#sorry i sound like a broken record this is just something ive kept silent on for a long time bc of. ya know

[fyodior]

Normal people don’t make a post about how people are gross and possibly criminals over some fictional fantasies they have

Treating fantasies the same as criminal behavior is going to water down and normalize actual abuse

this topic is a slippery slope so i want to be careful about it skdsjjds but yes i agree. thoughts and fantasies aren’t crimes, and fictional characters are objects that can’t be hurt. fiction never equals reality and you can have fantasies in fiction that you’d never act on irl, so to treat it as genuine abuse and something to be feared, shunned, and condemned is outrageous. at the end of the day just leave people be. block if you feel uncomfortable with their content. you’re more than entitled to feelings of disgust truly but it’s not appropriate to act on them. fiction can never hurt or cause real genuine harm.

and for the love of god don’t doxx or call people out for the content they create or consume bc truly its none of your damn business bc they are not hurting anyone real. fiction isn’t real. thoughts aren’t crimes. simple as that

[bubblyhoney]

sarah i have thought of another fic request or like a cute idea i guess! i didn’t have anyone in mind when i thought of it so you can write it for whoever you want honestly :)

okay so the reader is a streamer but streams games like animal crossing, standew valley, etc. then (insert who you’re writing for) says they don’t like that game, but later ends up buying it and the reader is like “i thought you said you didn’t like this game” and they’re like “well i like you” and they confuses their feelings and they end up playing the game together and reader gives them a tour of their island or farm

i feel like this request isn’t good, but the scenario seemed cute and i wanted to share it. sorry if this is confusing or just too specific cuz i know it can be hard to write requests like that! but yeah i hope it gives you inspiration and you like the request <3

new horizons

warnings: language, a Marvel reference (hint: natasha said it about tony), stupid idiots who don’t realize they like each other, use of pet names, Uno rage, Hasan Piker's presence

words: 1473

tags: sapnap x gn!reader

A/N: i’ve been trying to catch up a little on my requests (i’ve only got a couple so i’m not super overwhelmed) but school and outside life has been taking up most of my time so this one took me a while to make! tbh— ive never played animal crossing so i did google some of the game mechanics and i apologize if anything is inaccurate about the game…. but i liked relaxing and writing this cute one so thank you for requesting hails :3

requests/inbox status: open

-

“This game is trash.”

Your head quirks, fingers stopped on the screen. You’re in the process of giving your character a cute new nickname; it’s kind of hard to decide between “awkward dude” and “elderly skater”.

“Excuse me?” Your chat comes alive with emotes and ‘KEKW’s, obviously entertained by you and your almost-more-than-friends-friend.

There’s a story for that later.

Sapnap’s rough laugh comes through your headset and he audibly swallows, the sound of a water bottle dropping onto his desk echoing.

“I’m just saying—it’s boring. It’s like Minecraft but you don’t like… do anything.” The grainy image of his bearded face shifts and you see him pull out his phone.

“It’s— you can’t even compare it to Minecraft! It’s a completely different game system—you actually interact with other people live in the game.” You huff out a dramatic sigh, slumping in your chair with a pout. “Just because you go into this lucid state where all you know is ‘touch block, hit George’ doesn’t mean this game isn’t fun.” (He scoffs at your awful impression of his voice. Your viewers love it.)

“Jeez,” he mumbles, fumbling with the cap of his water bottle. “Touched a nerve there, bud.”

You roll your eyes, getting back to the village in the game.

“Don't ‘bud’ me.”

The call falls comfortably quiet, the sounds of him tapping obsessively on his phone and you clicking away filling the silence. A gentle bedroom-pop YouTube playlist remains in the background, prompting you to hum along and glance at the chat to see a flood of “check twitter” and “Y/N TWITTER!!”.

“What happened on Twitter?” You mumble, confused, and pull the website up on another monitor. Sapnap just makes a curious noise, swinging back and forth in a circle. “Oh my God,” you say to yourself, fingertips brushing your parted lips.

“What?”

“Hasan Piker just followed me and retweeted one of my not even remotely political old tweets. Like from a year ago.”

“That’s— wow. Congrats?” Sapnap’s voice cracks, and his ears flush pink the tiniest bit when you glance at his face on Discord.

“I’m gonna go on record and say that he could get it.” You shake your head in disbelief.

Sapnap falls uncharacteristically non-hyper-verbal, so you look past the frenzied chat and to his screen— wait. He muted and turned his camera off.

“Um,” you start, furiously typing question marks in your private chat. “Where’d you go?” You mute and turn screen share off for your stream, concerned that he might’ve fallen off his chair and broken his neck and needs you to call the ambulance.

The characteristic ding of a twitter notification sounds through your bedroom, and you look at your phone quickly.

“That’s where I went.”

Sapnap Tweeted: “all Y/U stans can choke on my dick”.

“Jesus, Sapnap,” you say, and rapidly refresh to read the replies. This tweet was deleted. “That’s so— that barely makes sense, bro. Why— literally what?”

His snicker floods your ears and you relax in your chair. Crisis: averted. “Don’t fucking— what’s wrong with you?”

“I thought it would be funny,” he offers, shrugging, and fiddles with the straw in his water bottle, smile fading. “And also Hasan pisses me off.”

“Why, ‘cause he wants a piece of this? Jealous?” You think back to your viewers, knowing they’re probably spamming question marks and coming to ludacris conclusions about both of your absences. No offense to them. You remember your stan days very vividly.

“I mean, kinda.” He rubs once at his nose, glancing at the camera (and what feels like you) before taking a sip from his water bottle.

“Wow.” You watch one strand of his hair fall from beneath his hat and brush against his full eyebrows. “I’m uh—I’ll get back to my stream. You coming? Or is it time for a Sapnap-snack?”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” He snorts and leans his chin onto the balance of his arm.

“That means you like to take a little snack break mid-stream and come back approximately nine hours later and you didn’t even eat.”

“You know what— fuck you.” He flicks the camera as you laugh at the look on his face.

The teasing mood is easily kept as you switch games from Animal Crossing to Uno, all the while slamming Sapnap with +4’s and skipping the newly-arrived BadBoyHalo at any chance you can get. It unironically pisses him off and he has to take a Sapnap-snack break midway through (only a fifteen minute break this time, during which you and Bad take a “What Kind of Bread Are You?” quiz). The rest of the night is filled with devious cackles (you), loud and sudden bangs that sound suspiciously like someone hitting their desk in anger (Sap) and the stupid barking of Rat, AKA Lucy (Bad). She’s cute but a menace to the sound quality of Bad’s microphone. You sign off stream around 2 a.m. with various forms of thanks and kisses blown to the camera. It’s been a refreshing night, actually; you’ve been busy organizing a partnership stream all week and all your friends have been busy filming or editing or what-not. Quackity had time for a little Roblox every couple of days, though. He’s got your back.

The next time you see Sapnap is after a two hour stream of him try-harding in Valorant and you finishing responding to an email from your partnership in the VC.

“Okay, I’m back.” You hear him shift in his chair and click a couple more times on his keyboard. You perk up in your chair, closing the email browser you’d been looking at.

“Do you want to play anything else? I’m down for anything.”

“Absolutely not Uno. You can go to hell for giving me 6 cards that one time,” he jabs. You scoff, crossing your arms and leaning back in your chair.

“Okay, the +4 was on me but it’s Bad who gave you the last two. That’s not my fault, sweetie.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he mumbles, trailing off as the clicking of his keyboard stops. “Hey, um—Guess what?”

Your heart beats loud in your ears at the tone of his voice. He sounds nervous; that’s never good.

“I’m scared to guess,” you try, playing with a little Minecraft dog figurine you have on your desk with fidgety fingers. “What?”

“I bought Animal Crossing.”

Silence. You stare at his discord icon blankly, trying to reroute the wires of your brain.

“Tell me you love it.”

“Well… I haven’t actually played it— but you said you liked it, so.”

“So,” you repeat him, ears warming but continuing on. “Is that what you tell all your friends when you buy something they like? That it's because of them?”

He seems to choose his next words carefully, pausing a beat to consider your questions.

“Well, I don’t have a crush on all of my friends.”

“You—what?” You stutter, caught off guard and stumbling. What did he just say? “Don’t tell me you mean you have a crush on me.”

“I’m almost positive I just did.” His discord icon stares right back at you, taunting.

“You know, you’re very casual for someone who just admitted they like-like me.” Your cheeks flush pink and you have to press a hand to your chest to keep your breathing sounding stable.

“Yeah, I’m kind of cool like that,” he offers, a huff of a laugh punctuating his statement. The conversation moves into a lull that you can’t help but know is because of you. He must expect you to say something about it, right?

“You are very cool, Sapnap.” You tilt back in your chair, sucking in a breath to prepare yourself for your next words. “And—Isortakindofhaveacrushonyoutoo.”

He must understand you, for you can hear the grin in his voice when he asks “Really?”

“Y-yeah.” You feel like a preteen again, all shaky and giddy in front of the boy you just asked to a middle school dance.

“Um, alright. What do we do now?”

“I don’t know,” you answer genuinely and swing in a happy little circle in your chair. “We could play Animal Crossing.”

“I’m down.”

You swear you’ve never heard more beautiful words.

He keeps his camera off for most of the time you two play, too focused on creating his island and asking you questions about how to fish to turn it on. He silently flips it on when you help him decorate his lawn, needing to show you in real-time the decorations he has bought and where you think he should put them. He looks cute. I mean, of course he does. He always does.

You tell him goodbye late in the night, eyes saying a little more than just “see you tomorrow”.

You like him. He likes you.

It’s even better when you two have matching gardens.

-

A/N: anybody and everybody (especially my precious hailey) let me know what you think!! :]

[just-a-fangirl13]

MacRiley fan-fic

This one is a classic. Probably wont happen but it was fun to write anyways!

Season 4 spoilers..... duh!

******************************

“Good night guys. Riles you coming?” said Mac with his usual smile leaving the war room followed by Desi and Bozer. Matty and Russ were still busy.

Mac had been wanting to tell Riley about his break-up with Desi but they had got the call from Matty.

Desi and he realised they were never going to work. The weird part was that he didn't feel heartbroken. 

He had seen it coming for a while now, it was just a matter of finally ripping off the band-aid. Desi seemed fine too, she still nipped at him occasionally but they had managed to keep it professional for the whole mission. Desi was staying with him until she could get back her old apartment.

“No I have some stuff I need to do. Good night Mac.” said Riley with a tight lipped smile. 

Mac raised his eyebrow at her. “Okay. Good night then. Call me if you need a lift anyways.” He and Des got into his car while Riley walked to the nearest bar.

The mission had been rough. Riley felt completely spent but she needed a drink. It was Friday night and she was all alone. She let that sink in. At the rate she was going she was going to die alone too.

**************

Mac’s phone buzzing woke him up. It was 1 am. It had been barely 2 hours since they got back. 

“Why won't criminals just take a day off.” said Mac half asleep, groaning as he reached for his phone. 

He read the caller id fulling expecting it to be Matty. But it wasn't.

All the sleepiness drained right out of him. It was Riley.

“Hello? Riles? What’s going on is everything okay?” said Mac already getting up, fully alert now and trying to make as little noise as possible so as to not wake Desi up in the adjoining room.

Mac could here loud music in the background. What the hell was going on?

“Hey Mac. I need a ride.”

**************************

Mac found Riley outside The Bar. Riley was drunk and she was standing all alone outside at the entrance when she had called. Mac drove over as fast as he could. His heart racing the whole time.

He pulled up to where she was standing. Silently thanking the universe that she was okay. 

“Riles? Are you okay” said Mac with deep concern on his face.

Riley nodded but swayed on her feet. Mac caught her.

“Okay lets get you home.”

Mac got Riley in the passengers seat and buckled her up. He had just started up the car when Riley mumbled.

“I’m sorry. I'm so so sorry” and tears started rolling down her face. Mac’s heart broke a little. Why had he not gone with her? What if something had happened to Riley? What if he had somehow missed her call?

“Riles. You dont have anything to be sorry for. It’s okay. Its a best friends duty to pick up them up especially when they get drunk. Today’s mission was hard on all of us.” said Mac with a smile. It really was the least he could do for her. She had put everything on the line when she had come to his rescue. She was always there. The one true constant in his life. The one person he could count on.

Riley just went on apologising until a minute later she had closed her eyes and fallen asleep. Mac looked over at her a few times. She seemed so peaceful. He had been so caught up with Desi, Codex and Phoenix that he hadn't even paid attention to what was going on with Riley. Something was definitely eating at her. He was hoping he could have talked to her today, tried to get to the bottom of things.

Riley had seemed a little distant lately. He didn't even blame her. He had no idea what was going on with her, but for now he would be there for her just like she was for him.

Mac pulled over outside Riley’s apartment. He didn't want to wake Riley up but he couldn't help it.

“Riles,” Mac whispered. “I need you to wake up now. Please.”

Riley opened her eyes slowly. He helped her out of the car and grabbed her bag. It was a good thing he knew she kept her keys in the tiny zipper in her favourite bag which she was also carrying right now.

He opened the apartment door and helped Riley in. He set her down on her bed  and took off her boots. Riley was half asleep and was really out of it. 

He tucked her in and was about to switch off the small bedside lamp when Riley reached for his arm.

“Hey Mac” she slurred a bit while talking,”Thanks for picking me up. Your a good friend you know. Don’t ever doubt that.”

Mac smiled. Even half drunk Riley was still thinking about him. He brushed out a few strands of hair out of her face and turned off the light.

“Good night Riles.” said Mac leaving the room.

“Love you, Mac” says Riley before cuddling into her covers and falling straight asleep.

Mac froze at the door, his heart pounding. 

He had misheard her right? But he found himself hoping he hadn't.

It hit him like lightning. He loved Riley too, didn't he? Deep down he always had. 

He had told himself that he had held her hand when that missile was about to hit them because he wanted Riley to know he was sorry. Sorry that he couldn't save her. But it was more than that,wasn't it?

He had loved her. 

Mac smiled to himself. He was such an idiot. How had he not seen it sooner. Not seen what was right in front of him the whole time.

But he wouldn't say anything until he knew for sure.

**********

The next morning Riley woke up to the worst hangover. Maybe even worse than the one that Mac’s alcohol breaking down drug had given her when he, Leanna, Bozer and she were undercover.

She dragged herself to the shower and got changed which is when it registered that she could smell pancakes. What the hell?

“Good morning sleepy head.” said Mac a little too loudly. Riley winced. 

Mac was cooking.... Pancakes... In her kitchen... In her house....

She looked over at her sofa and saw a blanket draped on it.

“Hope you dont mind. I crashed here after last night just incase you needed me.”

“No of course I dont mind. I’m just really hazy on what happened last night.” said Riley rubbing her head.

Mac placed a steaming cup of coffee in front of her along with a plate of chocolate chip pancakes.

“You dont remember anything?” asked Mac trying to hide the disappointment in his voice. “You got really drunk last night and called me to ask if I could give you a ride home. You were really out of it.” said Mac with smile.

Bits and pieces came rushing back as she took a seat at the kitchen island. She had gone to the bar and had one drink after another and had completely lost track. She remembered contemplating calling Mac and then sitting in his car. She couldn't remember if she said anything. What if she told him about her feelings. Oh no no no no. Rileys mind was going into overdrive.

“Oh god Mac. I’m so sorry. I probably ruined you and Desi’s night. Im such an idiot. I dont even remember what I was thinking.”

“Hey hey its okay Riles. Besides Desi and I aren't dating anymore.” said Mac.

Woah. It was really taking her a while to process things.

“I’m sorry to hear that Mac. I feel like such a terrible friend. I didn't even notice something was up.” said Riley. Gosh when had she become such a mess.

“It was a long time coming. Desi and I just weren't right for each other. We both knew it, but we were hanging on to the relationship because it was familiar I guess.” said Mac.

Riley just silently nodded. Her mind was spinning.

“Anyways” said Mac smiling, “try the pancakes. I need to know if they are any good.”

Riley eyed the plate remembering Mac’s track record with cooking. She could feel Mac’s gaze on her so she tried it.

“Okay wow. These are actually really good.” said Riley. Mac laughed, ”Mission Accomplished. You have to tell Bozer they were good, okay? He won't believe me if I say it.”

Riley and Mac sat there eating chocolate chip pancakes, laughing. Riley felt like all the problems in the world just fell away.

***************

Riley was helping Mac clear up even though he had insisted he would do it on his own. There was still that worry that she had said something to Mac nagging her. He seemed alright. A little chirpy but happy. 

“Mac. Last night. I didn't say anything stupid right?” said Riley washing the plate and handing over the last one to Mac to dry it since he had insisted. 

“Why?” asked Mac a curious look on his face. “Was there something I needed to know?”

“Nope no reason. I was just really out of it yesterday. Just curious if I said anything.” said Riley relief washing over her.

“Well there was one thing I wanted to talk to you about actually.” said Mac putting the last plate away. 

“Riles, I’m sorry Ive been such a terrible friend to you lately. I..just.. with everything going on with Codex and Desi.. i..never even bothered to check in on you. I had no idea why you were being distant until I realised last night that you were probabaly drunk because you felt like you couldnt talk to me. You’ve always been there no matter what and I couldn't even return the favour. I'm so sorry.”

Mac looked so stressed. He really thought it was his fault she was avoiding him. 

Oh god what had she done. The exact reason she didn't want to tell Mac the truth was so she didnt hurt him but seeing him like this broke her heart. She loved him so much it physically hurt sometimes.

“Mac. Its not your fault. It has nothing to do with-” Riley stopped herself. She had nothing to lose right? She should just tell him. No more lies or secrets.

Mac looked up searching her face. She wasn't meeting his eye and she was fidgeting with her hands. 

Could it be possible that Riley was distancing herself from him because of what she said last night? Could it really be true?

"Before you say anything, there is something you should know." said Mac. This was it. He felt brave all of a sudden.

"You said something last night. I mean I could have misheard you but it sounded you like you said you love me. Is that what this about?" Mac sounded so nervous.

Riley was shocked. She had said it last night. Oh god what if he didnt feel the same way?

"I- Mac- I am so sorry. I just- You were dating Desi and I just broken up with Aubrey and I just had to-"

Before Riley could finish Mac kissed her. And she kissed him back.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. " said Mac smiling. "I'm such an idiot. It took me so long to see what was in front me this whole time."

Mac held Rileys hand in his and they started at each other and smiled. They were in their own happy bubble.

[alphacrone]

for it’s better to burn out than to fade out of sight (5/?)

rating: T pairings: Yuki & Tohru (platonic), Tohru/Kyo, Yuki/Machi, other canon pairings & friendships summary: In the end, it wasn’t sadness Yuki felt, when Tohru Honda had her memories erased. No, it was anger. And anger he could work with.

<< read previous chapter  ||  read next chapter >>

iv. i watched as the hillsides turned white with nowhere to go

***

“Be honest, Tohru. Are they treating you well?” 

Tohru looked up from her lunch, tilting her head in confusion. “What are you talking about, Uo?”

Uo tore off a piece of her curry bread and chewed in an unnaturally aggressive way. “Your family. Are they treating you well? And be honest.” 

“O-oh!” Tohru glanced between Hana and Sohma, who both watched her intently. It had been a week since she'd moved back in with Grandpa and his family, the renovations finally complete. The Hanajima family had bid her a tearful farewell, insisting that Tohru come by and visit frequently. Tohru was touched by their generosity, and began taking extra shifts at work so she could begin to repay them. “Of course! I’m really so grateful to them, taking me in when Aunt Mie’s going through a divorce…” 

“You were there first!” Uo slammed her fist down on the desk, knocking her half-empty Pocari bottle to the floor. “Your gramps better have his priorities straight when it comes to you…”

“N-no, that’s not-" Tohru frowned. “It’s just a hard time for them, so I just don’t want to be in their way.” 

Uo drew back to continue ranting, but Sohma cut her off, his voice low and calm. “Did they say that?” 

“Huh?” Tohru swallowed roughly. Sohma’s expression had not changed, but there was something sharp in his eyes. “Say what?” 

“You family,” he said. “Did they say you were in their way?” 

“A-ah, no,” Tohru replied, rubbing awkwardly at the back of her neck. “No, they wouldn’t say something like that, I-I just want to help them in this difficult time!” 

“Good,” Sohma said, and his gaze softened. “Tell me if they ever say anything that cruel. That is unacceptable behavior, especially from family.” 

Tohru nodded, cheeks growing warm. Sohma was always so cool and collected, even when he was unhappy. But to see him become so cold, just because he thought her family might have said something hurtful…

“Yeah, yeah,” Uo said. “Where were they when Kyoko...? I just think you could stand to be a little more selfish, Tohru. Don’t let them bully you into doing all the chores or sleeping in a closet or something.” 

“Did you know,” Hana said, dabbing her mouth clean with a pitch black handkerchief. “That in the Grimm version of Cinderella, the wicked stepsisters have their eyes plucked out by birds?”

Tohru’s mind reeled. “What? That’s awful!” 

Hana shrugged, bringing another piece of beef to her lips. “Just...something to consider.” 

Uo laughed, and slapped Tohru on the back. “Sorry, sorry, I know I’m worrying too much. But you have a bad habit of not telling anyone when you’re upset or in pain, Tohru.” Uo’s eyes grew sad. “Let us take care of you, okay?” 

“Uo...Hana…” Tohru felt tears welling up against her will. “You guys...I love you guys…” 

“Aww.” Uo scrubbed at her eyes, brushing away her own tears. “C’mere.” 

Tohru laughed as Hana and Uo engulfed her in a big hug. Sandwiched between them, she felt safe and warm, cradled in a world that brought her nothing but love and kindness. She didn’t often feel this way anymore, not since Mom had died, but when she did it was always because of her friends. Tohru didn’t deserve such wonderful people, but she was beyond grateful for them. 

From between Hana’s and Uo’s arms, Tohru caught sight of Sohma, who still sat across from her, looking awkwardly alone. She wished she could pull him into their hug, to wipe the strained look from his face, to banish any sadness from his heart. 

Gray eyes met brown, and Sohma smiled; it was a small, soft thing, and gone in an instant. But Tohru saw it, and kept the precious memory of it safe in her chest. 

She really was so lucky to have these friends of hers. Every one of them.

***

“Ugh, this house is so big, but I still have to share a room?” Kaoru griped, flopping back dramatically on her bed. 

“I’m sorry,” Tohru said, looking up from her math homework. She wasn’t making great headway, but with Uo’s persistent help she was managing to understand more. 

Kaoru waved away her apology, content with sighing dramatically. Tohru was secretly happy to be sharing a room; she’d grown used to listening to Hana’s light snores at night, and was afraid the silence of an empty room might keep her awake. 

“Kyoko,” Grandpa said, appearing in the doorway. Tohru smiled weakly at the wrong name. 

“That’s Tohru, Grandpa,” Kaoru sighed. 

Grandpa appeared not to have heard. “They’re calling for you downstairs,” he told Tohru. 

“Okay!” Tohru hopped up and brushed off her skirt. Despite herself, she was glad for a reason to  escape from her cousin’s griping. It must be hard for Kaoru to share a room with Tohru after thinking she’d have one to herself, but Tohru was just grateful for a roof over her head. A small part of her had missed living with Grandpa. 

When she reached the kitchen, Aunt Mie and Akinori were both waiting for her at the table. Kaoru and Grandpa followed after her, lurking near the stove. Their eagerness to eavesdrop made Tohru uneasy. 

“Hi,” she said awkwardly. “Is something wrong?” 

Aunt Mie sighed and adjusted her reading glasses. In her hands she held some papers, too far way for Tohru to properly read. “I wanted to get this over with as soon as possible, but moving in was so hectic...but that’s not important.”

“O-okay?” Tohru gripped her hands together tightly. Why did it feel like she’d done something wrong? Surely they didn’t know she’d been living in a tent. Uo and Hana had been sworn to secrecy, despite Uo’s threats to ride her motorcycle through Grandpa’s living room window, and Tohru was certain no one else knew…

“Tohru,” Aunt Mie said, voice stern. “It seems like you’ve been living with unmarried men? We had a detective look into it.” 

Kaoru gasped, sounding more excited than scandalized. “No way! You were living with guys? Woah!” 

“W-wait,” Tohru held up her hands in surrender, face growing hot. “What are you talking about? I-I-I was living with Hana’s family.”

“Yes,” Aunt Mie said. “For a little while. But before then, you were living with three men by the name of…” She flipped a page, eyes scanning the page. “Sohma.”

“Sohma?” Tohru thought she might pass out. “Th-there has to be some mistake! I go to school with two Sohmas, but I never lived with them.” 

Aunt Mie looked frustrated, but it was Akinori who spoke. “Are you calling us liars, Tohru?” He asked, eyes narrowing behind his thick-rimmed glasses. 

“N-no, of course not!” Tohru struggled to keep her breathing steady. “I didn’t mean to offend you, I’m sorry! It’s just, I wasn’t living with men, I-I- Before staying with Hana, I was living in a tent. I’m sorry for lying about that,” she cried, bowing deeply to Grandpa. “But I swear, I wasn’t- I didn’t-”

“My son is studying to become a policeman,” Aunt Mie snapped. “It will be a problem if one of our relatives has a criminal record.” 

“I-I don’t!” Tohru clasped her hands together, pleading. “I swear I don’t!”

“Don’t lie, Tohru,” Akinori said with a smirk. “We have photo evidence.” 

Tohru’s head was spinning. Photo evidence of what? Surely their detective had confused some other girl at Sohma's house as Tohru, maybe another cousin even; Sohma had said he had many cousins.

“Kyoko was fairly rough,” Aunt Mie continued. Kaoru was still watching from behind a few potted plants, mouth ajar. “And they say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” She pointed a thin, accusatory finger at Tohru. “You have to stay on the straight and narrow if you wish to continue living in this house.” 

A cold sweat had broken out on the back of Tohru's neck, and her hands shook uncontrollably. Tohru wasn’t like her mother in too many ways, but she was proud of the ways in which she resembled Kyoko Honda. But if what her aunt said was true, if being like Mom wasn’t acceptable in this house…

She still had her tent, muddy and half-destroyed, tucked away under Hana’s bed. If she could just get it without alerting Hana and Uo, Tohru could unburden everyone who felt obligated to house her. She could be independent, like Mom, like someone Mom could be proud of. 

“Hey, Tohru,” Akinori said, shaking her from her thoughts. He was still smirking, but there was something cold in his eyes. “Those men...they didn’t do anything improper to you, did they?” 

Tohru’s blood ran cold. The room was too small, the walls were closing in on her, and all she could see were the sharp gazes of her family-

Thwack!

The room fell silent as Grandpa pulled back his palm from his grandson’s cheek. Akinori pulled back, eyes widening. “G-Grandpa?” he stuttered. “What…?” 

“You really don’t know how to speak to people without belittling them,” Grandpa said, voice as light and unbothered as it always was. “Don’t mind them, Kyoko. They’re really just bad people, deep down.” 

“What?!”

“Grandpa!” 

“How dare-!”

“Hmm?” Grandpa seemed unbothered, smiling gently at Tohru. “They’re my dear family, Kyoko, and because of that I can endure their cruelty. But you...Katsuya always said you needed a place you could be free, and this house…” 

“ Dad ,” Aunt Mie spat, fists clenched at her side. “You aren’t in your right mind, you can’t just say things like that to your own family!” 

“Kyoko is our family, too,” Grandpa said simply. “Did you detective look into your or Kaoru? Me? Your cousins? My sister?”

“W-well, no,” Aunt Mie said through gritted teeth. “But no one in our family was raised by- by a delinquent!” 

Tohru looked down at her feet, throat growing thick. Mom had been a delinquent, when she was younger than Tohru was now, but she’d also been the best mother anyone could have asked for. Her father’s family hadn’t stayed in touch after his death, but surely she wasn’t such a miserable creature that they could see how good and kind Kyoko had been? 

“Someone’s birth isn’t important,” Grandpa said. “Kyoko loves more fiercely than any of you; she has a good heart. This behavior of yours has been disappointing, Mie.” 

The room fell quiet as Aunt Mie stared angrily at Grandpa. Akinori still held onto his face where Grandpa had slapped him earlier, and Kaoru watched it all with wide, disbelieving eyes. 

“I-I-I’ll start dinner!” Tohru cried, breaking through the tense silence. “How does nikujaga sound? Great!” She hurried to the fridge to begin preparations before anyone could speak further. 

“That sounds lovely, Kyoko,” Grandpa called. “Thank you.” 

No one else spoke again after that, but Tohru heard several doors slam as she cooked. She didn’t dare venture out of the kitchen, too frightened to see who had left.

Neither Aunt Mie nor Akinori returned by dinnertime, but that didn’t seem to bother Grandpa. Even Kaoru shrugged at the empty seats and helped herself to Tohru’s cooking, complimenting it as soon as she took a bite. Tohru gave her a shaky smile, but the absence of her aunt and cousin worried her far more than their presence would have made her uncomfortable. She hoped that wherever they were, they were safe and well-fed. 

***

When the house had fallen still and silent, Tohru crept out of her room, careful not to wake Kaoru. She felt guilty, sneaking around her own family like this, but she couldn’t help but wonder just what made them think she’d been living with the Sohmas, of all people. She hadn’t even spoken to Sohma or Kyo until after she moved in with Hana. Even if she was unhappy with Aunt Mie hiring a detective to look into her, Tohru needed to know if they’d been tricked or misled by someone with bad intentions. 

The papers were still on the coffee table where Aunt Mie had left them that afternoon. Tohru thumbed through them, barely able to comprehend most of what was written. She continued searching, spotting names like Honda and Sohma and Hanajima littered throughout, until the texture of the paper changed, and Tohru realized she’d stumbled across several photographs. The first two showed her leaving school, chatting with Sohma. This was odd--she couldn’t remember a day she’d left school with Sohma instead of Hana or Uo--but perhaps she’d simply forgotten. Kyo appeared in the next photo, following behind them at a short distance with a scowl. Again, not something Tohru remembered happening, but not out of the realm of possibility. 

It was the next photo that took her breath away. Tohru’s memory had never been the best; she often spaced out during class and forgot important dates or math equations. Surely she could have forgotten a brief conversation with Sohma as they walked home in the same direction. Maybe she’d been preoccupied with work or school and hadn’t paid much attention. 

But this photo changed everything. Because there, plain to see, was a photo of Tohru walking the same forest path she’d taken every day after school or work to get back to her campsite. Except, instead of showing her alone, ducking off the paved path and into the woods, these photos showed her walking in between Yuki and Kyo Sohma, all three carrying bags of groceries. Sohma wore a soft expression she rarely saw, and Kyo glared in a way Tohru saw constantly, but it was her own laughing face that truly caught her off guard. When had she walked home with these Sohma boys? When had she ever been so comfortable in their presence? When had she gone to the store with them, or even seen them outside of school? 

Because Tohru could not deny the girl in this photograph was her. This girl, with pink ribbons and a hand-me-down dress, was undoubtedly her, but the memories of this moment were...gone. Not faded, not vague, just gone . 

Tohru’s heart sank deep into her stomach. What really happened during those weeks in the woods? And why couldn’t she remember? 

[littlebitoffanfic]

Eventually

Fandom: TMNT Characters: Mikey, April Relationship: Mikey/reader Request: Hello! I absolutely love your work! Could you do a tmnt ff where Mikeys s/o is coming over to visit but walks into April and him kissing but what she didn't know was that April had just initiated it and didn't know they were dating. S/o has body and self issues (chubby) says something along the lines of "I knew something like this would happen eventually, I'm not angry, I'm happy you found someone better than me" and runs home hating herself for not being good enough. Mikey follows and comforts you walked towards the lair, a soft smile on your lips. Mikey had called you earlier, saying he really wanted to see you and wanted you to come over. Having been dating in private for about 6 months and things couldn’t be going better. It had been your idea to keep it quite for a while. You didn’t want to be judged by the others, not that they would. Your low body image and self worth issues were a big obstacle in the relationship, but Mikey seemed not to mind. You truly believed he loved you now. He always wanted to see you, to be with you. While overdramatic at times, his want for you allowed you to forget that nagging voice in the back of your mind for just a moment. Of course, that changed when you were alone. But then your phone would ping with a message from Mikey about how he couldn’t stop thinking about you. Slowly but surely, you felt yourself becoming a little more confident. It was only trickles, like sand, but it was building. It wasn’t with everything you did, just when you were with him, but it could lead to so much more. you were incredibly grateful to Mikey, not just for his love but for his support. Hes so use to being the clown, that you thought this might be a challenge for him, but its not. Glancing at your phone, you saw you had made it here in record time as you walked into the living space of the lair. But then your heart stopped. IN the centre of the room, was April standing on her tip toes and pressing her lips against Mikey’s. She had her hands on his shoulders and her body pressed to his. In a moment, you felt everything you had worked towards, everything you loved, shatter into a million pieces. You should have seen this coming, you should have seen it from a mile off. There was no chance that he would chose you over her. Tears streamed silently from your eyes and the only sound that alerted them to another person presents was your phone dropping from your hand and clattering on the floor. Mikey jumped as he pulled back, his eyes moving towards the noise and meeting your stunned and heart broken figure in the door way. Your mouth slightly open and you eyes wide with surprise. April looked at you too, her cheeks lighting up red as she stepped back from Mikey. “[y/n], it aint what-“ Mikey moved quickly towards you, his voice shaking as he left a confused April behind him. You shook your head as you bend down to grab your phone from the floor. You didn’t want a reason to have to come back here. When you stood back up, Mikey was in front of you, his hands on your upper arms. “Its not-“ He stuttered, his eyes giving away something you had never seen in them before. Fear. “Its okay.” Your word took Mikey by surprise as he started at you in confusion. “I knew something like this would happen eventually. Im not angry. Im happy you found someone better than me.” stepping back from him, his hands dropped from you. He sputtered a little, his mind racing as you backed away from him before running out the door. After a moment, you heard him following you but you kept going, making it into the streets before he could catch up. It was raining heavily todays, so it hid your tears from the strangers walking down the side walks who were few and far between. Occasionally you stop to nip into an alley way and sob to yourself when you were unable to hid it properly. April would be better for Mikey. She was smart and funny and incredibly attractive. You were good friends with her, which was something else which had hurt you deeply. But in her defence, she couldn’t have known anything. She had managed to get out of you one time that you were seeing someone but refused ot tell her who. She had never made the connection. eventually, you made it home. Once your door was closed, you collapsed against it, sobbing so hard into your hands that you were barely able to take a breath. Your chest ached, physically and emotionally. You felt sick to your stomach as you realised you had lost two things that meant a lot to you. Your friend, April, who you had grown close to and adored like a sister. And the love of your life, Mikey. You couldn’t stand to see them together, to see him look at her like he use to look at you. To see his arms around her, his lips on hers. you tried to breath, to get some air into your lungs, but you couldn’t. you sat, shaking on the floor of your dark apartment as every negative thought you had ever had come floor back to you, being screamed at you by every voice in your mind. your eyes squeezed shut as your body shook. “[y/n]?” A timid voice from in front of you made you jump. Opening your eyes, you saw Mikey, kneeling in front of you. His eyes were streaming with tear, his bottom lip shaking slightly. “Mikey? W-wh-what-?” you couldn’t even string a sentence together as you tried to figure out why he was here and not with her. “it wasn’t…. I didn’t….” Mikey stuttered, seeming to mirror your inability to speak properly as well. “April, she just kissed me. I didn’t, I didn’t want… I wanted you. Always. She… shes not you and I don’t…. I cant live without you. It was once. Only once. I swear. I didn’t chose her over you. I love you.” Mikey seemed to begging as he spoke, his voice shaking badly as he struggled to breath like you were. “but I saw-“ you tried to say, without having that picture in your mind. But it came back and you noticed something. When Mikey kissed you, his hands were always on you somewhere. He normally liked them to be on your waist or wrapped around you. But in that kiss, his hands were by his side and open, like he had got a fright. “She just kissed me. Once. I swear!” Mikey moved close to you but not touching you, which you were glad of. You didn’t want to be touched right now. “It doesn’t matter. You don’t have to stay with me if she-“ You tried to reason, not wanting him to think he had to stay with the poor, pathetic girl in front of him if he had a chance with someone else. But he shook his head. “I don’t want her.” He sobbed, tears streaming down his cheeks as he spoke. “I told you I loved you. Only you.” “Mikey?” You moved so you were sitting on your knees in front of him. You had never seen him so distressed like this in his life. He was shaking and crying, why? Because he thought he had lost you? “I didn’t realise you thought I would eventually…” Mikey trailed off, his gaze coming up to meet your own. “Most people do. Its fine. I just want you to be happy.” You try to calm him down despite your own appearance being just as bad as his. “Im happy with you. Happier than ive ever been before.” He reaches out, taking your hands in his own shaking ones. “Is there a chance we could… that you would-“ His question was left unfinished when your phone buzzed and April photo and contact came up with a message. She had tried to call you a couple of times on your way back. ‘Im so so so sorry. I didn’t know you and Mikey were together. I would have never done anything if I thought it would hurt you. Nothing more happened. I kissed Mikey, I admit it. But it was a rash decision. I was just feeling lonely. I know it doesn’t excuse what I did, and I never meant to hurt you or to cause any problems between you and him. And I know theres no competition between you and I and Mikey would chose you in a heartbeat. I just thought you had been seeing someone and I saw how happy they made you. I love you - you are like a sister to me. I hope you can forgive me.’ you read the text over again as she confirmed everything Mikey had just said. Placing the phone o the side, you look up at Mikey, who was staring at you. “I’ll do anything to make it up to you.” He breathed, earning a soft smile from your lips as you looked down. Yes, you were hurt. Yes, it would take a lot to regain the trust that had been broken tonight, but it was malicious on either of their sides. They weren’t doing it to hurt you. April had been desperate for affection which you knew was something she was known to do. Could she even have been jealous of you and your mystery lover. And Mikey had come straight to you, he was begging for you back. Looking back up to him, you knew you couldn’t send him away or reject him. “You can start by ordering a pizza.” You said, your voice still shaking but not nearly as bad as it was. Your response took Mikey off guard as he stared at you for a moment before a smile dawned on his face. You much preferred to see him smiling that upset. you slowly got to your feet, and Mikey followed, even helping you stand when you back ached from the way you had been sitting. Once on your feet, Mikeys eyes dipped to your lips. “is it too soon?” he asked. You shook your head and Mikey dived at the opportunity. He wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you tight against his front as he ducked down to kiss you, his lips moving against yours in a desperate way. Your hands settled on his shoulders then running up to rest on the back of his neck as he kissed you. He pulled you to the sofa and sat you down. Running to your bedroom, he pulled through the covers. The two of you settle on the sofa, Mikey ordering a pizza with your favour toppings as you chose a movie to watch. This was what you needed. Just time with him. You messaged April back, telling her you would speak to her tomorrow properly but told her things were okay. Once again, you would have to work on trust issues with her as well, but you were willing to do that. Mikey spent the whole night with you in his arms, peppering kisses wherever he could and it made you smile. He refused to leave your side for a few days after that, but his brothers didn’t say anything. You wondered if maybe April had told them what had happened. At least you wouldn’t have to do it yourself then. You knew it was a long road ahead, but with Mikey by your side, you knew you could do it.

[redrobinfection]

“Mi cama es su cama”

JayTim Week 2018 | Day 5 - “Bed Sharing” (Day 6), Pt 5 of 6

AN: Okay, so, March is definitely one of the worst times of year for me, surpassed only by April, so, originally, I hadn’t planned on participating in this JayTim Week. But I couldn’t stay away from the “bed sharing” prompt, and thus this massive oneshot was born. Since I don’t like posting long works to tumblr, and the fic naturally split into six, roughly-even parts, I’ve decided to release one part each day up until day six, at which point I’ll also share a link to the entire work on Ao3. I particularly enjoyed writing this spur-of-the-moment monster, so I hope you enjoy reading just as much!

Tags: enemies to friends to lovers, pre-N52, slow burn, blood and injury, tw: blood

<< Part 4

---

Tim blew out a breath and sagged down onto the bed, running both hands through his hair. At this point it was a waiting game, nothing to do but wait until the man tucked into his bed woke up again. He carefully smoothed out the blankets he had draped over Jason's still form, mindful to keep his touch light so as not to aggravate the wounds stitched and bandaged underneath, and mused over the events of the past two hours.

The ordeal had begun with a bewildering alert from one of the safehouses at which he and Jay would often meet up to discuss cases or catch a nap if one or both of them were running on fumes. The napping part of it had started out as a joke between them after the time Tim had crashed at Jason's place right after the invasion had ended. Since then, every other week or so, one of them would show up at whichever safehouse the other was currently occupying just to beg a nap, hang out, and eat the other's food. These days, they were hanging out together at least twice a week, and Tim was actually starting to depend on those extra naps to keep him going throughout the week.

So when he had gotten the alert, he had wondered if maybe Jay had thought that he was there for some reason and just hadn't thought to disable and reset the security? It was that or someone had legitimately broken into the place; all of the Bats knew to either call him or disable the security themselves upon entering, so it wouldn't have been one of them. He had been particularly bewildered after he had pulled the security feed and saw that it was indeed Jason who had entered. Uncertain and a little concerned, Tim had peeled off from his patrol route and circled back to check, just in case.

Maybe Jason had info for him but had lost his comm? Or maybe he'd been hit with fear toxin or something similarly nasty and just homed in on the closest place to crash, just as Tim had months ago when he'd been hit by Freeze? Or maybe he had just really needed a nap?

Those possibilities had circled like impatient vultures in his head as he had cautiously entered the safehouse through the false wall Jason had carelessly left ajar. Upon seeing nothing immediately out of place, he had turned off the silent alarms and reset the system. He had then walked from room to room, seeking Jason out, until he had found him in the only bedroom.

At first glance it had appeared that Jason had snuck in for a quick nap, stretched out on his stomach across the bed, hood nowhere to be seen, head buried in a pillow. The second thing Tim had noticed was that Jay hadn't bothered to remove his boots before flopping across the bed. It was at the point that Tim had opened his mouth rouse his guest and gleefully rib him for his oversight that he had noticed the third thing, the spreading pool of blood just seeping out from under Jason.

Tim had instantly cried out and jumped forward, gingerly rolling the man onto his back. The stain hadn't spread too far, but thinking back to when he'd first gotten the alert and by looking at the deep color and wet glisten of blood that could no longer be absorbed by the saturated material, Jason had clearly been bleeding profusely for a while.

Heart in his throat, Tim had jumped right into crisis mode, quickly stripping out of his gauntlets, pulling on the nitrile gloves he kept in one of his bandolier compartments, shaking Jason to gauge level of consciousness - completely non-responsive - and feeling for a pulse as he gauged Jason's color and breathing. He had clearly lost a lot of blood, as confirmed by the paleness of his skin, his rapid, shallow breaths, his rapid, thready pulse, and the total loss of consciousness, but at least Tim had made it back while he had still had a pulse.

Tim had wasted no time in running into the gear room for his vigilante first aid kit, IV fluids and oxygen. He then quickly identified two gunshot wounds to the torso, in the lower right quadrant, and one superficial wound to the left shoulder. He had staunched the bleeding temporarily with sterile gauze and pressure bandages, then set Jay up on fluids and oxygen while he had made some calls out to Oracle and the Bats to call in some favors.

He had then cleaned and stitched the wounds in record time - Jay had been lucky the bullets hadn't gone deep enough to rupture viscera or nick any major arteries, otherwise he would have been taking a trip to his least favorite cave in the world, if he had survived long enough for Tim to call in the cavalry - and then he had gingerly shifted Jason over on the bed so he could strip the blankets and sheets from under him. The blood had soaked all the way through, as he'd thought - the mattress was a total loss - but it was the only bed Tim had, so he had done his best to soak up as much liquid as he could, then laid down a layer of towels before stretching clean sheets over the bed.

He had only just then finished tucking Jason back into the bed, setting him up on a unit of blood, cleaning up the bloodied sheets and towels, and putting away the first aid supplies. It had been two hours since he had first gotten the alert from his security app, but it had felt like two of the longest hours of his life.

He hadn't realized until he'd seen the pool of blood and seen Jason's pale, slack face how much he actually cared for the man. It scared him, just how much he cared. It frightened him, just how much it had frightened him to find Jason bleeding out and unresponsive in his bed.

He shifted his attention back to the man lying in his bed in the present moment. He threaded his fingers into Jason's and squeezed, his fingers mimicking the fear he felt squeeze his chest in that moment as he thought back on how close to total disaster they had come tonight. If he had been a few minutes slower or if the bullets had gone a little bit deeper or if they'd hit just a little higher. So many 'what-ifs' and it terrified him that the mere act of considering those possibilities terrified him so much.

He'd felt fear for the safety of those he'd worked with before - for Bruce, for Dick, for Steph, for Bart, Kon, Cassie and the Titans, even for Damian, once - but he'd never felt fear like this before. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Now that he was waiting for Jason to wake up, he wasn't sure whether he was more nervous about what would happen when Jason woke up again - what he would say, what Jay might say, what would happen next - or at the possibility that Jason might never wake up again.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a soft sound from the bed. The significance of that sound pulled a relieved smile from him in spite of the churning feeling he felt in his stomach as he watched Jason begin to stir. He subtly shifted his grip around Jason's hand, lightly feeling for a pulse and feeling a greater measure of relief from the strong, steady beat he felt gradually quicken under his fingertips. After a minute or so, Jason's eyes blinked open once, twice, then stayed open, at which point his face immediately twisted in pain.

"Wha' happ'n?" Jason groaned.

"I was hoping you could tell me that," Tim responded smoothly. It took Jason a few tries to focus his gaze on him.

"I was… trackin' down a weap'ns deal an'… turned bad… got caught in th' crossfire as I tried t' break it up… an' then… I dunno," Jason recalled woozily, frowning slightly. He pulled his hand from Tim's and pressed it lightly to the wounds on his abdomen, hissing slightly.

"And then you somehow made it out here, broke into my apartment, took a little nap in my bed, and bled all over my sheets. Not to mention you forgot to take your boots off first," Tim finished, keeping his tone light and teasing.

Jason huffed a laugh, then grimaced and pressed his hand harder against the wounds. "Shit, man… don' make me laugh. Hurts." Tim rose smoothly and retrieved two syringes from the dresser and rounded the other side of the bed to fiddle with the IVs. "Sorry about the sheets, though. And the boots, of course," Jason finished, shooting him a wink that was nearly indistinguishable from a wince.

"Don't worry about it," Tim assured him, patting the hand just below the IV sites patronizingly, "I mean, you forgave me that one time with Freeze, so I'm sure I can give you this one."

"H-how generous of you," Jason choked out, clearly trying his best not to laugh.

"I've got some painkillers and antibiotics here for you, if you want them. No allergies, right?" Tim asked, waving the syringes. Jason nodded vigorously to each, so Tim carefully uncapped and injected them into the port he'd placed with one IV catheter for this express purpose. "I would have given you the painkiller sooner, but I wanted to make sure you'd wake up first."

The tension visibly drained from Jason's face and body within seconds of the painkiller going in. He let out a pleased sigh as he relaxed back onto the pillows Tim had propped him up upon. "No problem, man. I'm just really grateful you got me the good stuff. Oh, yeahhhh… that's the stuffffffffff." He practically melted into the pillows, a happy little puddle of high-as-a-kite Jason.

Tim snorted. "Yeah, I had to call in a few favors to get my hands on it, so you're welcome." He capped the empty syringes and set them aside. "Had to call in one for the blood too. You're lucky I had the rest of this stuff on hand here or we would have been shit out of luck and you would have had to take a ride in your least favorite automobile in the city."

"Hey, nah, I love the Batmobile - awesome wheels on the thing - I just can't stand the jerk who drives it," Jason explained drowsily, eyes slipping closed in spite of himself. "But thanks for not calling in big B or Dickie and the Demon Brat."

"Well, it was Damian who brought us the morphine and blood, so…"

Jason's eyes snapped open and he stared. "Wait, Damian did you a favor? Wait. He owed you a favor? How even…? What did you do for the demon for him to owe you a favor?"

Tim laughed, slowly rounded the bed, and sat down beside Jason once more. "Yeah, he owed me a favor, and part of the favor I did him involved not telling anyone why he owed me that favor, so, you know, I really like not getting stabbed and thrown from high places, and rather dislike having my grapple lines cut, so I'm gonna keep that one to myself."

"That's fair. But jeez…" Jason whistled. "To use a favor from the Demon Brat on me. Wow. I'm honored."

Tim grinned. "No problem, man." He was just about to stand and go in search of extra blankets when Jason's hand unexpectedly shifted from his wounds down to where Tim's hand rested on the bed, his chilled fingers wrapping around Tim's slightly sweaty ones with a firm grip.

"But really, Tim, thank you," Jason murmured seriously. "Thanks for catching the alarms I must have set off coming in here and a special thank you for not taking your time coming back and checking on them - coming back and checking on me. Thanks for patching me up." He paused, then smiled and squeezed Tim's hand, instantly rekindling the heavy churning feeling in his stomach that had fallen to the wayside during their easy banter. "Thanks for sharing your beds, particularly this one, tonight, with me. Means a lot to me."

Tim nodded and swallowed. "Y-yeah, no problem." He shot up from the bed, yanking his hand from Jason's abruptly. He fluttered for a moment before rambling out some words that might have conveyed a desire to find more blankets and get Jay some water, but probably came out too quickly to be understood, and then he fled the room. He took his time pulling the spare blankets from the main closet and filling a lidded cup - complete with straw - with water before he made his way back to the bedroom. He steeled himself outside the door, running what he planned to say over and over in his head.

"Here are more blankets and some water," he began as he walked in. Jason accepted the water silently, taking a few small sips before setting it aside. Tim draped several of the blankets over him carefully, then stood back from the bed. He sucked in a deep breath.

"Jay, I-"

"So where're you gonna sleep, Timbo? You got a couch in this place?"

"I uhhh… hadn't thought about it actually," he admitted. "No, I don't. I'll probably just make myself a pallet on the floor, to be honest. Plenty of blankets left."

Jason shook his head. "No, don't sleep on the floor, man. There's plenty of room on the bed."

Tim immediately began to protest, but Jason raised his voice to over him. "I'm serious, get yourself outta that suit and climb in. I can use all the extra warmth I can get right now; blood loss fucking sucks."

Tim wavered. "I don't want to accidentally elbow you in the middle of the night, or worse, kick you or something."

Jason scoffed, then fiddled with his nasal cannula with a grimace. "Like that ever happens. You're not a kicker, anyway. If anything you might snuggle me until my stitches pop, but believe me, I'll wake you up loooong before it gets to that, so stop stalling and get in. After all," Jason explained with a loopy grin, "we're not really sharing a bed if you're not in here too."

Tim rolled his eyes and sighed, but didn't argue it further. He had wanted to keep a close eye on Jay tonight, anyway. He quickly shucked off the remaining pieces of his suit and carefully climbed into the right side of the bed - ideally he would have liked to have avoided Jason's sore side, but with the IVs on the other side he didn't really have a choice - purposefully giving the injured man wide clearance. Jason huffed and dragged him closer, pulling him nearly flush against his side.

Eventually they settled in together, the sound of Jason's breaths growing slower and softer while the drip-drip of the IVs filled the silences in between. Before Jason could drop off completely and before Tim lost his nerve entirely, he sucked in another long breath and went for it.

"Jay?"

"Yeah?"

"You really scared me tonight."

A long pause. "I know. I'm sorry."

"I… I don't know… I can't…" Tim struggled and he felt Jason shift beside him in confusion. "I'm not sure what I'd do if you had…"

"Died. Again," Jason finished, his words reminiscent of the many jokes he often made about his death. There was no humor in his voice this time, only understanding.

"Yeah. I'd… It scares me, Jason. It scares me how much it scares me. I'd really hate it if something happened to you."

"I'd really hate it if something happened to you, too," Jason admitted softly.

Tim let the silence stretch, weighing his next words carefully on his tongue and in his heart before he whispered them to the ceiling. He wasn't even sure Jason was awake anymore.

"Jay, I think I like you."

The admission floated into the space above and around them and Tim felt an overwhelming sense of peace at having finally gotten the words past his lips, words that he felt were true down to the depths of his soul, a truth that had grown between them for months without him ever realizing it.

Jason wasn't asleep. The response he gave without pause echoed in Tim's head until sleep finally took him and then all the way through the night and on into the morning.

"I like you too, Babybird."

---

Part 6 >>