#I really think robin would type quite well if he could

[librababe99]

Can I please request Jason Todd being jealous of reader and Dick who are close (in age and as friends)? Their ease and dynamic with each other brings out all of Jason’s insecurities as he has a crush on reader.

Anon, I absolutely LOVE this request and finally was able to finish something I think you might just like! 🥰

Title: In the Shadows of a Grayson

Tags: Jason Todd x Gn!Reader, friends to lovers, angst with happy ending wc: 1.4K

Jason Todd wasn’t the brooding type, at least not anymore. Well, maybe he was—but he didn’t like admitting it. He had come a long way since his days as the vengeful Red Hood, as the outcast Robin. But certain feelings were harder to shake than others, especially when it came to you.

You and Dick had been friends for as long as Jason could remember. You were close in age, shared interests, and had that easy, effortless rapport that made everyone in the Batfamily smile. To Jason, it was like watching the sun and moon, two celestial bodies that were just meant to be in sync. He hated it, if he was being honest with himself. Every time you laughed at one of Dick’s jokes, every time you gave him that affectionate look, Jason’s chest tightened.

Not because he disliked Dick. No, Jason respected his older brother more than he’d ever admit. He’d take a bullet for him without hesitation, but seeing the two of you together—seeing you with Dick—it hurt. It was like a reminder of everything Jason wasn’t. Dick was charming, confident, and always knew the right thing to say. Jason was the opposite: rough around the edges, quiet, with his words always coming out too harsh or too clumsy. He never knew how to talk to you the way Dick could.

And the worst part? You were perfect for Dick. At least that’s how it seemed in Jason’s eyes. The way you two talked about old movies, the way you could spend hours discussing literature or some obscure bit of history that left everyone else in the room confused—Jason could never keep up with any of that. It wasn’t his world, not really.

So, he stood on the sidelines, watching, brooding, nursing a crush that had taken root so deeply it hurt.

"Jason?" Your voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He had been leaning against the balcony of the Wayne Manor, the Gotham skyline stretching out in front of him. The cold air did little to ease the heat rising in his chest when he turned and saw you walking up to him, your face lit up in that way that made his heart race.

He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, trying to act casual. “Hey,” he muttered, not quite meeting your eyes. “What are you doing out here?”

You shrugged, stepping closer to lean on the railing beside him. “Needed some fresh air. Dick’s telling another one of his ‘first day as Robin’ stories, and I think I’ve heard it about a hundred times by now.”

Jason huffed out a laugh, though it was more bitter than he intended. “Yeah, he loves those, doesn’t he?”

“Are you okay?” you asked, a little too gently for Jason’s liking. You had that look on your face, the one that said you knew something was bothering him. You were good at that—at reading people, at reading him.

“I’m fine,” he lied, turning his gaze back to the skyline. “Just… thinking.”

You were quiet for a moment, and Jason felt your eyes on him. It was unnerving in the best and worst ways. He didn’t deserve your attention like this, not when his insides were twisted up with jealousy. You deserved someone like Dick—someone better.

“Jason…” You hesitated, as if searching for the right words. “You’ve been distant lately. I feel like… I don’t know. Like we haven’t talked in weeks.”

Jason clenched his jaw. Of course you noticed. You always did. He hadn’t been able to look you in the eye for days now, especially not when you were around Dick. It was too much, and he was too afraid that his emotions would slip out if he let his guard down even for a second.

“I’ve been busy,” he said, hoping that would be enough.

But you didn’t back down. You never did when it came to him.

“I miss talking to you, Jay,” you said softly, your voice carrying a sincerity that made his chest ache. “It feels like you’re avoiding me.”

Jason’s hands balled into fists inside his pockets. You weren’t supposed to miss him. You weren’t supposed to care this much. You were supposed to be with Dick, where you belonged, not out here worrying about him.

“I’m not avoiding you,” he grumbled, though he knew it was a lie. “I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”

“About what?”

His pulse quickened. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t tell you. The words were stuck in his throat, a bitter tangle of frustration, self-doubt, and longing. He couldn’t compete with Dick. He wasn’t what you needed.

“Look,” Jason sighed, straightening up and turning to face you, his eyes finally locking onto yours. “Why aren’t you with Dick right now? He’s your best friend, right? You’ve known him forever. Why aren’t you inside with him?”

You frowned, confusion crossing your face. “Jason, what are you talking about?”

“You and Dick,” Jason forced out, the words bitter on his tongue. “You’ve always had each other’s backs. You’ve got the same interests, the same everything. You’re perfect for each other. So why the hell are you out here with me?”

Your eyes widened, realization dawning on your face, and Jason hated how vulnerable he felt in that moment, how exposed his insecurities were laid out in front of you.

“Jason… no.” You shook your head, taking a step closer to him. “I’m not—Dick and I, we’re just friends. We’ve always been friends. That’s it.”

Jason blinked, his mind racing to keep up with what you were saying. “But you’re always with him. You two are so close…”

“Because we’re friends,” you repeated, your tone gentle but firm. “That’s all. I’ve never had feelings for Dick. Not like that.”

Jason stared at you, his heart pounding in his chest. He wanted to believe you, but the nagging doubts in his mind wouldn’t let go. “Then why… why me?”

A small, soft smile tugged at your lips, and you reached out, placing a hand on his arm. “Because you’re the one I care about, Jason. I like you. Not Dick. Not anyone else. You.”

Jason’s breath caught in his throat, and for a moment, he couldn’t speak. You liked him? After all this time, all the late nights he spent torturing himself over you and Dick, you had liked him?

“I’ve been waiting for you to see it,” you continued, your voice quiet but sincere. “But you always keep your distance, like you don’t think you deserve it. But Jason… you do.”

Jason swallowed hard, his emotions threatening to overwhelm him. He didn’t know what to say, didn’t know how to handle the sudden flood of relief and disbelief and hope that surged through him. You cared about him. You liked him.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” he asked, his voice rough, as if the words were dragged out of him.

You smiled softly, shrugging. “I didn’t want to push you. I thought you’d tell me when you were ready. And… I was kind of hoping you’d notice on your own.”

Jason let out a shaky breath, his mind still trying to catch up to everything that had just happened. He had spent so long convinced that you belonged to someone else, that he had blinded himself to the truth right in front of him.

Tentatively, Jason reached up and cupped your face, his thumb brushing gently against your cheek. “I’m an idiot,” he muttered, his voice thick with emotion.

You laughed softly, leaning into his touch. “Maybe a little,” you teased, your eyes shining with affection. “But I like you anyway.”

Jason couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips, the weight in his chest finally lifting. He had spent so long hiding his feelings, afraid of rejection, afraid of not being enough. But standing here with you, looking into your eyes, he felt something he hadn’t in a long time: hope.

Without another word, Jason leaned down and kissed you, the lingering doubts and insecurities melting away in the warmth of your touch. You kissed him back with a quiet intensity that made his heart race, and for the first time in a long time, Jason let himself believe that maybe—just maybe—he could be enough.

When you finally pulled away, you rested your forehead against his, your breath warm against his skin. “See?” you whispered. “You’re the one I want, Jason. No one else.”

Jason closed his eyes, holding you close, and for the first time in what felt like forever, he allowed himself to breathe.

Maybe he wasn’t perfect, and maybe he wasn’t always the easiest person to love, but as long as you were by his side, he knew he’d be okay.

And that was enough.

[alexisntedgy]

nobody wanted to see that ! ! !

[sashaforthewin]

Multi-chapter fic on Ao3

Steve had been enjoying a nice relaxing lounge by the pool despite it being night. He had his hearing aid off and his fruity drink and a romance novel Robin had let him borrow. He was determined to have a good time despite the circumstances. 

Someone tapped his foot, scaring the crap out of Steve and making him drop his book and nearly knock over his drink. 

It was a fellow cruise passenger and he was saying something. Steve turned his hearing aid back on.

“Sorry, what?”

“I asked why you were out here instead of at the concert,” repeated the man with a smile.

“Oh, um. I’m not actually a fan of metal music. It gives me headaches if I listen to more than one or two songs in a row,” Steve admitted sheepishly.

This stranger was still clearly a metal head, but he looked significantly less scary than most of the ones he had seen so far that day. Everyone Steve met had been nice, but Steve hadn’t felt comfortable telling anyone he wasn’t a fan until now. Maybe because it was just the two of them out here and he was smiling so cutely. 

“Not a metal fan? Well damn, not to critique your life choices, but I think maybe going on a metal cruise wasn’t an ideal choice for you? I’m Eddie, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Steve.”

There were plenty of deck lounges around, all empty, but Eddie sat down on Steve’s right next to his legs. 

“Steve. So Steve, why are you on a metal cruise when you don’t like metal? These tickets were not exactly cheap and there’s no way you missed the theme, it was pretty clearly advertised,” Eddie asked teasingly.

Steve looked Eddie over, noting that he was actually pretty cute. Pretty eyes, nice full lips, dimples, and he was that type of lanky Steve was drawn to. He had good skin and his hair had some volume and texture to it, Steve could work with that. Bit of a fixer-upper, but a better starting point than most of the men that had flirted with him since his last failed relationship. He also had the vibe, so Steve decided this guy would be fine to open up to. 

“Well, Eddie, I bought this ticket for my dear friend Dustin for his birthday, but then the little shit went and outed me to my parents. Accidentally, of course, and he feels like shit about it. But still, that got me kicked out of my home so maybe I���m being petty but I decided he shouldn’t get to go on this cruise after all. I forgive him, it really was an accident, but still, gotta teach him a lesson.” Steve shrugged. “And I would’ve gotten the ticket refunded but the money would’ve gone back to my parents and they clearly don’t deserve to get anything back from me. So, instead of trying to figure out how to sell a ticket to a very niche interest cruise, I figured I deserved to just come and treat myself for four days before I have to go back to living in my ex-girlfriend’s basement. It’s actually pretty nice to have the ship to myself while all you guys are in there shaking your heads to loud music.” Steve gestured to the pool and the drink.

“Ex- girl friend’s basement?” Eddie asked.

“Shut up, I’m bi.” Steve smacked Eddie on the arm with his book. 

Eddie grabbed the book and looked at it as he replied, “Hey, just checking to make sure I’m not barking up the wrong tree.”

“Oh? Is that what you’re doing, barking up my tree?” Steve said, playfully.

“If you’ll let me,” Eddie flirted back.

“So how come you’re not in the show right now?” Steve asked, gently stealing his book back from Eddie’s grasp.

“Oh, I’m touring with those guys right now, I have heard them play the same set like fifteen times already. I’d much rather be out here getting to chat with you. You know you’re beautiful, right? How come you don’t live with your boyfriend? Or girlfriend?” Eddie asked, quite obvious in his fishing for information.

“I’m single and yes, I do know I’m beautiful, but I still like hearing it. Are you like a roadie or something?”

“Actually,” Eddie said, “I’m the lead guitarist in the headlining band. We play tomorrow night. Can I buy you another drink? Maybe dinner?”

“The, uh, the bill goes to our cabins,” Steve answered, too shocked that an apparently famous musician was asking him out to respond appropriately.

“Baby, I’ll put your entire tab on my cabin if you’ll let me. You are the most beautiful, and dare I say cleanest man on this entire boat. Metal heads are great, but they aren’t really my type.”

Steve takes a sip of his cold drink just to make sure he’s not fallen asleep and dreaming. The ocean is calm and the moon is full and he is most definitely awake.

“And what is your type?” Steve asked. 

“Handsome men with soft hands who will let me pamper them,” Eddie said, picking up Steve’s hand and feeling his lack of calluses. He placed a kiss onto each finger tip. “These hands aren’t meant for labor, let me spoil you rotten.”

Well, Steve reasoned, even if this ended up being just a weekend fling, it was going to be worth the price of admission.

[wormdebut]

WALK HIM LIKE A DOG

@hellion-child you did this. Inspired by this legendary post.

‘It’s not illegal to go to the dog park, just to hear hot dads say Good Girl.’

Rating: M CW: overusage of the term daddy and Eddie just being a horny bastard.

——

“You know, this is fucking insane, right?” Chrissy laughs while Eddie lounges on the park bench.

Yes. He’s aware.

He and Chrissy don’t even have a dog and yet—

“Chris. Look at all of these great pet parents, taking care of these little doggies. Look at em. Wonderful. Stunning, very normal.”

Chrissy levels him with a glare. Being on the wrong side of a Chrissy glare is a scary thing, but alas his dog park visits are worth it.

“No. Look, listen. You’ve got all of these doggy daddies taking their lovely pups out for runs and walks and what not and then daddy wraps up his run and takes the precious ones to this here dog park. Woof.”

It really was worth it to Eddie, alright? There is nothing wrong with going to a public dog park to maybe hear a hot sweaty man coo at his dog.

‘Good Boy’

‘Precious Girl’

Bark bark bark or whatever.

Would Eddie ever talk to any of them? Absolutely the fuck not, but a man could dream.

He was bummed though because none of the hot guys were out, today.

Damn.

He is busy scanning the area to see if he missed anyone, Chrissy yapping on and on about how they could just get a dog when someone slows their run to chat.

“Hi!” She says. This woman is tall, short hair messed up from running, she’s got a bright ass orange jacket on, and she is most certainly Chrissy’s type. Thats not fucking fair at all, now is it?

Chrissy’s complaining tapers off. “Hey.”

They smile at each other, and this is truly unfair, Eddie thinks. This whole dog park thing was for him and yet.

“I hope you don’t mind, but me and my best friend just moved to the area and honestly, I think you’re pretty so—I just thought I would say hi.” She hardly makes eye contact with Eddie. So it’s clear who she’s talking to.

Like recognizes like, he supposes.

He can respect the straight forwardness of it all. Chrissy is just kinda staring at her so he speaks up. “Well, I’m Eddie and this is Chrissy, and I can confidently say that she also thinks you’re pretty.”

Both woman turn to stare and him, Chrissy with big eyes and the other woman with a smirk. She speaks, “Well, it must be my lucky day.” She turns back to Chrissy, “I’m Robin.”

The two get talking and Eddie is happy for his best friend, he really is, but where are all the hot men?

He’s about ready to call it quits when he sees a fucking god, running with a ridiculously stunning dog.

Hot people own hot dogs, he supposes.

This guy is—fuck. He’s sweaty from running, and his hair is fucking gorgeous, even after activities. Thats a green flag. Eddie is just shocked.

This is the dog daddy of all dog daddies. He’s wearing tiny fucking red shorts that expose thighs for days and—

“Jesus fuckin’—see?” Eddie doesn’t even care that he is interrupting the girls conversation cause this guys is—god damn. “He could slap a collar on me and walk me like a dog.”

Chrissy balks. “Eddie. We are in the company of a new friend. Robin doesn’t deserves this.”

Eddie simply shrugs and Robin laughs, “No. I think it’s hilarious which guy caught your eye?”

Oh, he likes Robin. “I like her. Get her number—“ He smiles big at Chrissy, before gesturing towards the fucking Adonis in tiny little running shorts. “Anywhozle. That one, look at him. On my knees in a second.”

He ignores Chrissy’s eye roll, and watches as Robin takes in the guy, before busting out in a laugh. “Oh my god—Steve?”

Oh shit.

“I—do you—“ Abort mission. Abort abort.

“Oh yeah, remember that best friend I was telling you guys about?”

She is still laughing, and Chrissy joins her before handing Robin her phone.

Eddie feels like he just got bamboozled.

“Chrissy, babe, I’ll text you. Eddie? I’ll see what I can do.” She smiles at them both before running over to ‘Steve’ and his—their?— gorgeous dog.

“No wait I—“ Eddie tries but she’s already over with Steve who is listening intently to what Robin has to say.

Oh god, oh no. Oh god.

Chrissy is just laughing softly into her hand, which turns into full laughter quick because Steve turns to look at them, smiles and winks.

[nathanielzalexandria]

I love all the headcanons of "Steve is not dumb he's..." Hard of hearing, has poor eyesight, learning disability or his primary language is not English. I particularly enjoyed @dwobbitfromtheshire 's recent headcanon that he's hiding it because his father hates feeling inferior and only Eddie realizes that he is not dumb. But I would like to throw my own hat in the ring.

Steve is not dumb. Actually, he's quite smart and did quite well in school (because his parents would not expect anything less). He just wasn't into nerd culture and everyone just placed their stereotypes and rumours of him being a pretty and privileged rich jock who bought his way out of school but couldn't buy his way into college. Nevermind that he was in the top 10 students of his year and for most of his classes if not topping them and if not he wasn't failing the rest other than one or two science/math-based (rumours say the school forged those marks so that Steve could continue sports) and had a 3.6 GPA. It wasn't enough to get into his Dad's alma mater so his dad dismissed any of the other schools he got accepted into.

He does not try to hide his intelligence from Nancy or the Party, but Nancy had bought into the "Steve is simple-minded " narrative and the like before they got together and failed to realize that they are both in the same AP classes that were full of seniors and in any group or partnered project he more-than-well pulled his weight and had his own insights. So she spreads the narrative to Mike who spreads it to the rest of the party so by the time the events that befan with Dustin asks him for help with his "dog" and developed into concussed in the back of a car while a preteen drove his car, the kids have also bought into parts of the narrative. It doesn't help that he really isn't into the stereotypical nerdy stuff

Even his best friend Robin believed the lie until she worked with him and then got tortured with him by Russians. She eventually realises that he's way smarter in a practical sense than people give him credit for (he did raise himself since he was 11 or so) but does not think of it as stretching into the academic side of his life. She has not stopped calling him "dingus" though.

Eddie on the other hand knows better, which is why when a specific exam was coming up he turned to Steve.

He barged into the Harrington home a day when tye entire party was their.

"Stevie, you either have to tutor me or lend me your notes for this class. I am not failing this class and increasing the possibility of another year at fucking Hawkins."

Mike and Dustin burst out laughing at that before Steve can answer.

"I know you're e bad at that subject, but I didn't realise you were desperate enough to use Steve's notes," Dustin says with that condescending tone that means it should be obvious to Eddie.

Mike snorts at that derisively, "If he even has notes."

"Maybe," Lucas said diplomatically, "there are better options than using Steve's notes?"

Nancy steps up next offering some of her notes and flashcards since she took the class last year/is taking the class, "It's not my strongest subject but if we do a study group I'm sure you won't fail the class."

Eddie stares at the group with growing bewilderment as they agree that Nancy is the best choice while implying that Steve was not. Actually, they were acting as though he was dumb for even asking Steve, which made no sense to him.

Eddie turned his eyes to Steve. His posture by the kitchen island was much more different than when Eddie burst in. He had subtly curled into himself as if to make himself smaller, shoulders tense and a resignation on his face as if he's been through this conversation so many times before.

It was almost as if...

"You guys think that Steve is dumb, don't you?"

There was the type of silence that only comes when the quiet part is said outloud.

"No we don't think Steve's dumb," Robin begins and Eddie can hear the 'but' before she even said it, "But you know he wasn't good at the school part of school."

She continued to ramble on from there but Eddie did not hear any of it. He was too busy reevaluating the group he was with and rechecking old memories and facts to see if there was any inkling of truth to this strange idea that even the older teens should know isn't true.

It took him a moment to find the answer, and when he did he could not stop the derisive laugh that burst out and interrupted Robin's ramble.

"You guys fucking bought into the rumours, didn't you? I expect that from the kids maybe even Johnathan, maybe even Robin because of you became friends after he left school, but not from you, Nancy."

Nancy had that look on her face that she got when she was ready to argue but Eddie steamrolled over it.

"Jesus H Christ! Weren't y'all together for a whole fucking year? How do you not know that he was at the top of his year when you were together? Unless you dismissed that in favour of believing the rumours that his parents paid for his grades and the school wanted to make sure he kept on playing sports?"

He paused for a second waiting for someone to contradict him, but the look on Nancy's face was one of scrambling to defend herself. He sighed at that; she still wasn't getting it and it a sweeping look at the others proved they were lost too.

"Even if they paid off the school he would not have been in the top ten of his year, he would be like Carver and Hagan whose parents paid and their grades were just good enough to get into a decent college without too many questions. And they would not have kept on giving him high grades after he stopped doing any kind of sport in his last 2 years at that dump. Hell if Hargrove wasn't such a fucking beast at sports he would have been told he would have to repeat his senior year with me."

"It's okay Eddie; leave it go." He turned a fake sunny smile with his eyes tightly shut towards Eddie as if to pacify him.

Eddie turned to Steve who had yet to say anything throughout Eddie's diatribe up until that moment. He just continued to robotically make dinner for the party as though nothing was wrong, as though the hurt dripping off him didn't matter.

"I'm not letting this go! They had classes with you, some of which I'm pretty fucking sure were AP classes. If I had the attendance needed I would have graduated last year because of you, Stevie. So excuse me if I'm a bit annoyed that our friends are so blinded by a rumour that they can't fucking see your Salutatorian medal. Hanging. Right. There!"

All eyes except Eddie and Steve's turned in the direction that Eddie pointed at.

And there on the wall, was a framed silver medal with the word "Salutatorian" emblazoned on it. The party immediately burst into chaos amongst each other.

"Now, pretty boy, are you gonna tutor me or what?"

Or it goes something like that, I'm not sure.

[slickchickchocolatier]

"Turn Around..."

One shot fic. (Not relating to any of the established series.) This is a bit different from what I normally draft up, kind of like the Robin Hood one shot, which is also a non-yandere fic like this one. Pls enjoy.

Thank you for taking the time and reading my stories and drabbles. To show your support, please consider donating into my ko-fi account ♥️

Warnings: Unprotected smut, breakup, lovers reunited, makeup sex, rough sex, a little bit of angst, taken for granted, apologetic make lead, regretful male lead, and drama. "Dont know what you got till it's gone" type vibe. not proofread but figured i'd get this out to keep yall busy until i get the next chapter of TO out 😉

Summary: You and Heeseung had a break up, despite all that has happened, you find out that you weren't the only one hurting.

“Hey.” he stands calmly at the door. You avoid making eye contact, too nervous and shy on what to say. A bit of a ridiculous notion considering you knew the man very well, dated for quite some time in fact, yet the lack of his efforts drove you to the point where you had to kill off the relationship, for our own happiness. The only issue was, that you’re not sure if you’re any happier now than you were when dating him. Nodding, you respond back with a soft “hey…” 

Walking in, his initiative causes you to walk back. He lets himself in and gently shuts the door behind, never breaking his sight away from you. You kept shifting your sight from one area on the floor, to another. He continues to take his steps forward, and you keep taking them back. Soon, he has you pinned against the wall. Palming the wall, one hand off to each side, he traps you in his arms and leans in, wanting to get closer. You dip down and swoop under his arm to get away freely into the open space, walking over to the living room, much to his grimace dismay. 

Sitting on one end of the couch, you cross your legs and prop your hands up to rest your chin. Intent on avoiding eye contact, you look away and kept your face in the opposite direction. He walks over calmly and sits next to you. 

“Y/n….”

“Heeseung stop. Could you please just get your things and go? I’m not in the mood to talk.” you snap, rubbing your temples as you adjust your body to shift up and away, standing before the tall window, waiting for him to move along and to get out. But he doesn't. 

Looking up from where you were just sitting, he remains on the couch wide eyed and slightly appalled. Sure, he went along with the break up, even dabbled and went on some dates even though you both had just broken up merely two weeks ago. However, it didn’t mean that he wasn’t hurting either. He only went and saw other girls just to try and take his mind off of you, but how are you supposed to know? He left you no choice, you didn’t ever see your relationship coming to an end. You worked and tried to get through to him, but he never listened, so then you were left with no choice but to break things off, yet you couldn’t help but feel stabbed when his nonchalant attitude and response to your initiation was given, almost too easily, as if he was thinking about breaking up himself. 

Seeing you standing in that silk camisole dress, lazily covered with the matching satin short robe over it, had him feeling some type of way. How long has it been since he saw you like this? No makeup, hair laying freely and barely dressed. You looked so beautiful, stunning in fact, and yet your body language and attitude made you achievable for him to grab hold on. Did he really lose you for good?

“Y/N…” he tries once more, keeping a respectable distance away, so as to not add any fuel to the fire. “Can’t we just talk?”

That did it for you. NOW, he wants to talk? Now? After seeing a handful of girls, pretending like you no longer mattered after you presented him with the words “I’m not sure if this is working out…I wished you would just be more considerate, yet you just always put me off to the side. Maybe we should consider a brea–” 

Remember the tone he had in his voice, he cut you off and finished your sentence, almost as if he was eager and looking forward to the word…as if he was taking your initiation as an opportunity to end everything without having to do the dirty work himself. “Break? Yeah sure, I think that would be good for us.” he told you. Never once trying to figure out the meaning behind your initiative, nor did he ever try to fight for you. But now, it seems he had a change of heart, but you weren’t wanting to hear any of it. Not after having a string of girls by his side the last few nights. What were you? A rebound? Were you just a safety net since it didn’t work out with those girls? What is this? 

Turning away, you snapped in a harsh tone. “No!”

“What?” His voice was a little more firm, and he seemed a bit irritated by your attitude. 

“I said no. I don't want to talk.” 

“Why are you–” he pauses. “Y/n…you act like you’re the only one that is affected by all this. You’re not. I’m struggling too, you know.” 

“Yeah, I can tell. You’re hurting so much, how many girls did you seek out for comfort? Five? We’ve only broken up two weeks ago and you never once wanted to talk, until now.” 

Standing from his seat, he grew offended by your words and replaced his soft and gentle gaze with a more stern and harsh one. Walking over to you, he nearly traps you in as he breaches your personal space and begins to walk you back to the wall, again. 

“What? You think those girls meant something? Seriously?”

“Are you kidding me? Don’t pretend you’re hurting, you nearly jumped for joy when I brought up the idea of taking a break. You think I don’t know? Get over yourself Heeseung!” Turning sharply, you try to get away from him, but his movements are quick and he restricts your fleeing attempts by hugging you from behind. You struggle and try to break free, yet the moment he pushes forward with you grasped in his arms, shoving you up against the wall chest first and his chin resting on your shoulder, burying his face in your neck, you begin to falter, but mentally maintain your resistance. Taming you, he senses your physical strength decreasing front he struggles, and continues to push you in, resting you on the flat surface as he closes the distance between your backside and his chest. Stroking his thumb, he caresses your waist as he hugs tightly. With small brush strokes of his lip, he softly pecks on the soft area of your neckline. 

“Stop…” You whimper out, trying to ignore the beautiful sensation of how his lips felt gently kissing, and sucking on your skin. “Stop…please….get away…”

“You really want me to get away?” he mumbles, with a mouth full of your delicate skin in his mouth. “Then say it. Tell me in all sincerity that you want me to stop and I’ll leave.” 

With your arms pinned to your body by his embrace, you reach up and lean your palms against the wall, pressing your body against his. You tilt your head back, resting it against his shoulder, you didn’t want him to stop, nor did you want him to leave. But you had to be strong, for the sake of mending your broken heart. So, with a shaky breath, you whined out. 

“Get away…” you nearly whispered, your hair draping over your face and your robe coming undone, bearing the nakedness of your shoulders and cleavage. “Just…get away…”

A slight pause was present, before he leans in and resumes his efforts as he takes in a mouthful of your soft skin, just below your ear, this time he was less gentle and more rough in his manners. 

“I said no….” you whimpered. His arms tightened around your arms and waist, and he slightly lifts you before shoving you further up against the wall, pressing your cheek to rest against the surface before whispering in your ear…

“I don't believe you.” 

Shooting his hand around, he lifts the hem of your camisole up and fingers his way through panties. He called you out on your bluff and you didn’t seem to mind, because now you get to show how much you missed him, that you didn’t want to leave. You get to show him that you were hurting, and that he left you without any options or hope to continue forward, that you were just at the lowest part of your life. He knew it too. He wasn’t being his best self with you, in fact he was selfish and led you with so many false promises, it’s no wonder you proposed a break up. It didn’t hit him until you started to usher out those words, but before you could finish, he beat you to the punch, all because he saved himself from the heartbreak of hearing you say it, so he had to say it first. Figuring he would save himself by hurting you, then to be hurt directly, he found that it was all for nothing. Right after walking away and leaving you to go on your own, a sharp pain hits him inside, and he immediately regrets it. He regretted going with the flow, and letting you go so easily. Fact is, he turned around, wanting to run back after you, but seeing your backside facing him, walking in the opposite direction without so much as a glance back over to him, compelled him to look the other way and to move forward, after all, it seemed you had no trouble doing just that. 

Taking your hand, he intertwined his fingers with your own, his kisses became more passionate and his embrace became tighter as his hands roamed. God he missed you. He missed how your body felt against his, and how your skin tasted. He missed how you sounded when he kissed that one little spot on your neck, and how your body shakes when he touches you. He missed you too much. 

“Tell me you don’t want me to leave this time….tell me we belong…tell me…so I can do what I’ve really been wanting to do for the last two weeks…with the one woman I’ve been wanting. Tell me baby…”

Softly sobbing, you whimpered and gasped out, immediately trying to catch your breath as you cried out your words. 

“I never wanted it to end in the first place…” 

Peeling his head back, he stood slightly shocked at your words. Before he could ask questions, you finally let it all out. It was long overdue, and the most painful sense of release you ever felt. 

“Why couldn’t you just have turned around?....I stood…watching you walk away. I mentally begged for you to turn around and come back…but you just kept moving on…you left me crying….and I just had no choice but to finally do the same….you didn’t come back. What was I supposed to do? Stand and wait in that spot forever? And those girls?....I just knew…you didn’t care….” 

Your words hit deep and cut a wound that may never heal. He had no idea that you waited. He did turn back but he was too late…probably by mere seconds. The image he recalls of you walking away, was imagined with you displaying a calm and tranquil look on your face. Now, he understands that you made your way back home in tears that night, and longed for him to come back to you. 

He gulps. In a single brief moment, your entire relationship flashes before his eyes, and he realizes that not only did he not give you his best during, but he didn’t give it to you after. Yeah, he tried to get his mind off you by going on dates, but how were you supposed to know that? He started to think how his behavior must have looked to you…how hurtful it must have been to hear about his rendezvous while you were sitting here longing for him to come back. But what killed him in all of this was that, had he just been less attentive towards his friends and set his priorities straight, none of this would have happened. How many times did he come home and skip eating the dinner you prepared, all because he decided to eat with the guys after work. Or whenever you asked to spend time with him, and he promised you he would have another day, one where he didn’t have plans, yet that day never came. How many times did he wake up, shower, and quickly breezed through the kitchen and sees that you prepared breakfast for him, yet instead of sitting and eating with you, thanking you for taking the time to feed him, he picks bits and pieces off his plate and heads out while jutting out the words “see ya!” and quickly leaves so he could be the first in line at the coffee shop…that coffee shop…the coffee shop you loved yet he never took you with. He knew your favorite order yet never brought you back anything. He was always so focused in grabbing his drink and heading to work, where he could spend nearly the entire day chilling out with the guys doing what they love, spending a great deal of overtime, before finally calling it a night. How many times did he have the opportunity to come back home, especially after seeing all his friends dipping out to go back to their loved ones that were waiting for them…and yet he stayed back, opting to hit up buddies who were single and could spare the time, instead of coming back home to you. How many times did he come back home so late at night, finding you already asleep. How many times did he crawl into bed with you, and instead of hugging you and kissing you, he turns the opposite direction and falls asleep, leaving you to not only feel lonesome during the day when you’re awake, but at night when you’re asleep too. Just how many times…did he take you for granted? 

He didn’t have any words. He felt hurt…he felt a great deal of pain, and it was nothing that you did, you were great…you were perfect in fact. The one that hurt him was himself.

Remaining silent, he leans back into your neck. Shoving his lips against your ear, feeling the shrug of your shoulders as the oversensitive sensation of feeling his lips pressed against you was immense and triggered potent arousal. Whispering, he merely tells you “I’m sorry…” 

His soft whisper made you cry even more. Feeling you shake as you sobbed harder, he holds on tightly and kisses you on that soft spot again…and again….and again. Until your sobs turned into moans. Sucking on your neck, he reaches up and grabs onto your throat, gently but firmly holding on as he pulls your hips back. His free arm hugs your waist and tugs onto you, while his grab around your neck keeps your face and chest close to the wall. Pressing his groin against your derriere, he takes in a large whiff of your scent, that subtly sweet perfume that he liked so much…he missed it. The one thing he grew complacent in taking in daily, yet the moment he thought he lost it forever, he realized it was the most beloved scent produced in this world. The feel of your touch, your skin, hair, and your soft lips, was something he didn’t realize how much he loved. It had been longer than two weeks since he last felt you, growing too comfortable and spending more time away from you throughout the course of your relationship, it had been a while since you both were last intimate. It wasn’t that he didn’t love you or cared, he just didn't have his priorities straight. He just always thought that no matter what, you were always going to be around for whenever he needed or wanted you. But when was that? When did he express how much he needed or wanted you? When did he last make you feel appreciated and desired? More importantly, when was the last time he made himself available to you? Knowing that you wanted and needed him, yet he never was there for you. 

“God…I’m such a fucking idiot…” he hums out with a mouthful of your skin sucked in to his mouth. Lifting you once more, he flings you over and softly lands you on the couch, laying atop your backside as you rest on your stomach and chest. “He–Heeseung…”

“Why was I so fucking blind…” his words gasped out in a near whisper, it was gentle and calm, yet the manner of his physical touch was the exact opposite. Nearly ripping off your dress, the straps snap loose as he roughly pulls it down, and tears your panties off. Hanging by the bits of thread and pieces of fabric, it loosely hangs on your thigh while he smooths his hands over the softness of your smooth skin, grabbing onto your cheeks firmly as he squeezes your derriere. 

“Why did I not see what was in front of me?” Leaning forward, he places his lips on your back shoulder, and sucks on various regions. Firmly holding onto your waist, he fishes out his stiff member and rides it in between your cheeks, squeezing it to nestle in between as he strokes it up and down. “How could I not see that I had the best thing that’s ever happened to me?” Taking a hold on the back of your neck, he slowly feeds himself inside your cavity, pressing in. You weren’t entirely ready, and the lack of prepping made it hard for you to take him in, not to mention it had been so long. Yet his eager desire to have you made him impatient, he needed you now…he wanted you…he wanted to please himself but also, to please his queen. 

“Why did I not show you just how much you mean to me….why didn’t i do it sooner?” Thrusting in hard, his groin smacks against the soft plumpness of your cheeks, you screamed out as he rams himself in, reaching the depths of your gut as he pushes through all of your stagnant walls. Fully in, he pauses before continuing. He had to take a moment to enjoy the feeling of burying his cock deep inside you….after missing out for so long. 

“Why wasn’t I better for you?” Sliding out, his tip breaches its exit, providing you with some relief as you catch your breath, only for him to shove it back in with fierce momentum. “He–Heeseung!” Gripping onto the sofa cushion, you brace through the pressure of pain and pleasure as he roughs up your womanhood. He was being so demanding with the way he was thrusting, yet his words were so beautifully spoken with genuine sincerity and sympathy. He truly was sorry, and now, he wanted to show it, even if it meant he had to mix his love with fucking you into pieces. 

“Why didn’t I tell you how I’ve felt all this time?” Thrusting, he jolts forward and bucks his hips, causing your body to rumble and shoot forward, only to be retracted back as he pulls you in, all to repeat his performance in jutting his cock back into you deeply, shiting your body forward. 

“Why wasn’t I home often?” Thrusting and pumping his cock fiercely, you felt the sting of his thickness tearing you open. It had been too long, your body nearly forgot what it felt like to have someone, much less him, pelting you with their girth. Even though you were devotedly waiting for him, and yearned for him, he left you empty and unfulfilled so many nights, and you spent each evening alone and drifting off into a dream where you weren’t sleeping lonesomely on an empty bed. Now, he was here, and for the first time in so long, he was not only making love, but he was fucking you like his life depended on it. He didn’t want to take it easy, or slow, he wanted to go in deep and hard. He wanted his performance to match the ferocity of his love and yearning for you. 

“Why did I let you sleep alone all those nights? I should have been there to kiss you to sleep.” Deepening his thrust, the curved edge of his lengthy member hits your sweet spot. Soon, there was no pain, only the pressure of pleasure and ecstasy. 

“I should have touched you more.” increasing speed, he forces the moisture of your secreted fluids to squelch in and out. Your body gushes out, you could feel yourself releasing the warm liquid your body was producing, seeping out, and glazing his cock as he continues to fuck you. 

“I should have loved you harder.” Grabbing onto both sides of your waist, he pumps his cock in and out, faster and faster as he holds you steady. 

“I should have been better. I should have been so much better.” Slapping into you, his groin and thighs stains your skin red as he continues to slam himself in, going deeper and deeper. 

“I should have….fuck….baby you feel so good…I should have…I should have….” 

“Heeseung!! Ugh!” He continues with his pace as you reach behind and smack your hands over his, digging your fingers onto his wrists as you feel the snap in your gut release the high of your orgasm. 

“Fuck baby….you’re making me cum…..” 

Your body shakes uncontrollably and you scream out his name, which transitions into tiresome whimpers as you catch your breath. All the while he slows down, going in deep and slow, passionately slow. Admiring the view of his length smoothing in and out of your womanhood, he savors the feeling of releasing every bit of love, anger, sadness, and regret into you. Still thrusting, his thumbs stroke your skin and he bids you to answer. 

“Tell me you missed me…”

“....I missed you…” 

“Tell me you want me.”

“I want you…”

“Tell me you need me.”

“I need you.”

“Now tell me you love me….”

“....I love you….”

Leaning in, he rests his weight on top of you as he tenderly kisses your cheek. His cock remains buried in, and goes in deeper as he propels forward and lays atop your body. “Then turn around…and don’t let me go. I’ll do the same.” 

Enjoyed this piece? Show love and treat your girl to a cup of coffee. ♥️ 

☕ Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/reinbow

[jadeylovesmarvelxo]

What You Want 🌸💕

Summary; You and Eddie have been sleeping together for weeks, and when he tells you he finally has a date with his dream girl you realise how much you've fallen for him.

But it's too late to say anything...right?

Warnings; fwb, lil bit of smut, jealous reader, idiots in love, angst, fluff. 18+ so minors begone!

I don't give anyone permission to repost, copy or re use my work.

💕

Soft moans fill your apartment, Eddie's body was entwined with yours as he fucked you relentlessly on the bed.

He was an expert in making you feel so good and your legs were shaking with pleasure as a third orgasm of the night rendered you speechless.

He presses gentle kisses to your neck, sucking on the skin, leaving little love bites on it.

His hands tighten around yours as he comes, a guttural groan leaves his mouth as he whispers your name.

The both of you are a naked, sweaty but very sated mess and you whimper in disappointment as he pulls out of you.

"That was amazing" you groan and he smirks as he leans down to kiss you.

"So uh same time tomorrow night?" you ask casually, though there is a bloom of hope in your stomach as you say this.

Eddie hesitates and you sit up confused, the two of you had been sleeping together for weeks now, a friends-with-benefits type thing and you had been used to spending time with him.

There wasn't a night you two had spent apart since it started.

Eddie smiles and looks really delighted about something as he lays back on the bed.

"So uh you know Carly? The cute blonde that is always in Family Video when I'm there and works at the cinema? My dream girl" you nod feeling a tightening in your gut.

Eddie's crush on her was well-known to everyone.

"Mmm, what about her?" you ask though the sinking feeling in your stomach seems to know what Eddie is going to say before he says it.

"I asked her out and she said yes. Isn't that awesome princess?"

Yeah, totally awesome. You plaster a huge smile on your face and manage to force out some words because Eddie is looking at you all happy and his big brown eyes shining.

"That's great Eddie. I know how much you like her" he nods thrilled as he gets dressed.

"I'm nervous as shit though" he murmurs and you push away the awful feeling in your stomach, the way your heart is aching at the news and reassure him.

"You'll be fine. She will love you. Who wouldn't?" you tell him soothingly and you realise something there and then.

You love Eddie and not just as a friend and there was no way in hell that you could tell him now that he had his date with his dream girl.

Crushing heartbreak fills you as Eddie places a kiss on your forehead.

"Thank you, sweetheart" you nod feeling numb as another thought comes to you.

"Guess this our last night together. I mean, if your date goes amazingly which it will then this will have to stop right?"

He stares at you for a second, something flashing in his eyes before he nods.

"Yeah, I guess you're right" you look away from him and concentrate very hard on your pillow. Don't cry, don't cry.

"I better shower, Robin is coming over soon with Steve. Disaster date so will need tons of ice cream and beer" he nods and gets up pulling on his clothes.

For a second he looks lost and it's a lot like you are feeling but then he comes to.

"I'll see you soon okay?" you return his grin and don't let it leave your face until he's out the door.

When you're alone tears fall down your cheeks and you curse yourself for not realizing you had fallen for Eddie sooner.

Not that it would make much difference now anyway. You could never tell him how you felt because he didn't feel the same way.

💕

Date Night

Eddie can't quite believe he's sitting here with Carly. He's been waiting for this for weeks and the date has been going well.

So why couldn't he stop thinking about you?

At first in the excitement of meeting Carly, he was just trying very hard to not make an ass of himself.

But as Carly began talking he wondered what you were doing. Was that jackass Adam from across the hall making his move on you right now?

The dude was a dickhead and the thought of you being with him dampened his excitement of being on this date.

Adam had been flirting with you for weeks now, would you take him up on his offer eventually?

He gulps some of his beer and focuses on Carly ignoring the sour feeling in his stomach.

She's beautiful and funny but they don't have a lot in common.

The things they do have in common and talk about end up in stilted conversations, that trails offf awkwardly.

"Okay, enough talking," Carly says and promptly sits on his lap and kisses him.

He feels nothing, even as he kisses her harder nothing changes. She pulls away from him frowning.

"Maybe we should just talk instead" he would be more offended if it wasn't so relieved.

She heads back to her seat and looks bored.

The conversation picks up again and this time it's a little better, he even makes Carly laugh and he has some hope that he can salvage the evening.

And yet... and yet they both seem to realise that something doesn't feel right, it's a nice date but they feel more like friends than anything else.

They both come to a mutual decision that a second date wasn't happening.

"You're a sweet guy Eddie but I don't think I'm what you're looking for and you're not what I'm looking for"

He nods even though his thoughts are a mess, Carly was his dream girl. The date should have been perfect and yet it wasn't.

The kiss that should have felt mindblowing was... Meh.

He thought about kissing you and how good it felt, the way your body fit perfectly with his, the way you made each other laugh and could talk for hours.

The way you made him feel was something he had never felt with anyone else.

Shit, he was a goddamn idiot.

He pays for the dinner and makes sure Carly gets in a taxi before heading home himself.

It's about five minutes into the drive when he changes direction and decides to go and see you.

💗

The night of Eddie's date goes by excruciatingly slow, it's like the seconds tick by at a glacial pace.

You're out with Nancy at a club but you can't get into the headspace to enjoy yourself.

Even when you've had a drink and danced with a cute guy named Seth it doesn't help the hollowness inside you.

After an hour you excuse yourself and would much prefer to be in your cosiest dressing gown with your fluffy slippers and watching something funny to cheer yourself up.

Eddie's date plays on your mind, you figure it went amazingly and they are probably having hot sex back at his apartment, no doubt all the details you'll find out tomorrow.

The thought makes you feel queasy with nerves.

There's a knock on your door and it's so sudden it startles you to the point you almost spill your popcorn.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Carly?" you ask him confused as he shrugs off his jacket.

Grumbling a little you get up and Eddie rushes in shaking his hair, almost getting you wet in the crossfire.

He makes a face and shakes his head.

"Was terrible, I think even if it had gone well it wouldn't have mattered" he grunts out and you're stunned.

"She's your dream girl" Eddie shrugs and walks over to you, ever so gently he tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear, then caresses your cheek.

It makes your heart skip a beat.

"I thought so but I was wrong. She kissed me and I felt nothing. Not like when you kiss me, when you kiss me everything inside me feels light up in desire, happiness"

Did you fall asleep on the couch and this is a very vivid dream...

Nope, it's real and you move closer to Eddie curious about what he will say next.

"I'm an idiot for going on that date. All I thought about was you, princess" his confession makes all the pain of the last day fade away.

"I realised last night how much I'd fallen for you Eddie but you had the date and I thought you'd never want me over Carly"

He smiles warmly as he kisses your nose then your lips.

"I wish you had told me. Might have knocked some sense into me sooner. I want to be with you sweetheart, not just sex. I want you to be mine, I want to be yours"

"Yes, I'd like that very much"

That's how you end up curled up together on the couch, the movie long forgotten as all you are both focused on is each other and three little words.

🌸💕

[kurishiri]

01 . . . the past records ˗ˏˋ🍎🪞´ˎ˗

— this translation may not be 100% accurate or may contain creative liberties. if you enjoy, please consider reblogging, but don’t repost or claim these as your own!

— cw: mentions of perversion toward a child, mentions of alcohol, poison.

This is a story from a little before a certain little robin had wandered into the dark night——

Liam: Hey, Al, what’re you looking at? Photos?

Alfons: Indeed, from when Lord Elbie was little. I found it while looking around his room for items of monetary value, out of necessity.

Liam: Waow, look at that angel.

Within the album Alfons had open, there were many photos of Elbert.

Alfons: This was from the time a photographer had come in — uninvited — to the Greetia estate, saying that he wanted to capture Elbie in a photo.

A: He was not allowed to make a single movement, so he was so stiff. He was quite miserable back then.

A: And this is a picture from when he was ten years old.

A: ‘We must have him wear cute clothes while he is still this cute,’ was what some perverted ladies had said before making him wear a dress.

A: That said, I can’t deny that he certainly was cute back then.

Liam: The fact you know all this means you were with Lord Elbie at the time, right?

Alfons: Yes, more or less.

Liam: Hm? But wait a minute, I see there are a lot of pictures of Lord Elbie, but there are none of you in this album.

Alfons: Yes, well, I can’t say I am very fond of photos.

A: Besides that, the photographers had no complaints as long as they could take pictures of Elbert.

A: Meanwhile, I was sulking and pouting while playing with cats in the corner.

Liam: Ahah, so even you had your cute points too, huh, Al.

Alfons: How rude. Why, I’ll have you know that I’m breaking my cuteness record every second, as we speak.

Liam: Even so, it’s kind of strange. Why are you with Lord Elbie, Al?

Alfons: You seem to have a penchant for asking things like this out of the blue, don’t you?

Liam: I mean... it seems to me like Lord Elbie wouldn’t be able to live if you weren’t there with him.

L: But, you don’t seem like the type to stick to one place, or with one person, for a long time, so.

Alfons: I expected nothing less of you, Liam! You understand me so well, I feel I am about to cry from emotion. Indeed, the tears are about to flow.

Liam: Geez, I wasn’t done talking yet!

L: Anyways, I was thinking, since you’re normally like this, there must be some reason you’ve stuck to Lord Elbie’s side for so long now or something.

Alfons: ...There is no deep reason behind it.

A: But, if I had to give a reason, it would probably be that I had left whether I should leave or stay by his side up to fate, and as a result, it had ended up dragging out... [1]

Liam: You left it to fate?

Roger: Oh, you’re talking about that crazy game you played with Elbie whenever, aren’t you?

Roger had shown up suddenly, grabbing a bottle of liquor from the shelf as he chipped into the conversation.

Liam: Eh, you know about it, Roger!?

Roger: Wait, you didn’t?

Liam: Huuuh, please don’t tell me I’m the only one?

Roger: Ellis and Jude might not know, seeing as they’ve joined Crown recently.

Liam: Oh, thank goodness I’m not the only one.

Alfons: I was having the most amusing conversation with Liam, until just now.

Roger: Good for you, let me join in then.

Liam: So? What’s this about a game?

Alfons: It’s a game called Dead or Alive.

Liam: Dead or... huh? That name is really disturbing.

Alfons: Hehe, you say that, Liam, but your eyes are sparkling.

Liam: Come on, I know you know that I’m ‘very curious’ and you were leading me on.

Alfons: ——It was a game we played once, every year.

A: Would I continue to stay by Lord Elbie’s side? Or——would I disappear?

Liam: How...?

Alfons: Let’s see now... The very first game we played, it was simply on a whim.

—— Flashback ——

This was right after I was taken in by the Greetia family.

Lord Elbert had just lost his father, and so he was very unstable.

Just, as Liam had said, I preferred not to step into the lives of others,

and so, one day, I thought about possibly leaving this manor.

However, I was still young at the time, and my good heart would not approve of me leaving him alone. And so, I decided to make a certain bet.

Alfons: Lord Elbeeert, I brewed some tea, wanna have some?

Elbert: ...Thanks, Alfons. ...But, you don’t need to call me ‘lord.’

Alfons: But that butler of yours—sorry, I meant the butler who serves you [2] keeps pestering me to call you ‘lord.’

Elbert: Then, feel free to call me whatever you want when he’s not here.

Alfons: Why though?

Elbert: Because... you are the first friend... I ever had.

Alfons: ...Hmm.

A: Anyway, back to the tea.

A: Which one do you want?

—— End flashback ——

Liam: So, that was what started the games? I don’t think I see the ‘Dead or Alive’ part...?

Alfons: Well, you see, one of the cups was a completely ordinary cup of darjeeling tea.

A: But the other cup of tea had a poison that could send you straight to the afterworld with naught but a single sip!

first. next →

full masterlist 🍎🪞

NOTES:

[1] not completely sure what this means, to be honest... I kind of took a stab at it from context clues though. The original line was [ずるずると来てしまった] (zuru zuru to kite shimatta). I assume he meant that it kind of “dragged out” (ずるずる). But, if anyone wants to correct me if I’m completely wrong, then I appreciate any feedback!

[2] so Alfons says [お前] (omae) at first, which is like a casual or direct way of saying “you” to Elbert, but then he corrects himself to [貴方] (anata), which is like a polite way to say the same thing. It’s hard to translate directly into English, I feel like, but I tried to convey the tone. In case it didn’t come through at all, this is the explanation!

[cinnbar-bun]

Gentleman- (Brook x Reader) SMUT

Summary: You and Brook have been doing this for a while now, teasing each other and seeing who will make the first move. Ever the gentleman, Brook is happy to play along until you give him permission to go further.

Rating: NSFW

Content: AFAB and GN! Reader, teasing, consensual voyeurism tease, strap-on, handcuffs + restraints, explicit consent, slight temp play, inappropriate use of Brook's DF, Brook and Reader being teases and menaces to each other, missionary, and confessions of love.

Also a bonus ending haha.

Word Count: ~3.1k

A/n: Requested <3 Yes we ARE fucking the skeleton man and god damn it he is the best of the best. No I am not accepting criticism nor will I get therapy. THIS IS FOR ALL THE BROOK STANS WHO ARE THIRSTY FOR MORE. DON'T WORRY, YOUR GIRL IS JUST AS THIRSTY FOR HIM TOO! Thank you for the request, darling, and I hope you enjoy!!! This was a blast to write.

You can read on my AO3 here!

“Brook, are you coming with us to shop?” Luffy asked. Brook took a drag of his cigarette and glanced over to your figure sitting on the deck. He hummed then shook his head. 

“Sorry, Luffy, I’ll have to pass on that today,” Brook stated. The smoke was leaking through his eye sockets and nose, but he could still make you out. He knew you were listening in, and the mischievous grin on your face told him you enjoyed his answer. 

And, well, he had to admit, he quite enjoyed your reaction too. He exhaled another puff of smoke as Luffy shrugged. 

“Okay. You and (Y/n) can watch the ship then,” Luffy waved. The other crew members had gotten off the ship, but Robin was the last to go, following behind Luffy after glancing at you and Brook with a raised brow. Brook didn’t give her an inch, continuing to casually smoke as if everything was well. At this moment, he didn’t particularly care what Robin may or may not have thought. The game was just beginning again, and he had a role to play. 

Today… perhaps today would finally be the day he could manage to win the prize. 

As Robin’s heels clicking eventually got quieter, Brook exhaled again. Smoking didn’t particularly do much for him as a pile of bones, but the few glances you’d shoot at him before looking down again confirmed to him that you indeed seemed to enjoy it. He didn’t take you for the type, but then again, he didn’t take you for the type to do any of things you were doing now. 

He also didn’t think he was the type to play along with it as well. 

It seemed that despite being dead and a skeleton, he was still a man through and through. The thought humored and comforted him somewhat, while also making him feel absolutely ridiculous. 

You kept drinking quietly on your spot in the deck, with a spare cup of tea right beside you. 

Of course you’d make tea. He loved tea. And this little “invitation” of yours would be nothing but trouble, should he accept. 

He strode over to you and picked up the cup. It was still warm, the perfect temperature for him to drink it at. 

“Ah, thank you for the tea, my dear,” Brook said in appreciation, with a hint of the profane beneath that kindness. You looked up to him and smiled. 

“I figured you’d want some. You’re my drinking buddy,” you joke, using the old nickname he gave for the both you. He chuckles and takes a sip. 

“It’s a lovely day outside, isn’t it?” He says, not really caring about the weather. You don’t care about it either, keeping your eyes trained onto his. 

“Mhm. It’s just a bit too hot for me…” you fan your face with your hand before tugging at your tight top. He knows what you’re pulling. He’s a lot taller than you, so he can look down at you as you show off your cleavage by tugging on the top. He doesn’t show any emotion or do anything beyond just sip his tea. He’s not letting you win this one today. 

You’re not impressed with his reaction, as he sees your face falter for a brief second. You arch your back and groan loudly. 

“Oh man, my back is killing me,” you say dramatically. He continues to watch as you stretch, curiously thinking of how you would look on your bed. 

Snap out of it!

“That’s too bad. Perhaps you should try to take it easy today,” he suggests. “Maybe lay down for a while?” 

“That sounds nice but I was thinking about taking a bath right now,” you say as you run a hand through your hair and stand up. Even when you were standing, you still had to look up at him due to his height. You don’t even wait for his reply as you turn around and stretch again, this time bending over so he can take a good look at your behind. “See you in a bit,” you wink. 

Brook can feel the cracks beginning to form in the cup he’s holding. 

“Enjoy your bath. Should I be watching over you just in case?” He asks. It is the game you two have played, but even with his own fantasies, he won’t overstep with you. 

“I’d like that,” you say, giving him permission. “I’ll feel much safer knowing you’re keeping an eye on me.” 

And just like that, you two have folded. You saunter away, making sure to glance back at him over your shoulder. Brook feels the excitement running through his bones. He follows after you, keeping a sizeable distance while you disappear into your room to change. He waits outside, and he’s eager to use his Devil Fruit to take a peek, but that would spoil the fun, he thinks. 

So he waits. He hears the fumbling of your clothes, the opening of some drawers, some metal clinking- and then a small yelp. 

He drops his composure and knocks on the door. 

“(Y/n)! Are you alright in there?” He asks. 

“Yes. I need some help though. Can you come in?” He immediately swings open the door once you ask, and he’s shocked at the sight. 

You’re leaning on your bed, a towel wrapped around you while you hold your knee. 

“Are you okay?” He asks. You nod. 

“I think it might be a small cut. Could you open that drawer over there and hand me a bandage?” You ask, pointing at the small nightside next to the bed. He nods and opens the drawer before another gasp. 

Inside is… 

He closes it. 

“M-my mistake,” he quickly apologizes, the embarrassment obvious in his voice. You click your tongue and dramatically sigh. 

“Oh, stupid me. I forgot that was where I keep my strap on and handcuffs!” You reply, and he glances at you to see you look completely fine while batting your eyes again at him. “I’m just so silly. I hope no handsome skeleton tries to use them with me right now. That would be awful.” 

You lean in closer to him, and he does too, admittedly enjoying how coy and forward you’re being today. 

“It would be a shame. How much would you dislike it if he did such a thing?” Brook asks, letting one of his fingers trail down the side of your face before he grabs your chin. 

“I’d absolutely despise it,” you whisper, and the heat of your breath sends shivers down his spine. 

“Well, fortunately for you, I am no handsome skeleton. Is that okay?” He whispers back as his other hand opens the drawer to bring out the fuzzy handcuffs you had there. 

“It’s more than okay,” you reply, and that’s all he needs before he quickly pins you to your bed and cuffs you. This is the furthest the two of you have gone, and you both relish in the surprise and excitement on your faces. 

He notices the way your face turns brighter, the smile on your face getting larger, and the way your chest rises up a little faster due to your breathing. It’s all so enticing to him. He can’t help but look at you as if you’re the only thing in the world right now. In this moment, you might as well be. 

“We should be quick, yes? I imagine the others will be back soon,” he reminds you. 

“I don’t care, honestly. I’m sure some of them probably figured it out already. Now come on, are you going to fuck me, or what?” You smirk. 

“You’re quite mouthy, darling. I thought you had some manners,” Brook teases your language, and you can’t help but let out a chuckle. 

“Sorry. Please, Brook, will you fuck me, or what?” 

“We’ll get there eventually,” he laughs back. He holds your restrained wrists with one bony hand (geez, was he always this strong?) and lets the other trail over your loose towel. He swiftly yanks it off with one tug, and lets it lay under the bottom half of your body, like the gentleman he is. He is amazed you’re letting your body be barren for him to see- to explore, finally. 

It is a tantalizing figure, as his fingers trace the outline of your body, from your collarbone, over your soft chest, to your stomach. The trembling breath you release is music to his ears, and he can’t wait to hear more. 

“Your body is a work of art, dear,” he says with a soft and genuine tone of voice. It catches you by surprise, as you look up at him with wide eyes. “I mean it. You’re very lovely.” 

His fingers keep stroking over your skin, and he enjoys the feel of it. He wants to remember this moment for decades to come. He wants to indulge in this feeling, of this gorgeous human presented underneath him. In his years of living (and unliving), he hadn’t quite felt so attracted to another. And though he knew what the end would bring, he still wanted to spend a moment with you. To allow him and you the chance to finally be one. 

“May I continue?” He asks. You nod and make another sound of encouragement. His hand cups at your breast, rubbing and squeezing the soft flesh in his hand. It is soft and warm. It’s unlike anything else, really. 

You’re warm all over, and the natural heat of your body makes him long and desire more. 

“Can I try something?” Brook pauses his ministrations and you nod. 

“Go ahead, Brook,” you respond your curiosity peaked. Brook places the hand against your stomach and you instantly gasp when you feel a slight chill where is his hand is. 

“Brook-!” You let out such a delicious moan of his name, and he grins. 

“You like that?” 

“Yes, go on…” you whimper. He gets excited at this, and begins to run his hand along your warm skin, cooling it off gently with his powers. The sensation makes you shiver and let out beautiful sounds he wishes to hear more of. 

Now he’s feeling a bit selfish. He wants to pull more sounds out of you. 

He stops with the cooling touch and instead has his hand travel to your lower region. 

“Ah, you’re dripping wet,” He teases, running a finger through your folds and showing you the sticky fluid on it. It’s almost embarrassing, but you’ve long abandoned shame for this moment. 

“Don’t take so much time,” you whine. 

“Darling, you can’t expect me to see this and not enjoy your body, do you?” At this, he leans down to your ear while his thumb circles your clit and a finger enters your body. The loud exhale you let out was lovely. “Allow me to show you what you have done to me with all that damn teasing.” 

His finger moves faster, before he adds another and you throw your head back. 

“Heh, you’re just upset you kept falling for them,” you cheekily respond. 

“Perhaps. But no more games right now. I want you. I want you badly,” Brook replied earnestly. 

His fingers were stretching you out, and you moaned. 

“And you want me, too,” he adds. You nod. 

“In the drawer… lube in there…” you breathlessly say. He complied and quickly brings out the bottle. 

“Yohohoho! You really came prepared!” Brook laughed. “I guess I should get undressed, shouldn’t I? Although, I’m already naked!” 

You rolled your eyes at another of his bad jokes, but he saw how you had a small smile on your face. 

“Just take them off, Brook,” you chuckle, and Brook slowly removed his fingers from inside you. He removed his jacket and pants, revealing himself fully to you. Even though most of his skeleton was visible on a usual basis, to expose himself like this to you, in this context, was almost… frightening to him. He let you stare for a moment, let you take it in, in case you wished for him to stop. He certainly wouldn’t blame you if you had said so. 

But instead, you tilted your head towards the toy and looked at him with raised brows. 

“You ready?” You asked, confused and sounding vulnerable- as if you were afraid he wished to leave. Brook ran his thumb over your cheeks. 

“Yes. Very much so. I’ve waited a long time for this,” he replied in a hushed manner. With that, he had attached the strap on to his pelvis and applied a liberal amount of lube so as to not hurt you. He held your hips and gently rubbed the dildo across your folds a few times to stimulate you. “Are you ready?” 

“Yes. Go ahead, Brook,” you replied, and with a swift thrust, he sunk into your soft walls. Although he couldn’t feel it, the noise you made was precious. Beautiful. You took deep breaths to adjust, and Brook rubbed your stomach in tender circles to soothe you. 

“Sh….sh… tell me when to go, dear,” he whispered. You swallowed roughly before panting out a ‘go’, and he began to move his hips. Your chest and body bounced with every thrust he made, and he watched in amusement at the way your face contorted with pleasure. 

“Oh, geez, Brook… fuck…” you moaned out loud, freely expressing yourself knowing that none fo the other members were here. 

“Good, good… let it out. Let it all out. Let me hear your voice,” Brook ordered. He moved a hand lower down your body and let his thumb rub your clit again. The sensation of the toy inside you and his finger against your sensitive nub drove you mad, making you scream in joy and ecstasy. 

“Harder!” You yelled, and Brook complied by thrusting his hips faster. He leaned down towards you, pinning your arms again with his other hand. 

“As you wish, my dear. But don’t blame me if you can’t walk after, alright?” You were too focused on the pleasure to respond or care, giving a weak nod. Brook found it almost cute, but he didn’t want to embarrass you or make you feel self-conscious, so he kept the thought to himself. 

The pleasure in you was growing as Brook continued to hold you tighter, squeeze you harder, and fuck you faster. It was almost inhuman how hard he was going, and the attention he was giving to your body made you melt against the bed. You whined, begged, pleaded, and cried pathetically, thanking Brook for the pleasurable experience. 

“You’re getting close, hm? You’re squeezing it so tight and your breathing is getting faster,” Brook hummed to himself. 

“Y-yes, Brook… please…” you whined, and Brook removed the hand pinning you down to stroke your throat. 

“I want to be a bit selfish, darling. I want to hear you scream my name,” he said. “Can you do that for me?” 

“B-Brook,” you stammered. 

“Louder.” 

“Brook,” you stated as his hips hammered into you. 

“You can do better than that,” he commented. 

“Brook!” You cried as he hit a wonderful spot inside you. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head and Brook took it as his cue to get you over the edge. 

“Louder, my dear! I know you can do it! Put your soul into it!” 

The thumb working on your bundle of nerves pressed down and you felt your oxygen being taken away as the coil that had been building up within you snapped. 

“BROOK!” You screamed, orgasming around the toy. Brook slowed his hips down to a halt while he let his his thumb continue to circle to extend your orgasm. 

You shakily rested against the bed, gasping for air and twitching in delight. You felt a cool touch on your forehead as Brook placed his hand and used his Devil Fruit powers again. 

“This should help you settle down and relax,” he explained, and the hot pulse of your lower body combined with his cool touch on top made for a pleasant feeling. 

“Thank you, Brook,” you mumbled, your eyes fluttering in exhaustion. You let out a quiet laugh and had a tired smile, a sign the afterglow was getting to you. He wanted to bask in it for a long time. Brook removed the strap-on and had placed it to the side, taking to settling beside you on the bed as he undid your handcuffs. 

He wrapped his bony arms around you, spooning you against him. It was quiet, minus the sound of your breathing. That was, until you spoke up. 

“I love you,” you stated in a low tone. 

“H-huh?” He gasped, taken aback by your confession. 

“I love you,” you repeated. 

“(Y/n), is this the sex talking?” He joked, unsure if you were being serious. No, it was more like… like he couldn’t believe you felt that way for him. 

“No. It’s my heart talking. I love you.” 

He stayed silent, not certain of how he should respond. You curled into yourself, expecting rejection. Instead, Brook pulled you closer and and rested his chin on the crook of your shoulder. 

“Then, if that is the case… allow me to give my heart to you, as well. Of course, I don’t have a heart anymore but you’ll allow that, won’t you?” Brook asked. You sighed in relief. 

“I won’t mind. Not at all, Brook.” 

“Wonderful. (Y/n), you do have all of me. Even though I don’t have a body or heart, my soul will be yours,” Brook confessed. “I will always treasure you within me.” 

He stroked the side of your body before he heard your quiet snores. He chuckled as he pressed his “mouth” to your head, as if kissing you. 

BONUS: 

“Hey, where are those two?!” Nami cried, lugging back tons of bags from their shopping trip. 

“Some guarding they were doing,” Zoro scratched his head as he threw a large box onto the deck floor. Luffy meanwhile, looked around and frowned. 

“Do you think they ate without us? Meanies,” the captain pouted. Robin glanced to the deck table and noticed the cup of tea you had brewed earlier- or, more accurately, the one you made for Brook- and chuckled. 

“It’s best we don’t disturb them. They probably got tired,” Robin said in a mirthful tone. She had a smile on her face, and Nami recognized that smile. It was the smile that meant that Robin knew something no one else did. Nami raised a brow at Robin before dusting off her hands. 

“Well, since they’ve rested up, the least they could do is help us put all these supplies away!” Nami responded, not even daring to guess what Robin was thinking of. 

Robin nodded. 

“Of course. I’ll go let them know they’re wanted here,” she laughed again as she began walking to the your room. 

[roronoacherries]

Hey!!!! I watched the movie fifty shades freed a few days ago and there was a scene where the protagonists were having sex on the kitchen table lol. could you do something like zoro and a female reader? thank you I'm really loving your blog and your fics, keep it up it's very very very very good!!!!

𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐤 | roronoa zoro

3.049 words

content: nsfw, sort of fluff sort of angst, afab reader, oral f. receiving, rough; trouble sleeping, bad dreams, and a midnight snack…

note: thank you for the request! sorry i took forever. i love kitchen sex and i could write about it a dozen times. this isn’t quite as good as the fifty shades scene — and it’s a lot more emotional (i got carried away? hope that’s okay) — but it’s not half bad. enjoy!!

each night, sanji locks the kitchen to keep a certain someone from eating everything in his sleep, but he’d gifted you (as well as nami and robin) with a key to enter if you ever desired to.

you’d never used it before — you were hardly the type to crave a midnight snack — but after tossing and turning in bed for the past hour, you quietly felt around the darkness of your room, searching for the key.

if anything, at least a trip to the kitchen would let zoro sleep in peace.

the swordsman laid sprawled across your bed, mouth slightly agape as light snores escaped him. you had struggled to remove yourself from his arms without waking him. he was usually a light sleeper but, strangely, he hadn’t stirred at all.

you weren’t too surprised; he’d come to bed exhausted after a late night workout, snuggling into you, not letting you say a word before muttering something about his room being too far and your bed being comfier. he was fast asleep in a matter of seconds — unlike you, whose thoughts wouldn’t allow her a moment of rest.

as you searched your nightstand for the key, zoro’s hand seemed to search for you beside him, but beyond that he gave no sign of waking up any time soon. the last thing you wanted was to wake him; so, as soon as you found the key, you stepped out of the room, shutting the door as quietly as you could.

you took your time making your way to the kitchen, letting your tired mind wander back to the image of zoro asleep at your side, the warmth of his skin, the rise and fall of his bare chest, the weight of his arm wrapped around you… it should have been enough to lull you to sleep but all you could do was think.

even with zoro at your side, all you could do was worry that you were drifting apart. it felt like the only time you spent with him anymore was on the nights he didn’t have watch duty, when he wandered into your room with some excuse to sleep beside you. it wasn’t like he needed a reason, but something told you zoro must have felt the same way you did. like something was changing between you.

he was with you a few nights a week at most — nowhere near as much as you’d like. sometimes he’d listen to you tell him about your day as you rested your head against his chest, but most nights were like tonight; he’d wrap his arms around you, pulling you close to him, before falling asleep. in the morning, he was always gone before you woke. you’d tried keeping him company in the crow’s nest, too, but you never managed to stay awake long. by morning, you’d find yourself in the comfort of your bed.

so when you were laying beside him, all you could think about was that it felt like you were always missing him. it pained you to look at him and notice that his hair had grown longer or that he had scars you didn’t recognize and didn’t have a clue where he’d gotten them.

it pained you to fall asleep beside him when you knew he wouldn’t be there in the morning.

the scent of delightfully sweet desserts pulled you from your melancholy as you entered the kitchen. you couldn’t be more grateful that sanji had spent the entire afternoon baking; chocolate wouldn’t solve your problems, but you could still try. at the very least, it was a perfect temporary fix. you took a seat on the counter beside the treats, swinging your legs as you questioned what to eat first.

“there you are. what’re you doing in here?” zoro spoke in a hoarse whisper, squinting from the door as his eyes adjusted to the kitchen lights.

“shit, sorry. did i wake you?” you said, half a brownie in your mouth. despite your guilt, you couldn’t help letting your eyes admire zoro’s bare torso as he made his way over to you. his pants hung painfully low on his hips.

the swordsman shook his head, averting his eyes as he replied. “had a bad dream.”

“what about?” you wrapped your legs around him, pulling him a little closer to you and zoro rested his hands on your hips.

“doesn’t matter.” there was something in the way his grip tightened around you that made you question his sincerity, but before you could say anything else, zoro reworded his earlier question. “why weren’t you in bed?”

it was you, then, who averted her eyes. “it…doesn’t matter,” you whispered, partially to tease him but mostly to keep him from worrying. “i couldn’t sleep.”

“and sweets were your solution?” zoro raised an eyebrow. you shrugged, taking a cupcake and putting some of its frosting on his nose. “i needed a walk. and besides, i didn’t want to risk waking you.”

“i wouldn’t have minded.”

“i know.” you leaned forward, slowly licking the chocolate frosting from his nose. you hadn’t meant for it to be a sensual act, but it made your body feel hot nonetheless. before you could move back, zoro pushed his lips against your own, enveloping you in a kiss that clouded all of your senses. you wrapped your arms around the swordsman, running your fingers through his hair as you pulled away — an act that felt different than you remembered.

his hair had gotten longer, you reminded yourself. of course that would make a difference, but had it really been so long since you’d last run your fingers through it that the act would feel foreign?

you tried to ignore the thought, pressing your lips to zoro’s once more for another, softer kiss. at least, he’ll never stop tasting like sake.

“i missed that.” the words left your lips before you recognized what they implied: you couldn’t remember the last time you and zoro had kissed like this. there were the half-asleep goodnight kisses and soft, short-lived kisses on the deck when either of you disembarked, but that was all. and somehow, you hadn’t realized it until then.

if the swordsman had heard your words, he showed no sign of it, his eyes fixed on your upper arm.

“what’s this?” he traced his thumb over a scar on your skin.

“oh. that’s nothing. i was helping sanji in the kitchen a couple weeks ago and he sort of, accidentally grazed my arm with a knife,” you explained, but zoro’s eyes still stared at the fading scar. “it sounds worse than it really was, i promise,” you added, placing your hand on his chin as you turned his eyes toward you.

as insignificant as the scar was, you could see the same unease in zoro’s eyes that you’d felt as you brushed your fingers through his hair.

“...weeks ago.” he repeated, shutting his eyes, his eyebrows furrowed. but you weren’t going to let him dwell on the thought. pressing your lips to his again, you slipped your tongue into his mouth and let your hands roam his body. you felt the curves of his arms, the familiar scar across his chest, the outline of his abs. his own hands moved slowly along the sides of your body, slipping under your shirt to meet the softness of your skin.

regardless of time, your bodies still knew one another; your hands still knew where to touch each other without need for thought. you still moved in perfect sync with one another. the subtlest touch from zoro’s fingers could still light a fire within you.

“zoro…” you pulled back — or at least, attempted to, your body aching to be pressed against his. “lock the door.”

you spoke between kisses, breathless as zoro pulled you closer, refusing to let you pull away. his movements were almost uncharacteristically relentless and possessive. though it wasn’t difficult to imagine why.

“what for?” zoro traced his lips slowly along your jaw, leaving kisses down your neck and along your collarbone; you could feel him smirking against your skin. the swordsman had never been one to fear getting caught in the act with you. on the contrary, there were times you were certain he aimed to make sure the whole ship knew what you were up to.

“roronoa zoro.” you forced yourself to pull away from his touch, crossing your arms as you glared at him.

“alright.”

a smile tugged at your lips as the swordsman walked to the door, without any rush — you couldn’t complain, loving to admire the curves of his bare back. roronoa zoro was a man sculpted by the very gods; there was not a doubt in your mind about it.

you reached for the cupcake beside you, not taking your eyes off the swordsman as you dragged your finger along its side, meeting zoro’s eyes as you brought it to your lips. slowly, you licked the frosting from your fingertip before gently sucking. “want some?” you asked innocently as zoro returned to stand between your legs.

he took the cake from your hand and set it aside, leaning into you, his breath warm against your neck as he pressed his lips just below your ear, the spot he knew always made your breath hitch. “i’m craving something else…”

if you’d felt a heat rushing through your body before, now you were burning up. zoro pushed up the fabric of your shirt, eyeing you with greed as he waited for you to take it off. the swordsman wasted no time in pressing his mouth to your breast as he pressed you back against the cold countertop. his hand traveled lower, ever grateful that you slept only in panties and an oversized shirt as he slipped aside the fabric of your undergarments, fingers slowly dragging along your intimacy.

with a devilish grin, zoro pulled back, giving his fingers a swift lick. “so good.” he said with a smirk, his low, gruff voice sending shivers through your body. “have a taste,” he brought his fingers to your lips, kneading your breast with one hand as you obediently sucked on his fingers.

“fuck. i can’t ever get enough of you.” his arms moved to wrap around your thighs, leaving you exposed for him to feast on you however he pleased. he started slow, pressing his tongue along your drenched labia, relishing in the taste of you — but you knew better than to get comfortable with this pace. the drunker he got off of you, the more remorseless he could be.

you felt him groan against you, the feeling momentarily making you forget how to breathe; you could feel him smirking against you before burying his face deeper against you, spelling a storm around your clit with his tongue.

you couldn’t help but gasp at the sensation, curling your toes and biting your lip as you fought to stifle your moans, knowing it would be in vain soon enough.

and you were right. nothing could quiet your sweet moans, the soft utterances of zoro’s name falling incessantly from your lips as he slipped two fingers into you. all proper thoughts left your mind as you indulged in the pleasure rushing through your body.

“f-fuck, zoro. amor—” one hand reached below, slipping your fingers through zoro’s hair as you massaged your breast with the other. “don’t stop. i’m c-close.”

a slew of incoherencies escaped your lips as a wave of pleasure went through your body, zoro’s fingers not ceasing their movements as he moved to press his lips against yours, his free hand bringing you forward, pressing your body up against his.

when he pulled away, you were beyond breathless, clasping your legs shut. you rested your hands on either side of his face, kissing him over and over again. “fuck. i love you. let me suck your cock, please.” you pleaded, licking your lips, wanting nothing more than to get on your knees and wrap your lips around him. you wanted to struggle to take him in, to feel his hand on your head guiding you, and most of all to have him fill your throat with his hot cum.

“sorry, babe,” you watched as he stepped out of his sweatpants, the sight of his hard cock making your mouth water. zoro didn’t waste time dragging it along your dripping cunt, evoking a soft moan from your lips, your pussy still beyond sensitive. he shut his eyes in pleasure as he pressed his cock against you, just against your entrance. you whimpered at the feeling. “i need something a little different.”

“fuck me,” you said slowly, leaning your body back against the counter. “please, zoro.”

the swordsman didn’t waste a second fulfilling your request. he stuffed you full, all at once before you could think twice about it. his pace was rough, only fueled by your loud whines. “z-zoro-” your back arched forward in bliss, your hands grasping for something to hold. in all of your mess, you’d completely forgotten about the sweets beside you until your arm knocked them off the side of the counter accidentally. but zoro’s merciless thrusts made it hard to think about anything other than his thick cock buried inside you.

“too much, zoro, i can’t,” you whimpered, feeling another orgasm building inside you. but zoro only quickened his pace, his hands gripping your hips, holding you firmly in place as a second wave of pleasure unraveled within you.

feeling your cum around his length, dripping out of you, zoro didn’t halt his thrusts. instead, the lewd sounds of bodies connecting and his skin against yours kept him going. your arms wrapped around him in agonizing pleasure, your nails digging into his back as you felt another coil building inside you. tears swelled in your eyes as you moaned zoro’s name over and over.

“hold on a little longer, sweet thing.” zoro pressed his lips to your forehead and you held your breath as you obediently fought back your release. you were notorious for being the only crew member who could tell roronoa zoro what to do, but in bed it was you who was weak to his commands.

as his pace became messier, movements slopier, his hands gripping your hips tighter, zoro shut his eyes before uttering an assertive, “cum.”

with that one word you let go, feeling his seed fill you with each continuous thrust as your own juices did. his thrusts slowed and your body clenched around him as he released every last drop into you.

“sanji’s going to kill us.” you whispered, breathing heavy. there was no way you’d be able to clean up this mess. you wouldn’t be able to walk to the door in this state.

zoro chuckled, kissing you slowly, his hand gently cupping your cheek. “i needed this.”

his words were quiet, vulnerable. his eyes avoided yours, focusing instead on your intertwined hands. “i know. so did i.”

“you wanna tell me why you really came down here?” zoro’s eyes shifted only slightly higher; they stilled on the scar on your arm.

“you wanna tell me about your bad dream?”

his eyes met yours then, with a playful glare. “i asked first.” you stared into them, looking for something, anything, that might give you an answer. something that might ease your fears.

what could you say to him? that you couldn’t stand sleeping in his arms anymore, that there was a glaring distance between you two that you couldn’t bear to ignore any longer? what could you say that wouldn’t ruin the night for you both.

you opened and shut your mouth several times, unable to find the right words, not quite aware of the tears forming in your eyes.

“shit. don’t cry,” zoro instinctively moved to hug you, pressing you close to him as he wiped the tears from your cheek, resting his chin on your head. “i’m sorry. you don’t have to say anything.”

he was quiet for a moment, but you could tell that, like you, he was looking for the right words to say. and for the courage to say them.

“i lost you.” you stayed still in his arms, holding your breath as he spoke, his voice only a whisper. “i dreamt that i’d lost you. that you’d left and it’d been because of me.

“when i woke up and you weren’t beside me, i…”

“i feel like i miss you all of the time,” zoro sighed; you couldn’t be more grateful that his sudden show of vulnerability had had him voice the words you couldn’t say.

you pulled back, slowly, looking up at the swordsman whose eyes were shut tight. you knew better than anyone that zoro hated to be vulnerable, that confessing his nightmares was worse to him than any wound. you knew that if he was telling you any of this, it was because he needed to.

“i’m right here.” you placed your hands on either side of his face, a gentle smile on your lips as his eyes opened to meet yours. “all yours, zoro. if i try to stand it’ll prove that.” zoro’s eyes gleamed with pride at those words. “and you’re not getting rid of me easily,” you whispered these words against his lips before kissing him softly.

“thought i was the one comforting you.” the swordsman raised a brow, but you could see the faintest of blushes flush his cheeks.

“i love you, roronoa zoro.”

the words took zoro by surprise, but he didn’t hesitate to return the sentiment, leaning in to kiss you again. “i love you, y/n.”

“ i’m tired of missing you. let’s take the day off tomorrow,” you said between kisses.

“and the day after,” zoro suggested, pulling away only to slip back into his sweatpants and toss you your shirt.

“and the rest of the week.” meeting your lips, he stood between your thighs again, lifting you with his hands on your ass. “zoro, wait. we can’t leave the kitchen like this.”

the swordsman rolled his eyes, though promising to get up and clean your mess before the cook could notice. “c’mon let’s go to bed.

“and if you’re still up for a midnight snack, i’ve got something you were begging to have a taste of earlier…”

─────────────────────────────

taglist: @zorobraun @maaarshieee @lyriczhou @tinkywinky27 @dimimyth @gaby-chwan @tk6uro @zoros-4th-sword @idiotlittleme

masterlist | taglist

[ghost-bxrd]

What would fae!dick and Bruce's relationship be like? Would they fight, woild they be loyal to a fault, would they even separate? Faes do love living in one place after all

Hmmm, well if we go with the option of Dick growing up mostly in the human world being more accustomed to attaching himself to people rather than a place I’d reckon him and Bruce would end up growing quite close.

Of course, the manor becomes Dick’s permanent home and reacts to the presence of an other being rather quickly, but at the core of it? I think Dick would use Bruce and Alfred as his anchor, with Jason and Tim and all the others joining over time.

And loyalty… well, the creatures I grew up with were never divided into good or evil. They were very versatile, much like humans. One could be kind and sweet in one story only to turn monstrous in the next, usually dependent on how they’d been treated by the human of the story. Dick is kind and loyal by nature and I headcanon he only shows his more “monstrous” side when he’s truly irked or feels he’s been wronged in some way (which is… a very subjective thing for fae).

Bruce offered Dick a home and a family, both things that certain type of other creatures value very much and consider sacrosanct. It may not win him over right away, but it goes a long way in building that fundamental trust that’s gonna end with Batman and Robin roaming the streets as a team.

On Bruce’s part… most things he does that are considered “gift giving” and “offers of kinship” are accidental. Because, well, he’s not fae. And he’s new to this child-parent thing and is totally winging it but it??? Seems to work ok???? And he finds that bribing Dick with food and old trinkets makes the boy more approachable, so that’s what he keeps doing until Dick starts coming to him on his own, without additional prompting.

Bruce is super happy because he thinks he’s doing this parenting stuff right and his son ward is warming up to him.

Dick is grudgingly charmed into accepting Bruce and Alfred as “his” humans. (It’s really hard to stay cold and distant with all the good food. And Dick may be fae but he’s been around humans all his life. He gets lonely embarrassingly easy. And he thrives and hugs.)

Sheesh ok getting off topic again. To sum it all up: I think their bond would be pretty strong and not easily broken. There’s mutual trust going on, but Bruce would have to learn to make compromises with Dick very early due to his… otherness. All those strict rules wouldn’t go over well with a fae. at all. Especially not if Dick found out who got his parents killed.

Consequently I think the monumental fallout that ends with Dick moving to Blüdhaven wouldn’t happen. At least not in its original severity. Mostly because Bruce had to get accustomed to Dick having a strong mind of his own years ago, and because he found out that being “rude and downright disrespectful” is an easy way to have a murder of crows with a suspicious number of eyes and wings chase you around for weeks on end. (Not to mention the deer incident. Bruce swears deer should NOT have that many rows of teeth.)

So yeah, they still argue. They still fight. But it’s usually just small spats and gets resolved rather quickly. ✨ and now that Dick’s finally settled down? Yup. Sorry. That’s HIS stretch of land now. He’s got his magic sunk into the very roots of it. Thank you and good day. And may the gods help anyone who tries to take it OR his humans away from him. 🌳

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Elbert Greetia Episode 0

Translations may not always capture the exact nuances or tone of the original text. Expect grammatical errors.

Pale lips, bloodless white cheeks, trembling limbs.

My first impression was that she didn’t look like a person suited for sin.

Elbert: “Al, do I have to go too?”

Alfons: “Yes, seeing how it’s such a lovely evening. Also, there might be something you’ll like at the target’s mansion.”

Elbert: “I see. Okay.”

Victor: “Tonight, let’s pledge our loyalty to our evil deeds again.”

The Crown, an organization directly under Queen Victoria, is composed solely of “cursed” individuals.

From espionage to assassination, we undertake shadowy jobs that the police or the military cannot handle.

I’m a member of that organization, but一

(I don’t really like going on missions.)

Using my ability to “revive the opponent’s saddest memories” and seeing the target suffer with it is like adding to my sins, making it harder to breathe every time.

(But as Alfons says, maybe I’ll find what I’m looking for.)

Something that can atone for my sins. Something worthy of what I’ve taken away.

(The most beautiful thing in this world.)

I gently close my eyes, feeling a dark, murky lump wriggling deep in my chest.

Victor: “By the way, William found a cute Robin in the city today.”

(A robin?)

Robins are not very rare here in the UK. In fact, people love them because they are friendly and familiar.

If he’s specifically saying he “found” it, then it’s likely not about a bird.

Alfons: “When you say Robin, are you referring to someone very lovely?”

Alfons: “Or are you referring to someone who brings water to sinners and gets burned by the flames of hell?”

William: “Well, maybe both.”

William: “According to Victor, she apparently defended a poor girl who had stolen jewelry on the roadside and paid for the stolen items in her place.”

Elbert: “That’s very kind of her.”

Alfons: “But she seems like the type to suffer losses.”

William: “You could also say she has her own sense of right and wrong.”

(To think she’d defend someone who committed a crime...)

(She must be strong and kind.)

Elbert: “If she’s that kind of person, it might be best for us not to get involved with her.”

William: “That might be true.”

With a narrowed gaze and a smile, William seemed to be expecting something contrary to that.

William: “Hm? Aren’t you the little Robin I met earlier today?”

Kate: “Huh? Eh? What?”

As it turned out, the woman referred to as “Robin” appeared before us.

(Is that her...?)

Amidst the deep darkness and the blood-red dance hall, she stood alone, bathed in moonlight and shining brightly.

(I don’t know why, but I can’t take my eyes off her.)

Pale lips, bloodless white cheeks, and trembling limbs.

(She doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would be fit for sin.)

A feeling similar to envy suddenly came to mind.

Liam: “Is she your acquaintance, Will? Does she know about us?”

William: “We just talked a bit in town, Liam. She doesn’t know about the Crown.”

Liam: “I see. Then we’re in trouble. What should we do?”

Harrison: “I apologize for scaring you, but this is just a prop for a stage play.”

Kate: “Y-You’re lying...”

Harrison: “Pretending to believe would’ve been for your own good.”

Harrison: “What do we do about this, Will?”

William: “Of course, we should take her to the palace’s grim reaper.”

Jude: “Tch. I told you to lock the door.”

Roger: “Haha! I didn’t think anyone would trespass. You’re quite the naughty girl, aren’t you, little lady?”

Ellis: “Why don’t you come over here? You can’t escape, anyway.”

The moment she heard the words “can’t escape,” she grimaced.

Her appearance, a mess of fear and confusion, resonated with a younger version of myself.

------------Flashback------------

Maid: “Kyaaah!! Someone! Someone help! Madam is!!!”

---------Flashback Ends---------

The fear and confusion that had overwhelmed me when I peeked through the gap in the door and heard the maid’s scream from my mother’s room resurfaced.

(Poor thing.)

It was awful and heartbreaking.

My mother’s death was undoubtedly my fault. That's why my fear back then was something I deserved to experience.

(But you're different.)

You had no connection to the scene unfolding before us.

(A kind person who even extends a helping hand to a sinner doesn't deserve to experience fear.)

(Why did you even end up in a place like this?)

William: "Let me invite you to tonight's dinner. What's your name, dear guest?"

Under the control of William's ability, she introduced herself as Kate.

I thought it was a sweet name.

As she was being taken to the castle, she had been staring anxiously at the sky the whole time.

Kate: "I'm sorry."

Elbert: "It's fine. Are you alright?"

I held her staggering shoulders, and she looked at me for the first time.

Kate: "I'm okay. Thank you."

Elbert: "Is that so?"

(Still, why am I captivated?)

Is it because I felt sorry for her?

Or is it because I heard that she is a strong and kind person from Will?

An inexplicable urge to gaze at her welled up from the depths of my heart.

(Or maybe...)

Because she's beautiful?

I felt like I heard a deep and heavy whisper from within my heart.

Then, as a result of negotiations between Victor and her, Kate decided to stay in the castle as a "fairy tale writer" for one month.

I asked Alfons if she was beautiful, but he simply denied it.

On sleepless nights, as always, I wander around the garden.

Gazing at the blooming white roses, I looked up at the castle and saw a light in a room that should have been empty until yesterday.

(Is she still awake?)

She probably couldn't sleep through the night either.

(One month, huh?)

(If, by any chance, I have the opportunity to accompany her on a mission, the only thing I can do is close her eyes so that she won't get hurt anymore.)

While I was thinking about such things, her eyes suddenly came back to my mind.

(But if she is what I am looking for...)

I would obtain her, even if I had to hurt this innocent girl.

Conflicting emotions of anxiety, fear, anticipation, and excitement surged and engulfed me.

Elbert: "Are you what I am looking for?"

Elbert: "Kate..."

No answer came back from the dimly lit window, and before I knew it, a freshly picked, pure white rose lay in the palm of my hand.

[kurov1864]

Robin dating hcs!!

- Aggressive cuddler. As in, he'll jump onto you kind of hugging. He'll wrap around you like a snake when cuddling. He'll squeeze you until you can't breathe and wouldn't let go even if the world was ending type shit.

- Might be projecting a bit but he might be insecure about being from a branch family?? In one of the manga chapters, Bachiko mentions that Robin is the perfect archer, but it was a shame that he comes from a branch family.

- ACTS. OF. SERVICE. While he is super clingy, making you think that his love language is physical touch, he actually expresses way more affection through doing stuff for you!! Like cooking for you (malewife material fr), pulling your blanket up when you fall asleep, preparing you a snack pack to boost your energy (and hopefully your patience) after being drained by an exhausting morning of teaching students, and organizing surprise dates. Mostly food-related tbh,,,

- Ohmygod the dates. I'm not sure what is up with him and dates but he love love loves to make each date more unique then the last. For example? A picnic date near the everflowing lava lake, where you both compete to see who can guess which geyser shoots the highest. A fishing date in the clouds, where you both quite literally fish for birds. An archery date in a crystal cavern, where you both rely on your senses and the random bursts of light the crystals emit to take each other down. With him, you would never have a "normal" date.

- Also really connected with nature. If you're not the outdoorsy type, you two might not be the best match. When he's not focusing on his students or his many teacher tasks, you can probably find him wandering around Babyls, exploring every nook and inch and finding more hidden gems. (I have a hc that Babyls is a lot like Hogwarts, with many unexplored areas that aren't shown on screen, just because it would be cool)

- Communication is key!! He's not afraid to state his feelings loud and clear, and probably expects you to do the same. If you don't say anything nor show any physical signs of discomfort, he'll take that as an OK to continue doing whatever he's doing. Please don't make him have to guess why you're in a bad mood. No matter how observant his archers eyes are, they're not all-seeing. This also means that if you're doing something that makes him uncomfortable, he'll tell you in a very straightforward manner, maybe a little more hesitant if you enjoy doing that thing a lot.

- The whole "communication is key" part will also carry over to fights. Remember, when you two fight it's you two against the problem, not each other. While that doesn't mean that you both can't show emotion to have a perfectly rational conversation, it would be appreciated if there were no emotional walls up.

- Big on PDA in front of friends/in public, a bit more toned down in front of students. Like, you cannot tell me that he's not the type to jump on you, sit on your lap, intertwine your hands and kiss your cheeks. He doesn't really see a need to keep his relationship private (not that he can), but did he really have to stuff it in everybody's faces that you two were dating? Oh absolutely.

- This brings me to my next hc. Despite being sunshine incarnate, he can get awfully possessive. That's why he wants to tell everybody that you were his by acting so affectionately out in public. This way, nobody could ever doubt or even think that you two weren't together. And well, if there actually was some knucklehead that apparently didn't get the message, he would make sure that before your next meeting with them, you would be... appropriately marked as his. Of course, he could always use his image as a socially oblivious teacher to use and scare them off imply that you two were dating.

- Speaking of socially oblivious, I hope you realize he is anything but. As I've mentioned before, being an archer and all it's in his blood to be observant. This translates to him being able to sense anytime you are in a foul mood. And being the attentive and caring lover that he is, of course he's going to try and comfort you! You don't want to tell him what's wrong? That's totally fine. He'll cook you a nice hot meal while you shower, and try to cheer you up by telling you silly stories over the dining table. Expect a few movies to be put on while you two cuddle, anything to make you feel loved and protected. You want to vent about your day? That's good as well! He'll take it as a compliment that you trust him enough to not tell anybody. Although he's usually hyper and speaks up whenever he wants, for you Robin would just sit and listen, nodding and giving appropriate comments whenever needed until you're all tuckered out.

- When finding out you're human, I honestly don't think much would change. He has full faith in Suvillian's evaluation of you, and he wouldn't allow somebody who is weak and defenceless to join the faculty. Probably the only difference would be him trying to find out more about the human world, because he's just naturally curious about everything.

- DATES FOR MARRAIGE. I cannot stress this enough. Although he's not extremely traditional like Kalego, he is extremely loyal. This means that if he agrees to date you it's basically a declaration that he wants to marry and spend the rest of his life with you. He will not get into a relationship that he thinks won't last because he simply thinks it wouldn't be fair to both parties.

- Loves cheesy nicknames. Things like "cutie pie", "bugaboo", and "my lil cutie patootie". He absolutely refuses to use normal nicknames, just because. Favorite part of the day is to shout those in front of students, just to see your face turn red and try to shut him up.

[a-little-unsteddie]

Baggage || Ficlet

hello @hammity-hammer helped me w trying to beat writers block by giving me an idea to write and even tho i didn’t stick w the original plan i’m very happy w how this turned out.

1.1k || G || TW: n/a || pre-steddie, platonic stancy

Steve wasn’t really sure when he realized he was in love with Eddie, but it happened somewhere between the boathouse and dragging his limp body out of the Upside Down. Steve hadn’t always known he liked boys, but ever since Robin had come out to him, he was starting to realize more and more that boys were sometimes just as attractive as girls were to him. If not more so.

He still refused to tell the metalhead how he felt, despite Robin’s best attempts to convince him that Eddie obviously felt the same way. Steve just couldn’t be sure, and he refused to let himself be broken again.

Instead, Steve carried it close to his chest, away from Eddie. He even kept his distance from the metalhead–well, he tried to, he found that Eddie often invaded his personal space, which he was more than okay with, but it made it difficult to push down the overwhelming feelings inside of him. Eddie would lean heavily into his space, then bounce away like nothing had happened, leaving Steve reeling as he watched the other man move on to other conversations.

Steve knew he wasn’t the best at hiding his emotions, which made it difficult to keep what he was feeling from Eddie, but Robin assured him that Eddie had no clue. How she knew, Steve didn’t want to know, but he was glad for it. It meant that days like today, where the weather was getting warm enough to lounge outside all day, and everyone was hanging out, Steve could sit and watch Eddie interact with everyone without anyone noticing.

Besides Robin, of course.

“Whatcha doin’?” A voice asked, right next to his ear. Steve flinched hard, turning to face Nancy, who was standing next to his chair with a sunhat on, holding two cans of coke in her hands. She offered him one, to which he accepted hesitantly.

“Sunbathing,” Steve responded, gesturing to his mostly exposed body. Nancy hummed, sitting in the pool chair next to him.

“Is that all?” She asked pointedly, lowering her sunglasses to look him in the eye, before tilting her head towards where Eddie and Jonathan were talking. Steve froze, staring at her wide eyed. He was glad for the sunglasses that he was wearing as well, but they did nothing to hide the flush that spread across his body.

“I don’t know what you’re implying,” Steve said, probably unconvincingly, leaning back into the pool chair in an act of nonchalance that he was struggling to maintain.

“I think you have a type,” Nancy teased, leaning back into her own pool chair. She obviously knew that Steve didn’t want any attention drawn to the conversation, to which he was glad. Honestly, Steve should have known that he wouldn’t be able to keep this from her, she was too observant for her own good.

“That’s what you’re here to tell me?” He asked, scoffing. “Tell me something I don’t know, Nance.”

“You don’t want to tell him because you’re scared he’s gonna hurt you. Like I did.” Nancy said, without hesitation, causing Steve to nearly choke on his saliva.

“What?” He asked, startled.

“I’m sorry, Steve,” Nancy said, not quite closing her eyes, wanting to keep an eye on the kids playing in the pool.

Steve swallowed thickly, letting his gaze wander back to where Eddie was standing and joking with Argyle and Jonathan. He was laughing at something that Argyle had said, which caused something akin to jealousy twist in his gut as he watched.

“I know that we didn’t really talk about it,” Nancy continued, unheeded by Steve’s lack of response, “but I am so sorry for the things I said.”

“Nance,” Steve started to interrupt, only to be silenced by Nancy talking over him again.

“Let me apologize, Steve. You need to hear it. I want to say it.” Steve blinked rapidly, but nodded. He wasn’t sure this was the place to have this conversation, but if Nancy insisted. “I was still mourning Barb. And it was like you were able to pretend it didn’t happen, or like you had moved on completely, and I was just stuck. I know now that it was your way of coping, but back then it was like you didn’t care about what happened.”

“I’m sorry,” Steve started, but Nancy put a hand up to silence him again.

“No, you were doing what you had to do to cope, I can’t fault you for that. I’m sorry that I called our relationship bullshit. That I called you bullshit.” Nancy paused, tilting her head to look at him. The sunhat was flopped over her sunglasses, which hid her eyes for the most part, but Steve could see the hint of tears appearing. “You didn’t deserve that. You’re one of the most genuine and kind people I know, and you didn’t deserve what I did to you. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, Nance,” Steve breathed, feeling his heart beating out of his chest. “I forgave you a long time ago.”

“But you’re still hurting from what I called our relationship. You deserve to let yourself be happy, and move on. Tell him.”

Steve let himself sit on those words, making eye contact with Robin who was stuck in a conversation with Murray of all people–Steve wasn’t sure who invited him, but he seemed to just appear at their get togethers more than he didn’t–she gestured slightly with her head, looking between him and Nancy with a question. Steve smiled and shook his head slightly, before turning his attention back to Nancy.

“You’re right,” Steve said quietly, still unsure that this conversation should be happening here, but continued nonetheless, “you basically tore my heart out and then less than a week later were walking around with Jonathan. I know you didn’t intend for it to be the way it was, which is why I never really was upset with you, but I was still…yeah. In a bad spot.” Nancy grimaced slightly, but still reached out and grabbed his hand to add a little comfort. “I’m better now,” Steve assured, squeezing her hand.

“I’m still sorry,” Nancy said quietly. “You deserved–do deserve better.”

“Thank you,” he whispered, his gaze finding its way back to Eddie, surprised to find the man looking back at him with something that looked close to jealousy.

“You should tell him,” Nancy said, squeezing his hand again before pulling back. Steve smiled at her softly before standing. This conversation didn’t magically completely heal the hurt part of him, but it soothed an ache that he had grown accustomed to carrying.

And he would always carry it, in some way.

But maybe he didn’t have to carry it alone.

Steve walked towards Eddie.

[mangoisms]

circle k (back to you)

summary: in which you're just the graveyard shift employee at circle k bombarded by vigilantes.

━ chapter two: it’s getting late | read chapter one

━ pairing: tim drake x f!reader

━ word count: 4.5k

━ warnings: none

━ masterlist

━ a/n: would be lying if i said this was for tim's birthday tmrw. it was rlly just because the reception to chapter 1 was so lovely and i also did this with my other tim fic—posting chapter 2 early, i mean. but we'll just have to work with this. happy early birthday tim you are annoying and i want to study you under a microscope <3

You expect Red Robin’s appearance to be a one-off thing. 

It is not. 

Instead, the next day, you get Black Bat. 

It jolts you from the phone call you’re having.

“—understand the temptation to tell them to screw off but I really don’t want to get… shot…”

You trail off, watching, wide-eyed as your newest vigilante customer steps into Circle K. 

Black Bat cuts an imposing figure, her suit made up mostly of inky black material, with a few accents of gold, the Bat symbol on her chest standing out the most. Her black cape flutters behind her, moving like a shadow. She looks the most like Batman, you think, with the cowl and the pointed ears. Except the eyes of the mask are black and the bottom of her face is completely covered—stitched closed. Considerably more creepy, you think, goosebumps breaking out over your skin. Though that could be the fan you have on, fluttering your hair as it makes a slow rotation.

“Hey, did you die or something?”

“No,” you mutter, watching, your heart starting to pick up as Black Bat comes up to the counter.

You aren’t sure what you expect, but it’s not—

“Do you have Red Bull?” Her voice is low and melodic. Not befitting of her… general aura.

Wordlessly, you point to the refrigerators at the back.

“Thanks,” she says, then she turns and walks away. You can only see the top of her head and the pointed ears of her cowl. A second later, you hear the suction-y sound of the refrigerator door being opened. 

A voice calls your name from the other end of the line. 

Your best friend, Stephanie Brown, who gave you a call to see how your summer break has been treating you. 

“Sorry,” you say, clearing your throat. “Just got distracted by something outside.”

“Something outside? That’s not reassuring. At all.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Like I was saying, I’m not gonna tell them that. It’s tempting but like I said, I don’t want to get arrested or some shit.”

“The charges wouldn’t even hold. It’s a free country. I can tell a cop to fuck off if I want to. That’s my god-given right.” 

“I appreciate the spirit, but I don’t think the GCPD would agree with you.”

“Well, the GCPD can kiss my ass.”

“You and me both, Stephie. You and me both. So, how’s, uh, Metropolis?”

“Metropolis is Metropolis. Brainiac nearly took control of the city yesterday but what’s new? Mom’s having a good time, though. Even if things are way overpriced over here. I mean, seriously. Eight bucks for a cup of coffee at this place we went to today. They’re crazy.”

Steph babbles in your ear for a few more minutes. Long enough for Black Bat to reemerge from the aisle, two cans of Red Bull and a bag of Takis and a pack of sour gummy worms in hand. You wonder who the second person is. Red Robin, maybe? 

He’d been odd about the hot chocolates. Odd in general. But that’s what you get with these vigilante types. 

No matter. You quickly focus on your current situation, giving Black Bat a small, embarrassed smile and pointing at the phone crammed between your shoulder and ear, mouthing Sorry. 

You shouldn’t be doing this on the job and you should’ve told Steph you had to go but quite frankly, you need the assurance of another person with you. Even if said person can’t do anything and is across the harbor in Metropolis on a mini-vacation with her mom. 

 Black Bat shouldn’t give you trouble about it. You hope. She just scares you a little more than Red Robin. Which is silly because he’s a guy and probably more potentially dangerous but. You know. Her suit is just… too similar to Batman’s, and he’s the one who scares you the most.   

Still, Black Bat just shrugs and waves a hand. “It’s fine.”

You nod your thanks, then scan everything and bag it. She pulls out a twenty dollar bill from her utility belt and you give her the change, which she promptly puts in the tip jar. A kind gesture, really, considering the twenty is a bit of an overshoot for her total, leaving you with a nice tip. 

You guess that if anything else, at least it’s nice that these vigilantes tip. 

After dropping the receipt into the bag, she takes it and waves at you. 

Mystified, you wave back. 

Then she steps out, cape fluttering behind her.

“Anyway,” Steph says on the other end as you focus on her voice again. “It’s pretty fun but I miss home. Can’t wait to be back in the city. We’re hanging out as soon as I do, by the way. How are things with you?”

Oh, you can’t keep it in. You have to tell her. 

“I saw the Flash two days ago.”

But she misunderstands.

“Oh, yeah,” she says. “I saw that in the news. ‘Cause of Trickster, right? Bet Batman wasn’t happy about that.”

“No,” you say. “I’m saying I saw him. Here. At Circle K. He dropped in to grab a bite to eat. I know you and Tim absolutely refuse to believe me when I say he visited me and that we’re friends—which, by the way, he totally reaffirmed when I saw him—but he was here.”

“We’re jealous, that’s all,” she says. “Just don’t want you running off with the Flash thinking he’s cooler than we are. Which, to be clear, he isn’t. Not me, anyway. Tim is up for debate.”

“Well, you’re about to be a little more jealous.”

“And why is that?”

“Because since he visited, weird shit has started happening.”

“Weird shit is always happening in Gotham. What is so special about this weird shit in particular?”

“Oh, he said something stupid to Red Robin—Red Robin came in a little while after he did, I guess they were working together to track down Trickster—anyway, he was talking about how I’m… scared of the Bats—”

“Are you scared of the Bats?”

You throw up a hand, though she can’t see it. “I have a healthy amount of fear and respect for them—and on that note, please don’t tell anyone else I’m telling you this.”

“Of course.”

“Right, well, Flash was just ragging him, you know? About how he has a better relationship with me, someone who doesn’t even live in Keystone or Central, than the Bats do.”

“So?”

“So,” you blow out a big breath, “Red Robin showed up yesterday to get some hot chocolate—”

“Hot chocolate?” Steph asks, disbelieving. 

“Yeah. He said it was a better alternative to coffee. Guess he’s not into energy drinks. Weirdo. The whole thing about it—weird. Like… I don’t know. He was just acting weird when he was asking if we had any.”

“… That is weird,” she says, an odd note to her voice. She clears her throat. “And then?”

“I knew why he was doing it so I told him he didn’t have to come around ‘cause he and the others obviously need to uphold a specific perception, right? Then he was all, Well, what does a civilian like you know about it? Can you believe they unironically call us that?”

Steph laughs. She laughs hard.

You wait it out, not entirely sure what or why she is laughing so hard but it’s not the first time she’s ever done that, so you can just let it go. 

“Okay,” she giggles. “Sorry. Keep going. What else happened?”

“He left. But then, y’wanna guess who just showed up right now?”

“Who? Batman?”

“God, no. It was Black Bat. She was nice enough. Gave me a big tip. Creepy suit, though.”

“What’d she’d get?”

“Two Red Bulls, a bag of Takis and a pack of sour gummy worms. Wonder who that second Red Bull is for. And the snacks. Red Robin realizing hot chocolate in June is weird? Hard to imagine him eating Takis, though. He’s probably like Tim, saying they’re ‘too hot’.”

Steph laughs again for a while.

“Oh, god, you’re killing me,” she gasps out when she calms.

You shake your head, rubbing your finger over a scratch mark in the counter. “I don’t know what is so funny but sure.”

“So, then, what? You think you’re just gonna some more vigilantes? ‘Cause it’s only been two so far.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” you grumble. “But it’s two. When previously, this has never happened.” 

“True! Well… any preferences? For who comes next?”

“Anyone but Batman, thanks.”

Your next visitor is not Batman.

It is, in a turn of events that makes a little more sense, the Signal.

A few days after your call with Steph, things are fine, until your manager posts to the team group chat about wanting someone for an afternoon shift, saying someone quit unexpectedly. Not one to say no to some extra cash, you latch onto the opportunity—even if it’s an admittedly questionable idea. You try not to work weekends to let yourself recuperate from sustaining your not-so-great sleep schedule. 

Anyway, you feel and look like a zombie, but you get your work done. 

“I can help the next person in line,” you call. 

A tall, broad-shouldered stocky older man with long blonde hair and blue eyes behind coke-bottle glasses steps up, armed with two large cups of coffee. The scrubs he wears clues you into some kind of healthcare position. 

“Hi, did you find everything—”

The door opens, your eyes automatically flickering to the movement, and your voice cuts out sharply as you realize who it is.

The Signal stands there a bit awkwardly for a moment as all of you look—the blonde man at the counter and the other man waiting in line.

“Hey, you!”

You flinch, tensing, already fearing a confrontation as the other man steps forward, pointing at the Signal. The one in question tenses, shoulders rising, like he’s preparing to fight. You hope not. That would be a lot of paperwork for you. It’s the manager’s, technically, to report any damage done by vigilantes, but they always give it to you or the other employees on the floor.

But it is not as you feared. Instead of picking a fight, the man… thanks him?

“You’re the Signal, right? Right? You saved my son a few months ago from some muggers following him home from school. Thank you, man. Seriously, I can’t thank you enough. He wouldn’t be here with me if it weren’t for you,” the man says, holding out a hand.

“Hey, man,” Signal says, reaching out to shake his hand. “It was nothing. I’m glad I was there to help.”

“Are you here to buy something? Let me cover you. Please. It’s the least I can do—”

“Oh, you really don’t need to—”

“That went better than expected.”

The soft-spoken voice brings you out of your thoughts and you belatedly realize you still have a customer to take care of. But when you look at him, he is watching the Signal try to tell the other man that he doesn’t have to pay for him, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“Yeah,” you say. “Good thing. Signal’s a good guy.”

He turns back to you as you scan the cups of coffee, pulling out a wallet.

“He is,” he agrees easily—meaning his words, too, a genuine conviction you don’t hear often associated with the vigilantes of the city. 

Signal manages to hold firm on not needing the man to pay, repeating that he was just doing his job, and thankfully, the man accepts it with good graces. 

You quickly get your current customer wrapped up while the Signal steps into the chip aisle. 

You pass him the receipt. “Thank you, have a good day.”

He sends you a small, handsome smile, picking up the cups of coffee. “Thank you, you, too.”

The one after him steps up to pay, talking jovially with you, spirits still apparently lifted at seeing Signal and being able to thank him. It’s a nice moment, you think, and you make sure to respond in kind. 

The door swings shut behind him just as Signal re-emerges from the chip aisle, holding a can of Monster Energy and a bag of chile picante Cornnuts. The combination is… surely something. You let yourself slip with it, too, because you’ve personally heard a lot of good things about him. The fact that he works during the day helps his case, too. 

“I need the energy,” Signal says, seeing that thought in your face; he doesn’t sound mad, though, just vaguely amused. His suit is filled with more yellow tones, still intimidating but not as much in the daylight, a helmet of sorts leaving only his mouth exposed. 

“It’ll definitely give you… something,” you say, chuckling as you scan both.

He pats his stomach. “I have guts of steel. Don’t worry about it.”

“Not a problem as long as I never have to hear ‘guts of steel’ ever again. Jesus. Is that just a natural thing of your biology or is it evolutionary-based?”

“This life isn’t for the faint of heart or stomach,” he agrees, passing you a five dollar bill. “Adaptation is key.”

“I bet.”

Signal laughs, taking his change and dropping it into the tip jar. You smile, too, shaking your head slightly. 

“Have a good day.”

He tips his Red Bull at you. “You, too.”

Guts of steel. You nearly can’t believe it.

You pick up your phone, finding your conversation with Tim. You and Steph are hanging out tomorrow, so you’ll tell her about it, then. She asked him, though, and he said he was busy. Too bad. But that doesn’t mean he gets out of being subjected to those words, either.

no joke signal came in to buy a monster energy and cornnuts (a questionable combo) and when he saw me judging he said he has guts of steel

meta related do you think???

makes sense to me. you have a gene inside you that gives you literal powers i think they shouldn’t be having digestive issues/ibs like us common folk do

Your three texts, sent in quick succession, deliver. You bite the inside of your cheek as you see your previous ones still unanswered. It’s been like that for the past few weeks. Not him ignoring you but a bit of a dry spell going on in your messages that was only broken when you told Steph what happened and decided you had to tell him, too.

It’s not his fault. The dry spell from before or the lack of responses going on now. 

You started the first thing. So, it’s more your fault than anything for all of that. Steph’s talked to him, though, and she’s never let up on anything amiss…

You groan quietly, dropping your phone on the counter and burying your face in your hands.

Too complicated. Too much. 

It never used to be like that but… things changed recently. 

You, mostly. 

You met Stephanie Brown your second semester at Gotham University. 

Taking your required elective, you chose Intro to Psych. She was doing the same. Though, being a social work major, psychology was practically a cousin to it. 

The professor for the class turned out to be a total dud. Rambled during lecture, refused to give out study guides, and while he would give out hints as to what material might show up on exams, his questions were trick ones. When people complained, he said some crap about being in a higher ed setting and needing to do better because of it. Like his class was some 300 or 400 level course and not a literal intro course to a large and burgeoning field of study. 

But classes are expensive, so, you couldn’t drop it. Refused to, really, knowing you would face much more difficult classes later on, ones you knew you might need to drop and try again. So, you weren’t going to waste the money on this type of class.

Steph was of the same thought.

She sat next to you in the lecture hall. You two didn’t talk until after the first exam and everyone was upset about their grades, the exams having been handed back at the end of class. Your shared frustration brought you together, mostly as you two were ranting about it, you packed up and wound up leaving class together, the both of you just too caught up in your anger to realize you both needed to go in opposite directions for your next class. 

You initially agreed to be study partners, to cover more ground that way. But Steph managed to worm her way to your heart by the end of that semester. 

Your astounding lack of friends helped, too. Even if things had been that way since your junior year of high school, even if you wanted things to remain that way to protect what little remained of your heart, the loneliness hit you harder than you thought it would when you started college. 

And Steph was nice and funny and listened to you and paid attention to you and you… were so very deprived of those things, so it was nice in the beginning, but then you realized, to your own horror, that you actually wanted her to stick her around, that just as she knew nearly everything about you by the end of the semester, you knew nearly everything about her, too, and you wanted to know more, wanted to be there for her like she always was for you. 

You have that and more now and you are so very lucky because of it.

Tim, though?

Tim was something else.

Steph told you she had a friend visiting.

Just that—that she had a friend visiting campus and she ‘hoped he could find his way to the computer workstation on the fourth floor because as soon as I sit down, I’m not leaving for anything other than to use the bathroom or some kind of world-ending event.’ 

It was a particularly grueling paper she had to churn out—twenty pages, heavily research-based with the kind of statistics that made your head spin.

Working at the front desk of the Martha Kane Library at the time, you humored her. Told her good luck and that you’d keep an eye out. The second part was a joke, of course, because she never said who was visiting her and how could you know if she never said anything?

You and Tim Drake wound up finding each other, anyway. 

Well, more like he found you. 

It sounds sort of romantic, right?

It’s… well, it’s certainly something.

“I’m just saying,” you’re telling him, totally neglecting your homework and the other duties you have at the front desk (you know this last part is especially true by the way your coworker, also at the front desk, is side-eyeing you but come on, there’s no one in line, so it’s fine!). “It’s a solid movie.”

Tim Drake gives you a comically disbelieving look. “A solid movie? It’s—it’s gaseous.”

“Did… you just make a physics joke? About the three states of matter?”

Tim turns an attractive shade of pink. “It’s four, actually, and, uh… yeah.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Steph is right. You really are a geek. Anyway. Cloverfield still sucks.” 

“Your opinion is automatically negated by the fact that you think the Final Destination movies have any kind of substance to them.”

“Hey, I didn’t say that. I just think they’re good ‘cause of Mary Elizabeth Winstead. You probably think the Transformers movies are actually good, don’t you?”

He looks offended. “Don’t insult me. We hate Michael Bay in this house.”

“Sure.”

“But I do think Bumblebee—”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, Bumblebee is good for a change, we all know it. You’re probably one of those Nolan stans, aren’t you?”

“I don’t think any of what you just said are real words.”

“Oh, they’re real alright. Nolan stans are constantly on his dick, they’re all like, ‘Nolan is so deep and thoughtful and there is no one else like him.’ Wrong. I could find ten of him in the movie industry.” 

Tim narrows his eyes accusingly at you. “Steph said Interstellar is your favorite movie.”

“It’s his only good movie.”

“Don’t count out Inception like that.”

“Never seen it.”

“Wow.”

“You know what you sounded like just now? A Nolan stan.”

Tim actually grins at you and your stomach flutters at the sight of it. It’s that that had drawn your eyes to him. The cute but confused looking guy loitering around nearby, systematically checking his phone and glancing around—presumably for a map of the confusing and ancient library. With dark hair, pale skin, and pretty blue eyes that make you feel unbearably seen, Tim Drake is a sight for sore eyes. Your eyes, to be certain. 

Of course, you also know he’s here for Steph. That he is the friend she spoke of. And also the ex-boyfriend. That reminder sobers you considerably. 

Kind of funny, really. 

Much can be said about Tim Drake. 

The adoptive son of Bruce Wayne. The kid who snuck into No Man’s Land on a dare and had to be extracted by the US military after his father made a fuss about it. Then later, became controlling shareholder at Wayne Enterprises for whatever reason, boosting him into a very powerful position. Then he got engaged. Then he was shot—he was meant to be killed but obviously, it hadn’t gone that way. All this at seventeen. 

But eventually it petered out. He stepped down. Engagement broke off. He recovered. Now? He does some work for WE. That’s all that’s known to the press, anyway. 

It’s like you said. Much can be said about Tim Drake. 

But most of your impression is from Steph. He plays Warlocks and Warriors sometimes. Is a bit of a computer geek and has built his own PC for gaming. Hits the skatepark every now and then. Likes to spend time tinkering on his car.  And… has strong opinions on movies. 

Above it all?

He is her ex. A good friend now! But still. That fact remains. 

“Anyway,” you say, adjusting your notebook, textbook, and bag of pens just to do something. “You’re here for Steph, right?”

“She told you?”

“Well, she’s obviously told you stuff about me.”

“Steph won’t shut up about you,” he says, seeming more amused than annoyed by that fact. “I can’t imagine it’s the same with me.”

“I know enough.” Like the fact that he is her literal ex-boyfriend. Even if Steph says their relationship wasn’t the greatest, had some very questionable decisions on both their parts, and ended a bit dramatically… he’s still the first person she ever fell in love with. She told you that much. “She’s upstairs on the fourth floor. Hit the elevators over there, then when you get to the fourth floor, turn left, then another left, and the computer workstations are on your right. Can’t miss them.”

“You should watch Inception,” he says, instead of acknowledging literally anything you just said.

You arch an eyebrow challengingly. “You should watch Interstellar.”

He taps a finger on the counter. “We should do both. You, me, and Steph one of these days.”

“I hate to say it, but that sounds like a good idea.”

Steph’s voice scares the shit out of you. You bang your knee on the desk, cursing.

Tim looks unruffled as she comes from the side—the direction of the elevators, joining him at the counter and nudging his shoulder as she goes. He nudges back. They keep the contact.

“Sorry, Stephie,” you say. “We got preoccupied.”

“Arguing,” she corrects, but she doesn’t look upset about it. Instead, her cobalt blue eyes twinkle with something you can’t quite identify as she drops her chin into her palm.

“We weren’t arguing,” Tim says next. “We were lightly debating.”

“Of course. My cute little movie geeks. I think Duckboy’s right, though—” Tim groans slightly and mutters her name in annoyance; she ignores it “—we should get together and see them.”

You scratch your cheek. “I don’t know. Finals—”

“—are not for another month. I say let’s do it.” She looks at Tim and jabs a thumb at you. “She needs more friends.”

“Stephanie, please.”

“Oh, don’t worry. Timothy needs more friends, too. Friends from, say, the other half.” She smiles mischievously, a joke known only by the two of them. 

Tim, for his part, rolls his eyes but says nothing in protest. 

You don’t need more friends. More friends is actually a very bad idea. Letting one person get close was bad enough. Another person? Hell, no…

But the look on Steph’s face tells you that you, quite frankly, have no say in the matter. And the way you and Tim ‘lightly debated’ movies for a solid half hour tells you, too, that it’ll be too easy for you and he to become friends. 

You decide to shelve the issue for now as Steph tugs him away, promising you that she’ll arrange for things.

Maybe it won’t pan out. Maybe he’s actually horribly arrogant and conceited. (Though, if he’s friends with Steph, the likelihood of that is admittedly low.) 

You don’t know. All you know is it’s dangerous to let yourself get close to someone else.

But that’s all rather dramatic, isn’t it?

And it didn’t turn out how you wanted—you met Tim in the first semester of your sophomore year; your junior year just ended this May. You’ve been friends with him for a year and half. Steph for two. No end appears to be in sight. But you’ve compartmentalized. It’s just two people. That’s fine.

It’s totally fine. 

Even if it’s two people to match the two others you lost when you were fifteen. Like a repayment for the pain.

(Or a way to double it.)

But you lost your parents in the earthquake. 

Scientists called that a once-in-a-lifetime event.

There are plenty of things going on in this city that could cost your friends their lives but… it’ll never be as devastating as the earthquake. 

The earthquake where you nearly died after a piece of metal pierced your thigh, barely missing your femoral artery, and you spent the entire time from after the earthquake, when they dug your body out of the rubble, and to when they decided to exile the city, in a coma from the infection. 

By the time you stabilized, you were on a helicopter to Blüdhaven, the rest of the city in a panic to leave, and your parents were officially gone by that point. 

They couldn’t even find their bodies in time.

It took almost three years before they did. The year in which the government turned a blind eye to the city and cast it away, then another two years to rebuild, to sift through the ruin and destruction, to find the bones of the ones left behind since they were decomposed by then, and identifying them was an even more arduous task.  

You only managed to receive the catharsis of burying them when you turned eighteen. 

You might tempt fate by saying this but even if you lost either of them, the fallout would never beat that. A blessing, in that way. 

But even you hate to consider the possibilities of them leaving you. For anything.

They won’t. 

Everything will be fine. 

It has to be. 

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[turnipstewdios]

Half-Lives: Chapter 2

Read here: 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/48120073/chapters/121402672

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope!” Best burgers in Gotham!”

Danny suspected his new friend was enjoying the look on his face a little too much. And to be fair, Jason would know better than Danny would. He did live here. He shouldn’t be this skeptical, given his favorite place to eat back home. Tourists in Amity had been a bit put off by a place literally called “The Nasty Burger” but it had been the best spot in town. So this shouldn’t be so weird. But…

“Do they all wear costumes?” “Yup!” Because yeah. The cashier was wearing tights. And a cape. And a rumpled looking domino mask held on with a string. “Which robin is that even supposed to be?” Because Danny wasn’t super familiar with the difference between the local vigilante’s costumes, but this didn't really look like any of the pictures he’d seen.

Jason looked slightly less gleeful at that. “Honestly… not sure.” he was squinting in the window at the register now. “Kinda looks like the first robin, but I think those are supposed to be Red Robin’s bandoliers.” “Why on earth does this city have a Batman themed fast food restaurant?”

“Why on earth not?” Jason shrugged. “Come on, I’m starving.” Danny followed him inside, and then quietly reaffirmed his decision not to look into fast food jobs  when the cashier grimaced, visibly braced himself, and asked if he could take their bat-order in the most horrifyingly cheerful voice he’d ever heard. He frequently talked to dead people who sounded more alive. I’m already dead. Don’t think I could handle being soulless too.

“Hi Benny!” Jason walked up to the counter like he came here daily. Which he might, for all Danny knew. They were only a few blocks from the roof he’d met him on, and he probably lived there. “Rough night?”

“Hi Jason.” The cashier, Benny apparently, looked slightly less strained when he walked over. “Not really. It’s been slower than usual.” “Yeah, it has, hasn’t it?” Jason looked almost put out at that. “The usual?” Benny was already moving to type something in on the register. “Yeah please. What do you want, Danny?” “Erm…” Danny scanned the menu briefly, and ordered the first thing that looked good. Then paused as his stomach complained again, and ordered a second burger and extra fries as well. And maybe also a hand pie.

He started to pull out his wallet, but promptly got distracted by the sight of the fry-cook in the back wearing a Batman costume. Which looked stupid. And so miserably hot. Why? What was even the point? By the time he looked back at the register, Jason had paid for both of their orders while he wasn’t looking. “Hey hey woah, dude, I can pay for mine, you don’t have to get that!” “Nah, I got it.” Which was just, so not ok! Danny had ordered a ton of food, and Jason lived in Crime Alley! He probably wasn’t all that well off, and he definitely shouldn’t be paying for a ravenous half ghost stranger's food! “Hey relax man, I mean it. It’s no big deal.” “No big-? Do you normally feed trespassers you catch on your roof in the middle of the night?” Jason paused for a moment. Then, seeming to make some sort of decision, grinned roguishly at Danny while he grabbed a cup. “Nah, only the cute ones.” And walked away towards the drink fountain while Danny blue-screened. Oh. Oh no. Hot guy flirting. Danny was so screwed.

They filled up their cups at the fountain, (Danny was screaming internally just a little bit) and then Jason went to claim a corner booth to wait for their order. Danny realized that he had been completely distracted from the whole paying the bill thing. He should probably just go with it.

As they sat down, Danny took a moment to really look Jason over in the light of the restaurant. He was, just maybe, not quite as scary as he’d seemed on a dimly lit rooftop. He was still really big though. And looked like he might be able to bench press Danny a guy without straining. He had short black hair with a tuft of white hair in the front that almost looked too bright to be dyed, and really striking blue-green eyes. His clothes were plain, but sturdy looking and well made. His shirt was really tight. He looked great in combat boots.

He also felt like he might, maybe, be ecto-contaminated. It was hard to tell. Whatever it was, it was low enough that Danny hadn’t noticed anything until they’d shaken hands on the roof. Even then, it was hard to get a read on, and nowhere near enough to set off his ghost sense. If he’d met Jason in Amity, he didn’t think he’d have noticed at all. It was odd to find someone like that here though. There was plenty of ambient ectoplasm in the air in Gotham, but he hadn’t noticed any effect on the people who lived with it. Where would the guy even have come into contact with a high enough concentration of the stuff for it to leave a mark? He got broken out of his thoughts when Jason started the conversation up again.

“You must be really new in town if you haven't been to Batburger yet. When’d you move in?” “Ah, just over the weekend. Only got into my apartment Saturday.” “Mm, ok, yeah. You haven't had your’ first rogue attack yet then, huh? Nothing’s happened in weeks.”

“Uh, no. I haven't.” Danny would like to keep it that way, thanks. He’d had more than enough of constant attacks by malevolent entities in High School. He wanted to be able to sleep once in a while. “You been mugged yet?” Danny almost choked on a sip of his drink. “Who just asks that? Casually?” “A Gothamite.” Jason grinned at him from across the table. “Getting robbed or held at gunpoint or taken hostage by whoever broke out of Arkham this week is a right of passage.” Great. He should feel right at home then. “In all seriousness though, have you run into trouble yet? This city’s no joke, even when you know your way around.” Danny glanced down at the table. “I'm fine. I can handle it.” Jason raised an eyebrow at that. “Look, I know, ok? I’m not taking this lightly or being careless. I know I don’t look like it, but I can take care of myself.” He could. Not that he was about to explain the ghost powers to anybody. Gotham was a rough place, but Danny was a tough person. He’d had to be. It wasn’t like he had anywhere else to go anyway. Their order came up, and Danny waved Jason down while he got up to go grab it. He should take the opportunity to change the subject. The fewer questions got asked about where he was from, the better.

The food did actually smell really good. Carrying it back to the table reminded him how hungry he was. He hurriedly sat down, pulled his burger out of its greasy paper wrapping, and tore into it like… well like he hadn’t eaten in almost three days. It was good. Different from anything at the Nasty Burger, but it tasted great! Jason had also started eating, and the table was silent for a few minutes while they worked their way through the first burgers in the stack. _________________________________________ Danny ate like he hadn't seen food in a week. Watching him attack a hamburger like a rabid coyote would have been funny if it hadn’t been mildly concerning. Jason took a moment to think while they both ate, and tried to puzzle out why he felt so… off kilter. He kinda liked Danny. And that was part of the weird stuff. He’d barely even met him. Knew nothing about him. Jason was a crime lord and a vigilante, it paid to be suspicious of strangers. He shouldn’t be this open to liking the guy this soon. But, Danny felt… safe. Soothing almost. The nerves he’d been feeling all day had calmed down a bit.

He had also turned an adorable shade of red when Jason tried flirting. He’d wondered if he’d overstepped for a second, but it hadn't seen like he minded, just like he’d been caught off guard. (He had also definitely been checking Jason out on the way to the table.) Jason had still backed off a bit though. He didn’t want to make him uncomfortable if the attention wasn’t wanted.

His hand still felt cold where he had touched Danny’s skin. It’s still like 80 outside, how the fuck are his hands that cold?  Could he be a meta? Did he have ice powers or something? Jason had no idea, but something about the contact had felt hauntingly familiar. That didn’t mean he wasn’t worried about him. He danced around questions about where he was from in a way Jason had seen from way too many street kids. The possible lack of access to food and the worn-down clothes were also not good signs. Jason couldn’t see any obvious bruises or scrapes, but he thought he might have seen the edge of some scarring peeking out from under his shirt. Danny apparently did have an apartment, but the lack of AC probably meant it probably wasn’t the best place. He hadn’t mentioned anyone else living with him either, and Jason couldn’t tell if that was good or bad.

Danny finally slowed down half way through his second burger, and Jason took the chance to ask another question. “You know anybody in Gotham?” Danny paused, chewing for a moment before swallowing. “No, not really.”

“No relatives or friends? University?” “Uh, no. My family’s still back west. And I’m not here for school.” “Work then?”

Danny chuckled a bit. “I’m actually looking for a job. Haven't been here long enough to get established yet.” Currently unemployed, but not homeless at least.  “How’re you affording the apartment while you look? You got a roommate?”

“Oh, no. I had some savings. It’s enough to pay rent for a few months, I just need to find work ASAP.”

All right, so he did have somewhat of a safety net for the moment. That was good. “What kind of jobs are you looking at?” “Uh, well. I don’t qualify for a whole lot. I was actually going to start with looking into delivery jobs. Just about all the restaurants in my neighborhood do takeout, somebody’s gotta be hiring.” He took another bite. Chewed. “If that doesn’t work, I’ll look for whatever. I haven't actually had a lot of time to think about it yet. You know anything in the area I could look into?” Ah. That, Jason might be able to help with. This was his turf. He knew it inside and out. “Hmm” He took a second to work on his fries while he thought about it. “Yeah I might.” There were a few places nearby that might legitimately be hiring. But there were also a few businesses in the Alley that would hire someone if Red Hood asked. He had used them before to get alley kids and folks down on their luck a job. The small business owners in the area couldn’t always afford to pay the help they needed, so in a few cases Jason had paid the wages himself. The business got new staff, a kid got off the streets, and Jason got to do something useful with Bruce’s money. “I think there’s a few places I know that might have positions open. I’d have to check though.” He took a sip of his drink to wash down the last of his fries, and rummaged around in his pocket for his phone. “What’s your number? I’ll send you some info on places you can check out.” Danny raised an eyebrow. “My number? For job recommendations?” The corner of his mouth tugged up a bit. “No other reason?” “Ha! Well,” Jason smiled back. “There might be another reason.” Danny grinned back, and pulled out his own phone. “Sure, I can do that.”

_________________________________________

It was still hot outside. Danny somehow managed to forget that until he stepped out the door of the restaurant. The un-conditioned air hit his face like he’d been slapped with a warm, damp towel. Why did it have to be so humid? Jason didn’t look particularly thrilled to be back outside either. At least they were both suffering.

Danny felt awkward again. “Hey, thanks for the food man. You really didn’t have to.”

“Again, no problem.” Jason pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and started to light one. “It was nice chatting with somebody.”  He looked over at Danny for a moment. “You gonna be able to get home all right?” “Oh, yeah I should be fine. It’ll take me a bit but I know where I’m going.” He did. He’d looked up where the Batburger was so he could find his way back to the apartment. Jason puffed on his cigarette a bit. He looked concerned again. “How far away are you?” “Ah, a few miles?” “A few miles?” Alarmed now. “I thought you were out for a walk on the roofs!?” “I was?” “You traveled a few miles on the roofs!? What are you, a bat ?!” “Uh..” “Dude. You want a ride home? I’ve got a bike.” “Um, I’ll be fine. It really didn't take all that long to get here.” Jason dragged in a breath around his smoke and grumbled something too low and garbled for Danny to make out. It kinda sounded like he mentioned the bats again though. Let the breath back out. “You sure? I’ve got an extra helmet.” He started walking back down the street towards what Danny assumed was his apartment. “Nah, it’s fine. Really. I can get around. It’s kinda fun actually.” “You sound like my brother.” Jason sighed. “Fine.” He stuffed his phone and the box of cigarettes back in his pocket. “I’ll see if anyone I know is hiring and send you the details.” “That would be great man, thanks.” Danny smiled. “No pressure, I’m sure I can find something.” Danny looked up at the building as they approached it. “Could I use the stairs to get back on your roof again? _________________________________________ “Sure, why not.” Jason glanced over at him as they started climbing. He still wasn’t sure he shouldn’t just be insisting Danny let him drive him home. He kept saying he could take care of himself, but Jason wasn’t so confident. He opened the roof access door for the second time that night, and leaned up against the wall of the stairwell while Danny moved over towards the closest neighboring building. … “Hey, be careful. You’re not as likely to get mugged up here, but you can still run into people you don’t want to mess with.” “Oh, whaaat? But the last scary guy I talked to on a roof bought me dinner!” “You planning on making a habit of talking to scary guys on roofs?” “Nah,” Danny’s smile gained a smug teasing edge, and for a moment his teeth looked way to sharp. “Only the cute ones!”

Jason choked on a lungful of smoke. It only distracted him for a second, but when he looked back up, Danny was gone. Fuck. Really, really have to keep him away from Batman.

_________________________________________ Danny made it back to his apartment quickly and without incident. He probably shouldn't have disappeared like that, but he was still stifling low giggles over the face Jason had made when he'd turned around. It had been worth it. He phased in through his window, landed on his slightly creaky floor. And then stopped. He cursed, and smacked his palm into his face.   He'd forgotten to get a fan.