#the electricity is gone sometimes for four hours at a time but have you ever seen a baby cheetah

[dredgesnails]

I love to imagine the magic mountain bases all actually existing completely separately from each other in completely different time periods (almost), despite being physically in the same location.

In the ancient world, pyramids are constructed at the base of a huge volcano to honor the dead and worship old gods. A wide path leads to an entrance into the volcano, far enough in that the heat gets dangerous. Inside, sacrifices are made to the gods, to their king, offerings given up for the benefit of them all. The king is kind and forgiving, loyal to his people, asking for little and giving as much as he can. The gods however, are cruel, and all civilisations must fall eventually. For this one it's after a great eruption, one that shakes the earth with all the fury of the gods, that the pyramids become abandoned, left alone for centuries to erode. Over time new life grows, and thick jungles begin to hide the pyramids from view, until eventually, they’ve become a part of the natural landscape. Venture far enough in, however, and you might find remnants of the ancient civilisation: old writing in a language no one knows anymore, praises given to their old king; the remnants of ancient weapons and armour; the shapes of people who once lived forever preserved in ash and pumice.

~

It's the start of the industrial revolution, and rumours start spreading of an eclectic man and his steamrail full of exotic animals from across the globe. He’s a travelling zoo, of sorts, appearing in the strangest of places (as long as there's a railway line, he'll be there), areas it logically shouldn't be able to reach. He’s got all sorts of animals, from dolphins and turtles to strange, mysterious beasts. Where does he keep them all when they're not on the train? Some say he doesn't exist. others insist he does, that he lives underneath a mountain no one dares to visit. It's an active volcano, they say, dangerous to go near. If anyone dared to explore they might stumble upon the largest, most diverse collection of animals they've ever seen, and, most bizarrely, a large steam locomotive that runs on its own railway track, seemingly on a loop through the volcano itself. The tunnel is so dark the train disappears into it entirely. a young exploration group decide to find out for themselves, years later, and at first they think there's nothing there, until one of them stumbles upon the obvious remnants of a railway line, no longer in use but not so old that it's started to break down. Maybe he did exist after all...

~

In the late 1800s, a small fishing community establishes itself by the mountain. Electricity is new, and with the new machines and motors available to them the community quickly grows into a small village. Something is wrong, though. The rocks embedded in the mountain appear to resemble a skull more and more by the day, water streaming from one eye socket as though it’s crying. Underground passages and tunnels are found by the new residents, all leading to strange chambers. There's something in the water. A young man, one of the first in the village, disappears for a month, and when he returns, he's changed. He insists the ocean speaks to him, to everyone through him. He fishes for hours, days, weeks on end. When his madness begins infecting others, most gain the sense to stay away from him, but not everyone does. There's something in the water.

By the mid 1920s, the small fishing village is still standing, although most of the residents from four decades ago have since left. A young woman, traveling alone in her tiny fishing boat, docks at the village in need of repairs. What was meant to be a one night stay turns into days, then weeks, then months, as she begins to notice strange happenings in the village. A local artist has locked himself in his house, gone mad from something he found in the ocean. A scientist is experimenting with strange materials, and sometimes at night strange noises come from her house. There's something in the water. An older man speaks in tongues, driven mad by the sea. There's something in the water. The young fisher sees him occasionally, staring through her, unseeing. She's begun dreaming of ancient monsters in the depths of the water below her, reaching their long arms out and crushing her and everyone else. When she looks into the sea she can't see anything. It’s just inky blackness.

(No one knows how the village gets destroyed. One day it's here, and the next it's turned to rubble, razed to the ground by forces beyond human perception. It appears no one survived, but strangely, there's no trace of the small fishing boat the young woman had arrived in, nor of her body, and if anyone stopped for long enough in the wrecked city they might hear mumbling at night from underground, the mad ramblings of a man who has seen too much.)

~

Magic mountain row thrives in the early 2000s. They’ve beaten the Y2K bug (it really wasn't that much of a problem, anyway), business is booming at all the independent stores, and the local economy is better than ever. It doesn’t matter that not many people want to live here because new tech keeps Big Ron busy, and Willie Jr is old enough to start working at his father's shop, preparing himself to take over the business. The safe storage containers are always a little open, but nothing ever really goes missing, because no new people means everyone knows everyone. A young boy visits his neighbours for the last time before he leaves with his family; his dad's got a better job somewhere far away and they have to leave now, and besides it’s safer not to live by a barely-dormant volcano (it’s not as cool, though). His new neighbourhood has a lot more kids his age, but he can't help but miss the eccentric nature of his old neighbours. He returns to his childhood home twenty years later to find it empty. Most of magic mountain row is empty now, actually. There are a few places still open: Big Ron refuses to close up shop because Willie Jr, who has taken over the business now that his father's passed, still needs his help from time to time. Anyone still living here is merely clinging to a past they remember so fondly they can't adapt for the future. They're happy, though. They’re happy to remain here until it's their time to go.

~

In the not-so-distant future, a dense city is formed on the mountain. It started out as a smaller town, with traditional architecture and shrines dotted around the place, but as technology advanced and society progressed it grew and evolved into towering skyscrapers, holographic billboards, a rail system that winds through buildings and above streets. Elements of the past still remain - lush gardens lined with cherry blossom trees, the old shrines and temples still standing, a mark of the city's history and longevity. The city stands the longest, weathers the strongest storms, grows and evolves and changes, but all must come to an end, eventually. A rumbling in the earth, a once-dormant volcano waking from its slumber. They have the tech to know it's coming, now, so they all flee before it can hit. Only one man stays behind. This is his city. This is his home. He built this entire place from the ground up, and he’s not going to leave it behind. He makes his way to one of the shrines. Praying to his goddess, he leaves her one final offering, and when the ash settles all trace of him is gone.

~

The apocalypse happens in a future beyond our reckoning. A city lies, abandoned by most, on top of the ruins of civilisations that came before. Once a lively hub of activity and tech and innovation, the city has become a ghost town, occupied only by the artificial intelligences that had driven humanity out. They wander aimlessly, mimicking the behaviours of the humans they used to watch and help, protecting the inner core of their city that keeps everything, including themselves, alive. The humans reside elsewhere, in a bunker resembling the old world, with more vegetation and life than the city had despite being hidden underground. The city’s architects reassure everyone that they’ll be able to return someday soon. The one who designed the robots, a man more cyber than human by this point, just needs to fix a few issues with their programming. He doesn’t want to destroy them but he might have to. His partner, who designed most of the city, will need to commence repairs before anyone can live in the city again. So they leave, vowing to fix the city so that everyone can return to society. No one knows they will never return.

[pencil-urchin]

Reaction Post Part 2:

Electric Boogaloo

(take 2)

When last I left off, I believe I was rolling my eyes at Thrawn's very sincere reassurance to Arzel that he expected the man to evade the...hehe...jaw-crushing punch that he earned for the comment about a wedding date.

I have to admit, I did the haughty anime girl laugh as Fuck-Ass Arzel was escorted away for first aid, and in my headcanon that son of a sarlacc's sphincter lost a tooth from the impact because that is the one punch Thrawn would not be able to pull, even if he wanted to. And you know he didn't want to.

I will make one note here about the fight. When Arzel elbow-dropped my man, I knew in my head that such an action would hurt a normal person.

However, I have extremely tight traps and shoulders from anxiety and shrimp posture, so my massage therapist actually has to use her elbows. She's had to use her knees before. We've genuinely talked about setting up aerial silks so she can use her heels.

So, my first thought, even though I hate the guy, was

And this has been and will remain the only time that fuckface has ever had anything I wanted.

Now, Thrawn trying to work out his owwie: cute, kinda pitiful.

Reader snapping at him to let her do it because of course she would? Adorable, very wifey.

Thrawn taking off his shirt so she can do it?

And HOLY SHIT the relief I felt at Reader finally bringing up

the event

Like, damn girl, you could have fixed this ages ago, but at least you're here now.

That said:

How dare you ever think for even a second that Thrawn is the kind of man to offer a one-night stand? How DARE you think he would literally have a ring custom made and then give it to you because he wants to get his rocks off?And how dimmadamn DARE you let yourself for even a second believe it was anything other than a proposal for a sincere connection?

Listen, Reader, don't project your self-worth issues onto Thrawn. You know him, and you know he's better than that. I get to chastise you for this because I did the exact same thing.

Story time! Before my husband and I started dating, I really liked him but I believed he was too good for me. I convinced myself there was no way in hell he could ever like me, and I let myself like some other (worse) guy instead! I literally lowered the bar to a guy I wouldn't even give the time of day to now, and that guy rejected me, so I was pretty upsetti spaghetti because I thought I was unloveable! My husband, however, was there to comfort me. And he talked to me every day all summer (he had to go home from uni for summer). Literally for like 8+ hours a day sometimes. Then we were ROOMATES (lol) and then, after living together for four months (and practically living as if we were dating) my husband confessed that he liked me, and we started dating, and that was in 2009.

So yeah, I absolutely get telling yourself the kinds of things Reader has told herself about Thrawn. But like, stop it! It sells him short and it's rude! And I get to tell her to stop because I did it too, and in retrospect I would fistfight my younger self for daring to think so negatively about my husband!

Anyway, back on track!

Poor Thrawn, finally realizing the misunderstanding, and I'm just like

But also, Mister 'was it not obvious?'

Bless your heart you gorgeous blue idiot, Reader is clearly a few electrons short of a covalent bond, of COURSE it was not obvious. You have to use your smöl words with Reader, because (and I say this with love) homegirl is a stupid bitch.

Well, THANKFULLY Thrawn gets the picture and, after realizing how very astray things have gone, gives us truly the greatest gift that has ever been given.

He pins homegirl to a wall and in no uncertain terms professes his love for her!

THANK FUCKING GAWD IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH YOU PRECIOUS BLUEBERRY MORON.

Now, the events which immediately follow this show that Reader is maybe not as stupid as I thought.

Maybe.

Thrawn, in all his ferocious beauty and affection, untying her robe, caressing her thigh, lifting the hem of her babydoll, holding her against him, kissing his way along her jaw, spreasinf her lips with his thumb...it all got Reader (and me) like

And then the fact that Thrawn gets her to admit that she can't outright refuse him and that he still has a chance is just 😘👌

And getting her to admit she didn't actually agree to Arzel's proposal? 😘👌👌👌

And then Thrawn respecting Reader's wish not to betray Fuck-Ass, but promising that he's gonna make her fall for him so hard that she chooses to leave on her own and come to him of her own volition?

Just...HNGH... there's a reason I illustrated this whole scene. Perfection.

120/20 no notes. And yes, I meant 120, not 12.

Stay tuned for Part 3!

Love match

Tags : brawl, much needed discussion 

FemaleReader x Thrawn

You made up your mind and decided to talk one last time to Thrawn. But what if he decided otherwise?

You yawn.

You slept like a rock, without any dream. You stretch deliciously under this heavy cover and on this soft mattress. Maker, you could stay here forever. You open your eyes slowly, looking at the ceiling.

Today is the day.

You’ll come to Thrawn and get things straight. Then you could go and happily marry Arzel. 

This is the good thing to do.

You sigh before rising in a seated position. You look up your comlink. No call from Konstantine, nor any notifications urging you to come back on the Relentless. You're officially still on vacation. You scroll through your contacts and select Vez.

“It’s been a while. Let’s catch up with a drink. It’s on me!”

You get out of bed with regrets and pass a fuzzy dressing gown over your babydoll. You walk to the dressed table on the patio yawning and shuffling your feet. You need caff. When you arrive you find nobody.

Odd.

You search the house, calling for Thrawn and Arzel, worries starting to rise. When you get closer to the gym you hear groans and muffled sounds like hits were exchanged. You pass your head through the door and discover them right in the middle of a boxing match. Surely the rematch from that time at the bathhouse. 

You come closer with crossed arms, observing them in effort, their flexed muscles and powerful blows. Azrel is a real battery of energy, jumping from one foot to the other, taunting Thrawn with feints, and delivering quick hits. Thrawn is more on his guard, keeping his energy with more grounded supports and powerful punches. 

They stop as you approach the ring.

“Hello, my pearl!” exclaims Arzel

“Good day, Lieutenant Commander (Y/l/n)” a more reserved greeting from Thrawn.

You sadly smile at this greeting, but you're not especially surprised. You didn’t go see him last night to check on him, instead you took an icy cold bath in the lake. You look at them exchanging some punches, Thrawn broadly has the upper hand but Arzel puts up a good fight, he even manages to slide behind Thrawn and sink his elbow in the right trapezius of Thraw, earning a painful groan. Thrawn loses his balance for a second but manages to spin and throw a punch in the ribs of Arzel. 

You wince at every hit, this fight is nasty. But Azrel seems in surprisingly good spirits, speaking to you at the same time.

“By the way, my pearl. I have found the perfect day!”

“The perfect day for what?” You ask yawning.

“For the wedding!”

At that second, Thrawn freezes imperceptibly and throws a devastating punch in the jaw of Azrel that flies into the cords. You scream of surprise and horror.

“Arzel! Arzel!” You scream.

Blood starts flooding off his mouth. He’s unresponsive. You start shaking him in a panic. Thrawn remains behind, panting. 

Azrel’s suddenly shaken by jolts, and jump like a devil out of his box. You hold him back, preventing him from moving too much. He coughs and spits blood.

“Ow… I thought it was a friendly match?” He ask with a painful chuckle

“And I thought you would evade.” Thrawn placidly says.

You look at them both, worried. How could this get out of control like that. You help Arzel rise up with difficulty, his hand covers his mouth that pours blood, the ring is soiled. Thrawn held the cords open for you both to pass and follow out of the ring in a heavy silence. A droid alerted by the noise comes to see his master. You go to follow them at the infirmary, but Azrel holds you back.

“No, it’s okay, my pearl. I can go with my droids.”

“But…” He shushes you with a finger on your mouth

“Rules of politeness demand we don’t let a guest alone. I will be alright, tend to our guest.” He leaves, a bit trembling.

You spin towards Thrawn, shaking with anger. He looks at you a bit contrite, trying to massage his painful shoulder.

“I am sorry.” He finally says.

“Are you?” You ask.

He remains silent, sitting down to get back his breath. You sigh and place yourself behind him.

“Let me do it.”

He takes off his black tank shirt and indicates to you where it hurts. You start massaging him, applying pressure on certain points of his shoulder, trying to ease the pain. He let out a sigh of relief, you can actually feel a knot in his muscle. 

You realize this is probably a good moment to talk.

“Thrawn… About what happened…”

He takes and holds your hand over his shoulder.

“I know. I shocked you.” No need to precise what you're talking about, you both know really well. “And I am sorry. I should have been more tactful in my proposition.”

You can’t help but laugh, embarrassed

“Oh, well, you know, I rarely get offered one night stand with such decorum, so all in all it was a good try.” 

“A one night stand?” something in his tone makes you stop your movements.

He slowly rises and turns toward you. His gaze is incredulous and hard. What did you say? He approaches, you step back.

“(Y/n), do not tell me you thought I proposed for just one night?”

“Yes? I think?” You feel your cheeks burning.

He towers you with all his height, looming over you with his eyes burning with the backlight. He takes another step and you find yourself against the wall. What’s happening? He stares at you with an indecipherable expression.

“You…” He starts.

His eyes widen like he has a sudden realization. He holds the bridge of his nose and sighs, leaning against the wall with one arm.

“Maker, how could I let this derail this much?” He mutters to himself.

He looks at you straight in the eyes.

“(Y/n), I was not proposing only a passionate night.”

“What?” Your voice is a bit strangled.

He takes your hand and kisses your knuckles.

“(Y/n), I was declaring you my love.”

Your mouth opens agape. You have no words. Is he…

He takes your hand to his cheek and brushes it with a pleased sigh.

“(Y/n), was it not obvious?”

“But… No!” You explode “Nothing about you is obvious! You talk about love but are you really sure of that?! You can’t just pop back into my life and deliver such a bomb, like that! You…” You have so much emotions bubbling up that you lose your word and just push him back and evade. “I’m engaged for maker’s sake!”

He doesn’t budge. 

He presses his second arm on the wall brutally, trapping you between his hands.

“Then permit me to be brutally honest.”

He leans forward a bit to be at eye level with you.

“I can not let you say I do not know what I am talking about while this sentiment is eating me alive, making me make the most unreasonable decisions of my entire life.” He detaches the last words.

You squirm under his gaze but you don’t lower yours. You close your hands in fists.

“This is my fault. I thought I was obvious with you. You seemed receptive to my intentions so I thought my sentiments were shared.”

Of course you noticed his intention and you indulged in it! But you thought it was human behavior rubbing off on him and your friendship becoming more relaxed, you indulged in it with delusions imagining it was love in your fantasies, not thinking for a second he was serious.  

“I love you, (Y/n).” He says without batting an eye.

Your heart flutters, your cheeks are setting ablaze 

“I can’t, I’m engaged…” You try again, trying to get out of this mess.

"Then tell me" He answers softly "In the eyes, tell me that I do not have a single chance and I will let you be. You will never hear about me again, but you must tell me, (y/n)" 

You're at loss of word 

"I…" 

He brings your hand to his chest and holds it. 

"This heart beats for you, and I can not believe yours does not" 

You feel your legs go weak, and your hands trembling. How can he say things like that? He slowly unknot your dressing gown, leaving you time to stop him. But you're too lost in your confusion to do anything. He sighs with pleasure at the sight of your babydoll, and holds your waist, caressing your flank with his thumb. Your skin is set ablaze where he touches you. 

"You're too late…" You finally articulate. "Arzel already proposed to me."

"But did you agree?" He demands, inquisitive. 

You remain silent. 

"Did you agree?" He insists, hissing.

"I asked for time…" You concede in a breath. 

"I see." He smiles, "So I still have time to tilt the scale."

Your mind is racing. This is not how it was supposed to end. You were supposed to ask about that night, getting confirmation it was just a one night thing without tomorrow, having a good laugh about it and going back into Arzel's arms without regrets. 

But now… 

Now you're effectively crossed between two fires. 

He gently presses himself against you, smelling your hair with a satisfied sigh, his hand snake into your back, pulling you into his embrace. You try pushing back, but you have no conviction in your arms. You’re being squeezed into his arm, his musk filling your nose.

“Let me convince you.” His hand brushes your thigh, delicately grazing its way up to the hem of your babydoll.. 

You gasp.

He tenderly kisses your temple, the tip of his fingers following your jaw line to tilt your chin. He parts your lips with his thumb, you feel his breath on them.

“The ring, you kept it?” he strokes your lip.

“Yes…” You admit, gulping.

“I knew it.” He grins.

He slowly lean towards you

“Let me help you make a choice.” he murmurs. 

Your lips are millimeters away. Your stomach is in knots. You’re panting…

“No!”

You push him back with both hands. He looks at you surprised and mute.

“No… If you want to convince me… “ You’re out of breath. “I don’t want to betray Arzel…”

You look at him. 

And open your eyes wide.

He is smiling.

He looks at you like he already won.

“Is it a challenge?” He grins. “Because I feel especially in a competitive mood.”

“It's…” You feel like you wake up something dangerous.

“So be it.” He decides. “I will not force you to betray your fiance, I will make you choose me. You will put an end to this relationship yourself.” His hands brush your neck and come hold your cheek. He pulls you closer forcing you on your toes and looks you in the eyes. “Mark my words. Our friendship ends today. Whatever happens next, it will never define what is between us.”

“Then… What is it?” You ask a bit scared.

“This…” He kisses your forehead. “This depends on you.”

“You’re a cruel man...” you murmur.

“I know.” He chuckles.

And he releases you. 

He left you panting, leaning against the wall for support. Your trembling legs can’t support you anymore and you have to sit down. You close back your dressing gown, feeling nude and exposed. You hold your head, a hand on your palpitating heart. 

What now?

All your plans are on shambles.

You gulp, taking back your breath. You rise on your two feet, as good as one can and walk, shaky, to the dressed table. Thrawn is already seated, drinking a cup of caff, like nothing happened. Thank for your sanity he put back his shirt.

You put your weight on the chairs back to get to your seat, shaking.

“What might happened to you, for you to behave like this?” He asks with delectation in his voice.  

He’s proud of himself, the son of a Bantha!

You remain in a dignified silence and serve yourself breakfast with trembling hands. He’s drinking his cup innocently, scrolling through his datapad, like he didn’t set fire to your soul. You eat little bite by little bite but serve yourself a large glass of juice. You’re so thirsty and still panting. 

As you munch on your bread, your gaze keeps getting back at his stern and haughty expression. It’s not fair that he gets to break you like that. Do you have a way to even the plain field ? A malign thought makes his way to your head. 

You sigh deeply, in an intended titillating way and open back your dressing gown, displaying your babydoll to his eyes. That sure catches his attention. He looks you up and down like he’s wondering what you’re on about. 

“It’s so hot today…”

You fan yourself with one hand and play with the braces of your undergarment, letting them slide along your shoulder. 

He stopped drinking mid-movement, clearly entranced. You see his chest rising as he deeply breathes, eyes glued to your sliding braces. His fingers fiddle with the handle of his cup, it’s the only sign of an internal turmoil, his face as unbothered as ever, if only for his rising eyebrow.

Arzel arrives with an ice pack pressed on his jaw, and a grumpy look. You immediately rise to see how he is, simpering with puppy eyes, you delicately hold his jaw and pepper kisses on it.

“Oh no, are you alright?”

Thrawn glances at you both, imprisoned in his mutism. 

“I’ve been better…” He maugreates

“I’m so sorry…” You kiss him on the lips “...My love.”

A clanc resonates in the air. Thrawn put down his cup too hard. You both turn towards him, wondering what is up about him, even if you don’t have to wonder. Despite that if he’s frustrated or angry he hides it perfectly. His eyes are back on his datapad, he appears stiffer than usual, but you can’t say for sure.

“Not only that, I got an impromptu meeting that just added itself to my agenda.” Arzel sighs. “Looks like it’s me who will be forced to shorten my vacation.”

You look at him perplexed, a bit disappointed and a bit relieved.

"So it is the end?" 

"It makes me feel bad, it's me who proposed those vacations. I can't throw you out like that." He passes his hand in his hair. "Does it bother you to stay alone together for some time ?" 

You go for saying something but Thrawn is quicker. 

"Absolutely not, Governor Satlov.” He rises from his seat. “It came to our attention that we had a lot of things to talk about.” He places himself next to you and wraps his arm around your exposed shoulders. “Go with an appeased mind, I will take great care of your fiance.” He says with a polite smile but the tip of his fingers caress your naked skin, sending shivers down your spine.

You feel goosebumps on your skin, and your breath gets shaky. Arzel looks at both of you.

“Well…It’s not like I have any choices anyway. I will entrust you with the mansion. I hope you won’t get too bored in my absence…” He explains with a sorry face.

“I had some physical exercises in mind, but (y/n) strictly forbid them.” Thrawn throws without missing a bit.

You tense up at the innuendo, what got to him to say things like that?

“If you intended to punch her like you did with me, I get why.” Azrel grimaces, massaging his painful jaw with the ice pack.

“Oh, I am not worried. I am sure (y/n) would make for a… competent and hardy adversary.”

ENOUGH, you’re gonna die of embarrassment and raw lust if this conversation continues. Quick, a diversion.

“What just came up?” You ask with a smile you hope is agreeable and not tense.

Arzel sighs again.

“It is about the feast. The organization is proceeding as planned but there are some inconveniences that slow down the all process. We have an agitator and we need to take care of it too.” He pouts. “I am truly sorry to abandon you like that…”

Thrawn presses you against him more.

“I am sure we will find plenty of ways of… amusing ourselves.”

You glance at him. Look at this smug bastard, with his satisfied grin plastered on his face… 

Arzel shrugs and looks you up and down, frowning. He jumps on you and closes back your dressing gown.

“Roween, what indecence! The Grand Admiral surely doesn’t want to see that!”

I’m sure he does, you think but don’t say anything. Thrawn releases you and moves away, letting you some space with your fiance. You feel your stomach tied in knots, and the needle of culpability pierce through you. Arzel finishes arranging your gown, caressing your arms.

“I’m sorry.” he repeats.

“It’s okay.” You gently smile. “You’ll come back soon?”

“As soon as I can.”

He hugs you tightly, and as you give him back his embrace you feel the burn of a gaze on you. Under  the arches, heading towards the interior ot the mansion, Thrawn is devouring you with his eyes with an indecipherable expression. 

Your eyes meets.

You think you see hunger and something else.

Something…

… visceral

But above else you see loneliness and longing.

He disappears behind the wall, without uttering a word.

You gulp.

In what mess did you entangle yourself into?

@bluechiss @justanothersadperson93 @al-astakbar @thrawnspetgoose @readinglistfics @twilekchiss @pencil-urchin @ineedazeezee @mssbridgerton @dance-like-russia-isnt-watching @Cortisolcosplay

[heterotragedies]

addict | 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: 1.2k

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: mingi + female reader

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬: drabble, suggestive, kissing, smallest humping,high school seniors au,

𝐞𝐱𝐭: super ultra short drabble. shortest thing ive ever written, hope u guys like it!

.˚ ₍🗒₎ ꒰ © 𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 ꒱

It was hot, the entire room was stuffy and humid. Lips smacking against one another and heavy panting were the only things that filled the room. Your hands were all over Mingi’s body, one tangled in his soft silky tresses and the other finding purchase on his bare shoulder. His shirt had been unbuttoned halfway, part of it slipping off his broad frame and exposing his defined collarbones and strong chest. 

Mingi’s large palms cupped each and every curve of your body: ass, tits, thighs, face. Any and all curves he could get his hands on, he’d touch. Because he’s addicted. Addicted to your skin against his, addicted with how his hands are the perfect fit to every part of your body. He’s gone mad because he’s so in love with how your lips taste against his. So soft and plump and covered in his favourite peach lip gloss. 

Sitting on his lap was your favourite position. Having him tower over you no matter the situation because he is just that tall made your toes curl and fingers tingle. One of your hands trailed down to Mingi’s chest, drawing circles and electric doodles onto his skin before following the line of the tank top he wore underneath his school uniform. 

Once Mingi swiped a tongue along your bottom lip, it was over for you. At just that one move he had you putty in his arms. A whine escaped your lips when they parted and you eagerly tried to take his tongue into your awaiting mouth. You want him to explore you, like he has done many times before yet you can’t seem to get enough. Mingi was too addicting. 

You were too inebriated with his touch, his warmth, the sparks that erupt at his fingertips and zips straight into your core. He was high on the taste of your lips and the miniscule whines that called for him, needing him as if he was the water you drink and food that you feast on.

With your lover’s tongue brushing up against yours, you straighten your back and tilt your head off to the right, desperate to feel him deeper in you. To have more of his skin on yours. Every inch of your body feels like it’s getting iced and burnt at the same time, yet inside it’s as if you have piping hot liquid lust sloshing around. 

And then.

“Hun.” You gasp, placing your palms firmly on your boyfriend’s shoulders to pull away. Your eyes snapping to the glowing phone thrown haphazardly onto your pillows. The screen lit up with your brother’s name splayed across it and vibrating with his favourite song “Girl’s Talk” by Jiwoo and Sooyoung. 

Mingi just grunts and keeps his teeth latched onto your bottom lip. His large hand slides up behind your neck and tugs you back into his kiss. He’s been itching to kiss you all day. Fingers twitching to finally comb through your meticulously brushed hair and dishevel it from your ponytail. He’s waited nearly four hours to finally get you to himself since the graduation ceremony started. 

“Leave it, Hun.” 

“But, Gi.” You whine, hands sliding up to his jaw im an effort to break free. “It’s Seonghwa.”

“And? C’mon Hun. Just let me kiss you for fifteen minutes.” He gives you the cutest puppy eyes ever and you try your damn hardest to not fall into his charms. 

“We’ve been making out for the past thirty minutes, Gi.” 

“Thirty-five minutes then.”

You giggle. Apparently you weren’t immune to whatever Mingi’s powers were, because one pout from him has your resolve crumbling and whittling away. So your lips find their way back to your lover’s and you proceed to give him the affection he asked for. Your ringing phone and ever so worried brother forgotten in the background. 

The ringing stopped sometime while you ate each other’s faces out. Maybe it was when you shrugged your blouse off and let Mingi palm at your breasts, or when he paused for a moment to let you lick at his fingertips. Neither of you noticed, too caught up in each other’s tastes and scents. Too addicted to each other. 

At some point, Mingi’s pants unbuttoned and your skirt flipped up to expose your (more like Mingi’s) favourite black panties. Mingi was now leaning back on your headboard, hands gripping your hips as you hovered over his clothed erection. 

It had been well over thirty five minutes when you started grinding your core onto Mingi. But, really, who’s counting? Not you, and definitely not Mingi who seems to be preoccupied with kneading your ass into clay. Can you blame him? When the swell of your ass fits perfectly into his cupped palms and his fingertips genty dip and dig into your flesh. 

Like a moth to a flame, you were sucked into his touch once more. It was all just Mingi… Mingi. Mingi. Your senses filled with him. Your skin wrapped around his, his scent fogging in your mind. You have no choice but to think about Mingi. 

Mingi.

“Mingi!” You yelp.

“Y/n!” Seonghwa yells from downstairs, the sound of his feet pattering against the carpet follow the echoes of his voice. 

A curse leaves Mingi’s kiss-plumped lips and you have to resist kissing them again. A simple task considering your brother is right down the hallway, making his way up to your room where you’re perched on top of your boyfriend’s hardened dick. Which means you have to hop off and try to make the situation look presentable. 

So, with Seonghwa’s footsteps nearing by the second, you grab Mingi’s arm and fling him in the direction of the bathroom. He nearly slips on the tiles but you’ve no time to tend to him, opting to shut the door running towards your closet.

“Mom said– Jesus christ!” 

Seonghwa slams your bedroom door close as soon as he shoved it open upon seeing your nearly naked form struggling to button up your shirt. 

“I’m changing, you fuck!” The best lie you ever came up with. 

“Well, hurry up! Mom and dad are already at the restaurant!”

You tug your skirt down and pat the frizz out of your hair, looking in the mirror to see your skin coloured in red– not from the embarrassment of having your brother walk in on you ‘changing’. At the same time you hear Mingi flush the toilet and he comes out with his face dripping with cold water and a deep blush etched onto his skin, similar to yours. 

“Okay, let’s go.”  You huff, with Mingi clinging onto your arm. The both of you finally looking decent enough to see your parents. Seonghwa mutters ‘took you long enough’ under his breath before leading the way out of the house. 

You’re probably not gonna do that again (spoiler: you did). The amount of embarrassment and shame you’d have been in would probably make you bury yourself alive. And the sheer luck you had for having a brother whose gullible enough to believe your little fib, maybe someone up there was looking over you. 

But Seonghwa’s not that gullible (his suspicions only solidifying when you came out hand in hand with your boyfriend), and now he knows that if he ever gets sent to voicemail, he should not try to barge into your room.

all rights reserved © heterotragedies 2021.

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do NOT plagiarize or translate any of my works & thank you for reading.

[oh-my-damn]

Love and Attention

A/N: First installment in my Mace-Verse. 

Masterlist for my Mace-Verse

Mace-verse Summary: Mace is the brooding, angry engineer onboard Icarus II. You’re the happy-go-lucky biologist, who just so happen to find him irresistible. Maybe it’s time you bring some sunshine into this broody engineer’s life. 

Pairing: James Mace x Female Reader

Word Count: 2300

Summary: When you’re locked in the bio lab with the broody engineer who’s been making your heart beat faster for the past six months, he finally lets down his guard, allowing you to see a different side to him. 

Warnings: A little bit of angst/yelling. Enemies to lovers type beat because Mace is always moody and angry. Fluff, softness. Inaccurate descriptions of botany? I don’t know much about plants lmao but I tried. 

The beautiful divider is by @firefly-graphics​

Gif was made by yours truly

It’s been six months since Icarus II left earth, and you’re gradually starting to adjust to your new-found environment. 

It’s strange, being locked in a giant metal box at all hours of the day, and it feels even stranger to look out the window and watch as earth slowly fades in away in the distance. 

You’re so grateful for the opportunity to be here, knowing how important your work is for the future of mankind. But you also miss earth. 

That big, snow covered globe is what you call home. It has your friends and family on it, the people you love. And even though you decided to go on this mission, knowing full well that you would be gone for four years, you still miss them. 

Maybe it wouldn’t feel so bad if you were closer with your team mates. 

To be fair, you’ve bonded with some of them; Cory and Cassie are sweet and caring, and they routinely check in on you, knowing that you’re the youngest member of the team and how hard it was for you to make the decision to leave your siblings and parents behind. 

You’ve bonded with a few of the guys, too. Capa is a sweetheart, he sometimes even brings you along when he does the simulations for the payload and lets you watch, especially if he knows you’re having a rough day. 

Searle, Trey, Kaneda and Harvey are also very nice, although you’ve had a harder time bonding with them, probably because you’re a lot younger and you don’t really have much in common with them. 

And then there’s Mace. 

James Mace, the brooding, angry engineer of the ship, who always acts like someone stepped on his pinky toe. 

He’s just so...  Moody. That’s the only way to describe it. He’ll be in a bad mood as soon as he wakes up and it’s not just because he’s grumpy in the mornings. No, James Mace is grumpy all day long and it’s exhausting. 

Not to mention it’s impossible to get to know a person like that, they simply won’t let you. 

Which is a shame because from the first moment you laid your eyes on him, you’ve been infatuated by him. 

You knew the moment you saw him; your first thought was how beautiful he was, and how it really wasn’t fair. 

It’s not fair that his eyes are so blue, or that his jawline is so chiseled. It’s not fair, the way his back arches when he stands upright, pulling your attention to the muscles moving under the thin fabric of his shirts. It’s not fair that his arms bulge whenever he moves them around, usually because he’s yelling at someone animatedly because they did something he didn’t like. 

And it’s really not fair that you have to spend four years cooped up in a metal container next to him and not act on your urges. 

But from the very first day on Icarus II, you also knew that whatever confusing feelings you had, whatever sparkling electricity you felt whenever he looked at you, it was clearly one sided. 

That’s been clear since the very first day, because ever since then, he’s been nothing but mean. 

You’re working in the lab, tending to some of the plants that you’ve pulled out of the Garden because they needed some extra care, when a voice draws your attention. 

“Hey, Icarus notified me that I need to adjust some of the settings for the cooling system in here.” 

You turn your gaze towards him, your eyes dropping to how his broad chest moves with every breath, just for a moment. 

When you look back up at him, his eyes meeting yours, he has an unreadable expression on his face. 

You give him a quick nod before turning your eyes back to the plant in front of you, gently stroking the leaves as you spray it with water. 

Mace stands there for a moment, watching how your fingers delicately touch the green leaves on the plant in front of you, before turning towards the Garden. 

“Okay, then..” he mumbles to himself as he leaves the lab and walks through the glass door, entering the simulated space filled with plants and flowers, adeptly called the Garden. 

He doesn’t want to think about your reaction too much, or why you’re always so distant towards him. Part of him already knows why; he’s been pushing you away since day one and he can’t blame you for reacting accordingly. 

“How did this happen?!” He yells, his angry glare pointed at you, “What did you do?!” 

“I-” You stutter, looking at him wide-eyed, “I-I don’t know, I made a mistake, I guess, it wasn’t-” 

“You touched something!” He yells, gesturing towards the cooling system in the Garden, “Didn’t you?!” 

“N-no,” you stutter again, glancing towards your teammates as they run into the lab, reacting to the loud yelling, “No, I-I removed a plant, and, I don’t know, maybe it hit-”

“God damn it!” He yells, “Do you realize what could have happened if I hadn’t seen this by accident?!”

You cower at his loud voice, feeling the tears starting to brim in your eyes as you look at him, unable to respond. 

“Well?! Do you?!”

“Mace!” Kenada yells, “Stop that, you’re scaring her.” 

“She should be scared!” He yells back, “Could have damn near killed us all if I hadn’t been able to fix this in time!”

“I’m sorry,” you whisper meekly as Cassie walks closer, putting an arm around you. 

“Yeah, you should be sorry!” He says before turning around and storming out of the lab with a huff. 

“He’s just a grump, it’s alright,” Cassie says as a tear trickles down your cheek, “Don’t take it personally.” 

“It was an accident,” you whisper, looking towards the cooling system before your eyes move back to where his broad back is disappearing down the hall. 

He’s felt terrible ever since that day. It was right at the beginning, only about a week into the mission, and his emotions had bubbled up. 

He wasn’t really angry at you; he knew that. But he was frustrated, and scared, and part of him realizes now why he took it out on you. 

Because he knew that if something really had happened, if he hadn’t caught it, the fire would have started in the lab. The lab you spend practically all of your time in. 

And the fire would have taken you first. And even back then, during that first week of being on the ship, that thought terrified him - it shook him to the core. 

And that feeling hasn’t faded since. 

But he also knows there’s no way for him to fix it, now. He’s ruined it before it even had a chance to start. And he just has to accept that. 

Mace makes his way to the cooling system and gets to work on it while you stand in the lab, tending to a plant as your gaze flicks up once in a while, watching him move around, through the glass that separates you. 

You can see his back muscles move and flex whenever he bends his arm, screwing and unscrewing the different nozzles to find out which one is causing the problem. 

You’re halfway in a daze, caught up in the beauty of this brooding man before you, when the sound of the alarm pulls you out of it. 

You barely have time to react. 

The doors to enter the lab swiftly close, effectively locking you inside, and you watch as Mace runs towards the door to the Garden, rushing to make sure he doesn’t get locked in with all the plants. 

He barely makes it through; the glass door brushes his t-shirt as it slides closed, his breathing quick and shallow as he looks at you. 

Then his eyes turn towards the locked door to the lab and he grunts, “Damn it! We’re locked inside.” 

He huffs out a breath and turns back to look at you, but you’re just standing there, wide eyed and confused. 

He eyes you for a moment, holding your gaze as he says, “Icarus! Status report, what’s going on?” 

“Emergency lockdown,” Icarus’ calm voice booms through the room, “Sunshield error.” 

Mace sighs, catching his breath as he walks over to the communication screen, clicking on it a few times before he says, “Harvey, I’m locked in the bio lab. What’s happening?” 

“Minor mishap,” you hear Harvey respond over the comms system, “There’s an error with the sunshields so we’re on temporary lockdown. Need you to stay put until it’s fixed.” 

Mace groans, audibly annoyed by this information, before he mumbles out, “Fine, but you know where to find me if you need help.” 

“Sure do,” Harvey says before disconnecting, and Mace leans against the wall and slumps to a sitting position. 

You’re still standing next to the plant, touching the leaves unconsciously for comfort, as you look towards the locked door to the lab. 

“It’s fine,” Mace suddenly says, making you jump a little, “It’s routine. Nothing to worry about.”

“I wasn’t worried..” You mumble, turning back to the plants on your table, “Just surprised..” 

“Mhm, sure,” Mace responds, his fingers drumming on his knees impatiently as he sits on the floor of the lab. 

You take a deep breath, feeling uneasy from being in such close proximity of him with no means of escape. 

After a moment, his voice fills the silence again, his tone more gentle this time, “What are you doing?” 

You furrow your brows, looking at him over your shoulder. When your eyes meet, you can feel your heart beating a little faster, and it makes you turn back to the safety of the plant. 

“Tending to it,” you respond, your voice a quiet contrast to Mace’s deep one, “It needed extra care.” 

“Why?” Mace asks and the question makes your brows furrow further.

You shrug, “It wasn’t doing so well.” 

You don’t notice that he’s moved until you hear his voice right next to you, “What’s wrong with it?” 

His close proximity startles you and you look up at him in surprise, realizing that you’re now standing shoulder to shoulder. 

His eyes are on your fingers, holding the large leaf of the plant between them, before they lift to meet yours. He holds eye contact for a moment, his lips lifting into a small smile, before looking back down at the plant again. 

“Looks fine to me,” he says, narrowing his eyes slightly. 

You chuckle, your fingers delicately touching another leaf as you spray it with water, “Oh really?” 

“Yeah,” he says, his smile widening a little as he looks up at you before looking back at the plant, “It’s green. And big. Isn’t that a good thing?” 

That makes you giggle. You realize that most people don’t know much about the complexity of plants, and especially not ever since the earth practically froze over, but you find his words endearing. 

Your giggle brings a smile to his face and he turns his head to look at you properly as he grins, “What? Did I say something stupid?” 

You quickly shake your head, “No, no. Wasn’t stupid. Just kind of.. I don’t know, cute?” 

Mace holds his grin as he looks at you, and your cheeks heat up a little when you realize what you just said. You quickly dart your attention back to the plant, clearing your throat. 

“It was just.. sad. Plants are like people; they get sad and then they need some extra attention. And with a little bit of love and care, they feel better again,” you chirp, turning the plant to check that you’ve tended to it properly. 

You don’t notice how Mace’s eyes lift to your face at your words, or how his smile slowly turns into a softer, gentler one as he looks at you. 

“I didn’t realize that,” Mace quietly says, keeping his eyes on your face as you keep yours on the plant, “I thought they just needed water.”

“No, they need love and care, just like we all do. Without it, they fade out and die. At least, that’s what I believe.” 

“Yeah?” he asks, and the low sound of his voice makes you glance at him. 

“Yeah,” you say, your eyes locking with his. You spend a moment like that, looking at each other, and you can feel your heart beating in your chest. 

He’s so close, you can smell him, hear his heavy breathing. 

And the soft smile on his face makes him seem sweet, gentle. A vast contrast to his usually angry demeanor. 

But the moment disappears as quickly as it came. 

Because he breaks eye contact when the glass doors slide open, and Icarus says, “Emergency protocol over.” 

He shifts where he stands, his eyes darting to the now open doorway, before he looks back at you. 

“I uhm..” He starts saying, dropping his gaze to your hands for a moment before looking back at your face, “If I ever wanna learn more about.. plants, and flowers, and stuff.. Would you, uh, teach me?” 

You smile and nod, a soft chuckle as you speak, “Sure, I’d love to.”

“Okay, cool,” he says, his face splitting into a grin, “That would be-”

“Mace, you’re needed in the control room,” Icarus interrupts and his eyes flick towards the open doorway again. 

“Let them know I’m on my way, Icarus,” he replies before he looks back at you. 

“Maybe we could talk over dinner tonight,” he says quietly, looking at you, “You know.. About flowers. And plants.. I heard Trey is making chicken again so it would be a welcome distraction from that.”

He smiles and you feel your cheeks heating up slightly at the proposition.  

You nod, a shy smile playing on your lips, “Okay, sure. I’ll see you then.” 

“See you then,” he says before making his way towards the exit. 

Before he leaves, he turns around and says, “I think it looks better now, by the way. I guess that love and attention worked, huh?” 

“Yeah,” you say, glancing back at the plant before meeting his eyes again, “I guess so.” 

Next part: (Un)Necessary Care

[tired-truffle]

As the Seasons Change

A Viktorxfem!reader Fic

Word Count: 3.6k

Summary: Four times you successfully use your magic throughout the seasons.

Thank you to @sociallyfrightened for the spring magic idea ❤️

Masterlist for Můj Miláček

Your magic had to be the most temperamental thing you’d ever encountered. You’d spent countless hours trying to get it to do something, anything other than pull you towards the Gemstones. You didn’t want to risk absorbing them, you didn’t know how much one could affect you. While you couldn’t deny that using magic was probably the coolest thing that had ever happened to you, as far as you could remember, it wasn’t worth the risk. Not yet, anyway.

You often wondered if you’d be able to heal whatever illness would affect Viktor in the future if you were able to get enough magic, but you worried that by the time you had that kind of power you’d already be out of your mind. You had a hard time imagining willingly hurting anyone, but the Professor’s warnings had been clear and you’d be a fool not to listen. Although, you had a feeling that if it came down to saving Viktor’s life and potentially losing your mind, you’d take that risk. Maybe that thought should have scared you, but in a way, it provided you comfort. Whether or not they could figure out how to save his life through science, your magic would be a strong backup option.

However, as it stood, your magic was basically useless. In the few months you’d been there, it had done almost nothing. Sometimes you could feel it under your skin, like an electric zap that came from your chest, but you could never control it.

It was summer in Piltover, the warm air caressing your skin as the sun shone brightly from above. You were in the lab with Viktor, Sky was on an errand and Jayce was grabbing some tools from his family’s forge.

There was a window cracked open, allowing a warm breeze to blow through, the scent of fresh-cut grass wafting through the lab. It was peaceful, you were reading a book on magic history, and Viktor was tinkering with a portion of the Hexgate. You had gotten lost in the pages and were only brought out of it when you realized Viktor was standing in front of you, a small potted cactus in hand.

You raised an eyebrow, “Are you decorating the lab? It could use a bit more life in here,” You looked around, the drab silvery blue walls and desks making it seem sterile. Which you guess was the point of a lab, but you liked the idea of some plants sprucing up the place.

Viktor chuckled, “No,” He placed the cactus down on the desk in front of you, “I had a theory, perhaps your magic would respond better to something living, something with an energy of its own.”

You put your book down, staring at the cactus, “That… may work. I guess it can’t hurt to give it a shot.”

Viktor smiled, “I’ll leave you to it.”

He walked back to his desk, leaving you alone with the prickly plant. You wondered if maybe something without thorns would have been a better idea but you weren’t about to complain. How hard could they be to pick out if you accidentally exploded it?

Emotions were the key to your magic, specifically strong ones. You knew this, but it was much harder to conjure them up naturally than it sounded.

It normally took Jayce a few hours to get to the forge and back and Sky would likely be gone all day so you had time. You put your hands on either side of the pot, trying to imagine a small flower sprouting out of the top. You pulled on happy memories, times you’d spent with Viktor, and your growing friendship with Sky. You thought of the Winter Solstice and the bracelet that now hung from your wrist, how close your face had been to Viktor’s, and the way his arms felt as he pulled you in for a tight hug. You concentrated on those memories, trying to recreate the warm feeling in your chest. As the minutes ticked by you found yourself getting more and more agitated. You had really hoped it would work, it had been a promising theory, but it didn’t seem to matter how much life the plant contained, your magic was simply too stubborn.

It had been an hour by the time you took your hands off the pot, clenching them into fists at your sides. You were beyond frustrated. It had been months since you’d done any magic, every attempt ended with nothing. It felt like a waste of time and energy and you were frankly sick of it. You didn’t like feeling like a failure. What use were you if you couldn’t do something as small as make a cactus bloom? How were you supposed to save your friends if you were as useless as this stupid plant?

You spiralled, your frustration building in your chest as your ears rang with white noise. Why couldn’t you do anything right?

You let out an angry exhale, dropping your head onto the desk hard in your frustration. You didn’t want to look at that cactus anymore, if it wasn’t going to cooperate it could get the hell out of your sight.

That was when you felt it, the pull of magic in your chest, the white noise in your ears making sense as you glanced up in time to see your hands glow blue, the pot hovering in the same blue glow before being launched across the room and out the open window.

You gasped, clasping your hands over your mouth and standing up, your stool falling behind you. Viktor had caught the tail end of your magic and was staring out the window, awe written across his face. You ran over, peering out to the grounds below. The cactus had not survived the fall, its remains lay smashed across the cobblestone walkway. You were just thankful no one had been standing there, that would have caused quite the headache.

“You did it,” Viktor smiled at you, bringing your gaze away from the window.

“I didn’t mean to do that,” You pointed out, biting your lip nervously. Someone could have been injured.

Viktor hummed thoughtfully, “Perhaps next time we keep the windows closed.”

You huffed a laugh, “Maybe it’ll get tossed at you next time.”

“With my cat-like reflexes I am sure I’ll be fine,” He gave you a cheeky grin, eliciting a loud laugh from you.

“Or I could try using my magic on something that can’t be used as a projectile,” You offered, there was no sense in injuring one of the only friends you had.

Viktor nodded, “That may be a better idea.”

Cactuses would have to be put to the side, you would keep trying your magic on smaller things. Until you mastered that, and you weren’t sure if you ever would, you would take fewer risks. If anything you didn’t love the idea of killing a bunch of houseplants, they would be much better suited as decorations.

The months flew by as you continued your work. You missed the warmth of summer, the windows were kept closed to keep the cool autumn air from chilling the lab. You’d started to wear more layers, opting for pants instead of shorts, a blazer over your uniform.

You spent most evenings with Viktor in the lab, you would work on your magic or continue your readings, and he would work on his Hextech projects. You would sometimes idly chat or Viktor would excitedly explain his newest breakthrough, but most of the time was spent in comfortable silence.

You’d stuck to small and light items to test your magic on, not wanting to risk another cactus incident. You’d yet to make anything happen, much to your annoyance. It was beyond frustrating to know you could do it but be completely unable to bring it to fruition.

“You can do it, Mila,” Viktor encouraged one chilly evening, “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

You sighed, “Sometimes I think the few times I’ve used magic have been a fluke. I can’t make it ever do anything I want it to.”

“It does seem to have a mind of its own,” Viktor agreed, “And emotions tend to be temperamental to begin with, let alone when mixed with magic.”

You often wonder if you would be having this many issues if you weren’t a Motus Mage. You wouldn’t have to worry about absorbing too much magic as it would always use itself up instead of staying stuck within you. You wished there were other mages in Piltover who could teach you, even if they weren’t a Motus Mage they probably had some insight you were missing.

“I guess I’ll just keep trying.” You gave him a weak smile.

He nudged your arm with his elbow, “That’s the spirit.” He gave you a thumbs up as he returned to his seat.

You took a sip of your water, placing the glass back down on the desk as you turned your concentration back onto the paper in front of you. You took a deep breath, pulling on your positive feelings like you always did, doing your best to imagine the paper floating gently off the surface.

It didn’t take long for that familiar frustrated feeling to take over, Viktor’s kind encouragements only lasting for so long. You wanted to slam your hands on the desk, maybe even flip it, but you held yourself back. That wouldn’t do you any good and you’d only end up embarrassing yourself. You compromised by letting your hands grip the desk, your knuckles turning white as you narrowed your eyes at the paper. At that point you almost wished it would burst into flames, anything but sit there motionless, taunting you with its smooth surface.

Without warning your chest tightened, your fingers flexing with blue energy as the cup beside the paper exploded, sending shards of glass shooting in all directions. You brought your hands up in front of your face, wincing as glass cut through your sleeves.

“Mila!” Viktor exclaimed from his seat across the room, hastily walking over to where you sat frozen, stunned at what you’d just done, “Are you alright?”

You blinked, face blank as you looked at your arms. The cuts weren’t deep, no glass appeared to be embedded in your skin. Your blazer had taken the brunt of the damage and you would be needing another one.

“Yes,” You said shakily, “I’m fine, I just wasn’t expecting that to happen.”

“Best to keep glass out of your range when practicing magic from now on, eh?” Viktor smiled gently.

“First the windows have to be closed, now no glass within reach, I might yet prove Heimerdinger right about how dangerous I am,” You’d meant it to come out as a joke but it had fallen flat. You were upset and you had a hard time hiding it.

He placed a hand on your shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze, “You’re not dangerous, accidents happen. You don’t think that Jayce and I have had our fair share of near misses with Hextech?”

You had been there for some of those near misses, they could have been much worse if it wasn’t for their quick thinking and safety protocols, “When you put it that way…”

“You’ll figure it out, I know you can,” Viktor removed his hand from your shoulder, “Until then its a good thing we keep a fully stocked first aid kit on hand.”

You laughed, his crooked smile always bringing you joy. How could you look at his face and not feel hopeful? You couldn’t help but give in to his relentless optimism, “If you say so.”

He nodded, mock seriousness on his face, “I do.”

You worked hard to put that incident behind you. Your scars eventually healed and faded away, no longer serving as a physical reminder of your mistake.

Winter came around, a light dusting of snow quickly transforming into big fluffy piles that lined the edges of the Academy walkways. The snow was probably your favourite part, it created a jolly atmosphere, its bright colour lighting up the world at night. The cold was probably the worst part of the season, but there was something special about coming back inside to warm up after a walk through the chilly air.

On the weekends you enjoyed taking strolls through the courtyard, stopping to make designs in the snow with your boots. You enjoyed stomping a flower into the snow and then seeing it from your room.

It had recently snowed, your flower was gone once again under the fresh covering. You wrapped yourself up in your warmest attire, heading out into the cold with a cheery attitude. You wouldn’t be out for long, just enough to enjoy the cold but not be overwhelmed by it.

You walked to your spot, creating the petals with your feet, ignoring the crunching of snow behind you as someone walked by. It wasn’t until you felt something freezing and wet hit you on the back of your neck that you realized whoever had walked by had stopped behind you.

You jumped, a high-pitched squeal escaping you as you reached up to quickly brush the cold slush off your neck. A laugh rang out across the courtyard, its tone light and familiar. Viktor, that jerk, he had better aim than you would have expected, and you weren’t about to let him get away with it.

You whirled around, finding Viktor standing across the walkway, leaning on his cane. He looked at you with a satisfied smirk, you itched to get rid of it.

You had planned to bend down and grab the biggest handful of snow you could, but your magic had other ideas. Your chest tightened and you panicked momentarily, you had no idea what was about to happen.

From behind Viktor a large pile of snow lifted up, your jaw-dropping as it hovered over his head. Viktor looked up, just in time for the magic to let go, the snow falling onto him and covering his exposed skin.

It was his turn to yelp, a sound you never thought you’d hear him make. You rushed over, looking around to find that no one else had been watching. You held back laughter as you reached gloved hands up to brush the snow out of his hair.

“I’m so sorry,” A giggle escaped your throat.

He fixed you with a deadpan look, “No you aren’t.”

You shrugged, “You shouldn’t start what you can’t finish.”

You stepped back, biting your bottom lip as you took in his rosy cheeks, a few snowflakes still resting in his long eyelashes. He was adorable and it made your heart beat faster. Damn him for looking so good after he’d been practically attacked by your magic.

“We should get you inside,” You said, “As a truce, I’ll offer you some warm sweet milk.”

Viktor frowned, considering your suggestion, “I suppose that is a fair solution.”

You brushed some snow off of his shoulders, mischief glinting in your eyes, “Unless you want to duke it out and see what else my magic throws at you.”

Viktor chuckled, linking his arm with yours, “I have to say that sounds much less enjoyable.”

You smiled up at him, “Sweet milk it is then.”

Why your magic decided to work at that moment you had no idea. It seemed to act of its own accord, no matter what you were trying to do. You found the more you tried to bend it to your will, the more it backfired. It tended to work best when going off your instincts, which weren’t always been the best. You supposed that it did line up with what you knew about Motus Mages, that their magic responded to instinct and strong emotion. You weren’t sure if you would ever be able to make it do anything you wanted, it may always be a power struggle.

It wasn’t until one spring night, years later, when you’d decided to absorb a second Gemstone that you found it started to obey you. It wanted to be used, and as long as it was something you had a strong emotional investment in, it listened. Numbing Viktor’s pain as you slept was second nature at that point, your feelings for him fuelling your magic.

As you spent more time in the lab providing company for Viktor as he attempted to find ways to cure his illness, you had started to leave the window open once more. The fresh spring air wafted through the lab, brightening the otherwise depressing atmosphere. The smell of recently bloomed flowers was a comfort, it was proof that life continued, something you were desperately hoping would happen for Viktor.

You found yourself watching him often. The way his fingers twirled in the hair at the nape of his neck as he created little cowlicks, the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, and the soft sighs he made as he was lost deep in thought captivated you. You tried not to think about the chasm forming deep within you at the thought of never seeing him do those small actions again. You feared that if you didn’t memorize those habits that they would fade from your memory, along with the happiness he brought you.

He’d fought so hard to get where he was, he deserved to be able to see his work through to the end. How cruel a world it must be to threaten him with death when everything he wanted was almost within his reach.

You couldn’t imagine your life without him. You loved him more than you knew how to handle. His crooked smile and light laughter always made your stomach flutter and your heart squeeze. There wasn’t anything more you wanted in this life than to spend it with him, in whatever capacity he allowed. You’d be his friend forever, if that’s what he wanted. You’d hold your feelings back until they threatened to overwhelm you if it meant you could see him every day. You didn’t want to give yourself hope that he felt the same way for you as you did for him, you weren’t sure your broken heart would ever recover.

Your chest tightened as you looked at him. You wanted to tell him how much you loved him, how much you cared for him. He deserved to know that he meant the world to you, that you’d do anything he asked. You trusted him completely, and how could you not? He’d done nothing but be kind to you, protect your secrets, and encourage you to be more than you thought you could be. Without him, you didn’t know where you’d be. If you were to lose him you didn’t think you’d ever be the same. It was a good thing you’d do whatever it took to save him, even if it meant losing your mind. You hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but you knew you would do what was necessary.

“Mila?” Viktor’s accented voice brought you out of your reverie. He had turned in his stool, looking at you curiously, eyes darting from your face to the top of your head.

You blushed, he’d caught you staring at him, as if you could be any more obvious as to your affections for him.

He pointed to the top of his head and then towards you, “I think you have, eh, something in your hair.”

As it turned out, you could be more obvious. Your magic had physically manifested your feelings for him in the shape of a flower crown, sprouting out from under your messy hair and sitting delicately upon the crown of your head. It was beautiful, red, yellow, and white roses adorning the green stems. The leaves forming little hearts as they crossed together, you may as well have had hearts in your eyes for how obvious that was.

You blushed deeper, snatching the crown of your head and tossing it behind the desk.

Good save.

You chuckled embarrassedly, rubbing your neck, an amused smile forming on Viktor’s face.

“I think the smell of the flowers outside may have affected my magic,” You tried to explain, not meeting his eyes. Your ability to lie had never been great and you hoped he didn’t call you out on it.

“You should have kept it on, it complimented your eyes,” Viktor said, turning around and going back to his work. If you could have blushed harder you would have.

It was a good thing for that second Gemstone that you couldn’t get rid of it, you would have kicked it to the curb for that little stunt without hesitation. The last thing you needed was for your magic to reveal your feelings for Viktor before you were ready, not that you ever would be. If you were going to tell him it would be your choice, not by accident.

You glared at where you’d tossed the flower crown. Your magic better watch its back, you weren’t about to let it win in this fight. You were sure you’d get the chance to tell him when the time came, and that would be much sooner than you had anticipated. It would cause you more pain than you ever thought imaginable and push you to lengths you never thought you’d go to.

Maybe your magic had been trying to warn you, maybe it was just following the course of your emotions. Either way, your anger at its decision to try to out your feelings would fade the moment you used it that night to numb Viktor’s pain. Whatever else it did didn’t matter. As long as you were there for Viktor, nothing could get between you.

Hold Me Close In Your Dreams

[mercuryferns]

indeed. currently internally debating whether or not i should chuck in a “hoe gaan dit” just to be silly.

wisdom’s daughter (walks alone)

just realized i never posted this here. this is an annabeth chase painting i did about two months ago. the nose is too small and kinda weird with thr lighting? i cant explain it. but aside from that im really proud of this actually. i wasnt specifically referencing leah (mostly because i started this in loadshedding and by the time it ended i was too stubborn to change the sketch) but i hope it resonates with you nonetheless.

[tiannasfanfic]

Catharsis: Chapter 9

Adrian Chase/Vigilante x Reader

Story Summary: (Updated) Based on true events. Please read at your own discretion. After four years, a psychologically abusive relationship finally came to an end. But when the ex begins stalking you, a change in your behavior alerts your coworkers. After Adrian Chase witnesses everything first hand and the truth comes out, you discover sometimes you don't need to stand up for yourself. Sometimes you just need someone to stand up for you.

A/N: This chapter feels a bit weird to me. It almost feels like a filler chapter with how little is going on. Hopefully it isn’t too slow or have weird pacing. If it does, that should be gone in the next chapter.

Chapter CW: Not really anything aside from a couple of mentions of the ex. Some light voyeurism but Adrian tattles on himself.

Chapter WC: 2,448

Tag List: (Comment to be Added!) @pansinspace @uncle-eggy @alicefallsintotherabbithole @pretendfan

Chapter 9: (Crossposted to AO3)

The whole next week was a good one.

While nothing special happened Monday, which was good in itself, you received a call on Tuesday morning right as you were about to leave for work. It was the manager of your apartment complex, letting you know the new lease was ready for your signature. After shooting a quick text to Harcourt letting her know, you made your way up to the office to get it done. The whole thing took about an hour, but after that, it was official. Everything was in your name and your name only. The lease was the last piece tying your ex in any way to you officially. The electric bill and internet were already in your name from the start. Harcourt, Leota and John were waiting on you to get to work and the four of you celebrated. Once Chris and Adrian found out about it later, plans were made to take you out on Saturday night to celebrate.

Wednesday night, Adrian resumed doing patrols, but just around your complex. While he didn’t actually plan to go back home until sometime within next week, he had the idea to get rid of his car for his remaining time there to make it look like you were home alone. He wanted to make sure that your ex wasn’t keeping watch and waiting for him to leave before trying something. So, you went up to Fennel Fields after he got off work, followed Adrian to his place in your car, then he rode with you back to your place. There was hardly ever anyone out in the complex after dark, and the parking lot was fairly dim anyway, so Vigilante had no trouble slipping out of your apartment after sunset.

That first night felt weird without him there. It made you feel anxious, in a way, and you had to keep reminding yourself he was still there. You knew he was lurking around outside and was watching everything. You knew nothing would happen should your ex choose to show up. At least, nothing would happen to you. You doubted he’d make it to the front door before Adrian had a hold of him. But still, you were used to him being inside with you. Now you felt alone and a little lonely.

Every now and then, you would go upstairs and look out the window of your dark bedroom. You always kept the window open in the summer due to the screwy AC. Luckily it didn’t get too hot in Washington, but the upstairs always got a bit warm during the day since it was on the second floor. The sheer building face and the placement of the window itself prevented anyone from getting in through there. It was safe to keep open, even Adrian had said so. Tonight, you had it open wide, and you had the blinds up to let the air in. At one point, you saw a flash of teal and white moving around in the little courtyard directly across from your unit, just on the other side of the parking spaces. The rest of his outfit blended in too well with the shadows to see what he was doing, but the brief Vigilante sighting helped settle you down.

Around 8pm, you started getting ready for bed like normal.

Back up in your bedroom, you undressed down to your underwear and bra, tossing your clothes from the day into your laundry basket. Then you went to the bathroom for a shower. Right before you turned the water on to get it warm, you heard the default tone of your text messages coming from your phone, which you had left on your nightstand. Since it was the default tone, you didn’t think much of it.

After your shower, you dried off and wrapped the towel around you before going back to the bedroom. While you were technically home alone at the moment, you weren’t comfortable walking around naked, even with such a short distance like this. It was barely ten feet from the bathroom door to your bedroom door. You went to your dresser and were rummaging in one of the drawers when another text came in. It was still the default tone. You opted to get dressed first before checking on that.

You pulled a pair of loose pajama pants and a t shirt out of the drawer, then tossed them on the bed. No underwear or bra since you normally didn’t wear them to bed anyway. Just as you were reaching up to undo the knot holding the towel in place, your phone started ringing. Since calls were usually more urgent than texts, you went over to your nightstand to see who was calling.

It was Adrian.

Before heading out for patrol, Adrian had told you he wouldn’t call or text you tonight so his position wouldn’t be given away. But he had promised to call you right away if there was an emergency.

A million different things started to run through your mind all at once. You felt panic rise up in your chest and stomach. Gripping your phone tightly, you answered the call.

“Adrian! What’s go-“

“Close your fucking blinds before you get naked!” Adrian interrupted you, quietly hush yelling into the phone and sounding stressed. “Fucking shit, Y/N! I-I…Fuck!” It sounded like he turned his head then shouted that last word. You heard it both through the phone and as a distant echo through your open window. Then he started talking quietly into the phone again. “I can see straight the fuck into your room from fucking here!”

It took you a few seconds to register what he said. Then you spun to look out the window. The same window you were standing in full view of, both now and moments ago when you had been about to drop your towel.

With red cheeks, you stepped over to the window for a better look outside. Cupping your eyes with your free hand, you squinted and peered out. A moment later, you saw the bright screen of a phone waving at you from up in a tree. He was about ten to fifteen feet up in the lower branches. The tree itself was at the edge of both the courtyard and parking area. You couldn’t see him at all except for the light of his phone. Even the teal and white on his uniform was hidden by the deep shadow inside the tree.

A perfect ambush spot, in all honesty. He could be out of that tree and at your door within seconds. No one would ever see him coming.

And, apparently, a perfect spot to watch you undress, too. People couldn’t see into your room from the ground level, that much you had made sure of before, but you hadn’t considered someone could look in from a higher vantage. Judging from Adrian’s elevation versus the height of your window, you estimated he could see you from about the hips up, minimum. Your eyes scanned the other units nearby. Your window was within view of at least three different second floor windows, all of which could see you if they wanted. It didn’t look like anyone was trying to watch you at the moment, but now you knew not to do that again.

“Sorry,” you croaked out, mouth suddenly dry. “Thank you for letting me know.”

Adrian mumbled something you didn’t catch, but you heard a frustrated tone in his voice. You figured he was thinking that you were a moron. You knew you certainly felt like one, but he hung up before you could apologize again. The light on his phone winked out in the tree shortly afterward.

You set your phone down to close the blinds. While your heart was still racing, it was now for different reasons than when you initially answered Adrian’s call. As you were getting dressed, you couldn’t help but wonder how well Adrian could see you from there. Fairly well, obviously, since the texts telling you to close your blinds had started not long after you took your clothes off. He had been quite frantic about the whole thing.

A naughty idea briefly flickered through your mind as you flipped off the lights before reopening the blinds. While you dismissed it as soon as it cropped up

Fate had chosen this moment to hand you an opportunity with this whole thing. It would have been the perfect chance to test the waters with Adrian and see where things went. You weren’t bold enough to do anything right now. You tended to fall into the category of “go big or go home” when it came to displays of attraction. And you certainly weren’t feeling bold enough for seduction, especially not a strip tease like you were imagining in your head. Not yet anyway. But as you climbed into bed, you just couldn’t help but grin and wonder how fast you could get him out of that tree. From what you heard, it really didn’t take much to get him going. It didn’t take much to get him going in general, so this wasn’t very surprising. You’d be lying though if you said the thought of him scrambling down the branches after you invited back in with a beckoning gesture made you grin and chuckle. This thought also had the effect of getting you a little bit warm on the inside.

But, knowing how your luck normally is, you would only end up embarrassing yourself.

More than likely, Adrian would just call you and tell you to knock it off. That’s what he just did while you were undressing and that had to say something about how he felt about you. Adrian could have seen you naked. Not only tonight, but also for the next few nights. You’d have never been the wiser. But instead, he told you about it, cutting himself off from that opportunity forever. For some reason, this clicked in your head as meaning he wasn’t interested in you like that, not that he was just doing the right thing. It seemed par for the course, so you just accepted that as the reason without further thought. You only ever attracted the bad assholes like your ex, never the good assholes like Adrian.

Sighing with resignation, you settled down into your blankets.

You were Adrian’s friend, nothing more. You were just going to have to accept that. He had never shown any interest in you beyond that, even before he knew you had a boyfriend. You were the idiot that had gotten a crush on your coworker. There was really nothing else it could be, you had realized after he went out as Vigilante, and you found yourself worried about him.

And it was annoying. Here you were, a grown ass adult feeling something people always say was for teenagers. Turns out it, the people who say those things are full of shit. It doesn’t matter how old you are, liking someone always manifests itself in ways that make you feel like you are 12 years old again, not 32.

And you knew what would happen if you tried to pursue something. It had happened to you before. Trying to step over that line into romance would just ruin what had become an amazing friendship. Regardless of anything else, you two had grown close during your time together here at your home and you didn’t feel like messing that up.

But, just in case that excuse wasn’t good enough for you, you reminded yourself several times again that he’s your coworker.

Still though, you ended up replaying everything in your head several times, along with several possibilities of what could have happened if you had your courage back. Along with those thoughts came a feeling that seemed close to sadness and regret. You didn’t get to sleep for a while.

The next day, Adrian took the same stance as you did when it came to discussing what happened.

Neither of you brought it up.

Outside of the anxiousness he had been showing the last few days anyway, it was as if nothing happened. That was just fine with you. It saved you further embarrassment and awkwardness.

The rest of the week leading up to Saturday was business as usual, with nothing noteworthy happening. Outside of that first night and the incident with the window, Adrian patrols around the complex were uneventful.

Friday after work, you decided it was time to catch up on laundry. While it had only been a two days since Adrian resumed patrol, being by yourself wasn’t getting to you like it did that first night. Even still, it provided a little bit of a distraction. Plus, you really did have to do it at that point since you were out of clean everything, even your backup, last resort clothing for situations like this when you didn’t do laundry. With everything else going on, you had purposefully shoved laundry to the last thing on your mind. Laundry was your most hated chore, so this wasn’t really anything new for you. You frequently found excuses, no matter how big or small to shove laundry to the back of your mind until you absolutely had no other choice.

It only ended up being three loads, but still.

Whenever you did laundry, you always waited until everything was done first before starting to put anything away. As each load was cleaned and dried, you took each upstairs and dumped it on the bed, waiting for everything to be done first before starting to put anything away. You knew it was silly and just dragged things out way longer than they needed to be, but this was the part you actually hated the most about laundry. Putting it away.

With the last load done, you brought your phone upstairs with you and connected it to a wireless speaker for some music to make the task a little more fun. And “a little more fun” usually meant it took three times as long as it should have because you would get distracted either by dancing and lip syncing to the songs or looking for just the right songs to get distracted by. Tonight’s genre of choice was heavy metal covers of upbeat songs.

While you hadn’t changed in front of your window since Wednesday night, you didn’t really give any thought to the blinds being open for the hour or so you were putting things away.

This time, Adrian saw no reason to call you, but he definitely brought it up the next morning in order to compliment your air drumming skills.

[triheartedhero]

I writing this where I know my nay sayers will never find me.

Over the past two years my life has completely uprooted and changed and when I thought it settled again it changed again.

Two years ago I thought I would die taking care of my mother, living in a hoarder's house. I would still be walking 16 miles one way five times a week between 7pm and 6am with a four hour shift somewhere between. No matter the weather. During the day I'm walking to and from the store either for food to cook either in an electric skillet or a large toaster oven. Maybe I've gone to get my mother's several medications, of which they rarely had refills in sync. Perhaps I've gone to the doctor's with my mother. No matter what, I haven't eaten or slept enough for any of it. My sanity is non-existent. I'm surviving, barely, wanting to die daily. In fact I cannot wait for that horrible house to finally give up and swallow me whole. Death would be better is all my mind tells me.

A year ago I thought I would never get off my brother's couch, and that I would forever be a free live in babysitter without a chance to ever "adult" again. I would constantly and forever have to sneak through a house at 4-6am after a shift of work. Unable to shower the baked on sweat off because "the shower will wake the babies". Sleeping on a couch with an old ass worn hole. Only to be awaken by the souls of screaming babies by 10am. For every reason in the book their mother would find errands to run from noon until 5pm. But "can you watch the babies?" Granted there were days I was allowed to go on errands as well. But at the end, I was always watching babies. Not allowed to nap until 6pm when I often jump on my bike at 7pm to make it to work on time. I am tired, constantly. I'm always on eggshells because of how I fear over staying my welcome. At any given moment I can finally piss off my sister in law enough that she kicks me out. She never did. But, when she was given a chance to get me out, it happened in three days time.

Six months ago, I thought I would forever be the eldest of six children. Wherein I was rarely treated as an adult. And once more, forever the free live in babysitter. Here adults saw me as one of the children, but the children saw me as the most reliable adult. Often times, they come to me over their parents for questions that only parents could answer. During all this I am still working, sometime between my brothers house, and this one, I have gotten a car things a little easier. Until they aren't. My car breaks down, and I have to rely on the good will of my "not actually my father" and my "not actual stepmother" to have a vehicle. This works for a while. Though now I MUST wake at 8am every day, when I got in at 4am, to watch a 4yo. Sleep.... It's still rare. I look forward to weekends and winter/spring/summer breaks, they mean I can sleep. It doesn't stop the children from coming to me every hour. But at least here I have my own room. And a bed. At least at least at least. I'm treated like a child, until it's convenient I'm not. Rarely am I thought of for family outings (Even though I can pay for myself). I'm family, but I'm not.

Never have I ever truly felt like.... Family. I'm the pity case. The poor case. I'm easy to get a "yes" from, because I'm always afraid if I say "no" I will loose my place to sleep. Sometimes I feel "love" and I have taught myself to that "these people will not hurt you to love you", but that is only when I'm remembered as family.

My true family, is my chosen family. They are shattered and far. Chances are I will share with them this link and they will know who my chosen family is. My chosen family have been the quiet voices supporting me through my past. Sometimes, a lot of times, I know I was hard to love. But love me they still did. Holding my hand in the dark.

They are the ones who have told me "you can do this". They are the ones who said "live your life"

Now I have the chance, one I am taking with both hands. To start new. To live. To be my truest self. It scary. I am moving across the country to a place I have never been before. I am leaving behind everything I've known. The oh so many bad things, and the few good ones too. I have a love, that I am not scared of. Not for one moment. Things I once said "never" to, are things that seem.... Wonderful with her. And that uncertain tomorrow.... There IS a tomorrow and I look forward to it. Even the tomorrow of years to come.

My family would give me every reason to say no. I say "there is no other time for this, there is NOTHING in this world I have wanted more". I have lived, my whole 33 years of life.... For others. To serve others. To do for others. Just enough so that I could scrape by a survival.... Not even living just survival. But this is the first time I have said "this is for ME. *I* deserve this! I deserve a LIFE to LIVE for ME."

This is me saying "my life is no longer yours universe, MY LIFE IS MY OWN"

My chosen family are the ones who tell me "you can do this", "we believe in you"..... "I'm proud of you". People I don't share blood with are the ones who can say those things to me. What kind of joke is that? What does it say about my family? It tells how much those I never see, really see me. They are the ones who see the true me, and still find it in themselves to love me. They believe in me.

TL;DR I came from shit, I'm turning my life around. My biological family doesn't believe in me, my chosen family does

[all-things-fic]

Somewhere Only We Know

A/N - Hello, you lovely lot! Hope you are all keeping well in these utterly shit Covid times. Who would’ve thought that we would still be here in December?! Please see my offering for @goldenbluesuit​‘s Christmas Fic Challenge. Hope I’ve done a bit of justice with this piece.

I can remember Katie texting me telling me about the challenge, and I’ll admit I was given first dibs and now I’m absolutely shitting myself because I’ve seen all the brillaint entries so far and I’m not sure I really cut the mustard with this piece but I’m proud of myself for being able to put a solid 70% of this together in just one day (that one day being today).

Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Katie has done a brilliant job and I know how grateful she is towards anyone who has joined the challenge or supported by reading/sharing etc.... I need to stop rambling... Okay, thank you for sticking with me as always and happy reading! .x

***

The last thing you remembered actually reading in the group chat was “make sure you have your wellies”. You were glad that you remembered that part at the very least.

Winds whipped around you as you buried your face further into your cream roll neck cable knit jumper, all but hidden underneath your tobacco borg teddy coat that someone had already likened to Macklemore.

Nothing like being back home with your closest and oldest friends.

Mud squelched under your feet as you walked in line with two of your oldest girl friends, eyes looking over the four males in front of you as they led the way over the grassy hills.

There had been zero planning on what today’s events would bring. It was quite clear that the seven of you just wanted to be reunited with the country air and wind bitten cheeks.

It was nice. How simple it was. On the surface at the very least. That was until you zoned in on the little things. 

Like his laugh. The same laugh that always carried somehow and it seemed like the wind was making it that much more prominent than usual today.

There was no denying, he had this glow about him. Even from the back of him. You felt silly for thinking it, but it was true. It was in the way he held himself as he attacked the grassy hills with his feet clad wellies and brown trousers.

Life had changed a lot in over a decade. Christ, had it been that long? You’d all gone from baby teenagers to fully fledged adults. The age range of your friendship differing slightly, the odd person here and there slightly older than a couple of people in the group.

Nonetheless, many of the experiences had been the same. The big job offers, and the even bigger promotions. The heartbreaks, regardless of their prominence or lack of, had been the felt the same. The flirtation between some of you sparked probably a bit more so now with a finesse that didn’t have you rolling your eyes but rather leaning into it. 

Four out of seven of you were single. Jack and Jonny were virtually married off, however neither of them were with their partners this year with both deciding to spend Christmas at home and New Years with their significant others. Alice was still loved up and going strong with her fella, as was Grace who you hadn’t heard a peep from as she constantly checked her phone to see when the person she was besotted with finally arrived up North thanks to West Midlands Trains pulling into Crewe. 

So that left Will, you and Harry. Harry who had  quite publicly made it known that he was single. Well, according to your Mum he had, in several interviews. Including the one that she had described as an ‘incredibly relaxing watch and nice background noise to my Sunday evening brew and ironing session’. 

That was a strange one for you, his honesty. In earlier years of friendship, he always seemed quite aloof. Like he was keeping his options open. Guarded in a way that frustrated at least 75% of the friendship group, in the nicest way possible. You knew that was a contradiction but any annoyance came from a good place. 

You remembered one night in 2014 when he wouldn’t quite give you a straight answer over tequila shots whether he was shagging someone or not. You also remember the way he’d been pulled away from you tactfully by Alice that night when she sensed how you were about to blow up at his lackadaisical attitude. 

The same had been felt in 2016. Not so much in 2018, but you weren’t single then so maybe you just didn’t care. 

2019 was significantly different though.

See the thing was, you knew him now. Like, knew knew him. 

Some would think it was a lapse of judgment, a reading that you would agree upon given what had happened two days prior if ever prodded about it publicly.

Others would vehemently disagree. Stating how long any sort of energy between the two of you had been bubbling for a number of years. 

Looking back you couldn’t even understand why you’d attended his show. You lived in Camden and it made sense, but that’s where the sense stopped. Even the ways he had reached out had been one of the most random messages you’d received from him

There was no context, just a simple ‘I’m playing the Electric Ballroom and there’s tickets waiting for you if you want ‘em.’

And the thing was, you loved that venue. The grungy-ness of it all. The way you had stuck to the floor while trying to dance along to the likes of The Hives and Kings of Leon when seeing them playing there, basking in your sweaty happiness. 

But the stickiness of the floor and sweatiness of the room didn’t compare to the stickiness and sweatiness you later found yourself partaking in as Harry took you from behind over the side of his couch. 

A shiver rolled through you at the thought, one that you would blame on the December bitter chill because it was a secret. One that neither of you had mentioned since it happened on Thursday night, or to be technically correct the early hours of Friday morning. 

He’d been good. Of course he had been.

He had that way about him that night that pulled you under a false sense of endeared security. From his dimpled smile to gleaming eyes. He was happy. 

And the way he had shone as he found you on the balcony had warmed you like nothing you had known in the longest time.

It caused you to forget about the worry that had laden you limbs as you turned up at 9.13pm to the wooden doors of the building, wondering how many songs he was in to the set as you convinced yourself he would start at 9.00pm.

As you’d been ushered over to a clear box window and uttered your name to a dorky looking man wearing a tracksuit pull over and watched him handover a white envelope through the circle hatch. 

You stood in the dark, next to two much younger girls who enjoyed the way his glances lingered over at their side. Eyes had found Gemma in the opposite corner of the balcony, her dancing and singing with some recognisable faces mainly more so because you had seen them on social media.

You, however, kept yourself to yourself. Until you were anchored in the tightest hug from Gemma that you had ever felt from her and swayed from side to side as she made it known how pleased she was to see you once the concert was over. 

That familiarity had been nice. The vibrancy of nostalgia consuming you in your entirety. 

Watching him work a room when he finally entered the after party was a sight to behold, in his navy blue pinstripe suit and yellow ‘I’m gonna die lonely’ t-shirt. 

He wasn’t. Gonna die lonely, that is. 

He glided so smoothly from one person to the next, spilling a drink down himself in the process you’d seen (and later felt when your hand clung to the fabric of his t-shirt as you kissed), making time for everyone in his own unique way.

Big eyes followed you over Gemma’s shoulder when he had finally found himself within your circle and hugged his sister once more that evening. They were hard to read but also openly filled with a glimmer of hope as he dropped his gaze to see what you were wearing.

And when he approached you, he hugged you in a way that managed to pull you into the darkened corner of the dingy space. Spinning your body to keep your face concealed from any prying eyes. 

He revealed to you how he didn’t think you were going to turn up, scanning you with his gaze as he spoke. You did the same, a bit taken aback by just how attractive you were finding him. He had always been handsome but the aura he gave off, made your fingers itch to have him closer to you. 

Words ran away from you that night as he begged and pleaded with you to tell him what your favourite song had been. Based on first impressions, which the show has been, then Canyon Moon and Watermelon Sugar had smothered you and given you no other option but to pick them.

If he were to ask you now you’d probably say To Be So Lonely, thanks to the drive home being longer than originally thought and said album being your choice of road trip music. 

Forget Driving Home For Christmas, nothing slapped more than one of your closest friends admitting to being an arrogant son of a bitch. 

After your chat, he mingled some more but Harry was always tactile and that night had been no different. He veered conversations with people you had never seen before to take place by the zone that you all occupied.

He actively kept his back against yours, allowing the faintest of touches and brushing of arms - sometimes hands too if he dropped them down heavily enough with his arms as he spoke - to entice and create a spark. 

You were kept late enough to miss the last tube. Battery dangerously low on your phone that you didn’t know if a transaction with Uber would be worth a try. 

Jumping into the same car as him had been easy. His soft and tired eyes findings yours in the cab as he leant his head back against the headrest in the back seat and let his lips tip upwards in an expression of tenderness that had you melting in your seat. 

“‘S been a while since we’ve both been a bit pissed in the back of a taxi,” he mused, pushing his fallen locks out of his eyes to ensure his view of you wasn’t obscured. “Come an’ cuddle me like you used to do when we went out a’ home and were worse for wear.”

Falling into his side was almost second nature, eyes closing as you let your forehead rest against his jawline and let his worn in cologne fill you senses and scatter your judgment.

You don’t even remember how you ended up kissing that night. A mixture of confessions about missing each other and praise of how good you both were in your own ways. The sound of his whispered, “are you coming home wi’me?” against your lips an offer too good for you to refuse as you sat pressed into his side and half in his lap. 

The giggles that night, around dramatic shushes as you tripped and shuffled from the car to his front door were almost haunting in your memory as he tried to chastise you around spluttered laughter about being respectful of his neighbours. 

Getting the key in the lock proved unchallenging -  one of the better analogies aligned to your memories and latter sexual endeavours - as you slipped into the house. He enjoyed watching the way you walked ahead of him into his home, not realising how much he needed that visual of seeing how well you fit in. 

While time seemed to slow in that moment, movements desperately sought the opposite. Hands gripped and clawed like their lives depended upon it. 

Looking back now, both he and you wished it hadn’t happened the way it did. Skirt lifted and over the side of his couch. Teeth clashing and hips knocking.

It had been every inch a drunken fumble. A first meeting slightly cheapened but wanted nonetheless. Only made even cheaper by the hush-hush concealing of it ever occurring. 

But a secret it was and a secret it would remain. 

And oh how you wished you had a pillow you could press you face into right now and scream, this time for an entirely different reason. Unlike that night. 

“Not seen a sign of any deer yet, mate,” you heard a voice break you out of your indulgence of recollecting past events. Harry was the worst at wanting to get a reaction. 

“Christ, have a bit of patience would yer?”

You smiled at the bickering, just like it always was as the River Dane could be heard in the distance somewhere as you walked. If you listened really close, that is. 

Lifting your eyes, your smile lingered as you watched Harry spin his body around and let his hands get lost in the massive pockets of his parka. He walked backwards holding your gaze softly with his eyes twinkling before he gently rolled them at the overreaction and impatience of your friends.

He seemed pleased that you’d enjoyed his teasing as you once again hid you smile into your jumper. 

You’d be alright.

***

You heard giggles and screams ahead of you as your friends stumbled in the dark and messed about as you got closer to the viaduct. This place or the people didn’t change, and at times while it filled you with a warm nostalgia, it could be heavily jarring.

A soft and lazy smile pulled at your lips as you felt his heavy forearm lightly tug you closer to him, his lips finding your hair. And then there was Harry. 

“Think we should go this way m’self,” Harry mumbled, the nudge of his hips against yours had you stumbling slightly in your heels away from the direction of your friends and somewhere completely different. 

“And why’s that?” You turned your face slightly, cheeks warm and flushed thanks to the mixture of alcoholic beverages; eyes glazed as they lifted up to look at him. 

“Cause you never would’ve let me when I was sixteen,” he admitted. 

“You didn’t ask.”

“‘M askin’ now.” 

With slow blinking eyes, you looked at his own unfocused vision. A soft shine to his skin, hair blowing gently against his forehead. The softest of smiles tilted at your lips.  

“On yer go,” he nudged you forward, this time more so with his crotch and his hands, which wrapped around your hips to help steer you. Harry was met with only a small amount of resistance from you as you split off from your friends and turned in the different direction. 

You bit back your laugh, dropping your head slightly as you felt your heels started to sink into the grass as you walked. Harry was level with you when you sunk down noticing the way you legs slightly gave way, a soft chuckle omitting from his throat as he asked, “You alrigh’?”

“I’m sinking in these bloody things,” you grumbled, pulling your heel from the grass and trying to place the sole of your shoe onto the ground beneath you first. 

“So much for no’ being able to take the country out o’ the girl. London’s changed yer, swear it.”

Shaking your head, you cut your eyes to give him a harsh stare for his wind up. His amused expression lit a fire in you like no other. He really wasn’t one to talk though, was he? 

“Gi’me your hand ‘ere,” he held his out to you, quickly cupping it when you handed it over and pulled it under his bent elbow. “Remind me again who’s idea this was, eh?”

He didn’t need reminding, he had been one of the keen instigators for the whole jaunt down Twemlow Viaduct. It usually was him, or Jack. The two of them often reminiscing on times they had both raided their parents' alcohol cupboards and managed to sneak out with some dusty bottle that held a liquor that tasted out of date and stale, and if not that then, cheap. 

“‘S still fucking freezing down ‘ere, in’it?” He asked, lifting his left hand up to his mouth and blowing against it to try and get some feeling back into his fingers.

“We’re so close to the river, I don’t know why you’d expect anything different?”

“Is this why everyone was always so insistent on necking anything with over 11% alcohol in it when we came down ‘ere as kids?”

“Probably,” you softly laughed. 

“‘S a bit different now though innit?”

“Oh, I’m not so sure,” you started to correct him, shrugging your hand out from under his elbow and reaching for your bag. Quickly fumbling with the clasp, you lifted up the quilted flap and managed to pull out the stainless steel hip flask.

Harry cackled a harsh laugh, his eyes crinkling as he slowly let his laughter die down and softly let his joy wash over his features. “Impressive. Gone all proper on me.”

“You know I haven’t,” you held his eyes watching as he nervously cupped at the back of his neck for a short while, a gentle bite down of his bottom lip, as you quickly uncapped the item and held it out to him. He looked like he needed the courage.  You continued, “We’re just a bit more refined, that and we earn a good living. Some more than others, and by some I mean you.” 

He held his hand up towards you with an amused grin at your comment. “You first, ‘s yours after all.” 

Lifting the item and knocking back your head, you swallowed the whiskey with a small grimace, before offering it to Harry once more. This time he accepted, his right hand making light work of taking the item from your hands and sipping at the contents.

His face wasn’t as contorted as your’s when he swallowed, a fan of the chosen beverage if needs must. “‘S the proper stuff, tha’ is,” he commented with a quick lick of his lips before continuing, “Come a long way from sneaking the bottles of dusty Blossom Hill from the back of the cupboard.”

“Don’t know about that,” you smiled, taking the item and pushing it back into your bag. “I’d still drink if, if it were on offer.”

“‘M sure Mum’s got a bottle or two going at home?”

“Is that your way of asking me to go home with you?” You paused. “Again.”

Harry remained silent at your words. Both you and he knew it was going to happen. A mixture of sparks and lovelorn, lingering glances was enough to make anyone both want to give up, while also giving a burning confidence usually unknown. 

Neither of you expected it would be you who started the conversation, however. 

“It is, ‘f it’s gonna work. ‘M not sure I could wait any longer t’be’onest wi’yer.“

Laughing, you reached up to push at his shoulder. He always knew exactly what to say, but no way was he going to make a laughing stock of the whole thing. “Oh, give over,” you spoke, harshly swallowing when he kept your hand against the thick cable knit black jumper he had on. “You’ve made it this far, thus far just fine.” 

“‘M not playin’,” he whispered, hand gently curling around your own and lifting it up to press against his face. His cheeks were warm underneath the cooler hands, despite the cold night whipping around you both and your mind quickly wondered if he was just as embarrassed for his lack of acknowledgment as you had been. “Homes nice, you’re nicer.”

“I thought we weren’t going to talk about it,” you let your soft voice get taken by the wind.

“An’ what gave you tha’ impression?”

He did. He gave you that impression. By not mentioning it. By treating you how he always did.

“You.”

“Me?” Harry responded, indignantly, blowing out a sigh that had his cheeks puffing out underneath your hand. “‘M not doing a very good job then am I? I can’t keep m’eyes off o’you. ‘S not my fault you don’t bloody notice ‘em.”

But you had noticed them. 

His eyes, gaze following your every move, near enough. Stupid little touches. Glances of approval. Not just now, but from years before. 

Treating you how he always did.

Oh, treating you how he always did.

Bringing your eyes back to his figure, you saw the way his gaze darted and nervousness dragged at his features. A frown began to set itself between his eyebrows from worry. 

“Changes everything.”

Running his tongue along his teeth, Harry pursed his lips. “Everythin’ has changed, changed a long time ago an’all.” 

You dropped your hand down, it now massaging against the back of his neck and shoulder as you felt the tension of his body radiating through his clothes. Under the dim moonlight and the odd spotlight that had been added to the viaduct with each passing year for safety, Harry exhumed everything anyone would want in a boyfriend. He was soft, and so bloody gorgeous. Not just because he was personification of an almost six foot tall string of handsomeness, but his character did the talking for him.

He knocked the door before he walked into a room, for example. Who really did that kind of thing anymore? 

But you could also still see the heartbreak that lingered, albeit not as strong as it once was, it was still there. And that was problematic and scary. To be on the receiving end of it. Not that you would hold it against him, because you had been him at one point too. At many points in fact. 

When the two of you had shagged, because let’s face it that is exactly what it had been, while a sense of familiarity in the person was prevalent it was definitely overruled by the desire to just hit a euphoric high that if hit right could not be topped. 

Familiar overruled in other aspects, and it wasn’t to be brushed away. But was familiarity a mask that would slip sooner rather than later? Was it the start and the end?

The both of you experienced similarities in your life that could not be matched by the friends in your friendship group. London had chewed you up and spat you out, ruthlessly so. While rewarding you with long hours but fat pay cheques, careers that catapulted you to new heights and enabled you to see parts of the world that two country kids (which in one way you were) could never have imagined. 

Sure Harry’s had been on a much, much larger scale - you would not ever deny that - but you no longer fit in. 

And neither did he. 

This was a place that only the two of you knew. A place where you watched those around you fall in love and have the time to do so. A place where your friend's happiness was created a lot easier than it wasn’t and allowed a sense of success to weave its way in, through the most unexpected of happenings.

Not a place where you found happiness in your work because there was less of a space for happiness to blossom elsewhere. Not really. Not like you; both of you. 

Understanding was vital. 

This had been a place you knew like the back of your hand. A place that had you feeling the earth beneath your feet, fresh air in your lungs and had at times made it so you found yourself sitting by a river and finding yourself feeling complete. 

Yet looking over at the almost 26 year old, that just wasn’t the case anymore. 

And for once you didn’t feel alone. 

The sound of the odd piece of cobbled pavement underneath Harry shoes, buried beneath overgrown grass and plants, broke you from your thoughts, as you watched him kick at the ground and scuff his shoes.

He sighed, head tilted back before he knocked it to the side and caught your eyes. A small scoffed laugh left his lips as he shook his head and dropped his gaze to his feet.

“‘S it fucked?”

You hummed, a small frown lacing your features.

“Fucked it, haven’t I? Fuckin’- idiot-“ he breathed out a noise as he clenched his teeth, one that wasn’t quite a growl but enough to let you know he was agitated. Only strengthened by how tight his jaw became. 

Before you could even think, the back of your hand gently brushed against the pulsing hinge of his jaw. Muscles taut as you tried to soothe him in a way that your mind was screaming was far too intimate.

You didn’t want him having any internal battle about right and wrong. Not when you had both taken the same steps to get here. 

“Thought it was just meant as a one time thing,” you admitted. “Like you needed it, and I needed it. Was what it needed to be at the time. Bit rough, bit sloppy-“

You cringed are the use of the word. Wanting the ground to swallow you in a weird fashion. You should be able to talk open and honestly with someone who you had known longer than hadn’t. 

“Rough?“ Harry swallowed audibly, his face fallen. “That’s not-“ 

His eyes held an emotion similar to sorrow at the mention of the word. “That’s not the impression I wanted to give you.” 

“We were both drunk, it happens.” 

“Not with me it doesn’t. Not when it’s me, wanting to be wi’you.”

“I mean I was into it if that helps anything?” 

“Were yer?”

You looked at him from the corner of your vision, watching his lips try to fight a smile as you rolled yours into your mouth to not give yourself away. You knew what you were trying to do by speaking those words aloud but you wished you hadn’t. Awkward breathy laughs were shared by the two of you as you held his eyes. 

“Was I?”

You hummed in agreement to answer his question, letting your smile dance along your lips now and watching as Harry’s dimples started to show. His expression was youthful, slightly smug. 

“Good t’know.”

***

Finishing saying your goodbyes to your friends and ignoring their suggestive expression because ‘Harry was stopping as an extra pair of hands’, you shut the heavy wooden door and reached up to close the deadbolt lock at the top. Shortly after, you let your feet drop as you stopped standing on your tiptoes and pressed your forehead against the door. 

The silence of the pub was always a strange one to you. A place that was usually thriving, whether it was just your friends, or your parents friends. When the lights were turned out, it was actually quite a lonely place. Regardless of growing up around this sort of industry your entire life and having parents as publicans nothing was more depressing than an empty bar, lifeless and nothing like it was intended.

A suggested lock-in from Jack, who managed to interrupt both yours and Harry’s conversation earlier had not been a bad shout after all. You knew it meant that you would have to deal with the fallout with it being Christmas Eve, but it wasn’t very often that you found yourself in the setting. 

Turning to move from the door, you almost jumped out of your skin when you heard the opening of a familiar Lily Allen song start to play over the speakers. 

Harry emerged from the corner of the pub that housed the jukebox, slowly rubbing his hands together before he wordlessly picked up the scattered pint glasses that had remained on one of the tables that had been missed by the staff on the evening shift. His eyes glanced over at you, as you stood with a hand to your chest.

This wicked smile and gleam washed over his face as he paused his movement. “Did I scare yer?”

“Do you not think it’s a bit loud?”

He wrinkled his nose at you, a soft shake of his head no, to answer your question. 

“‘S your fave innit?” He asked, head nudging to where the jukebox was now hidden.

With a small smile you nodded, “Prefer the Keane version in all honesty.”

“Don’t have it in the bloody jukebox though, d’yer? Can’t like it that much.”

Your smile deepened at his exclaim and how prominent his accent sounded as he spoke, the small clink of the glasses he was holding only heard if you really zoned in. 

“Where d’yer want these?” He asked, holding up the five pint glasses he had collected. “Behind t’bar?”

Humming, you nodded and watched as he weaved his way through the tables to you. You frowned as he got closer, not understanding why he hadn’t bypassed you completely.

Once he was close enough to you, you watched as he reached for what you knew to be your own glass of wine that was almost finished. 

“Fancy the rest of this or can it go too?”

Looking at him and down to the glass, you gently wrapped your hand around it and brought the lip to your mouth. You knocked the item back quickly, swallowing the rest of your wine, before handing over the now empty glass back to Harry.

“Good girl,” he joked, light laughter lacing each word. “Sit yourself down.”

Wearing an amused and quizzical expression, you let yourself sink down into the wooden chair. Resting your chin on your hand, you spun slightly in your seat to keep your eyes on Harry as he placed the glasses down and lifted the hatch so he could step behind the bar. 

With your free hand, you started to tap the worn beer coaster labelled with the Cheshire Brewhouse logo against the table. Part of you hated how Harry had a knack for anything, including knowing his way around a bar. 

He busied himself with collating the glasses once more as you let your eyes take in the surroundings you had known, loved and even grown out of. 

Your parent’s pub was cosy and friendly. A truly 

classic and quintessential British village pub, featuring open fires, bookcases found in the very far corner or the jukebox in the other, lots of old oak and a really pleasant garden with benches for the summat and heaters for the winter. You know the kind that had its regulars that had kids who had seen each other grow up.

The bar was the centre of the pubs house, with an extensive array of whiskies amongst many other delights. A nice range of local ales and a well-balanced, great quality list of wines on offer designed (which you would be taste testing if the service hadn’t decided to take a break) to complement the food menus designed daily by a team of chefs who all have a passion for great cooking using fresh, seasonal and local ingredients.

It looked as Christmassy as Christmas could get, with a real tree which was locally sourced from one of the many surrounding farms and traditionally decorated with golds and reds. Twinkly lights shone, not only on the trees but as part of the garland that was hung above the bar each year, much to the annoyance of your Dad and the delight of your Mum.

Slowly dragging your eyes back to the bar, you watched Harry as he poured you another glass of white wine and started to recap the bottle. He must’ve felt your eyes on him, his gaze meeting yours almost immediately. 

“Service is a bit slow,” you jibed, once you knew he was with you. “Going to ruin the reputation of a fine establishment.”

His chuckle was breathy in response, but warmed you through as he turned his back and pushed his tumbler glass up against the device at the bottom of the Glenfiddich distilled malt whiskey, not once but twice going for a double. 

“Helping yourself to the stock now, as well.” 

“‘M sure your Dad won’t mind,” he responded, twisting his body back around to reach for your own glass and place it onto a tray that sat along the bar top. “In fact he’d probably make a comment about how it’d put hairs on m’chest.”

You laughed, unrestrained, knowing just how right he had been with that comment. 

Over the otherside of the room, Harry smiled and shushed you as he walked closer, easily holding the tray with your drinks upon it. “Being a bit loud,” he taunted as he slid the tray down to the oak table.

“Oh, now you’re concerned about the noise.”

With his hand against the back of the chair which was currently housing your outstretched legs, you felt him start to wobble the seat to give you a warning. 

“Hang on,” you said, “Plenty of other chairs.”

“This one’s mine,” he responded.

Wanting to roll your eyes but deciding not to, you let your legs drop down and gave the seat back to Harry. Once he was comfortable and he’d taken your drink off the tray, he gestured with his right hand.

Not entirely focused, he had to do the ‘come hither’ motion a couple of times before you finally cottoned on. He was willing to let you put your legs on his lap instead, while he may have taken the seat it didn’t mean he wanted to take away your comfort.

No sooner had your legs been raised to rest against his tan washed velvet corduroy trousers, was he fiddling with the buckle of your stiletto sandals.

“Got mud everywhere,” you commented, wiggling your toes that were painted a festive red and inspecting the little dots of dirt that were splattered against your skin, as Harry dropped the first shoe to the floor and quickly worked on the second. “Dread to think what they smell like.”

“Smell alrigh’ from ‘ere,” he mused, smirk faint but glaring obvious in his tone of voice as he threw a quick and mischievous glance at you. As you elongated your foot against his thighs, the tips of your toes were just about able to press into his thick jumper to try and jab at him for his comment. 

Before you were able to put any sort of force behind your action, Harry’s hand clamped down around the top of your foot causing your eyes to snap up away from his hand and up to his eyes.

There he sat watching you, top two teeth pressed into his bottom lip keep his smile at bay. Releasing his lips slowly, his whispered threat left his throat, “I will tickle.”

You tried to fidget away but to no avail. With a whined laugh, you frowned as Harry goaded you by slowly raising his eyebrows. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me.”

You had tried him. 

Truth be told you wanted to again.

If he wanted to.

Reaching for your wine, you took a hefty sip and let the silence swallow you both. Harry, who kept his hand on your foot and his fingers dancing gently against the top, let his head fall back awkwardly against the hardwood. His head dropped to the side taking in his surroundings and their familiarity. 

“Do you ever get tired of coming back?” 

You hummed, sure you had misheard due to the way the blood was rushing around your ears. He turned to look at you, all double chin and puffy cheeks.

“Of everything being the same, but different?”

His whispers captivated you, hushed confessions not quite meant for anyone else but his own mind yet spilling from him with such an ease that he did nothing to fight them. 

“I’ll admit, I come home for other people. Not for me.”

“People?”

“Mum, Dad,” you paused. “You.”

His smile deepened. His chin knocking down to his chest, his eyes looking up at you from underneath his curling hair from being caught in the moist winter evening just hours before.

“You can stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you did three nights ago.”

Harry breathed in deeply, his nostrils flaring and his chest expanding. A lick of his lips, before his mouth dropped to sit slightly agape. 

“What if I don’t wan’to? What if I want t’look at yer like this all the time?”

You found yourself unable to respond, nose burying itself into your wine glass as you pressed your lips against the cool outside to try and hide your burning smile. 

His lips curled lightly, before he breathed a laugh once and gently shook your foot with his hand. “Eh? Come ‘ere-“

“Harry,” you breathed.

“C’mon, c’mere. ‘S room for more than just your feet.”

If it wasn’t for the creak of your chair as you slowly started to push yourself out of it, you wouldn’t have consciously been aware of how you were making your way to him. 

His body relaxed, somehow managing to become closer to horizontal than sitting upright in his seat, as he peered as you walking the short distance over to him. 

With his legs widened, he pressed his face into your side now that you were close enough. His nose inhaled the familiar scent of your perfume which was only faint now due to the other senses and scents it had mixed with throughout the evening.

Rolling his face out of your body, he knocked his head back and pressed his chin where his face had been. The face you showed him was worn with worry, an expression he did not want to meet.

“‘S wrong?”

His ask was lazy. Not wanting to dig deep and know. What if he didn’t like what he found? 

“We know how this is going to end.”

“Do we?” He prodded. His eyes moved over your features quickly before they partly disappeared to him, thanks to your curtain of hair which slowly fell down.

His hand reached up, desperately brushing it away and cupping at the back of your head as best as he could while he remained seated. 

“How’s that? Tell me.”

“Same, but different.” 

You knew you shouldn’t use his words, not in a way that could be considered against him, but they - in the most ambiguous of ways - described everything perfectly. 

“Not if I have my way.” 

His words were almost lost against your stomach as he pressed his face against you once more and wrapped his hands around you; sweaty, nervous palms pressing to the backs of your thighs. 

“Same, but better.”

Harry guided you down to his lap, his lips somehow managing to remain pressed into stomach, or your chest, or your clavicle, as your face became level with his. 

“Different, but better.” 

He kissed against your cheek slowly, nose nudging at your skin as he willed for you to relax against him. “I don’t know how you like it, like this,” he whispered in confession. “Show me?”

A puff of air left your lips as you turned to look at him with hooded eyes. His mouth was closer to yours than you originally thought, corners of lips brushing as you slightly pulled away. 

When your lips met, it was in the softest of pecks that trembled under your nerves. Both sets of eyes looking back at each other as you innocently engaged. 

If you were to take your eyes away from him in any way, you would notice those fluffy curls of his falling over his forehead and the lightest dusting of red blush making itself known against his cheeks and the tops of his ears.

He felt like a school boy, lost and clumsy. The kid who was once again flicking paper at you in science class just so he could pull a face at you over something your teacher was saying to get you to laugh. 

Mouths hovering over each other, your breathing mixed, as Harry nodded to you slightly. You pressed your lips to his once more, feeling the way he gradually opened up to you, warmed and softened underneath the puckering of your mouth against his. 

His hands, that slightly trembled, smoothed over your hips trying to pull your body so that it was more so flush against his. You moaned softly, your hands running over his jumper covered shoulders, fingers digging and pulling at the material just below the nape of his neck. 

The chair beneath you moved lightly against the floor, not quite a scrape but a dull drag. Neither of you broke the kiss, but his hands against you allowed fingers to dig in to hold you steady to him so if you were to fall from where you were sitting, he still had you. 

His lips slowed, moving to press against your cheeks again as he panted and his warmth breath bounced off your skin. “Think I got it,” he heaved. 

“Do you?”

Harry hummed his ‘yea’, before pressing his lips so tenderly to your chin and the underside of your jaw. He felt how you swallowed heavily, throat dry from the way your mouth hung open and your neck further exposed itself as you lolled your head back. 

You were falling further and further back, finding it hard to stay upright as he devoured you and made you weaker with each pulling kiss. His groans were needy, muffled and making your ache. While yours were silent and making his desperate to pull something from you. To build is confidence in that he was doing something right, you liked it this way too. 

Hands fumbled and dragged upwards at your skirt, faintly aware now how it was similar - if not the same one - to the garment you wore to his show. 

“Gonna take this off properly,” he mumbled, feeling the way your hips moved slightly from his hands to roll over him. 

“You don’t have to-“

“No?” 

Your voices were rushed as you spoke to each other, barely audible but loud enough all the same. His head was knocked back slightly as you hovered over him and you found yourself admiring his blissed out face even only in the lead up.

This was a sight that you hadn’t received last time, and if you had your way it was one you were going to greedily enjoy in all its glory.

Like watching the way his eyes closed and he softly grinned, the left side of his teeth started to show as the one side of his face reacted first while your hands blindly moved to lift up his jumper and the white tee he had on underneath, to allow you to find the button of his corduroys.

“What ya doing?”

“Nothing,” you mused. 

He pulled a face, the kind that down turned his lips, eyebrows raised and head slightly tilted to the side. The kind that had you smiling. 

“Not trying to get m’trousers around m’ankles for a second time within a week then?”

You giggled. “No.”

“Please do.”

A low moan left you as you pressed your forehead to his jaw and dropped your eyes. Your hands slowly started to pull at the brass button and pop it open before seeking out the zip thanks to his desperate plea, encouraging you to continue. 

Hands quickly sought out the waistband of the trousers and gently pulled at the item. From the way that you were sat, you knew there was no way you were doing to make them budge.

“Stand up fo’ me,” he mumbled, quickly helping you get off his lap so that he could make light work of his clothing and pull down his trousers and underwear. 

His bare bum made easy contact with the cushion leather beneath him, eyes carefully watching you as your hands moved to underneath your skirt. 

The fabric of your underwear slipped so easily down your legs, his eyes just about caught the sight of them as they pooled against your ankles and you kicked them away. 

Legs pressed together, you slowly untucked the v-necked blouse you had chosen and pulled it over your head. Wearing nothing but a fancy black bra, and a tight little skirt you hastily snatched for your wine and took a hefty gulp.

You could feel his eyes on you, a gruff groan catching in the back of his throat and when you finally turned your eyes from where they had been looking down at your heaving chest and how great this bra made your boobs look, causing him to move his hand down to start playing with himself. 

His name left your lips in a breathy gasp, causing you to look up quite surprised at the find of his right hand gently tugging at his hard length.

“Keepin’ me waitin’,” he groaned, his left hand sloppily reached for the back of the collar of his jumper and tee, pulling the item roughly over his head.

“Fuck sake,” he mumbled under his breath, agitated that he was unable to get both items of in one go.

“Smooth.”

Harry stared up at you with a playful squint, before he gently fell back and moved the chair as he did so, the dull scrape heard once more. 

And if you didn’t know he was flushed before, when you first kissed, you were definitely aware now. His eyes were blown out and hungry as they devoured you. Hair wildly haphazard before he let go of himself with a soft slap of his skin and harshly pushed his fingers through it.

“‘S it still a couple of quid for a strip of three,” his words brought you back to him. This smugness radiated off of him as he groaned and leaned forward to push his trousers down all of the way. Over his vans and socked feet, before he toed them off as well be harshly pulled at his white sport socks. 

You didn’t even need for him to explain what he meant, staying silent as you watched his hands tug at his corduroys from the floor and retrieve his wallet. As his fingers moved around to find a couple of quid, the jangle of the coins was taunting. 

One leg crossed over the other, you swayed and found yourself blushing when he looked up at you once he’d managed to find enough money and then some. With his wallet thrown on the table, he stood proudly from the seat and closed the short gap between your both.

Leaning forward he easily took your lips with his own before pulling away. With his face still close to yours he whispered, “Promise not to look at my arse.”

He didn’t hang around long enough for your reply, instead turning away and brazenly giving you all the time you would ever need to admire him, his fantastic bum and his hairy legs before he opted for a jog-walk type of thing, suddenly conscious that he was absolutely walking around naked from the waist down in a pub owned by your parents. 

While you waited you took a quick pull from his whiskey, needing the heftier burn for Dutch courage. Nervousness returned when you heard the endings of what you believed to be Harry whistling. 

“Machine ate all m’fuckin’ change,” he grumbled, regardless of the twinkle in his eye at the strip of overpriced condoms he had managed to score from the men’s bathroom. “‘S Durex. Business must be booming, your Dad’s definitely gone up in the world.” 

“Please don’t talk about my Dad.”

He smiled brightly before he reached for your face with one hand and pulled you towards him mumbling his ‘sorry’s’ against your lips as he gave you several kisses in quick succession. 

His other arm loosely wrapped around your back and pulled you with him as he walked backwards and slowly lowered himself back onto his previous seat. The chair creaked as you joined him, slipping into his lap and feeling the way he was smiling now.

Pulling away from your kiss, he quickly tore away one of the condoms allowing the others to fall without much care to the floor. Teeth took a hold of the foil-like packaging and he tore it not so elegantly with his eagerness.

With his cock nestled in the crease of his own thigh now, the heat radiating from it matched your own agonising yearning. Scooting back to give him space, you heard him groan as he gently rolled the condom down onto himself. Eyes looking up just in time to see him knocking his head back and breathing deeply through nose. The foil-like packaging was back in between his teeth once more as his hands were otherwise preoccupied.

Slowly your hand reached up to take it from his mouth, feeling some playful resistance as Harry continued to hold it in his teeth. His eyes were open and boyishly sincere, as you tugged at the item and he finally released it when you lightly laughed. 

“Gi’me a kiss.”

Obliging him, you leant forward and slotted your mouths together a lot easier than you had done at the start of the night. A heat built easily between the two of you, as Harry gave you his tongue and you felt the flex of his jaw under your hand as he worked your mouths together.

He was eager, his hands tightening on your waist before he growled when he understood he had to grab handfuls of skirt before he could cup your backside. But when his skin met yours and you ground down onto his lap, the groan that left him was the most animalistic sound imaginable. 

The frown your face fell into showed your desire to whimper, as he kept you atop him and marvelled in the way you writhed, both from satisfaction and keenness at the pressure of his cock against you. 

“Can I have you again?” He asked, the startings of sweaty hair being pushed off your face. His eyes peered at you, searching for his answer as you seemed to be able to do nothing but pant and look back at him yearningly. “Are you letting me?”

You dragged your fingers down his t-shirt covered torso and lifted it slightly just to see the quiver of his stomach as pulled you onto him once more. 

“Like this?” you voiced, meekly.

“‘F this is what you like then, yea’”, he breathed into your mouth, hands shifting your pliant body. “Is this what you want?”

You wordlessly nod, mouth falling open in a breathy gasp when he managed to move you so he sat so enticingly at your entrance. He was teasing both yourself and him, wanting to keep you both on the edge. 

Harry blinked a few times as he looked at you, and you revelled in the way he couldn’t seem to concentrate. His hands held your flesh tightly, fingertips dipping into the skin of your bum cheeks as he gently guided you down.

An unattractive and dull, quite strangled noise, left your throat as you let your forehead fall against his temple. Eyes falling down you see the cups of your bra fall slack, you felt his hands softly gliding over your shoulder blades and shoulders. 

He rid you of your bra, hands moving to your chest to squeeze your breasts. His jaw fell slack when you found yourself sitting snugly on his lap - on him - settled and already feeling spent.

This was so different compared to the last time; if not overwhelming so because of the way you both appeared to be so present. Each movement of your hips, and the way they rolled and grinded and dragged felt too much. So much so that you had become nothing more than a mess of short, quick breathing and blushing, sweaty cheeks. 

Slack-jaw, you were unable to find it in you to return Harry’s kisses, and his joyful, breathy chuckle seemed to lead you to believe he was fine with it. In fact he was happy to keep going as you were. 

Your movements were frantic, and despite the build up, not entirely driven by lust either. Harry continued to encourage you to move as you were; slow, grinding motions on his lap that caused the filthiest of groans and dirtiest of laughs from the two of you. Laughter that was only made stronger as the chair that held you both started to creak too. 

You couldn’t do much about it though other than to breathe into each other’s mouth, and rock your hips together with more fervour each time. 

“Yea’,” he breathed against your lips, left hand at the back of your head holding you to him, while his right rested just above your bum. “‘S better. That’s better.”

It was better. Better than last time. Better than anything before. 

And while it hadn’t been frantic before, it was now as your legs that were hanging down either side of the chair started to tremble and your toes started to dig into the worn carpet beneath them. Hips knocking and your clit dragging heavenly against his public bone, you grasped his name as you buried your face into his neck and dug your nails into his nape.

Harry hissed his approval which fell to a groan as your nails pushed up into his hair and lightly pulled as you sought leverage. There were so many things you were learning this time around and his penchant for liking his hair pulled from time to time, was one of those things. 

“God, ‘m gonna come soon,” he admitted, gruntly as he forced your hips down as he anchored his legs and widened his seating position. “Are you close?”

“Yeah,” you whined. “Yes. Like this-“

And as you pressed your face to his once more, he was everywhere. Soft but hard, loving but commanding. Smelled like clean washing detergent but of country air. Inviting and alluring, allowing you your lingering kisses between grounding breaths that became staccato in unison with the movement of your hips. 

You aren’t ashamed of the whines that escaped your throat as you squeezed down on his cock, praised by indecipherable works that left Harry but were nothing more to you than lips moving against your rough and dry ones. Word that made the burning feeling of your pending orgasm spread through your entire body, warming you and setting you alight.

It was long and deep, with your toes curling into the carpet they were pressed against now. Barely able to catch your breath, sucking in harshly and shaking. 

And when you came to, thoroughly exhausted, you noticed that he was waiting for your say so. That he could let go and enjoy the pleasure brought about by your shared labour. 

“Coming-“ was all the warning that you got and was enough to encourage you to watch him as he came, his face completely void of anything other than pure pleasure. Wrinkles and frowns fade, his mouth falling open with his pink lips glinting prettily under the dim Christmas lights around you.

His forehead gleamed with sweat as he wrapped his arms around you tightly and his hips bucked up one, two and three times for good measure. “Fuck me,” he heaved gruffly.

You were suddenly desperate to feel his lips on yours despite the way you both continued to fight to get your breath back, but settled for resting them against the skin of his cheek, which was hot to the touch. 

When you felt Harry start to go soft, you reluctantly pulled away and let him slip out of you. He wasn’t so keen to let you get too far, holding you just that bit higher than before with his hand cupping gently but firmly at your hip. “Where’d you think you’re going,” he hummed, eyes still closed as he continued to heavily inhale and exhale. 

You softly smiled, taking in his soft face and responded by nuzzling close to him again. 

Nowhere. Somewhere. Anywhere with him.

A place where only the two of you knew, like the back of your hand. The same way you knew each other. Now and possibly forever.

[iloveitwhen]

how about tim and marinette jokingly planning world domination and then accidentally carrying it out (to the annoyance of the batfam)??

this was so fun to write and I hope it makes sense! Marinette and Tim are extremely delirious so it was hard to share their thoughts while also having it make sense to the readers... I hope you like it!

“Dick, stop lying! There’s no way we could have done that. There’s no way we “accidentally took over the world.” Do you really think the two of us could have taken out all seven JLA members?” 

“What day is it, Marinette?” Dick asks instead of answering her question. 

“Tuesday,” Tim answers for her. 

“And the number?”

“Nineteenth,” Marinette crosses her arms and looks at Dick impatiently. 

“It’s Saturday the 23rd,” he declares hotly. “Haven’t you been wondering why you’re so hungry this morning? The two of you have been sleeping for 32 hours and had been awake before that for almost an entire week with maybe an hour of sleep a day. But it’s ok! Because before you fell asleep we got you on camera admitting to everything that you’ve done and we have your notes, which you will have to decipher by the way because for some reason you thought it was a good idea to code everything in your notes and you are in so much trouble right now!” 

“Show us,” Marinette was now understandably a little concerned because she totally did have the weirdest dream last night. And was it really the 23rd?

Five minutes later Marinette is standing side by side with Tim watching a video on the bat computer of the two of them in the interrogation room while Dick is questioning them. 

Marinette’s head is resting on the table, clearly sleeping when Dick slams his hand on the table forcing her to snap her head up in alarm. 

“You are NOT going to sleep right now. The last time this happened you couldn’t remember a thing! Tell me everything and I’ll let you go to sleep.”

Tim who has already been sitting up but was still very much asleep and didn’t seem to be affected by Dick’s outburst snaps his eyes open. 

“How dare you!” he bellows causing Dick and Marinette to look at him in surprise, Marinette’s much more exaggerated than Dick’s, “We will never agree to these terms!”

There are a few moments of silence in the video and Tim makes a noise of embarrassment from the back of his throat while Marinette holds back laughter. 

“I wouldn’t laugh quite yet, Marinette,” Dick admonishes. 

“Wait I’m really tired though… ,” Marinette complains to Tim.

“Great!” Dick claps his hands together and turns his attention to Marinette, “after you tell me everything you can go to sleep.”

Marinette nods very seriously then takes a deep breath and shakes her shoulders as if she’s hyping herself up to start a race or lift some heavy weights. She looks at a point on the wall a few feet to the right of Dick’s head and begins speaking as if she is a narrator of a science documentary. 

Marinette cringes, some of the memories coming back to her like how she had believed she had one more mission, and that was to let the audience know the “trials and tribulations of their story” as she had so eloquently thought about it in her head. She watches as Video Marinette recounts their story remembering that she had believed it was a serious story and that the imaginary audience (that she wholeheartedly believed were watching) must understand this.  Her hand goes to her mouth in horror as she watches herself on the screen go silent and stare at the point behind Dick’s shoulder for several awkward minutes, several times throughout the video. She remembers she had been trying to portray the scene that was passing before her mind’s eye for the “audience” to see as well. Clearly it didn’t work. 

---

** italics indicate when Marinette is using her narrating voice and is staring into the “camera” 

** dashes indicate flashbacks

“It was an accident.” Marinette starts, “Really, truly an accident. You can’t blame two delirious teenagers with a combined two hours of sleep within 3 days and half a brain cell to share between them. Honestly you can’t judge them, it’s not their fault the Lustice Jeague- Justilea- Just- Justice. League. Fell for it. You just can’t. It’s not their fault the justice league-”

“Marinette.” Dick interrupts.

“Right. Did I already say that? Well, anyways, point is. Not their fault….” 

-------

Marinette pops her head suddenly and looks conspiratorially at Tim, “Hey.”

“Hmm,” not stopping his clacking away at his computer. 

“Did you know Superman’s biggest weakness is Lois Lane?”

Time grunts in response as if saying, “yeah, what about it?”

“Like, he would literally be incapable of doing anything if Lois Lane was in trouble, like if Lois Lane disappeared so would Superman.” 

“Yeah that’s crazy,” still clacking away at his computer. 

“And do you know what Batman’s biggest weakness is?” 

“Superman?” 

Marinette giggles, “that’s funny. No, his pants.” Tim’s finger’s still as he processes what Marinette just said. “Think about it. If batman has no pants then he would disappear as well. Do you really think Batman would show up anywhere if he had no pants?” A pause. “Batman must really love his pants,” Marinette adds thoughtfully.

Tim begins ferociously clacking away on his computer again. “This is amazing,” he whispers, “we can use this against them! Amazing,” he says, whispering the last word with, well, amazement. 

“I know, right? We could like… take over the world with this information or something.” 

Tim gasps, finally turning to Marinette sprawled on his bed, “we totally could!” Suddenly he looks around and lowers his voice as if sharing a secret, as if there was anyone else besides Marinette to hear anyway. Marinette sits up and leans in excitedly, “we totally could,” he repeats. 

Marinette nods her head enthusiastically, “and we can totally give it back afterwards. Like, it’s no big deal. Just to like, prove we could.” 

Tim’s eyes grow wide and he nods his head with child-like excitement, “let’s do it.” 

-------

“24 hours later, now with 7 hours of sleep between them in four days, Marinette and Tim had developed the most bestestest plan to ever grace the mise of anyone, it was-”

“Mise?” Dick interrupts again, trying to figure out what she was saying. 

Marinette scrunches her face up, “My- mizzzee- my- m- myyy-nnnd. Mind.” She finally corrects then turns her focus back to the imaginary camera, “of anyone who ever lived. It was spectacular.”

“This is horrific.”

“Exactly. So horrible that it worked miraculously. I say that totally seriously. Seriously. No, I am not a miraculous, ask Ladybug.” Marinette then switches demeanor shifts in her seat and asks: “Ladybug?” she shifts in her seat again to slightly face the opposite direction and answers herself, “Yes?” She shifts again. “Are you a miraculous?” Shifts. “No. I am not.” Marinette looks back into the imaginary camera, “See? She says Marinette is not Ladybug….” she trails off for a moment, her head slowly dropping indicating she was very close to falling asleep. 

“I can’t believe this is happening.” Marinette snaps her head back up.

“Oh but it has. Tim and Marinette had targeted every single weak point of every JMLA member, the Jumpstice League stood no chance against the duo. Tim crafted a device that tracked Lois Lane, gathering any and all data on her to mimic her, including her heartbeat and scent so that Superman would be properly duped. Setting the trap in his very own house-” she suddenly cuts herself off and looks between Tim and Dick, “by the way did you know? That man is like, super weak to Kryptonite. It would have been so much easier to know that in the beginning. And also that he has a cousin? She’s very pretty, right, Tim?” She turns to her boyfriend who is looking at her with a soft smile.

“Mmhm. You’re very pretty.” 

Marinette ignores him and continues, “So Tim and Marinette trapped him in a cage of kryptonite-”

“You did WHAT!?”

“-and he totally passed out, the two heroes are still a bit confused why he was making such a big deal about it.” Marinette pays no mind to Dick as he reaches out and shakes his hands like he wants to strangle her neck.  “Tim then crafted a signal miminicking a detest call-”

“Distress,” Dick corrects. 

“-distress call from Themyscira rendering Wonder Woman unavailable. Unfortunately for her and fortunately for us it was her birthday and since I’m good friends with Momma Wonder,” she abruptly turns to Dick and points a finger at him as if he was a five year old in trouble and adds: “that’s Queen Hipopotolia to you, Mister,” before turning back, “they threw her a total rager,” again changing her demeanor and rolls her eyes “which I’m missing right now by the way, so she’ll be gone for a few more days, those gals really know how to party…. 

“Then the Flash. He was easier than the two expected, they meanly- I mean merely, well, meanly too- slapped a speed force inhibitor around his wrists. He couldn’t tap into the speed force to vibrate through it, he couldn’t cut it off, he would definitely die including everyone else in a mile radius-” Marinette swivels her head to Dick and smacks the table,”-nuclear bombs are SUPER dangerous by the way, you really don’t want to mess with them. 

“He couldn't contact anyone, any electric device he came across was rendered useless due to Tim’s genius, once again. 

“You’re so smart, baby, they couldn't have done this without you,” she adds out of the blue looking at Tim with a proud smile 

“Mhmm. You’re so pretty,” he repeats while Dicks drops his head into his hands. 

“They knew the Flash had friends so they did what they had to and locked him in one of those big containers that you sometimes see on trains and sometimes see on big ships and is currently in the middle of the ocean. Also that inhibitor thingy works as a shock collar too so like screaming electrocutes him preeeetty bad.”

“If the JLA doesn’t kill the both of you, I will.”

“The Martian Manhunter, well, you know what they say, show, don’t tell…. Marinette looks deep into the “camera” willing it to see what she was seeing.

--------

“J’onn J'onzz.” The green alien turns around to find two young adults who looked uncharacteristically professional, hands clasped behind their straight backs and serious expressions.

“...Ladybug. Red Robin. What can I do for you?” J’onn places an alien piece of tech down to focus on the two of them. Unfortunately he could not read Ladybug’s mind when she was in the suit and Red Robin’s mind was a mess of noises and jumbled thoughts that made no sense whatsoever, except one that was a bit louder than the rest and was repeated like a mantra. 

Christmas eve, 1998. 

J’onn tensed, “What do you want,” he demanded more than asked, overly concerned about how and why that thought was in Red Robin’s mind. 

“Nothing. Exactly that. Nothing,” Ladybug responded. “We need you to leave, to go somewhere for a few days and to not resurface or interfere in any way, shape, or form. And in return we will delete anything and everything that ever existed on Christmas Eve of 1998. It’ll be like it never existed.” 

“I can’t do that.” 

Ladybug suddenly broke her composure and groaned. “Oh come oooon, We promise no one will get hurt!” she linked her hands together and gave the Martian a pout, “pleeaaseee?” 

“The last time you two were like this you “accidentally” created a multimillion dollar company solely based on cosplay.” Ladybug was not phased and Tim was still chanting Christmas Eve, 1998 in his head, the boy probably wasn’t even aware time had passed since he got there. J’onn sighed, whatever they were up to it probably wasn’t too big of a deal. “Fine. But I want proof everything is deleted.” 

“Yess, it’s a deal, big man. See you in a few days! C’mon Tim.” 

“Can I stop repeating that thing in my head now?”

------

“Marinette.”

She breaks and looks at Dick impatiently, “I’m telling a story right now, what do you want?”

“You’ve been staring at the wall for 5 minutes straight, where is Martian Manhunter?”

“Oh I don’t know, he should be back on Tuesday though,” she shrugs and nods at the same time but like a switch has been flipped she is serious again. “As for Aquaman? Well, he has his own problems in the undersea. As you know the detective of Justice is Batman, Aquaman? Not much of a detective at all. But, having a mystery that needed to be solved in the undersea would have to be done with the bat’s assistance. However, Batman had his own problems to mace. 

“Face?”

“Yes. A problem that he will never be able to solve without asking for little help of his own. Unfortunately for him, his pride and dignity was on the verge of devolution- devil- devolve… ded- destru- destruction! Also all communication to Alfred was severed and he was sent to the Bahamas to relax since Tim and Marinette promised that since Batman would not be able to be fight he would be safe.”

“Ohhh is that where he went? No wonder there was no breakfast this morning.” Tim drops his hand supporting his face and looks at Marinette in wonder. 

“Babe we went over this like one time, you should know this.”

“Oh, right, yeah… I still haven’t eaten.” Tim lays his head down on his arm sadly and promptly falls asleep. 

“And last, and definitely least, Green Lantern. Marinette, miraculoused in her all-black ninja suit- wait no- no miraculous involved, it was just black clothes,” Marinette trailed off and snorted. “I really just stole the Green Lanterns ring… It was uhhh, it was actually kind of easy….

“Marinette had slipped the ring from Hal’s hand and put it on her own, quickly and quietly slipping out the way she came but not before taking the battery thing that powers the ring and stealing every single cup in the house. The ring had then proved useful as it assisted in Marinette’s journey.”

“Wait. How?” 

Marinette shrugs as if it weren’t such a big deal when it definitely was. “I don’t know, it actually gave me a little speech about going to Goodwill and then told me I was a lantern. Wait, do you think someone would have bought me if I posed as a lantern…? Oh yeah! I totally had a green suit and everything, it was crazy. Look! I still have it,” she stuck her hand out to show Dick, the thick green ring almost making contact with his face as she practically jumped over the table to show him. “I don’t want to give it back to Hal though it’s like… a really cool ring,” she says sadly as she sits back down, not giving Dick an actual chance to look at the ring. 

“Ok. Ok.” Dick drags a hand through his hair in frustration. “What about batman? Where is he?”

Marinette shoots both of her hands up and points at the one way mirror behind Dick’s head, “Boom! Right behind ya in that there mirror.” Then she again turns to the imaginary camera to continue her saga.

“Batman. The easiest, yet most difficult. The smartest, yet most helpless. And though Marinette and Tim wish they could have said they did it alone, they desperately needed the help of a certain… seductress.” 

---

Selena Kyle leans a hip into the counter of a kitchen, quietly making tea when a dark red and black tangle of something falls through an open window and crashes onto the floor, bumping into the family dining table and rattling the vase of wilting flowers. Selena curses loudly and goes to flee but realizes what, or rather who the pile of dark red and is. It’s Red Robin and Ladybug, otherwise known as Tim Drake and Marinette Dupain-Cheng. 

The two groan loudly and clumsily untangle themselves and flop on the ground next to each other apparently too lazy to stand up at the moment. 

“Hey,” Ladybug says, moving her head to the side to look at the standing woman. 

“Hey,” Selena takes a sip of her tea and almost laughs when she realizes that Red Robin had either been knocked out or  had simply fallen asleep. 

Ladybug’s words are slurred together when she says, “we need your help,” while slowly blinking. Either she was on something, very drunk, or very sleep deprived. Knowing the two of them and considering Red Robin was fast asleep on the floor it was probably the sleep deprivation. 

Selena acts as though she’s considering it even though she would help regardless, whatever it was these two were planning she wanted in. 

“Only if you agree to owe me a favor.” 

Ladybug (who had closed her eyes for a moment) snapped her eyes open and grinned, quite evilly, “what we’re planning will be favor enough.” Then, as if the conversation had ended, rolled her head around taking her surroundings in, “this isn’t your house.” 

Selena chuckles, “no it’s not, but you found me here anyways.”

“Ohhhhh, right I forgot about that, do you know the person who owns this house?” Selena shakes her head and Marinette hums in response, wandering her eyes over the kitchen. “So what do you say about the pant situation?” 

“The what?”

------

“The mystery woman had easily fallen for the trap. With her help, Tim and Marinette had almost succeeded in world domination, all that was left was to carry out the plans….”

---

Dick pauses the video and turns to the two heroes who were blushing furiously and fidgeting, waiting until they could bolt. 

“I thought you were going to sit there for a few more minutes then start talking again but you just kept sitting there until I realized you had fallen asleep with your eyes open.” He huffed and started to type into the computer again. “You’re lucky none of the JLA members got hurt or that this-” he clicks a file “video did not get out to the world.”

Ladybug and Red Robin stand in a professional stance with hands clasped behind their backs, they were standing slightly off-center of the screen with an empty JLA table behind them.  

“Good evening, world. I am Ladybug.”

“And I am Red Robin.”

“We have single handedly disposed of the JLA.”

“They will no longer terrorize our world-”

“Burn down our cities-”

“Trample us underfoot-”

“Wait-” Ladybug breaks character and turns to Red Robin, “are we describing Godzilla?”

Red Robin furrows his brow for a moment before bursting out in laughter, grabbing onto Ladybug and dragging her down into hysterics as well. They fall to the floor out of view of the camera but their guffaws are still spilling over the speakers very loudly. 

Several minutes later they stand up, wiping their tear-streaked cheeks.

“Anyways,” Red Robin continues, a chuckle still present in his voice, “We totally have taken over the world and you!” he points into the camera.

“Are!” Ladybug repeats his movement.

“Under our control!” they chorus together, pointing their thumbs at themselves as if this were some sort of disney channel ad, some sort of joke and that they hadn’t just literally threatened world domination, hadn’t just succeeded in world domination. 

They held the pose for a moment before Red Robin relaxed, Ladybug held her pose and continued to look into the camera while Red Robin reached up and paused the video.

“Luckily,” Dick begins, “You streamed the video straight to your own computer and not to the entire world, and luckily, you left your computer open on the dining tables for Duke to see it and for the rest of us, minus Jason,” he adds hotly, “to fix your mess.” 

“At least you caught the perpetrator?” Marinette adds helpfully, her voice going up like a question and her face scrunched up hoping that the comment would placate Dick.

It did not. 

Bonus:

Dick has both Marinette and Tim sitting side by side in an interrogation room, Tim is smiling and staring at Marinette with hearts in his eyes and sighing happily every once in a while Marinette is staring intently at the wall a few feet to the right of Dick’s head and talking as if she were the narrator of the documentary of her Tim’s “adventure” of literally taking over the world. 

“This is insane.” Bruce Wayne whispers behind the one way glass with a towel wrapped around his waist, every single pair of pants he owned was still missing. And would continue to be missing until he admitted he needed help, the rest of the batfam had collectively agreed to not help him until he asked for help, much to Bruce’s chagrin. 

Bonus Bonus: 

The video is shaky but clear, it’s facing a dingy empty stage with a lone mic stand in the middle at what seems to be Karaoke night in an even dingier bar. The crowd is mostly quiet save for the buzz of conversation until the start of “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey starts and everyone cheers. The camera violently shakes and Hal Jordan’s voice booms through the speakers,

“Let’s go babyyyyy!!” 

A few moments later and J’onn J’onzz, in his human form, hops onto the stage clearly hammered and most definitely not in control of his actions. He dances awkwardly around the stage until the first lyrics on the screen behind him light up. 

“Oh when you walk by every night, talkin sweet and lookin fine, I get kinda hectic inside,” along with the words he points to someone in the crowd then puts the back of his hand to his forehead to indicate “swooning”. 

“Oh baby, I’m so into you,” he clumsily hops off the stage and staggers over to someone at one of the front tables. The video zoomed in for a bit and focuses on the woman who briefly looks around her table with a laugh and she raises her strong arms, welcoming the drunk martian. 

“Darling, if you only knew,” J’onn’s smile was so wide and he laughed into the mic instead of singing the next few lyrics. He forced Wonder Woman’s chair from the table with his telekinesis, and with an excessive amount of exaggeration he circled the chair, dragging his hand over her face. The other women, more Amazons by the looks of their arms, pounded the table howling in laughter. 

“But it’s just a sweet, sweet fantasy, baby, When I close my eyes, you come and take me,” he circles to her front and boops her nose as he sings “take me” before turning around and facing the stage. 

“On and on and on,” he looks back at Wonder Woman seductively and winks, “it’s so deep in my daydreams,” he hops back on the stage, “but it’s just a-” his foot gets tangled in the mic’s cords and his voice is cut off when he tries to save himself from smashing into the ground. 

He fails. 

Laughter erupts in the bar and the camera is slammed onto a table and Hal’s wheezing is heard above the others before the video cuts off.

phew *wipes brow* that was... actually a loooooottttt, but I hope it made you laugh and i really hope it wasn’t confusing to read! *smiles awkwardly and waves* byee....

[karezzasstuff]

From the project of interviewing Stanley S. Bass about his experiences with Karezza techniques, The Life Science Publishing created the 2008 book Energy-Karezza. Here Dr. Bass tells the story of how, in his 30’s, he was on his way to become a celibate yogi through Brahmacharya, when he learned about reaching the same spiritual goal via Karezza & Tantra. He decided to try Karezza instead.

Even though his personal goal was spiritual, Dr. Bass soon discovered that women loved Karezza, and couldn’t get enough. When he started teaching the improved Energy-Karezza method to couples with marital problems, the results were astounding. Usually, within weeks, the couple had fallen in love again. Problematic marriages healed, becoming more and more harmonious and stronger with time.

Over time, over 50+ years, he not only gained experience concerning every aspect of Karezza/Tantra, but also – thanks to his energy-understanding, being an orthopathic doctor – developed an improved, more powerful & easy-to-learn, version. Traditional “Karezza/Tantra” can be difficult for men, but “Energy-Karezza/Tantra” is easy, and also gives more pleasure & prolongation..

INTRODUCING OTHERS TO KAREZZA

Karezza is about one thing, the man has to control himself. It is so easy. I got so good at this control that I soon was able to go almost a whole year with no accidents. With very heavy sex - three times a week, four hours each session. It didn't take long to get to a high level of proficiency.

In a few months I was very good at it already.

It is very simple, it is natural. It is not difficult. Prove it for yourself, don't take my word for it. Try it out. The first time I heard about it, it was strange to me, so I tried it. It didn't take me long to get good at it. It was easier than I thought. In fact, I taught Karezza to a lot of friends, and everyone had success.

If one of them asked me, "how do I know if it will work?", I gave him a simple method of trying it. I usually said, "why don't you first try:

1. Don't have an orgasm quickly, but wait until the woman is finished, until she has had her enjoyment. Practice holding back for half an hour, for an hour, for several hours, if you can.

2. Then you'll see that your own orgasms are better; they are more enjoyable.

3. Also try having an orgasm only every other time you have sex.

Skipping one time. Every other time, try without orgasm. See how you feel."

With my sex students, those were my instructions, to begin with. These instructions summarize basic traditional Karezza. But these simple instructions could still be difficult for some men. They lost control (ejaculated) early, and were never able to do Karezza for a full hour.

Therefore, to make it easier, I gave my students some Energy-Karezza secrets. I asked them to improve their diet, and to avoid alcohol and all drugs. I told them not to eat before sex, because a man can not control himself after he has eaten. Why? Because then too much blood goes to the stomach.

Also, I gave very detailed instructions on the best movements in sex. I told them to move slowly, and explained how to move, so they wouldn't get too excited, e.g. sideways, in semicircles, avoiding the in-out moves.

For the premature ejaculators, I told them to give up salt, and to not use anything spicy hot, avoid hot peppers, stay away from spices, because this throws them out of control. And then I told them to use certain motions, slow motions, that makes it easy to control oneself. That's all.

Then the women will get the pleasure, because the men are controlling themselves.

For some men the pleasure was so overwhelming that they were still unable to control themselves very long, more than perhaps 45 minutes, even if their diet was good and they had high vitality. In these cases I think the solution is just doing it over and over. Sometimes men, just like women, may need saturation with lots of high-pleasure peak orgasms, before they can start with serious self-control and higher-pleasure valley orgasms. It may take months, but in the end they will get there.

I myself was never overly concerned with the clitoris or the G-spot, because the Karezza was so enjoyable and I was so good at it that a woman couldn't hold out long. If they wanted to have an orgasm, they could have it quick. Women enjoyed it.

The women were very happy. After beginning Karezza, it became unnecessary to calculate all this stuff. I never had to actually figure it out.

All I did was to function naturally, the way I felt like, without thinking about it. And it was right, for every woman. If one gets too mechanical about it, one becomes a dud. Then it is not real. Real sex has nothing to do with the brain, it has to do with feelings, true feelings and movement.

That's all. The brain is not needed.

From page 45 the Technique to Paradise.

🍎🐍🏖️

YAB YUM

What are you experiencing?

~ by yab yum

Be patient. At first you can't experience the orgasmic part of this process. Some get it on their first try and for some it can take years. Keep practicing with the exercise your teacher gives you. Even if you don't experience the orgasm, just the breath and energy circling alone is of great value. It will clear blocks so that eventually the orgasm can pass through you. Blocks can be experienced in many ways – crying, gagging, getting frustrated, resurfacing old memories. Just keep breathing. Visualize letting go of the "old" on the exhale, ringing out the "new" on the inhale. Energy levels will most likely rise and fall, like mercury in a thermometer. Tell your partner where it slipped. Your partner will encourage you to tap into your sexual center when energy is slipping. One of the main keys to learning this technique is KNOWING that it is possible.

(When asked if she had an orgasm, Sara responded 🙂

It was uninterrupted, uninterrupted… This was definitely something else, which I have never experienced so fully.

(Sara was then asked if there were any psychological changes.)

Oh yes, sure. From the point of view of spiritual practice it is always full of insight, a kind of insight that comes after, about how I am in ecstasy in my usual state, because it is obvious that the ecstasy is inherent in the body (level), of my being… and also of course this would affect my meditation. I am much more relaxed and receptive physically, emotionally and psychologically when I sit down to meditate…. I don't know what this has to do with anything, but meditation becomes very sexual, very physical, playing with all these hormones. Very often in my meditation there is a stage like deepening where it goes through something like lovemaking in a hormonal sense. I feel the heat and change of energy and so forth, and then it just cools down. That is when deep meditation begins.

It is absolutely blissful in ecstasy because the bliss is something I feel in the body. The ecstasy is something where the body is no longer. Energy goes up. His community. It is love. The transcendent, the energy feeling, transcends even the light that I'm talking about in meditation, and just went into the light.

One tree merges with another tree, the earth merges with the trees, the trees merge with the sky, the sky merges with the unknown...you merge with me, I merge with you...everything merges...differences lost, melting and merging as waves into other waves…an enormous unity vibrating, alive, without limits, without definitions, without distinction…the sage melting into the sinner, the sinner flowing together in the sage…becoming good becoming bad, becoming bad…the night turning into the day, day turning into night… life melts into death, death plunges into life again – then everything has become one.

This has changed my experience with sexuality forever… It has blown up things like this what you have about sex, the good feeling you get from sexual experience or trying to get. It broke that because it was so obviously about submission. It wasn't about me trying to do something. It was about not doing something, but rather receiving or allowing it, rather than doing and creating and making.

This is the most profound healing practice I have ever encountered. It has awakened me to realize that my body is often shut off from the bliss and ecstasy it might be experiencing. Through this practice I have come to learn that emotional pain occurs when orgasmic energy does not flow freely through my body and that there is an infinite flow of orgasmic energy available to me. It has taken me years to gradually release the tension and pain in my body and I still have areas of tension to unblock. The sensations can be different each time depending on my condition, sometimes there is a pulsating vibration and sometimes it feels like some kind of electrical current circulating through my genitals throughout my body. There may be tears of joy. My mind can be perfectly clear and it can seem like everything I feared has been resolved. When a certain area of ​​tension is unblocked and the orgasmic energy circulates, there is always an amazing sense of oneness with the life being awakened.

Mel 40 Auckland

My teacher knew how to touch – and where to make contact – He knew places to touch that I didn't know about – and soon I was on my way to another place in another universe. I was in a trance of breathing and sweat and pleasure that so long and so dead do had gone – that I traveled through light and sound. I never knew that such an experience could be had without actually making love. When I finally climaxed and climaxed and climaxed, I couldn't believe I was having a sexual climax in the presence of someone other than my husband. I felt both excitement and a little embarrassment. Looking back at this moment, I would never have thought that having an orgasm for another man would actually be the "beginning" of this whole journey in Tantra

Emma S 35

Auckland

And this is the joy of Cosmic Spiritual Orgasm, because you disappear for a moment. That moment is very small, but its impact is immense. For a moment you are no longer the ego, you do not think in terms of 'I', for a moment you dissolve into the oneness of the all, you become one with the whole, you pulsate with the whole. You are no longer an individual… you are no longer limited to your body. You have no limitations, for a moment you are unlimited, infinite.

That is the meaning of Cosmic Spiritual Orgasm – that your frozen energy melts, becoming one with this universe, with the trees and the stars, and the woman and the man, and the rocks – for a single moment, of course. But in THAT moment you have a kind of consciousness that is religious, that is sacred, that is one with all things. – OSHO

Unbelievable! Some are very strong and some are wonderfully subtle. In general, the more time you spend building up the energy, the more powerful the sensations. You experience “electricity” throughout your body, hands, feet and lips tingle, and there is a sense of letting go and receiving at the same time. You will feel high, euphoric and light-headed. It feels very different from a clitoral orgasm (but it can happen at the same time as a clitoral orgasm). You see a seed sprout, flowers appear on a tree somewhere, the birds are singing – the whole phenomenon is sexual. It is life manifesting in many ways. When the bird sings, it is a sexual call, an invitation. When the flower attracts butterflies and bees, it is an invitation, because the bees and butterflies bear the seeds of reproduction. Everything seems to be divided into these two polarities. And life is a rhythm between these two opposites. Repulsion and attraction, coming closer and getting far… these are the rhythms.

Z

[fandomwriterstuff]

My Spotify Playlist (Pt. 1)

Rick Flag x Reader

Rated T (so far)

~2.5k words

Part 2

Rick was just another boy you liked in high school. But your lives take very different paths. This is the story of how two people are brought together by a mutual love of curated Spotify playlists. Oh, and the story of how an innocent girl got thrown in metahuman prison.

… sometime during your sophomore year of high school…

You were watching a football game with your best friend, Sarah, a girl nearly loud and obnoxious enough to match your extreme level of quiet introversion. She’d convinced you to come, her boyfriend was playing and so was your crush. He was a senior and you were a sophomore so he’d never go for you, but you could always dream. You had your earbuds in, twirling the cord around your fingers as you listened to your favorite playlist to listen to over sports games (it was called ‘sports, go sports!’ and it was filled with mellow low-key vibes to counteract the chanting crowd and lack of personal space).

“Come on, Bunny! Rick’s about to score a touchdown!” Sarah screeched in your ear and you pulled out one earbud, tugged your school-colored beanie over your ears and searched the field for the most handsome boy you’d ever seen. Rick Flag. He made you want to swoon and flutter a fan in your face like some romance book heroine. The best you could do was smile softly at him and tuck your hair behind your ear shyly. You watched, enraptured, as he broke away from the other team and ran straight towards the end zone, unchallenged. A moment later the stands were shaking from the other students jumping up and down, and you shouted with them. You couldn’t help feeling the little spark of pride at the display of school spirit. You also couldn’t help the fluttering of your little rabbit heart when Rick turned to the stands with the brightest smile you’d ever seen. It was his senior Homecoming game, so he should be proud.

Your school wiped the floor with the other team, getting another couple touchdowns and field goals. As the stands were emptying, Sarah grabbed your hand and pulled you over to the side of the field where she started calling her boyfriend to come over. You liked him enough, he was a nice guy and didn’t mind how quiet you were. You tucked both of your earbuds back into your ears, listening at a low volume so you could still hear the conversation.

What you didn’t see as you brushed your hair behind your ear and tugged at your soccer hoodie (the only piece of school apparel you owned), was that Sarah’s boyfriend was coming over with Rick in tow.

“Hey babe!” He exclaimed when he reached Sarah, giving her a peck on the cheek. “Wasn’t Rick the man tonight?” He asked Sarah, but Rick had already turned to you.

“Hey, Bunny,” you looked up at him, your school nickname sounding like music exiting his lips.

“Hey, Rick,” you smiled up at him. For someone who was seventeen going on eighteen, he had really filled out. His shoulders were broad and his jaw was defined and you just wanted to wrap yourself up in him.

“Whatcha listening to?” He asked, pointing to one of your earbuds. You pulled it out and placed it into his waiting hand.

“It’s Sunday Morning by the Velvet Underground. Part of my sports playlist,” you spoke as he tucked the earbud into his ear, leaning down close to you so he wouldn’t pull your earbud out in the process. He listened for a moment before smiling that megawatt smile at you.

“This is really nice. Spotify?” He asked and you nodded before he handed the earbud back to you. “Can I follow you on it? I dunno how something that mellow fits into a sports playlist but I liked it,” you were trying not to panic or stumble or stutter, Rick’s eyes were on you and so were Sarah’s as you nodded and pulled your phone out to give him your username.

After he followed you, him and Sarah’s boyfriend bid their goodbyes, they had to meet with the team and the coach.

“Oh em gee,” Sarah squealed when the two of you were alone and on the way home. “Rick Flag is so totally into you!” She shouted into the car as you winced.

“I don’t think so. He’s just a nice guy,” you muttered, looking out into the dark night.

“Bullshit, Bunny. You should make a move on him before he graduates, maybe he’ll take you to prom,” she shrugged. “It could happen.”

It didn’t happen. In December that year you got into a car crash. You went to the hospital, had to be studied for abnormal brain waves, and came out with a genetic mutation that gave you superhuman agility and the ability to throw seismic energy out of your hands. Your parents pulled you out of school and moved you to New York to study with other kids like you.

Sarah’s parents were secretly anti-mutant protesters so she wasn’t allowed to contact you anymore. You were alone.

Except for sometimes, you could see what Rick was listening to on Spotify. He’d followed all of your playlists and would sometimes listen to them. It made you feel like you still had a little bit of home.

… some years later ...

When you were more in control of your new powers, you were allowed to get a Facebook to try and reconnect with your old school friends. You were nineteen when you found Rick Flag on Facebook. You weren’t terribly shocked to see he’d joined the Army. You sent him a friend request, but you weren’t sure if he even knew your real name. Everyone at your old school called you Bunny. Everyone here called you by your name. You almost missed the normalcy of high school nicknames.

But those last few years… They were hard on you. You had to learn a lot of hard lessons about mutant rights and the fear your parents held. Not fear for you. It was fear of you. They were afraid you’d hurt them.

It all made you so overwhelmed, you felt so helpless. You created a new Spotify playlist. This one was called ‘anxiety attack at 4 am’ because you thought it was funny. You ended up stalking Sarah on Facebook and deleted the app because it was giving you too much stress. You forgot all about Rick and Sarah. You didn’t want to think about what could have been.

You were twenty-one when you ran off. You hated the north. It was cold, the people were cold and always rushing, and it had never felt like home. You stole all the cash your parents had stashed in the house and took buses all the way down to Mississippi. That’s where you got caught. Your parents thought you were dangerous and when you ran off, they put out a missing dangerous mutant report. You scowled when you saw the cops come at you. You’d trained enough to know how to get away without hurting anyone but… You looked down at your feet, fighting back the tears as the moment took you back to all of those years ago. You were afraid. Your parents' car crash hadn’t killed any of you but the impact on your head had released some genetic code in your brain that had been blocking your mutation. When someone in the hospital tried to help you, you accidentally threw a shockwave at them and threw them through a door. You were so afraid when you got to the mutant school. You weren’t used to getting any attention, good or bad.

So when the cops came at you with guns, you panicked. You loosened your power-dampening wrist braces and threw a shockwave into the ground that shook the earth and jostled their cars. It was enough to scare them so you could run away.

You were twenty four, living off the grid in a swamp community. You hadn’t used your powers in years, but one of the kids in the community had come down with something and it was your turn to go out into town. You’d gone into town a million times, it should have been like every other trip. You’d get the boy to the doctor, pay them, and get back to the community.

But you were spotted by a cop, someone who clearly had a mental memory of all missing persons who’d been seen in Mississippi. You shoved the boy behind a car and held your hands out in front of you.

“Please,” you pleaded as he pointed his gun at you. “I don’t mean any trouble.”

“That’s what they all say,” he grunted and shot you, the pain of it embedding in your thigh was blinding. You fell to your knees with a cry and let out a shockwave that dug a crater around you. The cop flew back, but backup had come.

You struggled onto your feet and tried to drag yourself away, blood seeping out and staining your jeans.

You’d crawled to the edge of the crater, but you looked up to see another cop swing his baton at your head.

… several hours later …

“Hey! What are you doing?” You shouted as two men clamped an electric collar around your neck. You'd just woken up and were panicking.

“Don’t struggle. It’s just a power dampener so you won’t hurt us,” one of the cops spoke almost kindly to you.

“I didn’t do anything wrong!” You wailed, panic rising up in your throat and tears welling in your eyes. “Please, there’s a boy who’s sick. I was only in town to take him to a doctor, please!” You screamed, but all the breath left your body when you were struck with a baton right on your leg where you’d been shot. You looked down though, they must have cleaned you up because your leg was bandaged. “Please,” you cried, but every time you opened your mouth another blow came at your ribs, your shoulders, your leg, your hands.

“Hey!” There was a shout from a distance away, but you were crumpled on the ground, metal collar around your neck like a dog. “What are you doing?”

“She was acting out,” one of the men called back, and you looked up, eyes blurry with tears as a man approached.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” you cried again, hoping this was someone with some sort of conscience. “I don’t know where I am or why,” you were panting and the man crouched down to your level.

“You’re at Belle Reve Penitentiary. It’s for metahuman criminals,” his voice was low and calm, but you let out a wail at his words.

“I didn’t do anything! I was trying to get a boy to the doctor!” You screamed, anger rising up within you, surpassing the panic and anxiety. But that was shot down when one of the men kicked at your bruised ribs. You moaned pitifully, laying down on the ground and closing your eyes. Maybe it was best to accept your fate.

“I’ll look into your case. But for now, you’re coming with me,” you opened your eyes to see the man holding a hand out to you. He didn’t look convinced, but he did look… Familiar. You gingerly reached your bruised fingers out to him and he frowned at your black and blue appendages. “This isn’t how we treat prisoners,” he scowled at the other men and wrapped your arm around his shoulders, helping to support you as you limped towards the big building.

Well, you thought. Maybe if I cooperate he won’t hit me.

You looked down at your white t-shirt, but it was covered in blood. You frowned, but then the throbbing in your face made sense. They must have made your nose bleed. You brought your unoccupied hand up to your face, and came away bloody. You must be covered in it. It all seemed so surreal at the moment… You let out a giggle. It hurt, but you couldn’t help it. But it was followed by the waterworks.

“You… alright?” The familiar man asked strangely and you sniffled, wiping at your face and accidentally smudging the blood even more. You were probably unrecognizable anyway, so even if you did know him, he might not recognize you.

“I’ve never been arrested before. I never even got detention,” you whimpered and he frowned down at you as you made your way inside. But you stopped short. You looked up at him with wide eyes. “I left that boy in town. He needs a hospital,” your frantic eyes looked wild, set in your bloodied face, but you gave the man the boy’s first and last name and the name of the community you had been living in. “Please.”

“I’ll look into it,” he sighed before bringing you to a holding cell. “You’re going to wait here until you get processed. Don’t struggle, and don’t start any fights,” and with that, he left you.

You sat there alone for quite some time, bleeding through the bandage on your leg and out of your nose and mouth.

“What's your name?” A smartly dressed dark-skinned woman finally came over to you and you gave your first and last name to her. You were trying to make yourself look smaller, it wasn’t that hard to be honest. You were small, and you were used to going unnoticed whether it be in school or hiding from the authorities.

“Abilities?” Your eyes narrowed. The man had said this was a penitentiary for metahumans. But, you were trying to be cooperative. You wanted to get out of here.

“Superhuman agility,” you muttered before looking down at the dried blood on your hands. “And I can throw seismic waves with my hands.” The woman nodded and wrote that down, showing no emotion.

“We’ll get you cleaned up and put you in the general population until we figure your case out,” she signaled for two guards to come over. One opened the cell and the other grasped your arm and led you to a medical room where a tired-looking doctor set your nose and cleaned the blood from your face and hands. He also rebandaged your leg. But there was not much to be done about your stained clothes. Unfortunately, it was all your own blood, and you were starting to feel lightheaded. You were hoping you could sit down soon.

You were told you would get a tour the next day and were sent to a cell with two twin beds cemented into the wall. You shrugged. This must be what prison was like. Everything could be a weapon.

“Oooh! A roommate!” You whipped around, dizzying yourself in the process as you took in your new roommate. She was gorgeous, enough so that you immediately felt a flush coming up on your cheeks and arousal building in your body. It had been a while since you could feel anything for anyone. You were hiding and running and hiding and running and… Yeah you get it. “What’s your name, Sugar?”

“Y/N,” You smiled weakly. “But everyone calls me Bunny.”

“Bunny, that’s appropriate,” she cocked her head with a big grin. “Cute and tiny, just like you!” You blushed harder, but she passed by you and threw herself onto one of the beds.

“Doctor Harleen Quinzel at your service,” she turned her head and winked at you. “But everyone calls me Harley.”

[h2bakugou]

Hello :) I really like your work and I was wondering if you could write about mha Shoto, Katsuki and Izuku having a girlfriend whos a badass while fighting but who's also bff with denki because they can act dumb together and are huuuuge weeb? (Also if you don't mind I would love to see denki's reaction to his gf being badass but also as crazy as him bc my pikachu deserves all the love) ? I hope it makes sense x)

a/n: hey love! awe thank you so much! this request is really cute, kaminari is such a sweetheart and i love him so much omg. thank you for the request hun!

headcanon: them with a s/o who is badass when they fight but also denki’s crazy bff

key: (y/n) - your name / (f/n) - first name / (l/n) - last name / (e/c) - eye color / (h/c) - hair color / (y/q) - your quirk

warnings: fluff, swearing

»»————-　★　————-««

shoto todoroki

»»————-　★　————-««

Shoto probably doesn’t understand how you can go from being super badass to somehow short-circuiting yourself when hanging out with Kaminari.

If you don’t have an electricity-related quirk, he’s super confused, like how does that happen?

If you do happen to have an electricity-related quirk, he’s also confused because you aren’t even using it. Just being with Kaminari the two of you goof off enough to go all wheheyyyyy.

Todoroki enjoys watching you fight. You don’t take shit from anyone. Period.

Watching you take down bad guys is like a guilty pleasure past-time of Todoroki’s. You’re so skilled, and there’s so much he could learn from you in terms of combat.

You’ve done your training and you’ve learned and studied on your own alongside all your peers.

But as soon as you step off the battlefield, you’re somehow another person. Or at least you seem to be another person.

If there’s one thing you never stop hearing in the common rooms, it’s your laughter and Kaminari’s wheezing.

Todoroki is concerned when he hears it late at night, especially when you’re supposed to be asleep, and even more so when you’re trying to be quiet so you don’t wake anyone up.

“(Y/n). You should be resting, it’s late.”

“I know, I know!” You shush Kaminari who is rolling on the ground beside you, trying to stop the tears induced by laughter falling from his eyes.

“Kaminari just whipped out his Beyblades and challenged me. I beat him. 18 times.” You were losing your shit.

“It’s almost one am.” 

“Okay okay, Kaminari, I’ll beat you again tomorrow.” You stand and walk back to your dorm with Todoroki, sad to say goodnight to your best friend.

I don’t feel like Todoroki would get jealous because I think he genuinely understands that you and Kaminari are friends.

Kaminari also respects that you and Todoroki are in a relationship and has stopped hitting on you.

But he jokingly states that if you and Todoroki are to break up he might not be able to hold back.

»»————-　★　————-««

katsuki bakugou

»»————-　★　————-««

Bakugou is jealous 100%

“Stop paying attention to that loser!” Bakugou will hug you and drag you back to your dorm at one am to get you to go to bed all because you’re having fun with Denki.

He doesn’t understand how you can change from being a badass to a quote on quote ‘dunceface idiot’ like Kaminari.

He loves you a lot and loves seeing you in action. It’s mesmerizing to see you take down bad guys and be all tough.

You’re a tough cookie and Bakugou enjoys watching you intimidate all the villains.

But watching you goof off with Kaminari strikes a nerve in him.

You joke around with Bakugou, but there’s something about joking off with a best friend that is different than with your romantic partner.

You decided that your library of fart jokes was probably a little inappropriate for Bakugou’s ears, not that the curses came out of his mouth were all appropriate in the first place.

No one understands your jokes quite like Kaminari. He’s the one you're getting scolded with at four am for being too loud by Mr. Aizawa.

But who else was going to laugh at you trying to knit Bakugou a sweater and failing horribly?

“What is that supposed to be?”

“Bakugou!”

“That just looks like an angry porcupine!”

“Isn’t that what Bakugou is?”

Kaminari has officially lost it.

You and Kaminari have begun writing down every single roast the other drops to use later on and it’s even better when you both pull the same line in your little roast battles.

Everyone is silent and then you both just burst out into laughter.

Bakugou gets over his jealousy after Kaminari has a somewhat serious talk with him.

“(Y/n) wanted me to talk to you.” Kaminari starts, and Bakugou is already frustrated, is this how you tell him it’s over?

“I don’t see her romantically at all. I know you two are together, and as her best friend, I respect that. I know you’ll treat her well, so I expect you too. That’s my best friend you’re dating after all.”

Bakugou is speechless. For the first time, Denki Kaminari has said something that he understood.

“Did she tell you to say that? Did she write that down for you to say?” Bakugou is on edge.

“No! I came up with it myself because it’s the truth. She was just worried you were getting angry with her for hanging out with me so much.”

Bakugou cools down and eventually heads back to hang out with you.

Bakugou’s loud and obnoxious, so for the sake of you he tries to understand your humor, but sometimes you have to help him out.

It’s all in good fun though.

»»————-　★　————-««

izuku midoriya

»»————-　★　————-««

Izuku is probably super confused at first too.

He tries his hand at humor so he understands some jokes, and he himself can go from being all cute and adorable to fucking badass.

But when it comes to someone else, he’s a little lost.

Especially when that someone is his own girlfriend.

You’ve gone from tearing shit up on the battlefield to wheezing over a meme that is just a picture that says ‘top text bottom text.’

He surely doesn’t understand.

I feel like Izuku might get a little jealous at first. He’s unsure of why you’re always spending lots of time with Denki and having a good time.

“Izuku he’s just my friend.”

“But you never laugh like that with me.”

It’s an eye-opener.

Izuku is jealous of how you're happy around Denki.

You try your best to explain to Deku but you might need a bit of help from Kaminari.

Kaminari assures Deku that nothing is going on between the two of you and that you’re just his best friend.

“I promise you, she’s just my best friend, I respect the boundaries of your relationship.” Kaminari has a bright smile on his face while you hug Izuku.

“Thank you for telling me this.” Izuku feels better about the situation but still worries sometimes.

You begin to include Izuku some, but he may not understand your humor sometimes so you’ll have to explain it to him.

Overall, Izuku is happy to see you happy. You learn to balance your time for both your friends and Izuku.

Izuku still doesn’t quite grasp how you can be such a badass at times then lose your mind with Kaminari at two am for making a pizza with ketchup instead of pizza sauce.

“Isn’t ketchup essentially tomato sauce?” Kaminari examines the ingredients list.

“I think it has vinegar in it. It���s gonna taste weird.”

“Well I can’t find the pizza sauce.”

“Ketchup it is then.” You take the bottle and squeeze it out over the dough. Kaminari helps add the cheese and any other toppings.

Deku is concerned.

“I don’t think that’s going to taste very good.” He’s tired too but insisted on staying up with you so he could bring you to bed after you eat.

And Deku's right.

It tasted horrible.

But at least he was able to walk you back to your room and tuck you in after that terrible experience.

»»————-　★　————-«« 

denki kaminari

»»————-　★　————-««

The duality that y’all have. This relationship is POWERFUL.

Badass gf on the battlefield but goofy as shit when it comes to hanging out together?

Kaminari couldn’t have asked for a better partner. 

Watching you in action feels like a fucking movie. He’s drawn in constantly, admiring you every chance he gets.

Watching you fight, hell even watching you train is amazing. You’re incredibly skilled and your training pays off immensely.

Kaminari would like to say that training with you is amazing too, but the two of you can barely compose yourselves for that long.

You’re almost always laughing on the ground at like the one hour mark.

You can look at each other and just burst into laughter.

As much as I kind of hate the whole ‘marry your best friend’ saying, this relationship radiates that energy. You guys are endgame.

Kaminari couldn’t think of another person to share the love he has for you, let alone the plethora of jokes, puns, and roasts the two of you can make up on the spot.

Kaminari doesn’t want to imagine a world without you. And you couldn’t fathom being in one without him.

You guys are bound together, and are almost never apart for too long.

Granted you guys do have your days and you do make time for yourselves as any healthy relationship needs its boundaries.

You guys have shirts with memes on them, or phrases that you say constantly.

MATCHING PIKACHU ONESIES

You’re constantly yelled out for being too loud in the middle of the night, but you wouldn’t have it any other way.

Kirishima, Mina, and Sero finding you guys sound asleep cuddling on the common room couch because y’all just passed out after goofing off for so long is a common occurrence.

If you have another best friend, I don’t feel like Kaminari would get crazy jealous because you only ever act like a goofy dumbass around him, and you’re crazy for him so he’s not too worried.

Might ask you about it but you’re in love with Kaminari’s dumbass and only his dumbass.

Who else are you going to watch cooking videos with a one am and try and recreate them on the spot?

»»————-　★　————-««

masterlist

[bubblegumbeech]

Passing Through

Dannymay Day 5: Doorway

“Don’t go in there,” his mother warned. Her voice shook. “Never go through that door.”

Danny had no intention of ignoring his mother, especially since the night she’d given him that warning was seared so thoroughly in his mind he didn’t think even as an adult he’d ever forget it.

It had been dark, but not any darker than any other night with Danny’s myriad nightlights and glowing stars stuck everywhere he could reach and then some. The night had long since settled, and Danny was supposed to be sleeping and was instead, like any young child, not doing that.

In fact, he’d been staring out his window, arm balanced on the sill and face pressed up against the glass so he could see the night sky in all her glory. It was one of the only times he felt truly comfortable, alone and with his parents and sister asleep. He often imagined himself sailing amongst those stars. Or flying high enough to reach out and cradle one to his chest. 

Jazz always told him that was impossible, that each star was as far away from each other as they were from earth, if not further. He told her she could eat dirt, and she got a hurt look in her eyes that made him feel bad, but he didn’t apologize because she was being mean first. 

He’d been preoccupied, that’s why he didn’t notice it at first. 

When the soft pink touch of the sun started obscuring the night’s stars, Danny realized he’d been up all night and he was probably going to fall asleep in class again. He turned around to quickly dive into bed to at least feign having slept so his parents didn’t scold him and feel like they had to check in on him at night the way they threatened to last time. 

He hadn’t expected the door. 

It was small, very small compared to a normal door. It was just large enough that Danny could crawl through on all fours, and he knew there was no way his dad would ever be able to get through. At least not more than an arm. Maybe his head if he tried to dive through it.

The door was closed, a soft, purple light on the other side painting the carpet beneath where it stood, balanced, in the middle of the room. Acting as if it was placed in the wall like any good door, but missing the wall itself entirely. 

Danny walked closer, his mind off bed times and getting ready for school entirely. Now he was thinking of adventures and stories Jazz used to read him before he could read himself. Stories of exploration and hidden worlds. His hand brushed against the polished brass handle, and a jolt of electricity flowed through him, causing every hair in his body to stand on end. 

He probably should have let go then, released the handle and backed up, frightened. But instead Danny’s grip tightened and he twisted the nob, pulling it slowly open, his heart beating in rapt anticipation. It was barely open a sliver, the tiniest bit of purple light spilling out onto the frame, when his mother ran into the room and slammed it closed. 

She was wearing a hazmat suit, as if she’d just come from the lab downstairs, with thick rubber gloves and ominous red goggles that reflected a twisted version of Danny’s face back at him as she pulled him into a tight, unforgiving hug. 

“Thank goodness you’re safe,” she said, her words heavy with exertion. Had she run up here? How did she know there was a door? 

Danny looked over his mother’s shoulder to take another look, but the door had vanished at some point when his eyes were no longer locked upon it. That was when she gave him her warning. The one he had no intention of ignoring.

The one he was disregarding now, for no reason other than he was sick of it. He was tired of the nights, laying awake and seeing a door that promised so much and had yet to be given the opportunity to deliver. 

His mother would skin him alive if she knew, but she’d probably never find out. Honestly, if Tucker’s theories were true and it was some monster trying to trick him into its lair Coraline-style, it’d probably take at least a week for her to even realize he was gone. His dad probably wouldn’t notice at all. 

Jazz…

Danny shook his head. If anything, Jazz would be the one to forgive him for being dumb. She understood what it was like to have this burning curiosity, this need to know. 

The door didn’t always appear. Most nights it did, but only when Danny was distracted by something, usually the stars outside his window, sometimes a particularly fun video game or a good book. It only ever appeared right on the cusp of night and morning, before the sun rose fully but after the stars hid away. And it always waited for him to look away before it disappeared. 

He didn’t plan on looking away tonight. 

The first night after his mother’s warning, he’d stayed up all night, terrified, waiting for the door to appear. It never did. In fact, the next month, he spent every second awake expecting it to appear and being almost disappointed when it didn’t. 

It appeared again, in much the same way it had the first time, while Danny was star gazing. 

That’s why, now, knowing the rules (or rather what few rules he could tell from this side of the door), Danny was determined to follow through. None of his questions would be answered just waiting for the door to appear or not appear, nor would they be answered by spending time staring at it and studying it from the outside. 

He needed to go through.

The brass knob was cold against his palm, and it turned easily. The click of the mechanism was loud in the night’s quiet. He held his breath. He opened the door.

There was no resistance when it swung open. Almost the opposite, in fact, like it had been waiting for an excuse. The soft purple light that had teased the edges of the door was much closer to a deep, swirling purple that looked almost like mist and obscured the path forward. 

But Danny wasn’t scared. 

He was curious. 

He stepped through, and heard the door close softly behind him. Just like in a horror movie really, and exactly like the stories his mother told him, warning him of monsters and things from the other side. 

It didn’t matter anymore, if he’d made the right choice. He’d made his choice and there was only one path to take. Danny walked into the mists and kept walking.

No more than an hour could have passed, but it felt like much longer. Time seemed to stretch along with the endless path, and Danny hadn’t come any closer to the answers he wanted. 

He sighed. “Hello? Is anyone here?” he tried calling out, to no avail. 

This was turning out to be a waste of a trip. With all the cryptic warnings, he’d hoped it wouldn’t be boring at the very least, yet here he was. The only difference between this and one of Sam’s ‘nature hikes’ was that Danny couldn’t see anything through the damned purple mist.

Or could he?

Danny squinted his eyes, catching something moving just to his left. It was very much hidden, the deep purple of its cloak camouflaged perfectly against the swirling purples all around him. He took a step closer, off the path, and felt the air still around him.

A voice, haunting and deep, startled him. 

“A quick learner,” it said. 

Danny felt his mouth go dry. There was actually someone here, someone that might not be human. Someone that could summon a door into a kids room for half a decade waiting for them to open it. 

Someone who might have answers.

Danny stepped closer, and the mist seemed to gather, catching on itself and folding into a physical shape. The hooded figure. Danny forced himself not to blink. It felt like anything was possible, that if he looked away, he’d miss too much to make sense of it later. 

The hooded figure turned to him and beckoned with one gloved hand, the other holding a twisting, intricate staff covered in shapes and symbols Danny couldn’t quite make out. Danny didn’t step any closer.

It was clear this man wasn’t human, or at the very least hadn’t been for some time. The only thing Danny could see hidden under the cloak was an old clock. But even then, Danny couldn’t tell whether it was something he was wearing on his chest or if it simply was his chest and there was nothing else.

“You’re still cautious, even now when you’ve already made your decision?” the figure asked. “Did you not seek an answer to your curiosity?”

Danny frowned. This whatever-it-was knew more than he was comfortable with. Had he been watching from the other side? How? Is that why the door only appeared when it did? Why couldn’t he just open the door and step out if his goal was to spirit Danny away like in the stories? 

There were just so many questions, and Danny still didn’t have any answers. 

“Do you actually have any answers or are you just going to eat me?” he asked, growing irritated. It had been a long night, made longer by his fruitless walk, and it was starting to affect his temper.

Instead of answering, the figure lowered his arm, tilting his head to the side. “If you thought I was going to eat you, why did you come through the door? You’ve been very good at ignoring it so far.” 

“Yeah see,” Danny said, throwing up his hands, “that kind of stuff only makes you sound more creepy and suspicious, you know! If your goal is child eating you should set up, idk a candy house or something. Pretend to be a grandma, I hear that works wonders provided you stay out of your own oven.”

The figure laughed. It sounded, off, not like a noise Danny recognized, but more like a collage of sounds: a ticking clock chiming with heavy clanking clockwork all wrapped in canary song and it vibrated all the way through Danny from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. It filled the air around them much like the mist once did and Danny felt glee himself, caught up as he was.

He looked up desperately at the figure, trying to keep ahold of himself and how he truly felt, lost in the sudden sea of emotion. The figure’s cloak was bunched up, as if he was doubled over in laughter, his gloves clutching at his staff and the entire collection shaking with slight tremors.

The hood turned towards him, empty, and Danny’s panic spiked. The laughter stopped, and the figure stood once more, pulling the hood further down and hiding the nothingness underneath.

“I apologize,” he said, sincere. “It’s been some time since I’ve felt in such good humor, and you took me off guard. I hope you didn’t get too swept away?”

Danny, who was still definitely feeling the effects of the other’s laughter, shook his head no. “I’m alright. I just- what are you?”

“I am like Clockwork,” he answered readily. “Though the question you should be asking, Daniel, is what are you? That is a much more interesting answer.”

Disagreeing vehemently, Danny shook his head. Like Clockwork? Was that his name? Why he had a clock, er, was a clock? How did that work? What was he? Simply what his name implied? Something more? There were a billion and a half questions he wanted answers to that were more interesting than that. 

Then again, there had to be a reason he said it, right? “Okay Clockwork, I’ll bite. What am I?”

He could swear the thing smiled. “You are halfway there.”

[dragonologist-in-the-making]

You’re Here

Pairing: sirius x fem!reader

Summary: it’s sirius’ birthday, so the reader decides to finally confess their feelings.

a/n: eeeeee I’m back!! Sorry it was such a long break, I can’t promise this is a permanent return but it’s Sirius’ birthday today so I had to do a special fic for him xx hope you enjoy!!

wordcount: 2k

…

He sat in front of the fire, the warm glow from the dying flames flickering on his face, in a way that could easily enchant anybody who happened to be watching the scene. In fact, it already had. y/n was sat on the sofa, pretending to be engaged in the conversation happening around her as she couldn’t help but let her eyesight drift back to the raven haired boy sat in front of her. She’d noticed this starting to happen in their fifth year, and despite knowing what it meant and trying to push the feelings away, here she was in her last year of Hogwarts, still hopelessly in love with her best friend.

“Well, I think I’m going to head upstairs.” His soft voice entered the conversation, as he stretched and dragged himself off the floor, sleep clearly weighing his eyes down. The group of friends all wished him a goodnight and a brief silence settled over the common room as he left, leaving the group of four friends to sit with their thoughts for a second.

y/n sat with her knees pulled up, thinking of her friendship with Sirius, how close they had always been. She’d been part of the Marauders since that first day on the train, and had always loved the four of them, but she couldn’t help the pull she had to Sirius. Maybe how it was despite everything he’d been through with his family, he was never scared to be vulnerable around her. Maybe it was how no matter how many girls he kissed, he would save his brightest smiles for her, and would (and had) drop any of them the second she had said she needed him, no matter how insignificant an outsider might have thought the reason to be. Wrapped up in her thoughts, she felt her cheeks warming, a combination of the warmth from the fire and the warmth from her heart. However, when a voice finally broke through the silence, embarrassment won over, heating her cheeks more than anything had so far.

“Merlin, y/n, you look like a lost puppy. Can you both please just admit your feelings to each other so we can get past this.” She glared at James between her fingers, throwing a pillow with deadly aim, smirking as he squeaked in surprise. “I do mean it though, there’s nothing to lose.”

“He does talk about you constantly. It’s rather sweet, if you forget how annoying it is.” Remus piped up, putting a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. “You both know how the other feels, you’re just too scared to say it out loud, in case you cross a line you can’t go back on.”

“And this middle ground won’t stop things from going south, if you never talk about it.” Peter added as the boys began to collect their things, clearly going to join their dormmate and retire for the evening. As they all said their goodnights, y/n sat alone thinking over their words, a plan forming in her mind as she glanced out the window at the glistening October sky.

…

She sat at her desk, November 2nd, folding the parchment once the ink had dried, sealing it and carefully writing his name on the front. She waited in the common room, heart racing as the fire died beside her, up much later than was healthy, but determined, the anxiety helping to keep her awake as she waited for the elves. Finally they came, and with a kind smile and a little pleading, they promised to take the letter from her and leave it and the end of Sirius’ bed, amongst the pile of presents that was undoubtedly there for when he woke up. She smiled to herself, glad that so far everything had seemed to go smoothly, and went back to her dorm to try and sleep, feeling finally that good things were on their way.

Sirius woke up to the cheers and whoops of the boys, singing a badly harmonised happy birthday tune. He laughed, sitting up and reaching to start opening his presents, knowing the harassment would only end when he had done so. He spotted a letter with his name on it in familiar handwriting, one for sure he knew hadn’t been there when he had gone to sleep the night before, and quickly slipped it under his pillow, deciding to read it when the boys weren’t watching his every move. He flew through the present opening, and soon enough his three friends were preoccupied in getting ready for their classes, giving him the spare few minutes he needed to inspect his most interesting present of all. He carefully unfolded the letter, his heart rate picking up as he spotted y/n’s handwriting and how carefully it had been written, free from the usual scribbles and splotches he saw when she wrote.

Siri,

Happy birthday, love, I know you were worried about today, with it being the first birthday since you moved in with the Potter’s, but today’s about you, and your real family are all here to celebrate with you, and for you, as you turn seventeen and start to think about life past graduation (with all of us by your side, of course). I know this is a slightly unconventional present, and I would appreciate it if you kept this a bit of a secret for the boys, for now at least.

I just wanted to say how proud I am of you. You’ve faced more than I could ever imagine and had to grow up so fast, but you’ve always been unwaveringly loyal to your friends, considerate and kind throughout it all, truly striving to become the opposite of who you were raised to be. I’m so, so, glad that you took my hand that day on the platform, bringing me into your carriage on the train. I couldn’t picture a life without you, and sometimes I forget just how insanely lucky I am to have you around. Believe that, because I know you’re feeling sceptical right now, but I mean it. You’re phenomenal in every way.

Y/n sat at the table in the great hall, eating a pancake and sipping on her tea trying to push down her nerves waiting for the marauders to come and join her as they did every morning. Hopefully, Sirius would have read the letter by now, and she could have some closure either way. Preferably not one way, though. She heard them before she saw them, the loud laughs bouncing through the Entrance Hall, recognisable to anyone in the school. Despite her nerves, she couldn’t help but smile as they walked in, enthusiastically waving to her as they walked over, sitting down in their usual seats. Some of the tension dropped from her shoulders as Sirius sat next to her, gracing her with a smile.

“Happy birthday, Siri.” She smiled, heart catching as his fingers grazed hers under the table. Was it intentional? “Get any nice presents this morning?” She hinted, hoping she could keep up the façade if everything crumbled around her. To her glee, his smile stretched a little wider, a glint in his eye she knew, one that meant he was keeping a secret. Luckily, she was in on it too.

“Couldn’t have asked for anything better.” He smiled, staring straight at her, winking quickly before turning away and filling his plate up with food. She grabbed his hand more firmly under the table, feeling her confidence grow even more when he squeezed it back. She smiled down at her plate, barely believing this could be happening. The rest of breakfast passed in a blur and soon they were heading their separate ways to classes. With one last birthday wish, y/n and Sirius were dragged away from each other, more reluctant than ever before to be anywhere but at each other’s side.

I also wanted to thank you. You’ve never failed to be there for me, whenever I’ve needed you, without having to say a thing. You make me laugh impossibly hard, to the point where I can’t breath and my sides hurt almost constantly. You have a way of twisting anything into something positive and you truly make me believe you when you tell me that things will work out okay. I think in part, I believe they will be okay, because it’s you. With you, everything is okay. In fact, okay is a major understatement. With you, everything is perfect and right.

After dinner, an hour full of more stolen glances and secret hand-holding, y/n had urged the boys upstairs while she carried onto the seventh floor, pacing in front of the tapestry until a door appeared. She walked across the room lightly, trying to focus as she decorated but her thoughts kept drifting back to a certain man, and even though she was fairly sure of the outcome, she couldn’t help but keep the nerves at bay.

You’ve always been the best of friends to me Siri. But if I’m being honest, for a long time now you’ve also been so much more than that. When I’m with you I can feel truly safe, like no matter what happens it can’t touch me because you’re there and you dull everything else. I would be lying if I said I was indifferent to your charms. You’re utterly gorgeous, and my heart flutters when you give me that brilliant smile, the one that I know you save just for me, the one that makes me fall a little harder every time I see it. Your touch is electric, nothing else can be simultaneously so adrenaline-sparking and so comforting. I love the fact that you learned to braid hair for me now that Lily’s all busy with James. Sirius, I love you.

And unless I’m horribly mistaken, I think you love me too. Our friends seem to think so. So tonight, I’ll be in the Room of Requirement with some music, waiting for a dance. If you don’t show, I completely understand, and I won’t bring this up again. But if you feel the same, I hope this was a good enough birthday present for you to.

Yours, if you’ll have me,

Y/n

She finished lighting the last candle, hearing the door handle turn behind her, and the soft creek of the old door opening. She turned, seeing him stood there, the letter in his hand, usual confident aura gone in favour of one that was utterly relaxed. Her face broke out into a breath-taking grin and she bounced forward the few steps that it took to close the gap, straight into his open arms.

“You’re here.” She breathed, finally feeling all the tension and the nerves leave as she admired him, eyes searching his for any trace of doubt and finding none.

“Of course I’m here, there’s no where else I’d want to be.” He smiled, stuttering her heart. “Thank you for the letter, I’ll cherish it forever.” His hand moved to cup her jaw, as the other stayed circled around her waist. She couldn’t do anything but stare at him, completely enthralled in the moment, lost in him. The record playing softly changed to a new tune, and Sirius slowly began to sway the two of them, moving ever so minimally to the beat of the music, neither able to look away from the other.

“I’ll write more.” She broke the silence, “I’ll write them forever as long as you enjoy them. I’ll give you everything I can.”

“I only need your heart. That’s already more than I could imagine.”

“It’s been yours for a long time. Keep it, I like the way you love it.”

“I do,” he breathed out, watching her eyebrows furrow slightly in confusion. “I love it. I love you, y/n.”

He leaned in closer, seeming to hesitate for a moment, looking into her eyes, seeming to ask permission. She nodded, maybe too eagerly, eliciting a laugh from him as her eyes fluttered closed and he pressed his lips to hers, slowly and softly moving together before they broke apart again.

“Happy birthday, love.” She smiled, leaning in again as the dance was all but forgotten.

[wthcew]

JayTim, flirting, falling in love and cuddles and JJ Tim who gor adopted by Harley and Ivy pretty please??

Sweetie, you just jumped on my train of JJ fics, I hope you don't mind that I added a little bit of smut

I'm so sorry it took me that long to write it, I hope you like it!

_____________________________________________

30 days

_____________________________________________

The first time he heard about it he was under the ground. He felt like he was choking, his helmet somewhere unknown and with it his communication with Oracle. He isn't talking to B (not after he chose the fucking Joker over him) but he does help Nightwing sometimes, and oh, did he wished right now that he would have never let Dick in his safehouse.

Nightwing and Red Hood were about to bust a drag ring, but the thing is, it was an ambush, so now they're both under ground, Hood's leg impaled to the ground by an iron pillar from one of the walls that exploded and that they're buried under, his helmet in an unknown place and 'wing trying to call for help.

Jason tried to slow his breath but being under ground is bringing back bad memories (He can't breathe, he's locked, and all he want right now is his dad-) of being six feet under and he's hysterical- because everything is hurting and broken and half his face are burned and he can't breathe so please, please he just want his dad, "please dad come save me"-

He's so gone into his mind, letting his panic control him that he's flinching away when Dick touching his shoulder, but it's pulling him out of his head (and just when did the tears started to spill out of his eyes?), and Dick is looking at him, the whites lenses of his domino mask are gone and instead Jason's getting those blue eyes that are full with concern.

"It's okay Jay" Dick smiled at him, a small smile that somehow made Jason believe that it's okay. "B and baby bat are on their way right now," Dick's hand found Jason's and he squeezed it in reassuring. Jason returned the squeeze. "We will be fine"

...

"Did someone ever told you about the kid who almost killed Joker?" Dick asked after couple minutes of silence, when Jason's breath is under control and he isn't so much as hysterical as he was couple of minutes before.

Jay turned his head to Dick, "No" his voice was hoarse, too hoarse for his own ears but Dick didn't seems to mind, he just nodded his head and smiled softly at him.

"He was thirteen years old back then, Joker took him, when Babs still was Batgirl" And at that moment Dick's comn beeped and after five minutes they were out of the ground, Bruce and Damian next to Dick, checking if he's fine while Jason took his helmet, the hole in his leg isn't that bad and when Dick looking at him the Red Hood already swing away.

_____________________________________________

The second time he heard about it was because he wanted to, he was curious and he wanted to know what happened to the kid, what made a thirteen years old kid almost kill the Joker.

So, he was on his couch, his leg bandaged and a cup of hot tea on the coffe table, his laptop open and working and the reading lamp's orange light made his shadow look like some villain from kids cartoon.

It's hard to find anything about it but he is (A bat) Red Hood, if he wants to he'll find out what happened back then. And he want to.

So Jason cracked his fingers and started to work.

The seconds became to minutes that became to hours of work and clicking on his keyboard, it's hard to find anything because apparently this whole story is shushed and all Jason gathered until now came from a video of the news report and all they said there was that Joker broke out of Arkham and decided he wanted a son, kidnapped some unlucky kid and deleted the boy's personality with electrical shocks until he becamed Joker Junior, and then he kept torturing the kid until the Batman and Batgirl found the kid, broken minded and holding a gun to Joker's head.

It was quite the story, but Jason didn't know what happened later, who the kid was or what happened to him.

But he will, just to know if the kid's okay. Or to ask why he hadn't pulled the trigger..

So he kept digging, looking for anything that may conect to the story. And that's how Jason found himself reading article about Jack and Jent Drake disowning their only child Tim Drake. The kid was only thirteen back then, and all he took before he took off from the face of earth was a stuffed Kola and a camra.

And it may be his curiosity about this because he don't remember the kid and apparently they were neighbors or the JJ thing but he knows that he'll find Tim Drake.

_____________________________________________

Jent Drake died two years after she disowned Tim in a car crash, her husband got depressed and started looking for Tim to reown him but then he met Dana Winters.

There was some love story there that Jason wasn't really that interested in reading but in the end they married and left Gotham, never coming back. And the most annoying thing is, that Tim was never found.

But he did found out that there was some kid that helped Harley and Ivy sometimes, he had a faded red hoodie and faded green jeans.

The hoodie's hat always hiding his face and from the little Jason saw, his skin was more white than normal human skin.

Jason couldn't find a lot of photos of the kid but he did find one of Harley hugging the kid.

Jason looked at the photo, it was fuve years old, when Tim desperate and all the JJ thing happened. The way he held himself was familiar to Jason, something deep in his mind, memories that he couldn't remember, but it was there, and Jason knows that this Tim kid is JJ who is also somehow Harley's kid.

_____________________________________________

"I need your help"

"Oh that's nice, what aby 'hey Babs, how was your day? Did Dick pissed you off and going to sleep on the couch tonight? Can you please help me with this thing?'"

Jason smiled, shifting the phone that was pressed against his ear "What did Dick did?"

"He was a dick"

"How was your day?"

"What did you wanted help with Jay?"

"Clown boy"

"Hmm?"

"Joker Junior"

A sharp breath "What about him?"

"You know who he is?"

"We found him after he took a dip in the acid, and he was dressed like the Joker, too much make up, green hair, purple suit, couldn't recognise him"

"But you know don't you?"

"Batman doesn't know"

"Well you're Oracle not Batman. It's simple question O, you know? Yes or no?"

"I know"

"I think I know too"

"Who do you think it is?"

"Tim Drake"

"..Yes it's him"

"Why didn't you told Bruce?

"He's a good kid"

"He's with Harley now"

"Tim isn't bad"

"Babs, if he's Joker Junior and he's with Harley he can't be that good"

"Jay, Harley and Ivy gave me the tip to find him and Harley took him in after his parents disowned him, he may be stilling sometimes or helping Harley and Ivy but he is good"

"You kept tabs on him?"

"He's smart, he may have lost a lot of his memories because of the Joker and he is crazy but he have support"

"Does Bruce know you're helping hiding him?"

"No, and he wouldn't. Not until Tim decided that it's fine"

"You're in contact?"

"We're just talking, I'm sending him puzels and riddles and it's helping him keep clean mind"

"Can I talk to him?"

"I can't tell you where he is but I also can't stop you from doing this"

"Thank you Babs"

"Not a problem Jaybird"

_____________________________________________

It was a week later that Jason walked into a small unnoticed coffee shop.

The design of the place gave him a feeling of happiness, like it was some kind of home.

He looked through everyone there, couple next to the window, three old ladies sitting in a table for four, chatting and laughing, couple of collage students sitting with something to eat and something warm to drink and typing on their laptops, and on the farthest side of the coffee shop, in a table for two, sat a teen, his hands paler than any human skin, his long hair hiding his face, a coffee cup in front of him and his legs shacking.

"Hello! Can I help you?" A cheerful voice called from the cashier desk, he put on a smile on his face and turned to see a black haired girl, with a big smile on her face.

"Yeah, do you have Eral Gray?"

"We do! Anything else with this?"

"No, thank you"

"Okay, just a minute"

When he got his cup he paid the girl murmuring a "Thank you" and walking to Tim.

When he sat down in front of the teen, icy blue eyes looked at his face, and his breath hitched when he saw the little cuts on at each end of his mouth, creating a smile.

"Hey" Jason said, smiling at Tim.

"Hey.." Tim's voice almost didn't reached his ears and Jason's smile grew wider when Tim smiled at him. A shy little amazing smile.

"I'm Jason"

"T-Tim"

"Nice to meet you"

"Why are you here?"

"I wanted tea"

"You aren't scared?" Tim's eyes looked a bit insane when he said the last word, his smile grew wider and he leaned closer to the table. The cuts on his face and his pale skin made him look like Joker but there was also something else there, something in his eyes that said 'Pleas don't be scared' and Jason swallowed and forced his nerves to calm down.

"No, you actually seems nice"

Tim blinked once.

Twice.

And then his smile became nicer, less dangerous and more shy. He relaxed and took a sip from his coffee.

Jason smiled, sipping from his own cup while making a note in his head to be careful with this one.

They drank a couple more cups together, chatting about nothing in particular and when Tim excused himself and left, Jason found a paper next to the cup.

He opened it because of his dammed curiosity and bis breath hitched.

'Ha ha ha'

_____________________________________________

It was in the middle of the night, the streets lamps flickered on and off every couple of seconds, and the stars were hidden in the sky, behind the clouds.

His parents just left the town. Without telling him. Again. And it's fine, he can't be mad at his parents for leaving him -he is, like his mother says, rotten child- all the time.

But sometimes he wonders if he'll ever be good enough for them to stay. If he'll ever be good enough so his mother wouldn't need to hiss his name through clench teeth and his father to hit him.

Maybe he would never be good enough..

In those nights when he wonders about it, he goes to a walk. It's always makes him calm and shuts his mind down. It's leaving him with the feeling of wholenesses, like some how the wind that hit his body in cold sharp hit is welcoming, or the cold of the night is like his stuffed Kola -the one he got from Bruce Wayne In a gala that his parents hosted when he was four and since then he hides it from his parents and hugging it when he need comfort- or like the silence out here is better than the silence inside the empty house.

And maybe, just maybe hr would see his heros.

And as Tim kept walking he could barely hear this cursed laugh, followed by the soft like song-

Mary had a little lamb

Little lamb, little lamb

Mary had a little lamb...

"Cutie pie?" His mama's voice rang, it was muffled but it was still there. "I'm hearing laughing, it's a good joke?"

A knock on his door "Sweetheart?" His laugh grew and his eyes burned, tears dropping from his eyes.

"Timmy?"

He hugged his legs to his chest, laughing and crying and this song is stuck in his head and he can't stop it and-

"Mary had a little lamb"

Mama's hands are around him, hugging him and petting his hair "Shhh shh shh, everything's fine baby, I'm here"

He can't breathe and the song is on full volume in his head but mama's here and mama is safety, she's safety. He's safe. Safe

_____________________________________________

"What the hell were you thinking?" Oracle's voice rang through the comn in his helmet.

"You need to be more specific than that O"

"Tim blocked me, Selina is mad at Bruce because one of his kids hurt her niece, Harley and Tim are nowhere to be found and Selina and Ivy are planning something"

"I didn't hurt Tim and I don't know why you told ma all the other stuff"

"Hood, Tim's smart, maybe too much smart but his mind is broken, he's crazy and genius"

"Okay and..?"

"He wants to go -and I’m quoting him- Boom he always wanted everyone to know that he's Harley's kid, and I always made him take more time, think about it more the fact that he blocked me means that I can't tell him to sit back anymore"

"You can remove it though"

"I did, and he just throw his phone away"

"So I broke him?"

"No, Joker broke him you just set him off"

"Shit"

"Yes. Shit"

_____________________________________________

"Wohhooo" Was shout out to the sky as Tim set in shopping cart, Harley -in her rollerblades- holding the handles of the cart, and they're both 'driving' down a road, laughing.

The air hit Tim's face in the best way he could have ever imagined and he laughed so hard that his cheedk burned, and maybe he ripped his stiches oncr again today but he dosen't care.

He is happy. So, so happy, like he was with this hot guy in the coffee shop, before his meltdown.

But right now, right now it's all this.

His mama and him, having fun, his mom and aunty kitty somewhere doing her own thing and everything's okay.

He laughed again as they started to speed up, the wind throwing his hair in any direction possible.

After a few minutes they cane to a stop, his mama's smile is so loving and he hopes that his smile is loving as well.

"Come on sweetie, let's do it" Harley smiled as she gave him the lighter, he jumped out of the cart and lit the lighter, his eyes sparking as the fire started spreading.

Tim and Harley walked away because they're crazy not stupid.

There faces lit up as the fireworks blew and flew to the sky.

Harley hugged him from behind and he relaxed into his mama's touch, watching the fireworks becoming to words that are shining over Gotham's sky.

30 days

_____________________________________________

"Hey Hoodie" A cheerful voice called from behind him.

Red Hood turned around, a gun in his hand just to be met with Tim's lovely smile.

"Chill, chill" The teen said, holding his hands up "I'm not going to hurt you"

"What do you want?" Hood asked, lowering his gun.

"We have never met have we?" Tim said, his smile calm

"I don't think so"

"No, but I did met Robin"

"So you met the Demon"

Tim frowned "No. The second one."

"Don't know him"

"Red Hood can't meet Robin II"

"And why's that?"

"Robin II's dead, dad killed him" Tim shock his head "I don't like dad, I liked Robin II and dad did it because it's funny. It's not!"

Tim looked so frustrated, his eyes big and he's looking at Jason like he hope that he would understand that and, something in Jason change, his face are softer under the helmet and-

"Okay Tim, I know you aren't the Joker."

"I didn't met *you* but we did met, I know Robin and I know Jason and now I know Red Hood?"

"You know who I am"

"No, no no no!" Tim looked him straight in the eyes, like he could see his face behind the helmet "You're Red Hood now, you were Robin and you always were Jason but now you Red Hood, I don't know Red Hood!"

"Okay, okay, relax, you don't know Red Hood, that's fine"

"I need to know Red Hood"

"Why?"

"Because I need Red Hood to help me"

"You need help?"

"Yes"

"Okay, but why Red Hood?"

"Because.. Ummm because- Because of Dad! I need Red Hood to help me kill dad"

To kill.. the Joker.

To kill the Joker.

The Joker dead.

'Yes'

"I would help you, Red Hood and Jason, okay?"

Tim nodded "Yeah, okay."

The sky started to glow and they both looked up, looking at fireworks that formed

29 days

_____________________________________________

It was so logical and simple that Jason almost laugh.

He sat next to Tim in some small safehouse, looking at Tim up and down as he was solving Sudoku.

They're waiting for the others to decide exactly who will go in and kill this son of a bitch and aho will make sure that everyone else will be present in that day.

They are waiting for Tim's small family, and Jason smiled at the thought of this family, he once had one and then he died and he was replaced by Stephanie Brown who is now Batgirl so they're fine now. But he doesn't have this family now, all he have are some blurred memories.

Tim let out a little "Yay" with a cute, small giggle that made Jason smile.

"Hey!" Tim suddenly said, looking at Jason with big eyes, Jason looked around him, trying to find something that would make Tim look panoco "What-"

"Are you hurt?" Tim's voice was soft and caring and Jasom heart might have skipped a beat, "No?"

"Than why do you have split lip and bruise on your jaw?"

"I've got into a fight, it's not serious" But Tim was there in seconds, his worry eyes looking at Jason's jaw and just wow- Jason swallowed the lump in his throat when Tim's slender finger touched his lip and-

"I've the best thing to help!" Tim pulled away and his finger caressed Jason's lip in a way that made Jason hold his breath.

And in the next moment Tim putted a chocolate bar in his hand, smiling at him "It help!" He said and Jason huffed a laugh, mentally shacking his head.

"Thanks Timmy" Jason said an smile on his face, opening the chocolate and cutting a line.

It was milk chocolate with pop candy and it was amazing, Jason hummed as he ate it, looking at Tim solving a new sudoku.

After the meeting (if it even can be called that) Jason took the rest of the chocolate bar, just to have something sweet after patrol tonight.

_____________________________________________

Jason stripped from his Red Hood gear, stretching his hands out and poping his back.

He took a quick shower and pulled on a sweat pants and grey hoodie from the deep of his closest 'Maybe it's time to do the laundry'.

Jason smiled as the sky were lit in 25 Days and turned the lamp off.

His lip tickled as some kind of reminder that Tim touched him there, he looked so worried and that just warmed Jason's heart.

And that amazing chocolate- maybe he will have to get hurt more just to have it.

He closed hid eyes, ready to fall asleep and then it hit him-

Oh.

Oh.

Oh shit.

He- he have a crush.

_____________________________________________

The sun was in the middle of the sky when Jason woke up, blinking into the darkness because the blinds are close.

He groaned as he stretched his body, still in the bed under the warmth of the fluffy blanket. The sleepiness still has her claws clutching on him and made Jason wonder why the hell his bed isn't as comfy whenever he's trying to sleep but is when he tries to wake up.

He almost fell asleep again, but the *Bam! Bam! Bam!* on his door made him jolt up from the bed, the gun that he hides between the mattress and the bed in his hand, walking to the living room without making a sound, looking through the peep hole.

He huffed in relief, opening the door looking at Dick who smiled at him. "You woke me up you asshole"

"Sorry little wing" But Dick didn't sounded sorry at all and that just made him groan.

Jason followed Dick to the kitchen after Dick let himself in, the door closing behind them.

"What are you doing here?"

"I can't visit my little brother?"

"Not your brother" Jason turned around to the pantry to take out a tea bag just when Dick flinched from the words as if they're physically harming him.

"You're my brother, even if you don't see it like that"

"Dick."

"No! You're my brother, I count you as my brother" Dick snap and Jason would lie if he said that that didn't touched his heart, even if it's not true because in the end Dick have his new little brother and also a sister and it's really is fine that Jason isn't part of his family. It is.

So he didn't reply to it, just let Dick think what he wants to. "Do you want to tell me why you actually came or what?" He asked as he started to boil water.

"I wanted to talk to you"

"About?"

"You said you'd this case, how's it going?"

Jason took the teapot off the gas, pouring the hot water to his glass, "I didn't told anyone that I've a case"

"Well no but Babs told me"

"Babs don't know, and she would have asked if she wanted to know" Jason took a sip from his cup and turned around to glare at the older man "What it really is about?"

"Bruce saw you with Harley and Ivy and their kid and he wants to know what you all doing"

Jason saw red for a moment and them took a calming breath, a long sip from his tea and walked his way toward the island, putting his mug down and glaring at his so called brother.

"So you're here on a mission?" His voice was cold and full with venom.

"N-no!"

Jason raised an eyebrow "You just said it"

"I don't care what B wanted, I came for my brother"

"Damian isn't here"

"Jason!"

"What? You want me to say that you didn't came because Bruce said something on me? You don't want to know what I'm doing with Harley, Ivy and their kid? Ah? That's what you're telling me?"

"I-"

"Ha! And you just said we're brothers!"

"We are Jason"

"No! You have your own little family, I'm not part of it, never was!"

"You are! You always were and you always will be!"

And at that moment Jason saw green, throwing his mug down on the island, the shatterd flew everywhere and the hot water started to drip down to the floor.

And as a last resort Dick yelled "TIM DRAKE!"

It made Jason blink, and look at Dick, "What did you just said?"

"Tim Drake, it's this boy Joker kidnapped, Harley and Ivy's kid"

"How do you know this?"

"Well, family of detectives and all"

"What do you want?"

"Is he threating you?"

"What? No!"

"Jay, you can tell me the truth"

"Oh I can?"

"Yes, of course!"

"Okay so fuck off"

"Wh-what?"

"The truth is that I want you to fuck off and don't ever come back. Bye."

"..Jay.."

"I'll throw you out of the window"

"Okay, okay. But.."

"Go!" _____________________________________________

Tim sat on an air conditioner motor that was on the roof of a building, his legs tangling down, one shoe red with zigzag lines on it and the other one yellow with glitters. His pants in a fading green colour and a black-blue t-shirt. And Jason just looked, glad that his helmet hiding his face as a stupid smile crossed his face.

"Hoodie hood!" Tim's cheerful voice made Jason's smile wider, and Tim pushed himself of the air conditioner motor, when his feet touched the roof his yellow shoe started to sparkle with light, like little kids shoes.

"Hey clown kid" Tim smiled, something sweet and beautiful that made butterflies fly in Jason's belly.

"I don't like this helmet today" Tim said, his hands touching lightly at the sides of the red helmet.

"And why's that?"

"I can't see your hair. I love your hair!"

Jason smiled, Tim was just... just.

"Thanks baby clown, I love your hair too"

"Baby clown?"

"Yup"

"I like it"

"Good"

Tim took Jason's hand in his and started walking them to the air conditioner motor.

They both sat down, Tim's hands now in his lap and Jason opened his helmet, setting it next to him.

Tim looked at him, his blue icy eyes glinted and a small smile on his face. Jason looked right back at him, the blue-green eyes looking like some amazing place that kids are being told about in fairy tales.

Jason don't know who moved first, or what exactly happened. All he knows is that Tim is sitting in his lap, Tim's hands in his hair and Jason hugging him close. There mouths pressing against each other's. Tim's mouth have this amazing chocolate taste, a hint of coffee and Tim.

In the dark sky above of them, the fireworks draw the 18 days.

_____________________________________________

Jason is happy. Like really truly happy. He couldn't stop smiling this stupid love sick smile since the kiss.

He met Tim every patrol and those small kiss were the best, 10/10 would definitely do again.

Tim's cute and smart and he seems to really like Jason which is amazing because Jason really like him too.

None of the Bats came to annoy him, and everything is just amazing. For once in his life everything is just good.

His grapple gun shot to the next building and the cold wind never felt better. As Red Hood's boots hit the roof a "Hey there, love bird" greeted him.

"Cat," He called back, doing a small '*hi*' with his hand "'sup?"

"We need to talk"

"About?"

"Tim"

Jason sat next to her, his legs tangling down from the roof, "You here to give me the talk?"

"Not the talk you think about, I'll that to his moms"

"Then what talk?"

"Are you serious with him?"

"For now.. for now yes" he said with a bit hesitation.

Selina nodded "That's good for me"

"Thank you?"

"You're welcome sweetie, anyway you nrrd to be careful with Timmy"

"I know that, I wasn't born yesterday Cat"

She huffed a laugh, "Oh I know that sweetie, but you still need to know about Tim's past"

"Isn't he supposed to tell me about it? In his own time?"

"He will, I'm going to tell you only things that he won't because it's a trigger for him"

"The torture?"

"Yes, the torture, and what lead to his kidnapping, and it'll give you an idea yo what his parents were like"

Jason looked at her in the eyes, seriousness burns in them. "Okay, let's hear the story" _____________________________________________

His parents left again, it has been hours since the screaming stopped, his cheeks were wet from tears and his eyes red.

He was hiding in the closet, his hands holding his stuffed Kola close, his left arm is numb except for the cut on it, but it's a small cut and he deserved it. He isn't supposed to talk back to his father.

The dry blood on his arm itched and he needs to treat the cut, but he don't want to move. The closest is a safe place because mother and father can't get in.

New tears slipping down his face and he hugs the Kola tighter.

_____________________________________________

When Tim woke up his neck hurt and his left arm felt like a million fire ants stung her.

He opened the closest door, stumbling out of there holding the Kola in one hand, dropping it on his bed and walking to the bathroom, pulling the first aid kit from under the sink, treating his wound with a hiss of pain.

A quick glance out of the window and he knows it's in the middle of the night, and his parents were supposed to stay home for more couple of days but once again they just left the town. Without telling him. Again. And it's fine, he can't be mad at his parents for leaving him -he is, like his mother says, rotten child- all the time.

But he doesn't have something to do now, and his arm's fine, he can go out and see Batman, and maybe Robin too. Though Robin isn't around a lot now, maybe something happened... _____________________________________________

The streets lamps flickered on and off every couple of seconds, and the stars were hidden in the sky, behind the clouds.

The cold wind hit him merciless, but it just made him smile, he loves the winter. It always made him feel better with himself.

His camera clutched in his hands, his black stocking cap falling on his eyes every couple of minutes, and yes it may be annoying but it's also letting him something to do, because tonight he can't find Batman...

What the hour anyway? Maybe he's late and Batman's back in the cave...

And then he could hear it, some quiet voice singing.. Maybe a kid.. What if the kid need help?

"Hello?' he called out, moving closer to the voice, he can hear the words now.

"Mary had a little lamb Little lamb, little lamb Mary had a little lamb..." _____________________________________________

He cried out, pain strobes through all hid body, tears on his face and blood run down his chine and neck

This psycho laugh making him shiver and try to run away. This hateful song in the background..

And this voice.. "Come on Little Lamb, be a good son for little old me, and tell me. What's. Your. Name?"

"T-Tim"

He screamed as he got electriced again. _____________________________________________

He is shacking, scared out of his mind, tears rolling down his face. And it doesn't stop.

He can barely breathe, the electrical shock isn't stopping. And Tim is honest to God scared.

He don't know what's next to come, he can't actually believe it's happening and everything- everything hurt.

He can feel himself leaving his body, his heart- _____________________________________________

He woke up, everything is hurting again and the fucking Joker is looking at him, this psychotic smile on his face-

"Welcome back my Little Lamb"

-And this horrible song again

"Mary had a little lamb Little lamb, little lamb Mary had a little lamb..." _____________________________________________

"What's your name?"

"Tim!" _____________________________________________

"What's. Your. Name?"

"Ti-" _____________________________________________

"Your name?"

He don't even* know *anymore, and it's really frustrating... _____________________________________________

He is laughing. A manic good laugh. Happy laugh.

He's happy because he remembers who he is and it's funny- why did he forgot anyway?

"What's your name?"

"JJ!" _____________________________________________

He laughed as his dad cut his face open do he'll always smile. He laughed as dad throw him to the acid. He laughed as dad painted his hair.

He laughed and he laughed, and laughed and laughed-

But it's not funny anymore- dad isn't here and his hair is black... JJ scowled at the mirror, dad don't like his hair black. He like green. Yes, green hair and purple suit, and red- red, red, red blood. And it's funny- everything funny so hr laughs, but the mirror- The shattered glass flew everywhere and it's so funny that he can't stop laughing-

"Timothy!" Mother's standing by the door, she looks horrified.. it's not funny anymore- it's not-

He can't breathe, he stumbles backwards, tears rolling down his face and he. Can't. Stop. Laughing. _____________________________________________

One night he heard his mother and father talking. It's not fine, but what is fine anymore? He's finally Tim but he's also JJ and it's so confusing.

"I can't look at him anymore Jack, he is pathetic!"

"I know Janet, don't worry"

Tim chokes a whimper. _____________________________________________

The next week Ivy and Harley found Tim trying to drown himself and took him in... _____________________________________________

Jason took in a deep breath, his eyes wet and his heart ache for his little clown.

"It's..."

Catwoman gave him a small smile, "A lot? I know. Those are once of the memories Tim still have"

"I'm- I can't even-" Cat smiled at him and squeezed his shoulder.

The words 13 Days shined in the sky above them.

_____________________________________________

"Hood" Oracle's voice filled his helmet.

"O, how many times do I need to ask you not to hack my helmet?"

Oracle completely ignored him "How's Tim been?"

Jason swallow, he forgot that Babs is actually one of those people who really care about Tim (and him. Because Babs amazing).

"He's been good, happy" Just like Jason. It's like they feel the same thing. He can see Babs smile in his mind at that, like something changed in the weather just because of what he said, and it pulled a smile in his face.

"That's good, how are you?"

"Same as Tim"

And now he can hear her smile when she talks "I'm happy to hear that."

"How are you O? Does Dick head annoying you? 'cuz I can beat him if you need"

O snorted, "Two days sleeping on the sofa and he'll be begging for my forgiveness"

Jason laughed. And they kept talking about nothing for two more minutes, before Babe had to go.

And that's when Jason shot his grapple to another roof and went flying in the sky, the feeling of happiness all over his body.

But it all stopped when hr heard it.

It came straight out of his nightmares, something from his deepest fears.

This manic laugh. Joker's laugh.

And no just no. Thete's no way this stupid fucker got out again.

He dropped to the ground with a thud sound, looking for the fucker but instead seeing a group of teenagers, kicking someone on the ground.. someone who couldn't stop laughing like the Joker and his heart stopped beating for a second when he realised who it is.

A shot noise ripped through the air and the teens stopped, looking back at the red hood holding a gun at one of them.

All he needed to do wad to say "Go. Away" and the teens ran away, leaving Tim on the ground, hugging his legs to his chest, blood and tears mixed together on his face, and he couldn't breathe because the laughing wouldn't stop.

Jason hurried to him, helping him to sit up and uncurl himself, unable to look over Tim's face since he wouldn't let him.

"Tim, sweetie, my baby clown," Jason kissed his cheek, hugging him close to him "It's me, remember? Red Hood"

And at that Tim's head moved, looking up at him. Eyes full of tears and his face twitched in this manic smile, blood dripping down from the now open cuts in his chicks to his chin.

"Timmy babe, can you hear me?" He received a small and hesitate nod that he took as yes.

"Can you give me your hands?" He asked, showing Tim his gloved hands. The smaller man put his hands in his, feeling the fabric.

Tim relaxed, his eyes fixed on the red helmet, the tears stopped rolling down his face.

The laughing quiet down a bit, but still were there.

"You remember me, right? We are friends, hell I'm hoping even more than friends"

Tim nodded, but Jason wasn't sure what he was agreeing with so he just kept talking.

"We have this amazing plan, because you are my little smarty boy right?"

Tim could take in a breath and that was good, he wasn't laughing anymore but he also didn't talk exactly, just watched Jason and every couple of seconds squeezed one of his hands (never the both of them together for some reason).

"Hell I even kissed you that night and it was the greatest thing in the whole world baby clown"

"No." Tim's tiny voice waved on the air.

"Hah?" If Tim didn't like Jason like that... It would be ok, he will be heart breaked for a few days but he would be fine at the end... Somehow.

"I kissed you" Tim said, looking at him with this witty little smile that Jason grew to love so much.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah" a small smile tug on Jason's lips, and their lips met. It was amazing just like the first time they kissed, and it sent sparkles down Jason's body.

And after a minute he let go, both of them taking deep breath.

"Come on baby clown, let's go to my home"

Tim took his hand and he pulled him up, hugging the smaller man.

The words 7 Days exploded in the sky exactly when they reached Jason's apartment.

_____________________________________________ 

Waking up with Tim by his side is amazing.

The smaller man was curled next to him, a hand clutching at the fabric of his shirt. The long black hair messed up but still so beautiful. Tim's face relaxed, a samll smile on his face.

Last night Jason gave him one of his own shirts, and the younger basically swam in the white shirt.

Jason looked at the paler than normal skin that was now available. It was in the same colour of the shirt.

He pulled Tim closer to him, kissing the beautiful man's forehead and closing his eyes.

Immediately going back to the welcoming blackness of sweat dreamless sleep. _____________________________________________

The next time he woke up was because Tim wasn't next to him.

Jason didn't know exactly why he woke up because of that, but the moment Tim's weight left his body his eyes snapped open, meating beautiful blue eyes.

Tim smiled at him, a sleepy smile. His hair a whole lot of mess and Jason's heart beated faster as he smiled back.

The sun was already in the middle of the sky and the clock on the wall said it was already one A.M.

"Mornin' Jay" Tim whispered.

"Morning baby clown" _____________________________________________

They ate together, silence surrounding them in the most comfortable way.

Jason couldn't exactly point it out but something about Tim made him.... just feel whole. Like he didn't felt since he woke up six feet deep.

Both of them were in Jason clothes and Jason found out that for some unknown reason, white looked better at pale skin.

And Tim.. Tim was the most beautiful human he saw. His blue eyes, his black long hair, and this perfect smile. Jason started asking what he fucking did right to get this angel. _____________________________________________

He didn't knew how it happened but Tim's hot wet mouth was on him and he was practically in heaven.

His hands gripped the black hair and pulled slightly, making Tim moan and himself gasping as the moans vibrate on him.

He was definitely in heaven and this angel between his legs was the most perfect thing to ever happen to him.

"Oh God" he said and moaned Tim's name, his legs shacking.

"Tim I'm about to-" and with that he came down Tim's throat, the angel swallowed it and looked him in the eyes, giving him this beautiful smile. And well, Jason might die happy this time around. _____________________________________________

This night he hugged Tim closed to him, the smaller man hugging him back.

Outside the words 6 Days colored the black sky with pink, green and yellow.

_____________________________________________

It was simple. Very simple, and Jason did it already so why the hell is he freaking out?

Harley and Ivy started a riot somewhere in the city while Catwoman helped them in Arkham and said that she's going to take care of the security. So from there they were alone.

And it wasn't like he didn't knew the plane by heart, it's just that it really is happening. He's going to kill the Joker. They're going to kill the Joker.

And it's not a dream. The mother fucking clown is going to laugh for the last time. _____________________________________________

Each floor has a minimum of two guards, thanks to Killer Croc Arkham was down six guards, so floors 1-3 only had one guard each during the day (Because Gotham’s criminals are all geniuses and think that night is the best time for a breakout).

So doubling up only happened at night on these floors until the guards either recovered or replacements were vetted and hired.

Floors 4-5 had double guards at all times and floor 6 was more storage and extra holding cells than anything else right now.

Thanks to Harley and Ivy's riot there weren't a lot of guards where they were, everyone waiting to catch the two. Catwoman didn't lied about helping them from afar as every door opened to them without problems. _____________________________________________

The elevator doors opened at the fourth floor, Jason noted that there weren't any guards around, wondering what Catwoman did as he heard the muffled noise of an alarm from the floor above them.

Jason walked to the guard station and peeked in to see two men slumped over and unconscious. From the looks of it they have been knocked out, 'help from afar ha?' he thought to himself, smiling a little. Looking over at Tim, the little clown being too quite for so long, the teen smiled, his skin somehow more pale than normal, and his gun at hand. Jason nodded to him and Tim did the peace sign.

They followed a hallway around behind the booth and came up on a large metal door. They waited couple of seconds and the door opened, revealing another hallway with another large metal door several yards down. There were three such doors in their's way and each one opened and closed behind them, making them closer and closer to the goal.

Jason paused and took a deep breath before the final door. This is it. This stupid clown is as good as dead. The door opened.

And there was the Joker, laying on a thin metal like bed that was bolted to the wall.

All that stood between them and the Joker was a wall of bulletproof wall with several inches thick with small round air holes cut evenly to allow air to flow into the (if it could even be called that) room.

The Joker slowly rolled off the bed when he saw them, and came to stand in front of the clear wall, a sick smile on his face. “Well, well, well, what have we here? Visitors? Oh, I know you!" He said as he looked at Tim, his grin getting wider "You're my little lamb. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!”

Jason's heart started to beat faster, looking at Tim's hand gripping the gun so tight that his fingers turned whiter than usual.

"I'm not" Tim said, his voice quite.

"What did you said little lamb? Talk louder for papa"

Tim smiled, a small smile that made Jason question if he's going to follow the plan or not.

And of he really think about it, he was never told about this part of the plan... How will they kill the Joker?

"JJ?"

"I'm not a fucking lamb you old fucker" Tim said and shoot.