#i knew id hold onto it forever if i kept trying to 'fix' it while it was fine as it was

[good-beanswrites]

Summary: Two slightly different tarot readings between prisoners.

Just a little thing about Mikoto doing a reading for Fuuta, and him returning the favor :)

[strawberrysoup]

Pocketful of Posies || Chapter 4

You’d been hiding for years and years now; from your family, from society, from alphas and packs. Suppressants were dangerous but effective and necessary for an omega who refused to be owned—but no suppressants were strong enough to fool the nose of a super soldier, who together with his pack would stop at nothing to bind you to them forever. 

pairings: dark!Avengers x reader chapters: 4/? status: WIP warnings: A/B/O dynamics, power imbalances, noncon and dubcon sexual situations, loss of autonomy, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat — this is a dark!fic, read at your own risk. not beta read (AKA there may be additional changes)

hey guys! i made a ko-fi! if you enjoy this and have some cash you could spare to help me out with my bills, id really appreciate it!

You wondered idly at his eyes, glancing between the brown and the blue with the kind of intent that betrayed the anxiety welling in your chest. His hair was short too, the last time you’d seen him in the papers it had been long. He was incredibly, uncomfortably handsome and your heart pounded, that stupid bitch lurking in your hindbrain was practically preening under his stare.

“Are you coming back to me little love?” He asked softly, frowning when you flinched back—you were so traumatized, the alpha couldn’t imagine what had happened to you, “focus on me now.”

“Her eyes clear?” Peter’s voice echoed slightly, coming from above, “they were so cloudy earlier.”

“Much clearer,” the blue eye and the brown eye crinkled at the corners, the blond smiling down at you in his arms as he made his way up a set of stairs, “I’d wager you’re even listening to me by this point.”

“Everyone needs to go through their clothes and pick out some things to offer up for the nest,” Steve didn’t sound like he was talking to anyone, rather to the room at large, but the prime’s voice coming from further than Peter’s, “she’ll need lots of options, we might have to fix them up for the first few weeks.”

“How is your nest building instinct, my love?” Thor rumbled, the sound traveling through his chest and vibrating down to your bones, “hopefully better than your submissive instinct, hm?”

There was a snorted laugh you couldn’t ascribe to anyone in particular and the whole thing made you bristle, every hair on your body was standing on end. Did they think it was funny? You were shattering into pieces, shards swept into a hurricane and scattered. You weren’t wearing your own clothes, your own skin didn’t smell right. Everything was wrong, sitting 10° off the proper axis. The thoughts spiraled —they would find all of your suppressant stashes, all of your weapons, the few things you’d taken when you ran away from home. Every second you spent in this house, your odds of escape plummeted.

You were transferred to a different pair of massive arms, Steve carefully restraining yours to your sides when you started to squirm and hushing you softly, “shh, precious, you’re okay. Let’s get you settled in. Thor, Nat just texted Carol that she and Clint should be here in the next half hour. Any ideas on Loki?”

The surface he laid you on was one of the softest things you’d ever felt. Your body practically melted over the ultra-comfortable mattress, white noise filling your brain with static for several long moments. When you came too, you instinctively inhaled deeply through your nose before yawning so hard your jaw cracked. If only there wasn’t a fucking alpha prime laying on his side directly next to you, one arm settled with a comforting pressure over your waist while the other propped his head up, you’d be quite comfortable.

A sudden flash of light jolted you from your fuzzy state, sitting upright abruptly only for the blond to firmly and smoothly force your back to the mattress again. His fingers traced swirls into the skin of your waist while he shushed you and you winced when his hand travelled higher over your ribs, thumb brushing a goosebump inducing arc over your flesh.

“S-stop,” your voice cracked as you reached down, pressing firmly against his arm—blood draining from your face as you realized his arm kept the hem of the oversized shirt you wore pulled far over your waist, “oh my God, get off—”

“Loki should be here shortly, I contacted him just after she ran out of the lab,” Thor stated from where he stood at the edge of what you realized was a bed the size of most bedrooms.

It was built into the floor in the corner of the room, a sea of pillows scattered across the surface and mixed in with blankets and sheets. It smelled—you realized you felt lightheaded almost, surrounded by the scent of the two alpha primes and their entire pack, it smelled so overwhelming. The back of your mind screamed that it smelled good, it smelled painfully and damningly good.

“I brought up some bags.”

Your head snapped to the stairs, watching a man with short brown hair come into view. He was shorter than Steve or Thor but still taller than Peter, built similarly to the finely toned young alpha. There was no extra bulk to the man, although you could see the bulge of his muscles through his long sleeved shirt. A delta, you would guess at a distance; there was plenty of dominance in his stance, but the he looked built to seduce rather than restrain.

Steve’s arm tightened around your torso, fingers carefully cupping the curve of your ribcage and pressing you more firmly into the bed. The prime was all too obviously meant to restrain, especially as he shifted, manipulating your uncooperative limbs until you were cradled in his lap while he sat against the wall behind the bed. His grasp was so entirely inflexible that you wondered what his bones were made of, his muscles—he didn’t strain for a moment, not even when you attempted to throw your entire body weight to the side.

“Any of those got a collar in ‘em, Buck?”

The prime’s hand came down over your mouth just seconds before you shrieked. The muffled noise sent shivers down the spines of the alphas in the room, the one holding you no exception. It wasn’t sufficient though, the pitch was critical to the sound’s efficacy and you couldn’t reach the proper volume. Lips pressed firmly into the side of your head, Steve still holding you so carefully you could barely move.

“Got a couple, here,” the brunet man, Buck, dug through the plastic shopping bags he’d set on the floor near the wall.

“Hey, hey, come on baby,” Peter had an obvious and serious aversion to your discomfort, emphasized by the way he quickly slipped onto the bed and plastered himself against Steve’s side so that he could wrap his arms around you, “they’re not choke or shock or spike collars, I promise they’re just pretty omega collars Bucky and Carol picked out. You’ll feel so much safer with a collar on, omega. Just hold still.”

The shift from Steve holding you down to Peter was almost unnoticeable, a shocking revelation. You swore you could sit on the kid and he’d end up a pancake, there was no way he should be able to hold you in place while you tried to thrash. One of his legs crossed over yours in Steve’s lap, the young alpha contorting you both until your forehead touched his and your body was curled with your neck extended. The hand over your mouth shifted and the scents changed, the newest addition belonging to the delta who must’ve been on the bed behind you.

“Here you go doll,” his voice was gravelly, a strange tone that sounded almost underused with a very slight burr that reminded you of an alpha’s purr—minus the calming pheromones.

“In the meantime,” Thor joined the crowd on the bed, shifting to settle just to Peter’s right and carefully avoiding Steve’s outstretched legs, “No shrieking, little love.”

The alpha command washed over you like tar, your chest seizing. Your vocal cords felt suspended, the more you tried to shriek the more painful the sensation got. The hand that hand been over your mouth slipped down to your chin, tipping your head back carefully as leather circled your neck. A reedy, whistling whine escaped your lips and Peter’s cheek was immediately rubbing against your face, down your neck and over the collar being tightened around your throat. He was scenting you, trying to provide comfort by drenching your skin with a protective perfume.

“Oh baby don’t make that sound,” he murmured, lips brushing over your face as the others shifted around the pair of you, “it’s for your own good, omega—”

“No!” Your voice rasped with the cry, “get it off! I won’t stay here, I won’t—”

“Regulate your breathing, precious, the collar will make you feel more secure,” in the shift Steve had ended up with you sitting on the bed between his legs, his ankles crossed to trap your lower body tightly while his fingers twined with yours to restrain your arms, “maybe it needs to be tighter? Bucky, is it pressing the hormone glands firmly enough?”

There was some shuffling and mumbling and you whined as the collar got a notch tighter, only slightly restricting your breathing. It was just this side of uncomfortable, walking the edge of distressing and you were forced to quickly calm your frantic breaths lest you hyperventilate—there was no telling what they’d do if you passed out, if you couldn’t control your breathing and fainted. You could feel the leather pressing the nodes on either side of your neck, causing a reaction that pumped your body full of chemicals. They were meant to induce intimacy and trust in an omega while alleviating stress, the constant oxytocin and endorphin production that flooded the system resulting in a low-grade addiction. Or so you’d hypothesized.

Omega physiology was a trash compactor of undesirable traits but the hormone set up was abhorrent, the limbic system an evolutionary disaster—two pituitary glands, two scent glands, and the thyroid were all located in the neck, the hypothalamus in the brain with the hippocampus and amygdala. You didn’t know the history of the collars, you didn’t have a head for timelines, but you knew that omega subjugation wouldn’t be so easy or convenient without them. It was like long term sedation with highly addictive chemicals; omegas didn’t stand a chance when their own body’s chemistry was used against them.

“This is inhumane,” you managed to choke out, between the rage and fear and high the collar caused you could barely keep your teeth from chattering, “I’m a human being, of sound mind—I can think for myself and protect myself­—I don’t need or want a pack, I don’t—fuck, please listen to me!”

Your voice was weak and raspy, no wonder the omegas you always saw were so docile; your breathing was somewhat restricted, your vocal cords unable to reach full range. Even if Thor hadn’t given an alpha order you wouldn’t have been able to shriek, speaking was exhausting. The command would wear off in an hour or two and it wouldn’t even make a difference. How were you supposed to argue your suitability for autonomy if you couldn’t talk?

“Of course you’re of sound mind, love—”

“No, shut up!” You croaked, eyes flashing to Thor’s surprised face, “listen. Would you treat a beta this way? If I was any other presentation this behavior would be abhorrent—it would be illegal! Please, you’re superheros aren’t you? Be rational, for a moment, please!”

You didn’t realize Bruce had joined the group in the attic until he spoke, “betas don’t have a physiological requirement for physical contact with other presentations, sweetheart.”

A green light went off in your brain, a shine in your eyes as you looked at the doctor, “w-wait, wait I would argue—” your voice cut out for a second and you cleared your throat the best you could, desperation sitting in your stomach, “I would argue that your wording is inherently biased. Omegas don’t have a physiological requirement for contact with other presentations; their bodies require chemicals that it doesn’t naturally produce, the same way we require amino acids to survive—”

“You know your stuff, don’t you princess? Where’d you go to school?” Tony Stark emerged into the attic, still wearing the immaculately pressed suit he’d been in earlier, “you know, before you dropped out and went into hiding.”

“It’s disrespectful to interrupt someone when they’re speaking, you duplicitous bastard,” you spat, the presence of yet another delta setting your teeth on edge.

“Oh yeah, hey Buck did you meet y/n? She really hates deltas,” he was grinning, the asshole.

“Is y/n your real name, sweetheart?” Bruce asked, tossing Tony a stern look, “We found several IDs in your things, all different names. The contract we got from the cleaning agency listed your name as y/n.”

It took you a moment to think through the question—and another minute after that to remember which name you used while in Ontario. You real first name, fake last name. Fake age, maybe? Or was that the Quebec ID? Did your real name even matter at this point? It had been so long since it had meant anything to you (other than being the easiest name to respond to properly, but you could train yourself to answer to anything).

“My name is inconsequential,” you finally responded, eyebrows furrowing, “we’re debating the ethics of kidnapping people, remember?”

“That sounds like biased wording if I’ve ever heard it,” Stark snorted, “try preventing a vulnerable omega from being killed in the streets.”

“Over dramatic, no basis for fact, denied,” you snapped angrily, quickly turning your attention to Bruce, “come on, listen man! You’re subjugating the entire omega population based on inherently incorrect medical assumptions from two hundred years ago or something! The only scientific causation between modern omega theory and actual omega statistics is that the overall population of omegas has dropped dramatically since the induction of Omega Law!”

“There’s no proof that’s causation, sweetheart,” Bruce’s arms were crossed over his chest, “the odds lie in the favour of correlation.”

“We would know if any studies had been done! There have been less than twenty official studies regarding omega biology in the last ten years!” Begging—you were begging, you could hear it, “there haven’t been any studies done regarding the effects of the other presentation’s interference in omega behavior on their physiology! We know more about Olinguitos than we do omega’s chemistry and those’ve only existed in main stream science circles for the last six years!”

“You need to calm down omega,” Steve’s voice was one octave away from a purr, “you’re getting frantic and your heart rate is through the roof. You’re going to hyperventilate.”

“Y’all think she might be more comfortable if she wasn’t being surrounded on all sides by strangers?” Sam asked sarcastically from the stairway as he came up with a tray, his facial expression riding the fence between irritated and amused, “Peter, Bucky, back up guys. Thor, you really gotta be right there when Steve’s got the poor thing completely restrained?”

Hope was like a gut punch, bile rushing up your throat only for you to swallow it back down—gulping with the collar around your neck caused enough discomfort that you realized eating was going to be difficult. Your eyes locked on Sam as the bodies around you shuffled once again. Bucky and Peter both slipped off the bed, the young alpha sulking while the delta calmly returned to the bags he’d left sitting in the corner. Thor wasn’t so gracious as to outright back off, but he did scoot about a foot back on the bed.

“Alright sweetheart, first things first, are you hungry? Dinner’s gonna be about an hour so I brought up some snacks. If Steve let’s go of you, do you promise not to try to run off?” The man approached the edge of the bed, holding the tray against his hip, “we can have a discussion.”

Suspicion lanced through you, there was no way the offer was as innocent as it seemed. Most of the time engaging with people who wanted to have discussions didn’t go well but you weren’t sure what your alternative option was. There was no reason to test their patience at this point so you nodded slowly, feeling Steve’s chest press into your back as he sighed. He lifted you carefully and set you down onto the mattress, far more gracefully than any alpha prime had the right to be as he climbed off the bed.

“Now can at least some of you get out?” The alpha turned to stare back at his packmates still cluttering the attic, “please?”

They were all still for several seconds before Thor and Steve exchanged a heavy glance and both nodded, turning respectfully and walking down the stairs—another shocking display that made your heart stutter. An alpha prime silently acquiescing to the request of an alpha in front of their pack, signaling that others should follow, was a sign of an incredibly strong pack. It meant strong, competent leadership, respect, and consideration. Too bad they still considered you little more than an animal.

Bucky and Peter followed with mournful back glances, Tony moving to join them looking more exasperated than saddened. Bruce went to follow but you immediately felt a prospect of hope leaving with him.

“W-Wait, Bruce—right? Bruce, you’re rational, a scientist? Please, stay, let me debate this with you—”

“Hey! I’m a scientist too! I have PhDs!” Stark balked immediately, tossing his hands up as if to emphasize the aggravation her attitude was causing.

“Tony, don’t—”

“No, you stay too!” You cut Sam off when the alpha began to admonish his pack mate, “you’re an asshole but you understand fucking logic, I’ll take it.”

“What about me?” Peter squeezed eagerly back onto the landing, “I have three masters and—”

“Peter no, no more alphas in here please,” Sam stared the younger alpha down for just a moment with a stern eye, “please?”

Peter groaned but turned back, trudging down the stairs like a teenager. The air felt clearer when all that was left in the room was a three people other than yourself, the two scientists and the alpha. Part of you felt increasingly panicked, as if somehow the quiet setting was more ominous than the previous. The other part of you realized that this particular group was far less likely to violate you while you sat half naked on a bed than the others.

“Okay now,” Sam toed off his shoes before stepping onto the bed, carefully bringing the tray with him to set on your lap before he sat down, “let’s slow down for a few minutes. I know I don’t understand what you’re going through, but my little sister is an omega so I do have a little more knowledge than most of the pack. Why don’t you tell me what’s going on from your perspective.”

Burning frustration lit a path down your spine—this alpha might’ve seen omegas as more than pets, but he certainly spoke down to you like you were an irrational child. Why don’t you tell me what’s going on from your perspective?

“From my perspective I’ve been assaulted and terrorized and falsely imprisoned for I don’t know how long now!” You spat, practically vibrating in irritation, “you’re trying to justify this treatment because I’m an omega but my designation doesn’t mean I deserve to be treated like something to be caught and stolen! I want to leave, I want this horrible collar off my neck, and I want my stuff back! And if you tell me to calm down, so help me God—”

Sam’s mouth snapped shut from where he’d started to speak, immediately folding his hands into his lap and clearing his throat, “right, no telling you to calm down. Got it. Now, where are you from?”

“Doesn’t matter,” you grit your teeth slightly when the alpha sighed, “I want to leave, now.”

“You can’t leave sweetheart, not unless we get everything figured out. If you have an alpha, we’ll need to get you back to them. If you don’t, we certainly can’t just let you go back off on your own—it’s way too dangerous.”

“No it isn’t, I’ve been on my own for years and I’m fine! Not once have I had any problems, not until now!”

“Yeah, unfortunately for you our beta here has an alpha rage monster inside of him who managed to catch your scent beneath the suppressants,” Tony looked almost proud as he slung his arm over the beta’s shoulders, tugging him slightly, “if Bruce didn’t tip off Steve, who knows if he would’ve caught it.”

“Wow—Jesus Christ, you make me want to punch you in the face,” you snarled, hands clenching into fists in your lap, “I’m not a helpless omega, I’ve been happy, do you understand that? Do you know how rare it is for an omega to get to be happy? It’s like winning the lottery. Please, I like being happy. Please just let me go.”

“Sweetheart it isn’t rare for omegas to be happy,” Sam was frowning like you’d dropped a suicide note on his lip, “there are so few of them, they’re taken care of like royalty, baby.”

“Plus, omegas in packs are statistically less likely to suffer mental illness—”

“God, would you shut up about that?” Bruce’s eyes went wide when you snapped at him, “that study was trash, the bias was overwhelming and it hasn’t been replicated since. Omegas in packs wear collars that force their bodies to over produce oxytocin and when that’s removed they go insane from withdrawals. The same happens with the chemicals produced by the other presentations’ pheromones; instead of being given supplements to make up for the absence omega’s bodies are left to wilt. It has everything to do with medical malpractice and nothing to do with omega nature! There’s nothing happy about that!”

“Look, there are obviously places where the known biology of omega’s has holes,” Stark admitted, one hand in his pocket while the other was held aloft, “There’s a lot we don’t know, but what we do know is that when omegas are left to their own devices they end up dead.”

“They end up kidnapped, raped, and forcibly bonded by alphas!” If the collar had allowed the pitch you would’ve been shrieking, “By alphas who’s packs rape and bond the omegas, too. The only danger to omegas are the other presentations!”

“That’s why they have to be protected,” Sam emphasized his words with a dose of calming pheromones, and you snarled.

“Stop trying to manipulate me! All your doing is inhibiting my ability to think and feel for myself—do you not see how cruel and insane that is? That you’re literally attempting to—”

“This is a lot of ROR rhetoric,” Bruce sighed quietly, obviously aiming his words to Tony but you picked it up.

“There’s no such thing as ‘radical’ omega’s rights! We just want to be allowed to exist without our lives and hormones being constantly controlled by outside forces that we never chose!” Your voice broke towards the end and you realized tears were welling in your eyes—this conversation was not going your way and hope was dwindling rapidly, “why is that so hard to understand? That chemically controlling another human being is inhumane?”

“Alright, alright, let’s take a second and calm down,” Sam requested sternly, eyes widening when you immediately hissed, “Not just you, ‘mega. Everyone, including me, okay?”

It was truly a battle to fight down the ire rising in your throat, nearly choking you at the collar. You wondered cruelly if he’d treated his sister like she was an infant her entire life, if this was his bedside manner for omegas. The poor thing was probably so addicted to oxytocin she was barely alive.

“Please, let me go,” you begged quietly, squeezing your eyes shut against the tears, “if you have any humanity in you, let me go.”

When you looked up at him again, the doleful look on his face made your heart crumble to pieces.

“Lots of omegas are apprehensive at first, baby,” his voice was gentle, low and forlorn, “when you first present… my sister was seventeen. She was in so much pain and she begged for help, for almost a full week. When she came out of it she could barely remember how bad it had been but we remembered. The agony she’d suffered because she didn’t have an alpha through the process—we couldn’t let that happen over and over again, could we? As her packmates how could we let her endure that? She was upset at first, but now she has a pack that waits on her hand and foot, a whole slew of babies, anything she could ever ask for at her fingertips.”

“She was upset at first,” your heart broke for Sam’s sister, where ever she was, “you realize she was only able to be upset at first, right? Because after a while, she probably stopped being able to process the usual scale of emotion she enjoyed before you allowed her to be given a chemical lobotomy and sold her off—seventeen, God, she never even got to live and you’re talking about her like she’s some sort of success story?”

The look in the man’s brown eyes was getting darker and darker the longer you spoke but a dam had broke and your mouth kept moving, hoarse sounds barking borderline cruel words in fast succession.  

“I hope her ability to feel betrayal went first so she didn’t have to deal with the memory of her family auctioning her off like fucking cattle. Success story,” you scoffed, lips lifted in a fang flashing snarl, “that wasn’t a fucking success story you knottedheaded piece of shit, it was a cautionary tale.”

[fleckcmscott]

Watch What Happens - Chapter 22

Chapter links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21

Summary: Arthur, an aspiring comedian, has struggled to find normalcy and compassion his entire life. Y/N, a hard-working paralegal and transplant to Gotham, has just been put on a case for the Wayne Foundation. When they meet, unexpected sparks fly.

Chapter warning: Angst, Swearing

Words: 3,372

A/N: Again, special thanks to @ithinkimawriter​ for beta-reading this chapter and her encouragement! All the love goes to her!

It was hard for Arthur to fathom that he was backstage at his idol's show. Being there in the dressing room, sitting in front of the vanity mirror with all its lights, was incredible. If he hadn't been able to feel the bristles of the brush when he put foundation on, the cool of the water as he drank it out of the fancy glass they'd provided, or perceive the way the warm smoke from his cigarette filled his lungs with every drag, he would have been sure this was all make-believe.

The nearby table had a set of bowls with various snacks. He wasn't hungry, but he tried them anyway, wanting to keep himself busy. The round, beige nuts, a variety had hadn't eaten before, had a buttery flavor he liked - he'd have to ask Y/N what kind they were when she got there. And there were individually wrapped pieces of chocolate with a gooey center - he stuck a few of those in his pocket for later. There was also a gelatin pyramid with fruit and marshmallows suspended in it; he stayed away from that completely.

Bouncing up and down on his feet, he hung onto the open front of his suit jacket, pulling at the soft, red fabric. He cocked his head and looked in the mirror. His hair was slicked back more neatly than at the open-mic night. The skin of his face was a bit smoother, the lines in it softened by make-up and the gentle lighting of the room. He'd done a good job with his appearance, he thought as he fixed the collar of his white shirt. Now he just had to get through his material.

He sat in the chair before the vanity and started paging through his notebook, chuckling to himself. It had been impossible to memorize everything he'd written the past few days, though he knew one or two jokes by heart. He sometimes had difficulty with retention, anyway. Reading his set would be sufficient if his delivery was correct. If he could get the words out, it would work.

There was a knock at the door, then it suddenly opened. More emotion than expected filled Arthur when he turned to see Murray Franklin, the man he'd fantasized of being loved and accepted by ever since he was a little boy. His chest tightened, and he didn't try to hide the watering of his eyes, rising from his chair excitedly and taking the man's hand. "I feel like I know you," Arthur said. "My mother and I have been watching you forever."

Murray simply smiled, nodded, and delivered instructions: nothing too edgy, no dirty jokes, and no cursing. Arthur would be right on after Dr. Sally. "Didn't you have a guest?"

"She's not here yet. But she will be," Arthur answered, nodding to convince himself Y/N would run into the room any minute.

"Good. Someone will come get you, okay? Good luck," Murray said.

"Thanks, Murray."

Once the the host left and the door closed behind him, Arthur eased into the make-up chair and let out a long breath. He glanced up at the clock on the wall. The airing of the show was going to start in ten minutes. She'll be here. She wouldn't miss this. She wouldn't do that to you. He turned to the news playing on television. All he could do was wait and hope she'd show up soon.

~~~~~

Getting into the building had been straightforward. The doorman had asked for Y/N's name, she'd said it was "Melissa Treble," and, after finding her on the guest list, he'd let her through the backstage entrance. He hadn't even asked for an ID. It left her wondering if they were always lax, or her still being dressed in her office clothes had helped. Despite the ease of entry, her heart was hammering in her chest. She held her handbag to her as if some invisible force might rip it away. Straightening the visitor badge clipped to her blouse, she tried to walk as nonchalantly as possible, searching for a map of the building.

When she found the elevators, she read the directory hanging between them carefully. NCB news studios were on the fourth floor, and the offices for it were on the fifth. She wasn't going to try to run into the studio while they were in the middle of a broadcast and get arrested for trespassing. That wouldn't do. She decided to look for the stairwell and walk to the offices' floor. The stairs would be less crowded, she assumed, making it unlikely she'd be seen.

As she climbed, her steps growing slower with every floor, she took off her heels. The concrete was cold on her nylon-stockinged toes. But the discomfort kept her focused on the task at hand instead of allowing her to fixate on being nervous. The anxiousness she felt wasn't only for herself, but also for Arthur. She knew what she was doing was a desperate, last ditch attempt at making a difference. That even if she succeeded in getting her information to someone, it didn't mean anything would be done with it.

But Arthur was putting himself out there, against her advice, on the show of the asshole who'd made fun of his disability. Though she hadn't seen him have an attack since last week, she hoped he wouldn't start laughing uncontrollably. And that his new stand-up wasn't only filled with cute jokes, which would invite unkind snickers. She simply wanted him to succeed. Perhaps that would help him shed the insecurity she knew he still carried, and he'd be free to display the grace she'd seen glimpses of when he dared to trust himself. Maybe he'd finally realize how terrific he was.

She rested against the railing when she reached the fifth floor, then opened the metal door leading out of the stairwell. Sticking her head into the hallway, she looked each way, relief filling her when she saw the emptiness of the perpendicular corridors. She snuck out and held her breath as she shut the door behind her. So far so good.

It was impossible for her to know which way to turn - it was a fifty/fifty chance either way - so she picked the way with the fewest illuminated office lights. Keeping her shoes in her hand, she walked quietly along the wall, reaching into her purse and grabbing the envelope with "NCB News" typed on the front. She needed to find a door labeled "reports" or "tips" or something, anything that sounded vaguely like they'd look at her notes instead of throwing them away.

"What do you mean you didn't receive the finance report? I faxed it over this afternoon," a man's voice said, coming from one of the nearby offices. Y/N slunk back, creeping into the door of an open, presently unoccupied office behind her. The sound of papers being shuffled echoed against the linoleum floor. She closed her eyes, trying hear his movements over the pounding pulse in her ears. "Hold on, hold on. I'll bring it down to you," the man continued.

At the sound of his chair scraping against the floor, she moved to crouch behind a desk. She bit her knuckle to stop a chuckle at the ridiculousness of a grown woman playing hide-and-seek in an office building. The man walked by, grumbling to himself the whole time. When she heard the distant ding of the elevator, she tip-toed to the door and looked into the hallway.

Y/N considered the best option. The man's office door was open. He had mentioned reports. This was as good a chance as any. She darted across the corridor, dropped the envelope on his desk, and scurried back towards the exit. Heading back to the stairwell, she broke into silent sprint as she got closer. She tried to stop before slamming into the door. But her slippery nylons caused her to slide and bang into it as it opened. Ignoring the possibility that she'd just given herself away, she started booking it down to the second floor so she could see Arthur.

The show was already being aired as she walked to his dressing room, trying to catch her breath. Monitors in the hallway were playing Dr. Sally's latest advice and Franklin's stupid quip about how he would try her tips with his next wife. When she reached the door labeled "Arthur Fleck," she didn't knock before opening it.

"Y/N..." Arthur sprang up from his chair and went to her, taking her hand in his. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it."

Smiling, she leaned back against the door and exhaled sharply. "I'm sorry," she said, giggling, trying to expel the stress in her body. "There were a lot of stairs. But, thanks to you, I did it." She laughed lightly, and started rummaging in her purse. "It's out of my hands now. Here," she said, pulling out a black-eyed Susan. She stuck it in his jacket pocket and gave it a light pat. Then she took a few seconds to look him over, appreciating how his suit accentuated the lankiness of his physique. "You look great. Are you nervous?"

The corner of his mouth crooked uncertainly as he angled his head to look down at the flower. "A little. But you're here." He gave a small shrug. "Maybe everything will be okay."

She only had a few moments to tighten his red and gold tie before a producer came to get him. The peck she gave Arthur was quicker than she would have liked, but he was already half out the door. With a grasp of his hand, she was able to stop him for a split second. "Be yourself and don't let them mock you."

~~~~~

Arthur closed his eyes as he waited behind the curtain to go on stage, a hint of ire joining the strains of anxious excitement in his frame. They were playing that terrible Pogo's tape again, and Murray was telling Dr. Sally he thought Arthur had problems. He needed to focus in order to do the entrance he'd practiced.

He stretched an arm in front of him, then circled his closed fists, one over the other, until an open hand was held over his head as he breathed out. Then he extended his arms, one in front of him and one back, as far as he could, before bringing his hand back to smooth down his chest and stomach. Arthur could sense the producer next to him staring his way as he performed his strange ballet, then stepping back from him. But Arthur didn't care. The movements would soothe and, he hoped, center him enough so he could get out onto that stage and say what wanted.

As the multi-color curtain was opened for him, he was struck by how blinding and hot the stage lights were. And the spotlight was a hell of a lot brighter than the one at Pogo's. Still, he stepped out with polish, gave the audience a confident nod and wave, and went to Murray's desk. After firmly shaking Murray's hand, he approached Dr. Sally. Compelling himself to be brave, he took her offered hand, kissed her cheek sweetly, and whispered a soft, "Thanks." She looked a bit confused, but he thought he detected amusement, too. Then he wiped off the yellow chair next to Murray's desk and sat down, adjusting himself and crossing his legs, his hands folded neatly in his lap.

His breath caught as he looked up into the audience. This was it. This was real. This was the culmination of a dream. There were hundreds of people sitting there, cheering for and seeing him. And there were even more at home watching him on television. His lips parted as his gaze roved over the crowd. He'd barely heard Murray speaking when his question broke through the haze he was in, "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Arthur said quietly, nodding. "This is exactly how I imagined it."

"Well, that makes once of us," Murray quipped.

That and the audience's laughter brought Arthur back. He forced himself to smile and remember he wasn't there only as a guest. But also as a prop.

"So," Murray started. "I know you're a comedian. You live here in Gotham. Backstage you said you grew up watching this show with your mother?"

Turning to him, Arthur nodded, loosening his shoulders, trying to be self-assured. "That's right, Murray."

Murray gestured towards the camera almost directly in front of them. "Is she watching tonight? Do you want to say hi?"

Arthur knew greeting his mother would be the usual thing to do. But, apart from brief asides, he hadn't been able to think about Penny without angrily tearing up. He clenched his jaw and waved the suggestion away. "No."

After a pause, Murray continued. "Well, have you been working on any new material? You wanna tell us a joke?"

The throng in the studio roared, applause filling Arthur's ears. He didn't answer immediately, reveling in their attention. "Yeah?" he asked them, his beam becoming genuine. His throat clenched as he straightened his legs and put his hands on his knee. It was hard to believe, but they actually seemed to want to listen to him. "Okay." Flashing Murray a grin, he pulled his journal from the waistband of the back of his trousers.

Murray started in on Arthur as he soon as he began flipping through the pages. "He's got a book. A book of jokes." As Arthur searched, Murray continued to badger. "Take your time. We've got all night."

Arthur gave Murray side-eye and chuckled to himself as he found what he was looking for. "Okay, okay. Here's one." He swallowed, then took a deep breath. "Knock knock"

Murray pointed at the book. "And you had to look that up?"

At the sound of everyone laughing at him, Arthur’s face became serious. Murray was already making the effort to be mean to him. Arthur looked at Murray's co-host, seated next to Dr. Sally on the couch. His guffaws were the loudest. "I wanna get it right," Arthur said earnestly. "Knock knock."

"Who's there?" Murray answered exaggeratedly.

"It's the police, ma'am. Your son jumped off of Wayne Tower." Arthur started to snicker. "He's dead."

"Oh, no, no, no." Dr. Sally rounded on him as the audience groaned. "No. You cannot joke about that!"

Murray sounded annoyed. "Yeah, that's not funny, Arthur." He tapped his cue cards against his desk, addressing the crowd as he admonished him. "That's not the kind of humor we do on this show."

"Okay. I'm-" Nodding furiously, Arthur continued. "Yeah, I'm sorry. It's just, you know..." He tightened his mouth. "It's been a rough few days, Murray." Sniffling, he tried to smile though the pain welling in him. "My mother having a stroke, finding out I was abused as a kid, trying to meet my father."

Murray pressed his lips together before seemingly deciding to try to save the segment. "It sounds like you had a tough week." Arthur flinched when Murray nudge his arm with his elbow. "Come on, tell us another wisecrack. But a family one, this time." he said, pasting on a showbiz smile.

Arthur rolled his eyes and closed his book. "Why is everyone so upset about my joke?" he asked.

Murray began to scold him. "Because that's too serious to kid about. People who would try that are sick. We should-"

"I've been that person," Arthur said, throwing his forearm down on his leg. "And if it was me dying on the sidewalk, you'd walk right over me." He drew his brows together, turning more fully in his seat. "You think it's funny to play my video, to invite me here to make fun of me, but I can't joke about what I know?"

There was disbelief in Murray's face, as if he couldn't believe Arthur was calling him on his bullshit. "That video got you here. On the biggest TV show in Gotham." The crowd cheered. They seemed to be taking Murray's side.

Fury grew in Arthur as they brushed off his words. "Comedy is subjective, Murray. Isn't that what they say?” Didn't the people of this city know the harm they'd caused him over the years? That tape had tormented him. And they didn’t even realize they were laughing because of his condition. “All of you," he said straight to the audience, "the system that knows so much, decides what's right or wrong. The same way you decide what's funny," he pointed at himself, "or not." Giggling, he indicated Murray.

Murray was looking over Arthur's shoulder as he spoke. "Look, Arthur, if you're not careful, we're going to have to stop this interview."

Arthur felt like he was being ignored, again. They thought what he had to say wasn't worth the air it took to speak it. He tried to take a deep breath, reminding himself Y/N was watching backstage. That he could finally look forward to the weeks ahead because, at last, someone loved him.

But as much as her affection had improved his life, helped him get through every day, it wasn't enough to erase his hurt and anger. And now that he had this platform and was being seen, now that he'd opened his mouth, he couldn't stop talking. His volume rose as he continued. "Have you seen what it's like out there, Mur-ray? Do you ever actually leave the studio? I've been in enough observation rooms to make a few observations."

The wetness in his eyes distracted him for only a moment before he continued. "Nobody’s civil anymore!” he yelled. But then his voice got quiet, cracking on his next words. “Nobody thinks what it's like to be the other guy."

He thought of the possibility of being thrown out of his apartment, and Mr. Wayne socking him in the face when all he wanted to do was talk. "You think men like Thomas Wayne ever think what it's like to be someone like me? To be somebody but themselves? They don't. They just think we'll sit there and take it."

Murray scoffed at him. "There's so much self-pity, Arthur. I'll tell you-"

"And you're awful, Murray."

“Me? I’m awful?” Murray sounded incensed. “Oh, yeah? How am I awful?”

The skin of Arthur's chin trembled as he tried to hold himself together. "I never had a father growing up. I always wished he was you. I loved you. But you're just like the rest of 'em."

Murray folded his arms and leaned on his desk, narrowing his eyes at him. “You don’t know the first thing about me, pal. I invited you on here and all you're doing is insulting me.”

Arthur swallowed and looked up at the ceiling, pressing his lips together. "How about another joke, Mur-ray?"

"I think we've heard enough of your jokes," Murray said sternly.

If he was about to get kicked off, Arthur wanted to end with a zinger. "What's the worst part of having a mental illness?" he started, feeling tears start despite his efforts to hold them back.

Murray nodded towards someone in the back. "Gene, cut to commerci-"

Arthur interrupted, his voice breaking. "People expect you to behave as if you don't."

It got quiet, then. Arthur decided no one knew how to respond to the reality in the joke he'd just told. As the silence from the audience, the other guests, and Murray lingered, he started chuckling. He placed his hand on the arm of the chair and squeezed, wiping at his eyes with the heel of his palm as his body shook and he bent forward with laughter.

After a minute, he heard the click of high-heels approaching. When Y/N knelt in front of him, he met her gaze and let out a breath of relief. "Y/N," he said, swiping at his nose. She'd put her hand on his knee. He reached to cover it with his fingers, holding tight. "You're still here," he whispered.

The corner of her mouth quirked up as she nodded, her eyes rimmed red. She squeezed gently as she addressed him with a shaky voice. "Let's go home."

Tag list (Let me know if you want to be added!): @harmonioussolve​ @clowndaddyfleck​ @sweet-nothings04​ @stephieraptorr​ @rommies​@invisiblewispofwhimsey @let-the-stars-fall-in-the-abyss​ @gruffle1​

[the-fiction-witch]

Ready

TV SHOW: ACCUSED COUPLE JAKE (TBS) X READER RATING SMUT

I stood trying to sort out my room making sure it looked nice all my laundry was down, all the surfaces clean and not dusty, my bed maid and presentable

Knock Knock Knock

I almost instantly ran out my room, onto the landing and down the stairs just as.my mum was getting towards the door

"I take it this is-" she began

"Yes... So can you uhh give us some privacy?"

"Keep your bedroom door open Jake" she warns

"Mum... I'm not a kid"

"That's exactly why I want you to keep your door open playdates where different your grown ups now" she says "don't keep her waiting"

I quickly fixed myself up and opened the door,

"Hello" she smiled as she stood there in her little thigh high socks her cute little dress and her little Jacket her hair and makeup as perfect as ever

"Hey" I smiled "ohh uhh come in" I told her

"Thank you"

"You uhh you look really beautiful"

"Aww thank you, you look very handsome" she smiled giving my cheek a kiss

"So shall we go upstairs?" I suggest and she nods so I took her hand and lead her upstairs

"Keep your bedroom door open Jake!" My mother yells

"I know mum!" I yelled making y/n giggle "see this is why I like going to your place your parents don't care"

"It's not that they don't care, they trust you" she says as we sat on my bed leaving the door open the smallest I Thessaly Could

"My mum doesn't trust me,"

"She will after a few visits" she smiled opening her arms so I smiled and gave her a cuddle my head laid on her shoulder my arms around her waist and her arms around me to,

We sat for ages in my bed just cuddling up having a few kisses here and there as we plaid some games I was playing my game trying to avoid getting murdered with an arm around y/n while I plaid

"You okay sweetie?" I asked and shd nods her head nuzzled on my shoulder her hands on my chest I wasn't paying much attention to her as I was trying not to die when she turned my head to her and kissed me I smiled giving her a kiss back but she didn't stop the kisses kept going so I passed my game and kept going as she deepened the kiss turning her head so I threw the controller down my bed a little and wrapped my arms around her waist as our sweet kisses turned to making out it felt like forever we where making out and I never wanted it to stop I felt her tugging on my shirt and I froze a bit confused as she leant away I assume to stop the kiss but she had hold of me so tightly that she laid on my bed on her back and I was laid over her still kissing her I felt every inch of her against me and I couldn't help tightening my grip and making our kisses a little more lusty but she did so too , she gently moaned and I couldn't help grab her thigh wrapping her leg around my waist but she pulled back from our kiss

"Jake...I'm ready"

"Ready?... Are- are you sure?"

"Very sure jake, I'm ready... And I want to lose it to you"

"Uuuuhhh okay" I blushed

"Do you not want to?' she asked sitting up

"What? No no no! Of course I want to y/n I just uhh you caught me off guard is all sweetie"

"So uhh how do you want to uh?'

"Me on top of you I think that will be easier"

"Sure, but can't you walk after the first time you ride someone?"

"That's a rumor Jake, like the lock need monster or the hymen"

"The hymen isn't a thing?"

"Not the way you think it is" she says

"Hu... Learn something new everyday I suppose" I smiled "so... I'll get the uhh..and you uhh get organized" I blushed giving her a kiss and sitting up my back against the headboard I blushed harder very excited we where finally going to have sex we've been together two years and I'm finally going to lose my virginity and to my pretty little y/n I slipped my shirt off and blushed trying not to look as she took her dress off, and I opened my draw having a dig thought the draw looking for a condom as she jumped on the bed in her underwear I froze looking at her pretty purple bra and panties

"What's wrong?" She asked

"Hu? Oh uhh nothing, you just... You really beautiful sweetie" I told her

"Awww thank you Jake, you look very handsome too" she giggled running her hand down my chest "aren't you going to take these off?" She asked tugging in my jeans

"Of course I am" I blushed undoing them and pushing my jeans off me leaving me in my boxers she giggled sitting on my lap wrapping her arms around my neck I couldn't help wrapping my arms around her waist pulling her sweet lips back to kissing me both of us slight groaning into the kiss I knew I was getting hard from seeing her this way and from the fact she was literally sat Over my cock with only my boxers and her panties between us till she pulled back and "aren't you getting the condom Jake?"

"Oh right, sorry. I keep getting distracted" I blushed rummaging through my draw but I couldn't find one? What! I have hundreds in here! "Just a minute sweetie" I smiled giving her a kiss but returning my focus to the draw where the hell are all my condoms "I can't seem to find any"

"Didn't you buy that big box of Amazon last month?' she asks

"I did"

"Then... Where are they? I'm your girlfriend and we're having sex so where did they go?'

"I uhh I may have been using them" I blushed "when I jerk off?"

"Why?" She giggled

"It's less mess I have to clean up?" I shrug "and.. so I could get use to putting them on and use to how they feel so when we decided to do stuff id be used to it"

"You used fifty condoms in a month?" She asked

"I jerk off alot when you not around sweetie,"

"Well then what do we do?" She asked sounding upset

"Well I can't really pop out and get any my mum will be suspicious"

"Would you mum have any?"

"I doubt it, if she does they'd be long out of date"

"Don't you have one in your wallet?"

"No I couldn't risk my mum seeing it" I told her "do you have one in your bag?"

"I don't think so I gave my handbag one to Alice last week"

"I'm sorry sweetie, I'll re order some and we can next week okay?"

"Okay" she said sounding a little sad getting off.my lap and sitting beside me

"I know you really wanted to y/n, trust me I did to but we can't without a condom it's to risky"

"I know" she smiled hugging me close

"Actually... Give me a sec sweetie" I told her Getting up and going to the bag I had for college having a dig thought the paper and junk from classes "yes!" I yelled as I found one at the bottom of my bag "I remember Luke getting loads when they where free and he gave me one" I laughed

"Is it still in date?" She asks a little worried

"Yes! It has six months"

"Perfect" she smiled doing grabby hands towards me so I instantly jumped in bed with her...

[senorshawn]

Best Mistake- AU Part 3

Warnings: none

A/N: Did I mention this is going to be a slow burn fic? this is just kind of a filler part since i’ve been away FOREVER

*not my gif*

The unusual warmth radiating on to your body enveloped you under the blankets persuading you to stay and curl up tighter to your pillow that was gently rising up and down in a rhythmic pattern. You scrunch your eyebrows as you slowly trickled out of your slumber, and began to register to the hum of a beat beneath your ear. Opening your eyes, you gazed down to find a bare, toned chest where your head was laying. You quickly grew confused but remained calm when you saw it was Shawn lying peacefully asleep underneath you. Could’ve done worse, you thought to yourself.

You blinked at him a few times as your mind began to race, trying to remember the events of last night, and how Shawn ended up in bed with you. Did I get naked with Shawn? Did we have sex? Did I make a fool of myself? You jumped out from the sheets, pulling them off of Shawn, startling him awake. Looking down to your attire, you were relieved when you found a pair of shorts and baggy shirt hanging on your frame. Shawn groan as he blindly grabbed for the sheets through squinted eyes,

“Get up!” you said to him, hands balled into fists by your sides.

 He simply ignored you and flipped around, hugging his torso to create some warmth. You stood there for a moment, his defined shoulders and back muscles making your train if thought hazy.

You stomped around the bed to face him, and stood waiting for him to acknowledge you. Growing tired of waiting, you fired the questions to him, “What happened last night, and why are you in my bed?” 

He sighed, accepting the fact that you weren’t going to let him get anymore sleep, and cracked open one eye, “Did you and I..?” You paused pointing a finger between the both of you.

Shawn didn’t register to what you were indicating at first, but then a sly smirk slid it’s way over his features that reflected his thoughts, “Oh yes,” he spoke mischievously. 

Your eyes widened and heart began to beat rapidly, “What?”

“Oh yes, we had a wild night. You were all over me, moaning my name. I thought the neighbors were going to come over and ask if you were alright,” 

Having no clear recollection of what really happened, you believed him automatically, “No we didn’t,” you whispered more to yourself than to Shawn.

His smirk then broke into a smile and laugh, “Did you really believe me?” he continued without waiting for your response, “You were drunk, there was no way I’d take advantage,” 

“Well thanks, I guess. What did happen then?”

“Feed me breakfast and I’ll tell you,”

                          _____________________________________

“Why did we leave when Brayden showed up?”

Shawn shrugged at your question, and avoided your eyes, “Dunno, it was your idea,” 

You gazed at him confused, as he shoved another piece of pancake in his mouth, “Did he say something to you? Or me?” you asked,

“No, it was your idea.”

You dropped the Brayden subject, and picked at your own food, “How’d you end up staying the night?”

The question made him chuckle and his eyes twinkled with recollection. You sat waiting for his answer that never came. So you grabbed his plate and brought it over to your side of the table. Shawn was startled for a moment, but then shook his head, looking straight in to your eyes, “You wanted me,” he said.

The air grew dense around you, while processing Shawn’s words, “Elaborate,” you stated, sliding his plate back his way. He kept eye contact, ���It’s the truth. You were all over me sweets, beckoning me to come in, trying to take my shirt off, telling me t-” 

“Alright okay, finish your damn breakfast,” you interrupted him,

“Don’t feel so bad hun, every girl wants me,”

“Well sucks to be you, ‘cause you and I are not happening,”

You grabbed your plate and began marching in to the kitchen but not without barely hearing him whisper, “Does suck,” 

Choosing to not respond to that comment, you did choose to repeat it in your head. Waking up next to Shawn felt different, out of place almost, he was just your friend. But the thought of being with him, sexually, body against his, pressing your lips down his ripped torso, excited you. 

Shawn softly padded into the kitchen and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms directly behind you. You felt his gaze on your back, making it itch. So you spun around to face him, catching his intense gaze and holding on to it. 

He stood his ground, staring into your y/c/e orbs, in comfortable silence. His cocky demeanor influencing you, daring to return his intensity. 

The ringtone of your phone pierced the air and made you jump. Checking the caller ID to see it was Brayden. You huffed and let it ring, “It’s Brayden,” you said, answering Shawn’s unspoken question, “You gonna answer it?” he asked. 

You continued staring down at the screen, till it went to voice mail,

“You don’t need him,” Shawn said smoothly, meaning every syllable he pronounced,

Chuckling slightly, you turned back around, “Who said I even wanted him,” you replied crossing your arms. 

Shawn licked his lips, suddenly more intrigued by your words. He stood up straight from his spot against the counter, and took his sweet time making his way to you,

“What do you want then?” he asked,

“Something more exciting,”

“Something,” He whispered, not breaking eye contact as he slipped a finger under your chin pointing it further up, “like this?”

You closed your eyes, feeling his plump lips tenderly catch yours. He hadn’t realized how much he wanted this until now. He always had the desire to taste your kiss and feel your skin. Now that he is, it didn’t feel real, like it was too good to be true, something that he shouldn’t have.

You broke away from his lips, slowly fluttering your eyelashes open, “Woah,” you whispered. He smiled a lop sided smile, before placing his lips back on yours, hungrily. 

You tugged at his soft hair on the nape of his neck, and he lifted you onto the cold counter. Your legs natural wrapped around Shawn’s waist and pulled him closer,, 

“Hello!”

You broke apart in a panic, breathing heavily from the heated moment. You heard the front door close, “Who’s here?” Shawn whispered quietly to you,

“y/n!” they called again,

“It’s Jaimie!” you hissed, shoving Shawn away to climb down from the counter, “Get in the closet!”

“What?” he asked baffled, as he stumbled backwards from your shoves against his chest, 

“Get in, and be quiet!” you said slamming the pantry door, “In here!”

Jaimie slugged around the corner, hood pulled over her head and large sunglasses sitting on the bridge of her nose with two ice coffees, each occupying a hand, “How are you not a zombie after last night?” she grumbled.

You caught your breathe and straightened out your shirt, trying to act as normal as possible, “I had- plenty of- water before bed,” you said fumbling over every word, 

“Speaking of beds, saw you leave with Shawn last night. Did he crawl in to yours after bringing you home?” she smirked.

This made you nervous. You’ve never been good at lying, and you weren’t ready to tell Jaimie about Shawn spending the night when you couldn’t even wrap your own head around it, “Uh, no he just dropped me off, said good night and left,” you fibbed, 

“I don’t believe that at all,”

A smug smirk bloomed on your face, as you remembered that Shawn was listening, and couldn’t contradict what you say next, “Okay, he drove me home, and stood on my doorstep like a lost puppy pleading to come in. I let him in and he tells me how jealous he is of Brayden hanging around me all the time,”

Shawn who has been anxiously waiting in the pantry, did not approve of your bullshit story and slipped out a quiet word of disbelief, “What?” he hissed,

“I knew it! I knew he hated that guy!” Jaimie exclaimed, throwing down her iced coffee,

“And he’s even been calling me non-stop all morning,”

A distinguishable thud was heard against the pantry door, by Shawn gently hitting his head off it, having enough of your story,

“What was that?” Jaimie asked,

“Probably, just the mouse. I’ve been meaning to set some traps,”

“Okay well I’ve gotta go. I’ll see you at work, and I expect to hear the rest of this crazy night of yours,” Jaimie winked and headed back for the front door.  

Once it was shut, Shawn wasted no time in letting the pantry door creak open. He stood calmly and composed, with a raised eyebrow and wild eyes, “First, you tease me, then you make me look pathetic to our friend?” he pressed coolly, taking slow strides towards you. 

You sighed, thinking back to how his lips felt dangerously good on yours. You knew in the back of your mind that it wouldn’t lead to anything good if you let yourself do it again. You had to be smart and consider the worse case scenarios, “Don’t expect us making out to be a regular thing,” you said, crossing your arms over your chest,

“What? Why not?” he pushed, reaching for your waist.

You stopped his hands and took them in yours, giving them a squeeze, “I have to go to work,” you whispered.

Shawn stood puzzled and cocked his head to the side, letting you walk out of the room to get ready for work. 

You fanned your neck, glistening with a thin layer of sweat built up from waiting on tables, “When are they going to fix the AC in here?” you asked Jaimie as she set down dirty dishes from her last table,

“When are you going to see Shawn again?” she quipped quickly, as if she’s been waiting all evening to say it.

Your heart rate spiked from the mention of Shawn and you could almost feel his warm lips against yours again, “I’ll see him the next time we all hangout,” you played off, not making a big deal out of it,

“But he spent the night-”

“And nothing happened,” Part of you felt guilty that you may be leading Shawn on by inviting him in to your place last night, and blowing him off this morning after kissing him, but you just weren’t up for the risk of giving him your trust and seeing what he’ll do with it. He’s reckless, and carefree, which are two opposite things you look for in a partner of any kind,

“If that’s the truth, then it looks like he’s back for something more,” Jaimie stated while nodding her head in the direction if the booths before walking away. 

You turned, confused by what she was implying, until you locked eyes with the man occupying all yours thought. He sat placidly with his arm over the back rest of the booth, looking like he had all the time in the world and wanted to give it all to you. 

Begrudgingly, you made your way to him, holding eye contact that made your knees quiver, “Hey, you ready to order?” you asked Shawn, taking out your notepad from your apron once you made it to his table.

He didn’t answer and instead continued to sit silently, eyeing your features. You gave him a chance to speak before telling him, “If you’re not getting anything to eat than you can’t sit here much longer,”

Shawn smirked up at you, “What I want to eat, isn’t on the menu, sweets” he spoke in a gruff tone, running his tongue over his lips, and sending you a wink.

You felt heat trickling up your cheeks, looking around quickly to see if anyone else had heard his sentence, partially because you thought it was just your imagination, “Shawn, what are you doing here?” you shot at him,

“I just told you, I’m here for you. You can’t just kiss someone the way you did and not do anything about it after,”

“What do you mean? I kissed you, the end. You and I can go back to being friends,”

He laughed in disbelief. Ready to walk away from the conversation, you rocked on your heels, but nearly jumped two feet in the air when you felt a warm, rough hand gently brushed against your exposed thigh,

“No, no sweets,” Shawn began, “You started something I intend to finish, in a very memorable manor,” as he spoke, his hand slowly traced further up your leg.

You barely had the strength to move back, out of his reach, and immediately yearned for his touch to return, and continue the sweet feeling building up inside you,

“Ca-can we talk after my shift?” you stuttered,

“Anything you want, I’ll be waiting,”

[hizzalot]

#PartFour #BleedingOut #NobodysCitizen by @NobodysCitizen

I stumbled into the lobby of my hotel. It was a mere miracle that no one saw or heard me or rather chose to acknowledge it. But then again it wasn’t the Waldorf which meant the management rather not see or hear anything that they could be forced to testify about. It wasn’t even the goddamn Holiday Inn, but on the upside the rooms were clean, there was a door that I could lock and no one would come looking for me here because it was one of those hotels that was just very non statementy. Don’t ask me how I knew that I just did, it was yet again one of those odd things I just knew without knowing how I simply learned the last few days to trust my gut and my knowledge. 

Pushing away from the wall just inside the lobby doors I kept the bag on my shoulder as well as I could while clutching my side. I was still bleeding, the wound needed to stitched up and I needed to get antibiotics into me, drink a lot of fluids, even eat something and get some rest. It all needed to happen fast so I didn’t lose so much blood that I was down and out. Hitting the button for the elevator I leaned heavily against the double doors looking around me trying to focus, silently praying for no one else to walk inside. With a low ping the doors started to open and I feel backwards and in stumbling backwards and onto my ass with a huff and grunt. 

“God damn! Fucking hell!” I cursed as pain and nausea sloshed over me in waves. The doors closed leaving me on the floor neither me nor the elevator moving. With a grunt I pushed up to a sitting position pushing myself the few inches I needed to get to the button and pushed five for my floor. If I survived this I was going to kill the little shit of a mobster for setting me up. It was going to be a slow and painful death too simply to make the shit pay extra for the spot I was in now. 

Finally, on my floor I was lucky enough to have a room close to the elevators. I fiddled with my key-card and eventually got inside. I leaned against the closed door breathing hard and let my hand guide itself around my back, finding the door knob and locking the door. I knew I should put the security chain on, but pain in my side was so bad not that I had no energy left to fiddle with it. My t-shirt and sweatshirt was soaked in blood and I knew that I needed to get going with the washing and stitching up, before I became so weak that I passed out which meant bleed out. I threw my pharmacy bag on the bed and let the other bag slid off my shoulder, to let it fall onto the floor by the door. 

I started to work my leather jacket off, shrugging my good arm carefully but still it felt like someone was turning a knife on my bleeding side. I finally got it to slide off me and dropped it onto the floor. When it came to my sweatshirt there wasn’t much to do but to wiggle out of it pain be damned and as I did, I thought I was going to hurl with my face buried inside the sweater still. The stretch of my skin and the throbbing pain made my knees buckle and I fell forward almost hitting my forehead on the bed but somehow managed to take a step forward so I fell more on the bed then hitting it head first. I clenched my side as I pulled myself up into a half sitting position, leaning my head on the bed breathing deep slow breaths trying to get the nausea under control. 

For a few minutes I simply lay there looking at the ceiling and concentrating on my breathing, the minute I closed my eyes my world started to spin and the nausea got even worse. After a few minutes I pushed up, slowly and gentle I reached for my bag on the bed to get the coke and red bull that I bought to get my body kick started. I doubted that I be able to eat any of the snickers at this point, now I was kind of glad that I grabbed that bag of pretzels; at least I would have something that I might be able to get down in my system later and have it stay there. 

I popped open the red bull and drank the whole can straight up, letting my hand fall down to the floor with the empty can in my hand. I took out another one right off and open that too but only drank about half before reaching over and putting it on the nightstand and then made an attempt to get up. I had to take a few deep breaths and then push myself up and use my arms as leverage on the bed to get to a somewhat standing position. 

Walking into that pharmacy and act natural had taken a lot of my energy especially since I’d have to flirt with the pharmacist to distract them enough to snatch their id and key-card to get in the back to grab the antibiotics and painkillers I knew I needed. Popping a couple of pills, both antibiotics and painkillers into my mouth, I swallowed them with a drink of red bull. 

After coming in off the streets and the adrenaline had stopped pumping in my body the pain became more obvious and my body started to go into shock. I didn’t have much time and I knew it, don’t ask me how, I just did. I grabbed my pharmacy bag and red bull and headed for the bathroom, the pale greenish face that met me in the mirror didn’t give me any hopes of fixing this up on my own. But I didn’t have much of a choice because it was doing it on my own or die trying, and I wasn’t ready to die. I poured the contents of my bag on to the side of the sink and got the water in the faucet going. Instead of trying to bend and stretch my arms any further I used the scissors I bought to get my bloody t-shirt off, there was no way I was getting that cleaned anyway, it had been white, at least the sweatshirt was a dark blue. It hurt like a son of a bitch cutting the tee off and getting the bloody fucking gauze of was even worse since it gotten stuck in the wound. Several times I had to stop and breath and to steady myself. I leaned against the counter taking one of the washcloths that I bought and dipped it into the lukewarm water and then pressed it to my wound. 

“God damn it! Bloody hell!” I jerked, stomping my foot, as the cloth came near the throbbing wound but I cleaned it as good as I could. When that was done I put it in the water picked up the other cloth and drenched it in disinfection that I bought from the drugstore. 

“Shit this is going to hurt.” I mumbled to myself as I pressed the cloth against the wound, and I screamed out loud enough for everyone on that floor to hear me. Fuck that hurt worse than I thought! It stung and made my back bend away from my own touch. But I had to clean it, I had to have disinfected before trying to sow it together. I had to steady myself by taking a hold of the wall in front of me as I started to sway, nausea hitting me hard as I kept dabbing my side. I breath in through my nose and out through my nose. I just did that for a few minutes and as the worst past I started drinking from the coke bottle standing next to the red bull. I didn’t wait any further but picked up the needle and thread that i prearranged. I held my wound together and started to sow. It was hard to get the needle through, it hurt, it bleed and to stand completely still as I tried to make the stitches as neat and close together as I could. I’d been lucky that I managed to get behind the counter of the pharmacy and find what I needed and that I had the right kind of self dissolving thread and needle. My eyes teared up but I kept going if I stopped I wasn’t sure I could start back up. I blinked away my tears trying to clear my sight. After a bit I had to stop but only for a few seconds, giving me enough time to gather my strength and breath before starting up again. 

After what felt like forever I was done and with a loud intake of breath and tumbling over towards the toilet I threw up the thread and needle still hanging from my skin, my hands and torso bloody. How the fuck was going to get out of this? How was I going to find out who I actually were and why, if me, I killed my wife? #BleedingOut #NobodysCitizen

[grailacademy]

Welcome To Grail Academy - Chapter Nineteen: Cry Baby

“Papa, are we done yet?” A little girl with blond hair done up in pigtails with a pair of sparkly green scrunchies inquired, her arms out at 90 degree angles from her sides, standing on a little pedestal. Surrounded by a wall of mirrors and coat hangers, an old woman in a checkered smock and a pin cushion on her wrist knelt beside the girl, wrapping a yellow measuring tape around the child’s waist. Under the measuring tape was a polkadot dress, green and white with lace trim around the edge. “Patience. This dinner has to be perfect if we’re going to gain the Viridian account. No complaining.” A man stood by the curtained door to the room, rubbing his chin in his olive suit. His hair was the same as the girl’s, pulled back in an elegant ponytail. The seamstress tacked a pin into the back of the dress and made a quick series of stitches. Then she bit the thread and tied a knot, and patted the girl on the shoulder. The girl did an excited twirl in front of the mirror before she jumped off the stand and ran out of the room past her father. “Esmerelda, be careful!” He yelled at her, but once he turned around, she was already in her mother’s arms. The woman’s greying hair blended in with the black and grey ears on top of her head. The two of them giggled, and the man folded his arms. “Rose just fixed your dress, I don’t want to see any more scuffs or holes in it. Am I clear?” The little girl looked down at her shiny black shoes solemnly, nodding.

“Yes, papa.”

“Oh, Ardan, relax.” The woman turned her daughter around and stood up. “She’ll be careful!”

“That’s what she said the first time she ripped it.” He grumbled.

Esmerelda never enjoyed when her parents talked about her in the third person, like she wasn’t in the room. But she kept quiet until her father walked away towards his office in the magnificent shining mansion that the three of them called their home. When she looked up from her shoes, she was facing a dark shadow of a creature. The muzzle of the beowolf reached forward, revealing its glowing red eyes. Esmerelda folded her coat neatly and placed it on the floor of the dock. Kismet wasn’t lying when he said the beacons were guarded. Brandishing her sleek claws, she rushed into a sprint towards the beast.

Nico swam for a boey he saw bopping on the horizon. The sun was beginning to set, turning the sky a shade of orange and pink that reflected on the water of the lake that he paddled across. As he got closer, he could see that the boey was tied to a small wooden pole stuck on the side of a marshy island. The edges of it surrounded by weeds and cattails, Nico’s arm was taken hold of and he was pulled on shore. The sand stuck to the back of his clothes when he sat up, but he was relieved to see Iris had helped him on land. “Thanks!”, he chirped. The girl was still extremely on edge, but she nodded with a smile. After five minutes, the two of them had roamed around the perimeter of the island, searching for a beacon and passing the time with conversation.

“So, you and Bernard, huh?” Nico was drawing doodles in the sand with his bow staff.

“Me and….who?” Iris raised a brow at his question, she was rummaging in a bushel of fern leaves, tapping the ground in hopes that she would hit something metal.

“Bernie! You guys are dating, right? Weren’t you two going to Prom together?”  

“....Bernard! Yes, he was taking me to Prom. I was really nervous to go alone, it was my first school dance.” She laughed nervously, “But we’re not….haha, we’re not a thing.”

“....Huh.” Nico smiled for a moment.

Iris’s cheeks turned pink, which was a regular occurance for her when she and Nico talked. She was easily flustered. As she stammered on about her relationship status, Nico gently tapped her shoulder. “Hey, uh….Iris?” He was trying to get her attention to turn to the three giant ursa he was staring at, a few yards away. “We got company.”

“I told you this would happen, Hollyanne!”

“It’s not my fault they didn’t want to buy! They weren’t interested, it couldn’t be helped.”

“It could be helped! The whole point of you coming to the dinner was to HELP!”

“I’m sorry!” The yelling of her parents was muffled on the other side of her bedroom door. Esmerelda didn’t like hearing them fight, she always ended up blaming herself for their altercations. Her worries temporarily subsided when her mother came into the bedroom and kissed her goodnight, but when the door closed and she was left alone with her thoughts, she was back to thinking about what she could have done wrong. Laying there in the canopy bed, she clutched her stuffed bunny rabbit close to her.

With a harsh jerk of her arm, Esmerelda dug her palms into the chin and nose of the beowolf as it lunged at her, mouth agape. Prying it’s jaws apart while it gnashed at her, she had a clear view of its sharp teeth, slimy tongue, and the back of its throat where the uvula waggled when it roared in her face. Looking down the metaphorical barrel of the gun reminded her not to space out during a fight, and she snapped into action as a few drops of spittle slicked onto her cheek. She grunted and flipped around, throwing herself under the belly of the monster. Sliding across the dock, her claws slashed deep along its stomach and it let out a pained howl. She sprung to her feet and inspected her handiwork. She had carved the beowolf from its stomach like a pig gutted for the roast, she was proud of herself. Its carcass slowly deteriorated, and Esmerelda walked back to her coat, which had dried off by now. Her victory was, however, short lived, as she saw Rowan scrambling out of the water onto the dock once she pulled the fur on. He gave her a sly smile and held his scroll up to the beacon. The technology recognized his ID before Esmerelda could stop him, and the flaps opened up to release a beam of red light into the dim sky.

“That’s cheating!” She yelled and pointed a clawed finger at him.

“No rules against letting someone else do the work for you.” Rowan smirked, and wiggled his fingers at her sarcastically. She wanted to stay and fight HIM for the searchlight, but she knew there were only so many left. Huffing, she turned and ran to search for another one.

A pained death rattle erupted from one of the creatures as Nico ripped the spikes of his bat out of its skull. Iris pressed both feet onto the belly of the other grimm, tugging with all her might to try and dislodge the giant battle axe from its neck. Her blade was stuck in there deep, it was like pulling teeth. From behind, the final Ursa bounded towards them and slammed its giant paw onto Nico’s chest, trapping him on the ground and roaring. The wind was completely knocked out of the boy, and he wheezed loudly as he tried to hold the grimm’s claws away from him. “Oof--not the face, not the face!” As he writhed around in the sand, Iris shouted from behind. “Hold on, Nico!” She pulled her weapon out of the monster’s carcass finally, and flipped the locking mechanism on its shell. All at once, a purple electric guitar with a metal side unfolded in her hands, and she plucked a string to make sure it was working. “Time to bring the noise.”

In a dramatic sweeping motion, Iris strummed all the chords on her guitar, the metal wires vibrating as she send out a wave of noise to disrupt the ursa’s senses. Even the pebbles and blades of grass shook with the force of her music. The monster whimpered and lifted its paw up to scratch at its ear, giving Nico a window to free himself. He jumped up and cracked the monster across the back with his bat when it turned in the direction of the song. The chords still echoed loudly when Iris rushed the other side and transformed her weapon into a long battle axe, slicing their prey on one of its front legs. It lowered itself halfway to the ground in an attempt to relieve the pressure on its wounds, almost bowing its head down as if it were accepting the execution. Nico looked over the ursa’s back and cheered for Iris, “Dude, that is so metal!” Iris became flushed again, and she smiled nervously. “Oh, uh. Thanks!” In unison, the two of them raised their weapons high over their heads and crushed the beast onto the ground, obliterating the cleaved corpse. After they caught their breath and recovered from the battle, Nico and Iris gave each other a small high-five. The moment their hands clapped together, the small pitter patter of rain drops hitting water sounded.

Esmerelda felt a drop of water splash on her head. As she trekked from one dock to another, she held her hand out to the sky to feel the cold wet land in her palm. The sound of rain bouncing against umbrella fabric was all she could think about.

Esmerelda and her father stood under two separate black umbrellas, Ardan reading the text on the block of stone in front of him again and again as the funeral guests dispersed. Esmerelda could only bare to look at the white lilies wrapped neatly in a bouquet on top of it. Somewhere in her mind, Esmerelda knew that if she read the words, it would mean she was really gone. Forever. “Papa….is mama happy, Wherever she is?” The little girl wrung her hands around the handle of the umbrella and looked up at her father, but he was already walking away, headed towards the black limousine parked on the pathway next to the tombstone. She felt like crying. She wanted to cry, so bad. But her eyes were dry. She tried to force the tears out, but it was as if they were frozen icicles. Turning away, she slowly followed her father into the car.

Nico waved goodbye to Iris, watching as she was lifted up into the airship once it reached the purple stream of light glowing from the beacon they had found. She waved back timidly and turned around to sit next to her partner, Rowan. The vehicle rose off the ground and chopped away. On his own, Nico strolled to the edge of the island on the dock, and narrowed his eyes. It could have been the light playing tricks on him, but it looked like there was some kind of tall structure mounted on the edge of a hilly landmass, on the other side of the lake. Looks like he would have to go for another swim.

Bernard was a bit lost, grasping at straws when he navigated the terrain of the island he had landed on. It seemed….larger than the others. Easier to lose yourself on. He knelt down and examined a set of animal tracks. Too big to be a rabbit or a dog, probably a beowolf roving for scraps. He only counted the one set of tracks, so he felt confident. He could handle one measly grimm, even in his sleep. He could hear gunshots ring out over the rain, too far away to be on the island. The other students were running into trouble of their own. Looking up into the lavender sky, he saw the handful of multicolored beacons shining their lights. The airship hovered over the lake, leisurely making its way to each checkpoint to pick up the hunters waiting at their rescue lights. He was running out of time. He started to jog through the underbrush, zipping past the half-evaporated body of an already-defeated beowolf, ducking under tree branches and hopping over roots sprouting out of the dirt.

Esmerelda was almost knocked to the ground when she lost her footing, something big and heavy colliding with her back. She opened her mouth to berade whoever it was about personal space, but she quickly closed it as she turned around to see Bernard standing there, just as disoriented as she was. The awkward silence between them hung in the air, they hadn’t talked much since their fight in the training hall. “....There aren’t many beacons left. We have to hurry”, Bernard said, apparently inviting Esmerelda to join him on the journey. It wasn’t long before they found a clearing on the island, by the open shoreline. Beau was pacing back and forth across the island, holding her scroll out in front of her and low to the ground like it was a metal detector. Vert gazed at her odd performance of determination, commenting “You know that’s not going to work, right?”

“It’s worth a shot!” She quipped back. Nico was wading in the water, hiking his knees up to get out of the lake faster. Bernard and Esmerelda entered the scene with confused looks on their faces. Were they the only ones who hadn’t found beacons yet? Esmerelda called out, “Maybe you should check in there”, and pointed towards the tall figure of the lighthouse, nestled on a hill that connected to the shore. The light was currently off, making their dark environment much more eery with their only way to see coming from the slowly setting sun. “....Ohhh….” Beau cooed, following Esmerelda’s finger to the monument. “Yeah, that makes way more sense.”

[dannybnnt]

Family Time

Summary: Ellie comes to visit Dan in the hospital.

@isleydrewwhittaker @misselizabeth-bennett

Ellie-Last Sunday at 10:30 PM

Ellie had spent a decent amount of time assuming that Drew had been fucking with her. Despite her thought she couldn't stop the feeling of dread that was settling in the pit of her stomach as she made her way to the hospital. She tapped away on her phone, sending her brother text after text, hoping that at one point he would reply and let her knew that Drew was in fact fucking with her. When she never got a reply she closed her eyes, assuming that this was the point where people would beg and plead with whatever higher power they believed in. Unfortunately for her she didn't have that. When the car stopped her climbed out, her heels clicking against the ground as she tossed her hair over her shoulder, starting to look around for Drew. When she didn't see him she sighed, pulling out her ID and showing it to the woman at the counter, "I'm Elizabeth Bennet, I'm here to see my brother Daniel." The woman typed a few things into her computer, several more than Ellie felt was actually necessary. Fixing the woman with a cold expression she crossed her arms over her chest, flatly thanking her when she got a room number. The closer she got to the room the more nervous she became, chewing on the inside of her lip as she twisted her hair around her finger. Quietly she knocked on the door before pushing it open, keeping a neutral expression as she looked at Daniel, then Isley, "Hey..."

Isley-Last Sunday at 10:33 PM

“Hey, Ellie. Did you get my voicemail?” Isley asked, standing to hug her tightly. She sat back down in her seat by him, immediately taking his hand again. She laid her head on his lap and grew quiet, allowing Ellie and Daniel to talk.

Daniel-Last Sunday at 10:34 PM

Daniel had been in and out of sleep for a while. When he felt Isley move, he woke up again to see his sister walking in. "Hey you." He greeted her. "I was beginning to think you forgot about me." He joked.

Ellie-Last Sunday at 10:37 PM

Ellie flinched away from Isley's hug, giving her an apologetic look afterwards. She needed to work on that. "Not really, I mean it's there I've just never listened to a voicemail before in my life. Drew texted me." She looked over her brother a frown coming over her face, "Yeah well, I'm always the last person to know anything, so I got here as soon as I could." Her response was half hearted as she continued to look him over, biting her bottom lip, "Can I sit with you or will it hurt you?"

Daniel-Last Sunday at 10:45 PM

Daniel shook his head "You can sit with me." He said, opening his arm a bit. He was glad to see Ellie, because he wasn't sure that she would want to be in a hospital at all, even given the circumstances.

Ellie-Last Sunday at 10:48 PM

Ellie slipped her heels off, not wanting to poke him, before she crawled into the bed. She carefully rested her head on his chest, trying not to put too much weight on him until she was convinced that it actually wouldn't hurt him. "What happened?" She asked quietly, pulling her sleeves over her hands as she looked around the room, focusing on putting aside her own nerves regarding doctors. "What did you do and why are you this stupid?"

Isley-Last Sunday at 10:52 PM

Isley's hands fluttered around Daniel, scared that Ellie would hurt his broken ribs or something. When he seemed to be doing okay, she sat back in her seat, still holding Daniel's hand close to her. "He doesn't remember." She answered. "He and Margot went flying, and I don't know exactly what happened, but they crashed."

Daniel-Last Sunday at 10:54 PM

He nodded his head to Isley's answer. "Guess Margot isn't a good pilot or something, I don't know." He joked lightly. "She was having a really bad day and told me she was going to fly to another country for a while. I tried to talk her down and told her I would go on a short ride with her if it would make her feel better. Getting into the plane is the last thing I remember."

Ellie-Last Sunday at 11:10 PM

"Why would you get into a plane like that?" Ellie asked, mindlessly rubbing her arms together as she sat up just enough to look at him, "That's stupid. You're supposed to be less stupid than that. Now look at you. What if your face never looks the same again?" Maybe that wasn't the kindest way for her to address her concern, but her mouth seemed to be working faster than her head.(edited)

Isley-Last Sunday at 11:12 PM

Isley couldn't help but laugh at Ellie's words. "His face will be fine. If he gets a scar, that's fine, too. Scars are sexy." She said, only half teasing. She brought his hand to her lips, kissing it again. It was the only part of him she knew wouldn't break if she kissed.

Daniel-Last Sunday at 11:14 PM

"Well she was a pilot in the air force so it didn't feel like that stupid of a decision at the time." He explained. "Guess I'll be ugly. Thank God, I locked Isley in." He joked. "Ellie, look, I'm okay. It's gonna be okay."

Ellie-Last Sunday at 11:17 PM

"Scars are only sexy in some cases, this will just look horrible." Ellie hid her face in his chest, trying to prevent herself from crying, "Danny what are you going to do if you look hideous and Isley leaves you and then you're alone forever because you look like the beast but worse, that dude with the mask from the opera musical. Oh my god you're going to become him, he's so creepy. This isn't okay."

Isley-Last Sunday at 11:27 PM

"Ellie, love..." Isley began, reaching over with her other arm to stroke Ellie's. "He's fine. He's gonna be just fine. The doctor said his swelling has already gone down. The worst of it is over, okay? Actually, I take that back. Imagine how bad he's gonna be when we get back home and have to take care of him all day and all night." She joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Daniel-Last Sunday at 11:29 PM

"Are you talking about the Phantom of the Opera? Jesus, how bad do I look right now?" He asked with a small laugh, that was cut short as his ribs hurt. "Just calm down."

Ellie-Last Sunday at 11:40 PM

Ellie didn't flinch this time as Isley touched her, shaking her head a little, "You don't know that though. Everything can always go wrong and it's horrible. This isn't okay. Stop saying it's okay." Tears started to build in her eyes, slowly start to drip onto him as she kept her head down, slightly muffled by him, "Isley this isn't the time for jokes, have you not seen him?" She gave a little shrug when he said the name of the musical, "I don't know, I hate musicals. I'm not Drew." She sat up quickly when he stopped laughing, concern clouding her features as she looked him over, "What's wrong, what did I do?"

Isley-Last Sunday at 11:49 PM

"El, we do know. The doctors said he's doing amazingly well. They're monitoring him closely. And yes, I have seen him. Believe me, there is no one here more worried than I am. But we have to trust that the doctors know what they're doing. He's alive and he's as happy as he can be, and that's something to be grateful for." When he stopped laughing abruptly, though, her calm facade snapped. "You didn't do anything, but get off him. He has broken ribs."April 30, 2018

Daniel-Yesterday at 12:03 AM

"Yeah, I'm going to live and I'll be able to go home in a few days. They just have to monitor the bruise thing on my brain." He shrugged. "Isley, babe, it's okay. She doesn't have to move."

Ellie-Yesterday at 12:06 AM

Despite Daniel saying that she didn't have to move Ellie half threw herself off the bed, scrambling away from him as she wrapped her arms around herself. A panicked expression covering her face as she watched him carefully, tears sliding down her face, "I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't mean to hurt him." She turned to Isley, taking a step back while shaking her head, "I didn't mean to."

Isley-Yesterday at 12:09 AM

"No, Ellie, you didn't hurt him. You didn't do anything, okay? He laughed, that's what hurt him." Isley stood, moving to her and placing her hands on her arms. "It's okay, he's fine, love." She moved a hand to her head, stroking her hair.

Daniel-Yesterday at 12:10 AM

Daniel watched in shock, a little too drugged up still to be an adult voice in the conversation. "I'm fine, I promise. I broke a few ribs so I'm just sore, that's all."

Ellie-Yesterday at 12:13 AM

Ellie flinched away from the contact again, shaking her head a little as she kept her eyes on her brother. "Okay." She said quietly, nodding at both of their words, though not convinced that she believed them. "Is your phone okay or do you need a new one? I can go get you a new one."

Isley-Yesterday at 12:17 AM

"We can do that later. Just stay here with us, okay?" Isley didn't take offense as Ellie moved away, she knew that Ellie didn't really like to be touched-non-sexually, anyways. She left Ellie's side, moving back to sit on the edge of Dan's bed. "Come here." She commanded Ellie.(edited)

Daniel-Yesterday at 12:22 AM

Daniel honestly wasn't sure about his phone, he hadn't thought about. That would be two phones down in under a week though. "I'm sorry, guys." He apologized quietly.

Ellie-Yesterday at 12:24 AM

Ellie shook her head at Isley's command, though she shook it off when she noticed that Dan was apologizing. "What do you mean? Why are you apologizing?" She looked to Isley, stepping a little closer though she still kept a good distance, staying about a foot away from the bed as she moved closer towards Daniel's head, "Isley, why is he apologizing, what happened?"

Isley-Yesterday at 12:26 AM

Isley rolled her eyes at his apology. "He's apologizing because he knows he scared us and worried us. Dumb, right?"

Daniel-Yesterday at 12:27 AM

He frowned at Isley's words. "I'm just.. Causing so much trouble and anxiety for you guys and I'm sorry." He shrugged, looking down at the blanket that lay over him.

Ellie-Yesterday at 12:28 AM

"It's not dumb you should be sorry, look at me, I'm crying. I don't cry. There's eyeliner that's smudging, did you even notice how nice it looked?" She asked him, tipping her head to the side a little as she wiped at some of her tears, "And I had to talk to Drew and you're fine. Do you know how mad I am at him?"

Isley-Yesterday at 12:30 AM

Isley laughed, her own tears beginning again. "Honestly, Ellie's had the hardest time."

Daniel-Yesterday at 12:32 AM

Her complaining did make him feel worse, even if he knew (hoped) it wasn't coming from a serious place. "I'm sorry." He apologized again.

Ellie-Yesterday at 12:33 AM

"I have and I'm glad we're finally taking note of this." Ellie agreed half heartedly, wiping at her eyes a little, "Well I obviously forgive you because you're sitting in this stupid hospital but you're going to have to make it up to be somehow. I had to talk to Drew."

Isley-Yesterday at 12:34 AM

"Speaking of this hospital, when was the last time you got your pain meds, baby?" Isley asked, stroking his hair.

Daniel-Yesterday at 12:35 AM

"I don't care about your drama with Drew." He sighed. "You guys should be making up anyways. It was all stupid." He looked at Isley as she spoke. "I don't know.. I think I'm ready for some more though."

Ellie-Yesterday at 12:38 AM

Ellie's eyes slid to the floor as she shifted her weight between her feet, giving a little shrug and very much resembling a child getting in trouble, "It'll figure it out, it's fine." She mumbled, looking back up and watching Isley carefully. "When can you come home?"

Isley-Yesterday at 12:57 AM

She looked back and forth between the two. It was clear Ellie needed to be comforted, but Isley didn't think he could do that. So, as much as she hated it, she decided to leave for a few moments. "I have to pee." Isley said suddenly, standing up and leaving. It wasn't a lie, the babies were sitting right on her bladder, anyways.

Daniel-Yesterday at 12:59 AM

"I'm not really sure. I still have to have surgery on my arm and they said that these contusions can take weeks to heal. They have to keep an eye on mine for at least a few days." He shrugged. "Ellie, come here. I promise you won't hurt me. You can hug me."

Ellie-Yesterday at 1:07 AM

Ellie watched Isley leave, frowning a bit as she was now left alone with her assumingely very breakable brother. "How long is a few days though? Two days? Three days? Four?" When he said that she wasn't going to hurt him she slowly inched forward, sitting on the very edge of his bed, "Are you sure? Isley said to get off you."

Daniel-Yesterday at 1:09 AM

"I'm not sure. They told me that I would probably be here for a week." He hated to think that it could be longer. "Isley is a little over protective right now, that's all. She's just worried."

Ellie-Yesterday at 1:12 AM

Very hesitantly she lowered herself onto him again, resting her head on his chest while she moved her hair out of the way. "You're not supposed to get hurt. I know that's fair of me to want or think, but you're not. You're not even supposed to be able to get hurt a little. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here."

Daniel-Yesterday at 1:14 AM

"I know, Ellie." he wrapped his arm around her. "I'm here and I'm okay. Things will be back to normal in no time."

Ellie-Yesterday at 1:19 AM

"It's not okay though. I'm really really glad that you're okay but it's not okay because you're not actually okay. You're just saying that so I don't start crying on you again. You're not supposed to get hurt because I need you and it's selfish but it's the truth okay? Also what about Rufus? What would he even do? He would hate living with Drew even more than I would hate living with Drew and lets be real Drew would probably let both of us be homeless before we lived with him anyways. I'd be so lonely... You're one of the only people I actually talk to. You have to be okay." She shook her head, sitting up a little so she should look at him, "It's not normal anymore though because what if something else bad happens? Like a car accident or another plane accident or someone tries to murder you?"

Daniel-Yesterday at 7:41 AM

"Accidents happen, it could have been anything. We just have to be prepared, okay? I wasn't this time but I'll make sure that you and Isley are always taken care of if I'm not here." he promised.

Ellie-Yesterday at 9:09 AM

“Accidents aren’t supposed to happen to you though.” Ellie pointed out quietly, closing her eyes as she shifted a bit to get more comfortable. “I love you so much. I’m sorry that I’m always awful to you and make you worry and stress and spend your money on stupid shit.”

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:13 AM

"I love you too. That's why I put up with all of that." He teased. "I want to be okay without me though, okay? We need to start working toward that."

Ellie-Yesterday at 9:16 AM

“I don’t want to be without you though.” Ellie replied softly, still keeping her eyes closed as she frowned at his words, “What do you mean? Why do we need to do that?”

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:17 AM

"Because you need to be able to take care of yourself, Ellie. We'll get you a savings account." He suggested.

Ellie-Yesterday at 9:23 AM

“I can take care of myself...” She attempted to argue it but it came out more like a child telling their parent that they can do something themselves that everyone knew they couldn’t. “What am I even supposed to do with that?”

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:24 AM

"Okay." He nodded his head, not wanting to argue with her then. "You put money into it from each paycheck so that if something ever comes up you have it. I'll put some in there to start you off and then you can start adding to it."

Ellie-Yesterday at 9:32 AM

“You don’t have to put your money in there. You need to start keeping it for the babies you know. They’re going to need things more than I do.” Ellie moved some of her hair away from her face, opening her eyes again as she blinked tiredly, “We’re going to need to get you a new phone so you can FaceTime with Rufus. He’s going to be really worried.”

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:34 AM

He wasn't going to argue that he probably should stop throwing money around like it was growing on trees. Not that he had ever run into issues with money, but he had been a lot more frivolous with his spending since being in Chicago. "Yeah, okay. You can go get me a phone if you want to. I don't know where my wallet is or anything, but I'm sure we can ask a nurse and she'll get it for you."

Ellie-Yesterday at 9:38 AM

“Well I can’t stay here forever because someone has to take care of Rufus and I don’t think Isley is ever going to leave and if you don’t have a phone I can’t check on you. I need to know that you’re okay and Isley might lie to me if you’re not okay. I know you’re fine now but one Grey’s Anatomy this doctor got into a plane crash and he was really really hurt and then he got better and then he died and I need to know you’re okay.”

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:39 AM

"Okay, we'll call a nurse in." He went to move his arm but the pain in his side started up again so he paused. "Will you press that button?" He asked, pointing to the red button on the side of the bed.

Ellie-Yesterday at 9:42 AM

Ellie sat up as he paused, looking him over carefully, “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” She watched him for another second before leaning over, pressing the red button several times before she looked back at Daniel, reminding herself that she needed to be extra careful with him.

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:45 AM

"The pain killers are wearing off a little." He explained, wincing a little. When the  nurse finally spoke through the intercom, Daniel explained that he was in some pain and needed someone to come in. A nurse arrived shortly after to put more medication in his IV. "Is there any way someone can get my wallet for me?" He asked her and she nodded her head before disappearing and coming back with a small bag that contained his clothes and his wallet. She handed the wallet to him and he picked his card out to hand to Ellie.

Ellie-Yesterday at 9:53 AM

Ellie sat up, not removing herself from the bed, but carefully balancing so that she wasn’t putting any of her weight on him. She wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees. Her eyes followed the nurse, some mixture of distrust and curiously on her face while she watched the woman move. When she returned with his clothes Ellie took the card, still eyeing the woman before turning back to her brother, “doesn’t it bother you at all that she could literally kill you?” She asked, scooting a little closer to him and whispering so she wouldn’t be overheard

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:54 AM

"Well it didn't." He scoffed. "Nobody is going to kill me. Quit being so pessimistic. I have to stay positive."

Ellie-Yesterday at 9:58 AM

“I want you to stay positive I just don’t get it.” Ellie replied, moving a little so she could continue to stare at the nurse, “I feel like they always know something they’re not telling us.”

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:58 AM

"They're just trying to help, think of it that way." He shrugged.

Ellie-Yesterday at 10:02 AM

“Maybe...” she shook her head, sliding off his bed, “What kind of phone do you want? I’ll go get it and bring it back, then I’ll go home and Rufus can face time you. Is there anything else you want?”

Daniel-Yesterday at 10:03 AM

"Just whatever. I like iPhones. Maybe the newer one but I've gone through two this week so whatever they have in stock right now is fine. I can't think of anything else I want."

Isley-Yesterday at 1:19 PM

After she felt like she had given them a significant amount of time together, and after she couldn’t stand to be apart from Daniel any longer, Isley reentered the room. She immediately found her place by Daniel’s side, smiling at him. “Hey El, are you spending the night here with us? Or are you going home?”

Ellie-Yesterday at 4:33 PM

Ellie shook her head at the question, moving to grab her heels from their spot on the floor. “I need to feed Rufus. He’s going to be hungry and lonely. I’m gonna go get Danny a new phone though so I’ll be back in a bit.”

Daniel-Yesterday at 4:34 PM

"Thank you, Ellie. I love you so much." The pain killers were starting to hit again and he rest against his pillow again, grabbing Isley's hand.

Isley-Yesterday at 4:35 PM

Taking his hand, she turned to Ellie. "I need you to do me a huge favor. I need lots of stuff from home, and I need you to buy me something."

Ellie-Yesterday at 4:51 PM

“I love you too.” She smiled softly, before looking over at Isley, raising an eyebrow. “Um okay, I guess. What do you need?”

Isley-Yesterday at 4:55 PM

"Well..." Isley looked over at Dan with a smile. "I need you to get me a wedding dress."

Ellie-Yesterday at 4:56 PM

Ellie pulled out her phone, ready to make a list before pausing, switching out of her list to instead send a text to Drew. "What do you mean a wedding dress?"

Isley-Yesterday at 4:57 PM

"I mean a wedding dress. We're getting married. Tomorrow. Here."

Ellie-Yesterday at 4:58 PM

"Are you?" Ellie asked, looking up from her phone with a small frown.

Isley-Yesterday at 5:00 PM

"Yeah. Daniel proposed." Isley frowned back at Ellie.

Ellie-Yesterday at 5:01 PM

"Did he?" She looked at her brother, before looking back at Isley. "Okay."

Daniel-Yesterday at 5:03 PM

Daniel gave her a confused look "Is there a problem?"

Ellie-Yesterday at 5:04 PM

Ellie watched him for a minute before shaking her head, "No, everything's fine. You should get some sleep."

Isley-Yesterday at 5:04 PM

Isley looked back and forth between them. "I  have to pee again." She left the room abruptly.

Ellie-Yesterday at 5:11 PM

Ellie watched her leave before turning to Danny again, "Hey, I'm going to go get your phone okay? I'll be back in an hour or so."

Daniel-Yesterday at 5:14 PM

"Okay.. I'll see you later." His speech was beginning to slow from the medication.

Ellie-Yesterday at 5:34 PM

Ellie returned a few hours later, walking into the room and handing him the phone that she'd made the poor man at the apple store set up for her. "Here you are. There's no password right now and it's set up to your last backup so you shouldn't notice much of a difference between your last phone and this one. I also brought you some snacks."

Daniel-Yesterday at 5:37 PM

Daniel had dozed off, peacefully now that he wasn't feeling much of the pain happening. When Ellie returned, he had just been waken up by a nurse who was taking a blood sample from him. "Oh, thank you." He took the phone and looked it over. "And thank you for the snacks." He said with a small smile, though he had been being forced to eat that day because he just didn't feel up to it.

Ellie-Yesterday at 5:42 PM

She dug around in the bags she'd brought, pointing to various foods, "I brought you some fruit, fruit snacks minus one package because I was hungry, granola bars, cookies, cereal even though it's mostly just sugar, capri sun because they're delicious, cookies, and some other shit. I just didn't really know what you wanted to eat so I figured that I'd get you a variety. Also I'm not going to get Isley a dress because I don't think that you guys should be getting married right now and I'm going to go before she wakes up, but I'll call you in a bit so you can see Rufus  and I can make it obvious that I've fed him."

Daniel-Yesterday at 5:47 PM

"Hey wait!" He tried to sit up but was stopped as the pain hit him, causing him to groan as he fell back against the bed. He really had to stop doing that. "Why are you against us getting married?"

Ellie-Yesterday at 5:51 PM

Ellie's eyes widened as she watched him, putting her hands out though she wasn't entirely sure how to help. "Don't do that! Are you okay?" She shook her head, taking a deep breath, "I'm not against you getting married Danny, if that's what you want then that's what you should do. I'm against you getting married right now though. Last week you  didn't want to get married. Three days ago you didn't want to get married. I know that trauma and whatnot can make you change your mind about things but I want you to be a little better before you make this decision. I want it to be a decision you make with a clear mind, not right after you get a traumatic brain injury. I don't want you to do anything you regret."

Daniel-Yesterday at 5:53 PM

"I'm okay." He took in a deep breath to push through the pain. "Ellie... Isley couldn't get in to see me because they don't consider her family. If we were married and something happened, she would be able to be notified and she would be able to get right in to me. I want our babies to have the same last name as their mother. I almost died, things got put into perspective. I can think clearly right now. I'm talking to you, aren't I? Do I seem off?"

Ellie-Yesterday at 5:57 PM

"You can change your emergency contact without getting married to someone. I could literally make a stranger my emergency contact and they would be notified and let in the room if anything happened." Ellie pointed out, crossing her arms over her stomach as she frowned a little, "Danny I get what you're saying, which is why I'm not saying I'm against it as a whole. I'm not going to help or support this right now though. I love you, but I can't help this. I don't want to be any part of this because it doesn't matter that you're talking to me right now. You hurt yourself, really badly. I'll support the decision when the doctor gives you an all clear and you don't need pain meds just to exist."

Daniel-Yesterday at 6:00 PM

He frowned at her words and shook his head. "Well, that's your decision. I love her and I'm not going to regret anything. I know what I'm doing."

Ellie-Yesterday at 6:04 PM

Ellie nodded, offering him a smile, "Okay." She wasn't going to tell him not to do it, so there wasn't much else to say, "Let me know if you need anything else okay? I'm going to head home."

Daniel-Yesterday at 6:06 PM

"Okay.." He felt awful that his sister refused to be a part of things but what else could he say? "Have a good night."

Isley-Yesterday at 6:08 PM

Isley woke up a few moments later to find Daniel...on a phone? "Hey," She said sleepily. "Did Ellie come by?"

Daniel-Yesterday at 6:09 PM

He nodded slowly "Yeah.. She brought me my phone and some food." He gestured to the food she had left.

Isley-Yesterday at 6:09 PM

"Did she bring me a dress?" She sat up and looked around the room.(edited)

Daniel-Yesterday at 6:15 PM

"She doesn't want us to get married." He was blunt about it, mostly because he was too medicated to be diplomatic.

Isley-Yesterday at 6:16 PM

Isley didn't understand. "She what?"

Daniel-Yesterday at 6:20 PM

"She doesn't want us to get married." he repeated with a sigh. "She said that we shouldn't do it while I'm still in the hospital. She doesn't think I'm thinking clearly."

Isley-Yesterday at 6:28 PM

That thought had crossed Isley's mind already, but Daniel had assured her he was. "You are, though, right?"

Daniel-Yesterday at 6:29 PM

"I mean, I think so.."

Isley-Yesterday at 6:29 PM

"Well that's very reassuring."

Daniel-Yesterday at 6:30 PM

He put his phone down as he lay back, looking up at the ceiling. "I think I'm just going to go back to sleep."

Isley-Yesterday at 6:31 PM

"I-Okay." She said, not wanting to stress him out even more. "Night."

Daniel-Yesterday at 6:39 PM

"Goodnight." He said softly, closing his eyes and drifting off.

[everythinginasockdrawer-blog]

Looking For You (In All The Wrong Places)

On AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11289765

 Alex was pretty sure she was going to have to punch her soulmate in the face when she finally found him (and then promptly throw the bastard in a cell to rot for all eternity). She had first noticed the greying footprints around National City right around the time she was recruited into the DEO. She hadn’t bothered trying to find him at the time, they were grey which meant there wasn’t really a point in trying (foot prints turn grey after they’re thirty minutes old, seemingly to keep people from trying to follow their soulmate’s footprints forever, instead only seeing brightly colored ones if they were recent) but now, now she wished she could find the bastard.

“Hey Danvers, come here, look at this.” Alex was brought back to the present by Vasquez’s call from across the crime scene and she jogged over to their location.

“What have you got?” She asked them, Vasquez held up a bloodied, rusty iron pipe in their gloved hand.

“I’m thinking this might be our murder weapon.” Alex snorted, looking at the amount of blood on it.

“You think? Bag it and tag it, I’ll run some tests at the lab to see if the blood matches the victim’s.” Vasquez raised an eyebrow at her, holding the pipe out closer to her face.

“I don’t know Al… I mean… This blood is only blue like our victim’s… I mean we’re all blue blooded right?” Alex rolled her eyes and (after glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention) affectionately ruffled their hair.

“Still need to run the tests Vas, you know, concrete evidence and all. Look, why don’t you double check the crime scene and get that to the lab, then you can go home, I know Lucy’s due back tonight, I’m sure you’d like some extra time together.” Vasquez shot her a thankful smile.

“Thanks Al, you want to meet up with us in the morning for breakfast? Like a late breakfast cause we aren’t going to want to leave the bed for awhile… You know what on second thought let’s make it lunch… Just in case.” Alex laughed and clapped Vasquez on the shoulder.

“How about one o’clock, I’ll meet you guys over at that Chinese place on 4th street?” They nodded, their smile contagious as they bounced on the balls of their feet.

“Thanks again, Alex. I’m gonna go finish up my stuff and head home. See you tomorrow.” They gave her a brief hug before jogging off towards the victim for a final inspection and Alex just shook her head, smiling behind them.

Alex was one of only a couple of people who knew that Lucy and Vasquez were soulmates. They had found out back when General Lane was still causing issues and they were (technically) on opposite sides of the whole thing so they’d kept quiet about it. (And then the General had forced Lucy to take a tour in Afghanistan as punishment for defying him and she’d refused to go public with their relationship because she didn’t want him trying to take it out on Vasquez as well.) Thankfully J’onn had pulled some strings and Lucy was going to be officially DEO starting the next week.

Which brought Alex back to her own soulmate, who she was starting to get really pissed off with. Why: because as far as she can tell her soulmate is a serial killer. His footprints had began showing up at every single one of her alien homicides, and not in the “I happened to have walked through the area” kind of way, but in the “I walked all over the place, circled the body and was near the murder weapon” kind of in the area. This was the sixth scene in a month he’d shown up at and she was pissed. She didn’t ask for this, she barely even wanted a soulmate in the first place…

The next afternoon she walked into The Lucky Dragon and was shocked to find Lucy and Vasquez already sitting in a booth in the back of the restaurant. She watched as Lucy’s eyes lit up when she caught sight of her and she quickly found herself pulled into a hug by the former Major.

“Hey Luce, how’re you doing?” Alex asked as they pulled apart, the other woman shrugged.

“Better now that I’m back home, missed you and Vas. And the others too I guess.” She winked and Alex rolled her eyes, knowing from her numerous letters that she did miss everybody.

“Whatever you say Luce.” Alex finally detangled herself from Lucy’s grasp and drug the other woman back to the table where her partner was waiting for them.

“Thanks for returning her, I was so worried she’d never come back to me.” They teased gently as Lucy slid into the booth next to them, pressing a quick kiss to their cheek.

“Stop being so dramatic you big baby.” They smirked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and kissing her temple. Alex rolled her eyes, trying to pretend that she was annoyed by their overly affectionate selves.

“I can go if you two need some more alone time.” Alex wiggled her eyebrows at them. Lucy shook her head.

“No, no, no. We can handle mild PDA for an hour… Probably.” Alex shook her head in amusement.

“If you say so. So how was the Middle East?” Lucy groaned and launched into a rant about the pointlessness of the entire operation. Going on about the amount of innocent people whose lives were being uprooted by the needless violence.

“Okay… Anyways on a less depressing topic… I’ve heard you’re having some issues with your soulmate.” Lucy eventually redirected the conversation and Alex groaned.

“Yeah… I’m pretty sure he’s the guy that’s been killing all of these aliens in town recently… I told J’onn about it but until I see some colored prints I can’t do much of anything about it.” Lucy frowned, squeezing Alex’s hand across the table.

“Well that sucks… I mean… If things don’t work out with him at least you can come join Vas and I. We’ve got room.” Alex smirked.

“I’m sure you do, however I’m not sure playing third wheel to the two of you for the rest of ours lives sounds super fun.” Vasquez gave a nod of understanding but Lucy just shook her head.

“Fine you can sleep with us…”

“She can?”

“...But no funny business… This one’s mine…”  Lucy kissed Vasquez and Alex rolled her eyes at them.

“Okay, if I get to lonely after I’ve thrown my soulmate into the depths of the coldest, darkest cell I can find I’ll let you know. In the meantime the food’s here so let’s eat.”

It’s not until several days later that she gets called onto a scene she was only a few blocks away from, and the first thing she noticed were the footprints leading away from the crime scene. Not that they existed, but that, for once, they were bright green. She quickly calls J’onn and tells him what’s happening before taking off running in the direction the footprints were headed (making sure to hang up the phone before J’onn can tell her not to try to apprehend the bastard by herself). She ran, watching as the colors of the footprints changed from green to yellow to orange, signaling she was getting closer to him. The prints started to turn red and Alex felt anticipation building inside her and she was somewhat surprised when they suddenly turned into a building and glancing up Alex realized she was standing in front of a coffee shop. Well I guess even murderers need their caffeine fix.

She didn’t take very long to take in the scene, a rather typical college coffee shop before her eyes sought out the footprints she’d been following and before she could even attempt to assess the person her eyes were drawn to the firearm strapped to their side and her training kicked in before she could really think about how bad of an idea it was… She full on tackled the other person to the ground.

She had her gun out and trained on they in an instant and a (small) part of her was impressed to find their own weapon aimed at her chest. Then she took a moment to take in the situation and her eyes widened in shock.

“You’re a girl!” Alex half shouted in shock as she took in her... Soulmate? Alex double checked the footprints behind her and confirmed that they led to the woman currently pinned beneath her.

“You just tackled me… Like all out football style tackled me… And that’s the first thing you have to say?” The other woman was looking at her like she was insane (and she realized she probably looked it) but she was still to shocked to realized she hadn’t actually explained why she’d assaulted the other woman, still a little fixated on that particular fact.

“But… You’re a girl…” The other woman’s face contorted into a strange (and weirdly endearing) mixture of confusion, exasperation and something that looked like anxiety.

“Yep, pretty sure we’re in agreement on that…” She looked between Alex’s face and the gun being held in front of her own. “So… Any particular reason for the armed assault or just… Happened to be feeling it today?” Alex was finally shook out of her shock and quickly reached into her back pocket and pulled out her id.

“Agent Alex Danvers, FBI.” She held out her badge for inspection and felt the other woman relax beneath her. After a second she suddenly had a badge that definitely wasn’t her own flashed in her face.

“Detective Maggie Sawyer, NCPD Science Division.” Alex’s gun dropped subconsciously to a less deadly portion of her soulmate’s body (headshots tended to be fatal) and took her id with her free hand, quickly checking to make sure it wasn’t a fake. Alex’s eyes widened again.

“You’re a cop!” Maggie’s head tilted to the side in clearly exasperated.

“Is this going to be like the whole me being a girl thing? Cause I’m still feeling a little insulted you hadn’t figured at least that part out before assaulting me…” Alex was barely listening as all of the pieces finally fell into place for her.

“Holy shit you’re a cop.” Maggie groaned. “Wait… Science Division… You’re one of the cops that investigates things that have to do with aliens.” Maggie’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Yeah, we do…” Alex leaned back, pulling her weight off the other woman and giving her a chance to sit up while she finished her line of questioning.

“You’ve been working on the case with the serial murders haven’t you?” Maggie sat up, still watching Alex warily.

“Yeah I have… How on Earth could you know that?” It was at this point Alex realized Maggie didn't know they were soulmates and she quickly scrambled off of her. She holstered her weapon and pulled the Detective to her feet before pointing to the floor behind them.

“Yours have been all over every crime scene I’ve gone too.” Maggie looked around Alex and her eyebrows shot up when she realized what Alex was referring to.

“Wait a minute… You’re my… Wait, why did you attack me? You could have just… I don't know… Said hello?” Alex blushed, scratching the back of her neck in embarrassment as she gazed down at Maggie.

“Well… Like I said earlier… You’re footprints have kind of been all over all of my crime scenes in what’s been deemed a series of murders by the same individual… And I didn’t think that was a coincident… Which it wasn’t… I just thought you were the perp not one of the investigators…” Maggie snorted.

“You thought I was a serial killer?” Alex shrugged.

“The universe has a way of hating me… Though…” She made a show of checking the shorter woman out, “It was probably just trying to make up for giving me one hell of a hot soulmate.” She watched the other woman’s cheeks flush bright red and she ducked her head.

“I… Definitely understand the feeling.” Maggie bit her lip while giving Alex a once over and the redhead felt a pleased shive run down her spine. “Though you didn’t explain the whole body slamming me to the ground thing yet…” Alex shrugged.

“I saw you had a gun and my training kicked in… Training… Shit hold on…” Alex quickly pulled out her phone and speed dialed J’onn. “Hey… Yes I’m fine, false alarm… Yeah I’m sure… I’ll explain when I get back to base… Yes sir, I’m sure… Positive… Yes I did… Are you sure… Yes sir… Okay I’ll see you in the morning… Bye…” Alex hung up and put her phone away. “Figured we didn’t really need an assault team at the moment…” Maggie smiled.

“That might… Put a bit of a damper on things…” She looked around the shop and realized that at some point after the whole drawing guns on each other thing that everyone had fled the building.

“Maybe we should get out of here…” Maggie laughed and it was one of the best thing Alex had ever heard in her life (she was hit with the realization she was probably going to need to take a moment to process the realization she’s gay, but it seems to pale in comparison to the realization she had found her (not a serial killer) soulmate).

“Well, I was heading to go hit up one of my info hubs to see if I could learn anything… Wanna come with?” Alex smiled.

“That, sounds perfect.”

It wasn’t until much later, after shaking down a couple of guys for information, a couple rounds of some basically non-alcoholic drink and a around dozen games of pool, that she realized that Lucy and Vasquez were never going to let her live this down cause she had what was probably one of the most unusual/embarrassing soulmate-meeting stories in existence… At least until Kara called them in a panic three months later after she discovered Lena Luthor was her soulmate...

[ladyoftheglaive-blog]

Request writing readerxNoctis

Finally! Here's some writing! Say what!? About time I know. This was a request from a good friend here on Tumblr, and I know it took me forever to write, but it's done and I'm so sorry I took so long! I really do hope you enjoy it! Here you are @cho-cho-chocobros I really do hope it's all you were hoping for and I did your vision justice. ----------------------------------------------------- You were sitting on the edge of the couch laughing as you watched Prompto flail around trying to play a video game on the large tv. "Gaaahhh!" Prompto yelled as he scooted closer to the tv "they keep killing me!" "Well if you maybe would stop just standing in the open" Noctis said with a laugh "you're a sniper dude, go hide and snipe" You watched as Prompto failed as the character he was playing and switched to a new character "This ones gotta be better" Prompto mumbled as he focused intently on the game You smiled and stood up from the couch grabbing some plates with left over pieces of cake and taking them to the kitchen where Ignis and Gladio where standing and talking with a few drinks. "Did you enjoy your birthday?" You asked Ignis with a smile "Very much so" His face lit up and he nodded "it was very unexpected" You smiled as you rinsed off the dishes and put them away "I am looking forward to using my new coffee machine in the morning" "Great I'm glad!" You gave Ignis a hug and he gave you one back You walked back to the living room where Prompto was grinning from ear to ear playing the game and sitting way to close to the tv You sat down next to Noctis and cuddled up into his side as he wrapped his arm around you. You'd been dating the prince for a while now and he meant everything to you, and you to him. Ignis and Gladio joined everyone in the living room and immediately started giving Prompto hell trying to throw of his momentum. "Stop it!" Prompto yelled "I'm finally getting the hang of it" "But you're in the spawn room, you just died" Ignis said matter of a fact "Here, then you do better!" Prompto pouted as he shoved the controller into Iggys hand Ignis was rather good at the game, he flicked the buttons quickly and got kill after kill. Everyone sat in silence watching Ignis skillfully play the game, some sipping a drink here and there. Ignis won a few matches and then passed the controller over to Gladio with a smirk "It's not that hard, rather simple" he said pushing up his glasses Gladio just shook his head and leaned forward on the edge of his seat ready to kick some ass. Gladio is actually fairly decent at the game, he wins most of the matches and loses a couple, but always has an explanation as to why it wasn't his fault he lost. "Hey" Noctis looks at you with a smirk "your turn" You tense up, you hate being put on the spot. Also you've never played the game and wouldn't even know how and don't want to be embarrassed. "No I'm good" you shake your head "id rather watch you guys play" you sink even deeper into the couch cushions "Common do it" Prompto teasingly smacks your leg "No" you say shaking your head "No means no" Ignis jumps in "let her watch and maybe she'll want to play later" he finishes giving you a side look You appreciated Ignis jumping to your rescue and getting the boys off your back, you let out a sigh of relief The controller got handed off to Noctis and he played with such focused determination, he kept giving you looks to see if he was impressing you and you just "ooooed" and "awed" at your needy boyfriend with a happy smile The boys were super into the game, Gladio and Prompto were having a few drinks and starting to get tipsy and loud. Ignis sat in his chair his arms crossed and watched almost with a judgmental look at the tv, he was probably analyzing the gameplay and how they could play better and win. "You gotta play" Noctis put the controller in your hand, and you froze feeling your palms yet sweaty "I'm good" you mumbled trying to hand it back but Noctis threw his hands in the air with a smile "No! Common I bet you'll be better then all of us!" Prompto smiled at you with big begging eyes "I mean..." you started to say but Noctis pushed the start button on your controller and threw you into a match "Shit" you said as you panicked and started button mashing and running off the cliff and dying "Well oops... see I'm no good" you tried to laugh "Did you not read the tip on the loading page?" Noctis inquired raising an eyebrow "I totally was spacing out" you lied What no one knew was that you suffered severally from dyslexia. Reading was definitely not your thing and incredibly hard for you. You would rather fight a horde of daemons then try and read in front of everyone. "Again!" Prompto cheered with his drink "I suck" you snapped "Nah," Noctis said and put his hand on your leg "you've got this, just read the instructions on how to play the character" You shifted uncomfortably and tucked your leg under yourself Ignis was watching you intently now, he had his suspicions about you and your dyslexia. He was worried but intrigued to see the outcome. The game started again and you button mashed harder this time, gritting your teeth together "Read the instructions" Prompto said with a laugh "You're not even trying" Noctis teased you "let me show you" Noctis took the controller and opened the menu to the instructions and gave you the controller back "There you go" Noctis said with a smile You just stared at the screen, nothing made sense to you. You really did try and read it but you just couldn't and especially with the pressure you were panicking. "Good?" Gladio was watching you and seeing your chest rise and fall faster and faster, seeing you start to panic. "Fine" you mumble looking down at the controller "Uh?" Prompto started "is the text to small or something?" "Just nervous" you tried to smile "Why babe?" Noctis said poking your side "it's just us, we've done weirder things together" he smirked "Reading probably wasn't your best class was it?" Prompto teased "And I thought I was a slow reader" Noctis said with a laugh You were feeling your face get red and hot, you felt the tears beginning to brim on your waterline. You started getting flashbacks of school and all the harsh criticism and bullying you received for being dyslexic. Ignis noticed and gestured to Gladio then he gestured to you "You guys need to stop!" Gladio bursted out and stood up grabbing you and pulling you up from the couch You lost it, you started sobbing and wrapped your arms around Gladio and he walked out of the room and out onto the patio. Noctis bolted up and was going to run after you but Ignis stood in his way "Let me past" Noctis said through bared teeth "Leave her be" Ignis sighed and motioned Noctis back to the couch "What happened!?" Noctis yelled out feeling angry beyond belief. He never wanted to see you hurting or upset let alone let it be his fault. "Have you ever noticed anything with her and a possible disability before?" Ignis inquired pushing up his glasses and then crossing his arms "Uh what?" Noctis was taken aback "She struggles to read" Ignis said matter a fact Prompto was just sitting there with his mouth wide open, he felt so bad. "You're telling me she had issues reading? Like what dyslexia?" Noctis was starting to catch on and thinking back seeing the signs all along. "That's been my assumption" Ignis went on "the signs have been subtle but there" Promptos face got red and he put his head in his hands Noctis fisted his hands and looked around trying to think of how to fix his mistake Gladio was holding you out on the patio. The cold night air was helping you calm down and to cool you off. You pulled away from Gladio and angrily wiped the tears from your face. "I'm sorry" you said with a sniffle "Don't" he said sternly "I'll kick their teeth in" he started to say and you shot him a dirty look "What!?" He looked taken aback "I never want anyone to hurt you, you're like my little sister" he said Gladio and his family had been incredibly close to your family your whole life and more or less became each other's families, he honestly felt like your big brother. He was the whole reason you ever met Noctis and fell in love with him. "I should have told them" you said looking at the ground "It's not an easy thing to do" Gladio said resting his hand on your shoulder "I know..." you sighed You heard the patio door open and light footsteps come out, you recognized them. "Go away" Gladio grumbled You turned and saw Noctis standing there with the saddest face "It's fine Gladdy," you said with a smile wrapping your arms around yourself "I wanna be alone with him for a minute" Gladio gave you and unsure look and walked past Noctis making sure to shoulder him as he walked inside, almost knocking him over. Noctis brushed off Gladio and walked over to you "I am so sorry" he said in his most sincere voice "I am too" you said with a faint smile "I had no idea but I should haven't done that either way" he grabbed your hands "I should have told you" your eyes were starting to get glossy again "I understand" he said and pulled you into a hug and held your head against his chest "I never want to hurt you" he breathed into your hair his lips against your forehead "I want to be the one who protects you always and makes you happy" he kissed your head "I know" you smiled "I love you my princess" he whispered You smiled and looked up at him and kissed his lips "I love you too my prince" and you pecked his lips again "Do you forgive me?" He said "I mean I don't deserve it but I really do feel awful" "Of course I forgive you" "Promise me something" he put his hand under your chin and made you look into his eyes "Yes?" His look was intoxicating "Tell me everything, never hide anything from me and know that no matter what, I will always accept every part of you" he said seriously "I promise" You smiled and nodded your head and he smiled back at your going in for another kiss You heard the patio door slam open and footsteps running towards you You felt the air rush out of your lungs as a blonde blur slammed into you, grabbing you around the middle. "I'm so sorry!" Prompto yelled out sniffling, his eyes bright red "I had no idea! I'm such an ass" You wrapped your arms around him and gave him a huge hug "It's ok I promise I'm sorry too" you patted his back "No don't you dare say you're sorry!" He sobbed "Prompto everything's ok I promise" you said with a smile and a small laugh "I really appreciate how much you care and I know you wouldn't ever want to hurt me" "No never!" He let go of you and wiped his eyes and nose across his arm "Is everything alright out here?" Ignis asked peering out the door "Yeah" you smiled and grabbed both their hands "we are great" you laughed "Good, now come inside, I think it's time for a movie" Ignis smiled and walked away "That sounds good, lets go" you started walking back inside "I'm cuddling you both, just so you know" Prompto said his face still puffy and red You and Noctis looked at each other and bursted out laughing as you stepped back inside, grasping each other's hands and never wanting to let go.

[tomaschronosart]

I can remember writing a story about a cackle of hyenas whom were mindlessly roaming The Unending Desert, from memory I had depicted them as these anthropomorphic creatures – nearly human enough to recall. I was in Mrs. Dyer's class, so grade 6. I remember how calm and confident I felt doing this particular task, it seemed like I knew how to flow and tap into some source from the get go.The feeling of calm comfortability was very rare for me. Mrs. Dyer played the entire class a song and requested we create a narrative based on our initial thoughts, feelings and reactions to the song. As a kid with a bed time, I mostly just passed out from exhaustion, instead of actually going to sleep… I would lie awake every night, wired, manic and fearful. I began writing stories in my head early on in an attempt to soothe and channel my chronic anxieties.. I had constructed the usual traumatized-child-fantasy-universe – a safe place where I could manifest the perception of control. I never minded sleeplessness, as it created an apt environment for cognitive free-running, I adjusted. My fantastical bedtime stories were vanilla, from memory.. drug cartels, mercenary adventures in the jungle, sci-fi opera journeys and sometimes just a regular old adventure where me and mine would acquire some kind of drug or person or thing. For a long time, I had an obsession with unearthing new control techniques to quench the thirst of my firmly embedded insomnia - I had stock-standard/methodical/repetitive stories that would take 2-3 ours to ‘create n complete’. If there was a satisfying and coherent beginning, middle and an end to te story, I could sleep. Nights were always hardest and darkest for me – I have no idea how old I was when my sleep hygiene began deteriorating. And though, sleeplessness was uncomfortable and I was never keen on being tired – After doing the reading recovery program, I could finally read, so I was quick to pick up the –read-in-bed- habit. I began hearing other peoples stories, a welcome change. if I was feeling particularly flowy, I’d organize one of my card collections. I would try to master some new drawing technique... but I could sit behind a computer for 18-24 hours straight and ride the wave playing some puzzle or anything else repetitive enough to numb my mind. I remember how icy cold I’d get during winter - how blue my hands would become after hours of sitting stationary at my desk.. I would leave my window open throughout the night to keep the computer cool, it lagged if it overheated. I used to think that if I didn’t pay any attention to the cold, I would not feel the cold. Before I was 10, I had not come across any one thing that transfixed me. I had not yet become addicted to anything yet, I think? – that is until Puzzle Pirates!!! Shit, when that fucker came into the picture.. well, I no longer gave a shit about anything but Puzzle pirates. I could not cope with the disconnection, exile and the incessant bullying I copped from my peers. The frustrated messes waiting for me at home were suckin down durries, grog and sugar as hungrily as the machines cha-chinning for their money at the pub. I still am heeding these calls I am too tired to remember. I am still sweeping the dust away from these things I cant forget. At times, I miss the calm comfortability of not needing drugs; I miss the warmth that seeped away whilst roaming the waking world; I miss my Lunar lover, who would speak to me in dreams/ through dreams i could See through, cast away, be at ease. I hold on Tightly- still, To whatever vice’ll’suffice. seeming to soothe and appease the beast / my early coping strategies of hermitage and avoidance, protect me from momentum Games and story telling and art replication – I wanted to draw cartoon characters, as I was exposed to their stories more than my own peoples. I can still remember the countless hours, days and weeks of social isolation and voiceless anxiety. Sugar – one of the quickest ways to soothe my boiling baby brain. I keep thinking of the root of this addiction as a loss or lack of social belonging , or maybe I am lamenting another warped perception of my self .. I remember that I was so emotive and empathic and open but also unregulated, neglected and full of painful confusion. I forget that I still am. I felt so damn old all the time. I remember the sunshine splattering through the windows, onto the dashboard of mums old Ford Laser. We were doing one of our usual trips to Warrandyte for her housekeeping job with then Heffernans. I remember looking out over the balcony at the rear of their place, taking in the kilometers of bush and possibility. I black out their olympic size swimming pool - i nearly drowned in it a few times. While I was peering out across the sky,I was fretting over forgetting how I came to be standing there. I did not understand how I forgot- I remembered the sunshine On my face, So I knew, I had gotten there, though I could not remember how. I wanted to be a boy. I was a boy. I became a girl, as expected. , football was a medium, a bridge for the repressed masculinity – I didn't like to exercise, I did not want to be made of aware of my breathing, bleeding bio sac. my body was unimportant and sickly and tired and stressed and depressed, chronically– I reflect now and see how maladaptive a depressive I am. Always, wanting to escape the confines of the very thing I want to inhabit and realize? //// ah!!! the system that creates its own dependence, to substantiate its usage of the finite well, shall never recognize its own self-destructive carelessness. For having ignored the infinite well, the system, as it stands, shall fall. And that well that never runs dry? Well, I always forget about it. I use everything I have ever touched// to coin a collection of concepts Only I can comprehend. But, this is making it easier. I can see a bit clearer now. I can ease into the next step, less weary than before. But why? The further away I wander, the more susceptible I am to rot. In time, these things will return … and of my soul? My soul shall ache and pupate once more, Forlorn, I remember///! how I forgot – to start, To stop. And who's justifications am I leaning towards now? My deep dwelling fears and my leering observations are erratic, Unsustainable, Confusing. THE MAD ARM OF THE Y – an obstruction arises along the path creating the crossroads of forever, Two new paths, the same old path. I am alone, finally – at peace. At ease, with my failures, for now. No mirror I stumble upon can stave off my stare, Why should they? to see through what I can only see when I Stop, start and Refresh is my responsibility. I am so sorry, that I show A me that thinks it can have something It is not worthy of. Give me nothing and give me everything - I have been in all of the wrong places. I know I think wrong, and that I have made it too hard on myself. I know these revelations have been a long time coming but- I sat there and I remembered, It is to me and to me alone that I must consort with. I seek council amongst my memories and I find shelter in my solitude. These flickering unrealities I thought were gone - Pls, just hold onto the everlasting, Try, bust through space and time and just- Breathe. My desire for my true end has faded, I see life again, manifest. The 10,000 directions in front of me, the Myriad forever, the calf of endless suffering howls my name so doggardly. And change and change and change And grow and grow and grow, And that's all u r doing and that's all U can do. individualism is not the thing That u share with me, nor I with u. I remembered just now, that Id like to talk with u and, Share space. How I miss fixing shit with you. How u and me, we used to sit in the park and heal our aching thoughts- Work'd be done and the day was forever- and the thoughts would come, and go. And I miss it cause it kept me closer to my people – for when I speak amongst my kin, I am Home and full hearted – But I lost all my chill, I lost all my capitol, frankly. Then - it snow balled, as it always does. I feel I have been too sad to be a friend, too fucked to really feel love, I fear I am to scattered to comprehend my responsibilities And I’m too damn lonely to ask for help. And so what? Now what? Just keepin up with the fuckin fog is hard enough, I know I just gotta slow down and risk a bit of pain and ease into warmth and trust that its true. My silence has done me a disservice. My love for u, eternally/ Evergrateful / be am me, For all is as it could be. Chained to nought but my fears, Lovingly I say to u, from the mouth of Beth Ditto, “If everything u do has a hole in it, then everything u do has a hold on me, I been here before I should be used to this, But I can't take it no more, I can't take it no more, no oooo, Ooooooooo ooooooo ooooo,” (And to me I always sing:) “Yr mangled hrt, yr bitter love that's hangin onto memories, Ur lettin go of everything that ussed to be, U build me up to let Me down…” And from the channels of me, I wonder, what am I releasing? Capitulating with comrades, A sparrow new found – tiny and fragile, Like glass, Rock hard and clear/ transparent but, still. It is shattered Spraying and sputtering nuggets of raw energy. Crack and singe, whatever mind of mine is waning by the wayside. Moments of forever, Of the eternal calm of belonging- Jan Cadman’s Kyneton property, We’s just yabbies in the dam. / I think I can see, I wanna chill, like when I was there. As conceited as I can be- some people I never need to feel again. Thin ice, let me drown. My neck is under deep, it's me and me alone that keeps quiet. I've been drowning, again, like always. I just got sick from telling people.. Only I can save me, I forgot, I forgot.