#Green Lantern is now very smug | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

wouldntyou-liketoknow · 7 months

Text

Day 6: Decapitation

(Disclaimer: none of the characters in this story belong to me. Janus, Remus, and any other mentioned Sides are the property of Thomas Sanders)

(Trigger Warnings: blades, slight physical violence, body horror, blood, acidic chemicals, skin-melting, snakes, slight mentions of food/drink, strong language. Please let me know if I missed anything.)

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10 Day 11 Day 12 Day 13

As fluid as the Mind Palace typically was, two things always remained constant.

1. Tampering with Logan’s jars of Crofters in any way, shape, or form would result in truly devastating consequences.

2. Out of all the Sides, Janus was the best at corralling Remus. (Well, Logan was somewhat a close second, considering the information above. The Jam And/or Jelly Incident of 2019 had been the very first case of Remus actually learning his lesson.)

This was one of many things that Janus got to be smug about. . .as well as one of few things that he could be genuine about. Sure, Remus grated his nerves like no other at least sixty-nine percent of the time, but he’d had more than enough time to make the friendship between them strong and worthwhile and real. Hell, by now Janus would potentially wager that he knew Remus better than Remus knew himself.

Potentially.

It was now Autumn both inside and outside of Thomas’ brain, which meant Spooky SeasonTM was officially upon the Sides.

Now, while all the Sides appreciated Spooky SeasonTM, none of them could appreciate it quite like Remus. Mainly because this particular month gave him an actual excuse to take his horrific shenanigans and, on a scale from one to ten, crank them all the way up to OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT THING WHY DOES IT HAVE EYES WHERE THE MOUTH SHOULD BE AND MOUTHS WHERE THE EYES SHOULD BE—?!

Janus had been working in his garden (the secondary space off of his bedroom), making sure the pumpkins he’d been growing were good and ripe. There were twelve large gourds in this year’s harvest: enough for each Side to carve two of their own jack-o-lanterns. He’d also raised a few smaller-scale pumpkins that would meet their fates as a pie, a loaf of bread, and a batch of cookies.

He still had his ulterior motives, mind you. He figured this gesture would keep everyone busy for a while so he could focus on some dreadfully cunning schemes. . .plus enjoy some wine and binge his Addams Family collection without disturbance.

(As clever and devious as Janus was, this idea that a holiday tradition somehow wouldn’t end in chaos proved that while he did hold many of the brain cells in this operation, his grip on aforementioned brain cells occasionally wasn’t the firmest.)

Janus had just cut the last of his vegetable-masquerading fruit from its vine with a pair of pruning shears. He’d been in the middle of hefting it up, about to turn and place in his yard cart with the others when he heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps stampeding closer and closer and—

Even before he’d discovered a flash of green and black in his peripheral vision, he’d braced himself. He tried to pull off a graceful sidestep that would’ve made Bugs Bunny proud.

But it was still too late.

He felt foreign weight slam into his side.

He saw a metallic blur glinting, swinging right for his throat.

He heard a whooshing Snicker-Snack! which was accompanied by a sickening cRrrck-pop!

And then he was airborn with what seemed to be a lot more vertigo than usual for simply losing balance. An instinctual squawk barged its way through his lips as his face met the ground, trademark bowler hat flying off due to the impact.

“Heads up, Janny!” A familiar voice squealed, maniacal laughter somehow not drowning out Janus’ sigh.

“Right, because it just doesn’t make any sense to call out a warning before you take action.”

“Exactly!” Remus agreed, his mustachioed figure entering Janus’ field of vision, hefting a bloody axe over one shoulder.

The blood in question was a deep shade of gold, glowing and letting off a bit of steam. It wasn’t real blood, of course, as Janus wasn’t a corporeal person. That was why he didn’t feel any true pain from whatever Remus had just done to him. He and the other Sides could still feel pain, but it was just. . .a very different type from the human pains that Thomas could feel.

“What’s your game today?” Janus asked, using the supremely uninterested tone of voice he always used when trying to play off a slight. “Have you already gotten bored with trying to catch Logan off guard?” He knew it was pointless to ask why Remus had singled him out. Since the first day of October, The Duke had been selecting the other Sides at random to be the victims of his Halloween escapades. He’d already pulled a staggering amount of pranks on the Lights, so perhaps he’d decided to take a break and target his fellow Darks for a bit.

“Oh, no-no-no,” Remus replied with a shake of his head. “Logan’s on my schedule three days from now.”

Janus raised an eyebrow. “Since when do you care for schedules?”

Remus raised an eyebrow right back. “Uh, since I learned about the Goretober tradition online? Duh!”

“. . .Ah, that’s right. That was the first thing you saw once you found a way to Tumblr.” Janus nearly cringed at the memories, but he wouldn’t let his mask of casual nefariousness slip. Especially since it was threatening to slip away as he tried to right himself and. . .failed.

It took everything he had to not let his mouth drop open in shock at the realization that he couldn’t completely feel his arms.

Or his legs.

Or his everything else.

In fact, it seemed the only things he could truly feel were all above the neck.

Janus glanced back at Remus, annoyed to discover that the latter had most certainly seen the brief shock that had just manifested in his eyes.

“Remusssss,” Janus hissed, narrowing his eyes to a dangerous extent. “What the hell have you done?”

Remus tilted his head with a smirk. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“If it was obvious, then I wouldn’t have asked.”

“. . .Meh, fair point.” Remus shrugged, then tossed his axe onto the ground before cupping his chin in thought. “Well, I suppose I could just tell you. . .but we all know I’m all about visual stuff, so. . !”

“What are you—HEY!” Janus bared his teeth, snarling as Remus reached for his face. He immediately tried to twist away, but he just couldn’t feel any movement. “No! NO! REMUS, GET YOUR GRIMEY HANDS OFF ME BEFORE I—!”

Janus cut himself off as Remus hefted him up, all but cradling his lower jaw. He was still greatly concerned about A. all the things Remus could’ve potentially touched before this, and B. what he’d have to wash his face with to make sure both his skin and scales were properly cleaned.

But that concern took a brief backseat to shock as Janus realized. . .his torso wasn’t brushing against the other Remus’. It should’ve been, considering how he was being held, but it just wasn’t. He glanced downward, but all he could see were Remus’ arms.

“Before you what, exactly?” Remus inquired, grinning and batting his eyelashes with snide glee.

Janus felt his brow furrow. He made to experimentally raise one arm.

He felt the movement from his shoulder and near his side.

But the limb in question never came into view.

He then let his arm drop, and felt it lightly collapse against the ground.

Remus must’ve seen his cohort putting all the pieces together, because he chuckled and maneuvered his hands in order for Janus to see. . .well, Janus. It wasn’t unlike all the times Janus had hovered before the vanity mirror in his room to fix himself up for his outings. The only difference was the veil of golden smoke billowing into the air from his freshly-opened neck. More of the glowing, metaphysical blood tried to ooze out, but now that Janus had finally seen the damage for himself, he was able to will said blood back where it belonged before it could stain his cloak.

“Well,” Janus pronounced rather casually for a man who was looking at his own decapitated body. “I’ve seen you do much worse.”

Remus hummed proudly. “The Dragon Witch was too busy hunting to come do a performance-battle with me. I was really disappointed at first, but then I remembered you talking about the pumpkins, so. . .yeah!”

Janus hummed in thought, watching as his body picked itself up and dusted the dirt away from his outfit. It then stooped down to collect Janus’ hat, which it silently twirled about its index finger as it came to stand before Remus. Janus’ free hand then outstretched in an expectant manner. “Do you mind. . ?”

“Oh, sure.” Remus handed Janus’ head back to his body with a flourish.

“Thank you.” Janus nodded(?) once his hat was returned to its proper place. His arm ever-so-slightly raised him up, letting him make eye-contact with the other Side. “Say, Remus. Did you know a snake's head can still bite long after it’s been severed and the main body has died?”

“Indeed I did! Same thing goes for wild boars, too! Why do you aaAUGH!” Remus failed to duck-and-cover fast enough as Janus opened his mouth wide, allowing two streams of venom to spray from his extended fangs. Aforementioned venom spattered against Remus’ face, hissing and bubbling as it immediately began eating into his skin.

Janus closed his mouth, a devilish smirk quickly etching its way across his features as he watched Remus fall to the ground, writhing and screaming. “How the hell were you not expecting that? You were the one who suggested I make my venom acidic.”

“Oh, I expected it alright,” Remus protested, voice keening even more than usual as he choked on air. “Figured it’d make us even, y’know?”

Janus snorted. “How polite of you.” He carefully moved his head backward, then lowered it onto his neck. This stopped the majority of the yellow smoke from pouring, though a few columns still managed to slip out between the new wound. Janus held his noggin in place, patiently waiting for his skin and bones to knit themselves back together like they always did whenever he was injured.

It took a good ten seconds or so for him to realize that the typical healing process was taking much longer than usual.

Janus felt his face fall—then he felt it twist into a scowl yet again as he heard Remus’ cries of pain transition into his usual giggles.

“W-What’s going on?” Janus blurted. “Why isn’t—?!”

“Relax, my dear Danger Noodle. It’s not permanent,” Remus interjected. He shakily got to his feet to face Janus once more. By now, Janus’ venom had stopped bubbling, but the flesh of his face was still very much a melting, oozing, hideous mess. His left eye was now completely out of proportion; its socket was sagging down to nearly touch the corner of his mouth. Meanwhile, his right jawbone had been partially revealed, bloody and glistening in the light. “You’ll get to heal that little cut by the stroke of one forty-five a.m.”

Janus’ mouth sporadically opened and closed with no words coming out; a concoction of shock, rage, and confusion clambered about his face as he stared at Remus.

Remus simply waved the glower off, folding his arms across his chest. “Ah, c’mon. Having to manually carry your head around until the wee hours can’t be that hard. In fact, you should really be thanking me.”

“THANKING YOU?!” Janus seethed as he began pacing in a small, angry circle. He would’ve thrown his hands up in anger, but he didn’t particularly want to taste his garden’s soil again.

“Yes! As I am to you!” Remus sliding up to Janus, reaching out to shake hands with his free arm. “Because now we’ve both got some kick-ass costumes for today! Don’t get me wrong, it’s really damn impressive what some artists can do with special effects makeup, but look at us! We’ve got the real deal, motherfuUUUUAAAH DAMN IT!”

Remus collapsed onto his knees as the second spritz of Janus’ venom disintegrated even more of his flesh.

Janus’ forked tongue flicked between his gritted fangs like a macabre party favor. His free hand reached under the brim of his hat to massage his temple as he mentally began counting to ten.

“A-ah. . .hey, look at that! Y-you made my costume even more authentic,” Remus wheezed, offering a thumbs up as his right eye started to dribble. “Go team!”

___

About an hour passed, and Janus found himself in the Mind Palace’s dining room. He sat at the end of the table, carefully outlining a design on the pumpkin of his choice with a black marker.

(Or, his body was doing all that, to be more precise. His head was merely watching, resting on a small silk pillow he’d brought from his bedroom.)

The other fruits of his harvest were all gathered opposite of his seat, patiently waiting for Janus’ peers to hollow them out and give them faces.

Speaking of which. . .

“We’re baaaaack!” Roman’s voice called out, musical as ever and accentuated by several footsteps entering the kitchen from the back door.

“I hope we’re not late,” Patton’s bubbly tone followed, sounding a bit more strained than usual. The sound of way too many shopping bags being plunked onto countertops throughout the kitchen explained that pretty well.

“Drat,” Janus greeted in a somewhat raised voice, not taking his eyes off of his jack-o-lantern-in-progress. “I really thought you’d gone to get some more milk this time.”

“I did!” Patton reassured. He was still in the kitchen, so there was no way to be certain if he truly understood that little jab. “We’ll be whipping up a fresh batch of cookies soon, after all! I may be a laid-back dad. . .” Patton’s giggles suddenly halted, and his voice became low, “. . .but I will NOT tolerate any treat-blasphemy in this household.”

“I’m trembling in my boots,” Janus yawned, trying to ignore the tiny chill that crept along his spine. “The sugar-pumpkins you requested are ready.”

“Hmm? Oh yeah, I see them!” Patton cheered. “They’re just adorable!”

“Puh-leeze, Padre. The only adorable fruit in here is you!” Roman, also having yet to be seen, chuckled. “Because I’m the handsome fruit, obviously.”

More footsteps began trekking along the floor, quickly getting closer and closer to the dining room. Janus had to bite his tongue to avoid chuckling once he saw the sleeve of Patton’s cat-hoodie poke around the kitchen doorway

“Thank you so much for growing these guys, Janus! You’ve helped me to really give everyone pumpkin to talk aboouu. . .” Patton trailed off, the way his eyes were growing to the size of dinner plates suddenly evident in his voice.

For dramatic effect, Janus waited until he heard the telltale sound of a body staggering against the adjacent wall and hitting the floor with a light thud before finally acknowledging the other Side. He smiled, offering a polite nod(?).

Patton, in response, somehow managed to nod back even as he sat trembling and gaping. “J-J-Janus. . ?”

“P-P-Patton?” Janus echoed, tilting his head to the side and putting on a mask of innocent confusion.

"Are—are you. . ." Patton fumbled over his words. ". . .okay?"

"Maybe, maybe not. That just depends on perspective." Janus quirked a cryptic eyebrow. He knew Patton understood how beings like themselves couldn't truly be harmed or killed by physical means like this (despite all that fluff between his ears), but the latter Side still definitely wasn't used to seeing his peers going about their typical business post-decapitation. "Come now, don't look so shocked. I have mentioned wanting to stay ahead of you all several times in the past."

An uncertain giggle wormed its way out of Patton's mouth as the wordplay graced his ears. He still looked a bit green around the gills, but it seemed his nerves were calming back down.

After all, a beheaded person who could still talk and move and make puns (probably) made for much better company than a beheaded person who would just conform to Rigor Mortis and bleed out all over the carpet.

“Hey, Patton? Where did you want the—” Roman called, his shadow crossing the floor as he, too, began to approach. “Whatever are you doing on the floor? It looks you’ve seen a ghAUGH!"

“Hello to you, too, Roman.” Janus’ hand briefly put the marker down in order to tip his hat to the aforementioned prince.

“WHAT IN THE NAME OF TRIXIE MATTEL HAPPENED TO YOU?!”

Janus raised a hand, letting it hover before his mouth in a mock-gasp. “Really, now? Using her majesty’s title in vain? I would’ve expected better from you!” He then rolled his eyes as his body went back to work on his pumpkin. “It’s just a scratch, really.”

“A scratch?!” Roman cried, venturing a few steps closer. “Your head is off!”

Janus smirked, eyes glinting mischievously. “No it isn’t.”

Roman sputtered, pointing at Janus’ neck. “Well, what’s that, then?!”

Janus tossed a glance at his body. The golden smoke was still rising from the hole where his head should’ve been. He could’ve made it stop entirely, but he’d decided against that, since it was a truly interesting sight once you got past the fact that blood should’ve been gushing out.

“. . .I’ve had worse.”

“Is the unnecessary confrontation already beginning?” The voice that echoed from somewhere by the living room sounded calm and steady at first, if not clipped. If you listened closely, however, you’d be able to tell that the speaker was simply holding back on some extremely warranted aggravation with the power of Crofters jam and well-intentioned vibes. “I was certain the inevitable catastrophe would come after the pumpkins' insides were cleaned.”

Logan came strolling down the staircase, and though he did do a near-neck-snapping double-take upon seeing Janus in a much more beheaded state than usual, he took his shock with much more stride than the others. “Salutations, Janus. Are you. . .well?”

“Now that you mention it, my neck is feeling a little numb,” Janus replied, making sure that he still looked and sounded supremely unbothered by his headlessness.

Logan ever-so-slightly raised his eyebrows, some undeniable curiosity glinting in his eyes. “I’m assuming Remus had something to do with this?”

Janus pursed his lips. “What gave you that impression? The way he was sing-shouting something along the lines of how I should’ve let him carry my head as he ‘properly galumphed’ back into the commons?”

“Correct."

“Ah, so you haven’t gone deaf yet. I suppose that’s good to know.”

Logan quietly moved closer to the table, standing on the opposite side of Roman, who was still murmur-rambling in shock for all he was worth. “May I ask what prompted him to—”

“Really, what’s the point if you haven’t guessed by now?” Janus tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk-tsked, raising one hand to wag a finger in Logan’s direction. “In any case, it’s not important.”

“I’m inclined to disagree!” Roman protested.

“Why haven’t you reversed the damage by now?” Logan wondered aloud. “Having to carry your own head can’t be a very pleasant experience.”

“Oh, you’d be so surprised,” Janus drawled, his body offering a shrug. “I’m sure I’ve proven how much I adore the odd challenge or two. Would you believe me if I said that I sought out Remus and requested this?”

Logan’s face was quick to fall back into its usual no-nonsense mask. “No, I wouldn’t.”

“Right, right. Just as I wouldn’t be more focused on keeping an eye out for the plans Remus might have for later this week.”

Logan squinted at this particular statement, just barely tipping his head in a nod as his eyes darted all around the room in thought. He then set his focus on the available pumpkins nearby, scanning the pile to see which one would be worthy of his carving.

“W-well. . .I mean, it sounds like there’s gourd vibes all around.” Patton cleared his throat, finally back on his feet. He flashed a nervous-yet-genuine smile over to Janus, who responded with a smug chortle at the pun. “But the pumpkin-flavored everything isn’t gonna make itself, so, I guess I’d better get to it!” He turned on his heel, retreating back into the kitchen. “You kiddos have fun with the jack-o-lanterns! Just call me if you need anything!”

Roman finally picked his jaw up off the floor and sat down on the chair he’d had in a white-knuckled grip since the beginning of the situation. He heaved his seventh dramatic sigh of the day, side-eyeing Janus.

“Couldn’t you at least. . .do something? With the stump?” The prince attempted to huff a laugh. “You’re supposed to be all about mystery, aren’t you?”

“Is that what I am?” Janus mused, angling his head in a way that allowed his eyes to be shaded while his scales caught the light. “Well, this may come as a shock, but I’ve been trying to work on my pumpkin for that exact purpose.” Something sinister crept into his casual facade. “But, if you’d rather I try something else. . .”

Janus’ body raised at arm, first to drum his fingers against his throat before snapping those same fingers twice.

The golden smoke seemed to pause. It then grew darker and thicker, splitting itself down the middle to create two columns. And as those columns began to twist and ripple in place, their particles took on a much more organic shine.

Twin bone-rattling hisses crept into the air as row after row of scales spiraled throughout the vapor.

Two pairs of haunting, slit-pupils eyes blinked to life, automatically scrutinizing the area.

A matching set of sinuous skeletons flickered within the glow in a way that could reasonably be compared to an x-ray.

And just like that, within less of a minute, Janus suddenly had a new head.

Well, he technically had three heads now, but who was counting?

Certainly not Roman, who fell out of his chair with a shriek as the duo of huge, ethereal snakes now protruding from Janus’ neck tried to slither closer to him.

“How’s this look?” Janus asked, not batting an eyelid. “Do you think their scales compliment mine?”

“I think yOU SHOULD LEARN TO TAKE A DAMN JOKE!” Roman cried, shielding his face. “JUST GO BACK TO THE SLEEPY HOLLOW REFERENCE! IT SUITS YOU!”

“Splendid idea, Roman,” Janus simpered. With a couple more snaps of his fingers, the ghostly serpents evaporated, spiraling out of existence layer by layer. “It’s almost like I was trying to do that in the first place.”

“. . .That was an exceptional reference to Coatlicue,” Logan pronounced, with the intrigue in his eyes being a little more than mild.

“Of course it was,” Janus purred, somehow being smug and grateful at the same time.

“Co-How-Do-You-Say?” Patton, piped up. He was poking his head through the kitchen doorway yet again, probably having been lured back by the new commotion and (judging by the cocktail of confusion and fright on his face) was now most certainly questioning several of his choices.

As Logan began rattling off the basics of Aztec mythology, Roman climbed back onto his selected chair with a few petulant grumbles that might’ve been more colorful if not for Patton’s re-entry. He was quiet for the next moment or two, reaching across the table to drag a particular pumpkin closer.

“So. After we’re all done with putting the hollow in Halloween. . .” he eventually coughed. “. . .I don’t suppose you’d be up for a little chase-and-duel on horseback later tonight? I just organized a new little forest in the imagination. With a brook and a bridge, of course.”

Janus mulled this information over as he took a tiny saw into his hand and pushed it toward his chosen pumpkin. “I might be able to make some room in my planner.”

@sammys-magical-au @lickoutyourbrains @impatentpending @fangirltothefullest

#the thirteen days of goretober #goretober 2023 #my writing #my stories #sanders sides #janus sanders #remus sanders #roman sanders #logan sanders #patton sanders #tw body horror #tw blades #tw physical violence #tw acidic chemicals #tw skin melting #tw blood #tw snakes #tw mentions of food

13 notes · View notes

x-authorship-x · 1 year

Note

Me: Genma/Shisui? Nah, Genma's too flirty. They'd have some hot wild nights together but not much more

You: *Exists*

Me: I see my mind has been changed

A wolf whistle rang out across the bar, punching through the clamour and sending heads snapping up and around to locate the source.

Shisui froze in the doorway, mortification clawing it's way up his neck and flushing his cheeks red. It only made the staring worse; Uchiha were, by standard, distressingly attractive... flustered? Devastating.

Directly across from him, artfully slumped against the bar, Genma's mouth stretched into a wide, insufferably smug grin around the bottle rim resting against his lower lip. "Hey, hot stuff!"

"Oh Kami," Raidou hunched into his cocktail and edged further down the bar.

Dark eyes snapped up and locked with hazel-green.

A beat.

Shoulders tense under the attention and ears still glowing crimson, Shisui started marching over to where his two Squadmates had been nursing their drinks for half an hour. He might've been practised at ignoring the incredulous - and often appreciative - looks from those who didn't know Genma but it didn't make his natural reaction any easier.

"Raidou," Shisui called back with forced levity. Then, a little heavier, "Gen."

Genma didn't bat an eyelash. Or, rather, he fluttered them instead. "Well, gorgeous, how'd you feel about a long, steamy night of-"

"Pork dumplings?" Shisui interrupted, jawline flexing from the force of his gritted teeth. "There's a spot on the corner that's still open, if you'd like to grab a bite?"

Raidou was already looking like he'd regretting coming out.

"Shisui?"

Shisui might have looked great in dark colours but Genma was something else in that thin mesh top, trousers riding - intentionally - low on his hips. It was a struggle to keep his eyes on Genma's face, but the effort was made easier by the knowledge that Genma was doing all of this on purpose.

"Yes?" Shisui replied, breathing through his nose and flashing a warm, confident smile. Genma wasn't winning this round.

"It it really a dumpling you want to set your teeth-"

"No!" Raidou had had enough. Even shouldering a few feet of space between himself and the other two evidently wasn't enough. His face was twisted with resignation and annoyance, drink cradled like a shield to his chest. "I can't keep doing this, I fucking refuse. You-!"

He jutted his chin in Genma's direction. "Stop inviting me out for drinks only to play this song and dance every damn time! And you!"

Raidou's attention swung around to fixate on Shisui, who's eyebrows jumped up his forehead, bashfulness forgotten. "Stop playing along! Both of you, just go on dates like normal people and stop ruining my cocktail!"

Raidou could get very protective of his free time.

Genma wasn't helping things by smirking into his beer, slanting a loaded look at Shisui from the corner of his eye. "Rai, c'mon-"

Shisui stepped forwards, angled to hiding Genma's laughter behind his shoulder, and flashed an apologetic smile at their Squadmate. "Sorry about that, senpai, we'll leave you to it? Have a good night."

Then, without lingering to push his luck, Shisui wrapped a hand around Genma's bicep and tugged him to a free spot, hidden behind a pillar and in the shadows cast by a nearby lantern.

"So much for buying a guy a meal first," Genma drawled, letting Shisui back himself against the pillar and pull him in afterwards. "I'll have you know, I'm a classy guy."

"Gen," Shisui pressed his mouth to his boyfriend's neck in order to muffle his laughter, "you're shameless, Raidou was going to dump that whole thing on your head-"

"...You'd've thought he'd know us better by now."

"Why on earth did I let you convince me that this is funny?"

"Easy. It's not funny, it's hilarious."

"My uncle is going to hear about us again and then he'll find a reason to cite public indecency just because I'm embarrassing the Clan name-"

"It's not like he's never seen us really get going-"

Shisui only put a stop to the giggles by catching Genma's laugh with his mouth, humor fading as heat sank between them. In fact, it worked a little too well and it was only when Genma instinctively shifted away from an unsteady civilian that they broke apart.

Genma didn't go very far, curling his hands around Shisui's hips and clawing his fingers so that even his short nails pricked into Shisui's skin. "Why don't we stop kidding ourselves and go back to mine, Babe?"

Shisui chuckled, red gleaming briefly behind his dark eyes, and trailed his nose across Genma's cheek until his mouth met his boyfriend's ear.

"Kidding ourselves? Gen, you're the one who insists on 'picking me up' every date night."

Genma laughed again, throaty in a different way than he'd been that morning when they'd made breakfast in Shisui's kitchen.

"What can I say? I'm a man who knows what he wants."

#whoops this joke skit grew into a whole drabble 😂#torship #torship talks #ask #anon #shisui #drabble #shisui shipping #shisui x genma #genma #raidou #raidou is like IS THIS ALLOWED IS THIS ALLOWED

7 notes · View notes

sinhasaheart · 1 year

Note

9 ?

"How did you survive that??"

As Hal shakes off the effects of the attack, protected by his ring, the civilian is gaping at him and Sinestro. Likely, they expected their heroes to be blasted to pieces.

"Green Lantern," Hal explains himself with the introduction, pointing to the symbol on his chest. "And that's my evil friend." Without looking, he waves a hand in Sinestro's general direction.

Another blast of energy shoots towards them and Sinestro is quickest. Darting forward, he grabs the civilian and pulls them to safety.

In the same move, noting Sinestro's action and working effortlessly alongside it, Hal spins around and whacks the attacking drone out of the sky with a massive green baseball bat. There he waits, ready for any other attack.

"Evil?" the civilian is questioning Sinestro with a great deal of confusion. After all, supposed 'evil' Lantern just saved their life.

Eyes gleaming, teeth bared, Sinestro crowds over the civilian. "Very evil," he agrees, and it's an ominous growl. "I'd advise that you run. Now!"

The civilian flees at once, dashing off in the wrong direction. Rolling his eyes, Hal catches them with a construct and redirects them towards the other fleeing civilians. "Away from the bad guys, please. Use your head."

Back to back, the two Lanterns regroup and eye up the overwhelming show of force facing them from behind a barrier of energy.

"Are you hurt?" Hal thinks to ask Sinestro. They've both been pummelled by drones and soldiers alike.

"All fire is concentrated solely on us," Sinestro observes, and he smirks over his shoulder at Hal. "How flattering to receive such devoted attention."

"It must be us they want dead," Hal reasons. The fleeing civilians are being ignored completely as the army tries to blast apart the combined shield of yellow and green. "What'd we ever do to them?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sinestro is very smug, as ever. "I can understand the appeal. We are cosmic nuisances to all."

That distracts Hal a little and he frowns at Sinestro though his barrier holds strong. "We are so not calling ourselves that."

"Renegades then," Sinestro suggests carelessly, unruffled by Hal's disagreement. "Shine bright, Green Lantern." With that, he vanishes, taking his shield with him and leaving Hal to fight alone.

Creatively, and in several different languages, Hal curses Sinestro. Everything is now attacking only him and he has to fight very hard to survive.

In the sky, Hal has an easier time of it. The air is malleable, responding to his will, and everything else is pushing through mud while his own movements are fluid as water. He's drawing all attention.

There's an explosion, wiping out a good portion of enemies. Others left stunned are cut down quickly and Sinestro disappears back into the crowd.

Below Hal, on the ground, Sinestro is striking at any and all weaknesses. It's pure sabotage, confusion turning to fear that ripples uneasily through the forces. Their resolve is shattering.

As Hal leaps to attack the last of the drones, he's thinking about Sinestro, who didn't abandon him and is content working from the shadows while Hal draws fire.

The group of drones short circuits and crashes, leaving the sky and ground finally clear. There stands Sinestro, illuminated once more in golden light and smugly accepting cheers from civilians.

With fond exasperation, Hal rolls his eyes. "Very evil," he murmurs. Then, just because he can, he drops out of the sky, crashes into Sinestro, and ruins the whole scene. "Oops."

#my fic #ask #halsinestro #green lantern

10 notes · View notes

moochou-eats-paper · 9 months

Text

Here is one of my little writings

So idk if you’ll think it’s good but here is one of my stories

May I have this dance?

I sat down on a luxurious velvet chair. How easy it was to live life as a prosperous person of power. I sighed ,daydreaming, then opening the curtains, letting golden warm sunlight into my spacious room. A glint of silvery golden lettering caught my eye and I traced it down to an ornate handwritten envelope on my desk. The letter inside read,

‘𝚃𝚘 𝚈/𝙽 𝚘𝚏 (your faction), 𝙸 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚘𝚔𝚘 𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚍𝚘𝚖. 𝚂𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚢٫ 𝙶𝚎𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍.’

I grinned uncontrollably as I read his name. George has been a dear friend to me and has been since a very young age. I excitedly scribbled a reply, my mind racing. What should I wear? Should I bring a gift? Wine, perhaps? Why am I this excited? I stopped abruptly thinking about that last question. Why am I this excited? I pondered for a moment before looking at the details and making a mental note of them.

Timeskip to the just before the ✨dance✨

I looked at my reflection in the mirror, thinking I looked just perfect with each and every one of my hairs in position and my fine clothing sitting just right. I smiled to myself knowing I would have good night.

Or am I just excited to see George?

I ignored that thought as I walked quickly to Kinoko kingdom itself. It was lit up with colourful paper lanterns and light poured out onto the street as people opened their front doors in the clear night. The smell of fresh, sweet, exotic foods wafted through the air making my eyes widen in delight. Laughter, chatter, music and cheering filled the air. I smiled and made my way to the centre where people danced and twirled in the orange glow of the lanterns and the blue glow of the moon. “Y/n?”, I hear a familiar voice say.

“George!” I laugh, running to him.

“Hey, don’t kill me.” He does him famous ‘gogy giggle’ and we walk alongside each other, talking about how we’ve been. But George seems distracted and I start to panic. Did I say something? But my thoughts were cut off as George says something.

“Y/n, I have to go and speak to another friend. I’ll talk to you later, ok?”

My face drops as he walks over to a young man, tall and dirty blonde. I realise that as soon as the man talks to him, George loosens up. He did seem tense. I walk away dismayed and appetite lost. I…. I feel jealous? I get that we were friends and he was with another friend but I felt jealous in a way I have never before. I wanted to snatch him away for myself and hold him close. I stutter to myself,

“I- I think I’m in love.”

Timeskip to 11pm. Everyone is dancing in the centre

I had cheered myself up earlier and I bought some of the most delicious treats I had ever tasted. I even shared some of my honey-glazed buns with some dear children who were playing with sparklers.

Now though, I headed to the centre waving goodbye to those children and waited to greet George again. I stood towards the side and I watched the happy couples dance, swaying in the dim moonlight and laughing, enjoying themselves. Oh, how I wished to have love like that. Where you could delve into someone’s heart and look into their eyes and see their yearn to hold onto you forever. In the corner of my eye, a flash of green and a smiley porcelain mask came to a beautiful boy in blue. George. My George. I hear them chuckle and the man in the smiley mask say in a soft loving voice, “May I have this dance?”

Giggling, George said, “Of course, anything for you”

My heart felt like it was slowly breaking, chipped but still fixable but now it had crumbled beyond recognition. My George. I felt a lone tear make its way down a rosy cheek. And then the man in green looked at me and smiled. It was the kind of smile in which you couldn’t tell if it was genuine or smug or a threat. And so I smiled weakly back and then I ran. I just ran. As fast as I could. Before I knew it, I had crumpled into an opening in a forest surrounded by beautiful flowers. I sobbed uncontrollably, my eyes puffy and my face covered in pinkish blotches. I grew quieter, sniffling, reaching for a rose.

I smile sadly as I admired its velvety petals. But my finger bled because of the thorns piercing my hand’s skin.

I whisper to myself, “Love is like a rose. At first it is beautiful and can stay that way, but many get hurt by the thorns of heartbreak.”

“Y/n…”

I hear a soft gentle voice and I whip my head around.

“Y/n, that was beautiful.”

It was George. He looked immensely relieved as though he had been panicking just a second earlier. He took deep breaths before saying weakly, “Oh, Y/n I was looking for you. I was so scared.”

I started to tear up. “Why would you be scared? Why would you look for me?”

“You always asked loads of questions, even when we were small.” He smiles.

“George. Please answer this truthfully, I need you to.”

“Anything for you, Y/n”

“Who was that man in green?”

George laughs. He laughed like he used to when we were small.

“That’s just Dream. Or Clay. What, did you think he was my boyfriend?”

He says the last words in a singsong voice but I slapped him lightly on the arm playfully. He can see that I mean yes. He lies down beside me and we watch the specks of glitter we call stars shine in the endless black night sky. A meteor shot through the sky as I whispered, “Would you like to make a wish, George?”

“Yes.”

I gaze into his brown eyes and I sigh contentedly. He rolls over closer to me, so close that I can feel his hot breath on my ear as he says,

“My wish is for you to be mine.”

I sit up and stare at him. I felt like I melted.

“Of course, my love. Anything for you.”

We both smile as many meteors zoom across the sky, granting us unneeded wishes because right then all of our dreams had come true.

#dream smp #dsmp #gnf #georgenotfound #gnf x reader #fluff #oneshot

1 note · View note

yurtletheturtlehenderson · 3 years

Text

COSMIC - S1:E3; Chapter Three, Holly, Jolly - [Pt. 2]

A Will Byers x Male!Reader Series

𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘠/𝘯, 𝘔𝘪𝘬𝘦, 𝘋𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭. 𝘈 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳.

WARNINGS: Mentions of [lots of] blood, use of the 'f' word literally ONCE, uhh, I think that's it?

|| 𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐎𝐕 ||

El sits on the floor of Mike's basement, back to the couch. Candy wrappers and crumbs were scattered around a finished puzzle of a beautiful green forest. The strange plastic ship, floating in the air in front of her. It suddenly drops to the ground as her attention is brought to the Supercomm on the couch. She picks up the device and clicks it on, bored with the static that comes from the other end, she soon abandons the device and stands up.

She walks up the steps, eager to explore the house more. When she reaches the top of the steps, she cautiously peeks around the corner. When she decides no one is home and the coast is clear, she continues to explore the house.

With the house to herself, she had more time to linger, and appreciate and explore. It was fascinating to her, and yet it made her sad. Could she have had a life like this? She didn't know what to think when she admired every object, every picture on the wall. There was one in particular that caught her eye.

It was a small photograph, but you could tell it was important. It was another picture of Mike and his friends. Only, they were younger. They were playing and splashing around in the water, a lake it looked like, surrounded by beautiful green trees. Each of them had an arm wrapped around each other forming a line, and their pants were rolled up to their knees.

The young boy on the very left had messy black hair, who El immediately recognized as Mike. He was smiling brightly at her from the picture. A young Lucas to his right, who wore a rather proud grin. Dustin was looking at the two, more specifically Lucas; he had been laughing when the photo was taken.

Will, she believed his name was, had one scrawny arm draped loosely around Dustin, however, he had his full attention on a very cheery looking Y/n who stood proudly showing off a very small frog to the camera. He had daisies on his head, tangled in his hair, and a gleaming smile showed off a missing tooth. He was holding the frog so delicately.

But it wasn't Y/n, or even Mike that caught her eye. It was the way Will was looking at Y/n. His eyes held a certain fondness and appreciation, his smile warm and genuine. El tilted her head ever so slightly, thinking. Something deep inside her was gnawing at her, a feeling that was foreign to her. Shaking her head, she moved on to the rest of the living room.

She went back to the funny chair Mike had shown her and took a seat. She reached over and pulled on the lever, sending her back and forth as it kicked her feet out. She looked around curiously as the chair rocked her back and forth.

El noticed the weird device on the table beside her and picked it up. It was a strange curved thing attached by a curly wire. It had many buttons, every one of them had a number on them. It let out a strange noise, barely audible from the top. She brought it up to her ear to listen to the endless monotone hum. Not knowing what else to do she mimicked the tone, just for fun before putting it back.

She stood up from the chair and sat herself down on her knees in front of the TV. Curious, she ran her fingers down the side until she felt the button and pressed it. A brief crackle of static rang out and as soon as it came on it was replaced with the voice of an older man, the screen lit up in front of her.

"...was occupying a large part of Lebanon. Today, Syria has become a home for-"

Click.

El pressed another button.

The moving picture on the screen changed, where many bright flashes of color dance across the screen. A fake man with yellow hair held a sword as he exclaimed.

"I have the power!"

Click.

"...gift that will last forever. From the Harmony Treasures' collection-"

Click.

A beautiful melody came from the TV set and El's eyes widened in surprise.

Click.

"On the beach and in the sun"

El froze. She recognized the rolling tin can that appeared on the TV. Her breathing began to quicken as she fought the memories back.

- 𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 -

The all too familiar humming and beeping of the machines echoed off of the cold, isolating walls. Eleven sat at the same table, with the same camera facing the same window with the same adults who watch her and study her. Nothing was new, and she feared nothing ever would be. All she wants is to go this over with. Wanting to get the damn wires off of her head.

Yet, she sat still, compliant, unmoving. Never taking her eyes off of Papa as she watched him hand the clipboard to one of the men and give her a nod of his head. She turned her head and attention to the small Coke drink. Her eyes bore into the empty can and she concentrated.

Her head shook ever so slightly as she focused, straining. It was difficult, but she was able to do it. The can caved into itself with a loud 'crack' and it wasn't until the monitors stopped did she realize how loud they had been. She looked back to Papa, looking for his approval.

He stood unmoving, a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. She felt her nose run damp, a warm liquid oozed from her nose. She blinked, confused and slowly brought her hand up to her upper lip, realizing she was bleeding. She looked to Papa, expectantly. He only smiled a cold empty grin.

- 𝗘𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 -

"Coke is it! Coke is it!"

El quickly pushed the first button, shutting the TV off. Breathing heavily, she stood up and made her way to the basement.

|| 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕 ||

My back was beginning to hurt from hunching over for so long, but nevertheless, I continued looking. Lucas needs ammo for his wrist rocket, so naturally, the four of us were currently scouring the schoolyard for rocks.

"How about this one?" Mike asks, walking up to Dustin.

Dustin examines the rock Mike handed to him.

"Too big for the sling." He shrugs, tossing the rock to the grass. "So, do you think Eleven was born with her powers, like the X-Men, or do you think she acquired them, like... like Green Lantern?"

"She's not a superhero. She's a weirdo." Lucas says as he searches for that.

"You don't know that," I mumble, Lucas, however, doesn't hear me.

"Why does that matter? The X-Men are weirdos." Mike adds.

Lucas turns to Mike, agitated. "If you love her so much, why don't you marry her?"

I roll my eyes, and straighten up, stretching out my back.

"What are you talking about?" Mike sighs.

"Mike, seriously?"

"What?"

"You look at her all, like... 'Hi, El! El! El! El! I love you so much!'" Lucas teases, grabbing Mike in for a hug before getting down on one knee. "'Would you marry me?' I'm telling you, man, you're just as bad as Will!" He stood back up when he said the last-

'Wait...What?'

"What?" I asked, completely thrown off.

The boys freeze, Lucas especially. Lucas excluded, the boys all look at me with awkward smiles on their faces. Dustin chuckles and gives a still frozen Lucas a few pats on the arm.

"Good job, man. Real smooth."

"Guys, what is going on?" I asked exasperated, crossing my arms.

"Shit," Lucas whispers, closing his eyes.

"Lucas..."

Mike wears a triumphant grin on his face and looks expectantly at Lucas.

"Yeah, Lucas. Tell him."

Lucas sighs, and stiffly turns around, his change of attitude dramatic. He looks around once or twice before growing stern with me.

"You, and Will?" He suggests.

"What about us? What does that have to do with- Oh come on... You can't be serious. He does not like me."

"Literally everyone knows he is totally in love with you." He scoffs.

I scoff in return. "Love? Don't you think you're being a little dramatic? Not to mention, ridiculous?"

"Am I wrong?" He turns to the boys, who hesitantly shrug.

He turns back to me, a look screaming 'There you have it.'

"That doesn't prove anything! We're best friends! So what if we're close?"

He laughs. "Yeah, just as close as Nancy and Steve! And you're no better. You just haven't realized it yet."

"W-What? W-what ar- No!" My words are caught in my throat and I felt my cheeks begin to burn.

'No, I don't!'

It takes moments for me to recover. "Okay, let's say you're right. Let's say he does love me. How can you know for sure, huh? It's not like he told you!"

"Uhh, yeah! Might as well have. He didn't deny it!"

My heart stops, and I feel butterflies erupt in my stomach.

'Will? And me?'

"Look what we have here!"

'Oh, God. Not now.'

I roll my eyes and before I can stop myself I speak. "What do you want, Troll?"

My eyes widen at my sudden boldness but I remain confident. I stare down the two boys who have been bullying us for as long as we've attended this school.

"You better watch your mouth, freak-"

"Back off!" Dustin yells, cutting him off.

Troy looks over to Dustin, looking prepared to throw more insults at my brother but something changes his mind and he cools off. A smug smile tugs at his lips.

"Or what?" Troy spits.

Dustin falls silent, and Troy continues.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. What are you losers doing back here anyway?"

"Probably looking for their missing friend." Troy's goon laughs.

Anger begins to take over and my blood starts to boil.

"That's not funny. It's serious. He's in danger." Dustin immediately cuts in.

"I hate to break it to you, Toothless, but he's not in danger. He's dead. That's what my dad says."

'Where's that damn rock?'

"He said he was probably killed by some other queer."

I feel a lurch in my chest, and I can practically feel my vision going red.

"Come on. Just ignore them." Mike soothes, not only to me but to Dustin and Lucas as well.

He's right. I need to get out of here. I storm off, ready to shove him in the shoulder as I pass but suddenly I feel something catch my foot and I fall to the ground. A sudden wave of searing pain explodes on my chin when I hit the ground.

Dazed and confused, I push myself up enough to see a large, rather bloody rock just inches from my face.

I groan, rolling over on my back, I hear laughing and frantic footsteps.

"Y/n!" Dustin and Mike run over to me, Lucas storms up to Troy.

Dustin and Mike each grab an arm and help me sit up. I hesitantly bring a hand up to my chin and I hiss in pain. I look at my fingers and they are absolutely covered in blood.

'Holy crap.'

I groan and look to Lucas worried. He stands firm and tall, right up in Troy's face.

"Leave us. The fuck. Alone." He says through clenched teeth.

My eyes triple in size, surprised by Lucas's actions.

Troy and his friend laugh and walk away. Repeating Lucas in a mocking voice.

"You okay Y/n?" He reaches out his hand.

I gladly take it. However, I get a little lightheaded as I stand. "Shit, that's a lot of blood."

I look down and I see splots of blood already sprinkling my shirt.

'Great. This will be easy to explain to mom.'

"You still have that first aid kit?"

I close my eyes, sighing.

"Crap. No. I left it at Mike's." I sigh.

"We better get you to the nurse's office then."

"No, I-I'm fine." I sigh, wincing at the pain.

"Are you sure? You're bleeding, like a lot." Mike says.

"Yeah, I'm good. As long as I stop the bleeding, I'll be fine.. My body has always been able to heal quicker than most, anyways."

"He's right. I've seen it."

I offer a small smile. "Well, I at least better go get a tissue or something. I'll be right back." I say.

The boys nod, and I head off to the bathroom. My mind wanders back to what Lucas was telling me earlier, and the weird feeling in my stomach returns...

#you'll float queue #stranger things #will byers x reader #reader insert #will byers #dustin henderson #mike wheeler #lucas sinclair #cosmic #y/n henderson #stranger things x reader #x m!reader #m!reader #x male!reader #holly jolly

88 notes · View notes

yannowhatigiveup · 3 years

Text

T.W.A.A: The Eccedentesiast

This is a one shot I started last night and I finished it at around 2 am because I’m an insomniac. Sadly this isn’t the 10k+ word one shot I was talking about (I’m still writing it aaa) but this one is around 4-5k words long so I hope you enjoy. This is rushed, badly written, badly plotted and badly named.

TW: Dark topics such as sexual assault and suicide is mentioned in this piece of writing.

Paris, the City of Love, what a big misconception that was. If anything, Paris should've been labeled as the City of Misery considering the fact it was haunted by a villain who preyed on negative emotions. No one outside of Paris knew though, they were oblivious to the fact hundreds, thousands even millions had died in the city home to the Eiffel Tower, only to be resurrected and tormented with the memories of their death. It was worse for Marinette though, she had watched all the citizens, her beloved citizens, die before her eyes and she was powerless to help them. Their screams of anguish and cries of pain forever ghosted her nightmares. It wasn't just their blood that she drowned in, she was bullied, abused and betrayed in her civilian form by those she trusted the most.

Her classmates. She thought she could trust them but they left her for someone shinier and newer. They all hurt her, destroyed her hard work, verbally and physically bullied her. Nino and Kim, her childhood friends had turned their backs on her too, even joining the others in causing her physical and emotional pain. Alya, her best friend, had become her main abuser. The reporter stabbed the poor bluenette in the back, figuratively. Lila was the one who did it literally. Lila, the sound of the name itself made Marinette sick, after all, the brunette was the one who did this to her. She made her friends turn their backs on her, she made them abuse her and she only watched with fake crocodile tears and a smug smile when no one was looking. And Adrien, he was the worst of all. When Marinette was younger, Adrien was the embodiment of perfection. But now? All she could see was a spineless coward and a predator.

As Chat Noir, he wouldn't participate in the battles, only flirting with her hero persona. He would whine like a toddler when she rejected his advancements. Even when he did join in the battles, he was useless, ignoring anything that Ladybug would tell him and go straight for the kill which never worked. Chat Noir was incompetent and a sexual harasser. As Adrien, however, he was much more. Just two days ago, he had tried to sexually assault the young bluenette. The blonde had underestimated the girl and she managed to get away but nothing could erase her memory of the event.

The ultimatum Lila had delivered to Marinette when she thirteen seemed over-dramatic and seemingly impossible at the time. Yet three years later, she was at the point of no return. Her classmates, her friends, her teachers, the boy she once loved, her partner, her parents. They all left her. Mayor Bourgeois, fearing for his daughter's safety, had sent Chloe to New York with her mother. Luka was on tour with his father so they could build a better relationship. Kagami had a family affair back in Japan that would last for at least a month. She was truly alone. Her parents had fallen victim to Lila's lies and Marinette overheard them discussing about kicking her out. The only one by her side throughout the whole ordeal was Tikki, her beloved kwami. Even Master Fu had to leave her.

Marinette felt shut out by the rest of the world. Sure, Paris adored Ladybug but it felt different. She was fighting battles alone, she stood as the last survivor, the last protector of Paris. She took that title in stride, or that's what the Parisians thought. In reality, she was hiding behind a mask.

The bluenette had suffered endlessly for years, she was ready to break that cycle of torture. Yesterday, she came to the solid conclusion of who Hawkmoth was, who is accomplices were and what his motive was. Gabriel Agreste was the man behind Paris' torment, Nathalie Sancœr was one of his accomplices and so was Lila Rossi. For his motive, he wanted to bring his wife back. Marinette understood the pain he was in but she wouldn't go to such extreme lengths as he did. Many years ago, Marinette made a friend, one of her very best friends who she fell for. But she never told anyone who he was, where he came from or even the fact that she met someone. The reason behind this was the fact she witnessed his murder. That death, of all she witnessed, was the most heartbreaking. Even when all these years have passed, she never truly got over his death. His green eyes always lingered her mind.

The bluenette let out an anguished sigh, she was on the Eiffel Tower, admiring the city's skyline despite all its obvious flaws under close inspection. Though Marinette had drastically mentally changed, she would always put on the same mask, she would always portray herself as a regular school girl. This was the one time she felt a little peace in her chaotic excuse for a life. Her blue eyes stared off into the distance, focusing on nothing in particular when she heard footsteps coming from behind. In her peripheral vision, Marinette could see the figure of Gabriel Agreste slowly approaching. Not wanting anything to happen, she made her knowledge of her appearance known.

"I never expected to see you somewhere so public, Monsieur Agreste" Her voice remained neutral. Gabriel didn't flinch meaning that he had expected her to sense his arrival, it made the young girl slightly unnerved but she refused to show it.

"The Eiffel Tower holds the greatest inspiration, as a designer yourself I'm sure you are aware" Marinette was used to his cold voice by now, she kept her guard up reminding herself that this was Hawkmoth was standing a few feet away.

She hummed, putting the two miraculous users in a deathly silence, until she decided to break it. "You know, you could've just asked" The older man raised an eyebrow in confusion but Marinette never looked in his direction, "It would've saved a lot of bloodshed"

Gabriel managed to catch up with what she was saying. "Are you implying that I am Hawkmoth?" He didn't sound offended or defensive, merely curious.

"I'm not implying anything" She replied curtly, then turning to face him. "I am merely stating a fact"

The miraculous user turned away from her, focusing his gaze on the city's skyline once more. "What are you going to do with this knowledge?"

The question confused Marinette, surely he would've attacked her or try to get her to remain silent?

He must've noticed her confusion. "Even if you wanted to, you wouldn't say anything"

Marinette turned her full body towards the taller man, she was going to end Hawkmoth's reign as quickly as she could. "I can heal her"

"What?"

"I can heal her" The bluenette repeated. "Emilie"

Gabriel also turned to face her, his usual cold scowl was replaced with a staggered expression. "Y-you can? Even after all I've done as Hawkmoth?"

Her head twisted back to portrait that was Paris. "To end it all, yes I will"

"Then please, follow me and I promise I will give you my miraculous as well as Mayura's. Just, heal my wife please" His tone changed from intrigued to pleading, Marinette could see that he meant every word.

"Oh don't worry... I will"

~~~

"I did it!" Tim's voice echoed in the Batcave.

"Did what replacement?"

"I found Hawkmoth's identity!"

Around three months ago, Wonder Woman had noticed Green Lantern trying to delete a video. She stopped him before he successfully did the task and watched the video herself, calling a meeting to express her anger about the situation. Most were shaken since they had never seen the Amazonian this livid before. She briefly explained how her mother was once a miraculous user and how powerful these magical jewelry could be. Aqua Man also shared his concerns, revealing that the fall of Atlantis was due to the miraculous. They knew the logical decision was to work on this from outside of Paris, the villain preyed on negative emotions and they had been ignoring the Parisians' calls for help for four years. Their sudden appearance would definitely trigger the heroes. So in the last month, they had gathered files of nearly every person in Paris as well as all the necessary information about every akuma attack. It was tiring for the Bats but they trudged through it anyway.

Damian had taken a special interest in the spotted-heroine specifically, without the knowledge of any of his family members. She appeared similar to a female friend he had made quite some time ago, the one who had witnessed an assassination attempt on him. He saddened him to no end knowing that the friend he loved thought he was dead. The green-eyed boy became one hundred percent convinced that this hero was his friend.

One day, Dick had caught him in the Batcave observing a recently taken image of the Ladybug heroine. His older brother thought that Damian was crushing on the lady and began to tease him as others entered the cave.

"Tt, that's not true" the green-eyed boy retaliated.

"If you don't have a crush on Ladybug then why are you staring at an image of her?" Dick added more information necessary so that his younger brothers could join in on teasing his youngest brother.

The Robin vigilante sighed and brought everyone's attention to the screen. "See that?"

"All I see is this little lady Demon Spawn" Jason's smirk was quickly gone when he noticed Damian's serious expression.

"She's alone" he stated simply and before anyone could get a word in, her explained further. "There is usually a team with her"

Everyone seemed to lean closer to the screen.

"She's fighting alone. Her 'partner' doesn't participate in the battles anymore, he stays on the sidelines, observing" He let the others catch up to what he was saying. "The attacks have been lasting a lot longer than usual, Ladybug leads a super hero team correct? Then why is she fighting alone this time."

"They could have all been killed... We have to go to Paris to help the poor girl" Dick turned to Bruce. "Who knows how much longer she'll last alone fighting a psycho butterfly man!"

Bruce's fatherly instincts were screaming at him from merely looking at the photo. "I'll announce to the League that we'll be joining the fight in Paris"

~~~

Gabriel lead Marinette to his office, Nathalie wearily watching. Just as he was about to open the double doors, his assistant collapsed in uncontrollable coughing. Marinette was much faster than the older man so she got to the woman first. The bluenette carefully put Nathalie down on one of the chairs available while putting her hand on where she thought the assistant would where the peacock brooch. The blue-eyed girl could sense the broken miraculous' energy trapped in the woman so she did the only reasonable thing she could at that moment, she extracted the corrupted magic, healing Nathalie almost instantly. Marinette ignored Gabriel's relieved expression and gestured for him to lead her to Emilie.

"When this is over, I wish to have a restraining order against your son"

"May I ask why?"

"..."

"...I understand, I'll make sure to tell Nathalie"

The older man stopped before a painting of his wife, his fingers reached for the painted shapes and pressed on them, revealing an elevator to which he went down in. Following his motion, Marinette placed her hand on the painting and allowed herself to descend down the mansion. It lead her to a repository with a catwalk which lead to a circular platform covered in luscious greenery. In the middle on the platform was a class-covered cryogenic pod which the sleeping body of Emilie Agreste lay. The bluenette carefully made her way to the glass casket, placing her hand on the transparent material when she finally reached her destination. Focusing all her energy, a red light erupted from her finger tips and it soaked into Emilie's skin. Gabriel opened the pod, carefully watching his wife as Marinette took a step back. Suddenly her eyes fluttered open.

"G-Gabriel, what happened?"

The man didn't reply, he simply hugged the woman of his dreams before turning the the young girl.

"I... Thank you Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, I can give you the miraculous now if-"

"Ladybug will be at the Eiffel Tower soon, I suggest you give the miraculous to her then"

Gabriel nodded and thanked the girl once more as she left. Before she reached the lift that would lead her back up to Gabriel's office, Marinette turned to face the newly reunited couple.

"Enjoy the happiness in your life, Monsieur Agreste, you never know when it may end"

She then turned to leave, not wanting to here what her former idol had to say. When she reached the main floor of the Agreste Mansion, Marinette was greeted by Nathalie. The bluenette acknowledged the assistant with a nod, meaning that Emilie was awake. The assistant let out a sigh of relief and rushed to Adrien's room, not wanting to be around the blonde boy, Marinette promptly left. Once out of the premises of the mansion, she transformed and waited for Gabriel to return the miraculous. What she didn't realise was that the Justice League would also be coming to pay her a visit.

It felt like an eternity, waiting for the miraculous to be handed back to her but the bluenette was patient. She waited four years for this moment, but she had to share the moment alone. It was bittersweet. Soon enough Gabriel arivied, hastily giving Ladybug both the brooches with apologetic eyes and leaving without a word. The spotted heroine presumed that he wanted to get back to his wife and son, she couldn't blame him. Ladybug reached for her yo-yo teary-eyed, she was going to put both miraculous in her weapon before returning them in the miracle box but she stopped when she heard multiple figures approaching where she was standing.

~~~

Batman and his sons were the ones to go to Paris and alert Ladybug of their findings. The five men found themselves in front of the Eiffel Tower, Tim found out that was were the heroes would return to after their patrol.

"We must tell Ladybug right away" Batman pulled out his grappling hook and flung himself to one of the higher levels, all but Robin followed suit.

The vigilante had a feeling to remain on a lower level. He wanted to be reunited with his long lost friend but he couldn't find the words. Simply, he used his grappling hook to bring him onto one of the beams, low enough so he couldn't be seen but high enough to hear any conversation.

"Greetings, Ladybug" His father's voice echoed through the quiet building.

"Monsieur Batman? Wh-what are you doing here?" Her voice sounded almost exactly as he remembered, of course it sounded deeper and more matured but it had a more desolated edge to it.

~~~

"We apologize for not intervening earlier but we didn't know how well we needed to control our emotions" Red Hood watched as Nightwing brushed a hand through his hair nervously.

"But we can help now!" Red Robin's excited voice came out of nowhere, Ladybug looked at the vigilante in surprise. "We found out Hawkmoth's identity so we can finish this once and-"

Ladybug put a single hand up, a small smile on her face, silencing Red Robin's rambling. "That's very considerate of you, all of you" Her gaze landed on each vigilante one at a time. "But I... have things sorted" She pulled out two brooches from behind her back to show the men before putting the miraculous in her yo-yo. "I appreciate all you've done, truly I do. But can I ask one for one more favor?"

"Of course, what is it?" Nightwing asked, clearly wanting the spotted heroine to be gleeful once more.

"Could you... help the other heroes to help the Parisians to heal?"

"It's the least we can do" Batman replied. "Will you be there too?"

"I'm afraid not" Ladybug turned around and leaned forward on the banister. "You know how Hawkmoth prays on negative emotions, so I've had to deal with my emotions in an unhealthy manor but now... Hawkmoth is no more. I can be free"

"Wh-"

"Thank you, truly" Ladybug jumped up on to railing, facing the group of vigilantes. Her sad smile faded as she stared at the floor.

They didn't even get a chance to process what was happening before it did. A bright light surrounded the young hero and they were forced to close their eyes. As the light died down, Red Hood saw a small bluenette. She looked so weak, so pretty, so... fragile. It hurt the vigilante's heart seeing someone like this being the sole protector of Paris with no one by her side.

"Hey little lady-"

"I'm sorry Tikki"

The girl looked at all the vigilantes slowly, mouthing a 'thank you' before letting herself lean backwards.

Gravity took the Parisian heroine and she fell.

A small creature holding something shiny stared in horror as its owner fell."MARINETTE!" The small creature's anguished scream seemed to bring the vigilantes back to reality.

~~~

"MARINETTE!"

Robin's head shot up, that name was all too familiar. Suddenly, he took note of a figure falling fast from above, her raven hair flowing in the wind. Without giving a second thought, he bounded down the ledge he was on, landing on one of the platforms and had his arms out ready to catch the fallen angel. The bluenette was close enough for Robin to grab her and he pulled her in so that her feet landed on the platform, her body still looming over the edge of the building. His brother and father landed not far from him, bounding over to help the bluenette but Robin took no notice of their presence.

"Why didn't you just let me f...all" The girl's voice trailed off as her eyes widened in recognition, the air in her lungs escaped from her lips. "...d-Damian?"

The two friends took no notice at how the vigilantes behind Robin stiffened. Her eyes developed a watery sheen as the situation began to really hit her. Tears threatened to spill as her lip quivered. Robin pulled her away from the ledge and she jumped into his arms, she was heavily touch-starved. Much to his family's surprise, he didn't push her away. In fact, he hugged her back. They heard what she said next.

"I... I thought you were dead, Dami"

"...why? What made you do this, Malaki?"

They didn't hear what she said next as her mumbling was muffled in Robin's chest. Nightwing walked up to the two first, kneeling down to be eye level with the girl.

"Hey Sunshine... we don't know what you've been through but we're willing to help you though it okay?" The girl looked at his sincere gaze, her eyes were so round with innocence, Nightwing thought he would melt.

"I... thank you, I'm sorry for worrying you when I... jumped" No one failed to notice when Robin ran his fingers through the bluenette's hair.

"Don't apologize Little Lady" Red Hood walked over to where Nightwing was kneeling, sitting next to his older brother. "Hawkbitch forced you to bottle up your emotions, you were just strong for too long."

Marinette looked between the two men, a grateful smile on her face while she wiped the tears of pure happiness running down her cheeks. "Thank you, I- this... this is the nicest I've been treated recently"

"If you don't mind me asking," Batman walked over and Marinette felt slightly intimidated you his presence as well as his tone. The dark knight must have noticed this since he cleared his throat and began talking in a softer manner. "What happened to cause you to go to such extremes? You're obligated to not having to talk about it right away if the subject makes you uncomfortable"

"Well I guess I do have to talk about it eventually..."

Recognising the bluenette's discomfort, Red Robin stepped in. In his palm was the shaken kwami who flew straight for Marinette once the vigilante got close enough. "Since you know Robin's identity, and we already sorta know yours, it's only fair if we tell you who we are, right?" He looked at his two older brothers and then at his adoptive father. "My name's Tim Drake nice to meet you"

Marinette was about to take his offered hand when the vigilante she presumed was Red Hood took it instead, "Jason Todd, Robin's most charming and handsome brother" She giggled at Damian's obvious annoyance.

"Well I'm Richard Grayson, Robin's favourite brother, but you can call me Dick" The vigilante in the suit who comforted her first, introduced himself.

"It's nice to meet all of you"

Batman soon came over as well to aquatint with the young heroine, offering out his hand for a handshake. "Bruce Wayne"

She returned the hand shake and brightly smiled, it blinded nearly all those near. "Thank you, Mr Wayne. Wait..." she turned to face Damian, one of her eyebrows raised. "Wayne?"

"I may have failed to mention that part" To Robin's surprise, Marinette started giggling so he huffed in taken offense.

"Sorry it's just- a girl in my class as been boasting about dating you and about the Wayne Family seeing her as their 'honorary member'. I knew she was lying I just didn't know that I would bump into the people she was lying about"

Bruce hummed. "We'll have to do something about this girl you're talking about. In the meantime, why don't you come back to the hotel with us? You and Damian can catch up" The older man saw the hesitation in her eyes but he also saw the willingness that shine through the most. "If you're living in a bad environment then you do have to escape" His sons nodded along.

"I'll come, can I bring some overnight clothes? It's been a long day..."

"Of course, you go get your belongings and you can meet us at the Grand Paris Hotel"

"I... thank you again" She transformed and headed in the direction of her house, leaving Robin at the mercy of his brothers.

"You like her, Brat" Red Robin spoke up first.

Nightwing pretended to wipe his tears. "Baby Bird's all grown up now"

"That means you can't adopt the little Pixie, don't think I haven't seen the adoption papers"

~~~

When Marinette destransformed on her balcony rooftop, she quickly went inside, packed some clothes as well as some essentials. When she was satisfied with her belongings, she gave a macaron to Tikki before heading downstairs where she was met with two disappointed looking parents.

"Is something wrong?"

"We've decided," Tom began. "We're kicking you out for what you've done to your lovely classmate, Lila"

"We don't recognise the person you've become, Marinette. You are not the daughter we raised" Sabine added

"May I pack my things in the morning?" Marinette inquired, her eyes void of emotion. When her parents nodded, she left the bakery and down to the hotel where Damian was waiting in the lobby. As she approached, he took her bag and intertwined their hands together. She blushed at the contact but leaned into his embrace.

When she entered the hotel room she was greeted by the vigilantes who were now changed and unmasked. The bluenette was welcomed with open arms, she felt the warmth in her heart for the first time since Lila's Tyranny. She briefly explained Lila's lies, what she had done to Marinette and how the bluenette was able to protect Paris. She would've carried on longer if it weren't for the hotel phone ringing. It was the receptionist, saying that someone had asked to see Marinette. Confused, she went down with Damian, Jason followed closely behind since he had grown quite attached to the little fairy. Waiting at the front desk as a woman, Damian and Jason recognised her instantly as Mayura. Damian tried to step in front of his friend but she completely ignored their futile attempts to keep her in reach.

"Ah, Hello Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng"

"Hello Nathalie, we're you the one who asked for me?"

"Yes, I just need to clarify a few things"

"Go ahead"

"You're request for the restraining order has been fulfilled" the bluenette nodded, waiting for Gabriel's assistant to continue. "May I ask what did he do to make you request for it?"

The two notices how Marinette stiffened. She contemplated before sighing. "Attempted sexual assault. If you look at the camera footage outside of the Louvre from two days ago, seven pm onwards, you'll see your evidence." Marinette turned away from Nathalie and walked back to Damian who, once in range, pulled her in for a hug.

"I'll never let him near you again, Angel"

~~~

The next day, Bruce had shown up with Marinette at her parents' bakery. Upon hearing about the young bluenette being kicked out, he had asked for her permission for him to be her Guardian until she was old enough to live in her own. Marinette accepted his offer. When they had entered the building, her parents had greeted their customers kindly before recognising Marinette. Bruce turned to the young girl next to him and smiled.

"You go pack your things I'll deal with this" She smiled and bounded upstairs, leaving Bruce to talk with the bakery's owners.

"Hello Sir, how may we help you?" Sabine began, wanting to know who this man was.

"I've come to gain guardianship of your daughter, Marinette Dupain-Cheng"

"Why should we give you guardianship?" Tom asked.

"I'm sure you know the liability for child neglect, Mr Dupain" With his words, both adults seemed to turn white. "I will file the necessary and submit it with the court, I'm sure you'll be willing to give your approval"

Both Marinette and the mystery man left, true they were glad that their mistake of a daughter had gone but they wondered who she had gone with.

~~~

Later that afternoon was a charity event which the Waynes were supposed to attend as they were invited by the mayor himself, the plus side was that the Akuma class would also be attending and they had no clue the Wayne Family would be there.

"...And finally I'd like to thank the Wayne Family for joining us this evening" Mayor Bourgeois finished his speech and all heads turned to the table the Waynes and Marinette were sitting on. As his speech was over, a teenage girl with glass and a very pale brunette came over to the table.

"Hello Mr Wayne, My name's Alya and I'm your honorary daughter's best friend and I was hoping-"

"Marinette" Bruce began, cutting off the aspiring reporter. The Alya girl only then seemed to notice that the bluenette was sitting at the table. "Is this girl you're friend?"

The bluenette took one hard look at Alya before shaking her head, "No"

"Marislut what th-"

"It would be appreciated if you did not talk about my honorary daughter and future daughter-in-law on that manner" Both Damian and Marinette turned red, one much more than the other. "In fact we should be leaving" Bruce and the rest of the family got up. "Miss Rossi, I will not tolerate your lies. You will receive a lawsuit for defamation and slander. Have a good evening" They left, leaving a reporter, a liar and a class speechless.

When they reached the hotel room they finished packing up, they would be leaving that night. Marinette made a few phone calls, telling her friends that she would be moving to Gotham. They had their belongs taken to the limo downstairs and had a few snacks before making their way down. In the lobby were many different people around the bluenette's age, she recognised them as her classmates and continued walking beside Damian until Alex came over.

"Marinette... we're sorry. We understand that you probably won't forgive apps but we wrote you letters anyway" the skater girl gave Marinette a pile of enveloped letters, ones she put in her bag straight away.

"Thank you for your apologies but I don't think I can forgive you just yet, goodbye Alix" the bluenette got in the limo and let out a breath she knew she was holding.

Her eyes glanced out the tinted window, she smiled knowing that she was leaving Paris for a better life. A better life with a friends, a better life with a new family. A better life with Damian.

~Bonus~

The harsh blizzard outside was definitely being felt from inside the manor, leaving a cold and tired Marinette on the couch. Damian, noticing his girlfriend's state, went to grab a blanket to cover both Marinette and himself. She snuggled into the green-eyed boy, taking all the warmth she could get, and slowly she drifted off to sleep. Damian too felt drowsy so soon followed his girlfriend into dreamland.

Jason came in a few moments later to find the sleeping couple, he was then reminded by how tired he was so he went on the couch and leaned his back against his youngest brother, himself too falling victim to slumber.

The next person to walk in was Dick, he had just finished training so he was exhausted. But he couldn't help to coo when he came across the scene in front of him. The eldest son then got on the sofa and carefully leaned against Marinette, similar to what Jason had done with Damian. It didn't take long for him to join them in dozing off.

Tim arrived with a big cup of freshly made coffee, one which he was about to drink until he noticed his siblings all curled up on the couch sleeping. The co-CEO went back to the kitchen, left his cup of coffee then went to grab a blanket to join his family. Wrapping himself in a blanket burrito, Tim placed himself on the floor pressed up against sofa.

When Bruce returned home safely, he went to the main living room to see his children, and his future in-law who was basically his own by now, sleeping soundly with the TV still running. Reaching for the remote, he turned the television off and grabbed his phone to take a picture. He planned on printing it out and having it framed in his study. Bruce sat on one of the armchairs, taking a book to read. If there was peace in the house, he might as well enjoy it while it lasts.

#daminette #maribat #maridami #marinette x damian #damian x marinette #damianette #mlb x dc #ml x dc #This is so bad I hate it and it started out good as well aaaaaaaa

166 notes · View notes

wajjs · 2 years

Note

For the ask game, Robin 3000, 'cause I like how happy and excited you get when you talk about him :)

Robin 3000/Thomas Wayne

First impression: I actually didn't know he existed until the comics were recommended to me during a book fair by a guy who also helped me get my first Green Lantern comic. He definitely undersold the 2 issues of the Robin 3000 comics when he convinced me to buy them, and they were the only copies the stand had. Still can't believe I bought them for almost nothing!

Impression now: I LOVE HIM HE'S THE MOST VALID ROBIN EVER HE SHOULD COME BACK FROM THE SHADOW REALM

Favorite moment: when he quotes Shakespeare like the nerd he is

Or when he decides to be a little shit and throw rocks at an enemy ship:

Or when he sets up a bomb TO ESCAPE FROM ALIEN JAIL for said throwing rocks at ship event, and he's all smug about it:

THE WAY HE GETS MAD WHEN THEY USE HIS IMAGE FOR ALIEN POLITICAL PROPAGANDA!!!

This very Kirk moment:

Him being held at blaster gunpoint and being like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ what's up with this shit, bro

OR HIS ICONIC ROBIN SUIT THAT MANAGES TO BE AN EXTREME EYESORE!!!!

WHAT CAN I SAY!!!! HE'S THE MOMENT, HE'S AN ICON, HE'S INCREDIBLE!!!!

Idea for a story: Okay so I have this idea I've talked to Kuro about a couple of times, but basically it's an au in which Tom and Terry (playing off Tom & Jerry) both work in a museum and they handle art restoration... everything is normal until two Very Inch Resting and Mysterious sculptures are sent to them............ sculptures about two obscure martyrs.... Red Hood...... and Nightwing...........

Unpopular opinion: all my opinions about him are popular because I am the only one who cares for him and I like all my opinions. Thanks!

Favorite relationship: the one he has with Aki, his friend who rescues him from jail AND lies off his ass to save him from death only to immediately after give their secret identities away because Aki is highly competent but also stupid. Have a great Aki moment:

Favorite headcanon: since he's blond and he looks like Oliver Queen, I have this theory that at some point in time a Queen and a Wayne fucked and Oliver's genes just happened to be stronger or something like that.

THANK YOU I LOVE MY BABY BOYYYYYY

(ask game)

#blob blahs #blob talks #yeats-nana #robin 3000 #thomas wayne #elseworlds

25 notes · View notes

chalkrevelations · 3 years

Text

SO. Back to the beginning, Episode 1 of Word of Honor. This is likely to be a little bit different experience than the prior posts, when I was watching the eps as they aired, compared to now approaching the show as whole and complete. May be rummaging around for things I missed the first time through, stuff that takes on new meaning set in additional context – we’ll see how it goes.

With that in mind, spoilers for not just this ep but possibly for the entire series. Get out of the car now and come back later, if you haven’t seen all 36.5 eps and want to watch it unspoiled.

First thing to strike me, right up front: You know, I think we tend to lose sight in later parts of the show – when we’re getting Laopo!Zhou Zishu pouting so he doesn’t have to cook dinner - how terrifying ZZS is in his own right (and by “we,” I actually mean the show, too). One of the things the first few episodes gets right, I think, is the sense of eerie inevitability and dread created by both the falling lanterns of Tian Chuang and the blowing paper figures of the Ghost Valley, and how similar they are. I think it’s easy to lose that - when the lanterns and the paper figures are gone and our charming and adorable couple are busy being charming and adorable at each other, in between varying rounds of being wracked by guilt and PTSD – easy to lose that this is there too, part of them – both of them - under the skin. I think it’s particularly easy to lose that for ZZS, when he’s already done a lot of work, off-screen, pre-Episode 1, during the 18 months he was putting in those first six Nails, to come to some kind of equilibrium, and meanwhile we watch Wen Kexing’s entire torturous process play out on-screen. Wen Kexing’s story is one of reaching an equilibrium, but Zhou Zishu’s story is one of maintaining it, which I think may be less showy, but is equally valuable, just as I value the Four Seasons Manor arc, especially, for giving us a vibe of two adults comfortable in an already intimate relationship, as opposed to the veritable sea of will-they-won’t-they tug-of-war coming-together-for-the-first-time-as-emotional-AND-plot climax relationships that we’re usually awash in.

Anyway, straight up we’re introduced to an assassin who, we discover, doesn’t like to get blood on himself. It looks like metaphorical blood is fine, just not actual blood, but then we discover, well, maybe he’s not as OK with metaphorical blood as he schools himself to look. Also that conversation with Li Jingan about her dad having to die because he’s a traitor to the country – I now wonder how much of that particular conversation Zhou Zishu mentally brings to the table in later conversations about his own father being executed for the same reason. Also, wait wait wait. Zhou Zishu tells Jingan that he took Jiuxiao’s body back to Four Seasons Manor and buried him next to their shifu, but I don’t remember seeing another grave there, other than Qin Huaizhang’s and his wife’s. Script inconsistency, or are you supposed to be lying, ZZS? I mean, would you be so downcast at the state of Four Seasons Manor when you arrive with your husband and son for your honeymoon, if you’d actually been there only a couple of years before? It didn’t fall to pieces overnight. Also, HAIRPIN FORESHADOWING ALERT. Our first sign of how important the hairpin is, the way ZZS’s impassive face cracks wide open when he sees the hairpin that Jiuxiao made and realizes he must have given it to Jingan. Clearly important!

Mmm. Here’s a point for the “Prince Jin is a f’kn asshole” list – Prince Jin wants ZZS to deal with Bi Changfeng personally when Bi Changfeng requests to leave Tian Chuang. And OK, ZZS is the leader of Tian Chuang. But you’re never going to convince me Prince Jin wants ZZS to deal with it personally because Prince Jin is actually so very furious that Bi Changfeng made a mistake. You will never convince me this isn’t a … it’s not even a test of loyalty, at this point, because Prince Jin has no reason to think yet that ZZS is anything other than the faithful hunting dog on a leash that he’s been, lo, these many years. Putting ZZS in a position where not only is he losing the last of the direct disciples of Four Seasons Manor, but he’s being asked to (as good as) kill him with his own hands - it’s just cruelty for the proof of your power and influence over someone. Also, given Prince Jin’s later diatribe about how everyone leaves him OMG (have you considered it’s your personality?) (But also Beiyuan! I know who you are now, and yeah, I would have let Wu Xi bride-kidnap me away from this jerk, too), I have to wonder if Prince Jin isn’t trying to make ZZS feel exactly as isolated as he, himself, feels, as part of his overall desire to make sure that ZZS has no one other than Prince Jin so that their positions are parallel – only having each other in the whole world. I also have to wonder if he’s not hoping for precisely the reaction ZZS has to Bi Changfeng – you’d rather be dead than be with me? Because that hurts, you can see it on ZZS’s face (thanks already, Zhang Zhehan), and I rather suspect Prince Jin wants it to hurt. I notice we get an echo of this later in the ep, with Prince Jin saying pretty much the same thing when ZZS asks for the final Nail. GOOD. I hope it hurts you just as much. I wonder if ZZS realizes this while he’s kneeling there in the throne room. It’s probably too late for him to get any satisfaction out of it.

OH, HEY. That’s HAN YING already, one of the two people accompanying ZZS to put down Bi Changfeng, looking super-pained like he knows what this is all costing his beloved. Han Ying, I really hope you got to tap that at least a few times before ZZS made his break for it. Is that one of the reasons Prince Jin seems to have such antipathy for you, or is it really just that he can’t stand the idea of someone whose loyalty to ZZS is greater than their loyalty to Prince Jin, himself? (Seriously, y’all, why is there not much much more Han Ying/ZZS fic?) Meanwhile Duan Pengju, omg, this asshole, is already looking smug and punchable. Really, he’s kind of enjoying the Seven Nails placement a little too much. Showing your hand pretty fast on the petty evil thing, show.

So, one thing I didn’t catch the first time around, is that ZZS isn’t just self-injuring to punish himself when he takes the knife to his chest – he re-opens wounds on all the places where the first six Nails have already been placed, so it will look like the placement is fresh. If you can’t tell he hasn’t just put them in, there’s no reason for anyone else (read: Prince Jin) to suspect he’s bought himself some time before he loses his senses. As far as anyone knows, he’s going to fall over with locked-in syndrome any day now. Which just makes the implications of Prince Jin vowing that he’s only letting him go for now EVEN ICKIER. For all Prince Jin knows, what he’s going to get back is a flesh doll that will just lie there, although I guess on the plus side, ZZS would never leave him again. Thanks, show, I need a shower, now.

ZZS says all the right things to argue his case to Prince Jin – he’s only good as a weapon, he has no skills nor utility for building and governing the country – and I think partly this is because he just knows the right things to say. I mean, you don’t become the Number Two guy in the country, with thousands under you and only one above you, if you can’t play imperial politics. But I also wonder if deep down he doesn’t actually believe it – he was successful at building Tian Chuang, but he couldn’t maintain Four Seasons Manor and even drove it to ruin. So, I’ll just be over here, clutching my chest, over my heart. Fortunately, Zhang Zhehan provides quick distraction from this pain, and I … Y’all. I can’t. I just. I CANNOT. When ZZS drops to his knees and starts stripping in the throne room. Just. Mmmmmrgh. THIS VISUAL. Although, you want to know what one of the hottest parts actually is? That pair of leather bracers hitting the floor on top of his belt, and ZZS isn’t even in the shot at that point. OK, fine, I am willing to read some dirtybadwrong fic with this whole scene premise at its heart, even if it does include Prince Jin. Zhang Zhehan, you are KILLING ME. I might have rewound this part. More than once. You can’t prove anything.

Aaaand then we get that gorgeous, painful shot of ZZS riding out into the snow that I know I’ve talked about before (including the way I get an odd echo of Lan Xichen off of it). There are several places in this ep where the cinematography is to die for, and this is one of them, the bleakness of the landscape and Zhang Zhehan (and his FACE) deep in that shadowing cloak against the stark snow as he rides out into freedom and the unknown. Then cut to somewhere green and forested. Interesting that the show starts with snow and ends with snow. That parallel with the imperial cage says some things about immortality that could stand to be unpacked – but later. Because ZZS is putting his face on – literally – and I am once again in pain, only it’s not the good kind of pain. It’s caused by that dreadful fake facial hair. There are some things that could be unpacked here, as well, about the fact that making ZZS supposedly unattractive involves a clearly fake goatee, a single aesthetically placed scar, and darkening his skin. I’m going to try to step carefully here, because this is kind of out of my lane, but it is … a noticeable thing. That probably ought to be noted.

So, ZZS takes just a moment to turn his (fake) face up to the sun and feel the warmth on it … and then with 10 minutes left, we’re on our way to Ghost Valley, where there’s some chaos and then Hanging Ghost gets got by a Mysterious Stranger To Be Revealed Later, who chokes him out (remember this). The Mysterious Master of Ghost Valley appears dramatically on his High Ledge to Make Some Pronouncements while playing with some walnuts omg (rolling two of them in one hand – remember this), and we see his eyes, which are partially obscured by chunky sidebangs, which are farther forward on his forehead than we’re going to see later, not only hiding some of his face but making it look more angular. The troops get berated, shit rolls downhill, and another dude gets choked (remember this) as Ghost Valley Master’s hair continues to artfully hide most of his face and he worries about his manicure post-kill (remember this). War is declared on Hanging Ghost for stealing the Glazed Armor, and more chaos is set into motion.

All of that takes literally two minutes, and then we cut to three months later, and no one realizes it yet, but the fam is getting together. ZZS is tits out in the gutter - only beginning his career of being a minx who flashes his collarbones an awful lot for someone who has Very Secret Scars He’s Hiding On His Chest - happily drinking himself to death in the sun (we really need to talk about this correlation of snow and immortality vs. sun and happiness …). Meanwhile, slo-mo shot of Wen Kexing looking precious and perfect, with delicate pink lips and dove-grey robes, as he checks out the rough trade in the gutter. Oh, the expectations this show is getting ready to smash. We cut from a shot of pristine precious WKX to ZZS holding up his hand, and we get a shot of the sun through ZZS’s fingers looking an awful lot like some shots of characters halo’d in light that we’ll get back to much much later in the show. Chengling appears out of nowhere to be Best Boy. A-Xiang is purple and smol and ready to brawl, and I already love her. I already love them all! So much! Here are my delicate and precious feelings, show, go ahead and stomp all over them!

#zhou zishu #prince jin #han ying #wen kexing #gu xiang #zhang chengling #word of honor #word of honor episode reax

103 notes · View notes

hintofelation99 · 3 years

Text

The Justice League Meets the Avengers Pt. 1

In an alternate reality where Steve and Tony mended their relationship and Thanos never came, the Avengers meet for a family game night. Peter Parker, Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, Tony Stark, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff, Thor, Stephen Strange, Bruce Banner, and surprisingly enough Loki all gather. The night is going well, everyone is getting along, though there is some tension. Clint and Natasha are still suspicious of Loki, but the tense atmosphere is broken by Peter asking Loki about magic. At first the conversation is nice, lighthearted. Loki's obvious excitement over magic is humanizing, so much so that Clint almost, almost, warms up to the trickster. However, when Peter starts asking about alternate dimensions things start going downhill. The following transcript outlines the events that take place that strange evening.

Peter, looking very excited: So alternate Dimensions are real?

Loki, with a bashful smile: Well of course, assuming that we are the only dimension in this infinite universe is rather close minded.

Peter: Thank you! That's what I said to Flash, we can not be the only reality, that'd be insane!

Tony: I'm not disagree with underoos or peppermint patty, but have we ever seen these dimensions?

Stephen: I've been to several.

Bruce Banner, with a spoon full of ice cream hanging out of his mouth: R'lly?!

Stephen, raises an eyebrow clearly unimpressed: I am the Sorcerer Supreme. Of course I've been to alternate realities.

Thor: Ha! You mortals are so easily impressed, are they not brother?

Loki, with a mischievous smile: They are. Thor and I have also visited several realities.

Clint: I call bullshit.

Wanda: Actually, while I have not been to any alternate dimensions, I can confirm their existence as well.

Sam: Ha, fine, then take us to one.

Loki's smile widens, Stephen looks like he wants to intervene, but Tony speaks up first.

Tony: Yeah, what tweety bird said.

Sam glares at Tony and Bucky chuckles.

Loki looks absolutely delighted, which Natasha and Clint find very concerning: As you wish.

Stephen: NO-

---- The Justice League Watchtower----

A gathering of the Justice League takes place. Batman is in a heated debate with Green Lantern about watchtower security. Wonder Woman, Superman, Aquaman, and Flash watch the debate. Wonder Woman looks amused, the others seem to pity Green Lantern.

Green Lantern: I'm just saying Batman is being way too paranoid! The watchtower is completely secure, there's no way anyone can get in.

A giant green portal opens and out of comes eleven strangers. Some of the strangers look confused, some annoyed, and one looks very smug.

Batman narrows his eyes at Green Lantern as the entire League leaps to their feet.

Green Lantern: Fine. You were right, happy now?

Batman: No.

Tony: WHERE THE FUCK ARE WE LOKI?!?!

Loki just shrugs

Steve: Who are these people?

Wonder Woman: I believe my team mates and myself have the same question.

Clint glances to Natasha and notices that she and Bucky are already in defensive positions. He follows their lead and shortly after all Avengers, except Peter, are in defensive positions.

Peter: Holy crap! Mr. Stark, Mr. Stark! We're in an alternate dimension!!

Tony: Uh, yeah, not the time kid.

Peter looks around, for the first time he realizes that he's the only one not in a fighting stance: Oh, uh sorry!

Batman: Who are you and what do you? Answer in the next five seconds and maybe we will allow you to leave.

Green Lantern: Yeah, what he said.

Batman glares at Green Lantern.

Steve: Maybe we should all just calm down. We meant no harm, this is all a big mistake. I-

Batman: Names. Now.

Peter: Wow Mr. Stark, that guys sorta scary.

Tony: My name is Tony Stark. The kid's name is Peter. Tall, dark, and cranky over their is Bucky. The peacemaker is Steve-

Batman steps forward to interrupt, Superman stops him.

Superman: If you do not mind, I think we were hoping for first and last names.

Tony: Fine, that's Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers. Don't worry about the kid's last name.

Flash: Alright, and the others?

Steve: Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, Sam Wilson, Stephen Strange, and Bruce Banner. And those two are Thor and Loki Odinson. And you are?

Superman: We are the Justice League. You may call me Superman. That is Wonder Woman, then Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash, and the angry looking one is Batman.

Batman glares at Superman.

Batman: Where are you from and what do you want?

Sam: Look man, I get that you don't want us here, but honestly this is all a big accident. We were asking about magic and alternate dimensions and that asshole decided to give us a demonstration. We can leave right now.

Loki makes a few odd hand gestures and mumbles some curses. Superman looks concerned, Batman looks unimpressed, Wonder Woman looks slightly amused.

Thor: Brother, I believe that was your cue to send us back.

Loki: Obviously, I'm not a complete moron. Just, just give me a moment.

Stephen: Did you take us to an alternate dimension with no escape plan?

Loki: ...no

Bruce: What the hell man?! God I knew that should have gone to Valkyrie's party.

Clint: Valkyrie had a party?

Bucky: Not the point Clint.

Batman: I'm contacting our magic users. Green Lantern, escort our guests to the holding cells.

Tony: Holding cells? That seems excessive.

Batman: You can go willingly or we can use force. Your decision.

Superman, glares at Batman: What my team mate is trying to say, is that we don't know if your story is true or not. We have many enemies and can't take any risks.

Green Lantern: Yeah, especially cause the kids are here today.

Batman glares at Green Lantern and takes a step towards him. Superman places a hand on Batman's shoulder to stop him.

Superman: Batman, please do not maim any team mates, you don't want to give Robin any ideas do you? Green Lantern, we will be discussing your conduct.

Peter: Wait, there are other kids here? Can I meet them!

Batman: No.

Seeing Peter's hurt look Batman softens.

Batman: At least, not now. Let us gather more information on the current situation first.

Aquaman: We could expedite this process if we bring in Martian Manhunter.

Wonder Woman: He is currently off world, but I do believe Miss Martian is here. I can have her meet us in holding.

Tony: I'm not letting you put my kid in a cell. Considering you seem to also have mentees I believe you would understand.

Batman: The kid has to wait in a cell too. We must look out for everyone's safety.

Green Lantern: Didn't one of your kids have a box of heads?

Batman looks absolutely murderous, but before he can respond a faint giggling echoes through the room. Everyone except Batman looks very confused.

Batman: Spoiler go back to the the training room right now. And take the others with you.

Spoiler: Dammit.

Robin: You imbecile, you got us caught.

Nightwing: C'mon baby bird be nice!

Red Hood: Shut it dick bag, you're the one who almost sneezed.

Batman: Language Red Hood!

The Avengers chuckle and look at Steve.

Red Hood: Fuck off Bats! Also, Green Night Light, it was a duffle bag. Easier to carry around.

Bruce: Oh my god a duffle bag of heads?

Green Lantern: THAT'S NOT BETTER

Red Hood: I'M SORRY I WAS GOING THROUGH SOMETHING.

Natasha and Bucky shrug, while everyone else looks horrified.

Natasha: Honestly, that's fair.

Red Hood: Thank you! I told you she'd be the cool one, you owe me five bucks.

Arsenal: Seriously Hood? We have a joint bank account?

Batman: Hood we will be discussing your financial decisions.

Stephen: Not to question your leadership, but are those really the decisions that you should be questioning??

Flash: Yeah... no offense Bats but I got agree with weird robe guy.

Batman: Just take them to the holding cells. I'm contacting our magic users.

53 notes · View notes

ellana-ravenwood · 4 years

Text

“You...have kids ? AND A WIFE ?!” - Fem!Reader (Batmom) x Bruce Wayne x Justice League

Synopsis : No one in the Justice League would’ve ever guessed that the stoic Batman had kids nor that he was...married ?!

Just a lighthearted shorter fic (I know, must be surprising, haven’t posted one of those in ages hahaha) because I need it. Slowly getting back into a regular writing funk. And ya know I’m here to write the League interact with Batmom and co haha. Hope you’ll like it :

My master list blog : @ella-ravenwood-archives

__________________________________________________

The Big Bad Bat that never smiles.

That’s the picture Barry had in his head when thinking of him...

It had been a few months now, since this “Justice League” had become an actual thing. And Flash was still not sure if it was reality or just a fever dream.

Of course, before they truly decided to gather all together to protect this Earth, Barry knew about his “colleagues”. Duh. Who, in America, never heard about the mighty Superman ? The Goddess of Truth Wonder Woman ? The fearless, and fear inducing Batman ?

And here he was, amongst those legends. Was it making him a legend too, to have been selected to be one of the founder of this “little” team ?

Barry just couldn’t admit that. What he could admit, though, was that it felt very nice to be part of something like this initiative !

It also felt nice that he wasn’t alone anymore. He had the support of people who were like him. “Different”, and with a purpose to make the world a better and safer place !

Well, up until now Barry was mainly focusing on Central City, but hey, some of his colleagues only had one city too !

And now, they took it further, leveled up in the protective business, and became, Barry would like to say, kind of like a family !

Ok, maybe not just yet, but at least they were all good friends.

Well, “all”. Not quite.

There was one who still refused to partake in their gaming nights for example, or in any discussions that weren’t work related. There was one whom Barry never saw smile, not even a little twitch at the corner of his mouth ! One who, it seemed, had no intention to bond with his new partners.

Yes. Batman kept himself guarded from everyone else, which was odd to Barry because he heard that the bat sort of was the one who had the idea for this little world saving team.

Flash just couldn’t figure out what was the deal with that man ! And Batman wasn’t letting him come close at all. Not reacting to his jokes or anything. While they were hilarious ! The only time Batman seemed to care about what Barry had to say, was when he was starting to speak forensics.

There was one person though, who seemed closer to the bat than all the others. Well, actually make that two. Two persons.

Superman, and Wonder Woman.

Almost as if they knew who Batman really was. Maybe they did ? After all, they’re really the one that started this little hero club.

And so one day, Flash, sitting in the common room of their brand new space headquarters, was staring at Batman (who was making himself a cup of coffee) and without giving much context, he turned to Clark and Diana (who were...arm wrestling ?) and asked :

"Have you ever seen him, ya know, smile ?"

“Huh ?”

Superman turned his head toward Barry, and this two second loss of focus allowed Diana to throw him down.

Quite literally. For a split moment, unfocused because Flash addressed him and his Ma’ always told him that ignoring people was impolite, Clark released a little pressure in his arm, and of course Diana took advantage of this to strategically put all her force in, and slam the mighty Superman down.

Barry gave a worried look towards Batman. The last thing he wanted, was for him to come over and see what the ruckus was about. But, still at the coffee station, he just looked at both meta humans, frowned, shook his head, and left the room, visibly grumbling something under his breath.

With a sigh of relief, Barry turned back towards them, and as Clark was getting back up, giving an annoyed (and slightly vexed) look at Diana, who was showing him her most beautiful smug expression, he asked again :

“I was wondering, have you ever seen him smile ?”

Massaging his wrist, still a little sour about his defeat, Clark asked, a little absentmindedly :

“Who ?”

Flash, looking around, lowered his voice and said :

“You know...his name rhymes with cancan ?”

There was a short pause, before Diana says :

“...A lot of our names rhyme with Cancan.”

“But only one of you never smiles !”

“Oooooh, you’re talking about Batman ?”

Flash shook his head positively, looking around nervously one more time to make sure said Batman wasn’t there. Diana smiled widely (not a rare occurence in her case) and turned to look at Clark knowingly. And Superman laughed heartily, of his clear and a little childish laugh, and said :

“No. No I don’t think I ever did...Wait, actually, there was that one time when-"

"Wonder Woman. Superman. Flash. Hello."

The big bad Bat himself was right next to them, and Barry couldn’t help but wonder how the hell did he arrive so fast ?!

Bruce was looking straight at Clark, staring intently at him, and why was he ? It made the man of steel uncomfortable, especially when- Oh. Oh but of course. That one time Clark saw Batman smile was when...

After a short awkward silence, Clark spoke up again :

“No. No I never saw what, um, what you asked me I saw. Diana ?”

“Nope, never.”

Batman nodded, which mortified Barry as he realized that he knew what they were talking about, and left once again. And from this day on, The Flash couldn’t help but wonder...What was it, that made the Batman smile ?

Because given the “trinity”’s reaction, it was clear both meta-humans saw him do that once...His curiosity intensely piqued, Barry kept this info about Clark and Diana knowing in the corner of his mind.

************

Of course, no one would expect such a thing from the Batman. Who, in their right mind, could guess that the stoic, always so serious and harsh hero had a...

Yes.

Even now, faced with the fact this was reality, Barry couldn’t quite believe his eyes ! It was just so surreal ! And he had a costume, too !!

Out of nowhere, the man he had tried to make laugh or smile for years came out of the zeta tube with a little boy, who couldn’t be more than nine years old, and acted as if nothing happened !!

Understandingly so, everyone but Superman and Wonder Woman, stopped what they were doing and stared at them.

Green Lantern is the one that said what everyone was thinking but didn’t dare to ask :

“What the...Who’s that, Batman ?!”

The sudden exclamation didn’t seem to phase Bruce much, but the little boy stiffened and sort of hid behind Batman’s cape, looking shyly at everyone from behind it. They were all staring at them. It was a little scary.

Bruce turned to Hal, and calmly and matter of factly said :

“My son. D-Robin.”

Which made everyone but Clark and Diana unable to stop their : “WHAT ?!”. And to little Dick, it was quite something to witness all his favorite heroes freak out like that, and looking in total shock.

That’s when Bruce, clearly annoyed, and a little mad as he noticed his usual extroverted boy looking unsure and shy, and hiding behind him (and no one made his kiddo feel like that without repercussions !), said :

“Get a grip, everyone. You’re making him think you’re all completely nuts. It’s embarrassing, I brought him up here because he was excited to meet all of you, and now you’re acting like mad men.”

The big bad bat then squatted down to put himself at the boy’s level and asked, his voice taking a complete different tone, one that Barry never heard him have.

“Are you ok, buddy ?"

No one was quite sure what was the most shocking. That Batman had a kid, or that he just took the softest voice ever to talk to said kid, and showed an entirely different persona ?

The young boy nodded, and Bruce turned back towards everyone, putting a reassuring hand on his son’s shoulder.

“Please, handle yourself better in his presence. You’re intimidating him.”

Barry had a thought about how odd it was, that this kid was intimidated by him and his friends, while apparently totally ok with Batman. Because in his eyes, Batman was the most intimidating guy he ever met ! Yet that boy seemed to cling to his cape for dear life, as everyone kept staring at him.

The worry in the boy’s look, and the “mama goose” stance Batman suddenly took, made Barry snap out of it first and, smiling, he said :

“Well, welcome to the Justice League of America’s headquarters, Robin ! Want a tour of it ?”

And this warm feeling that irradiated from Flash seemed to unlock something in the boy, and, smiling widely, he shook his head yes enthusiastically and slowly walked out of his father’s shadow.

That’s when the zeta tube emitted the sound it does when someone comes through, and someone nobody saw before came from it. She was wearing an unknown costume, and her sudden appearance and the fact she was a stranger made everyone take a fighting stance ! Everyone, but Batman and his son.

“Hey mom ! Flash is gonna show me around ! It’s Flash !! The real one !”

Wait...”mom” ? Did that...mean...SOMEONE ACTUALLY MARRIED THE BATMAN ?!

************

It was quit a shock, the day everyone discovered that Bruce had a family.

Granted, it was all fairly recent as he only met you a few years back, and Dick had been adopted only a little bit more than a year ago (he only recently started to call you mom, after certain events happening (you can read about it in this story : clickclickclick), and wasn’t quite yet calling Bruce “dad” but it was just a matter of time, really. In Bruce’s eyes, the boy was most definitely his son, now).

But what was the most shocking of all, was how whenever you or the boy would be around, it felt like they were discovering another Batman !

Whenever Dick said something smart, he would praise him. Whenever his look would cross yours, his expression would become incredibly soft (”lovesick puppy” was not words Barry thought he’d ever associate with “Batman”). It wasn’t particularly a noticeable difference for the untrained eyes, but it was most definitely there.

His “soft” expressions were all very fleeting. But someone like Flash ? He definitely saw them.

The Batman was still this serious, stoic and unwavering man, but as soon as they all discovered he had a family, he became a little more human.

His “legend” wasn’t broken by the fact he could feel emotions, on the contrary. Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Green ARrow, Black Canary...Everyone. They just realized what Superman and Wonder Woman discovered a while ago now.

There was two Batman.

The working one, the superhero, the unforgiving one, who was strategic and pragmatic.

And the family man.

And as he observed those two Batmen, Barry realized more and more that they weren’t actually two different persons like it could seem to certain people. They were just different facets of the same man. Two sides of the same coin.

Of course, Flash should’ve known. Just like in his day time work, just like in forensics and such...Things weren’t always that simple. People, weren’t that simple. Real people weren’t “one dimensional”.

His theory was confirmed one day when you said that Batman could most definitely be a total jerk towards you or your son (or Alfred), in his “dark moments”. And that you fully accepted it, because you did not love him conditionally.

Because you understood him, and that in your opinion, nobody was perfect. Hell, you admitted, with a little laugh, that you could be very obnoxious at times...And if he could forgive your bitchy moments, then you could most definitely forgive his dark ones.

Especially when you knew why he was like that.

Sometimes, Barry felt jealous, that Batman found such an understanding and loving wife. But then he just had to take one look at how said Batman was looking at you, and he realized that both of you were lucky.

************

It turned out that Dick wasn’t a shy kid at all. He just got a little overwhelmed at first, to be stared at by Earth’s mightiest hero. But as soon as he relaxed himself and finally opened up, he was a rather talkative little dude.

Full of energy. And all of a sudden, Barry truly understood why Batman could look so fondly at his boy, or at you.

The kid clearly was a little ray of sunshine. Although, if we believed you and Bruce, he could sometimes throw terrible fits of anger and...Well, once again, people were more complicated that they can first appear to be. It’s not because you have mostly a joyful nature, that you’re always that way. And Barry could see this whenever Dick would partake in missions.

The boy was serious too, and resembled his father a lot in those moments.

However, he was still mostly very extroverted and curious while at the League’s headquarter, and Barry could see how the arrival of such a burst of light in Batman’s life could brighten him indeed.

It was difficult, to look at you and Dick and not smile.

Barry wondered, if neither you nor Dick came into his life, how Batman would be now. Probably still cold and seeming unemotional. Maybe even worst than what they experienced so far ?

There actually wasn’t a doubt in Barry’s mind, that you and your son’s presence in the Big Bad Bat’s life radically changed him.

************

Flash could see there was something wrong with Bruce when he came up the League’s headquarter that day.

He was much grumpier than usual. And when Barry joked :

“Gee, where’s your boy, I think you need to cheer up.”

Batman gave him the most murderous look he ever saw, stood up, and quietly left the room, leaving behind him a very cold and scary atmosphere.

You got up from the zeta tube barely two minutes later, looking both distressed and annoyed, and ask Flash where Bruce was.

Still sort of in shock, Barry gave a timid gesture towards where the Bat went, and watched as you went there in a hurry.

Later on, Barry would learn that Bruce and his son got in a fight, which resulted in his beloved boy leaving to join the Teen Titans, and ah, all of a sudden, everything made sense to The Flash.

************

Jason’s first introduction to the League was quite different from his older brother’s. The Leaguers were less surprised, and therefor more welcoming immediately.

Jason was a shy kid, who would often whisper things in his dad’s ear before doing it.

Like for example, the boy didn’t dare, at first, asking Flash how fast he could truly run. So he went to Bruce, and asked him, murmuring in his ear and hiding his mouth. Which made Batman, THE Batman, stand up from the computer on which he worked on, and walk with his son towards Barry.

“Go ahead, ask him, don’t worry, I’m here.”

He said, pushing Jason a little forward. And the boy was playing with his hands nervously, before he dared to ask :

“Howfastcanyoureallygo?”

And the fond smile Batman had as he stood there, behind his son, silently encouraging him, made Barry feel like he was understanding him more and more. Smiling, The Flash answered :

“Well, what’s sure is that I’m not going as fast as you asked this question !”

Which made little Jay widely smile and chuckle. Just like Bruce discovered, Jason could be a little “wild” yet “reserved” at first, but it only took a little push for him to become an overly enthusiastic little boy, eager to please and to learn.

It was obvious Jason had a tough childhood, which make him afraid to bother people and be in their way. Which sometimes made him want to be fiercely independent. It was obvious that Jason didn’t have an easy life up until now...

And that he was embracing fully this new chance at being happy and having a family. He’d follow Bruce like he was his shadow. He’d cling to you often. He’d talk about his older brother Dick regularly.

Little Jason was home with you all, and it was a heartfelt thing to witness for each members of the League.

It was yet another proof that Batman most definitely had a heart.

************

Years passed, and nothing much changed.

Batman was still good old himself, with that softer change when you or his sons were around (fortunately, things with the first Robin, or “Nightwing” now, as he called himself, greatly improved, and although Dick stayed with the Teens Titans still, him and Bruce were speaking again. Of course they were).

He was still that man who had difficulties to say “thank you” (yet he improved on that front), who was strategic and pragmatic, but now, the members of the League knew better than to judge him just for that.

His children came from times to times to the League’s headquarter, mainly to hang out with their dad, as it was extremely rare they’d take part in League’s mission (Batman was surprisingly protective of his children).

You’d come up too, a little more often, actively participating in monitoring the universe. And you and the Leaguers became fast friends (he’d never admit it, but the Bat surely wasn’t always happy about that).

And whenever you or/and your kids were present, Batman most definitely seemed to be in a better mood.

And things seemed to go normally, albeit for, you know, the moments they had to save the World and sometimes almost died during so !

But yes. Everything as more or less normal up until...

************

For months, the League didn’t see much of neither you nor Bruce.

When Bruce came back up, the news he lost youngest his son was known by all of them, but of course, they knew better than to mention it.

Barry knew he wouldn’t smile again in a long time, if he could ever even smile again.

You and Dick were still there. But you lost a son too. Dick lost his little brother. And if the only people that could always turn Batman’s frown upside down were sad and hurt too, how could he get out of that dark pit ?

It didn’t feel right, to not see your nor Dick ever smiling either.

It felt, when Jason died, that this nice and warm new family Bruce build for himself, that his new chance at being happy, sort of crumbled.

Yes. You, him and Dick were still here and alive. Were still supporting each others. But there was nothing worst than to lose a child. A brother.

Once again, it became clear to Barry that the Batman moods truly became tied to his family. And it didn’t surprise Flash when the man threw himself, mind and body, into his vigilante activities even more...

For a long time, they did not see you, nor Bruce.

And when Bruce finally came back to League’s affair, it didn’t seem like you’d ever come up again...Or like he would smile ever again.

************

And then one day, a while after Jason’s disappearance, Batman came up accompanied once more.

It was neither you nor Dick, but someone they never saw before.

A little boy, who claimed to be “Robin”. One more that the Batman adopted.

And once again, Barry could see a slow shift in Bruce’s mood.

Ever since Jason died, it felt like something irreparable broke in the man. It felt like he was regretting ever coming close to people again, putting you, his children, in danger.

As if he thought he was cursed to lose everything he loved...

Ever since Jason died, things have been very difficult, in your family. You and Bruce had each others, but the pain was often too grand to handle and it was difficult to mourn your lost son...

Bruce felt it was his fault, you felt it was your fault, neither of you blamed the other...It was a vicious circle. In those years, you almost broke up because of how everything was tough.

But in the end, your love got only stronger, and you realized that without the other, you could’ve never come back from this dark times.

The arrival of a new kid most definitely helped, too.

The first that came out of this sad funk that surrounded everything was Dick. Nightwing. Barry noticed, he went back to be a little more cheerful again, and didn’t fully turn like Batman was.

It was thanks to Tim. Thanks to being a big brother again, and having to set an example. Something he didn’t quite do in the beginning, with Jason, as he felt jealous at times...One of his greatest regret. He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

The first time Tim came up the tower, he ran into it and started to ramble about everything, asking questions faster than anyone could answer, and touching everything on his way !

“Wooooow look at that it’s the best telescope I’ve ever seen !! Hey Green Lantern is it true my dad beat you multiple time and that without your ring you’re nothing ? It’s what he said...OH HEY ! Uncle Superman, how are you today ? WOOOOOW you guys have cookies here ?! -bites into a cookie- Mm, not as good as Alfred’s...AH WHAT’S THAT ?! Hey hey, Black Canary, how high can your voice get ? Oh wow what is that, what does it do ? OH HI AUNT DIANA !! Can you breathe in space ? If I went in space without a spacesuit I would freeze and all my blood vessels would explose. Sounds like a painful death right ? Woooow daaaad look at that !!”

And that was it. Right there. The first smile Flash saw the Batman have in a very long time, as the man looked at his son running everywhere and be excited about everything.

It was very easy to understand that this new Robin, little Tim, was an extremely smart child. Curious of everything in a way his brothers weren’t, as he needed detailed explanations about stuffs, not just a simple answer.

It appeared as he was understanding even complicated notions, and would even give his opinion in the matters !

Later on, Flash would learn that at first, Bruce refused to take Tim as the new Robin. Because he still had parents (albeit shitty ones), because he didn’t want another Jason to happen, because...Because he couldn’t have his broken once more.

But the boy was persistant. And he crawled his way in in Dick’s heart first. Then yours. And finally Bruce’s, who just couldn’t resist. Especially when the boy lost his biological parents too...

When Tim was on the Space Station, you’d be most often there too. It seemed like ever since you lost Jason, you became even more protective of your sons. Like you had difficulties letting them out of your sight.

Tim didn’t seem to mind. His parents never cared enough about him...So it felt nice, to be loved in that way.

Quickly, this new little Robin brought back a certain balance to his new family. Of course, no one would ever forget Jason. That’s one of the reason why there was a glass case filled with his costume throning in the midle of the Batcave.

Jason was unforgettable. The love you all had for him, even now that he was gone, would never die. But the mourning was finally reaching its last step.

Acceptance.

And in big part, it was because of that young and smart new Robin, whom the League immediately loved. And were quite thankful for.

After all, they were Batman’s friends. His pain and struggles, over the years, reached them too. They could understand the pain of losing a loved one. Martian Manhunter, who lost his family, for example, truly was empathetic.

And slowly, without realizing, all of them sort of got used to dark, cold and harsh Batman being soft around his family ! It didn’t feel right, that he would only be dark, cold and harsh...

That day, that first day Tim got up the Headquarter and got overly excited about everything. That day Batman was again seen with a small smile on his face. A smile he couldn’t hush or hide...

It felt right again.

************

Cassandra emerged from the zeta tube, getting a piggy back ride from her older brother Dick, a calm day at the League’s headquarter.

She wasn’t very talkative, but she had an aura that was both impressive and sweet. Just like Jason, Barry could see that this young child went through a lot...But it didn’t seem to dim her light.

It didn’t take a genius to know she went through years of abuse. That her life most definitely hadn't been easy. Maybe even worst than young Jason’s...

Later, Barry would indeed discover the reason why she didn’t speak much, and would be heartbroken for her...Except.

Except he slowly witnessed her evolution.

How having a family, a loving and caring and protective one, made her bloom.

From that first time she came through the zeta tube, on the back of her brother, who then proceeded to give her a piggy back ride all across the Headquarter, to now...

Flash slowly witnessed her change.

She was quiet at first, but interested in everything. She would listen to whatever ramblings her brothers would tell her, or to her father explaining things.

She was probably the one that they sheltered all the most, even you, who were usually a rather chill mother. It felt like you all tried to catch up for the lost years where all she felt was pain, mental and physical, and fear.

“You. Flash.”

She once said to Barry, and it was the first time he heard her spoke, so he got a little excited and exclaimed :

“Yes I am !”

Before going on on rambles about things, of which Cass’ reply was pointing at him, laughing, and saying :

“Funny.”

When her father came to tell her it was time to leave, Cass pointed at Flash again and repeated “funny”, which made Bruce...Laugh ?!

Sure, Barry saw him smile and he thought that once, he heard him chuckle at a joke you made (but he wasn’t certain), but to hear him full on laugh like so ?

Once more, Flash was faced with the fact that Batman really was a man. Whose family would uncover the best part of him. The kind and warm part. Barry would only wish though, that this confirmation in his feelings wouldn’t be at his depend.

Because clearly, Batman was mocking him, right now. But at the same time, the Big Bad Bat turned to him, smiled at him, and...winked ?

That day, Barry felt that Bruce truly was warming up to him. That maybe, just maybe, he was letting more than just his family in.

And when he ruffled his daughter’s hair, and confirmed Flash was one of the only funny one, it took Barry a while to come back from it.

************

Cass made incredible progress in her speech, helped by her family. She loved to come up the tower and often asked anyone who was up there too to tell her stories of their missions.

She loved stories.

She’d listen and give them detailed feedbacks about their way of telling stories, and every single time, it’d warm everyone’s heart. But the heart her presence warmed the most was definitely the Batman’s.

************

One day, a man wearing a red helmet and a leather jacket came up with Batman. He walked in, looked around as people were sort of staring at him, wondering if Batman had adopted yet another kid (who was grown ass man..), and he said :

“Wow, didn’t change one bit. Lame.”

When he took his helmet off, he still had a mask under, and...

“Jason ?”

Clark is the first one that recognized him. And as Barry turned around, looking curiously at this person he thought to be a stranger, he realized...It was most definitely little Jason Todd ! Except, he wasn’t so little anymore.

Actually, he was taller than his older brother, Dick.

Barry recognized that slightly mischievous spark Jason always had in his eyes, as if he knew something you didn’t (Jason was the one most similar to you, always quick to have a sassy come back and make clever jokes).

“I’m back bitches.”

The shift in Jason’s personality was quite an obvious one, but somehow, Barry knew it was all for show. That deep down, the man was still that little boy full of enthusiasm and curiosity that worshipped his father and mother.

In fact, Barry quickly understood that Jason’s reason for this so called shift in his personality, was how much he loved his parents, how much he trusted them, and how Bruce not killing the Joker felt like a betrayal. How much it hurt him.

Yet. Yet “Red Hood” was back in his family now.

Barry couldn’t help but think about how incredibly strong that boy (man) was. Able to overcome such pain and feeling of betrayal, to forgive his father. To try and understand his point of view, and why he did what he did.

The Flash was certain that you were for something in this new recovery Jason went through, but also the Bat himself...It was clear Bruce had lived years feeling guilty and regretful. And now he had another chance, and he wouldn’t let it go.

His persistance in showing what Jason meant is what brought him back. The love you gave him, is what brought him back.

Jason was finally home again.

************

When Damian first came up the Justice League’s watchtower, he seemed unimpressed and like he did not care about whatever was happening.

But Barry hung out with Batman long enough to now “feel” when someone was protecting themselves behind a shield of arrogance.

And that little boy ? That little boy clearly took this trait after his father. And Barry wasn’t fooled anymore, by this icy sort of exterior.

Behind Damian’s eyes, he could see curiosity, and wanting to ask many questions, but not asking in fear of appearing too childish. Behind Damian’s eyes, eyes that clearly already saw too much for their age, Flash could still see the kid he wanted to be.

Barry’s first impression of Damian was right. As confirmed when you emerged from the zeta tube, and the boy rushed to you to give you a hug, and then excitedly tell you everything he saw on the Space Station.

When Damian took your hand and made you run along with him because he wanted to show you something, which triggered this small and fleeting smile Batman would have whenever his family would be around, Barry knew.

He knew that there was more to Damian than that pesky arrogant child who acted like nothing touched him personally. And he was right.

Damian had an odd and painful childhood, raised by people who warped his vision of the World. But with yours and Bruce’s love, with the protection and love his siblings gave him, he “healed”. There was, often, a glimpse at the child he was supposed to be.

And just like with his father, this “glimpse” would only be triggered by him being with his family.

************

Barry’s suspicions where confirmed the day Superman brought his son, Jon, up with him. Here was another proof Damian was, in the end, just a kid.

He first took a smug look because he came up there first, but then excitedly showed his friend around, and the two boys went off and had typical kids’ conversations.

Like wether the mega-computer could play video games, or who was the strongest in the League (at first they didn’t agree, both saying it was their fathers...until they settled on “Aunt Diana” being the best).

Damian could still, sometimes, be a little arrogant and such (just like his father), but there was a clear shift when he was surrounded by his loving family.

************

Barry might’ve never realize how you were truly the corner stone of the family up until tragedy took you away from them (in this quite old story : clickclickclick).

Batman quitted the League, and your children were lost.

It’s only when you disappeared, that he could truly have a grasp of the importance you had in this family. Without you, things could be drastically different for sure. And your loss was felt by everyone.

The League’s members were your friends.

Diana, Clark, Hal, Barry himself, J’onn, Dinah, Oliver...

They all felt the loss.

You had also became a vital member of the League.

And when you were gone.....

Barry felt his heart regain color, when he heard about what your sons’ went through to get you back. And when you came up to the Headquarters, a warm welcome is what greeted you.

Batman didn’t even try to hide his smile, or, for the first time since everyone discovered he was married, didn’t shy away from PDA.

Flash does not think that there was one moment when Bruce didn’t at least hold your hand. And when at least one of your children would cling to you. No matter how old.

Yes. It became truly apparent that day, that you were the center of it all. The sun around which they all gravitated. But without them, you also had no purpose but to burn out all alone. You were all linked, forever.

There was no you without them, and them without you.

************

It was clear Duke wasn’t quite used yet to all the craziness that came with becoming a vigilante.

When he arrived at the League’s headquarters, he was rather shy and reserved, and Barry saw his “what the fuck ?” face often as Damian and Cass showed him around headquarters.

Both Damian and Cassandra were born in a specific environment which made it easy for them to assimilate how everything was absolutely nuts. It was the same with Dick, Tim and Jason. From a very early age they were thrown into that world !

But Duke ? Sure, he was used to all the shenanigans that happened in Gotham. But he had a pretty normal childhood. So things could often appear completely crazy or him ! He really tried though, to slowly get used to it.

It was actually quite adorable, to see both Cass and Damian explaining things carefully to a Duke who was trying to assimilate everything. Their bond was obviously strong, it didn’t take a genius to realize that.

Bruce had brought Duke up for a particular reason, which was : getting to know other meta-humans and talk to people who went through the same things he did.

His talks with Superman and Flash himself seemed to help the boy a lot, to grasp and understand his feelings. It wasn’t easy, to suddenly discover you were different. To suddenly have to control abilities you never had before.

From afar, you and Bruce kept a close eye on what was happening, making sure Duke was alright and comfortable. And clearly, the boy was actually having a really good time here, finally able to talk with people who truly understood the struggle and loneliness that could come with being a meta human.

It seemed to Barry, that this newest member of “who manages to make Batman smiles without trying or realizing it” club was on the right track to become quite the hero.

************

Sometimes, Barry would notice that, when he wasn’t doing something “work” related, Batman’s face would suddenly soften and relax, and a small smirk would appear.

The big bad bat, in moments of calm, not working on the computer or anything, for example as he made himself a cup of coffee, would suddenly let go of that icy marble-carved expression, and give place for a brief expression full of fondness. Of course, it would always be very fleeting, but it was definitely there.

Barry liked to think that in those short moments, Bruce was thinking of his family. That he would catch a glimpse of the loving and sensitive man hid under the scary costume.

And Barry was right.

************

The big bad Bat that never smiles (unless with family).

That’s the picture Barry has now when he thinks of him.

As he was looking at the baby Batman was holding in his arms, and proudly showing the League members, Flash was reminisced of his first impression of the man, years and years ago.

Cold, harsh, arrogant, “need no help and doesn’t say thank you”. How Barry was almost sure that “The Batman” wasn’t actually a real man at all. He never showed emotions, never showed weakness or anything, was entirely focused on his work.

But the truth was, and it was clear at the expression of his face was one full of fondness and love as the baby cooed at him, that Bruce was actually like any other man.

It’s just that, in the League’s early days, he didn’t have another chance at having a family yet. In the League’s early days, he was wary of making strong connections, new friends and what not, afraid to lose them and feel the pain to continue on leaving without a loved one.

However, as the years’ went by, Flash saw the changes. Thanks to you, to his children. How he trusted his friends of the League’s more. To the point of bringing up his one month old son to present him to them.

When there was a time Bruce used to scold little Dick for using his real name at times, it was difficult to imagine what things would become.

Yes. Over the years, Barry realize he greatly misjudge the Batman.

He was not that cold, unfeeling and unemotional man. He was the opposite. It just took him taking a chance at being happy again to show it. It just took a loving family once more, for him to smile.

Of course, when they weren’t there, Batman still had that scary persona. But now. Now Barry new better. Because he saw the fondness and love on his face.

The softness that even the Bat himself, didn’t realize was painting his every feature.

The End.

__________________________________________________

Here we are, a new story haha. Sorry if it’s meh, I’m really slowly getting in a new writing rhythm, and writing about the Bats again. I hope you still liked it ! :) I honestly have no idea why I ended up going with writing mostly in sort-of Barry’s POV ! But I hope you liked that...Haha I posted it RIGHT in time, it’s 11:53 pm, I said I’d post it at the latest on Monday, pfffeew what a ride.

As usual, feedbacks and reblogs are extremely welcomed. Like, really beyond appreciated. Thanks in advance, and see you soon with a new story <3.

PS : In case you’re wondering, the baby mentioned at the end of the story is the one appearing in those fics : The Great Mall adventure, Master of Diaper, Shaky steps and bad teaching, Polichinelle, “Go away, you’re confusing my baby”, How do you make babies ?, What it means to be a big brother, Wild Child 2, “We want them back” and After Batmom’s death

6K notes · View notes

furblrwurblr · 3 years

Text

I had to adress the trauma before they kissed

Part three to Patience, Love!

Douxie x Reader Soulmate AU, fluff, angst. crack if you squint.

《One》《Two》 | Masterlist

You'd had a few days of unfamiliar band after unfamiliar band and were glad for a taste of home when Papa Skull was up on the itinerary. You two slept in as you had for the past week and had an instant noodle breakfast (the good kind, none of that Maruchan crap Douxie's addicted to) before hitting the town. Dancing, walking, and browsing the streets with their little shops was a fun way to spend the afternoon before you made your way to the venue. You noticed Douxie was being… a little bit more. A little closer, a little softer, a little jittery. You'd had a mind to ask him but he interrupted you every time he saw your curiosity scratching itself on his forearms, running off looking over his shoulder for you to follow. At some point, he'd asked to split up, absolutely not because he wanted to find something for you, or so he said. You spent the whole time he was gone absently searching for something in return, preoccupied with the thoughts on your arms and legs that were just so very Douxie.

"Oh! That's nice! No, no no no, this is your soulmate! Nice isn't great, it's between good and okay. Or would it be between good and alright? Which trumps the other? Blast it all, this store isn't helping," or "This store isn't at ALL what I thought it was... No! Don't think about that, if they see that on their arm I'll be the impatient one!"

You told him where you were after he seemed somewhat satisfied. He walked towards you, the grin on his face falling into a betrayed look of feigned shock as he watched you taking pictures of all the thoughts he'd forgotten you could see. He groaned as he sat beside you on a park bench, seeing just how much you'd read.

"Did I give it away already?"

"All I know is it's somewhere between great and good, or is alright the better word?" you teased.

He bumped your shoulder with his. "Cheeky," he smiled. "Let's head back to the campsite, eat a quick meal, and grab a good spot!"

After a light dinner, you'd managed to squeeze your way fairly close to the front, far enough from the stage to risk being squished. You'd been there a few hours when Papa Skull finally made their appearance, you and Douxie amongst the loudest welcoming them onstage. Not long into their hit song, "Mean", Douxie was nervous.

"I’m gonna do it. I don’t want them to spook..."

You glimpsed his concern on your forearm, unable to make much out in your excitement for the live music, but you knew he was working up to something. You let it be, curious to see what he'd do.

Douxie slowed his breathing. He really liked you so far, and although your mind was quick to dive into the gutter, he didn't want to scare you off. Your own mishap ended in him seeing you once before ghosting for nearly a month. Not to mention, he could tell how embarrassed his little experiments on the boat had made you, what with the whispering and all. It may have been a different kind of embarrassed, more flustered than mortified, but you'd never spoken out against anything. He didn't have a clear grasp of your boundaries. While he'd been searching for a gift for you, he'd wondered how he was going to give it to you. He settled for another first- nothing big, it was pretty cliché, but he enjoyed doing it and hoped you would too.

Douxie placed a hand on your upper arm to make sure you wouldn't startle, it was a bit difficult to get your attention. He slid his arm behind your back, looking to you for confirmation. Your nod made him sigh in relief as he planted his hand on the outside of your shoulder. He felt you laugh and nearly withdrew before you grabbed his hand and pulled so his arm draped over your shoulders, placing your other hand across his back and gently curling your fingers into his waist. You two shared a tender moment of silence before half-turning your attention back to the concert, both too caught up in each other to be in the moment.

He fingered the large box in his sweater pocket, withdrawing his hand. It could wait, he didn't want to risk you moving to look at it, and Mordrax forbid you take your warm hand from his side before he was ready.

Later, you both fell into your sleeping bags with a mighty puff of the air rushing out under the sudden weights, both heaving great sighs of relief. You looked over to him in silence, waiting for his gaze to meet yours. His head turned quickly, smiling wide. Laughter built between you until the pair of you were wiping tears from your eyes, still feeling the euphoria from the concert and one another. Once you relaxed again, Douxie got up and beckoned for you to do the same. You looked at him quizzically.

"If I know I'm hungry then you must be too, I eat less often than you," he reasoned.

Reluctantly, you got up, sad to leave your plush dollar-store sleeping bag. Douxie started the fire while you zipped the tent to swap your themed tour outfit for something more comfortable.

Douxie rustled through the bags back on the ship, pulling out leftovers from the diner in town. He made his way back to the now-blazing fire, sitting on a log to prepare the meal. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the glow of the lantern in the tent--

blimey, was the tent always that sheer? It was night and the lantern made it far too easy to see your silhouette. "Woah, looking away now!" Ah, he saw how appropriate the word "blimey" was in this case. While he did enjoy what he saw, part of him did want God to blind himself because he was 90% sure he'd just watched you remove your top without your knowledge. "God, I tease them constantly, but I'm just as bad, aren't I?" he realized. He quickly went back to warming the food, hands rushed and face pink.

You watched his fault write itself on your torso, cheeks just as flushed, although with a bit more amusement than he was feeling at the moment. You finished and stepped out, a smug look on your face. Wordlessly, you sat next to him, studying his reaction. He avoided your eyes, recognizing the glint they had when his thoughts betrayed him. You slid off the log, reclining against it and making a show of placing your arms behind your head.

"I guess I can't really complain, you are making me dinner first, as per your own terms," you said, nonchalant.

Douxie cursed himself. "How could I have been so bold?" he lamented with a sheepish smile. Time to change the subject. He looked around, searching for anything to talk about, settling on the flames that reminded him of the familiar he missed oh so much. He broke the comfortable silence and turned to you. "Would you like me to show you something?" The nondescript watch on his wrist extended, magical glamour falling to reveal his brace, now glowing with energy.

You nodded eagerly. His magic was comforting and beautiful, just like he was… wait. Why not mess with him a bit?

"One condition."

He withdrew his hands from their position in front of him, face earnest.

"Take off your sweater. I've seen your tattoos under your short sleeves, and I know they glow, wonderboy," you half-demanded. Payback and your own reward in one? You deserved to be a little stern.

He laughed, shrugging off his sweater before putting his hands at the ready once more. With a smile, he pushed and pulled the bonfire from where he sat beside you, flames turning his signature blue the more he manipulated them. It was beautiful, drowning the verdant green of the forest in a blue that belonged only to your soulmate. Douxie reveled in your amazement, fire magic a new experience for a novice such as yourself.

You turned your attention to his tattoos and your lips parted in wonder. You'd never seen them in full, runes you couldn't recognize glowing a vibrant blue. The swooping lines didn't move, but it seemed the light shining through them did, glow rippling below his skin. You slid back onto the log again, closer this time, and brushed your fingers over them. Douxie let the fire swirl to its original shape, goosebumps raising at your feather-light touch. They dimmed, once again their original grey, but you persisted, enthralled by the runes.

Douxie had never loved someone so much. Sure, you'd only known each other a few months, but he felt justified since you were his soulmate. As much as he still couldn't believe he'd met you after all that time, he was more amazed at how often it proved true that you were made to fit one another. Your humor, your joys, your sadness. It made itself apparent in how you walked towards him, the way you smiled when he called you. The comfort in your voice that he could feel through the phone. Your eyes. Oh, your eyes, how they did things to his heart.

He pulled himself from his thoughts, eyes roving over your body intently, latching onto any exposed skin. He was looking in pride at his thoughts of admiration, feeling almost as if they marked you as his. "A reminder," he thought, that right now, you belonged to one another. He brought his gaze back to those eyes of yours, now studying his face. The two of you looked at one another in silence, watching one another's eyes flick down and back again, faces drawing closer. His tongue darted out to moisten his slightly chapped lip, causing your breath to hitch. His heart jumped at the sound, snapping him from his daze. He gently lifted your hand from his bicep, shakily breathing the same air as you. He folded your fingers into his chill grasp, bringing them to his lips and pressing a long kiss to your knuckles before bowing his head to press your hand to his brow. You smiled, heart beating from your chest, then grabbed his sweater from between you two with your free hand and sliding it up to his back and over a shoulder. He slowly released your hand with a small chuckle, twirling the garment from his shoulders and placing it on your own. His hands dragged down to the beginning of the zipper and tugged it forward to secure it on your body, pulling you just that much closer. He lingered, smiling gently at you. This. This was a moment he hoped would never end.

His long fingers withdrew to finally warm the food, the 'almost' of what had just happened filling the comfortable silence of the forest clearing.

It'd been a few days since the Almost (your affectionate lament for the kiss that nearly was), and the tour was nearly over. Only a few days were left and you weren't ready for it to end. Maybe after this you and Douxie could spend more time at one another's flats, just to have each other around. Your home was your sanctuary, and you were already fully prepared to open it to him. You trusted him and were happy you'd ironed out your initial issues. For the most part, that is.

"What's this, Y/N?" Douxie asked. You were taken from your thoughts by his sudden question and gave him a puzzled look. He gestured to the 'trust issue' statement written boldly across his bare shoulder before going to sit next to you, the distance between you feeling like an emotional chasm. He used to sit closer before the Almost. "Is something the matter? Did I do something to make you cross?" His face was less puzzled now and more anxious.

"Well," you began, "It's nothing recent. Maybe it is? I keep dwelling on the past, and I feel I need to bring it up."

"Go for it, darling, anything you need," he rushed, turning his entire body to face you.

"I've been running most of my life, as is the curse of an immortal, but I’ve spent the last sixteen years of it searching for you. I kept asking you questions, trying to find you. As amusing as it was to play cat and mouse, I felt displaced and restless. Friends came and went, I scoured America in its entirety. A hint, a clue, something!" You rushed, breathing ragged. "Arcadia was my resignation, you know," you continued, quieter now. "I've stayed as long as I have because I gave up, too tired to keep running towards something, no matter how much I wanted it. No matter how much I wanted you, I--" your eyes filled with tears and you paused, choking on a sob. You sucked in a breath. He needed to hear this. *You* needed him to hear this. "It hurt when I realized you didn't remember our fleeting moments together in combat. I enjoyed sharing that moment of revealing ourselves to one another, but it hurts that I've chased that beautiful blue for the past eight centuries and you don't remember those two years of patrolling the canals.”

Douxie placed a hesitant hand on the small of your back and his eyes dropped from your face to the forest floor, remembering why he'd been so excited to meet you. He'd seen your reactions to his thoughts back in Italy but quickly had to move on. He and Archie had decided long ago that no matter what, they'd put Merlin's tasks above anything else. Even his soulmate. When he realized how close you were he got excited. He couldn't search for you, but he didn't see anything wrong if you found him first. Even then, he kept you at arm's length, scared of the consequences. Merlin's tower, how could he have been so thoughtless? Douxie had never stopped to consider how his constant moving around would affect you. He never took the concepts of soulmates all that seriously. Sure, he could daydream about being with someone made for him and refuse to date anyone until he met you, but it became real the night he found you. Too real. So he ran. Dancing around you, pretending he was doing you a favor with his vague answers and puzzling riddles. Then, he met you again. You were real once more. After his comical encounter with you, he was too preoccupied to sleep, absorbing the finality of having a soulmate. You had come into his life with a bang, a reminder that Merlin and his tasks didn't define who he was. What had shaped him were small influences of the people he'd met throughout the last millennium, including you.

You were worried. Douxie's brow was more creased than you'd ever seen it. His hand on your back grew clammy, the cold night air quickly cooling the fresh damp patch of your shirt.

"...Douxie?" you whispered, afraid your rant had gone too far. His head turned just a little too quickly and you gasped at the tears glistening in the moonlight. He choked on a few unsteady breaths, mouth half-forming words. You reached your hand for the bicep of the arm loosely wrapped around your waist, but before you could touch it, he spoke.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, drawing his hand away from your torso. The first of many large tears burst upon the wood of the log you sat upon. Whose tears they were no longer mattered when both of you began crying anew. You wrapped your fingers around the arm he removed from your side and placed it there once more, throwing your arms around his middle. He sobbed at this, heart happy that you still accepted him, and brought his other hand to clutch your head to his collarbone. He wasn't running anymore, he'd done what was asked of him and was finally able to let you catch up to him.

The two of you were too caught up in one another to notice but had either of you been paying attention, you would have seen each other's skin being adorned with countless words of adoration, regret, and joy.

#patience love #douxie x reader #toa douxie x reader #hisirdoux casperan x reader #too many commas #like WAY too many #not betaread #casual fic writing lmao im working on more polished pieces #x reader #toa x reader #toa wizards #idk how to tag things #furblewrites #I SWEAR THEY KISS NEXT BIT

58 notes · View notes

idanwyn-et-al · 3 years

Text

(XIV|21-29: Debonair. Idanwyn Lluanswys.)

[♪]

“Aren’t you worried about the rain messin’ up your fancy garb, Captain?” Kanekiyo put enough emphasis on her title to ensure she knew he was mocking her.

Idanwyn didn’t rise to the bait. “Wouldnae be particularly good sailin’ garb if I didnae want it tae get wet, now, would it?” Pushing away from the stone pillar, she turned on her bootheel to face the Raen. Even for one of his kind, he was tall; her own six fulms, three ilms, put the top of her hat at the bottom of his ribcage. “Why’re ye speakin’ in Eorzean on this side o’ th’ star, anyroad?”

Kanekiyo raised a scaled brow, ticking off reasons on his fingertips. “ ‘Cause there aren’t too many bilingual, pale Sea Wolf runts what have cursed ships,” Idanwyn mimed cutting her throat with her left index finger, shaking her head rapidly, “and are expressly prevented from makin’ port here,” the Sea Wolf bared her teeth, eyes staring daggers up at the green-eyed Raen, “thanks to pissin’ off the yakuza.”

“I’m goin’ tae drown ye me ainself, I swear tae Llymlaen an’ th’ kami, both,” she hissed, throwing up her hands in defeat. “I suppose I brought tha’ on meself by askin’. Fine. I ken this is no’ th’ garb those wha’ are dear tae me here would expect tae see me in. Still,” she ducked her head and paused. The group of Limsan tourists she’d made the journey with---she’d dressed far more inconspicuously then, of course---clattered down the pier, exclaiming loudly about the architecture, the crimson sunset like patches of magma against the scattering rainclouds.

“[Still,]” she continued in Hingan, pitching her voice so it was just audible above the rain, the chatter, “[can we please get to the damned skiff? The sooner we’re in Yanxia, the better.]” They walked side-by-side, Kanekiyo stooping so his horns could catch her words, headed to a smaller pier at the eastern edge of the bustling port city. “[I still don’t understand why I had to go through all of this trouble. I could’ve travelled by aether to the geomancer’s temple quite easily. Then, a short day’s hike, perhaps two, to the falls.]”

As they boarded their rented sailboat, sharing the duties needed to launch her, Kanekiyo explained. “[The sage is able to trace paths through the aether. It’s not unheard of for one to go physically blind, then gain that sort of skill.]”

“[Nor is it as common as you’re making it sound,]” she replied dryly. The pair worked in silence for a time, then took a moment to relax as the stars poked through the Firmament. Idanwyn took a deep breath, removing her tricorne the moment they lost sight of Kugane; a brisk evening wind hastened their journey across the Ruby Sea.

“Ye really t’ink this sage could track me t’rough th’ aether?” she asked at length. In the depths below, Sui-no-Sato was a shimmering pearl against the darkness; both sailors watched it diminish as they passed. “If sae, might be as I should find a different path fer me crew tae take. We can find another way tae make an airship. Hells, if I give Zakuro enough time, gil, an’ tea, we could at least get some...I dinnae, rockets or summat.”

Kanekiyo groaned. “I still can’t believe they let you be a Captain. Rockets? Seriously?!” He let up when he saw the look she was giving him; a smug smile, amber eyes reflecting the lantern on the prow. “Okay, fine, you got me. I really can’t tell when you’re being stupid for fun or for real, though.”

The pale Sea Wolf’s aetheric sleeve tattoo glowed bright, pinpricks of blue light wending through the weave of her coat sleeve. A moment after, the waters below, with perfect accuracy, lofted a confused herring onto an even more confused Kanekiyo’s face. “Aye. I’ve tae keep ‘em guessin’, lad, or tis an early grave fer auld Idanwyn Lluan’s-kin,” she announced debonairly, one hand on her embroidered waistcoat, the other held aloft in the air, the very picture of a pirate queen.

Such a picture was never meant to last; Kanekiyo, also a geomancer, set the seat of her pants alight, sending her overboard in a hurry. “Godsdammit!” she hollered upon surfacing; he merely waved farewell, the unfortunate herring flapping in his hand like a salt-wife’s handkerchief. Fortunately, it was only about a half malm to shore; an easy swim for her, even if her garb wasn’t as seaworthy as she’d claimed it to be. She’d die before she admitted that to her senpai, however; he was insufferable enough already.

They grilled the herring and many of its fellows for supper, Idanwyn in the plain tunic and trousers that she preferred for sailing, her Captain’s garb drying nearby. The skiff was well-dug into the pebbly sand of the shore; tomorrow, just before sunrise, they’d break camp and navigate an underground river until they reached Yanxia. There, too, she’d see this sage for herself; see if they were worth the risk to her crew.

(( @clockworkdragonffxiv for the mention!))

#Idanwyn Lluanswys #FFxivWrite2021 #I did it I wrote for all the alts equally so today and tomorrow are about Idan #prompt 29 debonair #ffxiv writers #femroe #roegadame #I got way into this one! I missed writing for Idanwyn

13 notes · View notes

lakesandquarries · 3 years

Text

Tangled Up - Chapter One

for I am a tardigrade, and I'll stay at home

Benrey's spent 26 years living in a tower - 27, tomorrow. When a thief breaks into his tower, he finds his chance to escape and takes it.

Alternatively: Tangled, but the AI is self aware.

(featuring art by @kenas-artstuff )

Notes: check ao3 for warnings and tags! “kane radio” is just gordon using a fake name. fic title from “tangled up” by caro emerald, chapter title from “tardigrade song” by cosmo sheldrake.

Happy valentines day!!! hope you enjoy <3

AO3 Link

This is not the first time Kane’s come to tied up. It’s not even the first time this week. However, it is the first time he’s come to tied up with ropes made of human hair, and the first time he’s come to with a fucking raccoon shoving its nose in his ear.

So maybe he screams a little. Anyone would! It’s a reasonable reaction.

The hair around his wrists is a shiny blue-black, tough when he pulls at it. Is all hair like that? Is it one of those things that’s fragile individually but super tough all together? Seems like it, because it’s not even budging.

He’s so caught up that he doesn’t notice the person in the shadows until they’re holding out a crowbar, tilting up his chin.

“Yo,” they say, quiet and monotone. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

Kane screams again.

They’re weird looking. Pale, really pale, to the point that Kane wonders if something is wrong with them, and with a dark shadow around their eyes like a bruise that makes him sure. They’ve got on a long dress, all dark blues and lace and fancy embroidery, the kind of thing you’d either have to be rich to buy or have a lot of spare time to make. Their eyes are a bright, bright yellow, almost glowing, sclera a pale blue, and their hair is the same blue-black as the hair around Kane’s wrists - oh, it’s the same hair, isn’t it? Fuck, it’s long.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” the guy says again. “You got, uh. ID? Passport?”

“Passport?” This is - this is insane. This cannot be happening. “What the fuck,” he mumbles, repeating it to himself a few times, “what the fuck, who - who are you?”

The man tilts his head up with his crowbar. "No, no. I asked you first. You're in my house, I ask the questions." His eyes narrow, almost translucent in the light. "What're you doing here? How'd you find me? You gonna steal shit?" His hand goes to his hair, tugging on the blue-black strands. "Gonna steal my hair?"

"Steal your - why would I steal your hair?" The crowbar is cold against his throat, pressing harder every time he speaks. "And aside from that, I'm not here to steal anything. I thought this place was empty so I could use it for - as a shelter! Happy now?" His tone stays steady, confident even, but his hands clutch at the armrests desperately.

“You - huh?” The crowbar pulls back, just enough that Kane’s head can drop, and he sucks in a deep breath while he still can. The crowbar moves away entirely for a moment, as the stranger steps aside to have a whispered conversation with his pet raccoon.

Yeah, this day is weird enough for that to seem normal. Between stealing the prince’s royal helmet, ditching his partner, getting chased by a guard dog, and now this - it’s certainly been a day.

While the guy’s busy, Kane glances around, taking in the sights of the tower. It’s small. Homey. There’s a bed, a kitchen, a couch, bookshelves full of video games and a handful of books. The walls are covered, floor to ceiling, in paintings. When he looks up he realizes it’s not just the walls, the ceiling is painted too. Even the furniture has tiny doodles and carvings in it.

The crowbar slides against his throat again, cutting off his train of thought. "Is it just you?” the stranger asks. “No, uh. Backup? Not gonna...." he trails off, looking at his raccoon again, then back to Kane. "Who are you?"

He gives the man the best smile he can manage, under the circumstances, and says, “I’m Kane. Kane Radio.”

“Kane,” the man repeats. There’s a long pause where the two of them just stare at each other, before he finally adds, “Benrey.” Suddenly he tugs on his hair, pulling Kane closer to him and pushing the crowbar aside. “I wanna make a deal with you.”

“Uhh, yeah, could you get me out of your...hair, first? If that is your hair.” He doesn’t have time to make deals, and he doesn’t like the way Benrey repeated his name. Could he….? No, there’s no way. Kane’s been careful to erase any trace of Gordon Freeman. Of all people to blow his secret it’s not gonna be some random hermit living in a tower. He swallows, appreciating the lack of metal at his throat. “To be honest, I’d rather -”

Aaaand there goes the crowbar again. Shouldn’t have gotten confident. "You're lucky I'm gonna let you leave," Benrey says, voice low. Suddenly he doesn't seem like just a weird guy in a tower. Suddenly he seems like a threat. A choked yelp claws out of Kane’s throat as Benrey tugs on his hair again, pulling Kane close enough that he can see his unnaturally sharp teeth. "Wanna try that again?"

He barely processes the words, focused on the man - man?? - in front of him, the sharp teeth and glowing eyes and the crowbar pressing his throat shut, or maybe that’s just anxiety. It occurs to him that maybe this guy isn’t human.

His smile is nowhere near its usual confidence, but he tries to grin anyway. “S-so, uh, what...what was that deal? Benrey?”

Benrey’s face splits into a grin, and suddenly he’s just...a guy again. A weird guy! A weird, unsettling guy, with eyes that are too bright and teeth that are too sharp and hair that is way too long, but a guy. The crowbar is lowered and Benrey steps back, clambering up his fireplace and pulling back a red curtain. Behind it is...a painting? Still semi-fresh, from the looks of it, in the same style that all the other paintings are. This one depicts the floating lanterns they do for the prince's birthday. There’s all sorts of colors, blue and silver and pink and green, and below the sky is a hill with a small figure on it with long black hair.

"You know what these are?" he asks, pointing a finger at a pink light.

Kane exhales slowly. Benrey’s gonna push that crowbar against him again any second now, so he might as well enjoy breathing while he can. Fuck, he’d almost rather go back outside and deal with the guard dog that chased him here. “Yeah,” he says, voice shaking, and he clears his throat before he continues. “The lanterns for the lost prince.” Is Benrey fucking with him? Everyone knows the lanterns. Kane’s never even been to a lantern ceremony himself but he still knows what they are. He’d need a serious head injury to forget that, and while his head hurts a bit it’s certainly not that bad.

Benrey does not seem to be fucking with him, because he does a little cheer and fist pump. “I knew they weren’t stars,” he mumbles to himself, before turning back to Kane. Louder, he says, "I want you to take me there. To see 'em." He pulls the curtain back over and jumps down from the mantle, landing on the floor with a heavy thud. "Think you can manage that? Just there and back and I don't, uh. Y'know." He glances at the window. Kane follows his gaze, picturing Benrey launching his body out of it, and shudders. "Pretty good deal, I think."

Kane’s breath comes out in a panicked hiss.”W-well, that's not really a good idea right now, since I shouldn’t show my face in the kingdom right now considering I -" oh shit. "Oh shit. My satchel! Where is my satchel?!"

Benrey raises an eyebrow, smirking at him. “Oh, the bag thingy? I hid it. Mine now.” His smug face is the most infuriating thing Kane has ever seen, and he’d be throwing a punch if he wasn’t fucking tied to a chair. Benrey continues, "If you want it, you gotta earn it. You take me to the lanterns, I give you your satchel. Deal?"

Hid it. He said he hid it, so it’s….somewhere in here, probably, and once Kane realizes that it’s easy to figure out. He nods his head at a flowerpot. “It’s in there, huh?”

Benrey raises the crowbar again.

Oh, shit. “W-wait, no no no, no need to hit me!” He shuts his eyes, wishing he could move his arms to protect himself. He does not need any more head trauma, thank you very much.

This guy really won’t hesitate to kill him, huh? This stupid deal is his only real option. Kane sighs, keeping his eyes shut. "L-look, I'll keep my eyes shut like this? And you can hide my satchel somewhere else. No peeking. I'll agree to the deal. Just - my head already feels like splitting."

A pause. Kane almost considers opening his eyes but keeps them shut. Finally he hears Benrey’s voice again. “No peeking,” he repeats. There’s a series of shuffling noises, bare feet and raccoon claws against the floor, and then a moment later: “Okay. You can open your eyes.”

The satchel is nowhere to be seen, without even a hint to where it might be hiding. He sighs, head dropping forward before he looks up at Benrey again. "If I'm gonna agree to this, let me ask at least one question. Why do you wanna see them so badly, and why would you need an escort for that?"

Benrey’s face goes blank. “Uhhhh,” is all he says, followed by a long pause, leaving Kane worried he broke him somehow, but finally Benrey continues. "That's, uh. None of your business. 's just - it's, uh, dangerous. Out there. For me. Need a....need a guide."

Huh. Sheltered, maybe? Benrey seems...well, a little off, to be blunt. He can’t be much younger than Kane is, but he doesn’t even know about the lanterns. Overprotective parent seems a likely answer, but whatever the reason, now’s not the time to pry. “Alright, yeah, none of my business. Okay. We go see the lanterns, come back, you give me the satchel, yeah? Deal?”

“Deal,” Benrey agrees.

“Okay. Does that mean you can untie me now?”

-----

The thing about spending 27 years in a tower, knowing that this is where you’re going to spend your entire life, is that when you get the option to leave it’s kind of the scariest thing imaginable.

Kane’s already climbed down, leaning against a tree while Benrey stands on the ledge. Physically, he’s ready. He’s got his hair wrapped around the lever, ready to swing down, ready to go, to get out of the stupid fucking tower and out into the real world, except -

Except -

“You are never leaving this tower.” Zeki’s hands are on his shoulder, nails digging in. “Do you understand?”

Benrey reaches back, trying to grab at the closet. “But -”

“The outside world isn’t safe for you. You aren’t safe for it. If you went outside, you know what would happen?”

“Huh?”

“Look at you.” She grabs his hand roughly, pulling him over to the mirror. “They’ll take one look at you, and they’ll know, and then what? You’ll fight back. You’ll hurt people. You’re dangerous.”

It’s nothing new, but. He thinks about the man he has stuffed into his closet. He didn’t hurt him. He’ll be fine! “But -”

“This isn’t up for discussion. You. Are not. Leaving. Ever. Do you understand me or not?”

He stares at the mirror, looking between himself and Zeki. She’s looked the same as long as he can remember, brown hair always pulled into a bun and dark green eyes, pale skin but not in the same way Benrey is pale. She’s human. He’s not. And she’s right, that anyone who looks at him is gonna know. That’s why he’s up here, where it’s safe. Where no one can hurt him. And, more importantly, where he can’t hurt anyone else.

“I understand,” Benrey mumbles.

“Good.”

“I, uh. I thought of - I came up with something better. For a, uh. Birthday thingy.”

Zeki turns away from the mirror, towards Benrey. “Oh?”

“You got me that - the paint. Last year. The white one?”

“That’s a long trip,” she says, pursing her lips.

“I won’t ask about the. The stars. Or going outside. Or anything of that. I’ll, uh -” He glances at the dresser, the one where she keeps her lab coat. “I’ll make up for it.”

There’s a glint in her eyes, sharp like her favourite knife. “Fine. I’ll get you the paint.” Her face softens as she places a hand on Benrey’s head. “I’m only doing this to protect you.”

“I know,” he mumbles, as she steps away to gather her things. “I know.”

“Benrey?” Kane yells. “Are you gonna move or what?”

He jumps.

The fall is intense. Wind in his hair, sun on his face, watching the ground get closer - oh that’s close. Oh that’s very close. He stops just a few inches off the ground, hesitating once again. There’s no going back from this. The grass is so much greener than he expected, bright and shiny in the sun, drops of dew still lingering, and before he can spiral further he puts his foot down. When nothing happens - no monster appears, no pit opens up and swallows him - he puts both feet on the ground, the blades of grass tickling him.

A quick tug, and he pulls his hair down from the lever, watching it fall to the ground, and then joins it. The grass is still damp underneath him, but the sun above is warm. He’s getting covered in dew and dirt and bits of grass and he can’t find it in him to care, busy savoring the feeling he’s dreamed of for so long.

It’s not until he stands up that he realizes the bulk on his hair landed directly on Kane. He starts shoving hair aside, Jefferem lending a set of tiny hands as extra help. “You good?” Benrey asks, as Kane’s head becomes visible.

Kane huffs, struggling to stand. “Apart from being attacked by your mane, yeah, I'm fine. Can you help me out?”

Benrey holds out an arm. Pulling Kane up proves easier than he thought, and he pulls a little too hard, almost slamming Kane into him, the two of them pressed together for a moment before Kane coughs and steps back. Benrey takes a moment to half-heartedly brush some dirt and grass out of his hair and off his clothes, looking at Kane. “Guide time?”

Kane blinks at him, not bothering to clean off his clothing. “Uh - yeah. Guide time. Let’s go!” His steps are loud as he walks away.

Benrey’s footsteps are almost inaudible as he follows, crowbar gripped tight in his hands. The initial adrenaline is starting to fade, doubt settling in. Maybe this was a bad idea. It’s not too late to turn around and go back.

He shakes his head. Lost in his own thoughts, he’s fallen behind, and he has to sprint to catch up. Hoping not to zone out again, he starts talking, letting the first thing he can think of fall out of his mouth. “The lights - the lanterns. You said they were for a...prince?”

They enter a small stone tunnel as Kane answers. His voice is soft. “Every year, on the prince’s birthday, the kings - and the whole kingdom - release a swarm of lanterns,” he explains, voice echoing. It turns theatrical as he continues. “See, their little boy was snatched away as a baby, by an evil wizard! Or...something like that, at least. They’re hoping the lanterns will bring him back.”

“On his birthday?” Benrey echoes. Weird coincidence. A moment passes while Benrey busies himself with touching the walls of the tunnel. “And they still haven’t found him? Why’re they still doing the lanterns if it doesn’t work?”

Kane’s voice is softer, more subdued when he responds. "The kings still have hope that their baby boy will return someday. It's a very human thing in my opinion."

Ah. Human thing. That explains why Benrey doesn’t understand.

Kane pokes his head through the ivy, waiting a moment before ducking back and lifting it to let Benrey through. “We’re clear.”

Raising an eyebrow, Benrey repeats, “Clear?” Is something following them, or is Kane just paranoid? Or maybe Benrey is reading too much into things. Maybe it’s normal to check for stuff like that. Not like he would know.

"Ah - well, I told you earlier, didn't I? The kingdom and I aren't... quite buddy buddy at the moment." As they walk, he keeps looking around, eyes darting back and forth. "But don't worry, it shouldn't be a big problem for our objective."

Oh. Maybe he should’ve paid more attention to what Kane was saying earlier. Too late for that now, though. “So I was right? You a little - thief boy, huh? Stealing shit?” It’s mostly a guess, but he can’t picture this guy doing any real crime. His satchel probably had some stolen shit in it and that’s why he wants it back so bad. Well, better to team up with a criminal than a guard or something, considering all the rules Benrey’s breaking.

“Why do you keep insisting I steal shit?” Kane asks, looking away from Benrey. He doesn’t even give him time to answer, immediately following it with, “Hey, you hungry?”

Immediately changing the subject, huh? Now that’s suspicious. Admittedly he is a little hungry, and curious about where they’d be getting food out here. “Only if you’re not gonna steal it.”

Kane’s mouth screws up, eyes narrowing with a scoff. “I know a good place to get food. On our way, too. My friend works there.”

Oh shit, other people. He hesitates a moment before nodding. “Sure. Sure, yeah.”

Kane squints at him again. “You're not really an outside person huh? Have you...Have you ever been outside before?”

Damn, okay, just gonna straight up ask. Benrey opens his mouth to answer and then stops. “You answer my question first.” He’s not looking at Kane as he talks, eyes on the road ahead.

A groan in response, and then, “Fine, neither of us get an answer, then.” Kane picks up his pace, quickly getting ahead of Benrey.

“Someone’s grumpy,” Benrey mutters, rushing to catch up again. Kane’s anger surprises him. “I don’t care if you are. I’m breaking like....every rule possible just being here.” He pauses, scuffing at the dirt. “‘s all cool. Y’know. Be gay, do crime.”

Kane bursts into laughter, stopping in the road for a second. “Real rebel, huh?” he asks, shooting Benrey a grin that he returns nervously. “Fitting, then, for you to break out with a thief.”

Benrey’s grin widens, delighted. “Hah! I was right.”

“Yeah, yeah, congratulations, Blueberry.” The smile twists at the corners, as Kane leans closer to Benrey. “But that means we’re in my business now. So what about yours? You said you're breaking every rule right now. So... you weren't allowed outside that tower for some reason?”

That same empty expression makes a return as Benrey freezes. Twirling a strand of hair around his fingers, he clears his throat, forcing himself to start moving again. Walked right into that one, huh? And he’s not a coward, he’s not gonna refuse to answer after he finally got Kane to admit something. “Yeah,” he mumbles. “I, uh. Yeah. Not allowed. Very not allowed.”

If Zeki knew what he was doing right now - she’d kill him. Worse than kill him. Beside him, Kane’s gaze is soft, head tilted and eyebrows furrowed.

“Well…” he starts, “sometimes, you just gotta do what feels right, even if it hurts or makes someone mad. Trust me on that, I know from experience.” To punctuate his last words, he nudges against Benrey’s arm, almost affectionate. Benrey jumps for a second, hand darting to touch the spot Kane had brushed against, almost expecting it to feel different somehow. But no, it’s just his arm.

“Experience,” he repeats quietly. “Uh, yeah. I mean - I’m here.”

“That you are, Mr. Independent.”

#hlvrai #half life vr but the ai is self aware #benrey #gordon feetman #frenrey #benrey hlvrai #cora writes #tangled au #tangled up #adventures of cora

65 notes · View notes