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herstarburststories · 4 years

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Swallow (Jason Todd x Reader)

✾ A/N: Hope you like it, hon!

✾ @thatgaypostsworld 's request: Do you think you could do Jason Todd from Titans x trans male, he's Hanks younger brother. They meet in Gotham and work together kinda like how Dick worked with Hawk and Dove and start dating then he Joins Titans to be closer to Jason and finds out that Hank knows Jason and can there be lots of fluff and protective older brother stuff from Dick and Hank cause Dick would have known him since he was like five. And Gar and Dawn being all for reader and Jason. xD

✾ Warning: request slightly edited from OC x Jason to Reader x Jason.

ONE YEAR AGO

GOTHAM CITY

‘'It’s over, bird boy.’’ The blue-eyed woman smirked at Jason as she pressed the barrel of the gun against his neck. Suddenly, the idea of going after a drug dealer alone to impress Batman didn't seem like the smartest thing to be done. ‘’Batman probably won't miss his dumb pet. ’’

‘’You talk too much.’’ An unknown voice was added to the conversation, followed by the typical noise of a punch. Just like that, Todd was no longer between life and death, and his main target laid unconscious on the floor among his passed out henchmen. ‘’Come on, villains. Don't you know that monologuing only gives pretext for someone to come along and save the victim?’’

‘’What did you just call me?’’ The new Robin finally turned around to face his unfortunate savior. He was also dressed in a superhero costume, although Jason couldn't quite put his tongue on the name. The outfit was, in his opinion, ridiculous. Mostly blue, but with a white front and an orange mask. At least his body looked pretty hot in that. ‘’I'm not a fucking victim, bro. Who do you think that beat the fuck out of her crowd?’’

(Y/N) rolled his eyes. Batman's new apprentice was really petulant. If Hank was there, he would probably say it was a prerequisite for being a Robin. ‘’You, me, and your ego are on the same side. By the way, I am Swallow.’’

‘’Do you suck too?’’ Jason answered in irony, already picking up his customized batarangs that had been thrown in battle.

‘’Very funny. Swallow as in for the bird, Robin. Just like you.’’

CURRENT TIME

SAN FRANCISCO

When Bruce and Dick decided it would be good for Jason to spend some time away from Gotham, it didn't occur to Jason how frustrating that could be. After all, why would he even consider that idea? Todd would stay with the Titans for a few weeks and come home as fast as possible.

‘’It’s boring as fuck. I wish you were here.’’

However, now, after two months in that tower, with Dick treating him like a child and away from home, Jason had to admit that he didn't imagine this scenario. Everything was boring compared to Gotham. He didn't go out to fight crime with anyone. In his city, every night had someone to be saved, either with Batman or (Y/N).

(Y/N) had become Todd's confidant out of necessity. Although his first mission to conquer Bruce's respect had gone wrong, Jason wouldn't stop trying. He was valuable and could be as good as Dick Grayson once was. Bruce didn't have to protect him or anything, and he would prove that.

It worked a few times, mostly with help. Jay was still inexperienced, a Robin barely for months back then. (Y/N), on the other hand, had been Swallow for years. Robin certainly didn't call him, but somehow they always ran into each other during Gotham's night routine. After a few cases together and some make-out sessions in places extremely inappropriate for any civilian, they decided to try for real. A committed relationship, Jason's first.

Video calls happened, of course, just like the one occurring in that instant. But it wasn't quite the same, at all.

‘’Me too, babe. Don’t worry, we will see each other soon. I need to go now, just arrived at the supermarket,” you said, waving your empty hand at him through the phone as your face disappeared on the screen. It was replaced by your call duration time. You smiled at the street you were on. Jason surely would love your surprise.

Todd grabbed whatever comic book he had left around the room to distract his mind. He missed his boyfriend and the excitement of his hometown. And even though he invited you a million times to become an honorary Titan, the answer was still a no. If Jason had to bet, and he was good at it, he would say that you were afraid of history repeating itself among your brother's old team, even though he had stated that Hank was not there and had never visited since they arrived at the tower.

A subtle knock met the door of Robin's room, soon followed by Gar's voice. ‘’Jason, you have a visitor.’’

He tossed the graphic novel in his hands towards the chair across the room, smiling victoriously when he hit his target before getting up and leaving the room. It must be Bruce, finally showing up to get him.

‘’About time, Bru—(Y/N)?’’ You weren’t the person he was missing that appeared in the Titans' living room, but you were still a wonderful surprise. Jason marveled at you, his heart pounding happily. ‘’What are you doing here?’’

‘’I missed you and decided to accept your invitation.’’ Your words didn't obtain any reaction from Robin. He remained there, astonished. ‘’I could always go back...’’ (Y/N) teased, the side of your mouth curved into a playful smile.

‘’Don't even fucking joke about it, baby.’’

Jason approached you, pressing his lips against yours in a needy kiss, which screamed how felt your absence had been.

‘’What the fuck is this?’’ Hank's voice surprised the two young men, causing you both to separate immediately. Gar - who had gone to the training room after calling Jason - arrived in the place with Dick. ‘’What the hell is Jason doing to my little brother, Grayson?’’

‘’I don't know,” the rising leader responded, frowning as he mentally analyzed the scene. Jason didn't have enough stability to fight in a team yet-- a romantic relationship should be his last concern. Dick himself knew how it could affect teamwork, but then, he wasn't one hundred percent ready to lead the Titans yet and had started a complicated situation with Kori months ago. Therefore, Grayson was not the best to offer advice in that department. Pursing his lips, Dick added, ‘’Anyway, I'm glad you two came back.’’

While Jason's older brother had decided to ignore the surprise in his living room to address more urgent matters, yours didn't follow the same line of thought.

‘’We came here to help you and found the new problematic Robin sticking his tongue in my little brother's throat. What the fuck, Grayson? Since when (Y/N) is with the Titans? You want to fuck up their lives with my brother's life like you did to ours?’’

Dawn placed her hand against Hank's chest in an attempt to convey some serenity to him and prevent the male from attacking Dick in a fit of rage. She smiled sweetly at the couple – Jason’s arm around your figure as the old Titans argued.

‘’He didn't know I was here, Hank. I just arrived. I wanted to see Jason.’’ You shrugged. There was no real concern for the eldest Hall's reaction. You knew your brother. He had an explosive and exaggerated tendency for being. Especially after you came out as a trans guy, which increased his protective behavior. ‘’I have known Jason since the gap year in Gotham. We are dating.'’

Hank opened his mouth and everyone in the room waited for another round of swearing, most likely to be directed at Dick and Jason, when Gar's voice interrupted, ‘‘Can someone handle Jason willingly?'’

You chuckled when Jason showed his middle finger to his teammate. It caused tiny, relieved smiles from the present adults. Dick and Hank exchanged a suggestive glance. It was the same they gave each other when a difficult mission had worked out after a few mistakes, but they were too exhausted to argue at the moment. A truce, it meant. For now.

‘’Well, I'm happy for you two. Talk to me if you need tips on how to deal with a hot-tempered Hall.’’ Dove joined the joke, eliciting more laughter and a betrayed glare from Hank, who dramatically moved away from his girlfriend.

Jason grimaced when being compared to Hank, and you placed your arms around his waist, pulling him closer. His brother tried to convince Dawn that his anger was directed to who he deserved it, which didn't make him hot-tempered. Dick stood with crossed arms, a simple smile on his face as he surveyed the room. Gar was laughing still, his old friends disagreeing in a relaxed way, and Jason was pouting, being treated by his boyfriend with quick pecks on the cheek that made him smile like a happy child.

That reunion was better than he had anticipated.

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lonelier-version-of-you · 3 years

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God, that was such a good episode. I mean, I still don’t like Lucky’s SL but even that had redeeming factors (the romantic subtext between her and Max, plus Vineeta Rishi’s acting), and the rest of the episode was great!

Henrik and Oliver, my disabled genderqueer bisexual beloveds. Seeing these two share a storyline has been SUCH a treat, you have no idea. I’d forgotten just how much I love Ollie!

James Anderson is already giving some truly brilliant performances and he’s only been back for one episode. He is just so. damn. good. (I remember reading in the Holby book, an interview he did where he mentioned Ollie’s brain injury SL - mentioned it vaguely, of course, because it hadn’t aired yet, but he was saying how important it was to him to get it right and do the topic justice. And you absolutely can see how much effort he’s putting into it even now. What an amazing actor.)

Guy Henry was fantastic too. That scene with Henrik and Ollie in the garden was one of the best scenes to come out of Holby in a long, long time - beautifully written, beautifully acted. It actually felt unfair how good that scene was, it was much higher quality than you could ever possibly expect from Holby these days.

And I am SO glad they haven’t forgotten Ollie’s brain injury or magically cured it. Really, really glad. They’re actually putting the effort into portraying it long-term (even if it is a bit ridiculous that he’d work as a doctor again this quickly, but I’ll put that down to the fact that the show’s coming to an end soon so they couldn’t exactly wait some more years before bringing him back). For a show that usually sucks at disability rep, I am quite impressed by this.

Speaking of disability rep, even Jason was good tonight! He actually felt like a person tonight and not the 5-year-old in an adult’s body he’s usually written as. I think it helped MASSIVELY that his primary interactions were all with other disabled people (Ollie and Henrik), so they couldn’t really write him to cater to the abled gaze like they usually do.

Meanwhile, on the Weekly Henruss Watch: we didn’t get much content for them tonight, and Russ just disappeared after the first half of the episode, but what we did get was very enjoyable. They just SCREAM “here’s another one of those ‘I hate you but actually I secretly fancy you and I’ll probably end up making out with you in the middle of an argument’ Holby pairings”. And Russ breaking into Henrik’s office just to flirt with him (ok, and to talk to him about Ollie, but mostly to flirt with him)? Absolutely ICONIC. I love them.

Also, tonight Russ demonstrated the classic queer inability to sit properly. And he wore an outfit that was so terrible it looked great. I love him so much already.

Lucky’s storyline... eh. NGL, I find this storyline rather boring. It’s the same story that’s been told in media a million times before, did we need another iteration? I get that no one’s going to exactly react well to the news that they’re paralysed for the rest of their life, but I can’t imagine that literally everyone’s reaction is to jump to the extreme end of that and decide they want to die. But god, the media would have you think that’s the only way it ever plays out. Even just a slightly different take on things would’ve made this storyline more interesting.

Admittedly, it may be slightly more justifiable in Lucky’s case, given they seem to be trying to indicate (they certainly made it pretty clear last week) that she’s no picture of mental wellness herself and hasn’t been for a long time - in fact, that her career as a mental health nurse may be about helping others because she doesn’t know how to help herself - and this is simply what’s pushed her over the emotional edge.

Also, I like the romantic subtext between her and Max, like I said earlier. They really are just pretty much being written as girlfriends at this point, aren’t they? And Vineeta Rishi’s performances these last few weeks have been amazing - I feel really bad for thinking she was mediocre before, because it turns out she can give a great performance when it counts.

Josh’s storyline has a lot of potential, but they NEED to make sure they don’t mess it up. It’s a subject that needs more awareness in the media, and they’ve got a more than capable actor for it - Trieve Blackwood-Cambridge is incredibly talented. If they get it right, then maybe before the end they can finally redeem themselves for all the terrible mental health storylines we’ve had over the last few years.

Also, this isn’t really relevant to anything, but it was nice seeing both Eli and Henrik stimming a lot tonight.

#Holby City #Holby City spoilers

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blue-mint-winter · 4 years

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Dune trailer reaction/analysis

Paul’s vision

Paul’s whispering voiceover resembling Lynch’s Dune (also Leto II My skin is not my skin. Something’s changing in him, something’s happening.)

seeing Chani in casual outfit first, very nice. She’s a woman and she’s special to him. Though it is also total opposite of her book introduction in which when Paul first saw her in a stillsuit, he thought she was a young warrior.

kissing scene - looks tender and with chemistry + stillsuit is very prominent in it

the trailer promises an emphasis on their romance in the film which is good because this wasn’t done well before in previous adaptations (or the book itself lol because they just got together and that was it, no extra drama.)

the eyes of Ibad! and she calls him - his destiny calls

he wakes up in the dark, and the headboard of his bed is gorgeous!

also this is literally “The sleeper must awaken”

but the contrast between the dream full of light and waking in the dark bedroom, mmmm nice

“there’s a crusade coming” - Paul knows what’s up, the vision of him looking at war and devastation with Chani is very foreboding - AND it doesn’t say what’s this war about and who’s fighting which is a clever set up - if you don’t know the book, then you know all of it XD. But this gives the plot the sense of mystery and danger and stakes.

GOM JABBAR

I am gushing over the symmetry of that shot in the dark room, with Paul at the center and HIS LEGS. Look how he’s standing!

His face when she asks him about his dreams!

that Atreides sign on the collar! He looks so good!

“From director Denis Villeneuve” and the cut to above clouds and a lightning - a storm is coming. Also a shot VERY reminiscent of his work on Arrival and those clouds.

The most famous, iconic, first scene of the book is in the trailer - well, it makes sense to use it to get people interested.

I LOVE Gaius Helen Mohiam’s costume design in this. I think it might be the best ever. Also, her voice, her acting, it all fits. She’s mysterious, hides her face, she’s dangerous, she’s fast, sharp, dangerous, wise. It is her.

Caladan

Flying boxes - ships/drones/tech because this is still the future despite the feudal system

Paul on the shore on Caladan

I really LIKE the music here. Gives me PoP vibes :)

Anyway, the whole idea of making Caladan the total opposite of Arrakis by making it so dark - that’s different than what I’m used to. I always imagined it as a very green, fertile world, abundant with water, life and plants. Traditionally Giedi Prime is the dark planet. BUT I can see the logic behind making Caladan so sunless, cloudy, water and stone kind of planet - illustrates the stark military nature of Atreides rule just as well as Paul’s uniform-style clothing. They are war-like. And it is very opposite to the scorching sun of Arrakis and lack of water on the desert. And the similar austerity of both is thematically appealing. We get a sense from those surroundings and gom jabbar scene that Paul wasn’t just a duke’s spoiled son.

“You inherited too much power” - hmm, that does sound ominous, GHM wants him gone!

THAT training scene with Gurney!!!!!!

first of all, the actor looks just right, I think it’s Josh Brolin? I like that I didn’t immediately think Thanos when I saw him, instead I recognized it’s Gurney!

They made the fight FAST!!! And it looks awesome! The issue is that in the book those fights are slow because they use the energy shields, but it would look stupid on film, so instead making it fast was a stroke of genius - visually great and also makes you think the characters are total badasses (which they are)

Is Paul looking at a sunrise or a sunset over the ocean? My guess is sunrise, but it’s pretty ambiguous, could be either and fit the theme of him leaving Caladan/beginning his journey towards destiny. And he looks so handsome in this shot.

Atreides Family

Paul needs to surpass his ancestors - and the shot on some ancient sculpture with Greek writing referring to the mythical Atreides he’s descended from. Awesome, really awesome since his powers as Kwisatz Haderach are based on the ancestors.

Oscar Isaac introduced as Duke Leto and the shot of the palace on Caladan - nice, looks very much like fortress, surrounded by sea and protective stone

Greek style pottery in the palace too

Jessica too! she looks worried

seems that Leto is putting a hand on her nape, an intimate gesture but also kind of... possessive?

Arrakis

They arrive, Paul smiles

more foreboding despite everything looking fine, they have an army, they look strong and prepared

freaking Jason Momoa as Duncan greeting Paul LOL - but this had a right, genuine emotion to it. Very nicely done.

Stilgar! Harkonnen troops! Rabban! Baron!

Doctor Yueh, at last

More foreboding and Duncan being Duncan, but Jason Momoa style - he’s kind of “if Ronon was cocky and loud”. Alright. I had concerns about him, but he might work out in this role. I just don’t see him as a heartthrob knight type honestly. Really wonder how he and Jessica would be done. And I don’t know about him and Alia or the ghola fuckery in later books. (They would have to get a different actor for Duncan in Heretics, there’s no way Momoa could work.)

Paul in stillsuit, ok.

Back to gom jabbar and Chani - he sees she’s real!

The chorus sounds good with the explosions

Ornithopters look like dragonflies, I like it.

Baron... in a bath??? Is it spice bath?

some other iconic scenes from the book only hinted but who knows, knows what they are :)

SHAI-HULUD!!!

Paul in full stillsuit gives me life. Cover up completely, because you gotta save all the water

Final thoughts

This is an amazing trailer. THE HYPE IS REAL. This movie might be the definitive Dune adaptation. I love the visuals, costumes, scenery, designs, cinematography, music. Actors seem to fit well in their roles. Especially Paul rocks.

The focus on Paul and his journey is good, but I am a little worried about Jessica, because she’s barely in the trailer and in the book she’s the character we start with. She’s a co-protagonist and I would hate for her to get sidelined like in Lynch’s film. I am hoping they’re saving her for the best.

Also, no sight of Alia? Is she going to be in the movie at all? She might not if this is adapting only the first half of the book.

Anyway, I am very excited. As far as trailers go, this was awesome. It gave enough info but didn’t try to explain everything about the world and the characters. We get the basic premise and some of the characters, but it left out most of the surprises. As an ad, this is solid and gives us a taste of what it’s going to be like to watch this movie. Good job, Denis Villeneuve. I knew you could do it.

#dune #dune 2020 #trailer reaction #my thoughts

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loverdrew · 5 years

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Promise, You Won’t Fall In Love With Me

He never knew love. He never understood relationships. He never imagined his life after high school or outside of his fame. She was the opposite. She deeply loved her family, she had ambition, intelligence and drive. They were the complete opposite, but together, they wouldn’t know what to do without each other.

Inspired by the movie A Walk To Remember.

Senior year. The year all the students turn 18, throw the wildest parties, the lifelong dreams of getting acceptance letters from their dream college. However, the Ethan Dolan didn’t have to worry about that one bit. He already had a future. He would continue making video comedy content online for his millions of girl fans that adored his soft eyes and bright smile. After this year he would move to California to pursue even bigger dreams, leaving his heart in New Jersey.

The hallways and outside the school yard filled with laughter, hugs, girls wearing close to nothing, and the guys drooling over them. Ethan walked in holding his football, jersey on full display, taking in the last first day of any schooling he’d ever get.

“My boys!” One of his friends, Jason, exclaimed. He hugged both Grayson and Ethan and put both arms around them walking into school. “This going to be the best year yet?”

“Oh you know it! The parties, the easy classes, the girls!” Grayson rubbed his hands together and laughed.

Ethan’s laughed along with his friends walking into the building, when the most unexpected girl caught his eye at her locker. It was Y/N. He had known her since kindergarten, she always wore the same type of outfit: a pastel skirt to her knees and a blouse with the same beige knitted sweater. Her hair always out of her face either in a ponytail or behind her ears, and she wore a brown shoulder bag to carry her books. They never particularly talked or even hung out together, but he somehow knew everything superficial about her. She never paid him any attention, except in class when he tried to be disruptive on purpose. He weirdly wished she would pay attention then. But he’s hooked up with prettier girls than her, so she wasn’t one to be upset over, right?

“Ethan Dolan, to the principals office. Ethan Grant Dolan, please come to the principals office.” They all heard, even Y/N. Their eyes met for a split second, before she closed her locker and headed to home period.

“Damn dude, trouble on the first day?” Jason joked.

“Shut up man. You know I’m the model student.” He smirked, shaking hands with his friends before headed to the office, which happened to be right across from Y/N’s home period, not like he noticed. He swiftly walked into the office and sat in the chair in front of principle Henderson, who closed the door with a stern look on his face.

“Ethan, what did I tell you about getting into trouble again.” He crossed his arms.

“Principle Henderson, I don’t know what you mean but I have been an angel since last semester, haven’t I?” He flashed that boyish smile of his that got him out of every situation, just not this one.

The principle proceeds to pull out 5 beer bottles and 2 bitter nubs of used joints. Ethan stiffened, his mouth running dry.

“I have no idea what those are.” He said quietly.

“Cut the act Dolan. Along with drinking and smoking on school property, you’re on the verge of not graduating. You have a combined GPA of 2.3. You need at least a 2.9 to graduate. Now I could expel you and kick you off the football team now...” Ethan begins to worry sit up straight, trying not to believe this could be true. “But I won’t.” Ethan looked up at him with a big sigh, eyes falling shut.

“Thank you, thank you so much Mr.Henderson I promise I’ll be even better-”

“You didn’t let me finish. Instead of doing all that, you’re going to be doing something for me. You will get a tutor which I will assign to you, and you’ll be spending time after school participating in our schools fall play.”

“Oh cmon Mr. Henderson you can’t be serious. I can’t act, at all.”

“You acted like you didn’t know where that bottle came from. And now you’ll act as the prince in our schools production of Beauty and the Beast.” Ethan struggled with the principles decisions, but if he didn’t do it he would’ve been destroyed having to give up his friends and football.

“When do rehearsals start.” He said plainly.

______

At lunch, instead of being in the lunchroom with his group of friends laughing and being dorks together, he was stuck in the library for the next 45 minutes, waiting for whoever his new tutor is. He tapped his pencil impatiently. All he had to do was pass English and Government/Economics with at least a 75% and he’d be golden, but even he didn’t know how he could manage that. He looked around, and heard the library door open in front of him, revealing the golden eyed girl walking in with such ease. Her eyes found his and slightly pulled at her bag strings nervously. He sighed in disbelief, of course the girl with straight A’s, captain of the science club and the church singer was his tutor.

“Hi Ethan. I’m Y/N, your tutor for this semester.” She said in a soft voice just above a whisper. “Today we’re just going over basics explained in the syllabus but it won’t take long, maybe 25 minutes so you’ll be able to run off with your friends.” She took a seat in front of him, opening up the Government textbook and her notebook with the classes syllabus laid out.

“I don’t need you to do me any favors okay, I just need to pass. I would think you’d want me here considering Ms. I’m-so-holy doesn’t have many friends.” He spat at her. Partially because he felt embarrassed, partially because he didn’t want to give her any impression that he in any way cared about her. It didn’t even phase her, being that her whole life was filled with constant ridicule and bullying. She stayed calm amidst his venomous words.

“The teachers are my friends, my church choir are my friends, my father is my friend. Please don’t pretend like you know me, Ethan. You haven’t even spoken to me ever.”

“But I’ve been going to school with you and living in the same neighborhood as you since we were 5. Your father is a prodigious doctor that always goes to church to watch you sing. You’ve lived in the same white house with the pink flowers surrounding the white painted porch. You always wear pastel colors because you like to be girly but don’t want attention. You started putting your hand back in middle school because it always got in your face when you were studying. I know you Y/N. Don’t act like you don’t know me either.”

“I know you Ethan. Which means I know you’re capable of doing greater things than being the stereotypical jock. You’re successful and talented and smart, learn to use it. Now let’s get started.” She said without even looking at him, and staring daggers into her book.

_____

After school, Ethan trudged his way to the schools theatre, where everyone would be meeting up for the parts and the production of the play. No surprise that Y/N was there, script in hand near the piano, while someone playing ‘Beauty and the Beast’, and she hummed along. The stage lights somehow made her skin shine brighter, and her hair glisten. He scoffed, and sat in the 3rd row, seeing all of the theatre nerds gather with smiling faces ready to start production.

“Alright everyone settle down. We are going to cast roles right now so listen up!” Ms. Davida clapped her hands and stood in front of the stage.

“For the role of Lumiere and Cogsworth, Louis and Jeremy! Mrs. Potts goes to Claira, Gaston goes to Derrick, Belle goes to of course, Y/N, and The Beast is played by the newest member to theatre Mr. Ethan Dolan.” Ethan knew he would get the lead, but Y/N did not. Her eyes spread wide, whites fully visible as her grip on her script tightened just slightly, the realization that she’d have to play his princess. She could barely handle his demeanor during tutoring, but in something that she loves to do she would only hope he wouldn’t ruin it for her.

“Opening night is in exactly 3 months just before Christmas break, so that means you’ll all need to work hard and together to make this production amazing but I believe in you all. So let’s get right to it! Ethan, Y/N on the stage please we will be starting with the scene when Belle and the Beast argue, right after he saves her from the wolves. Feel the anger, feel the frustration.” She had that typical musical theatre teacher ‘passion voice’, really trying to emphasize the feelings within the scene. Ethan couldn’t take her seriously, laughing as he jumped onto stage and grabbing ahold of a script.

“Y/N, you start and pretend that you’re cleaning up his wound.”

Y/N slightly rolled her eyes and put her hand out signaling Ethan to give her his arm. He sighed and slammed his arm into her palm, she then yanked it closer to her not caring if it hurt him, and pretended with her other hand to be patting it.

“If you’d hold still it wouldn’t hurt it as much!” She yelled her first line. Ethan could tell some of that frustration was real. So he decided to do the same.

“Well if you wouldn’t have run away, this wouldn’t have happened!”

“If you wouldn’t have frightened me I wouldn’t have run away!”

“Well you shouldn’t have been in the West Wing!”

“Well you should learn to control your temper.” She said plainly, as if it was an actual piece of advice.

“Now hold still. This might sting a little.” In the script it says for Ethan to wince in pain, so he did, just not well at all. It was forced, and painfully bad to watch his face squint uncomfortably. Y/N sighed, turning to the teacher.

“Ms. Davida he needs to take this seriously, some of us really want this play to go well.”

“I don’t even want to be here, I was forced to join the play, I could’ve gone my entire life without acting in a play.”

“Then leave.” She stepped forward in his face, quickly walking away towards backstage to get some air. He made her so angry. His cocky attitude, his rude tone of voice, the way he could get under her skin over and over again yet she still wanted to see good in him because she truly believed he had some left. Ethan looked off with a surprised face to see all the cast looking at him, and the principle standing at the edge of the theatre, arms crossed. He got nervous, making his way backstage to catch Y/N drinking some water.

“Y/N, hey Y/N, please listen to me.” He grabbed her hand but she angrily pulled it back.

“What.”

“Help me okay. I’m sorry, I really need to do great in this play or else I get expelled. I’m sorry for being so mean and always in your face. I just-this is all new to me.”

“Being nice to someone trying to genuinely help you is ‘new to you’?” she used air quotes, rolling her eyes taking another sip of water.

“No, trying new things. Trying to be good. I’ve always acted tough on purpose because I thought that’s how it should be. People give you more respect.”

“Your act only works on an audience.” Y/N saw through it since first day of kindergarten when he stole her crayons and snored next to her ear during nap time to annoy her. But she paid no mind, there were more important things to worry about than a little boy.

“Ethan, if you promise me you try, like really try, in all aspects, I won’t be opposed to helping you.” She said calmly, with her normal soft voice.

“I won’t say I’ll be perfect, but I’ll do the best I can.”

“That’s all I ask.” She started walking back onto the stage where they were already rehearsing another scene, but she quickly turned back around to say one last minor detail.

“Oh yea and Ethan, one more thing. You have to promise not to fall in love with me.”

A chuckle came from his mouth as he looked her up and down.

“Without a doubt, that is a promise I can keep.”

#ethan dolan #grayson dolan #the dolan twins #ethan dolan imagine #grayson dolan imagine #dolan twins imagine #dolan twins fanfic #dolan twins smut #dolan twins masterlist

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nokomiss · 4 years

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deadtedkord replied to your post “taking prompts!”

more excellent jaysteph bonding please you're stuff for them is amazing!!

Even in Gotham, it’s hard to get takeout at 4am.

So after a particularly grueling night fighting crime -- not Arkham-escape bad, but involving the Condiment King teaming up with Mad Hatter for easily one of the grossest in every imaginable way nights Steph could remember -- the troops all ended up at the Cave, fighting over who got into the showers first. The troops in question being Bruce, Damian, Tim, Jason and herself. Steph saw the writing on the wall immediately and booked it up stairs to shower in luxury before Bruce could complain about ketchup in his fancypants rich people showers.

After convincing herself that she couldn’t, actually, just live in the bathroom at Wayne Manor for the rest of her life, Steph reluctantly got out, wondering if she could convince Bruce that installing the same shower at her decidedly less luxurious home was actually a necessary crime fighting expense. The water pressure alone had relieved a few lingering muscle aches she’d been nursing a few days.

She ransacked various rooms for a new, mustard-free outfit -- she had clothes stashed away somewhere, but everyone knew other people’s clothes are far superior, especially when they were Selina’s yoga pants, which she was never returning because damn they were amazing, Cass’ fuzzy socks and Tim’s softest hoodie.

By the time she returned to the cave, smelling like coconut and feeling like a champ, the boys had managed to clean themselves up and were bickering about food.

“I got Stromboli’s to deliver at 3 last week,” Damian was insisting, even though the Batcomputer clearly showed that they were closed.

“Maybe we could bribe someone at Batburger? They’re open all night,” Tim suggested, sounding doubtful about the prospect.

“There’s food here,” Steph suggested, because she, too, was starving.

Silence for a moment, then Bruce said, in a voice that almost sounded sheepish, “Alfred isn’t here.”

Steph felt a little bad about the smears of ketchup she’d undoubtedly left in the bathroom. “Did he… did he take the kitchen with him?”

“Pennyworth is the only one permitted to use the kitchen,” Damian said loftily while also not looking at anyone directly.

“Yeah, but… we’re hungry,” Steph pointed out.

“They don’t know how to cook,” Tim said, gesturing towards Bruce and Damian. “They’re really bad at it.”

“Like you’re any better,” Damian snapped. “Remember when you set the microwave on fire?”

“I didn’t realize there was still a spoon in the bowl!” The tops of Tim’s ears were turning bright red.

Steph looked at the only person in the room not howling about their own ineptitude in the kitchen. “Please tell me you’re not as useless as they are.”

“I’m insulted that you would think I am,” Jason replied. “I certainly didn’t grow up with a butler.”

Steph sighed, and said, “Wanna go make some food?”

Jason looked at the other three, who were suddenly very focused on writing the night’s mission report. “If it means we’re done with the paperwork, yeah.”

So she climbed the steps to up to the manor for the second time that night, and when she entered the kitchen she suddenly understood the silence and sheepish looks.

“I have seen active crime scenes less disastrous than this kitchen,” Jason said with an awed tone.

“How long has Alfred been gone? A year?” Steph said, staring. “And the question is, is he ever gonna return if he knows this is waiting on him?”

“Probably he will, but he’ll finally snap and murder them all in a dishes-fueled rage,” Jason said, poking at the mountain of dirty china piled haphazardly in and around the sink. He poked at a dish. “I’m pretty sure someone ate Spaghetti-Os out of fine china. Is this a real silver spoon?”

The spoon in question had curdled milk clinging to it.

“Okay so ten minutes ago, I would have told you there was no way anything could be grosser than Mad Hatter flopping around in a pool of mayonnaise,” Steph said, “but oh, how I have been proven wrong.”

“How do they even function as human beings?” Jason wondered. “Was it always this bad? I mean, I lived here. I know Bruce is an absolute moron in the kitchen. But…” He looked around. “Wow.”

“Do you suddenly feel so much better about yourself as a person?” Steph said. “Because I gotta say. Really feeling good about myself right now.”

Jason offered a hand to high five, and Steph did, happily. They rummaged through the pantry side-by-side and found that the staples were still intact, though anything ready-made had been ransacked. The fridge offered up similar bounty -- takeout leftovers of questionable providence, some wilting produce, and basics.

“Pancakes?” Steph suggested once she saw the state of the waffle iron -- had someone tried to make a grilled cheese on it? -- and pulled out the dry ingredients. “I’m not willing to eat anything that requires a condiment right now.” Thankfully maple syrup had not been one of Condiment King’s weapons of choice.

“I’ll make eggs,” Jason said, pulling out a carton. “And there’s some fake bacon of Damian’s.”

“We are a breakfast-making machine,” Steph said. It was true, too -- away from the chaos of crime fighting, she found that working alongside Jason in the kitchen was surprisingly easy. Steph stared at the sink again, and said, “I think that it’s time that certain vigilantes learned the domestic arts.”

“Yeah, we can’t let Alfred come back to this,” Jason said. “He’s too valuable. If he quit--”

“We’d never have his cookies ever again,” Steph said in horror.

“Maybe we could steal Alfred,” Jason said after a pause. “Like, let nature take its course, then swoop in and take Alfred for our own.”

“Share custody of him,” Steph said, nodding. “We could put him on a rotating schedule, and give him days off, and… I don’t know. Let him join a book club, instead of spending all his time with these disasters.”

They spent a few moments in quiet contemplation of a life where Alfred showed up and made creme brulee at any hour of the day. Then Steph sighed, giving the pancake batter one last stir before letting it sit and moving to the stove, clearing off several crystal goblets with what looked like coffee dregs in them before finding a griddle. “There’s only one flaw with our plan.”

“The thing where Alfred loves Bruce like a son and would never abandon him to die alone and hungry in his filthy mansion?” Jason flipped the fake bacon.

“That’s the one,” Steph said, deciding the griddle was hot enough and spooning pancake batter onto it in cute little shapes. She thought that Damian’s should be hearts, and she experimented with bat-shapes for Bruce.

Jason peered over and saw what she was doing. “I want stars.”

“Of course you do,” Steph said, though she tried to make one as soon as Damian’s hearts were done. It turned out a little wonky, but still recognizable. She was awesome. “Gotta be difficult, right?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jason replied, cracking eggs into a bowl. He glanced at the kitchen door. “Are they hiding in the cave in shame?”

“Like, it’s wrong, but the fact that I think they are makes me really happy,” Steph said. “Like, kind of makes up for all those times they acted like I was a moron for not knowing something.”

“Right?” Jason said.

“I mean, how do you master dozens of different kinds of kung fu, but never once master the grilled cheese? I was making my own grilled cheese in kindergarten!”

“There are only three ingredients,” Jason agreed. “It’s a true embarrassment.”

“We should nominate him for Worst Cooks In America,” Steph said. “I really want to see Bruce on reality television, and that would be comedy gold.”

“Just seeing him get an invitation to be one of the worst of anything would be fucking amazing,” Jason said. “Like, congratulations, sir, you suck at this.”

“You suck so hard we want to feature you on television,” Steph snickered. She flipped the last of Bruce’s pancakes onto a plate before they burned, and began making Tim’s. She tried to make a coffee mug shape, but it turned out looking like a blob, so she made teddy bears instead.

“I mean, I kind of get why they’re so terrible at it,” Steph said, “given their upbringings. But I would have literally starved if I hadn’t figured out how to cook early on. Takeout was not an option.”

“Right? Only for special occasions,” Jason said. “The rest of the time, you had to make shit yourself.”

“Exactly,” Steph nodded. They didn’t really talk much about how they were the ones in the family who’d grown up poor, who’d spent a lot of time raising themselves because their parents hadn’t been capable of it. She knew it was why Bruce had compared them so much -- there was a startling amount of similarities between their childhoods, from their mothers’ drug problems to their fathers’ criminal inclinations -- and for once, it felt nice to be the ones with the necessary skills while everyone else floundered.

They grinned at each other, then put the last of the food onto the plates. Steph grabbed the maple syrup, and stopped short, staring at the calendar on the fridge. “Four days!”

“What?” Jason said through a mouthful of fake bacon.

“Alfred has only been gone four days,” Steph said, pointing to the note on the fridge, “and he left prepared meals.”

They gazed in wonder at the chaos around them.

“He’s going to be back tomorrow,” Jason said suddenly, pointing.

“Okay, so we feed the troops, then we start Mission: Learn to Do the Damn Dishes,” Steph said. Sleep was for the weak.

“Yes, ma’am,” Jason said, and followed her to the breakfast nook, setting down Tim and Damian’s plates and going back for the rest. “Wanna tell them now?”

“Let them have a final meal first,” Steph said. “Then we’ll light a fire under them.”

Jason grinned. By the time Bruce, Tim and Damian came out of the Cave, she and Jason had polished off half of their meal, and Steph had to admit that delivering a lecture to Batman about chores was one of the highlights of her week. Possibly the entire month.

It took until dawn, but Alfred came home to a kitchen that no longer looked like it had witnessed the collapse of civilization.

#deadtedkord #my fic #batfamily #stephanie brown #jason todd #this is literally just steph and jay making breakfast and trashtalking everyone else's lack of cooking skills #totally a valid bonding experience

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nomanwalksalone · 4 years

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COSTUME DESIGN DIARY: ANDRE BENJAMIN IN DISPATCHES FROM ELSEWHERE

by Keri Langerman

As a costume designer my job is to help create authentic characters alongside the director & actor. I put together outfits that speak, both directly and subconsciously, to who the wearer is. On the morning of my fitting with Andre Benjamin for his character Fredwynn (Dispatches From Elsewhere, on AMC), I remember pacing around the room examining and re-examining the pieces I had selected for him. I have long been a fan of Andre’s stage style and music career. I felt uncertain how someone who I have always see as an American icon would react to the pieces I chose for him. It was surreal.

Fredwynn is a bit of a conspiracy theorist. His character is wealthy and intelligent but lacks emotional depth and social ease. He’s a connoisseur of … just about everything. I wanted his style to reflect deep knowledge of sartorial rules and the rejection of them all at once. In my mind Fredwynn is someone who researches brands and designers before he purchases anything from them. He could probably give you a healthy lecture on the origins of the word “coat” and debate for hours over the latest developments in Immuno-Oncology. He might read or even post on Style Forum.

When Fredwynn meets Sally Field’s character Janice they embark on a mysterious and comical journey of emotional growth. The show asks the viewer to suspend reality on certain occasions. Fredwynn needed a wardrobe ready for anything. Fredwynn needed 18 outfits for the 10 episodes series. Within these 18 outfits we would need to address specific situations he would encounter, ranging from a funeral, to sleeping, to going to lunch, and of course those moments of suspended reality.

Early on in the season, we featured this green T-Michael sweater on Andre in both the black and green colorway in a monochromatic look, paired with a pair of olive-green cotton pleated trousers from Rubinacci. The heavy-treaded Bally boots became a staple of Fredwynn’s footwear. In this episode, Fredwynn explores different realms of reality, and the sweater represented this nested, disoriented universe. Fredwynn style eventually becomes more playful in color and silhouette – the Ikire Jones jacket described below is an example - but here at the outset Fredwynn’s style is highly controlled and deeply serious. The palette and silhouette are stern and simple; only the pattern of the sweater suggests the brewing complications.

My favorite head to toe ensemble was a navy and camel colored cashmere sweater from Deveaux New York, worn with dark chocolate Visvim trousers, and complimentary tan colored Visvim suede sneakers both bought from Creme in Philadelphia. Over the sweater I put an incredibly soft, green, striped overshirt from 18east. Andre had to wear this outfit for a few days since the scenes were long and half of the shots were outdoors. I wanted to make sure we chose an outfit with layers in case of unexpected weather.

My favorite piece on the rack was a 2pc cotton crepe suit by Camoshita. I ordered 2 of these suits from No Man Walks Alone. The butterscotch coloring gave us a fun element to play off of. At first glance it looks neutral; but as you look closer it’s a color that you won’t find in anywhere else. A lot of the times I debate the use of color with my production designer. If my production designer wants a cream-colored wall and I want a cream-colored shirt we have a showdown. This suit was a color of such exquisite uniqueness, I knew if I could get it on camera it would sing take on many personalities.

Having a suit that Andre could move freely in was essential for these scenes because he had to run & climb quite a bit, and the Camoshita suit allowed that. Eventually we paired this suit with a blue plaid button front shirt worn untucked and a pair of ridiculously extravagant sneakers from Bottega Veneta. Our prop master brought in a selection of glasses and watches for us to choose from to finish Fredwynn’s look. (Each of Fredwynn’s 18 outfits had different glasses and watch pairings.)

Andre Benjamin and Jason Segel shared many scenes in this episode so I wanted to illustrate how wildly different these two characters could wear a similar silhouette. Jason’s character, Peter was wearing a felted chore coat, with an untucked button front shirt and dark jeans. Peter, unlike Fredwynn, does not see his clothing as an opportunity for choice. Peter tries to make as few choices in his life as possible and his wardrobe is no exception. Peter wears this same outfit or slight variation on it everyday of his life.

One of the first pieces I pulled for Andre was this two-pocket printed cotton safari jacket designed and made by Ikiré Jones in Philadelphia. Ikiré’s jacket was the crown jewel of Fredwynn’s wardrobe because it embodied both the show’s exuberant imagination and Fredwynn’s refined, yet unexpected tastes.

Everyone in the office fell in love with this jacket. We kept taking it in and out of scenes because we thought it was either too distracting or not being seen enough. Including it in a scene was a high-stakes decision because we knew that after it appeared on camera it would be retired. It’s too noticeable to be seen more than once in a season without distracting from the characters and the story.

Eventually we placed this Jacket in a scene where Andre’s character arrives in a mysterious house and uncovers a dark clue resulting in the possible answers to the disappearance of a young woman. In the main room where we shot our scene, our Production Designer (Kate Bunch) had decorated the walls with a similarly colored wallpaper. Unintentionally our colors and patterns blended and conflicted with each other. I think our show runner said it looked like Laura Ashley on acid - which couldn’t have made me happier. I like to throw out moments of heightened style on every project I design. I always tell directors and actors, “we are making a movie (or Television Show), not a documentary.” Let’s have fun, let’s try new things and have faith that our audience will be along for the ride. At minimum let’s just put something relevant on screen.

Working with Andre may have been the highlight of my career. Dressing actors who are unafraid to try new brands, different styles, and unexpected fabrics is challenging and incredibly rare. After reading the script for Dispatches From Elsewhere, I spent a long time imagining how Andre would look as Fredwynn and finding the pieces that would help Andre bring Fredwynn to life. After all my pacing and planning, Andre wore these outfits effortlessly.

All images used by No Man Walks Alone with permission from AMC Networks.

#dispatches from elsewhere #kerilangerman #andre benjamin #costumedesigndiary

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dottie-wan-kenobi · 5 years

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A @batfam-christmas-stocking fic written for @lurkinglurkerwholurks!! happy holidays <3

----

“You guys really don’t have to do all this for me,” Duke says as he and Alfred step out of the suit fitting place. His words are part uncomfortable and part resigned. Jason and Steph have both already talked to him about what it’s like to be a Wayne kid—to have all that money at his disposal, and adults around who will spend it on him without a second thought—but actually living it is different.

There’s some Wayne Foundation event happening soon, and Duke is expected to go. He’s also expected to have a suit, and since he hasn’t had to wear one since his aunt’s funeral way back when he was a little kid, Alfred made plans for him to get one. Several ones, actually, but today he only tried on the one meant for the upcoming party.

Alfred slips the cuff links they brought along back into their box. “It’s no matter, Master Duke,” he says, casually handing the box over like it doesn’t hold very expensive cuff links that Thomas Wayne once wore. “All young men need a well-fitting suit.”

Staring down at the box in his hands, he asks, “But one so… much?”

After a brief moment, Alfred closes Duke’s fingers over the box and guides him gently by the wrist to slip it into his jacket pocket. They start walking, and Alfred pats his shoulder once. “So much, sir? If you mean the cost, I assure you, this is hardly a drop in the bucket. Master Dick in particular has gone through a great many suits in his lifetime, and there have been no repercussions.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about, though.” Feeling like he can confide some in the older man, Duke says, “I don’t know, it’s just…. That thing cost so much money, and I’m only going to wear it once? It just seems like a waste.”

“If you’d like, you may certainly wear it more than once. People will talk, of course, if you do so more than once every few months, but the opinions of others should have no consequence on how you live your life, Master Duke.”

“I guess. Hey, where are we going? The car’s that way.”

“Oh! I’m sorry, I’m afraid I forgot to tell you. There’s another stop that needs to be made at Trader Joe’s.”

Duke makes a face. That sounds boring, and he’s ready to go home. “How long do you think you’ll be?”

“Not long at all.”

“Can I like, do some window shopping then? I won’t go too far, I just haven’t seen much of this part of Gotham, you know? I figure some exploring will help me with my, uh, job.”

Knowingly, Alfred agrees. Soon enough, they get there, and Alfred promises to not dilly-dally. Shrugging, Duke waits until he’s inside to wander off, glancing at the shop windows. One is a toy store, and though Duke is sixteen, much too old to play with toys, he finds himself standing there for a while, staring at all the colorful and expensive items.

It’s weird, knowing that if he asked for something inside, he could get it easily. His life has never been like that—even before the orphanages and group homes, his parents’ jobs weren’t well paying enough that he could ever get something from this place. They did their best, and he can’t think of a holiday that went by where he wasn’t happy. The memories of his parents’ smiles, exhausted but content, are never far from his mind. But the facts are that this store would’ve probably always been out of their reach. And now, if he wanted, he could go and ask Alfred for some money, enough to get something from here, and Alfred wouldn’t say no. Maybe he’d say Duke needs to follow a certain rule, like only get what he can hold, but that would be it. He can’t imagine Alfred would say anything about only spending so much.

It’s different and kind of overwhelming, but he’s getting used to it, he thinks.

If Steph is to be believed, he might never be fully used to it, though. Honestly, Duke isn’t sure that’s a bad thing. He doesn’t want to lose sight of what it’s like to struggle, but at the same time, it’s nice not having to worry about it anymore.

Seeing two men hustling it down the street, he’s thrown from his thoughts. Relatively well dressed, though not anything like the suits Duke was just trying on, they seem mean and like the thugs he’s come into contact with through his day job as the Signal. Not the ones he’s really used to, the ones who he used to see when he was a kid, who rob people because they’re starving and there’s no other way to get money quick enough.

It’s somehow still surprising when they see him, standing there in a nice outfit and with a visibly expensive watch, and decide that he’s the one they’re going to target. Not that surprising, granted, but for some reason, he had thought crime wouldn’t be so bad here. The rich parts of Gotham always tout themselves as being “safer”, after all. He should know better by now.

They descend on him so fast it’s kind of impressive, honestly, or at least it would be if it weren’t extremely annoying. The taller of the two speaks first, his voice gravely and deep. “This is a mugging,” he says, pulling a gun from his pocket and aiming it at Duke’s chest. “You gonna make it easy on us, kid? ‘Cause me and my pal here got no issue doing this the hard way.”

The thing is, Duke is a civilian right now. Any other day, any other circumstances, he’d be suited up as The Signal, and he could deal with these losers easy as pie. He can easily envision how he could take them down—the shorter guy has a weapon, too, but he’s anxiously gripping it in his pocket. It’s probably not a gun, or he’d have brought it out when his friend did. Maybe a knife, or some other kind of blunt object. Which means that Duke could allow the tall guy to get close so Duke can disarm him, and punch him hard enough to knock him out before moving on to Shorty. No real threat of being shot, and whatever Shorty’s got, it shouldn’t be too hard to disarm him too. Duke is getting really good at these petty fights, enough that he doesn’t really feel threatened.

Except Duke can’t do anything. Duke Thomas, the civilian, is someone who isn’t supposed to know how to fight, just another rich wimp.

Raising his hands, he tries to seem weak. Like he’s scared and playing it off like he’s amused. There are layers to this shit, and he’s not about to fail at one of the easier parts of the job—acting. “W-what do you want? Money?”

“Your watch,” Shorty says. “And your jacket.”

“You got any weapons on you?” Tall Guy shifts his aim up and down, trying to be threatening.

“No,” Duke says honestly, but they don’t believe him. Pulling him roughly to a nearby alleyway, they pat his pockets, and when they find the box, Shorty slips it out and carefully examines it. It’s a nice box, old but hardly worn at all.

“Thought you said you don’t got any weapons,” Shorty growls, slowly opening the box while Tall Guy keeps the gun aimed at Duke. When Shorty sees the cuff links, he snorts, puts the lid back on, and slips it into his own pocket. Then he steps forward and keeps patting until he finds Duke’s wallet. “You richie-riches. Pah,” he says as he opens it up.

Duke can tell the moment he recognizes the name he sees on Duke’s driver’s license.

Duke Thomas is a name that’s becoming well known, same as all the other Wayne kids. He’s the only one who’s consistently been in the papers lately, though, since everyone is curious about the newest foster child.

“You one of them Waynes?” Shorty demands, tone harsher than the grin widening on his face would suggest. To Tall Guy, he says, “We should kidnap ‘im, man. Get a ransom offa Wayne. I hear he don’t mess around when it comes to the children.”

“You’re right,” a new voice, a familiar voice, interjects. “He doesn’t. And neither do I.”

As Tall Guy and Shorty turn their attentions to Alfred, Duke… doesn’t relax like he thought he might. Instead, he tenses, because how likely is it that Alfred is distracting him, blocking out the mouth of the alley, so Duke can have a chance to fight these losers? He knows Alfred isn’t helpless, but of the two of them, Duke is the one with more experience dealing with losers like these two.

With their backs to him, he drops his hands and starts to crouch into a fighting position.

Except…it turns out, Alfred doesn’t really need him to do anything. Tall Guy steps forward with the gun aimed high, his finger on the trigger. “Who’re you?” He demands, standing straight and tense as Alfred approaches. “The nanny?”

“The butler, actually. In any case, that is my grandson you’re threatening, and really, sir, simply so you can steal his watch?”

Tall Guy and Shorty don’t seem to know what to say. Shorty pulls out a knife.

Alfred disarms and knocks both of them out within a few minutes, and Duke hardly even has to help, just punches Shorty when he comes staggering over, dazed and in pain. A few punches is all it takes before Duke’s knocking the guy out. Before they leave the scene, he makes sure to retrieve the cuff links, not wanting to lose them.

They hurry back to the car, and once they’re both settled in their seats, on the road back to the Manor, Duke can’t keep quiet anymore. “Why did you do that? I could’ve handled it.”

“Yes, I have every faith you could have, Master Duke,” Alfred says. “But your identity must be protected. If this gets out, no one will be much surprised to hear that I fought them off. No suspicion will be slung at you. And even if that were not the case, you are family.”

“I’m only Bruce’s foster kid,” Duke refutes. It’s easy to think of the Waynes as family. It’s not as easy to think about his real parents, and what they would think about all this, what they would want for him. They would want him to be happy, he knows that, and he’s happy with Bruce. But he can’t ignore that his parents could still be out there somewhere, that for all everyone knows, this could be temporary. It doesn’t feel great to put distance between himself and the others, but right now, he kind of needs it.

“Yes, but still, you are family. You always will be, my boy. And while you are part of us, I will defend you. Unfortunately, you’ll just have to get used to it.” Alfred smiles, then, and though Duke is feeling a big mess of emotions, he can’t help but smile back. It felt really nice to be defended. He hasn’t always had someone who would do that, and even if in the past few years his friends have filled that role, he remembers being a young kid, no one in his corner once his parents were gone.

It’s a good, good feeling.

#bcs19 #duke thomas #alfred pennyworth #batfam #batfamily #batfam fic #fanfic #my writing #lurkinglurkerwholurks

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thepurplebutterflythings · 5 years

Text

We’re Grown-Ups, Aren’t We? - Jason Todd

Gif: Unknown on Tenor

Word Count: 2.1K

Paring: Jason Todd x (f)Reader

Summary: Bruce sends Y/N and Jason on a job and books them a room in a fancy five-star establishment. One problem, he was supposed to book two rooms and only booked one room, with one bed.

Warnings: N/A

Masterlist

Requested: @gaeck-o

Tagging: @bella-0104-123

________________________________________________________________

Bruce Wayne, Billionaire Play-Boy, Batman, Symbol of Gotham, CEO of Wayne Enterprises and a brilliant businessman, was a complete and utter idiot. All the man had to do was book two rooms in the hotel were Y/N and Jason had to stay in while in Detroit to visit Dick Grayson, but he somehow only booked one, and it wasn’t as if he could afford two rooms, he could get every room in the god-damn hotel if he wanted, Bruce had just simply forgotten he was sending two people on this trip.

“No, no, no,” Y/N said, putting her hands on the receptionist’s desk and leaning forward into the receptionist’s space. The receptionist, a prim and proper looking woman with rectangular glasses perched neatly onto her nose and holding a fancy looking pen, leaned backwards and gave Y/N a disapproving look. The hotel establishment that she and Jason found themselves in was fancy, in fact, fancy was an understatement – aristocratic was perhaps more accurate. The pair of them stuck out like a sore thumb, Jason in his dusty jeans and messy hair and Y/N in a worn-out leather jacket and scruffy trainers, and both of them were incredibly tired from the journey that brought them from Gotham to Detroit. “There should be two rooms under ‘Wayne’, not one.”

“I’m sorry, Mam’, but the computer says there is only one room under the name ‘Wayne’, and the system doesn’t make mistakes.”

“Well, this time it has,” Jason spoke up, rubbing his temple. “Bruce wouldn’t make the mistake of booking one room.”

“Is there any other rooms available?”

“No.”

“Seriously?” Jason groaned.

“I don’t know what to tell you, sir,” the receptionist said, clearly sick of them bothering her, “do you want the room or not?”

“Fine, we’ll take it,” Y/N sighed, grabbing her back and turning to Jason, “we’ll figure something out when we get up there.”

“Alright,” Jason nodded as he grabbed his bag. Y/N took the room key from the receptionist and nodded in thanks.

________________________________________________________________

The room was incredible, there was no doubt about that. Everything was in shades of cream and gold with mahogany wood. The moment Jason and Y/N walked into the room, they dropped their bags and looked around the room in shock.

“My apartment could fit in this ten times over!” Y/N said in awe.

“How is all of this for one person?”

“The Rich are indulgent – we work for Bruce Wayne, we should know that by now,” Y/N turned to Jason, “Dumbass had a dining room he never went in until we came along.”

“It’s still just strange to see,” Jason shrugged, “come on, neither of us had the most easy-going of upbringings.”

Jason was right. Neither himself nor Y/N were as gifted as Bruce with finance when they were growing up and it showed in moments when together. Now the most normal middle class of people would also have the same reaction as Jason and Y/N when seeing the extravagant room they were gifted with, but when they were out eating and shoved a few bread rolls in their pockets, when no one was looking it, was because of that deep-rooted fear that they grew up with not knowing if or when they would be eating again.

“Point taken…” Y/N mumbled, “but that’s very different from a golden clawed bathtub,” she said gesturing into the bathroom where the bathtub in question stood.

“That’s true,” Jason nodded, throwing his bag on the sofa. It was white, fabric, and not made to be comfy, but solely for aesthetic. “I gotta go find Grayson, reckon you’ll be alright here for a while?”

“It’s basically a palace in a five-star hotel and Bruce is paying the bill,” Y/N turned to Jason and folded her arms with the cock of an eyebrow, “I’m taking this as a chance to see how much I can rack up before we gotta leave.”

“I’ll join in on it when I get back,” Jason said as he grabbed his case that held his Robin suit and went to the door, “see ya!”

“Bye!”

________________________________________________________________

Y/N certainly took advantage of Bruce paying and ordered essentially everything on room service. The staff had to bring three rolling trollies up to the room. Lobster, steak, caviar and everything else you could imagine. She sat on the bed with the TV on and tore into everything in reaching distance.

“Oh my god,” Jason said opening the door, his jaw-dropping at the sight of all the food, “I left you alone for a day, Y/N/N, and you… what? Cleared out the kitchen?”

“I said it was a challenge, and I meant it!” Y/N shifted over to make space for Jason, who put his case down and pulled his sweater off before jumping next to her on the bed, “Salmon or Crab?”

“Salmon,” Jason said as Y/N handed him the platter with the smoked salmon on. “Bruce is going to kill you for this,” he said as he pushed the salmon into his mouth.

“ME?” Y/N scoffed, “you’ve got a mouthful $108 worth of salmon.”

“Fine, us,” Jason corrected. “But it’s worth it!”

“Damn right,” Y/N nodded as she grabbed the champagne bottle and two glasses, pouring them each a glass. She handed Jason his glass and they clinked them before downing the liquid in one. Jason lowered his glass and looked at their surroundings.

“Be honest with me, how much money is all this?”

“No fucking clue!” Y/N frowned and looked at it all, “Should we be worried?”

“I think we’re way beyond being worried now.”

“Fair play.”

________________________________________________________________

Food cleared up and taken away, Y/N and Jason started to get ready for bed. Y/N changed in the bathroom and by the time she exited, Jason was also in his pyjamas – tracksuit bottoms and no top. It made Y/N blush to see Jason shirtless, how she hadn’t realized that of course, Jason’s physique would be beyond incredible is ridiculous! The first thing Y/N thought when she saw Jason was that scene in ‘Crazy, Stupid Love’ with Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, where Ryan’s character whips his shirt off to reveal an outrageously ripped body and Emma’s character goes “FUCK! Are you photoshopped?” or something to that effect. That was how Y/N felt gawking at Jason’s chest, she felt like Emma Stone and that he was Ryan Gosling.

“You alright, Y/N/N?” Jason said as he realized Y/N standing there in her pyjama’s staring at him.

“Yeah, yeah,” Y/N nodded with a cough as she folded her arms across her chest and looked around her. She suddenly wished she packed nicer pyjamas, and then she cursed herself for thinking that, but the pyjama’s she was wearing were her ‘At Home Clothes’ – clothes to be worn when no one else was around, like what that comedian Iliza Shlesinger talked about in her stand-up; holes in them, stains, and, in Y/N’s case, about a size or so too big for her. It wasn’t the outfit she wanted to be seen in after realizing how hot her friend was, why couldn’t she dress like a god-damn Victoria Secret Model when going to bed? She felt silly, like a little girl dressed in grown-up clothing pretending to be an adult.

“I’ll take the sofa,” Jason muttered as he walked to the sofa which would almost certainly play his back up.

“Why?” Y/N asked as Jason stopped in his tracks and looked at Y/N.

“Cause there’s only one bed.”

“It’s a king-size,” Y/N told him, “We could sleep on opposite sides and still have enough room for two to three more people.”

“But... wouldn’t you feel awkward?”

“Jason, we’re grown up’s, aren’t we?”

“I’d find that more believable if you hadn’t gone total ‘Home Alone Lost in New York’ on the room service.”

“We can share a bed without anything happening between us.” Y/N said as she pulled the sheets of the bed back and climbed in herself, patting the free spot for Jason to take. Jason bit his lip and nodded before getting in the bed as well.

They both looked at each other and smiled a strained smile before laying down and staring at the high, white ceiling. It was silent, only the noise of Y/N and Jason breathing filled the air. They certainly weren’t sleeping in Gotham anymore, where the normal lullaby for a baby was the endless wail of sirens, police or otherwise. No noise outside seemed unnerving to them both, any small creak or groan made by the old building could be heard. They both tossed and turned for what seemed like hours until Jason sighed, sat up and turned on the table lamp, causing Y/N to squint at the brightness and turn on her side to face Jason, who laid down and faced her.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, “I can’t sleep like this!”

“Me neither,” Y/N assured him, “it’s too… strange.”

“Normal,” Jason said, “this is how normal people not in Gotham sleep – in silence. Why can’t we?”

“Cause we’re from Gotham like you said.” Y/N sighed as she pulled the quilt up a little more to fight off the night chill, “come on, look at Gotham – we’ve got psycho clowns, exploding clockwork penguins and an asylum that criminal lunatics always seem to be breaking out of yet no one thinks to up security on – and we wonder why tourism isn’t booming!”

“Yeah, I know,” Jason nodded against his pillow, “do you sometimes wonder if you could leave it all behind?” He asked her, “Leave Gotham and be normal.”

“I don’t know,” Y/N confessed, “Those from Gotham just seem to be bred different from the rest of the world – we’re bred to survive the worst of the worst, I don’t think we could survive anywhere else, we’re not meant to, I think we’re meant to stay in Gotham, whether we want it or not.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I mean, look at Bruce – the guy could have an easy life, go wherever he wants, but he doesn’t, he can’t, he’s from Gotham, and he can’t leave it behind, like us, and he’s survived the worst of the worst; his parents, Joker, Riddler, Penguin, whatever villain you can think of in Gotham, Bruce has survived them – more than once. He couldn’t leave it behind if he wanted to.”

“Could you?” Jason asked her. Y/N frowned and thought for a moment, could she really leave Gotham? Her home? Gotham wasn’t the nicest of places to live, it was hell on earth in some sense, but she was born in that city, she grew up in that city, all she knew was that city, and it was hard, no doubt about it, but she found her purpose in it all – Y/N’s purpose was to help Jason and Bruce. She sat in the Batcave with Alfred and worked on the tech they used, checked CCTV and police radio and talked to them over coms. It was nice, and she knew that she couldn’t leave it behind, especially if that meant leaving the three men in her life who had become her family. Y/N never wanted to leave them, especially Jason.

“No, I don’t think I could,” Y/N shook her head, “you?”

“I think I’m meant to be in Gotham and fight crime with Bruce with the help from you and Alfred,” Jason said quietly, “I couldn’t leave. I don’t want to leave. Gotham… it’s more than a city… Gotham is my purpose.”

“I know what you mean,” Y/N smiled in reassurance. “I couldn’t leave what I do now, working with you, Alfred and Bruce… it means the world to me. I love it. If I had to do everything again, I’d do it all the same.”

“Me too,” Jason leaned across and brushed the hair out of Y/N’s eyes that had fallen in front of them “my life is better for knowing you.”

“And my life is better for knowing you,” Y/N said in a small voice before shifting closer. She looked at Jason with large eyes, silently asking him to kiss her, kiss her breathlessly, kiss her like she had never been kissed before. Jason’s hand moved to her cheek and he leaned in, catching her lips in his own, moving his hands, both of them, to her waist and pulling her close to him. Jason did exactly what Y/N asked of him. He kissed her. He kissed her breathlessly like she had never been kissed before. When they pulled apart, Jason let out a small little chuckle.

“Thought you said we were grown up enough to share a bed without something happening.”

“Well, I was wrong, weren’t I?”

“Definitely.”

“Regret it?”

“Not one bit. You?”

“God no, now make me yours, Jason Todd.”

110 notes · View notes

mamabearcat · 5 years

Text

What on Earthland did I just read?...

Soooo, I wrote this Nalu oneshot in response to this tumblr post. It was only gonna be a short drabble, but it got away on me. *shrugs* what else is new... tagging @shibukii and @fairywithajetblackheart because I said I’d deliver - sorry it took a little longer than expected. Rated T for kisses and Natsu’s language.

Lucy clapped excitedly as Max set up the new communications lacrima on her desk. “Max, you’re an angel. Thank you so much for helping me set this up. Warren is a genius.”

Max smiled, blushing a little at Lucy’s compliment. “Yeah. Who would’ve thought him patenting that miniature communications lacrima could go so far huh? Ever since he sold his idea of a DeskComm, he’s been rolling in jewels. As if his head wasn’t big enough already”, Max joked.

Lucy grinned. “Ah well, he’s the one that developed it, so it’s only fair. This is going to make contacting my editor in Crocus so much easier! I can’t believe that I can send her my manuscripts instantly without having to courier them to her.”

Max nodded. “Yeah. People are sharing lots of information with each other that way. It’s going to make a huge difference to the way people interact with each other. Not only that, now it’s been combined with a typing interface, you can chat to lots of others at the same time. It’s become really popular, even with non-magic users. I set up an in-lacrima Fairytail guild, so we can keep in contact with everyone while they’re out on jobs. I also set up a space where Fairytail fans can chat to us and each other. You should check it out Lucy. I’m sure a lot of the fans would be very excited to talk to you!”

“Really?” Lucy cringed a little. “I dunno Max. Since Team Natsu did that photoshoot for Sorcerer’s Weekly last month, some fans out on the street have been a little weird. Every time they see Natsu and I together, they’re whispering and nudging each other… it’s kinda creepy, to be honest.”

Max shrugged. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much. If you’re concerned, you can give it a try without interacting with anyone outside the guild. Just see what they’re saying, and what information they’re sharing. There are a lot of artists and writers on there – you never know Lucy, you might really enjoy it.”

Lucy’s eyes widened. “Other writers? Oh, I’d love the chance to chat to other writers! It can be so isolating sometimes, being stuck at a desk all the time without anyone to share ideas with. Can you show me how to get to it Max?”

Max chuckled. “Sure thing Lucy.” He typed into the lettered keypad sitting on her desk, and the glass sphere cradled in its brass holder glowed. Small jewel coloured lights spun within the circle, and Lucy recognised the Fairytail emblem as one of them. “You just need to touch the Fairytail emblem within the glass – here, you do it, because it will recognise traces of your magic aura and let you in. That’s it.”

The screen changed to show a picture of Lucy; the one on file at Fairytail as her ‘official’ picture for potential clients. Lots of other pictures were all in a line down one edge – some she recognised as fellow guild members, but others where unfamiliar. There was an image of the outside of the guild hall, and an image of the inside. Max pointed them out to her. “Here you go. Only guild members can access this area inside the guild, and you can chat to them if they’re there at the same time as you, or you can leave them messages. Non-members can access the outside of the guild – there’s a shop where they can buy Fairytail merchandise and a place where they can talk to each other.”

Lucy clapped her hands. “Wow, Max, this is amazing. So you said that I can go on there without interacting with anyone, right? Won’t they know that I’m there if they see my picture?”

“Ah.” Max pointed at her picture. “Just tap on it Lucy.” Lucy’s picture changed to a big smile. “That shows that you’re in the room and you want to talk. Tap it again.” Lucy’s picture changed so her eyes were closed - she looked as if she were asleep. “That shows that you’re out of the room. But I’ve set it up so that you can still see what people are talking about. If you want to join in the conversation, just tap it again.” Lucy gave him a big hug.

“Thank you so much for coming over and helping me with this Max. You do so much for the guild behind the scenes – I hope you realise how much we all appreciate you!” Max returned the hug briefly then stepped away, rubbing the back of his neck a little self-consciously, but smiling widely.

“Thanks Lucy. I’m gonna head over to Fairy Hills now. Erza has given me special permission to visit so I can set up deskcomm lacrimas over there for a few girls, but if I miss the timeslot she suggested, there’ll be hell to pay.” They both shivered a little, imagining Erza’s wrath.

Lucy tapped her lips in thought. “Oh, I know”, she grinned. “Stop in at the guild on your way there and get a slice of Mira’s strawberry cheesecake for Erza. That should put her in a good mood.”

Max chuckled. “Good idea. Well, it was nice seeing you Lucy!” He waved and stepped out of the apartment, closing the door behind him, and Lucy sat down excitedly at her desk. What should she do first? She tapped on her image so it ‘woke up’ and clicked on the in-guild icon. She was momentarily taken aback at the long string of insults in the chat space, but then rolled her eyes when she realised it was Natsu and Gray talking. She stretched her fingers and got to work.

Lucy H: Can’t you idiots keep the insults to yourselves for a change? And, Hi!

Natsu D: What? Who’s that? Oh, it’s you Luce. Hi yourself weirdo.

Lucy H: Natsu, that nickname was getting old years ago. Can’t you think of something more original?

Gray F: Yeah, dumbass. Can’t you think of something… oh wait, no you can’t because you’re a dumbass. Hi Lucy! This is pretty cool huh?

Lucy H: Yes, it is Gray. Don’t you think you’re wasting it though, just using it to type insults at each other?

Gray F: No.

Natsu D: Nup. I just see ice prick’s face and it’s automatic.

Gray F: You shut up, fire eating trash can!

Natsu D: Ice sparkling snow princess!

Gray F: Slow combustion ass wipe!

Natsu D: Pretty boy ice-for-brains!

Lucy H: Ugh. I’m not staying for this. I hear it enough in person. See you later at the guild!

Lucy left a welcome message for Levy, Erza, and Juvia, then looked at the other icon, where the non-guild members chatted. Maybe she could just take a little peek? Just to see what they were talking about? Biting her lip, she tapped her image again so it changed to ‘sleeping’ and clicked on the exterior guild image.

An avalanche of words crossed her screen. It was a bit disconcerting – so many people were chatting at once. Words whirled across the screen in a tangle, but gradually she realised that there were different threads of conversation. She started unravelling the different chats with interest. One group was talking about who would win in battles between the male mages of Fairytail. Another was talking about when the Grand Magic Games were going to be held that year, and who Makarov might choose to go. And yet another was talking about the recent magazine article with Team Natsu.

Rose P: I loved that outfit that Erza was wearing. You hardly ever get to see her in something so pretty. That dress was so cute, and the sunhat just made it, ya know?

Claire D: I know! And they actually got some photos of Gray Fullbuster wearing clothes *giggles* I mean, but seriously, that man is a dish. I don’t know how the women at the guild work with him without melting into a puddle.

Alice O: I agree! Although, I prefer Natsu. That grin of his, with the fangs! Ugh. And even though he’s not as tall as Gray, he’s so muscular. Oh. My. Gods. I mean, that photo with him and Lucy, where he’s holding her in his arms? So. Hot. And the way he was looking at her, as if he could eat her up? And the way she was looking up at him and smiling at him? Adorable. Nalu forever.

Rose P: Oh, I loved that picture! That was my *favourite*. It inspired me to write another Nalu fanfic. You wanna read it?

Claire D: YES!! Gimme gimme!

Alice O: Rose!!!! You. Are. The. Best. Really, what would we do without you feeding our Nalu addiction?

Rose P: Jeez, settle down you two! Okay, here’s the link.

Lucy pulled back from the deskcomm, wide-eyed and blushing. What on Earthland did she just read!? Nalu? She could only assume it was a combination of both her and Natsu’s name. And exactly what picture where they talking about?

She moved over to her coffee table to pick up the latest edition of Sorcerer’s Weekly, flicking through the pages quickly to get to the article. Jason had called in a favour – the team he was going to do an article on had pulled out, due to an urgent mission, and he needed another team to spotlight. Team Natsu had agreed, as long as they got a free meal out of it. So they had met at a local restaurant near the canal for lunch, and as Jason requested, had dressed up for the occasion, the boys in dark pants with buttoned shirts and rolled up sleeves, and the girls in summer dresses.��

Erza had gone all out, wearing a yellow patterned sundress with a large hat. Wendy had looked particularly cute in a little baby pink dress with a lace collar, and Charle had a matching outfit with a perky pink bow on her tail. Happy was wearing a green vest, and Lucy had worn a strapless sky-blue dress with lace edging.

The interview had been fairly painless, all the usual questions about teamwork, and how they managed to get along so well, and their favourite foods and so on. The photographer had snapped photos while they were talking and eating lunch, and then they’d walked down to the park to take a few more shots as the sun set. Lucy had been walking along the top of the wall on the edge of the canal, as she usually did, when her heel caught on a cracked stone. She had slipped, and Natsu had caught her. That must be the photograph the girls chatting had been talking about.

She examined the photo carefully, trying to see it with an outsider’s eye. It certainly looked romantic. The sun was setting behind them, the water in the canal was sparkling, and Natsu had his arms around her as if he were carrying a princess. He was looking at her intensely, the way he often did when he came to her rescue. But that was just… Natsu. And yes, she was smiling at him, with her arm resting on his shoulder, but that was just because he’d stopped her from falling on her arse and embarrassing herself. There wasn’t anything romantic about it. It was just how they were. They were close friends. Best friends. As close as any friends could be. He was always there for her. Always. Just like she would always be there for him.

She smiled at the photo, stroking the image of Natsu’s face with her forefinger, feeling that warmth that she always did when she thought of him. Her life had changed for the better in so many ways since that day she had met him in Hargeon years ago. They had gone through so much together. Some of it dark and dangerous. But the bond they shared after coming though it was stronger than any relationship she’d ever known. She put the magazine down and walked back over to her desk, sitting to look at the screen again.

Claire D: OMG!!! Rose, I’m dying. I think I’m actually gonna die. That was so freakin’ good! So hot! Man, I think my deskcomm is gonna burst into flames any second.

Alice O: ^^^^ I second that. You really know how to deliver the goods. Rose, your fanfics are so amazing! You really should write professionally, you know that?

Rose P: You guys!! I’m blushing, seriously. I’d love to write professionally, but… I don’t know. And Lucy’s my idol – the way she’s combined working as a mage with a writing career too? It’s just… how can one person be so talented!!! And she’s so pretty too. If she ever read any of my stuff I know I’d just die. I just love her and Natsu so much – I just want them to be happy.

Lucy’s cheeks felt like they were on fire, and she patted them with her cooler hands, trying to calm down the burn. This was too much. She felt equal parts embarrassed and proud, and her stomach was doing flips. Should she read what this girl had written? Her heart beat faster as she moved her finger over to tap on the link, hovering above it. She screwed up her eyes and her courage, and tapped.

Okay. She sighed in relief as she read. This wasn’t so bad. Her and Natsu were walking along, chatting. That was okay. Now they were holding hands. That was still okay, they did that all the time. Well, usually it was because he was dragging her someplace, but still within the realms of what she was comfortable with. Now he was… oh, um. A little cheek stroking was fine, she guessed. And… kissing!? Not just a little peck either. Hot kissing. Full on tongue kissing, and his hands were… eep!

Lucy shut her eyes tight, squirming a little on the seat as she fought to control her needy reaction to the sexy words on the screen. This was… if she were honest with herself, in her daydreams her and Natsu had kissed more than once. More than kissed actually. But those were just daydreams. Because, lets face it, Natsu was oblivious. He loved her, yes, but he wasn’t in love with her. And she loved him, and the small part of her heart that wanted to take things further in a romantic way, she’d carefully well and truly smothered. It was only when she was alone, in certain private moments, that she let her imagination take full flight and picture how they might be together.

Taking a deep breath, Lucy opened one eye and squinted at the screen as if it were a dangerous object that might explode at any moment. It looked like she was half-way through the document. And even though the subject matter was making her heart beat a million miles a minute and making her feel more than a little hot under the collar, it was actually well written. If it were about somebody else, anybody else, she’d be raving about it too! It wouldn’t be fair to not read the rest, would it? She opened her other eye and began reading again, leaning forward to give it her full attention, her heart beating faster.

“Watcha doin’ Luce?”

Lucy shrieked and leaned over the desk, trying her best to cover the glowing words on the lacrima orb. She turned around slowly, leaning backwards with her hands gripping the desk edge, her face a violent shade of pink. Almost as pink as her partner’s hair, the partner standing right there in front of her. Obviously she’d been so engrossed in her reading she hadn’t heard him come in the window.

“Oh, um, ha ha, hi Natsu” she stammered, blocking his view with her body as he tried to peer over her shoulder. “Um, weren’t you busy chatting with Gray?”

“Nah, that got old quickly. Typing out insults is much harder than actually sayin’ ‘em. I’ll just save ‘em up for next time I see him at the guild.” Natsu took in her flustered appearance and her efforts to hide the screen from him. “Soooo, what’s on the screen that’s so exciting you’ve got to hide it from me Luuu-seeeeee?” He grinned at her, as she spread her arms out and attempted to block his view even further. “Are you writin’ somethin’ that’s pervy? Wait ‘til I tell Happy.”

“Noooo! I didn’t write it! I mean, I’m reading it. I mean, I wasn’t sure what it would be about but someone wrote a story about us and then I was interested but I don’t think it would be anything you’d be interested in so I’ll just…”

“Someone wrote a story about us! Cool, I wanna see.” Natsu picked Lucy up as she tried to cover the screen and put her behind him, and then grabbed her hands as she jumped up and down behind him, trying to cover his eyes. He sat down at Lucy’s desk and dragged her hands downwards so her arms hung over his shoulders, both wrists secured by his larger hand against his chest. He used the other to tap the screen. “Quit it Luce! Lemme just scroll to the top here. Well, this is borin’ so far. There’s no fights or anythin’… oh.” Lucy blushed even brighter as they reached the kissing scene, waiting for Natsu to stop reading in disgust. But he kept reading.

Both their eyes widened as the scene on the page continued. Lucy could feel Natsu’s heart hammering against her hand, and he gulped as his eyes scanned the page, where on screen Natsu and Lucy got up close and personal wearing a lot less clothing than they had at the beginning of the story. Lucy’s own heart was thumping so loudly she was sure that Natsu could hear it, she was almost sure she could hear it. She squirmed against Natsu’s back, trying to get her hands free, but his grip on her wrists was firm. They both kept reading until the scene reached it’s logical conclusion. Safe to say that on screen Natsu and Lucy were feeling a lot happier and more satisfied than real life Natsu and Lucy were currently.

Natsu gulped again, shifting a little uncomfortably on Lucy’s chair. “Well, that was… you said you didn’t write this?”

Lucy shook her head and buried her face into Natsu’s shoulder. “No, it was written by a fan.”

“So people outside the guild see us that way too? Huh, figures.”

Lucy raised her head. “What do you mean?”

Natsu turned his face to look at her. They were so close their noses were almost touching. “Luce, there’s been a betting pool on how long it would take for us to get together since about three weeks after you joined the guild.”

“Whaaaaat!” screeched Lucy. Natsu screwed up his eyes tightly and grunted.

“Fucking hell Luce, go scream into my other ear as well, then I’ll be totally deaf!”

“Sorry, sorry!” Lucy whispered. “But there’s a betting pool on us?”

“Sure is. Cana runs it. She has heaps of betting pools going. How do you think she affords all the booze she drinks?”

Lucy blinked. “That explains a lot, actually”, she said slowly. She looked at Natsu’s still pink cheeks, then looked downward, examining her carpeted floor with interest. “Um, Natsu? Have you ever…” she chewed her bottom lip. “Never mind.”

“Have I ever thought about you and me… together?” replied Natsu, his voice husky. “Sure I have. I’d have to be made of ice not to have thought of you that way. You’re pretty easy on the eye Luce.” He grinned at her, his cheeks flushing darker again. “Sooo, have you…”

“Yes. Quite a lot actually.” Lucy bit her lip nervously again as their eyes widened. They stared at each other and looked away quickly. Natsu’s thumb drew slow circles on Lucy’s wrist.

“Say Luce”. He swallowed nervously, then continued. “If you’ve thought about it, and I’ve thought about it, how come we never…”

Lucy glared at him. “How was I supposed to know Natsu? You’ve never done anything to make me think that you had that kind of interest in me.”

Natsu grumped back at her. “Yeah, well, I wasn’t the one dating half the population of Magnolia Lucy.”

Lucy’s eyebrows rose so high up on her forehead they nearly disappeared into her hairline. “What!” she screeched. “I’ll have you know, since I joined Fairytail I’ve gone on… five dates. FIVE! In how many years? And that’s only because my partner had the romance of a… of a… a rock has more romance in it than you Natsu Dragneel!”

Natsu’s hand tightened around Lucy’s wrists and he scowled. “Is that right? So, seein’ I’m so fuckin’ hopeless in the romance department, if I asked you out on a date now, you wouldn’t go?”

“YOU WANNA DATE ME?!”

“YES I DO!”

“FINE!”

Natsu let go of Lucy’s hands and swung his arm around Lucy’s waist, pulling her onto his lap, as his other hand cupped her chin, guiding her face towards his. Their lips met, pressing hard against each other, Natsu’s heated tongue slipping into her slightly opened mouth, twisting against hers, making her moan. Her hands twined around his neck, her fingers tugging his pink locks desperately. At first the kiss was ferocious, as years of pent up yearning was released; a battle of lips and tongues fuelled by mutual desire. Lucy’s fingers thrust through Natsu’s hair as she made small needy whimpers, and Natsu’s fingers clutched her hip so tightly she was sure there would be bruises later, but she didn’t care. He pushed her down tightly into his lap, the hard evidence giving her ample notice of exactly how much he was enjoying their kiss. This was finally happening. All those daydreams she had thought would never come true. All that time spent pushing down her feelings. All those lonely nights when she had sobbed into her pillow when he had left her behind for a year, not knowing where he was, or even if he were still alive. Those days were over. If he thought she would ever let him leave without her now…

Their foreheads rested against each other as they paused to take a breath, both gasping for air. Natsu chuckled, cupping her face with both hands, rubbing her nose affectionately against his. “Lucy”, he rumbled, “I’ve wanted to do that for so long. You have no idea how long I’ve wanted you.”

Lucy smiled back, her eyes full of stars. “Well, maybe you should have, then we would have been doing it much sooner.”

Natsu leaned back, quirking an eyebrow at her. “Oh really, Miss ‘get outta my bed, don’t look I’m changing Natsu you pervert’… That was kinda discouraging Luce.”

Lucy pouted, then grinned back. “Well, a girl’s gotta keep up appearances, you know. I don’t let just anyone see me in my underwear.”

Natsu leaned closer, his hot breath ghosting over her neck, making Lucy shiver. “What would you say if I said I’d like to see that now Lucy?” he said softly, his voice deepening, thumbs stroking her cheeks as he bounced her a little on his lap with the strength of his thighs.

Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck again, raining soft kisses over his face. “I’d say… kiss… try your luck... kiss... Natsu… kiss… you never know… kiss… what a new day might bring…”

“Oh really?” Natsu drawled, his chest rumbling with a growling purr.

“Yes, oh really…” Lucy grinned, then shrieked as Natsu lifted her up over his shoulder, balancing her with one hand. He flipped up her skirt and slapped then squeezed one underwear clad bottom cheek as he marched towards her bedroom. “I’d say I’m feelin’ lucky today Lucky Lucy Heartfilia. Whaddya say?”

“Natsu you pervert!” she squealed as she dangled over his shoulder, giggling madly. She pinched him hard on his behind as they went through the door. He kicked it closed with a chuckle, shutting out the world.

_______________________________________________________________

Rose sighed as she walked in the door to her parents’ home. She kicked off her boots and hung up her jacket on the hook in the hallway. The other baker’s assistant had called in sick today, staying home to nurse a bad cold, and it had been hard managing the workload alone. Even though she quite liked her job, it wasn’t what she wanted to do forever. She wandered into her bedroom to put away her bag, and was surprised to see a large box sitting on her bed. “Ma, what’s this?” she hollered.

Her mother came down the hallway, drying her hands on a teatowel. “Oh Rosie, you’re home. That box came for you today. Were you expecting anything?” Rose shook her head, and sat down eagerly on her bed, wanting to see what was inside. She tore open the packaging and gasped. The entire box was full of Fairytail merchandise, banners, posters, plushies of Team Natsu, and some postcards. “Oh my goodness! Who would have sent this to me!”

Her mother looked just as surprised as she did. “It was delivered by a courier – I had to sign for it, but I didn’t notice who sent it. Is there a letter or anything with it?”

Rose, sorted through the merchandise, pausing to hug each plushie with delight, then noticed the postcard with a photo of Natsu on it had some writing on it. Eagerly she swept it up, doing her best to decipher the messy scrawl above his signature.

‘Yo, Rose – you’re doin’ great work, keep it up!’

She looked at it, overjoyed to have something handwritten and signed from Natsu, but puzzled by its meaning. She turned over the other postcards, and her heart nearly stopped when she saw the flowing cursive on the back of the photo of Lucy Heartfilia.

‘Dear Rose – I just wanted to let you know your writing shows real talent. In fact the story I read was very inspirational! Don’t ever give up. Keep writing every day; the sky’s the limit! With much love, Lucy xx.’

There was a cute heart drawn underneath the writing, enclosing the letters ‘NaLu’.

Rose shrieked and clutched the postcard to her chest, burying her face into her pillow as her laughing mother looked on, used to her daughter’s over the top personality. “Oh. My. Gods. Mama, call the hospital. I’m gonna diiiiiieeeee!”

#nalu #nalu fanfiction #natsu x lucy #Bearpluscat fanfics

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fatnuggetsthinker · 6 years

Text

FULL STEAM AHEAD

Heathers inspired.

Gwil x Reader 2.6k!

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She sighed and checked her watch as she waited in the empty auditorium, this was the second day in a row he had blown off rehearsals. Jason, he was far too high and mighty to commit to this part, it didn't matter to him the way it did to her. This was a big break for her, her first lead role and in her favourite musical nonetheless. Getting to play Veronica Sawyer was a dream come true and she did NOT want to screw this up but when JD doesn't show up it makes it harder. She gave a little sigh before grabbing her rucksack, giving up for the day and heading for the back of the stage when steps caught her attention. She got her hopes up and spun round thinking it was Jason but it was Mr Lee, the drama teacher and the man who had given her the part. The pair were close, she was his prized student despite it only being her first year and they shared the same love and passion for musical theatre so of course the phrase getting on like a house on fire was appropriate. "Love what are you doing here and why are you alone? Where is Jason?" he asked with gentle frown. She could only let out a bitter laugh. "Sir no offence but he doesn't give a rats ass about this show and I haven't been able to rehearse properly for a week because he can't be bothered to be on time or show up at all!" She said, throwing her hands up all exasperated.

Gwil frowned. "You really should have told me before, but if you still want to rehearse today I can help you out with some lines, I don't have much going on this afternoon apart from marking and tomorrow I'll speak to Jason we'll have to maybe get his understudy in on this." He sighed gently. She gave a soft smile. He always came to the rescue. "I appreciate this sir but it's just this part means a lot to me and I know there will be scouts watching on closing night and this could be my chance." She said, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of being picked up for her performance. Gwil only smiled and shrugged his back off his shoulder, hopping easily on the stage. "I know what this means to you and we won't let him ruin that now, what scenes were you thinking, we can maybe just do a quick run through and have a go at some of your song?" He suggested and she gave a soft nod. "Sure we can, we should start with the cafeteria scene!" She said excitedly, it was one of her favourite little songs she got to preform as well.

And that was how it started, they ran through scenes, songs, skipped over some of the plot till it got to the party scene and she began to blush, she knew what was coming next. She gently sorted out the speaker, fiddling with them to avoid pressing play. "Uh we can skip this if you want I just don't want to make you uncomfortable sir." She said and Gwil laughed. "Sweetheart call me Gwil please and you know this scene isn't much compared to some of the stuff people do on stage." He said, gently brushing her hand as he pressed play. "Show me what you got." He said and headed to the back of the stage, laying his jacket down, when she started singing he couldn't help but watch from his position, admiring her legs in the short blue skirt.

"The demon queen of high school has decreed it. She says Monday, 8am I will be deleted. They'll hunt me down in study hall stuff and mount me on the wall, thirty hours to live, how shall I spend them? I don't have to stay and die like cattle, I could change my name and ride up to Seattle. But I don't own a motorbike. Wait, here's an option that I like. Spend these thirty hours getting freaky!" She strutted to the front of the stage her best drunk ask on, her voice taking over the auditorium as she smirked back at Gwil. He watched as she walked over, a sexiness to her walk. He shouldn't be having such impure thoughts about a student but here he was, sinning after a girl 13 years younger than him. He stood up, bringing himself out his train of thought, pretending to be startled by her presence as she began to sing again. He fully admired the Heatheresque outfit she wore, the short skirt, blue blazer and god not to mention that see through white shirt, that was the part he was having the toughest time keeping his eyes off and oh boy did she notice the almost hungry stare in the mans eyes. "Yeah! I need it hard I'm a dead girl walking! I'm in your yard, I'm a dead girl walking! Before they punch my clock I'm snapping off your window lock Got no time to knock! I'm a dead girl walking..." Her body was close to his now, her breathing a little nervous and ragged as his pretty blue eyes met hers. She really was starting to feel the tension.

"Veronica! What're you doing in my room?" He uttered with that well put on American accent and god if that didn't just turn her on more as she put a gently finger to his lips. "Shh.. Sorry but I really had to wake you. See, I decided I must ride you 'til I break you. 'Cause Heather says I gots to go. You're my last meal on death row. Shut your mouth and lose them tighty whiteys!" Her hands not so gently gently travelled down his chest, this is definitely not how this was supposed to go down but from the look on his face he didn't mind. "Come on! Tonight I'm yours, I'm your dead girl walking! Get on all fours!" Her movements were swift as she pushed him to his knees, Gwil's hands instantly coming to grip her thick thighs. "Kiss this dead girl walking! Let's go, you know the drill I'm hot and pissed and on the pill, Bow down to the will of a dead girl walking!" Her eye's connected with his during the last lines, a spark of something between them as she knelt down in front of him, cupping his handsome face in her hands. His breath was fanning over her face as he kept eye contact. It was exactly how she imagined it, a small hint of coffee and a little minty. She was so lost that she was almost forgot to keep singing.

"And you know, you know, you know it's 'cause you're beautiful. You say you're numb inside but I can't agree. So the world's unfair. Keep it locked out there. In here it's beautiful. Let's make this beautiful!" Her voice was bold as she sang and Gwil was mesmerised, as JD should be. "That works for me!" He uttered and in a heartbeat his hands were all over her, pulling her thighs up to wrap round his waist, he let his hips roll so sinfully, there was no going back now. What should have been fake making out was the opposite. Gwil kissed her with such force that she let out a small moan and let her finger tightly grip at his soft hair. His grinding didn't cease, if anything it became far more instant as he lair himself back, easily pulling her on top so she was straddling him. She'd watched this a million times but god this was better than any of what she had imagined. She almost didn't want to keep going but Gwil was already unbuttoning her shirt, ready for her to do her big finale. She grudged pulling away but when the last of her buttons were undone she pulled away from his mouth.

"YEAH! Full steam ahead. Take this dead girl walking!" Another roll of his hips. "How'd you find my address?" Another smirk from her. "Let's break the bed! Rock this dead girl walking! " A slam of her palms either side of his head, a lustful look in her eye's. "I think you tore my mattress!" One more particularly hard thrust upwards of his hips. "No sleep tonight for you, Better chug that Mountain Dew!" A soft smirk on her face. "Okay, okay" His obvious fake nervousness coming through, What an actor. "Get your ass in gear, make this whole town disappear!" Her breathing was heavy, he could feel how wet she was under the barely there material of her underwear. "Okay, okay!" He uttered, focused on her entirely. "Slap me, pull my hair." He did as he was told, a light tap to the cheek but a rough tug on her dark hair. "Touch me, there and there and there and no more talking! Love this dead girl walking!" Neither could finish the rest of the song, Gwil had them turned round in seconds flat, their position changing with ease. "God look at you, so fucking turned on huh? Know how hard it was to let you keep going with that and not just push those pretty panties to the side." He almost growled out.

Her heart was hammering in her ears. "Well what the hell are you waiting for?" She challenged, trying not to let her voice falter. God she had thought of this a thousand times, how she'd seduce the pretty older man but now that it was happening she just wanted him to take control and oh boy did he. His blue eye were now almost a stormy grey as he made quick work of the skirt, muttering something about not getting the costume dirty as she was left in just the pretty thong she wore. He let his sinful lips travel from her lips down her body, leaving the darkest and most noticeable marks where people would surely see them and ask about them and something about that just turned her on more, having to lie because she got them from her own professor. When he was pressing soft kisses to her inner thighs he smirked, stopping for a moment earning her attention. Without breaking eye contact he let a hot breath caress over her sex. Earning him an absolutely sinful moan. "Sir please!" She almost begged and he couldn't help but tut. "So needy love, guess you have been a good girl, that little performance deserves a treat." He hummed, making such easy work of her panties.

He felt overdressed, it was a little unfair, having already had his shirt taken off he made very quick work of his pants. She just mewled like a little kitten and pushed her hips up, one hand coming down to touch herself but she soon found her wrist in a tight grip. "Ah, ah, ah babygirl." He scolded. "You don't touch yourself unless I tell you." He growled and even the tone of his voice made her wet. He let go, only after she mumbled out a soft sorry sir and resumed his position between her thighs, leaving small kisses to her pretty clit. Just enough for it to be something but still teasing. The scruff of his beard was leaving the prettiest red marks all over her pale thighs and it only got brighter when he buried his face in with no hesitation. The noises that fell from her mouth were noises Gwil had never had anyone he went down on make. She was positively whining, her back arching off the stage. She was begging, strings of please, Gwil, sir falling from her lips and he was going to loose it. She was going to be the death of the older man. He kept on, his tongue working double time when a word spilled from her lips that made him stop. "D-Daddy!"

It was as if she regretted what she said instantly as she looking down to see Gwil looking up at her with something animistic in his eyes. "Gwil I'm sorry I didn't me-" She was cut off by his large hand wrapping round her throat. "Daddy huh babygirl? Have to say, didn't peg you as that type but here we are." He said adding a little pressure, causing her to let out a gasp. "Daddy is going to take very good care of you love, gonna make you see start princess." He whispered, right in her ear, gently biting at her ear lobe. "If you need me to stop tap my thigh twice okay love?" He asked, his caring side flashing through. She could only nod, too turned on to talk. Gwil grabbed her throat again and let himself get in position, she was already keeping again, trying desperately for anything but it still took her by surprise when he sunk in so easy, like a knife through butter, she was so soaked for him, she;d already made a mess of the jacket he had placed down.

He took his time with the first few thrusts, letting her get used to it but when she fought back a little he decided enough was enough, he had waited long enough. His thrusts got harder, his hand moving from her throat down her body, teasing at every inch he could, avoiding her clit at all costs, he wanted her to come without being touched. Wanted her to make a mess. "Do you have any idea babygirl, how many times I have pictured this? The first day you showed up in my class in that pretty little summer dress, I wanted to take you over my desk right there and then, you would have loved that though wouldn't you? Would have loved everyone watching huh?" He smirked, knowing his words got her going more. "Y-Yes daddy!" She whimpered. "Wanted you so bad too, got off so many times thinking about you, wanted you so bad." She repeated. She was loosing it, with every single thrust he was hitting that spot, she had tears pouring from her eyes, there was no pain just sheer pleasure as he landed a smack to her backside. "You know how jealous I got, seeing all your little boyfriends come and go over the last three years love? Those silly little college boys had no idea how to treat you, give you what you need!" He groaned and punctuated it with a particularly hard thrust. Gwil was totally satisfied as she moaned out so sinfully.

"Only you daddy! Only you c-can! Please let me cum I need it so bad." She whimpered. He smirked and gently tugged on her hair. His thrusts became rougher, 10x more intense, his own moans starting to get out of control as he felt her getting close. "Come on then babygirl, come for daddy, you feel so fucking good round me, so fucking tight." He whined, his hips feeling lazy and a little like jello as the pretty girl beneath him came, a silent 'Gwil' on her lips as she clenched, eyes shut tightly. The sight alone was enough to make Gwil melt and let go, gently leaning down to stifle her soft whines with a kiss. Their breathing eventually came down, Gwil pulled away a little and laughed, gently pushing the soft mess of hair from her face. "Full steam ahead huh?" He smirked, making her roll her eyes. "For real though, that was incredible." He mumbled, a hand tracing soft patterns on her arm. "I know Gwil, trust me, when I told you I've been after you for a while I meant it, everything else was a distraction but that was everything I expected it to be and more." She admitted, looking up with a radiant smile. Gwil gave one right back.

"So shall we make this a regular thing as long as we keep it between us?" He smirked.

"Absolutely."

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Plz be nice, I have had this idea for ages cause I love Heathers and have had this idea for a solid week now so here we are???

#gwilym x reader #gwilym lee #gwil lee #Gwilym lee smut #Professor!gwil #Daddy!gwil #SD!gwil #ben jones #ben hardy #Ben hardy smut #roger taylor #roger taylor smut #brian may #john deacon #rami malek #Lucy Boynton #joe mazzello #Joe mazzello smut #Heathers

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lostredrobin · 6 years

Text

Sparrow, Chap 3. Damian x Reader

Part 1 Part 2

YES I CHANGED MY USER NAME. I WAS PREVIOUSLY SEVENTHBUNNY.

I noticed a lot of errors in the past two chapters! I apologize!!!! I’ll try proof reading for now on lol. I should really be studying for my exam, but I get incredibly bored of reading medical terms :D Also google translate says Habibti means my love in Arabic. This is not as long as I wanted it to be, but I wanted to update you guys :) More coming soon!

Tag: @naniky

If you would like to be tagged, just comment! :D

Alfred deemed in unsafe to move Y/N to the watchtower’s medical bay. She was still in critical condition, moving her can jeopardize her health, much to Hawkgirls dismay. Hawkgirl was very displeased with the whole situation. After a very long talk, it was concluded that Y/N would be returning under the leadership of Hawkgirl and most likely joining the teen titans.

“But that isn’t fair. You’re not even considering Y/N’s feelings in any of this. How could you make that choice for her?” Damian shouted in pure disagreement.

“Robin” Bruce tried to shut him down, but Damian wasn’t having any of it.

“No! None of you know Y/N like I do. She wasn’t even Hawkgirls sidekick for 6-months before deciding to join us in Gotham. Joker took away what made Y/N sparrow! She may not even want to do this whole super hero nonsense anymore.”

“Damian is right.” Jason chimed in.

“I am Y/N legal guardian, Robin. If she so wishes to no longer be part of the Justice League then so be it, however she will not be remaining here.” Hawkgirl stated, “I will be taking my leave now.”

And without another word Hawkgirl was teleported back to the watchtower.

Damian’s hands were tightly balled up into fists, his anger was evident.

“How could you stay silent, Father? How could you not defend Y/N?”

“Damian, we can not speak on the behalf of Y/N. By law, we cannot keep her here.”

“Don’t you understand? None of this would have happened if Joker was rotting in the ground. You allow him to torment us, murder not only citizens, but our family (Jason). If you refuse to do what’s best, then I won’t hesitate to do it myself.”

“Do not threaten me, Damian.” Bruce barked. Damian and Bruce obviously ready to gripe at each other’s throats. For only a 16-year-old, Damian’s stature rivaled that of Bruce’s. By an adult, Damian may even surpass Bruce in height and muscle mass.

As much as Jason would have loved to watch them ‘fight to the death,’ he had better things to do. “I doubt all this ‘negative’ energy is going to help Y/N at all” he said making sure to squint his fingers at the words ‘negative energy.’

“Jason’s right. Let’s all rest for the night and discuss everything in the morning” Dick commented while stretching out his arms over his head. His body ache and needed a nice hot shower to sooth his pain.

Without argument, the bat boys (including bruce) went upstairs. Damian was the only exception though. The idea of leaving Y/N at such a vulnerable time made his chest heavy. Alfred had moved her from the examination table to a recovery bed. He had also changed out her destroyed super hero outfit to a loose white hospital gown. Bandages were wrapped completely around her top back and chest. Her skin was sewn together where her wings had previously connected to her body. Her muscles had severe trauma and may never heal correctly. Her face was bruised, cheeks stained in purple as if Joker himself beat her with his own hands. Her skin on her wrists were torn in small straight lines like if she fought furiously against wired/roped restraints.

This was a physical state that Damian could never imagine Y/N in. He failed to protect her and angered him. He was careful to slip his hand in hers.

Being alone with her was the only thing Damian could do, “Beloved, they will pay for what they have done. I will make them suffer as you suffered. I promise”

When Y/N finally did wake up, she found herself alone in a dimly lit room. Her body felt heavy and numb. She tried to move her head to have a more visual outlook of her situation, but that too felt heavy. As if she just woke up from a massive fever or surgery. She didn’t understand why her body was so exhausted or why she was in the hospital room.

“D-Damian?...” her voiced try to yell out, however it was hoarse and strained. With all her will power she began sitting up. Her back roared in refusal. Even with heavy pain meds, her back still screamed in agony. She hesitated but continued to move her body over to the edge of the bed. As she tried to drape her legs over to the edge, she realized her legs were tangled in the thin hospital blanket. As she tried to kick it off, she lost her balance and fell over the edge to the hard floor. Her used her arms to shield her face upon impact. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt. Her body ached and cried. When she lifted her head up from her arms, she noticed a small puddle of blood below her. The longer she stared at it the more it grew.

“Blood? Is this Damian’s blood?...I don’t understand.” Y/N questioned outload. She tried to stand up, but her legs were still tangled within the blankets. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she began to contract her ‘wings,’ hopefully that would help lift her up. But she did not lift, nor did air circulate like it normally did when she flapped her wings. The only thing that happened was the puddle below her only increased.

And then she realized. She remembered everything. She stared at her blood-stained hands. The bruises across her arms and legs now clear. Joker and Harley tormented her. They beat her with objects and with their own hands. They took a butcher knife and cut out her wings. They cut straight into her. Not caring if she lived or died in the process. But that’s who they were. Sick and twisted monsters.

Y/N’s hands began to tremble as she yelled in frustration and pure agony.

Damian was only gone for 8 minutes, Alfred recommending for him to shower and change. Convincing him that Y/N would not like to see him covered in blood when she first wakes up. He was walking down the bat cave stairs, when he heard her scream. He quickened his pace and ran full speed into the hospital room.

He did not hesitate as he kneeled down beside her, “Beloved! What happened?” He gently laid slipped his arms around her, one behind her back and one under her knees, lifting her back onto the bed. Blood dripped off his arm making Damian realize Y/N ripped open her stitches. “Beloved, please calm down.” His voice was pleading, “ALFRED!!” he screamed out, as he tore the tangled sheets from Y/N’s feet and pressed them against her back.

“Dami, my wings..” Y/N leaned against Damian’s chest, exhaustion overwhelming her.

“Beloved, I know”

“They took them..”

“We will get them back” Damian slipped his hand into her hair, rubbing her temple as he did so.

“But they are soiled. She put them on”

“And I will rip them off of her”

“…they don’t feel like mine anymore..”

“Habibti, I promise you we will get them back”

Y/N could only nod as Alfred arrived and instructed her to lay on her stomach.

It felt like she was in a different world. She could no longer focus on Alfred and Damian’s words or their movements. Damian caressed her hair as she laid on her stomach and Alfred gave her a numbing shot so he can redo her stitches. Damian spoke to her, hardly caring that Alfred could see his vulnerability.

Damian’s voice sounded muffled, but that didn’t matter. His voice was comforting and warm. Her pain meds and exhaustion were kicking in again. Damian’s face was a blur as her eyes closed and body relaxed. Damian continued rubbing her hair, as she slept.

Soon enough Alfred brought a chair for Damian to sit on. He refused to budge all night, resting his head next to Y/N’s with an arm securely around her form. Imagining her falling off the bed again carved its way in his mind. He refused to allow that to happen again. He got a new blanket for her and made sure it covered her all the way to her shoulders. Y/N was basically naked under her hospital gown with only panties on. He would skin his brothers alive if they ever saw Y/N in such a way.

Alfred stayed closed by to monitor them both, before retreating to his room to rest as well.

In the morning, Dick walked to the hospital room to check up on Y/N. He wasn’t surprised to find Damian in there as well. The blood on the floor was a cause for concern. But it looked like Y/N was stabilized once again. New bandages were wrapped around Y/N’s body to cover her stitches. Damian was again covered in blood once again. Dick could only imagine the scene that may have happened last night while he was asleep.

Dick could only sigh at this and grab a spare blanket from a nearby cabinet and drape it over Damian. His baby bird looked very uncomfortable with his body half on the bed and half on the chair. Dick noted Damian’s protective arm around Y/N. He raised him well.

Tip toeing out of the room, Dick took a seat at the bat computer. He rubbed his tired face and began searching for Joker and Harley.

#batfam imagine #batfam x reader #damian wayne x reader #reader imagine #dc imagine #jason todd x reader #dick grayson x read #dick grayson x reader #batfamily imagine #imagine #tim drake x reader #x reader #batfam #dc #angst imagine #batfam angst

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jcmorrigan · 6 years

Text

@gavillain and @shadowx21, it turns out great minds think alike :-D

When/why did you start fanning over them?

When I first started watching The Batman, they became my two favorite rogues in the gallery. Not right away in Firefly’s case - I actually thought his intro ep was rather lackluster, and he became more endearing later (going back to “The Big Heat,” I can see why I thought that, since his personality did get more fleshed-out later, but no, he’s still good in that too). Ragdoll was love at first freaking sight. So, right off the bat, I have two villains that I like in a Rogues Gallery and that usually means a ship is coming, but I didn’t solidify it juuuuuust yet...

Then “The Big Chill” happened, and you cannot tell me that episode is not about Firefly falling hard for Mr. Freeze and then getting his heart broken when he found out Freeze just thought of him as a disposable, abusable tool. That was also the episode that really made Firefly charming to me (he stole. A SNOWGLOBE. Because IT REMINDED HIM. Of FREEZE. And then GAVE IT TO HIM. Which is not only incredibly flirty but just a power move that demonstrates his sense of humor). And I was like...no. I cannot let this go unresolved. Firefly needs a supervillain boyfriend who will actually treat him right. Somebody to replace his Boss Frost. Who’s available? And Ragdoll stood out to me because, well, favorite. But their personalities seemed quite complementary - they’re both fun-loving and quippy, with massive egos and a penchant for thievery. AT THIS POINT, I WAS ONLY INTO SEASON 2.

I actually got it spoiled for me that “Team Penguin” was going to feature them both WORKING TOGETHER. It was my fault. I was reading stuff I shouldn’t on Wikipedia pages. But I FLIPPED. And so then when that episode came around, I had my shipping goggles on for those two. And while they didn’t have any serious one-on-one time or anything, I feel like I got it definitely proven that their personalities play off each other SO well. They pass the ball back and forth when the opportunity comes up to make fun of Killer Moth. Firefly looks INCREDIBLY entertained by Ragdoll stealing Penguin’s hat. On separate occasions, they each try to rename the team - and no one else thinks to. At the VERY least, if you don’t ship it, you HAVE to admit they’re on really good terms in that ep and probably friends.

Then “White Heat” happened and I...um...suffered some minor setbacks but it’s okay, I figured it out

I ended up storing up so many ideas for what their relationship would be like together that I started writing a fanfic just for them and the friendship I imagined they’d have with Harley Quinn - “Arsonist, Contortionist, Psychologist” (on ff.net and AO3 under the name JCMorrigan, hint hint, if you want reading material). That fic was originally supposed to be Ragdoll one-sided pining over Firefly and not actually getting to be with him (because “White Heat”), but then, gooooossssshhhhh, I put them in the same room over and over and their interactions were SO flirty that I was like...um...no, they’re going to get together by the end of this.

What makes you like this couple?

Basically what I already mentioned about their personalities playing well off each other. Also the fact that them being same-universe means they could have gotten up to SO much mischief behind the scenes in canon, and there’s so much room there to imagine them committing heists that just frustrate Batman to no end. And they’re like minds, being supervillains and all.

Is there anything you don’t like about this couple?

Not really?

What’s your favorite outfit on them?

Oof, this is tough. Because on one hand, both of their costumes for in-the-field villainy are just so inspired and dynamic

On the other hand, there’s just something so fun about seeing them in civilian clothes, too. Which doesn’t happen OFTEN but there is ONE BIG INSTANCE for each, and that’s Ragdoll/Peter (I assume his name is Peter in TBverse because both the comics Ragdolls are named Peter) in his freaking formal suit trying to look like he’s the head of some multimillion-dollar corporation

And Firefly/Garfield just chilling at home in this red shirt layer combo

Which we never see on him when he’s fully out of shadow, but we know what his face looks like, we can put the pieces together

So um I just showed you literally all the outfits they have, which went against the point of answering the question

It’s the birthday of one of them! How do they celebrate?

WITH A CRIME WAVE THE LIKES OF WHICH GOTHAM HAS NEVER SEEN. Whoever’s birthday it is is the person who gets to pick the heist targets. The other will more than likely swipe a few things they know the one blessed by birthday will really like (e.g. Garfield mentioned his watch was broken a few days ago and Peter just stuffs the most CLASSY watch into his pocket when no one is looking and presents it to Garfield later and he’s just...I...I didn’t know you were going to get that big of a thing for me).

How would they react in an embarrassing situation?

Ragdoll will laugh it off, no matter how sheepish he feels. He’ll get right back on his feet. Firefly will be a lot grumpier about being made a fool of and Ragdoll will have to reassure him that nobody saw/cared, or, if they did, they SHOULDN’T.

What do you think they’ll be like in the near future?

FIREFLY GETS CURED OF BEING PHOSPHORUS. I DEMAND IT. After which, he and Ragdoll just continue striking out as villains. Firefly might SAY he’ll be done with crime once he’s saved up enough, but let’s be real: he loves the rush. The two of them are villains to the end. Though being Phosphorus will have left Firefly with some...mental issues, but Ragdoll is fine with this and very patient.

What’s an ideal date for them?

HEISTS. ROBBERY. DUELING CRIMEFIGHTERS.

Who/what gets in the way of your ship?

The entire episode “White Heat.” First of all, the fact that Firefly is dating someone completely else. Which hit me like a ton of bricks because, as I said, I was doing FireDoll as of season 2, and Blaze doesn’t show up until SEASON 5. But that is easily overcome; their breakup was baaaaaaad, and Blaze, I think, needs someone who isn’t as villainously inclined. The bigger obstacle is Phosphorus himself - the fact that his physical form destroyed everything he touched and couldn’t so much as survive anywhere outside the max-security wing of Arkham, and the fact that while he was Phosphorus, Garfield tried to actively blow up the entirety of Gotham, Ragdoll included. Which I have determined wouldn’t be something Garfield would have done if he were thinking clearly - it was a combination of 1) the radiation messing with his brain and 2) his inability to interact with the world without destroying what he touched giving him a frustration that resulted in a thought pattern of “I can’t have it, so it might as well not exist” and possibly “I can’t live a functional life, so I don’t even care if I live or die.” I do like to think he was eventually cured because I want him to be happy, gosh DANG IT. But I do think he would be left with scars. Scars that would fade over time, but he would have to learn how to overcome destructive intrusive thoughts, especially when his guard was down. And then there’s the fact that Ragdoll would have to learn what Phosphorus almost did. Which would break his heart. But still...I think they could move past it. He’d understand that Garfield was going through a tough time mentally.

What is something they could do that would make your life complete?

The show is over. There’s nothing more they can do. The best I can hope for is that there’s some kind of voice actor reunion panel for The Batman at some convention (which won’t happen because apparently nobody liked The Batman) and Jeff and Jason will both put in an appearance and make some kind of reference to how well Firefly and Ragdoll got along on Team Penguin. (I would go to that hypothetical nonexistent panel my own self and ask them if those two were friends. NOT ABOUT THE SHIP; THEY WOULDN’T ACKNOWLEDGE THE SHIP AND I KNOW IT.) Beyond that, if any other fanwork for this ship ever appears, I want to know all about it.

#the batman #ragdoll #firefly #firedoll #garfield lynns #peter merkel

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fireandgloryrpg · 6 years

Text

Unity Feast || Group Chatzy

Roman’s and Greeks gather together to celebrate their unity. Piper loses her purse and the night has a dramatic ending.

Percy had lived in New Rome for most of his adult life and he had yet to see it in such a beautiful condition. He didn’t know who was responsible for it, but the progress in the cities reconstruction was astounding. Where they hadn’t completed work, delicate decorations such as fairy lights or neon signs had soften the atmosphere around the square where the festivities were taking place. Striding through the crowds of people, he greeted friends left and right. He was wearing one of the few pieces of his wardrobe that he’d managed to salvage after he’d returned to his apartment at the war’s end. A dark navy blue suit with a light pink shirt and blue tie. Brown belt and brown shoes of course. Heading towards the bar, he ordered a drink. This was going to be a good night, at least that was what he hoped.

Wally had left after Z. The pair decided to meet each other at the feast separately. Wally came in a dark purple tux with a dark tie to match. He had added a laurel wreath to his head for the evening, something he felt was a nice addition. Wally was openly nervous, looking around every few minutes, waiting for something to pop up. It felt like nothing could be enjoyed anymore. The smell of food was quick to reduce his fears. Maybe if he ate something he’d feel better. As trays of food passed around, Wally picked up what seemed to be a fried ball of filled with stuffing and mashed potatoes. “Holy shit, has anyone else tried this?!” Wally snuck a few more of the things off a tray and made his way over to the bar to order a drink. He smiled when he saw Percy down a few seats. “Hey! You look good, man.”

As a general rule, Abigail was not a party person. Partially because bumping into other people was inevitable, partially because talking to other people was inevitable, partially because it meant getting all dressed up when she’d much prefer to lounge around in her couch, braless, hair tied up in a bun, wearing an oversized shirt covered in Cheeto dust and with her cat, Shelley, curled up on her lap. Counterpoint: she liked drinking, dancing and eating fancy snacks. So this was kind of a conundrum. In the end, she solved it by giving into peer pressure and going to the friggin’ party. Wearing a full-length light blue gown (with full sleeves and gloves, of course) and with her hair in a neat braid, Abigail was thoroughly enjoying the open bar, ordering the drinks that looked the fanciest and the wackiest. Later, once her legs had rested from the walk over, maybe she’d dance.

Noticing the two children of Hecate that had arrived around him, Percy finished his drink order. “Hey Wally,” he said as he finished ordering a pint of beer, turning to look at Abby and then leaning back and engaging both his friends, “you and Abby definitely know each other right?” he asked with a gentle smile. He’d known both Wally and Abby separately. Both of them were children of Hecate and though he’d spent time in New Rome and Camp Half Blood with them separately, this might’ve been the first time that he’d seen them together. “Is it too early to start really drinking? I’ve been considering when the appropriate time to start doing shots would be.”

While Jason wasn’t the world’s biggest fan of overly formal events, he couldn’t deny that he looked pretty good when he attended them. Anxiously smoothing down the front of his dark gray jacket and adjusting his dark red tie he strode purposefully into the half-finished Senate house, marveling at the beauty of the edifice. As he turned slowly to take in everything around him he caught a familiar bearded face from across the room, and wandered over to his best friend, snagging two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray as he did. “It might be too early for shots. However I think you’re in the clear for some bubbly.” He squeezed Percy’s arm and nodded to the people he was talking to, brushing his hair out of his face. “Evening. You both look lovely.”

While Percy was all fussy about when was the right time to start drinking, Abigail was on her third tequila shot. “Uh. Wally? Never heard of him. Sounds like he got jealous of my nickname, though”, she said, deadpan, before licking off the salt from the back of her hand and downing her shot like a pro. “Evening, Jason. Thank you, I always do. You two look nice, too.” Unable to help herself, she added, teasingly: “For guys, I guess.”

Annabeth had never been one for much dressing up, and she much preferred her shorts and t shirts, but in the spirit of the Unity Feast she was now sporting a long blue gown. Praying to all the gods that she didn’t trip over it somehow in the course of the evening, she headed over to where a cluster of her friends stood. “ Hey, what’d I miss? ”

Wally nodded. “Yes we know each other, sadly.” He smiled at Abigail and thanked the bartender when his drink arrived. “I think we all look pretty sexy, myself included, of course.” When Annabeth came over, he shrugged. “Nothing yet. We’re getting drinks, but it seems Percy is apprehensive. But my guess is: put something blue in front of him and he’ll drink it, no matter what.” Wally took a look around and showed his plate of kind-of-stolen delicacies to the small group. “You guys gotta try these. There is mash potatoes and stuffing mixed in. It’s like . . . I don’t know. It’s the kinda stuff the gods hoard away from us.”

Turning, Percy accepted the glass of champagne off of his best friend and took his place besides Jason. Smiling graciously, he shrugged. “I want to be clear, I’m not the type of person to shy away from a good drink. I definitely don’t think that I’m the type of person to turn down a shot, I was simply musing as to whether or not it was worth considering if there was an appropriate time for shots. Four for shots perhaps?” he smiled gently and looked to Annabeth, winking gently at his friend before taking a sip from his champagne flute as the music filtered through the evening air. The sound of violins singing in the background.

“I never really associated this outfit with pounding shots at the bar,” Jason laughed, straightening his tie and vest, but if we’re lining up at the rail, I’ll do my duty and uphold my collegiate honor.” As Annabeth joined their group he gave her a small wave, sipping from his flute. The entire scene was a little surreal, but he didn’t all together hate it. They had earned this party, with blood sweat and tears and hopefully it would give them all a chance to heal some of the ugly wounds the war had opened. “I hope there are more than canapés at this thing or we’re going to be drunk in a corner in the first five minutes.”

Connor took his time arriving at the party. Sure, he enjoyed them, and all the things that came with parties, such as food and alcohol and pickpocketing, but he just wanted to take it slow tonight. Walking through the crowd, he wore a white button up shirt with floral patterns on, half buttoned down, along with navy pants and matching brown shoes and a belt. Flashing flirty grins at most people he passed, his eyes fell upon his friends at the bar. “I see we’re forming a sub-party over here, is it invite only?” He joked before ordering himself a whiskey and lemonade. “Glad to see we all turned up, everyone looks stunning.” His eyes flickered over everyone before finally landing on his drink. Tonight would have been great, if it wasn’t for the fact that he was terribly missing someone.

Marcus leant against a building on the outside of the square, tapping his ring against his glass. His eyes gently scanned through the crowd making mental notes of everyone he knew. So far, he hadn’t noticed anyone who caught his particular attention, other than a couple of greeks that had started to gather at the bar. Sighing he pushed himself off the wall and moved towards the centre of the square, slipping past people with ease. A smile tugged at the edge of his lips as he spotted his co-centurion and began to move towards her. “Cat, imagine seeing you here.” He joked.

It was strange to think that once upon a time Marcus had been Cat’s subordinate, but now they were partners in leading what was essentially her life’s work. Marcus had been the most suitable choice after Jax had left, however without him here, now, it felt strange. “Marcus,” she drawled, raising a glass of red wine to her equally crimson lips, “a pleasure as always to see you here.” Wearing a sleek black silk dress, Cat reached up and played with the black diamond she wore around her neck. Absently taking everything in. “It has truly turned out well, morale should benefit from the extravagance, don’t you think?”

Brock had been there since before the event started. He offered to act as guard but his higher-ups still felt he was a bit too off balance to be working. They believed it would be better for him to enjoy the event, as if he could. The entire feast, while he was happy to see Romans having a good time, it felt like a joke. Seeing Marcus and Cat, Brock got into stepping. Seeing familiar faces, ones incredibly friendly took a weight off of Brock he hadn’t been aware of before. “Marcus, Cat, how’re you both? You both look nice.” His eyes strayed from Cat but he kept an even smile. Brock had come in a suit lent to him by his friend, tailored of course. A dark green suit with a thin belt around his waist, similar to those of the strings tied around a tunic.

In her defence, Piper hadn’t meant to get so tipsy. She’d only meant to stay for a little while, have a couple of drinks, and then go home. But that wasn’t what happened. She was on her second drink by now, a complete and utter lightweight, swaying in time to the music as she swallowed the sweet taste of cranberry-vodka down her throat. She hadn’t put much effort into her appearance tonight, wearing a tight red dress and pair of heels. She looked great, however, but didn’t feel on her A-game. Nonetheless, she wanted to see everyone. Following after Connor, she said, “Hey, has anyone seen my purse? Pretty — pretty sure I left it somewhere. Don’t know where, but it’s got to be here somewhere.” Even when tipsy, she could talk eloquently.

Eyeing the drinks available, Annabeth was torn between making a conscious decision to stay sober, or throw caution to the wind, because let’s face it, they all deserved a night to get shitfaced after everything that had gone on. “ Cheers to the night? ” She lifted her own glass at the group, raising her eyebrow as Conner and Piper joined them. “ I haven’t, but I could go with you to take a look around if you’d like? ” She offered, noting the slightly slurring girl. There was a voice in the back of her mind telling her that if the beginning of the night was any indication, it might be safer for there to be at least one sober person. God knows what might happen when you mixed a bunch of demigods and legacies who had still unresolved tension and alcohol.

Despite everything that had happened in the last few months, Percy found himself relaxing and enjoying himself. Swallowing a few mouthfuls of champagne, he glanced between Annabeth and Piper wondering whether Piper had even brought a purse with her, “I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” Percy replied with a smile as he reached for several more glasses of champagne and passed them around the group, ensuring that anyone who didn’t already have a drink was well provided for. “If I can just take a moment, I’d like to toast us all, Roman and Greek alike, we’ve been through so much and we’ve come out stronger. So a toast to the years to come, with all the friends we’ve made along the way.” He raised his glass towards the small group they’d formed by the bar. Completely oblivious of all the people they were blocking from gaining access to said bar, but in that moment they couldn’t care less.

Despite his love for these events, Aidan was nervous with how things would go. If he’d know anyone there, if he’d be dressed well enough. He fidgeted with his outfit in the storefront windows as he made his way down, feeling over the soft pink lace sewn over his creamy white jacket. Matching pants, and rose gold cufflinks. He stared at the lights of the party before entering, putting on his best smile. His anxiety washed away seeing people he knew. “Hope I’m not too late to join in?” He asked, picking up a glass of his own, knowing to be mindful of how much he had, eyeing Cat. Aidan wasn’t about to embarrass himself further. Everything felt surreal. Calm. Okay for the first time and Aidan felt good about the night. About the future a little bit too.

Jason raised his glass as Percy launched into a toast, nodding along to his friend’s words. “Here here. To the friendships we’ve made along the way and to the peace we now work to construct. May they both last an eternity.” He downed his glass and passed it off to a passing waiter before snagging another full one. He was more than his usual amount of awkward; given that this was the first event he’d been to where he didn’t have a title and job to hide behind, but he was bound and determined to make it work. Which meant acknowledging the presence of the bitch in the black dress across the circle from him. “Ms Karavadra.” He half bowed “you look lovely this evening. Hopefully you’ll save a dance for me later, provided your dance card isn’t already full.”

By the time Abigail came back, she was still a little tipsy and her feet -- foot, her foot hurt. She slid delicately onto the stool, propped her elbows up onto the bar. Her cheeks were flushed with the exercise, her hair only slightly out of place. “I missed the toast?” she asked, then ordered a side of French fries, one of her few guilty pleasures. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Karavadra, promptly deciding to ignore her. It had always been obvious how Karavadra felt about the Greeks, so Abigail felt no obligation to go out of her way to be nice.

Honestly, as Cat, Brock and Marcus made their way past the group of merrymakers toasting and loudly talking about shots, food and the food time that they were having. Cat’s emotional mask slid into place as she gave Jason the most beautiful smile that she could muster. “You look positively ravishing yourself, that suit really brings out your eyes.” She smiled kindly at him as she continued gliding past. “I shall endeavour to save you a dance,” she gestured to Marcus and Brock as if to indicate that she was already inundated with potential prospects, “but as I am sure that you can see Mr. Grace, my dance card is filling up fast, so make sure you get in while stocks last.” She gave him one final sickly sweet smile, a mischievous glitter in her eyes as she imagined what disembowelment would be like for him. She hoped painful. His self righteous smug nature was almost sickening.

Cat had a way with people, she knew what to say and how to seem elegant and hide her true feelings. Marcus however, struggled with it despite his natural gift with the mist and his illusion spells. Instead, he opted to simply showing his true emotions, one of disinterest towards the group. He remembered all the Roman legionnaires they had lost through the war, not to mention their legionnaires on every other day too. He might have seemed old fashioned with his ways, but blood must have blood, just, not now. Leaving Cat’s side, he flashed a chaotic smile at Jason and then the others. “You don’t mind if a join you right? You did make a toast to Romans and Greeks alike, that includes me right?” A tone of mischievousness danced in between his words as he placed his empty glass on the table and ordering a new one, purposely leaning over and Greeks in the way.

“Oh, Zeus”, Abigail said under her breath. She didn’t mind the Romans’ company on grounds of them being Romans, but she didn’t like the atmosphere they’d brought with themselves. Growing up in a hostile environment, she could pick up on the slightest of signs of someone getting angry. Her magic probably had something to do with it, too. Always a hater of physical contact, but too stubborn (too fucked up) to display weakness, Abigail didn’t even twitch as Marcus leaned over her to get a new drink. Her plate of fries arrived, and she used a toothpick to stab at them, eyes flicking between Jason and the Romans.

Connor rolled his eyes as Cat showed up. He recalled their previous conversation and couldn’t help but feel a taste of disgust in his mouth. “Piper, I could also help you look for it if you like? I’d rather be anywhere but in the presence of her.” He felt like spitting her name out of his mouth but held himself back. Besides, it honestly wasn’t worth it. “I haven’t seen anyone steal it, perhaps you left it on a table and a waiter picked it up?” Connor had been drinking but he was sober enough to help look for a purse.

Wally turned himself around when Cat showed up. He prayed to his mom that she was passing by. If he never saw her again, he’d be fine. Wally poured back half of his drink and signaled the bartender. This would be more fun, and a lot easier to get through if he was a lot less sober. “Whiskey shot,” he chimed. Wally vaguely heard the daughter of Aphrodite talking about a missing purse. He knew somewhere in his room there was a locator spell, but that was all the way back in his apartment. ‘Sides, Connor’s already offered, he reasoned. Waiting for Z might just be his best option.

Brock grinned at the Greeks and caught the eye of Annabeth and Jason. Even before the war, after the Greeks had shown up, word of Annabeth’s skill in battle came around quickly. He had imagined a few times what it would be like to fight her, what he could learn from her. Jason on the other hand made him feel agitated and annoyed. It was aggravating to see an unfaithful Roman, but Jason wouldn’t allow himself to get too deep into thought on that. There was mystery on both sides and it was easier to just protect the civilians. “Cat, maybe we should go somewhere less rowdy? You wouldn’t want to get anything spilled on that dress.”

It wasn’t like Z to be so terribly late. He had always been the punctual sort, but times were changing and he had a bit of elephant business to take care of before making his way to the festivities. As he slipped past people with faces he knew and treated, he fiddled with the cuffs on his suit jacket. Unfortunately, he hadn’t had the prior inkling to get anything new tailored and his recent surplus of physical activity was making his clothes fit a little snug. It couldn’t be helped. “Oh; excuse me,” he politely exclaimed as he passed by a couple talking privately amongst themselves. His shorter stature easily snaked beyond them, only for him to come to a complete stop when he nearly bumped into Aidan. “Lace? To an event like this? You’re bolder than I thought you’d be.” The tease came easily as he reached over and wrapped his fingertips around a glass on a tray passing by. He eyed the contents warily. The last thing he wanted was alcohol, but this was clear. The squint he gave the glass was almost threatening.

Percy winced internally as the Romans moved over to the side of his group and Marcus made it clear that he was welcoming himself to the proverbial party. Reaching into a small bowl of olives, Percy chewed on a thick green one soaked in chilli oil and made sure that it was crushed into nothingness before he even considered opening his mouth. “Yeah can I get two shots of tequila with lime and salt,” he turned to a Jason whom he knew couldn’t stand Catherine Karavadra, especially after what he considered to be her wrongful arrest of former Praetor Reyna and Frank, “down the hatch bud,” he grimaced as the tequila poured down his throat. The tension in the room was near unbearable as Connor and Cat seemed to glower at one another from across the room. However Percy was determined to ease things off, he knew that the easiest way to do so was probably to break the group up. Turning to Piper and Annabeth, he looked at Jason and grinned. “Ladies?” he asked as Boogie Wonderland began to play in the background, “may we have this dance?”

Cat knew that she was the least popular Roman in miles, and considering the high density population of this square that was truly something to say. The Karavadra family hadn’t done itself any favours by funding and leading the war effort. But Cat knew deep in her stomach that she had done the right thing. She’d been protecting her city, protecting her people. “Yes, I think we should move along Brock, are you coming Marcus?” she asked as she strode away and moved towards Aidan and Z. “I agree, lace was certainly a very bold choice, however I am not convinced that Aidan’s got it in him to be anything less than bold, it has always been a trait that he has possessed.” Despite the fact that he’d previously drunk too much on a mission, she had to admit that the guts which that took was impressive to say the least, she didn’t know many Legionnaires that would survive an ordeal or even risk it.

Piper, ever the eloquent one, grinned at Annabeth, giving her an appreciative glance as she did so. About to accept the offer, she was interrupted by Percy. “I wouldn’t worry about it usually,” she replied. “But I’m pretty sure I left a few important items in - in the bag.” A hiccup sounded, soon followed by another giggle. She was about to say more — perhaps launch into a great speech herself — when Percy beat her to it. Honestly, his way of speaking was much better — and more eloquent — than hers was, so she let it slide, lifting her glass in the air and saying, “Hear, hear!” in response to what he had said. Then, noting Connor at her side, the young demigod latched onto him, curling an arm over his shoulders as she said, “The more help the merrier! I really, really need that bag. Seriously.” She’d already forgotten what she’d put in there, beside a pack of gum, but she was sure it was important. And whoever Connor (and Jason) were trying to avoid, Piper would happily help them do so. However, the thought of her bag was soon forgotten upon Percy’s invitation to dance, and with yet another grin in Jason and Percy’s direction (and with a slight stumble), she said, “I’d love to. Annabeth, what do you say?”

On the surface, this was the time for Greeks and Romans to make up, but as the daughter of a strategy goddess, or even someone with a smidge of common sense, Annabeth knew that things would never be that easy. She nodded in acknowledgement, smiling slightly at the ones who recently arrived, feeling the need to set an example, but it would be a lie to say that she wasn’t wary, especially of Catherine. Grateful for Percy, she silently commended him in her mind, knowing that if they continued here any longer it wouldn’t end up well. “ Don’t yell if I step on anyone’s toes, though. The rest of you want to come? ” She grinned, moving in their direction and extending a hand to steady Piper. The responsible part in her, though, couldn’t help but question Piper again. “ Are you sure you don’t want to go look for your bag first? If there’s important things in it … ”

Frowning at the situation, Percy decided that before any dancing was to be done they would have to discover the whereabouts of the bag. “Has anyone asked some of the staff?” he turned around to the bartender behind the bar and turned to look at Piper. After a hurried conversation, Percy turned to the group. “The bartender says he hasn’t seen it but there is apparently an official lost and found across the way,” he turned and strode off, unsure of which way to go, but he led the way all the same, doing everything that he could to indirectly combat the tension growing between them all. “What colour is your purse?” he asked curiously as the music shifted from Earth Wind and Fire to something a bit more modern that he couldn’t place his finger on.

Connor grinned as Piper placed an arm around him but simply slipped away when she left for a dance. He wasn’t in the mood to dance right now, not after the atmosphere that Cat brought with her. He was about to suggest that he go look for the purse whilst they danced, but then Percy set off on a mission. With a skip and sprint, he caught up to Percy’s side. “I can check the square entrances? Perhaps someone picked it up and dropped it off there. I don’t think it was stolen, and if it was, I could find that out too.” Without waiting for a response, he turned to face the others. “Anyone want to join me?” He then turned and made his way to the entrance that he had come through.

Marcus picked up the drink the bartender had whipped up for him but before he could say anything else, the group seemed to split up and Cat somewhat summoned him to follow her. Sipping his drink he grinned and followed behind Cat, free hand in his pocket. He wasn’t exactly impressed with how Aidan acted during the raiding of the Greek party, but it was amusing. He wasn’t there but he had definitely heard about it. It had been brought up at one of the Centurion meetings so that the Centurion of the 5th could deal with it. “Can you handle your alcohol tonight Aidan?” He said with a teasing smile. He then turned to look over the crowd. Frankly, he was rather bored. “Brock, interested in doing some rounds? I wouldn’t mind reprimanding a few legionnaires that have gotten themselves drunk during the festivitie?”

All the Greeks seemed, suddenly, very concerned with Piper’s bag, and Abigail suspected -- no, she was certain -- that, while their concern was real, they were all the more grateful to get away with the least popular demigod in New Rome. It was a pity that Marcus was so heavily associated with her (at her beck and call, in Abby’s opinion), because, as her mother always said: she was always Hecate. That was why she’d been the least affected by the Roman-Greek split. In her opinion, Marcus and the other children of Trivia were almost as much of her siblings as their Greek counterparts... “See you ‘round, brother”, she said, stabbing another fry with her toothpick. Deciding to help out, Abigail stood. “I’ll come with you, Connor.”

Cat gently watched the majority of the Greeks depart from the large part of the bar that they’d been occupying. “Make sure that you don’t pick on too many of them, I’ve got a nice 10 mile run in full gear for any of our Legionnaires returning to the barracks intoxicated underage, and anyone late for duties will be joining them.” It was a tradition she and Jax had formerly run, and one she intended to continue running in her brother’s absence. She didn’t mind her soldiers enjoying themselves, but they had to always put their duty first. Arriving to duty hungover was unacceptable and it was not something she was willing to tolerate. “But do make sure that our soldier’s are minding their manners. I’d hate for anyone to get upset in such a tense time.”

Aidan’s face flushed and he shrugged. The situation had grown increasingly uncomfortable with Cat and Marcus’ presence, and it felt weird to receive what felt like a compliment from her. “Thank you Z, thank you Cat. And don’t worry, Marcus, I will be watching my intake. I’ve learned that lesson. The rather hard way.” He said remembering how hot and heavy that armor had been the full 10 miles. His muscles ached from the memory. “But maybe go easy on my fellow legionnaires? Gods know we could all use tonight as a break. All work and no play, you know.” He watched as the group split, most people going after his sister’s mysteriously lost purse. He wondered if she’d even brought it. “How’ve you been Z? I haven’t seen you in a hot minute.”

There was a lot to unpack at once. Z recalled, during the final declaration in front of the senate, that there was some sort of tension between Cat and Aidan, but the wording tonight from the centurion and also the man following her alluded to something more. The child of Hypnos would’ve given why a bit more thought, only the voices of a few familiar people caused his head to tilt away from those closest to him to garner a glance at the slight commotion. His ears could faintly pick up on them deciding to split up to look for Piper’s purse. He thought it was best to join them, since it would give him a chance to avoid whatever was about to happen before him with the Romans, but their talking drew him back in and his honey eyes snapped back to them quickly. “Never a dull moment for the Legion, I suppose,” he mused over the rim of his glass. Wagering a sip told him it was very much not water and he hated how smoothly the small bit of clear liquor went down without causing him to wince. “I’ve been as alright as I could be. It’s hard not falling victim to the ‘all work and no play’ sort of thing nowadays. I take it that it’s been fairly similar with people on your end as well?” His words were in the addressing of all the parties before him, not simply to Aidan. He didn’t want to be rude, no matter how much his skin crawled and itched at the thought of what sort of snap could possibly come from Cat or the, frankly, curt man with her.

Brock laughed and shrugged, picking his head up to look around at all that was going on. “Sure, though I think Aidan’s right, Marcus, go easy on them tonight. It’s not everyday that we get to go to a feast.” Roman life was hard and as understatements go, that was certainly one of them. But it made their parties, the times when they did relax all the better and everyone was more grateful for it. If he couldn’t relax tonight, on day when everyone was suppose to be thankful for things, maybe his superiors were right and he was too rigid. “Maybe have a drink first, Marcus.”

Wally watched the group of Greeks leave as he stayed at the bar, deciding to wait on Z. It was a few more minutes until he heard the sound of his boyfriends voice. Turning around, he saw him talking to the kid who Wally had looked after children with. He smiled, happy to see that Z was making friends. He looked back and realized his shot had been sitting there, waiting for him. He threw it back and grabbed his other drink, and went to join Z by putting an arm around his waist and saying hello to both him and Aidan. “Nice night for a party. How’re you boys?”

“Definitely.” Aidan replied. “Reconstruction efforts, civilian complaints…” He sighed, shaking his head and grinned. “And children watching. Wally here sure knows his way around the kids.” He greeted the man as he appeared. Aidan felt like gushing over how cute the pair were, but he held himself together for his current superiors. “I’m pretty good, and how are you? Did you get called back to the daycare since last time? I’m sure the kids wondered why you haven’t been back yet.”

Nico was never huge on social gatherings. The whole idea had his anxiety skyrocketing, but given the general atmosphere of New Rome following the full blown war he'd completely missed out on, he figured making an appearance would be a good thing, especially considering his history of attempting to maintain peace between the Romans and the Greeks. He arrived in an all black three piece suit, despite the fact that he absolutely hated dressing up, but a dress code was a dress code. The decor was breathtaking, and the reconstruction seemed to be heading in the right direction. Deciding against immediately seeking out human interaction, he made his way over to the bar and, after a millisecond long internal discussion about just how old he was (sometimes he forgot his exact age, given the fact that he was technically almost a century old), he ordered himself a Guinness and took a few small sips from the glass.

Percy had checked three bars across the square, doing his best to find Piper’s lost property. He had been enjoying the night well enough, and it only improved as he spotted the black three piece suit of Nico di Angelo. Drinking his typical pint of Guinness, Percy wondered if his friend drank Guinness for the aesthetic or whether he genuinely enjoyed the taste. Either way there was something striking about his appearance. “Nico!” Percy beamed, “I was wondering if you would show up.” Turning to the bartender he ordered himself another drink. The waiters that were moving around the room with Champagne seemed to have disappeared for the moment and Percy wanted to try reconnect with his friend, if he possibly could. “Isn’t the party going well?” he asked as the bartender passed him a pint of Blue Moon. Sadly the drink itself wasn’t actually blue, but the name at least made up for it a little bit.

Nico had no intention of moving from his spot at the bar just yet. Social interaction was draining, something he had to work himself towards. He’d blown through a quarter of his Guinness before he made out a familiar face moving through the crowd and towards him, a small smile forming on his lips. “Figured I'd at least make an appearance.” he responded, turning his body toward his friend. “I think so, yeah. Part of me forgets you guys were at each other's throats not too long ago, but then I spotted a couple Legionnaires giving me the stink eye.” he added with a light laugh. “I think things are going in the right direction for the most part, though.”

Percy had to admit that he was pleased to see his friend. Slipping his hand into his jacket pocket, he reassured himself by patting the pen which would transform into Riptide on the inside pocket of his jacket. Sipping at the hoppy larger he’d been given, Percy shrugged. “We were all manipulated into fighting one another, that’s something that’s going to take time to adjust to that,” sighing gently he took another long drink and sat silently. “The tension seems undeniable.” He sighed gently and shrugged. “But these things are the best worked out in social situations with a shit tonne of booze and food, right?”

Connor accepted the company and began checking the entrances. “No luck, this is really strange. I’m sure it’ll show up sometime though. He shrugged and dug his hands into his pockets, slowly heading over to a bar and ordering shots. “I suppose we should reward ourselves for the effort.” He states as 5 shots per person were poured. They were called sours and weren’t potent but 5 of them were surely to get the party going. He took all 5 swiftly and tilted his head back to enjoy the head rush. Spinning, he turned to locate everyone. He noted Percy’s location, watched as Marcus seemed to leave the party and finally his eyes fell on Cat. He stared as anger boiled. He couldn’t believe how stubborn and selfish someone could be. Not offering help to refugees simply because she’s helped the Romans already and was busy rebuilding. Perhaps it was the alcohol crowding his judgement but he spat on the floor and pulled a subtle middle finger at the Roman before turning and ordering his favorite drink. “I hate her.” He said to whomever was still with him after the shots and the purse hunt.

Cat hadn’t seen Connor’s less than subtle attempt at swearing at her. Mainly because as she had been crossing the square, she had noticed a small bag. Squatting down delicately, she scooped it up and returned to her less than lofty heights. Although the heels she wore allowed her to stand above her usual stature. Opening the purse, she flicked through it to find an ID. Piper Mclean. Interesting. Cat hadn’t exactly ever talked to Jason Grace’s former flame, and though she was sure that Piper was as insufferable as the rest of the heroes of the prophecy who had earned their fame through a few lucky quests, unlike her prestigious career through the Legion, leading and fighting for her people as it should be done. She was aware that a purse had been lost, and set out to return it to its owner. They had to at least pretend to play at peace right?

Connor turned and leaned his back against the bar, taking a sip of his drink, his eyes scanned the crowd again. It was a habit of his, searching the crowd for potential targets even if he had no plans of stealing anything. That’s when his eyes landed on Cat yet again. Seeing the purse that clearly did not match her outfit, he squinted and pieced things together. He launched himself off the bar and stormed off towards her. “I see you’ve found a purse, how convenient after Piper’s had just gone missing. I don’t suppose that’s hers is it?” He stood in her path, arms folded across his chest. “If you’re done doing who knows what with her belongings, I’ll return it to her thanks.” He held his hand out for her to hand the purse over.

Cat had no intention of speaking to impudent Greek that was angrily crossing the square across from her. However it soon became clear to her that Connor had every intention of speaking to her. Not even bothering to suppress the roll of her eyes she tutted at him. “Are you always this arrogant and rude?” she asked with a sneer quickly dancing across her face before she composed herself. “For your information, I only just picked this up, unlike you children of Hermes I have no intention or desire to steal. If I wanted this purse then I’d simply purchase it. However as this is hardly my sort of taste,” she looked somewhat disdainfully at the purse and frowned gently, “now if you’ll excuse me then I shall return this myself, I don’t need your interference, please step aside and next time remember who you’re speaking to. I’m not one of your cabin mates from Camp Half Blood. I’m a centurion of the twelfth Legion, I don’t owe you any explanation.”

“Actually, yeah I am.” Connor spat. “Especially to people that have given me a clear reason for me to be rude to them.” He spoke with confidence and met her gaze. “It’s not the purse you wanted, it was the information. Like you said, you’re a Centurion of the twelfth Legion, it’s your job to collect information on people who could be a threat, maybe you’re just collecting knowledge of the Greeks so that next time you declare war against us, you’ll have a better fighting chance.” He laughed dryly. “Yeah, so you get your henchmen to do everything else for you, but this you’d like to do yourself? To paint yourself as a hero when you stole it in the first place? That’s the thing with Hermes kids like myself, we don’t just steal things, we know other criminals moves as well.”

Laughing quietly and mirthlessly at Connor, Cat actually had to place a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from really shrieking with laughter. “Ah, you’re truly a fool, I am more committed to the peace process than any of us, if you don’t remember it was my orders that had the senators taken into custody.” She would’ve liked to say that she hadn’t collected information on what she considered to the main strengths and weaknesses of all of the most powerful demigods who could be seen as a threat to her or to the Cult. “However, just because you’ve developed a vendetta against me and my people, like so many of your people is not of interest to me. I have nothing to benefit from painting myself as the hero over something so petty. You’re drunk and making a fool of yourself. Now I’ll ask you one more time step away from me and allow me to continue on my path. This is none of your concern. Go back to your drinks.”

“Connor.” Abigail said, resting her hand over his chest to stop him from possibly advancing over Cat. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was firm, commanding respect. In another life, she would’ve made a good commander. “Stop. It’s not worth it to pick a fight. Actually, it’s downright a bad idea. Peace is fragile right now. Don’t. Blow it.”

Past experiences had trained Annabeth to sense trouble brewing pretty quickly, though she was too far away to stop the confrontation between Connor and Catherine. She’d never been much of a peacekeeper herself, one much more likely to fall victim to her own pride, but even then her analytical mind knew that de-escalation would be the correct path here. Noting that there was already someone attempting to hold Connor back, she caught his eye for a moment, hand slightly tapping his back as she passed, hoping that he would take the hint to back down. Instead, she turned her attention to Cat, smile on her face. “ Thanks for finding it, but Piper’s a little tipsy at the moment, and would probably end up losing it again if you gave it to her now. We’ll take care of it for now, but I’ll let her know that you found it. ”

Raising an eyebrow at the situation, Cat dipped her head gently and nodded. Handing the purse gently and carefully over to Annabeth before taking a step away. She had no intention to further the conflict with Connor, she wasn’t nearly childish enough to do so, perhaps that wasn’t entirely true but she had airs to keep up. Her professionalism was meant to be the core of her personality. “Hopefully she doesn’t lose it again,” she turned and strode away, moving towards Marcus with a slight smirk. That had been somewhat satisfying.

The Legionnaires had a lot on their plates, but this was certainly not a concept localized for just them. Z couldn’t quantify the amount of work the Greeks were also busy with. His own workload was enough to make him dizzy sometimes. “That does seem like quite a bit—Oh!” he gasped out softly as an arm snaked around his form. He looked over, and then subsequently upward, to see his boyfriend’s face, and his heart skipped a beat. Thank the gods it wasn’t someone random. “Aidan was the one you were working with at the daycare? What a coincidence. We met while I was keeping some children company in a game of hide and seek.” The universe worked in mysterious ways, it seemed. It was basically fate that they meet, just as it seemed to be fate that some sort of loud conversation broke out at an event for peace. As short as he was, he couldn’t quite see over the heads of other partygoers, but he did catch the faintest of sights of Connor and what sounded to be Cat’s voice as well over the cacophony of others. A frown graced his face as he fiddled with the glass between his hands.

Aidan sighed, thinking about how cute Wally and Z were, wishing he too would someday find something like they had. Or at least had thought to bring a date to dance with. It felt like a middle school dance, as tensions kept most the groups to the bar and food areas. Chatting quietly. At least it was passive until he heard the commotion, and felt a vague sense of dejavú watching Connor drunkenly yell at Cat. He just felt glad it wasn’t himself, not having even finished the glass in hand. Aidan downed it and trying to keep a smile on his face as he began to feel suffocated from the ensuing silence cleared his throat. “Brock- would you uh, would you care to dance?” He asked, trying to change the subject. “I love the-the cha cha slide, everyone… knows it…” He trailed off, hoping someone would jump to his aid. Surely he wasn’t the only uncomfortable one.

The Dominus has watched eagerly as the party had progressed. Tension burning bright after all the chaos they’d caused for them lingered in the back of their minds. Placing their empty palm on a sphere of crystal they stepped forward and cleared their throat before exerting their will on the magical artefact in their possession. Across the city, in the unity feast a shimmering apparition appeared before darkening into a silhouette made of pure shadow. With a voice like nails being dragged across slate, the Dominus began their first address. “Demigods. I hope you have enjoyed tonight’s festivities as it may be one of your last.” They pause for dramatic effect, drinking in the silence that had fallen on the crowd. “I appear before you tonight with some information for all if you. An omen, a warning. By now, you are aware that there is a cult that has burrowed and wormed its way into the city’s roots and corrupted almost every aspect of this society. The members of this cult are among us as I speak, yet in the shadows, they hide. The cult is one of the most powerful forces in New Rome, and it obeys my bidding now. I have poisoned this city, and used the cult to do so. Watch in despair as your hopes rot away, leaving nothing behind, you are witnesses of the end of New Rome. Your city will soon collapse in terror and despair. You may be asking yourself who I am, well that’s easy. I, am simply known, as the Dominus. A name that will be on your tongues as you die in the rubble of this fallen city. Enjoy tonight, as soon the time of reckoning will be upon you.” The Dominus stepped away from his artefact and the vision cut off, a moment later the unity feast exploded into a chaotic roar of questions and shouts, confusion and concern enveloping the whole group.

#f&gevent #unity feast

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