slouched off the bus behind Ned and Peter. She winced against the sunlight, sleeplessness watering everything around her down to a kind of liquid surreality. She yawned - but even as she did so, even as most of her mind was dedicated to wishing that she was back in her bed with her head on a soft pillow and her comforter pulled all the way up to her chin, even as she blinked slowly and sleepily - she realised that there was some kind of commotion happening across on the other side of the parking lot.

“Oh my god,” Ned said, punching Peter - surprisingly hard, MJ thought, but Peter didn’t seem to really feel it. “Oh, my god, it’s happening. It is happening.”

The words what’s happening were on the tip of MJ’s tongue; an image of Ned’s smug face rose up in front of her, how happy he’d be at knowing something she didn’t after she’d been rude on the bus, and she bit back her questions. Instead, she started to head quickly towards the school - directly away from the crowd. There were a few odd looks thrown her way by all the people heading in the opposite direction, but she paid them no attention whatsoever.

The growing melee surged behind her as she walked through the school gates, not meeting anyone’s eye. Instead of going inside, though, she took a quick right, heading for a conveniently placed wall that started low and slowly sloped upwards; climbing up, she walked her way to higher ground, peering over the heads of the crowd in the parking lot.

She was too far away to see what was really happening, except that there were four sleek black cars all parked side by side, and some women in red standing absolutely still and eyeing the general ruckus of students. They seemed to be keeping some kind of peace just by looking vaguely ready to kill anyone who looked at them.

MJ stared, wishing she could so effortlessly channel that kind of energy.

The clothes they were wearing… she narrowed her eyes. She knew that armour, she knew those patterns. They all had shaved heads, too - no hair for anyone to grab onto in a fight.

She blinked. Surely, it wasn’t possible. She’d just spent all night reading about these exact women and their country and their weapons and their technology, and now she was sleep deprived, and seeing things. These could not be the Dora Milaje.

MJ wasn’t even completely clear on how that was pronounced, let alone being prepared to see them in her school’s parking lot.

And then, out of one of the cars, stepped a girl.

MJ felt her breathe leave her, before she’d even fully registered who she was looking at. Dressed in lowkey, casual clothes - just jeans, a t-shirt, and a black and white jacket, with her hair tied up at the back of her head - was a person MJ knew by sight, instantly. Someone she’d read about; someone she followed on Twitter; someone she’d seen on the news, announcing the arrival of new outreach buildings across the country. Someone she’d actually considered getting Snapchat for, just to see her stories and selfies.

Shuri, Princess of Wakanda.

The crowd around Shuri were going wild, yelling and waving. The Dora Milaje were looking, somehow, even more stern as they kept the tide of teenage enthusiasm at bay. Shuri offered them all a grin, and MJ felt her heart flip in her chest.

With a little nod of her head, Shuri began to walk towards the school. Like a flock of seagulls, the students all around her shuffled and squawked at each other, following along; Shuri seemed unfazed, not ignoring them, but just smiling around and occasionally laughing.

She must be used to this by now, MJ thought.

“I told my brother,” she heard the Princess say as she headed through the gates. “I told him, I wanted to take the bus! The big cars will only make it worse! Tomorrow I’m taking the bus here and there’s nothing he can do about it…”

MJ shifted, almost falling off the wall. Shuri was going to be here - not just for one day, but for two?

The suddenness of her movement must have caught Shuri’s eye. Down below, the Princess jerked her head up - frowning, her eyes drifted upwards too - and quite suddenly, MJ found herself meeting the gaze of the Princess of Wakanda.

MJ froze.

Shuri’s eyebrows raised slightly, and her mouth crooked into a smile - a small one, genuine, not for show - as she took in MJ standing atop the wall. MJ swallowed. Before there was time to smile politely, or wave, or do anything at all, the moment was over. Shuri had walked into the school, her eyes sliding away.

When the swirling wave of students chasing after her had washed inside with her, MJ hopped down off the wall. She leaned back against it; she could still feel her heart pounding.

Shuri had smiled.

And MJ hadn’t even tried to tame her hair this morning, beyond shoving it into a bun at the back of her head. Not that she expected someone as smart as Shuri to be making judgements about someone based on how many flyaways they had going on, hair-wise, or how beat-up their shoes looked, or how probably vacant and awestruck their expression was…

MJ breathed out. But Shuri had smiled.

She found herself half-smiling down at the ground, just thinking about it.

“So, how did you enjoy meeting Princess Please Shut Up ?”she heard a voice say. She looked up, blinking away her mind’s looped replaying of the moment that had just happened.

Ned was smiling at her smugly, while Peter stared up the steps after Shuri.

MJ considered using words to reply, and then decided a simple gesture would do the trick.

“Aw, come on. That’s not nice.”

They headed inside as a reluctant, ragged trio.

“So… she’s here because…” MJ said, unable to resist fishing for information any longer.

“To go to school,” Ned finished for her. “Something about community outreach or whatever.” MJ tried to keep walking normally, tried to keep breathing. Shuri. The Princess of Wakanda - a title so grandiose that it sounded ridiculous even to think it - that Shuri. Was going to be here every day? Was going to take classes? Was going to join band or the cheer squad, was going to go to parties, was going to - to go to high school?

“But she’s, like… a genius,” MJ said, sounding stupid to herself. “Like… she doesn’t need high school.”

Ned shrugged, while Peter looked thoughtful.

“Peter, does she even know about -” Ned began.

“Don’t know,” Peter said shortly, with a pointed look, before seeming to sink back into his thoughts. MJ narrowed her eyes at the pair of them, before shrugging it off.

Whatever. Those guys were losers.

And Shuri had smiled.

***

Read the rest here on AO3!!

[goldstonegolem64]

book1 Hope returns Chapter5 Enter the Dragon  By goldstonegolem64

Has the two ran for the towards the exit 

Jay asked. What do you mean by in coming?

I'm not that well versed in Galra Ship but by process of elimination I can tell that there are Four fighter escorting two what looks like dropship also that dragon thing just kind of  faded out of existence Beauregard said.

Ok then that was helpful Adam said grading the plasma rifle off his back preparing for a fight.

Wait before we go in guns blazing lets make a plan. jay said 

why Adam yelled anger in his voice.

Adam my friend your not thinking straight. I know what they did to the crew of the Kerberos is infuriating but we need to have a pl.

They took Shiro they took the man I loved before I could forgive him,now they're back and I just want to make them pay for what they did to him and the others. Adam cried with tears now steaming down his face.

Jay didn't know how to handle this. He could handle a gunfights, defusing a unexploded mining charge , even his fathers cooking would be easier to handle then the emotional bomb Adam just dropped on him. But here in this moment Adam needed someone to help him through this so he swallowed his fear. walked up to his friend putting his hand on his shoulder and said look I know the pain of lose and I know seeing the person who caused that pain just make you want to make them feel the pain they cause you but that wont bring Shiro back and it wont give you the closure you think it will.

Jays words helped him feel a bit better but the pain was still there. but he know Shiro would not want him to run into this fight with out a plan.so After a few moment to collated himself. Adam asked what is the plan.

While if they're here to take Valkyrie then they might just kill us on sight. But if they don't know Valkyrie is here then we might be able to talk are way out of this. Jay said 

those are not very good plans Adam said.

I know but if they tried to kill us on sight we have beau and Valkyrie backing us up. Jay said a little nerves 

So your banking on them trying to kill us. That is the worst plan I have ever heard but one bad plan is better then no plan I guess. Adam said a little reluctant.

The two made they way back to the entrains of the mines when they saw a few figure walking towards them. Then over the comms came a  voice saying holster your weapons and hands in the air. Doing has they were told knowing if they fought back in the cave they will die.Adam and Jay holster their guns and let the person talking to them lead out of the mines by a group of robots and a women in orange and black armor to a ten foot tall man holding what looked like a war hammer. surrounded by huge number of robotic men with two drop ships and four small fighter all pointing their guns at them. 

So what do we have here corporal Ringel. the tall man said

Looks like two guy just looking make money off of the stuff left behind by the miners Sargent Fairin    

so do ether of you know what that thing is the tall man said.

both of them turned there heads to see a huge white building stick out of the mines. 

no clue Jay said 

no Adam said

See I find that hard to believe because you two were in there after it came out of their. pointing to the mines. Now I'm a reasonable man I like to think  so if you tell me now what that building is and you both might get to living long enough to fight for you freedom in the arena just like the last one of your kind we caught. he said.

Jay could tell Adam was bout the shot the guy for just mentioning Shiro and also that just hearing that Shiro was forced to fight for his life may have just bein the last straw for Adam but he held back his anger for now. To give them some time before the tall man decide to just kill them off. jay said it a building we just found we have no idea what is in side it or who built it

See was that so hard Fairin said now Ringel take some of the bots and check out the build. 

Yes sir Ringel Said taking twelve of the metal men with her in to the mine leaving about forty eight bot and Fairin with them 

Now my I know your names? Fairin asked

Adam

Jay

 Next question is why is he wearing paladin armor last I checked that armor belonged to the paladins of Voltron.

Jay had forgotten that he was wearing his new suit.

Now Adam you get the honor of going to the arena but him jabbing his hammer in to jay gut the moment we find the lion in this base I will kill him and bring is corpse and his lion to lord Zarkon and finally replace that old fool as captain. Now tell me where the lion is and I will make your death quick. Fairin said.

I have no clue where a lion is but I do know where you could find a dragon Jay said with a smug look on his face no could see do to his helmet.  

Adam saw a shimmer in the sky then a bright red light flew right in to the mine and a huge explosion erupted launching everyone forty feet forward. Then aloud crashing and crunching sound was heard looking up Adam saw as ginormous metal dragon standing over them on top of one of the drop ships and a fighter crushed in between it teeth. Then next ten second moved in slow motion as Valkyrie’s wings jetted out slicing into the other two fighter and the remaining drop ships engine causing several small explosion and the other drop ship to spiral in to the ground.

Jay was the first to get to his feet then he grabbed  Adam by the back of his suit and lifted him to his feet and lead him behind the crashed dropship. So that just happen he said with a little bit fear and joy in his voice. 

Yes it did Adam repelled  

Fairin got to his feet yelling KILL THEM NOW AND BRING ME THEIR HEADS the bots began to fire. half firing on Adam and jays hide spot and the other firing on the dragon.

But that didn't last long because Valkyrie threw the ship in her mouth at the group of bot shoot at her pilot smashing them. then turned her attention to the fighter making a break for it. her mouth opened and letting loss a red bolt of plasma hitting the ship causing it to explode. Are you ok my pilot Valkyrie asked through the new bond she and he now shared

hearing a voice in his head was new and little unnerving but hey at lest he wasn't dead. Yes I'm ok a little shaken by the last ten minutes beside that I'm fine so is Adam just so you know he said firing a few shots from his shot gun hitting some of the target he was aiming for.

Good to hear your fine as well as your friend.

Adam gauged the situation then grabbed the plasma rifle off his back and moved to the other end of the crashed ship trying to get back to the Prometheus and to call help but the moment he left cover they shot at him so he shot back hitting two of the bot leaving smocking hole in one chest and blow the head of the other 

Hey has anyone seen that Fairin guy Adam Asked 

 no Valkyrie Said

Scanning the area at the other end of the ship he noticed a in orange and black armor in the middle of the battlefield slowly getting up from when Valkyrie threw the lighter than it started running at him               

I found him jay said. Lifting his gun to fire on him but after the shot. Jay found himself twelve feet off the ground with a massive hand around his head trying to crush him.

Now look what you've done now everyone here has to die Fairin said tightening his grip on jay’s helmet.

Jay had dropped his shot gun the moment Fairin Grabbed him. For a man of his size he moved deceptively quick. Jay tried to pry the huge hand off is head to no avail letting his hand drop to his side he hope someone would save him.

Adam saw what was happing to jay but couldn't do a thing because of the bots in his way. Valkyrie was going to save her pilot when she felt his distress. but was intruded by blaster fire hitting her in the back from a few fighters that came to back up the landing party. to meet the new threat she took to the sky.  

It seemed like all hope for recues had just disappear for jay when both of his teammates were being assaulted. Until the Cargo bay door opened and the heavy loaders ran out in to the crowed of enemy's just smashing the smaller bots with their mass arms.

The Calvary is here beaus voices said over the comms.

No you will not take my victory. Fairin said  Tightening his grip even more.

Feeling the pressure of his helmet being crashed Jay decide to do something really stupid hoping it worked he placed both of his feet up to Fairin’s head and used the one thing he inherited From his Altean half. His legs shot out stretching out to hit Fairin in the helmet at the speed of a bullet. knocking Fairin to the ground and releasing jay from his grip. Only a few seconds after he hit the ground Fairin was right on top of him again with his hammer right about to be brought down on to his head. pulling his revolver from it holster and fired all six shoot hit Fairin but he kept going. Rolling  out of the way of the hammer strike.wondering why the six shot didn't just kill his opponent. Then he realized that Fairin wasn't wearing is helmet anymore and now saw a massive angry purple skinned man with bright glowing eyes Getting to his feet he Now he had a one thought about is situation that this guy was super charged with Quintessence and that he no longer needed to breath or most of the normal thing people need to do to survive the vacuum of space or he was wears a device that a loud him to breathing in space.but he didn't have time to ask because Fairin ran at him swing the hammer.Trying to not get  hit Jay just kept moving back just barely avoid the hammer right on till he trip on one of the bots that was on the ground. 

Adam watched in horror as his friend was about to be killed. Firing a shot hoping it will hits its targets 

Valkyrie felt the fear run through her pilot’s body quirky dispatching the remaining ships then flying back to here pilots aid as fast has she could,

Beau through the eyes of the loader saw his master in danger and started run

Jay was terrified raising his prosthetic hand to try to block the strike. but has the hammer came down jays Bayard teleported into his outstretched hand and turned in to the hand cannon. Realizing what was in going on he lifted the Bayard and fired it straight in to Fairin face with a bang. The impact of the blast took half of Fairin’s face off. The body was then was hit by the shot  Adam had fired knocking it over. Jay starred in to the sky with one thought on his mind I just killed a man  with no hesitation. the next time he was alone he was going to rethink his life but right now there is a blue lion about to be taken. Getting to his feet to see where the Valkyrie landed and started running to her pasted the loader over the bodies of the destroyed galrain robots and pasted Adam 

Hey Are you ok Adam said has jay ran past him.

I'm fine but I need you to pilot my ship and follow me to earth.we have to stop them from get the blue lion and destroy that cruiser before they call for reinforcement.

Adam ran in to the Prometheus cargo bay and into the cockpit of the ship and started up the engines and punch in the coordinates that the hologram had giving them and saw the time it would take to get to the earth was one hour with a look of surprise on his face on how fast the ship was and asked if it takes one hour to get to earth why did it take two days for you to get to  phobos.

I was lazy as hell when I left mars for this mission Jay replied.

going into the Valkyrie for the first time was a very weird and exciting moment Weird because he went in through her mouth to get in to the cockpit. But what it lead to was a beautiful control room with a very comfortable chair. the moment he sat down the screens turned-on. A feeling of warmth,belong and sense of this was his this was his duty to pilot the Valkyrie. So do you have a name other then Valkyrie Jay asked taking off his broken helmet starring at the indents where Fairin’s hand were and though heed have to buff those out later putting It down await for an answer from the Valkyrie.

No Valkyrie is the name of the body I have no name of my own the voices replied but you can call me what ever you like.

I'm going to call you Val for now until I think of one better He said.

Grabbing the controls sticks hearing the engines roar to life. Pushing the control sticks forwards feeling the Valkyrie feet move moving gaining speed till it jumped in to the air and blasted off with Adam and Beauregard following behind him in the Prometheus on their way to earth. hoping to make it in time.

Author note is chapter took forever to finish also I'm not good a writing fight scenes I hope I improve for later chapter

[ninjagoruinedmylife]

Ninjago shadowhunters au: chapter 1

Hiiiii and welcome to my kitchen have here first chapter of my veeeery long fic for au i made a few days ago. I hope you'll enjoy! *** Lloyd Garmadon had currently only three problems: lack of money for comics, math and his best friend Brad. Not that he was complaining, though; his mother taught him that he should always look at the bright side of life. There were so many people with such bad things happening to them all the time, like Nelson, second one of his two friends: he constantly had problems with health. Or Gene, the other boy from his school: his parents were putting a big presure over him, to the point where they had big arguments. And even Brad: there were moments when he didn't got money for even the most basic products. Garmadon's little family, consisting of Lloyd and his mother, was in much better situation. Misako's salary wasn't the biggest one (she worked as a toruist guide in the museum, after all), her husband died in the war, they were living in a little apartament in one of the poor parts of the city... Still, they had each other. Lloyd was happy with his life in all honesty. He just couldn't help but also feel a bit irritated sometimes. Like today, when everything seemed to be against him. Math test was so hard that he won't get anything above F, he lost twenty dollars while chasing his bus, and now Brad just needed to get him to some kind of club he wanted to check out. "Hello, earth to Lloyd? Man, we're losing connection with you!" Brad tried to yell over the loud music from the building and bring his friend back to senses at the same time. Lloyd sighed. He was so tired of this day and just wanted to sleep. But well, friends are friends. "Tell me again, what did you promised me in exchange?" Boy asked while they were standing in a short queue to the entrance. "Uh, that I'll give you my collection of Spiderman comics?" "Okay, fair enough." Brad grinned evily. "As you might or might not remember, my collection consist of one volume..." "I hate you. It's not fair." Lloyd murmed, hiding his head in his hoodie. He looked up, at the bright purple neon sign hanging above the door. The letters formed a word 'Pandemonium'. "And what kind of name for a club is that one? I don't get why you wanted to come here so much..." "Come on, it will be fun! You need to socialize more." Brad replied. He grabbed his friend by his arm and pulled him through the entrance. "Just chill and breathe in the atmosphere." The only thing Lloyd could have breathed in when he walked inside was a cigarette smoke. He started coughing. Brad patted his back. When his throat finally started working normally, boys returned to exploring this place: Brad with an excitement written on his face, and Lloyd with a posture that was yelling "I don't care about this place or any of you." Music in the club was strange. It reminded music from radio, but in the same time it felt kinda different, more heavy and dark. This whole place smelled like a mix of two thousand botttles of cheap perfumes, sweat and alcohol. Lloyd looked at the people surrounding them. Most were dressed very party-ish, like a big percent teenagers would if they were going out, some were rather elegant, and the rest wore simple, casual clothes. Even though he wasn't so outstanding in his normal, green hoodie and black jeans, he felt so out of place that he wanted to dissapear. When it comes to dissapearing. Brad vanished while Lloyd stopped paying attention to him. At first, blonde boy had a nervous thought that something bad might have happened to his friend, but after a few seconds he saw his figure through the jumping, dancing people and calmed down. 'Great, now he left me. Such a good friend.' He walked to the other room. It was separated by the partition wall and, what's more important, it was less crowded and less noisy. Six tables were standing next to walls, vis á vis of the boy there was a pair of door with a sign saying "stuff only." A couple of guests were dancing at the shining dance floor, but most of them just talked, watched others or ate something. Pretty girl in a long silver dress and boy with a messy dark hair tried to convince some punks to dance, nerd in the corner was doing something on his laptop, two guys were glaring at each other like if they had an argument... Lloyd guessed he fit there, with all those weirdos, better than to the other part of the club. He decided that he'll wait here until Brad will get bored of dancing, and then they'll go home and watch some cartoons. However, he changed his mind when he saw a blade in the pretty girl's hand. *** This girl's name was Nya Smith and she was both frustrated and thrilled for a whole day, just as the rest of her team. Maybe a half hour before Lloyd Garmadon saw her in a little bit of not so fortunate situation, she sat next to the boy with a messy hair at the same table nerd had taken before. "For the God's sake, we're in this place for five hours and we haven't noticed nothing unusual!" Nya hissed to her brother, Kai. He shrugged. "Well, sensors are mostly right. And Zane is also mostly right." He winked at their friend, who was looking with a frown once at the monitor of his laptop, and then at the black object in his hand. "My apologies, but I really get strong demon vibes from this place. I wouldn't be suprised if it was the place of their meeting." Zane replied with his usual, serious tone. "Okay, Zane, I don't have anything against you." Girl sighned. "I'm just pissed of because I have to wear heels and makeup! You all know I hate it." "You're right, sis. Who decided that it has to be us again, anyway?" Kai neatened collar of his black suit. "Looking perfect all the time is tiring." "I understand, but in the same time you two are the most appealing from the whole team, when it comes to the terms of physical appearance, of course..." Zane started to explain. "Uh. One more time, please. I don't get your whole science talk after such a long mission." Kai interrupted him. "I guess Zane just said you're handsome, my gentleman!" Another guy who joined them said with a melodious voice. He had curly, brown hair, freckles and he was wearing clothes that were seemingly way to big for him. "And you, my gentleman, are spilling your drink over my favourite hoodie." His companion added while sitting next to him. "Hey, it is Zane's fault! He pulled my hand! I'm innocent!" Jay raised his hands in a defensive way. Cole gave him a deadly look. "You've spilled even more now. You are going to wash it..." "Calm down lovebirds, move those arguments for another time." Nya hit the table with her fist to get her teammates attention. "I guess we should think about the purpose of this mission. I'm not sure..." In this moment, a red necklace on girl's neck started shining. They all knew what it meant - beside Jay, as always. He was still spilling his drink. "Hm?" He gave the others suprised look. "Somebody died or what? Why are you so quiet now?" "Nobody died." Zane informed him calmly. "But it doesn't mean that someone can't die in the spin of few minutes!" Kai got up quickly. "Everyone on positions, now." When they were going back to their place, Jay asked Cole with a trembling voice: "Does it mean..." "Yes. The demon is coming." Cole answerd without a shade of fear on his face. "Get ready for your fourth one, newbie." *** It all happened so fast that Lloyd didn't know on what he should focus. First thing: nerd closed his laptop and left it on the table. He came to the stuff door, took a long white stick and then the door opened and he dissapeared in the darkness. Second thing: one of the punks, guy with a green mohawk and piercing all over his face, was having a slow dance with this suspicious girl - that was when her bracelet changed into some kind of a weapon. Third thing: two boys who probably had fight before, also walked into the stuff room. One of them granted a look to the guy in a suit, who was sitting at one of the tables with most of the punks. Fourth thing: girl grabbed punk's hand and, with a smirk on her face, she came to - suprise! - stuff room. It all looked... too well planned to be just a coincidence. Lloyd was sure that he should just go and talk to the guards that something strange is happening, but then fifth thing took place: punks started yelling at each other and jumping at each others throats. They were so loud that they nearly screamed over the music. Lloyd frowned. What was happening? He would be able to just find Brad and go out of the club, but in the same time... He had to find out what was this all about. His willingness to do so only grew when he saw boy with messy hair, sneaking out of the group. Lloyd tried to use all of his skills and followed him to the staff room. Luckily, he didn't locked the door, so boy as fragile as young Garmadon could have walked through the crack. He hid behind a tall shelf and started listening. "You didn't tought that it would be this easy, didn't ya?" "I-I don't know what are you talking about! What-" "You are fully aware of your situation, demon." "A demon? Do you mean... No! I'm normal, very normal!" "Don't try to fool around. We know who we are." The sound of taking out the weapons froze blood in Lloyd's veins. "Wait! I have... informations to sell! Many informations! About Garmadon! You want to know more about him, right?!" "Oh, can we shut him up already?" Boy's mind was working like crazy. Were those teenagers going to kill this poor person? Why would they? Personal damage? No, it didn't sounded like this. More like if they were a part of some kind of gang or cult... And, after all, what did it had to do with someone with the same surname as his? Lloyd was ready to get out and somehow stop them. He couldn't let this happen, dammit! If someone died next to him and he did nothing, he wouldn't forgive himself. "Wait!" He yelled, getting eyes of everyone in the room at him. When he looked at the scene that took place there, he had to take a step aside. Those guys were surely gonna kill someone - but this someone wasn't a human by any chance. More like a monster of some kind, like a wicked creature from one of his comics. It looked like a zombie now, but a zombie with claws, sharp, long teeth, tail and dead, black eyes. It took the moment of the shock its opponents were in and attacked. Someone screamed. Lloyd covered his eyes. He heard grinding of the blades, unhuman voice was yelling in a cracked tone, strange liquid flew at his hand - was it blood? - and then, after the explosion of the bright light and scream of a dying creature, it all ended. Lloyd took some unsure steps in a direction of the teenagers. Two of them were wounded, one was drawing something on their skins, girl was cleaning her blade... Boy in a suit looked at him. "Hm, guys? I think we have a little problem."

[jaybeartodd]

Colleagues Pt. 15/17 -- Jason Todd x fem. reader

Warnings: some cursing, mostly just a fluff monster before I ruin everyone’s lives with the finale (jk well maybe not sure yet)

Tags: @sarcasmismyfirstlove @tsctd @multi-fandom-dumpster @wordsmusicandchocolate @cattwomannn @itstoastytodd @nicunt @browneyedangel @amnahs9695 @mad-hatter-has-nothing-on-me @prancingdestiel

Permanent Tags: @vividmjs  @alohabucky

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17

A/N: As per usual, I want to thank everyone for the amazing support. You are amazing and I hope everyone is doing great and I love you bunches <3<3 Enjoy!

“What do you mean it isn’t as impressive? We are literally underneath the police station. For months they were up there searching for me and I hid underneath them. Not to toot my own horn but that is pretty damn cool.” Jay declares waving his arm. His other arm is tucked under your head creating a barrier between you and the harsh concrete floor. You curl in closer to him feeling exhaustion press at your eyelids.

“I am just saying, the Batcave has more shock factor,” you mumble poking at his ego. “Also, it is at least attached to a house he can sleep in.”

“Y/N, I have an apartment. I am not a complete animal.” he laughs and it reverberates through his chest. A smile stretches its way across your face in response to a sound you never wanted to lose again.

“Could have fooled me,” you mutter into his chest. Your mind starts to drift along with your eyes as you slowly fall...You jerk yourself awake out of habit and his arm tightens around you.

“Wow, Y/N? You okay there?” Jason asks concerned. You sit up and blink your eyes.

“Yeah, I, um, just almost fell asleep. I really should be getting back. It’s late,” you say and start to gather your things.  

“Stay with me tonight,” Jason proposes. You bite your lip pondering the situation. He sits up on his elbows and strokes your cheek with the back of his hand.

“Come on, Dopey. You look like Mr. Sandman dragged you through hell and back. And I know you sleep on that dingy-ass sofa. I have a real bed and I am so great at fighting nightmares. Expert, really.” he flashes his pearly whites and raises his eyebrows.

Your fatigued body screams at the opportunity and your brain has given up its fight a while back.

“Yeah, sure, that actually sounds really nice,” you say with a sigh. His eyes grow wide and he grabs your chin gently.

“Damn, you must be really tired. Not a single argument?” he kisses your cheek and stands up fist pumping the air.

“Jay, don’t make me change my mind...”

“Exactly! I didn’t have to! That is what is so astounding.” he says giving you a sly grin as he shrugs his shirt on. 

You shrug Jason’s leather jacket closer to your body as you both walk hand-in-hand in the cool Gotham night air. Your sling makes it harder to wear the right sleeve so he zipped it up front to keep heat from escaping.

“I’m so used to seeing the city at night through a helmet. It’s...” he looks up thoughtfully and a pang hits your heart at the relaxed expression on his face.

“Peaceful.” You say quietly. He turns towards you with sparkling eyes. You yawn and lean your head against his bulky arm.

“Almost there, Doll,” he says softly. His lips curl into a grin at what you said. Peaceful. He hadn’t felt that in so long. But that is just it. Having your red cheeks pressed against his arm meant you were here. With him. Safely. And he felt a deep reassuring sense of peace.

You finally arrive and you are genuinely impressed by his apartment. You toss your stuff on the couch and rub your bloodshot eyes.

“Bed is in there, feel free to borrow my clothes,” you nod sleepily and make your way towards his bedroom. When you don’t notice him behind you, you turn around.

“Are you not coming?” you ask and he nods. 

“Just give me a sec,” he says. You wave your hand not awake enough for further inquiry. You saunter in and after foraging for a clean shirt you exchange your own clothes.

Your brain can’t process anything except for how amazingly soft his bed is and before you know it you drift off. Only to be struck with a nightmare moments later. Jason enters the room and crawls in next to you.

“Shh, Doll. It’s okay. It’s only a bad dream. They are only scary if you let them be,” he whispers in your ear and pulls you close. You rest your head against his chest as your breathing slows back down and let yourself fall back to sleep.

The sweet smell of cooking wafts through the room and wakes you up. You blink your eyes open and feel around the unusual softness of your couch. Once you realize where you are, you stare wide-eyed at the previously occupied area of the bed next to you and the events of the night before come flooding in.

“Seriously Y/N? All it took was seeing him one more time?” you groan standing up. You rub the bandage on your arm wincing slightly at the pain. It does admittedly feel slightly better than yesterday. You grab the sling and wrap it around your neck.

All-too-aware of the conversation needed this morning, you take your sweet loving time padding over to the door. You peek outside to see Jason pouring batter into a pan explaining the enticing smell that you woke you to. He looks very concentrated with his spatula as he watches the pancakes sizzle.

Taking a deep breath you open up the door and step out. He looks over his shoulder at the noise. His eyes take you in greedily at the sight of your sleepy eyes, tousled hair and your body being swallowed up by his shirt.                                                                                              

“Morning Dopey. Pancakes?” he gives a boyish smile while holding up a plate stacked high with pancakes.

You look at him amusedly. “Sure but don’t be disappointed when I can’t scarf down all five pounds of them.“

He flips the last one onto the plate and sets them in front of you as you take a seat on a barstool.

“I have seen you eat, remember? Plus I can pick up your slack,” he says handing you a plate and fork. You dish off two from the top and take a bite. Surprisingly good.

“You should really put an apron on. Cooking etiquette and all that,” you say with a smile while pointing with your fork at his sweatpants and lack of shirt. 

“Alright, Gordon Ramsay. Would you sit there and just eat,” he says rolling his eyes. He stands there with his fingers clutching the counter staring at you.

“Are you going to come sit?” you ask curiously. He sighs and reaches down.

“Actually I was thinking since I have your attention,” he tosses folders at you, “You could explain this.”

You stop chewing and set down your fork when you recognize the evidence you have been collecting.

“How did-” you search for your bookbag and see it lying at his feet, “Did you go through my stuff?!”

“You are avoiding the question, Y/N.”

“And you are ignoring mine.” You both stand there defiantly until you sigh and finally look away.

“You didn’t honestly think I would just lay back and do nothing.”

“Of course not, hence why I went through your stuff. But Y/N,” he pushes the papers towards you, “This is a little extreme even for you. What were you planning on doing with all of this evidence? Maybe tell Bruce his employees are working behind his back?”

You scoff at the irony of this.

“Says the boy who goes out of his way to disobey his orders.” Jay picks up the spatula and points it at himself.

“Yes, because I am the impulsive one who makes questionable decisions. You,” he points the spatula at you, “are the responsible one.”

You open your mouth to defend yourself but your phone starts vibrating in your bookbag holding off the conversation for the moment. You pick it up and the caller I.D. reads Nick’s name.

“Nick, hey,” you say into it and are immediately bombarded with questions.

“Y/N! Are you okay? Where are you? Why did you call? Is everything okay?”

“Nick, chill. I am fine. And I called because I was stranded but I was, uh, helped,” you glance at Jason to see him on a barstool shoveling pancakes into his mouth,” by someone so I am good. I am sorry I didn’t come home last night but I will be home in a bit.”

“Okay, I’m here so I will see you then.” You take another look at Jason and he looks up with a mouthful of food and curious eyes.

“Hey, Nick. Make sure you are free for dinner tonight.” Jay’s eyes narrow catching on quickly.

“Uh, okay, sure,” he says and you say your goodbyes before hanging up.

“Y/N, what is churning in that pretty head of yours?” Jason asks suspiciously.

“We are all going to have dinner tonight, together,” you say and shush him before he can protest, “You guys have to get along.”

You walk over to him and straddle his lap. He grabs ahold of your hips while you wrap your arms around his neck. His lips are set in a hard line of skepticism.

“You are the most important men in my life. I need you to get along. And he hasn’t done anything else for Mask, ” you press your forehead to his, “So, please do this for me.” You bat your eyes for extra measure and he blows out a puff of air in resignation.

“Fine, I will be civil,” you smile and peck him on the lips.

“Now we can enjoy our pancakes,” you chirp and start to slide off his lap secretly cheering on the fact that you distracted him from the previous conversation.

“Oh no, I don’t care how adorable you are,” his hands tighten on your waist, “We are talking about this. What was the plan, Nancy Drew?”

You brush a stray lock of hair from his face and look into the probing blue eyes.

“Fine, I was planning on exposing them in an article, Lois Lane style,” his face scrunches up at this, “Oh ok and breaking every bone in their bodies is a much more reasonable alternative.“

He shakes his head, “No, I am sure this will be effective. I personally believe that breaking bones is always the answer but that isn’t my problem with this plan.” His eyes grow dark and he gently holds both sides of your face.

“I am worried about you. There will have to be an investigation before anything legal will happen and that will be a window of opportunity to retaliate against you. And I already failed to protect you once,” you grab his arm and stroke it tenderly.

“Jay,” you begin softly, “I know you are worried but I can publish it anonymously which will give me time. And honestly, there isn’t much stopping him from attacking me again now.” Jason flinches at this and his hands slide back down to your thighs.

“This is the only way to put an end to all of it,” you whisper and tilt his chin up to look at you. “And you didn’t fail anyone. Don’t you dare blame yourself Jason Todd.” Your voice becomes stern and the left side of his mouth turns up in amusement.

“Or what?” he teases your leg and you kiss him hard while sliding off his lap.

“Easy there tiger. We have some pancakes to eat.” you say and plop down in the seat next to him.

“Yes, I suppose we do,” he grumbles and you laugh at his pouty face.

“I don’t know, Y/N. The guy obviously doesn’t like me. He freaking attacked me,” Nick whines and you rub your face in exhaustion.

“Nick, it was in a moment of anger. And he feels bad about it,” not exactly true, “Please. You both mean a lot to me and I need you to get along. Can you just do this one thing for me. You owe me.”

He turns sorrowful eyes towards you but your gaze remains unrelenting.

“Fine. Where are we going?” he mutters.

“We are going to a restaurant with a bar so there will be plenty of opportunities to drink.” you say patting him on the shoulder.

“Hey, did Clarissa call you?” he asks quietly and you stop on your way towards the shower.

“No, not yet Nickie,” you say gently and walk back towards him. His face falls and he rests his head in his hand. You take a seat next to him and pull him in for a hug.

“I really screwed up Y/N. Now I’ll never see Trey again.” he cries into your shoulder and you rub his back comfortingly.

“I’m sure she will come around. We will see him again.” you whisper reassuringly. But doubt lingers behind your words and you fight back tears of your own. 

Noise from the enormous Saturday night crowd overwhelms you as you step into the restaurant with a reluctant Nick following closely behind. A crowd is laughing at a bar while couples dance in the open space next to them. Eventually your eyes wander over to the collection of tables and you see a familiar leather clad man tapping his fingers anxiously on the table. You start towards him and he looks up matching your smile with his own. He stands up awkwardly and you give him a peck before sitting down. He sticks his hand out towards Nick who takes it hesitantly.

“Good to see you man. I am really sorry for what happened in the hospital.” Jason says as if he is reading off lines. You can picture him rehearsing it and the gesture makes you smile.

“Um, no need to apology. I have made a lot of mistakes,” Nick says clearing his throat. You grab his hand and give him a heartwarming smile.

“But we are all safe and healthy and together now. And that is a win in my book,” you beam. Jason smiles down at you and the boys take a seat. 

Jason’s hand grasps yours on the table as he talks animatedly about some movie he and Nick both happen to love. You feel a sense of calm rush over you as Jason and Nick carry easy conversation. No fists through walls or through each other’s faces so silent applause.

“I have to use the bathroom, I’ll be right back.” Nick says rising from his seat. You smile at his departing figure.

“Thank you, Jay. It really means a lot,” you gleam at him and his heart gives a pang at your genuine radiance. 

“Anytime Doll,” he whispers and kisses your hand. You both jump at the abrupt ringing coming from Nick’s coat. 

“Oh, that might be Clarissa about Trey!” you say excitedly and reach into his pocket.

Your fingers clasp around the buzzing phone and your face pales at the blocked number written across the screen.

“Y/N, what is it?” Jason asks concerned.

“It’s him,” you say between gritted teeth. Before you can think about it you slide open the phone.

“What the hell do you want?”

“Ah, nice to hear from you Y/N. How’s the arm?” he asks and your fingers tighten around the phone.

“What the hell do you want?” you enunciate the words this time hoping to really convey your message.

“Or more importantly, how are the nightmares? Are they everything they are hyped up to be?”

“Stop calling. My family is not helping you anymore.” you speak firmly and hear chuckling in response. You end the call and it immediately begins buzzing in your fingers again so you slam it down on the table.

“Y/N? What did he say?” Jason asks with anger lacing his words to match your own.

“Nothing, we aren’t doing this anymore.” You stand up abruptly. “I am ending this now.”

“Wow, Y/N, let’s pull a brake before you do something stupid.” Jason says following suit and grabbing your arm gently.

“No. I am tired of overthinking. I am tired of taking the long way. And I am tired of it never actually mattering. I am ending this and you are either with me or not.” You fix a hard glare to indicate no budging and he lets go of your arm to run a frustrated hand through his hair. He groans in exasperation knowing firsthand how stubborn you are. You are doing this whether he likes it or not.

“What is going on?” Nick’s hesitant voice approaches from behind. You grab his hand.

“We are going home.” you take a step but Jason’s strides outmatch yours and he steps in front of you impeding your path.

“No,” he says and you open your mouth for an angry retort but he interrupts, “No, I mean you are going to do this, nothing on this forsaken planet will stop you, but I am not letting you out of my sight anytime soon.”

“Well there isn’t exactly room in our apartment for a third person. There’s barely enough room for the two of us.” 

“I wasn’t talking about your apartment,” You scrunch your nose.

“Us three in your apartment?”

“Not exactly,” he says with a sly grin that never measures up to any good.

“I cannot believe I agreed to this,” You say with a duffel bag slung over your uninjured shoulder while standing in easily the biggest apartment you have ever been in. One hallway leads into another which leads to another and the amount of space is honestly dizzying. Bruce gave it to the two of you promising security but forgetting to provide a map of how to navigate the damn place.

"Home sweet home baby,” Jason yells dropping the heaping mass of bags he refused to make a second trip for on the ground. You wince at the echo of his voice and the bags smacking the ground. This place is ridiculous.

“Bruce seriously didn’t have a smaller hideout?” you ask slightly irritable. You are not upset at the size of the place you are just upset you aren’t with Nick and Trey. Especially when they are in danger.

“Look, I know you are frustrated with the situation,” Jason says and saunters up behind you. He wraps his arms around your waist and puts his head on your shoulder. “But Nick is incredibly safe with Roy and we have someone looking out for Trey. They will be fine and we get some quality time in a huge ass apartment. And”

“We are better off separated because it means more work for Mask’s, what did you call them-”

“Murderous Roadies,” he responds diligently. 

“Yeah, whatever. I get it just doesn’t mean I like it.” Jason chuckles tickling your ear. 

“Alright, Grumpypants let’s get cracking on your story,” he says and kisses your cheek before plopping down on the couch.

The rest of the night ends with you both sprawled out on the floor with your laptop and various notes in an array. With only a brief intermission to see how many pieces of popcorn Jay can catch with his mouth, you worked relentlessly on the article with Jay filling in some gaps of your story.

“Are you nervous?” Jason’s voice grows husky with exhaustion. You are resting comfortably in the crook of his arm. You have just finished reviewing the article for the last time and hit the send button but neither one of you has made a move towards a bed. 

You ponder his question for a split second.

“Actually, no. I mean I am nervous the newspaper won’t take it but once they do, I don’t know. I will just be...”

“Relieved” Jason finishes for you. You snuggle closer to him and let out a deep breath.

“Yes, relieved.” you tilt your head up so you can see his face. “Do you think this will end it, honestly?”

Jason sighs and looks off absently.

“I sure hope so Doll.”