#where is the needle sleeping beauty stuck her finger i need that cause

[hyunpic]

[roscgcld]

RYOMEN SUKUNA || my little flower

anime: jujutsu kaisen

characters: ryomen sukuna

pronouns: she/her 

notes: historical!sukuna x reader, slightly sexual (no smexy time involved lol - maybe another day ;)), quite fluffy towards the end

also - I’ve been reading so many sukuna hcs and imagines of him when he’s in his prime or during the historical era - so like excuse me as I politely simp for the man that is ryomen sukuna >< thank you 

references: https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/literature/Ryomen-sukuna.html 

Sukuna leans back into the futon with a tired sigh, two of his arms folded behind his head while the other two held you against him securely. His ruby red eyes glanced away from the ceiling to look down at the woman curled up in his embrace, sleeping peacefully against him whilst her own soft arms were wrapped around his muscular torso. He admired your peaceful features at first, but soon his eyes started to travel down your delicate neck and cleavage, your soft skin marked by dark splotches where he had marked you up for the world to see.

Just the sight of the hickeys and bite marks caused Sukuna to smirk once more, the feeling of pride traveling through him at the sight of the hickeys, both new and old, marring your skin. It was a sight he would never get bored of seeing, since it was a constant reminder to you that you were his and no one else’s. 

Many would question just how did this happen - how did a simple human manage to ‘tame’ the infamous Sukuna - the King of Curses, who spreads chaos and bloodshed in his wake? How did you, a mere human woman who looked far too kind hearted and warm, ended up with such a fearsome man? 

Well, how this came to be was actually a cute story.

You grew up in a small village in Hida province, where many cities treated Sukuna as their patron deity. He was what people would call quite a cold ruler - one who would not hesitate to bring terror and bloodshed down on a town that had angered him. But at the same time, he was quite the generous man as well. He protects the people of the Hida and Mino Provinces, and many towns had florish and grow under his careful guidance.

Your town was one of the may towns that worshipped the Cursed Spirit, preparing offerings on special celebrations and always paying your respects whenever you go up to the ichinomiya on the weekends with your parents. It was because of one of these special celebrations that drew Sukusa to you.

It was one of the many days where offerings were given to him by townspeople, in hopes that they will still continue to get some form of protection from the unknown. He was their patron deity, after all. Even though many times he does all the things he does for his own benefit, it was nice to know that there are some who are gullible enough to think he does it for them. But he it’s one to complain - many of the offerings are things he does not mind indulging in. The best crops from the harvest, women for his ever growing harem, beautifully crafted weapons and clothes are the few he can keep in mind

Many times, he does not care to go through the offerings himself - Uraume goes through all of them and then gives him a general overview of everything. However, as he was walking past one of the neat piles of offerings, a particular garment box caught his eye; causing him to pause before he unwraps it curiously. 

Sitting inside the carefully wrapped package was a beautiful dark blue kinomo made of the finest silk, the fabric so smooth that it almost felt like water slipping through his fingers. Packed along with the kinomo was a beautifully crafted haori, a simple yet beautiful crane woven into the haori in white, the details done so carefully that when worn, the crane moves with the shifting of the fabric. The packet also came with a matching hakama made from the luxurious fabric, and a beautiful kaku obi made from navy blue, white and silver carefully weaved together into in a beautiful talent.

It was because of the level of craftsman ship that had Sukuna curious - who was the mastermind of something so beautiful?

He had went to the town where the garment was from and after some digging about, discovered about you. A daughter to a family of tailors, you were quite well known for your talents in embroidery and your mastery of the loom. Having gotten such talents, you crafted many beautiful pieces, and one of them was gifted to Sukuna himself recently. 

When he first saw you, he was struck by your beauty; how you had such a warm smile no matter who you were referring to. How your movements were graceful yet swift, your needle and threat embroidering the most beautiful depections of animals and flowers without a single mistake. How your voice was so sweet and calming that he can physically feel the tension from his body starting to unwind ever so slightly. If he could, he’d love to listen to your voice forever - which was what he intended to do. 

The first time you two met was actually in the dead of the night; you had stayed up later then usual, carefully embroidering a water lily onto a long fabric for a personal tapestry you wanted to hang in your room. A candle was burning by your work table, casting the engawa of your home in a soft but comforting glow; enough for you to do your work without straining too much. You were so fucsed on your work that you didn’t notice how the flames of your candle started to flicker in the glass holder; even though there was the air was still. Your eyes didn’t trail up from your tapestry even as a large figure quietly entered the hallway you were in; only pausing when you felt a huge presence looming over you.

Your bright eyes flickered upwards and met with four pairs of ruby red ones staring right back at you; all four of them shining in amusement. “You are quite oblivious, little one.” Sukuna hummed out with a soft grin, to which you just gave him a confused look as you tilted your head ever so slightly. “How did you get into my house?” You asked quietly, not even acknowledging how the man before you looked very different from what you’re used to; from the four muscular arms sprouting out from underneath the dark blue haori, the very same one that you had made for him. to the extra pair of eyes he sported on his face. Or how the top of his head was clearly brushing against the simple weed roofing of your family home.

“Is that really the first thing you’re going to ask, little one?”

From that day onwards, things definitely went a lot smoother then Sukuna could have imagined. At first the lack of reaction from you confused him, but he found it quite amusing nonetheless. Even after finding out that he was the same deity that you had heard stories of since you were in diapers, you acted no differently around him. You still talked and laughed with him like he was any other human. which for some reason made his heart feel warm and fuzzy. It makes him want to gather you up in his arms, protecting you from the horrors of the world.

The two of you will continue to meet up in the night like secret lovers; many nights he’d just lean against one of the pillars of your family home, with you perched in his lap as you work on different projects every night; talking about things that happen that day, or the funny stories that the townsfolk would share with you whenever they drop by to mend and purchase clothes, or when they dropped off freshly dyed fabrics. During a few of these nights Sukuna had suggested if you can help him mend a few of his kimonos, which you agreed to without hesitation. Some days you’d ever create new kimonos for him as well, which he would wear quite proudly. 

Soon these innocent nights of talking and laughter, him watching you do your work under the moonlight, to having you gasping and crying out for him as he took you over and over again in his grand bedroom; watching quite gleefully as he corrupted your innocence, ruining you for any other man. Ever since the first night you two shared in his bed, he knew that there was no turning back - there was no one else for him but you. 

And there was no way he was going to let some puny human even try to get in between the both of you.

With that he whisked you away from the somewhat mundane and boring life in your town, making you his entire world. He showered you with the finest gifts and opened the more human side of him to you; one that he thought he had lost the moment he had decided to go down the path he did. But you pulled these emotions out from him with ease, making him realise that he can chase all the power he want till the end of time and that will never satisfy him completely. 

All he needed was you, and everything feels right in the world.

“I’ve lost you again, haven’t I?”

Sukuna’s eyes snapped towards the direction of your sleepy voice, watching how you gave him the most beautiful yet sleepy smile as you carefully shifted your body so it was pressed against his. He marveled how your naked bodies clicked together seamlessly, even with the clear size difference between the two of you. “You will always have my attention, flower.”

The sound of the simple nickname cause a small smile tug against the corner of your lips, remembering how that nickname came about. You have always love studying flowers, since you enjoyed embroidering different sorts of flora and fauna onto different tapestries that now adorned the walls of the home you two share. You had once told him about your love of flowers, and because of that, you had came home one day to the courtyard in your shared home turned into your private garden; with flowers from all across the country planted at every nook and cranny. 

When you had asked Sukuna about it, he just shrugs and gave you an indulge smile - as if asking were you really shocked by his gift to you. When he realised just how deep your love for nature was, he had started to call you ‘his flower’, and the name has stuck since then. “What a sweet talker.”

A chuckle rumbled deep within his chest as one of his hands found purchase along your back, starting to massage what he was sure were your sore muscles; watching in satisfaction as you melted more into his chest. “Only for you.” He admitted quietly, to which you just gave him a loving smile as you rest your cheek against his chest once more; a soft finger started to trace along the tattoos on his skin. This action caused him to relax further into the futon, sighing softly in content. “Sukuna? Can we take a bath?”

“I’m lazy.” Sukuna stated with a soft groan as he glanced down at you once more, only to be met by the soft pout that you just know gets him to give in. This caused him to scowl as he cupped your face in one of his hands, gently squishing your cheeks between his fingers as he pushes himself up into a seated position. “You little minx.” He growls playfully whilst you just gave him a teasing smile, straddling his lap with your legs on either side of his whilst one of your hands wrapped around his wrist; causing him to loosen his grip on you whilst letting out a loud sigh. “How annoying.”

His arms suddenly wrapped around you before he got up from the comfort of the warm futon, causing you to giggle as you wrap your arms around his neck. “Let’s go, flower.” He sighs dramatically before he walked you both to the bathroom, causing you to perk up before you lean over to press a loving kiss against his cheek; ignoring his soft eyeroll at your act of affection. As if he didn’t enjoy it whenever you do so. “I love you.”

“Of course you do.” He teases before he started to walk you two towards the bathroom, one of his hands skimming down to the small of your pack where a beautiful black tattoo rested against your soft skin; a tattoo that looks similar to the black lines that adorned his own skin. “You’re mine, after all.” He stated simply, causing you to roll your eyes at him playfully as he carefully sat you down on the wooden steps leading to the opening of the ofuro; watching as Sukuna started to prepare the bath for the both of you. “Wouldn’t it kill for you to just be a little nicer to me?”

Your teasing tone clearly didn’t win any points with him, who narrowed his eyes at you and before you know it you were suddenly pinned down against the wooden steps. A soft giggle left your lips at the narrowed eyes that stared back at you, causing Sukuna to scowl softly at your reaction. “Now you’re just asking for it, flower.” He growled before diving down to meet your lips in a passionate kiss; not being able to mask his smile at the sound of your soft laughter just as you wrapped your arms around him once more.

"My little flower..”

© roscgcld — all rights reserved to me, rose, the author and creator of these works. do not repost/translate/claim my work as yours on any platform

[littleredwing89]

AGENT OF CHAOS - PART THREE

AGENT OF CHAOS - PART THREE

Jason Todd x Reader

Summary: Everything flew by him in a blur as he sped through the streets of Gotham. His foot slammed down harder on the accelerator desperate to get there faster. Every second counted. He knew all too well what The Joker was like. The way his face slipped as you defied him, terrified Jason. He’d seen that look right before receiving a crowbar to the face.

Warnings – Language. Kidnapping. Stalking. Mild Violence. Angst. Hurt.

Word Count: 4,870

A/N: This is the final chapter everyone, sorry for the little delay, I was working on a few of the actions scenes to ensure they were good. I really hope you all like this xoxo

~~~

It had been almost a month. Every lead turned into a dead end. Nothing. Much like the Joker himself, no one knew a thing. The whole thing was tearing Jason apart. He’d barely slept. He’d maybe had 3 hours per night. If that, and he was convinced the only reason he got sleep was because Bruce had slipped him something in his coffee.

The fourth cassette tape came with a dead yellow rose and a rotten apple. He pushed play on the recorder and swallowed thickly as the grainy camera zoomed in on your face. You looked pale. Your cheeks looked hollow and your once colourful eyes looked gaunt. Haunted.

“Well Jason, I’m a man of my word...I’ve been looking after her so good”, Joker laughed hysterically and smoothed his hand down your cheek, smacking it lightly. The slap caused you to jolt in the chair. A sharp gasp flew out of your chapped lips.

Jason felt Bruce’s hand squeeze his shoulder reassuringly. The notion sent a brief wave of calm through Jason. Maybe this was how Bruce felt all those years ago...when he received similar tape of ..of himself. Jason turned back to the screen and focused his eyes. Searching for a clue. Anything. Something to bring you back to him.

“She’s been such a good little princess bird boy...she’s done everything I asked...and more”, Joker whistled happily as he tapped your nose with a wicked smile. Jason felt his heart stop and looked directly into your eyes through the screen. Good he wanted to hold you in his arms and never let you go. 

The tape skipped and replayed the same thing back, “...and more”. It skipped again, “...and more”. Jason growled and the tape paused before going completely black.

His fist smashed into the computer keyboard, pieces of black plastic scattering across the desk. Jason released a loud sobbing noise and sank to the cold stone floor of the bat cave. His eyes scrunched shut tightly, imagining you were in front of him. Giving him that silly smile you always did when you first woke up. It was one of his favourite smiles. You had hundreds of different types of smiles. The one you gave him when he hugged you randomly. The one you’d give him when he told you a stupid joke. The one you’d show him when you were both standing down one of the grocery aisles for no reason at all.

“Jason...son - we will find her - I promise you”, Bruce’s deep voice shattered Jason’s illusion of you in his mind.

“It’s been so long...what if-”, Jason ran a hand over his face. The stubble was longer, causing him to itch.

“Don’t”, Bruce warned, “don’t think like that. We will find her”.

~~~

The last cassette tape Jason received was covered in a dark, red sticky substance. Jason knew what it was but he didn’t know if it was yours. Before Jason could even think about playing it, Bruce had prized it from his fingers.

“Jason we need to analyse the blood, it might give us a clue”, his voice was stable and deep. He attempted to reassure Jason with a firm grip to the shoulder but it did nothing. Jason felt empty without you.

“We need to watch-”, Jason started but was interrupted by Bruce.

“No, I’ll watch it. You need to get some sleep, let me do this Jason. Please”, Bruce pleaded desperately, “You haven’t slept in over 48 hours”.

Jason laughed but it was hollow and sharp, “You really think I can sleep knowing she’s stuck with that fucking psycho?!”.

Bruce sighed and ran a hand over his face, “Jason I know you want to get Y/N back”, he placed the cassette onto a high tech scanning machine, it bleeped repeatedly as it scanned over the material, “But we all need to be working together and that means recharging our batteries”.

Jason scoffed and pushed past Bruce looking over the computer scanner typing something into the system, “So you’re telling me you went and had an eight hour sleep when Joker caught me?”.

Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose, “Jason”.

“JUST STOP!!”, Jason's voice cracked as he shouted and for a moment, he sounded like the broken man in the abandoned shopping mall that long Halloween night many years ago.

“I-I need to do this Bruce. I-I have to, for Y/N”, his voice was scratchy and raw. 

Bruce simply nodded and turned around. He extracted the cassette from the blood stained cloth and pushed it into the player to the right. Bruce took a secondary glance to Jason, giving him one last option but Jason just stared at the screen, waiting to see what the tape would show.

The second the tape played, the batcave was filled with your screams. They sounded broken and dry. Jason’s heart shattered. The shards stabbing him painfully. As you came into view on the camera, your long h/c hair was matted and stuck to your face. Blood staining it a deep red.

The Joker came into the view of the camera and smiled wide, his teeth showing.

“Jason, I see why you’re so attached to this woman, she’s very fiery...her spirit is impenetrable”.

A flicker of evil flew through his eyes at that word and a sick smile slid onto his lips, “but that’s fine. I’m sure I can find more penetrable spots”.

You tug harshly at your binds as he turned and came closer to you, a small blade held in his gloves hand.

“Hold still princess or I might accidentally cut an important part of you...or slit something”.

The blade cut the straps of your top, and the material fluttered down uselessly to the floor, exposing your padded black bra. The Joker whistled appreciatively and winked back at the camera.

“I say Jason...maybe I’m missing out not having a significant other...especially when they’re as beautiful as this”.

Jason had edged so close to the screen Bruce had to pull him back. Tears were running hotly down his cheeks and he swore he tasted blood from biting down on his bottom lip.

Your voice echoed through the empty warehouse room and through the camera speakers, “GO FUCK YOURSELF”.

The Joker smirked down at you and the blade was pressed against the skin of your neck.

“You should watch your manners, princesses don’t speak like that”.

You gulped and looked into his soulless eyes and laughed. It almost sounded as maniacal as his.

“I’m not your fucking princess”.

You spat at his face. Your spit mingled with blood from the earlier smack around the face.

“He’ll come for me...I know he will. And when he does, it’ll be all over for you”.

Something snapped and you saw his eyes darken. His face twisted and the scowl was demonic.

“You filthy fucking bitch!”, he roared and dropped the knife to wipe his face.

Joker turned to the camera and glowered, “I hope you’re watching Jason whilst I teach this rotten little whore some manners!”.

The first blow caused you to cry out in agony. It was harsh and fast. The sound to Jason was ear splitting. The second hit was drawn out and heavy. Designed to bruise. The third was sharp and felt like hundreds of tiny needles piercing your skin. The Joker was laughing wildly all the way through it. Never ceasing his treatment. As he swung his arm back for the fourth hit, the camera jarred and caught a window. Streams of light shone through. Jason could just about make out a sign. It was blurry.

“REWIND AND PAUSE IT BRUCE! There!!!”, he called and waited for Bruce to zoom in.

“Can you clear up that image...that looks like a road sign...”.

Bruce skipped the tape back several seconds, muting the sounds on the screen. The sounds of you getting smacked in the face shaking him to his core. 

“THERE!!! LOOK!! Can you see?!”, Jason pressed his face as close as possible to the screen as Bruce paused it, the image flickered but the road sign was obvious. 

ACE CHEMICALS.

Before Bruce could even react, Jason had launched himself across the cave, guns strapped to his thighs.

“Jason!”.

Jason ignored Bruce and grabbed his helmet, securing it into place whilst dropping extra magazine clips into his inner jacket pockets.

“Jason, we can’t just go in there all guns blazing. That’s what he’ll want! We have to think about this”, Bruce reasoned and moved into his path.

Huffing in annoyance, Jason’s modulator covered it easily, “I’m going to get her whether you come with me or not”.

Bruce looked stunned for a split second before softening his voice, “You’re letting your emotions get the better of you - they’re clouding your judgment Jason”.

He knew he was right, deep down. But the pressure. The torture you must have endured. Everything. It weighed down on Jason and began to suffocate him slowly. The more time he wasted, the worse it was going to be. He couldn’t do it.

“Let me get into my suit and we’ll tackle this together”.

Nodding briefly, Jason watched Bruce make his way across to the darkened corner of the cave where his suit was behind a glass panel. As Bruce pressed his palm into the wall, the biometric scanner bleeped. The case slid open slowly and Bruce began to take out the suit piece by piece. The batarangs refracted the light they caught from the computer screens.

Fuck. It was taking too long, these precious seconds. He could be half way there by now. His bike was too far away, in the garage at the front of the manor. He side eyed the batmobile and swallowed thickly.

“Fuck it”.

Taking the keys from the secret sliding panel on the desk, Jason leapt into the batmobile before starting the engine and speeding out of the cave. He swore he heard Bruce shouting, he was certain he heard several curse words too. Unlike Bruce. But it was taking too long. He couldn’t wait. He couldn’t leave you. You needed him. You couldn’t wait any longer.

~~~

Everything flew by him in a blur as he sped through the streets of Gotham. His foot slammed down harder on the accelerator desperate to get there faster. Every second counted. He knew all too well what The Joker was like. The way his face slipped as you defied him, terrified Jason. He’d seen that look right before receiving a crowbar to the face.

“Come on...come on!!”, Jason cursed to himself, hitting the steering wheel in fury. All the money Bruce had and it wouldn’t go any faster? He took a sharp turn heading towards the abandoned warehouse behind ACE Chemicals. He was so close. So much closer to reaching you. He’d deal with Bruce later. He couldn’t have waited any longer. Bruce would just have to get over him ‘borrowing’ the batmobile.

Swerving another corner and narrowly dodging the underpass columns, he pulled up in front of the derelict building. Almost all of the windows were smashed and hued green with mould. Maybe some of the toxins spewed from the factory had helped taint the glass further.

Grabbing both of his pistols, Jason left the car and headed towards the building fire escape. He could hear voices chattering.

“Joker said to keep an eye out for Batman”.

A goon; Jason noted peering around the brick wall spotting two of them. He noticed the metal railings above them creaking slightly in the strong winds.

“It’s been over a month now and there’s been no sign of any of the Bat freaks, it’s fine, let’s go grab a beer. He won’t even notice”, a second one encouraged the other smirking.

“You really want to cross him? He’s fucking nuts. I’m surprised the girl has even lasted this long with him, you know what he’s like”.

Jason’s fist tightened around one of his guns at the mention of you. It had to be you. Silently firing his grapple gun, he flew up the side of the building and made his way towards the goons.

“Trust me”, the first one spoke again, “He won’t even realise we’re gone, plus we might find some chicks to-”.

Perching on the railings above them, Jason leapt down cracking the base of his pistols onto one of their heads.

“Pleasure to meet you both”, Jason kicked out at the second goon hearing the sick crack of his ankle snapping.

Spinning on his heel, Jason grabbed the other goon and threw him face first into the brick wall knocking him unconscious immediately before turning back to the other man on the floor whimpering in pain.

“Where is she?”, Jason’s voice was strained even with the modulator protecting him.

The man refused to answer, dragging himself away from Jason with his hands, mud covering his palms.

Taking a large step, Jason reached the man on the floor and purposely stood onto his swollen ankle before aiming the cocked pistol towards his skull.

“I won’t ask again, where is she?”.

The screech from the man was deafening as Jason applied a hefty amount of pressure to his fractured bone.

“Basement!! She’s in the basement!! Please!!”, he begged as his eyes flickered nervously to the gun.

Jason rolled his shoulders before smashing the hilt of his pistol into his skull knocking him out cold. He turned back towards the fire escape and grappled back up to the roof. He’d have to make his way through the building to get to the basement. To you. And if he knew Joker, he wouldn’t have made it that easy. The two idiots on the front door were a sick joke. Tormenting Jason. Getting you back wouldn’t be an easy task.

~~~

Silently dropping through the window on top of the building, Jason landed onto one of the rusty steel girders. It was dark but his helmet adjusted the night vision so he could see clearly. Several goons patrolling an old foreman’s office in the centre. You had to be in there. He needed to take these idiots out quietly before getting to you.

Swinging across to the next rafter, Jason looked down at the first unsuspecting moron. With the stealth of a panther, he landed silently behind the goon before wrapping his arm around his meaty neck. He struggled against the iron grip of Jason’s forearm but the pressure only intensified the more he thrashed. Eventually the squirming stopped and the goon fell limp in his arms. Jason dragged him across to a darkened corner and dumped him behind some barrels.

As he grappled back up to roof beams, he looked down across at the two henchmen digging out a packet of cigarettes. The idiots had left their guns resting against the far wall. Jason had to chuckle to himself, Joker really was hiring morons. Weren’t these guys supposed to be protection? 

Jason creeped across the rafters towards the two men and grabbed both of his pistols. He had to be silent. He couldn’t alert Joker to his presence.

“This is my last smoke”, one complained bitterly as the cigarette perched between his thin lips.

“I’ll get the next packet, quit your whining”, the second growled and patted his jacket for a lighter, “Fuck, where did I put my lighter?”.

“You’re a fucking moron. You asked to come for a smoke and you don’t even have a light!!”.

Now was his chance. Jason landed between them both, his boots thudding as he hit the concrete floor, “You know, smoking is bad for your health”. Before either of the goons could react, Jason lifted his elbow into the larger man's throat before smashing his pistol into the other man's temple, causing him to drop onto his knees. He slipped his guns back into his holsters quickly before turning to the other goon. He dodged the larger man’s grapple before twisting with ease and kicking out his kneecap. The man gasped but the elbow to his throat had killed off his voice.

Jason threw a heavy right hook into the larger man's nose and watched the blood trickle down his face. This seemed to only infuriate him more and he launched himself towards Jason viciously. Gripping both of his arms, Jason flipped the man over his body and slammed him into the floor hard before hammering punch after punch to his face, knocking him unconscious.

He turned quickly to the other man who was scrambling on his knees for the gun resting against the far wall.

“Sorry bud, but that can’t happen”, Jason grunted and landed a heavy kick to the goons stomach. The man yelped but it was quickly cut off by Jason as he slammed his boot into his face. He dropped onto the floor instantly.

Jason panted heavily and looked around the room, his helmet advising him of one more goon loitering around the door of the office. Looking down at the floor he noticed the floor grates wrapped around the room and more importantly under the henchmen’s feet. Perfect.

He lifted one of the grate coverings quietly and slipped under the flooring. He crouched down and edged around the room. The last goon was much larger and bulkier, with a machine gun strapped around his wide chest.

This goon seemed smarter than the others. Looking around and even checking up in the rafters. He grunted and pressed a button on his jacket, “No boss, still no sign of them...nothing Sir”.

The voice that patched through sent a chill down Jason’s spine. It was a tone that would be forever cemented in his mind, a reminder of his own torment.

“If you get ANY inclination the bat or any of his costumed freaks are in the building, you tell me immediately”.

“Yes boss”.

The static of the radio crackled before cutting off completely. Jason cursed mentally. This had to be precise. Perfection. He had to disable the henchman’s radio unit. Padding over his jacket he searched for the disrupter shooter he had. It wasn’t there. Fuck. He’d fucked up in his rush and left it behind. Fuck. Bruce was right. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Then he heard it. A soft ping from above him. He knew that sound. Jason looked up from the grate and spotted Nightwing hidden in the shadows with his own disrupter. Pointed directly at the goon’s radio system.

“Thought you might need a hand”, Dick patched into Jason’s com line.

Jason growled under his breath, “Thanks”.

“Shall we take this moron out together?”.

“Yes”, Jason muttered before switching his com off and inched closer to the goon.

The second Nightwing flew down from the roof beams, Jason jumped out of the floor grate and kicked out the back of the goons knees. He cursed loudly before Nightwing’s foot landed in his face.

Jason swore he saw a tooth fly out of his mouth along with a glob of blood. He aimed several hard punches to the side of the henchman’s head whilst Nightwing disabled his gun and radio with a graceful poise.

“All this for the girl? She’s nothing but a shell”, the goon smirked across at Jason before choking at the next punch.

“Joker’s hollowed her out...she’s nothing”, he spat out.

His temper flared and his hand subconsciously reached for his pistol. Dick realised and before anything could happen, he landed an electrical ecrisma blow to the goons head, knocking him out cold. His body crashed onto the floor with a loud thump.

“Jason-”.

“Don’t”, Jason cut him off, “I’m fine”.

He took several steps towards the office door and swallowed thickly. You. You’d be in there. You’d told Joker with the last ounce of confidence left that he’d come for you. He’d never leave you. You were right. Jason would never have stopped looking. Ever.

His hand rested on the door handle, trembling only slightly. What if he was too late. What if this was just another trick?

Drawing his hand back almost as though the door had burnt him. He frowned. He couldn’t think like this. No. He had to be strong. Just like you had been in all those videos. You’d been fierce. Your spirit still pouring through to him.

Jason glared angrily at the door and took a step back before kicking it open furiously with his combat boot. The door flew open wildly and as the dust settled. He saw Joker stood in the middle of the room, a sick, satisfied smirk sat proudly on his demented face.

~~~

“Jason my boy! It’s a pleasure to see you again”, his chuckle was deep and sinister, “I see you're still hiding your face though...is that because of what I did?”. The Joker’s eyes danced with delirious joy at the memories.

“I’d have thought you’d have embraced all your scars by now Jason...”, The Joker edged forward leaving you tied up behind him.

Jason rounded The Joker, clicking a button to the side of his mask, revealing his face, his eyes hidden with the domino mask, “I’ve got nothing to hide from you, clown”.

Jason let his eyes run over you for a second. You were bruised and bloodied. Clothes torn and tattered from mistreatment. Your eyes. God. Your beautiful E/C eyes. Red raw from countless tears. Somehow you still managed to give him a smile from behind The Joker. His heart fluttered. God he’d missed your smile.

Tearing his eyes from you he looked back towards The Joker and held his pistols out at him, finger hovering over the trigger. Jason felt the burn mark on his cheek stinging all over again. Pain ever present.

“You don’t have the guts”, The Joker laughed again and walked forward pressing his forehead into the barrel of the gun.

“You wouldn’t dare pull that trigger. I’m your Ace card Jason. You can’t kill me. You want to but you can’t...something will always stop you”.

Jason felt his hand shaking slightly. Everything was throbbing in his mind.

“Even after everything I’ve done to your girl, you still can’t pull that trigger”, The Joker taunted further and grinned sadistically.

“If only you knew where I’d touched...what I’ve done...”, he pushed further into the cold metal of the gun and winked at Jason, “Go on, do it, I dare you...if you don’t- I’m just going to keep coming back and who knows what I’ll do to our little princess next-”.

BANG.

A gun shot blasted through the air. Smoke drifted slowly from the barrel, dancing into the darkness around them.

“JASON!”.

Nightwing had thrown one of his ecrisma sticks to Jason’s gun, knocking it off target. The bullet shattered the brickwork behind them, dust erupting.

Crashing down through one of the broken windows on top of the office roof, Nightwing flew towards The Joker tackling him down onto the damp, concrete floor before he could launch himself at Jason.

Still startled, Jason watched Dick wrestling with The Joker on the floor, punches flying back and forth.

Dick turned to Jason, “Y/N-Jason!! Go get Y/N!! I’ll handle this!”.

The Joker was shrieking with laughter underneath Dick, blood pouring down his lip and from his nose.

“Ahhhh another boy blunder!! I must be lucky!! Two for the price of one!”.

Dick threw another punch and reached for the second ecrisma stick on his back, “I can’t wait to cart you back to the Asylum. I hope you’re looking forward to your 5 star stay in a windowless cesspit!”.

Jason could hear Joker continually laughing at Dick, until the sharp sound of electrical buzzing cut him off with a loud scream.

He almost fell over his own feet as he raced towards you. Jason quickly untied your hands and the second they were free you flung them around his neck, sobbing into his neck. Your tears dropping onto his brown leather jacket.

“Oh baby”, Jason stroked your hair and held you tightly to him. He was worried he was crushing you but you seemed to be squeezing him back just as hard.

You didn’t stop sobbing. The overwhelming emotion of being wrapped in his safe, strong arms make your knees buckle. Jason caught you with ease and lifted you up, “It’s ok baby, I’ve got you. I’ve always got you”.

Jason was one step away from breaking down himself but he needed to be strong for you right now.

You pressed your skin against his, the scratch of his stubble a welcome sting against your cheek. His scent overwhelmed you. Leather. Gunpowder. Smoke. And something distinct you’d never been able to place.

“Jason”.

“Shhh, it’s ok - nothing is going to hurt you, I’m here now - I’m a bit late but I’m here”.

~~~

It had been one week since you’d been back home. Two weeks if you counted the first week you and Jason spent holed up in the manor. Bruce had insisted. You sat in the bathtub, knees pressed up against your bare chest. Silence. All you could hear was the faint crackle of the bubbles every now and again. The clinical white tiles of the bathroom made you feel a little cleaner.

However,  no matter how many baths you took, showers you stood in, you still couldn’t wipe the feel of the slick purple gloves off your skin. Your skin. Skin that was now marred with yellowish bruising. Almost faded physically but not mentally. Looking over the marks you felt yourself transported back into the desolate warehouse. The dank smell of stagnant water filling your nostrils. You choked and coughed loudly, suddenly feeling the oxygen clam up your throat. Drowning in the memories.

“Y/N??”.

Within a mere second Jason had flung open the bathroom door, red tinting his cheek and a little sweat on his forehead, “Sweetheart are you ok?”.

You noted how he chose to call you sweetheart now and not his usual princess. A stark reminder that this whole ordeal had affected him too, more than he’d admitted. You felt the guilt eat away at you. Shame burning at your feet.

“Y-yeah, I’m ok”, you mumbled quietly and swirled some of the water and bubbles around you, “I just accidentally swallowed some of the bath water, I’m sorry”.

Jason nodded although not quite believing you. He closed the door behind him and sat on the edge of the tub taking a deep breath, “It’s ok to not be ok sweetheart...I know it can be difficult to admit that...I know that more than most”, he wiped a stray bubble from the rim of the tub. He looked at you deeply before continuing, “I’ll be here for you...whenever and whatever you need”.

You sat silently in the water and he moved to get up. Maybe he thought it was best to leave you alone, let you uncover your own emotions. Process what had happened. You gripped his wrist and looked up into the crystal blue of his eyes, “Jason”.

“Yeah babe?”, he turned his wrist in your hand and linked his fingers with yours.

“I love you”.

He smiled and squeezed your hand before whispering back, “I love you too, more than you know”.

He looked over you and moved to sit back on the edge of the bath. His spare hand reached out and cupped your chin lovingly, stroking over your skin.

“We’ll work through this together Y/N, I promise”, Jason murmured and leaned forward kissing your forehead lightly, “I’ll do whatever you need me to do...anything at all”.

The words, the touches, the kiss. It made your heart flutter and you fell even more in love with him. Jason made the impossible possible and you had no idea how he managed it every day. You felt so lucky.

“I - I struggle some d-days”, you admitted and with those words you felt a little lighter, “sometimes all I want is for you to hold me and not let me go...Sometimes I-I f-feel like that for hours...”.

“Well then I’ll hold you for hours”, he said simply.

You scoffed lightly but before you could protest or think of arguing back he was stepping into the bath water fully clothed.

“Jay!! You’re going to flood the bathroom”, you gasped loudly, watching the water splash over the sides like dramatic tidal waves. Water dispersed all over the bathroom floor to make way for his broad frame, “What are you doing?!”.

Jason sunk down into the water behind you and wrapped his arms either side, pulling you back into his clothed chest. He rested his head on your shoulder, pressing a chaste kiss there, “Holding you for as long as you need me to”.

You felt yourself melt into his warm embrace. Tears made their way down your cheeks at his endearing show of love, “Jason”.

“Shhh, just let me hold you baby”, he cuddled you tighter into him, his fingers stroking your hips under the water, brushing away the bruises. Marking you with his own special touch.

Relaxing under his soft caresses, you hummed lightly and closed your eyes resting your head back against him. He smelt like leather and spice. You felt at home. He was home.

“Jay”.

“Mmm?”.

“Please call me princess”, you whispered quietly into the air, your eyes still closed.

“Whatever you want...princess”.

~~~

Special Thanks: @offendedfishnoises​​ @internalsealpanic​​ @batarella​​ - thank you both for proof reading this and all the help you have given me - mwah mwah. xoxo

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~~~

[sgwrscrsh]

winter days: underneath the tree

☁️a/n☁️ this made my heart very warm to write even though i pulled an all-nighter to get it done because my time-management has gone to shit after finals. requested by @sachirou-senpai​. thank you, ellie, for giving me a reason to bring back my boys. i’ve missed ‘summer on you’ so much. this can be read as a stand-alone or as a spin off of ending b, my fave. either way, merry christmas to my babes who celebrate! i have one more christmas fic for tmr and then i’m hiding away to plan + write an smau.

includes: female!reader, poly!seijoh four, post-timeskip (very minor manga spoilers), lots of domesticity, a little suggestive bit, a lot of eating and sleeping now that i realize, a christmas tree, matching pajamas, a very special christmas gift, makki slapping your ass once, a lil teary moment w tooru, homemade curry + pancakes (but not together), lots of cuddling, lots of love, happy holidays, 4.35k words

☁️masterlist☁️

shivering slightly, you unlock the door to the rather spacious apartment you shared with your four boyfriends later into the evening than you would’ve liked. 

yes, four boyfriends. whom you love very much and are loved by in return.

living with four towering hunks has it’s ups and downs, but you wouldn’t trade tooru’s extensive skin care regiment sprawled across the bathroom counter; hajime’s bag of protein powder that he always forgets to put away; issei’s boots that you always tripped over when you came through the front door; or takahiro’s costco-sized box of cream puffs in the freezer that he insisted he would finish by the end of the month, almost half a year ago, for the world.

you made sure to stomp off the snow stuck on your boots before entering the building, but you couldn’t help but sigh at the warmth that greets you once you toe them off.

“ahhh,” you think. “thank goodness tooru convinced us to invest in heated floors.” another perk of having four boyfriends was that two of them brought in enough bank for you to seriously consider becoming their cute little housewife. snorting, you shake your head, though the idea of prancing around in a maid outfit to tease them seemed very appealing. “maybe we should make hiro dress up and clean the house since he still hasn’t found a new job yet.” 

“what’s so funny, sweets?” speak of the devil. makki’s head pops out from the bathroom nearest to the front door, steam rolling out and droplets falling from his hair, signifying that he had just taken a hot shower. wordlessly, you stare at him, lost in thought imagining the water caressing his toned body, but a second later, he gets a better look at you and laughs. “you look like a wet dog!” your glare loses some of its edge when he takes in your own damp strands. 

“did someone say something about a dog?” tooru comes bounding round the corner, and you could’ve sworn he drooped a little when he realized it was just you in the hallway sans dog. turning your icy glance on the setter, you open your mouth to complain about how mean the two of them were being to you when your prince charming comes in to save the day.

“you two, stop bullying the poor girl and let her take a warm bath before she gets sick!” iwa chides as he helps you unbundle the layers that protected you from the snow and sharp winds of the winter. pressing a sweet kiss to your forehead and promising to pick out comfy clothes for you, he ushers you into your spacious en suite where a steaming tub full of rose petals awaits you. hajime chuckles at the starry eyes you give him, heart warming at the love and appreciation shining clear as day on your face, before he leaves to grab a clean pair of underwear, one of issei’s t-shirts, and a pair of his own sweats, knowing you much prefer to wear their clothes at home.

submerged in the bath, you exhale contentedly, eyelids fluttering shut as you enjoy the product of iwa’s consideration and foresight. letting the stress of work and the chill of the outdoors melt from you, you stay in the water until it cools and your fingers prune. a lone thought of how much more you would’ve enjoyed the bath if the boys had joined you flits through your mind, but you jolt when you open your eyes and find issei sitting on the counter with a towel and your robe in his lap, some of the water sloshing over the side of the tub. 

“oh thank god, i was scared you fell asleep and would drown or choke on a rose petal.” you giggle while he wraps you up in your robe before gently toweling your hair dry. “you can’t leave me to deal with the three of them alone.” 

rolling your eyes, you retort easily, “if anything, i’d feel bad about leaving hajime to deal with the three of you alone. the poor man puts up with enough from his team, he doesn’t need you guys ganging up on him, too.”

“well i’ll have you know, sometimes he really enjoys us ganging up on him.” his cheeky quip paired with his wiggling eyebrows earns him a smack on the chest but regardless, you let him sweep you up into his arms and drop you on the massive bed the five of you shared. “get dressed, babygirl. as much as i’d love to spend more time with you naked, i gotta help haji finish dinner.” with a quick peck on your lips, issei leaves you to do just as he said. 

emerging revitalized and relaxed, your mouth waters at the smell of homemade curry, distracted enough to not notice tooru’s arms wrapping around your shoulders and waist. 

“hey, cutie, i’ve missed you,” he sings, face snuggled into the junction of your shoulder and neck. you spin around in his hold to slip your arms around his slim torso, relishing his firm lines against your soft curves. 

“‘ve missed you too, tooru.” and you really did, grateful that all of you were able to take time off work and he was able to come home a week before the holidays, giving the five of you a whole month to spend together before he had to jet back to argentina for his next bout of training and practice games.

“hell yea! group hug!” makki comes running towards you guys, only for you to twist out of his reach at the last second, sending him straight into the sofa behind you. “oof, that was cold, y/n.”

you stick your tongue out at the strawberry boy. “yea, well that’s what you get for laughing at me when i got home. sucker.” still entangled in tooru’s embrace, you feel his body shake with mirth and bite the inside of your cheek to prevent yourself from dissolving into giggles when you see a pout take over hiro’s pretty face.

“dinner’s ready,” comes iwa’s call, beckoning the three of you into the kitchen before you could antagonize each other some more. once you all got your servings of curry, you settle into your proclaimed seats on the large sofa, your body comically small compared to their tall frames dwarfing the cushions. noting the way tooru threw his long legs over iwa’s and how mattsun and makki leaned against each other as they ate, you fold your legs to tuck your feet under takahiro’s thigh and dig in to your meal with some trashy reality show lighting up the tv screen, completely certain that the warmth in your chest was from the company of your loved ones more so than the piping hot potatoes in your stomach.

during breakfast the next day, you blearily rub the sleep out of your eyes before taking a sip of your coffee, a satisfied “ahhh” escaping your parted lips as you lean against the kitchen counter. slowly peeling your eyelids open, you notice all of their gazes were focused on you. “yes? can i help you?” you ask amusedly, awake now that caffeine had be introduced to your tired body.

“how are you still so gorgeous in the morning?” you blink at the dreamy look on iwa’s face propped up in his hands with his elbows on the surface of the island. looking around, you see the other three matching the athletic trainer’s pose and expression next to him. thinking over your messy bedhead, mysteriously stained pajamas, and almost impressively dark eyebags, you want to scoff, but the unfairly handsome men giving you their undivided attention despite all of that (“because of all of that, y/n-chan,” tooru would argue) make you blush instead.

“you’re one to talk, haji,” you opt to remark, hoping to divert their focus from you and your rosy cheeks. “and don’t look at me like that,” your pointed finger swinging wildly between the four of them like the needle of a compass. “you already know you guys are way outta my league, you don’t need me to tell you that.” with one last flourish, you wave your hand dismissively before grabbing your mug with both hands, palms warming against the ceramic.

“as wrong as you are, you can’t blame us for wanting to hear the love of our lives compliment us first thing in the morning as we admire her natural beauty,” mattsun grins once he sees the success his words have at deepening the flush on your face. tooru nods gravely in agreement, but it’s makki’s one-two combo of a wink and an air kiss that breaks you. you roll your bottom lip between your teeth to stifle a laugh but release it immediately when the playful atmosphere takes a heady turn. clearing your throat, you pay no heed to their hungry expressions, knowing full well that they all noticed your little action and how they would react to it.

“a-anyways,” you stutter, “i’m gonna go get ready ‘cause i have things to do today so-” you try to slip by, leaving your empty cup in the sink, only to get caught in your tracks by hiro’s long arms. 

“ah, ah, ah, princess. and where do you think you’re going?” soon enough, you find yourself surrounded by your smoking hot boyfriends and heat up in anticipation of their next moves. 

“this so isn’t fair,” you complain aloud, though you were just as eager as they were to get you out of your worn sleep clothes. 

“tough shit, babygirl. guess you’re just gonna have to add four more things to your to-do list, huh?” 

naturally, you leave your errands for some day later in the week when you’re able to walk properly again.

the opportunity comes when you rise earlier than the rest of them, a rare occasion where you found yourself graced with the freedom of sleeping on the outside instead of being sandwiched in the middle of the bed. tiptoeing about, you brush your teeth and get dressed, somehow managing to not wake any of the sleeping beauties. you scribble little love-filled messages on post-it notes and stick them around your apartment on your way out, but not without one last soft smile in the direction of the bedroom, the sight of the four of them cuddled together through the door left ajar renewing your motivation to accomplish your tasks and come home sooner. 

with your laptop bag in tow, you set out for your first destination, settling into a corner booth at the coffee shop with a full cup and a pastry. once you finish your breakfast, you pull out your laptop and get to work, scouring the internet for the perfect gifts for your lovably imperfect partners. you rack your brain for any recollection of any moment where they would’ve let a potential present slip into conversation and light up when you come across volleyball print pajama pants. you check the availability of the sizes you needed and upon realizing that they were all in stock and would be delivered before christmas, you place your order without a moment’s hesitation. satisfied with your progress, you pull up the animal shelter’s hours before heading out of the cafe, the barista’s greetings and the jingling bells echoing behind you. 

by the time you return home, it’s late in the afternoon and you’re greeted by a wall of warm bodies as soon as you step through the front door. 

“where’ve you been, babe?” once again, takahiro is the first to meet your return, but this time he plants a sweet kiss on your lips with his long fingers encircling your waist after his inquiry. 

“oh, you know,” you sigh, dazed from the saccharine embrace. “out and about.”

“busy day? hope it was productive.” you nuzzle into tooru’s chest, feeling the timbre of his voice through your skin, and nod.

“as a matter of fact, it was.” their eyes soften at the proud grin stretched across your face. but your grumbling stomach just had to ruin the moment, making the three of you stare at each other before bursting out in chuckles.

“you skipped lunch?” oiks asks, wrapping each arm around yours and hiro’s waists and guiding you into the kitchen. you rub the back of your neck sheepishly.

“i guess so? i didn’t really notice i was hungry until now.”

“good thing we saved your favorite from that chinese place down the street for you,” mattsun comes up behind you and lands a kiss on the crown of your head. you beam gratefully up at him and skip over to the fridge to retrieve the takeout.

“welcome home, love,” iwaizumi emerges from the bathroom to complete the set and gives you a once over. “you look tired.”

“gee thanks, hajime.” he rolls his eyes playfully at you while you wait for your food to heat up in the microwave.

“what time did you get up this morning?” 

“uhhh,” you start, mouth full. at iwa’s stern glare, you swallow before answering, “seven-ish? earlier than i would’ve like for a vacation day but it was worth it.”

“hm, well i’m glad you had a good day at least.” you shuffle over to kiss his cheek before dropping yourself on top of where tooru and hiro were cuddling on the sofa, eyes drifting around the room to take in the holiday decorations adorning the space.

“thanks, haji. but you’re right, i am sleepy.” suppressing a yawn, you lean back against the broad chests behind you and tuck back into the paper container. “can we take a nap once i’m done?”

“sure thing, babygirl.” the innocent smile mattsun sends your way turns mischievous with his added comment. “we really tuckered ourselves out while you were gone.” you nearly choke but makki’s hand thumping your back helps you dislodge whatever food got caught in your throat. iwa shakes his head and looks to the side in an attempt to hide his face, but the reddening tips of his ears give him away. meanwhile, oikawa catches your eye and winks.

“how else did you suppose we keep ourselves occupied when our baby wasn’t home?” you get up to toss your now empty container, shaking your head as you go. 

“i’m glad to see you at least got the christmas tree up before going at it. god, you’re all insatiable.”

“i mean, it’s hard not to be in this relationship,” hajime grumbles.

“aww, iwa,” makki pushes his lips into an overexaggerated pout. “you make me hard, too.” full-bellied chortles escape the four of you, ignoring iwaizumi’s indignant huffs.

“whatever,” comes his miffed reply, but you know he takes all your antics in stride. soon enough, he returns to the living room with a stack of blankets and finds you and issei added to the pile of limbs tooru and hiro founded. somehow, hajime situates himself to fit perfectly in your cuddle fest, blankets sprawled about to keep you warm.

one last yawn leaves your mouth before you mutter a sleepy, “night, guys. love you,” barely registering the quiet “love you”s you get in return as you drift off, the lights adorning your christmas tree twinkling above you.

christmas day, you wake up before the others again, this time more than willing to feign sleep and revel in the warmth of your shared bed. luckily, you don’t have to wait long for your boys to stir. sitting up, you stretch your arms above you head and begin to climb out of bed only to be caught by the wrist and dragged back down.

“haji, please,” you draw out. “we can finally open the presents under the tree!”

“i don’t care, it’s too early for you to leave me, princess.” you hum as he pulls you closer to him, revisiting your mental note that iwa is much more openly (and selfishly) affectionate in the mornings. 

“oi, the rest of us are still here you know.” face buried against tooru’s back, mattsun’s muffled complaint gets hajime to loosen his hold on you. 

“yea, yea,” he props himself up on his elbow to lean over you and kisses the former middle blocker’s temple. “unfortunately.”

“so mean, iwa-chan,” oikawa pipes up, stretching his arm across you to caress your boyfriend’s toned arm before lacing his fingers with makki’s. the pink haired man himself, still half-asleep, squeezes tooru’s hand before sitting up.

“hey, wait. it’s christmas, isn’t it?” takahiro’s question reminds you of the package you received a couple days prior, prompting you to spring out of bed before one of them could reel you back in. the four watch you rifle through the closet and resurface with the pajama pants you ordered.

“merry christmas!” you cry excitedly, tossing each boy their respective pair and eagerly awaiting their reactions. “they’re matching pj’s! look, i got one for myself, too.” thankful that you chose to go to bed in just one of iwa’s godzilla t-shirts and underwear last night, you rush to slip on your volleyball print pants. the boys take in your childlike joy, chests tightening at how precious you are. “hurry up, i want you to try them on so we can match!” at your insistence, they roll out of bed and dutifully don your gifts. 

“oh these are actually really soft,” tooru murmurs thoughtfully, fingering the fabric on his thigh.

“right?” you pipe up, nearly bouncing off the walls. “i wanted to do something to commemorate our first christmas together in this apartment and i thought these were really cute since volleyball is what brought us together in the first place.” eyes meet each other as you all reminisce that special summer, grateful that you stayed close despite your individual journeys after graduation.

suddenly, the doorbell ringing catches your attention. a brief glance at the clock on the bedside table tells you it’s much later in the morning than you though, but you’re quick to answer the door.

“who could that be?” the boys are left wondering, wandering out into the living room in time to see you wave goodbye to whoever it was with a large gift-wrapped box sitting on the floor next to you. 

“babe? who was it?” tooru is the first to ask the question on all of their minds. 

“oh, just my best friend. they wanted to drop this off on their way to their parents’ house.” you gingerly pick up the box and bring it to where your boys were waiting for you. “go ahead!”

“go ahead?” hajime parrots. 

“yea! open it!”

“it’s not for you?” takahiro ponders.

“well yes and no. c’mon just open it already!” you’re bouncing on the balls of your feet at this point. tooru finally takes the initiative to remove the lid of the box, eyes widening when he sees what it hid.

“oh my gosh,” he breathes. the other three nearly knock heads with how quickly they lean over the opening.

“is that-?” a furry little head pops up over the edge of the box, round eyes peering up at the four of them.

“a dog! yes!” you squeal. “he’s a shelter dog!”

“he is?” hiro is in awe, slowly reaching out to cradle the little guy in his arms.

“i met him the other day when i woke up early and ran errands without you guys. isn’t he just the cutest?” big hands dwarf the small pooch as they gently pet his head and stroke his fur.

“does he have a name?” tooru has the good sense to ask. 

“mhm, the lady at the shelter said his previous owner named him ponyo.”

“ponyo…” issei whispered, eyes shining. 

“i know we’re nowhere near ready to start thinking about kids,” you start, the topic of the conversation instantly drawing their attention. tooru even ignored ponyo’s little tongue lapping at his fingers. “but i thought we could use an addition to our family.” 

“y/n, princess, we obviously all love him already, but we’re busy with work- well, most of us are. who’s gonna take care of him?” hajime questions, almost reluctantly.

“i mean, hiro is home all the time since he’s still unemployed (“i said i was looking, damn!”), but i actually got promoted so my schedule is way more flexible and i can work from home most of the time.” your voice trails off bashfully, but they give you no time to be embarrassed, swallowing you up in a huge hug. 

“why didn’t you say anything sooner, baby? we’re so proud of you!” now you know how the dog felt being smothered by their affection, not that it was anything new for you.

“uhh, surprise?”

“fuck yea, surprise! god, you’re incredible. lemme make a list of things we’ll need to get for ponyo once the stores reopen tomorrow.”

“actually…”

“you didn’t.”

“i did, with help from my best friend.” going into the lowest cupboards in the kitchen, you show off the bag of dog food and water and food bowls you bought soon after visiting the shelter. “his bed and crate are in the other closet by the washroom.”

“how did we get so lucky?” takahiro asks aloud, making you blush as the others nod in sync, all of them blown away by your thoughtfulness.

“this is nothing. i just wanted to show you guys how much i love you.” you play with your fingers, a little overwhelmed now that the initial excitement has worn off. “oh wait!”

“there’s more?” tooru asks, shocked.

“but wait, there’s more!” mattsun and makki chime in simultaneously, making you laugh as you retrieve the last present. you hop over to where tooru was sitting on the sofa with ponyo on his lap, scooping the dog up and locking the two of you in the bathroom. a couple minutes later, you open the door to let ponyo scurry over to his dads, who coo softly once they see him come around the sofa.

“when did you have time to do this?”

“my pants were a little long, so i hemmed them one night after you guys passed out on the sofa watching your old volleyball matches. i kinda guessed ponyo’s measurements based on standard info i found on the internet, but it fits perfectly so i’m glad!” looking at the little sweater you made for your new family member out of the extra fabric from your pj pants, you couldn’t stop the pleased grin that broke out on your face. “now even ponyo matches with us!”

while your gaze was trained on the tiny dog that was exploring his new home, theirs were stuck on you, your resemblance with a proud mother struck something in them, giving them thoughts of you with their children. yes, children. but for now they shoved those images to the backs of their minds, meeting each other’s stares to confirm they were all in silent agreement.

“we’re gonna make breakfast, you just sit there ‘n look pretty while you watch ponyo, yea?” issei announces before pulling you into a searing kiss as he walks by. 

“not that that’s hard for you,” iwa tags on, kissing your cheek and ruffling your hair following mattsun into the kitchen.

“but i’m always hard for you.” you yelp when hiro playfully slaps your ass, flipping him off as he trails after the other two with a loud hoot. tooru comes up behind you and rubs your sore cheek, spinning you around so that you were face to face.

“why’d you do this to me, y/n-chan?” you meet his frown with a confused look of your own. “now it’s gonna be even harder for me to go back to argentina.”

“oh, tooru,” you wrap your arms around his neck, standing on your tiptoes to bring him close. “you have the next few weeks to spend with us and our new baby.” as if he knew you were talking about him, ponyo pads over to sit by your feet, tail wagging. oikawa sighs melodramatically.

“a few weeks is nothing compared to the months i’ll be gone!” 

“oi, shittykawa, you better not be complaining after everything this morning,” hajime hollers from the kitchen.

“love you, too, iwa-chan!” tooru calls back instinctively then he looks back down at you, his eyes giving away how much leaving will hurt him and it nearly makes you tear up with him.

“tooru, baby, it sucks every time you leave us, but you’re following your dreams and doing what you love. and we want to support you all the way, even if it means doing so from across the world. but with my new work schedule, i’ll be able to call or text you pretty much whenever. and just think how much sweeter it’ll be the next time you do come home to us. so don’t be too sad, okay, my love? we’ll all be here waiting for you.” 

as the last words leave your lips, tooru has you pulled flush against him, arms wrapped tight around your body. his face was hidden, but you could feel the sobs in hot breaths against your shoulder. you guided him over to the sofa and let him cry, petting his hair and peppering kisses on his tear-streaked face until he tired himself out. 

issei, hajime, and takahiro come out of the kitchen with stacks of pancakes and all the fixings, setting them down on the coffee table in front of you once they see tooru snoozing in your lap. iwa picks ponyo up before he could get a bite of your breakfast while you gently shake your boyfriend awake. mattsun and makki set up ponyo’s crate and bedding, leaving him with a toy to keep him occupied while the five of you filled up your plates.

sitting in the living room of the apartment you shared with your four boyfriends on christmas day, stuffing your face with fruit and whipped cream topped pancakes that they made, in matching pajamas with your new rescue dog scampering about, you couldn’t ask for a better gift underneath the tree.

taglist: @lovemeafterhrs​ @sachirou-senpai​ @honey-makki​ @kenmaki​

[widow-maximov]

It's You

Pairing: Wanda x Fem Reader

Warning: Language, some fluff and angst, sexual suggestion.

Summary: Y/n thinks she has met the one until she joins the Avengers..

Word Count: 6.9K

Part 1, Part 2

4 hours later

You jumped up from the nightmare that has been triggered by the hospital room, from the fear you startled Wanda who you been sleeping on. Your breathing increased as you stared at the window in front of you where once Wanda and Vision was.

Wanda’s hand was on your back to calm you down which you didn’t notice until she spoke up “Everything is okay.. Deep breaths Y/n” Her hand ran up and down your back which helped.

From the nightmare and fear that filled your eyes, you didn’t feel that you teared the stitches and reopening the wound, bleeding again, until Wanda tried to slowly pull you back into her, when you jerked from the pain.

Her eyes widen at your pained face when she looked over, the clothes you were wearing were soaked with blood, that’s when she screamed “Someone help!”

You was riddled with pain that was coursing your body, you tried to hold where it hurt but the more you touched the more it hurt, your hands covered in your own blood. Before you could bleed out and loose consciousness on your own, Dr Cho walked in to see you in pain and blood seeping out of you again, she quickly grabbed some gloves and a needle.

Wanda was observing her with so much worry “What are you going to do to her?” Wanda’s question wasn’t in any way disrespectful but more laced with fear.

Cho didn’t answer her as she stuck the needle into your arm and inject a substance to which you reacted within seconds, the hand that Wanda was holding suddenly went limp and you riddled with pain turned to peace as your body relaxed and you was unconscious.

That’s when Dr Cho answered “I needed her to stop moving or she would reopen her wounds more than now.” She looked at Wanda, and then reached over to where your bleeding, she looked at the stitches which are now all lose and some are even snapped.

She looked at Wanda “You need to leave” Wanda couldn’t believe her right now, she wanted to stay with you and she was going to cause a scene but she needed her to stitch you up so she obeyed Helena and walked out.

Her hands covered in your blood, she walked out, not expecting anyone that’s when in the corner of her eye, she saw Natasha. She looked over at the woman who was on the floor with her head down.

Natasha looked up in the door’s direction and her eyes fell on Wanda’s blooded hands, she felt like her heart stopped but Wanda spoke before anything “She’s fine, just some issues with stitching”

Natasha let out a breath that she was holding back, giving a nod. Wanda sat down next to Natasha on the floor and questioned “Why are you still here?”

Natasha didn’t even look up and spoke without missing a beat “I’m worried just like you”

Wanda’s eyes never left Natasha’s side profile “Lying could fool everyone but me”

That’s when Natasha looked over “My thoughts are for me and only me” her words were surrounded with a little bit of anger.

Wanda smiled a little “Not when they are this loud”

Natasha ran her hands through her red smooth hair “I know she has a girlfriend but there is something about her that just makes-”

“-You want to be around her all the time?” Wanda finished, earning a shocking nod from Natasha.

“You too, huh?”

The witch looked ahead at the wall and just plainly said “Yup” popping the p.

That’s when the silence fell between them, neither knowing what to say so Wanda naturally changed the subject from admitting their feelings to something else “You know my powers don’t work on Y/n”

Natasha leaned on her hand which was leaning on her knees as she stared at Wanda “Really? How do you know?”

“I can never hear her thoughts, and today I tried to erase any nightmares so she’s able to finally rest but she still woke up from nightmares which is what caused her stitches problem”

“She’s even more special than we thought” Wanda nodded with a hum as an approval.

There was silence again but the Sokovian stood up “I’m going to take a shower and maybe sleep, let me know when she wakes up but be by her side”

Natasha nodded, not really sure to why the witch suddenly wants to leave your side, but she is willing to let her rest whilst taking care of you “Of course”

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Waking up again with more pain than before was worse, your eyes searched for the witch but was met with the badass Widow instead, you smiled at her sleeping, she was leaning against the wall in the chair, instead of placing her head on the bed near you.

Her mouth was hanging open a little which was cute, you would be lying if you said that you didn’t like Nat as well but the feelings for Wanda seems to be stronger.

“Hey sleeping beauty” You spoke, your voice was raspy from being passed out for so long.

Natasha’s eyes opened so fast at the sound of your voice, it was slightly concerning but her fast movement towards you to hug you was distracting “Y/n! Thank god”

You looked around still with fear which Natasha noticed “What’s wrong?”

You looked back and took a deep breath “I don’t want to be here.. It reminds me of my past and its freaking me out” You paused, trying to keep your tears in “I just want to go home”

That’s all Natasha needed, she stood up with a blink of an eye, you looked confused at her “What are you doing?”

She didn’t answer but she opened the door and just simply shouted “Dr Cho!”

Within seconds, Helen walked in as she rolled her eyes at the Widow which caused a glare from the red head “Why did you call me here?”

Natasha closed the door slowly and leaned against it as she crossed her arms “Y/n is going home”

She just bluntly said it, it wasn’t a question but more of a demand “It’s best if she stayed”

That’s when Natasha’s soft look turned into the deadliest glare you had ever witnessed, if looks could kill Dr Cho wouldn’t be here right now “I don’t think you understand Helen, Y/n is going home”

You could literally hear the silence, you could see Helen being a little scared of the woman in front of her so she just simply agreed “Y-yeah okay.. Let me just give her some painkillers so she’s able to walk out of here”

And just like that her deadly glare turned to a smile as she walked over to you and Helen to the needle, she put her gloves on and took some substance, she gently stuck it inside you and injected just enough so you’ll be able to go home.

“When she gets loopy, then she can go home” Helen spoke and quickly walked out, leaving you and the redhead alone.

“I’ll get Wanda to take you home, I still have some many paper work to do here but I will come to check up on you” Natasha spoke with sadness in her eyes but when mentioning visiting that sadness disappeared.

You nodded and she stood up as she walked to get Wanda, you could feel your anxiety slowly increase but you closed your eyes and slowly started to count up. Sometimes this method worked to calm you down but sometimes it failed horribly, before you knew it, Wanda rushed in and your loopy state kicked in.

“Ooooh its the redhead!” You slurred your words which caused a little laugh to escape her perfect lips.

“Come on, let’s get you home” She spoke with a smile across her face at the sight of you in a better mood.

You slowly sat up with minimal pain but you could easily ignore it, Wanda held your clothes as she placed them down and turned around “Change your clothes and we can go”

She walked over to the window and closed it so people who walk past can’t see you, she peeped through it until you finished “Okayyy, doneee redhead!”

The witch span on her hill and looked at you with a smile “I’m actually a brunette”

You gasped “My whole life is a lieee!”

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You leaned against Wanda when walking up to your apartment, she was exhausted as you couldn’t remember where you lived at first but thank god there was an address in your bag.

“Are we there yettt?” Your state only got worse the longer yous took to get there.

Wanda rolled her eyes and shook her head “Nearly there Детка (baby)”

“Yesssss (???)” You tried to say Детка (baby) but it was a complete fail which had Wanda laughing so hard.

Wanda holding you this close, had some not so innocent thoughts enter her mind but your loopy state kept her at bay, she opened your door and walked inside, making quite a noise, especially with you not looking where you are going.

“Home sweetie home..” You paused with a frown “No.. that doesn’t sound right”

Wanda suppressed a laugh “Home sweet home, not sweetie, darling”

Which caused you to point up with joy “Yes! That’s it. You are so smart” Just like that the door to your shared bedroom opened and Olivia walked out, looking tired and confused at what she witnessed.

You looked over as you redirected your finger towards Olivia “Look its my girlfriend!”

Wanda shyly smiled, forgetting that you lived with her, she awkwardly stood there but spoke up when she realised that Olivia was awaiting an explanation “Y/n was shot couple of times and had a surgery so she’s under a lot of strong medication, I just took her back home”

“Alright...” She just stared at the witch which only made Wanda question Olivia more, this wasn’t the reaction she was expecting. If Olivia was your girlfriend, she should’ve been more worried than she herself was the moment you lost consciousness.

Your eyes widen at a thought “You should marry me Oliv” You blurted out as you smiled at your girlfriend, to which Wanda dryly swallowed and plastered a fake smile.

“Of course baby, we will get married, now lets get you to bed” Olivia spoke with such a fake smile as her eyes darted towards Wanda to see her reaction to which she didn’t get.

“Well.. Y/n I should get going, rest well Детка (baby)” Wanda directed herself towards you to which she earned a big smile from you as you threw yourself at her.

“Yes, you too (???)” Speaking Russian wasn’t your strong suit so you was adorably failing.

Wanda left after saying her goodbye to you and Olivia, leaving you which she didn’t want. She wanted to stay with you there so you would have some support especially since you wasn’t receiving it.

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You opened your eyes and looked around, relaxing immediately at the familiar room, you’ll have to thank Natasha for saving you and Wanda for actually putting up with you.

You looked over to see an empty place where your girlfriend would be, with pain in every place of your body, you dragged yourself out of bed and downstairs to where you smelt food. If you wasn’t injured you would’ve been there in a blink of an eye.

You walked in the kitchen to see your girlfriend cooking, it was definitely a good sight from the behind so you took your usual place and spoke up “Good morning”

She turned her head towards you “Morning, are you no longer loopy?”

You leaned on your hand as you watched her “No, I’m officially all in pain”

She placed a plate in front of you and leaned on her hand to watch you “Did you mean what you said last night?”

Her question stopped you in the tracks, if she asked you that before you joined the Avenger, you wouldn’t hesitate but you thought this would be easier than telling the truth “Of course, I want you to marry me. This wasn’t how this was suppose to go but I do want this”

She smiled at you and nodded “Okay”

You looked confused with a frown “Is that how you accept my proposal?”

She laughed “Yes, I will marry you”

You smiled at her laugh “If I could I would hug you but If I move right now I will die of pain”

She made her way towards you with a little smirk “Mm, it’s okay” She paused as you turned your body towards her, she stood in between your legs and leaned down to your ear “We should celebrate”

She pulled away and kissed you hungrily, the more you moved the more pain you felt, you tensed at the pain which caused Olivia to move from your mouth to your neck as she mumbled against it “I want to scream your name”

Usually this would turn you on but it just wasn’t it so you did what you thought was best. Faked your pain, of course you was in pain but you made sure to make it sound worse than what it already is, you gripped where the bullet was and you whined in ‘pain’ causing her to stop and look at you.

“Sorry, it just hurts too much” You spoke lies so easily when before it would’ve been harder to do that.

She gave you a dry smile and nodded “It’s okay, eat up” with that she just walked away to where she was before and started to clean up a little.

You still didn’t speak to her ditching you on your anniversary so you thought it would be best to just do it now than wait out, taking a deep breath “Can we talk?”

She hummed but didn’t turn around so you continued “Why didn’t you want to spend our anniversary together?”

She didn’t show any care as she continued doing whatever she was doing “I already told you, I had plans for that day”

You narrowed your eyes at her “So what? You just forgot about our anniversary”

She turned around to face you “No and that’s why I didn’t want to spend it with you at first but you made such a fuss so I wanted you to come with me but you stormed off”

“The only reason to that was because you disregarded me so I left to prevent anything more”

She walked up to you again as she cupped your face with both of her hands, making you look at her “I’m sorry, but now we can just focus on our wedding okay?”

It was strange how easily she forgave you, usually she would stand her ground and try to prove her point but now she just was okay with it? It did hurt you that she didn’t want to spend your anniversary together but obviously that wasn’t the deal with her.

“Besides its a good time to sue” She spoke with a hint of joy in her eyes.

“Sue? Sue who?” You asked, being confused to why suddenly this was brought up.

“The Avengers, you were injured and now you can sue them for this and gain so much money.”

Ah, so money its something she wanted, so you spoke up “Why would I want to sue my family?”

Yes you were injured but by your choice, you knew what you was getting into the second you took that place they offered you which made her speak up “Family? I’m your family, they are people who put you in danger so it’s common sense you take what’s rightfully yours”

“I knew what I was getting into Olivia, It’s not their fault to what happened to me so I won’t be suing them” You moved away as her hands dropped.

She nodded with a fake smile “Okay, well I have to go to work” And walked off towards your bedroom to get changed and leave, you sat digging into the food you had, she walked past you and just walked out, you sighed and ran your hand through your hair.

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1 week later

You was scrolling through your phone, looking at engagement rings, the whole team already knew about your proposal as you informed them, they celebrated even if you weren’t there, but Natasha and Wanda weren’t too happy about it.

You bought one of the rings as they were suppose to be delivered today, but you still looked at others just in case you didn’t like the one you bought. The door rang and you stood up from the couch with so much pain. You opened the door and took the package, walked inside and started to open the package, you looked at the ring and there was doubt.

You didn’t want this, you only did this because you thought this was right.. But it really wasn’t. You knew what you had to do next, you sat down on the couch with the little black box that held the ring and waited for Olivia.

Obviously you didn’t just sit still for hours on end waiting for her to come back but you kept yourself occupied until she was back, you spent your time messaging Natasha as Wanda was on a mission and was back later on.

Natasha was sending you some videos of the team and how she was crashing them in some game they chose to play, she turned the phone so it faces her face as she spoke “Wish you was here Y/n, games aren’t the same! You better get well soon Y/n/n”

The video ended and you smiled at her being so caring, she had her own nickname for you and she was the only one who could use it, there was an incident where Clint used it to take the piss to which he ended up in a bruised face, ever since no one messed with Natasha.

You sent a picture of yourself smiling and sending it to Natasha which you get an immediate response with a picture as well but with text instead “Is that a bruise under your eye?”

Your eyes widen at what she said, you totally forgot why you sent half face pictures. Of course you and Olivia gotten into an argument over her pushing you to sue the Avengers again which you refused and that ended up with her throwing a cup towards you, you was suppose to move out of the way but you didn’t even notice her throwing it at you when you looked, the cup collided with your face, leaving a mark.

You placed your phone as Olivia walked through the door, she dropped her bag and walked over to you with a huge smile on her face “I have newss”

You held the box in your hand, looking down at it but she continued “This better not be the engagement ring, after you sue them we will go and buy me a big diamond ring”

That’s when you snapped “No we won’t” you looked at her and her smile fell.

“I’m breaking up with you” That’s all you said and you stood up, limping your way towards the bedroom, you pack some stuff of yours, she followed you.

“What do you mean? We are suppose to get married in 4 weeks”

You shook your head and took the bag you packed as you faced her “No, you wanted to have the wedding in 4 weeks, I wanted to wait a little longer, you haven’t respected any of my input and I have enough of it”

You pushed your way towards the front door, she spoke from behind you “I do respect your decisions but I just want the best for you”

You stopped and looked at her “And I know what’s best for me, and this relationship definitely isn’t. You never respected what I said, the Avengers did though, They never pressured me. I will get my things soon”

Olivia raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms but you took your phone and just walked out, you made your way towards your car, you were no where near cable of driving but you needed to just get away from her.

You drove towards the tower as best as you could, surprisingly you made it without crashing, taking your bag and limping your way towards your room, you made it through to where everyone was having fun, you walked through and when you were spotted you went back in time, and just did that until you made it to your room.

You placed your bag and just sat down, looking at your phone being blown up by Olivia’s texts. You chucked your phone onto your bed and made your way towards Wanda’s room.

You sat there and waited for her to return back from the mission, there was a mirror in front of you, you looked at yourself and just saw the slowly fading bruise, the more you looked at it the more you didn’t feel anything towards Olivia, the feelings you once had disappeared for her, you always thought she was the one you would want a family with but here you are sitting in Sokovian’s room waiting for her to tell her what you feel.

Your eyes darted towards the door when it started to open, you wasn’t even nerves but very tired and defeated, she looked at you and there was fear as if her heart stopped but when she realised it was you, she relaxed.

“You shouldn’t be here, What are you doing here?!” She questioned as she darted towards you, she examined you to check for any injuries but you were okay.

You looked at the box in your hand, she followed your gaze and took the box as she opened it “Is this the engagement ring for Olivia? It’s really beautiful” 

You dryly chuckled to hold back tears “She wouldn’t think so”

Wanda raised her eyebrows “What? I think its really beautiful. When are you planning to show her?”

“That’s the thing, I did and she said she wants a bigger one with a diamond” You spilled which made Wanda look at you with disbelief.

Wanda was close to saying something but you spoke up instead “It took me so long to realise that isn’t what I want” Staring at the little box in your hand, you closed it and looked into Wanda’s eyes “But this, I do” 

Wanda titled her head a little in confusion “What do you mean?” She asked to ensure that she understands what you mean.

“I broke up with Olivia, she started to change a lot and we would fight and she even threw a cup at me” You pointed at your eyes where the bruise was somewhat visible “ I would’ve went back in time but I didn’t even have time to react. She wanted me to sue Tony for my injuries and kept pushing me into that idea. I would never do that, you guys are my family, people who accepted me and trained me to become better”

The witch placed her hand on your check as her thumb delicately caressing the bruise under your eye, you melted to her touch and continued “I know you’re with Vision but-”

Her hand dropped from your cheek and she looked at you with a puzzled expression “Me with Vision? Who told you that?” 

“Well, no one, I saw the two of you outside the hospital room and I guess I just assumed” You looked down at your hand, fidgeting with your hands, her giggle pulled your attention back to her. 

“I was never interested in Vision so you don’t have to worry about him, I promise0” She held your hand to stop you from fidgeting. 

You were too mesmerised to even know what to say which she took as a turn to talk again “So now what?”

“I’m going to do what I wanted to do for a long time” You had a small smile as nerves ate at you.

She observed you as you started to lean in slowly, in case the redhead wanted to move away but instead with a smile she met your lips halfway, you immediately relaxed in the kiss, her hand made her way towards the back of your neck as you deepened the kiss.

She broke the kiss when air become an issue, both panting heavily, the two of you stare into each other eyes “I’m going to need you to say it”

She bit her lip as she smiled “I want this as well Y/n” 

She wasn’t trying to hide it, she was open and honest with her feelings which made you want her more “Then have it” there was a hint of lust in your eyes which she noticed.

A smirk made its way onto Wanda’s lips, you might’ve been in pain but you wanted her to feel good, especially now but you knew better than to do this before you even took her on a date.

She leaned in but you put your index finger on her lips “But first lets go on a date”

There was a small frown at your finger in contact with her lips but a smile soon followed “Let’s do it”

You let out a small chuckle at how enthusiastic she was “Tomorrow, right now I need a shower and sleep”

“You sure Dr Cho doesn’t need to examine you?” She asked worriedly as she crossed her legs, still staring at you.

You nodded “I’m sure, now goodnight” you said and kissed her forehead getting up carefully and limping your way out.

You looked over once more before disappearing, the redhead had a small blush and a huge smile, you smiled back and this time actually left.

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The date was just like you imagine it, Wanda looking breath-taking as always, the two of you went around New York to places you never been in but was her favourite, learning more about her. You was dragged by your hand around the places which fascinated her, it was adorable seeing her all caught up in whatever was around her.

But the good ended as soon as you guys bumped into Olivia, not physically but she was in the same place as the two of you, she was out with some guy and as soon as you saw her and she saw you, you knew this would end badly. 

She stomped her way towards you as Wanda walked further away not noticing Olivia approaching you “Y/n baby! You came back to me”

You frown at her first words “You don’t get to call me that and no I didn’t come back to you”

She was taken back a little but tried again “I tried to contact you but you never got back to me. That doesn’t matter, lets go home and cuddle to sleep” She had a little smile.

You shook your head as you chuckled “No way, you are out here with someone else and you want to go home and sleep with me?” 

She shook her head quickly trying to convince you otherwise “No, he means nothing-” 

That’s when he walked up to the two of you as she put his arm around Olivia and looked at you with his eyes narrowed as if you were to steal Olivia away “Who is this?”

You crossed your arms “No one” you tried to end this conversation but of course this definitely wasn’t going to end this quickly.

“Isn’t this your Avenger girlfriend you have been cheating on for months with me?” He said with a smirk on his face, trying to raise a reaction out of you.

You looked at Olivia with disbelief, “What?” 

She looked at you with pity “It’s wasn’t the same as before, and you were less around..”

Her eyes wandered behind you that’s when she spotted Wanda “You think she won’t cheat on you either? You’re not that good as you think” that’s when Wanda approached, she heard all of it, she wrapped her arms around you and stared at Olivia as if she was going to kill her.

“Come on, lets leave” Wanda whispered to you but you seem to be stuck in that place.

The dude who was by Olivia’s side “No wonders you left her, such a mighty hero and can’t even protect herself” He referred to the slightly less visible bruise under your eye.

You stared at him as if you were a deer stuck in the middle of the road, about to being hit, which just caused him to laugh and slightly take a step forwards “Can you even fight?” It was a question but to the redhead next to you sounded like a threat.

Her eyes changed colour as she gave him a warning “You better step back or you’ll regret even opening your mouth” 

He saw the danger in her eyes which made him step back next to Olivia, but Wanda was still causation. 

You never was the one to doubt yourself and never listened to anyone but that seems to struck some doubts that were deep inside you. Wanda took your hand, taking action before this situation gets worse, and dragging you away.

The way to your next location which was a little more private away from people, you knew this place because how often you came here, it was quiet all the way there as you was all the promises that Olivia made.

~~~Flashback~~~

Sitting on the roof of the apartment complex alone, on the edge just taking in how beautiful the city can be. Olivia made her way towards you with a smile as she sat down next to you and just observed you.

“What you doing here?” She asked without taking her gaze off you.

You kept your eyes on the stars “Had a nightmare so I decided to just sit here instead of waking you up”

“What nightmare? I didn’t feel you waking up” She asked a little confused.

You finally looked at her “That everyone left me again” 

She reached for your hand and gently took it in hers as her thumb traced circles “I promise you Y/n, I would never leave you or hurt you like they did” 

~~~End of flashback~~~

Well she lied, she left you, she hurt you and now you are here on a date with someone who isn’t Olivia, of course by the time you broke up with her, your feelings had disappeared but she still lied to you, she left you just like she promised she wouldn’t.

You didn’t noticed that you and the witch were sitting down until she spoke up “You know this isn’t your fault?”

You looked at her when you were pulled out of the daydream “I know but yet I can’t seem to not blame myself. I left to be someone who does good and she cheated and blamed me.” 

You paused and looked ahead “In a way I know this isn’t my fault, that I did what I always wanted to do but on the other hand if I didn’t leave, things would be different.”

You then looked at her, she was listening to you, not on her phone or doing something else but she was here with you “But then I look at you..” Your expression softened “And I know I did the right thing, I left the toxicity behind me and found someone better”

She had a smile when you finished, a smile that was brighter than any star in the sky “I’m glad you joined..” She confessed which made you smile as well at her words.

She moved closed to you as you pulled her into your embrace, your arm around her with her head placed on your shoulder, both falling into silence staring at the sky, feeling safe.

━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━

5 years later

Like you could guess, there was many dates that followed that night and after 4th date, you both made it official, everyone was happy with your new fresh relationship, they all promised to insult Olivia the best they could when they see her, you laughed it off and felt like you fit in very well with these band of misfits. 

Eventually Natasha came around as well, she needed some time to herself, she never confessed her true feelings for you as she respected you and Wanda so being close friends was more than okay with her. It was better than losing you.

You and the Sokovian eventually bought a house together, near the woods away from the city, less people the better you guys felt. With Tony’s help, the security there was more than amazing, everything was like you wanted it but there was something missing..

The missing part was finally being able to call each other wives, not only taken  by words but by an item to tie it all together; rings.

You had informed the team about your plans of proposing to Wanda after she is back from a month long mission, you was excited and nervous. They agreed to help out. Steve was suppose to be the escort for Wanda but Natasha offered to do it as she felt the need to show maturity from her part. She was happy for you and Wanda, and this was her way of showing it as she never was a person to physically express her feelings.

Right now you were less than an hour away from Wanda’s arrival, you stood on a pier that looked like no one ever came it, it was a perfect place for this, no people no distractions, just the two of you, and of course the team that had to film the whole proposal.

You stood there with a nice set out and some blankets, you was a romantic type of person so this would never raise any suspicious with the witch. She thought you just wanted to greet her in a special way after being away from you for such a long time. She arrived with Natasha next to her side, she smiled at Natasha when she pointed towards where you would be, she thanked her and gave her a hug, before letting the other redhead disappear, or in this case join the team that was currently hiding out.

You was nervous, last time you proposed it turned into a disaster and this is the last thing you wanted it to be. You was planning to do this for more than a month but the opportunity knocked when she was assigned to a mission for a long time.

There she was, walking towards you with her hair down, in the dress you left for her, you knew she would look good in it but when she actually showed up in that dress, it didn’t do her justice, she was more than beautiful in your eyes and no matter how many times she smiled at you, those butterflies in your stomach at the sight of her smile that reached her eyes never seem to calm down.

You let out a shaky breath before she was close enough to notice your nerves, you extended your hand for her to take, and she took it more eagerly than she wanted to let on, she was just so happy to see you, missing you and your gentle touch.

She looked around when you finally held her by her waist, pulling her close to you “It’s beautiful” 

Your eyes never left her as you softly replied “I know” 

She looked back and understood to what you were referring to which caused her to blush, she has the same reaction to you as you have her and never for a second it disappeared but grew more and more with each little thing you did for her.

Her hands that were on your shoulders, now moved to the back of your neck as she pulled you in for a kiss that she was desperate to feel against her lips, you happily gave her what you both really wanted and missed, but you couldn’t let her distract you from the actual reason to why you are here.

You took a step back to give some sort of distance between the two of you which caused Wanda to frown at you. She missed you and wanted to be near you as close as possible, but no matter how much you tried to calm your nerves, the witch noticed them and stood the distance that you created.

You shyly smiled at her as you held her hands, your emotions all over the place so the best way to give yourself more courage was to pull Wanda into a quick kiss, allowing to buy yourself some time.

She noticed your rather weird behaviour and when you pulled away from you, that pretty face had a small frown across it “Are you okay моя любовь (my love)?”

Her voice only made you even nerves so you placed your finger on her lips to shush her, allowing yourself to finally speak before letting your nerves to control you “Everything is beyond okay darling” that was the first words that escaped your mouth which reassured Wanda that everything was semi okay.

And you continued with your big speech “Wanda baby, I don’t think you understand how much you mean to me, everyday is a blessing when I am with you and I don’t think I would be able to live with myself if you weren’t here with me.” 

She was confused to where this was coming from, her urge to speak up was shushed when you continued “I took you here today, so this place can be a special place for us like any other place we have been together, but I think this place will become your favourite from them all..” 

You squeezed her hands to keep your butterflies at bay with how Wanda analysed you “These past 5 years has made me realise that you are all I ever needed in my life. Whenever you look at me, I could feel that feeling that never died down but grew each second together.”

You let go of her hands as you were preparing to get down on one knee in front of the witch “A lot has changed and that includes my view on life, I realised that I never want to spend another second away from you but rather my whole life with you..” 

And with that, you got down on my knee as you pulled out a perfectly matching ring for Wanda, you saved up everything you could to get her this ring. It was a sliver ring that had a little red diamond inside it, which matched her so well. Her eyes dropped down to the ring that you held in your fingers and tears appeared almost immediately at the sight of this moment and her hand covered her mouth in shock as she wasn’t expecting this.

“So, Wanda Maximoff will you marry me?” You asked the question that you were dying to choke out, you was right in front of her, on your knees as you were so vulnerable, pouring out your heart to the woman of your dreams.

 She shook her head violently as she was scared that this would be all a dream “Yes!” 

She grabbed your face in her hands and pulled you into a deep emotional kiss, she didn’t register the cheering from behind her until she pulled away, letting you stand up and perfectly setting a new ring on her finger. 

Everyone gathered around the couple, pulling into a big group hug and cheering at how perfect this all felt.

━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━

As everyone left, the two of you stayed on the pier a little while longer, wrapped in each other arms, with a blanket over the two bodies to keep the warmth in between yous.

Your eyes were on Wanda as she just seems to enjoy this moment, she spoke soon enough, pulling you out of your daydream “You were right”

She simply said which caused a quick reply from you “Right about what?”

She looked at you with a smile that always met her eyes when she was around you “That this would be my favourite place”

Your smile spread hugely across your face, locking eyes with the green eyed goddess but before you could speak, Wanda captured your lips in her own, letting her hands wonder down your body, you knew her well enough to understand what she was getting at.

“We should celebrate this successful night..” She moved her lips to your ear as she purred, the way her hot breath hit your ear was enough to do whatever she wanted.

You smirked as you replied back with a hint of innocent to tease her “Oh really?” 

She nodded with a small chuckle, before straddling your hips and busying herself against your mouth, as you pulled her down with you so she laid on top of you.

You smiled against the kiss as you pulled away a little “It’s you.. It always has been” earning a heartfelt chuckle and a nod in agreement as she deepened the kiss.

She was always yours and you were always hers; until death do the two of yous apart...

[dustofbrokenheart]

The Lost Boys: Promised Prize

Dwayne x Reader

Word Count: 1,768

Summary: After final exams are over, Dwayne makes good on the reward that you guys worked out. 

A siren blared as a police car zoomed by your building, waking you from your impromptu sleep. Where the sun had previously forced its way through the gaps in the blinds, nocturnal darkness had completely taken over and doused everything in shadow. You stretched leisurely on top of the sheets, giving your eyes time to adjust as shapes blurred into focus.

Propping yourself up on your forearms you reached for your alarm clock, the glowing red numbers flashing 10:14 pm.

Well then.

It appeared that you had literally slept half of the day away and then some. You blamed it on your body’s post-finals bid to finally catch up on the sleep that you had been depriving yourself of for the past two weeks.

You also hadn’t seen much of your boyfriend during that period, although that wasn’t by your choice. When he found out how busy you were with finals prep he basically disappeared which was his way of giving you space so you could be productive. He didn’t even talk with you about it, he just straight up stopped coming to your apartment. 

It was a good thing you knew him as well as you did otherwise you might’ve taken his ghosting to mean something else entirely and you told him as much when you finally saw him over the weekend.  

You went down the hall, switching on lights as you walked by on your way to the kitchen. A cool glass of water from the fridge always hit the spot after waking up. The water was extremely refreshing and several large gulps followed the first.

You took the water bottle with you so you could continue sipping from it while you went outside to get your mail. The small metal door creaked open and you juggled everything in your hands you flipped through the stack of envelops and inserts.

Junk. Pizza coupon. Bill. Bill—oh! Something from the college!

Unable to wait until you were inside, you tore open the envelope with shaky fingers. The paper unfolded and you scanned over the typed font with nervous determination.

You lowered the grade report in shock. Did you read that correctly?

You held it up again and, sure enough, the verdict was the same—you aced all of your final exams! And in doing that, your semester grade point average was high enough to make the Dean’s list.

The whole apartment complex was treated to your victorious banshee yell as it echoed off the concrete and glass of the apartment complex. Even some of the wildlife scattered.

High with endorphins, you scurried back to your apartment, laying the paper smack dab on the center of the kitchen table. There was another person who needed to see it as well.

The sun had been set for a few hours, plenty of time to find a first meal of the night, which meant that he would be dropping by at any time.

You found it impossible to sit since you were still feeling the excitement so rather than sit around and wait for him, you decided to channel the energy into something productive.

Cabinet doors were opened and closed as you took out different ingredients that were all thrown into a mixing bowl and kneaded together with your bare hands. Some of the mix stuck under your fingernails but you were more than happy to suck it off your fingers.

Separating the tan dough into small balls you carefully placed them on a cookie sheet and stuck it into the oven. Ten minutes later and they were out, cooling on the counter.

Dwayne still hadn’t arrived even after your cookie quest. You blew a couple of strands of hair away from your face. Time to do some dishes.

You slipped a Ratt cassette into your boombox, cranked it, and got to scrubbing. In the middle of cleaning the tines on a fork, you heard him enter.

He was bent over, taking off his shoes when you met him by the door.

He stood up and leaned in for a sweet kiss, but you stopped him to wipe some stray blood droplets off of his lips before you allowed it.

“Come on, there’s something I wanna show you,” you insisted, pulling him to the kitchen.

He sniffed the air.

“Peanut butter?” he asked hopefully.

“Yep. Sit down and I’ll bring you some.”

He sat down obediently and you knew he wouldn’t be able to resist reading the only readable thing in front of him. While you took your time with the cookies, you watched him out of the corner of your eye and saw the exact moment he took the bait.

He slid the paper closer with his pointer finger and read it silently. Even when he faced you there was no discernable reaction that most people would’ve noticed, however, you weren’t most people. The warmth in his brown eyes and the slight softening of his mouth were very clear to you.

“I aced everything,” you boasted, setting the plate pile of cookies in front of him.

“And the Dean’s list,” he added.

You were touched that he remembered that bit and gently scratched his scalp which had him rolling his head in a feline manner. “That means I get my reward too.”

He reached out and stroked the outer rim of your ear. “A promise is a promise. Wanna do it now?”

Back when you were stressing out all the tests and essays, and before Dwayne ghosted, he promised to give you a gift to keep you motivated. Anything you wanted. You told him you wanted a piercing done midway up your ear after seeing some people at school with them and he promised to do it for you.

You swiftly nodded. You really wanted the piercing.

Without another word, he shoved two peanut butter cookies into his mouth for safekeeping and tugged his shoes on. For being as old as he was, his inner child was always near the surface and you loved that about him. Most of the time.

“Heathen,” you razzed as you playfully hip checked him out of the way so you could grab your silver boots.

Opting not to retaliate, he merely winked and ushered you out the door, cookies still in his mouth.

The drive to the cave was short and uneventful. A benefit to the apartment being closer to the bluffs than it was the pier or the boardwalk. Dwayne expertly guided you down the rickety, wooden stairs and to the mouth of the cave.

Earlier in the relationship he always offered to fly you down so you didn’t have to use the stairs, but he respected the decision to do it yourself unless you were too tired or tipsy, in which case he made the final decision.

He prowled around the cave, grabbing supplied from seemingly random spots. “Do you still want it on the cartilage?”

You told him yes and sat on the cool edge of the fountain, noting how quiet it was with just the two of you here.

“What’s the rest of the crew up to?”

“I left the boys on the beach and Star wanted some more stuff for her bed. It’s not even midnight so they’ll be gone for a while yet.”

“I need to hang out with her more now that classes are done for now,” you said resting your chin on the tops of your knees.

“She’d appreciate any company that isn’t us at this point.”

You remembered the blood he had on his lips earlier. And the crumbs he left on them after eating the cookies. “I can’t imagine why...”

He plopped down next to you on the fountain and spread everything out, handing you a box full of earrings so you could pick one out.

“Fingers crossed you guys didn’t rip these off of your meals.”

Dwayne chose not to say anything, preferring to watch your squirm at the thought.

You did have to admit that there was quite a nice selection to pick from, no matter the source. There were shiny studs, pieces with all manner of materials dangling from them, and delicate hoops both decorated and plain. But a small, snug silver hoop with a pearl-colored sphere attached caught your interest.

Dwayne noticed and started rubbing your ear with alcohol to disinfect the area. Then he held the piercing needle over a small candle flame to sterilize it. Star had taught them a lot about piercing procedure and etiquette; not wanting to jeopardize your mortal health, he put her words to use.

Needle ready, he swung around with one of his legs resting in your lap.

“For grabbing onto if it hurts,” he offered and you settled your hands onto his jean-clad thigh. The needle was poised against the cartilage midway up your ear and you couldn’t help it when your heartrate sped up. 

The last time you had your ears pierced you were a little kid and you couldn’t remember the pain. You hoped this new one wouldn’t be too unbearable.

He nudged you gently to see if you were good to continue.

“I’m good. And you’d better not hit a nerve and paralyze me cause then I’ll have to beat you up.”

Were there any nerves to hit in that part of your ear? You weren’t sure but it came out of your mouth last minute.

“Good luck punching if you’re paralyzed,” he smirked punching the needle through the flesh as he spoke. He had a bottle cork pressed on the back of your ear so that the needle didn’t stab into your neck when it came out on the other side.

Your lids slammed shut and your finger nails dug into his leg. It wasn’t the worst you could imagine but it was still a sharp, noticeable pain.

Dwayne was quick with it removing the needle and dropping the cork in order to work the earring through the freshly made hole. He clicked the earring closed and gave the area one last wipe down with a water soaked q-tip.

“Well? How do I look?” You were impatient and he wasn’t moving fast enough for you. 

He held up a mirror so you could see it. You weren’t sure how he conjured it since none of the vamps in the cave used them, but you were more interested in seeing at your ear at the moment.

You gasped as you turned this way and that to admire it.

“I love it, Dwayne!” You peppered him with kisses.

Dwayne looked at you with evident pride. Pride in your smartness, pride in how you handled the pain, pride in the way the piercing turned out.

Beautiful, he thought.

_______________

Congrats to everyone that’s finished with finals and good luck to those who are still working through exams. Thanks so much for reading! 

[nataliedanovelist]

GF - Amalia pt.2

For @artsymeeshee​. Thank you so so much for being you and for always brightening up my day! Sorry for the wait, but I hope you like it.

pt.1

~~~~~~~~~~

“Dipper, come on! They’re ready!”

The thirteen-year-old boy quickly joined his sister on her bed, lying on their stomach so they could see the laptop comfortably. Yes, they texted their grunkles at least three times a day and constantly sent emails and usually got to have a video call once a week, but that didn't make their interactions any less exciting and enjoyable. Dipper and Mabel’s parents were busy working so the twins had the house to themselves and could talk freely.

The laptop ringed a few times and soon they were graced with two nearly identical faces with distinct differences, both smiling widely at the young teenagers. “Hey there, kiddos!”

“Hi, guys!” Mabel returned, waving and grinning. “Did you get my package, did you, did you, did you?!”

“Yes, I have it right here.” Ford chuckled warmly and placed the package on the dining room table, where the old men were located.

“Well go ahead and open it!” Mabel squealed and Stan used his pocket knife to cut through the tape and they opened the box to find a large, brand new knitted blanket.

“Oh, wow! Mabel, sweetie, this is… wow.” Stan admired with shining eyes as he pulled the blanket out of the box.

“This might be your best work yet, my dear!” Ford complimented as he grazed the yarn with his fingers. “It’s so soft, and how on Earth did you manage to make it so big?”

“Big knitting needles!”

“She used her arms to knit it, like she had it looped around her actual arms.” Dipper answered honestly with a small, proud smile while Mabel blushed furiously.

“That’s very impressive.” Ford said.

“I’ll say! It’s beautiful! I love it!” Stan wrapped it around his shoulders and hummed; he could distantly smell his niece’s shampoo and cheap strawberry perfume. “Thank you, pumpkin.”

“You’re welcome, I just don’t want you guys to be cold or freeze to death up there.”

“Mabel, for the millionth time, I swear we’re fine.” Stan assured, unable to keep the laughter in his throat down.

“I know, but as the professional knitter in the family, it is my sworn duty to ensure you two stay warm and cozy, despite the challenging environment!” She said victoriously with her hand pointing upward, like she was pretending there was a flag behind her or something. “Anywho, what’s new with you guys?”

“Oh, nothing out of the abnormal.” Ford said casually, rocking his hand side-to-side in a painfully casual manner. “Iceland was interesting, we’re planning on heading back up North shortly to make it to Gravity Falls in time for summer, but we have about a month to spend exploring the United Kingdom until we have to start our way back.”

“Great!” Dipper commented. “See anything cool in Iceland? Any mountain trolls?”

“No, no trolls.”

“Although we did see this big smelly guy in a bar that looked half-troll to me.” Stan added in.

“But… we…” Stan gave Ford a dark look, so the eldest twin corrected himself quickly. “I… I did something.”

“Oh boy, did you burn a hole into the counter again, Grunkle Ford?” Mabel guessed.

Ford chuckled warmly and shook his head. “No, nothing like that. It’s… well, I’ll show you, hold on one minute.”

Dipper and Mabel watched one uncle get up and leave while the other held his head and rubbed his temples. “Grunkle Stan, what did he do?” Mabel asked.

“Something a certain pumpkin once did to me and I don’t appreciate it anymore now than I did before.” Stan mumbled.

Ford sat back down next to his twin, resulting in Mabel screaming and then quickly covering her mouth, her eyes wide and shining like stars. Dipper just stared, smiling, but mostly confused at the tiny furry thing on his grunkle’s chest. Ford couldn’t keep the dopey smile off his face as he petted the anomaly’s back and she licked his cleft chin. “This is Amalia.”

“OH MY GOSH, YOU GUYS!” Mabel squealed, making Amalia jump a little and start looking around the boat for whatever was causing the sudden noise. “She’s so cute! I didn’t know you guys were gonna get a pet!”

“Neither did we.” Ford chuckled as Amalia sat on the table, still looking around. “She came aboard in Iceland and never left. She’s quite gentle and well-trained, very well behaved.”

“She’s a cute, furry jerk.” Stan growled.

“Stanley’s just mad at her because she knocked over his favorite mug this morning.”

“Daw, she probably wanted your attention, Grunkle Stan.”

“Well, she has it now.” Stan sneered and pointed his fingers from his eyes to the pet, still curiously on the hunt for the mysterious noise.

“How interesting.” Dipper muttered with a smile. “Do you know what species she is?”

“Not quite sure.” Ford answered. “She has many cat-like behaviors, but obviously she’s more than some exotic breed of a domestic feline. I’ve run a few tests, simply playing games with her to test her intelligence and watching her through the day, but so far nothing too abnormal has come up.”

“Well, as much as she doesn’t look like any breed I know of, she might be a hybrid we’ve never seen before, a mixture of two breeds of cat. I could do some research to see if she resembles any cat breeds.” Dipper pulled out his cellphone while Amalia looked at the scream, her eyes big at the teenagers.

“She’s looking at us, she’s looking at us!” Mabel whispered excitedly. “Hi, Amalia! Hi! I’m gonna knit you a cute sweater, yes I am!” She cooed.

Amalia pawed at the laptop, getting closer to it, and eventually walking on the keys.

“OY! Get off!”

“Stanley, don’t hurt her!”

“She’s gonna…”

And suddenly Dipper and Mabel were faced with a blank screen, making them laugh and quickly send snarky text messages to the old sailors.

~~~~~~~~~~

Stan’s eyes slowly opened, lying on his back, and therefore first seeing the ceiling of the bunker of his beloved boat. He was stiff; his whole body was stiff and his eyes were crusty and he wanted to go back to sleep, but his body had had enough of sleep and it was time to leave his bed for the day.

Taking in a sharp breath to brace himself for the pain of first moving his old back, Stan sat up and placed his feet in his slippers. He reached for his glasses, surprised to find a note by them. He slipped on his aid of vision and immediately recognized his brother’s neat cursive writing.

Stanley, We needed a few supplies and I felt like going on a small walk early this morning, so I left you alone to sleep. I’ll be back by lunch. Please look after Amalia while I’m gone. Stanford. 6:18am

Stan swore under his breath. Not only had Sixer probably not slept well, Stan was willing to bet money on it, he was stuck babysitting the stupid animal. Who, by the way, was playing with a fluffy ball on the floor, silently amusing herself and leaving Stan alone. Well, fine then. He could work with that.

The younger twin stood and slipped on his bathrobe over his pajamas, making his way upstairs for coffee and maybe some breakfast. The clock over the stove read two minutes before ten, so coffee should tie him over until lunchtime. Stan filled the machine with a filter and grounds and turned on the pot after filling it with water, but he was disturbed from his work when he heard tiny footsteps and saw Amalia climbing up the steps and walking up to him.

“Whatcha want?” He growled sleepily.

Amalia, of course, didn’t answer, but instead sat next to where Stan stood and rubbed against his bony legs, purring her strange purr; it wasn’t normal like a cat’s but there was no other way to explain the sound she made. Stan snorted.

As the coffee pot filled with the caffeinated breakfast beverage, Stan fished out an apple from the fridge and bit into it. Okay, a small snack would be okay. His eye caught the small stacks of canned tuna Ford had put there, claiming Amalia preferred her fish cold, and he shrugged and decided to go ahead and feed the weird thing so he wouldn’t have to get up from the couch to do it later. At the sound of the can opening the little cat-like beauty sprung up on the table and tapped the surface with her little beanie paws, a bad habit Ford had installed early because “Amalia is too lady-like to eat on the floor,” the aged scientist had cooed as he placed the can on the table and scratched his pet.

Stan rolled his eyes and decided not to fight it. He sat Amalia’s breakfast on the table and she happily indulged in the cold fish while Stan poured himself a mug of coffee. He watched the anomaly eat peacefully, her tiny face almost completely engulfed in the food. The old conman couldn’t help but smile as he sipped his black drink. “You’re quieter than the pig. I’ll give you that.”

Amalia sat up, a bit of damp food on her face, but she licked it off and then began to clean herself by licking her paw and rubbing her face. Stan accidentally found himself watching her as he sipped his coffee, a small smile on his wrinkly face.

Really, the main reason why he was being the bad guy was because someone had to be in this type of situation. Someone had to try to be reasonable, someone had to oppose a potentially bad idea, and with Stan’s tough-guy persona and Ford opting out of being the cold, realistic, mad-scientist in order to be a big marshmallow for a weird cat, Stan was the perfect candidate. With that being said, Stan reminded himself of an incident he was faced with over fifty years ago.

“Stanford, please!”

“Stanley, I’m sorry, but he’s a wild animal. Don't you think he’ll be happier out in nature? And what will Ma and Pa say?”

“They… They don’t have to know…”

“Stanley!”

“Sixer, please! C’mon! I’m begging you! I’ll do anything! Just please don’t rat me out!”

“Whoa, whoa. I’d never tattle on you, I… I won’t tell, but I really think you shouldn’t keep him as a pet.”

It was only a week, but by the time Stan re-introduced the animal as Shanklin the Stab-Possum, Ford’s appreciation for the strange pet was much stronger and he even used him to help free the Jersey Devil. Plus it was easy to keep the possum a secret when they were grounded in their room all summer. Ford never did tattle and he loved that possum almost as much as Stan loved Shanklin. So, okay, if a couple of weird nine-year-olds can have a possum for a pet, then a pair of eccentric old sailors can have an unknown cat for a pet.

Stan left the kitchen-area for the couch and pulled out a newspaper he had snagged yesterday to finish. He opened it with a rustle and sat comfortably, but not long did he feel something join him on his right side and then two little paws land on his leg. Stan lowered his reading material and raised an eyebrow at Amalia, who just looked at him with sparkling eyes. “What?”

Of course the anomaly didn’t answer, but she did climb across his legs for his lap and sat in a curled-up ball for a mid-morning nap. Stan sighed with a smile, scratched her behind the ear, and rescued his reading.

~~~~~~~~~~

Three weeks later and the Stan O’ War was harbored at Ipswich, UK. Having traveled through the Irish Sea and around England, the ship was about to head up north, beginning the journey for home. But Mabel had given the twins another city to be in for another package, and so with Amalia in Ford’s hoodie and Stan holding two bags of groceries, they stopped by the post office and picked up their mail.

Cushioned in a new baby-blanket for Amalia were two small sweaters just perfect for the little anomaly. One was purple with a golden six-fingered hand and a golden crescent with each symbol having an ‘s added to it, and beneath all of this the word “pet” was stitched on in colorful letters. The second one was fluffy white with a baby-blue paw-print on it, each sweater big enough to not squeeze Amalia and with the designs on her back so the humans could see them easily.

While Amalia was never shivering or actively cold, Ford ignored Stan’s laugh-filled orders not to torture their pet and the fluffy-haired twin had Amalia try on the white sweater, who loved it so much she refused to let Ford take it off of her for a few hours. Stan, of course, had to end a picture to their niece, who may or may not have cried at the sight and at the caption her uncle sent it with, “Amalia loves Auntie Mabel’s sweaters.”

[ladyfawkes]

FINALLY UPDATED after approximately 100000 years. xD

Tangled Just Before Ever After

Words: 4730

Chapters: 2/?

Overall Summary:

Have you ever wondered what happened to Rapunzel and Eugene immediately following their first kiss in the Tower?

How they explained to one another the ways they discovered the depth of Gothel's evilness and duplicity?

How they managed to convince the Captain of the Guard that Flynn Rider was suddenly no longer a threat?

“Look at this!” Rapunzel exclaimed, surprised, as she traced out an invisible line across his palm. “There’s some of those magicky healing sparks left on your hand.” The young woman pulled back her own hand so he could see and sure enough, Eugene spied some faint twinkling beneath the very top layer of his skin. “Whaddyaknow?” he shrugged. “Huh.” A thought occurred to him and Eugene wondered if the glittery effect was now permanent. He surmised that it shouldn’t be and that it’d wear off soon enough...hopefully.

Chapter Two: The Lock-Picking Frog

Eugene and Rapunzel sat down together on one of the lower steps of the Tower’s inner staircase. She took his left hand in her lap, turned it palm upwards, and said, “Wait a minute….” brought up the same hand closer to her face and peered at it quizzically.

“I wonder…..” Rapunzel quickly let go his hand and reached across Eugene’s waist, her own left hand now hovering over the rips in his doublet and shirt where Gothel’s dagger had pierced him. And although she blushed a very lovely shade of pink upon asking him, the princess asked, “May I?” while pointing to his right flank.

And Eugene couldn’t mask his curiosity; his eyebrows arose right along with his elbows as he gave Rapunzel better access to his midsection. Far be it from him to stop the beautifullest young woman of his dreams from unfastening his doublet untucking his shirt for him. And although Eugene politely looked elsewhere partly for her sake, and partly for fear he might lose his gallant resolve…. He still very much wanted to say something cheeky or pithy or romantic or --

“Looks like my theory is correct,” reported Rapunzel. “Hmm?” Eugene was bewildered and his brow furrowed. “Theory?” he echoed, not entirely able to hide his disappointment at the aloofness of her reply. This wasn’t what he’d expected from this interaction at all. Eugene supposed he should’ve known better.

“Uhmmm,” said Rapunzel, suddenly shy again, “Well, I had guessed that the places on your body where you’ve been wounded the worst and most recently would therefore most likely possess some residual magic.” She sat back up and pointed toward his torso, “Looks like I was correct.”

And Eugene raised his shirt to look down at the place where the mortal wound once was, glimpsing for himself the same shimmering phenom of which Rapunzel spoke. That particular sparkling penetrated far deeper into his flank than what appeared near the surface of his palm, however.

Rapunzel kissed the inside of her hand and gently caressed the healed area on Eugene's side with those same fingertips. It was a gesture so pure and tender that again he found his heart melting with just how gentle she was with him -- the hardened criminal. Because this particular sensation…..what he felt now, what he’d felt when Rapunzel was tracing and kissing every inch of his face, and especially when Rapunzel had initially and carefully healed the palm of his hand two days before….it was so fantastic and new. And what Eugene could not have known then is that he was positively starving for it. He soaked up every drop of her kindness as if she were the sole oasis in his desert of loneliness. It’s why the young man knew he couldn’t let her walk away from him even after their special night of lanterns had concluded.

For Rapunzel hadn’t merely healed his largest mortal wound with her tears or the slicing through his palm with her hair. Without disdain or mockery or any form of guile, this unassuming young woman was healing parts of Eugene that he hadn’t even realized were chronically aching and long ago flayed raw in the first place. He had become numb and oblivious to all of it. Yet this impossibly kind and loving young soul was offering unconditional acceptance to Flynn Rider, the misunderstood career criminal whom everyone in all the seven kingdoms (and beyond) had come to loathe. Since the moment he met her, Rapunzel’s mere presence had become like sweet salve for his bruised soul. Even if it took Eugene the rest of his life, he vowed to himself that he would strive to be worthy of his dearest Rapunzel.

Eugene carefully gathered up Rapunzel under his arm and she leaned into him as they embraced again. Rapunzel was….almost impossibly genuine. Is this what real love has always felt like??, he mused. There’d been times Eugene had experienced such deep sadness and devastation in his life that it felt like his heart would certainly break. In fact, he had experienced that exact emotion as recently as that very morning during his imprisonment….. And it wasn’t because he feared dying…..it’s because he was all but certain he’d never see Rapunzel again. Never get to rescue her from wherever the Stabbingtons had gone off with her.

Prior to meeting Rapunzel, Eugene hadn’t ever experienced so much love and peace and contentment, it seemed as if his heart might burst from inability to contain itself. Once again, he appeared to have dozed off with Rapunzel squished up against him. Eugene yawned tiredly, internally berating himself and wondering why on earth he was so exhausted…. Until realization finally dawned that it had been over 24 hours since either he or Rapunzel had been able to get any sleep or rest whatsoever. It appeared to have finally caught up to them now that the worst of the danger had passed.

“So...how did you figure it all out?” Rapunzel asked softly, still holding him close with her head nestled against his chest. “It had to be pretty early on. Especially considering our entire first discussion regarding ‘backstory’....” And Eugene chuckled.

“You’re right, you’re right,” he replied. “I had definitely begun to suspect something was up by the time we were running through that underground escape system. There were just too many coincidences. A few being that: a.) it was the 18th year of Corona’s lantern festival and you just happened to be turning 18; b.) magicalness notwithstanding nobody else in the whole world had hair like yours -- its length and tensile strength belied its beaming gossamer beauty; c.) I’ve seen children -- even young adults -- utterly terrified of their parents, and for good reason; while I originally thought it was just a figure of speech when you said you “never left the tower”, I came to know you were being quite literal...therefore d.) you had further cemented my belief that you are Corona’s princess when you shared with me the ways in which your magical hair worked.

Suddenly, some insistent squeaking noises in front of them on the floor broke into the conversation. Eugene’s head whipped toward his right and looked down.

“Well, hullo there, Li’l Froggy,” he greeted Pascal warmly. This caused Pascal to glance over at Rapunzel with a wry look as he sighed long-sufferingly. “Yup. I think you’re stuck with it now, Pascal,” Rapunzel agreed. Pascal held out his claws heavenward, shrugged, and then hopped up on Eugene’s free wrist and scaled up toward his left shoulder, around his neck, finally perching on Eugene’s right shoulder. He squeaked something lengthy to Eugene. And Eugene, who wasn’t yet fully versed in Pascallese, had to ask Rapunzel to interpret.

“First of all,” Rapunzel began, “he says that ‘Frog’ is a rather insulting nickname but he’ll cut you some slack, being that you died, came back, and fainted all in the past 30 minutes.”

“Whoa-ho! Well, thanks for that vote of confidence,” a smirking Eugene sarcastically replied to the cheeky lizard on his shoulder.

“Second of all, while you and I were...talking,” continued Rapunzel, “Pascal scared up that hairpin and sewing needle you’d mentioned needing for picking locks. He says if you hold up your wrist with the shackle and instruct him right now in real time, he’s willing to help pick that lock with you,” and Rapunzel grinned.

“A lock-picking frog, eh?” Eugene marvelled, in spite of himself. He couldn’t help it -- the still-too-loud-Flynn Rider half of his brain was going wild considering that potential. “That is definitely gonna come in handy someday, ” he said with a faint smile on his face.

Eugene grabbed in his left hand the hairpin that Pascal had brought. The young man made sure it was bent crookedly in a certain way at one end and handed it back to Pascal. Next Eugene held up his shackled wrist and proceeded to coach the little chameleon in how to use the tricks of a thief’s trade. Twice more, Eugene modified the end of the hairpin, always handing it back to Pascal. Within about 90 seconds, the rusted manacle had popped open and slid off Eugene’s wrist onto the floor…..where he couldn’t help but notice a blood stain on the nearby tile below.

To divert Rapunzel’s attention (and his own), Eugene hastily put his boot over the top of the stain and made a big show of finally being free of the manacle. “Ahhh!!” he massaged his right wrist, “that’s more like it! Tiny high-fives, Froggy!” Eugene reached out his index finger toward Pascal who was still perched upon his right shoulder. The chameleon then “fived” Eugene’s fingertip with his bitzy claw.

Rapunzel helped Eugene all the way to his feet and with great relief, he stretched his long legs and even longer back all the way up to his full considerable height. As he was stretching over backward, allowing his spine some satisfying cracks, Eugene surprisingly felt someone touching his bare skin and stole a downward glance at Rapunzel, who was once again examining the former wound in his side.

The young woman noticed a bit too late that she’d already been seen. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Eugene had stopped stretching and was now peering down at her. Rapunzel instantly withdrew her hands as that now familiar delightful shade of pink blossomed under her freckles and she mumbled an apology. She instinctively backed away a step, looked up, and said, "You're even taller than I remembered."

[hoodedwing]

Loyalty Killed Me

Summary: The Joker could finally do what he wanted to do, traumatize Nightwing

Characters: Nightwing. Harley Quinn. Joker. Mentions of Red Hood

Warnings: Just really sick ways of stitching people up. Blood. Depressive. Major character/s death mentions. Batman. Doctor Leslie Thompkins

Additional Notes: I know Joker cannot traumatize Grayson canon-wise? Please correct me if I’m wrong.

Word Count: 2,242 words

***

Time doesn't stop.

Time knows, in its hands. It plays around with the seconds. These seconds matter, someone dying, someone on the communicator whispering, ____ come get me. come get me, I can't go back.

Time doesn't freeze. Time does not have a cloak drapes around it in a timeless manner. Time does not walk in a regal manner and stroke your gaping wounds to cauterize them. Apply pressure because really, when did Time wait for you to stop the damned arterial spray? Have you seen first hand how much blood can spew, almost like a fountain from that serrated dagger?

Time has caught up with Dick Grayson, the Wonder Boy. The Nightwing Blüdhaven didn't deserve. The loving boyfriend/husband of Barbara Gordon. The first son of Bruce Wayne, Batman.

Batman. He doesn't know who's Batman. Not anymore.

-

3200..6400..12800..

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Remember, inhale slowly, inflate lungs. Let it circulate through. Let. Let it work.

Richard. That's your name. Your mother was beautiful and your father was handsome. You are a Grayson. You have brothers and sisters.

Pain.

Pain is relative. If you fuck with pain long enough, it won't fuck back with you. Pain spreads through him and he inhales deep, bigger breaths. Trying to drown out the searing ache. He succeeds, deceives his brain.

Dick Grayson is such a liar.

He knows how to lie, how to smile widely at the Blüdhaven precinct when shit goes down or still tell a joke or two when Damian is there.

Dick Grayson is such a liar.

He's a good man. Honest to goodness. He's fooled himself into thinking his left leg didn't feel on fire, he's successfully managed to stop gasping against the rattle of his chest, a rub or two might be the cause. Who knows?

BOY WONDER! SAD YOUR DEAREST BATMAN HASN'T COME TO SAVE YOU YET? WHY LOOK AT THAT.

Mistah J checks his watch and smiles, his crooked smile stares back at Richard.

Dick only looks away as the Joker's cold fingers run his slimy, skinny fingers along his body. He used to shiver under his touch in a bad way, he would gulp and squeeze his eyes shut, hunting for memories to dive into.

When he got Zitka. When his mother named him her Robin. When he went on patrol for the first time with the all mighty Batman. When he first met Jason. Then Tim. Then Damian. Then the nights they spent healing wounds, fighting together or just sleeping or Netflix.

Dick doesn't move, doesn't say a word. He doesn't even let out a humourless laugh or a quip. Dick clings onto a hope.

Batman. Come get me.

BOY WONDER IS STILL LIVING. WHY, THAT'S A JOY. COME OUT THERE LITTLE BLUE BIRD. YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN STAY IN THAT LITTLE BRAIN OF YOURS? WHEN YOU WAKE UP. THAT LEG WILL HURT. YOUR BLOOD WILL SPILL AGAIN ON THAT DARNED LITTLE CREST.

He doesn't care. The glorious speech does not make him flinch. He looks at the window, one thought crosses his cloudy vision.

Bruce (Dad), come get me.

LET'S HAVE SOME MORE FUN, SHALL WE. EVEN JAYBIRD PLAYED THIS GAME TOO. COME ON, HE HAD FUN. LET'S PLAY BLUE BIRD. BLUE JAY. HMM. I LIKE THAT.

-

Playtime.

Its always target practice. He would lie there and watch Harley swing her mallet here and there, sometimes too close to Dick and she would talk to him, so sweetly.

Aww, you wanna play too? Let's play together, shall we?

His face will clench up, his head will scream and suddenly everything is loud as Harley fires guns at targets and maybe shoot some arrows at Dick.

On lucky days, he's used as her gymnast prop.

I want to fly again. Batman I'm falling, please I'd like to fly again. My wings are clipping and I will rip. -

He falls asleep.

You can't call it sleeping. Dozing in and out of consciousness, he was neither awake or sleeping. A grey haze flittered across his vision. No sign of clarity. He still heard the rattle of his breath, the fire in his leg. The now warm abdomen.

He feels someone at his leg.

Harley Quinn was there, a sly smile as he feels a needle go in and out.

In and out. In and out.

In and out, in and out. You need to breathe Dick. In and out. In and out.

When he hears the door shut and a ricocheting silence, he peeks at his leg.

A sick suturing of his leg stabs with dental floss, a handiwork Harley was sure to boast later on. He doesn't care if it gets infected. What's the big deal? Batman will take care of it.

He turns over on his side to his communicator lay. The Nightwing emblem was shattered beyond measure. No matter, I can get a new one. The communication mattered.

He presses the distress signal again, again. Again. Bruce better get that flashing orange light and he should feel his bipolar touch in no time.

He tries to talk, voice hoarse from decreased usage and a rough sandpaper-like quality stuck to it.

"H..hello? Bruce. Dad. Please get me. I'm.. I'm waiting. Please."

He turns back in his side, curled up like an invited animal.

The rain pours, shadows keep coming in and out but none belong to his dad.

The boy asks the moon if Batman had lost his way. Asked if the moon could shine the light brighter at him so Dad can find him faster. He'll be okay, he'll be okay. Bruce might be lost, after all. There's a lot of streets and time isn't on anyone's side.

-

Two weeks go by.

Dick still finds himself bound by the ties and definitely no sign of the caped crusader.

Batman is surely coming.

That thought fades slowly, over the weeks. He's gotten more used to the Joker and the crowbar.

Is this how Jason felt, when he was in Hell?

Dick cannot remember. Dick only knows how the sound of metal and bones work, how the bullet will hit skin, pierce it through with frightening velocity and dull ache afterwards. The pool of blood will remind him that yes, I was shot.

A sick game of Russian Roulette. Instead of one bullet, there's multiple. A .44 magnum shouldn't hurt anymore. The revolver keeps spinning in his mind where acrobats should be. Where's Bruce. Where's dad. Am I forgotten?

Dick tried to remember how to breathe. Is it that hard? Just pulling in oxygen and letting the respiration mechanism do its work?

Distract thine self.

He tries to remember. Tries. He's trying. Nightwing has to do this. You need to at least remember your name. Your mother, your father. Dick. Dick.

Richard. That's your name. Your mother was beautiful but I don't know what her hair colour is, sometimes it's blonde or chestnut and your father was handsome.  You are a Grayson. You have brothers and sisters. Are they Jason? Tim? Da- I don't remember, I don't remember the tiny one. Is he even real? Your sisters too. Stephanie, Stephanie. I have one more, the sneaky one. She's fast but I don't know her name. I'd like to know her well too. Pity I. I don't know her name. I hope she knows my name. That way I can hear her voice and maybe figure out who is the charming one. I know she does ballet. I know she made brownies once with.. Who? I don't remember his name. The old man with cheery wrinkles and deep eyes. I don't know who he is too. Oh. Oh oh. Dick.

[DANGEROUS TO FALL ASLEEP, RICHARD JOHN 'DICK' GRAYSON. EYES. OPEN. EYES. OPEN. BREATHE. (MY LUNGS DON'T WORK)]

I'm begging someone, please. It doesn't have to be Bruce. Get the ballet girl to help me please, she fast and maybe I can ask her name while she gets me out of here.

-

Bruce never gives up.

You know that too, do you? He's spent 3 weeks finding his son. His beloved child.

Do you ever think how much Bruce's heart breaks over and over everyday?

-

"ALFRED?! CAN YOU GET JASON NOW, NOW, NOW?! I FIGURED HIS COORDINATES."

Bruce flips from the Batcomputer and grabs everything. A blind haste, he's never dressed so fast. His son. Oh my god, his son.

Jason is down there getting the Batmobile to rev up and they speed.

They speed.

Are they fast?

I guess. If you call 290 in 85 fast.

They run, Jason dashing first and his breath catches in his throat. A cold draught erupts inside of him. He snarls, Bruce turns as he digs through the alleyways. He finds what he knows lurks.

"The sick fucker is going to end Dick in the same fucking warehouse he ended me in. That big bitch.

Bruce puts one hand on his shoulder and squeezes. No time to panic, Dick is the one. is the unsaid message as Jason crashes through the window.

And even him, Red Hood. The one who sees and commits murder everyday, stops and hot anger sears through him.

Dick lies, barely 15 feet away, bound up and covered in his own blood, the ripped Nightwing suit from his recon mission. Bruce picks him up while Jason gladly punched (and secretly plugged a bullet) the fuck out of Mistah J and Harley.

They lie on unconscious, Jason evaluates the scenes, trying to suppress his screams at what they've done to Grayson.

Bruce picks up Dick like he's glass, he hurries to the Batmobile with Jason telling to prepare the Medbay.

"The Medbay.. I.. I don't think. Leslie. Leslie can."

Is all Bruce says and Jason revs up, driving the Batmobile way beyond the legal limit. Bruce doesn't give a flying banana about it. He'll pay the fine later.

Bruce looks down at his son, hoping he hasn't fallen asleep yet. Finally, finally Dick is in the arms of the crusader. Half his domino mask is ripped and Bruce tries to not break at the baby blues staring without any light-hearted gaze.

His heart still beats (A reminder he's alive and could've been more alive. Bruce failed him)

"LESLIE. DR THOMPKINS!"

Jason screeches across and marching in, earning angry stares  from the other patients but it turns into gasps and horror when they see Batman carry a limp Nightwing barely clad in spandex anymore. Everyone bows out, knowing they were priority.

-

Something inside Dick broke.

He doesn't know what it is.

He'll live with it.

-

"Bruce, he's fallen into a coma."

Leslie says, solemn. Angry tears form in Jason's eye and he was about to fight Bruce, give him the tirade. Compare him to Nightwing.

The unspoken message rings loudly in Bruce's mind. He doesn't need Jason to say it.

You failed him too.

Jason is seething, anger. Sadness a d everything is violating him from inside.

If you were a minute later, he would've died. We would've been carrying his body to the grave. The Joker would still live. You see the problem? DO YOU NOT SEE THE FUCKING PROBLEM?

Bruce sits beside Dick, his pulse like a fluttering butterfly. He grasps his hand in Duck's fragile one and prays.

Prays that he wakes up.

-

Dick is on a life support machine now.

I guess the ventilator couldn't keep him up. All good boys do die. If not, maybe a part of them broke.

Dick is no exception.

-

Alfred squeezes Bruce's hand. Jason sits so quietly beside him alongside the rest of the family.

Its April 27th. Jason was taken this day.

They don't say a word, neither does Red Hood, he just wants the baby blue eyes to open again.

He cries.

-

Five months have gone by and he stirs slowly.

He's barely moving and Jason shoots up and looks, squeezes Dick's hand again.

Baby blues meet emerald green.

Jason dashes for Leslie. She comes and shoos everyone out.

Jason is fucking glad. Dick is alive.

-

Bruce is disappointed.

He cannot bring himself to meet Dick who's currently in the ward under observation. He's failed Dick. He knows it.

He enters, heavy hearted. Dick is smiling at everyone but Bruce can see it, the hard lines. The sunshine doesn't reach the baby blues. He thinks they've turned into aquamarine, a shade tad too dark. I guess, that's what trauma does to people.

Dick smiles at Bruce, he feels the tension and Dick pats the chair beside him where Jason was sleeping. Bruce softly sits, he has no heart to wake Jason up.

Dick is alive. Dick is alive.

Bruce places one hand on Grayson's one, it feels much more warmer and his pulse is beating normally.

And he breaks.

He cries, tears steaming down his cheeks. An ugly sound escapes his throat. Bruce gasps in air and exhales shakily. Dick watches, silent.

Is this how you felt when I was in Hell?

Dick doesn't touch Bruce, doesn't say its okay and I'm alive. He stares dead into Bruce.

I cannot forgive.

Dick sits quietly, he doesn't have to say it. Loyalty does kill you in the end if you step on all the wrong pieces of glass.

That's when you find yourself falling from the trapeze line, you find yourself swirling again in the memories you wish you could lock.

Loyalty in the end, is your demise.

[nalgenewhore]

Too Late To Turn Back Now - Six

masterlist - ao3 - last chapter - next chapter 

+*+*+*+*+*+*

Something warm was pressed into him, his arms holding something to his chest, his face pressed into the curve of someone’s neck.

Lorcan frowned, groggy as he lifted his head to find Elide in his arms. Her shirt had ridden up, his hands splayed across her taut stomach. He didn’t know what to do, not wanting to wake her and also not wanting to stay here, holding her as she slept. Never mind that he hadn’t slept that well in ages and that Elide fit so perfectly against him, he did not like it. Not one bit. 

Deciding to wait, he tracked his eyes over her profile, the gentle slope of her nose and the way her rosy lips parted slightly. Every time she breathed out, the strands of hair that fell over her face floated up and floated down. She began to shift and he hastily moved his arms, turning away before she could fully wake up.

He pretended to be asleep as she shifted and the bed moved. Lorcan slowly got up, sitting against the headboard and looking over at Elide to say good morning. He had broken something new and fragile between them, but he didn’t know how to get back to what they had made. It was different last night, Elide tucked into his side, smiling and happy as they spoke. The words died in his throat and she looked back at him, her eyes closed off and face unreadable.

“Hello? Lorcan?”

Lorcan swallowed hard, his mouth dry as he rasped, “Is that my shirt?”

At some point during the night, Elide had swapped out her hoodie and sweats for one of his t-shirts that hit mid thigh. Her pale cheeks pinked and she ducked her head, fingering the worn cotton hem as she muttered, “I sleep cold and you’re a furnace.”

When he didn’t answer, too shocked by the sight of her, she shifted on her feet, crossing her arms, “Why are you staring like that?”

“’Cause you look good,” Lorcan breathed, unable to stop the words. “Really good.” He slowly raked his gaze up her body to hers, the glimmer of heat wiped from her eyes the moment their sights met. To change the subject, he quickly asked, “Where are you going?”

“Oh, I’m going on a run. Clear my head.”

“Ok. Um, can we- can we talk later?”

She nodded solemnly, grabbing a pair of leggings and a long-sleeved synthetic top. “Sounds good.”

“Alright, I’ll let you get on with your run.”

“See you.”

 +*+*+*+*+*+*

Her feet landed lightly on the soft trail, bouncy soil covered in pine needles and pinecones. ‘Cause you look good. Really good.

Anneith help her, that was so not helpful right now. Elide stopped at a fork in the path, hoping she could find her way to the ocean by following the waves.

What she heard was quiet, steady beats of a drum and voices reciting words in a language she didn’t know. Curiosity got the best of her though and Elide listened carefully and turned left, walking down the path.

As she walked further and further, the scent of sage grew and grew and she sighed, feeling the smoke wash over her. The path brought her to a secluded grove, where she saw three women kneeling, their backs to her.

Elide got the sense she shouldn’t interrupt this and slowly stepped backwards, the sound of a twig snapping under her foot deafening.

The rhythmic drumming and chanting stopped and as one, Odette, Aneha, and Sadirah turned, their faces suspicious until they saw her and smiled warmly. “Elide!”

“I’m sorry, I just heard the drumming and—”

Aneha shook her head and stood up, walking across the grove, a braid of sweetgrass in her hand. “We were just praying, you don’t need to apologize.” Slowly, as if she were shy, she asked, “Do you want to join us?”

“Oh, I don’t need to, I’ll just leave you all to pray. I’m sorry again.”

“Please? We’d like to share this with you,” Aneha pouted slightly, making her dark eyes wide and big. Elide relented with a nod and walked, hesitantly, to kneel beside Odette, Aneha on her other side and Sadirah on Odette’s other side.

“Do you know about the Ozuye?”

Elide shook her head, her hands folded in her lap. “Not much. Lorcan hasn’t mentioned it much.”

“Ah. Well, I’m not surprised,” Odette commented, commencing the gentle drumming. “Lorcan has had difficulty with his heritage.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” she said, her face growing sad. “My son never felt as though he belonged. The anger inside of him… is like nothing else. The hate he feels.” Sadirah and Aneha continued their prayers, beautiful words spilling from their lips. “In our language, there is not a word for hate and we don’t feel it, but Lorcan does. He feels love, just as much, but he’s always focused on the anger.”

“Vaughan told me about their… father.”

“That’s good. You should know. As I’m sure you know, Lorcan isn’t one to discuss his past. For a long long time, he was ashamed and ashamed of his shame. He lost his way.”

Elide stared down at her lap, her voice quiet. “I lost my way with my people.”

“Terrasenians?” Sadirah asked. 

She shook her head, “Blackbeaks. My father was from Terrasen, but my mother was from the Frozen Wastes. I stopped my practice when I left home.” She regarded the sage in Sadirah’s hand, watching the smoke. With a finger, she traced the sage that wafted over to her, reading the white smoke, “This is good. To us, it means this space is cleansed.”

Sadirah smiled excitedly, gesturing vaguely, “We’re performing a sun prayer right now, for the solstice.”

Elide had forgotten the solstice was approaching and shared a small grin with the younger girl, “It’s coming up soon. I always loved the summer solstice.”

Odette offered to teach Elide the prayer and the twins smiled wildly, with abandon, as she recited the words, her pronunciation far from perfect or even good, but Odette assured her the Creator didn’t care how it sounded, as long as the meaning was there.

The prayers wrapped up and as they stood, wiping the pine needles from their clothes, Elide asked Lorcan’s mother. “Did Lorcan ever find his way back?”

“Yes, he did,” Odette replied, her full lips pulling into a wide smile, her eyes crinkling. “You can always find your way back, Elide. Your gods haven’t left you, they’re just waiting for something. For some, it means meeting a woman they describe as Death’s consort, but your moment will come, my dear.”

“Are you telling tales about me, iná?”

They turned to find Lorcan leaning against a tree, something unreadable in his eyes as he looked at Elide. Odette rolled her eyes, “You didn’t think to join us?”

Lorcan shrugged, “Didn’t want to interrupt. El, we’re going into town.”

Her brow furrowed, “For what?”

“Your parcel,” he said, arching a brow. “You coming?”

“Oh, yeah. I’ll see you all later,” she said, accepting the hug they all enveloped her in. “Thank you.” Elide walked backwards away from the grove, silently thanking her goddesses and respectfully dismissing them.

As they walked back up the path, Elide studied Lorcan, Odette’s words ringing in her mind. He glanced down at her, his brows creasing, “What is it?”

Elide just shook her head, “Nothing.”

 +*+*+*+*+*+*

After picking up her new phone, Lorcan took her to a café and steered her towards an empty table as she set up her phone. “Remind me again why I broke my old phone?” When he opened his mouth to say something, she held up her finger, “That was a rhetorical question, Salvaterre.”

Lorcan chuckled, “Enough said. Do you want something to eat?”

“No, thank you, just water? Please.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say please and thank you this much,” he teased her as he stood up to wait in line. Lorcan glanced out the window and did a double take. Elide followed his gaze to where Essar was, oblivious to Lorcan as she led a group of children, all holding hands. “On second thought, give me just a minute.”

Lorcan left before she could say anything and she watched him walk up to Essar, who smiled brightly up at him. Elide paused in her setting-up, watching them as they spoke and Lorcan crouched down in front of a child, his face bright and joyful. She’d never seen him this happy.

Swallowing past her tight throat, she listened through her messages, smiling triumphantly as the courts called back, asking her to call them as soon as possible to schedule an appeal. Excited, she hastily gathered her shiny phone and the box it came in, rushing out to tell Lorcan. “Lorcan!”

He turned to her, a brow raised, “Yes?”

“We got it, we got the appeal!”

He gasped, “Really?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, laughing as he wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her, picking her up and swinging her around. “We got it.”

As he put her down on her feet, his eyes tender and soft, “You’re fucking amazing, Lochan.”

“Language,” she murmured, reaching up to pick a pine needle off the collar of his sherpa jacket and giving a pointed look to the children. Lorcan chuckled and rolled his eyes as she turned to Essar, “I’m sorry, there’s just this case and it got appealed and it’s just a whole big thing.”

“Well, I have no idea what’s going on, but I’m happy for you two. I should be getting the kiddos back to school, but I’ll see you guys on Sunday. Say bye-bye to our friends,” Essar said to the children and they all yelled good-bye, still holding hands as they waved.

Lorcan and Elide laughed and waved goodbye as Essar led the children down the sidewalk. “I can’t believe you actually got the appeal.”

“Are you dissing my mad lawyer skills?”

He laughed and shook his head, “Nah, no way. It’s more like Cairn fucked it up so bad and the judge hates him.” His arm was slung over her shoulder and she bumped him with her hip, scrunching her nose up as he made a face and stuck his tongue out at her.

“You’re a child.”

He opened his mouth to reply when they heard someone calling their names. They looked behind them at Sadirah who ran up to them. “Hey! Elide, do you mind coming with me? There’s something for you.”

“What, I can’t see it?”

“Nope. Top secret, big man. You’ll find out soon enough,” she said, tugging on Elide’s hand. “You’ll see her later, gods above, go!”

He held his hands up in surrender and backed away, “I’ll be at the boat when you’re ready, princess.” 

 +*+*+*+*+*+*

Sadirah pulled Elide into a shop above Dresenda’s, refusing to answer any of her questions. Elide only became more confused when she saw Aneha, Odette, Aelin, and Nehemia waiting in chairs in what appeared to be a seamstress’ atelier. “What’s happening?”

Aneha stepped up, a garment bag in her hand, “Go into the back and change!”

Elide dutifully took the bag and passed into the closed off area, her breath catching as she unzipped the bag and revealed to herself a white silk dress, no extra beading or decorations save for painstaking pleats and beautiful mother-of-pearl buttons. 

Her throat ached with tears as she changed into it, the gown fitting like a glove. It wasn’t particularly figure-showing or revealing, but beautiful, nonetheless. The sleeves were loose until they cuffed just below the elbow, pearl buttons running up the sides. The curtain moved to the side and Odette stepped in, smiling as she zipped up the back, “Thought you might need some help.”

Elide smiled gratefully, pressing her lips together to keep her tears at bay. She breathed out slowly, smoothing her hands over the bodice, her fingers tracing the decorative pearl buttons that went up her sternum to a dropped v-shaped neckline. “It’s beautiful.”

“It was my mother’s. It was a scandal, you know, the marriage. You see, she was from the Toka nation – the Ozuye’s long-time foe. But still, she married my father and we had a happy life.” Odette gently undid Elide’s ponytail from her run and gathered her hair in a low bun. “Lorcan looks at you the same way my father did my mother. I hope you know just how much he loves you.”

“I do,” Elide replied, tears pooling in her eyes.

They heard Aelin holler, “Well, come on out! We want to see!”

Elide and Odette chuckled, “Always a rebel rouser, that one.” Odette kissed Elide’s cheek and opened the curtain to usher her out.

They all squealed and clapped as Elide stepped onto the pedestal, looking at herself in the mirror. Admittedly, she looked gorgeous, and Aneha stepped closer, scrutinizing with a pincushion on her wrist. “How does it feel?”

“Perfect, really. Except for maybe the waist,” she pulled in the extra fabric and Aneha nodded, her eyes narrowing as she pinned the dress in place.

She moved to the back and pulled at the shoulders, “I’ll fix these, as well, just raise them a bit. You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Elide murmured, looking at Odette as she walked up with a jewellery box in hand.

“Here, we thought you might need something borrowed or blue.” She opened the box and lifted out a dainty silver chain with an oval-shaped blue jade. Odette stood behind Elide, bumping her daughter out of the way to gently lay it around Elide’s throat.

The stone was cool against the skin of her chest and she gasped a bit at the feeling as Odette put her hair back in a twist, clipping a tortoiseshell hair clip around her hair.

Elide barely heard their compliments as she stared at herself, her eyes welling. She’d forgotten what this was all like.

 +*+*+*+*+*+*

Lorcan was sitting in the boat, reclined and dozing in the warm sun when he was woken abruptly by Elide, her eyes red-rimmed. “Can we go.”

“What happened—”

“I need to get out of here, so can you please just drive?” He didn’t ask any more questions and steered the boat out of the marina. “Move over. I want to drive.”

“Elide, wait—”

She pushed him out of the way and grabbed the wheel, pushing on the lever until they were cruising at max speed, slicing aggressively through the water. Lorcan let out a shouted curse and grabbed onto the window, eyes wide and on Elide as she drove. “What are you doing? What happened?”

“Your family loves you, you know that?”

“Yes, I fucking know that! Why are you going so fast, what happened?”

“You know that they love you and you’re still lying to them!”

“What did you think was going to happen when we got up here?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t think about it!” In a flash, she let go of the wheel and stumbled to the seat as Lorcan swore and caught it, still remaining at the top speed as he yelled at her.

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever fucking heard in my life, Elide.”

“I forgot, ok?!”

“Forgot what?”

“I forgot what it’s like to have a family, you bastard! I’ve been on my own since I was fourteen and spent all my time studying to get away from Perranth! I forgot what it’s like to have people love you and hug you just because and give you necklaces and ask to spend the holidays with you! And you have that here and I’m just ruining everything!” ”

Lorcan didn’t know where this was coming from and he got angry, “You didn’t fucking think about that? No, of course you didn’t! Of course, you didn’t think about how this could fuck up my entire life because all you care about is you! You’re the most selfish person I know, Elide!” There was a buoy in his path and he swerved violently to avoid it. “Hellas below, I get that you’re freaking out, but you can’t just commandeer a boat you don’t know how to drive!”

He finally slowed the boat and waited for her reply, only, it never came. Lorcan scoffed, “Oh, yeah, that’s real mature, princess, just ignoring- Elide?” he turned around and didn’t see her. Confused, he glanced around, wondering where she could’ve gone. He bent down, wondering if she’d maybe crawled under the bench.

Somebody screamed and he looked up in his wake, seeing somebody thrashing in the water. “Shit, shit, shit, Elide!” Pale hands broke the surface and bubbles popped up as she fought to reach air.

 +*+*+*+*+*+*

The ocean was bitingly cold and wet, dark all around her. She couldn’t breathe, saltwater shoving up her nose and burning in her throat. She thrashed, fighting to get to the surface and a breath of air. As she broke free, she screamed, hearing him yell for her to swim to the buoy.

Using all her strength, Elide made her way to the metal structure, grabbing the iron rung of the ladder and clinging to it. Elide climbed up carefully, not moving her legs until she had a death grip on the next rung.

Waves splashed against her as Lorcan slowly approached her, reaching a hand out. “Grab my hand, Elide.”

She glanced fearfully at the water, his hand, and the boat, judging the distance to be too great and shook her head. “It’s too far. I’m going to fall.”

”Every time you fall, I promise I will catch you, just grab my hand.” She didn’t move. “Princess.” Slowly, she stretched her arm out and grabbed his wrist. “There you go, it’s ok, let go of the ladder.”

She did and he pulled her through the water to the boat, tugging her up effortlessly and sitting her on the plush leather seat, kneeling down and grabbing a blanket from one of the compartments. Her whole body was wracked with great big shivers and he wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, sitting next to her and pulling her into his lap. He shucked off his thick sweater, draping it over her as well. 

Lorcan rubbed her arm, getting the blood flowing through her body as she shook. “Why would you do that, you know you can’t swim,” he berated her, his heart still slamming in his chest as he started the boat again. Elide pressed her face into his neck, the tip of her nose freezing against his warm skin. “You just can’t go around trying to drown yourself when you’re insulted, Elide.”

Elide’s teeth were clacking loudly together as she said, “You made me fall in, bastard. It’s all your fault.” She knocked her forehead against his jaw and glared up at him, nothing like the intimidating scowl that was usually directed at him. “You lost me.”

He shifted her so he could wrap his other arm around her as well and still keep a hand on the wheel. “I will always find you, Lochan. I promise.” Elide looked up at him, something warming in her heart. “Ok?”

She nodded and tucked herself further into his chest, “Ok.”

Lorcan smiled down at her, smiled at the way she folded herself into him so naturally and felt something stir in his chest, similar to what he’d felt holding her this morning in their bed. Only this time, he let himself hold her tighter and his grin grew wider, unbeknownst to her.

+*+*+*+*+*+*

an: aw it’s cute 

@mythicaitt @tinywolfofeyllwe @schmlip-scribble @the-regal-warrior @westofmoon @empire-of-wildfire @rhysands-highlady @city-of-fae @shyvioletcat @alifletcher2012 @tangledraysofsunshine @ttakeitbacknoww @tswaney17 @ourbooksuniverse @flora-and-fae @thesirenwashere e @queenofxhearts @maastrash @mynewdreamwasyou​ @cursebreaker29​ @superspiritfestival @yikesitsmaddie @flowerspringsea @queen-of-glass @sleeping-and-books s @b00kworm @bat-wing-rhys @poisonous00 @empress-ofbloodshed @feyrethedarklady @gorl-power @keshavomit @ifinallygavein @rosegoldannie​ let me know if you want to be added/removed from the tag list 

[merakiaes]

Lucky Me - Jack Thompson

Pairing: Jack Thompson x reader

Requested: By @viktorijailieska on Wattpad. 

Prompts: None. 

Warnings/notes: Not proofread so I apologize in advance for any mistakes. Leave a comment and let me know what you think xx

Wordcount: 2737

Summary: When you get a call from Peggy telling you that Jack has been shot in his hotel room following the events of Whitney Frost and the Zero Matter, you waste no time in getting on a plane to Los Angeles to be with him. 

When you got a call from Peggy telling you that Jack was in the hospital in Los Angeles after having been found shot in the chest in his hotel room, you had dropped the plate you had been washing into the sink, causing it to break.

Your sister had entered the kitchen when hearing the sound just in time to be able to reach your side and catch you as you fell to the floor with a hand to your mouth, when Peggy had then proceeded to tell you that the doctors didn’t know if he would ever wake up again.

Your brother-in-law, working at the airport and having some pull, had wasted no time in getting you on a plane the same hour, your sister going with you after a stressful goodbye to her husband.

You arrived at the hospital and had more or less ran to get to Jack’s room, Peggy and Daniel meeting you outside his room.

Peggy had opened her arms for a hug but you hadn’t even had the time to spare her as much as a glance, wasting no time in going into the room where a nurse was tending to your fiance, tubes and needles sticking out of his arms, an oxygen mask covering his face and his chest on full display, a bloody bandage covering the entire left peck.

You hadn’t moved your eyes away from him once since you arrived, you hadn’t let go of his hand and you hadn’t let yourself sleep even for a second.

Not even when his co-workers came in and left him flowers, gift baskets and “get well soon”-cards did you look away from his face, scared that you would miss even the smallest of movement if you did.

Peggy had decided to stay in Los Angeles, obviously for the sake of Daniel. She didn’t know that you knew, of course, as she claimed to be staying for you, but still, you knew that wasn’t the case.

Three days had passed since he got shot. Three long days without sleep, three long days with no sign of Jack waking up.

At this point, you had no tears left to cry after crying yourself dry, and you were struggling more and more to stay awake where you sat at his bedside, your thumb gently caressing his bruised knuckles.

Your mind had been blank the entire day, your head being too swarmed with emotions, with fear, worry, anxiety, to let a single thought come through.

But as you sat there now, a familiar image started forcing itself into your head and just like that, you were thinking back to the day you first met, a smile slowly making its way onto your lips for the first time in days.

You could remember it as if it was just yesterday and not close to two years ago; the smells, the people, the sounds, the colors. You remembered it all.

You had been attending a fundraiser as your sister and brother-in-law’s plus one, just having been dumped by your at-the-time boyfriend and dragged along by your sister in an attempt to get you in a better mood.

Jack had been there strictly for business, trying to catch some bad guy like he always was. 

But in some way, you had managed to distract him from his work from across the room, and he had been so compelled by you, your beauty and your entire aura that he hadn’t been able to stop himself from asking you to dance.

A hum of contentment left your lips at the memory, your smile stretching into an even wider one.

Your eyes were getting heavier for every second passing and as your vision started to blur together, you finally allowed your eyes to fall shut, just to rest them for a short moment.

You could feel yourself lulling off to sleep pretty much immediately so you quickly shook yourself out of it, coming back awake with a jerk of your head.

Only now, when you opened your eyes again, the hospital room you had previously been sitting in was gone.

The cold, white walls were replaced with warm mahogany, the smell of sanitizer and soap replaced by the smell of expensive tobacco and food and the sound of the beeping monitor replaced by people’s laughing and talking, and light jazz.

But the familiar feeling of Jack’s hand in yours was still there, and as you looked up, you caught him staring down at you with those sparkling, green eyes you loved so much, his face pulled into a charming grin and upon closer inspection, his body dressed in a gray, neat suit.

Confusion instantly filled your body and mind, your eyebrows creasing together, but you got no time to ponder on what was happening, Jack’s smooth voice reaching your ears within the next second.

“You okay there? I lost you for a bit.” He chuckled and you stared, unable to break your eyes away from his.

“I’m-“ You struggled to find the right words, trying to make sense of the situation and the crease between your eyebrows growing deeper. “I’m just surprised to see you awake. When did we get here?” You asked, and Jack raised an eyebrow at you, looking more amused now than ever.

“Are you feeling alright?” He asked. “You’re not going crazy on me, are you?”

“I- never mind.” You sighed, relaxing your face. 

Suddenly, you could feel your lips stretching into a wide smile, completely out of your control, and a second later, you heard your own voice again. “I’m quite alright, thank you. Was it something you wanted?”

It was your voice and you could feel your lips moving, but your head was empty, your body moving completely on its own.

Jack chuckled, still holding on to your hand. “I was wondering if you’d care for a dance.” He said, smiling widely as he tilted his head in a side-nod. “Beautiful lady like yourself shouldn’t be standing in a corner by herself at a party like this.”

You found yourself smiling even wider at the compliment and you slowly started realizing where and when you were.

“Oh no, I’m afraid I would only step you on your toes. I inherited a lot from my mother but unfortunately not her skills in dancing.” You heard and felt yourself speak again, and watched as Jack’s face lit up into a teasing grin.

“Well, you’re in luck then because my shoes are steel capped. I won’t feel a thing.” He said, and offered you his other hand. 

You felt your heart flutter and your body grow hot. “Lucky me.” You replied in an equally as flirty tone, and reached out and took his hand.

He led you to the dance floor where other people should’ve been dancing, but the floor was completely empty and as you looked around, a frown once again etched itself onto your face when you realized the rest of the room was empty too.

You could hear the murmur of voices, the music, the laughter. So where were the people? Where was the band? Where was the cigars and food that you could smell as if it was all right next to you?

“You are strikingly beautiful.” Jack suddenly spoke, pulling your attention back to him. “It’s a shame I’m here on business, or else I’d make sure you had the best night of your life.”

You frowned, remembering the first time he told you those words, how you had blushed and turned your head to the side, only for him to catch your chin between his fingers and turn it right back to be able to compliment your eyes.

It had been love at first sight, the two of you always agreed on. But this wasn’t like that. This wasn’t then, you realized as you finally regained control over your body and mind.

While he continued to smile down at you, waltz you from side to side in a slow dance, you frantically looked around. “Where is everyone? I can hear them but-“

“You can’t see them because it’s not real.” He cut you off, causing you to look back to him just as he stopped dancing.

As your eyes met, his smile widened, and his hands let go of yours to cradle your face. 

In return, no matter how strange the situation, yours followed his to grab at his wrists, out of pure instinct.

“You’re dreaming, you’re reminiscing a memory. You need to wake up.” He continued, bringing his face closer to yours.

Your breathing was getting heavier, the air turning thicker and your confusion only growing. “What?” You mumbled under your breath, your heart picking up pace in your heart as your vision began blurring.

“Wake up, doll.” He said again, smiling down at you as if he was completely oblivious to the room beginning to fade away around you.

Wake up.

Wake up..

Wake up…

His voice continued to echo in your head as the mahogany walls began swirling around, becoming one until his face was completely gone and everything turned black.

You were stuck in the darkness for another good moment, before you suddenly jerked back to reality, your eyes wide as you returned to the land of the wake and your brain progressed the familiar white walls, disinfectant and beeping.

“Hey. Good morning.” Jack’s voice reached your ears and you immediately turned to look at him, your eyes widening as you found him lying awake in the hospital bed.

“Jack.” You managed to get out through a breath, the sleep quickly melting off and shock taking its place. “You’re awake. I’ll go get the doctor-“

You rushed to get out of your chair but Jack’s hand quickly shot out to catch your wrist, his head shaking against the pillow underneath it. “No, not yet.” He said. “Just sit here with me for a bit.”

You hesitated, but when he looked at you pleadingly, you nodded your head and slowly sank back into your chair, much against your better judgement.

“Okay.” You whispered, sitting back down and moving the chair closer, taking his hand into yours. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve been shot.” He murmured, using his free hand to push himself a bit further up on the bed, his face pulling into a painful expression with a hiss.

You winced at the sound and sight and adjusted yourself in your chair, giving him a hesitant look. “I should really get the doctor.” You tried again but just like the first time, he only shook his head again.

“No, I’m alright. I promise.” He answered, but obviously, you didn’t believe him for a second.

“Do you need anything?” You asked. “Water? Another pillow? Are you in pain?”

“I’m fine, for now.” He kept insisting, mustering the closest he could get to a smile through the pain. “Just sit with me. Please.”

You were still very hesitant, wanting to go get the doctor, but you couldn’t say no to him, not even now, simply sighing with defeat and closing your eyes as you brought his hand up to your mouth, pressing a feather-light kiss to his knuckles.

“I was so scared, Jack.” You mumbled against his hand. “They said they didn’t know whether or not you would be waking up again and I- I was so afraid. I was so scared that I was going to lose you.”

Your eyes stung as tears built up, the warm, salty drops rolling down your cheeks in no time. “I love you. I love you so much.” You sniffed, opening your eyes and looking at him through your blurry vision.

“I love you, too, doll. I’m here.” He answered, moving to cradle your face with his other hand as you cried, pulling you closer to him. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

You nodded your head, trying to calm your crying and your rapid breathing by focusing on his beautiful, green eyes, sparkling even now that he was lying in a hospital bed.

Once you had managed to calm down, he finally allowed you to go get the doctor and you left him to check him over in peace while you went down to the cafeteria to tell Peggy and Daniel the good news.

It was the first time that you had left his side in three days so they knew you came bearing good news before you had even spoken a word, and they gladly came with you up to his room to see him.

They had stayed for a while but left you alone eventually when visiting hours were over and the two of you had been sitting in silence for about ten minutes now, the hospital room just dimly lit up by the lamp at the other side of the room and the only sound being heard being the monitor on the other side of the bed.

You were caressing Jack’s knuckles with your thumb gently, watching your movements closely and feeling completely relaxed at the feeling of Jack’s finger drawing lacy circles in the palm of your other hand.

Smiling to yourself at the slight tickle his touch left behind, you hummed, causing his eyes to flicker up to you.

“What?” He asked softly and your smile widened, your eyes staying on the movements of your hand.

“I was thinking…” You started, trailing off for a moment.

He took the opportunity you left open, of course, and raised an amused eyebrow. “That can’t be good.” He joked and you rolled your eyes, halting the movements of your thumb and instead taking his hand into yours,  looking up at him.

“Ever the comedian.” You joked back and he chuckled.

“Sorry, sorry. Tell me what you were thinking.”

You leaned in closer to the bed and brought his hand up to your lips, pressing a kiss to his knuckles like you had done before. 

“I was thinking…” You started again. “That when you’re all healed up, maybe we could go out dancing.”

Jack’s face instantly pulled into one of surprise, his eyebrows shooting up. “Dancing?” He asked. “You hate dancing. Are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah, but I…” You trailed off again, shrugging with a light smile playing on your lips. “It’s not so bad when I’m with you, you know?”

“Well, when you put it that way.” He instantly grinned, eyes sparking up with mischief. “I think I could get my schedule cleared out, if…”

He trailed off and you raised an eyebrow. “If?”

“If you wear that pretty red dress your sister got you for Christmas.” He finished, a playful but genuine smirk playing on his lips.

You bit the inside of your cheek to stop your face from breaking into an embarrassingly large smile, humming gently. “I think that can be arranged.” You replied, leaning in closer to him.

He followed your example, bringing his hand to the side of your face and leaning in, humming under his breath and his eyes flickering between your eyes and your lips. 

“Well, I better get my steel capped shoes polished, then.” He mumbled.

The two of you were now only inches apart, his hand cradling your jaw and your hand having moved to the back of his neck.

As the playfulness wore off, you turned serious again, reality catching back up with you and sadness overcoming your body and mind.

“Never leave me.” Your voice came out as a mere whisper, your eyebrows knitting together as you swallowed.

Jack’s lips pulled into a genuine smile, his head shaking every so lightly. “Wouldn’t dream of it, doll.” He whispered back, and then he pulled you in to connect his lips to yours.

It was a sweet kiss. A short one, but it was just enough. When you came apart your eyes instantly met, and you couldn’t look at him with anything other than pure wonder.

He took note of this almost instantly and chuckled, giving you an amused stare. “What?” He asked, still snickering. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

You could only smile, getting lost in his sparkling green eyes just like you had during your first meeting.

“No reason.” You managed to get out in a whisper after a moment of just smiling absentmindedly in silence, all while the two same words kept repeating themselves in your head, echoing in your mind as you looked at him.

Lucky me.

Tagged: @corishirogane3​ @trenchcoatedwings​ @fandomsandxfiles-writes​ @microwaved-timmies​

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[riverteatime]

A night with my Moon-boyfriend (Moonjumper x Reader fic)

-and also a bit of Snatcher too-

Author note :

*inhale*

Aaaaaaaaaaa-

I'm back

I just want to say that they have not enough fic of the Moonboy. I may be a Snatch lover but there have also a big place in my heart for MJ (plus the fact that I will make MJ route before Snatcher in ADIT because he is a pure boi).

No trigger warning just fluff and love ! Also I am sorry but it's not really gender neutral. And also MC is shy.

And also next fic will be sick!reader or nightmare x Mj. (Maybe both in one fic)

Also Imma give a hug to the Moonfreak--

------------

You are exhausted. It's one of those days you hate because it's sooo hot outside. And it's been two weeks since the last time you have 'a cool day' (a day in which the temperature is not too hot or too cold). Luckly for you, you spend a good time at Subcon Forest each days. This place have many trees (even if they are more dead than anything) but the heart of the forest is also in a perpetual night so this place is more pleasant in a time in which the desert and Mafia Town are literally 'hell' places. Plus you have a little further the 'ice biome' like you like to call it. But the last time you tried to go and 'cool off' you have seen a headless statue at the distance. Even if it was far from you, you just decided to return in the forest while you say to yourself "Nope. Not today!". And your 'task', like your boss (aka: Snatch the noodle ghost) love to call don't help. Every day you have something to do : searching for a lost subconite (every day), murder the fire spirits (once a week), delivering mail (once - twice a week), playing with Hat, Bow and Mu (once - twice a day and even more if you make a sleepover), be present for the Death Wishes... So many things to do. Every days you have to run in all Subcon Forest. At the end, when you have finish your job, you want to jump in the puddle of water in front of Snatcher's house.

Anyways, you finished your work earlier today. So now it's time for the best part of the day, it's time to go see your boyfriend Moony. It's now more than one month you started to go on dates with him. Due to his gentleman attitude, he brings you to fancy restaurants. But you always wonders something : where do his money came from. He is a corpse and dead livings have no use of money after their life. He is indeed a prince (or was), sure, but this fact don't stop you of thinking.

Today, you want to ask him for a date. Normally, it's always him who ask. But this time you want to change things. And also you are worried that he will run out of money with all the stuff he buys to you. And you have an idea.

You know oh so well the path that brings you to your beloved. With no time you arrived at the 'Mj's forest part'. And he didn't seem to have sense your presence or he will be already running (or floating) at you.

"MOONY!?" You call, almost screaming at the trees.

With no time he answers you "Darling! You are here?! Can you wait a little?"

"Are you busy? I can pass at another time if you want." You say, a bit disappointed.

"Nonono- I already finished, I just have to make this thing here and-. Ok!" He mumbles to himself

You were trying to watch the tops of the trees, hoping you will be able to see where he is hiding. And you see him, going down slowly at you like an angel. You cannot keep your mounth shut by how etherial he is. Your jaw is now wide open. Even it's been now one month you date him, and more you know him, you cannot help yourself to fall in love harder. Mj's body is now floating at some feets from the ground, he watch your stunning face with amusement. His small chuckle brings you to the reality.

"What is this visit worth to me?" He say with his oh-so-lovely smile.

"I-..." You shook your head for escaping your daydream. "I just want to talk with you about our next date"

"Hmm? I didn't set out where will we going next time. I'm little busy with Snatcher these days. Sorry..."

"No! I... Uh... I was thinking with the whole thing that you are always the one who invite me and pay for fancy restaurant..." You start shyly.

"You don't like it?" He asks with a concerned voice.

"No! Uh... Yes...Uh... I like it but I was asking to myself where all this money come from 'cause you're a corpse..." You stammer.

"Darling! I'm a prince!" He says while a small laugh.

"I know but... I cannot stop myself to think about that" You tell to him

"My little MC, you know that I will buy the world for you if I was capable. Don't worry about the money I have more than you though. And you deserve this my sweet doll. You deserve all the money of the world." He answer smiling smugly

The fact that he calls you doll -even if he calls you that ANYTIME he see you- make you blush a little. You shook your head for trying to make disappear the blushing (the keyword is trying 'cause you're always blushing with him). "...anyway! I was thinking maybe for our next date we ... can make -a- a movie night... in my spaceship and... m-make a sleepover ?..." You say so shyly that you are asking at yourself if he heard it. You are now just a blushing mess that want to hide somewhere.

Moonjumper sits on the ground to look into your eyes and asks "Is that an invitation ?"

"....yeah .... I think... B-but if you are busy we can make this another time...." You continue always blushing.

"I accept ! And no need to be so shy with me, my doll." He says happily. "How about tomorrow evening?"

"o-ok" You say shyly to him. Peck! Why it's always difficult to say things with him. Anyways, you succeed to ask him and it's truly something.

You stay with him for one hour, watching him re-arranging his home, sometimes telling him some stuff like the new restaurant you have seen in Mafia Town, the ideas of Conductor and Grooves for their next movie, the book you are reading when you are alone in your spaceship... Sometimes he answer you, sometimes he just hums. After some time, you decide to call it a day and to return in your spaceship after saying "see you tomorrow".

-------

The next day you awake from your sleep, your morning alarm already ringing. You take a quick shower and prepare breakfast when you remember something you have totally forgot. You have a date with your boyfriend. Remembering this make your face all blushy and you even almost chokes on your breakfast.

"Just don't think about Moony" you mumble to yourself. But then your brain thinks about him and his charming persona so you blush even more. In fact you are already as red as a cherry.

After finishing your breakfast you go to the forest making Snatcher's work.

--------

"Boss ! I found the subconite !" You say to Snatcher while you walk at his tree-house. "He was stuck at the swamp." It's now the third subconite you found lost in the forest in a week. Geez, they cannot stay at their work. Snatcher, already busy with one of his books (like always), waves his hand for showing you he have somewhat understand, and dismiss you in the same time. But you stay, because you want to ask something, and the simple fact you're not going out bother the purple man.

"What !?" He asks you a bit angry while placing a bookmark at the page he was reading.

"I need to ask something !" You answer

"I'm already listening" He tells you, proving you that he is really listening to your request for once.

"Cool ! So, I need your opinion for something. What type of movies MJ likes. I don't know what to show him and I'm thinking because you are his other half maybe you know. Hattie have inviting you and him for watching movies, right?" You tell maybe a bit too fast because you are just excited.

He closes his eyes and inhale. "Listen! It's not because he is my other half that I know all the things about him. You are his boy/girlfriend so it's more YOU who must know that." He says pointing at you with one of his finger. "And yes, the hatted brat invited me and Moonboy at her 'movie night party' so many times. Just don't show him a horror movie or he will scream like he will be killed for the second time. I also recommend to you to not show him a dramatic film or he will cry during all the movie."

"So no drama and no horror movies. I got it ! Thanks Snatch, you're the best !" You say happily while waving to him to say goodbye.

"Whatever... And don't call me 'Snatch'!" He yells from his chair at you while you are already far enough for not to be killed (in the figurative sens of the word).

---------------

So now it's currently the evening. You though about making a dinner for your boyfriend but you remembered he is a corpse so he don't need to eat (and also because you talked with him today in the forest and said that he will be alright). Anyway, for killing the time you though about what you will wear, took a shower and checked if everythings was alright (at least ten times for an hour). It will be the first time you will spend a night with your bf at home so you are stressed, anxious but also happy. For movies you choose classics : Disney movies. They have a lot of romantics stories with princes and princesses and you hope that your bf will like (and also searching movies in space is kind of looking for a needle in a hayshack).

So now you wait (and checked again a last time). You know that he will not be late, he is always at time for dates. But you cannot let your eyes see another thing than the needles of your watch on your arm. You even seem to hear the low ticktock of it.

Then you sense a little gust of cold wind. It's the signal.

"Hi Moony!" You say showing your more beautiful smile.

"Good evening my beautiful doll! You're splendid tonight!" He say while appearing from his glitch dimension (yeah I headcannon that he can go in a glitch dimension for long travels)

You blush and you whisper "You're the beautiful here". He place his hand on your head and reply "No you!". Like always you cannot win this argument. Then he grab something hiding in his coat and give you a small plush of your favorite animal (you can choose, but for me it's cat and red panda).

"Sorry to not give you a decent gift. The last time I gifted flowers... You know what happen" He tells to you. But for you this is more than a decent gift. So you do what your brain say, you hug Moonjumper and tell him that you are happy.

You stay some minutes like this. But you remember that you have a movie night to do. You take his hand and lead him to your 'movie place' (that is just many pillows, a pile of blankets, some bowls of popcorn and a pile of movies in front of your TV.). You said to him to make himself at home while you pick a movie. And you don't see your favorite Disney's movie (again you can choose the movie) so you dive (literally) your head first in one of your closet where your movies should be. Meanwhile your boyfriend Moony have set his eyes first one your little form disappearing in the closet, then on the delicious pop-corn you prepared for this occasion. What is this thing, again? He saw that when the hatted child (Hattie) invited him at a party. He picks one piece of pop-corn and hold it between his fingers for inspecting this. But then you find the precious movie and you come out from your closet. You see him with his pop-corn.

"Moony? Did something bother you?" You ask while walking to the TV

"Yes... I've seen this when I was at the hatted child's party..." He says.

"What? Wait! You don't know what is pop-corn". He shakes his head at your ask. "Eat it" You tell him. He tilts his head and look at you with a confusing and surprised look. So you grab a bunch of pop-corn and swallow it in no time. It's when he sees that you're not dying (so it's not poisonous) that he eat the small pop-corn. At the first time, anything happen, then a big smile appears on his face.

"You like it?" You ask. He continue to smile for saying yes. "You can eat more. All of it is for you"

"But you?" He ask a bit concerned about the fact that you will not eat

"If I eat all of the pop-corn I'm sure my dentist will not be happy". You reply while turning on the TV and putting the channel on 'DVD player'.

Soon, the movie starts. You sit next to your boyfriend. But then, the corpse start to watch you rather than the TV and thinks about something.

"My Angel?" He ask you

"Yeah?" You reply, not paying attention to the nickname he told you because you are so absorb on the movie, even if it started just some minutes ago.

"Perhaps it will be weird but can you rather sit on my lap?" He asks you shyly

You take some time before realising what he ask you but when your brain understand this...oh god... You are now as red as a cherry. You turn your head at the opposite direction because you don't want your Moony to see how you are madly blushing.

"....Yea...Sure". You say before you sit on his lap.

He traps you small form between his arm, hugging you tightly like a small child do with a plushy, but also paying attention that it's not too tight "Much better~!" He whisper to your ear. He cuddle you, resting his head in your shoulder while you are just a blushing mess who want to crawl in a hole like a mouse.

But after some time, you are used to his cuddling. He can be cold because he is a living corpse, but the heat of your body plus the blanket warms you and your boyfriend. One hour watching the movie and you start to be sleepy, even you miss the end because you have somewhat fell asleep on MJ's lap. It's at the credits that Moony realize that you are sleeping quietly.

"Awww~! What a cute and beautiful sight!" He says to himself "It's a pity that I have not a camera for taking a photo of this cutie~~".

He grabs the TV remote control press the big red button, turning off the TV. He then pick you in his arms (like a baby) and walks (floats) to your bed. He gently lie you down puts the blanket on you. But when he is about to floats away, you grab the sleeve of his coat.

"What is it little puppet?!" He asks you gently and also smiling (*cough*like an idiot*cough) due to your cuteness.

"Can you stay for the night, please?" You ask after yawning.

"Anything for you princess~~" He reply. He gets in your blanket and lie next to you (or maybe he lie behind you and you lie on him if you have a small bed). He gently pats your head with one of his hands while you hug him like a baby koala. Then, he place a chaste kiss on your forehead.

"Goodnigh' Moony... Love you..." You say half-sleeping.

"Goodnight my little MC. I love you too" He whisper before falling asleep.

[mermaidxatxheart]

It’s Always You {1}

Ok. Chapter One is finally here. I hope you enjoy it. Yes, I posted a sneak peek a couple weeks ago. This has since been updated, revised and is extended.  Thank you so so so so so much to @everythingisoverrated​ for putting up with my insanity on this one. I made the mood board myself specifically for this story. If you want to be added or removed, send me an ask.

Pairing: Bucky X OFC

Word Count: 1964

Warnings: Mentions of suicide, angst, trauma, car accident. Sarcasm like you’ve never seen. Oh boy.

Summary: Ava has been in a car accident. When she wakes up, she’s surprised to find Captain America waiting for her. Will she be able to help him find the answers they’re both looking for? 

Series Master List

The last thing I remember is the set of headlights coming directly at the left side of my car. The screeching of metal twisting, the hollow popping as the door panels crack and the shattering of glass are the last noises I hear. 

 Silence.

 Blissful. 

 Pain-free.

 Silence. 

 The next sound I become slowly aware of is a quiet beeping. A steady, even rhythm. 

It almost lulls me back to sleep. But then I’m aware that something isn’t right. I try to roll over but my whole body is immobilized, held down, and I begin to panic. That quiet beeping becomes frantic, picks up speed. I can’t breathe. Something is blocking my airway, something hard forced down my throat. 

 “She’s awake!” A voice yells and there’s more noise. People talking over people, hands touching me, and my panic ratchets up another notch. 

 The hard plastic something is pulled out of my throat, leaving it burning and raw, but at least I can breathe. I gasp for air and my throat feels like it’s on fire.

 “If you can hear me, you need to calm down. You’re safe, you’re in a hospital.” A voice says gently, a hand pressing on my shoulder.

 I struggle to open my eyes, but for the first time I realize I can’t, they’re being held shut. 

 I try to lift my arms but they feel like dead weight and won’t move.

 “Easy, now. Just relax.” The voice says again and I feel fingers against my eyes, but there’s a gap in the sensation. It takes me a long minute to realize that it’s because I can’t feel all of the fingertip. 

 Something like tape is pulled off my eye and I wince as pain flares. But now I can open my eyes. One only opens a little, it’s mostly swollen shut.

 “Your eye kept popping open, it was unnerving some of the staff.” The voice says again, gentle and feminine. 

 I try to turn my head to look at her, but my neck won’t twist. “What happened to me?” I croak. My voice is scratchy and rough, and speaking even that much hurts like a bitch. 

 “Don’t try to move. You’re very lucky to be alive. Can you tell me what you remember?” She asks, stepping into my view. She’s very pretty, a dark-skinned beauty with obvious Western Asian features and a British accent. 

 “I…” I try to think back before waking up, but it’s just a big black void. Faces appear, my parents, my sisters, people I used to know, my boyfriend. “I was talking to my boyfriend... on the phone, I think.” I start, my good eye drifting down over my body. 

 It looks like the entire thing is in a cast. My legs are elevated, the left one in a complicated looking brace and the right one in red plaster. My arms are suspended in front of me, needles stuck along the fingers and thick bandages wrapped from my palms up to the middle of my forearms. My right arm is in a cast up to the middle of my bicep and I can feel the massive bandage over my right shoulder.

 “And what were you doing at the time?” The doctor asks. Her face is kind and I want to answer, but thinking back that far hurts my head. 

 “I don’t remember.” I close my eyes, trying to calm down. 

 “That’s alright. Maybe with a little rest, it will come back to you. Can you tell me your name?”

 “Ava. Ava Fonesca.”

 “That’s really good. I’m Doctor Haskin. If you need anything or have any questions for me, you can always have a nurse page me.”

 “Can’t you tell me what’s the matter with me?” I ask.

 She glances towards the door for a moment. “Someone is here to see you. We can discuss your injuries later after you’ve had more time to heal.” She says, stepping outside.

 I nearly choke at seeing the man who enters the room. He’s tall, he’s blond and those baby blue eyes seem to look right through me. They roamed over my injuries at first, only a natural instinct.

 Captain America.

 “Hi,” He says once his eyes meet mine.

 “Hi,” I reply, feeling ridiculous. I should have a better comeback.

 “Do you know who I am?” He asks.

 “Don’t tell me you have amnesia, too. The whole world will fall apart if Captain Steve Rogers can’t remember who he is.” I reply, my jaw aches so I’m careful to keep it mostly shut.

 He grins. “Finally, a sense of humor I can get along with.”

 “You get along with everybody.” A female voice says as a woman comes into the room. She has red hair, bright green eyes, and a petite figure.  

 Wanda Maximoff.

 “Don’t let him lie to you like that.” She says with a friendly smile at me. 

 I don’t respond, mostly because I’m trying to keep my panic under control.

 “How are you feeling?” Steve asks.

 “Like an elephant is sitting on my chest,” I admit.

 He gives a small chuckle. “I’ve been there. It will go away.” He stalls for a minute and I can tell the small talk is over.

 “What are you doing here?” I ask.

 “Direct, to the point. I like her.” Wanda says, turning a little to Steve. 

 “We need to talk about what happened to you.” 

 “I don’t know anything,” I answer honestly.

 “Okay. So, let’s talk about what you do know.” He pulls a chair close to the side of my bed.

 “Literally nothing. Don’t tell me you’re going deaf already.”

 He chuckles. “I’m sure that’s not true. You must know some stuff. You’re one of the best biochemists in the world, from what I hear.” He smiles and I have to try hard to resist rolling my eyes.

 “Well, sure, I know stuff. But you’re not referring to what I know like that. You want to know what got me here and honestly, I have no idea.”

 Wanda snorts in a very unladylike way behind Steve. My eyes slide to her. Does she not believe me?

 “Okay.” He takes a deep breath. “So, do you remember going to work?”

 I close my eyes, trying to focus. “I remember a conversation.” I want to rub my face. It’s frustrating to not have the mobility I should.

 “With who? With your boyfriend?” Steve asks. 

 “No, with... with a friend. I think I sent him something.” I frown. 

 “Was this friend Michael Chambers?” Steve asks gently.

 I try to nod, but can’t. “Yes. We went to Harvard together.” It dawns on me that I never said Michael’s name. “How did you know it was him?” I ask, my eye one good eye trained on Steve.

 “He was found dead in his apartment two weeks ago. The same night you had your accident.”

 Everything in me stops cold. The beeping next me flatlines for a minute before it picks up double time.

 “Huh, I didn’t think that actually happens.” Wanda comments. Steve shushes her.

 “Dead? How?” I ask, my face going numb.

 “Self-inflicted gunshot wound.” He says it gently, like it will hurt less if he gives me those big blue puppy dog eyes.

 This takes me a long time to comprehend. I can’t even picture what he’s telling me. A world where Michael isn’t alive doesn’t make sense. “He killed himself?” I say finally. 

 “I’m sorry.”

 “That’s... that’s not right.” I say, a cloud fogging up my mind. 

 “Suicide is never easy to process,” Steve starts. 

 “No, that’s... he was...” The taste of metal fills my mouth and pain flares on my tongue. “N-no-”

 “Ava? What’s wrong?” Wanda asks, reaching a hand towards me.

 My whole body goes rigid, locking everything into place, and then it’s like my nerves spark and explode. Everything on my bed and my body start shaking at once as my body tries to start convulsing. 

 Thankfully, I don’t feel anything after that as the darkness comes for me again.

 Steve

 “What do you mean you don’t know when she’s going to wake up?” I snap at Doctor Haskin. I’m aware that it’s not her fault, but I need to yell at someone.

 “Brain injuries are complicated. Honestly, we were surprised she even woke up the first time. With that many concussed areas, it was a miracle she was able to open her eyes, to speak, to remember anything at all. With the extent of her injuries-it’s a damn miracle she lived. Her body is healing the best way it knows how.”

 “It’s been two months since you put her into that coma.” I cross my arms over my chest, fists clenched underneath.

 “Yes, and half of that since we took her off the medicine that induced it. I’m telling you, Captain Rogers. She may never wake up. You need to prepare yourself for that possibility.”

 “She has information we need.”

 “Then you should have thought about that before your interrogation sent her into a bout of seizures,” Haskin says with a glare before turning on her heel and storming away.

 “Curvă,” Wanda mutters, looking after her. 

 I ignore her comment and turn to the girl in the bed. She had been on the verge of telling me something important, I’m sure of it.  And whether the doc is right and I did cause this, or I didn’t and it would have happened anyway, I still feel awful. That’s probably why I’m still hanging around some random hospital in Maryland.

 She’s pretty, I can see it better now that the swelling on her face has disappeared. Her high cheekbones give her face almost a heart shape. Her lips are a little pouty, a petite nose rests just above them. The scars that crisscross her face don’t take away from the natural beauty, and I hope that when she wakes up, because she just has to, she’ll see it that way too.

 “Do you think I should...” Wanda trails off, giving her slender fingers a wiggle.

 I look at her and shake my head. “No, whatever is going on with her, it should be her telling us. I think she might be pissed if she finds out we were digging around in her brain. Hopefully, she should wake up naturally from it. If she’s going to at all.”

 “Captain.” A Wakandan accent reaches my ears and I turn to see one of the King’s Guard, the Dora Milaje.

 “Yeah?”

 “The woman’s partner is here again. Shall I send him away?” She asks.

 “No, let him come up. He should be able to say his goodbyes.” I sigh and rub a hand over my face. This was always the hardest part. 

 The man, Jonathan, comes down the hallway, flowers in his hand.

 “No change yet?” He asks. He always asks.

 “No. I just spoke with the doc. Doesn’t look too good.” I tell him, trying to soften the blow.

 “Yeah, they always say that, don’t they?” He steps into the room and sets the flowers in another vase. “She just doesn’t know Ava like I do. She’ll wake up, you’ll see.” He bends down and kisses her forehead. “Won’t you, baby? You’ll come back to me.” 

 Wanda makes a face and turns away. I also turn away, feeling even more guilty. 

 “Come on. Let’s go get some food. We can come back tomorrow.” I say to Wanda, pushing away from the window and heading for the door. 

 “Yes, please. I cannot watch a grown man call a grown woman ‘baby’. It’s pathetic.”

 “What does Vision call you?” I ask with a smirk as I hold the door open for us.

 “Wanda.” 

 I tip my head back and laugh loudly. “Of course, I honestly don’t know what else I was expecting.”

Chapter 2

Everything Tag List:

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It’s Always You Tag List:

@katiew1973​ 

[sexcoffeeandkellynickelsfics]

The Hollywood Vampire

Kelly Nickels x Reader

Part 5 - The Blood Dealer

Reader gets chatted up. We finally meet the blood dealer, he offers his services, we also have a few other familiar faces joining in. Tracii thinks he’s a comedian and there’s too many of the gory details shared. Enjoy my fangbangers!

Yourself and the guys arrived at the venue a while later. You shrugged your jacket off as you entered the building as it was much warmer that the chill in the air outside.

“We’ll be right back sweetheart” Kelly said pulling you in for a kiss.

“We’re gonna go find the band” Phil told you dragging Kelly from your arms and summoning Tracii to follow.

You propped yourself up the bar waiting for them to come back when you felt a body shuffle in next to you.

“What’s a pretty girl like you doing here all alone then?” The raspy midwestern accent asked you.

You turned to face the voice ready to give them a piece of your mind but were stunned into complete silence as you stared into the light brown eyes of Guns N’ Roses Rhythm guitarist Izzy.

Fuck he looked pretty in all the magazines but he looked even better in the flesh.

You swallowed thickly as you watched him lick across what looked like fangs.

Yeah everyone in LA was a damn vampire.

You’d definitely been living under a rock.

“I know you know what I am so how about I show you what else these are good for?” He smiled wickedly gliding his tongue across his protruding fangs.

Before you could respond to his advances a hand clamped down Izzy’s shoulder and a pair of arms snaked around your waist.

Kelly’s leaned down and popped his head over your shoulder and pressed a gentle kiss into your neck making you softly moan.

“Izzy My dude!” Tracii yelled. “We’ve been looking for you wanted you to meet Kelly’s new fangbanger but it seems you already have”

You and Kelly both look at each other and then both stuck a middle finger up at him.

“Ah so you’re who I can thank for some of the best blood I’ve sourced in a while? I mean being almost raped by a drunk arsehole isn’t so great but thanks for the body” he said extending a hand to you.

“Anytime, just don’t expect them to often” you chuckled.

“So you’re this Blood Dealer I’ve heard so much about?” You gestured at him your absurd amount of jewellery jingling up and down your wrists.

“I am” he spoke.

“What exactly did you want to know?” He asked.

“What exactly is a blood dealer? How do you deal blood? How did you get y’know the blood to deal?” You fired out.

“Woah woah slow down little lady” he laughed.

“She’s just excited she gets to bang a vampire on a regular basis” Tracii chirped up.

“Fuck off, just cause Kelly can do a better job than you’ll ever be able to” you jabbed back laughing.

“Ahh ignore Tracii at least Kelly doesn’t kill everyone he fucks, you won’t believe the amount calls I get from him asking to dispose of the groupies he’s been fucking and accidently drained too much blood from and killed” he told you shooting daggers at Tracii who just raised his hands.

“I can’t help it that I like to bite when I’m about to y’know blow it” he shrugged.

“Okay too much!” Izzy interjected quickly.

“How about I show you how all this blood dealing works?” He asked.

You and the guys followed Izzy through the crowds and into the back away from the flashing lights and guitar riffs.

“And who is this pretty looking thing. I’d like to give you a taste” a red head asked you throwing his head back laughing teeth catching the bright lights.

“Ax this is Kelly’s girl, you touch her I’ll stake you myself” Izzy bit at the red head.

“Okay man chill out, this is lame I’m out” he said, sarcastically.

He stormed out slamming the door. Leaving the other three men staring at you trying to work you out.

“Well you’ve met Axl unfortunately” he muttered under his breath.

“The tall blonde in the hat and red and black coat is Duff, the mass of hair under the hat is Slash and the small blonde who behaves like a puppy is Steven” he pointed out.

“This is y/n, Kelly’s bond”

You waved shyly. Then you were tackled by a mass of hair.

“I’m Steven, Stevie, Popcorn the choice is yours!” He beamed enthusiastically pulling you in for a hug.

Slash and Duff waited until Stevie had done removing the wind from your lungs and then pulled in for hug.

Whilst the others mingled around Izzy took you to where he kept his gear. Pulling out a guitar case he popped it open.

You laughed.

He raised an eyebrow at you.

“A guitar case?” You asked.

“It’s a nifty cover for when I’m out dealing, hides what I need it to hide” he shrugged.

Looking inside you were taking aback it was filled with vials, needles, drains, the works.

“Wow, how’d you manage to get all this?” You asked him.

“A friend works at the hospital on night shift, she gets me what I need, I give her what she needs”

He began closing up the case.

“Izzy?”

“Yeah?” He responded looking up at you.

“What will happen if Kelly changes me?”

“It will hurt like nothing you’ve ever felt before because you aren’t dying, it’ll make you wish you were” he told you bluntly.

“Oh.....” you went to speak again.

“If you want to and Kelly agrees to it, I can help”

“You can help?”

“I’ve got some special mix it’s the good shit, it’ll zone you out. It’ll relax you and make the change more bearable”

“Okay, what’s in this special mix?” You asked.

“It’s my finest blood. I’ve filtered it back to its purest form, then it’s got some special blend of some stuff to mellow you out, the change will still hurt but it’ll help”

You gazed at him for a moment trying to process all of it.

You grabbed his hand “Thank you Izzy”

“Anytime listen just talk to him, ask him and tell him I’ll help make it as comfortable as I can, I can see your both hyponotised by each other”

Later that evening or should we say early hours of the morning you lay naked next to Kelly draped in the silk sheets unable to sleep. He could sense something was wrong as he turned to face you brushing the strands of hair away off your face.

“What’s wrong my angel?” He asked you softly.

You looked straight into his beautiful eyes, the eyes you’d fallen for, the eyes that had hidden so many secrets but now trusted you.

“Kelly, I want you to change me”

You weren’t prepared for the words that spilt from his lips.

“Anything, anything at all for you my love” he kissed you softly.

[udunie]

Okay, you guys, here’s the part of the Gerard fic that I love (it goes on to a sex scene that I don’t like, cause it doesn’t seem to fit the tone of this part)

Warning for: prostitution, drug abuse, addiction, generally heavy themes

Also, this is basically not edited or betaed at this point, I just want to pick your brains about how to go on with this, cause I feel like ‘monster cock and fake tits’ isn’t the way to go... Please let me know what you think :D

ETA: wow love it when tumblr fucks shit up, anyway, fixed now lol

***

Stiles was just a month or two over eighteen when his dad died. He didn’t like to think about it. Or all the things that happened after. It was like whatever self control he ever had was buried with his dad, leaving him destined to make one bad decision after the other.

Stiles just wanted to forget. Preferably everything; not going to college, not being able to pay his dad’s medical bills, being forced to sell the house, living in his jeep and turning tricks on occasion to survive… He just wanted to escape it all.

First there was the drinking and the weed, and when those were not enough anymore to get him through the day, he tried other things… ecstasy, cocaine, whatever. With his ADHD, drugs didn’t always work as they were supposed to. Sometimes a little too well, sometimes not at all, or in ways he didn’t enjoy. Nothing really stuck.

It was exactly on his nineteenth birthday when he met Kate. 

“Want to try something new?” she asked, slithering up to him in the club. Stiles saw her around before, he knew she was selling something, though never really checked to see what. Lately he didn’t have the cash to get anything serious. “You look like you could use a little pick-me-up. You’re cute, so I’ll let you have one on the house.”

Stiles was a bit drunk and a bit high and very stupid.

“Wha’s it?” he asked, voice slurring a bit. 

“Silver Bullet,” she said, holding up a pill. It reflected the strobe lights weirdly. “It will shoot all your troubles dead, baby. That’s a guarantee.”

Stiles popped it into his mouth without hesitation, chasing the bitter taste down with the vodka tonic he managed to flirt out of someone.

And the rest was history.

***

Silver Bullet wasn’t like anything he ever tried before. For one, it worked; getting him high and happy and horny every fucking time. He wasn’t hungry, he wasn’t tired or cold or lonely when he took it. Everything was fun and easy and sexy. It felt like being in love with every single person around him. 

At first, it was easy. Almost too easy. He took a pill and felt like he wanted to make love to the world. He picked up a few johns, had sex that felt way better than it had any right to be and by the time he crashed, he had the money for the next few pills. 

Even when he was sleeping, he dreamed about them, about having a whole palmful of those pretty, white pills. Even in his dreams, he could see the tiny, metallic looking particles in them. When he asked about it, Kate said that was the magic and he believed her. Stiles couldn’t imagine going for a day without.

Then Kate raised the price. Then she raised it again. And again. ‘Welcome to the free market, where demand sets the price’ she told him, laughing. He tried to look around for another dealer, but nobody was selling Silver Bullet, they all told him to fuck off if he even just asked about it.

It only took a month for him to start begging her. He sold the jeep, he sold his parents’ wedding rings, he had nothing more to give.

“I will do anything, Kate, please,” Stiles told her. The music was too loud in the club, and the lights too blinding and the shadows too deep. For a second, he thought about just… taking the little tin box of pills he knew she had on her with force, but it was a struggle to even hold himself upright. He was always so tired when he went too long without it.

She leaned back against the wall. Stiles wondered if her smile was always that cruel.

“Hm… Anything?”

“Anything, whatever you want, I will do it,” he said, the words rushing out of him. 

“Tell me I’m beautiful,” she said, fluttering her lashes. 

Stiles remembered seeing her through the haze of the drug. She’d looked like an ethereal being, like an honest-to-god angel.

“You… you are beautiful, you are the most beautiful woman in the world, I’ve never se-”

“Am I prettier than your mommy was?” she cut in.

She was standing so close, Stiles could almost taste the pill burning his tongue.

“Yes. Yes, you are, so much prettier,” he croaked, mouth dry.

She laughed, loud and harsh.

“Unfortunately, baby, flattery won’t get you anywhere,” she said. Stiles wanted to cry. “This is a family business, you know? What sort of a girl would cut her father’s profits?”

Stiles felt shaky and like he was about to throw up. He must have looked miserable, because Kate gave him a long, calculating look.

“But you know what? I can take you to meet him. Maybe you can dazzle him with your… talents.”

Kate was really the most beautiful woman in the world.

***

He was shaking during the whole car ride. He hadn’t had a high in three days, and he felt like he was about to die. Kate made him lie down, his head on her lap, and she stroked his hair, nails too sharp as they scratched against his scalp. The man driving the car - her brother, Stiles thought - gave him a few disgusted looks in the rearview mirror, but Stiles couldn’t care less.

He was going to meet Kate’s dad and fuck him and get high and everything would be fine.

Kate’s father lived in a huge house surrounded by a park and iron gates. It was like something out of a movie, but he was way too anxious to really appretiate it even as Kate led him inside. There was a double staircase in the entrance hall, and Stiles was told to wait there.

The place was big enough that he thought there should be an army of servants around, but everything was strangely silent. Stiles tried not to stare too much. All he could think about was getting his pills. Or maybe stealing something and pawning it off so he could get cash. But… Kate probably wouldn’t sell to him if he did that, right? It was hard to think with his whole body numb with need.

He spaced out instead, staring into mid distance, imagining how good it will be to get his pill and feel alive again. Stiles had no idea how long he just stood there until he finally heard Kate calling him from the top of the stairs. She sounded annoyed.

“Get your ass up here,” she bit out when she finally had his attention. “You don’t want to get him in a bad mood.”

Stiles didn’t. He ran up to her, not daring to touch the polished railing.

“Fuck, sorry,” he said, but she already turned her back, leading him to a set of tall double-doors. 

“Daddy,” she said, pushing them open. She sounded very different than when she was talking to Stiles. “Here he is.”

Kate’s father was an old, old man with short, white hair and a stern face that had Stiles shifting from foot to foot with nerves. He was lounging on a sofa in pajamas and a brocade house coat. His eyes were cold enough to make him shiver where he stood.

“Stiles, this is my father, Gerard. Daddy, this is the boy I’ve told you so much about.”

Stiles doubted that random junkies were a regular topic at the family dinner, but he didn’t say anything. He had a goal in mind, and Gerard didn’t look like he enjoyed people mouthing off.

The old man looked him over, like he was a piece of gum stuck on the sole of his shoe.

“Strip.”

Stiles swallowed, glancing quickly at Kate. She nodded her head at him, smiling in a way that made him second guess himself.

“Go on, baby, try to make a good impression.”

Stiles licked his lips, and got to it. He felt stupid and weird with her watching him undress for her father. Without the warmth of drugs in him, he was acutely aware of how boney and pale and… ugly he was.

When he was finished, he just stood there, eyes glued to a spot over Gerard’s shoulder, wanting to cover himself but knowing that he shouldn’t. 

“Don’t you like him, daddy?” Kate asked, sounding like she was pouting, but Stiles didn’t dare look at her again.

“I would have preferred a girl. You know that,” Gerard said. Stiles would have pissed himself if that much disdain was directed at him, but Kate just laughed, her voice sweet and light.

“But I don’t want to have a little sister or brother,” she said, teasing. “Chris is enough of a headache.”

Gerard barked out a laugh, sitting up straight.

“Damned right he is. Fine.” He picked up a shiny, darkwood box from the side table, opening it in his lap. It was lined with dark green velvet and there was an injection needle in it. It looked like it was antique, with little rings at the end of the crossbars. Beside it was a corked vial, filled with something that glittered like mercury, though lighter in color.

“Come here and get on your knees,” Gerard told him, not even glancing at Stiles. He clearly expected to be obeyed.

“I… What… what is that?” Stiles asked, watching him stab the needle through the cork and pulling some of the liquid into the syringe.

Gerard looked at him.

Stiles made the mistake of meeting his gaze.

Suddenly Kate was behind him, her breasts pressing into his naked back. 

“That’s the good stuff, baby. That’s the real Silver Bullet right there, the same one you love so much, just a thousand times better,” she whispered in his ear. “And if you want it, you better be a good boy.”

Stiles couldn’t take his eyes off the syringe. Just the mention of the drug made all his cravings rush back tenfold. He wanted it. He wanted to feel it so bad.

He dropped on his knees in front of Gerard without any more hesitation. He didn’t like needles, and he didn’t like him, but he wanted… He needed the high.

Stiles didn’t expect to be backhanded hard enough to make his ears start ringing. There was a dizzying moment when he forgot where he was or why. Gerard grabbed his jaw, his fingers biting into him.

“When I give an order, I expect you to follow, is that understood?” he asked, sneering into his face from up close. 

Stiles whined. His right cheek was burning. It would probably bruise… But it wasn’t even close to being the worst thing he ever got just to get high.

The man stared into his eyes for a long moment, maybe waiting for him to put up a fight, but all Stiles wanted was the Silver Bullet. 

“Good,” he said finally, patting his face where it hurt. “Open your mouth.”

Stiles did.

Gerard trapped his tongue between his knuckles and pulled it outward and to the side. His fingers tasted salty and a bit bitter.

“This way, it will get right to your head,” he commented, Stiles closed his eyes as he saw the syringe getting closer. He just wanted to be alive again. “Don’t move.”

Gerard injected him at the base of his tongue. There was a sharp bite of pain that made him suck in a breath. He could feel his mouth flood with saliva.

And then…

Stiles remembered how happy he was back when he was just a kid and his mom bought him exploding candy. It was sweet and sour and like he had a little firework going off in his mouth. This was like that, but he could feel it in his head, his skull was filled with exploding candy, popping and popping and throwing sparks of flavors and colors and shapes and smells in every direction, every nerve in his body sizzling and popping and popping… The world was suddenly and inexplicably beautiful. 

Everything was so pretty and bright and pleasurable that it almost hurt. 

He could feel his hips pumping into the air, body convulsing like it was caught in an orgasm that just didn’t want to end. There were still fingers in his mouth and he moaned, licking and sucking at them eagerly. He felt like he was a flame, radiating pleasure and everything around him reflected it back, just amplifying it even more until he was drowning in light.

***

“What a nasty little slut,” Gerard said, letting the boy kneeling in front of him suckle on his fingers, slurping around his knuckles like he was trying to give the blowjob of his life. His eyes were glazed over and he was twitching almost alarmingly. “It’s been… what? Forty seconds? And he already came twice.”

Kate laughed, leaning against the doorframe.

“You like him, don’t you?” she asked, crossing her arms.

Gerard did, but he didn’t want Kate to know. The girl had to learn to do better, even if she managed to do an adequate job with this one.

“Should have been a girl,” Gerard reminded her, pushing his fingers in as deep as they could go, nudging the boy’s tonsils. He didn’t gag, but his eyes did roll back. Ah, and he was coming. Again. “But I will take it.”

[incoherentbabblings]

Take Back the Cake, Burn the Shoes, and Boil the Rice (6/11)

Within two months there have been two murders of Gotham newlyweds moments after the ceremony. The only connecting factor was both brides wore the same designer’s work. Needing to establish who exactly is behind the crimes, Bruce enlists Tim and Stephanie to have the biggest wedding Gotham high society has seen in decades, putting a target on their heads not just for the killer, but Gotham society too. It goes about as well as you’d expect.

Ao3 Link Here!

There was something unbearably tender about waking up next to Tim, so much so that Stephanie buried herself back under the sheets in a foetal position until he would leave the room. She repeated this process for every night after patrol, when they collapsed into bed together. Tim had taken to resting on her stomach, even under the sheets, apparently deciding her belly was the comfiest cushion in the world. Stephanie, unable to help herself, would stroke his hair as if he were a cat. He would consistently nod off and wake first, she only ever a few moments after him.

This morning, she felt him rest over her, creating a little bridge over her lumpy form.

It was weird how quickly they had settled into a routine. But they hadn’t quite crossed the bridge yet. They were stuck somewhere halfway, Stephanie’s foot caught in the metaphorical wooden planks. Alone, it was real, in public it was fake. And Stephanie didn’t believe it would continue once the façade had collapsed.

She had not allowed anything more than a kiss on the cheek in private. That day had been difficult and traumatic, and she was trying to comfort Tim. That was all, she told herself. She wasn’t going to play his game.

Continuing their public appearances, they had gone on one coffee date at the college campus, which had consisted of her doing actual work, and Tim redrafting a report for his new community project for the tenth time. It was nice, even with Tim playing footsie with her. They’d sat indoors, but still in sight of the main street, and sure enough when she checked twitter there and then, she saw posts of herself sat at the table enjoying a vanilla hot chocolate.

Mrs van Rijk was entering full manic mode, giving hourly updates to the status of everything Tim and Stephanie could ever not give a hoot about.

“How do you feel about birds…?” Mrs van Rijk had asked last night over the phone. Stephanie had the phone held out in front of them. Somehow, she had ended up pressed against Tim’s chest as they – for a lack of a better term – cuddled on the sofa. Stephanie had swallowed, throat dry, as she reluctantly asked a question in return.

“Like… decorative… birds?”

“No, no. Real ones.”

Stephanie felt like punching Tim and his pinched face as he struggled not to laugh.

Madness.

Back in the bed, Tim rested his cheek on her shoulder, the bed sheet providing the only barrier to the casual intimacy.

“Gotta go to work.” Tim managed to twist his fingers around her exposed hair. “Good luck with the designer today.”

“Mmmkay.” She muttered, shifting a little. She poked her eyes above the duvet, to see Tim was fully dressed in a sharp suit. “Bye, handsome.” She teased, voice rough with sleep.

She then moved back under the sheets, as she sensed Tim would have kissed her on the forehead if she had remained where she was. She realised her little compliment was a mistake the moment she said it.

It seemed Tim did not mind, as he rocked her from side to side playfully.

“Yeah, yeah. Bye, beautiful.”

She tried not to blush. Tim didn’t compliment her appearance much. Steph was Steph and she was perfectly fine no matter what. The casualness of his flirting was both uplifting and mortifying. She had failed to lay down boundaries, and Tim, little weasel that he was, had wriggled his way past them in ways she did not know how to handle.

Last night she had dreamt of something that she would confess to nobody, not even her diary.

Flipping bastard and his dumb hair… and good teeth and pretty hands… long fingers…

Nope. She shook herself, banging her head against the mattress. Nope nope nope.

When they were younger, and when they used to actually get the time to neck like proper teenagers, Tim had a (great) habit of biting and sucking on a part of her neck that would make her shiver in all the good ways. She hadn’t thought about it in a long time, but it seemed her subconscious had not forgotten. Nor had it forgotten how worked up he could make her when the right mood struck him. Stephanie rubbed her ankles together.

Into the vault that dream went.

She still felt her cheeks were warm when she arrived at Rebecca’s apartment. She was alone this time, and had one job: get her hands on Rebecca’s phone.

Easy. Considering it never left the woman’s back pocket or ear.

“Tell me about him.” Rebecca asked, pinning the fabric at Stephanie’s waist a little tighter. As dresses went it was still barebones in structure. No sleeves, and the skirt was not attached to the bodice. Well, Stephanie assumed it was the skirt. At the moment, it just looked like a mountain of netting and taffeta on a desk.

“Tim?”

“Mmm! I always like to hear about the couples.” She snorted a little bitterly. “Let’s me live vicariously through them.”

“You want to get married?”

“To the person I love? More than anything... Like I said, I have to live vicariously through my brides.” She backed off, thick rimmed glasses sitting either on her face as she worked closely on details or up on her head as she looked at the rough fit from a distance. “Tell me about Mr Wayne.”

“Uhh, oopf.” Stephanie struggled to gather her thoughts. “I...we met when he was fourteen and I was fifteen. I was having an argument with my dad… and Tim literally crashed into me. His hair was overly spiky, and he looked like a freshly slapped baby.” She laughed, for the first time in a while, at the thought of that night. “And… we didn’t spend a lot of time alone, but then he hunted me down, little stalker that he was. And then I couldn’t leave him alone after that.” Sighing, Stephanie shut her eyes and let Rebecca do her work.

“When did you know… that you loved each other?”

“I...” Difficult question. “I… don’t know if it’s spread everywhere now, but I had a baby, when I was fifteen.” Rebecca flashed her a look, and Stephanie tried to gather herself. “I found out less than a week after Tim and I started dating. And when I told him, I was so flippant. ‘Cause it was obvious right? He wouldn’t stay with me? And why would he? We’d been on only one date at that point. Nobody would expect a fourteen-year-old to stick with something like that… but he did. And he helped me beyond explanation. For so long I didn’t understand why, but I guess in that moment, for me, it was then.”

“And Tim?”

“Oooft. I don’t know for Tim. He had to leave Gotham for a bit… after the quake… he told me constantly how hard it was for him. I didn’t believe him though until he was having an argument with Bruce, and he blurted it out. The L word that is. That was a shock to my system.”

Rebecca was stitching something along Stephanie’s neck, and Stephanie could feel the hot breath brush over her. Occasionally the needle felt uncomfortably close to piercing through her skin.

“But you weren’t together all the time until now?”

“…No.” She struggled on how to word it. “Everything with his dad… and I had to leave… and then you’re not the same person you were five years ago and you’re tiptoeing around everything…” She sighed sadly, speaking nothing but the truth. “But I don’t want anyone else. I don’t feel safer anywhere than with him.”

The needle finally pierced Stephanie’s neck as Rebecca’s fingers stumbled. Stephanie hissed, losing her footing. She managed to catch herself by gripping to Rebecca’s waist, who seemed mortified at her blunder.

“I’m so sorry! Let me see?”

Being a needle prick, there was no blood to ruin the white fabric. Rebecca huffed and Stephanie laughed uncomfortably.

“No worries. I do it enough to myself when I sew.” Slowly, trying to be discrete, Stephanie let go of Rebecca’s waist, fingers drifting over the mobile which was peaking out of the designer’s cardigan pocket.

There. Done. Fancy schmancy tech implanted. The rest was in Bruce’s hands, and Stephanie could relax a little.

“Mm. Sorry. Back on the stand and back on topic…”

The rest of the fitting passed without issue. Stephanie blabbed about Tim, though left some moments out. No-one, not her mother, not Cassandra, not Bruce or Babs, would know about their date after her father had died. That was for them and them alone. She was very protective of those moments, and potential murderers were certainly not allowed to know of them.

It may have made her and Tim’s relationship seem shallower than reality, but Stephanie didn’t care. She truly believed Tim held them close to, and wouldn’t have wanted them shared.

She was requested to return for another fitting the next week, for fine tuning. Then one more after that, and then it was the day of the wedding, whereupon Ms Andrews would bring the dress on the day, make any last second adjustments, and attend the wedding, with a plus one if she wished.

“No…” She had said. “I try to keep my work and private life separate. I’ll go alone. To see you in the dress… that’s good enough for me.”

Stephanie had only nodded, given her thanks, then left. Rebecca’s phone had rung twice during the sessions, the second of which had Rebecca shiver with fright. More and more Stephanie began to pity the woman. As a result, suggested changes that Rebecca made Stephanie acquiesced to with little argument. The lace became less fine, and more bohemian, and the skirt, if possible, became even longer.

Back at college, Jordanna had moved from being her bodyguard to being a gnat.

“Do you read the comments? On you and Tim’s Instagrams?”

“I try not to.” Stephanie uttered, taking a large bite of her lunch.

“Good. Boy, I spend hours going through them. Some real nasty people out there. I’m surprised you haven’t turned off comments actually, considering what people write.” Stephanie shot Jordanna a look. Jordanna continued, ignorant of her discomfort. “Some of the name calling… oh man.”

Glutton for punishment that she was, Stephanie swallowed dryly. “What… what do they call me?”

“Never you mind.” And Stephanie got slapped on the chin, teeth jangling against each other. “And even if you were a whore, I’d still hang out with you.”

It seemed Stephanie’s expression finally sparked some level of compassion in Jordanna, who swiftly realised she’d spoken out of turn. “Most people like you though. Honest.”

“…I’m going to go now.”

“Aw come one Stephanie… it’s just weirdos online.”

“Bye Jordanna.”

She ended up driving her little purple car back to Wayne Tower again, for reasons unknown to herself. She poked her nose out at the security guard, this one a different guy to the one who had immediately let her and Cassandra in the other day, but he soon let her through when he saw her id. Someone met her in the main lobby, getting her through the gates and into the elevator. He seemed nice, whoever he was, but Stephanie didn’t miss how his smile slipped off his face in the very last moment right before the doors shut.

She tried not to shiver at how cold he looked.

These people didn’t know her, Stephanie tried to tell herself. That was all. It was hard to be kind to something you didn’t know or understand.

Tim loved her. Cassandra loved her. Babs loved her. Kara loved her. Bruce…Bruce loved her.

Stephanie tried to convince herself that they were the opinions that counted. And she had managed just fine before they’d even liked her.

That didn’t mean it didn’t still fucking hurt when people put her down.

Tim was waiting for her again when the elevator doors opened, face more than a little curious, but he relaxed when he saw she wasn’t in tears this time.

She hugged him regardless, breathing in his cologne to try and refocus. Tim gave a muffled laugh and nuzzled into her hair. He’d been flying on cloud nine for a couple of days now, having somebody he loved who loved him back in his arms (in his bed). Tim knew he was being a little possessive, but he was just thankful to have Stephanie’s warmth back in his life, with this time round no chance for Bruce to spoil it. He was trying to have something just for himself. He could be selfish? Right? So long as Steph was willing to be selfish too. Although that bit was certainly a work in progress. How to convince a selfless person to be selfish. A question for the philosophers perhaps.

“All good?” He asked, noticing that she wasn’t entirely relaxed.

Abruptly, to avoid talking about why she had actually come, she conjured a reason to visit.

“Can I see Bruce? I had my fitting this morning.”

“Yeah, sure. Just… can I introduce you to some people first?”

“Oh? Yeah, happy to.”

“Just my p.a.”

“You have one of those?”

“Yup.” He nudged her, as they began walking down to the open office. “There was also a board meeting today. They’re all invited to the wedding– which… yeah – so –”

“Makes sense to at least say hi. Sure, sure.”

She clung once more to Tim’s arm, feeling underdressed to meet some of the most important people in Gotham. Black trousers and converse, she at the very least was wearing a floaty top rather than a sweatshirt.

The p.a. was nice, a lady in her fifties who seemed supremely good at her job and didn’t care who knew it. Mrs Blackwell, Stephanie reminded herself.

“We were all surprised by this, that’s all.” She spoke, sitting primly on the edge of her desk. Stephanie noticed that Tim tensed, like he had been on the receiving end of this conversation before. “We honestly thought… well with how things went with Tam and –”

Tim coughed loudly. “That was just… I was only seventeen.”

Mrs Blackwell peered at Tim. “And what a difference three years makes! Glad to see Tim hasn’t totally forsaken the average people of Gotham for high flying friends.”

Something about that phrase seemed to make Tim very, very, uncomfortable. So uncomfortable that Stephanie likely spoke out of turn to give Tim a moment to collect himself.

“He won’t.” She pushed. “And he doesn’t need me to remind him of that fact.”

Tim wouldn’t give up the costume. Not now. Once, she had known of his conflict. How much he resented Bruce for messing with his head. Making him doubt, making him mistrust. Making him forget there was a life outside of the suit. She had played her part in that, as much as she now regretted it, she knew now the only way Tim would ever stop helping the people of Gotham was when his heart stopped. Stephanie had silently promised herself that she would try to ensure it continued beating for a long time.

“Stephanie’s not average.” Tim choked out. It was a weird part of Mrs Blackwell’s statement to take umbrage to, but Stephanie appreciated it all the same.

“Good response.” Mrs Blackwell teased. She looked over her shoulder, down the office. “There’s still four board members hanging around in room twelve-fifteen if you want to catch them. Believe Mr Wayne is still with them. And Mr Fox.”

A cheeky glint made Tim turn – impossibly – paler. Stephanie didn’t quite understand. Lucius had always been nothing but nice as far as she knew. Was this still about Tam? She didn’t really know what had happened there. Tam had gone to look for him when he was off being Mr Brooding with Mr Al Ghul, they had dated for a bit when they had returned to Gotham, gotten engaged… Which Stephanie knew was just because Vicki Vale was the most flustering person on the planet and Tam had panicked trying to cover for Tim… not that it had stopped Stephanie’s stomach from dropping out her butt and becoming intensely jealous when she had no right to be. She had felt the same when she had first returned and Tim was dating Zoanne. She couldn’t help it. She couldn’t stand the thought of Tim being happy with another girl. She had flirted when she shouldn’t have. In her head, it meant that he had moved on, never really mourned her. Maybe she was too possessive over him.

It wasn’t logical, and she had no right at the time to feel what she did, but she wanted Tim with her, hypocrite that she was. It was just another thing she disliked about herself. Tim deserved to be with whomever made him happy. Simple as. Somehow, he’d convinced himself that she was that person again, but he’d soon wake up and remember what she’d done to him, how self-absorbed she could be.

Stephanie didn’t know why Tim and Tam had broken up, but she suspected it had something to do about Lucius’ public death being faked.

Funny how that sort of thing didn’t do well for relationships.

Tim wasn’t fickle…that wasn’t the right word, but he could change his mind very quickly, regardless of the consequences or who was left behind afterwards.

As Tim led Steph to the board room, she couldn’t help whisper, “You still work with Tam right?”

“…Yeah…”

“She still mad at you?” She tried to tease gently, but her tone didn’t quite match her intention.

Tim only glanced at her and grunted, pulling the door open for her to walk through first. Bruce was seemingly fast asleep on one of the chairs, the other four board members, one woman, three men, were chatting quietly amongst themselves whilst the CEO slept. Lucius was the first to notice that the pair had entered.

“Oh!” He exclaimed. Bruce opened one eye, eyebrows twitching when he saw who it was. Lucius made his way forward with a hand for Stephanie to shake. “Miss Brown! You came to visit?”

Stephanie breathed a relieved sigh, and smiled. There were three friendly faces in this room, so that was manageable.

“Yes,” She said, shaking Lucius’ hand in what she hoped was a confident manner. “Finished with college for the day.”

“She had a fitting this morning, for the dress.” Tim gushed, and Stephanie smiled shyly.

That caught the lady’s attention. She had moved to a refreshments table, grabbing them both a drink of water. “Tell me about that.” She encouraged, wrapping an overly friendly arm around Stephanie and pulling her down next to Bruce, who smiled somewhat encouragingly at her. The other two men went to speak to Tim, not really pretending to be interested. One of them bumped past Stephanie as if she was in the way.

“Stephanie, this is Theresa Song.” Bruce explained. “She started here before I was born.”

“I was only sixteen, but back then, you joined a company and worked your way up the old-fashioned way.” She laughed, and Bruce returned to closing his eyes. Stephanie took it as a sign that this woman was safe.

“I wish it was still like that.”

“Oh yes, but that’s what our employee programmes and scholarships are for. I hear you help out at Dr Thompkins clinic.”

Stephanie glugged water. “Leslie? Yes, she looked after me for a while, I do what I can to pay her back. Not that I ever can…really… But yeah, I try to do Friday evenings.”

“That’s good! College, volunteering…”

“Part time job at the library too. Oh, that is a lot.” That plus the night work. “I have…I have had to defer college for a bit… going part time for the moment. At least until this wedding stuff is done.”

Theresa shrugged. “Whatever needs doing right?” She looked back at Bruce, kicking his chair. The seat swung round, and Bruce just hummed in affirmation, eyes still closed.

Theresa made a disgruntled noise, then shouted across the room. “Timothy!”

Tim bumbled over as the two other men left. Stephanie didn’t miss the sideways glances at her. One looked like he was leering. When Tim got close enough, she reached up for his hand. He began to play with her fingers, rubbing her knuckles in a way she used to like.

“Hey, Theresa.”

“Where on Earth did you two meet?”

“Just… ran into each other in town.” Tim perched himself on the glass table.

“You literally crashed into me.” Stephanie chirped, not missing Bruce’s lip twitch.

“You must be so proud, Bruce. All these people finding their way to you despite adverse circumstances. I mean, Stephanie, your parents... And your pregnancy, and I heard about what you went through during the gang war... Terrible stuff you’ve had to overcome. Thank goodness for Bruce, right?”

At that Bruce opened his eyes and stood up. “I think Stephanie would have done just fine without me, to be honest. I didn’t help much.”

“Mm.” And she turned back to Stephanie, noting that Bruce was ending the conversation. “All the best to you both.”

“Thank you.” Stephanie uttered, feeling Tim acting like a block of ice behind her. “Bruce? Can I have a quick word?”

“Of course.”

And then Theresa left. Only Mr Fox remained, having been listening in.

“She seemed... nice.” Stephanie tried to sound positive.

“Oh, she is.” Said Lucius, who then joined the trio at the table. “Until you’re on the other side of her on the voting panel, then she’s a beast.”

Tim snorted, and Bruce poured himself another glass of water.

“The tech for the phone is working, I got the information I needed.”

Stephanie started at Bruce talking so openly about the mission, but she supposed Lucius must have provided said tech in the first place.

“How’d you get on her phone anyway? You said it’s never out of sight?” Tim asked, collapsing into the chair Theresa had been occupying.

Stephanie rubbed her neck. “She stabbed me with a sewing needle. Made me stumble.”

“Intentionally stabbed you?”

“Heh. No. I said something which I think upset her, her fingers slipped.”

“What?”

Tim watched Stephanie’s face grow red from embarrassment.

“You… it… She was asking about our relationship. She asked me about why we loved each other…I said…” She looked at her feet. “I said that I felt safe with you.” She practically vomited the words out, quick, slurred and quiet. However, Bruce heard it all the same, and ignored the blinding smile that Tim gave.

Lucius watched Tim’s face, then tutted quietly to himself. Bruce meanwhile focused on the mission.

“I’m going to find this boyfriend tonight. Investigate his living circumstances, his employment history, all of it. I don’t know how deep she’s tied up with him.”

“So, it is the same guy as the domestic dispute calls from years back?”

Bruce shook his head. “No. That one was arrested last year. Seems some people just attract—”

Stephanie coughed loudly, refusing Bruce the chance to finish that damning sentence. “She’s terrified, and she’s being used to hurt people. Please track this guy down.”

Tim looked at the clock, not liking where the conversation was going. “I’m gonna head off now. You coming?”

Steph nodded, following Tim to the door. “I’ll drive behind you. Bye Bruce, bye Mr Fox.”

“You two live together?” Lucius asked, a little baffled. The pair looked back at the two older men, unsure what Lucius was getting at.

“Uh, yeah. At Tim’s.”

“Oh. So, it’s… pretty serious then.”

Instantly Tim and Stephanie were as red as apples. “Bye Lucius. Have a good weekend. See you later Bruce.” And then Tim hurried Stephanie out and into the main office space.

When they arrived home, Tim peered in his fridge.

“… Hmm. I’ll order takeout. Pizza or Chinese?”

“Chinese.” Steph replied, hanging up her coat. Before Tim could hunt for the menu, Steph stopped him, hands on his waist.

“You were embarrassed today.”

“A little.”

“…About me?”

“What? No. Not you.”

“But you got so angry at the Bishop, when he looked at me funny. And then when Mrs Blackwell said I was less than your usual social circuit. And then Theresa saying I was lucky Bruce found me… and now Lucius being surprised that you actually like me…What is it?”

She was looking at him like his next words better be chosen carefully, or another argument would ensue.

“I guess I’m like you. I don’t want to hear what other people think about us. It’s private. But we have to make it public. And I…am conflicted about it.”

Earlier conversations sprung to mind, and with it came a sudden opportunity. Impulsively, without a moment’s thought, she latched on to it.

“You don’t like being in the public eye. You don’t like our relationship being there for everyone to judge.”

“No.”

“Then – then why are you? You don’t have to be. If you’re feeling pulled in so many directions, then just… just… drop one of your responsibilities.”

Tim blinked, not sure what to make of this sudden manic behaviour. He tried to be a voice of reason. “I can’t drop being Red Robin.”

“And I would never ask that of you. But there are other options for you aside from heir to Wayne Enterprises, right? You can quit. And we could—”

“We could what?”

Now Stephanie had to choose her words carefully. Tim held onto her elbows, looking increasingly upset. “Steph, I help a lot of people during the day, and where I am, being in that position under Bruce… it’s the best place for me to try and make like…structural changes. Busting drug rings and human trafficking, that’s good, but stuff like the Park Row project stop people becoming that desperate in the first place.”

Her burst of impulsiveness settled, and she felt ashamed for even having thought she could push Tim away from helping people.

“I’m sorry. You’re right. I just… I had a moment there, where I was being selfish. I’m not going to ask you to give up anything. I’m not worth that.”

Tim looked as though something she had said had triggered a thought in his mind.

“You can be selfish…” He whispered. And then he tugged at her arms. “Come on. I wanna show you something.”

He pulled her upstairs, into his room, where he asked her to wait a moment. He disappeared into his closet, whereupon Stephanie lowered herself onto the bed, shuffling so she was sat in the middle, cross legged. At the end of the bed was the cursed duck, sitting with its triple chin and beady eyes on full display. It seemed to migrate across the room, ending up in slightly different positions every time Steph saw it. She was partially convinced it was a possessed toy. Watching her, judging her.

Fucking duck.

Tim returned with two boxes, one substantially larger than the other. He set both on the bed, blocking her view of the duck, then clambered on in front of her, resting on his shins. He held out the smaller box.

“I bought this at the same time as the engagement ring.”

Stephanie opened the box, noting that her hands were shaking, and found a ruby bracelet inside. It was polished uncut gems, engraved with birds flying across a landscape.

“Is this…is this better than the ring? I thought when I was buying it that it wasn’t too bad. I tried not to get you anything you would hate, but I guess I overestimated myself. The bracelet is better though, right?”

He sounded so much like an insecure child in that moment, that Stephanie didn’t know how to respond. It was just…too much. Especially for someone like her.

“Tim…” She sighed, reluctant to even touch it. “It’s… why did you buy this?”

“Red birds…isn’t it obvious? Look, I’ll help put it on.” His touch was gentle, as it always was, cool but not entirely confident. “There.” He rotated her wrist in the dim light, smiling nervously. She was just staring blankly at it, giving away nothing.

Finally, she smiled. It looked fake, but trying to avoid an argument, Tim let it slide.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. One more thing.” He dragged the next box over. Steph huffed.

“Oh, Tim, you’ve never needed to buy me stuff. That’s not why I—”

“I didn’t buy this.” He interrupted. He was trembling, so wound up with nerves. This might end badly, but he wanted to prove to her how serious he was about the whole thing. With this, she might understand that he wasn’t leaving her once the mission was over. He was desperate to get a fresh start, prove to Bruce that he was fine, he didn’t need to be monitored, to have Dick stop looking at him like he was a puppy five days away from going mad with rabies. Another Jason Todd in waiting.

Being with Steph made him feel lighter, made him remember who he really was. He wasn’t willing to let that go, not when he knew she was so close accepting she was enough to hold him to her.

“Close your eyes.” He urged.

“Tim.”

“Please. For me.”

Stephanie did as she was told, listening to Tim rustling around. Then, weirdly, she felt him very solidly place something on her head.

Her eyes shot open to the sight of Tim kneeling up, very carefully and precisely placing what felt like a very heavy headband on her head.

“It was my mother’s…” Tim murmured, kneeling down to see what it looked like head on. He began to play with her hair, arranging it just so. Stephanie looked on in a continued shock. “It’s old, in case you were wondering, mom left it to me. Left all her jewellery to me, actually. Guess she didn’t want my dad to give it all to his next wife… Wouldn’t have made a difference in the end but..”

Stephanie reached up and held his wrist, reassuringly. She was here, she had returned to him, even if his parents had not.

Tim took a shaky breath. “I want you to have them.”

��As your fiancée?”

“As whatever you choose to be. These are for you to keep.”

She looked to the side, to where Tim had a mirror taking up a section of the wall. The tiara was golden and round, nearly a circlet, with amethysts around the base and three larger ones providing the focal point. Small pink flowers and leaves encircled the stones, with each flower having a round diamond in the centre. It was not overly sparkly, it was not ostentatious. It was beautiful, and Stephanie felt so out of place wearing it her emotions once again got the better of her, and her chest rattled with wet breaths. Tim looked in love and smiled. It was such a pure delighted smile that she couldn’t help but reach for him, expression mirroring his, albeit much wobblier.

Pulling her onto his lap, she straddled him, legs splayed either side of his hips. As a result, his head was tilted upwards, and he looked more than a little star struck.

“You look like a princess.”

That made her smile falter, and she looked away from him.

“Baby, I can’t.”

“Yes, you can. I told you, if you want to be selfish, do it here. You have me. I told you. Even if the rest of the world gets nosy or rude… tell me it outweighs moments like this?”

He cupped her cheeks, and Stephanie relaxed, letting him carry her weight. Tim smiled, seeing she was thinking over what he was offering.

“We both know we’re not getting married for real in a couple of weeks. But we can just delay it. We don’t have to get married now, ‘cause yeah, we are only twenty, and we don’t ever have to get married, if you don’t want to. But Stephanie, I want to be with you. And you want to be with me. Don’t tell me the past few nights, being next to me, don’t tell me they haven’t been –” Tim broke off, frustrated at his inability to explain himself.

“…Keep going.” Stephanie whispered.

“Listen, all I can say is what I’m feeling and I… I love you. I always have. And I watched you ignore me and Bruce’s put downs, I watched you screw up again and again, and I watched you claw all that respect back. And now I can’t stand the thought of you being with someone else. My head feels clearer ‘cause I know you’ll pull me in the right direction if I misstep. You know me, warts and all, and I’m jealous over you. God, I’m so… And I don’t want people watching. I don’t. They don’t know you like I do, and they don’t deserve to. But I want you with me. And that hasn’t changed. It never has. I don’t know how to make you believe that, so I thought…with my mom’s stuff you’d see... Please. You’re not selfish Steph… I am. I want the day job with all its perks and downfalls, and I want to be Red Robin. And I want you next to me for all of it.”

The pair were silent for a long moment, as Stephanie processed what he said.

“…I’m afraid.”

“Of what?”

“All of these people, looking at me…Dismissing me.”

“Prove them wrong! It’s what you do!”

He meant it encouragingly, but it seemed to trigger Stephanie’s temper.

“I’m tired, Tim!” She yelled. “I am tired of having to do that. Why can’t the world cut me a break for once? Why should I have to prove I’m not a whore, or an idiot, or that I’m capable, or that I really love you? Why does it matter to anyone else? Why can I not even get through one day without someone trying to make me feel three inches tall? Even if I had you, and I do have you, I know that, I still see how much everyone’s watching me. I’ll slip up and you’ll remember what went wrong last time. It’s what I do. And I’m tired.”

“I can’t give you that motivation, Steph.”

“No.” She sniffed, pulling and picking at her nails. “I tried so hard. And then being with you… it’s like being flung back six years. Everyone doubts me. I’m not strong enough to do it again.”

“You’re blaming me?” Tim asked, looking a little horrified.

“I’m blaming the society you fly in.”

“I need that to do my job.”

“I know. That’s why I can’t… you won’t be able to stay with me. I’ll just dr—”

“You are not a burden.” Tim breathed, chest heaving. “I don’t know how to make you see that.”

“You shouldn’t have to.”

“No but I love you and –”

“Tim…”

“And I don’t like seeing you like this!” He laughed incredulously. “God and I thought I was a mess!”

He shouldn’t have said that, and he knew the moment he did. Any other day, Stephanie’s anger would have spiked, and she would have screamed and maybe even hit him, but now, she just looked like he had completely broken her heart. She took off the tiara, no wanting to indulge the conversation.

“Forget it Tim.”

“No, Steph, you’re not –”

“No, I am. And it’s not fair to you to wait around for me to get my shit together. It ruined us last time it’ll ruin us now. I can’t help you and you can’t help me.” Stephanie rolled off the bed. “Going on patrol.”

“No, wait.” Tim began to panic, and in a moment he would later deeply regret, grabbed Stephanie and threw her struggling form against the wall, pinning her. She began to fall to pieces, shoving and clawing for him to let her go. What little pride she had left in herself didn’t want her distraught emotions to be seen by anyone.

“Leave me alone, Tim!”

“No! You always do this, you can’t lock yourself away when things get inconvenient.”

“Oh, fuck off!”

“No!”

“Let me go!”

And then she slapped him. And Tim flinched. And they both fell silent. There was guilt on her face, one that seemed to be eating her up inside, but then it clamped shut, and her expression became blank.

“I’m leaving now.”

Feeling he was making another mistake, he let her go downstairs to his little birds nest. He should have followed her. He should have known she was over emotional and panicked, and with Stephanie that was a recipe for disaster. He should have called Cassandra to watch over her, if he couldn’t bring himself to do so. He had his own patrol to go to.

Instead Tim laid down on the floor, utterly taken aback by how the evening had gone, and tried very hard not to cry.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, when his phone began to buzz. The Titans were calling him.

So tired of having no one to talk to about this, he answered the phone.

Stephanie collapsed on the stairs of Tim’s own Batcave, right hand sodden from tugging open the switch which Tim had hidden in his little fish tank. He had shown her how to get in months ago. Just in case, he said.

He’s trusted her with access to his space. Months before any of this nonsense had kicked up again. He’d been letting her back in. And she’d crumbled once more, and kicked him out.

If there was one thing Stephanie was incapable of being, it was cold. Her sarcasm was light and fond, her concentration was witty and playful, her joy was dazzling, her anger was blinding, and her grief was all consuming.

If she was trying to be cruel, it wasn’t working. She was sobbing, every piece of self-loathing pouring out of her like her scars were still open wounds. Her legs gave way, and she folded down into herself. She began to pull at her hair and cover her ears, shaking her head from side to side.

She needed to leave the apartment, and Tim. Just for a bit. Until she could forget what his bed sheets smelled like, until she forgot how stupid being with Tim made her feel.

For God’s sake, she was Batgirl! She wasn’t an insecure sixteen-year-old hunting for approval from anyone who would look her way. She was better than this.

Stephanie pulled herself upright and ran over to where she had – temporarily – stored the Batgirl suit. Still sniffing to herself, she got dressed, and rode off, hunting for someone to beat her own pain onto.