#one was a Robin move that he accidentally did when he slipped for a split second and instinct kicked in

[snaileer]

Actually, Dick just takes a couple weeks off at the end of the summer every Olympics season and goes to represent. It’s not always for the US, sometimes he’ll go for Romania, or another European country his parents had gotten him citizenship in when he was a kid.

He just shows up back in Blud at the end like, okay! *claps hands* ready to get back to work! *walks away with the jangling of gold metals around his neck*

In the DC universe there's a petition with over five hundred thousand signatures asking Batman to let Robin represent the USA on the male gymnastic team

[hellhue]

𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒔𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 ⋆ steve harrington x reader

wc: 4.1k

summary: after getting split from your friends, you and enemy Steve encounter new plant life in the upside down. wonder what it could be?

tags: frenemies to fwb to ??, sex pollen upside down smut with no plot, unprotected sex, rough sex, squirting, brief throatfucking, no aftercare

tw: sex pollen, dubcon

minors dni 18+ below cut

All you could hear was the thick flap of leathery wings beating around you, and the thump of your sneakers hitting concrete as you tried outrunning the colony of demobats that had found you and your friends.

Your lungs ached for air as you ran, one hand held above your face for protection while the other was gripped tightly in Steve’s as he pulled you behind him, trying to find the closest point of shelter in the short time you both had.

During the midst of the chase, Eddie, Nancy, and Robin got separated from you. Since then, you and Steve clutched to one another tightly to prevent further losses, thick worry creeping into the dark pits of your minds, partially for your own safety, but mostly for your friends.

“There!” you heard Steve shout, and then felt a heavy tug on your hand as Steve flung you inside in front of him before slamming the door behind him. He rested his back against the heavy door, spreading his arms to serve as a barricade while the demobats bashed against the wooden frame, over and over and over.

You tripped over your feet as you flew inside, and landed on the wooden floors of the entryway, narrowly missing the cluster of tendrils spread across the hardwood. Both of you heaved as you tried to catch your breath, taking a moment to let the hammering of your hearts settle.

“Did you have to throw me on the ground?” you complained through deep gasps, glowering at the wood grain below you as you propped yourself up with your knees and hands. The skin stung where you impacted.

He couldn’t help but roll his eyes, “a ‘thank you for saving us’ would’ve worked” he grumbled sarcastically, ear pressed against the door as he listened to the creatures, taking a moment to cool the burn in his throat.

You scoffed at him, dusting yourself off as you hauled your body from the dirty floor. Now that you had a moment to glance around, you noticed the room was filled with thick black vines curling around the deserted entry way, and twisting up and across the walls. Neither of you attempted to move from your spots, eyes meeting one another’s, panic starting to brim as you noticed your surroundings. This isn’t any better.

“Suffocation by tentacles or snack pack for the demobats?” Steve offered, trying to lighten the mood as tension creeped through your necks. 

You’d never tell him, but you appreciated it. As much as you could, when it came to Steve.

“You take both and I’ll take the opportunity to get out of here.” you smiled sweetly at him. Steve would serve as a worthy distraction.

“Jeez, forgot who I was with,” he groaned. He moved on, starting to tiptoed from the door, trying to make his way further into the strange house, “you would make me the sacrificial lamb. I grabbed the wrong person.” he mumbled the last part, pausing his advancement to examine you, eyes filled with regret while weighing his mishaps. 

Your face dropped, not because of what Steve said, but because of the brief mention of the others. That same worried feeling starting to gnaw at your edges again, “do you think they’re okay?” you asked, teasing tone now replaced with an unusual gentleness, one Steve very rarely heard.

The sourness in his face morphed into something softer, sweeter, you couldn’t exactly pinpoint it. He just nodded, letting his eyes drop from your face before continuing his expansion into the house. 

“They slipped inside the Powell’s a little ways up,” he spoke over his shoulder as you followed closely behind him through the narrow hallway, copying his exact footsteps to prevent accidentally alerting the creepy Upside Down hive mind, before he stopped abruptly before the first closed door.

Somehow you ended face first into his back with a sharp inhale of surprise. 

“Steve!”

Your arms wrapped around the front of his torso tightly as you held him flush against your front, hoping to stop him from bumping into the door in front of him from your impact. 

His body was hardened, stiff as it pressed into your soft, pliable one. You both stood motionless, seemingly unaffected from the crash, as far as the vines go, anyways. 

“Watch where you’re going,” he gritted between his teeth, pinching between his brows harshly as you held onto him.

“Don’t just stop like that!” you retorted, face muffled against the denim of his vest. How could he be blaming you?

“Just..don’t move.” he gave up, knowing an argument would not help the current predicament. 

Mine, hers, mine, hers.

He noted the alternating pattern of your feet against each other, noticing how both sets were a centimeter off from skimming the surrounding vines.

With one hand, he reinforced the hold you had around him, hoping to keep you steady so your feet didn’t slide as he leaned forward to the door, reaching his other hand around the doorknob and pushing in.

The door opened slowly with an eerie creek, the silver glow of the street lights spilling through the window into the dark room. It was mostly clear, no thick vines invading the space of the bedroom.

Steve let out a breath of relief. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

“This looks safe. We can wait the bats out then meet up with the rest of them.”

As much as Steve frustrated you, you were a little glad you were with him. Despite hating him all throughout high school, he was smart with this stuff, and good under pressure. With him by your side, you knew you’d all make it out of here okay. It brought a small peace to your mind.

Entering the room only proved your point further, as there was no ichor, or thick black tendrils invading the space. The only residue of The Upside Down tainting it were the usual dark particles, as well as some thinner vines, adorned with dainty black flowers, growing across the walls. They were pretty, and seemed easy enough to avoid. 

You and Steve rotated around the room, taking in the posters on the wall, toying with the scattered knickknacks and mixtapes spread across the strange room. Whoever’s it was, they seemed to be around your and Steve’s age. You couldn’t help but wonder if you knew them.

But keepsakes could only keep your attention for so long before the silence turned awkward, and boredom overtook you. Maybe waiting alone with Steve really is as bad as it sounds.  You sighed audibly, moving onto the strange flowers decorating the wall.

As you got closer, the petals flickered, as if they could sense you. They threatened to push out, as if about to blossom.

“Wh- don’t touch those.” Steve chastised you like a child, pointing accusingly as you got closer to the blooms.

“No kids and I’m somehow still the babysitter.” he whined to himself, “I would’ve had better chances with Dustin.”

It was your turn to roll your eyes at him, “oh poor Stevie.” you feigned with false empathy before turning your back to him, attention back to the flowers. You brought a pinky finger up, and as if it could feel your aura, the petals fluttered and pulsed around the proximity. You were slow with your movements, being careful to not touch any of the petals, until suddenly, a large hand clasped your shoulder.

The unexpected contact startled you, causing your pinky to accidentally nudge the specimen. Shit.

Suddenly a puff of black particles blasted from the pistil, a dark ooze following behind it, dripping down the now opened blossoms of the flower.

You coughed, and coughed, and coughed as the fine particles invaded your eyes, nostrils, and throat with a thick burn. Steve pulled you back from the spill in a hurry, unsure what to do.

“What the fuck, Steve!” you shrieked, eyes clasped closed, tears spilling from the sides as you rubbed furiously at them, further smearing the black pounce across your face.

“What a safe fucking room!” you added in frustration, panic coating your voice as the sting spread.

“Don’t blame me! I was trying to get you away from it!” The panic in his voice matches yours as he wrapped one hand around the back of your neck, pulling you in front of him. He brought the ends of his vest up with his other hand, using the rough material to wipe the black dust off your face. He was gentle, tracing it softly over the creases of your nose and the bottom of your lips. 

Soft cries left your lips as Steve wiped it clean, the denim agitating the burn more. 

“Almost done..” he whispered encouragingly, his thumb moving in a comforting circle at the front of your neck. As the granular spray spread further into the room, he could start to feel the burn as well, his eyes beginning to water. He cleared his throat, “there.”

You both sat there, unmoving and in pain. Until finally, the burning started to subside to a dull pulse. You peaked one eye open at Steve, who was already looking at you, “I think that helped.” you admitted before opening your other eye, “thanks..” 

“Sure.”

He took a step back, dropping his hand from your neck.

And immediately, the burn returned. Only this time it was at your neck, where Steve had just let go.

You instinctively reached for Steve, sucking in the air between your teeth, holding onto the ends of his vest as you tried not to cry out for the growing sting, “fuck, was it on your hands?” you winced up at him as he wrapped his fingers around both your wrists as you held the fabric, shaking his head.

“No, no, they’re clean. Look!” he brought his hands up, still clasping your wrists as he showed you his hands, free from any charcoal.

Just as fast as it returned, the pain subsided again. You took another deep breath in relief before shaking your head, “it’s gone.” you confirmed, before you both let go of one another.

And again, the burn returned. This time hotter as it crawled around your wrists, matching where Steve’s fingers were just wrapped.

He could also feel it, the pain starting at the tips of his fingers as it outstretched into his palms.

“What the..” he muttered, staring down at his hands.

You reached out for him again, one hand on each side of his neck, your fingers cooling the growing heat of his skin.

Gone. 

It clicked.

“Steve, it’s when we touch…” you whispered towards him. 

A part of you felt morose, normally the thought of touching any part of Steve disgusted you, but there was this small nagging at the back of your mind, one you didn’t want to think about, but it continued to bully its way through.

Thoughts about his solid back pressing into your front at the door, thoughts of the way his thumb caressed the front of your neck so softly as he wiped your face clean, thoughts of how you wanted to touch him, wanted to run your hands down the bare of his chest, like it was an instinct.

The images caused a bolt of excitement in your throat, and it traveled lower down your chest into your belly, until finally it shocked right at your core, and you let out a soft gasp.

“y’okay?” Steve huffed, drawing your attention from your thoughts to the man in front of you. Your fingertips could feel him gulp as it traveled down his neck, his skin warming as if he had a fever.

Your eyes melted into his as you met his gaze. It was different, you were used to his usual golden brown eyes that always held a bite of distaste whenever they met yours, but this time  they looked darker, almost hungry. And hot.

He looked like you felt, and that caused another pang to ignite, shocking with enough force you had to bite your lip.

“Steve,” your voice was a whisper, “I don’t feel right.”

His eyes never left your lips, watching as the plush skin moved against one another. He could feel your soft breath brush against his skin, he could smell the soft mint from your toothpaste, almost as if his senses were stronger. He closed his eyes in relief, the slightest touch from you cooling his searing skin. He’d turn to ash without you.

“Sit?” he offered, voice husky as he reached to grab your hips, intentions to move you to the bed.

You nodded, but neither of you moved. 

You wanted to, but it’s as if your body was being piloted by something other than yourself as your feet stayed planted in their place.

Steve opened his eyes at the lack of movement from either of you, meeting eyes through thick lashes.

A beat of nothingness.

And then you were both pulling one another into each other, crashing your lips against his, or his against yours, neither sure which one took the plunge first.

There was no sweetness, or hesitance in the kiss as your lips moved sloppily against his, your tastes intertwining between spit and shared breaths. You wanted more, wanted to taste and feel the rawness of him. 

His hands wandered over the expanse of your back, moving up towards your neck before they slid down to your bum, giving a harsh squeeze to the fat of each cheek, spreading them as much as he could through the fabric.

There was relief that accompanied the touching, and the kissing. All pain turned into something more pleasurable, something that warmed the core of your stomachs, but it wasn’t enough.

“I want you, Steve, please.” you begged as you felt his rough touch, grinding your front against his.

His hands held your ass tight as he pushed you back towards the bed, “yeah, okay, fine.” he breathed, head empty of thoughts, unsure why he was giving in so easily. All he knew was he wanted you too, and now.

His lips moved up and down your neck, leaving kisses and bruises as he suckled from the underside of your ear to the point of your shoulder 

You felt the sturdiness of the mattress behind your knees, so you fell back, arms around Steve as you brought him with you.

In the back of your mind, you knew this was wrong, but the thoughts were buried as you felt Steve’s hardened cock thrust against your clothed core.

“I’m sorry.” he moaned against you, dry humping into you like a dog in heat, “I can’t stop myself.” he gritted, already breathing heavily as he felt up and down your body.

The friction was tantalizing, you already felt an orgasm budding from the heightened senses, from the burning of every single nerve.

“I don’t want you to.” you admitted, helping him out by grinding yourself into his shoves.

Your fingers were unsteady with anticipation, fumbling with the button of your jeans between Steve’s body before finally it came undone. As soon as the small button was free, Steve grabbed the tops of your jeans and panties, pulling them both off in one sweep. 

A soft gasp left you at the force, and the sensation of the cool air hitting the hot wetness seeping from your heat. It felt heightened, the heat of his breath against you, the softest graze of his fingers, everything burning the tips of your nerves.

Steve dropped to his knees as soon you were bare, eyes set on the sweet cunt in front of him. He gripped your calf, smelling your skin as he dragged his face up the smooth skin before  resting his nose at the crease between your thigh and mound.

He drew a shameless sniff, trying to inhale as much of you as he could. He could smell the sweet hints of your favorite lotion mixed with the fresh remnants of your shower gel, and underneath it all was a soft, sweet, savory smell, that was naturally you. 

That smell caused an insatiable hunger to brew inside him, his cock hardening more as it pressed up against the side of the bed, “god that smell,” he growled, leaving opened mouthed kisses to the area, relishing the salty taste of your skin.

You sat in anticipation, thigh muscles tightening as you waited, whimpering for relief to your core, but Steve was taking too long, busy admiring the dribble starting to seep from your tight hole. 

As if your body was acting on your own, your hips bucked up, grazing your folds across the side of his face. You couldn’t even bring yourself to feel embarrassment with the trail of wetness your cunt left on him, too desperate for friction.

It was all the encouragement he needed. He turned his head, shoving his face into your pussy, lapping the juices from your hole before dragging his tongue further into your folds, trying to taste every crevice before circling your bud.

The silence of the room was filled with your whimpers and moans as he tasted you, holding your legs apart as you squirmed from his nose brushing against your clit as the warm muscle moved inside you, shoving in and out of your hole.

The thought of Steve Harrington tongue fucking you sent you over the edge, your heightened senses sending a shuddering orgasm through your body. You could feel it move down your shoulders into your cunt as Steve drank the nectar spilling from you.

“Look at you..” he chided, “sweet girl cumming from the mouth she hates so much.” 

The pain in his cock was unbearable. Hearing your moans and pants as he went down on you enlarging him more and more. He couldn’t take it anymore.

“I need to be inside you baby,” he grunted as he pulled you to the end of the bed, your ass nearly hanging off the end, “I can’t wait any longer.” he leaned

his body against yours, pressing opened mouthed kisses to your neck, asking permission with his kisses.

Knowing he needed you made the burn more intense, you needed him too. 

You nudge his face with yours, making him look you in your eyes, “take whatever you want Steve.” you stared at him between your lashes as you snaked your arms down to the top of his jeans, helping him unbutton his pants before he slid them to his ankles.

And he did. He pumped his cock once, twice, thumbing the weeping fluid from his tip before lining up with your hole. Without any warning, he shoved his thick girth into you, sheathing himself fully inside your warm hole.

It stung in the best way possible, you couldn’t help but moan out loud from the stretch of your hole. 

He only paused for a moment before dropping his elbows by the sides of your face, leaning his weight against them as he pumped long thrusts into you, grunting as his cock slid in and out of your warm pussy. 

You felt so full, and the warmth of his grunts tickling the inside of your ears only heightened the building feeling of your second orgasm. 

“I’m gonna cum.” you whined, gripping below his bum as you tried to push him deeper inside you. You wanted to feel him in your stomach.

“Not yet,” he breathed, his strength out matching yours as he pulled his dick from you, “I want to play with your pretty little hole a little longer.”

You clenched around nothing as he climbed ontop the bed on his knees, straddling your body. You missed the feeling of being filled, whining at the loss.

He shushed you and grabbed the back of your neck, holding your head up before using the head of his cock to drag down your bottom lip, “be a good girl and open up for me.” 

The praise from Steve had you keening, something that has never happened before. You opened your mouth happily, tongue out, wanting to show him how good you could be for him.

“I like you like this.” he continued, before shoving his cock deep into your throat.

You gagged at the intrusion, not expecting your mouth to be so filled so fast. He was big. 

You tried to breathe through it, gagging harder as he thrusted in once, twice, a third time. Your eyes watered, snot leaking from your nose, spit spilling from the sides of your mouth. 

“Messy girl.” he chided through a moan, continuing to bully his cock down your throat with harsh thrusts, no mercy as he bruised your larynx.

Your pussy watered at the abuse, enjoying the way he used you for his own pleasure, not caring if it was too much for you. 

After a moment of bruising thrusts, he slid his cock from your mouth, giving you a short moment to catch your breath before he shoved his middle and ring fingers into your mouth, pressing his fingers against your tongue, making it impossible to swallow any of the dribble spilling from the sides of your mouth. 

He used your jaw as a grip as he slid back off the bed, lining himself up again before he thrusted into you, in, out, in, out. They were heavy, harsh, thrusts, your lungs barely getting a breath as he slammed his cock inside of you. He was like an animal, feral for the feeling of your spongey insides clenching around his thick cock. 

It was overwhelming, the feeling of him gagging you with his fingers while he slammed into your little cunt.

Another wave hit you, so strong not even Steve could stop your orgasm from forming this time. Your eyes rolled into the back of your head as a spray of wetness spurted around Steve’s cock, he continued to bully his dick into you through the orgasm, splashing the squirt everywhere.

“Dirty girl, squirting on my cock,” he was breathless, you splashing around his shaft, soaking his curly brown pubes sent him over the edge. His thrusts became erratic as he jackhammered into you, hitting his release. 

You could feel the spurts of warm cum inside of you, and as he coated your insides, there was an instant relief from the life threatening arousal brought from the strange flower, his cum cooling down all the misery and the burning desires as he slid his softening cock in and out of you slowly, the mixed cum squelching around it.

He sat inside you for a second, then two, as you both settled down, your heads finally clearing, finally feeling like you were in control again. He slid his softening cock from you, both of you hissing at the loss of contact and overstimulation.

There was another beat of nothingness as you both breathed heavily, laying side by side, trying to catch your breath for the second time this night. 

With the overpowering arousal gone, and both of you feeling relieved from whatever ailed you previously, it turned awkward fast.

You knew Steve hated you, but never in a million years did you think he’d fuck you like he hated you. 

You sat up abruptly as clarity overtook you, thighs twitching from the abuse in between your legs.

“We can’t speak of this ever again.” 

Steve sat up next to you, both of your half clothed bodies pressed side by side. Awkward.

“Ever.” he agreed.

As you both got up, there was a sound from the entryway, like a door opening a closing, 

before a voice called your names.

Robin.

Your eyes widened, both of you half haphazardly throwing your clothes back on, avoiding eye contact, trying to hide yourself from the other as you got dressed, as if all decency wasn’t thrown from the window when he was pumping his cum inside of you.

After a quick pat of your hair, and a half-assed attempt to clean your running mascara, you both made your out 

The two of you looked terrible and disheveled, but you were attacked by demobats. Surely, they wouldn’t know. They couldn’t know.

All the incriminating evidence was hidden, your wetness on his cock hidden on the inside of his boxers, smearing against the fabric, while his leaking cum was held safely against your folds by your stained panties.

Keepsakes. 

Steve cleared his throat, glancing at the rest of the party as you finally met up, “all clear?” 

Nancy nodded, “yeah, for uh, a while. We came looking for you two.” 

She was hesitant in the way she spoke, glancing at Eddie and Robin besides her with an unsure look after taking in your appearances. 

“We should probably go then, I’ve had enough of the upside down today.” you piped up, shoving your way through the welcome party and out the door. 

Steve followed behind, trying to keep a respectful distance to not look suspicious.

There was a brief moment as the trio watched you two make your way down the driveway, an uncertainty settling between them.

Eddie glanced over at the two girls, “So they totally fucked, right?” 

Nancy pursed her lips, furrowing her eyebrows, while Robin bared her teeth with a nod, “Totally.” 

[gendercraft]

When I Fell Overboard [Chapter Eight: Never Been The Type To Trust]

Read on ao3

Synopsis: Sebastian struggles with his relationship with Maru as she strives to get close to him. Meanwhile, he and Elliott get closer and closer.

Trigger warnings: Panic attacks, fighting, snapping, potentially unsympathetic Robin, crying, food mention, let me know if I missed anything please

Fall came around full force. Nearly overnight, the leaves turned red and orange and yellow, crisp breeze carrying them across the cobble walkways. Pierre and Caroline had Abigail help them hang a huge sign above their entranceway advertising their ‘one of a kind’ and ‘Joja-free’ pumpkin seeds. Gus brought out a new menu, similarly pumpkin themed, but Sebastian couldn’t say he hated the spiced pumpkin mead. 

He and Elliott spent most days together. Any time he had to pull himself away, either to get some alone time or catch up with Abigail and Sam, they stood behind Elliott’s closed door with their arms wrapped around each other, Sebastian safely cradled against Elliott as they promised to meet again soon. 

Sebastian was falling hard. Every time he saw Elliott, he couldn’t help but smile. Elliott would do something small, like whisper an “aha!” when he figured out how to fix a plot hole, or accidentally burnt himself with his raspberry tea, or made too many crab cakes and had to share, and all Sebastian could think was, “I love you.” 

It was becoming a little bit of a problem. Elliott showed no signs of feeling the same way, gave Sebastian no hints, nothing to work off of. He eventually broke and spent a good twenty minutes venting to Sam and Abigail, who stared at each other, and then him, and then each other, then Sam sighed and left the room. 

“What’s his problem?” Sebastian asked, face hot. 

“You. You’re an idiot.” Abigail grabbed her drumsticks. “Come on, if we start he’ll come back in.” 

Abigail was spending a suspicious amount of time with Maru. Occasionally Abigail would come over while Sebastian was working and stay shut inside Maru’s room until he finished, sometimes for hours. There was an awful lot of laughing, though Sebastian couldn’t understand why. 

He eventually accepted that if she and Abigail were going to be friends, Maru and Sebastian had to be a little more than civil. Not quite friends themselves, but close. So when Maru reached out, he forced himself to stop snapping back. He still didn’t like that she was so insistent on them having a good relationship, didn’t understand why she didn’t already have enough—you’re stealing my best friend and you want me, too?—but he had to let it go. He couldn’t lose Abigail. He’d die. 

“Is it cool if I invite Maru with us to the saloon tonight?” Abigail asked during band practice one day. 

“Sure,” Sebastian mumbled. “Oh, and Elliott gave the okay for next week.” Sebastian asked if the three of them could use his cabin to rehearse one day so they could see how their songs would sound how they were meant to, on the piano. 

“Awesome.” Sam plugged his guitar into the amp with a wicked grin. “I am ready to give my mom a headache.” 

Sebastian rolled his eyes. 

After practice, they headed out to the saloon, an order of pizza and a round of beers already waiting for them. Sam gave Shane a cheerful wave and a smile, who returned it with a grunt. 

Abigail hopped onto Journey of the Prairie King, cussing the arcade machine out while Sebastian killed Sam in pool. Elliott showed up to drink his share of the beer and wrap his arms around Sebastian’s shoulders from behind. Sebastian blushed under everyone’s stares, but couldn’t bring himself to push Elliott away. It always made Sebastian so happy when Elliott touched him, a feeling of me, he’s choosing me. He could have anyone else right now and he’s choosing me.

It was hard to push aside the dread piercing Sebastian’s stomach when Maru came through the saloon doors. He focused on the game, not meaning to ignore her but trying to act casual and, well, taking it too far. 

“Hey, Sebastian.” Maru smiled. 

He glanced up. “Hey.” 

They stared for a moment, then Maru stepped aside to join Abigail at the machine. 

“So how are things going with you?” Elliott asked, giving him space to shoot. 

Sebastian bent over the table slightly with his pool cue. His tongue poked between his lips as he analyzed the set up, then moved and shot, hitting three of his balls into the holes and knocking aside two of Sam’s. 

“Damnit!” Sam side. “Fuck, Seb.”

Sebastian grinned. Then he remembered Elliott’s question and it faded. “Right. Um… fine, I guess? I mean, she’s here, right?” 

Elliott nodded slowly. “Right… is she still asking for your help with the robot?” 

“Yeah. Every other day, pretty much.”

“Why don’t you help her?” He rested a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. 

“She doesn’t need my help,” Sebastian muttered. 

“I think she does,” Elliott said gently. 

Sebastian shook his head and leaned against the pool table while Sam considered his move with a snail’s pace. 

“What does it matter?” Sebastian asked in frustration. “I thought you were staying out of it, remember?”

Elliott smiled nervously. “Right.” 

They played a little while longer, until Sebastian won and they were all tipsy. They stumbled out the saloon doors, milling around for a second while they figured out who was going with who. 

“Did you still want to see those videos of the Stardew caves?” Abigail asked, shyer than usual. 

Maru nodded with a smile. “I have a good computer. Wanna spend the night?”

She nodded. “Sebastian, you coming?” 

“Uh…” He glanced to Elliott, tipsy enough to allow the hope to show plainly on his face. 

Elliott laughed and wrapped an arm around his waist. “You can spend the night with me. You know I never mind.” 

“Well, I’m going to my own house,” Sam said, holding his hands up. “Have fun.” 

Maru, Abigail, and Elliott laughed, and they all split ways. Sebastian slipped his hand into Elliott’s when they were out of sight. 

Elliott smiled at him. “Want me to read to you when we get home, my dear?” 

Home. 

Home home home. 

Sebastian nodded. “Yeah.” 

Then Sebastian saw it. He looked up and Elliott was smiling softly, his brows relaxed, eyes sparkling. He was… happy to see Sebastian. 

Elliott chuckled. “What?” 

“Nothing,” Sebastian murmured. “Just…” He bit his lip. How could he say this? He forced the words out, “just… happy to… to be… you know, to be with- with you.” 

Elliott brightened. “That is so sweet! Sebastian!” He squeezed his hand as they stepped onto the beach, kicking sand as they went. “Before we head inside, do you want to go on a walk?” 

With the alcohol buzzing pleasantly in his head and the moon hanging above them, there was absolutely nothing Sebastian would rather do. He nodded. 

They strolled along the sand, headed towards the tidepools on the other side of the beach. When they arrived, Elliott broke off, and Sebastian missed holding his hand but it was worth it to watch him run around the tidepools, picking up shells and holding them to the starlight. He came over to Sebastian with a small, smooth black and purple shell and held it out to him. 

“Reminds me of you,” he said sheepishly, and that was it, Sebastian was in love. 

He cradled it in his hands, staring up at Elliott with the widest grin. 

Kiss him. 

Sebastian’s grin weakened. He couldn’t do that. He could never do that. What if he read everything wrong, and Elliott didn’t like him at all? Sebastian wouldn’t survive the embarrassment—or the guilt, if Elliott didn’t feel the same but kissed him anyway to spare Sebastian’s heart. 

“I had a really good time with you tonight,” Elliott said softly. He stepped closer and fit his hand into Sebastian’s. He cupped Sebastian’s face. “I always have a good time with you.”

Sebastian couldn’t speak, just smiled up at him, eyes damn near close to watering. 

“I was worried, with Maru being there. You guys always have so much- so much friction, and I know it upsets you. I don’t want anything to upset you. Maru is truly trying though, and it means a lot that—” 

He stopped. His face flushed, eyes widening. 

“I mean…” 

Sebastian frowned. “What are you talking about? What does that mean?” 

“No, nothing.” He brushed Sebastian’s hair back. “It was nothing.”

Sebastian took a step back. His hands trembled. “Have you been talking to Maru?” 

He hesitated. “Sebastian…” 

“Have you been talking to Maru?” He asked harder. “You promised you wouldn’t meddle in my relationships.” 

“I- I know. And I’m sorry. But after we started getting close, she came to me, and she was so upset, Bastian-”

Sebastian shook his head, eyes squeezed closed. The shell fell to the sand. “You promised me. Why would you… I can’t believe you’d…” 

“Please don’t be upset,” he begged. He stepped closer, and Sebastian stumbled back. “I just want you to be happy.” 

“That’s none of your business!” Sebastian exploded. “I told you not to get involved, it’s none of your business whether Maru and I get along or not! I can’t believe you’d- you’d-” 

Fuck, now his eyes were watering. Shit. He shook his head and turned, stumbling over the tidepools. 

“Sebastian! Wait!” 

“Just leave me alone, Elliott!” 

He stormed away. 

He was grateful it was so cold, because his body was hot, sweat pin-pricking his brow. He slammed the door open to his house and stormed towards Maru’s room. He banged on the door until she answered. 

“Sebastian?” Her anger faded. “What is it?” 

“I can’t believe you’d talk to Elliott behind my back,” he snapped. “You’re really so desperate to have a relationship with me that you’d trick me into it?” 

“Seb?” Abigail peeked over Maru’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?” 

He couldn’t even get the words out anymore. Part of him knew he was overreacting, knew he’d regret this, but his stomach boiled and his chest was tight and he was so, so angry, so upset that Elliott and Maru would… 

He squeezed his eyes shut. 

“Sebastian, you need to breathe,” Abigail said firmly. 

Her cold hands cupped his face. He blinked his teary eyes open. 

“Whatever you’re mad about, it’s okay,” she soothed. “You can figure it out.” 

He turned and hurried away. He barely managed to get his bedroom door shut and locked before he sank to the ground, hands trembling and body numb. 

He’d never been the type to trust people. In all honesty, he probably doomed his and Demetrius’ relationship from the start. Maybe he doomed his and Elliott’s, as well. 

All he knew is he didn’t trust Elliott anymore, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to.

[timetravelersdoctor]

Villains little bug. Bit 2

This is more meeting villains and a few extra things. Also @abrx2002 thank you for the two face idea. (You guys are so nice Thank you for liking and rebloging bit 1 and for the nice comments you left)

After the incident with the joker more rogues decide to try and meet marinette. The girl that has captured the hearts of many.

The first one to meet her after the incident is Mr. Freeze. At first marinette thought she was going to be frozen. But as it turns out he just needed to talk to someone.

The next to meet her is deadshot (did you know that there's a deadshot and deathstroke? I didn't realize they were two different people but correct me if I'm wrong please). He comes to her after hearing that she's into fashion. He wanted her to make an outfit for his daughter for her birthday.

Marinette makes friends of the rogues and continues the friendship even though she knows they're insane. She figures it's probably better then getting killed by them.(like They would hurt their little bug.)

The rogues find out that she's ladybug after she is forced to reveal herself in order to save her self from the joker (no one besides the bat fam and the rogues excluding joker know her identity. Joker was blacked out the entire time. He will never remember any of what he did that day)

All while this is happening lila successfully poisons the class completely against marinette. So whenever marinette calls one of them they spew hatred at her.

Afterwards she meets two face and helps him with his spit personality (wait is it split personality?). She accidentally lets the fact that's she's being bullied slip. He then spends his time gathering evidence of her past. (Lets just imagine that marinette was also getting hurt by some of the class before she moved)

Now because she befriended the villains they view her as their little bug. Someone that needs to be protected. They help her whenever she needs it.

For example marinette needs someone to model a few dresses? The sirens are already changing into them. Marinette needs some help with chemistry? Boom scarecrow is teaching her and helping with her homework.

Marinette and the bat family get closer. She's closest with red Robin however due to both their need to be productive at all times.

She is 2nd closest to robin because she helps him learn the do's and the do not (I wanted to put don't's but that doesn't make sense i know when it's said verbally it makes sense but written down seems weird.) She helps him be more open to others.

Eventually marinette is done with the class and cuts them off completely. She doesn't regret it.

Somehow marinette finds out about the bat family's identity. She has a small breakdown but ends up really excited.

I just realised that I actually haven't done any plot stuff... I'll do another bit that focuses on what's happening in Paris as well as class salt and chat noir (adrien) salt. Also should I add other heros and villains or should I stick with Batman characters only?

Sorry that this one's shorter than the last one. I'll try to make the next bit longer promise.

Tag list (if you want me to tag you please let me know.): @queenmj10 @unknownvsworld

[yikesharringrove]

You got some billy lives and gets a house from the government and money so he’s bored and alone in a big house with nothing to do so Steve hangs out with him and helps him heal and they love

Read on ao3!

When Billy was resurrected by the same government that accidentally killed him, they gave him a lot of money.

Billy affectionately called it his Please Shut the Fuck Up money.

It was more money than he’d ever thought of.

He had been in the hospital recovering for months, wasn’t allowed to have any visitors, just watched a lot of television and did physical therapy.

When he got out, it was late December, just past Christmas. He was escorted from the hospital by the sweet nurse who had tended to him daily. He hugged her goodbye, kissing her cheek and wishing her luck with her bratty six-year-old.

He turned, expecting his Dad sitting in his truck, Susan waiting by her car, only to be met with Steve Harrington standing in front of his big BMW.

“The fuck are you doing here?” Steve gave him the ghost of a smile, his hands fidgeting.

Before all the shit went down in July, they had been something like acquaintances, meeting at the quarry a few times to get high, hang out a little. That was before Billy got possessed, tried to kill him and his kids.

“I’m here to take you home.”

“Thought my dad or Susan would be coming.” Steve swallowed.

“Did they, did they not tell you?”

“Tell me what?” Steve wasn’t very comfortable holding eye contact, but he was currently actively avoiding Billy’s gaze.

“Your dad, he um, he was one of the victims.” Billy felt numb.

“You mean-?”

“He was one of the, uh, the flayed. One of the ones that melted. Apparently that thing got him at the, at the end.”

“You mean, I killed my fucking father?” Steve looked at him sharply.

“No. I don’t mean that. You didn’t do anything. You got in a car accident and got possessed. That thing used your body to do that stuff.” Billy was taken aback by Steve, how fiercely he delivered that.

“And, Susan? Max?”

“Both fine. Like I said, your dad was one of the last ones to get got. He didn’t take them.”

“So, why couldn’t Susan-”

“You, uh, you don’t live with them anymore.” Billy stared.

“What?”

“Well, the government, the government bought you a house in, uh, in my neighborhood.” Steve lived in a multi-million dollar home, if Billy lived in Loch Nora now, the fucking government must’ve shelled out.

“Why can’t I, why can’t I still live with them?” He and Max’s relationship had been getting better. He’s sure with his dad out of the picture now, it would only grow.

“They don’t want you living with Susan since she doesn’t know what happened.”

“Don’t want me slipping and telling her I guess.” Steve just nodded, an awkward smile on his face.

“Look, man, can we, like, go? I’m freezing my nuts off.” Billy hadn’t even felt the cold through the nice thick coat he had received from the Please Shut the Fuck Up people.

“Yeah, Pretty Boy. Let’s split.”

 Billy’s new house was huge.

It wasn’t quite as large as Steve’s, four houses down the street, but it was still much more space than what one teenager who still wasn’t quite steady on stairs needed. He spent most of his days drifting around the place, talking to Max on the phone from where she was visiting her dad in California, the long-distance bill being charged to his ridiculous bank account.

The fourth day was when Steve showed up, a bottle of vodka in hand, a stack of movies under one arm.

“Hey, man. I didn’t know what you’d be into, so I brought a little bit of everything.” He had Robin pick out a few for him, so he actually didn’t know what he had brought.

They made popcorn, Billy looked disgusted as Steve mixed the vodka with coffee and melted vanilla ice cream but ended up drinking about six cups of it.

They spent the night giggling at the high-brow films Robin had selected, drunk and silly.

Steve started coming over every day, was always just around. He and Billy would get drunk, would laugh and joke and get introspective and talk to one another about the Upside Down, about possession and torture and shitty dads. About shaking hands and nightmares and sex with other men.

Steve held Billy when the monsters were too much, when he felt like a bad person, when he felt like a killer. He would kiss his head and tell him that he’s good, and make him a milkshake.

He would rub vitamin E oil on his scars, would help him with his physical therapy, would help him stretch his hands, his arms.

He would help whenever Billy’s therapist would suggest something, would sit with him while he journaled, took up painting when Billy did, would bring him potted plants, buy him yarn when knitting came next.

Billy knew from the first second he laid eyes on Steve Harrington he wanted him, but these past few months, of being close to Steve in this way, being emotional and vulnerable with him just solidified how in love with Steve he is, has always been.

The two were inseparable. Billy would hang out at Family Video, distract Steve from his work while Steve distracted Billy with his giggles.

It was the week before Valentine’s day, Steve was drunk, laying on the floor. Billy’s room was like his parents’, a huge fireplace in one corner.  Billy had taken to chopping wood, so Steve had taken to watching that happen. Steve was rolling on the hearth-rug, some gaudy fluffy thing that had come with the house.

Billy was next to him, both of them in Billy’s worn t-shirts, Steve had opted to borrow a pair of shorts too, so Billy had given him the smallest ones he owned. Billy was in sweats, just watching as Steve giggled to himself.

He looked so soft, the firelight making him glow, his pale skin bathed in orange light. His eyes looked golden and Billy was in love.

He was kissing Steve before he even realized what he was doing. They were warm in front of the fire, Billy’s hands cupping Steve’s face.

His eyes flew open and he pulled away, Steve looking at him with his brows furrowed.

“I’m, Steve I’m sorry.” He moved to try to get up, Steve grabbing him gently by the elbow.

“No, Bill it’s, don’t go.” His eyes were huge in the flickering light, his hands soft on Billy’s eyes as he sat up, taking Billy’s jaw between his palms. “I, Bill I’ve wanted you to do that for a year.”

Billy gasped, leaning in for another kiss, sealing their mouths together.

“Pretty Boy, I’ve been in love with you since I first saw you.” Steve was smiling so brightly when he pulled back, cheeks squishing up, making his eyes crinkle.

“Then prove it.”

[ranger-jedi-knight]

A New Hero Chap 25

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20887313/chapters/66536767 Taglist: @bluesimani​

Ok, so here’s the next chap!! Just a reminder, next Wed, I have job training so after that, IDK how much time I’ll actually have to write. So ya, updates will be slower n randomer. Ok, enjoy!!

“These look great, thank you, Mari,” Lana said smiling as she looked at the suits Mari helped them make. Mari beamed at the two with a nod. “Well, I can’t let you two go out in something atrocious like the bat family's choices if I can help it. Tikki also blessed it so that it’s not easy to get throu,” Mari added with a giggle. “Go, try them on!'' The two left the living room of Lana’s apartment and changed into the gear they would be wearing as Gotham’s newest vigilantes. Lana exited her bedroom quickly and moved to stand in front of Mari to let her see how it fit. “Perfect fit,” she hummed out with a smile, glad she got the measurements right.

Lana smiled as she looked down at her suit. It consisted of a dark gray, near close to black, under armour that was sleeveless. It went up her neck mandarin style with a gold lining making a couple of ‘openings’ to show her neck. Over it was a purple, sleeveless kimono/robe-esque covering that slowly transitioned to darker and transparent purple at the end at past mid-calf. It had a hood attached and had a gold lining around the front of it that ended mid chest. On her shoulders and down was black that ended, split up in points at the end of the gold. Her shoulders were bare with the gold lining making half-circles starting at mid-upper arm and ended above her elbows. Under the gold was purple sleeves that went to her hands, held in place by a loop around her middle fingers.

Around her waist was a magenta-y colored sash that was knotted with gold wings on either side keeping it in place. On the sash were two purple and red metal fans along with a pouch in the same color. On her back were two silver escrima sticks. On both thighs, were red straps holding two deep red pouches that contained zip-ties and other things that would help her in battle. Black, heeled boots covered her feet. The heels were purple that could be taken out to show a compartment to hold sds, flash drives, and the like. They were knee high with a similar pattern to her color with gold trim. To finish it off, a red domino mask covered her eyes and her hair was pulled into a bun with a ribbon that matched the sash.

“Excellently made, as always, Angel,” Damian said, causing Mari to blush. Lana chuckled softly as she shook her head at the two in front of her.

Xan came out next and Mari nodded once more with a smile. His suit consisted of a deep gray, loose shirt that was styled like a karate gi. It’s lapel was deep blue with the collar mandarin style. The sleeves were short and big letting him move his arms more. Over it was a black cloak that stopped at his hips with a pin that had a stylized M, and a hood. Under the cloak but over the shirt was a red belt/strap that went from his shoulder to side holding pellets of knockout gas and smoke. Around his waist was a pale gold/yellow sash that held a couple of pouches holding zipties and throwing star-like items.

His shirt continued down on one side to mid-thigh, laying on top of another wrap-like item that was a deeper blue than the lining with gold lines running in arcs all over. On his right thigh was a blue pouch holding tools. Knee high combat boots covered his feet and tucked in the deep gray pants. Black gloves covered his hands, held in place by pale gold/yellow strings. Resting on his back was a red handled katana that was blunted and acted more like a staff. Covering his eyes was a red domino mask.

“Lookin good, Xan,” Lana said and Xan nodded back to her with a smile.

“That looks similar to-” Damian started but then cut off, but everyone knew what he was talking about. It was similar to the training outfits worn at the League of Shadows.

“They were a….big part of why I’m ready to fight crime. While I don’t like it, I’m more suited to fighting in this style of clothing,” he said and Damian nodded to that.

“Then make it your own.”

Xan smiled at those words and nodded. Mari beamed at the two of them and glanced outside. “Well, the sun is setting so you should be able to run around the rooftops and get used to them,” Mari suggested and the two nodded.

“What are you going to call yourselves?” Damian asked and the two shared a look.

“I’ll go by Huntress,” Lana said after a moment and the two nodded.

“Fitting.”

“I’m not sure,” Xan replied with a hum, thinking about what would fit. Lana had a smile as a gleam entered her eye.

“We’ll call you Kit until you figure out a name,” she said with a cackle, easily dodging Xan as the two started laughing as well.

“It’s something for the time being,” Mari replied between laughs and Xan looked at her betrayed.

“Come on, Kit! We’ve got to patrol!” she called out running to the balcony and jumping off it. He scowled but followed after her with a shake of his head.

“I’m not being called that!”

“Then pick a name before someone talks to us!”

Mari giggled as she transformed and followed after them herself. “You coming?” she asked and Damian soon nodded after a bit. After Mari left, he quickly changed into his Robin gear and ran after the three.

“There are some places you’ll want to avoid as they are frequented by Rogues. Not all Rogues need to be avoided, but, well,” Robin trailed off and the two nodded.

“It would be good to know anyways. Wouldn’t want to accidentally run into Two-Face or something,” Huntress said and Ladybug nodded.

“I can agree. It was not fun running into a Rogue when first starting out,” Ladybug said with a grimace.

“At least we don’t have to worry about Joker,” Kit muttered and the three nodded agreement. Screaming sounded out causing the four to stop running before turning to the sound. Hiding behind a ledge, they watched as a man entered the bank. The man was wearing a sleeveless black under armour, with a multi-colored knitted scarf, fingerless gloves, and sash. The sash had a few balls of yarn along with a couple knitting needles sticking out. On his back stuck out quite a few more knitting needles. On his feet were purple, knee-high combat boots and covering his face was a black domino mask. Strings went from his gloves to two monsters in front of him, they were knitted too. They had eerie white yarn over their mouths as if in a vain attempt to close it, but that didn’t stop the two from either smiling or frowning. Along their ‘hands’ and ‘feet’ three knitting needles stuck out along with some sticking out of their backs.

“Who is that?” Huntress muttered.

“I’m not sure. Do you want us to take care of it?” Robin asked and Huntress shook her head.

“No, we got this,” she replied standing up with Kit right behind her. “See you in a few,” giving a salute, she pulled out a grappling gun and pushed off the ledge. She shot the grapple back and swung down to the street and landed with a roll. Her right arm behind her, slipping the grappling gun back into place before grabbing an escrima from her back. Her left arm pulled a fan from her sash and flicked it open. Kit landed soon after she did and flicked his blunted katana out of its holder on his back. “New to town? Stealing from a bank isn’t the best way to make friends,” Huntress called out and the man turned startled.

“Who are you?” the man asked as his knitted creations turned to them.

“We’re the newest vigilantes to Gotham. Figured the big Bat could use some help so that he could focus on the big bads. Call me Huntress. But the better question is, who are you? And why did you think you’d succeed in Gotham of all places?” Huntress asked with a shake of her head as Kit snorted next to her.

“And him?” the man asked. Kit grumbled next to her, causing Huntress to cover her snort with a cough.

“Haven’t thought of a proper name….” he started.

“Call him Kit for the time being,” Huntress finished and the man stuck his chin up with a smirk.

“Well, you may have heard of me, they call me The Knitter!” he shouted and the two shared a look before shaking their heads.

“Never heard of ya before,” Huntress said while Kit tilted his head.

“Is ‘the’ part of your name? Or…?”

“I-” the man stopped with a confused look. “You haven’t heard of me? And yes it is!”

“Well, The Knitter, we have not heard of ya before. I doubt any Gothamite has,” Huntress said, twirling her escrima in hand.

“Prepare to be taken down,” Kit continued and The Knitter growled before throwing a hand out at them.

“Then prepare for your doom! My darling creations will knit you into an early grave!” the man shouted as the creatures then ran forward, with a swipe, knitting needles flew at them. Huntress ran forward and knocked aside the needles with her fan and gave a soft grunt as she then hit one of the creatures with her escima. Kit ran after the other one and slashed at it. The creature hit each stroke with a paw, the needles clanging against his sword each time. He jumped back with narrowed eyes before pulling out a small, black throwing knife. The handle was wrapped with a deep blue cord until the end were a hoop was, big enough for his finger to slip throu and twirl.

He threw the knife at the strings as The Knitter yelled out. As soon as the strings were cut, the creature fell to the ground lifelessly. Huntress smirked as she rushed forward and swung her fan, cutting throu the strings as well.

The Knitter yelled out when he saw his creatures fall lifelessly to the ground. He then pulled out a couple of knitting needles and ran at the two. Huntress ran forward and knocked aside the needles easily with her fans. She swung her leg in a sweeping motion, knocking him onto his back. Kit ran over pulling out zip ties and held them ready as Huntress pushed the man onto his stomach and let Kit zip tie him. “The GPD will be here soon and you will be booked,” Huntress said as she pulled The Knitter into a sitting position as the two stood to either side of the man.

The Knitter grumbled angrily next to them as they waited for the GPD. People all around them looked at them shocked, taking photos of them.

Alya soon arrived at the scene with Dick and some other officers. They paused shocked while Alya just moved forward and nodded, sending them a smile. “Thank you…?” she asked, since while she knew who they were UNDER the mask, she didn’t know the names they chose.

“Huntress,” she said and Alya nodded, looking over at Kit.

“For the time being, I’m going by Kit,” he said and Alya stifled a snort at seeing his face.

“Thank you, Huntress and Kit,” she managed with a straight face. She then took the man from them and marched him over to the cruiser.

“Come on, Kit!” Huntress called jumping up and off buildings back to the rooftops.

“You guys did well,” Robin admitted and the two shared a smile as Ladybug held a fist out for them to hit.

“Thanks. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of The Knitter,” Huntress said as they ran across the roofs.

“That may be true. But I have no doubt that you two will have it handled easily,” Ladybug replied with Robin nodding agreement.

“Now, let’s go see what places we should avoid!” Kit replied and the two nodded, continuing to lead them off.

Owl Blocked Again @owlforlife

LOOK AT THIS!!! NEW VIGILANTES!! And a new Rogue???? #weird #butawesome #newvigilantes #newbatfam??? *Huntress and Kit fighting the knitted creatures then another picture of them holding the man down waiting for police*

Ok, so here’s the new chap! I hope you guys enjoyed it!! If the link to their outfit doesn’t work plz tell me. But also, here’s this chaps link to Tumblr that has the outfits already: . Again, I hope you enjoy it, new chaps will be randomly updated due to many things. Until Next time!! -Love Willa<3<3<3

[nautiscarader]

robstar mistletoe

(Ao3)

Also, if you enjoyed my work, here's Ko-fi link if you'd be so kind ❤️ .

==========

- Robin... what is that?

At first, Robin didn't know what his girlfriend was pointing to, but as his eyes moved up, he noticed the ornament Starfire has been curious about. It was, after all, her first winter on Earth, and during the time she has asked even more questions about people's customs. She was surprised to find that humans worshipped oval-shaped gods made from snow, that they decorated their houses with objectively too many lights, or that said lights were landing marks for flying reindeer.

This one, however, was going to hit a bit closer to home.

- Er, it's mistletoe. - Missile toe? - Star flew up to take a closer look - It doesn't look like an active weapon. - No, mistletoe. And it's actually poisonous, I think. - But why would humans decorate their doorways with poisonous plants? - Starfire did a loop in the air - Does this have anything to do with cutting trees and putting partridges in them for twelve days in a row?

Robin smiled.

- No, it's a tradition, like everything else. We don't really question it. It's just how things are. And uh...

He shied away for a moment.  

- And you are supposed to kiss when you meet underneath it. - Oh!

Starfire landed on the ground, her cheeks flushing with visible shade of crimson.

- Does this have the same purpose as the tunnel of the love? - Y-Yeah, pretty much. And you put it over the doorway, so that it increases chances of it. - I see. - Starfire spoke, though Robin wasn't entirely sure if she did.

The concept of kissing as a sign of affection was after all, alien to her until some time ago, and Robin was sure her first thought was that mistletoe was an invitation to spontaneous language classes.

- Robin. - she addressed him - I wish to walk through the doorway with you.  

She reached her hand, and with a smirk, Robin accepted it, just so she could experience this tradition.

- Do we kiss directly underneath it? Does its kissing power have a range? - Underneath is just fine...

He cupped her face and looked inside her deep, green eyes, before the two closed their eyes and their lips met. And like all the previous times, Robin felt the electrifying heat that permeated his body, especially when Starfire introduced her tongue. If they didn't have to decorate the Titans Tower for the party for the young superheroes, he'd gladly let their hormones take over. He gently pressed her against the frame, and in return, received a prolonged moan, and her leg slipped between his, giving him a not-so-subtle information what was on her mind as well.

And if not for a sudden noise from the main room that broke their concentration, Robin knew they would have done it here and then, using a moment of privacy to let go of their urges. But as they looked to the hall and noticed a whole bunch of ornament on the floor, they knew they will have to help Beast Boy.

Starfire sneaked just one last kiss, before she flew up, making sure to "accidentally" brush his crotch with her foot on the way up.

Two hours later their party was finished, and judging by number of guests, it was a resounding success. Beast Boy's and Cyborg's dishes satiated people's bellies giving the young, adolescent heroes and heroines something to snack on while they had a bit of a breather before the next year begins.

- Robin! I am so joyful we have created such wonderful of crisis parties! - she sat next to him with a tray free of champagne glasses she was handling - Christmas parties - Robin corrected her

Robin remembered a few new year's parties in Wayne manor, full of stuck-up businessmen and women in black tuxedos and silver dresses, talking about nothing else than money, which utterly bored him. Seeing his friends, old and new, laughing and joking, in their colourful costumes made a rare, warm smile appear on his face.

And then something flew above them. Something bright and yellow, carrying something red and green.

- Bumblebee!

The leader of Titans East giggled and dropped the mistletoe on robin's head, before transforming back to her original self, gathering attenion and several cheers from her fellow heroes.

- Come on, kiss! - Guys...

Robin gently flicked the mistletoe of his head, but as it flew downwards to his crotch, the crowd's gasps suddenly stopped, when they realised that Starfire's head was bobbing in the same direction.

- S-Star?! - Robin gasped as his girlfriend was undoing his fly - What-WHAT are you doing? - I am following the rule of the missile toe. - she replied nonchalantly, fishing his cock out, to an even louder amount of murmurs - Isn't that what is it about? To kiss what's underneath it? After all, you wanted to "do me” in the doorframe before, didn’t you?...

She licked the tip of his penis, looking up at flabbergasted Bumblebee. For a split of a second, hers and Robin's eyes met, and he froze when he saw a sly smile on her face.

- Yeah, Starfire. That's exactly what it's about.

Starfire let out pleasured moan and closed her lips around his cock, completely unaware of his embarrassment. Dozens of pairs of eyes`observed Starfire nonchalantly worshipping his prick, meticulously kissing, licking and sucking every inch of his boy wonder. Some, like Batgirl were naturally shocked; others like Jinx or Supergirl seemed to enjoy the live performance that definitely wasn't on the invitation.

He closed his eyes, hoping that sensation of stares burning into his soul would go away, and his brain locked on the only other piece of advice from his school years when he was presenting his reports: to imagine people naked. But that didn't help at all! At least not until part of that fantasy came true.

Raven's quick thinking and her magic brought two dozens more of mistletoe  bundles she scattered around the room.

- Hey, guys, you know the rule...

She winked at Robin and as the crowd began to thin out, he understood her plan.

- And don't worry, we have spare rooms... Oh, and there is a condom dispenser down the corridor...

With her magic, she brought Beast Boy between her thighs, while Bumblebee happily flew after Cyborg, who already got Jinx sitting in his laps on the large couch. The awkward murmurs and gasps turned into excited gasps and laughter, as pairs and sometimes trios of superheroes dispersed to change the theme of the party. And with only his closest friends around, Robin could finally let it go, and have Starfire's tireless work pay off.

He let out a weak, defeated moan when his seed filled Starfire's mouth, though his voice died between those of Raven's and Beast Boy's, sitting closer to them.

Starfire looked up, wiping out small dollop of his cum from her lips, looking with unbridled satisfaction. But when she turned around, and noticed almost complete lack of guests, her smile faltered.

- Robin! The guests have gone away! Did-did I do something wrong?

Robin took a good look at Beast Boy, driving Raven crazy with his animal tongue, and at Cyborg's cock, sandwiched between Jinx's and Bumblebee's pussies.

- No, you didn't. - she leaned and kissed her, before he brought her to his laps and placed the same mistletoe above her breasts.

[snowbellewells]

Self-Promo Sunday: “Hush Now, I’m Here to Dry Your Tears”

This one was born from my response to episode (5x14) and the preview for 5x15. There were things I genuinely liked about "Devil's Due", but there were also a few things that have been troubling me since. Also,there just needed to be more focus on healing and patching Killian up in the show. But that's what fan fiction is for, right? Hope you enjoy!

Of course I don't own them, only borrowing our beloved princess and pirate! ;)

“Hush Now, I’m Here to Dry Your Tears”

by: @snowbellewells

Chapter One

It pained Emma to look at the mass of injuries still littering her pirate's body and to not have yet had the time to heal and tend him as she desperately wanted. The scorched, ripped leather and black denim had not managed to hide from her guilt-stricken gaze the welts and bruising, the burns and dried blood from gashes that felt as if they had been carved into her flesh as well. Upon their return, the rescue band of heroes – her family, his family too, she hoped he realized – had gathered around, glad to see the Captain alive and with them once more, anxious that he know just how much he had been missed. Henry especially had been ecstatic, calling out the pirate's name and nearly flinging his arms in an exuberant hug around the man he had come to look up to so fondly, until he had gotten a real glimpse at the shape Killian was in.

Emma had done her best to fill everyone in quickly on how they had gotten Killian back, and how they needed to plan their escape as quickly as possible, with grudging help from Gold in places where her knowledge faltered, or with a pained, apologetic look to Killian at the mention of a friend lost along the way. Still, she was antsy, wanting nothing more than to slip away with him and find a quiet moment to assure herself he would be alright. In the hope of reaching that point as soon as possible, she had turned to Regina to attempt the heart-split immediately. When it couldn't be done, Emma had struggled not to fall apart right there in front of everyone on the floor of what was meant to be a house of dreams, but was rapidly becoming the home for a waking nightmare. Her love was finally at her side once more; there had to be a way to bring him home again. She had all she could do for several tense moments not to order everyone else to leave. If she could just get a moment alone with Killian to heal his hurts, to hold him, and be able to make something right.

At that moment, Emma clutched his hook, holding it instead of his hand so as not to accidentally cause him any more pain. It was amazing the man was still standing on his own strength at all, after what his body had been put through. The longer their group stood in the entryway together, the more she could feel him leaning against her, though no one else seemed to notice.

Finally, her father made the practical statement that there was nothing more to be done until morning; they all might as well get some rest and start fresh on another plan to get home with the new day. Gold agreed tersely, and with a snap of his fingers, vanished to the Underbrooke version of his shop for the night. Regina and Robin headed toward the stairs to the second floor not long after; Robin with a companionable nod to his friend – clearly as reluctant as Emma to accidentally touch some injury of Killian's that he couldn't see – and Regina with a wink and a sarcastic, "See that you get yourself cleaned up, Pirate. You look terrible."

Killian merely arched a sardonic brow, wincing even at that slight a movement, and smirked at her veiled expression of happiness to see him. "Certainly, Your Majesty," he retorted, "I knew you would expect no less."

Regina snorted ungracefully, losing her royal poise for a moment at his response; then the Queen and the Archer were gone, climbing the stairs to claim one of the several upstairs bedrooms.

Snow and Charming followed them; however, not before Snow pulled her daughter into a brief, tight embrace, brushing Emma's hair off her forehead as she pulled away with an encouraging whisper, "Have faith, Emma. We'll find another way." She laid a gentle hand on Killian's arm as well, looking up into his face until he met her eyes. "We're glad you're back, Killian," she offered sincerely, blinking past a few tears.

The princess's use of his first name instead of his moniker and the affectionate touch caused Killian's eyes to widen in surprise before a touched smile quirked his lips. His response was grateful, even through the obvious waver of emotion in his voice, "Thank you, Milady."

That left only Henry shuffling his feet awkwardly and finally managing to glance up at Killian with glassy eyes before choking raspy words out. "I – I missed you, Killian... I mean…you're good for my mom, but…I want you in our family too. You're… you're like a second dad to me," he finally sputtered, dipping his head to avoid both of their eyes and roughly swiping a hand under his eyes to catch tears he didn't want seen as he blurted out the last few words.

By then, tears were running unchecked down Emma's cheeks as well, especially upon catching the stunned, breathlessly hopeful look on Killian's face when Henry's confession sunk in. He swallowed hard; Emma could see his throat work, and reached a hand out toward her son, let it drop, then tried again. "Henry…lad…I don't know what to say. You honor me more than I deserve…"

Emma and Henry both moved to assure him otherwise at that, but he motioned them to wait. "I never thought I would see you, or your lovely mother, or the rest of you lot again, but I am certainly grateful to be proven wrong. I hope I will have the honor of being part of your family from now on."

Though he had to move much more carefully than he had originally planned, Henry seemed unable to resist hugging the pirate. Killian drew in a tight breath as Henry's arms encircled his ribs even lightly, but he wrapped his arms around the young man as well for several long, healing minutes, seeming to need the contact nearly as much as his almost-stepson.

When they parted, Henry gave them both a crooked, wobbly grin. The light flickering in his eyes again made him look much more like himself when he hugged his mom as well and darted up the steps with a pleased and optimistic, "See you guys in the morning."

Finally alone, Emma let out a breath and simply stared at Killian, trying to drink him in and assure herself he was really there. Carefully, she twined her fingers with his and gave him a gentle, secretive smile before leading him toward the master bedroom/bathroom suite, the only one on the house's ground floor.

Once they were inside, with the door closed firmly behind them, Emma wasted no time moving toward the bath, asking him to follow with her eyes. As he did so, she guided him to the closed toilet seat, easing him to sit, and then gently beginning to remove his singed, ruined jacket and unbuttoning his black shirt, in order to clean and examine his wounds. She could poof it all away in an instant with her magic, but something made her feel she needed to care for him step by tender step with her own two hands. Magic had been used to wound and scar him over and over again – hers included – and the ending to that era began now.

Weary, pained blue eyes stared up at her from under long, dark lashes, infinite sadness but also a love and trust – despite it all – within their depths. Emma found she had to pause in her ministrations to simply cup her hands around his face and stare into that perfect countenance, marveling how those twin cyan oceans could still be so bight, could stop her breath like the very first time, their color stronger than anything else here in this grey, lost world. "Emma?" he murmured, voice husky and soft, fragile as he questioned her. "What is it, Love?"

Emma swallowed hard, the air between them fairly pulsing with emotion: joy, relief, unspoken hidden hurt. "It's just…" she paused, wetting her lips and trying to gather too many scattered thoughts at once, brushing her hands back to stroke through his hair soothingly. "I was starting to think we wouldn't find you; that you might be too far gone when we did. I couldn't bear never seeing your eyes and the way you look at me again. I am so sorry it took us this long to reach you…so sorry you were hurt so my mistakes could be fixed. Killian…I just hope you can forgive me." Her lower lip trembled, her last words barely above a whisper. "You have every right to hate me, to punish me for what I did to you – making you the Dark One so I wouldn't lose you – but I'm hoping you might still find it in yourself to love me…"

Levering himself to sit up straighter and look her in the eyes steadily, Killian gritted his teeth against the pain once more and spoke with determined fervor, making sure Emma couldn't doubt him. "Emma love, you need never fear I will stop loving you. The bitterness, the sting of betrayal, and the loss of control took me over for a time. I let the Darkness have its way once you gave it back to me, and in my anger, I did want to hurt you. I won't deny that we may both now have new scars to deal with, but that does not mean I no longer want to be with you. You, Swan, are my home, my family, all that my heart desires."

She nodded, too overcome to respond and blinking rapidly against tears. Instead, she held his gaze, bringing light fingers back to his still-open shirt and easing it off his shoulders. As it came free of the leather brace on his left arm, Emma released the fabric and it fell away, baring his torso to her fully for the first time. She now saw the ancient straps that held the brace, and she undid the buckle to remove it, leaving even his shortened arm bare. Killian tensed, knowing that even years after the brutal amputation, his stump was still not a pretty sight, and not wanting to see her repulsed, not sure he could stand it now. But far from what he feared, Emma bent over his arm, pressing the tenderest of kisses to the scar where Cook had sewn him closed so many years ago. An electric frisson of pleasure ran through him as she looked back up at him and their eyes locked breathlessly.

Now that her pirate was naked to the waist in front of her, something Emma had always known would take her breath away, she began to drink in all that lean, tanned muscle and the generous swath of appealingly dark hair across his chest. However, the gasp that escaped her was one of shocked, painful empathy instead of attraction. The extent of the torture he had endured was even more obvious, and she ached to touch everywhere at once, every single mark upon his skin. "Oh, Killian…" she exhaled, at a loss, her eyes welling and fingertips hovering over the longer scrapes and gouges without making contact.

Killian tried a mocking half-smile, "Most of them look worse than they were," he bluffed, but it fell flat, both of them knowing those words were untrue and the anguish he had suffered seeping back into both of their minds. He leaned forward, reaching to run his fingers over a strand of her golden hair, but instead grunted around an exclamation of pain and folded forward, holding his ribs.

Bending toward him, Emma asked tentatively, "Killian, may I try to heal them?" Even now, when he clearly needed immediate relief, she hesitated to ever again use her magic on him without his consent.

Nodding shortly, he puffed out, "Aye, Swan, with the ribs at least. Give it a go."

Concentrating intensely, Emma felt the warmth spreading through her palms, a glowing light emanating outward until she touched them to Killian's side and the glow seemed to absorb into his skin. A few tense seconds passed, and then he gazed up at her in awe, his breathing much less labored, hand leaving his ribs to pull her in where their foreheads could rest against each other and smiled, "Feels better already, Lass. As always, you are a marvel."

Emma blew out a quick breath of relief and pecked a light kiss to the tip of his nose before straightening, then leaned around him to reach a washcloth beside the sink, run the water until it was pleasantly warm, then turned back to him, wet cloth in hand and gently began to dab tenderly at his face, neck, and shoulders, removing soot and dried blood before she disinfected his wounds.

"Lass, there's no need for you to…" he began, voice low.

But Emma interrupted him, shaking her head and putting her fingers to his lips. "Please, Killian?" she begged in a whisper, eyes searching his. "I know I don't have to, but you've taken care of me so many times. I want to take care of you. Let me?"

He nodded his assent, and she continued her strokes with the wet cloth across his maimed body. She tried to be infinitely gentle, careful to only give comfort, and to ignore the way so much red still ran into the basin each time she rinsed the cloth. Gradually, Emma felt the tension in Killian's shoulders lessen. He relaxed into her touch, and his head fell forward slightly as he let his guard down. She couldn't imagine when he had last slept, last felt free of pain…last felt safe.

As she reached his abdomen, Emma's breath stalled, her fingers trembling as she cleared away the blood and grime to ghost across the jagged wound where she had driven Excalibur home, sending him into this hellish torment. Sinking to her knees before him, she paused in her care to choke out brokenly, "How can you forgive me, Killian? I doomed you to the Darkness, then I – I killed you to save everyone else." Resting her forehead on his knee, her shoulders shook as she quietly sobbed; the despair, self-recrimination, worry for him, and stress of leading them all into the Underworld – all the things she had been pushing back for so long – flowed through her once again as she almost unconsciously stroked the older scar.

Killian did begin sifting his hand through the soft, silky curtain of her hair then, languidly soothing himself with the motion even as he tried to calm his love, murmuring hushed reassurances, affirmation of their bond, no matter what might still rise between. "How could I not forgive you, Love?" he asked sincerely, when she finally looked up to meet his eyes once more. "After all you have done for me, after the second chance you gave me. Aye, we've hurt each other, but we've healed each other too. As I told you in Storybrooke, even if I did not understand the full meaning then, all can be forgiven when someone loves you. And I do love you, Emma Swan. Nothing will take that away."

She gaped at him, eyes lit almost dazedly with her stunned acceptance of his words. "I love you, Killian. More than I've been able to love anyone before," she avowed seriously, voice trembling but certain, eyelashes still glittering from her tears. "I just wish I could take this" she gestures almost angrily at the wound she had made, "away. That I'd never…" the wistful words had barely left her mouth when the scar disappeared right before their eyes; as if the horrible stab had never been made, the mark of it on Killian's flesh vanished completely.

Floundering in confusion, Emma babbled, "Wh-what was that? I didn't mean…"

But Killian stilled her fluttering hands, now the one to surround her face sweetly with his touch. "I know that, Lass. It was not your intention to use more magic. I understand. You only wanted the hurt to cease, that awful memory gone. And it has…it's alright now."

She chuckled weakly, melting easily into his assurance. "Why is it that even when I'm trying to put you back together, you're the one comforting me?"

He smiled a lopsided grin back at her, managing almost nonchalance in return. "What can I say? We make quite the team."

Rising, Emma returned to her task. Having washed his skin clean, she used peroxide next, hissing sympathetically along with his rather colorful exclamations at the sting of the disinfecting liquid doing its work. Then, she took care to spread Neosporin onto any still-open cuts across his torso, neck, shoulders, and arms. Before she finally called the whole operation complete, Emma somehow managed to find a large gauze bandage in the cabinet over the sink and place it gently over the Excalibur wound where his neck and shoulder met. Upon his death, it had finally stopped bleeding, but his run-in with Cerberus appeared to have jaggedly re-opened the gash once more. Bowing her head, Emma pressed her lips to that injury as well, lingering with her eyes closed, praying nothing so deadly would ever harm him again. Killian said nothing, simply allowed her the contact and cradled the back of her head in his hand.

When she pulled away just slightly, their eyes held each other as their breaths mingled warmly together, and Killian could feel every exhalation from Emma's lips in tingling little puffs upon his own. She pulled him to his feet; their stare only breaking when he stumbled a bit with exhaustion before he could steady himself.

At his side in an instant, Emma wrapped an arm around his middle, supporting part of his weight, and though he wanted to tell her such fussing was not necessary, he had his bearing now, Killian didn't argue, merely let her take each shaky, slow step along with him toward the king-size bed in the echo of what was meant to be their bedroom. When she didn't let go until he sat down heavily on the edge of the mattress and immediately crouched to help him remove his boots and ruined socks, he merely sunk into the softness of the bed, allowing her care for him and letting himself relax, letting the harshest vestiges of nightmare and exhaustion begin to slough away at last.

"Okay Pirate," Emma said, clearly trying to inject a playful note into her voice, "not trying to get a free show here, but you can't sleep in those pants. They're filthy, and they can't be very comfortable."

He rose to the bait just as she had known he would, giving her a rakish smirk and raised eyebrow as he teased, "Ah, Love, if you want to undress me, you know you need only ask."

Rolling her eyes, Emma merely shook her head in response, knowing her pirate wasn't up to delivering on the heat he still managed to transmit in his words. Tentatively, she reached forward to unbutton his jeans before easing down the zip, and then swatted at his hip lightly when she sensed another innuendo about to slip off his silver tongue. "Lift," she commanded in a firm, quiet voice, soft and almost husky.

Bracing his weight on hand and stump, Killian raised his hips enough for her to ease the charred, dirt and mud-caked material past his waist and down his legs. It did feel good to have the heavy, constricting material gone, though he hated his helplessness, even with Emma. Trying not to look too long at the rest of his form she had bared, Emma stood and moved to the chest of drawers across the darkened room and pulled out a pair of soft-looking, checkered pants. It almost stole Killian's breath for a moment, emotion rising up his throat in an attempt to choke him as she returned to his side and helped him slip on what she called pajama pants. He couldn't help thinking that she must have stocked this room with clothing she had thought he might like, things she had wanted to show him, even while she was the Dark One. Drawing in a ragged breath, his eyes burned at what had been lost, the simple joy and the time together that had been stolen from them once again.

Emma's eyes had clearly taken him in frankly; those beguiling green pools were blown wide with both curiosity and hunger. He watched as her chest rose and fell heavily and the tip of her pink tongue traced her lips unconsciously, in a way Killian felt sure she didn't even realize she had done. Her eyes flicked back up to his quickly, as if she had forced herself to refocus before desire raged out of hand. It made his heart race that she still had such a powerful reaction to him after all that had happened and the pitiful sight he must make, swaying with weariness, battered and bruised.

She stood once more, and with her hands on his shoulders, gently guided him to lie down, her urging firm, even if he had tried to protest. She ran a rueful finger over the dark circles beneath his eyes, next cupping his cheek with her hand and letting her thumb stroke the long-faded scar high on his cheekbone which had always captured her attention. "You will be able to rest, won't you?" she questioned worriedly, her brow crinkled in an adorable expression of concern. "I think right now that will do you as much good as anything."

He nodded, but caught her wrist and pulled her back as she began to move away. "Stay with me?" he asked, hating to admit weakness, but knowing it was true as soon as the words were spoken. He did not want to let her out of his sight, dreaded what twisted images his mind would conjure once his eyes closed in the dark. If she were with him, perhaps her presence would be enough to keep the nightmares and ghosts at bay.

Emma didn't even hesitate; she merely nodded her acquiescence, separating from him only long enough to shrug off that red leather jacket he loved, pull her sweater off over her head and shimmy out of her own jeans. She stood before him for only a few raw seconds in a flimsy camisole and panties, a quite fetching blush turning all her exposed skin a rosy pink. Finally, she raised her eyes to his when he breathed out, "Stunning, Lass. You are simply stunning." Then she rounded the other side of the bed, slipped under the covers, and to his everlasting delight, curled up tightly against his side.

They were quiet then, merely relishing the comfort and peace to be found in holding each other close, breathing the same air, and knowing that at least in whatever challenge came next they would be together.

Emma felt her eyes growing more heavy-lidded, her head resting on Killian's shoulder when his blunted arm began to rub up and down her back. She felt him expel a deep breath before turning to look sidelong at her. "I'm glad that Regina couldn't remove your heart and split it," he finally admitted, his voice low in the dusky stillness of the room.

Emma immediately wanted to question him, react, argue, but she bit her tongue and waited, knowing he had more to say.

He paused, almost as if he could sense she wanted to stop him, to cut off the horrible possibility of leaving him behind when they returned to the living version of Storybrooke. When she didn't speak, he continued, giving her a handsome, if half-broken, smile. "As much as I would wish nothing more than to return with you and enjoy the future we dreamed of, along with your boy and the rest of your family, Swan your heart is too precious to risk. Perhaps this is as it should be. A third chance at life, after already being granted more than 200 years, simply may not be in the cards for me. My existence here might well be all that I deserve." He lapsed into silence, tracing the soft, feminine curves of Emma's skin, not sure of her reaction, but knowing they could no longer keep their motives or their concerns from each other – it was part of how things had fallen apart in the midst of the Darkness.

A long time passed before his love responded, her emerald gaze vivid and beguiling, mussed golden hair circling her head like a halo as she raised her face to peer at him and managing to look deep into his soul. "You need to know that you are a good man, Killian. You're still a hero. I'm not the only one who loves you, who would m- miss you if you can't come home with us. I know we'll find another way, because this fate is not what you deserve. But…" she paused, resting her hand over his beating heart, her eyes boring into him, "I won't force what I want on you again. I will never give up on you, but if you feel it's time to move on…if we find that path, and it's wh-what you want…then it will be your choice. I promise not to take that from you or try to make it for you. I was wrong before…no matter how desperately I just wanted to save you."

Killian pulled her even closer after her vow; until her body was half-covering his where they lay tangled up with each other. Her words had filled the last sharp crevice in his psyche, and he loved her for understanding what she seemingly couldn't before. For acknowledging that both of their needs and desires had to matter equally if their love was to endure. "Hush now, Swan," he murmured as she tucked her face into his neck and he buried his nose in her hair. Somehow even in this place of brimstone and fire, the strands still smelt faintly of cinnamon and apples. "Don't worry your pretty head yet. If there's a way to come back with you that won't endanger you or anyone else, then I wish to be with you. You know that, don't you?"

"I do now," she exhaled in relief against the skin of his throat.

It seemed that no further words were necessary between them as the savior and her hero were finally able to rest. Though still in the Underworld, things were already better than they had been for a long, long time.

On to Chapter Two

Tagging a few who may enjoy: @bmbbcs4evr @effulgentcolors @jennjenn615 @kmomof4 @blackwidownat2814 @laschatzi @whimsicallyenchantedrose @searchingwardrobes @therooksshiningknight @spartanguard @hollyethecurious @ilovemesomekillianjones @resident-of-storybrooke @winterbaby89 @artistic-writer @captainsjedi @shireness-says @teamhook @revanmeetra87 @let-it-raines 

[violetsmoak]

Appetence [10/?]

AO3 Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/20251420/chapters/47997634

Blanket Disclaimer

Summary: Red Robin is investigating the disappearance of a friend and stumbles into a spot of supernatural trouble. He doesn’t expect to be saved by Jason Todd, miraculously alive five years after his death and now with the inexplicable ability to commune with the dead. Meanwhile, when Jason returned to Gotham he meant to maintain a low profile and not get involved with Bat business. That was before he found out how hot his Replacement is.

Rating: PG-13 (rating may change later)

JayTimBingo Prompts This Chapter: N/A

First Chapter

________________________________________________________________

Tim swerves into the Cave, skidding into the parking area with a little less finesse than usual. He’s got a shivering Batgirl bracketed between his arms on the bike, not having wanted to risk her falling off the back of it while they drove. He’s got a nasty case of frostbite on his shoulder himself, courtesy of a cold grenade in the wrong place and the wrong time.

He was helping Batgirl and Signal with the clean-up after Freeze’s latest temper tantrum and accidentally triggered the blast. Steph shoved him out of the way, taking the full brunt, and it was only due a quick reaction time and a few well-placed portable heating disks that she hadn’t been flash frozen.

She might not have any major lingering damage—she was well enough to request going to the Cave because of Alfred’s tendency to make homemade soup whenever any of them have a less than stellar encounter with Freeze—but Tim’s anxious to get her warmed up as soon as possible.

Also, he needs to treat his own injury.

“If-f I get a cold I’m k-killing Freeze,” Steph mumbles as Tim helps her off the bike and walks her toward the medical bay. “There’s nothing w-worse than a summer cold.”

“Says the woman who survived being used as a human pincushion.”

“It’s a d-different kind of misery.”

There are several heating blankets already plugged in and ready, and Steph is already peeling herself out of her uniform with shaking hands. Tim does the same, tossing aside tunic and body armor to rummage in a drawer for the special heating plasters; they warm an affected area gradually, making them perfect for frostbite.

“Geez, Tim, you been sk-skipping meals again?” Steph reproaches, frowning at him in his shirtless state. “Seeing a lot more rib than usual.”

“You’d do well to take a page out of his book, Brown,” Damian’s voice snarks from the doorway, loitering in all his scowling twelve-year-old glory. “I’m surprised your suit doesn’t split down the back when you move.”

“Shut up, Damian.”

“No, Tim, I got th-this,” Steph pipes up and then shoots the youngest Robin a steely smile. “I’ve g-got Martha Kent’s email. Wonder what she’ll have to s-s-say when she hears about Dami fat-shaming people.”

“You! You are not in contact with her!”

Damian isn’t exactly prone to flushing considering his complexion, but whenever he gets upset or embarrassed, red creeps across his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose. That, and the minute raising us his eyebrows suggests he’s more rattled by the threat than he pretends.

“I might be,” Steph allows. “You really wanna t-take that chance?”

Damian scowls at that, fists clenched, and then seems to decide not to risk it. It’s like watching the air be let out of a balloon.

Tim whistles.

“How is it a Kansas housewife has managed something not even two versions of Batman and the League of Assassins could?” he asks, somewhat awed.

“Pie and mom-guilt, I think,” Steph suggests.

“Clearly.”

“Hilarious,” Damian deadpans, facing Tim and doing his best to ignore Steph. “If you’re finished casting aspersions on my upbringing, perhaps you can make yourself useful.”

Tim raises an eyebrow at him.

“Father was distracted tonight,” the kid continues. “He won’t explain and Richard’s not here to do…whatever it is he does that makes him somewhat normal again.”

Tim blinks, having not expected that. “What exactly do you think I can do about that?”

“It’s no secret you and Father are experiencing “issues”,” Damian says and uses honest-to-goodness air quotes. “Perhaps seeing you will irritate him into letting something slip.”

“I highly d-doubt Bruce is that upset that he’ll unclench long enough to tell T-Tim anything,” Steph sniggers.

“Perhaps not, but once Drake strikes out I can ask Father after a requisite amount of time has passed and under less fraught circumstances than directly after a fight. He’ll be more likely to confide in me.”

“Right,” Tim drawls. “Because that has a snowball’s chance in hell of working. Pass. How do you even come up with these ideas, anyway?”

“It’s a simple enough ruse, Drake. Jon says it is called “tag-teaming”.”

Again, with the air quotes; clearly Damian’s latest visit to the Kent farm came with another dose of ‘how-to-be-a-real-boy’ lessons.

“And if you think Bruce is gonna fall for that and magically open up about something he doesn’t want to talk about, you haven’t been paying attention the past few years.”

“That’s not what this is,” Steph says, squinting at Damian like she’s trying to read his mind or something. “You’re worried.”

“I am no such thing!”

“You’ve gotta be since you’re asking Tim for a team-up.”

“I am not!”

“Good, because I’m not interested,” Tim says. “Whatever Bruce is brooding about will come out. It always does. Try prying it out of him beforehand and he’ll get cagey and mean about it.”

I know what that feels like, and I wouldn’t even wish it on you, demon-brat.

“Fine, don’t do anything,” Damian growls. “I should have known you would be too pig-headed and cowardly to approach Father while you’re in this pointless...detente.” He turns on his heel. “You’re as useless as I’ve always thought. Good to know it’s been confirmed.”

He stalks away.

Tim sighs and stares at the ceiling. “I guess on a scale of one to stabbed-in-the-chest, that went okay?”

“You two seriously need to deal with your drama,” Steph sighs, shifting beneath her blanket. “And you should go figure out what prompted all that. He really is worried. And hurt, now that you shot him down.”

“His entire existence has been dedicated to shooting me down,” Tim points out. “Literally sometimes.”

“Don’t exaggerate. Not his entire existence.”

“You know what I mean.”

“He’s a kid, Tim. One with a shitty childhood, a massive inferiority complex and who’s about to enter the super-fun world of puberty. And he came to you. Not me, or Dick—”

“Dick’s in New York.”

“Dick’s a phone call away and if Damian really wanted to go get him, he’d have stolen a car and gone to him. But he came to you. Probably because he knows as well as any of us that you’re the most Bruce-like and can talk to Mr. McBroody when he’s at his most pod-person level of weird.”

“Funny, I didn’t hear any of that beyond the constant insults.”

“He’s just jealous.”

“And that gives him a free pass?”

But his question sounds whiny even to him, and he sighs as Steph crosses her arms at him.

“When did you start becoming so wise and all-knowing?” Tim grumbles.

“Search me. I guess I just woke up one day and bam! All the secrets of the universe were just waiting for me to share them with the unwashed masses. Like you. You reek, by the way.”

“Right, because you smell like a rose.”

“Thanks!” Steph chirps unrepentantly.

“I think you are getting a cold,” Tim grumbles and starts out of the med bay. “The snot’s clearly going to your head and cutting off brain flow along with your sense of smell. I should go see if Alfred’s got anything to fix that.”

“Hot chocolate please!” she calls after him. “And don’t skimp on the mini marshmallows!”

“You know the way to the kitchen.”

But he’s already climbing the stairs and heading for the main computer dock. Tim was responsible for a different sector of the city, but it took longer than normal to get the all-clear. Maybe Bruce is distracted—if so, it would have to be something pretty serious.

Maybe Selina’s back in town…

“My god…!” he hears Alfred say as Tim reaches the top of the stone staircase. 

Bruce is seated, Alfred behind him and holding on to the back of the chair so tight the knuckles on his hands have turned white.

“Are you…are you quite sure, Master Bruce?” he asks, the question faint.

“I’m sure,” Bruce replies. “I was sure at the cemetery.” Tim’s ears perk up at that. “And these results…they just confirm it. He’s alive. Somehow…somehow, Jason’s alive.”

Tim freezes in mid-step.

Well…so much for me having to tell them…

He’s relieved.

He thinks.

The situation with Jason has been on his mind the whole week, and he’s never had a harder time keeping a secret than he did trying to stick to his promise to Jason. It’s been a constant struggle between his loyalty to Bruce—remembering how shattered he was in the weeks and months following Jason’s death—and his respect for Jason, a potential ally, friend and maybe one day family.

(He’s been doing his best to shut down the ‘inappropriate childhood crush’ angle during his mental justifications.)

Usually, Tim is good at separating his emotions from making hard decisions, but this time it’s…well. He blames it on still being in a state of shock that Jason is alive and that he has been alive all this time.

And he didn’t come back for some reason, and even now doesn’t want to have anything to do with the Family.

So why come back to Gotham at all, then?

“…looked him in the eyes,” Bruce is saying, in the same tone he uses to profile criminals. That’s troubling. “He’s as determined as ever. I’m not sure if there’s a broader reason for his return—for his…his avoidance. But I have a good idea. It will need confirmation; someone will have to keep an eye on him—”

“Master Bruce,” Alfred interrupts, tone breathless and almost indignant. “This is not some criminal mastermind or domestic terrorist. This is your—”

“I’m aware,” Bruce interrupts. “But there’s too much unaccounted for. He had a lot to say and still didn’t give anything away.” He rubs at his chin in thought. “He knew things, Alfred. Information on events he wasn’t present for—that were not shared in the media.”

Tim goes still, suddenly beset with a sense of foreboding.

“He’s communicating with someone,” Bruce goes on in manic calculation. “Someone knew he was alive. He said…'replacement’.”

Well, frack.

Tim begins to take a step back and nearly knocks into Damian, who’s crept up behind him with his usual maddening silence.

“Watch it, Drake!”

Damian’s voice echoes and Tim winces, head whipping around to glare at the boy.

Double frack.

There are moments—few and far between the actual assassination attempts and sabotage—where Damian displays all the bad timing that only younger siblings seem to possess. This is definitely one of those moments.

When he looks back, Bruce is already on his feet and stalking over, cape whipping behind him and expression like a thundercloud.

Damian, for his part, doesn’t seem to realize what he just did as he watches his father in surprise. This is echoed by Steph, who has followed him over, no longer wrapped in the blanket but wearing one of the generic sweatshirts that they keep stored in the recovery area.

Conveniently, they’re both blocking Tim’s nearest means of escape.

And now Bruce is towering over the three of them, eyes flicking briefly across each face, before zeroing in on Tim, who tenses.

“You,” he determines. “You knew.”

Annoyance pricks at Tim. There are two other people beside him, why does Bruce automatically think it’s him.

“Knew what?” Damian demands.

“Not now, Damian.”

“If Drake has committed some monumental blunder, I should—”

“Oh my god,” Steph gasps, her eyes roving past everyone to stare at the computer screen. The DNA comparison is still bright and clear, and in the background the picture of a young Jason Todd is unmistakable. “Is that…?”

“Jason Todd,” Damian reads stiffly, clearly recognizing the name. He scans the relevant information, including the date of the most recent DNA sample. “Todd is alive?”

“So it would seem,” Alfred confirms faintly.

“You’ve been feeding him information,” Bruce accuses Tim, and it’s almost a hiss. “You’re the replacement he mentioned.”

“Technically he had three,” Tim points out if only to try to stall.

“Aside from the fact you’re the only one here who doesn’t look surprised, he referred to a male.” Something passes over his expression, almost a grimace as if he’d rather not think of something, before he continues. “And if it were Damian, he would have informed me immediately.” He takes a step forward, the stony and emotionless countenance of Batman firmly in place. Tim half expects those thick gauntleted arms to grab him and hoist him in the air like so many an unlucky criminal. “You knew Jason was alive. And you didn’t say anything.”

“No,” Tim says, at last, deciding he might as well own it. “I didn’t.”

“Why?”

The sound is primal and broken, somewhere between a hiss and a growl. Tim is aware of the gazes upon him—Bruce’s anger, Alfred’s hurt, Steph’s confusion and Damian looking torn between satisfaction at Tim’s discomfort and agitation at his father’s obvious agitation.

“There were a few factors,” Tim admits. “First of all—”

“Factors?” Bruce barks. “This isn’t an experiment, Tim! This is my—this is Jason—!”

“And he asked me not to say anything!” Tim shoots back. “I figured after everything he’s been through, the least he deserved is someone listening to him.”

Trapped in an asylum and forgotten about? He deserves more than that…

“You never met him! There’s no way you could have been sure it was him, and even so—”

“I didn’t know him?!” Tim challenges. “There are a couple hundred pictures I took that say different! Or have you forgotten how I even got involved in all this?” He sweeps his hand around the cave. “I saw him enough at events when my parents were alive to recognize him, and even if I hadn’t, how many times did you make me go over his file when I started? Foster care records and psychological profile and autopsy reports! Since you needed me to be extra aware of what could happen to me if I screwed up as a Robin? And you might never talk about him around me, but Dick always did. Alfred too, sometimes.”

“That still doesn’t excuse your lack of discretion! You were foolish to interact with him—to make that decision without consulting with me, not least of all compromising the mission by sharing information that could expose everyone—”

“What exactly would I be compromising?” Tim shoots back. “Anyone who could impersonate Jason that well, who could talk about the things we did would already know where all the skeletons are buried. I doubt there’s much I could say that he didn’t already know, and you…you didn’t see him, okay?”

Tim’s defensiveness falters a little here, remembering how tense Jason had been throughout their whole encounter. He was thrown-off, uncomfortable, angry…and he was also trying his best not to let on how curious he was about how the family was doing.

But Bruce only bristles. “You still should have told me the minute you suspected—”

“Told you what?! ‘Hey, so, guess what, I ran into Jason last night. Yeah, that Jason, your son that got killed by the J—”

The name gets stuck in his throat, like his esophagus is closing, causing a crack he knows no one misses. Bruce winces and Steph’s confusion becomes worried. He needs to take an extra breath before he can force himself to keep talking.

“Killed by an explosion’,” he finishes. “We both know you wouldn’t have believed me if I told you he was alive and in Gotham.”

“No, we don’t.”

“Don’t kid yourself, Bruce. We both know exactly how it would have played out. I’d tell you what happened, you would tell me how impossible it is. You’d say stuff like you’d know if anyone had disturbed his gravesite, or that I’m stressed out or paranoid or under the influence of Ivy or Crane. Or you’d accuse me of making an inappropriate joke, and then we wouldn’t be talking again for a while.”

For a moment, Bruce looks hurt and a little guilty—probably because he knows it’s true.

“You would never lie about something like that,” he says at last. “If you believed Jason had returned, I would have trusted you enough to look into it.”

“And how was I supposed to know that? It’s not like you and I have exactly been all about great communication and understand since Captain Boomerang and Mr. Freeze.”

“I’ve been…giving you time.”

“Funny how giving me time looks a lot like avoiding me.”

“Master Timothy, that is quite enough,” Alfred interrupts at last.

All of his defensiveness toward Bruce vanishes in the guilt he feels for contributing to that look on Alfred’s face.

“I didn’t stay quiet to hurt anyone,” he tries to assure the old man. “And I was going to tell you all. But Jason asked for a week. For breathing room, I guess. I was going to tell you today—yesterday, really, if Freeze hadn’t shown up.”

“So you say,” Damian needles.

Tim ignores him. “I’d say it’s a coincidence that you found out tonight some other way, but considering what Jason’s into these days, maybe not.”

Bruce blinks in realization. “You know he’s a medium.”

“Yes, I know he’s a—wait.” Tim stops abruptly. “He’s what?” He knew Jason was working with the occult, sure, but this? “That part I missed.”

“He sees dead people?” Steph asks. “That kind of medium? Because I loved that show.”

Suddenly the reasons for Jason being sent to Arkham make so much more sense. Waking from his coma and suddenly be surrounded by ghosts? If he spoke to or acknowledged them, no wonder the staff thought he was hearing voices.

“Wait, how did you find out?” Tim asks, frowning. “You were talking about a cemetery before—that’s not exactly your jurisdiction.”

“Gordon put me on a case involving grave desecrations,” Bruce grunts. “That’s where I ran into Jason.”

“Literally or figuratively?”

Bruce is silent.

Tim groans. “Please tell me you didn’t attack him.”

More silence and Tim massages the bridge of his nose tiredly.

As if he wasn’t gun-shy about reconnecting with the Family before, now he’s probably going to leave for another five years…

“You’re taking this surprisingly well,” Steph says to Damian in a conversational tone.

“In case you’re forgetting, Brown, I’ve been dead and resurrected, so it’s not exactly a novelty.”

“Master Damian,” Alfred reprimands quietly.

No one likes to talk about that year.

“I just meant you’re not great at sharing, and now you’ve got another brother showing up—”

“Tt. We are not brothers. Any relation on paper ceased when he died.”

“Damian.” Bruce’s voice is sharp as a whip, and his eyes flash in warning. “I don’t ever want to hear that again.”

It’s not the most chastising he’s ever been, but Damian’s jaw snaps shut, and he swallows heavily.

Tim shouldn’t be bothered by the interchange, but he’s still hit by a pang of hurt and irritation. A dark, twisting little voice whispers at him, letting a longtime anxiety flicker back to the surface.

Of course, Bruce steps in and calls out Damian’s behavior when it’s Jason. Is it because Jason was his son longer? Or because Bruce chose Jason? Like he chose Dick and Cassandra. He’s even started choosing Duke now.

He never chose Tim. Not really. Tim just showed up and inserted himself into things.

Damian just showed up too, but he’s got that whole blood connection that he’s so proud of. Tim’s not—

Tim is like Steph. An outsider.

Maybe it’s why they connected to well back then—because they were the two that Bruce tried to stop from joining the life. Grudging allies, never quite family.

“I’m going to go,” Tim murmurs, turning and heading for his bike. “Wouldn’t want to get in the middle of a family meeting.”

“Tim—”

“You should probably call Dick,” he goes on. “He should find out about Jason from you this time.”

“Tim, stop—”

“I have therapy in three hours,” Tim cuts him off, “so I need at least some sleep.”

There’s no response then, not that Tim expected anything. His therapy sessions are sacrosanct; even Batman won’t interrupt Tim’s continued attendance. Tim’s always hated that, feeling as if he’s being overprotected, but right now, all he feels is a sense of relief.

To Be Continued 

________________________________________________________________

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[wildmagicplant]

Oct. 10 - pattern

continuing my inktober writing! i actually wrote most of this about a month ago but then abandoned it mid sentence in a fit of disgust lol. i cleaned it up a little and gave it sort of an ending this time. comics jason ficlet

The first thought that goes through Jason’s head is Oh fuck. He’d been tracking a new drug that had shown up, tracing it from clubs and dumbass kids back to some shady suppliers operating out of the back of businesses near the Bowery, got some info the fun way on where they were getting it from originally, but he’d thought he was heading to a shady manufacturing setup.

Instead, he’s staring at the kind of explosion of lush green plants that only ever meant one thing in Gotham.

“I know you’re in here, Ivy,” Jason calls out. He’s as still as he can make himself, trying to hear where she might be. Poison Ivy is part plant but she still breathes. There’s too much fucking rustling, though, and Jason can hear some sort of artificial air system hissing. Makes sense; even Ivy can’t keep this level of jungle alive indoors without some intense setup.

He hasn’t moved away from the door yet, but Jason would rather chance taking Ivy off guard than wait around to get goddamn ambushed here. Moving slowly, gun drawn in his right hand, the other left free to push his way through the plants, he heads into the room. He takes the time to grumble to himself. This is not what he’d signed up for. Jason tries to leave the big names for people on good enough terms with B to recoup back at the cave afterwards. It’s a fucking pain in the ass trying to deal with fear toxin or—Jason’s jaw tightens as he thinks about it—Joker venom on his own, and while he’s got a very basic chemical kit for any accidental exposure, the cave is a lot more equipped for it. And, well, Jason is good, but any of Arkham’s regular residents have more than enough experience dealing with Bats that his normal tricks aren’t nearly as effective on them.

There’s a rustle behind him, off to his left. Jason freezes. He can’t say for sure, but he’d bet it’s Ivy. There’s no follow-up movement, and he glances around. Stuck in the middle of a goddamn indoor jungle, fucking perfect. It looks like there might be some open space ahead of him, and Jason keeps that in mind as he ducks around a small tree covered in vines, putting it between him and where he thought he heard movement.

Sure enough, a tense minute later, Jason sees a figure sliding through the plants.

“I don’t know who’s in here,” Ivy begins, the low murmur of her voice somehow carrying. “But if you come out now, I’ll kill you quickly.”

Jason suppresses a snort. That’s a lie if he’s ever heard one. Also, not a line that’s likely to make anyone listen to her. The urge to mouth off is strong but he ignores it. Instead, he ever so slowly takes out a batarang from one of his pockets. Ivy hasn’t moved, and Jason really doesn’t want to have this fight in the thick of the plants if he can avoid it. He turns away, and throws the batarang in the direction of the door he came in. It whistles through the air, slicing some leaves off as it goes, and he thinks he heard it thud into a wall.

Ivy whirls, lunging in the direction of the door. “Not so fast,” she snaps, and Jason takes off toward the opening he saw earlier. It only takes him a few strides to reach what looks like a laboratory space surrounded by plants on all sides. This is definitely where Ivy’s been manufacturing the drug—probably breeding a specialized plant and just distilling the chemicals into a concentrated form she can dry out to turn into a sellable powder.

Jason only has a brief moment to take it all in before he hears Ivy coming back toward him. He leaps over one of the workbenches and ducks partially behind it. He readies a shot, and as soon as Ivy comes into sight again, Jason takes it.

Ivy hisses, and some of the plants move as she reels back. Fucking plants. Jason’s never understood the appeal of nature and Ivy’s weird-ass half-moving plants have done nothing to change his mind. There’s dark brown blood seeping out of her leg but it does nothing to stop her advance. She snarls when she sees him.

“You! I thought I was dealing with a thief, not a Bat,” she spits, and throws something at him. Jason rolls sideways and the vial shatters on the ground where he had been, an acrid smell rising from the splatter as the ugly green liquid eats into the concrete.

There’s a little voice in the back of his head that tells him how much it looks like the water of the Lazarus Pit, but Jason ignores it. He takes another shot, but before he can see if he hits, Ivy launches herself at him. Without thinking, Jason slides feet first under the table as she hurtles over it. He pivots as he stands up on the other side, and darts into the plants around, crouching down behind something with broad leaves.

Just in front of him is another of the trees with vines wrapping around it. Jason looks at it appraisingly and makes a split second decision. It bends a little under his weight, but it holds and he’s at the top in almost no time at all. The ceiling is high enough here for it to have been some sort of warehouse at some point, but it still can’t be more than 20 feet tall. There’s no fixtures on the ceiling beyond some lights set into it and Jason can’t see an easy way to get into it either.

Jason grits his teeth, and presses the button set into the base of his helmet. “Red Hood here, got a situation, anyone in the Bowery that wants to join in the fun?” Luckily, the good thing about having the comm inside his helmet is that he can be practically nonverbal and the comm will still pick up his words. He tries to peer through the greenery to see where Ivy is as he waits for a response.

No answer comes, and he tries again. “Hey, fuckers, anyone listening?”

Nothing.

Well, fuck. Jason doesn’t have time to figure out why no one is answering, so he files that away as something to pick a fight about later, and activates the heat vision setting in his helmet. Ivy is stalking through the room below him, maybe 20 feet away. She isn’t looking up, but it won’t take her long to realize he’s not on the ground. He has to make this count.

God, why did it have to be Ivy? Jason doesn’t keep up with her, has barely seen her since his return, so he has no clue what all’s changed with her since he was Robin. For all he knows, she can talk to the fucking plants now. Maybe she can just ask them where he is. Whatever. He doesn’t plan to stay here long. His best chance is definitely going to be catching her off guard and knocking her out as quickly as possible, and then getting the fuck outside where maybe he can call someone in to come pick her up. This was supposed to be simple, he thinks, annoyed.

She’s nearly directly underneath him now, and this is a position Jason is very prepared for. He slips his gun back into its holster and jumps out of the tree.

Jason smiles to himself a little as he lands directly on Ivy’s shoulders, legs wrapping around her neck as he throws himself backwards, taking them both to the ground. Still got it, he thinks. He could choke her out like this, and he tightens his legs, but suddenly something stabs into his leg, and kicks out.

It’s enough of an opportunity for Ivy to slip free, and she scrambles to her feet. Jason rips the syringe out of his leg and stomps on it. It doesn’t hurt much, which he hopes means that none of whatever the fuck it was in there got into him.

“That all you got?” he says, looking around for something he can use to his advantage. Too many damn plants.

“You shouldn’t have said that,” she hisses, and snaps her fingers. Suddenly, Jason’s right side is being grabbed by—vines. Lovely.

He smirks, trying to duck out of them, and says, “Aw, if you wanted my attention, you coulda asked.” Ivy rolls her eyes, and it’s just long enough for him to grab a knife from his belt and he cuts through them easily. “This is a real lush setup you got here. You should give tours,” he says, dodging her kick easily and getting a solid punch in. She grunts at the impact, but swings her other hand. It doesn’t even come close to connecting and Jason thinks for a second that maybe she’s just missed. He realizes his mistake almost instantly as a thick vine comes hurtling through the air at his head. Jason dodges without thinking, pure muscle memory guiding him to duck below the vine as he lunges toward Ivy. He plants one foot in front of hers, and spins the rest of his body toward her, arm outstretched behind her back, sending her tumbling over his foot right into—

Right into where Batman would be, if he were still Robin, still a kid, still had a partner he trusted. Fuck. This is the other reason he doesn’t like going up against the costumed villains anymore. It’s too easy to fall back into old patterns. It makes him sloppy and it makes Jason feel equally exhilarated and bitter.

There’s a noise behind him, and Jason whirls just in time to see Ivy kicking up at him from the ground. He turns so she just catches the side of his hip with it, and he stumbles back, but at the same time he reaches for his gun. Jason takes another faltering step backward, watching as Ivy notices the opening for what it is, and in one smooth motion, she launches herself up from the ground and toward him, arm outstretched like she’s trying to strangle him.

She doesn’t get the chance, because Jason uses the shift in weight his extra step gave him to sidestep her slightly and hit her solidly in the head with his gun. Ivy falls to the ground, but he doesn’t want to take the chance, so he hits her once more, and grabs some zipties from his pocket. Once he has her tied, he hoists her over his shoulder and heads outside.

Leaving her slumped against the outside of the building, Jason goes back in. He doesn’t spare much thought for what might have been her plan here. Leave that for the detectives. Jason slips a small sample of the undistilled materials into a ziploc, and then as quickly as possible, sets the room up to burn. Fuck the damn plants. He tests a little of the chemicals and it burns easily without seeming to release any smells. The rest of the building was empty, and Jason is beyond done with this bullshit, so he trails the chemicals all over the room, covering as much as he can with them. When he’s satisfied with the amount of coverage he’s gotten, he heads for the door, trailing another line of chemicals behind him. Jason pulls his lighter out of his pocket, flicks it on, and drops it into the chemicals, quickly closing the door behind him.

Jason doesn’t even wait to see if it catches, just runs away from the building, from Ivy. From the thing that he’s equally trying to forget and to hang on to desperately, the deep instinctive knowledge that no matter what he does, there will always be a part of him that’s Robin. He takes one look back, and he thinks he sees a flicker of a cape. Good. It’s someone else’s fucking problem now.

[revengeofthebluepen]

Painted On With Laughter Ch 11/12

Ch. 11 Home Laughing Home

Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. Eventually those months added up to a year and (Name) never came home. Dick still thought she had stuck him up those many days ago. Dick refused to talk about (Name) with Bruce. Barbara had became the batgirl only a month after (Name)’s disappearance. After shortly being batgirl, Dick and Barbara fell in love with each other. For Dick, (Name) was long gone and forgotten. He figured (Name) didn't love him enough to stay so that's why she ran off. Dick almost forgot about (Name) until Barbra would ask Bruce who (Name) was, after one day she found (Name)’s old room. (Name)’s room still had an outfit on the bed, her desk filled with drawings and other papers, her guitar still laid in it's case, and her stuff animals were still in a neat pile on the end of her bed. Bruce refused for Alfred to change anything about (Name)’s room in hopes that when she would come back she would see they cared enough to remember she was still missed. Barbara, Dick and Bruce were currently patrolling Gotham for anything out of the ordinary.

“Hey Robin” Barbara asked her partner as they sat by some gargoyles. Dick gave a agreeing hum.

“Who was (Name)?”

“Some girl who Bats took in.”

“So she was like a batgirl then?”

“No she didn’t know about us being this.”

“Oh, so what happened to her?”

“She ran away. I don't know why though.”

While Barbara kept asking questions about who (Name) was, on the other side of Gotham, the Joker was fast at work in his secret hide out. Harley sat at the table sipping her coffee as her darling little adopted daughter came running in the room. Harley raised an eyebrow as to question the action but understood as a set of heavier footsteps came in next. The joker was chasing their daughter with a needle in hand. Their daughter ran behind Harley and grabbed onto her.

“Momma,” their daughter croaked out in between tears.

“Puddin, what are you doing to upset her?”

“She needs her shot, she's refusing to take it…again” the main said in between gasping for air.

Harley turned around her daughter who was now 15 years in age and still terrified of needles. Harley motioned for the teen with now blue and pink hair, split just like her own, to take a seat by the table. The teen did and Harley took their daughter’s hand in her own. Joker came over with the needle and quickly stock the girl with it while the girl squeezed Harley’s hand. Their daughter slowly fell forwards into Harley’s arm. Joker pick up his daughter and carried her back to her bed with Harley following right behind them. As the small criminal family had their moment, a certain superhero drew closer to finding his daughter.

Batman had just finished beating up a low life thug of the Joker when he heard something that surprised him.

“Please don't hurt us, we can take you to her, we know where she is.” cried out one of the thugs. Batman knocked out the remain thugs besides the one with the information. Gripping the man by the collar, bats picked him up.

“Where is she?”

“The joker, he keeps her at.... ”

Before the man could finish a shot had been fired, leaving a dead body in his hands. Batman looked in the direction of the origin of the sound. He saw a none other than the famous Joker himself.

“Such a shame he tried to tell you. Take all the fun out of it really.”

“Where is she Joker”

“Somewhere you’ll never find her.” he said with a laugh.

The Joker threw some smoke pellets on the ground and Batman ran after him. Unfortunately the Joker got away. In a fit of anger Batman punched a nearby wall. Dick and Barbara got to watch this unfold.

“Whoa, calm down. We’ll get him next time, Batman” said Barbara.

Bruce stormed out of the warehouse and got in the batmobile. Dick and Barbara followed quickly behind him and got in as well. Bruce drove the two back to the manner and dropped them off. Without saying a word to the two children he drove off and into the night. He was going to save (Name) is it was the last thing he was going to do.

(Name) awoke screaming in pain again. She quickly scurried off of her bed and into the other room. She fell against the wall as she felt like her skin was on fire. She released another scream and Harley walked over to her. Tears were streaming down her face as Harley pulled her into a hug. Harley rubbed small circles in her back as (Name) started to feel better. Haley lead (Name) back to her room and helped her change into her outfit.

When (Name) was kidnapped by the Joker and Harley, they erased her memories and brainwashed her into a mini Harley Quinn. Over the months (Name) had flashback of who she used to be but the shots the Joker gave her kept those flashbacks suppressed and kept (Name) insane. At first Joker and Harley had torchered her alive with electroshock and other various methods but after discovering the shots would hold the effect of their torcher, (Name) would be stuck as mini Harley.

(Name) wore a red and white shirt with the words Daddy’s little monster on it, a pair of blue and red shorts along with ripped fishnet stocking and a pair of highheels. Harley placed (Name)’s hair into two pigtails and walked with her back to the kitchen like area. (Name) took a seat and grabbed some fruit from a bowl on the table. Eating the orange she grabbed, Joker came running into the room. Harley went up and greeted him with a kiss, which he accepted.

“It's time Harley.” He said before he gave her a dip kiss.

Harley walked over to (Name) and grabbed her hand. Leading (Name) down throughout the hideout, (Name) was eventually met with other thugs. Harley and (Name) stood back quietly as Joker gave instructions to the others before walking back to his two girls. He lead them both to the car and they all got in.

Bruce jumped rooftop to rooftop waiting and watching for his daughter or the Joker. He waited for several hours and was almost ready to call it a night, when the bat signal went off. Batman rushed over to the roof top with the signal on it. As batman drew closer to the rooftop he saw a silhouette of a teenage girl. As he landed closer, Bruce could see it was none other than (Name).

“(Name)” he said in a whisper

Bruce walked closer to (Name) but she backed up farther in the shadows and to the other side of the roof. Bruce stopped mid step as she stepped up onto the edge and her voice rang out to him.

“Come any closer and I’ll jump.”

“Please step down. I promise not to hurt you. Just please step down from there.”

“Then take a step back.”

Bruce did as he was asked and (Name) stepped down from the edge.

“How do you know my name?”

“I know your father, he sent me to find you”

“Lies! My father is dead!” (Name) shouted back at Bruce

“No he is still alive, I can take you to him” Bruce said as he took a step forwards. (Name) noticed this and stepped up to the edge again.

“Get back!” (Name) yelled out

Bruce took several steps back but (Name) still remained on the edge, not trusting the man before her.

“Please (Name) get down from the edge.” Bruce pleaded with the girl.

“Not until you step onto the other edge.”

Bruce stepped onto the other edge and (Name) slowly edge her way out of the shadows. As she finally stepped into the light, Bruce could see (Name) in the odd outfit. It was obvious that Harley had dressed her. (Name) walked even closer to Bruce to the point she was only a few paces away from him.

“Please (Name) let me help you get back to your father and Dick.”

“If you know Dick tell me things only him and my family know,”

“His favorite color is blue, he used to sleep with a night light and he is terrified of moneys.”

“How do I know you're not a bad guy who just keeps tabs on people?”

“I’m a superhero, I’m the good guy.”

“So you hurt the so called bad guys”

“They are the bad guys because they disobey the laws”

“The rules only benefit those in power” (Name) said with a small sickening laugh.

Her laughter grew and grew as two others joined into her laughter. With a smile plastered on her face, (Name) ran forwards and shoved Bruce of the building. Bruce pulled (Name) down with him and together they fell down wards. Harley and the Joker came running over the edge screaming after (Name). Batman used his grappling hook and shot into the sky. He held onto (Name). One of Joker’s thugs was in the window below where Bat’s grappling hook wire was and so he cut it. Batman and (Name) fell down one more. Bruce luckily grabbed onto the nearby building and he gripped on to (Name)’s hand. (Name) held onto his hand and took the other hand to take a dagger from her belt. She raised her dagger, aiming for his chest, Bruce moved and the dagger plunged it's way into his arm. The searing pain caused him to let go only for a millisecond of (Name)’s hand but it was enough to make her fall down. Once her hand slipped from Bruce’s grip, he tried to grab her hand again but only to accidentally pull of her bracelet. As she fell a sickly laughter from her throat erupted into the air. She drew near and near to the ground and the smile on her face grew even more. (Name) felt the air direction change direction. Looking up with the smile plastered onto her face, her eyes were met with…..

Ch 12. Remember Me

Looking up with the smile plastered onto her face, (Name)’s eyes were met with crystal blue eyes and flaming red hair. The girl looked to be around (Name)’s age maybe a little younger or possibly older. Not knowing whether or not to trust this person (Name) took out her other dagger and swung at the girl. The girl dropped (Name) only a few feet from the pavement. (Name) hit with a thud onto the ground, and the world was soon overcome with darkness once more. (Name) could feel herself get very warm and then cold as someone moved her.

BEEEEEEP. BEEEEEP. BEEEEP.  Was at first the only thing (Name) could hear but as she listened even more she could hear people talking. She couldn't quite figure out what they were saying but soon it became clearer. (Name)’s eyes stayed shut but she could hear what was going on.

“She lost only blood so shouldn't a blood transfusion fix her?” questioned a young male voice.

“She is accomma for now, Dick, the doctors said she may be able to open her eyes but that's it for now.”

(Name) listened to three footstep come near her and take a seat on the chairs or couch near hear. Someone in the room pulled the chair up by her. The person took her hand and placed it in her own. After a few moments one of the people left the room. As the door shut behind the leaving person, (Name)’s eyes fluttered open. The world was blurry but soon came into focus. (Name) looked straight forwards for she could move her head. Dick and Bruce stood over her so she could see them both. The two talked to each other but they were tuned out by the infernal beeping. Bruce left the room and quickly returned with a few nurses and doctors. Dick and Bruce were shooed out of the room but they both watched from the other side of the door.  (Name)’s eyes were plastered forwards as doctors and nurses worked around her. (Name) caught glimpse of needles that they were putting in her. (Name)’s mind raced frantically and she tried to move as tears streamed down her face. Her body twitched slightly and all the doctors stopped. One of the nurses looked at (Name)’s face and caught the terrifying look in (Name)’s eyes. The nurse went over to Bruce and only let him in. Bruce rushed over to (Name) and held her hand. At first (Name) tried to move her hand away from the man but placed it back. There was something comforting about holding his hand. (Name) squeezed Bruce’s hand as they stook more needle into her. More tears rolled down her face as the doctors took the food tubing out of her mouth. The doctor eventually allow Dick and a girl to enter the room. Dick pulls (Name) into a hug but (Name) doesn't dare hug back. Dick lets go of (Name) and looks into her eyes. Those (word to describe eyes, ex. chocolatey for brown eyes,) (e/c) are filled with so many questions but her voice is unwilling to be heard yet. A doctor returns and pulls Bruce into the hallway to talk.

    “(Name) this is Barbara, she's a friend of mine.” Dick said motioning to the girl.

A small smile formed on (Name)’s face but quickly as Bruce and the doctor returned. The doctor moved the children out into the hallway.

    “Now (Name), we are going to ask you some questions and please answer honestly.” the doctor said handing a whiteboard and marker to (Name).

    “What is your full name (Name)?”

    (Name) (Middle Name) Wayne. (Name) wrote on the board

    “How old are you?”

    14

    “Who is your guardian?”

    My dad, Bruce Wayne.  (Name) made and arrow on her board so when she held it up it pointed to Bruce who now sat next to her.

    “What City do you live in?”

    Gotham

    “And do you remember what happened?”

(Name) sat and tried to rack her brain for some sort of information but nothing came to mind.

    No was all (Name) wrote on the board.

The doctor and Bruce continued to talk and shortly they let Dick and Barbara back into the room. Barbara ask simple questions like what (Name)’s favorite color was and other things of that nature. She dared not to ask what happened that night or why she acted the way she did. Barbara was trying very hard to not get too personal. Soon Barbara, Dick and Bruce all had to leave but they promised to be back soon. The nurses and other doctors came and went to (Name)’s room. (Name) had therapy both mental and physical. Throughout the process and days that (Name) was visited by Bruce, Dick, and Barbara during the visiting hours. Slowly but surely, (Name) gained her ability to speak again and walk. After months of therapy, (Name) still couldn't remember anything but the name of people and places. She didn't remember her childhood but remembered Dick being there with her. She didn't remember the night of the incident either. After being in the hospital for a month, (Name) was finally released to go back home. As they were driving home, (Name) noticed the snow falling and in the distance a red and yellow striped tent. Dick saw this too and Bruce noticed them staring at the tent. Bruce whispered something to Alfred and Alfred dorve towards the tent.

    Alfred parked the car and Dick and (Name) got out of the car. (Name) followed Dick as he ran up to where there were poster on the tent. One of the posters had the words Flying Graysons, written across the top of it. (Name)’s eyes began to tear up as she looked at the poster. A memory flashed before her eyes:

A woman’s voice echoed through (Name)’s head as she placed both hands on the swing. “When you look out look only at him. Let go when you feel like you could fly straight forward and he’ll catch you.’ Taking a final breath (Name) sung out on the bar. The familiar feeling rushed all over her. She could feel as if she was weightless as she stared into Dick’s eyes. (Name) could feel her body automatically shift her weight to she fling herself forwards.  Keeping her eyes locked on Dick’s, (Name) let go of the swing.

    “We...we were them?” (Name) looked at Dick

    “You remember?”

(Name) shook her head yes. Bruce had finally caught up to the two children. Bruce held onto three yellow slips of paper and handed one to each child. (Name) looked at the small piece of paper, it was a ticket.  The three walked over to entrance and handed a clown their tickets before entering. Taking a seat on a bench, the three huddled together. The show soon started. Lions were tamed and another memory flashed before her eyes, (Name) whispered to Dick.

    “Did I do that too?” (Name) pointed to the lions and Dick nodded.

The show continued with clowns and other animals like camels and elephants. (Name) watched in awe as a pair of people climbed up to the swinging bars above their head. The pair did twists and flips, throwing themselves in the air. (Name) watched in awe as the two worked in complete silence in sync. They trusted their partners and they knew they would be caught by one another. One of the acrobates slip from it's place on the swing and fell down, (Name) watched in horror and squeezed Dick’s hand. A net at the bottom caught the acrobat but (Name) still squeezed Dick’s hand. Tears fell from her face as the show ended and the memory replayed over and over in her mind.

(Name) noticed that the swings seemed off and ran to climb to the top of the platform. Unfortunately (Name) was to late as she was only half way up as she watched Mary and John fall mid air to the ground below. The crowd screamed as many onlookers watched Mary and John meet their maker. All Dick and (Name) could do was stare on in shock as their bodies laid motionlessly on the ground.

    Dick pulled (Name) into a hug and reality faded back to normal. As the family exited the tent, more and more memories flooded back to (Name). Piece by pieces as they looked around the circus, (Name)’s childhood memories came back to her.

[justanoutlawfic]

Marian’s Lie: Part 5

So, I had to write a short story for my Intro to Fiction Writing Class, about two people that want the same thing. I ended up subconsciously writing a prequel to this story. So many people hate on Marian for her choice here, which I never wanted. Here’s a look into her view on things. The assignment was in first person, so this is too. I hope you enjoy it.

Also on AO3

We had been best friends for 5 years and I would’ve done anything for you. I gave up studying for my French final to help you through your parents’ divorce. I held you while you cried, your tears staining my new blouse-the one I had to babysit for 2 months to afford. I helped you with your Science Fair project, getting paint under my fingertips that wouldn’t come out for weeks on end. I let you borrow the pearl necklace given to me by my grandma for homecoming and didn’t even flinch when you accidentally broke it. I did all of that, because you were my best friend. I would’ve done anything for you.

 Until Robin moved to town.

 He had blue eyes as deep as the ocean that divided America and his homeland of England. His sandy blonde hair swished when he ran his fingers to it and his smile made my heart skip a beat. I could see that it did the same for you. You smiled at him, you went right up to him to introduce yourself in the cafeteria that afternoon. You were always so confident, your dark hair practically bouncing as you skipped over to him.

 “He’s cute,” you told me, glancing over your shoulder.

I shrugged. “Is he? I hadn’t noticed.”

“I invited him to the lake with us this weekend.”

“Does your mom have room in her car for one more?” I asked, trying not to look you in the eye.

“Of course she does”

 Of course. Your mom could give you anything she wanted.

 I spent the rest of the week, balancing school and home, while balancing thoughts of Robin. It’s not like I really had the time. Between babysitting for my younger siblings and watching my parents run around in a blur. I should’ve focused on midterms or the fact that I need to get scholarships to go to college, but instead I was thinking about the boy that could possibly ruin our friendship.

  “Marian, you need to get your head out of the clouds,” my mother said as she tried to convince me out of pursuing a degree in English. Yet, the real reason my head was out of reach, was the fact that I overheard you tell our other friend that you want to ask Robin to the prom.

 When my younger sister stole my top and refused to give it back I’m reminded that I will never have anything that is mine and mine alone. I share a room with two other girls, I split my sandwich with one of them on the days that Mom and Dad can’t afford to give us more. Now, I can’t even have my own crush. I have to share him with you.

 The day by the lake should’ve be a reprieve from my thoughts, but as we sat in your mom’s pristine minivan and listened to whatever was on the Top 40 station, all I could think of was you and Robin. You were already talking to our other friends about what you’d wear to homecoming, as if he were your prize. You’d get him, just like you got everything else. I would have to give him to you like an old sweater and force a smile, as you stole my dreams once again.

 I looked over at Robin, sitting beside me. He’d been staring out the window, feeling out of place and not knowing any of our friends. For someone that cared for him so much, you didn’t seem to care about making him feel like he belonged.

 “Are you going to prom?” I asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“I don’t know. I’m new, I don’t have anyone to go with.”

“Go with me.”

“Sure.”

 The words slipped out before I could help it. I watched him smile and for once, it was something that belonged to me. I didn’t have to share it with you or my sisters. I could hold on tight to it and know that no one could take this away with me. I was being selfish, but it’s the first selfish thing I’ve ever done. It probably should’ve made me feel more guilty than I did, but I smiled in return. Facing forward, I slid my hand through his sweaty palm and finger tips.

 He’s mine.

[ouatimaginesnetwork]

Just Friends?

Hey guys! Sorry I haven’t posted in a little bit, college gets me super busy. I will be starting another Killian fic soon hopefully, but even more exciting (to me) right now, is a long, long, long, Newt Scamander imagine I’m writing currently. I loved this request, hope you enjoy! 

~Hannah Banana :) 

Request: Okay I have a Killian Jones request. Where the reader and Killian are best friends and he accidentally walks in on her changing and she is nude. He gets really awkward and avoids her and she thinks its because he doesn’t like the way she looks. When really he does he just didn’t know how to tell her. Could it be long and possibly sad because she starts to think she isn’t worth it because she feels ugly, but Killian then tells her the truth on how he really sees her?

Note: Takes place at the beginning of season 4, before Hook falls for Emma, (instead, falling for the reader). Killian and the reader are already good friends, the reader being from the enchanted forest.

Your phone rings, pulling you out of your comfortable sleep. It was about 8 am. “Hello?” you say groggily into the phone. Killian’s voice chuckles on the other end, “Little tired there, aren’t we (l/n)? Listen Emma got a lead on who might’ve put up the ice wall. She wants us all to fan out in the forest, search for the culprit. I’ll swing by and we can walk over together, be there in five.” He hangs up the phone. You roll over and groan. Hunting for an ice monster was definitely not how you wanted to spend your day today. After a minute or two you roll out of bed and peel off your pajamas, yawning. You search for your jeans, but they’re not in your dresser. Distracted, looking for your clothes, you don’t hear him come in. He steps in then door and drops the coffee in your hand, causing you to turn in shock. “Killian!” you gasp and try to cover yourself up, but to no avail. He immediately walks out of the room and mutters, “I’m sorry, I’ll see you later for the search I guess. Sorry bout the mess,” he points to the spilt coffee on the floor and runs out. “Killian wait!” you shout after him, but he’s already gone. Your face flushes an almighty red and you begin to cry. “Why me,” you say to no one. “Can’t fuss about it now,” you continue to talk to yourself. So you pull on your jeans and sweatshirt. Grabbing your phone, you head out to go find everyone else in the forest.

When you arrive, you see them all waiting for you by the town line. “Sorry I’m late,” you mumble, using your hair to cover your face. “It’s fine (y/n), now let’s split up. Killian you and (y/n)”- Hook cuts her off. “I think I’d be better off searching with you, Emma.” You look at him baffled, and Emma just says, “Alright, Hook you come with me and (y/n) you can go with Mary Margaret. Now split up.” Before he has the chance to walk off you grab his arm and say, “Killian wait, we need to talk about what happened.” He shrugs, “No we don’t. I can’t do this right now, we have more pressing matters to tend to.” He leaves you speechless and Mary Margaret comes up behind you. “What was that about,” she asks. “It’s a long story,” you sigh. “Well we’ve got a long search ahead,” she replies and the two of you walk off into the forest. You begin, “It was this morning. Killian was supposed to swing by so we could walk over here together, but he was early. He walked in on me changing and I was naked. It was so awful Mary Margaret, he literally dropped his coffee and ran out. And I tried to talk to him, but he doesn’t want to.” “Well give him time, you two are best friends. I’m sure it just came as a shock is all,” she tells you. “I hope you’re right,” you reply.

Two hours later, and no one has found any evidence to who built the ice wall. “No luck with you guys either?” Emma asks as she walks up to you two, with Killian. “No,” you shake your head, looking down. “Crap. Well I guess we should break for lunch and continue to look, see you in an hour,” she nods at you. “Emma, wait,” you call after her. “What is it?” she turns around. “I won’t be able to search with you this afternoon, I’m not feeling too well,” you tell her. “That’s alright, feel better,” she rubs your arm and walks towards town, Killian following her. You stare after him, with sad eyes. “Don’t worry (y/n), it’ll get better. Now go get some rest,” Mary Margaret pats you on the shoulder and walks off with David.

Back at your apartment you draw in shaky breaths as you take off your clothes, for the first time since Killian saw you. You slip on some sweats and lay down on your mattress, staring at the ceiling.

“Killian what is going on with you today?” Emma asks him inside Granny’s. “Wait? Oh nothing I’m fine,” he shrugs her off. “No you’re not. You’ve forgotten about my super power. Now, tell me what’s going on,” she sits down on a stool and he sits next to her. “It’s just, well, I was going to see (y/n) this morning, and well, I accidentally walked in on her changing. And it made me realize the feelings that I’ve been denying for a very, very long time. And so now I don’t know how to act around her, I just, I care about her so so much, and I think I have for a very long time,” he babbles. “Glad to see you’ve finally admit it,” Emma laughs. “Excuse me?” Killian asks, confused. “Hook it’s quite obvious, the way you feel about her, in fact, I’d bet that (y/n) is the only person who doesn’t know how you feel about her,” Emma replies. “Bloody hell, is it really that obvious?” he gasps. Emma nods, laughing. “Well, are you going to tell her how you feel?” Emma adds. Hook immediately replies, “No. I’m a pirate, she deserves better then me. That’s why I can never tell her how I feel.” “If you’re sure. I’ve gotta go now, I’ll see you later,” Emma shrugs and picks up her phone, walking out of the diner.

Nearly 4 hours later you wake up. You’re stomach grumbles aloud. “Better go pick up some food,” you mutter to yourself. You throw your previous outfit back on, and walk over to Granny’s. When you arrive, the last person you want to see is sitting at the counter. “Killian,” you walk over to him and he looks up at you in surprise. By the glaze over his eyes, you can tell he’s been drinking since lunch break. “(Y/n),” he grits his teeth. “Killian please, we need to talk,” you hesitate before taking a seat next to him. He nods for you to continue. “I just, I wish you would’ve knocked is all. But can we please just go back to being normal friends, I hate this, this awkward feeling between us,” you admit. “I don’t know,” he says quietly, “I think it’d be best for us to just keep our distance right now.” Your eyes fill with despair. “Is that really what you want?” you whisper. He nods slowly. You take a breath, your voice shaking, “Fine. Goodbye Killian.” you walk out the door and wander off alone.

1 week later

Killian had been avoiding you completely. You hadn’t seen him since that day in Granny’s. That is, until today. You were wandering through the forest when the sight before you stopped your heart. It was Killian and Emma, sitting on a park bench, talking in close quarters. It broke your heart. You’d been denying your budding feelings for Killian for a long time. You had a good thing going, your friendship. You weren’t about to ruin it, but somehow you still managed to. Your breath caught in your throat as you watched Emma place her hands over his. You turn to step back, but a branch snaps beneath your feet, causing Killian to look up and see you. There were tears in your eyes. “(Y/n),” he speaks your name into the air. You shake your head and turn around. “(Y/n) wait it’s not what you think it is,” Emma stands up to follow you, but Hook pulls her back to sit down. “Emma don’t, just leave it. Perhaps it’s better she move on,” he sighs. “How can you say that?” Emma asks incredulously. He looks at her in confusion. She sighs and turns to him, “Killian how long have you known (y/n)?” He wrinkles his brows in thought. “Well, we met during that missing year, from Pan’s curse. She was apart of Robin Hood’s merry men,” he pauses, smiling at the thought, “I was robbing a carriage and she and Robin stopped me. Said that wasn’t meant for me. I said I was looking for enough money for passage to a new realm, to look for you Emma, and that’s when (y/n) lit up. She said she knew you, she immediately decided for the both of us that she’d be joining me on my venture back to you. It was on that journey where we became friends.” Emma smiles and says, “See? You don’t talk about someone like that unless you love them.” “How do you know? I went on that journey to find you, Emma. Whose to say I don’t love you?” he shoots back. She frowns at him, “Killian, there was once a time, when you were on your way to loving me, and honestly, I was to that point to. But then (y/n) came in and changed everything, and you know what, that’s okay. I’m glad she did because she needs you Killian, and you need her. I think it was meant to be. Sure we could’ve maybe worked out, but I think deep down, you know you were waiting for someone better.” He looks down, confirming her statement. “You know it Killian. So why are you denying yourself happiness?” “Because I’m not good enough for her. I’m a pirate,” he states. “So? She was a thief, none of that matters, the only thing that matters is how you feel for her,” Emma tells him. “Emma enough. Please. I won’t do it. I don’t deserve happiness, and I don’t think I could give it to her if I tried, so just stop,” he gets up and leaves her on the bench.

“Oh Mary Margaret it was awful,” you sit in your friends loft discussing the encounter over a cup of tea. “(Y/n) I’m sure it’s not what you thought it was, Emma is our daughter, but she’s aware of your feelings for him, I’m sure she didn’t do this,” she pats your arm. “I can’t stop thinking about him,” you bury your head in your hands. “Okay, if you can’t stop thinking about him, then you’re going to have to think happy thoughts about him. I’ve never heard how you two met, so go on, tell me,” she urges you. “Well it was about a year ago…”

Flashback

The forest was dark. King Midas’s carriage flew down the road as you and the merry men stood amongst the trees, patrolling the area. Suddenly, a lone cloaked figure stepped out in the middle of the road. “Alright, now we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” a crisp voice comes out from beneath the material. “Step down, by order of King Midas,” the coachmen replies. “Alright I guess you want it the hard way,” the cloaked figure shoots back. Almost immediately perhaps 2 dozen arrows are lit with flame, surrounding the carriage. The coachmen takes one look and yells, “Retreat!” leaving the treasure behind. “Well done men,” the cloaked man reveals himself to be a pirate, chuckling to his crew. You and Robin glance at each other, deciding unspoken to confront the pirate. You draw your sword and step into view, Robin following with his bow. “That’s not for you,” you nod towards the treasure. He chuckles deeply, “Oh and I suppose you’re going to stop me.” Robin steps into view saying, “Hook. What are you doing here?” He immediately drops his bow. “Robin?” Hook drops his sword and walks over, shaking his hand. “I’m sorry Robin, do you know him?” you ask incredulously. “Yes, I do. (Y/n), this is Killian Jones. He came from Storybrooke with the rest of you, except Emma of course.” Hook’s eyes shoot up at the mention of her name. “Actually Robin, that’s exactly why I need this treasure. I need passage to the realm, Emma, we need to get her back, we need her help with the wicked witch. And my ship, it’s gone,” he finishes. “Well then you shall have it. We were only out here to patrol, watching for any of the witches minions,” Robin replies. “Thank you mate,” Hook nods in appreciation towards Robin. Before he turns away you blurt out, “I’m coming with you.” “What? No I don’t need some inexperienced girl weighing me down,” Hook shrugs you off. “Yes I am. I’m inexperienced hook, way before the first curse was even cast I was thieving and giving back to the poor while you were cradling your rum,” your voice drips with sarcasm. He rolls his eyes at you, “Oh really, is that true Robin? I never knew you allowed women into your troupe.” Robin nods, “Yes, I’ve known (y/n) for years. She proved herself long ago worthy to be apart of the merry men.” “Besides, you’re not familiar with non magical realms, if Emma really is in New York, you’re going to need my help,” you add. Hook sighs, “Alright, well come on then.” You smile at Robin and say, “See you soon, mate.” He hugs you goodbye. As you walk off with Killian he eyes you up and down. “What?” you ask him. “Nothing love, it’s just, I’m curious as to why our paths haven’t crossed before.” “Oh really why?” you reply. He smirks and says, “Because I think I’d remember a lovely little thing like you.” You blush deeply and soldier on, walking next to the leather clad pirate.

Current time

You left Mary Margaret’s to head back into the forest, searching for Robin. “Robin? Robin? Are you here?” you call out. He steps out from behind the trees and says, “(Y/n) where have you been? I haven’t seen you in a week.” “I’ve been hiding, out,” you confess, “Killian doesn’t want to be friends anymore, he’s been avoiding me at all costs, and earlier I saw him getting pretty cosy with Emma.” “Why don’t you tell me about it?” Robin sits down on a log and you take a seat next to him. “Well it was the first day we inspected the ice wall, Hook, he came by to pick me up and he, he walked in on me changing. I didn’t think anything would stop us from being friends, I mean I knew I had feelings for him but I thought he could move past this. I guess he was just so disgusted by me, he can’t even look me in the face,” you sob. Robin places a comforting hand on your shoulder. “Am I really so hideous?” you cry. “Oh (y/n) no, of course you’re not. If Killian can’t see how beautiful you are, then he’s blind,” Robin pulls your chin up to look him in the eye. You avoid his gaze, saying, “I’m not beautiful Robin, if I was, we would still be friends.” “(Y/n) that’s enough of that talk. I don’t want to ever hear you talk bad about yourself again. Now I’m going to find Killian and try to knock some sense into him, you just go on home.” You slowly nod as he picks you up off the log, and sends you on your way.

He finds him on his ship, skulking with a pint of rum. “Killian Jones!” Robin shouts, throwing himself on board the ship. “Ah Robin of Loxley, what can I do for you?” he slurs. “You can tell me what the hell was going through your mind when you pushed (y/n) away. She’s absolutely miserable, she called herself ugly, she thinks you think she’s so hideous that you won’t even look at her,” Robin babbles. Killian drops his glass in shock. “That’s what she thinks?” he says, no louder than a whisper. “Yes, no I don’t care if you don’t feel the same way as she does, you must make it up to her somehow,”- Killian cuts him off. “But I do feel the same way. I love her,” he says softly. Robin’s eyes light up. “Then you have to go to her, now, she’s at home in the deepest pit of despair, so go!” Robin shouts. Killian swings himself onto the dog and jogs hastily towards your apartment.

Back at your apartment you collapse into your bed, a big ball of tears. After nearly 10 minutes of crying you step over to your mirror, and look at your reflection. “Why are you like this? Why are you so unbelievably hideous that your best friend won’t even talk to you?” you scream into the mirror. “I hate you,” you sob at yourself. Before you know it, you’re swinging your fist into the mirror, and the glass shatters, slicing into your arm and hand in various places. You sit in the middle of the shards of glass, shaking and sobbing into your knees, drawing into yourself. Then, the door opens.

He walks through the door, and the sight before him breaks his heart into a million pieces. “(Y/n)?” the pirate gasps, rushing to your aide. You look up in disbelief. “Killian?” your voice chokes. His hand covers his mouth, muffling his, “Oh god, what have I done.” He steps carefully over the broken glass, making his way towards you. “(Y/n), god no,” he sobs when he sees your bloody arm. You turn away, continuing to cry. The next thing you feel is his big arms scooping around your middle, picking you up out of the dangerous pile. You wrap your arms around his neck, whaling into his chest. He sits on the bed, holding you, murmuring in your ear countless apologies. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry my love,” he kisses the top of your head, causing you to look up for the first time. “Killian?” you ask in confusion. He looks into your tear tilled, (e/c) eyes, leaning in. His lips his yours for the first time, and you can taste your tears mingling with his. Your eyes close, and you can feel the sadness fading into joy inside you. You pull away and look at him in surprise. “Killian?” you repeat. “(Y/n),” he gasps, fresh tears coming to his eyes at his sudden realization. “(Y/n) I love you,” he wraps his arms tightly around you, holding onto you for dear life. “You do?” you ask in surprise. “I do,” he smiles at you. You return his smile and bring his forehead to your own. “I love you too Killian,” you whisper. He weeps openly when you confirm his deepest heart’s desire: your love. For a while he holds you in his arms, kissing your head and rocking you slowly. But after a while he picks you up off the bed and says, “Come on darling, let’s get you cleaned up.” You nod and stand up. He walks into the bathroom, your hand in his, never wanting to let go.

[dccomicsimagines]

World Ending Team up - Young Justice Imagine

Requested by Anon - an imagine where the reader is pretty much like Deadpool and helps the teams stop a world ending disasters cause “I live here and would like to remain alive.”

Happy Birthday Anon’s Sister!!

You were licking an ice cream cone while sitting on one of the drug dealers you had just beaten up when it appeared. A giant spaceship blocked out the sun, causing you to look up with disinterest. You checked your phone to find it playing a message from the spaceship, threatening to destroy Earth if they didn’t get some rock crystal thing. 

Once the message ended, news feeds from around the world lit up. This included a message from the Justice League, who claimed they would be handling it. 

“Handling it, my ass,” you mumbled as one of your other voices spoke up.

“Earth is probably going to get blown up.”

Another voice in your head asked. “But don’t we live here?”

You paused mid-lick, thinking about what the voice said. “Hmm…” you hummed, finishing your lick before standing up. The drug dealer you were sitting on groaned in relief, causing you to accidentally kick him in the face. “You’re right. After all, I don’t know if I would survive the planet blowing up.”

“Yeah, we haven’t got our music contract yet.”

“Or our movie deal.”

Nodding your head, you threw your ice cream over your shoulder where it landed on the drug dealer’s head. You skipped away, thinking about how you could help. “Maybe I should go straight to the Justice League?”

“Nah, they’re no fun.”

“Besides, don’t they want to arrest us?”

“That’s right,” you agreed, rubbing your chin. “I always forget about that.” You remembered how Superman tried to arrest you last week. It ended with an explosion and your head getting blown off, but it was still fun. 

“Why don’t we help the little Sidekicks?” 

“They’re always fun.”

“Of course,” you snapped, jumping up and down. “I haven’t seen them in a while, and I bet they’re doing something about this ‘independence-day-like’ situation.” You ran out of the warehouse, heading straight for the airport to borrow a plane to find the sidekicks.

The team was currently slipping onto the invaders ship from the cloaked bioship. They had been given the assignment to disable the weapon to prevent the invaders from activating it during the Justice League’s attempts to negotiate an agreement. 

Once inside, Robin hacked a computer panel to get a map of the ship. “It looks like there are two control panels for the weapon. Both on the opposites sides of the ship.” Kaldur nodded, glancing at the map over Robin’s shoulder.

“Yes, it appears we may have to split up,” Kaldur mumbled, glancing at the rest of the team. “Miss Martian, Superboy, Wolf, and Rocket, take the west control panel while Kid Flash, Artemis, Zatanna, and I destroy the east panel.” He turned to face Dick. “Robin, stay here and try to guide us through.”

“And where will I go?” The entire team jumped when you teleported right in front of them. Their surprise quickly turned into anger at your sudden appearance. 

“Oh, great (Y/N) is here,” Wally mumbled, rolling his eyes. You sent him a big grin, dancing over to him.

“I know. Everything is better now that I’ve arrived,” you sang, kissing him on the cheek. Artemis growled at the sight, pushing in between the two of you while Wally wiped his cheek in disgust. “Oh, don’t worry, Arty,” you reassured, tapping her nose. “He’s still all yours.” You laughed before teleported yourself right in front of Kaldur. 

Kaldur cleared his throat, trying to keep calm even though your presence endangered the mission. “(Y/N), the world is at risk, and I kindly ask you to leave us alone.”

You stuck out your bottom lip in a sad puppy face. “Oh, but Aquaboy,” you whimpered, leaning forward to press your chest against his. “I want to help.”

Artemis snorted as Kaldur stumbled away from you, blushing. “(Y/N), you don’t want to help anyone,” she growled. “Everything is a game to you.”

“Well, not this time,” you stated firmly. “After all, Earth is about to be destroyed. Since I live here, and I would like to remain alive, I want to help.” Your eyes grew wide as you spoke, your face displaying how serious you were.

“Aren’t you supposed to have regenerative powers or something?” Rocket interjected, raising an eyebrow at you. You wrinkled your nose at her, narrowing your eyes.

“Yes,” you said mockingly, creeping up to come face to face with Rocket. Rocket didn’t move back, staring you down. “But what’s the point of regenerating if I have no where to live?” When Rocket didn’t step away from you, you smiled at her. “Oh, I like you.” You turned to Kaldur, who was studying you with curiosity. “I like this one. Where did you find her?”

“Excuse me,” Rocket gasped as you danced away, giggling. You sidestepped Conner, who stepped in front of you as you pranced passed M’gann. Petting Wolf, you eyed Zatanna before sticking your tongue out at her. She rolled her eyes at you as you teleported back in front Kaldur.

Kaldur blinked at you, pursing his lips in thought. “Aqualad, you can’t be considering involving loony (Y/N),” Wally grumbled. Kaldur held up a hand to hush Wally before turning to you. 

“You can assist us, (Y/N),” Kaldur agreed, much to the rest of the team’s shock and distress. “But only on the condition you follow our orders.” 

You stood up straighter, holding your hand up in a mock salute. “Yes, sir,” you cheered before Robin’s hand clamped over your mouth. 

“Keep quiet. We don’t want to attract the invaders’ attention yet,” he growled at you. Kaldur nodded, frowning at you sternly.

“(Y/N), you will stay here and help Robin,” Kaldur ordered before gesturing for the others to follow their original plan. You waved at them as they disappeared deeper into the ship. Robin was typing rapidly on the computer panel he had hacked. You sank to the floor next to him, humming to yourself.

Robin and you were silent for a few moments. You started to file your nails, causing Robin to glance at you in surprise. He rolled his eyes before focusing back on the computer panel.

“So, I heard you blew off your head to get away from Superman last week,” Robin began, staring at your neck as if to see some kind of wound there. However, you had healed when you reattached your head.

“I didn’t blow off my head to get away from Superman,” you snapped smugly. “He used his heat vision to blow up the bomb I was going to throw at him.” You narrowed your eyes. “The jerk.”

Robin blinked at you, shaking his head. “Maybe you shouldn’t have thrown a bomb at him?”

“Maybe he shouldn’t have tried to arrest me, but the past is in the past,” you answered, giving him a playful smile. “How are the others doing? I haven’t heard any alarms yet.”

“The team will not get caught unless you do something,” Robin retorted. You laughed, standing up to dance around. “Stop that.”

“Stop that,” you mocked, taking out one of your knifes to twirl in your hand. Robin gave you an exasperated look before his face softened. 

“Do you have a home, (Y/N)?” Robin asked, keeping his gaze on the computer panel as he watched the team through the cameras. 

You studied him, raising an eyebrow. Prancing over to Robin, you leaned on his shoulder. “Robin, are you trying to convert me to your sidekickism?” 

“No,” he snorted, shrugging you off his shoulder. “And sidekickism? That’s not even a word.”

“Sure, Mr. Whelmed,” you teased, laughing when he blushed. You were glad you decided to help the team. They were so easily embarrassed, and so much fun to play with. 

Sirens started to blare as Robin quickly typed on the computer panel. “Well, what do you know? They got caught, and it wasn’t my fault,” you sang. Robin tried to elbow you, but you dodged with a snicker.  

“They’re going to need help,” Rick mumbled as he watched the invaders attack the team. He winced when he saw Conner crumble from a devastating blow. Suddenly, he felt your hand on his shoulder. 

“Don’t worry, I got this,” you reassured him, tapping his nose with your finger. Before he could stop you, you were gone. A playful war cry echoed down the halls as you suddenly appeared on Robin’s computer screen. His mouth dropped open at the sight of you ripping through the invaders forces as if they were nothing, but air. 

“Holy crap,” Robin whispered before going back to work to not let your help go to waste. 

Hours later, the team was back in the cave, reporting what happened to Batman. They lost track of you while on the ship. The only sign of you was the bodies of the invaders you left behind. Nevertheless, the team was able to complete their mission, saving the world. 

“What happened to (Y/N)?” Batman demanded, with the slightness hint of concern in his voice. The team looked at each other, causing Kaldur to clear his throat. 

“We do not know,” Kaldur admitted. “We lost contact with them once they provided us with a distraction.”

“I lost sight of them on the security cameras,” Robin added, wincing when Batman glared at him. Robin shrugged his shoulders. “They were just so fast. Heck, I think they’re faster than Kid Flash.”

“They’re not faster than me,” Wally denied, huffing. He glanced over at Artemis, frowning when she looked skeptical. “They’re not, right?”

Batman turned his glare onto Wally, shutting him up. “(Y/N) is unpredictable, making them a threat. If you could have apprehended them, it would have solved many problems.”   

“If (Y/N) is such a threat, why did we let them help us?” Rocket asked, placing her hands on her hips. She was remembering how uncomfortable you made her feel. 

Before anyone could answer, the main computer popped to life, displaying you sitting in the cockpit of a spaceship. 

“Hello, my people,” you cried, spinning around in your chair with a laugh. “I have saved you all with my mad sword chopping skills.”

“Oh no,” Dick groaned, typing on his wrist computer. “(Y/N) is broadcasting this to the whole world.”

“Now, you don’t have to throw me any parades,” you continued, leaning towards the camera and dropping your voice down to a whisper. “Though, I would like a thank you from the Justice League for doing their job for them.”

“Anyway, I ‘got’ this wonderful spaceship as a ‘gift’ from our visitors, so I decided to leave the planet to explore the galaxy,” you announced, waving your hands around excitedly.  “So, Twentieth Century Fox, I expect you to have my movie script ready for when I get back. Columbia Records, you should start getting a band together for my album. If you both don’t feel so inclined to get ready, I can’t promise that my spaceship won’t just fly over your offices and drop something that goes boom!”

 “Anyway, I also want to say thank you to my friends on the sidekicks team for granting me this opportunity,” you added. The team groaned at your words.

“We didn’t grant them this opportunity,” Conner growled before M’gann hushed him. Your image started to fade from the screen. 

“Bye, bye Earth. I’ll see you soon,” you shouted before your image was completely gone. Batman glared at the team, his posture hinting at the lecture to come. The team all shared a look, silently cursing you. Yet, there was the slightest glint of admiration in their eyes. 

[donegeonsndragons]

Narratuary: Session 9 Highlights

High socializing is done, traps and puzzles are figured out, and my plans never go as I expect them.

This session was so much fun that I had the outline of this post done right after it finished and I’m writing this only a day after! I got to try something a little different this time around (more puzzles with a split party) which was challenging for both me and the players but we all enjoyed it!

Premise: having prepared for the ball and going in with no plan on how to retrieve the next item, the gauntlet, before the Serpent gets to it, the party arrives at Councillor Galanodel’s estate on the outskirts of Keltar...

All of them have separately arrived there, with everyone pretending to not know each other (minus Innchie and Carlin who are partnered up)

The sun has gone down, and these beautiful white and blue flowers are blooming in the moonlight

There are a lot of guards, both inside guarding the stairs going up and down, as well as outside patrolling the perimeter

Igtbtgh has already been there for half a day, getting his assignment as a High Council guard and starting his patrol

Baldwin, knowing he can’t do stealth, decides to spend his time socializing and gathering information

He gets to know Captain of the Guard Kima Athura, and he introduces himself as someone who is aligned with the law and order willing to help

He gets Captain Athura to introduce him to Councillor Galanodel, and they chat for a bit

He learns that there’s been some infighting within the High Council, particularly the younger members against the older members

Councillor Galanodel says that the younger ones want to repeat a mistake that happened in the past, something he wishes to prevent as times of peace (like now) are so rare and precious

When pressed, he reveals that the mistake in the past was the use of the Fist of Iron to maintain power and peace

Baldwin tries to think about what the Fist of Iron was, and he’s able to remember stories of them as a death squad affiliated with the High Council, but he doesn’t know details about who they were, how long they were around, when they were active, or what they did

At this point, Councillor Astorio interrupts (pretending to not know the party) and pulls Councillor Galanodel to talk with him privately

Aurora, who is also socializing and getting info, alongside Corrick listen in on the conversation

They hear snippets of the conversation

Councillor Astorio: I’m surprised you have so few guards, you know I could’ve helped provide reinforcements Councillor Galanodel: I don’t need them, and nobody should

Meanwhile, Innchie goes off exploring for unguarded stairs or entrances to the second floor

She enters the library, and finds drag marks around the bookshelf

She tries to the old trick of triggering a secret door by pulling on books

She just ends up with a bunch of books on the floor and nothing opening

Carlin is socializing with the more middle-class folk, asking around about the Serpent

To the common folk, the Serpent is seen as a heroic figure, like a Robin Hood kind of thief, or as a folk tale

During this conversation, Carlin had grabbed a lot of pastries off of the table and is munching on a butter tart

Meanwhile, Igtbtgh has gotten a snack, gotten distracted by flowers, and hasn’t seen anyone suspicious

He comes to the conclusion that if there’s no one outside, the Serpent must already be inside

He goes inside and talks about that with one of the guards at the stairs, who instructs him to take her place while she goes finds Captain Athura

Baldwin is still roaming, and I’m starting to panic about having more NPCs

So I’ve been wanting to do more backstory involvement, and I jumped on the chance

Baldwin bumps into his dad

They have a very awkward conversation about how each of them have been doing, and about Baldwin’s mom (the elven side of his heritage)

He finds out that Baldwin’s mom hasn’t been doing well health-wise, and that Baldwin should get in contact with her 

Innchie, knowing that she won’t be able to figure out this secret door on her own, wanders to the ballroom and telepathically calls for Carlin to meet her in the library

The two meet in the library, where Carlin now realizes that the butter tart has a magical effect of changing his voice to be high-pitched and squeaky

Innchie and Carlin investigate the library to no avail

They walk out and see that Igtbtgh is now standing guard at the stairs

Carlin gets very excited and tries calling him over

Igtbtgh sees an opportunity to get rid of the guard

Igtbtgh: I think there’s a drunk person over there looking for a bathroom Guard: ....he’s literally standing right next to a bathroom

However, the guard goes and investigates

Carlin and Innchie play along, with Carlin performing a convincing drunk and telling the guard that Innchie needs a washroom

They push the guard into the bathroom, shut it with rope, and write a “Do Not Use” sign 

Igtbtgh fakes a confrontation with Carlin and Innchie, and successfully lies to the guard that he’s arrested them and is getting help soon

The three of them head upstairs 

Aurora dances and dazzles, but is then one-upped by Baldwin having an intellectual discussion with a large group of people

The band is also listening in, but one of their members is missing

Aurora then dances and attempts to flirt with Councillor Galanodel, opening him up 

When she’s rejected, she attempts to ask why he says that he’s already tried love but it hasn’t worked using a fake story about her losing someone she’s loved 

However, he sees through her lie, and bids her goodbye 

Aurora then disguises herself as a guard from another city, and takes the empty post at the stairs

Upstairs, Carlin, Innchie, and Igtbtgh start sneaking through the gallery, which contains portraits and 4 sets of armour

And when I say “start sneaking” I mean “spend 10 minutes crouching silently step by step to make sure nothing happens”

Carlin OOC: I poke my head in... Me: nothing happens Carlin OOC: I put my toe in... Me: ...nothing happens Carlin OOC: I put my whole foot in! Me: nothing happens!

Not setting anything off, they head into the next room, the second library

As Carlin and Innchie investigate, Igtbtgh stays in the doorway, and is almost pushed out of the room by the door slamming shut

He manages to stick his foot in there

Innchie, through the sheer force of willpower, uses her noodle arms to help creak the door open so that there’s a big enough gap for someone to slip through

Igtbtgh uses 1 of his 10 daggers to stab the floor and try to use it as a doorstopper

Unfortunately, as soon as he’s inside and the door is released, it slams shut and snaps the dagger in half

Innchie attempts to see if there’s any magic in the room

At this point, a glowing magical circle starts to glow in the middle of the room

With a nat20 dexterity saving throw, Innchie feels an instinct to just jump into the circle, avoiding a cloud of green mist coming from the top of the bookshelves

Igtbtgh and Carlin alongside any of their leather or cotton clothes are dyed a bright neon green

Carlin instinctively licks his hand to see if the dye will come off, he almost throws up from the taste

The door opens, and Igtbtgh crit fails to determine whether there’s someone outside, and is now convinced that there’s been someone following them who opened the door

He goes outside to stand vigilant watch as Carlin and Innchie press forward

Innchie sends a telepathic message to Aurora to go explore the basement

Aurora finds the armoury and storage room, which has some weapons (she steals a rapier) and armour with the High Council emblem and colours, a crate with 10 health potions (which she pockets), and a crate of unused weapons and armour (all with the symbol of a fist)

Carlin opens the door to the next room, which is revealed as the master bedroom

Unfortunately, he accidentally sets off the trip wire, which causes a literally blinding bright light and an alarm to go off

Now this is where things take a different turn then I thought they would

Instead of trying to disarm the alarm, Innchie grabs a blind Carlin, runs out of the library, grabs Igtbtgh, and runs down the gallery

The eyes of the portraits glow as the armour activate, starting to move towards them

However, they’re already out the door 

Aurora, hearing the alarm, runs up the stairs and gets to the second floor

She sees the rest of her party, reassures them that it’s her in disguise, and uses rope trick to hide everyone

However, Innchie decides to stay out and deal with the incoming guards

She declares herself as Princess Ruminarch from “the country across the sea,” and manages to convince all of them 

She also says that she saw a handsome “lean green machine” of a man go up another flight of stairs (to the roof)

She’s escorted downstairs by one guard as the rest of the guards, Captain Athura, and Councillor Galanodel scatter to find the intruder

Once downstairs, Innchie casts suggestion on the escort, telling him to go help the others, before heading back upstairs

Baldwin, having heard the alarm and seeing the commotion, offers his help to find the intruder

He finds Galanodel in a woman’s bedroom which appears to have been unused for a very long time, the only striking thing being the moons, stars, and planets painted on the wall

Galanodel thanks him for his help, and suggests that Baldwin checks the other spare bedroom

Now originally, I had the Serpent following the group and grabbing the key to the puzzle to the secret treasure room when the alarm goes off, but Igtbtgh was standing outside of the library door so that wasn’t possible...

In the spare bedroom, Corrick spots a small figure on the ceiling who bolts, but not before he calls out that he found the intruder and casts Hunter’s Mark

Aurora at this point has dropped down out of the pocket dimension, no longer in disguise

She sees a feminine figure running along the ceiling very very quickly

Surprise, it’s the Serpent!

However, the Serpent throws down two smoke bombs, obscuring vision

With Hunter’s Mark, Baldwin knows where the Serpent is, and he casts a spell that prevents her from moving

Aurora tries dispelling the cloud of fog-like smoke, however she’s not sure how to do so other than trying to make a strong enough wind with her dress

It takes a couple of tries, but Baldwin grabs the Serpent and yanks her down (probably dislocating her shoulders)

He pins her down and punches her until she surrenders

She’s very nonchalant, impressed that they caught her

Taking off the Serpent’s mask and goggles, Aurora recognizes her as the missing band member downstairs

She’s hauled away by the guards with ease in chains

Meanwhile, Innchie is sneaking into the woman’s bedroom that Galanodel had come from, trying to guess if there’s a secret room she can open

Sensing some form of barrier magic from the paintings, she just guesses and presses a hand on the large painting of earth

A magical door opens up, and she steps inside

Immediately upon entering, she’s tackled and pinned by a iron mechanical bear

An elven man with unnaturally white hair and small glasses perched on his nose (which the people in the pocket dimension had briefly seen) yells loudly that he’s finally caught her

Innchie says (truthfully for once) that she isn’t who he’s looking for, and says that the person involved may be getting away

He’s suspicious, but gets the bear to let her go

He says that he’ll check it out and if he’s right he owes her one, but Urso will take care of her if she’s lying 

The bear, who is named Urso, sits down and just monitors the room

As Innchie looks around the treasure room, she sees the gauntlet 

She summons Rupert and tells him to wait a minute after she leaves, then to grab the gauntlet and fly out the window in the bedroom next door

It works perfectly, and Rupert snatches the gauntlet and escapes before Urso can even react

The elven man goes outside and sees that the Serpent had been caught

He apologizes to Innchie, who had already caught up to him outside

He introduces himself as Karn, artificer and traps specialist, and that she can find him in the library at Salv where he works if she ever needs him

He bustles off to disarm the traps while Councillor Galanodel, Aurora, and Baldwin continue talking 

Aurora: what were you trying to protect? Councillor Galanodel: something very precious to me Aurora: ....well...I hope it’s still there....

Igtbtgh, this entire time, is trying to figure out how to get out of the pocket dimension and the estate without calling attention to the fact that he’s guiltily dyed green alongside Carlin

He constructs a burqa-like covering, puts it on, straps Carlin to his chest underneath to look like a pregnant woman, then shimmies down the rope out of the pocket dimension

Unfortunately, he slips and falls the last little bit

Seeing that he caught Councillor Galanodel’s attention, he throws down one of his own smoke bombs and books it

Innchie OOC: you’re like a weird Islamic ninja

It was 1 am and I could not stop laughing

Baldwin offers to chase after what he thinks is a suspicious individual, with Aurora offering to help this “stranger”

They head out, and Innchie goes and finds Rupert who is holding the gauntlet, pocketing the item

They all escape back to the main part of Keltar, successfully getting the gauntlet!

[caindoglover]

Reminiscence

I finally figured out what I wanted to do next. Once I got to it this was fun as always.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12387858/6/The-Thin-Line

Enjoy!

It is only a few days later when a bank is hit. Batman can only assume it is to prove Joker is still very much a villain and willing to steal actual items. It is a group effort and everyone goes out for it, even Robin. Luckily it is a weekend and Batman is able to let the kid come along without feeling guilty about being a bad parent. They split up in order to catch all the thieves, Batman blazing a trail for Joker. He follows the laughter, coming up time and time again upon a recording. He should feel annoyed, but he is surprised that there is nothing but excitement pumping through his veins.

Before he knows it he passes the city limits – far. He finds himself at the bottom of a cliff when he finally catches a glimpse of the familiar green popping out against the deep blue sky. It is at the top of the cliff, but compared to the trek out here the distance is nothing. Batman walks up the stretch of the rise until he finally comes out at the peak and can fully see Joker.

Joker sits on a limb of the solitary tree on the cliff. “Batsy.” He swings his feet as he grins down at Batman. “Did you come just for me?” He laughs.

Batman walks closer to the tree. “What are you doing up there?” He raises a brow and crosses his arms. He’s just being the crazy person he is, obviously. Still he asked anyway.

Joker shrugs. “Waiting.” He spins around, curls his legs around the limb, and falls backward, hanging from the tree. “What do you think?” His grin spreads further across his face. “Like my accessories?” A pearl necklace dangles from his neck. He holds his hands up and flashes the diamond rings decorating each finger.

Batman snorts in acknowledgement. “Yeah, yeah, you’ve still got it. Now let’s go. I have to turn you in for this.”

A frown twitches at Joker’s lips. “Now don’t say that. You’ll spoil the fun.” He drops to the ground. His limbs tangle on the way down and he lands face first. “Ow,” he grumbles.

Batman snickers. “Maybe those jewels are weighing you down.” He approaches the Joker.

Joker leaps to his feet and flashes Batman a grin. “Come on, you like them on me.” He walks to meet Batman. “Admit it.”

“You look like an idiot,” Batman deadpans.

“Yeah I do.” Joker leans forward, staring deep into Batman’s eyes. At the last second his gaze flickers to the side and his mind isn’t far behind, drifting away from Batman. The smile slips away from his lips and he stands straight.

Batman blinks. “Joker?”

Joker slides his feet and shifts to face the cliff. “You want to know why I really came here?” his voice is strangely solemn.

Batman stiffens. The air is thick with tension and the alarm bells ring loud and clear in his head. Does he really want to know the answer? “Why?” He asks despite himself.

Joker wanders toward the edge of the cliff, dangerously close.

Batman starts and jolts after him. “Hey!” He reaches out, his hands at the ready if Joker does anything stupid like he is so apt to do. Still, he can’t just grab Joker. That would be weird. Unnecessary. Just…no.

Joker stares out at the brilliant light of the city in the distance. “It’s beautiful, don’t you think?” his voice is far away, just like his mind.

“Sure.” Batman has never really been out here, and when he has it certainly wasn’t for fun. There is rarely a reason to leave the city and he was never much of a country boy, not even a ‘just past the city’ kind of guy. He relaxes enough to take his eyes off of Joker and looks up. Now that he looks at the city like this he does see it – the magnificence of the lights shining like thousands of stars right at their fingertips.

Joker chuckles. “I bet you’ve never even been out here before, eh Batsy?” there is a light to his tone, but the sentiment doesn’t quite reach his face.

“Born and raised in the city.” Batman returns his gaze to Joker. His skin continues to crawl as he watches the criminal linger so close to the edge.

“Me too.” Joker’s eyes glaze over. “Only not.”

Batman frowns and shifts with unease.

“I never belonged. Not even at home. So…I came here. To feel better.”

Batman’s urge to get him far away from the edge grows more intense by the second. “Joker…” He doesn’t know what else to say. This isn’t what their fights are supposed to be like. He chases, catches, and turns Joker in. Or, you know, accidentally lets him go. They don’t talk this way. At least they never have before.

“It’s peaceful,” Joker rambles on. “Helped clear my mind. But also…made me crazier.” A grin twists his lips. “Made me realize how screwed up my life was.”

Batman swallows hard. “What happened to you?” He hates to admit it, but he never considered what actually turned Joker into the Joker. He forgets that behind every villain was once an innocent child.

Joker shrugs. “Nothing.” His expression is suddenly light, as if all the pain from moments before never existed. So wrong. He plops down, sitting crisscross.

Batman follows suit, side eyeing him. This shift is almost more unsettling than the way he was before. As he contemplates Joker his eyes catch on something. It slowly drifts down, caught by the shifting wind, until it lands on his nose. He blinks. Cold. Oh. “It’s snowing.” He peers up and sees that more flakes are following suit and for the first time he realizes how cold it must be. With his outfit he never does notice the temperature, not without some visual cue like snow or rain.

Joker follows Batman’s gaze. “Huh. So it is.” He holds a hand out to catch a flake.

Now that he is not so worried about Joker jumping, Batman notices one other thing. Joker’s body is shivering with surprising intensity. He starts. “Why did you come out here tonight when you knew it was going to be this cold?” He frowns and shoots Joker a scolding look.

Joker shakes his head. “Didn’t know. Don’t watch the weather channel.”

“You should have known the second you stepped outside.” Batman crosses his arms.

Joker hums thoughtfully. He holds his hands out and watches as they shake before his very eyes. How strange. Now that Batman has mentioned it, yes, he feels a bit of a chill, but nothing like what his body appears to be experiencing. “Just another defect,” he mumbles.

Batman double takes. “What?”

Joker shakes his head and manages a smile. “Nothing.” He sets his hands on his knees.

Batman narrows his eyes. It bothers him that Joker has made no move to solve the cold problem he is clearly having. “You seriously can’t feel it?” It’s either this or he wants to suffer and Batman refuses to even contemplate that.

Joker shrugs. “I guess not.” It certainly made nights on the street more bearable. More dangerous for his health, but certainly easier to endure.

Batman sighs. He grabs Joker by the arm and tugs him closer, close enough for him to wrap his arms and cape around the idiot. “Only until the cops get here.”

Joker’s lips curl upward and he bites his lip. Content floods through him and his face flushes. He leans into Batman. “You’re not very good at being the hero.”

Batman rolls his eyes. “I caught you didn’t I?”

“The hero is supposed to beat and cuff the villain, not cuddle them into submission.”

Batman snorts. “This is not cuddling. I’m making sure you don’t freeze to death before you can go to prison. Nothing more.”

“Okay.” Joker may not be able to feel the cold, but he feels the warmth slowly seeping into his body. It tickles him to think that Batman is naturally warm while he is so cold. He has no proof, this is really the only time they’ve been this close long enough to even contemplate body heat, but it would be quite poetic. He rather likes the idea.

“Why else did you come out here?” Batman asks absently as he stares out at the dark sky above the city.

Joker blinks. “What?”

“There was another reason. Right?” He can’t dismiss the image of Joker standing so close to the edge tonight. He’d rather forget, but he wants to know the truth.

Joker tenses and his expression hardens. “I told you, it was nothing.”

“I’m not stupid.”

Joker sits up, as far away from Batman as he can manage without leaving his hold. “Then you’ll drop this, Batman.”

Batman starts at the force and venom behind his name. “Joker…” He opens his mouth around empty words.

“We aren’t friends, Batman. You’re the hero and I’m the villain. Only Harley knows about those parts of me. She’s the only one who deserves to. If not for her…” He stops himself before he gives too much away.

Batman sees the police cars pull up at the bottom of the cliff. “Come on.” He withdraws his arms and cape from Joker. He holds a hand out to help Joker to his feet. “Time to go.”

Joker accepts the offer and leans in close as he is pulled up. “I’ll get out, you know.” He grins, shoving the conversation from a moment ago to the farthest recesses of his mind. He doesn’t want that to be his last thought and interaction with Batman before he goes away for a while.

Batman smirks. “You wish.”

“So do you.”

With that Batman leads Joker to the police car and watches as they drive away. Deep down he knows exactly what this place was to Joker, what he did. Well, almost did. Still, he wishes he could hear it himself. But he knows Joker is right. They aren’t friends. A hero and a villain. Forever at odds. There is no place for these emotions in their games. He knows it as well as he knows the Joker. Even so, he can’t help wanting Joker to admit it to him. Just like he can’t help wanting Joker to escape. Again, and again, and again. Into eternity.

I got a bit of my headcanon of Joker's past in this one. I'll probably better explore it later if I can find a good enough setup. I also used someone else's headcanon about Joker not being sensitive to the cold. I love the idea of that and it lends itself to cute scenarios.

Also, I wouldn't mind requests for this story. However I do reserve the right not to do the request if it doesn't interest me or if it just won't fit right in this story. Still, I'll gladly hear anything anyone might suggest, so feel free.