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thewitchblue · 8 hours ago

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"Please, we need you."

Dick was not above begging. He desperately needed your help. You don't bother looking away from cooking your breakfast. He broke into your apartment to plead for your help. Why are they bothering you this time? You retired years ago. You said flatly,

"No."

Of course they would come to you. Your power is biokinesis, and you hate using it. The ability to control the processes within every living thing felt unfair. You could control their blood cells, the photosynthesis of plants, you could use their stomach acid to attack their organs, and there are so many body horrors you can do. You could ruin people. Permanently, if you aren't extremely careful.

You can control vital organs, snap or fuse bones by controlling the calcium, and knit muscle together by manipulating the protein and blood controlling the muscles. It was overpowered, and you felt no joy in your abilities. It's beneficial, yes, but you became their crutch when someone goes rogue, and now that you are retired, you have become their last resort panic button. What's even happening? Did the Justice League become evil again? Doesn't Bruce have plans to neutralise them?

Younger you were in love with being a hero and being the best. Older you now realised how robotic and fruitless the fighting always has been. You gave up your suit. You gave up that life.

"Hate to break it to you, cupcake, but you're needed. Get in your suit."

Jason said as he, too, crawled in your window. He paused to look at Dick. They appeared to have the same idea to recruit you without discussing it among themselves. You sighed. You don't even have your suit anymore. You got rid of it to stop the temptation to return. You retired. You're done. Why can't they respect that?

"Even if I wanted to, I destroyed my suit. I'm not going out there."

The eldest brothers looked at each other as Tim also crawled in. What is this? A clown car? Where did he come from? Tim admitted sheepishly,

"We made a spare suit for you. Y'know... just in case you came back?"

He was rudely shoved out of the way by Damian. The two glared at each other for a moment before both of them gave up on their combined annoyance. Dick said,

"This is an emergency. Every other hero has been taken over except us."

You shut off your stovetop and plated your pancakes with a scowl. They deal with something like this monthly. What is the big issue now? You grabbed your fork and maple syrup.

"This happens all the time. Why do you need me now?"

Silence followed your question. None of them wanted to admit why they came to you. After a long moment of silence, Dick, ever the leader, decided to tell you since nobody else was saying anything,

"Bruce has been taken over as well."

You nodded. That makes sense then. Bruce is their beacon. Who they all turned to for any plan when there is little hope left. Still, you didn't want to come back.

"Constantine?"

"Out of commission."

"Plastic man?"

"Taken over."

"Wally?"

"Outrunning it, but unable to help."

You groaned. Obviously, they would take the League first and foremost, but the backup heroes are also taken over? What about the all of the other solo heroes?

"Am I really your last option?"

You were perplexed. Why are you among the last to be mind controlled? Was it something in the food? Tim shrugged. He explained,

"You were a missing hero. They don't expect you to come out of retirement."

You took a bite out of your pancake as you contemplated what to do. They obviously need your help, but the fight would be taxing. You're out of practice, too, so you'll be more tired than previously.

Nobody can fight someone who could fry their brain or fuse their muscles together to prevent movement, but it would take a lot out of you to fight so many heroes at once. You finally said,

"Let me finish my breakfast first."

And so they all awkwardly lounged around your apartment as you ate, to your amusement and their stress. They all felt a timer going off, but you felt like dragging your feet until you could feel your responsibility to the world suffocate you.

"When did you take this picture?"

Jason cried in outrage, holding one of your various framed photographs. You snickered. That's the photo of Jason cuddling with Artemis, clearly asleep but Jason was smiling so serenely and she was clearly trying to struggle away from Jason's iron grasp without waking him up like a trapped bunny struggling against the inevitable.

"And when did you take this?!"

Dick said as he held up his favourite plushie that you stole. He had to buy a new one after months of searching. In your defence, he never came to you and never asked for it. You said defensively,

"It was a souvenir! I took something from everybody. I stole Tim's old Superboy shirt that's honestly kind of embarrassing. Why is Kon shirtless, Tim?"

Tim decided it's best not to answer that question. Kon gave it to him. He found it in a store in Thailand and decided it was funny enough to give to Tim. Neither of them talk about it now, and it turned into a pyjama shirt for when everybody else is out of the house. It was so poorly photoshopped that it would be a shame to throw away. It's better to hide it. They laughed about it every time they looked at it now. Even Bernard found it funny when Tim showed him the shirt.

Damian stared at you with raised eyebrows. What did you take from him? He didn't notice anything missing. You gave him a sharp smile before getting up to do the dishes. You innocently said,

"Jon actually willingly gave me a goodbye picture. Does that cheek kiss mean anything?"

Damian froze as all eyes turned to him. He looked disgusted in the photo, but you could tell there was something there. What's with the Bats pining painfully for the Supes? Bruce isn't any better. They actually kissed (while undercover, but you snapped a photo and blackmailed him for weeks).

"Are me and Dick really the only normal ones?"

Jason was in disbelief. Did they break the Super curse? You scoffed,

"Dick is the only normal one, and even he dated an alien. I know about your past situation with Kara, Jason."

Jason, Jason, Jason. Always the "I'm too tough for love," but he thrives on it.

What is up with all the Bats pining aliens anyway? Tim let his crush go when he aged and met Bernard (who he never shut up about to his friends), Bruce let go of his Clark crush the day after their kiss, but Damian is still hesitant to admit he may be gay and kind of annoyed he is so similar to his father. Even their taste in men are the same, gross.

"Is there a point to your useless questioning, or are you ready to fight?"

Damian asked with crossed arms. You chuckled. He's just mad Jon gave you that photo. You have a lot of photos all over your home. Some petty, some wholesome, some purposely ugly. You had a little bit of everything.

Dick found the photo of Bruce very comfortably kissing a startled Clark. It looked like they were going to make out judging by the way Bruce was holding him and the robbers in the background. Bruce was undoubtedly thinking of a plan, but you managed to snap the picture after locking the tugs into place by fusing their knees together and their wrists to their hips.

Dick decided to question you about this after the fight. Your feet cracked as you walked to the window, drawing their attention back to you. You locked your window and opened it again.

"Fine. I'll fight."

You said before you crawled out of the window. The others quickly followed until everybody realised you had no idea where you were going, so Dick took the lead. You asked,

"What's the plan then? Am I fighting alone?"

Jason looked at you as if you were crazy. Alone? No. They are too antsy to sit around and do nothing. If they can be useful, they will be useful.

"Never alone, cupcake."

Jason said. You didn't know how to feel about that. They are incredibly useful, yes, but you weren't sure if they would get in your way or not.

You put on the suit in the Batcave with a sigh. Back to this chaotic storm. You said after a pause,

"You'll be the guards then. I'll work on frying the control."

The others nodded. That works for them. They need to be doing something, or they would feel useless.

You all arrive to where Bruce was last tracked to be and found a massive base. You scowled as you eyed the ranks. Most of the sidekicks would be easy to take care of, but the big members were more challenging. The control would be more established.

You decided to target Batman first in the meantime. Batman has everything possible in his utility belt, no matter how unlikely something will happen with the wits to back up his fighting prowess, so he's one of the biggest threats to your crew and you. He's dangerous.

"This is going to hurt."

You warned just before shutting down various parts of his brain. You grimaced as you forced the mind control out of him. It was a battle of wits that Bruce eventually was able to join in helping the more you pushed out.

You closed your eyes and winced. Even with the help, whatever is in control was digging their way through you as well. Bruce was the easiest one with his mental fortitude. What will happen with the others? What will you have to do for Clark? Or Wally with his speedy thoughts? Could you even keep up with his thoughts? The idea made you nauseous already. They are going to be the hardest. Wonder Woman might be the next best target. She'll be the next easiest because of her godly genetics, and she can help in the fight against Superman.

You succeeded in releasing Batman's mind control and immediately moved onto Wonder Woman. She's a massive threat already to the Bats. Batman can join the fight, but even he will struggle with Wonder Woman. He'll have to rely on the others for help while he figured out a way to take her out.

You scowled when you entered her mind. The mind control is becoming smart. It moves locations now. You have to chase it through the brain and even through the nerves and veins in the brain.

It's sentient, you realised. You thought maybe it was just a device or someone else, but no. They are a hive mind of living beings. It's a parasite that you have to chase through their brain to "cut" out. You have to cut their feeding ground.

You hissed in pain as you moved through the heroes. You have no idea how you will deal with the aliens like Starfire and especially the Supes. You had to double-check that you didn't transfer the parasite to yourself multiple times.

There are so many heroes and so many devastating combinations that you had to break up. Everybody was in chaos, but the Bats worked as smoothly as a well-oiled machine. It would be admirable if you weren't so preoccupied with both fighting heroes and killing the parasites.

The League was getting overwhelmed. They were struggling to fight off the horde of sidekicks that they trained, and the solo heroes weren't easy to take down either. You were working as quickly as you could, but these parasites are so quick in their squirming and don't give up. You were trying to fry them out and starve them without causing any lasting damage on anyone. You were so, so, so careful in protecting them that it was slowing you down substantially.

You were also being overwhelmed by the sheer numbers. Would it kill the League to stop picking up sidekicks? You managed to share with the telepaths to look out for a parasite and to distract it until you can get to the hero, but they were also struggling by the numbers.

You shuddered. You needed more help. Could you get Constantine to help at all? What about the other magicians? You weren't sure there was any more help to have. The parasites are smart and learn from each other. When one goes down, they all learn. Soon, you'll run out of tricks, and who's to say a similar parasite won't come back again? There could be more out there.

You almost collapsed when you finished the last hero, shivering. There are at least 30 sidekicks turned into newly made heroes, not even counting the League and the solo heroes, but you managed.

Before anybody could hug you or even thank you, you were gone. You slipped away silently, but everybody knew that you saved the world. You were the main and only reason they won.

The earth isn't conquered, and the heroes don't have to be killed by the Bats. You left a note to Batman about everything you learned about the parasite, but you left the clean-up to the telepaths. They can assess any damage done to the heroes better than you ever could.

You did your best to heal the damage done when you had to shut off parts of the brain in your mission, but you know the telepaths will be much better suited than yourself with assessing mental damage. Everybody was perfectly normal and functional, at least, so that had to count for something, right?

You undid all the fused bones and locked muscles as you left the building. The sound of seemingly hundreds of bones cracking back into place again is a sound you wished you weren't familiar with.

The following screams haunted your memory as you watched everybody fall to their knees in agony. You fixed their muscles and bones, so it's to be expected to be agony.

You had to decommission everybody at some point in order to work out the parasite without fuss, so everybody was in severe pain. Nothing but agony follows you, but they are all healthy, and that's all that matters in the end.

You went home after dropping off the suit into the BatCave and collapsed on your couch. Now, you can relax and retire once more. You sighed in relief at the thought. You don't know how many heroes you helped, but it felt like far too many.

You really hated being a hero.

#gn reader #platonic batfam #vigilante reader #x reader

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angels-and-demons · 2 years ago

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Heyy

I have a question for the normal AU (So not Proxy of Hades AU)

How do you think the other demigods + the seven etc dealt with the fact that Nico had run away from both Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter??

(If we’re following what happened in Nico and The Creepypasta’s)

Nico would’ve been missing for 11 months or so without notifying ANYONE where he was going and then he ended up in a mansion and got a found family and friends in the forms of serial killers w/ a boyfriend as an added bonus too!

You’ve got the Son of Hades missing and then a year later it turns out he joined a bunch of serial killers and demons and such (urban legends included since Slenderman)

See, I feel most demigods would be like, "awe that's a shame he was a cute kid :(" but then kinda move on? Because most of the campers seemed to avoid him.

Percy was MIA at that point, and... he didn't really remember anything.

Annabeth was very stressed out, because Nico was missing ON TOP of Percy's disappearance AND finding out about the Romans. And it's all a lot for her.

Thalia keeps an eye out for him, obviously, while she's with the hunters. Because she cares about the small fry.

Piper, Frank, Jason, and Leo didn't know him when he went missing, so like... they fall in the camp of "awe that's a shame"

And Hazel was still dead at this point.

And THEN when he comes back, everyone's like, "whelp, I guess we gotta deal with THIS shit now too"

(Kinda bonus crack hc here: Chiron and Slender are exes and are SO FUCKING SALTY about it.)

#creepypasta #ticci toby #toby rogers #nico di angelo #pjo #crack ship #nicoby #pjo nico #natc #heroes of olympus #percy jackson #slenderman #chiron

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abyssal-ali · 2 years ago

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Titans Tower AU (with a twist)

You know those fics where Jason breaks into Titans Tower to confront Tim? Yeah, I wrote one of those. With a twist, if the title wasn't clear enough.

Rating: G

Length: 0.9k

A/N: I can never keep track of who's on which team, so I'm calling all the members of this team the Titans and hoping I get it right.

A call came through Red Robin’s comms. He muted the other Titans and answered it. “What? I’m busy,” he snapped.

A low mechanized chuckle came through. “Too busy to miss your package?”

Red Robin stiffened. “What did you do to them?!”

Silence.

“Hood, answer me!”

“Nothing…yet. But I don’t have to do anything. I just need to wait for Agent A to call and inquire about them. When he realizes you don’t have them and missed me taking them because you’re in serious need of a nap…then I’ll strike.” He chuckled. “See you later, sleep-hater.”

Red Robin fumed as the call dropped and angrily reconnected. “Bring them to me untouched by 10 o'clock am tomorrow or I’ll let Batman know what you did on Friday.”

A gasp. “You wouldn’t!”

“I would,” replied Red Robin icily. “I have photo proof. Your helmet’s too bright.”

Muttering broke off. “Deal. 10 am tomorrow…mostly intact goods. Pleasure doing business, Alvin.”

●○●○●○●○●○●

The Titans were only muted one-sidedly. RR couldn’t hear them but they could hear him, as well as Red Hood’s phone-in. Apparently the villain even knew Red Robin’s name, which was kept strictly under wraps.

Red Hood had…other Bats? People close to Alvin at any rate, they assumed.

The Titans prepared for Red Hood’s visit, getting into position ahead of Red, who was typing away on a case in his room.

Red Hood sauntered into the tower, dufflebag in hand and helmet on head. He made his way familiarly to Alvin’s room and tossed a knife at shoulder height that Al easily caught. “Computer reflection.”

“That’s why I threw it,” replied Hood blandly. “Gotta keep you on your toes.”

“Package?” Demanded Al, irritable.

Red Hood opened the duffle and the Titans tensed, remembering the stories they’d heard about his career beginning. But the Rogue only withdrew a cardboard box and handed it to Al, who opened it eagerly.

Al’s phone rang and Hood snatched it up, answering it first despite Al’s grabs for the device. “‘Lo?”

“Red Robin,” an older Brit said warmly.

“Hey, Agent A. Thanks for the box!” Hurriedly Alvin crammed something from the box into his mouth. “Best batch yet, love the spicing. More…nutmeg?”

“Ginger. Are you only eating them now?”

“Uh…” Al twisted and gave Red Hood a deer-in-the-headlights look. “No?”

“Red Robin,” said Agent A warningly.

Al huffed. “Hood stole them and held them hostage!”

“Master Hood, I believe Red Robin is suffering from severe sleep deprivation, if he did not miss my weekly package. You have my blessing.”

“Thanks, A, you’re the best!” Red Hood hung up and swung Al into a bridal carry. “Tap your heels, baby bird, to the Cave we go!”

“Noo, I don’t wanna,” whined Al. “I promise I’ll sleep here! Don’t take me to 'Wing and the brat–they’ll smother me and lecture meeee….”

“Fine. Since you’re going without a fight, I’ll let you off easy. I’ll take you to my safe house and cook for you instead. But you’re only getting my stir-fry if you sleep without my help.”

Alvin sulked. “Fine.”

Red Hood grabbed the duffle and hoisted Al into a shoulder carry. “Set the zeta for Gotham to the East End, it's closer to my safe house than the Bristol one.”

“All ready,” Alvin announced after fiddling with his wrist computer for a moment. He spanked Hood, asking, “What’re you waiting for? Let go or let’s go!”

“Rude, Replacement. What’re you telling the Titans?”

Alvin shrugged. “Never told 'em you were coming. They should still be training so let’s go. I’ll text them later.”

Hood exited Al’s room with Red Robin and the duffle, stepping out to face the lined up Titans. “Baby League,” he greeted.

“Red Hood,” said Superboy. “Why do you get along so well with Red?”

“None of your beeswax,” snapped Hood. “Let us through.”

“Not until you tell us why,” Aqualad negotiated.

“His grandfather gave me permission to knock him out so he’d sleep, because he hasn’t in at least 4 days. Baby bird knows that if he goes quietly, things are better for him. Now let me through.”

“Pardon me if I don’t believe you,” sniffed Superboy.

“Then don’t. Not like you can tell from my heart rate if I’m lying, anyways.”

Al squirmed and Hood let him down to face his teammates. “It’s okay, guys. Hood regularly kidnaps me to force me to sleep.”

“You’re serious,” Wondergirl said flatly.

“No, I’m threatening him,” said Hood. Al jabbed Hood’s chest with his elbow.

“Stop tormenting them, Hoody. Look, it’s fine. Hood’s my brother.”

…

When the Titans collected their thoughts, Aqualad asked, “Does Batman know?”

Hood snorted. “B’s well aware of his problem child. He’s the one who kidnapped me when I stole the Batmobile’s tires.”

“Didn’t the second Robin do that?” Wondergirl frowned at Alvin.

“My reputation precedes me,” said Hood mockingly. “Robin 2 at your service.” He bowed theatrically, ignoring Al’s mutter of “dramatic theatre nerds”.

“But I thought you–” Superboy stopped.

“Yeah, say the d-word; I don’t care. I died, got better, yadayadaya. Can I complete my Robin-napping now?”

The Titans stepped aside in silence.

Three days later Alvin came back, well-rested and happier, and they all pretended like nothing had happened, even though it killed some of them (*cough* Kid Flash *cough*).

#ali writes #titan's tower au (with a twist)#fic

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intercoursefluids · 1 year ago

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Well That Happened Chapter 11

Marinette and Damian were crouched behind a wall together, peering out at Steph and Jason as they tried to get the akuma’s attention.

The theory was, that since Marinette had gained healing abilities after being hit, that whoever was hit would gain the abilities of a character in fictional media.

Thye hadn’t figured out what Damian could do yet, but it wasn’t exactly a priority at this point in time.

“Remember the plan, get hit once and get out.” Marinette whispered into her comm, peeking out over Damian’s shoulder as they tried to spot the akuma.

Jason gave her a thumbs up, walking around a corner in his search for the akuma.

A blast of light shot out, smacking him straight in the chest and knocking him to the ground.

Marinette could hear his wheeze over the comm and winced in sympathy, getting the wind knocked out of you was never fun.

Steph ran over to him, helping him sit up and get out of the way just as another shot went off.

Marinette narrowed her eyes at that, how the akuma didn’t fire again immediately.

Marinette started counting, waiting for another shot to go off.

Steph got Jason out of the way, replacing him with herself and drawing the akuma’s attention as he made his way back to their hiding spot.

The akuma fired again, hitting Steph just as planned.

30 seconds after the first shot.

Steph ducked behind an overturned dumpster just as the akuma came around the corner, hiding just in time to not be spotted.

Jason slid up beside the two, ducking down so he was hidden by the rubble.

“So? What do you think?” He asked, looking towards Marinette as she stared at the akuma.

“Everything went according to plan, do you feel any different?” She watching as the akuma started to randomly fire his gun in 30 second intervals.

Jason shook his head, turning back to watch the akuma too.

“No, I don’t. I’m not sure it worked, I don’t even look any different like Damian did.” He said, glancing down at his outfit.

Marinette hummed, bringing a hand to her comm to contact Steph.

“Steph, did it work?” She asked, trying to spot the other girl without giving away her cover.

Steph didn’t answer for a few seconds, which worried Marinette.

When she did, her voice was small, sounding like she was far away.

“Yes, I turned into Tinkerbell.” She answered, her voice tinkingly vaugly similar to bells.

Marinette turned to Damian, raising an eyebrow.

“Do you know who Tinkerbell is?” She asked, trying to figure out what that meant for the plan.

“She’s a fairy.” Damian answered, sparing her a glance before going back to scoping out the area.

Marinette nodded, turing back to watch the akuma.

“Okay, here’s what’s going to happen. When I say go, hurry back to our hiding spot, you have 30 seconds to either make it here or to cover.” She said, watching the akuma’s every move.

Steph made a sound that sounded vaugly like an agreement so Marinette took it as such.

The akuma fired it’s gun, hitting and empty car and prompting Marinette to give the signal.

“Go!”

As shiny blurr shot out from behind the dumpster Steph had ducked behind, zipping straight for the group.

Steph made it to the group with time to spare, swooping down to hide with the rest before the akuma could notice her.

She was tiny now, her blond hair was tied up in a bun and she was wearing a small dress that seemed to be made out of purple leaves. She had tiny glowing wings on her back, making it so she could fly.

“Okay, where do we go from here?” She asked, flying over to Jason to sit on his shoulder.

Marinette shook off her surprise, turning back to survey the area.

Several things lit up for her immediately, a car, a frying pan, a broken jar, Jason, Steph, and Damian.

Marinette hummed, waving Jason a bit closer.

“Here’s what we’re going to do. Jason, Steph, I need you two to get a vehicle up and running for us, it doesn’t matter what kind it is but we all need to be able to fit one way or another. Damian, you’re with me, we need to distract the akuma so Chat and get its gun away from it. I’m pretty sure that’s where the akuma is.” Marinette explained, looking at everyone.

“The akuma has a 30 second cool down on its gun, use that to your advantage.” She ordered, poised to go.

The rest of the group nodded, getting in position to go.

Marinette held up and arm, waiting for the gun to fire again.

The second the shot went off she dropped her arm, bursting out from behind the wall with everyone else.

Marinette ran forward, sliding across the floor and scooping up the frying pan.

She was up and out of the way just as the shot hit the ground where she had been.

Marinette turned, tossing the pan to Damian as she braced her back against the car she had noticed earlier.

Marinette tried to think back, remembering what else she needed. They would break the akuma’s item so it couldn’t attack them anyonre, but they needed some thing to capture the butterfly with first.

A shot flew just over her head, the glowing beam ricotchign off of a metal bowl before crashing into the concrete and disintrigrating.

Marinette looked around, noting that Damian had noticed the same thing she had and was already using the pan to redirect the akuma’s shots.

Cover secured, Marinette darted out from her hiding spot, searching for any and everything that might be able to keep the akuma contained until [Ladybug] could purify it.

There, the broken jar.

Marinette darted over to it, following the broken glass trail in the vauge direction of a collapsing building.

Marinette rushed inside, hoping to find something inside.

It was somebody’s house, demolished entirly by the akuma attack with very little still intact.

Marinette rushed to the cabinets, openign every door and drawer as she ignored the sounds of fighting happening outside.

There was a box in one of the cabinets, most of the jars in it were smashed or cracked but there were a couple that were okay.

Marinette scooped up the jar, rushing back outside and searching for the akuma.

“We need to get the gun! Chat, I need you to disappear, Pretty Boy, make yourself a nuisance!” She shouted into her comm, sprinting towards the battle.

Tag List:

@Dontbenddontbreak

@Its-maemain

@Toodaloo-kangaroo

@Doll246

@Jennifer-rose123

@Razzledazzle247

@Cydaeashootingstar

@Madhatter-crazyasahatter-blog

@miyatalksshit

@Vroomtaka

@animegirlweeb

@rosesandsailboats

@depressed-bitchy-demon

Come Find Me On Discord!<3

#maribat #ml x dc #dc x mlb #mlb x dc #marinette x damian #maridami

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fancoloredglasses · 2 years ago

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Robin's Reckoning (Who knew he could get so dark?)

[All images are owned by DC Comics and Warner Bros Discovery. I hope I’m too small-fry to sue...]

Before I dive into this review, I want to mention a few things I realized as I was deciding to do this story from Batman TAS…

Robin has been with the series from the beginning! Well, starting in the second episode (which was also the debut of Mark Hamill as the Joker). I originally thought he started late in the series since he’s only been in a handful of episodes.

While nearly everyone knows the origins of every major super hero out there, not as much attention is given to the sidekicks. I mean sure, most people know the origin of Robin (that is, Dick Grayson; I’m not sure how many know Jason Todd’s or Tim Drake’s origins as Robin), but how many know the comic canon origins of Bucky Barnes, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, or Speedy (hell, I’m not sure I know Speedy’s origin!)

Which brings us to the subject of this review. If you would like to watch the two-part story, the episodes are available on Max or behind your favorite paywall.

We open to Batman and Robin staking out a high-rise construction site waiting for an extortion ring intent on destroying the site.

…and Robin is bored out of his skull, since they’ve been waiting for 4 hours.

Finally they show and Batman wants to go in slowly.

(Gotta love the impatience of youth)

The Dynamic Duo make short work of them (and somehow manage to not send any falling to their doom). Two of the three escape…

…leaving the third hanging. Batman threatens to leave the thug (whose grip is slipping) behind unless he tells who his boss is.

Robin wants to know where to find Marin, but Batman puts the brakes on, telling Robin to get a coffee the Batmobile. As soon as Robin leaves…

It’s at this point most older viewers start realizing this isn’t Adam West we’re dealing with.

Later at the Batcave, Batman decides to bench Robin on the Marin case.

Robin is understandably pissed as Batman leaves without him. Later, he starts venting to Alfred.

Robin then access the Bat-Computer to find out what Batman knows about Marin.

Wait a minute, Zucco can’t be Sid the Squid! Sid the Squid killed Batman!

This triggers a flashback to 9 years ago, when Dick Grayson was part of the Haly Brothers Circus…

…as a member of the Flying Graysons with his parents.

Young Dick saw the owner, Jack Haly, kick Tony Zucco out of his trailer when Zucco attempted to extort the circus.

However, that night…

youtube

(Thanks to Batman: The Animated Series)

So Bruce, in disguise, attempted to get info about Zucco. One of the thugs got suspicious and started asking questions of his own. Realizing the jig was up, Bruce made short work of the thugs…

…then quickly changed into his “power suit”. The goon quickly told Batman Zucco’s hiding with his uncle, Arnold Stromwell.

Later that evening, Batman paid Stromwell a visit.

Batman demanded to know where Zucco is, but Stromwell played ignorant and kicked Batman out…

…but not before putting a bug in the room.

After he realized it’s safe to come out, Zucco started gloating, which pretty much pissed off Stromwell.

Stromwell disowned Zucco and threw him out, which was what Batman was waiting for…

youtube

(Thanks again to Batman: The Animated Series)

Well, that’s not foreboding! I mean, we all know he’ll eventually quit and become Nightwing, but the series is still in season 2 at this point! We’ll have to see how this plays out by clicking that “next episode” button.

We open with Robin tracking the Batmobile (you’d think Batman would’ve thought to shut it off if he didn’t want Robin involved…

…Oh, he did)

This leads to another flashback, this time with young Dick learning fencing from Bruce.

Let’s just say Dick was a better acrobat than fencer. Then Lt. Gordon showed up to discuss Zucco. Dick eavesdropped.

That night, Dick snuck out of Wayne Manor to find Zucco before he could escape. He then canvassed the residents of the seedier parts of Gotham asking around about Zucco, but coming up empty until…

…he spotted a local pimp thug having issues with one of his…female employees. Dick lent a hand and he and the “lady” made their escape.

Later at a nearby diner, she showed her appreciation by buying Dick dinner. The waitress actually saw Zucco and pointed Dick to an abandoned warehouse (naturally) Dick rushed there and saw…

…Zucco packing his things for a long trip. Unfortunately, he made just enough noise for Zucco to notice and…

Fortunately, Batman arrived on the scene and knocked Zucco away. Unfortunately…

Batman saved Dick’s life, but Zucco got away. Batman took Dick to the Batcave and asked how badly Dick wanted Zucco. Then…

Thus began Dick Grayson’s career as a crime fighter.

Back in the present, Robin continues his search for Zucco.

Robin overhears a news report on Batman’s capture of the thug in part 1 (remember him?), as well as his address, so he goes there and breaks in. He tosses the place looking for Zucco’s address. Then he finds the phone and it’s one of those new-fangled ones with last number redial (remember this is the early 90s. Cell phones were just starting to hit the marketplace at this point) He puts a tracer on the phone and dials.

“Gotcha!”

At Zucco’s hideout, Zucco is getting paranoid and is pretty much jumping at shadows. He hears a noise in the ceiling and…

Zucco empties the Tommy gun into the ceiling. His gang says he’s losing it, but then…

(How the hell did Zucco not hit him if he was on top of the area Zucco weakened by filling it with bullet holes?)

Unfortunately the fall twisted Batman’s knee! Zucco has Batman dead in his sights! Unfortunately for him…

…he emptied the gun into the ceiling. Batman throws a smoke bomb and limps out. While Zucco and his gang regroup, Batman ties a makeshift brace for his injured leg. Batman takes out one of the thugs, but that sends the rest his way!

Meanwhile, Robin is rushing to kill Zucco join the fight.

youtube

(Thanks to The Night Beyond)

[QUICK NOTE: The original run of this episode had Batman using the makeshift crutch, but Bruce Timm didn’t like how vulnerable it made Batman look, so they re-animated it for future airings and DVD release]

Now I just need to find origins for the other sidekicks. Hope you enjoyed!

#dc comics #dini verse #batman #robin #Fan Colored Glasses

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marleyin · 3 years ago

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SIREN EYES. | E. M.

— DAY BACK. 1

| series Masterlist. |

“Come on F/N!” Steve called from down stairs. It was the day back from fall break and neither did Steve or you want to be here. “Be down stairs in ten or I’ll leave to get Robin without you!” Groaning you leave bed to get changed. A pair of jeans and a sweater you stole from Robin a few months ago will do for now.

“So F/n, got any plans for Halloween?” Robin turns to look at you from the passenger seat. “Uh, maybe give out candy or work the sto-” “Lame, hang out with some people, make new friends!” Steve interrupted you with his bickering again. “Come on, talk to more people other than like- Robin, me, Nancy, Nicole-” He was talking more with his hands than usual, Steve really wanted you to make more friends than you had already. Only talking to both Nance and Nicole at school might have gotten to you just a little bit. Maybe it was time to make more friends before school had ended.

Out of all of your classes, lunch was your favorite since people were actually minding their own business. Unless Munson and Carver yelled at each other a little, they had times where Jason would bring up something about one of the freshmen sitting at the ‘Hellfire club table’ and Eddie would stand up and be all defensive for them. Honestly you thought it was cute how he protected them from those jerk-faces. Nice to know someone else at this school was a good person.

“Earth to F/n, do you copy?” Nancy sways a fry in front of you so gain your attention back. “Oh sorry what was it?” You place your hand that was under your child onto the table and give her the eye contact she wanted. “I was saying that for the school’s paper we put in how we won the last football game by a Meer chance and…” Soon after that Nancy’s voice became a blur, you went back to staring at Eddie who was 5 tables across from you and Nancy. The two of you sat far away from the rest in a corner working on school work for a majority of lunch some days.

“Who are you even staring at?” Nance looks back to see who you were staring at. To her surprise it was Eddie “the freak” Munson. Snapping her head back she looked at you with big eyes. “Him? The president of the Hell fire club? Are you crazy?” She whisper yelled at you. “What? He’s interesting!”

Nance rolled her eyes, “Anything but that guy, he isn’t good news..” she adjusts herself in her seat and you nod in response, really not promising anything. “Oh but you let Mike be in that club?” You question eating a fry. “Like I can stop him.” Chuckling at her response you cross your arms, “Like you can stop me from talking to him.” Nance gives you that ‘don’t do that’ mother stare.

After 7th period you made it your plan to talk to Eddie, make a new friend and grow into a extrovert than that introvert you were. Hellfire was on the same days as art club so you made it your goal to talk to him afterwards. Waiting outside the school you put on your headphones and wait for Steve to come by to pick you and Robin up for work.

“So did you make any new friends?” Robin asks handing you some VHS tapes to put up. “No, but I have a plan.” Steve pops up behind the rack of horror VHS’ , “Who’s the person you’re trying to be friends with?” “You’ll see soon..” You can’t blame your brother, he is family and wants to know, but that’ll be another time.

“Come on! You look so happy.” Steve says putting his hands on his hips. “Let me tell you, this person will be an escape for me.” You give the rest to Steve for him to put away. Walking into the backroom you grab posters to put outside.

Walking out the store you see Munson walk out of his van and walk towards the store. You turn around to put up the posters with the tape and can hear him getting closer. He pulled the door open and you could see from inside him asking Steve if they had any Friday the 13th part 1 and 2. Staring with curiosity Steve points to the horror section, he doesn’t notice but Robin sure does. When you make eye contact with her she gives you the same shocked, big eyes Nancy gave you. Rolling your eyes you put up the rest of the flyers and as you walk inside you accidentally bump into Eddie as he walks out. “Oh sorry.” He says giving eye contact. “It’s fine dude.”

You mentally face slap yourself, DUDE? Out of all things you could have said, you said dude.

“He’s so full of himself it weirds me out, never talk to that guy F/n.” Steve says fixing up the jammed register. “Yeah, I know..” Robin was staring you down. “F/n, me you, backroom now.” She grabs your wrist and pulls you towards the back of the store. “Hey what are you doing with her?” “GIRL TALK!” Robin yells back as she closes the door

“F/n, Eddie freaking Munson?” She questioned leaning back on the door. You sat on a box that thankfully didn’t collapse on you. “Yeah I guess so..” You were really questioning your motives. “I can totally see why you would like him.” Robin emphasizes the you part while also sitting on a box next to you. “Ok but why him, he’s a super-super senior.”

You couldn’t say why, you didn’t really have a reason why. Maybe it was the hair, the craziness, his confidence- hell it all could just be made up in your mind. “I don’t know, he has me cuffed by my wrists and he doesn’t even know.” You run your hands through your hair and look around the storage room.

“Is he a bad choice?” You fidget with your fingers and wait for a response. “Well, he was nice to Steve, Steve wasn’t nice to him.” Sighing you stand up, “You know, I get excited just by thinking of brining him home and my parents and Steve freaking out.” She laughs at that, “Holy shit you’re leaving your bubble a little too fast.” Turning towards her you have a smile on. “Oh I am so becoming someone new.”

[A/N; this sounds so bad atm but I’ll make sure it sounds better later on]

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unexpectedreylo · 3 years ago

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TLJ Revisited

TFA did not blow me away when it came out in 2015. As a long-suffering prequels fan I didn’t like the anti-prequel dog whistles in the months leading up to the film, I didn’t like a lot of the crazed fanboys gushing how it was the best SW movie ever and thank goodness they wrested it away from that horrible George Lucas. I didn’t like that Disney took Lucas’s outlines and for the most part trashed them, which publicly made Lucas unhappy. While watching the flick, I was like a bitter ex noticing every flaw of the new trophy wife. The story structure was not nearly as good as any of Lucas’s six films. It was too derivative of ANH. And worst of all, I had a real yucky feeling about what this trilogy was all about. There was a nihilistic subtext to the whole thing: Luke failed as a master, Han and Leia failed as parents, and the only scion of the Skywalker clan was almost certainly doomed for death since he was a bad guy and killed Han Solo. It seemed like a setup so that new heroine Rey would essentially take over the story. I couldn’t understand why it seemed I was the only person who seemed to notice this.

Then, five years ago, TLJ came out and for two years I had hope, even certainty, that maybe I’d misread the trajectory the trilogy was taking.

Dammit, I hate being right.

That said, TLJ remains something of a slightly nicked masterpiece. It is the best film of the sequel trilogy, that’s for sure. I liked the film when I first saw it. I was pleasantly surprised and well, we all know how I feel about Reylo. Yet when I look at what I wrote about the film right after seeing it, it seems like I was still pretty tough on it. I think in retrospect I was still annoyed by a lot of aspects of TFA and the story elements it introduced.

So five years on, I thought I would take an honest reassessment of the film. The good, the great, the bad, and the ugly.

First I want to address the perpetual controversy around TLJ. The curious thing about TLJ is how much anger it still inspires, to the point of irrationality. It’s one thing if it’s not your favorite SW film or if you didn’t love it. It’s one thing if you have problems with it. But I make no secret of what I think of TROS and I still don’t hate everything about it nor do I spend all of my time complaining about it. It’s almost as though a lot of the narrative and characterization problems TFA raised were ignored when the film came out and then when they inevitably materialized in TLJ, Rian Johnson got blamed for them. Luke exiled himself to that island for a reason and Johnson had to find a pretty extreme reason to explain why Luke would take that drastic of an action. The Luke in exile thing was one of the few aspects of Lucas’s outlines that actually made into the movies; he was set to go Col. Kurtz regardless. But angry fans don’t care about any of this. They think Johnson is some iconoclast who’s just tearing down Luke because he can. Mark Hamill’s public complaints about it didn’t help. The rest of it was anger over dashed theories over where TFA was going to go next. Really, it’s nuts. Who gets this excised over a movie? How does any honest person sincerely believe Rian Johnson is a mean, hateful person who only wanted to destroy someone’s cherished memories of Star Wars?

Okay, on to the movie itself.

A lot of what I still find flawed about the film comes from what was flawed about TFA. The whole galactic set up made no sense to me and while Jason Fry’s TLJ book explains it to some degree, that explanation is missing from the film. Lucas and Co. were great at worldbuilding while telling a story about a core of characters at the same time. The sequel guys, not so much. It’s just Empire vs. Rebels 2.0 without going into the how's or why's. It still makes little sense to me is Luke saying he didn’t want to be found, he just wanted to live out his days on Ahch-To, yet there’s a map to find him.

Another problem is how TLJ picks up immediately after TFA. Johnson didn’t really have much of a choice because of how TFA ended. So unlike the other SW films, there’s no narrative “breathing” room with this one. There’s no opportunity for the characters to grow or relationships to build or even for the characters to process what has happened to them. Compare that with TESB, where you can see Luke being a committed Rebel or a blossoming relationship between Han and Leia. Or with AOTC, where Obi-Wan has been master to padawan Anakin for 10 years and Padme has become a senator. I think that serves the Star Wars story better. This way makes the ST feel like a movie adaptation of a really long book they broke into two or three parts. And because Johnson had no idea what they were going to do in IX, his hand was forced to put everyone still alive back in their corners at the end of the film.

If I wasn’t going to include more of Rey and Kylo Ren, I would’ve included less of the rest of crew with the exception of Rey’s scenes with Luke. Simply put, Reylo is by far the most interesting aspect of the sequel trilogy and TLJ’s scenes with them are so compelling it’s easy to lose patience with the other threads. I don’t mind the Canto Bight stuff or Poe’s catfight with Holdo. I love Rose. But there seems to be a requirement that every sequel film must firmly focus on the Rebels because that’s who we’re cheering for. The problem is that in TLJ, you have two elder Skywalkers with a smaller role and their only scion is “the bad guy” who has less screen time than any of the major heroes. This continued the problem I had with TFA, that the Skywalkers were kind of side characters in their own saga. Johnson tries to take Finn and Poe and craft actual story arcs for them but it was always a little unclear as to what their role was in the bigger scheme of things. I guess we’re supposed to understand Poe is something of Leia’s heir apparent in the Rebel leadership but he’s also the house flyboy. As I posted in my original review, Poe is Wedge Antilles with a bigger role. Finn has a kinda clingy relationship with Rey and this bromance with Poe but he has no real connection with Luke, Leia, or Han. There are good things about his arc in this movie but it doesn’t answer the question, what’s he doing there? What does he bring to the table? I wish they’d kept the stormtrooper rebellion in this film or in TROS. And there’s no indication at all he has any affinity for the Force. There seems to have been insufficient communication all around as to who these characters are, what they’re supposed to be doing or what they're supposed to become.

I’ll never understand why the sequels avoided any “alien” seen in episodes I-VI like the plague. I never found the designs in the ST to be anywhere near as good, even factoring in the Rick Baker masks in ANH.

And if I may be so nitpicky, I don’t like the use of “big ass door.” It seems too much our world, not the GFFA.

Finally, I find it interesting that after noting both sides use war profiteers and Rose delivers an eat the rich (profiteer) speech about Canto Bight, we got a might makes right conclusion where it’s all about kicking the bad guy’s butt. The war’s on, baby! Look, if your message is the bad guys are evil and it’s a cancer that needs to be removed from the galaxy, stick with that. The other stuff is kind of a distraction that ultimately doesn’t mean anything to the narrative.

Okay, on to what I like/love about TLJ. Namely, it’s a brash, bold, beautiful film that in a lot of ways was just what Star Wars needed. I really worried this was going to be TESB Karaoke, and thank goodness Johnson had more sense than that. It’s a movie that parallels TESB and AOTC with occasional nods to each film; Johnson understands the difference between homage and just repeating what some other movie did. TLJ still feels like its own thing while adhering to the rhythm of the prior trilogies.

Johnson’s wisest decision was to get Adam Driver out of the Kylo Ren mask and take full advantage of Driver’s talent. Sure, it probably made the marketing department mad but man, what a performance. Today, I think that the timing of the film’s release and the trophy crowd’s disdain for Star Wars other than for the technical stuff, as well as other factors, hosed Driver out of a deserved supporting actor nomination. Kylo Ren was popular before TLJ but this film turned him into one of the most memorable and complex characters in the nine film saga. It also IMO made Adam Driver a bonafide star.

But Johnson is one of those “actor’s directors,” coaxing very good to terrific performances from his other cast members. Daisy Ridley’s Rey in TLJ is absolutely luminous: emotional, curious, occasionally funny, vulnerable, impulsive, compassionate, and in the heat of battle, feral. In her scenes with Kylo/Ben, she meets him toe-to-toe whether as enemies or as allies with the hint of something else brewing between them. As I’ll get to in my upcoming Reylo Heresies, I think we tend to forget that she commits wholeheartedly to Rey, which for a whole list of reasons isn’t an easy thing to do.

Well, here’s another heresy for you...I think TLJ remains up there with TESB as Mark Hamill’s best turn as Luke Skywalker. For all of Hamill’s kvetching and fanboy rage their hero was besmirched by that dastardly Johnson, Hamill did a great job. Luke’s scenes with Rey are great and his cranky reluctance to embrace his destiny were well performed. His great sadness at his own downfall and his wise wariness of a quickie conversion for Kylo add new depths to his character. His final duel with Kylo is an amazing cap to his legend. A lot of old fans like me were never happy that the ST set up our gang as failures and Luke’s behavior seemed a little harsh to me the first time I saw the movie. Then through subsequent viewings it didn’t seem so bad. I guess some fans never got over their initial shock.

Like I said, Johnson admirably sets up character arcs for newbies Poe and Finn while introducing new characters like Rose, DJ, and Admiral Holdo. I’m happy to see Laura Dern in anything. What a get. Same deal for oddball Benedicio Del Toro as DJ. Kelly Marie Tran got too much stick from idiots on the internet; her Rose is a delightful, charming character who teaches Finn what heroism really means and how to embrace something bigger than himself. Domhall Gleeson gets some fun moments as General Hux, Gwendoline Christie drops by for a compelling final battle with Finn, and BB-8 is as adorable as ever.

This was Carrie Fisher’s last actual performance in Star Wars and there’s something fragile and vulnerable about her turn in this movie. Few things can beat Luke’s reunion with Leia on Crait for pure poignancy.

Johnson also excels at visuals. It’s a beautifully shot movie, whether its the harsh interiors of the Supremacy, Snoke’s red throne room, Ahch-To, or Crait’s salt plains. The scene where Kylo and Rey touch hands is one of the greatest demonstrations of the need for connection and belonging I’ve seen in any movie. I also love the part where Holdo goes into hyperspace right through the Supremacy, splitting it apart just as Kylo and Rey “come apart” and the Skywalker lightsaber is split in two. I could go on and on about the many great shots in this movie.

Thematically, TLJ is very much in line with Johnson’s brand of populism. While the Skywalkers struggle with the weight of legacy, Johnson elevates “regular” Rebels like Rose and establishes that Rey--everyone’s last hope-- is...nobody. TLJ makes the case that anyone could come from anywhere and be a hero. Even the “villain” could be heroic for a minute or two if he lets himself.

It also makes the case that the purpose of legends is to inspire those people in the first place. This is demonstrated at the end of TLJ, unique among SW films in that it doesn’t feature the main characters in its coda. A slave kid on Canto Bight is inspired by Luke’s story, telling his friends about it as they play with their action figures, then holding up his broom stick like a lightsaber. TLJ is unique in that it’s the only SW film to basically comment on SW itself.

As for Reylo, I think TLJ accomplished two things by emphasizing and building upon their relationship. One is that it made each character more interesting. Prior to TLJ I found Kylo the most intriguing of the newbies but I wasn’t terribly invested in him or Rey until this film. The other is putting them together opened so many possibilities. It’s tragic in retrospect that TROS didn’t take greater advantage of them. Reylo isn’t just hot or sexy, it’s also mythic.

So that’s my look back at TLJ. Stay tuned for the heresies!

#reylo #the last jedi #fifth anniversary #tlj #rian johnson #star wars #sequel trilogy

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dadsbongos · 3 years ago

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why did you ask me out? (4)

1 / 2 / 3 / chapter 4 - evil trance / 5

2.3K words

warnings - speedrun enemies to friends to lovers trope

summary - You and Chrissy are long-lost best friends that join sides to pull one over on the girls hoping to make you prom queen as a bet. Things don't always go to plan - sometimes you realize you're in love and sometimes the girls shoot back at you.

1986. Senior Year.

You groggily push yourself up and stumble for just a second, you rush to Jason as quickly as your heels will allow and you shove him away from where he’s huddled Chrissy against the wall.

“Fuck off, man!” you shout, “She said you’re done, just leave!”

He goes to retort but then he sees Chrissy from over your shoulder. He shakes his head and points a finger in your face, “This isn’t over, freak.”

“Get out before I shove you out the fucking window,” you land a hard jab to his shoulder. There’s fear leaking through your veins but you refuse to let it show now, “Get the fuck out.”

Whether he’s actually threatened or not doesn’t matter when he’s shuffling out of the window anyhow.

“Oh my God,” Chrissy clings to your arm and leans so she can see into your eyes, “is your head okay?”

“Yeah, just need a minute,” you press your lips and grin when you remember the pink that litters them, “We got a prom to get to.”

“Are you sure?”

“We made a deal,” you turn and it takes restraint that even Saint Monica doesn’t know to not kiss her in front of the open window, “Let’s go so I can win or lose prom queen; and we win either way.”

Embarrassing Lily and Anne was now a far cry from the sweet victory of tonight, but it definitely works as a cherry on top.

1986. LAST WEEK.

“You guys going to prom?” Jeff asks after spotting student body president, Valeria Newman, and vice president, Claudia Green, hanging up a poster advertising ticket sales at lunch.

“For what? It’s not like we’re playing,” Eddie rolls his eyes, overly sick with the prom season fever after three years of it being shoved down his throat as a senior.

“I’m going,” Gareth actually smiles, though he tries hiding it by placing a hand over his mouth, “Kimmy asked me.”

“Yeah, I’m taking my girl, too,” Jeff doesn’t bother hiding his grin, “We’re going to her prom, though, so you’ll all have to go without seeing me in a suit.”

Grant shakes his head, “My mom’s taking us out of state for the weekend and we have to leave after school.”

Attention turns to you as you boredly knock the limp excuse for meat around the tray with your fork. You shrug, “Why would I?”

“For fun,” Gareth kicks at the toe of your shoe under the table, “You’re only a senior once, unless you’re Eddie.”

“Man,” he sighs but there’s an upturn to his lips, then he looks at you - pointing right in your face because he knows how much it annoys you, “Don’t fold and go, it’s overrated. I went my first two years and you know what happened?” you simply raise a brow and Eddie raises both hands in the air, “Nothing! Absolutely nothing, it was so fucking boring.”

“Well, did you have a date?” Grant asks.

“I know you people can get dates, but I’m not so gifted,” Eddie grins sardonically.

“Hey, nobody’s lining up to ask me either,” you huff, “I might just practice Master of Puppets again.”

“You’ve been practicing that nonstop,” Jeff sighs, “Just give prom a try. I know it’s not our scene, but do you really wanna be the kid that didn’t go and then wonders what could’ve happened?”

“I’ll go if somebody asks me,” you toss up your hands, “And not Munson, that’s a cop-out.”

“Fucked up, I was gonna make you prom queen,” Eddie glares at you and there’s a round of laughs from the table.

“What if you-know-who asks you?” Gareth raises his brows, “She’s going for sure.”

“Stop being so loud,” you throw a fry at Gareth’s head and shake your own, “also, no way that’s happening. You-know-who for sure has a date and hates me.”

“Doesn’t hate you,” Grant tries.

“Hasn’t tried talking to me in like four years,” you point out as Dustin and Mike finally take their seats at the table.

“Who hasn’t tried talking to you in four years?” Mike leans over to look at you from Dustin’s other side.

“Nobody,” you mumble, “The devil worshippers are trying to get me to go to prom.”

“Oh, you should,” Dustin places a hand on your arm, which you quickly shake off, “Suzie was visiting and we just watched Pretty in Pink, you’d love prom.”

“Pretty in Pink is a work of fiction and also Molly Ringwald is crazy hot,” you swat the boy’s arm, “Unrealistic, I say.”

Thank God for idiot boys because Mike and Dustin don’t notice your slip up in calling Molly Ringwald hot.

“You should go so you can actually have experience to base your hatred on,” Mike says in full support of Dustin, or perhaps simply in full support of pissing you off, “and then you can tell us, unbiased, if we should go.”

“Your sister is so much nicer than you, you know that?”

“Not when you’re related to her, but sure.”

“Fine, whatever,” you roll your eyes, “I’ll go if I’m really enticed, but that’s the only reason.”

Eddie’s uncharacteristically quiet and it leads you to look at him. His eyes are on the popular table, which is nothing new, but there’s nothing nasty beneath his gaze (his wide-eyed gaze, may you add). No rant waiting under his tongue. No spring under his chair ready to launch him onto the table. He leans forward to whisper to you,

“Don’t look now, but Cunningham is totally fuckin’ staring at you.”

1986. PROM.

“Ugh, dude, you didn’t tell me Jason was going as prom king,” you gag dramatically.

“Ugh, don’t call me ‘dude’,” Chrissy shoots right back.

Your hands shake slightly when you see the name. You’re trying to swallow it down. Pretend it isn’t happening, but every time you blink it’s still there. Low purple lights and ugly streamers and Chrissy’s hand on your thigh under the table. Your name next to Jason’s on the prom royalty ballot.

A guitar riff picks up from the band on stage (of which Eddie wouldn't waste two seconds saying would suck) - one you recognize instantly from years of Dustin making you and Eddie listen to it in the van.

Chrissy sits straighter at the sound, at the velvety voice of the lead singer. She turns to you, nodding as she quietly sings along, “Oh, Jessie’s got himself a girl and I wanna make her mine.”

“Oh, Jessie’s Girl,” you murmur, taking a quick swig of your punch and running your tongue over the sugary residue left on your teeth, “You can never be too on the nose.”

When can we get out of here?

“It’s fun,” Chrissy hums the tune, removing her hand from your thigh to grab a pencil and mark down you and Jason as prom royalty, “Soon.”

“Huh?”

“I know you,” she leans in to whisper to you, her lips just brushing the shell of your ear, “I know what you’re thinking - and soon. I promise.”

“God, Chris,” you turn to look her in the eyes even though you know how dangerous that is in public, “you sure know how to get to a girl’s heart.”

“Don’t even hafta try,” she giggles and leans over to vote yourself and Jason on your ballot as well, “Lie. I’m trying really hard right now, is it working?”

You watch her lean back in her seat. Strapped, ballet slipper pink trumpet dress on and pretty smile so easy to her lips. Chrissy Cunningham really has the nerve to ask if she’s found a way back into your heart - as if she ever left.

But you can’t say that, not when anyone could turn on you in the meandering swarm of students. Not when tonight is meant to be fun.

“Definitely,” you grin and scoot your chair closer to hers, the legs squeak against the linoleum, “As soon as this prom queen shit’s done - we’re out,” you make a show of biting your lip, nudging her arm and whispering, “I have so many years to make up with you.”

“Oh, really?” she gasps playfully, “How’re we gonna do that?”

“I’m thinking, stereotypical sleepover - makeover, pillow fights, all the works - and then we make out.”

“Yeah?” she tilts her head and you’re so smitten it’s almost laughable, “I think that sounds pretty great. Wanna use a face mask?” you nod and she chuckles, “I think I have a few I wanna try with you.”

“Wow, you saying I’m gross, Cunningham?” you glare teasingly.

“Don’t call me that,” she twirls a hanging framing hair around her finger and shakes her head, “And no, I’m not saying you’re gross.”

Anne Mark picks up the ballots in front of you two and Chrissy hopes you don’t notice the way she sneers at you so openly.

She’s always hated her friends, and now she feels free to live that truth. She won’t drown when she’s tossed overboard because you’re there.

You take Chrissy’s hand under the table and play with the gold rings that decorate her fingers. Meanwhile, Chrissy’s eyes train on Anne’s movements about the table. Haphazard and loose - ballots are crumbled and nearly torn. Lily and another girl - Tracy Cox, she thinks - are waiting at the counting table.

But they don’t count the ballots there.

Lily and Tracey move behind the curtains and she can see Lily already reaching into her purse for what looks like a stack of papers - just about the size of the ballots.

“I’ll be right back,” Chrissy stands and you almost whine when her hand slips out of yours.

“Come back soon?” you hate how needy you sound but there’s something undeniable about the way you crave her. An unending sweet tooth - a black hole.

“Yeah,” she pauses to flash you a bright smile, “I’ll be quick.”

Looking back on it, she should’ve just told you she was suspicious of Anne and Lily, but what is it they say about hindsight?

It’s 20/20.

You spot Eddie behind the gym bleachers. Just barely. His hair makes for a haunting silhouette that you couldn’t possibly mistake. You manage to catch his wild, frantic stare through the gaps in the benches and he waves excitedly at you.

Part of the gift in knowing Eddie is that you can tell what he’s thinking. It’s always a broad guess, but you know. Part of the gift in being Eddie’s best friend is seeing beneath the showmanship. It’s watching him wave you over and knowing he’s worried about you - like a mom watching her child play with the bigger kids, but all the bigger kids would gut you alive if given the opportunity.

So you go to him just to ease his worries.

You duck behind the bleachers and see him sat against the wall, open lunchbox of drugs between his spread legs.

You kick one of those spread legs, “Whore.”

“Nice to see you having fun,” his shoulders scrunch and he bats his eyes like a Hollywood schoolgirl.

Your back hits the wall and you slide down, your hands play loosely with the red-rose corsage Chrissy placed upon your wrist, “What’re you doing here, Munson? Thought prom was overrated.”

“It is,” Eddie turns to you and his hands fly up, then turn palm-down and he wiggles his fingers as he brings them back down, “Just here to watch you get Carrie’d.”

“Fuck off,” you jab your elbow into his arm, “I hope you get caught in my telekinetic psychotic snap.”

“I do, too,” he murmurs, nodding slowly to himself, “Great inspiration for a song.”

“Ass,” you reach up to pinch his cheek, “hole.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he bats you off, “No, Gareth ‘n’ his unlucky lady needed a ride and as much as I hate this shit,” he gestures loosely above the bleachers, “it’s a fucking jackpot for selling.”

Just as he says that, Patrick McKinney gets under the bleachers with a wad of cash in one hand and his bundled up overcoat in the other.

“I’ll leave you to it,” you pat Eddie’s shoulder and lean up to whisper in Patrick’s ear as you pass him, “Careful not to get stuck under his evil spell, then you’re really fucked.”

…

“I swear, it’s like you’re in some fucked up trance,” Lily’s glaring at Chrissy and if looks could kill then the cheer captain would have dropped dead two minutes ago, “Like, what? Are you two friends now?”

Chrissy shakes her head and the hatred builds in her gut until it refuses to pause in her jaw, “So what if we are? She’s a nice person,” and she can’t help but think to every time she bought from Eddie, “They all are. So yes, I’m friends with her.”

“I told you,” Anne sings, laying a hand to Chrissy’s shoulder, “She’s been turned.”

“You know she’s…” Lily doesn’t even want to finish the sentence, “Chris, we’re looking out for you.”

“You people have no idea what you’re talking about,” Chrissy crosses her arms, “You just assume the worst and never give anyone a chance, and if this ruins our ‘friendship’ then I’ll gladly accept that.”

“We were worried you’d say that,” Anne pouts histrionically, and suddenly - her hands clutch Chrissy by the shoulder.

Lily sighs, opening up the backstage storage closet while Anne strong-arms Chrissy into the dark room.

Chrissy bangs on the door, tries the handle, screams, bangs again, tries the handle, bangs some more, and continues shouting for help.

Nothing.

The music is turned up and the door must be jammed shut. Chrissy’s breathing shortens and her hands clam up. Her palms are going to bruise tomorrow with the vigor and speed with which she’s slamming them into the door.

…

As you climb up and out from the bleachers, principal Higgins is calling attention with the mic.

“Our prom royalty of the evening,” he smiles at the students and holds up a stack of ballots as if anyone could read them, “Jason Carver and…” he searches the crowd for you and tosses his arm out while calling your name, “King and queen of Hawkins High!”

#chrissy x reader #chrissy cunningham x reader #chrissy cunningham x you #chrissy cunningham fic #stranger things x reader #stranger things x you #stranger things fic #wdyamo fic #chrissy.🍑

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fanficimagery · 4 years ago

Text

Talking to the Dead

Imagine your sister calling in a favor, only to find out said favor is for the vampire sheriff of Louisiana.

Words: 6.3K Author's Note: I am not Bill's biggest fan, nor am I Eric/Sookie's biggest fan either. That said, this takes place AFTER all damn drama with King Bill. Eric still runs Fangtasia alongside Pam and Sookie still works under Sam at Merlotte's. They're friends. That's it.

Eric sits behind his desk, the bottom half of his face covered in blood as Pam files her nails. She had been going through Fangtasia's books when she realized the money wasn't adding up and that some of their product was missing. So when Tara brought forward those responsible in making sure Fangtasia was up to date with their taxes and everything, Eric called in a favor from Sookie to get a read on them. Only Eric lost his temper and killed the two men, leaving thousands of his money stashed somewhere only the dead knew of now.

The office door opens and Sookie stumbles inside, still in her Merlotte's uniform. She takes one look at Eric and sighs. "Did you have to kill them? I just wasted a trip out here, Eric Northman."

"How tragic," he deadpans. "You wasted about five dollars in gas, meanwhile I'm still out of thousands, Miss Stackhouse."

"Don't you take that tone with me, Mister!"

Pam snorts. "Shame your little fae powers don't allow you to speak to the dead," she drawls. "That would really come in handy right about now." Sookie opens her mouth to defend her still untrained powers, only to pause and snap her mouth shut. Immediately that catches both vampires' attention and Pam leans forward, interest piqued. "Have you been holding out on us, Tinkerbell?"

"No." Sookie scoffs, suddenly overcome with wariness. "But I, uh, I might know someone who-"

"No." Eric cuts her off. "No witches."

"She's not a witch," Sookie says. "Y/N is, um, she's my sister."

Eric freezes before he leans forward in his chair. "There's a third Stackhouse? How come we never learned of this?"

Sookie sighs and drops onto the couch. She shrugs. "Y/N's powers manifested a lot earlier than mine did and they.. well it drove her crazy. She was in and out of the hospital, and the death of our parents didn't do her any favors. She started rebelling at seventeen and drank herself into oblivion. Constantly."

Pam hums. "Sounds like my kind of girl."

Sookie frowns at her before looking back at Eric. "She's actually due for a visit tomorrow. I'll bring her by."

"How are you so sure she'll do this for us? If I recall correctly, you did not come peacefully," Eric muses.

Sookie rolls her eyes. "Y/N is a free spirit. If I hadn't told you she was my sister, you wouldn't have known we were twins."

"Twins?" Eric seems to perk up, eyes lighting up, and this time it's Pam's turn to roll her eyes.

Sookie scoffs. "Don't be gross. We'll be by after my shift tomorrow."

Finding an Uber into Bon Temps after the sun had set was almost impossible, but fortunately you found someone who was willing to make the trip. You knew Louisiana had become a vampire hotspot, but you didn't know people had found traveling in the state quite so fearsome.

You don't have much on you, with the exception of a small suitcase holding a few change of clothes, so you opt to be dropped off at Merlotte's rather than your childhood home. And upon exiting the car after making sure your payment went through, you grab your suitcase by the handle and walk towards the entrance. A few whispers attempt to reach out to you, but you shake off the echoes of death and march on.

There's only a handful of locals inside Merlotte's, but the no-good nosy folk still all stop to see who's entering their local establishment. Inside, the whispers get louder, but you reign in your control and shake your head clear. What the hell happened here that there are so many echoes?

"Do my eyes deceive me or is that my favorite Stackhouse?"

You're already grinning as you find the source of the comment, grin widening as Sam's familiar handsome self makes his way towards you. "Come on, Sam. We all know who your favorite Stackhouse really is?"

He laughs as he opens his arms for a hug and you drop your suitcase to step into his embrace. "Jason's bragging again, isn't he?"

You huff a laugh and pinch his side, the two of you not speaking of all the years he spent pining after your sister. "So where is my twin?" You ask as you pull back and roll your eyes when Sam readily picks up your suitcase.

You follow him to the bar as he says, "She's taking a call in the back. Want me to let her know you're here?"

"Nah, but can you put in an order for me? I miss Lafayette's burgers."

"Sure thing, chère. What do you want?"

"Cheeseburger with everything, cut the onions. Extra ketchup. Fries. And whatever beer you have on tap."

Sam chuckles as he's already pouring your beer. "So the usual." You grin as he slides your glass across the bar. "I'll be back."

Taking a seat on the stool there at the bar, you grab your glass and sip at the ice cold beer. It feels so good sliding down your throat that the sip turns into a gulp, and before you know it half the glass is gone. Needing a breath, you set the glass down and inhale deeply. As you exhale, you burp, and then take a moment to stretch in your seat while glancing around. A few people are still staring and murmuring far too low to their companions for you to hear, so instead you raise an eyebrow at them- challenging them to say their opinion out loud. None of them do and you scoff an amused laugh before drinking the rest of your beer.

Sam reappears. "Long flight?" He takes your glass and refills it.

"Flight was fine. It's the people of Bon Temps who annoy the shit out of me." Sam frowns, but you shrug off his concern as he quickly glances around at those in his establishment. You're well aware of what everyone thinks of you and Sookie thanks to Sookie's abilities, and you're grateful you didn't quite get the same ability as her. If you had to hear every living being's thoughts on top of the dead's, you'd have permanently committed yourself long ago.

"Well I talked to your sister in the back. She said she'll be right out."

"That's fine." Accepting your second glass of beer, you smile gratefully at Sam before taking another drink.

"Girl, I knows you ain't tryin' to eat my food without saying hello."

You turn on your stool, one knee crossed over the other as you beam at the cook. "Lafayette!" He approaches with your plated cheeseburger and a basket of fries, setting them in front of you before pulling you into a hug. "I wouldn't have left without saying hello. I just wanted my food first."

"'Course you did," he muses. "How long you here for, little Stackhouse?"

"Um, I'm kind of between jobs at the moment," you sheepishly admit. You quickly grab a fry and pop it into your mouth. "I'll probably stick around until I can find something or Sookie kicks me out."

Lafayette swats you with his dish towel. "You know damn well Sook won't kick you out. That sister of yours misses you lots. She's been talkin' nonstop about your visit."

"If you need a job, chère, I'll be happy to give you one."

You pop another fry into your mouth, grinning over at Sam. "Lord knows you can barely handle one Stackhouse, Sam. No way in hell you can two- three if Jason is around as much as I'm assuming." Sam opens his mouth to retort, but a shriek cuts him off. It's Sookie and she barrels right into your side. "Jesus Sook," you laugh. "Warn a girl."

As you and Sookie quickly catch up (she's all for you staying as long as you need), more patrons enter Merlotte's and Lafayette's forced back into the kitchen. Jason and his best friend Hoyt walk in, so you walk over to join them as Sookie gets back to work also.

Jason is glad Sookie won't be in the house all on her own since he has his own place and Hoyt is just glad to see all the Stackhouses together once again. You finish your cheeseburger and fries there at the table with them, along with three glasses of beer and two shots courtesy of your brother who wanted to properly celebrate your homecoming.

Jason and Hoyt leave, you waving them off when they asked if you wanted a ride home. Sookie's shift is just about over and you remember her asking if you could wait for her because she wanted to take you someplace. So when Sookie comes out from the back to collect you from the bar, you're slightly swaying on your stool as you grin at her.

"Are you drunk?" She incredulously asks. "Y/N, I need you level headed."

"Ooohhh," you coo and reach out to bop her on the nose. "And just what do I need to be level headed for, sis?"

"Can you walk?" She asks instead. You laugh and nod, hopping off the stool and giving yourself a moment to make sure the room isn't tilting. She sighs. "That's good enough for me. Come on. A friend of mine needs a favor." She walks behind the bar to collect your suitcase and a bottle of water from the small refrigerator under the bar. "Bye, Sam! See you later!" She then calls out as she leads you down a hall. You hear Sam's muffled reply from one door in particular and then Sookie's leading you out the back exit and towards her car.

Outside she opens the passenger door to her small yellow Honda Civic that looks newer than the last time you saw it, and tosses your suitcase in the backseat. She pushes you down onto the passenger seat and holds the water bottle out to you. "Drink."

You take the bottle without a word, twist off the cap, and start to guzzle the water as she shuts the door and walks around the car to the driver's side door. You only get half of it down before needing to breathe. "What.. am I.. guzzling water for?" You ask in between breaths.

As Sookie starts up her car, she casts a wary glance your way before looking back to where she's driving. "Shreveport. We're going to Fangtasia. The owner of the bar needs you to listen to some echoes."

"Fangstasia?" Your brow furrows as you try to wrack your brain about why that sounds so familiar. A moment later, however, the answer comes to you and you groan. "First off, I can overlook the vampire bar. What I can't overlook is that of all people to tell our secret to, you chose vampires. Vampires! Do you know we're like crack to them?"

"I'm sorry, okay! I got involved with them a while back, which is a mistake that I can admit now, but Eric actually tried helping me in his own way. Somewhat. We've become friends."

"Sookie." You groan again. Your sister pouts and you decide to keep quiet, sipping on your water and wishing it were something stronger. "So what does this Eric know about me listening to echoes?"

"Nothing really," she says. "I know how you like your privacy, so last night was the first time I mentioned that I even had a sister." You grin, not hurt at all by her not mentioning you to others. "I just said that you could listen in on the dead. They don't know about anything else."

"Good. I like to keep 'em on their toes." Sookie snorts at your all too amused expression. "And besides, I learned a new trick! I can't wait to test it out."

Your sister glances between you and the road, her smile faltering. "Are you- are you sure you're okay to do this? I know how it can get when you're not truly focused."

"We're on the road." You giggle. "No turning around now."

This time it's Sookie's turn to groan. "I knew I should have asked beforehand. Now the night's gonna end with one of us pinned to a wall."

"Oooh. Kinky."

The rest of the drive is painfully quiet, with the exception of some gospel music station Sookie has playing on low. You're humming a completely different song under your breath, right arm hanging out the window and letting the humid air rush over the skin of your arm. Thankfully the drive isn't too long and Sookie is soon pulling into the parking lot with a building partially decorated with neon red lights. The outside of Fangtasia is not what you expected, but seeing the line of both human and vampires in their scantily clad outfits makes you excited to see what's going on inside.

You're practically bouncing in your seat as Sookie parks and she can't help but grin at your apparent excitement. "Get it all out now," she says. "You won't be smilin' the closer you get to the buildin'. Not while you're half drunk."

"Shut up and let's go!"

Sookie fondly rolls her eyes and the two of you simultaneously pull down the sun visors to check yourselves in the small mirrors provided. Happy with your reflections, the two of you climb out of the vehicle. As your sister comes around to your side, you hook your arm through hers and the two of you head for the building.

Instead of heading straight to the back of line, Sookie leads you directly to Fangtasia's bouncer and ignores the grumbled displeasures of those waiting in line to get in. It takes you a few seconds to recognize the dark skinned female checking ID's, but when she turns to greet Sookie and her eyes widen upon seeing you, you grin. "What's cookin', good lookin'?"

"Oh Lord," Tara muses. "Eric's gonna murder the both of y'all."

Sookie huffs and she holds you back as you attempt to poke at Tara's abdomen. "Who put him in a bad mood now?"

Tara shrugs as she swats your hand away. "It's Eric. He's always in a bad mood unless he's balls deep in some fang-banger."

Your sister ew's and you grin, clearly impressed, until Sookie elbows you. Tara just chuckles and gestures inside. "Go on in. You know where to find him. See you later, Y/N."

"Lookin' forward to it." Sookie drags you inside and the second you step foot in the darkened hallway, you sway on your feet as pressure builds up in your head. "Wait, wait, wait." You step aside to lean against the wall, shaking your head clear and trying to build up mental walls. When you catch a glimpse of your sister, you see her smiling sadly at you and are grateful she doesn't gloat about being right. "This is why I don't hang around vampires much," you murmur. "So much death."

"Sorry. I know I should have asked beforehand, but I didn't want to give you a chance to say no. Eric's annoying when he doesn't get what he wants."

"Yeah, yeah." You wave her off, close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths. Once you feel a bite more settled, you push off the wall and meet your sister's gaze. "Okay. I'm ready."

Entering the main part of the club you can't help but look around in wide-eyed wonder. While most would think you were awe, you actually weren't and instead bit back the comment about how ridiculously cliché the establishment is. Everything is in blacks and reds, vampires in leather or electrical tape are dancing on poles, and the humans reek of desperation.

"Huh. No one's on the throne," Sookie muses.

You glance towards a raised platform, eyes lighting up at the sight of two actual thrones. Sookie's grip on your arm, however, stops you from attempting to go up there. "At least buy me a drink before we meet Mr. Scary Vampire." You pout.

"Nope." She starts marching away from the bar and towards a back hallway. "You're drunk enough already. You can have one at home when we're done here."

"Boo. You're no fun."

Sookie stops right outside a black door and impatiently knocks. You grin at her already huffy attitude and then walk in behind her as soon as someone permits entrance. The office is very plain, with the exception of a blood red couch off to the side and the two vampires behind the desk, and you frown as Sookie guides you towards a black leather chair and pushes you down into it.

"So this is the mysterious Stackhouse." The blonde male drawls.

You drag your gaze from your sister to the vampire in question and sit a little straighter in your seat as a lazy smile stretches across your lips. "And you're the mysterious vampire I've only heard about an hour ago." You then look at your sister. "Please tell me you banged this one."

There are simultaneous snorts from behind the desk and Sookie exhales roughly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Eric. Pam, this is my sister Y/N. She might be a little drunk."

"Just a little," you muse, giggling.

"Well at least we know who the fun Stackhouse is."

You perk up again, putting one finger on the tip of your nose and pointing at Pam who's smirking at you with the other hand. "And don't you forget it."

"As amusing as this is," Eric drawls again, "I need a favor. Are you capable of doing what your sister claims you can do?"

"I wouldn't be here if I couldn't." You smirk. The smirk falters however as you feel a chill slide across the back of your neck. You still and slowly glance over your shoulder, whispers you hadn't been listening to earlier getting louder. You wince and turn back around, strengthening your shields. A moment passes before you clear your throat and say, "But I have two conditions before I start."

Eric and Pam had been watching you closely, intrigued the second Sookie held up her hand to stall their questions when they noticed you zone out and stare at the corner of the room. "Money is no issue," Eric then says.

"Pft. I don't want money."

"Y/N!" Sookie reprimands. "You're in between jobs. Take the money."

Without looking at your sister, you wave your hand at your sister to get her to shut up. You know you've done your job when she swats your hand so you continue speaking to Eric. "First condition, no biting! I don't care how delicious I smell. No gnawing on the tiny little gremlin."

Pam's lips stretch into a wide smile whereas Eric's lips faintly twitch. "And the second?"

"I get free drinks from the bar whenever I'm here."

"Deal."

"Yes!"

"You're such an idiot," Sookie mutters.

You look to your sister, bouncing in your seat in excitement. "Joke's on Dracula. I'm gonna be in Bon Temps for the foreseeable future. That's a lot of free drinks for me. Suck it, Pixie."

"Oohh. I like this mouth breather. Can we please keep her?"

You meet Pam's gaze and wink. "As beautiful as you are, sweet stuff, you are so not my type."

Her left eyebrow raises as she's still clearly amused. "Because I'm a vampire?"

"Nah. Because you're female," you say. "I can appreciate a hot as fuck lady when I see one, but I still prefer cock."

"Okay!" Sookie nearly shouts as she stands up. Eric beams at your drunken blunt attitude. "We're here so Y/N can find out where your money is and we're way off topic. Can we please get on with it so I can get her home?"

You snort. "Prude." Sookie slaps the back of your arm and you squeal, slapping her arm back. You glare at her until her lips twitch and then you're back to giggling, looking back toward the vampires. "So let's do it. Do you have anything of the dead guy I'm supposed to be listening for? It'll make it easier to listen in on him."

Pam shrugs. "His blood is still in the dungeon. Will that work?"

"Gross, but yeah. Lead the way."

As soon as you stand, the voices amp up and you sway at the sudden onslaught of voices. You grit your teeth and tune them out, nodding at Eric who had stilled to keep an eye on you. He gestures to follow after Pam and you do, Sookie and Eric following behind you. Pam makes a beeline for the stage of thrones, but before you can follow there's a hand gripping your wrist and leading you towards a door behind the bar.

You're led down into a dimly lit dungeon behind Eric and you can't help the next words that leave your mouth. "It's always such a let down when the dungeon is actually a dungeon and not a sex dungeon."

Eric turns around to stare at you with a leering gaze and Sookie groans. "Been in a lot of dungeons?"

"Not really." You shrug and walk towards the back of the room where there are metal poles sticking up from the concrete floor. Chains hang from each of them and you shiver as your fingers run over them, the metallic rattling immediately tuning you in to the whispers. Subtly shaking your head, you look towards Sookie. "You know the drill."

She nods, pulling small orange styrofoam plugs from her pocket. "If it looks like you're struggling, plug my ears. Or get out."

"Bingo." You grin at your sister before looking at Eric. "If it gets bad, I expect you to vamp speed her little butt outta here."

"And how would I know what bad looks like?"

"Oh you'll know," Sookie mutters.

Grinning one last time at Sookie and Eric, you turn back towards where Eric obviously chains up those who end up on his bad side. So touching the chains again, you let the rattling and whispers overcome your senses.

"..dangerous. Need to leave."

"..bad place. I just want to go home."

"Stupid fuckin' vampers."

The room turns hazy and silhouettes walk to and from around the basement. You stare at them, letting the voices come and go until you find the one you're looking for.

"..so screwed. Never should have done it." Your gaze zeroes in on the silhouette, watching it pace back and forth. "It was just a little money. Pocket change."

"Never gonna find it. Calm down. We're already dead."

You listen a bit more to their whining, hoping for anything useful when a loud dry sob pierces the air. You wince and whirl around to spot the source of noise.

"Did she- can she hear us?"

"If she can then she can tell that goddamn vamper where his stuff is." You whirl back around, gasping at the too close silhouette. "Hello." A chill rushes through you and your too tense muscles seem to relax as a haze takes over your mind.

"Y/N? You good?" Sookie asks. She warily glances around, she and Eric both noticing the atmosphere in the room thickening.

"Hm?" Your eyes blink rapidly as if clearing your vision. "Yeah. All good," you hear yourself saying.

"Well what did you find out?" Eric asks.

You feel your head turning left and right as if taking in your surroundings before you turn around and walk towards the wall where more chains are hanging. Eric growls at being ignored and Sookie quietly assures him that this is normal. Reaching for a chain, you feel your hand gliding along one chain and picking it up, caressing a metal stake at the end of it.

"Y/N," Sookie cautiously calls out. "What are you doing?"

Getting a good grasp on the stake in one hand, you turn around and smile at Eric- a chilling smile that immediately sets Sookie on edge and lets even Eric know that something is off. "Fuck your money. You're never gonna get it, you dead piece of shit."

"Y/N, don't!" Sookie screams as your arm suddenly thrusts the stake towards the side of your neck, only to stop mere centimeters from the intended target.

Sookie gasps and Eric raises an eyebrow in surprise. "Are her eyes supposed to completely white over?"

"Well she did mention learning a new trick." Sookie nervously shifts beside Eric and they watch you slowly come back to yourself, expression hardening.

Eyes completely white, you stare straight ahead as you lower your hand without any resistance from the spirits. "You dead fucks try that shit again and I will obliterate your fuckin' souls, and mark every soul in your goddamn family. Do I make myself clear?" You seethe. The dungeon gets chilly before the tension seems to suddenly dwindle. The whispers amp up before completely dying out and you stand a little taller. "Good. Now where is the money?"

Eric and Sookie patiently watch Y/N as she lazily glances back and forth before the white recedes from her eyes. Her shoulders sag and she meets Eric's gaze. "That Rafael guy had a building he was renovating over on.. over on.." she trails off, brow furrowing as she tries to collect her thoughts.

"I know of it," Eric says.

She sighs. "Well the money's in the wall on the second floor. Happy demolishing."

Then like a puppet with its strings cut, Y/N collapses right before their very eyes.

- - - - - - - - - -

A pounding at your temples is what wakes you and you groan as your eyes flutter open. You're apparently still at Fangtasia, back in Eric's plain office and laying on the most uncomfortable couch you've ever laid on.

"You're awake. Good."

You begrudgingly sit up, wincing as the throbbing persists. Glancing around, you frown as you notice you and Eric are the only two in the room. "Where's my sister?"

"Miss Stackhouse couldn't bother a mere hour in my presence so she went out front to pester Tara."

"You two exes or something?"

Not even close. "No. I admit I pursued her once, but it was only to satiate my curiosity about why she smelled so divine." Bill fuckin' Compton was also a cock block of epic proportions.

You snort. "Cock block. Who is Bill and why did he cock block you from Sookie?" Eric stills and he goes quiet. You frown at him and then between one blink and the next, Eric is kneeling in front of you.

Can you hear me?

"Um, yes?" You say. A moment passes and then you realize your slip-up. You groan. "Okay, so yeah. I can't read the minds of humans, but apparently I can read the minds of vampires. It only happens when I'm at my most vulnerable and being slightly possessed makes me vulnerable."

Eric slowly smirks. "Well aren't you my new favorite Stackhouse."

You fall back against the back of the couch, groaning. "Whatever. I don't have the energy to argue with you. Just please don't tell Sookie. She gets all huffy when I can do something she can't."

Another blink and Eric is sitting beside you on the couch. "Is there a reason why you can read vampires and she can read everyone else but vampires?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." You shrug. "I eventually came to the conclusion that we're just a part of different courts. She's Light Fae and I'm Dark. She flourishes under the sun and I under the moon. I don't really know."

"Have you tried getting answers from other Fae?"

"Yeah, no. I met a member of the Fae court and that's a hard pass. Those fairy fucks can keep their imposter foods. I like this realm just fine, thank you very much."

Eric's lips twitch. "If the vampires find out about your powers, they're going to fight to put their claim on you."

"Is that your not so subtle way in trying to convince me that I should ask you for protection?"

"I'm the sheriff of this area, sweetheart. You won't be able to find anyone better suited for the job."

You huff a quiet laugh. "Keep your fangs to yourself, sweetheart. I can take care of myself."

We'll see about that.

Settling in at what was always known as Gran's house, you almost take Sam up on his offer to become a waitress or bartender at Merlotte's. But then a day after doing Eric a favor, a check arrives for you- a check worth thousands of dollars- along with an offer from Eric to work every other day at Fangtasia to read the vampires coming and going from his area.

You didn't get back to him right away, instead choosing to just keep to yourself for a bit and re-familiarize yourself with the town. And then just when you think you have a lid on things, a constant buzzing makes a home just at the back of your skull.

For days Eric tries reaching you through texts and calls, but you just don't have the patience to deal with him. The buzzing is non-stop, the echoes of the dead sound as if they're underwater, and you can't hold a conversation longer than a minute. Sookie seems to understand that you can't be around people, so she leaves you be for the most part.

Your sister is currently at work so you have the house all to yourself. You haven't been able to clear your head and the buzzing is only getting louder and louder. You're nearing your breaking point, so when there's a knock at the front door you try to ignore it.

The knocking persists so you reluctantly roll out of bed, frowning as you march downstairs and towards the front door. Through the screen door you can see Eric standing there. You scowl at him, he grins, and when you push open the door he's immediately leaning against the door jamb. "You've been ignoring me."

You sigh and cross your arms over your chest. "I haven't been feeling well. Something's.. off."

That causes his faint grin to drop. "Is it something serious?"

"I'm not sure. I just- it feels like something bad is on the way."

"Well in that case.." Eric straightens up and stares down at you. "You're going to invite me in so I can protect you-" you scoff, "-or have primal passionate sex with you. You pick."

Though your mind is on overdrive, you can't help but faintly grin at the tall vampire. "I'll take a raincheck on the sex, but if you still want to come in, then come in."

Eric smirks as he crosses the threshold of the house and you shake your head at him before turning around and leading him to the living room. You take a seat in the corner of the couch, curling up with a pillow in your lap, and Eric sits on the middle seat to be as close to you as possible. "How long have you been feeling like this?"

"Few days now," you tell him. "There's this.. buzz. It's constant and it just keeps getting louder and louder."

"And the voices?"

"Muffled. No matter how much I concentrate, I can't hear them clearly. It's like they're trying to tell me something, but I can't tune in to the right station. It's annoying." Eric hums in thought and you attempt to change the subject. "So what brings you down here to Bon Temps? Surely my first impression wasn't that memorable."

He smirks as his arm rests along the top of the backrest of the couch, his fingers tugging on a few pieces of your hair. "It's rare for someone to amuse me these days. And you weren't what I was expecting Sookie's twin to be."

"Between the two of us, Sookie got all the perkiness. I, uh, I got stuck with all the doom and gloom." Eric quirks an eyebrow at you and you chuckle, wincing a moment later as an lingering echo screeches in your ear. Your attention is immediately drawn towards the kitchen where you see a silhouette walk by and the buzzing amps up.

Without uttering a word, you get up and follow it.

Eric watches as Y/N laughs one moment and then in the next second her expression is completely blank and attention elsewhere. Normally he'd be offended, but after learning what he could from Sookie he knows to never bring Y/N out of a trance. So in order to protect this little fae that just continues to become more and more interesting, Eric gets up and follows Y/N through the kitchen and out the back door.

He keeps several feet between himself and Y/N, his curiosity piqued as he notices her stop in the middle of the field behind her home. She glances back and forth as if searching for something, slowly turning in a circle. She winces and stumbles back, eyes wide and heart pumping furiously. Whatever's going on, Eric's instincts suddenly kick in and he doesn't like it. He doesn't like the look of fear on Y/N's face.

One sudden stumble sends Y/N to her knees, hands clamping around her ears.

"No, no, no," you mumble. The buzzing is extremely loud now, voices are screaming but you're still unable to make out what they're saying. Rocking back and forth, you glance around and your heart sinks as you watch Eric standing there across from you. "Go. Get away. I can't-"

"What's wrong? I can help you."

You shake your head. "You can't. You need to go. Get away from me. Please."

Eric watches you and you whimper when you see his resolve strengthen. He's not going anywhere. Clenching your eyes shut against the onslaught of noise, you slam your hands down on the ground in front of you and your fingers dig into the earth. Your breaths come faster and faster, and when you can't take it anymore your eyes fly open as you open your mouth and scream.

Your scream drowns out the buzz, the voices become clearer and it's only there alongside your scream do you understand them. You don't know how long you scream for, but when you stop your throat feels raw.

"What was that?" Eric asks.

"Sookie."

He's immediately kneeling before you, fingers under your chin to tilt your face upward. "What did you say?"

"My sister. She's not- she's not safe."

"She's at work under the ever watchful eye of the shifter."

"She is. Until she walks out back to take out the trash," you say. "Please," you beg. "Just.. just go check on her."

Eric continues to hold your gaze for a moment longer before he gives you a terse nod and then stands tall. Your eyes follow him as she lifts off into the air and it's like a weight is lifted off your chest. You sob in relief, curling in on yourself with your face in your hands.

"..inside.. safer.."

The hairs on the back of your neck stand up and your cries immediately cease. Sniffling, you sit back up and glance around the field you're in. Hearing the chirping insects and the ruffling of tree limbs puts you at unease, so you climb to your feet and hurriedly make your way back towards the house. You don't breathe until you're inside, behind closed doors, but even then you're still a little tense and wondering if your sister is okay.

The minutes tick on by as you pace back and forth in the kitchen, and you yelp when you turn around and Eric is standing right there. You raise a fist in order to punch him, but stop halfway there and instead poke his chest as you push him back a step. "Don't do that."

He smirks. "Sookie is fine. A couple of human junkies needed some money for their next fix. The sheriff is on the way to take care of the issue."

"Thank you." You sigh. As you move aside to take a seat at the table, you glance back at Eric and see a blood trail falling from his ear. Your eyes widen and you rush towards him, uncaring about boundaries when one hand lands on his chest and the other grasping his chin to turn his face sideways. "Your ear! I told you to leave before I screamed. Why didn't you listen?" You let go of his chin and then shove him a step back as you go back to pacing.

Eric chuckles. "You've been keeping secrets. You're not just Fae, are you?"

You shrug. "I'm not really sure what I am. I only found out I was part Fae because you guys told Sookie she was. The mind reading is from Fae abilities, but the screaming-"

"The wailing is a whole different breed."

You stop pacing and face him once more. "There's only one creature that wails," you say, "but I gave up on digging into our family history a long time ago."

"You truly are a rare breed, Miss Stackhouse. Half fae, half banshee. The vampires are going to be in a tizzy over you."

You groan. "A problem is inevitable until I agree to a claim, isn't it?"

"Aren't you a smart cookie."

You scowl at Eric then, holding his gaze until you sigh. "If I say yes to a claim, can I have your word that you won't take advantage?" He smiles then and though this vampire is ridiculously good looking, you rather not be someone's pet. But alas, you know he's right. "If the offer for a job at Fangtasia is still open, I'll take it. I don't plan to leave Bon Temps anytime soon and I'm going to need the cash."

"Sweetheart, if you agree to be mine I'll give you all the cash you could want."

Your nose wrinkles. "I'm so gonna regret this." There's a faint click! as Eric's fangs appear, his eyes darkening as he readily bites into his wrist. "Don't tell my sister."

Drink up, little one. We're going to have some fun.

#true blood imagine #eric northman imagine #eric northman x reader #eric northman #true blood #sookie stackhouse

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marauderundercover · 4 years ago

Text

The Strings that Bind Us: Chapter Two

AO3

Marinette dances around her apartment, feeling lighter than she’d felt in years. She had dinner on the stove, a movie on the table, and her boyfriend of two weeks coming over in ten minutes. Honestly, she couldn’t remember a time when she’d been happier. She grins when she hears the knock at her door. Quickly pulling the pan off the heat, she rushes over to the door, nearly falling on her face in her rush. Without even checking the peephole, she throws the door open and grins widely at Bruce. He smiles back at her and she kisses his cheek quickly.

“Hey, dinner’s almost ready.” She says, tugging him in and closing the door.

“You really didn’t have to cook tonight, we could’ve ordered in.” He says, and she turns to him, wrinkling her nose.

“Bruce, I’m honestly worried that all you ever eat is takeout.” She says flatly. He just laughs, and shakes his head.

“Mari, I can assure you I don’t always eat takeout.” He says, snaking his arms around her waist. She raises an eyebrow, giving him a softer version of her Ladybug stare. He just grins and leans down, kissing her gently. She instantly melts into the kiss, standing on her toes to try and deepen it. Just as he lifts her up, the timer goes off and she groans.

“I’m going to throw that damn thing out the window.” She gripes, giving him a quick peck before jumping down and pulling the pan with the steamer off the heat. “Could you grab some plates?” She calls over her shoulder, focused on moving the dumplings out of the steamer. She smiles as she does, the familiar feeling of working closely with someone she cares about washing away all of her worries. She grins as she feels Bruce’s arms wrap around her waist again as he nuzzles his head into her neck. She just hums in content, dishing out the dumplings and veggie stir fry. She could honestly get used to this.

---

Marinette blinks sleepily as she sits up on the couch, trying to figure out when she fell asleep. Glancing around, she smiles tiredly at Bruce.

“C’mere.” She says, reaching out for him. He chuckles.

“I’ve gotta go, Mari.” He says softly and she whines.

“No, don’t leave.” She asks, smiling in success as he sits back down next to her. She leans up against him, almost back asleep when he says:

“I have to go love, but I’ll stay until you fall asleep.” Well that’s not gonna happen. She pushes herself back up and forces her eyes open, frowning at Bruce’s laugh.

“If I sleep, you’re gonna leave.” She says with a pout. Bruce kisses the top of her head and she melts into his touch, eyes fluttering shut and- NO. Stay awake.

“How about I come back in the morning and we can have breakfast together?” He suggests and she sighs, leaning against him again.

“Fine, but I’ll get you to stay sometime. The nightmares always stay away when you’re here.” She says sleepily. He says something, but she doesn’t process it before she’s asleep again.

---

“Bruce, hi?” Marinette says, blinking in confusion at her boyfriend.

“Hey Mari, you didn’t forget about breakfast, did you?” He asks with a teasing smile. She frowns, as she tries to remember when they scheduled that. Her eyes widen when she realizes he definitely asked her last night. When she was half asleep. And had no filter.

“Oh my god, please tell me I didn’t say anything too embarrassing last night.” She begs, hiding her head in his chest. He chuckles.

“You mean besides the proposal?” He asks. She gasps and jumps away.

“No, I didn’t- did I-” She stammers out, pausing when she realizes he’s barely holding back a smile. She narrows her eyes. “You are an absolute ass, Bruce.” She says, glaring at him. He shakes his head.

“I’m sorry love, it’s just so easy to tease you sometimes.” He says, leaning in to kiss her. She huffs, but kisses him back, the butterflies exploding in her stomach. After a few more dizzying kisses, she pulls back, taking a deep breath.

“So is there a reason for our random breakfast date?” She asks, trying to decide how she should dress as she was still currently in her pajamas.

“I actually thought we could talk about a few things.” He says, with a small wince. Her heart drops.

“Are you breaking up with me?” She asks, terrified of his answer. His eyes widen and he shakes his head frantically.

“No, oh god no, Mari, I- I just wanted to tell you some more things about me, let you decide if you want to get out now.” He says, and she lets out a sigh of relief before jumping forward and wrapping her arms around her boyfriend’s neck.

“As long as you aren’t secretly a super villain, you couldn’t get rid of me.” She assures him, sighing as she feels him relax. She steps back and grins at him. “So, what’s the plan?”

“I thought that maybe we could drive through somewhere and grab something quick, then go to my place?” He suggests, and though it sounds simple enough, she can see his nervousness.

“Bruce, if you don’t want me to-” She starts, but he shakes his head.

“I want you to be in my life. I’m just worried that you’ll see me differently.” He says and she kisses him quickly.

“Well let me go get dressed so that we can go and maybe reassure you that I’m not about to run for the hills.” She says softly before rushing back to her room to get dressed. Her mind runs through a million different scenarios as she gets dressed, but she honestly can’t think of one where she would just leave him. Minus the whole villain thing. That was the only deal breaker she could think of. Shaking her head, she grabs her purse before walking back into the living room and grinning at Bruce. He smiles back and grabs her hand, but she can practically feel how nervous he is. She raises an eyebrow as he opens the car door for her.

“Do you not like it?” He asks, and she snorts.

“Bruce, honey, I have no knowledge on cars except this one is shiny. And a different one than I’ve seen you use before.” She says, grinning as she manages to make him blush slightly.

“Oh, uh, well. I like this one more, and thought it would help with the conversation.” He says and she raises an eyebrow. How would a shiny car help with a conversation? She just gets in the car, frowning at the person across the street taking a picture of them. Once Bruce is in the car, the person walks away and she narrows her eyes.

“I don’t mean to alarm you, but that person definitely just took a picture of us.” She says, surprised that instead of getting angry, Bruce just sighs.

“Marinette, how much do you know about the Wayne family?” He asks.

“Well, I know that they own Wayne Enterprises and that Wayne Enterprises owns a lot of Gotham. And they do a lot of charity work, but that’s about it.” She admits, grinning sheepishly. She’d meant to look into it more after Bruce told her he works at Wayne Enterprises, and especially after she heard a customer talking about a recent attack on the building, but she’d forgotten and now she felt like an idiot.

“My last name is Wayne.” Bruce says, and she just shrugs.

“Okay, so you’re related to the Wayne Enterprises people?” She asks, and he sighs.

“Mari, I am the Wayne Enterprises people. I’m Bruce Wayne, CEO of the company.” He says and she suddenly understands. It’s just like when she was in lycée and Adrien got nervous around people who knew he was an Agreste. Her amazingly sweet, smart boyfriend was worried about what she’d think about him now. She reaches out and grabs the hand that he had left between them, squeezing it tightly before smiling.

“And my last name is Dupain Cheng. My parents own one of the most successful patisseries in France. I adore you, mon cher, because you’re you. Not because your last name is Wayne.” She reassures him, he smiles at her softly and she laughs. “Look at the road, Bruce. I’d rather get where we’re going in one piece.” She says.

“There’s something else, Mari.” He says. She hums and raises an eyebrow. “I have two sons.” For a moment she panics. She didn’t know anything about being a mom, the most she’d been around kids was when she babysat throughout school. Before she can let herself spiral, she takes a breath. He wasn’t asking her to be a mom all of a sudden, he was just telling her. He was opening up.

“How old are they?” She asks, grinning at the wide smile he gives her in return.

“Dick is 18 and recently moved out. Jason is 13.” He says and Mari frowns. Was Bruce a teen dad? He hadn’t mentioned their mom, did he do it all on his own? That must’ve been extremely stressful. It couldn’t have been easy. And the company? It- “I can see you panicking, love. What is it?” He asks, frowning.

“You must’ve been a teenager when Dick was born! Did you do it all on your own? How in the world could you run a company and be a father so young and-”

“They’re both adopted.” He says, and she breathes a sigh of relief.

“I was so concerned for little you!” She exclaims. “I felt so awful that you had so much responsibility so young.” She admits and he chuckles.

“Trust me, even if I had been a teen parent, I wouldn’t have been alone. Alfred would have been there for me.” He says.

“Alfred?” She asks.

“Technically he’s the Wayne family butler, but he’s more like a father to me than anything else.” Bruce explains and she grins.

“He sounds amazing.” She says and Bruce smiles awkwardly.

“I was hoping you’d say that. I wanted to introduce the two of you. Today.”

Tag list: @maribat-october-rarepairs @stainedglassm @kittenmywaythrulife @laydeekrayzee @doll246 @queenz-z @deathssilentapproach-blog @literaryhiraeth @unoriginalmess @ashbrea381writings

#brucinette #maribat bruce wayne #maribat marinette dupain cheng #maribat #maribat fanfiction #maribat ao3 fic #ao3fic #maribat ladybug #maribat batman #MaribatHalloween21 #maribatoctrp21

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queercraftingchonk · 3 years ago

Text

Human Spectres’ Reunion & Biotic Appetites

Shepard sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, attempting to prevent a migraine from fully brewing. "I am so pathetically out of the loop. I appreciate all the info, Kaidan--I really do--but...does the Alliance think I'm done? Is my recovery just the preamble to forced retirement?" "Of course not," Kaidan said. "Everyone just wants to give you the time and space you need to--" "Keeping me in the dark about things like this isn't helpful," Shepard said. "Do you not trust the Alliance to do its job without you?" Kaidan asked. "They couldn't before. Can they now?" An awkward quiet settled around the table. (Jack was able to smother an agreeing chortle in response to Shepard's call-out.) "We've managed so far," Kaidan said evenly. "Look, Shepard--the galaxy is still reeling from the war. Hell, most of the mass relays remain offline. You might be the first human Spectre, but currently I'm the only active human Spectre, and I have both Earth and stranded galactic forces to worry about. It's messy out there, and I'm cleaning up the best I can." Steve discreetly placed his hand on Kaidan's knee beneath the table. "She knows, Kaidan. We all do." The shuttle pilot turned to look at the commander; her green eyes softened. "He hasn't taken a day off since the war ended, Shepard. I don't say that to guilt you. We all need you to heal--physically and mentally--no matter how long it takes. You always went around helping others, literally putting everyone except yourself first for years. We know how you are--that's why everyone's been trying to deal with problems and do our jobs quietly. Even if you think the Alliance relies too much on you--and to be clear, they did and still might--can you trust that your friends are caring and competent?" Shepard sighed. "Alright," she said, then turning to Kaidan and adding, "Sorry, Kaidan. I didn't mean to--" Kaidan exhaled a breathy laugh and held up his hand to stop Shepard from continuing. "It's alright, Shepard. Frankly, you're taking your extended leave better than I would. I remember how hard it was just being in Huerta Memorial for the short time I was there. I'd be upset, too." "I'd be fully insane if it weren't for these two," Shepard said, motioning to Tali and Garrus respectively. "I'd say you're plenty insane already," Jack quipped. "She's not wrong," Garrus muttered. Shepard narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend. "Whose side are you on?" "Yours, sweetie," he replied all-too-sincerely. Tali laughed while Jack groaned and nearly fell out of her chair as she leaned (too) far back.

With the official Spectre business mostly concluded, the evening's tensions dwindled as friends decided to simply spend time with one another. Shepard ordered Aralakh BBQ delivery for herself, Jack, Jason, and Kaidan, while the non-biotically inclined among them partook in drinks. James gave elaborate anecdotes about his N7 training--and when asked by Tali why he was in Kaidan's supposedly all-biotic special ops company, he revealed that he was researching best practices on how non-biotic soldiers could support their biotic teammates. "The manuals rarely said a thing about how biotic soldiers needed support," he said. "After being on the Normandy, I've had a few experiences fighting alongside powerful biotics. Brass approved the project once I completed my N7 training." "Any dazzling insight, Vega?" Garrus smirked. Without missing a beat, James replied, "Always have snacks. No squad benefits from having a hangry biotic." "That's...not half-bad advice," Tali admitted. Garrus and Steve nodded in agreement. James, Steve, Garrus, and Tali then sat at the poker table to start up a friendly game (with minimal credits on the line); meanwhile, the BBQ arrived and their biotic companions got down and dirty with the spiced, saucy Krogan fare. "Oh, Jack," Shepard said, wiping Tuchanka sauce on the back of her hand, "I meant to ask--where's Eezo? I thought maybe I'd get to fetch with something other than a frying pan next time I saw you two." Jack finished chewing a massive bite of jerked mawling before replying: "Boy Scout said one biotic bitch was enough for his lil' squad--" "I did not say that," Kaidan hastily interrupted, brown eyes wide in horror. (Shepard and Jason chuckled at the Canadian's expression.) Jack continued, "--so I left Eezo with your Dadmiral once I set off with Prangley." "Dadmiral?" Shepard laughed--before realization descended onto her expression and she asked, "Wait--do you mean Anderson?" Jack cackled, cleaned the last shred of mawling from her skewer, and spoke with a full mouth: "Course I do. Wha' else'm I gonna call 'im?" She swallowed the hot meat and continued, "He talks about you like a goddamned dad at some sport game. If he could display your damn medals like a biotiball trophy, you bet your ass he would." Jason wiped his mouth with a napkin before piling his fork with more Tuchankan slaw. "If Admiral Anderson is Commander Shepard's dad 'cause of how often he mentions her, that must make Lieutenant Sanders your mom, Teach," Jason said. Shepard and Kaidan chuckled. Just as Jason smiled triumphantly, Jack flicked a biotic pulse that launched the take-out carton of slaw into his face. "Hey!" Jason cried. The ensign scrambled immediately to clean the mess, loathe to sully the Commander Shepard's apartment with food stains. After dinner (technically Jack, Jason, and Kaidan's second dinner), the biotics filtered into the back room to heckle and cheer on the poker players. Tali had already folded but remained seated at the table, casually looking through her omni-tool's inbox. "We can deal you in next game, L2," James offered. Kaidan laughed. "I think you've fleeced me of enough credits for one day, Vega."

--Excerpt from Chapter 22: Spectrum Interruptus from How to Love a Biotic God(dess) on Ao3~

#mass effect fanfiction #how to love a biotic goddess #kaidan alenko #commander shepard #garrus vakarian #steve cortez #tali'zorah vas normandy #jack subject zero #cortenko #kaidan x steve #shalibrations #shakarian #shali #council spectres #post-war #james vega

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themaribatpit · 4 years ago

Text

Hanging by a Thread: Chapter 4

Rated M: DC canon-typical violence, suggestive threats, alcohol (drink responsibly)

Author’s Note: Thank you to @rebecarojas07 for calmly and patiently trying to explain American things to us in the comments of the last chapter.

Content Warning: Adrien/Chat Noir salt, mostly references to his actions in Syren, there will also be some Chloe and Lila salt. All for the purposes of making Marinette’s own self doubt and angst clear. This is going to be a very angst-heavy chapter, you have been warned.

Ships: Jason Todd/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Dick Grayson/Barbara Gordon (side ship).

Taglist:

@aespades, @neakco, @ladybug-182, @seraphichana, @zalladane, @luminous-carrot, @jayjayspixiepop, @cap-noodles, @livelifeauthorstyle, @thepaceperson, @moongoddesskiana, @vroomtaka, @laurcad123, @prettylittlebutterflie, @twsssmlmaa

Chapter 3 - Chapter 5

Chapter 4

On one of the nights she went out searching, Marinette found the Red Hood perched on a rooftop next to a gargoyle. A gargoyle that was probably looking a lot less serious than he was at that moment. There was no doubt as to how they found each other. It was how they found each other at the warehouse, at the dockyards, and now here on a rooftop. She slowly approached him from behind. “I know you’re behind me.” spoke the Red Hood without turning his head to look behind him. Ladybug froze as the Red Hood addressed her, as if he had eyes on the back of his head. Ladybug remained silent, unsure of how she should proceed, until Red Hood broke the ice. “Y’know I wonder, how you always seem to find me no matter what. It’s almost as if you have some kind of Me Detector.” Ladybug stuttered, trying to think of an answer. She grew silent and looked down. He looked towards her ”You don't have to answer, I figured it out. You can see the red thread that ties us together as well, right?” she nodded her head. “Only way you seem to find me each time. I’ve been able to see it for as long as I can remember, what about you?” He asked.

“Me too, I was always able to see it, and it went grey when you...” Marinette said, as if she still found it hard to believe that such a thing could happen to someone. “Did anyone ever tell you how I died?” he asked. Marinette looked away, as she tried to hide the look on her face. “Yes,” she answered meekly. She sighed and shook her head, trying to remember why she went looking for him at all. She took a couple of steps closer towards him. “What matters is I wanna help,” she said. “Why? You don’t even know half of what I’ve been through.” he growled, he turned to face her. His helmet was still on, but his low harsh voice made his emotions very clear at that moment.

“Then tell me,” she said calmly, “trust me I’ve dealt with people who gave into their negative emotions, I can help you.” She had come too far to give up now, and she wasn’t about to turn back over something that she could help him with. “Not like this,” he said, “listen to me when I say the boy you got matched with died that night. He died because he was an idiot, who got himself killed by a psychotic clown.” Was she supposed to turn back and abandon him now? Should she have just settled for someone else back in Paris? The answers were no and absolutely not. The person who stood before her might not have been the person she had imagined her soulmate to be, but she didn’t have the heart to abandon him now. She could help him, whatever it was she was sure that she could find a way to help him, maybe with Tikki and Plagg’s help. If what she was told about him was true, then he surely understood what they both went through in the past. They both became crime fighters at a young age, they were thrust into situations where the fate of their world rested on their shoulders. They were alike in a lot of ways that neither of them realised.

"Please tell me, let me help you Jason." she begged.

"Do. Not. Call. Me. That." He growled and stomped towards Ladybug, their faces mere centimetres apart. "So who was it that told you? Was it Dick? Babs? The old man?"

Jason knew it would take a lot more than that to push her away, but he had to. Even as Robin was still inside him, railing against the bars that kept that part of him caged. But he was dead in every meaningful sense of the word, and in his place was a cursed monster. For both their sakes, he was trying to keep Ladybug at arm’s length, he was nothing like the gaudy rogues gallery she dealt with back in Paris. A part of him wanted her help, but he doubted that neither she nor her fairy pals had any idea what they were dealing with. To top it off, she was probably already under the Bat clan’s protection. They weren’t even on the same side, so that added another complication into their already tangled bond. He looked up at her and there it was again, that wide eyed sad look on her face. Jason tried not to look at it for too long, no matter how much it made his heart ache to do so. “What would it take for you to leave me alone?” he asked, “Want me to cut my own foot off?”

“I’m not even sure it’s that easy,” she said “I was always told that it will stretch and tangle, but never break. That and it goes grey if one of us dies, that’s all I know.” “Look, I don’t wanna hurt you, Pixie,” he told her, “even I have limits.”. “Oh yeah? And what are they? Am I just small fry to you, is that it?” she asked, Ladybug looked away as tears began to form in her eyes. “Are you just disappointed to find out that I’m your soulmate?”

Marinette had come too far only to be told no, and no one has given her a clear answer as to why she couldn’t help him. It seemed to be something more than the fact that he was a crime boss. What brought her here in the first place was the fact that their soulmate bond had reignited. It was truly at that moment where the two sides of herself felt like they were merging. Marinette was trying to make sense of what everyone was telling her. There was a reason why even he was refusing to let her at least try to help him. Ladybug would have been able to fix this problem in no time at all, while Marinette was on a gargoyle adorned rooftop begging her soulmate to let her help him.

She barely noticed that the Red Hood was suddenly standing very close to her, she felt a gloved hand tilt her chin up to look at him. She was still looking into the two white lights in his helmet. “Do yourself a favour, and get as far away from here as you can.” he told her in a low but gentler voice, “I’m telling you this because you’re my soulmate, I don’t want you getting hurt because of me. You got that?” he let go of her and turned away, going back to the spot he was perched on. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me.” she said whilst on the verge of tears, and with a twirl of her yo-yo she swung away into the night. Jason tried to ignore the ache in his chest, he was telling himself that he had to keep her away from him. He was already used to not being trusted, but at that moment her sincerity and kindness were just too much for him. There were other people out there who were far more deserving of it. If she got too close to him, too close to the flame that was only stoked by the Lazarus pit, she would only get burned. He already knew he would never forgive himself if she got hurt, their soulmate bond would probably just end up adding salt to that wound. In a way he was starting to see why they were bound together, that’s what made it hurt even more. They were very different people, that much was obvious. Maybe the divine being that bound them together thought it would be funny in a “opposites attract” kind of way. Unfortunately for him, one of the things they had in common was that they were both very stubborn people. That became clear when he realised it would take a whole lot more to get her to stay away from him. Over the next few days, Marinette threw herself into her design work, trying to take her mind off of her encounters with her soulmate. Tikki was looking increasingly worried as she avoided talking about it, preferring to stay up all through the night working on her design projects. Her designs tended towards soft fabrics and pastel colours. It was possible this was an attempt to avoid thinking about a certain someone who wore a red helmet and was dressed in Kevlar and leather.

One night, Marinette got a text from Zoe, telling her that they were going out drinking with some friends. She invited Marinete to join her, and she thought a night out would help take her mind off things. As she looked through her wardrobe for something to wear, Tikki tried to approach her. “Marinette, we need to talk,” she said, looking over at Plagg who was more interested in devouring the slice of camembert that Marinette had given him. ”You’ve been busy lately, and I just wanted to know if you were okay.” she said.

“I’m fine, what’s there to talk about?” Marinette said flippantly, holding the two different dresses up to her body as she decided which one to wear. She didn’t want to talk about her soulmate, or even the mountain of work that she had just completed. She wanted to go out and have some fun with her friends.

“It’s just that you seemed distraught by what happened, we tried to warn you not to get your hopes up...” Tikki began. “I’m fine,” Marinette said in a harsher tone of voice, “I don’t want to talk about it.” “Marinette, it's probably for the best, we...”

“I said I didn’t want to talk about it!” Marinette snapped, “I came all this way to find my soulmate, only to find that my soulmate doesn’t want anything to do with me. You were right Tikki, I should have just stayed home in Paris, is that what you wanted to hear?” Tikki looked to Plagg for help, but Plagg didn’t say anything in response. “Listen Marinette, maybe whoever tied you two together made a mistake. Maybe this Red Hood is right and it will only end in tragedy. ” “Choosing me to wield the Ladybug Miraculous, hell, choosing me as your Guardian could have also been a mistake. Did you think of that?” Marinette argued.

“That was different, you proved yourself to be worthy of the Miraculous.” Tikki piped up, “This boy...”

“What? I’m good enough to wield magic jewelry but I’m not good enough for a guy who isn’t Chat Noir?” Marinette argued. “No!” Tikki cried, “I meant that this person might not be worthy of you. Our magic, it did something to him, Marinette. I can sense it, I can’t quite put my finger on it but something is wrong here.”

“I know, I have spent my teenage years fighting people who have been turned into supervillains because of their negative emotions! Why should this be any different?” Marinette yelled. “I managed to do it mostly by myself, with a partner who would rather spend most of the battle joking around and getting in the way!” Marinette was getting heated, but she had far too much pent up emotion to care at that moment. “And the way he would go on and on about us being soulmates, I hated it. Now I hate it even more because now I know for certain that he was wrong.” Marinette recalled. If she was still in Paris, she might worry about an Akuma finding her in this state.

“You became a hero to help those people! It’s why you were suited to become a Guardian.” Tikki said. Marinette wondered what good those powers were to her now? What was the point in being a hero who couldn’t save people? “I wouldn’t know,” Marinette spat bitterly, “right now I just remember you telling me that I had to be the perfect Ladybug, and an even better Guardian.” It was true in a way, she already knew that Ladybug was perfect while Marinette was not. Ladybug was confident, strong, and smart, she was able to save the day with nothing but her wits and whatever tool Tikki gave her to improvise with. Marinette was the one who got bullied by Chloe and Lila, and Adrien did nothing to stop them. Their adoration for Ladybug added salt to the wound, at times it almost made Marinette despise her other persona. “You don’t mean that,” Tikki said before she turned to Plagg, “Plagg, say something, please.” she begged. “I mean, she certainly took it a lot more seriously. One time Chat Noir threatened to take off his Miraculous if I didn’t tell him a secret Ladybug was keeping at the time.” he said flippantly, before devouring the last of the cheese. “Only thing that stopped him was Master Fu showing up with a potion.” He recalled, there was a silence that followed. Plagg looked up and saw the two of them staring back at him. Tikki looked shocked by the revelation, while Marinette looked absolutely livid. “So I couldn’t do anything, step one foot out of line without you,” she pointed at Tikki, “breathing down my neck about being perfect.” she said in a harsh voice that was seething with rage, “Meanwhile, Chat Noir threatened to just toss the Miraculous aside and Plagg drew the line at being blackmailed into revealing a secret that was not mine to tell?” Marinette’s fists were clenched tightly, her knuckles were bone white, and Tikki was a little afraid of her. “Marinette, please...” Tikki begged. “No,” Marinette growled, as she took off the Ladybug earrings and slammed them into the Miracle Box. She didn’t want to hear what Tikki had to say to her at that moment. She was going to go out and have a nice night with her friends, where she wouldn’t have to think about any of this. She stuffed them back into the box, before she looked over at the pink and white polka dotted dress that was strewn over her bed.

There were two kinds of people who went to bars that didn't card: college students and legally dead people. Jason was in the latter group, and long before that, he knew the location of every bar in Gotham that wouldn't card him. Right now, he was trying to enjoy a few cold beers by himself. It was usually quiet, he could sit, drink and drown out the the memory of the sad look in his soulmate's eyes whenever it flashed in his mind. It was probably for the best, at least that's what Jason told himself. Even if she was a superhero herself, what worried him the most was showing her the full force of what the Lazarus pits turned him into. He didn't even think her fairy friends knew about that, the League of Assassins certainly didn't see it coming.

A small group of college aged girls made their way into the bar. Out of the corner of his eye, the group looked like they were about to form a rainbow. He heard a mixture of English, French and Italian bubbling from their little group. He looked over to see that among them, there was a brunette dressed all in black and grey, a blonde with dyed pink streaks in her hair, and a dark haired girl in a pink dress. They were a colourful bunch of people, probably Gotham University students on a night out. One of them went to go and get the first round of drinks while the others gathered round a table in a separate booth. Sometimes Jason would look over and his eyes would fall on the girl in the pink dress, who was now holding a glass of wine in her hand. He told himself it was because she happened to be facing towards him. If he stared too long, the blonde next to her might notice and point it out to her. So he looked away, taking a deep drink from his own bottle.

Zoe’s invitation couldn't have come at a better time. Marinette drank deeply from her wine glass, as she tried to enjoy herself and drown out the argument she had with Tikki. She took her role as Ladybug and Guardian of the Miraculous seriously, it infuriated her that the person she considered her partner didn't feel the same way. She tried to drown out the possibility that not only had Master Fu chosen wrong, but that whoever had chosen her soulmate had too. At the very least, her soulmate seemed to think so too. Maybe it would be easier to throw the Miracle Box into Gotham Bay and hope that it would take her memories with it.

By the time Marinette was a couple of glasses deep into her efforts, Zoe leaned in to whisper something to Marinette. "That guy's been staring at you for the past 15 minutes now." Zoe told her. Marinette was pulled from her thoughts, as she looked over at Zoe.

"What guy?" Marinette asked.

"Okay don't look now, but he's literally right in front of you." Zoe told her, "I'm sure he'll buy you another glass of wine if you bat your eyelashes at him." Marinette playfully pushed Zoe away. As she took another sip of wine, she looked over the rim of her glass at the guy Zoe pointed out to her. Across the room, she could see the guy had dark hair framing a very sharp and angular face. He wore a leather jacket, dark jeans and a t-shirt, he was certainly handsome, she'll give him that. She wasn't going to just walk right up to him and ask him to buy her a drink.

"He looks all right," Marinette said, trying to ignore Zoe's raised eyebrow.

Just as the other guy was getting ready to buy another drink, Zoe saw her chance. She grabbed Marinette by the shoulders and pushed her towards the guy staring at her. As the two ploughed towards the bar, people stepped back to give them a clear path towards the man sitting by the counter.

Jason turned back around, curious at the ruckus behind him. Both Marinette and Jason froze as their eyes met, the two looked down to see the red string of fate. Zoe took this as a good sign, maybe this was love at first sight. As the two remained silent, Zoe nudged Marinette. When that didn't work, she dragged Marinette by the wrist and sat her down on the nearby stool. Zoe then gave Marinette a light tap on the shoulder, a wink and a thumbs up before going back to her group of friends.

#jasonette #maribat #maribat adrien salt #maribat chloe salt #maribat lila salt #ml x dc

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