#like this and i will appear to plot with you

[that-one-girl2020]

Saja Boys x Rumi’s Sister! Reader Pt. 3

A/N: Wow. Okay this got a lot more attention than I expected it to in three days. Sorry this part took me a little longer to write but it has one-on-one interactions with each member, that’s why it’s longer than the other parts.

Also, sorry but I’ve reached the maximum number of mentions I can have in the tag list so the tag list is closed!

By majority vote, I will be giving the Saja Boys Korean names so depending on the situation and point of view, they’ll either be referred to as their stage names or their Korean names.

If you guys have any ideas for outtakes, leave them in the comments below!

TW: I needed some way for the reader’s stress to manifest, like how Rumi struggles to sing as the pattern progresses. This manifested as a form of self mutilation, mostly just scratching when stressed or anxious. Insecurity and self deprecating thoughts ahead as well!

Word Count: 6,388

Baby: Jum (king)

Romance: Chungae (noble and love)

Mystery: Hyeon (virtuous, worthy, able)

Abby: Kwan (one who is strong)

Part 1, Part 2, Part 4

The four boys knew that they had to talk to Jinu about what they found out about (Y/n) and, by default, her sister the hunter. But, they were summoned by Gwi Ma before they had a chance to. They appeared in the middle of a crowd of cheering demons so the boys fell into their idol personas, smiling and pandering to the crowd.

They couldn’t help how their chests clenched when Gwi Ma forced them back into their demon forms.

And then Jinu joined them, standing at the top of the mountain before Gwi Ma’s fire. “One of the Hunters and her sister bears my mark, but I have no control over them.”

The four boys shared looks with each other out of the corners of their eyes. Gwi Ma was in their heads, of course he already knew.

“That’s good. This means that they have shame. We’ll find out what it is and we can use it to destroy the Hunters for good,” Jinu plotted with a sly smirk.

“I’ve taught you well, Jinu.”

Gwi Ma dismissed the five boys back to the human world and they popped to the place they shared. “Hey, boss, we should talk about what we’re gonna do.”

The five spread across the living area, Kwan laying across the couch as Chungae picked up his legs so he could sit before replacing Kwan legs.

Jum sat on the ground, scrolling through his phone like he didn’t care but his eyes kept glancing up and around at the others.

Hyeon sat on the arm of the couch, picking at his lip even though he shouldn’t. It was hard to get used to not having his tusks anymore… It’s kinda become a tick at this point.

Jinu stood in front of them, “We need to find out what shame the Hunter and her sister have. To do that, we need to get close to them, make them comfortable around us.”

“You’ve had the most interaction with the Hunter, right? So she’ll be more open to you I think,” Chungae mused thoughtfully.

“But, there isn’t just one of us that the sister has spent more time with,” Jum pointed out.

None of the boys wanted to admit that they each knew your name, it would mean admitting that you had caught at least a little bit of their attention, enough to remember you.

“Well, I was the one that carried her tonight,” Chungae flipped his hair, smiling smugly.

“Hey hey, I was the one she was flirting with during the fight. And she was eyeing my abs so I should talk to her,” Kwan crossed his arms, nudging Chungae’s stomach with his foot.

“I was the one who won the spicy challenge, I feel like I should be the one to get close to her,” Jum added his own input.

Hyeon wanted to add his own argument but he didn’t think knowing your scent would really go in his favor… But his jaw itched to sink his teeth into your skin. Gently! He just wanted to bite you… affectionately…

Jinu pinched the bridge of his nose. He could see where the four were coming from and he was a bit disappointed that he already had the role of getting close to the Hunter but he couldn’t do anything about it. You were so cute when you were flustered too…

“You can all take a try at it, it’s four chances of her opening up to one of you so it should be fine. Just don’t overwhelm her or it’ll look sketchy,” Jinu told them. He dug through the stationary they had around, writing out a note for Derpy and his bird friend to deliver to the Hunter.

“I’m heading out.”

~~~

‘Was it bad that you were glad the girls hadn’t caught up to the Saja Boys…?’

You had run back to the Huntr/x tower, looking ridiculous with your arms inside your sweatshirt to cover your arms and very thankful that there weren’t any civilians out then. You tapped your foot impatiently as the elevator took you up and then you sprinted to your room to put on a different sweatshirt with a high neck tank top under to cover the marks spreading up your neck.

The girls were a few minutes behind you. You changed just in time to greet them with your first aid kit.

Rumi burst out of the elevator with a cry of your name, “You’re okay, right?!” She grabbed your arms, scanning you over frantically, checking for bruises or scratches.

“Those dirty playing demons,” Zoey fumed, stomping with her arms crossed childishly. “You are okay though, right, (Y/n)?”

Mira huffed, following the other two out of the elevator, “She’s fine guys, she doesn’t have a scratch.” You didn’t miss how her eyes scanned over you though, making sure that you really were alright.

“What were you thinking?!” Rumi stressed, grabbing your face in her hands to pull you closer to her. “Going after them?! You could’ve been hurt! You could’ve been…!” Rumi trailed off, the words stuck in her throat.

You could’ve been found out. Your pattern could’ve been seen. You’d have to tell Rumi later that the boys had ripped your sleeves.

But for now, you smiled with a light laugh, “I’m fine, Rumi, I promise. Let me patch you guys up, you guys look a little… eesh.” You grimaced as you took a good look at all the scratches on their faces. They were not offended, they completely understood.

The girls relaxed and let you tend to their scratches and bruises before going to change into lounge clothes and then coming back to see the Honmoon.

Thankfully, they bought your explanation that you lost the boys due to Gwi Ma summoning them and had headed back to the tower to wait for them, you had explained while you patched them up.

The girls stood at the window, looking at the red corrupting the Honmoon as you put the first aid supplies away and moved to the kitchen. You glanced at them with furrowed brows as you got out the ingredients for kimbap.

Then the elevator came up with Bobby, “Girls?”

The girls whipped out their compacts to aggressively cover the wounds on their faces and turned to greet him, “Hey Bobby!”

You threw the first aid supplies in one of the cupboards as you shook your head. You couldn’t help but find it amusing how well trained they were by now in covering up scrapes and bruises from their hunting.

You heard Bobby swiping through TikTok, and couldn’t help the way your shoulders bounced as the chorus of Soda Pop played on a loop.

“Zoey!”

“Bobby! Control those shoulders!”

You froze awkwardly. At least they hadn’t caught you… You focused on making the kimbap a little more aggressively, your head ducked down to avoid attention. It was such a catchy song…

You hunched down further when Rumi started plotting an aggressive diss track to perform at the International Idol Awards.

“Zoey, we’re gonna need a new song!”

“I got twenty-three notebooks full of demon insults ready to go.”

“Yeah! Let’s make it thirty notebooks!”

“Mira, the choreography?”

“Yup. Making them hotter.”

“Backup dancers, ready to go.”

“(Y/n),” you gave a strained smile at the sudden call of your name, standing at attention and thankfully not cutting your fingers with the knife in your hand. “Visuals?”

“Already making a mental Pinterest board!”

“Team of designers, ready for your call!”

“We’ll write a brand new song. A diss track to expose those Saja Boys.”

“And send those disgusting demons back to the depths where they belong!”

You bit back a grimace as the girls started raging enthusiastically.

“Yeah!”

“Yeah!”

“YeaHHH!”

“YeahHHH!”

“…”

“YEAHHH!!”

And then they ran off to their rooms to get started or rest or something… You sighed, carrying the plate of finished kimbap rolls over to stand next to Bobby to stare flatly after them.

Welp. More for you. You held out the plate to Bobby, “Kimbap?”

“Oh, thanks (Y/n)!”

You wrapped up the rest of the rolls except for one, taking it with you. You paused at Rumi’s door, raising your hand to knock. But you hesitated.

You should tell Rumi that the Saja Boys saw your pattern. Them knowing was a threat because then they also knew that Rumi had patterns too. But… maybe they would just think you were the only one with a demon pattern…? You’d have to talk to them.

So you lowered your hand and kept walking to your room. You shut the door behind you, almost screaming in surprise when a hand slapped over your mouth and dragged you out your balcony door and jumped up to the roof of the tower.

When they released you, you took a deep breath and scrambled away to put distance between you and your kidnapper. “You gotta stop doing that!”

Romance couldn’t help but chuckle, waving his hands disarmingly, “Sorry sorry, I just wanted to chat with you.”

You bit your lip. They knew about your pattern. “About what?” You asked, on guard.

“Your pattern.” There it is. “You’re part demon.”

“So what?” You snapped defensively, hugging your arms even though you knew your skin was covered.

“I was curious,” He admitted openly, brushing some hair out of his face as he leaned back against the edge of the small roof balcony. “You don’t hear him, do you?”

“No. W-wait, who?” You backpedaled, you had refused on instinct and then you registered what he said.

He looked at you obviously, “Gwi Ma. You didn’t make a deal with him? All demons hear his voice, constantly reminding them of… their shame.”

You loosened from your defensive pose, surprised by the vulnerable look on his face. He didn’t seem to want to hurt you, so you relaxed and leaned against the edge behind you, keeping your distance for now.

“Shame?” You echoed curiously.

He looked at you, analyzing you, “It’s all demons do, feel their shame and all the emotions that come with it. These patterns,” He held up his arm, his patterns glowing as he did. “They show that each demon carries a deep shame with them…”

Then he was in front of you, taking your hand as you gasped softly. Your own pattern started glowing through your clothes, “You do too, sweetheart…”

Your grip tightened on his hand. You looked down as your heart squeezed painfully. Yeah… you do…

“Romance—“

“Call me Chungae,” He interrupted you softly.

“Chungae. You… you guys won’t tell the others, right? Rumi… Rumi and I aren’t ready yet, but… we want to be the ones to tell them…” You hesitantly asked through stumbling words. They knew. They must know that you and Rumi are part demon…

You couldn’t help but think of all the moments you’ve wanted to share your secret with Mira and Zoey. You want to go to the bathhouse with them. You want to go to the beach. You want to be able to wear your skin comfortably instead of the itching, crawling feeling you get at just the idea of wearing shorts or a tank top.

But it wasn’t your choice whether you told them or not. It wasn’t your secret to tell. It was Rumi’s.

Chungae scanned your face, his look softening as he brushed a bit of hair out of your face, tucking it behind your ear. “I don’t know about the others, but I won’t tell.”

You couldn’t help but relax at the reassurance, your face warmer at his touch. These boys really weren’t evil, they were so… human.

You looked away, “You should go before the other girls come looking for me.”

Chungae couldn’t help but chuckle softly at your shy demeanor. How cute… It’s like the first time you met all over again, how cute and shy you were when the five of them invited you to their debut. “Of course.”

You gasped as he smoothly swept you into his arms and leapt down to your balcony as you bit back a shriek. When you got down from his arms, you couldn’t help but bend over with your hands on your knees, taking deep breaths to settle your heart from the shock of being carried down from one height to another. “Stop doing that!” You whisper shouted at him, disgruntled.

“Sorry sorry, darling, I’ll go now,” Chungae hopped up to the railing of your balcony, stopping to look over his shoulder at you, “Oh. You should know that the others are also interested in seeing you. Just a heads up.”

He smiled slyly before jumping and disappearing in a dramatic poof of demon magic. “Wait, huh!?”

You grabbed a pillow to scream into.

Oh wait. Your kimbap!

~~~

And they did.

The next day, you were out looking at fabrics for the visuals of the diss track the girls were working on. Something like their battle outfits would work good but with sharp color accents to make it pop and fit the stage. Less spikes too, a little less aggressive but fans will probably like the dark look. Maybe in a music video, the girls could use their weapons so then if they pull them out on stage, they just look like props and special effects…?

Oh. There’s a boy walking next to you.

“… Can I help you…?”

Hands stuffed in his pockets, looking around with a disinterested look but a spark of curiosity shone in his eyes underneath the hat hiding his features, “No. I’m good.”

“Okayyy… you do you, Baby” You decided to just keep going about your business as Baby followed at your side.

“Jum,” He corrected you.

“Uhm, okay, Jum…” You kept looking at the maknae out of the corner of your eye as he followed you into fabric shops, looking around curiously or scrolling on his phone as you talked with the owners.

“Hey,” You stopped on the sidewalk when Jum tugged on your sleeve, pointing over to a shop window, “What’s that?”

You looked over, “A cat cafe…?” You looked at him strangely. How old was he again…?

Jum was quiet for a moment. “Let’s go in.” He was already walking in before you could respond. You didn’t have to follow him, he had just decided to follow you after all, but—ughhhh!

You followed him in.

Going in, he looked like a lost kid. He was looking around at the tables and the people. “Welcome! How many people today and for how long?”

“Uhhh…”

You came up behind him, smiling at the host, “Table for two, just for an hour please.”

“Alright, right this way!”

Ah man, why did you follow him again…? Jum trailed after you as you followed the host into the sectioned off area to a booth by a window. “Someone will be by to take your order in a moment. Please feel free to give the cats treats!”

“Thank you!” You called after her as you sat, setting down your work bag as Jum slid into the seat across from you. He was staring. You followed his gaze to see he was in a staring contest with a black cat. You looked between the two of them, back and forth. It was kind of adorable.

“Pick what you want to order and then we can try and tempt some cats over.”

Jum didn’t know what to order. He was one of the few born in the demon realm, he had never been to the human realm before as the prince of a small territory. Not that the title mattered much with Gwi Ma ruling.

“If you wanna start simple, a coffee or hot chocolate would be good hot drinks. Or a vanilla or chocolate milkshake if you want something cold. For food, the sandwiches are good if you want something savory but the strawberry shortcake looks good for something sweet.”

You were almost tempted to recommend a soda pop for him but you’ve seen enough TikToks of fans giving them different sodas.

Jum took in the information you gave him with a hum, scanning over the menu again.

You ordered, Jum ended up getting a coffee and the strawberry shortcake. You almost laughed at the contrasting flavors he would be experiencing. But you pulled over the little container of cat treats, “Alright, let's see if we can get a few kitties over.”

Jum perked up at the same time as some of the cats as the container clinked as you opened it. Three cats hurried over, and you couldn’t help but laugh brightly as they jumped up on the bench to climb in your lap and over your shoulders, nuzzling your face cutely for treats. “Hey, settle down! You’ll get your treats!”

Jum’s face softened at the sight. You laughing so carelessly, smiling brightly as the fluffy creatures swarmed around you while your face flushed with joy. He couldn’t help but sneak a few photos and sent one to the Saja chat smugly. He ignored the chat as it started going off.

The two of you played with the cats for a while. The wondrous look on Jum’s face as he first pet a cat was adorable and you really wanted to take a picture but the girls were always taking selfies on the first phone they could grab. You couldn’t risk them seeing it.

You had the same urge when you saw his face as he first tasted his coffee and then his cake. It was soooo adorable…

Before the two of you went your separate ways, Jum quietly told you that he wouldn’t spill your secret.

~~~

You watched from backstage as the girls politely clapped on screen, the boys awarded as the top artist of the week. They were really starting to make progress on their diss track but you couldn’t help but distance yourself from the project. The lyrics that were unfolding made you uncomfortable in a different way from how Golden did.

Golden had lines about not hiding anymore and being honest but it just felt like a lie whenever Rumi sang it with the girls. But Takedown… was strictly about killing demons because they were evil, unfeeling monsters that didn’t deserve to live. It made your skin crawl and you couldn’t help but itch at your arms and neck from time to time when you heard them discussing it.

You turned to make your way back to the girls’ dressing room to meet them once the awards ended and they left the stage. You could hear clapping again, the awards must have ended. And then you were swept away. Into a closet.

‘What was with these guys?!’ You were pinned against a shelf of cleaning supplies, a thick arm caging you in above you. Another held out a flower to you. “Hey there, babe~”

You crossed your arms, looking up at him unimpressed. Well… there was a little flush on your cheeks. “Hi Abby. What is this, a shoujo manga?”

He tsked, smirking playfully down at you, “Come on, babe, can’t spare a guy a warmer welcome?”

“Not when he and his friends keep sweeping me away for their whims. What did you want?” You plucked the flower from his hand, rolling the stem between your fingers.

Abby chuckled, his arm flexing as he swept his hair out of his face. “Well, our two youngest got to spend some one-on-one time with you and I wanted my turn. Come on, let’s go get something to eat.”

You hesitated. And not for the reasons you should’ve. “I… I have to get dinner ready for the girls…”

“What are you, their housewife?” He raised a brow down at you.

You grimaced as the words hit a little close to home. Yeah, he hit the nail right on the head. “I guess… they can order take out tonight…”

“Yes! Come on, before the other boys catch up!” Abby cheered, taking your wrist and jogging out of the closet and to the nearest exit.

“Hey!”

“Abby!”

“No fair!” You heard the cries of the other Saja Boys behind you as he dragged you along. You chuckled. The other demon boys could easily catch up if they wanted to. But dang, you dropped your flower back there…

A few streets over, you stopped as Abby slowed down barely out of breath, in contrast to you who was panting like a dog. Oh man, you felt way too gross to be with this man right now.

“So… I actually don’t know any good spots to eat at…”

You laughed at his sheepish expression. “Come on, there are some good food stalls at the night market.”

Without thought, you took his hand and led the way. When you got there, it turned out that Abby wasn’t picky about his food at all and that he could pack away a lot of food. You guys went from stall to stall, you were amazed as Abby charmed the older sellers, chatting with them as if they had known each other for a long time. Whatever food you couldn’t finish, Abby happily did.

“What are you? Some demon trash disposal? Where does it all go?” You asked him as he finished off the last of the chicken skewers you both had been eating.

“Straight to my muscles of course,” He smirked, flexing cheekily with a wink.

You laughed and shoved him jokingly. Then, a curious thought occurred to you, “Hey Abby? Can I… ask what the demon realm is like?”

He blinked, surprised by the question but you just continued looking forward, not meeting his eyes. He copied you, looking ahead as the two of you walked.

“It’s dark and depressing. The sky is red like it’s on fire and the ground is dry and desolate. Nothing grows there. There are two main types of demons: those that formed from souls fed to Gwi Ma and those that lost their souls making deals with Gwi Ma. There are also demons born from other demons but those are rare.”

You frowned in thought, not responding for a long moment. So, demons really could feel emotions. Did that mean… that your dad really did love your mom…?

Abby noticed your expression, lost in deep thought, “What’cha thinking about there, babe?”

You didn’t answer for a moment, too many thoughts trailing in too many different directions… “Nothing important. So, which are you guys, Abby?”

Abby hummed, “Call me Kwan,” he said, letting you change the subject. He couldn’t help but let you in a little closer. He thought if he just kept using his stage name with you, he could keep a little distance between you, keep the mission in mind. But… he wanted to let you close.

“Well, with the exception of Jum, we’re all humans that made deals with Gwi Ma years ago out of desperation. I…” Kwan trailed off and the two of you stopped by the river to sit on a bench in a quiet area. “I was born during an old war. I wasn’t strong enough to protect my family when it counted, so I asked Gwi Ma for strength to protect those I cared about.” He laughed sarcastically, “How well that turned out for me…”

You frowned, taking his hand slowly, hesitantly offering comfort from the obviously dark memories and regrets swimming through his head. He smiled softly at you, squeezing your hand as the two of you looked out over the river. There was nothing for either of you to say at that moment, but you understood each other.

~~~

After that interaction with Kwan, the girls noticed you were lost in thought more often, but they didn’t bring it up, figuring you were just deep in thought about the visuals and clothes for the new song. You often got lost in a new project when it really inspired you.

Except you didn’t like the new song. It was just so hateful towards demons and after you knew most demons come from human souls in some shape or form, you couldn’t fully support it. Especially with your own pattern steadily spreading across your skin. You had to start using a salve to help with the scratching the stress was causing. If they spread too much more, you would have to start wearing a face mask…

Now that you think about it, the only Saja Boys you haven’t really talked to are Jinu and Mystery. Which one would ambush you next? Was it bad that you were looking forward to it?

You needed a break from the girls. As the Honmoon corruption got worse and more demons came through, they got more tense and enthusiastic with the new diss track. So, you went to the park to sit and just breathe for a few minutes. You sat on a bench under the shade of a tree, head back and eyes closed under the sun as you took a deep breath. Someone was playing Soda Pop nearby and you could hear Golden somewhere too…

Your eyes snapped open when arms wrapped around you from behind a nose buried into the crook of your neck, taking a deep breath. You flushed deep red, shrieking as you leapt to the other end of the bench. A hand pressed to your chest to settle your racing heart you turned to see it was a sulky Mystery, pouting at you pulling away so quickly.

“It’s just me,” He said.

“Personal space, dude!” You cried vehemently, your face still a dark red. Mystery circled the bench to sit next to you. Like, right next to you. Your thighs were touching. You deadpan at him, “This is not personal space, man.”

Mystery just tilted his head at you. It was nice to see you with the sun shining down on you like this. And your scent was so comforting when it filled his senses, he couldn’t help but burrow his nose in the crook of your neck. It made his teeth itch to bite again.

“How do you guys keep finding me? Do you have some kind of tracker or something…?”

“Nah, it’s mostly by chance,” Mystery told you, casually taking your hand to play with your fingers and the rings you had on. He didn’t tell you how Jinu’s bird was keeping an eye or three on you… He didn’t remember much about social normalities from when he was human, but he could remember that telling someone they were being watched was weird.

You shook your head and let him do as he pleased, taking a deep breath and tilting your head back to enjoy the sun while closing your eyes.

Then there was a tugging on your hand, “Let’s go.”

You didn’t get a chance to respond or ask where you were going before he was tugging you off the bench and away. “Wait, Mystery, where are we going?” You almost slapped a hand over your mouth, hoping no one heard that it was one of the Saja Boys out in public.

“Hyeon. De-stress,” he said simply. Then he was pulling you into an arcade. You didn’t really know how playing some games at an arcade would help you relax

But at least you didn’t have to pay to play because Hyeon was already pulling out his wallet! Don’t get it wrong, you could pay for stuff yourself, but it was refreshing after eating so much food with Jum and Kwan. You refused to let them pay for your food and you didn’t pay for theirs either but it was still money…

When Hyeon had the prepaid wristbands, he turned to hand one to you with a small smile, “Sometimes, you just need to act like a kid.”

You blinked. And then he was pulling you to the first game he saw with that small content smile and you couldn’t help but laugh.

You were pretty sure he also just wanted to go to an arcade…

Hyeon was right though. Playing those games, you couldn’t help but laugh and as you became more competitive with him, you forgot what was bugging you. You laughed louder and became more comfortable treating him like a close friend, pushing him and bickering as he gave you a little smug smirk when he won and a sulky pout when he lost. You had to pull him back when he started barking at a few people that tried to rush the two of you at some games…

It was late by the time you both left, matching ugly keychains in hand from the prize shop.

“… Thanks Hyeon, I really needed that,” You smiled at him as you stopped at the park where you would both be going your own ways.

He smiled, taking your hand in his. “Of course, princess. Anything to see that smile on your face.”

Oh boy. You didn’t think Hyeon would be the cheesy one but he said it so seriously before placing a kiss on your hand.

You shook yourself, your face flushing red as you steeled yourself, “Hey, I am not a princess!” You crossed your arms.

Hyeon smirked a little, “I don’t think you can handle what I really want to call you so princess will do for now.”

Your jaw couldn’t help but drop as your face flushed darker.

“See you soon, princess,” he said, and then he was walking away and you just stared after him, speechless.

‘What did he mean by that?! Ugh, stupid hot demon boys…’

~~~

Another award show passed and Golden won most played song of the week. But tensions were still high as the Saja Boys took over more and more of the billboards, they were all anyone could see on TikTok too, more fans joining the Pride.

Your nervous scratching was getting worse, you had to go out and get another salve. Thankfully, the girls were too focused on Takedown and demon hunting to keep track of when you were in or out of the tower. It hurt you a little though, that you fell to the wayside so easily.

You were mindlessly scratching over your sleeve with the salve safely wrapped in a small paper bag in your arms as you started the walk back to the tower. You needed to talk to the design team about what you had in mind and to the producers about visuals for a possible music video.

“What’cha got there, pretty girl?”

You turned to see him leaning against the wall in the shadows of an alley. You sighed, “Do you plan these dramatic encounters or do they just come naturally to you?”

Jinu chuckled, standing straight but his eyes lingered on the bag in your arms and the arm where you had been scratching. “Being an idol calls for a flare for the dramatic,” He shrugged.

You chuckled at his antics but then his hand snapped out to grab your wrist. Panicked, you tried to pull away as he pushed your sleeve up. You forgot that he knew about your pattern so it wasn’t those marks he was looking at.

No, it was the red scratch marks littering your arm where the pattern was darkest.

He snapped his eyes up to glare at you, pulling you somewhere, “What’s so bad that you scratch yourself to such a degree?”

You had no answer for him besides shame… So you didn’t say anything.

He sighed. Jinu ended up taking you to a small plaza, not many people around as he sat you on the edge of a fountain. He pulled out the small glass container of salve you had gotten, reading the ingredients with narrow eyes before opening it and smelling it.

Jinu tsked before taking your arm to gently apply the salve to each bleeding scratch and red mark, “The herbs used today are so bad, not as effective as the ones grown years ago… too much pollution…” He murmured to himself.

You couldn’t help but smile at his care. “Thanks Jinu…”

He glanced up and faltered, remembering who he was and who he was with as he quickly but carefully finished up, fumbling a little as his cheeks pinked, “Oh, ah, it’s fine, don’t mention it.” He quickly screwed the cap on of the salve and practically shoved it in your hands before awkwardly sitting down next to you.

Wow. Jinu was the most awkward of the group it seemed. Was Baby really the maknae of the group? You giggled at how the tips of his ears were red and he refused to look at you.

“Is it really… that bad living with the patterns…?”

You froze at his hesitant question. You gripped your arm over your sleeve to keep from scratching more at the flare of stress you felt. You couldn’t look at him. “I don’t know… I started scratching when I was a kid. It comes and goes depending on what I’m stressed about…”

“Meaning, when you’re stressed about your pattern,” Jinu summarized thoughtfully. You could feel his gaze on the side of your face.

“Yeah…” You avoided his gaze.

Jinu frowned. This wasn’t like the first interaction he had with your sister. That was filled with him trying to gain her trust, trying to convince her that he was the only one that would understand her. It made his stomach curl uncomfortably how she didn’t even argue that you understood her. Were you two not very close?

He saw something different than your sister in you, “You liked your patterns once, didn’t you?”

Your face slackened then hardened, “…I don’t wanna talk about it.”

He frowned but nodded in acceptance anyway. Pushing wouldn’t get him anywhere. “That’s alright, but I can understand what you’re going through,” It was the same thing he told your sister. But with you he couldn’t help but… genuinely mean it. He looked down at his hand. His pattern was a constant reminder of his shame after all. Sometimes he wanted to scratch until they just peeled away too.

“I know, I just… I don’t think I’m ready to talk about it…” You told him. Rumi should be the first one you talked to about this, right? But, wouldn’t she just recycle Aunt Celine’s words at you? Never show your faults (Y/n), never show your pattern (Y/n), you’d betray Rumi and everyone else if you shared your pattern (Y/n), you’re not enough (Y/n).

You shook your head and stood. “I want ice cream.”

He looked up at you with surprise, “Oh. Okay…?”

“Come on.” The shoe was on the other foot now as you started marching to the nearest ice cream shop, not waiting to see if he would follow.

“Wh-what? Wait, what’s happening?” He scrambled after you, confused but going along with your sudden decision.

Jinu followed you into the ice cream shop, sliding on a pair of glasses and a hat to disguise himself. You were already ordering what you wanted, two big scoops of your favorite flavor.

He almost jumped when you suddenly turned to him expectantly. “Oh, uh,” He stuttered, scanning the flavors before him. It felt like he was sweating with the sudden pressure he felt. There were so many names, why were there so many different ice cream names?! “Uh, two scoops of Chuckle Chunk.” He couldn’t even tell you what was in it.

You couldn’t help but giggle at how stiff Jinu was. You hadn’t meant to make him feel pressured but it was pretty adorkable.

The two of you paid and left the shop to eat your ice cream at the fountain. You watched as he hesitantly tried his ice cream. His face lit up.

You chuckled, starting to eat your own ice cream, “How is it?”

Jinu couldn’t help but smile, “Yeah, it’s got these really rich chocolate things and there’s these little white pieces and some salty caramel things too.”

You blinked at how he described it. “How old are you again…?” That was how he described brownie fudge chunks, marshmallow pieces, and sea salt caramel syrup?

He blinked too, “Four hundred…?”

You couldn’t help but balk, “Oh wow, you’re old.”

He deadpanned at you. “And you’re a baby.”

You laughed. Jinu didn’t really know what you were laughing about, maybe just the situation itself but he smiled.

It was easier to be around you than he thought it would be. “Don’t stress too much.”

You looked at him, “It’s kinda hard to avoid stress when Gwi Ma is trying to destroy the Honmoon and feast and the human souls of the whole population. Besides, I’ve got a lot going on: visuals for the girls, keeping our apartment clean, cooking, designing clothes and visuals for them, and then there’s a fan signing event coming up…” You sighed and Jinu grimaced. Wow.

Jinu knew he wasn’t helping with the stress you were going through but he couldn’t help his selfish streak. He wanted his memories gone…

“Just… Cut your nails or wear gloves so you don’t hurt yourself so badly…” Jinu told you.

You smiled. He was… worried for you. It was the first time that someone’s worry didn’t make you feel weak. It wasn’t about your fighting capabilities, it was about your well-being. When was the last time that someone worried about that?

“Thanks Jinu…” You smiled mischievously. “It’s the first time such a pretty boy has shown me such care,” You turned the table on him.

Jinu spontaneously combust. Stuttering as he shoved more ice cream in his mouth to occupy himself but that just made his head hurt.

“Brain freeze!” You laughed.

~~~

The night before the fan signing event, you laid awake in bed. The girls were surely already sleeping so that they could get plenty of rest. But you couldn’t seem to fall asleep. Looking back on the past two weeks, you felt more conflicted than you ever had before.

The voice in your head that sounded like Aunt Celine said that you shouldn’t be letting the Saja Boys so close, getting so comfortable with them. The girls were going to kill them anyway so you were just looking to get your heart broken at this rate.

But a small part of yourself whispered that they made you feel safe, seen, heard in a way that you never had been before.

Outtake(s):

Jum(Baby): “Do they make these cakes…spicier?”

You: “Uh…no. No they do not.”

Jum(Baby): *Sadly* “Aw man…”

…

Hyeon(Mystery): *Sees someone just a little too close to you* “Grrrrr…”

You: *Being dragged along as you try to hold him back* “You can’t- Stop! Bad Saja Boy!”

Hyeon(Mystery): *Feral gremlin barking*

…

You: *sick of all these pretty boys flustering you* “What do you want, pretty boy?”

Jinu: *ERROR ERROR ERROR* “Uhhhh…”

…

Huntr/x: “You know, (Y/n) has been disappearing a lot lately… And she never wants to listen to our song…”

Huntr/x: “Maybe she’s uncomfortable with the lyrics?”

Huntr/x: …

Huntr/x: “Nah. She’s just way too inspired by our violent need to eradicate all demons.”

You: *frantically scratching*

Tag list:

@brights-place @itmechaosartist @reni502 @chin-chii @cultish-corner @enerofairy @mama-m1na @akariis4snowball @gremlinartstudio @shynotded @shadowmoonlight0604 @omgsuperstarg @neigesprincess @sleep-7372 @hurts-my-brain @kiwibackie @gh0stied3ath @naysha140 @theferretkids @lelantyuu @sexyindependentdowntospendit @hornehlittleweeblet2 @moonymoo1 @moochiwoochi @cheolright @crescent-z @prorpy @mey-archive @cami1qx @nerdalicios @xxsadlovexx @latisthegenderfluidwannabealone @blackheart34 @anonymousewrites @scarletrosesposts @justanindiangirl12 @beexboo @tatsuri-zomushiki @call-me-nyxx @queenofviolenceandnerds @randomfan218-blog @jaybbygrl @unholycheesesnack @ocean-mochi @iviorienne @confusedparticle @otakusimp1 @nosbaby07 @fries11 @ri-eveowe @1950schick @libdarkheart @yourjustassaneasiamx @the-bookish-artist @anduinandwrathionlover @eternallyrosyfire @lysira340 @lansy-4 @strayharmony943 @maximumtrashchild @bleufu1 @minepugs @valeriele3 @arieslucy @nisarelle @suzieq1948374

[daydreamgoddess14]

hold me and explore me

bucky x f!Reader.

Just a drabble, karaoke chaos with Yelena and Ava.

word count: 500

warnings: none

Bucky Masterlist

“You have to sing what we chose, that's the whole point?”

“Ugh, do I at least know the song?”

Yelena grinned, “sure. You'd have to live under a rock.”

“Which one is Juno again?”

Ava hums some of the bridge, and you think you remember it. It doesn't feel like you're falling into a trap. But then, it never does till you're already in it.

“Ok, ok, fine. Gimme,” you hold your hand out for the microphone with one hand and down your beer with the other. Behind you, John wolf whistles through his fingers.

The song is fine.

At first.

Risqué enough that you get the giggles, but not so in the gutter that you don't dare look at the man to your right.

One arm resting on the table, lightly holding his beer bottle. Legs spread wide. The lyrics on the screen tell you exactly when to not look at him.

“Wanna try out some freaky positions?” You sing through laughter. Ava and Yelena demonstrate a pose that has you creased over during the short instrumental section.

You can feel his eyes on you. He's not watching them fooling around. He's watching you laugh.

Then comes the bit of the song that you've heard before, you must have, but have no memory of.

“Adore me, hold me and explore me, mark your territory…”

The girls are egging you on, and at first you're not at all sure what they're so hyped up about. Then the words appear on the screen and you feel the heat in your hands, your face, everywhere.

“Adore me, hold me and explore me, I'm so fucking horny, tell me I'm the only, only, only, only one…”

You finish the song, looking literally anywhere but at Bucky, and vow to kill Lena and Ava in their sleep.

Their little plot to push your crush on Bucky out into the open had missed your radar completely. You had only yourself to blame for falling into their trap.

“You make me wanna make you fall in love,” you finish with a nervous giggle and take a bow before launching the microphone at Yelena.

“Another round?” You ask no one in particular, and dart out of the booth before anyone can stop you.

At the bar, you wait your turn.

You don't flinch at all at the arms that wrap around you and pull you back against their chest.

“How long till they guess?” Bucky asks into your ear. His voice is soft and warm, it slides down your neck and straight to your core. And he knows it.

“Any second now if you don't let me go?”

“But I'm so fucking horny,” he laughs, you feel it rumble against your back. "C'mon, let's get out of here, they don't know shit."

[rokiibrok]

Gentle Scratches

Smut with a plot.

Caleb x you

synap: After getting bruised in a fight with wanderers, Caleb offers to clean you up, leading to undeniable sexual tension.

The phone in your back pocket vibrated repeatedly. When you finally took it out, a very enthusiastic voice greeted you.

“Hey, pipsqueak, what are you up to?” You could almost imagine him twirling his hair like some excited teenage girl.

“Running a few errands, I hope you’re still free after,”

“I already cleared the rest of my schedule for you,” which wasn’t as easy as he made it sound.

“What are you doing?” You mumbled, tucking the phone between your shoulder and ear.

He let out a slow, exaggerated sigh. " Boring colonel paperwork," His pen now twirling in his fingers.

"I would have thought you'd always be on your feet, stressing about something," you replied with a teasing tone.

“No, most of the time-” He paused. You could hear a faint knock before another voice started speaking. They sounded almost panicked as they rushed their words out. But you couldn’t make out a single sentence. “Sorry, pipsqueak, I have to go. Make sure to call me when you get to Skyhaven,”

You responded with a quick will do before ending the line.

You finally finished all your errands, but unfortunately, a hunter never gets a day off. Shortly after your watch pinged, Wanderers appeared. You quickly pulled out your gun, keeping an eye out for the fleeing people while also trying to contain the Wanderers and protect the rest of the city. The fight ended quickly, but you didn’t come away unscathed. Keeping people safe while fighting wasn’t easy; you had bruises, scratches, and some minor bleeding, but nothing life-threatening. An ambulance arrived and offered to take you to the hospital, but you declined; you were used to a few bruises by now. Finally, after everything, you arrived in Skyhaven, feeling relieved to have made it.

You didn’t even have enough time to click Caleb’s name on your phone before your name was called. The excitement in his voice cut off immediately.

“Are you okay? What happened?” He rushed towards you. His hand was hovering slightly above your face. His voice was stern.

“Just a bit exhausted,” You looked up at him, his brows furrowed. His hand finally cupped your cheeks ever so gently. He turned your face left, then right, slowly. “I’m fine, I swear,” you smiled, hoping it would ease the tension a bit.

“Was it Wanderers?” The way he spoke, moments when his voice lost all playfulness, all emotion. It reminded you he wasn’t the boy you grew up with. Not anymore. You nodded a bit, grabbing his hands.

“Let’s just forget about it. I’m not hurt, just a few cuts,” he didn’t respond right away.

“Can I at least check on you when we get home?” he said softly, almost as if he were begging. His violet puppy eyes looked down at you, and no matter how many times he gazed at you with that almost hurt expression, you always fell helplessly for it.

“Of course you can,”

——————-

——————

Caleb's thumb held your chin as he turned your face. Y'all were now at his place.

“Does that hurt?” His free hand gently running down your neck then stopped at the edge of your shoulder. You almost shudder at the touch.

“No-tickles,” you giggled a bit, which earned a small smile from him

“You have dirt in your hair,” he said, backing away and ruffling your hair. His voice was tinged with a hint of sorrow. He spoke softly, his brows pointing upwards. Lips pouted so slightly, if you hadn't known him so well, you would've missed it.

“Offering to wash it?” It was almost a joke. You felt kind of icky after the fight. After all, you had rolled around in dirt. Dried blood and sweat still stuck to your skin.

“I-,” he paused before smiling. “I haven’t washed your hair since we were kids,” you hummed, smiling.

“Because you'd pull my hair,” you teased, walking to the bathroom.

“Mayyybe because you couldn’t sit still.” He followed behind you, and you didn't notice when his gaze quickly flickered across your body.

You now sat in the tub. Bubbles sitting right above your chest. With Caleb, you never felt uncomfortable. Not even while you sat naked in the tub. Bubbles covering your most intimate parts. After all, you’d sat like this time after time with Caleb.

“Little Miss Hunter,” He spoke lowly. His fingers gently rub your scalp. “Always rushing head first into danger,” His fingers somehow massaged your scalp like an expert. Gently soaking the bubbles deeper. You almost hummed at the soothing sensation. “Try not to squirm, I don’t want soap getting in your eyes,” His voice low, breathy. Heat from his mouth brushes against your neck, causing you to shiver. One hand traces the curves of your back. “Does this hurt?”

It took you a moment to respond, not because of the question, but because you were worried you'd let out a moan for an answer. “No,” the words slowly fell from your lips, hesitant yet firm.

“Look up,”

You did as told without a second thought, almost instinctively. You shifted slightly, closing your legs as a pressure began to build in your lower stomach. It was something you were somewhat used to; after all, Caleb was a handsome man. It would be strange if he didn’t make your heart race once or twice, right? Especially when he spoke so low it should’ve been a whisper. It didn’t help when one hand ran water through my hair. You took a deep breath before slowly letting it out. Your chest, wavering. Your body reacting in ways you wish it didn’t. Goosebumps covering your skin.

“Try not to squirm I don’t want soap getting in your eyes,” He laughed slowly, a teasing, low laugh that made your head spin and your eyes roll back. Both of his hands rested on your shoulders. His left hand remained still while his right hand trailed down your arm, moving only with his fingertips.

“Your entire arm is bruised.” His voice was soft and slow, like it hurt to say. That quiet worry made your thighs press tighter together. God, he cared. And that did something to you.

“I’m okay,” A breathy moan escaped your lips involuntarily. “Promise,” you added quickly. Hoping to brush past the sound. Whether he noticed, he didn’t respond. You glanced over your shoulder and took in his disheveled hair, with a few strands sticking to his forehead, likely from the stream. Then, your gaze fell on the sleeves of his shirt, which were rolled up to his forearms. You noticed the bare skin of his arms, the visible veins, faint scars, and the contours of his fingers. His hand rested on the side of the tub for support.

“Distracted?” That boyish grin drove your imagination wild. Your eyes rolled as you looked away. The teasing lit in his voice caused you to smile. You couldn’t stop it if you tried.

“You done?” Maybe if you got him out of the bathroom, the heat consuming your body would slow down.

He smiled and tilted his head a bit before pushing himself up. “Yea yea,” that smile never leaving his lips. His eyes not quite leaving you either.

The moment he left, you let out a sigh of relief. The heat in your face slowly going down. You rinsed off the soap, feeling the water trickle down your body. Your mind wanders to the memory of Caleb's slender fingers against your bare back. Imagine the feel of his hand on other parts of your body. You quickly shook your head and got dressed. Which was unsurprisingly his shirt and shorts. They almost hung on you like a blanket.

“We aren’t playing doctor all night, are we?” You teased walking out of the bathroom. Caleb is already holding a few Band-Aids.

“Not much longer, promise,” He patted the open space on the couch. “We can do whatever you want after,” his smile didn’t fully reach his eyes.

“Whatever?” you echoed with a grin, your voice lilting just enough to let him know you were poking fun.

“Anything,”

“What if you regret saying that?” You sit down next to him. He scoots a little closer. You were only teasing-or at least it’s supposed to come off as that way. He paused a little, then smiled wider this time.

“Turn your head, pipsqueak.” The Gentle tone he used affected you more than you wish. As you did so, you could feel his hands on your jaw as he laid down a band-aid. He started covering the rest of the open wounds on your body. His hand gentle around your waist. You had to look away so you wouldn’t stare.

Especially when he dropped to his knees. Settling between your legs. Putting a Band-Aid around your ankle, with all his attention focused on that one leg. His eyes looked up. Those soft violet eyes made your heart jump. Just one glance from him could make your body shudder. Not to mention the feeling between your legs returned tenfold. His fingers spread as they slowly moved up your leg, inspecting every inch.

“Relax,” His voice was soothing and intoxicating all at once.

“I... am just," You paused, taking a quick breath. “Stings,” the words sounded more like a question. You shook your head, a bit embarrassed with yourself. It felt silly-the sexual tension building had to be your imagination. Caleb's eyebrows tilted ever so slightly. He glanced back at your leg before placing one more band-aid on your upper thigh.

“When we were kids you’d always get hurt doing the silliest things,”

He sat up, still on his knees between your legs. His ruffled hair covered his face as he looked down. His attention was on the same leg. Seemingly lost in thought as his fingers ran down. Stopping right above your ankle. He let a low, breathy chuckle.

“Then you’d come crying -Caleb, oh Caleb, I think I broke my leg,” he mocked. Then, slowly, he glanced up. His hair was still blocking his face. His eyebrows raised as he looked up at you, passing his lashes and strands of brown hair. “And I’d take care of you,” his thumb caressed the middle of your leg. “Until you felt better,” His tone steady and low. A moment passed, yet you couldn’t look away. Especially when you caught glimpses of his eyes.

“Caleb,” The words came out slower and softer than you expected. He didn’t respond right away, his head dropping to your leg once more. His fingers slowly trailed up your leg. One hand around your calf while the other on top. Both hands moving in sync. Then he said your name. So low you could’ve missed it if the outside world wasn’t so quiet. His hands stopped below your knee. He seemed almost hesitant.

“Is this okay?” The question seemed simple. But in reality, he was asking, Is it okay to cross this silent boundary? The one that kept us friends? Would it be okay if we went passed the point of no return? Slowly, you nodded, holding his eye contact. It took a moment before he stood up. One hand remains on your leg. Slowly moving up until it reached the outer side of your thigh. His other arm reached out beside your head. As he places his hand on the back of the couch. You followed his movements, then stopped back at his face. Your eye darted from his lips to his eyes. The dog tag you had gifted him was dangling from his neck. Slowly swinging back and forth. Him now standing between your legs.

“I need to hear you say it.” The usual teasing edge in his voice was gone, replaced by a quiet firmness that made your breath catch

“Yes,” you paused and glanced away. Only for a second. “It’s okay,”

The hand on your leg that was hesitating before now continued to roam over your thigh. You could feel the faint warmth of his body. He tilted his head and leaned in but stopped halfway. His unsteady breath hits your bottom lip. His eye was glued to your lips. Then they slowly trailed back to your eyes. He waited like a quiet invitation. As if he were asking, “Are you sure,” one last time. Wrapping your hand around his neck, you pulled him in. His lips immediately moved once they connected. His hand on your thigh roaming up passed your ass then stopping at you lower waist. He pulled you closer to him. It was slow and passionate. Like two flickering flames slowly connecting. His free hand on your neck. He slowly tilted your head down to follow his movements. His knees were back on the ground. His pelvis was on the edge of the couch. You could feel his chest against your lower stomach.

He was the first to pull back. You could see his eyes moving around your face. His lips slightly parted, his breathing irritated. Both his hands on your waist now.

“I want you.” Your eyes wandered to his chest. “I need you Caleb.” It wasn’t long until his lips were back on yours. His fingers tightened slightly. Not hurting, just firm. You go to take off his shirt. He pulls back for a second to slide his shirt over his head. His chest was firm. His torso was bare beneath the light. Lean muscle shifted with every subtle movement, each line of his abdomen carved like stone, sharp and defined, the kind of abs that made it impossible not to stare. the taper of his waist draws the eye lower.

“You have me,” he went back into the kiss. Tongues connecting, His slight groans muffled by your lips. Both of his hands now cupping your cheeks. He leaned into the kiss. Pushing your back against the plush couch. His hips moving between your legs. Your slight groans muffled with each kiss. “You’ve always had me,” He murmured against your lips. Not fully pulling back as if he wasn't ready- wasn't capable of breaking the kiss. You pulled back to slip your shirt off. A trail of saliva follows you. Now leaving you in just his shorts. He watched your every movement. Caleb's eyes seemed awestruck. Especially when he leaned back in with a smile. “You’re beautiful,” he said, kissing the side of your neck. His hands following the curve of your waist.

“Every part of you,” His lips trailed down your neck. Leaving small kisses in a slow trail. Finally stopping at your collarbone. He paused for a moment before continuing to kiss down your body, stopping just above your chest.

“Caleb,” The way you said his name was almost whiny. Showing him how impatient you were growing by the second. It didn’t make him move any faster. In fact, all he did in response was hum a little as he started kissing up your neck. Stopping right below your ear. His hum was almost a mocking "yeah"

He kisses your jawline, then pulls you back into his chest, before scooping you off the couch. You could feel his muscles as he carried you like nothing. You wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling him into another hot and heavy kiss. One arm wrapped around his neck. Your other hand was tangled in his hair, gripping slightly. You moaned into the kiss. His hand gripping under side of your thigh. He gently pushed your back against a wall. You leaned back, looking at him. His cheeks a slight shade of red. His head tilted ever so slightly. One of your hands rubbed down his bare chest. Keeping a slow, tantalizing speed. Feeling each ab on your fingertips while holding eye contact. He groaned at your touch. You could feel him grow tense. His eyes followed your touch. He squirmed as your fingers slid down. Without moving his head, he locked eyes with you. He was smiling. Your hand stopped at his waistband. You gently pulled at the front, making sure not to break eye contact. He whined just at your touch alone.

Putting his hands on your lower back, he pulled you into his chest before backing off the wall. He kissed you once more, like a starving man. He wasn't ashamed to be vocal, that's for sure. Using his foot, he kicked his bedroom door open. He dropped you onto his bed, your legs spreading as you looked up at him.

You leaned in, grabbing his dog tag and pulling him on top of you. He followed along, crawling over you, his arms resting on either side of your head. The tip of the tag rested on your bottom lip. You pulled at it, dragging him closer. His tongue tangled with yours. He slowly lowered himself onto you, his hands finding your waist. He moaned into your mouth as you both felt each other’s most intimate parts. The print in his pants rubbed against your clothed cunt.

He took the first initiative to take off your pants, sliding the oversized shorts off and dropping them to the floor. He paused for a moment, looking up at you. His lips spread into a slow smile as he looked down at your panties.

"You're wet," he said — almost like he couldn't believe it, like it was a dream. He leaned down, kissing your lower abdomen.

You tensed up a bit. You head rolling back on the soft pillow, one hand in his hair. Not pulling, just holding. The other holding the side of the bed. "Relax," He mumbled into your stomach. A low vibration followed his words. He trailed down, leaving kisses. One hand sneaking from your waist to your lower stomach. His fingers spread out. "I read you better than anyone,' The last word sounded venomous. Whilst the rest were low yet comforting. "I'll know if you start second-guessing," He said, kissing the lace on your panties. "I'll know," he kissed again. "So," he pushed your leg open, placing a kiss above the crease between your thigh. "Trust me,' He spoke slowly, his words sounding like a whine. Like he was silently begging.

"Of course, I trust you," the hand in his hair falling to his cheek for a moment. The way his brows rose, his red cheeks. His slightly parted lips. It made your heart rate rise. He kissed the space between your legs. Earning a low whine from you. A silent approval as he slowly slid your panties off. His eyes trailed down your legs, then back to the middle. He leaned in, not quite doing anything. Not yet, at least. His arm lying on the top of your upper thigh. Slowly he ran his thumb down your clit. you squeezed the side of the bed and looked away.

"Do you like it when I do that?" He asked, rubbing a small circle in the same area. A simple yes wouldn't be enough. It took you a moment before you nodded a meek yes, leaving your lips. Quickly followed by a soft moan. He played with your clit, enjoying your reactions. He'd been yearning for so long that he'd never want to rush this moment. Especially not with you. "I want to hear you," it took a few seconds before he continued, "Baby." His voice is enrichingly deep.

"Yes," Your words came out in a single breath.

"Okay' He leaned in. The tip of his nose on your bare pussy. "okay" He mumbled into you before leaving a kiss. Then he stuck out his tongue. Staring from the bottom and stopping a you clit. It was slow and long. Your body involuntarily jolted. Your back lifted off the bed for a second. One hand was squeezing his hair. His moans vibrating off the walls of your cunt.

"Please," you moaned, looking down at him. His eyes appeared between your legs. "Caleb." Whether it was your tone, his name, or the way you begged. Something made him snap. He ran his tongue over your soaked core one last time before finally slipping it inside you. Your breathing became ragged, your throat dry, as involuntary whines left you. Both Caleb's hands are on your thighs. You could feel the faint pressure of his Evol keeping your legs open. Your eyes rolled back. The heat in the room prickles your skin with sweat. You moaned louder when you felt a finger enter. His tongue still ravishing your pussy as he fingered you. You moaned his name. His tongue now lapping at your clit. His fingers kept a steady, slow pace. Finally, he lifted his head. The area around his mouth glistened. He watched looking at your chest rise and fall quickly. His fingers were still moving. He watched as you tried to hold eye contact. But failed as you continued to whimper. Your head falling back on the bed. His fingers wiggling inside of you. His evol letting up so he could watch you squirm in his grasp. Your legs shaking with every pump of his fingers. Then, as you reached your peak, he stopped. You heaved as your chest lifted and fell, struggling to catch your breath. After a moment you spoke.

"You’re such a tease," you said, not directing your comment at him specifically. Eyes glued to the ceiling.

"I can't help it," He sat up. "it's not my fault you sound-" He paused as you sat up and jabbed his chest gently.

"shut up," You pulled him back on top of you, pulling him into a kiss.

"So bossy," He spoke against your lips. Your hands found the buckle of his pants. He helped you slip them off alongside his drawers. Finally letting his cock spring to action.

"Oh," you leaned back on your arms. He was huge—realistically huge. It jumped as you stared, eyes tracing the curving veins. You sat up on your knees, taking a moment before gently pushing him down on the bed.

"Okay," you whispered next to his ear, your finger trailing slowly down his chest, giving him the same kind of slow torture he gave you.

You watched him whine, eyes locked on yours like he'd do anything you asked in that moment, no matter how ridiculous. He tensed when your fingers traveled back up his chest. He moaned your name and grabbed your wrist, not to stop you, just to feel you. You kept stroking his chest, and he jolted at your touch. Your fingers spread as you trailed down his chest. Feeling his chest and the ripple of his abs.

You hadn’t even touched his cock yet, and still it jumped like you did Pre-cum dripping down. "Do you... like this?" You asked hand lowering. Finally touching the tip if his cock. Cum sticking to the palm of your hand. He moaned, his fingers pulling at his hair.

"can-" He took a sharp breath as you ran your hand down his cock. "I want to feel you, baby." His voice wavered. You paused, looking up at him. His soft voice, almost a pleading tone. It made you ache to feel him. You leaned over him, catching his lips. You straddled his hips. His hands found your waist as you fervently made out. You moaned against his lips. Your hands on his bare chest holding yourself up.

"Is this okay?" You whispered, looking down at him. He took a moment before speaking.

"I want to make you feel good," he whispered softly, reaching up to caress your cheeks. His thumb rubbed small circles as he continued, "I want you to feel how much I love you."

His words were all you needed as you hovered over cock. Before slowly sitting on top of him, you stopped at his tip. It stretched you open. He sucked in a deep breath his fingers tightening on your waist.

"Are you okay?" He asked with a husky tone. You nodded, giving yourself a moment to adjust to his size. Your hands are still on his chest most of your weight focused there. You slowly dropped yourself lower. A gasp left Caleb as you clenched around him.

You moaned his name when his cock twitched inside of you. His eyes still glued to you. Occasionally, trailing over your body. Taking in the sight of you on his penis. He stuttered as he said your name, head rolling back. "do you like that," His voice low.

You nodded, moving your waist. His penis moving against your walls. He whimpered, hands once again tightening.

"good job, baby," His voice was high. His breath was heavy with every word. Your hips bounced once more until you found the perfect rhythm. You moaned a bit, stifled as you covered your mouth. "let-" He interrupted himself moaning. "l-let it out," You clenched around his cock. His voice was low, husky, ragged, like each word was dragged from the back of his throat. “Just like that…” It rumbled out of him, breathless and broken, the sound heavy with want. Every syllable felt earned, like he was speaking through clenched teeth, trying to hold himself together while you moved on top of him.

"Yeah,” your words came out as a whine. One of his hands rested on the back of your neck, holding your head still to maintain eye contact. Your stomach tightened as the pressure built. Using his hand on your neck, he pulled you in for a kiss. The other hand traveled from your cheek to your lower back. Slowly, he flipped you, positioning himself on top. You let out a small gasp as your back hit the bed. “You feel so good…” You gasped, the words tumbling out between moans. Caleb slowly moved in and out of your pussy. Make sure to leave the tip in before slowly pushing back in. A plethora of wet sounds with each thrust. Caleb nodded at your words. His dog tag dangled violently, swinging with each thrust. Sweat dripped down his toned arms with each hand on either side of your head. His moans were loud, unashamed, and unrestrained, echoing in the air between you. There was nothing held back, no control—just raw, desperate sound spilling from him with every roll of his hips.

Balancing himself on one arm, he touched your lower stomach. He could feel the tip of his cock when it entered. He pushed down softly and earned an abrupt, loud moan from you. It left your lips without shame, high and needy, the kind of sound that made him look at you like he was ready to ruin you all over again. The pleasure building inside of you. You could tell he was at his climax. His words came out strangled. His breathing was heavy and whiny.

"Caleb, I'm going to-" You couldn't even finish speaking. Caleb nodded, his fingers curling around the sheets. The moment you stopped speaking your walls clenched around his penis. He moaned your name as he leaned down, catching your lips. Your moans entangle with his tongue. The world blurred for a moment as you both came undone. Legs shaking as the high slowly subsided. Caleb slowly dropped on top of you. Rolling over a little, not to crush you. Your limbs still entangled.

He took a few heavy breaths before he spoke. "Are you okay?" He seemed to speak in one breath. You nodded before turning your head to look at him. Strands of his hair stuck to his forehead. The rest is messy. His eyelids were lowered like he'd fall asleep at any moment. Unable to restrain yourself, a smile crept onto your cheeks. The euphoric moment takes hold of you.

"are you okay?"

He nodded at your question, smiling. His eye widened slightly, sparked with new life. His hand once again found your cheek. His thumb caressing your face as he held eye contact. Neither of you could speak. The moment was filled with comfortable silence as he admired you. He leaned in pressing his head onto yours.

"I love you,' He whispered before closing his eyes.

"I love you, too, Caleb." Your eyes fluttered closed as well, listening to his soft breathing.

----------------------

This was my first time writing actual smut. So I hope you all enjoy, and if you have any requests or feedback please let me know :)

[saltnsugarbear]

I'm gonna stay faithful (to the devil I know) (18+)

summary: After you don't respond how Carmy wants to a compliment, he gets a bit,,,, authoritative

title from: "The Devil I Know" by Suki Waterhouse

word count: 3.9k

content warnings: smut MDNI!!! Carmy's mean (like,,,, like mean), use of derogatory words during sex (bitch, brat,), Claire again :/, what i suppose could classify as subspace, brat tamer Carm :), reader wears a skirt (important for plot), afab reader genitalia, unprotected sex, i lean so heavily into being horny and pathetic, ✨️pull out method✨️, I cant think of anything else?

side note: hey hi everyone say thanks Olive again for helping with dialogue and just,,,,, everything ever. everyone say thank you olive because I should be paying her

series masterlist!

You've been bugging Carmy all day since his morning text. The sunrise from the L tracks.

Carmy had started sending them early in the month, sometimes just the sunrise, sometimes with an added message. This morning, the photo is tagged with a short, "Looks like you."

The text made you scoff, rolling your eyes while you tap out a short, "You're annoying"

For an hour, Carmy leaves you on read. At first, you think he's tied up with the kitchen until Sugar sends you a brief, "Carmen's being annoying again."

Her complaint garners your sympathy and a brief, "Isn't he always annoying?" which gets a heart reaction from her. You switch chats between the Berzattos, going back to Carmy where he's still left you on read.

You: Carmen...

You: I'm messing with you, Carmy.

Carmy reads your messages but doesn't respond. You let him keep you on read for another twenty minutes before you message him again.

You: are you pouting rn? really?

Bubbles appear a couple of times before he responds.

C: No.

You: Nat says you're being particularly annoying today

C: She's being annoying today..

You can hear the grumble of his voice, an attempt to redirect your attention.

You: Carmy...

You can practically hear the sigh fall from his lips as you watch the bubbles go. And they stop again. You've seen this pattern with Carmy enough times to cut it short.

You: Need me to make it up to you later?

You: Maybe during lunch?

You: ;)

The last message is a tease, enough to clarify what you could mean. And enough that he stops typing for a minute. Then he starts up again.

C: Can't get away for that long.

You huff, knowing there's an obvious option here.

You: Or....

You: I could come there..

The response is instant.

C: No.

Then.

C: Can you wait til after?

You groan, burying your head in your arms on top of the counter. You're hiding long enough that he messages two more times.

C: You can, can't you?

C: Then I can come take care of you.

The words on the screen make your face flush and it's embarrassing because he's not even there. You keep your face hidden like there's some way he can see you from the restaurant.

You: You're evil, btw

You: I guess I can wait... But I'm not happy about it.

C: Yeah, yeah..

Unfortunately for Carmen, when you want something, you're persistent.

Which, for him, translates into his phone pinging in his pocket. You send him a few things each time he's away, just to tease him and to gift him with a surprise when he comes back to his phone.

It starts as idle chatter, comments as you go about your day. Telling him about the errand you have to go run, mentioning the woman with her cat in a stroller when you get there, telling him about the lingerie set you saw at the store and how you think he'd like the color.

After noon is when he starts getting frustrated. Not at your messages, but rather that he can't just leave.

The tipping point is the picture you sent him. Nothing graphic or noteworthy would make him squirm until he could get his hands on you. Instead, you've attached a selfie, taken at an angle, so it's like he's towering over you. In the photo, you're wearing a sweater over a collared shirt and a plaid-patterned skirt that pools onto the bench you're sitting on.

The picture is bumped up when you send another text.

You: Company lunch :P

You: You know how I feel about free food

Something inside Carmy twinges. His gaze flicks back up to your skirt before he types a response.

C: I thought you had the day off?

You: Apparently they couldn't schedule the lunch for another day

You: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

You: They're arriving! See you later ;)

"It's open!" You call over your shoulder and then turn back to your phone. Carmy enters your apartment easily, and you can already hear him grumbling about leaving the door unlocked while he toes off his shoes.

"I don't know why I knock anymore." He tells you, and you brush him off.

"No one is going to come into my apartment, Carmy." You sigh, turning onto your back. "Other than you."

Your reason makes Carmy shake his head as he walks over. You tuck your legs in to make room for him on the couch, sitting up straight.

"How was your lunch?" Carmy lets his head fall back against the couch when he looks at you. You give him a short shrug, laying your head against the cushion as well.

"Lame, but they paid for me, so that's a win." You give him a bright grin. He nods, bringing a hand to fidget with the edge of your skirt. "Just like.. Getting everyone out of the office, talk about something other than emails and deadlines. How's the restaurant?"

Carmy lets out a ragged sigh, turning to face the ceiling. You listen as intently as you can, course correcting when you find yourself getting distracted. At some point, you forget and start tracing his features with your eyes. Then it's easy to remember why you invited him over.

As he continues to tell you about how Richie thinks they should decorate for Halloween, you silently sling one of your legs over his thighs. Carmen pauses briefly, watching while you push yourself onto his lap.

"Are y'serious right now.?" Carmy grumbles, hands raised as you get settled. You give him an exasperated huff, adjusting how you're sat.

"I was being serious all day.." You complain, rocking your hips into his for affect.

"Can't go five fuckin' minutes without it, can ya?" He scoffs, resting his hands on your thighs when you stop moving. He's smirking up at you, blue eyes bright while he teases.

"You said you'd take care of me, Carm.." You whine, rolling your hips again.

"And y'can't wait a little longer?" He taunts, squeezing your thighs.

"I've been waiting all day," You emphasize this by shifting your hips. You try and make it look like you're adjusting how you're sat, like you can't get comfortable. Carmy shakes his head with a huff, watching as you squirm.

"Thought I was annoying.." He says, holding you in place, and you let out a frustrated whine. As if you can't believe he's bringing it up now of all times.

"Told you, I was messing with you," you tell him, hands resting on top of his. He hums at that, tilting his head to one side as he studies you.

"I want an apology," He says, and it catches you off guard.

"What?" Your brow furrows in confusion. Is he serious right now? You're sitting on his lap, and he's thinking about an apology?

"I want an apology." Carmy reiterates, a sternness finding its way into his voice. It makes something in you seize for a moment, and then you can breathe again.

"What are you, twelve?" You scoff, rolling your eyes. He stays quiet, content to squeeze at your thighs while he waits.

"No. I told you I was joking." You sit up straighter, chest puffed with some sort of defiance. Carmy raises an eyebrow at your antics, clearly unamused. When you don't say anything else, a small sigh escapes him.

"Apologize," He lets it sit in the air for a moment. "Or I won't fuck you."

Your stomach twists. There's something in his eyes that almost makes you believe him. But you're not going to give him the satisfaction of folding first.

"Who said I invited you over to fuck?" You're bluffing. He can tell even without the tone in your voice but he thinks it's cute how you're trying to play it off.

"You're kidding me.." Carmy scoffs, hands sliding further up your thighs.

"You lounge around dressed like this? Huh? Even the lace?" He brushes over your clothed clit, making you inhale sharply.

"You're bein' mean," You whine, lifting your hips slightly. You watch as Carmy rolls his eyes, pouting when he pushes you back down onto his lap.

"Oh, don't pout, you started it. Being a brat while I was being nice."

You huff pathetically on top of him. You look down at where your hands rest on his stomach, pinching at his shirt fabric quietly.

"No, stop, look at me-" Carmy grabs your face with both hands, making you look at him. "- Quit it. You did this."

You whine from low in your throat, the sound muddled by the way he's holding your face. You blink at him a few times, trying to ignore the pressure behind your eyes. He sighs heavily, hands leaving your face to find your hips. Carmy moves you easily, pushing you off his lap and back onto the couch.

"Hey!" You squeak, watching wide-eyed as he stands up. You watch him adjust his jeans silently before he starts to head to the door. Your stomach dips watching helplessly as he starts to slip on his boots.

"Wait, wait, wait.." You stumble off the couch quickly. Carmy doesn't get very far before you're standing in front of him, a poor attempt in stopping him from leaving. He stops as you press yourself against him, clinging onto his t-shirt.

"I told you I was joking." You whine, blinking away the pressure of tears.

"I didn't laugh. An apology. Or I leave." He says it firmly, and you know he means it. The huff you let out is pathetic and it makes him raise a brow. He forces you back two steps, bullying his way to the door. It's embarrassing how quickly you're falling to your knees to keep him in place.

You're slightly frantic in your movements, hands flying to his belt. Carmy watches you as you struggle with the buckle, tugging at it impatiently. You have to keep him from leaving.

"No. Hey-" Carmy grabs your chin again, making you look up at him. You sigh miserably, blinking up at him as you feel tears starting to well up.

"I said an apology. You can hear me, can't you?" His tone is condescending as he looks down at you. You whine softly, looking anywhere but him. Carmy lets go of your chin, letting you pout in front of him.

"You really want me to leave, hm?" He hums, shifting just slightly. You're quick to shake your head, moving your hips a little. "Doesn't seem that way. That's too bad. Think I'll go-"

"'M sorry!!" You cry out, shifting on your knees, resting some of your weight on his foot. Your hands clutch at his thigh as you rock softly against his boot.

"Yeah?" He asks you, pressing harder against your core. You whine miserably, grinding against the toe of his boot. "Repeat it for me, baby.."

"Carmyy-" You whine. He hums, taking a step back and watching you scramble at his leg to keep him from leaving. Something about it makes his stomach dip, and makes his head hazy.

"I'm sorry," you get out. "Please, Carm, please-"

"Finally..." He grumbles, taking a step back from you. You're able to glance the tent in his pants before his movements block your view.

You squeal softly as Carmy grabs you under your arms, moving you to the couch. He drapes you over the armrest, a throw pillow nestled against your stomach.

Carmy 'tsks' softly behind you, lifting your skirt and exposing the backs of your thighs to him and the air. He watches as you squeeze your legs together, squirming under his gaze.

"All that beggin' and whinin' got you this worked up?" He asks, pressing his thumb against your underwear, dragging it down to where he knows your clit is. His hands gone as quick as it came before they're gripping the sides of your underwear.

You gasp when you hear the tearing of seams, Carmy moving to the other side and ripping it too. The air's cold on the skin of your ass and cunt, pressing your thighs against the side of the couch like it'll do anything.

"Look at that mess," Carmy grunts before the remnants of your underwear land on the center cushion. "All that cryin' and you still ruined 'em."

The center of your underwear is darker than the rest. It's embarrassing, and it makes your face flush. You tuck your face against the cushion, as if you can hide from the blood rushing to your face.

"No," Carmy says from behind you, a hand coming under your face, lifting you away from the cushion. "Look at it."

He grips your jaw and turns you back to the direction of your ruined underwear, making sure you look at it.

"See the mess you were makin', humping my leg?" You whine at his words, clenching around nothing. You inhale sharply as he presses his erection against your ass, rocking his hips slowly.

The feeling of denim against your core makes you moan softly, pressing your hips back into him. He brings a hand to your waist and gives you a firm squeeze.

"Quit that," Carmy shoves his hips against you, pressing you back up against the couch. Once you stop squirming, Carmy lets go of your face and shifts behind you. The sound of him undoing his belt makes your thighs clench. It clinks as he shoves his jeans and boxers off, letting his cock rest against your ass.

You inhale softly as he pulls his hips back, brushing the head over your entrance. You're glad you took in a breath because when he pushes in it feels like the winds been knocked out of you.

"Fuck- Carm-" You groan, clawing at the armrest under you. The stretch still feels like you're being split open even after a few days without him.

He doesn't give you long to adapt before he's starting a steady rhythm. You lose any train of thought you could have had, effectively lost as Carmy picks up the pace. Moans tumble out of your mouth, rocking your hips back to meet Carmy's movements.

Your head is hazy, reeling from the way Carmy's fucking you. In the past, Carmy's been firm and attentive. Nothing like how he is today. Today, Carmy is like you've never seen him, rough thrusts and rougher hands. He presses your hips down against the armrest, you already know there's going to be finger-shaped bruises there.

"So good, Carm-" You groan, panting against the couch cushion. He scoffs behind you, rolling his hips into you.

"Such a fuckin'-" Carmy starts, but cuts himself short. His breathing is ragged behind you and you can't help the whine that escapes you when he gives you a particularly sharp thrust.

"Such a fuckin' bitch.." He grunts out, hand sliding up to hold the back of your neck. "Cryin' t'get fucked."

"Carm-" You choke out, reaching back for him. "Carmen-"

You squeal softly as Carmy grinds his hips against your ass, fingers brushing the side of his thigh. He takes your wrist in a firm grip and presses it against your back. You press your calf against his, rolling your hips back into his. You breathe out heavily against the cushion, an awful attempt to fill your lungs.

"Please-" You choke out, feeling how he twitches inside of you. "Carm- please- give-"

You sob into the cushion as he slams his hips into you again, effectively cutting off your pleading. You don't have time to think before Carmy pulls all the way out, making you sob again.

His hands are heavy on your hips, pulling you back and off the couch. You're panting as he turns you over, picking you up easily. Your mind is foggy as he carries you before setting you down on a mattress. His hands feel like they're everywhere, as he tugs off your skirt and you try to take off your shirt. Carmy tsks softly and lifts the shirt over your head before laying you back down. You watch quietly as he tugs off his own shirt.

"Carm, please," You whine, grabbing for any part you can reach. Your chest heaves as he lines back up against your entrance. The slow stretch of him makes your jaw drop, eyes fluttering shut as you grab at Carmy's shoulders.

Carmy places a hand above you on the bed as he pushes his hips flush against you, making sure you feel everything. Having him over you makes it easier for you to grab at him, digging your fingers into his back as he grinds into you.

"Look at you.." He breathes softly, giving you a shallow thrust. "Just needed my cock and you start behavin', huh?"

Your words are slurred when you whine out and the look on Carmy's face makes you flush. His eyes are dark as they meet yours and you watch as his jaw tightens, breathing out heavily.

"Didn't come over here to hear y'whining.." Carmy grumbles, grabbing at your chin and shutting your mouth. That doesn't stop a noise from escaping your lips, stifled as he tries to keep you quiet.

It's almost natural.

The way his hand slides down to your neck.

The feeling of Carmy's hand around your throat makes your eyes roll back, jaw dropping as he grinds his hips into you. A groan tears from your throat as your back arches off the bed, hands grabbing for Carmy's arm to ground yourself.

You watch as he lowers himself to rest with his forearm against the bed, punctuating the movement with another shallow thrust. Carmy starts a steady rhythm, looking down at where he fucks into you. It's not long before the tensions building low in your stomach again, squeezing your thighs against his hips.

"C- Carmy- gonna- please let me-" You struggle to finish a sentence, fight to find the words past the feeling of Carmy fucking you the way he is. You don't get a response from him, just a few more rough thrusts. That's enough to send you over the edge, back arching off the mattress as your orgasm washes over you.

"Shit," Carmy grunts, pressing his forehead to yours as he feels your walls clamp around him. "Let go, sweetheart. Let me feel ya.."

He sighs against your lips, closing the small distance as he grinds into you. Your hips rut against him without rhythm, making Carmy groan into your mouth. It's a mess of tongue and spit as he moves his kisses to your jaw, nipping at the juncture under your ear.

The sound as Carmy continues to fuck into you is sinful, filling the room along with your heavy breathing.

"Carm- Carmen, need to feel-" You choke on a sigh, being shut up by a soft nip against your collarbone. Carmy picks up his pace, the sound of skin against skin being chased by his heavy breathing. He trails kisses and bites back up your neck, timing his bites with each thrust.

It makes you whimper into Carmy's hair, grabbing at his back and shoulders as you teeter along overstimulation. He makes it to your mouth, tugging on your lower lip gently with his teeth. You whine quietly, "Bear..."

"Fuck-" Is all you get from him before he's smothering the words against your lips. His pace gets sloppy and frantic as he kisses you. You think you might be able to live like this the rest of your life.

Carmy groans into your mouth, hips rutting into you erratically. He's swears quickly before he pulls out, making you whine before you feel his release on your stomach. You sigh when he pushes his hips into the back of your thighs, feeling his cock twitch against your skin.

You wait as he reaches for a kleenex from your nightstand, wiping off your stomach and stepping it on the surface. With your skin mostly clean, Carmy slips an arm around your middle and presses himself against your side. You hum as he presses soft kisses to the side of your face, whispering sweet things against your cheek and hair.

Once he's done holding you, Carmy falls into his aftercare routine. Pressing kisses to your skin while he cleans you up, helps you dress, and tucks you back into bed.

You grumble at him softly when he gives you a parting kiss, leaving the room for longer than you'd like. You can hear him shuffling around the apartment, the sound of cabinets opening and closing and water occasionally running.

Soon, Carmy is back with water and something else in hand. You lift your head to catch a glimpse of whatever he's got and blink slowly.

"Y'didn't have to.." You mumble, eyeing the plate he sets on your nightstand. Carmy makes a noise before he leans over you, grabbing an extra pillow for support.

He waits silently as you sit up, eyes catching how your nose scrunches in discomfort. Carmy quiets you with a quick kiss before you can make a comment at him. Instead, you hum quietly and take the plate when he sets it in your lap, making a noise of complaint when he parts.

Once you're settled, Carmen crawls over your legs before he lays next to you on top of the comforter. He grabs the extra fork from the plate as you collect a bite, eyeing him while he pokes the food.

"That was hot," You say through a mouthful of food. "By the way.."

Your words surprise a laugh from Carmy and make his face flush while he continues to pick over the plate.

"You'd say that about whatever I did.." He mutters, collecting a bite while he avoids looking at you. His words make you huff, nudging him softly.

"Shut up..." You tell him, letting Carmy steal from your plate quietly.

You eat in silence, taking in Carmy's sex-mused appearance. There's angry red lines slopping along his shoulders and the curls around his neck are messy. You quietly admire the fading hickeys along his chest, left by you a few nights ago. He taps your thigh softly, motioning towards the plate when you've been staring for awhile.

"Eat." He tells you. Carmy watches as you take a few more bites before he starts to collect another.

When you're both done, Carmy collects the plate before taking it to the kitchen. He takes awhile to come back to the room but you wait for him contently. Carmy pauses when he sees you waiting for him and you can see the brief surprise in his eyes.

You wriggle deeper into the blankets while Carmy crosses to turn off the lamp before he joins you. He slips under the covers easily, resting to face you when he's settled.

"Look like I got mauled by an animal.." Carmy grumbles beside you. You make a noise of protest, hitting him softly as you gape at him. You know he's giving you shit, but it hits a nerve.

"Just you wait..." You warn him, knowing that tomorrow you'll look worse than he does. He shushes you softly, tugging your hips closer and tangling your legs together. He placates you with kisses when you start to argue, pressing you into the mattress. You make a noise of contentment, letting him smother you until he's pressing kisses to your jaw and your neck.

You're more than happy to let him kiss you to sleep.

Carmy's gone in the morning.

The bed is made on his side.

The only proof he was there at all is the text when you check your phone.

C: Claire came back while we were asleep. Snuck out.

Underneath is a message from Claire after she would have gotten off from work.

Claire: Did you move the couch?

Claire: Missed it putting my bag down, sorry if I woke you

[savemeafruitjuice]

I've had a video game idea recently too. Alright, its about ✨anxiety✨.. Basically, it's kind of like an interactive story game (maybe the character just has a normal life, so you're going to school/work, OR there's some kind of interesting plot idk), BUT out of nowhere, you will suddenly get hit with a wave of anxiety, and have to suddenly take over a ton of controls to keep yourself acting normal. This is especially high stakes if you're in public, or in a conversation with someone.

Like, you could be just walking to your next class (the game does this automatically, you probably just press a button that makes the character go that way) and suddenly there are a ton of controls to keep up with, such as breathing, blinking, keeping yourself upward, managing your movement and so forth. Then, if you're talking to someone, you've gotta choose speech options, or even disguise your symptoms until you either leave or the anxiety passes. It would be entirely random as to when this happens, and it can happen for any amount of time. I imagine it would kind of be like an old game called 'Octodad', where you've gotta appear normal or you lose the game.

Idk, this isn't necessarily important or anything, but it's worth it to just get it out of my head 😅

A video game mechanic of "fucking say it", where you get a random dialogue button in random situations, when you're not even in a conversation or anything, and you have no idea what you're about to say. It's a quick time event, too, so you've got to choose fast whether you're going to say that shit that just popped into the character's head.

There's a 40% chance that the response you get is just mildly negative but doesn't really change anything. 25% chance that it's going to start a fight you're probably not prepared for. 34% of something wildly positive happening because the shit you just said was so funny and clever, or the NPC you just insulted was impressed by your audacity. 1% chance that whoever you said that to will just straight-up kill you.

[dootznbootz]

I ship and enjoy Rujinu but in a way, I feel like it's almost not fully "cooked", if you know what I mean. Like it still feels very "beginning relationship stages", which is honestly okay.

They have banter, they have chemistry and are attracted to one another (I mean during the Saja Boys first appearance, Jinu's the only one Rumi took notice of). They have something that they can both relate to and bond over with their "demon-ness".

Like there's that seed planted, most definitely. He's now in her sword. But to me, it feels like it's planted but I gotta rummage through the soil a bit to see that little green sprout. It's a romantic sprout but it's still a LITTLE sprout. It's there and it'll definitely grow, but that's the thing. I wish we got to see like, idk, more of a montage of them hanging out together? Like maybe Rumi trying to show Jinu more modern human stuff or something. As while he clearly knows about and has been to the surface before, we don't know HOW much he's interacted with modern stuff. I want to see this man get invested in a video game Rumi showed him and basically just button mashing, or getting into cat videos, or just something where it's just sillier moments. Like not even a full scene of it but just a montage, as I feel they still don't know each other other than dorky and plot moments. And it's part of the reason why I'm happy they didn't kiss despite loving the ship, as I think the creators knew that they need to simmer more too.

[julietcpulet]

what do you think would be the most satisfying ending for jinmao?

i'm so conflicted about them because while i do not want jinshi to ascend the throne, i have to admit a part of me thinks renouncing his true position would be a waste. i mean, he's a damn pretty good leader and sometimes i enjoy imagining him and maomao being a power couple together. but then i'm always like damn they both canonically wouldn't like that </3 (so, thank the lord for fanfics, right?)

anyway, an unhappy jinmao is hardly a satisfying ending. but then i also wouldn't want them to be commoners because, again, it'd be a waste. as for the "faking their death" ending, it sounds really romantic but i feel like it's too cowardly and ooc for them. they'd never back down from a challenge after all.

so yeah i don't know how natsu-hyuga will conclude their romance. maybe the ending will just be them finally getting together? like the ending of the kaguya-sama movie where the last shot focused on the two main leads' interlocking hands, and then boom, the end credits. that would be an open ending (and i think that's what natsu was intending from the start), but is that satisfying? i'm not sure. just wanted to know your thoughts!

Love this question! And so sweet of you to be interested in my input 💕. Here's a breakdown of my thoughts on each possible ending and my personal speculation on an ending I like. Of course I have no idea what Hyuuga is really planning but just going on general direction and how things could play out if these were the proposed endings. (Spoilers below)

Emperor and Empress ending - I agree that this isn't the ideal nor the likely ending. To me, although there are factions pushing for Jinshi to be Emperor, it all feels like a mis-direct to the final outcome. Both Jinshi and Maomao are opposed to him becoming Emperor and he knows she would be miserable as a woman at the head of the nation, holding scorn from the other women.

Jinshi felt it was something close to a miracle that he had met a woman like Maomao. That was why he didn’t want to let her go. He’d gone so far as to press a brand into his own side, all to keep her.

He has struggled a lot to make it clear Maomao is the only woman he wants, he doesn't want to be the Emperor and also just is not the right person for the job. I don't believe these plot points are in vain only to be reversed later by a realization of avoidance and Jinshi wanting to accept his position out of familial obligation or maturity, nor do I think the plot is moving the characters in that direction. If anything it's continually showing that Maomao and Jinshi have to be willing to assert their own wishes against that of others despite what may be expected of them. And while Jinshi does have excellent leadership qualities, as Maomao easily points out, his kindness often brings him to overwork himself and struggle with dealing out harsh punishments or having necessary and uncomfortable entanglements an Emperor would have to have.

Jinshi was watching the pitiful family closely. He didn't seem to be thinking of how to punish them, but rather how to connect this to whatever came next. As he watched the family, Maomao silently watched him.

Romeo and Juliet ending - This was a favorite of mine previously and I still think there's the smallest possibility for it to happen but it's unlikely. I liked it simply because it brings back the resurrection drug which was a recurring theme for so long with Maomao wanting to obtain it and also the potential for a callback to the beginning of the novels with Shisui somehow making an appearance since she is the only character to disappear successfully and not be found. The downfall of considering this ending is two-fold. One is that Maomao and Jinshi do have some connections with people they may miss if they faked their deaths and disappeared. Her father Luomen might be able to come but Basen, Mrs. Chue, Lihaku and anyone else would never be able to see them again. Secondly, Maomao herself has said she sees death as a cop-out for escaping the fallout to problems you have caused.

"I hate it when people think everything's over just because they're dead!" It was as good as refusing to face the consequences of whatever you had done.

This to me is the biggest indicator this likely won't be the ending. It's interesting to consider and could bring back some fun appearances from early novel plots but I agree that given Maomao and Jinshi's character they're not much for disappearing and leaving others to handle the mess.

Grand Commandant and Court Physician ending - This is personally the most satisfying end for Jinmao I can imagine right now. Basically if Jinshi renounces his title as Moon Prince and Maomao accepts her role in the La Clan then they go on to get married with Jinshi being brought into the family, he could take on her clan name. From there, Lakan could step down as Grand Commandant and have Jinshi take the role. This would be optimal for both as Lakan appears to enjoy the strategy involved in military affairs but often delegates the rest of his work to his aids. He has found Jinshi interesting and should like to have a son-in-law who will take his position so he can retire to play Go games which is what I imagine.

To his surprise the eccentric strategist was there, lying on a couch and drinking from a gourd. To all appearances he was quite at his ease, but a secretary placed some paperwork sheet by sheet on a table and gave Lakan a stamp to press on them.

Being Grand Commandant would also give Jinshi the ability to back up the Emperor's son with Gyokuyou while not being his enemy. Jinshi has had a clear interest in the military from having the training, to when he stormed the Shi clan stronghold himself and then has wanted to boost the ranks of the military but been denied given that his current position is mostly in name and he has to go through others to do the things he wishes in the government. It also removes Lakan as such the fearsome threat against the Emperor and puts his son in the position whom he trusts.

When the younger brother had at last appeared, though, it turned out that he was as beautiful and as gossamer as a celestial nymph-and that he was also a hale young man as skilled in the military arts as the administrative.

As for Maomao, her accepting her place in the La Clan is integral to both her and Jinshi potentially being free from the grip of Imperial politics. Ironically this whole time Jinshi has been taking the burden on himself to find ways of removing the obstacles for both of them by getting himself taken out of the line of succession. It would prove to me to be funny if it turns out that Maomao accepting a noble position is the key to both of them finding actual freedom.

From my perspective if she becomes the La Princess not just in others recognizing she is outwardly but taking on the Clan name and what comes with it, I think it could open other possibilities for her and Jinshi. Like I said above she and he could get married if he was no longer royalty and he could take on her clan name, as we've seen that men can be welcomed into a wife's family and become the head of that family.

The position itself would bring her a noble status, which she could then use to work in the circles Jinshi would be in as Grand Commandant. For instance, if he is no longer considered a threat to the Emperor, he could also put forward more initiatives like he used to in the rear palace like helping the women read but along the lines of potentially having female physicians. I think the Emperor would accept without a problem, he merely needed someone who was respected with in the Imperial Court and who could make a reasoned argument for it to present the idea.

If Maomao then becomes a Court Physician in her own right she can still see Empress Gyokuyou and treat her as a doctor without having to be her lady-in-waiting or her servant and not being able to have a connection to Jinshi. She could be friends with the Empress again because she has her own established position which finally removes her biggest fear that has driven so much of Jinshi's efforts to remove himself as a potential successor.

Finally, I find this possible ending to be the most satisfying because what Maomao and Jinshi want most is to help people. And a place they can be where they have the best ability to help people is where they would thrive the best.

"You're only human, Master Jinshi. You're not some mythical immortal who can save everyone." She held his face in her hands, the fingers of her left hand brushing his scar. "You can be wounded, scarred, brought low. Only human."

Being Emperor and Empress would only stifle them because as we see with the current sovereigns there is a lot they cannot do and their hands are tied by relations with foreign nations and keeping friendly terms in the palace itself. Being commoners wouldn't work either because as we have seen with Maomao, having to constantly work and scrape for very little causes a defeatism of feeling like you're not able to do much for others or improve life for yourself.

Sadly but truthfully, Luomen won't be around forever and to me Maomao will find happiness taking over for him as Court Physician and working with the Quack in the Medical Office where she's comfortable and able to help the ladies and others, plus she'll always have access to the best medicines and can visit her Verdigris House family at any time. This ending also brings back the feeling of the early novels where Jinshi can peek in on her in the medical office after he's finished his paperwork as Commandant but this time they're able to go get chicken skewers together and have the freedom as husband and wife.

He wished he could have gotten her tucked into bed sooner, with a nice, soft blanket around her. She hadn’t been able to resist her first sleep in days, and she looked as comfortable as if she were in a pleasant bath.

Here they're both able to work, doing something they enjoy but freed from troublesome entanglements, all the while finding new ways to improve the lives of others. That's a happy ending to me.

Lastly, I don't see it having them be together and fade-to-black, I think we'll know some of what their future holds. To me the idea of being open-ended is more, the possibility for further adventures to be had. So we can see them get married, have jobs and be happy but that doesn't mean there couldn't be more, there just wouldn't be at the time we leave them because they've achieved a certain peace for the moment.

That was longer than I intended it to be 😂 but fun to write and explore the different endings. Thanks so much for the question!

[mattlvr03]

Couch Chaos and a Sleepy Girlfriend

The camera clicked on with its familiar beep. The Sturniolo triplets—Nick, Chris, and Matt—were squished together on their infamous beige couch, each with an energy drink and chaos in their eyes.

"Welcome back to the couch!" Nick shouted, gesturing wildly as Chris tossed a bag of gummy worms into the air and tried (unsuccessfully) to catch one in his mouth.

Matt tried to hide his grin, settling into his usual corner. "Guys. Guys. Let’s not yell—"

"Oh, now you're the volume police?" Chris said, throwing a gummy worm at Matt’s face. "Just because your girlfriend is taking a nap doesn’t mean we’re gonna film this like it's a meditation podcast."

Matt rolled his eyes but smiled. "She's literally right down the hall, and she had the worst migraine last night. Just—keep it chill for once."

"You're filming a YouTube video with Nick and me," Chris said. "There is no chill."

They started the video anyway—some chaotic storytime about the time they got locked out of their own car in a Target parking lot. As expected, Nick screamed when he got to the part about almost flagging down a security guard who turned out to be a mannequin.

Chris was cackling. "BRO, he was waving at a mannequin! A plastic man!"

Matt couldn't help laughing, but as soon as he did, they heard it.

A soft shuffle.

Then, a half-asleep voice from the hallway:

"Matt?"

All three of them froze like raccoons caught in headlights.

She appeared in the doorway, hair messy, wrapped in one of Matt’s hoodies, looking both confused and mildly annoyed. “Why does it sound like a zoo in here?”

Nick was the first to crack. “Oh my God—she’s risen. Like a grumpy little nap ghost.”

“I’m not grumpy,” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. “I just had a dream that someone was yelling about mannequins and now I realize it wasn’t a dream.”

Chris pointed at her dramatically. “She’s in the storytime now!”

Matt quickly stood up and wrapped an arm around her, steering her toward the couch. “I told them to keep it down.”

She plopped onto his lap without protest, still half-asleep. “You also told me this couch was ‘soundproof adjacent.’”

“That was a lie,” Chris said helpfully.

Nick leaned into the camera. “Plot twist: this storytime is now about how we woke up Matt’s girlfriend by being our authentic selves.”

Matt rolled his eyes. “She’s gonna sue all of us.”

“You say that like we have money,” Nick said.

She chuckled sleepily, cuddling into Matt’s chest. “I want to be mad. But this is the softest couch in the world, and you guys are kind of funny when I’m not asleep.”

“See?” Chris grinned. “She gets it.”

Matt kissed the top of her head and looked into the camera. “Welcome back to the channel. Today’s video is sponsored by caffeine, bad decisions, and a very forgiving girlfriend.”

The camera cut off mid-laugh.

A/N: somewhat of an “in the dark” continuation

@mattspillowprincess 🤓

[katboykirby]

Responding to a very old post, sorry.

I'm also not a fan of when stories (not specifically OM, just in general) establish a character trait or piece of lore, then never reference said trait or lore again.

In this case though, it's due to two things:

Devilgrams are side stories separate from the main campaign, and most players will never actually read them. The people who read Beel's Devilgrams will typically just be Beel fans, and even then not every player has access to every card. So if an aspect of a character is established in a Devilgram, it's a lot less likely to appear in the Main Story because so few players will have read the Devilgram and it would be a continuity error/plot hole from their perspective. Generally, only plot beats from the Main Story will be considered "hard" canon and appear multiple times.

The second reason is that OM has different teams composed of multiple writers - including writers from early on who have since left the company, and newer writers who joined the OM Team several years after the game was released. With so many writers being regularly rotated around, not every writer will have 100% perfect knowledge of what every other writer has worked on. They also sometimes bring on guest writers from outside the studio, and those guest writers will have even less knowledge of OM's lore and canon. So if a character trait is established in a Devilgram from 2021, a Main Story chapter from 2024 written by completely different team members very likely won't call back to those years-old character traits. Different writers aren't going to follow continuity that was written by other people months or even years ago. Especially if, like I said before, those traits only ever appeared in optional side stories that relatively few players even read. Of course once you add in the fact that all of the scripts are written in Japanese originally, and then translated and localized into other languages, that just adds another barrier between the different writers.

Beelzebub's hobbies that the game refuses to use cause the devs don't know shit

I did a smaller post like this on twitter a few months ago but I wanna do it cause everyone deserves to hear me rant about Beel.

Especially that he is so underutilized by the devs! Not only does he got plenty of interests that are only mentioned in devilgrams, but he insists on teaching MC about them EVERY TIME so they could share interests and spend time together.

Example 1:

In this devilgram we are showed not only how good Beelzebub is at surfing, fact that is never brought up in the story or events(as far as I know) he teaches MC how to surf too!

Even if MC is nervous about it he just reassures them and tries to teach them and does a really good job cause in the same day MC is able to surf

Example 2:

Beel is good at snowboarding too! Not only that, he is one of the top 5 snowboarders in the Devildom. If he didn't quit he could have made it to top 3! And again in this Devilgram Beel insists of teaching MC how to snowboard as a way to share his hobbies. And once again, a pretty good fucking teacher since MC learns how to do it in one day. Sure they nearly fall once but Beel is there to catch them.

Example 3:

Beel is not only good at various sports but he is good at playing the sax too!

He didn't touch the god damn instrument in 200 years and he was still good. And he gets back at his past level really fast too. And again he teaches MC how to play the saxophone

Not only does he teach them how to play it, he even makes them participate on a show with him, and both him and MC are loved by the public.

Beel has so many interests that are never used despite them being right there! I know it's because they are in Devilgrams but still! A small mention of them wouldn't hurt.

And another important fact, let's not forget how Beel insists on always including MC in his interests so they could spend more quality time together. This devilgrams lowkey confirm how both quality time and acts of service are his main love languages!

The only interest that the devs keep on mentioning is the one he has for Devilcat which makes an appearance in 2-3 devilgrams and his 2023 birthday event. While it's sweet they at least use that interest the other 3 should also be used! And I can bet all of my money that he is good at even more sports.

[bewitched-hours]

Hi again, its me your one of ur fans of writing from you, sorry for being inactive this week bc of school, but i am here once again to request another polyship bc on matching skins, so can i please request a...

Yandere! Paycheck! Nyan and Tac Nayn x Depressed! Reader

Fluff abd some Angst for the reader's depression, Oneshot.

Plot: Where the reader is living a normal life while being sad and dull as if their colors were drained away by the reality. But as they went on about their life, Elliot and Chance both finds them interesting and stalk them as they felt bad that they did not felt happy or joy.

one day, they both decided to kidnap them and hanging out with them in space and even becoming a cat too (idk if thats how it works)

Anyways Ty and thats it

You don't need to apologize for anything, dw <3 /platonic But also- cat cat cat cat cat cat cat cat- (You always have the loveliest ideas for these two I swear) Content warning though(for once); I'm projecting my own experiences with depression in this and also mixing in what I've seen and heard of from friends so this might hit a little deeper than I intended to...

Reader get's She/They~

Life is just... Ugh...

You felt like everything became so... Dull...

You used to be such a cheerful and bright kid but reality just seemed to not tolerate that...

Now you were stuck dealing with a life you didn't even feel was worth living. Although you at least had some meds to help you start your days somewhat more colourful.

It wasn't much and you usually felt drained again pretty fast but you also didn't want to go back to therapy. Your insurance was already difficult to deal with the first time around.

You were alone. And by god did it feel awful.

No matter what you did, you were cold and felt yourself spiralling.

Even in the rare moments where you actually got yourself to cook for a night were usually spent telling yourself not to be self-destructive and focus at the task at hand while you had insults swirling in the back of your mind at every step.

You just couldn't do it right, you always make mistakes, why can't you just do it correctly?

You just wanted to escape...

And you almost would've gone for the easiest solution if you hadn't had your own otherworldly stalkers to swoop in to be your saviours.

You were oblivious to it but they've been watching your every move for a while, studying you and making secret visits to comfort you in your sleep.

Sure, it was strange when you stopped shivering in your sleep and sometimes would be half-awake when you suddenly felt warmth against your body but their appearances were so strange and illogical that you couldn't fathom it being real so you'd just go back to sleep mere seconds later.

They loved you.

They loved those rare moments when you smiled because a cat on the street was affectionate with you.

They loved when you came across their presents in your day-to-day life and couldn't figure out who they were from.

They loved watching you dance as you listen to music to drown out the voices in the back of your mind.

They loved how peaceful you looked when you slept.

They loved hearing those cute little noises you'd make when you spotted them but convinced yourself to just go back to sleep.

You were loved... And they'd be damned if they had to hide it any longer.

Waking up in the dark wasn't unusual so your groggy mind decided to ignore it until... You realized that you weren't in bed.

Actually, it wasn't even that dark. You just had a blindfold on for some reason and the surface beneath you was too comfortable to belong to your cold and dusty mattress.

You quickly sat up in confusion, pulling off the blindfold to reveal you were in a giant room. Once your eyes had adjusted to the darkness that was present, you realized it looked like it came from some sort of sci-fi movie but it was decorates with colours and objects that all spoke to your interests and brought you happiness.

It was a little creepy but you couldn't get yourself to scream. You had a strange mask over your mouth and nose that was surprisingly plush and even allowed you to breath better. You never thought you'd smell such clean air in your life.

Although, you couldn't take it off... No matter how hard you pulled...

Looking down to see what you were laying on, you found that it was a giant heart-shaped bed with pink silk sheets and half-transparent red curtains around it. More points to the creepy meter but you weren't chained up or anything so whoever kidnapped you clearly didn't think this through.

... But they did...

You shortly got up and decided to try the door, noticing it didn't have a handle and matched the sci-fi aesthetic. It honestly looked like it could be a sliding door or something but no matter which way you tried to pull, it didn't budge.

All it did was make a buzzing sound emit from a small keypad next to it. It didn't have any buttons though. Only a screen that said 'Voice recognition required'.

Great... You were still trapped but at least you could explore for a bit.

Let's see... No windows, lots of pictures and paintings, a LOT of plushies that looked like cats- How did they even know you liked cats so much??? You thought you hid it pretty well...

But not even a clock was in sight. You wondered if anyone even noticed you were gone... Maybe they did but they didn't care-

"Awake already~?" A smug voice ripped you from your thoughts as you turned towards the door. You didn't even hear it open...

Surprisingly, those sights of when you woke up and saw those cat faces were real after all... Because now one of them was walking towards you.

A strange cat-like being with a waffle body and a fedora, followed by another with a poptart body and a colourful visor... Were you going insane?

Your shock must've shown as the latter let out a gentle giggle. "You must be pretty confused but it'll all make sense soon! So please don't struggle and be good for us." He had such genuine adoration in his eyes that momentarily distracted you from your situation as you wondered if there was actual love being offered to you.

"You're so cute~ But we know not to rush things, don't worry. We'll take good care of you while you adjust and let those pesky memories fade. Then we can start making new, happier ones so you don't need to worry anymore~" The darker one was almost cooing, cupping your face when he got close enough and seeming a little surprised when all you do is flinch before allowing the gesture.

The more colourful of the two seemed happy at your lack of resistance. "You're so adorable already! I wonder how long you've been starved for attention but don't worry, you'll be spoiled plenty as long as you're good and listen to us!"

Why weren't you resisting? Were you that tired of your old life? Were you so starved for affection? Were you catching feelings for these creatures already even though all they had done so far is be gentle and praise you?

Whatever the reason, they allowed you to roam outside right away because you were behaving already.

And you saw why they weren't worried about you running...

You were in space. Literally.

You could see the stars and even Saturn in the distance as you approached the giant windows with fascination.

"We made sure the ship accommodated your body by sticking with earth's gravitational force for a start and slowly decreasing while your body changes and adjusts." The colourful one, who you learned was called Elliot, spoke in joy.

You didn't have the energy to question him but what did he mean by that? And how come your mouth felt so stretched out? was your tongue always this rough?

Your memories were already hazy, you must've been here for a while...

And it only got worse as time went on. Your bones would shift and melt in your body at a painful rate and you were often forced to take some strange pain killers that seemed to make it feel only uncomfortable but no longer painful.

Then, your skin would melt into itself and start growing fur. But at that point the pain was unbearable enough that Chance and Elliot allowed you to be put into an artificial coma until the procedure was done.

Once you awoke again, you could feel your brain struggling to remember much. All that was clear was your room and the guys who were taking care of you. Elliot and Chance, wasn't it?

When you had asked them, they mentioned your transformation was apparently a success and you were their mate.

Although confused, they explained the concept and you were oddly happy to agree. You even purred and pressed yourself up against them in a big hug, trying to leave your scent on them. That had them both flustered beyond belief.

Although... Leaving a brownie scent on a poptart and a waffle cat might have consequences if there's more of your kind...

Anything you'd like to request/ask? Check out my pinned post first and I'll be happy to write up whatever you want!

[athena-the-undestructible]

Time to finally explain my new OCs

Well to start, I have a duo of characters

The first is a sniper who acts stoic at a distance, doesn't interact much with others and barely thinks about the fact that she's killing other people, it's just a job to her and she will rarely question what she is doing.

Up close she gets really nervous since she's not got any people skills and doesn't want to give the wrong information to the wrong person, plus her fighting style isn't very good up close so she prefers to stay away.

The second is a Knife Wielder with both stabbing and throwing skills. She's got great people skills and can manipulate them slightly and she greatly enjoys the act of killing others.

However she's very oblivious to anything that isn't immediately around her and in general is unable to grasp the bigger picture and of course her knifes are allergic to anything long range.

These two are supposed to be foils to each other although I still gotta develop them a bit like giving them names and more reason to dislike each other.

There is also a story I'm trying to construct around these characters although that's very work in progress and I haven't even got a proper idea of what the latter half or end looks like.

The basic premise is that these two kill each other at the beginning of the story, however both of them wake up the next day as if they'd only suffered a slight injury and a job listing they've both taken without remembering.

So they'll have to work together and it's not going to make them reconcile in any way, these two will still hate each others but in some different angles maybe.

They will also work with two others during these jobs.

The first I'll mention is a woman who wields a revolver and dressed like an MiB agent. She's been doing these mysterious job listings for longer and believes in some overall grand scheme that connects all of these.

She's initially supposed to give off mysterious vibes like maybe she did used to be an agent and she knows more than she lets on although this is supposed to be torn away as the plot moves forwards.

She doesn't have any more information than the other two but unlike them who don't think much further than what's happening to them, she's trying to piece together the grand scheme that she believes she's part of .

Her intense desire to be part of something important and her idealism is also why she has the secret agent theme despite never being part of any secret services.

And then we have the other one, the transgender robot I mentioned in a previous post.

So her cover "story" is being an assassin so dedicated to her career that she invested in cybernetics to improve her skill and become more efficient.

This is a total lie and quite the opposite, she's really a combat android who's been using her earnings to gain the appearance of humanity (hense the whole transgender part since she definitely wasn't a girl before).

She's also the total opposite of agent in that she has zero stakes in these missions and her enthusiasm goes as far as her payment.

This includes her inability to die like humans do which will be relevant and means she can just fuck off at any time.

Anyway that's all of them, I still haven't come up with their names (Once I can't make puns, I start to struggle) so maybe people could suggest them but I hope you enjoy these character concepts and would like to see me develop them.

My brain is also currently falling apart so I may have got something wrong, anyway that's all for now.

[darkeangel]

GQuuuuuux

Now that I’ve slept on it and had time to digest, I’ve come to the overall conclusion that I liked GQ but it is riddled with issues.

First off; the good:

- I genuinely loved the mecha design. I loved the Zeon redesigns and I loved the GQuuuuuux design, EVA homages and all. Shout out to the Gyan, the Dom and the Gelgoog.

- Haro! Despite the show setting him up to be more than he ended up being; still Best Haro.

- Shiiko Sugai! ❤️❤️❤️ Best Character. I wish we had seen more of her, or more characters like her.

- Battle Scenes! So good! All of the ClanBats were fantastic, the NotTitans attack on Side 6 was one of the highlights of the show, and can we give GQ props for making the BrawBro Kikeroga actually look cool and dangerous? Nice.

- Amate! Our little danger tomato. Our little rage gremlin. Said it before, will say it again; it is SO refreshing to have a Gundam protagonist who actually emotes and has a wide range of facial expressions. Decent character development too.

- Challia Bull! I liked the redesign, I liked that we got to explore this character who only appears once in the original MSG, but has a much larger and in-depth role in both the original novel and The Origin manga. A fascinating character.

- Music! OP and ED are bops and the call-backs to the original MSG, Zeta and Char’s Counterattack are well placed and hit exactly how you want them to.

- Psycho Gundam. I keep thinking about her.

- The Sodon crew. I wish we could have spent more time with them, and more time on the ship. I would have been interested to get to know them better.

- The Sodon itself! A great take on a classic. Loved every scene she was in; especially the imposing scenes of her above the city.

- Conch! Little robo Crab. No Notes.

Now, The Bad:

- pacing, obviously. Tried to fit too much into too short a run time. I’ve ranted about this before, so I’ll leave it at that for now.

- Nyann. Sorry folks, whilst she honestly had some of the best scenes in the series, she ended up feeling a little flat. Despite appearing to be one of the strongest Newtypes in the show, we never get to fully explore her potential. I wish we could have explored what being a Diablo was and seen more of the GFred and the secrets of its Kappa Psycommu. A lot of missed opportunity there.

- The Pomeranians. Again, lots of missed opportunity. Too many unanswered questions about Annqi. They kinda feel like the Sky Pirates from Laputa: Castle in the Sky, only with a tenth of the charisma and about half the plot relevance.

=

??

- Comoli. *pokes with stick*

- Deux. Completely wasted character.

- NotTitans. Another concept never properly explained or explored.

- GUNTANK! How do you make a redesign this Peak and then never feature it?! It appears for maybe 2 seconds the entire show!

I’ll be honest, most of my gripes come from the incredibly short run-time. The show relies on foreknowledge of the U.C. way too much, and even with that it still feels way too rushed. The best episodes are the 1st and 4th, and they never lean into the world that was created there.

I can see how folk whose first Gundam was TwfM would be super turned-off by GQ, not even to mention newcomers to the franchise. It’s a very dense, convoluted plot that speeds by too fast. If you need a bible’s worth of lore before going into the show then you’ve failed as a piece of media.

The series leaves plenty of unanswered questions too: who is Shuji? What is the Endymion system? (Wasn’t Mu La Flaga the Hawk of Endymion?) What is the Quuuuux’s real name? What are Diablo? Why does that Haro appear to know so much?

The symbolism of the GQuuuuuux beheading the specter of the OG Gundam that looms over everything is a little heavy handed, but could possibly be poignant for the franchise going forward (apart from all the projects already announced). The series seems to be a call to action, for us to abandon the chains (Gundam) that bind us and to experience the freedom to explore the possibilities of creation without being weighed down by Gundam’s gravity. This has been Tomino’s message since the Turn (A) of the century; and shows like IBO and TWfM seem to be trying to do that but by leveraging the Gundam name they are opening themselves up to criticism and comparison by and of the Fandom to other Gundam shows and can never truly express themselves as their absolute self. In the meantime Bandai and Sunrise keep catering to the U.C. stans with shows like Hathaway and RfV which sometimes hit but oftentimes miss, and Gundam becomes this multi-faceted thing that tries to be so much to so many that its core gets lost in the Kira-Kira.

In conclusion; I liked it. I enjoyed the show, I liked what it had to say and the way that it said it. But the show is plagued by a way too short run time, with pacing issues that don’t allow us to explore the characters and the world and relies too heavily on nostalgia and Lore-Knowledge.

I still think I’m gonna go rewatch ZZ next. Or maybe rewatch Tomino’s vaulted multi-versal tale (Turn A) for the nth time.

Cuz that’s the thing about Gundam. There’s a lot of it. And if there’s one that you really like, you can just go watch it again.

[crankycake]

You’re Gonna Go Far

Chapter 3: I am the Greatest Mother Fucker that your ever gonna meet

Summary: “Parents must be missing you. Out so late at night.”

“When I get back home I’ll ask their ashes.”

Batman scowl deepens if that’s even possible. “Jeez man. It’s ok, humour to deal with trauma is kinda of my thing. You’ll get used of it.”

Batman still isn’t smiling.

Thoughts: So this chapter may be a bit shorter. School was a bit hectic this week. What teacher gives two pages of maths homework for the next day!!

Anyway I wanted to get this chapter out by today so who knows what it’s like. No Tony or Floating Lady. They may appear in the next chapter.

Chapter title is GMF by John Grant and Sinéad O’Connor.

Someone left a comment saying that I didn’t mention Skip Wescott in the tags. I’ve changed it now and I got thinking that I should probably do warnings just in case. So

WARNINGS: Very briefly mentioned Skip Wescott.

Mild Violence.

Swearing.

Briefly mentioned Child abuse.

Self neglect.

Self esteem issues.

I think that’s all. I hope you enjoy this chapter xxx

My son, my son, my son, my son, my, son.

He had a son. Oh god. When he first met Peter he had instantly taken a liking to him. Who wouldn’t! And he loves Nightwing! His kid loves him as a vigilante so he’ll have to love him as Dick. His kids is already taken with Jason. Jason already loves the kid.

The kid had proclaimed his love for Red Hood and Jason’s face had turned red. Then he let him ride with him on his motorcycle. He only lets Dicks ride it if he’s in bodily harm! Then he let him fall asleep on him. Mr Tough Guy was letting Peter cling on to him like a koala.

Dick would be jealous if Peter wasn’t his kid. Peter already likes a part of his family and if that isn’t a massive win. Peter is going to fit right in eventually. When Dick somehow convinces him to come back to the manor or his apartment. Fuck. He’s turning into Bruce!!!

That shakes Dick out of his thoughts. Peter and him have been walking in an awkward silence. Oh. What if Peter doesn’t like him and was only being polite. Dick was so lost in his thoughts he probably appeared a bit creepy but he needed to process all that information. He is about to ask Peter a question about something. God knows what the question is going to be about, he just needs to hear his kid talk. Until Peter blurts out—

“I LoVe ChEwBaKa”

—and slaps a hand over his mouth in mortification. His eyes are wide like saucers, when he’s looks over at Dick to gauge his reaction. Dick can’t help it . He laughs loudly before going in to ruffle Peters hair. Peter freezes at first before relaxing. Dicks about to jump up and down because of that small victory. That teensy weensy bit of trust.

“I love him too bud. Are you a big fan of Star Wars? I don’t know too much about it.”

Jason had tried to get him into it way back then but he just didn’t have the time. One of his regrets.

Peter’s eyes brighten up like the sun. The kid looks like he’s won the lotto and Dicks poor, poor heart.

“Well it’s only like the greatest franchise in the world!”

The kid rambles on about different characters and plot lines. Different scenarios and what ifs that would change the story completely and would somehow redeem Anakin Skywalker? Whoever that is. All he knows that’s he’s hanging on to every word. He’s cataloguing every character down to memory.

”—and Ned! He had such a cool Millennium Falcon LEGO set and we built that in an hour we were so excited.”

He sighs a bit dreamily, imagining this amazing lego set.

Over the duration of his introduction to Star Wars he somehow had managed to drift closer to Peter. Peter was now underneath Dicks arm. Peter doesn’t seem to mind so he keeps it there.

“Is Ned a good friend of yours then?”

Peter gets a faraway look in his eyes. “Yeah. He’s back in New York.” He sighs sadly. The kid has got a kicked puppy expression on (Dicks internally sobbing) and that won’t do. He needs some distraction to get rid of it.

“Are you hungry.” He asks. Food always cheers everyone up.

Peter looks at him strangely before his gut grumbles loudly. Peter turns pink and tosses a scorn towards his stomach. He think he hears a whispered traitor.

“Eh yeah…my parents are probably asleep anyway they’ll be happy that I’ve eaten. So yeah. I’m hungry.”

It was heading close to six. Soon he’ll have to go and do crime fighting stuff but he’ll be able to stay with Peter for little while longer. He’d stay the whole evening if Peter asked and he could get some DNA for later on. Dick didn’t doubt Peter wasn’t his kid. Others will *Bruce*. A legal test will also help him get custody from these so called parents.

I mean Peter looks so thin and they don’t even seems to care that Peter has been gone for more than half day. He’s always flinching and seems to be preparing for the worse. No. Dick is not a fan of these parents. He’ll just have to win Peter over. Starting with food. The kid certainly needs some. He’ll actually feed Peter unlike those snot nose, trollop looking —and now he’s just being mean. They obviously don’t have enough money and are struggling. He needs to get in control of his emotions.

At least he hopes that’s the reason. Cause if it isn’t….

“Perfect! How do you feel about Bat Burgers.”

Bat Burger is a brightly coloured restaurant that Bruce is still swinging round to. They’re sitting in a booth with Peter lightly swinging his legs back and forth, slurping down an artificial blue liquid. Once he understood that Dick would order everything on the menu if he said he didn’t want anything one more time, he quickly got to picking. They were the cheapest things on the menu but at least he was eating.

He was twirling a french fry between his thumb and fore finger, lost in thought, before tossing it back his throat and dusting off his hands. “Are you a regular here?”

The question is unexpected and knocks Dick off his game. “Umm..no? I don’t really come here much.”

“How come everyone is staring at you then?”

“They are?”

“Yup.” Peter pops the p.

“That lady in the red spotty dress has pointed at you and gasped. The old man who was going to the bathroom did a double take and the girl at the register wouldn’t stop giggling at you.”

Huh. Dick has just gotten used to the attention that he blocks out most of the staring and pointing. Please don’t let this drive Peter away, he internally prays.

“…Do you know Bruce Wayne.”

Peter eyebrows bunch up before he knocks over his drink and then proceeds to catch it in record time. No more than few drops spill. He shakes his head in disbelief.

“No way…” He takes off his glasses and leaves them on the table.

“Eh bud you need those to see.”

“No I don’t. I just wanted to wear them for the first few weeks. Reminds me of home.” Interesting.

“So…” He trails off. He’s now nervous. What if he hates WE or Bruce and now wants nothing to do with them?!?! Dick takes a drink to clear his throat when Peter speaks:

“So you’re rich?”

Dick chokes on his drink and thankfully keeps it in his mouth. “Yeah. I suppose you could say that.”

Peter raises an eyebrow. He has something that comes at every table in his hands. A little cartoon drawing of each superhero/vigilante that Gotham has to offer.

“You suppose?” He asks incredulously. “You live in gigantic manor in the middle of the countryside.”

“Well it’s not just me, there’s my siblings and I mostly live in Bludhaven.”

“You have siblings?!”

“Uh yeah….”

“Who?”

“Uh do want me to name them?”

“Yes please.”

“Well there’s Me of course then Babs, although she’s not really Bruce’s kid but she’s our sister still, Jason—“

Peter eyebrows reach his hairline.

“—then Cass, Steph although her situation is a bit like Babs, Duke, Tim and then Damian.”

“Dam. That’s a lot.” Peter blows out a breath.

“Yeah but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Do you all go by Wayne?”

“Just Damian. He’s actually blood related. Everyone else goes by their owns surnames.”

“Do you have any siblings?” Dick asks cautiously. This could be risky territory. Peters been avoiding any talk about his home life the whole of dinner.

“No I’ve got no siblings. Just me and my parents?”

“The Parker Family has any other relatives.”

Peter huffs. “Just my Aunt and Uncle but they’re long gone. My Dad was adopted by my uncle’s family. So my real name would be Peter Grayson.”

Dick freezes. Peter Grayson. That can’t be a coincidence. Peter must notice his state. “Are you ok?” Dick smiles tightly. “Yeah of course!”

Peter looks at him suspiciously but just shrugs his shoulders. “If you’re sure.”

Dick nods and then checks the time. He has to leave for patrol in 15 minutes. Shit. How has that much time passed already.

“Peter I’m just going to got the bathroom before we go ok?” Peter waves him on. Inside the bathroom he sprays some water on his face.

Peter Grayson. My son. My kid. Peter Grayson.

🕸️🕷️🕸️

Peter likes Dick (what a sentence). He was funny and was a good listener. He didn’t mind when he rambled on about Star Wars or any topic. His senses had relaxed in an instant when he was around him. It was weird. They hadn’t taken this quickly to Jason and he was a variant of Ben! He wonders if Dick is some relation of his? That might be the reason. Long lost cousin maybe? Or another uncle….

….Careful….

He was kicking his legs back and forth. A bad habit he knows (Skip once broke one of his legs to make him stop swinging them) when a woman comes up to him. She’s mid thirties with a blonde bob. She has sharp black glasses on and has pen and paper in her hand. She looks vaguely familiar.

“Hi I’m Miss Watts. You might remember me from shopping at Bees?”

Now that he’s really looking at her he remembers her. Bee didn’t like her, Peter wasn’t sure if he liked her either. She was on the phone the whole interaction and complained about the price of the shoes she was getting (They were $16 ) and then proceeded to nearly spill coffee on another incoming customer.

“Yeah I remember you.”

She looks like a cat who’s got their cream.

“Well I’m doing some reporter work about local businesses and their employees and I would just love a picture of you!” She cackles like she told the best joke in the world. “So would you mind.” Peter doesn’t want his photo but if it will help Bee bring in more customers…

“Sure…”

“Fabulous!!! Smile!”

A bright flashing light goes off that make his senses scream. It was a quiet day at Bat Burger so he was fine up until now. The bright light makes his brain and eyes whizz.

The photo shows up and she squeals. “Don’t you just look gorgeous. You’ll be on the front cover. Some day kid you’ll be everywhere.” Then she turns on her heels and promptly leaves. A bit of a weird interaction but whatever. At least Bees will get new customers, hopefully.

Dicks taking awhile in the bathroom and Peter begins to worry. He’s about to embark on the most embarrassing bathroom check ups of his life when a voice rings out.

“Oh Peter, I wouldn’t recognise you in this light.”

A lovely old lady named Madge, who was a best friend of Bees, came by the table. He liked her, she always winked at Peter like they had some inside joke against Bee. It drove Bee up the wall.

“Hiya Madge. What are you doing round here?”

She was balancing on her cane refusing to take a seat. She somehow out stubborned Bee.

“Just came back from the centre. Did you know that that prissy one Leah stole my good needle and wouldn’t give it back!” She had a scowl on her face. You didn’t come between Madge and her Needles if you had any sense. They were her children.

FRIEND HI!!!!!

Dick had finally come back from the bathroom and looked a bit confused at their new guest but not unwelcoming.

“You’re back. This is my friend Madge. She comes to Bees everyday.”

Madge looks at Dick. “Parker how come you didn’t tell me your father was Dick Grayson.”

Peter turns scarlet. Oh god. WHAT! That’s why Dick was so freaked out when he said his biological name was Peter Grayson. Probably thought it was one of those baby scares that Mister Stark used to get all the time. Kids, women, men, all claiming to be Tony Starks long lost love child. They were always negative unsurprisingly. Also did Madge just call Dick his Dad?!?!?! How would she even come to that conclusion. They looked nothing alike.

“We’re not related Madge.” She scoffs. “Dimples you can’t be serious.”

She looks over at Dicks don’t say a word/shitting a brick face to Peter, who is only looking at Madge, afraid that Dicks face is one of disgust at being insinuated that he and Peter could be father and son. With also confusion sprinkled in there.

“Oh Lord you are serious. Well folks Madge needs to get home before the Big Bat shows his ugly mug.” (Bee and Madge hate Bat Man)

Without saying goodbye she hobbles out the door. Peter won’t look at Dick and Dick won’t look at Peter. “We better get going.” Says Dick gathering up his wrappers, Peter doing the same a second later. “Yeah my parents will be missing me by now. Thank you so much Dick for the food. It was delicious.”

“It’s no problem kid.” They’re outside now and Dick smiles at Peter. He gives a wobbly smile back. “Where do you live again Dick?”

“I live in the brightly coloured apartment complex. Isn’t it crazy how that lady thought we were father and son?”

They were walking in the direction of Dicks house when Peter nearly stumbled over Dicks words. He thought this was a situation where they would awkwardly laugh it off and never talk about it. Apparently not.

He couldn’t look at Dick.

Play it cool Parker.

Don’t weird him out.

“Yeah it is weird. I don’t see resemblance at all.”

“You don’t think we look a little bit a like?” Dick asks a little heartbroken.

Dicks got a tanned face, bright blue eyes and unruly black hair. He’s not the tallest man going but he’s got bucket loads of confidence. He’s got muscles on him and he’s so nice. Peter has got plain brown eyes and limp hair. He’s pale and thin and looks unapproachable and unappealing. He doesn’t do well in social situations and has always been labelled as a freak. So no. Peter Parker was not like Dick Grayson on the inside or out.

“Nope.”

“Not even like a little bit. A teeny weeny bit…”

“Not at all.”

Dick seems to deflate at that. “I think we look a like.” Peter looks at him from the corner of his eye. “I think you’re the only one who thinks that. Along with Madge but she’s a bit blind. Oh. We’re here.”

He doesn’t know why he’s disappointed that Dick has to leave. He’s not going to dwell on it. Dick looks a bit shocked that’s he’s already at his house. “Oh! Would you look at that….” Dick says dumbfounded.

Peter chuckles. “Thank you again Dick, for everything.” Dick looks at Peter with an odd gleam in his eye. Like he doesn’t want to leave Peter but that’s absurd. Everyone always leaves Peter. Woah. Where did that come from? Back to the back of his mind that goes.

“No problem Peter. Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you to your house. It would be no problem. Really.” He says it so hopefully but Peter can’t exactly lead Dick to the theatre now can he.

“No I’m sure. Thank you.”

Dick doesn’t look one bit convinced. “Get home safely and come by the library soon, yeah?.”

“Yeah I will, as soon as I can.”

Dick let’s out a hmph. “I’ll be keeping you to that.” He waves goodbye and begins to make his way towards his theatre. It’s about an hour walk but Peter doesn’t mind. He had fun with Dick. He can feel Dicks eyes on him all the way until he turns the corner.

He is exhausted. After his little cold spell he didn’t get much sleep. Like an hour every night and it seems like it was catching up on him. He wished he could change into his suit and swing but he can’t risk it. Not when there’s so many people still on the streets. Peters is not going into one of Gothams alleys either.

He’s around 10 minutes away, dead on his feet, when it begins to rain heavily. Peter sighs and puts up his ho— wait he has a hood?!? He still has Dicks jacket on he realise. Shit. He’ll need to give it back…soon. It’s cozy and keeps the rain out though…and Dick won’t be needing it for at least this evening as he’s already at home.

He reaches the theatre exhausted. He crawls into the window and somehow manages to trudge up the flights of stairs before crashing down on his bed. He woke up at 3 when he heard a gunshot. Spider-Man never sleeps he guesses as he pulls over the mask.

🕸️🕷️🕸️

It was a quiet day in the shop. He put up some of their newer items. He’s sewn back his Spider-Man costume after a nasty mugging. His side hurt but it should be fine by tonight. He was finishing up his jacket for Harley.

It was half bright pink and the other half was a forest green. Studs and gemstones were dotted on the shoulders. The pocket had an embroidered heart accompanied by a little leaf. It was a busy jacket but he knew Harley would love it….or he hoped she would. He was a tiny bit nervous to give it to her.

Hmmmmmmm….Powers. Right.

He’s in the back when he hears a voice. He carefully peeks out the back and sees a blonde girl bounce into the shop dragging two boys by the elbow.

The boy on the left was looking like he was getting the same amount of sleep as Peter was. He was pale, had blue eyes and scraggly hair. The boy on the right had a darker complexion and an easy going smile on his face. He had a certain air about him. He must be one of those ‘metas’. Peter bit his lip. He swore metas weren’t welcomed in Gotham (except for the dude Signal who was one with the bats.)Well, Peter was no snitch. The girl in the middle had sleek blonde hair in a high ponytail and eyes that bounced from one article of clothing to the next.

She shooed both boys off to look at the garments and then proceeded to walk up to the front desk and ring the bell.

“Coming!” He shouts. He places the jacket carefully on the table before making his way to the front.

“Hi my names Peter how may I help you?” He asks politely. The girl looked at him like he had grown another head and then shook herself out. A lot of people were having that reaction.

“Hi Peter. I’m Stephanie Brown. Bee has a package for me.” Ah. So this was their most loyal customer. Peter makes sure he smiles a little extra at her but not in a creepy way. He doesn’t want to be rude to their biggest customer…even though she was kinda of rude to him.

“Yup she has your package in the back. You can just follow me.” They have to walk past Harley’s jacket, Bees office and into the little fabrics closet. It’s cramped in that room with almost no space for anymore fabric.

Peter prays when he opens the door that nothings falls like it usually does most times. Parker luck decides to strike again.

Not only does one role of fabric fall, oh no, that would be too simple. Buttons, beads, sequences, glue and 6 rolls of fabrics fall. Peter looks and Steph horrified. Steph looks at Peter looking a bit constipated from holding in her laugh. They share a final look at each other in shock before laughing so hard Stephanie falls to the floor.

The two boys who she came in with come rushing in. One has a high heel in his hand and the other has a ring on each finger. It only makes them laugh harder.

“Your faces!” Steph wheezes. It was true. They look shell shocked but they weren’t looking at the mess they were looking at Peter.

Gothamites had a real staring problem she was starting to notice.

“I’m so sorry about this.” Peter chuckles. He begins to pick up a roll of violet fabric.

“Trust me that cupboard is a death trap.” Steph states as he begins to help Peter clean up. She then whips her head around to the other boys.

“What if that was an intruder. Our knights in shining armour were going to safe us with, what? A couple of rings and a high heel. You could have at least brought the second one.”

One of them looks sheepish the other one turns a little red and huffs. “We panicked Stephanie. My upmost apologies.”

“Very humbly accepting your apology Timothy. I shall forgive you and Dukey.”

Presumably Duke, looks at him and rolls his eyes. Peter lets out a little laugh. “I’m Duke and this is Tim.”

Peter gives a nod at both. Those names, he’s heard them before but where….

“I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Are you new here?” Duke asks.

“Yeah just moved from New York to Gotham. Dad got a new job.” They share a quizzical glance at the word Dad. Weird.

“Are you liking it here so far?”

“It takes awhile to get used to it but it’s fine I guess.”

“Have you started school yet?” Quizzes Tim.

“No I’m still homeschooled.”

“You should definitely apply for the Gotham scholarship. We all go there!” Steph rushes out excitedly.

“I’ll have to ask my parents I suppose. It’s a bit pricy isn’t it.”

“Nope that’s the greatest part. It cost nothing to apply! And they even give you money to help out but I don’t mean you need it or anything like that it’s just an added benefit.”

“I suppose I’ll have to ask and see.”

Silence fills the room for a second before the next topic is brought on quickly. They talk about Stephs bitchy boss and Tim who is trying to go cold turkey on the energy drinks. Duke tells him about this lady Anne who was high on drugs and kept banging on about how Duke was a witch and was going to kill them all. Duke. Who said bless you to Duchess when she sneezed (Peter did too but that’s not the point).

After everything’s put away they manage to get Stephs package. It’s a heavy thing and she pays 460 bucks for it. In cash. No wonders she’s a favourite customer.

Peter walks them out to the door, it feels rude not to when they helped him clean.

“We should do this again some time. All four of us and Cass. She’s my girlfriend.”

He wonders if it’s his Cass she’s referring to. If it is he can see them being a couple. Cute.

“Yeah we should. This was fun.” Agrees Duke.

“Soon.” Adds Tim.

Peter blushes. “Yeah….yeah we should.” With a chorus of “Bye Peters” and promises of meeting up in the near future, they’re gone. Peter doesn’t shake his smile for the whole afternoon.

Later on Peters chilling on his web. He’s thinking about his time in Gotham so far.

I’ve managed to meet every one of Bruce Wayne’s children except for the man himself. I wonder if he’s like Mister Stark now or past Mister Stark.

It kinda sucks I’ve only met one vigilante but Cass makes up for it. Her Natasha would be an unstoppable force. Maybe one day they would meet…maybe.

He has Dicks jacket on for a layer of warmth. He reaches into his pocket and his hand catches on the Bat Burger pamphlet. He forgot he took that.

Batman, Nightwing, Oracle, Red Hood, Orphan, Spoiler, Signal, Red Robin and Robin.

This dude could rival Bruce Wayne in children. Batman has 8 and Bruce Wayne has 8 aswell…. Huh. How bout that.

Holy.

Fuck.

He sits up on his web and stares into both, his only thought being shit.

Of course they’re the same people! Cass is Orphan for christs sake! Nightwing has to be Dick. Damian is definitely Robin. Babs is Oracle. Duke is the daytime hero Signal. Steph is Spoiler and Tim is Red Robin so Jason must be Red Hood. Who knew Ben would be a vigilante and rich in this universe.

He them remembers proclaiming his love for Red Hood in front of the Red Hood. Peter covers his face and wishes to fall off his web and never get up. He wishes Parker luck would just strike and make him invisible. Anything but having to talk to Jason again.

That’s how Batman has enough money for gear and everything. He was this universe Mister Stark but more discreet.

With his mind still buzzing he manages to put on his suit. Gotham still needs him and maybe Peter needs the distraction. He steers clear of any form of noise of the vigilantes. He can’t face them. Not tonight.

He goes about his regular routine but he wasn’t concentrating , maybe that’s why he got grazed (stabbed) by a knife from a mean looking mugger.

He hobbles his way back home and cleans it the best he can. It’ll be fine by tomorrow. Then his stomach rumbles and he remembers he hasn’t eaten all day.

In his defence, he has spent the money meant for food these past three days on a wrench. Why? Well he now had everything he needs in his tool kit. He’ll be eating at Harley’s and Ivys tomorrow anyway. He’ll eat then and then he’ll do his plan and then it’ll be Halloween night and the he’ll meet Damian and then he will go into the school and has the floor always been this close?

🕸️🕷️🕸️

“Oh Yanks it gorgeous!” Cried Harley. She was hugging the jacket he had made her.

“That’s a lovely gift Peter.” Ivy smiles and manages to pry the jacket out of her girlfriend’s hand. It was Tuesdays tea time and Harley was bouncing throughout the whole thing, itching to open her gift.

She had yanked the jacket off Ivy who scowled at her before shoving it on. She ran to the mirror and squealed. She then tackled Peter into a hug. Peter tried not to grunt. It was not a good idea to pass out on the cold hard floor. His stab would had healed minimally. Progress was still progress he supposed.

The rest of his time with Harley and Ivy is spent praising the jacket and praising Peter. Peter is positive he’ll never return to his natural colour. He leaves with a phone aswell! Harley insisted he have it when he tried to refuse. Said it was only fair and it was just lying around (in a display case was not added).

Ivy and Harley waves Peter off from the door, watching him till he takes his final left down the street.

Harley sighs. “I’d take that kid in if I didn’t know Nightwing is his Daddy. He’s far too thin.”

Ivy rubs her back soothingly. “I know babe you’re right. I would too in a heartbeat. But I’m afraid we can’t just yet.”

They sit down on the couch, Harley holding the jacket as if it’s the most precocious article of clothing she owns.

“Who do you think the mother is? It’s not Space Princess anyway. Dick and her called it quits a good while back.” Ivy wonders out loud.

She immediately likes the kid. He cares about the environment, cares enough to listen to Ivys opinion and why she does what she does and he cares about Harley. The kid ticks all the boxes. He’s adorable with those big brown eyes and those dimples. You couldn’t not like the kid.

“Do you think Dickiebird knows?”

Harley hums. “Only one way to find out.”

Dickiebird

Your kids adorable

How do you know him?

Met him on the 3rd

We’ve been inseparable ever since

Are you gonna take him

Me and Ivy are looking for kids *named Peter who’s far too nice* and Peter seems to fit the description

Over my dead body are you taking my kid.

You’d be great parents for another kid

Yeah we know

Do you know his phone number

He doesn’t have a phone

He does now as his favourite Aunt Harley gave one to him

Don’t stress Dickiebird

Sharing is caring

*** **** ****

Thank you Harley

Ill bring you some of Alfred’s cookies next time I see you

FUCK YEAH

🕸️🕷️🕸️

It’s Tuesday, Dick is in the lab with Babs analysing Peter’s napkin. He felt getting a hair sample was a bit too much. He knew Peter was his kid but that didn’t mean others would have the same strong belief or be comfortable with getting their hair plucked out their scalp. Babs said they needed to be sure. It was going slowly though. So slowly that B might be back soon.

Half an hour later, Dick had nearly gone through the carpet he was pacing that much. Damian had come in at 27%. Cass had snuck in at 68% and Jason and flung open the door at 89%. They were so close now at 98% when Steph, Duke and Tim marched into the room.

They all opened their mouths and then closed them when they read the screen.

“You knew?! About Peter or should I say your potential son!!!” Accused Steph.

“You know Peter?” Asked Dick confused. When did they meet Peter.

“Just now. We were at Bees. He’s really nice.” Replies Duke.

“How did you get his DNA.” Questions Tim.

“Dick took him to dinner and took his napkin, real classy.” Jason says with a sigh.

“Hey! You would do the same thing. !” Dick cried outraged. He looks at the screen as it trickles to 99%.

“Gross.” Steph wrinkles her nose up and goes to stand beside Cass, giving her a kiss on her cheek. “Well when did you meet Peter love?”

“The rooftop. Nice.” Cass replies as she smiles remembering her and Peters little spot. “Looks like you.”

She points at Dick. Dick huffs at that.

“I know but he doesn’t think so. Kept on denying it.” The kid was so adamant that he and Dick looked nothing a like. He says that last part sullenly. Babs stares at him incredulously. “Look it’s almost done!” Duke points at the screen.

99.9%….

10–

*ERROR*

Silence. Then everyone crowds around the computer trying to help. Babs reaches out to grab the napkins from the little compartment. Nothing but dust is left in its wake.

Suggestions are flying around the room of what could have caused it, how they could get another sample.

“I mean would it be so bad to ask him for a sample.”

“Yes, yes it would Timothy.”

“Can we not just do it Bruce style?”

“Jason, what the fuck, exactly, is Bruce style?”

“You know just—“ Jason then made several hand gestures, one included throwing a sack over his back.

“Yeah we all know how well that went for you. Remind me how long did it take for you to not be hostile to me?”

“In my defence Dick…you were a prick.”

“In my defence…so were you.”

“YOU WERE 19!”

“AND YOU WERE A LITTLE SHIT.”

“If you may recall, Peter and I are meeting up Thursday at the park. There I will be able to extract a sample.”

“Without getting caught.” Babs gave him a pointed look.

Damian only rolls his eyes.

They go over the cons and pros but in the end they all agree that it would be the easiest solution.

Steph says she’ll be going to Bees again on Friday as she forgot an earring.

Tim and Duke say they’ll come for moral support.

Jason declares he’ll give them the lift.

Dick said it’ll be rude not to go see his potential son.

Babs is his moral support and Damian wants to scope out any potential weaknesses.

Cass is along for the ride she says.

It’s sorted then. Whether the results come back positive or negative they all love Peter. Damian has yet to decide but he’s agreed to meet Peter at least so a win is a win.

They’ll just need to ditch the Wayne scholarship on Friday. Happens every year. With the help of WE, Gotham Academy gives away a full ride scholarship with extra perks to a good few lucky family.

Since Bruce has been gone for three weeks in space, he can’t really complain if they miss this event. They’ve covered for him now it’s his turn to cover for them.

Cass and Tim began suiting up for patrol. Jason was confined to bed rest once Alfred got wiff of a healing stab wound. Dick was on his day off. Everyone will be out tomorrow for Halloween. They’ll need him then.

Gotham was in capable hands with Bruce already out there. Typical Bruce, goes out to patrol before coming to see them. But what is weird is that he hasn’t contacted yet as to why Oracle isn’t online. Weird.

🕸️🕷️🕸️

Peter was grinning ear to ear sitting on the cold hard floor of an alley in Crime alley. He had been watching Jason, waiting for the perfect time to enact his plan. Jason’s birthday was going to be celebrated this weekend and he said Peter couldn’t buy him anything and technically, Peter wasn’t buying him a thing.

He found out Jason lived in the ‘fancier’ end of Crime Alley(aka the part of the city with fewer rats.) He snooped around outside the place quietly and had found a little storage room that would be perfect to work in. From looking in through the sky light, another bike was in there already. One that looked quite expensive and with a bat logo plastered on the front of it. Very inconspicuous if you asked him but hey.

Behind you.

Peter scrambled up the fire escape before Jason came into view. He placed his own bike in the shed and took the bat bike out and was off, but not without putting the meanest looking lock on the shed door.

When training with Natasha she had thought him how to disable alarms, unpick complicated government locks and how to throw a punch. The streets also taught him to do it while looking over his shoulder.It took a few minutes but he was able to get back into the little shed.

Thirty minutes later and he had one tyre off and one more to come. He had already upgraded the engine with any bits of scrap he could find. The bike would last an extra five years now, maybe even seven, but that would be pushing it.

He had made Jason a better seat using some of the less mold infested chairs in the cinema. He had used the left over red fabrics form his Spider suit to make it look nice.

He had this idea that the wheels could have studs that would do damage if anyone was in front of you and they could pop off at any moment. These studs wouldn’t puncture the tires and could be but back inside. It was tricky making the schematics works but he did it.

That was his final instalment on Jason’s bike. He only had so much resources and very limited time or he would’ve done a whole movie makeover on the thing.

He had planned for these studs to go on his own bike before D—Mister Stark shut it down. He knew how it would work. He needed two extra wheels for their rubber and had hit the jackpot while swinging over Gotham dump one day.

He had done one already and it worked like a charm. All he needed was to do the back wheel and connect them up to the top of the bike. He was putting his wrench away when he heard a swoosh. He knocks of his torch and the room is encased with darkness.

LOOK OUT!!!!

A large shadow loomed over him. Peter froze in place. Holy shit. That couldn’t be… the Batman. He grabbed his wrench and slowly turned around.

No wonder every criminal is afraid of him. He’s fucking bigger than Jason. This dude with his all black leather and bats and that cowl that covered his face and those muscles and that mysterious vibe. Who did this guy think he is. Peter is not afraid of him. No sir-ee. Not Peter…definitely totally not. So why was he shaking.

“What are you doing here.” He grumbled out. Even his voice was menacing. Like come on. This dude had struck the lotto on the dark vibe aesthetic.

“What are you doing here?” Challenged Peter.

According to Batman, he has no idea that Peter knows he’s Jason’s dad or that’s he is Bruce Wayne. Peter, as a friend, has every right to be here. Batam, a big scary vigilante does not.

Batman only squints at him. “You are trespassing a private property.”

“So are you.” He makes a point to look at where Batman has crossed the line into the shed and is no longer in the outside.

“I’m not the one stealing tyres.”

“I’m not stealing them.”

It’s too dim with only moonlight for Batman to see him. Peter turns back on his flashlight and waves it around his tool.

“I’m upgrading my friend’s bike. For his birthday. What’s your excuse for being round here.”

Is it just Peter or ever since Batman has been able to see his face he’s gotten paler.

“Your parents must be missing you. Out so late at night.”

“When I get back home I’ll go ask theirs ashes.”

Batmans scowl deepens, if that’s even possible.

“Jeez. It’s ok man. Humour to cope with trauma is kind of my thing. You’ll get used of it.”

Batman still isn’t smiling. “Those frown lines are going to kill your mysterious persona when you 50. Anyway, why are you here again?”

“I saw a light and I came to make sure nothing was being stolen.”

Peter hums. “Yeah forgot that’s kinda your job. Well nothing being stolen! Sooo…”

Batman doesn’t leave. Peter has a feeling he won’t just be able to push him out.

“That’s kinda your cue to leave…so I’m just gonna.” He makes muliple gestures from a thumbs up to a flying eagle before resuming his work red in the face.

The silent statue stays. He can barely hear him breathe. He doesn’t know what to do except to finish Jason’s bike. Forty five minutes later and viola! Jason’s bike is officially upgraded. He turns round to the Batman and wiggles his eyebrows.

“Cool huh. I know you’re jealous. You’re thinking ‘I wish I was that good at making cool upgrades but all I can build are bat themed things’.”

Batman cracks, what Peter would like to think is a smile. Either that or the man’s gone insane. Either option is as equally scary.

“It’s good.”

He’s a man of many words he can tell.

“How would you like to go to dinner…?”

Batman asks…awkwardly. Is he nervous? If anyone in the situation should be nervous, it should be Peter. Which totally isn’t but he’s got the right to!

Why would he want to take Peter to dinner. He doesn’t look that thin does he. Maybe he should’ve ate more this week.

“Is this how you lure your children and collect your Robins?”

“No.”

“Alright you’ve convinced me with that astounding answer. However why do you want to take me to dinner.”

He looks Peter dead in the eye. “It’s very nice of you to fix up my so— someone’s (slick, real slick) bike for their birthday. Doesn’t happen a lot in Gotham and I’m hungry.” Batman mumbles out (more like grumbles).

‘You look like you’re hungry and near the brink of death’ is what’s he thinking. He’s right though. He is hungry. Starving. Batman is a billionaire. It’s not like he doesn’t have money to spare but still. It’s the principle of the thing. He already owes Dick a jacket and for dinner. Now’s he going to owe Batman for dinner. He will pay them back though. When he has the money.

“Yeah I could eat.”

Peter loves sitting on rooftops. Batman had taken him to Batmobile and oh my god. It was freaking AWESOME. Peter couldn’t stop staring at everything. He wanted to press every button but he didn’t want to push his luck. They pulled up at Bat Burger (of course) and they got two burgers two fries and two drinks. His metabolism could rip through 5 of everything and still be hungry, his stomach reminded him miserably. He still hadn’t healed fully (read at all). At least he was eating he suppose.

They got to the window quickly. Their food was handed over by an ‘already over it’ middle aged man. He passed no heed by seeing the most feared vigilante and a 14 year old kid pull up at 3am. Only handed them their food and shouted over his shoulder: “He’s got another one Marie.”

Marie only responded if it was a boy or girl.

They didn’t eat their food in the car asPeter said he knew a spot. So here he was eating two bat burgers (all the food was for him. Batman was on a diet or so he was told) with the Bat himself while looking up at the Bat other identity’s business, Wayne Enterprises. He was hoping he would see Cass tonight or more so the look on her face when she saw him.

Batman had placed his hand in front of Peter when he was insistent that he sit on the edge. He didn’t mind. He trusted him and so did his army of children. Batman was good in his books. So far.

“Do you live in a cave?” He knew he lived in a gigantic mansion but he wanted to ask anyway.

“No.”

“Do you at least have a cave.?” Batman hesitates for a mili micro second before answering. “No.”

“Oh you so do but don’t worry, my lips are sealed.” He mimicked locking his lips and throwing away the keys.

He didn’t bring any jacket out tonight. He thought it would be a quick few hours of work. Not eating dinner in a rooftop with the big man himself. He drapes Batman cape over himself. He looks over at him. He gives Peter a nod so he doesn’t take it off himself. He keeps asking Batman a hundred and one questions to keep his mind occupied.

“What’s your favourite Disney movie.”

“I don’t have one.”

“Liar.”

“…Cinderella”

“AHA!”

“Are you and Superman like best bros.”

“Superman and I are not ‘bros’.”

“Are you Superman’s bro but he’s not your bro. Is that why your salty.”

“I’m not salty.”

“Sorry you just spewed out sea water there. Can you repeat what you said?” He asks innocently.

“Are you and Cat Woman…a thing.”

He found out Selina was Cat Woman a week ago. She just told him so she could tell him about how rude a cop who was guarding a famous painting was to her. She said if he ever met Batman to ask him that question. “Make him sweat.” She just laughed when he asked why.

“Why would you want to or need to know that.” Bruce asks suspiciously.

“Heard it through the grape vine. Need to make sure I’ve got the facts rights.”

“Yes…I think?”

Peter only nods.

“What do you think of Bruce Wayne?”

“He’s alright.”

“I think he’s the Flash.”

“How on Earth did you come to that conclusion?” Batman grunted out. But not one of his normal ones. Oops. Touched a nerve.

“He looks like a fast guy.”

“Well he’s not.” He says like a petulant child who’s just been called young. Sometimes Peter is like that when someone calls him 12.

“You’re right. Bruce is far too cool for that.”

“Yeah you’re right.” Batman agrees.

“Who’s your favourite superhero and don’t say yourself.”

“No superhero needs their ego boosted.”

“True story.”

“What’s yours?” Batman had only asked him the minimal questions. He knew he was itching to ask where he lived and who he was he staying with but Peter didn’t want to lie or answer those questions. So as soon as Batman made any move toward that direction Peter switched it up.

FRIEND!!! HI.

“Hmmm. Well I love—“

“Orphan. He loves Orphan.” Cass plonks herself down. Peter beams at her.

“I was gonna say Red Hood but I suppose you work as-well.”

She gives him a gentle shove and then turned to Bruce. She put her cape on top of Peter aswell. “My friend. Nice.”

“Aw. Your nice too Bats.”

Her mouth mask moved so he assumed Cass was smiling.

“Hmph.” Was all Bruce said. Looking at the pair trying to figure them out.

“Have you met the others?”

“Nah. They don’t come round these parts.” He sounds like he’s in a western movie but it’s true! They don’t come round these parts. Bruce seems satisfied at that. Peter resumes his questions with nothing else to do while he finishes his food.

“So why do you have the urge to adopt children?”

“I do not adopt that many children.”

“I need both hands to count them all.”

“Eat your food bud.”

Peter hums happily away until all his food is eaten. Then a beeping sound is going off on both Batmans and Cass’ cowls. Must be important. As he gets up he grunts. The food will help his healing but he’ll have to sleep first.

“Thanks a lot for the food Mr Batman. It was lovely. Cass always a pleasure.” He’s about to leave when Cass catches his hand. “Hurt.”

Peter heart hammers in his chest. Think Parker.

“Nah, just slept in a funny angle.” Cass nods but he can tell she doesn’t believe him. Hell, Batmans looking like he doesn’t believe him. He feels another question is coming when the beeping comes persistent. They both look at each other. Cass places her hand on his shoulder. “Goodbye Peter.” She then leaps off the building and gets swallowed up into the dark.

He’s left standing there with Batman. “If you ever need help…you can always ask Cass or any of us…” He places his hand awkwardly on Peters shoulder. He doesn’t know who’s more uncomfortable in this situation. 1,2,3 seconds go by and then he’s off.

What a strange man.

Holy Fuck did he refer to Cass as Cass instead of Orphan.

🕸️🕷️🕸️

Peter was avoiding the Bat Fam like the plague. It was Halloween night and Gotham Criminals were having just or maybe even more fun than the little kids.

He had gone round with several children and their guardians in case of anything bad happening.

“Hey! That’s not nice.”

Peter dodged the punch that was coming for his head. He sent a web at the man’s hand and stuck him to the wall. Crook No.2 decided it was his time to shine and aimed a kick at his Crown Jewels. He dodged it and sent him flying back at Crook No.1.

Spider-Man:36 Crooks :1.

Someone got a shot at his ribs and he swears he heard a crack but that’s between you and him.

He’s also got a stalker on his hands. Robin has been trailing after him. Watching how he fights. It was kinda creepy cool you know but he thinks it’s time for him to face the music.

“Thanks for helping Robin.”

“Tt. You don’t need my help. Who trained you?”

“Wow I’m good thanks for asking Robin. Also why would I tell you that.”

“Were you trained by the league?” Robin accused. He can’t believe no ones figured out Damian and Robin are the same person. Both have that same ‘get away from me this instant, cat hair standing up’ vibe.

“I have no idea who they are man.”

He narrows his eyes. “You swear.”

“I swear.”

“Well then who?”

“Is it really important you know?”

“Yes.”

“An assassin, an ex-soldier, two scientists, a spy, the streets and far too many others.”

He seems satisfied with that as an answer.

“There’s a mugging on Narrow Street. I would be pleased if you would accompany me.”

“Well since you’ve asked so nicely.”

The rest of the night was spent fighting criminals. Damian was twisting his elbow and the crook put the other one to use by trying to jab Peter in the eye.

“Hey! That’s not very nice.”

The crook voiced his opinion to Peter on the matter.

“ILL FUCKING KILL YOU!”

Peter knocks his legs out and webs him up.

“Reach for the stars little guy.”

Damian huffs. “Do you ever stop talking?”

“Nope.” He pops the P.

“Tt. Very well. The cops will be coming to get this delinquent. Let us go.”

An hour later and the streets are clear. He and Damian stuck to the smaller stuff, which was unusual for Damian he could tell. He heard that the Penguin was out tonight along with Mr. Freeze.

They were swinging and bickering when Damian had admitted to had never gone trick or treating.

“Seriously?!”

“Why would I lie?”

“I don’t know man. I’ve got trust issues.”

“Mhm.”

“Only with certain stuff! Still this is an outrage.”

Peter had 12 bucks and a mission to make a dream to come true, whether Damian wants it to come true or not.

Whoever was in Petra’s Pounch at 2 and saw Robin and Spider-Man buy a trolley worth of sweets…no you didn’t.

Once Damian realised Peter only had 12 dollars on him he threw what was left of the candy into the cart and said he was paying. Peter still gave him his money. Just cause he was rich doesn’t mean the money can’t run out. Damian eyeballed him the entire time. He had a feeling that cash would make it back to him.

“These aren’t that disappointing—“ Damian was a big fan of candy corn “—but I do not know why we have to dress up.”

They were sitting on top of an abandoned shop, munching away on their contraband. Peter had snuck a witches hat, a marker and a red bucket into the cart. Damian actually kept the witches hat on after his initial shock at the offensive garment being placed on his head.

“It’s for fun! Look I’m Red Hood, I’m built like a brick shit house and act tough but I’m secretly a softie.”

Peter had drew Jason’s design onto the bucket and placed it on his head. Damian merely shakes his head.

“You look ridiculous.”

“That’s the whole point silly.”

“You’re strange.”

“So?”

“I like you.” Damian declares.

“That’s good Rockin Robin cause I like you too.”

“May I ask you a question.”

“Only if it’s invasive.”

“Are you Peter Parker.”

“Didn’t think you’d take that literally. No. Who’s that?.”

“You’re a liar.”

They stare each other down. How does he know? He hasn’t been anywhere near the Bats except for Cass. He knows they’ve been watching him. Batman and Red Robin especially. It’s getting to the stage of very weird. Maybe they figured him out but no…that can’t be the case.

It’s a battle of wills and Damian wins out. Something tells him that this is the easier way out.

“Fine. Yes. Yes I am. Happy.”

“Yes. I’ve one upped one of my associates.”

“Always happy to help. How did you know it was me?”

“Your smile.”

Peter immediately pulls his mask down.

“Are you serious?”

“Deadly.”

Damian said it so stoically Peter had to laugh.

“Well no more eating in front of anyone while I’m in the mask.”

“I doubt anyone but me could ever find out your secret identity.”

“Going to have to take you down a couple of notches there. Cass found out before you.”

“Bullshit. That’s utter bullshit.”

Peter was enjoying this. He didn’t know Damian was capable of swearing. “Yuh huh.”

He scowls before letting out a puff of breath. “I suppose since it’s Cain it’s allowed.”

“Well I need to get going. Last time I checked I’ve hit the most lampposts. Wanna have one more round, winner takes all?”

“You’re on.”

“Also I know you’re Damian Wayne.”

Damian nearly falls off the building.

🕸️🕷️🕸️

“Ace is not usually like this I apologise.”

Damian had shaken off all his family this morning. After last night he was surprised Father still let him go out. He surprisingly doesn’t regret it. He actually enjoys talking with Peter…and thinks Peter likes him too.

He had brought Ace, Titus and Alfred the cat with him. Alfred had drawn the line at bringing the Bat Cow to the park. More importantly he wouldn’t bring her into the car.

Alfred was going to do his shopping while he was out with Peter. He had spotted Peter immediately as he was the only one at the park. It was four in the evening but he supposed the park was not the nicest one in the world.

It was rumored to hold Killer Croc in its lake but Damian knew that wasn’t true. He knows the reptile prefers the sewers. Although in Gotham, their lakes and sewers look rather similar.

Upon seeing Peter, Ace plonked himself down on Peter and refused to get off him. Peter insisted he was fine. Duchess was on top of Peter head and was looking down upon Alfred. Alfred just cleaned himself on Damian’s lap. Titus was getting the ball thrown to him by Damian.

He was instructed by Father yesterday to tail Spider-Man. He didn’t know how Peter knew where he was. He was completely encased in the shadows. Maybe another session of training with the league was needed.

When asked about this and his powers he only gave a vague answer. When he began to eat, he had lifted up his mask and the dots just clicked into place.

He recognised Dicks smile straight away and there’s only one other person that they know of that could have had that smile. He couldn’t believe it. The one person who was driving their whole family up the wall this month was the same person who they had all claimed as one of their own.

Peter was pretty much perfect for their family. They were told by Cass that Bruce was smitten with Peter and had bought him dinner. Father denied all of it.

Dick had nearly burst a vein. He promptly told. Bruce that he had no rights to his child. Bruce said who said it was even his and if it was how could he have been so stupid. He also told Dick that he would be delighted with Peter as a Grandson. That diffused the big fight. There was still some bickering.

Father then had to be told everything they knew and how Damian was supposed to get a hair from Peter today. Todd had come back for dinner yesterday and told him that the kid had upgraded his motorbike. There were tears in his eyes. He then demanded that Peter must be invited to his Party at the weekend.

He said it would make it far more bearable.

Damian was actually enjoying himself at the park that he didn’t realise that an hour had already passed.

“How old are you?”

“I’m 13 and a half.”

“Cool I’m 15.”

“What school do you got to?” Damian inquired.

“Oh I’m homeschooled. What about you.”

“Gotham Prep. Do you ever get people telling you look like your parent?”

With such little time left he decided to dam tact and go straight for bluntness.

“When I was little everyone said I looked so much like my dad. Why?”

“Everyone tells me I look like my dad in school. I hate it.”

Damian tolerated it to a certain degree. He just wanted to know if Peter thought he looked like Dick or some insight to his backstory.

Peter nods sympathetically. “Must be annoying.”

Before Damian can ask anymore questions a buzz goes off. Alfred says he’s done shopping and is waiting. Damian thinks fast. He still hasn’t gotten the sample.

He likes Peter. He’d go as far to say that he’s on the way to becoming a close acquaintance. He still needs his hair sample and Peter, how does he say this politely…looks like he’s homeless and starving.

“Would you like to come back for dinner?”

Peter looks a bit taken back. “I wouldn’t want to bother.”

“I assure you you wouldn’t.” Damian says with as much conviction as he can.

“No really I should get going.”

“You could come see Bat Cow.”

“There is no way that’s real.”

“Well there’s only one way to find out. Come on. Alfred is waiting.”

Peter bites his lip. Pondering. “If you’re sure.”

“I am.”

“Alright then. I’d love to.”

Thoughts: I don’t know how to feel about this chapter but what’s done is done.

First off, the idea of Peter fixing up Jason’s motorbike came form GinnyNotGinny. I thought it was such a great idea and I was like I need to use it. All credit goes to her for the idea.

All that’s left is for Peter to meet Alfred. I want Peter to meet Alfred outside of the manor. I’ve got an idea for that. Of course he’ll meet Alfred when he gets in the car with Damian but to meet him separately.

Peter gets asked any question about his home life and either A short answer or B I’m homeschooled.

The trio in the shop were done quickly but they will each be getting their own pov along with more time with Peter.

Batman had multiple flashbacks from the last when he saw a kid with wheels. Of course he was going to love Peter straight away.

So I got really confused when writing this chapter on what day we were in so. Peter arrived on the 1st of October it’s now the 1st of November. The school heist will be happening on the 2nd of November and Jason’s Birthday is being celebrated on the 4th. I had to draw up a calendar. It’s official guys I’m invested.

Any suggestions I’d love to hear them. It’s getting late and I’ve got school in the morning. Good night and see you in the next one xxx

Day this was wrote: 13/10/24

[fernsplace]

PREACHER'S DAUGHTER! *ೃ༄

" jesus can always reject his father "

you spend your sunday mornings on your knees. hands clasped tight, knuckles white and desperate.

around you, patrons of the church listen to the scripture that echoes from the walls. sacred words that are meant to invoke hope as they melodically falls on good ears.

are you not good?

your father, who stands behind the altar, preaches about goodness. judgement. sin. though not directed to you specifically, his words are venomous as they slip from his saintly tongue.

you don't feel Him. why can't you? a horrible rot consumes you instead. when will it be your chance to be saved?

preacher's daughter tells the story of a girl, who should be--by the virtue of god—considered pious. you follow His orders strictly as He speaks through your father. you maintain your sanctity under watchful eyes. and yet, an unexplainable guilt lingers.

on a hot summer's day, a boy, who’s rough around the edges appears at sunday mass. he stands out, and based on shrewd observation, didn't seem like the church type.

when he leaves in the middle of a sermon, you can't help but be intrigued by his bravery-his defiance. this leads you down a path of curiosity, subtle rebellion, and rejection.

─ ˙༺ ♱ ༻

pairing: sam winchester x you content warning: themes of religious guilt. rejection of religion and the catholic church. negative depictions of religion. negative depictions of god. indirect mentions of abuse. please do not read if you are sensitive to these themes. nsfw(18+): smut. porn with plot. softdom!sam. praise. p in v. unexperienced!reader. body worship. emotional intimacy.

─ ˙༺ ♱ ༻

table of contents

[01] SUNDAY MORNING! [02] LOVE ME THE WAY THAT YOU DO! [03] EDGE OF TOWN! [04] WOMAN SCORNED! [05] FAMILY TREE! [06] BATHE ME CLEAN! (18+, nsfw, smut)

─ ˙༺ ♱ ༻

notes: i'm super proud of this work & i really hope you guys like it! please please please make sure to read the content warnings, as it can be really heavy at times.

the series is finished, so chapters will release everyday :) lmk if you guys are liking it!

inspo: very loosely based on themes in preacher’s daughter by ethel cain! (no cannibalism oopsie, maybe another day)

─ ˙༺ ♱ ༻

stay updated for new chapters! if you'd like to be added to my taglist, let me know! don't be shy!

taglist: @ambiguous-avery

[autumndragon]

for all my beloveds who love watching reaction videos, i found an incredible httyd reaction channel who watches all the episodes of the series, rob/dob AND rtte!!! in the correct order!!

his reactions are really fun and energetic, he remembers plot points, he's super enthusiastic about the dragons, he's a big hiccstrid fan, AND he loves the villains (his reaction to viggo's first appearance is my absolute favorite!! plus he got a bit emotional watching triple cross so that's a plus to me!)

so if you like watching reaction videos like me, definitely give him a watch!!

this is his playlist, not every episode is on there because it gets taken down a lot bc of copy right, so you might have to look them up independently, but putting in the channel name and then the season/episode number will usually give you results.

happy watching!!

[philativy]

May I request a secretly devilish MC? Like a wolf in sheep's clothing. They act nice and stuff but they like to prank people and cause trouble but it is almost impossible to blame bc they're so nice! Why in the world would they ever do that? Thanks in advance, love love love your writing

Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

a/n: tysm anon! sorry i’ve been keeping you waiting! i still have a few days left of my trip, and things have been slow. writing is hard in these circumstances! anyhow, i did decide to just make this a short passage instead of a full-length drabble since i wasn’t really sure how how to make a long plot out of it. i hope you enjoy regardless!

You’ve never done anything wrong in your life — Mammon is convinced. So is Diavolo. And Asmodeus. And a majority of the devilish figures in your newfound life. You, for all intents and purposes, are content to remain the pinnacle of human innocence and sincerity.

But even your saccharine nature must take a back seat when an opportunity, gilded and waiting, presents itself.

Take, for example, the harmless rearranging of Levi’s figurines (he claims they’re alphabetical, but seriously, how does that work?), or replacing Beelzebub’s creatine with baby powder. All of which were relatively easily fixed in the long run, and you were able to pass off as the mischievous misdoings of someone else.

In this moment, you sit with your back against Satan’s chest, scrolling on your phone, while your feet are propped up on a sleeping Belphie’s ribcage. Satan reads over your shoulder, his chin propped up and his arms caging your sides. A book is pinched between the lanky fingers of his right hand, while the left absentmindedly rub circles into your tummy.

You hear the telltale clunk of Lucifer’s shoes as they approach. The strides pause outside your door, but are soon succeeded by a heavy rapping on the door.

You look up. Belphie and Satan, pointedly, do not.

Lucifer pushes the door to your room open and eyes the cozy trio. His arms are crossed, his brows pinched in that "angry dad" way that he has perfected.

"Would any of you like to explain why my cologne appears to be the same scent as Asmodeus' bathroom air freshener?" He rumbles.

"It’s not my business what you spend your money on." Satan sniffs, pressing his nose further into the junction of your neck with indignation.

"Answer my question."

"No, I have no idea why your cologne smells like that. Happy?"

Lucifer grunts. "Belphegor?"

Belphie groans and shakes his head noncommittally.

Lucifer’s eyes fall on you, finally. Perhaps the others are fooled by your — admittedly lovely — doe eyes, but he will not be. "And you?"

At Lucifer’s accusation, Satan curls tighter around you. He appears offended on your behalf.

"They'd never."

"I'd never." You agree, batting your eyelashes.

Lucifer scowls, pinches the bridge of his nose, and backs out of your room.

You return to your doom scrolling, only to be interrupted by a little banner at the top of your screen:

Luci 💋: Please come to my room tonight after dinner. Your deception is deserving of retribution, yes?

Withholding a giggle, you shoot off a short affirmative before leaning back against Satan’s hold. It went just as you planned.