#Let's Kill The Night And Go Down In Style [Main Verse]

[x-bluefire-heart-x]

Dance at a Feast

Happy New Year everyone! The good thing about having two weeks off from work is that I am able to get some writing done! I'm trying to get drafts done for a lot of fics I have plans for, so I can have some things to post when I go back to work.

Also, please feel free to make requests! I have a list of prompts which is linked below, and a master list that has the fandoms and characters I write for. If there is someone and a something not listed that would like to make a request for, feel free to and I will let you know if I know enough about it to write for it. Also feel free to make requests for this verse!

This is another part in the Covered in Steam verse. A fluffy piece between female reader and Thorin, it is set after Covered in Steam.

Warnings: Talks of a sexual nature. Dain being disrespectful - nothing insane just not acknowledging the reader as the Queen *yes I think this should be a warning*

Tag list: @catt-leya @bunson-burner

Master List

Prompt List

Covered in Steam

You fiddled with the sleeves of your dress tugging them down before pulling them back up and then down again. You glanced at the mirror in Thorin’s, no your chamber you hadn’t slept in the chamber that was yours since that night. You wore a beautiful gown in the colours of the family of Durin, the blue almost matched that of your Kings eyes. Your hair had been left down showcasing the braids and beads that Thorin wove into it every morning. You were nervous, this was the first feast since you were behaving as a true married couple. And you didn’t want to do anything that would embarrass Thorin. Which was why you were concerned about the dress, the shoulders of the dress could sit normally or be pulled down to expose your shoulders and collarbones, and the plunging neckline was lower than what you normally wore but it worked the best with the necklace Thorin had gifted you with on the day you got married, and you hadn’t worn it yet.

“Sister?” you heard Dis’ voice call out from the sitting room next to the bedroom where Thorin received any guests that came to your chambers.

“In here!” you called back, shifting the bodice of the dress a little, unsure about the gauzy material that ran in panels down your ribs before forming into the princess style skirt.

“Oh my,” Dis whispered as she laid eyes on you. “I think you may very well kill my brother in that dress.”

“Is it too much?” you spun around eyes wide with concern as you smoothed down the billowing skirts. “It’s a normal style in my homeland but I know it isn’t overly common amongst the women here.”

“You look stunning my Queen,” Dis assured you as she came to stand in-front of you grabbing your hands. “You do not need to pretend as if the culture and norms of your homeland do not exist, my brother would not expect you to only dress as a dwarven woman.”

“I know he has told me as such, but I just don’t want to…embarrass him in-front of his court, especially since everything between us is still so new,” you nibbled your lower lip before yelping a little as Dis pinched your arm.

“You’ll ruin the makeup,”  

“Can’t have that can I?” you laughed, your nerves slowly leaving you in your sister in laws presence. Something she has always managed to do.

“Now, come on,” Dis tugged on you before stopping for a moment. “Wait, you are missing something.” She let go of your hand to go back to your dressing table and lifted the small crown from its resting place to put it on your head. “There.”

You lifted your hand to gently touch the crown as Dis went back to tugging you out of your rooms and towards the main banquet hall. You were still not use to wearing a crown, as you and Thorin both only tended to wear them when you absolutely had to. Such as at a feast welcoming Thorin’s cousin Dain. You could hear the celebrations before the door even came into view, you smiled. Dwarrow truly knew how to throw a feast and celebration.

“Introducing her Highness Princess Dis and her Royal Majesty Queen y/n,” the herald at the doorway announced both you and Dis causing the court to become quiet as Thorin stood from his chair and walked around the table that housed the royals. His eyes burned with a fire as he took in your appearance, you could feel the eyes of every dwarf on you as the king walked towards you and Dis quickly left your side to greet her sons. You could only guess the dwarf sitting on Thorin’s left was his cousin Dain, Lord of the Iron Hills. You briefly caught his eyes only to quickly break eye contact and focus on your husband. Dain had the same colour eyes as Thorin only his were cold and calculating, and you did not like the way he looked at you.

“My wife,” Thorin rumbled, this voice bouncing around the room. “You are a vision.”

You dropped into a small curtsy as your body warmed, your eyes locking onto his as you lifted your head back up. Thorin stepped closer to you to place a kiss upon your lips before gently taking your hand, guiding you to stand in-front of his cousin, who remained seated.

“Cousin, my wife, your Queen,” Thorin’s voice was hard as stone as he noticed the disrespect being shown to you. “Greet her.” Dain’s eyes narrowed before a friendly mask fell over his face as he stood and bowed low to you.

“It’s an honour to finally meet you, Your Majesty,” Dain’s voice didn’t sound overly pleased and you were concerned but you nodded back at him regardless, knowing now was not the time to raise concerns.

“And it is lovely to finally meet you Lord Dain, Thorin has spoken highly of you,” you responded voice soft, your eyes looking at a point over his shoulder as you didn’t want to look into his cold eyes again.

“Come my Queen, you must be hungry,” Thorin’s arm wrapped around your waist and led you away. You smiled gratefully up at Thorin raising on your toes to press your lips to his cheek in thanks. His arm squeezed you in kind, his eyes full of love as he stared down at you.

“Hello aunty mine,” Kili smiled up at you as you walked past. You grinned down at him, unable to resist messing up his hair. Kili pouted up at you as he tried to fix his hair, you dropped a kiss on his head in apology as you did the same to Fili as you walked past. Dis’s sons had been as welcoming as she had when you arrived, always smiling and including you, you were forever grateful for those three Durin’s.

“Aunty,” Fili smiled as you sat down beside him, Dis was in the middle of her two sons, who leaned around her oldest to smile at you. “Don’t worry about Dain. He’s a traditionalist but Uncle doesn’t pay any mind to those old dwarves.” Fili had lowered his voice and leant close to your side. His eyes, the same shade as his uncle was soft and kind as he looked at you. Your heart squeezed at his words.

“Thank you Fili,” you whispered back. “I will keep that in mind.”

“But, should he or any other dwarf look to cause you problems promise that you will let myself, my mother, Kili, Dwalin or Balin know. Of course Thorin should be your first choice but if you cannot find him, you also have us on your side,” Fili added squeezing your arm before letting go and focusing on his food.

You could hear the conversations going on around you as you picked at your food. You never ate much in-front of large crowds, but would always find a plate of food waiting for you in your chambers after a feast. You had always wondered who ensured the staff left it but never thought to investigate it too much.

“Are you alright love?” Thorin asked removing himself from the conversation with Dain to check on you. He had picked up on your added nerves after meeting Dain and wanted to do everything he could to be sure that you were fine.

“I am,” you nodded turning to give Thorin a smile but you could tell from the look on his face that he didn’t buy it. He leaned close enough to whisper into your ear.

“If I had known Dain would show such disrespect to my wife I would never had invited him here,” Thorin promised you. “Tell me at once if he ever does so again or makes you uncomfortable at all. Erebor if your home and you are the Queen.”

“You Durin’s and your need to protect,” you teased nudging your nose against his.

“Oh?”

“Fili just gave me a list of all the dwarves I can tell if Dain or any other dwarf causes me problems,” you explained. “It was pretty much you four and Dwalin and Balin.”

“Hmm,” Thorin hummed his eyes full of pride at your words. “Well, us Durin’s are fiercely protective of those we care about. And once we care for someone it is next to impossible to get rid of us. So I’m afraid my heart, you are stuck with me, and my sister and nephews.”

“Such an imposition that,” you laughed.

“You weren’t thinking I was an imposition this morning,” Thorin growled his eyes darkening as heat filled them. “With my tongue between your thighs.”

“Thorin,” you gasped in shock. “You can’t say things like that here.”

“I am the King,” Thorin shrugged kissing your lips and whispering his next words into your mouth. “I can say such things when I please. And no-one can hear us.”

You playfully glared at him about to say something back when Dain interrupted leaning around Thorin to gain his attention again, sending you a cold look before placing the mask back in place before Thorin could see. Thorin kissed you once more rounding on his cousin, you could hear the harshness in his tone as he spoke in dwarvish. You sipped at your wine, as music started to play, as it always does at a Dwarven feast. The boys beside you quickly stood up looking to find some partners to dance with, Kili raced off instantly looking for Ori. Fili however, hesitated, Dis had left seeking out Balin to discuss some matters.

“My Queen,” Fili said, his voice loud and pointed as he bowed low at his waist holding a hand out. “May I have a dance?”

You grinned up at Fili, standing up and reaching to take his hand but you were pulled tightly against a hard chest. Thorin’s scent surrounding you. Fili smirked, his eyes playfully challenging his uncle, as he continued to wait on your hand.

“My wife will be dancing with me first, nephew,” Thorin’s voice rumbled.

“I think Her Majesty can make that decision, Uncle,” Fili grinned.

“I am honoured Prince Fili,” you grinned, trying to keep your voice regal. “However, I would think you would prefer to seek out someone else to dance…and even maybe court?”

Fili’s face flushed bright red his eyes automatically going towards a dwarven woman that was standing off to the side near Bofur. The look in his eyes was similar to how Thorin would look at you and you knew that maybe you and Dis could do a little pushing.

“I mean…I can’t…” Fili stuttered in an uncommon show of nerves.

“Yes you can nephew,” you encouraged him stepping a little out of the circle of Thorin’s arms but he kept a hold of your hips. “I have seen that young woman look at you, in the same manner you look at her. You are a Durin, take the courage that all you Durin’s seem to possess in enough abundance to take on a Dragon and ask her to dance.”

You felt Thorin’s hands squeeze your hips and his lips pressed into your neck, you could feel the smile that tugged at them. You reached out to squeeze Fili’s hands, forcing his eyes back to yours. The red of his face had calmed down to a light pink.

“Right, yes, true,” Fili nodded.

“You are my heir Fili,” Thorin added reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. “You can do this.”

Fili nodded once more before he turned around and strode towards the woman in question. He forced the Durin swagger into his steps as the two of you watched him in amusement. Thorin tugged you close again turning you around, you smiled up at him wrapping your arms around his neck.

“So, that dance?” you asked. “Better make good.”  

“Come along then,” Thorin smirked. Pushing you backwards, you giggled turning around and taking hold of his hand and pulling him onto the space in the middle of the room that was used for dancing.

Thorin spun you around before tugging you close, wrapping his right arm around your waist and grabbing your right hand with his left, you placed your left hand on his shoulder. You allowed him to led you around the floor trusting him to keep you from backing into anyone. The tune was a fast past one, your skirt flying out every time he spun you around quickly. He grabbed both of your hips and lifted you up and turning the two of you before putting you back down and grabbing hold of your hand again to lead you around.

You giggled as your dress managed to hit Kili and Ori on your way past them, you threw an apology over Thorin’s shoulder causing the two young Dwarves to laugh. Thorin couldn’t take his eyes off of you, your eyes were bright with happiness and you had not stopped laughing and smiling since Fili had first asked you for a dance. Your face was flush from your wine and from the dancing, you had danced to two fast paced songs before a slow paced song started to play. Thorin wrapped both his arms around your waist pulling you as close to him as he could get you. You looped your arms around his neck, using one of your hands to tilt his head down, he grinned as he rested his forehead against yours and swayed the two of you in time with music.

“You truly do look beautiful tonight, my Lady,” Thorin whispered. “Seeing you in my colours, I wish to take you from this hall and feast on something else entirely.”

“My King, was this morning and last night not enough?” you asked, stroking the back of his neck, his thick hair covering your movements.

“I will never have enough of you,” Thorin answered. “I will never have enough of your taste, of your body, of you. I will always want you in my arms.”

[fxxlsgcmbiit]

"With how loaded she is, it's more likely for her to become a sugar daddy rather than getting one..."

[hawkland]

(Mostly) Destiel Fic Recs #5

This is a LONG recs post because it’s been a while since I did an update and I fell hard into reading one author’s work (DeanRH). In fact I could easily do a rec post just of their fics alone, but for this round I’m just going to pick out a handful of my absolute favorites so far, the ones I’d recommend to start out with, along with more other authors’ works I’ve especially enjoyed lately.

Absolution at the Five-and-Dime by DeanRH (125k)  - this is perhaps THEE DeanRH fic to start with if you want a good, long read with a little bit of everything (Roadtrips! Intriguing casefic! Americana! Tasty Dean/Cas pining! Wing!kink and unique angel lore! Kinky soul fisting and tentacles!) It’s kind of two of parallel stories in one: the first, a flashback to Dean and Sam's first year hunting on their own (as well as trying to avoid hunting, and John in general); the second on how Dean and Cas finally get together during an unusual case and when Dean is able to really let go of his past trauma and accept himself/accept love from Cas. 

What I love about DeanRH’s work is that they write from the unique point of view of a drifter, so they understand living on the road, traveling place to place, and the highs and lows of that life like no others I’ve encountered in SPN before. (The author’s notes are often as much fun to read as the stories themselves). They also write a kickass angel!Cas and never lose sight of his non-human traits and background. Their writing style is unique - almost poetic in nature, and I know some readers have found it difficult to get into. But it works really well for me in their SPN fic...gives it the flavor of oral story telling as might actually happen at a drifter’s camp (with one story written exactly as such). Be warned this particular fic does play up the idea of John Winchester being mentally abusive and Dean having to turn tricks when he was younger in order to support him and Sam, so there is some dark stuff. But as someone who grew up with mentally abusive parent, reading this was extremely cathartic to me and believably written (unlike some stories that go too over the top with abusive John, or just don't understand how that kind of abuse leaves lifetime psychological scars.)

The rest of this round’s recs below the cut.

Carnevale by DeanRH (18k) - Actually the first fic by this author I read, because I just couldn’t resist a story set in my favorite place in the world, Venice, Italy. Castiel is the Angel of Venice, banished there for so long he does not even know or remember the reasons why. But Carnevale season is the one time a year he can let his wings out - figuratively and literally. And during this particular Carnevale season, he meets an intriguing masked young American tourist there with his brother and their one night stand turns into something far more powerful than either expected. This one’s hot, romantic, and achingly sad at the end as it all ties together unexpectedly with canon-verse...though with a hint for the future so it’s definitely not totally sad. I loved how DeanRH clearly understands Venice as a fellow lover of the city, the side of it most tourists never see unless they spend a long time there. This story made me cry just from wanting to be back in Venice again.

Ice cream was sweeter, food more satisfying, everything was an epicurean delight. There was just something magical about Venice, and he had lived here in the city for hundreds of years, so the shine should have worn off by now.

But it didn't, and there was always something more, something wonderful to discover around the next corner. The painted eaves of a church. The beauty of two women dancing with flowers in their teeth across the Piazza San Marco one day, overcome by the sheer joy of just being there. The way the university students still created Venetian masks, like Castiel's extravagant volto mask and Dean's humble servetta muta, with crafts that had been handed down across the generations. The morning silence that lay against the stones.

Hard Landing by DeanRH (26.9k) - A bit similar in theme to Carnevale. A pre-series Dean and Sam are sight-seeing in Spain when an angel, struck by a babel-spell, crash lands right in front of Dean. A strange yet seriously hot encounter with the angel turns into something much more complicated when the brothers return home and realize something more serious is afoot and they are both trapped in the middle of it. This is another story where things are very much not as they seem at first (as fun as that is!) It features master strategist Cas at his best, with a side helping of delightful trickery care of Gabriel and Balthazar as they deal with Lucifer, Michael...and a few others along the way.

The Sacred Band of Thebes by DeanRH (14.5k) - The last DeanRH fic I’m gonna allow myself to include in this round up, because it’s just very soft and sweet and beautiful - for a story about Dean & Cas being magically transported back in time to ancient Sparta! This is another story infused with a great knowledge of place and history, with some wonderfully delightful original characters added in that make it all the more enjoyable to read.

And now on to some other authors, I promise!

IPAMIS OL OLPRIT by emmbrancsxx0 (56k). A really wonderful fic that take a different look at what might have happened with a temporarily resurrected John Winchester during Season 14. Dean & Cas are in an established relationship here, and John here isn’t too happy about it — though mostly because he sees Cas (and Jack) as monsters, the kind of monsters he spent his lifetime hunting. This is a great fic for the emotional complexity of how John, Dean and Cas are all handled. John isn’t a cardboard evil dad, Dean is struggling between his loyalty to his father and to Cas, and Cas is increasingly bitchy/frustrated at Dean still being so desperate for his father’s approval (and all the more complex for not just being a quietly suffering perfect supporting boyfriend.) There’s some great action sequences in this too along with the emotional angst and a delicious dose of hurt!Cas if that’s your thing (as it is for me :D)

Abrenuntio by Neonbat (51k). A very dark but compelling AU take on the/a apocalypse universe. Dean, Sam and John are all alive in this post-angel war-apocalyptic world. They are part of a group of human survivors fighting against the angel army when they manage to capture “Blue” — a particularly feared angel of death. Dean is tasked with bringing Blue in for interrogation and he becomes a prisoner in their camp after John is killed. As mentioned, this is a pretty dark/sad fic (with some rather gruesome torture scenes) but I still found it quite compelling as a look at how things could have gone in some other parallel universe. And somehow the author manages to make the Dean/Cas relationship come together despite them starting out as complete enemies. This is one of those AUs that works for me because the core of the characters really shine through despite the differences in the setting.

if it all fell to pieces tomorrow by spocklee (37k) - a gorgeous post-Empty rescue fic that takes an approach I haven’t really seen explored in detail before (despite being something I’ve actually thought about as something that could’ve happened.) What if Cas has spent so long denying himself happiness, and then trapped in regrets and false-rescue scenarios created by the Empty, that he can’t trust that his rescue is real? And so he runs off to be on his own - literally stealing the Impala because he can’t handle being in Dean’s presence one moment longer - and only slowly comes to terms with the idea that it’s over now and he can be happy with/around his friends and family. This one’s both deliciously angsty and at times funny/sweet, looking at Cas’s relationships not just with Dean but with Sam, Jack, Claire, even Eileen. It does some fun stuff with other returned angels and demons who now find themselves back on Earth (and human), and...I just really enjoyed this one a lot.

Both Saved and Lost by angelfishofthelord (13.7k) Gen Cas character study, absolutely gorgeous and sad and one of those fic I couldn’t stop thinking about the day after reading it. AU where Apocaverse!Cas isn’t immediately killed by our Cas during 13x22 but instead hitches a ride back to the main ‘verse. Dean and Sam want to keep him alive for information on Michael; Cas is torn and trying to figure out just how similar—or different—they really are. Some great angel stuff here (I also highly recommend this author’s Jack & Cas “dadstiel” fics, they’re equally lovely and heartbreaking at the same time.)

flesh of the mighty by Mudprophet (2.7k) - THEE “What exactly did Dean eat in Purgatory, anyway?” fic you’ve probably already heard about. *cough* I’ve been trying to work up the courage to read this one for a while and finally gave in and OH MY CHUCK I’m so glad I did. It’s perversely disturbing and beautiful at the same time, Cas is wonderfully DERANGED and ALIEN in that way that I love it when fics managed to convey just how much angels are NOT human. Do heed the tags.

Full of Grace by ilovehowyouletmefall (11k) - Another one for the weird-as-fuck-angel!Cas lovers’ list. Heaven/canon-compliant fic where Dean knows he should feel happy and at peace but he just...isn’t, even with Cas and all of his friends and family there. He finally goes looking for Cas when he’s been absent for a time and, for the first time, gets to not just see but experience his true form. Another one that hits some kinks I knew I had and others I didn’t...until now. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

don't ask me where i've been by saltwound / @1x06 (8k) - I can never resist a good 09x06 fiction gap fic! What makes this one really stand out is how well it captures Cas’s internal voice - his struggles adapting to human senses, limitations and emotions versus what/how he experienced things as an angel. The longing and feelings between Dean & Cas here are so achingly beautiful and I just wanted to cry when Cas says he misses hearing Dean’s prayers, so Dean, he...oh, I’m not going to spoil it. *happy sigh* Just read it.

this room is wrong by DarkHeartInTheSky (12k) - Sometimes I like torturing myself with some good 15x03 divorce arc angst and this fic hit that button just so. It’s an alternative take on where Cas might have ended up after leaving the bunker and features some great Cas & Sam friendship feels, when Sam sets out to try to bring Cas home. It’s all the stuff you’d wish the writers would’ve let them talk out in canon.

Well that’s more than enough for this round! Go forth, read and give some great writers some kudos & comment love!

[heyitsani]

Five Valentine’s Days Spent Together (and the One that Started it All)

Word Count: 7272

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Tooth-rotting fluff and brief descriptions of violence/blood

Pairing: Jason Todd/Dick Grayson

Notes: This is a day late but I had my own Valentine’s Day to celebrate haha.  And this falls mostly before the first part of the actual ‘verse, but one after the first story.  So You don’t have to read them but it would help.  I wanted to show a bit more of where they started.

This is part of my Conversations in the Dark series, but can really be a stand alone if you want.  But should you want to read the other pieces, you can read them here.

You can also read this on AO3 here

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

1. Valentine’s Day Year 1: The Clear Intent

He didn’t look over when a body dropped down onto the ledge next to him as he gazed out over the city, thankful for a quiet night, because he knew who it was without needing to look. Only one person would know where he perched in his city and that one person never bothered to cover his scent when he came to see Dick.

“Hood,” he greeted, voice neutral.  He knew why Jason was there.  He knew that this day wouldn’t pass without the alpha making some kind of gesture. His intentions had been clear for a year now and though Bruce had made it clear he did not support this path they were heading down, Dick wanted it.  He might be testing Jason, allowing his Omega to dictate the course they took, but he did actually want Jason to make all these gestures.  He wanted to know that Jason and his Alpha wanted Dick.

There was a soft rustling sound and the smell of something sweet and fried hitting his senses, but Jason remained silent.  So Dick looked over at the man and found him looking out over the city, helmet gone but domino in place.  His jawline was as striking as ever, but it was the gentle curl of the corner of his mouth that caught Dick’s attention.  Smiles were a rare treat while in costume.  Something that no one in the family actually believed happened because Dick was the only one who ever saw them.

But he knew they did, and it was warming to know that they were just for him to see.

Glancing away from the handsome figure Jason’s profile cut, he looked down at the bag sitting between them. A bag from his favorite French bakery in Gotham.  “Did you bring these all the way over from Gotham for me?”  He questioned, knowing if he opened the bag, he would find the beignets he was in love with.  

When he looked back up to Jason, he found the younger man looking at him.  “Happy Valentine’s Day, Goldie,” he said softly, the tone such a contrast to the image the man next to him projected out to the world.  He watched Jason swing his legs over the ledge and stand on the rooftop with practiced ease and Dick straightened, frowning.

“Are you leaving?”  He questioned, confused why he would leave after only a few minutes.

“Got some things I need to handle tonight, but I wanted to make sure you knew you were on my mind. Even if I couldn’t spend the whole night with you like I wish I could.”  Dick’s lips parted, unsure what to say in response.  He wanted to ask what kinds of things, but he also didn’t actually want to know the answer to that.  “I left you something back in your apartment.  Call me once you open it.”

There was something in his tone that made Dick’s eyes narrow slightly, but he said nothing when Jason pressed a kiss to his cheek and jumped off the rooftop.

Later that night he let Jason make his intentions clear over the phone as he held the silver band that was embedded with rubies as red as blood in his clenched fist.  And when Jason had finished, Dick accepted the offer of protection and assistance during his next heat.  And all the ones to follow.  Until Dick’s Omega made it clear he was ready for the final bond.

Much to his Omega’s delight.

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

2. Valentine’s Day Year 2: The Line Drawn

“What do you mean you’re out of town?”  Bruce’s voice sounded from Dick’s cellphone where it sat on the countertop in the hotel room bathroom where he was styling his hair.  

Sighing, Dick glanced over his shoulder to see if Jason was paying attention to him or if he was still on the phone with his contact.  “I mean exactly what I said, Bruce.  Jason asked me to come with him while he handled a few things, and we left this morning. I’m in New York so you’ll have to call in Kate or someone to help you.”  But Dick knew Kate was currently pissed at Bruce so that wasn’t likely to happen.

“What kind of things? Dick…”

“Don’t, Bruce,” he warned.  This was becoming a point of contention between the two heroes.  Bruce didn’t like the underworld Jason had been building for the past two years and Dick had found a way to accept it.  His mentor and pack Alpha had expressed his many concerns and Dick had told him to deal with it because unless Jason suddenly went on a murder spree, Dick was in it all the way.  He wasn’t going to turn his back on Jason.  

Dick as a man had decided Jason was who he wanted to be with.  His Omega needed just a bit more reassurance that Jason’s lifestyle could provide a comfortable life for them.  Especially since Dick was capable of taking care of himself.  His future mate, Jason or whoever, had a hard path of proving themselves to him.  And while Dick didn’t follow many social norms when it came to his secondary gender, this was one he couldn’t just ignore.  Not unless he wanted an unsettled and pissed Omega prowling inside him.

“Look, B, this is happening. I am here with Jason and he is the alpha I’m allowing to seriously court me,” Dick picked up the phone and took it off speaker as he turned and leaned against the counter.  With the phone pressed to his ear, he could hear the silence on the other end.  “Either you can support me on this, or we will have to have a serious talk about my place in the pack.”

He hadn’t wanted to give Bruce any ultimatums, but he was tired of the constant push back he got on this. He understood Bruce’s reservations, but he wasn’t God.  And he didn’t get to dictate their lives anymore.  Especially not Jason’s.  Dick would never say it to Bruce’s face (but had to Jason’s when he admitted to having killed the Joker with his bare hands), but he didn’t know why the Joker was still alive and well either.  He knew why Bruce felt he couldn’t kill him, but Dick also knew if he had been the one to die Bruce wouldn’t have clenched onto that moral so tightly.

Listening to some shuffling in the background of the call, Dick looked over at Jason as his form filled the doorway.  He gave a nod when Jason mouthed ‘are you okay?’ and just waited for Bruce to get his thoughts in line.  Jason gave him one last meaningful look before tapping his watch and signaling ten minutes before turning to go back into the main bedroom of the suite.

“I don’t want to lose you in this pack.  You are my son.”  Dick hummed but didn’t say anything because he knew Bruce well enough to know he wasn’t finished.  He did turn to make sure his hair was all in place and to glance at his clothing to be sure everything was as it should be.  The black dress shirt was tucked perfectly into the black slacks that hugged him in all the ways Jason loved and the red tie was a perfect match to the all too familiar Red Hood emblem on the anti-hero’s nightly costume.  “I cannot condone the relationship you two have been in, but I am willing to…to try.”

“That’s all I’m asking, B. Just try.”  The man grunted over the phone and Dick forced himself not to sigh again.  Instead, he shook his head and headed into the bedroom to find Jason had left his suit coat out on the bed and his shoes on the floor below it.  “Look, I have to go.  We can talk more when I get back.”

“Fine.  Be careful.”

“Always am,” he said cheerfully as he sat down on the bed to pull his shoes on.  Once the call had ended, he dropped the phone onto the bed and quickly got the black dress shoes on before standing and tugging on his suit coat.

“How’s the old man? Worried I’m going to force you to shoot someone in the head?”  Dick rolled his eyes as he slipped his phone and wallet into his pants and made his way over to where Jason stood just outside of the bedroom, watching him through the open French doors.  

Dick didn’t bother to respond to the comment as he watched Jason’s eyes travel from his face to his feet and back up again.  Instead, he pressed himself against the other man and looked up at him with a smirk.  

“I really like seeing you in my colors, Dickie,” Jason’s voice was hushed, heavy with meaning as Dick slid a hand up the red dress shirt Jason wore.  The same red of the tie wrapped around Dick’s neck.  He felt Jason’s hand grip his hip as he slipped his fingers into the short hairs at the back of Jason’s neck and it just made Dick press closer.  “We’re gonna be late.”

But Dick didn’t care right then as he press his lips to Jason’s and took what he wanted for a moment. And from Jason’s other hand wrapping around his back to hold him even closer, it didn’t seem like he minded either. But all too quickly, Jason was pulling away from him with a huff.

“I used too many good connections to get us these reservations, baby.  No way am I losing our table because you want to skip straight to dessert,” he teased, pressing a quick kiss to Dick’s mouth before stepping away completely and grabbing his own suit coat.  “Come on, the car is already downstairs.”

Dick pouted but allowed Jason to grab his hand and pull him out of the hotel suite toward the elevator.

“By the way, did you really let Bruce think I brought you here for a job and not Valentine’s Day?” Dick just grinned and shrugged a shoulder, causing Jason to let out a laugh as they stepped onto the elevator.

“He should know by now you’ll never let me anywhere near your business.”

“Fuck no I won’t,” Jason confirmed.  “You’d have those bastards all working for you in a matter of minutes and then where would I be?”  Dick let out a snort as the door shut and they began their descent.

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

3. Valentine’s Day Year 3: The Proposal

Dick dropped his keys onto the hook that Jason had placed near his door, sick of the amount of times Dick had managed to lose his keys and driven to do something to prevent another headache over it.  But each time Dick stepped into Jason’s place and hung them on their designated hook, he couldn’t help but smile at the flutter it sent through his stomach.  It wasn’t a permanent fixture, but it was something Jason had taken the time out to find, paint to match his oddly coordinated home, and put up just for Dick.  It hadn’t been for Jason since the alpha never used it, but solely for his omega to make life a little easier.

And Dick could recall a dozen different instances where the man did things just like that without being asked or asking.  Just found little ways to make Jason’s home feel like Dick’s home, despite him having his own place.

“Jay?”  He called out as he shrugged off his jacket and laid it on the back of the couch in the living room, not seeing the alpha anywhere. A quick peek in the kitchen showed he wasn’t there but had been recently because Dick could smell whatever it was that was cooking in the oven.  From what he remembered Jason saying, he planned on staying in since it was Valentine’s Day and it had become their day.  So the fact that he wasn’t out there to greet Dick was a little odd.

“Jay?”  He tried again, moving toward the bedroom.  He stuck his head into the room and found the man in question pacing the length of the room while holding his cell phone to his ear.  Dick smiled at the man when he finally noticed him in the doorway and nodded when Jason held up a finger telling him he needed another minute.

“I already told you I was offline for the night.  Call Thomas and have him handle it.  He’s my second for a goddamn reason,” Jason growled into the phone as he moved over to Dick and leaned over to give him a quick kiss.  “Handle it.  I’m hanging up now before I get angry and you get the brunt of that.”

Dick couldn’t hear what the other person said in return, but it was enough to make Jason grunt and hang up the phone so it must have been fine.  “Hey Handsome,” Dick smiled up at Jason as the Alpha’s arm slipped around his waist, pulling Dick’s body flush with his own.  

“Blue Bird,” Jason greeted softly, leaning in for another kiss.  Though this one was more than just a press of lips.  This one held promises and taunted him with what Dick knew Jason would deny him right then.  “Come on, I need to check on dinner.  And you need some wine.”

Dick smiled and let Jason lead him back to the kitchen where he leaned against the counter with his hip and watched Jason check on the pot roast and veggies in the oven before he poured them each a glass of champagne.  He took the flute from Jason with a smile before lifting the glass in a silent cheers and taking a sip.  But something caught his eye when he pulled the glass away from his lips.  A glint that shouldn’t have been coming from his cup.

“Is that…” He gasped, leaning over the sink and pouring the drink out to get to the item inside his glass.

“Awww, that’s the expensive stuff, Dickie.  Did you have to waste it?”  Dick rolled his eyes as the ring fell into the palm of his hand.  A band that would match the one that had been on his finger since Jason had given it to him two Valentine’s Days ago.  “Dickie…”  Jason’s voice was quiet, unsure but Dick’s focus was on the ring.

“Are you…?”  He started to ask as he turned to look at Jason, only to find him down on one knee.  “You are.  Oh my god.” His empty hand flew to his mouth and his eyes went wide.

Jason chuckled before taking the hand that held the ring in it, taking the item so he could slip it on Dick’s finger.  And the Omega had been right, it looked perfect next to the previous one.  Like they had been made for each other. Which, knowing Jason, they had been.

“I don’t really have anything planned to say, other than I love you more than I can say, Dickie. And I have spent the past three years trying to show you and your Omega that I can provide you with the best and most comfortable life possible, if you would let me.”  Dick watched him take a deep breath and he waited with bated breath. “If you would be willing, I would like you to give me your bite at your next heat.”

Dick knew what was expected of him to say in return, but his brain was mush.  He had never thought Jason would make a production of this moment, but he should have.  The man who had turned a Hallmark Holiday into their own special day would definitely make a gesture like this.  Big but private.  Just like the two of them like to do things.

“Dickie?”

“Yes,” he rushed out, his brain finally getting it together. “I accept your offer and would like to receive your bite in return.”  And while he wished he had more time to take in the brilliance of the smile Jason gave him at those words, he wasn’t going to complain about the kiss he got instead.  Especially not when he could literally feel his toes curl as Jason pressed him back into the counter.

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

4. Valentine’s Day Year 4: The Year that Almost Wasn’t

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw it happen all over again.  The sniper in the shadows of the fourth story window of the building across the street and him on the ground watching the gunman watching Jason as he talked to Bruce on the rooftop across from where he was hidden.  He saw the flash of the gunpowder lighting and heard his own scream of Jason’s name before he had to watch in horror as Jason’s body jolted with the hit and he slumped forward into Bruce’s body.

He didn’t need to look back to the sniper’s perch to know that one of Jason’s own had taken him out. The follow up gunshot was enough to tell him that he could focus solely on his mate.  His mate who hadn’t been wearing any armour because he wasn’t talking to Batman as Red Hood, but Jason Todd talking to Bruce Wayne.

It took all of Dick’s strength to pull himself up the fire escape of the building and run to Jason’s side.

“Jay, oh god,” he had gasped.  He had pressed with all his might against the exit wound and looked at Bruce with pleading eyes as he called 911 and demanded an airlift out of there.  He had listened to Bruce use his family name to get his way, something he rarely did.  “Just hang in there, okay?  Please, Jay. Just…please.”  

He had begged.

And then he had allowed the medical personnel to push him out of the way as they took over.  Now he sat in the waiting room of Gotham General waiting to hear word on whether or not his mate of less than a year would survive. The same mate he was supposed to be out on a Valentine’s Day date with right then.  

“Master Dick,” Alfred’s gentle voice pulled him out of his thoughts, drawing his gaze to the man standing in front of him.  “I’ve brought you a change of clothes.  Perhaps you should wash up in the bathroom?”  His eyes fell onto the bag in Alfred’s hand and then to his own hands that were still covered in Jason’s hands.

“We’ll come get you if the doctor comes out, Dick,” Tim sounded from beside him and Dick sighed. They were right, he knew it, but the thought of not being there when the doctor brought word made his chest seize.

It wasn’t until a small hand landed on his shoulder that he nodded.  “Come, Richard.  I will accompany you if you would like?”  Pushing to his feet, Dick took the bag from Alfred and looked down at Damian.

“Thanks, Little D, but I’ll be okay.  Just…” He glanced over at Alfred and then Bruce, who gave a nod of understanding.  Bruce would come get him if the doctor came out.  It was a silent promise.  But it was one he could trust.  So he made his way over to the bathroom in the private waiting room being the family of Bruce Wayne got them, and got to work.

Putting the bag on the counter next to the sink, Dick looked at himself in the mirror and cringed.  He had his blue dress shirt sleeves rolled up and Jason’s blood was streaked over his forearms and painting his hands as if someone had poured red paint over them.  There were splatters of blood on his chest and a streak along his neck at his pulse points where Jason had reached for him but had been unable to keep his hand up for long.  He looked like a horror show.

So he slowly unbuttoned the shirt after turning on the tap to warm, shrugging out of the shirt and laying it on the counter.  He would put it in the bag and maybe Alfred could save it.  Or he could burn it if needed.  He took his time to wet his bloodied skin and then slowly used the provided soap to scrub away at the blood on his skin.  He started with his forearms and worked his way down to his hands.  He knew it would be tough to get it all without a scrubber, but he could get the majority at least.

He was working on the streak at his neck when Bruce appeared in the mirror, standing a few feet behind him. Dick didn’t say anything but paused in what he was doing to look at his father figure through the reflection.

“Are you okay?”

The question made Dick frown before he went back to scrubbing Jason’s blood off his neck.  “Is the doctor here?”  He questioned, ignoring the question that he knew Bruce already knew the answer to.  

“The nurse just came out and said he should be here in about five minutes.”  Dick gave a nod before leaning forward to splash some water on his neck to get the remaining blood and soap off his skin.  His nails were still red from the blood, but other than that he had managed to get most of it off.  Grabbing a few paper towels, he dried off his skin as best he could before tossing them and pulling out the black sweater that Alfred had brought him, ignoring the pants and shoes because he wanted to be out there already when the doctor showed up. “Dick…”

“I’m not okay Bruce, how could I be?  My mate was shot by a sniper and I am still painted in his blood.  I just want to get out there and hear if I’m going to have to bury him for a second time in my life,” Dick spat out, turning to glare at Bruce directly.  He tugged the sweater on with jerky movements, pausing a moment to take in Jason’s familiar scent and sent a silent prayer of thanks for a man like Alfred being in his life.  

But the moment was short lived as he grabbed his ruined shirt and shoved it inside the bag before heading for the door.  He jerked his elbow out of Bruce’s grip when the older man tried to stop him, growling in warning.

“I’m just worried about you,” Bruce tried again, but Dick just shook his head and pushed the door open. He didn’t say anything to any of the others when he reentered the waiting room, moving to take the spot between Tim and Damian again with a weary sigh.  He knew what Bruce was worried about.  The bond was still new and the risks of going feral when a bond hadn’t had the chance to fully settle was high.  Dick knew that.  But Jason wasn’t dead.  Not yet. So long as Dick could still feel him in his chest, just as he had since the night he and Jason exchanged bites, then he would be fine.  He just needed to hear from the doctor that his mate would make it.  

Because though the bond was still there, it was weak.

He hadn’t even noticed he had been rubbing at his chest until Damian’s smaller hand slipped into his and pulled his hand away from the spot where Jason’s presence always sat. He looked down at his brother and gave him a small smile of thanks before glancing up at the sound of the door. The sight of the doctor coming in brought him to his feet, still gripping Damian’s hand.

“Are you the mate and pack of Jason Todd?”  The doctor looked right at Dick and the Omega nodded, stepping forward, Damian in tow. “He’s going to be just fine,” the woman informed them, and Dick’s breath escaped him in a rushing woosh.  “We had worried of a spinal graze, but he is awake and able to move his toes.  And we were able to stop any internal bleeding and safely provided a transfusion to replenish his blood.”

“Can I see him?”  Dick asked, relief so palpable he was certain the others could taste it.

The doctor nodded and gestured him forward.  “I can bring you to him now, but just you.  Visiting hours are over so the remainder of you will have to wait here until 7am or come back.”  Dick looked over at Bruce who looked like he wanted to argue but when he locked eyes with Dick, nodded.

“We’ll come back later,” he said instead, looking at Dick for approval.  And Dick was just glad the alpha wasn’t fighting the doctor on this. He didn’t need that stress right now. He just wanted to see his mate. Looking down at Damian, he gave his brother’s hand a squeeze before releasing it.  

He said he goodbyes, making sure to thank Alfred for the clothes, before following the doctor into the hallway to Jason’s room.  “He might be sleeping again, but he was awake when I left him.  The nurses will be checking his vitals, but he should be well enough to leave in a few days’ time.  The bullet missed the vital organs, he was incredibly lucky in a very unlucky situation.”

“Thank you for taking care of him,” Dick said quietly as they came to a stop in front of the room marked 438.  He made a mental note to text the room number to Bruce later.  But that thought was pushed away when the door was opened for him and revealed a drowsy looking Jason watching him.  “Jay,” he breathed out, rushing to the beside and taking up the hand stretched toward him.

“Mate,” Jason rasped, blinking slowly up at Dick.  And he could easily tell it was a fight for the Alpha to still be awake, but Dick could admit he was glad he was.  “Are you okay?  Can feel you…”  He watched Jason tap his chest and frown.

Dick just let out a laugh and leaned down to press his mouth against Jason’s.  “I was scared out of my fucking mind,” he admitted when he pulled back. “I’m just so glad you’re okay.  Let’s not do this again, okay?”  He watched Jason let out a soft laugh, nodding as his eyes slipped closed for a moment before snapping open again.  “Sleep, Jay.  I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Hmm,” the Alpha hummed, letting his eyes close for good this time.  “Love you, Blue Bird.”

“Love you too, Jay. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

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

5. Valentine’s Day Year 6: The First as Fathers

Dick was exhausted.  

James and him had been home from the hospital for barely a week and Dick was struggling, even with Jason’s unending help.  He knew he just needed enough time to heal and find a routine, but he thought that a week would have allowed him to make some steps in the right direction.  But he felt like he was failing at everything.

Except James.  

The check up earlier in the day had shown the pup was growing steadily already and the doctor commended them both.  Breastfeeding was one thing Dick seemed to be a natural at, even if it still felt a little unnatural.  At least James was getting what he needed.  What else could Dick ask for at this point?

“Hey Baby,” Jason called softly, stepping into the nursery where Dick was currently sitting in the glider while James laid in his arms, sleeping.  Dick looked up at his husband and gave a tired smile.  “How about I take James and you go enjoy the bath I pulled for you?  I put your favorite oils in it.”  That sounded nice.  And the doctor had said his body was healing nicely and he could take baths again if he wanted.

But the thought of letting go of James for even a small amount of time, despite it being Jason who he’d be giving the baby to, made his entire body tense up in unexplainable fear. And Jason must have scented it because he took a step back and made sure both of his hands were visible to the Omega.

“It’s okay, Dickie. I’m not going to take the pup from you if you don’t want me to,” Jason spoke quietly, gently and Dick could scent the calming pheromones his alpha was releasing to try and comfort him.  But it just served to confuse him.  Dick knew Jason was to be trusted, but Dick’s Omega wasn’t on the same page apparently.  “Remember the doctor said this could happen.  It’s okay, your hormones are just adjusting and your instincts are on high alert because you feel off balance.”

Dick looked down at James when he let out a small cry and shifted in his arms, surprised to find how tightly he was clinging to the pup.  Taking a deep breath, he relaxed his hold on James but still couldn’t push the fear away enough to give him to Jason.  “I don’t-” He tried, not sure what he was trying to say.  He didn’t want Jason to think he was afraid of him, but he also couldn’t get his Omega to calm down.  

“How about I bring the bassinet into the bathroom?  Then you can put James inside and he can be right there next to you while you take the bath?”  Dick considered that option and while his Omega still felt on edge, he didn’t seem to mind the idea as much as giving James to Jason.  So he nodded and stood to follow Jason out of the nursery and watched from their bedroom door way as his mate picked up the bassinet to bring into the bathroom.  

Following at a measured distance, Dick entered the room and headed into the bathroom.  Immediately his Omega relaxed further at the scent of Jasmine and Mint filling the air.  The standalone bathtub had been filled with warm water and Jason had even thrown in some rose petals for a nice touch.  

Looking over at Jason as he positioned the bassinet right near where Dick’s head would rest, but on the opposite side of the tub keeping him between James and the door, he smiled. “Thank you, Jay,” he said softly. He saw the hesitation in Jason’s eyes as he approached Dick, likely unsure of how the Omega would react to him being close, but Dick just smiled and leaned over to press a kiss to the corner of the Alpha’s mouth.

“I’m going to start dinner. Do you need anything?”  Glancing around, Dick shook his head and moved over to place James carefully into the bassinet.  

“Jay?”  Dick called over, stopping his mate before he left the bathroom, “I love you.”  Jason gave him a wide smile before he walked out, leaving Dick to get undressed and slip into the warm water.  He let out a sigh as his body settled into the tub, slouched down so his chin brushed the top of the water and the rest of his body was submerged.  

The massive tub had been one of the things Dick had insisted on in their home.  With their line of work, too often they came home or woke up with sore bodies and needed a good soak.  But neither were considered short men, though Dick definitely shorter than Jason, so a standard tub wouldn’t do.  They shopped around for hours to find one that they could both fit in comfortably.  At the same time.  And in their almost three years of living there, he didn’t regret it a single time.

Leaning his head back, Dick let himself just enjoy the warmth seeping into his skin and the soft scents floating in the air that reminded him so much of how his parents had smelled.  He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Jason’s scent filled the space again and he opened his eyes to find the younger man leaning against the doorway.

“Dinner is just about ready. I put some clothes on the bed for you.” Dick smiled lazily and rolled his head to look over at the bassinet where James was still sleeping peacefully.

“You can take him now, I think,” he said, noticing his Omega actually seemed to purr at the idea. Probably because the bath was so wonderful that it reminded him that Jason was there to protect and care for him and the pup.  He lifted his head and carefully pushed himself up so he was standing, water sluicing down his still recovering body.  He didn’t shy away from Jason’s eye like he had the first couple of days after birth, but instead raised an eyebrow at the man and gestured to the fluffy white towel waiting for him.

Jason only chuckled and grabbed the towel, shaking it open and draping it around Dick’s shoulders as he pressed a kiss to the side of his neck.  “I’ll take James and check his diaper.  You get dried off and dressed, then meet me at the table.”  Dick only nodded and stepped out of the tub as Jason picked up their pup and headed out of the bathroom again.

Taking his time to dry off and lotion his skin, Dick made his way into the bedroom and pulled on the warm sweats and shirt Jason had left out.  Before leaving the room, he grabbed one of Jason’s hoodies out of the closet and tugged it on.

He followed the scent of his mate and pup, as well as the pasta dish Jason had apparently made for dinner, into the dining room to find two dozen red roses in a vase and balloons waiting for him.  “It’s Valentine’s Day?”  He questioned, not sure how he had managed to forget.  He knew he had been focused on James and that time was something he hadn’t really noticed much of, but he couldn’t have blocked out almost two weeks worth of days, could he?

Jason just chuckled and put a hand on the small of his back, leading him over to his usual chair. “You have been preoccupied, but it’s our day so I couldn’t let it pass without some kind of celebration.”  Dick sat down on his chair and looked up at Jason, who was smiling down at him.  “I love you, Dickie.  Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“Love you too, Jay,” he whispered just before Jason’s lips pressed against his.

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

6. Valentine’s Day Year 0: The Start of it All

Dick barely let his bike come to a stop before he was rushing toward where Alfred and Tim sat at the main computer, watching the screens with rapt attention.  He could see the worry on both of their faces when they glanced at him, but said nothing as they turned their attention back to the screens.  Dick couldn’t be sure how long the fight had happening before he had seen the footage of it while walking with his Valentine’s Day date to dinner in downtown Gotham.  He just hoped it wasn’t too long.  Not when Tim was out of commission due to being shot by the very alpha Batman was currently fighting.

“Why didn’t you call me in?!”  Dick asked, skidding to a halt and looking at the multiple video feeds on the screen. He could see Batman and the Red Hood from multiple angles, fighting.  But every time the older alpha seemed to get a leg up on the other man, the anti-hero seemed to anticipate the move and turned the tables.

“You were on a date, B has this handled,” Tim muttered, typing into the computer as some analytics rolled over the screen.  Dick wanted to point out, as Batman took a hit to the chest and fell onto his back, that it didn’t look like he had it handled, but paused when Alfred placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Perhaps you should get changed, Master Dick,” the older man raised a brow and Dick nodded, hurrying off toward the locker room to quickly pull on his suit.  The moments when he needed to rush, he hated how tight his suit was.  When it was pre-patrol calm, he usually took his time and walked around with it half on as he ate and checked his equipment.  He didn’t have time to do that tonight.  

He just needed to get it on and go help Bruce.

Once he was slipping his arms in, tugging the tight Kevlar protected material over his upper body, he rushed out of the locker room and found Alfred waiting with his mask, belt, and escrimas.  “Where are they at Timmy?”  He asked, gluing his mask into place and flicking on the lenses before putting his comm into his ear.  

“Diamond District, West Elm,” his brother called over, leaning over the keyboard.  In a matter of seconds Dick heard the familiar ping of coordinates being sent to his holo and he tapped the link on his mask. Putting his escrimas onto his back, hooked up his belt and hurried toward his patrol bike.

“Master Dick!  Your blockers!”  Pausing, Dick looked back to Alfred hurrying over with the familiar patches. As quickly as he could, probably more quickly than he should have, he took them and placed them over his scent glands and didn’t bother pausing to make sure they were placed correctly before he finished running to his bike.

He didn’t waste any time in making his way toward the part of the city Tim had sent him on the coordinates, more concerned that the two alphas wouldn’t be there by the time he made it to the right spot.  “Give me an update, someone,” he called into his comm as he made a sharp turn and weaved through the cars still out this late.

“Nightwing,” Oracle’s voice filtered through his comm link and he sighed.  He could handle Barbara’s ability to remain level headed.  Tim had been stressing and Dick wasn’t sure that was a good mix at the moment.  Especially not with a bullet wound that was still fresh.  “They are still in the same area, sending updated coordinates.  You look about five minutes out.”

“Copy, thanks O.”

“Be safe.  This is not an ordinary alpha, he hasn’t even attempted to hide that fact and if he catches wind of you being an omega who knows what he will do.”  He hated the warning, but he understood it.  He knew that socially, people thought him to be a weaker gender.  He knew he wasn’t, but most alphas still prescribed to the idea that he was somehow less than they were.

“Copy.”

He didn’t bother to say anything about how he could take care of himself or that he didn’t need to be told to be careful, because Babs already knew that.  As an omega herself, she was well aware that Dick knew his limitations and when he could push them.  He had taken down alphas easily before, but Red Hood seemed to be trained in a way none of them had ever seen.  He didn’t know what to make of it.

Coming to a screeching halt, Dick hid his bike in the shadows of the alleyway, listening to the obvious sounds of fists hitting flesh on the rooftop above him.  He wasted no time in pulling out his grapple and aiming for the rooftop adjacent, wanting to get a look at the situation in person before stepping in.  And he was glad he had once he was up there and could see that the fight had gotten to the point where Red Hood’s helmet had a hole punched into it right over his left eye, exposing the domino mask he wore underneath it.

Dick could also smell hints of something smoky, warm and he figured it must the be the Alpha’s unfiltered scent.  But what he didn’t know was why his Omega suddenly ached to go to the man.  Why did the scent feel welcoming?  Why did it feel like…like home?

But he couldn’t focus on that right then.  Not with Batman on the ground, taking Red Hood’s blows as best he could.  Dick could tell he was running out of steam, but the anti-hero wasn’t even struggling.  So he backed up and easily made the running jump from one rooftop to the next, his landing near silent but loud enough that Red Hood paused in mid-punch and looked right at Nightwing as he crouched on the gravely rooftop.

It gave Batman the opening he needed though and soon enough Red Hood was being launched away from him with a kick and the older man was getting to his feet.  “Nightwing, you need to leave,” Bruce’s voice came out rougher than usual and Dick wondered what had happened to cause that.  “Your blockers aren’t working.”  That caused Dick to pause, raising a hand to his neck to feel that sure enough one of his blockers had detached and half of his scent glands were exposed.

“Dick?”  His name came out as a whisper, shocked and almost awed despite the robotic tone it was said in.  And it did not come from the man who should actually know his name.

Frowning, Dick looked at Red Hood and tried to figure out what the hell was going on.  “How do you know that name?”  Batman demanded, prowling forward.  But Red Hood easily sidestepped him and knocked him off his feet again before closing most of the distance between him and Dick.  

Dick watched, thankful for the white lenses of his mask hiding most of his shock, as Red Hood removed the rest of his mask and revealed his face underneath.  

It couldn’t be.

“Jason?”  Dick gasped, stepping forward and reaching out a hand to touch the man’s face.

“Nightwing, no!” Batman called out but Dick ignored him and closed the last few feet between him and the man he thought was dead.

He tried to ignore the flinch Jason made when he got close enough to touch the man’s cheekbone with his glove covered hand but froze in fear of scaring him off.  “But…how?  You died, how is this possible?”  He was caught off guard when Jason reached up and took Dick’s hand, closing the remaining distance to his cheek.  He watched, shocked, as Jason let out a rush of air and he knew that if he could see the Alpha’s eyes they would be closed right then.

“Get away from him,” Bruce growled behind Jason and before Dick could stop him, Bruce had grabbed him and pulled him away from him.

“Stop!”  Dick cried out, reaching for Jason.  The action surprised not only Dick but Bruce because the man stopped and turned wide eyes onto his eldest.  “Stop, B.  Just…” He couldn’t explain it without sounding crazy.  But his Omega was prowling and ready to lunge at Bruce right then.  That had never happened.

“I’ll go,” Jason rasped, and Dick let out a whine without meaning to.  “I’ll be back, I promise.  But…we’re done, Old Man.  I’m done. I…”  Dick watched Jason struggle to speak his mind.  But he seemed to steel himself as he trailed off and looked back to Dick.  “I’ll find you.  I know you smell it.  I want…I’ll find you.”  And Dick could only nod, remaining quiet as the Alpha backed away from them and fell off the edge of the building.

He ignored Bruce turning blazing eyes on him and kept his own on the space Jason had been standing just a moment ago, the promise lingering in his mind.  

He would find him.

[our-chaotic-beginnings]

Can I request bakusquad on a first date?

The long awaited request has been filled! Hopefully tungle.hell doesn’t kill be with word count caps. I hope you enjoy!

Mina Ashido

She’d take you out on a first date to the mall! A lighthearted day of shopping (or window shopping if you’d prefer) and hanging out is her idea of a great first date!

Your first stop would be to the local café to grab some much needed caffeine to keep your energy up throughout the day. She always orders drinks with caramel and chocolate to keep her sweet tooth happy, and she’ll gladly offer to pay for yours if you’d want.

Your next stop is to your favorite store! You’ll both have a day at trying on outfits and finding the best styles for each other. She loves thrifting as well so you may find yourself bouncing from shop to shop, hand holding her tightly to make sure you keep up.

Whenever you feel your bellies rumbling, you make a beeline for the food court. If you surprise her by tugging her to your favorite fast food station, she’ll let out a laugh lighter than air and give you a small peck on the cheek. She’s happy that you’re able to keep up with her energy.

After you’ve eaten to your heart’s delight, you’re off to the arcade! Mina bets that you can’t beat her at Dance Dance Revolution, and you’re not one to say no to a challenge. You spend hours dancing at this machine, drawing a crowd around as you do your best to gain the upper hand. When you manage to get a perfect score on a song, she rushes over to you to give you a high five and the biggest hug she can muster.

“That was awesome! You’ve gotta show me how you got so awesome at this game! I’ve got Just Dance in my room, wanna see if you can beat me there?”

Katsuki Bakugou

As loud and brash as he is, Katsuki isn’t the one to instigate your first date. All of BakuSquad could see how he wasn’t as harsh with you, so they decided to set him up for a first date with you. So when he found himself at the meeting spot just outside an amusement park with you frantically checking your phone and looking around for someone, he knew that you’d both been set up by your friends.

He marched up to you and let out a groan. When you had noticed him, you came to the understanding that his friends were meddling with you. However, you shouldn’t let these free tickets with all day passes go to waste, right? With hands in respective pockets, you entered the park side by side.

While you both were fairly uncomfortable and awkward in the first hour of hanging around the park, once you two got onto a ride, you both warmed up to each other. You were riding one of the faster coasters, one that slowly pulled you atop a hill onto to launch you downward and through loop-de-loops.

While you were screaming your head off on the drop, Katsuki was giving a full-hearted laugh that ended with a smirk. A smirk that quickly morphed into a small ‘o’ of surprise when you grabbed his hand. His face flushed as he glanced between your hand gripping his for dear life and how your eyes were squeezed shut. The shock from your boldness faded from him, face returning to his normal hue (albeit dusted with a soft pink blush), and he squeezed your hand back.

Minutes later, the two of you were exiting the ride, and he escorted you, hands still together, over to a shaded table for you to calm down after the ride. Realization hit you that you were holding hands and you tried to pull away, but Katsuki just smirked and squeezed your hand tighter.

“Trying to run away from me now? Tch, you could’ve told me you don’t like the faster rides, dumbass. Let’s go find something more your speed. I can’t be the loser that lets his date feel uncomfortable.”

Kyouka Jirou

As the daughter of two music lovers, her idea for a first date is to a concert. She branched out to a genre that wasn’t her style, more of yours actually, so she knew you’d love it. With a few of her mom’s connections, Kyouka managed to score a couple of front row seats for the two of you.

During the breaks of the opening acts, she makes her best attempts at small talk. When the awkwardness washes over, you chuckle and give her hand a squeeze. You know she’s out of her comfort zone, so you try to ease her nerves by talking about what you liked about the music. You’ve struck a chord with her then, and so when you both aren’t vibing with the music you both chat about how good the guitarist’s riffs were or how you could see how much fun the lead singer was having as she flitted from one end of the stage to the other.

Your attention’s drawn to the stage when the main act appears, Kyouka’s fingers interlacing with yours as she anticipated the first strum of the base for their opening song.

Melodies and choruses passed, and it felt like time had stopped until the band was announcing their last song of the night. However, Kyouka could barely focus on the stage; her eyes were glued to you, taking in your overflowing enjoyment. With every song, you were energetically performing in your seat; you were far more captivating than the girl adjusting the mic on the jumbo screen.

Contrasting to the upbeat, fast paced songs that they had started their set with, a soft tune floated through the venue. The guitarist had exchanged his normal electric guitar for an acoustic guitar. Cliché and mushy words accompanied the gentle music, and Kyouka could feel her heart pound. The band was ending the concert with a love song, a preview of their new album if she remembered the earlier announcement correctly. The singer’s voice gradually built up from a whisper to a resounding belting that echoed through the silent crowd. A split second of silence followed as the singer took another breath; you followed suit to prepare for the next verse, unaware of what Kyouka planned. You turned to check how she was feeling about the song only to find her lips on yours.

“I know that this band was the headliner tonight, but you were the real star of this show. Wanna listen to all their albums on the way back tonight?”

Denki Kaminari

Denki’s idea of an ideal date is just inviting you to hang out with his friends. Some may see it as awkward, but he sees it as the best way to introduce you and to get to know you in a group setting. Today, he dragged you along to his squad’s gaming day, with today being a MarioKart tournament.

Before you even said a word, his friends (with the exclusion of the feistiest member of their crew) swarmed you. They asked who you were, if you had a quirk, and how you’d managed to agree to date their goofiest friend. You laughed and answered their questions with ease, pulling the flustered blonde closer to your side as you joked about accidentally getting shocked by him during your first meeting with him.

Any awkwardness subsided once a controller was in your hand. The unofficial leader of their group pushed a black controller to you, almost a challenge to see if you were good enough for Denki. Everyone was competing in this grand prix solely made up of Rainbow Road at the highest level of difficulty. You agreed wholeheartedly and set out customizing your bike (as you preferred them to the carts) to create the ultimate racer.

The first of the four rounds started off with a blast, with you managing to blow out as you got used to the controls. You ended up way back in 6th place, with only Hanta falling behind you at 8th with NPCs littering the places unoccupied by the other players. The next two rounds fared better with you placing 3rd in the second round and 2nd in the third round. With the final round seconds away, you were shocked to find that your points were tied with the hotheaded Katsuki. This last round would determine it all.

Denki massaged your shoulders during the brief break before the final round (as he was eliminated in the second round with an unlucky last place), whispering encouraging words to hype you up. He was worried about Katsuki’s verbal beating he’d give if he didn’t win; the blonde had been at the receiving end of many of those. Those worries all melted away as he saw the way you were weaving through the NPCs, using them to shield yourself from the explosive boy’s neverending supply of shells. You were neck and neck; in first and second place for the majority of the round. Tensions were high, the room making the group’s chants of your name echo into your very soul. You didn’t even realize you had managed to win; as soon as you crossed the finish line, Denki had you pulled into your lap and was pressing his lips lightly to your cheek.

“You did it! You beat our reigning champ! You’re definitely a keeper if you can even beat Mr. Hot Head himself! You want to do this again sometime, maybe one on one?”

Eijirou Kirishima

As health conscious and ‘manly’ as he is, Eijirou offered a simple walk in the park as your first date together. He would’ve offered to work out together, but some of his other friends (namely Mina and Denki) vetoed that. He chose a weekend that was expected to have a sunny forecast and chose a park that was more than just grass and pathways.

You both met up by the vending machines, him buying you your drink of choice and grabbing himself a bottle of water. Eijirou kept the conversation light, discussing the recent class you both had about team tactics. He had been absolutely enthralled watching how you effortlessly pulled off a combination move with Momo and Tsu. His hand casually reached for yours, grinning wide to show off his pearly teeth as your cheeks bloomed with a pale pink.

Soon you came upon a mostly deserted play set with three sets of swings. You both came to an agreement to swing in the shaded area as a short reprieve from the sun. The conversation shifted from tactics to inspirations as you recounted your first experience with a pro hero: a pro hero from your hometown had taught a general safety course and ended up rescuing an eight-year-old you from flying away when a friend’s wind producing quirk accidentally activated. You recounted your amazement about how she jumped up a few meters to grab you and gently returned you to your spot without making a huge scene about scolding your friend. Her calm attitude and quick reflexes really inspired you to strive to be a hero, especially a hero with attention to handling cases with children involved.

Eijirou relaxed into the swing, swaying as he explained how Crimson Riot’s manly ideology and willpower to confront danger without any hesitation brought himself out of a dark time of self-doubt.  The pro hero turned into an idol, influencing the boy to take on his well-known red hair and paying homage to the Crimson Riot with his own hero name Red Riot. Her further went on to explain that while he admires the manliness of the hero, he doesn’t mean that he admires the masculinity aspect of the word.

He knows the courage and determination of manliness comes in many forms; he exclaims that you exemplify that manliness, especially after learning about what happened during your training at a hero agency based in Hosu City. You had managed to hold off two villains twice your size on your own while waiting for reinforcements to arrive during a small hideout raid. Eijirou was so caught up in explaining his admiration that he hadn’t even noticed that he was slightly pulling you both towards the edge of the raised walking path. He made one wrong step and started falling towards the ground, only to have you grip his hand tightly and yank him back onto the walkway and directly into you. With a blushing face that rivalled his hair, the boy recovered from his blunder with a full-bellied laugh.

“I know I’ve been going on and on about how manly you are and how awesome your training is going. After this, I think I’m really falling for you. You’re my hero today!”

Hanta Sero

A laidback date for a laidback guy, Hanta decides to do a casual movie at home for your first date. He first takes you to the convenience store to pick up all the snacks that you’ll need for the movie marathon. He scored some copies of a childhood classic series that he knew you liked, so he wanted to make sure you both would have enough to last the eight-hour binge.

While you grabbed the popcorn, he snuck over to where the dried fruit were. Despite all of his friends’ eating habits, Hanta favored the healthier options. Although he wouldn’t mind a little sugar now and then if it were you giving it to him. Little did he know that you were lurking around the candy aisle with a specific target in mind. After a few minutes of browsing the shelves, the black-haired teen settled on a large bag of a mixed variety of snacks and met you by the checkout counter.

Hanta paid for your goodies and you walked hand in hand back to his room. After situating the hammock into place and gathering any pillows or blankets you needed, you settled in next to each other and turned on the first of many movies. You both lay there cuddling, him being the large spoon so that he’d have more room to maneuver his elbows so that they wouldn’t dig into you.

Time sped by as you both lay there and enjoyed the corny visual gags that seemed like it was just yesterday that you were watching for the first time. In between laughing your hearts out and stuffing your cheeks with popcorn, neither of you could feel the beating of each other’s hearts against one another nor the warm mood settling about the two of you. The snacks were dwindling, only one bag left unopened as you two reached the final film.

He was the one who grabbed the bag, eyebrows quirking up as he read the contents. Sugar coated orange slices; something Hanta hadn’t eaten before. He asked why you got these instead of anything else. You blushed and gingerly took one out of the bag, mumbling a response along the lines of thinking he may like them. He chuckled and pushed into you, shifting just enough to where he could snatch the treat from your hands with his lips.  

“Well what do you know, these are pretty good. If these are halfway as sweet as you, then I’m in good company!”

[unironicduncanstan]

Total Drama Music Camp AU - playlist / performance ideas

here she is,,,, the cursed secret texts,,,,, the total drama music camp playlist , along with some short explanations below, cringe city bitch (most of these are just covers that i feel are the closest to the performance Style id imagine for these characters and not necessarily the exact sound but u feel me) also i went back and tagged my previous posts abt this concept with “td music camp au” so if you dont know what the helling fuck im talking abt plz have a gander xoxo

link: youtube .com/playlist?list=PL-bPcaq3ZK2L682RHPauxrsFIPvGJdsiM (space is there so tumblr hopefully doesnt nerf me from the tag 🥺 )

Some Nights - ok so first weeks challenge. i feel like chris would just want them to all collab together on one huge group performance. kinda like on the first day of school when they make you do the ‘get to know you’ tests. idk exactly who would sing what parts tho bc there are so many so let your imagination run wild !!

Hand crushed by a mallet - ok. OKYAY. im a home of sexual. but this is a Cody, Trent, Tyler, Harold and Izzy song. Cody is on vocals (especially the rap in this version shdofsgjsk), Trent is on guitar and some vocals (does some back and forth with him during the rap), Tyler is on drums (and does that one tiny background screamy bit towards the end), Izzy and Harold are joined up on creating the background track and DJing the whole thing. the distortion/choppy part at the end is izzy LIVE going ape on the audio level sliders. its one of the most energetic performances of the whole series and surprises everyone including the group themselves

Misery Business - Duncan on vocals and guitar, Geoff on drums, Trent also on guitar and maybe some backup vocals. you all know i chose that bc i love associating mgk with duncan but. i rly like this idea actually ;;

Paparazzi - ezekiel. idk who the fuck else except maybe justin bc he’d dance that shit to death. i will not apologize thats Him and its fire but you may write and send any formal complaints to my po box. ill roll a blunt with them,

Pom Pom - Lindsay, Heather, Sadie+Katie, and Izzy. Lindsay and Heather are on vocals, sharing the chorus and each getting a solo verse, and ofc izzy does the weird rap part towards the end, and most of the background track. they all thought they were stuck with izzy but izzy is stuck with these preps. Sadie and Katie are on backup vocals, but their role in this one is mostly dancing and adding ✨ stage presence. 

Maps - Trent is on the guitar and male vocals while Courtney is on the female vocals (the ~top two performers~ gotta have a song together eventually right), DJ on drums, Bridgette on piano. Heather, Lindsay, Justin, and Leshawna are dancers bc lbr the dance from the video is pretty good for a group number

CREEPER? AW MAN - ok this one. is kind of a joke but wouldnt it be rly hilarious if cody, ezekiel, and harold did this one mostly for fun and the whole second part with the existential breakdown was just. used with on stage satire to make fun of chris for being old or smth. like would they suffer that week, yes, would it be worth it, Y E S, 

Shatter me - Eva, Courtney, Gwen, Beth. QwQ Eva’s on vocals for the first time and rocks it, Courtney is on violin, Gwen on drums, and Beth uses her instruments to make a background track before the performance so she can do stage tech/DJ stuff. oh also justin should be on this one bc i want. those costumes from t he vi deo, 

Chop suey - Lindsay and Courtney on vocals (LMAOSJFkSF listen. we love contrast queens that stun the crowd), Duncan on guitar, Eva on drums (and a lot of background screaming to help the Vibe Tee Em)

Unwritten - Leshawna and Trent? ik its a weird combo but i think they’d kill this

Shake it - GEOFF LMFAOGHJKgjfdG

White Winter Hymnal - Lindsay as Kirstie, Noah probably as Avi even tho we all know he can’t sing that fuckgin low. and idk my other 3 bros as Cody, Tyler and Ezekiel. truly iconique group

Forget me too - QWQ DUNCAN AND COURTNEY ,,,,,,,,,,,, i dont apoloigze for the second mgk = duncan pick, anyways duncans also on guitar, gwen on drums (there is no love triangle in this au btw. the only reason theyre singing this song is bc of the regular ~tension~ that u see in like tdi but its just for the stage mostly. as soon as the songs over they would hug and cheer abt it)

Simple and Clean - Bridgette on singing, Gwen on piano, DJ on drums, Beth on general stage stuff + creates the backtrack with Bridgette's harmonies overlayed

Mr. Brightside - OWEN ON THE BRASS YES BBY ITS HIS TIME 2 FUCKIENG SHINE, Geoff on drums, Gwen begrudgingly on piano, Noah is on vocals and they have to literally bribe him with everything they HAVE to get him to try and sing this way. and he does it and it aint too shabby but he will never do it again

Domino - Leshawna on vocals (again these choices are all, based on general vibe and style and not necessarily voice, this is a tiny white girl singing,), Tyler on drums, Duncan on guitar. energy to the max babey the speakers are gonna blow the fuck out on this one

Starships - KATIE AND SADIE GET TO BE A MAIN DUO !!! they alternate lines , with courtney on violin, izzy on that synthy backtrack, and justin is involved in this one bc id change just a couple of things abt the music video costumes for these characters but like. [grabby hands] gimme

Bulletproof - ezekiel vibes.....? izzy and harold get to team up again for the backtrack. weird kids only karaoke night

The Wolves And The Ravens - 🥺 a geoff and bridgette songk,,,,, 

Never Enough Praying (Mashup) - Courtney on Praying, Heather on Never Enough, Beth and Izzy end up together on the background stuff and make a rly nice track actually

Gasoline - bitch. you know what im gonna say but duncans on vocals, Tyler on guitar, Geoff on drums, Ezekiels on track

Better not wake the baby - Noah gets to sing a song that actually matches his style a tiny bit better lol, DJ on drums, Trent on guitar, and i feel like beth is the only one with any hope of figuring out the accordion keyboard thing thats in the background

This is Gospel - Gwen on piano and Trent on vocals. really the music video is the most important part for me bc i think a challenge where oyu have to sing a really intense emotional song while chris gets to dump shit down on your head from the ceiling of the stage. sounds perfect,

Wildest Dreams - codys on vocals bc god i am Obsessed with this cover being a bisexuality / coming out song . everybody thinks hes just regular simping and being his usual fuccboi self when he chooses this song till he gets to those Very Intentionally Unchanged Pronouns that he sings a little too enthusiastically hhhshHDSHHHSDH , also DJ on drums and Tyler on guitar

Happier - Bridgette solo ! 

Stay - Courtney on guitar and vocals, Dj and Harold are on the hand drum shit. once again i live for the ‘unlikely group actually works together and rocks it’ stuff. courtney as always has talent and enjoys what she does but harold and dj kind of steal the show with how in sync and energetic they are abt it lmfaodghd

[3pirouette]

Fic: Iterate (1/1)

Title: Iterate By: TriplePirouette/3Pirouette Spoilers: Up through Endgame. Disclaimer: They're not mine. Word Count: 2953 Distribution: AO3 Anyone else please ask first :)

Summary: Steve lived through the 21st century twice, the second time hurt much more than the first.

A/N: I literally made myself cry today on the way to work while I was working this out in my head. It was SUPPOSED to be FLUFFY. I’m not exactly why I decided on this format, all I know is that it felt right. I hope you enjoy. Steggy is just mentioned, more Steve-centric. 

It was supposed to be a stupid, fluffy story about Old Steve living with his granddaughter and being a LITTLE SHIT to her all the time because he’s 100% comfortable with modern things and it drives her nuts. I’m sorry.

Also, please pay attention to vague time stamps. Certain details are changed for impact. Hence, AU (Even though I FULLY BELIEVE that once the stones are placed back there is only ONE main timeline where Steve lived, was Peggy’s husband, and that’s how he showed up at the end of Endgame. Fight me.)

AND I’M SORRY.

~*~ October 2023

He supposed he’d always been waiting for this day. Steve knew he’d be around for it, one way or another. At least, he’d always assumed that, though he’d thought he’d experience it in a very, very different way.

He didn’t know the exact time, just a vague recollection that it was early afternoon, that there had been sunlight they’d blocked out with the blast shields, that they’d tried to eat lunch but they were all too nervous.

Funny. Same thing happened to him today. He couldn’t manage to get anything to slide down past the lump in his throat, couldn’t fill his stomach to calm the butterflies. He tried coffee first. It was warm and robust but had no effect.

He pulled out the tin from the back of the cabinet and made a cup of tea from one of the few remaining bags there. He sipped it and imagined Peggy sitting across from him, telling him off for using old tea that would be bitter and teasing him for how much sugar he put in it.

He drank a beer and wished to god that he had just one flask of whatever it was Thor used to carry around. He needed something to calm his nerves.

He caught his reflection in the window over the sink. For just the briefest second he saw his young self, so broken by so much, not knowing that today would be the day he’d be put to his greatest test. But the sun shifted and he could see every wrinkle in the refection, every grey hair, the haziness to his eyes that the doctor said was the beginning of cataracts.

A lifetime ago this day had changed everything for him without him knowing. Today, he was just as eager for the moment when Banner would put on that glove, this time for very different reasons.

~*~

In the end, Steve Rogers managed to live a fairly normal life.

Once back with Peggy, he kept away from the spotlight. Unsure if he’d created a parallel timeline or if he was living in his own, he did his best to avoid changing things.

Because even when he wanted to change things, he realized very quickly, he couldn’t.

He became enamored with sci-fi and fantasy that included time travel, with physicists who wrote books on the subject. He wanted to understand it, to know the unknowable.

He eventually decided that he was prescribing to the Doctor Who Theory of time travel: that it was all very, very complicated but that some things, no matter what, had to just happen in their own time and some things were simply fixed and would always happen the way they were supposed to. He’d seen this first with Zola- as he’d tried to get the man and his influence away from SHIELD they only dug their heels in deeper and kept him. It was later reaffirmed when, despite every effort, The Winter Soldier escaped him and Howard and Maria were left for dead in their car, young Tony devistated.

After that day, he stopped trying so hard to avoid squishing butterflies and focused instead on enjoying what he had.

What he had was, after all, quite a lot: A wife, two young boys, and a second chance at the life he’d missed while fighting other men’s wars.

~*~

Despite knowing all that laid ahead for him and his friends in the future that was now his past and yet somehow once again his future, Steve eventually started longing for the new millennium as decades past him by. He missed the technology, the ability to have whatever kind of entertainment he waited at the tips of his fingers. Though he’d known a good portion of what would happen from history books, once he’d gone back, he’d lived an entire lifetime full of surprises, experiencing things like the moon landing and the Vietnam war first hand. But now, as he grew older and he knew his days with Peggy were numbered, he longed for the small comforts of familiarity, for e-mails and smartphones and heated steering wheels on cars that parked themselves.

As the 2000’s arrived, he felt himself get more and more comfortable with the things around him: the news, the events he’d already experienced once and would again in a different way. It felt good to feel at least on solid ground with the world around him, knowing what was to come for him.

His home was lonely after Peggy was gone, and he made his only granddaughter an offer she couldn’t refuse: free room and board if she helped him keep up the house. An elementary school art teacher, Maggie was happy to step in for a little financial relief as she tried to navigate the churlish economy.

If he never told her that he was perfectly capable of taking care of the house by himself, it didn’t quite matter. The company was more than enough. And if when she smiled she looked just a little like her namesake and it warmed his heart… well, that wasn’t a bad thing, either.

The best part, he’d found though, was that it was hilariously funny to drive his granddaughter crazy. He’d lived through the early decades of the 21st century as a young man. He’d learned how to navigate the internet, interface with the most complicated technology there was to offer, and listened to music that wouldn’t be written for years to come. He loved watching her face as he sang along to Billie Eilish on the radio or realize that she didn’t have to explain to him how to use an iPad or Facetime.

~*~

She yelled at him the first snowfall. Skidded her car (all-wheel drive, thank goodness he’d convinced her to get the newest model) into the freshly shoveled driveway and tore out of the driver’s seat, yelling at him a mile a minute.

They’ll think I’m some kind of self-centered princess letting a centenarian shovel this and try to kill himself!  She’d yelled, trying to take the shovel from his hands.

He was still stronger than he should be, and held his ground. I don’t want you hurting yourself on this stuff.

Me? She’s screeched, and he’d laughed. He couldn’t help but smile and find her concern at least a little comical. Deep down he understood, knew that he should be trying to sell his age a little more, be trying to hide that he was still strong and fast and in better shape than some of his middle-aged neighbors.

As much as he’d like to push her off, tell her to go inside, he couldn’t. She wasn’t a self-centered princess, but she was his princess, and he bent to her whim like a branch in the wind. He’d kissed her on the head and finally handed her the shovel, leaving her the last bit of the path to her to clean up, and promised to take better care of himself.

She didn’t know that when she left for work, he still went down the basement and bench pressed 225 on an easy day.

~*~

She teased him about his record collection. Even though records had come back in style, she still thought it was silly to have a whole wall dedicated to them when she could access nearly all of musical history on her cell phone. He showed her his own digital playlists and popped in his airpods when he was reading sometimes, but he loved the sound the needle made when it hit the wax.

One night, when he couldn’t listen to her teasing anymore, no matter how good natured it was, he played dirty.

You know, there’s a new song coming out by one of those artists you like. WAP? Heard it’s a cover of a song your Nana and I used to dance to all the time.

Two weeks later, he heard the familiar opening bass to the song Barton had played incessantly in the gym while he was working out and had quoted for months, the song that he hadn’t been able to get away from even in the past with random phrases like macaroni in a pot popping into his head at the most inconvenient times.

Barely half a verse in she’d either shut it off or turned the music way lower. At dinner she couldn’t look at him.

That was not at cover, Pop Pop. And I don’t want to think about you and Nana like that… ever.

~*~

She cried when she came home, a year after Peggy’s death, to see Peggy’s beautiful vanity had been moved into her room, Peggy’s jewelry box on it front and center.

What did you do? She’d kept asking him, tears in her eyes.

She’d want you to have it. He knew it was the truth. He hugged her tight as she sniffed and knew he’d made the right decision. He remembered Peggy sitting with Maggie on her knee on the small stool, letting the girl paw through her necklaces and play with her big fluffy make-up brushes. Maggie reaching for her eyeshadow and Peggy deftly pulling it away. Peggy being just a little too slow with the lipstick and the toddler bouncing around the house, proudly showing off the circle on the bottom half of her face to anyone who would look at her.

They’d loved their boys, but Maggie had both of their hearts in a way they hadn’t been prepared for.

Steve had to make up and excuse to leave the house the next morning when Maggie came down to breakfast, wearing the single pearl drop necklace he’d gotten for Peggy on their 25th wedding anniversary and her signature red lipstick. It was a good pain, but the first time he saw her in her grandmother’s necklaces, it was pain none the less.

~*~ Spring 2018

He knew the date it was supposed to happen. He’d kept up enough to know that it would, too. His other self was out there, somewhere, fighting what would become the biggest battle of his life.

Steve decided to focus on the small things. He kept the house stocked up with food and drinks, nonperishables that would last months and even years, toilet paper and paper towels. He ordered big metal shelves for the basement and made sure there was enough for multiple people for the long haul.

He didn’t know what would happen to his family in the snap- who would make it and who wouldn’t, but he was going to be sure whoever survived would be set for the following months where there was chaos, food and water shortages, and fear.

It would be a long five years for anyone that was left.

Even though she was home most nights, he asked Maggie for a standing Thursday night date. Some nights he showed her how to keep the house up: where the water main was, how to shut it on and off, where the gas line was, what to do if the roof started leaking. He made notebooks full of lists of things to do, how-to’s for the house and for life, and even, when he was awake in the middle of the night, wrote her letters so she wouldn’t be lonely.

Somehow, he just knew it would be him this time. He had survived the first snap, but if there were two of him and one survived, the other, statistically, did not. Thanos was very clear on how half worked.

Maggie, at first, had been scared. His family knew he had a knack for predicting the future, but didn’t know quite why.

Are you dying? Maggie had asked, fearing the worst when she started to realize that their Thursday night take-out and movie date was about more than just spending time together.

No, he’d said so very often, I just want you to be ready for anything.

Despite all of her questions, she went along with it.

When the day came, he couldn’t quite keep the sadness out of his eyes. Couldn’t quite smile at her. They ate pizza in front of the TV, watching a comedy Maggie had picked. He kept his eyes on his watch. It was coming.

His fingers itched. Like he could already feel his cells pulling apart.

He reached out, taking her hand in his and covering it with is other hand. “Maggie, you know I love you, right?”

She smiled at him, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She’d sensed his anxiety all day. “Of course, I do. And I love you, Pop Pop.”

He looked away and then back at her. “I promise you, whatever happens, I’m alright, and I’ll be back.”

“Pop Pop,” her eyes filled with tears, “What are you talking about?”

He shook his head, “I’ve left you everything you’ll need, and I promise I’ll be back.”

A tear fell from her eye as she squeezed his hand tighter. “But where…”

It was as if the world went silent as it started to happen. Though the television droned on in the background, he could swear the air was stiller. He started to see the dust fill the air and tried not to breathe.

But it was wrong.

It wasn’t him.

Her hand was falling to nothing in his, the fear in her eyes haunting as the skin of her cheeks flecked into the air, swirling before falling along with the rest of her into a pile on the couch.

It was so fast. So fast.

And it wasn’t him.

“No…” The word fell from his lips as a whisper, sobs starting to form in his throat.

~*~

He wondered, nearly every night for five years, if Thanos knew. If it had somehow been a conscious choice to keep him alive, to make him suffer just a little more. To make him watch his other self on television trying to promote healing.

Sometimes, he realized that this was a blessing. His sons and granddaughter were safe while they were snapped, protected by the fabric of the universe. Bucky had told him that he didn’t remember anything from being snapped, didn’t feel any different when he woke up than if he’d taken a long, heavy nap.

Somewhere, his family was taking the universe’s longest nap without him.

But they’d be spared these memories. They’d be spared lonely nights of missing loved ones and too little to eat while the world sorted out the jobs that were suddenly empty to keep things running for those that were left behind.

They’d be spared the fear of the gangs that started roaming the streets of half abandoned cities, looting for food and clothes in stores that had never officially closed but also couldn’t open with their owners simply gone.

They’d be spared the rolling blackouts and the contaminated water scares.

They’d be spared the fear of the country as the government suddenly found itself missing elected officials and the infighting and the rhetoric that came with martial law and hasty elections.  

They’d be spared so, so much pain and loss.

Every day, he relived it all, twice over.

He counted every day for five years, making his way through each week and month motivated by only one thought: they were coming back. He needed to be ready for them, for her.

He helped his daughter in law keep their house, managed his other son’s apartment in DC and kept his things ready and waiting, made sure Maggie’s things were safe and in working order, made sure her bank account stayed open and her phone bill was paid. He’d never, not once, considered he’d be the one left behind, and the logistics of all there was to do left him busy for the first few weeks.

Everyone told him his hope that the dusted would return was infectious, but after the first year, people stopped listening. He knew, for a fact, they’d come back, but everyone else didn’t. Even the past him was operating on the idea that they’d never be back.

Some days he didn’t make it out of bed. He laid there, talking to the ceiling, whispering to Peggy, wishing she could talk back, wishing she could be one of the ones brought back. He missed her with a ferocity that hadn’t changed since the first time he’d been in this time, but had only been tempered and strengthened by a lifetime together.

As the days drew closer to the five-year mark, he began to make arrangements.

~*~ October 2023

He cleaned the living room and set it to the way it had been that night. He pulled out every note and letter he’d written Maggie and his children and put them in the kitchen, ready and waiting.

He sat on the couch, facing the blank television, a new, piping hot, pepperoni pizza sitting in front of him, untouched.

He still couldn’t eat.

He still didn’t know if this was the right timeline. As he’d gotten closer to this day his faith had wavered. What if all he’d come to believe wasn’t true? What if this wasn’t the one fourteen million? He wanted to believe, but he didn’t know for sure.

He looked at his watch, watching as the seconds ticked by. What were a few seconds to him? He’d lived more than one lifetime, and that had been enough. He had barely made it through these five years the first time. The second time had almost truly broken him. He was ready for this to be over. He was ready to stop having to deal with loss and to be able to live whatever time he had left with the family he loved.

He held out his hand, and waited.

[jaskierswolf]

The Witcher’s Companion pt. 6/6

Main Summary: Geralt is summoned to Lettenhove to deal with a fiend when Jaskier is eight. Young Julian promptly decides he will do anything for the chance to travel with Geralt and have adventures outside of his stuffy castle life. (Also on AO3/my pinned masterlist)

Jaskier lunged at Ciri with his sword. The girl laughed and spun away in a pirouette before counter attacking. He parried her attack and flicked her sword from her hand. She yelled in frustration and stamped her foot.

“Ahh. Stop doing that!” She growled.

Jaskier let his sword dance in the air as he picked her sword up. “Well, hold your sword properly and you wouldn’t drop it so often.” He teased.

Geralt chuckled as he came up behind them. Jaskier sheathed his sword and flung his arms around his witcher’s neck. “Geralt! You’ve come to join us at last, Vesemir finally let you down from the roof.”

“Hmm.” Geralt buried his nose in Jaskier’s neck, a habit he’d picked up after the incident with the djinn that Jaskier had never built up the confidence to ask him about. “You used to hold your sword wrong too.”

“Ha!” Ciri pointed her sword and the pair of them but Geralt used Quen to shield them from her attack.

Jaskier stuck his tongue out from behind the glowing bubble. Ciri smirked and threw her hands forward. They were knocked over like dolls.

“Aunt Yennefer says your witcher signs are child’s play!” She giggled. “And I am a sorceress!”

Jaskier groaned as he pulled himself up off the floor. “Why did we let Yennefer near Ciri again?” He asked weakly.

“Because she needed a magic teacher and Yennefer is the best.” Geralt hummed.

Ciri smirked and threw herself at Jaskier with her sword. He swore and rolled out the way. He just managed to draw his blade to block her next attack. “Monsters don’t wait for you to be ready!” Ciri shouted.

Geralt laughed as Jaskier defended the onslaught of her attacks. “Princesses do!” He argued.

“I’m not a princess!” She ducked under his sword and swiped her blade at his feet.

He jumped over the attack and spun round, pulling his dagger from his boots. Over the years he’d decided he enjoyed the dance of having weapons in both hands. Geralt had bought him a shorter and lighter main sword to allow for the development in his style, and he often fought with a dagger in his second hand.

He swiped at Ciri’s side with the dagger and her armour tore open, a red ribbon fell from the gap. It had been Yennefer’s idea. She’d been concerned about their training and general lack of concern for personal safety so she’d enchanted their training armour to mimic injuries whilst not allowing any harm to come to them, as long as their weapons were similarly enchanted at the time.

“Haha!” He grinned.

“Fuck!” She leapt back.

“Ciri!” Geralt warned. “Don’t swear.”

Ciri growled and spun round to attack Geralt instead. Jaskier rolled his eyes but allowed the young witcher girl to swap sparring partners. Yennefer had almost bitten their heads off when she’d seen them ganging up on the girl last week, even though she’d insisted. He sheathed his weapons and pulled himself up to sit on the wall.

Geralt used a combinations of signs and melee attacks. It was Ciri’s second winter with the witchers and she was lethal on the training ground now. There was no holding back anymore.

Jaskier watched the pair of them spar. He couldn’t take his eyes off Geralt. He never could, not when Geralt didn’t know he was watching him. They’d been travelling together now for twenty-two years. He’d known the witcher for thirty-four years and yet Geralt never ceased to enchant him. Sure he’d had his own adventures without Geralt, particularly in his twenties but none of them held a candle to the ones where Geralt had been by his side.

Geralt was quite simply the most interesting man that he’d ever known. He was Jaskier’s best friend and their companionship was something no one else ever seemed to understand. Of course, to other people Jaskier played the foolish bard. It was easier to be underestimated and it had gotten them both out of trouble plenty of times when their enemies had focussed on Geralt entirely, not realising until their throats had been slit, that Jaskier was also armed and highly dangerous in his own right. Of course Jaskier’s indignant nature meant that he often got them into just as much trouble. He’d lost track of how many times Geralt had pulled him from a tavern or manor after he’d tried to start a fight when someone had insulted Geralt or witchers in general.

Jaskier liked that he was useful to Geralt. It was one of the things he prided himself on. He’d done what he’d set out to do. He’d become a perfect travel companion to a witcher, and now he had a family in the witchers, in Ciri, even in Yennefer.

She was sort of that sister that you really hated but would kill anyone else who tried to hurt her, and he was pretty sure the feeling was mutual.  

Ciri screamed and Geralt fell backwards across the courtyard.

“Oh shit!” He hopped off the wall and ran to the witcher. “Geralt!”

“I didn’t mean to!” Ciri cried.

Jaskier cupped Geralt’s face in his hands. There was blood staining his silver hair and running from him nose. “Come on, dear heart. Wakey wakey!” He cooed.

Geralt groaned. “Fuck.”

“Ah there we go. See, princess, no harm done.” Jaskier winked at the young girl. “It takes a lot more than that to take down the White Wolf.”

“Jask?” Geralt slurred.

“Yes darling?” He touched the cut on Geralt’s head lightly, pulling the hair apart. It wasn’t deep and wouldn’t need stitches. Geralt’s witcher healing would be enough.

“Your turn.” He mumbled and passed out.

__________________________

Geralt woke up with a splitting headache and a dry throat.

He grunted and tried to sit up but Jaskier pushed him back down.

“Oh no. Stay down, my dear.” The bard sang. “You just got blasted by a fourteen year old girl.”

“I am so sorry!” Ciri cried. “I just panicked!”

“I told her you’ll be fine.” Jaskier smiled brightly with a tilt of his head. “But I must say I am glad to see those beautiful eyes again, dear heart.”

Geralt grunted and sat up, pushing the bard away from him. “I’m fine, Jaskier.”

Ciri was staring at him with wide green eyes. “Are you sure?”

“Just a headache.” He pulled the young girl into a hug. “I’m sure Yen and the others will delight in this.”

Jaskier laughed melodically and lured Geralt into smiling back at him. “Oh yes, and naturally I already have two verses of a new song written.”

Geralt growled and knocked his friend off the bed.

“Oi! Hey that’s not fair!” Jaskier pouted.

Ciri was laughing now too, all fears forgotten.

He hummed and smiled at the pair of them, his family.

“Oh, Yennefer’s calling me.” Ciri said with a tilt of her head. “I’ll you at dinner, Geralt.”

Geralt nodded. Once she was gone he helped Jaskier up off the floor. The bard fell onto the bed and against Geralt’s chest. “Two verses?” He asked with a low chuckle. “You’re getting slow in your old age, Jask. I would have expected three by now.”

“Old age?!” Jaskier cried and scowled up at Geralt. “I am forty-two! That’s hardly old, witcher.”

Geralt scoffed. “Forty-two and still trailing round the continent after a witcher. Not bored yet?”

Jaskier pouted. “Of you? Geralt, never.”

The bard hummed under his breath as he curled up against Geralt’s chest. It wasn’t unusual. After so many years of travelling together, sharing beds when money was low or when it got cold at night, they’d become used to a lack of personal boundaries.

Forty-two.

Fuck.

How many years did humans live for anyway?

“Jask?” Geralt hummed as he threaded his fingers through the soft chestnut hair.

“Hmm?”

“What will you do when you get too old to travel?” He asked.

Jaskier snorted. “I will get a cane, the type with a sword in, and you’ll have to carry me when I get tired.”

Geralt frowned. “I’m serious.”

“So am I!” Jaskier sniffed and raised his head to look up at Geralt.

“Don’t you want to retire?” He asked, remembering what Jaskier had asked him all those years ago before the fated banquet.

“Witchers don’t retire so neither will I.” Jaskier insisted with a smirk. “What’s gotten into you?”

Geralt hummed. “I hadn’t realised you were so old.”

Jaskier laughed. “Ah yes, well. I do look pretty good for my age.”

“You have me to thank for that.” Yennefer said from the doorway. She was smirking at them. “Took you long enough to notice.”

“Yen? What?” Geralt growled.

“Oh no. What did you do to me, witch?” Jaskier snapped, sitting up and peering at the sorceress suspiciously.

“I did what I was asked to do. I saved your life.” She raised an eyebrow. “Permanently.”

“The fuck?” Geralt asked.

Yennefer shrugged. “Your witcher seemed desperate, bard. I was feeling generous. I was wondering how long it would take you to realise though. Honestly, I thought you’d worked it out years ago. Unfortunately that does mean Geralt won’t be carrying you anywhere any time soon.”

Geralt stared between the sorceress and the bard in shock. “Hmm.”

Jaskier seemed equally flummoxed for once in his life. “I’m… immortal?”

“Of sorts.” Yennefer smirked. “As long as you don’t get killed. It’s an old spell, found in an old witchers’ keep. Witchers used to have companions, back before humans turned on them. The companions were meant to make the witchers seem more… approachable, less like the monsters people think they are. A witcher and their companion were linked by magic, prolonging the companion’s life to match their witcher.”

“So what, you just… linked me and Geralt?” Jaskier gaped.

Yennefer nodded. “I didn’t think it would work. The spell was only supposed to work if the pair already had a deep emotional connection, which as I am sure you both know, is supposedly not easy for witchers due to the mutations. It’s why the companions ceased to exist and the spell was lost. An old friend of mine found it in the ruin years ago. I never thought I would have the chance to use it, and then you walked in dragging a bloody bard behind you.”

“Hang on!” Jaskier waved his hands. “A deep emotional connection?”

“That’s what the book said.” Yennefer nodded.

“But Geralt barely acknowledges that we’re friends!” Jaskier pouted.

Geralt groaned and pulled his pillow over his face.

“Oh, Jaskier.” Yennefer sighed. “I can read minds. You have no idea!”

“Get out!” Geralt threw the pillow at Yennefer. She waved her hands and the pillow turned to dust.

“Fine!” She grinned. “I was leaving anyway. Ciri is waiting for me.” She strode from the room, leaving Geralt to deal with the mess she’d created.

“Geralt?” Jaskier asked quietly. “Umm… is this alright? I know you didn’t ask for this. You probably thought you’d be shot of me in a few years.”

Geralt nodded and tilted his head. “It’s fine. Are you ok?”

Jaskier hummed. “Yes. Sort of. It’s a lot to take in, the whole immortality thing.” He said with a wave of his hands. “But with you? I suppose it could be alright. Just another adventure really, isn’t it?” Jaskier’s smile shone brighter than the sun, lighting up the entire room and warming Geralt’s heart.

Geralt nodded and Jaskier fell back against his chest with a contented sigh. Geralt felt himself smile.

Jaskier, the witcher’s companion.

Taglist: @alwenarin @slythnerd @davidtennan-t @flippinfricks @awitchersbard @genkitaco @innocentcinnamonpun @marvagon @elliestormfound @geraskier-trashh @panerato

[mummacalavera]

Ok where does the momma calavera au starts? How did Yang lose her arm in this? I wanna knooooow

TW: Grimm attack, child hurt.

I am very glad you asked. I have two main Mom!Calavera AUs. The first one is the 'slice of life' or 'real life' style, in which the setting is our own world, where she adopted the kids through the foster system and has to struggle to care for all of them despite little money and other social problems.

The snippet I posted is the second version of Mom!Calavera AU, in which we are in Remnant. In a very problematic Remnant, with the Grimm threat growing each day.

In both AUs Yang lost her arm very young. In the real world, it was the result of a disease that couldn't be stopped due to negligence, ignorance, and poverty. It was actually Maria who took her own savings to get the treatment done and the doctors said they would need to amputate. Things got more expensive than expected, she ended up with awful debts, and Yang blamed her for taking her to the hospital in the first place. Despite suffering from the disease, Yang at least had the arm and she thought that if no doctor ever saw it, things would just work out on their own.

Maria was very understanding of her spite and worked carefully to mend their bond in the following year. Yang went back to acting normal with her after a while, but she still had bad days. They couldn't afford prosthetics so Yang had to deal with a lot of unwanted attention from very early on.

In the Remnant version, things were more... Terrifying. Maria was returning home late at night when she heard a child's cry. At first, she thought it was an animal, whoever it was seemed to be far into the woods and she almost chose to ignore it. The possibility of being a child however convinced her to go check.

She knew it was risky, but she wasn't just going to leave a little one in the dark alone knowing about the monsters roaming everywhere. She found a bloody track that lead her to a four-year-old baby Ruby, already exhausted from crying and screaming, hugging the limp body of her sister whose arm was still being chewed by a half-dead Grimm, bleeding out on the ground. Its fur was keeping both kids from freezing in the night, and its wounds did not look like they were made by weapons. Ruby had actually used her Silver Eyes, burning the beast enough to almost kill it. It was all result of terror and panic, but neither she nor Yang would even remember that.

The six-year-old blonde was falling in and out of conscience due to the intense pain and shock. She had lost too much blood already and had no strength to react or drag herself from under the beast. Her body had already sunk far in the mood and she had to keep lifting her head to keep her face from being under the moody water -- which she wasn't able to do when blacking out.

The smaller one sometimes shoved the little hands inside the half-dead Grimm's mouth to take her sister's arm off of there, but she wasn't strong enough.

Both were so dirty and terrified. Maria reacted fast, pulling Yang's face out of the puddle and checked her breathing. She had to let Ruby crying and screaming for a little more to save the blonde one's life. She finished the Grimm and pulled the kid from under it. She threw Yang over her knee, with the kid's stomach laying against it, and forced the kid's head down before hitting her back hard to force the water out of her lungs. It took some agonizing seconds and a lot of strong blows before the blonde reacted and began to vomit all the mud and water.

Maria held her hair up and kept holding her in place to make sure Yang would spit everything out. Still, due to her weakened state, Yang's body began to slow down again. It was like her lungs were too tired, and she began to roll her eyes, going limp, but Maria was not giving up. She gave a hard slap on the kid's butt and pinched her cheeks to wake her up and force her to cry. Yang squirmed and seemed to try to ignore it before breathing in to start sobbing, hurtful cries growing slowly as she regained a little strength from all the harsh stimulus.

Reassured that the blonde was not at immediate risk of dying, Maria put her down for a second. She used her coat to improvise a sling and put Ruby there, hanging the baby girl on her back. She tried talking comforting words to soothe Ruby after Yang was breathing again, and even manage to make Ruby follow her instructions to go into the sling. She then got the eldest in her arms and made her way back to her village, going directly to their only Doctor.

With the help of Sara, the most competent doctor she ever knew, she got both children cleaned up. They fed Ruby and got Yang ready for a fast surgery. Maria and Sara had barely any anesthetics around so they drugged the kid with what was available. Due to a complication in the middle of it, Sara and Maria had to wake Ruby up and draw some of her blood to keep Yang alive. Maria improvised puppets made of stockings to help to calm the child down while they got a needle in her. By morning Yang was stable and sleeping with her baby sister beside her.

Sara asked Marie what she would do now, and Maria could only answer that she didn't know, but she would keep the children for as long as she could, and make sure both would heal well.

I really want to write these properly but it takes a whole lot of effort and time, so I'm never sure if I will manage. Anyway, here is the long answer that I really wanted to give. I will write more about these verses and post them here, they are my fave personal AUs.

Hope it wasn't too confusing. I won't mind answering anymore questions if you have =D

[pink-bird-30]

RobStar Week 2020-Tamaran

Welcome back to day 3 of RobStar week *distant sound of applause*

If you’re new to my RobStar posts, I will warn you.  They are all connected.  So PLEASE go read the other two days before coming here to read day three’s posting!  This one is extra long for no reason, it really got away from me and the next thing I knew I was 3,000 words deep.

Here is the link to my FF.net post: (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13635654/3/RobStar-Week-2020-All-Works)

Happy reading!

------------------------------------------------------

“Okay, you go this.  Just push the button and you’ll be in contact with Galfore.”  Robin muttered to himself as he paces the ops room. This is his only chance to do this before the other’s came back from the mall.  Raven was in charge of making sure everyone was out of the tower until Robin was done with his mission.

His pacing stopped when his communicator buzzed.

You have 1 hour before I end up killing Beast Boy.

Robin groans, letting his head fall back before typing back to Raven.

Just keep everyone out, I’ll be done soon.

He shoves his communicator back into his utility belt and makes his way back to the main ops to start a transmission to Tamaran’s Grand Ruler.

The screen dances with gray and black dots before a the sharp image of a large deeply tanned man appeared before Robin.

“Greeting, young warrior.”  Galfore’s rough voice cheered.  He has not aged since the last time Robin saw him five years ago when Starfire was betrothed to Gigrdsklechhh.

“Grand Ruler, Galfore.  How are you?”  Robin replied.

“I am well, Robin.  I am surprised to hear from you.  Is everything alright with Princess Koriand’r?”  Galfore strokes his long auburn beard.

Robin nods but hesitates.

Galfore notices his nervous demeanor.  The usually calm leader continuously pulls at his collar, feeling as if it’s more tight than usual.  His tan complexion heated with small drops of sweat pooling on his forehead.

Robin stops his fidgeting and takes a deep breath, “I’m calling for your advice and also for your permission.”

Galfore quirks his bushy eyebrow, curious as to what this earth warrior has to offer.  “What is your predicament, Robin.”

“Given that I’m not from your planet, I’m not well versed in your traditions.”

Galfore smiles, understanding where this conversation is heading.  “Which traditions does your interests lie.”

“Umm, well…” Robin straightens his shoulder and clears his throat.  “I would like to marry Starfire.”

“Ah! Glorious!  I am pleased you are to betroth my bumgorf!”

Robin sheepishly grins.  “I, um. I want to do it right.  Is there any Tamaranean traditions I need to know for a proper proposal?”

Galfore gave him a strange look, not quiet understanding what he is asking “How do you mean?”

Robin sighs, knowing this was going to be difficult to explain.

“On Earth, when a person chooses to marry their partner.  He or she has to ask formal permission from their partner’s father or guardian.  From there, if they are given permission, the man or woman is to plan a proposal.”

“I am unfamiliar with the term, please elaborate further.”

“Right.”  Robin chose his words carefully.  “A proposal can range from a small gesture to a grand gesture.  But during the proposal, you are to offer a ring.”

“What is a ring?”

“It’s a piece of jewelry.  It is a symbol of tying your destiny to another person for the rest of your lives.”  Robin reaches into his utility belt and pulls out a red velvet box.

He opens it to show Galfore.  It wasn’t a simple ring, but something he had created himself for Starfire.  It was a radiant cut diamond with a weaving white gold band of sapphires and emeralds.  He used the same diamond from his mother’s ring and created the band with Bruce a few weeks back.  It was indestructible.  She could wear it and not have to worry about it breaking during battle.

“My, how fascinating.  And she wears it?”  Galfore was really inspired by the Earth traditions of marriage, far different than the trials of Tamaranean traditions.

“Yes, she would wear it on her left ring finger.”  Robin pointed to his ring finger to show Galfore.

Galfore smiles, “In Earth terms, yes.  You have my blessing.  But for Tamaran’s traditions, you must prove your worth to marry my bumgorf, Koriand’r.”

Robin squared his shoulders, ready to take on whatever it is to gain the right to marry Starfire.

“Whatever the trials, I’ll do them.”

------------------------------------------------------------

After the Titans came back from the mall, Robin told Starfire he needed to speak with her.

Three years of dating made them realize they wanted to move their relationship forward, but they also wanted to keep close to the team.  Cyborg had helped them to renovate the third floor of the tower to be an apartment for them.  Only Starfire and Robin were allowed on this floor.

Once the elevator doors open, Starfire flies over to the living room and sets her bags on the coffee table.  She kicked her boots off and takes a seat on the black sofa.  Robin goes across the room to strip his face of his mask, tossing it onto the kitchen counter, and walks over to Starfire.  He settles down next to her, taking her hands in his.

“Something has come up and I need to go to Gotham for a few weeks.”

Starfire green eyes glowed with concern, “Is your K’Norfka the O-kay?”

“Yeah, he’s okay.”  He smooths her thick hair behind her ear and cups the side of her face.  “He just needs me to help train Jason.  That’s all.”

Okay, maybe that’s not where he’s really going.  But he made plans with Bruce to cover for him while he was away on Tamaran.  He gave Bruce a call after Galfore went into extensive detail as to how to be a proper suitor for his bumgorf.

There are three trials he must go through with Galfore to be proven worthy:

1)    Hunt in the Tamaranean jungles with Galfore to prove he can provide for Starfire.

2)    Train with the Tamaranean armies and prove to be a strong warrior.

And finally,

3)    Climb to the highest mountain by himself and leave a gift to X’hal, their deity, blessing their betrothal for eternity.

Starfire frowns but nods in understanding.  “May I accompany you?”  She was hopeful, but then a sad look pass across Robin’s blue eyes.

“Sorry, Star.  The team is going to need you here.”  Star pouts and pulls her hands away from him.

“When are you to go?” he could hear the disappointment in her voice, but it’ll be worth it.

Robin wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her between his legs, and reclines back.  Starfire lets out a long sigh and snuggled into his chest.  She could hear his heartbeat quicken; when they first started dating, she never understood why his heart rate would increase when she was close to him.  He found it endearing when she asked him if his heart was going to ‘Do the exploding’, but lead to a funny explanation about human anatomy.

“I have to leave tomorrow…”

She shifted so she was laying on top of him, wrapping her arms around his torso.

“I will miss you the much.”  A single tear trails down her cheek.  Robin brushes it away and places a tender kiss on her forehead.

“I’ll miss you too, Star.  I’ll be back before you know it.”

---------------------------------------------------------------

It has been a month since Robin left on his voyage to Tamaran.  On arrival, Galfore welcomed him back to the royal palace and led him to Starfire’s quarters.  He was to stay only for a few days before starting the betrothal trials.  He changed out of his uniform and was given formal Tamaranean attire.

During his first trial, Robin had to adapt to the rough jungles of Tamaran.  The once tropical planet was bare and arid, but certain parts had survived war and maintained their wildlife.  

Robin and Galfore spent two weeks hunting in the jungles of Tamaran.  Robin had to adapt to a way of life that was completely foreign to him.  He had to attack and kill animals he hardly understood the names of.

Galfore was proud Robin was able to keep up with the hunt, moving as he moved, using spears to kill from a distance with ease.  Deep down, Galfore knew Myand’r would be proud of the young man fighting for his daughter’s hand.

After the hunt was over, Galfore bestowed an armband to the young warrior.  It was a symbol of survival, matching the silver band that lies on Starfire’s right arm.

After a few days his next trial was to begin.  It gave him enough time to catch up with the other Titans to see how everything was going back in Jump City.  He made sure to only call and not video chat to prevent Starfire from seeing where he was.  They spoke for hours, but knew it would be awhile before he’d speak with her again.  He made sure to tell her he loved her and turned off his communicator.

The second trial was one Robin looked forward to.  He knew that Tamaranean fighting style was different than the multiple forms of fighting he learned from Bruce.  And the ability to learn a new fighting style from the warriors of Tamaran was an opportunity he will take for granted.

He just didn’t realize how intense it could be.

Having Bruce as a teacher was tough, he never let up and made sure to use every ounce of Robin’s energy when they sparred.  

But this.  This was much different.

He was awakened before the orange sun of Tamaran would rise, the light purple skies welcomed him to the day. He was sent to the lower level of the palace where the Tamaranean warriors would line up and wait for their general.  He was to train with the new recruits.  Most were young men and women who were about 16 years old.  Much younger than Robin, who is in his early 20s.

Day after day they would line up, get called to do different drills and then set out to guard the palace until night fall.  Some days were harder than others, but Robin pushed through the tough days knowing that it would lead him to Starfire as his fiancé.

Well, as long as she says yes.

After two more weeks of warrior training, Robin grew to appreciate his fellow warriors.  He was able to pick up some Tamaranean words and hold basic conversations with everyone.  By the end of training, you were to go head to head with a fellow warrior to prove yourself worthy of the royal army.    

Robin was paired to face Karras, he was a bit older than Robin.  But with everything he’s taken in the last few weeks, Robin knew he could take him.  It wasn’t a fight until the other opponent was down, it was a fight of endurance and skill.

In the end Robin and Karras were an equal match, Galfore had declared them both fit to be part of the royal army.  Karras and Robin were bestowed with a green gem cuffs.  It was a symbol of the royal family and of warrior status.  It was to be worn with pride.

A few more days passed before Robin was to make his hike up the highest mountain to bestow a gift to X’hal.  He prepared by gathering necessities Galfore said he was allowed to bring.  He was granted one sack containing a canteen, food, a knife, a change of clothes, and the item to be a gift to X’hal.

The next day Robin set out to the journey to the top of the mountain.  Word has spread of Robin’s journey and most of the Tamaraneans had gathered to see him off.  It wasn’t everyday a human asked for their crowned princess’s hand in marriage.  Nor was it common for someone to make it this far in the trials.

Galfore placed his giant hand on Robin’s shoulder and said a Tamaranean prayer before sending him on his way.  The further he got up the mountain the less he could hear the chants from the people below.  Galfore had mentioned that the journey from the top of the mountain and back would take a week.  But that is with little to no stops along the way.  But Galfore had faith that Robin would be back sooner than later.

During his time up the mountain Robin began to plan his proposal to Starfire.  He wasn’t sure if he should make a grand gesture or something small and intimate.

Around the end of the third day, and after running away from some wild beasts, he saw the orange sun set behind the mountain and the moon take its place.  From where he walked along the path, he could see the stars.

‘The stars called out to their princess to follow them around’

Deep in his heart he knew Starfire was staring at the same stars he was that night.

Instead of sleeping, he knew he could push himself to make it there before the next day.  He watched the stars was they seemed to come closer and closer to him as he hiked up the mountain.  By the time he reached the top, there was a soft glow coming from the horizon.  One by one the stars started to fade away, but as he opened his sack to pull out his gift to X’hal, he swore the stars stayed a second longer as he placed his gift on the mountain top.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Starfire laid on the roof watching the stars start to slowly illuminating the sky.  There were a few clouds slowly moving by, covering the moon in passing.  Over the last few weeks she was only able to speak with Robin a handful of times.  It was nice to hear from him, but it was nothing compared to having him there, with her on the roof.  

Over the last few years, even before they started their relationship, this was their place.  Whenever either one of them needed to be at peace, the roof was their first thought in mind.  They could spend hours just talking and looking at the stars.  It was also no secret that Starfire enjoyed being kissed thoroughly under the stars, Robin picked it up after a rather heated moment that almost went too far.

But with Robin gone for almost more than a month, she found herself on the roof more than she’d like to admit.  She remembers Robin mentioning something that always made her feel at home when he was not near.

“If I’m never around, always remember to look up to the stars.  Because no matter where I am, I will always be staring at the same stars as you.”

It was a comforting thought, and what got her through these past few weeks without her lover.

Lost in thought, Starfire didn’t hear the footsteps walking towards her on the roof.  As the hidden figure got closer, they took note of how beautiful the alien princess looked under the moonlight.  They decide to take a moment to take in their appearance before making their presence known.

“Starfire?”

Starfire’s heart swelled at the voice and immediately shot off the ground and flew into Robin’s awaiting arms.

“Robin!  You have returned!”  She felt powerful emotions course through her body.  She couldn’t help but tear up knowing her boyfriend has returned home.  He wraps his arm tight around her feeling his throat tight with emotion, not realizing how much he truly missed his girlfriend.

“I missed you too, Star.”  He pulls back to properly say ‘hello’ with a long lingering kiss.  After they part, Starfire takes note of how Robin is a little different.

“Robin, you seem to be the tan.”  She raises her hand to his cheek confused by his darker skin tone.  She knew Gotham to be a city plagued by clouds and terrible rain.

Robin takes a deep breath and pulls away from Starfire.  He takes hold of her hand and walks over to the edge of the roof.  He wouldn’t have believed someone if they told him he’d be standing in the same place he told Starfire he loved her.  That in the same spot, he is about to create a new memory with her.

“I wasn’t in Gotham,” he starts.  He could see the confusion passing in her eyes, but she stays quiet.  “I was on Tamaran.”

This confused her greatly, “Why did you go to my home planet?”

“Do you remember that day Raven took you and the team to the mall?  And I stayed behind?  Well, I had arranged a transmission with Galfore that day.  I had to ask him for some advice.”

Starfire cocks her head to the side, not quite understanding why they were conversing.

“I wanted to know more about how Tamaraneans ask for another’s hand in marriage.”

Starfire gasps.  

The realization finally hitting her as to why Robin was gone for so long. Why he lied about going to Gotham and instead going to Tamaran.

“You…you completed the trials?”  Her voice full of hope.

Instead of answering, Robin unzips his blue hoodie to reveal his silver arm band, his green gem cuff, and the necklace of X’hale.

Tears pour down her face as she realizes what was about to happen.

Robin removes his mask, revealing his equally watery eyes and pulls a box from his pant pocket.

“Princess Koriand’r of Tamaran.  I have hunted the wild beasts of the deep jungles of Tamaran.  I have trained as a warrior of your royal army.  And I have offered X’hal a gift to bless our betrothal for all of eternity.”

Holding onto he left hand, Robin gets down on his left knee and asked the most important question known to man.

“Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

He opens the box to reveal the ring to Starfire.  She’s never looked more beautiful to him.  Her auburn hair drifting in the wind, her bright green eyes shining from her tears, and her smile, radiating as bright as the stars in the sky.

“Richard…I accept you offer of betrothal.”  Robin feels the tears fall down his face as he takes the ring out of the box to place it onto Starfire’s ring finger.  He quickly gets up to pull her into a tight hug.

“I love you so much, Star.  I want forever with you.”

Starfire kisses Robin with her entire being.  All the love she has for him poured into this singular moment, wanting to remember this forever.

She pulls away and rests her forehead against his, “I love you too, Richard.”

The newly engaged couple stays on the roof for a little longer, enjoying the moon and the stars.

[pongnosis]

I’m sorry to bother you again but are there any little scenes/headcanons that you never got to add into Devil? What are your favs?

It’s absolutely not a bother! The answer will probably be a little disappointing, though. There were a ton of ideas that never made it in, but the vast majority of them remained a line or two in my notes. Of the stuff that actually got written ... most of what I never got to add in was stuff where the plot took a different turn - things like the bare bones/main scenes of the alternate ending where Alex chose the CIA options, or snippets of an AU where Yassen chose to break Alex and turn him entirely into Orion after Santa Catarina. Bits of some of it got reused elsewhere if possible, and the rest of the discarded scenes are generally stuff that just ... didn’t fit in. It was too slow, too detail-heavy, or just didn’t quite fit the flow of the chapter. Most of the important scenes and headcanons made it in (with the exception, I believe, of the undercover agent on Santa Catarina - that was Nathan, Johann’s bodyguard, who was with the CIA, but it never fit into the fic to mention it.)

If you do feel in the mood for Yassen deciding to break Alex ‘for his own good’, I’m happy to share! It’s less of a rough first draft and more a collection of main scenes that I had to get down in writing before it would leave me alone. It’s somewhere on the discord server, too, but ... way, way back. God knows where. Warnings for Yassen deciding to break Alex through isolation:

Alex wakes up in an unfamiliar room wearing nothing but loose trousers and a t-shirt. His last recollection is leaving Malagosto with Yassen; refusing to stab someone to death, accepting however many weeks in Dr Three's care, and Yassen telling him he won't have to -

- And nothing. Drugs do weird things to memories sometimes; resistance to interrogation taught him that. It could have been days ago. It could have been hours. He has no way of knowing.

There is no daylight in the room, no windows, just the constant, low, artificial light of the lamps. There is no running water anywhere. There's a toothbrush and toothpaste and a sink, but no tap. There's a chemical toilet and disinfectant gel with a horrible, hospital-like smell to it, but nowhere to actually wash his hands. No shower. Nothing but a plastic jug of water and a cup that goes with it. To Alex's best estimate, it's enough to last a day and not much more.

The door is locked. Alex tries it twice, just to be sure. He can probably fit a single sheet of paper between the door and the frame but that's it. The walls are solid and probably soundproof.

It doesn't feel like Dr Three's style, though Alex could be wrong.

He has no idea of the time but he stays stubbornly silent. He won't beg to be let out, he won't talk, and whoever is behind this – Yassen, it has to be – can just go screw themselves.

With no shoes on, he's smart enough not to kick the door.

Eventually he settles down, resting against the wall. There's nothing else to do. The floor isn't comfortable but then, neither is the wall. His mind, already bored, is happy to supply any number of horrific possibilities as to why he's there. Alex is sure that's Yassen's plan in the first place and makes a pointed effort to ignore them.

He starts by mentally reciting every country and capital he can remember. Then he tries in alphabetical order, followed by doing the same in French, Spanish, Russian, German.

He can remember a surprising amount of song lyrics when he thinks about it, which just makes it all the more annoying when there's part of a single verse that he can't recall.

Alex spends a long time trying to remember the first lines to Total Eclipse of the Heart, and considering how many times Jack's played the damn thing -

Alex has just started on his third attempt at trying to remember all of Bohemian Rhapsody when the door opens and Yassen steps inside. Alex is on his feet seconds later, stiff and sore and furious.

Then he takes a closer look. There's something about Yassen's body language that has Alex instantly on edge. Something that reminds him of … he's not sure, but he knows it's nothing good. Gentle, almost.

“Orion,” Yassen greets, breaking the silence.

“Alex.” Probably not the best time to be stubborn, but Alex doesn't care.

There is something in Yassen's eyes – pride, pity, resigned determination – and he touches Alex's chin lightly. “Not anymore.”

Alex sneers. “What, you didn't have the heart to just shoot me, so you'll lock me up?”

“Something like that,” Yassen agrees.

----

Alex gets the point when he lets his anger get the better of him and hurls the jug at the door and calls Yassen every name in the book.

There is no food or water that evening, night, whatever time it is. The floor is still damp but dries fast in the dry, air-conditioned atmosphere. Alex goes to sleep thirsty and wakes up with a mouth that feels like sandpaper and saliva that acts like glue.

He doesn't work out that day, just does slow, careful stretches that won't make him sweat.

He's hungry, too, but the thirst is overwhelming. When the door finally opens sometimes in the 'evening' and Yassen appears with a new jug of water and a plate of nutrition bars, Alex doesn't move.

Yassen doesn't put it down but arches an eyebrow in a silent question, and Alex knows without being told that if he gets it wrong, Yassen will leave again.

A healthy adult can go for a week or more without water. Alex isn't an adult but he knows Yassen will have a good idea of what he can handle, and two days without water probably won't kill him.

Yassen's words to him before his first meeting with the executive board comes back to him, unwanted.

Be respectful, obey, never argue.

Yassen doesn't care that he's the one that locked up Alex. He doesn't care that Alex has every right to be angry and throw a fit. He doesn't care that Alex is a teenager and not exactly known for forethought and rational actions.

Thirst battles with pride. Yassen never moves. Finally the man seems to lose his patience. It's more a minute shift of muscles than anything else, but Alex can read it just fine.

Alex swallows. “- I'm sorry,” he says before he can stop himself, before Yassen can leave, and his words sound hoarse to himself. They make his throat hurt, too.

Yassen nods and holds out the water, and Alex accepts it very, very carefully. He forces himself to drink slowly – there's plenty, but he doesn't want to waste it – and when he puts it down, the plate is on the floor, and Yassen is gone again.

--------

The nutrition bars are vanilla flavoured; the cheap sort that's made of chemicals in a lab somewhere and added to everything from discount candy to the sort of milkshakes that come in plastic jugs.

By day five. Alex is ready to throw up from just the smell of chemical vanilla. It takes longer to eat those bars every day. The only reason he manages is because of hunger and the fact that if he doesn't, the smell will stick.

He dumps them in the chemical toilet in a fit of anger on day six. He gets no food on day seven. None on day eight. By the time day nine rolls around and he finally gets food again, that vanilla smell is the best thing ever.

Alex gets the lesson loud and clear.

Be respectful.

------

Yassen greets him with 'Orion' every time but says little else. He answers if Alex asks, but only sometimes. If Alex gets angry, Yassen will leave. If he stays respectful, he will have company for at least a little while.

Yassen calls him Orion. Alex corrects him. It becomes a habit, though Alex's heart isn't really in it. He's tired and bored and lonely, and it's not like Yassen doesn't know about his objections.

On day eleven, Yassen appears with the usual food and drink, for a given definition of the term.

“Orion.”

Alex wonders why he bothers. For the first time, Alex can't be bothered to correct him, too tired to care.

“... Whatever.”

-------

The reading material that appears is Dr Three's most recent work, a two-thousand page monstrosity on torture.

Alex doesn't want to read it but the boredom has become a creature of its own, gnawing slowly at his sanity.

He opens the book.

It takes him three days to finish it. When he does, Yassen spends a long time testing him, question after question on what he's read, and Alex answers to the best of his ability. It's better than the silence.

There is fresh fruit with his dinner that night; apples, grapes, sweet oranges. Alex forces himself to eat slowly and savour it. He eats everything but the stems and peel – and honest, he even tried a bite of that. At least it's not vanilla.

He loses track of the days eventually. He's not sure how. He got to twenty-something and then … forgot. Lost count. Was it twenty-two or three? His mental calendar break down after that. It's not like that matters, either. He's not getting out any time soon. Maybe never, some deep, dark part of his mind acknowledges.

[fxxlsgcmbiit]

@sabhx

"On a scale from one to one hundred, how drunk are you, Lara?"

[albatross-tech]

So I'm bored. Let's list every Au of my main 5 bois.

This is more for myself then anyone else.

Edwin:

Swap: History and Personality swapped with Nicolas. See previous posts.

Swap2.0: History and Personality flip flopped to a line with Carter. He is a shy artist bean that likes to keep to his small group of friends. Was bullied for his large glasses. Is Raised/Taken in by his gay Uncle Vex and Vex's husband Abaddon.

Eloise: Edwin but girl.

Regal!Edwin: Instead of raised by his adoptive human father, he is raised royal grandparents. He is much more serious, proper and reserved. Speaks in an old English accent.

Human!: Edwin but human and in a human world.

Evil!: Edwin but really Evil. Probably Raised by Loki. Very sadistic and manipulative. Not very caring and gets a kick out of suffering. He works with Reapers and manipulates humans to do his bidding. Gets into a lot of trouble.

Void!: Edwin but lonely and trapped in the void.

Nicolas:

Swap: History and personality swapped with Edwin. See a previous post.

Swap2.0: History and personality swapped with Takashi. His parents are alive but divorced. He was raised by his Mother. Although expected to take on her place in the Outer Library...he loves fashion. He has extensive knowledge on trends and new fashion. He makes his own clothes on the side and probably runs a cute blog and instagram where he poses in adorable pastel outfits he made along with his adoptive sister, Annabell.

Nicole: Nicolas but best girl.

Family!: Nicolas but his family is well and alive. He isn't a hunter but he wants to explore the universe to learn what's out there. Often this universe overlaps with the Regal!Edwin universe. He is a lot more calm and optimistic.

Evil!: Nicolas but he is a raging serial killer.

Human: Human Nicolas. Not a hunter and not a teacher. He is a genius but not that level of Genius.

Outer: Nicolas but raised with by Aunt in the Outer Library. Still doesn't like humans but he doesn't have as much murderous intent. Very adept in magic and is being trained to take his place among the council.

Takashi:

Swap: History and personality swapped with Carter. A burly and calm Oni that likes to draw manga. He has made a couple books. Born in Japan, after an accident His parents were Killed in a Crash. He was taken to be raised with an Aunt and Uncle when he was practically a newborn. During Middle school they went to America where he Met Nicky (Swap!Nicolas) who became his first friend in the new country.

Swap2.0: Personality and History swapped with Nicolas. His family was slaughtered by priests in Japan. Takashi was taken by the schooling system and put into protection in America. He ends up being an assistant Nurse in the school district because of his power. At night he hunts monster hunters. He is very adept in his BioKinesis. Even going as far as Necromancy. He is a very large and foreboding individual. Most fear this oni on sheer sight alone.

Tanbio: Takashi but Girl.

Evil: Takashi but he acts like an actual Oni. Cursing town and setting pestilence on a city for the hell of it. He is very chaotic and does this for entertainment.

Human: Takashi but Human. He is tall and buff. Probably wrestler. He gets along well with girls for his confidence. And isn't afraid to show his more sensitive side.

Foriegn: Takashi but he has never been out of Japan. Put him in any other setting and bumbles around like a doofus. Tripping on words and customs.

Carter:

Swap: History and Personality Swapped with Takashi. He is still a Chonky boy. His family is from Germany. His parents are alive but divorced and on good terms. His mother let him room with Nicky while going to an American academy, for the experience. He keeps in touch with them though along with his Adoptive sister, Suzie. Suzie is always willing to be a model for him when he makes clothing. This Carter is a body positive boi and very up beat. He thinks people can look good no matter what their size is, so he has a blog and Instagram where he shows off his creations for plus sized people.

Swap2.0: History and Personality swapped with Syris because It's a challenge. This Carter is thin and Malnourished. He has Amnesia, He has forgotten how to talk. He was kidnapped and held captive by Hunter due to his family's association with Monsters and demons. They have been trying to get him to talk but this Carter has been hit in the head a couple of times. If saved, he will become clingy to his savior.

Cathy: Carter but Thicc Girl.

Cyborg: In the human verse, Carter gets to be the special one. He is a cyborg among humans. His parents are government scientists. After an accident they worked hard to save their son from death...making him a Cyborg. His hides his Robotic parts with fake skin.

Hunter!: Carter in the Evil!Verse is a Hunter. He isn't friends with the others and could arguably be the only good one in the bunch. Was actually trained by a Reaper, Loki, to help control the evil population of monsters. He isn't overweight in this one but is mostly small but buff as hell. His parents were murdered by monsters. Kinda like a reverse Nicolas.

Monster!Carter: Carter is a monster among the others. Specifically he is a Fallen angel. He and his parents were kicked out of heaven for being a bit rebellious of the Rules. They were told they could come back if they help punish 200 criminals...but they're rebellious so they don't care. This Carter is still big but he had Black wings and a broken Halo on his head. He has some piercings as well. He becomes fast friends with demons because chubby little rebel in him. He is passive aggressive though.

Syris:

Swap2.0: History and Personality swaped with Edwin. This Syris is a lot more Social then Normal Syris. His parents only had him for cult reasons and wasn't treated well and only as a servant for his Eldritch father. Till his mother was chased out of town and the little monster was taken in by a Good!Loki. That Loki simply runs a line of burial services across the country. Caskets, Urns and other things. Anyway, this Syris likes to Wear Cyberpunk/Goth clothing in human form. He has his hair dyed brown with highlights of black. He loves to make techno remixes, music, synthwave and often Djs as Raves in his Teens. His best friend Edwin that he met in Middle school. They work on a lot of projects together. Syris often makes the music behind Edwin's Animations. Syris and Edwin often practiced Korean together in middle school. Nicolas in this universe is their other friend from France. He rooms with Syris in the Country side Villa they have. Syris has taken to helping Nicolas add to his style of clothing.

Sarah: Feminine Syris.

Human: Human Syris. Still a bit clingy by nature...he is in foster care and gets moved from home to home. So when he makes close friends he doesn't like leaving them.

Pure Evil: Syris is a borderline character in terms of Alignment. This one is pure Evil. He is very selfish and self absorbed. He runs a cult...based around himself where he brainwashes humans to worship him. He often has people sacrifice themselves to him...or their family for a favor.

Pure good: This Syris is a bean. He just wants to be loved. He isn't as pushy as normal Syris. He often tries his best to do good for others...even if people are afraid of his appearance. He is very protective of his friends and often goes into 'Papa bear's Mode.

Pet!: A mini version of Syris. He is a small chonky bean that likes being pet and held. He is about the height of a teddy bear. That is all.

Civil!: A civilized version of Syris without the problems that made Syris the way he is. He was raised like a normal kid. This Syris is not clingy. He enjoys attention but isn't going to actively go after someone. He is a gifted student in cosmic magic. He wants to work in NASA when he gets older. He enjoys cooking and writing. He particularly like to write fan fictions and horror novels. He can also be called School!Syris.

That's all for now. I'll probably put down more later. I mean I do have more... Like Animal and Mermaid versions but those are self explanatory.

[rexelectus]

● – || GET TO KNOW NOCTIS

𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙴𝚁 𝟶𝟷:   THE OUTSIDE.

𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄: Noctis Lucis Caelum or Noct/Noctis for short.     

𝐄𝐘𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐑: Crystal blue -- Signature Caelum blue.       

𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐄 / 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐑:  Organized chaos, Bangs leave his eyes in a slight shadow, causing them to pop beneath darkened locks. Cut in such a way that it creates a nice little nest-like formation in the back, but not tangled by any means. The colour is charcoal grey -- signature Caelum grey,       

𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓: 5′7.       

𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐄: Usually, it’s what Ignis has picked out. It tends to be a cropped pair of pants, a short-sleeved fit and flare jacket, a t-shirt, and matching lace-up boots. All other articles of clothing that don’t look ‘princely’ or ‘put together’ come from Prompto or Gladio. Usually, it’s Ignis who prepares his clothes with his own say in little things like the colours and the style.  Example: His fishing outfit. His shirt is an old one of Gladio’s {you can tell because it’s too big}, his fishing vest {though too big} is his own, the white t-shirt underneath is also his own, the hat is an old one of Gladio’s, the skinny jeans and sneakers are his own.   

𝐁𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐏𝐇𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄: He has his father’s eyes. He has the Caelum blue eyes.

𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙴𝚁 𝟶𝟸:   THE INSIDE.

𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒: Losing what little family he has left, getting ambushed like he was when he was a child, letting down those who look up to him. Genuinely, Noctis has a lot of fears that revolve around those three key ones. He has nightmares revolving around them constantly.      

𝐆𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐓𝐘 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐄: Milkshakes and other sweets he gets for being ahead on his studies or his lessons even though he can’t have dairy.      

𝐁𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐏𝐄𝐓 𝐏𝐄𝐄𝐕𝐄:  Noctis HATES being underestimated. He’s small, not just in height but in body structure due to injuries he has from his childhood, and people underestimate him for it a lot. He hates it with a passion. He is not a fan of being talked over or dismissed without his case being seen. Being woken up from his naps {because he doesn’t sleep usually and the naps are all he has}. People taking things away from him -- freedoms, choices, etc. Things are constantly taken from him without reason and it always feels like his box is getting smaller and smaller.      

𝐀𝐌𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐔𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄: To follow in his father’s footsteps as the next King in line. While it isn’t the life he would have chosen for himself, he understands that it is his duty and that he must step up and be King when his time comes.

𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙴𝚁 𝟶𝟹:   THOUGHTS.

𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐖𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐔𝐏: I can’t wait to eat what breakfast Iggy has made.   

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓: ‘Walk tall, my son. ‘ Noctis is always thinking about this quote and trying to apply it to his life however he can. It is something Regis says often and it’s been drilled into him since he was little. He will pass it on to his own son, when that time comes.  

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐃: If I close my eyes, will I see what haunts me or will I finally be able to sleep? I guess we’ll find out.  -- Noctis suffers from nightmares as well as his crippling headaches.   

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐁𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐈𝐒: His ability to lead with his heart and follow it in order to do what he thinks is right. 

𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙴𝚁 𝟶𝟺:    WHAT’S BETTER ?

𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐑 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐏 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒: Single. He prefers alone time with someone he cares about. However, because he has to bring Gladio and Ignis everywhere -- and sometimes Prompto for protection -- though they promise to stay out of sight and out of the way, it still becomes a ‘group’ date.      

𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃: Both. A good King is loved and respected.     

𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐑 𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.   However, Noctis always believes in brains over beauty. Beauty can be a facade that leads to something dangerous. He’s been raised to tread with caution.   

𝐃𝐎𝐆𝐒 𝐎𝐑 𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐒:  Cats.

𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙴𝚁 𝟶𝟻:   DO THEY  …

𝐋𝐈𝐄: He’s a garbage liar. Anyone who knows him well enough knows this.  Who is he the worst liar to? Ignis and Gladio, but mainly Ignis. Because of their bond and their relationship, Noctis can’t lie to Ignis. It never works out, it always backfires, and it never ends well.   As a whole, Noctis can’t lie period but especially not to the guys.   

𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐕𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐕𝐄𝐒:  50/50. He believes in himself in some things and not in others, but that’s where Gladio and Ignis come in to help him through his weaker areas. He will rise up to any challenge, even if it is bigger than he is prepared for.       

𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐕𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄: Noctis does believe in love .Both platonic and romantic.       

𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐄: He does want someone. In his main verse that’s always Luna. She was his first friend, and the first person who really understood him as a person. He will always long for her company, even if it’s just a letter from time to time. 

𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙴𝚁 𝟶𝟼:    HAVE THEY EVER  …

𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐄: Most likely yes. He’s a Prince. He’s gone to many special events.      

𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐃𝐑𝐔𝐆𝐒: Never. Ignis would kill him.  Also, he’s royalty. Should it get out that the Prince does drugs it would be a scandal.     

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐅𝐈𝐓 𝐈𝐍:  Only slightly. Talking to Luna helped him open up a little. While he still keeps to himself a lot, having her friendship helped him see that it’s okay to make friends with people. It was shortly after this realization he met Prompto. 

𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙴𝚁 𝟶𝟽:   FAVOURITES.

𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐑:  Midnight blue, black, sky blue, white.  Colours that remind him of peaceful moments in his life. The color of the sky decorated in stars when the night is still. Black, the colour of the ring his father wears proudly that later will dawn himself. Sky blue, the colour of Luna’s eyes and the colour of the sky above his favourite fishing spots. White, the only colour he had ever seen Luna wear during their visits together.     

𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐋: Noctis loves fish. All sorts of fish. Why? Because it ties to him and his father going fishing when he was younger but also, Noctis has always admired how free they are. Even when he was younger, he understood that the oceans were vast and it meant that the fish could go anywhere they wanted without limits.      

𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊: Noctis absolutely loves comics. However, he is also raised by Ignis, meaning he has read some really good literature. All in all, Noctis just likes to read anything that allows his imagination to be carried away from the walls of Insomnia.       

𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄: Chess is a big one for Noctis. He loves games that involve strategy and puzzles. He also loves King’s Knight -- it’s the game the guys all play together during their kick back nights.

𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙴𝚁 𝟶𝟾:   AGE.

𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄:  August 30th.      

𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐁𝐄: Verse dependent, usually 21. 

𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙴𝚁 𝟶𝟿:    FINISH THE SENTENCE .

𝐈 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄: My mom, dad, Luna, guys. . .    

𝐈 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋: The weight of the world. I wear it like a cape as I sit on the velvet-lined throne of Kings before me. We wear it proudly as we walk tall and rule stoically.     

𝐈 𝐇𝐈𝐃𝐄: My pain, my trauma, my fears . . . my scars still hurt as I walk through the hallowed halls of the Citadel.      

𝐈 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒: My family being whole, my time with Luna back when we were children, and when peace was a word spoken with hope and promise.      

𝐈 𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐇: For my freedom and to rule in a way that would make my father proud of me. . .

𝑻𝑨𝑮𝑮𝑬𝑫 𝑩𝒀: @hamadaxfighter​ {I stole it from you} but I was tagged by @scourgeborne​ {THANK YOU MY LOVE!}

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐆 :  @novuscaelum​, @beguilingfury {Kai}, @sharp-shot, @soughtsky, @infideliis, && YOU! STEAL IT FROM ME! <3

[kusunogatari]

[ Happy Holidays ] [ @uchiha-madara ​] [ Uchiha Madara, Suigin Ryū ] [ Verse: Make Ends Meet ] [ Alcohol ]

“So...any plans for the holidays?”

Shrugging out of her coat before taking her seat, Ryū pauses to give her companion a glance. Holiday plans…? “Well...no, nothing specific. Honestly I was just planning on staying home and...doing whatever it is I usually do.” Not exactly a practitioner of any main Winter holidays, Ryū herself doesn’t have much reason to celebrate. Add in that there’s no family to share it with, and friends are a scarce commodity, and she just...didn’t think to make any plans. “Why?”

“Just wondered if there was anything you’d like to do.” Already seated opposite her, Madara’s posture is lax as he watches her do the same. “I have a party or two I’m expected to attend, and I’m sure Izuna will want to do something...but otherwise I’m rather open for once. Which of course means I must first offer opportunities to you,” he finishes, giving her a hint of a smirk.

Her eyes give a subtle roll. “Well I wouldn’t be opposed,” is her reply, tucking a napkin over her lap politely. “Did you have anything in mind, or…?”

“Hm, not particularly. I’m not one much for holiday frivolities. That’s more Izuna’s speed, most of the time. But given I have additional company this year, I believed it would be polite to ask.”

“I might have to start calling you the Grinch,” Ryū gently teases, a smile curling her lips.

“I asked, didn’t I?”

“Yes, yes you did.” Her head tilts, thinking. In truth she has a little trouble thinking up what might be suitable. She’s always been a bit of a shut-in...what do people like to do this time of year? “I’ll...think it over. See if I can come up with something.”

“Very well. I’ll text you the days I’ve got something else scheduled. Though I suppose you could always come with me, if you’d like.”

Greys widen slightly in surprise. “Oh?”

“Why not?”

“Well, I...I don’t know.” She’s still getting used to this whole...arrangement, after all. It’s been a few weeks, and while she’s gotten acquainted and accustomed to Madara’s presence, him wanting to be seen much in her company still takes her by surprise. Part of her still sees his position as far above her own. Being invited to stand at that level - even if only temporarily - is just a little unexpected yet. “Would it be okay…?”

“I think I’m hardly disqualified from bringing a date,” Madara replies, taking a sip of his water as they await a server. “And there’s scarcely anyone else I’ve any mind to bring.”

That brings a sheepish tinge of pink to her cheeks. “Well...all right then.”

“Perfect. We’ll have to find you something to wear.”

“But -?!”

“Is that not part of our agreement?” Mouth hidden behind his glass, she can nonetheless tell he’s smirking at her. “Monetary exchanges can also be purchased items of equal or greater value.”

The color in her face darkens. He’s...not wrong. But him bringing up the finer details of their arrangement always makes her feel...awkward. She agreed to it. Understands it. And yet…

“I guess there’s little use in trying to tell you no,” is her mumbled concession, glancing aside as he chuckles.

“Then it’s settled. We can scope out a shop or two after we eat, hm?”

Her subtle reply is a nod.

As has quickly become a tradition, the pair of them are out for what Madara affectionately calls a ‘date’. Given their arrangement, Ryū can’t help but feel like the title is a little...misused. While there’s certainly a well-established mutual attraction between them, the contract they signed after those first meetings seems to nag at her like a collar around the neck. A weight that reminds her that - at least to some degree - this isn’t as genuine as it could be without that tricky little document.

...and yet, she finds it hard to complain. She enjoyed her job well enough, but freedom from it isn’t exactly something to sneeze at, either. Rather than a club of patrons, she only has one party she’s responsible for now: Madara. Her bills are paid, her worries all but dashed. And so far, there haven’t been any snags. Beyond her own self-consciousness, it’s actually been...rather nice.

So, she tries to put that thought aside, for now. Instead, between snippets of conversation, she attempts to plan out something for the pair of them to do.

“I think maybe, for your new gown, we should look for something red.”

Ryū’s eyes can’t help but widen slightly as they stroll along a sidewalk after lunch, arm in arm toward a shop Madara knows. “Red? Why?”

“It’s a holiday color, and I’d much prefer it over green,” he replies blithely. “We could do white, but you seem to dress it in so often already. A change of pace might be good for you, hm?”

“It just seems a little, uh…”

A brow perks, waiting for an explanation.

“...bold,” she decides to offer, looking sheepish.

“I’ll have my date be nothing but,” is his retort, given with a smirk. “How am I to attend a party unless you’re the centerpiece of every room we walk in?”

“But -?!”

“You’re too modest,” Madara cuts in, not allowing her to argue. “You deserve to be fawned over, admired. Besides, I’ll not refuse the boost to my own ego.”

Ryū threatens to pout.

“I’m jesting. At least, in part.” Reaching the proper door, he holds it open for her, following her in as warm air meets their faces. “Now...let’s get you outfitted.”

She lets him take the lead, unable to help balking a bit at the grandeur. Before meeting him, she’d never even bother stepping into a shop like this. But anymore, it’s becoming her new normal. Yet she finds herself unable to fully adjust, even now.

Browsing with a critical eye, Madara eventually finds two gowns to loop over his arm, heading toward the fitting rooms for her to try them. “Whichever you prefer. The rest, I think, aren’t quite suitable for what we’re aiming for.”

Unable to argue, Ryū accepts them and heads into the changing stall. Well...here goes nothing.

The first is a knee length, form-fitting gown with a split up one side to her hip. A rather daring neckline plunges down and makes her blush. She’d...rather it be a little more prudish if she can help it. Still, she emerges to get Madara’s opinion.

“Hm...I like it.” Eyes move up and down her form openly, earning a bit more color in her face. “But let’s see the other.”

His second pick is, admittedly, more her style. This one sweeps the floor, the skirt long and flowing as she moves. A white sash ties in the waist. And as it’s strapless, it hugs above her bust, leaving far less to the imagination than the first one.

Immediately, she can tell he agrees. His gaze alights as she steps out. “There...perfect. What do you think?”

“It’s more my speed,” is her smile-tinged reply.

“Then it’s yours. Let’s get it all paid for, and I’ll let you go for the evening. I’ll find the invitation at home and text you the details. Otherwise, you need to think of our own little escapade, hm?”

“Mhm!” She’s been mulling it over while modeling, and a few ideas are starting to come to mind. Whether or not they’ll work is another question, but...they’ll have to start somewhere.

Madara sees her brought home, Ryū hanging the gown along her bedroom door, visible through its clear bag.

...it is really pretty, but...she’s never worn anything so...so bright in her life. Madara’s right: she’ll certainly draw eyes in it. She might not be certain that’s a good thing, but...no turning back now. So instead, she settles atop her bed to do some reconnaissance for her ideas on her phone, scribbling notes in a little notebook she keeps by her bed. A while later she gets Madara’s text.

So the party is Christmas Eve, Thursday. Six o’clock. Agreeable?

She looses a small snort and replies, Not sure I have much choice at this point, do I?

I’d like to at least give you the illusion. May I pick you up at five-thirty?

Sure! I’ll be ready to go by then.

Have you planned out our own day?

Maybe~ Any preferred date, or…?

Anything but Christmas or its eve. Izuna lays claim to one, and the party the other. Otherwise I’m at your disposal: simply say the word.

A smile curls her lips. How about the Saturday after?

Perfect. And what is on our agenda?

Ryū adjusts her position atop her bed. Well...I thought we could try some ice skating in the morning. I’ve never been, but I want to learn! Then maybe retreat to your place for cheesy holiday movies and cocoa…?

It’s dripping with clichés, but I can agree to that. I can sit through bad movies for your sake.

Then it’s settled!

Brilliant.

With that arranged and an excited smile on her face, Ryū powers down her mobile and continues about her evening before calling a night, and crawling cozily into bed.

The week that follows crawls by at a snail’s pace. Both looking forward to and yet dreading the coming days (if only because she’s nervous), Ryū finds herself checking clocks often. At times they barely seem to move, and at others she feels she’s been flung into the future. The duality leaves her feeling on edge for most of the days preceding.

And then, it’s Thursday.

Unsure how much time she’ll need, Ryū starts getting ready...far earlier than she really needs to. A shower sees her all tidied up, drying and carefully styling her hair. The mess of waves is usually just that: a mess. But some product and attention sees them turned to ribbons of ringlets down her back, bangs carefully coiffed over her brow. Then on slips the dress, and a few tiny highlights of makeup. A hint of blush is, at first, all she wants to bother with. But after a very heated internal debate, she opens a tube of lipstick she’s never dared to touch: bright cherry red.

At first, the sight of it makes her balk. It’s so...loud! But then her eyes adjust. And she...takes out a barely-used eyeshadow pallet. Dusts a little red along her eyelids. Dares to add a little dark eyeliner.

In the end, she has a bit of trouble recognizing herself, but...it actually looks...good?

Huh.

And then she...has an hour to kill. Well, better to be ready early than scrambling as he knocks on the door. Ryū takes to lounging in her sitting space, absently browsing her phone: the best way to kill time. Forty-five minutes later, she gets a warning text: he’s almost there.

Her heart crawls up her throat, threatening to break out through her teeth when he later knocks.

No backing out, now.

A few moments to steel her nerves, she then pulls open the door.

Madara looks...well, perfect as always. A midnight black suit is perfectly tailored, the vest beneath and the tie over his chest both a deep crimson. The petals of a red rose peek out of a button hole, and he looks back from fiddling with it to her.

Her gut clenches.

...and to her surprise, he freezes.

“...is it that bad?” she jokes, flashing a nervous smile.

A moment longer, and then he seems to reboot. WIth a blink, he replies, “I’ve half a mind to demand you replace your entire wardrobe with red.”

To match, her cheeks flare with color.

“You look stunning,” Madara then adds, regaining his composure fully and offering a hand, which she takes. “But enough of my ogling: we’d best be off.”

Apartment locked, Ryū finds herself whisked to the car, a short ride across town finding them at a rather lavish home along one of the city’s hills. Modern and sleek, it seems to tower over her, as if knowing she doesn’t belong.

“We won’t have to stay long,” Madara then offers, breaking her thoughts. “Just make an appearance, say we were here, rub a few elbows.”

“...but -?”

“As much as I like free food and liquor, I’d rather not eat up my entire evening.” He doesn’t look at her, but she wonders if he knows she’s a bit...overwhelmed.

“...all right.”

There’s a bit of a wait to get in, other guests lined up at the door and talking in murmurs. Ryū, for the most part, just focuses on not looking as nervous as she feels. A few passersby do give her rather obvious looks, and she can’t really stop the heat that builds in her cheeks every time.

“Told you you’d be a centerpiece,” Madara teases, chuckling at her flustered mumbling.

Inside is only more crowded, food and wine everywhere. The home, like something out of a magazine, is decorated perfectly with white lights, tinsel, ornaments, and other trappings. A two-story tree stands in the middle of the open space of the house’s belly, gleaming with decorations.

Ryū doesn’t even have any lights up in her apartment…

“A bit gaudy, isn’t it?”

“I think it’s beautiful,” is her quiet reply, looking it all over.

“All for show. Which I suppose isn’t a bad thing, just..frivolous.”

“Most beauty is.”

“Mm...not all.”

That earns him a hint of a look, laughing softly as he tows her around by the arm. A few people stop to talk, Ryū mostly listening. Seems Madara knows his share of the guests, but Ryū doesn’t recognize anyone. Not that she expected to.

“Love your dress,” one woman randomly compliments, catching her off-guard.

“O-oh...thank you! It -”

“Suits her perfectly,” Madara cuts in. “I think red really is her color.”

Trying not to balk at the attention, Ryū just lets the subject lie. There’s little winning that war, anyway.

Two hours later, feet starting to get sore and her social meter just about run dry, Ryū says a silent prayer of thanks when Madara declares the outing over. A glass or two of champagne has her a little warm, and all in all she just wants to get home and off her feet.

“Thank you for your patience,” he offers as they reenter the car.

“No, it was fun! A little...out of my usual league, but I liked it.”

“Careful, I might invite you to more of them.”

“Just remind me to wear flat shoes, next time.”

By the time they get back to her building, she’s nearly dozing. Only once Madara drops her off at her door does she dare to kick off her heels, wincing a bit as she stands flat.

“Oof…”

Her fridge provides leftover Chinese food, her form flopping unceremoniously atop her couch. A buzz of her mobile then shows a text from Madara.

Thank you again for accompanying me.

Ryū can’t help a tired smile. Thank YOU for taking me. See you Saturday <3

The next morning, Ryū feels oddly...empty.

She’s never really celebrated Christmas. The few foster homes she’d been in had done so, but...it had felt rather disconnected. They hadn’t been true family, so a holiday so based in your loved ones and giving never felt quite right. It’s never really bothered her before.

And yet…

Her thoughts are broken by a knock at the door. She blinks. She’s...not expecting anyone. Or anything. What is…?

A peek through her door shows a delivery man. And in his arms is the most ridiculous bundle of red roses she’s ever seen in her life.

“Wha-?!”

“A delivery for you, ma’am!”

Speechless, Ryū just...stands aside, letting him in to set the arrangement on her little kitchen table. “...uh…?”

“There’s a card attached for you,” is the only additional explanation she gets before being left to her devices.

...this has Madara written all over it. And a peek at the card confirms as much.

Red really is your color. Consider this a final thank you, and a gift for the holiday. -Madara

...but she hasn’t gotten him anything!

The flowers are so numerous, they practically dwarf her table. Well...so much for sitting here for the next...while. But her real conundrum is what on earth she’s going to do to repay him! There really isn’t time to get him anything...and in all honesty the short notice leaves her unsure what to get him, anyway.

...maybe…

Unsure what else to do, Ryū instead busies herself in the kitchen. Flowers won’t last forever, so...she’ll gift him something in a similar vein: food!

A few hours later, she has several different batches of cookies made, the variety all bundled up into a basket she has on hand. Doing it all up in a bow, there’s a curt nod of satisfaction.

Perfect!

To her phone she then goes to text Madara a thank you (now...several hours later) only to see an email that makes her heart sink.

...well, drat.

Hey! You know you didn’t have to get me flowers, but...they’re beautiful, thank you. Hope you know that means payback, though :P But I have bad news: the skating rink is closed tomorrow. Something about frozen pipes. Ironic, huh? Should we just have the movie day instead, then?

She pouts at her phone. There are probably other rinks, but...it seems a bit short notice to change things now. And maybe she just wants a quiet day, all things considered.

Flowers are always appropriate. As for tomorrow, I’m perfectly fine with keeping things simple. Shall we adjust the time a bit later in the day?

Sure, sounds perfect. See you then!

Well...time to munch extra cookies and whittle away the evening.

Noon the next day, Ryū stands on Madara’s doorstep, kicking some snow from her boots and knocking, basket on her arm.

When it opens, he looks first to her face, and then to the cookies. “...are you trying to make me fat?”

“Maybe,” is her teasing reply, stepping in and removing her shoes. “How was your Christmas?”

“Perfectly adequate. Izuna was here, along with a good bottle of wine. He’ll be upset to know he missed the cookies.”

“You could always save him some.”

“I could,” he admits, taking the basket toward the kitchen. “But I won’t.”

“So cruel!”

“It’s what elder brothers are for.” Instead, he goes so far as to snap a pic and tease Izuna via text. “...oh yes, he’s fuming.”

Ryū just laughs.

“Go pick us a movie, and I’ll get on that cocoa. I’m sure Netflix is full of cheesy holiday films.”

“Roger that.” Browsing the selection, she grins at a certain find. Oh yes, this is perfect.

“Make a decision?” Madara asks a few minutes later, ferrying a tray complete with cocoa, some of the cookies, and popcorn.

“I think so.” She cozies herself up beside him once he sits, the movie beginning to play. But it’s not anything live-action. Oh no...this is How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

“...you did this on purpose,” he accuses.

Her only reply is a grin.

And so, they sit and watch as the Grinch bemoans the holiday before hatching his plan, elaborating stealing it away only to find regret, and restore all he stole.

“I don’t remember this being so short,” Ryū pouts as it finishes.

“Hm, nor do I.”

“Ooh, that one next!” She points at the screen, where Rudolph is recommended.

“Are you going to plague me all day with children’s movies?”

“Aww, but they’re classics!”

Exaggeratedly rolling his eyes, Madara nevertheless queues up the next film.

The entire afternoon passes as thus, the pair of them getting through a handful of Christmas movies before he finally calls it quits.

“Shall we do dinner?”

“You’re hungry after all those cookies?” is Ryū’s disbelieving counter question.

“Who’s fault is that?”

“I didn’t make you eat them!”

“And yet you would be offended if I didn’t.”

To her chagrin, it seems he already had the meal plotted anyway despite not covering it in their plans. So Ryū sits to a crab dinner, giving Madara a look. “...you’re spoiling me.”

“As is my current primary want in life. Get used to it.”

By the meal's end, she’s thoroughly stuffed and content.

“So, how would you rate your day?” he asks from across the table.

She hums. “...nine.”

“...only nine?”

“We didn’t get to go ice skating.”

That earns a snort. “...maybe next time. For now, you’d best head home if you’re going to. Of course you’re free to stay if you’d like. Up to you.”

Ryū’s head gives a thoughtful tilt. In truth she doesn’t have any obligations tomorrow. “...I won’t be in the way?”

“Not at all. My schedule is wide open. We can do the cheesy thing and sleep late, have breakfast...whatever seems agreeable to you.”

“You know, you can make some of the decisions sometimes,” is her reply, smiling.

“I make plenty of decisions in my day to day. So I’ll leave at least some of them up to you.”

“...well all right then. I’ll stay.”

That gets him to smile. “Perfect. Now...how about some wine? And it looks like it’s beginning to snow, if you’d like to step out and watch some.”

Ryū perks up. “Sure!”

Pouring two glasses, Madara makes for a rear door that leads to a balcony. “...ah…”

“Forget something?”

“It seems I did.” Hands full with their drinks, he instead gives an indicative glance upward to a plant hanging above the door.

Mistletoe.

In spite of herself, Ryū flushes pink. “...you did that on purpose.”

“Was my acting not convincing?”

She doesn’t answer, lips pursing.

“Don’t want to break traditions now, do we?”

Despite her efforts to fight it, Ryū finds herself losing to the urge to smile, sighing in defeat. “...I guess not.” Stepping up a bit closer, there’s a flicker of her eyes from his, to his lips, and back before obliging, slow and smooth.

Only once they part does Madara add, “I suppose that means we’ll have to do it again when we come back in.”

“Very clever.”

“Thank you.” Handing her her glass, Madara toasts them before offering, “Happy holidays, Ryū.”

“...happy holidays, Madara. The best I’ve had in a long time.”

“Then I’ll have to try even harder next year.”

She just laughs, sipping her wine as the snow begins to flurry. “Y’know...I think today is a ten now.”

“The only score I’ll accept.”

     Well, almost a month after the actual g.iveaway, I’ve finally got all the gifts done :’D The other two are on the art sideblog, @sylveradrake​ if you want to see them! But this is the one written request I got, which was a drabble for Phoenix of our muses!      I’ll admit I’m a little rusty writing this verse, hahaha - so hopefully it still came out all right. Borrowed an idea from a friend to make this sort of a Wintery-themed piece, as is appropriate given the time of year here in the northern hemisphere lol. And torturing Madara with Christmas movies was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up x3      Anywho, I hope you enjoyed it Phoenix, and apologies for the wait. Here’s our dorks being holiday cuties, haha~

[beforehistime-a]

  🗞   STUDY  :   THOMAS BROOKS

🗞 BASICS.

IS YOUR MUSE TALL  /  SHORT  /  AVERAGE?  tom is 5′10 pretty tall i guess.

ARE THEY OKAY WITH THEIR HEIGHT?  isn’t something he really thinks about lmao. its kinda irrelevant to him.

WHAT’S THEIR HAIR LIKE?  uhhhh soft ? sakjdksadj idk how to answer this one really. he doesn’t do anything to it but wash it & comb it how he likes it.

DO THEY SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON THEIR HAIR  /  GROOMING? like i said above, its wash, dry, comb. he doesn’t really a need or want to spend hours on his apperance

DOES YOUR MUSE CARE ABOUT THEIR APPEARANCE  /  WHAT OTHERS THINK? thomas when dressing casual cannot put an outfit together to save his fucking life. nothing matches, or its just something ??? that no one would wear ??? hes pretty unique with his style in the sense it is just a mess daskdl;sakd. all in all he doesn’t care for anyones opinion there. hes not living to be a fashion icon well put together, hes just grabbing something clean and heading out. when he dresses for an occasion though , he doesn’t look too bad. its kinda hard to mess up a suit.

🗞  PREFERENCES.

INDOORS OR OUTDOORS?  indoors

RAIN OR SUNSHINE?  rain.

FOREST OR BEACH?  forest.

PRECIOUS METALS OR GEMS?  precious metals.

FLOWERS OR PERFUMES? flowers.

PERSONALITY OR APPEARANCE?  personality.

BEING ALONE OR BEING IN A CROWD?  being alone.

ORDER OR ANARCHY?  order.

PAINFUL TRUTHS OR WHITE LIES?  white lies.

SCIENCE OR MAGIC?  magic.

PEACE OR CONFLICT?  peace.

NIGHT OR DAY?  day.

DUSK OR DAWN?  dusk.

WARMTH OR COLD?  warm.

MANY ACQUAINTANCES OR A FEW CLOSE FRIENDS?  many acquaintances.

READING OR PLAYING A GAME?  reading.

🗞  QUESTIONNAIRE.  

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR MUSE’S BAD HABITS?  running head first into situations that he knows he can’t handle , but thinks if he lies to himself he will be fine : )  thomas has a massive hero complex , brought on by his asylum trauma. he has absolutely no concept of self preservation. he bites his pen lids, & sometimes his nails.  oh & the biggest one is the smoking, he hardly ever is seen without one at least a few inches from his person. ( lit or not )

HAS YOUR MUSE LOST ANYONE CLOSE TO THEM? HOW HAS IT AFFECTED THEM? thomas lost both his parents. his mother died in childbirth, his father abandoned him. he doesn’t remember them as he was only an infant so the loss doesn’t directly effect him, but he does often think about what his mother was like. his aunt filled in some blanks, but thomas likes to paint his own design in his mind of his mother. a more prominent loss would be brandon cox, his first love. however due to his brain washing in the asylum his hand threw him in, he doesn’t really remember him. hes a washed out memory thomas can’t place together. however on the surface that loss did effect him, as it set in the beginning of his real fear of being gay. all he knows it there was a boy? and tom was sick & thats all his brain will ever recall. 

WHAT ARE SOME FOND MEMORIES YOUR MUSE HAS? not many. a lot of his childhood was spent being punished by his aunt for not being a normal boy. there are a few memories thomas has that aren’t unhappy, but they aren’t exactly fond. his fondest memories are the early days when he was allowed to write in peace without fear of judgment. in his adult life thomas isn’t thinking about the meaning behind his day to day, just getting through & finding the next story.

in verses where his parents are still around, thomas grows up differently & is able to form some quite fond memories, like coming out to his dad, reading with his mother etc. but by default thomas doesn’t have many fond memories to share.

IS IT EASY FOR YOUR MUSE TO KILL?  alright so lets break this down. the short answer is no- thomas has hero complex & is very much wants to save people. hes not a peace keeper or pacifist, but he doesn’t go around thinking about murdering anyone. if it came down to it? if he was angry enough, & or had a reason , then he could probably do it okay. there would be a lot of guilt after though. in his main verse when thomas is under the influence of the hotel as the grey ghost, killing is very easy. but that is more a projection of the hotels rather than thomas himself.

WHAT’S IT LIKE WHEN YOUR MUSE BREAKS DOWN? there is a lot of crying & a need for solitude. thomas doesn’t like being vulnerable around people he doesn’t know,  but he won’t hide his pain either if he really can’t deal with it. his break down in medical school had him clutching his head on his knees in pain as his memories of his asylum years came back. if thomas is in a real bad place, a break down can include thoughts or attempts at self harm.

IS YOUR MUSE CAPABLE OF TRUSTING SOMEONE WITH THEIR LIFE? yes. that is the short answer. the long answer is, thomas needs to form a bond with you extensively before that happens. he is very wary of who he bares his entire soul too due to his past. it haunts him every day & he prefers to keep his secrets close. of course in verses where he is able to release his autobiography he is much more open about his secrets & past, & much more trusting.

WHAT’S YOUR MUSE LIKE WHEN THEY’RE IN LOVE? considering hes only ever had one person that is tough to answer from a history standpoint, but from a non backstory component, thomas is very much a hopeless romantic. he spends quite an extensive time writing about romance, all these beautiful feelings, but they often confuse him as soft feelings like that confuse him in general. as a grey romantic he needs a deep connection in order to come to the understanding of the feeling of love. he is scared to love, which coupled with how his heart is wired, is  recipe for your muse needing a lot of patience. yes thomas can speak some of the most beautiful poetry you have ever heard but matching these emotions to a boy is much more complex.

when he does fall in love though, its pretty magical. he is sweet sensitive, caring. a good listener. he wants his partner happy & feeling appreciated. being able to appreciate someone, in turn makes him feel a little more appreciated himself.  get thomas to love you boys, you won’t regret it.

TAGGED BY  :   @saetomi TAGGING  :   @noblecide @humilictedman @ironpen @galaxywove / vi ! @murderousbitch @starkbirthed @thefifthtm & you ! steal it.