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behindheremeraldeyes · 4 years ago

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damirae week 2021 Wednesday, May 5th - holiday & vacations title: love is in the air summary: When his brother decides to mess with him as a Holiday prank, Damian ends up having to travel in coach like the rest of the mortals. Eventually, though, he learns that turbulence can strike even before the plane takes off.

“What do you mean by coach class?”

His brows are furrowed when he asks her that, a puzzled expression taking over his face. Expectant, green eyes are on the flight attendant in front of him, as he waits for her to provide him a little more information on the matter. She’s growing anxious the longer he stares at her, a nervous tic making her left eye tremble whenever she tries to maintain eye-contact. Apparently, she knows who he is— of course she does— therefore; he believes it’s safe to presume she understands why he’s so confused.

“I’m really sorry, Mr. Wayne, but that’s what your ticket says.” She explains, her voice laced with nervousness as she shows him the printed paper with his name written on. Damian is not blind— far from that, actually. He can see all the information written on that paper, but no matter how much he tries, he still can’t comprehend the ‘coach’ part. He has been traveling by plane for as long as he can remember, and never once has he deliberately chosen a seat in coach— in fact, never once has he chosen a seat at all, since he has a secretary of his own. A very competent and well-paid one, for the matter.

Such a primal mistake like this has never happened in all the years they’ve been working together. Something must have happened, he knows.

“I believe there must have been some mistake.” He states calmly, his demeanor unaltered. “Could you please check it again? The people at my company would never make such a trivial mistake.”

“Of course, I understand completely. I’ll try checking it on the system to see if I can find anything.”

Her fingers move rapidly across the keyboard, and he studies her face, looking for a hint of what’s actually happening. She’s still nervous, he can tell, and if anything, that’s not a good sign. It means she’s not finding the problem in the system, and if she’s not finding it, it means the said problem doesn’t exist. And if it doesn’t exist— well— something must have happened at Wayne tech.

How odd, he ponders.

“I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Wayne, but there really has been no mistake. Your ticket was ordered last Wednesday night, and it is as I’ve told you, see?” She turns the monitor so he can see, probably so he won’t hold it against her or anything. “You know, it’s quite common for some of our clients to make this kind of mistake. Perhaps you forgot to select the first class? “

“Highly unlikely. My secretary always double-checks everything.”

“Well, both the coach class and the seat were chosen by your secretary last Wednesday night. Are you sure nothing unusual happened when he ordered the ticket for you?”

“I’m positive. It was a normal Wednesday and— wait.” He suddenly stops. His emerald eyes blink once, twice and a third time, a blank expression taking over his handsome face. ”Did you just say he?”

Once he allows her words to sink in, Damian questions the integrity of his ears. Perhaps, after all of those years fighting crime and handling explosives, they might not be working as perfectly as they are supposed to.

He must have heard it wrong because, last time he checked, Mrs. Miller was not a man. She’s a conservative woman who’s around her 60s, and even if that doesn’t mean a thing anymore, she has never once told him anything about switching genders. If anything, she’s always the one lecturing Jason about finding a kind woman such as herself.

Still, a stranger such as the woman standing in front of him could never know such personal things about Mrs. Miller’s life. Things are not adding up. And for he is his father’s son, he wants to know why.

“Oh, yes. I presume the name Richard belongs to a man, no? It’s the name of the account who’s booked you this flight.”

“Richard?!” He questions, and it only takes him a second to put all the pieces of that silly puzzle together.

Grayson, you bastard.

Now it all makes perfect sense. Of course he had to be behind this childish act. Who else would have enough free time to waste before the Holidays just to prank a busy, young man such as himself? His older brother might be respected by many of their super friends, but more than anyone, Damian knows he is but a child filled with hormones. He probably thought it would be funny to make his little brother travel for hours in coach as a commoner, where he would have to sit next to a stranger.

That worthless manwhore.

However, he won’t let his predecessor have the last laugh. Grayson did this solely to piss him off and throw him out of his comfort zone, therefore, the best revenge should be handling the situation without creating a fuss. Damian is going to accept the conditions without putting up a fight, and his brother’s victory will have a bitter taste.

Yes, that’s how a real man gets his personal revenge. He will endure a six-hours flight home in coach class like a pro, and he will show the first Robin not to mess with the newest generation.

A proud smirk, then, takes over his lips. That certainly should teach him a lesson—well, that and the explosives Damian plans to hide in his brother’s bedroom, of course.

“Mister Wayne, I’m terribly sorry about all this. I—“

“No need to be sorry. In fact, I should be the one apologizing for all of these questions now that I know what happened.” He starts, placing his hand on his chest as an apologetical gesture. “You see, Richard is my older brother. He’s not as smart as the rest of the family, so it’s highly likely that he’s made this mistake.”

“Oh, I understand. I guess every family has one of those, right?”

“You have no idea. Now, Karen.” He says, finally paying attention to the name written on her uniform. “I’m incredibly sorry for wasting your time. Without further ado, I will head to my seat.”

“Mister Wayne, you’re very kind, indeed.” She starts, a blush tinging her cheeks. With a staple, she makes small holes on his ticket before handling it back to him. “I hope you have a safe flight to Gotham.”

“Yeah, me too.”

His voice doesn’t sound as irritated as he feels, and that alone is a big victory. Without wasting more of his precious time, Damian walks towards the jet bridge so he can finally board the plane. A couple walks behind him, chuckling as they talk about how much fun it will be to go back home for Christmas.

Going home for the Holidays, huh?

An entire week at the Wayne Manor with his brothers and his father, sharing meals together and trying not to murder each other during their morning exercises. Though Gotham could not get any safer since the whole bat-family will be together, it is also the one time of the year when his murderous instincts are at their peak.

A tired sigh escapes his lips. That’s a problem for another time, he thinks.

Once inside the plane, his eyes search for the signs that will take him to his seat. For the first time in his life, he turns right instead of left— coach instead of first class— and suddenly, a small corridor is in front of him. For a moment, he feels like a cow heading for the slaughterhouse, as many other people are forming a line in front of him.

It’s hard to breathe and even harder to walk with all of those people trying to put their bags inside the upper compartments. He checks his ticket again. D21. According to the numeration pattern, he’s almost there, but he’s still not moving fast enough. All the simultaneous talk is driving him insane, and now he understands why some people choose to dope themselves as soon as they get inside the plane.

He doesn’t have any sleeping pills with him, but maybe if he punches himself with enough strength…

No. He can make it. Things will get better once he sits down and they take off. It can’t possibly get any worse than it already is, right?

Right?

A curse is muffled under his breath, and finally, he reaches his seat. For he knows how to travel light, Damian is quick to place his bag where it belongs and now he can establish himself. It’s a window seat, he notices, which means that soon there will be another person next to him, too close for his own liking. He knows there’s no use in picturing what kind of person it will be, but he can certainly hope it’s a nice one who knows how to respect his personal space.

If he or she doesn’t have vocal chords, Damian definitely won’t complain.

He closes his eyes for a moment, then, allowing himself to settle down and get used to his surroundings. It’s chaotic, he thinks, and he knows chaotic. Children are crying, some people are on the phone and others are just breathing too loud. He knows he’s whining like a brat, but it’s stronger than him. It’s annoying, and he swears if that lady keeps on talking about her 3 cats, he’s going to—

His inner monologue stops, his eyes widening for a moment. At last, he hears the one thing he hates more than Joker’s maniacal laughter. That unbearable sound that makes his head throb and makes his lips turn into a deep frown.

“Is that Damian Wayne?”

Teenage girls. And they know him.

Perhaps it’s the annoying giggle or even the way they keep on getting bolder every time they meet him, but Damian can’t stand them. They’re just too obnoxious— a real pain. He honestly doesn’t know why on earth they tend to approach him whenever they have the chance, especially since he’s sure he has never once paid them any attention. In fact, chances are he has even been rude to them on more than one occasion.

Trying to understand a teenager’s mind is beyond his capacity. Ignoring them, though doesn’t prevent them from returning, is the easiest way out, and when they come— because they will come— that’s exactly what he’s going to do.

“Excuse me, Damian Wayne.” One of them says, her voice laced with excitement. Two more stand next to her, but he can’t really tell them apart. “It’s you, isn’t it? “

Jesus, can someone please knock him out already?

He crosses his arms at her words, his brows now knitted in annoyance. He’s pretty sure there’s nothing welcoming in his expression, but that won’t stop them from continuing. It’s not like they actually care about his feelings or anything.

“Oh, my god! It really is you!“ She claps her hands, biting her lower lip. “Can I get a selfie? Can I?”

“God, Mary. Can you be any more inconvenient?” The one on her left asks, pushing her friend away so she can take a step closer. “Forgive my friend. She can’t read the atmosphere like I can. If you want, I can send her away and keep you some company during the flight.”

“Ugh, get out of my way, both of you!” The third one pushes through, using her elbows to force her way forward. “Hi, I love you and I really mean it, Damian! I love you so much that, if you want, we can meet at the bathroom cabinet and I’ll show you.”

His eyes widen in horror at such proposal, and he’s almost sure this girl isn’t old enough to be saying such things. From the corner of his eyes, he watches as a bunch of people lift their phones to point at him, all of them waiting to hear his final answer so the dirty press can judge him.

Grayson is going to pay dearly for this.

This girl is insufferable. All of them are.

They’re causing all of that commotion, preventing people from walking down the small corridor and embarrassing him in front of all of those eyes. They can’t possibly think it’s okay to do or say those things so openly like to a man they know nothing about. Though the initial plan might have been for him to at least talk to them, Damian can’t bear any more hatred inside of him than at this very moment, and if looks could kill, those three wouldn’t be breathing anymore.

His hands turn into fists and he closes his heavy eyes so he can stop himself from committing a murder. Justice, not vengeance. His father’s words echo inside his head, and he’s having a really hard time trying not to think only about the second part. He really just wants to go home right now. And thankfully, he’s not the only one.

“Hum, excuse me…”

His ears detect a fresh voice, calmer and more mature. Instinctively, he opens his eyes to look at this new stranger, and he’s impressed by what he sees. She’s beautiful, he notices. Dark hair, violet eyes and ivory skin, all together to form an ethereal beauty like he has never seen before. Damian can’t help but keep looking at her, curious to know what she’s going to say on this matter.

“Hi!” She continues, her thin lips turning upwards in a smile. “I know you’re all busy trying to seduce this man with your oozing pheromones and irrefutable proposals, but in case you haven’t noticed, there are people trying to get to their seats here.”

“So what?” One of them says, a hand on her hips and a lot of attitude in her high-pitched voice. She’s trying to be intimidating, but it’s clearly not working. “Can’t you see who he is, you emo? He is—“

“I couldn’t care less about who he is.” The raven-haired girl cuts in, clearly not in the mood for that drama. “He could be Superman or even the president himself, for all I care. My problem is with you three airheads who are interrupting the flow. There are people trying to walk here and the airplane hallway is not a place to flirt with strangers who won’t even remember your face once we take off.”

“What!? Of course he will remember!” She glares. “We are—“

“Annoying the hell out of him? That you are. I mean, just look at his face! He looks like shit!” She points at him, violet eyes now meeting emerald ones. Her though expression suddenly melts into a softer one, her head tilting a bit to the right. “No offense, though.”

“None taken.” He answers, an amused smirk now taking over his face. She nods at him before returning her burning eyes to those three girls.

“Like the rest of us, this man just wants this damn plane to get him where he needs to be so he can move on with his life and get drunk during the holidays. We don’t want to be here. So, without further ado, could please you get the fuck out of the way before I lose my temper? ”

He doesn’t know what happens next or even how a small girl such as herself could be so intimidating, but at her words, he notices his three fangirls flinching. They’re avoiding eye-contact, and for the first time, one of them seems to grow aware of the crowd staring at them. The one standing in the middle starts to tremble, and though they’re looking at him as if searching for some sort of support, Damian can’t bring himself to offer them anything slightly remote to that.

In fact, if he has to pick sides, he wouldn’t need to think twice before taking the brunette’s.

“I-I… I—“

“You what?” She asks, arching an eyebrow and crossing her arms over her chest. Her pose holds no hesitation as she stands her ground. “Do you need me to spell it out for you? “

With a 'tch’, the three girls finally walk away, returning to their respective seats with their heads hanging low, and he can’t help but feel incredibly satisfied by that. There’s a victorious smirk on her face, and it’s safe for him to assume she’s also feeling pretty good about what she just did.

What an interesting woman, he thinks. All that sass and eloquence are certainly eliciting his curiosity, and though he doesn’t want to admit it, he can’t help but feel slightly turned on by this stranger.

Interesting, indeed.

While Damian is still trapped in his thoughts, a round of applause takes over the airplane, as people congratulate the raven-haired girl. They pat her shoulders, thank her for getting rid of those girls, and she even laughs once the old lady behind her tells her they don’t make girls like her anymore. For a quick moment, she becomes the hero they didn’t know they needed, and for sure, this is going to be a pleasant story to tell during Christmas dinner.

They will portray her as the girl who saved their flight.

Damian, however, will portray her as the one who told his fangirls to fuck off.

He really needs to thank her for that. Fortunately, he will have over six hours to do that.

Before the Wayne heir can bring himself to form the words in his head, the girl is placing her small bag in the compartment above their heads. As she lifts her arms, her shirt lifts, momentarily exposing her belly. Even if it was just for a brief second, she catches him staring, and once their eyes meet, he looks away, his cheeks growing slightly warmer.

He sees as she slowly shakes her head before sitting next to him, and though he was not expecting a girl such as her, he’s currently thanking the superior forces for the partner destiny has chosen to be his seat-mate. She’s beautiful, her voice is not annoying, and the best part is that she doesn’t seem to give a crap about who he is.

Maybe he’s finally going mad because of— well— everything, but right now, Damian trulls believes that he might even fall in love with this girl.

A sly smirk takes over his lips, and he can’t help but stare at her for a little too long. She watches as he does so, and as expected, she doesn’t feel embarrassed or inhibited at all. Instead, she stares back, eyes squinting a bit in sheer mockery. A questioning look spreads across her face, and he decides that he should be the one saying something. Anything, really.

“You’re mean.” He states, as if that’s the biggest truth in the world. She tilts her head, but his words don’t seem to affect her.

“So what?” She asks, not really caring about his answer as she fastens her seatbelt. ”If you didn’t like the way I talked to your fan girls, you can go and apologize to them, be their hero or whatever. Though, if you’re really gonna go meet them at the bathroom cabinet, I suggest we switch seats so we don’t bump knees every time you have to go.”

She’s a spirituous one, he notices. And if he’s not careful, he might be the next victim of her graciously rude words. “Nah, don’t worry about it. As you’ve pointed out before, I don’t even remember their faces anymore. Your knees can rest assured.”

“Thanks, I guess?” She lifts her brows, not bothering to spare him another glance as she adjusts her dark clothes. There’s a book resting over her lap— Christmas Carol, for what he can see— and she uses her small fingers to tug a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“Yeah…” He shakes his head, forcing himself to focus. “By the way, I don’t think I’ve introduced myself. I am Damian— “

“Save it. I know who you are, Wayne. I might not be the most updated person in this world, but even Eskimos know your family. Don’t worry, though. I promise I’m not a disguised reporter or an annoying fangirl.”

“Not with that attitude, you’re not. Your clear lack of interest in my personal life can only be matched by only one other person I know.”

“Oh, really?” She asks, her eyes now turning to face him. Now that they’re so close to each other, he can see how bright they really are, and for a moment, he thinks she might even have hypnotic powers because he just can’t look away. There’s a curious tone lingering over her words, and he wants to believe she’s actually paying attention to him this time. “And who would that be, if I may ask?”

“My father.” He answers bluntly, and he notices as she she chokes back a giggle. There’s a soft smile decorating her lips now, and the surrounding atmosphere feels a lot lighter.

“Rachel Roth.” She sticks out her hand to him, and without hesitation, he shakes it carefully. Her hand is soft against his calloused one, and he notices the way she brushes her thumb over his skin. It’s a delicate and pure gesture, so fleeting that makes him wanting more as soon as he releases her from his grip.

“Well, Rachel…” Her name rolls out of his tongue as he tests the sound of it. It has a nice ring to it, he notices. “I think I need to thank you for saving me from a huge headache back then. Seriously, I owe you one.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I didn’t really do it for you, so you don’t need to thank me or anything. I just wanted them to get out of my seat, that’s all.”

“Selfish or not, you still got rid of them, so… thanks. “

“Well, if that’s the case, you’re welcome, Damian.” Rachel nods at him, the same smile still decorating her face. She picks up her book, then, flipping through the pages so she can pick up from where she had left. The way she says his name— so simple and unpretentious— makes his lips curl upwards, and all the bad feelings from before disappear.

This girl— Rachel— she’s showing what a life away from the streets and the business meetings must feel like. The conversation flows easily and effortlessly, to the point where it’s hard to believe they’ve met not even 30 minutes ago. It feels natural in a way very few things in his life do, and though he knows it’s not meant to last, at least he will cherish this moment before it turns into a fading memory in the depths of his mind.

Moments of pure joy shall fade into oblivion, that’s one of the most important rules of his life.

Thankfully, the internet is forever.

An unexpected buzz inside his pants breaks his train of thought. At first, he decides to ignore it, but after the third time, he gives up on the idea. Silently, he scoffs in annoyance, fishing his phone from his pocket. He presses the side button, then, the screen lighting up to reveal a couple of notifications. His eyes, though, land on three particular messages from his family’s group chat:

Grayson: I ship it

Drake : what happened, Damian? Are you okay?? Todd : hot and feisty. The best kind of girl, little bro

His brows furrow in confusion at his brothers’ messages. For what he can conclude, they’re talking about a girl he knows and has interacted with, but that’s pretty much it. The only female human in his mind right now is Rachel, and there’s no way for them to be talking about her. He’s not being followed or bugged, for all he knows— and he knows.

Something strange is happening, and he wants to know what. The youngest Wayne, then, texts them a single ‘?’ and almost immediately, Dick sends him a link to an Instagram page. He’s growing more confused with every additional information, but figures it must be just another one of Grayson’s stupid pranks.

He sighs at the thought. Isn’t he a bit too old for that?

An annoyed pout takes over his lips as a clear sign that he just wants to get this stupid thing over with. Once he taps on the link, though, it takes less than a second for his eyes to widen and his bored expression change into a surprised one. The video playing is muted, but he doesn’t need any volume or subtitles to know what the raven-haired girl in it is saying.

Oh… That angle does make her look nice.

He blinks twice as he allows the whole thing to sink in. Apparently, all of that show earlier was recorded by some cameras and posted all over the internet. There are many posts about it, with all possible captions and comments about them, and he has to admit some are quite creative. Apparently, they’re the new internet hits, not that Damian really cares about it. He’s used to all the lies and overreacted dramas, but if he were to be honest, this one is making him quite intrigued.

Not by the gossip itself, no. That would never happen.

This time, he’s intrigued by how the girl next to him will react as soon as she finds out.

From the corner of his eyes, he watches as she’s calmly reading her book, waiting for the plane to take flight. She’s immersed in Charles Dickens’ words, and it’s like the entire world around her can’t interrupt her. It’s just her and the book, and for she hasn’t touched her phone since her arrival, he’s quite sure she doesn’t know what’s happening in the digital world.

At least, not yet.

He’s definitely going to tell her.

“Uh… Rachel? ”

“Yes, Damian?” She answers, her eyes not bothering to leave the pages of the book.

“Just a quick question… How do you feel about being the center of attentions? “

“I hate it. Why?”

“Well, you might have to reconsider this…” His voice falters and he slowly massages the back of his head.

“Oh, and why would I do that?” She looks at him, at last, her brows now arched. Her expression is blank, and he suddenly wants to laugh because she has no idea of what’s coming.

“Here, check this out. ”

He gives her his phone, a smirk decorating his face. Slowly, he watches the video playing once again on the small screen, all life slowly fading from her pretty face. Her eyes widen, her lips part, and she places her fingers on her left temple. Her cheeks are growing redder than a tomato, and once the video ends, she is completely dumbfounded.

“Wha-what the hell!?“ A couple of seconds pass until she says something, her voice a little too loud, and her eyes filled with a mix of anger and embarrassment. “What’s the meaning of this, Damian!?”

“Well, I think people enjoyed your bossy words from many different angels”” He starts, taking his phone back and scrolling through his time line. His voice sounds too excited for her liking, and it’s easy to tell he’s trying to hold back a laughter. “You went viral, Rachel. ”

“No no no no.” She repeats, slowly shaking her head in denial and taking her own phone in hands. With trembling fingers, she opens her Instagram page and a rush of follows and mentions makes her eyes widen even more. “I can’t believe this is happening. ”

“Oh, come on, it’s not that bad.” Damian tries to calm her down, but the joy in his voice takes all of his credit away.

“Not that bad?!” Her eyes are glaring at him now, cheeks puffed in pure anger. “I got remixed, Damian!”

A sly smile takes over his lips, and he’s]really trying not to laugh in front of her. “And it’s a good remix. Besides, for what I can see, most people are on our side.”

“Our side? I was just trying to reach my seat. There’s no our side, Damian.”

“Well, apparently, there is. Look.” He leans towards her, absentmindedly, until he’s close enough to feel her embarrassment exhaling from her. Their knees are brushing, but neither of them seems to be aware of that closeness right now. He shows her his phone one more time, a couple of comments now displayed. “Some people are even shipping us already. #Damirae.”

A defeated whimper escapes her lungs, and finally, she locks her phone-screen. Apparently, Rachel can’t look at all that anymore, and decides to just sink into the seat. Her hands are covering her face, and her voice is muffled when the next words come out. “Ugh, this is a nightmare.”

“Try looking at the bright side. This video can make you famous. I’m sure the media already loves your sarcasm. “

“If you haven’t noticed, Wayne, I’m a goth.” She spreads her hands across her face so she can look at him through the space between her fingers, and he can’t help but find that utterly adorable. “I don’t do bright side. ”

“God, you’re so dramatic.” He also locks his phone, placing it back inside his pockets. His torso turns around so he can face her properly, that same smirk still planted on his lips. “It’s just a video, relax. Most people will soon forget about it.”

“Some people? And what about the others?” Her voice is lower now, shier, as if she’s really seeking some sort of comfort— not that he’s even trying to offer her any.

“Oh, we will remember this forever, don’t worry.” A dry chuckle escapes his lips, and he notices the way her expression melts in response, tension and nervousness now gone.

Damian is having the time of his life, not only because the video was, indeed, funny; but also because he’s getting to see another side of this interesting girl who’s sitting next to him. Even if she really is bothered by the whole thing right now, eventually, he trusts that she will get over it and realize that no one gives a damn about stuff like that.

It’s just a temporary thing. A funny story for the future.

Rachel will survive it. And he—well…

He’s just found himself an excuse to follow her on Instagram.

“You jerk.” She chuckles, finally placing her hands on her lap and adjusting her posture. She takes a deep breath, then, as if she’s trying to recompose herself, but he notices the way she shrinks a little once she realizes the couple next to them are staring. Her body turns towards his, a sign that she feels somehow safe with him.

And for that, he’s extremely glad.

“That’s a new thing.” Damian states, mockery no longer lacing his voice.

“What is?” The girl questions.

“You’re laughing.”

“So what?”

“It’s nothing, really. It’s just… cute.”

Her cheeks grow red once more and she bites her lips. For a fraction of a second, she turns away from him, but soon, her amethyst eyes are once more looking into his emeralds ones. “Shut up, will you? You’ll need more than that if you want your Damirae fantasy to come true.”

“Oh, so are you saying I have a chance, Rachel?” He teases, knowing very well she didn’t mean it like that. Still, he figures he can’t waste this opportunity. “Are you sure you’re not a disguised fangirl? “

“You wish, Wayne.“ She smirks, offering him a side glance as she picks up her book again. “And I never said that.”

“You didn’t say the other way around, either.”

“Good point.” She nods, acknowledging his words instead of trying to deny them. “I guess you have the entire flight to make sure I keep it that way…”

There’s a flirty tone in her voice, and instantly, the Wayne heir is up for the challenge. Their eyes meet again, and for a moment, he thinks she’s checking him out. They smile at each other, exchanging that you-know-what look, and right now, he doesn’t think this flight will be long enough.

He wants to know more about her. He wants to play this push-and-pull game, and more than anything, he wants her phone number. And Damian Wayne win’t stop until he gets what he wants.

At last, the pilot makes his announcements, and for once, they break eye contact when the flight attendant passes by their seats, closing the compartment above their heads. Seat-belts are fastened, tables are up, and the crew is ready. They’re ready to take off.

fin.

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a/n: Well, there are not enough words to describe how much trouble I had with these prompts. I gave up on so many ideas and got so mad at everything that I’m impressed I even managed to write something in the end. Still, I’m glad to have written this one. I had a lot of fun with the dialogues and with every smirk I wrote! Hope you’ve enjoyed it, and please, tell me what you think!

#damirae #damirae fanfiction #damirae week 2021 #damian x raven #damirae fanfic #mydamiraefics

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kaizokuou-ni-naru · 4 years ago

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The Voyage So Far: Water Seven

east blue (1 | 2) || alabasta (1 | 2) || skypiea || water 7 || enies lobby || thriller bark || paramount war (1 | 2) || fishman island || punk hazard || dressrosa (1 | 2) || whole cake island || wano (1 | 2)

i’ve mentioned several times before that the davy back fight is one of my least favorite arcs, mostly because i found it very dragging and tedious when i was reading it, but there are a couple things i really like in it, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, most of them have to do with zoro. i really like his moment here with chopper, and it also showcases his ability to act as more of an authority figure to the crew, which is something that makes a substantial return after enies lobby with the matter of usopp’s return.

zoro and sanji’s match in the davy back fight is far and away my favorite part of the entire arc. it’s just really fun.

like i said, this arc isn’t a favorite of mine, but i do definitely understand why it’s important to the saga and greater story in a couple different ways. one of them is that it’s just an easy, lighthearted detour that both gives the audience a chance to breathe and the strawhats a chance to showcase just how much they love each other and work well together- which turns into a fucking sledgehammer to the skull in the next arc when that unity is directly threatened. and the other reason this arc is important...

...is because of aokiji.

aokiji’s introductory scene is a brutal showcase of absolute power, and a very clear reminder that the strawhats are still very much little fish in a very, very big pond. all of the strawhats are impacted by this to some degree- it’s how badly they get curb-stomped here that leads luffy to come up with his gears as a way of closing the huge power gap he’s just learned about.

most important, though, are robin and usopp. for robin, this is a stark reminder of the fact that the government will never stop hunting her down; for usopp, who’s less obvious, it’s the seeds of the full-blown inferiority crisis that will later explode with the news about merry. both of their arcs throughout water 7 and enies lobby, essentially the twin emotional backbones of the saga, start right here.

i really like that the other strawhats all fell asleep waiting for robin and luffy to wake up. it calls back to them doing the same when nami was sick before drum, and also it’s just so fucking sweet.

water seven is my favorite island, full stop. if i was going to live anywhere in one piece’s world, i’d want to live on water seven. it’s just so creatively designed and visually great, with the canals and the tiered city and the massive fountain in the middle. the supporting cast are still one of my favorites, and the culture feels very real and authentic. i just love water seven a lot.

i just said it but it bears repeating- the water seven supporting cast is really good. iceburg, the galley-la shipwrights, franky and his family, kokoro and chimney are all really memorable, and most of them are really likable, too- and cp9, with all their eccentricities, fit in perfectly. water seven’s cast is very interconnected, as well, and their relationships all feel very believable.

all of which, of course, only makes the later treachery hurt all the more.

the atmosphere of water seven is really, really well done. the bad starts slow, with the news that merry is unfixable, and then continues into an accelerating downwards spiral of hopelessness: usopp and luffy’s fight and usopp leaving the crew, robin’s seeming betrayal, the assassination attempt on iceburg, the city and galley-la turning on them as a result, and the agua laguna- it just gets worse and worse and worse.

and then, after they’ve been stomped down about as far as they can go and come out alive anyways, they pick themselves back up again and go to save their friend, because that’s what the strawhat pirates do.

i just really like getting to see these four going feral on the franky family, it’s one of my favorite scenes in this whole arc. in general, i tend to love the moments where luffy specifically gets properly angry, and we get a lot of them in this arc.

even though the fight between luffy and usopp is genuinely very tense and fast-paced and would probably be exciting if it were any other two characters fighting, it never really feels anything other than melancholy. i think that’s a testament to just how good oda is at setting the mood of the scene. it’s made very clear, especially through the reactions of the other characters- merry ‘crying’ is fucking heartbreaking- that this is nothing less than a tragedy.

i think it’s kind of interesting we aren’t shown franky’s face until about halfway into water seven. prior to this, we’re given pretty much only reasons to hate him, with his theft of the strawhats’ money and the franky family beating usopp to shit. but just after this point is when we start getting our first humanizing and sympathetic moments for him, starting when he gets worried and a little frantic when he hears about the attempt on iceburg’s life.

i just really, really like the way some of these water seven action sequences are depicted. they feel very tense and desperate, which matches the general mood of this part of the arc perfectly.

this panel of usopp working on merry always reminds me of the shots of the klabautermann doing the same during skypiea. i’m not sure if it’s even intentional, honestly, but it’s an extra little bit of heartbreak either way.

one piece has a lot of amazing spreads, but this might be one of my favorites for sheer impact. cp9, watching as the city they’ve lived and worked in for years burns down in a fire they set, satisfied by a job well done. it’s almost all in black and white with very little grey, which creates some fantastic contrast, and their pitch-black silhouettes against the nighttime inferno are just striking.

this entire scene between usopp and franky, as usopp works on the merry and franky gives him advice and tries to make him see its hopeless and they kind of awkwardly, accidentally bond, is probably my favorite in the whole of water seven. it was also the scene that singlehandedly made me love franky as a character.

they have a really good, really enjoyable dynamic, and at the same time the conflict between them is real and understandable, and brought about because they’re both trying to do the right thing.

tom’s workers are one of my favorite little groups of characters in the whole of one piece’s story, and they deserve more appreciation. they’re family!! a little family of broken pieces who worked together to build something really, really amazing. and they still care about each other in the present, even though they got shattered apart so badly and none of them ever really recovered.

this is a tremendously under-appreciated chopper moment. not only did he carry two full-grown men out of a fire, he even managed to get zoro’s sword and iceburg’s hamster. extremely cool of him.

this is also the exact moment the strawhats’ collective luck begins to turn: chopper saves the day, and nami learns that robin did what she did to protect them, and sanji gets aboard the sea train, and from there it’s a no-brakes train from their very lowest low straight to the triumph at enies lobby.

i love all the shenanigans sanji gets up to with the sea train, i think the whole sequence is absolutely one of his shining moments. it’s always a delight to see sanji get up to Sneaky Bastard Bullshit, and the whole thing is just so fun, which is a dearly needed breath of fresh air after how relentless this arc has been until this point.

robin’s little smile when thinking of luffy and when she joined the strawhats... :( i’ve noticed it’s a recurring trend for strawhats who try to leave the crew to flash back to when they joined as they do. usopp has it earlier this same arc just before leaving, and sanji does it in whole cake island in the sanji vs. luffy chapter.

i really like how much everyone comes together at the end of water seven leading into enies lobby. after how fractured and fraught things have been throughout the arc, both within and without the strawhat crew, it’s great to see them not only all united again for a common goal, but with a huge group of allies at their backs.

these three are SUCH a hilarious team, and i would love to see them work together again like this sometime. they’re literally just clowning on the marines all the way up the train, it’s fantastic.

factually i understand sanji’s aversion to fighting with his hands and his fighting style is very unique and cool and also meaningful to him because he learned from zeff, and also if i remember right it’s implied he learned how to swordfight from the vinsmokes which makes it very reasonable he would want absolutely nothing to do with that skillset

but speaking purely in terms of stupid idiot lizard brain i think sanji should fight with knives more

this is another of my absolute favorite spreads, and i think what makes it for me is the casual confidence- luffy tells zoro to cut the train, and zoro does, both of them with no doubts at all about zoro’s ability to do so. it really goes to show how far they’ve come from back in east blue when zoro couldn’t even cut luffy out of a metal cage.

there’s something very impactful about the fact that of all the strawhats, robin gets this speech from usopp. usopp, who’s had the worst falling-out with luffy in the series to date, is the one who tells robin: you haven’t left the crew yet, you can’t leave the crew yet, luffy is coming to get you. believe in him.

franky’s “existing is not a crime” line is one of the most memorable and iconic lines from this entire saga, and for good reason. it sums up one of the main themes of not just this arc but also the series as a whole- the very same idea will come up again for ace during marineford, and in law’s backstory as well. it’s never a crime to just exist, and people should not never be persecuted for their blood or heritage. one piece doesn’t fuck around with its theming, it really doesn’t.

to be continued next time, with enies lobby!

#the voyage so far #one piece #long post #arc: water 7 #not japanese #opmeta

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dashingdcboys · 4 years ago

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Batman’s cape

We all heard of Bruce using his cape to shelter his robins from danger, like glass shattering and bullets, so it’s only fact that it’ll become a habit eventually.

Dick:

The boy was the first to ever work alongside batman, and with his hyperactive tendencies he was the first to get up close and personal with the cape. He probably saw it as a glorified climbing wall when he was just a child.

Bruce, while on a stake-out with robin, suddenly feeling small hands grabbing fistful of the cape’s material as Dick climbs onto his shoulders. “I told you I couldn’t see anything from my post! Your pointy ears were in the way :((”

Bruce didn’t mind, of course he didn’t. It was Richard and that boy’s innately adorable, even though the boy’s pixie boots swinging in front of his face were blocking his view.

Lastly, given Dick was wearing such short pants, Bruce would always make an effort to shelter the boy from harsh weather conditions during the winter. He still does this when Dick becomes nightwing, out of habit

Jason:

Jason used to be skeptical of the cape, thought it was just a big hindrance - tha Bruce was only using it for theatrics and that he’d be much better off without it.

“Dick doesn’t wear a cape and he can blend into the shadows, shake off broken glass and bullets just as easily!”

That is until, the day they were saving a bunch of citizens from a housefire. They got trapped inside, Jason had given his oxygen mask to a civillian who was struggling to breathe, almost suffocating himself.

Bruce wrapped Jason in his cape, making an airpocket of oxygen which the fire can’t combust, until help arrives.

“Maybe that cape isn’t as stupid as I thought.” he mumbles in a muffled voice within his father’s cape.

Bruce would also do this when Jason’s having an outburst as a “time-out”

Tim:

The third robin fanboyed so hard when he first saw the cape and cowl. You think Dick saw it cool? This smoll boy in bright yellow, red and green had his eyes sparkling at the sight of it in person.

Immediately, he started coming up with theories of its material, and Bruce patiently answered every single question he had - even though Tim nailed the majority of the answers with his hypothesis.

“Let me guess, kevlar? Interwoven to stop bullets from less than a meter away? Synthetic - so that it’s lighter than it seems. But also . . huh, kind of soft material on the inside. Why? It’s an outer accessory - it doesn’t even come into direct contact with your skin.”

Bruce, having alfred make that upgrade so that Dick and Jay could have snuggled up to him under his cape when they got cold : “no reason.”

The only thing Tim didn’t guess was its final and most important function: a parental tool.

One day Tim took his laptop on a stake-out to test out a new program he had developed, except, it had started to rain. So, naturally, Bruce sheltered the boy with his cape and they both grinned as the lighting of the entire building went out across the street, causing the goons inside to enter a panicked frenzy.

“rock paper scissors for who gets to crash through the window first?”

“you go, robin, you’ve earned it.”

Steph:

She was just happy to make it onto the team, honestly, and was very determined to prove her worth to Batman. Her overly talkative nature reminded Bruce of Dick, her short temper of Jason and her aberrant excitement of Tim. Thus the cape had multiple uses with this robin, but she wanted none of it.

She was surprisingly disciplined on the field, clearly acting overly serious to try reach this imaginary standard she set.

“Don’t follow me until I give you the signal.”

“Yes sir.”

“I’m your mentor, not your boss.”

“Yes, Sensei.”

“* sigh *”

So in order for her to relax, unwind a bit, he noticed how she always had a granola bar in her utility belt, and did the same. He could hear Steph’s stomach growl and reached for his utility belt under his cape.

“Can’t find what you’re looking for? We used quite a few smoke bombs in the previous attack huh? Maybe I have some spare -”

Bruce, pulling out a granola bar: “Sorry, it got crushed a little, I’m pretty sure it’s just dust in the packet now but here, stop taking up space for snacks in your own belt. Mine has much more space.”

“:00 !!”

“How do you managed to not crush these delicate breakfast bars anyway?”

Steph, smirking: “It’s a delicate art . .”

“Huh, might use it for precision training.”

He also shelters Steph from the wind when she needs to take off her hairban and arrange her hair.

Dami:

He ses the cape and cowl as a prize to be earned - his birth right which he must work hard to obtain. The boy already had his own dark cape, with a hood, which suffices to keep him warm and hidden throughout the night. But Bruce’s is much . . bigger. He’s also tiny. I think you’ve already guessed where I’m going with this.

“They’re only expecting one of us, I say we practice maneuver eight.” The boy suggested with all seriousness.

“Good idea, robin. Get into position.”

Bruce stands alone in the middle of a giant museum which the riddler is keeping hostage until the commissioner brings the ransom money, goons pointing their guns at him from every nick and corner as the riddler remains safely locked away in one of the bank safes - letting his men do all the work.

“Bold move coming in here head on with no back up.”

Guns start blazing, and Bruce is busy dodging them while the riddler tries to escape.

Cue the riddler’s shocked expresssion when he hears a small arabian boy’s high-pitched war cries.

“Operation Robin Spring attack.”

And Dami easily finds his way past all the goons and dropkicks the riddler, then goes to free the hostages.

(Robin spring attack is called that, because well, it’s an attack where Dami literally jumps out from under Batman’s cape. But also “spring” because robins don’t usually appear in spring in most countries, and it’s a surprise attack.)

Thank you for listening.

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ravenadottir · 4 years ago

Note

i’ve seen asks about this before but I wanted your take on it because I love your opinions and how much depth and flavor you give the islanders especially the bland as hell ones (*cough* Jo *cough*) (*cough* i hate her *cough*) anywayssss how do you think a relationship would go if MC never found love with any of the Islanders, but ended up falling for one of the producers or someone who works on set ?

yesss! thank you! jo is the worst! i’ve seen people saying “oh, but all she did was kiss ibrahim and lie about it.”

riiiight, but that bullshit lasted two weeks, then she twerked on my guy’s lap, smirking and thinking she was doing some damage! “vena, that’s the girl you have the lowest relationship with.” THEN SHE BROUGHT ON HERSELF, SON! if she wasn’t unbearable, i wouldn’t have a low relationship with her, and that’s on that.

*takes a deep breath* NOW

that galaxy brain of yours, bringing this prompt, it’s detrimental for me, ‘cause like, i already have over 23 WIPS... LOL but because you’re a fellow common sense stan, i’ll do a quick list of bullet points for this scenario... i honestly love it so much, and i apologize if someone has done it, but i haven’t seen it.

((this got a little long, so i’m putting it under the cut, for space saving purposes))

in the game they don’t quite show just how much the islanders actually interact with the camera/mic crew. they’re present in every date and recouplings, besides those “following” shots when they walk to the different locations. there are some takes that show the islanders having friendly conversations with them, and that’s why i included mic guy in gary’s beach hut confessions. it’s also something i mention in noah’s chapter, on “hold the line”, after operation nope.

for this scenario, i’m using a f!mc - robin x m!cameraman - seb

robin meeting the boys could’ve been exciting, but after a few days she quickly realizes the o.g boys are nothing but friends to her, her couple being the closest. let’s pair her up with bobby, initially.

the bombshells arrive, and still, she doesn’t feel much, but she’s invited to a date, and in hopes to find that little spark everyone keeps talking about, she decided to go.

while walking towards the table, she notices the camera man focusing on the image of the side screen, possibly telling her to flip her hair, and she does it, playfully charmingly, because why not? she’s excited to go, and that makes him smile. “that’s perfect.” he says, following the path to the table, where the henrik waits for her.

as she finishes the conversation with mountain boy, robin and seb move on to go back to the villa, the guy quietly follows her, but he can’t help asking. “how was it?”

she shrugs, maybe looking directly at him. “i think it went fine.”

“you don’t sound excited.”

she looks down, biting her inner lip. “i guess i don’t, huh...”

he leaves her by the gate, waiting to get further instructions. after bobby finds her, and she gets another text, she’s again heading to the date, the cameraman just smiling awkwardly. “another one, huh?”

“yeah, i guess...” they exchange a look, and she puts a strand of hair behind her ear.

“are you... excited?” immediately his pocket vibrates, and he interrupts the shot, reading the text. “focus on the shot.” so he does, staying quiet as he continues it. robin gets a bit confused, but it’s probably something to do with his job, so she doesn’t say anything.

as the date ends with lucas, and she walks back, the camera man is quiet, which makes her intrigued. “did you get in trouble?”

he nods, perching his lips. “nah, it’s fine.”

“i hope so. i don’t want you to get in trouble because of me.”

“honestly... it wouldn’t be the worst thing if it was because of you.”

they exchange a look and he brushes it off as they get to the entrance, and before she steps in, robin quickly turns to face him, speaking in a very discreet voice. “hopefully i’ll see you on the next one.”

on the afternoon of day 9, robin needs to choose someone to go on a date with. as she and her pick leave the villa, seb is following them, slightly uncomfortable, and possibly focusing the camera way more on her, not even noticing. the boy she’s taking definitely realizes it, but doesn’t say anything.

every challenge they need to go to a platform has her following behind, just to steal a glance or two from him.

and every time the challenge ends, she does the same, going back to the villa while having a short conversation with him.

each recoupling has her a little more on edge because of that initial attraction she felt towards him, and none of the boys really have her head over heels. from time to time it’s possible he casts a look or two, mouthing “are you alright” during the drama that she gets pulled in.

casa amor, which is a pivotal moment for all of them, because they all get in the cars, and the cameraman gets a little anxious, is now a reason to make him ask for the assignment in the second villa, not the main. he has to himself this is just a crush, and it will be fine after a few days, but it’s becoming really hard to look away whenever she’s around. same for her, even when the girls are doing the challenges.

receiving the suitcases from the boys, robin realizes she misses them, but it’s all about the mate vibe she has with each of the boys back in the villa.

seb has to watch her trying to have fun, and that might include the raunchy challenges that earned a party for casa amor. the guy is maybe now realizing is more than a crush, and he’s possibly upset that she doesn’t get to know him like he knows her. robin has screen time, she is solving drama back and forth, being a good friend, while he’s just watching, helplessly. what can he do except for trying to be professional and stay quiet?

the editors are having a hard time to cut those glances seb and robin exchange, since that would’ve been the hardest plot line to explain, and she signed a contract that states her attraction should be limited to the islanders, or she’s gone. and for whatever reason she has to stay, whether the money, or the clout, is enough to make her restrict the things she says to him. same for seb, he can’t exactly risk his job.

i think the moment seb is possibly more bothered is when the girls are back, and she finds out her partner switched. given they’re not romantic, she’s not disappointed or upset, but she’s frustrated for not only not finding someone, but also seeing everyone else getting the summer romance she wished for herself.

“are you ok?” he mouths, at the firepit, in the most discreet way he can. she nods, responding to her partner and saying how happy she is for him, proceeding to talk to the boys, by the bean bags.

seb is on edge, holding himself back and letting things flow naturally. but what he really wants is to offer a hug. that night, robin can’t sleep, worried about whatever is gonna happen the next day, and heads to the kitchen for water.

he can’t help himself but going there, knowing fully well he’s risking his job.

“hi.”

“oh, hi!” she’s surprised, but can’t help smiling.

he promptly fixes her a glass of water. “so... how are you feeling?”

“not great, i’ll tell you that!” she sees the look on his face, and immediately corrects herself. “not because of him! i’m not... i-” she stammers a bit but gets through it. ‘i’m not interested in him...”

“right! of course! not that i care!” seb notices her eyes going wider. “i mean, i do! i do care! i just meant...” he scratches the back of his head, possibly mortified. “i’m sorry... you make me nervous.”

“what?”

before he can respond, he’s called back to the back house, where the crew stays during the show. “sorry, i gotta go... i... hope you feel better.” he rushes to head out, not even hearing she said a very stunned “bye”.

with each bump, each bombshell that comes later, robin is definitely disheartened because the only person she felt a spark is not even part of the cast.

at some point, i think robin truly felt like the right decision should’ve been made ages ago. which she’s now determined to make it happen, calling everyone to the firepit, because she has an announcement. the boys and girls are anxious, because not once, in the history of the show, an islander has called the rest of the group to the firepit. something serious must’ve happened.

“i’m walking.” to the shock of everyone around her, and possibly to the guy who switched, she tranquilizes everyone, by saying what truly has been happening this entire time. “i found my spark... it just wasn’t with an islander.”

the boy she took on a date interjects. “i knew it! it’s the camera guy, isn’t it?”

possibly leading to a very “the office” moment, where all of them just stare at the guy, the camera captures their shocked and amused faces, all of them either smirking or nodding knowingly at him, to his very flushed face.

“i’m thinking to myself if i should just stay and wait around, but i’ve been trying it this entire time, and i just can’t... not anymore. everyone is making a bet on someone from the villa. i’m just... betting on someone out of the cast.”

between being showered in hugs from the islanders, possibly tears from everyone that loves her, because let’s face it, she’s an awesome girl, she heads to the entrance with her suitcase. and because seb has to follow her, he’s just as shocked as everyone else, maybe smiling so much his face hurts.

one thing i know for sure, in this scenario, he would probably make a joke about the date they’ll have later, with no cameras around, and not being in a vineyard with plastic cups, to which she responds “i was hoping you would say that.”

social media would be so confused, because whatever the producers decided to put out there won’t feature the real reason that led to her walking, that being the start of ridiculous speculations, only to be cleared up a few months later, when she reveals they’ve been dating since the moment she left.

and i can see the show trying to profit on that, making memes on twitter and instagram.

overall? i would love to see that take in the game. you can’t exactly control who you fall in love with, who you feel attracted to, and definitely not the timing. it just happens.

#litg lucas #litg gary #litg bobby #litg #love island the game #love island the game season 2 #litg s2 #litg season 2 #fusebox #fusebox games #queue #alternative scenarios

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lov3nerdstuff · 4 years ago

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Voluptas Noctis Aeternae {Part 7.25}

*Severus Snape x OC*

Summary: It is the year 1983 when the ordinary life of Robin Mitchell takes a drastic turn: she is accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Despite the struggles of being a muggle-born in Slytherin, she soon discovers her passion for Potions, and even manages the impossible: gaining the favor of Severus Snape. Throughout the years, Robin finds that the not quite so ordinary Potions Professor goes from being a brooding stranger to being more than she had ever deemed possible. An ally, a mentor, a friend... and eventually, the person she loves the most. Through adventure, prophecies and the little struggles of daily life in a castle full of mysteries, Robin chooses a path for herself, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more, and two people abandoned by the world can finally find a home.

General warnings: professor x student, blood, violence, trauma, neglectful families, bullying, cursing

Words: 5.2k

Read Part 1.1 here! All Parts can be found on the Masterlist!

______________________________

Two minutes after the elaborate goodnight wishes, the five girls were finally on their way down to the dungeons. Cas was babbling away as always, entertaining both Melissa and Lisa to the fullest, while Jorien and Robin merely listened and observed as they followed behind. The three girls up front barely made it down the spiral staircase, giggling as they were, but not even the gloomy darkness of the dungeon hallways could bring the calm and quiet of the night into their conversation as they happily chatted on and on about the many highlights of the dance. Thus it wasn't surprising when a minute later nobody took notice of Robin's quiet yelp as she was whisked away from the group in a crossing of one gloomy hallway with an even darker one.

The adrenaline in Robin's blood skyrocketed immediately, the yelp dying on her lips in a broken moment of initial surprise. Then the familiar arm around her waist and the comforting scent of home quenched every spark of fear or panic in her mind.

She found herself pressed against the cold stone wall a second later, kept in place by the weight of his body while his soft lips on her own demanded a fire she gladly returned, and every last cell in her body lit up in roaring flames as an immediate response. Her heart was bursting, drumming furiously against her ribcage while its echoes pulsed through her entire body in sheer blissful heat. Oh bloody fucking hell, this was magnificent… breathtaking, in every sense of the word. And it still was terribly dangerous, even here now in the dark. That, perhaps, was the only flaw of the moment, their one and only honest mistake.

"Are you aware that you are way too good at this?" Snape finally asked, ragged breaths brushing against Robin's skin as he leaned his forehead against hers. Upon this she smiled, but her eyes stayed closed as she found herself too overwhelmed to open them. She didn't need to; she could feel him, his presence, his warmth, his entire being…

"Really?" She finally let out a humoured and incredulous huff in reply. How could she be any good at this if she had never kissed anyone before? Was her lack of experience really not all that noticeable?

"Without a doubt. I would never allow myself to get this carried away in a school hallway of all places if you didn't enchant me beyond any measure. Beyond any reason."

"Sev-..." She was cut off by his lips, both in word and thought and she lost every string of reason that had just started to gather back together. Oh screw experience, they were way too good at this to even think of that. She must be doing something very right if he couldn't stop this madness either, couldn't resist the growing addiction.

It once again was the noise of people crossing by in a hallway close by that broke them apart, and only then Robin noticed for the first time how much it hurt to stand on one's tiptoes for an extended amount of time. For a kiss like that, she still would do it again and again any time.

"I should apologise for seizing you like that without your permission." He finally said when the retiring students' laughter and chattering had faded in the distance, then he took a step backwards to give Robin her space as well. "Who knew I could act like a dunderhead myself, given the chance."

"Oh, I knew." Robin couldn't help grinning as she stepped away from the wall, which earned her a small glare and a not-smirk. "And as much as I understand and appreciate your point, you do have my permission. Besides, where would be the point in suddenly pressing me against a wall and kissing me senseless if it came with a warning?"

Snape didn't look at her, but the corners of his lips were twitching and she could tell with utmost certainty that he was amused even though being rather flustered at the same time. It was surprisingly adorable, really, and made her wonder if he had never been in such a situation before. Well, not exactly the same situation, obviously, but still…

"I have wanted to do that for a long time now." He replied to her surprise, and his eyes were back on hers, dark and intense and every last idea of adorable was gone. Instead, his gaze made Robin shiver in delighted excitement. "But never would I have thought that it would be better than anything I was even vaguely able to imagine."

"You imagined kissing me?"

"More often than I should admit to, if I want to keep some last scraps of dignity at least."

"I've seen you lying in a muddy river before, as well as being stuck in a giant cobweb. And if that's not enough, we were just snogging in the hallways like the hormonal teenagers we scold for doing the very same. I think it's a bit too late to worry about your dignity with me." Robin chuckled, louder even when Snape rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, but her heart soared when he smiled again after all. "We really should get out of the hallways though, I'm tired of fearing people might run into us. I really don't see how the danger of getting caught can be appealing to someone, for me it's just nerve-wracking."

"I could not agree more."

After taking two seconds to straighten out their appearances just in case, they made their way through the gloomy darkness side by side like they had done so often by now, with the small but significant change that the accidental touches, the brushing of hands and bumping of arms were more intentional than not this time, and both knew it to be their fullest intention as well. Robin couldn't keep the grin off her face, but she bit her bottom lip to tone it down as much as possible. She hadn't felt so much giddy excitement in one night since… well, ever really. And when they walked right past the office, then past the lab as well, a liquid lightning ran from the top of her head down her spine to her very core and every cell beyond. These new rushes were only an additional layer to the bottomless adoration and affection that had been there for years now, to the deeply rooted love she held for him, but it was a heavenly addition nonetheless. It certainly gave the term 'allconsuming' an entirely new meaning, an inevitably deeper one.

It was only when Snape stopped in the crossing of hallways that on one end led to the common room and to his rooms on the other that Robin's smile faltered. With a confused frown she didn't bother to hide she came to a halt as well, looking up at him with the question clear as night in her eyes so she wouldn't have to say the words. It was safer than admitting to being as boldly assuming as she had been… somehow she hadn't doubted that they would at least have a coffee. Like always. Or… did he need space now, with everything that had happened? After all the days and nights they had spent together, he didn't really strike Robin as the kind of person who would need space, not from her. From others, yes, always if possible, but he hadn't sent her away in years, rather on the contrary really. So-...

"I don't know if this could be considered a good idea by any means." He said in a calm tone, reluctant almost while yet he reached out for Robin's hand and pulled her closer to himself. Always the contradiction, that man…

"And why wouldn't it be a good idea?" She asked in return, calm encouragement colouring her voice now that she knew the reason for his hesitation wasn't a sudden wish for distance. Indeed, as if to prove that point, he interlaced their fingers and drew her closer the last bit in a single move of gentle elegance.

"Because if you come with me right now, I won't let you leave again until we are late for breakfast." He replied quietly and yet in that intense sincerity that had Robin's heart skipping beats while her eyes were glued to his. Gods, he really did mean it… excitement struck her like lightning, her heartbeat posed the thunder.

"I can live with that." She managed to say in a breath, her lips curving up into a smile upon the repetition of his earlier words. Then they formed a smirk as she went on. "Bold of you to assume that I'll want to leave for breakfast though."

"Oh, I've never been partial to having three meals per day anyway."

His reply made Robin laugh, then smile up at him brightly and with just a hint of tease. "It's not such a bad idea after all, huh?"

"That would depend entirely on who you ask." He quirked an eyebrow at her with a not-smirk, then walked on down the hallway with a start while keeping hold of Robin's hand. She didn't need to be not-told twice to follow, and was again walking by his side when he spoke on. "I for my part cannot complain, and I honestly don't care about any other opinion but yours beyond that."

"Complaining wouldn't help you at this point anyway, because I have recently discovered the perfect way to bribe you."

"Is that so?"

"Open the door and I'll show you." Robin replied easily but with a teasing smirk no less once they reached his rooms in the bow of the hallway.

"Don't tempt me."

"Isn't that what a temptation is supposed to do?" She quipped while her smirk broadened. "Tempt?"

"You are insufferable."

"Or perhaps tease? Allure? Seduce? Ens-..." She didn't get further when she was pulled through the now open door and into the darkness behind it, barely catching how it was thrown shut again before she found herself tightly trapped against it from the inside. The grin that wanted to form on her lips died a broken second later when she got exactly what she wanted, and yet, as always, so much more.

His lips moved against hers in hunger, returning every bit of passion she gave, and yet there wasn't a hint of roughness in the kiss, no blunt strength which would taint the blissful sensuality. In a spark of boldness or bravery, Robin traced the tip of her tongue over his bottom lip, only for him to gasp against her lips in return. When she wrapped her arms around his neck and did the same thing again, the gasp turned into a silent moan and he pulled her with him away from the door, staggering through the darkness with a baffling certainty until one unfortunate movement of his hand over the hurting spot on Robin's back made her first hiss in pain, then flinch at the intensity of it. He let go of her immediately in return, and Robin's first fathomable thought was a silent curse directed at Morgan for being the cause of what had broken apart this moment. The stupid pain in her back.

"What did I do this time?" Snape asked in honest concern as well as subtle remorse, and a second later the fireplace lit up from a wordless spell, illuminating the remainder of the room in a gentle orange golden glow. They had almost reached the sofa by now, obviously having made their way there before the pain had put a stop to their plans.

"You did absolutely nothing wrong, I promise." Robin immediately gave him a small but reassuring smile, and held onto him so he wouldn't even think about moving away. "It's just that spot on my back that's still hurting ever since Morgan touched it, it really doesn't matter. Don't worry."

"Your back simply started hurting out of nowhere upon his touch during the dance? And he didn't speak a word?" Snape still inquired further, in lingering concern but quite obviously more at ease now that he knew it wasn't his doing that had hurt her at least. Robin had to smile at his sheer inability not to worry about her; it made her heart soar in warmth and adoration all the more. And seeing as he wouldn't stop asking, now that she had brought the mysterious pain to his attention, they might just have to deal with it right now.

"Not a word that was a spell, at least… and yes, he just traced his fingers over my back and that caused a strong stinging and burning that faded a moment later though. Now it hurts whenever someone even comes close to touching it. That's why I flinched so stupidly." She shrugged with a half smile. "Sorry for that."

"Don't apologise for what clearly isn't your fault. I should curse Morgan into oblivion for hurting you right in this instant… but I would rather take your pain away if I can." Snape sighed, then paused for a moment, lost in thought, before he finally spoke up again. "Did it hurt when your back hit the wall? Or the door? Or is it just a hand's touch that hurts?"

The question made Robin frown to herself; she hadn't considered that. The answer she came up with for herself then rendered her frown even deeper. "I believe it's just an actual human touch that causes me pain. It didn't hurt at all when I leaned against whatever surface, and neither does the dress make it sore or anything like that… But you and the girls could hurt me quite a bit by just touching any spot on my back. What does that mean?"

"I have a vague idea." He grumbled to himself at the thought of it, and Robin understood the sentiment only too well in this regard. "Can you touch it without pain?"

"I can try…" She mused and did just that, but even though she only barely could reach the spot with the back of her fingers when she twisted her arm enough, there should have been at least a little sting. But no, nothing, no pain at all. She frowned to herself again. "That's weird. I can't even precisely tell you where it is when it doesn't hurt… and I can touch it without pain. Perhaps it's nothing."

"Magical wounds should not be taken lightly, especially if inflicted by someone as irresponsible as Morgan. We should take you to the hospital wing."

"Or you could look at it here." Robin suggested easily, shrugging with one shoulder as she observed his reluctant but not averse expression. "You know more about the situation with Morgan, about what happened tonight and about me than anyone in the infirmary. I really don't mean to doubt their abilities at all, but I think if it's a magical thing of more or less unknown origin, it falls more into the dark arts anyway, which precisely is the point where I would prefer you to look at it. Who knows, maybe it really is nothing and we're through with it in two minutes… we could save ourselves the time of way. I have other plans for tonight than sitting around the infirmary with a bunch of punch-drunk students."

"Do you?" He couldn't help the smirk on his lips upon that, even though it was clear that he was trying to fight the short lived amusement due to the otherwise serious situation. At least it wasn't serious enough to warrant the complete absence of humour on his end, so that was a relief at least.

"Yeah, actually. I was hoping for a drink and the continuation of where we were interrupted, but I'm still open for further suggestions." She smiled up at him and he rolled his eyes, but the amusement stayed nonetheless, which sufficed to give Robin some more courage. They'd be through with this in no time, they always had been when she'd been injured. "Do you happen to know a spell to undo a million tiny buttons? I haven't found one yet, but if anyone knows such a thing, it would have to be you."

He let out an amused huff, then quirked an eyebrow at Robin. "I believe if there was such a spell, I would have discovered it by now. Every time I tried to invent one myself however, it led to the destruction of the garment rather than the desired result. Therefore I unfortunately have to disappoint you. Why do you ask?"

"Because it would have spared you work." She chuckled, somewhere between humour and embarrassment, the latter of which however she strongly tried to reason against. He'd seen her in various stages of undress over time, and it had never been a big deal. Or had it? Would he think differently of it now than he had over summer? Gods, why was she nervous now?! It wasn't even the kind of situation where she should be nervous, they were just trying to make sure that her back was alright, for heaven's sake! And she still stood with her point that she would rather have Snape looking at her injuries than anyone else, even in complete disregard to the most recent developments between them. This had nothing to do with that, it was just a coincidence. An oddly fitting one, going by the line of events.

Robin resisted the temptation to roll her eyes at herself and her antics and merely turned around so that her back was right in front of him, making an obvious point of what she wanted him to do. This wasn't a movie; plots didn't just fall into place like that. Two things could happen without any obvious correlation between them. She sighed, then focused on the task at hand. "Perhaps I should've worn a dress with a zipper like everyone else, huh? Then again, I wasn't really expecting anyone having to undress me tonight."

She didn't need to look at him to know that he was hesitating, and if she was honest, she couldn't really blame him. Truth was that things were different now, or could be different now, and it was uncharted territory for both of them. Either of them was uncertain what to make of it, afraid to make a wrong move. At least it brought some peace and relief to her mind that he obviously was just as insecure as she was in this new and yet so very familiar moment of innocent intimacy. Even though things like this had happened in the plenty over summer already.

"We're just looking at my back for the damage Morgan did yet again… Just like the times he dislocated my shoulder, or cut open my hand, or-... well, you know what I mean. You've seen me torn up and bloody before, and we've always taken care of it. And I know for a fact that your hands aren't cold, so there really is nothing to worry about, right?" She said in a calm, almost soothing voice, both to him and herself, and contrary to what she had thought, it actually caused an overwhelming wave of ease and comfort to wash over her when he finally started with the first button in the back of her neck. When his fingers brushed against her skin however, her breathing hitched nonetheless while goosebumps covered her skin within a broken second. Perhaps this wasn't entirely like it had been over summer… But comfort and excitement were what it caused yet again, and that really seemed to be a reoccurring theme with them. Their own perfect ambivalence. Home and adventure at once.

It didn't take long at all until the buttons were open down to her waist, just far enough so she could slip the spiky and stiff shoulder parts off her arms, which left her to clutch the front of her dress to her chest quite a bit more tightly than necessary. Robin blamed the neckline of her dress for making her forsake any kind of bralette… It left her upper body entirely bare now, and that in return was the reason why she was clutching the front of the dress to her chest. But then again, she didn't really mind it too much if she was being honest with herself. Having an excuse to show some skin… forcing her to be bolder than she was… it really was terribly exciting for some stupid reason. A lucky coincidence, even if a bit poorly timed. Most of all however, Robin liked the reaction she was getting from the man behind her, judged by the fact that his heartbeat had doubled in speed by the time her back was exposed to him almost entirely. There it was again, that overwhelming excitement that came with the power she seemed to have over him… the knowledge that her mere being did such things to him. But they were just looking at her back for the spellwork done on her, and she gave herself a mental slap to stop pondering how they could go on from there. Unrelated situations, and all that…

"So… how does it look?" She finally asked in a surprising calmness, considering that her every sense was heightened to the extreme. Gods, she wanted him to touch her skin again, even if it would hurt… No, bad thought, bad Robin! There was work to do, and she was getting distracted!

"Like three hand-length cuts that seem to have scarred. Did you ever notice those before? They look far older than just a few hours." He mused in return, then carefully pulled Robin closer to the fireplace by her elbow. She didn't resist and merely walked backwards blindly until she was in the direct light of the fire, and thereby also in the reach of its warmth. He stopped her there, and for a moment she wondered if he needed the light or if he had just noticed the goosebumps on her skin. Duh, obviously he had… they were hard to miss, even if they weren't at all caused by the cold. Either way, his hand lingered on her arm, and that was even more welcome than the fire's warmth.

"Actual scars? I don't think I've had them before, no. And truth be told, you probably would've seen them before if they had been there for longer." She finally remembered to reply, then frowned to herself. "And in addition to that, I can't remember ever getting severely injured on the back. Other than the thing with the bludger in fifth year, that is… I never really knew exactly how badly I hurt myself there, and I never dared to ask."

"Badly enough to have me terrified of your impending death."

"Oops…" She breathed rather lamely, then chuckled to herself almost apologetically. "I guess passing out in the infirmary right in front of your eyes didn't help much with that."

"No. Neither did it prepare me for the instance last summer where you actually came close to death when you passed out on my doorstep." He said in a sigh, then the hand on Robin's arm vanished as he spoke on. "Let us ensure that it won't happen again and find out what that pest of a man did to you this time. Tell me when the pain becomes noticeable, yes?"

Robin only hummed in agreement, and jumped a second later when he placed a hand on her shoulder this time, in a gentle touch that had her melting right on the spot. Slowly and with just enough pressure to be noticeable at all, his fingers danced across her skin, down to her shoulder blade and over her spine, tracing three lines at last with a bit more pressure. Robin had to bite her lip to keep in both a sigh of bliss and a whimper of pain. For some odd reason these two were currently very hard to tell apart in that they both caused an echo of his touch, a heat pulsing through her in the rhythm of her heartbeat.

"Didn't that hurt at all?" He asked with a frown practically ingrained in his tone, as well as confusion in the plenty, and Robin had to call defeat to circumstance.

"Oh. Yes, it did. Sorry, I really should have said something." She admitted in a quiet voice, then got a grasp of herself and continued on a little louder. "But I didn't want you to stop, so I kind of… forgot speech over the overwhelming feeling of having your touch on my back at all."

"You do make it very difficult for me to focus on the problem at hand when you say things like that."

His words brought a smile to Robin's face as it suddenly eradicated the nervousness, and she was only glad that he couldn't see it. "I'm sorry."

"You're not."

"True, I'm not." She couldn't help chuckling at her own half-hearted attempt to fool him, and even more at his trenchant ability to see right through her. "But I'll try to focus on the problem now instead of how amazing your hands feel on my skin."

"Robin…" He warned her quietly, but she could still hear the smirk in his voice, and that's when she couldn't help laughing.

"It's really not my fault!" She protested, and almost would've dropped her arms in a grand gesture if she hadn't remembered just why she was holding her dress in place in the very last second. This entire situation was as ridiculous as it was dangerous as it was wonderful. "You try focusing on anything beyond the tingles when your entire body is a goddamn wildfire!"

"I am trying right now, and you're not making it any easier. The sight of you alone is distracting enough."

"Just that little bit of skin is supposedly doing to you what your touch does to me? Sorry, but I sincerely doubt it."

"You shouldn't." He replied entirely seriously now, and the mere tone of his voice was enough to make Robin shiver again. "It does not take naked skin or fancy gowns for me to think of you as far more than simply ‘delectable’. You are nothing short of the most breathtaking creature I have ever been blessed to see, to stay with the trivial matter of physical appearance for once. But indeed, while I could not care less for others' looks and garments, you never fail to enchant me entirely with any of yours, and seeing as I have previously not had the opportunity to see quite so much of your skin, it does affect me quite strongly now at long last."

Robin's heart skipped a beat, then set into a steady gallop that made it delightfully hard to breathe. But for some reason, the words on her lips did not care for that at all. "You make it very difficult for me to focus on the problem at hand when you say things like that." She mirrored his statement, smiling to herself at the thought. "But do you actually mean it or are you just trying to get revenge on me by equal terms?"

"Both, obviously, but the latter is rather a lucky side effect of the former. And since we are discussing it already, you can call me blind if you will, but I do actually find your hair very attractive on any day, especially because it is a perfect mess." He answered easily, while his fingers continued to trace irregular patterns over the injured part of her back that seemed to hurt more and more by the minute. "Even though I very much appreciate the recent absence of the pineapple scent."

Robin found that she didn't mind the pain, especially not when his reference to her words from earlier this evening as well as the dreaded pineapple made her laugh, and the knowledge that he did, in fact, mean all of those things he'd said made her skin tingle pleasantly. He never made shallow compliments; when he deliberately said something nice for once, one could be sure that he meant it to the fullest.

"I think that might be among the loveliest things you have ever said to me." She smiled after a moment, when her soaring heart would let her speak up through the haze of emotions. "Directly said to me, that is. You say a lot of nice things when you don't mean to."

"Don't get used to it. What a crazy world would we be living in if I started saying nice things regularly now… It would entirely destroy the efficiency and purpose of my compliments." He scoffed in obvious sarcasm and tease, while placing his second hand on her shoulder to keep her in place for whatever he was doing.

"You're an idiot, Sev-..." Robin's words and laughter were cut off with a start when Snape placed his other hand directly on the hurting spot on her back, with quite a bit more pressure than before. It caused a pain far too strong for any measure to ripple through her every sense, and a well of tears to spring to her eyes in return. "Ouch! God damn and bloody hell…"

"I might be an idiot, but an idiot who can focus far better when we banter as usual. That seems to have become somewhat of a precondition for me to be able to work efficiently." He returned, then removed his hands from her entirely before he spoke on in a much more tainted tone. "I apologise for having to hurt you, but in order to undo the spell before it became even more dangerous, that unfortunately was inevitable. Now however, the pain should be gone once and for all in just a moment."

"Wait, you�� you know what Morgan did to me and just… undid it like that?" Robin turned around to face him with a deep frown creasing her brows in an instant. "Is that what you were doing while we talked?"

"Yes."

"And you didn't bother telling me?! At least a little warning, perhaps?"

"I had the choice between distracting you by making you laugh and thereby forget about the pain I was unfortunately causing in the process, or to further said pain even more by talking about Morgan and his vile doings." He replied so easily that it made perfect sense now, that it appeared to be the most obvious solution ever. "As you see, it wasn't even a choice to be made."

"Thank you. That… was a really clever thing to do, actually." Robin sighed and gave him a soft smile, then took a moment to appreciate how the shadows of the flames danced across his skin before she spoke on. "So… no more pain for now?"

"Not as far as I can tell, at least."

"Let's find out for sure then, shall we?"

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space-helen · 4 years ago

Text

Chances

Words: 2018

Pairing: Greg Sanders x OC

A/N: I’ve never written a cross oc before but I had fun!

Request: Hi! Can we have a Greg Sanders x Oc? I'd like to read Greg meeting a girl and having a date with her and after that knowing that she is the new coroner assistant! - Anon

______________________

The man downed the last part of his drink and sighed. Peering, around one last time he defeatedly checked his phone before calling over the waiter. “Can I have the bill please.”

The waiter nodded before disappearing again. Greg pulled his wallet out of his pocket and played with it on the table as he waited in the semi-busy restaurant, a presence looming next to him made him look up.

“Hi.” A woman was standing next to his table, he could tell she didn’t work here by the way she was dressed. She was pretty and had a friendly, light appearance.

“Hi?” he replied with a slight smirk.

The woman hesitated as the man quirked his eyebrow, amused at what was happening. “I know this is totally bizarre but you’ve been stood up right?”

He scoffed and sat back in his chair “How could you tell.”

“I’ve been waiting for my friend and she didn’t show up either. She’s not very reliable. I just noticed you’ve been here waiting probably as long as I have and like me, you’re ready to throw in the towel.” she began to play with her hands, she was nervous.

“That’s a pretty good observation.” he gestured to the chair opposite him offering her the seat.

“It pays to take notice of things.”

“You can say that again.” he laughed, if only she knew what he did for a living. “I’m Greg.” he offered her his hand

“Avri.” she happily shook the man's hand.

“Pretty name.”

“My mums a fan of birds.”

“And she didn’t want to go for something like Dove or Robin.” he joked, his playful smile pulling at his lips.

“Too obvious, she likes to be subtle. I’m kinda glad though.” she draped her jacket over the back of the chair.

“Why’s that?”

“I hate birds.” She shrugged, pulling in her chair and getting properly comfortable.

The man laughed as the waiter returned with the bill. “Here you are Sir.”

Greg smiled, “would you like a drink?” he offered the woman.

“Sure” he gestured for her to order and he did the same, both ordering non-alcoholic drinks as they had to drive.

“I’m sorry for the hassle. I’ll pay at the end of the night.” Greg blushed, slightly embarrassed.

The waiter just smiled “It’s totally ok.”

The two were soon left alone again. “Is there anything interesting about your name then?” the woman enquired.

“I have some Norwegian heritage, my middle name is Hojem.”

“That’s so much cooler than the bird connection.”

“Not really.” The man blushed further “So are you new in town or?”

“Yeah pretty new, I grew up here, moved away and now I’m back. I was supposed to be meeting my childhood best friend tonight and as I said, she’s really not too reliable these days. She keeps cancelling coffee dates but I really thought tonight she wouldn’t”

“I know I have no right to say this but maybe you should reconsider the sort of friends you keep.”

She smiled at the man’s comment “Most of my other friends are busy with work, which is understandable, I will be as well from tomorrow, and they all have work friends who they’re closer too. It’s not their fault it’s mine for moving away. Hopefully I can make some work friends.”

The waiter was now back delivering their drinks before leaving them alone again. “It’s not your fault.” Greg said as Avri took a sip of her drink. “People change and move on and honestly, if they’re not making the effort they’re not worth your time. I can guarantee you’ll make work friends in no time.”

She nodded and put her glass down “Thank you. I mean I have other friends that I can talk to daily but it would be nice to just have someone to hang out with you know?”

“Yeah I know.”

The rest of the night went quickly, non alcoholic drinks flowing and the two really hit it off, clearly enjoying each other's company, their laughs echoed through the air and Greg's brown eyes were sparkling.

The woman noticed the time and sighed “I think I better go. First day at a new job tomorrow after all.”

“That’s probably a good idea. I’ve got a long shift”

Greg called over the waiter and they settled the bill, Avri insisted on covering her costs, Greg smiled and said smoothly “Fine, as long as you let me walk you back to your car.”

“Deal.” she grinned.

The two walked back to their cars, coincidentally parked not far from one another. Avri broke the comfortable silence “I really enjoyed hanging out with you.”

“Same.” Greg hesitated “I’d like to do it again if you’re down.”

“That sounds good to me. After all, there’s no better way to make new friends.” Avri unlocked her car “I’m glad we met tonight.”

“I am too. Who knows, it might even have been fate.” The man laughed, Avri echoed him.

“Let me give you my number.”

Greg passed the woman his phone and she quickly sent herself a text message before handing it back.

“Let me know when you get home?” the man suggested.

“Ever the gentleman.” she teased slipping into her vehicle.

The man walked over to his own car and waved, she waved in return and was soon pulling out of the parking lot. Her head was rushing, she’d never been that bold before. Six months ago she would never have approached a stranger but something told her she had too. Maybe it was the man’s friendly aura paired with his attractiveness? Maybe it was the similar situation they were both in? She wasn’t sure but his charm, kindness and humour had definitely intrigued her more.

Greg slipped into his own car and rested his head back on the headrest. Tonight wasn’t the blind date he’d expected but it turned out to be a much more enjoyable time. Unlocking his phone he quickly messaged the blind date ‘I don’t think we’re going to work.” the recipient quickly saw the message and there was no reply.

Laughing he blocked and deleted the contact, he should have known. They hadn’t really hit it off and this always happened to him. Nick had just teased him about not having gone on a date in a while.

Tossing his phone on the passenger's seat he started the engine and made the trip home.

Just as he fell asleep he felt like he was opening his eyes again. Rolling out of bed he could see a message from Avri on his phone ‘got home, sorry for the late message I fell asleep’ he smiled and replied ‘don’t worry. I fell asleep pretty soon after I got home too.’

Making himself a coffee he sipped it while he caught up on the news and grabbed something to eat.

Upon finishing his coffee he switched off the TV showered and got dressed for his shift. Making himself some food to take with him just before leaving.

The beginning of his shift went very quickly. Greg was assigned a mysterious body left for dead in an alley-way. The body at first glance had no extensive injuries but had clearly been mugged.

The body was quickly removed to be autopsied and Greg was left to process the scene.

It didn’t take long to process and he was soon back in the lab, sorting the evidence to be processed and was soon walking down to the morgue.

“Super-dave what do you have for me?” he announced as he walked through the doors.

“Some very exciting news.” he announced. Greg’s eyes were on the body immediately and he didn’t even notice that there was someone else in the room. “But first I want you to meet Avri Mills, she’s the new assistant. She actually helped a lot with this one.”

Upon hearing the woman’s name his head whipped up and met the woman’s eyes.

As she moved from the filing cabinet she nodded to him knowingly and greeted him. He did the same and smiled. Neither of them alerting David to the fact they knew each other, both acting very professional.

“Do you want to explain this one?” David asked Avri.

She smiled “Your guy here didn’t die from the mugging. He died from pulmonary edema, or secondary drowning.”

“That explains the chlorine smell.” Greg noted

David cut in “Your vic must have gone swimming beforehand then made it far enough to get mugged and drop dead.”

“Poor guy.” Greg commented. The three of them discussed more information and soon the briefing was over “Well thank you both”

“No, thank you.” David added he turned to Avri “A fun first body for you in Vegas” he laughed

“It sure was, certainly put me to the test.” Avri replied, turning back to some paperwork on the counter.

Greg smiled and thanked them both again before moving back to the main lab. He couldn’t believe what had just happened but at the same time weirder things had happened. He laughed to himself at how ridiculous it was that neither of them saw this coming, they both clearly had similar interests and spoke about their jobs in similar ways but hadn’t asked one another what they did for a living.

He was quickly able to find the pool the victim had attended and found CCTV footage of him there. The whole event was overall tragic and there was nothing they could really do. No one was at fault. Finding the guys who mugged him was harder but he was soon able too.

Feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket he slipped it out. Spotting that the message was from Avri his heart leaped. ‘Meet me in an hour? Parking lot? I’m parked next to David in his usual spot.’

The man smiled at the message ‘Sure. See you there.’

The next hour went really quick, the evidence had gone through quickly and he soon had the two teens who mugged the vic in custody, there wasn’t much that could be done since they hadn’t murdered the guy but they’d do some time for the robbery.

Walking out of the parking lot he spotted Avri immediately, smiling he made his way over and she opened her arms, inviting him in for a quick hug, he accepted. The hug was brief, friendly, and he was soon moving away. “Crime Scene Investigator huh?”

Greg laughed “You could have said this was your new job.”

“Well ‘I work with dead bodies’ didn’t really come up in conversation last night and you didn’t exactly ask what I did for a living.”

“Touche.” he laughed leaning up against her car next to her and shoving his hands in his pockets “What are the chances.”

“I have no clue but it’s hilarious if you ask me.” she smiled to herself “Looks like I have a work friend after all.”

“Oh David? Yeah he’s lovely.” Greg joked and she nudged him in the arm.

“You, silly. David is great too though, super friendly.”

“Well I’m sure you’ll make plenty more. Have you met anyone else yet?”

“Not really, bodies have been pretty slow so far. We have one due in a little bit though, hence the five minute break now.”

Greg nodded “Slow for a change. I’ve just wrapped on the case so I’ll probably end up assisting another.”

Avri smiled brightly and admired the man’s profile but her phone going off tore away her gaze. “That’s David. I probably should be getting back.”

Greg smiled “That’s fine. Text me later and let me know how your day went?”

“Sure.” the woman hesitated. “Unless you want to grab something to eat after?”

A smile pulled at Greg's lips “That sounds good to me. I’ll meet you out here? I can take you to the place we all usually go.”

She beamed and quickly pecked Greg on the cheek “See you later.”

The man started to blush as she jogged back into the building.

He shook his head and smiled. Unbelievable, the whole thing was unbelievable but he was grateful either way.

Tag List: (open)

Greg Sanders:

CSI:

#greg sanders fic #greg sanders x oc #csi fic

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tundrainafrica · 4 years ago

Note

Remember when Kenny Ackerman mentioned that “Everyone is drunk on something to keep pushing. Power, family, dreams, children etc. Everyone was a slave to something.” I find it really intriguing and fascinating. I think SnK story is just really well written and deep.

Anyways... I want to ask if Levi is also the same. If he is also drawn to a strong desire and be drunk on that desire to keep on pushing. I know he wanted to fulfill his promise to Erwin, but aside from that, what would be the the humanity’s strongest soldier strongly wished for?

Thank you.

Hello Anon,

This is a super interesting ask and I was super excited to tackle this so here I am at 4am just writing this because the last episode made me sadder than I expected to be.

“Everyone is drunk on something to keep pushing. Power, family, dreams, children etc. Everyone was a slave to something.”

Kenny is right. I honestly think to a degree we can apply this type of thinking to real life, particularly during war torn periods because in the most hopeless situations, we kinda have to explain how people are able to pull motivation out of their asses and keep fighting during trench warfare for example etc etc. I actually ended up reading a lot on post war ideologies shaped from trench warfare commonly used in WWI and WWII when I was finishing up AOT and I think I applied some of it in this fic.

And I do have this headcanon that this idea that you have to be drunk to continue fighting and to stay motivated was particularly stronger among the survivors (soldiers and citizens alike). Because the realization that the world is a shitty place through exposure to suffering, war, violence and general hopelessness of the situation comes slowly in the battlefield, especially when means were made for battle to last longer (like trench warfare.) And these long drawn out battles give soldiers time to think about what the hell they are really fighting for and these longass reflections can really make or break people and sometimes, we need an (almost) unhealthy attachment to things to stay alive.

And with Attack on Titan in particular and that paradigm where they’re the only surviving members of humanity left? I think that general paradigm tends to push fighters and victims to desolation more than hope.

I don’t think Levi is an exception. Actually, the fact that Levi stayed alive this long and had such a shitty life even before going out to the battlefield? Having lived one of the most arguably difficult lives in the survey corps, he had to have something to keep him going or he would have given up on life early on or I don’t think he would have gotten so strong in the first place. I wrote a fic on this long ago with the intention of making a character study of Levi with focus particularly on interactions with everyone he has ever loved. I only got two one shots written so far. You can read it here.

(I was just getting back into writing though after a long ass hiatus so I’m not too proud of the quality of this one in comparison to my latest works so I have plans on cleaning it up after getting back to it.)

But generally, the point of my sharing that fic is: I had, for a long time hc-ed what Levi could have been drunk with and I’ll try to articulate here meta-style instead of fic-style.

Let me start by pointing something out.

In my opinion, Levi is the most selfless, kindest and most pure hearted person in the series.

Of all the characters in Attack on Titan, Levi is the only character I have never seen act selfishly.

Okay fine we have seen him act recklessly, we have seen him act childish and we constantly see him impose his penchant for cleanliness on every single person. We know he likes to take advantage of the survey corps budget to buy some good tea. But when it really mattered, when has Levi ever made a selfish decision? When has he ever decided something for himself? Personally, I don’t think I have ever seen Levi’s desires articulated explicitly in canon. When Levi feels strongly about something or when he makes such a controversial decision to do something like maybe beat Eren to a pulp? Or, throw out bodies? It was always to save someone’s life.

Levi was first introduced as some crazy rash soldier with the courtroom beating scene but I think most of the character establishing moments happened in the 57th expedition with Levi telling Eren to do what he wants and just not regret it. We saw Levi admonishing the soldiers who wanted to go back and get a body. We saw him so willingly ready to throw the bodies out to give the soldiers a chance to escape and we saw Levi willingly give Petra’s badge to a mourning soldier so he has something to bring home. Also, we got ACWNR so we also get crumbs on the bond with Erwin and the will to follow him.

And what is the commonality among all the establishing character moments of Levi? For one, there is Erwin and the ‘ackerbond’ but even before that, how was Levi so easily able to live on despite all the bullshit he deals with?

More than anything, I believe Levi was drunk on bonds and on the friendships he built with people.

And this particular concept manifested in so many different ways. It manifested in his high regard for human life particularly which stems from his ability to empathize so easily with other people.

A high regard for human life stems from empathy more than anything.

Levi has this uncanny ability to empathize and to see the human in every single individual he encounters and I think this ability rivals his actual combat abilities in the battlefield.

Let’s talk about Levi’s godly sense of empathy for someone who grew up with such a shitty life. We see it in the soldier badge scene, we see it when he makes Nick watch the refugees go and we see it in how Levi supports Historia in opening up that orphanage and what made Levi so empathetic was the fact that he lived a life of struggle. There are two ways people can go about suffering, they can use it as an excuse to be an asshole or they can think to themselves “I don’t want anyone to ever have to experience this again,” and I think Levi’s general mindset is towards the latter. And really let’s give Kuchel some credit for having raised our boy so lovingly that he ended up thinking like that. I have so many headcanons of this because she had to be such a great mom for Levi to adopt this way of thinking.

When Kuchel died, Kenny came in and Levi started to understand that to survive in this world he has to do questionable things which explains his tendency to settle issues with his fists. Either way, Levi never did forget the general foundation that life is precious and that’s why he’s able to balance so easily those two facets of his personality. And possibly that was generally the start of Levi’s personality of willing to do the questionable for some greater good.

He experienced the worst things the world has to offer and that is why Levi is so easily able to put himself in other people’s shoes and this fuels his decision to act on what he believes is right. And even before that, all of the questionable decisions Levi has ever made was always for someone.

Levi had a godly sense of empathy and of course he empathizes, he feels it too, he feels the need for companionships, bonds, human contact and a sense of belongingness.

Why did Levi decide to learn how to fight? Why did he decide to beat up people? He wanted Kenny’s approval. And we already know how painful it was for Levi when Kenny left.

When Levi started his gang, I think it was more of a Robin Hood type of set up. We didn’t really get the details behind it but I think a lot of Levi’s work there was making sure a lot of the orphans in the underground or a lot of the less fortunate had means of making money. We did seem crumbs of it in ACWNR. When he gave a lot more money to that one kid who was sick? Maybe because he saw in them his powerlessness at being unable to save his mom.

Levi was particularly protective of Isabel and Farlan. And even in Ilse’s journal, we’ve seen that same protectiveness when Oluo was almost killed and when his special squad was killed, did you notice how Levi’s eyes went a little red in the anime when faced with the female titan right after finding out his squad died?

People are saying the ackerbond is a myth and whether or not it was a myth, I think Levi choosing to follow Erwin after losing everything he loved could have been a combination of both. He needed someone to protect but more importantly, I see that as Levi trying to find something else to live for. He left everything he has ever known in the underground, the only two companions left of his life there were gone and in those few moments before Levi talked to Erwin in ACWNR, Levi was broken, lost and trying to find something to live for.

And what does he decide to do? Follow Erwin. Right?

And let’s segway to some parallel a decade later when the only person left from his old life before decides to sacrifice their life in that godforsaken chapter 132.

(Yams wouldn’t have given us three panels of this if he didn’t want to show something.)

We have to admit Levi did grew up, he didn’t go crazy on some titan after they killed Hange and maybe because he was too injured or maybe the chapter just didn’t allow it. But Levi did have to cope for a chapter or so.

And what kept Levi fighting in ch. 135?

Bonds and Companionship again. He didn’t want anymore unnecessary deaths.

It probably can be considered ‘reaching’ for me to compare how Levi coped with Isabel and Farlan’s death vs. Hange’s death but I really think that the way Levi coped with them is similar.

Because for one, these weren’t just deaths, these were the last people from Levi’s certain points in Levi’s life, i really think that’s why they hit harder than before. With Isabel and Farlan’s death, Levi lost all remnants of his life underground. Levi was quickly able to see hope in Erwin and that’s why he was still able to continue fighting and Levi said this multiple times in the ending of ACNWR.

With Hange’s death, Levi lost all remnants of his life with the vets. Hange was the last vet and I think that’s one interpretation as to why we saw Levi practically die with Hange in 132 with those eyes.

(I’m a Levihan fan though so I have way more interpretations than that but I’m not dropping it here and making this meta longer than it is rn)

And a few chapters later, we see him scrambling for some reason to continue fighting. And what is the first thing he decides to do?

Risk his leg AND HIS LIFE for both Connie and Jean. And I honestly think that already says A LOT about his motivations for fighting. I mean Levi could have I dunno... Just mind his own business fighting titans right? But Levi decided to focus on keeping who he has left alive for a reason.

And as painful as it was to watch. I think it just paints a beautiful picture of his personality.

Levi has never done anything like that for himself. Levi has never fought for just himself. I think at the start of his life, he decided to fight for Kenny and every time he meets someone that person becomes his reason to continue living and fighting.

So maybe Levi was drunk with companionship and this desire for a sense of belongingness and his god tier empathy fueled by that drunkenness is what is pushing him to create a world where everyone can live with those too?

I really hope this makes sense. I’m writing this at 4am and I gotta leave for work soon but...

Thanks for the ask anon!

#levi ackerman #captain levi #meta

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aclosetfan · 4 years ago

Text

I saw something floating around called WIP Wednesday's and thought it sounded fun, so here’s a little excerpt from the new chapter (very much a wip) of my fanfic Another Buttercrush, which can be found on ffn! One day hopefully, I’ll have the courage to post something original, but for now this will do! Anyway, for context, the ppg and rrb are going (”being forced to go”) to a “party” thrown by Princess and Butch is suspicious that the girls (and Brick) are keeping something from him. This is pretty fluffy and silly, but it’s the drive to the party (Princess got them a limo) and it makes me smile :)

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

. . . .

Butch dug his heels in, blocking the exit, and Blossom whined, "Butch!"

"If it's not important, then why is it a secret?"

Blossom frowned, "I swear it's not important."

"Okay, sooo then tell me what it is."

"What's the holdup?" Buttercup asked from behind, and he felt another hand press up against his back, "Let's go."

Her palm laid flat against the middle of his back, and she gave a small push, but he held firm.

"What's the secret!" He huffed, looking over his shoulder at her, and one of her eyebrows shot up.

"What secret?"

"You three's secret!"

"Why Chemical X, Butch." The Professor chuckled, coming up behind the group, "But it's hardly a secret. Now, come on, you six, out the door. You'll be late."

"Yeah," Robin crossed her arms, "I hope you all have a horrible time without me."

"We can still sneak you in." Boomer tried, "How hard could it be?"

"You can have my invite." Brick sniffed, and Robin smirked.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not giving her the satisfaction."

Bubbles, nose and cheeks still tinged red, gave Robin a watery smile, "I wish you were coming though."

Robin gave Bubbles a reassuring hug, "You'll be fine, I promise. No one can tell."

Butch squinted his eyes at that, but Buttercup pressed in closer to him, both hands now resting on the small of his back, "Can we go now, please?"

Without an answer, she nudged him forward with more effort than last time. He glared at her over his shoulder, and she met his stare evenly. Dark eyelashes batted up at him, and she was just so lucky he had a thing for her. With another huff, he complied, acting as dead weight, but letting her push him along towards the obnoxious limo (he may have liked her, but it wasn't like he was going to make it easy).

The limo was the standard size for a limo, which he never thought he would ever have to mentally clarify. But Princess's limos were typically bigger than the standard sized ones, so honestly, the car in front of him was kind of underwhelming. He had jacked a limo once, during a night of complete debauchery with his brothers when he had been around-fourteen. He didn't know if it was necessarily a good thing to have a favorite grand theft auto charge, but the limo had been one of his favorite grand theft auto charges, right after the Lamborghini. It didn't feel fair comparing the two charges, though, because the Lamborghini had been a god-tier event, and he'd cut off his left leg to do it all over again, but the limo had been pretty fucking fun too.

In fact, he was pretty sure if his memory was serving him correctly (he had ended up with a nasty concussion, so the event was a bit fuzzy), the girls had been called in to stop the limo incident. The City didn't often waste the girls' resources on grand theft auto unless the situation called for it, and, he thought with a grin, the limo situation had definitely called for it.

The Professor followed them down with an arm around Bubbles, and he planted a kiss on the crown of her head as she hugged him goodbye.

"Now, regardless of the circumstances, have plenty of fun. Remember to stand up straight and if you need anything, call me!" The Professor lectured as his girls stood around him.

"Okay, Professor! Bye, Professor!" The girls sang together, swooping in to give their dad a final hug.

"Don't miss us too much, okay?" Bubbles mumbled, still pressing her face into his chest and hugging her father tight around the torso as Buttercup's arms encircled his neck from behind.

"Yeah," She laughed, squishing their cheeks together with a cheeky smile, "and no wild parties either, got it?"

"And call us if you need anything!" Blossom chimed in, hanging onto the Professor's arm.

Professor Utonium laughed along with them, as they squeezed together, "Oh girls, of course, of course. Don't worry about me. I'll just be fiddling in the lab."

"Be safe!" The girls smiled as they detached themselves from the Professor and moved towards the limo, "We love you!"

"I love you too, girls." Professor cooed after them as Blossom made her way in first, followed by an overly excited Boomer.

"And Professor," Blossom said, sticking her head back through the door, "no chemical fires this time, alright?"

Professor gave her a guilty smile but nonetheless held his right hand up, "No chemical fires, I promise."

Blossom's concerned look faded quickly into a smile as she disappeared inside the car completely. He waited with Buttercup, Bubbles, and Robin as Brick climbed in after the other two. Robin pulled Bubbles away for another (stupid secret) pep talk that he had half a mind listening in on when a hand grabbed his own and pulled him towards the car door. Bubbles was instantly forgotten as he stared at Buttercup's hand linked with his own. It wasn't really like they were holding hands. More like she was just grasping his to pull him around, but her hand was still there, warm against his own, and it made his mind buzz.

"Bye, Professor!" Buttercup smiled, giving the Professor one last peck on the cheek before ducking into the car with him in tow. He ripped his eyes away from their linked hands to give the Professor one last nod, hoping the red on his cheeks wouldn't betray anything to her dad.

"Bye." He mumbled, hyperconscious of the older man next to him, but the Professor didn't seem any different than before.

"Have fun!" The Professor smiled.

He nodded again and followed Buttercup into the limo.

"Oh, and Butch!" The Professor called, and he stopped in the doorway.

"Yeah?" He turned around, his heart doing some sort of funny palpitation. It was a weird feeling, like nerves, but slightly different. He didn't know. He had never felt it before.

"You make sure my little spice cake has a good time, alright?" The older man winked, and Butch would have been more embarrassed about the implication if—

"Wait—" he snorted "—spice cake?"

"Professor!" Buttercup pushed him aside so she could stick her head back out the door, "Oh my god!"

"How have I never thought of that one?" He said mostly to himself, giving Buttercup a crooked grin, "Spice cake."

"Do not call me that!" She growled as a red hue began to pool into her cheeks.

"But you're our little spice cake!" The Professor protested, "It's cute!"

"Yeah, spice cake, it's cute." He laughed in agreement, "Our cute Lil' spice cake!"

Her eyes went wide before she shot a glare at her father, "I hope you're pleased with yourself."

The Professor laughed as well, as Buttercup ducked into the car with another growl. He winked at the Professor before following her in.

He hadn't seen the back of the limo he had jacked, but this one seemed like the standard limo interior he'd see in the movies. There was a divider that separated them from the driver, the left side of the limo was lined with wraparound seating, and the right side had an expansive minibar. Finally, there was a separated back seat that Brick had commandeered for himself, lounging so no one would sit next to him—probably still pissed at them all from earlier.

Butch ducked his head low and climbed in, plopping down next to Buttercup, who was sitting at the end of the wrap around seat closest to the limo's door. Boomer was already seated towards the front near the driver, fiddling with the buttons that controlled the divider. Blossom sat next to him, fixing the buttons and controls as quickly as Boomer messed with them.

"Boomer, that's not a toy." She sighed, swatting at him.

Boomer pouted, cradling his hand, "I just wanna see what it does!"

Butch ignored them and leaned forward towards the minibar and dug around. "There's nothing but water," he sighed, pulling a bottle out, "lame."

Blossom tsked, "Now, what did you expect?"

He looked over at her blankly and leaned back in his chair, "Is that a trick question?"

Buttercup shot him an amused smile as Bubbles made her way into the limo. The fluff of her dress made it into the vehicle first, and after the rest of her followed it in, she cooed at the interior.

"It's so pretty!" She hummed, her spirits immediately rising as she looked at the glowing lights that had been set for ambiance and shuffled her way in, "Buttercup, scoot over."

Buttercup frowned, "go sit upfront; there's not enough—"

"Scoot over!" Bubbles smiled at her and she plopped down in the tiny space that Buttercup had left between her seat and the door.

"Hey!" Buttercup huffed as Bubbles' dress pushed her against him, and she gave him a long-suffering look, "Sorry."

He shrugged noncommittally and pretended he didn't notice much of any difference, moving only about an inch away to make it seem like he was making an effort at giving her more room. He pulled his arm out from where it was pinned between them and rested it on the back of the seat around her shoulders. He did the same with his other arm to make it seem casual, flicking Blossom on the shoulder to bug her.

Blossom stopped babysitting Boomer to glare at him before flipping her hair in his face and turning away once more.

"It's kind of like we're going to Prom!" Bubbles hummed.

"Better relish in it, Bubbles. It's the closest you'll ever get to the real deal." Boomer laughed, and Bubbles chucked a water bottle at his head.

“Hey!” Boomer cried out, holding his forehead.

"Buttercup," Bubbles whined, turning away from Boomer's crying, "scooch, you're squishing my dress!"

Buttercup didn't say anything. Instead, the two sisters shared an intense look. He watched a whole conversation silently pass between them but had no fucking idea what any of it meant. It was like somewhere along the line, he had missed the memo about having secret languages with everyone else. He watched them from the corner of his eye, trying to decipher something until Brick spoke up.

"This is going to be pointless." Brick sighed, removing his elbow from his eyes and cracking one of the windows, "We should have taken shots, done something to make this more bearable. Ask the driver to pull over. We know a liquor store that doesn't card."

"Nah, they card now, dude. New management." Boomer reminded him, still overdramatically rubbing his head.

"Benny's cards now?" Brick shot up.

Butch nodded in agreement, "As of last month.

"Is nothing fucking sacred in this City?" Brick hissed, plopping back down in his seat, "Whatever. What about the store on 5th?"

Boomer winced, "We're definitely still not allowed in there."

"They're not over that yet?" Brick asked as he pulled out his vape.

Blossom's eyebrows furrowed, "Not in the limo, Brick."

He ignored her, taking a hit and blowing a stream of smoke out the window crack.

"I thought you quit?" Buttercup asked as she scooted closer to him, losing whatever odd argument she had just had with Bubbles. Her leg pressed against his, and she shot him another apologetic look that he again shrugged off.

"Quitting. In the process of. It's all in the verb tenses, BC." His brother shot back.

"That's definitely not how that works." Blossom deadpanned.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were an expert in quitting." Brick snapped, and Blossom rolled her eyes.

"Maybe not, but I'd think stopping a smoking addiction is more than just telling people you're going to quit. You actually have to stop smoking at one point."

"Well, where's the fun in that?" Brick said impassively, blowing another stream of smoke out the window.

The limo took a sharp left turn, and Butch braced himself, using his leverage on the back of the seat to stay put. No one else was so lucky. Brick slide down his seat, his vape tumbling out of his hands, as Blossom fell into Boomer, Bubbles into Buttercup, and Buttercup wonderfully into him.

"Is everyone all right?" Blossom asked as they stabilized.

Boomer sat up, cradling his head where it had knocked into a window, and slammed a hand onto the divider, "Eh, buddy, warn us next time!"

"I'm okay!" Bubbles called out.

"No duh, you're wearing a built-in airbag." Buttercup huffed, hitting against the fluff of Bubbles dress, as he helped her back up straight. "Thanks," she nodded at him and turned around to Bubbles, "now move over."

"No way!" her sister argued, "I finally have a place to actually sit. Just stay right there."

Buttercup looked back at him, then at her sister, "Uh, yeah, no. We're sitting on top of each—"

"Everyone shut up!" Brick yelled, panic in his eyes, "I dropped my Juul."

"Oh my god." Blossom sighed under her breath.

"Feet up!" His brother ordered, "Bubbles, lift up that stupid skirt, come on!"

"It's not stupid!" Bubbles argued but nonetheless complied, "It's pretty!"

"Pretty stupid." Boomer mumbled, but it was still loud enough to warrant a death glare from Bubbles.

"Where the fuck is my Juul!" Brick hissed, hopping up from the floor.

Butch shared a look with Blossom.

"If this is what prom’s going to be like, I don’t want to go.” Blossom sighed and bent down to help Brick look around.

As the reds searched and Bubbles bickered with Boomer, Butch's eyes fell back on Buttercup. She was trying her best not to be swallowed up by the fluff of Bubbles' dress and invade his personal space at the same time, which was sweet but unnecessary.

"I don't bite." He pointed out.

She snorted and gave him a look.

"Most of the time." He conceded, "I don't bite most of the time."

A smile tugged on her lips, and she bit down on it—she did that, she bit her lips, and without fail, he'd watch.

"If you're cool with it," She shrugged a moment later and leaned into him. Any closer and she'd be forced to lay her head down on the crook of his neck. If she noticed how he brought his arm in closer around her, she didn't say anything. She sat stiffly, her hands folded as best she could in her lap. It was different from that one time at the movies where she seemed to melt right into him, but his heart hammered away loudly in his chest all the same. His fingers twitched with the memory, and he focused on their legs to distract himself.

"Buttercup, legs. Move." Brick ordered from somewhere in the fluff void.

"Where?" She huffed.

"Where." Brick mocked, "Up! Away! I don't care!"

She shook her head with an incredulous glare and lifted her feet up, but that wasn't enough for his brother, who popped up three seconds later.

"I said away."

"You said you didn't care." Buttercup corrected him, and Brick glowered, wrapping his hands around her legs and throwing them over Butch's lap.

"Away." Brick emphasized before returning to his search.

Sometimes, just sometimes, Butch remembered why he kept Brick around. With the convenient excuse of "I'm helping my brother," cocked and ready to roll off his tongue, Butch placed his free hand (the one not tentatively grazing her shoulder every other second on "accident") on her knee and kept her legs from slipping off his own. She quickly shot a look up at him, her mouth less than a foot from his own, but didn't say anything as her eyes left his face and looked past him at her sister.

"Ah-ha!" Brick's hand shot up triumphally from the fluff with his vape in hand, "Found—"

The limo hit a speed bump that sent them all into the air, knocking the vape from his brother's hand once again and causing him to cry out. His cries drowned and mixed with everyone else's. Instinctively, Butch brought his arms tighter around Buttercup as hers wounded around his neck. They landed hard back on the seat with breathless huffs.

"I said, warn us!" Boomer hit the divider again after they landed, but the Driver remained as silent as usual.

"Is death too much to ask for?" Brick sighed face down on the limo floor, no vape in sight.

Blossom toggled the divider button-down with a frown, "Sir," she started, "is everything—" she and Boomer froze, blocking the rest of their views of the driver seat, "—well, that's certainly ominous, wouldn't you say?" she asked, turning to Boomer, who nodded his head.

"Yeah, dude, way creepy."

"Oh brother," Buttercup mumbled, her breath pleasantly tickling the nape of his neck, as she blew loose hair out of her face, "that never means anything good."

He really honestly did not care about the front seat at all at that moment. He was more focused on the fact that Buttercup hadn't let go of him yet, so he was trying to keep very still and very quiet so she wouldn't remember to.

"What's wrong, Bloss?" Bubbles squeaked, latching onto Buttercup and coincidentally him.

Blossom moved a bit out of the way, so they could get a peek into the Driver's seat. The three of them hissed at the sight. It wasn't good.

"Describe it to me." Brick mumbled against the floor.

"Well," Bubbles hummed, playing along, "it's a robot…butler man."

"Based off of Carmichael, I presume?"

"You presume correctly," Blossom nodded, reaching a hand out to still the dysfunctional robot head that was spinning round and round on its axis, "though it is an insult to Mr. Carmichael." She let go when the head began to spark, and when it was free, the head continued to spin, its hands making robotic, jerky motions on the steering wheel.

"It's busted." He informed his brother, observing as Boomer leaned forward and poked the machine. Electricity buzzed through him, but his brother wasn't the least bit affected. Electricity was his thing.

"Defective for sure." Boomer continued, climbing through the little window to further mess with the robotic man.

"Neato." Brick sighed, propping up on his elbows, "Robots."

"Androids most likely. Boomer, please don't touch anything; I don't want you to get hurt." Blossom commanded as another spark of electricity coursed through Boomer.

Boomer popped his head through the divider, "Should we toss it? I can drive!"

"No!" He and Brick protested simultaneously.

"It isn't necessary anyway, Boomer. It seems to be getting us there just fin—"

The robot's hands jerked hard to the right, and the limo lurched dangerously on its tires before slamming back down on the road. Butch cringed as the limo's underbelly scrapped against the concrete pavement until the car settled itself.

"—But maybe, Butch, if you wouldn't mind, maybe you could drive just to be on the safe side?" Blossom amended as she attempted to pull Boomer back into the safety of the back seat.

He frowned and looked down at Buttercup, who was still warm against his side; she looked up at him expectantly. He sighed and, regretfully, untangled himself from her, "Fine."

#ABC #wip #wednesday #ppg fic #oh no is this horrible??#cause im reading it now and im like wow this is the worst excerpt to pick! it's so boring! im sorry!!#i just thought it was light and fun so be kind to me the three people who read my stuff #ppg greens #their personalities feel ooc #ugh #that just how it be when the incidents out of your control forces you to cuddle with your crush...we'll go with that yeah #my writing

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the-werdna · 4 years ago

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Title: Robcina Week Day 5 - Day of Devotion

Description: Lucina wanted to make the perfect gift for Robin to celebrate the first Day of Devotion they'd spend as a couple. Making homemade chocolates seemed like the perfect idea. With a recipe and ingredients in hand, she set about making this plan a reality. After all, it didn't seem like it would be that hard.

Words: 2118

Lucina coughed, waving her hands frantically to blow away the smoke spewing from the pot she had been slaving over for most of the day. The acrid fumes reached her nostrils, confirming without a doubt it had been another failure.

Why? Why did it burn this time? Lucina wondered, gazing into the pot at the burned mess that was the chocolates she had been attempting to melt. I thought I followed the recipe exactly, but I can't even get past the first step…

She sighed, feeling like failure once more for the dozenth time that day.

Today was the Day of Devotion, a holiday celebrated throughout all of the Outrealms in honor of love. In particular it was a day for couples to show their appreciation for each other, often through gifts of flowers and chocolate. That later which was why Lucina had found herself in the camp's kitchen the entire morning, desperately trying to turn the ingredients she'd bought into chocolates fit to be a gift for the man she loved above all else.

Maybe I should just purchase some instead. I am certain that is what most everyone has done, she considered, but quickly abandoned the idea. This was the first Day of Devotion she and Robin would share together, so she wanted it to be special. What better way, then, was there to make it special than to gift something she'd made herself?

At that moment she heard the rustle of canvas as the tent flap was yanks open, hurried footsteps announcing the arrival of a newcomer into the kitchen. She didn't even have to turn to see who before the excited voice called out, one she could not help but recognize.

"What smells good but also burny?" chimed Morgan, skipping past her and around the counter to stand at the opposite side.

"Morgan, I was-" Lucina started to tell her daughter. Her words faltered however when Morgan stuck her whole hand into the pot, shoveling the still molten, blackened chocolate into her mouth,

"Just as I thought! Chocolate! And lots of burned bits! Also, ow! Hot" Morgan quickly lapped up the remaining chocolate from her fingers as it started to burn her, only to then start panting like a dog. Evidently, her efforts only managed to start burning the inside of her mouth.

"Holfff ommff" she slurred, rushing over to a nearby bucket of water. Before Lucina could stop her, the girl tipped it up to her mouth, dumping most of it's contents over herself even as she drank down several large, loud gulps.

"Um, Morgan? Are you…" Lucina tried to ask, her words failing her at the bewildering display.

"Ahhh," Morgan sighed contentedly, tossing the now empty bucket aside. "Much better." she grinned, seemingly taking no notice of the fact is was soaking wet from head to toe at this point,

"I…" Lucina could only stare and blink, finding herself at a loss for how she should respond to her daughter. Not that it was an unusual occurrence. Morgan's oddity had become a fact she was well used to by this point, even if each new manner that oddness manifested would, without fail, catch her off guard.

"Anyways, what's the occasion? Making chocolate for 'Dee Oh Dee' Day to give to father?" Morgan asked.

This statement more than confused Lucina, causing her to stare and arch an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, what is this 'Dee Oh Dee' you speak… oh, right" Lucina blushed, embarrassed to only then get what her daughter was saying. She had been referring to the holiday by the acronym of it's name.

But wait, wouldn't that mean she called it "Day of Devotion Day", Lucina wondered. She thought to ask, but thought better of it. Best to just answer her daughter's question rather than delve down what would certainly be a rabbit hole of an entirely different sort.

Better not to consider much how her daughter's mind worked.

"Yes, I had hoped to… But as you can see I have not had much success," Lucina admitted, hanging her head sadly. "I can't even manage to melt the chocolate without burning it beyond salvage. I fear if I don't remedy the mistake soon, I will have nothing to show for my efforts."

"Hmmmmm," Morgan returned to the stove, rubbing her chin vigorously as she stared intently at the pot. "Well, for starters you should fill the pot with water instead. Then you put the chocolate in a smaller pot or ceramic bowl and place that over top. That way the steam heats it up more slowly, and you can easily remove the bowl whenever it gets too hot," Morgan said, abruptly spinning to look face her with an expression of extreme pride.

Again Lucina could only stare, this time in astonishment. "Morgan, since when did you know so much about cooking? This is the first time I've heard you speak as such on this matter."

"Oh, that! I've been having Noire teach me how to bake! It's actually really fun!" Morgan answered, weaving her hands behind her head and grinning proudly. "Plus with that newfound power, I can make dessert for myself whenever I want! I'm now unstoppable!"

Lucina's mood has begun to lift at the start of Morgan's explanation, only to abruptly plummet at the last part, replaced by a flat, stern look only a mother could give. "Morgan… you're not allowed to only eat sweets. You still have to eat your vegetables."

"Nuh uh, I'm unstoppable now, remember!" Morgan argued. "Fear me! I have become death, baker and devourer of cake!"

"Just because you can doesn't mean you will," Lucina warned, crossing her arms. "Give me one reason why I should let you?" And why must I even have this discussion? Gods, Morgan… can you at least try to act your age on occasion? she thought to herself

"Because if you don't then I won't help you make those chocolates for father in time!" Morgan countered sticking out her tongue. "I mean, if we got started now we could get them finished in no time!"

"Wait… you really believe there is still time?" Lucina asked, an ember of hope returning to her.

"Of course. I'll show you what to do! Trust me, it's easy once you know how!" Morgan said, hopping up and down excitedly. Without waiting for an answer she began sprinting around the kitchen, snatching up vessels and utensils for them to use.

"Alright, alright, I see you are quite committed then," Lucina said, unable to help herself but laugh at her daughter's enthusiasm. Certainly, her energy could do wonder to lift the spirits of those around her, especially in times like this. "However, we will still need to have a talk about your eating habits when we are done."

"Awwww, for real?!" Morgan complained.

. . . . .

"Alright, there he is" Morgan hissed, far too loudly to be a whisper. Lucina felt her daughter give her a shove from behind, causing her to stagger and nearly trip.

"Morgan!" she whispered back, making no move to approach her husband. From behind the row of tents they could see Robin making his way down the dusty road as he returned to camp from the nearby town, a bag held in one hand.

Lucina righted herself, clutching the wrapped box containing the chocolates she and Morgan had made, carefully not to drop or otherwise harm them. To do so now, after all their hard work would be the truest of shames.

"Go! Go! Kiss! Kiss! Go! Go!" Morgan urged, giving her another shove.

"Morgan, please. You do not need to-" Lucina started to argue.

"No time! He's here! I'll be rooting for you!" Morgan gave a final shove, this time even more forceful than before, pushing Lucina straight out into the open…

… and nearly crashing head first into her husband. There was a yelp of surprise and for an instant Lucina was certain she'd trip. But an arm shot out, gripping her hand even as she grabbed onto his shoulder, managing to remain on her feet.

"Lucina?" Robin asked, helping her right herself. "I'd say this is a surprise, but that would be cliché… if truthful, at least in this manner," he laughed, stepping back.

"Yes, I'm… I'm so sorry if I startled you, Robin. It was not my intention, but… well… Morgan…" she shot a glance back to Morgan, who wasn't as well hidden as she likely imagined she was behind the tents. For one thing the messy mop of her blue hair was just barely visible as she peeked over the top to peer back at them.

"Ah, right. That certainly explains things," Robin said, following her gaze to notice their daughter as well. His attention then turned to the box Lucina was holding. It certainly was hard to miss, wrapping in shiny blue paper and tied in a large red bow. "I take it that it's for me?" he asked.

"Oh, um… yes!" Lucina said, flustered as she gave a bow of her head and offered the box to him.

Taking it gingerly, Robin unwrapped the bow, opening up the container to reveal the chocolates she and Morgan had spent so much time crafting.

"I made them myself… well, with some help from Morgan in the end. I spent the entire morning in the effort. So I hope… I hope they are pleasing enough," she explained as Robin looked into the box. Truth be told Lucina was very proud how they turned out, nearly perfectly round and uniform in size, but each decorated with white chocolate in the pattern of a different flower.

"Honestly, Lucina, you really didn't need to go through so much effort merely for my sake. I would have been happy with anything. I don't quite believe I am deserving of this," Robin told her, his gold-brown eyes shimmering ever so slightly as he gazed back at her. It was a testament to just how touched he was by the gift.

Then he took out one of the chocolates and plopped it into his mouth, smiling as he chewed. "They're really good, Lucina. Better than anything I could have made… though I suppose that's a poor compliment considering that's not a particularly high bar," he added, chuckling at his own reputation for possessing truly dismal cooking ability.

"I'm glad you liked them," Lucina said. She fidgeted with her sleeve, tugging on it and looking around fervently. There were too many people around, Morgan included, to make her feel comfortable to show the more open gestures of affection she so desperately wished to partake in.

"Oh, I almost forgot. It's not something I made myself, but I got you these," Robin said, reaching into the bag he was holding. It was beaucette of flowers: red and pink roses mixed with the white flowers of the same type Robin had given her on the day he had confessed his feelings for her.

"Sorry that it's nothing elaborate, but I wanted to get you something all the same. I am afraid when compared to your gift, my own has come up short…" he said guiltily.

"No, it's quite alright. They are lovely, Robin," Lucina assured him Taking the flowers in hand she hesitated a moment, again reminded about how public the place they were in was. No, that was no excuse. She could find the courage for one kiss.

Sucking in a deep breath Lucina stepped forward, pressing her lips into his. His mouth tasted sweet from the chocolate. Then she pulled away, blushing. "Thank you. For thinking of me."

"Heh, and you as well," Robin replied. He chuckled nervously, trying to hide his own embarrassment. "But is this really the place for this. We're out in the open.

Lucina inclined her head, conceding to this point. "Shall we go then? To somewhere a certain someone won't be watching us?" Lucina asked, eyes glancing back to where Morgan was failing to remain hidden. "You know, for perhaps an, um… repeat performance of that kiss," Lucina blushed at this

Robin smiled at this, catching her meaning even if he blushed even more fiercely, torn between joy and embarrassment. "Ah… erm, right. Of course," he hooked his arm around here's the two of them turning to face the camp and the direction of their tend. "Let's go then."

With that, arm in arm, they started into camp… for about three steps before Robin abruptly yanked both of them back. The ground before them caved in, revealing a ten-foot deep pit that had laid hidden but a moment before.

"Nice try, kiddo!" Robin called out to Morgan's hiding place.

"Awwwwwww," groaned Morgan, her disappointment at her trap failing truly unmeasurable.

#Robcina-Week #Robcina #Robin x Lucina #Robin #Lucina #Morgan #F!Morgan

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alexiessan · 4 years ago

Text

Never alone - Chapter Twenty - Soulmate AU

AO3

Previous - Here - Next

Master List

Marinette was a bit sad when they had to go back to Paris. They had only three days of Holiday left, and it was better for them to have a day or two to get rid of the jet lag.

She had been so happy to meet Damian’s family as a whole and relieved that she got along with them. She was also sad that she had to say goodbye to Titus, she has grown attached to the big dog.

They were, however, very happy to see Cloud again as they picked her up from Claude’s house. The fashion designer laughed as the puppy ran to them and Damian picked her up in a hug, forgetting about everyone else.

“Thank you so much for watching over her, Claude. I hope it wasn’t an inconvenience to your family,” she said with a smile as she rummaged in her bag.

Claude waved her off. “Of course not! She was lovely and got my family wrapped around her… paw,” he laughed, “we’re sad to see her go honestly. We wouldn’t mind keeping her a little longer.”

“Absolutely not,” declared Damian, his voice muffled as his face was burrowed into Cloud’s white, fluffy fur.

Marinette smiled and patted Damian’s back fondly. She handed Claude a few bills but he waved his hand in front of him.

“No way I’m accepting money from you guys!”

The Eurasian girl frowned. “Why not? Your family already fosters a lot of animals and you had to take care of Cloud too. We’re not letting do that for free,” she said as she forced the money into his hand. “I also have a box from the bakery as thank yous. And before you start arguing, I’m happy to give them to you. You and your family really helped us here.”

Claude accepted the box reluctantly and smiled at her eventually.

“Thank you, you’re as sweet as these pastries, you know?”

Marinette shoved him playfully, a smile on her lips.

“Well, we won’t bother you any longer. Plus, I think Cloud and Damian need some time alone,” she winked playfully, “we’ll see you on Monday!”

Claude waved at them. “Yeah, see ya!”

As they walked away, the blue-eyed girl took the puppy from Damian’s arms.

“Come on, let me have my dose of Cloud,” she grinned and hugged the dog tightly.

They went to a nearby park, where they finally let the dog on the ground and watched as she spent all her energy running around.

“Are we still meeting with Chat Noir tomorrow night?” asked Damian.

Marinette nodded, taking his hand in hers absently and rubbing circle with her thumb. “Yeah, we have to talk about our progress,” she sighed at the look the threw her, “yeah, I know, there isn’t a lot of progress, so we need to talk about what we’re going to do now.”

She put her head on his shoulder and smiled as she felt him kiss the crown of her head.

“I can’t wait for it to be over. I think I’m going to have a good, long cry when it’s finally over.”

“Can’t blame you, I bet you have a lot of buried feelings,” he breathed as he put his arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to him.

She scoffed. “You have no idea.”

They fell silent for a second, watching as Cloud tired herself out and came back to them, falling at their feet.

“Speaking of which,” she started again suddenly, “we’ll need to watch out for Alya and Nino.”

She didn’t see it, but she could guess his frown in his voice. “Why?”

She looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “I didn’t tell you?”

He smirked at her. “Tell me what, exactly?”

She groaned. “I can’t believe I forgot to tell you!” she took a deep breath, “Nino told me and Kim, before I came to Gotham, that he found his soulmate.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh. And he decided to wait until school starts again to tell her. So it could give him time to figure out how to tell her,” she mumbled, “so either of them could get akumatized.”

“I can easily understand why he needed so much time to figure out a way to tell her. There is no way to know how that harpy is going to react.”

She audibly gasped. “Damian!”

“What?” he shrugged, “that girl always reacts first and thinks later, and it always makes people very cautious when they have something sensitive to tell her.”

Marinette pursed her lips. It was true that Alya had a tendency to react violently sometimes.

Okay, a lot of time, but still.

“That’s just how she is,” she said in a small voice, trying to defend her friends.

Damian kissed her forehead. “I know. I’m not a fan of the girl, but she’s still a good friend to you. But I can already see how she’s going to hog all your time, now.”

The dark-haired girl let out a startled laugh. “So that’s what it’s all about! You’re jealous that I might spend more time with her.”

“Guilty,” he admitted, hiding his face between her neck and shoulder.

She smiled fondly, stroking his hair lovingly. “You don’t have to worry. Alya ditched me a lot of time to spend time with Nino, so she should understand that I want to spend time with my boyfriend as well.”

“She better.”

She laughed, her arms circling around his torso and bringing him closer to her. “Now, hold me tighter, I’m cold!”

He complied immediately.

Ladybug watched over Paris, City of lights. It was something she both loved and hated about this City. It was so bright during the night, offering a really nice view from the rooftops, but when you looked up to the night sky, you couldn’t see the stars. She could see some, like the three belt stars of Orion, but it wasn’t as beautiful as it was in the countryside.

Chat Noir wasn’t here yet. He was ten minutes late, actually, and she could feel Robin getting restless next to her. Nightwing had taken his notebook out, reviewing his notes, a frown on his face.

The red-clothed heroine checked her yoyo to see if there was any message from Chat Noir and was about to call him when she heard the familiar sound of his baton on the roof.

“Sorry, I’m late,” he apologized, sounding breathless, probably because he ran as fast as he could to get here. “I couldn’t get away from my father.”

Ladybug frowned. She didn’t know a lot of things about her partner’s life — what with secret identities and all that jazz — but he mentioned his father a few times, and from the few bits she got, the man seemed very controlling of his son.

Nightwing waved him off. “No worries there, but we should get started, you kids have school tomorrow, yeah?”

He looked sheepish at the look the three other heroes — or vigilante, in Robin’s case — threw at him.

The older man cleared his throat. “Right. Let’s get started.”

They all sat in a circle on the roof and Nightwing put his notebook in the middle, allowing the others to see his notes.

“So, we still don’t have a lead on who Hawkmoth could be. We tried interrogating former victims of akumas but no one could remember anything from their akumatization, so we didn’t get anything out of that.”

He crossed out the idea on the page.

“Then,” he continued, “we tried following the butterflies after they got purified, to see if they went back to their Miraculous, but they just disappear somewhere in the city. So, that’s out too.”

He paused then, looking at each of them.

“Now, there is something I’ve done recently that I haven’t told you yet.”

He took a tablet out of a bag next to him and played a video.

“That’s the day of the first Akuma,” Chat Noir mused as he watched Hawkmoth’s face, made of akumas, making his evil speech.

“Yeah. We got an idea of his face, but the mask is taking 90% of his face and it’s made of butterflies, so we can’t run a facial recognition. And we don’t have images of him when he appeared on Heroes’ Day since the journalist covering the event was among all the people akumatized that day.”

He paused, and Ladybug had a feeling that he was doing that on purpose, just to be dramatic.

“But,” he exclaimed, giving her reason, “what we do have on this video, is his voice.”

She gasped. “You analyzed it!”

Nightwing nodded, and continued after her, “and I ran it into the computer so it could compare it with voices from security cameras that Red Robin hacked, and from television and radio apparitions.”

Ladybug couldn’t contain her joy even when Robin’s hand on her knee — it couldn’t stop moving in her excitement — tried to keep her from getting too excited. “So do you have a result?!”

Nightwing sighed. “Now, that’s where it gets a bit more complicated. I have more than a thousand results.”

Ladybug visibly deflated at that, and she could see Chat Noir deflating too. “Oh.”

The older man smiled at her and put a hand on her shoulder, lightly squeezing it. “But that’s not bad news! All we have to do now is make a profile on Hawkmoth, and compare his voice with the people we think and compare the voice again with those persons.”

Chat Noir looked at them, frowning. “Can’t we run an analysis again on the thousand or so people?”

Robin shook his head. “The software is not perfect yet. It’s already a good thing it gave us only a thousand results.”

Nightwing nodded, a pen in his hand that she hadn’t noticed before. “Yeah, I was actually pleasantly surprised. Now, I need to know a few things. The butterflies that akumatize people. Are they real butterflies or do they come with the Miraculous?”

“Tikki told me that it could be both. The Butterfly Miraculous can create them, but it takes a lot of time. If the holder doesn’t want to spend his energy in creating them, he can corrupt real butterflies.”

Robin hummed next to her. “With the number of Akumas we have to fight, I’m willing to bet that he does both. What if the type of butterfly had an influence in the Akuma’s power and strength?”

Chat Noir frowned. “What? you think that the victims akumatized by butterflies coming from the Miraculous are more powerful than those akumatized by a corrupted butterfly?”

Robin smirked. “That’s exactly what I think.”

Ladybug’s eyes widened. She had never thought of that before. And that would explain why the Akumas were more powerful than before. Hawkmoth has decided to take the time to create some of his own.

“But where would he find butterflies?”

Nightwing showed her his tablet, where she could see a web page with several results of butterflies breeding in the countryside not too far from Paris.

Ladybug frowned at that and passed the tablet to her partner so he could see it. “Either he owns one of them or has actions in it.”

Robin nodded. “That means that Hawkmoth is a man with a lot of money.”

Nightwing beamed at that. “Yeah, so it cuts a lot of people out of our list. See? We’re getting somewhere! So he’s a rich guy, but what’s his motive?”

“To make a wish, obviously,” answered Chat Noir.

“But why does he want to make a wish? Why does one want to alter reality?” Nightwing asked, looking at each of them pointedly.

The cat-themed hero scoffed, “Because he’s an evil bastard?”

Robin rolled his eyes. “Except that. There must be a personal reason. For example, if you could make a wish, what would you do it for?” he asked, looking at everyone.

“I would do it if someone I loved died, I guess. I would want to bring them back, to see them again,” Ladybug whispered.

“Yeah, that would be a reason for me too,” breathed Chat Noir, arms crossed against his torso, looking deep in his thoughts.

“That would be the only reason I would be willing to take the risk of a wish too,” said Nightwing, noting something down in his notebook.

“And that’s the same for me,” he said, looking at Ladybug. “So we should look out for rich people who lost someone dear to them. A child, a spouse, a parent, a sibling… And in the last five years or so.”

As Nightwing noted everything down, Robin’s hand found its way in her hair and slightly tugged at it, getting her attention. “Didn’t you suspect Gabriel Agreste, once?”

Ladybug nodded, but Chat Noir was quicker to react. “But it’s not him!” he exclaimed, looking almost panicked, “he got akumatized a few years ago!”

The oldest among them hummed. “Yeah, but we don’t know the extent of his power. It’s possible he akumatized himself on purpose if he thought you guys were closing on him.”

Ladybug agreed with him. “He lost his wife a few years ago. He’s rich. He meets all the requirements.”

Suddenly, Chat Noir stood up, startling her. “No!” he yelled loudly, “Ladybug, we’ve already written him off. It’s not him.”

And without another word, Chat Noir left.

It’s Robin’s oldest brother comment that broke the silence.

“He sure does feel strongly about Gabriel Agreste. Giving that the man is a recluse and only interacts with two people in his life…” Nightwing said, staring at Ladybug, as if trying to communicate something with her.

Oh.

Chat Noir was Gabriel Agreste’s son.

Chat Noir was Adrien Agreste.

“Well, it’s gotten even more complicated now,” she sighed, rubbing her eyes with the palm of her hands.

Robin’s hand stroking her back was comforting.

“I’ll search for anything related to a butterfly breeding and run a comparison between Hawkmoth’s voice and Gabriel’s tomorrow. If it’s him, we’ll need a plan of action next, but we’ll see that once it’s confirmed.”

Nightwing then looked at her, taking her hand in his in a comfort that was so brotherly that it almost brought tears to her eyes.

“Tell me,” he started, “if Gabriel is Hawkmoth, and Adrien has a confirmation of it, what will he do?”

She would like to tell him that Chat Noir would help them. That he would fight Hawkmoth with them.

But then, she thought of times Adrien spoke of his mother. His love for her was obvious, and he had hope that she would reappear one day, since he didn’t know anything about her disappearance.

Ladybug sighed, shaking slightly and leaned on Robin’s side, in a side hug.

“Honestly, I don’t know.”

Tag List:

@bigpicklebananatree @animegirlweeb @crazylittlemunchkin @northernbluetongue @cutechip @justafanwarrior @iloontjeboontje @resignedcatservant @maribat-is-lifeblood @i-like-fairytail-and-stuff @toodaloo-kangaroo @mikantsume @dast218 @amayakans @zestyzealot @lunarwolfspn @corabeth11 @marinettepotterandplagg @olynix @aestheticnpoetic @hot-neighbour-nextdoor @thehufflepuffranger-blog @k-poplunardreams @tis-i-beanbandit @bluesimani @laurcad123

#maribat #daminette #maridami #damian x marinette #ml x dc #mlb x dc #miraculous x dc

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bluebird722 · 4 years ago

Text

Aftermath of the Dream

Pairing: Damian Wayne/Robin + Raven

Rating: M for explicit sex scene

Author’s Note: As usual, for @tigerdude94, @rachelalghul, @chromium7sky, @lunastar92, @damnshipper, @dcgzilla, @quothxthexravenx, @dcdweeb, @grassfour, @xxitzmikoxx, @andthendk, @unk-vi, @ravenfan1242, @raventrigonsdaughter, @xaphrin, and everyone else who has kept Damirae alive for years.

Post-JLD:AW, right after the Flash runs to create a new Flashpoint...

White faded into black.

***

Two weeks had passed ever since everybody woke up from that horrific dream, but it wasn’t just a dream. Even Titans East—consisting of Speedy and Bumblebee and Kid Flash—had experienced it, being murdered one by one, and they admitted that it felt too real; all three of them woke up in cold sweats. They shared it with Nightwing and Starfire via a video call.

“It’s so strange that you guys felt it, too,” said Speedy. “At this point…I don’t think it even was a dream!”

“Do you think…it was some kind of spell or something, that made us experience it?” asked Blue Beetle.

Damian remained silent, but from what he had gathered and researched, some things—some people—didn’t exist. There was no Superboy of any kind, and he found that "Tara Markov" was the Princess of Markovia who was registered at school under that name. There was no such thing as something called the “H.I.V.E.”, and the Court of Owls was a nickname for the Gotham elite, which Father detested.

Not surprisingly, the other person most affected was the one with ashy milk skin but with no jewel on her forehead. Ever since they all woke up, the two of them were distant from each other. Any time she caught him looking at her, she looked away. When she offered to heal him from an injury during combat training, he backed away and refused. It was obvious that she herself had seen, had felt the romance between them but was unsure of what to make of it.

Two months of awkwardness had passed. In that time, Nightwing had left the Titans to co-mentor Batgirl with Batman, Batwoman, and Batwing but continued to date Starfire. Wonder Woman’s sister, Donna, had moved into the tower without officially joining the team. Beast Boy, the notorious green changeling, had left the Doom Patrol to work solo and then decided to join the Titans. Not to Damian’s surprise, even Garfield admitted to feeling that same dream.

Still, he felt even more distant from Raven, who spent all of her free time meditating and barely talking. It only frustrated him more, even if he himself refused to initiate any conversation with her. Finally, he confronted her after she finished meditating on the roof. She seemed to be expecting him, for she barely lifted her head when she said, “I felt everything, too.”

He stopped and frowned at her. “How do you explain that?” he harshly asked.

She finally met his eyes. “You and me. The dream.”

“Everything?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Everything.”

Damian wasn’t afraid of anything, let alone confrontation, but he felt awkward addressing this.

“And I do not wish to address it,” she said curtly.

“Address what?” he spat.

She didn’t look at him. “The thought…that it would take the deaths of our friends and…they’re our family…” Her eyes closed in sorrow. Damian wanted to speak but didn’t know what to say. “I didn’t like…that you would lead your grandfather’s group of assassins after everyone died.”

Damian frowned. “You didn’t,” he reminded her. “You turned down my offer.”

Her eyes gave him a dangerous glare. “Do I look like the kind of person who would want to lead a number of people who kill?”

Damian frowned. “No—”

“Then what makes you think I would do that, even with all of my friends dead?” she interrupted. “Didn’t you—in that dream—say that you wanted me to, because you had feelings for me?”

Her question was like a slap to the face. Damian continued to frown at her, but his chest ached. No coherent thoughts came to him. “I’m going inside,” he said instead, and he turned around, ignoring her “You didn’t answer my question, Damian.”

He went into his room and picked up his sword. Practice was the best way to release his feelings; he dare not think of talking about them.

***

Two years changed from tension to… Damian couldn’t describe it, but over time, he and Raven were able to make eye contact again. They began to go back to having conversations. Damian adopted a rescue puppy who took to falling asleep on Raven when she read on the couch. He wouldn’t admit it, but her body was still attractive, and he fantasized about stroking her hair. He wanted to pick her up and carry her around bridal style.

For her, it started during a botched robbery. They prevented the theft of a scientific experiment from within a lab, but Damian had suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder and was bleeding profusely. Raven was quick to rush to his side, remove the bullet, and heal his wound. Even though he insisted that he was fine, everyone else insisted that he still rest in the medical bay. The bullet wound was gone, but everyone from Nightwing to Starfire—both of whom had since joined the League—to Batman had gone to the tower to ensure that the leader of the Titans was all right.

Damian tolerated the attention, but what really surprised him was that Raven nearly hovered around him. He lost track of the number of times she had asked him how he was feeling.

No, he wasn’t lightheaded or dizzy, yes, he could walk in a straight line, yes, he could recite the alphabet backwards, no, he wasn’t having hallucinations… By day two, he was frustrated and asked her why she was acting like this. “I’m fine,” he insisted, doing his best not to clench his teeth. “I honestly am.”

Raven’s eyes snapped from where he had been shot to meet his. “Well, excuse me for being worried,” she said in her usual monotone.

“It’s not that,” he said curtly. “It’s not like I was going to die…”

In an instant, he watched her look to the ground and shuffle her feet. He stared at her until he remembered…the dream…

“You did die once,” she said softly, “and…it may have been a dream…but…it felt so real…”

Damian’s heart skipped a beat. He hesitantly put his hand on top of hers. She snapped her head towards him. If he remembered correctly, from the dream, she had felt helpless but smiled after he subtly reassured her that it was going to be all right. To his excitement, she looked shocked but then relaxed.

He let the sexual tension between them carry on—he kind of liked that she would avoid eye contact with him—until he changed his mind. Luckily, nothing happened that particular day, so he figured that it would be a nice night to invite her to go on patrol with him. She looked surprised but agreed. She opened a portal to the tallest skyscraper, where they scanned in silence.

“I’m rather flattered that you asked me to go on patrol with you,” she said after only ten minutes.

Part of it was an adrenaline rush, but Damian’s heart was pounding so fast that it made his arm ached. “Well, I felt like tonight was the best night that I could think of,” he said.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “What?”

Damian glanced at the clock. There were still two hours left. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s move.”

Raven took his hands and flew him around the city, not paying any particular interest to the decoration on the windows of apartments and a few offices. They stopped a robbery in five minutes and hauled away an abusive husband in twenty. As soon as they dropped him off to the police, Raven flew Damian back to the skyscraper and yawned. “It must feel better when you’re patrolling with someone else, when you’re not alone,” she said.

Damian nodded. “I should go on patrol with you more often,” he said. “It does take longer to do it alone.”

Raven smirked. “Glad to hear that little sourpuss is understanding the value of teamwork.”

Damian narrowed his eyes and hunched over a gargoyle. Raven stayed behind and let the wind push her hood off her head. “You know what’s ironic?” she asked rather sadly.

“What?”

Raven hesitated. “There was that couple we broke up today,” she began, “and…it’s Valentine’s Day…”

Damian’s heart felt as though it was a bomb that suddenly exploded. Did she know? How long had she known what day it was? He leaned back on his heels and pushed himself up. “I know it’s Valentine’s Day,” he said, even though he didn’t understand why people celebrated love on the day of some martyred saint from years ago. He was at her side before she noticed. “That’s why…I invited you on patrol with me.”

Raven’s eyes widen to the point where he was sure they would ache. He cautiously reached forward and wrapped his arm around her waist. Almost immediately, she touched the side of his face, and the beating in his heart increased the closer she came to him until she gave him his first kiss.

It was better than in the dream because he knew that they would have more time, more opportunities to kiss. In that moment, his heart yearned for more of what it felt like to love someone, to experience romantic love, the kind of love that put one at greater risk for heartbreak, the love that his mother and grandfather had discouraged from his life.

He wrapped his arms tighter around her waist, and her own wrapped around the back of his neck. They kissed until the clock struck midnight and then resumed patrol, taking down a drug ring and attempted rape within two hours until the sun rose. Raven opened a portal back to the tower so they could rest until the others woke. Outside her room, Damian kissed her again and had no intention of stopping.

***

When Dick and Kory announced their engagement two months later, Damian felt nothing but joy for the annoying older brother and his greatest love. Some, like Donna, saw this as a reminder that everyone was growing up and moving on, but others like Raven saw this as a sign that life was meant to be full of joy and happiness. Few of the Titans suspected that Damian and Raven were making out around the tower or lying on his bed in their downtime, holding hands and smiling but not talking. “Dates” consisted of patrol and swimming in the ocean, combat training and meditation. The closest they had gotten to intimacy was when he took off his turtleneck due to the heat, and she spent so long kissing his chest and shoulders, stroking down his back and arms, and pressing her palms against his neck and abdomen. She really liked the noises he made and the sight of his teeth bared every time she touched a certain spot.

Not surprisingly, he asked her to be his date at Dick and Kory’s wedding. She agreed and pulled him back in for another kiss. Her hand slid under his sweater to feel the softness of his back. A bulge rose against her leg, and she had a tinge of satisfaction for making the former smartass aroused. She sensed it in the manner in which he seized her hip.

In the months leading up to the wedding, Raven could feel the desire growing in him. He had never seen her topless before, so when she allowed him to feel her breasts, she sensed his head ready to explode with…greed, almost. When he found her nipples under her uniform, he wouldn’t stop circling them; the spandex seemed to help with the reactions.

When she was on top, she pulled his turtleneck up to his chest and kissed all over his abdomen. She moved up to his ribs and sternum, arching her back so he could have a nice view of her backside to go with the pecks on his chest. He actually groaned when she kissed down to his pants, but as soon as he felt her caress his belt buckle, the lust came back to him. She was slow to unbuckle his belt and unzip his pants, and even slower to touch the bulge under his black boxer briefs.

His mouth opened in a silent cry. In that moment, he wanted her to free him. This was too much for even him. She asked with her eyes, and he said yes. She stripped his pants from his legs and pulled forward to remove his sweater. He slid her jacket from her arms and rubbed her bare shoulders.

“Yes,” she whispered, too enthralled to see him lean forward and kiss the tops of her breasts. When it occurred to her, she used her powers to unzip her bustier and let it fall on top of him.

Damian didn’t hesitate to toss it aside and take in the full view of human breasts to himself. He was quick to kiss them, lather his tongue over her nipples, and fondle the glands. She moaned and purred, but he wanted more. One hand stayed on her breast, and the other rode down her abdomen and under her skirt.

Raven threw back her head with a sharp gasp. Damian smirked with her nipple in his mouth and remembered what he had learned from the awkward and uncomfortable video he saw that explained sex and pleasure, and where women were most sensitive. He stroked the hard nub in a circular motion and inched downward to feel her entrance.

She hissed when he pushed in two fingers and clenched around him. Her nipple escaped his lips, and she replaced it with her mouth. Her hand went back to massaging his crotch and outlining his shape.

“You don’t ever have to hide anything from me, you know that, right?” she asked against his lips.

Damian’s hips began to jerk forward, as though he was on the verge of orgasm. She shushed him and guided his hand to keep pleasuring her. “I could do this all day,” he confessed.

“So could I,” she whispered, even though her arm felt like thousands of needles were piercing her flesh.

They kissed and fondled each other until someone cried out for them—Jaime, saying that the League was on call. The birds flushed, and Raven was quick to redress herself into her uniform; Damian was relieved that she used her powers to dress him quickly. Unfortunately, when the two entered the common room at the same time, Raven felt Batman’s eyes on her and his son, as though he knew that the two had just touched each other intimately.

The Titans were quick to stop the attack on Metropolis and overpower the criminals in half the time that it would have taken the League. They didn’t stop for pictures or interviews, though, but chose to return to San Francisco. Back in the safety of the tower, Damian and Raven shook off the adrenaline with a quick swim in the ocean.

Aside from caresses to the thighs and backrubs, Damian and Raven couldn’t bring themselves back to their heated moment. It was easier to wait until they weren’t at risk of interruption again. Even though they still kissed and stroked each other, Raven wouldn’t forget the feeling of his length in her hand. He missed kissing her chest and feeling sparks of electricity under her touch. In the privacy of his own room, he started to dream heavily about sex and what lovemaking would feel like.

***

Dick and Kory got married on the anniversary of when they first met. Damian was happy to be a groomsman to fill in for Speedy, who was unable to make it due to an undercover mission involving some assassin who shared the name of some kind of cheese. Raven was absolutely stunning in violet satin, her hair clipped back and loosely curled. He couldn’t focus on Kory, in her white gown and bun with Dick escorting his bride, because Raven was there and he couldn’t look away. Sometimes she smiled and winked at him, but in that space of a second, Damian just wanted to stomp over and get her out of that church.

The vows and pictures seemed to stretch on longer than Dick and Kory originally planned, and Damian had never before felt so impatient. Luckily, he got to sit beside Raven in the limo and keep his hand on her lower back. They danced at the reception, and Damian had never before laughed so hard. He wasn’t a great dancer, but it was easier with his and Raven’s shoes off, and as long as he looked into her eyes. They wished Dick and Kory all of the best in the world and made babysitting jokes, knowing that the newlyweds hoped to start a family soon.

Even after the happy couple left for their honeymoon, Damian and Raven slow-danced with the other Titans and Leaguers, Raven’s head on his shoulder and his fingertips tracing her spine so slowly that she shivered with goosebumps. He inhaled the scent of her hair and nearly closed his eyes, almost on the verge of falling asleep, when he caught his father’s gaze in his direction. Bruce didn’t look angry or pleased, but Damian suspected that his father’s expression had something to do with the girl in his arms.

“I’ll be right back,” he whispered to Raven.

“Okay,” she whispered back. Her voice melted his heart.

Damian reluctantly let go of her and walked past Constantine and Zatanna to Bruce, the former ready for any embarrassing interrogation. He stood up straight and slid his hands into his pockets. “Yes, Father?”

Bruce stared hard at his biological son. “I will only ask this once,” he said in a low voice, “because I am your father and seek only the truth: Are you two being safe?”

Damian knew that he would ask something like that, but it still felt like a punch to the sternum and made his face red. He swallowed. “If it pleases you, Father, we have not gone that far.”

Bruce gave him the famous glare that made even supervillains cold to the bone. Damian crossed his arms. Then Bruce relaxed himself. “I believe you,” he said, “but understand, nevertheless, how important it is to be careful and protect yourself.”

Damian wished that his father was seriously not confronting him about this in a wedding reception, where other people could be listening, but he nevertheless fought the urge to lash out at his billionaire father. “I appreciate your concern, Father,” he said. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go back to my…”

He couldn’t finish. Instead, he turned around and went back to Raven, speaking animatedly with Donna. When she saw him, Donna politely excused himself to go back to her sister. Damian worried how much she knew or suspected. Raven, however, still looked pleased to see him and held out her hand. They danced until they were tired, and Raven opened a portal back to the tower.

The couple kissed outside her door until he motioned for her to turn around and unzipped her gown for her. He kissed all over her bare back, thankful that she didn’t wear a bra, and snaked his hands around her abdomen under her gown. Her head fell back against her shoulder, her throat bulging. He kissed up and down her neck and pushed his hands up to cup her erect breasts. She let the straps fall from her shoulders, and an aurora of excitement clouded his mind. He walked behind her into her room and stroked the front of her body until her dress bunched at her waist. Then he took to stroking the waistband of her lace bikini panties and feeling for any sensitive areas. Eventually, the material fell from her body, but before he could go any further, she spun around, kissed him, and tugged on his tie.

She kissed down the side of his neck and took her time removing his tuxedo but spent too long caressing his back. They unbuckled his belt together, and he pulled down his pants by himself. In a bold move, he picked her up, causing her teeth to painfully hit his lip, and carried her to her bed, falling with her. The lace was so sexy on her, but he just wanted to rip it off of her and feel the sensation of sex, of lovemaking. He wanted only her, and he couldn’t think of ever falling in love with someone else. His lips traced the dark line leading down her abdomen, and he kissed the inside of her knees and thighs. There was a good chance that this would lead to sex, and the thought sent his heart pounding in his ears, but he was determined to make love, to make up for their being products of rape.

“Damian,” she gasped with heavily lidded eyes.

In that space of a second, Damian worried that she didn’t want this and was not ready to go that far. The pounding in his ears made it hard for him to listen to what she said at first. “What?”

Her fingertip traced his upper lip. “How far…do you…”

Damian swallowed. “As far as you want it,” he said timidly.

Her hands smoothed down her ribs and abdomen, and touched between his legs. “I don’t know…but I might be…given that I’m hybrid…but to be safe…”

Her fingers lowered to her own crotch. He watched her caress her own groin and abdomen while she muttered something in a language unfamiliar to him. It was lovely. She stopped and reached for him again. “Contraceptive charm,” she explained.

Before Damian could flush in embarrassment and shame that he forgot about his father’s warning, she stroked his length, and he slowly removed his last article of clothing at an angle that would hide him from her. She removed her own herself and bashfully felt herself, hoping she was as ready as her heart.

He put his hand over hers and followed her movements. “Are you nervous?” he whispered.

Raven swallowed and nodded.

Damian grazed his lips over hers and tried not to bite his lip. “If…If I’m…” He became mad at himself for speaking so timidly. “You’ll let me know if I…”

“Yes,” she interrupted. “Just…be gentle…”

Damian kissed her forehead and stroked her soft hair. She looked so different around when aroused and nervous yet excited.

Her hand slid from under his to place on top of his. He grazed over her labia and fingered her clit. They spent twenty minutes exploring that part of her, figuring out what aroused her best. She withered on the bed and panted at certain spots that he didn’t want to pull away from. He found her entrance and slid in two fingers, massaging her interior in small circles.

Eventually, he pulled away and pressed a long kiss to the center of her ribcage. He used two fingers to widen her, even with her legs parted, and closed his eyes. When he pushed against her, she bit her lip and tried to clear her mind. His breathing dried her lips, and then he pushed himself halfway in.

It didn’t hurt as badly as she had feared, but it burned and stung at the same time. She hissed and gripped his shoulders. “Slow,” she winced.

When he finally inched all of himself in, after several seconds of winces and chokes, Damian closed his eyes and relished in the feeling. “Are you all right?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “Remember…”

He knew what she meant, and he was determined to go slow until she said he could speed up. He shakily kissed her again, taking his time rocking his hips, and closed his eyes.

Pain faded into pleasure the more she concentrated on the feeling of his back and the softness of his hair. He was now too slow. “A little faster,” she encouraged him.

Damian took his time going faster, listening for her grunts of pleasure and holding her folded leg against his hip. When she rocked her hips against his, he pushed himself to meet her needs and picked up the pace.

Raven arched her back and neck, unable to hold on any longer. He roughened her nipple with his thumb and finger, grunting into her shoulder, and hissing in pleasure. He wanted this to be a good, memorable first time for both of them, and he wanted her to feel every possible bit of pleasure.

In that dream, the one that everyone had experienced, they did not have the opportunity to share more than one kiss. This, however, was reality, and Damian did not want reality to go to waste.

Damian slept dreamlessly until someone not him exhaled. When he opened his eyes, he saw her in his arms, her back to him. Flashbacks from the night before came back to him, and he closed his eyes once more. That was no dream, he knew. It was all reality, and he wouldn’t have it in any other way.

***

Within the first year that Damian and Raven were sexually active, Dick and Kory welcomed a healthy baby girl, with her mother’s skin and eyes, and her father’s black hair. Everybody, Titans and Leaguers and independent heroes, gathered to meet the newborn. Damian was incredibly awkward holding Mar’i, who snored in the crook of his arm, but when he looked at her little face, full of innocence, he knew that he would do anything to keep her safe and protect her from harm.

After Raven had her turn cradling Mar’i, she leaned against Damian’s shoulder and stroked the back of his hand. He watched his predecessor lower his baby girl into her crib and kiss the center of her forehead. Damian thought less about the dream that overwhelmed him, but he remembered the vain attempt to bring back his brother and his wish to keep the insane person alive nonetheless. Even that Dick wouldn’t be able to appreciate the joy and toil of fatherhood, which Damian thought might as well be in his own future. Talking to new parents over the sleeping baby made it harder for him to leave and go back to the tower.

Before they kissed all the way to his bed, Raven pulled away and stroked the side of his face. “Are you all right?”

Damian reflected on life since the dream, how Titans came and went, some villains changed sides or lived quiet lives, his relationship with his father improving, his becoming team leader, Dick changed from older-brother figure to devoted father, and especially how his relationship with Raven had progressed much differently than he expected. They still had time together, and whatever direction their relationship went, he didn’t want to look back or think of what could have been.

“I can’t imagine myself being any better,” he said with a kiss to her lips, closing the door behind him. He followed her to the bed as she used her powers to pull him towards the bed into a world that would have no ending.

#damirae #fanfiction #damian wayne #robin #raven #dick grayson #nightwing #titans #teen titans #starfire #koriand'r #bruce wayne #batman #justice league #justice league dark: apokolips war

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lov3nerdstuff · 4 years ago

Text

Voluptas Noctis Aeternae {Part 7.18}

*Severus Snape x OC*

General warnings: professor x student, blood, violence, trauma, neglectful families, bullying, cursing

Words: 4k

Read Part 1.1 here! All Parts can be found on the Masterlist!

______________________________

The way back to the castle was quick and they arrived just in time for dinner, but still made their ways into the great hall separately like they usually did. All the way, Robin couldn't help smiling to herself, not even as she sat down with her friends, who resided at the Slytherin table today.

It took them two seconds to notice her unusually good mood and another to comment on it, but Robin just explained that she'd had a nice day in Hogsmeade and an enjoyable walk back. Jorien snorted in return, Cas frowned, and Simon did both at once, while Michael and Gideon simply didn't know Robin well enough to be aware of the fact that she hated shopping, and designated Hogsmeade days even more. Jorien was quick to explain that fact to them however, and Robin just shrugged it off with another smile. She did add then that she'd mostly enjoyed intimidating a shop owner to accept her terms of a bargain –she did not give details on either though– and her friends finally agreed that this already sounded a whole lot more like the Robin they knew.

Dinner was mostly amicable chatter and talk about tomorrow's tutoring then, as well as a ridiculously serious discussion between Jorien and Gideon about an incident they'd all heard of somehow –involving two sixth years, a dark hallway past curfew, some certain body parts and an enlargement charm– which resulted in second-hand embarrassment for Robin, Michael and Simon, and a giggling fit for Cas. Honestly, Jorien was all facts and no emotion sometimes, Cas just didn't possess a sense of shame, and Gideon obviously went to great lengths to win an argument, no matter how ridiculous it was. The other three just had to bear it out. Robin cringed at the mental images the discussion was giving her, but on the other hand she found it entertaining to see Jorien winning the argument with such an ease. It made her feel proud of the girl, if nothing else.

Finally when dinner was over and the group once again among the last to leave, the boys decided that they would tag along for tutoring in the morning, mainly for the sake of getting help with a charms and herbology assignment on Simon's and Michael's end respectively. Robin absolutely didn't mind going over some NEWT topics as well if they wanted her to, and while she immediately placed the disclaimer that she was only a year ahead and might not even be of any actual help to them at all, the five people in front of her simply laughed at that statement. Obviously neither of them believed her to be 'just a year ahead' for real, and while she felt very much flattered by their confidence in her, she also wasn't quite sure if she would actually be able to meet their ridiculously high expectations. Oh well… an issue for another day.

From there, the girls made their way down to the dungeons like every night, with Robin coming along for half of the way, and upon their usual question about her plans for the evening, she told them that Snape and her were in the process of experimenting with some new substances and she thus couldn't say when she would be returning to her dorm. A beautiful way to shape the truth, she thought, and the girls did as they ought to by shrugging it off as another ordinary night of her work. They did her the favour of taking her winter robes back to their room though, when Robin bid them goodnight and went ahead to let herself into the office.

"Don't get settled, we aren't staying." Snape said the moment she closed the door behind herself, and the smirk was back on her lips in no time, but it was dimmed down again when she saw the annoyed frown on his face that accompanied the statement.

"What's the matter? Change in whatever plans you made?"

"Indeed." He grumbled, picking up a stack of notebooks, and then ushered her straight back out into the hallway, where he followed before locking the door to the office. "Poppy is out of calming draught and pepperup potion, and she believes it to be of vital importance to stock up on both tonight. Idiotic, if they would ask me, but unfortunately no one ever does. So lab work it is."

Robin only groaned under her breath and rolled her eyes while her feet carried her towards the lab on autopilot already, with Snape following right behind her. So much for excitement… making both potions and having them ready for delivery would take hours! But it was their job after all. Actually, it was his job and she just couldn't be bothered to stop doing it together with him.

"I hope she at least knows that she owes you for making us do this on a bloody Saturday night." Robin sighed when she finally dropped her backpack in its usual corner in the lab, then pulled her wand out of her sleeve, put her hair up into a messy knot, and finally rolled up her sleeves all in the usual practiced movements. When her eyes lifted from her arms up to Snape however, to see why he wasn't answering, she found him still standing with his back to the closed door, observing her in rapt serenity. The sight sent a pleasant shiver down her spine, but she refused to let it distract her from the task at hand as she moved towards the tables to set up for the impending work. "If you just keep standing there like a pillar of salt we'll never get this done, you know… And I was actually kinda hoping we would get to continue with whatever plans you've made once we're done here."

"We certainly will." He finally replied as he snapped out of his freeze, lips curling into a not-smirk while he mirrored her actions and rolled up his sleeves as well. He had started doing that more often ever since summer, whenever they had practical work to do in the safe solitude of the lab, and Robin felt a certain pride in the knowledge that he was comfortable enough around her by now to do so. Now was no different, and she smiled to herself as she was about to get started.

"Which one would you like me to make?" She asked while he was still setting up next to her. "Any preference?"

"Your pick."

"Again? You're being suspiciously gracious today, and I'm not sure if I want to know why… I'm not dying again, am I?" She sent him a small smirk, but went straight on. "I'll do the calming draught then. Pepperup always makes me sneeze like crazy."

"I know. It is ironic, really."

"Very funny, yes, absolutely hilarious." She rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, but smiled nonetheless as she got started picking out the ingredients. For these kinds of potions, the infirmary's stock and all the ones taught in class, she had long passed the point of needing instructions at all.

The brewing was a running routine by now, and even if Robin had been hoping for a different pastime for tonight, she still found herself enjoying the work as always. It wasn't the most interesting thing to make standard type potions, admittedly, but just working in the lab together with Snape never failed to be a delight in its own right. Before long they were at the point of simply having to wait while the potions simmered quietly in their cauldrons, and while Robin went to write the labels, Snape started grading the notebooks he had brought. Occasionally he grumbled to himself about whatever idiotic thing some student had written in their essay this time, and Robin always found herself amused by his annoyance. There was little else to do than listening to his remarks after all, seeing as writing labels was a repetitive process she might as well have charmed her quill to do by itself. But then she would be left without anything to do at all, and that wouldn't be an improvement either. Thus she just dipped her quill into the inkwell once more with a silent sigh, when suddenly the comfortable calm of the lab was disturbed by a harsh and repeated knocking on the door. That almost never happened.

Robin jumped a little, but stayed sitting on her stool while Snape grumbled to himself again and went to snap at whoever was bothering them with tangible annoyance radiating off him in an invisible cloud. The very second Robin lifted her gaze from the labels to him however, by chance more than intentionally, something in her mind clicked together at the sight of him almost having reached the door. Without a second thought she dropped the quill and bolted, barely still barging in between Snape and the door before he could open it. Her momentum had her back crashing against the wood in a loud rattle, and she found herself once again standing chest to chest with him, trying to catch her breath as she looked up with wide eyes. His scowl had disappeared entirely, only to be replaced by genuinely shocked surprise. Bloody hell, his face was so close to her own… not even a breath away now. A second passed in silence, and her eyes flickered down to his lips ever so briefly, but she just couldn't help it. Her heart skipped a beat, adrenaline running through her veins like sweetest poison, and she finally remembered why she had brought herself into this situation in the first place.

He still looked like a deer in the headlights when Robin wrapped a reluctant hand around his forearm, then dropped her gaze down to the minimal space between them entirely as she carefully rolled his sleeves down again. It took him a few seconds to catch on to her gesture, but then he helped her by closing a few of the buttons at least before repeating the process on the other side himself at a much faster pace. The entire moment didn't last longer than a few seconds, even though it seemed to span enteritis in Robin's mind, and once the task was accomplished, Snape took a step backwards for Robin to move away from the door to allow him to open up at last.

Bloody hell… Robin's heart was still jumping out of her chest, and her insides had liquified entirely as she went to sit back down on her stool. That had been a very close call on two ends, and she took deep breaths to regain some composure at least while resting her forearms on the tabletop. The area where she had dropped the quill was covered in tiny black speckles, as were her forearms, but for some miraculous reason the labels had been spared at least. Good… things were good. Slowly her heartbeat calmed down to a normal pace again, and her brain started working like it ought to as well. When she finally was in a place of mind to pay attention to what was happening at the door, it was thrown shut already though, and Snape returned to his place next to her at the table in silence.

"What was that about?" She asked as calmly as she could, studying how the frown stayed on his face even as he was sitting down next to her again.

"Nothing of importance." He answered quickly, but then sighed as he seemed to think better of it. They were past the point of only sharing important things with each other… long past it, actually. "Pomona informed me that she would like to keep a small group of fifth years in the greenhouse after curfew tomorrow evening and I gave my approval."

"Ah." Robin replied under her breath, but didn't know what else to say on the issue and thus merely let her gaze drop to the labels again, without picking up the quill though. For a few seconds it was quiet, but she could tell by the tension surrounding them that he wanted to say something, and she would give him all the time he needed to do so. Pushing him never worked in her favour anyway, but giving him space usually did.

"Thank you. For keeping an eye on me." He finally started, in a calm tone now but still with a frown on his face. "Such carelessness on my part has never happened before, and it certainly will not be happening again."

"You were caught up in your thoughts, that happens to everyone at some point. It's not worth being upset over now. And of course I'm keeping an eye on you! It's what we always do, both of us. You know that." She returned a soft smile, reassuring and calm and affectionate in that way that was only reserved for him. "I'm just sorry I jumped at you like a maniac."

It took a few seconds, but then his frown loosened up slowly and the not-smirk returned to his lips. "I didn't mind that, actually."

Robin's smile turned into a smirk as well, and then she just had to laugh. "Of course you didn't… You're insufferable, you know?"

"That would be my line."

"Well, I'm stealing it now. We're both insufferable, that's just the way things are." She said with a nonchalant shrug, turning back to pick up her quill and write her labels with a lingering smirk now, and out of the corners of her eyes, she could see that the same expression was gracing his features as well, as he went to continue grading the essays.

They finished their work in the usual calm contentment, first the grading and the labels –while occasional mocking some dunderhead students– before finally bottling the finished potions. It was shortly before midnight when they were done at last, when the bottles were neatly boxed up to be delivered. They spontaneously decided that Robin would be the one to take them to the infirmary, while Snape wanted to clean up the lab and return the notebooks to the office. Moments later she was as good as gone, carefully balancing four smaller cardboard boxes in her arms as she quickly made her way through the dark castle and towards the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey was delighted as always when Robin staggered through the heavy doors in an attempt not to drop everything, and whispered many thanks while helping her sort the boxes into the storage shelves. Robin took note of the fact that by now the entire stock had her handwriting on it indeed, and it probably had been that way for a while. She smiled at the realisation, not without a certain sense of pride, and after bidding the matron goodnight, she was leaving again already.

On her way back down to the dungeons though, Robin almost ran into Morgan, who obviously was assigned to patrol the castle tonight. She was just rounding a corner when he suddenly stood right in front of her, but he was luckily looking into the other direction, which gave her enough time to jump back around the corner and hide away in one of the darkest alcoves. Thank heaven or hell for her by now decent ability to move silently, which she had somehow made a habit of practicing ever since she started spending every night in the lab or the office. Over the years she had gotten quite good at it, not as good as Snape obviously, but good enough for Morgan to walk past her now without having noticed her presence. Thank God… Only once she couldn't hear his doorstep anymore, she finally dared to move out of her alcove and continue her way down to the dungeons almost in a run. She really wasn't up for another nightly encounter with Morgan, especially not if he was actually patrolling the castle tonight. She would just have to be careful, and keep an eye on her surroundings.

And yet, just when she hasted along the last hallway in the dungeons before finally being back at the office, she made the mistake of looking back over her shoulder when rounding the last corner and promptly ran into the familiar wall of black. It had been a while since that had last happened, and this time, instead of letting her tumble down to the floor in her immediate loss of balance, his arm was around her waist in an instant, keeping her upright and securely on her feet. At first Robin let out a startled yelp, but after the second it took her brain to register that she knew that arm around her as well as the scent that was overwhelming her senses now, she didn't even need to look at Snape for her body to relax already.

"Didn't we say we would meet at the office?" She finally asked, barely above a whisper but with a smile in relief and a scowl in feigned complaint nonetheless. His arm disappeared from around her, unfortunately, and he took a step backwards to inspect her with a curious frown.

"We did, but you were taking longer than expected, which usually means that either something or someone has happened to you. I merely wanted to see if you were alright." He said in a quiet tone, glancing down the dark hallway that stretched into blackness behind Robin.

"I'm good… but only barely." She sighed, and his eyes found hers again within a second. "I almost ran into Morgan, he's patrolling tonight. Had to hide for a while until he was gone."

"That would explain the delay. I take it then that he didn't see you?"

"No, he walked right past me. But knowing him, that might just have been part of his game. So I was somewhere between panicking and in a haste to get back here."

"Understandable. Let's see to it that we stay out of his way." He said, then the subtle not-smirk returned to his lips. "We still have plans for tonight after all, and I don't want him, or anyone else for that matter, to interrupt those yet again."

Robin's heart skipped a beat upon his words, and once again the anxiety was making way for suspense and excitement. But at the same time, the spark of amusement in his eyes made her smirk in return. "Since you refuse to tell me what we will be doing, you'll have to lead the way. If you don't wanna stand in the hallway all night, that is."

With an exaggerated eye rolling but the same not-smirk, he motioned for her to come along, stopping again a few more steps down the path to retrieve Robin's backpack from the office first, but much to her surprise they then continued on to make their way through the dark hallways until at last they arrived in front of his rooms. Her heart skipped yet another beat, and she tried not to grin like an idiot while he unlocked the door and then let her go in first. This was an interesting development of things… one she certainly didn't mind in the least. She'd been wondering ever since Thursday night when she would get to come back here, but she honestly hadn't expected that moment to arrive so soon. With the biggest smile on her face she dropped down on the sofa and watched him light up the fireplace before taking off his robes and coat and neatly folding both pieces over a chair. It left him in that linen shirt he had also been wearing on Thursday night when she'd come here unannounced, and when he went to roll up the sleeves of that now again, Robin couldn't help but watch in amazement. At some point that gesture had become ridiculously attractive, just like the whole act of him taking off the many layers of black, and she didn't know if it was the gesture itself that had her marvelling or the level of comfort it represented. Both, probably. Her heart was soaring either way.

"You sit there like you have been summoned to the headmaster's office." He finally said, in a taunting voice, while moving about in search of something. "You've never been shy in a space of mine before, so just get comfortable already, will you?"

"If you insist." She chuckled, and toed off her boots first before crossing her legs on the sofa, when suddenly an idea struck her that made her smirk again. Placing her bag in her lap, she first dug out the bottle of firewhisky and set it down next to her, then went to dig deeper. So deep, in fact, that she finally had to stick her head in too, to find what she was looking for. The sofa next to her dipped down, she heard glass rattling, and finally her hand touched what she was looking for. With a victorious smile, she pulled out one item after the other, and set them all down on the ground beneath her before finally surfacing out of the bag again and putting it aside. She was met with Snape's undoubtedly humoured and slightly defeated expression.

"Of course you have a record player in your bag… Why am I even surprised at this point." He sighed to himself, while Robin went to kneel down on the floor to set the whole thing up.

"You like Queen, don't you?" She grinned up at him, but picked out the according record anyway, without waiting for an answer. Half a minute later the music started floating around them at a moderate volume, even though Robin was rather sure that there were multiple silencing charms placed on the room. Still didn't mean it was necessary that they'd have to shout over the music to talk. Then she moved the entire setup to the nearest wall, thus out of the way, and finally sat down on the sofa again, with her legs crossed like before. "There, now you've got proof that I'm comfortable enough to seize the silence. Better now?"

"Indeed." He nodded, while handing Robin an empty glass. "Even though half of the school would likely consider it a sacrilege to play muggle music inside the castle."

"Oh come on, you can't honestly tell me that they wrote their music without the help of magic!" She grinned in return and traced the edges of the glass with her fingertips. "Besides, I don't remotely care about anyone's opinion on my taste in music. Well, actually I do care about your opinion on mostly everything… Do you mind muggle music?"

"No. I only mind bad music."

"See! Can't argue with good taste." Robin shrugged with a smirk. "Talking about taste, what's with the empty glass?"

"I thought we would continue our experiments from earlier today." The smirk was on his face in an instant, fully mirroring hers for once, even if with a touch more mischief to it. "I have a few more liquors I would like you to try. If by the end of it you still choose to go with firewhisky, I won't lose another word of complaint."

"Alright, sounds fair enough. But you gotta try them with me, yes?"

He held up his own glass while quirking an eyebrow at her in reply, then summoned the first bottle from one of the shelves. Robin couldn't help grinning to herself, then down at her glass. This was going to be a very interesting night, no matter what happened from here on, that much at least was for sure. And quite honestly, she already couldn't wait for whatever was to come.

______________________________

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@ayamenimthiriel @chibi-lioness @t-sunnyside @alex4555 @purpledragonturtles @istrugglewithphilosophy @meghan-maria @hidden-behind-the-fourth-wall @darkestacademiaaa @nizem8 @girilimoni

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katies3pticeye · 4 years ago

Text

Closer

It was a simple task. It should have been easy at this rate. For one, Chase had gone to the store to buy props for his videos several times. The only times he didn’t was when Jack let him borrow something, but for the most part, he visited this shop a ton- probably more than anyone else had in their lives. All the things he needed were there: nerf guns, bullets, things to shoot trick-shots in… it was all located right there- in that simple store.

That’s actually where he met Jack the first time. No wonder he always went to that specific one. There were so many memories there. So many… happy memories.

However, today, it was hard for him to get out of bed. He wasn’t awoken by his son and daughter playing on their switches in the living room. He wasn’t awoken by Stacy getting out of bed, going to make herself some coffee before her 9-to-5 job.

They were all at her sister’s this weekend.

Also, to be honest… he felt so lonely. It was like he was suffocating within the house’s walls. Waking up to a house filled with nothing was… demotivating to say the least.

No texts from Jack saying, “Good morning.” Those might’ve been Jack’s last words to Chase, actually. “Hope you’re having a good day.” “Hope Anti isn’t getting to you.” “Stacy being any nicer?”

Just straight up- nothing.

Jack fell into a coma.

This was the fact that… really, no ego knew how to deal with: especially Chase. Schneep buried himself into his work, JJ worked on more silent movies… Jackie ran around with the ability to save lives, which Chase really admired, but he wished Jackie managed to save Jack. It was understandable, though. Anti was a too-powerful force to fight alone. Marvin worked on some new stone formula he was rambling about. “A way to save Jack,” whatever.

Jack was in a coma. He probably wouldn’t make it out alive. That was that.

It was probably pessimistic of him to figure that, but when you’re in Chase’s shoes, what else could you think at this moment? Maybe Schneep shouldn’t ha- too far, Chase. Too far.

He looked down at the table in the foyer. The room had no lights on; the natural lighting of the day pierced through the windows, brightening up the room as much as it needed. Chase noticed his hat resting on its surface. Normally, he’d put it on. It was how the public told him apart from the other egos. Hat and gun. Chase.

He walked out of the house, not even touching it. No regrets- part of Chase didn’t feel deserving of the title. “Jacksepticeye ego.” Such a strange concept. The fact that he was close enough to him to be called that. Jack was such an amazing friend to him. Chase knew he didn’t deserve that.

He got in his car and drove over to the store. The shop was filled with memories and flashbacks. Would this be a good idea? Honestly, probably not. When Chase got out of the car, he knew it was strange. The whole feeling surrounding this place… it changed.

It was almost like he was seeing the place for the first time. Its darker equivalent- filled with past memories which, honestly, filled him with more sadness than remembrance.

It was a weird deja vu. Jack and him haven’t been to the store together in awhile, so it wasn’t like it was a daily routine. It just seemed so strange to be here without him right now. It was so weird…

“Hey, Jack!”

Chase’s eyes flew open and looked behind him, only to see a kid- maybe about age nine- running up to him while smiling.

“Jack, Jack, Jack! That video yesterday was so cool!” The girl laughed, glancing at Chase. That’s when he realized it. He left the hat at home.

This girl thought that he was Jack.

“The amount of editing to make Anti seem realistic? That must’ve been really challenging! Tell Robin I told him that he did a great job, will you?”

He wanted to tell her that it wasn’t editing at all. He wanted to say that Jack actually sliced his neck; that he was in a coma. However, he couldn’t bare to tell the truth to this little girl. She’s too young and optimistic to have her joy taken down like that.

So with a shaky breath, Chase responded, “Oh, yeah. I- I will! J- I was- uh… I was-“ Chase exhaled to calm himself, trying not to let his emotions surface before continuing. “I was really proud of him.”

“Are you okay, Jack?” The girl asked, looking at him with a confused expression.

“Yep! Never been better,” Chase said rather quickly, giving her the best smile he possibly could, though it was obviously pained. Whether the girl realized that or not was up to how smart she was.

“Oh, okay. Well, I’ll see you in your next upload! Can’t wait for today’s one!”

And then the girl left.

There was one thing for certain. Chase didn’t know what to do.

Okay, look- Jack was in a coma! No one- not even one subscriber- would get a post coming from Jack in years. Maybe never! Was he supposed to crush all of these people’s dreams like this? Their dreams of finally meeting Jack at that one VidCon meet and greet? Their dreams of finding out what happens to these “characters”?

Chase went back in his car, not even bothering to go to go into the store. He turned it on, and once he did, he dialed one of the closest friends he had: Schneep. Honestly, Chase was kind of surprised once he picked up. Henrik’s usually really busy at the ER.

“Hey, Henrik,” Chase said, putting the phone against his ear as he started driving away from the store.

“You don’t usually call- it’s usually just a text,” Henrik replied, his voice actually sounding kind of concerned on the other side of the line. Maybe it’s because of a patient, or maybe it’s because of the fact that Jack fell into a coma yesterday. Who knows? “Are you okay?”

“I’m f-“ Chase stopped in the middle of his sentence, honestly not knowing if he should’ve said the typical ‘fine’ response or not. Everyone was dealing with Jack’s death right now. He might as well be honest, right? “I- well, this person at the prop shop Jack and I used to go to for everything? They recognized me, but- but they thought I was Jack.”

“Chase, this is why you’re supposed to go with the hat on! Didn’t we all have this meeting earlier? Marvin goes in the mask, JJ wears hi-“

“I know!”

Henrik stopped his ramble when Chase spoke, but after a few seconds of silence passed, he started talking again. “Then why did you go without it?”

“Because I-“ Chase sighed, glancing out at the street in front of him. “Because I didn’t feel like I deserved it.”

“Chase, you know that’s not true,” Henrik said, his voice, once again, filled with the original concern.

“We can leave that up to negotiation, but look, that fan who thought I was Jack? She was so excited to see him again today, and I- and… I don’t know,” Chase replied. “I just… feel like I could do something about it?”

A few moments of silence passed before Henrik spoke up. “What are you thinking of doing, Chase? Jack- he isn’t waking up for a long time. You and I both know that.”

“We have to do something on his channel. Something everyone will love- something us characters can do for him,” Chase started, his mind scrambling through a ton of different ideas all at once. “Get all of the egos to Jack’s house- except Anti, obviously. We all have a key. We can plan this out together.”

“Chase, we can’t tell the world that he’s-“

“Get them all together,” Chase interrupted, showing Henrik that he’s dedicated to this. He wasn’t going to let Jack’s channel sit and rot until he woke up. They had to do something. “...please.”

There was a pause that seemed like an eternity towards the man driving the car, but soon, Henrik finally replied. “Alright. Okay- we’ll do it. I just finished my work anyway.”

“Thanks, Henrik,” Chase said, glad that he accepted the idea in the end.

“You’re welcome.”

And that’s why all of the egos were sitting around the living room, obviously confused about what Chase was planning. Honestly, Chase didn’t even know what he was doing himself. “Look, all I know is that we can’t leave Jack’s channel empty while he’s in a coma.”

Jameson was sitting in a chair towards the corner of the room. Henrik and Jackie sat next to each other on the couch while Marvin leaned against the wall. Chase was pacing around the room, glancing at the egos every now and then in hope to see some type of spark fly in their eyes.

“Don’t you guys get it? Jack needs us to be there for him, even if he physically can’t respond to us anymore,” Chase started, stopping his movement and standing in front of the TV so everyone could clearly see him. “If we leave his channel alone, all of his subscribers are going to think he vanished into thin air!”

“That’s exactly what he did,” Marvin said, his arms crossed as he looked over at Chase. “He’s gone. Whether the fans realize that or not is up to them. Whether they think Anti was a character or not? Up to them.”

“Not to be mean or anything, but what would we do about it anyways?” Jackie asked. “I’d be down to do skits or whatever for a bit, but people would catch on eventually. They’d start asking where the gameplay videos are.”

“Then we make gameplay videos, and we don’t show the fact that we’re characters,” Chase suggested, trying to think of a solution to that.

Jameson looked over at Chase before signing. “Chase, I can’t speak, so.”

“Then we- I don’t know,” Chase sighed.

“We have to leave it up to those conspiracy theorists,” Marvin shrugged. “We don’t have another option. If we start uploading, Anti’s only going to get more upset. His ‘puppets are taking over the channel’ type of deal. Been ‘watching the puppets.’ That shit.”

“Someone’s got to have some faith in this idea, right?” Chase asked, glancing at everyone. “We can’t let them suffer in the unknown!”

“The unknown is the only option,” Jackie said, feeling a little bad that he was arguing against the almost-desperate Chase, but from where he stood, it seemed like the best choice.

“Everyone fears the unknown, and the darkest theories will always be death,” Henrik added, finally speaking throughout this entire conversation. “Look, I’ve made my mistakes, but I know that Jack wouldn’t want to be the ‘YouTuber who disappeared for four years because he actually almost died.’ I don’t think his fans want that legacy either. Honestly, I think Chase is onto something. We just have to think about what to do.”

There were a few moments of silence before Jackie spoke up. “So if this crazy, insane idea works- we’ll all be seen as Jack? Even though we have different accents and personalities? We’d just be… making a fake identity of ourselves on the screen? Faking as our friend?”

Jameson looked over at Jackie and started signing. “At least you have an accent.” They both smiled a little bit, knowing that it was just a joke.

“We can’t all fake as Jack,” Henrik said, glancing over at Jackie. “It has to be one of us. One of us that will be able to showcase Jack the most. Someone who knows how to work YouTube- someone who’s energetic and-“

“I’ll do it,” Chase interrupted, raising his hand as he did to show that his decision was final. “I came up with the idea. We know damn well that some of you don’t even understand technology. The fact that I was falsely recognized as Jack already shows that I might be able to pull it off.”

“But then that’s two channels- Chase, are you sure?” Henrik asked.

“Look- we’re all busy. JJ has to work on his silent movies, Jackie has to save lives, Marvin has to work on the stone- hell, even you, Henrik, are diving even deeper into your massive workload,” Chase replied, looking over at him. “Just take this as my fair share. I’m the YouTube guy.”

“And you get to steal all of Jack’s money from ad revenue.” Jackie smirked, laughing a little.

“Jackie, no,” Marvin sighed, rolling his eyes playfully.

“So… you sure you’re okay with it?” Henrik questioned, knowing that adding another channel’s weight on Chase’s load of shit would probably take a toll on him.

He just nodded, though- accepting his fate. “Again, I came up with the idea. You couldn’t do it, Schneep, your accent isn’t like Jack’s at all. JJ, you literally can’t talk. Marvin, you’re busy saving Jack’s life with that stone thing. I guess Jackie is the best second option, but it’s hard to get him in front of a camera without being in a red spandex.”

“Hey!” Jackie frowned, crossing his arms.

“Kidding, kidding,” Chase chuckled. “But I know I’m probably the most qualified to take over his spot, so I’ll take it.”

“Alright,” Henrik sighed, looking over at him. “If you ever need a break day, Jackie could probably take your place for that, y’know.”

“I’ve wanted to play South Park anyways.” Jackie smiled.

“Thanks, guys, but I’ll be okay,” Chase replied, glancing at everyone. “I can manage.”

Famous last words.

It was weird acting as Jack, but he finished up a good month of videos. Only a couple of odd notices happened in public, so that was good for Chase at least. Two channels were starting to take their toll on him, though.

He was at Jack’s house for most of the time, but he decided to go back to his house for one of the break days Henrik mentioned back then- for Jackie to take over. Chase was honestly really thankful for that excuse because Jackie really wanted to play South Park, and he was starting to get annoyed that Chase was “hogging” the channel.

Anyway, when Chase got home, he walked through the front door, and somehow… the lights didn’t work. They wouldn’t turn on. Strange.

He saw on the table a lighter and a candle, almost like someone put them there. The hat wasn’t resting in its place anymore; it was gone somehow. Chase lit a candle and used it as his flashlight throughout the house. When he heard his children, he got even more nervous, so he started being a bit more cautious but hectic at the same time.

That’s when he saw him.

Anti.

He was standing at the end of the hallway, and Chase would be lying if he didn’t say that he was scared shitless. “Who’s there?” Anti just turned around, knowing damn well that he knew who he was. His eye lit green, causing Chase’s expression to grow even more panicked.

He remembered his children from before, so he couldn’t help but ask the next question. “Where are they?” Once he saw Anti not even twitch, he yelled out another. “What do you want from me?!”

And then he came closer.

#jacksepticeye #chase brody #bro average #jackieboy man #jameson jackson #pma #dr schneeplestein #jacksepticeye egos #antisepticeye #dark silence #marvin the magnificent

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animequeen122 · 4 years ago

Text

A New Dream Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Everything felt hazy and my body felt heavy. I was cold and tired. I did not want to die but I was happy. I got to live, even for just a brief time, in the same world as the Straw Hats and even see Zoro in the flesh. I wanted to do more. If I survived this, I was going to pursue Zoro and be strong enough to make Luffy King of the Pirates.

Suddenly I was coughing up water and I could hear people around get excited about something. I opened my eyes and saw I was once again in the infirmary. I really need to stop ending up here. I was getting pissed at myself.

“I am so happy you’re alive.” Chopper said crying and hugging me. I smiled at the reindeer. It seems like I made it. That made me stop. Oh shit. I remember the promise I made to myself. Note: Never make promises when you think you’re dying unless you are certain you will die.

“I think that proves you have a devil fruit unless you don’t know how to swim?” Brook asked sipping on some tea.

“I love swimming. It was the closest thing I could get to flying. I always dreamed of growing wings and flying.” I replied looking up at the ceiling. Chopper was doing an exam on me while I was talking.

“You seem to be doing okay but I think you should rest for the day. Sanji can you make her some broth. Everyone has to leave.” Chopper says shooing away the crew.

“Wait!” I yelled being louder than I meant to. The crew all looked at me and waited. “Which one of you saved me? I want to thank them.” I say looking at their faces to see any indication.

“Zoro did.” Nami stated smirking just a bit to let me know that she knew about my feelings for the green-haired swordsman. Zoro was slightly turned towards me with his resting ‘don’t fuck with me’ face on.

“Thank you so much Zoro. I would have died if you hadn’t saved me.” I say doing my very best to look I am not sure what the word is. But I wanted to be subtle that I wanted his attention.

“Don’t mention it.” Zoro replied exiting the room. It seems like I was unsuccessful in my first attempt at flirting. Than again the rest of the crew was still in the room, so I don’t think I could have been subtle without alerting them. Nami knew and I am pretty sure that Robin knew as well. Everyone left except for Chopper.

“Get some sleep Sam. I will wake you up when Sanji brings you the broth.” Chopper tells me doing his best to make me feel better. I nodded and turned to face the wall. I had never slept on a ship and barely been on one. So it was strange laying still but moving at the same time. I closed my eyes and started to imagine things that would make me happy. It was the only way I could go to sleep especially since I did not have my iPad to watch videos on.

When I woke up I had noticed that the sun was much further down in the sky. I looked around the cabin and noticed that Chopper was gone but there was a bowl of broth sitting on his desk. I took the cover off and went over to the table. Sitting down I started drinking the broth. I almost thought this was all of this was a dream but the room I was in proved me wrong. I finished the broth and I hear the door open. Turning around I to see Chopper coming in.

“I was just coming in to check on you but it seems you are doing well.” Chopper says as he sees that I drank the broth.

“Yeah I think I just overwhelmed by self today with everything.” I reply getting up from the chair.

“If you are feeling better you can come with me. I can show you around the Sunny.” Chopper says becoming very excited.

“Sure. I mean I saw some of it before but wouldn’t mind a tour to familiarize myself.” I reply smiling. Honestly I was just as excited as Chopper. I will get to see the Sunny through my own eyes. Chopper motions me to follow him. When we left the doctor’s office, I could only see Luffy on the Sunny’s head, Nami reading in a sun chair, and Brook playing his violin. I assumed the others were doing other things. I knew where Zoro was.

“This way Sam!” Chopper scurries ahead of me. Chopper gave me an amazing tour of the ship. I got to see where the other crew members were at and what they did in their spaces. Chopper than took me to the crow’s nest. We go up and open the door. There we saw a half-naked Zoro working out. I could feel my heart just beat so much faster. My imagination was nothing compared to the real thing. Zoro noticed our presence and set the weights down.

“Hey Zoro I am showing Sam around the Sunny!” Chopper exclaimed being extremely excited I have seen him. I knew Chopper was like the kid of the crew and everyone treated him like their own child.

“It’s been so unreal seeing the Sunny in person. Again I can’t thank you enough Zoro for saving me.” I smile brightly at him. From where I was it looked like he wasn’t reacting at all.

“Don’t mention it. The only one I wouldn’t save is that stupid cook.” Zoro replied grabbing a towel drying himself off. I was once again made very aware of Zoro’s body. At this point I wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that I was checking him out. I was still nervous about my “dying promise” and was still unsure of how to proceed.

“Would it be okay if I just stay here and watch you? I promise I won’t bother you.” I asked doing my best to be polite as possible. I though that if I started to spend more time with Zoro, I might be able to get on friendly terms with him. I remembered that he was very wary of Robin when she first joined.

“Me too! I want to spend more time with Sam.” Chopper said raising his hand like he wanted to answer a question in class.

“Suit yourself.” Zoro replied going back to his weights. Chopper and I took a seat on the bench next to the window. I took a moment to look outside the window. The sea looked like blue crystal shining across the horizon. The view made me happy. Just thinking about the journey ahead of me was exciting. I moved my attention back to Zoro. Zoro was now doing push ups which gave me a wonderful view of his whole back and let me tell you it is my new favorite view. It brough me back to my new goal. But how would I do that? I was not naturally flirty or outgoing. Though even if I was Zoro was one of the most dense person out there. My only option would be to outright tell him. But how will he react? I sighed heavily. First I am going to have to become courageous.

After about an hour or so of just staring at Zoro, I decided to go back down to deck of the Sunny. As soon I got down I was swarmed by Nami and Robin who than proceeded to the girls’ room.

“Now that we got you alone, we want to know why you like Zoro so much.” Nami inquired crossing her legs and arms giving me the look that she was not letting me get away. I could feel my nerves bubbling to the surface. But at the same time I could feel like I could trust them. I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts.

“It is not like, it is love. I am in love with Zoro.” I whispered hoping by not saying too loud that only Nami and Robin would hear.

“Well to most of the crew knew that. You aren’t the best at keeping your emotions hidden.” Robin commented smiling at me.

“Are you going to do anything about it?” Nami asked.

“Yeah but whenever I think about it I get too scared to say anything or do anything.” I countered.

“What do you love about Zoro?” Robin queried giving me her kind smile.

“His kindness. He doesn’t show it often but the way he is with Chopper makes me smile. His loyalty. Zoro is so loyal to the crew and especially to Luffy. I feel safe whenever I am near him. Zoro may act tough but I know he cares about everyone and wants to protect you all.” I said smiling and trying to think of all the things I love about Zoro. To be honest there were too many for me to tell them. Nami and Robin both looked at each other and than back at me smiling.

“I’m going to do it.” I exclaimed standing up.

#zoro x reader #ronoroa zoro #one piece #reader

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