#the reluctant heartthrob

[authorkarajorgensen]

10 Books to Add to Your TBR 2024 Edition Part 1

Most years I put out a list of books I greatly enjoyed from the first half of the year some time in June. This year, I decided to do it early because, besides needing a blog for this week, I have read a lot of good books lately, so I’m thinking of making this something I do more than twice a year (and often forget to do in December). The books listed below are not in any order of favoritism, but…

[flwrkid14]

♡ masterlist ♡

all of my prompts can be found here!!

updated on 1/3/25

tim drake :

tim leaves the bats , silent rebellion , a haunted hero , athena's soldier , you can't outrun the gods , tim drake turns 18 , tim drake is danny fenton , the camera crisis , the immortal weight , heartthrob conspiracy , heartthrob with loser rizz , always the almost , the reluctant savior , buried beneath laughter , accidentally taking over the world , the making of joker junior , nail artist by night , the day gotham let him go

tim drake and others :

the forgotten robins , the ultimate problem solvers , the underrated duo , tim and damian bond over pancakes , bonding over pancakes pt.2 , dad of chaos and protector of twins , tim drake is a fenton pt.1 , tim drake is a fenton pt.2 , tim drake is a fenton pt.3 , tim and danny as frozen , tim's most unhinged power move , unwilling favorite brothers , between healing and fear , finding their place , damian believes tim , shared custody with a rogue , tim gets adopted by green arrow , everyone wants to be the favorite , jason todd: dad mode activated , resident alley cat , christmas list tradition

brain dead :

tim loves like odysseus , eternal bonds , obsession meets devotion , famous danny and his secret boyfriend , gotham's most feared power couple , unspoken bonds , campus couple: football edition , campus couple: cheerleader edition , danny has fangs—tim's obsessed , tim drake turns 18, brain dead version , red hood vs. red robin, a boyfriend's dilemma , tim drake responds to thirst tweets , everyone wants to be danny's favorite , falling for the one you can't have , two lost souls , the makeup stream , from vigilante to royalty , ra's and his matchmaking skills , letters in green ink , first thanksgiving , tim moves to amity park , love and obsession , the weight of protection , a love that hurts , everyone knows they're dating , take my heart, take my name , the marriage pact , doomed together, doomed apart , tim doesn't believe in ghosts , tim drake is a halfa , what could have been , sleep-deprived tim , what they have, what they'll always be

batfam :

jason's lost voice , damian's favorite movie , duke isn't the normal one , october shenanigans , the bats go to hamilton , damian's LPS collection , halloween special

others :

percy and his technology curse

[paymechildsupport]

'Familial Matters' // Satoru Gojo x M!Husband!Reader

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-!! Hints of homophobia (meeting his family / clan) Just some fluff for my blue-eyed king <3

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Marrying 'The Strongest' certainly had its perks, but it definitley wasn't all easy-going, -- and his clan sure didn't make it easy.

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--------☄*. ⋆❥°: ❀˚ ♡˳--

Satoru loves you with his whole heart, his darling husband. You just recently married (congrats!), having been won over by the albino's boyish charms and, quick frankly, corny love confessions. Satoru had a very.... distinct way to show his affections for you. But, the man had a whimsical, childlike joy to himself that you couldn't find anywhere else, -- and you loved him for it. So, when he popped the question almost two years into dating, you were fairly quick to yell a resounding 'yes!'.

----☄*. ⋆❥°: ❀˚ ♡˳-- ------ --- ･:*:･ﾟ☆

Satoru warned you from the get-go, from the very start of when you two dated, that his clan definitley knew how to make things... difficult for him. As pretty much the sole provider of the clan's prestige, it was easy to see why they'd be so reluctant to let him go. The old geezers had their nobly, boney fingers around him like a vice. And so when Gojo all of a sudden brings you around, a not-so-strong (but also not terrible- though that didn't really cut it obviously) sorcerer from a humble family, there was almost a fatality on site when they learned he had proposed to you. No way were the Gojos suppose to welcome in some uncultured peasant into their prestigious palace, allow their golden blue-eyed king to sully his reputation with you--, was he crazy?

But Satoru made it abundantly clear that his love for you was non-negotiable, so the old heads of the clan could go suck it. He wouldn't allow crap from anyone, especially not regarding you.

In fact, Satoru was reluctant to introduce you to his family at all, dreading what it could possibly mean for the two of you, and delayed any confrontation for as long as possible. But, alas, he'd have to grow a pair at some point, -- and with a tiny bit of a scolding from you, -- he put on his big boy pants and realized they needed him a lot more than he needed them. The Gojo clan was alive, definitely, but it essentially held no power in the world of jujutsu without the Six-Eyes, -- so his clan was just gonna have to put up with both of you, or neither of you. And, coming to the same conclusion as Satoru, they realized they really had no say in the matter. Satoru would defend you against his 'family' until his last dying breath

So they were left to simply shake their fists at the sky and damn whatever higher power that had given them such a lovesick heartthrob for the Six-Eyes, and reluctantly welcome you into their life of riches.

----☄*. ⋆❥°: ❀˚ ♡˳-- ------ --- ･:*:･ﾟ☆

Your first meeting with them was at the traditional pre-wedding dinner, where both families from the union got together and got cozy for the future years of kinship.

It was tense, to put it lightly.

You didn't miss the disapproving gazes, especially the particularly nasty ones from the more elderly clansmen.

The fact that you were also a man didn't bode well for them. Same sex relationships were heavily frowned upon, and they no doubt worried about how this would affect the clan's reputation, for 'condoning' this kind of behavior. Satoru didn't give a damn, though. Who was gonna stop him-- no, scratch that, -- who could stop him? He was the strongest after all, the Honoured One, he could do whatever the hell he wanted, and if that meant literally bending the law to make a legal union between him and the man of his dreams, so be it. Satoru Gojo was above the law.

Some of his younger, more open clan members grew quite fond of you, actually. Who wouldn't? You were such a lovely person, afterall, -- your dazzling personality and just inherent charm won them over almost instantly. You eventually started to grow on some of the older members as well, -- maybe you were just born to charm all the Gojos. When Satoru needed to visit his clan, he'd often leave you with their company, and this was where you'd be filled in on all the clan's juicy drama and private life behind closed doors, - usually over a tea. You made sure to ally yourself with the gossipers of the clan.

----☄*. ⋆❥°: ❀˚ ♡˳-- ------ --- ･:*:･ﾟ☆

Whenever Satoru had to take care of some family... "business", he'd always bring you along with him , -- both for his own sanity and to cure his crippling loneliness, -- he needed you there to soothe him everytime he got into another petulant fight with his family. He needed you there for emotional support, if he was gonna have to put up with entitled, whiney clan members for days on end he needed you to come back to.

He'd lay his head in your lap as you gently combed your fingers through his fine, white hair, sitting under the sakura blossoms in one of the Gojo Estate's many, many lush gardens. His already major head ache from his Six-Eyes magnified momentously by the clan's nagging. He keeps infinity on at all times in the estate, -- only lowering it around you. He'd rant on and on about whatever audacious demand the elders made from him, simultaneously reveling in the way you threaded your fingers through his hair, calming most of his frustration just by your soft touch. Often times you'd just gossip, shit talking was just so fun when it was about those pompous assholes.

----☄*. ⋆❥°: ❀˚ ♡˳-- ------ --- ･:*:･ﾟ☆

Sometimes you could very much see crystal clear where some of the influence rubbed off on Satoru: that arrogance, the slight god-complex, even if it was played off as more of a bit. You usually wouldn't tell him that to his face though, knowing how it would trigger some insecurity within Satoru. He held a genuine disdain towards a majority of the clan's elitist and, sometimes, downright discriminatory rhetoric, desperately distancing himself from those kinds of messages, -- maybe not noticeably. You knew it would crush him, inflicting that kind of insecurity and self-doubt really wasn't your goal. Yet, you did remind him every so often when he took things maybe a wee bit too far, when he got just a little bit too big for his britches, you were the one to bring him back down.

What you didn't hold back on was teasing him about his baby pictures. It was almost comical, seeing how the playful, boyish Satoru you knew now started from such a serious, condescending toddler. It was kinda creepy, and you definitely got a kick from photos of him as a baby, alone in his crib in the middle of the night, eerie, freakishly blue eyes literally illuminating the otherwise dark room, like two bright blue flashlights were embedded into his sockets. It was always fun seeing how embarrassed and red he'd get, how quick his smug demeanor would shatter every time you'd manage to score another adorable baby photo on your phone, saving it as your lockscreen.

----☄*. ⋆❥°: ❀˚ ♡˳-- ------ --- ･:*:･ﾟ☆

Bottom line: he loves you, like a lot a lot, -- and nothing that his old, pestering clan says could ever change that. he promised from day one he'd protect you from any and all danger, including that of his family. He won't take shit from them, and he especially won't take any insensitive comments about his lovely husband, either.

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[A/N]: Gonna make a part 2 but with stepfather!reader, -- if Satoru had a kid / heir prior, and now you've become a step-father to a mini-Satoru, -- only this one is much, much worse than the original, if that's even possible

[fafnir19]

Cloak of Night, Heart in Fight

Liam stood his ground, his scrawny frame tense with reluctance. "I'm not going to some party with a bunch of obnoxious frat guys. And I don't have a costume anyway." He knew his argument was weak, but he had hoped it would be enough to deter Karen. Karen, her green eyes sparkling with excitement, shot back, "My sister Sandy has a whole collection of costumes, enough to outfit an army of partygoers. And her parties are legendary! Come on, it'll be fun." Her voice carried a hint of pleading, and Liam could sense her desire to break free from their usual routine. With a heavy sigh, he relented, knowing he couldn't resist her enthusiasm forever. "Fine, but I'm not dressing up as some ridiculous superhero or muscle-bound warrior."

Liam stood before Sandy's extensive costume collection, feeling a sense of dread as he donned a hobbit costume.

It was a simple outfit, complete with a brown robe and oversized hairy feet, but it did little to hide his lanky frame and nervous demeanor. "I don't know, Sandy. I've never been big on dressing up," he mumbled, adjusting the fake hairy feet. "Maybe I should just skip the party." Sandy, a bubbly contrast to Liam's anxiety, rolled her eyes. "That's the point, Liam! You haven't even tried. Hobbit is just you, all cute and shy. Now, imagine something completely different. What's the opposite of Liam?" "Well, I'm not exactly the life of the party," Liam admitted, his voice trailing off. "I'm not... handsome or charming, and I definitely can't seduce anyone." Sandy burst into laughter, silencing him with a wave of her hand. "Alright, I get it! You need something dramatic. How about a vampire?" She reached into the rack and pulled out a sleek black cloak with a dramatic purple lining. Liam took the cloak, his fingers brushing the soft fabric. As he slipped it over his jeans and t-shirt, a tingling sensation coursed through his body. He glanced in the mirror, his eyes widening at the reflection. The nerdy, bespectacled Liam was gone, replaced by a tall, handsome young man with intense eyes and a jawline that could cut glass. His body had transformed, revealing lean muscles and a confident stance.

"What... what's happening?" Liam's voice cracked, his hand reaching up to touch his new face. Sandy's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Some of my costumes have a little magic, Liam. You'll be this dashing vampire until midnight. But beware—if the costume gets wet, the spell won't wear off." "Wet? But—" Liam's concern grew. "What if someone spills a drink on me? Will I be stuck like this?" "Relax," Sandy reassured him. “You’d have to be completely soaked for at least five minutes. Just avoid the pool, and you’ll be fine!” She winked. “Yeah, right,” he muttered, still processing the transformation. But as the party started, he felt a rush of excitement.

The music thumped through the walls of Sandy's house, a pulsing beat that drew a crowd of students, laughter spilling out into the cool Halloween night. Liam stood in the corner, his vampire cloak swirling around him, still adjusting to the feeling of being…different. “Hey, Liam!” Karen called out, her green eyes sparkling with excitement as she pushed through the throng of partygoers.

She stepped up to him, “You really got out of your shell!” Liam shrugged, a grin creeping onto his face. “Yeah, I guess it’s alright,” he replied, his voice almost drowned out by the music. He glanced around, feeling the new confidence surging through him. “But I’m not sure this is me, you know?” “Why not? You look amazing!” Karen took his hands, squeezing them, her excitement palpable. Liam turned to her, a playful smirk on his face. “Thanks! I guess this whole vampire thing suits me,” he said, his voice smooth and confident, the words flowing effortlessly. He hadn’t realized how easy it was to talk to people now. “I mean, who wouldn’t want to be a heartthrob like this?” He flashed a charming smile, one he’d never dared use before. Karen’s smile faltered for a moment. “Just don’t forget who you really are,” she said, concern lacing her tone. “You’ve changed, and I don’t want you to lose yourself in all this.” “Changed? Come on, Karen,” Liam laughed, a sound that drew attention. “This is who I was meant to be! I feel…alive!” He gave her a wink, reveling in the way her cheeks flushed. But Karen frowned, her brows knitting together. “Liam, you’re not being yourself. You’re acting different.” “Different? Maybe I like it,” he said, his tone sharper than intended. “What’s wrong with wanting to enjoy life?” “Enjoying life shouldn’t mean forgetting who you are,” she pressed, her voice rising slightly. “You’re scaring me. I don’t even recognize you anymore.” “Maybe you just don’t like who I’ve become,” he shot back, irritation bubbling beneath his charming exterior. He could feel the pulse of the music in his veins, urging him to let loose. “Liam…” she started, but he waved her off, turning back to the crowd.

He felt a rush of adrenaline as he began chatting with a group of girls nearby, their laughter ringing out like music. Karen stood frozen, watching him with a mix of pride and worry. As Liam chatted animatedly, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was losing him. The life of the party, he was charming everyone effortlessly, and she felt like a ghost in her own boyfriend’s life.

She hadn’t meant to start a fight; she just wanted to keep him grounded. After a moment, she took a deep breath and decided to find him. “Liam!” she called, weaving through the throngs of partygoers. “Liam, where are you?” Navigating through the sea of costumed guests, she finally located him in the bathroom, an unusual place to find someone at a party. Liam stood in the bathtub, the shower cascading water around him, his black vampire cloak clinging to his, now chiseled and handsome, body.

“How long have you been wet?” she exclaimed, her voice rising in panic. “Hurry up to dry yourself up, otherwise you’ll stay like that for good!” Liam chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eye. “It’s too late already. I’ll stay this way, whether you like it or not!” Karen's heart sank. "But...but you're still Liam. Underneath all this, you're the same person. I...I love you, and it doesn't matter what you look like." Liam stepped out of the shower, the water instantly ceasing as if by magic. He stood tall, his body dry and handsome.

"I am, and I'm not. I've always been more than just a bookish guy, Karen. This costume just helped me unlock my true self." Karen's eyes filled with tears. "I know, and I wanted you to be more confident. But I didn't mean for you to become someone else. Please, don't let this change who you are inside." Liam's expression softened, and he pulled Karen into an embrace. "I won't. I love you, Karen, and I always will. This is just an upgrade, a chance to live life to the fullest." He kissed her gently, his lips warm against hers. Karen's worries momentarily faded as she kissed him back, her heart fluttering.

Just then, a group of frat guys stormed the dance floor, each wearing a black cloak similar to Liam's.

Karen's face twisted in disgust. "Ugh, look at these guys. Why does Sandy even invite them?" Liam snorted, his newfound charm on full display. "Yeah, they're a bunch of peacocks. Who do they think they are, strutting around like they own the place?"

One of the frat guys, his voice booming, announced, ""Hey, man! Loving the cloak. Check out our new recruit, Liam! He's one of us now!"

Liam, taken aback, tried to protest, but his words faltered. "I... I mean, I..." The frat guy slapped him on the back, nearly knocking him off balance. "No need to be shy, bro! We're here to have a good time. And with your new look, the ladies will be all over you!" Liam hesitated, his eyes darting between Karen and the frat brother. "I... uh... I'm not sure about that, bro." The frat guy slapped him on the back. "Come on, man! Let's find you some hot chicks. You can't stay with that nerdy owl forever!" Liam's resistance crumbled as he found himself drawn to their infectious energy. "I... I guess I could use a change." Karen's eyes widened in disbelief. "Liam, no! You can't be serious!" But it was too late. Liam, caught up in the moment, laughed along with the frat guys. "Maybe I'll find a hot nurse. You know, the dumb ones are good for a bit of fun!" Karen's heart sank as she watched her boyfriend disappear into the crowd, surrounded by the very people she despised.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see her sister Sandy, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Looks like your boyfriend's found a new crowd," Sandy said, her tone laced with amusement. Karen's voice quivered with emotion. "Sandy, this is all your doing! He's become one of them, a brainless frat boy, and he dumped me!" Sandy's laughter echoed through the room, drawing attention. "Oh, Karen, he's still the same intelligent Liam, just with a new, improved look. Can't blame him for wanting to explore his options now that he's a heartthrob." Karen's face flushed with anger. " Improved? He's insufferable! I want my Liam back! The one who cared about me and wasn't a superficial jerk!" Sandy's expression turned serious. "Well, I couldn't stand the old Liam, always moping around. But this new version? He's a catch! Too bad he's out of your league now." Sandy winked, her tone playful yet cruel. "Maybe I'll try my luck with him." Karen's eyes narrowed. "He's not out of my league. I'll get him back, you'll see." Determined, she marched over to the costume rack, her mind racing. She needed to find a way to remind Liam of who he truly was, and perhaps, just perhaps, he would come back to her. Her fingers grazed over the costumes, and she pulled out a nurse's uniform, complete with a short skirt and low-cut top. It was a far cry from her usual attire, but desperate times called for desperate measures. As she slipped into the costume, a strange sensation washed over her. The transformation was more than physical; she felt her mind cloud, her thoughts becoming simpler, more basic. Karen's eyes widened in the mirror, her once sharp gaze now soft and vacant. She had become the epitome of a dumb blonde, a nurse who cared more about her looks than her patients.

"Hey there, gorgeous." A frat guy, his face painted like a skeleton, appeared beside her. "Looking for someone?" Karen blinked, her new personality taking over. "Yeah, I'm looking for Liam. He's, like, my boyfriend, you know?" The frat guy winked, his grin mischievous. "Oh, I know Liam. I'll take you to him. He's gonna love this." Karen followed, her hips swaying in a way she never thought possible. The frat guy led her upstairs, away from the party, and into a dimly lit bedroom. "He's in here, waiting for you," he said, his voice low and suggestive. But as Karen stepped into the room, she realized something was amiss. There was no Liam, just the frat guy, his painted grin now sinister. "You won't be needing Liam tonight," he purred, closing the door behind her.

Karen's protests were weak, her newfound stupidity making it hard to resist. The night blurred, and she gave in to the frat guy's advances, her inhibitions gone.

The morning sun streamed through the window, and Karen woke with a start. She was back in her own clothes, her nurse's costume discarded. Her head throbbed, and her memories of the previous night were hazy. She had a vague recollection of the frat boy's face, his hands on her body, and the sound of his laughter. "Oh no," she whispered, her hand resting on her flat stomach. She remembered the feeling of his body against hers and the realization hit her—she was pregnant. But with which frat boy? She couldn't even remember his name. She had to find Liam, tell him everything, and hope he'd stand by her. On campus, Karen spotted Liam surrounded by his new fraternity brothers. Their laughter rang out, a stark contrast to Liam's former self. She approached with trepidation, her heart pounding. "Liam, I need to talk to you." The group fell silent as Liam turned, his once gentle eyes now cold. "What do you want, Karen?" His voice was laced with annoyance. "I... I'm pregnant." The words tumbled out, and Karen's eyes filled with tears. "It happened last night. I don't know who the father is, but I wanted you to know. I love you, and I want us to stand this together." Liam's face twisted in disgust. "What? Fuck off, slut. Don't try to pin some frat boy's bastard on me. Get out of my sight!"

His new friends roared with laughter, and Karen felt her heart shatter. She stood there, stunned, as the realization hit her. This wasn't just about the costume; it was about who Liam truly was. The old Liam, the one she thought she knew, would never have reacted this way. But perhaps he had always been hiding behind his nerdy exterior, and the costume had simply unveiled his true self. As Karen walked away, she knew her life had changed forever. The baby growing inside her was a constant reminder of that fateful Halloween night. She couldn't help but wonder if she had ever truly known Liam at all.

[mndvx]

JUSTIN H. MIN | Bustle Reluctant Hollywood Heartthrob

[vinziel]

A bitter Reunion

John Dory x Male Reader

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

You were currently attending the wedding of King Gristle of the Bergens and his soon-to-be wife Bridgette. After the Bergens and Trolls made peace with eachother the trolls have grown accustomed to them. You didn't really want to join the wedding but because Branch was there you joined anyways, you wanted to be there to look out for Branch.

The wedding was underway and the Wedding Officiant was talking about going abroad or something, you weren't really listening but then someone yelled "STOP THE WEDDING" and suddenly a troll fell out of the sky, landing on the ground, it was wearing goggles, and a rugged jacket. You recognized that voice anywhere. It was none other than John Dory. You didn't know who or what John Dory was looking for to be here and to be coming back after 20 years.

"Has anyone seen my baby brother?" John Dory says looking around, he spots Branch yelling "BABY BRANCH!" He says running to Branch, you instinctively pulled Branch behind you, you had many emotions right now, anger, shock, disbelief. You didn't know how to react. John Dory was shocked when Branch was pulled behind a troll, as he looked up to you, he recognized you saying "Y/N?" He says in disbelief. You didn't want to interrupt the wedding so you pulled John Dory to a more secluded area, telling Poppy to continue the wedding, as Branch followed you two.

You tried to be as calm as possible saying "What are you doing here?" You say in a rather bitter tone. John Dory says "I'm just here to get Branch. I need to-" You cut him off saying "Oh NO! You don't get to come back to his life after 20 years without an explanation and just expect him to come with you" John Dory tries to explain "But it's important-" You again cut him off "I do not give a shit what your excuse is. I am not letting you back into his life without a Sorry or without any kind of explaining after abandoning him for 20 years!" John Dory gets frustrated "We don't have time for that! This is really important!" You say back "What could be so important?!" John Responds "Floyd has been kidnapped!"

Your eyes widen a bit and Branch let's out a small gasp, as Poppy and her friends now come to you guys, since the ceremony was done and it was mostly just partying right now. "Now you really have some explaining to do" Before John could respond Poppy says "What's going on here?" Which you respond with "Well he was just about to explain" You point to John Dory, Poppy then says "Wait! You're from BroZone! Guys we were just listening to them" Poppy says to which her friends cheer. Poppy continues with "Wait! Wait! Let me guess, well you're not the Heartthrob" Which makes you giggle. John saying "Well that's debatable" Adjusting his Jacket(?). "The fun one? No your kinda uptight, not the sensitive one either, Oh! Your John Dory! The old one!"

After Poppy says this you burst into a laughing fit, John Dory sighing, after a while you finally stopped laughing saying "Now explain why you're here John" John Answers, saying "Floyd's been kidnapped and I need to get all my brother's. I'll explain more later but right now we have to go!" You were a bit reluctant not sure if you should believe him but you respond with "Fine" Branch is also on board and Poppy also wants to come with. After all three of you changed into your regular clothing, John took all of you to his Armadillo bus, named Rhonda, Rhonda seems eager to meet all of you "Looks like she likes you, or she might be marking you as prey. You can never quite tell with Rhonda" He says as all of you enter his bus.

"Now explain. How do you know Floyd's been kidnapped? And why do you specifically need to get all your brother's back?" You say, semi-demanding an answer, to which John explains everything. Branch and Poppy seemed to believe the story and you did too. You then said sarcastically, mocking John Dory "Family Harmony? Well let's just hope you don't mess it up again" You say laughing, to which John responds by rolling his eyes. "In any case how are we gonna find your brothers?" You ask "Well I already know where Spruce is" John says, after arriving in Vacay Island all of you saw Spruce surfing, after which going into a restaurant. As all of you follow him

(TBC)

Author's note: Sorry if it's messy. I'm not much of a writer.

[joaniscruzing]

can you write julien x reader who’ve been friends forever and during a sleepover they confess their feelings to each other (with smut if you’re comfortable it’s up to you) 😘

guess what i wrote it bc im actually becoming more and more obsessed with julien right now.

before we get into this, please take a moment to read this as I'm re-iterating one of my (only) guidelines. I do not write smut in my RPFs. I did it once and felt very uncomfortable and will not be doing it again.

Contains: kissing, pining, longing, a lot of backstory, a lot of yapping from me, childhood friends to lovers trope

You and Julien had lived across the street from each other for years. The two of you, since you moved in across the street at the very young age of three years old, were inseparable. And while most childhood best friends grew apart as school went on and what not, the two of you just became even closer, for whatever reason. Neither of you knew why, but you both weren’t against it. The two of you were so close, that, with one flinch of the other’s eye, one knew what the other was thinking.

The two of you were there for each other when you both realized you were gay at around eleven or twelve years old. Julien was first to find out, harboring a one-sided crush on a popular, straight girl at school. You were the first to know, and Julien of course told you this, and the only thing you did was capture her in a hug and tell her that everything was going to be okay. You two had a sleepover that night, where she slept in your arms, safe and sound. This was only the beginning of her years-long crush on you.

It only got worse when you had come out to her a few months later, to which she was forced to point finger guns at you, and make you laugh. For years, she imagined what it’d be like for you to be hers. All she wanted was to repeat that night with you. The night shared between the two of you when she slept in your arms. She wanted to sleep in your arms so badly. Oh, how badly she wanted to kiss you too. All she wanted was to call you her girlfriend.

At the beginning of high school, the two of you began dating other people rather quickly. She was a heartthrob to most of the other gay girls at school, to which she was reluctant to accept at first. She ended up embracing that, after you got your first girlfriend, and she wanted to numb the pain.

And it wasn’t that she didn’t like whoever she dated. She just wished it was you. The two of you would go on double dates quite often, actually, and had a lot of fun. You’d catch her staring at you with her big, saucer-like eyes when you were with your girlfriends tho. And if you were being honest, you’d stare at her too. She’d give her girlfriends the best of the best when it came to treatment, showering them with gifts and love. Sometimes, you would wish you could shapeshift into one of Julien’s girlfriends.

However, there came a time, just before the two of you were about to go to college, that you both were single. The two of you decided to have a sleepover, so you could see what things the two of you had, as you were planning on sharing a dorm room together.

“Can I tell you something?” Julien asked, late into the night.

“Of course. What’s up?” you reply, barely awake.

“I don’t even know how much longer I would’ve been able to contain myself, but here goes. I really, really like you. And I have for the longest time. And all I want is to be with you.” she confesses, years of love she shoved down, for the sake of your friendship, finally released.

“Oh my god. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m so tired, and I can’t think straight, and just forget I did,” she rambles, before you pull her in for a kiss.

It’s better than the two of you ever imagined. It erupts butterflies in both of your stomachs, fireworks even. You pull her closer into you so she can straddle your lap, to which she does instantly. She places her hands on your shoulders while you cup her face. You pull away, touching your forehead with hers.

“I like you too.”

“No shit.”

You and Julien spend the rest of the night kissing, nothing more, and releasing whatever pent-up emotions the two of you had towards each other. The two of you enter college a couple, happier than ever.

And who could blame you? The person who knew you the best was now yours.

[thosewickedlovelies]

Private Eye, chapter 2 | Tim Rockford/Marcus Moreno x F!Reader

Summary: With too much evidence and not enough progress, you and “Agent Rockford” go and meet the neighbors. But you’ll need a more creative solution to get into the rest of the mansion…

Tags: vague murder(?) mystery; workplace romance; we meet Marcus's powers 👀

Word count: 5,460

Note: welcome to chapter 2! I've lost perspective on this one honestly, but please enjoy the promised sneaking around in the dark 🥷🏻

ch 1 | Masterlist

It’s clear from the get-go that you and Marcus make an effective team. Your strengths balance the other’s weaknesses. You’re both thorough and driven to make something of this strange case- but you’re drowning in evidence, and the potentialities pull you every which way.

“We need a board,” Marcus declares.

It’s day three since his arrival, and he’s made himself at home at a desk in the basement. So have you, for that matter- it’s easier to keep everything related to the case in one place, so you drag a spare desk next to his and divvy up the paperwork. The wood-paneled walls are about 30 years out of style and the space is full of old metal filing cabinets, but it could be worse. There’s some natural light. Plus, you have the bathrooms all to yourselves.

At his pronouncement, you glance at the clock. “It’ll make a late night to start it now,” you point out.

“I don’t care, I can’t make sense of anything while it’s all piles of paper.” Marcus groans, sitting up and rolling his neck. 

He sees your expression and falters. “You don’t have to stay. I don’t mind doing it. Or starting it, anyway.”

Your sigh flutters the documents strewn over your joined desks. “There’s a drawer of takeout menus upstairs. Any preferences?”

His face lifts, and it honestly defies logic that a man can look simultaneously so rugged and so adorable.

“Do you have a good Chinese?”

--

Marcus is surprisingly adept with chopsticks, making you wonder how many evenings he’s spent like this. Maybe he just really likes Chinese food? You’re adamant about separating food and work- taking an actual dinner break- and he seems perfectly happy to follow your lead.

He makes a good dinner date, easily balancing personal chitchat with lighter topics. Despite the looming task ahead, it’s a refreshing change from your normal quiet evenings alone.

After tracking down the promised corkboard, thumbtacks, and enough red yarn to commit a murder yourself, you’re ready to carve a path into the uncharted jungle that is this case.

“Okay,” Marcus finally sighs. “If we’re gonna do this, I need to show you something. And you can’t laugh,” he warns.

His tone gives you pause. You regard him warily, until he takes out…a glasses case?

From the case Marcus removes a pair of glasses with dark, round frames, and lifts them to his face with exaggerated reluctance. He looks for all the world like a schoolboy sitting in the principal’s office. Laughter begins to bubble beneath your ribs.

As if he can sense it, he pins you with a warning look.

You clap your hands over your mouth, but the giggles spill out regardless. “Oh my god, is this why you’ve left your sunglasses on every time we’ve gone to the mansion? Are they prescription?”

“Yes,” Marcus sulks. His pouty lower lip only enhances the schoolboy effect, and your laughter redoubles.

“I can see why you don’t wear them around the other officers. They’re so cute,” you tease. “I just want to pinch your cheeks.” You don’t, but you pinch the air toward him for effect.

At your words Marcus ducks his head. Is that a hint of color in his cheeks?

You clear your throat, quelling your amusement. “Okay, sorry, I‘m done. They are cute though. Very…suburban dad.”

The glasses lend him a perfectly harmless air. With his suit jacket long since shucked off and his tie loosened after-hours, you could easily imagine him waiting on a little girl after soccer practice, arms open for an energetic hug. He’d be the heartthrob of the soccer moms with his handsome face and old-school manners, you think wryly. His shoulders in that gun holster don’t hurt either.

Marcus snorts. “Huh. Well, you got me there. That’s my other job.” He says it with perfect nonchalance, but your mouth parts. Marcus avoids your gaze, suggesting that he’s well aware of the trust he’s placing in you by sharing such information. You’d wondered at his ring, but still…

As if reading your mind, he holds up his left hand. The matte silver ring on the third finger glints in the light. “Widower, though. So, no one to come after you for flirting.”

You sputter and choke on your noodles. Marcus laughs.

--

“Do it again,” you beg. “Pleeeease.” 

Two days later, and you’re considering bringing down another corkboard. The one across the room is nearly covered already. Newspaper clippings, photographs, evidence files, interview notes. All overlapping and criss-crossed with red string in an array that would make a conspiracy theorist proud.

Marcus tsks. Despite himself, he lifts your proffered thumbtack into the air with a point of his finger. It hovers between you, yellow plastic glinting around the metal barb- until with a flick, Marcus embeds it into the corkboard on the opposite wall.

You had inquired only briefly about Marcus’s powers the first day you met. “Metal manipulation,” he’d replied, still sitting beside you at the captain’s desk.

“Must be useful against bullets,” was all you’d said.

But today, watching him remove and rearrange the bestringed tacks in the board like a conductor before a symphony- you had to ask for more details.

With a quick glance at the stairwell, he’d reached into his jacket and removed the gun from his holster. “Actually carrying around a gun is mostly for other people’s benefit. It can be anything I need it to be.” Marcus then proceeded to crumple the metal into a ball, stretch it back out into a crowbar, form tiny fragments into keys with which he unlocked every lock in the room, and finally, with his eyes closed in concentration, returned the pistol to its original form. 

Your mouth hung open.

Marcus offered the reborn gun to you for inspection. 

“Wow.” The metal was faintly warm to the touch. You turned it over, opening the chamber and clicking the trigger, but everything seemed to be exactly the right shape it should. “So you’re basically a metalbender. Like from that kid’s show.” 

Marcus’s laughter warmed the air. “Exactly. My daughter loves that show. When she was little she was obsessed with Toph, because she was ‘just like me.’”

His smile was infectious, full of pride in and love for his daughter. Suburban dad heartthrob strikes again, you thought, your cheeks warming.

“I can do other, less flashy things, too. That’s kind of the point of my branch of the FBI. They train us to use our powers in ways you wouldn’t immediately consider. For instance, I can tell you the elemental composition of every metal object in this room, just by concentrating. I can usually tell if there’s foreign material in or on metal things, too, even trace amounts.”

You thought about what that could mean. “So if someone didn’t clean a piece of evidence well enough, you’d be able to tell even if forensics failed?”

“That’s right,” Marcus confirmed. He looked strangely somber about it, as if the morality of his powers was a question whose weight never lightened. 

“Huh.” 

That was something to chew on. There was a stretch of silence while you mulled over all he’d shared.

It didn’t last long, though, as if Marcus was afraid of what conclusions you might come to.

“It also means I can do stuff like this-” and then he’d levitated a thumbtack and shot it across the room like a bullet.

“No more, now,” he says, stern but apologetic. “We have to be careful at work.” Still, a conspiratorial light twinkled in his eyes.

Marcus stands from his desk with a stretch and a groan. He approaches the board you’d just had him flinging thumbtacks at and regards it.

“Who are we missing here? Is there anyone else involved who could be a suspect?” The stubble on his cheeks scrapes audibly at his thoughtful scratch. He’s squinting slightly- his glasses lay half-covered by an evidence bag on his desk.

A knock sounds from the top of the staircase. “Detective? Agent Rockford? Some new data for you.” 

“Come on down,” you call.

“Don’t tell me it’s more knives,” Marcus groans.

The junior officer, Richards, falters at the base of the stairs, clearly cowed by the sight of the big bad FBI agent turning his scowl from the corkboard to him.

You stifle a laugh. Scowl, your ass- how no one has ever clocked that for the myopic squint it is is beyond you.

“Stand down, Agent,” you drawl. Pointedly, you rustle the bag hiding his glasses as you stand. “Thanks, Richards.”

The officer hesitates, glancing between the file he’d just handed you and the corkboard Marcus is studying. 

“...Did you have some thoughts on the case?” you prompt.

Marcus looks over alertly, and the officer scampers. “No, no, not until I read up on it some more. See you around!”

You snigger as you head over to the board, skimming the file as you go.

“Friendly guy,” Marcus remarks, although his glance toward the staircase is bemused. 

Your snicker turns into a full-belly laugh. “Normally he is friendly, Rockford. If you didn’t always look like you’re suspicious of everyone, he’d probably ask you out.”

“What?” Marcus’s brow furrows.

You exaggeratedly imitate his grumpy-looking squint, putting an elderly pucker in your lips for good measure. You plant your face about an inch from the corkboard.

“Oh.” Marcus grimaces. “I know, it’s a terrible habit. Missy is always warning me I’m going to get even more wrinkles.” He sighs in resignation.

You hide a smile, your glance skipping over the fine lines around his eyes and mouth- signs of age that a child wouldn’t understand the appeal of. “I hope your FBI team has a super-powered eye surgeon.”

“Actually- uh.” Marcus cuts himself off, his mouth turning down. “That’s probably classified,” he mumbles.

--

“Any plans for the weekend, Agent Rockford?” You make an effort to use Marcus’s fake name every so often, so you won’t forget and slip up around others.

Marcus leans back in his chair. “Nothing exciting. I thought I might check out the mansion again, maybe see if the neighbors are in. Get some interviews.”

You look at him. 

After a second, he realizes that you haven’t responded, and looks over. “…What?”

“People usually make non work-related plans on the weekends, Marcus.”

“Oh. Well…” Marcus shrugs, fidgeting. “Missy’s going to be at a school thing, so I won’t have anything else to do. And we haven’t made much progress with the neighbors,” he points out.

He’s right, but still.

You hesitate. You don’t have any exciting plans either, and people might be more likely to be home during the day on a weekend…

“All right. Let’s do it.” 

Marcus looks confused. 

“I’ll come with you to interview some neighbors this weekend. It’s a good idea,” you clarify.

“Oh, I wasn’t suggesting that you had to come with me,” Marcus says hastily. “Just that..I don’t mind, and, you know, I’m not doing anything else.” He shrugs again, looking away.

“I know. I’m saying that I don’t mind either, and you’re right that we need to interview the neighbors. They might be home on a weekend. We can get a feel for the neighborhood.”

His mouth opens and shuts. Marcus hesitates, like he thinks he should argue but can’t think of anything convincing. He settles on a grateful smile. “Okay.”

--

It’s a sunny day. The sky is clear, and you have a great view from the top of the hill, which is, naturally, where the mansion sits.

It’s not a very tall hill, but it’s enough of a slope that one could easily feel superior looking down from atop it. The residents of the houses below would be unable to avoid seeing the mansion whenever they looked up. The old New England houses echo the style of the mansion, albeit on a smaller scale- stately, grand and yet sort of homey at once. Highlights include spires topped with weathervanes featuring quirky animals and turrets with children’s drawings taped in the windows.

The air smells of greenery- all the hedges in the garden, probably. And something else; the odd smoky whiff of a weekend barbeque, interspersed with something…sweeter. Mom with oven mitts inside while Dad lights the charcoal outside. Apple pie America, indeed.

You survey the suburbia laid out below. You and Marcus agreed to meet at the mansion and strike out on foot from there, and now you’re deciding on a plan of attack.

“I say we canvas this street,” he’s saying, pointing to the uppermost houses, “maybe the next one, and see what the vibe is like from there.”

“What the vibe is like?” you repeat, amused. “Did you pick that up from Missy?”

Marcus coughs and shuffles a bit. “Did I use it right?” he asks, sheepish behind his glasses. The normal ones today- the round lenses made him seem sweet and trustworthy. 

It’s impossible not to laugh. “Technically, I guess. Come on then, hip guy.”

The hill isn’t very wide, or steep. These streets make up just one small subdivision venturing up into the woods, branching off the two-lane highway. There are others further along, clustered more densely closer to the town. The houses here are arrayed like a waterfall, with the mansion as its source.

The top street, in fact, is only four houses long. The first two are uneventful. One man answers the door with barbeque tongs in hand, his New Balance sneakers gleaming as white as his smile. He offers you and Marcus burgers to go, which you politely decline. You glimpse a woman coming up behind him as the door closes; her face is as stiff as her husband’s was welcoming. Interesting.

Things get even more interesting at the third house. 

“Oh, you’ll want to talk to the neighbor if you’re looking into Ursula.” The young person on the threshold nods their head to the only house you haven’t been to. “She can go on about her for hours, especially if you mention the pie.” They roll their eyes in a long-suffering expression.

You and Marcus exchange a look. “The pie?” Marcus slowly starts to reach for the small notebook he keeps in his jacket pocket.

“Yeah. Ursula liked to bake. Won the county fair pie competitions almost every year. Winter and summer, even after they made it anonymous and started rotating the judges.”

The neighbor and resident of the fourth house introduces herself as Olivia Tate. A woman with a somewhat jowly resemblance to a bulldog, she nearly starts slavering when your questions turn to Ursula’s pies. Her kitchen is the source of the sweet smell you caught from the top of the hill- a picture-perfect, lattice-topped pie bakes in the oven, which, Olivia laments, you could have sampled if you’d arrived half an hour later. 

Her jaw clenches at your implications about Ursula’s baking. “I’ve been baking pies 30, 40 years, and I’ve never had anything taste like hers. That’s the real mystery- what she puts in them!”

Her voice pitches higher the more you probe about Ursula and her pies, and the fledgling business around them she had apparently just started.

At the end of the street, Marcus jots hurriedly in his notebook, noting everything you had learned at Olivia’s house. When he’s done, you turn your head toward the top of the hill. “Should we go back to the mansion and have a closer look around the kitchen? This is the first we’ve heard of the pie business. It could be a fresh perspective.”

The mansion’s main kitchen is an enormous, envy-inducing affair. A stunning tile backsplash, an island bigger than your kitchen table, and a stove nearly as big as the island. At first glance, the single knife block and magnetic rack above it appear perfectly in order- there’s nothing to indicate the volume of knives the department had found stashed in the rest of the house, some of them nearly the size of machetes.

With fresh motivation, you start opening cabinets, nudging aside canned goods and tubs of flour. You and Marcus have hardly begun, however, when a thumping gait sounds from within the house, clearly getting closer. You exchange an alarmed glance.

A white-haired, wide-shouldered figure swings open the door. Mud flakes off the galoshes on his feet. Long gardening gloves sheath his hands. The man stands still for a long moment, silently measuring you.

“May I ask what you’re doing in Boulton house?” His voice is coarse with age, but his tone is unmistakably flat.

--

After being unceremoniously removed from the mansion, you stand by your patrol car, fuming. “Can you believe that guy? We’re investigating a crime scene. You can’t tell me he doesn’t know something.”

The groundskeeper had, of course been interviewed straightaway upon the breaking of the case. He hadn’t had much useful to say, and you’d released him thinking that you’d try again once you had more context in which to question him. But for him to claim now that your searching was out of bounds..!

“Probably. But he is within his rights to kick us out.” Marcus watches you cautiously. 

Leaning against your car, you face the street below, both lost in your own thoughts. From this height you have an unobstructed view of Olivia Tate’s house. It’s close enough, you realize, to make out her silhouette bobbing at a window, presumably rolling out her umpteenth pie crust. 

Marcus seems to realize it too. Gesturing to the window, he starts speaking again as if you’d been mid-conversation. “So these women could have easily watched each other from their kitchens while they baked. I bet on a good day you could even smell the pies from the other house. Every year they compete at the county fairs, and their rivalry gets worse. One day the neighbor snaps?” His eyebrows lift.

“A little unlikely,” you say. “Since there’s a clear view down the drive, she’d have to come at night, or by some secret back way. And she’s barely younger than the grandma.”

“True. But that means they’d be at even odds,” Marcus points out.

You concede that it’s technically a viable theory.

Glancing around, you indicate for Marcus to get in your car. 

An anticipatory silence grows while you consider your words, longer and louder until it’s drowned out only by the metallic creaking of the car itself. Marcus clenches his hands into fists to stop their fidgeting. 

“So,” you finally say. “We have to come back, right? Investigate this place properly.”

Marcus exhales. He looks pensive. “Yes. But how?”

“Look, I don’t like it, but I think we’ll have to do this slightly…off-books.”

You make a plan. By day, you’d return and continue to examine the inhabited portions of the house with the rest of the team. But by night…

“We can’t ignore the possibility that our culprit is using the closed-off parts of the house. It’s a perfect excuse- ‘nobody goes there, it’s falling down, it’s dangerous’. We can’t risk not searching it.”

You and Marcus agree to meet back at the mansion in a few nights- long enough for the groundskeeper to relax his guard.

--

On what little hill rises above the mansion, there’s an old hiking viewpoint jutting out of the forest. Although you’re sure people still use it for hiking during the day, by night, well…there was enough sniggering and elbow jabbing amongst your townie colleagues for you to figure out what it was used for at night.

It’s about a half hour hike from the viewpoint to the mansion. You and Marcus will be starting your nighttime searching from there, since parking or walking from anywhere else would get you spotted. 

You sit in the passenger seat of Marcus’s car while he drives. It smells like him, clean and masculine- probably nothing more than a combination of his laundry detergent and a no-nonsense deodorant, yet in such confined quarters it makes you light-headed the longer you sit in it. To distract yourself, you take a discreet look around. 

There’s not much to see. No trash or trinkets, just a road atlas in the pocket on the back of the driver’s seat. Except- sticking out from under the backseat is the crinkled corner of a magazine cover emblazoned with pink and yellow headlines and, just visible, the swoop of a youthful hairdo. The evidence of Marcus’s daughter makes you smile.

Gravel crunches under the tires as Marcus turns into the lot. His headlights reveal another car on the far side, with condensation glimmering on its windows.

“Didn’t expect to find anyone else doing night hiking,” Marcus mutters.

He continues his slow route toward the other car, to your mounting horror. “Don’t park next to them!” you hiss.

“What? Why?” Marcus’s question is utterly guileless. But he obeys, turning the car smoothly and ending up parking roughly in the center of the line of spots. 

You sigh. “I mean first of all, parking right next to the only other car in an empty lot, at night? That’s weird. Second of all, those aren’t night hikers.”

“Then what…” Marcus turns his furrowed brow toward the other car. Under the still moonlight, he finally seems to put all the pieces together- the short drive from town, the isolated location, the car’s fogged up windows. “...Oh.”

You can’t help but laugh at Marcus’s mortified expression. His full lips turn down, his cheeks darkening with a blush. “Well…now what do we do?”

“Let’s just go. The path is on this side, anyway.” You nod your head toward the end of the viewpoint that’s not currently occupied.

You and Marcus gather your small packs and exit the car. The slam of the door is like a shout in the silence and he winces, darting glances to the other car all the while. You cough to cover your laughter. “Great conditions for some night hiking, right?” You say loudly.

Marcus looks at you, startled. You widen your eyes at him meaningfully. “Oh, yeah,” he says, catching on. “Sure is.”

You grin. “Come on, this way.” You lead your partner away from the lot and the scene of his embarrassment. 

Your hike is quiet. These trails are unfamiliar to both of you, especially in the dark, but you keep your headlamps on low, wary of being spotted- more so the larger the mansion looms through the trees. 

A low brick wall marks the edge of the property. There’s no gate nearby that you can see, but it’s an easy task to pull yourself over it- probably the least risky activity you’ll undertake tonight.  

The gardens are slightly too overgrown to pretend you’re on a romantic nighttime stroll. “This reminds me of a corn maze; you know, the kind you get at pumpkin patches in the fall,” Marcus says, low and hushed. 

It’s an apt comparison. Tidily partitioned squares of greenery, once neatly groomed, had sprouted out of control, spilling onto the paths and obstructing your view. Wire towers for climbing vines now resemble buildings in an apocalypse movie- so thickly smothered with vines that their original structures are no longer visible, their trailing tendrils now falling to sway in your faces as you pass.

“Ha, I see what you mean. I’m not sure that makes it more or less creepy.” Another thought makes you shiver. “As long as nobody with a chainsaw starts running after us,” you mutter.

Marcus lets out an unexpected, loud bark of laughter. You look at him in astonishment, and he slaps a hand over his mouth. “Sorry, it’s just...” He clears his throat. “If you remind me of this later I’ll tell you why that was funny.”

At the mansion’s back entrance, you glance around quickly, then let yourselves in with the key. Safely inside, you stand in silence for several moments. 

“Nobody’s here,” Marcus whispers.

The house is silent, and dark. Without any neighbors, there are minimal streetlamps to provide light from outside. Most of the windows are framed by heavy, ornate curtains as well, blocking what meager moonlight falls in. Only the beams of your headlamps illuminate the dark wood floors and wall panelings.

You make your way toward a door at the end of the hall, stepping quietly, just in case. “How far do your powers reach?” you ask Marcus. “Like, you’re definitely sure there’s no one in this whole house?”

It’s slightly difficult to look at Marcus without blinding him with your headlamp. If you twist your neck and look sideways, you can make out the thoughtful press of his lips. 

“I can sense the rough outline and structure of the house thanks to all the little metal things- nails, window fittings, doorknobs. Any metal object within those bounds, I can reach. But sensing blood is tricky to begin with. It’s such a tiny amount of iron, in such a weird form…I can sense your blood just fine, because you’re right next to me. Somebody across the room would be no problem, likely even somebody in the next room, but across a whole house?” Marcus shakes his head. “Blood moves, so that tends to give it away. That sense of flow is primarily what I look for. But to answer your question…” Marcus does the same sort of neck twist to look at you. Beneath the white light emanating from his forehead, his face is serious. “I can’t be one hundred percent sure this place is empty.”

Interesting, if not entirely reassuring. “Well, I guess keep your eyes open then. Or not your eyes, but your..senses? You know what I mean.”

“I think the official term is ‘spidey sense’,” Marcus quips.

You laugh at that, and it eases the tension that had crept up alongside you like mist in a haunted house.

It doesn’t take long to reach your goal. The innocuous door looks like all the rest that line the hall- it could just as likely hold a fancy sitting room as a dilapidated once-home. 

You adjust your headlamp determinedly. “Ready?”

“Lead the way, Boss.” There’s a playful quirk to Marcus’s lips as he repeats his words from the day you first met.

You snort, ignoring an odd little flutter in your belly. “Sure, ladies first, they say, step right up to the dangerous door…”

“You can tell me to go first, if you want,” Marcus suggests. “Perks of being the boss.”

“Am I your boss?”

You’re stalling, is what you are. But it is something you’ve wondered. If push came to shove, would Marcus have to obey you?

“I could probably go over your head if I felt it was necessary,” Marcus admits. “But practically, we’re supposed to follow local jurisdiction. Supplement your abilities, not..take over.”

He meets your gaze. “I’m not worried about questioning your orders.”

Before you can react, Marcus continues cheerfully, “You’re stalling, Boss. Come on.” He lifts his hand, and the door swings open.

You brace yourself; for what, you’re not sure. But all that happens is a gust of dusty air hits you, and you have to stifle a sneeze. 

It’s nearly pitch-black. Marcus lifts his hand higher, and a tinny screech comes from across the room, where metal rings scrape against a curtain rod, dragging open a tall set of drapes. There’s still not much light, but the room now appears more gray than black.

The carpet runner beneath your feet is thick with dust, its pattern blurred. The room you’ve entered looks like it was indeed once a sitting room or living room of some kind. Dust covers in the shape of couches squat around a table on the far side of the room. Other furniture against the walls has also been covered. In the gray darkness, lit only by the swinging beams of your headlamps, it’s impossible not to think of ghosts and horror stories. 

“Do you sense anything?” you whisper to Marcus.

He lowers his hand. “No. No one hiding, and a normal amount of metal for an old living room.”

You let out a tense breath. “I’ll admit, this is creepier than I thought it would be.”

Marcus laughs softly. “Tell me about it. I don’t even like scary movies.”

It’s reassuring, at least, to have Marcus’s powers on your side. You tell yourself firmly that nothing bad can happen with him around, and it mostly quiets the part of your brain dwelling on every zombie movie you’ve ever seen. Mostly.

You set to searching the room. You pull off dust covers and lift cushions, but all you get for your troubles are grimy hands and some disgruntled spiders. 

The next room is more of the same, only there’s even less to search. The open space contains little more than an ornate fireplace and a bar built into one end of the room. You stand in the center and spin slowly, your hands on your hips. “Are we missing something?”

“It’s here.” Marcus is standing at a section of wall blank except for squares of wood molding. 

“Huh?”

He reaches up and pushes a small section of the molding. It clicks, and the whole portion of wall slides sideways like a door. 

“Whoa!” You hurry over, the solid blackness of the opening sucking up your headlamp’s beam until you get closer.

“A servants’ kitchen, maybe,” Marcus says. “I’ve been doing some research on the history of this house, and other houses from the same period.”

The disused kitchen is barely the size of a closet and smells faintly of mildew. You follow Marcus, your mind turning. “A big old house like this…it’s got to have like, secret passages, right? Real ones, I mean, not just servant shortcuts like this.”

Marcus’s face wears a thoughtful grimace. “More likely than not. I already found one in the central dining room.”

“Wait, you have?” This is the first you’ve heard of it.

“It wasn’t anything dramatic. Just a passage to the kitchen, a shortcut for staff. The housekeeper was still showing us around when I found it, so she told us. She didn’t look too happy about it thought…I bet she knows where they all are.” Marcus trails off in thought.

“Shouldn’t you be able to sense them?” you ask.

“Well…yes and no.” Marcus looks vaguely uncomfortable. “House walls have metal in them anyway- all the nails and whatnot- and sometimes construction companies do weird things, so it can be tricky to sense when there’s metal out of place. That goes double for old places like this, where all sorts of random stuff has been stuck in the walls over the years. I tried pulling on something the very first day and nearly brought down that massive portrait over the fireplace- you know the one of the guy with the-” he makes a gesture near his face. “Turns out I was pulling on some convoluted hanging system.”

Marcus rolls his eyes, eloquently expressing his frustration with the entire situation. You wonder if the blueprints to house are accessible somewhere. They’d be in the city planning archives, surely…

As you step back through the doorway, you hear a click. The sliding door rumbles toward you with surprising speed, and you freeze for a split second before your muscles tense to leap out of the way-

But before you can, a strong grip encircles your wrist, and you’re yanked back and held tight against a wide, solid mass. The mass is warm, and expanding and deflating rapidly, and nearly crushing you to it with the steel strength of his arms. 

The door thuds closed with a force that makes you flinch. The thin beams of your headlamps seem insubstantial against the sudden near-complete darkness. 

You twist your neck to look at Marcus, your eyes wide with surprise. He does the same to look at you. His hold and the angle of your heads puts your faces only inches apart- far closer than either of you anticipated. 

He releases you immediately, taking a step back for good measure. “Sorry. It was a reflex.” One hand comes up to rub the back of his neck.

The warmth of him still clings to you. “I do have several years on the force under my belt,” you point out mildly. You reach out and squeeze his arm. “But thank you.”

You turn back to the door. The flat, featureless door that looked remarkably wall-like again. 

“Um,” you say. “Can you get us out?”

Marcus chuckles. “Now that I know it’s there…” There’s a click and a rumble, and the wall slides aside again. “Yes.”

Gray light pours in, so dark before but like sunlight after being trapped in the windowless kitchen. You breathe deeply of the air in the open room.

“I think that’s enough for tonight.”

Thanks for reading! ❤️

Masterlist

[btsbabe7]

November Prompt Day 1: Theater

Words: 681 | Pairing : Cedric Diggory x reader, sixth year

You hadn’t given it much thought at first when the sandy haired Hufflepuff, Cedric Diggory asked you to join him for a movie over break just before boarding the train home. It seemed like any other friendly gesture and students often hung out during breaks. Even Hermione had asked you to join her in taking up visiting an art museum over the break, in which you happily agreed.

“Yeah, of course,” was all you had managed over the pages of your crisp book pages and he waltzed away with a smile before settling into the compartment diagonal from yours.

Solora Hazelridge, a blue-eyed, black haired Ravenclaw, who whispers say, should have been sorted into Slytherin with her cunning cleverness, but managed Ravenclaw because of her wits and wish to the Sorting Hat in her first year, slips into your half-loaded compartment.

“Did I just witness Cedric Diggory ask you out on a date?” she chimes.

“A date? Of course not.”

“Cedric never asks girls out unless he’s interested, or so I’ve heard.”

“Solora, I really just want to finish this book,” you sigh, not wanting to give much thought into what’s happened until you’re alone.

“Just think about what I said. Hufflepuff or not, Cedric doesn’t seem to be one that chooses lightly.”

And in the turn of a page, she’s gone.

That was a week ago and now you stand in the slight unfamiliarity of your own room back home in London, staring at yourself in the mirror with Solora’s words echoing in your mind.

A saffron colored dress clings to your curves and a dangly, beaded purse hangs from your shoulder. Your usually pinned curls have been let down and cut bluntly against your mid-back. You hardly recognize yourself in this setting, but you don’t have time to dwell on your looks or the neat makeup plastered across your lids, nor the glimmer smeared against the plumpness of your lips. You’re supposed to meet Cedric in less than ten minutes and transfiguring into a crowd of people isn’t ideal.

You’d settled on a nearby alley to spare yourself the trouble of being caught by any muggles. You don’t want to be caught in a scene where the police deem the witness insane because magic isn’t real to those who don’t believe.

When you reach the theater, slightly out of breath from your detour, Cedric stands just outside, preoccupied by the list of movies on the dingy white placard above the ticket window.

“You’d think the best movies would be played when students come back home for breaks, but they always save the bad ones for us.”

“I’d say they do it on purpose, but Merlin, that’d just be bad for business,” Cedric chortles and finally allows his gaze to roll towards you.

His curly hair is pushed back off his forehead and he’s sporting his usually charming smile; the same one you found yourself becoming all too familiar with even in the crowded hallways at school and even in the Great Hall. It was the very reason you were so reluctant in your response. After all, a smile could lead to anything.

You and Cedric decide on something they labeled as horror and settle in the back row with a large bin of popcorn and two drinks.

“Do you think it’ll be gory?” He chuckles while settling into the leather seat.

“Maybe,” you taunt. “Do you have a weak stomach, Cedric?”

The previews glisten in his irises when he turns to you, smiling mockingly because he’s too manly to admit it directly.

“Do you?”

“Of course not,” you whisper, trying not to focus too much on his steady gaze, but end up failing miserably.

He gently strokes your chin, allowing his fingertips to crawl across your jawline before leaning in closer.

“May I?”

You nod, too stunned to talk and too surprised that a heartthrob like Cedric would pick you for something like this.

And as his soft lips press into yours in the dark back row of the empty theater, you find yourself wondering: why me?

Please be sure to check out my other latest fics:

⚡︎ November Prompt Challenge (days 1-30)

⚡︎ For You Always - reader x Snape

~ Navi: masterlist (all fandoms) & (bts fanfics/drabbles)

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction, but please don’t copy! Written purely for fun :) Please only repost to other socials w/my permission and credit! Reblogging w/credit is fine. Thank you! ♡

[authorkarajorgensen]

Hi! I am a big fan of the Reanimator series and waa delighted to find your tumblr. Recently some light-hearted joking with friends turned into a more serious revelation that I do actually share a lot of autistic traits with them and now I'm on a journey to learn more about autism and myself. I just combed through your blog posts tagged with autism/neurodivergence and welp, I find a lot of it relatable. (Coincidentally, I am also exploring my gender and distancing myself from ~womanhood~ and found your post on gender to be extremely relatable in many ways!)

Reading TRH through Oliver's eyes was really interesting and I do remember having a bunch of "I do that" moments. At the time I think I brushed it off by being like "well there's a lot of overlap between signs of autism and anxiety" (the latter of which I definitely do have) but I'm going to do a reread with a new openness to the possibility that me relating to Oliver could be more than just "I like him as a character" 😅

Do you have any recommendations for more books with an autistic protagonist? And no worries if you don't have the energy to answer that. Recs or no, I also wanted to express my appreciation for your books and for using your blog to share your experiences. It has all helped me understand myself better and feel a little bit less afraid of exploring an otherwise unknown and overwhelming topic for me. So thank you!

;----; I'm so glad you saw yourself in Oliver. I hope your journey of discovery in terms of gender and neurodivergence is a good one that brings you lots of community and comfort!

First off, you might want to check out this database of autistic books by autistic authors. There are A LOT there and ones I will definitely miss.

I'd also highly recommend DN Bryn's books for autistic queer rep along with Roan Parrish, Talia Hibbert (especially the Brown Sisters books), Cat Sebastian (especially The Lawrence Brown Affair and We Could Be So Good), Chuck Tingle (I know some of Chuck's more recent trad pub books have explicitly ND main characters and the author is autistic as well), and Jackie Lau (especially The Reluctant Heartthrob).

Most of these authors, if not all, are some flavor of neurodivergent and many of their characters are ND/autistic-coded even if it isn't explicitly stated in the text.

[intermundia]

They could recast yes, but I think the backlash would be crazy for recasting Hayden in particular. I *hope* this will be the last time they use this character, and Hayden got so much flack for his performance in the prequels, people see this as his redemption. There’s no more of Anakin’s story to tell; it’s complete. If they end it here, they won’t need to recast at all. (Versus Vader, who wouldn’t need recasting bc of mask/prosthetic makeup/Hayden being the right age)

I see your point in the disconnect between prequel/animated Anakin, but that was an issue we’d need to go back in time to fix in tcw (the original mischaracterization), not by recasting him for live action (match for animated, mischaracterization for prequels) when people have been gunning to see Hayden’s Anakin with a live action Ahsoka for so long now.

i think the problem is that i'm not really part of the demographic that wanted to see live action ahsoka and anakin in the first place, so my comments are pretty irrelevant. i was very happy with them in animation and wished maybe there was an animated rebels sequel show or something, that could've been really neat. to me hayden!anakin's story was already complete, a very beautiful corpse, and like ahsoka and the entire clone wars is a (long! interesting! lovely!) animated footnote to the prequels story, and rebels was a masterpiece of its own. if they really had to make the transition to live action, i know there would have been backlash for a recast but i think there could have been equivalent good pr for a new hot young star wars heartthrob, i don't know, i don't know shit lol. there's just a reluctance and ambivalence about the de-aging that i can't shake, no matter how much i enjoy how pretty and intriguing the show is in general, or how much i think hayden deserves all the positive attention in the world (he does). next week really will make or break it for me

[crankpit]

ok highlights from heartstopper s2 because i need to rant

- literally all taoelle scenes ESP PROM!!!!! them dancing together!! they’re so perfect

- “and how did you know that this is my favorite chocolate bar?” GOD

- darcy asking tara if she’d still like her if she was a worm

- tao’s coursework 😭

- the moment nick finishes his last exam and they all run out the room laughing. a beautiful love letter to adolescence.

- the soundtrack!!!!!!! literally all the songs

- “i bet you’ve all been laughing at me behind my back because i’ve been so oblivious” 😭

- darcy vs. the invisible fish

- mon amour

- all the exact quotes from the comics esp the bit with darcy calling tara “jonesy”

- TAO. just in general. he’s so perfect.

- literally everyone’s reaction to nick speaking french

- elle’s outfits???!!!!!!!??? also elle’s smile

- tara’s folklore poster. yes.

- tao giving elle apple juice and running away (twice)

- embarrassed and awkward nick seeing the hickey. “i don’t even know how to do that” MY ANGEL!!!! “oh my god, wtht—is that—? did i do that?” BRO YES

- “i’m sure we’ll get to do it one day”

- giggling after making out

- “we WILL be having words!!!!”

- tao answering the door shirtless obviously

- nick and tao getting to know each other 🥺 tao being reluctant at first but then obviously couldn’t resist opening his heart to nick’s golden retrieverness

- the way kit’s such a fuckin HEARTTHROB. he’s insanely good at playing head over heels. hugh grant Who like literally

- the immaculate found family vibes. they were thru the Roof this season. it was nice to see everyone knowing each other better and hanging out as a group more

- elle’s painting

- nick turning back to kiss charlie at the door in front of everyone 🥺

- oh my god nick you giant rugby idiot

- tao freaking tf out about planning a date w elle

- TAO ASKING HER OUT FINALLY

- nick n charlie running thru paris to gabrielle aplin HOLDING HANDS. also felt like such a celebratory scene. i love those

- elle and tao admiring each other’s respective passions for different forms of art

- “it makes me want to draw” so simple so Beautiful and i know exactly what feeling she’s talking about

- their first kiss and them not knowing what to do and just giggling together…. GODDDDDDDD like are you kidding me. the cavetown song. elle lifting her leg…… FUCK

- the entire cast walking in slow motion down a corridor to carly rae jepsen’s “run away with me”. they did that

- charlie slamming the door in ben’s face

- tao kissing charlie just for shits and giggles

- “what were you gonna say?” “i… forgot” 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

- the teachers’ subplot . absolutely adorable

- all the “thank you, mr. farouk”s 😭 dads

- charlie in nick’s lap like are you KIDDING

- the queer to straight ratio is actually so fuckin hilarious. are there literally Any straight characters except tao and imogen? is imogen even straight? something was going on there

- darcy’s instagram post. so iconic

- tao seeing elle in her dress before prom. “you look… you’re so… hello!” PLEASAE

- taoelle paint scene GOD

- “you should invite him tonight! just tell him we need more chaperones”

- isaac realizing he’s aroace 😭 i’ve had that exact moment and i felt really seen <3

- “Like, being in a world where romance and sex are prized above everything else when you don't feel those forms of attraction. Growing up feeling that something about you is different, but you don't have the words to describe what that is. But then, freedom; the euphoria of freeing yourself from those pressures and expectations.” 🖤🤍💜 i cried.

- seven. nick and charlie kissing with seven by taylor swift in the background.

- their kiss in the doorway in the last scene oh my god. charlie on tiptoes

- and, as always, the way this show is an UNAPOLOGETIC CELEBRATION OF QUEERNESS. THANK YOU ALICE OSEMAN ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤

my heart has stopped :)

[seiwas]

Sel, hiiiiii 🤍 hope you're having a lovely day!

I was wondering more about col couple and i'm curious what do lovebirds do together in their day to day lives now that both of them can be at peace after everything that has happened? Do you think they'd have mini versions of themselves sometime in the future? (Ignore this if it's something uncomfy for you ^^)

Anyhow, i keep going back to re-read them over and over, it's just so captivating and my favourite thing yet so i love you so so much for creating this, you're also such a lovely individual here !! 🤍😭

tina darling!!! hiiii 🥹 i’m so touched that you’re re-reading omg??? 😭 pls i am sending u cookies and love mails!!! thank u so much for reading!! and u always say i’m a lovely person, but i hope u know that u are too!!! 😭 i hope you’re having the most beautiful day as well ❣️

i’m so touched that u’re thinking abt the col couple, they’re on my mind all the time too 🤧, thank u for asking this!!! 🥹

hmmm what do they do in their day-to-day now that everything’s more settled…

sorcerer work is still there, although a lot less!! and they handle a lot more on the admin side of things now (which i vaguely mention in the collection i think!)

satoru’s trying really hard to be a better partner 🥹 (whatever ‘better’ means, he’s just whipped!!! wants reader to feel all that he feels for em 🥹) & reader doesn’t ask for it, but he does all the cheesy things!! anniversary plans, those date ideas you can find on tiktok or ig reels, and he searches the top 10 romantic places for a picnic but forgets to check the forecast so it rains that day 🥹🤧😭

he tries to vlog some of it too!! for the ~~memories (and lowkey for the clout…) and posts it on his socials!! (yuuji leaves the sweetest comment and megumi gives a thumbs down 🤧) & it booms for a while but reader starts getting hate from like… 13 year olds… (he becomes a social media heartthrob unfortunately 😔) so he takes it down 😭 (and also—he sees comments on how hot reader is, some of them kind of… 😳, and he’s jealous so. nope. for his eyes only from now on!)

reader spends a lot more time w the students, or former students now, really & reader likes picking up new hobbies all the time!! trying out new things!! so there’s a rotation of the people that join in 🥺 (pottery with megumi, cooking with inumaki, yoga with yuuji (gojo joins in…. 👀🤨), dance with nobara 😭 and more!!!)

and!!! they move in together 🥺 officially 🥺 and his office is now theirs, also officially 🥹

would you all be interested in me writing more pieces on stuff like this for ‘conversations on love’? 😳

talks of children, kids, parenting, etc. under the cut

i don’t mind talking abt them having kids at all!! but thank you for being so thoughtful tina 🥺

i do love me a good papa!gojo 🥺 and i think reader would make such a loving parent too 🥺 so i can totally see it happening with them!! but!!! i don’t think it’s a priority, or something they actively think about/plan to happen 🥺

there’s definitely a lot of reluctancy with it (on both ends actually) —given that they’ve had a bit of experience with megumi and tsumiki despite being kinda thrust into it back then— they’d be more careful and conscious about it now, that if they do decide on mini-me’s, they want to be sure they can be present, in a world that’s safe and right to raise their own children 🥺

sorry this got so long!! but i hope i answered all your questions 🥹

@stellamancer tagging u here bc col couple is urs as much as they r mine 💘

[denimbex1986]

'Andrew Scott's partner remains a subject of intrigue, as the acclaimed actor has always been guarded about his personal life, particularly his relationships. From his past relationship with Stephen Beresford to his current dating status, his romantic endeavors have garnered curiosity and speculation.

Andrew Scott is an award-winning Irish actor who has carved a successful film, theater, and television career over the last twenty-plus years. He first captured the attention of global audiences with his outstanding performance as Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes's archenemy, in the BBC TV series "Sherlock."

Yet the role that propelled him to heartthrob status is the Priest in the second season of the critically acclaimed series "Fleabag." Since his appearance in the series, the actor has gained millions of fans who are curious about his sexuality and dating life.

Openly Gay Actor Andrew Scott Does Not View His Sexuality as a Political Statement

Scott came out as gay in his early 20s. Despite a Catholic upbringing, he was relieved that his parents were liberal, accepting, and supportive.

However, the actor feels the term "openly gay" does not reflect who he is, as he doesn't like to be defined as one particular thing. He refuses to see his sexuality as a political statement:

"Sexuality isn't something you can cultivate, particularly. It isn't a talent."

Scott firmly believes his sexual orientation does not hinder his ability to portray heterosexual characters convincingly. His acting is a testament to this belief. His off-screen sexuality didn't chip away at the credibility of his on-screen romance with Phoebe Waller-Bridge's character in "Fleabag."

The actor's captivating performance was every bit as authentic, proving once again that talent transcends personal identities. In a candid discussion with fellow openly gay actor Ben Whishaw, Scott affirmed that on-screen chemistry has little to do with actors' sexual orientation. He said that it instead requires "eros, a sense of playfulness, an idea of imagination."

Andrew Scott Was in a Discreet Long-Term Relationship with Writer Stephen Beresford

Despite his high-profile career, Scott prefers to keep his private life out of the media. He believes that speculations about his love life emerge only when he discusses it publicly. Hence his self-imposed rule: he doesn't talk about it.

For years, he managed to keep the identity of his partner under wraps, only admitting that he worked in the same industry. Later, it was revealed that his partner was none other than playwright Stephen Beresford, renowned for his work on "The Last of the Haussmans" for the National Theatre and films like "Pride" and "Tolkien."

The couple had reportedly been together for about a decade before they decided to part ways in 2019. Interestingly, Scott and Beresford were seen together in 2022, suggesting their separation was amicable.

Andrew Scott's Dating Life Is a Mystery

After his split with Beresford, Scott has managed to avoid any dating rumors. Given his reluctance to discuss his love life, whether he is single or not is uncertain.

In 2020, he admitted he once found it challenging to live alone the first time he tried it. Although it was a tough transition, he was proud of himself for facing the challenge head-on. He remarked:

"I feel like I have a good relationship with who I am. I really enjoy my work, really enjoy my life. I feel like I know myself a lot better."

The actor also said that his attitude towards relationships and sexuality changed. On the podcast, he also discussed some of the terms people use around sex, including how people use "casual sex" to make others feel shame about their sex lives.

Scott believes casual relationships could be meaningful because learning from someone does not come from how much time you spend with the person. He also believes people should be able to make mistakes and discover who they are.'

[twoidiotwriters1]

Daughter of Olympus (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: Reading Chalice of the Gods was a religious experience -Danny Words: 2,928 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter / Next Chapter Listen to: 'Cold in California' -by Ashe

XVIII. The Risk I Took was Calculated, but I'm sooo Bad at Math

"That's Concord," Jason points to the background view. "Walnut Creek below us. To the south, Danville, past those hills. And that way, that's the Berkeley Hills. The East Bay. Past that, San Francisco."

"Jason?" Piper asks with excitement. "You remember something? You've been here?"

"Yes... no." His face falls. "It just seems important."

"That's Titan land," Hedge informs them. "Bad place, Jason. Trust me, this is as close to 'Frisco as we want to get."

"That's not quite true," Ara responds. "Annabeth lived here a while, it is true that it's packed... with monsters..." She tilts her head, deep in thought. Why is San Francisco packed with monsters?

"Hey, guys," Leo's voice quivers, he's starting to sink into the mud. "Let's keep moving."

"Gaea is stronger here," Hedge takes off his shoes and hands them to Leo. "Keep those for me, Valdez. They're nice."

"Yes, sir, Coach. Would you like them polished?"

"That's varsity thinking, Valdez. But first, we'd better hike up this mountain while we still can."

"How do we know where the giant is?" Piper looks at Ara for an answer.

"A giant's not easy to miss," she shrugs, "let's keep going and—"

"Smoke equals fire," Jason points up: A thin gray column is rising. "We'd better hurry."

Ara, as usual, ends up at the head of the group. Hedge goes next, then Jason, Piper, and Leo in the back. The girl waits to keep an eye on them and make sure they're not eaten by anything.

Ara tries not to laugh when Leo gets to where she is. He's wearing the Ray-Bans Aphrodite gave him, the collarless shirt is dirty and he's rolled up the sleeves, he's sweating buckets and toying with scraps that he probably pulled out of his tool belt. Now he looks like himself. A more fashionable version, but it's definitely Leo.

"What's so funny?" He scowls at her.

"I think I should cut my mother some slack, you looking good."

Leo stops. "What?"

Ara pats his shoulder. "Keep moving, heartthrob."

The group hides behind a massive rock once they reach the top. Hedge is reluctant to join them. "I don't want to get my outfit dirty!"

"Satyrs," Ara scoffs. "They turn into idiots so easily... kinda like you, Valdez."

Leo elbows her, but it's a playful gesture. Ara looks ahead and studies the giant, they're supposed to be like a knock-off version of the Olympians, and if she had to guess, this one is either Ares or Hephaestus's counterpart, if the flames tattooed on his body mean anything. 

Enceladus reminds her of every monster she's fought. In short, Ara's going to die today.

"Okay," Hedge says quietly. "Here's the plan—"

 "You're not charging him alone!" Leo elbows him, not as gently as he did to Ara.

 "Aw, c'mon..."

Piper gasps and points with a shaky hand. "Look... Dad." The girl's father is tied to a post, he's not awake but doesn't look dead either, so that's something.

"There's four of us," Hedge urges them. "And only one of him."

"Did you miss the fact that he's thirty feet tall?" Leo scowls.

"Okay. So you, me, and Jason distract him. The girls sneak around and free Piper's dad."

They turn to Jason. "What? I'm not the leader, Ara is."

"The quest is yours, and so is the prophecy," Ara corrects him. "I have to follow your lead in these cases."

Jason seems troubled. "I hate to say it... but Coach Hedge is right. A distraction is Piper's best chance."

Ara nods. "Then let's make sure we don't waste it."

"Let's boogie," he agrees. "Before I come to my senses." 

Piper and Ara watch in silence while the boys and Hedge go forward. Jason's got his lance in hand, which reminds her Leo has no weapon to defend himself, she should see he gets one once they're back in camp. If they go back to camp at all.

"Well," the giant smiles at the boys. "What a nice surprise."

"Let the movie star go, you big ugly cupcake! Or I'm gonna plant my hoof right up your—"

"Coach," Jason interrupts him. "Shut up."

"He's not the biggest Hedge fan, is he?" Ara whispers sarcastically.

"Scatter!" Leo screams.

The giant opens his mouth and spits out fire. 

Ara feels her knees buckle. "He breathes fire!" she squeaks.

"Come on!" Piper says anxiously, pulling her up. 

Enceladus sinks the end of his spear into the ground and makes the earth shake. It feels exactly like the kind of thing Percy would own with no help. He would create a geyser right under the giant's feet, or something just as impressive... And that thought is what snaps her out of her terror. 

She's here to save her brother from what Hera might've planned for him. Ara sprints as fast as Hermes but as she does, the giant looks in Piper's direction.

"I see you, Piper McLean!" He spits fire when the girl runs off. "I'm happy you've arrived. And you brought me my prizes! That's right, son of Hephaestus. I didn't expect you all to stay alive this long, but it doesn't matter. By bringing you here, Piper McLean has sealed the deal. If she betrays you, I'm as good as my word. She can take her father and go. What do I care about a movie star?"

Ara sneaks her way to Piper's dad and gets to work, making sure he's still alive. She lifts his head and hears him whimper very quietly, that's good enough to focus on the rest. 

"Dad!" Piper screams.

"Pipes...? Where..." he tries to focus on Ara. When he notices she's not his daughter, he frowns. "Who are you?"

"Stay still," the girl searches through her dino bag, and she finds something that wasn't there before: a bag full of Beckendorf's old bombs. There is a note taped to it with a Heta scribbled on it. "Thank you!" She whispers.

"...I was Athena's nemesis, the anti-Athena, you might say. Compared to some of my brethren—I am small! But I am clever. And I keep my bargain with you, Piper McLean. It's part of my plan!"

"Athena?" Ara stands up and talks loudly. "Why do you spit fire and not spiders, then?"

The giant whirls around, his eyes flare up with annoyance. "Ara Jackson! Mother says you're a plague that we ought to eradicate. I promised her I would skin you!"

"Cute!" She pulls out a bomb from her bag. "Did Mommy tell you I don't give a fuck?" 

Ara shouts: "DUCK!" and throws Beckendorf's invention in the direction of the giant. Water bursts out of it, soaking Enceladus and keeping him from summoning anything more than just steam. 

From all around them come out smaller giants, they remind her of Tyson's friend, Briares, but these are definitely not friendly. Ara draws out Almighty and slashes the ropes around Piper's dad. The man tumbles forward but she grabs him before he falls face down onto the mud. 

Behind them, Jason, Piper, and Leo are fighting the mud creatures. "Vroom, vroom!" They yell, which is on brand for lesser monsters. "Vroom, vroom! Kill Yay-son!"

Encedalus recovers from Ara's attack and tries to convince Piper to betray her friends. "You see, Piper, you have a choice. Save your father, or ah, try to save your friends and face certain death."

"You will not take the people I love," she says fiercely, drawing out her blade. "None of them."

The clay monsters step back, affected by her charmspeak. "Okay. Okay, sorry."

"Good job, Pipes!" Ara cheers loudly.

"This is why we wanted you alive, my dear," Enceladus smirks at the girl. "You could have been so useful to us. But as you wish."

"What about me?" Ara scoffs, carrying Tristan to safety. "Is it because I'm not rich? That's—"

"Quiet!" Enceladus notices she's got Tristan out of the ropes and points at them. "Earth-born! I will show you, Jason! There is Jason—Tear him apart!"

Piper rushes to her side while Jason and Leo move in different directions. "Thank you," Piper helps her carry the man. "Go help the others!"

Ara jumps and dodges monsters while Leo swings a crane arm from the construction site on the edge of Enceladus' enclosure. She doesn't know how he got it to work, but she's not complaining. 

Ara seizes a random bomb, throwing it over her shoulder at the monsters attacking Leo. "Incoming!" It's fortunate that the boy's immune to fire, cause that one is Greek. It surrounds the creatures, and all Leo has to do is slam the robotic arm on them and smash them into pieces.

Ara reaches Jason in no time and pulls out a new bomb, she makes sure is water this time. She tosses it in the direction of Enceladus's face, he hits it with his spear and it explodes. "Glad you could make it," Jason pants.

"What's the matter?" Ara taunts the monster. "Thought I was a plague you couldn't wait to skin? C'mon, I'll give you a headstart!"

Enceladus opens his mouth to blaze her out of existence, but Ara ducks while Jason jumps and uses the air to control his fall. He cuts the giant's cheek and Ara slices his ankles. His skin is tough, but Almighty's tougher, and the ichor pours down his feet.

The girl looks over her shoulder and spots Leo pulling one of the craziest stunts she's ever seen: He jumps off the crane doing a backflip before it gets crushed by the last earthborn, then screams "Dozer!" as if summoning the machine, and the crazy part is that it works.

"Leo!" Ara pulls out the last two bombs from her bag and tosses them to Leo, who catches one in each hand and activates the one on his right, throwing it to the last group of clay guys.

Enceladus pushes Jason out of his way and turns to Ara, but the dozer raises its shovel, hitting the giant's chin and causing him to stumble back. Jason stabs his lower back, and Enceladus shrieks in anger and pain, he seizes the dozer and throws it out of reach. 

"I'm not some minor monster! I am a giant, born to destroy gods! Your little gold toothpick and car toys won't kill me!"

"Who said anything about killing?" Ara grips her sword tighter. "I'd like to see how much pain you can handle..." 

The ground sinks so fast it makes her lose balance. Ara falls but hurriedly pulls her foot out of the small quicksand hole that formed there, Gaea must be getting impatient. Jason goes back to attacking the giant, who turns to him and laughs.

"The mighty Jason Grace! Yes, we know about you, son of Jupiter. The one who led the assault on Mount Othrys. The one who single-handedly slew the Titan Krios and toppled the black throne..." Jason seems confused, but now his eyes have a second layer to them, a look she's seen many times before in veteran campers.

The earth is invigorating Enceladus, as long as he's in contact with it, they won't get the upper hand. She remembers what Percy did to his half-brother Antaeus in the labyrinth, but the crane and the dozer are destroyed, so they've run out of ways to pull him off the ground. 

Ara runs at the same time as Jason and they charge against the giant. She lifts her sword and slams it against the giant's spear. "You can't think straight!" She screams, and her weapon slashes across his spear making an unpleasant screeching sound. 

The giant's momentarily stunned. "I... don't..."

Ara raises her sword again, and Jason's javelin gets stuck in the middle of the collision. When it happens, it doesn't take it well and a blinding light throws them back. Ara feels her muscles burn from the inside out, blistering her skin as she lands on the mud.

She's having trouble breathing, Ara glances at the crater Jason's weapon created: It's deep and looks like glass, which tells her that what hit them was lighting. The girl glances down her left arm, she's got a crazy-looking bruise pattern over her forearm, from the blood vessels that burst during the discharge.

She spots Jason, trying and failing to get on his feet. Enceladus blinks away the bright spots from his eyes, and then he cackles. "Impressive! Unfortunately, that was your last trick, demigods."

Ara looks for her sword, maybe it flew out of reach, maybe she's lost it forever, and the thought makes her want to cry. Losing the last physical proof that she's gained her title in a rightful way feels like the confirmation that she's not an adequate child of Olympus.

The giant jumps over the crater and lifts the broken spear above their heads. Ara's ears are buzzing and her legs are numb, she can't do anything. "And now," Enceladus looks at them with a hungry gaze. "My first sacrifice to Gaea!"

"All that back-bending training, just to die on my knees," the girl thinks with scorn.

"Heads up!" Leo shouts.

He throws the last water bomb at Enceladus and Ara watches him fall into the pit, but she can't even feel glad about it. Something is wrong with her and she's just starting to notice. 

Piper approaches her and Jason. "Guys, get up! Don't die on me—You are not dying on me!"

"Yes, ma'am," Jason responds hoarsely.

Jason and Piper try to help her up, but the arm that got bruised is not responding. Enceladus is getting up again, and Ara wants to keep going, has to keep going. She wonders if this is only going to escalate from now on, her injuries, the fights, maybe once the gods allow her to retire she'll be missing both legs as well.

Leo's eyes are full of concern when he kneels in front of her. "What's happening?"

"It was my fault," Jason replies, voice cracking. "My lance broke and she got hit with lightning."

"No, I broke it," Ara doesn't want Jason to feel guilty. "But I'll be fine..." She tries to clear her throat although the effort visibly hurts her.

"Good try..." The giant crawls out slowly, broken spear in hand. "But I cannot be beaten..."

"What is it with this guy?" Leo groans. "Die, already!"

"My fate is preordained," Enceladus's breathing is hard and choked, but he's not going anywhere. "Giants cannot be killed by gods or heroes. Not even a Child of Olympus can take me out singlehandedly." 

Ara flips him off with her working hand, stumbling slightly as the boys help her stay on her feet.

"Only by both," Jason says knowingly. "It's true, isn't it? Gods and demigods have to work together to kill you."

"You will not live long enough to try!" Enceladus pushes himself up but the glass parts continue to shatter under him.

"If you haven't used Artemis' blessing, now's the time," Leo whispers to her.

"I think her blessing's what's keeping me alive," she grimaces. "But like, I can pray to Hades? Throw me into the pitch and I'll summon a bunch of skeletons once I'm dead..."

"Think I'll pass," Leo keeps a tight grip around her waist. "Guys?"

Jason has reached a conclusion. "If you've got a rope in that tool belt, get it ready."

Piper uses her charmspeak. "Enceladus! Look behind you!"

"What?" He gives a start, turning to look over his shoulder.

"Cheap trick," Ara grins. "Love it."

Jason pushes the giant back to the pit. They can't lift him off the ground, so the next logical thing is to try and push him back onto his mother's skirts, so far below he can't climb his way out. 

The problem is Jason goes down with him, the boy crawls and climbs over Enceladus's shoulder, the sky turns grey, the air grows lighter, and Ara knows what comes next. 

"Hit the deck!" Jason shouts. 

Ara holds Piper with the arm that's still working and tackles her to the ground. Leo falls next to them, trying to cover her body so she doesn't get hit by a second electric discharge. A stronger bolt of light hits the pit and makes Ara's ears buzz, she's ready to throw up what she ate at the café. 

Ara uses her healthy arm to push herself up to a kneeling position. As she bends down, struggling to breathe, she supports her right hand on her hip and feels a bump in her pocket.

"Ha!" Ara smiles, grabbing the compass. "It is Riptide's sibling!"

Enceladus's voice comes from the pit, he's slowly slipping deeper down the crack. "You've won nothing, boy. My brothers are rising, and they are ten times as strong as I. We will destroy the gods at their roots! You will die, and Olympus will die with—"

Ara watches as he falls before he can finish his threat. "That's embarrassing..."

"Grab hold!" Leo quickly stands and throws a rope into the pit.

Ara gets up and holds the end of it, pulling with just one arm, but the three teens are strong enough to get Jason out of danger. He crawls out and examines his body, then he goes to her.

"You okay?"

The area surrounding them is scorched, and wet like a tsunami washed over it thanks to Beck's bombs. There is a thirty-foot-deep pit in front of them and a helicopter's getting closer, but Jason's worried about Ara.

"Don't think so," the girl glances at her numb arm, the way it's positioned doesn't make a lot of sense to her. "Is my arm..?"

"Oh, god," Piper's face loses color. "I think it's broken."

Ara stares at it in confusion, she can't feel any pain. 

"Huh," she says, then she looks around for their satyr, he passed out pretty soon after the fight started. "We should wake up Hedge."

"You almost ripped your arm off and your response to that is 'Huh'?" Leo questions in disbelief.

"What, should I scream and throw up about it? I can't feel it," Ara shrugs with only one shoulder. "Seriously, wake up Hedge, I don't know how to fix this."

Next Chapter ->

Taglist.

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[the-whispers-of-death]

i just got the clearest vision of one of the boys from the merman!reader AU wearing those goofy baseball hats that just says "women fear me, fish want me" ((with a matching one for merman!reader thats just "im fish". or that on a t-shirt in bold helvetica font))

~ rusty

Stone especially wears that baseball hat with pride. It's a very true statement, considering women do fear him. He only cares about one fish wanting him though, you.

Heartthrob needs to see the baseball hat on Stone first before following his husband's lead. Stone rocks the hat and honestly, so does Heartthrob.

Kali, though he was the first out of your boyfriends to be your boyfriend, he's reluctant. He already has a cowboy hat that he wears constantly and he quite likes wearing it, swears up and down that wearing the baseball hat won't feel the same. Has to be coaxed into wearing the hat, but he does so once he realizes it'll make you happy.

It suits him well.