#i wish i could have done more for this date

[moonydustx]

time to shake off the dust and remove the rust, or more simply, get back to writing. A little fluff (and of course, a hint of angst) with Law.

warnings: a frustrated date, Law is anxious, F!Reader has some insecurities (not detailed). Fluff and happy ending.

--

Law could feel the anxiety course through his body from the moment he opened his eyes that morning. He had finally found the courage to carry out the task that seemed so difficult: asking you out on a date.

When the words "Yes, sure. When?" came excitedly from your lips, he swore he could melt there, under your curious eyes looking at him or your shy smile. Why had it taken him so long if in the end it would be so simple.

Well, if he looked at how long it took you to interact with others or to not get exactly tense when he passed by you, or how long it took for him to convince you that you didn't need to call him captain every time and that he could being good company for dinners, drinks or a simple afternoon studying, maybe it wasn't that simple. All of this had been a lot of work for Law, so he allowed himself to calm down and say that it wasn't that simple - just as a way for him not to blame himself for not having done it sooner - but that it was worth the effort. Something told him you were worth it.

He had chosen a special place on the island where you were docked, he decided to take you there on the last day before leaving, so you wouldn't have so many tasks to worry about. He had thought of everything and the problem was this: he was thinking too much.

Thinking about what to say, what to wear, what you might like or not. Caught up in so many thoughts - and so many tasks he was trying to distract his mind - that at one point, such a tactic worked, except that Law had perhaps become too distracted.

When he noticed, night had already fallen outside Polar Tang, the clock showed that the meeting he had arranged was almost two hours late.

"Shit!" He threw the papers aside, heading almost blindly towards your room.

He still needed to get ready, but he needed you to know that he hadn't forgotten, that it was important to him too. After a few knocks on the door, he realized that not only were you not responding, but the door was open. At first he hoped not to find a version of you furious with him, as soon as he reached you, he wished to see you furious. It would be much better than seeing you there, dressed in a beautiful dress, even with the heels that you should have chosen especially for the date, the makeup that was almost imperceptible became noticeable in his eyes due to the smudges caused by what he I was sure they were tears.

Shrouded in his own guilt and shame, he chose to return to his own room, mulling over the fact that he had probably blown every chance he hadn't been able to stop thinking about.

The night passed in a blur for Law, thinking of all the ways he could apologize to you, how angry you could be. As soon as the morning began, he looked for you at Polar Tang, finding you sitting, turning your breakfast from one side to the other on your plate.

"Good morning." he murmured, sitting down across from you.

"Good morning Captain." Damn, he was back to square one. Furthermore, your low and hoarse voice indicated and weighed much more heavily on the guilt he carried.

"I needed to talk to you." he tried and saw you stand.

"Sorry, Captain. I have some unfinished business to take care of." Leaving him behind, you left.

You weren't furious or angry.

You were hurt, a pain you knew well and hoped that Law would never be responsible for it. Looking at him reminded you that maybe you weren't good enough and that hurt more than you were able to hide.

You barely reached the control room door before you felt a hand grab yours and the outline around you turned blue - and then turned into a room you weren't all that familiar with.

"I know I'm being selfish doing this." Law began, seeing you turn to him in confusion. "I owe you at the very least an explanation or an apology."

"I didn't expect you to do that, Captain." the words came out of you spit and full of hurt. "I know the boys probably told you about me liking you and I know there must be a thousand girls, but making me go alone…"

"Wait, wait, wait." Law's hands held your face, pulling you back to that moment. "No one told me anything."

"But, I thought you didn't go to the restaurant because…" you tried to find words, but his proximity didn't help. "Because it would be like a joke, like something."

"No!" With knitted eyebrows and a disconsolate expression, he began to vehemently deny it. "It wasn't that, it wasn't like that at all. Nobody ever told me anything."

"Sorry, Captain."

"Please don't call me that, not when we're talking about ourselves." us, as something that already existed and made sense in his head.

Law let go of your face only to take a few steps back. His hands lifting his hat and adjusting his black hair, itching and letting anxiety run through his body.

"I couldn't stop thinking about our date, about what might happen and whether you would like the place, whether you would like me the way I like you." the words fell like a waterfall from his mouth, unstoppable. "I fucked up, okay? I tried to find other things to do, so I wouldn't just think about it and I got distracted, I ended up wasting time." your light laugh took him out of the little spiral that Law was entering, attentive eyes focused on you. "What happened?"

"I'd be lying if I didn't say I was the same way, I had to ask Bepo to cover my chores." you confessed and saw him become less tense for a moment. "And well, I think I already said what I shouldn't have said before, but, I like you Law."

"Can you forgive me for yesterday?" he approached again, controlling his hands not to touch you, not wanting to appear as nervous as he was. "You looked so beautiful." the sentence came out as a whisper, not going unnoticed by you.

"Me? beautiful?"

"I went after you and saw when you were already in your room." he gave up and you could see his face blush. "You looked beautiful, you're so beautiful, sorry again for not coming."

"It's okay, let's leave this in the past."

Gathering the shreds of courage that still existed in you, you hugged Law innocently and it took a few seconds for him to return the gesture, hugging you with twice the strength you were capable of. When you walked away, you realized that Law didn't let go of you at any point, just as you didn't insist on letting go of him.

"I want to do this the right way, so…" he began, speaking quietly and trying hard not to skip steps there, with you so close to him. "Will you go on a date with me?"

"Yes, sure. When?"

"Tonight, wherever you want." feeling lighter, he again allowed himself to hold your face in his hands.

"Could it be the same restaurant? The menu looked delicious." he just nodded and pulled you to emerge further into his embrace.

"It's agreed then, I promise not to ruin everything this time." he murmured and let his lips wander into a light kiss on the top of your head.

As soon as you left, Law had to take a few deep breaths.

He had one more chance, one more date. And this time, it would work

[eddiediazismyhusband]

God I wish I could be positive like other anons that said that for them 7x04 is the biggest confirmation buddie is happening. Please ignore this if you don’t feel like consoling me about my pessimist rant. I was optimistic but 7x04 made me a pessimist.

I just keep thinking “if 7x04 was supposed to be about buddie why was not about buddie?

Let me explain: it was the perfect setup for starting buddie. You know how it’s a bait and switch. They could have just not switched. They could have had Eddie go to buck instead of Tmmy and have Eddie say “you’re irreplaceable” which would have been much more meaningful and then “you know I can have more than a friend, right?” And buck could have said “maybe i don’t wanna be your friend” and boom you have bisexual buck and can get rid of that old ugly man.

It was the perfect setup, you need to change literally ONE SCENE. I literally can’t find a reason why they didn’t do it. My BFF said “they couldn’t make them come out at the same time” but they wouldn’t have. Eddie could have rejected him and then spend s7 coming to terms with his feelings instead of the shit that happened. I don’t believe in the “it’s cuz it’s a slow burn” theory because 6 years is slow enough. I wanna be a truther so bad but ever since 7x04 I’ve been slowly losing hope.

I flip flop between being optimistic and pessimistic… to me i can see the vision of whst they were *trying* to do with 7x4 but with no chemistry and one of the actors being so inept at their job it just fell completely flat… it felt unearned in a way bc we have seen buck and eddie interracting for 6 years, and the entire episode was centered around buck pining for eddie’s attention (im sorry, there is not way any of what buck did in that episode was out of any interest in Timmy Turner) just to throw the curveball at the end. The point of a bait and switch is thay the switch has to be believable, and earned— but it wasn’t because you spent the entire episode talking about eddie. Why not have buck’s jealousy be solely “oh i hate Tylenol, he’s so ughh and i hate him and i can’t stand him” bc if it had been that i would be more inclined to believe that buck had some sort of unconscious interest in him.

but that’s not what they did, they made him go gaga over eddie the entire episode.

another thing they could have done to make the switch effective is actually given Tuberculosis a role within the episode other thsn to show up and kiss buck… like showcase him and buck interacting more… build sublte tension there that makes it believable that buck is attracted to him… don’t just shove him in a corner and leave him collecting dust (don’t get me wrong i am NOT campaigning for them giving that man more screentime in fact i want that man off my screen as soon as possible which should have been the end of 7x3)

so from a narrative standpoint… to have eddie so intrinsically linked to Buck’s emotional arc in 7x4, i can absolutely see the vision of trying to do the whole misplaced feelings thing… even if they didn’t stick the landing at all bc lfj’s face is so stiff from all the botox that he can’t emote to save his life.

to me where things start to fall apart is after 7x4…. they had the perfect opportunity for buck to have his arc in 7x5, “mess things up with Tiramisu” (even though i fully side with buck in everything that happened on that date, like bffr) and then end the episode with them deciding to no longer pursue a relationship because they want different things (buck wants a relationship but is still new to this, Tire-Iron is old af and just wants a boytoy) and have them part ways… but they decided to double down on the relationship, having Buck invite a man he has known for 5 minutes to his sister’s wedding and then proceeded to make the wedding about buck??? that’s where the writers truly lost me. especially after they spent the first part of that ep establishing that Tricycle is nothing but dismissive and condescending to Buck just to make the whole wedding scene about them??? there was no need for that cringe-ass kiss (even if it had been a buddie plot point that kiss would have made me cringe bc the way it was written was so fuckin corny and also we waited too damn long for the madney wedding for it to be about someone else).

then ofc there’s the medal ceremony where we once again see Tuberculosis being dismissive of buck, and then 7x10 where he steamrolls over buck trying to have a meaningful conversation for him to just make a fucking sex joke…..

like i keep flip flopping back and forth bc i KNOW that T-rex has no substance as a character and no personality whatsoever beyond kissing buck, but i don’t understand why they’ve kept him around this long? There were plenty of opportunities to end things between them… 7x10 had a golden opportunity to solidify buck prioritizing bobby/eddie over his relationship and having Trampoline get upset and move on?? 7x9 could have had Bobby tell buck that he didn’t think Tablecloth was a good partner for him, comparing her to Abby and Taylor.

He was nowhere to be SEEN in 7x7

There could have been a moment in 7x6 where Eddie and Buck had a heart to heart (not even to make buddie go canon in that ep, but for eddie to point out that Truckstop doesn’t seem all that interested in him— hell or even hav HEN do it??)

After the entirety of 7b my trust in Tim has dwindled down so severely that I genuinely am trying not to form any expectations from s8… like i am fully prepared to just be disappointed again.

That being said I do think there is still so much potential for them to fix the mess quickly if they actually put in the time and effort… my issue is that idk if I trust them to fix the mess or just make it worse.

Plus if the same thing happens with s8 as s7 where they get renewed early on, that runs the risk of Tim changing the story yet again and dragging out plot points that don’t need to be dragged out.

Like it has fully been 6 seasons. Booth and Brennan were together by then, there is no reason buddie needs another full season…. especially after they’ve given themselves yet another wide open road to give us eddie coming to terms with his feelings; whether they go down that route or try to rehash shannon again is yet to be seen…

i saw someone else on here say something (and i cannot for the life of me remember who said it so full credit to that person for this quote) but it was along the lines of (and this is SEVERELY paraphrased) “tim made the choice to kill of shannon. if you wanted her to still be around then you shouldn’t have killed her. you made the choice, so stick with it.” and i feel like that applies to a LOT of the character regression/retconning we saw in s7

so i’m still in that boat of until they actually make the show good again, I’m gonna sit and wait because it’s not worth getting my hopes up and stressed about something that may not even happen bc the writers love toying either our emotions more than they love telling the story the way they themse have set it up to be told.

(also this applies to the show as a whole, not just buddie, there were so many plotlines in s7 that just careened into the realm of melodramatic soap opera to me in a way that was so ooc for the show… what happened to the little procedural dramedy? why is the cartel here committing arson? why are there pirates attacking a cruise ship in an arc that lasts all of 5 minutes? i miss the s2/3/4 era so badly (yes, say what you will about s4 but i enjoyed that season) and i really thought we were going to be getting that back in s7 (and pirate plot aside, eps 1-3 showed promise, and tbh aside from the kiss at the end 7x6 is one of my favorite episodes of the show in general, but as far as the season as a whole it just fell so flat for me)

[bellysoupset]

Sooo the timeline is all wrong, HOWEVER, I feel bad I haven't posted in a while, so 🙈🙈🙈 straight from my drafts! Takes place when Jon and Leo are in the international trip with Angie.

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

Leo licked his lips, mouth suddenly dry as he watched Jonah prance around on top of the black stallion.

"C'mon, Oklahoma," Jonah grinned, all smug, and damn did arrogance suit him. Clad in riding boots and snug pants, wearing a bright red polo that brought out the green in his eyes, Jonah was a vision, "don't tell me you never rode-"

"As you're aware, I ride all the time," Leo said cheekily, measuring his fiancée up and down, committing him to memory. Jonah's cheeks turned a shade darker, but before he could say much more, Angelina trotted closer, sitting atop a smaller, beige horse.

"Leo, aren't you going to join us?!" She exclaimed, breathless. The teenager had been in cloud 9 since they met up with her in Portland airport. Jetlag and family awkwardness, nothing seemed able to tamper her mood.

"No," Leo shook his head, grabbing his sunglasses and sliding them into place, "I'm gonna keep Jackie company. Let her try and talk my ear off about the wedding."

Jonah snorted at the comment, while Angie giggled. Jon leaned on his horse, "don't let Jackie get under your skin, hold your ground."

"Yesssir," Leo nodded, opening a blinding smile, "don't worry about me, go have fun. I'll be watching."

He waved to the duo once more, before walking away from the field. Next to the polo field there was a restaurant and Jackie was already sat next to Matteo, Jon's stepdad.

Leo knew it was shallow, but he still couldn't wrap his mind around Jackie and Matteo as a couple. She was, easily and even on the cusp of turning sixty, one of the prettiest women Leo had ever seen. Just as tall as her son, with the same royal bone structure, same striking green eyes against dark skin and a dark mane of black curls. Matteo, on the other hand, was a short and chubby white man, with a thick brown mustache, beady eyes and balding strands of silver hair.

They looked like a real life version of Gomez and Morticia Addams, Leo thought with a snort as he approached the table. In truth, Leo knew it was Matteo's personality that had attracted the Jackie. The older man was the definition of a sweetheart and it showed in all his actions, including this very moment as he struggled to put together English sentences so they could have a conversation.

It made Leo feel stupid, that the whole household — Angie included — was solely talking in English, instead of French, for his benefit.

"What do you wish to drink?" Matteo asked as Leo joined them and the blonde shook his head, raising his water bottle.

"Nothing, thank you-"

"I insist," the older man frowned, "no fun in water."

"No, really-" Leo started to say, but Matteo waved him off and Jackie let out a huff, clearly done with the trade of niceties. Despite not being around much after Jonah had turned 10 years old, thanks to the divorce and him leaving to boarding school, it was uncanny how much of her personality Jackie shared with her son.

Ignoring his complaints, his future father-in-law ordered him something, while Jackie grabbed a Tiffany-blue small notebook in her purse and opened it on the table, "So," she rolled open her fancy silver pen, "do you have a date yet?"

"No, ma'am," Leo admitted, blushing without thinking, "we haven't actually decided on much-"

"A venue?"

"No..."

Jackie let out a heavy sigh, drumming her pen against the notepad, "you only have the ring and a dream," she summed up, causing Leo to choke on his water bottle as he started to laugh.

He nodded, wiping the water down his chin and catching Matteo's fond stare, "yeah, pretty much-" then he perked up as a large drink was planted in front of him. It was a pastel yellow, with a little umbrella hanging out and he raised his eyebrows, as the waiter said a jumble of french words explaining what it was. Whatever, it looked delicious and Leo had no intention to refuse it when Matteo was staring at him expectantly.

He took a sip, then perked up at the sweet taste, "It's great!"

"Told you," Matteo said smugly, resting comfortably against his chair, "he's basking in the wedding joy, mon chéri, leave him be."

"No," Jackie scoffed, "you'll get married in America, oui?"

"Oui," Leo answered cheekily, continuing to sip his drink and feeling every bit like a spoiled prince and loving it. He looked past Jackie's shoulder, to where Jonah was shouting at his fellow team mates, his horse racing across the field.

"Winter or summer?" his mother-in-law scribbled down in her notebook and vaguely Leo thought he should tell her to quit while she was ahead, because he had no intentions of letting the woman plan their wedding. Not only he wanted to be involved in every step of his own wedding planning, but he wanted to afford it and Jackie was the type of person who never looked at price tags.

"Summer," Leo sucked in half of his drink, "Luke and Bella got married in Italy and I thought their ceremony was lov-"

"Lucas' got married like a child," Jackie berated immediately, wrinkling her nose in distaste, "barefoot and pregnant, Veronica would've never have approved that."

"They weren't barefoot or pregnant," Leo pouted, although the couple had been barefoot for the final minutes of the wedding, as they jumped into the sea. Jackie scoffed, waving him off.

"You're not getting married as such," she said strongly, almost an order, and Leo fought the urge to roll his eyes, finishing his drink instead.

"Mon cher," Matteo berated Jackie lightly, "it's not up to you-"

"So summer," Jackie ignored her husband in a way that wasn't unlike Jonah, making Leo smile fondly. He reminded himself that Jonah was her only child, a son she had just rekindled a strained relationship with, it was natural for her to be all over this, "how many people are you planning on inviting?"

"Uh..." he scratched at his cheek, suddenly blushing. Next to him, Matteo finished up his fizzy drink and ordered a new one, "I don't have all that many people... Luke, Vince, Bella, Wendy, of course... Uhm, my work colleagues.... My old team... These are all guests I share with Jon," he felt incredibly awkward suddenly, as Jackie raised her eyebrows and observed him without saying a word, "around 15 people? Max?"

The waiter came back with two new drinks and Leo, who had just finished his, was incredibly grateful to Matteo for ordering another cocktail. He needed to occupy himself and have a reason to shut up, before he started apologizing for not having any family.

"Fifty people, then?" Jackie finally said, scribbling down, "it's not a bad party."

"Is it not?" Leo chewed on the straw of his drink, "isn't it... Embarrassingly small?"

Matteo let out a scoff, "Leo, it's only embarrassing if you get embarrassed by it," the man said, causing Leo to squint and try to puzzle together what exactly he meant- He never quite finished his thought, as an overly warm hand suddenly cupped his cheek and Jonah's lips were over his.

Only a quick kiss, but so open and earnest that it left Leo stunned and turning crimson red.

"What are you talking about?" Jonah pulled a chair, wiping at his brow dotted with sweat and plopping down on it. He was still panting, Angie trailing behind him and looking equally exhausted.

"Wedding," Leo offered, his voice coming out strained and a note higher than normal, causing Jonah to raise an intrigued eyebrow.

"I sure hope you're not giving my fiance cold feet, mum," he berated his mother lightly, throwing an arm around Leo's chair and letting his fingertips brush the hair on Leo's nape, sending a shiver down his spine.

He could feel his face burning, so Leo busied himself on finishing his cold drink, all but eating the straw as well.

"There was hardly time for that," Jackie said, not bothering to raise her eyes from her notebook, "all he said was that it would be an intimate ceremony for fifty people, during summer."

"Fifty people?" Jon paused petting his hair, something Leo was thankful for as shivers continued to go down his back and he felt uncomfortably warm, "do we even know fifty people?"

"I said fifteen," Leo pointed out, causing his future mother in law to huff.

"You boys clearly haven't thought this through at all," Jackie said, shaking her head fondly, "draft up a list of names, you'll see it's definitely not fifteen people."

"Yeah," Angie nodded, eager to be in Jackie's good graces, "when mamma threw me the graduation party we also thought it would be small, it was anything but."

Leo tugged on the neckline of his shirt, feeling like he was suffocating, "we'll do a list."

As if sensing his nervousness, Jonah squeezed his nape, leaning in to snatch the cold drink from his hand and taking a sip. This close, Leo could smell the perfume still clinging to his boyfriend's skin, as well as see how drenched in sweat Jon was. He wished his throat didn't feel so tight and his head a little woozy, so he could properly appreciate jockey Jon.

"Uhm... Where's- Where's the bathroom?" Leo felt like his mouth was suddenly very numb. Jon raised an eyebrow, but it was his step dad who answered.

"Just around the bar, up the stairwell-"

"I'll show you," Jon sprung up his feet and Leo nodded, more glad than his pinched face let on, taking the other man's hand to pull himself up.

"We'll be right back."

"Alright, then we can talk theme," Jackie nodded, blissfully unaware, something that Matteo wasn't, watching them with concerned eyes.

Leo felt dizzy, squeezing Jon's hand between his sweaty fingers and feeling like his legs were too heavy to move.

"What's wrong?" Jonah tugged him down the hallway, but not up the stairs and Leo shook his head, grabbing the rail.

"Bath-bathroom..." he struggled to say, pushing himself up a step, "Jon..."

"I got you," Jonah sighed, pouting and sliding an arm around his waist, "look, I know Jackie can be a lot, but fifteen people or fifty, it's not that big of a deal, is it?"

The bathroom wasn't empty, but the one guy that was inside it left as soon as they entered and Leo braced heavily against the concrete sink. He took a shuddering breath, his throat squeezing and his stomach revolting with panic and just sheer nausea.

Jonah was speaking still and he couldn't hear a word.

Suddenly cold water was splashing on his face and Leo startled, catching Jon's eyes in the mirror as the man tried to snap him out of what he thought was a panic attack.

He was partially right.

"Leo?" Jon's tone was much more concerned than it had been on the stairwell, "baby, if talking about the wedding is stressing you this much-"

"Shut up," Leo shook his head, breathing heavily and bending at the waist, "not- Not that..." his belly squeezed and he gagged, but nothing came up. His mouth was so sweet, a shiver of revulsion ran down his back.

"Shit," Jonah whispered, planting a hand on his back, "you're gonna vomit?"

"I feel... really queasy," Leo admitted, clutching the granite for dear life and nodding as an answer.

"This isn't just nerves, is it?" Jonah carefully planted a cold hand against his forehead, pushing Leo's hair back and causing the blonde to slump against his touch.

"No... Feel really really wei-" he never finished that sentence, as his stomach squeezed once more and Leo nearly smacked his head against the mirror as a jet of foamy white puke fell in the sink. He gasped for air, letting out a whimper, and Jonah thumped on his back, causing more vomit to fall in the bowl.

Leo panted, swaying on his feet, "Jonah... Something isn't- Isn't right..."

"Yeah, I can see that," Jonah snapped briskly, but worry was coloring his words, "talk to me, you just got nauseous out of nowhere...?"

"Can't- can't breathe..." Leo turned away from the sink, wheezing and planting a hand on his chest, "Jon-"

Jonah's hands were suddenly on his neck, tilting his head up to clear his airways, fully focused on the task at hand, "through your nose, Leo..."

He greedily inhaled, shaking his head as the whole room blurred over, "some-something'swrong-"

Leo stumbled and nearly fell, Jonah's arms closing around his chest and keeping him from going down. There were black spots appearing in his vision and he was wheezing.

Suddenly he was lying flat on the bathroom floor, with Jonah's stepdad kneeling by his hip... He frowned, only then realizing his head was on Jon's lap, when he tried to move, heart hammering in his ear.

"Don't," Jonah planted a hand on his chest, "ambulance is almost here."

Leo tried to shake his head to say he didn't need an ambulance, but when he did, the whole room twirled around him. He could feel Jon squeezing his arm, saying something else...

"Une allergie à l'ananas?"

"Oui, il a eu de la chance d'être arrivé à l'hôpital à temps. Nous le garderons jusqu'à la nuit au cas où" a different voice answered and Leo groaned, rubbing his eyes. When he opened them, he was in a much brighter room, his head throbbing.

Jonah was standing not far from him, arms crossed and looking pissed, while Matteo was right next to his step son.

"Jonah, calme-toi..."

"Je n'arrive pas à me calmer, il a failli mourir!" Jonah scoffed, turning to glare at the older man, only for his frown to clear up as he saw Leo's bleary eyes open, "Leo!"

"Uhm... Je ne parle france..?" He tried saying, his words coming up scratchy and Jon let out a small, hysterical and watery giggle, while Matteo chuckled at that.

"Français", the older man corrected, patting Jonah's arm, "Je serai dehors avec ta mère"

"Oui, merci, papa", Jonah nodded, then walked closer to the recliner Leo was lying on, "how are you?"

"Woozy..." Leo turned his head, "my stomach's sore, scratchy throat... What happened?"

"Turns out you're allergic to pineapples," Jonah sighed, "and decided to chug two piña coladas."

"I wasn't- I'm not..." Leo frowned, forcing himself to sit up correctly, "I wasn't aware those were piña coladas, I never had them..."

Jon's soft expression suddenly shifted, brows meeting into an angry frown "you knew you were allergic!? And you never told me!?"

"It's not that big of a deal!" Leo cried out, flinching away from his fiancé, "it was never like this, just made me a bit queasy-"

"I thought you were dying!" Jon exclaimed, getting up and pacing. They weren't in a private room in the hospital, but the floor was mostly empty. Leo couldn't make much sense of it, given everything was written in French thanks to their location in Switzerland, but he could overhear people talking in English.

He sighed, curling up on the chair, "Jon... Jonah, angel, sit down. I didn't mean to frighten you, I'm sorry," he looked up at his boyfriend, who was angrily chewing on his lip and had his arms crossed again.

Jonah stopped walking, "they said it wasn't anaphylactic shock," he admitted after a second, "the trouble breathing was probably due to a panic attack, your throat wasn't swollen."

"Ah... See, I told you-" Leo started to say, only to stop himself short as Jon scoffed and glared at him, "can you please sit with me?"

Jonah hesitated for a second, before relenting and sitting down next to Leo, "I need your entire medical record," he mumbled, sounding frustrated and taking the blonde's hand in his, causing Leo to blush, "at least it scared my mom enough she shut up about the wedding."

"She wasn't that bad," Leo leaned back, closing his eyes and still feeling a bit woozy and queasy, "you're her only child, Jon. She only wants to spoil you rotten."

"I'm not a kid," he could hear his boyfriend eye rolling, then Leo let out a pleased sigh as he felt Jonah starting to pet his hair, "get some rest."

"Hmmm," Leo turned slightly on his side, so he could kiss the inside of Jonah's wrist, "would it even be a trip without me throwing up and worrying you?"

His fiancé let out a little snort, moving closer so he was almost draping himself over Leo, "yeah yeah, that's enough for the rest of the trip, though. It's like someone put you in this world to stress me."

"To make your life exciting," Leo cleared up with a yawn

[the-kr8tor]

Cook Hobie and Sous Chef reader because I am GONEEE girl byeee.

The first time you meet is at your interview, he's barely interested as the owner goes on and on and onnnnn. He doesn't believe talk means anything when it comes to cooking, he needs to actually SEE your skills before he lets you into his kitchen. And much to his delight after a trial run you do more than just fine.

It's been a month at your new job as a sous chef and tensions are rising, you help him during the rush, and you fly to the rescue when someone else needs help to make sure everyone can eat on time. You have enough attitude where the servers know not to push your buttons too much, you are a flame and he wishes to be burnt if it only means getting close to you.

Catering is a forsaken task that means a longer day. But suddenly, as people head home, it's only him and you in the kitchen. You both realize it's quiet, too quiet between you two. So he makes the first move and offers you a beer (or a non alcoholic drink for my pookies who can't), and as the night continues you start up a conversation and get closer to one another.

You peel the carrots, and he cuts them into an appropriate size. He starts retelling some of the stories that happened when he was still new to the job. And you laugh, god you laugh and he can't take his eyes off your smile as he hears your voice an- o h. Red seeps from his fingertip as he curses up a storm and wraps his finger in a kitchen cloth to avoid getting it over the food. You immediately drop everything and help him out with his cuts, and he makes a joke about you kissing it better. You do so after having bandaged it up properly so you can continue your prep, kissing the cloth of the bandage with a teasing/snarky remark.

Much later on he hides in the restroom, his heart beating widely as he can only feel like a high school boy getting his first crush all over again. He didn't think this type of small action could pull him so deep, him, Hobie Brown, a master chef who runs his kitchen like its war battalion. He holds up his hand to his heart, eventually heading back out as he finally calms down. But he looks at how unbothered you are by your small task, just peeling away and helping him with prep to make sure everything can get done on time. He promises himself mentally to pay you back, maybe a date would be nice or maybe he could make a new menu item for you, something sweet. Something with honey, fruit, and whisky; sweet, decadent, and strong are all things he sees in you.

-insert grave emoji here, I'm on a computer </3 me phone died

AWJSJSJWNZSBNWOWSB I KNEW YOU'D WRITE SOMETHING LIKE ONE OF THEM GETTING NICKED AND I NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD BE HOBIE!! He's so smitten your honour

Imagine if R gets burned during dinner service, nothing too drastic just burned the tip of your finger but it still hurts like a bitch so you yelp and the loud clang of the pan hits the stove like a drum beat and Hobie is in full panic mode at your pained face. But when one of the chefs tells you to suck it up Hobie (think like hell's kitchen) yells at them to fuck off before you could even say a word and you're in front of the sink while he holds your hands under the running water asking if you're okay and your brain just went bye bye for a minute while he soothes you 😍

[robinsegghead]

Danny's Daycare Part 5

        [Master List]

   “Danny!”

            Turning towards the voice, Danny held the door to the coffee shop open as a familiar blond came running up to him. “Hey Jesse, you work today?”

            They nodded, walking through the open door. “Yeah, just about to start. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, everything okay?” They eyed him knowingly. Danny had seen Jesse at Mr. Bianchi’s funeral and although they didn’t speak to each other, they’d both acknowledged seeing the other.

            “Been pretty busy with the daycare and some personal things. How’s school going?”

      ��     They sighed. “Exhausting. I have this big test coming up for chemistry and I’m barely passing the class. I’ve spent every spare minute studying, and I still don’t feel like I understand what’s happening! One second.” They vanished into the backroom, returning a few moments later with an apron and hat on. “I haven’t even had time to work on my hobbies lately! Just work and school all day every day! It’s like, yeah I know my education is important but would it kill my professors to give me a break so I can hang out with friends or- god forbid go on a date with my partner?”

            He held out the cash for his drink which Jesse took without a word, still on a roll. Seeing his opportunity when they took a breath, he cut in. “I could help you, if you want?” They eyed him curiously, pouring the first two shots into the hot coffee while the rest pulled. “I have a bachelor’s in bio-chem, I was pretty good at both. Here’s my number,” He scribbled his number down on a drink sleeve and slid it across the bar. “text me a time if you want some tutoring.”

            “Oh my gods,” They breathed, taking the piece of paper. “you’re literally my savior- TIM! Your friend here is a god amongst men! Buy his coffee for him!”

            Danny frowned. “I already paid for my drink though.” He reminded before glancing at Tim. He’d expected the man to be in a suit again, hair combed back neatly, briefcase in hand; that was, after all, how he’d looked when they first met. But it was a Saturday, so it was unlikely he’d be going to any meetings which meant his apparel made a lot more sense.

            The man wore his hair pulled back in a messy half up half down bun, ripped skinny jeans, a red flannel tied around his waist, and a gray t-shirt that said ‘I <3 Mothman’. His ears were adorned by various silver studs and chains that complimented his black leather bracelets. A skateboard was held firmly in his left hand.

            “Well- fine! Free coffee for a month, you’d really be helping me out!” They poured a few more shots into the cup. “I’m in a good mood, Tim your coffee’s on the house today.”

            Tim looked between the two. “That makes absolutely no sense, Jesse. I have more than enough to cover my own coffee. In fact,” as if to prove a point, he pulled a couple hundred dollar bills out of his wallet and stuffed them into the tip jar. “keep the change.”

            “I have no idea what’s happening anymore.” Danny sighed, just wishing for his coffee.

            As if reading his mind, Jesse finally slid his coffee into his awaiting hand before whirling around to start the exact same process with Tim’s drink. Danny hadn’t actually run into Tim again since the first time they’d met. Whether it was because Tim didn’t come every day or Danny had been making more coffee at home these days, he wasn’t sure.

            It wasn’t unwelcome to see the man again, but he wasn’t sure they exactly qualified as friends like Jesse seemed to believe. “How’d those meetings go?” Danny asked after taking his first sip of coffee.

            “Ugh, don’t remind me. They’re done and now I’m avoiding any more they try to throw at me like the plague. How’s the Daycare going? You guys opened a little while back, didn’t you?” Tim leaned against the counter, waiting for his own drink to come out.

            With a nod, and another long sip of the boiling hot coffee, Danny replied. “It’s been going all right. Lots of kids now, I’m working on hiring some help at the moment but I’m just glad I can help out, you know?”

            Tim agreed, grabbing his coffee. “Seems like you’re doing something really good for the Bowery.”

            “I’m trying.”

            The two walked towards the door, wishing Jesse a good shift, and headed outside.

            “Well I’m meeting my boyfriend at the skatepark, what are you up to on one of your few days off?” Tim asked, pointed his thumb over his shoulder.

            Danny laughed. “Bold of you to assume I get any days off. If I’m not working at the daycare I’m usually at a soup kitchen or doing paperwork or something else. Today I’m actually just going to the observatory though. Skateboarding is cool though; I didn’t actually recognize you at first with the whole skater thing.” He laughed. “You look a lot more comfortable like this than in the suit getup you had last time.”

            Tim grinned. “Much. And much like you, I don’t get many days off so I’ve gotta head out, make the most of the time I do have off.” He paused. “Actually, wait,” Pulling a sharpie out of his pocket-did he always keep a sharpie in his pockets? - he scribbled something on his drink’s sleeve before sliding it off the cup and offering it to Danny. “here’s my number. We should hang out sometime.”

            Okay Jesse, you win this time.

~~~

            May in Gotham wasn’t nearly as cold as Danny though it would be, although having an ice core might have something to do with that, but he continued to stock his daycare with jackets, gloves, and hats just in case. The recent downpours had forced him to add umbrellas, raincoats, and rainboots as well. He said ‘he’- in reality, he let Dora pick out most of the clothes for the kids. It was something she liked to do.

            Danny shifted uncomfortably at his desk, waiting. Mia’s friend was supposed to come in for an interview shortly and despite his excitement to have more help, he wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. When Mia said she had a friend who was ‘good people’ and just wanted to help, he had expected someone from the area- not one of Bruce Wayne’s foster children.

            Duke Thomas was eighteen years old, would be graduating from high school at the end of the month, and had been accepted to Gotham U for the following semester. He had a trust fund that would see him through the rest of his life and no need to work, least of all work with children in the Bowery. Maybe it was a bit hypocritical to think that way though- Danny certainly didn’t need to work with children in a random universe in a random city with children from the most rundown part of said city.

            Surprising no one, Danny wasn’t exactly good at the whole ‘boss’ thing. Sure he was a king, but he had a council and he made them take care of the social aspects, and hiring Mia had been different, he already knew her! He’d never actually interviewed someone for a job, and he wasn’t even really sure what he was supposed to say or do.

            There was a knock at his door, and he straightened his jacket out before shouting a calm ‘come in!’. Mia stood on the other side, gesturing for her friend to enter, and sent a glare over her friend’s shoulder directly at Danny. She mouthed ‘be nice’ to which he responded, ‘I’m always nice’, before closing the door.

            “You must be Duke,” Danny smiled. “I’m Danny, pleasure to meet you.”

            Duke shook his hand, it was firm, stronger than Danny expected. “Mia’s told me quite a bit about you, sir.”

            “Oh Ancients, no, call me Danny. I’m like four years older than you at most. Sir is weird.” They both took their seat, Duke shooting him a grin instead of responding, and Danny spread out Duke’s application in front of him. “So Duke, why do you want to work here?”

            Duke clasped his hands in front of him. “Honestly? I think what you’re doing here is really great. I grew up in an area that needed help like this. We never had anything like this when I was younger. It’s a really awesome way to help the community.”

            “That’s good to hear. I’m not from here so getting my feet under me was a little difficult at first, but once I made some connections things got a lot easier. You’re finishing up high school at the moment, right?” Duke nodded. “What are your plans after that?”

            Duke nodded slowly. “I’m going to attend Gotham U, I’m not sure what for yet. But during the summer and the days I don’t have class I want to do something with my time. Something good. I think that’s your daycare.”

            “Do you have any experience with kids?”

            Duke considered the question for a moment. “When I lived in the Narrows I had a neighbor who… had a drug problem. Her daughter came over one day to ask if we had any eggs. She was trying to cook herself food because her mom had been gone for a few days. After that I tried to take care of her. Brought her food, made sure there were leftovers for days I couldn’t, showed her my homework and taught her what little I could. It wasn’t much, but I learned a lot about taking care of little kids.” Something in his voice was tight, which made sense, it was obviously not a happy story. “We’re still friends and she’s doing much better now.”

            Well at least it had a bit of a happy ending.

            Danny liked him. He seemed genuine, seemed like the kind of guy who would do his very best for the kids, and actually wanted to help them. “How many hours are you looking to work in a week and what is your schedule like?”

            It didn’t take long for them to sort everything out. Duke would start the week after school ended, the first week of June, and he would work Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, ten to six, and (despite his protests that it was too much) would be making thirty dollars an hour. Danny really didn’t care if it seemed like a lot, he could pay Duke thirty dollars an hour for full time work for the rest of his life and not make a dent in his fortune.

            Mia gave him a smug look after Duke left. Why? He wasn’t sure. It wasn’t like Danny had been opposed to her friends working here, he’d encouraged it! He reminded her of that, and she rolled her eyes grumbling something about a hostile takeover, but it was difficult to hear over the shrieking children, even for him.

            With Mia working nine to three every day, and Duke working ten to six three days a week (once school let out), Danny might be able to take a bit of time off in the afternoons on those days. Still, he thought he should maybe hire someone a bit older, with a lot more experience before he could take any kind of trips or vacation time.

            That night, Danny found himself craving burgers. Nasty burger to be specific, but he’d be fully dead before he’d willingly set foot in Amity Park again, so he had to settle for the next best thing. Batburger.

            There was one not too far from where he lived, technically it was over the border into Crime Alley, but he wasn’t exactly scared of Crime Alley. He lived in the Bowery. Arguably worse than Crime Alley. And also, he was already half-dead. He wasn’t exactly worried about getting mugged.

            But get mugged, he did.

            “Hey you!” Someone shouted. Danny sighed, turning around to see a man wearing a mask with a gun pointed his way. “Hand over your wallet and phone.”

            Now, Danny was rich- like, incredibly wealthy, but he didn’t actively carry around large amounts of money. In fact, after buying his and Mia’s lunch that afternoon, he didn’t have any cash on him at all. And his phone was Wayne tech until Tucker gutted half of it an added his own stuff. It wouldn’t be worth much.

            And Danny was capable of going invisible and intangible, so he wasn’t exactly worried about this guy. He honestly felt bad he didn’t have any cash to give him though. “Listen man, I don’t really have anything worth money on me right now. If you want, I can get you a meal at the bat burger though?”

            The mugger looked confused. “What?”

            “I don’t have money on me, just my card which I would totally cancel before you could do anything with it, and my phone is worthless. But I was heading to Bat Burger anyways so if you’re hungry I’d be willing to buy you a meal.” Danny shrugged nonchalantly like his offer wasn’t absolutely insane.

            The gun began to lower slowly, Danny noticed a slight tremor in the man’s hand, and then the gun’s safety was back on, and the gun was stowed. “You’re that guy… My buddy from the Bowery said you hand out meals sometimes. You… you were at the soup kitchen.”

            Danny shrugged again. “Listen man, I do what I can. And what I can do right now, is buy you a meal. If you want.”

            That’s how Danny found himself sat across from a complete stranger eating burgers. Except he wasn’t a stranger. The man had shyly taken off his mask before walking in, afraid the employees and customers would think he was robbing them (a safe assumption) and freak out. The man -Miguel- turned out to be a bit closer to a boy. Probably seventeen (eighteen at most), with dull green eyes, freckles, and ratty brown hair.

            Probably best to act like he didn’t know who this kid was- it would be startling to realize an adult remembered you and your brother after almost being mugged.

            “So, what’s your story?” Miguel asked.

            Scoffing, Danny swallowed a bite and took a swig of soda. “I don’t have one.”

            “C’mon man, everyone’s got a story.”

            Danny raised an eyebrow pointedly. “And what’s yours?”

            The kid glared. “Point taken.”

            Wiping the grease off his hands, Danny leaned back into the booth and sighed. “I’m Danny. I run a daycare in the Bowery because it helps people and that’s what I like to do. Your turn.”

            “’m Miguel.” When he stopped there, Danny raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to keep talking. “Jus’ needed some money for dinner.” Danny had noted that he’d only eaten half of the food he’d gotten and wrapped everything up neatly.

            “Are you saving that for tomorrow? Or someone else?” Miguel pulled back like he wasn’t sure he should answer. “I like helping people. And I don’t do it in the ‘legal’ ways, if you’re afraid of cops or cps or something.” Danny pushed as much truth into his words as he could. Even if the kid couldn’t pick up his aura he pushed genuine-care-worried as hard as he could towards the boy.

            Miguel rubbed his palm with his thumb nervously. “My… my little brother’s waitin’ on me to bring ‘im somethin’.”

            “How old is your brother?” Danny asked. At Miguel’s quickly tensed nature, he put his hands up. “I’m not calling anyone on you, Miguel.”

            The boy shifted anxiously. “Thirteen.”

            Danny nodded, taking another bite, hoping that a moment’s reprieve would help Miguel calm down. “School?” He finally asked. Miguel shook his head, hanging it in embarrassment. “Parents?”

            “…I…” Miguel’s fists tightened, his breathing picked up, and he looked at Danny with panicked eyes. “I take care of him, ‘m really good at it and I don’t let ‘im go hungry or nothin’ and-”

            “Miguel, woah, woah, woah, it’s okay.” Danny comforted. “I’m not here to judge you kid.” He waited for Miguel’s panic to subside, for his words to sink in, before continuing. “I help people. That’s what I like to do, remember? Do you have a job?”

            He shifted uncomfortably. “I… ‘m in a… gang- ‘ts the only way ta get money for someone like me!”

            “Yeah, it’s got to be hard for someone in your position.” Danny finished his burger, wiping his hands again, crumpling the napkin, and tossing it onto the table. “Okay. So. I could use some help in the evenings and on weekends keeping the daycare clean. Toys need to be sterilized, floors vacuumed, and carpets cleaned, that kind of thing. I’d pay well.” Miguel opened his mouth, but Danny kept going. “I could tutor you and your brother on the weekends as well, I imagine he’ll be going into high school next year?”

            “Y..yeah…”

            “How old are you? What year of school would you be in?”

            Miguel fidgeted, clearly confused. “Seventeen. I’d be a senior next year I guess.”

            “Okay, so I can tutor the both of you, get you ready for school next year, and I’ll obviously pay for that too. Where are you living? I can set you guys up with an apartment too.”

            “What the fuck are you sayin’ man?” Miguel looked at him like he was -well- a fruit loop.

            Danny sighed and slid his card across the table. “I know it sounds like a trick; I swear it’s not. I help people. Call me your fairy godmother if it makes you feel better. I’ll let you think about it though, I know it sounds fake and you’re probably worried I’m like, some crazy trafficker or something. So, come find me, or call me if you want that.” He stood up, grabbing his trash. “In the meantime, let me get another meal for you to take to your brother.”

            Miguel’s ‘you’re absolutely fucking crazy’ look didn’t go away in the time it took for Danny to get him another meal (which was definitely more like three meals) so he reminded Miguel to call him and went on his way. Hopefully after the eventful couple of days he’d had, he could sleep in extra late tomorrow.

            Right?

~~~

            Wrong.

            He’d never been more wrong. How come it was so easy to jinx himself? And why did these things always happen to him? Apparently the power went out in the middle of the night and Danny’s alarm decided that meant it should go of at six in the morning (Ancients fuck factory settings), he was going to go back to sleep after shutting it off but the sound of an explosion not too far away woke him back up, so he stumbled out of bed and decided on coffee. What? Explosions were not for ex-vigilantes.

            Except his coffee maker had decided to not come back on after the power went out and he realized the whole thing was broken (he could fix it, but it would be easier to just go out and get coffee for the time being), which is when he thought things were looking up. The barista knew him (not as well as Jesse, but he thought his name was Eddie?), his younger brother went to daycare, and gave him his drink for free. The drink that he promptly spilled all over himself. No Tim in sight to buy him a replacement coffee.

            Fine, he didn’t need it anyways. He needed to go to the grocery store, so he’d just buy a premade coffee- with a lid that screwed on. It was a foolproof plan.

            “You should be more careful, walking in alleyways by yourself.” A hysterical voice called from the shadows of the alley he was cutting through. “You Wayne’s always thinking you’re safe because of the bat. But he’s not here, is he?” When Danny realized who was speaking he decided to nope out of the situation immediately.

            Nope. Fuck that. He didn’t do clowns. Didn’t matter what they looked like, if it walked like a clown and talked like a clown it was a fucking clown. Turning around, Danny moved to walk away from who he assumed was the Joker but had never actually met before. Wasn’t he in Arkham? Jazz had complained about him once or twice. He’d also heard complaints from several of his subjects about the man, a problem he never thought he’d have to deal with personally.

            A hand grabbed his shoulder and before Danny could stop himself he spun around and threw a punch at the man’s face. He. Didn’t. Do. Clowns.

            A sickening crack came from under Danny’s fist and blood poured out of the man’s nose. The man screamed and laughed hysterically; Danny questioned if he really was insane to be laughing at a broken nose.

            What exactly was Danny supposed to do in this situation? Joker decided for him, pulling out a gun and aiming it at the Halfa. Not the smartest move. Intangibility swept through him as the trigger was pulled, the bullet flying straight through him and lodging into the brick wall behind him. It only took another second for Danny to knock the gun out of his hand, grab the man by his shirt, and throw him across the alley into the opposite brick wall.

            The opposite brick wall which immediately collapsed on top of the body he’d thrown. Shit. Jogging over, Danny searched for a pulse. Aaaaaand… there wasn’t one. Cool. Cool cool cool cool cool. No biggie.

            “Ancients damn it.” He grumbled, pulling his hand away from the dry bleached skin and taking a step back. “Well you really stepped in it this time Danny.” He stared at the body, one hand on his hip, the other rubbing across his forehead as he debated what to do. “Could call the cops, don’t really want them to know I killed a guy, could try to find the bats- really don’t want them to know I killed a guy…. Could leave him here? No, no telling what someone would do with the body- might try to bring him back.”

            “And what have we here?” A deep modulated voice came from above Danny.

            Looking up, Danny came face to face with someone he was honestly surprised he hadn’t met before. The Bowery was part of Red Hood’s territory even if he was more known for his work in Crime Alley and Danny had been almost mugged a number of times, still, he’d never run into the crime lord. Despite knowing he should avoid vigilantes at all costs, Danny couldn’t help the bit of excitement at meeting the one his people called ‘the Avenger of the Dead’.

            Danny remembered the situation he was in and sighed, resigned. “Listen, it was an accident.”

            Red Hood tilted his head, dropping down from the fire escape he crouched on, gun still trained on Danny. When the man glanced toward the body he faltered, hand lowering slightly before looking back to Danny. “What the fuck?” It came out like a whisper.

            “He grabbed me and pulled a gun on me, I… didn’t mean to throw him that hard but I don’t like clowns.” Red Hood nodded as if that explained everything. Maybe it did. If he remembered correctly ‘the Red Hood’ was an old moniker of the Joker’s. Danny found it hard to believe someone nicknamed ‘the Avenger of the Dead’ would be in cahoots with the Joker, so it was more likely that he’d stolen the name to make something better out of it.

            He probably hated the clown more than Danny.

            Holstering his gun, Red Hood looked back to the body. “I’m guessing you don’t want anyone to know?” Danny nodded warily. “I’ll have someone take care of the body, give me a second to make a couple of calls.”

            Danny stood uncomfortably shifting from one foot to the other while the Red Hood moved further down the alley. It gave him an opportunity to study the man. He was, well, to put it bluntly, he was jacked. He was almost a foot taller than Danny with broad shoulders and obvious muscles filling out his tight-fitting suit. It wasn’t like the suit was all spandex either, it was a much thicker material, definitely layered with Kevlar and probably some other tech and protective layers, and yet you could still see every muscle on the man.

            Danny wasn’t checking him out. Not even when the man placed one hand on his hip which jutted out to the side and showed off his extremely firm looking ass. Firm looking? Danny mentally face palmed. You’re not allowed to thirst over a crime lord. Even the Avenger of the Dead.

He tried not to listen in on the conversation- he didn’t want to accidently learn the man’s identity or something and focused on the sound of the city in the distance. Sirens, guns, and the explosions from the morning all indicated an Arkham breakout and his concern immediately shifted to Jazz.

            Whipping his phone out of his pocket he pressed one and called. It rang three times before he heard his sister’s voice.

            “Danny?”

            “Jazz! Are you okay?”

            There was a lot of background noise, and it took her a moment to respond, she was likely distracted. “Yeah I’m fine. The breakout happened before my shift today, I just got in. Listen, the boss is, obviously, not happy so I can’t talk. I’ll call you tonight. Maybe we can do takeout at my place?”

            He confirmed and was quickly hung up on. The timing was good, Red Hood making his way over right after.

            “Okay, I’ve got someone on their way to take care of the body. You need help getting home? Actually- let me rephrase- I’m going to get you home.” His voice left no room for argument.

            Danny argued anyways. “I was on my way to go grocery shopping. I’ll be fine.”

            Hood grunted. “Sorry man but we’ve got an Arkham breakout on our hands. Better for you to get home now and shop tomorrow. Besides, with the Joker dead it won’t take as long to clean everything up.”

            He noticed the way Hood said Joker was dead seemed almost smug, but he didn’t question it. He sighed, dragging a hand down his face. “You’re not going to tell anyone that I did this, right?”

            Hood tilted his head and Danny pressed on before he could respond. “Because I mean, technically I killed him, but it was self-defense, and also this guy totally deserved it, but I’m just not totally sure it would look good for me with the parents whose kids I take care of and I would really prefer to not have to explain to all of them that ‘yes I killed the Joker and yes I’m still taking care of your kids’-”

            “Guy!” Hood cut in. “I’m not going to tell anyone. But I think you’d find most people would feel even more comfortable leaving their kid with someone who can defend themselves and their kids. Now let me take you home, I’ve got other people to catch and not a lot of time.”

            Danny relaxed at his words. “Oh don’t bother with me, I can-”

            “Just shut up and hold tight.” Red Hood grabbed Danny’s arm, pulled him close, extended his grapple, and they were flying.

            Now, Danny was used to flying, it was common practice for him even after hanging up his metaphorical cape, he flew on the daily, in his apartment he often found himself floating instead of walking, but flying while gravity was still a factor? Not at all the same. Danny’s arms wrapped around Hood’s neck tight, and his eyes snapped shut on reflex before he opened them again.

            “Where too?” Hood chuckled, swinging (apparently) aimlessly but away from the crime scene.

            Giving Hood his address, which he still wasn’t convinced was a good idea, he found himself enjoying the flight. It would be better with little bags of trail mix and a seatbelt, but he’d suffer he supposed.

            Setting down on the fire escape outside of his window, Hood leaned against the railing and seemed to be sizing Danny up.

            “Well… Uh… thanks, I guess.” Danny wasn’t sure what to say, settling instead for flattening down his hair. Between the shock of killing someone (which he had only done once before, and did Ending Pariah Dark really count? If anything that was worse than killing someone but also entirely different.) and meeting someone many of his people considered their hero (who he had hoped he’d get the opportunity to thank for his selfless deeds at some point or another) Danny couldn’t figure out what would be appropriate to say.

            Hood paused. “Anytime.” Danny snorted. “I mean it.” Even through his helmet Danny felt like he could see something blazing in his eyes. There was a solemnity in the way he spoke. “You killed the Joker. You need anything, come find me or my people. I owe you one.”

            Before Danny could argue (could insist that no Hood didn’t owe him anything, Danny owed him so much more for avenging so many lost souls that Danny had to introduce to the afterlife and they were always so young or powerless or scared and Hood had been able to bring them a comfort he never could so really it’s Danny who owed Hood a favor-) the vigilante leapt over the edge of the fire escape and swung away.

            Danny took a deep, shuddery breath, tearing his eyes away from where Red Hood had disappeared and using his intangibility to enter his apartment.

            He deserved a nap.

~~~

            Sleep never came to him, and he found it was much more elusive than it had been before he’d killed someone.

Prev. Next

[the-graves-family]

Aegri Somnia: Sick Man's Dream

09-02-2024

It’s cold.

Aaron hasn’t been home in days.

No footsteps, no slamming doors, no yelling, no hitting. Nothing. The house is still, as if it’s holding its breath, frozen in time waiting for its master’s return. 

Each minute crawls by, painfully slow. Ace has no way to tell the time, except for the darkness that falls at dusk, and the light that breaks through at dawn. His brother will surely be upset when he returns: the chores haven’t been done. He can expect vicious words and strikes when Aaron returns. The thought only brings misery, condenses in his chest and leaves him feeling desolate.

He’s not sure if the persistent cough that has plagued him for weeks is gone, or if he’s just too weak to cough anymore. It had certainly felt like he’d broken something for a while. Pain is a familiar feeling, a constant companion for the last decade or so. He’s not sure if it’s a good or bad thing. On one hand, he’s not too bothered by everything that seems to be going wrong with his body now. On the other hand, it could be really serious, and he wouldn’t know. What’s one more ache in the midst of hundreds?

A few hours ago, he’d been in the most pain he’d ever felt besides the accident that had cost him his limbs. Writhing on the bed and gasping for air, begging for help. Now, he feels almost nothing.

Except for the cold. The cold is really starting to bother him.

Ace’s lungs haven’t been the same since the bomb. Makes sense, he’s missing half of one. But he can’t remember ever breathing so shallowly. It feels like no oxygen is getting into his blood, but he can’t even muster up the energy to panic. Every sensation feels foggy and distant.

Memories flicker to the forefront of his mind without his permission, faraway blurs of color and sound. Voices, faces, things that seemingly hold no meaning anymore.

Ace thinks of Adrian.

He’d like a hug from his brother, right about now. Adrian gives the bestest, warmest hugs. He can’t remember the last time he’d gotten one, and it makes him irrationally sad. He’s so cold. Why can’t his big brother come and help him?

Why isn’t anyone helping him…?

Another memory, and it’s the faces of two women he can’t recognize anymore. They feel important, so important, but their names are lost to him. Ace can’t remember where he knew them from, but it feels like he should never have forgotten them. Like an unconscious betrayal. He wonders how long ago they met. It must have been a long time, for everything to have faded away, surely. He remembers a small room, remembers rowdy meals, waiting patiently for something important to happen—

Ace feels incredibly alone for a moment, before a full-body shiver brings him back to the present by reminding him that his whole being aches dully. Cold.

It’s dark outside, and the light in the hallway has been flickering on and off for a while. Ace doesn’t know why he left the door to his room open: he usually closes it to avoid Aaron.

He’s not completely sure why he wants to avoid Aaron.

His twin, his other half. Why does the mere thought of him make Ace’s heart race, cold sweat run down his back? It makes the cotton-like confusion swirling in his head even worse. A lot of things aren’t making sense, and he doesn’t know how to fix it.

Ace is good at fixing things. Used to be, at least.

The face of a dark-skinned man flashes behind his eyes, and he has to curl up and whimper from the sheer agony of knowing he should recognize him. It feels so important, like everything will fall into place if he just remembers. He doesn’t know what he’s feeling. The man feels familiar, and kind. Warm, big hands. Wonderful hugs. He thinks about walks in the park, and dinners with candles on the table. A lot of people asking him questions and talking to him in a language he's barely started to understand. Awkward but heartwarming, because it means they care.

He’s so confused.

Why is he even thinking of people who aren’t family?

Family is everything, Father had always told him that. He has to be a good brother, and a good son, and everything will be alright. Adam’s sure that if he is good and dutiful, all these feelings and all this suffering will just be washed away by caring hands. Make him warm again.

He wonders where Father is. Even when he was very busy with his cases, he’d always find the time to visit his sons if they were sick. Adam feels very sick.

The more he stares at the white sheet on the bed, unable to even lift his head, the more he’s sure he’s never had white sheets in their room. Uncle always likes to use the colorful ones. Every shade of blue he could find, because Uncle says that white sheets remind him of hospitals.

Hospitals… something about hospitals…

Memories of his childhood room are tainted by smoke and burning plastic, blood pouring out of him unimpeded. No, nothing happened at the cabin. Right? No fires.

Adam’s scared. He doesn’t like being scared.

Aaron always makes him feel better when he’s scared. His twin is never scared, and he always says he’ll beat the crap out of anything that scares Adam. It makes him feel really safe. Even if they’re not supposed to use words like that. That’s just the way Aaron is, always breaking the rules.

The light outside his room flickers once more, and he’s sure he hears footsteps in the hallway.

Aaron’s home.

It’s getting really hard to keep his eyes open, but Adam still finds it in him to smile,  despite the racing heart, despite the chills down his spine. His twin’s home. Everything’s going to be okay. He wants to sit up, to greet his brother properly, but for some reason, his body doesn’t seem very keen on listening to him anymore. He’s trying his best, but all he can manage is some weak twitching. His limbs are numb, like something’s pinching all his nerves at once.

The more time Aaron takes from the door to his room, the harder it is to keep smiling. Why is he taking so long?

Darkness blurs the edges of his vision and he struggles to keep his eyes open. It's hard to see, hard to stay awake. He's tired. Nothing even hurts anymore.

Adam tries to sit up again, but the wave of nausea and exhaustion that overcomes him keeps him planted firmly on the bed. He doesn’t understand. He'd been fine just… yesterday? He can't—

He's very tired, and so very cold. Maybe he should rest for a little bit. Close his eyes for a few minutes before Aaron comes to him.

A shape in the doorway, gray and indistinct, makes him blink. Is he finally not alone anymore?

“...Aaron?”

But Adam is tired, so tired. 

He closes his eyes.

The house becomes empty.

[cluescorner]

I gave myself a writing challenge and I am fascinated by it

So basically I put the robins in a randomizer to give them a new order/role (because I just...kinda wanted to see what would happen + I like role-reversal AUs) and got results that are giving me a fucking brain blast.

Stephanie, the first sidekick who defines the role

Tim, the sidekick who dies and comes back wrong

Dick, the sidekick who saves Batman from himself

Damian, the sidekick who was never supposed to be a sidekick but would go on to prove everyone wrong

Jason, the youngest sidekick who is still the Kid Wonder

...So this is fucking wild. I've got some ideas and several of these fit perfectly (Dick's role is pretty similar to his one in canon), but some of these are fucking INCREDIBLE to explore (Steph being the first Robin is something I never even considered but tbh I kinda love it).

I probably won't write a fic or anything because tbh I don't like publishing my writing that much, but I might expand this into a full AU and post about it. I might randomize other stuff too (ie, stuff that I cannot change vs stuff that I cannot keep the same) but this fucking rules as a starting point.

[todayisafridaynight]

old man yaoi comm on yaoi day... woAgh.....

Commission Info

[daesungindistress]

[closed]

[floral-hex]

Haven’t been sleeping well because, and this is the stupidest reason, I’m so full of damnable longing. All I do is yearn and pine and want.

[zenmai--jikake--no--komoriuta]

date night! James and I went to go see the new Ninja Turtles movie in gold class and we were the only ones in the cinema!....... until like 2 minutes after the bumpers started and a family walked in lol-- but it was really good!

I hope we can make this our go-to date idea so we can slowly use up this $200 gift card we've been sitting on for like 2 years now lmao

[kirishwima]

srsly. im not even saying this in a 'woe is me' kinda way. WHY AM I THIS NICE. i want to be mean!! i want to be an asshole!!!!!

[galariangengar]

💭

[kyrite]

.

[lavender---sunshine]

Had a big day but I'm desperately needing more small days

[dragons-and-yellow-roses]

.