#you CAN fix him phoenix i believe in you

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Sirius Black was the best adult in Harry's life and I'm forever salty that we didn't get to see more of him

So, I love Sirius Black. He's a complex and interesting character that I love dearly. He's handsome, smart, brave, not as reckless as some fanon make him out to be, and above all else, he tried his best to be a good godfather to Harry.

I truly believe Sirius could've been an amazing father figure (more than he already was) to Harry if given the proper chance. And he's a much better parent to Harry than Arthur and Molly Weasley.

Here are some quotes along with my ramblings to prove it.

So, what I'm going to cover here are some quotes from Sirius and Harry that show their dynamic and how much Sirius cared and tried to be there for Harry. Also, I think Molyl and Hermione are wrong about Sirius seeing Harry as a James replacement.

“He came back to the country just because my scar twinged. He’ll probably come bursting right into the castle if I tell him someone’s entered me in the Triwizard Tournament —”

(GoF, page 290)

Harry wrote to Sirius at the beginning of GoF about his dream with Voldemort and his scar's reaction to it. Sirius left everything immediately to return to Britain — a place where he is hunted down and is a wanted man. All because he wants to be close to Harry, so he can spring up to protect him if the need arises.

Harry is correct in his assessment here.

“Poor old Snuffles,” said Ron, breathing deeply. “He must really like you, Harry. . . . Imagine having to live off rats.”

(GoF, page 534)

Ron is absolutely right. Sirius loves Harry more than pretty much anything. He would and does go incredibly far for Harry. I don't think Molly and Hermione are right about how Sirius sees Harry as James. He just doesn't.

He doesn't treat Harry as an equal to him, but as someone he needs to protect. Someone he is responsible to protect.

He stays around Hogwarts, eating rats in GoF so he can better protect Harry. He wouldn't have done the same with James because he treated James as an equal, not as someone he needed to protect.

“It’s not my fault you haven’t been told what the Order’s doing,” said Sirius calmly. “That’s your parents’ decision. Harry, on the other hand —” “It’s not down to you to decide what’s good for Harry!” said Mrs. Weasley sharply. Her normally kindly face looked dangerous. “You haven’t forgotten what Dumbledore said, I suppose?” “Which bit?” Sirius asked politely, but with an air as though readying himself for a fight. “The bit about not telling Harry more than he needs to know,” said Mrs. Weasley, placing a heavy emphasis on the last three words. Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George’s heads turned from Sirius to Mrs. Weasley as though following a tennis rally. Ginny was kneeling amid a pile of abandoned butterbeer corks, watching the conversation with her mouth slightly open. Lupin’s eyes were fixed on Sirius. “I don’t intend to tell him more than he needs to know, Molly,” said Sirius. “But as he was the one who saw Voldemort come back” (again, there was a collective shudder around the table at the name), “he has more right than most to —” “He’s not a member of the Order of the Phoenix!” said Mrs. Weasley. “He’s only fifteen and —” “— and he’s dealt with as much as most in the Order,” said Sirius, “and more than some —” “No one’s denying what he’s done!” said Mrs. Weasley, her voice rising, her fists trembling on the arms of her chair. “But he’s still —” “He’s not a child!” said Sirius impatiently. “He’s not an adult either!” said Mrs. Weasley, the color rising in her cheeks. “He’s not James, Sirius!” “I’m perfectly clear who he is, thanks, Molly,” said Sirius coldly. “I’m not sure you are!” said Mrs. Weasley. “Sometimes, the way you talk about him, it’s as though you think you’ve got your best friend back!” “What’s wrong with that?” said Harry. “What’s wrong, Harry, is that you are not your father, however much you might look like him!” said Mrs. Weasley, her eyes still boring into Sirius. “You are still at school and adults responsible for you should not forget it!” “Meaning I’m an irresponsible godfather?” demanded Sirius, his voice rising. “Meaning you’ve been known to act rashly, Sirius, which is why Dumbledore keeps reminding you to stay at home and —” “We’ll leave my instructions from Dumbledore out of this, if you please!” said Sirius loudly.

(OotP, page 88-89)

This above quote is a long one, but I love it. I mean, this shows a big contrast between Sirius' approach to parenting and Molly's. Sirius, while not seeing Harry as his equal, does see Harry as a capable wizard who deserves to know the full picture. Sirius knows Harry would be in more danger when ignorant and wants him as safe as possible. He thinks Harry deserves to know things that pertain to him, and I have to agree with him here. Keeping Harry in the dark is what eventually cost Sirius his life.

Molly, on the other hand, is intent on keeping Harry, Hermione, and her kids ignorant. She has the same intention as Sirius: to keep them safe. But she tries to keep them safe emotionally, even when this ignorance can and does place them in physical harm's way.

And Sirius is right. Harry is capable. And a 15-year-old shouldn't be treated the same as an 11-year-old child. And let's be real, Harry was never a regular child with how he grew up, and I think Sirius sees his maturity and treats him accordingly. Sirius actually gave Harry advice to not approach danger in GOF and Harry listened to him because Sirius treated him with respect, which works best with Harry who never really had parental figures.

“I don’t know,” said Sirius slowly, “I just don’t know . . . Karkaroff doesn’t strike me as the type who’d go back to Voldemort unless he knew Voldemort was powerful enough to protect him. But whoever put your name in that goblet did it for a reason, and I can’t help thinking the tournament would be a very good way to attack you and make it look like an accident.”

(GoF, page 334)

This is an expert from the Fireplace conversation Haryr had with Sirius before the first task. Sirius shares his theories with Harry because he needs him to know who to watch out for. Because everything he does is to keep Harry safe. And this is the same approach Sirius wishes he could take with Harry in OOTP. Because he knows it works. Keeping Harry informed means that if he does put himself in danger, at least he would inform Sirius about it; Which would allow Sirius to protect him.

I'm not copying all of them, but Sirius' letters to Harry throughout GOF are so caring and sweet. Harry deserved to have more of his godfather in his life:

Nice try, Harry. I'm back in the country and well hidden. I want you to keep me posted on everything that's going on at Hogwarts. Don't use Hedwig, keep changing owls, and don't worry about me, just watch out for yourself. Don't forget what I said about your scar. Sirius

(Gof, page 240)

This treatment encourages Harry to actually share everything with him and ask him for advice. Something he doesn't do with Dumbledore ever. (Harry actually doesn't like or trust Dumbledore all that much until book 6, it's usually Hermione who trusts Dumbledore fully)

“Sirius — how’re you doing?” ... “Never mind me, how are you?” said Sirius seriously.

(GoF, page 331)

Sirius again, shows his responsibility towards Harry's well-being over his own (both here and in the above letter).

Sirius is the only adult who actually talks to Harry about the Dursleys with sympathy:

“But if they do expel me,” said Harry, quietly, “can I come back here and live with you?” Sirius smiled sadly. “We’ll see.” “I’d feel a lot better about the hearing if I knew I didn’t have to go back to the Dursleys,” Harry pressed him. “They must be bad if you prefer this place,” said Sirius gloomily.

(OotP, page 116)

We know Sirius would love nothing more than for Harry to stay with him. He's lonely and bored at Grimmauld and would love to have Harry there. But at the same time, he doesn't want Harry expelled from Hogwarts and is trying not to be hopeful for it.

Sirius understands the Dursleys are awful, he just know the full scope, but it's more of a reaction than we get from most adults in this series. To me, it looks like Sirius is annoyed by how limited he is in helping Harry. He can't really do much about the Dursleys or their status as Harry's guardians.

“So you want me to say I’m not going to take part in the defense group?” he muttered finally. “Me? Certainly not!” said Sirius, looking surprised. “I think it’s an excellent idea!” “You do?” said Harry, his heart lifting. “Of course I do!” said Sirius. “D’you think your father and I would’ve lain down and taken orders from an old hag like Umbridge?” “But — last term all you did was tell me to be careful and not take risks —” “Last year all the evidence was that someone inside Hogwarts was trying to kill you, Harry!” said Sirius impatiently. “This year we know that there’s someone outside Hogwarts who’d like to kill us all, so I think learning to defend yourselves properly is a very good idea!” “And if we do get expelled?” Hermione asked, a quizzical look on her face. “Hermione, this whole thing was your idea!” said Harry, staring at her. “I know it was. . . . I just wondered what Sirius thought,” she said, shrugging. “Well, better expelled and able to defend yourselves than sitting safely in school without a clue,” said Sirius.

(OotP, page 371)

I love this scene as well. Sirius cares for Harry's safety first and foremost. Harry being safe is his top priority at every given point. And he's reasonable and logical and treats Harry like someone to protect, not like a friend.

Like, Harry when he has a problem and needs advice throughout books 4 and 5, he calls Sirius. He's Harry's go-to parental figure for advice, and Sirius takes his rule seriously. He gives the advice he honestly thinks is best and ensures Harry's safety and continued survival to the best of his ability.

“It matters because we don’t want to draw attention to the fact that Harry is having visions of things that are happening hundreds of miles away!” said Sirius angrily. “Have you any idea what the Ministry would make of that information?” Fred and George looked as though they could not care less what the Ministry made of anything. Ron was still white-faced and silent. Ginny said, “Somebody else could have told us. . . . We could have heard it somewhere other than Harry. . . .”

(OotP, pages 476-477)

Again, Harry's safety is Sirius' first priority above everyone else. Harry's happiness and privacy also take precedence over most other things. He doesn't want Harry under even more scrutiny from the ministry and the Wizarding World and protecting him from that is just as important to him.

To me, it feels like people who say he treats Harry like a James replacement didn't read the books....

“It must have been the aftermath of the vision, that’s all,” said Sirius. “You were still thinking of the dream or whatever it was and —” “It wasn’t that,” said Harry, shaking his head. “It was like something rose up inside me, like there’s a snake inside me —” “You need to sleep,” said Sirius firmly. “You’re going to have breakfast and then go upstairs to bed, and then you can go and see Arthur after lunch with the others. You’re in shock, Harry; you’re blaming yourself for something you only witnessed, and it’s lucky you did witness it or Arthur might have died. Just stop worrying. . . .” He clapped Harry on the shoulder and left the pantry, leaving Harry standing alone in the dark.

(OotP, pages 480-481)

And I love this too. How he tries to comfort Harry and make everything easier for him. When the rest of the Order were gossiping about how dangerous his connection to Voldemort is, Sirius is honestly trying to get Harry to worry about it less.

He might be lying here, but he is right about sending Harry to sleep after a sleepless night like they had. And he is right about Harry being in shock and needing the rest. I just, really like how much Sirius cares. Harry just doesn't have other adults in his life who care for him like Sirius does.

But some part of him realized, even as he fought to break free from Lupin, that Sirius had never kept him waiting before. . . . Sirius had risked everything, always, to see Harry, to help him. . . . If Sirius was not reappearing out of that archway when Harry was yelling for him as though his life depended on it, the only possible explanation was that he could not come back. . . . That he really was . . .

(OotP, page 808)

This. Scene. Just kills me.

Like, Harry understands how much Sirius cares about him, and how Sirius always puts him first. He knows the only way Sirius won't drop everything to come and when Harry calls for him is if he can't.

Because Sirius escaped Azkaban when he realized Harry might be in danger from Peter, not for his own safety, but for Harry’s. Sirius dropped everything and moved to live in a cave and eat rats when Harry's scar hurt. He stuck around Hogwarts and Hogsmead during the Triwizard Tournament, when it was crawling with ministry officials because Harry might need him. He was willing to do so much for Harry. And Harry knew this.

I think, given time, they could've had an amazing dynamic, and I wish we had more of Sirius and his care for Harry. That we saw more of his approach to parenting Harry.

[periwinkla]

I think what I love the most about AA is that characters have a duality to them that I don't see often in media. They have actual flaws and do actual bad things, and it's not glossed over. Phoenix is a fundamentally good person, he helps people at the drop of a hat, risks his life for them. Has a penchant for taking strays under his wing. He believes in people... but also not really. He carries a literal lie detector with him at all times, and only employs people who can also peer into other people's hearts. So is he really that trusting? Sure he trusts his clients are innocent, but he doesn't trust they will tell him the truth at all (there's always something to lie about). He believes himself naive, and that's why he works extra hard not to be. Some people think he changed with his disbarment but I feel like when he actually changed was after Dahlia. He became less and less trusting as time went on. And Phoenix actually does forge evidence and risks his subordinate's career, and he says pretty nasty things sometimes (that one time to Edgeworth had got to hurt, badly, especially if you consider that the note could have been genuine at first, which we don't know for sure), has a pretty tactless and somewhat hurtful sense of humor, brings his daughter to cheat at poker, and doesn't tell said daughter she actually has some family left alive. He's secretive, elusive and cryptic, and masks it under a false pretence of goofiness. Miles is, by contrast, very easy to read. He may appear emotionally stunted but is one of the more emphathetic characters. He realizes when he's wrong and immediately needs to correct those wrongs. He grows uneasy and uncertain and eventually recognizes when he's mistaken. By the end of it he begins to help people naturally, without even thinking about it as much as he would have in the past. He helps so many people, he has basically got Phoenix's savior complex 2.0 but the healthy kind where he doesn't jump off a bridge. But... he was also actually cruel, and did send innocent people to their graves (was he really so naive to believe whichever defendant came his way was guilty?). He feigned his death disregarding other people's feelings, and while you could say he had no obligation towards Phoenix (apart from basic decency and respect towards someone who had turned his life around to save him), he still abandoned Franziska, who was still just a kid and had just found out about what her father did. She probably thought, at some point, that the apple didn't fall that far from the tree. That's it's somehow her fault as well. He may be rude and antagonistic, frank to a fault. Isn't afraid of telling stuff to your face. But he also cares about the people he loves so much, to the point he doesn't hesitate to risk his career and break the law multiple times. He may appear a pessimist but he's pretty idealistic at heart, it's quite funny that his favourite show is about an hero of justice, isn't it? Godot is... well, we don't know much about it from before his coma, but he definitely shared Mia's sentiments for helping people in their hour of need. But when he wakes from a 6-year coma he's so broken that he just pins the blame on the most absurd person to blame it on, settles on a complicated plan, and also prosecutes on that particular murder he should just confess upon. Iris was sweet, innocent, self-sacrificing. She knew absolutely nothing about the world apart from what Bikini or her sister told her. She was naive and falsely thought she could fix everything, that her sister was salvageable, that she could save Phoenix. But she still ended up lying to the person she loved and abetting a murder. That's why I love these characters so much. They're interesting and their stories make sense. People don't remain unchanged from what happens to them. People are multi-faceted and complex. You can't sum them up in a bunch of characteristics and aspect them to act on every single one of them, always, consistently. Sometimes people break. They make mistakes they regret, ...and some they don't.

[wisteria-lodge]

I LOVE the version of Lucius in your fic Prison of the Phoenix. He's different from a lot of portrayals I've seen. Why did you decide to write him how you did?

A lot of the fun of writing a book-accurate fix-it fic comes from taking the events of the book, and removing JKRs (simplistic, misleading, sometimes just weird) narrative framing. Slytherins = baddies, Gryffindors = goodies, you know. 

This is especially fun with Lucius Malfoy, who just like… isn’t very evil? Chamber of Secrets is his most villainous book, and I’ll get to that, but otherwise? He tries (unsuccessfully) to get the animal that attacked his kid killed. He donates to hospitals (but in like, an evil way.) He is a hilariously incompetent Death Eater, and then he's Voldemort’s punching bag. 

That’s kind of the point of Lucius. He looks the part. He commits to the aesthetics of the thing, with the hair and the peacocks and the snake-wand-cane. He likes the mystique of walking into a room and knowing that you know (but can’t prove) he’s a dark wizard. It allows him to be… kinda lazy. He can coast on his family name, money, reputation, privilege. I really think that if you sat Lucius Malfoy down and asked him to walk you through all the wizard-supremacy talking points he wouldn’t be able to do it. He’ll toss around words like “mudblood” and “mudblood-lover” no problem, but in the end he doesn’t really care. Lucius is not a true believer. The way the world is set up benefits him tremendously and he doesn’t want Voldemort back. That’s just text:

“Use your brains, Ron,” said Bill. “If they really were Death Eaters… I bet they’d be even more frightened than the rest of us to see him come back. They denied they’d ever been involved with him when he lost his powers, and went back to their daily lives… I don’t reckon he’d be over-pleased with them, do you?”

Lucius and friends had too much to drink at a sporting event, put on the old outfits (again with the aesthetics) and started levitating muggles. Which obviously isn’t GOOD, but they’re not killing or torturing, or furthering any kind of agenda. It’s important that Barty is so insulted and pissed off by the way they’re basically playing Dark Wizard that he casts the Dark Mark to “show [them] what loyalty to the Dark Lord meant, and to punish them for their lack of it.” Which kicks off most of the events of the book. 

Prison of the Phoenix is going to have a companion, parallel fic told from Harry’s POV (tentatively titled Harry Potter and Malfoy’s Suspicious Interest in Werewolves.) Lucius does show up in that one, and I was honestly surprised by how much more frightening and intimidating he is when filtered through Harry’s perspective. Because with a Severus POV… when Severus is used to spending time around Voldemort, Greyback, Bellatrix, honestly Dumbledore and Sirius Black…. Lucius is not scary. Lucius wants to buy presents for his son, go to high-profile events with his beautiful wife, and wear a variety of snake-themed accessories and extravagant hats. 

I wanted a kind of college-roommates-who-stayed-friends feel for the Severus + Lucius relationship, because they are friends. Sirius calls Severus Lucius’ “lapdog,” and Narcissa calls him Lucius’ “oldest friend.” Lucius is also part of the welcoming committee when Severus is first sorted into Slytherin. He’s five years older (I think Jason Isaacs is the only Harry Potter adult the same age as the character he plays), which would have affected the dynamic between him and Severus a lot in school. Personally, I think it makes sense for Lucius to be a little protective of this brilliant half-blood kid with no money. And as an adult, there’s some guilt mixed in there as well. Severus probably would not have been sucked into the Voldemort thing nearly as deep or nearly as fast if it hadn’t been for Lucius, and the war kind of destroyed him. Lucius remembers a younger Severus who was modding potions, inventing spells, coming up with cheeky nicknames for himself, and that person is gone. That’s a big part of the reason he’s so invested in the Severus/Remus relationship in Prison of the Phoenix. Something about Remus has managed to wake up parts of that younger Severus, and Lucius thinks that’s fantastic.

I also think Lucius might be the character who knows Voldemort the best. He’s one of the only Death Eaters who Voldemort calls by their first name (Bellatrix, Severus, and Draco are the others) and he’s weirdly familiar with his “slippery friend” Lucius, addressing the whole speech about how/why he returned to him, for some reason? Anything that helps Voldemort make sense as a person I’ll take, and to me it makes sense that young Tom Riddle charmed Abraxas Malfoy, Lucius’ father, first. The dates are right, and he’s exactly Tom’s type - rich, pureblood, probably easily flattered (let’s be honest) and sitting on a pile of magical artifacts. It’s very Hepzibah Smith vibes, is what I’m saying. And rich, posh, popular seventeen year olds don’t join cults. But if Lucius’ father was already in a cult… 

It also makes sense to me that Tom Riddle got sort of stuck when he killed Marvolo Gaunt, and made his first horcrux at sixteen. He has this fascination with sixteen year old pureblood wizards (so Barty, Draco, and Lucius would have fit this profile.) He sort of wants to be them, but also sort of wants to break them? It’s messy, and complicated. It’s creepy and compelling, that Lucius is aging but this spectre that’s dominated his life isn’t. 

And so when Lucius gives Ginny the diary in Book 2… it makes sense that he’s just trying to get rid of it. He was just at Borgin and Burkes selling dark artifacts, but knows that the diary is worse. He needs to make sure it can’t possibly be traced back to him. So he gives it to the daughter of the head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office. (It is an enchanted muggle artifact, after all.) If Arthur Weasley finds it and deals with it, fine. If Ginny is discovered with it in a way that blows up in Arthur’s face, also fine. If it does get to Hogwarts and does open the Chamber of Secrets - well Draco is going to be fine, and it might undermine Dumbledore. If it was really important to Lucius that the diary rid the school of muggleborns… he would have given it to Draco and had him use it. Or given it to Draco, and told him to leave it somewhere for an enemy to find. But Lucius doesn’t do that, because he doesn’t want Voldemort back and his politics just aren’t that important to him. 

The one trait I did give Lucius is being an unrepentant wife guy. (And I mean… it doesn’t contradict anything. There isn’t anything in the books to suggest that he isn’t a wife guy.)  EDIT: I cannot believe I forgot the little "it's going to be okay" wrist squeeze she gives him right before he passes Voldemort his wand. This meta does a fantastic job getting into who Narcissa is, and I am officially justified in writing them just as googly-eyes about each other as I want. Also going full Gomez and Mortica makes them a better foil for the Weasleys, and the (not typically on the same page) Arthur and Molly.

[l0serloki]

First Kisses!

(Chamber, Phoenix, Reyna, Iso)

You get your first kiss with some of the Val agents!

masterlist

Chamber :

Chamber was shocked. You two had been flirting for quite a while but when he had never expected you to tell him you had never had a kiss. 

“You want me to believe someone as gorgeous as you has never been kissed?” He laughs it off at first, taking in your blushed splendor.

“Never.” You confirm with a little laugh. His hand makes its way across your cheek.

“May I fix that for you darling?” His voice is suave and his eyes shine through his glasses. Always so calculating. 

You could feel your heart beat out of your chest. It took everything in you to even mumble out a quick ‘yes’.

“I’m honored I am your first.” Chamber whispers in your ear before he leans in, his lips meeting yours. It was everything you had ever expected it to be. His lips were soft and moved gently as you learned the pace. By the time he had pulled away you were left breathless.

"You are a fast learner." He smiles as his thumb rubs at your cheek.

"And you are a good teacher."

Phoenix :

Phoenix and you were talking about random things from your guys childhood when the topic came up.

“I had my first kiss when I was thirteen.” He laughs and your eyes widen. You knew you were in the minority of people who hadn’t been kissed but.. thirteen?! That seemed so young!

“What? When was your first kiss?” He poked at you and you could feel the tension start to rise.

“Uh…” You sigh and a wicked grin appears on his face.

“Don’t tell me you’ve never had a kiss.” His smug look turns into one of shock when you slowly nod your head no.

“Right.. Well I think we gotta fix that.” He huffs as he reaches his hand out for your waist. “May I?” He wiggles his eyebrows and you can’t help but chuckle.

“Go on then.” You roll your eyes but you can’t help but feel pleased. If you wanted to have your first kiss with anyone it would be Phoenix. You trusted him and knew he wouldn’t do anything to make you uncomfortable.

His lips pressed against yours as his warm hand rubbed lightly at your waist. As soon as it started it left, leaving you almost.. disappointed?

“Want another?” Phoenix grins at your look and cocks his head. Sly bastard.

Reyna :

“Let me give you a little kiss.” Reyna teased as her hand wiped at the crumbs on your lips. You could feel yourself grow nervous at the implication. You liked Reyna a lot. But you had never crossed that line with her. Frankly, you had never crossed that line with anyone.

“Y-you don’t have to.” You stutter out and she only coos at your embarrassment. 

“Do you not want one?” She asks and you don’t know how to respond. You do but if you tell her this is your first will she think you were childish?

“I do I just..” You stop yourself as you grow even more nervous.

“This is your first?” She grabs your hand and rubs it soothingly. You only nod as her smile grows.

“Then let me teach you how to kiss. You’ll like it, don't worry.” She breathes out as her lips meet yours. It’s a feeling like none other. You feel your body light up as she cradles you softly. 

“Just a few more, hmm?” She muses as she moves back in.

Iso :

You were listening to music together on his bed after a long mission. He had never played this music before and it almost felt like he had curated the playlist for you. You stared up at the ceiling with him as the melody continued to play. You could feel his gaze on you and you turned.

His eyes bore holes into your head and you suddenly felt nervous. It felt like he could see everything.

“Y/N, I don’t want to ruin our friendship but I really like you.” He says confidently and your eyes widen. You had liked him for a while but never dared to say anything.

“I like you too.” You choke out and a smile appears on the mans face. 

“Can I kiss you?” He asks and you could feel yourself squirm. If you thought too much into it you would back out.

“Do it.”

He takes your word and pulls you closer to him, his lips melting against yours. You close your eyes as you let yourself relax at the new sensation. You had finally had your first kiss. And with Iso for that matter.

You two finally broke the kiss to come up from air. His hand stayed against your arm as he just smirked.

“You’re a good kisser.” He whispers out and you feel pride fill your body.

“Thanks, it's my first time.” You grin and his jaw drops to the floor.

“What?!”

[sugarlywhispers]

Yk that lava girl fix you made? I thought about how she can cover herself in lava..what if rain and water hurt her?

During fighting a super evil villain with bakugou (they're married) he starts speeding out rain and it injured her badly turning parts of her skin that was touched into sort of obsidian?

✨️these are really good questions that made me think of them for a few days so i could imagine the actual answers~

This is mostly what I took as inspiration for Y/N in this drabble:

Her body elevates in temperature to the point were you can see the lava running through her body, and her hair becomes complete lava, long locks or stings of lava she can use as weapon to capture things or villains (if the villain is something like those monsters of metal–she is not that heartless to burn people alive, even if they are villains).

Because she is basivally lava, the general answer is yes, Y/N can't fight in her lava form when it's raining. It actually hurts when her body transforms into obsidian–which is hard rock. I imagine that she becomes really good at fighting in her normal-human body so when this type of weather comes, she actually doesn't need to use her lava–if it's not for forming some kind of refugee or it's actually useful to help other heroes and civilians. She just stays on the helping civilians and rescue team during that kind of weather.

But I also imagined the first time Bakugou saw Y/N become obsidian because a villain threw water at her. He almost lost it when he heard your painful scream as you suddenly became rock. Like a statue, figure laying on the floor, hugging yourself in fetal position because of the pain. And nothing but simple rock.

He saw red. He went on a rampage, vengeance mode, so ready to tear and break and kill, that Deku and Red Riot had to interfere.

The villain was sent to the hospital, with custody of course. And Dynamight... he fell to his knees by your side, tears streaming down his face, body trembling with adrenaline and pain. You have told him water was your weakness, but he had never imagined it to this point. He didn't know it could kill you. He could have been more conscious, more careful of what villains crossed your path. He could have done so many things. He could–

The rock that surrounds you starts to break, the sound making everyone at the scene gasp as it moves. Bakugou doesn't understand what's happening...until it finally breaks completely and you emerge, taking a deep, long breath, in your normal form.

He watches you with big, wet eyes, almost not believing what he's seeing, as you say, "Fuck! Well that fucking hurt..."

People around start to clap and laugh because you're so... you.

And Bakugou feels... like he can breathe again. Like all that pain he felt seconds ago just dissipates in the air like the smoke that came from the rock breaking and making you born again, like a Phoenix rebirth from its ashes, so beautiful and so majestic.

He looks down and sobs, which immediately alerts the rest of the heroes and they start to pull everybody away from the scene.

"Oh, baby, I'm okay..." your arms surround his neck and he instantly reacts, hugging you back and hidding his face in your chest and neck.

Least to say, that image, Dynamight kneeling on the ground crying, with his wife comforting him, were the talk of the month. And what actually gave him the stop of Number One Pro Hero on the list for almost six months, until Deku beat him again with some other bullshit he did. But at this point, no one is concerned about the spots on that list. Dynamight and Deku go up and down between the first and second place all the time.

That is, until Y/N finally gets her breakthrough and wins first place for almost 5 years in a row.

And Bakugou can't shup up about how awesome his wife is.

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic Finder

July 13th

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1. it's been a while since I read this fic but it's set during the sunshot campaign and wwx jc jzx and lwj all develop some sort of bond and can share powers/cores(?) I don't remember if the golden core transfer happened. they can bring each other back to life (though I think there's some sort of time limit to it?) that they first discover when wwx was killed (I believe)

FOUND!🔒🧡 Song by WithBroomBefore (T, 41k, Platonic Soulbond, Hurt/comfort, Canon Divergence, No golden core transfer, JC&JZX stay in Xuanwu cave, Fix-it, Temporary character death)

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2. Thank you for this blog. I am looking for a fic that I read a few years ago, focused on Lan Sizhui. I think the pairing was ZhuiLing or else it was focused on Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi, and Jin Ling in some combination. They were still cultivators, Lan Sizhui was a monster/tentacle monster/eldritch kind of creature when he wasn't in human form and the Lan clan helped keep this secret. I think it was because he was a Wen but I don't remember the exact explanatiom now. It was a bit long, as I think it had some chapters, and the juniors were still cultivators who went on night hunts and trained. I liked seeing how the slight change from the original universe was used. I've searched several ways in ao3 and have not been able to find it again yet. @mejomonster

FOUND? sounds like "Lurking" by Verse, but they deleted all their mdzs fics. It may exist on the wayback machine.

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3. Hi!!! I was hoping you'd find this wangxian fic:

It was a Jonh Carter AU(? yes that Disney movie about Mars) Like Lan Zhan is from Helium and Wei Ying is a Thark. I think is listed as explicit and top Wei Wuxian... not sure about other tags... The Summary might be vague and say something along the lines of Lan Zhan doing a trip and encountering a stranger (Wei Wuxian) I've tried to search it but there's just so many fics!

I hope it's still up 😭😭 Thank you so much before hand! @nat-first-account

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4. Love this blog it always helps me find my next fic. I need help finding a fic where lan wanjai and Wei ying find a baby and they make jokes that Wei ying dreamed about it and got pregnant. But than a ton of woman start saying that man Shan got them pregnant through dreams.

FOUND? Taking Responsibility by deliciousblizzardshark (T, 6k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Getting Together, Trope Subversion/Inversion, Pretend mpreg, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Fluff and Crack)

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5. Hi! I’m looking for a specific Wangxian fic. The Lan sect is full of monks and LWJ is a monk assigned to protect WWX on his journey to get something for Jin Guangshan. WWX is one of the best archers and that’s why he’s specifically sent on the quest to hunt something down. LWJ falls in love with WWX on their quest and near/at the climax they run into a sage who almost kills WWX. Can you help me find this fic? Sorry if this has been asked before! @whompmwhomp

FOUND? Climb Every Mountain by athena_crikey (E, 21k, WangXian, Magic, Warrior Monks, Archery, h/c, Quests, Bodyguard, vow of celebacy, Temptation, (sexual) frustration, Falling In Love, Loss of Virginity, First Time, LWJ's self-selected repression, the inherent eroticism of WWX)

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6. heyy! i'm currently trying to find a fic where wwx came back to the cloud recesses all beaten up and has his mouth sewed shut, the fic is basically focused on him recovering with nie huaisang and others getting revenge. i think in the end, it was sect leader yao who did it? thanks!

FOUND? Silenced by Tasharene (M, 63k, WangXian, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, PTSD, Temporary Blindness, Aversion to touch, Fear of crowds, Panic Attacks, Post-Canon, WWX Whump, Hurt WWX, Whump, Angst with a Happy Ending, world-class troll LXC, see the archive Warnings BEFORE you accuse me of not tagging things!!!)

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7. hii im looking for a wangxian fic where a phoenix god/spirit(?) has lived many lives. he chose his next life to be human and he reincarnated as wei wuxian. some big event happens that leads to him being kept in i think the cold pond cave and theres barriers that only lan wangji can go through. its definitely not a 2024 fic and im betting on it not being 2023 either. youre my last hope </3 thank you in advance

FOUND? 🔒 Breathing Firestorm by ladyshadowdrake (M, 110k, wangxian, angst, fluff, captivity, creepy WRH, no non-con, dreamsharing, politics, people making the best decisions they can, epic length, mythical creature WWX, canon-typical violence, dark, happy ending) I haven't read this but 7 sounds like the summary of breathing firestorm

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8. Hi! I need your help once sgain. Because once again I thought I had this fic bookmarked, but can't find it, and my Google-fu has failed too, so here goes: x number of years ago, Wei Ying and the Wen Remnants vanished from the Burial Mounds. Lan Zhan has never stopped searching for Wei Ying. There are strange rumors everywhere that WY & the others are in a resentment-filled no man's land (kind of like the void in the Shadow & Bone novel) where huge deadly monsters roam. Word is also that people who really need help have safely disappeared into this void. As time passes, rumors of strange cultivators suddenly appearing to aid people are also circulating. And I think Lan Zhan actually meets Xiao Xingchen in an inn at one point & it's clear he knows Wri Ying (he & Song Lan turn out to be Wei Ying's right-hand men). LZ does try to get into the void thing, but the energy is too strong & he barely makes it out of the area. After a number of years they get a message out of the blue, i think, from WY saying that the monsters are getting out, and WY ends up bringing the Wei Sect back to the cultivation world to help fight. Wei Ying will have nothing to say or do with Lan Zhan, at least to start, which Lan Zhan is devestated by. Um...and Lan Yuan is there, grown up & still the Best Boy ever. I think A-Yuan tirns out to be a Gusu Lan fanboy. Anyway, it turns out Wei Ying created a ghost path that allows the Wei Sect to safely use resentful energy. But you find out WY got too damaged back in the beginning and by the end they defeat the monsters but he's dying, so Lan Zhan gives Wei ying his golden core. I think LZ actually does the whole transfer himself in the Jingshi.

Your help is hugely appreciated!

FOUND! 💖 Echo, Murmur, Dream, Here by bluerainmist (M, 51k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Universe Alteration, the yiling patriarch survives, Angst with a Happy Ending, Catharsis, Slow Burn, Drama, Getting Together, Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Melancholy, Love, Mutual Pining, Reunions, Love Confessions, Eventual Smut, Blow Jobs, Anal Sex, Switching, Grief/Mourning, fucking while pining, Implied/Referenced Torture, Self-Harm, golden core transfer, Playing fast and loose with worldbuilding, Battle Scenes, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, implied / Referenced suicide attempt, Sect Leader WWX, YLLZ WWX, Yílíng Wèi Sect)

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9. I found a fic where the sect leader Yao travels through time and fixes things. as far as I remember the title. I was going to read the fic but I missed it @quwieiidkd

FOUND? 🔒 how Yao Yongzheng traveled back in time to save everyone by ShippersList (T, 6k, Sect Leader Yao & WWX, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, Crack Treated Seriously, WWX is a Yao, Eventual WangXian, saving the world by accident, Genius WWX, Everyone Loves WWX, sect leader Yao is every overconfident underqualified middle-aged cishet man ever)

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10. Hii!! I'm searching for wangxian fanfic I read long ago and don't remember it's name. Wei ying and lan zhan are married at the cold pond and due to misunderstanding they don't acknowledge their marriage until the cliff scene. Where lan zhan follows after wei ying and fall down but they are saved by lan an and baosharan. After which they don't return to cultivation world and stay hidden for 16 yrs and has 3 kids(1 girl and 2 boys). Also, jin zixuan does not die and same with Jiang yanli but they lie to wangxian and have war and blame wei ying. After 16 yrs all sect leaders are threatened by meng Yao and to save themselves they stay with wangxian. Also, wen Qing family is also alive. @jungkookswife07613

Hii! Sorry but this is not the fiction I'm searching for. Can you try again?

The story starts from the cliff scene and wei ying remember all the things he had done with lan zhan. Also,lan zhan follows after wei ying and fall down the cliff and they are saved by baosharan and lan an. The elders also saved wen family and they lived in some place for 16 yrs in peace. With wangxian children which he gave birth to. Ayuan is eldest,followed by girl who is half blind and last son who is quiet. Ayuan goes outside and falls into some troubles and all sects(jin,Jiang,lan,nie) were present there including jin zixuan and Jiang yanli with their son because they were chased by meng Yao. He wanted to kill all of them. Wangxian comes their to save Ayuan and they get saved in the process. They got some cursed so Ayuan request wangxian to let them stay in their house until their cursed is solved.they stay in their house and yanli tries to connect with wei wuxian but he doesn't. Wen Ning is also married. Also, wangxian are immortal. Wei ying form is crow which he uses to spy on his son for safety reasons. Also, lan xichen repents himself and tries to make amends and connect with the kids. Lan zhan is also trying to connect with his family. Also, that Jiang family is a bit#h (bitch), cheng verbally abuses wei wuxian at any chance he gets and yanli only knows to cry. Same with lan qiren,he is still the same. Nice mingjue is still alive but he also already got cursed. I don't know about lan zhan. I didn't read after because it was not completed.

NOT FOUND!🔒These Things Unseen by bonyenne (T, 34k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Found Family, POV Alternating, Mutual Pining, Kid Fic, Additional Warnings In Author's Note) well, the first half the the description, the rest doesn't match. but i'll leave the link in case original requester is thinking of two different fics b/c the first half (with the three kids and rescue by bssr) is a pretty close match

NOT FOUND!🔒Blossoming flowers in a full moon - 花好月圆 by ThisIsWhereTheMagicHappens (T, 64k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Happy Ending, Fix-It of Sorts, make LWJ happy agenda, wangxian cuddle to Immortality)

FOUND! If It's Too Hard To Forgive by Machevalli (M, 94k, WIP, WangXian, XuanLi, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Fluff and Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Yunmeng Jiang Sect Bashing, WWX Leaves the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, Top LWJ/Bottom WWX, Mpreg)

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11. After being a long time lurker I finally found myself needing your aid. The fic I lost track of was an A/B/O fic that had omega!LWJ & alpha!WWX. It was a modern AU, but I can't remember much that would help narrow down this fic other than I know there was an age gap, with LWJ being older than WWX. Thank you so much for your help!

FOUND? The Ties That Bind by silverclaw (G, 43k, wangxian, A/B/O, Arranged Marriage, Modern, Alpha WWX, Omega LWJ, past toxic relationship, Slow Burn, husbandiest of husband material WWX, mention of mpreg in relation to side-character, hurt LWJ, WWX falls first AND harder, No Smut)

FOUND? To Belong, To You by mk404 (E, 44k, WangXian, JYL/JZX, JL/LJY, WIP, A/B/O, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, Alpha JL, Alpha LXC, Alpha LSZ, Beta LJY, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mpreg, Modern with Magic, like they still go night hunting, But also its the 21 century, WWX doesn't die but goes into a coma, Age Difference, Older LWJ, Younger WWX, a-yuan is their bby, Age difference but like they are both adults, Like adults adults, Mates, Ass Play, Ass to Mouth, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Anal Play, Nipple Play, Nipple Licking, Finger Sucking, Knotting, Creampie, Size Kink, Size Difference, YLLZ WWX, Size Queen WWX, Multiple Orgasms, Overstimulation, Canon Divergence, Male Lactation) the description is a little vague so it doesnt really narrow it down

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12. Hi!! Do you know anything abt a modern au fic were lwj thinks wwx is in a relationship with someone called "a-yuan" and is kinda a jerk abt it but then it's revealed that wwx was never dating anyone but that a-yuan was his child. Sorry if this is kinda vague it's been awhile since I've read this fic 😅 (great blog btw) @imreallyonthishellsite

FOUND? 🔒 breathe in the air, the last of its kind by wereworm (T, 27k, WangXian, Modern, assumed cheating, Miscommunication, gc transfer modernised as hand-wavey illness (referenced/implied), 5+1 Things, wwx's lil family 3.0: the wens, wwx didn't adopt a-yuan the wens adopted wwx, lwj is a flawed person and people need to stop ignoring that, Translation Available, Перевод на русский | Translation in Russian)

FOUND? Green Is The Colour by lamusadelils (T, 2k, WangXian, Modern, A/B/O, Office, Omega LWJ, Alpha WWX, Jealous LWJ, casanova WWX, Or Is he?, Humor) I think I'm a bit late but I just found an alternative to 12

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13. Help me wangxianficfinder, you're my only hope!

I would swear I bookmarked this one but I can't find it anywhere!

It's a modern au where LWJ and WWX are college students. Iirc they are already in a relationship.

Iirc it opens with WWX and LWJ in a wrecked car which is possibly half hanging off a bridge - they'd been run off the road (though that's not established until later).

When the emergency services arrive, LWJ is taken to hospital but WWX is arrested for some bullshit reason - resisting arrest or something. Iirc the cops on the scene were Jin Zixun and Xue Yang.

There is worry from LWJ's family because they don't know what happened to WWX. Just that he was in the car and he should be in the hospital but isn't.

Later, WWX is in an interrogation room not making much sense because he's injured and hypothermic (it's winter and he was soaked through but he wasn't allowed to even dry off) then he gets left on his own.

I *think* he was tracked down by police (chief?) NMJ who got to WWX shortly before his heart stopped due to his injuries, the hypothermia, and the mistreatment while in custody.

That's all I can remember. Does this ring any bells for anyone? @greywake

Yep, looks like that's the fic I was after 😭

I don't suppose anyone has a copy downloaded?

FOUND! I found a link in another site in tumblr but i can't find the fic. Truth or There by FRecklis be well :) / The suggestion for 13 is available via the Wayback Machine here: Follow up on the Wayback Machine link for 13: it looks like only the first chapter was archived 😭

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14. Hi! This is for the fic finder. I'm looking for a fic where WWX takes A-Yuan and flees the Siege on burial mounts. He heads towards the ocean and meets XXC and SL, who travel in the same direction. He gives them a fake name and they eventually get to a seaside town where XXC and SL have a house that they offer WWX to stay in. I think in the last few chapters NHS found out he was there and WWX started to teach some town children (well, teenagers) so that the town has more protection and he doesn't have to use demonic cultivation.

I meant to suggest this fic in the ITMF on the 27. June but I can't find it for the life of me. Thank you in advance for helping me look for it! @hikato-chan

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15. Hello everyone, I come again looking for your help. This fic is an au of Harry Potter, or at least contains elements of it. I'm sure it's just one chapter and it's about Lan Wangji being cursed as a rabbit in the middle of his class, Wei Wuxian has a small bout of madness that involves torturing the spell caster because he thinks LWJ was killed in his presence (there's a mention that Jiang Wanyin was scared and didn't look him in the eye for a while, I think) until Lan Qiren pulls Bunji out of the fallen clothes. The curse is broken with a kiss of true love. As always, thank you very much for your time and effort. @makolashida

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16. I’m looking for this fic where Wwx is dead and while dead his (memories?) are shown to the cultivation world and when Wwx comes back everyone (or most people) consider him a good person. I believe in the description of this fic the Wwx that comes back this world is a different one from the one who dies in that universe. I also remember a scene in the fic where Wwx is overhearing people passing by talking about the compass he invented and he swore he named it something different, or he named something differently. This scene may not be in this fic but I swore there was a scene about Lán Xichen begging WWx for forgiveness for Jin guangyao actions

FOUND? remind me of this fic Have You Heard Of The Yiling Patriach by R_PONTS. But i think its deleted? Wei Wuxian is not strong, or at the very least his brute strength is not something he take prides in as much as his speed and flexibility, but those can only get you so far, and when going against stronger enemy, your mind is your trump card. Or, Wei Wuxian develop a time traveling array during the Sunshot Campaign in case everything went wrong but forgot about it after. It was during the Siege that people have disturb it along with Some other experimental talismans and truths was revealed a little to late.Wei Wuxian woke up in a world different from what he remembers.

amalthia said: well, the first half the the description, the rest doesn't match. but i'll leave the link in case original requester is thinking of two different fics b/c the first half (with the three kids and rescue by bssr) is a pretty close match

FOUND? scatter and sunder by silversshadow (T, 15k, JYL/JZX, wangxian, major character death, canon divergence, temporary character death) the first half of the request sounds like a perfect fit for scatter and sunder by silversshadow It doesn't have a seen with the misnamed compass but does have LXC begging for forgiveness

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17. HI, Im looking for a fic where i believe it was a kidfic? A yuan was adopted by lan zhan? There was a scene where lwjs car broke down in a snow storm and wwwx drove his old car to save them. Lol i cant remember much else. Pls help

FOUND? love thy neighbor by wincechesters (M, 7k, WangXian , Modern AU, Neighbors, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Single Parents, Single Parent LWJ) not exactly snowstorm, but there's a scene in 'love thy neighbor' when lwj's car broke down in winter and wwx rescues him and a-yuan with his old, loud car.

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18. Hello, wonderful people! Thank you for your hard work! Can you please help me find this fic? It's wangxian and either xiyao or 3zun. What I remember is at some point Jin Guangyao did something to contradict his father I think so in punishment he was thrown to some abandoned mine. Lan bros, Nie Mingjue and Wei Wuxian were searching for him and WWX said he will use the spirits of the dead for the search. Others disagreed but he said that JGY doesn't have much time since it was really cold in the mine for someone without a good golden core. At this point LWJ started to suspect WWX doesn't have one, I think. Does this ring any bells? Thank you in advance! @themorrana

FOUND! Aftermath by KouriArashi (T, 57k, JYL/JZX, wangxian, LXC/JGY, JZX & JGY, JYL & WXX, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Everybody Lives, Romance, Developing Relationship, Family, Sibling Bonding, Light Angst, Politics, Attempted Sexual Assault, some murder on occasion, People talking about their feelings, processing their trauma, The good shit) Jin Guangshan dies at the beginning of the story, but the part with the mine happens at the end.

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19. Hello! For the next fic finder I have a fic i would love to get found.

It’s Wangxian.

And I think it was time travel but I’m not too sure. It might not have been, I’m 90 % sure it was in the cloudless days though.

Anyway the only thing I really remember is that wwx tells lwj that the older disciples used to make him drink with them when he was younger, like he started young around 12 I think?

He mentioned to lwj that it took around two bottles of wine to get him drunk and that usually he didn’t have to drink that much around his year mates as they got passed out drunk pretty quickly.

I also remember lwj or someone telling him that his golden core had burned away the alcohol the entire time. Which had put it under some kind of strain I think?

I would be really grateful if you guys could help me find it. @ravenwithwings

FOUND!🔒 The Second Hand Unwinds by trulywicked (E, 64k, wangxian, JYL/JZX, WIP, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Time Travel Fix-It, Not JC Friendly, Not Yunmeng Jiang Sect Friendly, Not Jiāng Family Friendly, Not YZY Friendly, Time Travelling LWJ, Protective LWJ, Fluff, Minor Angst, Minor Character Death, JGS is his own warning, Wooing, LWJ is romantic af, Inventor WWX, Genius WWX, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Protective Gusu Lan Sect, Supportive LXC, Good Uncle LQR, WWX Protection Squad)

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20. Hiii!! I’m trying to find this one fic. I never read it but the summary was intriguing. Wangxian are in a relationship but they both think the other is asexual (neither of them are). I think it was in a modern universe but i’m not completely sure. Been trying to find it for hoursssss

FOUND? Pounding Madly by Dei_Starr (DeiStarr), DeiStarr (E, 11k, WangXian, WIP, Car Accidents, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Hospitalization, Roommates, Boarding School, Teenagers, Adults, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Celibacy, Abstinence, Asexual Relationship, Where Neither Of Them Is Actually Asexual, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Attempt at Humor, Angst and Fluff, Eventual Smut, First Time, Loss of Virginity, No Underage Sex, It's Plot Relevant I Swear, Demisexuality, Demisexual WWX, Asexuality Spectrum, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, Communication Failure, Lack of Communication, Everyone Else Is Very Entertained, Epic Fail, Comedy of Errors, Romantic Comedy, Slow Burn, The Romance Is Fast, But The Sex Takes Years, Sex Is Not The Enemy, this is what happens when, Mr. "I Talk A Lot But Don't Really Say A Thing" & Mr. "'Mn' Is A Full Sentence" Get Together, Casting Couch, Corset, Gender Non-Conforming WWX, Crossdressing Kink, Crossdressing WWX, Seduction, Body Worship, Hand Jobs, Sexual Roleplay, Cock Warming, Mirror Sex, Intercrural Sex, Nipple Play, Oblivious WangXian, WWX Has a Breeding Kink, LWJ Has a Big Dick, Gay Sex, Anal Sex, Oral Sex, First Time Blow Jobs, Lingerie, LWJ is Bad at Communicating, WWX is a Mess, LWJ is a Panicked Gay, Horny LWJ, Horny WWX, Idiots in Love, POV LWJ, POV WWX, Human Disaster WWX, WWX is a Tease, WWX Has ADHD) I was trying to find the car accident fic someone else mentioned, and I think I found the one 20's looking for instead! I also haven't read it, but the summary matches!

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[holylulusworld]

Vulnerable (4)

Summary: Professor Xavier entrusts you with the mission to locate a certain mutant with unknown consequences.

Pairing: Alpha!Wolverine x Omega!(Mutant)Reader

Characters: Jean Grey, Scott Summers

Warnings: angst, language, gruff Wolverine, a/b/o, a/b/o dynamics, implied true mates, you are on the run, mentions of the death of a loved one (sister), a lil Jean/Scott hate in this, foreshadowing

A/N: Jean is not Dark Phoenix in this story. The reader is stronger than both Professor Xavier and Jean Grey. She is a telepath, telekinetic, and empath. Most of the time, she suppresses her powers.

Catch up here: Inseparable

Undefeated masterlist

“Never!” Logan growls while speeding off, “Get inside my head ever again! If you do, I’ll split your skull with my claws.”

You laugh, because Logan wouldn’t get the chance to get close to you, and reply, “Believe me, buddy. Getting inside your messed-up mind is the last thing I want to do. Now drive more carefully. There’s no one following us. At least, for now. I try to make us invisible.”

“You can turn things invisible too?” He cocks a brow but focuses on the street. “What the fuck are you?”

“Aw, you’re cute when clueless.” You pat his thigh and squeeze it tightly. “I cannot turn things invisible. I’ll cover our traces using my powers. If anyone tries to find us, I’ll manipulate their minds. Now stop distracting me and drive.”

“You should sleep or do whatever you do after you split into two,” he huffs and slams his hands onto the steering wheel. “That was suicidal, kid!”

“I’m not a kid,” you growl. “Do I look like a kid to you?” You narrow your eyes at Logan. "Maybe everyone under one hundred is a kid to you, but stop acting like you are the adult in this team!”

“We’re not a team, k—” he grits his teeth. “After I dropped you at Xavier’s freak house, I’m out of this shitshow for good. I told Charles that I’m not the kind of man for teamwork or his X-Men.”

“Yeah, I can relate,” you prop your feet onto the dashboard, earning a growl from Logan. “Relax, old man.” You smirk when he glances at you for a second. He squares his jaw, and his muscles are tense. “What? You can call me kid, but I cannot call you old man.”

“Someone should teach you some manners!” Logan grits out. “Maybe I’m that one.”

You lean close and place your hand on his arm. “Please don’t hurt yourself, old man. I don’t want to fix your back because you got hurt.”

“You know about my healing factor, right?” He bites back. “I don’t need your help to feel better.”

“Aw, but sweetie,” you move your hand up and down his arm, causing him to shiver. “I swear, if I ever helped you feel better, you’d believe you ended up in heaven.”

You pull away, smirking because it seems you got under the old grump’s skin.

“One day, someone will break your neck,” he replies, his voice a little raspier than before. “And I won’t stop them.”

Snorting, you turn to the right side to get some sleep. You wave your hand, and a green aura surrounds your body. “I’ll sleep now. Only wake me if the car is on fire or we reached our destiny.”

“What if you are on fire?” He grins, and you chuckle.

“Just let me burn, old man,” you yawn. “I’ve got this. I’m fire- and bulletproof.”

Logan furrows his brows, wondering if you try to mess with him again. He must admit, your powers are impressive and downright scary.

“Wake up!” Logan gruffly calls your name. He pokes your thigh. “You’re lucky that you’re not on fire; neither is the car.”

You slowly sit up, stretching your sore limbs before you open the door to leave the car. Hours spent in the same position gave you more kinks in your back than you’d like to admit.

“Good, you didn’t crash the car,” you grumble under your breath. “You don’t need a babysitter all the time. That’s progress.”

Logan glares at you for a second but doesn’t say a thing. Being here, back at the X-Men headquarters and Xavier’s school of gifted youngsters, brings back memories he’d like to forget about.

“Can you not talk for like five minutes?” he huffs and gets out of the car. Logan slams the door shut, muttering under his breath. “Why did you have to bring me here? I was done with this life.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” you huff. “And if you didn’t scream grumpy grandpa for crying out loud, I’d consider letting you go, but…” You smirk as he stalks toward you. “I can’t let a senior walk around the area on his own. You could get lost.”

“One day someone will teach you a lesson,” he snarls and slides his claws out. “I’ll be that one.” Logan grins as you take another step toward you. “This old man will teach you some manners too.”

You chuckle at his playful tone. It’s a distraction from his racing heart and the fear you can sense coming deep from within his soul. Being here is hard for him. You know that feeling.

“I see, you found him,” the gate creaks open behind you. Scott and Jean walk toward the car, and you already feel nauseous. Jean tries to see into your mind; a habit you never liked. She always wanted to control you since you first joined the X-Men. One of the reasons you left the team is to not feel like a guinea pig any longer.

“I always find them,” you reply, trying not to sound too annoyed. “If not, the professor wouldn’t have asked for my help. Here’s your lost sheep and the one you call Stryker.” You jerk your head toward the car. “He’s out cold. Tell me when you are ready to interrogate him. I’ll wake the sleeping beauty for you.”

“What did you do to him?” Jean is more concerned about you hurting a human than the fact that Stryker and his soldiers would’ve enslaved you and Logan.

“Oh, that wasn’t her,” Logan chuckles as Scott steps closer to him. “It was her cute alter ego. You know, the red aura crap running off to get a pound of flesh of the bastard in the back of my truck.”

“You hurt them,” Scott furrows his brows. He always was a softie and never knew when you have to end someone who’s evil through and through.”

"Well, it was a us or them kind of situation,” you shrug. “They were well-trained killers. What did you think will happen?” You glare at Scott. “I sent the first group home because they were newbies and didn’t kill innocent mutants for their fun. The others…” You dip your head to smirk at Scott, "They didn’t get so lucky. I sense evilness when I face it.”

“You used her again,” Jean chides while checking on Stryker’s vital functions. “I told you to never use her again!”

“She has a name!” Your aura turns from green to violet. “I told you not to treat her like an enemy, or even worse, a weapon you can use to your liking, but if I use my powers, then I’m the bad guy.”

“She?” Logan wonders aloud. He watches you take deep breaths, like in the bar, or before you unleashed your alter ego. This time your aura turns green, and it vanishes. “Did I miss something?”

“I told you, she’s my alter ego,” you turn around to face Logan. Your features soften feeling his confusion and the need to get away from Scott and Jean. “She’s…” You drop your gaze and sigh deeply.

“I came with you and even let you comb through my brain. You owe me an answer, Y/N!” Logan insists.

“Okay,” you nod, and place your hand on his chest. You look him in the eye, a kind of sadness in your eyes tearing through his very soul. “Professor Xavier brought me here when I was just a kid. After men like Stryker experimented on me and my…” You choke out a sob, “Twin sister.”

“Oh…” He can’t come up with an appropriate reaction, so he offers a cracked smile.

“We were both special; at least they told us so. Most of the time, we talked using telepathy or exchanged the food they gave us using our telekinesis. One day, they brought us into a room. ” You wipe your eyes. “There was another mutant, a very strong one. It was the most powerful being I ever encountered. They told us to fight him; and we did, but…”

“Shouldn’t we head inside?” Scott tries to stop you from telling your story to a man he never trusted. “Y/N?”

You ignore Scott and the fact that Jean tries once again to get a glimpse of your thoughts. You just look at Logan when a single tear rolls down your cheek. “He threw a shockwave in my direction. I was too stunned to react, and she…she just jumped in front of me, grabbing my hand and smiling as the shockwave tore her apart. Right in front of my eyes, my twin sister turned into dust.”

“I—I’m so sorry,” Logan finally gets out as your aura turns gray.

“It wasn’t her end,” you murmur. “Not completely. A part of her,” you smile now, and wave your hand to let the aura float around Logan. “I call it her soul; she stayed with me. Since that day, our powers have fused, and she’s there to protect me whenever I need her.”

“The aura is your sister?” He asks.

“A part of her is inside the aura I can create,” you murmur. “I can feel her, just like I felt her fuse with me that day.”

“That’s the most tragic story I ever heard, and I heard a lot of tragic stories,” Logan cracks a smile, making you chuckle. “Trust me, you win the award for the saddest story ever.”

You’re thankful for his reaction. He doesn’t try to tell you how sorry he is and that everything will turn out well. Logan is just…Logan. You are about to give him a witty comment when you sense an incredible power getting closer.

Your aura turns red immediately. You look at Jean, telling her to get Stryker and Scott inside. That power, you know it…

“He’s here. He’s coming for us. I didn’t feel him before, but I do now.” You use your telekinesis to send Logan flying. He lands behind the fence, the one you close and lock with your powers. “Get him inside. Protect him at all costs.”

You turn around, waving your hands, letting the aura dance in the air.

“Y/N…no!” Jean gasps when she watches your aura turn from red to black, your ultimate form. “Noooo! You’re going to kill us all!” She screams when you tell them to run inside the mansion. "You can't control this!"

“No, only he will die today.” Your voice doesn’t sound like your own any longer.

A part of your aura surrounds your body, but the rest turns into ten versions of yourself. You stand in line, nodding at each other.

The day has finally come. You’ll get your revenge on Stryker and the monster killing your sister.

Tags in reblog.

[cozage]

OMG HIII I LOVE YOUR WRITINGGG this is gonna be my first request ever (literally having a nervous breakdown) but I wanted to request a fem reader who is the bio daughter of whitebeard and comes back after 2 years of shinobi training to meet the new crew member Fire fist ace! and can you pls make it a short fic (I cannot fathom the words of how obsessed I am with this man IFDFJDKDGJK) (also can she have a DF that's associated with lava? pls and thank you *literally bowing*)

A/N: God this was so adorable to write. I'm so obsessed with this fun little story. Literally once I started writing I couldn't stop. thank u 

Characters: female reader, Ace, Marco, Whitebeard & Crew

Cw: alcohol, drunk reader

Total word count: 2.3k

Part 2 | Table of Contents | Read on A03

The Daughter’s Return Chapter 1: The Promised Position

The vivre card in your hand continued to move forward, but you could see the familiar outline of the Moby Dick ahead of you, and you grinned at the sight of being so close to your family again. You had been training for two years, and you couldn’t wait to catch up with your friends and your father after being apart for so long.

Your small boat looked even tinier as the giant ship loomed closer to you, but you weren’t concerned. Blue flames shot into the sky from the blue ship, and you sent out a stream of lava into the air in return. It was your code to the first division commander and friend, proof that you were who they were expecting. 

You saw a creature with blue flamed wings shoot into the sky, and you gathered up your things. You only had a small backpack and a few bags of food, so there wasn’t much to pack up. You said goodbye to your small raft, thanking it for its usefulness during your journey.

Marco landed on your boat, and you squealed in delight seeing your brother again. He wrapped you up in a hug and spun you around, laughing gleefully at your return. 

“Pops is going to be thrilled to see you,” he said, sitting you down. He ruffled your hair affectionately, smiling at you. “Missed you, kid.”

“Missed you too, Marco,” you said, grinning at him. You picked up a bag, handing it off to him to carry back to the ship. 

“You’ve grown!” he commented. “I can’t look down at you anymore.”

You gave him a cheeky grin. “I’m stronger too.” 

“You better be!” He laughed. “Pops didn’t smuggle you into Wano for you to come back the same!”

“Maybe he’ll finally make me commander now.” You stared up at the ship, thinking of the goal you’d been working towards since the beginning of your training. 

“About that…” Marco trailed off, and you shot him a suspicious look. 

“What?”

He sighed, deciding to prepare you. “Pop’s filled the second division commander seat, actually.”

“What?” you hissed. “You’re joking.”

“I’m not.”

“With who?” you demanded. You refused to believe him. “I thought nobody wanted it.”

“It’s a new guy.”

“A new guy?” you scoffed. “You’re pulling my leg, Marco. It’s not funny.”

Marco looked nervous talking about it. “Let’s go see Pops, alright? He’ll explain.” 

You scowled, and your stomach clenched in anticipation. “Yeah, let’s go. I have some words to say to him.”

Marco wrapped his arms around your torso and extended his phoenix wings. “I’m glad to see you’re still a hothead.” You could hear the teasing in your voice, but you weren’t in the mood for jokes anymore. 

“Shinobi training can’t fix everything,” you grumbled. You could feel your skin getting warm, a sign you were letting your emotions get to you. 

You heard a lot of low whispers and mumbling, but you paid the new recruits no mind as you stormed across Moby Dick. Your father wasn’t on the deck, so you continued on to the command room. 

“DAD!” you screamed, and you could see some of the newer members slink away from you in fear. A part of you felt some pride to have such an impact, but you were too pissed to revel in it.

You slammed the command room door open to find your father speaking with another man you didn’t recognize, but you paid the guest no mind. You were too focused on settling the score of the second division commander seat.

Whitebeard smiled at you. “Y/N! You’re-”

“You bastard!” you shrieked. You pulled out a kunai, pointing it at your old man. “You promised!”

The unknown man threw a knife and knocked the kunai out of your hand, and you turned to glare at him. He was shirtless and was wearing an obnoxious orange hat, and he was returning your gaze with a look of equal irritation. 

“Stay out of this, newbie,” you hissed at the man. 

You reached into your pouch to grab another kunai, but he lunged at you, grabbing your wrist to stop you.

“I don’t know who you are,” the man said in a low, dangerous voice. “But you have no right attacking Pops the moment you get on our ship.”

“Stay out of my affairs,” you snarled. 

You turned your wrist to lava rocks to burn his hand, but at first the man didn’t react. You frowned, turning up the heat to liquidize your arm into magma, and finally the man pulled away in pain. He looked down at his hand in shock, as if he wasn’t expecting to be burned. You couldn’t blame him. It’s not everyday someone’s skin turns into boiling liquid. 

Whitebeard laughed loud and hearty, breaking the tension between you and the man, and you refocused your anger back to your father. 

“Never a dull moment with you around, kid! It’s great to have you back,” he laughed, and your face flushed with anger. 

“You promised me a commander position when I got back,” you yelled at him. “Who the hell did you give it to instead?”

Whitebeard laughed even harder. “That would be Ace.”

“Who the hell is Ace?” you hissed. 

The shirtless man raised his hand. “Uh-”

“I said stay out of my affairs!” You could feel steam coming off your head. Sometimes that happened when you got too angry.

The man pointed at himself. “Me. I’m Ace.”

You could feel your insides turning hot, lava coursing through your veins. 

“You’re joking,” you said. You glanced at your father, who was still smirking at the two of you. “He’s joking, right?”

You father raised his eyebrows, his gaze darting between the two of you, but he said nothing.

“Portgas D. Ace,” the man said, holding out a hand to you. You rolled your eyes and turned away from him, facing your father. 

“This guy?'' Your voice was full of skepticism. 

“Hey!” Ace yelled from behind you. “Don’t underestimate me!”

“I could squash you like a bug,” you shot back, still refusing to look at him. “Dad-”

“The decision was made with good reason, my girl,” Whitebeard said. “You’ll be working alongside him closely in the second division.”

“No, I won’t,” you laughed, rolling your eyes at his suggestion. 

“Yes, you will.” You could hear the seriousness in your father’s voice, the warning of consequences thick in his tone. 

You decided it was best to not outright defy him, and you switched your tactic from stubborness to logic.

“I’ve always been under Marco,” you reasoned.

“You’ll be better suited in the second division now.” You could feel Ace smirking behind you, and you resisted the urge to turn around and punch his teeth out. 

“Let me get this straight,” you said, trying to keep a level voice. “You give my commander position away and then tell me I have to work under the guy who took it from me?”

Ace laughed. “The second division position has been open for-”

You flicked a volcanic rock back at him, and he yelped in pain. 

“Marco is a fire user like me,” you worked to plead your case further. “And I know him. I would work better under him.”

“The first division is a medical division now,” your father explained. You could see you were testing his patience, but you didn’t care. “Your talents are better served on the offensive front, which Ace leads.”

“But-”

“Plus,” your father added, cutting you off. “Ace is a fire user as well.”

You felt warmth spring up behind you, but you refused to give Ace the satisfaction of being acknowledged.

“Dad-”

“I’m not wavering on this decision,” he said with finality. 

You felt your father’s conqueror’s haki spread out over the ship, and you knew that you had lost the argument. You could hear Ace stumble slightly behind you, and you resisted the urge to argue even further over the man’s weakness. At this point it would only make your father angry, even if you were right. 

“Fine, fine,” you sighed, giving up. There’d be plenty of time to talk with him about the position and prove your worth. “Can we at least have a party?”

Whitebeard’s overwhelming presence disappeared and his jolly laugh returned in an instant, already forgetting your alls squabble. He stood up, wrapping you in a comforting embrace, leading you past Ace and out onto the deck. 

“My daughter has returned home!” he shouted, and the crew cheered. “Prepare a feast!”

--

At least the party life on the Moby Dick hadn’t changed at all. You could still beat just about anyone in a drinking contest, and by halfway through the night, your mind was cloudy from the alcohol. 

You took a step away from the party and the fun to get a moment alone with the stars. You took a drink of the ale in your tankard, staring up at the million lights in the sky and thinking about how different the constellations looked during your time in Wano. You were so close to that country and those people, yet so far. 

“I think we got off on the wrong foot,” a male voice said behind you, startling you from your thoughts. 

You glanced back to find Portgas D. Ace walking towards you, looking up at the night sky. He was attempting to be casual about the whole thing, as if he had randomly found you here, but you could tell that he had most likely searched you out on purpose.

You rolled your eyes and turned away from him. He wasn’t even worth giving the time of day. He hadn’t done anything to prove he was anything special yet.

But Ace obviously wasn’t willing to give up that easily, because he came and stood directly next to you. His eyes were still on the sky, just like yours were. 

“I just feel like since we’re going to be working together, we should probably get to know each other a little better,” he said. 

You thought of plenty of snarky responses, but said none of them. You knew the silent treatment would be the best way to shut him down. Portgas D. Ace was not your friend. You wanted nothing to do with him. 

“Are you happy to be back on the ship?”

Still nothing came out of your mouth. You didn’t even look his way, you simply took another long drink. But you could see him starting to pout. It was only a matter of time before he gave up and returned to the party. You just had to keep your mouth shut. 

“All the guys said you had a pretty smoking ability. But I dunno, I think my fire ability is pretty hot.”

You scoff at that. “I’m hotter,” you shot back. 

Damn him. He could rile you up, and he knew exactly how to. You could see him smirk in the corner of your eye, and you cursed yourself for being so easy to manipulate. 

“That’s what they all said too,” he said quietly, a smile still lingering on his face. 

You turned to look at him, your face full of frustration. “What do you want?” 

He seemed surprised by your question. “What do you mean?”

“Why are you speaking to me?” you demanded. “What do you want?”

“Wh-No-I just-” Ace stammered, trying to find his words. 

You stared at him, your scowl deepening every time he started his sentence over. 

“You’re Whitebeard’s daughter, aren’t you?” he finally asked. 

“Yeah. And?”

“I’ve just heard a lot about you,” he said. 

“And?”

“I dunno,” he said. “You intrigued me.”

You scowled at him. “What the hell does that mean?”

“I dunno!” He let out an exasperated sigh, turning his gaze to the stars. “You were just this larger than life story people always told since I got on this ship. Everyone always had something to say about you. I guess I just wanted to know how much of it was true.”

“All of it is true,” you said.

Ace let out a laugh, and then clamped his hand over his mouth to stop himself. “I really hope not.”

Your eye twitched, and you could feel your skin starting to tingle. “If people are lying about me, they’ll pay for it.”

“Marco talked about you like you were this sweet little kid.”

“Marco’s delusional.”

Ace laughed again, and this time he didn’t stop himself. You found yourself smiling along with him. 

“He definitely sees the best in people,” Ace said.

You shot him a look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

You could see Ace tense. “Oh, nothing! I-”

You let out joyous rings of laughter now, and you see Ace give a strained smile, mostly unsure of how to react to your sudden friendliness. 

“You’re funny, Portgas D. Ace.” You go to take another sip of alcohol, just to find your cup empty. You frowned at it, and turned to go find more booze. 

“I’ll get it,” Ace offered, holding out his hand to take your cup. “I’m empty too.”

You nod, handing it off to him. The party was so loud anyway. You preferred the quiet atmosphere this late in the night. He strode away, and you watched him go, your father’s emblem displayed proudly on his back. He still wasn’t anything special, but at least he wasn’t scared of you like half of the crew. 

You hadn’t realized how much alcohol you had drank throughout the night until you were alone, and suddenly the world was spinning. You laid down on the deck to get your bearings, and then found yourself stuck there. 

When Ace came back, he found you sprawled out, staring upwards. 

“You okay?” he asked. He bent down to look at you, his face obscuring part of the sky. 

You giggled. “Your freckles look like stars.”

“You’re drunk.”

“No you’re drunk.”

He chuckled. “Your insults get worse as the night goes on.”

You stuck your tongue out at him, and then patted the deck next to you. “Come lay down.”

He obliged, his head resting next to yours. “What are we looking for?” he questioned. 

“Shhhh!” you hissed, pressing a finger to his mouth. “You’ll scare them away.”

You felt his lips turn upward against your finger, but he was quieter when he spoke. 

“What are we looking for?” he whispered. 

“Shooting stars!” you whispered back. 

“Oh,” Ace whispered. “Of course.”

“Tell me when you find one,” you said quietly. “I’m going to rest my eyes for a minute.”

You’re not sure if he ever found one. You were asleep before he responded.

[warabidakihime]

Rules and Roses Chapter 3

★ characters: kibutsuji muzan x reader x akaza

★ plot summary: Kibutsuji Muzan has finally decided to expand his empire, and the way he intends to do so is by running for the highest political position. With you, his darling wife, at his side, he believes he can achieve and have everything the world has to offer. He is, after all, the Phoenix of Phario.

★ fic playlist: sometimes, same day, as time stops, wolf’s song (this is also the vision board for the fic). 

★ content warnings : implied violence and abuse, profanities, toxic relationships, smut. MINORS DNI.

comments are always welcome and greatly appreciated! hearing your thoughts motivates me to write more, so please leave a comment. have fun reading!

-

"Hey Akaza, good morning! Sorry to message you so early, but I need to let you know I'll be meeting with Ms. Rivera at her place today before lunch. Please have the car ready by 10:30 am. Thank you!"

Akaza, huh?

Akaza stared at your message, his eyes fixed on his phone screen, but his mind wandered. Minutes passed as thoughts raced through his head. Finally, with a deep sigh, he shook off his distractions, put down his phone, and began getting ready for the day.

One thing about you: you hated delays, whether caused by you or someone else.

There was a time when Akaza accidentally overslept, and you had an early doctor's appointment. Because he was late, you drove yourself and got annoyed at him for messing up your schedule. Eventually, you calmed down and reminded him that time is something you don’t like wasting.

Since then, Akaza has never missed an alarm and has always been punctual.

However, he was confused as to why you didn’t tell your husband about what happened that day. You're usually an open book and a chatterbox with your husband, so it came as a surprise Muzan wasn’t informed of his little oopsie. 

He didn’t ask you why, though. 

First, he didn’t want to push his luck, and second, he didn’t exactly want Muzan to find out. Muzan was known to be strict and blunt with everyone except you.

You have your rules, but Muzan has his demands.

Akaza knows this well since he was Muzan’s bodyguard before being assigned to you after your marriage. This change in his role was rather unexpected, considering your... dynamic.

As his mind wandered down this path, Akaza shook his head, his eyes closing in frustration.

“Don’t even think about going there,” he muttered to himself, knowing he didn’t have the patience to entertain such thoughts.

With another deep sigh, he continued getting ready. Once finished, he almost sprinted out of his room to start the car, ensuring everything was set for you to leave as soon as you were ready.

-

"Sign here, Ms. Rivera."

"Gladly."

Since it was a weekday, traffic in the capital city was manageable, and you arrived at your client's home right on time.

Muzan’s busy campaign schedule meant you often had to accompany him. If he wins the election, you’ll be the first lady, a role with its own important responsibilities.

Time flew by, and since your last meeting with Ms. Rivera a month ago, you were now down to the final run-through of her wedding plans for next month.

The only thing left was for your client to pay the remaining balance for your services.

After collecting the payment and discussing final details with Ms. Rivera, your meeting ended after nearly an hour. Akaza was there in the living room with you and the client, keeping himself busy with phone games,playing silently out of respect.

As he noticed the meeting wrapping up, he excused himself to prepare the car so you could leave promptly.

"Where to?" Akaza asked as he drove off.

"Hmm... let’s eat somewhere before going home. Are you craving something?" You looked at him, and he responded with a sheepish chuckle, "Don't worry about me, madam. You choose what you want."

"Honestly, I don’t know what I want to eat. I’m hungry but can’t decide what I’m in the mood for."

Akaza navigated the highway smoothly, one hand on the wheel, the other propped on the door with his chin resting on his palm. He hummed as he thought about where to eat.

"There's this burger joint I know. It’s a bit far, but their food is good and cheap," he suggested. His tone exuded excitement, and as you listened to him, you noticed the excited tone, which for some reason made you equally excited as well.

"Sure! That sounds great. I don’t have any other plans, so we can take our time," you replied just as eagerly.

Akaza looked over to you for a minute, catching the pretty smile plastered on your face. Without his permission, his heart skipped a beat, and warmth seeped through his veins, softening his usually stoic demeanor.

Today, with the sun shining brightly and the breeze feeling wonderful against your skin, Akaza allowed himself to let his guard down just a bit and let his inhibitions win for once and just this once.

"It's decided, then."

With a fond smile, he nodded at you before stepping on the gas, determined to get you to the burger joint he enthusiastically vouched for.

The place where the remnant of your past lingered—the place where your Pandora's box awaits.

-

"This is so good!" you exclaimed as you took your first bite of the burger you ordered.

Akaza merely chuckled while watching you eat, his eyes filled with fondness and a little bit of pride. He was clearly pleased that you liked his suggestion when the two of you were deciding what to eat for lunch.

Through the years of serving you as your bodyguard, he learned that you were rather picky with the foods you ete. You have sensory issues, so certain food textures and scents are not to your liking.

You also don't like eating foods you hadn't tried before when you were very hungry, because what if you didn't like them? It would ruin your appetite right there and then. But this time, you had hearts in your eyes after taking your first bite of the burger.

"See? I told you it's good and mad cheap too. A little bit greasy, but we'll live," Akaza said with a chuckle.

You nodded enthusiastically in response. "Yeah, but to be honest, for some reason, the taste is familiar to me."

You looked around the burger joint, scanning every nook and cranny as you tried to gather your thoughts. "It's my first time here, yet this place feels so familiar, and the taste of their food reminds me of something, but I just can't pinpoint what it is."

Still lost in your own little world as you enjoyed your meal, a spark twinkled in Akaza's eyes as he listened to you.

"Maybe you've been here before, but you can't remember. I mean, if my schedule were as hectic and loaded as yours, I'd also forget stuff every now and then."

You hummed as you took another hearty bite, your pupils dilating at how much you loved it, making your bodyguard chuckle fondly at you. He didn't say anything more, knowing you were in the process of gathering your thoughts.

"I guess so, but I figure if I liked their food here so much, I wouldn't be able to forget this place. You know me and my obsession with food, Akaza."

Yeah, I know.

How could I ever forget?

"Most of what you make me do is either order you food or buy you iced coffee. How could I forget?" he replied with a teasing smile.

You playfully swatted him on the head.

Akaza snickered, finding absolute pleasure in teasing you.

"What? It's true! Check our chatbox—it's full of your food orders."

Rolling your eyes, you shot back, "And who’s the one who enjoys eating half of those orders with me?"

Akaza grinned, leaning back in his chair. "Well, can you blame me? You tend to overorder, and most of the time you persuade me to eat the rest of it."

"Overorder? That's rich coming from the guy who always insists on extra fries," you retorted with a smirk.

"Hey, those fries are amazing, and you know it. And I'm not one to deny free food," Akaza said defensively and quite audaciously as he is having this conversation with you, his main source of income, but over the years of working for you and spending time with you, the two of you have grown close and a lot comfortable with each other's company.

"Yeah, yeah, just admit you can't resist good food either," you teased.

"Alright, alright," Akaza conceded, laughing. "You got me. But seriously, if I didn’t help you out, you’d probably be buried under a mountain of food by now."

You couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, maybe I do get a little carried away sometimes."

"A little?" Akaza raised an eyebrow, grinning.

"Remember that time you ordered enough sushi to feed an army? I had to go buy you medicine in the middle of the night because you got a bad stomach ache."

You rolled your eyes again, your cheeks a bit red due to a slight embarrassment, but you tried to cover it with a sheepish smile.

"It was a new place, and I wanted to try everything!"

"You certainly did," Akaza said, shaking his head. "But it’s all part of the job—keeping you happy and well-fed."

"And teasing me endlessly," you added.

"Of course," Akaza said while still wearing that damn teasing smile on his face. "It's also part of my KPIs."

You couldn't help but laugh, shaking your head at his cheekiness. "Well, as long as you’re enjoying yourself."

Akaza leaned back, his expression softening. "I am. Besides, someone has to keep you grounded."

"Grounded, huh? More like keep me entertained," you retorted, smiling.

"That too," he admitted with a chuckle. "Ready to head back?"

You nodded, feeling satisfied both with the meal and the company. "Yeah, let’s go. Thanks for lunch, Akaza."

"Anytime, boss," he replied, standing up and offering you a hand.

With a shared smile, you both left the burger joint and headed back home.

-

Still on cloud nine from your spontaneous lunch out with Akaza, you entered the mansion, still chatting and laughing with one another. You didn't notice Muzan in the kitchen, helping himself to a glass of wine.

He had just come back from a busy day, which included attending business meetings at Obelisk Kibutsuji, participating in media interviews with his running mate Douma, and going to a fitting for an upcoming event you both would attend in about two months.

After such a hectic day, he rewarded himself with a drink to unwind.

At the sound of your melodious laugh chiming like bells in the hallway, his ears perked up, and he immediately looked up, his curiosity piqued. What could be the reason you were in such a good mood?

"Oh, hey, my love. You're home," you said lovingly as soon as you saw your husband in the kitchen.

"Yeah. The fitting ended a lot earlier, so I headed straight home," he responded with an equally loving smile.

Clearly elated to see him, you immediately sprinted with light steps towards Muzan, giving him the tightest bear hug and a smooch to match. Muzan happily reciprocated the kiss, making you giggle in between kisses.

Meanwhile, Akaza stood on one side of the room, waiting for you to either dismiss him or have him remain in his post should you have other tasks for him.

After a few more moments, you both pulled away and smiled at each other.

"How was your day, darling?" Muzan asked, still holding you in his embrace.

"It was great!" you replied.

"Oho? And may I know why?" Muzan asked again, his voice lacking the usual professional tone he used.

"My meeting with Ms. Rivera was successful, and we will be proceeding to the actual wedding preparations. And then, Akaza introduced me to this burger joint downtown, and it was so good! I need to take you there, my love. They have the best iced coffee too!"

"Oh, did he?" Muzan said, his scarlet eyes darting towards your bodyguard, who was currently wearing a polite smile as he regarded your husband with a nod and bow.

Muzan replicated his smile, although it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Turning back to you, Muzan said, "Well, when I'm not too busy or when we're in the area, let's eat there, hm?"

"It's a date," you giggled. Then you turned to Akaza and said, "You can go ahead and rest now, Akaza. Thank you so much for today."

"Yes, madam," he replied before bowing and retreating to his room at the far end of the mansion, beside Kokushibo and the maids' quarters.

Unbeknownst to you, Muzan was trailing your bodyguard's disappearing figure, and just as you were about to look up at him again, his undivided attention was back on you.

Giving your hips a good-hearted squeeze, he pointed to his half-empty wine glass and said, "Want a drink, darling?"

You nodded. "I'd love to."

The two of you walked back to the spacious kitchen. You sat on the countertop, your legs swinging merrily, as you watched your husband pour you a glass of red wine. After handing it to you, he walked over to the other side of the kitchen to look for something.

"How was your day, my love?" It was your turn to ask. Muzan smiled handsomely and replied in a relaxed manner, "Chaotic as always. To be quite honest, I think the fatigue is catching up to me."

You frowned at this. "It's because you're pushing yourself too hard. Why don't you take a day or two to rest?"

"Hmm... I might. I'll check my calendar, and if it's not too full, I will move those schedules to a later date," he replied while rummaging through a kitchen drawer.

"Want me to give you a massage later?"

Muzan finally returned to you after finding what he was looking for, a familiar smile now plastered on his face. He walked closer until your knees were against his torso, and both of his arms were securely placed on each of your sides, caging you in place.

"Just a massage? I think I'm going to need more than that, Y/N."

Already understanding what he was implying, you mirrored his smile, wrapped your arms around his neck, and invited him in between your legs. "What do you mean?"

Muzan chuckled seductively, his face only inches away from yours, the tip of his nose touching yours, his scarlet pupils mesmerizing you.

"I need you naked and moaning for me, darling. Can you do that?"

You chuckled just as seductively, already feeling aroused. You could only nod in response, much to your husband's delight.

"Hmm... it's decided then. But wait, before I get sidetracked, let's take our night supplements first."

You rolled your eyes at that. "Not you edging me before we even get started, Muzan."

Muzan let out a hearty chuckle, highly amused at your choice of words. "I'll make sure to repent later."

"You're forgiven," you replied with a chuckle, then took the pills your husband prepared for you. While you were preoccupied, a rather odd expression was plastered on Muzan's face, but it quickly reverted back to 'normal' once you're done.

"That's a new brand, by the way. Douma introduced it to me. He said it's way more effective than the one we're taking."

"Really? Hmm... I've not heard of this brand before. Is it imported?" you asked while gulping down a glass of water.

"Yeah, it's made in Italy."

You hummed in response, and in a split second, you found yourself being embraced by your husband again. In all honesty, he nearly gave you whiplash, but that's just one of Muzan's many quirks you fell in love with.

Then you felt him place a sensual kiss on your neck, immediately turning you into a puddle, even more so when you felt his teeth puncture your flesh. Afterwards, he dragged his kisses from your neck to your jaw, then finally to your lips.

"M-Muzan." You moaned as you felt his hands roam around your body, leaving chills in their wake.

"Already, darling? I'm just getting started." He didn't give you a chance to respond, as the moment you were about to, he glided his tongue between your plump lips and invited yours to a dance of tango.

The kiss left you so hazy that you didn't even notice Muzan had already discarded your pencil skirt, your undergarments dangling on your foot, and your blouse and bra fully undone by his skillful hands.

"I missed you so much, Y/N. It's been a while, huh?" Muzan asked after pulling away momentarily before diving down to one of your breasts, immediately nubbing on your nipples, making you gasp and moan out loud.

"Y-yes," you breathed out.

It was already well into the night, and usually the both of you were already in bed given that you were always busy with your respective work. But at this very moment, you'd never felt more alive and hungry for each other.

It really has been a while since you last had sex. Heck, it had also been a while since you last went on a proper date. So craving each other like rabbits in heat wouldn't surprise anyone, considering the two of you were borderline obsessed with one another.

"Ahhh," you gasped, your back arching as you felt your husband's tongue glide over your needy clit.

Muzan continued his magic in your nether region, quickly sending you over the edge. You had one hand clamped over your mouth, nervous that if you let any more lewd sounds escape, you would wake the maids and bodyguards.

"Let me hear you, darling," your husband hummed between your legs.

Unbeknownst to you, Muzan had his eyes wide open and focused on the entrance of the kitchen. Even in the dimly lit room, he could see someone's shadow.

Still concentrating his gaze there, he spoke again.

"Come on, Y/N. Let me hear you sing. Say my name, darling. Who's making you feel good?"

As if on cue, you reached climax; your eyes shot open and then closed shut again in sheer pleasure.

"Ah, fuc—Muzan!"

Muzan smirked as he watched the shadow slowly disappear.

"Good girl."

[yall-batman-fanfic]

PTA Rivals | Bruce Wayne/Batman x Reader!Magician ft the Sandman

Synopsis: It's not only as Batman and the Phoenix that Bruce and Vivian face an adversary. Who knew PTA can be just as cut-throat, especially when you want to make your kids proud. This is a really, really long fluff.

Being called to attend the PTA was the last thing Vivian ever expected. Actually, she wasn't the one invited to the said meeting since she wasn't Dick's legal guardian. It was Bruce. The man did try to get Alfred to attend instead of him but Alfred made a good point about how inappropriate it is for him to ask the butler to attend his ward's Parent Teacher Association meeting. It was one thing to fetch the boy to and from school, it was another to be there in those meetings. What would the people and the school say? Bruce Wayne just took in the orphan for show? He needs to set an example.

Now, Bruce has attended many ones before and found them a waste of his time and often had to leave before these things ended. He would have gotten away with it if it weren't for that one nosy parent who “mentioned” to Alfred if Bruce was going to attend at all. Her words were, “He can't just throw money into this and expect everything to be okay!”

It was the first time in a while that Bruce got a long lecture from his surrogate father, hence his current situation of leaving the meeting early in Wayne Enterprise to attend Dick's PTA. But he wasn't going alone. As a request by Alfred, the man asked Vivian if she could accompany Bruce in the meeting to make sure he stays. His words were: “I am embarrassed to ask you this, Professor Pryor, but considering your declaration with Master Bruce about his role as a father to Master Dick, he needs a little guidance on how these things go. And from the both of us, I believe he'll find you more of a role model in these things.”

Vivian, who was having tea with Alfred in the kitchen that time, as Bruce and Dick were running around as Robin, said, “Role model. Can't say that's the right word for me. But I get you… no son wants their parents to meddle with how they're raising their kids. Sure, haven't really attended PTAs here, the ones I usually go to are from when my brother and sister were still at school and it's usually just, here's what they did now fuck off.”

Alfred laughed and offered her a sandwich, “I'd rather have that than the ones I've encountered when Master Bruce was still in school. Mothers here, specifically at Gotham Academy, are vicious and political. They'll do anything just to secure their children's spot in the best.”

“Huh, should have known corruption starts in schools too,” Vivian ate her sandwich.

“You have no idea, Professor.”

They both drank their scotch and Alfred poured them another. “Can I count on you to guide Master Bruce throughout the ordeal?”

“I'll handle it, Alfred, don't worry. What can possibly go wrong?”

“So many things.”

The PTA meeting was around five, just after classes and where the parents are out of office. Though Alfred have already asked Vivian to accompany Bruce to the meeting, she didn't mention it until Bruce invited her himself, not wanting to overstep her boundaries on raising Dick. She wanted him to keep his confidence about taking in the boy, and one of those is letting him reach out to her for help. She didn't want to be a hovering parent.

Holy shit, was she raising Bruce to be a parent too?

When Bruce arrived at Gotham University, she was already waiting by the entrance. It was raining then and she made a run to the car before he could come out with an umbrella.

“You got wet,” he told her.

“Nothing I can't fix,” Vivian said as she settled in with her seatbelt. “So, shall we?”

“Thanks for coming with me tonight,” Bruce drove out of Gotham University and merged in the traffic. “I hope it didn't clash with anything on your plate.”

“It didn't, don't worry about it.”

“Are you nervous?”

“Why would I be? Despite my demon-hunting and occult phase,  I practically helped my dad raise my brother and sister. I attended these things too.”

He chuckled. “I can imagine you attending a parent-teacher meeting while carrying a cross and a pentagram for some reason.”

“Oh, I did one time. Just finished a job for Ric the Vic. Just used a coat to cover my clothes and attended the meeting while still holding a cross. I told everyone that it was for a play at school. We were doing Jesus Superstar, and I was Mary Magdalene.”

Bruce laughed. “I can imagine the look on their faces.”

Arriving at Gotham Academy, the couple parked near the gates. This time, Vivian waited for Bruce with his umbrella and the two of them ran to the building where the other parents sought refuge. 

“Whoah, you actually came!” Dick ran up to them.

“Sorry if we made you late, kiddo,” Vivian greeted him.

“You're not late, you're right on time. Thanks for coming with him, Viv.”

“Anything for you. Can we use the bathroom first? I need to freshen up before we head inside.”

“You look okay,” Bruce noted.

“Friendly reminder, my love, I'm just the girlfriend! Gotta look my best!” Vivian called out as she and Dick went to the ladies’ washroom and he waited outside for her.

“Is there anything I should know about before we go in?” Bruce asked Dick.

“Nothing.”

“Dick.”

“I swear! I didn't do anything that would incriminate you! Besides, when Alfred said that Viv will be in this meeting, I promised him that I'll be a good boy!”

“So, you'll only behave when it's Vivian, huh?” Bruce messed with his hair. 

Vivian stepped out with fresh makeup, hair fixed, and her clothes dry. No trace of rain or a long day at work could be seen on her.

“This is PTA, Viv,” Bruce told her.

“I know,” Vivian replied.

“You're all dressed up.”

“Come on, Bruce. I gotta dress up at least. Don't wanna make a bad impression, right? It'll reflect on Dick.”

He never thought of that.

“The incident when I brought a cross to my siblings’ PTA was a one-time thing. I promised them it would never happen again. That's why I always bring extra clothes when picking them up. One that doesn't have fuck the system written on my shirt.”

“You're a badass, Viv,” Dick laughed and walked with them to the room. 

The multimedia hall where the meeting will be was already lined with chairs with parents waiting for everyone to come in. Teachers were at the side interacting with the others there, and those members of the PTA board — Vivian thinks they're the board — were already seated at their table before everyone else. Hence, she thinks they were the PTA board. Unless they were the panel and all of them were going to do something to get on their good side.

“Mr. Wayne, you're here!” One of the teachers greeted him. Her smile reaching her ears and Vivian was sure there was a look of starstruck on her face. She didn't hold anything against her on that, Bruce was a Gotham celebrity, and very good looking. It wouldn't be surprised if every teacher and parent here had the hots for him. A single-dad. Well, single on paper since they're still just girlfriend and boyfriend. “I'm glad that you decided to attend today's meeting.”

“Wouldn't miss it. I hope it's alright but I invited Vivian to attend as well.”

The teacher's smile felt for a moment as she turned to Vivian, finally noticing her presence. “I wasn't expecting.”

“I know, I should have informed you about this.”

“It's not that, it's just odd to have a…”

“Girlfriend?” Vivian supplied with a smile, she still held Dick under her arms, hugging him from behind. “Dick mentioned that there's this big that's going to happen in school and he just kept asking if I could help out in it. I can't say no to this guy.”

“It's just uncommon…”

“Vivian has been a part of Dick's upbringing. They're close, and according to Dick, she's a far better study partner than me.”

“And she makes a really good presentation board too,” Dick added. “Come on, Mrs. Hallaway, Viv's great and she's practically a teacher and teaches class in a fun way. Maybe she's got some ideas that we could use for the school event. I mean, it is for Gotham Founder's Week, right?”

Mrs. Hallaway was unsure but how can she say no to Gotham's powerful celebrity? “

“Why not? But you'll need to register here — well, everyone registers, just for attendance.”

“Not a problem,” Vivian released Dick and took out her own pen and signed in. Bruce followed just below her name. “Well, we'll be heading in, kiddo. What about you?”

“I'll just hangout out here. I'll meet you guys once it's done,” said Dick.

“You sure you don't want Alfred to pick you up?” Bruce asked.

“I'm good. I'll see you guys later. Thanks for coming, Viv.”

Vivian smiled and messed with his hair, “I'll always be there for you, kiddo.”

“I know,” Dick grinned and left.

Taking their seats, Vivian got out her journal and pen, ready to listen. Bruce looked at her for a moment and Vivian caught his questioning look and said, “Come on. Didn't you bring one?”

“Not really.”

“Well, not everyone has a good memory like you. Don't judge.”

“I'm not,” Bruce had an arm over her back to keep her close to him. “I'm just… Dick's lucky to have someone who is willing to go all out, attending PTAs with a notebook. I've been going to these things and, personally, I don't know what the hell I'm going to do here.”

“It's your first time, Bruce. You're bound to make mistakes. Do you know how many times my Mom and Adam messed up for my school events? The old man brought ale for the drinks because he thought when he was assigned drinks for a school football event it was for the parents.”

“I haven't really done anything like that. But good for Adam to think about the parents. Did they drink?” Bruce asked.

“They had to make it look like they dispose of it but they hid it in paper bags.”

“And no one got hurt?”

“Not everyone is a lightweight, Bruce,” Vivian teased him.

“Funny.”

“Bruce, what a surprise!” A woman in a business suit appeared. “And you got the best seats.”

“Sharon Lawford,” Bruce greeted her with his face. He got up to greet her, with Vivian following his lead. “I hope it's alright if we beat you to these seats.”

“Well, it's not like we have a name written here, right?” Sharon laughed. “Oh, you brought a guest!” Her smile was also fake. “Professor Peters, right?”

“Pryor, but you can call me Vivian,” Vivian had a hand on Bruce's back and she pinched him. He discreetly took her hand and held it. Giving her a squeeze.

“What brings you here? Do you have a kid here too?” 

Is she serious?

“Yeah, Dick asked me to come today. He's been telling me all about Founders’ Day here in Gotham and the things you do and asked if I could help out.”

Sharon hummed. “I'm not sure if that counts. You're not a parent here, really.”

“Trust me, Vivian deserves to be here more than me,” Bruce said with the mask that he wore for everyone that wasn't his family. “The meeting's about to start. Why don't we sit down and get this started? I don't know about you but all had a long day and we want to get more things done.”

“You're right,” Sharon said. “But, no pressure, Vivian with the plans. This may be a little overwhelming for new comers.”

“I'm sure I can keep up. I mean, this isn't rocket science, right? And I've helped out in numerous Founders’ Week events in Gotham University,” Vivian chuckled.

“Well, this isn't Gotham University. These are children.”

“I got this, Sharon. Don't worry. Now, I think there are still seats back there,” Vivian pointed to the very back.

Sharon hummed and left with her acolytes. Some moms and dads who too wore those fancy business suits and had a smug look on their faces.

“So, she's the one that Alfred mentioned,” Vivian whispered to Bruce. 

“So, Alfred gave you the pep talk, huh?” Bruce had them both sit down. 

“Oh, yeah.”

The meeting began with a report on the last bake sale that was held to raise funds for the campus renovations, which was a success thanks to Bruce who bought everything and gave away the cupcakes for everyone to enjoy. While it was a nice thought that the kids would get free cupcakes, it totally beats the purpose of it. Donations to school are expected but Bruce should refrain from doing so often else people would think badly of him and of Dick. 

“You don't seem to approve,” Bruce whispered to him.

“We'll talk about it later. Is that why there were a shit ton of cupcakes in the fridge that month?” Vivian whispered back.

He only hummed.

“Who was it that made those cute Batman cupcakes, they were really good.”

“That was Alfred.”

Vivian turned to him in disbelief. “Seriously?”

“What?”

Following the report on the bake sale was the ranking of Gotham Academy amongst the schools in New Jersey. They weren't exactly number one but they weren't exactly low ranking either. This then led to the educational part which involved which book they should allow in the library in the very beginning. One of the parents mentioned stopping the addition of fiction books and comic books in the shelves so students could have more learning material. 

“Excuse me,” Vivian raised her hand, she stood up with her notebook. “Hi!”

“Hello, who are you?” One of the PTA board members asked.

“I'm Vivian. And before you ask — I'm here with Bruce Wayne, so basically my kid is Dick Grayson. I know that legal-wise he isn't my ward but he is the one that I’m representing here. About barring fiction books and comic books in the shelves. It's just that, if you're goal is to get the kids to read more, don't you think you should let them read something they're interested in?”

“Your point, Vivian?” Sharon asked.

Bruce glared at Sharon but Vivian continued, “You can't force kids to develop the habit of reading. It needs to come from them, and at this age, this is them exploring what they want. Also, yes, I'll admit, non-fiction is important. These are studies, facts. I've read many non-fiction books and published some too, but it's different with fiction. With fiction, people develop critical thinking and empathy. At this stage, it’s important that these kids develop those things to help them become decent and functional human beings. 

“Textbooks can only take you so far with facts and high GPA scores, but fiction helps build character. So, I don't think you should stop kids from borrowing those books because it develops their character.”

“But fiction can't get Gotham Academy at the top one spot as best school in New Jersey, Vivian,” Sharon said, still with her patronizing smile.

“Then how come Homer's works are still being taught in secondary education? In fact, why is Homer even still in the reading list when there are studies that show that the Iliad and the Odyssey are a collected narrative from orally told stories or that it could have been written by multiple authors passed on for generations.

“Or Dante whose work is actually a well written self-insert historical fiction of him being part of the crusade and then going through hell, purgatory, and heaven for Beatrice and his redemption.

“Homer and Dante are classics.”

“The Iliad and the Odyssey are historical fictions. And Dante is a self-insert historical fanfiction. And I have the right to say that because I studied Dante. If you’re going to take out fiction, don't be biased with the contemporary ones from the classics. Also, fiction can help kids be inspired on finding what they want to be in the future. I actually was inspired by a fictional character to pursue my career. And I think I'm doing well.”

“So, you want the kids to be demon hunters and witches and knights?”

“I have full faith that every kid has common sense, Sharon,” Vivian shrugged. “That's all that I got to say on the matter.”

“Thank you, Professor Pryor,” said one of the PTA boards. “We'll take into account your opinion on the matter with the books, and while you did make a good point, we won't be barring fiction in our library.”

Vivian sighed. To her shock, Bruce snuck a kiss on her temple which made Vivian slap his shoulder playfully. “We're in school, Bruce.”

“Have I ever told you how much I love watching you work?” He whispered.

“That wasn't work.”

His other hand went to her knee that was propped on her leg. “Still liked watching you and listening to you put down Lawford.”

Chuckling, Vivian leaned back and rest her head on Bruce's shoulder. She was a little tired from a long day with classes and meetings, and wanted to get some rest. She was actually a little hungry now. 

“How much longer?” Vivian whispered to Bruce.

“We haven't even tackled the Founders’ Week event,” Bruce replied as he rest his head on hers. “Are you hungry? I can head out and get you something from the vending machine.”

“I'm good. I wanna eat a real dinner after this… I'm craving for a cheeseburger.”

“Dick will like that.”

“Mr. Wayne, Professor Pryor, if you please,” the PTA board called for their attention. “We're still in the meeting.”

Vivian and Bruce sat up and apologized for getting too cozy, but Bruce kept his arm around Vivian and leaned closer so she could rest against him.

When the part on Founder's Day came, Vivian took note on every detail they were planning. She wasn't surprised that Gotham Academy was going full out on Founders’ Week, even GU has been hosting big events for one week — shops, plays, parties, fundraisers. All hosted by students and their organizations. But here, while the older students get to have their booths, those younger batches have their parents to do that for them. 

Sharon had the idea of another bake sale to raise funds for the school multimedia rooms.

Then there was the option of having a raffle. Then there was a marathon or obstacle course option. Or a dance. Not bad options but all would require the parents to do the heavy lifting. 

Vivian raised her hand.

“Yes, Professor Pryor?” 

Vivian got up again. “What about letting the kids set up their booths?”

“We're already doing that with the higher levels,” said Sharon.

“Don't get me wrong, those raffles and bake sales are a sure way to get donations but that’s mostly the parents doing the work. Why not get the kids involved.”

“They're too young to concern themselves with those things!”

“They don't need to worry about the money part, that's what we're here for, it’s just — shouldn't they be involved too? This is their Founders’ Week too, and I think they will be encouraged to attend and participate for that week if they see that they're part of building something.”

“And what do you suggest we do, let them run the show? It would be a disaster!”

“The PTA still runs the show, but give them a chance to think and create something that could raise money too. Let's say, a class has their own gig or a whole year level of them has a talent show, they can sell tickets. We buy a prize and whatever's left will be for the school. Or — I saw the art studio here and a lot of works there are really good. Or an essay writing content on ‘what is Gotham for you?’ and whoever writes the best gets featured on the newsletter. It would be nice if the kids there see that their art is being bought. It would boost their confidence.

“It helps them grow and teaches them how to create things and lead. That's what Founders’ Week is about, right? The five founding families of Gotham building and leading its people to create this city. It aligns to the whole message of the event.” Vivian covered her mouth as a yawn escaped her lips. “I am so sorry. It's been a long day, and I haven't had a snack or coffee since lunch.”

“Not to worry, Professor,” said the PTA board. “We'll take all of this to consideration. And maybe we can start with something different for this year's Founder's Week by letting the kids lead too. And much like yourself, I'm sure everyone is hungry and tired. We'll call this meeting to an end and send out the newsletter on what to expect for Founders’ Week.”

The meeting ended and Vivian got up, stretching. “I want a burger. Double patty and double cheese, and fries. I don't care if Alfred kills me for eating something like that.”

Bruce grabbed her coat and bag from her seat and said, “We'll make sure to go to that place you and Dick liked so much.”

Vivian was about to get her things from him when Bruce got it out of her reach so he could sneak a kiss on her lips. 

“Bruce!” She hissed.

“To build and to lead. That's a nice message for the kids to learn from experience,” said Bruce.

“Come on, admit it. You don't want another bake sale.”

“I do not.”

Just as the two were to leave the room, they were blocked by Sharon and her acolytes. Vivian had to fight the urge to roll her eyes, and to do that she held Bruces hand. 

“Hello, Sharon,” Vivian greeted with a yawn. 

“Vivian,” the woman said with a smile. “You had a lot of idea earlier, right?”

“Well, when Dick said he wanted me to give my input, I gotta at least give it, right? I hope I didn't overstep. I just get passionate when it comes to kids and their education. “

“You don't say… so, what is Gotham to you?”

“Yeah, that's just a suggestion. You can change that if you want.”

“No, that's an actual question. What is Gotham City to you, Vivian?”

Confused, Vivian turned to Bruce who shrugged. “Gotham City is my home. It's where my family is. And you don't give up on family.”

“Well, Gotham City to me is the children. Rather, their future.”

“Right… where exactly is this going?”

“You're not exactly a parent, Vivian, so you wouldn't understand how much pressure you'll be giving these kids to make them lead in this Founders’ Week.”

“Sharon,” Bruce warned her.

“Okay,” Vivian started pulling him out of the room and away from the group of parents. “Not in a mood for this. But don't worry, I doubt any of the things I said would even be considered for this Founders’ Week. So, don't get your panties in a twist, okay?”

“Excuse me?!”

“Bye, Sharon!” Vivian waved at her and walked away with Bruce. “Dick, get down from the catwalk or we're leaving you!”

To the surprise of the parents, Dick Grayson jumped down from the catwalk in the multimedia room with his backpack. He waved at them hello and then ran after Vivian and Bruce where he happily held the former's hand as he gushed over the plans she suggested.

“I hope they let us do a circus gig!” Dick said to Vivian.

“Don't get your hopes up, there are some people who likes to stick to tradition.”

“But if we do, promise you’ll come watch!”

“I will, kiddo.”

~*~

Vivian was at campus when she got a school newsletter and it wasn't from Gotham University. It was from Gotham Academy.

Shit.

They were pushing with her ideas for Gotham's Founders’ Week, and they want her to be part of the committee.

Shit. Shit.

Her phone rang, Vivian quickly answered it with, “I saw the newsletter.”

“I did too,” Bruce said. “Congratulations.”

“No, not congratulations. I have to do the work now. I got my hands full in GU's Founder's Week, I can't be a committee for Gotham Academy too! There's gotta be a way out of this, Bruce.”

A laugh.

“It's not funny.”

“It'll be fine, Viv. I'll be there to help you. See it as a way to boss me around. You'll be fine, Vivian. Dick's looking forward to it. If it helps I'll let him out on the night-shift for the next couple of days.”

“Aw, he'll do that for him? How sweet of the big guy,” Vivian teased.

“You'll be okay, Vivian. I promise, I'll help you out if you need anything. But I think you got it covered too. You spoke more than I do for the past PTAs I've attended.”

“You don't say. Fine, I'll help out, but it's gotta be after my classes and meetings. I'm saving up my Annual Leaves for that trip you mentioned.”

“Sure, but I'll be in and out then.”

Vivian snorted. “Yeah, I expect you to be.”

Bruce hummed at the innuendo she spotted in what he said, “I'll pick you up from GU later so you can attend the meeting tonight.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Bruce.”

“Thank you, Vivian.”

~*~

Bruce has seen Vivian in a dress, skirt, her favorite combination of earth toned tweed trousers and a shite shirt paired with her blazers, and even in lingerie or nude. He couldn't figure out why seeing her in those white sneakers, blue jeans, and a vintage rock-band shirt was so attractive. It was the most casual thing she's ever worn, that was probably the clothes she wore whenever they had a lazy day in the manor (well, she wears shorts at home than jeans). He's been watching her for a while now and would try to glance at her from time to time which would often get him in trouble with Dick. But, man, he wanted to come over there and kiss her nape.

“Ow!” Bruce winced, he glared at Dick who accidentally hit him at the head with a plywood. 

“Whoops. How about helping us with these plywoods than giving yourself wood right there. I don't think it would be a good image right here in school.”

Bruce hummed in annoyance and took the plywood from Dick. It was day three in working with the PTA to help the kids in setting up their booths and the events that they had planned for Founders’ Week. To ease the load on the students, each class was given a chance to vote if they want to do a whole-grade event or do it by class.

Let's just say, competition runs through the children's veins in Gotham as they opted for class booths rather than having to collaborate with everyone else.

When the results came, Vivian joked at the PTA, “Look at that, even here they're divided into gangs and would prefer to set up their own organized crime than team up.”

No one laughed. 

Well, Clinton laughed and said, “crime gangs, I get it. Good one… because Gotham has so much organized crime syndicates…” but then he was reprimanded by his wife. Clinton happens to be a GCPD Officer, so he gets it.

Dick's class opted to do a circus show, so they signed up to borrow one of the multimedia halls in a slot to make their show. Dick was ecstatic to perform again. He is a Flying Grayson, afterall. And he's pointed that out numerous times when Bruce found him danging from the chandelier. 

“I'm a Flying Grayson, I need to fly,” Dick told them when they found him up there.

Since then, Bruce built him a gym that would let Dick do acrobats. He never used the chandelier again. Thank god, Alfred almost had a heart attack when he saw the boy that day.

From the planning to the execution, Vivian was all hands on deck. She worked with the PTA board with planning the events, the schedules, and the criteria for winning these gigs.  It took a lot of convincing but she did get the PTA to agree that the prize is a day off from school for those who won first place, a half-day off from school for the second-place, and a free period for the third placer. 

“Kids would prefer to spend the day out of school than get food. Trust me, even college kids like that. They're brutal in those sports day events,” Vivian told them.

And just as she said, those kids roared in excitement to hear a day-off from school and were doing everything to win number one.

After a long day, Bruce approaching Vivian and took her bag from the bleacher and handed her a vending machine snack. Vivian sighed and happily accepted the snack.

“Where's Dick?” Vivian asked.

“He's still helping his classmates in practicing for their gig,” Bruce said as he sat next to her and pulled down her hair from its bun so he could massage her scalp. Vivian hummed in pleasure with the massage she was getting. “You did good today. You worked harder than any of the members of the PTA in this event.”

“No I didn't.”

“Yes, you did. Even at home you're going through your plans.”

“Everyone has their thing, Bruce.”

“Dick's lucky to have you… I know it's sudden, considering he's only been in your life for two years but how do you think of having a ward?”

Vivian turned to Bruce with wide eyes. “That's a huge step, Bruce.”

Bruce shrugged. “If anything happens to me, I don't want Dick to be placed in the system. He loves you, Vivian.”

“But what does he say about that?”

“Viv, you told me that Dick said that if I don't marry you, he'll propose so in the event of us breaking up, he's leaving with you. Along with the tights.”

Laughing, Vivian leaned in and kissed him softly. “Nothing is going to happen to you, okay? But yes. I love, Dick, and I'd want to have him with me on paper too since I'll be doing this a lot now. Less questions on who my kid is attending here.”

“You're not spooked by it?”

“No. But you're not breaking up with me, right?”

Bruce kissed her again and said, “Never.” He held her hand and held it tight.

“Bruce, Vivian,” Sharon approached them, making the two groan and then put up their fake smiles. “While we love to see… parents? I'm not sure what to call you both since you're not really married.”

“Your point?”

“While it's nice to see two co-parenting unmarried-couples setting an example on how a marriage is, we're still at school.”

“Right, sorry about that. It's been a long day,” Vivian sat up. “Anything else?”

“The other parents are heading out for dinner, and we'd like to invite you both to celebrate since we're all done with the preparations and all that's left are the kids who will be practicing for the next days until Founders’ Week,” Her tone and smile was enough to say she really didn't want them, rather, Vivian in that dinner. For the past few days, Vivian has been the talk amongst parents as the one to bring fresh ideas and the person they go to for questions. It was Vivian this, Vivian that. It was getting on Sharon's nerves.

“No thanks,” Vivian and Bruce said. 

“We kind of promised Dick that we'll be celebrating something when we get home. Alfred even prepared for it,” said Bruce.

“He did?” Vivian turned to him.

“Yes.”

“Did you know that I was going to agree to it?” She grinned.

“Yes or no, you deserve that celebration dinner for doing all this. Alfred's the one who insisted we have it. But with the news we'll be telling Dick, that dinner will be for him too. Hey, chum! Let's go!”

Dick waved goodbye to his classmates and ran up to Bruce and Vivian. “Got in trouble for PDA, again?”

“You can say that,” Vivian got up with her things.

“Sorry about them. I try to remind them that they'll be at school. I even made sure Bruce was at leas five feet away from Viv,” Dick told Sharon.

The woman only smiled.

“Let's go, I'm starving!” Dick pulled Vivian away.

“Okay, okay, kiddo,” Vivian laughed and left with her boys.

~*~

With her first PTA event being a success, and Dick's class winning that top one spot, giving them a day off from school. Vivian became active in those meetings as much as she could. But there were times when she had to tap out since she had a lot on her plate, or Bruce and Dick had a lot on their plate. 

When Dick was in high school, her involvement in the PTA lessened with her kid now running the show with his older classmates. And when he graduated, Vivian thought that was it. Her mom-PTA phase was done, until Jason came along.

~*~

As much as Vivian wanted to be part of the planning for Gotham Academy's Founders’ Week for Jason, she had her hands full. So, she promised him to be there in the event by attending his class’ performance and joining some games with him. It was easier now with Jason because parents didn't question her presence at school at all with her now being married to Bruce and carrying the Wayne name at the end of her name, and the fact that Jason is their adopted son. 

On Founders’ Week, Vivian and Bruce would leave work earlier to be with Jason and see all the things they did. That year, the school had a carnival themed event with students opening fair booths and feed talent shows for students and parents.

“Hey, Viv, let's try this out!” Jason dragged her to the shooting range booth.

Vivian gave Bruce look asking if he was alrigh with it.

Bruce leaned down and said, “It's a toy.”

“Principles.”

“I'll turn a blind eye today. For Jason. Besides, I’d play these games for you at fairs too, you know.”

“And win me a special prize,” Vivian grinned and paid the attendant with their bought ticket and picked up the toy riffle. Jason toon picked one up but needed a step to be the same height as her.

“Knock them all down before the timer runs out and you get the grand prize! Warning though, it gets faster,” the student told them. “Ready? Go!”

Vivian and Jason started shooting the targets, all of which are figures of Batman's rogues’ gallery. It was a little out of hand but they're kids. What was Bruce going to do? Vivian was fast with shooting down her targets with those BBs, and when it got faster, she picked up the pace and shot each one until the big surprise appeared. Joker.

She was startled by the sight of Joker's face that she completely froze. It was just a couple of days ago when she found herself getting caught in Joker's antics and if it weren't for Batman and Robin, she would have been jokerized or dead.

But Jason took out the Joker by firing at it over and over until the Joker's face fell.

“Congratulations! You won a Batman plush!” The student handed Jason the huge plush. He huffed and said, “How come there's no Robin plushie?”

“You okay?” Bruce asked her.

Vivian handed the rifle back to the kid and said, “Yeah. Just – they did a good work with the final boss. That's all.”

“Let's go play another game. One that's not inspired by Gotham's criminals,” Bruce suggested and took her and Jason to another booth that was far from the others as it involved a batting ring. 

This time, it was Bruce playing with Jason. The two entered the cage and were given bats. Standing in separate cages, the two glanced at each other with that competitive look in their eyes, and started hitting every ball that came hurling at them. Maybe it was the chance to win that special prize that got them so competitive or the chance for Jason to prove he was better than Bruce, which means he was better than Dick. Or maybe it was the sight of the Superman caricature plastered on the automated pitching machine that got both of them so damn competitive.

“Wow, that's all of the balls,” said the student. “No one's ever done that even in hard mode. You win this, I guess.” He handed Bruce and Jason the big prize: A Superman plush. The two of them said, “give it to the next one who wins.” And left the cage.

“Seriously? And I thought I was going to get the whole JLA set,” Vivian teased them.

Jason shrugged and then pointed to their next destination, “They got darts there. Wanna try that out?”

“Are you purposely outing me with my history, Jason?” Vivian teased him.

“Come on, Viv. Out of everyone here, you’re the coolest parent there is!” Jason laughed.

Laughing, Vivian followed Jason and went to the darts where it was mostly dominated by parents, well, husbands. Jason quickly handed three tickets to the student manning the booth and then gave the darts to Bruce and Vivian and himself. 

“You play, Viv?” One of the husbands asked.

“I played when I was a teenager,” Vivian admitted. “Gotten a little rusty.”

“Well, we won't hold it against you if you miss the mark.”

“301, right?”

“Yes.”

Vivian smiled then asked the student: “What's the highest score so far?”

“Seventy-five. It was Mr. and Mrs. Lawford who scored it.”

Sharon and her husband smiled at them. “My husband used to be part of the professional team then.”

“Okay. Seventy-five,” Vivian turned to Bruce. “We go zero.”

Bruce smirked. “Zero it is.”

Jason grinned and willingly held the darts for them.

Bruce was the first to throw, his darts hitting three treble 20s. When the husbands were left agape, Bruce said, “I think I still got it from my party days,” he shrugged. “Your turn, Viv.”

“121 left, huh… so I'll need a treble 20, a treble 11, and double 14 to win.”

“Yeah,” said the student.

“This is  just a game, Viv. Don't beat yourself too much,” said Sharon.

Vivian smiled and took aim. “You know, not everyone knows this but I was also a party animal when I was a teenager. Back in Liverpool, I'd go to pubs with my friends and we play darts while drunk. We'd mess up big time. Nicked the bartender's ear too.”

Many winced at the image, and Officer Clinton covered his ears.

“But we got better. And the manager was a sport and so was the bartender,” Vivian smirked and threw her darts. First hitting the treble 11, then the double 14, and then the treble 20, just close to Bruce’s marks. “And a zero. Still got it. I guess all those times playing in those pubs while drunk did get me somewhere,” Vivian said as she accepted the prize, which was a pizza place gift card. “I guess we're having pizza later.”

Jason cheered and took the gift card. “You're amazing, Ma!”

Stunned, Vivian and Bruce turned to Jason who was too busy trying to look for the next thing he wanted to do. Overwhelmed with joy, Vivian dropped all of her things and knelt to the ground, not caring if it ruined her pants, and brought him to an embrace.

“Viv, what the hell?” Jason blushed him embarrassment.

“You called me, Ma,” Vivian teased him.

Realizing what he did, Jason pouted. “Right. Sorry, it slipped.”

“Don't be,” Vivian kissed his cheek. “I love you, my sweet boy.”

Jason smiled and hugged her back. “You've always been my Ma, Viv.”

~*~

It was actually a science fair that year, and Vivian got to plan and attend for Tim for the PTA event in Gotham Academy. For the past few days, she's been hearing tinkering in Tim's room on a secret project that he refuses to let her or Bruce or Alfred see. He even put up a curtain at the corner of his room to hide it from them.

On the day of his presentation, it was odd to find him only bringing his bag and laptop to school.

“Where's your science fair project?” Vivian asked him.

“It's here,” Tim said, motioning to his bag and laptop.

“Hold on. All this time, it's in there and you went through the dramatics of setting up that curtain to hide it from us when you could have just,” she made a motion of closing her palms referring to his laptop.

“Trust me, Viv. It's way long bigger than you think.”

Vivian snorted and whispered, “That's what he said.”

Bruce turned to her with a narrowed gaze. “Really?”

“Not you,” Vivian reassured him. “It's something I remember an ex said. You, Wayne, live up to your promises.”

Bruce smirked and kissed her, “Maybe when we get home I could remind you of it.”

“Not saying no to that… Good timing too, now is my best time to get pregnant.” They have been trying for a baby for a while now, and after consulting a doctor about trying to conceive, the couple have been putting it on a calendar on when their best chances on getting pregnant were. Vivian has done everything to make it work — healthy diet and lifestyle, she cut out ale and coffee. Bruce too did his best, even if it meant getting longer hours of sleep and a healthier lifestyle than his usual. Nightwing was there to help him out with the patrols now, and Batwoman, and they were willing to take the nights he couldn't go out because he was busy… 

As Kate put it, “busy railing his wife.”

It made Nightwing and Robin shudder and told Batwoman to never say that again. Ever. They don't want to ever think or imagine Bruce and Vivian going at it. Dick was unfortunate to walk in on them one time and he ran out immediately. 

“You both are disgusting,” Tim told them. “Let's go before I vomit all over your… well all of this.”

“Right, let's go!”

Arriving in Gotham Academy, the group of four, Alfred came along, were met by Dick who wanted to see Tim's project as well. He was also intrigued to know what the kid had hiding in the corner of the room all this time. 

“I'll go set up, you guys don't go to where I am, okay?” Tim said and left with Bernard.

“Now I really wanna know what he has for his project, and it better be something good,” Dick said.

“I'm sure it is,” Vivian laughed. She hooked her arm around her eldest and they both walked around the venue. Bruce and Alfred were busy talking to the school director, leaving them to do what they pleased. “Say, Dick.

“Yeah?”

“Tonight, I was wondering if you and the others could babysit Tim?”

“Oh, it's that time, huh?”

“Yup.”

“Fine. We'll keep him company tonight. Just try to keep it down when we get back and not in the basement.”

“You got it.”

“Holy shit, Sharon Lawford is still here? How many kids does she even have?” Dick said as they spotted the woman with a kid that looked a lot like her.

“I was also surprised,” Vivian muttered. “I mean, she's gotta be middle aged and yet she's still pushing out babies like it's nothing.”

Dick sighed and wrapped an arm around Vivian. She and Bruce have been trying for so long, actually they have been trying ever since they got married and still nothing. “Who knows, stick with your schedules and you'll find yourself with a little bean in no time.”

“Vivian, I see you're here and with Dick! Wow, you have grown since I last saw you,” Sharon Lawford said as she approached them.

“Yeah, not so little any more,” Dick said. “It's been a while Mrs. Lawford.”

“You moved to Bludhaven, right?”

“I did.”

“Are things okay with you all?”

Vivian took a breath and but in, “Okay. I see where this is going. Yes, everything is okay with all of us. It's just Dick starting on his own, and I think Bludhave is a good place to start.”

“With criminals walking around?” Sharon raised a brow.

“With it being close to us while still having the chance to live on his own. Besides, he survived Gotham he can survive Bludhaven.”

Dick snickered. “Right.”

“And, like I said, he's still close. The kid's got separation anxiety.”

“Speak for yourself, Viv! I do not have separation anxiety,” Dick laughed.

“So, what's Reggie got for his project?’ Vivian looked over Sharon's shoulder to get a glimpse. With the theme of the science fair being “Gotham Tomorrow!” the kids were tasked to research and build something that could help Gotham in the next decade or so or build something that Gotham could be. It was her idea to let the kids build something that could change the future instead of seeing volcano replicas and the solar system again — but to be honest, it was just an idea that she got at the top of her mind in the rush to get home because she was in her window and wanted to stick to the schedule with Bruce with their baby-project.

“Oh, Reg worked so hard for this. He got the inspiration from his father's work. As you know, Lawford Utilities has been aggressive in helping the water supply in Gotham,” said Sharon.

Dick and Vivian glanced at each other, knowing fully that wasn't the case. Batman and Robin were currently working on a case that involved some schemes with Mr. Freeze and Lawford Utilities. 

“What's it about?” Dick asked.

“Well, we wouldn't want to ruin the surprise now, would we?” Sharon did that annoying laugh of hers. “And what about Tim, what did he do?”

Vivian and Dick shrugged. “Who knows.”

“You don't know your kid's project?”

“He’s been secretive about it. I tried asking but Tim just kicks me out of his room and said that I'll find out on the day of the fair.”

“But how are you sure it's good?”

“It's Tim. The kid can do calculus problems for breakfast. He's got this,” Vivian shrugged.

“You have a lot of faith on Tim.”

“I have a lot of faith on all my sons. Especially, Tim.”

“Gee, thanks,” said Dick. “Looks like Bruce is giving you the signal. Better save him.”

“Right, see you, Sharon,” Vivian left with Dick and approached Bruce. “Thanks for ending that conversation.”

“No problem.”

“My love, is everything alright?” Vivian asked Bruce.

“Yes, but I did see you talking to Sharon, is everything alright?”

“Yeah, everything's fine. When is this going to start? I'm dying to see Tim's project, the suspense is killing me.”

When the event started, the judges went from table to table to see the works of the students. Some created researches with graphs and charts and 3D diagrams on their laptops on how they envisioned Gotham in the future, others made studies on how to help reduce Gotham's crime rates by an AI project (“What the hell happened to a normal science fair project? You know with the potatoes and wires and lightbulbs?” Dick whispered to her and Alfred). When it was Reggie Lawford's turn, the young boy showed the diorama of Gotham's water supply and a filter being used in Lawford Utilities to filter all the water to provide clean drinking water for everyone and can be accessed from the homes and public places too. 

“I wonder what Killer Croc or Grundy would think about that,” Dick whispered to Alfred as they watched Sharon butter up to the judges on how wonderful her son's project was.

“Not so well, I presume. Mr. Grundy is territorial,” said Alfred. “Ah, it's Master Timothy's turn!”

As the judges approached Tim's table, Vivian bent down and whispered to his ear, “you got this, detective.”

Tim chuckled, he turned to her and did their little handshake. “Thanks, Viv.” Facing the judges, Tim stepped up and with Bernard's and Dick's help they removed the blanket cover over his project. There was his project board, a required material for the fair, which has his study, then his laptop, and then a long black and slick mat on the table.

“Hi, Tim Drake,” he started. “And how I envision Gotham Tomorrow starts with this. Dick, can you kill the lights?” 

“Uh, sure?” Dick was confused but did what he was asked.

Only when the lights were turned off did Tim pressed his laptop and the mat lit up for a moment, capturing their attention and then it slowly built the image of Gotham in thin air using a hologram. The hologram got the city down to the smallest detail on every major island, the outskirts of Gotham, and the minor islands too. 

“Holy shit,” Vivian whispered as she looked at the hologram.

“Indeed,” Alfred muttered.

Tim's project was about creating better living situations for every Gothamite, and to do that he'll be using a device he created that would make power and electricity free for everyone to use. To do that he designed a device that would collect the kinetic energy from the actions of people in the streets by replacing all of the streets with what he calls “blocks” that would absorb the energy that movement makes. 

But that wasn't all, he’s shown that the device can also be used for windmills. Gotham has many uninhabited minor islands where they can place those windmills and make electricity accessible to all. With the amount of emergy it could store, they could start investing on turning public transportation to electric vehicles and slowly encourage people to go electric too, which could help lessen the smog that's covered the city for decades now.

That wasn’t all. Tim also tacked and showed the prototypes he devices for a new water system filtration with new plans that avoids Croc and Grundy's lairs. Then a new subway system that was far more optimal for the city. He tackled everything, about Gotham and built a new Gotham which was slowly showing on the hologram he created which became the very vision of Bruce for the city at the end of his presentation.

The lights were back on and everyone applauded him for his work. 

“And if you need proof of it working out, I got studies that covers the economy and plans on what to do first,” Tim handed the judges a binder.

“Right, thank you, Tim. We'll look into this,” said the judge and shook his hand as a congratulations before proceeding to the next. Poor Samantha Sullivan had to follow that with her agricultural project, which was actually an interesting take. But the girl was a little shy when ahe started presenting.

“That was interesting,” Vivian told Tim. 

Tim grinned. “They did say the future of Gotham.”

“Now I feel bad that I just randomly suggested the topic because I wanna go home early.”

“Good job, chum,” Bruce patted Tim on the back. “Making necessities accessible to all.”

“I could have used that when I was studying,” Vivian mused. “I'm proud of you, detective,” she knelt down and kissed Tim's cheek.

“Viv!” Tim blushed in embarrassment. “I gotta go and help Bernard with his presentation.”

“Yes, go!” Vivian ushered him away. Alone with Bruce, Alfred, and Dick, she sighed and said, “He's going to dominate the world, isn't he?”

“I have no doubt about it,” Alfred said.

“Better watch him, Bruce. You'll never know what he's got up his sleeve,” Dick teased.

Bruce only hummed in amusement.

Tim won first prize with his project and Samantha Sullivan the second prize. But Tim admitted that he liked Samantha's project and gave the girl the chocolate bars he got in the basket and congratulated her. 

As they were packing up, Tim helped Bernard with dismantling the diorama he made, and sa they did, Vivian and the others were happily eating the chocolate that Tim won.

“Well, congratulations on the win,” Sharon approached them.

“Sharon, it's Tim who won,” Vivian pointed out. “But, Reggie's work was nice too.”

“Yes, but I guess it does take advanced technology to wow the audience.”

Bruce frowned. “Tim's win isn't because he used a hologram pad, Sharon. It’s because of his idea. Samantha Sullivan won second prize with her project board and a pot of plants and an idea that was inspiring.”

“Right,” Sharon smiled at them but Bruce and Vivian could see steam coming out of her ears and nose. She said nothing more and walked away.

“She's got problems,” Vivian said as she accepted the chocolate that Bruce unwrapped for her.

“It's kind of sad though. I mean, it's not like you're doing anything, right?” Dick said. “Hey, I was holding onto this, but maybe Tim's idea can help lessen the electricity bill of the manor.”

“That's the point,” said Bruce.

“I know, if you add That device in your bed, you won't have to pay for electricity ever again.” He grinned mischievously at Vivian and Bruce.

Tim was confused as to why Vivian had Dick in a choke hold, and the latter was just laughing and saying, “You're only acting like this because you know it's true!”

~*~

Damian’s first PTA event was in his first year of high school. With his arrival, a lot has happened in their lives that PTA just didn’t fit her schedule to be active in. She was guilty in not being hands-on in Damian’s education, but the boy did tell her: “I know more than what America’s educational system can offer.” And he was true to his word on that. 

Straight As and a chance to skip a grade. Damian was far too advanced for the educational system but Bruce and Vivian were adamant to give him a taste of normalcy, just like their other children. Damian was the only twelve-year-old in high school, and the shortest  one of the boys too, but he made a huge shadow. One that intimidated and pissed off many of his classmates. And some parents.

Three sons and all excelled in everything and graduated with honors, but for Jason who never finished his formal education. And just as Sharon Lawford thought that this time, her children will take the spotlight, Damian Wayne comes along.

Yes, Sharon Lawford has another child to show off. Vivian and Bruce wondered how it was even possible, then the truth came out that the Lawford couple had a surrogate this time and wanted to have another child in hopes of saving their marriage.

“She’s fucking weird,” Jason muttered when Vivian and Bruce told everyone about it.

“I pity her for some reason,” said Tim.

“Don’t care, I’ll still take down her son in this match,” said Damian.

Despite being part of the art club, Damian also joined the football club as per recommendation by the coach. And it was that football match that Vivian helped the PTA in setting up. From finding food stalls and trucks, to the prizes, and even the uniforms, Vivian was hands on in hopes of making it up to Damian. 

And to piss off Sharon Lawford and her husband, Bruce paid for unlimited ice cream for the entire day of that school game.

“You don’t have to rub salt on their wounds, Bruce,” Vivian told him after learning about the donation from one of the moms in the PTA meeting.

Bruce shrugged. “He was looking at you during the setup. And I didn’t like the way he looked.”

“So, you bought everyone ice cream?” Stephanie asked.

“He was asking Vivian if they wanted ice cream for the game, and that he could go with her to look for a caterer or a food truck.”

“Creep,” Jason said. “I know where he lives.”

“Jason, you and Roy are not going to do anything, understand?” Vivian told him.

“Ma, come on! He deserves it!”

On the day of Damian’s soccer game, Vivian and Bruce went to his school with Alfred and Dick to see the game. The others were busy with their own classes and work to be there but promised to be at the celebration. Unlike in previous events where the couple wore formal attire  with their blazers and dress pants, this time it was more casual.  With Bruce in his simple shirt, flannel, and trousers; and Vivian wearing her Gotham University shirt back when she was still a student, a pair of jeans, and her favorite sneakers.

“You’re both actually here,” Damian said as he saw his parents standing at the side. “All of you.”

“Wouldn’t miss this game for the world,” Dick said and Alfred agreed.

“You took time off from work?” Damian asked his father.

“Of course,” Bruce said. “You sound surprised.”

“And if there’s an emergency?”

“Duke can handle it.”

Damian smiled softly but hid it as he turned to Vivian. “Wilson Lawford is the captain of the other team. I may not be captain but I plan to humiliate him in this game to get back on his father’s disgusting attempts.”

Vivian got down and said, “The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father.”

“Quoting the bible now?” Damian smirked.

“It’s part of the job,” Vivian laughed. “And, hey, I got every right to considering my track record with the divine and damned.”

Damian hummed and crossed his arms over his chest.

“While I do appreciate the thought, just have fun. Okay?”

“I will.”

“Good, now go and destroy them.”

Damian chuckled and ran back to his team. 

The game started as soon as all the players were lined up. Just as they expected, Damian was dominating the field with his tricks, and agility, though Vivian admitted that he needed to work on his teamwork, she was more pumped at the fact that Damian was playing a sport. Not the kind that has him fighting for his life but a sport that normal kids do at school and she couldn’t help but call out: “Kick their asses, Damian!”

Many turned to her in surprise, and while Alfred and Dick usually apologize for anything embarrassing or over the top she and Bruce does on campus, they didn’t care. They all cheered for Damian. Even Bruce called out: “You can do it, son! Go Damian!”

Damian made the kick but the goal keeper caught it.

Damian was not the only one stunned. His entire family was speechless. 

Did Damian Wayne just lose that goal?

The goalkeeper smirked and kicked the ball back to the field, to catch it was another player from his team. And it was there that they saw, the determination and how royally pissed he was.

“Oh, boy,” Dick sighed. 

“Oh, boy, indeed,” Alfred said.

“It’s okay, Damian!” Vivian called out. “You guys still got a chance!”

“I’ll go get us some ice cream,” Bruce said to her. “Chocolate, double scoop?”

“You know it!”

“Can you get me one too?” Dick asked Bruce, but the man only looked at him and his silence was enough to say: I only have two hands. And Dick sighed and asked Alfred what he wanted. Alfred said he was fine with vanilla.

As Bruce and Dick went to get ice cream, Vivian and Alfred watched as Damian tried to steal the ball from the other team, but as he did one of the players – Wilson Lawford – tripped him.

“Fou! That’s a foul!” Vivian called out.

“You’re really into this, aren’t you, Vivian?” Sharon mused as she approached where they stood with an ice cream cup. Her husband wasn’t far off. “I wouldn’t worry too much, it’s just a soccer game after all.”

“Sharon, you tend to forget that I got a dual citizenship, and that for most of my childhood I was raised in Liverpool. Football – not soccer – is the fucking center of English culture and society.”

She wasn’t startled with Vivian’s language, after years of working with her in PTA, she got used to it. “You played?”

“A little — kid, pass the ball, he’s open!” Vivian called out to the field.

“Like I said, this is just a school game. You shouldn’t put too much pressure on the kids.”

“Who says that I am?” Vivian raised a brow at her. “This is a relaxing game compared to the ones I went to.”

Bruce came back just in time with her ice cream with Dick giving Alfred the man’s vanilla cone. “What’s the score?” Bruce asked her.

“2 - 1,” Vivian answered and licked her ice cream. “Is that strawberry?”

Bruce looked down at his cup and fed her a spoon, while she let him lick on her cone. “I see Damian is still working on teamwork.”

“Yeah — Damian, pass the freaking ball!” Vivian called out.

“Ah, what a relaxing day,” Alfred sighed and watched the game.

“This is relaxing?” Dick asked. “Vivian looks like she’s going to pop a nerve.”

“Trust me, this is a relaxing game, my boy. All that’s needed is a pint and it would make this game even more perfect.”

“You got ice cream, Alfred.”

“It’s not the same.”

“I’m surprised Vivian didn’t wear her Manchester United jersey,” said Dick.

“She didn’t want to cause a scene,” Alfred snickered.

Half-time, and the teams were called back to recuperate and discuss a change of tactics. As they did, everyone was getting snacks from the stands and the food truck. She and Alfred decided to sit on the grass as Bruce and Dick brought the snacks, both happily enjoying the nice day and the game.

“I wish we get to have more of this,” Vivian leaned back on her elbows and sighed.

“So do I, Ms. Vivian,” Alfred said. “Would you care for an umbrella, Ma’am? It is getting a little hot.”

It was, Vivian was sweating with the sun above their heads but she declined. “Relax, Alfred. Take off the coat and enjoy the day.”

“I’m afraid I am on duty, Ma’am,” Alfred smiled.

“Today, you’re not. Please, at least take that off, it’s me who's suffocating just looking at you wearing that thing.”

Alfred got up and removed his coat and tie. “As you wish, Ms. Vivian,” he teased her.

“Aside from the fact that I bloody love football, I really want this to be a fun experience for Damian,” Vivian began. “I wanted this to be perfect for him.”

“I’m sure he appreciates your efforts, Ms. Vivian… from Master Dick, to Master Jason, and Master Tim, you have done a marvelous job to make their school life memorable… and I was not supposed to tell you this but when Master Damian saw you working so hard in the PTA meetings, he wanted to win for you.”

Vivian sighed with a smile. “But I think he’s enjoying the game… he’s not so pissed anymore after he scored three times. And he’s learning to pass the fucking ball.”

Alfred chuckled. “Indeed. It seems someone is enjoying the sight of your sunbathing, Ma’am.”

Vivian followed Alfred’s gaze and frowned as she saw Warren Lawford and some of the other husbands looking at her with those disgusting smirks on their faces. Then there were their wives who didn’t appreciate their husbands ogling at her direction. Rolling her eyes, Vivian got up and focused on the game.

Damian’s team won with him making the last score. The team roared in cheers at their victory and ran to get their trophy, but Damian didn’t join his team in the celebrations. He went to where his family was instead.

“Congratulations, son,” Bruce told him.

“I am so proud of you!” Vivian hugged him, not caring if he was sweaty.

“Good job, kid,” Dick smirked. “Why aren’t you there celebrating with your team?”

“I will. I just want to tell Mom that I had fun today, and thank you for helping making all of this,” said Damian.

“Don’t just thank me, thank your father too,” Vivian said.

“He just bought the ice cream.”

Bruce sighed.

Damian hugged Vivian again and then ran back to the others where he was called for a team photo, and to get their snacks. With the kids taking a break, the field was free, some of the PTA members asked if they could play a game. The coach didn’t seem to mind and offered to referee too. Bruce was forced to play after many of the parents called for the dads to come to the field, and when the numbers were odd.

Vivian wrapped her arms around Bruce as he took off his flannel, and then got on her toes to whisper in his ear, “Win this and you get a prize when we get home.”

Bruce smirked. “I got a lot at stake here then?”

“Yes, because if you lose, Echo and Ace are sleeping in the bed.”

Bruce hummed. “I’m concerned with how passionate you are with football that it’s borderline madness.”

Vivian chuckled and kissed his cheek. “Go kick their ass, Wayne.”

“You got it, Pryor.”

With the dads lined up the game started, and just as they thought Bruce dominated the field with his speed and agility.

“Is it cheating considering he’s Batman?” Dick whispered to Vivian and Alfred.

“He’s got a lot riding on this win, not surprised he’s giving his all,” Vivian grinned.

Dick turned to her. “Seriously?”

“And the fact Warren Lawford happens to be the goalkeeper, so Bruce isn’t going to hold back,” just as Vivian said it, Bruce kicked the ball and it zoomed to the net with a powerful force. So powerful that they thought Warren Lawford broke his fingers when he grazed the ball.

“Another win for team Wayne,” Sharon approached their little space.

“It’s just a game, Sharon,” Vivian told her.

“That doesn’t look like it’s just a game,” she pointed at Bruce.

“What can I say, we’re passionate when it comes to football,” Vivian shrugged.

Dick scoffed and whispered to Alfred. “Football huh?”

“But your son did good today. He stole the ball from Damian and scored most of the points for his team. He could be a striker.”

Sharon narrowed her gaze at Vivian. “Don’t patronize me, Vivian. Gloating doesn’t suit you.”

Raising a brow, Vivian said, “What? I’m serious. Your kid was good.”

“He lost this game to Damian.”

“It’s a team effort. It wasn’t just Damian. But seriously, your son was amazing in the field, and he can push this for college. GU is actively recruiting and they usually start scouting in this coming season. If he catches their attention, freshman or not, they might keep him in their records as a player to watch.”

“My son doesn’t need a local university to be his ticket to the big leagues if he ever wants it. He has far better opportunities with other schools. In fact, some high schools have already sent invitations for him to apply for them this next semester with his good track record in his academics and soccer —”

“Look out!”

A ball was hurling towards their direction, while Sharon ducked to get away, Vivian simply caught it with her foot, dribbled it a little to get its momentum and kicked it back to the field which Bruce caught in his hands.

“You don’t play, huh?” Warren Lawford said as he stopped before her.

“Not professionally or for schools,” Vivian shrugged. Turning back to Sharon, she said, “I grew up with a dad who raised me as both a daughter and a son.”

The dads’ game ended with Bruce’s team winning. As the man returned to their spot, he lifted Vivian off the ground, making her laugh. But he immediately placed her down before they were reprimanded for public indecency again. 

“I won,” he told her.

“Your team won — now I know where Damian gets it,” Vivian handed him a water bottle. “Had fun destroying Warren Lawford?”

“Very. Had fun shutting up Sharon?”

“Yes. I did.”

[leggalese]

I want to throw my hat in the ring for why Beanix specifically makes me feral! It's a direction that *looks,* at first glance, like a complete character inversion but is actually totally reasonable. Basically Phoenix appears different to us, who are "in his head" for the first trilogy, than he does to most of the people around him. We interpret him like an open book, while he actually keeps a lot of his thoughts (especially the snarky ones) to himself. He is kind and naturally trusting, but he also keeps a lot of things secret even from his closest friends (for example, not telling Maya how and why he knows Edgeworth in the first game, not telling her that Edgeworth's "dead," not telling people about Dahlia or his suspicions of Iris, etc.)

So Beanix is super, super interesting! For the first time we are seeing Phoenix as an outsider--we can't hear his thoughts, and he's acting SUPER shady. Apollo obviously doesn't trust him, he's not telling anybody anything, and by the end of AA4 we learn that he's been secretly masterminding a 7-year scheme to take down the murderous asshole who ruined his life. But also--he's so clearly still *Phoenix.* He's not just out for revenge, he wants to fix the entire unfair justice system. He loves and protects his daughter immediately, and you can see so much of his personality in her. He still believes in truth and justice, he's just...wounded. He trusted in a client and was betrayed--but he still trusts Apollo, trusts Trucy, trusts Edgeworth, even trusts Klavier I think. He's smarter and more careful than he used to be, but he was always clever and sneaky and secretive. He's just learned to apply it better.

Also he is very much a DILF. A lil scruff looks so good on him <3

Thank you for your answer! Very detailed! :)

I'm going to share my own thoughts on this because I have them...

This is an interesting take but I must be honest I don't really agree with the first paragraph. I think it's pretty normal to not want to talk about heavy stuff, it doesn't necessarily make the character cagey... There are lots of arguments like how he doesn't talk about himself much and such, but most of those are for narrative purposes so he can be a sort of neutral protagonist character. Nick only struck as secretive to a certain degree but not enough to be a defining character trait. I can see him as clever and a bit sneaky tho, that, I agree with. But I can't for the life of me picture him doing a 7 year scheme... it just felt really out of place?

In the trilogy he seemed pretty open about his opinions and was a very emotionally reactive character even outside his head and perhaps that's what I really and truly missed. I get that whatever happened would have changed him but something just... feels very off and wrong about it and this is the hill I will die on. Having Nick be some mysterious cool guy just doesn't really feel like the character I got to know, ya know?

[bo0tleg]

Despite being head over heels in love with Ice and Mav's dynamic in the original Top Gun, the same dynamic in Top Gun Maverick with Rooster and Hangman never worked for me. This is my attempt at voicing why:

DISCLAIMER: This was not created with the intention to offend anybody who ships Hangster/Sereshaw. It is simply my understanding of their relationship, and why it doesn't appeal to me. Opinions are like the butthole, everybody has their own. By all means, continue shipping them if you want to, this is only for fun.

Hangman and Rooster's entire relationship is based on resentment.

Unlike Mav and Ice, they have history. There's something from the past that lingers in all of their interactions, poisoning all of their words and actions.

Hangman is frustrated with Rooster, all the time. Of course, he banters with everyone, Phoenix about her gender, Bob about his callsign, but those are more 5th Grader Playground insults than anything. It's different with Rooster, and not in a good way.

When it comes to Rooster, Hangman goes straight to insult his character. He doubts his judgement, insults his way of being and flying, prods about how he needs to change if he wants to fly the mission.

With Ice, he was criticizing Maverick, not insulting him. Hangman is both criticizing AND insulting Rooster because he perceives him in a less that ideal light.

Hangman doesn't understand why Rooster flies the way that he does, and doesn't try to either. He just sees it as wrong and doesn't think twice about it. He goes straight to insulting him because he thinks that it's wrong, and that it's something about Rooster that needs to be fixed.

And Rooster is constantly exasperated because of it. Hangman prods, and jabs, and insults Rooster, but it never works. The more Hangman pokes, the more Rooster closes up, frustrated. He gets angry, pissed and becomes much LESS inclined to listen to anything Hangman is saying.

Rooster doesn't work well under pressure. And that's the only way Hangman operates.

Throughout the movie, Rooster doesn't listen to Hangman once. He might've been right about Rooster being too slow, but it only fell on deaf ears (not to say that he was right to bring up Goose's death, he was defo wrong about that one). All it causes is strife, to the point where Rooster almost punches Hangman because of how infuriating he was to him.

The entire movie, Hangman provoked Rooster to get him to stop being the way he is, because he sees it as a flaw of character. And it doesn't work.

Rooster only drops his need for playing it safe when Maverick tells him to 'Not think, just do'. Because Mav only gave him a push in the right direction, not throw in his face all of his flaws.

(Side note: This is also the reason Rooster doesn't listen to Mav in their argument, because he thinks Maverick was insulting his way of being by saying he wasn't ready. On the mission, by selecting Rooster as his wingman, he recognizes that he is ready, and that he trusts him with his life. Making him more inclined to listen to Mav once in the canyon.)

A relationship where one person is constantly frustrated by the other and the other is constantly exasperated by the former doesn't work.

Because that's how they are, and that's how they function, and it isn't going to change.

Rooster isn't going to stop frustrating Hangman because that's how he works, and Hangman isn't going to stop making Rooster exasperated because he doesn't know how else to voice his feelings.

I can see where the ship comes from, because obviously. Their homoerotic tension could be seen from space. I totally believe that they might have had a fling in the past that ended badly, and that they possibly could have hooked up at some point in the movie in the 'Hate Sex' vein of things. I just don't think it'd be anything beyond that.

They wouldn't work in the long haul, is what I'm trying to say.

They're too similar, and too different at the same time.

They're both hothead stubborn motherfuckers that couldn't come to an agreement if they tried.

And you might show me the scene where Hangman is happy about Dagger 2 hitting the target, and him being absolutely devastated when the same hornet is shot down. I recognize it, it demonstrates care. Hangman cares.

Thing is, that doesn't change anything that I said prior to that.

It's possible to resent, despise, be bitter towards and irritated by someone and still care about them. It's possible to hate them and still care. Hate them, and feel like you don't hate them all the time. Human emotion is a funny thing like that, nothing is ever black and white, always varying shades of gray.

Just because they hate each other (and yes, that is the reading I have on them, doesn't stop them from being horny fuckers about each other tho) doesn't mean they want the other dead.

I believe it's similar to the sentiment of "I hope you get everything you ever wished for, and that I never hear a word about it". Similar, but not the same, in a way I do not know how to describe. Thus, I used that to give the same vibe.

I can't see any future for them, in any shape or form. They hold too many grudges against each other, and both of them have a tendency of holding on to old (bad) feelings far too strongly. Even if they work through whatever problems they have now, new ones would emerge and they would go through the same process again and again and again.

That isn't healthy nor stable. It's not what either of them should strive for in a relationship. With that, I'd probably say that both of them need stable people that hold logic to high regard, and that are easy going (I say that in general terms, with no one specific in mind for either of them).

All that being said, this is my opinion. This is how I view them, and understand their relationship. They don't work for me because I see no logical way they could.

If they work for you, that's great! Enjoy the air gays 2.0 to your hearts contentment, I'm happy for you.

This was just a fun analysis of my vision, with no intention to diminish anyone who might enjoy them.

[crimsonbubble]

WAIT, YOU DO VALORANT REQUESTS?? OKAY OKAY. CONSIDER THIS ONE :

Reader (they/them) is in a situationship with Yoru (it's pretty clear they both like each other, but no one has conffessed yet).

We all know how cocky Yoru can get. What if one day Phoenix was teasing Yoru for liking Y/N and Yoru just gets tired and lies to Phoenix that he actually hates Reader or something like that?

AND WHAT IF READER OVERHEARS AND TAKES YORU'S WORDS TO HEART? DISTANCING THEMSELVES AND JUST RETHINKING EVERYTHING?

WOULD YORU APOLOGISE? HOW WOULD HE DO IT?

FLUFF ENDING PLEEEEAAAASSEEEEE

If you can't write this prompt, it's okie! Take care! 💖

cw. hurt/comfort, gn!reader, yoru being emotionally constipated *not proofread, just pure brainrot

[yoru my beloved <33 i hope this suits your tastes 🤞🤞]

you were too caught up in your head as you listened to your footsteps echo quietly in the empty corridor. you made you way into the main room, quietly slipping into the kitchen as you listened in on the rant that phoenix had started with yoru. you rested your hand on the tap, trying to keep quiet as you listened.

"oh come on, you know you like them. admit it." yoru grumbled, running his hand through his hair.

"phoenix, this is the last time I'm saying this. no, I don't like them. they're fucking annoying and not my type." upon hearing that, you hurried to fill your water bottle and make your way back to your room.

yoru heard you slam the tap down, sitting up as you rushed back down the corridor. his eyes followed your figure as you walked away, a sudden tightness spreading across his chest. he fell back against the couch, his head in his hands as he can't believe how badly he fumbled with his words.

phoenix smacked yoru upside the head, shaking his head disapprovingly. "this is what happens when you don't watch your mouth. this is your problem, fix it."

you slammed the door closed behind you, trying to take deep breaths as you sat on the edge of your bed. your lower lip wobbled, a stray tear cascading down your cheek. you lay down in bed, hiding your face in the pillow as you attempted to steady your breathing.

you spent the next few days avoiding him and you were doing a damn good job at it, it made yoru frustrated. over the days you've spent ignoring him, yoru spent his free hours creating a gift basket.

with that, he bid yoru goodnight, walking down the hallway just like you did. yoru felt tears burn in his eyes as he sank further into the couch, he let out a huff before making his way to his room.

he managed to fill it with your favorite snacks, candy, drinks, and a handwritten letter. the basket sat in his room, a constant reminder of how hard you're working to avoid him. yoru sat at the foot of his bed, fiddling with the letter.

he felt stupid writing a letter but it was the easiest way to say the things he was afraid to. he put the card back in the basket, carefully taking it with him as he made his way to your room. sage will kill him if he finds him in the girl's dorm after hours, so he had to be quick.

just as he approached the door, a soft voice called for him. he nearly dropped the basket as he jumped back. "I can explain-" yoru carefully set the basket down.

"go on then." sage crossed her arms, staring at him deadpanned as yoru stumbled over his words. she eyed the basket, seeing the letter with your name and a heart on it. "yknow what? nevermind, just make it quick." sage gave yoru a small wink before making her way to her room. sage let out a breathy laugh as she saw the array of snacks, all of the ones you liked.

yoru quietly knocked on your door, carefully pushing it open. his eyes softened as he saw the small collection of arcade machine plushies he's won you, sitting on the empty side of your bed. yoru set the basket on your desk, his eyes tracing over your features. he made his way to your bedside, crouching down to push the hair out of your face. he placed a soft kiss on your forehead, trying to make his way back to his room before he was caught.

you grabbed his sleeve, tugging him back. he stumbled a bit, watching with questioning eyes as you tugged him closer, peeking up at him through sleepy eyes. yoru smiled softly, caressing your face. "don't worry, you'll see me tomorrow. go back to sleep."

you sat up in bed, rubbing your eyes as you looked around the room, spotting the basket yoru had put on your desk just hours ago. you felt arms tightening around you, freaking out for all but four seconds before you recognized the tuft of blue and black hair against your pillows.

he tried to stand again, but you tugged him down harder, shuffling back in bed to give him space. he watched as you only tugged at his shirt, a soft pout playing at your lips. his heart warmed as he finally laid down in bed beside you. you immediately snuggled into his warmth, wrapping yourself around him. yoru kissed the top of your head, rubbing your back as he finally fell asleep with you in his arms.

sage quietly knocked on your door, peeking in to see that you were awake. a smile made its way onto her face, watching how you combed your fingers through his hair as you sat against the headboard. "I suggest you read the letter. I'm sure yoru put a lot of effort into it." sage left quietly as you peered over at your desk.

you watched as sage closed the door, slowly climbing off your bed to pad over to the basket. you sat down in your desk chair, scanning over the large selection of snacks and drinks. you picked up the letter, looking back at him as he slept in your bed. you lean back in your chair, wincing as it squealed under your movements.

your heart is pounding in your chest and your smile unable to leave your face as you read the letter. by now yoru had woken up, freaking out for a second at the unfamiliar surroundings, until he saw you at your desk. his heart is pounding in his chest and he almost thinks it's loud enough for you to hear it.

you spun in the chair, looking at him with such a soft smile and watery eyes it made his heart clench. he got out of bed as you stood from your chair. you leaned up, wrapping your arms around his neck and planting a quick peck on his cheek. "I love you too."

yoru's heart was soaring as he wrapped his arms around you, eyes lining with tears. "I'm sorry. please don't ignore me like that." you pressed a kiss to his lips, wiping a stray tear from his cheek. "as long as you don't act like an idiot, again."

"I'm your idiot, now."

[ultralightpoe]

Lavender Haze - Jake Seresin

Authors Note: I have been trying to find any sort of energy to post and get out of bed. Got so close to giving up on life itself and I'm barely back, please bare with me as I try to find my way out of my depression hole I have dug for myself everyone. I know it's been a minute but life has been kicking my ass. Be patient with me - Ultralight

Word Count: 5024 (and i hate every bit of them)

Warnings: poorly written smut.

Apart of my MIDNIGHTS EVENT. (Next Event is Sour by Olivia Rodrigo. Requests closed. Event following yet to be decided)

SOUR EVENT

MAIN MASTERLIST

Enjoy!

Meet me at midnight

Starin' at the ceilin' with you

Oh, you don't ever say too much

And you don't really read into

My melancholia

The bar was long forgotten behind them, both bodies merged into one as they clung to each other, leaning against the car behind them as their lips refused to separate. Moans slipped from both parties and buttons were being toyed with as both parties did their best to separate. 

It was a struggle, one that neither could really fight, but finally they pulled back to breathe. Eyes gazing into each other as they panted to catch their breath, bodies pressed to each other.

“This is a really bad idea.” He mutters. “We should stop.”

“We should.” You mutter back, nodding slightly as you both stare back at each other. Then in a split your lips are back on eachother, trying to eat eachothers faces off. 

- 

“I am so happy you came to see me.” Your brother smiles, hugging you tightly in the baggage check of the airport, spinning you around. “I have so much I want to show you.”

“Is there a bathroom and maybe a taco truck on the itinerary?” You joke, pulling back to stare at Bob with a small smile. 

“Oh! Yeah! Let’s go!” Your brother laughs, snatching your bag quickly and leading you through the airport as he talks your ear off about his new station. “And tomorrow I can show you around the flight pad.”

“Will I get to meet all the handsome pilots?”

“Yes.”

“Can I marry some of them?”

“Some?”

“I like to keep my options open.” You laugh, watching your brother's face fall into one of disgust. You were so incredibly thankful that your brother was letting you live with him while you started your new job out here, it was one less thing to worry about. “But all jokes aside I am excited to meet all your friends.”

I've been under scrutiny (yeah, oh, yeah)

You handle it beautifully (yeah, oh, yeah)

All this shit is new to me (yeah, oh, yeah)

Somehow you had both made it into his car, him driving as you stared at him silently, your hands fidgeting in your lap from the nerves until he reaches over to hold one of your hands in his own. 

“You want me to drop you home?” He asks, keeping his eyes on the road until you don’t answer and finally moving to look at you. “If you are uncomfortable I can drop you off-”

“I’m fine.” You whisper, leaning forward to kiss him again as your heart races. He smiles, kissing you back before the light turns green and he turns back to the road. You were beginning to silently beg him to run the red lights. 

“Okay so this is my desk, but I’m not here often-” Bob explains, fixing his glasses as you follow him around with a small smile. “And that is Natasha’s desk. Our desks are always by each other.”

“That’s fun.” You smile, leaning forward to pick up one of his pens. “Can I have this-”

“No.” Your brother mumbles, slapping it out of your hand and moving you in another direction. “This is Rooster, and you remember Phoenix-”

“Good to see you, Natasha!” You smile, leaning to hug her. 

“We use our callsigns here, Y/n.” Bob corrects, making you roll your eyes. “Got it bob.”

“It’s great seeing you Y/n.” Natasha smiles, following Rooster out. Your brother takes you around to meet more of his team, introducing you nervously until you got to him. 

“Who is this here?” The voice drawls out as the man smiles at you, dropping the bag he was carrying easily to reach his hand out. “I don’t believe I have ever met such a beauty before-”

“Come on, Y/n.” Your brother mumbles, slapping the other guys hand away as he turns you to walk away. “That was Jake, stay away from him.”

“Oh?” You laugh, following your brother while risking a glance back to Jake, seeing the man already staring back at you. 

I feel the lavender haze creepin' up on me

Surreal, I'm damned if I do give a damn what people say

No deal, the 1950s shit they want from me

I just wanna stay in that lavender haze

By the time you both make it into his apartment you are conjoined again, chest to chest as you melt into each other, the heat of your skin taking control as he shoves you against the door to shut it, his hands traveling down your sides past your ass until they get to your thighs. 

“This is a terrible idea.” He whispers against your lips, biting down on your bottom lip making you moan out. 

“Shut it, Jake.”

“Your brother is going to kill me, Sugar.” Oh that nickname, that terrible terrible nickname that did terrible things to you. 

“Let’s not talk about my brother right now, yeah?” You giggle out, reaching a hand to struggle against the buttons of his shirt before you grow frustrated and just tear at it making the buttons fly across his floor. 

“Fuck.” He gasps, lunging for your lips again. 

“So I don’t get it.” You start, staring at your older brother across the table after you get home from your first day of work that evening, watching him scoop you up the food he made. “You love your team, but not him?”

“No, he is included.”

“Then why do you talk about him like you hate him?” 

“Because he is kind of an asshole. And he goes home with a different girl every night, so going out to drink with him basically means you are going out by yourself and watching him flirt with some tramp all night.”

“Right because females living their best sexual life makes them tramps.” You scoff making your brother blush. 

“Good point.”

“I just don’t get why you hate him so much.”

“On the team? Lucky to have him. In everything else? Biggest tool I know. Just stay away.” He warns, using a spoon to threaten you. 

“Will do four eyes.” You scoff. “I don’t even think he is that attractive.”

All they keep askin' me (all they keep askin' me)

Is if I'm gonna be your bride

The only kind of girl they see (only kind of girl they see)

Is a one-night or a wife

“I think you are the most gorgeous woman I have ever fucking met.” Jake mutters, dragging you away from the door and picking you up by your thighs, your nails dragging across his skin in a way that makes him groan.  “Do that again.”

You giggle, leaning down to kiss him as he carries you across the room, a tight hold on you when he trips over his own shoes in an attempt to tear them off. “Shit- sorry.”

“Anyone ever tell you how hot you are?” You were sure many people had, but you still admired the way his cheeks flamed up at your praise, his lips moving down your neck as he kissed and sucked in an effort to please you. 

Before you know it he had you set upon his kitchen table, reaching an arm out to knock everything off before he reached to lift your dress above your head. “I’ve been waitin’ for this since I met ya, Sugar.”

“Then hurry up.” You bite out, reaching to nip at his collar bone. 

“This is such a terrible idea.” Bob mutters, fixing his shirt for the hundredth time that day as you look around the room. 

“I think it looks great.”

“They are going to think it’s stupid.” He blushes, scratching the back of his neck before bringing a hand up to fix his glasses. “Make fun of me.”

“If they think it’s stupid then they are assholes, yeah? I think it looks great.” You snap, reaching to answer the door when the bell rings out. 

Your brother had thrown a western party for the premiere of a show they all watched, and had even roped you (pun intended) into dressing up and joining them even though you never watched the show and always thought it to be stupid and cheesy. 

But this was your brother so you wore a stupid country getup and put on a smile, answering the door like you were so excited to see all his friends. “Come on in! Welcome!”

They had all dressed up as well, a fact that made your heart swell when your brother saw the effort they had put in, showing them where he had laid out all the snacks. 

“Any of your friends comin’?” Jake Seresin, the one your brother warned you about, asks when you turn back to him in the doorway. 

“Oh! No, I haven’t really made many friends yet. New and all.” You shrug, trying to fight the embarrassed heat that travels your neck at the thought. It had been months since you moved out here, and the only people you saw were your brother and your coworkers……and your coworkers hate you. 

Well, it’s not that they hated you but more so the fact that they were all a lot older and had been going out for their friday drinking nights long before anyone else got there, and they weren’t too keen on inviting the new kids. Not that you’d ever want to go out drinking with a bunch of bitchy 60 year olds who brought up how they thought abortion was murder even though you had been discussing crayons.  (AN: This actually happened to me. I still to this day cannot figure out how she managed to change the conversation so quickly)

“You should come out drinking with us some time then.” He smiles, nodding his head to Bradley as the man passes. “It’s loads of fun.”

“Loads of fun watching you tackle the conquest of the night?”

“Ah, so you’ve been warned about my ways.”

“Sadly for you.” You tease, smiling when your brother walks up. You can see the hesitation on his face, and already know your brother thinks he is about to be made fun of. 

“Thanks for coming Hangman.”

“Hey, you’re house your nicknames. Bagman will do just fine under your roof.” Jake smiles, and everyone whips their heads to watch. “I brought some twizzlers and black licorice. Figured the licorice would match the wild west theme and the twizzlers would actually taste good.”

“Thanks Bagman.” You brother smiles, grabbing the bag from him and moving to set it with the snacks. When Jake passes by he risks a look at you, and you can’t stop the smile that spreads across your face when he blushes at your wink. 

“Let’s get this show started!” Fanboy laughs, clapping his head as they all rush to the couches. You take your chance to head upstairs, knowing your brother would be fine. 

I find it dizzying (yeah, oh, yeah)

They're bringin' up my history (yeah, oh, yeah)

But you aren't even listening (yeah, oh, yeah)

(Ooh-whoa)

Both of you were left panting as he struggled with the zipper of his pants, stuck in an intoxicating glow, your hands rubbing along the exposed skin as he finally shoved his pants off, kicking them and his boxers to the side. 

“You sure?” He mutters, his nose pressing against your cheek in a soft manner and he pulls you closer to the end up the table by your hips. 

“Like no other.” You whimper, legs wrapping around him as you move to kiss him. He nods, making sure you are ready before entering you in one swift motion, grunting into the kiss as you moan out. 

“And here I was worried about no foreplay.” He gasps out, watching your eyes flutter beneath him.

“Shut it.” You snipe, biting down on his lip as you move your hips in an effort to make him move. Your stomach clenches and you gasp out, enjoying the way his hands tighten on your hips to keep you close for a moment. 

“Not being a dick, Sugar, just admiring.” He mutters, taking a second to kiss down your chest before he begins his movements. 

“What an asshole.” Natasha mutters, stabbing at her froyo with the cheap plastic spoon they gave her at the froyo shop. 

“Because he charged you for the m&ms you ate while we were in line?” You laugh, watching her glare.

“No. I’m talking about Jake.”

“Ah, slutty bagman.” You giggle, already picturing him in your mind. Not that you would ever admit this to your brother or his flight partner but ever since you saw him in Uniform he had been running through your mind all day and night, then in the country getup and it was like a romance novel brought to life. 

You, sadly, had been reading nothing but country romances since. You seriously missed having friends. 

“That what Bob calls him?”

“No, it’s what I’ve named him after everything I have heard. What did he do?” 

“Stole my spot.”

“How so?” 

“He’s……..”

“If you are about to tell me that he got that spot because he is a man I will shred his fucking throat out.” 

“No, and that’s the annoying part. I know I can beat just about anyone, especially with your brother at my 6. But Jake is an amazing pilot and he deserved the spot but I had been working for it since I started, you know?”

“Does he know?”

“No, talking to him is like talking to a mean parrot. He mocks and repeats, but never really understands.”

“Parrots understand actually, they can have whole conver-”

“That was your takeaway from that?”

“Why don’t you just ask him for lessons?”

“Because he would brag. And then it would start a fight and we would all be stuck doing 500 pushups on the flight pad again.” The image of Jake all sweaty from pushups and sun flashes through your mind and you nearly drop the cup you were holding, choosing to set it down with shaky hands. 

“I think you guys all just don’t really give him a chance.” 

“Yeah, well……he is an asshole.”

“So I have heard.”

I feel the lavender haze creepin' up on me

Surreal, I'm damned if I do give a damn what people say

No deal, the 1950s shit they want from me

I just wanna stay in that lavender haze

That lavender haze

The kitchen table slid against the floors as Jake grunted out, one hand flying to the table for better traction while the other slipped up your side until he was cupping your cheek in his hand. “You good, Sugar?”

Good? That barely began to describe the feeling you were in right now. This man knew exactly what to say, where to touch, your stomach was clenching and you could barely catch your breath under his gaze. “pleasedon’tstop .”

He smiles as you gasp out, leaning to catch your lips on his own as the hand that had been placed on your cheek reaches down to pinch and roll at your breasts.  “Never.”

It came out as more of a growl than an actual word but you were just fine with that, moaning loudly as your hands tried to grip on for dear life, listening to the sound of the table scratching on the hardwood. 

He seems to recognize how loud it was, stopping his movements to pick you up and take you over to the couch, smiling widely when you whine out at the lack of contact. “You said you wouldn’t stop.”

“Yeah, but I’d have to stop if we got a noise complaint.” He smiles, bringing you in for a kiss as he leads you to lay on the couch, his lips dragging down your jaw until he reaches your collarbone and adjusts himself. “Ready?”

“Obviousl-” You don’t get to finish the sentence, gasping out when his hand finds purchase on your clit as he pushes his hips into yours, your eyes rolling to the back of your head. 

“Are you seriously playing card games at church?” He laughs, making you jump out in surprise when he scares you, some of the cards flying from your hold as you whip around to face him. 

“What are you doing here?!”

“You mean, going to church with the rest of the flight crew?” Damn, that one was kind of obvious.  “You?”

“I had the day off and Bob said if he had to come then so did I.” You scoff, still obviously irritated that your brother dragged you out of bed like you were teenagers arguing over who had to leave with mom again. 

“So you hid in the dark hallways and played cards with yourself.” Jake mumbles, moving to sit criss crossed from you, pulling the deck from our hand and shuffling it. “I like it.”

“I got bored.” You shrug, watching his expertly shuffle. “And all the older women keep asking me when I plan on getting married.”

“Ah, when do you plan on getting married?”

“When I meet the right person.” You snap, snatching the cards from him. “We’re playing goldfish.”

“With two people?”

“Fine, we are playing garbage.”

“You only know kid games, Sugar?” 

“Feel free to go back in if you don’t like it.”

“Easy easy, just a question.” He laughs, holding his hands up in surrender as you deal out the cards. “Loser has to buy drinks tonight at the hangar.”

“That doesn’t work because I don’t plan on going out.” 

“Now you do.”

“I have really important plans.” You lie. 

“Yeah? Some smutty novel got your heart?” He teases and you feel yourself flush under his gaze, making him smile more. “Loser buys a round at the hangar tonight, then you can go home.”

“Fine.” You smile, getting ready to play. 

Talk your talk and go viral

I just need this love spiral

Get it off your chest

Get it off my desk (get it off my desk)

“Fuck fuck fuck.” He gasps out, feeling you fall apart under him before he stops for a second, forehead resting on your collarbone to breathe. “I hate you- right now I hate you.”

“That’s fair.” You smile, scratching his back some more to draw out a groan. His hips begin moving again, his forehead dragging along your skin until it rests against your own, his hands on either side of your head trapping you in. 

“You are very intoxicating.” 

“So are you.” You admit, legs tightening around his hips once more as he eases you into another high with barely any movement, sweat clinging to both your bodies. 

The only problem with the bet you made this morning? You hadn’t known Jake was an expert at cheating at cards. 

Which led you to the Hangar later that night, wearing your favorite party dress as your brother disappeared in the club lights to find his friends, leaving you at the bar to order drinks. You already missed the nice warmth of your bed and the ability to go to sleep early as you watched everyone move around you while you waited for the bartender. 

“What can I get ya?” The tender asks the tall gentleman that had been beside you, raising a brow that obviously said he wanted to get going already. 

“Just a coors and whatever this young peach would like!”  At that request the tender turns to you with a bored expression while you shake your head. 

“Oh, no thank you. I’m getting drinks for me and my friends. Thank you though.” You smile, shaking your head quickly to the guy while he shrugs. 

“I don’t mind buying a round for pretty ladies. What do you want?”

“Really, I am fine.” You smile, moving to look around the club and try to find your brother under the lights, suddenly you feel a hand rubbing at your shoulder in a gross manner. 

“Sweetie, how bout you let a gentleman treat you well for once?”

“How bout you get your hands off her, yeah pal?” Jake’s voice sounds out from behind you, pushing the hand off your shoulder and turning to the bartender. “Two shots of her choice on this pervs tab?”

“You got it.” The bartender smiles, watching you point to your favorite liquor as grabby douche shakes his head. 

“I’m not buying drinks for you and your boyfriend!”

  “But I thought you wanted to treat me well?” You ask, blinking at him with a fake dumb look that has him sneering at you until the bartender comes back and hands you both shots. “Have a great night, thanks for the round Sweetie.”

Jake lets you walk in front of him, keeping an eye on the asshole just in case, easing up when you both make it to the table with the shots. You slide one to him, smiling from ear to ear. 

“To assholes not knowing no.”

“To people who don’t know how to play card games.” He clinks the shot to your own in cheers before throwing it back, laughing when your face pinches up. 

“You cheated!”

“Did not!”

“Did to!”

“By the way this does not count as the round you owe me!”

“Does so!”

“Does not!”

“I hate you!”

“That’s fair, sugar.”

Talk your talk and go viral

I just need this love spiral

Get it off your chest

Get it off my desk

(Ooh-whoa)

Three highs later you both are laying on his rug in the living room, side by side as you try to catch your breath, blinking slowly. 

“For such a bad idea that felt great.” You blurt, voice scratchy and worn out, watching as he tiredly sits up, moving to drag you back onto the couch from where you had fallen, wrapping his arms around you as the cushions engulf you both. 

“Bad ideas always turn out the best in my opinion.” He mutters, pulling the blanket down to cover both your figures. 

“You are so dead if Bob finds out.”

“Shhh, I’ll worry about my funeral after we get some sleep.”

One round turned into four rounds which turned into you and Jake staying long after everyone else left, laughing your asses off as the night descended into chaos. Suddenly you both were playing a drunken game of two truths and a lie, cackling at every little thing possible. 

“Okay okay. 1.) I cheated at the card game. 2.) My name is Jake and 3.) I drive a jeep.”

“I saw your truck on the way in here dumbass.” You snort before the words process fully. “YOU ADMIT TO CHEATING!”

“Nuh huh, it’s your turn.” He snorts, poking your cheek. 

“Okay. 1.) I am bobs sister 2.) I hate my new job and 3.) I know how to fly a plane.”

“You hate your job?” He asks seriously, face falling a bit as he watches you. “But Bob said you seem to love it.”

“That’s because I want him to think I love it so he doesn’t feel bad.” You admit, watching him closely. “He already has enough stress.”

“What do you hate about your job?”

“The old people I work with, the basic tasks they give me when I am supposed to be learning an entirely new field not to mention I just really miss my friends at my old job. I can never seem to catch a break with this crew, not that I would want to since they are all kind offf…..” You trail off when you realize how close to him you had gotten, a haze coming over you and for a moment the only thing you can think of is closing the gap and kissing him. 

Jake takes the chance, leaning forward to capture your lips on his own, both of you trapped in a heated liplock for a moment before he tears away breathless. “Bob can never know I just did that.”

“Agreed.” You whisper, blinking up at him for a moment before lunging for another kiss the same time he does, your hands flying to his shirt to pull him close. 

Before either of you know it you are both stumbling to his truck, tripping and stumbling on the way. 

The bar was long forgotten behind them, both bodies merged into one as they clung to each other, leaning against the car behind them as their lips refused to separate. Moans slipped from both parties and buttons were being toyed with as both parties did their best to separate. 

It was a struggle, one that neither could really fight, but finally they pulled back to breathe. Eyes gazing into each other as they panted to catch their breath, bodies pressed to each other.

“This is a really bad idea.” He mutters. “We should stop.”

“We should.” You mutter back, nodding slightly as you both stare back at each other. Then in a split your lips are back on eachother, trying to eat eachothers faces off. 

I feel (I feel) the lavender haze creepin' up on me

Surreal, I'm damned if I do give a damn what people say (oh, yeah)

No deal (no deal), the 1950s shit they want from me

I just wanna stay in that lavender haze

The shrill sound of his alarm clock at 5am wakes you both up quickly, snapping awake in a panic as he lunges to turn if off. “Sorry,”

You can barely hear him over the pounding in your head, throwing your face into the throw pillow on his couch to block out the sun while he struggles to find his boxers, slipping them on and shuffling over to you. “Alright, come on.”

“Are you kicking me out?” You whine, looking up at him with a heartbroken face as he pushes one hand under your thighs and the other behind your back. 

“God no, I’m taking you to bed.” He smiles sleepily, tripping over one of your shoes as he pads to the room, keeping his hold on you tight. “That couch sucks.”

The second he sees the bed is within limits he throws you on, shuffling to grab one of his shirts and throws it at your face before moving to climb under the blankets. Watching you slowly dress into the shirt before holding the comforter up like a tent while you crawl into the embrace, and before you both know it you are snoring again. Missing the dozens of messages left by your brother. 

- 

It’s the pounding that wakes you up next….okay well not the pounding but Jake getting up to go investigate the sound and you missing the warmth the wakes you up, but the second you hear the sound you sit up to watch him disappear from sight. 

You hear the door creak open before you hear the voice. “Do you know where my sister went last night? Because she is not answering her phone and she didn’t come home-”

“About that. Listen Bob she-”

“And I am really worried since she always at least messages me-”

“She’s in my room..”  Jake says it so naturally, and by the time you reach the doorway wrapped in his comforter you can hear the thud of your brother's fist bashing into Jake's face, gasping out when he falls harshly. 

“WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!” You scream, rushing up to help Jake off the floor as Bob glares. 

“I told him to stay away from you- I told you to stay away from HIM!” Bob yells, rubbing his forehead. “Y/n he is a-”

“Not to me.” You scoff, wrapping the blanket tighter. “You talk crap about him all the time but he’s nice to me!”

“Nice? He was just trying to get you into bed-”

“I was…. Jesus, I was going to take her out after we woke up today.”  Jake sighs, rubbing his cheek. “I had this whole plan that just didn’t work out so now I am-”

“No no no. I don’t want to hear it.” Bob sighs. “You go get dressed. I’ll wait outside.”

He storms out after that, leaving you and Jake side by side in silence. “Told you it was a bad idea.”

Get it off your chest

Get it off my desk

That lavender haze, I just wanna stay

I just wanna stay in that lavender haze

Four months later and you are sitting in Jake’s truck, decked out in purple as you try your best to get off the phone with your brother, watching Jake glare at the car in front of him. 

“Oh, Bobby it looks like I am losing service-”

“You are such a liar. Just promise me you will send me pictures of Jake from that concert, everyone wants to see them.” He laughs and Jake sends a glare in your direction, obviously having heard your brother. “I need to see him in the getup.”

“No.” Jake snaps, shaking his head. In your opinion he looked amazing, decked out in a purple outfit for the Taylor Swift concert that he had brought you to. It had all gone amazing until the traffic afterwards hit and you were getting glitter all over his car. 

“I think he looks great.” You mumble into the phone. “Okay I reallygottagobye.”

Your brother tries to argue but you are quick to hang up, reaching to turn the radio up only to be stopped by Jake. “Nuh uh.”

“What? Why?” You scoff slapping his hand before he slaps yours back. 

“We were just at her concert. I love you…..and I love her but I think I just need a Taylor Swift break.” He mumbles, eyes widening when yours narrow. “Nevermind, I didn’t mean it.”

“What. Did. You. Say?” “I didn’t say anything. I love you so much, and I would never say anything against Taylor- ye OW!” He yelps when you pinch his arm. 

“Take it back, say you are sorry!”

“NO!” 

“TAKE IT BACK JAKE!”

“-LAVENDER HAZE CREEPIN OVER ME-” He ignores you, reaching to turn the song up as you scoff. 

“I hate you.”

“That’s fair.” He smiles, leaning over to kiss your lips. “I love you too.”

(Authors Note: I have been trying to find any sort of energy to post and get out of bed. Got so close to giving up on life itself and I'm barely back, please bare with me as I try to find my way out of my depression hole I have dug for myself everyone. I know it's been a minute but life has been kicking my ass. Be patient with me - Ultralight)

[oodlyenough]

apollo justice: ace attorney thoughts

over the weekend I finished playing AA4 so I wanted to try to put my thoughts in order. much to think about etc

spoilers for the whole game obv, but i haven't played AA5 or AA6 yet so any mention of those are speculation lol

I had heard some pretty mixed reactions to AA4 and I had a lot of reservations going in. It's also probably the AA game I've played that I've been the most spoiled for, which is a shame but probably an unavoidable consequence of waiting for the port while engaging with the fandom. I don't usually like being spoiled but I think knowing the broad strokes of what to expect actually helped here. I can imagine an AU where I blitzed through the first trilogy and onto 4 with no idea of what was coming and being... very upset and disappointed by the direction it took. Having several months to brace for things like Phoenix's disbarment, the 7 year gap, Trucy, etc definitely softened those blows and made me more amenable to them than I would've been otherwise.

Cases

For the most part I thought the puzzle solving was good and the pacing was solid. The puzzles were mostly challenging enough to be satisfying to solve but not so challenging as to be infuriating, and I don't think I needed a walkthrough at all. 4-1 is one of the best tutorial cases in the franchise so far (though I'd give the edge to 3-1) and 4-4 was a really cool finale. The middle two cases tbh I also found fairly charming, and there's usually a least one case in the middle that seems to drag forever, so that was a pleasant surprise. I played Investigations 1 right before this, and I thought both the puzzles and pacing in that game were frankly horrible, so AA4 won a lot of points just with that.

I did think Turnabout Corner and Serenade would be more relevant in the grand scheme of things. The half-spoilers I knew had me expecting a much bigger web of conspriacy than we ended up with -- I expected it to be more than coincidence that Phoenix got hit by a car, more than coincidence that the Borginian egg coccoons are related to poison etc ... like... I fully assumed this was going to tie into the atroquinine plot. But I guess not ... ? Lol

Characters

The new main cast are all very likable, despite my initial reluctance to have a new main cast to begin with. Klavier was an interesting change of pace as prosecutor, in that he wasn't particularly antagonistic outside of the court, nor was he particularly preoccupied with winning, but he was still fun and challenging enough to face off against. Trucy was fun and delightfully bonkers as all assistants should be. Apollo's longsuffering exasperation was hilarious. Ema is the BEST I loved having her as the detective I wish she was there all the time.

I loved Beanix, for the most part. I can see why he rubs some people the wrong way, and tbh I'm glad his last canon outing isn't ... this. But I didn't find him wildly out of character, or at least, when he was feeling "out of character" vs the trilogy it made sense given the intervening events. I also thought it was fun to see him from the outside and see what a galaxybrain 5d chess master he is. I do wish we'd gotten to see more genuine moments of him with Trucy.

Kristoph was fun as a villain, though I have to say fandom led me to believe he was much more of a mastermind puppeteer than he seemed to be in reality. I was expecting a whole decade worth of conspiracies! Instead he fucked up once and struggled to fix it for seven years, lol. I also found the Kristoph/Phoenix relationship a) very fascinating, b) not really what I'd been led to believe by fandom (shocker). I like the canon more though -- I like that instead of being a retread of the Dollie betrayal-from-someone-you-love it was two guys who hate each other being forced to play nice as part of their own schemes.

Criticism

I think it's fairly obvious AA4 was meant to be a soft reboot of the series, to pivot away from the trilogy cast and set up our new heroes in Apollo, Trucy, and I guess Klavier. I think this is probably the entire explanation behind Maya and Edgeworth (and others but lbr those are the big two)'s conspicuous absence... but that doesn't make their absence any less conspicuous. I can squint and forgive neither of them being there when Phoenix is accused of murder, even though I find that insane. I can squint around Maya maybe being off in Kurain during the Enigmar trial, even though I think they could've used a line of dialogue to explain it. But then we started playing past-Phoenix for huge portions of investigation and that started to fall apart for me. Sure, maybe he's pushing his friends away because he's depressed, or maybe he wants to keep Maya out of things because he thinks it's dangerous, or whatever -- you could at least throw in a line or two saying as much. Not mentioning them at all and setting AA4 so closely after AA3, where Phoenix fell through a bridge to save Maya and Edgeworth chartered a private jet, just feels ridiculous.

I also think, at the end of the day, the story here was focused on and pivoting around Phoenix. The core question of the game is "what the hell happened to/is up with Phoenix Wright?" I love Phoenix, so that alone isn't a negative -- except that I think it meant Apollo, Klavier and even Trucy felt underwritten. Trucy and Klavier have such personal stakes in the unfolding events with the Gramaryes and Kristoph, but we only spend a little time and hints on how that might influence Trucy, who mostly falls into the AA weird girl pattern of brushing off major trauma instantly. (Maya got this a lot too in the original trilogy.)

Klavier ... I like Klavier, but they did not do much with him. How did he feel about Kristoph going to jail? He doesn't seem to hold it against Apollo, which is uh, noble, but perhaps not believable. He says he values honesty and truth but do we know why?

Apollo, likable as he was, felt like a passenger in his "own" game, rather than a major character. He doesn't even solve much of the stuff happening in the big overarching mystery -- he is Phoenix's avatar in court, presenting evidence and clues Phoenix left for him. Unlike Trucy and Klavier, who I am pretty sure take a back seat from now on, I guess Apollo still has two more games to try and flesh himself out ... lol but I also know fan reception of those two is not great, so my expectations there are minimal.

Overall

A really solid game that I enjoyed playing, though I can see why it's controversial and not some people's favourite, if they really loved the trilogy. I think it's debatable whether this was the best/only way to continue the series after AA3. And I am excited to read and write a billion 7 year gap fics now.

[fangirlingpuggle]

Half asleep fantasy high time travel AU idea where bad kids are still adventuring team as adults a big bad they’ve fought manages to get away and decides to take an Arthur Aguefort approach and use chronomancy to fix their problems taking on the bad kids while they’re still kids before they start the Aguefort adventuring academy or more accurately on their first day.

So, as the bad kids are arriving, they all suddenly get attacked and are of course freaking out (Golden horde is also freaking out because this is not his plan)

However, before they can hurt any of them cur future bad kids showing up and wrecking shit all the first episode before detention bad kids seeing their badass older adult selves and then either

A.

Bad kids have to stay in past to catch bad guy and protect younger selves as this chronomancy has gone multiverse theory and they only have a one-way trip back so cant lave til bad guy is caught.

Adaine: So we’re definitely in separate time line right?

Kristen: I mean Aguefort’s exact words we’re ‘no consequences you can go apeshit’

Adaine: Awesome *Instantly starts kicking shit out of her parents after wrapping her younger self and Alewyn in a blanket passing them Boggy*

Riz totally shots Goldenhoard, while him and Kristen are yelling out ‘HEY KALINA YOU BITCH SHOW YOURSELF’ Kristen having Cassandra’s power and kinda just going and speed running whole Nightmare king thing. Also her picking up her younger self and siblings up while her goddess appears just to flip off her parents.

Fabian’s younger self not being a fan of his older self being a bard… until Fabian kicks his ass while on his way to go get his bike for this timeline.

Younger Fig being so confused by the fact older Fig is Gilear's biggest fan and Gilear also super confused and trying not to cry because his daughter clearly isn’t going to hate him forever and he was sure she would. Fig also going to younger self like ‘Hey please stop with the transforming self you don’t need to it’s all good… hey maybe check out Leviathan for no reason’ she totally teasing her younger self because I have the best girlfriend ever.

Gorgug setting his homunculus on coach daybreak and also porter also sending a van after them to run them over.

Or

B.

They need to keep younger selves safe so scoop them up and throw them in the hangvan and take them to the future with them to keep them safe.

Cue all the freshman bad kids seeing how their lives are

Adaine seeing she has a family that loves her, Jawbone giving his daughter the biggest hug emotional to see her as she was when she was younger and Alewyn just uber protective over her baby baby sister and Adaine not believing she’s so loved.

Fabian shocked to see his older self as a bard (And he may have tried to sneak in and sue the weird elven sheet his older self has used not that he will ever admit it) but also his mother is sober… and a total badass. He also

Fig seeing herself with a good relationship with all her parents (also for some reason all her and her friends love Gilear) also she has a paramour whose a fucking amazing phoenix who younger Fig keeps tripping over herself to flirt with (disguising herself as her older self) Ayda thinks this is humorous older Fig is amused but also Hey get your own paramour.

Riz meeting his older self who is a badass with tattoos and so many friends. Also he works with angels. He is totally awestruck.

Kristen being shocked by how different her older self is and having a lot of realizations about herself. Also, her new goddess is the coolest and really happy to talk things through with her (Cassandra wants to keep her in this timeline, and is trying to figure out a way to break the timelines so she can get her as her prophet in the other timeline to without all the nightmare king stuff she’s the goodness of mystery she’s sure she can do it)

Gorgug meeting his older self whose a barbarian and an artificer and super smart and has a homunculus called Chloe and is so confident and smart.