#i miss these fuckers soooo much

[the-kingofdoritos]

Llwch ar yr aelwyd - mechanisms fanfiction

There were only the two of them left. Only two Mechanisms left. Just Brian and The Toy Soldier.

The others had all left, died or had gone missing without a trace. It had been horrible, but after a milenia Brian had gotten used to it. He had almost gotten used to the overwhelming loneliness that penetrated through his whole brass body. Even with the toy soldier as company, it just made him miss the others even more. He knew it was almost his time.

And so he had decided to land the Aurora on a small planet in the middle of nowhere. It was warm, there were flowers, and it was very pretty. And a nice place to spend his last day alive. The toy soldier had the good idea to go and watch the sunrise, as it seemed to realise what Brian was about to do.

And so they find an old battered blanket, it's covered in blood (Jonnys) and what seem to be a few other substances, and it smells familiar. They end up sitting down on that to watch the sunrise one last time.

“It's very beautiful isn't it, old chap?” the toy soldier pipes up. It's sitting cross legged, its wooden arms perched on either of its knees. The permanently painted smile seems much more downcast than usual.

“It is,” Brain agrees, though he doesn't look away from the sky to answer it’s question.

The sky is bathed in a bright orange, yellow, dark blue and a plethora of colours that seem too vibrant to be real. The sun peaks up from behind a dull mountain rage. He can't help but think that jonny and tim would complain about how boring it would be to watch a sunrise, but how they wouldn't move and would lay there in the grass next to him, small smiles on their faces.

How ashes would compare it to a raging fire.

How Marius would be playing his violin, one he would have pulled out of thin air.

How Raphaella would be trying to explain the scientific reason for a sunrise, and how the sky’s colours changed and other scientist things.

How ivy would be reading a book, not even listening or watching the others. But she would remark that the sky is incredibly pretty, and how she wished he had done something like this before.

Brian wished he could cry, but Carmilla hadn't given him tear ducts. At one time he was incredibly grateful for this, but now it just seems like a cruel joke. He can't even cry about his friend's family’s death.

He wishes they had more time. But he knows that would be cruel. None of them were ever truly happy, and they hadn't been since Nastya left. She almost seems like a fever dream now, and Brian can't say he even remembers much about her. And that hurts, stings and breaks his human heart.

“Toy soldier,” he speaks with a wavering voice, one of the only ways he can show emotion.

“Yes Brian?” it asks.

“Can… Can I have a hug?” he whispers it, because if he speaks any louder he will break down into ugly sobs. And then jonny would make fun of him because it would be a waste of a perfectly good morning.

“Of course you can,” its wooden arms wrap around his brass body, and he leans into it. Carmilla did put in nerves, and for that he is grateful. He cant feel temperature though, but if he could he knows the toy soldier is wooden and would be quite cold.

And there the two last Mechanisms stay, wrapped up in each other's arms.

The sun is gracing the sky with its brightness by the time either of them move.

Going back onto the cold and silent starship, back onto the Aurora who had stopped responding to them when Nastya had left. It almost feels like a deathwish, but Brian nor the Toy Soldier hesitate when entering the ship one last time. It feels like one last goodbye. And Brian knows it's the end.

That night, the airlock is open and waiting for him. A cup of tea on a table by it. His heart swells with joy for one last time as he drinks the warm beverage. He doesn't see the toy soldier, but he knows the tea is its way of saying goodbye. He can't think of what will happen to it when he’s gone, because that would be cruel.

The airlock is familiar, it's cold, and it's his death. And for one final time, he feels warm. And then it's gone as the coldness of space digs into his brass skin freezing him from the outside in as he completes the cycle. One last time.

The first mechanism died in space, and so did the last one. He became a mechanism in the vast coldness of space and ended his time as a mechanism in the vast coldness of space. The cycle is complete, one last time.

~He's not for heaven, nor yet for hell~

~Lost in the cosmos, Lonely~

[that-fic-girl]

HAZBIN HOTEL X READER HC #1

Head canon: what it would be like to date them.

characters: Alastor, angel dust, husk, vox

disclaimer: everything i write about these characters might not be accurate to the actual story, please take everything in the fic with a grain of salt, none of this is canon!!

Alastor

he hasnt been in an actual relationship in a while so being close and vulnerable with someone is quite hard for him, especially as someone who associates emotions with weakness.

First off, its safe to say he adores the ground you walk on. He's in love with everything about you, your clothes, the smell of your hair, your sickly sweet voice. his loves it all.

If there was ever a problem you needed fixing, a person you needed taken care of or even a errand you needed to run he would tend to it himself. he would not let you lift a finger.

PDA is a iffy thing for him, he wouldnt do grand big gestures but maybe a hand on the hip or a few words of affirmation.

everyone in the pride ring quickly learned of yours and radio demon's relationship. And no one dared to mess with you, ofcourse there was people who wanted to test their luck but they would have to pay the price later.

his love language is definitely words of affirmation, he will sweet talk the shit out of you. At night when it's just you two in bed, he will have his hands stroking through your hair whilst you rant to him about your day and he'll reply with sweet nothings

"oh darling, i've missed you all evening"

"you looked ravishing today my dear.."

"mm your hair smells amazing, my love"

Angel Dust

Angel is one of, if not, the horniest mother fuckers out there but somehow, he manages to somewhat make a healthy relationship with someone.

you two are seen as "the bad bitch" couple. you're always out together, always getting into dumb shit together. You'll get yelled at by vaggie at early hours in the morning because the two of you where playing a childish game of tag in the hotel halls.

his love language is definitely physical touch, he'll have his arms slung around your waist almost all the time. Kisses are a MUST every 5 minutes, like this boy will NOT part from you. especially in the mornings when you have to leave for work;

"mmnnnnoooooooo...stayyy for five minutes pleasseeeee"

"but sweets..you're soooo warm"

"sweetheart please, you feel so comfy"

yeah good luck with that.

nights with him are VERY eventful, if it wasn't obvious. You two would usually be at it late hours into the night but sometimes, when you two where too exhausted to fuck like rabbits, he would be sprawled across your lap whilst you stroked his fur.

Husk

Despite his harsh tone and uncompromising demeanor, you understood that Husk wasn't trying to be malicious towards you. It was simply his way of communicating, and you knew that his behavior wasn't personal. Even though he could be abrasive at times, you loved him for his rough edges and authentic personality

You and Husk's time together was mostly spent at the bar. You didn't like to drink much, but you loved seeing him work and make cocktails like a pro. You didn't mind that it wasn't considered a typical date, because you liked spending time with him in whatever way he felt most comfortable.

Husk is not used to receiving compliments, as he didn't often receive them in his past life. When you complimented him, it caught him off guard and he was surprised. But he eventually learned to appreciate it, and it even made him feel a little sentimental.

Despite the difficulty, you were able to help Husk realize that you genuinely cared about him. He had been used to being surrounded by dishonesty and hypocrisy, but you were always sincere and real. He held you in high regard, as you were the only source of light in his life, and he didn't want to lose you.

vox

You were known as a strong and independent person who didn't need assistance from others. You knew how to stand up for yourself, despite being harsh and tough at times. Despite your exterior, no one was aware of the soft spot in your heart that Vox's affection and touch alone could melt away your severity.

He appreciated seeing your affectionate side, as it felt special and intimate, like a shared secret between the two of you. He knew you valued your privacy, and he respected it by never sharing photos or other details on social media. He didn't want to betray your trust.

You were often feared and respected when you were with Vox. People found it hard to believe that someone as intimidating as yourself could have a tender, caring side that was kept hidden from most. Vox was glad that he was the only one who got to see that side of you. He didn't want to share something so special and personal with anyone else.

Quite often, he would call you on the phone, knowing that sweet words could be just as effective as a kiss. He enjoyed hearing how your voice softened from its usual seriousness to a more affectionate tone. He was aware that when he said loving phrases to you, you would blush and smile shyly, and sometimes he even regretted not being able to witness it in person.

"i've missed you today babe.."

"mhm look at my pretty girl/boy!"

[eiightysixbaby]

i’ll be home for christmas

PART FOUR: Merry Christmas, Darling

previous chapter || series masterlist

word count: 7.4k

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader

summary: eddie’s return sends you through emotional turmoil. can things go back to the way they were?

cw: angst, there’s a lotttt of feelings in this chapter whew what a ride, mentions of alcohol consumption, brief mention of reader’s parents - they aren’t described it’s just mentioned that we go to see them, reader’s nickname is ‘sunny’

author’s note: the final part is here!! thank you all soooo much for coming on this little journey with me. i’ve had so much fun writing this fic, and i appreciate every kind comment i’ve received. keep your eyes peeled in the coming weeks, there’s an extra something i’m working on for this universe :)

Present Day: Christmas Eve, 1989.

Eddie. You’re staring at Eddie, that much you know. He’s standing right in front of you, yet it all feels hazy. There’s a ringing in your ears that won’t stop, a sickness in your gut that won’t ease. You say nothing as you step aside to let Dustin and the rest of the kids rush to the door to greet the man before you.

He looks at you, desperately, before being swarmed by everyone else.

“Eddie! Holy shit!!” Dustin yells, throwing his full weight at the man and barely giving him time to get his bearings.

“What are you doing here!?” Lucas asks, pushing Dustin out of the way to get his own hug.

“Slow down, you gremlins,” Eddie laughs. Oh, god, his laugh. It makes your stomach churn. What was once music to your ears is now an unfamiliar sound. You’d know his laugh anywhere. But you don’t feel like you know him anymore. “How’s everyone doing? I missed you fuckers,” he says, ruffling Max’s hair.

“We missed you,” she says, rolling her eyes as if she can’t be bothered. Eddie knows it’s just an act.

You move out of the doorway, feeling like you’re in a daze as you walk back to the living room.

“Did you guys know about this?” you ask Nancy, Robin, and Steve once they turn expectantly to catch your reaction to the whole surprise.

“Yeah, he got in a few days ago. We wanted it to be a surprise,” Robin says, biting her bottom lip in an attempt to cover a smile.

“Right,” you say, not matching her excitement as you sit down in an empty chair. It explains why the girls were acting so weird during your baking session. It explains why you made the stupid raspberry cookies.

You can feel Jonathan’s eyes boring into you, watching your every move. You don’t look at him, knowing you’ll break if you see the concerned expression you know will be on his face. Nancy’s about to say something when Eddie and the teens come swarming in, Dustin already blabbering his ear off. You go stiff in your seat, not meeting those gorgeous brown eyes and instead keeping your face trained on the floor.

Jonathan stands, moving to greet Eddie as he’s the only one who hasn’t yet. “What’s up, man? You back for good?” he asks.

“Yeah. Yeah I think I am,” he says. “It’s good to see you.” You know everyone’s eyes are on you, including his. You know they’re waiting for you to say something. Your silence is ear-splitting, and it feels like a bomb is about to go off.

Everyone moves to surround Eddie, except you, but you can’t blame them. They ask him for all of the details about Chicago, his reasons for moving back, anything and everything. You catch him looking around their faces, trying to get you to look at him, but you avoid his eyes every time. You thought this was what you wanted. You thought seeing him would fix everything.

But it didn’t.

If anything, your heart feels even more shattered. He thinks he can just come home, show up at this party without warning and you’re just going to fall into his arms? Confess your love for him? Act like nothing has happened?

He’s too nonchalant, the way he talks to the group. The way he sits casually on Steve’s sofa, the way he grabs cookies and a drink to indulge in.

A part of you wants to be upset with your friends for hiding this from you, for giving you no warning, but the other part of you knows they were just trying to make you happy. This was supposed to make you happy. You’re unhappy without Eddie, and now he’s here and you’re still unhappy. What is wrong with you?

It’s too much, your head feeling like it’s going to cave in as you listen to the chatter around you. Eddie’s voice is grating in your ears, and you can’t bear to look at his face — you know you’ll just burst into tears. He’s in the middle of telling a story about his attempts to land a recording gig when you stand from your seat, stopping him mid-sentence.

Without a word, you walk quickly to Steve’s back door, letting yourself out to the backyard. You can hear Jonathan call after you, but you don’t want to be bothered. The cold air hits you harder without your coat on, and you wrap your arms around yourself to keep as warm as possible. Steve’s covered pool is coated with a layer of ice and snow, and the lights from inside make the snow sparkle. Inhaling deeply, the icy air burns your lungs, but at least you’re feeling something definite. Your emotions are all over the place, none of them clear or easy to work through.

Maybe you should just go home. Just slink off to your car and go, because you certainly can’t be here with him. As if on cue, sent by some fucked up force in the universe that loves to put you through the wringer, the door slides open.

You hear shoes crunch on the snowy ground, bulky steps that can only come from heavy boots. A deep breath is taken but it’s not enough, you feel like you can’t get any air when he’s taking it all from you. Standing still, you stare straight ahead, your back facing who you know is right behind you. You can’t bear to turn around, to be the one to face him first.

“Sunny,” is all he says. His voice is soft, but it raises every hair on your neck. You’re back to a year ago, to that horrible place he took you to and locked you away in.

You steel yourself, preparing for the floor to fall out beneath you and trying your damndest to be ready for it.

“Please, look at me.”

Turning, slowly, your eyes lock with his. He looks the same as he did the last time you saw him, except now his face fills your mouth with a sour taste. You don’t like this feeling.

“I missed you,” he says, quietly.

His hands are tucked in the front pocket of his jeans, his face barely visible in the dark. He looks at you almost expectantly, like you’re supposed to do something here. Like this isn’t insane.

“I can’t do this, Eddie,” you say, barely above a whisper. Your voice is failing you.

He hears you anyway, his ears so attuned to anything and everything you have to say. You don’t look the same, the usual fire behind your eyes is gone. It worries him.

“Please, just… I came back for you. I’ve never stopped thinking about you.”

“Please don’t. Don’t do that, Eddie,” you warn, tears burning at your eyes.

“Do what? Be honest with you? I’m sorry Sunny. I’m so sorry. But it’s the truth. I’ve never stopped missing you,” he presses. His tone isn’t harsh, but passionate. You know he’s being honest, and it makes you want to throw up.

“So, what? You’re just going to walk in here and act like everything is normal? Like this isn’t fucking weird?” you ask, getting progressively louder as you go. He’s standing not even a foot away, silent. What can he say?

“You’ve been gone for a year, Eddie. You left me, you barely gave me a warning!” you hiss, stepping further away from him. Retreating into yourself, protecting yourself.

He takes a step toward you, chancing it. Reaching a hand out as if to grab you and comfort you. You don’t let him, slinking out of his touch.

“Sunny, please. Can we talk about this?” he asks, his voice desperate as he pleads with you.

“You didn’t want to talk it over when you made the decision to leave,” you spit. “So maybe I don’t want to talk things over now. I’m sorry you thought I’d just fall right into your arms again, but it’s not happening, Eddie. This? Whatever it is we had? It’s done, it’s gone. You can thank yourself.” You brush past him, slamming the door shut behind you once you’ve entered the house again. Anger and hurt blaze through your veins in a deadly concoction, your vision blurry with the hot tears that sting in your eyes.

Eddie follows after you, hot on your trail, emotion-strained voice calling out from behind. “Sunny. Sunny!”

You don’t give him the satisfaction of a response, simply putting your coat on and grabbing your purse. “I’m leaving. I’m sorry, everyone,” you say curtly, and then you’re heading towards the front door, stepping outside into the cold night with nothing more than the slam of the wood.

Eddie stands in the living room, forlorn as everyone just looks around, unsure of what to do. Of all the ways this reunion could have gone, they certainly didn’t expect this. They thought it would make you happy, not make everything worse.

“I have to go get her—” he starts, frantic as he pats down his pockets for his car keys.

“Eddie, I don’t think that’s the best idea,” Robin says warily, standing from her seat on the couch.

“I let her go once!” Eddie yells, a painful twinge to his tone. “I can’t let it happen again.”

He looks like a kicked puppy, scared where he stands in the middle of Steve’s home. The looks everyone gives him are pitying, and it makes him scoff as he starts to pace, running his hands through his hair.

“You need to give her space, man,” Jonathan adds, trying to calm him down. “If you bombard her right now, it’ll only make her more upset.”

Eddie looks at him, saying nothing. His eyes are glassy, tears threatening to spill but he doesn’t want to let them. The impulsive part of him wants to tell Jonathan to fuck off — he used to know you like that. He used to be the person that knew everything about you, and now Jonathan has taken his place. Even if only platonically. He bites his tongue, reminding himself of the unfortunate truth that it’s his own fault you aren’t close anymore.

“I— I just need some air,” Eddie settles on, turning around and going back out to the backyard.

He isn’t out there for long before he hears someone else join him. Turning, he’s a little surprised to see Jonathan. He’d expected Steve, maybe Dustin.

“Hey,” Eddie says, his hands in his pockets as he stares out across the yard.

“Hey,” Jonathan replies, taking slow steps closer to him. “Listen, Eddie,” he starts after a pause. “You put her through a lot this last year,” he says. Eddie can tell by his tone he’s not trying to be unkind or sour, but it still hurts. It’s hard to admit that he was so incredibly wrong, and that his actions are having major consequences. He never wanted to hurt you this badly. Everything had spun out of control, and he’s to blame.

“I know, man. I know,” he replies. “I’m sorry about it.”

Jonathan just looks at him, watching him carefully. There’s a brief silence, before Eddie takes a deep breath and a little leap of faith.

“Can you talk to her for me?”

He looks at the man beside him, breath hitched in his throat, nervous.

“Eddie—”

“Please, man. She… she trusts you. In a way that she doesn’t trust me anymore. And I know that that’s my fault, but…” he takes a shaky breath, furiously swiping at his wet eyes with his thumb. “I want to earn her trust back. I want her back.”

Jonathan thinks this over, running his tongue over his teeth behind his top lip as if collecting the taste Eddie’s words leave in his mouth. Meeting Eddie’s eyes, his gaze softens when he sees the pain sitting on his face.

“Okay. I’ll try to talk to her,” Jonathan says finally, and Eddie lets out a relieved breath. “But. I’m not promising anything. If she wants to cut ties with you, that’s her business, and I can’t force her to do anything. You screwed up last year, Ed. I’m not trying to rub salt in your wounds, I just need you to understand why this is so hard for her.”

Eddie almost wants to laugh. Jonathan has a way of saying harsh things — of giving you the truth — yet not making you feel like complete shit while he does it. Eddie knows that he cares, he just cares on a level that not everyone does.

“I know. Trust me, I know that,” he sighs, blowing out a puff of air as he looks up to the dark sky. “I know you can’t force her, and I don’t want that. I just… I want her to know how sorry I am. If nothing else, I want her to know that she’s the most important person I’ve ever met and that I’m a moron for what I did last year.”

Jonathan does laugh at this, and then Eddie starts laughing with him. And it feels good, if even for a fleeting moment.

“I’ll talk to her, okay? I’m glad to have you back, man,” the younger man says, giving Eddie a soft fist to the shoulder. There’s a smile on his face, just enough for Eddie to notice.

He smiles back. Jonathan doesn’t need words to hear the ‘thank you’ that lies behind it.

•

You don’t feel any better after your outburst towards Eddie. You wanted to be with your friends tonight, not sitting alone at your apartment. But you’d left on impulse and now… here you are. Sitting alone on your floor because it felt right to sit on the floor and now you’re spiraling.

You don’t know what to think, or what to feel. You’d been sad for months over Eddie’s absence and now he’s here and you go and have a meltdown. Frustration boils inside of you, your heart twisting in your chest. Being angry at Eddie doesn’t feel any better than missing him had, it’s not like being mad allows you to just forget him.

Before you can think yourself into oblivion, your phone rings. Groaning, you stand to retrieve it. Your heart pounds in your chest — what if it’s him?

Steadying your breathing, you let it ring a few times before you convince yourself to answer.

“Hello?” you mumble, not quite ready to find out whose voice will come out on the other end.

“Sunny. It’s me,” Jonathan’s voice comes through the receiver, relaxing every muscle in your body. “Are you okay?” he asks.

“Honestly, Jon? I have no fucking idea,” you say, with a slight laugh at the end. There’s no humor in it, though, you simply feel like you’re going mad.

“Can I come over?”

“Jonathan, no, stay at the party—”

“Sunny. Can I come over?” he tries again, not wanting you to put him first in this situation. He wants to be there for you.

“Okay. Yeah, fine. Door’s unlocked, just come in when you get here.”

Clicking the phone back into its place, you pace the floor slightly, chewing your nail.

Did Eddie really come back for you? Is this all for you?

Your heart aches at the thought of it. You just don’t understand how he expected everything to be just fine the second you saw him, and all you can picture in your mind is the look on his stupid fucking face the second you opened Steve’s door.

He looked at you like you hung the moon. He looked at you like you were everything.

You think about last year, you think about the kiss. The way his lips felt so soft against yours, like they were made to be there. You dig the heels of your palms into your eyes, rubbing at them with a frustrated sigh. Taking a seat on the couch, you await Jonathan’s arrival.

The door opens quietly before his figure slips through the gap, his cheeks rosy from the cold. You’re curled in one corner of the sofa, and you must look pitiful because his eyes soften the second they land on you.

“Sunny…” he says, hanging his coat on your coat rack before instantly coming to sit by you.

“What the fuck is happening, Jonathan?” you croak, moving to lean against him. “I thought this was what I wanted. I wanted him to come home I… I still miss him…”

“I think he just surprised you. You’re feeling a lot of things at once, and that’s okay. Every single emotion is valid,” he says softly, rubbing your back with a gentle hand.

“I’m just so mad that he walked in like it was nothing. He sat down and talked with everyone like there wasn’t a giant elephant in the room to address,” you say, that anger still lingering in your voice. “But I’m not proud that I walked out on him. I didn’t let him talk, or anything. I told him we’re done,” you sniff, letting tears drip down your face. “I don’t know if I really meant that.”

“Do you think he’s just gonna give up on you? I promise you he’s not, Sunny. He was ready to chase after you the second you left.”

You think this over, a pang in your heart making you cry more. A small part of you wanted him to chase you, although you wouldn’t admit it in your anger.

“He’s really sorry, Sunny,” Jonathan sighs, squeezing you closer to him. “I’ve never seen him this beat up over anything. He’s devastated. You have a right to be devastated, too. I just want you to know that he knows he screwed up.”

“Did he tell you to tell me this?”

Jonathan pauses, takes a breath. “He asked if I would talk to you, yeah. But I had every intention of coming over here, anyway. I think you need someone to talk it out with, that isn’t him.”

“Is that all he said?”

“He said he’s a moron for what he did,” Jonathan adds, smiling when he gets a watery laugh from you.

“He is a fucking moron,” you admit, wiping your nose with the back of your hand.

“And he said that you’re the most important person he’s ever met. There’s no doubt in my mind that he means that. He really adores you, Sunny.”

“I feel the same about him,” you say, lip wobbling. It’s true. You’ve never met anyone else who’s impacted you quite the same as he has. He’s everything. That’s why this is all so earth-shattering.

“So what are you gonna do?” Jonathan asks, waiting a beat. “You don’t have to decide now. I’m not here to change your mind or tell you how to feel. You don’t have to talk to him anymore if you really don’t want to. But I saw how happy you were with him last year, Sunny. I want you to be that happy again.”

“I need to think things over,” you say meekly, letting out a sigh. “Can we just watch a movie?” you ask, looking up at your friend.

“Yeah,” he chuckles. “We can watch a movie. Give yourself all the time you need to think.”

Present Day: Christmas Day, 1989.

The night had been a restless one. Tossing and turning beneath your heavy comforter, your mind racing with a million thoughts. A million things you want to say, a million things you should say, to him. He hurt you, and he can’t take that back, but you didn’t even hear a single thing he had to say. You didn’t hear him out, and that’s not how you’d typically behave around him. Maybe nothing involving him was “typical” anymore, but you couldn’t sleep restfully knowing you haven’t had a real conversation with him.

All you’d wanted, for 12 months, was for Eddie to be home, to apologize. You realize now that your anger has eased that you need to talk to him. Nothing will improve if you don’t speak to him. You know for a fact it would eat you alive every day if he was home in Hawkins, seeing your friends, and you had to avoid him. You have things you need to get off your chest, stuff you want to say, and as you laid awake blinking into the darkness, you’d decided you needed to go and see him.

Christmas morning arrives too bright and too early, your body curled beneath blankets as you rub your eyes and yawn. It feels like you fell asleep for maybe an hour or two, your mind still racing with thoughts that seemed to never stop. Immediately, you’re throwing the covers off and getting out of bed.

There’s still time to fix things. There’s still time to talk to him, to have a good Christmas. You deserve a good Christmas.

The shower water pours hot out of the faucet, steam filling your bathroom as you undress. You let the water coat your skin, making you feel more awake as you shampoo your hair and scrub your body. You feel like you can’t move fast enough, anxiety swirling in your stomach coupled with your eager need to see Eddie.

You get ready in record timing, hair done and outfit donned, teeth brushed and everything else in between. You bundle up for the weather, as one look out your window told you it was definitely a cold one, a hefty layer of snow coating the ground. You can feel yourself tremble as you get in your car and start it, nausea creeping back in as you worry the whole drive to Eddie’s.

Your boots crunch on the snow-covered dirt, your hand pushing your car door shut with a reluctant creak. It’s been so long since you’ve been here, at the trailer park, standing in front of this very trailer. It looks the same as you remember it, though it looks like Wayne got a new wreath for the door.

It’s early, god you know it’s so early, and you only hope you won’t be disturbing the sleep of the two men who inhabit the home. But this is important, you think to yourself. You have to do this.

Taking a deep breath, your hand trembles before you bring it to the door in a repetitive pattern, knocking firmly. There’s no answer for a moment, and you worry that maybe coming out here was a mistake. Maybe he doesn’t want to talk to you, after all. Maybe Jonathan was wrong, and you’d pissed him off, and he’s done with you.

Maybe it’s too late.

You’re about to resign, to get back in your car, when you hear footsteps on the inside of the door. It swings open in front of you, revealing Eddie’s sleepy face and his sleep-tousled hair.

“Sunny?” he asks, rubbing one eye with his hand. He reaches off to the side, yanking on a coat before coming to stand outside with you.

“Sorry, uh… Wayne’s still asleep otherwise I’d—”

“I miss you, Eddie,” you cut him off, making his eyes widen for a split second. “And I’m so fucking mad at you, but it turns out being mad at you doesn’t make me miss you any less.”

He blinks, looking down at you but not speaking, as if he’s too scared to say anything at all.

“You really fucked me up leaving last year, you know that?” you ask with an icy laugh, looking off to the side. “I missed you every single day you were gone. All I wanted this whole time was you. And now you’re here, and— and, you think you can just show up and everything will be fine. Everything’s not fine,” you ramble, voice cracking at the end of your speech.

You’d tried to ward off any tears, but they’re running warm down your cold cheeks before you can stop them. You wipe furiously at them with your fingers, trying to hide your emotions from the man in front of you. You hadn’t planned on getting this emotional, but then you suppose you can’t really fully plan for a conversation like this.

“Nothing— is fine, Eddie,” you croak. “I missed you so much,” you start to cry harder, collapsing against him as he readily accepts you into a sort of hug as you let it all pour out of you. He holds you against his chest, and how you missed being pressed close to him like this. Your chest aches with every single second of those 12 months without him that you can’t get back. “How could you do that to me?” you ask him, fist clutching the fabric of his coat, not wanting to let him go.

He squeezes you so tight, he doesn’t know what to say. He didn’t expect you to come here, especially not so soon.

“I’m so sorry, Sunny,” he says quietly. “I’m so sorry. I’m the dumbest man alive for leaving you. I really am.”

“At least you know that,” you sniff, the tiniest laugh rumbling in your chest amidst your tears; reminding you of what Jonathan had told you the night before. That he’s a moron.

“I’ll let you tell me that every day for the rest of my life,” he says, brave enough to crack the smallest smile. “Just please don’t give up on me.” Gripping your shoulders, he coaxes you just far enough away so he can really look at you. “All I want is you, Sunny. Chicago… didn’t change my life. Not in the slightest. I thought I needed to get out of here but… I couldn’t have been more wrong. And I’m so sorry you had to be caught up in my dumb mistake,” he says earnestly. “It was never a problem with you. My feelings for you were always real. Are still real.”

You’re silent, taking a couple breaths before you speak. “I’m sorry Chicago didn’t work out. But the selfish part of me was hoping it wouldn’t…” you confess, looking down at your shoes.

“It’s okay. I learned my lesson, that’s for sure,” he scoffs a little, his expression downtrodden.

“This year was so hard, Eddie,” you tell him. “Nothing has been the same without you.” The pain in your voice feels like he’s been stabbed in the heart, and he so horribly wishes he could take everything back. But he can’t. All he can do is be better for you, now.

“I know, sweetheart,” he says, his big chocolate eyes so apologetic. You missed his pet names, missed the way sweetheart rolls off of his tongue specially for you. “Please tell me you didn’t mean what you said… when you said that we’re done.”

He doesn’t look at you as he says that last part, not the entire time at least. His eyes dance nervously around, his voice wavering with anxiety. It makes tears spring to your eyes again, the thought of going on without him. Of spending every day for the rest of your life without him.

“I can’t do this without you, Eddie,” you say. “But you have to promise me you’re never going to pull something like that again. You’re never leaving again, unless it’s with me,” you steel yourself, not letting yourself get too emotional until he can make this promise. Until he can prove himself.

“Never. Never, I swear. I don’t want to be anywhere you aren’t,” he breathes, moving closer to you. “Please let me make it all up to you. I’ll spend the rest of my life being the best I can be for you.”

His hands cup your face, warm against your frosty cheeks. He wipes a stray tear from your face with a gentle thumb, smiling so softly when you lean into his touch. All at once it hits you, your overwhelming affection for him that you’d had to shove down all year. It gnaws at your chest, clawing its way out of you triumphantly. He’s still the same man you knew then. He’s still the only person you want first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

“Eddie…” you sigh, letting your eyes flutter closed, your hands holding his forearms.

You can feel how close his face is to yours, his nose nearly ghosting over your own and his breath warming your skin. The broken pieces of you are being glued back together one by one the longer he stands holding you.

“I’ve thought about that kiss every single day for the last year, you know that?” he says softly, your eyes opening once more to look up at him.

“Me too,” you breathe. “I’d started to think that maybe it was a mistake,” you admit sadly, watching the way his expression changes. “But it was the best kiss I’ve ever had.”

Both of you go quiet, eyes saying so much without words as you look at each other. He’s so close, his face right against yours as you stand in the freezing cold morning. He starts to shift even closer, and you feel like his lips are about to close the distance to yours when the trailer door swings open.

“Is that my little lady?” Wayne’s gruff voice calls out.

You and Eddie break apart abruptly, Eddie rather reluctantly letting you go as your head swings to look at his uncle.

“Wayne!” you beam, moving instantly to accept his hug. You glance back at Eddie, heart thumping in your chest as you watch him watching you.

This is how it should be. This is how you always want it to be.

“Get in here and out of the cold. I missed you, you know that?” the older man says to you, pulling you inside.

You have a lot of catching up to do. That second kiss will have to wait.

After a mug of hot cocoa and a lot of reminiscing with Wayne and Eddie, you find yourself alone with Eddie in his room. There’s a tiny bit of awkwardness in the atmosphere, both of you getting your footing together after so much time apart. It almost feels wrong to be in his bedroom, but then you remember you spent nearly every day here not so long ago.

“I’m sorry it’s a mess,” he smiles weakly. “Unpacking hasn’t exactly been my top priority.”

“Don’t apologize,” you insist, standing in the doorway as he kicks his messy suitcase to a corner of the room. “Was it ever clean before you moved?” you tease, more and more of that weight being lifted off your shoulders with each lighthearted comment, each joke and laugh and smile given and received.

“Sometimes!” he defends, immediately relenting. “Okay, no, it’s always a mess.”

“I really need to get going, Eddie. I need to see my parents at least for a little bit today,” you tell him, glancing at the clock.

“Will I see you back at Steve’s later?” he asks.

“I was hoping I could hitch a ride with you,” you say shyly.

He beams, pearly white teeth shining at you. He could light the entire city with that smile.

“Of course you can. I’ll pick you up, say around six?”

“Six is perfect,” you smile, moving toward him to give his arm a squeeze. “I really fucking missed you.”

He exhales, taking both of your hands in his. “I missed you more than I can even say. I hope you believe me. If I could take this whole year back, start over, I would.”

You don’t reply, just nod at him with empathetic eyes. You know he means it. You do believe him.

“I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Okay,” he says. “Be safe getting to your parents, alright?”

You nod again, smiling at him before you put your coat back on, saying goodbye to Wayne and walking out into the cold.

•

Opening gifts with your parents was a good reprieve from the emotional whirlwind of a morning that you’d had, simply sharing in their joy and having lighthearted conversation. It felt good to feel good, that was for certain.

To have a happy Christmas, a happy day, finally. There was still much to be discussed with Eddie, but you felt at ease now that you’d finally poured your heart out to him. You can’t really stay angry with him, because your heart knows he never meant to cause you so much pain.

Six o’clock rolls around surprisingly quickly, a knock sounding at your door as you give yourself a once over in your mirror. Smoothing down your velvet skirt for a final time, you turn to leave your room. As you’re about to flip off the light, though, your jewelry box catches your eye.

You walk over to your dresser where it sits on the top, opening the lid. Eddie’s necklace sits with its broken chain on top of the other miscellaneous jewelry, the initialed pendant gleaming right at you. There’s another knock on your door, and you hurriedly rummage through the clutter to find a spare chain, one that hadn’t been ripped in half.

You let the pendant fall from the old chain, slipping it onto the new one as you walk quickly to the door.

Swinging it open, Eddie’s sweet face greets you on the other side. The things you would’ve given to see him greeting you all those torturous months when he was gone. And now he’s here. He looks gorgeous; wearing what might be his only pair of black jeans that aren’t ripped, along with a deep green flannel that slightly pokes out beneath a dark gray sweater. You want to devour him, you realize. But that will have to wait — the time will come eventually.

“Oh, thank god. I was starting to think you weren’t gonna answer,” he jokes, playing off the comment with a slight laugh. You can see in his face that a small part of him really was concerned you’d bail.

“Sorry, I was looking for something,” you say, stepping aside to let him in.

“Oh? Did you find whatever it was?”

“Mhm. Would you mind putting it on me?” you ask, holding out the necklace to him.

He looks at it, his eyes softening when he recognizes the pendant.

“You still have this,” he muses, surprise evident in his tone. Like he thought you’d get rid of it. You truthfully never could have.

“It’s important to me,” you tell him, glancing up at him through your lashes. “I… broke the original chain. One night when I took it off. I-I’m not proud of it and I’m sorry. Because this gift is so important to me. It was the only piece I had of you,” you admit, pouring your truth and your heart into his open hands.

“Sunny, you don’t have to apologize. You still have it, I’m so glad you do.”

He smiles, a warm and wonderful thing, before he motions for you to turn around. He drapes the pendant over your head, letting it rest on your chest while he fidgets with the clasp at the back. You nearly want to cry as he puts it on you; you didn’t get the chance for him to do this when he’d gifted it to you. You’d put it on alone, in painful tears, wishing it would bring him back.

“Okay, I think it’s good,” Eddie murmurs, his gaze soft when you turn back around to face him.

“What do you think?” you ask, biting on your lip.

“It’s a beautiful necklace for an even more beautiful person,” he says, calm and collected, his words steady and meaningful. “I’m just sorry it took me this long to see you wearing it.”

You feel your cheeks flush, smiling as you pull your coat on and grab hold of the bottle of wine you’d bought to bring to Steve’s.

“Ready?” you ask, shy beneath the way he stares at you; like he never wants to look at anything but you.

“You know it,” he says, jingling his car keys before opening the door for you.

Your foot taps nervously on the floor of the car the whole ride to Steve’s home, butterflies twirling in your stomach at the thought of your arrival with Eddie. After your outburst yesterday, you were admittedly a little embarrassed, and now to show up with the man you’d just walked out on… well, what a roller coaster. Tension hangs thick between the two of you, the mutual acknowledgment of what maybe almost happened earlier before Wayne had interrupted blinking like a neon sign. He had definitely almost kissed you, and the thought makes your stomach swirl.

Neither of you really talk much, not knowing what to say. Sitting in silence and enjoying the company of the other feels like enough, for now. You can’t help but smile to yourself as you look at the pretty decorated houses that you pass, heart soaring with the knowledge that you have Eddie back, and with it comes the holiday cheer you’d been missing.

Before long the clunky van is pulling into Steve’s driveway, parking behind Nancy’s car. Eddie kills the engine, telling you to stay put so he can jog around to your side and get the door for you. He extends a hand, helping you down into the slippery concrete as you clutch the wine bottle tight in your other hand.

“Why thank you,” you giggle, not missing the way his cheeks grow pink.

“Anything for you, m’lady,” he salutes, reaching in behind you to grab your purse for you.

You take a deep breath as you start to walk up to the front door, arm tangled with Eddie’s so you don’t slip and in the slushy mess. You can sense his nerves, too, as he knocks on the door. You glance to the side, smiling at him and watching him return the gesture.

Steve opens the door, wearing reindeer antlers and a red Christmas sweater. He stops in his tracks when he sees both of you, a smug grin spreading on his lips.

“Well, would you look at that?” he says, crossing his arms over his chest. “I missed seeing you two attached at the hip,” he jokes, stepping aside to let you both in.

“Yeah, yeah,” Eddie says, squeezing the other man’s shoulder. What you don’t see is the way Steve gives him a celebratory fist bump, mouthing a silent “yes!”.

Heads turn the second you and Eddie are inside, and you watch as Nancy and Robin beam at the sight. Jonathan gives you both a pointed but subtle thumbs up, and his smile says it all.

“Look at you two!” Robin exclaims, and you unravel your arm from Eddie’s to give her a hug.

“Okay, guys, we’re the spectacle of the evening, we get it,” Eddie laughs, giving her a hug after you.

“I won’t lie, I missed seeing you two arriving places together. You used to basically be conjoined,” Nancy jokes, taking the wine from you. She moves swiftly into the kitchen, getting out a few glasses to pour some. She hands you a glass, along with one for herself and Robin.

“Wait, hey, let me catch up!” Eddie says, grabbing a beer for himself from the fridge.

Steve and Jonathan gather around with their drinks, too, everyone raising their glasses and bottles high.

“Cheers, to Sunny and Eddie,” Nancy says, smiling brightly as everyone clinks their drinks together before taking a sip. Her toast makes you flustered, heart beating rapidly in your chest.

The wine goes down easy, warming your stomach with a pleasant tingle. This is how things should be. The hole in your friend group filled by the person you’d all been missing. The energy in the room is brighter, better. Eddie is needed here, not only by you.

Robin puts on one of Steve’s many Christmas records, letting the music fill the room along with your blended voices chattering happily. You’re talking with the girls, filling them in on what happened since last night. Your eyes keep wandering to wherever Eddie is, noticing him standing in the sun room with Steve. They’re talking about something you can’t hear, looking out the window into the snow covered backyard. You start to walk towards him, telling the girls you’ll be back in a bit, but stop at Jonathan first where he sits on the couch.

“Thank you. For helping me sort through my feelings,” you tell him, giving his hand a squeeze.

“I hardly did anything. You made this choice yourself,” he says, squeezing your hand right back. “I’m so happy for you, Sunny. It’s good to see you happy.”

“You’re the best, you know that?” you ask him, giving him one last grateful look before walking away.

“Gentlemen,” you say, announcing yourself as you step into the other room with the two men. You hope you aren’t interrupting anything too important, but staying away from Eddie is the last thing you want right now.

“There she is,” Steve says, pulling you into his side. You laugh, reaching a hand up to mess up his hair.

“Hey, hey— watch the antlers!” he defends, slipping out of reach.

“Do you mind if I have a minute alone with him?” you ask Steve, motioning to Eddie with your thumb.

“No, no. Of course not. Behave yourselves,” he winks, slipping out as he takes a sip of his beer.

“What’s up, sweetheart?” Eddie asks, moving in on you, wrapping an arm tentatively around your waist. His expression eases up when you relax into his touch, smiling blissfully up at him.

“I just thought we should pick up where we left off earlier…” you say, poking his chest softly with a finger and letting it trail down.

“Oh? And where exactly did we leave off?” he smirks, pressing his body closer to yours.

“I think… that you were about to kiss me again,” you murmur, hooded eyes looking up into his.

“Interesting theory,” Eddie jokes, placing a hand to his chin as if pondering this. You slap him lightly on the arm, giggling like a schoolgirl at him. “You might be right about that, sweetness,” he admits, dropping his face down closer to yours.

Your noses brush, the smell of his cologne and shampoo overwhelming your senses. He still uses the same stuff he did a year ago, turns out.

Your eyes focus in on his soft lips, the way his tongue darts out to wet them slightly. And then you let your eyelids flutter closed, feeling his other arm wrap around you, pulling you impossibly closer. His lips press to yours, so soft and hesitant at first, before gaining more confidence. You hold the back of his neck with one hand, fingers tangling in his curls, taking in his warmth and softness. Your mouths move together perfectly, two pieces of a puzzle finally brought together. The same fireworks you felt that first time go off again, yet this time they somehow feel even brighter. You’d waited so long for this, wondered if you would ever get this, and now it’s happening.

His tongue prods gently into your mouth, ever so slightly dancing around yours. His lips are so plush and gentle, and he smiles into the kiss with a soft little laugh. Pulling away, he rests his forehead to yours.

“You can tell me I’m crazy for this if you want to, okay? If it’s too soon, I get it. But I have to know if you’ll be mine,” he says, eyes darting back and forth between each of your own.

“Eddie,” you breathe, smiling wider than you have all night. “I’m all yours. I’ll be yours forever,” you promise, wrapping both arms around his neck and pulling him into one more passionate kiss.

“Okay, lovebirds!” Robin calls from the living room. You both turn your heads to see everyone watching you, and your cheeks flush.

“Didn’t know we had an audience,” Eddie says softly, only for you to hear, making you laugh again.

“Are you guys coming out to make a snowman with us, or what?” Steve asks, hands on his hips as he waits.

“Yeah, yeah, we’ll be right there!” Eddie calls back. “We’re just making up for lost time,” he adds, winking at you before planting a wet, sloppy kiss to your cheek.

You feel whole in this moment, with Eddie’s arm around your waist. What you thought would be a horrible Christmas turned out to be the brightest one, and having Eddie home is the best gift you could’ve asked for; even if it was a rocky start. He’s yours, and you’re his. This is the way it should always be, you’re undoubtedly certain of that now.

“Let’s go, sweetheart,” he says. “Forever starts right now.”

taglist: @hellfirenacht @writethrough @littledemondani @prettyboyeddiemunson @trashmouth-richie @succubusmunson @likedovesinthewnd @tlclick73 @mrsjellymunson @idkitsem @svbrbnlegends @eddiesxangel @munsonzgf @hereforshmut @eggo-segual @joannamuns9n @lavendermunson @leenameh @micheledawn1975

[homestylehughes]

But Daddy I love Him

instagram au

♥︎ luke hughes x zegras! sister

♥︎ face claim: marsai martin

"I just learned these people only raise you to cage you"

yn.zegras

liked by lhughes_06, your.bsf, and 68,789 others

zn.zegras no one can cage you if you're acrossed the world!

your.bsf WHO IS THAT???

↳ yn.zegras someoneeeeee

↳ your.bsf its him isn't it?? OMG FINALLY.

your.bsf SOFT LAUNCH??

↳ yn.zegas THEE soft launch

your.bsf ANSWER YOUR PHONE NOW.

↳ yn.zegras i will call you back later I PROMISE! MWAH

trevorzegras yn. who is that fucker in the last picture.

↳ yn.zegras woah now! calm down! its someone!

↳ trevorzegras WHO????

jackhughes LITTLE ZEGRAS WITH A BOYFRIEND???

↳ yn.zegras maybeeeeeeeeee:)

_quinnhughes they grow up so fast

↳ yn.zegras in a blink of an eye

lhughes_06 :)

↳ yn.zegras :)

eblue_06 I hope you two are having the best time!! I can't wait to hear all about it!!

↳ yn.zegras I have soooo many pictures to show you el!!! cant wait to see you!!!

dixedamelio prettiest girl ever. (I love the soft launch)

↳ yn.zegras ily <3

zegrasfanpage OMG WHO IS SHE DATING????

devilforhughes IS THAT LUKE?!

lhughes_06

liked by yn.zegras, trevorzegras, and 145,678 others

lhughes_06 saying hi from the ocean!

trevorzegras that better not be my sister. who is that.

↳ lhughes_06 someone

jackhughes luke. you're kidding right.

↳ lhughes_06 kidding what?

_quinnhughes LUKEY WITH A GIRL!!!

↳ lhughes_06 learned from the best

rutgermcgroarty SOFT LAUNCH LUKE???

↳ lhughes_06 maybeeeee (yes)

nick_moldenhauer so this is why you skipped the lake this year...

↳ lhughes_06 next year

adamfantilli LUKEY finally got the girl

↳ lhughes_06 finally.

seamsuscasey26 this is such a good post Luke, I'm proud of you.

↳ lhughes_06 thank youuuu, I had some help

yn.zegras :)

↳ lhughes_06 :)

elblue_06 these pictures are so cute, I hope you two are having the best time

↳ lhughes_06 can"t wait to see you mama

↳ jackhughes MOM DO YOU KNOW IT IS??

↳ trevorzegras MRS. H WHO IS IT???

devilforhughes OMG ITS SO YN OMG OMG OMG

zegrasfanpage zegras and hughes crossover

-----------------------------------♡-----------------------------------------

an: AHHH HI EVERYONEEEEE!!! I'm finally back, I missed you all sooo much. I've been extremely busy but I'm back finally, with new fics WOOOOHOOOO. I loved this chapterrrr, a little soft launch but we have much more to go so be on the look outttttt. I plan on working on things all day so expect more post later today and tomorrow. ily ily. I hope you enjoyed, like and reblog if you did <3. much love as always <3

tags🎀: @lukey-pookie-hughes43 @bruinsfan234 @bunbunbl0gs

[hyunsvngs]

heyyyyyyy

just thinking about monsterfucking and what type of monster skz would be and the dynamics of how things would work depending on what kind of creature they are

personally I feel like jeongin gives off some sort siren vibes and yeah :)))

i BELIEVE miss @cbini has answered something similar before so miss ems my lovely dear if you have anything to ADD let me know... but here are my onions as a BIG MONSTER FUCKER

chan: oh not to be stereotypical but werewolf chan has my HEART lmao. like full on werewolf chan who has to be chained up by the strongest industrial chains during a full moon.. yeah. especially if you have to be held back by the other boys because he's imprinted on you too

minho: iiii am once again discussing vampire minho and i WILL be mentioning @jl-micasea-fics story sanguis limerence as my FAVOURITE vampire skz fic. i have nothing else to say please read it

changbin: okay i rly struggled w binnie but then i thought... what abt banshee bin? like you hear the banshee scream when you're about to die, and what if you hear him scream and then you see him and you're like what the fuck he's hot. and then he ends up changing fate n saving u and u fuck :) thanks for listening

hyunjin: succubus. a demon who plagues your dreams with such amazing sex that you wish for the day that he finally enters your room, and when he does? god, you're going insane. takes u to the demon underworld and keeps u there as his cute lil sex slave

jisung: alien jisung. i KNOW there are lots of jisung alien fics and i wholeheartedly agree w him having a cute blue ribbed alien tentacle dick that's soooo jisung. taking u to his planet too where he drops his glamour and the cutie has little antennas!! oh my god

felix: a LITTLE FAIRY. fairy flowers should've told u all how much i love the concept of pixie lixie. cute pink wings that shimmer in the light!! flutters around u like a little tinkerbell and takes u to his little mushroom home :( <3

seungmin: slenderman seungmin with the tentacles and shit. no comment on it ANY further for personal reasons (meaning... u can wait for kinktober).

jeongin: siren 100%. sexy little shirtless siren who maybe has bright blue eyes and soft dark hair and waits for u on the rocks at the beach near ur home every night.. maybe even a beautiful black/dark blue tail that glimmers in the moonlight with the water from the ocean.. oh

♡ juno

[dix0nvix3n]

➳જ⁀➴ 𝕯𝖆𝖌𝖌𝖊𝖗'𝖘 𝖇𝖑𝖔𝖌 ⟡

₊˚✩ ₊˚ 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔶/𝔥𝔢/𝔰𝔥𝔢 | 21 | 𝔈𝔑𝔉𝔓 | 𝔮𝔲𝔢𝔢𝔯 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔤𝔢𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔯𝔣𝔩𝔲𝔦𝔡 | 𝔞𝔲𝔡𝔥𝔡 𝔠𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔢 ₊˚✩ ₊˚

⭑✧˖°𖤓 Hi!! On this account I would prefer to be called Dagger as I would not like to reveal my real name here. I write X Reader fics for Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead and Scud from Blade 2. I'm completely new to writing so please be gentle lol. 𖤓°˖✧⭑

𝔊𝔢𝔫𝔢𝔯𝔞𝔩

⛥ 18+ to interact with me and my NSFW work, NSFW will always be marked as 18+, those works will say mdni but if you are a minor and do end up reading those fics, remember that I am not responsible for your media consumption.

⛥ Although I'm genderfluid I feel the most comfortable writing the reader as afab with she/her pronouns, I may potentially write gender neutral reader fics though. These things aside, anyone of any identity is of course allowed to read my work.

⛥ My fics will always come with a warning description of some kind and if I ever miss something you think should be in the warning, please let me know!

⛥ As I said I currently only write for Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead and Scud Frohmeyer from Blade 2, I hope to branch out to more Norman Reedus characters and maybe characters not played by him someday but I'm completely new to writing and really only know how to write for them so far.

⛥ Please note that I have severe anxiety when it comes to interacting with anything online which makes it very hard for me to reply to comments and comment on things, repost, and I often will love a fic and not even like the post because I get so in my head thinking that person will think of my interaction as weird. I know this probably doesn't make sense to a lot of people but please try and understand, I am currently trying to work on this but please know It's gonna take me a very long time.

ℜ𝔢𝔮𝔲𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔰

⛥ I currently don't take requests because they seem a bit overwhelming for me at this time being but you can send me any thoughts and ideas you have about Daryl and Scud (some other Norman characters too! I have lots of thoughts about other characters Norman has played I just don't know how to write for them yet!) and I will try and give you my thoughts and ideas back!

ℑ𝔫𝔣𝔬

⛥ Masterlist: Will be made at some point!!

⛥ Fics:

Stoner Daryl x Stoner Reader 18+ ✶❀

COMING SOON

Daryl x Reader Alexandria Christmas One-Shot ❀ COMING SOON

Scud X Reader Blade's Lair 18+ One-Shot ✶❀

COMING SOON

✶- Smut | ✧- Suggestive ❀-Fluff | ☽-Angst

𝔉𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔰 𝔄𝔟𝔬𝔲𝔱 𝔐𝔢

⛥ I'm Autistic and have ADHD, PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, probably several other problems I'm not aware of myself yet lmao, and I am also Anemic.

⛥ I've been to at least 15 concerts but need to recount actually how many, including 3 Warped Tours, so sorry to anyone who never got to go they were truly such unique experiences.

⛥ I have 7 piercings but have been pierced 8 times, fucked up my first eyebrow piercing lol. In order I got a septum, right eyebrow, daith, bridge, two helixes in one day, a conch and also my right eyebrow repierced on the same day. Also all the ear piercings are on my right ear cause I used to have the right side of my head shaved and an undercut so my left ear was never visible but with my new haircut,,, I really need some for the left ear.

⛥ Also, the conch jewelery is my only special piece of jewelery I have and I got it in memory of two things. The conch piece is a titanium dagger with a simple little jewel in the middle, when I saw it I immediately thought of Daryl and his big knives/daggers and also a reference to the band Witchdagger from Night In The Woods, a game that fundamentally helped me grow as a person.

⛥ The reason I changed my hair from the side shave was so I could actually grow it out and cut it to Scud's hairstyle, that fucker is soooo gender.

⛥ I don't know much about my zodiac signs but I'm a Cancer Sun, Scorpio Moon, Capricorn Rising.

⛥ My favorite fruits are peaches, oranges, and raspberries.

⛥ I edit occasionally when I have the mental energy which is rare but I post them @ daryldixonvixen on tiktok if anyone is interested, will possibly start posting my edits on instagram too :)

⛥ and uhhhh I'll keep adding to these when I think of more

And here's what the conch piercing looks like if anyone wanted to see it :]

[whenthep8wn]

Graham Dunne (nfsw alphabet.)

~~ Requested ~~

A/N: bear with me this Is my first time writing something smut related so sorry If it's bad.

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Aftercare king. He will immediately gives you cuddles and kisses and then runs you a hot bath. I love him.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

His favorite part of his body is his arms and fingers because of how proud he is with his guitar playing skills and his skills with you (wink, wink.) 

His fav of your body is your eyes, he just loves to stare into them for hours on end. Or your boobs to be honest he's a boob guy. 

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Gonna be honest he has a breeding a kink, so he loves to cum inside you. 

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Luke I said this man has a breeding kink, I mean he is a family man soooo. But, otherwise I feel like he is kinda ashamed or embarrassed about a lot of things when it comes to sex because I feel like he really doesn't like to talk about with other people that aren't you. 

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

I feel like my man was a virgin before the band started but as the six got more and more famous he definitely got more and more experienced.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Missionary. Enough said.

I just feel like he loves to see your eyes and your facial expressions.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

he's pretty serious but he can be Goofy, because if something awkward or cute happens Graham will flash a smile and laugh.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? Does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Lets just say the carpet does match the drapes, but i feel like he doesn't let it get our of hand like he trims and stuff. 

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Very intimate likeeeeee…. Duhhh have you seen this man has is very rom-com Rose pedals in bed esc.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon).

He doesn't do it that much because he has you but when he's on tour or just misses you he does it, and imagine phone sex 🤭

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

I've said this like 3 times already but breeding kink! Hehe. And I feel like he has a thing for sneaking around.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Either your guys house or like when you guys are in public you'll find a closet or something like I feel like he loves fucking in the closet at the recording studio.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

This mother fucker like a God damn horny teenager so basically anything. 

When you say something sexually, when you lip your lips a certain way, when you keep eye contact, and especially when your cleavage is showing. Like I said mans a boob guy.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

No pain kink. He would not want to hurt you and even If you said it didn't hurt you he still wouldn't be up for it.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Giving. 

But when he does do it he eats you out like a starved fucking man, he loves the sounds you make and how your thighs shake from underneath him. 

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

It depends on the mood you or him your on but usually slow and sensual.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Man's loves quickies.

Before practice, after practice, before you have to go to work, in the morning, before yall go to bed, ect. 

My man's lives for them.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? Do they take risks? etc.)

Yes. Most of the time atleast. 

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Like I said: horny mother fucker. So, mostly average Stamina, but when he really needs you he could be lasting a while. 

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

He doesn't have any himself but If you do and use them around him he will be jealous of an inanimate object.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

He does like to tease. Enough said.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

He is average-loud but he tries to cover it up. you're gonna have to get it out of him and believe me it's not gonna take much.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

He's a switch. 

(I wanna dom this man.)

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Average. (Like 6-8 inches.)

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

HIGHHH.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

I feel like he does most of the time but not after taking care of you. 

[fyodior]

GOSH YOURE FAST. but hi yes im the mommy anon and calling men mommy? yeah thats my stuff thats my brand i wear it on a shirt blablabla NOW.

this is entirely my interpretation of him in this certain scenario AND YES I HEAR YOU ON MOMMY MORI AND MOMMY KUNIKIDA. butttt…

imagine dazai and you cuddling in bed blablabla, youre delirious and maybe a little(a lot) more sensitive than usual. so, dazai being the perceptive yet horny fucker he is, decides ‘sheesh louise we could totally cuddlefuck right now’ and its most definitely not the first time

dazai is a certified cuddlefucker in my heart and in my head — hes lazy. more often than not hell make you ride him if hes particularly tired(like all the damn time) but cuddlefucking? completely in his lane — he doesnt have to get up or anything and the weighted warmth of the sheets over your bodies just adds to the intimate mood

but anyways. you and him cuddlefuck. youre sensitive, youre crying and babbling and whining(so is he) and all of a sudden, something slips, and he stops.

at first you think, ‘did i call him daddy? oh no what if he didnt like that?’ because come on. theres at least a dozen videos of girls accidentally calling their boyfriends daddy during sex

but much to your shock, dazai lets out a half chuckle of pure disbelief — “did you just call me mommy?”

now. heres where it either ends or spirals depending on whether or not you believe hed be into it BUT I DOOOO

after a few frog blinks and soft laughs, the bastard nuzzles your neck and coos mockingly at you despite rutting into you with pathetic whimpers fanning over your ear — “what a dirty girl you are. calling me mommy in bed? is that what you want? you want mommy to pound into this sweet hole? hm? have her give you everything shes got?”

yeah… hell probably tease you about it 24/7 afterward and if youre annoying him or ignoring him — hell totally whisper something like ‘does mommy need to remind you whos in charge?’ but not in that daddy hard dom kind of way, more like… hes all whispery and giggly and watching you blush and squirm and totally about to start whining with you if not for the fact that hes cooing down your neck in the middle of an alleyway with a mysterious tent poking your backside

anyways ive thrown my ball. crossing my fingers that it doesnt miss flora <3

ok first of all - you’re SOOOO right about dazai being a lazy little cuddlefucker. nothings better to him than spooning you and tugging down your underwear and his boxers just enough for him to slip into your pussy. sometimes he’ll lift up your leg for a better angle, but usually he’s just fine with how it is - i.e. he’s lazy

ANYWAY. dear god i was TWITCHING READING THIS……. he’s such a horrible horrible tease, taking the mommy thing so far and damn near harassing you nonstop in your ear as he fucks you harder. “you want mommy to pound into this sweet hole?” HAD ME REEELINGGGGGG THAT’S SO……… dazai would do fucking do that to you LMAO and he just slips into this title of “mommy” so easily

and the thought of him teasing you about it forever afterwards is sooooo real lmfao like he proceeds to refer to himself as mommy whenever possible just to remind you of that night, and frankly…… because he likes it so much

YOU DID NOT MISS MY LOVE IM CATCHING SO WELL AND KISSING U

[narwhalandchill]

also mistake not my silence on the summer event story now that its all out for not paying attention bc. well firstly not going to be the subject of this post but seriously just the . Overall implications of the whole thing when it comes to teyvat and genshin as a whole? wild stuff like are they rly out there revealing the entire cosmology now 😭 (tho i kinda have. Mixed thoughts as well)

anyway secondly and most importantly because of course i have priorities (its ajax we all know) . soooo simulanka and names eh?

HUH!

well not that i was any doubter to begin with in that it like. meant something when hit game jenshin impact featuring guy already foreshadowed and being set up for some real curious world-overturning and celestia torching business etc etc etc coincidentally named. ajax. among other things. that the same game happening to Also begin introducing this whole other ajax/aias as an actual historical figure featured within the games lore and legends. would very much be just a massive fucking thing we Should be taking very seriously in terms of his future development but like thanks very much for confirming it too uwu

anyway let us look at my favorite french cultist scribbled note for no particular reason once more just to celebrate the occasion

i mean what can i say man . truly the endgame relevance long term allegations continue undodged 😤😤

anyway whats kinda funny to me is the way a lot of ppls reaction to this name confirmation seems to be like. omg ajax is in trouble now bc irl mythology ajax died and ajax/aias of genshin also seems to have possibly had a shit fate by the end im so worried omg . when like. literally the second part to this whole "name = inheriting destiny" thing we see in simulanka is that . with the right circumstances . the one that inherits the name and destiny is not necessarily doomed to that exact same outcome as the original . like we all did see how we saved simulanka durin right?? and how the existence of mini durin may now open up the possibility of teyvats durin to receive a different outcome to his tale???? right??

like why do ppl have so little faith in childe im 😭 like if you ask me hes Already giving indication of defying his fate in a multitude of ways (vision malfunction being a big one) so personally i simply think we need to let him do his thing and see where he goes with it . i have faith in him like if Anyones abt to subvert the fate hes been set up with be it due to his name or any other reason . its gonna be him lmao

like. its not even new stuff kwdwdjkdwjk

either way tho . even if this fucker straight up "dies" or goes MIA im not even that worried bc. ppl worrying about this "tragic fate" his namesake seems to be conferring to him by default with simulankas explicit confirmation of a names meaning . and its just are we straight up missing the fact that this historical ajax/aias is Literally connected to that rent free narzissenkreuz note that EXPLICITLY aligns this "tragedy" with the theme of REBIRTH. and becoming a descender straight up .

like maybe its just me but this Really isnt giving "omg childe is going to die due to mirroring the fate of ajax" its giving "childe is Literally being set up to become sth descender equivalent one way or another AND theyre doubling down on it now" im sorry 😭

like. even the implications of phrases like. "forsaking the self" to be reborn in the abyss just reminds me of this. weird panic people have around childes vision malfunction as if its like. vision is GOOD ambition and his GOOD ending and his GOOD characteristics and it malfunctioning means BAD EVIL SIN ambition and WRONG characteristics is taking over!!!!!!!11! hes being torn into two different directions and the abyss is bad and vision (=celestia) is good!!!!!1

and its like. say we even buy that (but like dang what a sustainer sponsored take to have in a. gnostic inspired lore environment JWSJKJKSF) . that his. "correct" and "healthy" destiny as vision wielder (that Every single recipient of a "gods EYE" gets like forcibly and irrevocably bound to by design and surely this isnt problematic at all) . is a part of that "self" that is being forsaken and twisted as his destiny pushes against celestias control and his connection to said vision falters . lets say we assume that is a "bad" thing for his "intended" path and destiny somehow .

(which YES it prolly is. but only within the bounds of a world order set up by the heavenly principles!!! of COURSE the HP would force people into destinies and paths that Only serve the continuity of its rule!!! and doesnt shake up the system!! like yes a vision likely represents and assigns to people a "Good" ambition but thats not from the recipients POV thats from celestias POV and at this point its just. fellas. we are not supposed to buy into that at face value lmao)

which like. again. i v much dont buy anyway i think every single time genshin calls something sin or forbidden it should be assessed v critically.

but even with that assumption we can still see how this very note is already implicating that "forsaking the self" is Literally a prerequisite . in this grand destiny featuring ajax/aias . for reaching True rebirth as a holy infant and a descender and all that . for defying the shackles of the heavens . for gaining a will that rivals the world . right???

+ also if like. forsaking the self being mayhaps and perchance more of a GOOD thing in a world with preordained and unyielding destiny set up by false divinity wasnt already established enough

welp thank you rene narzissenkreuz.

oh "excising the self" you say?? that sure sounds a bit like "forsaking the self" doesnt it ??? how curious that it would be considered less of a "death" and more of a "rebirth" indeed . and that a vision to a cultist very invested in the methods available to Defy a prophecy and fate is very much a bad thing to receive . like what a coincidence that we would have a note like this as an established character already tied to a note you wrote about acquiring a descenders will is experiencing vision compatibility issues its very funny indeed.

so like ig what im trying to say is just idk for me personally if ajax is out there forsaking his self by any metric im just gonna be cheering him on <3

but yeah jkqjkwdjkwdjkwd dont mind me im just kinda rent free with how its now just even more confirmed by hoyo that this insane ajax/aias note stuff is Not meant to be coincidental At All (even tho its very funny ppl doubted the signifance to begin with at all). but also i just dont get the panicking abt it being some bad thing lmao like this is just genuinely hype as fuck for him 😭😭😭

[poisonedspider]

So, a lot of these I have already said, but since @poisonedxbeauty posted one and then we both talked about it, I'm doing a headcanon post as well. Some of this are big duh and basically accepted as fanon, so I wasn't going to originally post about them, butttttt.

Angel Dust (and we both agree on this so I promise I'm not copying them, but it's also canon per Voxtagram soooo) does not only wear super femme clothes, or super revealing clothes. He's definitely a crop top and shorts guy, or a low cut cozy shirt guy, but he isn't always dressed intentionally provocative. When he's alone in his room, or he is getting ready for a show, this is the most comfortable and cozy fucker ever. He likes to relax sometimes after wearing all those corsets and tight dresses.

Angel hates his feet. This is canon, and very apparent with my Angel (the foot fetish thing had him reeling the other day). To the point that even during sex, he either keeps his shoes on (which is LITERALLY seen in Poison), or he will wear thigh high stockings. Tbh, they aren't even ugly - he's got cute little jumping spider feet. But he does NOT like them and will NOT let people touch them. If you get to, that means he has a very deep connection with you.

Angel's gold tooth and mismatched eyes are because of his contract with Valentino. Which also means that Travis is contracted with Val. Which is interesting. Was he just like...this fucker isn't hot enough so he can just be the script writer?

By the way, Angel thinks Travis is a horrible script writer. His talent as an actor is wasted on that bullshit.

Which goes into, yeah, he 'stands up for it' when Husk is a 'porn critic.' It isn't because of the fact that he thinks the writing is good, or even that the porn itself is good. It's because Angel is proud of his acting abilities, and that damn porno won him a Sex-x-xi Award. It showed that he was CAPABLE at something, to the point that he won over the other biggest porn star in Hell. That showed that he CAN act and that he's damn GOOD at it and he's proud of that. And so having that shot down hurts like a bitch.

He loves polaroids. Clearly, since they're covering his door. He definitely has one at all times and likes to document his life and the fact that now he has one. For once. That he's proud of.

Angel Dust is better at guns than Valentino (it probably helps that Val is canonically pretty fucking blind). He definitely taught Valentino a lot of what he knows about his way around a gun, which he obviously regrets now with Val's attitude. But Angel is a great shot. He doesn't miss.

Angel likes to tap into his mobster roots a lot (I mean look how that fucker is dressed in the finale.) He also has photos on Voxtagram of him in his mobster outfit, and it's in the prequel comic so. He likes to be a mobster, as long as he is free to make his own choices - which he wasn't under his father.

Speaking of his father, his entire family was incredibly homophobic so he couldn't really express himself. This was what really pushed Anthony into the drug lifestyle. He needed to get out and numb himself from it all, as well as try to live his own life (it's why he mentions in Loser Baby that drugs/clubbing is his escape.) The drug overdose was absolutely accidental, but I imagine he got into it with either his brother or father a bit too hard that day and just pushed himself too far.

In reference to all of that, Angel loves his lifestyle. I know he doesn't like his job and he talks about how much he hates everything, but pre-Valentino, he loved it. That was what led Val to find him in the first place and be able to corrupt him. He loves doing drugs. He loves partying. He loves sex. Even if his contract with Val is broken, that isn't going to change (well, maybe the drugs since y'know he's trying to get redeemed but....he ain't giving up sex).

Speaking of contract, I didn't know this was canon apparently but it breaks my heart to think about so I'm making it a HC - Angel hasn't been redeemed yet because his soul isn't his to be redeemed. It's owned by someone else, so until his soul is released back to him, all of this is futile. Unless there is some divine intervention.

I've mentioned this before but just adding it to my long list, Angel Dust tastes like cotton candy (yes sexually you cowards). He's also intersex, but definitely 100% identifies as a cisgender man. He just has 'both' genitalia, which y'know, makes him really great in the porn industry.

Angel is Hell's hottest porn star in hundreds of years. I know Val obviously did porn (look at his damn posters haaaa) but even Valentino didn't get to that level of success. I think that's part of why Valentino knows he can't lose Angel, because so much rides (ha, punny, ha) on him.

I am just bouncing all of these off based on the previous comment. I could write an essay about Angel's love for Valentino, but yes, he does love Val. Like I was speaking with poisonedxbeauty earlier, it's all about the domestic violence cycle. Angel makes it CLEAR that Val only has control of him in the studio, so if Valentino called him while at the hotel, HE COULD SAY NO. HE COULD. But he doesn't, because there's still love for him there that keeps bringing him back and trapped in the cycle. I do think, however, that when Angel stands up to Val in that club, it has a lot to do with Husk. Husk shows him what love is supposed to look like, like he is worthy of love, and deserves to be seen for who he is. That weakens the chain of the contract, because it gives Angel the courage to say no and not go back just because he thinks Val is the only one that will love him.

Angel likes jazz music. Alastor is shook. But as a mobster highly associated within the 1920s realm, he loved a good flashy gatsby party. He also loves Broadway, especially Cabaret and Chicago. He’d love to perform in a Broadway show one day, especially because he actually does have a very talented voice.

Speaking of, I hc that Angel was 33 when he died (which is so funny bc Hazbinned and I both do and we thought it was canon but nope it just is our little brains working).

His association with The Vees fascinates me and will continue to do so. He obviously lived in the penthouse for a long time, and still has his own room (I don't care what y'all say, that is absolutely Angel's room in Poison, not Val. I don't see Val as one to really do drag and there are too many damn wigs in that room). It's obvious that Vox hates his guts (jealous little prick), but I think Angel did his best to be helpful when he was around (as will be made in the next comment). He can actually tolerate Velvette, and would sometimes spend nights getting drunk and just talking fashion with her and trashing horrible fashion tastes.

Angel is a phenomenal cook, especially when it comes to Italian food. He probably cooked far too many meals for the Vees, the ungrateful bastards. But since he was living there, and wanted to prove that he was worth something, he would pay back in terms of acts of service like that (especially since he's used to only paying back in sex and Val was the only one interested in that).

His favorite drink is a White Chocolate Macchiato with strawberry drizzle and whipped cream. Fight me. When it comes to alcohol, yes he likes fruity drinks, but his favorite liquor is actually gin or absinthe (he’s a hard mobster from the twenties, he likes the hard shit).

After Cherri, I would say his ride or die is Vaggie. I hate how little kind interactions they have with each other, but even in It Starts with Sorry or the pilot alone, you can see their bond. I imagine they bond over being queer, and I just think that's kind of cute. Charlie would absolutely be next ofc. And Niffty is like a little sister to him that he just wants to defend to the death.

Speaking of friends, Angel is so clearly willing to sacrifice himself to protect his friends, which shows he isn't this selfish stuck-up persona that he puts on. He'd even risk his life for Alastor if needed, because this is his found family, the people that he loves more than anything, and he thinks their lives are worth more than his.

Molly and Angel had an incredibly close relationship due to being twins, but he would keep himself away from her more often than not because he didn't want to 'taint' her and pull her into all the mob boss stuff. There's a reason she's in Heaven, y'all, that little sweet bean. He misses her, but he doesn't talk about her much because it hurts too badly.

Angel was the first to die in his family. I said what I said.

More fact than head canon, but in case y’all didn’t know, Fat Nuggets is absolutely a drug reference. I am guessing he was named by Valentino, because I also imagine that Angel received his name from Valentino, tied into his drug addiction. Or maybe not fully received it from him, but was highly persuaded by him.

Angel is a bottom. No shock. But want to clarify that. He ain’t ever topping. Good luck. His favorite position is riding, he loves sucking dick, and he has almost every kink under the sun but especially impact play and breeding.  

Angel’s moans in the pornos are definitely fake and overexaggerated (duh). If he actually has sex with someone he loves, his pitch is much softer and wispier and even a little deeper. Anyone who’s slept with him and watches his porn will know that. And I think that’s a big reason why any of his partners (especially Husk) would be fine with his sex work. He knows it’s just a job, and Angel isn’t fully enjoying it, and only he gets to see the true side of Angel in passion. And it’s fucking beautiful. It’s also why Val keeps him.

Angel doesn’t have a car. Random fact. But that’s why he had to take a freaking taxi from Travis in the pilot. I imagine that’s one luxury Valentino never let him have, because it would make it so Angel could get away more often and much easier. And then he just…never got one.

Charlie paid for him to stay at the hotel at first, but he would have made the decision to go regardless of the money. He didn’t believe in the cause at first, but it was an excuse to move out of the penthouse and have some freedom from Val’s contract. It just so happens she caught him at a vulnerable time when Valentino had punished him to work the streets overnight and he was fucking fed up.

A lot of people think Angel is a germaphobe because of the gloves, but I say no way could he be with how many random sinners he’s slept with and the grungy places he hangs out. I think it’s because he thinks that anything that he touches will break. Notice the only place he doesn’t wear his gloves? In the studio. Because that’s already a broken environment and it can’t get worse. He doesn’t want to touch any of his friends and have things fall to ruins. Almost Rogue-ish from Xmen. He doesn’t actually have those powers, duh, but it’s the fear of cursing them with just his touch. If he takes off his gloves around you, he’s being incredibly vulnerable.

Speaking of powers, yes, I do believe that Angel can produce webs. He rarely does it of course because he thinks it’s kind of gross, but he definitely can. I was trying to think of how he would do this, and in my brain he just went that he can produce it from his spit and I was like….okay fam, guess we’re going with that canon then. Definitely giving Naruto vibes.

His favorite color is actually purple, not pink. Look at his room in the hotel. HE designed that room for himself. There’s purple all over that shit.

All his pink dots are representative of the hundreds of freckles he had when he was alive.

Despite his raunchy background, he is absolutely a hopeless romantic. He’s used to being thrust into the wild side of things, but he doesn’t even use porn to get off (why would he, when it’s what he does as a living). He’s much more aroused by the slow sensuality of things. Dances under the lights of Pentagram City. Candlelit dinners. Intimate massages. Making love. He likes a good fuck, hard and fast, but gentle love-making? It’s everything he's dreamed of.

Just talked about with my lovely Husk, because they were surprised that Angel’s robe isn’t some level of see through. My thought behind this is that he is already incredibly emotionally vulnerable in those positions, knowing he could set Val off at any minute (noticing he only wore it in Episode 4 as well, INCLUDING at the end of Poison), so he doesn’t want to be physically vulnerable as well. For once, he doesn’t want to be seen. He wants to just disappear so that he can’t get hurt anymore.

Angel Dust was baptized and raised Catholic (as is common in Italian families). He turned his back on God fairly quickly after witnessing all the death and torture that existed in the world. But then after going to Hell he was like…..oh shit, religion was actually correct in a lot of ways.

Angel speaks Italian as his native language. He specifically uses it in high emotional situations, such as when he is overly excited or incredibly angry or especially when he is incredibly horny. It basically happens when emotions are so high that he can’t think, therefore he doesn’t even realize he has fallen into his native tongue.

I’m sure I could come up with a thousand more, and I’m sure I’ve referenced more in my threads, but this is everything that came up in my brain for now that I wanted to vomit onto a page. So enjoy this random load of bullshit on my very random Angel take. Sorry for the weird numbering. Apparently there's no text limit as long as it isn't one long paragraph and the split just....numbered them like this. ;;

[thephoenixandthecrocodile]

Thoughts on Episode 6 - Part 2

I didn’t realize one could just summon a sea worm, haha

Seriously, what the hell is wrong with Numenor’s legal system? XD

Poor Earien ☹ She just wants her father to comfort her, to acknowledge that he feels her pain. That hug nearly broke my heart

So basically Isildur’s stupidity kept both Elendil and Earien so distracted, they somewhat worked as father-daughter but now that he’s gone, they’ve lost the one thing uniting them and all their pain, loss, and anger is coming through.

Also, Elendil, can’t you see how much Earien loves you? She went to the woman she blames for Isildur’s death to save your life!

“What about my heart?” Just kiss already, Miriel and Elendil!

Disa, I love you so much!

I don’t know if the cape swish and interpretive dance was required to call the bats or if it was just Sophia having fun with the scene, but either way I adore it!

And it’s confirmed: Disa is canonically Batman in the Rings of Power universe

Also those bats are fucking huge!

Disa and Durin: official power couple of Middle-Earth

“They’ll be back and they will be more of them” Well, I guess you need to find more bats and soon.

My gods Miriel’s dress is fucking gorgeous! Whoever designs her wardrobe has been on fucking fire this season

I wonder if the kaiju creature was screaming, “AH IT’S MIRIEL. I LOVE YOU!!!”

“Strange worms tossing women out of the sea is no basis for a system of government.”

Seriously though MIRIEL IS MY QUEEN AND GODDESS. She’s such a bad ass and fearless. I love her so much.

Ooo Pharazon and the Palantir

Poor Adar already knows that Galadriel and Gil-Galad would gladly wipe him and his children out. He can’t fucking trust anyone

Soooo if Adar knows that Elrond has Nenya, then does that mean we’re getting an Adar/Elrond scene? I need Adar to have at least one scene with every cast member before he dies. It’s a requirement, JD and Patrick! You hear me?

Not sure what you thought you were doing there Galadriel revealing everything

So Adar basically emptied all of Mordor to take on Sauron?

One thing I really love this season is how paranoid everyone is about doing what Sauron wants, when doing nothing may even be worst. It makes us, as viewers, understand why Sauron is so dangerous even when he’s at his weakest (no army, no stronghold, etc.)

Poor Eregion ☹ Under attack and thinking their lord has abandoned them because he’s currently trapped in Sauron’s lala land illusion

Celebrimbor: Don’t mind me. Just drawing rings, lalala

Also, again Celebrimbor missing a siege because he’s so concentrated on his pet project is understandable.

Just drawing rings, lalala

Oh my god I died laughing when Sauron slid to the window and asked “How’s your progress” XD

Yes, Celebrimbor fight back and push that deceiver to the wall! You will not regret that later

It looks like Suaron hurt Celebrimbor when he grabbed his arm. Poor Brimby ☹

Sauron, you fucker. When bullying doesn’t work, time for some hocus pocus and flattery

God the relief on Celebrimbor’s face when he “sees” that everything’s “ok”.

“I came to Eregion, not because the Valar needed you. I did.” Knife stabbed directly into heart and twist. This is why Celebrimbor goes back to work. He is needed, he is needed by this majestic, scary, powerful being beyond anyone on Middle Earth. He is needed and wanted because he can make true beauty, beauty that will rival the most beautiful thing in the world: the Silmarils. Sauron is such a fucker for saying this to Celebrimbor, but also I need Celebrimbor and Annatar to have one on screen kiss before the end. Please?

Celebrimbor looks at Sauron so hopefully during this speech, it’s heart breaking.

And Feanor’s fucking hammer! Ahhhhh

That fucking transition from illusion to reality is fucking terrifying and amazing and I can’t believe it was all practical

And then you focus on Sauron’s footsteps and his welcoming of the attack with outstretched arms. Fucking beautiful

I’m really excited to see how JD and Patrick handle a siege. They obviously have big shoes to fill considering the siege of Minas Tirith and Helm’s Deep, but I’m excited. ^_^

[britcision]

Listen. If being mean to you guys wasn’t so much funnier than giving you exactly what you wanted, I swear I wouldn’t do it.

But it is. It really is.

As always, AO3 link is still in the first chapter!

First:

Previous:

Tag list: @welcometosasakiworld @kyrianclawraith @someonebored0100 @stealingyourbones @starkcravingmad @frostedthroughghost @akikoyuii @rainbowbunny0159 @littlefeather345 @violet-catsarelife @serasvictoria02 @wolfjackle @blacksea21090 @secretdestinywerewolf @anime-hipster-the-amazing @undead-essence @skitscratched @blackroserelina @snoodly-boop @trickerdi @mayoota-blog @xysidhe @idkmrpianoman @little-apricot-the-writer @chaoticmistake @the-legal-shipper @bun-fish @aroranorth-west @demon-cat-goes-woof @eonic @onyxlightdragon @larks-and-katydids @peachesandcreamfemboy @jesus-camp-the-sequel @may-rbi @arandomturd @viyatrix @stargirl1331 @idfk-man10

———————

Danger Twink Powers Activate

“Danger Twink is on the move!” It was Nightwing yelling it into the comms. It had to be, because not a damn one of the rest of them could have got through that sentence without laughing.

Oh, his voice was all joyful glee and Spoiler was soooo mad she left when she did because what the fuck is she missing, but the message was clear.

Things in the ballroom hit a flashpoint, and for some reason Danny was doing the shit kicking. She’d wonder what the fuck Jason thought he was doing, since he’d been in arm’s reach of the guy all evening, but.

Yeah. Last she saw, Croc was separating them. Apparently Danny took a little less kindly to that than you’d think.

“Report?” She asked hopefully, half wanting to be called back to the hall. She’d nearly reached Black Bat, but let’s be honest.

Ten, fifteen Riddler minions? Bat could finish them before she even got there.

Red Robin sounded annoyed, as he always did when one of them (usually Damian) jumped the gun on him.

“They were walking Jason Todd towards a bomb vest. His civilian friend took exception to that, and now he’s… Wing what would you call that?”

“If the kid was twice the size I’d call that a classic sumo stance but he’s a fucking twink so it’s never gonna… well fuck me.”

Red Robin picked up the narrative again, now deadpan.

“He’s stopped Killer Croc dead and lifted him off the ground. Might be a butchered judo throw.”

“Need me back in there?” Spoiler pressed, both fingers crossed even as she ran down a hall. She’d only gone down one flight, there was a balcony into the dining hall.

She could make it.

“Negative, Spoiler. Get to Black Bat, Robin make sure that machine can’t be activated. Signal?”

Fucker. She’d make Tim suffer for it once they were all out of costume.

“You’d better fucking record the fight,” she grumbled, even as Signal buzzed in, sounding almost out of breath.

“Close, just got another block to clear.”

“Would this be a good time to remind you all that Fenton is a meta?” Robin bit out, shades of sarcasm filtering all the way through the falsely conversational tone.

Spoiler damn near tripped as Nightwing cursed.

“Okay fucking what?” That was a little important to be skipped over.

“Shit, yeah, sorry Robin… we didn’t have time to fill you guys in, Robin thinks he saw Fenton teleport. But he’s not teleporting now,” Nightwing added quickly, the frown clear in his voice.

As was Robin rolling his eyes.

“Abnormal strength is one of the most common meta abilities, in case you’d forgotten. Watch closely for the rest of his power set.”

Red Robin cut across them both, voice sharp. New factors always put him on edge.

“Robin saw, or Robin thinks he saw? Can we confirm this?”

Which, ouch, Red Robin might need to check his room for traps for a while.

Spoiler flinched, even through a grin. As much as it sucked for them, it was good fun for her when the Robins squared off. If either ever asked for help, she’d be happy to provide.

“He thought he saw, but the timelines didn’t match up. It was maybe three minutes before we bumped into you, they couldn’t have crossed the hall in time,” Nightwing explained gently, trying to keep the peace.

Robin clearly already had vengeance on his mind.

“I saw them all disappear, Nightwing, it is hardly my fault if the rest of you are incompetent! Black Bat agreed,” he added almost sullenly, and oh Spoiler could see the pout now.

And hear the faintest hint of smugness under the last declaration. Poor kid still had such a hard time accepting anyone believed in him.

Might have helped if he spent less time insisting that he was better than everyone else and they were all beneath him, but hey, League of Assassins training didn’t include humility.

Not for the heir to the Demon Head, anyway. Black Bat managed just fine.

And added in her two cents pretty much immediately, backing Robin up.

“Agreed. May not be strict teleportation, but Fenton has meta abilities of some kind. Shadows?” She asked, and the chat went silent for a moment, clearly waiting on Signal to weigh in.

His sigh was as resigned and tired as could be imagined.

“I’m not going to know until I get a look at him, guys, you know that. Might be cool if he does though, it’d be nice to have another meta on the team,” he added thoughtfully.

Robin tutted, but before he could voice his opinions of that Red Robin butted in again.

“Current circumstances may indicate that Fenton at least isn’t averse to conflict, but that doesn’t mean he’s on the right side. All that can wait for now, do you have an ETA, Signal?” He asked, clearly still typing away in the meantime.

Yeah, keeping the bats on task was a little like herding cats. They’d get the job done (and look good doing it), but keeping the comms cleared of banter was just never gonna happen.

“I’m outside, can’t see anyone at first glance. Want me to lock the place down?” Signal replied, and Spoiler sighed.

Bringing Signal in after dark always felt like cheating. Boy got OP in all of the shadows. Even if there might be someone else playing in them tonight.

Red Robin ignored her comment, still all business.

“Scan for Two Face or any of his crew first, go a block or two over. He may have been planning the initial attack. Can you cover up the damaged windows?

She could hear Signal sucking air through his teeth. A habit they’d all tried to break him of, if only for the truly ratty way it crackled over comms.

“I can up the lights inside, but not if I’m a block away. Priorities?”

“Scan first. Black Bat, Spoiler and Robin, when you’re done assist Signal. We have things handled in here.”

“And I’m recording it for you Spoiler, pinky promise,” Nightwing added gleefully, and she really wanted to kick him. “I left a camera high before joining the fun. Found Riddler yet Little Red?”

“Call me that again, Discowing.”

“Uh, that was a have you found the Riddler, Red Robin?”

“Not yet. It’ll go faster if you all shut up and do your jobs.” Red Robin still sounded actually annoyed rather than having fun, and Spoiler snickered.

“He’s worried his new best friend will be in danger,” she sang into comms, launching herself down a staircase and landing neatly with her knees planted on the shoulders of a running goon.

The burly woman toppled and Spoiler smacked her head off the floor for good measure, pulling out her zip ties.

“Civilians in danger is supposed to worry us, Spoiler,” Red Robin sniped back and she sighed again.

Yeah, okay, he had a bug in his ass. She didn’t want anything bad to happen to anyone either. Riddler must have bought the good encryption today.

“Yessir Red Robin. Shutting up,” she agreed with a one finger salute he’d never see, then continued on.

Missing all the fun just because the boys didn’t want to share. Wasn’t that always the way?

**

Honestly, if it hadn’t been Killer Croc Jason might not have suggested going rogue. Riddler’s guys carried guns, and even without the man himself around any spray would probably catch a hostage.

But Croc was a good guy, as weird as that might seem to say about a rogue. He’d been dealt a crappy hand, and while he wouldn’t shy away from violence on his own account, he had a kind heart.

He’d helped Roy get clean, and curbed Jason’s own more destructive tendencies in the past. Croc kept almost but not quite getting out of the life.

And, as expected, even as the big guy hauled himself to his feet he roared at the tensed goons.

“You lot get the fuckin’ bats, I can handle a scrawny little shit!” Slitted eyes narrowed as he turned to find Danny, who grinned back.

“Y’know, you’d be real surprised how often I hear that,” Danny snarked, shaking out his shoulders.

Jason resisted the urge to laugh, backing carefully away from the pair and the Riddler goons not already disarmed by Nightwing.

He wasn’t allowed to get in on the action in civvies, but he could throw the world’s clumsiest punch if none of his siblings were looking.

He could hear them over his comms, hurriedly coordinating, but for now he zoned them out. Better to focus on Croc and Danny.

Croc chuckled softly at Danny’s remark, flexing his claws.

“And yer still here. Is that what I’m supposed to get from that?” He asked in a low, rumbling voice. Danny just shrugged cheerfully.

“Or that I’m a habitual problem on purpose who never learns his lesson. Either’s good, really.” Spreading his feet to shoulder width apart, he flexed his knees and raised both hands.

Killer Croc actually laughed at that, ignoring the Riddler goons now firing up towards the ceiling.

“Shoulda stayed down on the floor, kid. Nobody’s gotta get hurt today,” he growled, which Jason felt was frankly unfair.

“As the guy who was being led to a bomb vest, I’m good with an intervention,” he quipped, raising both hands innocently when Croc shot him a look. “Man exploding hurts, I dunno if you’ve tried it.”

Jason had. He was mostly okay joking about it.

From the sudden worried look Danny shot him, maybe that “mostly” showed through a little too much.

Right. Because Danny still didn’t know how he’d died. Hopefully still didn’t, anyway.

Before he could try and work out what to say, or to send or whatever, Croc lunged at Danny.

Jason expected him to dodge. Danny was built like a Robin, lean and slender, and from what Jason had seen so far almost always smaller than his opponents.

Definitely smaller than Killer Croc.

Danny didn’t dodge. Tensing in place, he met Croc’s charge dead on. And stopped it in its tracks, not even sliding back across the floor.

And yeah, Jason was gonna have to stop being surprised every time the future Ghost King flexed, he’d gotten there by kicking ass but this was the first time Jason had seen him fight.

He was gonna enjoy it.

Croc looked just as stunned as Jason, both wrists caught in Danny’s hands as the kid grinned up at him.

“Blowing up definitely sucks, 0/10 don’t recommend,” he agreed with a smirk, shifted his grip, and tossed Killer Croc across the floor.

The large meta threw himself back to his feet, an almost growling chuckle breaking free.

“You’ve got some moves, kid, I’ll give yer that,” he rumbled, closing the distance a little more carefully, now wary of Danny’s hands.

Jason was dimly aware of Dick kick flipping his way around in the background. There was already a lot less gunfire. And while he’d usually be kibitzing, there was a new show on today.

Killer Croc vs Danger Twink, ten rounds no waiting.

**

The gala hall descended into madness faster than Bruce could ever have anticipated. If he’d been concerned when Jason had been singled out, it was only worse when the bomb vest appeared.

Jason would likely have been fine; none of the bats would let him get seriously injured and hells, Jason could have disabled the vest himself.

Bruce could see the wiring from his spot on the floor, apparently completely forgotten by all as Croc faced off against that scrungly fucking kid.

Danny Fenton, whoever he was, was reckless, dangerous, and clearly didn’t care what happened to those around him.

Danny Fenton wouldn’t let Jason be trapped in a bomb vest. Would put his own life on the line to prevent that if necessary, wrestling with a gigantic cannibalistic meta.

Danny Fenton was almost certainly a meta himself. Even Batman couldn’t throw Killer Croc around like that.

It was hard for Bruce to maintain his usual analytical detachment, watching as Killer Croc took a wide swipe. Danny ducked away, still grinning, bright as anything.

It was always hard when something involved Jason. The presence of a new meta on complicated things further.

Bruce wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, though part of him wanted more than anything to at least push his comms back in and check in with the children.

Nightwing was present and had already disarmed a good chunk of the goons, which meant there had to be more outside. They wouldn’t send him in alone if there was another choice.

Croc’s order had at least kept the gunfire high will Nightwing fucked around on the pillars. As usual he was having far too much fun for the severity of the situation, but Bruce couldn’t fault him that.

There were far too many surly protectors of the night, and he’d do what he could to keep Dick from ever being one of them.

Not least because there were only so many good brooding gargoyles around.

The man was still an effective crime fighter, and Bruce always appreciated the chance to watch him work. It was the only good thing about being stuck in civilian wear.

Jason would usually agree, he was the only one who hated being out of the fight even more than Bruce or even Damian, yet… if Bruce dragged his attention away from Killer Croc, his boy looked almost happy.

Deeply entertained, cheering Danny on from the sidelines. At least he was keeping out of the fight himself.

Right up until two more of the Riddler’s goons advanced on him, directed by Tablet Goon.

“Fools! Just bring the boy here, let Croccy deal with that pest! And take down that bird!”

Bruce tensed, wishing there was something more direct he could do. Red Robin and Oracle would both be hard at work cracking the tablet, and he’d never out pace them.

Still, there had to be something. Nightwing alone clearly wasn’t enough to scare Riddler off, so whatever plans they’d had were still a danger.

Jason didn’t even seem to notice the burly couple now advancing on him as he watched the fight, which was unusually careless.

Danny must be a worse influence than Bruce had thought. Or was it intentional? Blunting Jason’s sharp senses and telling him it dulled the pit?

Nightmare scenarios built themselves through Bruce’s head, even more as the large woman grabbed Jason by the shoulder. He visibly startled and tried to pull away, swinging a punch of his own.

Clumsy. Apparently untrained. Good. There was a chance his surprise was also an act, and Bruce almost felt bad for his suspicions.

But no, he knew Jason better than anyone. He could tell when Jason was or wasn’t faking. He was just still quick on his feet, clever as always.

Unfortunately there were too many goons for Nightwing to be of much help to his brother. He was keeping the guns high, striking with his batarangs to knock weapons from their owners’ hands.

He couldn’t get free to get to Jason.

And Jason couldn’t fight to the best of his abilities, even if he had already given both goons a bloody nose each. He landed a couple more hits before a third goon hurried over, catching him from behind.

Part of Bruce regretted telling Jason to stay visible. If he’d known he was going to be targeted… but no, the other guests would surely have noticed if he disappeared.

There was something almost like panic on Jason’s face as he was lifted, but no, that would be part of the act. Red Hood could take twice as many in under a minute.

Maybe excitement? Maybe upset that he wouldn’t be able to see the rest of the fight? Or that he couldn’t intervene when Danny needed him?

Danny was still fighting with Killer Croc too, utterly oblivious that the one he was trying to protect was being dragged away.

Untrained. With some experience, certainly, but no formal schooling to raise his situational awareness.

Bruce added it to his notes on the young man. There was a chance Danny had a little vigilante experience, in sleepy Amity Park.

Probably nothing more than some human muggers or gangsters. Nothing that would have prepared him for someone like Killer Croc.

It was almost a shame, really, the kid was quippy enough to be a Robin, bantering with Croc between grabs and punches. Light on his feet too, darting in to strike himself between blows.

Perhaps he’d befriend Dick as well. Or Tim. Either may be able to help him away from whatever bad habits he’d fallen into.

At the very least, keep him from dragging Jason down after him. His boys might be a good influence on the young meta. Would he be too old to talk to Duke?

And unfortunately his lack of experience was beginning to tell too, Bruce’s breath catching as Croc finally got a hand around the boy’s throat.

Danny was lifted from the ground, then slammed bodily into the floor. A startled squeak punched out of him, making him sound painfully young and something in Bruce lurched.

No matter what else he was, what kind of trouble he got into, that boy was the same age as his sons. Had jumped into a fight he couldn’t expect to win for his son.

They need to do something.

**

Danny barely even registered Jason’s message when it brushed across him, the tension of that ready-ready-ready sparking a moment of actual fear.

Barely there, gone in a second, but it slammed back into something Jason had said earlier on and Danny knew he had to go.

Before they got far enough he couldn’t reach. Before they could put Jason, the kid who blew up, in a fucking bomb vest.

Because that was what happened to the second Robin, wasn’t it? No one knew for sure, but the Joker liked to crow about it when he was particularly riled up.

Even if Danny hadn’t believed it before, the second he felt Jason’s heart stop seeing the vest gave it credence.

And yeah, Danny was just not gonna think about how quickly he’d gone back to business as usual, especially not to be jealous? Cuz nothing good that way lay.

Fucking Gotham. If Jason had lived pretty much anywhere else, getting out of the game woulda gotten him far enough from explosives to not need to face that trigger.

It cast a shadow over what was supposed to be just some fun, a fight in his human form for a change. Just a chance to rattle the batkids and get his ass hauled up to the stage beside Jason.

Because that? That was serious. That wasn’t happening.

Nobody was going to shove his Knight’s death in his face on Danny’s watch. No matter how much Jason’s aura had settled, a constant brush of gleeful-excited-kick his ass.

It didn’t erase the memory of that one heartbeat of dread that froze Danny’s core.

Although since he could kinda see Nightwing bouncing around from the corner of his eye, that wasn’t likely to be a Danny-only problem.

Maybe he could play Match The Wayne To The Bat once that damn vest was out of play.

He was almost having fun again, enjoying the experience of getting into a fight as a human, of not having a secret identity to protect.

No one in fucking Gotham cared about some ghost hero from Amity Park, not even if they were about to look him up. They had his name, his damn parents would tell them the rest.

It was nice to see just what his human body could do, rolling away from claw strikes and hitting back against tough scales.

And then he heard Jason swear. Felt the tug and sudden emptiness as he was pulled away between them.

Attention suddenly divided, he didn’t realise Croc’s hand was on his neck until he’d already hit the floor.

**

Jason didn’t consciously will the gun to his hand. It never quite got to the mental act of wanting it to appear.

He just heard his king make a noise of pain and his struggling hand closed around a pistol grip that wasn’t quite real. Not yet.

A startled glance showed nothing there, but he could feel the sense of the gun, just waiting for that final act of want.

It was an effort of will to resist, especially as he was being wrestled up to the stage.

Which had been part of the plan. Get close enough to provide backup for Bruce, see if he could knock the tablet somewhere Dick could get it, whatever.

He wasn’t actually struggling, and probably wouldn’t until they actually tried to put the vest on him. That, yeah, he was gonna pass on, but if he got close enough he could disarm it.

He did manage to wrench around enough to see Croc scrape Danny back out of a now cracked section of floor.

Knew he wasn’t controlling the sudden flare of rage-concern-protect-protect-How Dare He, because every ounce of his self control went to not closing his hand around the gun.

He’d left it at home, extremely deliberately. Under lock and key in his own gun safe, in his own safe house, before even going to the manor.

Fun new things to learn about being a halfa, adding this one to the list. Nobody said anything about the damn gun being able to teleport.

(Not that he was complaining. It was damn convenient, and a decent substitute for the All Blades. Hopefully having two weird magic pact weapons wasn’t gonna cause interference.)

Not summoning it got even harder when Danny reached back, brushing safe-fine-worry-now what even as Croc began dragging him after them, towards the front.

Jason hesitated for a heartbeat, not sure how to answer. Not even sure what his options to answer were, or how complicated he could make it.

So far it had mostly been emotions, intent, and there were limits to what you could really say without words. It was great for clarifying and expanding a message, but to plan?

Yeah, limited was the generous way to put it.

Why was Danny worried now? This was part of the plan, getting them up to the front.

Danny didn’t… feel hurt? Even as he rag-dolled in Croc’s grip, there wasn’t a trace of pain or even discomfort, and maybe Danny could hide that but Clockwork said he’d always know.

It was kinda his job. So what the fuck was Jason missing?

Scanning the room, his confusion only grew. Nightwing was making his way through the goons with batarangs and bolas, and most of them hadn’t switched to “help our fallen comrades” yet.

Bruce was still on the floor, completely forgotten. The rest of the hostages were fine, also on the floor, mostly quiet. No meat shields in sight yet.

His confusion must have spread across, because he felt Danny’s swell to match it, and then another gentle brush.

Death-protect-won’t hurt you

Jason tensed again, wondering where the fuck Danny thought the Joker was, and then remembering… Danny didn’t know. They’d never talked about how he’d died.

Specifically avoided it, actually. So what…

All on its own, his gaze landed on the bomb vest. Now discarded on the floor, the goons who’d been carrying it being harried by Nightwing and scolded all around by Riddler’s tablet, also on the floor.

Had. Had Danny felt that moment of fear? Recognised what it was?

Fucking Jason had barely even felt it, had made his usual jokes about it that made his family groan. It was practically routine.

Was Danny the only person in his life who wasn’t used to him coming face to face with his death?

Something grew painfully tight in Jason’s chest at the thought, but he soothed it down. Hell, if Danny had felt him wobble, that wouldn’t fuckin’ help.

He was fine. This was all going according to plan, though if Dickie had his say they might not even get through the whole plan.

Jason did his part, struggling just enough to keep all three of his goons engaged with dragging him to the front. Croc was also beginning to look annoyed, gesturing with Danny like he was a stuffed toy.

“What, yer boys can’t even handle one little bird, Eddie?!” He roared, leaping forwards to land heavily on the stage.

Jason’s awareness of Danny spiked, and he did his best to project wait-wait-safe-I’m fine. Wasn’t sure how to communicate “we can keep the same plan”.

Danny looked around again, eyes meeting his for just a moment, and Jason tipped him a wink between dramatic grimacing. Maybe flexed his arms just a little more than necessary.

Keep the show going.

Even left behind, he felt Danny’s aura soothe. Felt it wrap around him almost like a giant hand, like he was something fragile and soft.

Reassurance-trust-safe

Well, it was a start, but Jason would prefer Danny was having fun. That had been the whole damn point of getting involved.

It was a little tricky to work out how to share the feelings without changing his expression, but he settled for head butting the woman holding his left arm.

It gave him a moment where he could let the grin slip, a fierce satisfaction meeting the spray of blood.

Confident-happy-fun

Even if they got the bomb vest onto him, Riddler was easy. He had a pattern, a method he refused to deviate from, and while he was one of the more cerebral rogues?

He just wasn’t ready for the Red Hood brute force technique. There’d be clues in the vest, some complicated puzzle, but every puzzle had a cheat code.

Now the game was who finished the fight first, them or Nightwing.

**

Croc stomped up onto the stage, bending to scoop up the bomb vest with the hand not holding Danny by the neck.

Just gonna leave Riddler’s tablet yelling and swearing camera down on the floor.

Vibes. Danny might be new to town, but Riddler just wasn’t growing on him. Maybe it was all the armed goons.

Maybe it was just because he hadn’t even bothered to show up. Like, give a guy something to work with. At least Killer Croc got his own hands dirty.

Inspiration struck and Danny, reassured by Jason’s continuing cheerfulness, casually let his legs flop forward to tangle around Croc’s as he turned to rise.

The big guy didn’t fully trip, but he stumbled forward enough that Danny could use a quick moment of telekinesis to tug the bomb vest from his hand, sending it skidding across the floor towards Bruce Wayne.

If the guy was Batman, that’d be that problem pretty neatly solved. It should even look like Croc threw it by accident to any outsiders.

As if to sell the idea, Croc roared in frustration again, ripping Danny up and away from him and holding him at arm’s length.

“You are beginning to wear on my patience, kid,” he growled, eyes narrowed. Danny gave his best innocent grin back, clutching at the hand at his throat.

It hadn’t actually been cutting off his oxygen until now. Not that he needed it, it was just worth noting.

Remembering to struggle for air was the key.

“Aww and here I thought we were bringing the house down,” he teased, his voice coming out a little choked. Always helpful.

And being all the way up gave him a great vantage point to check on the rest of the room.

About half of the goons were down now, either twisted up or unconscious, and the rest were getting smarter. Or maybe the dumber ones had just gone down first.

They were hiding behind pillars and tables now, not out in the open where Nightwing could get them without coming down.

And coming down would put the civilians in the line of fire.

None of the civilians were making a break for it either, just sat in their groups on the floor not making a peep. Danny might think they were too scared to move if he hadn’t been in one of the groups.

As far as they were concerned, the outcome was pretty much guaranteed.

It was really, really fucking weird. But then, so was willingly living in this city and coming to these events, which were routinely attacked by costumed weirdos, so.

Croc interrupted his thoughts by grunting and tossing him aside, then stomping towards Bruce and the vest. Skidding on his back, Danny took advantage to snag the Riddler’s tablet as he passed.

Sure, he had no idea which of the bats would be trying to hack it or how they’d be doing it, but he knew what Tuck would want. The tablet itself if possible, VPNs turned off and wifi set to open if not.

He also turned the volume off before flipping it over and covering the camera. As much fun as giving a wave would be, Danny had Opinions about people who brought bomb vests to parties.

Opinions that had only gotten significantly stronger now that he had a suspicion of how Jason had died.

Yeah. They were gonna talk. Before they got to the halfa training if possible, because… yeah. If Jason hadn’t seen his ghost form yet, that was gonna suck.

Maybe he should have Jazz on standby.

**

Tucking himself more firmly into his nook in the ceiling, Red Robin swore into the comms as bullets clipped past about a foot away.

“Fuck’s sake Nightwing, could you not swing by while you’re taking fire?” He grumbled, most of his attention still fixed on his wrist computer.

He had the stream, was almost through to Riddler’s actual location, if he could just…

He completely missed Nightwing’s reply as his computer beeped, letting him know that the tablet’s VPN had just shut down.

He had everything. Full access to all files, location tracking data for the last month, even the search history.

Everything he’d have been scraping for evidence when the dust settled and he got the device itself in hand, just… laid bare. It almost felt like cheating.

Sticking his head out far enough to get a visual, he searched desperately for the tablet. It had been up on the stage, but Riddler’s background ranting was suddenly gone…

Red Robin’s jaw dropped. Slowly rose again as he swallowed, reaching up to tap his comms.

“Danger Twink has the tablet.”

The connection fell dead silent, the entire group quieting even in their own independent fights.

Shaking himself, Red Robin closed his wrist computer. They weren’t done just yet.

“Nightwing, I’m now free to join the party. See if you can’t get the kid away from those goons while I round up some stragglers. Spoiler, Black Bat, report?”

**

In a hallway closer to the kitchens, Spoiler rolled her eyes and rolled off the last goon, tugging out another set of zip ties.

Black Bat was already up and scanning the area, but there were no more sounds of running feet.

“Wrapping up here. Ten presents for the fuzz all tied with a bow. Want us to come and join you?” She asked hopefully.

Of course she was still missing the good stuff. Jason’s new boyfriend was fucking great, they’d have to restrain Bruce from pulling out the bat-doption papers before the end of the night.

Given half a chance the kid would probably pull on a suit of spandex and join them with his sense of self preservation… or lack thereof.

If he could learn to be discrete in public.

Red Robin, of course, crushed all her hopes to dust.

“Hold on that. Robin, report?”

**

Robin tutted, ducking under a kick and darting in, catching the bulky man off balance and taking him to the floor. Half a dozen quick strikes landed before they hit and the teen rolled away.

His opponent didn’t get up. Not that he had time to savour the victory before he had to roll away again, now dodging a hail of bullets.

“I’ll be done before they can reach me. Seven down, five to go and all progress on the machine is halted. I believe they intended to connect it to the power grid, those cables are now severed.”

The easiest way to make sure whatever the thing was remained inert. He wouldn’t have a chance to examine past the smooth silver casing until these fools accepted the inevitable and went down.

Knowing Riddler, at least one side would contain a touch screen with some insipid riddle that a dedicated toddler could solve.

Pass. If the man wanted a battle of wits with the bats, he would need to arm himself first.

And teach his men not to shoot at his own machines.

Taking cover briefly behind the case, Robin took a moment to assess the room. The remaining goons had all taken cover, and spread out too.

Inconvenient.

Almost worse than Red Robin’s patronising tones.

“Start the clock then Robin. Spoiler, see if you can’t prove him wrong. Signal?”

**

Signal sighed, rolling out his shoulders and flexing his shadows. They called him out of bed, then left him running around outside while they had all the fun.

“Area’s clear. If Two Face was planning something he’s scrapped it now. I found some skid marks but no clear tire prints.”

He dropped a pin on the location anyway; he or Oracle could check traffic cameras for the area later. Right now Bluebird was putting Oracle through her paces with a major chase across the city.

One day he’d kind of like to do a car chase. Changing the traffic lights, skidding round corners, running the bad guys down. That’d be cool.

He brightened up suddenly, remembering the agenda for tonight.

“Hey, want me to come in and get your civvies to safety RR?” If Nightwing was busy with goons…

**

“Not needed bud, sorry!” Nightwing called happily, dropping down from a pillar in front of the last gunman standing and kicking his gun away, jabbing Manson’s taser into his chest.

The guy jolted in a very satisfying way, interesting sparks sizzling across his skin. His escrima sticks wouldn’t do that.

And he finally got close enough to use it. With all the goons focused on him, it had been easy for Red Robin to take them by surprise.

A set of batarangs from behind, a couple bolas, and the only guns around were on the floor.

Which meant that all they had to worry about now was the three goons wrestling Jason, and Killer Croc himself.

Nightwing was kinda hoping he’d get the chance to take care of Croc. Their normal tasers didn’t work as well on his scaled skin, but they eventually got the point across.

This thing? Maybe he’d need to borrow it.

As Dick. Better make sure Manson didn’t see him using it in costume.

Which also meant not using it on Croc. Sighing to himself, Nightwing stuffed it back into a belt pouch and turned to survey the room.

At least all their remaining bad guys were now clumped together, up at the stage. Two of the goons were bleeding now, one from a broken nose and the other…

Fuck, did Jason bite a guy? Maybe he should have been watching that side of the action.

Any musing quickly shut itself down as Croc surveyed the room, bomb vest in one hand and Bruce Wayne in the other.

By the front of his shirt, not his neck, but then Bruce wouldn’t have put up a fight. Nightwing’s gaze immediately darted around, searching for the danger twink.

He’d focused on taking down the goons on the way to the kid because the opportunity arose, but he had this feeling that Danny Fenton was someone you always wanted an eye on.

**

“Fuckin’ useless,” Croc growled, scanning the room quickly and shaking his head. He might as well have come alone.

The last three of Riddler’s goons, still all needed to keep a struggling Jason restrained, were growing increasingly nervous.

The gunfire should have drawn the others in. At the very least someone should have called. And now they’d lost contact with Riddler too.

Danny was quite enjoying their confusion, the tablet now safely tucked in under his shirt. Whatever opinions Riddler might have about his bellybutton were his alone.

An eerie silence fell now that the gunfire had stopped, the hall that had once been buzzing with conversation now holding its breath.

Nightwing and Red Robin were both there, moving slowly, cautiously towards the stage. Having seen the Wayne family’s heights, Danny was gonna start playing guess the bat.

Red Robin? Had to be Tim. Too tall for Damian, too short for Dick, and coincidentally Nightwing was a good bit taller than Red Robin too.

The dominos made the faces harder to recognise but the way they exchanged a glance, still wary of approaching too closely? That was very familiar.

Danny just hoped that Bruce had managed to do something with the damn vest in those few seconds while he’d distracted Killer Croc.

It was now waaaay too close to Jason for Danny’s liking, even if the odds of getting it actually on him were pretty near zero. Not unless Croc dropped Bruce anyway.

He really didn’t wanna have to ectoblast anyone. That’d be a real awkward conversation, and even Jason didn’t know the extent of his powers yet. He deserved the chance to find out first.

Croc seemed to have come to the same conclusion about the vest though, because he held up his hostage in one hand and brought the vest closer to Bruce instead.

“Right, you two back off or the lot of us go up, alright?” He growled, visibly annoyed by the turn of events.

Danny had to guess he’d expected they’d have a little longer before a full bat attack. Hell, maybe the bats usually waited until setup finished.

There was no way to be sure. There was just so much cat and mouse in Gotham, so much emphasis on plans and backups and understanding.

Danny simply could not. He would just die (again) if he had to sit around and wait to see what his rogues were doing before they struck.

Luckily, they seemed to feel the same, because usually they barrelled out of the portal and made a beeline for him, their goal, or both. There might be plotting in the zone, but that was never Danny’s problem.

Fucking Vlad was the notable exception, and Danny was delighted to see that the man was visibly fuming. Arms folded, scowly pout, like he’d just had his own plot foiled.

Whether because Danny very pointedly had not rescued him or the bats had shown up, Danny neither knew nor cared. It did wonders for his mood.

That and the ongoing warmth from Jason, who seemed to be trying not to laugh. Danny picked out a momentary regret that they hadn’t had time for Sam to get herself “captured” for the bit.

There was still time.

Nightwing and Red Robin had stopped in their advance, apparently to reason with Croc. Apparently his scales were not actually explosion proof, which made his last bid for control a little desperate.

Danny wasn’t actually listening, looking around hurriedly til he caught Sam’s eye. As a liminal she couldn’t quite hit the same intricacies of empathic messaging, but it didn’t matter.

They’d known each other long enough, through enough, that all it took was a look. A suggestive waggle of his brows.

Sam grinned back, hand diving into her hidden pockets again. She had something fun. Now all they needed was a distraction.

Or just an opportunity.

Quietly, innocuously, he scooched himself around behind Croc and readied to spring.

**

Vlad was aware that it was beneath his dignity to sulk. However, he was currently in the ass end of New Jersey, at a shoddy gala with people who were perfectly happy with armed criminals, but not an ill timed comment.

If they wished to shun him like school children, he would allow himself a brief sulk. Even in their little group on the floor, they had contrived to separate themselves from him.

All the better.

These reprehensible fools had apparently attacked the gala without any sort of plan, provided no challenge to a pair of almost-children in masks, and achieved nothing.

Daniel hadn’t even bothered changing to deal with the big one. Just jumped on him like some sort of animal.

The fact that it had worked only made matters worse.

It wasn’t that Vlad wanted to be the blushing heroine of a trashy novel. He hadn’t intended to fall into Daniel’s arms, or anything of the sort.

Even if Daniel was an adult now, Vlad thought of him as a son. And perhaps that was all he’d hoped for… recognition of the bond between them.

It was perfectly fair that Daniel had suspected his involvement, no matter how long it had been since Vlad had inconvenienced him with a harebrained scheme. He was well aware he’d earned his reputation.

But it would have been nice if the boy had cared. Had been even remotely concerned once he knew Vlad was innocent.

But no. The second he knew Vlad wasn’t involved, it was like he didn’t exist. Just left him to the mercies of the goons and these bats.

Vlad might be reasonably bullet proof but that didn’t mean his feelings were.

If Bruce Wayne got himself killed he would raze this city to the ground.

**

All of the bats had tensed when Killer Croc’s demands came over the comms. Red Robin flicked open a secondary channel for them, a single murmured message coming through.

“Backup in the dining hall. Croc has Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd, and a bomb.”

Even the usual flow of argument and commentary was put on hold.

The remaining goons had been restrained. With Red Robin’s intel, Batwoman was on her way to where Riddler had been broadcasting from.

Whether he’d still be there or have cut his losses, no one knew. The video call was still open but not doing much.

“We didn’t even get a riddle,” Spoiler grumbled, and Black Bat half smiled behind her mask.

She was back above the dining room, creeping through towards the chandelier’s maintenance hatch. Spoiler had left it open behind her, and it was a simple matter to find herself an overhead perch without being spotted.

Nightwing was mainlining the negotiation, his comms still open for the rest of the bats to hear how talking Killer Croc down was going.

Spoiler alert (a phrase she’d heard from Tim and would be keeping forever): not well. Croc might not be bomb proof, but he also knew they weren’t going to risk the explosion.

What they needed was an opportunity. Something to distract him enough that one of them could get close enough to strike.

While Croc held the cards, the three goons still struggling to restrain Jason were looking into the shadows erratically enough to make it hard for her to get close.

They didn’t seem to like the vest being waved around either, but they probably weren’t going to break ranks. More’s the pity.

But Jason wouldn’t be able to act directly anyway. Although… Danny had already tackled Croc once.

Her gaze darted around, looking for where the kid had gone now. Croc had tossed him, and… and he was coming back for more.

Yeah, she liked him. And he was significantly closer to Croc than the rest of them could get, while being mostly overlooked.

She had to guess he wasn’t an active vigilante anymore, or he didn’t worry about a secret identity. Vlad looked more sullen than surprised by what had happened, so she’d guess he already knew.

And if Danny’s evil billionaire knew who he was that could explain his complete lack of caution. Something to ask about later, anyway. For now she tapped her comm.

“Above. Danger Twink is in position behind.”

Neither Nightwing nor Red Robin could respond verbally, not with Killer Croc’s attention wholly focused on them, but she could see Nightwing’s lips twitch. He inclined his head slightly, hand folding and flexing into a brief ‘yes’.

Confirmed. He had noticed Danny creeping up as well.

“Distraction?” She asked softly, shifting about on her perch. She couldn’t get down any lower without giving herself away. They would have too much time to react from this height.

She could swing down in a blaze of glory and give someone else a chance to strike.

Before either of her older brothers could respond, Signal tapped in and she saw an unnatural flicker of shadows at a window. Left of Killer Croc’s position, from Nightwing and Red Robin’s perspective.

“Uh… guys, I’m in position outside the window, but something’s fucked. Robin, you sure that machine didn’t activate?” He sounded tense, and Black Bat tensed along with him.

Had they all missed something? Or were they inside the machine’s effects?

Robin only sounded annoyed though, a dull thudding accompanying his voice.

“I am currently sat on the machine while Spoiler restrains the last fool. It has no power, is producing no detectable energy or wave, and the screen is blank.”

He’d probably kicked it to make the noise.

Black Bat’s brows furrowed. Too many questions. And not only hers; for once Spoiler was all business, even if her voice was a little strained.

“Describe what you’re seeing, Signal. We know there’s one potential villain in the building beyond our rogues, and Two Face may have left an early surprise.”

Signal still sounded worried, and she couldn’t quite make out where he’d gone. Not good.

“That’s actually kinda the problem… I didn’t notice til I came to the window, but I can’t see a thing inside. It’s just blinding light like I’m staring into the sun, and I can’t do a thing with it. Lemme try something else…”

The shadows just inside the windows began to shift and Black Bat hissed, tapping her comm again. It was nothing the others should notice yet, but Croc might catch it from the corner of his eye.

“Signal, stop. Shadows moving, Croc directly ahead, may see.”

The shadows stilled at once, Signal’s sigh of relief a little odd in contrast, but she figured she understood. At least his abilities still worked inside the hall.

But what would be blocking his vision?

“Could this be a Signal-specific countermeasure?” Spoiler asked tensely. It sounded like she was on the move again. Probably Robin too.

“Or it is Fenton,” Robin put in darkly, confirming Black Bat’s suspicions a second later, “we are on our way.”

“Fenton?” Signal asked, sounding confused. “How would he be blocking me?”

“We do not know the extent of his meta abilities,” Robin explained tersely.

Spoiler’s eyeroll was easily audible. She had a gift that way, and usually it made Black Bat smile. Today, she was worried.

“First you thought he teleported, then we hear super strength, now light fuckery? What’s next? Laser eyes and flight? He’s not Kryptonian.”

“Probably,” Black Bat added, lips quirking just a little at her own joke. Spoiler at least chuckled, shaking her head.

“Look, what we need to decide is if we’re letting him take another run at Killer Croc before he takes the question out of our hands. Does anyone else have a way to get the bomb off him?”

A resounding silence answered, even Nightwing and Red Robin hesitating their negotiations. Croc was, if nothing else, stubborn.

He only wanted Harvey Dent. Not even a way out. Not that they’d have let him go, of course. Something had brought him back to town and they had to know what.

“Right.” Spoiler sounded firm now, and Black Bat settled. The easiest way to solve the mystery of Danny’s powers would be to ask him.

Privately.

Not tonight. All else being equal, Black Bat still thought he wasn’t a threat. He was a good kid, tough if he’d already gone a round with Killer Croc and wanted another.

Frowning down, she cocked her head slightly. Her perch was as close to above Croc as it could be, and she couldn’t quite see where Danny was looking.

“He is waiting for something. He needs a distraction,” she concluded, frowning down at tensely set muscles. Coiled to spring, just like her.

If the others were surprised she’d pulled full sentences out, it didn’t show. She could hear the smile in Spoiler’s voice.

“Then let’s give him one. Bat, Signal, bring the noise. Red, Nightwing, you’re on Danger Twink watch. Get in and get him out ASAP. Croc won’t go down easy, but we should be in to assist in five.”

“Tt. Three,” Robin corrected derisively and Spoiler snickered. Minor bickering aside, they switched easily as a unit from Red Robin’s command to hers.

It felt good to be a part of something. Something strong, but also something close.

“Black Bat, when you’re ready, count it down. Time to put that window practice into action, Signal,” Spoiler declared, and Black Bat sent two quick taps back.

An affirmative. One last scan of the hall, checking for anything else she might have missed, and she noticed that Sam was also tensed.

Further back than both Nightwing and Red Robin, she was far enough from the action to be safe. But what was she waiting for?

Probably the inevitable. It was that kind of night.

They’d had the “on three or three and then go” argument about a hundred times by now, and from Cass’s experience they’d had it every single time someone new joined the family.

Signal had had his, and currently they were settled on “on three”, so she shifted into a readied position and began the quiet count.

“One. Two. Three.” And she dropped.

**

Glass shattered. A third bat dropped from the ceiling, a descending mass of black as the bright yellow form of Signal burst into the room.

Croc roared at both, grip tightening on the bomb vest.

Samantha Manson rose like an avenging angel, leapt from the middle of her group, and threw a large and heavy thermos directly at…

Well. She might have been throwing it at Killer Croc. But she definitely hit Bruce Wayne square in the head as the big guy pulled him in.

The thermos clunked off his skull, pinwheeling away and for a heartbeat Nightwing was a little disappointed. And then it landed perfectly in a familiar hand and Danny whacked Killer Croc upside the head with it.

He didn’t have the same momentum as his first leap, didn’t take the guy all the way to the ground with him, but he put everything he had into that strike.

And landed like a koala, clinging to his shoulders, which definitely also helped as Killer Croc stumbled forwards, his grip weakening.

Bruce fell away and Nightwing spent a moment feeling kinda bad for the guy. That thermos must have been solidly built, there wasn’t a dent on it as Danny gave Killer Croc another resounding smack.

Nightwing and Red Robin were already moving in even as shadows sprang up around the three goons holding Jason. They went down together, Jason struggling free.

His eyes snapped to Nightwing’s, past him, and then suddenly he was charging. For half a second Dick held his breath.

No green in his eyes. It was just Jason.

And then he was past and Nightwing swore, spinning as Black Bat and Red Robin joined the fight with Killer Croc.

Jason had seen something, and might need backup.

The urge to laugh very nearly had him breaking character. But these were civilians; he had to pretend to be concerned.

Sam had fucking landed on one of Riddler’s goons. Not one of the ones he’d tied down already, and an almost unconscious hand had grabbed her ankle. Probably just a reflex.

It was probably the irritation at being benched that had Jason stamping firmly down on that wrist as he snatched Sam into the air. The hand nearly fell away on its own.

The long folds of her dress draped around him, covering him in purple bows as well, and the crowd audibly gasped.

Nightwing took a quick glance back at the Croc fight. Signal had Jason’s three former goons covered, and Black Bat and Red Robin had joined Danny with Killer Croc.

Red Robin was trying to coax Danny back out of the fight to give Black Bat a little more freedom to move, but the kid looked like he was having fun.

The heavy hits and numbers were beginning to tell on Croc too, along with the loss of his leverage. He was slowing, his swipes less aggressive and while his teeth were bared, he wasn’t biting.

It wouldn’t be long til he gave it up. It’d be hard enough to get away with only two bats on his tail, if Spoiler and Robin arrived he wouldn’t have a chance.

Whether he knew they were there or not, he was clearly considering it, head beginning to tick towards the window.

Nightwing took it all in in a split second, and headed after Jason.

“Going for the civilians, you guys good if I start on wrap up?” He called, skidding to a stop on his knees and cuffing the softly whimpering goon.

Red Robin gave him a stream of invective that probably meant “no you fuck get back here”, but Killer Croc caught him just below the gut and tossed him backwards.

Putting a hand on Jason’s shoulder, Nightwing turned him quickly and pushed him towards the wall.

“Stay away from the downed bodies and take cover,” he ordered and Jason’s eyes narrowed for a moment before he nodded.

Yeah, he’d hear about that later. Worth it.

And it meant Jason got to princess carry a conspicuously unprotesting Sam, which could only be a good thing.

Turning back to the fight, Nightwing rolled his shoulders and grinned. Looked like Croc was still giving them the runaround. And Danny was still in the thick of things. Still on Croc’s shoulders.

Signal had finished gift wrapping his thugs and seemed torn between trying to help and keeping out of range. Maybe he was still having trouble seeing.

“So, do you guys need me over there? Cuz I saw a table of champagne glasses in the other room that weren’t tipped over and I could use a drink,” Nightwing teased, watching Signal’s lips tug into a reluctant grin.

Red Robin managed to flip him off, ducking under another strike.

“If you’re on fucking civilian duty come and get this fucking civilian,” he yelled, not even bothering with the comms anymore.

“Hey, I’m fine!” Danny protested loudly, hooking a foot into Croc’s elbow to pull a swing short, making the big guy swear loudly.

“Yer all fuckin’ annoying,” Croc growled, making another reach back with his other arm to try and dislodge Danny. Who ducked down, but didn’t lose his grip.

Black Bat took advantage of the opening to close in low, striking several pressure points across Killer Croc’s chest and forcing him to take a step back.

Behind Nightwing, the doors burst open to admit Spoiler and Robin. Croc hesitated again, then sighed and sat heavily on the ground.

“You’ll have fuckin’ scared him off now,” he grumbled as Red Robin and Black Bat shifted warily to flank him.

Pretty sure Two Face woulda been scared off before the broken windows, Nightwing sauntered casually over and helped Danny off Croc’s shoulders.

“Civilian acquired,” he told Red Robin cheerfully, grinning wider as the younger vigilante groaned.

Danny grinned back up at him, looking around.

“Thanks for the assist, Nightwing, I don’t know what we’d ever have done without you,” he cooed, and Black Bat snickered.

Robin and Spoiler were making their way through the felled goons, tying up any that had just been knocked out and beginning to drag them to a pile in front of the stage.

The remaining hostages, guests and staff combined were getting to their feet now, beginning to chatter amongst themselves again.

Spoiler made it a point to collect the pillowcases of valuables, lest someone try and reclaim something that didn’t belong to them.

It was almost routine at this point and Nightwing felt his shoulders settling as a gentle buzz of conversation filled the room once more. Beside him, Danny stretched.

“Anyway, did anyone see where my date went?” He asked brightly, looking around the hall.

A light went on in Nightwing’s head. This… would be essentially the perfect moment for closet time.

Glancing around, he caught sight of Jason and Sam, about where he’d left them. He pointed Danny their way and gave him a gentle nudge.

“Back in the corner there. She looks fine,” he added innocently, aware of the not so subtle eavesdroppers to their conversation.

Danny grinned up at him and headed off in that direction with a cheerful wave.

“Better check anyway. You never know.”

“Hey, wait!” Spoiler called, jogging up to join them with a frown on her face, “You should get checked for injuries!”

Danny sped up if anything, waving to her too.

“Nah I’m fine, not a scratch!” Which might well be a fucking lie, but Nightwing was willing to let that wait for now, tucking Spoiler in close.

“Pretty sure Jason’s about to give him a pretty thorough once over in a closet,” he whispered, and was a little surprised when she just rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, and he’s not supposed to know we know that,” she whispered back but let it drop.

Unable to argue with the indisputable truth of that, Nightwing shrugged and turned back towards Signal.

“At least a couple of us should be out of uniform anyway, so we aren’t missed,” he subvocalised over comms. He got three taps back, and saw Black Bat melt away.

Fuck.

“Tell Sam I found you,” he added in a hiss, keeping the smile on his face. He didn’t need to test out the big taser personally.

Another tap and he was at Signal’s side, announcing himself with a gentle hand on the younger vigilante’s shoulder. He still seemed a little disoriented.

“You okay kid?” He asked quietly, frowning as Signal shook himself. Maybe it was for the best that he hadn’t been directly tangling with a rogue.

He gave Nightwing a slightly sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yeah, I’m just still kinda seeing stars… it got a little better now that I’m inside, but it still feels like someone turned the brightness up on my eyeballs.”

Nightwing made a face, giving him a careful pat on the back. That did not sound fun.

“Do you have any better idea what’s causing it?” He asked hopefully, glancing around. The broken windows meant it probably wasn’t something that had been done to the glass, but didn’t narrow things down much.

“Tt. It is obviously the presence of the other meta,” Robin cut in impatiently, arms folded as he glared up at them.

Nightwing glanced down, shifting automatically to give him space to join them. As much as Damian loved to sneak around, the others had kinda gotten used to it.

Overexposure. That’s why Dick usually telegraphed his presence as loudly as possible; it made people more likely to think quiet meant he wasn’t there.

Signal frowned, head tilting as he looked around the room. Even with his eyes hidden behind the domino, Nightwing figured he was checking for brighter spots.

“Maybe? But I haven’t seen anything like it before. It’s not coming from any specific person,” he explained slowly, scanning all the guests.

Paused, brows furrowing further. But Nightwing had an idea, tossing an arm around his shoulders.

“Hey, stick around for the turnover to the cops and we’ll see if we can’t get you a chance to talk to the kid in person. Give you a chance for a better read.”

Signal hesitated a moment longer, then nodded, shifting his focus to the two of them.

“Yeah, probably a good idea…” his voice trailed off and he shook his head a couple times, then raised a hand to rub at his temples. “Alright, that’s really fucking weird. It’s just gone.”

Something tickled up the back of Nightwing’s spine and he did his own quick sharp scan of the room. Jason and Danny were gone.

**

“Y’know, after all this excitement someone might be tempted to call the rest of the gala quiet,” Jason remarked with a soft chuckle, following Danny from the dining room to the main hall.

Danny shot him a wicked grin over one shoulder other hand checking a likely door.

“Why, were you hoping for a quiet night?” He teased and Jason grinned, shaking his head.

“And miss Sam’s well earned explosion? No fuckin’ way. Hang on, there’s a closet a little further down that’ll be a little easier to get discovered in,” he said quickly, pulling ahead to lead Danny to another, more obvious door that was visible from the main hall.

“Oh, do the others have their party clothes hidden in the other one?“ Danny asked with a smirk, clearly enjoying the way Jason’s step stuttered for a moment.

It was Jason’s turn to look back, a long, slow look was much more calculating. Assessing. Danny just shrugged.

“I’m not saying anything to anyone. Wild coincidence how many of your siblings have been touched by death though. Almost as many as the Gotham vigilantes.”

He might not have guessed by that alone-alone (Gotham was a dangerous city), but it wasn’t like Jason would know to call him on it. This might be his Robin reveal biting him in the ass.

Still, it wasn’t like Danny wouldn’t meet Bruce and Batman eventually. His family were nosey shits - tonight proved that. Better that Danny knew what he was dealing with.

Stomping the part of him that felt bad firmly down, Jason tugged Danny into a broom closet barely big enough to hold them.

Not like the bats would feel bad about sticking their noses in, and it’s not like he’d told Danny. Danny worked it out himself.

Not like they’d have had a chance in hell of hiding it if the Ghost King really could sense everyone who’d died. It wasn’t gonna be the biggest news on any day of the week that involved Danny.

Danny was still watching him, the faintest brush of amused-concerned-we good? sliding across his senses. Jason snickered and reached out to ruffle his hair.

“Yeah, there’s probably at least one set of party clothes back there. But they’re not the ones we want walking in on us, right?” He asked, pulling the door carefully almost shut behind them.

Danny settled, grin broadening again as he reached up to ruffle Jason’s hair back.

“Not that I don’t think they’re dramatic enough, but it’s way less suspicious if we’re exposed to all and sundry,” he agreed with a much too charming wink, and set about unbuttoning his shirt.

Jason hesitated for the barest second more, calculating again… but this time for a much better reason. His own little imp of mischief raised its head.

“Think anyone would notice if we swapped ties?” He asked with a sudden grin, tugging his blue tie loose. Loved the way Danny’s face lit up with manic glee as he tugged his own off and tossed it over.

“They’re not the exact same colour but close enough if we were “distracted”,” he agreed with a cackle, taking Jason’s tie and stuffing it into his jacket pocket.

Jason hooked Danny’s over a mop and began working at his own buttons. Stopped. He could undo them nice and neat. He could also…

He wasn’t against flashing a little skin for the rest of the evening.

Taking both sides of the shirt in hand, he yanked hard enough that Danny had to dodge a button shooting out at him. And abandon his own undressing to clap both hands over his mouth against laughter.

“Did you just fucking rip your shirt open like a caveman?!” He hissed in delighted glee once the giggles subsided. Jason smirked, completely sure the impressed look in his eyes was real.

Nothing else there to see, right?

“Not according to anyone else at this party, there’s not a soul in that room that won’t believe you ripped it off me after that display,” he pointed out smugly, and Danny had to stifle a cackle by shoving most of his fist in his mouth.

It felt good to be actively doing something after being sidelined for the entire attack. Good to see any traces of that worry, of that all too familiar burning rage in Danny’s face.

No one else should ever have to feel like that. Not for Jason.

Now, laughing until he couldn’t breathe and had to sag against Jason’s chest for support? That he was extremely comfortable with.

Steadying his shaking king, Jason hummed thoughtfully and ran his hands through Danny’s hair a few more times. It was already wild and unruly, so the step from there to sex hair wasn’t all that far.

Danny gave him a gentle jab with his elbow before straightening, tugging his own shirt open with nary a care for the last two buttons. Then he paused, reaching for his belt.

“So how far are you comfortable with this going?” He asked innocently, too innocently. In that sweet, butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-my-mouth tone Jason had already learned to suspect.

If Jason Todd had one weakness, he’d never backed down from a dare in his life. Why start now.

“I’ve never seen anyone arrested at a gala for indecent exposure,” he replied in his own best innocent voice, the one used when Bruce caught him hiding the bodies.

Danny snickered and pulled his belt off, kicking his trousers… yep, all the way down and off his legs, and in case any of his nosey bastard siblings were curious the boxers or briefs question was answered.

Not that any of them would be surprised, given the cut of Danny’s pants. Briefs today at least, but Jason very deliberately was not going to speculate.

“You don’t have to match,” Danny assured him quickly, still grinning as he picked up his pants to hang them artfully over an upturned bucket, “can’t have the man of the hour kicked out of his own party.”

Suddenly the closet felt a lot smaller. A lot warmer. A lot harder to breathe. Because. Yeah. That’s what they were doing.

They were staging a fucking sex scene, on their third hangout in their lives, and Danny had fucking said that.

Even the heady knot of tension suddenly in Jason’s gut couldn’t stand a chance against the wave of snickering.

It gave him a moment of distance, to catch his breath and remember why they were doing this, and tug his own belt open. Unbutton his pants, mind very firmly fixed on Bruce’s reaction.

“Danny, never fucking say that to me again unless you want me to streak through this hall,” he said as seriously as he could, loving the way Danny’s eyes darted down and then back up to his face.

He would love absolutely nothing more than to get kicked out of his own party… any night but tonight. Tonight, he had no fucking intention of missing out on Sam going nuclear.

Snickering to himself, Danny nodded and took a moment to survey his own state of deshabille.

“Noted. Oh, and there’s this one trick Sam taught me to make it look like we’ve actually been making out,” he added quickly, grinning up at Jason.

Whose cheeks just might have pinked a little bit with the suggestion, gaze tracking straight down to Danny’s lips for reasons which had nothing to do with a trick.

What would Danny taste like? Could he taste sarcasm and bad puns?

Danny didn’t seem to notice, biting down on his lower lip and letting it drag out slowly between his teeth. If Jason was a stronger man he’d have looked away, but just…

Watching that soft, pink lower lip beginning to redden and flush at the pressure, and holy fuck it did look almost kiss swollen. Jason bit down on his own lower lip without meaning to, pushing down a longing sigh.

Startled when Danny snickered and reached up to poke just below his lip.

“You’ve gotta pull it through too, you can’t just bite it,” he teased gently, bringing Jason back to what they were actually doing.

And, fuck it, being a little flushed would help the illusion. He obediently pulled his lower lip free, slowly and with just enough pressure to get it really red.

Danny’s eyes, already on his mouth, lingered for a moment, and Jason did it again just to see his reaction. Were his cheeks pinking up too?

And then the absurdity set in, and Jason snickered too.

They were fucking stood almost chest to chest in a closet, the rising hum of conversation behind them indicating the hall filling up, biting their own lips.

What was his fucking life?

He bit down on his upper lip a couple times too, and that pretty much broke Danny into silent giggles. Jason flipped him off, grinning back.

“Fuck you, you’ve gotta do both it’s not like you only make out with your lower lip,” he hissed and Danny’s shoulders shook, but he was clearly convinced because he did it too.

And yeah, that wasn’t nearly as sexy to watch. Just funny, bringing back the reality of what they were doing. What they wanted.

It definitely worked. Danny looked thoroughly debauched now, hair tousled, lips red and kiss stained and wet where he poked his tongue out to wet them, clothes tugged all over the place.

Jason tried to ignore it, to focus on the logistics. If they wanted a convincing sex scene… if Danny bent over Jason wouldn’t have to see that pretty face anymore, but nor would anyone else.

And there really wasn’t room in the closet. Danny must have twigged to the problem too because he snapped his own eyes from Jason’s face and frowned around their tiny space.

And yeah, he was definitely a little redder. Probably on purpose. Completing the illusion. For sure.

Then he looked back at Jason and grinned.

“I have an idea, but it’s gonna make some noise. You about ready to be discovered?” He asked, waggling his eyebrows lasciviously.

Jason snickered, glancing back towards the door for a moment then nodding. He had an idea by now. Danny seemed to have a preferred move.

“Yeah, I’m good. Do I need to catch you?”

And this smile was one he hadn’t really seen before, soft and fond and filled with undeniable warmth.

“You fuckin’ get me Jason,” Danny sighed happily, then jumped up and locked his legs around Jason’s waist. Kicked a bucket on the way up.

Jason’s hands flew to catch him automatically, and yup, he definitely had two handfuls of Danny’s ass. Only briefs keeping it from being skin to skin.

But this was the goddamn plan, Jason reminded himself, finally having to look up into Danny’s face. Felt better when he saw that Danny was blushing too, and staring.

Yeah, they were both in it now.

Jason did his best to keep his hands as professional as possible while holding Danny’s butt.

“This okay?” He asked a little belatedly. Danny visibly snapped himself back, shuffled a bit in Jason’s grip, and grinned again.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure you’re not gonna drop me,” he agreed, draping his arms over Jason’s shoulders. Squeezed a little tighter, pulling in until their mouths almost touched, and hissed, “door.”

Jason almost turned, almost tensed, and forced himself not to as the door pushed open. Breathing heavily was not difficult, but made it harder to hear…

The door had stopped moving. A heartbeat of silence, Danny and Jason suddenly realized they should be moving, and then a very familiar chuckle.

“Oh, is it that time already?” Selina purred, her body blocking most of the light from the hall. She surveyed their positioning in a flash, nodded. “Stuff your fingers in his mouth, Jason darling, you might as well pretend you’re doing a good job.”

Jason barely had time to move, hand coming up automatically and conveniently cutting off Danny’s snort of laughter. And Selina screamed and spun away, “accidentally” pushing the door open wider.

They weren’t quite exposed to the whole hall, but the angle was clear enough for more than a dozen guests to look in.

A few more drifted over as Jason swore loudly, twisting to grab for the door and “accidentally” show off a little more of their tableau, pushing it closed.

He let Danny drop down after the door was shut, the smaller man’s shoulders once again shaking with laughter. Jason grinned down at him, tugging his shirt back into place.

“So do we let them think I’m finishing you off or just get back out there?” He whispered over a renewed and much louder buzz of conversation.

And much closer. Someone else might come for a look.

Letting Sam walk in on them directly was real fucking tempting.

But Danny shook his head, still snickering as he pulled his shirt closed too.

“Better get back out there, I don’t want to miss any of the fireworks. As much fun as “finishing it off” would be,” he added with a snicker, pulling out Jason’s tie and fastening it sloppily around his neck, “I should go grovel.”

“We should,” Jason agreed with a snicker and nodded, doing up the buttons he had left. He didn’t want to miss the show either.

Danny paused though, looking around their closet as Jason tied Danny’s tie on, settling his jacket and closing his pants.

“Jason…” There was something a little strange in Danny’s voice now, something that made Jason frown as he turned back.

“What? Shouldn’t you be dressed?” He asked, and Danny shook his head, an awed grin spreading across his face.

“Yeah, about that. I think your step mom stole my pants?” He said it like he couldn’t quite believe it, which was fair, because Jason definitely didn’t believe he was hearing it.

“What?” He cast around quickly, and sure enough… Danny’s pants were nowhere to be seen.

Of fucking course she did. Why wouldn’t she.

“I didn’t really see her in the dining hall either,” Danny mused, something clearly dawning on him.

Something bright and wonderful and Jason really should worry a lot more about how Danny was putting things together.

“Jason…” Danny shook his head slowly, then grinned up at the taller man, eyes bright with laughter. “Is your step mom Catwoman? Legally you have to tell me or it’s entrapment.”

Snorting most of a laugh through his nose, Jason shook his head. If she didn’t want to be outed, she shouldn’t have stolen a man’s pants.

“Yeah, that was Catwoman,” he agreed, raising both his hands in surrender as Danny pointed menacingly at him. “I didn’t make her do it!”

Luckily Danny definitely saw the funny side too, snickering as he leaned back against one of the shelves. Was attacked by a bucket. Fought it to a standstill and gave up on shoving it back into place.

“You’re the one who has to go get me replacement pants!” He argued almost a full minute later, like there hadn’t been a pause.

If Jason hadn’t spent years not laughing at Dick’s bullshit on patrol… but no, he kept an excellent poker face thank you very much.

And Danny had a point.

“Yeah, okay,” he agreed, turning back towards the closet door and wondering what kind of expression he should put on for the people outside.

Embarrassed? Danny’s pants were literally fucking missing. Hopefully they’d be just outside the door, but what if they weren’t?

If Jason had an imp of mischief in him, Selina had all of the Hells, complete with devils. She might have kept them.

Before it came up though, the door was pushed open again and Jason moved automatically to shield Danny from view. He might as well also pretend to be chivalrous.

But it was just Cass, back in her own suit and looking distinctly amused.

With Danny’s pants.

‘Found these,’ she signed, passing them over with her right hand. Stifling a snicker, Jason took them and nodded.

“Thanks Cass. We’ll be right out,” he told her, turning back to Danny as she closed the door.

Pressing his lips firmly together, Danny couldn’t quite hide a smile.

“Convenient.” He said shortly and Jason grinned. Tossed his pants at him.

“Hey, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. She probably robbed Selina to get them.”

Already pulling his pants back on, Danny frowned.

“Hey, she didn’t get my belt back…” Then he shrugged. “But Sam’s parents paid for it. So does that mean the Aunt Harley she said she texted…”

He trailed off suggestively, and Jason blinked, taking a second to track when the “she” shifted. Ah. Selina. He grinned.

“Yeah, she texted Harley Quinn. She’s sort of an unofficial member of the family now so even if Sam didn’t give him a concussion, Bruce may not survive the night,” he joked, then nodded to the door. “You ready?”

Danny took a moment to double check, tucking his shirt back in and straightening jacket and tie. Reached up to pat his hair and then obviously decided to leave it.

“Yeah, I’m good. Hey if anyone asks, do we tell them we finished?” He asked, clearly half joking.

Jason smirked, pulling the door open and slipping out.

“If they ask you, I did. If they ask me, you did.”

Still snickering, Danny followed him back into the limelight.

“Great.”

**

Pamela Manson was having the best gala of her life. Her dear little Sam had finally found herself a decent young man, from a good family, and they were getting along just swimmingly.

Oh, Sammy had fussed at first, she was always so loyal, but Pam could see her little girl warming up to young Jason.

It would have been best if they could have escaped notice during that tiresome rogue attack, but she hadn’t been able to reach her daughter before they were pulled into groups.

At least it didn’t seem to have put the boy off. He seemed to be quite the fighter too, it had taken three of those dull and muscly people to pull him around.

Perhaps he liked that Sam wasn’t the kind of girl who would sit around waiting for rescue. Oh, Pam would like that.

As much as she didn’t understand most of what Sammy said and did, Pam wanted her little girl to be happy. And while she still held out hope that this “goth” phase would end, Sam would never be a delicate flower.

All they needed was the kind of young man who could appreciate that, and maybe help guide her interests to something more acceptable than all those protests and demonstrations.

Yes, Jason Todd-Wayne might just be the best thing to ever happen to her family. Brucie was even Jewish too, and while no one had told her if Jason was (and the Mansons were hardly orthodox), it would be so nice not to have to explain all of their holidays.

They might even be able to hold the wedding in a synagogue.

Pamela wasn’t much of a traditionalist, not for the ones that weren’t a display of status at least, but she had quietly resigned herself to Sam having some courthouse wedding, or even eloping.

That awful Fenton boy would only encourage it. Honestly, she might have preferred if Sam had brought along that Valerie. Jason had plenty of attractive siblings and Val was clearly a social climber.

But now that Sam had met Jason…

Perhaps if Brucie could be persuaded, they could find somewhere nice out of Gotham and Amity Park both… but Sam did so love the gothic architecture. If it got her in a synagogue, Pam was prepared to compromise.

It wasn’t like a decent rabbi would marry her in some horrible black or spider covered gown. She would meet in the middle for her little girl’s happiness.

She was just looking around for Brucie again (poor man, he’d been through so much, perhaps a little motherly affection would do him some good too) when she heard someone scream.

Surely not another rogue already, the bats hadn’t even left yet?

**

Sam hated galas. Every single one, with a fiery burning passion. The fake smiles, empty headed aristocrats, and mind numbing conversation made her want to puke.

But her parents loved them. Were all about the image of “happy family perfection”, all about the fake smiles and lies. They loved images.

She could give them an image to hold onto forever.

She was being Conspicuously Alone by the quickly resurrected drinks table now, trying to persuade the bar staff to unionize. There was no way they were being paid enough for all these constant attacks.

They didn’t even get dental. Most of them weren’t even full time, AND they bought their own uniforms. It was a disgrace.

Danny and Jason had disappeared together, so really all she had to do was kill time and wait. Let people see her alone, let them wonder how long she’d been alone.

Her mom was off bothering Brucie again, probably already bartering for a spring wedding. Maybe apologizing for Sam hitting him with the thermos.

Sam wasn’t gonna. She regretted nothing. He was a manipulative asshole, and unlike his kids? She didn’t think it made it any better that he didn’t do it on purpose.

Some things didn’t have to be malicious to be shitty and hurtful, but people always made excuses like the intent should matter more than the impact.

That thought made her snicker a little. She’d made a little impact of her own. To his face, with her thermos.

Fuck that guy.

She hadn’t given a shit about him one way or another before tonight, not past him being yet another society himbo. Lucky he was cute and rich, because not much else was going on.

She’d never had much to do with his adopted brood either, although there she had changed her mind. Despite Dick being a cop, they’d been surprisingly down to earth.

Probably what came of having been adopted into society life rather than being born in. Sam could admit she had her share of annoying rich people problems.

Most of the Waynelets didn’t, at least not the more obvious signs, and it was refreshing. She’d finally had fun at one of these stupid events.

She’d always wondered if Cass had a lot more going on than her inability (refusal?) to talk made people think. It was why she’d learned ASL, but the opportunity had never come up.

They just didn’t go to many of the same galas. And if Sam ever had to go to any again, at least she’d have some backup.

She was a little surprised that they hadn’t found her by now, honestly, but maybe Tucker was keeping them away. If any of them wanted to argue about thermos percussion, she had time.

Then she heard the scream and a smile pulled across her face. She squashed it back down quickly, turning with the crowd to look for the source.

Stopped, frowning, when she saw Cass hurrying past with… an extra pair of pants? She was going the way Sam needed to anyway. Sam hurried to catch up, leaning in to whisper.

“Where did you get those?”

Cass gave her a very knowing look, nodding ahead to the wall they were making for. With a small and mostly inconspicuous door.

Sam almost tripped over her own feet and had to run a few paces to catch back up.

“How the fuck did his pants get out here?!” She hissed, fighting to keep the giggle out of her voice. Didn’t matter which “he”.

Cass chuckled softly under her breath, then signed a fancy S. It took Sam a moment to put it together, but the only other person they’d met today was…

“Selina?” Cass nodded again, pulling to a stop beside the door. Gesturing for Sam to take a step back.

They were right in the middle of everyone’s attention now, party guests who’d followed Sam to the noise stepping back and forming a ring with Cass and the closet at the center.

They weren’t as quiet as they thought they were about filling people in either, and Sam heard her own name more than once. They were waiting to see what she’d do.

Oh, she’d show them what she was gonna do.

**

The guests had been guided from the dining room once more, valuables redistributed under the watchful eye of the bats.

Most of the staff were cleared too, leaving just a few behind to start early on clean up. Whatever had been fucking with Signal had stopped, and now it was just Nightwing and Signal, waiting with Killer Croc til the cops arrived.

Well, not just them. Red Robin was having himself a little bit of a freak out, pacing the hall.

“It should be here! Where could it have gone! It didn’t have legs!” Yeah, he was also ranting to himself.

Nightwing and Signal exchanged looks. Did a quick rock-paper-scissors.

Some motherfucker had definitely told him that Nightwing always picked scissors. Unfair. Treachery. Betrayal.

He wandered over to Red Robin anyway.

“Whatcha lookin’ for, Red?” He asked casually and ignored the glare he got for it.

“Riddler’s tablet! O has the address and all the tracking information, but the tablet itself could still tell us something. None of the goons had it and I swear I searched everywhere!” He aimed a kick at a fallen plate, sending it spinning across the floor.

Nightwing stared at him for a long moment.

“You have the tracking information?” He asked gently. Maybe sleeping more was actually bad for Tim.

“Of course!” Red Robin grumbled, waving his wrist computer crankily, “Danny turned the VPN off and it hooked up to my bluetooth, it’s still pinging as being in the building but I can’t find it!”

Nightwing stared at him a moment longer, waiting for him to work it out. Red Robin narrowed his eyes, clearly annoyed at being pulled from his search.

“What.”

“You have the tracking information,” Nightwing repeated patiently. Red Robin shoved both fists into his own hair and pulled, groaning.

“I swear to fucking god Wing I will kill you, WHAT.” Nope, he was clearly doing the genius-hyperfocus-spiral thing. Simple solutions had left the building.

Nightwing sighed and pulled up his own mini computer.

“Just use Find My IPhone. It’s specific enough to get within a meter, it’ll tell you if it’s in the room,” he explained when Red Robin was clearly actually considering murder.

It was Red Robin’s turn to stare at him. Then he groaned and scrubbed both hands down his face.

“I fucking hate you so much right now,” he grumbled, tapping at his wrist computer to open the website, “there’s no fucking way Riddler didn’t turn that… off…”

Nightwing didn’t actually have to look at his display. The glowing dot was clear on its own. Instead he draped an arm around the shorter man’s shoulders.

“Are you okay, kid? Usually you’re the one pointing this stuff out to us,” he asked quietly, holding on when Red tried to pull away.

Red Robin struggled for a moment anyway, then sighed and shook his head.

“I just… it’s still bothering me. I swear we had Riddler on the ropes last week, but his guys are busting up a gala tonight like nothing’s wrong? There’s no riddle, he didn’t even show himself, it’s just… this feels wrong. This isn’t how Nigma behaves, and I don’t like it.”

Nightwing pursed his lips, considering. The kid had a point, and it had been bugging him too.

“Wait til we work out what the machine Robin found is. If it’s a fancy unfolding arcade cabinet, maybe that’s where the missing pieces fit,” he offered gently.

Red Robin rolled his eyes, but didn’t try and push him away this time.

“Yeah, and if it isn’t? He was shipping in a lot of explosives for something, Nightwing. I thought we caught him early, but if that was just the tail end this could all be a big distraction for something much worse,” he argued, folding his arms.

“So we’ll see if Bluebird or Batwoman picks him up tonight, and if they don’t we’ll pay him a personal visit ourselves later in the week. He was pulling through Bludhaven, I’m not letting him off my turf either,” Nightwing added with a snicker.

It seemed to soothe some ruffled feathers, and Red Robin sighed, turning his attention back to the wrist computer.

“First we find that fucking tablet. Looks like it’s just outside the doors.” He headed off across the hall, that determination back in his stride.

Nightwing tipped Signal a wink and moved to follow, rolling out his shoulders. The sooner they got this sorted out, the sooner he could nip out of costume and rejoin the fun.

Red Robin threw the door open, revealing two of the staff and a bored looking Tucker Foley, leaning back against the wall and playing with… the Riddler’s fucking tablet.

When the door opened all three looked up, then Tucker grinned and waved.

“Oh, hi guys! They wouldn’t let me back in, but Danny gave this to me and I figured you guys would want it. There’s not much on it, but you guys probably have access to stuff I don’t, right?” He asked cheerfully, holding out the tablet like it was nothing.

Nightwing pressed his lips together very firmly, holding back a laugh through sheer will. Red Robin had been struck dumb, hand half extended in front of him.

Tucker pressed the tablet into it, waving cheerfully.

“Anyway, have fun with that, I gotta go, I don’t wanna miss the show.” And he just. Walked away. Back into the main hall.

Red Robin stared after the man for almost a minute, then turned to the tablet in his hands.

“Stardew,” he said weakly, and Nightwing frowned, turning to him.

“What?”

Red Robin turned the tablet around.

“He was playing Stardew Valley. On the Riddler’s tablet. The whole time.” His voice trailed off, staring after the Black man, and Nightwing shrugged and took the tablet.

Closing the game, he stopped and frowned, turning the screen. And sure, Tim was the family tech expert and Dick liked playing dumb, but he knew base code when he saw it.

He handed the tablet back to Red Robin.

“He was playing Stardew Valley on Riddler’s totally cracked, fully open tablet,” he corrected, snapping Red Robin’s attention back to the device.

Red scrolled through a couple of quick screens, tapped a couple of commands, then sagged back against the wall and groaned.

“How the fuck is he not already one of ours?” He asked with what Nightwing was almost going to call lust. Time to text Connor and warn him he might be getting a second boyfriend.

Glancing at the tablet again, Nightwing snickered.

As if Tim on his own wasn’t already more than enough.

Sudden yelling erupted from the depths of the hall, startling both vigilantes back into action. They were already moving before the probable cause sank in.

Nightwing groaned.

They were missing it. No time to change back now, they were going to miss it!

The costs of the vigilante lifestyle kept growing and growing.

———————

You have about a week to persuade me it’s funnier to write Sam’s explosion and use all these fun new words Pamela has for Danny like “harlot” and “strumpet” and “charalatan” than it is to just start the next chapter out of the gala and let it all happen offscreen.

Starting now 💖💖💖

Next Chapter:

[isatoru]

soooo what other naruto men do u want :3

omg LAMBBB the list is sooooo long lmaooo... i might list the great majority of the cast but.....

madara uchiha easily #1 that is my MANNNN but also <3 jiraiya <3 guy and kakashi <3 shikamaru and sai and lee <3

but also in no particular order: naruto, itachi & kisame, obito, neji, kiba, choji, orochimaru, tsunade, temari, hashirama and tobirama, minato, iruka, kakuzu, hidan; honestly the akatsuki KJHSDJKFH and ofc my baby gaara... idk who else i'm missing but yeah!!!

and of course sasuke will always have a special place in my heart i fear LMFAOOO #1 anime emo bf when i was a kiddo and still now but... not much in terms of a fucker anymore just cuz ? idk more nostalgia reasons lol

[redsoul-squire]

Decided to try out the 1992 Dracula movie for Halloween and !!!! Good lord! Who knew it was dripping with soooo much sex and sensuality?? Somehow I totally missed the memo on that,, but gotdang that was hot as hell for any monster fuckers out there. Will uhh definitely be watching this one again.

Gary Oldman is amazing as always, Keanu is young and adorable, Winona Ryder is gorgeous, and Anthony Hopkins seems exactly the same as always, but a very cool Van Helsing.

[meatcatt]

+NEW YEAR NEW REF LETS GOOOO BOYS!!!+

Every January I make a habit of making a new ref for my sona! Been 3 years with this bad boy and imma take him with me to my grave!! If you never heard me talk about him before this is MeatCat! He's an alien parasite sent from space to infect and take over the "human" population! He is able to disguise and hide among us to further the invasion! His real name is Navy but his internet persona is MeatCat! (Get it- that's why its my username isn't that funny)! MeatCat is a internet troll shit lord with a huge attitude and I love him soooo much! Expect more art of this fucker I missed him! Also if you wanna ask questions about him or have your ocs interact with him please do I really missed drawing him and would love an excuse to draw him more,,,!

[shingetsu-online]

spicytoothpaste??? (i feel like i know the answer)

or nate x hugh (i don't know the name lol)

YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW NOT NORMAL I AM ABOUT THEM RAHHAHAHAHHHHHH!!!!!! also the biting one is because Drayton is the kinda guy to chomp on someone's arm affectionately. he's just like that tbh. ANYWAYS. EVER SINCE THE FUCKING PROMO ART AND I SAW THESE FUCKERS

I immediately went "bro i dont think straight people pose like that 🤨 something homosexual is definitely going on here 🤨🤨🤨" /silly. BUT RAAAAHHHHH I LOVE THEM!!!!!!! their in-game dynamic AND the pokeirl blogs (but especially the latter) made me ship them even more sddjfkds....

GREYSKY GREYSKY GREYSKY I MISSED YOUUUUUUUU. dude I haven't posted greysky in SOOOO LONGGGGGG but I love them JHGDSHFGDS.... back when my url was still transhugh I used to post so much abt them..... RAHHh