#But hey! I finally drew my Blue! There’s a bonus!

[possiblyfunny]

Ok! Last post for now. I gotta go back into hibernation and not post for several months lmao.

DEL: THE DISGRACED TRAINER

This is Del. He’s the Blue of my Blue Tears AU and the counterpart to Aster/Red. He, just like Aster, was never really drawn before—so this is the first time I’ve ever really brought him to life. Del is a victim of MissingNo, with the sentient glitch taking over his body and twisting all his negative thoughts and feelings to the extreme, resulting in him murdering his best friend and attempting to commit suicide afterwards. Thankfully, Del and Aster were found by a group of people just like him that treated his wounds and took him in—becoming his new family and home after his own turned their back on him and threw him out for losing at the Indigo League.

(Psst! Hey! @100nebulas! You didn’t ask for him, but here’s the Blue to go along with the Red!)

Other versions of the art below the cut.

The one on the left is just the sketch, but the one on the right is more of a…memory for Del.

[danikamariewrites]

Hey! I love your Acotar and Fourth wing works! I swear they are what get me through the day! Can I request for Xaden, when he, Tarin and Sgayel arrive at the flight field to see reader scared and hurt by her strict family member, who's an instructor, because reader wouldn't let them study her or something. Bonus points for if Tarin and Sgayel turn just as protective of both reader and Andarna. Thank you!

Not an Experiment

Xaden x reader

A/n: thank you anon❤️ I’m so happy you like them

Warnings: canon violence, abuse, angst

Sgaeyl was screaming in Xaden’s head. “Get up! Get up now!” The Wing Leader jolted up in bed. The black sheets pooling at his waist, chest heaving as Sgaeyl continued to yell.

He throws himself out of bed quickly dressing and bolting out of his room. Xaden knew something was wrong.

As he hustled his way down to the flight field Sgaeyl finally came back with answers. “It’s y/n! Her father has her and Andarna somewhere. Tarin and I are coming, are you ready?”

Xaden felt a rush of anger. Your father shouldn’t be anywhere near you. All your life he had treated you like an experiment. He wasn’t even supposed to be near you! You were supposed to be safe from him in the riders quadrant until.

Your father is a Colonel under General Sorrengail, this is clearly his way of getting into her good graces. A powerful weapon controlled by the Empyrean at her disposal would move your father up a few ranks. He was there when your signet made itself known. When you bonded to Tarin and Andarna Xaden didn’t like the look in his eye. The gears in his brain were churning, a plot forming with every passing second.

Before Sgaeyl can properly land Xaden vaulted himself on to her back. The blue dragon took off faster than she ever had before. As she rose Tarin’s menacing figure appeared before them. He looked angry. Rage swimming in his yellow eyes.

Tarin lead the way to you and Andarna. “He’s trying to open your bond so you can speak to her again.” Xaden couldn’t even think straight never mind speak. They flew for what felt like hours before he spotted you, your father, and Andarna on a hill.

Tarin landed behind your father as Sgaeyl landed behind you. Xaden threw himself from her back rushing over to you. You were sobbing, clinging to Andarna who was clearly drained. The little gold dragons eyes were half closed. Her breathing slow and heavy.

Your father roared in anger at Xaden pulling you into his arms. “This has nothing to do with you!” “It has everything to do with me! Y/n is your daughter! How can you do this?”

“She is my child, I decided what happens to her!” Your head snapped toward your father. Your eyes wild and face splotchy with tears. “No you don’t! You don’t get to treat me like an experiment anymore. And for what? Glory and a new title?”

Your father was getting angrier and angrier. His hand twitching for his sword, fist clenching and knuckles turning white. “Tarin you need to get Andarna out of her.” “I am not leaving you here.”

Pulling his sword your father stomped at the three of you. You and Xaden drew your own, ready to protect the small dragon behind you. Tarin didn’t let him get that far. He grabbed your father by his shirt, throwing him into the closest tree. He bounced off the trunk rolling far from you.

Tarin steps between your father and the four of you. He gets low, practically eye level with your father. Gods that must be terrifying. Tarin let’s out a roar and fire follows. You drop to your knees in shock. You knew this would happen. He was protecting his rider, his mate, and little Andarna.

This had to happen. This was the only way you would be safe again. Xaden could only protect you so much. And no one would question the dragons.

[sanctus-ingenium]

how do you do the alternate colorways??? are you using like layer modes or ?

nope i never touch layer modes for anything but tiny effects (like the ink stamps on the postmaster drawing) because they frighten and appall me but each of those drawings i used different Methods

first one i used the curves tool to manually shift around the colour curves, resulting in a more warm-toned final piece. that one was soooo close to being posted but because that piece was based off of a real sunset i'd seen i decided to use the unaltered version which was closest to the real sky

second one, not really an alternate colour way i just drew that one with black pencil brush on a white bg. then for the one i posted, i just changed the pencil layer to blue and the bg to pink. done

third one is actually the original painting, i did that in sai. the one i posted had a gradient map applied at a low opacity to turn it more purpley and also a bloom and noise effect on top for a blurry glowy look iirc

fourth one was a gradient map at 100% opacity, this one was the earliest of the four drawings and i hadn't really learned much about procreate and just jammed the colours on because the original was not wowing me. but what the original needed more than a totally different colour scheme was just a saturation and contrast bump to make it more vivid

bonus alt colour under the cut

here's a headwreck: this is sun eater when i was done painting it, in the colors i originally hand picked for the drawing. i finished this and then i was like hey this is Not good so i went back and changed the curves to make it all nice and actually legible. but yeah this is the original painting. sometimes i get it right first try with colours but this time i didn't. it's also an illustration of how screen brightness can mess up a drawing because if your ipad or tablet screen is too bright, you will select colours which are too dark without even knowing

to keep my colours good i often just take screenshots as i go and look at them on my phone (with vibrant colour mode turned off). the ipad screen is also especially bad at yellows to a noticeable degree

[justabooknerdposts]

Anyway. I saw that you put the order list so I have some: howI saw that you put the order list so I have some ideas: how grover, chiron, Sally, and the like discovered romance; the first time they makeout, no sex! just teenage fire. the three going to new rome; a day as a camp counselor and I love stories that take place well before TLO!!!

*Okay, I decided to go with a little bit of a day as a camp counselor, set post-BotL, pre-TLO (and there’s a bonus scene at the end regarding Sally, post-TLO 😊)*

I couldn’t find Annabeth.  True, things had been weird between the two of us ever since the Battle of the Labyrinth and the end of our quest a couple weeks ago, so we’d both been kind of avoiding each other.  But I figured that today was the one day she’d be way more mad if I didn’t find her than if I did.

I’d spent the morning doing my regular camp counselor duties.  Unfortunately, that had included kitchen patrol because the Poseidon cabin had scored last in inspections.  I said Silena was too picky at inspections, wanting everything to be pretty.  No one had agreed with me.  So, I was stuck cleaning up after breakfast, which extra sucked since I was currently the only one in the Poseidon cabin; Tyson was back in the undersea forges for the week.  The lava spray guns the harpies used made me extra nervous now, after my experience in Mt. St. Helens. 

Luckily, I managed to escape with only a very minor burn on my finger.  Then I grabbed the package I’d set carefully by the door, far away from the water and lava, and headed out the kitchen door.  Morning activities were in full swing.  The Hephaestus cabin had arts and crafts time, so they were making their usual elaborately designed machines.  The Aphrodite cabin was down at the lake, doing canoe races, although some of them, like Drew Tanaka, appeared to just be tanning.  Hermes cabin was running relay races on the climbing wall; as I passed, I saw Connor Stoll rolling on the ground, trying to put out his burning shirt.  I thought about dousing him, but his shirt had already stopped burning and was now simply smoldering, so I figured he’d be okay.  Over on the archery range, the Athena and Apollo cabins were competing.  That should have been super unfair to the Athena cabin, but some of their campers were almost as good with calculating velocity and angles as the Apollo campers were with their natural talent.  However, I didn’t see Annabeth.  And, despite my lucky shot against Geryon earlier this summer, I had no desire to go near the archery range.  Although, I probably needed to burn a thank you offering to Artemis and Apollo for that shot.

I finally found Annabeth in the empty dining pavilion, still seated at the Athena table, absorbed in Daedalus’s laptop.  Its screen gave her face a faintly blue tint. 

Interrupting her was risky, so I kind of stood there awkwardly until she said, “Hey, Percy,” without looking up.

“Hey.”  I shifted from foot to foot.  “Are you busy?”

She pursed her lips, then shook her head.  “I could take a break,” she admitted, scooting her laptop back.  She gave me a small smile, which I figured was a big win, and said, “What’s up, Seaweed Brain?”

Remembering what Athena had told me back in December on Olympus, I was a little hesitant to sit at the goddess’s table, but I decided to take the risk.  I perched myself on the very edge of the bench beside Annabeth—but not, you know, too close.  When no thunder rumbled and I wasn’t immediately incinerated, I figured Annabeth’s mom was giving me a pass.  For now.

“How’s it going with that thing?” I asked, nodding at Daedalus’s laptop.

Her eyes lit up.  “It’s amazing.  There are so many different designs and inventions—I could probably spend the next hundred years, literally, going through them.”

“That sounds…fun.  For you, anyway.”

“I told Beckendorf about some of the designs.  We might try to collaborate on making some of Daedalus’s inventions for real.  Like there’s this shield—”

Thunder rumbled overhead.  I leapt up from the Athena table like my butt was on fire.  Because I really didn’t want it to end up that way.

“Uh, sorry.  I don’t think your mom likes me sitting at her table.”

Annabeth looked like she was fighting back a smirk.  “Want to walk down to the dock instead?”

“That would be great.”  I tucked the wrapped package I’d brought under my arm.

We sat at the end of the dock on the canoe lake, dangling our feet in the water.  Farther out, the Aphrodite kids were squabbling.  Someone had flipped Drew Tanaka’s canoe, dunking her, which was apparently a huge ordeal because it had gotten her hair wet.  Drew clearly was not happy about it.  Silena was trying to mediate, but looked a little stressed.

“Should we help?” Annabeth asked, looking out at the lake.

“I don’t think they’ll listen to us,” I said.  “But I can always try to separate them with a wave or something if it gets really ugly.”

“That works,” Annabeth said.  “So, did you have a reason for coming to find me, Seaweed Brain?”

“Maybe.”  My neck felt hot, but I handed over my clumsily wrapped present that I was suddenly wishing I’d taken more care with wrapping.  “This is for you.  Happy birthday, Annabeth.”

She took the present, looking surprised, then said quietly, “Thanks, Percy.”

I waited nervously while she unwrapped it.  It was a book about Frank Lloyd Wright, who was a famous architect.  Annabeth had mentioned him a few times, so I hoped I wasn’t too far off track.  I’d asked my mom to order the book, then she’d mailed it to camp for me.  I’d been a little worried it wasn’t going to show up on time; it had only arrived yesterday.  I’d had to ask Silena for wrapping paper.  Her knowing look when I said it was for Annabeth made me feel embarrassed and I’d hurried to get out of the Aphrodite cabin as quickly as possible.

Annabeth’s face when she unwrapped the book made it all worth it, though.  “Oh my gods, Percy!  This is so cool.”  She looked up at me then, her smile as bright as the summer sky.  “How did you know I like Frank Lloyd Wright?”

I shrugged.  “You’ve mentioned him a few times.  Didn’t you say the house at the Triple G Ranch looked like a Frank Lloyd Wright?”

“Yeah, I did.”  Annabeth studied me for a moment, then she leaned over and kissed my cheek.  “Thank you.”

I tried not to look too pleased.  “You’re welcome.”

We sat there quietly for a minute while Annabeth flipped through her book, pausing on different pages like she was reading a couple of lines. 

Finally, I asked, “So, how’s your birthday going so far?”

“Pretty good.  My siblings woke me up by singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to me this morning.”

“That sounds like a terrifying way to wake up.”

Annabeth laughed, which was good to hear.  “It kind of was.  But they meant well.”

We talked for a few minutes about nothing important.  Definitely nothing quest or war related.  It felt nice to just hang out, like we used to before things got weird this summer.

“I finally got to lead a quest,” Annabeth said after talking about how it had been a crazy year, between going to school with Thalia in Brooklyn, then getting kidnapped by Atlas, then the quest this summer.  “I just wish I’d done a better job with it.  I always…” her voice trailed off as she bit her lip, then she said in a rush, “I always thought I’d be better at it.  More of a natural.”

“I thought you did great,” I said truthfully.  “This was a tough quest.  Like you said, some of our other ones have been more logical.  This one was all over the place.  Literally.  I mean, we walked from Long Island to San Francisco in a day.  And then ended up in Texas a couple hours later.  Who could plan for that?”

“But I should have been able to.”  Annabeth gripped her book more tightly, her knuckles turning white.  “If I don’t have a clear plan, who’s ever going to follow me on…anything?”

“I’d still follow you.”

Annabeth looked taken aback.  Then, in a small voice, she said, “You would?”

“Definitely.  I’d follow you anywhere.”

The words were out of my mouth before I could think about them.  I felt the back of my neck heat up again.  But it was true.  I trusted Annabeth more than I trusted anyone else.  Even if she didn’t know all the details, I knew she’d always come up with some kind of a plan.

Annabeth’s ears were red.  But instead of saying anything, she laid her book gently down beside her on the dock.  Then she reached over and took my hand.  I summoned my courage and lightly squeezed her fingers.  She returned the pressure.

We sat there for a while, holding hands at the end of the dock, watching the Aphrodite kids use their paddles to fling water at each other, not saying much.  But I was reminded of the time we’d shared a dance on Mount Olympus, the music a little sad, but a little hopeful, too. 

*

Okay, and then for fun, another part of the request was about first make out session and also Sally finding out—so I decided to combine the two lol This is set post-TLO

Sally was pleasantly surprised when Percy asked if he could invite Annabeth over for dinner.  He had only been home from camp for a few days, and Sally knew Annabeth had flown back to the city to move into her dorm room, after going home to San Francisco for a couple of days to pack her things.  Sally hadn’t seen her since the kids had come out of the elevator in the Empire State Building at the end of the war, so she was looking forward to catching up.  Especially since she hadn’t seen a lot of Annabeth this summer, with Percy spending a lot of time hanging out with Rachel.  Not that that was a problem.  Sally liked Rachel, too.  But she had to admit that she’d missed seeing Annabeth around.

Paul would be home in an hour.  He was currently at Goode High School, getting his classroom ready for school to start next week.  Percy was in the living room, playing a video game.  Sally knew she needed to start dinner soon, but she was currently back sitting at the desk in her bedroom, jotting down a few quick ideas she’d had about the next chapter in her novel.  She wanted to get them down on paper before she forgot about them.  So she heard the knock on the apartment door, but didn’t think too much about it, since she was still absorbed in her book.  Which meant that it was a huge surprise for her, when she headed back out into the living room, to find Annabeth now sitting on the couch with Percy. 

Actually, Annabeth sitting on the couch wasn’t the surprise. 

The surprise was finding the two of them sitting on the couch making out.

“Oh,” Sally said, her initial reaction to stumbling on this scene.

Percy and Annabeth broke apart like they’d been shocked with Zeus’s lightning bolt.

“Oh shi—um, sorry, Mom,” Percy said, his face bright red.

Annabeth looked mortified.  “Oh my gods.  Sorry, Ms. Jackson!”

Sally just stood for a moment, processing.  Then, she exhaled and said, “Finally.”

Leaving the two teenagers gaping at her, she headed into the kitchen to start dinner, a slight smile on her face.

*Because Sally was totally one of the first Percabeth fans.*

[sol-starr]

Introducing: Jupiter

(Archived from @sol-nebula. Also I think some of the quality bit the dust on this reupload. RIP)

hey guys how is your night going mine is going okay- OH NO *drops fanbot art*

Meet Jupiter :) Look under the cut for more info and art I’ve been working on (hopefully I do this cut thing right lol)

Beholdeth. My fanbot. Jupiter. :) Jupiter uses they/them pronouns, and their instrument of choice is the theremin! It adds a nice ambient sound to songs. Jupiter was created a few months before the weekend war, they were one of the bots made in preparation for the war. However, Peter Walter I always did hope that after the war his bots could live a peaceful life pursing music… and after all the other wars SPG canonically served in, Jupiter was finally able to pick up the theremin. They had played around with it before, but their time with it was cut short due to the need to go to war. (this picture was drawn using a reference that was a real person so it looks a little funky)

These are Peter Walter I’s first sketches of Jupiter teehee (this is actually the first digital drawings of Jupiter I did. I took my sketches I made in class and brought them to digital. I thought it would be cool to make them look like they’re on some old paper PW1 drew on) You can see they have multicolored eyes & some neat goggles. They also wear gloves because their hands got a little messed up in the weekend war. Peter repaired them to the best of his ability. Their wig of choice is long blue with a ponytail. That red shirt they’re wearing is actually a vest, they wear a white button up undershirt that you can’t see due to their long coat.

Here is Jupiter doing one of their favorite things - reading while a thunderstorm goes on outside in Library 22 of the Walter manor. (I totally didn’t make it library 22 to commemorate that I made Jupiter in the year 2022 hahaha)

Bonus - a drawing I did in one of my classes while we were talking about Pokémon of Jupiter feeding a Piplub. Because Piplub is my favorite starter 💙

Feel free to ask me questions about Jupiter or what not. To be quite honest, I feel like as if I’m still forming some aspects of Jupiter’s personality and backstory myself, so maybe some questions can help me figure out what I want to do lol

[flowersandcandy06]

Hi internet people i hope you like looking at the creatures because I have another one to show you guys today

(..and yes it's about my Weatherhumans again, dang it)

Behold *drum roll SFX* ---

Tornado-chan!!! :DDD

Yea that's oil on her clothes and face and stuff, what're you gonna do about that hmmm???? 🤨🤨🤨

(more info about her below the "read more" stretch WOOOOP)

And yes I'm finally uploading the proper Weatherhuman images onto Tumblr now yaaaay *confetti noises* (don't worry I'll post the others I've originally posted to Twitter, on here too in a "bit")

Cough cough anyways have the dumb factoid page I made about her..it's messy as all hell but hey it works I guess xp

(and by doing that whole "controlling the tornadoes" thing, she controls them with one of her hands. Maybe if it's like an EF3+ or a strong twister, then she'll have to use both of her hands but idk, lol)

God I love writing factoids with my friends, it's so fun and whimsical teehee B)

OH AND ALSO BEFORE I drop off the face of the Earth and do more internet things again..have some bonus images of her!! Yay :D

(art by Soupy (top image) and Brutus (bottom image))

She's. Being freaking BAKED dude B,| la creatura gets what she deserves

Okay this is from uhh middle school and it's the original concept I made for her (in blue ink; drew her during lunch) alongside the hair-redesign-ideas my irl friend Zarina made (in purple ink). She was supposed to be one of those stereotypical "anime kawaii desu yandere trope" girls but I eventually changed her up to be a greaser because well. UhhhhMM yea 🥲 (the outsiders book and movie I love and miss you waaah)

The "#1" redesigned hairstyle was used again for another tornado-based character, buuuut I'll tell you more about that character later,,, woooooop

..Okay wow uh cool thank you for reading bye!! *dies*

[juminly]

Poison & Wine (Dabi x Reader)

Fandom: Boku No Hero Academia/My Hero Academia.  Pairing: Dabi x Female!Reader.  Summary: Dabi just wanted you to pour him some wine. Things just get a bit more heated from there as you when you get a good taste of him... and he just does the same.  Rating: Explicit. (Minors, DNI) Warnings: Alcohol Consumption, Pet-Play, Teasing, BDSM, Desk Sex, Rough Sex, Slight Degradation, Blow-Job, Hate sex?, A tiny tiny bit of Gore, Doggy-Style, Hair-Pulling, Creampie.  Word Count: 4.7k ~ –♥– There he goes again. Calling you a puppy and asking you to go fetch him a bottle of wine. Emphasis on the word bottle cause God forbid you got him something else, he was going to burn something to ashes and you would have to suffer the consequences, for whatever reason that may be. Out of all of the villains you met, Dabi was the worst of them all. You've heard much about him, those bright and deadly blue flames of him that strike both fear and bewilderment in your heart.

He was different from them all. You knew exactly why but never dared to say it.

You had no idea why he was in Kurogiri/Shigaraki's study and you couldn't care less. Or that's what you told yourself. Even before you found yourself accidentally associated in one of the League of Villains crimes, you had no choice but to join them, even if you were but a mere quirkless human. You used your talents to do research, aka gathering intelligence on the public's opinion on the war between heroes and villains in return for their protection, keeping you from getting locked in prison for life, for a crime that you didn't even commit.

Opening the door to the study, a small gasp escaped your lips which you immediately masked with a few words, the surprise you felt betrayed you and ringing clearly in your voice even when you huffed as disgruntledly as you could. "H-Here's the bottle. Where do you want it?"

Sitting in a disheveled button down white blouse, his chest was on full display, showcasing the staples that joined the curved lines of his pale skin with the wrinkled burnt flesh, the contrasting purple was never something you could get used to, especially when you thought about how he even suffered such atrocious injuries. But it was... his hair, stark white compared to the usual black that he wore, the spiky locks appeared to glow when he brushed a scarred hand between them while he looked up blankly at the ceiling.

When was he going to acknowledge you? Or at least the wine that you brought him?

Even with his physique covered in marred skin, his turquoise eyes gazing at you with nothing but complete disinterest, evidently bored with your mere existence as he always seemed to remind you with either his words or his actions. You could offer him nothing, annoying him to the point of contempt. Why was he so pissed off with you being around? Why did he treat like you were some sort of slave? You had no idea.

Well, he could kill you right on the spot so you had better do as he said, having the power to go down in flames in a split-second, turn you to nothing without a blink of his gorgeous eyes. It was a challenge, you finding him incredibly and criminally attractive, spending countless nights with your fingers, knuckles deep inside your dripping cunt, calling out Dabi’s name… wishing that you knew his real one.

Fuck him for making you feel this way. Literally.

If only.

"Is that how you speak to your Master, little puppy?" He smirked, the words dragging from his lips as he drawled teasingly, not even bothering to sit up and look at you as he addressed you. You were wondering why he didn’t even speak to you when your feet had been frozen in place, your mind travelling to a place so far away… a place that could never exist. One where you… "If you know what's best for you, come here and pour me some." Dabi interrupted your thoughts, his raspy voice portraying his bubbling frustration.

Fucking son of a bitch. Walking towards him, you stood behind the chair he was slouching on, looking down at him yet his eyes were still trained on the ceiling, flickering only momentarily towards you then back on whatever it is he was staring at. What the hell was he looking at? Tilting your head upwards, you found nothing. Just the plain white ceiling. Okay… weird. Sighing, you brought your attention back to him and droned, your own irritation with him growing. “Do you have a glass somewhere around here? You just asked me to fetch the damn bottle.” Idly lifting his hand towards his face, you watched as one of his long bony fingers pinched one of the staples by his lips, plucking them out without even a wince and he did the same on the other side, snickering at your reaction. He didn’t even have to look at you to see you wince at his seemingly masochistic behaviour, the pain actually a feeling that he welcomed with open arms, amongst other sensations that he sought. Right then, he just really wanted some liquor in his system and to spite Kurogiri. It was no one’s business why he wanted to do so but unjustifiably consuming heaps of the man’s favourite wine. That would definitely do it. “Quit your damn yapping? I swear, you’re worse than fucking white noise.” Now that he removed one of the staples, Dabi could open his mouth even wider, his long tongue lapping up at the small trail of blood that oozed from the small pricks on his skin, the familiar metallic taste settling on his tongue eliciting a small groan of approval from him. “Why would I need a damn glass when I’ve got a puppy to help me drink it all up?” Without even waiting for your response, Dabi glared at you from the corner of his eyes, his head tilted back with his mouth wide open, waiting for you to actually move. You didn’t know why you let him string you along the way he did but here you were, popping the wine bottle open and tipping it slowly, watching the vinaceous liquid flow into Dabi’s expectant mouth. Your eyes remained trained on him, observing how he let the liquid accumulate in his mouth, then swallowing it in large gulps, his adam’s apple protruding visibly from his throat, you found yourself mesmerized by the way it bobbed up and down as he continued to take more and more of the wine inside his body. The moment you tried to tip the bottle back a bit, easing slightly on the amount you poured, a threatening groan rumbled in his chest, making you roll your eyes at him. “You can choke on that damn wine for all I care. I won’t stop until you finish the bottle then.”

The corner of his lips, of his face to be more accurate, turned up into a malicious smirk, as derisive as he ever was, his turquoise eyes staring into yours as the wine began to seep past his lips and broken flesh. A blood-red trail began meandering down his face, tracing the skin of his neck as it began to flow freely, painting a stream of crimson rivers along the valleys of his sculpted chest, as if it were worshipping the ripples of his scarred skin and reaching down to the end of the path, right by his Adonis belt where Dabi’s low-hanging pants lied. You could feel your throat getting dry, thoughts playing over what the man that lounged before you looked like past his well-defined V-line. How much of a tease could he be? Not only was he sitting in an almost indecent manner, practically asking for you to drool and swoon all over how fuckable he was? God knew how much you craved him, the countless fantasies of yours where he just gripped you by the neck and railed you, leaving you breathless, with a sore pussy and legs that practically turned into jelly.

“Hey!” He snapped you out of your lustful reverie, realizing that you had already emptied the bottle, tiny droplets were now falling on Dabi’s face and trickling down his chin. He cocked an eyebrow at you, not bothering to wipe the rivulets of wine that joined the red roadmap that you drew on his imperfectly perfect banging body. Hngh, why the fuck did he make you this thirsty? “Yo, pup. You gonna stop spacin’ out and clean up this damn mess?”

Normally, you would’ve just walked away but something kept your damn feet glued to the floor, your eyes searching around the room for napkins. It wasn’t like anything in this damn room could be used to get those wine stains off his shirt. With the same hand you held the wine bottle in, you placed it over your hip and the other on your waist, informing him despondently. “There ain’t any tissues here so you’ll have to make do with that already ruined shirt of yours.

“You’re running that pretty mouth of yours. I’m sure you could put it to better use.”

“Yeah, I could.” You replied, without even realizing the implications of your own words.

”Then get on with it.” Dabi rolled the chair a tad and spread his legs even wider, giving you enough space to step in between them and you did exactly just that. With his eyes closed shut, he just let you take matters into your own hands, thinking you were the one in control. You didn’t think your actions through but you found yourself hovering over him, balancing yourself with your hands on the back of the chair. Leaning down, your tongue trailed over the corner of his jawline, the tender feeling of his marred skin strange but not revolting in the least. 

It was exhilarating, finally being able to have your lips on his body, to know how he felt and especially the part of him that made him seem even more of a ‘bad guy’. In your eyes, he was the hottest fucker you could have your hands on and right then, your lips wantonly kissed down the column of his neck, sucking on his skin, looping your tongue around his collarbone. Hiking down his chest, you lapped up the crimson liquid, sucking on the piercing rings that adorned his nipples. Why was he like this? Why was it that he didn’t seem the least bit affected by this? You could already feel your body running hot, adrenaline rushing through your veins. He didn’t ask for you to do anything to pleasure him but this certainly came as an added bonus, his pants tightening with every brush of your wet tongue, every kiss from your soft perfect lips on his hideous self. The smile that turned up the corner of his lips was an involuntary one, a certain anticipation building inside of him to see how you would react as you travelled further down his ripped body, reaching where his pants were feeling tight as shit. Oh well, it was going to hurt if he just relieved himself as you did your thing. Now, would it? His hands were focused on freeing his half-erect cock from his pants and damn, it was a good day to have gone commando and be chilling with wine just streaking his body and a good puppy just licking it all off. Now that your lips had already found his rib cage, intricately and delicately licking all traces of red from his skin, a small yelp escaped you as your upper lip got caught on one of the staples. While crouching down so you could tend to his abs, completely ignoring the nick of your lips, Dabi grabbed your chin and tilted your head up before your knees could touch the floor, before you could finally get to the part you’ve always dreamed of. Licking his abs. With your eyes locked on turquoise, you gulped loudly as he hunched forward abruptly, capturing your upper lip between his and sucked lazily, dragging his tongue lazily over the bit of blood that dripped from your soft flesh. To keep yourself from falling, you stabilized yourself with your hands on his knees, reeling over him hungrily as he teased you by letting his tongue delve into your mouth, brushing against the roof of your mouth, having you let out an involuntary preen at the shivering sensation that washed over you. Before you could even kiss him back or even get a better taste of him, he broke your bind with a final suck, licking his lips as he slouched back against the chair once again.   Fuck. You knew that he was packing under the belt but holy shit, you weren’t expecting to see Jacob’s Ladder pierced from the base of his cock right to his tip. His loose grip on his length made your mouth water, your mind certainly no longer focused on his abs but on the way you saw his thick shaft lay heavy in his palm, hardening by the second as he brushed the underside with his thumb. “You’re really provin’ to be a bad pup. There’s still some wine left.” Giving him your best glare, you propped yourself comfortably between his thighs, slapping his hand away from his cock, earning you a warning glare of his own. “Shut up. I’ll get to it later. Let me help you with this.” You grumbled, wrapping your lithe fingers around his girth with one hand, dragging your fingers up and down the underside of his cock, feeling the bumps of the cool metal in the experimental trail you drew, just to gauge his reaction. Staring at you with half-lidded eyes, his face stretched into a lazy smirk, his tongue wetting his lower lip in a swift sweep. “You’re just hungry for my cock, huh? Could’ve just said so.” Lifting his hands to cradle the back of his head, he was ready to enjoy the show. Prying your mouth slightly ajar, you began by giving him kitten licks around his tip with your palm squeezed the base of his cock, focusing on pumping him with a steady rhythm. Your curiosity guided you as you enveloped his tip with your mouth, suckling on it harder while your tongue swept on the underside of his shaft, teasing him around the metal circle you found there then up to his slit, feeling the salty taste of his pre-cum hit your tongue. You really tried, really did but ultimately failed when you moaned appreciatively as he got thicker inside your mouth, motivating you to open even wider and take him even deeper into your mouth, releasing your hands to tend to his balls, kneading them with enough pressure to have him twitch against your tongue. Your eyes fleeted up towards him, finding Dabi still wearing the stoically unimpressed expression he usually had. You had a fucking mouthful of his cock and he wasn’t even batting an eyelash. What kind of self-control did this guy have? “Didn’t know that you like having your mouth full of cock, puppy.” He chuckled deep and low, the rumbling only infuriating you… and arousing you too. Lowering yourself down further, you flattened your tongue against him, letting it glide over his hard cock, sucking him deeper as while you hollowed your cheeks, choking slightly the moment he hit the back of your throat. Wait… he wasn’t all the way in yet! You were going to have to ease him even further inside in your next try. Sucking in a deep breath, you swirled your tongue around his length languorously, making sure that every bit of him was warm and slick, your mouth feeling immediately lighter as you suckled on his tip. Just thinking about how big he is had you squirming, your panties growing slick with the thought of him stretching your tight pussy with his thick cock. With your strong resolve, you relaxed your jaw and swallowed him whole this time, bobbing your head over him as drool dripped from your lips, the wet noises of your sucking getting louder as you moved with smug eagerness. If you were looking to get a reaction out of him, well… you were better off looking elsewhere.

“You’re gonna keep wagging your tail like a bitch in heat?” You suddenly felt his hand on you, gripping your hair harshly. He yanked your head away from him, his cock slipping out of your mouth with a loud wet pop, you licked up the drool seeping from the corner of your mouth. “You wanna choke on my dick or stuff your dripping pussy with me?” He spoke harshly between his teeth, the aggression in his words making your core clench with need, fucking reeling just for him to finally fuck you the way you always wanted. “You’re drooling for my cock and I’m being nice enough to ask you what you want. Answer me.”

With your lips parted, you gasped for air, the heat pooling between your legs was something that you could no longer ignore despite the fact that you hated how much your body just ached him. ”Get your fucking hands off me.” Gripping his hand tightly, you sank your nails into his skin and removed it from the crown of your head and back to his side. “Since you asked me, ‘nicely’, what I want…” You spat venomously at him, unzipping your pants and popping the button before shimmying out of them, your hips moving side to side as you slid your panties down along with it, turning around to step your feet out of them, exposing your bare ass to Dabi’s now slightly more interested eyes. “Mhm… I always thought you had a nice ass, puppy but I’m actually impressed.” You felt a bit smug that he found you at least kinda attractive, or that’s at least what you thought he was trying to say. You were able to get it up for him and please him thoroughly with your mouth, so it seemed fair to assume so. Still, why the fuck did you care what he thought of you? You really… really hated how cold and impassive he was with you.

“Fuck you, Dabi.” You growled out. With your hands settling on either side of his head, gripping the back of his chair while you placed one knee on it and then the other, finally straddling him and feeling the tip of his erection brushed against your lips.

“Haha, most gladly. But this is not gonna go the way you want.” Mocking you with a derisive smirk, his hands grabbing onto your waist and lifting you off the chair as he stood and kicked the damn thing away from him. With your feet now dangling off the floor, he grinned widely, his face was the true representation of malice and chaos. “I’ll give you exactly what you asked for.” He breathed raspily, the threatening edge to his voice made you want to squirm in his hold yet you didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing you weak for him. You already felt the wetness of your slick pool at your core, drenching your lips and drip down your inner thighs, a sensation that you were so familiar with when you spent so many nights just edging yourself with wet daydreams, initially refusing to give in to your lust for the despicable man. One moment, you were facing and the next, he flipped you onto your stomach over the desk, basically slamming your body onto the wooden surface, spreading your legs apart while you scrambled to plant your feet on the floor, reaching for the edge of the desk and gripping it with all your might. You were right in doing so because the second you were parallel to the floor, Dabi lined his cock at your entrance and thrust violently inside of you, impaling you as he stretched your tight walls with no prelude whatsoever. The mixture of pleasure of being filled so deliciously made you cry out but didn’t keep you from wincing, your breath coming out in gasp at the sore sensation in your pussy, having been jabbed into so abruptly. “Still too early to whine, puppy. We’re just getting started.” He chuckled mockingly, his voice still as monotonous and raspy as it had always been, as if he wasn’t so strenuously splitting you with his cock. With his hands at your hips, his bruising grip held you tightly in place as he rocked his hips against you, the wet sounds of your sopping pussy milking him as his balls slapped against you, electrifying tremors racking through your legs with the intensity of his assault. You didn’t mind the manhandling, it was hot and like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. Holy fucking shit… you didn’t know that Jacob’s Ladder would feel this good, adding another layer of stimulation that had your eyes roll back. You had never been fucked like this before and the sounds that came from your lips were a true testament to that. You were never really a loud one in bed but Dabi was making you moan loudly, your tight core sucking him in every time he pulled your hips to him, slamming into you and sheathing himself fully inside of you, the tip of his cock grazing your sweet spot only for a split second before he pulled back, removing himself completely out of you just to hear you keen loudly for him, begging for his cock, especially when you felt the cool metal dragged out of your walls. “Hah… fuck fuck… fuck me harder, damn it!” You screamed through heaving gasps, your voice muffled as you spoke against the hard surface beneath you, holding on to it with your dear life as it began rocking under you every time he pummelled you. The strength he put into each thrust was more than enough to have your legs quaking, your sense of equilibrium teetering on the edge, just like your sanity was. He felt way too fucking good and you wanted more. “Aren’t you a greedy little bitch, huh?” He drawled, unable to keep himself from laughing out loud. You were really proving yourself to be such a good puppy for him and he was definitely starting to get more and more into this. “Milking my cock like this and you still want more?” His unrelenting rhythm in which he was fucking you slowed after every few harsh thrusts, allowing your pussy to swallow him whole, your inner walls just tightening around him, the wet contractions accompanied by your annoyingly sweet whines intoxicating him even more that the full-bodied wine he emptied. He always wanted to have such a good pet like you, with a pussy as ready and welcoming as yours yet strong enough to handle him just as he was. “You just really want me to wreck you, puppy. How long have you been fantasizing about me fucking you like this?” He asked, his raspy timbre wavering slightly as his breath quickened, pleasure making his walls slowly crumbled but what really mattered still remained. He was the one in control. “Answer me, bitch.” He didn’t have to sugarcoat things for you, take it easy on you or treat you like you were fragile. Reaching forward, he laced his fingers into your locks, latching on your hair and pulling your head back, forcing you off the desk to look into his cruel turquoise orbs. He really wished he had a collar wrapped around your pretty little neck and a chain that he could just pull on. For now, your hair would make do.

“Yesssss… fuck mee, yesss. I hate you so much for this, Dabi.” You mewled out, the knot in your stomach becoming excruciatingly tighter, the eminent pulsing of your ravaged core assuring that your release was near. Fuck, fuck, fuck. The feeling of your hair being tugged on your scalp had your eyes burning, tears forming in the corner of your eyes but it wasn’t only from the stinging sensation that was borderline abusive. And you loved it. “Hate me all you want.. I know you’ve been fucking yourself to the thought of me.” Dabi droned, a teasing lilt to his tone that set you aflame and your blood boiling. What he said was unfortunately true and who were you to deny it. Nodding in response to him or to your own thoughts, you weren’t entirely sure. All you knew was that you absolutely loved how he was using you like the pet that you were. His fuck toy.

“Don’t try to be proud. I can feel your pussy clamping my cock harder now.” Driving himself into you, his cock pushed even deeper inside of you when you arched your back, pushing your ass up and getting him to penetrate you even more. “You like it rough, don’t ya?” For the first time since he started fucking you, a deep groan ripped from his throat, exhaling through gritted teeth as the pleasure of being enveloped by your warmth finally started creeping on to him, managing to break through the stronghold that was his emotionless demeanor. He didn’t expect you to feel so damn good and he just needed so much more of you, feeling himself get closer to his orgasm as his cock began to twitch inside you, your pussy squeezing him even tighter with you being right over the edge of falling apart. Just a few more thrusts and he was gone. Pulling even harder on your hair, you raised yourself onto your elbows, crying out as Dabi was now repeatedly hitting you exactly where you needed him to, the one hand he had on your hips thankfully keeping you in place while he pumped himself into you, the pace of his thrusts faltering as your release came crashing down on you. Your choked moans threw him off, the meek sounds tumbling from your lips had him wondering why the fuck it took him so damn long to fuck you. Letting go of your hair, Dabi smacked his hands down on either side of you, rolling his hips to dive in to the hilt, spilling himself inside you, filling you up with his cum while your entire body trembled from the force of your climax, the ripples of pleasure still coursing through you as you continued to milk him dry. Dabi felt so damn disoriented and he wasn’t sure whether it was because of the fucking wine or the nutting he just had. He hadn’t come that much in such a long time and he really really wanted to just flop over you and cool down. Maybe go for another round. But he didn’t need a damn clingy puppy. Just a good obedient bitch he could fuck. Slipping out of you, he looked down at the mess that he made out of you, licking his lips as he spread your cheeks apart, watching his cum ooze out of you and drip to the floor. Your inner thighs were glistening with your own slick and fuck, didn’t you have a pretty pussy? It looked good and felt good too. Maybe next time, he’d have a taste of it too. If he felt like it. He didn’t have the chance to look at you before but examining you now and after fucking you, you were much better than he thought you would be. Pulling his pants back on, he zipped his pants and began scuffing away, throwing a bored glance back at you before walking out the door. “You were a decent fuck so I wouldn’t mind doing this again.” And right before he closed the door behind him, he added. “Clean up before you leave. Don’t need Kurogiri up my ass.” Not that he was going to leave him be anyways. Click. Now that he was gone and you were all alone. You finally got some time to let what happened just sink in. You were not ashamed and paid absolutely mind at the throbbing ache between your legs, the tingling sensation of numbness coursing through your lower body, thanks to the thorough pounding you had just received. The only thought that went through your mind, the subtle rise of giddiness mixing with utter satisfaction as you reminded yourself that you just had gotten the best fuck of your life. What a masochist you were. It was certainly a day full of discoveries. Now that you had a taste of this. You knew that you hadn’t gotten enough. And you would prowl for more. –♥– A/N: SORRY IF THIS was OOC, this is my first time writing anything of this sort. Tagging: @cleverlittlevixen​ here is some-dumpster-thing you would like and @hqissodelicate​ thank you for agreeing to beta this (I was too impatient to wait so I posted T_T)  Please feel free to leave some love in the comments or some feedback!💜 You can also check out my Masterlist ! 

[kairos-polaris]

Revelations and not so secret crushes

A little gift for @bunathebunny . Also @miraculousmelodies , like I promised

People make mistakes all the time. And it's okay! Failure is a part of progress and if you never fail, then you don't do anything at all.

One may argue that mistaking potions for milk and eating someone's special macaroons wasn't this type of mistake. "He should have been more careful," they say. But did you try to make coffee in a kitchen littered with potions while also being sleep deprived? No? Thought so.

The last paragraph was specifically written for Dick's younger brothers, Jason Todd and Tim Drake. Those two decided that it was a great idea to make fun of their dearest elder brother and his very unfortunate mistake. And even if Tim was perfectly aware of struggles that came with making coffee while being sleep deprived, he didn't have to worry that white liquid may be a potion, not milk.

But in the end Dick was very grateful for that small mistake. It has resolved several conflicts and had very unpredictable consequences.

***

It was morning. Just a normal winter morning. You know, when it's too dark and far too cold and you don't want to leave your bed? That was a morning like that.

Normal men don't get up at six a.m but Richard "Dick" Grayson wasn't one. And it's good, because his family was neither normal nor sane.

"Being normal is boring," his girlfriend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, would say. If it were someone else, Dick would wholeheartedly agree with them while hanging upside down from the chandelier in the manor.

But because it was Marinette, Dick had to immediately assume she hasn't been sleeping or eating healthy for the last 48 hours. Usually, he was wrong, but he did enjoy taking care of her.

Another proof that shows how much Dick Grayson isn't a normal or sane man is vigilantism. You see, normal people deal with trauma by talking about it with a therapist or their friends. And do you know what did Dick do? He donned his family's colour and decided to beat up criminals. What a great idea! And Bruce Wayne allowed it because, apparently, fighting crime is an appropriate hobby for a nine-year-old boy. (Don't worry, Brucie, we know that Dick Grayson is too stubborn and he forced you to make him your sidekick, we don't blame you much)

No matter how much not normal or insane Dick was, he was a good man who wanted to help people. That's why he didn't complain to Bruce about being tired after patrols. Much.

It didn't mean he didn't complain to Marinette though. Hugs and kisses were an added bonus to her being a very good listener. But that morning Marinette was too busy to even notice him. Dick tried his hardest to swallow his disappointment. He knew how important every commission was to Marinette. It was her passion and her life.

He sighed with the most miserable expression he could muster but Marinette didn't even look up. She continued sewing and ignoring his brilliant performance. Dick huffed with annoyance. How could she ignore him when he was sitting on their bed looking so sad and exhausted and hot?

***

Kitchen was the best room in their apartment. It was also the safest one because of Marinette's protection charms and spells. There was always a faint smell of pastry and delicious food.

Preparing coffee was completely mechanical. His tiredness didn't let him comprehend his own actions. That's why he didn't notice the strange taste of the drink as he should have.

Dick immediately felt better after finishing his coffee. He felt like a burden was lifted from his shoulders. It made him think about Marinette. His lovely girlfriend. He wanted to, no, he craved to see her. He could bet she smelled amazing.

Marinette was still working when he entered their room (she preferred her bedroom to any office). His heart swelled with tenderness at the image before him. Marinette was biting her lip, strands of hair in her face. She was also wearing his sweater, which made him roll his eyes, because it was the very same sweater he had lost. She was so concentrated that she didn't even notice him entering their bedroom.

Dick slowly approached Marinette to not spook her. "I love you, Cupcake," he confessed out of blue. Marinette jumped at the sound of his voice making Dick cringe internally. "I'm sorry for startling you, Mari." The woman just laughed and took off her glasses. Apparently, sewing in deem light isn't good for your eyes. And how could she know that?

"No, don't be sorry. I should pay more attention to my surroundings," Marinette suddenly stopped mid sentence. "I'm sorry for ignoring you earlier, Birdy. Do you want a hug?" Dick grinned at her offer and immediately scooped her in his arms.

"I know it's been a stressful week. What do you think about staying in bed the whole day? We can watch a movie. We can watch the Ladybug one and make fun of inaccuracies. Or any other superhero movie," he ranted excitedly. Marinette laughed a little and pulled back slightly. Dick's was adorable, but Marinette had a feeling that he wouldn't appreciate her laugh.

"I have to finish this dress for Clara, you know that," Marinette sighed tiredly. She really wanted to take a break and spend the day with her boyfriend. He always knew when she was too tired to continue working. Maybe, today was a day like that?

It was unfair to keep Marinette from her passion and Dick knew it. But! He wanted to spend some time with his wonderful girlfriend. It wasn't his fault she was the cutest person he has ever met. And he still couldn't make her choose between her passion and him. Dick sighed and started moving slowly to let Marinette out.

"Hey, I didn't say no," Marinette laughed at his hopeful gaze. "Yes, I would really like to spend more time with you."

And that's how Marinette found herself suffocating in a tight grip of her boyfriend. She actually didn't mind it. Feeling his weight on her body was the best feeling ever. It reminded her that he was with her, grounded her, when she was too concentrated on her work.

Marinette didn't really focus on the movie that was playing. Something was off and she couldn't focus. Dick was talking but she couldn't understand a word so focused on her feelings.

"...Marinette? Marinette?" Dick's worried voice drew her out of haze. She could see concern in his eyes so she tried smiling as reassuring as possible. Dick didn't seem convinced but hard lines on his face relaxed a little bit.

"I'm sorry. I dozed off. Cuddling with you always makes me sleepy, you know that." Dick sighed and hugged her even tighter. "What were you talking about?"

"I wanted your opinion about the next Titan's mission. You see, Wally has offered this strategy…"

Marinette listened to his every word very attentively. His excitement was obvious in every line and small movement. He was proud of Wally and his ideas, he wanted to share it with her.

"Do you know that you've spent more time complimenting Wally than actually relaying his strategy?" Marinette asked with a teasing smile. His face and neck were immediately covered with red spots.

"I… I… I have a crush on Wally!" Dick blurted out and Marinette felt like all air from her lungs disappeared. Colour left Dick's face immediately after realising what he had said. He started babbling how much he loved her, how important she was for him, he kissed her cheeks and hands. But all Marinette could focus on was that… she had lost a bet. Jason would be unbearable for the next several weeks. Or maybe even months. Marinette shuddered at the thought.

"Marinette, please, say something. Please. I'm sorry," Dick was clearly panicking and for a moment Marinette wanted to prank him. Pretend that she was hurt and then explain that it was because of her bet with Jason. But it felt too cruel, so she took his hand and smiled reassuringly.

"I knew it," she said, and Dick's bewildered expression was worth her honesty. "And it's okay, because it's possible to love multiple people at the same time. You loving Wally doesn't mean you don't love me." Dick stayed still for a long moment before leaning to her and knocking her breath out with a kiss. Marinette tried to lean away but he chased her lips every time, continuing kissing her.

"I love you so much. I don't know what I have done to deserve someone like you, but I will keep you until the end of the Universe," he whispered into her lips when they finally pulled a part.

"I love you, too. And falling for you felt like the easiest thing in the world," she said breathlessly, making Dick snort. He let out an involuntary whine when she leaned even further away.

"Why were you so upset?" Dick asked after several minutes of silence. Marinette murmured something into his shirt but he couldn't understand a word. "Can you repeat it please? I didn't understand a word you've said."

"Because I've lost a bet," she repeated just barely louder, but thankfully Dick heard her clearly this time.

"A bet?" he asked with the most confused and bewildered expression possible.

"You see, both Jason and I knew about your crush on Wally. And one day we were bored, so we started talking about you two. Jason said that you would blurt it out during an inappropriate moment but I thought you would sit me down and explain everything. So now, because of you I will have to give Jason 10 dollars," Marinette explained, carefully gouging hir reaction.

Dick prepared himself to hear a lot of different explanations. They varied from "I was surprised and didn't know how to react" to "I am unhappy with this and everything I said was for your comfort". He did not expect that the reason for her surprise was a bet. A bet. With his brother. His brother who also knew about his crush on Wally.

"How… How did you two find out? I thought I was doing a great job concealing my baby crush."

"Oh, it was so hard! You totally don't look at him with a stupid lovesick grin. And you totally don't laugh at his stupid jokes. You don't hold hands and touch each other all the time. You don't look both at me and him when you make jokes or laugh. Oh no! You do all of that and more!" Marinette exclaimed with a fake surprise.

"...I do?" Dick asked, his voice so small. "And you really don't mind it?"

"I really don't mind. As I said before, I'm secure in our relationship and I know that you love me. Also, I really like Wally. You have a good taste," Dick's smile at her words was brighter than thousands of suns. He picked her up and started spinning her around. Marinette's laugh filled their apartment, and in that moment Dick knew everything was going to be alright.

***

Later, much later, Dick was panicking. Everything sounded so easy when Marinette was with him. "Just go and confess to him,"she said. "I'm sure he feels the same," Marinette said, patient as ever, when Dick was panicking about every possible negative outcome.

"What if he rejects me? What if he wants me to break up with you?" he asked Marinette then. He tugged his hair from the frustration, but Marinette just smiled and took his hands.

"If he rejects you, I will hold you until you feel better. We will eat ice cream and watch cheesy movies. And Wally is a good person, I'm sure he would never ask us to break up." Dick briefly thanked all gods for giving him Marinette before leaning in to kiss her.

"I love you," he murmured into her lips.

But now he was alone in their apartment, because, unlike him, Marinette had a job to do. Dick sighed the tenth time in a row. He didn't have to worry about Marinette's reaction to his confession, because she was the one who had asked him out. "I don't hesitate anymore," she had said with a brilliant smile.

Well, Dick knew one thing for sure: he was a coward and would never confess to Wally without Marinette being there. And he couldn't ask anyone for advice. How does one explain that they are in love with two people at the same time? Should he just google it?

His musings were interrupted by a series of long knocks and a loud voice. Was it Jason screaming. "Hey, Dickhead, asking someone to hangout with you and then not showing up is such a dick move!" Yes, that was Jason. Dick scowled before remembering that he had invited Jason and Tim to spend time together.

He grinned and leaped out of the bedroom. Hanging out with his brothers would be a perfect excuse to not confess to Wally! A great timing on their part.

"Hey, guys..!" he was rudely interrupted by a shirt thrown into his face.

"Get dressed, Dickie bird. I don't want to see proofs of you and Pixie having a healthy sexual life." Dick flushed bright red when he realized that he was naked. He ran back to his bedroom followed by both Tim's and Jason's laugh. God, how embarrassing.

***

Wally was bored. He felt like he could die from boredom. And the day had started so nicely. He woke up early and prepared himself a very tasty cup of tea. Wally finished every small task around his apartment. He started reading several different books but none of them piqued his interest. There was nothing interesting on TV.

Wally sighed again. And again. And again. He felt like an aristocrat, laying on his coach with a wine glass full of water in his hand. The only thing missing was a manor. And nicer clothes. And servants. And wine. Actually, a lot of things were missing.

Jason's invitation to hangout felt like a blessing. Finally, something interesting to do. His heart totally didn't flutter in his chest when he found out that Dick would be there, too. No, sir, no. Dick was his best friend and nothing more. He was also dating Marinette, Wally's another very good friend.

Wally was the first one to arrive at the bar Dick had offered to meet in. It took all of his mental strength to not start bouncing from all the energy.

"Hi, Wally," Wally's smile dimmed a little when he realized it was Jason, not Dick. "I thought Dickie would be here first. You know, considering it was his idea."

Wally nodded at Jason's words. He thought he would have at least several minutes alone with Dick, who seemed to avoid him lately. And if he did pay attention to Wally, Marinette would always be there. It wasn't a bad thing per se, because Marinette was amazing, but Wally wanted some alone time with his best bro.

"I wonder why," Wally mussed at loud. Jason smiled in agreement and started talking about neutral themes. Wally could do that. After a day of pure boredom everything was interesting.

Twenty minutes later Tim was there, but Dick was nowhere in sight. Wally frowned. Did something happen? Dick would never miss family hangouts.

"You are late, Replacement," Jason chided Tim, conveniently forgetting he himself came later. Wally laughed at the sheer hypocrisy, but it was a very Jason move.

"Well, Dick is not here, so I don't think it counts," Tim shrugged. He was holding a half-empty cup of coffee (what else could it be?) and clearly needed more sleep. Wally internally shook his head. Sleeping as little as Tim was surely wasn't good for his health. Where were Dick and Bruce looking?

"Where is Dick anyway?" Jason asked, letting out an annoyed huff. "Did he do that so Timmy and I could hang out together? Not a very smart move, because I can just leave now and he will never know."

"He could have just forgotten about it," Wally suggested. He was met with two doubtful gazes. "Yeah, it's very unlikely. Something has happened and he can't leave?"

"Why didn't he say anything then?" Jason asked. He was leaning down on the wall of the bar with a small frown. "We should call him or Marinette."

"Marinette is working so she can't know where he is. We should call Dick directly," Tim said, already holding his phone. He was the one who dialed Dick, but Dick didn't answer not after the first call, nor the second, nor the third. Wally was worried. Dick always answered when someone called. Something must have happened.

"I was right. We should go and check on him. Should we walk or should I run to his apartment?" Wally asked, worry laced in his voice.

"Let's ride. I parked my car nearby," Tim said and turned around, walking to his car. Wally looked at Jason who just shrugged and went after Tim. Well, it seemed like he didn't have a choice then.

The ride to Dick's apartment felt longer than it should have. Wally was burning from all the anxious energy. What if something has happened to Dick? What if they were too late? What if Dick just didn't want to see them? Wally didn't know what would hurt more.

The apartment's doors were locked, which was a good sign. It meant that nobody had broken inside. It also meant that they couldn't enter. Fortunately, Tim had his own key so it wasn't a problem. ("Marinette gave it to me," Tim answered Wally's silent question. "She wanted me to know that I'm always welcome here". "Oh, Pixie didn't give me my own key! Does she not want to see my handsome face?" Jason asked more dramatically than needed. Wally totally wasn't disappointed that he didn't have his own key. It didn't mean that Dick didn't trust him, right?)

The apartment was clean, no visible signs of someone breaking in. Wally looked around, trying to find some clues that would help to understand the situation. Jason yelled something, but Wally didn't pay enough attention to understand him.

Wally turned around at the sound of Dick's voice only to look away immediately. He did not expect to see Dick naked. Wally blushed, thinking about the man's muscles and biceps, small scars on his chest and arms, scratches, and hickeys… Wally paled immediately. Oh, yes, hickeys, because Dick Grayson, his best friend, was dating Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Wally couldn't let himself forget.

It was easier to think after Dick had left. Now, Wally didn't have to use all of his mental strength to not ogle his best friend. Wally wondered why he had reacted this way. It's not like he had never seen Dick naked before. "You saw him when you were changing. You were both naked then. But here, it's much more intimate," his traitorous mind whispered.

"I'm not waiting for the golden boy to get dressed. I'm going to the kitchen. Pixie always has something sweet there," Jason said and walked out of the living room. Wally looked at Tim who just shrugged and followed his brother. Well, it seemed like he had no choice but to go to the kitchen.

The room was full of light and delicious smells. The table was littered with numerous vials, pastry, herbs, and other things Wally couldn't identify. He breathed out, feeling more relaxed than ever, despite his complicated feelings. Marinette's presence and influence were obvious there, and she always had the way to make people feel better. She was just magic that way.

"Wally! I didn't know you were here," Dick's excited voice interrupted his thoughts. Wally didn't even hear him coming in. Do not think about his body. Do not think about his body. Do not think about his body. "I'm really sorry about forgetting our hangout. I'm deeply ashamed."

"You wish I said "it's okay, I forgive you". But I won't! I will always tease you about it, so get ready!" said Jason, while rummaging through a freezer. "Where is milk, Dickhead? I wanted to make a cup of tea for myself, but I can't find anything here."

"Oh, we ran out of milk," Dick replied easily before a panicked expression settled on his face. "Wait… If we ran out of milk, then what did I add to my coffee this morning?"

"Welp, I hope it wasn't one of Marinette's potions," Wally offered sympathetically, but one look at Dick's panicked expression hinted that it was most likely what had happened. And wasn't that funny? Judging by Jason's laugh, he also thought it was hilarious.

"We can call her and ask about the effects of that particular potion?" Tim offered, trying to be serious but burst out laughing. Dick did not appreciate the lack of concern from his brothers. What if the potion hurt him and the effects could never be reversed? "It's very funny, but we really should call Marinette. We don't know how it can affect Dick. It could be really harmful," Tim said after calming down. Even Jason stopped laughing.

They did call Marinette. It must have been the smartest decision in several hours. But she didn't answer. Calling her five more times didn't help. They just were directed to voicemail. Marinette's cheery voice telling them "Hi! You've reached Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I'm very sorry, but I'm busy and can't answer you right now. You can leave me a message and I will call you later! Bye!" didn't help.

"And what should we do?" Wally asked, interrupting the awkward silence. Well, it wasn't awkward per se, but Jason desperately trying and failing to suppress his laugh did make Dick feel uncomfortable.

"You can try and recall everything that happened. This way we can know how exactly the potion affected you," Tim offered with a small shrug. "Start from the morning and up until this moment."

"I was really tired after patrol last night, so I tried complaining to Marinette, but she was too busy so she ignored me. I decided to make a cup of coffee. I actually felt better after it, but I had this strange need to go and hug Marinette, tell her how much I love her." Wally totally didn't feel a pang in his chest. He wasn't jealous. He didn't want Dick to confess to him, because they were best friends and nothing more.

"What happened next? Or are you hiding something?" Seemingly innocent questions (especially, considering it was Jason who asked) flustered Dick so much he was completely red. He's so handsome…no, bad, Wally, stop. "Oh, you are hiding something."

"Marinette and I cuddled, while watching movies," Dick answered, still as red as a tomato. "And then we had sex!"

Wally wasn't jealous Wally wasn't jealous Wally wasn't jealous Wally wasn't jealous Wally wasn't… Oh, he was so jealous

This time silence was certainly awkward. Very awkward. Dick was burning from embarrassment. Wally was trying to convince himself he wasn't jealous. Tim was thinking about anything other than his brother's love life.

And only Jason was amused. The day was working out great for him. He won 10 dollars. Yes, it wasn't much, but the satisfaction of winning the bet with Marinette was worse so much more. It would be even better if Dick blurted out that he has a crush on Wally with him nearby. But it seemed that his dearest older brother would rather embarrass himself than confess.

"Is it everything? Because I think you have left out something," but Dick just glared at him. Well, time for big guns. "Were you and Pixie talking about something? Something very important? Something that will have a big influence on your relationship?" he then feigned a scandalised gasp. "Did you confess that you have cheated on her?! Did you cheat on Marinette?!"

Dick's glare was the funniest thing in the world, and Jason's snickers just made him angrier. "Nothing like! I just told her that I have a crush on Wally!" His satisfied expression slowly morphed into one of shock. "I meant to say that I had told her about my crush on Wally! No, not that! About patrol! Yes, patrol!"

"Your crush on me?" Wally asked, his voice small and soft. He clearly was shocked by Dick's confession. He looked even more surprised than Dick was. "Are you serious?"

Tim felt like he was in a tv drama. Secret crushes? Check? Oblivious main characters? Check? Mean brother Jason? Check. The drama of the reveal? Check. Friends to lovers? Check? Another love interest? Check. The only difference was Marinette. That woman certainly wasn't the "evil and annoying wife". He briefly wondered how she had reacted, but judging that Dick was still alive she was very nice.

"How unpredictable, how surprising," Jason stage whispered, leaning down to Tim. This time both Wally and Dick glared, which was somehow even more amusing. Even Tim was cackling.

"Get out of here. I… Wally and I have to talk about my stupid slip. Go!" Dick shouted, basically throwing them out of the kitchen. Tim and Jason exchanged a knowing look and burst out laughing. Knowing that it pissed Dick off made them laugh even harder.

Dick didn't know what to say or how to react. He wanted to wait for Marinette to confess to Wally. She would know what to say and how to explain his feelings better than he could ever do. Her presence would give him strength and courage. He didn't want to blurt it out. Again. He was an idiot and Wally would never like him back.

"So, you like me?" Wally asked with a nervous chuckle. His crush liked him. His crush liked him. His crush liked him. Wally could not believe it was real and he wasn't dreaming.

"I..yes. Yes, I do," Dick stated, more confident than before. "You are smart, amazing, and incredible. You have a beautiful smile that lights up every room. Your plans are brilliant, but you don't always see it. You are very important to me so yes, I like you."

Wally felt like his head was spinning from Dick's compliments and the sincerety in his eyes. Blush rised to his cheeks. He was at loss of words. How should he react?! Compliment him back?

"I… I really like you, too," Wally finally answered, his throat dry from nerves. Dick broke in a brilliant, brighter than the sun grin. "How did Marinette react to that?"

"Do you want her exact words or just generally?" Dick asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Generally."

"Well, she said that polyamory exists and that me loving you doesn't mean I love her any less," Dick answered with the same gentle smile he always had when talking about Marinette. But this time Wally didn't feel envious or jealous. Dick suddenly looked more nervous than before. "Would you date me? You don't have to date Marinette, but I don't want to break up with her, you know?"

Wally didn't know. He has heard about polyamory and open relationships before, of course. He didn't know what to do or how to act. Would he and Marinette have to share Dick? Would they have a schedule, so they could spend time with Dick? Would they have to be together all the time? But Wally did know that honesty was important in every type of relationship so he took a deep breath and explained everything to Dick.

"Well, neither I nor Marinette have the experience of dating two people at once, so we will have to figure it out. Trials and errors, you know?" Dick offered with a small 0shrug. He looked away, suddenly more nervous than before. His main concern was confessing to Wally, he didn't think how the whole thing would work. "We can try anyway."

"We can try, yeah," Wally repeated with a small smile.

"Now kiss!" Jason groaned from annoyance and lack of patience. Dick felt blush from embarrassment (the amount of times he blushed today was concerning). Jason was not affected by his glare at all. "Well, I'm waiting. Marinette wanted to see your first kiss and I promised her to take a picture," he said gesturing to his phone.

"We won't kiss on camera. We can wait for Marinette," he growled before realising that he hadn't asked Wally how he would feel. Dick could hope the sudden realisation wasn't obvious, but judging by Jason's and Tim's expressions they both have noticed. Nothing to lose then. "Would you mind kissing me with Marinette there? I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Wally was silent for a moment before shrugging nonchalantly. "We can try, I guess," he said before realising one very crucial detail Dick had missed. "When did you two return? Because I remember Dick throwing you out of here."

"When Dick confessed to you? I'm not sure," Tim said with the same tone one would discuss weather, not their brother's love life. Jason nodded in agreement. "Now, we can leave you two alone. Right, Jason?"

"Eh, we all have to make sacrifices for the happiness of our elder brothers," Jason said with a dramatic gasp, but nothing new, nothing new. "Let's go, Timmy, let's go. We are not welcome here." Wally could swear he had heard Tim mutter "it's not like I am the one who suggested to leave" under his breath.

"So, are we waiting for Marinette?" he asked with a nervous chuckle. God, having Dick's undivided attention and being completely alone with him was a nerve-wracking experience. Wally locked his eyes on Dick's lips. They looked even better than usual. Was it because he could kiss him now? Must be. "No, I wanted to kiss you for too long to wait even a second more," Dick murmured before leaning towards Wally.

Kissing Dick blew up his mind. It wasn't something Wally hoped would ever happen but desperately wanted to. Dick's lips were a little bit chapped, just enough to notice but not enough to make their kiss uncomfortable. Wally didn't want to lean away even for a second to take a breath. If it was his last kiss with Dick (and it certainly wasn't), he would enjoy for as long as he could.

"It was just like I imagined it," Wally blurted out when they stopped kissing. He felt breathless and higher than ever.

"So you imagined kissing me?" Dick asked with a smug smile. "Well, I am me and I'm awesome."

"Where was the confidence when you were panicking about confessing to Wally?" Dick and Wally immediately wiped their head towards the voice. There was standing Marinette with a teasing smile and a Polaroid in her hands. "Don't worry! I wasn't standing here creepily and watching you two make out! I just took a photo and left immediately. Didn't want to intrude," she explained upon noticing Dick's and Wally's reaction.

"Why did you take a photo?" asked Dick.

"For my scrapbook, my heart. I have a photo of our first kiss, our first date, from the day we moved in, and when we finally organized everything. And I wanted to have photos of every important milestone in your relationship, too," Marinette explained, while moving gracefully around the kitchen. Her chaotic moves seemed to have a complicated system Dick couldn't understand.

Wally… didn't know what to say. Sure, he knew that Marinette wasn't against their relationship, but he didn't expect her to be so supportive and kind. He felt warmth bloom in his chest. He wasn't in love with Marinette, but right at that moment, in hers and Dick's cluttered kitchen, he felt like falling for her was the easiest thing ever.

But they still had some questions for Marinette to answer.

"Marinette, you love me, right?" Dick waited for Marinette to nod in agreement before continuing talking. "I may or may not have drunk one of your potions! But it was an accident!"

Marinette sighed tiredly. Then she sighed again. And again. And again. Wally stopped counting after five consecutive sighs. She pinched the bridge of her nose before talking again. "It's okay. I shouldn't leave my potions in the kitchen if I don't want anyone to accidentally drink them. I'm not mad, not disappointed. Accidents happen and it's not your fault. I just need you to tell me from what vial you took it and how it affected you, okay?"

It didn't take long for Marinette fo realise what potion Dick had taken. And when she did, she burst out laughing. Unfortunately, Dick and Wally didn't share her knowledge of magic, so they couldn't appreciate the irony of the situation without her help.

"I've been trying to make a way to free kwami. Tbe potion you've drunk? It's a result of my experiments. It didn't free kwami but it freed you," Marinette explained before laughing again. And this time Dick and Wally did join her.

[tsarisfanfiction]

Kiss The Chef

Fandom: Thunderbirds Rating: Gen Genre: Family Characters: Scott, Tracy Brothers, Grandma

Scott didn’t often cook, but he enjoyed it when he got the chance.  Unfortunately, his usual apron appears to have vanished.

Once again, I was inspired by @gumnut-logic - this time in a conversation about the boys and food which turned into Scott cooking for his brothers.  It spiralled from there, and I hope the final product is as fluffy as it was in my head!

Scott hummed a little as he bustled around the kitchen, grabbing various ingredients and lining them up on the counter beside the measuring jug.  It wasn’t often that he cooked – cooking took time, and time wasn’t something he often had much of, between rescues and the seemingly never-ending paperwork – but this time, circumstances had conspired and he’d been able to find the opportunity to make himself comfortable in the kitchen.

Of course, activity in the kitchen from anyone who wasn’t Grandma drew brothers like flies to honey.  Scott had barely finished measuring out the ingredients before the familiar footsteps of the middle Tracy could be heard behind him.

“How’s it going?” Virgil asked, coming to a stop right by his elbow and forcing Scott to contort slightly before said elbow made contact with his brother’s chest.  He glanced over and saw brown eyes looking straight at him.

“It’ll go faster if I’m not interrupted,” he pointed out as he tipped the last ingredient into the mixing bowl.  It was a lost cause, of course.  He’d agreed to make pancakes, and that meant there would be a hoard of little brothers tripping over themselves to get at the batter.  In all honesty, the only surprise was that Virgil was first.

Normally it was Alan.

Virgil chuckled, the noise deep in his chest, and Scott took it for agreement.  “I’ll come back when there’s something worth testing,” he said, and Scott rolled his eyes.

The sudden hand on his shoulder was unexpected, clamping him in place for a moment mid-reach for the frying pan.  “Vir-”

More unexpected was the lips on his cheek, firm but brief.  Startled, he fumbled the pan and it crashed onto the stove.

“Virgil, what-”

His brother tapped him on the chest, fingers making an audible tap-tap against the laminated fabric.

Oh.

Pancake making was a messy business.  Scott had made them enough times to know that no matter how careful he was, as soon as little brothers inevitably got involved batter would go everywhere and he’d need to get changed.  That had prompted a rule – no making pancakes without an apron.  Unfortunately, Scott’s usual apron of choice had vanished.  So had all the others.

He had no idea where this one had come from, but attempts to hunt down the mysteriously disappearing other aprons had been rudely interrupted by Grandma’s promise to start making the pancakes herself if he didn’t get into the kitchen right now and he hadn’t had a choice.

It had been a foolish hope that none of his brothers would notice, let alone ignore it.

Kiss the Chef, the bright pink monstrosity demanded in white cursive coiled across the chest. A vibrant kiss mark in bright red punctuated the end of the phrase, and Scott was well aware that it wasn’t actually insinuating a harmless peck on the cheek.

Who had bought the thing – and why they’d bought it – he had no idea, but he suspected his cheeks might be going a similar colour from the way Virgil smirked.

“Just doing what I’m told, big brother.”

He retreated back to the stairs, and Scott was left with a feeling of dread as he rescued the pan and returned to mixing the batter.  While Virgil could be a cheeky menace when he wanted to be, he had not been the brother Scott had expected to initiate any teasing.

This did not bode well.

“Hey, Scott.”  Nor did that.

His shoulders slumped in a sigh as the expected troublemaker made his entrance, swanning over to where he was standing and peering into the bowl.

“Is it supposed to look like that?” Gordon asked in a tone Scott knew full well was his I’m going to be an irritating brat for as long as I can get away with it voice.

“Yes,” he said, nudging the blond back with an elbow as he splashed some more milk into the batter and kept stirring.  He could just throw it in the mixer, but there was something more satisfying about doing it by hand.

Keeping the batter close to his chest – and maybe trying to hide the slogan emblazoned on the apron – while Gordon was nosing around seemed like a sensible precaution to take.  Not that he thought Gordon would attempt sabotage when the promise of edible food lingered, but sabotage was far from the only thing Gordon could do with a bowl of batter.

“Hmm.”  Gordon hummed doubtfully, amber eyes narrowed.  Scott eyed him cautiously, knowing better than to believe there was no ulterior motive going on somewhere in his head.  “Well, if you say so.”

Unfortunately, Scott had to put the bowl down to pick up the milk to add the next splash.  The moment it was stable on the counter, Gordon struck.

A hand hooked around Scott’s neck, and the next thing he knew, he’d been yanked sideways just enough for Gordon to press his lips in the exact same place Virgil had scant minutes earlier.

Scott swallowed a noise of surprise at the sudden attack and concentrated on not falling on top of his younger brother.  “Really?”

“Gotta kiss the chef,” Gordon grinned at him, eyes alight with mischief as he released him.

Cricking his neck against the treatment, Scott straightened up again.  “Well you’ve done that, so scat.”  There were some battles that weren’t worth fighting.  “I’ll call you when they’re ready.”

The grin he got in response was vaguely alarming, but to his relief Gordon shimmied his way back out of the kitchen area and headed outside.  That relief, however, was short-lived when he realised there was a cluster of little brothers out there.

Virgil was perched on a lounger, talking to Alan, who in his teenagerhood had clearly decided that today was a day to laze around and was flaked dramatically across his own lounger. The addition of Gordon, who flounced his way into the conversation with entirely too many dramatics, just put Scott on guard.

It wasn’t like Virgil to start something like this, but sometimes he and Gordon worked together – proving that their teamwork wasn’t restricted to when they were in uniform – and the addition of Alan at this point was all but certain.

Sighing and resigned to a visit sooner rather than later from his youngest brother with no doubt the same aim in mind, Scott returned to his pancake batter, which was almost ready to start cooking.

Sure enough, a blond head of hair appeared in his periphery just as he finished the first pancake, which he tipped gently onto the plate and tucked into the oven to keep warm while he started on the next.

“Yes, Alan?” he prompted, deciding he might as well let the youngest get on with it so he could finish the rest of the batch in relative peace – as much as peace was a possibility with four little brothers in the vicinity.  He didn’t know where John was, but as he was fresh down from Five, probably horizontal somewhere and grumbling about gravity.  The ginger would appear when pancakes were ready.

“Can I have a pancake?” Big blue puppy eyes looked up at him, and Scott rolled his eyes.

“When they’re done.”

“You just finished one,” his brother pointed out, a pout forming on his face.

“When they’re all done,” Scott clarified.  Today they were going to eat together, all five of them in one place for the first time in a while.  It had the added bonus of his share not being swiped when his back was turned.

The pouting lip began to quiver, and he had to remind himself to stay firm.  Alan’s puppy dog eyes were lethal weapons, and Scott was all too aware that he was far from immune.  On this, however, he refused to budge.

“If you want to help, you can set the table,” he said.  “Otherwise, get out of the kitchen.  I’ll call you when they’re ready.”

Thankfully, Alan seemed to realise he was defeated, even if the visual deflation of his youngest brother had part of Scott screaming to make it better.  He forcibly restrained it before it could make him change his mind.

“Fine.”  It was whined, one last plea for Scott to change his mind, but he turned his head away and poured the next portion of batter into the pan.

He hadn’t forgotten about his scheming little brothers or the apron he was wearing, exactly, but Alan’s pout might have distracted him just enough that the hand clamping his shoulder and tugging it down far enough for his youngest brother to follow the other two and leave a kiss on his cheek caught him off guard.

“Chef kissed,” the blond declared smugly.  “I’ll set the table.”  Despite his three youngest brothers being cheeky menaces, Scott sent him a smile as he straightened again.

“Thanks.”  That was one less chore for him to order a brother or three into doing later.  John was, of course, exempt from setting the table so soon after returning from orbit – Scott didn’t feel like dodging sherds of broken crockery – but that still left three brothers capable.

The pancake was ready to flip, but he still kept half an eye on Alan heading for the cutlery drawer as he wiggled the pan, making sure it hadn’t got stuck.  Consequently, he was caught completely off guard by the lips pressing against his other cheek.

He didn’t yelp, but the pan might have rattled against the stove a little.  A pale hand caught his and steadied the pan before the pancake was lost, and Scott peeled his attention entirely away from Alan to glare at the culprit.

“Really?”

The look he got from John was pure amusement.  Of course John would betray him and join in with their younger brothers.  Why had Scott expected anything else?

“Don’t let it burn,” was all the ginger said in return, releasing his hold on Scott’s wrist.

“Don’t sneak up on me while I’m cooking,” he retorted, giving the pan another wiggle to make sure the pancake hadn’t stuck before flicking his wrist in a practiced movement.

He’d always been good at flipping pancakes.

If John had a reply to that, it was nonverbal, because the next Scott was aware of him, he was perched at the table, tablet in hand, while Alan set out the plates around him.

From there it was routine, pancake after pancake piling up on the plate.  He knew from experience he had to make enough to feed a small army to have any hope of satisfying the bottomless pits he called brothers, and making that many pancakes took time.

Alan had the table set long before Scott was even halfway done, and had at some point retreated back outside to rejoin Virgil and Gordon.  That was fine by Scott; if it meant he didn’t have to keep fending off puppy dog eyes, Alan could do what he wanted.  Even if he was slightly wary of that particular trio.

Still, with any luck, they’d leave him alone until he was done cooking now.  Pancakes had a special place in the Tracy family, and surely even his little brothers wouldn’t do anything to disrupt that.

Surely?

Scott had underestimated the lure of the ridiculous apron he was wearing.

“Hey, Scott.”

Gordon materialised by his elbow, a finger heading for the batter before Scott rapped it warningly.

“You’ll get them when they’re all done and not before.”  He didn’t like the look of the scheming grin on his younger brother’s face.  “And the more you mess around near me, the longer they’ll take.”

The warning fell on deaf ears as arms snaked around him, forcing him to let go of the pan before it clattered off of the stove.  “Gordon!”

The kiss his brother planted on his cheek shouldn’t have been unexpected.  He should have seen it coming, should have realised they weren’t going to let the apron go so easily, but wasn’t once enough?

Amber eyes flicked past him for a moment, before something that looked like a challenge settled in them and Scott found more kisses being plastered on his cheek.

“Gordon!” he protested, working his way free so he could at least keep going with the pancakes.  “Gordon, stop, I’m cooking.  Do you want these pancakes or not?”

Virgil was on his other side.  He hadn’t noticed him get there, but somehow he knew he was there.  Scott barely had a moment to put two and two together and realise what they were up to before an arm slid across his shoulders and he was being tugged away from Gordon.

“Virgil-” he tried, keeping half an eye on the pancake in the pan and wiggling it to check if it was ready to flip.  It was, and he tried to ignore his annoying little brothers as Virgil proved some sort of competition seemed to have started and pressed more firm kisses to his cheek.

Gordon retaliated.

“Guys,” Scott pleaded as he almost missed catching the flip, fumbling the pan in a way he hadn’t done since he was a kid.  “This is not helping.”

Gordon crashed to the ground with a squawk, but was immediately replaced with his younger brother, who had those big blue eyes focused on him again.

“But it says to kiss the chef,” Alan pointed out, standing on tiptoe to catch Scott.  He sighed loudly.

“And you’ve done that. Several times, in fact.  Back off and let me cook in peace if you want these pancakes any time soon.”

“But Virgil and Gordon are winning,” Alan pouted.  Virgil’s arm tightened around Scott’s shoulders and resisted all attempts to shrug it off. The puppy dog eyes were back, and he sighed.  Well, it was harmless enough, he supposed.

“Virgil,” he warned, shrugging his shoulders again.  Thankfully, that time his brother relented, and even went as far as dragging their squid of a brother out of the kitchen area with him.  “Make it quick,” he warned Alan – and if John even considered joining in the competition…  Well, Scott hoped he wouldn’t because he knew he wasn’t actually going to be able to bring himself to say no, no matter how much it was interrupting his cooking.

He crouched down a little so Alan could reach without standing on his tiptoes or tugging him over, and dutifully allowed his youngest brother to pepper kisses on his cheek for a moment.  Once Alan was satisfied – and he assumed Alan had beat the other two, but he hadn’t been counting – he was shooed away, and Scott finally got to finish cooking in peace.

It didn’t take much longer. He turned around, plate in hand, to see all four brothers were waiting with varying levels of patience around the table.

Scott had had some time to think while he finished the pancakes.  While it may have devolved into some silly competition between the three youngest, it had no doubt started off as some form of teasing about his unfortunate apron, and as a big brother, he couldn’t let that pass without retribution.

Simple was best.  Scott carried the plate over to the table and leaned over Virgil as he put it down on the table.

Little brother never saw it coming, too busy keeping an eye on Gordon and the arriving pancakes to notice that Scott was closer than he strictly needed to be.

Pancakes safe on the table, Scott turned his head and trapped Virgil’s shoulders beneath his arm so he couldn’t retreat from the firm kiss he pressed to his brother’s cheek.

Virgil gave a chuckle, but Scott didn’t hesitate, reaching out to collar Gordon as the slippery fish tried to duck away from his own payback.  Scott wasn’t biggest brother for nothing, though, and with a quick couple of steps, both blonds were trapped in his arms, one big kiss being pressed to first Gordon’s, and then Alan’s cheek.  They squirmed, teenage sensibilities apparently too delicate to take such obvious displays of affection even in a family setting.

John eyed him warily as he approached, one eyebrow raised as though asking Scott if he was really going to get him, too?  Well, Scott had four little brothers and they’d all got him, and quite frankly he loved them all way too much to let any of them miss out.

In deference to the fact that John had only got him once, and was also fresh out of orbit, he kept it lighter than the ones he’d bestowed upon the youngest three, but no amount of raised eyebrow was going to stop John from receiving one at all.

Satisfied that his brothers had got the message he wasn’t going to sit and take any teasing without suitable retaliation, he settled into the empty chair by John and swiped the first pancake from the pile.  His brothers took the cue and it wasn’t long at all before the usual mealtime noises of five brothers carried through the air.

“None for your grandmother?”

Grandma had appeared behind him without him noticing and he winced at starting without her.  His brothers all similarly paused.  She was smiling, and Scott noticed a camera sticking out of a hidden pocket in the onesie.

He was still wearing the apron, bright pink with its white Kiss the Chef proclamation, so he leaned back and grinned at her.  “You’ve got to kiss the chef, Grandma.”

Alan burst into giggles, Gordon failing to stifle his own laughter next to him.  Virgil and John were slightly better, but Scott saw their matching grins out of the corner of his eye as he looked at their grandmother.

“Cheeky boy,” she said, but she was grinning, too, and with him sitting down it was no trial for her to lean down slightly and press her own kiss to his by now thoroughly-kissed cheek. He caught her in a one-armed hug and kissed her back.  “Where’s this rule when I cook, hmm?”

“You don’t wear the apron.”

“Maybe I should,” she mused as she took her place at the head of the table, between him and Alan. “Now, pass down that plate, dear.”

He obliged, and smiled as she bit into her first one with an appreciative noise.

“You should cook more often,” she told him.  “That apron looks good on you.”

That remark set his brothers off again, even Virgil and John making amused noises if not the full laughter of their youngest brothers, but Scott just leaned back in the chair to glance down at it.  It was garishly pink, and certainly wasn’t referring to the various cheek kisses it had sparked, but while his brothers had gone a little overboard…  He couldn’t say he hadn’t enjoyed it a little.

Not that he was going to admit that.

“I look good in anything, Grandma.”

[alilpunkrock]

If it’s meant to be

College!Drew

I’ve been obsessed with the college!Drew or rafe concept!

As always, feedback is appreciated! 💕

“So are you going to see him again?” Maddie asked me as we walked down the hall to her boyfriends apartment.

“I don’t know, I mean the sex was amazing but I never got his number or his name so..” I shrugged off the sprinkling of disappointment in my voice.

“If it’s meant to be you’ll run into him again.” She slung here arm around my shoulders and opened Chases front door.

I’ve hung out with Maddie and her boyfriend a few times, mostly just them, but this time Chase was having a small party with their group of friends. Maddie knew I’d be alone in my own apartment tonight if she hadn’t invited me.

“Hey! You brought Y/N!” Chase called out over the already loud living room. I waved at the familiar faces I knew from campus. “Come get a drink!”

••••••

The tiny apartment was packed and the “small” party turned into everyone bringing a plus 3. I squeezed my way through dancing bodies trying to get to the kitchen. I found Maddie and Bailey taking shots at the counter.

“Hey! There you are!” Maddie slurred. “There’s someone here you haven’t met yet and I want to introduce you two!” I almost dropped my half full cup of Malibu and cranberry juice as she pulled me back into the room I tried to escape.

“Chase! Where’s Drew?!” She yelled to her boyfriend. I swear they’re connected at the brain because he has no problem understanding exactly what she was asking. The blonde pointed at the other side of the room and Maddie followed his finger. Two men leaned against the wall, one wearing a black hoodie with messy blonde hair, I recognized him as Rudy. And the other had his back to me, he wore a blue tie dye t-shirt with black jeans and chucks. He must’ve been about 6’ and was telling some kind of intense story by how animated he was.

“Drew!” Maddie yelled in my ear. I was mid drink when he turned around and I almost spit the alcohol all over him. His eyes were as wide as mine when he recognized me.

“Y/N, this is Drew! He’s a homebody like you so he’s never around! Drew this is my best friend!”

The silence between us confused Rudy and Maddie, who I definitely forgot were still there. I opened my mouth to say something but Drew beat me to it.

“Long time no see, Y/N..” Drew flirted, sticking his hand out for me to shake.

“It’s nice to finally know your name..” I flirted right back.

That sentence made something click inside Maddies drunk brain and she hit my arm.

“Drew was the no name hook up you had amazing sex with?!” I stared blankly at her, hoping she understood what she just said out loud. I could see Drew smirking from the corner of my eye and I grabbed Maddies wrist.

“We have to go.” I said leading her off into the closest room, which happened to be the bathroom.

“Mads, what the fuck?!” I said as soon as the door was closed.

“I’m sorry! I wasn’t thinking when I started talking!” She facepalmed.

“I’m so fucking embarrassed, I literally can’t go back out there!” I paced the floor of the small hall bathroom.

“Babes, look at it this way! I said earlier if it’s meant to be, then you’ll run into him again, maybe this is the universe pulling you guys together again?” She sounded crazy, but may also be onto something.

“I don’t know Maddie, you just told him I said the sex was amazing!” I pointed out.

“Hey at least he knows now you had a good time. Go talk to him, maybe he’ll show you another amazing night.” She winked and reached for the door handle. I rolled my eyes and let her leave.

Huffing, I took a seat on the closed toilet, still shocked at what Maddie said in front of everyone. A knock on the door pulled me out of my self pity.

“Occupied!” I yelled to the stranger.

“I think two can fit in here.” My head shot yo at the voice that walked in. Drew stood in front of me, no beer in hand, and a soft smile on his face. “Ugh, as if I couldn’t get more embarrassed.” I said out loud.

“Don’t be embarrassed, I’m glad it was amazing enough you told your friend, or our friend.” He chuckled, taking a seat down in front of the toilet.

“To be fair I didn’t know you were friends with my friends.” I laughed. We at in silence for a few minutes before he spoke again.

“I’d like to input that you were amazing as well, and I- I haven’t even thought of anyone else since that night.” My eyes met his, as a blush rose to my cheeks.

“Me either..” I said quietly.

“How about, we do it again but this time, we know each others names.” Drew suggested, lifting his hand to rest on my knee.

“I’d like that.” I agreed.

The smile on his face melted my heart and before I realized what was happening he and I were both leaning in. Before our lips touched I spoke up,

“Lock the door.”

Drew smiled, reaching behind him and locking the door before he connected our lips. Drew made sure I knew his name that night.

Bonus!

“Do you think they’re fucking?” Rudy whispered to the group after they all watched Drew enter the bathroom you were in.

“Well, the fact that they’ve been in there for more then 10 minutes now, I’m going to said yes.” Bailey confirmed.

“Ugh gross! I’m making them clean the bathroom after they’re done.” Chase groaned and removed himself from the group trying to see through the door.

[votederpycausemufins]

We’re back with Summoning family! I’m referencing Rustic House Club in this fic, so you might want to go read it, especially the bonus chapter as  it has a bit that leads into this chapter, though it’s not necessary to read.

also ay yo @petrichormeraki ! new chapter!

The moment Jrum had seen Sam, he rushed to the redstoner and attached himself to one of his legs. Grum quickly followed to help pry his younger brother off the man, but Jrum made it as difficult as possible. “I am sorry for my brother. I assume you are Sam?”

“Yeah, that’s me. Can I ask what that was about?”

“Your mask. It resembles that of a creeper in such a way that it makes you resemble someone we are familiar with. Jrum likely saw the mask and presumed you to be him. He is already rather homesick.”

“Hey, don’t worry. I’m happy to help you two. Puffy said you needed help with some redstone?” Sam asked, earning a nod from Grum.

“Correct. We are robots that are powered by redstone. Our circuitry is complex enough that we do not have a way to easily self recharge, thus a charger for us will need to be constructed. Jrum? The blueprints if you please?”

Jrum handed a sheet of paper to Sam. It had various orthographic views of the device as well as interior images and instructions on how to build it. “That’s the tweaked version since our dads could make it smaller.”

Sam looked over the blueprints. “Hmm, yeah, this is gonna be pretty big, but it’s manageable. Do I need to make one for each of you?”

“No, we should be able to share.” Grum replied. “Though two would indeed be a better option, we would not want to force you to do more work, and once we have one charger, the two of us will be able to make a second ourselves without any looming deadline.”

“Alright then, let’s start making this thing.”

Sam took them to an open area which he also explained was where they could build a place to live around the charger. Grum thought that was a good idea as he mapped out the area for Sam and Jrum to start working. Grum also helped out as much as he could, but he had given much of his battery charge to Jrum, and soon it showed.

“You doing okay there?” Sam asked Grum, who’s movements were stuttered and slow. Grum didn’t respond, just continuing to work. “Hey kid? Uh, Jrum I think? Something’s up with your brother.”

Jrum stopped what he was doing and came over, looking at his brother. “Oh… h-he’s in low power mode. I… Grum do you want some of my charge?” Grum didn’t respond. He didn’t want to use any power for it. “Here, let me just connect us up.” Jrum started to pull out a cable, but Grum stopped him. “Don’t. Finish the charger. Instead. I’ll be. Fine.”

Jrum still looked worried, but slowly put the cable away. Sam went back to working, and Jrum almost did as well, but then Grum collapsed, now completely out of power. “No!” Jrum was immediately back at Grum’s side and started shaking him. “Please wake up! P-Please! I don’t want to be alone! W-wake up!”

Sam wanted to comfort the robot, but what just happened showed just how important this project was. So instead he just started working as fast as he could without messing up. Jrum reluctantly joined him after a few minutes, working slowly.

They had almost completed it when Jrum’s movements also became stiff and laggy. Sam paused what he was doing again to be next to Jrum, not wanting to leave him feeling alone. “What. If I. Don’t wake. Up again?” Jrum asked.

Sam gave a comforting hug to the robot. “You will. I promise.”

Jrum slowly hugged the man back. Sam held on until he felt Jrum’s grip loosen, and when he pulled away, Jrum was also completely off, save for the symbol of an empty battery before it disappeared, leaving everything dark.

“Now are you all sure this is a wise decision?” Xisuma asked, admin panel open and ready to send the group of six to Helscraft. 

“Yes! This is probably the last place we have to look!” Tommy shouted at Xisuma, surprising him. “And if we have to fight for them back! So be it!”

Mumbo put a hand on Tommy’s shoulder. “Calm down. This isn’t exactly the first time we’ve lost someone in there. I’m sure if the bots did end up in Helscraft, they’re probably in safe hands.”

Tommy looked over at Grian who gave a sad smile and nodded. “We’ll just need to be a little careful. Last time we were there I got mistaken for someone else, and since that person was the empress of the world, it could happen this time too.”

“Okay, someone good will have the kids, people are going to try and kill Grian, we protect him. Great! Got it! Let’s go!”

Xisuma rolled his eyes but smiled at his newest hermit before sending the group off to the hels dimension.

The group found themselves standing on a small island made of mycelium as well as being on fire. The water surrounding the burning island was a blood red color, though it otherwise looked like water. Mumbo walked over to a chest and pulled out some boats before putting them down. “Alright, we’re heading to that main island in the distance over there.” He pointed. “We’re going to need to find a portal that’s made of something that looks like glowstone, but isn’t. From there we follow a path lined with blue clouds. No questions, just get in the boats.”

The only time Tommy had heard Mumbo that serious was when he was scolding the bots, so he immediately listened and got in a boat, Tubbo getting in behind him. He followed behind the boats Mumbo and Techno were rowing, going towards the main island of the world. Looking at it was a bit jarring. He could tell this was like the hermits’ cowmercial district, but it also looked like it was a part of the SMP with how destroyed and griefed it looked.

Grian led them to a portal that looked like it was made from a golden material with blue magic in the middle. When Tommy went through, he was surprised to see something that looked so much like the standard overworld. Though it resembled a plains biome, something Tommy absolutely hated, it also didn’t with its mint green grass and blue dirt. Trees with light green, blue and navy leaves speckled the land, and unfamiliar mobs roamed the land. There was also one other difference. The place was absolutely freezing. 

“Wh-wh-where a-are w-we?” Tommy chattered out before he was handed a blanket made out of wool. Mumbo had one of his own and was handing out one to each member of the party, save for grian who was using his wings instead. One blanket had been brought for the avian though, and Techno took that one too, as being a piglin already made the overworld chilly, so this was on a different level.

“This is the aether. It’s what they have instead of the nether in Helscraft.” Grian answered. “And while The nether is supposed to be closer to the core of the world, making it much hotter, this place is far up in the air, making it extremely cold. The spawn here has something to make the air here breathable, but outside of this place, you need extra gear to breath for very long as there’s not much oxygen. Fortunately the path we’re going on has something set up, which is why those blue clouds are there. But also do not touch them because it will not end well for you.”

After Grian’s warning, everyone was very careful as they walked the marked path. Beings made of clouds attempted to attack as they walked, but the group had bows that made quick work of the mobs. Finally, as they drew close to the end of the path, a large rustic style mansion stood completely undamaged like the main island had been.

“Alright, now hopefully the bots are there.” Grian said, half under his breath before running towards the mansion. Tommy was the first to run off after him, the others all following behind. Just before they reached the front door, it opened, and Grian walked out.

“Oh! Grian! You came for a visit! How nice!” The second grian spoke before setting down a picnic basket and hugging his double.

“Nice to see you too NPG, but… please tell me you at least thought I would visit.”

The other Grian, NPG, tilted his head. “No, I’m sorry but I didn’t. Was I supposed to know? Did I forget a planned gathering?”

“No… I just… Grum and Jrum… they got k-killed… and their respawn… th-they didn’t show b-back up… w-we thought they m-might be here and…”

“Oh no! That sounds horrible!” NPG covered his mouth in shock. If there’s anything I can do to help, I will. I just need to visit Sense first.” NPG picked up his basket again. “If you want you could come with?”

Mumbo put his hands on Grian’s shoulders. “I don’t think that would be a good idea after their last meeting.”

“What the fuck did this Sense guy do?” Tommy asked, making NPG look over.

“Oh hello! I don’t believe I caught your name.”

“I’m Tommy. These are Tubbo, Philza and Technoblade. Now what about this Sense guy?”

“It is nice to meet you all. Perfect sense is the Hels counterpart to Mumbo here. From what I can tell, the first meeting between him and Grian did not go well at all.”

“How so?” Phil asked, dad instincts cropping up.

“He got extremely handsy with Grian.” Mumbo answered. “To put it lightly, clothes almost came off and Grian was left with a bruise on his neck. After that he tried to kill the both of us along with NPG.”

“Oh I remember seeing that bruise.” Tommy replied. “Now I get why Grian got so upset about my comment about your guy’s love life.”

“I wouldn’t mind meeting the guy.” Phil spoke up. For all we know, he could have some answers about your kids. If he was willing to mess with you before, he could be doing it again.”

“Alright then! Follow me!” NPG started to lead them off before doubling back and grabbing masks for everyone to wear. Once they were on, then NPG started leading the group through the unprotected land. A number of creatures attacked, but the group was relatively safe. 

Eventually they reached a large chasm, the sky below going down for miles, any ground below obscured by clouds. If there even was any ground below. “Okay now this is probably going to be scary for most of you, but what we’re going to do is jump onto this small purple cloud. Once you do, try not to move, there are blue aerclouds below, but it’s not the most fun thing in the world trying to get back to the start. Here, I’ll go first.”

NPG jumped onto the purple cloud and was immediately launched into the sky, rocketing forward until he hit another purple cloud that caused the same effect. He kept at this for a bit before finally landing on another island on top of some while clouds. The robot then turned around to face the others and waved them over.

There was a bit of screaming from some of the group as they were thrown over the chasm by the clouds, glad to be back on solid ground by the end. Once Grian had gotten over - flying instead of using the clouds much to everyone’s dismay - NPG started walking again until they finally reached a clearing. There wasn’t a single mob in sight, but there was a small house made of some unfamiliar wood, similar to what NPG’s mansion had been made with.

“Sense! I’m here to visit again! And I brought some friends!” NPG called out and then there was the rattling of chains coming from inside the building. The group immediately drew weapons, ready to face whatever game out of the building, but they lowered them as someone stepped out.

The man for the most part looked like Mumbo, but there were a number of things that made him different. His hair was much longer and looked matted, with something similar going on with his mustache. He had a blue tie that had stains which Tommy recognized as being from blood. The stains themselves were all near the top of the tie, where a large scar was present on the man’s neck, just above the fabric. His wrists were cuffed, about a foot of chain connecting them and his hands were stained bright red from redstone dust. His feet were in a similar situation, the ankles cuffed and connected, but a much longer chain was also linked to one of the cuffs, leading back into the house. Finally, the man was rather skinny. Mumbo himself was lanky which added to his height, but this man was so thin that some of his bones could be seen and his clothes hung on him loosely.

“Okay! So I got you some beef, though I made sure to soak it in broth all night so it’s nice and soft. I’ve also got some swet gummies that have some essential vitamins as well as some milk and blueberries. And then, once you’ve had all of that, I brought youuuuu” NPG dragged the word out as he slowly pulled something out of the basket. “A candy cane!”

Sense grabbed at the food and NPG was soon helping the helsmit eat. Grian and Mumbo were absolutely horrified at the scene, and even the group from the SMP were taken aback at the state this man was in. He was so weak, he could barely chew without help, which was very different compared to the evil genius Grian and Mumbo had the displeasure of meeting before.

When Sense was done eating, NPG went back to the basket. “So I know last time you said your dust was wearing out, so I brought you a new piece to play with!” The helsmit’s eyes lit up when NPG handed him a bit of redstone dust. He messed with it a bit before putting it away in his pocket, and then pulling out a death ray and pointing it at Mumbo, who was currently standing closest to him other than NPG.

Tommy took a step closer, drawing his sword and immediately the weapon was pointed at him. However, Sense was still weak and his hand was wobbly. Before he could hold it steady, NPG smacked the ray gun out of his hand and put it in his own inventory. “Bad Sense! Next time you won’t get any candy!”

“Did True do this to him?” Mumbo asked, now even more worried about meeting her to make sure the boys weren’t there.

NPG looked back and tilted his head. “What? Oh no. The new emperor did!”

“I thought you said True was the empress again.” Grian spoke. “You said that Sense got dethroned a few days later. Wouldn’t that be True?”

“Nope! Someone different. In fact I’m his second in command! Or running mate. Either works! He didn’t need one since it wasn’t an election or anything, but he insisted. Oh! We should go talk to him and see if he knows anything! He doesn’t really use any communicator so I have to visit him if anything comes up. But if Jrum and Grum are with him, I’m sure they’re just fine since I talk about them so much to him!”

Before anyone in the group could say anything else, NPG led them away and over to a large campfire. Techno raced to it once he could see it and held his hands out to warm himself. “Oh, you don’t have to do this. This will just take us back to the main island. There’s only really supposed to be one, so it takes you back to where you entered the dimension in, but Xannes made more!”

“Who’s that?”

“Oh, that’s Evil X’s name. I get to call him that because I’m his friend!m Anyway, let’s go!”

The group used the magic of the campfire to pull them back into the overworld. NPG Was almost immediately off running towards the castle, leaving the rest of the group to catch up. They went through a number of halls in the castle before finally getting to a set of large decorated double doors. “Okay, so he’s in here. I’m pretty sure he’ll let you guys come in and say hi and ask your questions, but I don’t want to be rude and assume, so I’m gonna go in there and ask.”

Everyone was perfectly fine with that, getting a moment or two to catch their breaths since none of them were robots like NPG. The door was still cracked open, so everyone was able to hear as he spoke to the emperor, so they listened in as they waited and rested.

“Hi! I just finished visiting Sense!” There was a pause, none of them hearing the emperor. “He managed to make a death ray. I think he kept lying when he said his redstone was wearing out. But he wasn’t able to use it on any of us.” There was another pause, this one much shorter. “Oh! Some friends came to visit! Grian and Mumbo had a question for you and also brought their friends along named Tommy, Tubbo, Philza and Technoblade! They were wondering if they could come in and talk with you.”

Everyone couldn’t help but hold their breath at the pause before a small cheer erupted from NPG and he was almost immediately back at the door. “Okay, he said you can come in and ask him things!”

The robot pushed the door open all the way before running back into the room. Grian watched as his creation sat down in a smaller chair next to a large throne centered against the far wall. Tommy gave a quick laugh at the cheery robot before his gaze moved over to the one sitting in the throne and it suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe. Beside him, Tubbo was having a similar reaction and both Phil and Techno drew their weapons.

Sitting on the throne was a man. His elbow rested on one arm of the throne as his hand pressed against his cheek, holding his head up. His legs were crossed as well, giving him the look of someone who was bored or just didn’t care. A bandana was tied around his face like a bandit, covering his mouth and nose. A single brown eye was visible, starting down towards the group, meanwhile the other eye and the rest of that side of his face was covered with a mask of white porcelain, a simple smiling face carved into it.

“Dream…” Tommy spoke aloud, his voice trembling.

[thinking-about-sw33ts]

ιf тнєяє αяє αиу ѕρєℓℓιиg мιѕтαкєѕ/єяяσяѕ, ρℓєαѕє тєℓℓ ѕσ тнαт ι ¢αи fιχ тнєм! тнιѕ мιgнт иσт вє ℓαѕт уσυ gυуѕ ωιℓℓ ѕєє α 'ѕєιтαяσυ χ тяσιѕ' fαиfι¢, ѕιи¢є ι яєαℓℓу ∂σ ℓιкє тнιѕ ραιяιиg!! ι яєαℓℓу тнιик тнєу'яє ¢υтє/α∂σяαвℓє тσgєтнєя! αℓѕσ тнιѕ ωαѕ яєqυєѕтє∂/ѕυggєѕтє∂ ву @ambrosiaocto! нσρєfυℓℓу тнιѕ ωαѕ υρ тσ тнєιя ℓιкιиg!! αи∂ тнαик уσυ ѕσ мυ¢н fσя тнє яєqυєѕт/ѕυggєѕтισи, αиσи!~★

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⭐️Love⭐️

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Anime:

🗝Nanbaka🗝

Main Ship:

🛠Trois🛠 X 💦Seitarou💦

Supporting Ship(s):

🎬Tsukumo🎬 X 💢Honey💢

Type:

🌸Fluff🌸

AU(Alternative Universe):

🗝Normal🗝

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💦Seitarou’s P.O.V💦(Point of View):

“Seitarou, may I request to visit Honey at building 3?” Tsukumo asked, peeking through the bars. “Yeah sure! Let me just sign the papers for that.” I answered, signing the papers before handing it to the supervisor.

Who was about to go to the warden’s office for a report. After a while my supervisor came back, handing me a blue folder that was supposed to be delivered to building 3, as well as permission to go there.

Soon enough I got the truck ready for inmate 99 before heading there myself. As I arrived at building 3, I went towards the truck that held the inmate. I carefully helped the ninja down from the truck.

He immediately runned towards something, making me curious for what had triggered such an act. “Inmate 99 Please be careful! This place is huge so you can get lost!” I cried out, turning around, hoping he wouldn’t be too far away.

As I turned around my rose coloured eyes met with another. I quickly realized that those beautiful orbs belonged to Trois. I felt my cheeks warming up, his gentle smile, his beautiful eyes that went well with his long lashes, his attractive personality drew me in.

I got away from my daydreaming before trying to find the inmate, before seeing that he was walking, and talking with a certain purple head, with arrows protruding from his hair.

“So what brings you here, Seitarou?~” Trois purred out, backing me against a wall, towering over me, showing clear signs that he was teasing me. As I was about to answer he puts a hand beside my head, further trapping against the wall.

With the little amount of courage I had, I decided to stand up for myself. “Inmate 3 I don't appreciate this behavior, so please behave yourself!”I demanded, tears pricking my eyes, holding the blue folder rather roughly.

“Hm~ All right. I guess I have to stop~” Trois answered, although thinking about it for a bit. As I stood against the wall, thinking he would let me go. I felt his gaze on me, as I kept my head low, thinking I would turn to goo if I were to look at him.

I felt my cheeks heat up once more, thinking I probably look like a tomato. “Are you alright over there?~” He suddenly asked, making me accidentally look up, meeting his attractive gaze.

“Yeah.” I answered, failing to keep my eyes away from his. I clenched the blue folder, hoping the embarrassment would soon end. Although hoping it wouldn't at the same time. “Are you sure about that? You’re breaking your folder.”

Trois recalled, letting down the hand from the wall, and pointing at the wrinkled blue folder. As I realized this was the perfect chance to escape, I immediately darted to supervisor Kiji Mitsuba’s office. Tears pricking my eyes, while my whole face was flushed red.

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✨Timeskip✨

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💦Seitarou’s P.O.V💦(Point of View):

As I finished delivering the folder, I quickly went to pick up inmate 99, only to see him taking a nap on inmate 82.

After having a hard time getting the shinobi off the certain inmate, along with Ahato’s help, I finally got him loaded onto the truck. After making sure everything wasn’t forgotten, we headed back to our own building, building 13.

Soon enough we arrived back at our building. After escorting the pink-haired shinobi back to his cell, I went to check if the occupants of cell 13 were still there.

When I realized that they weren’t, I started to panic thinking that they escaped once again. As I was about to tell the supervisor, as well as check the cameras, a rather big hand rested itself on my shoulder. Making me startled.

“Don’t worry Seitarou! I just escorted the inmates to the game room!” Shouted Yamato making me almost deaf. Scurrying away from him, and standing across from said japanese-man, I nod feeling relieved.

If the warden finds out about the escapes, she would have to cut my pay! After Yamato explained that he would go on break, I decided to watch over the inmates.

Arriving at the game room I was met with Ahato, Hitoshi, as well as the daisen brothers. As I talked with them a bit, they casually explained that the supervisors would be in a meeting, and that they would take a while, leaving us to watch over the inmates. I thought back to what happened earlier, making my cheeks heat up once more.

“Seitarou-chan why is it that you are blushing so heavily? Have you decided to try out makeup?!” Ahato fan-boyd, as well as asked a few questions.

“No it’s just I think I might like someone, but they always tease me, and joke around with me, so I don’t think they like me back.” I explained, getting dejected over the thought, tears pricking my eyes.

“Is it Trois?” Hitoshi piped in, handing me a box of tissues, while rubbing my back comfortingly. I raised my head up, clearly surprised that they got it right. “How did you know?!” I screamed out, feeling a little embarrassed that they figured it out quickly.

“Dude, it’s kinda obvious.” Kokoriki answered, while Rokuriki and Youriki nodded in the back of him.

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✨Timeskip✨

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💦Seitarou’s P.O.V💦(Point of View):

After a few weeks have passed, as well as Hitoshi, Ahato, and the Daisen brothers encouraging me to tell Trois how I have felt, I finally decided to go for it!

I soon arrived at building 3, about to deliver another folder for the meeting they were about to have. As I left Kiji Mitsuba’s office, I managed to see Trois working with their fanclub.

I went with my initial plan. Trying to find all the courage I had before. After I made sure he wasn’t busy, I walked up to him, trying to calm myself down.

Tugging on his sleeve, I quickly got his attention. “Can we talk privately?” I ask, looking down, trying not to show my red face. Afraid that he might tease me once again.

Trois nods at Honey, before following me to a quiet place. “So what exactly did you need me for?” He asked back, his deep rose coloured eyes showing nothing but confusion. As well as curiosity. “Um... sorry, nevermind.” I responded, realizing that I couldn’t tell him.

“Hm~ alright then.” Trois answered, a smirk plastered onto his face. As he was about to walk away from me, I managed to grab his wrist.

“Wait no! I love you!” I revealed, looking down, blushing very heavily. He turns around, facing me, before lifting my chin with his index finger. Making me look up at him.

As our eyes met with each other, he cups my cheek with said hand, before giving me a soft kiss on my cheek. “Trois, are you done yet? The fanclub’s waiting, you know!” Honey yelled out, fixing his tie.

Trying to find the certain mint haired frenchie. “Coming right there, Honey-kun!” Trois shouted back. As he was about to leave, he winked at me, making me blush more.

I stood there, clearly shocked, before registering everything. Stumbling back in surprise. ‘I can’t believe I did it!’ I thought to myself, touching the place where he had kissed me.

I covered my whole entire face with my hands, slowly getting embarrassed. The more I realized what he did. “So Seitarou-chan, have you confessed yet?” Ahato piped in, surprising me. Not realizing that he was right there.

“Did you see all of that?!” I yelled to him, getting more embarrassed that he saw me witnessing that. “You have something behind you.” Ahato commented, getting the thing from my back, and giving it to me before leaving. I quickly knew that it was a note, making me curious about who had given it to me.

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“Wanna take a walk in building 4’s courtyard? This would be our first date.”

- Trois

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hummed to myself, satisfied that I already told him how I felt, and that he had already gotten our so-called date ready. ‘I have to sign that paper so that we can go there.

Maybe Hitoshi could help me convince building 4 supervisor, Kenshiro Yozakura.’ I thought to myself. I gently smile to myself, really happy that Trois returned my feelings. I jumped up in victory while I raised a fist in the air.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

✨Bonus✨

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

🛠Trois’s P.O.V🛠(Point of View):

I pouted to myself, clearly dissatisfied. ‘Seitarou said he would hang out with me, but all he’s doing is hanging around with those ladies that visit him!’ I thought to myself, sighing heavily.

After he was done, he sat with me acting like nothing happened. “Would you like some cookies? Hitoshi made them.” Seitarou explained, eating one. I took the cookie from his mouth, before placing it back down on the plate.

I laid him down on the green couch, towering over him. “Imate 3, we can’t do such acts here!” objected, the certain blue head. He looks away trying to hide the growing blush.

”Make it up to me, Seitarou~” I purred out, raising his hands up to his head. Our fun was quickly cut short, due to Hajime entering the guard room making me stop what I was doing.

“Hey Seitarou, you have a few papers to sign. Hey what are you punks doing?!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[keelywolfe]

FIC: Welcome to Backwater ch.18 (spicyhoney)

Summary: Stretch has already dealt with the local sheriff about his adventures in the local woods. Seems like Edge might have a thing or three to say.

~~*~~

Read ‘Electric Boogaloo’ on AO3

or

Read it here!

~~*~~

It was funny how some things become automatic. Stretch was still thinking about Buford when Edge came into the store not long after the sheriff left. Still thinking about those strange white eyes of his, wondering at exactly how much he could see. How much, how far, how deep did it go. Stretch knew a little something himself about seeing a bit too much.

Still, habits were habits. Even though his mind wasn’t necessarily working in the here and now, Stretch automatically stood up straight and greeted Edge when he came in, customer service skills were a heck of a learned trait, even if he was the only one who worked here that had them.

“morning, hey, what’s up? what do you—" need, he didn’t get to say. He barely had time to notice that Edge didn’t look like his normal gorgeous self, hips notwithstanding. Sure, he was wearing his normal motorhuckle gear and he was walking like he was on his way to kill Captain America. But he looked pale, his skull chalk-white and stark, his eye lights faded to a shade closer to dull pink.

That wasn’t what cut off his ‘can i help you’ spiel. Nope, that was Edge stalking right over to the counter and around it into the register area. Stretch found himself roughly pulled into Edge’s arms and held in a painfully tight hug that nearly threatened to crack ribs.

Okay? This was new but fuck it if Stretch wasn’t going to go for it. He wrapped both arms around Edge and squeezed back, relished the feel of that long, lean body against his own, even buffered under a layer of leather. “um. hi?”

Edge said nothing, only held on, with all ten fingers digging in through the back of Stretch’s t-shirt and damned if he was gonna try fight his way loose. Was it his imagination or was Edge shaking a little? Or maybe that was the earth moving under his feet because Edge smelled so good, no bone cologne could compare. Like spice and woodsmoke, like the heavenly pies he made for Mama’s.

Nothing to be done for it, might as well dive into the deep end and see if he could drown. Stretch closed his sockets and basked in it, reveled in it. Maybe this was some weird frosting on top of an already bizarre cake but Stretch really wanted his slice.

After a minute, Edge was showing no signs of letting up and much as Stretch would’ve been perfectly fine standing like this all day, probably he should say something. It’d be pretty hard to run register if he was stuck to Edge like a conjoined twin and considering that they were sort of the same person, maybe better not to risk it.

It was just a damn shame that Stretch was so shitty at digging beneath the layers of other people’s traumas. Hell, he could barely take a shovel to his own.

He managed to work up enough air to wheeze out, “is…something wrong?” A horrible thought occurred. What if he wasn’t the only person the lady ghoul went to visit last night? Maybe she took the nickel tour of the woods, maybe Buford’s all-seeing eye blinked and missed something. “is frisk okay?”

“Yes,” Edge choked out. His voice was muffled into Stretch’s shoulder. “Everything is fine.”

Stretch shifted in his arms and only managed about an inch in any direction. “don’t take this the wrong way, but as fine as this feels, you don’t seem fine.”

That didn’t get any reply. Instead, Edge loosened his grip just enough to press his face into the hollow of Stretch’s collarbone where he inhaled deeply, mouth opened as if he wanted to taste whatever scent gathered there, get the whole experience.

Um. Holy shit. Okay, well, that was a fetish Stretch never knew he had, and if he wasn’t pinned like a sardine in Edge’s kung-fu grip, he might’ve honest to angel flailed at the feel of damp, hot breath against his clavicles. Every time Edge decided to go through his scratch ‘n sniff routine, it sent willie wonkers tingling right up his spine and right down his pants. All he could do was grit his teeth and stare blankly up at the ceiling as he tried desperately not to embarrass himself any more than the usual.

Finally, all too soon, Edge drew away. He took two steps back, putting some distance between them. He seemed almost embarrassed now and Stretch could only reluctantly let him go.

He was really, really grateful for his work apron right about now; good for catching dust and gook, with a side bonus of hiding inconvenient boners. Hopefully it wasn’t the not-at-all-a-pencil-in-his-pocket that chased Edge away. “not that i mind, like, really not, but you think you could let me in on what that was all about?”

“I’m sorry,” Edge said, stiffly. He crammed his hands into his jacket pockets and looked anywhere but at Stretch.

“uh, nope,” Stretch shook his head, “no apologies, hugs are free real estate.” He’d been this close to Edge before a couple of times but always before there had been distractions. Now looking at him was the distraction and Stretch let his gaze linger on the razer-sharp lines of his cheekbones, the tight narrowing of his eye sockets. The crack that ran through his left socket was obviously old, the edges worn relatively smooth, smoother than their owner.

Edge still didn’t look at him, not directly, anyway. A flick of his eye lights towards Stretch, then back away as he said, tightly. “We came very close to losing you last night. It was…upsetting.”

Oh.

Well, good news traveled fast, didn’t it, basically at the speed of light around these parts. He wondered glumly if Red was in his apartment busily composing a profanity-laden symphony titled ‘I Told You So.’

“How did you know?” Stretch sighed out. Maybe Frisk was tuned in to the local airwaves or Edgar Allen might branch out into branches instead of corn gossip.

“Buford,” Edge admitted. “He is the town constable, he looks after the town. Literally, in his case.”

Also had a big mouth, seemed like. “yeah, uh, he showed me his eyes.”

“Did he?” Edge seemed surprised, then pleased. “He usually wears his sunglasses. He rarely takes them off when he’s on duty because outsiders tend to find his eyes unsettling. But yes, it’s his duty to watch out for problems and he does it well.”

Stretch nodded slowly, “must be tough on him sometimes, seeing all that.” He had a little personal experience in that.

“Buford does his duty,” Edge said with a certain finality. Welp, looked like that topic was done and Stretch was fine with that since Edge was starting to look a little calmer. His eye lights weren’t on Stretch’s but lower, focused more on the mouth region and when Stretch flicked his tongue across his teeth nervously, those crimson lights went heavy and dark.

To his disappointment, Edge didn’t go for Ginormous Hug 2: Electric Boogaloo. Instead, he reeled back, shaking himself visibly and turning towards the door. “Well. I only wanted to check in on you, I should be going.”

“wait!” Stretch blurted and Edge hesitated, raising one browbone. “don’t go, not yet.”

He waved a hand in offering at the stool behind the counter and after a moment of hesitation, Edge stepped around the dog and took it. Mutt never stirred, burrowed down in the blanket Red had laid down for him, snoring away. Good thing they hadn’t been in the market for a guard dog.

Stretch hopped up on the counter to sit, (hey, his butt was cleaner than the whole store had been when he first got here) and wondered what the hell to do now. He’d wanted Edge to stay and now he didn’t know what to talk about. Every other chat they’d had was about some kind of Backwater weirdness, the peanut butter and pickle sandwich version of a conversation. He wasn’t sure he even knew how to have a white bread and butter chat.

Edge seemed to agree. He swiped a finger along one of the shelves behind the counter and checked the results, finding it to be relatively dust-free. “The store is looking much better since my brother hired you on.”

“yeah,” Stretch latched on to that topic gratefully, it was marginally better than bringing up the weather. “try to keep up on it. he’s paying me well enough for it, plus room and board, figured i can do my mr clean impression.” He gave the top of his skull a pat. “i’ve already got the bald part down.”

Edge made a rough, scoffing sound and even that was somehow delicious in that voice of his. “I suspect most of what fills up your board comes from my kitchen.”

Stretch suspected the same but leapt to his landlord’s defense, anyway, he owned Red that much and more. “hey, red is a damn fine microwave wrangler when he puts his mind to it.” Okay, so that was less of a leap than a trip and miss, but he’d tried. Maybe better to steer the topic boat out of the rapids and into calmer water. “my bro likes to cook, too.”

“Is he very good?” Edge leaned forward curiously, propping his chin up on a hand.

Woah, wait, abandon ship, that was not calmer waters, that was a storm a’brewing, a freaking typhoon. “good is relative,” Stretch said stoutly.

“Ah,” One corner of Edge’s mouth curled up into a smile. “Rest assured, I would never force you to disparage your brother’s cooking. If it’s any comfort, my recipes were somewhat unique when we first came here as well. Like the garden, it took some time for my skills to come into bloom.”

“seriously?” There was a little too much naked relief in that one word but fuck it, Blue wasn’t here to hear it, “so how many years until he’s less ‘nailed it’ and more ‘chef’s table’?”

That half-smile widened. “Time is also relative, as are brothers. How is your brother, I’m assuming he’s still back in Ebott. Have you spoken to him since you came here?”

Welp, he’d avoided the storm only to end up in shark-infested waters, wasn’t that just his luck, “sort of,” Stretch hedged.

Edge’s teeth parted in a silent ‘ah’ as he successfully decoded that message. “You texted him. Well, that’s better than leaving him completely in the dark.”

“i think he’s doing okay. he was even before i left.” He really hoped so, but then, Blue settled in easily enough from the start. From the Human’s perspective, his bro looked a little like he’d stepped out of some kind of cartoon. He was small and adorable, his starry eye lights in his huge sockets were as cute as if Disney blessed him from beyond the grave. Stretch didn’t begrudge his brother for that, ‘course he didn’t, but that didn’t make his own experiences easy cheesy. “frisk was pretty right about ebott. when it comes to monsters, it sure isn’t backwater.”

“I’m sorry.” Said with enough quiet sincerity to make Stretch shift uncomfortably.

He shrugged weakly. “eh, not your fault.”

“No, but I can still let you share your pains.” Edge reached up and took his hand. He rubbed a scarred thumb gently over his knuckles and Stretch caught his breath. “You know, I used to dream about coming to the surface. Back in my world, in the Underground. Frisk told you that it was a place of LV, not love. My brother and I spent much of our time there simply struggling to survive.” The reminiscence in Edge’s voice held no hint of fondness, but there was a certain faint wistfulness. “I had such grand dreams of what the surface world would be like back then. Hope was difficult to come by in my universe, I never truly believed a human would come and when they did, well.” Edge chuckled and there was the fondness missing from before. “Frisk was not at all what I imagined.”

“did the surface world live up to your dreams?” Stretch asked, curiously. His own dreams of the Aboveground were shaken to their foundations barely an hour into the sunlight, when the first Humans to arrive greeted them not with welcome, but with automatic rifles.

“In some ways,” Edge said. “Mostly, it’s very different from what I imagine. But like Frisk, not necessarily in a bad way.”

“ebott is sure fucking different then i imagined,” Stretch only realized how hard he was squeezing Edge’s hand when both of their joints popped. He loosened his grip, then pulled away entirely, picking up the pen from the counter to fiddle with; at least if he broke that, he’d be the only one stained. “doesn’t matter, anyway. i’m not there right now, am i.”

“Indeed not. You’re here, and Backwater is probably as different from Ebott as it is the Underground.” Edge stood in a jangling, creaking rhapsody of leather and buckles. “On that note, I do need to get going.”

Stretch stood too, hopping down from the counter. Much as he’d like Edge to stay, he did have some work to get done and who knew what Edge needed to get back to. “thank you for checking in on me.”

“Of course.” Too fast for Stretch to do more than blink, Edge leaned in and Stretch stood frozen as he pressed a chaste kiss to his cheekbone, the delicate scrape of his teeth almost ticklish against sensitive bone. He pulled back before Stretch managed to gather up all his scattered wits, and his smile was the soft, real one as he said, “I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.”

“soon,” Stretch parroted dumbly. He stood there like an idiot and watched Edge leave, only coming back to himself at the jangle of the bell over the door. Then he cursed himself, roundly and in every language he knew, including modified flamespeak. Smooth moves, there, Marvin Gaye, couldn’t even turn your head for a real kiss? Just stood there with crotch plug store book and didn’t even try to kick it up a notch? But he’d gotten one hell of a hug and a hand fondle, that was worth nearly getting eaten by Lady Cthulhu out there.

Well, almost.

“mind not getting your sop all over my counter?”

Stretch whirled around, barely managing not to trip over his own feet, to see Red standing in the hallway entrance. He was leaning heavily on his cane with a brutally unimpressed look on his face.

Fuck.

“i’m sorry—” Stretch began and faltered, unsure of what to say. He’d tried to listen to Red, he really had. He’d warned Stretch against starting anything with his bro from the beginning, offered plenty of warnings against rebound fucks and people getting hurt, and Stretch had tried. Except he hadn’t, had he, not really, and he could try to blame Edge’s hips and that gorgeous voice all he wanted; in the end, it was his fault, just like everything else. He hadn’t really been fighting that hard, why would he, it wasn’t like he wanted to win.

Red only sighed heavily and waved him off. “ain’t nothing to be sorry for. toldja before, i ain’t worried about my bro. you’re the one keepin’ me awake at night.”

“speaking of worrying,” Stretch took a deep breath before plunging forward, away from the sharks and heading into the shallows where the piranhas swam. “look, before anyone else decides to spill the beans, i need to tell you something.”

Red held up a hand and Stretch fell silent. “lemme get my coffee first.”

Coffee sounded better than it had any right to and, in his chest, Stretch’s soul gave an uncomfortable lurch like it could hop out and get a cup of its own. Hopefully, he asked, “can i get some?”

“yeah, sure,” Red turned back towards the apartment and tossed back over his shoulder, “whatcha want in it?”

“honey?” May as well dream big.

“yeah, darlin’?”

What? ”No!” Stretch blurted. “I mean…I didn’t…”

“yeah, yeah,” Red snickered. “i gotcha, brat.”

It was both entirely too long and much too quickly that Red made his way back with two heavy white mugs that looked as if they’d been stolen from Mama’s diner. He handed one to Stretch and settled in to lean against the counter, sipping from his own. “so, this about why you and my bro were cozying up behind the counter?”

“uh, sort of,” Stretch hedged. He stalled by taking a sip of his coffee, glorying in the thick, over-sweetened brew. “he came by because buford got a hold of him.”

Red lurched upright as if someone goosed him right on his tailbone. Hot coffee sloshed over his hand and he hissed, shaking his wet, stinging fingers as he demanded, “he did what now? what the fuck happened?”

“it’s not that bad.”

It was a weak attempt at best, not that it mattered. Red didn’t fall for it in the slightest. He didn’t move, there was no noticeable change in his breathing or posture, but the sardonic humor that seemed to cling to Red like another shirt evaporated entirely and left behind nothing but cold sincerity. “buford don’t exactly text, he don’t get ahold of anyone unless—” Red stopped and gave Stretch a coolly assessing glance that he squirmed beneath. Quietly, he said, “kid, what did you do?”

“i didn’t do it!” Stretch blurted and no amount of defending himself to his own brother or even the Ebott police could have prepared him for this. “the dog ran off, but i didn’t go into the woods! not until—there was this…this thing!” Stretch gestured wildly, trying ineffectively to convey with skinny bone hands the shadowy, awful creature that lured him into the dark last night. He couldn’t hold back a shudder of revulsion, simply thinking about it was filling him with a renewed sense of horror. “it looked like a woman and then it didn’t, she was singing, she was doing something, and i couldn’t stop myself, i couldn’t even think!”

He stopped, panting, and Red said nothing. He only stood there statue-still and Stretch would have given about anything for the door to open, the bell to jangle as someone looking for a fresh supply of ass wipers broke that awful silence.

Desperately, Stretch pressed on, letting out a nervous laugh. “anyway, i’m okay. she didn’t touch me or bite me or anything. i got out okay.” He didn’t mention the bone dragon, wasn’t even sure why, but Red was still frozen and silent over hearing about one terrifying encounter, maybe better not to mention two.

“red?” Stretch tried, hating how his voice sounded so small and forlorn. In a dismal corner of his mind, he was already mentally packing his bags. He couldn’t go back to Ebott, not now, not yet, but where else could he go, what other job could he possibly find? Maybe a waiter at Mama’s or maybe the thrift shop needed a helping hand. He didn’t know. The little money he had wouldn’t last long and definitely not in a bigger city. He didn’t really have any options, no choices at all.

He jerked back as Red suddenly jolted into movement, limping around the counter without his cane. He staggered almost drunkenly and then swung around to violently ram his fist into the first rack of the shelves. The wooden frame rocked and groaned, scattering boxes and cans to the floor on either side. A small bag of cornmeal fell and burst open, scattering dusty yellow across the floorboards.

“i…i’ll just…” Stretch couldn’t say go, he couldn’t, saying it would make this real, and he couldn’t let it be real. He took a step towards the hallway, tasting heavy tears on the back of his tongue.

Red’s voice stopped him, “kid.”

Stretch stood there and watched Red wrap both arms around himself. The fingers of one hand were streaked with marrow, he’d probably cracked his phalanges, but Red only shuddered faintly, drawing in a long breath and letting it out in a shaky rattle as he said, “if i’d’ve known she was awake, i woulda warned ya.”

Oh.

Oh, that made a terrible amount of sense and it didn’t make Stretch feel one fucking bit better to realize that Red wasn’t mad at him.

“it’s fine, red,” Stretch said, gently. It was hard to bank his own fears, but he managed, “it’s not your fault. i’m okay.”

Red heaved out a hitching little sigh and Stretch didn’t need Buford’s powers or his own magic to see that Red didn’t believe that, not even a little.

“okay,” he muttered under his breath, low and indistinct, “okay, okay.” Then louder, “okay, kid, get on out of here.”

“you’re firing me?” Stretch blurted, horrified. He’d begun to believe it was all right, more fool he, hadn’t he had the rug ripped out from under him enough times by now, when would he ever learn?

“what?” Red said, aghast. “fuck no! take a little time off, is all, after a shitty night like that, you need it. go see a movie, ‘wizard of oz’ ’s playin’, think it’ll be right up your alley.”

Relief left him weak, but he made no move towards the door. “but. your hand?”

“what about my hand?” Red raised his browbones and his hand at once and Stretch stared at the clean, pristine bones in confusion, what the fuck, he was sure he’d seen—

“okay, but,” Stretch still didn’t want to leave, some part of him vaguely convinced that if he left he wouldn’t be able to come back, like this shabby little store was some kind of fae place. “here, let me clean up.”

“i can fucking clean,” Red said impatiently. “been doing it since long before you got here.” He hooked his perfectly unbroken thumb at the door, “now, git! scoot!”

It seemed better not to comment on Red’s cleaning skills. Stretch hung up his apron and obediently scooted while Red limped over to the broom.

Outside, the temperature was just above a swelter. Stretch headed towards the theater even as the kids pulled up by the shop and dropped their bikes to head in, about five minutes too late.

Red had the right idea, he decided tiredly. A movie sounded like a good idea right about now. If, that was, he could stay awake through the opening credits.

tbc

[underatedcharactersunite]

Driving Home For Christmas!

Summary; You work for Baratheon Jewellers, Jon Snow is apart of the Stark family company who creates many beautiful pieces that are sold in your store. However, Jon is a notorious flirt and arrogant git, but what happens when you see Jon walking down the street after an horrible encounter with Catelyn. Modern AU.  Pairing; Jon Snow x Female Reader  WordCount;1,730  Warnings; Strong Language 

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Jon Snow was a man who antagonised you to no end. Every day he can into your jewellery store delivering a new pieces of jewellery that he crafted. Jon Snow appeared every bit arrogant as he was rude. Jon entered every room believing he owned it To top it off Jon continuously threw flirtatious comments in your direction.

Stark jewellers were one of your largest clients, so you couldn't afford to anger your bosses by being rude to Jon Snow the illegitimate son of CEO Ned Stark. You needed this job, you couldn't afford to lose your job on top of Christmas.

Besides, apart from your negative interactions with Jon, you truly loved your job. Your boss Robert Baratheon was the best boss you'd ever had. He was kind, understanding and extremely funny. If you needed anything you knew you could turn to your boss As well s your interactions with the other members of the Stark family were never negative. You would go as far to consider, Sansa Arya and Robb as friends of yours.

As Christmas drew closer, busier you became. Customers came in there hundreds if not thousands trying to locate their perfect gift for their love one. You lost count of the number of customers you'd wrapped gifts for after their consultations. You were definitely on your way to achieve best seller for that extra Christmas bonus.

"Love, Jon will be coming in today to drop some more stock. Would you be able to handle it for me? I'm up to my eyes in paperwork and Joffery's decided to ditch once again. Honestly, you try to teach your son a trade. At least Gendry and Tommen want to learn the family business."

"Yeah of course I will. Don't worry about anything, I've got it covered" You continued to wipe down one of the many glass cabinets. Robert approached you carefully as he pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead.

"Thank you, Love. Remember if you need anything all you need to do is ask. I see you as one of my daughters. Alright, I'll see you later, call me if you need anything."

"See you later, Robert." As he left, you suddenly felt a sinking feeling. Another day would soon be destroyed by the presence of Jon Snow. You could only hope your interaction would be short.

A couple of hours later, you were attending to an elderly gentlemen who was currently searching for his wife. Thy had been together for nearly thirty years.

"I don't know what I'm doing. There are so many options." Smiling, you hadn't be relieved to interact with such a sweet customer.

"It's okay Sir, feel free to take all the time you need. I can make you something to drink if you like. Picking the right present for a loved one ne can be difficult."

"Thank you for being so patient with me. Do you have someone special to buy a gift for this holiday season?

"No Sir, not this yearr" A frail hand rested ontop of yours, as you were met with a kind smile.

"You will meet your person, you mustn't give up hope"

"You could always buy me a special present." You fought the sudden urge to roll your eyes, Jon finally decided to make an appearance. Two hours late.

**

"Hello, Jon. I'll just hope this gentleman, and then I'll be over to you" Jon quickly took a seat in one of the leather chairs located in the centre of the room.

"I don't mind waiting, not for you Sweetheart." Jon sent you an overzealous wink. Shrugging him off, you returned your full attention to the elderly gentleman.

Never before had you been grateful for an indecisive customer. Throughout, you felt Jon's eyes running all over you. You friend from snapping at him. Although Jon's passive-aggressive antagonization couldn't halt your alation when the elderly gentleman chose a beautiful matching set of ruby earrings and necklace. The gentleman was ecstatic he managed to combat his indecisiveness.

Although the moment he left the store, you were forced to place your full attention onto Jon. As he strode up to the counter, you quickly forced a smile onto your lips.

"The way you engaged with that old man just now was pretty sexy"

"Thank you Jon. It's called being a personable human, perhaps you should try it sometime."

"I'll try it, if you let me take you out on a date"

"ell it looks like your staying as the arrogant, childish rude man child that you are. Robert mentioned you were here to deliver more stock"

"Straight to business, there I thought we were getting somewhere"

"Jon we are never going to et somewhere. Now can we just get on with it, so I can go home."

"Have a long day, if you let me I could make it longer."

"You're disgusting" You pulled the keys out of your trouser pockets as you open the door to the backroom.

As you marked off all the brand new stock from Stark Jewellers, Jon continued to stare at you. Honestly, did he need a picture?

"You can leave now. I'm closing now so I can go home."

"I thought we were having a good time" Walking directly past jon, holding the door wide open.

"Now get out!" Reluctantly, jon left leaving you alone to close, you knew it was only a matter of time before your next interaction.

*****

"I can't wait to go. The Bahamas is the most beautiful place" Sandy beaches, crystal blue oceans, amazing cultures. I wish you cold to come with us, you'd have a great time." Sansa's excitement could light up a whole room. The Stark's worked extremely hard, so the trip would act as a well deserved break.

"Maybe, I'll be able to go one day." Wiping down the glass cabinets you try desired to go the Bahamas one day, unfortunately,y this year is not it.

"Are you doing anything for Christmas? I don't want you to be alone. You're the last person who deserves to be alone on Christmas."

"i'll be fine, beside's you'll have a great time. Enjoy your vacation you deserve it. I'm just having a quiet Christmas this year. Everyone's off doing their own thing and my sister will be around for Boxing Day."

"As long as you wont be alone"

"I won't I promise."

It's Christmas Eve, after a grueling shift all you wanted to do was get home and relax. To make matters worse, it had started snowing. With the roads slipery and traffic choatic, everything appeared to be a snail's pace.

As you were driving home, you saw familiar silhouette waling in the distance. Rolling down your window, you confirmed your suspicion. Jon Snow was indeed sulking down the street with a suitcase in tow. Sansa had informed you there plane would take off at six that evening. So why was Jon walking down the street? 

You had no idea what conspired in you to do what you did next. Perhaps it was the Christmas spirit, but you pulled over. Stepping out of the car , you quickly ran cautiously to catch up to Jon. 

“Jon, why are you not on the plane?” You called out, Jon immediately stopped upon hearing the unusually soft tone of your voice. 

“Why do you care? Just go home! It’s Christmas Eve, be with your family” 

“I don’t have anywhere to be. Get in the car, it’s cold out and the paths are beginning to get dangerous”

“Why are you being so nice to me?” 

“Call it the Christmas spirit. Now get in the car your coming home with me.” 

“Are you flirting with me?” 

“Jon just get in the car!” 

                                             *****

The drive home was slow and cantankerous. Everyone trying to get somewhere and they were impatient about it. Now with Jon in the car, you were even more anxious.  

“This is not the way to my house” Jon mentioned as you turned the heating on higher. Was there no end to this drive home? 

“We’re not going to your house. We’re going to mine. No-one, not even you is going to spend Christmas alone.”

“I won’t be alone. I’ll go stay with Sam or Tormund” 

“Bullshit! Sam is taking little Sam and Gilly to Lapland and Tormund is gone home this Christmas. So are you gonig to meraciously get a flight on Christmas Eve”

“How do you know what they’re up to?” 

“There is this wonderful thing called social media. I also attend most Stark parties and I think your friends are pretty nice. You know between the Stark’s, the Baratheon’s and my sister, they are all the family I have.” 

“They treat you more like family then they do me. I must be something truly pathetic when the woman that hates me is the only one who has bothered to be nice to me.” 

“Jon, I don’t hate you. I never have. So what happened at the airport?” 

“At least that’s one of you. Catelyn still sees me as nothing more than the result of my Father’s mistake.  

“Jon, you’re way more than that. You are creative and talented, kind to everyone else. So in this instance, Catelyn is very wrong.

“I was looking forward to go to the Bahamas, but I guess I’m stuck here now.” 

“Hey! I don’t think I’m not that bad of company” 

“No your not.” The silence in the car echoed loudly, the atmosphere was thick and tense unlike any emotion ever conveyed between you both. Suddenly, you found yourself questioning, why you despised him in the first place. Here you were stuck in a car driving home on Christmas Eve. How more of a Hallmark movie could you get? 

Being stuck in traffic wasn’t helping. Suddenly, Jon’s arms wrapped around the back of the chair. 

“Looks like we’re going stuck in this traffic for a while” 

“Yeah it does” The tension between was beginning to get overwhelmed your hands resting tightly on the steering wheel. 

“Fuck it!” As if the two of you were thinking the something both of you leaned over the counsel as your lips clashed with one another. Jon’s hand gripped the back of your head as you pulled on his shirt. An eruption of a car horn broke your embrace apart. 

Moving your car forward, you struggled to catch your breath. 

“Was that my Christmas present” Rolling your eyes, you couldn’t help the smile that it caused. 

“You can have more when we get to mine” 

“I’ve never been more glad that Catelyn let me of family plans.” 

[kyoka-jirou]

HELLO HI HOW ARE YOU. Soo I heard soulmate au; can we have a tamakixreader where reader has had bad soulmate experiences (parents didnt work out) and is insecure and avoids the situation? Bonus points for Tamaki being insecure and wondering if it's because he's not good enough.

The ANGST IS REAAALLLL! ; - ; this is just so cute and pure it’s not even- like what o-o

note: your dad is aged-up Hawks now. you’re welcome.

Tamaki Amajiki X Reader | Doodles

soulmate au in which whatever your draw on yourself also appears on your soulmate.

(Warnings: Parents that fight, insecurity, self doubt, extreme verbal abuse, lANGuAgE)

They were fighting again. You could hear it from downstairs.

“You can’t just come home drunk every night!” your dad shouted.

“I told you, I was just at the office late tonight! I wasn’t- I’m not drunk!” you heard your mom slur. Even though her words were steady, you could hear her tripping over her own feet.

“I can’t do this anymore, Belle! Y/N cries herself to sleep half the time because of you!”

“Y/N is just a wimpy little whore! She can’t even talk without that damn stutter!”

“She only stutters when she’s talking to you!” your dad shouted, “You’ve made her so scared of you she can’t even look you in the eye!”

You let a small tear fall down your cheek before turning the music in your headphones up. It seems like the only thing that could keep you calm was music. Whether it’d be Garth Brooks, Jared Halley, or (favorite artist), you somehow found comfort on nights like these.

‘Hey, you up?’ you scribbled on your arm.

Thirty seconds later, there was a response. 

‘Of course I am. Is it happening again?’

You sighed. He always knew what was going on.

‘Yea. Trying to drown it out though.’

‘That’s good. Where are you going for your third year of high school? I remember you said you were transferring...’

You sighed, remembering that you were starting school tomorrow. A full two weeks into the school year.

‘Yueei High. How about you?’

‘Yueei? Wow. That’s pretty cool.’

‘I guess. It wasn’t my choice though. I feel pressured into it, my dad being the freaking number two hero.’

‘Wait a second- what?’

You gasped, forgetting you’d barely mentioned anything about yourself besides the fighting. Capping your pen. You curled up on your bed, letting out a sob.

Your snow white wings curled around you, and the halo of hope that you felt in your hidden identity shattered, as you cried yourself to sleep.

----------

“Mirio I messed up.” he said as soon as his friend picked up the phone.

Around fifteen seconds later, a naked teenager barreled through his wall. Tamaki stifled a scream and he covered his eyes.

“You keep forgetting that we live in dorms Tamaki, just come on over and knock!” he smiled.

“M-Mirio, p-please put some c-clothes on.” 

“Oh, right. Sorry about that.” he said blankly, going back to his room. A few minutes later a knock sounded on his door and Tamaki got up and opened it.

Outside stood Mirio and.. Nejire.

He shook his head, of course Mirio called her over. They were practically attached at the hip ever since they found out they were soulmates. It would have made him feel like a third wheel, but he was too involved in their friendship to be let go like that.

He motioned for them to come in, and then he explained the situation.

“Well,” Nejire trailed off. “She obviously doesn’t know you’ll be here. So we could surprise her tomorrow. I’m sure she’d be happy to see you.”

Mirio nodded, “That could work! And, we could all be best friends!”

Tamaki shrunk back, “But what if she doesn’t like the attention?”

“It’ll be fine!” Nejire smiled, “She’ll feel welcomed in no time!”

----

It was Monday.

You had hesitantly gotten up to your alarm at around five-thirty, and had taken a quick hot shower. As soon as you’d gotten dressed and your hair & wings dried, you looked at the clock. It was now six-thirty.

You headed downstairs, being mindful of the shattered vase on the ground. Sliding over to the kitchen in your sock-clad feet, you opened the fridge to find a small bento and a note.

‘hey little fledgling, I made you some lunch- don’t forget that you have a meeting with principal nezu at eight. love you! - the overgrown chicken <3’

You smiled softly at your father’s antics, and you put the small bento in your saddle bag, along with a few one-subject notebooks and a pencil case.

Filling up your water bottle, you clipped it onto the side of your bag and slipped on your shoes. Patting the side pocket, you made sure your phone and wallet were in there, before heading out.

You didn’t live very far from the school, but you still wanted to get out of your house early, before the rush of kids trying to get to school came out. You didn’t like it when they stared at your wings. It made you feel uncomfortable.

Sighing, you trudged along the sidewalk, littered with old pieces of gum and trash. Quickening your pace, you managed to get to school at around seven-fifteen.

Taking a breath, you entered the gates and pulled up the schedule and map of the school that your dad had sent you earlier. Taking a few more cautious steps forward, you made your way up the steps to your locker. 

---

“Hello!” a small white mouse thing shouted, looking at you. “You must be Y/N Takami!”

You nodded your head slightly, “That’s me.”

“Great!” he smiled, taking a look at your obviously nervous form, before starting the meeting.

He ended up giving you a tour, since you were pretty early, and explained how the hero course would work.

“I understand that your father has taught you about hero-work for the past few years, correct?”

You nodded, “Yes, that’s true.”

He grinned, “I take it you’re very well acquainted with the rules of hero-work then.”

You nodded again, “Yes sir, I am. I have even already received my provisional licensing exam.”

He hummed, already expecting as much. “Well then, Takami-san. Here is your classroom. Do you need anything else before we go inside?”

You stiffened, not quite realizing that you’d already made your way to your class.

“N-No, not of the moment. But thank you.” you stammered.

“Ok then!” he smiled, opening the door, and leading you inside.

You took a shaky breath before following him in, your wings stiffened.

“Hello!” Nezu started, “A new student has transferred into your class, please introduce yourself.”

You faced the front of the class with the most false courage you could muster.

“H-Hi, I-I’m Y/N Takami, p-please take care of me!” you bowed swiftly.

“Woah! You have wings!”

“That’s so cool!”

“She’s cute, too!”

“Yess! Another girl!”

You smiled politely at the compliments as you made your way to the back of the classroom, waving Nezu goodbye.

“Well!” your teacher said, “Why don’t you all take this period to introduce yourselves!” 

The students cheered before you were met face-to-face with a guy who looked a bit like tin-tin.

“Eep!” you screamed slightly, startled.

“Mirio!” a blue haired girl yelled, “What did we talk about! Don’t scare her off!”

She sighed, before taking your hand, “Hi, I’m Nejire Hado, just call me Nejire.”

“Y-Y/N Takami, but y-you already knew that. Just call me Y/N.”

“Okey dokey, Y/N!” she smiled. “So! What do you like to do in your spare time?”

You and Nejire chatted away as the rest of the class just fell into a steady murmur. But, as you glanced around, you couldn’t help but notice the guy sitting a few rows from you, who was stressfully talking to the other guy from earlier.

Huh. Weird.

----

“Y/N! Y/N! Come eat lunch with us!” Nejire shouted from across the room. You froze before nodding slightly, feeling like a deer in headlights.

Packing up your bag, you looked at the small red flower you drew on your hand during class. It wasn’t much, but looking at it helped you calm down.

Slowly, you followed a chipper Nejire down the hall, noting the two boys following you as well.

When you all had finally found an empty table in the cafeteria, you sat down and began to eat.

“So, Y/N-” the tin-tin look-alike, who you knew as Mirio, started, “Have you found your soulmate yet?”

You, Nejire, and the shy boy you were introduced to, Tamaki, choked on your food.

“Mirio!”

“Y-you c-can’t j-just ask t-that!”

You giggled slightly at their antics, the question settling deep into your mind. What do you say?

“No.” you sighed, “I haven’t met him yet.”

The table was silent as you began to eat again, the tension thick.

Finally not being able to take it, you sighed looking up, “Is there something wrong with-”

Your breath caught in your throat.

On Tamaki’s hand, was the very flower you drew in class that day.

They seemed to notice your tense stature as they one-by-one began to follow your gaze.

“-oh.”

“Surprise?”

Your eyes widened as you realized that in fact, your soulmate was sitting right in front of you. This was it.

As your mind processed your feelings, you were reminded of last night, and how everyone at this table might know about your situation. Memories rushed through your head; the fighting, the drinking, the words, abuse, everything.

It all came back to you in a rush as panic started to seep in.

“I, u-um.” you started, trailing off, “I’ve gotta go.”

Turning quickly, you hurried out of the cafeteria, tears slipping past your eyes.

“H-hey, wait!” you heard, but it didn’t stop you. You just kept running.

Suddenly you found yourself under a water fountain, hyperventilating. 

What felt like hours later, you heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Soon enough, you were wrapped into unfamiliar, yet comforting arms.

“H-hey, hey. It’s alright. Nothing’s gonna hurt you here, ok?” you heard someone whisper into your ear.

“I’ll go grab Recovery girl.”

“Ok, I’ll go inform sensei.”

You heard other voices, but you slowly drowned them out and listened to the one who was beside you. They rubbed soft circles on your back as your breathing slowly calmed down.

“Are you alright?” They asked, and you finally opened your eyes.

It was Tamaki.

“I-I’m so sorry!” you cried, “I couldn’t stop thinking about-”

“It’s ok-” Tamaki cut in, “Y-you’ll be okay. We can sort this out.”

You let a few more tears out as your breathing slowed. You felt your eyes close as your last thought flew through your mind.

‘Maybe- this’ll be alright.’

Bonus:

“I hereby give full custody of Y/N M/N Takami to Takami Keigo.”

A loud slam was heard before you broke out into tears, hugging your soulmate and your father close, one of which was being very stiff and awkward at the sudden contact.

‘Yeah, this’ll definitely be alright.’

Hope you enjoyed!

-alice <3

5.12.20

[preciousthingsareprecious]

With A Heart of Scars

[ID: Photo edit. This title card comprises a black-and-white photo of a tree branch, with its background blurred. A stylized outline of a red heart encompasses a hollow in the branch, and the section of photo outlined by the heart has a soft overlay of green and yellow. The title text “With a Heart of Scars” is green and glows yellow; with the red heart, these are Robin’s colors. A listing of the author, artists, and betas follows the title. First is the text “by Matina (@PreciousThingsArePrecious)” for the author. Next are the lists “Artists: Scarlet (@srl541), Eileen (@ dreamer-247re), Leap (@wingsdingsandpurplethings)” and “Betas: Auri (@battoad), Xenia (@xvivon), Lucy (@houser-of-stories), Areth (@brambleberrycottage).” Following these lists is the text “Batfam Big Bang 2020 (@batfam-big-bang).” END ID]

~

Hey everyone! I am utterly delighted that I finally get to share this story with you that I’ve written for the @batfam-big-bang! I had such a blast during the Bang, writing and working with a ton of awesome people! 

A big shoutout to my betas who helped me really polish up this fic, and who were ever so patient with the fact that there’s like 50k worth of stuff to look over:

Auri- @battoad​​​

Xenia- @xvivon​​

Lucy- @houser-of-stories​​

Areth- @brambleberrycottage​​

And my artists who’ve created some just absolutely wonderful art and were equally patient with me!!

Scarlet- @srl541​ who did a full title card, betad ,and created this absolutely amazing soundtrack

Eileen- @dreamer-247re​ who drew this amazing scene (from a later moment in the fic I know you all will love)

Leap- @wingsdingsandpurplethings​ who did just the best collages for the characters in this story

And of course, bonus thanks to @bisexualoftheblade​ for making the gorgeous blue title card!

Summary: 

When Bruce dies there’s a lot of pieces to pick up. Dick has to step into the role of Batman, and try to hold his family together. Meanwhile, fresh from the league, and unsure of his place anymore Damian’s not even sure what a real family looks like. Together the two, and the rest of Bruce’s children slowly take steps to learn what healing is. While they do so, a dark new villain is taking steps to make themselves known in Gotham. 

Basically, I take Dick and Damian’s time as Batman and Robin and change absolutely everything. 

AO3 Link

[IMAGE ID: In the center of the image is a glass heart covered in small hairline fractures. The heart is bright blue at the edges, and fades to a purple in the center, with a smoky ring of pastel blue at the very center. The heart lays against a purplish gray background that appears to be metal in texture. Above the heart is the text "With a Heart of Scars" written in cyan. END ID]

Teaser

“As for cats, tortoiseshell’s have the best coloring; I mean, just look at them,” Brown said, waving a fork at Drake.

“Tortoiseshells? I thought you’d be all about black cats, with cute little white paws,” Drake said, making irritating pawing motions with his hands at her.

“That was one time! It’s not my fault Selina has the best cats.”

Damian listened to the conversation as he worked his way through his yogurt, not eating as much as stirring berries and granola deeper in. He bit back a question about Selina having cats and responses to each of the other’s cat comments. What did adding to the conversation matter at this point? He would not be here much longer, and the butler’s last rebuke still rang in his ears regarding his previous comment. No, it would be best if he held his tongue for now.

Instead, Damian chose to examine those at the table and catalog them. Many of its occupants he’d only met a few days prior at his father’s funeral and were new to him. He had, of course, heard of these people. Mother had debriefed him before he came, and when he had first met Father, the man had done the same.

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