#watch it to get this streaming on my veins like crazy i want to fixate on it forever like. lets get going. boys and girls. im GOING TO -

[ouclematis]

petscop is the equivalent to like a really well made maftoul or a mantija (albanian/kosovare (shqiptarë) dough dumplings, i really need to watch it. such a good arg.

[honestandsincere]

Ok so imagine college!ethan being extremely successful when it comes to getting girls. He’s super high up in frat hierarchy and is always the centre of attention at parties, so much so that he’s essentially infamous on campus. But Ethan feels as though he always has to play dumb whilst talking to girls, afraid he’ll scare them off with his intelligence and his fierce passion for literature / philosophy / sci-fi movies that go beyond the stereotypical alien invasion plot line. So whilst he’s basking in the spotlight on a Friday night, fireball coursing through his veins, he keeps conversation to a minimum. He slings an arm around one of the girls that constantly gravitates towards him whenever he’s somewhat intoxicated and pretends it doesn’t bother him that she’s fixated on the curve of his jaw and not his plethora of theories about War and Peace.

This all changes when he walks into his philosophy lecture on a gloomy Tuesday afternoon to find a girl sat in his regular aisle seat. She has a laptop covered in stickers set out in front of her along with copious colour-coded notes and an adorable selection of pastel gel pens. Not wanting to disrupt her impressive feng shui, Ethan takes the seat across the aisle from her and studies her, unable to figure out how he’s never noticed her, before taking out his supplies. He’s become accustomed to looking at pretty people, he’s surrounded by them almost every waking minute, but Ethan can’t quite comprehend this girl’s beauty. She seems to transcend all he’s ever known when it comes to attractiveness and he couldn’t tell you exactly what it is about her that has him so transfixed, having only acknowledged her side-profile for mere seconds. Her hair is pinned away from her face so he examines the soft curve of her nose and the way her lips pout ever so subtly as she begins writing what he can only assume is the date in her notebook.

The lecture begins and Ethan feels himself drift into the familiarity of note-taking and highlighting and taking pictures of the presentation the academic has prepared for them. He enjoys learning, just absorbing information that challenges him to think and analyze and critique. His peace is disturbed by the sound of shuffling coming from his right, so he naturally turns to connect the noise to its maker. She’s waving her hand in the air innocently, gazing patiently towards their lecturer and Ethan’s brow can’t help but furrow. This is college, nobody raises their hands. But she has something to say, something valid and blatantly well-considered as she draws a connection between hard determinism and the work of some lawyer that saved his clients from capital punishment. Ethan can’t quite believe it. She’s not being a smartass or a goody-two-shoes, just sharing some genuinely constructive information that he finds himself writing down underneath his most recent bulletpoint. This girl he’d never encountered before with an extensive stationery collection and adorable little star shaped earrings seems to be a gift from the gods. 

Ethan doesn’t muster up enough courage to talk to her for another three weeks, silently watching with sheer admiration as she takes his preferred aisle seat each lecture. Yet fate seems to work in mysterious ways, as one night as he’s unforgivably inebriated at one of the fraternities closest to his, he sees her. She’s wearing her cute star earrings, holding a red cup and gesticulating frantically with her free hand as she engages with one of Ethan’s frat brothers. A surge of what can only be deemed intense bravery washes over Ethan, he’s leaning on one of his friends watching her intently and then he isn’t. He can feel himself weaving through clusters of students until he reaches the window seat she’s perched on and in a desperate struggle to appear sober, he wraps his arm around Josh’s middle. Her face lights up at the sight of him, instantly recognising him as the boy that sat opposite her in philosophy. “Hi,” she smiles, giving him the tiniest of waves despite his close proximity. Ethan grins at her and returns the wave with a slightly slurred greeting. Josh, being acutely aware of Ethan as a human being, takes this as a sign to leave and makes his way towards a group of senior girls.

“I can’t believe I haven’t introduced myself to you yet!” She laughs and Ethan swears his heart hasn’t ever beat faster. “I know,” he holds out his hand, “I’m Ethan.” She takes it in her own and gives it a firm shake, “Y/n.”

The two spend the night sat on the window seat; Ethan conjuring enough confidence to tell her that her comment on Clarence Darrow helped him tremendously and y/n blushing furiously at his steady stream of praise for her. For the first time in years Ethan Dolan feels like he can talk without fear of judgement or lack of understanding. Y/n’s eyes widen with each sentence he strings together, utterly astounded by this beautiful boy’s intelligence and wit. She listens with the deepest admiration as he lists his War and Peace theories, far too enraptured in him to question or ask for elaboration. Topic shifts naturally to sci-fi movies and as Ethan is on the very cusp of asking her which is her favourite, she delves into a perceptive analysis of a fairly recent one she’s watched. “It’s just this perfect combination of classic sci-fi and this crazy philosophical questioning of humanity. I just sat there in awe, Ethan.” “Tell me about it.” He rasps, turning into her slightly. “So Amy Adams is the lead and she’s brilliant, completely brilliant. Basically she’s a linguist-” “Wait, is this Arrival?” “Oh my god! You’ve seen it?” She’s never felt so much excitement in one night. “Of course I have! I took Josh to go watch it with me, it all went over his head but I loved every second.” 

From that point onwards, y/n didn’t sit in the aisle seat. She sat one seat in from Ethan who was more than happy to return to his rightful spot in the lecture hall. They shared notes, made jokes under their breath about spelling mistakes on the PowerPoint and cried with laughter at someone behind them’s weird sneeze. Philosophy was never boring, it just seemed to get progressively less tedious when they were together. It took Ethan maybe a month or so to ask her out properly. He’d stumbled over his invitation with nerves and fear of being rejected by the first girl he genuinely liked. Of course she said yes, there was no reason for her not to. Y/n was all Ethan Dolan had wanted and he was more than she could have ever asked for in a study partner. College was a rollercoater of intoxicated highs and sobering lows, but as long as each of his essay titles were underlined in pastel gel pen, Ethan Dolan was ridiculously content.

This is my first ever piece of writing posted here! I really do hope you enjoyed it, thank you so much for reading - K <3

[my-one-love-is-music]

Free Me From This Prison Called My Head

Summary: It's been a year since Tim fell into a coma. He was small swamped by the hospital sheets in the Cave, but they knew there had to be some way to wake him up. It had been a year. And they were finally going to get him out.

A/N: This is my last fic that I wrote during Nanowrimo back in November and I'm so excited to share it with everyone! I've had this idea for a long time and have been wanting to write it for so long so please enjoy because this was another great piece to put together!

Also on AO3!

Jason stared at Tim’s limp body in the bed they’d set up in the Cave. He was hooked up to several machines that tracked his breathing and heartrate and even his brain patterns to make sure everything was operating as it should. He looked smaller than Jason remembered but he knew Tim had been deteriorating for a while.

That usually happened when the only thing a person was living off of were the liquid nutrients pumped into your veins.

Jason remembered the night when he’d first heard what happened to Tim. He was off on some mission with one of the many crazy scientists that always seemed to pop up. He’d been hit with a dart that injected something into his blood stream, causing him to fall unconscious.

They’d tried to isolate the component that was there, but it took a month to locate it and three more before they even had an initial test dose mixed. Their hope hadn’t lasted long when the injected dose caused Tim to have a seizure.

Jason was glad he hadn’t been present when that happened, but the hollow looks in both Dick’s and Bruce’s eyes had said more than enough, and when he watched the Cave’s footage later he had to slink off to a corner for a few hours to process what he’d seen.

After that instance they weren’t willing to try and make any more antidotes and started to research other cures.

Another two months passed before they decided to look at Tim’s brainwaves and the patterns that appeared. Even then it was only an accident they realized Tim’s brain activity constantly replicated that of someone in deep REM sleep.

It wasn’t common for coma patients to show signs of a deep sleep cycle which lead them to their next point of possible contact with Tim. If they could find some way to get into his head and communicate, they could find out what attacked him, or pull him out of what was holding him under.

And now they’d finally managed to develop a technology that could let them connect with Tim during his dreams. They could only hope that it would work, and they would be able to communicate with Tim in the middle of whatever dream he was living and had been living for the past year.

“We’re ready to go,” Bruce said, pulling Jason from his ruminating thoughts over Tim. “Are you ready, Dick?”

“More than ready,” Dick said where he was spread out on the table next to Tim. He was already connected to his own heart monitor and had a band around his head. “I’m ready to bring him back.”

Bruce nodded. “Close your eyes and even out your breathing.”

Dick sucked in a deep breath and held it before letting it out through his mouth. The twin beats on the heart monitors were loud in the silence between them.

“I’m booting up the machine now. You should be pulled under within the next ten or fifteen seconds.”

Bruce’s eyes stayed fixed on the screen which remained black as Dick’s breathing continued to even out. The image was dim and fuzzy at first and Jason squinted as he watched the screen come to life.

The view on the screen moved around quickly, much how a person would look at the streets around them.

“Is there anything we can do so we don’t have to watch through Dick’s eyes?” Jason asked. “This is making me nauseous and isn’t the best way to get an idea of his surroundings.”

Bruce hummed under his breath and tapped out several things on his computer. Jason blinked when the view on the screen shifted and they were watching Dick look at the buildings around him.

“I gotta admit, I wasn’t actually expecting that to work,” Jason muttered.

“I’m beyond understanding how most of this is operating at this point,” Bruce admitted. “There are a lot of factors here that I never expected to come into contact with in my life.”

“Fair enough,” Jason agreed.

Dick moved down the sidewalk, eyes fixated on the buildings around him as he took in what Jason was quickly realizing was Gotham. It was…lighter than Jason ever imagined Gotham could be. The streets looked clean and people looked happy and not as though they were distrustful of everyone around them or ready to bolt at the first sign of danger.

“You know what we didn’t consider when we came up with this idea?” Jason asked. “The fact that we can’t talk to whoever’s under and we have to sit on the sidelines.”

“It would’ve taken longer to try and advance the tech we’re using enough to get to that point. If you’d like to keep researching while I map Dick’s progress, be my guest,” Bruce said.

Jason said nothing and watched as Dick jogged across the street and turned towards the largest skyscrapers the city housed. He made a beeline for Drake Industries after catching sight of the sign and the people walking in and out of the doors.

Dick pushed inside, ignoring the people who gave him curious looks at needing to be in the building when he wasn’t wearing a suit. He strode to the front desk and flashed his best smile.

“Hi, excuse me,” he said.

The woman working the front desk looked up and smiled politely. “What can I do for you?” she asked.

“I have a meeting scheduled with Tim Drake,” he asked.

She frowned and raised an eyebrow, giving Dick a onceover. “He’s currently in a meeting. What’s your name so that I can let you know you’re here?” she asked, voice filled with false politeness.

“Dick Grayson,” he answered easily.

She pursed her lips and looked over him again. “You certainly don’t appear to have the appearance of Mr. Grayson.”

Dick frowned. “I’m sorry, but what’s that supposed to mean?”

She waved her hand. “Nothing, nothing. I will pass on the notice of your visit to Mr. Drake and he can set up an appointment with you when he’s next available.”

Dick smiled. “Thank you so much. I appreciate the help.”

He turned on his heel and rolled his eyes before he strode over to the door, eyes scanning the room around him. He pushed through the doors and turned to the right, walking in front of the large windows so the secretary would see his departure and assume he was leaving.

Once he was out of sight, he made a beeline for the nearest crosswalk and jogged across the street to the other side. He shoved his hands in his pockets and strode back in the direction of Drake Industries, slipping into the alley across the street so he could watch the front doors without garnering suspicion.

He nestled into the shadows and kept watch as the sun slowly moved across the sky.

Jason accepted the tea and sandwiches Alfred brought around while they watched Dick wait in the alley. He didn’t budge from his spot and Jason wondered if he could feel hunger in the dream world. Or if he’d bother to eat if he did.

Bruce and Jason froze when they saw Tim push out of the double doors and turn towards the parking garage next door. He had a messenger back over his shoulder and was smiling, posture relaxed as he walked. The bags he usually had under his eyes were completely gone and he looked like he’d never missed a night’s sleep in his life.

Dick wasted no time when he appeared. He wove through the cars that were inching forward down the street and caught up to Tim in an instant.

“Tim!” he said, gripping his shoulder.

Tim gasped and whirled around, pulling out of his grasp. “Wha-what?” he asked. He stopped and squinted at Dick. “Who are you? You’re not looking for money, are you?”

Dick frowned. “No, Tim it’s me. It’s Dick.”

Tim took a step backward, eyeing him warily. “I don’t know anyone named Dick.”

Jason frowned and saw the expression mirrored on Dick’s own face.

“Dick Grayson,” he said slowly. “We’ve known each other for years.”

Tim’s earlier wariness disappeared, replaced with concerned. “I barely know Dick Grayson. The only time I’ve interacted with him has been at charity galas since he’s not involved with the work between Wayne Enterprises and Drake Industries. Look, is there someone I can call for you? Are you lost? Whoever you’re looking for, I’m pretty sure it’s not me.”

Dick plastered on a polite smile and took a step back, shaking his head. “No, I’m sorry. I guess the mistake was mine. Nothing you need to worry about.”

Tim nodded but still looked concerned. He backed up a step and hesitated but still managed to turn on his heel and walk off. Dick didn’t linger and turned in the opposite direction and hurried away, head ducked to everyone around him.

“What the hell just happened?” Jason asked.

Bruce shook his head. “Let’s find out.” He tapped on his keyboard and the picture slowly faded. Jason heard Dick’s breathing change and in a couple minutes he was blinking his eyes open and sitting up.

“What happened?” Bruce asked, turning to face him.

Dick sighed and pulled off the headband when he sat up. “I don’t know. He didn’t recognize me at all. I don’t know what’s going on but if we can’t get him to recognize us in there, I don’t think there’s any way to pull him out of the world he’s trapped in. Maybe you’d be more persuasive?” he asked, looking at Bruce with hopeful eyes.

Bruce hummed. “I guess that should be our next avenue. You remember how to operate this?” he asked with a wave to the console.

Dick nodded and passed the headband to Bruce. He pulled the wires connecting him to the heart monitor off and stuck them on Bruce, only a moment passing when the machine beeped in protest.

Bruce laid back on the bed and Dick started typing in commands on the computer. Bruce evened his breathing without being prompted and he fell asleep within seconds.

The screen faded into existence like it had the first time and Jason watched as Bruce appeared in the same place Dick had. The light was dim now that night was falling and Bruce quickly navigated the streets, aiming for the library.

Jason was confused as to what he was doing until he sat down at a computer and started researching things about Tim, zeroing in on his apartment complex. He copied down the address and wiped his search history before leaving the library and making his way through the streets towards the apartments.

None of the other people on the street gave Bruce their attention.

Jason squinted at the screen. “Hey,” he said, pointing at the people he passed. “Don’t these people look kind of out of it?”

Dick looked where he was pointing. “I guess? They’re not exactly real so I don’t think they’d behave the same way.”

“No, I know,” Jason said. “But earlier when you were around them, they had more personality, like they knew they were being watched.”

“Do you think it has anything to do with the time of the dream?” Dick asked. “Maybe because it’s night they have less of a reason to be in character I guess?”

“Maybe. I think we should keep an eye on them going forward though,” Jason muttered.

“This whole situation is weird,” Dick admitted. “Technology forcing someone into a dream coma wasn’t something I ever even could’ve imagined happening to us, but here we are.”

Jason sighed and nodded.

Bruce turned the corner on the screen and slowed to a stop in front of a resplendent apartment building. He looked up and over the windows, neck arching back when he tried to see to the very top. He turned towards the door and walked inside.

He smiled and nodded at the receptionist in the lobby and continued past towards the elevators. She smiled back and she didn’t even look suspicious at Bruce’s appearance.

Bruce stepped into the elevator and hit the button for the top floor. He crossed his arms and waited as the elevator steadily climbed before slowing and letting the doors slide open.

Bruce stepped out and strode down the center of the hallway, making for the door at the very end of the hallway set into the opposite wall. He knocked when he approached and waited.

Dick’s shoulders tensed as he waited and Jason leaned forward, waiting to see what would happen.

The door opened and Tim furrowed his brow. He looked up and down at Bruce and for a split-second Jason thought this might work.

“Bruce Wayne?” Tim asked, flabbergasted. “What are you doing here? Why would you need to come here?”

“I needed to inquire about something with you,” he answered smoothly.

Tim stared at him like he’d grown a second head. “And what would that be?”

Bruce clasped his hands behind his back and gave Tim a onceover. “I believe you met my adopted son earlier today. Dick Grayson?”

Tim hesitated. “I ran into someone claiming to be him, but he didn’t act how he usually does…” he started, tone careful as he tried to judge Bruce’s reaction.

Bruce nodded. “That was indeed my son. I’m sorry if he seemed fairly off-putting to you. He can be a bit intense at times.”

“I resent that,” Dick muttered under his breath next to Jason.

Jason rolled his eyes and continued to watch.

Tim nodded. “So, what did you want to discuss about him?”

“I just wanted to make sure that nothing unfortunate came from your interaction with him.”

Tim straightened. “If you’re worried that my opinion of him is going to affect our business deals, I can assure you that I’m not so unprofessional as to allow that to happen.”

“But you really don’t recall the galas where you’ve interacted?”

Tim frowned and shook his head. “We’ve only exchanged pleasantries a handful of times. I’m sure of that.”

Bruce nodded. “Well, I’m sorry to disturb your evening but I’ll leave you to your night.”

“Right,” Tim said. “Have a good night.”

“You too,” Bruce said and strode away.

As Bruce approached the elevator at the end of the hall, Jason and Dick saw where Tim was staring after him, still looking completely perplexed and confused.

Bruce stepped into the elevator and hit a random button. Once the doors slid shut, he looked around himself.

“Pull me out,” he instructed. “There’s nothing else I can do here.”

“I guess that’s it then,” Dick sighed, tapping away at the computer in front of him. The screen faded to black as Bruce shifted on the table behind them.

Jason glanced over his shoulder and wasn’t surprised to find he was sitting up much quicker than Dick had.

“What do we do now?” Jason asked.

Bruce pulled the headband from his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m not sure why but whatever is keeping Tim under knows enough about both me and Dick that it can make us blend into Tim’s everyday life and memories.”

“Sooooo who can we send in to try and make Tim understand that he’s been in a coma for the past year and isn’t actually living his real life?” Dick asked.

Jason huffed and ran a hand through his hair, trying to see some solution for this problem. He wasn’t sure if multiple attempts by Bruce or Dick would change anything, but it would be worth a shot considering how long they’d waited as it was.

He glanced up and found Dick and Bruce looking at him.

“What?” he asked.

“You might be able to help Tim realize he’s living in his own head,” Dick said.

“What?” he repeated.

Bruce hummed and stood from the bed, ripping the patches from his chest that connected him to the heart monitor.

“We don’t know what kind of technology is working against us. If it has access to public records, it would know that because of Tim’s background we’re the two who Tim would most likely have come into contact with. There might be a workaround since you didn’t grow up with wealthy parents,” Bruce explained.

“And for all intents and purposes, you’re legally dead,” Dick pointed out.

Jason hesitated. “Do you really think this is going to work?”

“It’s the best we can do right now,” Dick agreed. “If this doesn’t work then we can regroup and figure something else out. Maybe we could all go in and confront Tim together instead of trying to do something one-on-one while Alfred watches over us.”

Jason sighed. “Okay,” he agreed. “I guess it can’t hurt anything.”

He picked up the patches and stuck them under his shirt, finally bringing an end to the shrill beep from the machine once it detected a heartbeat again. He shoved the headband on his head and stretched out on the hospital bed, shivering slightly.

He took deep breaths, trying not to think about what was about to happen. Bruce and Dick had both already been inside Tim’s head so there was no reason to worry about potentially adverse effects from it.

Jason heard the soft click of keys at the computer and almost thought the feeling of dozing was in his mind if his limbs weren’t becoming weighed down on the table. He closed his eyes, the tug more insistent now that he was being pulled under.

He furrowed his brow, feeling like he was floating for a moment but completely aware of his mind. The sensation was close to being underwater where the sounds around him were muffled.

A horn honked in the distance as he tried to swim upward to consciousness and understanding. Soft conversations floated around him and warmth spread over his skin as a bird chirped over his head.

Jason blinked and found himself standing in the middle of the sidewalk of Gotham city. The sun was low in the sky signaling the early morning hour. No one gave him a second thought even as he stayed put between the lines of traffic moving in opposite directions.

He took a deep breath and turned, glancing at the nearest street sign to orient himself. He was a couple street signs over from Drake Industries. He could only hope that he would be able to catch Tim before he made it to work.

Jason jogged down the street and hurried through a crosswalk before the light changed. He darted around several people walking in the opposite direction and narrowly avoided clipping someone carrying a drink carrier filled with coffee cups. He spotted the front of Drake Industries and slowed to a walk as he approached, searching for Tim amidst the crowd.

He looked across the street but didn’t see Tim anywhere. He wished he had a watch that was set to the current time in Tim’s head.

“Sorry, excuse me. So sorry. I’m sorry.”

Jason looked up and found Tim pushing between people strolling on the sidewalk. He looked flustered and panicked and his tie was crooked.

Jason jogged to intercept his path.

“Excuse me,” Jason started.

Tim glanced up at him, obviously ready to tell him he didn’t have the time when he froze, eyes going wide.

“You’re dead.”

Jason frowned. “What?” he asked.

Tim flailed backward, mouth opening and closing. He raised a hand and pointed at Jason. “You’re Jason Todd. You can’t be here. You’re dead.”

Jason glanced around and found a few people taking notice of Tim’s panicked state. He raised his hands to try and calm him down.

“Look Tim, just calm down for me for a minute. I just want to talk to you.”

“How-how do you know my name?” he asked, the color draining from his face.

“How do you know mine?” Jason countered.

Tim froze, his panic ebbing in the face of confusion.

“We’ve never met in person, have we?” Jason pressed.

Tim opened and closed his mouth. “I…I don’t know how I know your name,” he admitted. “Why do I know who you are?”

“Is there somewhere we can go to talk? A coffeeshop maybe? Somewhere we can have some privacy to talk that isn’t the middle of the sidewalk.”

Tim nodded, head going up and down frantically. “Yes. Yeah. There’s a shop just around the corner. Follow me.” He turned on his heel and started power-walking back the way he came.

Jason jogged to catch up and stuffed his hands into his pockets, keeping up with Tim easily. He glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and Jason fought to remain relaxed and calm in the face of Tim’s uncertainty and panic and what was probably going to be fear once they worked through the reality of Tim’s situation.

Tim pushed through the wooden door of a small coffeeshop nestled between buildings.

“Do you want anything?” Tim asked, glancing at the counter.

“You don’t need to buy me anything,” Jason said quickly. “But I’d recommend getting green tea to calm down considering.”

Tim pursed his lips. “Feel free to find somewhere to sit.”

“Sure thing,” Jason said. He turned to the shop and spotted a table in the back corner away from the rest of the customers.

Jason walked to the corner and took the chair that kept his back to the wall, giving him a view of the shop and through the windows at the front of the building.

Tim dropped his bag next to the chair opposite Jason and sat down, hugging the cup tightly between his hands.

“Okay,” he said. “Okay,” he repeated, fighting to compose himself. “Can you explain to me why I know who you are even though I’ve never talked to you before?”

Jason sighed and leaned forward. “I know this might sound crazy and you might not believe me at first, but I hope that I can convince you what’s really going on. This, what you see around you,” Jason said, waving at the coffeeshop. “This isn’t real.”

Tim stared at him. “What?” he asked. “You can’t be serious, can you?”

Jason nodded. “I am. Whatever you do with Drake Industries, whatever life you’re living, it’s not really yours. You do work with Wayne Enterprises and you’re a fucking badass. You know how to kick butt like the best of us.”

“What do you mean ‘the best of us?’”

“You’re...” Jason huffed and ran a hand through his hair. “You’re a vigilante. You fight crime at night and protect the people of Gotham and I do too. A year ago, you got hit with some technology that forced you into a coma. We’ve been trying to find some way to pull you out since and this is the first contact we’ve been able to make with you.”

Tim stared at him. “A vigilante? Me? I’m like, the weakest person ever. There’s no way I could legitimately fight someone.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “But you can. And you do a fucking amazing job at it.”

Tim continued to stare, and Jason had one fleeting moment of hope that Tim might believe him. They could get started on working out how to free Tim from his head and get him out.

Tim shook his head. “You’re crazy, I…that’s right you have to be crazy. None of this is actually real. It’s not that you’re dead, it’s that I don’t know you and you’re pulling my leg.” Tim nodded to himself as he continued to work through his rationalization. “I’m just exhausted and willing to be fed any lame story at this point. This is some elaborate prank. I’m sure my friends put you up to this.”

Jason’s stomach sank. “No, Tim wait.”

Tim shook his head. “I must really be stuck in a rut if I’m willing to even consider things like this,” he muttered as he grabbed his bag and made his way to the door.

“Fuck,” Jason muttered running his hands down his face. He gave himself a second to think before he shoved his chair back and stood, ready to follow Tim from the shop and make him understand.

The sounds around him became fuzzy as he took a step and he blinked, trying to clear his vision that darkened quickly. Nausea curled in his stomach and he coughed and wheezed when too-bright light shined over his head.

“What the fuck?” he asked, rolling onto his side to see Bruce and Dick watching him. “What the hell did you pull me out for?” he accused. “I could’ve tried something else.”

“We didn’t pull you out,” Bruce said slowly.

Jason stilled and pushed himself upright, carefully taking the headband off to cradle in his lap as the last wisps of nausea started to dissipate. “What?” he asked.

“We didn’t pull you out,” Dick repeated.

“Then how the hell am I back out here?” he asked.

Dick and Bruce shared a look before they shook their heads, helpless.

“It could be some form of interference from what’s been keeping Tim under. If it registered your presence that might’ve been its attempt to delete your code form it’s system but since you’re not part of it, it just temporarily deleted your presence and forced you back to the real world,” Bruce explained.

“But that can be a good thing, can’t it?” Jason asked. “If it was trying to delete my code, that means I can affect whatever world it’s created. It means I can influence Tim and have him realize what he’s been pulled into.”

“We’ll need to do more research to make sure there’s no way for this to kill you permanently,” Bruce warned.

Jason waved his hand and pulled the patches from his chest, tossing them onto the hospital bed. “Make sure it’s quick. We have a way to talk to Tim, we shouldn’t waste any more time than it’s already taken to get this far.” He walked around the hospital bed and shut off the heart monitor to stop it’s incessant beeping.

“We’ll get you back in as soon as we can,” Dick said, moving to the computer next to Bruce.

Jason nodded and set the headband on the hospital bed pillow. No matter what they found, he knew he was going to go under again. They had a chance to save Tim and they weren’t about to waste it no matter what the risk was going to be.

He looked at Bruce and Dick as they worked on the computer. He couldn’t do much when they hoarded the computer, but he wasn’t going to bug them. He was going to go upstairs and make himself a sandwich and share a pot of tea with Alfred while he worked through everything he’d just seen.

The technology was powerful beyond belief if it could change Tim’s attitude within the span of a few seconds. Tim had almost believed him. Jason was sure of it. He just needed to give him a little push to get him there.

He sighed and crossed the floor to the stairs that would take him back up to the Manor proper. He really needed that tea.

~~

Tim sat down in the chair of his office, still clutching the cup of tea he’d gotten from the coffeeshop. He was trying to make sense of the whole encounter and he knew there couldn’t be any stock in it. He didn’t know the person he’d met. There was no reason for him to know him and it was nothing more than a sick joke.

He’d just been frazzled from oversleeping and needing to get ready for work. The day before had been weird too.

“Must be a full moon coming,” he muttered as he took a sip of the lukewarm tea some stranger had recommended. Normally he didn’t get anything other than coffee, but he was surprised that the tea had helped calm him down after his morning rush.

The only thing he needed to worry about was the work on his desk and making sure Drake Industries was running as it should. He could get through a day at work, he’d meet his friends for dinner and when he got home, he could fall into bed and sleep and push all of this from his mind.

Tim pulled his laptop from his back and logged in quickly, ready to try and distract himself with work. This was normal. This was where he was supposed to be, not having weird conversations with strangers in the back of a coffeeshop.

~~

Tim found himself running down the street for the second time that day after work. His mission to distract himself had succeeded in making him lose track of time so he was running late for the dinner he’d planned with his friends.

Half the day had been spent staring off into space or reading the same sets of numbers three times before he realized his mind was still in the back of that coffeeshop with the strange man who’d approached him on the street.

Tim pushed through the door of the relaxed restaurant they’d picked and gave the hostess a smile as he passed, making a beeline for the booth his friends had already been seated at.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said, taking the open seat on the aisle they’d left for him.

“What’s up with you today?” Frank asked. “You’re never late for dinner.”

“Just been distracted,” Tim said, smile tight.

“What’s going on?” Lisa added, bracing her forearms on the table. She was always eager for some gossip.

“The strangest thing happened to me this morning,” he admitted, fiddling with the thick menu in front of him.

That got the attention of the whole group and they all leaned in.

“This weird guy came up to me on the street this morning and for some reason I blurted out that he couldn’t be here because he’s dead. And then he took me to a coffeeshop and tried to explain to me that I’ve been in a coma for the past year and the world around me is a dream or something. Basically, that my life isn’t not real. I mean, I don’t know who set up this elaborate prank, but it was super weird.”

“He’s an idiot, whoever he is,” Lisa sniffed, sitting back and crossing her arms.

“Yeah a complete nutjob,” Frank agreed, frowning.

“He should be locked up for harassing someone on the street like that,” Trent scoffed. “I can’t believe you would let yourself be taken to a coffeeshop by that guy. He could’ve easily pulled you into an alley and mugged you or murdered you.”

Tim opened and closed his mouth, trying to find something to say. He’d expected some form of reassurance form them that it was just some weird joke or maybe even a confused person or conspiracy theorist. But he hadn’t expected them to get so hostile about a stranger he’d run into on the sidewalk.

It didn’t really make sense.

“Right, yeah,” Tim said, voice weak. “I’ll be more careful next time and won’t get drawn in by strangers.”

“Good,” Lisa said, her posture relaxing. “Now, what are you all thinking of getting?” she asked, flipping open the cover of her menu to look over the options she already knew by heart.

Tim swallowed and opened his own menu, for once wanting nothing more than to ditch his friends and their dinner in favor of crawling into bed to try and forget everything around him.

Maybe if the world around him was a dream, he could wake up into something better and less confusing the next morning.

~~

“Okay what did you find out?” Jason asked, jogging down the steps to the Cave. “It had been a day since his first encounter with Tim and he was itching to get back into his head to talk to him again.

“We don’t think there’s any chance you could be killed by whatever technology is keeping Tim under,” Bruce said carefully.

“So, there’s no reason for me not to go back in,” Jason said simply. “Let’s do this then.”

He walked over to the table and jammed the headband on his head. He carefully stuck the patches from the heart monitor on his chest and turned it on, another steady beeping filling the Cave alongside Tim’s heart.

“We’re not sure you should go back in,” Bruce said.

Jason rolled his eyes. “Don’t even start, old man.” He ignored how Bruce wrinkled his nose. “This is the best chance we have to finally free Tim from this villain-induced prison and we should take it. I might be able to make some progress and if there’s less of a chance of this tech being able to kill me, all the better. We shouldn’t waste the one chance we’ve worked so hard to get.”

Bruce’s lips thinned but he nodded and moved over to the computer.

Jason took a deep breath and let his eyes slide shut.

The transition was easier this time and the world inside Tim’s head came into focus quicker than it had the first time. He opted to think that was because he’d done it once already and not for anything sinister.

Instead of appearing on the sidewalk where he had the first time, Jason found himself standing in the coffeeshop where Tim had walked away from him. No one around him seemed bothered by his appearance and Jason made his way for the front door, pushing out onto the sidewalk.

He strode towards the corner and blinked when Tim hurried down the sidewalk in front of him.

“Tim!” he called.

Tim froze, head whipping around to face him with wide eyes.

“Jason,” he breathed.

Jason frowned, taking in the bags under Tim’s eyes. “Are you okay?” he asked, stepping forward. "You look like you haven’t slept.”

Tim nodded, finally pulling himself away from where he was frozen in the middle of the flow of people. He hurried over to Jason.

“You’re real,” he said, taking in every inch of Jason. “You really are real.”

“Of course I’m real. Why wouldn’t you think I’m real?” Jason scoffed.

Tim’s hysterical laugh pushed out of his chest unbidden. He cleared his throat and glanced over his shoulder. “Do you mind if we go somewhere and talk?” he asked.

Jason shrugged and shook his head. “We could go back to the coffeeshop from yesterday,” he said, hiking a thumb over his shoulder.

Tim shook his head, features contorting in panic at the thought of speaking in public. “No, I’d rather…I’d rather go somewhere more private. Do you mind if you come back to my apartment?”

“Not at all…” Jason said.

Tim nodded, looking relieved. “Okay,” he sighed. “Okay.” He grabbed Jason’s hand and turned back the way he came.

Jason glanced at the people they passed but let himself get tugged along, not willing to put up any fight, especially when Tim was so tense.

They covered the street blocks at a quick clip. And Jason was surprised when no one spared them a second glance at their pace.

The apartment security guard glanced up at their entrance and seemed confused to see Tim back when he’d just left but he didn’t say anything at Jason’s appearance. Tim pulled him into the elevator and hit the top button. He repeatedly pressed the button to close the doors, but they still shut much slower than Tim would’ve liked.

He tapped his foot impatiently as they rose from one door to the next, the light cycling through the numbers at a snail’s pace.

“Tim, you can relax it’s okay,” Jason tried, keeping his voice gentle.

Tim shook his head. He glanced at Jason, eyes still wide and bit at his lip, chewing on the chapped skin.

“Finally,” he muttered when the elevator beeped at his floor and the doors slipped open. He tugged Jason out behind him and hurried down the hall, eyes locked on the door of his apartment.

He tugged his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door with one hand, not willing to let Jason go now that he’d shown his face again. He tugged Jason in behind him and slammed the door shut, sliding the deadbolt into place.

“There,” he sighed, bracing his hands against the door as his head dropped between his shoulders.

“Is everything okay?” Jason asked.

Tim’s hands slid down the wood with a soft scratch and swung at his sides. “No,” he admitted, finally turning to face Jason. “I thought I was going insane.” He gripped his hair and tugged. “You just showed up and told me that the world around me was fake and then you disappeared, and I haven’t seen you for a couple days.”

“A couple of days?” Jason asked. “It’s only been one day.”

Tim frowned and stared at him. “What?”

“Only a day has passed in the…outside,” he said.

They stared at each other for a moment.

“I guess time flows differently here?” Tim offered.

Jason ran a hand through his hair and nodded. “Okay, keep going. What else has happened?”

“My friends have gotten so hostile since I told them about our little chat the first time. They keep asking about you and I swear the last time I went to work, when I looked away from my computer, I could see blue code covering my screen but when I looked back, the spreadsheet I was working on was right there where I’d left it. Jason, I…I don’t know what to do. I feel like I’m going to crazy and kept looking for you and when I couldn’t find you anywhere…I almost checked into a hospital,” he admitted, voice rising in his panic.

“Tim, Tim,” Jason said, gripping his wrists as he grew more hysterical. “Look at me.”

Tim reluctantly met his eyes and Jason could really see the kind of toll this was taking on him.

“Listen to me,” Jason said slowly. “You’re not going crazy. You’re not losing your mind. I’m real and I’m going to help you get through this. You need to get in control of the world around you. As real as everything might seem, you’re in charge here. All of this is built inside of your mind. Once you take control, you can end this and free yourself.”

Tim took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. Okay. I can do that. How do we do that?”

“I think the best place to start is to keep unraveling what’s around you. You said you saw blue code on your computer screen?”

Tim nodded.

“Look for that in other places. Break down the reality in front of you until there’s nothing left but your own thoughts.”

“Yeah, but how?” Tim asked. “I don’t think I can do that.”

“Sure you can,” Jason insisted. “You’re smart. You have the best mind of all of us bats. If anyone can get out of this mess, it’s going to be you.”

“Okay, so let’s say you’re right,” Tim said carefully. “Let’s say I’m as smart as you say and can figure all of this out. I’ve got a business degree. I don’t know anything about undercover operations or whatever else.”

“Yes, you can do all of that. And you know how to fight. You can kick anyone’s ass who gets on your bad side.”

Tim stared at him like he was insane. He shook his head.

“There’s no-”

Jason huffed and threw a punch at Tim’s face. Tim took a step back to plant his rear foot and blocked the blow with his forearm. Jason smirked and stepped back, letting himself relax.

“See?” Jason asked. “I don’t think you’d be able to do that without any martial arts training.”

“I blocked a punch,” Tim said, staring down at his palms. “This is impossible.”

“No, it’s not,” Jason said, grinning down at him. “I think it’s time we got planning.”

“I guess I should make some coffee?” Tim suggested.

Jason chuckled. “That would probably be for the best.”

Tim waved Jason into the kitchen and changed the settings of his coffeemaker. He measured out two spoons and poured them into the top.

“Okay,” Tim said, sitting across the island from Jason as he left it to brew. “What are we going to do?”

“Like I said, work on finding those cracks in the world around you. You said your friends have gotten hostile since you first told them about me. I think they might be someone to watch out for. Stay guarded around them, especially if they start asking more probing questions.”

Tim nodded. “Right, yeah I can do that. This is going to take a while isn’t it?” he asked.

Jason shrugged and hesitated. “Probably yeah. Whatever’s been keeping you in a coma is pretty powerful stuff, so it’s not going to be easy.”

“How-” Tim stopped and hesitated. “How long have I been trapped in here?”

Jason pursed his lips. “It’s been…” He let out a heavy breath. “It’s been a year since you were hit.”

Tim paled and gripped the edge of the counter, swallowing harshly. “Really?” he squeaked.

Jason sighed and nodded. “Yeah. It took us a long time to figure out what was keeping you under. And then even longer before we managed to put together the tech to get us in here.”

Tim’s expression hollowed and Jason wanted to pull him close and tell him everything was okay. No one deserved to lose so much of their life.

“Ti-”

Jason pursed his lips together as the world blacked out around him and the sounds muffled before returning with an unfortunate pop. He groaned and pressed a hand against his head, blinking his eyes open to find the ceiling of the Cave arching high above him.

“What the hell?” he asked, turning to look at Dick and Bruce who both somehow looked perplexed.

“We didn’t pull you out,” Dick said, shaking his head.

“It’s the same thing that happened last time,” Bruce said with a frown. “Something recognizes you as a foreign presence and is forcing you from Tim’s head to keep from interfering.”

“Well you’ve got to get me back in there,” Jason insisted. “We were finally making a breakthrough.”

Bruce nodded and tapped against the keys of the computer. “Just relax and we’ll get you back in. I’m sure Tim’s confused enough as it is.”

Jason took a deep breath and let it out through his mouth. He closed his eyes and waited for the sensation of being pulled under. Several seconds passed and it didn’t come. He frowned and opened his eyes, turning to look at Bruce.

“Anytime now, old man,” he said.

“It’s not working,” he said, frowning. “Something’s blocking the signal from connecting. I’ll keep working on it. Just stay there.”

Jason sighed and nodded, raising his head and slamming it back down into the pillow under his head. He was tired of waiting. They’d waited a year before they got to talk to him and now he was going to have to wait again. Tim was going to have to wait for him to come back.

~~

Jason was sipping from the glass of water Alfred had brought for him while he was waiting when he felt the first tug. He stretched towards the small table and set the glass down, making himself comfortable when he closed his eyes and found the sounds changing around him.

He opened his eyes and found himself back in Tim’s apartment as something shattered.

Tim was standing next to his coffeepot, staring at him with wide eyes. “You’re back,” he whispered. “I thought you weren’t coming back, Jason, I…I thought-”

Jason shook his head. “We had some trouble getting me back into your head. I didn’t mean to be gone for so long. How long was I gone anyway?”

“It’s been three days,” he whimpered, sounding and looking small.

Jason let out a breath and closed his eyes. “I’m sorry. I really am. I didn’t do it on purpose.” He looked at Tim and he nodded.

Tim cleared his throat and bent to start cleaning up the shards of the mug he’d dropped.

“So, what’s happened while I’ve been gone?” he asked.

Tim tossed the ceramic shards into the trash and wet a washcloth to clean up the coffee covering the floor and cabinets.

“My friends asked about you again, but I did my best to make everything seem as normal. They’ve calmed down a bit and seem less suspicious than they did right after I told them about our first meeting.”

“Have more cracks started to appear?” Jason asked.

Tim nodded. “A few. They always disappear when I’m looking at something directly, but it’s like nothing really exists in my periphery anymore. I think my…I think the people who I thought were my friends are watching me. I don’t know if I need to fight them or what, but I’m worried something will have to happen with them.”

Jason grinned. “Well, I do like a good fight. And it is the fastest way to get results. Are you thinking we do this Matrix style?”

Tim frowned. “What style?” he asked.

Jason stared. “You can’t tell me you’ve never seen the Matrix?”

Tim shook his head.

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. “I swear to god whatever tech is keeping you stuck in your head better be the reason you don’t know this movie. If it’s not, we’re going to be watching this as soon as we get you out of here.”

Tim chuckled and bit his lip. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“What am I like? Outside in the real world? I know you said I’m a good fighter and good with whatever work it is you do, but…what do I do in real life?”

“Well you know the whole vigilante bit,” Jason said, walking around the kitchen island to brace his hands against it. “Other than that, you’re in college. Doing something with computer science, I think. Or maybe business. Or both, I’m not really sure at this point. So, you’ve got a bunch of homework and classes you sometimes go to and other times sleep through. At least that’s what I’ve heard anyway… And then you’ve got your work at W.E.-”

“Wait,” Tim interrupted, holding up a hand as he smiled. “W.E. as in Wayne Enterprises? I work at Wayne Enterprises?”

Jason shrugged and nodded. “You pretty much run it since Bruce doesn’t give a shit. He’s more concerned with flying around at night in spandex.”

Tim narrowed his eyes. “I’m going to have a conversation with Bruce once I get back,” he said, tone low and threatening.

Jason grinned. “He’s watching right now. I’m surprised he hasn’t come in here to confront you already.”

Tim chuckled and ducked his head. He was quiet for a moment and Jason knew he was working himself up to ask his next question.

“What’s…what’s our relationship like?” Tim whispered. “Are we like…friends or what?”

Jason shifted on his stool, trying to figure out how to explain their complicated history. “We…aren’t really friends, I guess? We didn’t have such a good history when we first met each other. Kind of hated each other a bit not gonna lie, but we worked through that in time and we’re on pretty good terms now.”

Tim frowned and didn’t look very happy at what Jason said. “Do you think…is it possible that once I get out of here, could we be friends? I don’t think I want to go back to whatever things were like between us.”

Jason smiled. “Sure, Tim. We can try to be friends once you’re out of your head.”

“Thanks, Jason,” Tim whispered. “For everything, I guess.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” Jason warned. “We have to get you out of here first.”

Tim huffed a laugh and smiled. He looked up at Jason through his eyelashes. He opened his mouth to say something else when Jason disappeared in front of his eyes, winking out of existence as soon as he’d come.

Tim frowned and sighed. He knew it wasn’t Jason’s fault that he was pulled out and it was whatever was messing with him and keeping him trapped in his own head, but it still made his chest ache. He’d have to fight harder and get out of his head. He just hoped that whenever Jason showed up, he’d be able to help him fight whatever was keeping him trapped.

~~

Tim slammed his hand down on the alarm clock next to his head. He groaned and sat up and rubbed his eyes. The sun was just starting to peek through the blinds in front of his window, but he wasn’t in a hurry to jump in the shower and head to the office. He’d never go to the office again. At least, not the one inside his own head.

He threw off the covers and pushed himself out of bed, grabbing a pair of jeans and a hoodie on his way to the bathroom. He made a face at his reflection and ran a hand through his hair, trying to pat it down and make it look presentable.

He stripped out of his pajamas and left them in a pile on the floor before pulling on his change of clothes. He sighed and ran through the mental list of supplies he’d put together the night before.

Somehow, someway, he’d managed to find a small shop that sold weapons and fighting knives. He’d also found reviews that listed the shop as selling smoke grenades and flash bombs. Tim wasn’t sure if that was legal or not, but he didn’t care when his main goal was to gather enough supplies to fight the people keeping him locked in his head.

Tim stuffed his wallet and phone into the pocket of his hoodie and slipped his arms through an empty backpack. He grabbed his keys and gave one last look around his apartment, eyes landing on the seat where he’d last seen Jason during his visit the night before.

He expected to come back once he got his supplies, but this was his chance to break free of whatever was holding him inside his head. The idea of freedom and having control over his life once again was thrilling and already forcing adrenaline into his veins as he prepared for the fight to come.

Tim locked the door of his apartment behind him with a strange sense of finality. He glanced down the hallway and found it empty, not that he really expected much else. His footfalls were heavy on the wooden steps leading to the first floor.

He nodded at the security guard who gave him a curious look at seeing him out of his normal business clothes. Tim pushed through the front door and stepped into the warm, morning sunlight.

He stepped to the edge of the sidewalk and raised his hand, unsurprised when a cab stopped for him and let him inside. He rattled off the address of the shop and settled in for the ride once they pulled away from the curb.

Now that Tim thought about it, he’d never had an issue catching a cab even in the worst of Gotham’s traffic. Someone always stopped to pick him up. Normally, he was dressed in something nicer because of his day at the office or whatever show he’d attended for the night, but now that he was in an unimpressive pair of jeans and a nondescript hoodie, it was less likely he would’ve gotten a ride so easily.

The larger and more ostentatious buildings fell away into something uniform. The businesses were smaller, the street corners marked by international food sellers and corner markets for minor grocery shopping.

The cab slowed and pulled over to the curb.

“That’ll be $21.25,” the cabby said, holding his hand over his shoulder.

Tim passed him a twenty and a five and pushed out of the car, shutting the door behind him. The cab hesitated a moment before it pulled away and Tim strode to the bar-covered door of the small shop. He pulled it open, a loud electronic beeping sounding over his head.

The shopkeeper looked up and narrowed his eyes at Tim. He straightened and Tim could see the muscles stretched the sleeves of his shirt.

“Can I help you?” he asked, voice low and gruff and filled with suspicion.

“I’d like to purchase a few things,” Tim said, turning to face him, but not closing the distance.

The man lifted his chin. “Have at it then.”

Tim nodded and started down the first aisle. He spotted an array of collapsible, aluminum bo staffs. He lifted one form the rack and extended it with a flick of his wrist. The metal was cool in his hand, but the weight was comforting. He tilted it back and forth, testing the balance.

He nodded to himself and pressed the ends together to collapse it and carry through the store with him.

The knives were next, and Tim picked up four of them, going for the simplest design that had the best weight and balance. He stacked them on top of the staff resting in his palm.

Tim passed the aisle with escrima sticks and smaller weapons until he found the small flash bombs and smoke grenades. He piled as many in the crook of his arm as he could hold. He wasn’t sure how handy they’d be in his fight since he was flying blind, but at this point it was a life or death situation and whatever money he did have wouldn’t do him any good if he lost.

He doubted he’d be allowed to gallivant around in his own head now that he was making an effort to escape and break the hold he was under.

Tim eased the armful of goods he had onto the counter, not wanting any of them to roll off or to accidentally set of the bombs he needed to purchase.

“Quite the array of things you’ve got there,” he said, raising an eyebrow. He lifted the bo staff and expertly extended it. “Nice choice with this one. Perfect for your form actually. And the knives are paired well with it,” he added, balancing one of them on his finger. “What exactly do you need the rest for?” he asked, eyeing Tim over the smoke and flash bombs.

Tim shrugged. “That’s not really important, is it?” he asked, pulling out a wad of cash. “How much?”

He crossed his arms and looked down his nose at Tim. “$250.”

Tim raised an eyebrow and knew that the price of everything he’d picked up was closer to $180. He watched the shopkeepers’ eyes as he first peeled off ten twenty dollar bills. He continued, adding three more to the stack, but he didn’t stop there, adding more to the pile until there was $500 sitting on the counter.

He slid the bills across the counter and the shopkeeper gaped at him. He looked between the bills and Tim. “Who are you?”

Tim pocketed the rest of the money he’d brought with him. “That’s none of your concern.”

He shook his head and swiped the money from the counter, stuffing the bills into the register. “I swear you better not be doing anything weird with that. I don’t need the cops hunting me down because you’re going on some freaky murder spree.”

“Don’t worry,” he assured, slipping his arms out of the straps of his backpack to load his purchases into it. “It’s nothing like that. You’re going to be perfectly safe.”

The shopkeeper didn’t look convinced, but Tim didn’t much care as he turned on his heel and walked out of the store.

The electronic beeping sounded over his head and Tim blinked as the ground shifted under his feet and the stores around him disappeared and were replaced by a large, empty parking lot.

Tim scowled at finding his “friends” standing across form him, all wearing matching grins dripping with malice.

“I’d like to say this is a pleasant surprise,” Tim said, swinging the backpack around to pull the bo staff from it. “But this isn’t pleasant or a surprise.” He extended the bo with a flick of his wrist and settled back into a fighting stand, spreading his feet so they kept the weight distributed under his shoulders.

Lisa rolled her eyes. “You were always such a bore, but I truly thought you’d never be smart enough to put the pieces together.”

“Should’ve known you were the ring leader, Lisa,” Tim said. “You always were the most demanding of the bunch.

She sneered at him. “You can try and insult me as much as you like but I’m so glad I don’t have to watch over your scrawny ass anymore.”

“I was getting tired of all the monotonous lunches and dinner parties,” Trent agreed, rolling his head.

“And now we can force you to stay here forever and actually enjoy ourselves instead of playing along with this ridiculous charade,” Frank added.

“Too bad for you, I’m not planning on staying trapped in here any longer. I’m going back to my life that you stole me away from. And I’m going to track down the maniac who decided it would be fun to leave me stuck in here. I’m going to make him regret ever coming into contact with me.”

“Doubtful,” Lisa said, tilting her head to the side at an unnatural angle. “Trent, Frank, go have some fun.”

They grinned and sprinted towards him. Trent was faster than Frank and got to him first. Tim parried his first punch with the staff and used the added range of it to swing the bo around and knock the opposite end against the side of Trent’s head.

He staggered back, clutching the side of his head as Frank closed the distance between him and Tim. Tim thrust the end of his staff to hit him in the chest, but Frank caught the end of his bo between his hands and twisted, yanking Tim towards him.

Tim grit his teeth and dropped his weight, leaning backwards as Frank tried to make a grab for him. Keeping the staff gripped tightly in one of his hands, Tim smacked Frank’s hands to the side and swung forward, knocking his forehead into Frank’s nose.

He shouted in pain and staggered backwards, releasing Tim’s staff to clutch at his bleeding nose. An arm wrapped around his neck, pulling him back in a chokehold against Trent’s chest. Tim grit his teeth and reflexively gasped, but no oxygen entered his lungs.

He swung his staff over his head and knocked Trent on the head. The grip relaxed around his throat as Trent groaned in pain and Tim took the chance to stomp on his foot and twist in the grip. He broke the hold and stepped forward, swinging his elbow behind him to connect with Trent’s temple.

Tim ducked under the arm Frank extended in his direction and dropped his bo, wrapping his hands around Frank’s forearm and bicep. He hunched forward and threw Frank over his back and onto the ground, forcing the air from his lungs.

Tim swiped the bo from the ground and put space between himself and Frank and Trent while he dug around his backpack for two daggers. He collapsed his bo and stuck it in the pocket of his hoodie.

Frank struggled to sit up as Trent charged at Tim again. Tim ducked under his hold and thrust the dagger into his chest, slicing between his ribs and into his heart.

Trent choked, staring at Tim with wide eyes as blood slipped out of the wound and coated Tim’s hands crimson. He staggered backward and looked down at his chest where the hilt of the dagger protruded from his chest.

He coughed and blood dribbled from his lips, covering his chin and dripping onto his shirt. Tim turned back to Frank and heard a thump behind him as Trent fell to the ground. Frank was struggling to sit up and Tim swung out his leg, connecting with the side of his head to send him rolling across the floor.

He groaned as he came to a stop on his stomach and Tim stalked over to him, aware of Lisa’s eyes on him. He used the toe of his sneaker to roll Frank onto his back. He switched the hold on his dagger and raised it over his head before he knelt and plunged the blade into Frank’s chest.

Frank stiffened, a wounded sound wrenching itself from his throat. He fought to grip Tim’s arm and force the dagger from his chest, but his strength was weak and he didn’t have much leverage.

His movements slowed as he coughed, blood sliding out of the side of his mouth. Tim stood and turned away from his limp body, finding Lisa sneering at the dead bodies of her comrades.

“Useless,” she muttered. “You know what they say, never trust anyone else with the important tasks.”

Tim rolled his eyes. He pulled the last two daggers from his backpack and gripped them tightly in his hands. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I’m going to get rid of you now.”

She cackled and held out her hand, a jagged-blade dagger appearing in her hand. “I think you misunderstand. It’s your turn to die.”

Tim grinned and raised the daggers in his hands like he would if he was going to fight hand-to-hand. “You’re wrong.”

“Oh?” she asked, looking displeased.

“I can’t die in my own head.”

Her grin turned feral. “That’s where you’re wrong.”

Tim staggered back when Lisa appeared in front of him, slashing the dagger across his chest. It ripped through the fabric of his hoodie with a sick sound and drew a thin line of fire on his chest.

He hurried backwards, putting space between them as warmth seeped from his chest. He could tell it was shallow thanks to his hoodie, but it wouldn’t hold up against attacks that fierce for long.

Tim lowered his stance and growled. Lisa didn’t give him a chance to close the distance before she was in his space again, but he was prepared for her this time. He parried her blows, metal slicing against metal loud enough to raise goosebumps on his arms.

He was thankful for both of his daggers against her singular weapon and from the glimmer in Lisa’s eyes, he doubted she’d materialize another weapon considering how much she was enjoying the challenge of fighting him.

Tim caught her blade on the hilt of his dagger and swiped out with his other dagger, tearing the collar of her shirt and slicing the skin underneath.

She growled as blood seeped into her shirt and she drew her blade back, slicing down where Tim had been a second ago, but he spun to the side, putting a few feet of distance between them.

“Not bad,” she purred, stalking towards him. “Not bad at all for someone who forgot how to fight.”

“I’ve never forgotten,” Tim spat. “It’s always been there, waiting for me to use.”

He darted forward to make a counterattack, wincing when her blade cut into his bicep and was held their as the muscle flexed. He gripped her shirt and placed the edge of his blade against her neck.

“Whatever wounds you give me now are going to be gone as soon as I wake up.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” she said, chuckle strangled and low in the back of her throat as she arched her head away from his blade.

“But I am sure that I don’t need to trust anything say,” he snarled, dragging his dagger across her throat.

Her eyes widened and Tim dropped her to her feet. She staggered backwards, hands going to her throat as blood poured from the wound and coated her shirt.

Tim closed his eyes, finally feeling at ease as everything fell away around him.

~~

Jason leaned against the hospital bed, chewing on a sandwich Alfred had brought him when Tim’s heartrate spiked. He swallowed and looked at Tim’s body and then the monitor keeping track of his vitals.

“What’s happening?” Jason asked, looking at Bruce who’d frozen at the computer.

He strode over and shook his head. “This doesn’t make sense.”

“No shit,” Jason said. “Tim’s never done this before.”

Bruce picked up a small penlight and lifted Tim’s eyelid, looking into his eyes. “No response,” he muttered.

“Send me in,” Jason said, shoving the headband onto his head.

“What?” Bruce asked.

“Send me in. Something could be happening in his head and he might need help.”

Bruce’s lips thinned and he nodded. He moved over to the computer as Dick and Alfred rushed down the stairs and sprinted over to them.

“What’s going on?” Dick asked.

Jason shook his head. “We don’t know, but I’m going in to see if I can help.” He stretched out on the table, keeping his eyes on the ceiling as he tried to ignore Tim’s frantic heartbeat and how it made his chest ache.

“I’m transferring you in now,” Bruce said.

Jason let out a heavy breath and waited for the tug that dragged him under. It didn’t come and he furrowed his brow.

“It’s not working,” he said, turning his head to look at Bruce.

Bruce frowned. “Something’s wrong. It’s like what happened after you were forced out of Tim’s head. It’s just not letting you in.”

Jason growled and sat up, tearing the headband off. He opened his mouth to say something else when the rhythmic beating of Tim’s heart ended and a long line of noise emanated from the machine.

Everyone froze for a moment, eyes snapping to Tim before they jumped into action. Alfred rushed for the AED and Jason jumped from his bed, hurrying to Tim’s side as Dick checked his breathing.

“He’s not breathing,” Dick murmured.

“No shit,” Jason said. He lined his hands up in the center of Tim’s chest and immediately started compressions. “I’m not going to let him die. Not after everything he’s been through.”

He paused his compressions as Dick gave him two rescue breaths before counting under his breath again. Alfred appeared at his side with the AED and cut a line down Tim’s shirt around Jason’s hands. He pulled it away and peeled the paper backing from the pads and stuck them to Tim’s chest.

Jason listened to the mechanical voice read out the instructions and reluctantly pulled back as it readied the shock. A blip sounded on the heart monitor, but monotonous tone continued without interruption. Jason grit his teeth and returned to his chest compressions as the machine readied the next charge.

“Come on,” Jason growled.

He pulled his hands back once the machine prompted him and two blips sounded on the heart monitor this time, but Tim’s heart stayed dead.

He saw Dick’s hands shaking as he framed Tim’s face for the rescue breaths.

“Come on, Tim. Come back to us,” he pleaded under his voice.

He pulled back for the third charge, holding his breath as Tim’s heart held steady for a handful of beats before stilling again.

“Again,” he growled. “Again.”

Each time the AED shocked Tim, his heart held on a little longer, but it still wasn’t enough.

“Jason,” Dick murmured when he started compressions again.

“No,” he snarled, not taking his eyes off Tim’s drawn face. “I’m not giving up on him. We’re going to save him.”

He pulled back his hands at the machine’s prompting and waited, balancing on his toes as the shock was given. He prepared to start compressions again when he realized Tim’s heart hadn’t stopped like it had the other times.

Withered hands shoved him away from the table. Jason stumbled back and watched as Alfred began to check over Tim’s body.

“Is he…” Jason started.

“I’m not sure yet, Master Jason,” Alfred said, voice tense. “I need to check him over before I can determine anything, and he still needs to wake.”

Jason nodded and Bruce moved to the other side of the table, offering assistance where he could.

“Come on,” Dick said, pulling Jason towards the stairs. “You’re not doing any good here and you might as well get some rest while you wait and stay out of the way.”

~~

Jason stared down at the cold cup of tea framed between his palms. His leg bounced under the table as he waited for any update on Tim’s condition. Dick had tried to keep him occupied but Jason’s mind was far below the Manor in the Cave.

“Master Jason?”

Jason shoved his chair back and jumped to his feet, knocking over the cup in his hand and sending tea over the table.

“How is he?” he blurted.

Alfred smiled despite the mess he’d just created and stepped to the side, holding the door open for him. “He’s awake and stable. Be gentle with him.”

Jason nodded and sprinted from the room. He heard Dick’s voice behind him but couldn’t make out what was being said.

He jumped the last few steps to the Cave floor and sprinted for the hospital bed. Bruce was standing at Tim’s side and he’d been propped up with several pillows. Tim smiled at him as he approached.

“You’re okay,” Jason said, eyes roving over his gaunt features. “I thought you were going to die but you’re okay.”

Tim nodded. “Bruce said my heart stopped,” he rasped, voice weak from disuse.

Jason swallowed. “You scared the shit out of me.”

“I’m sorry,” Tim said.

Jason stepped closer, wanting to touch but he forced his hands to stay at his sides. “What happened in there?”

“He fought the physical manifestation of the technology keeping him trapped in his head,” Bruce answered. “The last attack on the ringleader of sorts happened when his heart stopped. We think it might’ve been a failsafe to kill Tim if they couldn’t keep him incapacitated in his head.”

Jason nodded. “But everything’s okay now, right?” he asked, eyes darting from Bruce to Tim and back.

“As okay as I can be after losing an insurmountable amount of muscle mass,” Tim quipped.

The corner of Jason’s lips quirked up at the joke. “And you remember everything?”

Tim nodded. “Everything you told me and everything that you didn’t have time to tell me.”

“Good,” Jason sighed. “Good.”

“We’ll start physical therapy in the morning,” Bruce said, resting a hand on Tim’s shoulder. “For now, we’ll keep you down here and feed you light food so as not to upset your stomach.”

“I’m ready,” he said, lips thinning with determination. “I’ve lost enough time and I’m ready to get back to my life.”

Bruce nodded at Jason before he left them behind. Jason looked over his shoulder to track Bruce’s movements and waited until he was out of the Cave before he said anything.

“I really am glad you’re okay,” Jason muttered.

“I know, Jason. Alfred told me you wouldn’t stop doing chest compressions even after my heart stopped so many times. Thank you…without you I’d still be stuck in my head and probably wouldn’t have any form of escape since Bruce and Dick couldn’t get through to me when they tried.”

Jason’s cheeks heated and he cleared his throat, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I also remember the Matrix which I have indeed seen and you making that reference makes so much more sense now,” Tim added.

“It’s a good movie,” Jason supplied.

“It is,” Tim agreed. “You feel like watching it?”

Jason furrowed his brow and looked at Tim.

“I’m sure we can pull it up on the computer and watch it on the big screen. I just wish I could have some popcorn.”

Jason grinned and hurried around to the head of Tim’s hospital bed. “I know what we’re going to do now.”

~~

Jason chewed on his lip where he was standing several feet from Tim’s hospital bed. Tim’s face was screwed up in pain and as weak as his grip was, he was clutching the edges of his hospital bed as Alfred worked to move and flex the muscles of his legs that had atrophied from disuse.

Several days had already passed since he’d woken up and he was able to hold down thick broths and soup, but the physical therapy was slow going.

Tim’s forehead was covered with droplets of sweat and he breathed harshly through his nose as he forced his head back into the pillow behind him while he suffered through the exercises Alfred was giving him.

Jason hated seeing him in so much pain, but he knew Tim wasn’t going to let this kind of thing keep him down, not when he had a life to get back to. Staying in bed forever didn’t suit him and he’d gone crazy after a day confined to the bed even when they tried to entertain him with movies and the internet.

“We’re almost done with this leg, Master Timothy,” Alfred said, gentle voice soothing despite the pain he was in. “And then you’ll have a short break and can drink some water before we get started on the other side.”

Tim nodded, teeth clenched shut from concentration and pain.

“And there we are,” Alfred said, stretching out his leg on the mattress.

Tim breathed deeply and let his fingers relax. He sank back into the pillows and Jason could see the exhaustion pulling at him.

“Hey,” Jason said, stepping up next to the bed.

Tim’s head rolled to the side to meet his gaze and Jason could see the emptiness lingering with Tim’s frustration. Jason smiled and squeezed his trembling hand.

“You’re doing great. At this rate you’ll be back on your feet in no time.”

Tim winced and nodded even if he didn’t believe it.

“Alright, Master Timothy, let’s start on the other side.”

Jason stepped away, giving Alfred better access as he lifted Tim’s opposite leg and began to work the muscles. Tim sucked in a breath and his fingers returned to clawing at the mattress, but he suffered through the pain the best he could.

~~

Tim groaned when Jason lowered him into the steaming water of the bath. He leaned heavily against the side of the tub and Jason perched on the edge, running his fingers through Tim’s sweaty strands.

“You doing okay?” Jason asked, giving Tim a moment to enjoy the warmth before he got around to helping wash him.

Tim shrugged, eyes sliding shut as he let out a heavy breath. “I’m tired,” he muttered. “And everything hurts, and I just want to get back to my life.” He sniffed and Jason watched him purse his lips together in what he knew was an effort to keep from getting emotional.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Jason said, sliding off the edge of the tub to kneel at Tim’s side. “It’s going to be okay.”

Tim met his gaze and sniffed, tears shining in the corners. “I’ve already lost so much though.”

“But you’re back now and you’re getting stronger every single day.”

“I feel weak,” Tim huffed, looking at the tub around him. “I feel like I’m never going to be strong again and there’s no way that I’m ever going to be out of that fucking hospital bed and I just want to be able to walk across the floor which I can’t even do because the muscles in my legs aren’t even strong enough for me to stand.”

Jason cupped Tim’s face and swiped his thumb through the tears sliding freely down Tim’s cheeks.

“You may not see how strong you’re getting, but I can see it. I can see how incredible you are and how amazing and badass what you’re doing is. So many people wouldn’t be able to come back from something like this, but you get up every day and you fight and you’re going to be able to walk again. You’re doing to be able to stand. You’re going to be able to fight.”

Tim gripped his wrists and Jason forced himself to hold Tim’s gaze instead of glancing down at his thin fingers that were barely able to reach around his wrists.

“It’s going to take a while and you’re going to need to be patient, but I know you’re not going to be like this forever. You can do this, Tim. And if you had to choose between having your full range of movement but still stuck in your head, and having to go through months of physical therapy while being in control of your life, wouldn’t you choose this every time?”

Tim let out a shaky breath and nodded. “Yes. I don’t want to be stuck in my head. I never want to be that helpless again. But why did this even have to happen? Why was I there? Why did I have to get hit? Why did I have so much taken from me?” he whispered.

Jason swallowed, trying to keep his heart from shattering into a million pieces in his chest.

“I don’t know, Tim. I don’t know why this happened to you and you’re the one who has to go through this.”

Tim’s face crumpled and he choked on a sob. Jason sighed and pulled him into an awkward hug over the side of the tub. He didn’t hold him too tightly, still afraid that he might break Tim’s brittle form, but he tried to project as much comfort into the hug as he could.

“It’s going to be okay, Tim. You’re going to beat this and you’re going to be amazing for it.”

Tim nodded against his shoulder, heaving breathless sobs into his shirt.

Jason held him as he cried, fighting down his own emotions. He’d have a chance to feel and process everything that was happening later. Tim didn’t need to see his weakness when he was already in such an emotional state.

Once Tim had his breathing under control, Jason pulled back and wiped the last lingering tears from Tim’s cheeks.

“Are you ready to get cleaned up now or do you need another minute?” he whispered.

Tim shook his head. “I’m okay now.” He glanced at the tub and shivered.

“Is it too cold?” Jason asked.

Tim shrugged. “I just don’t retain heat as well as I used to,” he muttered.

Jason dipped his fingers into the water, finding it just above the side of lukewarm. “I’ll drain some water and add some hotter water to warm it up,” Jason said, reaching for the plug.

He let it drain, keeping an eye on Tim as he crossed his arms and shivered as the waterline dipped lower down his stomach. Once it reached his waist and the band of his briefs he wore in the tub, Jason stoppered the drain and turned on the tap to fill with hot water.

As the tub filled, he grabbed a washcloth and lathered soap into it, rubbing gentle circles into Tim’s skin to clean off any accumulated dirt and sweat that had collected. Tim sighed and leaned forward as he cleaned his back, relaxing under the gentle touch.

Jason smiled, more than happy to help Tim in any way he could.

Once he was finished washing Tim, he grabbed the showerhead and pulled up the diverter, rinsing the soap from Tim’s form.

He prodded Tim until he tilted his head back and ran the water through his long strands, wetting them thoroughly.

“We’re going to need to cut your hair soon,” Jason murmured.

“Yeah,” Tim agreed. “It’s getting too long. Keeps getting in the way.”

“I could shave it,” Jason said with a smile. “Give you a nice buzzed look so you don’t have to worry about it growing out too quickly.”

Tim’s lips twisted into a grimace. “If you do that, I’ll look like a cancer patient.”

“We’ll just give you a lot of beanies to wear so you don’t have to worry about people staring at your head.”

“I think I’ve got plenty in my closet. Wait-” he said, jolting up.

Jason’s hands immediately went to his shoulders to steady him and his weak muscles. “Woah, calm down. What is it?”

“What happened to all of my stuff?” Tim asked, looking up at him. “I had an entire apartment with clothes and furniture and, shit, food in there.”

“Nothing to worry about,” Jason said, pushing him to relax. “We cleaned out the fridge within a week of you falling into the coma and Bruce has paid rent on your place. Alfred even went by once a month to clean. Everything’s still there so no need to panic.”

Tim let out a long breath and closed his eyes. “Good. I guess I shouldn’t be so concerned over material things, but-”

“Hey,” Jason said, voice gentle as he washed Tim’s hair. “It’s understandable. That was your place and you had a life there, but it’s nothing you can’t go back to. Your neighbors might just be a little surprised to see you around again.”

“Yeah…” Tim said and let Jason continue in silence.

~~

Jason fidgeted outside of Tim’s bedroom. He’d long since moved out of the Cave now that he was getting stronger. He was getting better at walking but any long distances he needed to cover were still done in a wheelchair. Jason was beyond proud of the progress he’d been making and even though Tim still had his bad days, he was happier about his current state now that he could move around just a little more easily.

Jason raised his hand and rapped on Tim’s door.

“Come in,” Tim called.

Jason let out a heavy breath and wrapped long fingers around the doorknob before he turned it and pushed inside. “Hey.”

Tim looked up from where he was lying in bed, his laptop in his lap. He smiled. “Hey. What’s up? You didn’t come to pull me away from my work, did you?”

Jason rolled his eyes, feeling some of his anxiety and worry ease. “Of course not. Normally I’d be all too happy to pull you away from the computer but you’re intent on getting caught up with your college classes and I can’t really blame you for that.”

“Good,” Tim said. “Although I might be persuaded to put it away if Alfred’s cookies are involved.”

“Good to now,” Jason said, trailing off as he fought to get the words out for what he’d really come to ask.

“Is something wrong?” Tim asked, eyes raking over him intensely.

“I…I just wanted to ask you something,” he mumbled.

Tim straightened and closed the lid of his laptop, setting it to the side as he gave Jason his attention. “Sure, what’s up?”

“I know this might seem a little sudden or weird, but I was kind of hoping that…I mean you know we’ve been getting closer to each other since you woke up and we definitely don’t have the same hostility as we did before, but that doesn’t mean you want the same things I want and-“

“Jason,” Tim said, gentle smile pulling the corners of his lips upwards. “Just ask the question.”

“Would go out? I mean, would you go out? With me? On a date?” He cringed after getting the last question out, hating that he couldn’t do this eloquently.

Tim stared at him, blinking rapidly as he fought to process the question Jason had asked. “What?” he blurted.

“I’d like to go out on a date with you,” Jason clarified.

“But why?”

Jason frowned. “What do you mean why?”

“Why would you want to go out with me? I can barely walk. I look ill. Where are we going to go where I’m not going to be stared at like I’m some zoo animal?”

“You’re getting better and looking healthier every day,” Jason said, frowning as his defenses rose over Tim. “And no other person in the world has any right to know what’s going on in your life or why you look the way you do. They’re assholes and you have every right to go out into Gotham and live your life. Just because they don’t understand or aren’t smart enough to comprehend that it’s none of their business, doesn’t mean you should shut yourself away so they don’t have to see you at all.”

“That still doesn’t answer my question,” Tim huffed. “Where are we going to go when I can barely walk?”

Jason closed the distance between them, bracing his hands on the edge of Tim’s bed. “You just leave that to me,” he said. “I just need to know whether you’d like to go out with me or not.”

Tim stared at him, eyes flitting around his face. “I-” he cut himself off and pursed his lips. “Okay,” he agreed. “Yes, I’d like to go out with you.”

Jason smiled, his heartrate taking off in his chest, even if Tim reluctantly agreed because of his current situation. He knew Tim wanted to go with him. He wouldn’t have agreed if he didn’t. But they were going on a date. And that was something Jason had been wanting for a while. Ever since Tim woke up.

“Great,” he said, straightening. “I’ll get everything setup. Does Friday night work for you?”

Tim raised an eyebrow. “My schedule isn’t exactly filled with demanding people, Jason.”

Jason shrugged. “Just want to make sure. You could easily have a chunk of time on Friday reserved specifically for you.”

Tim smiled, expression fond. “No Jason, I don’t have any time scheduled for me on Friday and I’m good to go on our date whenever you get it planned.”

Jason nodded. “Good. Now, I have some planning to do and I’m sure you’d like to get back to your schoolwork.”

“Bye Jason,” Tim sang, already reaching for his laptop.

Jason closed the door behind him and took a handful of steps before he sagged against the wall, butterflies swarming inside him as giddiness wrapped his heart in soft velvet.

~~

“Okay, are you ready?” Jason asked, rolling Tim’s chair to the back door of the Manor.

“Yes, Jason,” Tim huffed, fingers itching to pull the blindfold from his eyes to see what Jason was planning.

“Here we go,” Jason breathed, sliding the blindfold off Tim’s eyes.

Tim stared through the open back door of the Manor at the small table under the white canopy that had been erected. A pair of candles rested on the white tablecloth and two place settings were waiting for them, one with a chair and one without.

“You did all of this?” Tim asked, looking up at him.

Jason nodded. “You were nervous about going out in public and I thought the best thing to do would be to have a nice dinner in the backyard. And I don’t think any restaurant could’ve been better than Alfred’s cooking.”

Tim smiled, his eyelids drooping as he got a dreamy, faraway look in his eyes. “It’s beautiful,” he murmured.

“Even more beautiful up close and with food,” Jason said, rolling the chair down the ramp that lead from the back porch to the lawn below.

He positioned Tim in front of the open side of the table and took a minute to fill their glasses from the pitcher of water resting between their plates.

“I wanted to bring wine, but Alfred wouldn’t let me,” Jason said, taking the seat across from Tim.

Tim smiled. “Was it because of my lack of body mass or because I’m underage by a year?”

“Strangely enough it was because of your lack of body mass. I think he’s worried I’m going to get you super drunk and take advantage of your virtue.”

Tim chuckled and took a sip from his glass. “Anyone who knows you, knows that you’d be the last person to take advantage of anyone’s virtue.”

“I resent that,” Jason scoffed even as he smiled.

“You shouldn’t,” Tim said, leaning back in his chair. “You’re a good guy and anyone would be lucky to know you.”

Jason cleared his throat and fought down the rush of blood to his cheeks.

“So,” Tim said. “What are we having for dinner?”

Jason shrugged. “I let Alfred decide. I didn’t want to put too much pressure on him since I’m sure he’s going to have very strong opinions about what you should be eating.”

Tim rolled his eyes. “At this rate, I’m not going to get anything but soup.”

“Don’t be so sure, Master Timothy,” Alfred said, striding across the lawn with two covered trays. “I wouldn’t restrict your diet on such an important and fun evening.”

He set the trays in front of them and lifted the lids to reveal a small side salad and a plate filled with mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, a small slice of roasted chicken with a light gravy, and a small, single-serving chocolate cake.

“Enjoy,” Alfred said, bowing slightly before he made his exit with the tray lids.

“Wow,” Tim breathed. He snatched up his fork and dug into the mashed potatoes, shoving a bite into his mouth. His eyes slid shut and he whimpered. “These are delicious.”

Jason ducked his head to hide his smile. “I’m glad you like it.” He ate his own food slower than Tim did. They didn’t talk much but Jason was more than happy to listen to Tim enjoy his own food after being stuck on broth and light meals for so long.

“Jason?” Tim asked.

He glanced up and found Tim staring at his chocolate cake with a wistful smile on his face.

“Yeah?” he asked.

“Thank you. For all of this. It really means a lot to me that you did this,” he murmured, raising his gaze to meet Jason’s.

“I’d do anything for you,” Jason admitted, voice soft and quiet between them as the sky turned pink over their heads.

~~

Jason’s voice was soft in the muted light of Tim’s room. They’d pulled the curtains shut to block out the sunlight and turned on the lamp sitting on Tim’s bedside table. He was slowly making his way through the Harry Potter books they’d decided to pick up on impulse and Jason had insisted on reading to him.

Jason loved getting to read to Tim. He loved books and reading in general, but it helped Tim relax and pulled him away from his homework that he was quickly working through. It was a miracle he wasn’t trying to get caught up with W.E too, or he’d be working himself to the bone and would be ten times as exhausted as physical therapy left him on some days.

Tim sighed and Jason glanced down at him, finding his head resting on his shoulder. The words died in his throat and Tim looked up at him, question evident in his gaze that he didn’t want him to stop reading.

Time froze between them. Jason let the book fall against his thighs and glanced down at Tim’s lips, watching as Tim’s tongue darted out to wet them. He dragged his gaze up to meet Tim’s eyes and found something shining in them that he was sure he’d seen before, but Tim had quickly hidden once he’d caught him looking.

Jason ducked his head, unable to resist the pull between them and pressed their lips together.

Tim sighed and pressed against him, his arms wrapping around his shoulders. Jason abandoned his book and wormed his arm behind Tim’s back, pulling him tightly against his side. He tried to be gentle with his thin frame, but couldn’t resist wrapping Tim in a tight hug. Tim was quickly becoming stronger and more well-defined now that he was building up muscle again and Jason found that he was losing reasons to keep Tim at a distance.

Tim pulled back, smile pulling his lips wide as he snuggled against Jason’s side. Jason pressed one last kiss to the top of his head and grabbed his book, balancing it with one hand on his legs as he continued to read, his other arm still wrapped around Tim’s back.

~~

“Alright Master Timothy. When you’re ready,” Alfred said, hands hovering around Tim’s form.

Jason kept his distance, letting Tim balance on his feet next to the hospital bed. He could see the anxiety and worry in Tim’s eyes at walking longer distances without the help of a cane or crutches. But there was hope there, too, even if it was dim. Jason knew Tim was trying to force it back, trying not to get his hopes up and expect too much.

Any form of setback had been hard enough for him when he first started physical therapy. Now, if he wasn’t able to walk on his own when he’d been hoping to do that for so long would only end with Tim shutting himself away in his room for the rest of the day. Jason knew there was nothing he’d be able to do to pull Tim from the depression that would send him into.

Tim sucked in a deep breath before he moved one foot forward. He shifted his weight, testing it to make sure his leg would hold before he completely came off his back leg. His gaze stayed focused on the ground as he walked and with each step he took, he was more certain in his movements even if progress was slow.

Jason spotted the tears forming in the corners of Tim’s eyes before he sniffed. He paused when he was halfway across the floor and Jason gripped his biceps where his arms were crossed, thinking Tim had made it as far as he could.

“Master Timothy?” Alfred asked.

Tim shook his head and took another shaky breath. He raised his gaze and met Jason’s eyes. He took another step forward and Jason spread his arms, waiting for Tim to meet him.

Tim’s smile grew as he continued to close the distance between them. It was a shaky smile and tears slid down his cheeks, but he’d finally shown himself that he was getting back to where he needed to be.

Jason was tempted to sweep Tim up into his arms once he was within reach, but he let Tim come to him and wrap his arms around his shoulders, closing the last inches between them just because he could.

“I’m so proud of you,” Jason murmured into his hair as Tim trembled against him.

“Thank you,” Tim breathed. “Thank you so much.”

“Of course. Think you can make it back?”

Tim’s laugh was wet and heavy. “I wish, but I’m not sure my legs can hold up for another trip.”

Jason nodded and looked up at Alfred. “I think he’ll still need crutches to get back.”

Alfred smiled. “Not to worry, Master Jason. That was already excellent progress.”

~~

“I’m getting really tired of these crutches,” Tim grumbled as he wrestled them out of the car.

“I know, but before you know it, you can chuck them across the yard or light them on fire and you never have to use them again,” Jason said, easing Tim out of the car so he could get them under his armpits.

He grabbed their bag and beach towels and braced the large umbrella against his side as he shut the trunk and locked the car. The sun was shining brightly over their heads and even if Tim couldn’t exactly frolic through the sand, Jason was happy to have brought Tim to the beach and gotten him out of the house.

Tim carefully moved from the paved parking lot to the sand, the transition to less firm ground awkward for his untrained muscles and unsteady as the crutches shifted unexpectedly.

Jason didn’t force him to walk too far before he set the bag down and got to work setting up the umbrella to block them from the sun. Tim tossed his crutches to the side and stood in one spot as he rolled out the towels next to each other.

Jason helped him sit down and stretch out his legs before he took the towel next to him. He could see people giving them curious glances, but he fought to ignore them and would keep Tim’s attention away from them as long as he could.

Tim sighed and tilted his head back, inhaling the salty smell of the ocean as a breeze blew in from the water.

“Thank you,” Tim said, turning to look at him.

“For what?” Jason asked, smile tugging at his lips as he pulled out the bottle of sunscreen and poured some into his hand.

“For bringing me here. I hadn’t even realized how much I missed being outside. It’s been so long since I’ve been away from the house.”

Jason paused in rubbing the lotion into his skin. He glanced at Tim who looked peaceful and happy despite the work that he still needed to do to get back to full strength. He finished rubbing the sunscreen over his skin quickly and rolled onto his knees, shifting closer to Tim.

“Tim,” he prodded.

Tim looked at him, grin pulling at his lips. Jason never would’ve expected Tim to look at him with that kind of care in his life, but he was glad he got the chance to see it and was the reason for it being there.

Jason ducked his head and pressed their lips together. Tim tangled his fingers in Jason’s hair and kept him pressed closed, content to stay together under the umbrella.

“You want some ice cream?” Jason asked, pulling back.

Tim chuckled. “Maybe later. I’d like to just sit here and enjoy this. And I should probably put on some sunscreen first,” he said, snatching the bottle from Jason’s towel as Jason stretched out on his back. “I don’t need to add sunburn or skin cancer to my list of medical problems.”

Jason hummed and tucked his hands under his head, content to lie next to Tim and listen to the waves crash and the laughter of the other beachgoers as the breeze blew over them.

~~

Tim giggled as Jason set him down at the edge of the waves. They’d left the crutches back with their things and as much as Tim wanted to walk on his own, Jason didn’t want him to exhaust himself before he could even enjoy the ocean.

Tim gripped his hand and tangled their fingers together. “Jason?”

Jason squeezed his hand. “What is it?”

“Do you think I’ll ever be able to fight again?”

Jason huffed and pressed a kiss to the side of Tim’s head. They’d had this conversation more times than he could count, and he always had the same answer.

“I know you can. You’re strong and you’ll be back in fighting shape before you know it.”

Tim sighed and wiggled his toes in the sand as the waves crashed around his ankles. “I hope you’re right,” he murmured.

“Of course I am. Just trust me, okay?”

Tim looked up at him, eyes gleaming. He nodded and Jason pulled him a little further into the water, letting him experience the world through all of his senses once again.

~~

Tim gasped for breath as he fought to finish another pushup.

“Last one, Tim,” Jason said, kneeling at his side.

Tim managed to straighten his arms before his knees hit the mat and he fought to catch his breath, sweat dripping from his nose and chin.

“Good, good. You’re getting stronger.”

Tim flashed him a tired smile before he sat back on his heels and grimaced, wiping the sweat from his face.

“That’s it for the strength training today. Come on, let’s stretch out your muscles and then we can do some laps around the track.”

Tim nodded and pushed himself to shaky feet as he started to stretch out his tired muscles. Feeling like a limp noodle was never the best feeling in the world but he knew he was getting stronger and that made it worth it.

And watching Tim go through training to get back to where he wanted to be was astounding and he wished everyone knew how dedicated and strong Tim was.

Tim was everything Jason wasn’t and Jason felt like the luckiest guy in the world since he got to spend his life with him and watch him grow and love him for all he was worth.

~~

Jason ducked under the reach of Tim’s arm as he threw another punch at him. He tapped Tim’s ribs twice before putting space between them. Tim’s movements weren’t any less precise than they’d been when he was at his full strength, but he still tired more easily.

“Come on, Tim. Is that the best you’ve got?” Jason taunted, bouncing from foot to foot.

Tim grit his lips and rushed towards him, intent on getting the next hit in. Jason evaded, keeping distance between them as Tim chased him around the mat. They’d been building up to this for months now.

Tim had been eager to get back on the mats and spar and Jason had wanted to make sure he wasn’t at risk of injury before they started fighting. He knew Tim wouldn’t hold back even if Jason pulled his punches and he didn’t need to injure himself and go through even more physical therapy. Jason wasn’t sure if he’d be able to handle that. Not now. Not when he was so close.

Tim swung out his leg to kick him in the side and Jason caught it before the blow could hit his side. He used the hold to flip Tim onto his stomach.

“Oof,” Tim said as all the air rushed from his lungs. He stayed there, taking in deep breaths as Jason released his leg.

“How are you feeling?” Jason asked, dropping down next to him.

Tim rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, a faraway look in his eyes.

Jason sighed when he saw the moisture gathering in the corners. “Tim…”

Tim shook his head and smiled, pushing himself into a sitting position. “It’s nothing, I swear. Just…thank you for this. Thank you for helping me and being there and doing everything when you didn’t owe me anything. I never thought I’d get back to this point again. Not after the year I spent in a coma. It means a lot to me. Everything you’ve done and continue to do. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to make it up to you.”

Jason wrapped his fingers around the back of Tim’s neck and pulled him in for a kiss. “I want you to have everything you want and need. And you don’t need to make it up to me. I did all of this because I wanted to. I did all of this because I love you, Tim.”

Tears slid down Tim’s cheeks and he ducked his head, fighting to keep his breathing steady. “I love you, too, Jason,” he whispered.

Jason smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of Tim’s head. “Why don’t you come patrolling with me next week? We’ll stay away from the heavy hitters, but I think you could handle some muggings or break-ins.”

Tim’s head snapped up and he looked at him with wide eyes. Jason wheezed when Tim’s arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him into a crushing hug.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he murmured into his neck.

Jason chuckled and wrapped his arms around Tim’s waist, pulling him flush against his body. “Anything for you,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to Tim’s temple.

~~

Tim landed on the rooftop, breathing heavy and limbs shaking with energy and adrenaline. The robber they’d caught was tied up in the alley below and Jason had already sent the call to the GCPD.

“You okay?” Jason asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. His suit was lose on his thin frame, but Jason knew it wouldn’t be long before Tim made up his lost muscle mass and was back where he used to be.

Tim stared out over Gotham and took a deep breath of the polluted and tainted air, once again realizing just how much he’d been missing during the year he’d been stuck in his own head. The fake Gotham he’d lived in hadn’t had the same familiarity. It hadn’t been home. And he hadn’t had one of the most important things in his life. He hadn’t had Jason.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you for everything, Jason.”

Jason squeezed Tim’s shoulder, knowing just how much emotion he was holding back. He might not be able to keep it hidden the rest of the night and knew Tim would probably need someone to hold him once they got back from patrol and the full force of what he’d done hit him.

But for now, they had more minor criminals they could stop, and Jason was going to help keep Tim going for as long as he could. He smiled and pulled Tim across the rooftop to the edge. They looked at the street below and listened to the police sirens in the distance as they hurtled towards their location for the gift-wrapped criminals.

Jason took a deep breath and wrapped an arm around Tim’s waist. He shot his grapple and they jumped, continuing their run across Gotham’s rooftops.

 If you enjoy my work, please reblog or consider buying me a ko-fi!

[littlelostbluejay]

Dinner In The Wolf’s Den I/3

*This is already posted on my wattpad account*

Part 1 2 3

Oneshot summary: Lucas is on his way home from the club with food on his mind, but it may be something out of the ordinary for Cristi to consider appetizing.

Rating: 18+ (Gets semi-explict at the end)

Scenery of the metropolitan city flew past the windows of his pickup truck, the gorgeous artificial lights that partially vanquishes the periodic presence of total darkness nightfall provides once the sun descends beyond a line where the skies and earth meets, paves a way for this unearthly inhabitant of an urban center as he drove on the road on his way home.

A while ago, Lucas departed from the energetic venue of a club he visits frequently, pleased by the execution of his performance where little error was found when he supplied his melodic skills into harmony with his live band. Since it was a Friday night in New York City, the establishment was packed with plentiful of people who mingled on the dance floor throughout the night, mainly ones whose visage appeared to belong in the middle age group where a few still held onto their groove they managed to keep since early youth, and many who seemed to fit the visual standards of above twenty-one years. But anyone below that age requirement was denied access into the building, unless there was family involved – the locale's sole purpose was to entertain a specific mature crowd, and the owner did a splendid job at upholding the old fashion décor of the interior that complemented the classic soulful vibe of RnB, Blues, Jazz, and Funky melodies where a few bands performs on stage every week from the amount of people who arrived.

Lucas blew the saxophone, or whom he'd affectionately address the brass instrument by name as his favored 'Dandelion', for about two hours since the beginning of their live performance at seven o clock that night, whilst his associate, a black man who go by a jazz nickname, Bebop, sang out a couple of songs to the lively audience. Lucas and Bebop were the only two singers in their group while the other band mates were only capable of fiddling with instruments, but whereas Bebops's abilities were only limited to singing, Lucas's talents were distinctive in comparison because he could play instruments and sing till his heart's content. And that's exactly what he did later on when Bebop switched spots with him after a short intermission passed, allows the 'Wolf' an opportunity to shine under the spotlight where he offered passionate howls into the mic.

The experience on the platform with the mic against his lips always incited a spike of adrenaline to course through his veins, and that integrated with the high energy which the crowd suffused in waves within the building he absorbed to fuel his stamina, he receives a sensational high off from exerting his vocal capabilities to their limit, putting on a show that keeps the extra cash flowing from people who comes every week. It was a strenuous activity that wasn't for the faint of heart but one he found pleasurable delight in, enjoyed it to the fullest that enabled him to give his all in each gig, and the thought of hitting the hay anytime soon was never considered.

One hand loosely griped the steering wheel, revolving it at a 90-degree angle as he rounded a corner, his head lightly bobbing to the stream of music from the radio on an RnB station as his vehicle neared close to his destination, and on occasion does his eyes take mild interest of the city lights and large buildings he drove by. His other hand hangs out the open window where fresh air blew across his face that offered a sense of fresh relief from the perspiration that lined his forehead. Singing always worked up quite a sweat from the amount of physical effort he put into it, and hunger was definitely a feeling he needed to satisfy after the end of every show. As late as it was, he assumed his wife would have dinner hot and ready for him once he got back home, as if food may redeem herself for not accompanying him, she usually prepared a delicious meal for him if she wasn't going to one of his gigs, not that he didn't complain because she was such a huge supporter to his craft. But Lucas knew huge crowds wasn't her type of scene, but he, nonetheless, appreciated her efforts when she attended his gigs with him.

Once he gently hit the brakes to a complete stop at a red light, he dug his hand into his pants pocket to pull out his cell phone, the pad of his thumb lightly tapping against the screen before he held it to his ear. His fingers drums on the wheel to the beat of the music as the dial rung a few times before the person picks up.

"Hi, honey." A soft note carries over from the other line, gently caresses his ear as the music fades away in the background.

The corner of Lucas's mouth quirks at the sound his wife's voice. "Aye puppy, I'm on my way home, should be there in about -" he pauses to quickly glance at the time, "- I'd say fifteen minutes tops depending on traffic, but it's goin' along smoothly soo far."

"Alright, I'll jus be waiting here doing whatever." He heard her give a tired sigh. "How was the show tonight though? Did a lot of people come?"

"Oh yea, me an the cats blew up the joint. It was the same ole same ole like every week, people throwin' a lot of their bread at us ta pick up off the ground, y'know how it is baybeh, enough for us ta paint this town." He responds in terms considered old-fashioned, outdated for this modern time period he now lived in, unless you were a true bred jazz musician.

"That's good baby, and jus so you'll know I took Butterscotch out on a walk a little earlier." His eyebrows furrowed at this piece of intel she shared with him.

"How early we talkin?"

There was a short pause on the other end of the line before she replies. "Sometime around nine." His eyes roll and presses his foot down on the gas pedal that sets his truck into motion when the light transitioned to a green light.

"Cristi, y'know how I feel 'bout you walkin 'round alone at night, especially when I'm not home." Though he chides her on a soft timbre, hints of annoyance were evident in his voice as Lucas was quick to express his displeasure in her decision making. He was never too fond of her strolling about these streets at night even though she's been doing it for a long time. "Look, these horny dogs out here will snatch up a pretty young thang like you one day then I'll have ta go out and sniff ya out, lookin' ta draw some unfortunate fool's blood for messin' with my lady."

"I know but... I was bored and she was restless so I jus took her out to drain her energy, plus she needed to pee anyway." He heard shuffling on her end. "Are you upset with me?"

Between full lips does he issue a drawled-out sigh at the slight fear in her voice. "Naw, I wouldn't get mad over somethin' lil like that. I'm jus being paranoid for good reason since I literally jus made you my mate, an I emphasize the word 'Mate'. It would kill me if somethin' bad happened to you, ya dig wha' I'm sayin, baby?" Cristi wasn't necessarily great at rejecting a stranger's advances who showed interest in her, which made her an easy target for males to take advantage of her due to her lack of self-confidence, and this insight about her worried him sometimes. She was too...nice. "Aye, at least you were honest with me... I appreciate that." But one thing Lucas loved about her was her veracity, she didn't have to share certain things with him but she did.

"Yea, I'm sorry though."

"Hey, this isn't somethin' ta trip over with an apology, it's pass us now, jus watch yer tail when ya go out, a'write? I know my Butterscotch will protect you, that pup packs quite a powerful bite." He licks his lips and decides to flip the subject. "I'm 'bout to let ya go, love, I'll be pullin' up in a few minutes...jus wanted ta see how ma baybeh was doin."

He listens to her chuckle over the phone. "Ahahaha you're so sweet, honey...I got dinner ready for you by the way."

At the mere mention of food, his stomach gurgles, and couldn't help but grin to himself. "Good lawd, that's music to my ears ya have no idea! I'm soo hungry I could devour a whole buffalo in one single bite, no wait, a whole buffalo an a side of beaver tail as an appetizer with a tubful full of rain water ta wash all that shit down." They both share a laugh as Lucas seemingly goes back to his wild roots when the woods were the only home he ever knew. "Now tha' I think about it, why do they call tha' dish Buffalo Wings? Those are chicken wings, buffalo don't have wings, chicken and buffalo have no correlation to the other whatsoever...I mean, I know it was first created in Buffalo, New York in the 1960's but ya get the idea." He rambled on.

"You're soo crazy."

"Yea?" a small upturn of his lips bears a thoughtful grin as he literally sees her shaking her head at him, "but ya the one crazy for gettin' with a wild man like me dawlin', makin me feel special gurl cause ya chose a dire wolf instead of gettin' with a human, y'know what's up." He teases her lightly. "But listen, one of these days we gonna head up north an I'm gonna cook up somethangs for ya ta try out, taste some high-quality meat I use ta feed on without all em hormones an steroids an shit that America is known for."

"Ohhh! I would love that! We need to talk more about planning a trip soon!" She said with excitement at the very thought of a road trip.

"Yea we will, I got you baby; I got sum wild adventures in store for us so ya can experience a part of my natural world. But I'm 'bout ta go now, love... I'd rather speak ta ya in person so I can see ya beautiful face an talk at the same time."

"Okay, um I'll see you till then, Luke. Bye, love you."

"Love you... see ya in a few, babe." He waits for the click on the receiving end before ending the call, tossing his phone onto the passenger seat as black eyes fixates on the road that led straight towards home.

Lucas pulled up on the curve and shifts his gear into park after he managed to find a space for his automobile outside his building. He stared upward at the grey ceiling of his truck, the back of his head resting against the headrest, not yet ready to exit out the car door as he mulls over his thoughts that suddenly aroused confliction within himself.

During the time on his way home once he got off the phone, an intense desire for something growled in the pit of his stomach – there was no doubt he was hungry, yes, and he anticipated what his wife had in store for him upstairs, but the issue lies in craving raw flesh... fresh, untainted blood actively pumping through the veins of a live creature that was born in the bosom of nature. It was an instinctive pulse of hunger that proved difficult to quell when such desires, brought on by the spirit of his inner wolf, overwhelmed his sense of reasoning and intellectual perception he sought hard to exercise while in the company of humans. Lucas can endure through cravings for a taste of blood for a while until the wolf got what it wanted, what he wanted, what 'Lusio' wanted, no matter how much amount of effort he applied in restraining carnivorous beastly urges that was a part of his nature.

But it seems like tonight would be one of those occurrences the wolf indulges in one of its many animalistic covets for a short while.  

And with this impulsive idea in mind as he sighs in defeat, a grunt left his lips when he leans over to open the small compartment and grabs one of the plastic bags he stored inside for situations like this. Lucas leaves the vehicle before sweeping his hands down his white dress shirt to rid of any wrinkles, deciding to keep his saxophone case and suit jacket inside until he finishes his little hunt. Dark eyes like starry nights above scans his surroundings first, takes note that despite being close to twelve am, how the night was still alive where cars headlights lit up the streets, utilizes his keen hearing abilities for any voices nearby that'll keep him alert in case someone happens to stumble upon him unexpectedly. Someone could always be watching, he had no room for mistakes - to be extra cautious of his environment while living in the city was a necessity to preserve his secret.

Lucas stands tall as he directs his nose upward to the sky for the breeze to drift up his nostrils, sniffs the air in concentration where a multitude of different scents he can distinguish one from the other filling his powerful lungs with each strong swift inhale, and immediately, he catches a fine scent of a furry critter three blocks down from him. It was one of his favorites. Wolfish characteristics emerges in a subtle manner when his tongue laps over his plump lips, licking his chops as saliva accumulated in his mouth at the thought of eating it as a second dinner later that night. He turns on his heel before feet picks up a brisk gait along the sidewalk, heads off in the direction where the scent left a trail in the wind for him to follow.

Lucas twists the doorknob to the entrance of his apartment, the hinge issuing a light squeaking sound as he opened it all the way before crossing through the threshold towards the living room. "Honey, I'm home!" In a loud voice Lucas announces his presence to the inhabitants of his abode, his nose being met with the relaxing scent of burning incense that a while ago had dispersed into the air blended with the delicious aroma of onions and garlic that also integrated itself into the mix.

Upon his annunciation as he shut the door close, Butterscotch lifted her head from between her white paws in interest at her owner's arrival, the adult Pitbull eyes closing when he pets her head in a greeting fashion with a smile before his hand moves down to the little brown bunny, BunBun, to stroke her tiny head in the same manner who laid snuggled up next to the canine inside the dog bed. They had a few pets to care for, a dog, rabbit, and a bird who was now probably asleep since her cage was currently covered by a thin sheet. Lucas also have a raven as a companion who is usually close by somewhere outside.

Lucas props his instrument against the wall next to his piano keyboard, placing his car keys on a side table and tossing his suit jacket onto the sofa. He peeks down into the plastic bag where he stuffed a dead animal inside a while ago, a possum whose fate made an unfortunate turn in its short life when it was caught between Lucas's jaws, and he couldn't wait to eat the creature as a snack. The plastic crumples when he closes the bag, his fingers hooking around the handle as he walks into the kitchen before he stops in his tracks under the archway. His pupils dilate as they grow enamored where they took in the lovely sight of his beautiful wife in front of the stove with a plate in hand as she busily fills it with food. "I'm home, baybeh." He repeats from his position in the doorway, drawing his bottom lip between his teeth as obsidian eyes make an eager rove about her nightwear, mainly consist of a white tank top and low-rise black lace panties, its sheer intricate flower design elegantly hugging the round shape of her backside, barely covers her toned butt cheeks - she earned from squats - left on display in his view for him to admire when he so pleased.

Damn was he a blessed man that mother nature molded her just for him as a gift; he wished he could thank her parents for making an exquisite woman, god bless their souls. Lucas might be a dire wolf, but he still possessed a male mindset who was amorously affected by the physical appearance of a curvaceous woman like any other common man. Only his mate, however, held this type of power over him.

"Yeah, I heard..." she glances over her shoulder, meeting his eyes that grazed over her figure without no hint of embarrassment that she caught him in the act of staring. But she becomes bashful by the way those obsidian eyes observe her with a carnal aspect within his gaze upon what's rightfully his, and such intensity and focus never fails to make her shy away from his lustful stare. "...Sounding like one of those husbands who just got home on tv when shows were still black & white without color."  Cristi conceals her timidity with a tease about his use of old phrases, a small smirk on her lips as she turns her attention back to preparing the plate.

Her comment blinked him out of the enchantment she casts upon him, in which a chuckle bubbles up his throat as he then quickly walked over to the refrigerator before rearranging items on the lowest shelf within to make room for the corpse he shoved into the back of the fridge, hiding it before she could notice. "Yea, well, don' think ya realize it yet, sweetheart, but I was actually born in the 1920's, so that black & white time is still a part of me. Can't shake my fur of it y'know?" Lucas shuts the fridge with a soft thud, and after he takes a moment to ogle her behind once more, he approaches her from behind and presses his front against her back, his muscular arms circling around her waist in a warm embrace. Her body relaxes into his hold as he lowers his head to sniff her tresses - they were separated in twists as part of her natural hair care regimen, the sweet scent of vanilla lavender imbedded between each coiled strand, and his eyes flutter shut as he emits a deep hum at the pleasant scent of her hair. He snoops down over her shoulder at the meal she prepared for dinner. "Well somethin' smells good and looks tasty too." His remark held praise as he examines the scrumptious view of pork-chops with a contribution of fresh, sliced mushrooms added to the recipe, green beans and mashed potatoes in their own separate pots as side dishes, but once his gaze falls on her platter, his eyes widen at how much food she was still pilling on it. "Damn, you gonna eat all'a that baby gurl?"

The ridiculous question makes her grant a breathy scoff in amusement. "Y'know I can't eat all this. This is for you, baby, I don't got a bottomless stomach like you do." She answers in a matter a fact tone that ends in a small laugh, turning her head at an angle to peer up at him before her eyes closes briefly when she felt his soft lips plant a kiss between her eyes.

"There was no need ta make my plate, love. The least I could do was make my own since ya took the time to make dinner for us." His hands rose up in front of her, abruptly catches her off guard as he lifts the plate full of food out of her hands and up over her head with ease due to his height, and sets the dish on the kitchen table before grabbing a clean plate from the dish rack. "Go sit down an rest while I return the favor by makin' yer plate then since ya made mine." It was a gentle command he imposed upon her, but a layer of dominance laid flat beneath the words he uttered.

Lucas appreciated her need to cater to him anyway she was able, but there were times he thought many of the things she did for him was unnecessary, believes that he, instead, should do everything for the both of them as the alpha of the household because the well-known trait expected of an excellent alpha was they took care of the needs of their family pack. But it should be mentioned that another reason stems from the fact that he was used to independence. For decades, Lucas did everything on his own without much help from anybody, he wasn't accustomed to anyone caring for him the way Cristi had; the last person he could think of that gave a semblance of this much love and attention was his wolf mother, although this particular scenario was obviously different because romantic feelings are involved. Nonetheless, he was grateful for the love Cristi has shown in her own special ways, sometimes even when he tells her not to. But it was the thought that counts.

"You're not tired, Luke?" The question fell softly from parted lips as she peers up at him with big doe-eyes that held a pinch of concern, ignores his command for a moment due to being curious about his well-being because he was gone for most of the day; she wasn't sure if he ever had the chance to really rest earlier while he was out and about.

One eye squints while his mouth twists to the side as he thought over her query, only to offer a casual shrug of his shoulders before his free hand gently pushed her aside from blocking the stove. "I'm a'ight, jus a lil bit but it's nothin' ta be concerned about, pumpkin. But y'know me, I don' tire out that easily so don' worry y'self." He assays to soothe Cristi's sensitivity over his welfare, not wanting her to concern herself with his health – he could empathize somewhat with her anxious thoughts because he was a busy man, he did a lot for the both of them. But his assurance proved little to tranquilize her worries for out of the corner of his eye he notices she still stood next to him, so as a motivator to help her listen, he sent a wide-open slap against her butt, startling her with a surprised yelp at the stinging sensation of his strike on her behind. "Go on baybeh get! I got you, stop all tha' worryin' an let me fix my lady's plate." Although he attempted to sound serious, there was laughter hinted in his tone, onyx eyes full of mischief and wanton desire as they followed the hypnotizing motion of her ass bouncing between each hurried step, his wet tongue running across his bottom lip as he watched her rush to the table and sit down like a good girl.

Submissive tendencies of her character were influenced by her upbringing in her youth where obedience was essential to the unfair circumstances she had no control over, which made her easily inclined to act on what Lucas asked of her in general, even the smallest things, for the most part. And as for Lucas, well, he enjoyed the power and sense of authority he had over her to a certain degree, it demonstrated something akin to a predator and prey dynamic between them, especially in the bedroom. But despite his knowledge of her past, he never once exploited her docile characteristics for his own selfish gain, rather, all of what he told her to do was always for her own benefit and interest.

From a short distance away, Cristi chews on her inner cheek in silence while observing him as he gathers food on her plate, brown hues inspecting his attire with his back turned towards her. Lucas looked devilishly handsome in a white dress shirt, the hem tucked inside his beige colored slacks that deliciously fitted around the curve of his firm round buttocks, ones she likes to pinch between her fingers in passing, and what complemented the entire getup was black suspenders he wore that forms a 'X' from behind. Chris didn't know many men in his age group who wore suspenders on occasion as Lucas did, the accessory was part of his old soul, debonair fashion sense which she thought gave a spiffy touch to his appearance, and in her opinion, made him look more masculine and attractive than most guys she's seen – definitely daddy material in her book. And a sense of voyeurism takes hold over her conscious when she embeds her top teeth into her bottom lip, her eyes traveling back and forth from his broad shoulders, down to his nice ass and shoulders repeatedly as she imagines his body on top of hers in bed.

"So," she sighs quietly, body leans forward in her seat before a forearm rests atop the other on the table, exhales slow through her nose to try to calm her nerves that laps at her sudden fire of desire for him, "did anything interesting happen at the club today?" Chris liked asking him what goes on about at the club when she couldn't accompany him, the stories he told were always amusing, there was rarely a dull moment among that wild crowded space he loved soo much.

He cocks his head to the left. "Hmmm nothin' really," was his immediate response as he scooped some green beans onto her plate, "oh wait!" his eyes widen when something in his recollections kicks in, and glances over his shoulder at her, "some woman did sum outta pocket shit by throwin' their god forsaken panties on stage durin' my performance! Wild right?!"

"WHAT?!" In disbelief does she burst out laughing, a hand swiftly raising to muffle her mouth to quell down her giggles, not at all expecting him to say that. "Lucas, you're telling me a random person just threw their underwear on stage outta nowhere?!"

A hearty chuckle rumbled his chest with amusement at her reaction before his attention is brought back to the stove in front of him. "I ain't being a card right now, babe. I mean...I didn't know who in the crowd did it but I swore on my life I heard someone amongst the music scream: Oh Wolf ya sang my panties off!" The last portion of his sentence is where he, to the best of his ability, attempts to mimic the woman's voice in a girly tone, which only made Chris's stomach shake with laughter even more as Lucas joined in with her mirth as well.

Her plate now finished, he grabs a few utensils from a drawer before positioning her food on the table along with the silverware, hunching over enough for Chris to take a chance to show her gratitude by kissing the side of his jaw. "Thank you, honey." And he returns the affectionate gesture when he pressed his lips against her cheek, smiling into the side of her face.

"Anything for my queen." He spoke in a mumble where he addresses his fond regard for her before he sat in his seat beside her around the table's corner. His toned forearms were made visible as he rolls the long sleeves of his shirt up till they stop just above his elbows, and immediately, felt one of her legs brush against his underneath the table, moving it between his longer limbs.

"Did you pick them up?" She asks as she scoops up a spoonful of the white potato glob into her mouth.

"What? Them undergarments? Heh, hell to the no." Lucas expounds with a slight grin on his face, knife and fork in both hands as he began slicing his meat with them. "I ain't gonna shorten my lifespan by getting infected with whatevah diseases tha' broad might have swimming up in her pussy." He pauses to take a big bite out of the pork, chewing on the grub while chattering away. "I'm sure if I touched em knickers, the next thing I know I'll be breakin' out in hives an get diagnosed with AIDS or somethin'. They were white an the shit looked dingy anyways, so I let the janitor do me a favor by picking that trash up."

His words prompt a nasal snort through her nose with a shake her head from side to side, head remains low, eyes on her meal as she stuck her spoon into her mouth where a faint smile graced her lips that conveys amusement at her husband's foolishness. "Wooow, that is the funniest thing I heard this week."  Chris knew he wouldn't ever think to pick up someone's unclean underwear, but it was fun to at least hear what he would say because she figured she'd get a good laugh out of it.

"Yea?" He arches a thick brow while his tongue wipes across his top row of white teeth to get rid of any remnants of food trapped between them, and the corner of his lips curves ever so slightly. "I gotta few other tales tha's bound ta bring a smile to tha' face, dawlin'." He reaches a hand towards her, caresses the smooth surface of her cheek with the back of his finger that called forth a blush to rise upon her features beneath his stare; it always made him feel good when he could make her laugh, it made him keenly mindful of where her state of mind laid in regards to their relationship - if she was happy, he was happy too.  

They went without exchangeable words for a few seconds while dining. Chris consumed small bites, was hardly done with her food in contrast to Lucas who was in the process of gobbling everything down like he hadn't an ounce of sustenance all day. He licked his lips as he looked at what remained left on his platter, which composed of some green beans. Carnivorous instincts were bred into his psyche and it made no surprise that Lucas preferred meat more so than vegetables, but whatever dish Chris prepared for them, veggies or not, it would be disrespectful to not eat what she cooked. "This was a good meal, love." He issued words of praise that exhibits his satisfaction to her cooking skills, his fork pricking the last bit of greens before placing them in his mouth. "Thanks for makin' it an for fixin' my plate."

She gave a slow nod that was accompanied by a closed, modest smile. "Yeah," she shrugs a shoulder as if her accomplishment wasn't nothing, but nonetheless content that he expressed his pleasure in what she cooked, "I tried my best to remember your recipe so..." She said in reference to the garlic butter pork-chops she made by following his special recipe.

"And succeeded." Underneath the table his long legs stretch out far as he reclines back in his seat, muscles seemingly relax where he slouches, eyelids droop half-way as he observes her eat at a slow pace with a warm grin set on his full lips. "This old wolf will make a fine chef outta ya yet, jus ya watch."

"Riight." Her eyes roll in a playful manner as she starts cutting her pork-chop with her knife, a thought crossing her mind from earlier when he first arrived home. "What did you bring home earlier?"

The simple question that falls forth out her mouth causes a rapid blinking of his eyes, feels his heart skip a beat in unspoken surprise as muscles in his shoulders once loose of stress now grew tense from the image that sprang in his mind's eye. The animal carcass he hived away in the back of the fridge! And caught in the moment before he could fully process his thoughts, he decides to resort to playing dumb. "What?"

She swallows her food before speaking again. "Y'know, in that bag you brought with you. You took more than fifteen minutes to come back home, remember?" Cristi utilizes her excellent memory to explain, but she was unaware of where he put it because she was busy over the stove. "Did you pick something up at the store on the way back?"

He lifts a hand for long fingers to rub the shaven surface of his jaw, the cool texture of a few rings that adorns his digits rubbing against his skin, his mouth slightly ajar as his tongue clicks inside his mouth while thoughts race to conjure a plausible statement that wouldn't disclose his secret. "Yeah, uh, I did." His voice titters on the edge of nervousness as he bounces his leg, a characteristic unusual for anybody to witness in the limits of his personality that often demonstrated confidence and sureness of self. "But it's nothin you'll be interested in, jus sum protein for ya man ta be big an strong ta fight off em dirty dogs that be tryin' ta sniff ya tail, y'know how it is, baybeh..." It wasn't a whole lie because meat, no matter if cooked or raw, was still protein in his book. But it was near impossible to slip a lie around his mate; he hoped her empathetic ability to detect untruthful words wasn't operating at this time. He didn't realize she even noticed of the bag.

Lucas never spoke an utterance to her about his vile cravings. Cristi was incognizant of Lucas sneaking dead animals into their apartment at night and feeding on them uncooked, raw chunks of flesh that included the bones as well, and although he's certain she should reckon such wretched behavior to be expectant of his species, he couldn't bring himself to express this part of himself to her in fear of being judged, labeled as disgusting and possibly a savage. But after every feeding he prioritized a sufficient extreme cleansing of his face and mouth to rid of germs and bacteria whereas is not harmful to him, but may be harmful to her body, which was the least he could do.

And to his utter relief, she didn't think too much of his response. "Oh, okay then."

"Wha' about you, Cristi?" He tilts his head to the left, brushes his leg against hers as he straightens his spine before leaning forward in his seat, and quickly switches topics from (the bag) him to her because he never got the chance to ask about how her day went. "Did the city treat my baybeh alright?"

They're conversation proceeds with Chris speaking of events that transpired from the day before: her job at the New York Public Library and what she did at home, which involved working on a new personal artistic piece while he was at the club. Lucas been finished with his plate, but he wanted to talk while waiting for her to finish the remains of her food. The private times they ate together, breakfast, lunch and dinner, were filled with discussions where they checked on the other, exchanged plans, and shared their personal projects outside the house, anything that passes their minds were brought up at the table.

With now a full stomach, a low hum resonates up her throat in contentment once she sets her silverware down and leans back in her chair as she releases a yawn, signifies she was finished with her meal for the night. Lucas grabs their empty plates, and after shoving the scraps in the trash, he walks over to the sink to busy his hands by washing the debris off the platters down the drain. Chris wasn't the only one who kept their apartment clean; Lucas contributed his services in the housework every so often to lessen the burden on her, despite him being a little messy and disorganized with his own things, but who's to say her wolf bae didn't try?

As he occupied himself with washing the dishware, Chris exited the kitchen, stifling a giggle as she ambled close to Butterscotch and Bunbun who both appeared to have fallen asleep in the dog bed; the canine and bunny looked adorable snuggled up together, she trusted the pibble to not harm her brown mini rex rabbit whom was in her care for years sometime after she got this apartment. Bunbun, along with Sapphire, were her first sense of companionship before she eventually, as shy as she was, developed friendships with some people. But her pets were the first friends she ever had, and she loves them dearly.

"C'mon sweetie." She whispers gently as her hands wraps around the furry little critter, in the process rouses Bunbun awake as Chris holds her in her arms while fingers thread themselves between her incredibly soft fur as she strokes her. She sat on her knees to put Bunbun in her cage, grabs a handful of hay which the bunny begins munching on as soon as she placed it inside for her to eat. Chris stood to her feet, turning around to see Lucas staring at her from his spot in the entrance of the kitchen who had his thumbs hooked under his suspenders with his gaze fixated on her.

"I'm bout ta go hop in the shower." Within his voice breathes a low, smoky aftertaste that saturates the timbre he speaks, and from where she stands in the darkness of the living room, notices how the color of his irises switches from its normal inky pigmentation to that of a cryptic yellow, bright orbs you'll only encounter flickering amongst the abundant foliage of the woods where nocturnal creatures dwell in the desolate company of creeping shadows by nightfall. His next sentence drops an invitation of sorts as he takes one step forward, eyes half-lid that held a simmering calm smolder for the young women who stands in his line of vision. "Ya mind joining me, sugah plum? I'll make it worth yer while."

The gleam of his eyes, however gentle they reflected back onto her person, sent a cold chill that spilled down the length of her spine. Yes, Lucas was her husband whom she loved with all her heart, but Cristi could never determine whether to be frightened or turned on by him, it was complicated; she summarized the perspective of these feelings towards him were a mixture of both: arousal and intimidation that his unearthly essence set her mind on edge. Nonetheless, it gave her a certain type of thrill considered dangerous that she's unable to express in words, like she was sticking her hand in the mouth of a wolf, all the while, foolishly places her trust in its predatory jaws to not chomp down on her.

And although she felt this way from time to time, his suggestive words produce a pool of wetness to leak onto the material of her panties from between her folds, envisions on the mental screen in her imagination of themselves engaged in the sexual acts of lovemaking beneath the streaming showerhead. The bathtub was a common place where they had sex and she didn't doubt it was something he had on his mind at this very moment, but if she was to be honest, she was tired, unsure if her body possess the vigor that such an activity demands to keep up with him. "You seriously have energy for 'that' right now?"

From the depths of his chest brings forth the arrival of a deep, sexy chuckle at her remark, recognizes the low intensity and huskiness of each breath as his gaze descends to concentrate on unbuckling his suspenders, and tosses the straps onto the leather couch before swaggering forward to meet her half way as she walks up to him. The crinkle about his mouth present a sly grin as an arm sneaks around her waist while his left hand dips behind her where he grabs a handful of her ass, her breasts smushing against his ribs as he then pulls her against the front of his body. "Dawlin', one thang ya need ta know about me is I'm never too tired for a good solid fuck." His voice pours into her ear canal like fine red wine, the soft, velvet fluidity that saturates his timbre causing her body to flood with spicy warmth, and she peers up into Lucas's haunting eyes where a mystical glow inhabits them, somehow finds the strength to suppress a moan at the feel of his warm breath that breezes over the expanse of her face as words continues rolling off his tongue. "But if yer tired, I have no problem doin' all the dirty work for you...all lil mama gotta do is back that ass up on daddy an ya get a ride for free." She watches his tongue peek out to lick the side of his upper lip, feeling his hand dip into the tight space of her lace black underwear from behind. "It's fairly easy...anyone can do it baby..."

Her breath hitches as she averts her gaze for a second, top teeth gently nibbling on the plush mound of her bottom lip as she considers his tempting offer while staring at the middle of his dark chest where his dress shirt was unbuttoned, eyes focuses on a round jewel that hangs from his necklace. "I am sleepy b-but..." she swallows a thick lump in her throat at the sudden feeling of his clothed member that teasingly presses on her lower stomach, results in a larger pool of her juices to gush involuntary between her legs as her words trail off course.

It didn't take much for Lucas to awaken the sexual prowess hidden within the depths of her shy nature, and her temperature was steadily rising as his palm rounded the curve of her backside, his fingers inches away from her slit that drips with burning desire for the feel of him inside her.

"Look at me, sweetheart." On a calm note he utters a gentle command, all the while, raises his hand from her waist to grip the twists of her hair, compels the release of a soft moan when her jaw falls open as her neck cranes so she may be forced to look up at him, doesn't give her an option in the matter at all. And as she stares at him, discovers his canines had extended their length on the verge of surpassing the line of his lips. In the dark room, her vision was slow to adjust to the low light, but his eyes swirls with evidential lust that appears to intensify their radiance as he held strong eye contact with her submissive brown orbs, his handsome visage dangling on both borders of man and beast as the top of his ears develop a pointy edge. But his level of sex appeal had amplified significantly with a dash of fear his countenance now officially displays, solely exclusive for her to behold.

"Yo body tells me otherwise cause tha' sweet pussy of yours smells wide awake an ready ta play, mama." With the aid of his keen sense of smell that grants him intel of her state of mind, Lucas utilizes this secretive knowledge about her sexual awakening by means of the feminine scent her womanhood diffuses into the air to his advantage. But in the way his fingertips easily slicks between the slippery smoothness of her juicy folds, forces her eyes to squeeze shut as a quiet moan crawls up her throat, tells him much. And with her neck now exposed to him, a gasp escapes her when she feels his mouth assault her neck, his soft lips sucking hard on her sensitive skin. Cristi embeds her teeth between her lower lip as she felt him tightly tug at her hair follicles that jerks her head back even more.

His thick wet muscle leaves streaks of sloppy saliva within the crook of her neck, switching the motions of his full lips between sucking and lapping over honey flavored areas the most erogenous he anticipates would get her heart pumping with lustful excitement. "Uhng L-lu..." Wrinkles emerge on the back of his shirt where her hands clutch the white cloth, expels out puffs of air from parted lips as her thighs squeezes together while he orbits a sturdy finger around the entrance of her womanhood in a teasing manner, pulling her small body flush against him that space between them was nonexistent.

"What ya doin' wearin' these tight ass panties gurl?" Hot air breathes onto her neck that became moist by the dampness of his hungry mouth, drags his bottom lip agonizingly slow up along her neck, and she shudders as his plump lips lightly brush against the shell of her ear where he murmurs in a sultry whisper. "Watchin tha' fat ass bouncing as ya walk all over the place. It's like ya wanted yo pussy ta get this dick wet tonight, was tha' yer plan baby?" His words, as well as his breath that induces ripples of goosebumps to run across the skin of her arms as it tickles her ear, sends a fresh wave of heat to course throughout her body as her heartbeat escalates to new heights.

"I-I jus..." Cristi stutters as the small pain where the sharp point of his lower and top fangs gives a tiny pinch at the lobe of her ear, and gently pulls it as his throat emits a low hum before slithering his tongue over the soft flesh. Lucas wasn't even deep in her guts yet and already she struggles to form a complete sentence. Her body was ultra sensitive to his touch. "I j-just wanted to b-be comfortable." She confesses, although within her subconscious foresaw this encounter of a possibility to happen.

"Hmmm...is tha' so..." He only hums in response as his hips push hard against her stomach, his manhood steadily making its presence known she can feel as his member prods her repeatedly when he starts dry humping her. "Not gonna lie that these look sexy as fuck on you," he removes his fingers from her heat, prompts her to whine from the lost contact of his finger that now gently tugs at the lace helm of her undergarment. And his eyes fall shut as he shifts the position of his head to rub his face over her own, breathes heavy through his nostrils as his face nuzzles cheek to cheek against hers as the affectionate maneuver forces her head to shift in whichever direction he moves - a lovesome gesture often seen amongst animals that demonstrates their love for the other, "but my dick wanna get comfortable inside yer walls. I'm sure ya pussy can handle it with all that nectar drippin' as water from the shower drenches our bodies, hot steam rising around us, yea?" He incorporates lascivious imagery in his words that implies the events that will take place in a few minutes from now, exercises his skills of storytelling to paint a picture in her mind, brings forth energy of pure lust for him.

"Can ya see it?" Glowing yellow eyes peeks at her through his lashes when his eyelids pry open, releases his grip on her hair before sliding the same hand down to rest on her upper back with a little pressure applied.

"Mmm Wolf yes..."

"Do you taste the water slidin' down my chest, baybeh? Ya like how I taste?"

"Y-ye -" Before Cristi could utter a word, Lucas catches her off guard when she feels the plush surface of his lips smothering her own, creates a wave of tingles to scatter across her body as his lips assaults her with an insatiable hunger for her flavor. His eyes squeeze tight, eyebrows furrowed as he moves his mouth against hers, their lips molding and conforming as they glide over the other, their loud moans filling the space as their heads shifts at different angles, and feels her small hands traveling up and down his back before they rest on his butt, her small palms squeezing a handful of his deliciously firm buttocks. Not that he didn't mind the gesture at all, but he couldn't repress his amusement as he smiles into the kiss when he felt her grope his glutes, and in response, he smacks her ass.

Lucas was an absolute master at this; he knew exactly, EXACTLY, what to say and how to say it to get Chris yearning with desire for him. And the fact that he was well endowed with a huge package, it was a requirement to ascertain she was soaking wet in order to accommodate him with as little pain as possible. His human mate was quiet and rather meek like a mother doe, but she transforms into a naughty vixen while in the heat of the moment who enjoyed being dominated by her one and only wolf.

His heart pounds against the cage of his ribs as their tongues dance in motion through an open mouth kiss, takes into consideration by offering proper care in the way – for the moment - his pointy fangs avoid piercing her tongue. She wraps her arms around his neck to pull him closer as Lucas turns them around, backing Cristi up as he guides her backwards in the direction of the bathroom without breaking their lips from each other. Once they get inside, his hand roughly pats the tile wall for the light switch, and though Cristi wishes for them to not part when the light brightens the bathroom, her lips grow cold from the lack of warmth of his mouth when he separates from her. But a slim line of saliva connects their lips as they split apart, the wet trail only breaking in two as he stands to his full height with a breathy huff, his hands on her waist as he takes a good look at her.

The urge to bite his lip is granted as Lucas analyzes the bouncy movement of her breast heaving up and down where she exhales heavy breaths of air, notices the outline of her thick nipples poking through the thin material of her tank top without the concealment of a bra, the lascivious sight sending a strong electric charge of arousal towards his dick that twitches visibly in his boxer briefs. Cristi, on the other hand, licks her lips while her eyes remained locked on the huge bulge protruding through the fabric of his pants. Lucas wasn't completely hard but even semi-flaccid he was packing tremendously; the thought made her clit throb with want and empty walls aching to be filled up by the thickness of his length she knew she can't ever handle, but that didn't stop his little mate from pining after his cock. She extends a curious hand towards his groin to feel him, but her motion is held on pause when he stops her by grabbing her wrist, causes her to stare up at him with subtle confusion as he holds her back, realizes his ears had shrunk to normal size and registers his eyes were now their regular midnight black.

"Ah ah ah, my dear, patience." Sharp fangs decorate the mischievous grin that settles in place on his full lips as Lucas waves a teasing finger in her face, and to her disbelief, she watches his left hand slowly slide down his torso till he reaches his crotch, and through thick lips he expels a sexy groan as he clutches his big member. His ringed fingers fondle the large mass of his juicy bulge and rubs his hand up and down before giving his palm a soft thrust of his hips - all this carried out while a smug, lopsided toothy smile laid stretched across his handsome face as he silently gauges her reaction to his lecherous gesticulations. "Ya like when I play with myself, baby?"

Obvious traces of lust and frustration were etched upon soft features where an overwhelming rise of heat blossoms within her cheeks, unmistakably flustered, hot and bothered as she observes him touch himself in front of her, making her gulp. "L-Lucas c'mon stop playin'." Cristi was beyond aroused, wide awake, and somewhat embarrassed of her own lewd actions, suddenly feel her panties become overly drenched with her fluids, so much so that her slimy wetness seeps through the cloth and smears between the skin of her inner thighs, the more she stares at the motions of his hand massaging his bulge. Lucas loves to take his time to give her a little tease and was, as she'll put it, extremely kinky.

Beneath the low hood of his dark eyes he examines her facial expressions, and with his right hand wrapped around her wrist, he leads her hand to touch his shirt where her palm lays flat on his torso, her fingers grazing the small buttons of his garb. "What I need ya to do is unbutton me first. Think ya can do that for me?"

[kayleescientia]

Too Late (A FFXV fan fiction)

Based on the absolutely breathtaking render by @emy-san (Thank you for giving me permission btw!) In which the AU depicted was their idea! If you don’t follow them already, please do! Their renders are a blessing! <3

Here is the link to Emy-san’s renders!

A cold chill was all he felt as the train continued its slow decent through the snow and the dark, cold tunnel. When was the last time the boys had seen the glow of the sun or even felt its warmth? Noctis wasn’t even sure what this area had even looked like with the grace of the sun shining on it. And as much as he may have wished to see it, he had more important business to attend to.

The crystal, the one that had been protecting his home, insomnia; the one that was stolen from his father's chambers; the same crystal he had sworn to protect; Noctis was about to get it back. But on top of getting the Crystal, Noctis had to get something much more important to him: his best friend, Prompto. Due to Ardyn’s trickery using a rift in time, he had tricked Noctis into pushing his best friend off the train. As if adding insult to injury, Ardyn had been playing tricks on the young king; toying with him, taunting him with the thought of Prompto being hurt, even sending hoards of daemons towards the remaining of the group in what felt like another way of making Noctis suffer.

Through all of the pain, the only thing that he kept thinking about was his friend's safety. He just wanted to find him again, apologize for the idiot he was and make sure he wasn’t hurt. That was all he wanted.

Now running through Zegnautus keep, the enemy's stronghold, he had been separated from the rest of his friends, leaving him to sneak around the fortress. However, he kept getting stopped by daemons like crazy.

“Are you enjoying your stay, dear Noctis?” Ardyn's voice would ring through the whole facility, at least that was how Noctis saw it.

“Where’s Prompto? What did you do to him?!” Noctis growled back at the voice.

“Your dear Prompto? Why he’s here, waiting for you. Though he probably wishes he wasn’t right now.” Ardyn taunted.

“Quit with your bullshit Ardyn!” He yelled as he passed through a door, leading to what looked like a big room full of daemons.  

“Oh dear, Noct. You better hurry, your friend seems to be in so much pain. He may not even make it by the time you and your retinue make it here.”

“Shut up!” Noctis shouted, the anger clear in his throat as he fought his way through the daemons, one after another. What would he do if he couldn’t find Prompto? At least Ignis and Gladio had each other but Prompto was all alone there, no doubt waiting for his Prince to come find him.  

He continued his trek through the dark, dangerous fortress. Something wasn’t right here, however. MT bodies lay about, ready to attack Noctis at any moment. There was something about them that hit Noctis harder than anything. What was it?

“N-Noct…” a familiar voice called to the Prince, stopping him in his tracks.  

“P-Prompto? Prompto! Where are you?!” Noctis’s voice rang through the hallways, echoing through. Yet not a single answer from his friend. He felt his blood boiling at this point. His own friend sounded like he’s in so much pain.

“I'm on my way Prompto! I promise!” He shouted into the nothingness that laid in front of him. He continued his way through the fortress, anxiety eating at his subconscious as he ran.

He had finally reunited with Ignis and Gladio, the two managed to save the Prince from the rather tricky situation he was stuck in.  

“Any signs of Prompto yet?” He asked his two retainers once all three of them had finally gotten a chance to rest.  

“No, no sign of him yet.” Ignis answered, causing Noctis to run a hand through his hair out of frustration.  

“Ignis, there’s something very wrong here. We should have found him by now!” Noctis couldn’t shake the anxiousness from his mind.  

“I think he’s right Iggy, we should have found Prompto by now. Where would he be?” Gladio reiterated. Ignis rested his hand to his chin in an attempt to make his mind a little more focused. Not being able to see was really hindering this, yet the rest of his senses seemed to be getting stronger to compensate. His own mind was telling him as well that something was amiss, and yet, what would they be able to do?

“All we can do is search more. There’s a good chance that Ardyn is keeping Prompto where the crystal is. We'll just have to head in that direction.”

It was the only reassurance Ignis could provide the two boys, but even he was at his wits end with this mess.  

“Oh? Giving up so soon?” Ardyn's taunting voice returned, echoing through the facility. Noctis was gritting his teeth in anger now.

“Enough with your shit Ardyn! Where the hell is Prompto?!”

Instead of an answer from the maniacal man, a scream was heard; one that made all three boys’ eyes widen as panic set in.

“Prompto!!” Noctis shouted as he ran in the direction of the scream. Ignis and Gladio ran right behind Noctis as absolute terror ran through all three boys’ veins.

Noctis and co finally approach what looked to be a big door for a massive storage site. Before he headed inside however, he felt a chill run through him, as if telling him something was wrong here. Yet he heard the cries of his best friend from the other side, finding the strength to push forward.  

“My, my. Look who finally came to save you, dear Prompto.” Ardyn was facing away from Noctis, not even turning to look at the boy; Yet it was sending anger through Noctis’s veins. He couldn’t see Prompto, however.

“Where is he, Ardyn?! Where’s Prompto?!” Noctis's harsh voice echoed through the room.

“Well, well. Look who we have here.” Ardyn turned towards the boys, a sinister smile spread across his face as he moved to side, warping away from the being that he was blocking. Who—

Noctis's eyes widened in horror.

“P-Prompto?” He voice was barely audible now as he started ahead at the boy who was once his best friend, now ridden with wires and machine parts, the way the broken MTs had looked. His left arm was gone and replaced with parts of an MT's arm, wires jutting out of his neck, connecting to the red core that now laid where his heart would have been. He held his gun in his right hand; his human hand. Tears streamed down his left eye, seeing as his right eye was now a red glowing orb of light.  

“Holy shit—” Gladio's voice chimed in behind them.

“Prompto—is he here?” Ignis’s voice followed.  

“What.. What did he do to you?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!” Noctis yelled out at Ardyn, who was now a ways back from where the show was taking place.

“Him? Oh no, Noctis, don’t worry about him. He's absolutely FINE.” Ardyn laughed.  

“Gladio, what’s going on?” Ignis spoke, almost demanding an answer.

“He—” before Gladio could even explain what was happening, the soft voice of the boy in front of Noctis spoke, his voice barely audible.  

“N…Noct… P-Please… Kill me—” Prompto's words shook Noctis to the core.  

“Prompto? Is that you?” Ignis asked.  

“What a heartbreaking moment.” Ardyn taunted.

“SHUT UP YOU SON OF A BITCH!!” Noctis shouted at Ardyn. He turned his attention back to his best friend standing in front of him.

“P-Prompto, answer me, please! I’m right here!” Noctis's eyes pleading for this not to be true.

“I'm… s-sorry… Noctis.” He tried his best to smile at his friend before moving his gun to his head. Noctis panicked,

“W-wait! What are you do—”

“I.. I can’t be with… y-you guys anymore.”

“No… NO!! STOP!!” Noctis tried to run to his friend but soon felt arms around him, pulling him back.

“LET GO OF ME I HAVE TO—”  

“YOU CAN’T NOCT, STAY BACK!! ITS TOO LATE!!” Gladio's voice commanded Noctis as the Prince tried to fight through Gladio's grip.

“WHAT’S GOING ON?! WHAT HAPPENED TO PROMPTO?!” Ignis's voice demanded, giving away his panic.

“I'm… sorry….”  

“PROMPTO!!!!” Noctis’s final shout broke him down as he heard the gunshot ring through the area. Time seemed to have come to a standstill as Noctis watched his best friend’s body fall slowly to the ground. Why did this happen? What did he do wrong? Why was he losing all the ones he loved one by one?

His body dropped from Gladio’s grip, causing him to fall to his hands and knees, with only his eyes fixated on the lifeless body of Prompto. He inched his way over to the boy, sitting beside his body, looking at nothing but his own hands and knees.  

“Why? Why can’t… I just save one person…” Tears fell from Noctis’s eyes.  

“I’m not worthy… to be the king…” Noctis cried. He was the reason so many people were suffering.

“Noct—” Gladio was about to go to Noctis but Ignis grabbed Gladio’s shoulder, pulling him back and shaking his head; a sign for Gladio to let Noctis get it out of his system.

“What a pity.” Ardyn's voice interrupted Noctis's cries. Noctis clenched his fists and teeth, looking up to where the man had been sitting watching the events unfold.

“I’ll kill you! I swear I’ll kill you!!” He shouted to the man, his voice a practical growl.  

“Oh, I'm so scared!” He feigned terror, turning to get away, but not before giving Noctis one last sinister smile.

“Ardyn you bastard!!!” Noctis cried out, the pain in his chest growing as he looked down at his childhood friend's body. His best friend was gone now, along with his father and his betrothed. He couldn’t protect any of them.

He was crushed, and he knew he would never forgive himself for taking so long. 

“I’m sorry, Prompto...”

[our-smooty]

Take Me to Church Chapter 9: Whatever You want

Fandom: Gorillaz

Rating: Explicit

Relationships: 2doc

Tags: Car Accidents Angst Hurt/Comfort Drugs/Alcohol Implied/Referenced Suicide SuicideHealing Everything Hurts

Summary: The band is back together, but things are… weird to say the least. But when a crisis arises, can they pull it all together and be a family again?

Link to other Chapters on my Blog!

He was on a ledge, ocean crashing against the rocks below. The never-ending squawking of seagulls rang in his ears and he wished they would just shut up for five minutes so he could think. It was like being on Plastic Beach again, only this time the sea was less foreboding and more welcoming, calling to him.

Murdoc… Murdoc....

It’d be so easy, so easy to take one step forward and fall into the sea, to sink into her depths and end this never-ending squawking, this never-ending feeling. He was named for the sea after all, and he always seemed to come back to it, it was only right that she would end it for him.

With more resolve than he’d felt in years, he took a step forward off the cliff, feeling the gut-punch wretch of gravity pulling him down down down towards those sharp rocks and black waters. Suddenly the sea didn’t look so inviting, and he felt panic course through his veins. This was a mistake he didn’t want—

Murdoc woke up suddenly in a cold sweat, his heart racing. He swore for a second he could still hear the seagulls—was he back on Plastic Beach?—but it turned out to be 2D snoring beside him. What the hell was 2D doing in his bed again; they hadn’t fucked last night, had they? Well, other than the time before dinner. He couldn’t remember so he must have been awfully drunk, and Stu didn’t strike him as they type of guy to take advantage. But then again, you could never really know.

Still, he had his pants on and didn’t feel sticky so the singer must have been there for another reason. Maybe he really had had a nightmare this time and crawled into Murdoc’s bed for comfort? Made about as much sense as anything else.

The adrenaline from the dream was wearing off and Murdoc suddenly realized that he felt like crap. That special type of crap feeling that came only after either a really good night or a bad one. Judging by the fact there was a bucket of vomit beside him and no lovely ladies around, it was probably the latter.

“Urgh,” Murdoc groaned as he tried to sit up. His mouth tasted and felt like a bog and his head ached something fierce, nevermind the fact he was absolutely bursting for a piss. Narrowly avoiding sticking his bare foot in the sick bucket, Murdoc trudged through the room and out to the bathroom.

Thanking Satan it was free he walked in and stood in front of the toilet, not bothering to close the door. With the most pressing matters taken care of, he stopped to brush his teeth and take some paracetamol. He would have loved something a bit stronger, but he remembered 2D had had his panties in a bunch over Murdoc ‘borrowing’ too many pills lately.

He sighed in resignation and stared into the mirror. Bloodshot eyes, saggy skin, and stubble greeted him with all the enthusiasm of a dead skunk.

“Satan, I look like shit, ” he said. Bits and pieces of the night before were coming back to him now in the harsh lighting of the bathroom. He’d intended to watch some TV while 2D was napping, maybe have a few beers, but medical dramas lose their interest when someone you care about’s in the hospital. So he’d tried to watch some of his favourite soap opera The Bad, the Badder, and the Baddest,  but of course they’d been airing a special where the main character was in a coma. After that he’d given up on watching TV and had instead doubled down on drinking. One thing had led to another and then… Well, then he didn’t really remember anything except that it had been dark and a little cold.

He was still staring vacantly into the mirror when a loud bang sounded in the hallway. Before he could investigate 2D, dressed only in his pyjamas burst into the washroom looking stressed.

“Oh! Murdoc! You’re in here that’s good,” he exclaimed, looking around the bathroom wildly. Murdoc wasn’t impressed.

“What the bloody hell are you doin’ Dents?” he asked. 2D looked relieved but still antsy, wringing his hands together in front of his chest.

“W-well I woke up an’ you weren’t in bed so I came to look for you!” Murdoc wasn’t buying it.

“So what’s that got to do with you stompin’ about like a hippo in heat?” 2D flushed, suddenly more interested in the tile grout than Murdoc.

“Well, ah, after las’ night I was a bit worried about you…”

“Last night?” So something had happened between him and 2D last night. Hopefull,y nothing else endlessly embarrassing that the singer could hold over him.

2D looked confused, then sighed. “You were pretty drunk… Murdoc I found you on the roof.”

“And?”

“An’ you were gonna jump off!” 2D shouted suddenly angry. Satan, all this emotional back and forth was going to give Murdoc whiplash. Now he remembered. After he’d run out of beer he’d switched to stronger spirits to take his mind of things, but it hadn’t worked. He got into an unfortunately pensive mood and ended up on the roof where 2D must have found him. It wasn’t that big of a deal.

“I doubt it dullard, I'm sure you’re just overreactin’ as usual,” he snapped, eager to get back to the bedroom. He pushed past the lanky man and was making a beeline for his bedroom when he heard Russel’s door opening. Great, now the two of them were going to be all over him.

“What the hell is goin’ on out here?” Russel asked, looming over Murdoc. The bassist scowled and crossed his arms. Just what he fucking needed, another nosey asshole.

“2D’s been actin’ like my fuckin’ nanny all week and I damn near sick of it!” Murdoc snapped. 2D threw his hands up in frustration.

“I found him on the roof, drunk off his ass last night Russ,” he explained. Russel let out a deep sigh and turned to Murdoc.

“Murdoc… what’s goin’ on with you man?” Murdoc could feel himself getting more and more angry at his bandmates.

“What’s going on with me?! What’s going on with you? Everyone’s all in my business all the time!” 2D looked angry, his fists clenched and eyes cold. Russel looked more confused than anything.

“We’re jus’ tryin’ ta help you Murdoc! Ever since the accident, you’ve been doing all this crazy shit and we’re worried!” Stu shouted and that was the final straw. Russel stepped forward as Murdoc whirled around and stalked towards the singer.

“Newsflash, dullard! I do crazy shit all the time!”

“Shit like jumpin’ off the roof an’ ODin’ in the hospital waiting room?”

“Yes! But usually in private!” Murdoc shouted back before he could stop himself. He felt Russel come up behind him and lay a large hand on his shoulder and fought not to jump.

“OK guys, calm down and we can talk about this like adults,” he said, steering Murdoc towards the stairs. “Let's sit down in the living room and talk this out.”

Murdoc shook the hand off his shoulder and held his ground. “Fuck off, both of you, and let me get into my room. I ain’t talkin’ about shit.”

“Murdoc I really think we should ta—” Russel started but 2D interrupted him.

“We’re gonna talk about this whether you like it or not Muds,” he threatened and Murdoc was a little surprised at the firmness of his tone. Some of that dominance he’d seen the other night when they’re fucked was leaking into 2D’s everyday persona, and it was off putting.

“And since when do you get to tell me what to do, Faceache?” Murdoc growled, getting right up in Stu’s face. Stuart didn’t back down.

“Since I started havin’ to stop you from fuckin’ dying all the time!” he said, frustrated.

“Well no one asked you to!” There was a pounding in his ears and a squeezing in his chest that was building rapidly. Murdoc felt the nausea and headache from his hangover worsening and all he wanted to do was go lie down in his own bed and sleep. “I didn’t ask you to stop me Stuart I—”

“Enough you two!” Russel interrupted. “Stu go downstairs and put some coffee on, it’s too early for this shit without coffee. Murdoc, go put some clothes on and meet us downstairs in 10 minutes.”

“Rus—”

“And you best believe,” Russel said, giving Murdoc a stern look, “that I will come up here and drag you down the stairs by your ratty-ass moptop if you don’t.”

Murdoc growled and pushed past the drummer and slammed into his bedroom, not caring to look back at 2D.

“FUCK!” he shouted at the top of his voice, kicking one of the bottles on the floor into a wall. It shattered spectacularly but did nothing to make him feel better. The two men outside could probably hear but he didn’t care.

The room still smelled of vomit and it made him gag. He didn’t want to do this now, or even ever. What were they going to talk about anyways? That the fame, the women, the money? It all made him feel empty. Or how about how he’d been trying to off himself for years but had never really got it to stick? Why were they both so fixated on him when Noodle was the one in real trouble?

Whatever. Russel said he had to be downstairs in 10 minutes, but not that he had to be sober. Throwing on a probably a dirty shirt and a definitely dirty pair of jeans he used the next 8 minutes to drink as much as possible. Which was a lot.

By the time he made it down the stairs and into the living room, he was stumbling and feeling much calmer. Russel was seated on the couch with a cup of coffee in his hand and he could hear 2D bumbling around in the kitchen.

“Glad I didn’t have to drag you down here,” Russel said, eyeing the bassist over his mug. Murdoc didn’t answer and instead sauntered into the kitchen to get his own mug of caffeinated sludge.

“Oh, you actually came down,” 2D remarked as he wobbled in. Murdoc busied himself with pouring a mug without giving himself 3rd degree burns instead of answering. “Are you really givin’ me the silent treatment?”

“No.” The stream of coffee kept dodging his cup and splashing all over the countertop. 2D watched him for a few moments before sighing.

“Give it here, Murdoc. Before you waste it all.” The singer snatched the carafe and filled the mug, going so far as to add cream and sugar before handing it back. “How did you even manage to get this drunk in 10 minutes?”

“Determination,” he answered and 2D laughed a little. At least he wasn’t angry anymore.

The both wandered back into the living room and sat down. 2D sat down beside Russel and Murdoc settled into the comfy armchair Noodle usually occupied. All three men sipped coffee for a little while before Russel broke the silence.

“So uh, I think we have a lot of stuff that needs to be talked about today, that we’ve been ignorin’ for a long time. So does anyone wanna start talkin’?” The drummer looked between 2D and Murdoc.

“Nothin’ t’talk abou’,” Murdoc said, rolling his eyes. He was starting to wish he’d brought down some rum to add to his coffee. 2D sighed—he’d been doing that an awful lot recently—and set his mug down.

“Murdoc you said upstairs... Well you implied that…” 2D babbled. Russel eventually took pity on him and interrupted.

“Murdoc, what D’s tryin’ to ask is if you’ve tried to kill yourself before? And why?” With so much alcohol in his blood, the blind panic he expected to feel was muted and distant.

“Why d’you care?” he heard himself ask. Both 2D and Russel looked upset.

“We’re your friends, Muds, of course we care, I told you that the other day,” 2D said, quietly. Russel nodded in agreement.

“I know you’ve had a rough life, Murdoc, but I didn’t know you were feelin’ like this.”

Even his anger was muted. “A rough life? You don’ know t-the half of it, so fuck off tryin’ t’act like you care.” Both men on the sofa look like they were at a loss for what to do.

“What about Noodle, Murdoc? You know she loves you to death,” 2D pushed. A feeling of dread and sadness washed over Murdoc as he thought of their little girl.

“Wha’ about her? If s-she knows wha’s good for her she’ll hate me jus’ like everyone else.” Oh Satan, he didn’t mean to say all that. Maybe getting drunk wasn’t such a good idea.

Russel looked at a loss for words, but 2D stepped up. “We don’t hate you Murdoc, you’re family.” Fuck he was too drunk cause he could have sword 2D said—

“He’s right. You’ve done some shitty stuff in the past, but what family doesn’t have some skeletons in the closet?” Russel said, smiling.

“Literally, there’s a skeleton in the hall closet, I think,” 2D laughed, but Murdoc wasn’t really listening. He couldn’t focus on anything, voices slipping into and out of his mind like water through a colander. The dread from before that was breaking through the haze of alcohol and turning into full blown panic.

“N-no. It’s not like tha’. You can’ jus’...” Fuck he was getting emotional. He’d thought of the band as a family before, hell he’d outright adopted Noodle, but not since before Plastic Beach. He’d been under the assumption that ever since he’d royally cocked that whole thing up they were just putting up with him as a financial necessity. His chest hurt.

“Mate, you’re not lookin’ too good. You gonna puke?” 2D asked. Russel didn’t bother waiting for an answer and left the room, presumably to get a bucket. “Muds, what’s goin’ on mate?”

“Why d’you care ?” he asked again. It didn’t make sense, there was no way that they still thought of him like that, he’d fucked up so bad so many times.

“I told you mate, you’re family. An’ you’ve been doin’ a lot better since we got here, you don’t really hit me or nothin’.” Because he’d been spending all his time away from the band. Away from them so they couldn’t leave him first. He dropped his head in his hands.

“S’not tha’ easy…” It couldn’t be. But 2D shook his head.

“No, it isn’t. There’s still a lot of stuff we gotta deal with but… well we can try to deal with it, if you wanna.” He did, sort of. Losing the only thing he��d ever had that was even close to a family wasn’t something he wanted. But he didn’t know where to start, or how to even try. There wasn’t enough air, he couldn’t breath, he couldn’t breath . 2D noticed and jumped up.

“Oh shit, Murdoc calm down mate,” Stu said, coming to stand in front of the bassist. Murdoc wanted to tell him to fuck off but he couldn’t fucking breath. Thoughts flew through his head at a mile a minute; maybe they’d forgive him maybe he had a chance, how could he be so stupid , this was all some sick prank.

“Hey! Murdoc, look at me ok, jus’ take some slow breaths. Breath with me, ok?” 2D was kneeling in front of him now, he could feel the singer’s body heat. He pressed the palms of his hands harder against his eyes, rubbing hard enough to see stars and for 2D to grab at them.

“Murdoc, jus’ look at me alrigh’?” Murdoc did, ever movement feeling like a struggle. He didn’t have control of his body right now, and it took every ounce of strength to meet 2D’s pupiless stare. “Jus’ like me, in, an’ out, ahhhhhhhh.”

2D held his hands in a light grasp, his long fingers twiddling and fidgeting against Murdoc’s own. He focused on that; it helped.

“Good! You’re doin’ good Muds. It’s gonna be ok,” 2D cooed and Murdoc wanted to hit him so badly.

“S-shut up,” he gasped and 2D nodded, but didn’t let go. Secretly grateful, Murdoc tried to breath through the waves of anxiety. His busted nose didn’t exactly lend itself to even breathing, so he panted through his mouth. By the time Russel came back with a bucket, his breathing was steadier and more controlled.

“Everythin’ all right in here?” Russel asked and 2D let go of Murdoc’s hands to turn around.

“Yeah Rus, I don’ think we need that bucket though.”2D sat back down on the couch and Russel followed. Were they going to start up again with the 3rd degree? Murdoc didn’t think he could handle any more questions.

“OK, well,” Russel paused and took a sip of his now cold coffee. Murdoc did the same, wetting his throat in anticipation of more questions, “maybe we should talk about this again tomorrow after we visit Noodle.”

“Wait what?” Murdoc asked, confused enough to push through the ebbing anxiety and speak up.

“The doctors said we could go and visit Noodle tomorrow! I was tryin’ to tell you that las’ night!.” 2D said excitedly. Murdoc’s ansixty began to ramp back up.

“Is she awake?” he asked. Russel shook his head.

“No, they aren’t gonna wake her up yet but they said if we were real quiet and didn’t stay too long we could go see her.” That made him feel conflicted. It wasn’t good that Noodle was still in a coma, far from it, but as long as she was still out she couldn’t disown him.

“O-OK,” Murdoc breathed. “If we’re done here I’m gonna—”

“Jus’ one more thing Muds,” 2D interrupted, looking nervous. “Russ and me were talkin’ and, well, we don’t think you should be alone too much after the las’ couple incidents.”

Murdoc wanted to be angry but he was just tired. He hadn’t even been awake for 2 hours yet and already he wanted to crawl back into bed with a bottle and finish the day. “Whatever, jus’ don’ bug me.”

Both Russel and 2D looked relieved that he hadn’t put up more of a fight. “We’ll try not to Muds,” Russel answered and Murdoc rolled his eyes.

“Are we done now? ” Murdoc asked. 2D and Russel shared a look but they nodded and Murdoc got up, stumbling. “Then I’m goin’ back t’bed.” 2D followed him. Satan was he going to have to deal with the dullard trailing after him everywhere? Russel stayed where he was, turning back to his coffee and the TV.

Murdoc ignored the singer and climbed the staircase slowly and with an iron grip on the bannister. He could feel the idiot close behind him, hovering, but he tried to focus on the goal: sleep. When he made it to the landing he walked as quickly as he could to his bedroom, leaving the door open behind him. 2D walked in not seconds later and idled in the middle of the room.

“Well, do whatever you wan’, I’m sleepin,” Murdoc mumbled, falling face first into the bed. The pillow 2D had been sleeping on was right under his nose, and he inhaled the faint smell of butterscotch and weed that clung to the singer. Speaking of, Murdoc felt the bed dip and 2D make himself comfortable, not laying down but sitting up against the headboard.

“Have a good sleep Muds,” he said, but Murdoc was already half conscious. His last thought was that he should probably tell 2D to empty the puke bucket he’d left beside the bed, but sleep claimed him before he could get a word out.

[yandereshit]

vampire!707 x Reader: beautiful.

Happy Halloween, have some pain right beneath! ^w^ You can find more here~

“Once you abandon your life as Saeyoung, please consider me as your father. Rika and I will be the only ones who know your secret. We’ll do everything we can to help you become independent.”

The secret must be a secret. No matter what.

Humans aren’t allowed to know.

Get rid of what’s in your way. Feed. Remove the damage. Feed.

Bon Appetit.

“I like watching the sky. It’s beautiful.”

The girl stared at him curiously, waiting for him to continue.

“I’m the creature of night, I’ll disappear once the sun raises. I’m not allowed to look at it. But at night… everything is so clear to me. It’s a bit different than usual, if you know what I mean. My senses are… stronger now.”

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, as she watched him in silence, listening intently to every single word that left his mouth. When he stopped once a while to take a breath and think, she wouldn’t let a single noise disturb him, as if she was enchanted by the way he existed.

He laid down, on his back, with both hands underneath his head. He crossed his legs nonchalantly, staring up at the sky. It was a cloudless night, he saw more than usually. The moon was large and all the constellations he could find were so clear he could almost see the thin links between the stars forming them, as if they really were there.

The girl just stared though, her arms wrapped loosely around her knees as she sat there, not daring to get as comfortable as he.

They were alone now, surrounded by the darkness of the forest. High in the mountains, far away from any other people.

“You need to get rid of the problem. So that it won’t be a problem anymore. Don’t get in trouble you can’t get out of. Just get it done, Seven.”

“Seven? Did you fall asleep?”

He blinked a few times and looked up. The girl was sitting next to him with her legs crossed. He didn’t remember her changing positions so most likely, yes – he fell asleep.

“How long have I been out?” he asked, still a bit stunned, sitting up and stretching his limbs a little.

“Just a few minutes. I almost didn’t notice.”

“I see…”

“You didn’t finish talking though… You still didn’t say much at all.”

He sighed softly.

“Is there anything in particular you want to know?”

He glanced at her briefly, not really bothered by her words. She was really curious and he didn’t mind revealing as much as she asked him to, as long as it didn’t become too personal. There surely were things he didn’t want her – anyone – to know. The secrets that didn’t belong to him only.

But he didn’t care if she was to find out more than she knew so far.

“By the end of this night… She will be dead. I promise.”

“Do you prefer watching stars or the Moon?”

Her voice was filled with naïve curiosity as she stared up at the same sky he used to stare at every day. For some reason, she really suited in this place: next to him, under the sky, in warmth of the darkness.

“Stars… They’re further away. I prefer stars.”

“What else can you see up there?”

“Everything. I can see the planets. Look up. This one” he pointed a particularly bright point, close to the Moon. “It’s Venus.”

The girl nodded slowly, but he was aware she didn’t see any difference between this one and all the other dots in the sky. He wasn’t even sure if she was looking at the same point as he, ever since there were so many of them.

The silence that fell upon them at that moment was relieving, more than he’d like to admit. But he didn’t want to hurry and it was quite obvious she wouldn’t want him to hurry either. By the end of this night…

“What else?”

Was she really that curious?

“Is it important?” he chuckled, tilting his head to the side. Her eyes were lit up, and he could see as her pupils dilated while looking at him. In the darkness surrounding them, it was clearer to him than it’d ever be during the daytime.

“Well, it’s not important. But I’m curious. What else… can you see?”

From the soft, teasing smile on her face he could assume she didn’t mean the sky only. He sighed, returning the smile, which – he was sure – she couldn’t really see.

“I can see… a wolf.”

Her eyes widened and she looked around in panic.

“W-where?!”

He chuckled.

“Don’t look around, you won’t see him. He’s quite close, but not really interested in us. He’s tracking… a small deer that got lost, it’s behind us.”

“How can you see it if it’s-“

“I can’t see it, I can hear it. Its heartbeat is slow. It doesn’t know about the wolf yet.”

Her brows furrowed as she stared in the direction where – as she assumed – the deer was. A brief glint of sadness crossed her face.

“So it won’t run away… It doesn’t know… about the danger.”

“No. It doesn’t know.”

“The wolf will kill it…?”

“Surely.”

Her fists clenched a bit and she stood up, putting her hands together to use them as a megaphone.

And then, all of sudden, she just yelled. As loud as she could, not even thinking about anyone finding it weird or incoherent.

Luciel flinched, his sharpened senses didn’t take it lightly.

“W-what are you doing…?” he stuttered, covering his ears in annoyance.

“Is it still here?!” she asked loudly.

“Wha-“

He blinked, suddenly enlightened, and turned around in the direction where she was yelling at.

But the deer was already far away, its heartbeat didn’t reach Seven’s ears anymore. The wolf, on the other hand, was just as annoyed by the noise as Luciel. But he quite well knew that attacking these two would not compensate the lost dinner and only bring him more troubles.

“It ran away” the man stated, still a bit shocked.

The girl smiled widely and sat back down, as if nothing happened.

He stared at her in silence, not really knowing what to say.

If only she knew how much he wanted to yell just like her, only so that she’d run away instead of realizing what danger she was in.

“You’re thinking of something, what’s this?” she asked, tilting her head to the side and brushing away the hair that fell onto her face when she moved.

He sighed softly and she noticed.

“You’re… sad.”

“How can you tell…?”

“I guess I can also see things” she joked. He glanced at her.

“It’ll be the sunrise soon. We’ll need to go home before it gets bright…”

She nodded.

“Right, I almost forgot… that you… can’t really stay in the sun” she scratched her head awkwardly. “But, it’s not bad, we can come back here some other day, right? Tomorrow or… some other time…”

Without a word, he wrapped arms around her, tugging her close.

“Yeah… We’ll come here again” he lied.

There wouldn’t be ‘some other time’. There wouldn’t even be a sunrise with her. He had to leave this place before the sun came. And the last thing he’d do…

Thinking about it was painful. But it was only fair for him to feel pain, as he was the one to hurt those around him the most.

He wanted to let her run away, or to take her somewhere her knowledge wouldn’t cause any damage to anyone – so that no one would want to get rid of her as some already wanted.

“Heyy, Zero Seven…” she said softly, reaching her hand to pat his head gently. “It’s okay. It’s okay…” She repeated it a few more times, stroking his hair in a calming motion. His arms tightened around her as he buried his face into her shoulder.

The scent of her skin filled his lungs, way thicker than he was used to already. Soft smell of her sweat, the slightly overwhelming perfume she used a few hours earlier, and above all of this, the scent of her blood roaming through her veins, so close to his mouth, right underneath his fangs. So close. So close…

“Hold still” he whispered; his cold fingers brushed away her hair and he held her neck gently, tilting it to the side. Her breath hitched and the heartbeat fastened rapidly, along with the bloodstream.

Her hands clutched on the hood of his blouse tightly when she felt the fangs pierce through her skin. Her whole body froze when his jaws clenched on her shoulder, so tightly it completely restrained her from moving.

A soft groan escaped her lips as her whole body trembled in shock and pain.

“S-Seven…” she whimpered, feeling her blood escaping her body, slowly, but constantly.

She wasn’t even sure what’s happening, the action confused her, making her unable to fight back – if only she wanted to. She felt unpleasant tingling in the tips of her fingers, spreading over her body along with coldness.

His lips parted from her skin and he sobbed quietly, making her eyes widen in even bigger confusion.

“Seven…?”

She tried to move away a bit to look at his face, but he refused to let go of her, still burying face in her shoulder.

“MC…”

“Hey there…” She pushed him away just enough to have a brief look at the blood dripping from his chin. It was messy. The realization of what he’s just done made her feel sick in the stomach.

She sighed shakily and brushed his hair away from his face, making him finally look at her. Guilt was clear in every single of his features.

“I-I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay…” you whispered, but your voice almost broke.

“I-it’s not, I need to-“

She cleared her throat, trying to look more confident than she actually felt.

“This is why… you took me here, isn’t it…?”

His eyes closed and he nodded. A tear streamed down his cheek and mixed with the red liquid.

“I-I can’t let you go… I-it’s a rule… Humans…” He opened his eyes again and looked away, avoiding her stare. Even if she didn’t see as much as him, the awareness of her eyes fixated on him was driving him crazy. “Humans aren’t… allowed… to know… It’s my fault, i-it’s been all my fault from the beginning, I w-wasn’t… careful enough and… and involved an… innocent person… And now I-“

She chuckled softly, her fingers brushing over his face, even his chin; the blood didn’t seem to bother her in the slightest.

“Look at yourself” she said, smiling gently. “So vulnerable… Are you even a real vampire?” she asked jokingly.

He looked as if he wanted to tell her to not mock him, but how unfair would it be of him to take anything away from her in such a moment.

So instead, he just returned the smile, albeit weakly, trying to make her feel at least slightly better. Even though he felt as if he was the one who needed comfort now…

Another sob escaped his throat and the girl shyly leaned down, brushing her lips against his own.

Her taste was subtle comparing to the overwhelming flavor of her blood, but he could feel it, along with the fruit she ate hours earlier and the toothpaste she used just before going out.

“I’m sorry…” he choked out, but she didn’t let him continue, occupying his mouth even more eagerly.

Before he even thought about it, he bared his teeth and bit into his own tongue.

Her blood mixed with his own in his mouth, but she wasn’t even aware of it. She felt the metallic, bitter taste, but didn’t even notice that slight change. His tongue moved and the liquid dripped down her throat, hot, almost burning.

He pushed her down, hovering over her to make it even easier for him to spill the blood into her mouth.

“W-what are you-“

“Shh…” His lips trailed down her chin and to her collarbone, where he placed a soft kiss right before biting down once more, as gently as possible, making her let out a soft moan as if he was giving her a kissmark, and not an ugly, bleeding bruise.

He sucked greedily for a short while, not really bothered by it anymore. It wouldn’t change anything. The decision he just made… brought them to the point of no return.

He felt her body tremble and she coughed, probably trying to get rid of the liquid filling her insides. He raised her chin so that she wouldn’t afford it and her eyes watered up at the feeling. Along with the sadness at his own action, came inhuman satisfaction as she gagged – only because he didn’t let her swallow the liquid properly.

“Control. That’s what you live for. That’s what you died for as well. Deal with it. You’re a monster. And you’ll bring everyone down with you.”

He smiled softly when her body calmed down. Touching gently her chin he felt her skin was slowly cooling down, the blood draining away from her face, making her skin white and smooth like porcelain.

Her eyes glistened in the darkness and he saw her flinch at every single noise, even far away from them. The Moon has never shone so brightly.

“You were right, Luciel. The sky is beautiful. I can... get used to it.”