#that actually stayed together/ended well?

[navybrat817]

Hold You Tight: Part 16

Pairing: Club Owner!Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Fic Summary: The owner of The 107th wants you to be his girl whether you like it or not.

Part 15 | Series Masterlist | Part 17

Chapter Word Count: Over 5.4k

Chapter Summary: Bucky tries to pull you closer when you want to pull away, and someone else in your life my not take no for an answer.

Chapter Warnings: DARK AU, arguing, tension, slight harassment, kissing, reference to stalking, inner turmoil, manipulation, Bucky Barnes (he's a warning, okay?), more warnings to come.

A/N: More Hold You Tight! Thank you for sticking with me! Bucky edit by the beautiful @nixakimbo ❤️ Beta read by the lovely @whisperlullaby but any and all mistakes are my own. Divider by the talented @firefly-graphics. Please follow @navybrat817-sideblog new fics and notifications. Comments, reblogs, feedback are loved and appreciated!

Bucky traded lazy kisses with you as your tears slowed, and you had no idea if it was his mouth that had your heart pounding and the crushing weight of everything that surrounded him. It was so much to unpack. Every encounter with him seemed to be that way. Something blindsided you or suffocated you, but you hadn't been at all prepared for what he just shared. And how could you? He didn't keep photos of his mother around, and you hadn't gone poking around online.

Would you have found out the truth if you had?

He followed your lips when you pulled away. “It’s okay,” he whispered, pulling you back in.

It wasn’t okay. Nothing was okay. Though it partially made sense now why he was moving so fast. He believed if he met you then that you would've fallen in love and been together to this day. Because he didn't seek you out then and lost so much time, he was packing everything into a rushed time span. Dating, meeting his friends, getting you into his place. He was moving things along at an accelerated speed, and you were barely keeping up with the ride.

“No.” The muffled word against his lips somehow rang out loud and clear enough for him to stop, but you put a hand on his chest in case he tried to lean in again. “Why are you punishing me?”

His eyes rounded. “You think I’m punishing you? Jesus, why would you think that?”

“Because of how you went about all of this. I know you were desperate, and I get the drive behind some of your actions now,” you said, which you refused to excuse. You got it but couldn’t excuse it. “Your response of ‘where’s the fun in that?’ when I said you couldn’t just ask me out like a normal person? You almost seemed to delight in intimidating me. Why?”

If you saved his mom, why do this?

“I didn’t delight in that. I played it wrong,” he admitted in a quiet voice, surprising you. “I approached it like…”

“Like everything else in your life where you have everyone under your thumb through fear. You did the same thing to me.” You laughed just a little. “In a way, it worked because I’m officially afraid to try to leave you.”

Had things blossomed between you two organically, you’d like to believe that things would’ve been better. Healthy. There was always the chance that a relationship might’ve come to an end because life was like that. But if he frightened you enough to stay forever, he’d never have to worry. The stars would still align as far as he was concerned.

“I don’t want you to fear me or what we have,” he whispered, reaching for you as you scooted back.

“What we have? Tell me, do you think your mom would be proud of your actions to obtain me or ashamed?” You couldn’t believe that was the kind of man she raised, to put fear into the heart of the person he supposedly loved.

He flinched. Actually flinched. You might as well have raised a hand to him. “She…” He swallowed. “She would’ve wanted us together.”

“Like this? By you not giving me a choice?” you asked, pushing yourself up. “I need to go home.” There would be no getting through to him and this revelation was doing your head in. One cup of coffee wasn't enough either.

He got up to follow you. “Why are you rushing off?”

“I have a shift today, and I have to go home and shower,” you said, grabbing some of your things. “Don’t worry about dropping me off. I’ll get a cab.”

“What? No, you-”

“You put money in my account, so it’s not like I have to worry about paying for it. And it’s not like I’ll be alone either since you’ll have me followed whether I want it or not,” you said as a matter of fact.

“You’re putting a wall up,” he said, frowning as you grabbed your phone charger before he could. “Don’t shut me out, please.”

“I’m not shutting you out. I’m trying to process the gigantic bombshell you dropped on me,” you said, stopping to look at him when he grabbed your arm. “Bucky-”

“This has been a lot, all of it, but we can’t go back and change it, and you know I can’t let you go because we’re meant to be together,” he said, his eyes searching yours. “You feel it. I know you do.”

How many times would he say that until you agreed? “Just because you think fate stepped in-”

“Fate brought you into my club, but I gave it a much-needed push to bring us together after leaving things to chance for so long,” he said, tugging you closer and putting his other hand on your cheek. “You can’t tell me you don’t care about me in some capacity. You’re just afraid to admit it because it isn’t conventional in your eyes, but you don’t have to be afraid of how you feel.”

How could you truly fall in love with him when he orchestrated everything from the start? “Feelings or not you’re still going to force me to move in with you soon, and that scares me,” you said. Your wings would forever be clipped.

“We should’ve been living together and married by now,” he argued, keeping a tight hold on you. “I know I’m making you move in sooner than you want, but beyond safety it’ll give us a chance to really know each other before we get married.”

Talk of marriage had your heart thudding. The man would probably force you to marry him sooner than you wanted. “You said you already know everything about me,” you said. At least he thought he knew you. The vision of you he built up in his mind scared you, too. He couldn’t keep you on that pedestal.

“But you don’t fully know me yet, and I don’t know what it’s like to live with you. The experience will bring us closer together.” His smile was full of hope. “We can read together, do movie nights, dance in the kitchen.”

“Bucky-”

“We can exercise together, in and out of bed,” he continued, your breath hitching as he rubbed his nose against yours. “Don’t you already feel closer to me now that you know we're meant to be?”

A quick knock on the door followed by a long one saved you from answering. “It isn't check-out time, is it?”

“No. That would be Ray,” Bucky headed to the door and kept you back a small distance before he answered. The man really was protective, wasn't he?

“I’m sorry to intrude,” Ray said, giving you a polite nod before he leaned in and whispered something to Bucky. Whatever was said to him made his face harden. The entire change in his demeanor worried you.

“Kotyonok, let’s get your bag and get you back to your place so you can get ready for work,” he suggested, his smile tight.

“What’s the matter?” you asked.

“I’ll tell you later,” he answered, kissing your forehead. “And before we go, I know you suggested taking a cab, but please let Ray take you back to your place. It would make me feel better.”

The hint of a plea in his voice and the look in Ray’s eyes kept you from protesting. “Fine, Ray can take me home. Just give me a second to change out of these pajamas,” you said, a bit surprised that Bucky wasn’t offering to take you home himself. “But you are going to tell me later what’s going on, right?” you asked.

“I will, but I need some answers myself first. Get changed. I’ll get your bag,” he said, gently guiding you to the bathroom so you could change and officially ending that conversation.

Ray was still by the entry door once you came out, looking a bit stiffer than usual, too. You stole a glance at Bucky as the three of you headed to the elevator, catching the anger etched in his features as he gripped your bag handle tight enough that you thought it would rip. They were leaving you in the dark about something. You weren’t sure if you could take any other bombshells.

“Ray may need to pick you up from work instead of me, but I’ll message you if that’s the case,” Bucky said, fixing his hair in the elevator reflection. “And… we may need to talk about your girls’ day out.”

“What about it?” you asked, already knowing where he was going with this.

“If you can cancel or reschedule it,” he replied.

You stared hard at him. Where was that coming from? “No, it's tomorrow, and I’m not cancelling or rescheduling. And don’t you dare use Zemo as an excuse to get your way,” you snapped. Even if it was a valid reason, you didn’t want to hear it.

His jaw clenched, but he looked sad as he glanced at you. “I just don’t know if it’s a good idea.”

“We talked about this. If it’s a safety issue, Ray agreed that someone could watch out for me. That should keep me safe,” you reminded him. You’d be fine. “Right, Ray?”

The blonde stared straight ahead. “That isn’t my decision,” he said apologetically.

Your shoulders slumped. For a short time, you thought he could be on your side or at least help give you some slack. “Right. Because you don't get to make decisions, and neither do I. You’re a bodyguard, I’m just a doll,” you said, looking straight ahead, too, and pulling your hand back when Bucky tried to take it. “Please, don’t.”

“Kotyonok…” Bucky sighed as the door opened. You marched out, not waiting for either of them. “Wait.”

You headed straight for the desk, feeling sadder when you didn’t see Natasha. “Checking out, please,” you said, sliding the room card over to the woman standing there.

“Of course. I hope you enjoyed your stay.” She looked behind you likely at Bucky before giving you a smile. “Ms. Romanoff also wanted to remind you that you have a place here if you need one.”

“I’m sure I’ll take her up on that soon,” you said, turning your head to glare at Bucky. While his expression was stoic, his eyes told you he didn’t want you to be upset with him. “And make sure she adds an inconvenience fee to the damaged wall bill. She’ll know what I mean.”

“I’ll be sure to do that,” she smiled. “Take care.”

Bucky was hot on your heel and you didn't make it two steps out the door before he had a hand on you. “You’re upset with me. Putting up more of that wall.”

You didn't speak until Ray walked past you to get his car. “You’re trying to get me to cancel my day out with my friends, after you went through the whole charade of buying me a new dress for it and everything. And after what you told me about your mom.” You took a breath to try to calm down. “Yeah, I’m upset, and yeah, you’re supplying me with the very bricks to build that wall.”

“I said we may need to talk about it, I didn’t flat out say you weren’t going,” he corrected you. He might as well have. “I know it means a lot to you, but-”

You held a hand up. “No. There are no ‘buts’ in this. For all you keep taking from me, I don’t ask for much. I really don't,” you stated. In fact, you’ve shown lots of restraint. “Who knows how many moments I’ll get like this with my friends once you move me in.” He wasn’t about to take this small thing from you after everything.

He titled his head. “You think I’ll keep you from them?”

“Part of me thinks you will, yes. Because as soon as I think that there’s hope, the second I think that we could be closer together while you loosen the reins, you say or do something that puts me back in your full control,” you said. He had to see that. “And every time you do that, like you are right now, it makes me want to push you away.”

“And you can push all you want, but I’ll just pull you closer,” he smiled, making you huff when he actually did so. “I’m not afraid to let you burn me.”

“You keep saying that. Give me a match or a lighter and we’ll test that theory,” you said. He burst out laughing, the sound loud in the morning air as your eyes widened. “Why are you laughing?” you asked incredulously. How could he laugh when you were still worked up?

“Because even arguing with you makes me happy,” he sincerely stated. “And now all I want to do is find a way to put a smile back on your face.”

You exhaled. He was so in love with the idea of a relationship with you that arguments appealed to him? Anyone else would've walked away by now.

“You’re infuriating,” you whispered when he touched the corner of your mouth and made it twitch in a small smile. “Impossible.”

“I know,” he whispered back, running a hand through his hair. “Listen, you’re tired and you’re overwhelmed, which is completely my fault. Am I right?”

“Yes,” you sighed. He hit it right on the nose.

“And maybe I was rash in suggesting that you cancel your plans, but I need to take care of a couple things before we discuss that more,” he said, leading you to Ray's car before you could protest. “You just have a good shift, okay?”

He was placating you now, and it was sadly working. “Fine,” you said, touching his hand, the metal one. “I don’t think I said so earlier, but thank you for finally telling me the truth,” you said, calmer than you were moments before. He should've told you from the start, but it couldn't have been easy reopening old wounds regarding his dad.

His gaze softened. “Thank you for letting me.”

“And whatever Ray told you or whatever’s going on, just breathe, okay?” you begged.

He took a deep breath. “I’ll just think of you and it’ll help,” he said, adding in a low voice as he pulled you against him. “And this.”

This was nothing like the slow, languid kisses from minutes ago. This was dominant, claiming, threatening to rob you of the air in your lungs, like he wanted you to feed your own breath into him. He either forgot Ray was there, or he simply didn’t care.

By the time Bucky stopped kissing you and helped you into the car, you didn’t want to look either of them in the eye.

“I love you,” he whispered, kissing your temple and shutting the door as your heart flip flopped. God, he was insufferable. Confusing. Obsessed.

“You're certainly keeping him on his toes,” Ray said, not driving off until he made sure Bucky was in his vehicle, too.

“Someone has to,” you said, staring out the window. “I’m going with my friends tomorrow. I don't care if he makes you drag me back,” you said. Unless your life was in some sort of immediate danger, there was no reason for you to skip out on meeting up with the girls.

“So you’re aware, the suggestion of you moving your day out has nothing to do with wanting to control you. He’s upset because of the news I delivered and he wants to keep you close,” Ray explained, making you feel a little bad.

“So, that news was the reason why you both changed your tune, and you can't tell me what that news is,” you guessed. If you were in some sort of danger though, surely Bucky would’ve said so. “He told me about his mom. How I saved her.”

Silence filled the vehicle. “So, you know the truth,” he said after a minute, his voice neutral. “Are you okay?”

“I’m trying to be,” you answered carefully. You really were.

“That’s all you can do,” he said before adding under his breath, “No good deed goes unpunished.”

You snorted. “I guess I'm living breathing proof of that.” It was ironic how an act of kindness put you on this path. “And as much as I don't like to wish pain upon people, I hope Bucky's dad got whatever he deserved.”

Winnie, from the short time you knew her, was nothing but wonderful. Bucky said the dahlia painting in his office served as a reminder that he would never do to you what his dad did to his mom. He would never set you up to take the fall for anyone else, wouldn’t let someone else hurt you if he could help it. He would forever stand by you.

Was pushing him away doing you any good?

“He did,” Ray promised you. “And I say with complete sincerity that I hope today is very uneventful for you after the time you've had.”

Your nose scrunched as you laughed. “So do I, Ray. So do I.”

Ray was kind enough to wait outside of your place as you showered and got ready for work, and didn't push you to talk more before he dropped you off at the shop. He was even kind enough to stop so you could get another cup of coffee. It helped improve your mood.

“There she is!” Kate smiled when you walked in. “Little miss not-so-single anymore.”

“Hey,” you giggled before you paused. “I didn't know you were working today. Did you switch shifts with someone?”

“God, the schedule’s all messed up. Mrs. Crandle called out for some business thing-”

“Business thing?” you asked, your brows pinched. She hardly ever took time off for things like vacation let alone a business thing without informing her staff.

“Yeah, I’m not really sure about all the details, but Lorraine ended up switching the whole schedule around. Mya’s coming in later, and I had to come in early, and your shift’s ending early.”

“What?” you frowned, checking the schedule to make sure. She was right. Your shift today was almost cut in half. “Would’ve been nice to get a text or something.”

The assistant manager wasn't bad to work with, but she could be a little forgetful with things like that. If Bucky hadn't just put money in your account, you may have been more upset over having half a shift cut. After the night and morning you had though, maybe an afternoon off wouldn't be so bad.

“She probably forgot since you were coming in at your normal time. Who knows?” Kate shrugged. “You know, I half expected Clark to be here waiting for you. Seemed really eager to see you yesterday.”

“Yeah, about that.” You looked toward the door, your body tense in anticipation even though he wasn't there. “Why did you tell him I was working today?”

“He’s kind of a regular, and I didn't really think about it. Then Mrs. Crandle brought up your boyfriend and…” Her face fell as she stopped cutting stems, which made you feel bad when she glanced your way. “Crap, I did something wrong, didn't I?”

You weren’t about to go into specifics regarding your personal situation. “I just don’t want customers to know when my shifts are unless I’m specifically working on an order or event for them, okay?” you said, hoping she understood that it was a general request.

Bucky was not getting in your head about your safety.

“Okay, as long as you aren’t mad,” she said. You gave her a smile to assure her that you were okay. “So, tell me about your new boyfriend.”

You filled her in as much as you could to make it sound believable, just like you had with Addison. Like her and Mrs. Crandle, Kate was excited for you. And they would never know the full truth.

As your shift went on, you were surprised you hadn't heard much from Bucky. It was for the best though. He was clearly dealing with something. As much as you didn't want to defend him in your mind, it had taken a lot for him to talk about his parents. To show you some of the damage done to his body. It was a vulnerable moment. Did you owe it to him to be vulnerable, too?

Wait, why did you owe him anything?

“Heading out?” Kate asked once your shift was up.

“Yeah,” you replied, glancing at your phone. You wondered if you should text Bucky before you decided against it. You'd let him know once you got to your place that you wouldn't need a ride. “Just call me if you need me to come back in.”

“Don’t worry about that. Enjoy the rest of your day!” she smiled.

Satisfied when you didn't see Bucky or Ray’s car waiting for you either, you decided to take a walk. It was a nice day, and you needed the fresh air. You hoped the weather was nice for the winery. You’d have to take photos to look back on what was going to be a fun time.

“Hey!” you heard someone shout after a few minutes of walking.

You stopped when you spotted Clark waving at you from the other side of the street. You barely waved back before he joined you. “Hey. What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I was just in the neighborhood,” he smiled, pushing his glasses up. “You done working already?”

“Yep,” you said, adjusting your bag. “And I should really-”

“Could we talk for a minute?” he asked.

You hesitated before nodding. “Sure,” you said, falling in step beside him.

“You know, I actually went to the shop to buy you flowers yesterday. I was going to buy you some roses,” he smiled.

Oh, God. “You were?”

“Yeah, but you weren’t there and… It doesn’t matter,” he smiled, shoving his hands in his pockets. “But I was thinking… Maybe we could grab a coffee sometime? My treat.”

The hopeful look in his eyes made a pit form in your stomach. “Clark, I’m seeing someone,” you said, his blue eyes dimming. Hadn’t Kate said that Mrs. Crandle brought up that you were in a relationship? “It’s fairly new, and I don’t want to mess things up,” you explained, though he wasn’t owed an explanation.

“I didn’t want to believe it,” he mumbled, kicking a small rock on the sidewalk. “Well, if it’s fairly new, I'm sure you can get coffee with other people.”

“Get coffee with people? Yes. But this kind of sounds like a date, and I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m sorry,” you said. That would feel like cheating even if you didn't consider it a date, and you weren't that kind of person.

“Then we won’t call it a date,” he grinned.

Maybe you were feeling paranoid, but there was something weird behind his smile. “You just got out of a relationship, and I don’t want to send mixed signals by agreeing to go with you.”

His smile shook a bit. “It's just a coffee.”

“Is it?” The longer he stared, the more odd things felt, and you didn’t like it. “Listen, when you find someone else to give flowers to I’d be happy to pick some out for you.”

“I don't understand.” He laughed, but it sounded bitter. “You’ve always been nice to me.”

“Well, yeah. You’ve always been kind, too, when you come into the shop.”

“Too nice for someone like Bucky Barnes,” he muttered, his smile disappearing completely.

You gaped at him, almost faltering in your step. “What did you just say?”

“I said you’re too nice for someone like Bucky Barnes,” he said louder, his ire clear as day. “You think I don’t know about his reputation? He’s dangerous, and you’re too good for him.”

“How do you know I’m dating him?” you asked. And what did he know about his reputation?

He was quiet for a moment. “Mrs. Crandle said his name, and she has no idea what kind of man he is,” he said, making you feel uneasy. “I don’t think you do either.”

Oh, you knew plenty. “I appreciate your concern, really, but it’s nothing for you to worry about.”

“Well, I do. And I just don’t see why we can’t have one cup of coffee together,” he said, flashing a smile again. “It’ll be fun.”

“Because you know I’m seeing someone,” you said. He knew it before he bumped into you, but was still pushing for you to go with him. “And I also kind of make it a rule not to date customers,” you added, stopping when you got to your building. You walked faster than you thought.

“Well, rules should have exceptions, right? And if Bucky cared so much, where is he? Why wasn’t he waiting to pick you up and take you home?” he pressed, his eyes narrowing when you dug into your purse. “Maybe he doesn’t care about you as much as you think.”

Your next breath came out shaky. He hadn’t raised his voice at you, but you didn’t appreciate the third degree, or the implication that Bucky didn’t care. “Because he’s a busy man who sometimes works both days and nights. I don’t expect him to drop everything just to take me home.”

“If you took a chance on me, you’d never have to worry about things like that.”

You were starting to feel nauseous. “Well, sometimes I like the quiet after the bustle of the shop, so walking helps me decompress. And I can't take a chance on you when I’m seeing someone else.” Why was he being so pushy?

He took a small step closer. “You know, it’s dangerous to walk home alone.”

You took a step back, your keys between your fingers. “You’re right about that,” you agreed. The only reason you did so today was to take back a little control, which didn’t seem so smart now.

“I can start walking you home if you want,” he smiled, towering over you. Was he always so imposing? “When’s your next shift?”

You managed a smile in return, but it was extremely forced. “Clark, that’s really not necessary, but thank you for the offer. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

He gently took your arm when you turned toward the door, worry crawling up your spine when his hand tightened a fraction. You suddenly wish you had Bucky or Ray around. “I really don’t mind.”

“My boyfriend will mind, and I’m sure you can understand that. So it’s a no on the coffee and the walks home,” you said gently but firmly, pulling your arm back and rubbing the spot where Clark grabbed you. He wasn’t listening. It somehow felt worse than Bucky and you couldn’t pinpoint why. Was it because Clark tried to act nice? “It’s been a long few days, and I’m going to get some rest. Have a nice day, okay?”

His eyes narrowed again, but it was his chilling smile that unnerved you. “I’m sure I'll see you again soon. We’ll have to get that coffee,” he said, walking off before you could say another word.

You rushed into the building once he was out of sight, your hands shaking. It may have been from the confrontation or the combination of everything. Maybe Clark was just lonely and latched on a bit because you were nice. Hadn't Bucky done something similar?

But if Clark wanted to see you, why hadn't he just gone into the shop if he knew you were working?

Double checking your locks once you were in your apartment, you took a breath and stared at your phone once you sat down. You had to talk to Bucky. He answered within a few seconds of you calling.

“Kotyonok, is everything okay?” he asked, sounding both happy and concerned to hear from you.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?” you asked, hearing a few other men speaking in the background.

“Because you’re calling me and not texting. And you sound a little off. What’s wrong?”

“Everything’s fine,” you lied. How did he recognize that you felt off? “I just wanted you to know that the assistant manager changed my shift, so I went home early.”

“Wait, you’re already home?” he asked. The background noise suddenly stopped. “Did you get a cab? Please tell me you didn’t walk back to your place.”

“…Fine, I won’t tell you that.”

Bucky let out an impressive string of curse words as you pulled the phone away from your ear. “That’s not safe. You know it isn’t,” he hissed, but you knew he wasn’t actually angry with you. Just the situation. And bumping into Clark today and Zemo the day before, he had a bit of a point. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you? Because I said it may not be a good idea to go out with your friends.”

You closed your eyes. He was not going to make you feel bad. “I just needed a breather, okay? And I made it home just fine.”

“But did you? How do I know someone didn’t follow you?” he asked. Clark’s face flashed in your mind when you stayed quiet. “…Kotyonok, did someone follow you?”

“No one followed me that I know of,” you said. You really didn't have any idea. “But… I did bump into Clark. He was in the neighborhood.”

“Clark? That guy from the shop who tried to give you flowers just happened to be in your neighborhood when I wasn't around?” he asked, fury seeping into his tone as you winced.

“I… I’m sure it was a coincidence,” you said. Placating him in this wasn’t going to work, but you had to try.

“That isn’t a fucking coincidence and we both know it. Did he say anything? Try anything?”

You shut your eyes. It would be like ripping off a band-aid. “He asked me to go get a cup of coffee with him, but I told him I was seeing someone.”

He chuckled humorlessly. “He asked you out?” he asked, making you shift in your seat. “Why the fuck do I not have a file on him yet?!” he snapped at someone in the background.

“I’m working on it, boss!” you heard someone promise. “Should I call-”

“No. I’ll call him myself,” Bucky growled.

Who was he talking about? “Bucky, it’s okay. The guy asked me out and I said no,” you assured him. You weren't going to go out with Clark. “I’m sure women throw themselves at you every day and you turn them down.”

“They don't ‘bump’ into me in my neighborhood. And had you told me you were leaving early, I could’ve made sure this guy didn’t go anywhere near you. I don’t even want him near your shop until I know more about him,” he said, his anger not lessening. “If he tries anything, I will tear him apart piece by fucking piece,” he promised you, the intensity in his tone making your throat go dry.

“That isn’t necessary,” you whispered.

He sighed. “Why would you deliberately put yourself in a spot like this just to prove a point? Be pissed at me, I can take that, but do not risk your safety,” he said, adding in a quieter voice, “I couldn’t take it if something happened to you.”

You bit the inside of your cheek, hating how guilty you felt, how worried he sounded on your behalf. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to worry you,” you said. It was stubborn and dumb on your part, and now you were afraid that Bucky really would try to cancel your day out tomorrow. You couldn’t let him. “I’ll make it up to you, okay?”

“Make it up to me?” he asked. That seemed to get his attention. “How are you going to do that?”

“I’ll…” you began, steadying yourself. Natasha said you had power, and maybe you’d have to test that sooner than you expected. “Stay at your place tonight.”

You could hear a pin drop from the quiet. “You’ll stay the night?” he asked, his voice moving like lava through your veins.

“Yes,” you whispered, hammering the nail in the coffin.

“Give me two hours and I'll come get you,” he said, his voice strained, eager. “Be ready.”

“I will be.”

God, you hoped you knew what you were doing.

Oh, Clark. He's a problem now, isn't he? What do we think Ray told Bucky? And what's going to happen when you spend the night? Love and thanks for reading! ❤️

Masterlist ⚓ Bucky Barnes Masterlist ⚓ Ko-Fi

[corkinavoid]

For @mysterious-messages, to 'Bless the child' by Nightwish

DPxDC Long Time No See

The crow was incredibly persistent. Which, of course, made it ten times more annoying in John's opinion, because he was trying very, very hard not to pay attention to the pitch-black bird with blood red eyes that was perched right outside the window.

Can't he have one single night where no impossibly powerful force of nature interrupts his attempt to drown himself in liquor? Honestly.

The crow knocks on the window again. Three perfectly timed knocks; this bloody bird sure knows how to draw attention, but it also definitely knows Constantine is avoiding it. Which is why it's insisting on making itself a nuisance, no doubt.

To be fair, John is not even entirely sure who's crow is it. Morpheus has a crow at his disposal, but his crow is a bitch. He wouldn't have simply sat on the windowsill and enjoyed annoying Constantine for the sheer spite of it. Death has her crows as well - very thematic, if you ask John - and then there was that one asshole raven that claimed itself belonging to Apollo.

And then, of course, there was-

Actually, maybe he should see what the crow wants. Might be important, after all.

Constantine sighs and puts his whiskey back on the bar before standing up. The world tilts to the side a bit - he might have had a few too many drinks, yeah. But then maybe it's just the side effect of the messenger crow being here, who knows. Constantine would rather put his money on the latter for the sake of his dignity. Not that he has much of that left.

He makes his way to the window, looks at the crow for a long moment, making his last internal debate obvious, and then opens the window.

"The hell do you want?" He asks, but quickly realises it was in vain.

He is not at the bar anymore.

Instead, he is standing in the middle of a graveyard, surrounded by tombstones, fog, and eerie silence. 4/10 on the creepy effect, John has definitely seen this shit done better.

The cloaked figure sitting on the nearest tombstone stays silent, watching him with unblinking, blood red eyes. John sighs again, pinches the bridge of his nose, and reaches into the pocket of his trenchcoat for cigarettes. If he ended up out of the bar anyway, he might as well use it for a smoke break.

"I'd rather you not," the cloaked being says, not a demand but a request by the sound of it. Constantine grimaces, but puts the pack back in the pocket. Arguing with this one will get him exactly nowhere.

"What's this all about, then?" He vaguely gestures around himself, at all the death, decay, and other things that start with the letter 'D'. "I never knew you're into this kind of thing. Very Mary Shelley of you," he raises an eyebrow.

The being - the Dead God, the Ghost of Time, Clockwork, Chronos, and any other name he likes calling himself - huffs a deep, low and breathy laugh. Then, he stands up, his feet firmly planted on the ground for once. He looks different to how John is used to seeing him, all sharp edges and monochrome colors, shiny leather oxfords and loose sleeves with tight cuffs.

Honestly, he kind of reminds Constantine of vampires. He really hopes this is not actually some kind of a new kink of his because John so didn't count on that kind of night. Despite what he's said before.

"No," Chronos shakes his head, his appearance shifting from young to middle-aged. Constantine blinks; if there's anything he learned about the Dead God through their various get-togethers, it's that his age usually reflects his level of seriousness.

But he doesn't have time to ask, nor does he get a moment to prepare, when a child, a literal goddamn child no older than ten steps out from behind Clockwork.

It looks like a boy, dressed in jeans and a blue hoodie with a NASA logo on it, and- He does look like Clockwork. Same pale skin, same eerie, unblinking eyes, same unearthly air around him.

Only, his eyes are a faint blue, like ice and winter skies. Like Constantine's eyes.

The unholy fuck. And he means it literally.

"Is that-" he starts, his throat suddenly dry, pointing his finger at the boy before he even thinks about it, but the Ghost of Time laughs again, a dirty grin on his lips.

"Yours? No, thank the Ancients," he says, making sure to sound just a tad bit offended even if John can see the mirth on his face. Bloody wanker. Constantine lets out a slow, loud breath through his nose.

"Amen to that," he agrees and looks at the kid again. And, as soon as the initial shock wears off, a sneaking suspicion starts to form in his mind. He narrows his eyes. "I don't want to ask, I really don't, but I'm going to anyway. Why?"

Clockwork's face looks distant for a moment, his features shifting into old.

"A child blessed by time has no home in his own life. A child blessed by death has no place among others," he says, and John hates when they speak in riddles, but he thinks he might be getting this one right. "I am only loved when I'm gone, the moments being held dear in memory. But a child does not deserve that," Clockwork's voice sounds almost sad, and, while John does understand it's supposed to be a metaphor, it doesn't feel like one.

But then, he is the Time itself. Maybe for him it's not really a metaphor.

He looks back to the kid, and catches the boy looking away with a grimace. Seems like they have at least one thing in common - they both hold a great distaste to Cronos' solemn way of talking.

Constantine is so going to regret this, but he knows where the Dead God is leading.

"Yeah, okay," he rubs his face with one hand, and, before he has time to ask or say another word, the whole graveyard is gone, and he is standing back in the bar, the low murmur of nightly crowd and warm light around him. Just like before he opened the window to the blood-eyed crow.

The only difference between then and now is the kid standing by his side, looking at him like John is the stupidest man he'd ever seen. Oh, he is already regretting this.

Constantine drops his hand down and goes back to the bar, where he left his drink.

"Want a beer?" He asks, and the kid rolls his eyes, trailing after him.

"I'm twelve," he deadpans, and, yeah, okay, he's got a point.

Fuck it, he is calling in a favor from Bats. That man has, like, twenty kids, he should have some parenting advice.

~•~•~•~

Yeah, the song really reminded me of Clockwork for some reason. Why am I loved only when I'm gone? is really stricking me as a line written for him because you only cherish the time after it's gone, you smile at your memories and pictures, but you rarely ever pay attention to it in the moment.

Also, I did my best with the Gothic aesthetic there, and here's the additional vibe.

Clockwork, just dropping a random ass kid on his occasional one night stand and vanishing into the night, knowing that John Constantine has a soft spot for kids and won't just fuck off to who knows where: it's for the greater good the better timeline

Danny, left alone with a clearly too drunk to think magician whose soul looks like a jigsaw puzzle: the fuck it's not

[startheskelaton]

Okay so since we know that a TFP version of Sparkplug exists…that got my inner Prime fan, brain thinking, and I sudden had some questions regarding Sparkplug Prime.

So like how did the bots even discover her, like was she really dramatically unveiled by Megs? Or was it more of an accident, and they found her during a big fight? Cause she was still fairly young into of the images we saw her, while her more mature, form seems to be hinting at her future.

Plus did the bits really take her back to their base? Cause if Acree is comparing her stare with one of her dads, then I assume Team Prime does ‘capture’ her, and brings her back to outpost omega one. But that raises even more questions…

Like how do the rest of the hits react to her? I assume Acree is going to be very protective of her seeing how she’s the one holding her? What are the Kids and Folwer(and by extension his bosses the U.S government) reactions cause the bots can’t exactly hide a Sparkling meant to be the ultimate Optimus killer.

Plus since we know that Sparkplug is a member of a trio, does that mean a version of her friend’s Soundblaster, and Nightflyer exits?

Someone wanted to know more about her, and I felt like drawing her so why not. I image she ended up in the hands of the autobots because of Starscream. He saw how much Megatron fussed over her and immediately knew his ass was about to be replaced. Seeing an easy target to dispatch, he literally just kicked her out the ship during a battle and said the autobots must’ve dispatched her.

Megatron is obviously heartbroken and Starscream uses this to get a little bit more control for the time being.

Meanwhile, Arcee finds this little sparking in the middle of nowhere and due to survivors guilt, takes her back to the base.

Due to her intense power, they decide to take her in and hopefully raise her to be kind. This all being while Megatron still tries to look for her (I image he takes her when Megatron steals Optimus prime). She ends up getting rather attached to Jack’s mom, as well as Ratchet. This Sparkplug actually wants to be a medic and does her best to help… even if she’s a little destructive.

Miko loves her, seeing her as a little destructive creature with good intentions. Jack is more upset that he’s getting suck with babysitting duties. And Raph is happy to not be the youngest anymore.

I image her older version would appear in “Robots in disguise”, showing up to glare at bumblebee and force him to get his shit together instead of Optimus. (My version Optimus stays gone because we want Bee to have proper character development)

Nightflyer would probably be one of the animal themed deceptions that trained under Starscream, starting in his predicon form.

Soundblaster would probably still be a attempt to make another Soundwave since he’s still trapped in the fucking shadow realm

[pitchsidestories]

Everything I know about female friendship II Arsenal Women x Reader

romantic masterlist | platonic masterlist | word count: 2136

summary: Everyone in your flat share has moved on, except you. There used to be five of you, Alessia, Victoria, Laura, Laia and you, and now you think you're celebrating New Year's Eve alone in a flat that, if the pictures on the wall were anything to go by, was once full of friendship.

author's note: Dear readers, we hope you'll have a fantastic New Year’s Eve and a great start into 2025; however you choose to celebrate it.🫶🏻🫶🏻

This New Years’ Eve felt significantly different from all the others before. This year you weren’t out partying, dancing until the early morning hours and you also didn’t spend the night with your housemates and a bottle of champagne in your shared living room.

For the first time since you moved to London you were alone. Everyone that had shared the house with you at some point, had already moved out again. There was no Laura, no Victoria, no Laia and no Alessia anymore. Just you.

You really thought you had made peace with the idea that you would end the old year and start the new year alone. But sitting there, waiting for the hours to pass, the emptiness started to feel weirdly heavy. To counteract the silence, you put your favourite record on and opened a bottle of wine that you had saved for this night.

While you were pouring yourself a glass, a sudden ringing on your doorbell made you jump and almost spill some of your wine.

“I’m coming!”, you called out. Leaving your glass on the table, you slowly walked towards the door. As soon as you opened it, Victoria beamed at you: “Surprise!”

You didn’t know what to say. Victoria and Laura stood in front of you, their arms linked. Laia and Alessia appeared right behind them with multiple bags in hand.

“Wow, I thought…”, you stammered but Alessia didn’t let you finish.

“That we’re all celebrating somewhere without you?”

You nodded hesitantly: “Actually, yes.”

“Wrong!”, Laura clarified quickly and pushed past you into her old home without waiting for you to beckon them in.

You let the other girls pass without protest as well. Laia was the last one. She looked up towards the clouded sky one last time before going inside: “I wish the weather was better though.”

You almost snorted. Whenever she had the chance, Laia would bring up how bad the weather in England was compared to Spain.

Victoria rolled her eyes: “You will survive, Laia.”

”Would a hug help?”, you asked to which the Spaniard nodded immediately.

“Yes.”

“Knew it.”, you laughed before pulling her towards you. With your chin resting on Laias shoulder, you forgot for a moment that she didn’t live here anymore.

You stayed there until you heard Alessia yell from the kitchen: “Oh my god, we need to upgrade your dinner for tonight!”

Laia and you followed the others into the next room. You shrugged nonchalantly: “What’s the problem with wine and crackers?”

“With wine, you need Italian food.”, Alessia stated.

“And a spanish dessert.”, Laia added before turning to the other two Arsenal players that were too busy with their lips on each other to care about any kind of food. “And no, Vicky and Laura, you cannot each other up. Respect the single ladies here!”

“And we want to contribute some Dutch and Austrian food.”, the defender explained with a cheeky smile on her lips.

You couldn't help but get a little sentimental as you watched your friends teasing each other, reminding you of the time when you all called these four walls your home. The melancholy hit you out of nowhere and your heart was torn into a million pieces, but the presence of your friends managed to put the many shattered pieces back together again.

“Man, how I missed you girls.”, you sighed whole-heartedly.

There was an amused sparkle in Alessia’s eyes when she replied to your comment: “We still see each other in training. We’re not completely gone.”

“Yes, just because we moved out doesn’t mean we’re not your friends anymore you idiot.”, Victoria reminded you with her direct Dutch manner.

Instead of looking into anyone’s eyes you focused on the flickering candlelight in front of you, while you admitted: “I know that. It just sometimes feels a bit lonely. I miss the random talks in the living room and stuff like that.”

 “No wonder you’re a bit down the music is depressing.”, Laia observed, making her way to your beloved record player.

Maybe because the Spaniard herself went through dark times in her football career she was the one who was able to find the lightness in every moment so easily it was an art the defender perfected over time.

“Don’t turn that off!”, you protested smiling weakly.

“Can anyone help me to top the pizzas or not?”, asked the blonde striker.

Luckily for her the Austrian was the first to offer her help as they swiftly went to the kitchen to give the food the last finishing touches before it was put into the oven.

Alessia's face was one of pure concentration: “What do you think more cheese?”

“Of course, more cheese!”, Laura declared.

The half-Italian nodded in agreement: “Alright.”

“Laia put on something more.”, Victoria began but was confidently interrupted by the Catalan woman.

She assured her grinning: “You don’t have to tell me, I’ve the best playlist for that.”

“Excuse me!?”, you formed your lips to a pout which could almost compete with Leah Williamson’s one as Laia switched to Latin dance music.

Laia's brown eyes twinkled mischievously at you, her hips starting to swing to the rhythm of the beat: “Just trust me on this.”

“Fine, but I won’t dance.”, you quickly clarified.

She shrugged unimpressed by your statement: “You don’t have to.”

“Good.”, you replied.

“But you will later.”, Laia stated firmly.

A soft smile was playing on your lips: “I’m unsure about that.”

“Girls, the pizza is done.”, Alessia chirmed, the delicious smell of the Italian dish which was made by her family recipe filled up the room.

When she and Laura placed the finished pizzas fresh from the oven on the table, Victoria clapped excitedly:” Amazing.”

“Come try it.”, the Austrian said, waving Victoria over to her.

While the midfielder sat down, Laura cut her a piece of pizza and held it in front of her face so she could take a bite.

Victoria chewed happily: “It’s so delicious.”

One after the other, you all joined the table, pouring each other wine and trying the pizzas.

You watched all your friends crowded your kitchen like they used to do a few months ago.

“At least you’re all happy now.”, you grinned.

Laia turned to you with a raised eyebrow: “You should be happy too.”

“I am.”, you replied a little too quickly. A half-truth that came too easily and that was hard to describe to other people.

Alessia shook her head. As usual, she looked right through you: “She is not.”

“Rude.”, you said. You weren’t offended but a little taken aback by how quickly she caught on to your lie.

The striker remained unimpressed: “At least you haven’t told your face that yet.”

You raised your eyebrows in surprise, you hadn’t realized that you were frowning. Your eyebrows had begun to knit together, creating a small crease on her forehead, and her molars were clenched together. A bit longer and you would have given yourself a headache by the end of the evening.

Victoria refilled your now empty wine glass with a gracious smile: “Yes, so how are you really.”

You took a deep breath, preparing yourself to let your guard down: “I’m okay.”

“You’re sure?”, Laura asked for confirmation.

“Yes. I just get a bit sad and nostalgic around the end of the year.”, you finally admitted.

Your friends went quiet. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence but rather a thoughtful one which was quickly ended by Laia looking at you incredulously: “But you can be proud of yourself.”

“Proud? Are you serious?”, you laughed.

“Obviously I’m serious.”, the Spaniard nodded, glaring at you sternly.

You shook your head, the crease between your brows making a reappearance: “Of what?“

“Oh my god, are you kidding?”, Victoria suddenly burst out.

“No.”

The dutch midfielder heaved a frustrated sigh. “Remember when you moved in here? Look at you now.”

The memories came back with force like a ball hitting you right into the face during a football game. It was one and a half years ago and you should have been overjoyed to have just signed your first contract for Arsenal, but all your thoughts were preoccupied with your recent break-up. Your move to London was the last straw for your ex, she ended the relationship via text. The majority of your first few weeks at Arsenal were only made bearable by your housemates.

You bit your lip, trying not to laugh about your past self: “Vicky, I was a heartbroken wreck back then.”

“That’s what I’m saying! You’re so over it! You’ve grown so much as a player and as a person!”, she disagreed with you passionately.

You let your gaze wander lovingly over the faces of your beloved friends before concluding: “I grew only because of all of you.”

“Hey, no. With us all.”, Alessia corrected you promptly with a knowing smile playing on her pink lips.

She was right about that when you thought back fondly on the development of the friendship between the five of you.

The sense of togetherness you all developed on and off the pitch was nothing short of remarkable. Even at hard times when things with the head coach got difficult you stood together. Yes, you had befriended teammates in the past, but the true power of female friendship was evident in your former roommates.

“You’re right, Laia’s English improved so much since she moved to London.”, you remembered smirking.

“Excuse me?”, the Spaniard huffed playfully.

Laura patted her shoulder sympathetically:” It’s true.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay.”, Laia admitted.

You gratefully squeezed the striker's hand: “Thanks for the pizza, Lessi. It was great as always.”

“You’re welcome. I tried to perfect the recipe in the past year.”, Alessia proudly raised her chin.

With curiosity in her voice, the Austrian wanted to know:” Is it originally from your Italian family side.”

“Of course.”, the blonde replied, her laugh warming even the coldest of hearts.

Meanwhile Laia rose solemnly from her chair:” You know what, girls?”

“What? It’s not midnight yet.”, you remarked after you checked it on your phone.  The time really flew by when you spent it with your friends. While the conversation and the wine flowed.

The defender rolled her eyes in annoyance:” I can read a clock, y/n. Thank you very much.”

“So?”, you looked at her with anticipation.

“Yes, what are we doing?”, Laura questioned matching your excitement.

“It’s time for dancing.”, Laia announced grinning roguishly.

“No.”, you objected.

“Yes.”, she answered, her voice full of enthusiasm.

“Laia”, you warned her as the Catalan pretended not to have heard the warning and took your hands to lift you from your chair.

“Come on, y/n.”, Laura interjected.

“Ugh.”, you groaned while the fellow Arsenal players started to dance around you.

Slowly you began to move your body to the music as well, feeling the weight of the year being lifted from your shoulders as Alessia chirped in your ears:”You’ll feel better afterwards.”

The promise which the sentence held turned out to be true. The melancholy wasn’t gone entirely, but there was a lightness in your steps now which was new tonight.  

“We’re such bad dancers.”, you laughed out loud.

“Who cares?!”, Alessia asked, flailing her arms as she spun in circles around the room.

You thought about if for a second and then nodded: “Good point, actually.”

Victoria who almost knocked a small golden table lamp from one of the dressers while doing the robot, reminded you: “It’s just us!”

“And that’s more than enough.”, you said fondly as you watched your friends doing silly dance moves in your living room like they used to.

They didn’t hear you though. Instead, the music stopped, and your teammates suddenly scrambled through your apartment. A glance towards the clock revealed why. It was five minutes before midnight. Victoria and Laura ran out on the balcony, carrying snacks while Alessia and Laia frantically filled champagne glasses.

You met on the balcony exactly at midnight, quickly clinking your glasses together.

“Happy New Year everyone!”, Laura yelled into the night sky, right as the fireworks started around you.

Victoria pressed a quick kiss to the Austrians cheek before turning back to the group in front of her: “Happy New Year, girls!”

Your heart felt like it was going to burst out of your chest as you just stood there on the balcony, watching your former housemates and current teammates sip on their champagne and light some sparklers.

The nostalgia was still there but less sad and heavy. It started to transform into something that filled you with hopefulness and excitement for the new year. You felt at peace knowing that no matter what, the girls would always be by your side.

You blinked at them one more time: “Can’t wait for another year with my girls.”

gif and image source: https://www.tumblr.com/stargirlsfc/746487956612775936/lets-fucking-gooooo?source=share, https://pin.it/3K5c1msTJ

[moralesluvr]

Hey! So this is like a goofy requested like idek. So basically I've been watching coming home videos of people in the army and don't even ask why lmao but everytime they make my heart burst! 😭

It gave me the idea of a billie x reader fanfic. The reader is in the army and has been away for a few months now. We told billie we aren't going to be home as soon as we thought, and of course billie is really upset, but what she doesn't know is that actually we are coming home early to surprise her! Her family is in on it and helps us surprise her, and she gives us the most adorable reaction possible.

Sorry if this sounds stupid. In my head, this sounds alot lot better, I promise 😭

anon i love this idea, thank you for your request !!

SWEET RETURN | b. eilish.

you could hear the laced disappointment in billie’s voice through the phone, even though she was trying her best to mask it. the sound of her pouting made your heart shatter, though she had no idea what was coming to her, for the better.

“so… not until next month?” she asked you, her tone light, but you knew her well enough to catch the sadness hiding behind her words.

“yeah,” you replied, swallowing the lump in your throat, “things got delayed here. they need me to stay a little longer. i’m so sorry, babe. i wish i could come home earlier.”

there was silence on the other end for a moment, followed by a quiet sigh. you hear her shuffle within the covers of your bed, “it’s okay. i get it. i just… i really miss you, y’know? the house feels so empty without you. i miss my wife.”

“i know,” you said, your chest tightening at her words. you had missed her so damn badly— and your excitement to see her again was almost too much to contain. “i miss you too, so much. but i promise, as soon as i’m back, we’ll make up for all this time apart, okay?”

billie let out a small, shaky laugh. you can hear her sniffles, “okay, my love. m’getting a little sleepy, so i’ll talk to you later.”

“okay,” you said, grinning widely, even though she couldn’t see you. “only a little longer, okay? then i’ll get to see my beautiful wife.”

you can practically hear her smile through her voice, “m’kay. i know you’ve got shit to do, so i can’t be too upset. but i love you, okay? have a good night.”

“i love you too,” you said, your voice soft, honey dripping from your tone, “more than anything.”

you hang up the phone, almost unable to conceal your excitement. what billie didn’t know was that you were already on your way home, ready to see her and attack her with hugs and kisses, ready to see her surprised expression when she sees you.

────୨ৎ────

two days post phone call, you were standing in billie’s parents’ cozy living room, your heart racing as maggie smoothed over your uniform, while patrick and finneas helped finalize the plan.

“she’s going to flip!” maggie spoke softly yet excitedly, a delighted smile spreading across her face, “she’s been so down lately, my lovebug. this will make her year.”

her dad nodded in agreement. “you’ve got the flowers, right hun?”

“got them,” you said, holding up the bouquet of billie’s favorite flowers, thanks to very detailed and focused bouquet shopping with finneas. you bounced on your heels excitedly, so ready to see billie— it had been so long, and all you wanted to do was see her pretty face and wrap her in a warm embrace.

“good!” patrick replied, clapping a hand on your shoulder lightly with a smile. though he was usually more stoic, even he couldn’t keep himself together at the thought of his daughter being overflowed with joy at this surprise.

you let out a nervous laugh, adjusting your uniform for what felt like the hundredth time with a nod. you waited on the couch patiently as maggie poured you a glass of cider, you two chattering amongst yourselves as patrick and finneas watched tv.

billie thought she was coming over for a quiet and peaceful family dinner. her mom had told her it was a way to cheer her up while you were “still stuck overseas.”

she had come over about an hour after you did, and you could hear her engine being killed in the driveway, making your nerves pulse through your skin as you waited anxiously, flowers in hand.

she pushed open the door, calling out a distracted, “hello, my loves!”

maggie greeted her at the door, pulling her into a quick hug. “hey, sweetheart! come on in!— oh, and dinner’s almost ready, but we’ve got a little surprise for you first.”

billie raised an eyebrow, glancing toward the dining room. “a surprise?”

“just come see, lovebug.” maggie spoke, leading her further into the house.

you stood in the living room, hidden just around the corner. your heart pounded as you heard her voice, the sound like music to your ears after so many months apart. you wanted to jump out and hug her, but you had to keep your composure as you stayed hidden.

“okay… guys…what’s going on?” billie asked, her voice light but curious. she sounded almost a little frustrated that she couldn’t figure it out, but her eyes immediately widened as you stepped out into view, holding the bouquet in your hands and a nervous smile on your face, “hi, baby.”

billie froze, her eyes locking on you as her jaw lowered. for a moment, she didn’t move, and it looked like she wasn’t even breathing for a second.

then, all at once, she dropped everything she was holding and ran toward you.

“oh my god, oh my god!” she cried, her voice breaking as she threw her arms around your neck. “you’re here! you’re really here!”

you wrapped your arms around her, holding her as tightly as you could without crushing the flowers between you. you wrapped a loving back behind her frame, “i’m here,” you whispered, your own voice shaking. you felt tears well in the underskirts of your eyes, “i couldn’t wait any longer to see you. i think i would’ve died.”

billie pulled away from your embrace just enough to look at you, tears streaming down her face but a wide, disbelieving smile lighting up her features.

“hey… you lied to me.” her lips formed into a pout, her eyes blinking away tears as she pulled you in for a quick kiss, her lips tasting of salt and strawberry.

“i’m sorry bils, but i had to,” you said with a small laugh, shrugging your shoulders defensively, “it wouldn’t have been a surprise otherwise.”

“it’s okay, i’ll let this little one slide,” billie chucked, shaking her head as she wiped at her tears with the sleeve of her hoodie, “my god, i missed you so much.”

“i missed you more.” you whined, pulling her closer and leaning down to kiss her forehead.

maggie, patrick, and finneas clapped and cheered from the doorway, and billie turned to glare at them, a confused expression wiped on her face, “wait— what the fuck? you guys were in on this?”

“of course we were,” finneas grinned, beaming. “i was the first person that she told— you jealous?”

“shut up.” billie rolled her eyes, but she smiled as she turned back to you, “you’re not leaving again anytime soon, are you?”

“not for a while, baby,” you promised, tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. “i’m staying right here with you. promise.”

billie sighed, leaning her forehead against yours. “good. because i don’t think i can do that again. ever. i love you too much.”

you laugh sweetly, pulling billie closer,

“i love you so much more.”

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[controversially-young-girlfriend]

read me like a book 💌prof. spencer reid x reader

💋 office hours with your fav professor. oneshot smut with softdom spencer and praise 💋

you’re prone to skipping an occasional lecture - 9am is just too early to be up! you’re a week ahead on your developmental psych notes! but you’ve never missed a class with dr. spencer reid.

as much as you enjoy the course content (and actually do the required readings) your mind goes blank once professor reid enters the lecture hall and his words fade into the background as you admire his curly hair and soft eyes. you’re almost mad he’s so hot because your lack of focus just landed you a C+ on your recent essay. you’re embarrassed not at your own academic efforts but rather the effect he has on them.

as usual, you doll yourself up before heading to class and take a seat right in the middle where dr. reid tends to lay his eyes while lecturing.

after the heard of girls auditing the class finish talking to professor reid, you approach the front of the class to ask about your essay.

you’ve always loved talking to him after class, getting a few minutes of one-on-one time with him. he’s different when not lecturing, and has an endearing awkwardness that you’ve become infatuated with. you loved when a simple question turned into what felt like a personal lesson.

“hi dr. reid, i’m wondering if i could discuss my recent essay with you?”

“definitely, however i think the next class is starting in a few minutes. would you be okay to discuss it in my office?” he tells you and you feel yourself get hot. you’ve talked to him plenty of times but never in his office, your mind immediately fantasizing about all the things you’ve imagined him doing to you in there.

you try and remain composed on the walk there, making small talk to not let any signs of your schoolgirl crush on him show.

he opens the door for you, closing it before walking over to his desk. you hand him the essay and feel your heart flutter when your fingers grace each others briefly. you try your best to follow the feedback he’s adding in red pen but you’re transfixed on the way he’s moving his hands.

you snap out of it when he softly says your name, “i hope you’re not discouraged by the grade. you’re a smart girl.” you hope he doesn’t notice how hard you’re blushing at him calling you smart.

“i know you understand the concepts but your analysis needs to remain objective. i would have given you a B if you stayed closer to the assignment outline.”

the feedback is fair but you’re worried about your gpa. “is there anyway to do some extra credit or raise my grade?”

dr. reid tells you “come see me back here before the next assignment is due and we’ll go through it together.”

you’re grateful but dreading the end of this conversation and having to leave his office.

“thanks professor reid! i really enjoy these post-lecture conversations.” you know your words are implying something more, but you’re wondering if it shows.

dr. reid replies “me too.”

you guys make eye contact until he looks to the left and takes a deep breath. “by the way, most student-teacher relationships end horribly. not to mention they’re pretty explicitly banned in the contract i signed to guest lecture here.”

“oh my god oh um i’m sorry i didn’t mean to say anything that would make you uncomfortable.”

“don’t worry, you didn’t say anything. i think you just forgot that i make a career out of profiling people.” dr. reid tells you with a slight smile on his face

“so what gave it away then?”

“you’ve been blushing for the last 15 minutes and stumbling over your words despite being a normally eloquent student in class. you’re leaned into me talking right now and i’ve caught you staring at me multiple times.” he says while smiling. you’re relieved he’s not mad, but can’t quite identify his intentions of telling you this.

“well professor reid, you’re good at your job. but like you said i’m a smart girl, so it’s only fair i get to profile you back.”

you can tell you caught his attention with that, feeling him getting a bit nervous but leaning in to hear what you have to say. your legs are now touching as you list the little traits of his you’ve noticed all semester.

“you have a whole fan club of girls who come to your lectures and wait to talk to you. do you give all of them the student-teacher relationship talk? or am i just getting special treatment?”

he puts his hand on your thigh. “do you wear skirts this short when you talk to your other professors.” you’re shocked at how far he’s going but you don’t want him to stop.

“you’re easy to read, princess. i know when you’re sitting in my lectures and thinking about me. you subtly bite your lip and stare, and i can only imagine what you’re fantasizing about. i’d guess you get off on me being your older professor, me fucking you bent over my desk as i tell you how how you’re such a pretty little slut for me.”

is he a profiler or a mind reader? you don’t want to let him win but he looks at you self-satisfied and starts talking before you can think of a reply.

“and i’d place my job on the line that you’re wet just hearing that.”

“well professor reid, i’ll leave it to you to prove your theory.”

reid pushes up your skirt and feels your soaked panties. you watch him smile before pulling you into his lap and kissing you.

the makeout deepens as he grabs your waist, slowly guiding it to grind against him as his tongue is in your mouth. you hold him by the hair until he leans back to look at you. through heavy breaths he says “i’ve been thinking of you since i saw you in my first lecture.”

he takes your shirt and bra off, moving kissing your lips, down to your neck, and then down to your chest. you take off his cardigan and begin working on his button up shirt, leaving you both shirtless against eachother. “you’re so beautiful like this.” he tells you.

you feel him adjust your legs to take off your skirt and panties. slowly teasing his fingers at your entrance, he quickly dips a finger in just to tell you “you’re so wet, so desperate for me pretty girl.” as you try and rub against his hand for contact. he’s right, you need him badly right now.

dr. reid rubs circles on your clit and you let out a soft moan. he watches your face as he slips his fingers inside. “fuck you’re good, dr. reid.” you can tell being called by the honorific turns him on by the way he gripped you tighter and sighed. he takes his fingers out from inside you and pushes them into your mouth. you give him a show, looking him right in the eyes as you work your tongue around them. “you’re such a slut for me, baby.” you’re shocked that this sort of dirty talk is coming from your nerdy, cardigan wearing professor.

he pulls his fingers out and you unbuckle his belt. you palm him which earns a slight moan out of reid. “seems like you want me just as bad” you tell him. you pull down his boxers and he grabs your hair into a ponytail. with his other hand he lifts your chin slightly to ask, “well how bad do you want me?” you immediately begin going down on him, eager to impress.

you’re blissed out listening to the praises coming from him between the heavy breaths. “so pretty baby”, “taking me so well”

he lifts your head up, “wanna bend over the desk, sweetheart?” you gladly agree, anticipating him as he grips your hips and plants a kiss on your neck.

he’s big but you’re savouring every inch of professor reid inside of you. thrusting slowly as you adjust to the feeling. he speeds up as he talks you through it, “such a cute little slut sitting in my lectures imagining me fucking you like this. you feel so fucking good baby.” you begin to unravel with pleasure.

you can barely form a sentence but manage to ask “have a thing for fucking college girls, professor reid?” you say between moans.

he thrusts into you harder and positions his mouth right beside your ear, “just the ones who come into my office in short skirts to seduce me.”

you guys won’t last much longer, he feels your core tightening around him. “i want to watch you cum for me.” he tells you.

you unravel in his arms, with him finishing soon after. he holds you in his arms as you catch your breath. “maybe your profile was right about me, dr. reid” you say to him lightheartedly.

“you can call me spencer. although there is a definite appeal to being called dr. in this context” he says.

you help rearrange the papers on his desk that were pushed off earlier and get dressed again.

“um don’t worry about your essay grade. if you ever want to do this again perhaps i can count it as extra credit.” he smiles and tells you.

“i’d love that. i’ll be here after every lecture.” you say with a massive smile on your face.

he kisses you once more, “now go study. i’ll see you next week.”

[renirae]

Tim Drake and stalking as a love language

I have this idea that Tim has been stalking people as a love language actually years before he ever discovered Robin's identity.

It started when he was six and his parents were visiting. Tim was already being taken care of by a live-in nanny, so he rarely saw his parents - even while in Gotham, they were still usually out of the house, going to galas and dining with important businessmen.

However, one night they actually did stay home, and Tim was so excited to finally spend a day with them before they flew out the next day!! ...Until he learned they were only home because they were having a dinner party.

Now, it was clear that Tim wasn't a part of the guest list; but Janet made the mistake of not telling Tim to go to his room. Instead, she specifically said "Timothy, I don't want to see you for the rest of the night".

Tim, of course, realized the loophole; they weren't allowed to see him, but he could watch them. And as long as he wasn't caught, he'd be following his parents' rules AND spending time with them before they left!

So before the dinner, he found somewhere to hide in the dining room, and he watched his parents the entire night. And it was great! They even talked about him to some of their guests, called him a "smart and independent young man". They'd never said that to Tim's face, but he glowed with pride from the compliment for days after. His strategy had worked perfectly.

For the next few visits he did the same thing. Every time his parents were home but didn't want to see him, he simply watched them instead. It was basically spending time together!

Eventually though, Tim grew older, and visitors to the mansion started to ask why their son was never a part of the dinners. But rather than adding Tim to the guest list, his parents simply stopped ever hosting events.

Tim at this point had already started stalking Batman and Robin, so he had a genius idea; he could follow his parents around Gotham to watch them too!

So yeah, this continued until Janet's death; whenever his parents came to Gotham and went to go, for example, meet a colleague in a restaurant, Tim would find a way to sneak in or otherwise watch over them. Obviously by this age he was now aware just how... not-normal this behaviour was, but it was also basically the only time he ever saw his parents interacting with each other without Tim around. And again, they even sometimes complimented him! He would never have known that if he hadn't kept watching them! So... yeah, no matter how creepy he knew it was, he couldn't convince himself to stop.

Of course, the canon stalking of Batman and Robin continued as well - after Robin switched hands, Tim even sometimes went to Bludhaven to stalk Nightwing around too, although those trips were much more few and far between given the necessary added amount of planning and travel.

That, of course, continued until Jason's death... and then Tim's mother and later his father died too, so you'd think Tim would have nobody else to stalk, right?

...Well, old habits die hard.

Even after getting friends and family, Tim couldn't quite stop himself from stalking them. Perhaps it was because his parents always got annoyed when Tim tried to spend time with them, so he grew paranoid that his new friends and family were the same way - if he was too clingy, they would stop wanting to spend time with him. So if he wanted to see a certain family member but he'd spent time with them too recently, he ended up just hiding and watching them instead. Just like with his parents, he could spend time around them without them getting annoyed at him. It was a win-win!

(Of course, he now lived with a bunch of other stalkers (even if most of them did it for vigilantism reasons and not to their actual friends and family like Tim did), so this couldn't last forever. I imagine they slowly caught on, one by one, and once the entire family was aware they all worked together to stage an intervention.

And since I refuse to write unhappy endings - during the intervention, it takes some prodding, but Tim finally opens up. He tells them about his parents, and admits he stalks people because he's worried he'll be seen as clingy like they did. And after many many reassurances that his parents were wrong and everyone loves him the way he is, they all hug him and have a movie night or something and it's happily ever after :))

[anyothercomments]

“S3 rayla would never” “arc 1 raylum would never have turned out like this”

Arc 2 raylum were what- 14 yrs old? S7 raylum r 16/17 ? Ur telling me that you think that two teenagers who are going to experience more trauma than most adults have to face, break up for 2ish years, go through another serving of trauma and get back together are gonna act the exact same way? Are going to interact the exact same way with each other and their loved ones? Are going to have the exact same values and insecurities?

S1 rayla hated her parents for abandoning the dragon queen, had a strained relationship with runaan where her self worth was constantly reliant on his approval, had never left xadia before and was convinced she was meant to be an assasin

S7 rayla has mourned 2 of her parents twice, one of them once. Has had to choose which to keep living. Has been banished from her home for 2 years. Banished herself from society for 1 ish year. Has killed a person. Has met humans. Has fought in wars.

S1 callum had like 3 friend, was constantly belittled, had 0 self esteem and lived an extremely sheltered life, feeling like an imposter the entire time as the orphan step prince.

S7 callum has found magic and rayla and wouldnt sacrifice them for anything - his relationship with both things sometimes manifests in unhealthy ways and he ends up selfishly prioritising the wrong thing some times but he’s a 17 yr old boy so that’s to be expected. He had an actual support system and whilst he still struggles with his self esteem, he’s overcome a lot of his imposter syndrome.

(Also may i just say why is everyone so anti callum wanting kids? Dude says a hypothetical about how interracial babies turn out differently and all of a sudden his character’s been ruined? So what if he actually wanted 10 kids? Doesnt mean he and rayla cant still both be the best mage and warrior the continent has ever seen before or whilst they have kids? )

And you mean to tell me you expect s7 rayla to have the exact same fears and insecurities as s1 rayla? To interact with her loved ones in the same way? To prioritise them the same? She has changed- for better or for worse. It’s ok to disagree with the way they wrote her but it gets on my nerves when people say “oh she wouldnt do that in s3”.

You mean to tell me that as a teen you never prioritised friends over family? You were perfectly emotionally adjusted and never made selfish decisions that meant you let a sibling down? That callum’s all of a sudden irredeemably evil because he decided to support rayla when he really should’ve stayed and helped ezran work through his emotions?

You mean to tell me that 17 year old you adamantly stands by all of your actions at 14 and has the exact same relationships with all your most important people? Cus if you do you were either a very emotionally mature 14 yr old or you were an incredibly immature 17 year old.

All of that to say that holding arc 2 raylum to arc 1 rayllum standards is just weird to me. They’ve both changed- for better or for worse- and if they had the exact same relationship after all that, then what was the point in making an arc 2? And i hope that their relationship develops in arc 3 as well.

[justastraymoa]

Unwilling Alpha

Chapter 18

WC 3,486

Masterlist

Warnings ⚠️ swears, abo dynamics, mentions of slave trade, mentions of rape, mentions of abuse, mentions of death, fear, manipulation. Falls injury but not severe, hospital, xray, cat scans, I am not a medical professional so ignore any oopsies when it comes to that.

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Half asleep still and confused I felt around the bed. Cold. It had been a while since they left. The confusion quickly led to panic as I sat up, now completely awake and aware. There was nothing in the room besides my few items left out. Nothing to indicate that they were here or were coming back.

Snatching my phone off the nightstand, I looked at the time. Almost lunch. And a text notification. I opened my messages.

I sighed out the panic that had crawled into my chest. The irrational thought of them abandoning me is gone now. I sent a quick text to my bodyguard group chat and swung my legs out of my warm blankets.

Since it was just me, I was allowed to drive myself for the first time. It had been so long since I drove, I was actually nervous to get behind the wheel again, but also giddy. So, with coffee in hand I set the GPS and headed to my boys.

The first thing I did was accidentally pull out in front of someone. I grimaced and waved in apology as they lay on their horn and yelled at me, gesturing wildly. Oops.

I did make it to the arena in one piece eventually. The roads in Melbourne were confusing as hell, even with GPS giving me step my step instructions. I made multiple wrong turns and got lost several more times.

Now, standing in the shadow of the massive arena, I was intimidated. And lost again. I wasn’t sure where to go in at or if they would even let me in. What if security didn’t know who I was?

What would I do then? The boys won’t be able to check their phones very often, I’m sure. And they won’t want to hold up or skip practice for me. They didn’t have a lot of time before the concert to prepare. And this mini tour was kind of a rapid tour as well. To reestablish themselves and assure everyone that they weren’t disbanding.

Maybe I should go back to my hotel room and hang out there for the day. I would be less of a nuisance there and my Omegas will be too busy to feel the separation.

Minjun shoved me gently from behind. “They are expecting you.” He spoke. It was like he was reading my mind and knew I was thinking of leaving. Like he knew my insecurities. Maybe he did. Maybe they were all over my face. Who knows, but I did follow his gesture to a metal set of doors that opened easily when I tested the handle.

The group was working on the spacing for Social Path. Music stopping and starting again as Lino adjusted something, then tried it out.

They were all so focused, they didn’t notice my arrival, but I felt 3x lighter just seeing them. Being close to them again. Even if I itched to reestablish contact too. Seeing them would have to be enough for now. I wasn’t going to disrupt their rhythm and flow.

Instead, I found a stadium seat and started to get my camera all set up. I may miss taking pictures of anything but my Omegas, and the various studios we ended up in, but I wasn’t about to stop taking those photos either. Each new experience with my boys would be immortalized on “film”. Hard copies of our memories together.

Getting the lighting right turned out to be impossible. The lighting crew was testing the lights, so it changed constantly. Being too dark here, then too light. The white balance completely off every time. But this was a challenge I liked. In my photography element and actually knowing what I was doing for the first time in what felt like a long time.

I dodged all the staff buzzing about. Frantically getting things set up for the show. Instead I stayed tucked in little nooks and crannies. Hiding in the spaces no one needed to use.

Binnie spotted me first. “Y/n!” He shouted, hands in the air and running toward me in baby. “You’re here!” He was entirely too loud, voice seeming to echo around the empty arena.

Matching his energy, I reached out to him from right next to the stage. “I am here!” I screamed back.

We awkwardly hugged from the drastically different levels. This stage was at my nose, nearly taller than I was. Even from an odd angle, Bin somehow managed to pull me up onto the stage with minimal effort. It was impressive.

“That was kind of hot, Bin, but I don’t want to get in the way of practice.” I patted his pink cheeks, ignoring the slight dampness left on my hand from sweat.

Ayen leapt onto my back, hanging on for a piggyback ride. I held his slight weight easily. I had held cameras that weighed more, honestly. “You won’t get in the way. Besides, you will get better pictures up here.” He nuzzled his nose behind my ear as he talked.

The rest joined us reconnecting with me by brief touches and not-so-subtle sniffs of my scent. Seungmin kissed my cheek and tweaked my chin gently. Lino patted my ass, looking a mixture of annoyed and tired, but I knew it wasn’t directed at me. He smelled stressed out. I wanted to help him destress, but I knew there was nothing I could do right now. Stress was part of life for them-for all of us now.

“Did you sleep okay after we left?” Seungmin asked. I nodded with a smile. “No nightmares?” He gave me a look warning me not to lie. I shook my head, confirming firmly that I had had no nightmares this morning. “Good.” Seungmin looked pleased and satisfied.

I was oddly proud and happy that I would make him so happy so easily. My metaphorical Alpha tail was wagging, and I hummed with a bright smile.

“Did you get here okay? I made sure to tell security to look out for you so they could tell you where to go.” Channie explained.

“Thankfully, Minjun seemed to know where to go so I got here just fine, thank you. Little rusty on driving though.” I pointed out. I needed to make a pint to drive regularly. Even if it’s just quick trips. There wouldn’t always be drivers to chauffeur us everywhere. And most of the boys had their licenses, but I couldn’t always be a passenger princess. I would go insane. Besides, I like driving. Its meditative. Especially long car rides alone. Nothing but you, the car, the road, and a good playlist as you lost yourself in your thoughts.

“Glad you made it. C’mon, back to work. Ayen, get down.” Lino clapped and ushered everyone back to where they needed to be.

Ayen pouted but slid off my back. I snapped a quick photo of his cute pouting face. Lower lip jutting out and eyes all big and watery. It was just so adorable, even if it did manage to pull at my heartstrings.

They got back to work, and I went back to snapping photos. Ayen was right, the photos were better from up here. And I felt on top of the world. Even with the seats empty it felt like I was the center of attention. It was oddly intimidating.

I was crouched at the very back of the stage, getting pictures of the boys and the arena when it happened. One second Binne and Lino were dancing next to each other-the next there was a loud clank, and the stage floor disappeared under them, sucking them in. It all happened in a single breath and my heart stopped.

Tossing everything aside I sprinted to the hole and my Omegas, who were possibly hurt. “Binnie! Lino!” I screamed as I slid to a stop at the edge of the hole.

A large group of people had all run over to help as well. I sobbed as I looked and saw my Omegas at the bottom of the hole, but moving slowly and carefully. Lino had landed mostly on top of Bin. “Don’t move! Are you okay?” I angrily swiped the tears clouding my vision so I could see my boys.

Ignoring Chan trying to stop me, I jumped down into the hole with Bin and Lino, desperately feeling at them for injuries.

Lino rolled off Bin carefully and they both groaned. “I’m okay, Alpha. Just bruised and shaken.” He promised squeezing my searching fingers.

Bin was a different story. He was cradling his left arm. My hands fluttered over it, looking for a visible injury. “Bin, your arm!” I sniffed.

“I’m okay.” He groaned unconvincingly. “I’m okay, Alpha, I promise. I just hit my head and hurt my arm.” He was careful not to move though.

“Is your arm broken?” Lino asked.

Bin shook his head. “Just a sprain I think.”

There were several people approaching from behind us, from another way under the stage. They were dragging stuff with them.

I spun and growled deep in my chest, warning the strangers not to come any closer to my injured Omegas. The strangers were dangerous and far too close for my liking, making me growl even louder. They weren’t getting to my Omegas; I wouldn’t let them!

The strangers paused, some even looking down and backing away a few steps. The one in front held out a hand, making me growl louder and crouch, ready to attack and defend my injured Omegas.

Bin and Linos’ scents got stronger as they tried to calm me down. I shook it off and focused on the strangers. There was danger here, I needed to be on guard and ready.

Carefully Lino slid a hand over my bicep and moved closer to me-sending more calming scent my way. “Alpha, we are okay. They only want to help.” He spoke slowly, quietly, and gently, avoiding my eyes and almost nuzzling into my neck. “Please let them help.” He begged.

Between the scents and Linos’s touch, I was coming back to myself just enough to recognize the strangers as EMTs. Here to treat injuries. Bin hit his head and hurt his arm. He needed them. They were trained for treating injuries, I was not. I couldn’t help him like they could, but I could let them help him.

I looked at the group of EMTs, struggling against every cell in my body that wanted to give in to my roaring instincts to guard and protect. There were five of them. Too many. “One.” I growled out. I wasn’t able to stop the warning growl completely, not yet. I was still too worked up. But I could handle one of them near my Omegas. I would just watch them very closely.

The EMT in front nodded in agreement and turned to the others to get supplies. I pulled Lino around so I could keep both him and Bin in sight as they were looked over. I was crouched over Bins legs, focused entirely on what was happening.

“Lino, what’s going on?” Chan asked from above us.

Lino was keeping one hand on me to try and keep me grounded. I was thankful for the contact. With my Omega injured, my Alpha instincts were far too close to the surface for me to be able to think straight. I was too raw with worry and fear.

“We are fine. The EMT is going to check us out.” He was being carefully vague on the details in case anyone with bad intentions was listening. Or a camera was recording.

Both Binnie and Lino were still pumpi9ng out calming chemo signals for me, even though they were the injured ones. And I was coming back enough to my senses to recognize them trying to care for me now.

There was a slight commotion above us as the others cleared away anyone not needed so we had privacy. And less people around made me feel better, calmer. More in control of the situation, which also made Lino and Binnie relax.

I took a deep breath to center myself. Me acting like this was only causing my Omegas to stress more. I needed to be calm and in control for them.

The EMT approached slowly, heading to Bin first, since he was the more injured party. Now faking calmness until I could be alone to let my swirling emotions go, I let the Beta approach without even a warning growl. I placed a hand on Binnies thigh, so he knew I was still here for him. I felt his muscles relax under my touch.

The EMT worked slowly, but efficiently. Explaining everything he was going to do before he did it. This was more for my benefit than Bins or Linos. Just like doing the initial checks in the dark under stage area was mostly for my benefit.

Lino checked out okay. Landing on Bin helped save him from injuries. Bin needed an x-ray and CAT scan at the hospital. Which meant either letting Bin out of my sight, or the rest of my Omegas and I really didn’t want to do either.

Bin kept hold of my hand with his uninjured one as we made our way out from under the stage, and he was strapped to a gurney. Lino kept his hand on my lower back. Chan and the others met us at the ambulance.

“Chan, I can’t – he’s hurt.” I struggled to explain why I couldn’t leave Bin, but I knew he would understand, as a leader himself.

Chan nodded and patted my hair. “Go in the ambulance, we will follow. We’ll be right behind you.” He promised.

“His Alphas riding along, make room.” The EMT who looked them over announced to the other in the ambulance.

They must have some kind of training in this because they all jumped into action to make room for me without question or complaint. Giving me the spot closest to him and not trying to separate our linked hands even once. Hyun helped me climb into the vehicle without one handed and the doors closed behind me.

My hurt Omega squeezed my trembling fingers. “I’m okay, Bun.” He whispered with a soft smile as the people around us worked. I kept my focus on him and not the many – too many – people around us.

I shook my head. “You don’t know that. You need tests.” I swallowed and fought to keep my emotions reined in. Now was not the time to let them out.

“That’s just a precaution. I barely even have a headache.”

“It’s a miracle you aren’t more injured! You had a whole person land on you!” It really was a crazy that he didn’t have broken ribs or ruptured organs.

Bin laughed. “We know how to fall to minimize injuries.”

“You shouldn’t have fallen to begin with! Why wasn’t that door properly secured?”

Bin shrugged. “Accidents happen.”

I hummed. I will ask the stage manager later what happened and who was responsible. This carelessness could have caused a serious injury! Someone needed to answer for this, and steps needed to be taken to prevent it from happening ever again.

At the hospital I was allowed as far as the radiation room door. So with a final squeeze and a kiss to his hairline I reluctantly let them take Bin away. Every part of me screaming against it. Against having him out of my sight and out of reach.

I paced just outside the door, listening in case he called for me. I really wanted to take this moment alone to let go. To let myself feel all the emotions I locked up to take proper care of my Omegas. But I was still in public. If someone caught it and my freakout got out it would damage Stray Kids’ reputation. And the scent may leak through the door to Binnie too, making him stressed again. I would have to wait until I was alone for real. Back at the hotel later, safe in my room later tonight.

It felt like Binnie was in radiation for hours before the door finally opened and he was wheeled out, now in a different bed and not the ambulance gurney. As soon as the door opened his eyes were searching for me, hand reaching for me as soon as he saw me.

He was given a large private room where the others were already waiting for us. Without letting go of Bin I reached for Lino, reassuring myself that he was still okay. He let me fuss with a nod of reassurance.

“What did they say, Bin?” I asked turning to tuck him into the hospital bed, careful of his arm and head. He now had an IV in one arm that I hadn’t noticed before with a bag of saline attached to it. “Did they give you anything?” I hadn’t even given him time to answer the first question yet, but the IV distracted me.

“They are waiting for results. And they gave me some pain meds. Nothing too strong.” He answered.

I felt my lips twist, but I kept my thoughts to myself. It didn’t sit right with me that they have my Omega something without telling me, before or after. I had to find out on my own. But he is a grown man and didn’t need my permission. I didn’t own him. It still felt like a betrayal of trust though.

Instead, I focused on fussing over him now. Adding another blanket and fluffing his pillow. I filled his hospital provided cup with ice water and added a straw before handing it to him, watching as he drank a few sips before placing it on the bed table for him.

“Y/N? Felix gently asked, quiet in his concern.

I shook my head. “I’m okay.”

But Bin caught my sleeve. “I’m sorry. I should have had them wait to give me anything.”

“No. You were in pain. And I am not your master.”

“No, you are my Alpha.”

The doctor came in then, in his traditional pristine white coat, carrying a file folder and a clipboard. One or both containing the results from Bins tests.

Thirty minutes of technical doctor mumbo jumbo later and Bin was given a sort of clean bill of health. The cleanest and best we could hope for at least. Bad sprain, impressive bruising, but no concussion or other head injuries. No internal injuries either. He was cleared to continue the concert after resting the rest of today.

The doctors and nurses seemed to ignore my existence until it came time to fill out paperwork. I stared blankly at the offered clipboard as everyone watched and waited.

“He can’t sign himself out of the hospital?” I asked dumbfounded.

The nurse shifted, uncomfortable. “Claimed Omegas need to have their Alpha or Beta sign the paperwork before they can be released.” He explained.

“What if he wasn’t claimed?”

“Then he could sign himself out.”

“That’s the dumbest think I’ve ever heard.” I snatched the clipboard from him and without breaking eye contact, I handed it right to Bin. “He doesn’t need my permission to leave the hospital.”

The nurse pursed his lips in disapproval but accepted the singed paperwork from Bin.

As Hyunjin and Ayen helped Bin get ready to go, Seungmin approached me hesitantly, hiding something behind his back. “What is it, Min?” I was getting nervous, still too on edge.

He brought my camera out from behind him. In all the chaos I had forgotten all about it. When did I set it down?

“We found it on our way to the cars. The lens is broken out and some buttons are missing.” He handed me the camera gently. The lens was completely missing and the casing had cracks. I must have dropped it when my Omegas fell. I never even registered it. “I’m so sorry.”

I opened a hatch on the side and popped out an unharmed memory card. “The memory card isn’t damaged. The pictures are fine. Ill just replace the camera. It’s fine. Thank you, Min.” I was sad to lose the camera. I had cherished it for many years now, but I am more focused on my Omegas right now. They were what was important.

Chan rubbed my back. “We will find a place to fix it.” He promised. I just nodded and smiled at him. There were so few places out there that could fix it, and they were expensive. It would be cheaper to replace it entirely. But I didn’t feel like talking about it now. Now I wanted to get my Omegas back to the hotel and resting properly. I wanted to get back to my hotel room and finally let go so I could properly care for them with a clear head and steady emotions.

■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□

General Taglist @stellasays45 @beebee18 @weird-bookworm @velvetmoonlght

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[yuesya]

The first thing that registers to her is the soft sigh of a quiet breeze. A faint caress upon her cheek, the feather-light touch of the ever-present wind.

Balor opens her eyes.

… The surroundings are unfamiliar. A furnished room, clean and simple, but not one that she recognizes. The style is somewhat reminiscent of the traveler’s inn that she’d briefly stayed in, though. That night, she’d been caught standing out in the rain by a well-meaning pair of mortals, who’d caught sight of her and promptly ushered her inside their inn to take refuge.

So… she is most likely still in the southern lands, then.

Decarabian had once spoken of traveling through the different countries of Teyvat. But unfortunately that was not to be; the God of Storms ultimately vanished and became one with the winds, leaving Balor to walk the lands on her own.

And so, she’d left the northern valleys. One day, she’d come back to see the cecilias where they once lived together. But for now, she would travel the lands in Decarabian’s place.

Balor already knew that wolves ruled the east, and she held no interest in challenging the Beast King who claimed dominion over the territory. So she’d ended up wandering southwards instead, and…

… she had not expected to end up fighting another god anyways. Two gods, actually. But the Mistress of Dreams should not have attempted to lay claim over Decarabian’s name, and the Sea Snake should not have broken first her barrier, and then her bow.

The last thing that Balor remembers… is fighting with the Sea Snake. The Geo god had fought alongside her, and together they’d cut off five of the Sea Snake’s heads–

But they hadn’t killed it, had they?

At the very end, Balor recalls being thrown back by an explosive force as the Sea Snake made its escape into the waters. She recalls falling, and being caught in a swirl of Anemo…

… no. Not Decarabian’s Anemo energy.

Balor tilts her head, looking to her left. There’s another person by her bedside –the unnamed bird spirit that she’d released from the compulsion of the Dream-god. For some reason, even though there’s another bed in the room, he’s asleep in a sitting position on the ground beside her. One arm is curled over a half-bent knee as he sits upright with his back against the wall.

And beneath her gaze, the bird spirit’s eyes flutter open.

“You’re awake,” he breathes. “Master–”

“I’m not your master.”

The bird spirit hesitates, and falls silent.

Balor takes a brief moment to reflect on herself. Had her tone been too harsh?

“… I’m not your master.” The Mistress of Dreams may have enjoyed being a ‘Master,’ but Balor does not share the same interests as that fool of a god. Going by the state that the bird spirit had appeared in, and the terrible condition of the other thralls… that god of theirs must not have treated any of them kindly. 

Decarabian was cold, but he had been a kind god. 

“The Mistress of Dreams is dead,” she says to the bird spirit. “You are beholden to no one now. So, you shouldn’t address me as ‘Master.’”

“… Then how should I address you?”

“Decarabian.”

Because she’s currently traveling in memory of Decarabian, and because she doesn’t wish for her god’s name to be forgotten… this is the name that Balor has chosen to go by. As if by doing this, then Decarabian is still with her, and the two of them are traveling together again.

There’s a look of faint confusion on the bird spirit’s face. He knows that it’s not her name, because it’s the very same name that the Mistress of Dreams had tried and failed to chain her down by.

“You may address me as Decarabian,” she repeats herself. “And you? What’s your name?”

It’s evidently the wrong question to ask. The bird spirit stiffens and flinches almost reflexively, which is a strange reaction to–

Ah. The Dream-god had attempted to trap Balor using her name. What were the odds that this was how she’d forced the bird spirit into her service? It certainly hadn’t seemed like he’d fought for her willingly, now that she thinks back on the experience…

… and yet, somehow, he’d been willing to stay by Balor’s side when she’d fought the Sea Serpent.

Balor doesn’t understand it, this perplexing loyalty that she’s been given despite having done nothing to earn it in the first place. Not unless one counts killing the Dream-god, but she hadn’t exactly killed the god for this bird spirit. It’s not a reason for the bird spirit to suddenly change loyalties like this, anyways.

… But he’d done his best to help her and defend her while she’d been fighting the Sea Serpent, and that’s something that deserves recognition. Isn’t it?

“You don’t need to give your name to me,” she sighs. Balor is nothing like the Dream-god who’d used names to control others. “… ‘Decarabian’ is a borrowed name. It’s fine for you to choose a different name to go by as well, if you wish.”

[rmd-writes]

Home for the Holidays

firstprince | M | 9.3k

When Alex discovers that Henry's Christmas plans involve staying in their apartment alone, he does what any good roommate would do and drags Henry along to his family Christmas at the lake house. It's a win-win situation, since everything is better for Alex when Henry is around. Henry is his person. Completely fucking platonically, of course.

Alex is aghast. Mostly because what Henry is saying to him is unfathomable. And apparently he’s been spending so much fucking time with Henry that he thinks words like ‘aghast’ and ‘unfathomable’ now, what the fuck. “You’re what?”

Henry leans against the kitchen counter facing him, one long leg crossed over the other. “I’m not going home. I’m just going to stay here on my own for Christmas. I’ll read my favourite books and get a takeaway, maybe do a face mask,” Henry says, sounding a little too much like he’s explaining something to a toddler for Alex’s liking. Then, his mouth curves in a way that Alex knows means he’s about to tease him. “I think I’ll actually enjoy it. It might be a novel experience, having some peace and quiet around here with you gone.”

“Oh fuck off.” Alex shoves Henry’s chest. “As if you wouldn’t miss me.”

The tips of Henry’s ears go pink. “I, uh, well—”

“You should come home with me,” Alex suggests, hoisting himself up to sit on the counter beside Henry.

“Sorry?”

“Come to the lake house with me. For Christmas,” Alex adds, in case that isn’t obvious. He’s growing more excited by the idea with every passing second. “June and Nora will be there, I can take you to Franklin Barbecue and Dad and I will cook while Mom grills. And there’s so much food for Noche Buena, dinner never really stops, it’s just a never ending feast. Oh! And I’m gonna get us matching ugly Christmas sweaters because we’ve gotta beat the girls – don’t tell them I called them ‘the girls’ they’ll be mad and—”

Suddenly, Alex really fucking wants this. He wants Henry to come home with him for Christmas because Henry is his best friend and if he’s honest with himself, he’s going to miss Henry and his stupid floppy hair and the smell of his gross Earl Grey tea and the way he makes Alex’s coffee if they’re apart over the holidays. They’ve only been living together for six months, but in the year since they’ve become friends instead of enemies, Henry’s become a constant in Alex’s life.

“—So, will you?”

“I don’t want to impose,” Henry says slowly.

“You won’t be imposing! Dad always puts me in the room with bunks anyway so there’s definitely a spare bed.” Alex places his hands on Henry’s broad shoulders and turns him so that they’re facing each other. “Say yes.”

read on ao3

This fic is part of the don we now (even more) gay fanfiction collection - a gift fic exchange between friends. Thank you to all of them for allowing me to boss them around again this year - I love you all very much 💖

Extra thanks to @welcometololaland for making time to beta this for me and to @howtosingit for his help with it too

[siddyyyyyyyy]

It's All an Act

Actor!AU

Bruce Wayne x fem!Reader

wc: 5 K summary: Actor!Bruce plays as your love interest in your up-coming movie warnings: no y/n used, Bruce acting like a rich kid sometimes, fluff, consumption of alcohol at a party, light harrassment a/n: part two is finally here!!! please ignore how long it took for me to write it, just enjoy this piece of my soul. Enjoy!

PREVIOUS PART

NEXT PART

Next day on set felt different. You couldn‘t forget how good he felt against you, how his scent lingered on your clothes after wards and how he shamelessly cock-blocked you. Sure, he has a good reason for it; he wants to make your first time with him special. You appreciate it, you really do, but he could‘ve told you earlier.

At least you both talked about the rest, officially dating and happy. It would have been way better if you could make it public, but with your jobs, you decided on keeping it a secret for the time-being, until some time passes.

But you both don‘t mind, it even feels more thrilling or rather more exciting in that way. Truth be told, it feels like you are in a cheesy romance story. And it‘s the best feeling ever.

Now, you are watching the crew set up the area with cameras, props and mics, making sure everything goes right again while you sip on your coffee. You‘ve barely gotten any sleep anyway after last night, and you really hope Malva won‘t come by and ask for updates. You are unsure what you‘d tell her.

Well, there is no time to panic over things like this and you have to film a more difficult scene today. Which requires stunts, and an angsty scene afterwards, which requires you crying and shouting at him. God, you have a love-hate-relationship with this job.

There is a stunt double of Bruce, actually Andy, that the staff is trying to look more like Bruce with colouring his hair in black and getting him the same clothes he wears for the scene.

You do your best to make sure the few stunts are incredibly safe, working together with the team even though you don‘t understand anything they are talking about, but still make sure they do everything safely.

You panic every time you see Bruce‘s stunt double pratice his falls and jumps, silently letting him do his job and let him focus. Once everything seems to be safe and sound, the action scene starts. Standing by the side, you watch the mission play out smoothly and without any problems. Thank God you didn‘t have enough budget to get explosions in, or else you‘d be worried sick over the planning. The only reason your budget didn‘t fit for some explosions, was because of the cool, high-tech gadget props you bought instead. They are not only cool-looking, but also realistic and mostly useable, if there were real bullets and other things inside.

But just to be sure, you settled on keeping the gadgets unloaded. Just in case something could go wrong.

In all honesty, you expected for Bruce to at least know how to hold a gun the right way. You knew from educating yourself through various videos and posts, so that surprised you. Ignoring the slight surprise, you stay patient beside the stunt choreographer and listen in on the plan of the scene. Shooting it would require some difficulties because of the several cuts and the stunt double, mostly because of the stunt itself.

Andy is going to jump through a window while shooting several enemies inside the room. The coordinator for this scene is trust-worthy and so is the rest of the crew. So, without any further stress, the actors play out their role flawlessly. The camera crew is making sure to capture the action-filled energy of the scene and it seems to work perfectly.

In the end, you worried way too much about it all going wrong in so many ways, that it seems ridiculous to you now. Eventually, after several hours of filming the whole action scene, it‘s time for a bigger break. Bruce looks tired already and you start to feel some kind of guilt for making him do stuff like this. But he auditioned for this role himself, so it‘s also his fault.

You stay back on set to help the rest to pack up the props and clean up the set overall, being busy thinking through the next set of scenes you‘ll have to shoot together after the big break.

A soft tap on your shoulder brings you back to reality and you turn around. Bruce locks eyes with you in an instant, immediately softening his expression.

He asks for cuddles.

»Now?«

You whisper back hushed and take a few steps off the set with him. He looks uncharacteristically vulnerable and almost sheepish.

»A hug will do as well… with you. On a bed. For fifteen minutes.«

His shoulders slump as he waits for your answer, knowing he sounds like a total dork right now. But you couldn‘t care less right now, feeling yourself crumble and give in easily.

»I think your trailer has a bigger bed, no?«

◐

That‘s how you ended up snuggling up together after every tiring day on set. It actually helped setting your mind on track again, being free on talking his ears off with your current plans on the movie and on what dates the interviews are planned. At the mention of interviews, he gets more curious. Of course, you won‘t be making your new relationship public any time soon, the timing just isn‘t right and it could result in more stress than necessary.

So, the interviews you‘ll need to attend with Bruce will be neutral. Well, as neutral as it can be, since you were also invited to a premiere party once the movie will roll in the theaters. But those are worries for your future selfs, you need to focus on the production first.

It happens very rarely, but today Bruce is taking you to set with his own car. You told him countless of times that it is risky and paparrazi are dying to get some crumbs of content or eventual leaks for the upcoming movie. But he doesn‘t seem too scared by it, he is a billionare after all. And who are you to say no to those big, blue eyes?

Arriving, you haven‘t noticed someting suspicious so far. No annoying people with cameras whose shutter is louder than a damn drum kit. It‘s relieving. Finally, something seems to go your way.

»Are these pictures planned? People are freaking out, the hype is getting bigger.«

Malva comes up beside you, holding her Ipad in front of you to see what she‘s talking about.

These goddamn paparrazi.

Her Ipad displays several pictures of you and Bruce walking across the street, his hand resting on your lower back, both of you smiling about something. On the other pictures, you can see the way he gazes down at you, expression soft and loving, almost carefree.

It really does look almost planned, the way you clinge to his side to stay close will make any person think you two are a couple.

You loudly clear your throat and accidentally gain more attention from other crew members, ducking your head with an apologetic smile. Your best friend only raises her eyebrow at you and closes her screen.

»Planned. We did that just a moment ago, totally didn‘t want that to, uh… gain negative attention. All for the hype.«

You quickly answer back and smile at her, rather awkwardly. She keeps her skeptical stare on you and almost seems to ask you more before she decides to drop the topic and move on.

»Just let us discuss something like this next time. Deal?«

»Deal.«

Malva did sound like a disappointed parent, but you really don‘t want to drop the news on her like that. Sighing out, you move on from it and focus on coordinating the rest of the scenes correctly. Using the break to check on the media, you can easily find the hottest topic trending on Twitter at the moment.

Your — the pictures some paparrazzi took — are floating everywhere. It‘s like a disease. Every other acoount is talking about it, pointing out the hand placement and the soft gaze Bruce holds for you.

THE HANDDDD!! is this offocial now? Should‘ve be me. I wish someone looked at me the way Bruce Wayne looks at her both lips are smiling right now Bi panic omg!!

Some comments take you off guard, but you don‘t want to pretend like it isn‘t amusing you, or you were any better as a teenager with celebrity crushes. Forcing yourself not to giggle at your phone, you put it away for the meantime and get back to work like a serious adult.

After the rather uneventful day, you make your way back to Bruce‘s Manor again, having made a meet up again. Mostly consisting of cuddles and reading.

»What do you think of our new photo together? I hit it off, didn‘t I?«

You slowly turn your head over to him, being confused on what he means by that, before it finally clicks in your mind.

»You saw them too? Did you plan this?«

Suddenly, he raises his hands to his defense and shakes his head.

»Of course not! I would‘ve been way more awkward if it was planned… pff, planned.«

You see him cross his arms and glance away, looking like a child who is being accused of having eaten the last cookie. With fresh cookie crumbs on the corner of his mouth.

Sighing out, you let it slide. You end up being cuddled up to his chest either way, basking in the warmth and comfort it brings to your heart.

◐

You finished filming all scenes for the movie and let it get edited and produced by the other team, only dropping in every now and then to check on them and make sure it meets your expectations. The edits and paparazzi pictures even gained their popularity and even hyped up your movie even more. It‘s ridiculous, watching your up-coming movie getting pushed and bigger by some simple edits, that got most probably made by some teenage girls.

You don‘t complain, actually having saved some of those thirst videos yourself. Just make sure Bruce doesn‘t see your phone and you won‘t get into bigger trouble.

Currently, you wait for the last adjustments to be done at the interview before you could start it, already sitting beside the bigger men on the chairs, while the interviewer gets ready to ask her questions.

You are actually a little excited for this, never having answered questions to your own movie. It was always questions for your role, but now you can actually feel like a director too.

Bruce is also prepared beside you, mostly glancing at you before they set up the cameras and the interviewer sits down in front of you.

First, you greet each other, sharing your excitement to be here and answer some questions for the media.

The whole answering questions thing goes on well, making sure neither of you spoil something or give away your secret relationship. Now, the woman before you asks the final question, wearing a sly smile on her face.

»As for the final question, I hope you can answer it without spoiling too much...« with a light nod from your part, she continues, »Did you take inspiration from the vigilante ‚Superman‘ from Metropolis for the superhero in your movie?«

She finishes, awaiting curiously with a twinkle in her eye. She is popular for her usual eagerness and teasing nature in interviews, and it shows now.

Finally, you give her a nod, also smiling lightly.

»Not exactly him, but I did tried to use some references from different vigilantes from around the citys.«

You don‘t notice it, but Bruce tenses up subtly beside you. His eyes stay locked on the interviewer before they fall back to you; making him relax. He speaks up beside you, unable to keep a teasing remark.

»Not the best vigilante to choose from, but fair choice.« His smug expression makes it seem less sharp, giving him a light chuckle back.

»And you know better vigilantes?« You tease back amused, not having expected for him to be so smug but you won‘t complain.

The interview ends well, having a nice feeling about it afterwards. Your ways part with Bruce, sadly having to go back to work and focus on yourself for the rest of the day.

It was an unspoken rule between the two fo you to ignore or answer relationship questions in a sly way, and luckily, there were no questions of the sort. But you know, as soon as questions like “How do you not catch any feelings during the movie?“ or, “Your chemistry is great! Have you seen the pictures on set, because you two look fantastic together.“, you had to be prepared for more harrasment about it in the future.

Today, is one of those days, where you wish talkshows weren‘t a thing.

»So… the edits. Let‘s talk about them! There‘s hundreds, no, thousands of them all around! Have you seen any of those before?« Asks the moderator, while wearing an amused smirk and watches your reaction. You already feel like this can go south really quickly and shake your head, staying composed.

»Haven‘t seen any of them… yet.«

He quirks an eyebrow at you, letting out a light chuckle. »Well, you‘re about to see some of them!«

With a dramatic arm motion of his, the large screen behind you lights up and starts to show some fan made edits of both Bruce and you. Scenes of the trailer and some leaks, as well as paparazzi pictures, are clipped together that make everything look all the more intimate. Not knowing how to react, you cover your face and hope for the best. The live audience cheers loudly, the camera cutting from your flustered state to the audience as they continue on showing the fan made edit on screen. The moderator finally cuts you some slack, laughing at your flustered state. It‘s not helping, but you are glad that Bruce isn‘t here, witnessing it all and maybe throwing in some teasing comments too.

Sighing out, you look back at the moderator and calm down again. What were you thinking, joining a late night talk show like this?

»I never want to see that again...«

»Oh, just one more.« The moderator teases and smiles widely, letting another edit play on screen. It‘s one that you have saved on your phone. Recognising it, you try your best not to react as embarrassed as before. Still, your rosy cheeks give it away, even though you are way calmer now. Finn, the moderator, feels more friendly than ususal and decides to not point it out. For now, the show had enough entertainment after having had a rather funny conversation with him and showing you these thirst edits.

◐

Finally having a day off, you decide to spend it together with your significant other and relax. Bruce however, doesn‘t seem to have enough of creating core memories together, that you‘ll spend thinking about for the next ten years.

»Oh, thanks for the delicious meal, Alfred. You are dismissed for now.« Bruce tells him with a soft smile and nod, watching how the butler leaves the dining room and lets the chaos begin.

Richard, or Dick, the eldest of his sons, seems to be the most adequate, but also the most lively among his brothers. Bruce has already told one embarrasing story about his parkour accidents during a gala, which made you laugh a bit. That made Dick stay a little more quiet in return, getting the hint that more of his teasing nature will be greatly regretted. Somehow, the table was mostly calm during the dinner. Most of the conversation was started by Dick or Bruce, some comments coming from Damian as well. Although, not the nicest.

Still, they managed to behave rather well. That was, until Alfred returned with some scrumptious looking dessert. After serving tea, the table tends to get more lively. Tim and Damian often bicker quietly about who‘s getting the next piece faster, however you try not to pay too much mind and not make it awkward. Jason on the other hand, stays seated by Dick‘s side and makes fun of the two younger brothers.

»No wonder you‘re both such fatasses.«

»Jason.« Bruce smiles at his second son, trying his best not to physically cringe at himself for needing to keep his sons under control in front of you.

You, however, don‘t really care much about the antics around the table. You‘ve seen way worse at a small children‘s birthday party, so this actually feels domestic, in a way.

»It‘s okay, father. We… are sharing this last cupcake.« Damian intervenes and seems tense as he cuts up the last sweet dessert in half. He makes sure to make one half bigger than the other and gives the smaller one to Tim. Luckily, Bruce feels more satisfied and relaxed after that and continues on sipping his tea beside you, at the head of the table.

After the nice dinner with his family, you try to help Alfred with cleaning the table up, but he kindly stops you and insists on doing it alone.

»I greatly appreiciate it, but I believe master Bruce prefers to have you all to himself tonight. I will handle this by myself.« Convinced, you leave the butler alone and make your way to Bruce, who just finished talking to his boys.

»There you are… let‘s head upstairs, darling.« His arm snakes around your waist as you walk upstairs to his master bedroom, getting some well deserved privacy after the long, hard-working week. Inside, he can‘t contain his feelings anymore and picks you up, just to throw you both onto his bed and curl up with you. The room fills with light giggles from the both of you, turning it into a play fight on the bed. It doesn‘t take long for Bruce to get hold of your wrists and pin you down under him, looking as smug as ever over his win. You continue to squirm and try to fight him, although you don‘t try to get away from him; just enjoying the playful moment. Finally, he gets to make your legs go still aswell, putting more of his weight onto you.

»Now, be good and stay still for a moment, hm? Wouldn‘t want to hurt my pretty girl...« You can hear him sigh out lightly as he leans into the crook of your neck, planting soft kisses along your skin before he gently bites down, leaving light marks. It makes you instantly relax, enjoying the way he manages to be so gentle and passionate at the same time. He also relaxes, finally feeling more comfortable showing his affection this way and simply keeps going, not wanting to end this yet. His bigger hand trails down your thigh, urging it to hook around his hip, seemingly craving more contact with you.

A light hum leaves your lips, tangling your fingers into his black hair, gasping lightly once he starts to nibble harder on your skin. It leaves goosebumps down your spine, shifting to wrap your other leg around him too. Suddenly, this doesn‘t feel so innocent anymore.

Bruce tries his best to hold back on a groan, eventually exhales shakily against you. He finally stops his gentle attack on your neck, leaning away to admire his handiwork. You take him in from your position, watching the way his eyes are blacked out and his breathing grew rather uneven. His eyes dart back to you, shifting so he isn‘t crushing you under his weight.

»I could never grow tired of this, you know?«

Bruce secretly cringes at himself for being so vulnerable, so open with you. But judging by your reaction, you seem to love it. The way your eyes soften even more, how you stay completely relaxed and peaceful under him is saying enough. Your hand reaches out to cup his cheek, bringing him closer again to exchange more gentle kisses between each other. The evening turns out in you both being relaxed and endlessly exchanging affection together, growing dissapointed once it gets late.

As you prepare yourself to put your coat back on by the front door, Bruce gets held back by Alfred.

»You know, she can always stay over night. One night won‘t hurt, master Bruce.«

But he doesn‘t relent and shakes his head, a light frown stretching on his face. »I don‘t have time for this, Alfred.«

As quick as he dismissed his butler, he is right back at your side and helps to adjust your sleeves from your coat.

»Let me drive you home,« You go along without argument and follow him outside to the garage, sitting into the passanger seat and let him drive.

◐

»Bruce! We got invited to our first ever premiere-movie-party-thing!«

You exclaim as soon as he picks up the call, making him exhale in relief. After a short pause, he asnwers back.

»Premiere-moive-party-thing? I gotcha,« he chuckles, putting finally closing the big folder on his desk after studying it for hours, »I‘m pretty sure it‘s because we‘re the lead actors of the whole thing… and you are the director.«

His casual approach makes you roll your eyes, rolling onto your stomach in your bed. »Yes, but isn‘t it cool? I never went to one, what is that like? Do you think it‘ll be filled with annoying rich people?« You start twirling your hair as you continue to talk with him, listening to his response with a light smile.

»They‘re alway filled with ‘em. I always get black-out drunk, so it‘s easier to deal with it. The music isn‘t the greatest as well… it actually feels more like a frat party sometimes.« His description of it makes you chuckle, making Bruce smile in return.

»So… do you think we should go there anyways?«

»Of course we should. Especially you, makes your image go up higher.« He replies back without thinking too much. It makes sense, and you don‘t think too much about going to that party. You heard they will be some interviewers, so you better not get black-out drunk.

◐

Arriving outside the tall building, the bass that‘s heard from inside is making you lightly

intimidated. Taking a deep breath, you say your last prayer and enter. In the lobby, you need to check in and get a colourfull wristband, signalling your status so the security knows who to protect in an case of emergency. The others can save themselves.

shortly after you, Bruce arrives and goes through the same check-in as you. He spooks you lightly by snaking his hand onto your shoulder, earning a surprised gasp and smack to his chest.

»Sorry… having fun already?« He leans down to be at your eye-level and sneak in a gentle kiss, but quickly decides against it and smoothly straightens himself again. Although, he keeps his hand on your waist.

»I don‘t know, nothing happened yet. And I don‘t know where the drinks are, I‘m kinda nervous,« you hold your hands out for him, letting him see the light tremors coming from your nervousness. He frowns lightly upon seeing your hands, taking them into his warm ones.

»You don‘t have to worry so much, okay? Just a small party, you‘ll answer some questions and we can leave. How‘s that sound?«

You feel more comfortable after his assurance and nod, restraining yourself from leaning into him and being more affectionate.

Eventually, the party starts properly after more actors and other public-figures arrive, turning the music up a notch. Currently, you‘re having fun and enjoy some sweet, alcoholic drinks, relaxing further and taking things easy. Following Bruce‘s advice of drinking definitely worked, and you soon have your first interview as one reporter approaches you with a camera man by his side. After getting permission from you, the camera starts rolling and the reporter gets started.

»We‘ve already seen some sneak-peeks and the trailer alone gives us so much insight on your chemistry with Andy, so… was it difficult to master such energy or did it come naturally?«

Typical question to try and suck some possible gossip from an actor, but you are greatly used to it, eventually giving him your typical answer back.

»Oh, you know, it really depends if the actors are good or not. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn‘t, so it really depends on both actors to create the right perfomance.« Definitely not the answer the reporter was searching for, but he‘ll settle with it for now. Robert starts again, angling his microphone back to himself.

»What was hardest on this movie? The directing or acting with your own expectations and critique?« A more pleasant question to answer. You respond honestly, giving an open insight of how stressful it really was, being both the director and actor in one.

Eventually, Robert seems to back down with his questions after five more minutes, starting to build up a more casual conversation with you. Logically, you can‘t really back down from it and simply go along, listening to him talk and speak aswell.

»...Yes— and your dress? Seriously, I couldn‘t take my eyes off you the whole interview, I don‘t know why there aren‘t a line of men standing right behind you, waiting for your attention!« You chuckle along, although a bit forced. »No, seriously, I love the way you look tonight. Who was your stylist, I should give her a raise,« Robert steps closer to you, wearing a charming smile, the best one he can muster. You stay still and simply try to joke along and bear it through for a couple more moments, eyes daring out to search for back-up.

»Would you believe that I was her stylist for tonight? All my work.« Bruce steps in, seemingly appearing out of nowhere into the frame and casually lays his hand back onto your waist, wearing a smug smile. Robert pauses briefly before he catches himself and gets back to being a ‘casual-playful‘ reporter.

»No way! I‘ll make sure to write that into my news report later.« The reporter awkwardly says goodbye after receiving a light chuckle from the other and finally shuffles away from the both of you, camera man following him closely. You can barely make out the way Robert scolds his camera man for something that was most-probably not his fault anyway.

»Next time just scream really loud, I‘ll be there in no time.« Without wanting to cause any unnecessary attention, he squeeyes your waist and eventually gets back to the party, searching for some more interviewers too. Without any further thinking, you go back to the bar and get yourself another drink. One drink becomes two, and you make sure to stay leaned against something in order not to lose balance. You settle on being more in the backgrounds for now, but you quickly change your mind once they turn on some up-beat music and free the dance floor. It‘s already packed with other famous people, them being drunk too, no doubt. They happily include you into the chaos, dancing however to the beat all-together. You slip in another few drinks and shots during that time, just enjoying yourself and letting lose. Finally, after what seemed like too long and not enough, you get yourself off the dancefloor to have a quick trip to the bathroom.

With wobbly legs and aching feet, you manage to get there and freshen up, feeling lighter afterwards, but also way more drunk than before. You try to make your wy back to the dance floor, but you briefly lose your sense of orientation and simply stand there, trying to figure out how to get back to the fun girls.

»Are we ookay to head back home, darling?« A smooth voice asks from your side and almost makes you roll your eyes, not recognising it right away.

»Bruce!«

»Hey— yeah, that‘s me...« He chuckles softly, and catches you gently as soon as you lean in to hug him tightly. You feel the way his hands rub along your back before they stop at your sides and just keep you steady on your feet.

»Can we go now?« Bruce leans down to talk better to you, his breath brushing against you ear. You let out a soft giggle, leaning back and meet his eyes. It‘s clear to him that you will try your everything to at least get a last drink before driving home. As expected, you pout at him and glance back to the general direction of the dancefloor.

»No, darling, c‘mon...«

»Please?« You draw out and lean more into him, grabbing lightly onto his shirt. He takes you in, trying his best not to get distracted by your shiny eyes and cute behaivour, most likely trying to play it up for him. He manages to stay stubborn and shakes his head lightly, his expression growing soft.

»We have to go home, okay? It‘s too late and you‘ll regret it tomorrow.« He tries to be as gentle as possible, lightly rubbing your side with one hand. With a final huff, you slump a bit into him and give in. A faint smirk graces Bruce‘s face and carefully guides you out of the building, finally setting you inside the car with care.

The car ride was mostly filled with your yapping, being happy about the fun dances you had together with the strange women, still shining with excited energy, even after the party. Finally at your house, he takes care of you, carefully taking your make-up off before changing you into more comfortable clothes. You don‘t remember much after that, being out cold the second your blanket envelopes your form.

Waking up was the worst part. Your head pounds as if some gremlin is on top of it and slams a hammer onto you repeatedly. After sitting up, you realise that you are already in your fuzzy pyjamas and cleaned up. Not paying too much mind to it, you reach for your phone at your nightstand, almost knokcing off the glass of water on it. Surprised, you study your small table and pick the note off of it.

Hope your head won‘t kill you today. Cute pyjamas, by the way. -B.

←MASTERLIST

[knnichs]

STEM MEETS HUMSS

your teachers have planned a collaboration between the three strands for the christmas event on the 18th. you've gotten quite close with a certain top student in stem–and it seems that you have caught his attention too.

c. tighnari x gn!reader

t. strangers to friends, no romance YET, reader has a crush on tighnari, filipino school culture, cursing, innacurate depictions of senior highschool, not proofread we die like ... like .. sweats um. wc: 3.1k

taglist. @pneumosia @gladiolus-nyx @snobwaffles thanks for brainrotting abt this with me chat && @thestarswhisper @tragedy-of-commons @azuresaqua @writingandmusing @usagiarchives @hanniejji -> join the taglist here!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KING!!! author notes at the end, as always :D

“And as for the letter delivery event,” Albedo opens a file on his laptop to present on the tv screen–the draft proposal of your class for this holiday. “How do you plan to do that?” 

You doodle mindlessly on your paper, faking the scribbles made from the ballpoint pen as ‘taking notes.’ Honestly, if the senior high faculty didn’t decide on making a semester end project, you wouldn’t even have to stress about this. At least it was a collaboration between subjects so it meant there was less work to do, although you do have to worry about the different rubrics. 

You sigh, quite deeply at that.

“It’s actually pretty self explanatory. They order through an online form, write a letter and choose a bundle of gifts, and we deliver it to the recipient. Whether the sender wants it to be an anonymous thing is up to them,” Navia, your section's representative, answers. The bell rings right on time, cutting Albedo off right before he was about to say something.

It was already 4:30, you’d have to commute back home so–you’ll be back by what, 5:30? Considering the rush hour too… Oh god, absolutely nothing could make you like the rush hour. The train is always packed, the buses feel like you’re sardines packed in a can–a very hot, sweaty, and humid can, and you’ll be stuck with the bass of the music just blasting in your ear every few seconds. 

“Okay, before you all leave–ensure that each strand representative assigns you all a role. As for Stem, everything is already.. well, almost, set.” Albedo starts packing up his things, unplugging his laptop and taking his pen. “I still have to assign someone to lead the graphics later, but Kinich will handle the research team, please note that down.”

“Is this only for our donation drive, or for… everything?” Kinich asks, crossing his arms. 

“Only for our donation drive and for the actual seminar itself before the party. Ah, well actually–you reminded me of something.” The blonde nods, gesturing for Navia and Chiori to come forward to the table. You groan, slumping down on your desk–face all squashed up on the wood. You check your watch; 4:35, when will this end? “Okay, this is the last one, I swear.” Navia smiles. “Then you can all go home, it’s quick, I promise you.”

“There are two different things we will work on: The first would be each strand’s event–like the donation drive, the delivery service, and the raffle. The second would be the seminar itself, this is the one we will all work together on.” She continues, “We agreed on having Humss and Stem lead the presentation itself. ABM will host the program, is everyone okay with that?” 

“That’s it, you’re free to leave.” Chiori nods, “Turn off the lights and the AC. Thank you, everyone, and goodluck.”

This is going to be a hellish three weeks.

A part of you silently hoped that Navia would assign you to the presentation. Not only is research something you despise, it strains your eyes to stay glued to a monitor for 20 hours. Well, you’ll still technically be doing the same thing if you’re editing the presentation–but that’s besides the point. Graphics means less thinking, more doing (and going on pinterest to ‘look for inspiration’) (which is also short for doom scrolling)

Your phone flashes on, a notification snapping you out of your silent prayer. Navia had messaged your group chat accompanied with quite a long series of mentions. Yes, she tagged you almost 20 times already, and she’s still going.

4:59 PM | YOU : ??????? yes?? Navia : DO U REMEMBER THAT HALLWAY CRUSH U KEPT TALKING ABOUT

Ah yes, your infamous hallway crush. The one your friends had labelled as boy number 10 with how much you fell in love with the most random group of people. You knew three things max about him. One, he helped you fix up the classroom when you were assigned as the class cleaner along with three other people. Said three ditched you and went home early, you were lucky enough to still be there even a few minutes after because if it weren't for that–you probably would have never met this guy at all. He helped you clean up the random bits of paper on the floor, and your dumbass forgot to ask for his name. Two, a few days later you see him go inside the stem classroom. You were too shy to actually ask for his name–even if you did have a few acquaintances in their class, you’re scared that news might reach him and that he would start avoiding you. And finally…

– HUMSS, except we’re the patient

5:00 PM | Navia : IM LITERALLY ASSIGNING YOU TO THE GRAPHICS TEAM RN. HES LEADING THE PRESENTATION Mualani : girl u didnt even mention his name yet Navia : wait dont they know already ???? YOU : NO? 5:01 PM | Mualani : OH BOY. his name is tighnari btw one of the top students in stem Mualani : u hit jackpot with this or something cause like. WOW. top student thats insane Mualani : wonder how hes going to deal with your stupid ahh 😭 YOU : this is literally slander. not you speaking as if you didnt get a 5/25 on the math test earlier YOU : also, the block button looks so good rn 5:02 PM | Mualani : WHAT Mualani : DONT YOU DARE Mualani : YOU MEAN TO SAY THE TIME WE SPENT TOGETHER MEANT NOTHING TO YOU???? Navia : WAIT SHUT UP IM ADDING U TO THE GC

You shortly get added to an almost 20 person group chat titled PRESENTATION, no creativity whatsoever, you grade the originality a 2 out of 5. Only one text has been sent – and Navia was not lying when she said your hallway crush was leading the graphics team. After a bit of research (visiting his profile,) you come to realize that yeah, she was right, and you are doomed.

– HUMSS, EXCEPT WE’RE THE PATIENT

5:05 PM | Navia : trust me when i say that i got your back on this Navia : navia for best wingman when YOU : ill literally do your reviewer for the exams if u help set me up YOU : arent you close with albedo PLEASE TELL HIM TO DO SOMETHING YOU : without mentioning my name. ofc 5:06 PM | Navia : 👍 Navia : LIKE I SAID, I GOT UR BACK YOU : ILY

Two weeks have passed since the original planning for the event. Your plate has been so full you didn’t even realize there have been an additional three new projects you need to work on–and they were all due next week. Thanks to the absolutely soul crushing curriculum your school decided to follow, you are now going to school at 6 a.m, going home at 5 p.m (if you’re lucky enough,) and have even more things to worry about at home. You don’t even get to sleep until 12.

“Is this a sign to drop out?” You grumble, laying your head down on the desk. 

“If you are–I am definitely joining you.” Mualani draped her jacket over your shoulders, giving you a pat on the back as a way to comfort you. “How’re things with you and guy number 10?”

Oh, right. You haven’t mustered up any courage at all to start talking with him. Everytime you get the chance to approach him, you cowardly run away internally screaming you weren’t ready for commitment just yet. You were just going to talk to him–not start a relationship immediately!

“I mean, it’s… nothing special happened. I haven’t gotten to talk to him.” Brushing off some of the hair that was on your face, you look at Mualani’s grim expression. She faked a sniffle–kneeling on the ground on some dramatic act. Reaching a hand out to the board and her left arm on her heart.

“Oh, gods! You’re going to die alone at this rate!” The girl cries out, and you cringe at her–she stands straight up again, brushing off some of the dirt that got on her skirt. “On a serious note though, when do you plan on actually trying to befriend him? This is your chance, just take it.”

“It’s not like my life depends on this situation. It’s just a crush, it’ll pass.” 

“Woow–” Mualani drags off, quite sarcastically. “Look at you all grown up! Did your frontal lobe develop overnight or something?”

“Shut up!” 

A blank canva screen is all you’re greeted with once you got home. Nothing has really popped in your head–no amount of doom scrolling on pinterest was able to help your… predicament. You technically volunteered for this–the presentation. You’ve thought about tugging your hair off your head out of frustration again, but you already did that earlier the first time you opened the canva file. How you wish it could just put the elements on the screen by itself already, you’re too exhausted to really deal with this.

Your phone buzzes as it lights up, a notification on the graphics team pops up on your homescreen, and you click on it to open the group chat.

– PRESENTATION

6:14 PM | Tighnari : Good evening! We will have a meeting at 6:30 PM. It’ll last around an hour or so, it’ll be a quick discussion with everyone so we can all settle on a common theme for the flow of events. Tighnari : [google meet link] Tighnari : If you cannot attend, react to this message so I can relay what happened here.

About 10 people reacted with a sobbing emoji. You debated if you even wanted to join yourself, but you eventually just set your phone back down and opened the link, waiting for it to open.

“Oh, you’re quite early.” A voice comes out of your laptop's speakers. You almost jump out of your seat, hovering your mouse to the tab of the meeting only to realize it was boy number 10 talking to you. “We’re starting in like, 10 minutes from now. Did you have a question?”

Wow, the timing. What a coincidence. 

You turn your mic on, “No, I just joined so I wouldn’t be late.”

“I see.”

Mualani’s words from earlier echoed in your head. She’s right, this project is an excuse for you to get the chance to talk to him. This is bad. You can’t think of anything to continue the conversation–

“You’re the one who was left behind in the classroom, right?” 

“What?”

Someone dig a hole and bury you in it now. He remembers? You remember you were close to tears that time! That might just be the most humiliating thing you’ve ever experienced and you were upset over everything that day–you were late to class because you woke up quite late, your food was already burning while you ironed your clothes, you ended up burning a part of your uniform because you didn’t get rid of the plug, you left your lunch on the table because you were in a rush–it was truly the most hectic day you’ve ever experienced. 

“I mean–yeah, the cleaners thing? Thanks for… helping me out, by the way.” You replied.

He hummed, a hint of amusement in his voice. Does he find this funny? 

“I can only guess that you weren’t having the best day. I just had some extra time and noticed your classmates had left you behind, it’s no problem.”

You fall silent, unsure of how to continue this.

“I forgot to ask for your name,” wait, that just sounds odd. “for the–uh, presentation. Since we’re working together, right?” you mumbled.

“Tighnari, what about you?” 

“[Name].” 

“I’ll keep that in mind, then. Since we’re working together.” He chuckled. It didn’t take too long until a few other people started joining the meeting. 

It was already way past midnight and you were still working on the stupid presentation. It didn’t help that you felt like you were really the only one working on this–save for Navia. Mualani hasn’t touched the file at least once and only really gave criticism on the placement of the random elements. There’s really no way you can actually drink alcohol, so you choose to drown your sorrows away with yet another cup of coffee, and the damned presentation. 

You go on the last blank slide with a dark blue color for the background and some random low quality star in hopes to make it the least bit interesting. You click on the text button and start typing away, wondering what setting you clicked on to mess up the arrangements and text positioning that you had already fixed. Shortly realizing it was in fact–not a setting, but another person in the presentation. 

So you get a new block of text and type out: “can u like, not mess this up. im tired, thx”

The green cursor would stay still for a few seconds before disappearing and coming out with another block of text: “its ugly. im fixing it”

What a response. You glance at the top right of your screen and recognize the profile picture–Tighnari, who knew you’d be such a bitch? 

You’re too tired to deal with this. It was already 3 a.m, you’ve had your fourth cup of coffee, and you’d rather jump than have to deal with any kind of attitude. You still have to get up at 6 tomorrow–no, later. You’d have a total of THREE hours of sleep! That’s a new record.

You delete all the previous text you had and start ranting on your side of the slide.

“who asked. like literally”

“well im just fixing it. unlike you, i dont want to present something like…” The text pauses, the line blinks for a few seconds and continues. “...something as creative as this, on the actual seminar”

“who do u think u are anyway??? thags quiet rude.”

“thats* and quite.* seems like you should get your rest for the day, its 3 anyway. ill take over, no worries.”

Oh, the nerve of this guy! First he comes stomping into your part of the presentation–you’ve already done everything in your style, it’ll be weird if the design somehow clashes midway the seminar just because this entitled guy decided to “fix” things. 

“clearly this is MY slide. why are u here anyway”

“my name is on the left side and the data *you* are typing is my part of the research. technically, this is my slide.”

“smartass”

“thags quiet rude.”

That’s it. You’ve had enough. It’s too early to be worrying over this anyway, so you delete your past message and the whole slide entirely. 

“fine then. u do it. im going to bed.”

On the other side of the screen, Tighnari smiles. 

“You look like your soul just got sucked out of ‘ya.” 

“Navia, please, I am way too tired for this.” You raise your hand as you bury yourself deeper into your arm. The past week of you staying up is certainly catching up to you now, and you have to deal with the consequences..

“You couldn’t even focus during comm-arts. I’m actually quite glad Mr. Zhongli is understanding–he let you sleep the whole period.” She replies, looking at Mualani.

“I am so done with this presentation thing. When will it end?” You sigh, facing your friends. 

Navia only smiles softly amidst your suffering. “Don’t worry, it’s tomorrow.” 

“Wait, are you being serious?” 

She nods, looking at the board and reading the date out loud– “It’s the seventeenth, so, yeah. Tomorrow. Eighteen.”

“...Is something wrong?” Mualani asks, crossing her arms.

“I mean, Tighnari and I have talked for a total of two times the entire time we were doing the project.” Dragging your fingers down your face, “In one of them, I quite literally called him a smartass.”

“That’s rough,” Navia murmurs.

A voice calls for Navia and she eventually bids goodbye to the two of you. The realization just dawns on you–you’ve wasted all your chances of getting to know boy number 10–sorry, Tighnari, better. Now you’re going to go into the new year knowing that you fumbled quite badly. 

“You know what they say,” Mualani pats a hand on your shoulder. “There are plenty of fish in the sea. Knowing you, you’ll jump back from this no problem.”

“Yeah, well, right now there is only one fish and he’s probably trying his best to run away from me.” 

She giggles at your comment, “You’ll be okay. Don’t cry over a boy, it’s just not worth it.” 

You nod, thankful for the two most supportive friends you have. Mualani, too, gets ready to leave the school already. The bell rang a few minutes ago and you decided to spend time mulling over the decisions you made that led you to your situation right now. 

Sitting in the empty, cold classroom with earphones on playing a Silent Sanctuary song–how many times have you seen this kind of scene happen in those cliche love movies? 

Sige na please, wag na’ng mainis, bumalik ka na sa’akin.

Come on–please, don’t be annoyed, come back to me. 

Your music briefly lowers its volume as you hear a ping come from your phone. You glance at the contact–an unknown number. Who could be so entitled as to ruin your weekly “drown in your thoughts?”

Only one person, apparently. 

You were shocked to realize it was indeed not a notification about your parcel being delivered (since you went online to buy something to cure your “sadness” over this technically-a-rejection,) but a message from someone. 

4:31 PM | Unknown Contact : “I feel bad about what happened yesterday, I didn’t mean to give you an attitude that late at night. Do you wanna go to a cafe tomorrow, after classes?” Unknown Contact : “This is Tighnari, by the way. Save it.”

You open the chat quickly, typing a response.

4:32 PM | YOU : “Who gave you my number?” Tighnari : “Your friend did, I’ve already thanked her.” Tighnari : “So… Do you want to go? If you want to invite your friends, that's fine too.” Tighnari : “You seem like a nice person and I want to get to know you” Tighnari : “If you’ll let me.”

@ knnichs 2023 ﹑ do not repost, republish, translate, feed to ai or modify any of my works. doing so can and will result into me blocking you.

chat will u believe me if i said i crammed writing this . its probably really obvious i didnt think about the plot too much ALSO there might be a part 2 to this . because i barely scratched the surface me thinks NYWAY im going to go sleep im too tired

[verycoolusername1]

At Home With Nobody To Hold

Summary: You're missing your boyfriend during the holidays, unaware you're about to get the best present ever.

Track 5 of fruitcake - is it new years yet?

A/N: Gave family members some names(Nora, Ray, Sara, Ava, etc) definitely not from any DC show... *sigh* I miss legends

And I'm so jealous rn I need a bf like this now!!! This one shot is so cute got my giggling and everything-

I also was gonna have a comedic ending, but this ending is too cute that I just couldn't do it(but there is a jack hughes reference that I could not write without laughing)

You sipped on your soda for what felt like the five hundredth time. You were on the balcony trying to ignore your grandmother's questions about grandchildren. The holidays sucked... but then again, you wouldn't have met your boyfriend Ethan if you hadn't gone to the Christmas party before break two years ago.

It sucks being so far away from him for a week, but you two had regular calls now and then. You just wished you could be with him right now.

Your cousin Nora opened the screen door and joined you outside.

"Oh god, you look like a mess." She chuckles. "Missing the boyfriend?"

"Missing the boyfriend." You confirmed with a sigh. "I thought I would be fine with it, but here we are."

Nora nodded to your words. "Yeah, long distance is a bitch but you'll live. You two been through this sort of stuff before."

"I hope so." You mutter under your breath.

"Dinners about to start, think you'll be able to suck it up for an hour." Nora looked at you.

You rolled your eyes. "Yeah yeah I'll be fine."

Suddenly your phone starts to ring, seemly ending the conversation there. You looked at your phone, it was Ethan.

"You guys go on without me, gotta take this." You placed your soda down and answered the phone, Nora going back in the house.

"Hey baby." Ethan's voice rang through the winter air.

"Hey. What are you doing?" You asked, fiddling with your sweater.

Ethan hums. "Oh, nothing. Just watching some Christmas movie."

You nod. "We're about to have dinner."

Ethan stayed silent for a moment. "Oh damn I called you at the wrong time then."

"No, you didn't." You laugh. "I'll always make time for you, you know that."

Ethan's heart swells at your words, a smile breaking out on his face. "Where are you again? Your moms?"

"No, I'm at my grandma's house. She keeps asking me about you and... grandkids." You explained. "Wish you were here to suffer with me."

Ethan laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure that'll be fun, watching you get all flushed."

You laughed at his words. "If anything, it's embarrassing. I mean, we aren't even out of college yet."

Ethan lets out a sigh. "Yeah, just a couple more months. Then we can finally move in together just like we always wanted."

"Yeah, in jersey." You groaned. "I love you and all, but I didn't know there were even cities in New Jersey. And the apartments... they... actually look nice."

Ethan laughed loudly over the phone. "You did not just say that."

"Well I've never been to New Jersey before!" You argued.

I'm so telling Luke about this." Ethan mutters.

"You aren't telling him anything." You hiss.

"Texting him as we speak." His voice was stern.

You looked back to the kitchen to see your family sitting happily and chatting. You start to imagine Ethan sitting next to your dad, laughing at whatever joke he said or him talking to your niece, agreeing with her on anything and everything. It made your heart break slightly.

There was shuffling on Ethan's end as he heard your sniffle.

"Hey babe you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, yeah, just the cold." You answered.

"You should get inside then, get warmed up." Ethan noted.

"Yeah, I should." There was more shuffling on Ethan's end. "What are you doing?"

"Just getting in the car, quick stop to the store." He answered like it was obvious.

"Is it freezing there in Canada?" You asked.

"Uh, not really, which is surprising." Ethan joked.

You went back inside and sat on the couch, suddenly there was a doorbell at the door.

"Maybe you should get that." Ethan said.

"Right cause I'm the only one that isn't occupied with food in their mouth." You chuckled. "Be right back."

You got up and headed towards the door, expecting trade marketers. You unlocked the door, and your jaw dropped.

"Ethan? Ethan! What-what are you doing here? I thought you were with your family."

"You needed me more." He looked down at you as he kissed your forehead.

"Y/N, who's at the door?" Your grandmother, Sara appeared in the doorway. "And who is this fine young man?"

Your face flushed as you cleared your throat as you came up with a reply, Ethan coming up with one before you did.

"Oh, my name's Ethan." He introduced himself. "I'm Y/N's boyfriend."

"Ethan?" Your dad, Ray appeared. "Oh come on over here."

Ethan chuckled as he gave your dad a hug.

"Looks like you won't be grumpy this holiday after all." Nora joked, to which you scoffed at.

Ethan made his way back to you. "I forget something." His hands resting on your waist.

Ethan grinned at your confused face and leaned in and kissed you passionately, ignoring the cheers from your grandmother. He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against yours for a moment.

"I love you." He mumbles seemly lost in your eyes.

Your hand caresses his cheek. "I love you too."

[lunarriviera]

Hi I was wondering did you see this interview of tan jianci and jinshijia discussing the relationship between shen yi and du cheng, they are basically saying the relationship between those two in s2 is like a compass, regardless of how far shen yi explores or how big the circle he draws he is still firmly held by the center of the circle (du cheng) and his exploration depends on this fact, I found that really interesting https://m.weibo.cn/status/5110711277585719?wm=3333_2001&from=10EC093010&sourcetype=weixin&s_trans=3182113252_5110711277585719&s_channel=4&jumpfrom=weibocom#&video

HI HEY HELLO yes I DID see it and am gonna embed it here, for readers who maybe can't access Weibo (thanks to all our fabulous governments who get along SO WELL, and their idiot firewalls), and my (very bad, HSK2.5) translation of Tan-laoshi's comments:

interviewer: The character outline [in promotional materials, maybe?] says the relationship between the two of you is like a compass: Du Cheng is the foot of the compass, and as long as he stays in place, Shen Yi can draw a wider circle. Do you agree with this statement?

TJC: Shen Yi keeps exploring, more and more. But no matter how far he explores, whether it's a small circle or a wide one, he never goes far from the center. That's the relationship between the two of them.

interviewer: Jia-ge, are you willing to be the one in the center?

TJC [teasing]: Can you use your actual voice [to answer]?

JSJ: [laughs, says nothing]

What I especially love about this (in addition to Duoduo chattering away as he does, and Jia-ge sitting there like he's physically in pain) is the idea that Shen YI and Du Cheng have evolved this system of working together over time. We get to see them in s2 so far from where we left them; at the end of s1 they'd barely concluded their enemies to husbands speedrun and were still newly acquainted. They'd cleared a handful of cases together, including a very big one, but it had still only been at most a few months since Shen Yi showed up at the Beijiang precinct and smiled wryly and said 好久不见.

So now here they are at the start of s2, having developed a working relationship with much greater trust. Du Cheng knows to listen to Shen Yi when his eyes get big and starry and he has some insight that sounds initially bizarre and involves art history, because it will invariably pan out. And for his part Shen Yi knows in his bones that Du Cheng is reliable like sunrise and will show up when he needs him, will always come in clutch with his service weapon and his bike rack.

It's not that they don't still clash—s2 shows us crucial instances of them each failing to pick up what the other is throwing down. But overall they seem to have accepted the role the other occupies. Du Cheng knows that Shen Yi's sharp-eyed observational skills will pick up what he would otherwise miss, and Shen Yi knows that Du Cheng will believe him, whatever intuition-based theory he throws out there.

There's a scene that illustrates this beautifully, actually, in s2 ep7:

Here, Du Cheng and Shen Yi question a witness (while Shen Yi enjoys his froufrou little caffeine drink), and Shen Yi immediately gets distracted by, it turns out, some relevant Gauguin reproductions. But see how Du Cheng doesn't even notice that Shen Yi just randomly gets up from the table and wanders away. He's not only used to it, he takes it for granted—he assumes there's a point to Shen Yi's curiosity, and that he'll tell him all about whatever it is he observed, afterwards.

This shot offers a literal visualization of the foot of the compass holding still and steady, while the point of the compass is free to describe a wide arc around it. It's them. And I think that's beautiful.

[blitzwhore]

My Helluva Boss fics 2024

An almost-complete list of the HB (mostly Stolitz) fics I've written in 2024! ✨

General Audiences/Teen and Up:

📖 Saving Us (15k, Stolitz). Written pre-Mastermind. After not seeing the owl since Verosika's party, Blitzø jumps in to protect Stolas from Andrealphus, and in doing so gets badly wounded. When he wakes up in a hospital bed some days afterwards, he and Stolas finally talk.

📖 Caramel Kiss (1.2k, Stolitz). Humor, fluff. Blitz criticizes Stolas' ice cream order and Stolas decides to be a tease about it. Chaos ensues.

📖 Left Behind (3.3k, Blitzo & Tilla). Blitzo wants to confess to Fizz, but is terrified of messing up. Terrified enough to ask his mother for help, even if it means coming out to her. In the end, the confession doesn't go as planned. The rest... well. Sadly, the rest is history.

📖 At His Mercy (1.6k, Blitzø & Cash). Of what happens when Blitzø and his crew run into Cash in the street.

📖 Mama's Remedy (1.1k, Stolitz). During their day together as kids, Blitzo finds out Stolas has never climbed the giant tree in his garden and decides that needs to be fixed.

📖 Please, Stay (1k, Stolitz). Pre-Ozzie's. After a BDSM scene during a full moon, Stolas discovers that Blitz's knuckles are wounded from a fight.

📖 Make It Easy on You (831 words, Stolitz). Pre-Full Moon. Stolas wakes up in the middle of the night and finds Blitz curled up around him, sound asleep and completely at peace. The realisation that this is the only way he will ever have what he truly wants is more than he can bear.

📖 You Love Him (Not) (800 words, Stolitz). Pre-Full Moon. A peek into what goes on in Blitzø's mind when he looks at his selfie in bed with Stolas.

📖 If Only (689 words, Stolitz). Pre-Full Moon. Each crying alone in his house, both Stolas and Blitzø imagine the other is there to comfort them.

📖 I Could Never Be Better Off Without You (757 words, Stolitz). Post-Mastermind. Blitzø reassures a guilt-ridden Stolas that he's wanted, even when he has nothing left to give.

Mature:

📚 This Warmth (1k, Stolitz). Pre-Ozzie's. When he wakes up in Stolas' arms after a typical full moon encounter, Blitzø experiences some complicated emotions and wants he has no idea how to navigate.

📚 Relapse (2.8k, Blitzø & Barbie). When they arrive at work, Blitzø and his crew find a wasted Barbie Wire lying on their meeting room floor. Blitzø will do whatever it takes to make sure his sister is safe.

🔥 You're Perfect (And Everything In Between) (19k, Stolitz; WIP, will be explicit). Tattoo artist!AU with trans Blitz, who is very, very gay for the cute, easily flustered, tall-as-hell man that walks into his tattoo shop.

🔥 Pipin' Hot (429 words, Marthaberry). How many times do you have to kill the bitch who fucked your husband before she gets bored and starts flirting with you instead?

Explicit:

🔞 Wear Your Pride (7.9k, Stolitz). After the Imp City Pride Parade, Blitzø and Stolas fuck in the back of the van. Ft. lots of teasing and birdpuss-eating.

🔞 Delectable (3.9k, Stolitz). Blitzø spills some mustard on his bare thighs. Stolas doesn't miss the opportunity to lick him thoroughly clean.

🔞 Just Like This (3.9k, Stolitz). Sub!Blitzø, soft dom!Stolas; puppy play. A leashed Blitzø rides Stolas' leg.

🔞 Good Pup (3.7k, Blitz/Fizz/Ozzie). Sub!Blitzø, dom!Fizz and Ozzie. Blitzø is determined to take all of Ozzie's cock in his ass at the same size as Fizz usually does. Fizz and Ozzie take very good care of him.

After being in the fandom for a few years, it's been a blast actually creating fanworks for it. I look forward to writing so much more in 2025! ❤️