#it’s so exciting whenever it pops back up in my notifs

[worryfornaught]

#the term is soulmate #actually it’s t’hy’la but u know

@cryptiique how does it feel to be so incredibly correct

So many labels, and none quite seem to fit...

[cheqorb]

More Between Us.

You’ve always been just friends, but they can’t ignore how their heart races whenever you’re near.

FEAT. Isagi, Bachira

NOTES. probably my most tooth-rotting post yet! annnd I totally forgot I had this in my drafts Bring this duo back to me though pleasj

ISAGI is easygoing, and mild-mannered by nature (though perhaps his rivals disagree on that). It’s literally harder to not be friends with him. Your relationship was equally good, nothing particularly special and not abysmal. The type of friends who might talk on the way to class if you spot each other, but never go out of their way to do so either.

If asked, you wouldn’t even say best friends; he’s too busy with his teammates, and you have your own friend group.

See, Isagi enjoys thinking about stuff in a logical sense, using reason and evidence to support his ‘theory’. Both in real life and in football.

So before he even comes to the conclusion of a crush, firstly, there’s the small details he picks up about you.

Your eyes shift colour slightly if the sun hits them right. But, he reckons that happens with everyone’s eyes. Your eyes crinkle upwards when you smile, and maybe even dimples form on your cheeks as you do so. He likes seeing people smile, and yours is… in a way, cuter than anyone else’s? If he had to rank smiles, he’d put yours near the top. All hypothetical, obviously!

He’s always been observant, even as a kid, so Isagi figured he was just feeling a little more insightful as of late but it doesn’t stop there.

Suddenly, Isagi finds himself unconsciously lingering in places he knows you'll be. He tells himself it's just coincidence, but deep down, he has a feeling that he’s seeking you out more often.

Practicing with his team becomes a lot more strategic, with him making sure he's near your usual route home (not in a stalker way, at least, he hopes not), and just on time so that he can ‘bump into you’ and walk together.

And he lives in the complete opposite direction, so, while you don’t mind his presence, you find it a little odd.

Isagi begins to remember every little thing you mention, even the small stuff, like your favorite snack or the song you've been listening to on repeat. Next thing you know, he’s casually surprising you with them, acting like it’s no big deal but loves it when you get visibly excited about it.

He fumbles with his words a little more around you now, overthinking simple things that never used to bother him. It’s not like he’s shy (actually one of the best communicators out of everyone), he just doesn’t want to mess up or make you think he’s weird!

If he says something that could be interpreted as mildly creepy, he’s actually the first one to call it out and apologise over and over again. Beats himself up about it at home, even if you thought it was mildly funny that he knew what you were doing last week Tuesday at around 5:06PM…

When his teammates joke about him having a crush, he laughs it off, but there’s always a little pink in his cheeks that he hopes you don’t notice.

He'll start texting you first more often, just to share something funny or ask for your opinion on something trivial. It’s an excuse, really, just to have another reason to talk to you.

Also catches himself smiling whenever he sees a notification from you pop up on his phone, and his heart does a little flip when he reads your replies, no matter how mundane they are. Literally a “hey, I’m bored. Wanna hang out” is enough for him to lose sleep over it.

When you two do eventually go to said hang out, he pays extra attention to you: whether it's making sure you’re comfortable, or that you’ve got enough to eat, he’s always subtly looking out for you.

Despite all these signs, Isagi convinces himself it’s better this way — giving you small hints for you to understand rather than straight-up confessing. If you notice them and accept, great! If you notice and don’t accept, that’s fine too, he hopes you can remain friends though!

If you’re completely oblivious, well… he’ll muster up the courage to say it outright.

You and BACHIRA are like two peas in a pod together! Where there’s one, the other’s probably lurking nearby somewhere. Every second of every day seems to be spent with each other (and to anybody with common sense, you two already look like you’re dating).

When the crush starts, he thinks about you more than he already did, if that were even possible. Every little thing you do seems to make his heart race, but he sorta brushes it off as just excitement from being with his best friend.

Kind of a trickier situation than Isagi’s one this way though, because now you’re so close, Bachira doesn’t even feel that different about you. He might not even realise it’s romantic until his mother points it out in the midst of another one of his rambling sessions. About you, that is.

I won’t sugarcoat it; he’s nervous if anything. You’re one of the few friends he has and genuinely seem to care and like about him and if he ruins your friendship over his feelings, he’d be devastated.

But he’s back to his usual self and gains a little confidence after some encouragement from others!

Bachira’s clinginess ramps up a notch, but it’s so typical of him that you might not even notice. He’s constantly draping an arm around you, leaning on you, or just being in your personal space as much as possible.

Willing to share anything and everything with you. For example, if it’s snacks he’s got, he’s always picking out the best pieces just for you and handing them over with a cute smile.

Bachira finds himself staring at you a lot more now. Sometimes you’ll catch him and he’ll just laugh it off with a playful comment, but on the inside, his mind is racing with thoughts he can’t quite put into words.

When you talk, he listens with full attention, his usual playful demeanor softening into something more tender. He hangs onto your every word like it’s the most important thing he’s ever heard — and you could literally be talking about a bug you saw on the sidewalk this morning.

If you ever need anything, Bachira’s the first one to jump in and help, no questions asked. He’d go out of his way just to make you smile, even if it means a truckload of extra effort on his part.

Sometimes, he hints at deeper feelings in his usual roundabout way — in little jokes that might just have a hint of truth behind them. But he always plays it off as just that, a joke.

If you’re feeling down, he’s the first to notice, offering comfort in the form of goofy antics or just sitting with you in silence if that’s what you want.

If you ever confront him directly and ask if he feels something more than just being friends, Bachira might just spill everything in a rush of words; unable to keep his feelings hidden any longer. But until then, he’s content simply being by your side, even if it means he isn’t being entirely honest to himself.

[shuenkio]

Birthday present | Psh. 🎁

Paring: Sunghoon x M!reader | Genre: Fluff

ᯤ Synopsis: He was unhappy with the gift that you gave him, SH was mad but what kind of present did he truly want?

ᯤ Cw: None maybe.

ᯤ Non proof read | Eng is not my first.

ᯤ This is a work of fanfiction, do not throw unnecessary tantrums on this nsfw/sfw blog. ©Shuenkio

ᯤ Crd to all the owner [dv/pics]

A✓N: probably disappear after this one for real[fr], the exam is under my nose and here I am, writing delusional thoughts. 🫂

To be friends with Sunghoon was so easy; you don't get why all those girls say it's so hard like this, it's so hard like that. When m/n just go and give Sunghoon a bottle of water one time after his practice for the match as a figure skater.

Ever since then, you and him get along pretty quickly, or maybe you're just his teammates? Privilege, of course. But little did you know that Sunghoon is not the type to express his heart or how he feels about something, nor is an exciting surprise out of his expression. He was indeed a cold person, to be honest.

Yet you can still hang out with Sunghoon; having enough patience to be there for him whenever he's spacing out, freezing, is like sometimes you wonder if you have a robot friend. Cloud began to set into a breathtaking sight of night, filled with the city lights lit up. It was time to go back home after a long, intense day of practicing. Sunghoon is not here because he had finished before you ever since this morning.

Checking your phone for a time, you saw a reminder pop up on your notification.

"Sunghoon's birthday today; let's post and wish for him."

Oh, it's actually his birthday; maybe time flies too fast to even think about anything; December 8 is here already. Furrow your brow, rubbing your chin with your slender fingers. Having deep thoughts, what should you give him for his special day? He's not the type who loves luxury things like men do, such as watches, belts, or whatever you just know he'd not too plead at it.

Pop, you suddenly get an idea by gifting him glasses because he likes them a lot. Wait, what if he doesn't like it? Perhaps winter is approaching; a scarf wouldn't be that bad, isn't it? It's keeping everyone warm; each one of us needs it. A scarf that it. Must stop by a fashion store before heading home to see him at his place.

7 p.m. comes by in a blink of an eye, and you find yourself knocking on his door. You didn't realize that he'd be throwing a party and celebrating with his family and friends; all you had in mind was to deliver him his gift. The door cracked open, revealing a taller figure. In front of you, Sunghoon, who had a birthday hat around his head. Funny, because he's not into childish stuff; it must be his mom.

"M/N, you're here! Uh, what are those?" Seeing a plastic bag in your hand makes him wonder what it could be. As you respond quickly by saying it was his gift, so then both of you get inside the house first. The party is still ongoing, yet some of his relatives are already full, which makes the house empty for some reasons.

Settled down all of your stuff in one place as you make your way to where Sunghoon are. He was in a kitchen, pouring soda into two empty cups. Tapping him on the shoulder while your hand is holding a bag behind your back, ready to surprise him even if he won't be surprised anyway.

"M/n? Here, soda, you must be tired from the training!" Said from a tipsy guy, handing you a cup. You didn't accept it yet till you finally handed him the gift you've been wanting to give him before taking the cup. Sunghoon didn't realize he was smiling from ear to ear the moment M/N gave him.

Whether he was surprised or not, a gift is a gift; it was meant to be a little curious. What could that be, isn't it? Fishing inside the brand plastic bag, he found a vintage scarf inside; it suits his skin tone well though, despite being as pale as snow. He then unwrapped and blanketed his neck with his new scarf. Did he like it? You bet he might not by the face he made right now, catching you off guard a little.

"Did you like it? Sunghoon, we've been friends for ages, but I can't deny what your favorite thing is you love the most. Sorry, Hyung, if that's not on your... expected list." Feeling a little hurt and guilty, a present is meant to be accepted in all kind the guest gives, while Sunghoon did otherwise.

"I don't like it, quite much m/n; you should know me better." With a smile that almost wiped his cheeks, Sunghoon frowned, unhappy. The scarf on his neck, the item you spend time thinking deep to find one—guess you're wrong this year. Sigh, you have to make it up to him this time; anything will do.

"Sorry, really, I'll find something more perfect for you; just say it." Picking on your finger's nails, you determined you'd do as Sunghoon told; one word will do; that's all Sunghoon needs to say. The taller's lit up slightly; this is the moment he has been waiting for for years. Anything? Sunghoon likes it.

"We have been friends for ages, right m/n?"

"Yeah?"

"Then, let's not be friends anymore; I'm tired of this friendship." Nani? Goosebumps were running and throwing your skin as your heart sank deeper than a Titanic ship. Did he really say that? What did you do wrong to be as guilty or bad for him to have the guts to no longer want to be friends with you?

"What do you mean, Sunghoon? I've never done anything wrong, am I? Right?" Tears are almost forming; a waterfall could break anytime soon. To prevent that, Sunghoon takes a rewind turn and gets into the point then. He was afraid you'd be a cry mess if he didn't spit any loner.

"Be my boyfriend instead; I hate that I can't be more than a friend! I wanna love you, m/n," placing your palm on your chest; if only only you had heart issues, a second won't spare. M/N almost nearly fainted with the sudden confession from a friend of his, who is the cold-hearted guy. This is something.

"Kill me now."

"I'll take that... As a yes, my boyfriend." 

[hmhas-00]

CH. 3

Hit Me Hard & Soft

word count - 1k

A/N- Don’t forget to like & rb! Chapter 4 coming out on Thursday! I can’t wait to get into ittttt ୨୧⠀

Remy’s POV

The crumpled, yellow paper in my hands taunted me days later. $425 in big, bold, black letters. For parking near a handicap ramp. Near. Even though it wasn’t. It was probably half a car away from mine! Unlocking my laptop, I thought about the dent in my bank account after paying this off.

“Can’t you go to court and try to get them to take it back?” Billie scrolled through TikTok, sprawled out on the couch across from me.

“I didn’t take a picture of my parking. I have no proof.” I sighed, blowing my bangs out of my face.

She locked her phone, placing it on her chest. “I’m sorry, Rem. That sucks.” A sympathetic half smile formed on her face.

“I literally can’t afford this right now.” My hands ran thru my hair and rubbed my eyes dry.

Billie got up and floated over to me, sitting on the floor right next to me and grabbing my laptop from my hands. “Hey…” she murmured. “I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry.”

I took the laptop back and placed it on the floor in front of me, shutting it gently. “No, no way. I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking me. I want to!” She grabbed the parking ticket off the coffee table and typed the website into her phone.

“Billie you know how I feel about that. Stop, give it here.”

She looked at me, unable to comprehend why $425 was such a big deal. She could pay everyone’s parking tickets for a year and still have enough to spare. But, I’ve always been so independent and adamant about it. I was proud of my studio apartment in Highland Park, even if it was nothing grand or luxurious. I did that all on my own, with no one’s help, and it felt great. Most of the time.

“You’re so stubborn. Why won’t you accept anyone’s help?” She shook her head.

That was the question, wasn’t it? I always took care of everyone and didn’t exactly know how to let others take care of me. Maybe it was the home I grew up in. Maybe it was the generational trauma. Maybe I was just a stubborn bitch.

I dropped down dramatically and rested my head on her criss-crossed lap. She took my face in her cold hands and looked at me, upside down. “You’re gonna end up a lonely old lady with lots of cats.” She leaned down and touched her nose to mine. “You can’t always be so tough.” She sat back up and played with my hair.

“I’ll put it on my credit card. That’s next month’s problem.” I pretended I wouldn’t stress about it for the next couple of weeks. “Are you excited about tour?” I changed the subject, watching her sit up straight, then lean back on her two hands.

“Ah! Yes, psyched! Just sucks my family can’t come with.” This would be her first time touring without Finneas, since he had his own tour. “Come wiff mee?” She asked in her baby voice.

“You know I can’t. But I’ll go see you whenever I can. I promise.” I assured her, holding out my pinky. She didn’t return the favor. “Heyyy” I forced her to pinky promise with me.

“You don’t love mee.” She teased in that silly voice.

I sat up, walking my laptop over to the kitchen counter. I quickly entered my payment credentials as Billie laid flat on the floor. “I’m gonna order food. What do you want?” She held her phone in the air over her face.

Suddenly a notification popped up on the corner of my Mac screen. My phone buzzed on the floor next to Billie.

Gabriel: So reservation for 2 tonight? 3:07pm

I ignored it, finishing out my parking violation. It buzzed again. I looked to the right top corner.

Gabriel: What was that place you used to like downtown?

Billie sat up with ny phone in her hands. “This better be Gabriel Iglesias.” She unlocked my phone and read through the conversation.

I walked over and tried to rip the phone away. “Bro.”

“Remy, seriously? You’re gonna go out with this douche?”

“No! I’m not!” I continued fighting for my phone, failing as she held her arm stiffly on my forehead.

“That’s not what it seems like! I mean, why are you even entertaining this clown? Are you really going to put yourself through this again?”

“Billie! I’m just being nice! It’s just small talk. It’s not going to go anywhere!”

“You care about what he’s been up to, meanwhile he doesn’t even care about the damage he did! Did he ask you how long it took for you to get over him?”

I opened my mouth, but couldn’t even say anything to that. Just yanked it out of her hand and stood up, deleting the conversation. “There. It’s done. Do you want me to block him too?” I walked away, shoving the phone in my pocket. I knew she was right.

“I’m just trying to protect your heart because you won’t do it yourself.”

“I can take care of myself. I always have.” I snapped, crossing my arms.

“Okay.” She stood up, raising her hands up defensively, then began to get her stuff.

“Don’t leave…” My hands dropped to my sides. I gazed at her softly, apologizing with my eyes. “Why is this such a big deal to you?” I quietly asked.

She had her head low, messing with her glasses. “I’m going to miss the fuck out of you on tour, Remy, and I just don’t want you to be here getting hurt by that asshole again. That’s all.” She said, sincerely. “I don’t like the way that you can’t put people in their place. You let them take advantage of you, and I hate it.”

“Billie, that’s not happening again, okay? I’m not even gonna reply.”

She did everything in her power to put me back together again after hurricane Gabriel, and she just wanted me to be okay. I grabbed her hand and led her back to the couch, pulling her down with me.

“I was just trying to act unbothered, I guess. Wanted him to see I was fine without him…” I shook my head, brushing my hair to the side, feeling stupid.

“Remy, I’m saying this because I love you… He. Doesn’t. Care.” She said it sternly, but lovingly. That really hit hard, mostly because I hate to face it, but especially because it’s true.

“You deserve better.”

⊹ ࣪ ˖⊹ ࣪˖⊹ ࣪ ⊹ ࣪ ⊹ ࣪ ˖⊹ ࣪˖⊹ ࣪ ⊹ ࣪ ⊹ ࣪ ˖⊹ ࣪˖⊹ ࣪ ⊹ ⊹ ࣪ ˖⊹ ࣪˖⊹ ࣪ ⊹ ⊹ ࣪ ˖⊹ ࣪˖⊹ ࣪ ⊹ ࣪

Billie’s POV

“You deserve better.” The words rolled off my tongue, and into the silent room. My eyes trailed off to her neck, following the light freckles scattered under her collar bone. My heart was in my throat, wanting to pour out into a million words. I didn’t know how, though.

I brought my gaze up to her watery eyes, filled with emotion. Then, I felt as though my eyes were burning a hole on her rose colored lips, noticing the corner lines they formed as she tried to give me a subtle smile.

“Yeah, you say that a lot.” She said in almost a whisper. Her voice was breathy and shaky, like she wanted to cry. Wrapping my arm around her, she nuzzled into my shoulder and exhaled.

I just wanted keep her wrapped in my arms, safe from the rest of the world. Was that selfish?

“I mean it.” I choked up. “I don’t want to leave you.” The words escaped my mouth too soon to think about.

“You’ll be fine. You’re going to be great.” She sniffled.

“Will you?” I worried about her.

Not that it was necessary. I mean, she’s the strongest person I know. It’s the way she’s getting thrown around by life right now. Working her ass off for a company that doesn’t even reward her for all the energy and time she puts in, and sending money to her dad… She loved her parents dearly, but she enabled them. They didn’t always make the best choices, and Remy was always fixing their mistakes. Her dad depended on her from time to time, and Remy was always there on time to help. She took care of people. That’s who she was to her core, often not by choice.

God, after all, she’s the one who made Gabriel as successful as he became. Believe it or not, they met at work, while he was a coffee intern for her boss. She put a good word in for Gabe, and her boss gave him the promotion that came with a raise and a way higher position instead of Remy. The asshole never thanked her. He just believed he deserved it, and so did she.

“I’ll be okay. I want you to go and give your fans everything you got, and belt out every note confidently. Know I’ll be cheering you on every night from here.” She patted her couch. “Okay?”

I let the silence fill the air, knowing if I said anything else I might cry. It would be a long tour without my tight-knit support team.

“I’m sorry, I must be so frustrating to deal with. You have so much on your plate and I’m-“ Her voice broke, taking her head off my shoulder, revealing the tears running down her cheeks.

“No, Rem, I’m sorry I went off on you. You’re just everyth-“ I stopped myself, feeling my face hot and my nose runny. I cleared my throat, “You’re my best friend and I want you to have everything you want.”

My stomach flipped inside out as I brought my hands up to wipe her tears, hesitating a bit first. I did my best to clean the mascara off the corners of her eyes, while trying to see out of my own glossy ones.

“Why are we such little bitches right now.” She broke the tension, cry-laughing softly.

I was relieved she still had her sense of humor. Even if she used it to avoid serious conversations sometimes. I joined her sad giggles and she leaned her head back on my shoulder. I sighed, running my fingers through her hair.

We stayed like that for a while, zoning out into the background noise from whatever song played on her pastel yellow Crosley record player. I could stay forever in this cozy, old studio apartment, decorated by way too many plants. I loved that the sage green accent wall in the living room was so thin that you could hear the neighbors’ shared laughter when they had dinner together every night. I loved that Remy could cook in the kitchen and not have to yell across the room at me, sitting on this plush 2-person couch. I loved all of the movie night, writing sessions, and late night laughing-fits protected behind the small, creaky bedroom door. This is the safe place I don’t have to hide from cameras in, or roll up to 10 different security guards at.

“I’ll make us some banana pancakes.” Remy said, interrupting my thought process.

“At 4:30pm? Bet.” I chuckled.

The rest of the evening was exceptional. No more crying, just laughter per usual. We held a mini performance using cooking utensils as microphones, and after eating our pancakes, she laid her head on my lap, napping as I tried to write some new lyrics.

[miidnighters]

It's my birthday ! To celebrate, I wanted to put together a little shout out of people I love because it's the most surefire way to get compliments back in return (I'm kidding!). Thankyou so much for writing with me and mashing our barbies together and making this hellsite such a fun place to be.

Also, seeing how this has changed from my last shoutout at Christmastime - notably, the people I tagged as "people I love who I don't write with very much" but who now I write with or talk to every day lmao.

Please let this have tagged everyone I wanted to tag

@92328

I love u so much. U know I do. I love all the random questions u ask and ur request for Isaac Facts and the fact that you refer to Morgan as "Nora's Husband" and the way you wanna lock Flynn up in a tower to keep him a baby forever. Never change lmao.

@bloodykneestm

Bender ur characters are chefs kiss and our dynamics are chefs kiss and I get such a huge smile whenever I see u in my notifs (either here or on disco). I love the things we come up with together.

@cigarettesandcoffee

My darling! I know you're not writing a lot atm but it makes my day whenever we chat and whenever you pop up with some random love. All of our pairings are so good and I can't wait to see what we cook up for the others.

@draconisa

I know you're ALSO not writing a lot atm but Dany and Isaac have my whole heart plus everything that we're doing on the multi for everyone there like. My brain is still stuck on Harts and Vasile like. Does it get any better?

@epistrefei

HELLO. ARTEMIS. WOW. I am so in awe of the original spin you're able to put on such a well-known character - and it's not just Artemis and Billie, it's Barty and Flynn, and watching what you do with Zahrosa and so many others.

@exquisitexagony

Sami is my baby. The relationship they have with Flynn and Bella (or Bella and Arthur) and all the others is so special to me, as well as everything we have going on your other blogs (Callie and Shimi, for example? Yes).

@fangmother

Rainer is who I want to be when I grow up. If I could be half as confident and gave less fucks. I love seeing all the wild shit she gets up to and following her different relationships with people who have been in her life for varying lengths of time.

@freekzout

What can I say about the freekz? Callie and Funke's relationship is so special to me BUT also the friendships we've built? Lu and Ruth? Flynn and Ruth? Bella and the both of them? Not to mention your other blogs - Bella and Connie in particular.

@inrovina

Every relationship my characters have with Xeno is SO special. Flynn and Lake are SO special. I'm so excited for what other shenanigans they get up to and all the potential new stuff we're doing on your multi !

@kurjaks

I need to put this man in an enclosure and study him. I love him so much, and I love the careful way you've crafted him, and the truly unique way he carries and conducts himself. PLUS the way we chat ooc? Peak.

@mystiika

Every one of your muses is a darling to me. We've started creating such interesting relationships between a few of our muses in varying stages of romance or friendship and I cannot wait to do more with you.

@recitedemise

Every time I see you in my notifs I know I am getting fed the Good Shit. You have such a way with words and what we've crafted between Gale and Callie is really something special to me. Plus to varying relationships w Harts and Bella? Yes.

@sorrowsick

There is no muse of yours that I don't love down bad. We have some truly batshit stuff going on and I know that I can always come to you with the wildest ideas and we can make it work. I am truly your biggest fan.

@soulmissed

August is the only child character I write with and I think that says something bc it's hard to write a child without them being too much of a caricature and it's hard to build relationships without them being one-note but you so it SO well, so we have such beautiful ties.

@starlyht

One of the true lights of my life I adore seeing u on my dash and in my notifs. We have some great ties between our characters and I truly love seeing your thoughts on lycanthropy or drow society or whatever takes your fancy.

@stcllata

I love that every pairing we toss together just seems to Work lmao. Whatever the situation, whoever the muse, we can always put them together and come out with something good. And by good I often mean shippy but like. Who's gonna tell us no?

@tewwor

I am so in awe of your mind and your worldbuilding, and I am so lucky to be able to play in these spaces you've built. I love the relationships we've built and I love that we can throw different characters together to see what sticks.

@vitalphenomena

I say this with the UTMOST affection but this is the most messed up roster of characters I've ever seen and I adore writing with them. I adore exploring all the different facets of their characters and how my characters interact with their struggles bc they're NOT perfect.

@whileurmine

If I see a man over 30 on my dash, odds are it's you. I love your roster and I love our OOC hate sessions and I love that we can both puck up and put down starters like nothing. Whether it's something established or a new idea we can always put a pair together.

@yxkanna

I know you're ALSO not writing atm but I have to let you know how much I love you and your babies. Not just Nick but all of them. We have some really interesting dynamics both platinic and romantic and I can't wait until you're back to pick them up.

And then of course some other shoutouts of people I don't love any less but perhaps don't write with or talk to as often <3 (which should change, honestly. Come yap w me <3)

@abysswarden | @berylcluster | @bucketkicked | @byanyan

@coastercrushed | @corsey | @cragsnow | @demonstigma

@downspirals | @fvzzyelf | @godstrayed | @hegrudges

@idnull | @kxllerblond | @lcngdays | @nabaidhean-neonach

@platiinums | @pohlepen | @redemnation | @strszyga

@withbeasts | @xinxiins

[jasntodds]

Penance [1]

Pairing: Jason Todd x Fem!Powered!Reader

Words: 7,340

Chapter Warnings: Swearing, angst, mentions of death, mentions of injuries, a little blood, a little bit of violence

Summary: ❝Thesus: Stop. Give me your hand. I am your friend. Herakles: I fear to stain your clothes with blood. Thesus: Stain them. I don’t care.❞

It’s been a month and a half since Crane’s reign of terror was stopped, leaving Gotham to finally return to normal. But, what is normal? After everything Jason and you have been through, it seems normal might be some unobtainable dream state. But that’s not going to stop either of you from trying and maybe, you’ll get lucky in the end. At the end of it, the two of you have suffered enough, right?

Right?

A/N: It's finally the last book!! I'm honestly so excited lol You don't have to read the previous books to read this one but if you want context, feel free to ask!! You can add yourself to the tag list below, ask me to be tagged, or you can follow my library blog @jasntoddslibrary  and turn on notifications if you prefer that!! I love feedback, I swear it keeps me posting on a weekly basis 😭

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Everything is different. Somehow, everything has changed so much over the last month and a half everything that happened before almost feels like some sort of sick fever dream. It's all very real and all of it happened but everything is different today. At least, to Jason it feels different.

Gotham itself is pretty much the same. Bruce has been back and doing his whole Batman thing. The only difference is he doesn't have a Robin now but his methods remain the same, it's the same routine for him, same big bads. It's the same for him. The businesses that were boarded up during Crane's reign are up and running, everything looking to be the same just as it was before. The air around the city is still smoggy and the rain is still cold and wet. The streets sound the same just as they always did and the gargoyle keeps Jason company just as it did before. So much is the same but he feels like everything is different.

Instead of him and Bruce butting heads over him being Robin, they're butting heads over his methods. Bruce has no issue with Red Hood but he does have a problem with the killing part of it. And Jason won't budge. He swears he's not bitter about what happened but he is firm in his belief that change needs to happen. It stops with him and Bruce can either fight him or get on board. They are trying to come to some sort of agreement which is significantly better than how it would have went before. Bruce keeps the Robin suit in the case. He won't tell Jason why.

Their relationship is different now. Jason thinks it might be for the better.

He hopes it's for the better.

His living situation is different than it was before. He has his own place, the main safe house he used while Crane ran the city. It's not anything too special yet and Jason doesn't have too many things that are his but it's coming along. And that is his. It almost feels like it did when he was on the streets but this time, it is his choice. It is his choice to be alone here. And he owns it. No one can come and kick him out, no one can come and arrest him for trespassing and breaking and entering, it is his. It might feel lonely sometimes after living with Bruce and the Titans for so long but it is his and it brings him some sort of pride in a way.

He works with Barbara mostly now. Whenever something a bit more dicey pops up or Bruce is busy, she calls Jason. It's his literal job now and he would be lying if he said he didn't like it. Him and Babs get along better now. Actually, him and the Titans get along better now. There's still plenty of work to be done but his relationship with them has been on the mend, something he is eternally grateful for. He still owes them.

Then there's you.

Things are different with you.

"I will be back as soon as the threat is taken care of." Bruce states as he grabs a few things from the Batcave. "Are you sure you can handle this?" Bruce asks, not because of his lack of confidence in Jason's abilities but rather his general mental health.

"I got it, man." Jason brushes him off. "Nothing I haven't done before. You've gone with the Justice League plenty of times." Jason holds back his snippy attitude, trying his best to level with Bruce and not let his anger get the best of him.

"Before you were..." Bruce trails off in a way that makes Jason shift his weight off his bad leg. "Robin." He nods once, sternly and hard. "That was before."

"I'm fine." Jason nearly whines, desperate to not get into that. They don't talk about it. "I got it." He gestures his arms out casually.

"Okay." Bruce states with a sigh. "Do not blow anything or anyone up again." Bruce warns.

The touch of a smirk pulls at his lips. "I don't know what the fuck you're talking about."

There may have been an explosion near Harbor last week with some gun runners inside. Jason may or may not have been in the area patrolling. And that group may or may not have been the group Jason had been tracking over the last few days. Jason does think the explosion really helped though. They got all the guns and all the people involved in one sweep. Seemed efficient.

"I know it was you." Bruce states easily.

"Nope." Jason shakes his head but the grin is tugging at his lips, knowing damn well he's guilty.

Bruce lets out a sigh, not bothering to argue with him over it. "Just...keep it down, Jason." Bruce states and he's gone out of town a hundred times but something about this being the first time since Jason died and has been brought back almost makes him nervous.

Jason can handle himself. He's been doing it. This is only his second time in the Batcave over the last month and a half and only his third time back at the manor. He's doing well on his own, all things considered, but he is Bruce's son and Bruce does worry even if he doesn't show it.

"It'll be fine, just go. I got it all handled. Pick up your job you're working, almost got the one from Babs and..." Jason pauses feeling his mouth run dry. "Molly said y/n's got a few she's working."

Bruce eyes him, knowing very little but knowing enough about the situation between the two of you. "You should call her." Bruce tries to say it casually.

"No." Jason states simply. "And you're not allowed to give me advice here. The one that got away? Seriously, man?" Jason lets out a scoff.

Of all people, Jason does not want relationship advice from Bruce. Bruce had a solid chance with Selina and apparently, he's still hung up on her and is doing nothing about it. He could have had something great with Talia, too but that didn't end well. Jason is not looking to take advice from Bruce and he's thinking he shouldn't be taking much relationship advice from anyone he knows. No one seems to be getting that department together anytime soon. The way he sees it, this is fine.

It's fine.

"How did Tim know that?" Bruce questions Jason plainly.

"He stalks us." Jason nearly chortles.

"Well, that is all my advice. Call her, Jason." Bruce nods once at him.

"I'm good." Jason shakes his head. "Now go before Clark shows up and drags you back with him."

Bruce lets out a sigh, making his way through the living room. Bruce offered to let him stay at the manor which Jason declined. He's on his own. He can't come back here. If he's even being honest, he's only thinking Bruce called him to "look out over his jurisdictions" just to check up on him, make sure he feels useful as if Jason doesn't have his own work he's doing. Somewhere in his chest he wants to be mad and fight back over it, swear it's because Bruce doesn't think he can handle it so he's setting him up to prove a point to get him back. But Jason bites it all back, deciding to tell his mind to shut up for fucking once and let this just play out.

He sees Leslie once a week and that helps. He thinks he'll just tell her about it.

Jason finds himself back at the place he's calling home, enabling the alarms once he's safe inside. It's messy and somewhere in the back of his head, he can hear the echo of your voice telling him he should clean because he's not busy now. And he looks at the stuff on the floor, almost willing himself to listen, and then he heads upstairs anyway.

If Jason Todd is good at anything, it's being alone. He's been alone almost his whole life. Even when his dad was around, he was drunk or mean...so he was alone. Even when his mom was alive, she was usually high. She wasn't really with him very much. He adapted to what it's like to be alone. To fend for himself always and somewhere deep in his broken heart, he wishes it weren't this way but he's good at it. He has always pushed until he was alone. He is a natural disaster ripping through the hearts of people who love him so maybe being alone has always been better for him. At least the only thing left to destroy is himself.

Even if being lonely is some of the worst kind of hurt. But this is his penance.

One day, he swears, it won't be like this. That's the point of talking to Leslie and getting along with Bruce and being himself today. One day it won't be like this. A day will come when he won't have to punish himself for all the hurt he's caused. He won't have to punish himself for all the scars he bears at the hands of others and himself. One day he won't have to punish himself for the person he could have been. It just has to be like this today. So, Jason goes up to his room where he keeps his training equipment and monitors and he starts to work on the cipher until it's time for patrol.

The city is warm tonight. Cars are crowding the streets while people walk home from their Saturday night out and a smile pulls at your lips from under your mask as you watch the people below you. Patrol has just started and you're mostly waiting and listening, knowing something is going to happen because it always does on Saturday nights. But, you'd be lying if you said you don't like the view from where you are. Something about Gotham always being pretty at night.

The smog isn't visible, it doesn't look dreary as it usually does during the day. It's just street lights and busy people walking about. A part of you can't believe just a few months ago you were terrified of heights and now you actually enjoy the view.

Things have changed a lot since then.

You live with Molly now, probably how it always should have been. You share a small apartment, this one has better locks on the doors and windows. And every night you teach Molly some self-defense, just in case. If you've learned one thing, it's that you cannot save everyone but you can help them. At least if Molly is somewhat prepared, she has a chance though you could tell by how she moved and certain things she already knew that Jason had taught her a few things before San Francisco. Living with her is nice though. She understands you and there is no judgment. You aren't alone.

Gar and Tim talk to you every single day, updating you with whatever is going on. At first, it was fun stuff on the road trip like sightseeing and museums and bowling. Now, it's the hell Metropolis is currently under. You've never been so happy you stayed behind. You do not want to fight a demon. You'll never admit it, but you wouldn't stand a single chance against Rachel let alone Mother Mayhem and Brother Blood. Though, you are disappointed you missed the whole zombie situation. You're just glad the boys keep you up to date with everything and you talk to Dick and Kory all the time, too. That doesn't feel too different. It feels almost like it did when you first came back to Gotham and you like it this way.

And then there's Jason.

Things are different with Jason.

"Robbery in progress in the East End, convenience store." Molly says through the comms.

"Got it, send the address." You grin wildly behind your mask before you use your grappling hook to lower yourself down the backside of the building.

Molly helping out has been new. You aren't too happy about that part but...Molly was insistent and to tell her no would make you a hypocrite. Molly stays back and is youe eyes in the skies kind of deal which has been very helpful when it comes to patrol. At least that's nice.

You take the bike and head to the address Molly sent you. Patrolling is different now, too. You've always patrolled with Bruce or Jason or the Titans. Even when Jason died, you weren't patrolling. You had set targets and that's who you went out to grab. This is patrol. This is different. You're alone with Molly in your ear. You thought maybe you wouldn't like it, Iike maybe you'd actually be really bad at it being alone. But, if you were being honest, you're really enjoying it this way. You're good at it. And it's fun and you don't have to worry about anyone else. It's just you. Your life. That's it. And you like the thrill a little bit.

Jason shoves the last of four men to the ground, his hands zip-tied behind his back and the man lets out a groan. He glares up at Jason with blood streaming down his nose, his friends all a bit battered but have learned to keep quiet. This one is annoying.

"You broke my fucking nose!" He screams up at Jason.

Jason never quite understood why people committing crimes who get caught, like in this instance for example, are confused by their injuries. They showed up to rob a local small business and expected to get away with it. They're here to possibly ruin something that someone has earned and worked very hard for just because they can. A broken nose seems to be a pretty good deal.

He's not even a stranger to robbery but these guys walked in there armed and prepared to shoot anyone who wanted to get in the way. Jason was also a teenager and desperate. These four men don't seem to be in the same boat and the way Jason sees it, there was no reason to hold a gun to someone's face for a hundred dollars in a cash register. These are not master criminals.

"You're lucky I'm in a good mood or your nose would be the last of your worries." Jason says casually through the modulator.

"Good mood?!" The man yells back as if he's the real victim in this situation.

"Yeah, good mood." Jason echoes back about to make another smart comment until he hears the sound of a motorcycle pulling up.

Jason turns around just in time to see it stop and he'd recognize the bike anywhere because it's the same one as his. He'd recognize the blue and black suit anywhere because it's yours.

You pop the helmet off and Jason swears his very heart just burst into flames into his chest and it might just burn through his ribcage. The corner of his lips starts to tug into a shielded smile at the sight of you and his only thought is that he misses you. He asks about you to your friends, not too often but...often enough for them to know. All of them say the same things, you're doing okay but they're worried. You're working with Barbara, too, running different jobs for the PD and you check in on Tim's parents every single day.

Molly always says the least about you.

Every single bone in his body feels hollowed seeing you. But when you lock eyes with him and you don't look happy, the guilt comes back baring its teeth and digging them right into his jugular.

It has been a month and a half and he is trying his best. It hasn't been easy and some days he doesn't try but generally, he's trying. It's hard whenever every breath he takes is haunted by the day he took his last. It's hard trying to figure out his footing. Jason Todd is Red Hood. He knows that. He is Red Hood. Red Hood protects innocent people and uses any means necessary to make sure they stay safe. But he is not a hero. He is doing what must be done and that is all. Jason Todd is Red Hood but outside of that, he doesn't know yet. Instead, he wraps himself in a straightjacket of guilt and remorse and agony and hopes that'll be enough to repay his debts to misery and happiness.

You eye him and it's like you're being exposed to the entire city in an instant. It's as if your suit and mask have been ripped from your body and every scar and insecurity and vulnerability is being displayed in some sort of sick museum as you see him. You have separate sections of the city. You, him, and Bruce. This is Bruce's section but he's out of town with the Justice League. It would have been Jason's to pick up but you didn't even question it when Molly mentioned it.

You wish you would have questioned it.

It is almost a relief he wears a full-face helmet because you aren't entirely sure what you would do if you saw his face, saw his expression. Would he be happy to see you? Disappointed? Mad? Would there be anything left at all or would he just look at you like he would any other vigilante showing up a little too late to help? You aren't sure which of those would be easier to swallow.

Something builds in the space between you, something hard and damaged, sucking the air out from between you. It snarls back at you both almost daring you to go ahead and try to move. Try to make the space less and see just how badly the teeth of grief will hurt this time. Go ahead and tempt death for old time's sake and guilt. Go ahead and try to mend this and pretend it's some sort of coincidence, as if fate has any hand in this. It bites and gnaws at you both as water brims in your eyes, every emotion bubbling over to the surface and grief screams out to you both.

Go ahead and try again, see just how badly this will all end again. It will only end in bloody hands and shredded agony. Guilt laughs in your faces, a devious crackle as if you are not worth the other. The both of you do not deserve forgiveness for the torture you've caused the other. Walk away. You both can hear it over and over again, guilt and grief and resentment and loneliness, walk away.

So, you do.

You pop the helmet back on your head just as Jason turns back to the robbers.

"Where are you going?" Molly asks through the comms as she watches the tracker on her screen start moving.

"You can see him here." You seethe. "I know you can see him, too."

Molly has all of your locations. She shares them with Bruce. It was part of an agreement with her doing this eyes in the skies thing and you being able to keep patrolling. It's how you all keep your sections of the city. Molly knows Jason is here.

"He wasn't when I sent you, I swear." Molly defends softly. It's not a lie, she just didn't mention when Jason happened to be moving towards the robbery. "He showed up but you were already on your way—"

"So you didn't tell me?!" You yell. "Seriously?"

Somewhere in the last month and a half, grief has metastasized into something resembling resentment. It's not him. You know that. But, seeing him just now brings back too many feelings you've yet to deal with properly, you're trying but you haven't gotten that far yet.

Grief bubbles back and transforms into something like resentment because you should be together. You should fucking happy and you aren't. You are, generally, but there is this void echoing in your chest. A burning pain right on your heart where his name was stitched. It sucks to be blind-sided into seeing him even if the resentment is towards yourself. You just would have liked some fucking warning about it.

You need to be prepared if you're going to see him and you aren't entirely sure you're ready. There's still a lot of shame even if missing him makes you feel like Atlas. Half the damn time it takes everything in you not to call him. Something will happen and he is still the first person you want to tell. But, you're not talking. Instead, you get updates about him through Molly and Gar and Tim. All of them have said he seems okay while sounding worried about him. It's hard not to worry about him. He's Jason. You think that's your only relief, knowing he's at least doing okay.

You just wish you had it in yourself to check in but he said space and you said space. You agreed and guilt and shame suck the very air out of your lungs to the point where you think this is your way of punishing yourself for everything you've done to him. Forcing yourself to not contact him first and check-in. You're punishing yourself but keeping to what you know and staying away from him. Maybe it was him who was always better off.

Molly sighs. "You have to talk to him eventually." Molly rolls her eyes on the other end and decides to drop it. She can hear the engine of the bike roaring louder than usual. This conversation is not one to have at the moment. "Mugging two blocks from you, take a right."

She is thankful the two of you have not put her in the middle. The most that happens is you both asking about each other. Other than that, you don't ask. You don't mention each other. It's as if you only know of each other through your mutual friends. Molly thinks that might actually be worse sometimes.

Jason gets back to his safe house and strips from the Red Hood gear. He heads right for the shower. Seeing you tonight, it feels like a lot. He never tried to kill you but somehow, you're the person he betrayed the most and dealing with that has been a lot harder than most of the rest of it. Your dedication and loyalty to him he thinks has made it so hard. To have someone so loyal and love him the way you did, sends his head fuzzy with regret knowing the pain he caused you.

At first, Jason thought it'd be a week or two. You'd both cave and talk again and then one thing would lead to another. Maybe it wouldn't be the healthiest way to deal with your shit, but you'd be together and you'd figure it out. But then a week or two turned into three and then four and then six. The more time that passes, the harder it gets to pick up the phone. Maybe that's why he asks Gar and Tim and Molly about you. They all say you're good but they're worried about you. They're always worried about you. But at least you've been good and Jason is grateful for that. He just wishes he had it in himself to suck it up and just call you. But, he doesn't so he showers away the thoughts of you and drowns himself in his guilt and regret.

By the time he's out of the shower, his phone is ringing and he's drying his hair with a towel, the white streak staring back at him in the mirror and he's still mad Dick didn't get the same thing he did.

"Yeah?" Jason answers the phone.

"I need your help." Dick states on the other end.

Jason pulls the phone from his head, looking at the caller ID before he puts the phone back to his ear. "With?"

"Training Tim." Dick states.

Jason almost laughs at the very statement. It's not that Dick is asking for help in the training department, he has before. That's fine. It's that Tim is supposed to be Robin out there and Jason knows they are actively fighting demons and zombies. Tim should absolutely be getting trained in between all of that.

"You haven't trained him yet?" Jason scoffs in surprise before he walks out of the en suite and into his bedroom.

"We've been busy." Dick scoffs back knowing damn well Jason knows what's been happening. Dick has mentioned it and Gar gives Dick updates about Jason meaning Gar talks to him plenty. "Between everything that's been going on since we got to Metropolis, we haven't had time."

Jason chuckles softly on the other end. "Yeah, uh, Gar was telling about me about the zombie shit. Fucking Deathstroke? Glad I wasn't there." Jason laughs softly and he can't see it but there might even be a faint smile on Dick's lips. He sounds good.

"Yeah," Dick huffs, running a hand through his hair. "You gonna be able to help?" Dick asks.

"Yeah, I owe you anyway." Jason agrees. "Not gonna go easy on him though. I'm gonna make sure he's ready when he comes back."

It doesn't take Jason long to have his decision. There's something...weird with someone replacing him in a way, as Robin. But, if someone is going to be Robin, they have to be prepared, more prepared than he was. Jason doesn't want someone else to end up like him and he knows Tim, kind of. He owes Dick for everything Jason has put him through and Jason did always like helping with the training. It's not a difficult decision.

"Good, that's what I expect." Dick nearly chuckles. "If he's going to be Robin, he needs a good teacher."

"Wouldn't go that far, man." Jason shakes his head, still getting used to Dick being nice.

"You trained y/n and look at what she can do. That is mostly on you. Do the same for Tim. I'll have him in Gotham tomorrow."

"You just gonna send him to me?" Jason's brows pull together as he puts a hand on his hip.

"No, I'm going to send him on a mission that is all just a ruse to get him there. You'll find him and go from there. Don't tell him." Dick explains simply as if Jason should have known Dick would have a...ruse?

"So, you're gonna send him here on a fake mission with no training as Robin?" Jason lets out a laugh. That's ridiculous and somehow Jason finds himself not entirely surprised. "Why not just fucking tell him, man?"

"I want to instill confidence in him." Dick states, almost defensively. He's trying his best and he also knows that Tim is very confident and maybe he needs to see he needs the help. "Should have done it with you guys. Not making the mistake again."

Jason clears his through. "Yeah, okay, deserved that." Jason shakes his head. "Alright, just let me know when he's on his way and where I need to be. I'll get him ready to actually be Robin."

"Thanks, Jason." Dick's voice is sincere.

"Yeah, don't mention it." Jason lets out a sigh before he hangs up.

He plops onto his bed, his eyes falling onto the helmet resting on the dresser on the opposite side of the room. Right after leaving the manor from talking to Bruce, this is not where he saw Red Hood being. Being a vigilante is now something Jason feels like he has to do, he likes it but he is trained to do it. He's trained to help people and if no one else is going to help them, Jason might as well. It's taken a little getting used to, rebranding Red Hood in a way. Red Hood is not a murderer. He kills really horrible people for the greater good. He targets people like Black Mask and Penguin by working his own circle to steal their business. He sabotages their work and steals their shipments. That part is always a bit fun. Red Hood patrols Crime Alley. He helps them. He is not a murderer.

He's still getting used to it but it's better than it was. Even if the blood on his hands burns from time to time.

This is kind of nice though, the ability to train Tim. He does miss that part a bit, training with someone. Training alone only does so much sometimes. Jason liked helping train the other younger Titans. It made him feel important and now he gets to train Tim. He'll never tell Dick, but it means a lot for him to ask for help here even if it's just because the Titans have been busy.

This is the last one for the night. You've been tracking this group of people who work for a pretty bad pimp in the city. You've gotten a couple of the women to turn and Barbara has put them into protective custody, immunity from any and all charges. It's not them they want anyway. It's the pimp and his right hand but when women stopped showing up, he got wind and went into hiding. So, did most of his men and women. Until tonight when Molly grabbed one of them on a camera in Gotham Heights. You wasted no time in trailing him.

The second this guy sees you, he takes off like a bat out of hell and the only thing you can do is roll your eyes and go after him. They always run. It's like they really think running is going to work for them. Between the cardio and the grappling hook and the bike, why do they think they'll actually get away? They always run.

The guy thinks he's smarter and quicker. Well, maybe he's quicker but he is not smarter. Molly is tracking him through every traffic camera he hits while you stay a good distance behind him until the opportunity comes for you to get onto a rooftop and continue the chase that way. He's heading somwhere, it won't be toward his boss. There's no way he's that stupid but he is heading into the perfect spot for you to grab him.

You turn off and then jump a few more buildings before ducking down into an alley. You walk to the very end and then wait a few seconds for the running footsteps to come closer. You grab a knife from your belt and then just as he goes to run past, you grab him, spinning him and pinning him against the alley wall.

You hold the knife to his neck and press it into his skin, not enough to cause serious damage, just enough to let him bleed. Blood gets people talking quicker and you're tired and hungry.

"Where is he?" You demand.

The man gulps and the blade presses into his neck further, his breathing heavy and shallow. "I don't know who you're—"

"Your boss. Yes, you do. You're all in hiding but you came out and for what? Where he is?" You question again, not in the mood to even let him think for a second he's smarter than you.

He looks at you with terror. Somehow, he wishes it were The Bat that grabbed him and yet he finds himself thankful it's not The Red Hood. The Bat won't kill him but Red Hood would make sure his death was painful if he really wanted to. You're not one to be messed with either. But his boss? That's just signing his death certificate.

You pull the knife away, kneeing him in the stomach before you land a punch to his face. You don't want to kill him. You read his record. Wrong crowd at sixteen. He was probably manipulated into this, too. He's a victim, too. But, he needs to give up his boss.

The man groans, sliding down the wall as he holds his jaw. "Fuck!"

"Tell me." You grit your teeth.

"He'll fucking kill me! I'd rather you just send me to Arkham or Blackgate! I'm not a fuckin' rat." The guy seethes but there's a quiver in his voice.

You roll your eyes. "Yes, I'm aware he'll kill you."

"What the fu—"

"So tell me and give me a reason to make sure he doesn't." You offer. "You think I'm here to kill you? If I wanted you dead, I'd kill you myself. Tell me and we'll protect you." The offer is genuine even if it comes out snippy.

"I don't believe a damn thing you say." The man gives you a weak scoff and diverts his eyes to the street.

"That's a you problem then. I'm trying to help you while you help me." You offer. "It's a real offer."

"Immunity then." The man fires back without even thinking.

You scoff. Does he not realize that the whole vigilante thing is still a crime? You can't promise that. "No. And I don't have the ability to promise that anyway. Work out with the DA. I can get you into protective custody though if you give him up."

Barbara has you working this case involving some sort of ring with sex workers. It's definitely more than just some guy calling the shots and dividing up money. Missing women, bodies turning up, drugs, it all seems to lead back to him. Your argument was that half the people working under this guy are victims, too. Some of those people are given the opportunity to flip and if they do, they're given protection. Barbara said the DA isn't too happy about it and some of the civilians will probably be pissed but you don't care. Not all of them have to go down with the ship.

"Look, he's going to find out you were with me and he's going to think you flipped or you're thinking about it. You're a dead man the second you walk out of this alley if you don't help me and we both know it."

The man lets out a sigh. "Crime Alley." He finally caves. "I don't know exactly where. I heard there are only a few women who know and then his right hand, that's it."

You nod accepting the response. It's way better than nothing. "Thank you."

"You're really gonna help?"

"Yeah, of course." You get to your feet.

"Why?"

You shrug. "You're not the big problem here." You answer casually. "My advice though, take whatever punishment is dealt to you and serve it and then get out. There's a program. The commissioner will give you information about it if they decide to try you."

"Thank you." The guy nods.

"Mhm." You hum, pulling out your own zip ties before you zip tie his hands together but before you get Molly to call Barbara, Molly comes in through the comms.

"Hey, I've got Dick on the other line, you wanna take it?" Molly asks.

"Yeah, actually, I'm done here. Let the commissioner know he flipped and I got info on him so he's good." You answer.

"Got it." Molly answers before she patches Dick in.

"I need your help with something." Dick starts without wasting a single second.

Your brows pull together. "Uh, hello to you, too?" You question as you get back to your feet. "The fuck do you need my help with? I do not want to go to Metropolis." You let out a chuckle before you look out onto the street and then back back into the alley.

"Superman?!" The guy on the ground yells.

"No, Nightwing." You scoff. "Shut up. You're done talking."

"Are you on a job right now?" Dick almost yells and at this point, he expects nothing less.

"Oh, yeah, just wrapping up." Your voice is almost cheery on the other end.

"Okay..." Dick holds the bridge of his nose, not even wanting to unpack that. "I need you to help train Tim."

You cackle on the other end. "Okay, hold on, let me wrap this up. This shit needs my attention." You laugh looking back to the guy. "Alright they'll be here in a few to arrest you but I gotta head out so...sorry about this." You pull your fist back, punching the guy and knocking him unconscious. "Anyway," You start before you shoot your grappling hook at the roof and start your jumping and walking to your bike. "You need me to do what now?"

"I need you to help train Tim to be Robin." Dick repeats.

"Is that not your job?" You quip back with a laugh.

Dick sighs, seeing as he is clearly going to have the same conversation twice. "We've been busy."

"Yeah, Gar and Tim said something about Zombie Deathstroke. Sounds fucking insane. Glad I'm not there." You laugh before jumping onto a neighboring rooftop. "Wait, okay hold on." You shake your head. "You're gonna send Tim here?"

"Yes. On a fake mission to build confidence." Since he's already had this conversation, Dick knows exactly what to cut out and include in his response to get this conversation over quickly.

"Uh-huh." You nod, getting the feeling there's a bit more to this than Dick is leading on. "Right, yeah, got it. Fair enough, I guess. And why are you asking me?" You ask knowing Jason is right there in Gotham City as well.

"You're good at this, you're the newest member besides Conner but well..."

"Superboy." You finish. "Unfair fight."

"Exactly. You also have your combat clairvoyance. Jason always said you were a good sparring partner because you fit." Dick's voice is casual and simple, you know there's something he is not telling you. He's nicer than he was before. The stick is no longer up his ass, but he's being too nice.

"Yeah, he did." You roll your shoulders before jumping to the next rooftop. "And uh, why are you not asking Jason?" You ask before it goes completely silent. And you know immediately. "Oh, you did." You state.

"I did." Dick answers simply.

Of course, Dick asked Jason first. You aren't offended or hurt by it. Asking Jason to train Tim is smart. But, not immediately telling you means one of two things. Either Jason said yes and Dick is setting you both up which makes you want to jump off this rooftop or Jason said no and Dick just wasn't going to tell you. Unfortunately, you're betting on the first option just because you know Jason wouldn't send Tim to the wolves.

"And he said yes, didn't he?" Your voice is a little snippy this time.

"He did." Dick keeps his voice level, unsure if you're going to start yelling or not.

"Okay so you're asking me to help Jason train Tim but Jason doesn't know you're asking me and you weren't going to tell me but because I asked you were obligated not to lie to me in fear I'd be pissed off enough to walk out and so would Jason?"

"When you put it that way." Dick states. "Look, I know it's complicated right now." Dick tries to reason with you.

"We're not fucking talking, Dick like..." You let out a breath. "He probably doesn't want to see me, ya know?" You nearly whine at the thought because you really believe it.

You hurt him.

"I know but this is for Tim." Dick urges.

You might be giving Dick a hard time but you both know you'll agree. Not only is Dick asking for a favor but it's also Tim. You would never not help Tim especially with everything that's happened. You owe Dick and Tim for everything. But, that doesn't make the situation any easier for you.

"Jason is gonna be pissed if he finds out, ya know?" You ask.

"Yeah." Dick answers. "Tim will get the best training from the both of you though."

"Yeah." You roll your eyes. "Fine. Yeah, I'll help and I won't tell Jason. Just when and where?"

"Tomorrow, I'll text you the rest." Dick answers. "Thank you."

"Mhm." You hum.

Dick feels bad for you and Jason. You've both been through a lot individually and together. It's two of the things that brought you together in the first place. You two always seemed to make each other happy and you actually seemed really good for each other. Dick knows first hand it's not easy and it is always complicated. It's always going to be painful trying to work out the romance department while being a vigilante. It's why it didn't work with him and Barbara. It's why it didn't work with him and Dawn. It's not easy. But, he feels bad for you both. It feels like you weren't given a chance.

"Talk to him." Dick states carefully.

You groan as you look to the sky. "You're not giving me a fucking choice are you, Dickolas?"

"You know what I mean." Dick says right back.

While you appreciate the sentiment, you are not taking dating advice from Dick Grayson. As far as you know, Dick's been in love with Kory for almost a year, at least and he has not said a single word to her about it. At least you told Jason. The way you see it, Dick should be taking dating advice from you.

"You tell Kory how you feel about her and I'll have a conversation with Jason." You offer in a higher-pitched voice, offering a bit of bite in your words.

"Okay no—"

"Yes." You quip back. "Don't give me advice if you're not going to take the same advice." You jump to the last rooftop. "She feels the same way anyway." You mutter softly.

"Alright, thank you." Dick cuts you off. "Talk to him. Tim won't know you're helping him."

"Gathered. Just let me know. I know to keep my mouth shut. I got it." You assure him.

"Thank you."

"You owe me." You laugh softly on the other end before ending the call.

After the run-in earlier tonight, you weren't sure when you'd want to see Jason again. At first, you thought about it all the time. Maybe you'd run into each other just as you did earlier and he'd make some quip about you being in his territory and you'd make fun of him for needing your help. Something would click and you'd be back to normal and it would feel good. The void in your chest will fill again and it would be normal. But that's not what happened because more time passed and you think about how maybe he's mad at you. He should be mad at you still. The more time that passed, the more you convinced yourself it was what you deserved. So, you keep your distance on purpose from him. Maybe that's your penance.

But now, you have to face him.

So, you head back to the apartment to mentally prepare. Jason Todd is still the Jason you always loved and you have to act like you're fine. You have to act like it is not eating you away inside to think about him. Everything has been going okay and you're finding yourself in this city. You think your feet are starting to land on solid ground for once. But, the thought of seeing Jason makes you feel like the earth is being pulled from under your feet. It's the one thing you have deliberately not dealt with. So, you know you have to act like it's all normal. If you're going to be able to do this with him, it has to feel normal. You have to feel normal otherwise it'll be sad and awkward and painful. Maybe he won't want your help anyway.

In no way did you expect your first time speaking to Jason again would be because Dick asked for help. But, it looks like that's exactly what's going to happen. And maybe your bones are starting to vibrate with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. You might feel guilty and you might be worried but you miss seeing him. You miss the way his voice sounds. You miss him more than words could ever describe.

Maybe you hope he misses you, too even if you don't deserve it.

Maybe as the night goes on and you get ready for bed and tell Molly about it, maybe you can't wait to see him.

next chapter

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[marimeeko]

Secrets (post war, bkdk, mutual yearning and idiocy)

Izuku quite liked settling into a habit with Kacchan, where the young ProHero would come visit the UA campus on their lunch breaks and they would share a meal together. He was still an understudy and teacher assistant, and so he didn't have his own classroom, but Katsuki could always find him through the windows.

The more they lunched together, the more Izuku happened to notice a lot of texts popping up on Katsuki's phone, sitting on the table next to where Katsuki scarfed down his daily bento.

He could see, when the little push notification popped up, the name "Pink Support Girl", popping up more and more.

He doesn't immediately think much of it, after all, Hatsume is a skilled, professional support tech now and he likely has her working on upgrades and fixes for his gear.

But sometimes, Katsuki will pick up the phone and check the message. And then, sometimes, this strange grin would show up on his face. And sometimes he would tap back a message at an alarming speed.

Izuku is intrigued by it. But whenever he hears the text alert on Katsuki's phone and sees Hatsume light up on the screen and concludes that Katsuki is very obviously in a deep back and forth...

He can't help but feel...strangely anxious.

One day, he sucks it up and asks awkwardly over lunch,

"Kacchan...are you and Mei Hatsume...dating?"

Katsuki chokes on his food a little and looks at Izuku like he's grown a second head.

"Dating?? What the hell are you talking about?"

Izuku regrets asking, but inches forward anyway.

"Sorry, it's intrusive of me! But i just... I notice you two have been texting a lot. I mean if you are, that's fine! I was just...curious?"

Katsuki's face traveled through a range of reactions as Izuku had babbled, but landed on a vague tinge of apprehension bordering on the guilt of getting caught in something.

Shit, he should have known better than to engage in those conversations too much in front of Izuku. Izuku is clever and observant, and he knew it. Of course he would catch on to something going on.

"Hell no," Katsuki didn't miss a beat, scoffing as he usually would. "There's a project I'm having her work on, it's kind of involved...she won't leave me alone with updates and shit."

Well, he couldn't exactly lie to his best friend and rival, after all...

The expression on Izukus face went from genuine confusion(and perhaps a hint of dread), to one of excitement.

"A new project? Oh my gosh, what is it? New gear? Is it new gauntlets?" The spark in his eyes showed that Izuku's nerd side had been activated. Katsuki snorted with a laugh, thinking that the teacher in training was seconds away from grabbing his current Quirk notebook to try to update his "Kacchan: GEMG DynaMight" entries in a flurry.

"Sure, sure," Katsuki accepted the assumption as his cover story. New gauntlets, truthfully, were on his to-do list, though he had prioritized them far below funding Izuku's secret suit. "I've got some big plans. You'll see." He grinned at Izuku, and Izuku recalled all the smaller grins that he had given to the texts from Mei.

Izuku smiled, now realizing that the grins were of deep pride for Katsuki, not at all of affection for a lover. He really was eager to share.

"Oh I hope so! I can't wait! If it's not too forward of me...again... is it too late to tell you and Hatsume my own thoughts on your gauntlets?" He asked, almost shyly.

Katsuki was tongue-tied, looking at the earnest, and frankly, adorable look on Izuku's face as he implored him. He felt his face heating up, feeling the rest of his resolve just melting. Izuku had no idea that this wasn't even about Katsuki's own gear...it was all for him. And Katsuki was aware enough now to know that Izuku truly wanted to help him, one of his most heroic(and attractive) features.

Katsuki felt a yearning inside; He wanted to share his secret so badly, wanted to show Izuku so many schematics and drafts that were buzzing constantly in his head as he went about daily life, but he knew, they were still years and a whole lot of money, from the point of reveal.

Katsuki caved to Izuku's request.

He leaned closer to Izuku, whose heart skipped a beat with the sudden proximity to the blonde.

"You have 10 minutes before I have to get back out to patrol," Katsuki said smoothly, only his crimson eyes slinking to the clock on the wall of the empty classroom, and back to smolder at Izuku's sparkling green eyes and flushed cheeks.

"Tell me what's in that nerdy notebook of yours."

--

B: Hey. Need to talk to you.

H: Sure, got those specs for me?? I need em asap

B: In a second.

B: I need to move all non-urgent communication to email

H: Inconvenient, inefficient. Absolutely not. Why??

B: Deku noticed how much we have been texting

B: thought we were dating.

H: lmao!!! Dating!!!

B: stfu I dont want him figuring out what is going on until it's time!!

B: Damn nerd too smart for his own good

H: 😏

B: 💥💥💥 fuck off

H: no way to speak to your engineer. Specs please.

H: also hey, just mute your notifications and turn off push if you don't want him seeing who's texting you. I'm not waiting for emails while you're out doing hero stuff in the field all day. I'll start making my own executive decisions and charging you extra at that point!!

B: UGH FINE

B: hey...

B: there's one other thing...

H: what?

B: ....I need to get some new Gauntlets made.

[suwbuns]

E-DATERS! | beomgyu’s genius plan

SYPNOSIS. moving back to korea from america, y/n is excited to reunite with her old friends and make new ones. what she doesnt expect is to find herself reuniting with her “ex-boyfriend” from 10 years ago who she dated over minecraft. what makes things worse? he happens to be her favorite streamer who she has been pinning after for years.

written + screenshot below! (not proofread lolol)

“this isn’t going to work” heeseung grumbled, folding his arms over his shirt. “and you’re an idiot for even suggesting this in the first place.”

“but who’s the idiot who agreed?” beomgyu retorted, his voice fading as he walked over to the kitchen to grab the stool from the counter, placing it beside his desk chair. “it’s genius. you just dont know it yet.” he patted the cushion material of the chair, motioning for heeseung to take a seat as beomgyu took his own.

“just stick to the plan,” beomgyu started, launching his minecraft and discord application on his computer while adjusting his microphone arm to where it stopped right in front of heeseung’s face. “i play, and you speak! if you don’t know what to say then ill be here to help you out.”

“this is going to end up badly,” heeseung sighed, adjusting himself comfortably on the stool and moving the pop filter closer to his mouth. “but i’m only doing this because you said that you would pay for my college tuition.” 

beomgyu tapped his fingers against the surface of his wooden desk, waiting anxiously for your username that would pop up under his friend request tag any minute now.

beomgyu himself knew this plan was stupid, there was no doubt about that. but if there was anything beomgyu was good at doing, it was creating last minute solutions. albeit, not good ones.

“i can reveal myself later,” beomgyu thought to himself, his leg shaking nervously under the desk. “im going to have to either way, atleast if things get more serious.”

after nervously waiting for what it felt like an endless amount of time, your username had finally popped up, beomgyu immediately clicking to accept your request. with only a second passing, the red notification bubble had appeared beside your profile picture.

y/n: heyyy

y/n: give me a second to log on, this computer is super slow lol

beomgyu: okayy, call me whenever you are ready :)

“she could call any moment now,” beomgyu rubbed his hands against the fabric of his pajama pants, attempting to get rid of the moisture that coated his palms. “you’re right, what if this doesnt work?”

“so youre telling me this... now?” heeseung deadpanned. “you know, after I practically strangled you to death telling you how stupid your idea was?”

beomgyu shruddered at the memory that occured less than 20 minutes ago, his life flashing before his eyes as he ended up in a headlock by the time he finished giving heeseung his entire spiel of the plan.

“you were the one who agreed!”

“yeah, and thats because your rich-ass agreed to pay for my tuitio-”

the familiar ringing of the discord call sound blared through beomgyus computer speakers, causing him to jump at the sudden noise. he stared at the notification pop up, allowing it to ring on, intimidated by its practically mocking presence.

“ohmygodshescallingwhatdoido” beomgyu panicked, his body shaking due to the adrenaline. the last minute regrets had began to arise, wishing to just flake from the current situation and make some out of pocket joke that would make you never speak to him again to avoid having to talk to you.

it was something that beomgyu knew for sure he could do.

“i dont know, maybe answer?” heeseung grabbed the mouse from beomgyus hands breaking his intrusive thought, moving the cursor to press the green answer button. 

“hello?” a voice sounded from the speakers.

beomgyu froze in his spot, his brain felt as if it was malfunctioning as he was actually processing that he was talking to the diamondgirl123, or in this case, y/n who had been declared off limits from the day he even found out about her. 

heeseung nudged the boy from his dazed state, his eyebrows furrowing towards him as he mouthed what beomgyu wanted him to say. 

“just say hi or something” beomgyu frantically mouthed back, logging onto their private server.

“hi!” heeseung said awfully too cheerful, making beomgyu form a tight lipped expression towards him.

“your voice is so deep bogum, i definitely did not expect that.”

beomgyu felt the blood drain from his face as heeseung chuckled lightly, thanking y/n quickly.

“my voice is deep too” beomgyu bitterly thought to himself. “deeper than his, at least”

he was starting to feel like this was an even worse idea, because the more heeseung and you began to talk, the more you seemed to grow interested. except for the fact that each time you gave a compliment, it was never aimed towards beomgyu himself, but towards heeseung.

and if there was anything that beomgyu couldn’t handle, it was his ego plummeting for the fact that the girl he was trying to win over, was being won over by him. except for it wasn’t really him.

beomgyu sprinted around the world waiting for you to join the game, running quickly to the spawn point when your join message popped up in the chat, dropping a flower to your character.

“ask her if she wants to explore the world together” beomgyu lightly whispered, keeping an eye out on his discord to make sure no audio from him was picked up.

heeseung briefly nodded before relaying the question, to which you excitedly responded yes to.

exploring the world unlocked several memories for you both, allowing you two to bicker with each other and fill each other in on the gap that occurred due to lost time. with heeseung being beomgyus mouthpiece at least. within the time of talking, beomgyu had learned a lot about you and your personality, all the way from your coffee order to embarrassing childhood memories, beomgyu had found himself smiling the entire time and had wished that it couldve been him to be actually talking with you.

beomgyu felt the weight lift off from his shoulders, as he realized that almost two hours had passed and everything seemed to going well, almost too well.

“oh my gosh look!” you gasped, running over to beomgyu’s character and throwing him the book in your inventory. “do you remember when you wrote this when you first confessed to me?”

heeseung leaned over beomgyu’s monitor to take a glimpse of the contents of the book as he flipped through the pages, practically gagging at the amount of cheesiness 13 year old beomgyu managed to write.

“this is so gross,” heeseung scrunched his nose in disgust. “i cant believe i was like this back then” he said, playfully nudging beomgyu in a teasing manner, causing him to roll his eyes at the boy in response.

“hey, it was cute!” you laughed. “you treated me better than any other boy in my life has.”

“actually?” heeseung asked in amusement, cocking an eyebrow. “youre saying that 13 year old beom— i mean bogum, was a better boyfriend than everybody you’ve been with?”

beomgyu’s eyes narrowed at heeseung’s slip up, to which heeseung meerly shrugged at.

“ill be honest,” you spoke, completely oblivious to it. “you completely raised my standards.”

“wait, really?” beomgyu blurted, immediately slapping his hand over his mouth as his eyes widened at heeseung, who had mirrored his reaction.

“you idiot!” heeseung mouthed at the boy after a couple of seconds when he realized youve gone silent. beomgyu crossed his fingers hoping that you didnt hear him, or atleast if you did you wouldnt notice the change in voice.

“y/n, you there?” heeseung broke the silence, glancing at beomgyu whose face had paled.

“me? oh yeah.” you started. both beomgyu and heeseung let out the breaths that they were holding in, sighing in relief. “it’s just… you sounded a lot like this streamer i liked.”

“oh really?” heeseung sent a glare towards the boy who seemed to have a bead of sweat rolling down his face.“sorry, i think i just had some phlegm in my throat which probably made it sound like beomgyu.”

“you’re lucky i saved you,” heeseung was able to mouth, rolling his eyes as he turned to face beomgyu. “im the one you begged to do this, yet youre the one messing up—“

“how did you know that my favorite streamer is beomgyu?”

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TAGLIST. @openingssequence @suburbiataehyung @shinypieceofgarbage @koeuh @captivq @beowmgyu @qluvrv @ikaeryn @whippedforbeomgyu @i8lhee @heyanonymous123 @vanicogh @sulliefimmie @tae-ology @milkycloudtyg @ox1-lovesick @soobsfairy444 @sulliefimmie @jaxavance @peachenle @pokyloky @peachybeom @alpha-mommy69 @fatoompie @ashxxgyu @soobsdior @viagumi @rikismiel @luvsoobs @lovejunz @wccycc @enha-cafe @kaeslily @hiddenboopy @cashew00nut @merendis @reverbtunes @lcvesickgyuzz @dear-dreamie @fragmentationss @chuuinggummy @hafsa-hoofsa-heefs @beomsbeanie @shigamiryuk @soobliss @woncheecks @sserafimez @ahnneyong @ghostfacefricker6969 @flrtsbin @beomomb @cathaerin (closed)

A/N. poor beomgyu 😔😔 anyways guys i finally made a twitter to boast abt my faves and my life so if ygs wanna be moots hehehe 🤭🤭

[abiiors]

Omg omg what about Ross’ reaction finding out that you are pregnant? That man is going to be the death of me 😭😭😭

omg omg omg okay 😭😭

i've already mentioned that you find out you're pregnant with april a week before your wedding. everything is already so stressful and chaotic. every single last minute change and finalisation is happening all at once and you haven't even had the time to breathe until you put your foot down and take the evening off just to relax a bit.

it's anything but relaxing though.

you see the notification pop up while you're scrolling through reels--your period tracking app reminding you to log your period in. it's innocent enough, you know you've forgotten to log it in in the past and received similar notifications but this one makes you sit up.

ross, next to you, also sits up in confusion.

"you alright?"

"yeah, uh... ross. fuck!" you swear so softly that he barely even hears it at first but the way your face goes pale alerts him. "fuck, two weeks!"

"what's two weeks? everything alright? you're scaring me babe!"

you wag the phone screen in front of him as if that's instantly going to clue him in but the confusion on his face remains the same.

"my period! it's two weeks late, it's... shit."

"o...kay?" he takes a deep breath and turns you towards him. "let's not jump to conclusions okay? do you think it could be the wedding stress?"

you wrack your brain to see if this explanation fits. to remember if you did indeed have your period and forgot about it in the middle of all the chaos. but absolutely nothing comes to mind. until... until another memory resurges.

both of you returning home drunk from your respective bachelor parties, coincidentally at the same time. sloppily fucking each other in the living room. and you can't remember if you used any protection.

"ross..." you squeeze your eyes shut as more of the memory plays in front of you. "remember the night of my hen do?"

he doesn't need to answer it because he pales visibly and curses softly under his breath.

"okay. okay here's what we will do, alright? just... i don't know, just lie down and i'll run to the shop and pick up a few tests if you want. how does that sound?"

he says all of it so quickly that you barely have the time to understand but you nod frantically and watch him run out the room.

---

twenty minutes later, he's back home--slightly out of breath and wide eyed but there's unmistakable excitement on his face. and something that suspiciously looks like... hope.

"ross..."

"i know, i know," he says, "we don't know yet but... fuck, okay! just take the test, okay? let's do that first."

and so you do. you do your business and keep the three tests on the counter, trying not to look at them when you wash your hands and as you're setting the timer. when you open the bathroom door, ross is pacing outside.

"alright?"

you nod and then bury your face in his chest. "what if it's positive, do you want it to be positive?"

ross lifts your chin to make you look at him properly and then smiles softly. "do you want it to be positive? i would be honoured to have a baby with you, sweetheart. you already are my family. expanding it with you would be the greatest thing ever."

if you weren't already on the verge of tears, that would have done the job.

"hey..." he wipes them away softly. "i want this baby, love, but that doesn't mean you don't get a say in it. if you're not ready right now, we have the rest of our lives ahead of us, yeah?"

"i know... just," you sniffle, blinking the tears away, "i want--i want a baby with you so so badly. i'm just worried--"

"about the timing?"

"yeah... about that."

"we'll make it work, love. if... if this is really happening," his voice sounds thick with emotion and his eyes shine brightly, "if we are really having a baby, i'll do everything possible to make it easier on you."

you nod, letting yourself feel just a smidge of excitement at the prospect of it.

"and if it's negative?"

"then we can start trying whenever you want." he grins and steals a quick kiss. "we can start trying right now. or on our honeymoon, or at the wedding. i reckon you'd look absolutely delicious in your dress, mrs macdonald."

"can't call me that just yet," you giggle and wipe away the rest of the tears.

"too late," he smiles, "i've called you that in my head for at least two years now."

you're about to respond when the timer goes off and you look at him, part petrified, part nervous, and entirely hopeful.

"let's look together?" he holds his hand out for you to grab and you take it gratefully.

ten seconds later when you look at the definitive plus signs on all three tests, you know your life is about to change for the best.

[fanficdailyuser]

txt soobin x 5sos luke

Soobin could hardly contain his excitement as he made his way through the bustling crowd toward the backstage area of the 5 Seconds of Summer concert. As the leader of TXT, he was no stranger to the thrill of live performances, but tonight, he wasn’t an idol—he was a fan. A VIP pass dangled from his neck, granting him access to a dream come true.

The concert had been electric. Soobin had sung along to every song, his heart racing as the band played hit after hit. Now, as he stepped backstage, the nerves kicked in. The corridor was filled with staff, other VIP attendees, and the occasional member of the band. Soobin’s hands fidgeted with the strap of his bag as he waited, unsure of what to expect.

“Hey there, enjoying the show?” a voice broke through his thoughts. Soobin looked up to see Luke Hemmings, lead vocalist of 5SOS, standing just a few feet away. His towering frame and easy smile made him instantly recognizable.

Soobin’s breath caught. “Uh, yeah! It was amazing. You guys were amazing,” he stammered, bowing slightly out of habit.

Luke chuckled. “Thanks, man. Glad you could make it. Wait, you’re from TXT, right?”

Soobin’s eyes widened. “You know TXT?”

“Of course,” Luke said, his smile widening. “You’re big! ‘Anti-Romantic’ is on my playlist.”

Soobin’s cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink. “That’s… that’s really cool to hear. Thank you.”

They ended up chatting for longer than Soobin expected, Luke’s easygoing nature putting him at ease. Before they parted ways, Luke pulled out his phone. “What’s your handle? I’ll follow you.”

Soobin hesitated for a moment before sharing his account, his heart racing as he watched Luke type it in. A few minutes later, his phone buzzed with a new follower notification.

Months passed, and their connection grew through sporadic comments and direct messages. Soobin found himself looking forward to Luke’s updates, his heart skipping a beat whenever a new message popped up. Then, one day, Luke sent a message that made his pulse quicken.

Luke: Hey, we’re coming to Korea next month for the tour. Want to grab dinner when we’re there?

Soobin’s fingers hovered over his phone, his mind racing. After a moment, he replied.

Soobin: I’d love to. Just let me know when you’re free.

When the day finally came, Soobin’s nerves were in overdrive. They met at a quiet restaurant in Seoul, their conversation flowing as easily as it had backstage. Luke’s humor and laid-back attitude contrasted perfectly with Soobin’s gentle, thoughtful demeanor. By the end of the night, they were walking along the Han River, the city lights reflecting off the water.

“This feels surreal,” Soobin admitted, glancing at Luke.

Luke smiled. “Good surreal, I hope?”

Soobin nodded. “Yeah. Definitely good.”

Their steps slowed, and before Soobin knew it, Luke was leaning in. The kiss was soft and tentative, a mix of excitement and uncertainty. For a moment, everything else faded away.

The next morning, however, everything came crashing back. Pictures of their date—and their kiss—had hit the Korean media. Headlines screamed about the unexpected pairing, and social media was abuzz with speculation. Soobin’s phone was flooded with messages, his anxiety mounting with every notification.

When he met Luke later that day, his heart felt heavy. “Luke, we need to talk.”

Luke’s expression shifted to concern. “What’s wrong?”

Soobin hesitated, struggling to find the words. “The pictures… the media. It’s too much. I’ve worked so hard to protect my group, my career. I can’t let this affect them.”

Luke reached for his hand, but Soobin pulled away, tears brimming in his eyes. “I care about you, Luke. I really do. But I don’t think we can do this.”

Luke’s jaw tightened, his own emotions threatening to surface. “Soobin, we can figure this out. I don’t care about the headlines—I care about you.”

Soobin shook his head, his voice breaking. “I wish it were that simple. But in my world, it’s not.”

Luke’s shoulders slumped, defeat washing over him. “If this is what you need… I’ll respect it. But for what it’s worth, I think we’re worth fighting for.”

Tears spilled down Soobin’s cheeks as he stepped back. “Maybe someday. But not now.”

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Luke standing alone under the Seoul skyline. The pain in his chest was unbearable, but deep down, Soobin hoped that time and circumstances might one day bring them back together.

i dont know if i will do a part two comment if i should

[yelenabelovasbxtch]

Crush On An Archer PT. 2

A/N: Can you believe I actually managed to get out another part in a timely matter without making you wait 5 months in between? I think we're getting to the good part soon so stay tuned.

Kate Bishop X f!reader

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: Not proofread

The next few days went by fast, you had a couple more practices but didn’t see Kate again and you flew home without even getting to say goodbye. 

As soon as your plane landed and you turned off airplane mode, your text notifications binged with Kate’s name on your screen. 

“Hey Y/L/N, want to grab a drink tonight?” *Sent 2 hours ago*

“Hey Kate, sorry I didn’t respond sooner, my plane just landed and I’m back in Mississippi now :( I would have loved to though.”

“Damn, didn’t even say goodbye?”

Did she want you to say goodbye? Were you at that level of friendship? 

“Yeah, sorry, I had an early flight out this morning.”

“Damn, oh well…all my friends left too so I’m going back to being bored as fuck again. This summer honestly blows.”

“Yeah, I hear that. Trust me, I would much rather be there, than here.”

“How come you didn’t want to stick around a little longer? The semester does start in like only two weeks.”

“I’m not technically “paying” my rent over the summer so I can’t really stay there or else I’d have to put out the money to my landlord and also pay all the other bills that come with it.”

“Ah yeah that makes sense. Too bad you couldn't have stuck around though.”

“Yeah I agree, I am very bored here.” 

The two of you continued to talk every day, your friendship grew over text and Snapchat, pretty much the only way it could at this point. You are pretty notorious for sleeping in and every morning you wake up to see Kate’s text message and Snapchat notification pop up on your phone. You get your daily dose of Kate and get to see her beautiful face everyday whenever she’d respond to your snaps or post her BeReals when they went off. They always made you smile, sometimes they made you feel a little more than just a smile… but every morning without fail it was usually a Snap of her in bed and fuck did she look hot. Like who wakes up just naturally looking that good? You could swear it looked like she was “trying or posing” a little in the pics she sent to you but also you wouldn’t put it past her for just looking that good anytime her photo was taken. Honestly, there were some times where she would text you for an hour straight and the two of you would have the most amazing conversations but then other times where she would be MIA for most of the day and you feel like maybe you said the wrong thing. You noticed that she would always come back though. You learned to realize that it was just your anxiety speaking loudly when she didn’t respond and she couldn’t hate you, she barely even knew you. She just was busy and didn’t respond for that moment. Or maybe she was having a hard day but she always ended up coming back and talking to you about it. 

You were excited but also really terrified about moving back to school. You and Kate had learned what each other's interests were and talked a lot about certain things you wanted to do together when you moved back. You discussed everything, going to the movies, cooking together, practicing together and you managed to convince her to try building LEGO with you. 

I mean, who doesn’t like LEGO?

The text messages between the two of you were often pretty friendly but from time to time she teased you, loved to call you a nerd for all your interests like Star Wars and Harry Potter but you knew she secretly liked them too. 

Although she seemed like she was flirting, there were times where she’d talk about guys who were hitting on her and her ex-boyfriends and it just made you feel like there was no chance in hell she would ever be into you. Based on her track record alone, you weren’t exactly her type. Mainly just because everyone she has ever mentioned is a man. Obviously, you can’t read a person off of just that information because you never know. But, it didn’t exactly feel like it was going your way. Anytime she would do or say something that maybe led you to believe she had feelings for you it was almost immediately squashed by another comment or story about a guy.

“So what are you up to today?”

“Not much, probably going to go practice my shot a bit.”

“I feel like all you ever do is practice”

“Well yeah, best archer in the world title has to be honored ;)” 

“Haha. I am almost 100% certain the only person who calls you that, is you.”

“Not trueee”

“Your mom doesn’t count…” “Or your dog.”

“Well. I am sure someone else has said it. Besides, practice isn’t allll I do. I’m going to the gym after. Probably hitting arms and a bit of chest today.”

“Okay Bishop, I see you, I didn’t know you took lifting seriously and stuff.”

“Well obviously, gotta make sure I’m in better shape than all the other archers. Especially when you are on the senior team next year.”

“Worried you’re going to be beat out for world's best archer or something?”

“Haha. Very funny. I don’t think I have anything to worry about ;)”

Your conversations were often short like that one but something else always ended up coming up later on. About an hour and a half later your phone bings with a text message from Kate. 

*Attachment: 1 Image*

Fuck you mumble under your breath. 

She doesn’t do it often, but sometimes she’ll send you a picture of herself over imessage where there isn’t a 10 second expiry like on Snap and every time she does it makes you smile. It feels like this one was taken specifically for you. She wanted you to see this now and she wanted you to remember what this photo looked like. Kate always works out in sports bras, making you think about how you’d kill to get in the gym with her just to see what would happen between the two of you in the locker room afterwards. You have been staring at this picture for way too long, it’s time to respond. How do you even answer a text like that? A compliment? No, she might think you’re into her and take it the wrong way. Flirty banter? As long as it’s dialed back I'm sure it’ll be fine. 

“I think I can see a little bit of muscle there on your arms.”

“Oh shut up, you love it and we both know it.”

W-What? Fuck. 

“Yeah you wish Bishop.” Good response. Friendly banter right? 

She didn’t respond to that last text, you just assumed she went on with her workout. About an hour later you get a snap notification across your screen from her. You may have waited a couple minutes to open it just to not make it seem obvious that you were practically waiting for her name to pop up. 

You opened the snap and your jaw practically had to be picked up off the floor. 

Sweaty Kate, hovering over her phone for the pic, in a sports bra, sex eyes, thin silver chain dangling. 

Fuck. You wanted this picture seared into your brain. The one you received over text was hot but this one was even hotter. It was sexy, it was all you wanted and more and fuck did you want to tell her that. 

One thing you noticed while staring at this photo is how long you got to look at how hot she was. She changed her settings for the picture to be set to infinity from 10 seconds. She wanted you to know how hot she looked and she wanted you to take your time admiring her. The only acceptable response back had to be a picture of you acting nonchalant about what you just saw. The last thing you wanted to do was make her think you were ogling over her. 

Later that night you were laying in bed scrolling TikTok when her contact popped up at the top of your screen. 

“Men are so fucking shit sometimes.”

“What happened?” 

Yeah…you will always be an outlet for her even if it’s the worst friend zone of friend zones you’ve ever been stuck in. 

“Nothing. Just stupid boys making shit comments.”

“Do I need to knock some heads?”

“Haha I wish. But no, I just can’t deal with my ex and his friends. They’re all privileged assholes anyways.”

“Yuck hate a privileged asshole.”

“Yeah, I met him through this stupid rich people dinner event my mom made me go to awhile ago and I should have known that he wasn’t any different and just as snobby as the rest of them.”

Doesn’t really sound like the ex is much competition if that’s the case. 

“Yeah I can imagine that wouldn’t make the best partner. It’s good he at least isn’t a part of your life anymore right?”

“Yes going forward he won’t be. I told him there will be no contact between us again. It just really fucking sucks you know? He was this amazing really sweet guy who I grew to care for and love deeply and then out of nowhere it was like a switch flipped. And the toughest part is that sometimes I feel like I still care for him but then I remember what he’s actually like.”

If she still has feelings this is not good.

“I get it, breakups of course are tough and you just need to take your time to really get back to being you and no longer thinking about this guy.”

“Well said Y/L/N. Enough about me and my issues though. What about you? You got your eye on anyone or with anyone?”

Ah. Fuck it. It’s late, let’s have a little fun. 

“Uhh yeah I guess there’s one person but it’ll prob never work out so I gotta move on.”

“Ouuuu omg okay who are they, do they go to our school?”

“Yes and I will not be disclosing that information because I really do not need it getting out haha”

“Boooo, c'mon you can trust me.”

“Oh my god is it because it’s someone I know?”

“Maybe.”

“How well do I know them?”

“Hmmmm I’d say pretty well but I’m not going to tell you who it is so I wouldn’t bother guessing.”

“Boring. I’ll get it out of you when we move back to school.”

“Haha sure you will.”

“Speaking of, there’s this bar down the street from where my place is, my friends told me the team and a few others are going out on the Friday before the new semester starts. Are you going to be back by then?”

“Yeah, I should be. If not, I can always try to change my flight to come in a little earlier.”

“Yeah I think you should. It sounds like fun.”

“I just checked and my flight lands at JFK later in the day on Thursday so once I find a ride to campus I’ll be there probably late Thursday night.”

“Oh you’re flying in and out of JFK? I can give you a ride if you want. I’ve been staying at my apartment in the city for the summer so I can pick you up on my way to campus and save you a few bucks on transportation.” “That’s really nice but you don’t have to do that.”

“Y/n, I insist, it’s no big deal.”

“Okay well thank you, let me at least pay you some money for gas.”

“Don’t sweat it. If you really want to repay me you can help eye my shot next week. I’ve been having some issues with my arrows going a little left and can’t figure out why.”

“Wow, is the best archer in the world asking me for archery advice?”

“Ha. ha.”

“Hehe sorry you know I couldn’t resist.

The next week or so went by unbelievably slowly. The contact between you and Kate was still there but not as much and the fact that she was picking you up from the airport had your mind spinning in circles. You were so unbelievably nervous to see her and be with her, just the two of you again…sober this time. The tension that was created the last time you two were alone felt like it was tearing through you. Everyone knows that things are a little more awkward when you’re sober though. You don’t feel as invincible as when you’re drunk. Whenever you drink, you feel like you have the guts to say whatever you want to. Who knows, maybe the Friday night plans will grow into something more, maybe they won’t. 

The morning of your flight you wake up to a message from Kate,

“Hey y/n! Text me when you land and tell me which terminal to pull up to today. Have a safe flight <3, I’m looking forward to seeing you”

The second half of that message gave you butterflies in your stomach. You wanted to be there now, in her arms. Oh god, are you guys at the point in your friendship where you hug when you see each other?

I guess we’ll see. 

– End of PT. 2 –

Taglist: @yelenaslyubov @youreatotalposer @jeyramarie @flosbelova @bridgecitybrad @justthis-stuff @chloe7076 @ailenepuff @ravenclawbitch426 @mellowladyangel @amcg0605-blog @kassies-take @yelenaswife1996 @wandanatchick @lilroachsworld @inluvwithfictionalwomen @x666hours @natashaswife4125 @onetruwhore @karmasgxrl @hopelesslyfallenninlove @setsuna1415 @swiftdazer @imobsessedwithmilfss @madamevirgo @louisprettybab @splatalia-jumpanova @jediluka @t00manyfand0ms @oohlala666 @kates-abs-slay @scmg11

[wheeboo]

05:17pm | joshua hong

SYNOPSIS. in which you and your cousin joshua go on a trip together. PAIRING. cousin!joshua x gn!reader (ft. mentions of seungcheol x reader) GENRE. fluff, platonic/familial relationship WARNINGS. details in the drabble alluding to emergency contact WORD COUNT. 763

requested from anon: Hello emergency contact anon here! I just want to say thank you so much for accepting my request & doing them! I love the series so much and it brings me comfort whenever I read it 😊 (especially the final). Although I’m sad that we won’t know how Joshua got them together… And I also hope you don’t mind if I can please request platonic older cousin Joshua x reader? Whether as a side story of emergency contact or as a different story, that’s if you’re alright with writing platonic that is 🥺 Thank you again so much!

notes: i hope you’re fine with a brief drabble emergency contact anon (pls i love calling u that its so cute and if u want to be referred as something else lmk!) honestly was trying to think of a side plot and then i saw these gum wall photos on his insta and was like LMAO also cousin!joshua is a vibe he’d be so fun to hang out with

“Wait, wait, Y/N! Can you take some pictures of me in front of the gum wall?” Joshua shoves his phone in your hands, making you groan in annoyance as you switch to the camera and turn around to take some photos of him. 

You are met with an explosive array of colours and flavours of the gum wall as Joshua steps ridiculously close to it, posing in front as if the intense smell of old and dry bubblegum wasn’t surrounding the two of you and all the other tourists around. Okay, but who thought that planting bubblegum on the wall was a grand idea? It’s a strangely appealing popular attraction, but... why?

You couldn’t help but cringe playfully at some of the poses he was taking, but you obliged anyway knowing how much capturing memories meant to him and how much he thrived on posting photos online to his Instagram. You end up spamming probably around twenty photos in his camera roll, and perhaps a total of nearly a thousand throughout the entirety of the trip.

Once Joshua steps down from the wall, he walks up to you and eagerly grabs his phone back, flipping through the multitude of photos you took of him from all kinds of angles. 

“Wow, you got great shots,” Joshua gives you a few thankful pats on the back as the two of you quickly scatter out of the alleyway and back onto the bustling city sidewalks. “Thanks, Y/N.”

You scoff teasingly. “Pfft, what am I? Your personal photographer? You better be giving me credits when we get back home.”

Joshua gasps dramatically, raising a hand up as if surrendering. “It’s quite rude of you to think that I won’t be crediting you. I’ll even tag every single one of your socials, including your private accounts.”

You playfully shove him away, shaking your head dismissively. “Ah, I take it back. Don’t give me credits, please.”

Joshua just gives you a mischevious, amused look. “Too late. Come on, I know a good café around here.”

He leads you into a nearby café down a couple blocks away. As you enter together, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and pastries fills the air, and you already begin to feel the excitement of the day begin to subside into the café’s cozy and relaxing atmosphere. This was definitely your preferred place and crowd to exist in.

You find a table in the corner as Joshua heads to order for the two of you, peering around to the other tables to find everyone seemingly in their own little world. After a few moments, you feel your phone vibrate in your pocket, and you swiftly reach in to take it out.

The name that pops up in your notifications brings an immediate grin to your face, enough to somehow make the entire world fade into insignificance.

And you probably get a bit too lost that you don’t notice Joshua approaching with drinks.

“Texting Seungcheol?”

His voice almost makes you drop your phone in a panic.

“I... No, I-I wasn’t.” You snatch your drink from his hands and take a long sip to relieve yourself.

“Come on, I know you like him. Ever since the birthday party the two of you looked awfully close.” Joshua comments teasingly, sliding into the seat in front of you and leaning in close. “I think... if I remember correctly, the two of you left the house together for a walk at some point?”

Is this man a telepath or something? A wizard of some sorts? Was it the cousin instincts in him that was kicking in?

You feel the blush growing in your cheeks, making you take another sip of your drink to help cool away your nervousness. Joshua always had a knack for picking up the subtleties of your body language, even if he was all the way across a damn café. Or maybe you were just blatantly obvious𑁋that’s probably what it is.

“Out of all people he just happens to be one of your best friends.” You murmur lowly under your breath. 

“You’re saying that like it’s a curse.” Joshua chuckles, sipping his own drink.

You smile faintly to yourself. “It’s nothing like that. It’s just...” You look up to meet Joshua’s intrigued eyes. “...I want to do it right, you know? Relationships... have never been my thing.”

Joshua leans back in the seat, heaving out a sigh. He understands your hesitation. “Yeah, I know,” Then he leans back in. “but Seungcheol is patient, I can assure you. And... if you want to know anything more about him or any advice, you can always come to me. I can always work my magic.” And then he gives a stupidly disgusting wink.

All you do giggle and give him a grateful nod. Joshua is truly your cousin and best friend in one.

“Thanks, Shua.”

[tocupid]

﹒ sung hanbin love timeline!

nonidol!shanbin x reader  warning ﹕fluffy fluff! + cussing oops edit status  ﹕not edited ..  word count   ﹕813 words  previous  ⠀  next (n/a currently)  ⠀    ⠀masterlist

thank you. at this point you had been sighing and grumbling, crouched in the corner, continuously staring at the phone that had been thrown in front of you on your bed. should you text him? what if he didn’t respond? what if he was busy and you were just adding onto his burden? god why was this so complicated. at this point you were dead shit tired and just wanted to get it over with, so you snatched the phone and just messaged the contact. 

strange man❔ it’s the bitch from the beach .. r u free . 

staring at the phone for a few moments, you just sighed and turned off the phone. why the fuck were you so impatient and why the fuck did you think he’d actually respond so quickly. clearly you failed to notice the grey typing bubble because you fucking jumped up feeling your phone vibrate and a notification from the contact you had just texted pop up. 

ofc! sung hanbin at your service! do you have a place in mind?

service? damn now things were just starting to get conflicting because it was like oh my god are you wasting his time and making this seem like a job or god damn did he say that to sound cute because oh my fucking god it’s working. running to get ready after you saw his response to you replying he could choose, you were honestly quite excited to see what would happen today. 

surprise surprise! he bought you to the café he works at ! 

“you work at a café?”  “it’s only part-time while i go to university! i want to become a teacher in the future.. but as of now, this helps me earn a bit of money while helping out my parents here at the same time!” 

parents? god were his parents working here too? did that mean they would also be here.. lord you weren’t ready for this. too bad god had other plans clearly because the second those thoughts rose into your head you heard hanbin let out a little yell and wave up to the people you were already terrified of seeing at the moment. 

“mom! i brought a friend who’s staying here for a while!” 

running up to her and giving her a tight hug was a sight to see. it was absolutely adorable but at the same time seeing her turn to you after he let go of her gave you chills down your spine, enough to make you crawl back into a shell. the only reason you even let out a breath was seeing her give you the exact warm welcoming smile her own son had with open arms coming up to you, giving you a surprising but definitely not unwanted hug. 

“welcome! it’s a pleasure to meet you! thank you for keeping hanbin company!” 

spending the day with hanbin in the little comfy café was so comforting. he treated you to amazing food that was just as good as a family’s own homecooked breakfast, and self-made drinks that felt like you were being hugged by him back at the beach once again. watching him work and being just as kind and generous as he was to you towards customers was amazing. he really was like this to everyone and you couldn’t help but envy him. after serving and completing someone’s order he would always take a glance at you before mouthing the words ‘are you okay?’ to which you would always give a slight smile back and nod before mouthing back ‘of course i am’. whenever he was on a break he’d bring two slices of cheesecake and two warm coffee’s, the way you both liked, learning yours from when you two talked earlier as he prepared your drink. even though he hadn’t been able to directly speak to you, the overall day was calming and somehow able to help you destress. 

even though you insisted you could walk back home on your own, hanbin finally got permission to walk you back in the end. you couldn’t tell if it was consciously or not but he held your hand type the whole way and you would never lie and say that it didn’t make you feel safe and cared for. on the way back he never failed to show engagement in the conversations he would start and let you lead. all you could think of when seeing this man in front of you was that he was a complete gift from the heavens, and all you could say while he wished you a good night, hugging you tight, before letting go and giving and you a small wave and bright genuine smile, was thank you. because you doubted he would ever know but sung hanbin saved your life. and all you would ever be able to tell him was thank you.

[another-sonic-blog]

The Fanfictioner Ch.8: Story

The Fanfictioner Ch.8: Story

.

.

.

"It's me! Hello! I am the problem it's I!

At coffee time everybody agrees!

I look directly at the moon but never in the mirror, it most be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero!"

"NEW RISING POP-STAR TYLER SWEET IS TAKING OVER THE WORLD WITH HER NEW ALBUM!"

Shadow is eating his daily coffee beans as he softly sings his favorite song. He is not one to listen to gossip news but he just had to whenever Tyler Sweet drops a new album. He just hopes she succeeds in the music charts. Shadow has secretly been following him since she started uploading her songs on MusicCloud and he is glad she has finally had her breakthrough.

"Shadow."

The actor recognizes Omega's robotic voice as he enters the kitchen.

"Hey Omega, did you sleep well?" Shadow asks as he looks inside one of his kitchen cabinets. There he finds car oil. For Omega of course. Omega doesn't need sleep. However, Tails took the liberty to program a 'sleep' software on the robot. And he seems to have enjoyed it."

"Yes. I am 'rested."

After a few seconds, Omega makes a pause and Shadow looks at him.

"I have two notices," Omega says. "Rouge says she will come to visit soon."

"Alright, gonna have to break a leg so she doesn't force me to go shopping with her," Shadow puts a few coffee beans in his mouth and chews them. "What is the other news?"

"... Your ShadAmy Comic has gotten over 100k reads on Weebtun"

.

.

.

Shadow's phone has not stopped ringing with notifications. Comments, likes, and shares. He had spent many days drawing that comic and even thought his art was not good enough to get praised.

As much as he wants to get excited, he knows he can't. Especially when he is a famous actor and he can't risk being exposed as a crazy fanfic fanatic in real life.

He quietly rubs and puts pressure on the middle of his palm to alleviate his anxiety. Shadow was definitely not expecting that many people to read his comic and somehow that's making him sweat.

"Shadow!"

Shadow snaps and completely forget that he is on set.

"Your lines? We don't have all day."

But Shadow stays quiet. Looking side to side, confused.

"Nevermind. Let's all take five. Shadow, either learn your lines or improvise!"

He sighs heavily and goes to his black chair. Next time there is a table with coffee beans as snacks. But right now he is not interested in that. Shadow sits and pulls out his phone. He should be studying his lines but he knows them already. He needs a different kind of support.

TheFanfictioner#0619: "I am starting to think I suck at my job."

Shadow texts his online best friend and eats some of the coffee beans. He had muted his notifications from Weebtun but he can't help and constantly check the app. The reads are growing and so is his anxiety.

ARoseWithoutTorns#0923: "You have a job? I thought you were too busy being a fanfic fanatic to have one."

TheFanfictioner#0619: "If that was my job, I wouldn't complain. But sadly, I entertain people for a living and I hate people most of the time."

From afar he sees Sonic Team gathering together and talking. While they are distracted Shadow looks around him and next to his chair finds his backpack. He usually brings things with him, a charger, laptop, sketchbook and pencils so he doesn't have to go back to his dressing room.

ARoseWithoutTorns#0923: "Do you hate me?"

TheFanfictioner#0619: "I tolerate you. Consider yourself lucky."

Shadow takes out his sketchbook and a pencil he looks at Amy from afar and starts sketching her. It might be strange but he needs to have as many references as possible. He can probably get pictures of her online but nothing is better than having the real person in front of you.

His phone rings, and he responds.

ARoseWithoutTorns#0923: "Oh, I am happy I am not on your naughty list."

TheFanfictioner#0619: "Only because you write my favorite fanfic."

He goes back to sketching and looks at Amy who has picked up her phone and is typing.

Not even a second passes and Shadow's phone rings.

ARoseWithoutTorns#0923: "Fair. But tell me what is bothering you?"

TheFanfictioner#0619: "The fan-comic I did for you fic ... It's getting too many reads and I was not expecting that. It's giving me anxiety for some reason."

He puts his phone aside on the table and sketches Amy again who is on her phone again. Typing.

Then his phone rings again.

ARoseWithoutTorns#0923: "You know, if it's too much to handle, you can always delete it. I won't mind."

TheFanfictioner#0619: "I don't know. I do enjoy the nice comments and it's motivating me to draw more but I am not used to so much attention."

The actor is able to draw Amy's eyes. She is moving a bit too much, smiling and giggling with Sonic and her friends. Then she takes out her phone again and types.

And then his phone rings again.

Interesting. But whatever.

ARoseWithoutTorns#0923: "You said you were an entertainer? Are you not used to people giving you attention?"

And before he could respond, the director speaks up.

"Alright change of plans! We are recording the last scene of the last episode for this season."

Amy Rose feels shivers run down her spine because she knows what that means. Heck, she was the one who wrote the ending for this season. Still, she is not mentally prepared to do this. But the time has come and she can't run away.

They were recording in the forest and they need to hurry up before sunset.

"Let's just record the kiss as the sun goes down and let's call it a day," Mr. Johnson says and he picks up a camera. He is going to be the one to record the kiss.

Shadow and Amy get on the scene and Shadow places Amy against a tree trunk. Just like in the script.

"Now Shadow, I need emotion," Mr. Johnson starts to record and gets extremely close to their faces. "Remember your character desires Amy but secretly feels that he has some genuine feelings for her. To prove that, you need to kiss her ... Slowly. First-"

"Please, just keep quiet and let me do my job," Shadow interrupts him and at that, the director just sighs and nods.

"Ok .. Lights, camera ... Action!"

As Shadow gets into character, Amy's knees go weak. She looks him in the eyes. Vermillion and beautiful. He caresses her cheeks and pulls a string of her hair on the back of her ear.

Shadow slowly closes his eyes and gets closer and closer to her and

Amy pushes him away.

Completely red and shaking, she looks at everyone in the room. Flabbergasted and speechless. Except for Sonic who is smiling.

She doesn't know what to say. Should she apologize to Shadow who is looking at her in disbelief? At everyone for wasting their time and money?

She could only look at the director.

"Please just give me two days to prepare!"

.

.

.

Continue reading on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23815324/chapters/116371165

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/story/229947691-the-fanfictioner

[greensagephase]

Alondra, thank you for always supporting me through my college journey this last year!! I can’t believe that I’m graduating, and to be honest there’s been a lot of crying I’ve been doing about it (maybe happy tears?!) 😭 but it means so much to me that through it all, you have been there to support me whenever I brought it up in our conversations! ❤️❤️ After this I’ll finally have the time to truly catch up on everything I missed and talk to you more too!! I’m so excited to finally put my energy back into NC and drawing (I’m considering making my response to part 13 a post because I’m afraid it will go over the word count in messages 😭) AND I DID JUST SEE YOU POST PART 14 SO I KNOW WHAT I’M READING AFTER GRADUATING!!! and I did see your other message on Monday and will get to that too soon!! It made my day seeing that, I can’t describe how happy I get seeing a notification from you 🥹 I’m currently (very last minute) decorating my grad cap before I wake up early for commencement (omg definitely feeling the nerves). But again, Alondra, you’re just the sweetest moot and person I’ve ever talked to and your support means so much (I keep saying it but it’s true!!) and if you ever need anything too, I’m here to talk and listen, friend!! I hope you’ve been having a great start to the month and will talk back soon. Sending you the best vibes and warmest hug!! I hope you’re doing well, friend!! 🥹❤️✨❤️

Here’s a little sketch I made to thank you (more to come for NC!! Literally a backlog of sketches!! HIS SMILE FROM PART 13??!! That’s for another post 🤭) and my cap that decorating (there’s butterflies I’m including too!) but I decided that I’m adding the pics of Miguel on for photos afterwards- but I’ll send you some more photos or maybe even post my finished cap after commencement is over!

@sunsetdoodler Of course, friend!!!!! 🥹🫶🏼❤️ I said it already but I'm so so HAPPY and PROUD OF YOU!!!!! I want to wish you another BIG CONGRATULATIONS FOR GRADUATING!!!!!! 🥳🥳🥳 YOU DID IT, FRIEND!!!!!! Also, the tears are normal, I think, and I believe they're most definitely happy ones!! I cried, too!! It's just a lot of emotions once you reach the day. At some point during the semester you're like, "can this be over already?? 😭😭" but at the same time you're wishing it's not, and then you get to the day and it feels surreal!!!! I hope your day went smoothly and that you spent it with your family and friends!!!!! I'm so excited to see you more active on here and for us to talk again, I've def missed you but as I mentioned in my ask, I was happy you made the decision to focus on your schooling!!!!

I'm also so excited to see fan art from you and also to read your post on part 13, and even more so since you said you had to move it to a word doc!!! I'm ready to read your thoughts on it fr!!!!

Also, YESSS!!! Finally posted part 14 of NC and I can't wait to read your thoughts on it as well, hehe 😌 I think you're going to like it!! And aww, I'm touched my notifications make you happy!!! It's the same for me!! Seeing your name pop up always brightens my day!! ALSO, I LOVE YOUR CAP!!! The flowers are so LOVELY and I love the colors you chose!!!! 💜🤍 And then you added butterflies??!?! You're making me wish I had the opportunity to decorate mine but my school didn't allow us ! 😭I bet the final look turned out so lovely and cute!!! I also love that you had some amazing help from Miguel, he was trying to help you since it was last minute and probably making sure you had space for his photos later on!! But AHHH you're gonna make me cry!! You're so sweet, thank you!!!!! 🫶🏼❤️🥺 The same goes to you, my friend!!! You're one of the sweetest people I've interacted with, even more than some irl people, so thank you for always being so kind and sweet!! If you ever need to talk about anything, I'm here for you as well!!!! I hope you're having a great day so far, and that you have a wonderful weekend, friend!!! Please rest and take your time to unwind after so much going on!! You deserve it!!! Sending you a big warm hug and the best wishes and luck as always!!!! And one more time, CONGRATS, FRIEND!!!!!❤️✨❤️

ALSO THE SKETCH!!!!!! I'M PRINTING THAT WHEN I GET A NEW PRINTER, I SWEAR (it stopped working like a week ago 😭)!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FRIEND - I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!!!!! Fun little story, I was at a parking lot waiting for one of my siblings and was drawing the sketch I sent you when your notification arrived and let me tell you - I screamed when I saw the sketch!!!! IT MADE MY DAY SO MUCH BETTER, SO THANK YOU!!!!! ❤️😭 And again, I can't wait to see all the art you post once you get time!!! I'm so so excited to see it!!!

[blizzardsuplex]

You don't know what you've unleashed El <3 Sappiness in 100 words or less each under the cut!

In general: After being on the outside looking in with Tumblr for a long time, I finally joined somewhere around the midpoint this year. I was kind of active for a month before major events in both my family and long-standing hobbies made me disappear. The me from even a few months beforehand probably would have never come back…but I did, and I couldn’t be more grateful for it. It’s just really fun to be on here, in a way I haven’t experienced for a while—so, if you're reading this, whether we actively talk or not? You’ve contributed to that. Thank you.

Drea @shes-a-voodoo-child: I knew you first as a brilliant writer, but little did I know that you were also a gracious member of fandom/Tumblr, even to someone like me who blundered into a cold call (thank you for not immediately blocking my empty blog, haha!) Nowadays, though, I know you first and foremost as someone I’m glad to call my friend—even if I must admit I still look up to you with stars in my eyes. I only wish I had more interesting things to talk about with you, because I really enjoy whenever we chat things like music or wrestling!

El @spaghettisaurusrex: Honestly, at first I thought you were too cool for me—you teach swordfighting, for God’s sake! But you’re also an incredibly chill, incredibly nice person, who I’m always glad to see in my notifs on Tumblr or Discord. And, of course, thank you so, so much for writing and talking the fairy tale AU with me; it was a fraught journey on my part, but it also turned out one of my fave pieces I’ve ever done. We should write together again next time!

Izzy @limbreaper: So much to say, so little (self-imposed) space to say it. I never thought I’d have a friend like you, honestly, especially considering everything’s that happened. Forever grateful that you’re in my life (if only for now), and I hope you have as much fun talking to me as I do talking to you—and if we drift apart one day, though hopefully later rather than sooner…I won’t forget your kindness sending that message to a stranger. It really did mean a lot. Hopefully there’ll be authentic PH food options where you are some day.

Jackie @tekkers: I’ve admired your GIFs/ZSJ content from even before I was active on tumblr (yeah, I was a tag delver), so to find out that the person running the blog is a really cool person on top of everything? Chef’s fucking kiss. Thank you for listening to me for a couple of hours that one time and offering to finagle with Highspots TV for me. Also, you have great taste in music! We should start swapping recs again (though I don’t know if I’ll ever give you something that I loved as much as Emotionalism!)

K @onlyposersfallinlove: We don’t talk as much as we might be able to, but I hope you know that I’m thinking of you and hoping for you always. Whether your goals be in the spheres of fandom or private life, you deserve to achieve them, because you have the right to be happy. May whenever you read this be wonderful—at least just that day.

Kerri @sublightsleeper: You’re a thief in the night, except you both bring the day when you pop up and also are not a thief in the slightest (unless you want to be, because thief classes are cool). Either way: you’re a very nice, creative person and talented writer, and I always smile when you take the time to say hello!

Pastel @zsjbrightensday: It takes a lot of bravery to post a creative work to any sort of public—and now you’ve done it twice, with even more on the way! I’m really, really glad that you feel safe enough to do so, and I am excited for whatever is next in your WIP list! Also, you’re just a very nice person and I always am happy to get asks from you.

Poke @theaerialassassin: I hope you liked your present! Joking self-aggrandizing aside, you are a great friend and a great person to exchange ideas with and be around. I hope that school and life treats you well, and that you know that, whenever or wherever doubts may creep in, you know you have people to turn to (including both those around you physically and the people in your phone, if you’re so inclined). You’re there for us, too, after all.

Rosa @rosabellebelieve: As I’ve told you recently, I’m so very glad you were active in the notes of Drea’s posts and were receptive to the virtual post-its I left on your desk, haha! You’re wonderful to talk to, and though I wish once more when DMing you that I had more interesting things to say because I just enjoy when we converse, I know that whenever we do it’s a great time. Thank you for being my friend!

Syb @fang-revives: How does your garden grow?—well, it’s almost winter, as you said. But I’m always glad to see your gardening pics cross my dash! I hope that the last of this year’s tomatoes were good, and that when the world wakes up in a few months for spring your plants will be the most verdant verdure this side of the US-Canadian border. Also KENTA is cool I guess (I kid; he definitely is. Have I sent you the KENTA/Marufuji hour long match my friend compressed to sub-8 MB?)

Vera @scissormedaddyass: On top of being super duper cool, you’re a very level-headed person and I deeply appreciate that. You’re also a great writer and just…so fun to talk to/participate in fandom with (let’s go sailing the internet’s seven seas, haha). Very glad I met you. I hope your walks remain pleasant and that the yar-harr fandom you’re a part of isn’t too sad about what happened. ;)