#what if we got to keep this line for a bit

[waitingandwishing]

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Word Count: 2k "𝖫𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝖽𝖺𝗋𝗄𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗌, 𝖻𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝖾 𝖻𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗌" ━━ Ever since you were a kid, all you wanted was to be cared for.

“Once they come off the stage, we’ll jump down for the attack, and these boys’ll be…” Rumi turned to the three of you to which you all said simultaneously, “Done, done, done…”

The four of you giggled as you climbed up the stage, watching from above as the show continued on. “That’s one flaming hot Jinu!” The host said as the black haired one, Jinu, popped the hot sauce bottle out of his mouth with a wheeze.

You rested your shaky hands on your knees. Jinu huh? You knew that name too… But it was a popular name in Korea, something that almost every person you knew had. That’s probably why it was familiar, because it was common!

Your left hand tightened around the handle of your whip while your right was twisting itself to warm up your wrists. You breathed in, watching the crowd before hearing the host start to wrap up the gameshow. You smiled internally, but tried to keep a neutral expression on your face.

“Then why say goodbye, when we have extra special guests coming up?” Jinu suddenly grabbed the microphone.

“What’s happening?” You snapped your head towards Rumi, who shrugged.

“Please welcome, Huntrix!” He gestured up towards the four of you and you quickly put away your weapon. You waved to the camera, a charismatic smile on your face as you tried to hide the horrible nervousness you were now feeling.

“I LOVE YOU HUNTRIX!” Someone in the crowd shouted.

“We just wanted to stop by and congratulate our hoobaes on their debut and-” Rumi started before being interrupted by Jinu.

“And of course, play games with us! Bring out the slides!” Jinu announced, and quickly a slide with four ways appeared in front of you.

“Oh, no…” Rumi chuckled awkwardly, “We couldn’t possibly…”

“In the balls, in the balls, in the balls!” The fans cheered for you. You sat on the slide, pausing for a moment before pushing yourself off.

You slid down easily, as this time you were wearing leather shorts so you simply lifted your legs up a little bit to slide down, but the rest of them… Not so much. You flopped into the ball pit, cringing at the weird sticky warmth that clung into the pit before seeing a hand in front of you.

You looked up to see Jinu smiling at you, a flash of yellow in his eyes. You stood, choosing to ignore his hand and help the rest of your girls up instead. Jinu’s face flickered with something along the lines of annoyance and bittersweetness, but you didn’t care to think anything of it.

“This was… So great!” You smiled sweetly, looking at the crowd as Rumi, Zoey, and Mira stood beside you.

“It was truly an honor to share the stage with you.” Jinu said, his hand placed on his chest, before bowing down with the rest of the Saja boys.

“Oh no, the honor is ours.” Rumi said, the four of you bowing down as well.

“No, it was ours.”

“It’s ours.”

“Ours.”

“Ours.”

“Ours.”

“Ours.”

The curtains soon closed and the four of you got up from your bowing positions, turning your heads before following the Saja boys out the backstage.

The city was bathed in an almost green colored light, and you quickly turned your heads to see the Saja boys head into the bathhouse.

“Let’s go get these guys.” Rumi gritted her teeth. You and the others followed before Zoey gasped excitedly.

“We finally get to go to the bathhouse with Rumi!” She realized.

As you entered, the foggy nature made you slightly anxious though you summoned your weapon anyways. “Mens?” Rumi realized and the four of you groaned.

“Wow. Did you really follow us in here?” Jinu asked.

“Wow, did you really wait there to pose for us knowing we’d follow you?” You shot back, glaring daggers at him specifically.

“You think we’re just gonna let you steal our fans?” Rumi asked and as if on cue, the four of you all raised your weapons. “You’re gonna have to fight us for them.”

“Yeah, keep our hands off our Honmoon!” Zoey yelled.

Jinu chuckled, “We’re not here to fight.” The bathhouse water glowed a familiar pink, water demons rising from the rippling demonic energy. “They are.”

“Water demons?” You frowned.

“Oh great, my favorite.” Mira said sarcastically. 

“Get rid of the Hunters.” Jinu said, his hand placed on the closest water demon near him, “Then you can eat all the souls you want.

As soon as you saw one lunge at you, your whip lashed out. The end snapped with a sonic crack, splitting a demon’s head in half before it could touch you.

You twisted, rolling under a clawed swing as Mira came over and sliced it in half. She gave you a nod, to which you nodded back with a slight smile before another lunged.

You pivoted, wrapping the whip around its wrist before yanking it hard and dragging the creature toward you. Using the demon’s momentum, you slammed your elbow into its face and kneed it in the chest.

You turned, seeing Rumi go after Jinu and the rest of the boyband members. What- What was she doing? You needed her to take care of all the demons!

Before you could call out her name, three more surged in. You sliced one across the chest then stepped back with a kick to knock down the second. You crouched and spun, executing a leg sweep that dropped the third to the floor. The whip cracked down onto the demon’s skull easily.

“What’s going on with the Honmoon?” Zoey asked as more demons tore through. “It’s getting worse!”

“We can’t hold them, we need RumI!” Mira said before launching forwards at another demon. You huffed, being thrown into the wall and causing it to crash on impact.

You let out a yell, eyes wide as you coughed. You quickly stood, seeing Jinu standing on the far left and Rumi standing in the middle with the side of her jacket ripped off. You widened your eyes, surging forward before your whip wrapped around Rumi’s waist and pulled her back into the smoke.

“Here!” You handed her a piece of cloth before turning and throwing your dagger at one of the demons that was attacking Zoey. “Hurry up and get back in!”

As you ran, you turned your head to see Jinu staring at you with wide eyes. You contemplated killing him but… No. Zoey and Mira needed you. There would always be next time. You ran forward, whip slicing one demon clean across the chest. Sparks flew as the whip’s edges tore through flesh and bone. 

You landed in a crouch and rotated your torso, whip trailing into a reverse-U crack. The sharp recoil disarmed the next demon, slashing through the tendon of its reaching hand. It screeched, disappearing in a pink poof.

A demon lunged from behind. Without looking, you spun the whip, catching the creature’s leg and flipping it off-balance. In one fluid motion, you dragged and wrapped the whip, looping around its neck. You yanked it forward and a rolling head hit the ground. Hard.

You could hear your breath, the silence louder than ever, before an old man interrupted your quiet realization. “Hey! This is the man’s bathhouse. Get out of here!” He yelled. You all awkwardly filed out, your voices overlapping with apologies as you exited. 

Jinu… The memory of you locking eyes with him replayed. Why did it feel like he knew you? Why did you even think he was anything but a stranger? Was he tied to those dreams you were having… Was your weird demon side of you now controlling your dreams?

You sighed. You should really get some sleep…

- - -

You bit into a persimmon, not just frowning at their bitterness but the fact that no… Memories or dreams had resurfaced because of it. You had hoped getting unripe ones would help with remembering but it seemed as though you had been wrong.

You huffed, throwing the half-eaten persimmon in the trash before seeing a flash of blue light out of the corner of your eye. Rumi? You watched as she walked down the street, looking behind her before running faster. What was she doing?

You looked at Mira and Zoey, who were knocked out on the couch with a movie playing, before pulling up your hoodie and exiting out the tower. You wanted to follow her.

~~~

Rumi landed on one of the rooftops, unsheathing her sword to go in for the kill. After this, her secret would be safe and the Saja boys would be one less member for the other girls to kill. She ran forward, raising her sword before slicing the head of the demon easily. Only for the head to be… A mannequin?

“What?” She widened her eyes.

“Wow. I wasn’t expecting a hug but-” Rumi turned, her sword raised once again as she swung angrily at Jinu. “Jeez, jeez, okay! Calm down. I thought the mannequin was gonna be a fun icebreaker! But I see I was wrong.”

He jumped away again, dodging Rumi’s sword as she lunged at him once again. “Whoa, whoa!” He said, jumping up onto another rooftop, “Hey! I just wanna talk.”

“Talk?” Rumi furrowed her brows, pausing her movements.

“About your patterns?” Jinu offered, raising his arms up before adding, “And where’s your friend? I thought she would’ve followed you by now?”

“Stay away from my friends!” Rumi said, swinging her sword rather chaotically.

“Whoa! I could’ve told your friends what you are.” Jinu said, dissipating into a puff of pink smoke just as Rumi’s sword was about to slice through him and appearing behind her instead. “But I didn’t, did I? Because… They don’t know.”

Rumi’s breath hitched, but she didn’t falter. The two of them circled each other on the roof, waiting for the other person to strike. “Ah… I did guess right.” He smirked smugly, “Demon girls. But also Hunters.”

“Girls?” Rumi muttered to herself before tightening her grip on her sword, “How’d you know about Y/N’s markings?”

“Y/N.” Jinu repeated, his eyes glazing over just for a moment before turning his attention back to Rumi. “Let’s just say… It was a hunch. That you both were demons.”

“Just Hunter, not demon.” Rumi said, still circling Jinu.

“Then how’d you get the patterns?” Jinu asked, his voice growing more impatient.

“That’s none of your business.”

“Huh…” Jinu furrowed his brows before looking back up at Rumi, “I know what it feels like to have them.”

“Feel?” Rumi repeated. The thought made her almost laugh, “You’re a demon. Demons don’t feel anything.”

“Is that what you think?” Jinu asked, his voice rising higher as he paused his walking, “That’s all demons do. Feel. Feel our shame. Feel our misery. It’s how Gwi-Ma controls us. Do you not hear him in your ear?”

“What are you talking about?” Rumi asked.

“Huh. You’re lucky.” Jinu stated, turning away and looking at his hands. “I’ll never forget the first time I heard him. That was 400 years ago.”

“My family was extremely poor and miserable. I had a single possession to my name, an old bipa. So I busked the streets, but it didn’t get me anywhere. I was desperate. We were starving.” He said, his voice full of sadness and misery. “Then, I heard him. ‘You can’t do anything for your family. You’re not good enough for them. But I can help you be good enough’.”

“Overnight, my fate was changed. My voice was praised, even by the king himself.” Jinu smiled bittersweetly, “My family and I lived on the palace grounds. Our bellies were finally full, our clothes clean. We were happy.”

“My lover was happy.” Jinu reached into his pocket, pulling out a necklace with a small bead. He lifted it to the moonlight, watching as the tiny shards of mother-of-pearl practically glow in the moonlight. "What the court would cast aside, she wore over her heart…”

Rumi widened her eyes. Jinu, a demon, once had a spouse? She couldn’t believe it…

“But the patterns, they kept spreading until they consumed me.” Jinu tucked the necklace back into his pocket, “And I was condemned to the demon world, prisoner of Gwi-Ma for all eternity… My family lost everything. My lover was beaten and expelled from the palace for loving a bipa player. They were even worse off than before… Every day since, I’ve been haunted by the memory of failing them.”

“These are a constant reminder of my shame. A shame I can never escape.” Jinu turned to Rumi, walking towards her. He paused, raising his arm before a snap caught his wrist.

Rumi and Jinu turned to the source of light, only for the demon to be pulled away and slammed onto the ground. “Rumi!” You shouted, landing beside her, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah… I just…” Rumi caught your hand as you went down to attack Jinu. You blinked, confusion laced with annoyance in your eyes.

“Rumi?” You looked at her. She swallowed before letting go of your wrist, though you didn’t make any moves to go after Jinu. Rumi was more important than a stupid boy band demon. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

You placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her markings to glow underneath her turtle neck. You recoiled, hand markings also glowing underneath your gloves as well. 

“Yeah…” Rumi placed her hand on yours with a slight smile, “Yeah I’m fine.”

[kawaiigirly21]

Our Little Soda Pop: Chapter 1

“Why are we here?” Abby asked as he and the others followed Jinu into an apartment complex. “All Kpop groups have a manager right? Well Gwi-Ma recommended this person to be ours.” Jinu replied as he pressed the button for the penthouse. As the elevator carried them to the floor, the five were immediately overcome by the strong scent of a powerful demon. No wonder Gwi-Ma recommended this person. They're one of them.

As the doors to the elevator opened, they were greeted by a beautiful older woman who looked to be in her late 30’s typing away on her laptop while sitting on her pristine black and white couch. “Wait there. I'm still busy.” She mumbled, not bothering to look up at them. “And DON'T touch anything.” The penthouse shook at her words before the woman went back to typing on her laptop. “Um… excuse me but Gwi-Ma sent us. We should be your number one priority.” Jinu replied from his place in front of the elevator.

“I don't care if he sent you. I'm still busy. Wait. There.” The woman responded annoyed already with the young man in her apartment. “It's not everyday someone has the nerve to ignore direct orders from our king. Usually the threat of death keeps them in line. Surely you wouldn't want him to hear of this.. Right?” The woman then froze in her typing and the moment her eyes met Jinu’s, her true form started to slip through her human disguise.

“Let me tell you something little boy, I remember when his parents were still trying to have a baby. So don't you EVER threaten me with someone whose birth I witnessed. Now. Wait. There!!” Taking a step back, Jinu gave a silent nod before trying to avoid her gaze. “Is it weird I'm turned on?” Abby whispered to Romance who bit his lip staring at the woman's cleavage. “What's your name?” The woman spoke again. This time, her laptop was closed and her eyes were deadlocked on the group.

“Uh… who?” Jinu asked. “You ignorant one. What's your name?” Clearing his throat, Jinu found himself feeling small under her gaze. More so than when he was in the presence of Gwi-Ma. “Jinu.” He replied. The woman nodded and scribbled something down on a notepad before her gaze moved. “What's your name muscles almighty?” Abby smirked and winked at her. “Abs but I go by Abby. Yet, you could call me yours sweetie.~”

The woman rolled her eyes. “Please, I can still smell your mother’s breast milk on your breath. You're a child.” She then moved on to Mystery. “Tell me yours sentient mop.” Jinu stepped forward. “His name is-” “I don't recall asking you. He has a mouth. If he can sing, he can talk. Shut up.” Then she turned to Mystery. “Name.” “.... Mystery.” She moved to Baby. “Yours?” “Baby.” His deep voice leaving her slightly surprised. “Ironic but it makes sense.” Lastly she got to Romance. “Ok pretty boy, what's yours?” He smiled softly and winked at her. “Romance lovely lady.”

Nodding completely unbothered by the flirt, the woman stood from the couch and walked towards the kitchen. “I'm Natasha. From now on, I will be your manager. You will be living with me also. Try not to get killed by the hunters. I'm not responsible for anything they do to you. My job is simply to manage you. Sit on the couch. I'll be back.” Later that day, Natasha took the five shopping for more suitable clothing than the old rags they were dressed in.

“Put this on pretty boy. And this.” Romance nodded as the older woman shoved the clothing in his arms. “Muscles, here. This is better. Leather is not suitable for your image right now.” She shook her head as she tossed a button up shirt at the muscular demon idol. “It's bright.” Abby grumbled. “You can wear darker colors later. Try it on.” Natasha replied as she helped Mystery with his arm warmers.

“Baby both arms are supposed to go in the sweater.” She fought a chuckle as she watched the maknae struggle with the pink sweater. “Come here pup.” Natasha said as she approached him and helped him slide his other arm into the sleeve. “Better?” She asked to which he responded with a nod before Natasha placed a yellow hat on his head. “Yea, that's a good look. Go stand by Mystery and Jinu.” She replied before Romance tapped her on her shoulder and asked her to help him with his necklace.

“Yea. Lean down.” As she did this, she noticed Abby waiting for her approval on his outfit. “Good. Much better than what you originally picked out. Go stand with the others while I go pay for all this.” She spoke just as she finished putting the necklace on Romance and pulled out her wallet. After shopping, her next plan was for a photoshoot but with the boys complaining about food, she decided to take them to dinner first.

“Baby slow down. It's not going anywhere. Romance, get your hand off my thigh. Jinu, can you please get Mystery. He's still staring at the fish tank. The food is here. Abby, save some for the rest of the boys please. No, I don't want to suck on anything you have.” After dinner, Natasha was completely exhausted and in her haste, she rescheduled the photoshoot so she could get some well deserved rest.

However, once she prepared for bed and closed her eyes, she noticed a weight slowly slide onto her bed. In opening her eyes, she was met with those that belonged to Romance who gave her a seductive smile. “Get. Out.” She groaned, turning away from him only for her face to meet the muscular chest of Abby. “Not you too. Both of you leave. Now. I'm too tired for this.” The demoness grumbled. “Just met you but can't sleep without your scent.” A sleepy voice responded as the person it belonged to slid into the bed right under her arm.

“Grab a hoodie of mine or something then. You don't need to be right up under me Baby.” Natasha replied. “We don't want to.” Mystery yawned as he too managed to fit under the blanket with the others. Before Natasha could further protest, the boys had already drifted off to sleep. “Fine… just for tonight… Aren't you getting in too? Or are you too proud to sleep up under me, Jinu?”

Stepping out from behind the door, Jinu shook his head.“You don't like me. Why would you want me in bed too?” He mumbled. “I never said anything about not liking you. I just didn't like how you acted earlier, but that has nothing to do with me liking you or not. I like you as much as I like the others. And I know you want to get in here too. So climb on in bed. There's plenty of room. Surprisingly.”

Natasha smiled softly as the demon climbed into bed with her and the others. His hand finding its way to hers and grasping onto it like she would fade away. “Sleep now. We have a busy day tomorrow.”

Chapter 2

[lvl109]

“i’m really fucking nervous about this date and you're not helping at all, you bitch!”

your cries fall on deaf ears as his impartial gaze settles in outfit number sixteen, letting out a petulant huff as cerulean hues drag themselves over the newest combination of the same sweaters and shoes. the only difference? this skirt settled right at your mid thigh. 

his brows furrow. a quick glance to your face makes your arms crossed, but he doesn't miss the embarrassment settling over your face. his eyes narrow immediately.

“you're wearin' the fuck me skirt?!”

“satoru gojo, so help me g—what?” 

he's not listening. he hadn't even been a fan of the absolute douche you'd suddenly became infatuated with, rolling his eyes at your incessant fawning over lending him pens (that he never returned, the audacity of that utensil-poaching fucker) and doing his ultimate best friend duty of trying his best to keep you tethered to earth. 

but his chest twists when he watches you smooth over the short fabric, lips pressed into a thin line as he watches you twist and turn in front of your full length mirror. you look good. and he's told you such after each outfit change. that's not even the issue.

but not that skirt. anything but that skirt.

“i've only ever seen you wear that skirt once! and it was when you were trying to get laid when we went to that frat party!” he points a finger at you accusingly when you scoff. “don't think i forgot. you cried when you saw that ponytail wearin' freak had his tongue down another girl’s throat and then proceeded to throw up all over my shoes!”

“that was two years ago! cho and i are friends now. stop calling him a freak, freak.” you smooth down your hair and check your lips for any smudges, batting off any of his (reasonable) complaints much to his outward dismay. “'fuck me skirt'. why do i even spend time with you? you read too much porn.”

he chooses to ignore that in favor of glaring at your back. “all i'm sayin’ is that i don't trust him. you know, the guy who made you cry so hard you nearly missed your last final? why the hell is he setting you up with someone else? and why are you letting him??”

“because unlike you, i don't have people tripping over their feet trying to get a date with you, alright?” your tube of lipgloss slams down against your dresser with more force than expected. your tone shocks him quiet instantly. “god forbid i go after someone that shows interest in me.”

satoru stares at your expression reflected in the mirror. slight annoyance, exasperation, and a bit of anger he wasn't expecting. but the one that makes him sit up a bit straighter from where he was lounging on your bed was uncertainty. you're nervous. your hands fidget with the hem of your skirt even as you huff in frustration.

“so just… stop, okay? i'm going to see him whether you like it or not. i just want to have a good time tonight.” 

satoru stares. 

the familiar feeling of something rotten stirs in his chest again. it laughs at him as you flit around your room, leering and pointing at his demise. this time when you ask him for his opinion, he tells you what you want to hear. your thankful smile at his cooperation does nothing to tame the growing pit of disdain.

jealousy festers within him once again. who cares if he got confessions daily? who cares if his locker was constantly stuffed to the brim with love letters and candies? who the fuck cared if his phone (silenced, always silenced with you) pinged with countless others clamoring for his attention?

none of it mattered as much as you did to him. none of it did. so why couldn't you see that despite the fame and the notoriety, all he'd ever wanted was you?

he watches as you toe on your shoes, the unspoken offer of using his shoulder to help you balance on each leg going unsaid as you gratefully lean on him. the warmth of your hand is near intoxicating. but he can't help but think about—

if she bent any lower, his inner voice supplies helpfully, anyone could see underneath her skirt. 

he exhales heavily as it laughs at him again, offering an easygoing smile when you raise a brow at him. “i'm sorry, angel,” he offers sweetly, taking your hands in his and drawing you closer. you step in between his legs and narrow your eyes. “i really am, okay? you can't blame me for being protective. i promised your mom, remember?”

“yeah, when we were like five.” you roll your eyes, but you're not as mad at him anymore and his heart does a funny little dance at the sight of a smile peeking through. “idiot. why do you even remember that? we're not kids anymore. i can take care of myself.”

“i literally just told you about how you threw up on my shoes over a stupid guy.”

it earns him a smack to his head, but he chooses to ignore the faint pain in favor of basking in the light of your laugh. “as long as you don't forget about me if you get a boyfriend,” he snarks lightly, pulling out the pout he knows will get a reaction from you. “you promised we'd never be apart. linked pinkies ‘n all. clearly someone doesn't respect the sanctity of pinkie promises.”

he expects another cuff to his head. maybe a smartass response, maybe a shut up, toru. he's used to orbiting around you much to your other friends' shared exasperation and incurable betting habits. (he's sure shoko has made at least a small fortune on him.)

you link your pinkies instead, leaning down to press your lips to your thumb. he goes still for a bit, having to be nudged to do the same. slowly, your thumbs press against each other in a quiet promise.

“don't be stupid.” you ruffle his hair with your other hand, stepping away to look for your bag. he misses your warmth immediately. “you're my best friend. we’ll be together forever.”

just not in the way he wants.

[godoreo22]

Saja boys x Manager reader: Part 2

Fake it till you make it

(Name) is ushered into the apartment by the group of guys.

"Whoa." (Name) gapes as they take in the lavish home. Flat screen TV mounted on the walk plush couches in the living room, white marble counter in the kitchen and a fountain in the middle of the foyer because why not?

"I'd have to sell every organ in my body to even afford one of those couches." (Name) sits on one and melts into the soft material as if they were sitting on a cloud.

"Well we're glad you like it." The sweet husky voice of who (Name) assumed was the leader coaxed her out of her relaxation. (Name) straightens and stands up. "RIGHT yes this is still a job interview technically."

"Hello my name is (Name), i am here the the manager position, but you all already knew that." (Name) stammers a bit with a deep bow.

All five of the beautiful men smirk.

"Oh they're adorable" said the one with with long pink hair causing the rest of them to chuckle and murmur in agreement

"You've already got the job baby" The one with their eyes covered says while holding their chin. (Name) can practically feel their brain buffering. They take and a big step back and takes a deep breath to calm they haywire nerves and burning face.

"That's amazing but we need to keep a professional relationship... mainly for my sanity." (Name) mumbles the last bit but plasters a large smile.

All the boys look at each other a little surprised at the swift shut down but each of them have a challenging look on their faces.

"Alright Boss, no more funny business." Said the one with long pink hair says with a flirtatious smile.

"Right... So this manager job, i assume you're all a boyband?" (Name) inquires.

"You assume right, I'm Jinu" Said the one with dark hair and deep eyes. "This is Romance." He gestures to the one with long pink haired boy who blows them a kiss at that forms a heart that actually flies.

"Interesting..." (Name) notes watching it before focusing back on the others introductions.

"That's Abby." The boy with a chiseled jaw line flexes causing his shirt to stretch and his abs to become exposed. (Name) pupils dilate as they stare at his magnificent physique, imagining how it feels to lick them like a glazed doughnut. They take a deep breath and pinch their side hard to steel themselves.

"Mhm" Abby chuckles a their reaction and relaxes.

"Mystery." (Name) looks at the boy with long silver hair who gives them a small smile and a nod of acknowledgement which (Name) returns

"And finally, baby." (Name) looks at the last boy with an adorable face and a cute smile "What's up girl?" Only for his deep voice to completely catch her off guard.

"Hmm well you're all... unique individuals. Definitely boyband esque." (Name) nod in thought. "So i assume you all your roles."

"Yup, I'm lead singer, Abby is on choreo, Baby is the wrapper, Mystery is the lyricist, and Romance is the vocalist." Jinu says which makes (Name) sigh in relief. Less work.

"Ok great well first your gonna need a debut, put your name out there." (Name) starts pacing with a purpose.

"We gotta deal with booking a venue, Instruments, choreography." (Name) starts the drone now feeling like they've trained their whole life for this.

'Cute.' All the boys think in unison.

"Whoa whoa Boss calm down, let us get to know know you first." Romance wraps their arm around (Name)'s shoulder.

"I don't know, I'm sure there is so much we have to get to for the debut." (Name) squeaks out as they feel heat rise in them. "Come on, we're gonna be spending a lot of time together, might as well."Baby adds getting closer to them.

"Whoa you just kinda popped up outta no where." (Name) chuckles nervously before gasping loudly.

"I have the perfect idea for your debut."

UGH i wanted to get this out like yesterday but i fractured my knee on top of getting braces again because i have some rare teeth condition. I'm just out of it kinda but i have my computer so i will continue to type.

Taglist: @imaginarydreams @sparky2020sworld @strayharmony943 @lysira340 @crescent-z

[l0cadef4nfock]

Some more of my Batfam appearance headcanons

Bruce: he 100% had salt n pepper hair; yknow, the black with lines of white in it, if not from his age then from the stress of being Batman for over two decades and being the father of like 7 feral children. But the cool part is that, his hair is jet black, and the white parts can probably reflect light. Also, I hc that when he adopted Dick he still went out in Gothic outfits with full face of goth makeup, but by the time he got Duke he just put on eyeliner everyday and wears black turtlenecks.

Dick: GIVE THAT MAN LONG HEALTHY LUSTROUS HAIR PLEASE. His hair reaches his hips when he showers, it’s almost as black as Bruce’s, and it’s straighter than him (pan Nightwing my beloved). He wears it in a man bun while he goes out as Nightwing, and either in a ponytail or wears it down when he’s with friends/family. He started growing it out when he moved out, and after one particularly bag fight with Bruce he got blue highlights that matched his suit, and gave his dad a heart attack because “secret identities dick!”.

Jason: I saw one artist that draws him half blind, like that the bomb that killed him got him in the eye and now he has an explosion shaped red scar on his face and a white soulless eye. When Roy really annoys him, Jason will come over to his house when he knows he’s on patrol and wait in the dark, and when Roy comes back he just see’s a green glowing eye in his kitchen and he almost shits his pants. Every. Single. Time.

Tim: TRANS TIM IS CANON IN MY OPINION. Let my dude be born a dudet. Let him be double queer. Also, he has piercing to match with his punk boyfriend that he loves very much. Like, it started with snakebites to annoy Bruce (he learned from Dick’s highlights phase), but then he really liked it, and got the regular ear piercing (little Robin earrings he had custom made), and after he started dating Kon they got matching earring together (I don’t know how they’re called, those long ones that sit on your lobe? You know what I mean?). And let my boy have a mullet, we all know he’s the biggest dick glazer and when he saw Nightwing with a mullet when he was 9 it changed his brain chemistry forever.

Damian: give that child some melatonin before I lowk commit. Also, very important, he is Arabic AND CHINESE. He has Chinese blood in him and you are definitely able to see that. In my mind, he’s a few shades lighter than Talia, and his hair is exactly Bruce’s color, he got his mother’s eyes and eyebrows, and his father lips and nose. Also that bitch is GAY and he dresses the part in the best way possible. Like yes he’s still emo as fuck but he 100% fits the gay stereotype of thinking about what to wear for hours and stressing about his looks. OH and he’s the biggest eyeliner abuser in the goddamn family (Bruce is very close behind him and dick is in 3rd and is very unhappy about that).

Cass: she is the proudest lesbian you have ever met, and I mean it. She has a lesbian flag keychain that she keeps on a scissor shaped carabiner that she puts on her jeans with a lesbian star pattern embroidered on it, she rocks scissor shaped earrings right next to her masc lesbian mullet with purple highlights that she gets so very excited every time someone asks about because that means she can info dump about her amazing girlfriend for the next three hours. She has 300 bracelets, earrings and necklaces to match with Steph, and the only shoes she ever wears are mismatched converse, one black and one purple, that she’s sharing with Steph. She has black mini vampire nails, she has countless queer pins on her bag (ahem ahem she uses she they pronouns) and will gladly give you one if you want it.

Steph: pretty much the same as Cass, but she has black highlights instead of purple and she is WAY less extreme than her. She was a bit hesitant about the highlights at first, because she wasn’t sure how that would go with her curly hair, but Cass argued that she always straightens it anyways and Steph is like. “Oh right. Okay babe.” After that talk in which Cass found out Steph has curly hair (she ment it when she said she always straightens it) she starts every morning by begging for Steph to style it curly, and that’s the primary reason why you might spot spoiler with curly hair and a very happy (and a way less brutal) Black Bat.

Alfred: just wanted to remind you all that he canonically sleeps in a suit.

[dollar-store-mothman]

Finally got a chance to rewatch never give Annabelle a gun, it's incredible and I'm losing it (ramblings under the cut !!)

-Firstly, i have to keep stopping myself from calling it annabelle get your gun cause I'm a loser ass theatre kid

-the lesbian colored effects are adorable

-characters with ever changing names my beloved (Joanie to butch to Josie and back to butch)

-mr Parker is such a supportive dad, he's so cute <3

-Mr Parker is correct, annabelle could never do any wrong

-butch is autistic to me

-the fucking squirrel and elephant captions kill me

-a sam bartender didnt slide the drinks, im honestly gobsmacked

-can't believe tom wasn't allowed to play his piany

-yknow, the first time I watched this my thoughts about Henry were along the lines of "don't fuck this up for us aj" but upon rewatching, he's really just unsettling all around

-passing that helium around like a joint

-love when sam says some bullshit and then looks around like "let me elaborate"

-tom announcing his arrival by gently pushing over a chair

-[surprisingly effective bank robbing tactics] perfect, no notes

-butch continues to be autistic to me

-im in love with the captioners through the whole bit where aj is singing and everyone else is miming

-speaking of aj singing, man's got some PIPES

-their synchronization with switching from talking to miming and back to the scene is insane

-SHOOT HIM IN THE HEAD ANNABELLE

-"stop flirting with men" is real as hell

-shooting him in the dick works too

-Henry just gets creepier and creepier

-i really want to know how, what are presumably, cowboy boots just fell off

-i really do appreciate sam just saying the word lesbian without any hesitation, it heals me when people don't treat lesbian like a dirty word

-"give it time" EGG BUTCH REAL

-i, too, ask my crush to rob banks instead of telling her how I really feel-it truly is the lesbian struggle

-mr parker is such a supportive dad :(

-that sweep was so gentle

-I wanted the other guy too, I wanted to meet him

-sam about to call tom a freak but cutting himself off

-butch :(

-I want henry to explode

-GO BUTCH, ESCAPE, I HAVE FAITH IN YOU

-oh, he caught her

-I hate the helium pig. It upsets me.

-ARTHUR NO!!!

-I think every half of henry is a dickhead

-this whole scene is genuinely upsetting

-aj and Luke are both incredible actors and this whole bit is a testament to that, but when he got aggressive after she said no and forced to shoe on-I'm distressed

-I dont know if the audience was uncomfortable and didn't know what to do, but the laughter after "i don't like this" was chilling

-[thank you sam for your service 🫡] real

-GET THAT WOMAN A HORSE

-BLOW HIM UP BUTCH

-i do like that annabelle got the final shot on henry, it's very narratively satisfying

-[Foot-J]

-Butch refusing to believe annabelle would want her too until she actually says the words makes me ill

-CUT HIS ASS OFF 👏👏👏

-I do appreciate tom not letting it end on a fingering joke

God, I love this one. We got the happy lesbians, aj was an insane villain, and none of them hesitating to say lesbian made my heart happy. Also, butch means so much to me as a genderqueer lesbian <3

[mellozine]

Scrapbook

I don't normally write fanfic, but I have a bunch of vague ideas that I really gotta get out.

ReaderxJerry, Gender Neutral reader, past male love interest briefly mentioned. Fluff. The scrapbook can't be dateviated, don't worry about it. Not beta read, we die like Hank no. 6

“Whatcha’ got there, friend-o?”

You jump, startled to find Jerry peering over your shoulder, looking with interest at the old composition book sitting on your desk. It has a tattered cover, littered with peeling stickers with miscellaneous things sticking out all over. It hardly even closes.

“Just something I found in the attic,” you reply. “Lady Memoria really wants me to get on cleaning it out. I knew I had a lot of stuff up there, but I never realized how much.”

“A lot of stuff, huh…?”

“Jerry, we talked about this.”

“No, no, you’re right, the attic wouldn't be a…healthy environment for me,” he says, with a bit of a frown. “But, if you ever decide you needed a little assistance with curating-”

“Jerry.”

“Alright, alright.”

“Anyway, to answer your question…it's my old scrapbook.” You hope that if you sate his curiosity, it will distract him from the idea of all the potential lost items in the attic. “I used to paste everything and anything in here for years.”

“Cheese n’ crackers…! Uh, may I?” he asks, gesturing toward the well worn book.

“Sure. Actually…” you rise from your office chair and gesture for him to sit.

As Jerry thumbs through the well worn pages, you point out photographs and little notes, explaining the context behind each one. Jerry, however, is less interested in the photographs than he is the various bits and bobs taped and glued to the pages.

“Oh, that?” you ask, referring to a chunky star shaped button. “I grew out of my favorite coat that year. One of the buttons fell off before my mom donated it, so I decided to keep it. It's really kinda cute, isn't it?”

“And what about these?” Jerry asks, pointing out a series of candy wrappers adorned with cute cartoon characters, lined up neatly, each adhered to the page with decorative tape.

“Oh, a candy company did a promo for a show my friends and I liked! Each wrapper had a different character on it! We spent the whole summer trying to get a full set,” you laugh. “I was the only one of us who managed it. We were so sick of that stuff by the end of it. I haven't eaten any since.”

He turned the page, revealing a photograph of a young man right in the center, the entire rest of the page adorned in heart shaped glittery stickers.

“Oh-ho, and who is-”

“You don't need to see that right now,” you say, turning the page.

“But-”

“You don't. Need to see it.”

“I uh, guess I don't need to see it. Hey, look, a four leaf clover! And so well preserved!”

“Oh, yeah! Some friends and I went on a hike during spring break that year! I found that while we were having lunch!” you smile, as the memory of that day comes flooding back. “I was nearly dead by the time we got to the end of the trail, but I was so excited to find that. Like that made the sweat and hard work of getting there all worth it.”

Your eyes light up at the next page and you point out an old concert ticket, covered with a large piece of clear packing tape.

“That was my first concert!” you exclaim loudly, causing Jerry to startle as a broad smile grows across your face. “I saved my money for months to afford tickets to see Warp live! I still remember feeling the bass all the way in my chest! It was amazing!”

Jerry looks at you. He's not sure he's ever seen you quite so excited, even among the beauty of his various exhibits in the junk drawer. Not even the spare change exhibit has ever caught your interest this way and that was always a crowd pleaser. The crowd was usually just him, but still. 

“Bedknobs and broomsticks, it certainly seems that way. I guess those were pretty good times!”

“They really were,” you say softly. Your expression dims, as sadness starts to creep over you. “It's weird, suddenly being reminded of people I don't talk to anymore and stuff I used to like doing. Maybe I should just throw this out…”

You reach towards the book, but Jerry snatches it away, jumping to his feet. For a moment, he splutters in disbelief, holding it to his chest, almost protectively.

“Wh- How…How could you ever consider throwing this away?! All these stories, these memories…?!”

“Jerry, it's not even a proper scrapbook. It's a composition book with crap glued in it.”

“It's not crap! It's a rich history! It's incredible! It's beautiful! It's…it's you!”

The two of you stare at each other for a moment, silence hanging heavy in the air. After a few moments, Jerry laughs nervously.

“I…I meant that…you, you don't…haha, listen to me, going on! That's uh, that's ol’ Jerry for you, huh? Just, uh…oh boy…”

You're quiet for a moment more, as your eyes settle on the ragged notebook in Jerry's hands. He notices you staring and his own gaze flits around the room anxiously, feeling as if your eyes could bore holes into his chest.

“I guess keeping it a little while longer might not be such a bad idea. Actually, why don't you hold on to it for me?”

His face lights up and he holds the scrapbook to his chest, a little tighter, as if it were some precious treasure.

“Really?!”

“Sure. …Just don't take anything out of it.”

“I-I wasn't going to!”

Later, in the cramped confines of the junk drawer, Jerry wanders, looking for the perfect place to place…the Tome of Memories.  But nothing seems quite right. It's not a Lost Item, after all. It's a Found Item with no mysteries held within. He already knows all of its secrets. Well, most of them. He thumbs through it again, smiling fondly at the memory of you, radiating joy as you told him all of your stories. Carefully, he tucks it into a pocket inside his overstuffed jacket. Perhaps this treasure will be part of his private collection for now.

[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

[bugzzybabe]

Coloring [Thor Odinson x Reader]

Summary: Thor walks in on you coloring after a stressful day and can't help but fawn over your talents.

Content: Fluff & Established Relationship | Slight mentions of having a bad day/being down

Authors Notes: WE NEED MORE THOR FANFICS (that aren't smut or weird asf)

WC: 932 (not edited)

Ever since you got out of bed this morning, you could tell it was going to be one of those rougher days. Rain pattered outside your shared apartment and the skies looked as gray as you felt.

Thor had been off in Asgard for the past week doing whatever he needed to do so your bed felt emptier than it normally did. These types of days were always easier with him by your side, filling your heart with the warmth and love that was motivating enough to keep you going.

Doing your morning routine, you messily braided your hair and threw on whatever you had already out on the closet floor. You didn't have much to do today but you did have some extra errands that demanded your attention.

Finally finishing up getting ready, you quickly grabbed your bag and a thermos of coffee before rushing out the door. You first had to grab some dry cleaning and then run to the grocery store to prep for Thor's return home tomorrow. The dry cleaning took a tad too long and left you in a continued bitter mood as you trudged through the now rainy streets of NYC to get to the local grocery store.

Once entering the cold store, you began to scout the shelves for the ingredients you needed. The more you looked though, the less they had of the specific things you needed. Yes it could all be substituted but it was honestly just pissing you off.

It didn't help that on the walk back home, the winds picked up and blew your umbrella down the street, forcing you to chase after it feeling like an idiot. The second you got home and put away everything, you proceeded to drop on the carpeted living room floor and just lay there.

On days like this, when all you wanted was to just zone out and decompress, you would often pull out your coloring books and just color for however long you needed to. So that's exactly what you did! Donning on some fuzzy socks and grabbing your materials, you spread everything out on the coffee table and put on some cozy music.

Letting out a deep breath, you found yourself getting lost in the lines and colors that moved gracefully across the page. Within an instant though, your living room was covered in bright light as a boom shook the apartment. Though you had reminded Thor not to portal back to the apartment, he never changed it. Instead saying, "but that's the fastest way to get back to our home and back into your arms!"

Looking up from your drawing, you saw Thor standing there in all his glory with a large smile adorning his features. You gasped and quickly rushed into his arms. The second you felt his warm biceps curl tightly around you, you melted into his safety.

"My beautiful love, I have returned back to you at last." Thor bellowed as you pulled away slightly.

"Why are you back so soon? I thought you were coming tomorrow? I was going to prepare dinner and everything." You began to get worked up as you remembered all the plans you had. Pulling you back in and kissing your head, Thor instantly calms your nerves.

"Everything went well so I was able to return sooner than originally planned, that is all. As for the plans, you have no need to worry. All I need is you here with me." He soothed as he ran his hands through your hair. Then bringing his thumb to your chin, he tilted your head up and captured your lips with his. His lips were warm and salty and his scruff lightly scratched your cheeks as he held you to him.

Pulling apart gently, Thor looked down at you as if you were his whole world. "What are you up to my love?" Thor spoke as he finally noticed your art materials strewn across the living room.

"Oh I had a bit of a bad day so I was doing some art to relax." You said sheepishly as you looked up at him.

"Well I must see this art that you have put your time and love into!" Thor commanded as he walked over and crouched by the coffee table. Gently picking up one of the coloring pages you were working on with a cat and a dog portrayed in a garden, Thor gasped.

"This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!" He exclaimed in adoration as you rolled your eyes and watched him admire the page.

"You don't have to lie honey. It was just some coloring, nothing that requires that much talent." You huffed as he whipped around in shock.

"You must be in denial cause this is stunning and all from your talented hands. This must be hung up at once!" He said as he rushed over to the fridge and stuck the drawing under one of the many decorative magnets the two of you had collected over the years.

"There. It is perfect." Thor said as he looked back at your blushing figure. This man somehow always knew what to do to make you feel better. Walking back to you with large strides he sweeped you up into his arms as you let out a soft giggle.

"Let me show you how much I have missed you my darling." You nodded as he carried you into your bedroom and shut the door behind him. Back home with Thor was where you belonged and he would forever feel the same. 

[reginaphalangelobster]

Humans 101: Lesson 1: Pickup Lines

Reader x Castiel x Dean Winchester x Sam Winchester (platonic)

Castiel x Dean Winchester (little bit)

Summary: Cas comes to you with a question about pickup lines.

Warnings: suggestive language, little bit of Destiel

Word Count: 460

A/n: I had this idea for a cute drabble/blurb and I thought it would make a cute mini series so expect to see more of these randomly, feel free to request a lesson!

"Can you explain something to me?" Cas asked you.

"Sure thing sweetie, whaddya wanna know?"

"I don't understand pickup lines"

"Any reason you're asking this question? Is my little angel starting to notice girls? Boys?"

"I was talking to Dean and he mentioned pickup lines"

"You didn't tell him?" You asked Dean.

"Nah, thought it'd be more fun if you did"

"More fun for you"

"That was the plan"

You sighed and turned back to Cas "Okay, so basically, when you see someone you want to hook up with at a bar, you walk up to them and say a pickup line"

"But what are these lines?"

"Uh" You thought for a moment "Ooh, I got one! Why don't we do a little role-play? Pretend you're someone at the bar, we don't know each other and I think you're hot so I walk up to you"

"Alright"

You go to the other side of the room and stroll up to Cas, over acting to the extreme when you lean in next to him.

"You know, I wish I was a door" You paused slightly to gauge his reaction "Then you could slam me all day"

You tried to keep your composure but you could feel laughter bubbling up inside you, Cas just looked confused, more than usual that is.

"Alright, got another one" You shrugged your shoulders and got into character.

"Hi, I'm Y/n. I want you to remember that because you'll be screaming it later"

Dean burst out with laughter.

"I still don't understand, all of this is just some strange mating ritual?"

Cas' question just made you and Dean laugh harder.

"Y-yeah" You huffed out between laughs. You eventually calmed down and returned to your previous demeanour "I have one more, I've actually been wanting to say this one to you for a while"

"You've been wanting to hit on me?"

"Yep" You said confidently as you got into character "Wow" You said running your fingers along the collar of Cas' coat "This trenchcoat looks great on you" You tilted your head with a little smile "But....I bet it would look much better on Dean's bedroom floor"

Cas just looked confused and Dean spit out his beer.

"Did you just hit on Cas, for me?"

"You bet your ass I did, this-" You said pointing between the two of them "-is taking far too long"

They looked at you strangely for a moment.

"Isn't that right?"

You turned to Sam who was nose deep in a pile of books, completely zoned out and ignoring your shenanigans.

"Yo, Toto"

"Hm? What was that?"

"Destiel? Slow burn?"

"Oh yeah, totally overdue"

"See?"

Dean just glared at you and Cas sat there, more confused then when he came in.

Tags

@dianawinchester03 @pinkthick @craftytacopiecash @meryuniverse @aliljaybird @macbaetwo @castielshunterwife @scarletluvsdanno @twentyonetornmyheart @neospacedoctor @destiel-1967-sammy @yigashimei @something0193 @ursamajor17 @colorfulavenuecollection @fairytailnerd1024-blog @daithideolishmer18 @am-i-the-villain-co @mameeta @bblessed @maximum-uwu @bbywonu @fmlariel @lipstickandlifts @tiannamortis

[kawaiigirly21]

Our Little Soda Pop: Chapter 3

Later on, the rest of that day went about as smoothly as it could go. During the recording, the boys did become a bit more touchy but Natasha simply chalked it up to nerves. She fought the urge to smirk everytime one of them tried to allude to something sexual. She was perfect at playing dumb. As if she couldn't smell their wanton arousal. She knew she triggered something and had perfect and total control. So much for their loyalty to Gwi-Ma.

She bet that if she asked them to, they would give up all alliance with the so-called king. Watching as the boys got through their last lines, Natasha had food brought in so they could eat something after singing for so long. Abby and Baby were the first to attack the food but after minor scolding, made sure to leave some for the other three. “You boys sounded great in there.” Natasha complimented as she fixed a plate for Mystery who practically became attached to her hip. “Thank you Ms. Natasha. We're one step closer to our goal in taking down the hunters.” Jinu replied after taking a few bites of his food.

“Jinu lean forward.” Natasha responded. As he did so, his eyes widened as Natasha took a napkin and wiped the corner of his mouth clean. “There we go. Oh? What's up Mystery?” Natasha asked, turning her attention back to the other idol. “Hey um miss manager? When do we get what Romance got this morning huh?” Abby asked, huffing a bit. “I think we all behaved ourselves today. Don't we deserve a little reward too? How come you touched him?” Baby added. “I don't have to explain myself to you and if you keep asking about it, you won't get it. Eat. You have a photoshoot later.” Natasha replied unbothered.

That evening as the boys wrapped up the last of their photos, Mystery watched as Natasha typed away on her phone with a serious expression. She was talking to someone about something important for them. He loved that about her. She was always working. She always looked so busy. Like she completely had her shit together. He adored that about her. However, he also wished she would take a break every now and then.

“Alright boys. Time to go! Max, I expect those photos by Friday!” Natasha spoke while ushering the band out the doors and into their van. “I call shotgun!” Abby shouted as he practically launched himself into the passenger seat. “You had it on the way over here Abs, let someone else get the seat.” “Ugh fine!” He huffed as he moved to the back and Jinu climbed in the front. The drive home was silent save for the silent music playing in the background.

After arriving home, while everyone scrambled to get in Natasha's bed, still, she asked to speak to Abby alone in the living room. “I know you didn't want to give up your seat but you still did because I asked. I like when you boys listen to me.” She smiled as she led him to the couch and sat him down. “It makes me happy knowing that you respect me that much.” She whispered before leaning down to kiss him sweetly.

Almost instantly, his arms were around her and bringing her down to his lap. “Do I get some lovin this time?” Natasha giggled slightly before nodding. “Yes you get one thing of your choice tonight.” The man wasted no time in choosing his reward. “I want your mouth on my cock. I need it Mistress… please~” He whined as he began to free his cock from the confines of his jeans. Looking down, Natasha smirked before pressing a quick kiss to his neck.

“You’re a big boy aren't you?” She then moved off his lap and settled on the floor in between his legs. “Nervous?” Abby chuckled. “Oh please. I've had bigger sweetheart.” Natasha sighed before leaning in to press a kiss to the tip of the large cock waiting to take sanctuary in her mouth. That was a lie. Natasha had her fair share of fun sure, but none of her past exploits were ever this well endowed. Taking the tip into her mouth and swirling her tongue around it, her ears perked up at the heavy breaths Abby was starting to take.

Slowly but surely, she started to bob her head on the erection. Taking more and more of the cock until it almost filled her mouth completely. Save for a few inches at the base. “Oh f-fuck… you look so hot…” Now, at this point she would have smirked and made a comment about how desperate he sounded, but doing anything but trying to fit the rest of the cock down her throat was impossible. “Mm… oh yea… keep going…” Abby moaned as he watched Natasha suck his cock.

Although he was definitely enjoying himself, he was also physically fighting the urge to take the older demoness by her hair and fuck her throat. Not because he was worried about her, oh no. He knew she could handle it. It was his own safety he was worried for. Getting on her bad side was something that was not on his list for that evening. Suddenly, he began to moan louder and his grip on the couch tightened as his eyes watched Natasha quicken her movements.

Humming around his cock, creating vibrations that added to the pleasure. “Shit! Y-yes! Please! Oh fuck! Oh fuck!” Unable to resist anymore, Abby grabbed a fistful of Natasha's hair and began to fuck her throat. Pushing her head all the way down to his crotch causing her to deep throat him. “Fuck!! Mistress! Your throat feels so good! Your mouth! Mm! Mm! Fuck! So good!” The sounds of her wet mouth fueling his desire and urge to paint her throat white.

“Cumming! Oh shit! I'm cumming!! Yes! Yes! Mistress!! I'm cumming!” Looking up at the man, the moment Natasha's eyes met those of Abby's he immediately came down her throat. Pushing her head all the way down to his crotch once more. “Mistress!!! Mm! Fuck!!!” It didn't take long for the man to come down from his high after Natasha pulled away from his cock. “You alright? I-i didn't mean to get that crazy.”

Natasha only laughed and smiled before standing from her position and kissed his forehead. “I'm fine hun. Are you ok? I didn't think you could sound so…whiny.” She laughed as she watched the man groan before standing as well. “Put that away and get ready for bed. I'll join you shortly.” Natasha smiled before grabbing her phone and walking into the elevator. She then dialed a number, while the elevator descended.

“Natasha. I am pleased to hear from you. How are the boys settling in?” Gwi-Ma asked. “Fine. That's the only update you're getting from me, asshole. Don't contact me anymore.”

@prettygirlkiki

@rivainimermaid

Chapter 4

[jessicas-pi]

OOOOH an ask game? Don't mind if I do! (I'm allowed to ask this anonymously, right?)

Characters: Sabine and Ezra (what can I say, I am a hopeless Sabezra shipper 💕) and background Kanera would be neat

Prompt: Percy Jackson AU! (if you're into Percy Jackson. If you're not, just something mythology-based)

I must confess, my entire knowledge of Percy Jackson is summed up more or less in this one post, so that's nooooot really my area of expertise 😅 HOWEVER!!! I do in fact have a mythology-ish based AU well ok technically it's an AU of a semi-mythology-inspired film that's been spinning around in my head for a while and it's got both ships in it so here ya go! :D

---

This had been the worst week of Ezra's whole life.

(Well... second-worst week, maybe.)

(That whole Pompeii deal had been a real bummer.)

His half-brother and closest friend was dead. He was on the run for his life, searching for a goddess who was also almost certainly dead. He'd almost drowned himself on the way to the island Kanan had told him to find. Then one of the native residents had dragged him out of the ocean—and promptly took him prisoner. Now he found himself being led through the city with his hands bound in front of him, on his way to who-knows-what.

The architecture was cool, though. It reminded of him the time his parents brought him to visit Rome, way back when.

A yank on the rope binding his hands made him trip on his own feet, and he stumbled.

"Keep up," the scarily buff, armored, middle-aged woman holding the other end of the rope ordered.

"I'm keeping up!" Ezra argued, feeling more than a little annoyed at all the fuss. "You don't have to drag me! I just came here to—"

"We know," the two warriors on either side of him said in unison, their voices menacing and irritated.

Right. Maybe he'd been repeating himself a bit.

Ezra kept his mouth shut as they led him through a city that looked like it had been raised from the glory days of Athens—though admittedly the glory days of Athens were before his time—and into a small amphitheater.

A woman with sleek black hair and a furred cloak was standing on the other side, arms crossed, looking down imperiously at him.

Her.

It had to be her.

Forgetting himself for a second, he stepped forwards past the women warriors and approached the queenly woman.

"Hi! I'm Ezra. You must be—"

A hand seized his shoulder and forced him down onto one knee and a fierce, feminine voice barked:

"You do not approach the Queen as equals!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" he winced, offering a bow that he hoped would placate the woman. "I'm Ezra. A friend sent me here."

The Queen looked down at him for a second longer, then nodded to one of the scary ladies out of his line of sight. "Bind him."

"Wha—bind me? I'm already tied up! And I'm—what the—"

Another rope was looped around his torso and drawn tight, and Ezra nearly jumped out of his own skin as it started to glow. "Ah! Is that supposed to happen?! What is this thing?"

A new voice—female, like all the others, but startlingly youthful, and right behind him—spoke, answering his question.

"The lasso of Hestia compels you to speak the truth."

"I am speaking the truth, darn it!" Ezra nearly spat, craning his neck to look up at the girl on the other end of the rope. She'd dropped to one knee to loop the rope around him, and was at eye-level, just behind him. "I didn't come here... to... lie...e...e..."

He trailed off as he got a good look at her face, and did a double take, then grinned.

"Oh, hey! It's you!"

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Uh, thanks for saving me, by the way," he said, the words spilling out of him unexpectedly. "I didn't get a chance to say that before you tied me up." He blinked a few times, squinting past the bright sunlight directly behind her, and blurted out— "Wow. You're really pretty."

She ignored his words and looked up at the Queen with a dry smile: "Well, it's working."

The Queen stepped forwards, descending a step towards him. "Who is this friend you claim sent you here?"

Words choked in his throat, and the ones that came out weren't the ones he meant to say.

"My brother."

The Queen raised her eyebrows and said nothing at all.

"My—half-brother. One of them. I have—a lot of them. Or—had. They—mostly died. We all have the same father."

The girl holding the freaky glowy rope spoke up. "You're a demigod, aren't you?"

He swiveled his head to stare up at her in astonishment. She tilted her head to one side impassively, but explained her conclusion.

"No mortal has eyes like yours." She raised an eyebrow. "Zeus?"

Ezra pushed past the surge of anger and nodded once. "Zeus."

"My condolences," the girl said, and she sounded genuine. "What disguise did he use on your mother? Swan? Bull? Sentient flame? Another god?"

Ezra scowled. "Does it matter?"

"Not really, but I'm making a list of reasons we're glad he's dead, if you want to contribute."

"In that case, he impersonated her husband."

Her eyes widened and she whistled softly. "Oh, that's low."

"I know."

"You must be one of his youngest," she said, resting an elbow on her knee and tilting her head to one side, holding the rope loosely in one hand. "You can't be more than two thousand."

Ezra managed a laugh. "Ah, I stopped counting after the first eight centuries."

"And you've been living out there this whole time? On your own?"

"More or less. Also, you probably shouldn't hold the rope like that; I could escape really easily."

"You said you weren't here to hurt us."

"I'm not. It's just the principle of the thing."

She gave him an amused look. "You couldn't take me, anyway."

"Not with all those knives, no. Hand-to-hand..." He shrugged. "I might."

The girl leaned a little towards him, a spark in her eyes to match the half-smirk on her face. "You wanna try me?"

Ezra returned the look with a grin of his own. "Why not? I've got time to kill."

The Queen cleared her throat loudly, and Ezra jumped. He'd forgotten, momentarily, where he was. The Queen and most of the warriors were staring at them with unimpressed and occasionally disgusted looks—and the rest of them were looking away, clearly trying not to laugh.

Well. That was embarrassing.

"If you're done..." the Queen said, her glare directed more towards to girl than Ezra.

The girl winced and looked away, mumbling: "Sorry, Mother."

Mother?

The Queen was this girl's mother?

Then that meant the Queen wasn't the one Ezra was looking for.

Ezra cleared his throat and tried again. "My brother sent me here to find someone. My brother told me that if anything ever happened to him, I was supposed to go to Themyscira and find... ah... Hera."

There was a soft murmur of voices around him and the crowd shifted, and he could swear he felt the glowy rope tense slightly.

The Queen shook her head. "Hera is dead, just like the rest of the gods."

Ezra nodded, and tried to gesture with his arms, forgetting for a second that they were bound. "That's what I thought, too! But Kanan always said, go to—"

"Kanan?"

The singular voice gasped aloud from the back of the crowd, and instantly, all else fell silent.

The gathering of women parted, and a single warrior moved forward—shining in golden armor, with dark hair twined back in two braids and luminous green eyes.

Immortal eyes.

Even the Queen moved back as the woman brushed through the crowd and knelt before Ezra.

He looked at her, and knew.

"You did survive," he exhaled. "You escaped the slaughter of the gods, too."

She shook her head.

"The Queen of the Gods is dead. But she created me as her own—and I have her name." She seemed to swallow some emotion down. "You came here to find me?"

Ezra nodded.

"Because—something happened to Kanan?"

"We were trying to protect a town from soldiers. We hadn't realized how many there were. Kanan—held them off. He didn't..."

Hera squeezed her eyes shut and nodded her head, and the Queen's daughter reached out, touching Hera's arm with gentle sympathy.

Ezra got the feeling there was something going on that he didn't understand.

"You... knew... Kanan?" he asked hesitantly.

"Once. Long ago." Hera exhaled slowly, and opened her eyes. "Before Themyscira was sealed away... I was his wife."

[maryloohoo]

Live-action Hiccup as a reflection of neurodivergent childhood: a soliloquy

I really wanted to write this post like an essay, with a thesis supported by points, but every time I tried to do it like that, it came out wrong. This point is better explained as a journey of discovery - observations made, thoughts had, and revelations that made everything click into place. So, that's how we're doing it. Strap in, gang.

(Also, it should be noted, this is largely a cleaned-up and slightly-augmented transcription of a verbal spiel I went on the other day. It's not an exact one-to-one, but if anyone would prefer this in audio format, hit me up. And also this is gonna read like a stream-of-consciousness speech. Because it is. :P )

A bit of context just regarding me and where I'm coming from: The animated movie has been my favorite movie since 2010 when I first saw it. I can recite it almost from memory. I have seen the live-action movie twice (and I plan on seeing it as many more times as I can before it leaves theaters). Also I have ADHD.

ALSO ALSO. This is not about headcanoning either version of Hiccup as neurodivergent. This is about how Hiccup's experiences in the live-action HTTYD greatly resemble things that a lot of undiagnosed neurodivergent kids go through. He does not, himself, have to be neurodivergent for that to be the case (however, I totally believe that he is and I will pop off with the headcanons about it if anyone gives me attention and probably even if they don't :P). Alright. Here we go.

SO, watching the live-action movie, Hiccup felt different, obviously, in a lot of ways. And some of it was, at first, a little bit disappointing, I'm not gonna lie. Hiccup's snarkiness is sort of one of his defining features in a lot of ways, and since there was less of it, I was like, "oh, that's sad", you know? Even knowing that a lot of it was just Jay Baruchel improvising, so it's not like Mason Thames could have done it, 'cause it was somebody else's improv. Like, he got to keep in the "Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile" line, 'cause he suggested it, but like the "Excuse me, barmaid, I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring!!!" and all of that stuff, I'm pretty sure that was Jay improvising, so Mason didn't do it in this movie.

But, as I watched, even if it wasn't exactly the same Hiccup that I remembered, there was still a congruity to all of Mason's choices that made me love him just as much, and made me go "Oh, that's still Hiccup. Like, that's very Hiccup." And the point where I was like "Oh yeah, that's Hiccup! Definitely!" was sort of closer to the end. There was a confidence in the way he was speaking, and a charisma, and, you know, a sort of leaderly quality that I recognized from, honestly, not as much the first HTTYD, but from all of the later installments in the franchise, including the TV shows. And I remember the second time I watched the movie, noting a specific point, and going "Oh, wow, look at that! That's where it starts." There's a moment after Romantic Flight when Hiccup and Astrid are on Toothless, and she's like, "Oh, what are you gonna do? you have to kill [a dragon] tomorrow". And he replies something like "Well, you kind of blew our escape plan, so I'm gonna need a minute." And the way he said that, particularly the "I'm gonna need a minute" part, was so much more confident than he really said anything else up to that point (like, to another human being). There was an edge to his voice, not mean, not harsh, just firm, that hadn't been there before. And I was like "Oh, look at this confident boy, where did he come from?" And then I was like, "Oh, it's 'cause, you know, he's the one in control of the situation. He's on a dragon. And he knows that Astrid is now on his side, so he can have that confidence as he's speaking." And then, even later on, when Toothless wasn't there anymore and he was speaking to the rest of the teenagers [the scene as they're all about to head into the arena grab the dragons so they can go save help the adults], the confidence was back, the leaderly quality was back, all of that nonsense. And I was like, "Oh, it's because Astrid's on his side still, so he can carry the confidence off of the dragon." And I remember thinking that that's really weird and interesting. That's what makes this Hiccup different, in this movie, is that you actually see his confidence grow over the course of the movie, whereas animated Hiccup, he's confident [or at least visibly projecting an air of confidence, but I still think that more of it is true than just a projection] right from the beginning. And then I watched an interview with Mason Thames, who plays Hiccup (and Nico Parker who plays Astrid). And they were talking about differences between Jay Baruchel's performance and Mason's, and Mason says this:

"Me and Dean had a lot of time to talk about new things we wanted to explore, like a darker side of Hiccup, and sadder, lonelier side. Because, his whole village despises him. His father is not proud of him. And, you know, the amount of stress, and, kind of, what that would do to a kid, you know?"

And that made something click in my brain. The sadder, lonelier side is definitely visible in the way that Mason plays everything. And it makes sense. This Hiccup is a lot more...beaten down, I suppose, by the circumstances of his existence pre-Toothless. And so, then, watching that journey of him going from being very, very not confident, watching the confidence grow as he goes along in the movie, makes sense, because of how different he is in the beginning. There are other examples that I really, really like in terms of the acting choices that Mason made and other actors made that show it even more, that lonelier, sadder side of Hiccup. You might think, well, how does that even work? It's almost exactly the same script. How do they do that?

Hiccup is less snarky. That's just how it is. He's less snarky when he responds to people; he's less snarky with Gobber, which is very interesting. In the animated movie, Gobber snarks at Hiccup, Hiccup snarks right back. In live-action, Gobber's actually a lot more...gentle with him. He is, like, visibly saddened by a lot of Hiccup's behavioral responses to things. There's the part where Hiccup says "I just wanna be one of you guys" and then goes inside his house, leaving Gobber outside. And after Hiccup's closed the door, Gobber just says, very quietly and sadly to himself, "I know you do". It's very much like he can tell that Hiccup is internally beating himself up for not being like everybody else. The way that Hiccup interacts with people around him is a lot less confident and a lot more like...not nervous, but there's definitely something apologetic, like a "Oh, I'm so sorry. I know I suck, believe me, I know" underpinning his words. There's a part that he has, a new scene where he's talking to Astrid, that animated Hiccup does not have, where he says something like "You're the kid [my dad] always wanted. Instead he got stuck with all this." And it's all very "Yeah, I suck", and it's all played very sincere. And that's...not really an attitude that animated Hiccup ever had? Animated Hiccup knew what he was, knew what he was capable of, and knew how he could use that to be a Viking; to do all of the things that his dad and his village wanted him to do. They just wouldn't let him. Nobody would listen to him, and because it wasn't the way things were done, he couldn't do it.

But in all of that, narratively, that's a problem with society. That's not something wrong with Hiccup, and Hiccup did not act like there was something that wrong with him, you know? [To clarify what I meant by this; there's a difference between thinking that you're a square peg in a round hole, and thinking that you're a stripped screw. One just needs a different environment to flourish, the other is ultimately useless any way you slice it]. He was like, yeah, I know I'm small, but look at all this stuff I can do. I know it's not really a Viking way to do things, but like, it can be used to do Vikingy things. I could kill a dragon with this frickin like ballista or whatever. The bolas launcher.

That's animated Hiccup, and he's very different from live-action Hiccup. And animated Hiccup, as much as I love him, does not really allow for the same sort of reflection of a very neurodivergent experience as live-action Hiccup. Not that he doesn't at all. There is certainly an element of that, as there always is in stories where it's something about somebody being othered. And I mean, you know, you've also got Stoick saying that whole bit about like "from the time he was born, he's been different", "I take him fishing and he goes hunting for trolls", "he has the attention span of a sparrow", etc. and everybody points and goes "ADHD!" and, like...valid of them, but you know. It's different, obviously, saying "Oh, this seems like a character has ADHD" and "Oh, the thing that this character experiences in this movie is very, very reflective of the autistic or ADHD experience".

The thing that made it all click and made me go, "Oohhhhhh; that's why that makes sense", is that the thing that is making Hiccup so ✨different✨ changes from animated to live-action. That was explained in an interview with Dean DeBlois, who was the director of the original animated movie and also this live action one. And he said this:

"Hiccup was designed to be a pipsqueak in his world. And so, production design-wise, in the animated film, we made everything larger than life, you know. The buildings, the trees, the people. Everything just seemed to outsize little Hiccup. But, I think as we were narrowing in on our casting of Hiccup, and we realized, like, Mason, though he's 15, is not a pipsqueak. He's an average kid at 15. That meant we didn't have to lean into, as heavily, this idea that he's a tiny, a tiny kid in an oversized world. We, we leaned more into his otherness, like, he is a misfit. He doesn't follow the Viking creed. He's not- he's just always thinking differently, and therefore is treated as somebody who is very different."

And that is what makes live-action Hiccup representation of a neurodivergent experience in the way that animated Hiccup is not, and [knowing explicitly where the director was coming from] makes it very easy to read it in a lot of Mason's acting, too. Like, animated Hiccup is different because he's small. That's not something he can change; that's just how he is, and it's really, really annoying that his society doesn't like that, but it's also not something that he has any control over. So, naturally, he responds to all of the dislike and the derision and all that stuff with like "Ugh. Come on." Like, when somebody says, "Stop being all of this", and he says, "You just gestured to all of me", he sounds annoyed about it. He's like, "Really? Like, all? There's not one part of my body- Okay, sure. Fine. Whatever." Whereas, with Mason's Hiccup, whatever is wrong with him is not something that you can see, and it's not something that he thinks he can't change. If it's something in the way that he's thinking, and something in the way that he's responding to the world around him that's different than everybody else, then, naturally, the next step would be to think, "Oh, if it's all in my brain, I can fix that. I should be able to fix that". But he can't, and so he beats himself up, and that's, I think, why Gobber treats him the way that he does. He knows that Hiccup is beating himself up, because Hiccup knows that it's something internal, that he should be able to fix, but he can't. And that's why, you know, Hiccup lacks so much confidence in the beginning of the movie where animated Hiccup doesn't, is because he thinks that there's something wrong with him. Because he doesn't think like everybody else, and that's the part that's important to all the Vikings, and that's why they deride him so, is because he doesn't think like them as opposed to him just not looking like them or being as physically capable as them. And that is so, so, so, so much what it's like to be young and neurodivergent and not diagnosed.

And it's summed up really, really well at the end right as Hiccup gets on Toothless and they are about to go up to fight the Red Death and Stoick says "I'm proud to call you my son". Animated Hiccup says "Thanks, Dad", because animated Hiccup has always known who he was and what he was capable of. He just needed someone to hear him. Live-action Hiccup says, "That's all I need". And after taking a minute, too; like he, honestly, Mason's acting, 10 out of 10; he looks like he's about to start crying for a second. He has to, like, take a second so he doesn't cry, so his voice won't crack the second he opens his mouth, and then he says "That's all I need", because live-action Hiccup really needed to know from the people around him that they are proud of him. That he's not...there's not something wrong with him on the inside that means he's never going to be enough. And that is that is the autistic and/or ADHD experience.

That is pretty much the end of the original spiel. There's other stuff I could get into to further my assertions (a variety of body types present among the live-action Vikings hammering home the idea that Hiccup's biggest differences are all internal ones, Mason delivering the line "I'm really extra sure that I won't [kill dragons]" less like Jay's declaration and more like he's admitting to a personal failing being more evidence for the way live-action Hiccup views himself differently to his animated counterpart, etc.) but it's been about a week since I last saw the live-action movie and I don't want to make points based on faulty recollection.

I do want to add, though, that I know that my experiences as a child/teen with undiagnosed ADHD are in no way universal. There are probably a lot of people who responded completely differently than I did to everything, and people whose experiences look like animated Hiccup's, and in the grand scheme of things, these are variations of the exact same character and any experiences connected to one can very likely be read in the other.

But at the same time....

There's something that live-action Hiccup has that his animated counterpart doesn't, for me. I look at live-action Hiccup - his sadness, his shame & stress, his struggles to connect, his uncertainty, his self-reproach, his need for someone to be proud of him, his slowly-growing confidence as more and more people show that they value him as he is and not as he or they feel that he should be - and there's something that I recognize. I look at him, and I see myself.

Well, myself at his age, anyway. 12 years and one diagnosis later, I'd like to think that I'm a little more confident in myself and the way that I think. Doesn't stop me from tearing up every time someone says that they're proud of me, though. :P And to have an experience that's so familiar & difficult be so visible, and in the character who was already tied for my favorite fictional character of all time to boot. It means a lot.

So yeah. That's about all I've got. If you've made it this far, congratulations on being just as weird about HTTYD as I am. I hope you liked reading this. See you around!

[drquacken]

In Defense of the Paintress

I’ve recently completed Expedition 33 and listened to the CSB spoiler cast about the game. I’ve got some thoughts about a certain aspect of The Paintress that everyone seems to pile on to her specifically, so beware spoilers under the cut

Specifically I’m going to talk about her treatment of Canvas Alicia and Alicia in general.

One of the through lines I see a lot of is “How could Aline give the painting of her youngest the burn scars and take her voice away!” The thing is, I don’t believe she did. Given how little information we have of past events outside of what the game decides to tell us, quite a bit is up for interpretation.

I’ll go through and list my reasoning in I believe to be weakest to strongest:

First, one of the first things Canvas Verso said to Canvas Alicia was to say how his “beautiful sister didn’t need a mask” and given that Clea had warned him that Alicia was reborn as a child that he kept an eye on every so often could show that he has memories of her without the scars.

Second, as soon as she popped into the painting, Alicia was caught in Aline’s power and forcibly reborn (either intentionally or accidentally) to what appeared to be a loving family, before they gommaged.

Lastly, Aline was looking to escape the grief that had consumed her after Verso’s death, why would she keep one child scarred by the event she wants to forget? Why keep her around at all? Canvas Alicia would be a CONSTANT reminder that the story she was creating was just an illusion and at the end of the day, her son is still dead and her daughter is just a pale ghost haunting her and the manor she lives in.

Again this is all based on interpretation of stuff I picked up from the game, and because i haven’t completed it 100% (I don’t have all the journal entries and I don’t believe I’ve completed every side quest) so there might be bits of evidence that contradicts what I’ve put forward.

[sleepybunnysnail]

So we actually have to backtrack a bit before I can teach you about what happened in the eyes and ears au. mostly because I am a stupid little guy who didn't remember the events after the endfight that well in our last lesson.

After the end fight the players are introduced to the listeners, creatures similar to the watchers although just like with the watchers their origin is unknown. The players learn that the watchers were evil and the listeners aid the players in escaping evo.

Now back to the life series, were Martyn, the dramatic little guy that he his, decided to add a little flair to his personal pov.

The first time something happens is in Martyns third life finale, right after he dies. Make sure you write this down because you will need it for the test. You see Third life Martyn falling in front of a black screen. A strange dramatic almost western narration over it. Then it cuts away and we hear an ominous voice talking in rhymes. They are not happy and they shout the iconic phrase of "Our will be DONE!" That is a term that will appear on the test so make ure to remember it.

Over the course of last life this same mysterious voice can be heard multiple times, accompanied by a glitching or completely blacked out screen. The ominous voice even talks to Martyn directly, promising a good ending for him and his friends. In the last episode there's a long conversation between Martyn and the voice. The voice doesn't keep his promise. delivering the iconic line of: "We had a taste before. Back in the winter. IT WASN'T ENOUGH!" We also learn that The voice isn't happy with Scott. Mostly beccause he refused the boogeyman curse, choosing to become red instead, and now he'd become the winner. The voice also says the following about Grian. "He was never meant to be here. He was only ever meant to watch." The first obvious reference to the watchers that is made. The voice also says Martyn is "more of a listener".

In double life there is not a single reference to any watcher stuff, so we're skipping to limited life, which is consequently the end of the eyes and ears au. The season Martyn won. All the watcher stuff happens in the final episode so keep that in mind here. My theory is that Martyn wasn't planning on doing more watcher stuff until he knew that he had won. There is also a reference to the canary curse in here with the line "Canary call, the first to fall." But I'm not sure if the canary curse idea originally came from Martyn or that Martyn had seen it in the fandom.

Then finally we get the first mention of the listeners. "There are those who watch, we are those who listen." I can't say with certainty if this is the same ominous voice we've heard the whole time or if this one is different, but i digress. The scene we see here mirrors the one we saw in the third life finale, although this time it's limited life falling in a void. The listener talks about shards of a soul, on Martyns body we see three fragmented rune like markings, probably one for each previous season. The listener gives him back a fragment of his soul. This is where the Eyes and Ears AU ends.

So, what is happening here? I'm glad you asked that question but next time please raise your hand before shouting stuff across the classroom. After evo the watchers wanted to punish those who escaped, putting a few of them in the life series death game while others presumably got their punishment in another way. The players that come from evo are Martyn, Jimmy, Pearl and Bigb. You might be thinking I'm missing someone but I'll get to Grian later.

Watchers feed on emotions. This is why they were doing everything back in evo and this is also why they started the life series, next to the fact that they wanted to punish the players for escaping. Grian wasn't supposed to participate but he wanted to help the rest. He tries to keep everything lighthearted no matter what happens, tries to keep a smile on everyones faces so that the watchers don't have anything to feast on.

Every life series the players lose a fragment of their soul, a mental toll that this experience causes them. On top of that their emotions are wiped, or more accurately absorbed, meaning they'd still have memories from previous seasons but they won't have any lingering anger from it. There are a few exeptions to this with for exemple Pearl still being mad at Martyn for killing Tilly but in these cases the emotions were so strong that the watchers couldn't get rid of them.

The listeners are primarily just against the watchers, just like they were in evo, leading them to helping Martyn.

Lastly a small fun fact is that Martyn actually came up with an explanation for why Pearl and Cleo couldn't be there for one session. Pearl was still to emotionally unstable, and so was cleo due to ranking way higher then she ussually does in the previous season, so the listeners switched in Gem and Lizzie to give Pearl and Cleo's soul a break.

Anyways, that's all I have time for in this lesson. I will see you in the next class which will be the last of this semester. If you have any questions make sure to email me and don't forget to practice both the material we handled today and everything you've already learnt.

can someone really not normal about hermitcraft infodump to me what the fuck is going on with the watcher lore please . Please . I literally don't know anything about it where am i

[frostbeees]

usa vs slovakia (pre-tournament) | 05.07.24