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badchoicesposts · 4 years

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Loyalty Or Royalty

Chapter 6

Summary: Mia Bhatt spent years trying to escape her past, trying to escape the feeling of betrayal that was left in her heart after the fire, and she finally had. She was marrying the King of Cordonia and was finally going to get her happily ever after. But, after a momentary lapse in judgement caused her to send a wedding invitation to someone she was sure had forgotten about her, she realizes that sometimes the past has a way of crawling back to you.

Author’s Note: In this fic Anton and The Sons of Earth were caught before the wedding. Also this story will contain flashbacks that will be in italics.

Pairing: Liam x MC (Mia Bhatt), Platonic!Colt x MC, MC x The Mercy Park Crew, This also somehow turned into Past!Logan x MC (Mia Bhatt)

Word Count: 4,294

TRIGGER WARNING: BRIEF MENTION OF PARENTAL ABUSE

Taglist: @flowerpowell, @dcbbw, @texaskitten30, @kingliam2019, @hopefulmoonobject, @lovehugsandcandy, @los-cafeteros, @desireepow-1986 @lovemychoices

Catch Up: Masterlist

There were dozens of students milling around Mia, as she looked around the front of the school. She usually caught a ride home with Colt, but today was his seventeenth birthday, and he hadn’t shown up. She had just about given up on him still coming to get her, when the loud roar of an engine filled her ears and caused everyone around her to turn. A motorcycle pulled up right in front of her, and everyone began to mutter excitedly to themselves. Mia scoffed as the driver pulled off his helmet and gave her a smirk.

“So, you skipped school to get a motorcycle and a douchey leather jacket?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and popping her hip out.

“Do you want a ride home or not?” he asked, motioning for her to get on.

Mia looked over the vehicle nervously for a moment before getting on behind him. She took the helmet he was holding out to her and slipped it on, wrapping her arms around his torso tightly.

“Colt, I swear to god, if I die on this thing,” she began to say, but was cut off by the loud roar of the engine and the motorcycle taking off at full speed.

Mia clung to Colt tighter out of fear.

“This is terrifying!” she called, as he weaved his way through traffic.

“Just relax,” Colt called back.

Mia did her best to follow his instructions, and she was smiling happily by the time they had pulled up to the garage. Once she had let herself relax, she was surprised at how freeing being on the bike truly felt.

“Okay, that was amazing!” she said, climbing off of the bike.

“It’s almost funny how easy it was to get you to change your mind about it,” he teased, climbing off if it as well. “It was a birthday present from Pop.”

“It’s almost funny how the only time the two of you ever get along is when he’s buying you things,” she shot back causing him to roll his eyes.

“Do you want to drive it?” Colt asked, a mischievous look in his eyes.

“Oh, no. It’s one thing riding on the back of it, but there’s no way I’m driving that thing,” she said, backing away from him.

“Come on. Don’t be such a baby,” he said with a smirk. “You know you want to.”

“I’m not even old enough to drive.”

“You’re fifteen. That’s old enough to have a learner’s permit,” he said, pulling her back and motioning for her to get on.

Mia fought back a smile and ran back to the bike, getting back on it as Colt settled behind her and began explaining what to do.

~~~

Mia placed another stack of pancakes onto the kitchen counter and Colt, Logan, Drake, Mona, and Maxwell all attacked the plate as Liam stumbled into the kitchen.

“You’re up early,” he mumbled in her ear, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back to her chest.

“Couldn’t sleep so I figured I should get started on breakfast,” she said, flipping over another pancake as he pressed a gentle kiss to the side of her neck. “Careful, Your Majesty, we have company.”

Mia let out a soft sigh as he moved his lips to the spot right beneath her ear. She dropped her spatula and turned in his arms, pushing herself onto her toes and pulling him into a heated kiss.

“We’re trying to eat here!” Drake groaned out dramatically, causing Mia to giggle against Liam’s lips.

“How about you say thank you for breakfast and let me kiss my husband in peace?” she shot back.

“Why don’t you and your husband get a room instead,” Colt asked.

“Technically, all of these rooms are ours,” she said, giving him a sarcastically sweet smile.

The sound of someone clearing their throat caused everyone to turn towards the kitchen doorway.

“You wanted to see me, Your Majesty,” he said.

“Morning, Bas. Pancakes?” she asked.

“No, thank you,” he said with a small smile as he entered the room.

“So, I need a favor,” she said, holding up the coffee pot to ask if he wanted any.

“Technically you are the queen. All you need to do is ask,” Bastien said as she handed him a mug of coffee.

“I love hearing that,” she joked, turning back to take the last of the pancakes off of the stove as Ellie, Olivia and Toby all began trickling into the kitchen and helping themselves to breakfast as well. “If I had an address, would you be able to find out what was there and potentially who owned it?”

Colt looked up from his plate, now listening intently to their conversation.

“Yes. It’ll be easier if it’s a local address, but it’s still possible if it’s from a different country. It may just take a bit longer,” he answered, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Good, give him the address,” she told Colt.

“Mellie,” he began, causing her to lift her hand to silence.

“Don’t fight me on this. It’s the safest way to approach it,” she said. “Give him the address. Now.”

“I think being queen is starting to go to your head,” Colt mumbled, as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled the envelope out.

“Oh, please. I’ve been bossing you around for years. You’re just now feeling obligated to actually listen because you’re riddled with guilt,” she said as he handed it to Bastien hesitantly.

“Is that all?” Bastien questioned.

“Actually, no. This is going to sound crazy, but is there any way you would be able to find out if someone was in Cordonia?” she asked.

“Who are you looking to find?” he asked.

“Teppei Kaneko.”

“Your father? I thought he was dead,” Bastien said.

“Wait, what? You knew? You knew that he was my father?” she asked incredulously.

“I didn’t know it was a secret,” Bastien said, his voice laced with confusion.

“Apparently it was only a secret to me. How did you know?”

“My background checks are very in depth,” Bastien said simply.

“Did everyone know he was my father except me?” she asked in annoyance.

“We didn’t know,” Logan said, motioning to himself and the rest of the crew. “But, I always had a suspicion. He was way too nice to you. Do you know he threatened me to stay away from you?”

“He did not do that,” she said, looking at him in amusement.

“A few months after I moved into the loft with you, I think he realized that we were getting close, and he said that if I ever even thought about touching you he would cut my fingers off and feed them to me one by one,” he said, a look of horror momentarily crossing his face.

“Oh, was that before or after you had already taken my virginity?” she asked, raising her brows and shooting him a smirk.

“Actually, it was after that,” Logan said, a soft blush on his cheeks.

Colt groaned in disgust, and Mia felt Liam’s arm wrap protectively around her waist. She smiled up at him and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek.

“I can’t believe you gave it up to him of all people,” he said, his face twisted up uncomfortably.

“I don’t know. I’m pretty sure I could have done a lot worse. Like a lot worse,” she said, shooting Logan a playful wink before turning back to Bastien.

“Anyway, there’s a chance that he’s still alive, and we think the address might have something to do with it. But…” she trailed off when she realized what she had asked of him. “Even if he is alive and here, he wouldn’t use his real name, so you probably wouldn’t be able to find him that way.”

Liam wrapped his arm around her shoulder in a comforting manner, and she leaned into his side.

“If there’s any sign of him in Cordonia, I’ll find it,” Bastien reassured.

“Thank you,” she said. “Just out of curiosity, what else did you find out in my background check?”

Bastien gave her a knowing smile before continuing.

“That Kaneko was the suspected leader of the Mercy Park Crew, and you were brought in for questioning in regards to his whereabouts,” he said.

“Why didn’t any of that information get out?” she asked, curious that Constantine didn’t do anything with it.

“You were the perfect student, with a completely clean record otherwise. Even in the official police records there was nothing to indicate that you had done anything illegal. There was also nothing to confirm that Kaneko was the leader of The Crew, just a strong suspicion. After you had arrived in Cordonia I watched you for months, and I didn’t feel the need to alert anyone of your presence,” he said, obviously referring to Constantine. “It was fairly obvious that you were harmless.”

“Harmless? Try letting her punch you. You’ll see how harmless she is then,” Colt grumbled under his breath.

“Oh, get over it already!” she said rolling her eyes.

“You broke my nose!”

“It was one time! Besides, you told me to!”

“No! I told you to punch me,” he argued.

“Yeah and I punched you!” she called back.

“And broke my nose in the process!”

“How did the two of you never realize that you were siblings?” Drake asked, looking back and forth between them. “Literally all you do is argue.”

“All I’m saying is that you shouldn’t blame me for the fact that you have a weak nose,” Mia grumbled under her breath, taking a sip of coffee as she remembered something. “Guys, quick question. Who do you think would win in a fight, Colt or Liam?”

She smiled victoriously as a chorus of “Liam” broke out across the room.

“Oh, definitely Liam,” Logan was the last to speak, causing her to shoot Colt a pointed look.

“Oh, please. What do you know? Like you’ve ever won a fight in your life,” Colt shot back at him, causing the two of them to break out into an argument of their own.

Mia smiled to herself as she watched the two of them argue before allowing her eyes to wander over everyone else in the room, leisurely enjoying their breakfast. A small part of her began to hope that they would have a lot more mornings like this.

~~~

“Have you talked to Colt yet?” Mia asked from her spot on Annya’s bed as the woman continued packing the last of her bags.

They had all returned to the capital that afternoon, and Annya was preparing for her flight back home the next day.

“Briefly,” Annya said, pulling a look from Mia. “Okay, I haven’t.”

“You should. Don’t you want to yell at him, tell him how angry you are, how hurt you are? Maybe punch him?” Mia said, a small smile on her face.

“I think punching him is more your style,” the woman teased, taking a seat on the edge of the bed next to her. “I’m his mother. It was my job to protect him.”

“Colt makes it hard to take care of him.”

“I feel like I failed him,” Annya confessed.

“Talk to him, Annya,” she said, holding out her hand for the woman to take. “Let’s go find him.”

Annya took her hand, and Mia led her through the palace halls until they came to a stop in front of Colt and Ellie’s room door. She knocked softly on the door, and Ellie opened a few moments later, taking in the two of them in surprise.

“Hey, do you mind?” Mia asked, nodding her head towards the room to indicate that they wanted to be let in.

Colt looked up at them from where he had been laying on the bed and scrolling through something on his phone and immediately shot up. He looked back and forth between them nervously.

“What is this? An intervention?” Colt joked nervously.

Mia shook her head behind Annya’s back to indicate that it wasn’t time to joke, and he immediately wiped the smile off of his face. After a moment of awkward silence, Annya moved forward and wrapped her son in her arms. Colt seemed to stiffen for a moment, before he wrapped his arms around her as well. Mia and Ellie shared a look before taking a few quiet steps back and exiting the room.

“I need a drink,” Mia said, motioning for Ellie to follow her.

She led her to her and Liam’s newly shared quarters and told the woman to have a seat while she went over to grab a bottle of tequila and some of the leftover wedding cake. She handed Ellie the container of cake and opened the bottle of tequila, taking a swig of it before passing it to her and taking a bite of the cake.

“So, how did you and Colt end up back together?” Mia asked through a mouthful of frosting. “No offense, but I really didn’t think that you guys would last.”

“It’s okay. I don’t think anyone did,” Ellie said, taking a bite of cake as well. “For a while there even I thought that everything was going to fall apart.”

“What changed?”

“Nothing really changed in particular. I think Colt just got tired of running. After we said goodbye that day he found out about you being Kaneko’s daughter, I didn’t see him for two years. I went to Langston and everyday I wondered about him. Every once in a while I would get a text message from a burner phone with the abbreviation of the state that he was in, but it was never more than an indication that he was still okay,” Ellie said, trailing off at the look on Mia’s face. “I know it was more than you ever got.”

“Yeah, it was, but I get it. You were in love with him. A few texts were never going to be enough,” Mia said, letting out a soft sigh.

“Halfway through my junior year, he showed up at Langston. He was a mess. He obviously wasn’t eating or sleeping well, and he was jumpy, always looking over his shoulder. He couldn’t settle down, but I convinced him to stay with me for a few days to make sure that he was okay. Seeing him was like I could finally breathe again, but at the same time I was so worried for the condition he was in that it just seemed like a new problem that I didn’t know how to handle either.”

Mia took another swig of tequila. She had been so absorbed with how angry she was with him that she never even thought to question how he had been doing over the past few years.

“I don’t think he had ever properly gotten over Kaneko’s death, and he was so paranoid that something was going to go wrong and he would end up in jail or The Brotherhood would catch up with him and something even worse would happen. He needed a break. He needed to feel safe for a while and to stop having to move around.”

“He needed to feel like someone cared about him,” Mia filled in, shoving more cake into her mouth as Ellie nodded.

“After a few days, he calmed down a bit. But, he was still too scared to settle down in one place. I convinced him to stay with me until I went on spring break and then we could go on a ‘vacation’ together. That’s actually kind of how I convinced him to stay with me at Langston. On every one of my school breaks we would go on a ‘trip’, so he felt like he was still moving around, but at the end of the day he spent most of his time in one place. A few times, I would go back to school alone, and he would meet me up a few weeks later if he felt like he was there for too long, but he would always come back. I think after a while he realized that I had basically forced him into settling down, but by then we had gotten back into a good place in our relationship, and I think he just got so tired of running that he went with it.”

“But, then I graduated from Langston, and my dad and Colt were both there. All hell broke loose, and Colt and I were finally forced to come clean about everything that happened. Well, more like I came clean, and Colt sat in the corner sulking. I told him about everything, about the crew, about Jason and The Brotherhood. He believed me, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. It was one cop’s word against a whole group of detectives. He was still angry with me and angry with Colt, and he was not at all happy that we were together, but he agreed to let us know if he found out anything new about the case. By that point, it was pretty inactive since there was no activity from the MPC, but it was still open,” Ellie said.

“So, The Brotherhood are still out there?” she asked.

“As far as we know they are. Since they were cops it was easier for them to hide their activity from the actual law enforcement, and my dad said that as far as he knew there was never an open investigation on a gang called ‘The Brotherhood’ in the first place,” Ellie answered. Mia actively bit back a groan at hearing that. Of course, they would still be out there not facing any consequences even after all this time.

“So, you and Colt just settled down after that?” Mia questioned. By now they had finished the last of the cake and were passing the bottle of tequila back and forth.

“In a way. It was a little easier for him to relax knowing that my dad would have told us if there was anything new going on with the case, but at the same time he didn’t fully trust him, and I don’t blame him. I love my dad, but he’s always been angry about that part of my life and getting rid of Colt would have been almost symbolic in a sense. He would have been getting rid of my last connection to it all. But, I think my dad knew that I would never be able to get over it if he did anything to actually ruin my relationship with Colt.”

Mia stared at the wall as she took in everything Ellie had just told her.

“He took a job at a local garage. I could tell he was unhappy, but I didn’t know what to do to help him anymore. He still went to Indiana every few months to check the P.O. box. I think he was always happiest when he got one of your cards. Not being in touch with you really bothered him,” Ellie continued.

“Yeah, it bothered me too. But, the difference is that he could have gotten in contact with me whenever he wanted to. I didn’t know where he was, or if he was even okay,” Mia said bitterly.

After hearing everything that he had been through, she wanted to forgive him, but she couldn’t fully let it go. She had spent so much time being angry, and it hurt to know that he had somewhat settled down but still chose to keep her in the dark.

“I think he wanted to, but after so long he felt guilty about it.”

“About abandoning me?” she joked.

“Yeah, actually,” Ellie said seriously. “But, he knew that you were with his mom, so he figured that you were okay without him.”

“I wasn’t,” she mumbled.

The two sat in an awkward silence for a moment before Ellie resumed talking again.

“After a while, he quit his job at the garage. I think it just reminded him too much of the past. Not too long after that, he got your wedding invitation, and the envelope with the address in it. He was practically vibrating with excitement when he got them. He was sure Kaneko was still alive, and after doing a quick google search we caught up on everything you’ve been through since coming to Cordonia, and we decided to come for the wedding and to figure out what to do about the address. He almost chickened out last minute because he was too afraid to face you, but he decided to in the end anyway.”

“And now here we are,” Mia concluded. “Thank you for telling me all of that. Colt definitely wouldn’t have done it himself.”

“Do you… do you think you could ever forgive him?” Ellie asked hesitantly, obviously not wanting to upset her.

Mia bit her bottom lip as she tried to figure out some way to answer the question.

“I think a part of me already has, but there’s this other part, this much louder part, that’s still so angry with him for all of it. I’m angry with him for coming up with the plan to kill The Brotherhood in the first place and then for how he handled everything after it. A part of me isn’t okay with just forgetting about all of it, especially how he left. He couldn’t even be bothered to say goodbye,” she said, her voice cracking as she fought back tears again.

She cleared her throat loudly and forced the tears back as the two of them settled into another silence.

“Can I ask you something?” Ellie said, causing Mia to look at her curiously before nodding.

“I know this is going to sound really stupid and shallow after the conversation we just had, but why didn’t you like me back then?” she said, her voice laced with embarrassment. Mia let out a loud laugh.

“It’s not that I didn’t like you personally. Well, I didn’t start off not liking you personally. That kind of changed after we found out you were passing information along to Jason. But, I guess it started off because a part of me was just bitter about your reason for wanting to join the crew in the first place. Everyone else in the crew was doing it because they felt like they didn’t have any other option. After a while, we became a family in a kind of twisted way, but we got there because that’s just how the cards were dealt.”

“I understand that you were having trouble with your dad, and I get that it must have been hard to be okay with him being so overbearing, but I guess in my eyes it looked like you were in the mood for a teenage rebellion and that seemed stupid to me. For everyone in the crew, what they were doing was their livelihood, but you had a father who loved you more than anything, and who was willing to do anything for you. You were at the top of your class, and you had the opportunity to go to your dream school, and then do amazing things from there. It felt like you wanted to be a member of the crew just to stick it to your dad, but at the end of the day you had all of these privileges that you were just throwing away when I would have given anything for them. A parent that loved me, great friends, a chance to go to a good college, a stable life.”

“Then, when everything went wrong, it was easy to blame you for messing it all up. You had been selling the crew out to the cops, and then as messed up as this sounds, it felt like if you had just stayed out of it, they would have gotten rid of The Brotherhood and then Kaneko would still be alive, and everyone wouldn’t have had to leave. Everyone’s lives had been turned upside down, but you just went back to normal. You went to school and got everything that you wanted. I know now that that was a stupid way of thinking about it because if you hadn’t stopped them at the casino that night, then they would have killed The Brotherhood, and I don’t think any of us would have ever gotten over it. I also know now that it couldn’t have been easy for you either, and if it means anything I am sorry for judging you so harshly. I was angry and bitter, and you were easy to blame, but that doesn’t mean it was okay of me to do.”

“Thank you for apologizing, but you weren’t totally wrong. A lot of it really was a teenage rebellion, and that is stupid. After a while, I started caring about the crew, but I knew I was in over my head, and I stuck around anyway because I was fighting with my dad. I did end up going to my dream school, but by then I was too far in, and I didn’t get to enjoy it because I was always worried about everyone. I felt guilty,” she said.

“At the end of the day, I was pretty lucky. I struggled for a while, but I had Annya which is a lot more than some people have.”

“The rest of the crew wasn’t as lucky,” Ellie said, a look of guilt evident on her face.

“That’s something that you would have to talk about with them, but as far as I’m concerned, I’d be happy if we could just start over,” Mia said, giving her a hopeful smile.

“I’m okay with that,” Ellie responded.

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xaphrin · 5 years

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I’m Worried About You

Part Two

When was the last time you ate?

Raven looked down at the text message and let go of a long sigh that practically rattled her lungs, before shoving the phone back into her coat pocket. The last thing she needed was Dick being a nosy asshole, and she knew exactly what that question meant. It meant he was trying to find a way to “fix” her problems - to make everything alright. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to be alright, given the circumstances.

She didn’t know if she was capable of being alright.

She leaned back in her chair, tipping her head up to stare at the ceiling. Maybe this would be better if she didn’t feel anything at all. She was pretty sure not feeling was a thing she could still do. Taking a long sip of her coffee, Raven’s fingers feathered along the rough edges of her hair, now cropped to a pixie. It was an impulse decision, another one added to a long list of impulse decisions she had made in the last few months, which included (but not limited to) a tattoo, three piercings, dance lessons, art classes, and a kickboxing membership. Her list was getting out of control, and she needed to find a healthier outlet for her emotions, rather than just do whatever seemed like a good idea at the time.

“You can’t hide from me forever, you know.”

“I wasn’t hiding.” Sort of. She was more just hoping he wouldn’t find her.

Her shoulders sagged, and Raven looked up to see Dick falling into the seat across from her. Of course he would find her. She only went to maybe five places in the whole city. Raven wished her jaket had a hood so she could pull it up at glare at him like she used to. It would have been cathartic at least. Instead, she watched as he motioned the waitress over, ordering enough food to feed the whole restaurant. Raven pursed her lips, but chose not to fight with him. If he wanted to feed her, she wasn’t going to argue. When the waitress finally walked away, he cocked his head to the side and watched her.

“How was dance class?”

Raven lifted her eyebrows. “You’re not going to ask me about my hair?”

“Nope.” He popped the p and grinned at her. “It’s not my hair. Besides, I like it. It’s cute.”

Raven’s face fell. Well, that was almost insulting. She ran her fingers through her hair again and sighed, pushing the locks back and forth against her hand. She was still getting used to the sudden change. “Class was fine.” Shrugging, she met his stare. “I’m getting better. I can almost pirouette without landing on my ass.”

His smile turned soft, tugging to the side. “And art class?”

“Also fine.” Her eyes narrowed and she sat up, leaning over the table. “What is this about, Dick? It better not be an intervention. I’m fine.” She chewed on her lower lip, shifting. “I’m just trying to figure myself out… without… this.” She motioned to the length of her body and looked away. “I just… I need a little more time, I think.”

“I’m worried about you.” Dick rubbed the back of his neck before looking back at her, sheepish.

He looked cautious, as if he didn’t know how to have a conversation that absolutely needed to be had. Even Raven knew it was a long time coming, she had nothing to do but sit around at the tower and watch the world go by without her. New recruits were being brought in and getting trained, and she knew it was only a matter of time before Raven lost her space there. Of course she was going to love her space there, she was a burden to them now, and had been for the eight months. No money, no powers, no magic - Raven was nothing but a lonely college-aged girl who went to history class and did impulsive things like buy a moped and chop her hair off.

“I’m alright.” She shrugged and took another drink of coffee, hoping Dick didn’t see her shaking. “I made the Dean’s List. So… there’s something.”

“Raven.”

She looked back at him, and could feel the sadness create cracks in her face. He could see through her in an instant, and he knew that she wasn’t the girl he met all those years ago. Before she’d been strong and independent, and she’d been able to help carry the team. But now? Now she relied too heavily on her friends, didn’t know how to help out, didn’t even have powers to try and support them. She just… existed, and it was taking almost too much effort to come to terms with that.

“I… I’m not alright.” Saying it made it real, and Raven pitched forward, burying her head in her hands. “I don’t know what to do with myself. I go to class, I come home. I can’t… I can’t help. I hear the alarms go off, and I know that there’s nothing I can do. I am always sitting by the computer, watching the specs, trying to make sure that all of you are safe. I can’t even run support for you, not like Cy does anyway. I wait every night to hear you come home, and think… what happens if you don’t? What happens if I’m not there to help you or save you?”

“Rae…”

Raven shook her head before looking back up at him. “Dick, you’re all I have here.”

He sighed and reached across the table, settling his hand on hers. His thumb traced the delicate bones of her hand, sliding over her knuckles before he wrapped his fingers around her wrist. “I wish I knew what to say to at least make things a little better for you. I know this is hard, and I wish I could fix it.”

He had no idea how hard it was, and she took a shaking breath, trying to remember to calm her nerves. Emotions didn’t scare her anymore, but she was still trying to keep everything pinned down. Sometimes it was easier to feel nothing, even if she didn’t have to worry about blowing something up.

Finally, she lifted her head up to his, watching the shadows dart in and out of his electric-blue stare. He wanted to say something else, but felt it was better to hold back. Raven winced at that thought. Was it finally time? Was he going to tell her to pack her things and find a place somewhere else to go? She didn’t have anywhere else to go. This… this was all she knew. Azarath was gone, her mother dead, her father locked up for all eternity, and she… she had no powers of her own. Her friends were the only thing that felt like something real and solid in her life, if they went away…

Dick looked away, his expression tense and unreadable. “I think you need-”

“I can leave by tonight if you need my room.” Her voice didn’t sound like her own, and it was a strange sort of breathy whisper that rattled against her ears. She might have been jumping to conclusions, but it didn’t really matter. She knew the truth. “But… let me at least say goodbye to Gar and Star and Vic. They’re my friends and I love them.” She shifted and pulled her hand back from Dick’s, trying to wind her emotions tighter against her. She could get through this, it would be easy once she pulled the band-aid off. “I think I should have that much at least.”

Dick blinked and looked confused. “What are you talking about?”

“About me leaving.” Raven closed her eyes, taking a shaking breath to calm herself down. She could make new friends and find a new home. She had done it before, and she could do it again if she needed to. “I know that there are a bunch of new recruits, and there’s a lot you have to teach them, and you probably need all the space you can get, and I’m just-”

“Oh my god, will you shut up?” He ran a hand down his face and mumbled a half-hearted curse. “Raven, can you at least let me finish what I was going to say before you start spouting off that kind of nonsense?”

She snapped her mouth shut and felt heat curl up her neck. Honestly, how could she be so stupid and uncontrolled. Emotions were hard, and she was still getting used to having them run as wild as they were. Faux pas like this were going to keep happening if she didn’t get a damn grip on herself. Clearing her throat, she took a long drink of her coffee and looked away, muttering an apology. Just because she didn’t have her powers anymore, it didn’t mean she needed to act like some kind of whiny idiot.

“You’re always going to have a home with us - with me.” Dick sighed and stared at her, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Nothing is going to change that - ever. We’ll always be here to help you. I’ll always be here to help you, powers or no powers. It doesn’t matter. You’re my best friend, Raven. I care about you.”

Raven look a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Even when I’m acting like a complete wanker?”

He rolled his eyes, huffing out an annoyed sigh. “You need to stop talking to Constantine.”

She shrugged, unapologetic. “He’s still looking at options for me. I can’t stop talking to him until we have something to go off of.”

“I know. I guess it means I get to put up with you picking up his slang until I finally get to get rid of him.” Dick shook his head and leaned forward, his expression softer now. He rested his hand on hers again and looked into her eyes. “Before you lost it for a moment there, I wanted to tell you that I think there’s someone you should meet. I have a friend who… had a similar experience, and I think you two would get along great. And maybe she can help you work through some of… this. This post-puberty-discovering-emotions-for-the-first-time phase you’re in right now.”

Raven’s face fell and she glared at him. “Don’t be an asshole.”

Dick grinned at her, pitching forward. “Yeah? I’m the asshole who just bought you lunch.”

Before Raven could protest, the waitress came back and loaded their table down with so much food Raven thought the legs were going to give out. She watched as Dick’s smile widened and he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and looking rather smug with her. She tried to hold back a laugh, but it still escaped, and the tension in her shoulders released. For the first time in a while she felt… okay. And okay was as good as she could expect right now.

“Now, Missy. You don’t get to leave the table until you clean your plate.”

She glared. “Asshole.”

Dick just laughed and pushed a sandwich in front of her. “Call me all the names you want if it makes you feel better.” He paused and thought for a moment. “Call me a wanker if it makes you feel better. I’ll allow it just for tonight.”

Raven took a cautious bite of the sandwich in front of her, her heart feeling lighter and her appetite finally returning. “And what about tomorrow? What names can I call you tomorrow?”

“I don’t know. Are we on for lunch again tomorrow?”

Something in her heart turned over and she looked at him, lit up by the soft gray light outside and the warm light in the shop. His eyes were trained on her, his smile tilted to the side, his body relaxed and opening, and Raven felt like she was seeing Dick in a way that she had never seen him before. Like she was seeing someone new, and yet somehow familiar. Her stomach tightened and her breath caught in her throat. This was… this was a new feeling. She had felt it before, but it hadn’t felt like… like this. Like something stronger than friendship and different than family.

She kind of… liked it.

“I have class until two.” Raven shrugged and took another bite of her sandwich. “It’s history of the JLA. I can’t miss it.”

Dick laughed. “Okay. Late lunch then. There’s a ramen shop by campus. Let’s meet there at two thirty.”

Raven paused, looked into his eyes, and felt her head nod all on its own. “Okay. Two thirty.”

#robrae #robrae week 2019 #robin #raven #teen titans #i planned out a whole fic for the course of the week #but it's being published out of order #since that's how the days fall

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silviasutton1989 · 5 years

Text

The Guest Ch. 8 “Choices”

A/N: Hey Guys (did you miss me lol) just wanted to post this one really quick before I get back to my hectic life. You guys will get a few quick glimpses of Liam and MC’ s life in the past. Just a reminder Liam wasn’t “Liam” when they met (don’t want to confuse anyone)

Rating: Mature (Course language)

Word Count: 2000

Summary: Candace makes a hasty choice leaving Constantine enough room to make a few for his son

"He's looking at you, again." Samantha quirks up a smile handing Candace another empty salt shaker to fill.

Keeping her eyes focused on the task in front of her, "Maybe he's looking at you Samantha. You're the one gawking at him."

"Nope he's definitely looking at the back of your head like a puppy waiting to be noticed."

Without a thought Candace turns around. And it happened. Just like it had every single time before when their eyes meet, he smiles at her and she foolishly smiles right back.

"Damn it!" She quickly turns away.

"You know what Candace? I'm going to do you a favor. I'm going to set you two up."

"No. I don't even like him." rolling her eyes as she forces herself not to turn around again.

Samantha cocks her head knowingly. "Girl please you and Drake have been eye flirting with each other everyone here thinks so. There's actually a running bet on how long till you two to actually hook up.

"Let me guess. You went for 4 months.

"Ha Ha...actually 5, I'm giving you a little time. But that is not the point. The point is he likes you and from the few months I have known him he's pretty much a saint. I mean the dude can speak different languages. He's got that sexy ass accent not to mention that sexy ass ass--"

"Samantha!"

"I digress. He's also the nicest guy I have ever met. Holds out doors and feeds the homeless, he's kinda like some disguised prince." Samantha's eyes widen as she babbles on "Oh my Gawd! He's like Hakeem from Coming to America!" What if he's some undercover prince searching for his queen...in queens."

"Ha. I'm 1000 percent sure that the bust boy is no Prince of Zamunda, ok."

"Well even if he isn't, he has one thing going for him."

"What's that?"

"He makes you smile."

Candace reluctantly looks back at Drake again. This time she let the bashful smile last a little more than a minute before slowly turning back around.

"Hey Hakeem---I mean Drake!" Samantha calls him over.

Samantha!"

"Girl hush. You know what your problem is you can't make a choice to save your life! You did that with college doing it with this shitty job so just shut up and keep that cute smile on your face while I change your world."

Candace smiled as her mind traveled back to that day. She sat at the breakfast table next to Liam while he looked over paperwork for a meeting later on.

"Hey Liam do you remember Samantha?"

"Hmm... umm the girl from the diner?" Liam doesn't look up from his papers as he speaks, lately this was their only way to communicate.

"Yeah. I totally forgot about this but you know she had you figured out long time ago. She use to joke with me that you were some undercover prince searching for your queen. Just think if she hadn't set us up..."

"Jeeze what in the world were they thinking? A 25 percent bonus for the king's guards and not one dollar added to the scholarship programs!" He draws a large circle on his paper with an aggravated sigh.

"Did you hear a word I said?"

"Hmm... yeah Samantha had a crush on me. Honestly the girl had a crush on everyone."

"No that's not at all---"

"These budgets are totally screwed I have to go rework them before the meeting." He stands from the table "What do you have planned today?" half asking as he began to gather all the papers scattered about.

"Drake is going to teach me horseback riding remember?" A slight smug grew seeing his busy hands slow. It not that she wanted him to be jealous or that she liked this reaction from him, especially since he really hasn't spoken about the kiss, but at least it in that moment she knew she had his full attention.

Liam turned to her with a pained smile. "So out of all the people in this court Drake is the only person that can teach you how to ride?"

"I have to learn before the royal hunt tomorrow. And also you were the one who picked him."

"Yeah that was before you two--"

The room grew silent.

"I thought you were over that. Liam it was just a kiss."

"Yeah...Yeah I know." He takes the rest of the papers before kissing her lightly on the check. "Have a great lesson."

"Ha... please stop! I can't breath!"

"No seriously So here I am trying to help this old lady across the street and she takes my wallet and bolts!"

Candace rolls over with laughter tears forming in her eyes as her date goes on with his story. Her hand grips his thigh as she guffaws. Never on a first date would she ever be this open but as the hours rolled passed and their nerves died away she soon learned that a date with this man would be nothing like she'd had before.

"Oh...I'm so sorry that happened to you" she chuckles "but this is New York, Drake. Home of the pocket picking grannies. We welcome you, our most chevalier and gullible guest with open arms!" She opens her arms dramatically her laughter only growing and suddenly he took her into his own pulling her in tight.

Her laughs stop abruptly.

"Sorry, was that too much? I mean...how could I resist New York's warm embrace. Did I overstep?"

"N-no. It was nice. Really nice." Their eyes catch and like magnets they begin to draw to each other.

"Are you sure?" His words sincere but those eyes told a different story so did his body as he doesn't pull away. "Because I want to ask you a pretty bold question right now."

"Oh...what's that?" she's breathless as his eyes pull her closer. He takes a moment before speaking.

"Can I kiss you Candace?"

With a deep breath her answer became an action as she closes the space between them he kissed her so softly so gentle he touched her as if she was something so precious, it was then and there she knew that this was no longer a date. No, today would be day one of a thousand more days with this man.

Steadying herself as she mounted the large beast, Candace took deep breaths to calm her nerves. But that did little to help her at the sound of the horses flared nostrils.

'"uhh.. nope. I want off.."

"Chill Sutton, Marybelle is the most docile animal you'd ever meet." Drake gives the horse a reassuring rub.

"Maybe..." she squirms as they trot towards an open field " or maybe that's just her cover. And the minute my guard is down this thousand pound creature will buck me straight into the ground."

"Ok drama queen." Drake chuckles, "But you gotta admit this " he spreads his arms wide breathing in the fresh air "this is paradise. No court no press not a single trace of red or blonde headed demons lurking the corner."

"Hmm...none of those are in New York either." it was mumbled to herself but Drake heard it just the same.

"You know, I never cared for all the fancy crap with the royals. I pretty much hung around for Liam and my dad. But it took me growing up here to know that life wasn't for me. How are you so sure it isn't for you? I mean look at what you did for those people--"

"See that's just I didn't do anything! I snitched on a criminal. That doesn't make me a queen. And you know what else? You know what makes that whole thing so damn bad? Is that sometimes I wish I'd never done it. Me and Liam used to be partners and now since that day it's like...like he's dragging me. Maybe I wouldn't feel so negative towards it if I actually had a choice. "

"You know I think you have far more choices than you think you do." their eyes meet for a second "And you know what else?"

"What?"

"You've rode this killer horse all the way through the clearing. Look."

Candace turns around seeing the open field, the palace walls only a blur from the distance.

"See, Candace you're a natural. And I'm not just talking about the horse riding."

"Yeah I guess all those years of avoiding Texas was for nothing."

"Texas? Your from Texas?"

"No, but I have family there. My mom would try to convince me to spend summers down there with my cousins. I always thought nothing at dude ranch could be worth spending my summers over,"

"Wow what a coincidence my...!" Drake chuckles as he feels his phone buzzing from his pocket and pulls it out. "...Hello. Yes this is her son. She what? Does it sound like I've seen her?! It's your job to ---Yes sir I know this is her 3rd time ___ but you all are supposed to----"

The call continues but only for a moment until Drake shoves the phone back in his pocket his jaws clenched between his teeth.

"Lesson's over Sutton I gotta go home."

"What was that all about."

"Nothing."

"Drake."

"It's my mother she's...she's sick. Has been since my father died. Got worse when my sister left. And now she's ran off again. Meaning I will have to go find her clean her up then convince her to go back."

"I can come with you." She didn't even think about her response. The words just flew out.

Drake gazes curiously. "What?"

"You will need help. I mean I don't know your mother's situation but I do know you don't have to deal with it alone. Let me come with you."

"What about Liam? The Royal Hunt?"

"Liam will understand.... He'll have to." she mumbles the last words under her breath as they ride the horses back into the stables.

Holding his new found girlfriend closer to his chest as she sleeps, the cool dark night gave him a sense of confidence he never seemed to have before. He watched her stir in his arms looking so beautiful and safe there the words he had been holding back in saying for months just flew right out.

"I love you Candace." he exhales as if those words were a weight on his back he never really knew was there. One day he would actually tell her when her knew for sure she felt the---

"I love you too."

"What?"

Candace turns over facing him "I said I love you too."

He watched this girl in amazement "You said it so easily..." his voice breaking.

"Loving you is a pretty easy choice to make." She chuckles rolling back onto her side.

That was the memory Liam held onto as he watched Drake's pick up truck drive off with Candace inside.

2 weeks tops.

Yeah two weeks to fuck Drake like she's been dying to do since we got here. The sting on his check was a constant reminder to never speak of such things again much less think them in his head. His mind went back to that night over and over again throughout the day. That night when she said said loving him was the easiest choice, how easily she chose to leave now. She wasn't coming back.

He never noticed the beaming smile on his father's face as he entered the stables alone. Or the overly pleased looks of Olivia and Madeleine as Liam dodged the constant questions the press asked about Candace.

No, in his mind he was still in that warm bed with her listening to the New York sounds. Nothing brought him out of it until his father spoke her name.

"Press, we all love Candace she was an amazing companion for my son and treated our country with the upmost respect. But like all guest they must leave at some point. She knows Cordonia will always welcome her back whenever she feels the need to visit again. But as of today I am very sure that our lady's of Cordonia are very capable of cheering up our future king. " Constantine chuckles lightly giving the giddy noble ladies a quick wink. "Forgive me for being so bold but I believe today we have found a new meaning for the Royal Hunt."

@agent-bossypants @andy-loves-corgis@missevabean@blackcatkita@darley1101@jadedpixiescribbles@indiacater@umccall71@speedyoperarascalparty@findingdrake@stopforamoment@mrsdrakewalkerblog@bobasheebaby@itsmychoicebih@gardeningourmet

@hopefulmoonobject @smalltalk88@boneandfur@cordoniansqueen@choicesbyjade@ladynonsense@jovialyouthmusic @carabeth@iloveliamrys@sarwin85 @innerpostmentality@kingliamchoices @smalltalk88 @

#the royal romance #the guest #choices fanfiction #fanfiction #mc x liam #mc x drake

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kadtherine · 6 years

Text

just you and me (within these walls)

A/N : well, well, well : look at me writing fic for tgs fandom - what a surprise (not). anyway, here’s a litte something i came up with the two main babes : anne and phillip. hope you’ll like it 😊

Anne got out of the washrooms, feeling refreshed and revigorated as she dried her hair. Sundays were the longest days, seeing as they performed twice, they barely had the time to breathe or have lunch between the two. Seeing as she needn’t rehearse for the evening performance, Anne was grateful she had the time to shower and rinse the sweat of her hair. The Wheeler had been the main matinee act, which meant that the spotlight would focus on an other performance - possible Charles’ elephant riding or Cynthia’s impressing snake charming - later on this day. Anne felt a small smile growing on her face as she remembered the awed faces of children and parents alike, watching soar and twirl through the air. She had smirked at their gasps when she had been free-falling, gasps which were quickly followed by sighs of relief and cheers when W.D had effortlessly caught her before bringing her to the floor and joining her for the bows. She remembered how children had rushed to her after the show, while they had been biding farewell to their audience, and bombarded her with questions, wondering what it felt like to fly. Their parents had stood behind them, the same expression of wonder and pure joy as she somehow convinced W.D to bring the elephants closer, allowing the children to feed peanuts to them.

Anne wasn’t oblivious, nor was she stupid. She had still heard the protestors’ furious cries out of the museum, her smile never flattering as P.T and O'Malley rushed past her, frowning. Gloria had lifted onto her back, using only her trump and the protestors’ voices had died down, drowned by the chidlren’s laughter and cheers. They had eventually left with a wave, smile and a promise to come back. Promise that hadn’t been denied by the adults and Anne felt herself hoping. Maybe things were changing. Maybe they were slowly making progress. But then, she had seen one woman sneer and the protestors had gotten louder. Anne wasn’t oblivious, nor was she stupid. She knew that hope didn’t mean anything. She knew that if they had seen the curly brown hair she hid beneath her flamboyant pink wig, they wouldn’t have been as mesmerized. If they had seen the scars on her back, they would have grabbed their children and ran away with no promises of ever coming back. Maybe they’d let out a slur, send her a glare above their shoulders.

Sighing, Anne drapped her towel around her neck and shook knots of her hair, combing through it with her fingers. With a frown, she brought up under her nose and took a sniff. While the shampoo had cleaned and rid her hair of the smell of sweat, Anne caught a whiff of peanuts mixed with coco. She didn’t mind it. It smelled of home. And yet, the first thing Anne did when she walked into the room she shared with Lettie, and Cynthia, was grab the flower-sented hair lotion, pumping some in her hand before she put it in her hair, massaging her scalp as she ran her fingers through her curls. Wiping her greasy hands on her towel, Anne took it off her neck,threw it in a waste basket and grabbed a brush, running it through her hair a few times before putting it up in a messy bun. She, then, covered her arms and face with cocoa butter, nodding to herself as she caught her reflection in the dirty wall mirror.

Anne heard loud laughs coming from downstairs and felt her heart soar at the noise. Only months ago, W.D was the only family she had. He was the only family she needed, to be honest. When they had first joined the Barnum Circus and its compagny of Oddities, both had been weary, keeping to themselves when they weren’t needed or their presence wasn’t requested by the Showman himself. When Prince Constantine had kissed her hand, a teasing smile on his face as he bowed to her as if she were a lady, Anne first thought he was mocking her. It was only when she watched him do the same with the rest of the women of the troup - earning a snort from Lettie and giggles from the Barnum girls -, oozing charm with each words, Anne realized that he wasn’t. Anne also realized that while Charles’ humor was self-deprecating and slightly dark, he was good compagny and could manage to improve anyone’s mood with a clever quip. She also learned that the Irish Giant was anything but gentle and that Walter was one affectionate fellow, hugging her each time her feet touch the floor while praising her performance. Lettie always had wise opinions to give and a contagious laugh. The one who had surprised her was Barnum, a child stuck in an adult’s body mesmerized by every small wonder. He’d join them during downtimes, bring his girls during rehearsal and play some tune on the piano while Lettie sang and Caroline practised her ballet routine, Charity often joining in the fun. W.D and Anne had joined the circus out of necessity and had stayed out of love.

Anne grabbed a shawl off her bed and drapped it over her shoulders, closing the door behind her as she walked out of her room. Over the ledge of the balcony, she could see that most, if not all of the performers was gathered around the rink while P.T and Charity stood in the background, amusement shining in their eyes. Following their gazes, Anne found the source of their entertainment. Phillip Carlyle. Reknown playwright. New York’s most eligible bachelor. The Barnum Circus’ newest addition. He was inside of the rink, riding an monocycle in circles while juggling with three balls, his sleeves rolled back to his elbow. Caroline and Helen stood around him, cheering him on while the rest egged him on, trying to get him to lose his concentration. He didn’t pay attention to any of them, his tongue sticking out of his mouth and his eyes on the balls flying around him. Anne found herself unable to look away from him as she slowly walked down the stairs.

She didn’t know what to make of Phillip Carlyle. Unlike Barnum, he obviously had an aristocratic upbringing. He also had a successful career and had made a name for himself in the New York elite. And yet, he had left it all behind and joined the circus, ruining his reputation in the process. He had been here for a week and stuck to P.T’s side for the most part, keeping an eye on their finances and attending rehearsals when the older man did. If not, Carlyle kept to himself, locked in his office with his flask for only compagny. Lettie seemed to like him well enough while W.D downright despised him. When asked why, he’d always retort something about the way that he’d look at Anne. That would be her cue for the latter to act oblivious, wrapping her hands while ignoring the looks sent her way. W.D hadn’t be the only noticing Phillip’s looks - frankfully, the person who hadn’t would have to be blind. Anne’d feel his gaze whenever she was in the air or going over her routine with W.D or show new moves to P.T. It was his job, Anne told herself. After all, he was P.T’s apprentice; he’d surely take over some day. And for that to happen, he’d have to be observant, to know the ropes. Anne was the center of looks every single day, whether they be benevolent or harmful. However, while P.T’s eyes were analyzing and focused, while the crowd’s were wide with awe and the protestors’ narrowed with hate, Carlyle’s shone with a light that Anne was unable to identity. It was something that ressembled the fondness she’d find in her brother’s eyes. It was something that ressembled the love in P.T’s eyes whenever he’d look at Charity.

“Oh come on, Carlyle!” Lettie’s booming voice snapped Anne out of her thoughts, “You can do better than that.

The crowd of performers seemed to agree with Lettie’s statements, their screams getting louder. Caroline and Helen joined the cheers, jumping up and down on their feet. Silently walking down the last steps, Anne caught sight of W.D standing apart from the crowd, his arms crossed against his chest as he watched the spectacle enfolding in front of him. Anne went to stand beside him without a word, keeping her focus forward as he looked down at her, adknowleding her presence with a small nudge. From where she was standing, Anne could see the small smirk that appeared on Carlyle’s face.

“Yeah, come on, Carlyle, we’re falling asleep here,” Charles muttered, playing with an apple between his hands, “En-ter-tain us.”

And without a warning, Charles threw the apple toward Carlyle. And without missing a beat, the latter incorporated the flying apple into his juggling act, much to his young admirators’ glee. Charles laughed and pumped a fist in the air as Carlyle kept moving back and forth on his monocycle, his hands still in movement. Anne found herself letting a small chuckle, putting two fingers on her lips to smother the sound. She watched as Helen ran out of the rink, Carlyle mindful of the litte girl, as she passed by him to get to her parents. She tucked on her father’s pants, the latter crouching down so she could whisper in his ear. If the mischievous grin that appeared on his face was anything to go by, both Barnums were up to no good. Giving his youngest daughter a nod, he got back to his feet, got two small oranges out of a fruitbasket behind him and winked when he placed them both in Helen’s hands. Carlyle’s gaze flickered to the small blonde as she walked to him, handing an orange to her sister. Still pedaling, he crouched down, as if preparing himself to receive both new objects. Sure enough, Caroline threw her orange fruit, which he caught without too much complication while Helen threw the fruit for him to catch, which caused him to fumble and almost fall of his monocycle. All cheered when he regained his balance, a small smile on his face.

“Hey boss,” Lettie shouted, turning around to face P.T, “you might not have to hire clowns. Pretty sure Carlyle’ll be okay to step in if you asked.

He cocked an eyebrow at her and crossed his arms, grin wide, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

All bursted out in laughter - Anne even caught W.D bite the inside of his cheek to restrain a chuckle - except for Carlyle, the latter throwing a quick glare over his shoulder before focusing back on the flying objects around him. His eyes flickered down to Helen and Caroline and he smiled.

“Ready for the grand finale, girls?”

He chuckled as they cheered and began drumming against their laps - and Anne’s heart might have skipped a beat at the unfamiliar sound - before he licked his lips and blew out a breath. Steadying his monocycle, oblivious to the others frantically tapping against the outside of the rink in a drumroll-like rythm, Carlyle threw all of his balls, one after the other. Time seemed to slow down as Anne watched the objects fall back on around him, stretching out his left - muscled - arm to catch two balls and one orange before he held out the other, catching the remaining orange and ball. Carlyle tilted his head back, exposing his neck - Anne felt herself unable to look away, her breathing slightly quickening - and focusing his eyes on the falling apple. Time resumed its course as he caught the fruit with his mouth, causing everyone to jump to their feet and applaud. Both Wheelers joined in and Anne caught a small, but, genuine smile on her brother’s face. She nudged his side, watching as Carlyle took a bow, his mouth and hands full.

“I thought you didn’t like the guy,” Anne muttered to her brother out of the corner of her mouth.

W.D stopped clapping as the cheering gradually died down and shrugged, “I guess he’s starting to grow on me. Like a fungus. A bit like you, actually.”

W.D pinched her nose with two of his fingers, causing Anne to swat his hand away and poke his side in retaliation. P.T clapped a couple of times, calling all attention to him and unknowingly putting an end to the siblings’ spat. Pushing himself off of the pillar he was leaning in, he went to stand next to the circle of performers. Carlyle freed his hands by throwing the balls and oranges to the nearest people before turning his monocycle to face P.T and taking a bite of the apple in his mouth, much to Charles’ dismay.

“You’re given until three to do whatever you want, then we’ll start on rehearsing for tonight’s show. You’ve earned it, this morning was phenomemal,” P.T started a new round of applause and Walter howled, quickly imitated by Helen and Caroline. P.T then turned to O'Malley, “Have the lions been fed yet?”

Carlyle tilted his head to the side, as if confused before he turned toward the younger Barnums, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Then, without warning, he grabbed both and gathered in their arms, earning shrieks from the girls.

“I thought that was why those two were here,” he said, maintening his perplexed facade as he tickled, “the fresher the meat is, the better,” he growled, taking a spin around the rink.

“Daddy! Mommy! Help!” Helen called as they passed by their parents.

“Don’t let him feed us to the lions!” Caroline shrieked, a wide grin plastered on her face.

Carlyle frowned and stopped in the middle of the rink, eyeing both girls.

“If we do not feed the lions, they’ll end up snacking on the audience.”

“Would that be so bad?” P.T muttered, earning a shove from Charity and cackles from the others.

P.T shot her a sheepish grin, lifting a shoulder and Charity responded with an unimpressed raise of eyebrows. He leaned in and Anne took it as her a cue to look away, her cheeks warm as she rubbed the back of her neck. Glancing back to Carlyle, Anne noticed he had allowed Helen to climb onto his shoulders while Caroline was in his back. She didn’t miss the way he kept on a hand wrapped around Helen’s ankle while his other was hooked under Caroline’s knee, securing both of them while he rolled around the rink. Here was another thing about Phillip Carlyle : he cared when they didn’t expect him to do so. He was playful around the Barnum children, giving piggyback rides after late performances, despite his exhaustion, and keeping sweets in his pockets, just in case. He also listened attentively and patiently to the performers’ issues whenever they’d come to him.

As if feeling her stare on the three of them, Helen snapped her head toward her and her smile widened as she straightened, bouncing on Carlyle’s shoulders. Anne stifled a grimace when he almost toppled backward at the sudden movement, tightening his hold around both girls. None of them seemed to be bothered by it, Caroline peeking over her shoulder to wave at Anne. Carlyle followed their gazes, his eyes widening when he caught sight of her. She cleared her throat and tried for a smile, slowly walking toward the rink.

“Heya monkeys!” Anne greeted them, exchanging a high five with Caroline and Helen before her gaze flickered to him, “Mr Carlyle.”

“Miss Wheeler,” he returned with a nod, the corner of his mouth twisted into half a smile, “You’ve been missed.”

Anne returned his nod, swallowing the lump in her throat and not letting his words get to her head. She tightened her shawl around her and focused her attention onto the two Barnum girls. Helen was frowning, leaning over and patting his cheeks with her hands - if it bothered him, Carlyle showed absolutely no sign of irritation.

“Why do you call her that?”

“Because that’s her name,” Carlyle blew on her hair falling on his face, “Like yours is Miss Barnum,” he poked her side and she shrieked, straightening on his shoulders.

A small chuckle escaped her lips as Helen tilted to the side to escape Carlyle’s tickling fingers, almost making them losing their balance. She barely noticed Charity or W.D approach them from either side of her. She looked to her left as she felt someone lightly grabbed her arm, meeting W.D’s dark, unreadable eyes. Anne shrugged as if silently asking *what?*. He sighed and shook his head before letting go of her arm, crossing his arms across his chest as he turned to the rink. Charity stood a few steps next to the siblings, shooting them a smile when she caught their eyes. Annie returned the smile, a small frown on her face as she took note of P.T’s absence and the dispersing group. She had barely noticed the latter slipping away. Also noting O'Malley’s absence, Anne assumed they had both gone to feed the lions.

“Misses Barnum, I’ve come to collect you so we can go to have lunch,” Charity announced,both of the girls’ coats drapped over her arms.

“But Mommy-” Helen started whining, tipping to the side. If it wasn’t for Carlyle’s hold, she’d slide off his shoulders.

Charity cocked an eyebrow at them, putting the end to the whining with a finger, “No whining, Helen Barnum. We have an agreement. Don’t we, Caroline?”

“We do,” Caroline muttered, laying her head on Carlyle’s shoulder. It immediately snapped back up - both Anne and W.D recoiled, wincing - new found enthusiasm shining in her eyes, “We also have an agreement with Phillip. We even shook on it.”

Anne smiled at the furiously nodding Helen, in agreement with her older sister. Charity turned a gaze to Carlyle’s and rested her fists on her hips. She was pretty he had started rolling backward, gulping.

“Oh is that right?”

“Yep!” Helen chimed in, “He said that if we behave and eat all of our greens, he’ll get us ice cream afterward.”

“And that he’d join us for lunch,” Caroline added, squeezeing his neck.

He grimaced, tilting his head to the side, “I’m afraid I did. We shook on it.”

Charity let a soft laugh at that, her hands falling to her sides.

“Then I believe he’s in the obligation to join us for lunch.”

Carlyle gave her a two-finger salute and reached for Helen, picking up off her shoulders and putting her down. He, then, jumped off the monocycle, spinning around for a bit before he set Caroline on her feet, pinching both her nose. Charity watched with a fond smile as both girls hung onto his hands before she turned to the siblings.

“Would you two like to join us for lunch?”

“Thank you, Mrs Barnum but we wouldn’t want to impose,” W.D answered, his hands crossed behind his back.

“Oh you wouldn’t, and please,” she placed both of her hands on their arms, her touch strangely comforting, “Call me Charity.”

In each of the interactions they shared, Charity Barnum lived up to her name. She’d come around the museum every now and then, Caroline and Helen trailing behind her like little ducklings dressed in pink coats. Anne hadn’t tried to engage contact with her or the girls, believing that she was only here to visit her husband. It wasn’t her place to do so - do not talk with you’re not talked to - and Anne didn’t want to be the reason W.D and herself ended up on the streets once again. She had been surprised when Charity had approached the rink, taking the time to introduce herself and her daughters instead of running up and into P.T’s office. She had shown interest in each of their responses, showing genuine curiosity in the art of trapeze and knife throwing while Caroline and Helen wandered through the small circus, smiles on their faces and stars in their eyes. Though she had been raised in an aristocratic household, Charity knew to give kindness to any and every one, no matter their upbringing.

Still, Anne found herself wondering : would she had invite them along for lunch if the invitation hadn’t been extended to Carlyle first? She ignored the voice in the back of her mind, repeating yes and grabbed W.D’s elbow. The latter’s mouth snapped shut as he looked down at her, a confused frown plastered on his face. Anne gave an - almost - imperceptible shake of her head and turned back to Charity, plastering a smile on her face.

“We’ve already eaten,” Anne answered, ignoring W.D’s pointed stared, “And we’ll have to check on the animals before this evening show,” she threw her look at her brother from the corner of her eye.

“Right,” W.D narrowed, clearing his throat before he flashed a smile, “I should go and check on the lions, relieve your husband so you all can’t go to lunch. But thank you for the offer.”

“Of course,” Charity nodded, giving his hand a squeeze as he took his leave, not without a look in her direction, “Another time, perhaps,” Charity added, her voice soft and her smile genuine.

Anne pursed her lips, swallowing the guilt she suddenly felt, and gave the older woman a nod. Once again, Charity put her hand on her arm - and Anne found herself marveling at the softness of her palm - and gave it a small squeeze. She, then, held a hand out toward the rink and her daughters.

“Come on, girls. Let Phillip get ready so you’ll be able to have your ice cream.”

They both let go of Carlyle’s hands and rushed to their mother’s side, skipping as they made the way out of the circus. Anne returned their waves and smiles as they passed her by. Turning to face the rink, she quickly noticed that the area was empty, except for Carlyle and herself, the others performers busying themselves with other tasks. Carlyle grabbed the monocycle off the floor and placed it in a cart by the main rink, pulling on his sleeves before he picked anything that littered off the floor and put in their respectives places. Anne almost laughed at that, the bourgeois boy picking up between the freaks and oddities kept hidden from the rest of society. Nibbling on her bottom lip, she took her hair out of bun and let her wet curls fall around her face, running her fingers through it as she stepped into the rink, her feet quiet. She used his obliviousness to her advantage and observed him. To her annoyance, he seemed to be completely at ease, as if he had been born into it. He didn’t hesitate to kneel in the sand and pick up after others without protesting. The enigma that was Phillip Carlyle got more intricated, complex each time she’d catch a glimpse of him. And Anne didn’t know whether it was annoying or refreshing.

Carlyle looked up, his wide blue eyes finding hers instantly, and Anne had to remind herself to keep walking - she had to remind herself to keep breathing. She brushed a curl away from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

“Hi there,” he straightened, dusting off his hands on his pants.

“Hello,” Anne adjusted the shawl around herself, throwing a look over her shoulder to where Caroline and Helen previously stood, “Those girls adore you.”

He let out a chuckle and ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck. Anne couldn’t contain her amusement when she noticed the red tip of his ears. He scratched his head and sighed, looking back at her with a lopsided grin.

“They seem to be quite taken with you too. With good reasons,” Carlyle added, both of his eyebrows up.

Anne felt a smile grow on her face, mirroring the grin on Carlyle’s. She was the one who ducked her head that time, running her fingers through her hair. She bit her lip, trying to contain her smile as she looked back up. Anne lifted a shoulder.

“They’re good kids.

“That they are,” Carlyle agreed with a nod, his grin impossible wide.

Anne tilted her head to the side, her gaze locked into his as a silence fell onto the two. She knew she should probably look away first, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so. There was something about those eyes. Those earnest, clear blue eyes who made her want to spill all of her and ignore anything else. Those eyes which had seemed to get even clearer throughout the time he had spent among them, less guarded. Anne had that thought, that maybe if she stared into these eyes enough, she’d be be able to figure him out. Anne couldn’t contain her victorious when Carlyle was the first one to look away, clearing his throat as he buttoned the cufflinks on his sleeves and adjusted his collar.

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” Carlyle started, grabbing his scarf and coat off the floor, dusting both items off, “but you haven’t had lunch yet. I mean, you were up while the rest of the troop was eating, so I just assumed,” he shrugged, wrapping his scarf around his neck.

Anne frowned at that, walking further into the rink. She didn’t know he had heard her conversation with Charity, believing him too busy with Caroline and Helen to pay attention. She hadn’t expected him to notice she hadn’t had lunch either.

“I’m not hungry right now. I’ll make to eat something before tonight’s show if that’s what you’re worried about, Mr Carlyle.”

After all, they couldn’t have one of their main acts losing consciousness during their performance. His hands froze over the lapels of his coat for a second and a frown replaced his previous grin. He cleared his throat again and stuffed his hands on his pockets.

“It’s not- that. I was just wondering if I was the reason you declined Charity’s invitation. I mean-” Carlyle closed his eyes when seeing her frown, mistaking her confusion for hurt, “I don’t want my presence too make uncomfortable. I-”

“You’re not,” Anne interrupted, taking a step closer. She smiled when faced with his perplexed expression, “Making me uncomfortable, I mean.”

And as the words left her mouth, she found herself meaning them. She watched as his frown and uncertainity melted as he let out a sigh of relief, a small smile on his face. He ran his fingers through his hair, looking around for his top hat. Anne found herself doing the same thing, catching sight of said item set on the side of the rink. As she went to reach for it, Anne felt Carlyle’s fingers brush her hands and wasn’t able to swallow her gasp at the touch. Neither withdrew their hands first, relishing in the contact. Looking back at Carlyle, Anne restrained the urge to recoil back when noticing the close proximity between the two, drowing once again in those blue eyes. Anne could feel his breath on her face, the fresh scent of mint replacing the usual smell of whiskey. He blinked and Anne snapped out of her trance, putting a bit of distance between the two, playing with his hat between her fingers and hoping that the goosebumps on her arms were only visible to her. Carlyle ran his fingers through his hair and rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand. He ducked down his head and Anne could swear that his eyes had gotten darker in a matter of seconds. Her hold tightened around the hat, the back of her neck suddenly warm. He cleared his throat and turned back to her, his hands clenched into fists by his side.

“I’m glad, then. Another time, perhaps ?” Carlyle echoed Charity’s previous words, his tone slightly hopeful.

Anne grinned at him and in a moment of playfulness - of carelessness - dusted dirt off the top hat before she put it on his head. Carlyle pushed it back with his hand and cocked an eyebrow at her, awaiting her answer.

“Another time,” she said, with a nod.

His grin got impossible wide as he returned her nod, rocking back and forth on his heels. Anne heard the laughter and loud voices of the rest of the troop upstairs as they moved back and forth on the higher floors. Her grin slowly vanihed as she was reminded of the presence of others, her previous carefree attitute being replaced by her usual wariness. Carlyle seemed to notice her change in behaviour and took a step closer, ready to open his mouth. They both jumped when hearing the doors being pushed open with a loud bang.

“Ph'lip !” Helen barged in, Caroline in tow “Are you ready to go, we’re hungry!”

Anne laughed at that, shaking her head at the two’s eagerness.

“I’m afraid I’ve been summoned,” Carlyle sighed, earning a small smile from her, “I’ll see you later, Anne.”

“I’ll be right here, Mr Carlyle,” she said.

“Phillip,” he retorted, tipping his hat at her.

He didn’t let her the time to respond or protest, brushing past her to get out of the rink - Anne didn’t hold her breath as she caught a whiff of his cologne, she did not - and to the girl. She watched as he grabbed both girls’ hands and twirled them under his arms, earning giggles and shrieks of joy as they walked out. Anne groaned, scratching the back of her head. Her mama had also warned her about men with charm and wealth. She had never been taught about kind, blue-eyed men. She was given no warning about Phillip Carlyle.

you can also find this fic here (and leave comments ✌🏽)

#the greatest showman #anne wheeler #phillip carlyle #anne x phillip #cartwheeler #i'm actually in love with this movie #like wow ??#i love thee two so much #tgs fanfiction #zac efron #zendaya #mine

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bluboothalassophile · 7 years

Text

Sing Little Nightingale, Sing

Jason held his daughter in his arms as he watched an empty casket get lowered into the ground on a day with a light spring shower.

Yeah, Jason Todd-Wayne, he was in a cemetery willingly, and not just any fucking cemetery; the very one he’d clawed out of. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and held his daughter as close and as gently as he possibly could. Raven had died, she’d died admirably, fighting her father away from their daughter, now he was here with Lilith and Raven was lost, forever. Dr. Fate and Constantine both said they didn’t know what dimension Raven had vanished into but she was gone with her father for eternity. Pressing his lips to Lilith’s brow he just tried not to shatter and break down with his family there with him and a priest saying nice words about his wife.

Yeah, Raven would laugh, really laugh about having a Catholic priest giving a demon, giving her, her last rites and farewell. But Jason was Catholic, not a good one, but he knew he was Catholic, and he wanted Raven watched over by someone other than her father. She deserved more than that. Of all the righteous and superior angels in this world, Jason had leard of angels falling to darkness, however Raven, a demon, had risen to the light and shined.

And Good Fucking God Did He Miss Her!

“Hey, little wing,” Dick murmured, his hand clasping his shoulder. “Let’s get Lilith out of this rain.”

Jason said nothing as he nodded, his daughter gurgled as she looked at him with wide blue eyes, there were tints of green and purple coming into them now.

“Thanks Dick,” Jason whispered hoarsely.

“Yeah, you and Rae were here for me and Mar'i when we lost Kori,” Dick said tightly.

“Two too fucking brave and self-righteous women we picked,” Jason said sourly.

“I think it’s a mother thing, mothers do anything for their babies if they’re good mothers, and Rae and Kori both were good mothers,” Dick replied. A tiny five year old appeared and grabbed Dick’s hand as they walked back up to the Manor, he was the last one up. Lilith started fussing, her face scrunching up as she squirmed.

“Master Jason, Master Dick, Miss Mar'i,” Alfred greeted.

“Hey Al,” Jason greeted tiredly. “I’m going to go feed Lilith.”

“Allow me, Master Jason, you look as if you could use a shower,” Alfred said as he reached over. Reluctantly Jason surrendered his daughter, a tiny new born only a two weeks old, to Alfred’s care.

“Thanks Al,” Jason managed as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

“Of course Master Jason, you must care for yourself to care for Miss Lilith,” Alfred said as he walked off. Jason just stared at the ground.

“Jay…” Dick started when Mar'i wrapped her arms around his legs.

“Love you, Jaybird,” the girl announced.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I’m… I’m gonna go, shower,” he said uncertainly as he patted Mar'i’s head and walked up the stairs to his room.

Jason made his way to his room, pulling off the stuffy coat, yanking at his tie, and unbuttoning his shirt. He was going through the motions, operating on auto pilot, he knew it, but he couldn’t think. All he could think about Raven, holding their daughter after thirty-seven hours of labor with a smile. That day… the best and worst day of his life, was the one he couldn’t forget. He made it to the shower before the sob tore through him and he found himself sitting on the tiled floor as icy water poured over him. How long he sat there he didn’t know.

“Jason?” a familiar voice called out, but he couldn’t answer as he pressed his brow to his knees and sobbed, water pouring over him as he tried pull himself together for Lilith.

“Jay,” the water was shut off and a robe dropped on him. “You’re freezing,” the voice announced. Jason didn’t feel it, he couldn’t feel anything, it felt like Raven had robbed him of his emotions, he just felt numb.

“Come on Jason, let’s get you up,” he looked up between his wet bangs at his father then.

“Why her, Bruce?” he whispered. “Why of all the fucking people on this planet did it have to be her?”

“Jason,” Bruce sighed.

“I understand why her, but why then? Why couldn’t she stay?” Jason whispered. “Of all the fucking people in my life to go, why her?”

“I don’t have answers Jay, but you’re no good for Lilith if you freeze to death in this shower, come on, time to get up,” Bruce said and Jason found himself being dragged up. His body pulsed with ache in protest but even that felt distant. Bruce handed him sweats and a tattered Wonder Woman t-shirt Raven had bought him years ago as a joke for Christmas before they were dating. Once he was dressed he shoved his hands in his pockets and stood there staring at his bare feet in his room of the Manor, a room he hadn’t really been in since he was fifteen. Now he was twenty-eight, and he felt bad about those wasted years.

“I know nothing I say, or Dick says, or anyone really, will make this easier or heal it, Jason, but you haven’t lost Raven completely, you have a beautiful daughter with her, and Lilith needs you,” Bruce said.

Jason nodded numbly.

“Artemis and Bizarro will be here soon,” Bruce said.

“Where’s Lilith?” Jason asked suddenly, he was feeling antsy not seeing his daughter now that he was calm enough not to break.

“In the kitchen, Tim and Stephanie were watching her,” Bruce answered.

“I’m…” Jason started.

“Come on,” Bruce said as he walked with him.

“Thanks dad,” Jason murmured as they left the room.

“Of course Jason, I know we’ve never had the best relationship, but you’re my son,” Bruce said firmly and Jason nodded numbly. He honestly didn’t have anything to say to Bruce’s statement, he didn’t have anything left in him. And what little he had left was going to go to Lilith right now, because there was no way in Hell he was letting his daughter down. He’d be a good father for her if it was the last thing he did.

The only problem was he had no fucking clue how to be a father.

“How do you be a father?” Jason asked suddenly as he stopped outside of the kitchen.

“What?”

“I… I don’t know how to be a dad, I can’t let Lilith down, I have no fucking clue what I’m doing, what if I fuck this all up?” Jason dragged his hands through his wet tangled hair as he cringed and leaned on the wall. Willis had been a shitty father, and Bruce… Bruce was his dad, and even then Jason knew they’d both fucked this up often.

“Jay… relax,” Bruce grabbed his arms. “You’re not alone, and you’re doing fine so far, you just… you have to be there. That’s all Lilith needs, you to be there for her. And you’re going to be a great dad, and learn from my mistakes, and Willis’, and Dick’s, you’re not alone, we’re all here for you and Lilith.”

“I’m going to fuck this all up,” Jason predicted.

“No, but you’re going to mess up, just… just keep trying,” Bruce said.

Jason nodded as he reluctantly walked into the kitchen now. Raven was the calm one, the entire time from conception to birth, Raven had been calm about motherhood and parenthood and endured all his freak outs. Now Raven wasn’t here.

“Man she’s so tiny,” Duke smiled at her. Cass wacked him, and Stephanie gently bounced Lilith.

“Well what do you expect? She’s like a week and a half old!” Stephanie snapped.

“Two weeks,” Jason corrected tiredly.

“Lilith quiet baby,” Cass stated.

“She looks like Raven, especially around the eyes,” Tim smiled a bit and Jason gently took his squirming daughter from Stephanie who smiled at Lilith.

“She knows her papa,” Stephanie whispered.

“She’s got your white streak, Todd,” Damian snapped.

“Lazarus Pit too,” Jason snapped back. Raven had sensed it, and she’d sensed Lilith’s great power, stating that their daughter had her powers. A terrifying prospect for him because beyond empathy, magic and telekinetic Jason wasn’t entirely sure what other powers Raven had possessed. He’d never asked, and it never seemed relevant since Raven tried not to use much beyond her telekinesis. He was seeing the mistake in that thinking now.

“She seems to like it when you read to her,” Luke said.

“Yeah,” Jason agreed as he sat on the counter and let Lilith hold his finger as she stared at him with big innocent eyes.

“You know, you’ll be fine, Mar'i started blasting me with starbolts when she was three months old, Lilith looks like she’ll be an easy baby,” Dick muttered looking at Lilith.

“She’s got all her mother’s powers according to Raven,” Jason warned.

“Never mind, you’re doomed,” Dick countered, Jason punched Dick lightly in the shoulder but didn’t disagree.

The rest of the afternoon and evening was a blur, Jason found himself sitting in his bed reading Fahrenheit 451 to Lilith when there was a light rapping on the door, he looked up from the book to see Artemis there, Bizarro a step behind her.

“We came as soon as we heard,” Artemis said as she walked in. “I am sorry for your loss, the little bird was most formidable though.”

“I…”

“Red Him have baby,” Bizarro smiled as he lumbered over and stared at Lilith who stared back at Bizzaro with wide eyes.

Jason felt himself about to cry when Artemis was at the bed looking at Lilith too.

“She’s a warrior,” Artemis declared.

“Um… you want to hold her?” Jason asked uncertainly.

“Me?”

“Here,” Jason gently shoved Lilith at Artemis who uncertainly held the baby who squirmed until she was comfortable. “Lilith, this is Arty and Bizarro, they’re family.”

“She’s very light,” Artemis murmured.

“Yeah, she’s a small baby.” Jason admitted. Five pound three ounces, that was the day of her birth. She was also a tiny baby, after… everything with Raven, Jason managed to get Lilith to Dr. Tompkins who said Lilith was too small, and might die because she was so small. Jason had flipped out, after seeing Raven impaled as she dragged her father through a portal, and then hearing Lilith might die. But Lilith hadn’t died, she’d stubbornly hung on and lived.

“She’s like a little bird,” Artemis smiled.

“Arty, Bizarro, this is Lilith Catherine Todd-Wayne,” Jason said with a bit of pride. It was the name Raven had picked for if they had a daughter. He hadn’t asked for his mom’s name to be there, Raven had said she wanted the middle name to be Catherine though.

“Is she to be an Outlaw too?” Arty asked.

“Baby Red,” Bizarro cooed as he reached for her.

“Gentle, Bizarro,” Jason tensed but the giant bobbed his head as he touched Lilith’s cheek and his daughter gurgled. Jason trusted Bizarro with his life, however, the clone wasn’t always the gentlest in his strength, but, it appeared the giant was nothing but gentle for Lilith.

“Well, the Red Hood has a littler bird to care for,” Arty smiled as she handed Lilith back to him. “You should bring her to the Amazons, we will make a feared warrior of the little bird.”

“We… we might need to go there,” Jason sighed. “Raven said Lilith had her powers…”

“I see, I will speak to Queen Hippolyta about this when the time comes, of course I will speak to her about allowing you to accompany her,” Artemis said.

“Thanks Arty,” he nodded.

“We are a family of outlaws, are we not, we must look out for one another,” Arty decided. Jason just nodded, too tired to correct her.

“Sleep Red Him,” Bizarro ordered.

“Yeah,” Jason muttered.

“I will watch her,” Artemis said. “No one will harm her.”

“Thanks,” Jason hesitated as he kissed Lilith’s brow before he again surrendered his daughter to the Amazon who marched over to the chair in the corner before sitting down carefully, setting her axe near her and Jason stretched out on the bed, he’d been putting Lilith in the dresser drawer in the center of his bed when he had to sleep, but he felt comfortable enough to leave Lilith in the care of Artemis.

“If she…”

“She will be fine, and should she need you I will wake you, rest now,” Artemis ordered.

“Red baby pretty,” Bizarro said with a yawn as he sat on the window.

“Thanks,” Jason muttered again as he gave into exhaustion.

Turned out he had the Bats and the Outlaws here (though the Outlaws had been disbanded for years). It was good to know he had family for Lilith.

Lilith was the most held baby in the history of babies, everyone held her, all the time. Jason was pretty sure his daughter had spent a grand total of five minutes set down. Even Damian, DAMIAN!, would hold Lilith.

Hell, the little demon spawn had smuggled Lilith to his school when Lilith was three months old. Jason, after waking to not have his daughter in her drawer on his bed, had freaked out, only to receive a call from Damian’s school saying Damian had brought Lilith there for reasons still unknown. The entire drive to the school Jason cursed his littlest brother and got there, when he got to the office to see the teen holding his daughter, Jason avowed hideous revenge on the gremlin his Lilith was sick and if Damian ever took her again and didn’t tell him. Lilith just giggled and sucked on his finger as he left the school.

When Lilith was six months old Jason picked up being Red Hood again, and moved him and Lilith to his and Raven’s apartment. Lilith did not like the move, but Jason was feeling antsy staying at the Manor with everyone for so long. Artemis moved in with him for a bit to help him with Lilith and his night activities, to his neighbors she was Raven’s much older half-sister.

Mar'i was often over with Dick on weekends to play with Lilith and Jason found himself reluctantly agreeing to Sunday dinners with the Batfamily. Alfred insisted on loading him up with every leftover possible and was over just about every other day after Jason and Lilith had moved out.

It took about a year for them to confirm Lilith’s powers were in, and it was an accident really. She was a quiet baby, had handled teething with minimal fuss, didn’t cry or giggle really, just wanted to be held. Well, naturally Dickhead found out the hard way that his daughter’s powers had come in full bloom.

Jason had come to pick Lilith up after having had to deal with Queen Hippolyta. He was trying to be a responsible father and have a plan in place for training Lilith and her extraordinary abilities before they got out of hand. Needless to say, it was not a fun trip because he had to negotiate him coming with his daughter. But he was finally back, at Dick’s apartment to get her and Dick accidently tripped over Lilith getting to the door. The hell unleashed in that apartment as Lilith cried, Lian and Mar'i hid, and everything shattered in the building (EVERYTHING!), Lilith had shattered every neighbor’s valuables, and every window in the building with her pain, she’d also knocked Dick out and given Jason the mother of all headaches because of her empathy. Jason managed to settle Lilith down though before she unleashed more than just the empathy, cutlery had started rattling as she had screamed before he scooped her up and started calming her down.

Needless to say, he and Dick were miffed, but Jason anonymously paid to have the apartment complex fixed and people compensated for their things. It was just chalked up to one of those ‘Only in Blüdhaven’ things. Jason honestly didn’t care as he took Lilith home.

Lilith spoke her first word at a year and a half old; funny for a little girl who ran around and flew all the time; and her happiness constantly blowing out the lights in his place and breaking glass, she didn’t talk (at all). He’d had her perched on the counter; she was watching an old rerun of Law & Order as he worked on fixing his sink. He hit his head and released a string of curses which would have criminals blushing when he heard a light, little voice say ‘fuck’ and giggle. He’d paled as he slid out from under the sink to stare at his daughter who was grinning and giggling on the kitchen island.

“Lilith?” he said.

“Shit, fuck, damn, bitch hell, fuck, fuck, fuck!” she laughed. Oh he was so dead, Raven would come back from the grave to kill him, and Alfred… SHIT! Alfred was going to murder him! For about the next hour he tried to coax her into saying ‘dada’ or anything but that! Artemis came over that evening and of course Lilith shouted bitch as loud as she could. Artemis had punched him.

Bruce came over later that week and Lilith had promptly blurted out fucker, which had Bruce just staring at Lilith as Jason tried to smother himself with a pillow. He’d never be able to take his daughter out in public again! Bruce had smirked as only Bruce could as Jason received the ‘I told you this would bite you in the ass one day’ look. However, Jason had the last laugh when Dick came over that weekend with Mar'i and Lian and Lilith had promptly called Dick ‘Dickhead’, Jason fell off his barstool laughing. Dick just gaped at her, Mar'i had promptly asked what a dickhead was, which had the older girl, Lian, promptly attempting to explain what a dick was when Dick put a hand over her mouth.

Of course, Lilith started saying non-curse words when it was just him, or just Alfred, so no one believed him when he said she knew more than the curses. It was like she was the singing frog from Looney Tunes in that regard. Though he had to admit, he had not fucking clue where she picked up chowderhead, flipperhead, and schmuck (okay, he might have known where schmuck came from but not the other two as those were distinctly Boston insults). There were a few others in her vocabulary he knew were from him, but those two; no clue.

Lilith was two when the Joker took her, Jason had been investigating a smuggling ring and Lilith was with Victor at his place. Joker managed to snatch Lilith, and nearly killed Victor, Jason received the video of his daughter’s kidnapping, drugging, and her whereabouts; along with every other schmuck in Gotham.

Of course, Joker had done this to him when Dick and Bruce were off on League business, Tim was on a Wayne Enterprise conference, Duke and Cass were in Hong Kong, the Birds of Prey were running around the city on a wild goose chase from Joker for bombs, and the demon spawn was babysitting Lian and Mar'i in San Francisco with the Titans. Jason called Alfred, and thus began the longest night of his life as he systematically ripped apart every villain who threatened his daughter. All of Gotham got a kick out of the Big Bad Red Hood being a Daddy, and his enemies wanted to hurt him with Lilith, Jason was unamused and he was highly trained, highly motivated, and exceedingly pissed/terrified.

Help came from the most unexpected of places when the League of Assassins appeared that night with Talia leading the charge to help him retrieve Lilith. Artemis and Bizarro also showed up, and as they dealt with the rest of Gotham’s crime he beelined his way through the mess and carnage to Joker and Lilith. Lilith was drugged, and suspended over a vat of acid, Joker was manically laughing, and Jason saw red.

To the day he died, he didn’t know exactly what happened, all he knew was he woke, Lilith in his arms, his helmet broken, his toddler sobbing, and Joker a bloody, mangled, unidentifiable mess of what had once been a human being. Joker’s head was impaled on a spike by the time Gordon and his men broke in to raid the warehouse. Lilith’s empathy knocked most of the men back and down, but she was familiar enough with Gordon that Gordon got too close to them for Jason’s comfort.

“Get out of here son,” Gordon ordered. Jason didn’t need to be told twice.

Alfred called and said Victor was at S.T.A.R. Labs, he’d be alright, and Talia said she was finished with the rest of the villains. Jason just thanked them both. He and Lilith made it home, Lilith didn’t want to let him go and they ended up showering together as he gingerly washed the Joker’s blood off his daughter and checked her over. Artemis and Bizarro both stayed the night to his relief. All three of them ended up in front of his TV watching Beauty and the Beast because ‘Lenny from Law & Order’ (Jerry Orbach), was the candlestick and Lilith’s favorite. Jason fell asleep with Lilith on his chest and against Artemis’ shoulder.

The moment Hippolyta heard about the incident she welcomed Jason with Lilith to Thymescria. Of course, Jason assured her he had about as much interest in dating right then as he did attending the Joker’s funeral. Also, after Raven had died, he didn’t see much point in dating when he had his hands full with Lilith and he still wore his wedding ring. Raven was it for him, and he knew it, so he was just going to focus on his daughter and breathing. Some days it was just a matter of breathing.

Jason was unsurprised when he discovered Lilith had a love of books (not children’s books, books). However, he was surprised Lilith had his knack for languages. She picked up everything, Greek, Egyptian, Latin, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, French, German, English (that was a given since it was his primary language), Azarathian (what of it he knew from Raven), Tamaranian, Swahili, Hebrew, Pashto, Indian, Navajo, Chinese, and Japanese, and a lot of others. By the time Lilith was five she spoke ten languages fluently and could learn the rest, Artemis, Hippolyta, Diana, Bruce and Alfred were all impress, Jason just smirked.

After the Joker, Jason was very hesitant to let Lilith out of his sight, and this had him shirking off duties as Red Hood (also, he was living on Thymescira, it wasn’t like he could really be Red Hood, now could he?). Still he ran missions with Artemis, and popped into Gotham often enough to let it be known Joker hadn’t scared him off. And after the hell he had wrought upon Gotham both intentionally and unintentionally when Lilith had been taken no one dared to fuck with him.

Lilith was seven when they moved back to Gotham officially, he felt it was for the best, she’d been on Thymescira for five years. Still, he made another deal with Artemis and Hippolyta, Artemis would take over Lilith’s training, but also, Lilith would be spending every summer, spring and fall break with the Amazons, but Jason got her for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. A fair deal since his daughter had her mother’s powers.

Now came a unique brand of hell he hadn’t ever anticipated: first day of school.

Lilith was going to Gotham Academy, Bruce had gotten her in because Lilith was his granddaughter. Also, Mar'i and Lian went there, Lian was in eighth grade while Mar'i was in the sixth grade, Lilith would be in first. Lilith was happy about that. At least she was that morning as she paraded around in her new uniform, her calm personality was from her mother, but she was bouncing in glee.

“Now Lilith, remember: No eyes, no powers, no empathy influencing, no cussing unless it’s in languages they don’t know, and no matter what, you cannot lose your temper,” Jason said as he did the final check over Lilith’s backpack and supplies, he also took away the case file she’s smuggled in her back pack (Lilith had a morbid fascination with his cases, he hid the gruesome ones, but she usually got her sticky little fingers on his quieter ones), and he slipped in Swiss Family Robinson, the original not the abridged version, for her to read when she was bored. He also pulled three of her tactical knives out of hiding and one from her jacket, he replaced it with the socially acceptable mace though he’d rather she’d have the knives.

“I got it daddy, I’ll be good,” she smiled.

Oh he was sure she’d be good, Lilith was like her mother that way. Except she had his mouth and, his temper, and about his level of control on her emotions when she was mad. Also, she had all four of her mother’s eyes when she was pissed or exceedingly happy.

Jason took a moment to take a photo of Lilith:

Seven years old, black hair, a white streak, green-blue-purple eye, ivory skin, freckles, his mouth and cheek bones, Raven’s nose, eyes, chin, and build; wearing her first mini-bomber leather jacket (a gift from Alfred she adored) and prep-school uniform. She was perfect, she was his, and he was trying to figure out when she went from being five pounds and three ounces to seven years old with an angel’s smile in a blink. He helped Lilith with her hair, clumsily pulling it into a ponytail like Artemis had taught him before they were out of his apartment, Lilith was sitting shotgun in his black 67 Corvette singing along with the radio. They pulled up to the school, he got out of the car, and went to get Lilith.

“You made it,” Dick and Roy grinned, Jason chuckled.

“Lilith wouldn’t let us be late for today,” Jason said as he got his daughter’s door and she shyly came out, all earlier glee was gone as she stared around with an indifferent expression and wide eyes. Instantly she grabbed his hand as they walked over to her uncle Dick and uncle Roy.

“Man, she’s gotten big,” Roy said. Lilith was still on the small side for a child, but healthy and that was all that mattered to Jason.

“Lilith! Are you excited for school!?” Mar'i appeared smiling, and Lian was a step behind her.

Slowly Lilith nodded.

“We got her Jaybird,” Lian smiled.

“Come on Lil, it’ll be an adventure!” Mar'i announced. Suddenly Lilith was pressed into his leg, and hugging it.

“Maybe tomorrow, I think today I’ll take her,” Jason decided.

“Kay, later Jaybird!” an inside joke of the Wayne family was what they called everyone, him and all his brothers were ‘something’bird instead of Uncle. Dick was Bigbird, he was Jaybird, Tim was Redbird, and Damian was Babybird (even to his nieces called him babybird).

“I’ll meet you guys for breakfast,” Jason said to his brother and friend.

“Alright,” Dick waved and Roy nodded as they both loaded into their cars. Since Kori’s death and Jade’s disappearance Dick and Roy had gotten to be like brothers. Both had had young daughters to raise and needed help, Bruce offered help, but Jason got it. Being a single dad was the hardest fucking thing, Roy was kind of Dick’s version of what Artemis was for him.

“Kay, come on squirt,” he offered her his hand, and he didn’t feel weird as he saw other parents (or servants, you never knew with Gotham Academy) walking their kids into the building.

“What if they don’t like me, daddy?” Lilith asked in that soft, monotone her mother had had, Jason stopped and knelt in front of her.

“Then they’re idiots, and you can do better,” Jason said. “The world doesn’t need to like you Lilith, only you need to lie you and everything else works out on it’s own; trust me. Besides, I love you, Mommy loves you, your family loves you, and Artemis and Bizarro love you. Who cares about these losers?”

“Kay,” Lilith nodded as she squared her shoulders and looked suspiciously like him about to do something insane or stupid, he just tried not to smile as he walked her to her classroom. She hugged him, he watched her disappear in when her teacher, a Miss O’Malley pulled him aside to talk.

“Mr. Todd-Wayne, we do not normally allow parents to accompany their children,” she started.

“We just moved back from Europe, first day, new school I’m sure she’ll handle it on her own from now on. She’s an independent girl,” Jason stated as he left then. Getting scolded for being an involved parent…

He needed a drink because it was too early to deal with this shit.

Instead he met up with Dick, Roy, and Bruce at a diner as they ordered breakfast. Alfred was in England with family, Damian was attending Berkeley, and everyone else had lives to live.

“Here’s to the first day of school and days without kids,” Roy grinned. Jason chuckled, he knew that they all loved their kids but it was exhausting always parenting and watching over the kids.

Jason was tinkering on the Batwing in the Batcave when he received the call, it was a little past noon when he received the call and he found himself heading for Lilith’s school. He found himself sitting in a familiar office, and Lilith’s wide eyes looking at him over the back of the chair before she spun around and was sitting there.

“Lilith Catherine Todd-Wayne,” he sighed as he sat with her. His daughter now really looked ashamed, all her names used was a fast way to get through to her she was in trouble.

-Lilith, depending on tone was just a scolding.

-Lilith Catherine just meant she was in trouble.

-Lilith Catherine Todd meant she was grounded.

-Lilith Catherine Todd-Wayne had her just asking for the shovel for her to dig her grave (being a smart ass was a trait she got from him and she’d actually asked for a shovel at this point on her name list).

“I’ll take the shovel now daddy,” she muttered.

“Jason Todd?” he turned and looked at an old classmate, Michelle or something, staring at him. “When I saw a Todd-Wayne on the roster I didn’t think she was actually your daughter.”

“Uh… yeah,” he said dumbly which had Lilith glaring at the principle.

“You might not remember me, Rochelle Hemings, we were in class together,” she smiled.

“Right,” he replied.

“I’m surprised to see you back in Gotham, after everything that you lived through, it’s horrible, I see life is treating you alright though,” she said as she walked to her desk.

“Sorry I don’t like dwelling on the past, or talking about it, and I didn’t come here for small talk, I came here because I got a call about my daughter, Lilith, can you fill me in on what she did?” Jason asked as he gently ran a few fingers through Lilith’s tangled hair to reassure her he wasn’t made. Lilith bit her lip as she peeked at him and he smiled slightly. Nothing she ever did would earn his wrath upon her, however, until he knew what happened he couldn’t be proud or disappointed.

“Lilith appears to truly be your daughter, she got in a fight today with a group of fifth graders.

“And why would she do that?” Jason asked as he looked at Lilith who was now clumping up her skirt and muttering her mother’s mantra under her breath to keep calm, but she wouldn’t look at him.

“Lilith hasn’t said,” Rochelle said. “Regardless, the school has a zero tolerance policy and she is suspended for the week.”

“Now hold on,” Jason started.

“I didn’t start it!” Lilith protested.

“It does not matter who started it, the point is, you have sent three fifth graders to the nurses office, the boys will also be receiving a suspension and the school’s insurance will cover the medical cost so Thomas Demmings can have his nose set, properly. Your daughter broke his nose.”

“Really?” he asked with a bit of pride.

“He pulled my hair,” Lilith whispered.

“Mr. Todd! I understand that you were a hoodlum when you went here but that does not mean your daughter is allowed to be one also! You should not be encouraging your hoodlum behavior in your daughter, and you should not be praising her for breaking a child’s nose!” Rochelle started.

“Now hold up. First off, my daughter is not a hoodlum or delinquent, as both would require a skillset she does not possess. Second, just because I was a hoodlum at twelve does not make my daughter one, I grew up, and third, if she was defending herself in a fight I’m going to be proud of her and not scold her,” Jason snapped.

“What would her mother say!?” Rochelle squawked, and Jason saw Lilith’s eyes filling with tears then.

“Her mother would have praised her, and I would advise you not to bring my wife in this,” Jason warned. “We’ll get Lilith’s school assignments and be on our way to suspension,” Jason growled.

“Mr. Todd…”

“You said she’s suspended and as her dad I refuse to have her fall behind on her education,” Jason snapped. Besides, he also had a feeling Lilith was too smart for this school but wanted to prove it. Lilith was up, she grabbed his hand, but he picked her up.

“We’ll be in the front office, get the assignments,” Jason growled as he walked out of the principle’s office. “Kay, demon, what’d you do, who’s ass do I need to kick and what was this about?” he asked.

“Today we were asked what our parents did, I said mommy was an angel and she was watching over me in heaven, Trevor and Trevor’s older brother’s friends said heaven wasn’t real and mommy just left. They pushed me, and you said to never start the fights but always finish them so I finished it,” she whispered.

“Good,” Jason smirked and kissed her temple. “You did good little bird.”

“But… are they right?” Lilith whispered.

“About what?” he asked.

“Mommy not being in heaven, I know she was a demon, so what if…” Lilith started quietly and tears welled in her eye.

“Lilith, your mom was complicated, exceedingly complicated, but she died saving you, and if that doesn’t get her to heaven then God’s an idiot,” Jason murmured. He’d never lied to Lilith about her mother’s death or why her mother was gone.

“Your mom was a queen, if nothing else remember that,” he said.

“Do you miss her?” Lilith asked innocently.

“Every day, but I got you, and she’s looking out for us,” he promised.

“Do you still love her?”

“Yes Lilith,” he nodded slowly.

“Good.”

“Here’s her stuff and her assignments Mr. Todd,” a woman said.

“Thanks,” he took the bag and folder as Lilith just hugged his neck and they walked to the car. Once he had her set up in her seat they went and got ice-cream. And thus, started the nightmares of school. Lilith was not a bad student, far from it, but the ensuing battles to get her to want to go to school would be epic, and would ruin his apartment and take lots of bribery in the coming years. But it was a worry for a different day.

For today he just sat in Gotham Park with Lilith, and ice-cream and told her stories about her mother.

That night he went out as Red Hood as Lilith did homework with Mar'i at the Manor, and ran into a crying Floyd Lawton. It was a dad thing as they both sat on that roof laughing and crying, and bonded over horrible first days of school their daughters had had. Lawton did him a solid then and said there was a hit out on him and Jason just let the hit man be that night. Jason spent the next morning with Lilith doing the week’s assignments, and then he took her to the zoo, that night he systematically tore apart an up and coming gang after him, a cult really, call the Jokers.

The years blurred a bit, but Lilith was ten when she first snuck out with Mar'i (Nightfire) and Lian (Arrow) on a patrol with the Titans. Jason found out when he was with Artemis and Bizarro in the Middle East from Talia who appeared and said she was ‘Proud Her ‘Granddaughter’ Was Following In His Steps’ with a smile. He’d turned on the news and seen Lilith in one of her mother’s cloaks in a fight against a giant of a thug with Kid Flash II, Shifter, Supergirl, Blue Beetle, Aqualad Nightfire and Arrow. Jason promptly flipped out when the news dubbed his daughter Nightingale, he stole a jet and aborted his mission to go retrieve his daughter.

Artemis and Bizarro chased after him, but Jason was not stopping until he was one hundred percent certain his daughter was safe, and sound, and grounded. Then he’d train her for real beyond the teachings of the Amazons.

Mar'i Grayson, Lian Harper, Thomas Logan, Diego Reyes, Wally Allen, Alura Malverne, Jackson Hyde Jr. and Lilith Todd were all shocked to arrive at the Titan’s Tower with him standing there in his Red Hood get up and armed.

“Dad!” Lilith squeaked.

“DAD!?” everyone but Lian and Mar'i shouted at the youngest tag along.

“Uh-huh,” he grounded out.

“We can explain!” the three girls shouted in unison.

“Oh No, Don’t Even Try It. I will be talking with your fathers,” he jabbed his finger at Lian and Mar'i, both girls cringed. “And you are coming with me little demon,” he growled as he grabbed the cloak; relieved to feel it was Kevlar; at least Lilith wasn’t completely idiotic.

“When you said her dad was a Bat you forgot to mention he’s the most terrifying Bat…” Shifter, Thomas Logan whispered.

“Zip it green bean I can and will kick your ass,” Jason snapped.

“Dad!” Lilith protested.

“You are not sweet talking your way out of this twerp, come on, Artemis and Bizarro will be here soon enough,” he growled. Lilith sighed but walked with him, they made it to the San Francisco safe-house where Artemis and Bizarro were both waiting for them.

“I commend you for your first battle,” Artemis stated.

“Thank you,” Lilith looked a bit smug as she dropped her hood.

“But that was idiotic, stupid, and reckless, I expect such idiocy from your father, and we will begin your proper training immediately. When more than dumb luck is on your side then you may join the Titans!” Artemis snapped.

“What!?” Lilith balked.

“Oh no, not just Amazon training, Lilith, you’re going to learn from me too,” Jason warned his daughter.

“This is unfair!” Lilith protested.

“We’re not fair, I’m your dad, and she’s your aunt, and if something happens to you I won’t live with myself, did you think of that!?” he spat out.

“Mom was handling grandfather when she was nine!” Lilith shouted. And That began the first full out war he had with his daughter which had him sleeping restless in his room after Lilith had slammed the door of her room shut. It was around noon when he woke the following day with Lilith sleeping in his bed, stubbornly hugging his arm and drooling on it.

He took a moment just to stare at her, and then pulled her close as he kissed her head.

Fuck! When the hell had she started growing up!? He was so fucking terrified of this day, but there was no stopping it, no avoiding it, she was a Bat and too much like Raven to not join the ‘family business’. However, there was no fucking way he was letting her die in this work. If he couldn’t stop her, he could prepare and arm her for the real fights, because they would come. And with Lilith’s powers he needed her to be prepared. Slowly he released his daughter and pried her off him as he got out of his bed and found Artemis sleeping in the guest room and Bizarro had claimed the couch, a Minion’s blanket was draped over him.

He was leaning on the door arch of Artemis’ room when the Amazon looked at him.

“When she’d start growing up? Yesterday she was a baby, and now…” he dragged his hand through his hair.

“She is like her mother, but she is a lot like you,” Artemis said.

“Nightingale,” he muttered.

“It appears appropriate, her mother was Raven and her father was Robin, and a nightingale is a relative to the robin, I think,” Artemis said.

“Fuck, we gotta train her,” Jason muttered.

“Yes, perhaps we should also speak to the little bird’s grandmother about training her.”

“One, Talia is not my mom, in anyway, and two, fuck no! I’d sooner lock her up in a tower for all the good that’d do,” Jason snapped.

“Very well, then we shall speak to sorcerer friends who can teach her about magic, I will teach her combat, as will you,” Artemis decided.

“Great.” He muttered as he heard Bizarro and Lilith up and about.

“Red Baby and Bizarro hungry,” Bizarro smiled.

“I got it,” Jason smiled. Lilith was no longer glaring at him as she sat on the counter.

“I’m sorry daddy, Arty said I really scared you,” Lilith muttered as he opened the fridge. He turned around and looked at his daughter, her white streak falling in her face as her eyes looked anywhere but him.

“You did, but I’m proud of you too,” he carefully explained. “You’re my baby, Lilith, no parent wants to see their baby in danger.”

“But Gramps let you all be Robin, and Mar'i’s Nightfire…” she started.

“Yeah, I know, but Dick was trained before he started patrolling, I grew up on the streets and was trained, Tim was trained, and you know all about demon spawn’s training. And Mar'i didn’t start Nightfire until she was thirteen and we were all sure she could handle bad guys, she may have inherited all of her mom’s powers, but that doesn’t make her invincible. And you might also possess all your mom’s powers, but Lilith, Raven worked really hard never to lose control of her powers. I’m not mad because I don’t believe in you, I’m mad because I don’t think you’re fully prepared for this, but we’re going to train if you really want to do this,” Jason promised and ruffled his daughter’s hair.

“We will train you to be smarter than your father,” Artemis smiled.

“Now you’re just being mean,” he muttered and started on making waffles, but Lilith smiled. He hoped Raven was alright with him training their daughter.

Training started on Thymiscira, for real, it wasn’t just learning to control her emotions, it was keeping those in check as she fought. Artemis was a ruthless teacher, but Lilith was enough like him that she learned best on the go rather than from demonstration. Jason taught her extensive close quarters combat, he was relentless about it and Lilith picked it up like it was breathing, he also made her a marksman, even if she never used a gun she’d sure as fuck know how to use it. Dr. Fate, Constantine, and Constantine’s grandson; Gabriel Michel Constantine (a.k.a. the nutter, idiot, bastard, asshole, fucker, wanker, and many other names from Lilith depending on how Gabriel irritated her), were called in to teach Lilith magic. Bruce had also gotten involved, as did the rest of his siblings and Mar'i (who started training with the Amazons also). Dick taught Lilith to be acrobatic, flight was good, but true acrobatics would be useful. Tim taught Lilith to be precise in her fighting, and to be ahead of everyone. Damian had taken to teaching Lilith the sword, she picked that up quick too. And Bruce was her mentor in being a detective and criminology.

Jason watched her closely through her training, Lilith became more like her mother as she learned. Lilith was calm, she was centered, she was distant, she was friendly, and she was powerful. The full extent of her powers was unknown, but she was powerful.

Jason was called off on a mission when Lilith was about fourteen, he kissed her brow as she promised she could handle a weekend home alone without trouble. He trusted her, but just in case he called Dick’s fiancé, Barbara and asked her to keep tabs on Lilith and possibly Nightingale, he’d also arranged Dick to come by in the morning one day, and Alfred the evening another. He wasn’t an idiot, he was her father, and he’d pulled the same shit at her age. His only goal was for her not to die like he had.

What he never expected was on this job for Rose Wilson to have the same job he had.

Yeah, that was a real kick to the balls, especially with her knife to his throat and his gun to her head. Yup, that was their relationship, even before he’d been married to Raven. And the kiss was what had complicated said relationship. Which was why Rose and he had ended up in a room in some ratty hotel in Marrakesh, clothes scattered and afternoon raging strongly when he finally got up and started getting dressed. Rose stirred behind him, he rubbed his ring lightly and closed his eyes.

“Hey, you weren’t leaving,” she murmured as she slid up behind him and kissed his shoulder.

“Yeah, I’ve got to call Lilith,” he said glancing at the time and noting it was time for the morning call, it was a thing with them, a call in the morning and one in the evening; and Lilith had started it when she was a toddler, she also was the one to continue it.

“Lilith?”

“My daughter, Rose,” he said dryly as he pulled on his pants and looped his belt again.

“I didn’t know you had a daughter,” she smiled.

“Yeah, she’s fourteen,” Jason smiled a bit, and looked at his wedding ring.

“So is the ring just for show or is there really a Mrs. Todd?” Rose asked warily.

“There was, once, she… she died,” he replied as he felt the bitter pain of losing Raven slice through him again. “I married Raven,” he chuckled.

“Really?” she smiled slightly but then looked forlornly at him. “I heard about her death, I wasn’t aware you two had…” she started and trailed off.

“She died when Lilith was born,” he said calmly. “And we were quiet about our marriage, Raven was never showy and I don’t know, it was just, natural, quiet but natural.”

“I’m sorry for your loss Jason,” Rose murmured.

“Thanks,” he yanked his shirt over his head when his phone rang.

“And you’d be doing me a favor if you stayed out of sight,” Jason said honestly as he walked out on the balcony and answered the facetime.

“Hey little bird, how goes it?” he smiled.

“Bigbird can’t cook waffles!” Lilith announced as she pulled a face, and he laughed. “He follows Kori’s recipe…”

“Well, your aunt Kori was never a cook,” he laughed.

“Right, how goes the job daddy?” Lilith asked.

“It’s going, how goes training?” he asked.

“I have training with Fate, Constantine, and the nutter, Arty also is taking me flying and Mar'i and I are going to the movies to see that new Marvel thing with Lian, Uncle Red’s bringing her this afternoon,” Lilith giggled.

“That’s good, you being good for Gramps and everyone?” he asked. Lilith might be her mother’s daughter, however it appeared she had his affinity for trouble, both creating it and finding it.

“Yeah, oh! Al’s gonna teach me that recipe tonight, you know the was with sauce and the peppers!?” she asked eagerly. He chuckled.

“The white sauce?” he asked.

“Yeah! And the chicken, with a side dish, he says I must have gotten cooking from you because Mom couldn’t cook,” she chuckled.

“No one said your mom was perfect,” he mused.

“Where are you?” Lilith asked.

“Marrakesh,” he answered.

“I’m looking it up,” Lilith said, Jason looked over at Rose who was getting up and gestured to the phone and her stomach, he shrugged and she nodded as she picked up the line.

“Got it, oh, it’s pretty,” Lilith said.

“And old,” he said.

“What sort of magic is there? Oh wow!”

“What do you want me to bring back for you?” he asked.

“Um… can I tell you tonight?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’ll call you before I leave, be good sunshine.”

“I’m always good daddy,” she smiled.

“You’re my kid, you’re trouble,” he laughed. She balked then giggled.

“Love you daddy, see you when you come back,” she said.

“Love you too, sunshine,” he ended the call as room service was delivered. Rose sat on the bed in a robe and smiled.

“She sounds like a good kid,” Rose said.

“Uh-huh,” he nodded as he looked over what Rose had ordered before sitting with her.

“What does she look like?” Rose asked.

“Well…” he pulled a photo he’d gotten of his photo shy daughter wearing her latest leather jacket, combat boots, jeans and a Red Hood t-shirt Damian had gotten her. Her hair was still inky black, her white streak a fashion statement, and her face was looking like her mother’s she definitely had his mouth and cheekbones though. Her eyes had defined more, there was a ring of green in them but they were prominently blue and purple. He handed the phone to Rose who stared at the photo long and hard and smiled.

“She’s gorgeous Jay, she looks like Raven,” Rose chuckled. “She has your mouth though.”

“Oh, you have no idea,” he groaned in exasperation. He’d managed to curb most his swearing around Lilith as a baby but it seemed too late, Lilith had his mouth and had made even Constantine and his grandson blush with one of her swearing rants.

“What’s that mean?”

“Her first word was fuck,” he laughed. Rose laughed too, and Jason found himself regaling an old friend with tales of his daughter’s antics. It was nice, but Jason couldn’t shake the weighing guilt about having actually slept with Rose.

Good Fucking God Did He Miss His Wife!

By the evening Rose was geared up, as was he, he called Lilith again, learned she wanted a magic book, he promised to find it then he went off to work. He came home a week later, book in hand and a daughter smiling as she opened the door and announced she was a perfect angel while he was gone.

That evening he learned from Artemis she’d blasted Gabriel for a prank he had pulled on her and landed the poor kid in Gotham River with Lilith walking away. Jason was just glad dating was not on the list of things he had to worry about yet, because Lilith had also had the same thrilled response to being asked out by one Jackson Hyde Jr. last month. She’d also blasted Alura when Alura had tried to ask her out.

Lilith was fifteen when she made an official debute in the hero world as Nightingale, and it was unintentional. A daughter of Joker’s attacked him, Lu-Lu-Lucy wanted revenge for the death of her father. Apparently she’d spent years plotting her revenge, Jason just laughed as he swung chained and upside down and promised Lucy that the Joker didn’t give a fuck about her.

Jason had expected Bruce to coordinate his rescue with Damian or Tim, he did not expect his daughter to materialize from the shadows, looking like her mother, her eyes glowing bright and all her contained emotions boiling. The battle was not something Gotham would ever forget, especially the post on YouTube of Nightingale standing over a writhing, screaming Lucy in Gotham Park.

“If You Ever Come After My Dad Again I Will Kill You,” Nightingale stated monotonously.

That video went viral as the world confirmed that Red Hood did have a daughter, and she was ‘Just As Dangerous As Her Dad’. The world also dubbed her the next Raven, however, Lilith didn’t care as she sat with him in the Batcave.

“You’re losing a step, old man, if a Looney Lucy could catch you,” she muttered when he came to. Jason just sighed, pulled her close as he kissed her head and told her she could join the Titans. She said she was staying a Bat, and working with him until he was better. He just wondered how it was that he had a daughter like her, what the hell had he ever done right to get her?

It was a thought he had as he watched her playing with Mar'i and Lian on the Wayne property.

“You and Master Dick have blessed me,” Alfred said.

“Huh?” he turned to Alfred.

“You gave me a sight I never thought I would see,” Alfred admitted. “Great grandchildren.”

“Thanks Al,” he smiled.

“She is a strong girl, Master Jason, you must be proud.

“I have no fucking clue what I did to get her,” Jason admitted. He’d felt the same way about Raven when Raven and he had become an official couple. He’d felt really confounded when Raven had said yes to marrying him, and he had only felt determined when Raven had appeared in white the day they had gotten married.

“She is a little angel,” Alfred agreed.

Jason let out a laugh and sighed.

“Just call her what she is, a demon, Al,” he laughed. “She’s hell on wheels, God help the villains of this world should she ever be pissed.”

“Agreed, she is her father’s daughter with her mother’s attitude,” Alfred wisely stated as they both looked at Lilith settle in the sun and grass and start reading a book.

He enjoyed his time at the Manor again, even when Artemis showed up and scolded him ruthlessly for letting his guard down, Bizarro just gave him the big puppy eyes which had Jason feeling guilty. Lilith stated he should feel guilty, he’d scared them all. Jason just surrendered and avowed he’d never be that stupid again.

It was maybe a month after he’d healed and was living alone in his apartment while Lilith lived with the Titans for a bit that he got a call from Dick who was panicking. Which lead to Jason, Roy, Tim and Damian being dragged to San Francisco and staking out the Titans.

“You do realize your daughter is twenty, right Nightwing?” Jason asked as he sat overwatch with Dick.

“Yeah, but…”

“Twenty! And Arsenal, you’re kid’s twenty-two! Aren’t you both a bit out of the age range for worrying?” Jason snapped in the comms.

“Nonsense. We’re dads, we never cease to worry,” Dick counter. Jason rolled his eyes.

“I am now very pleased Spoiler stayed home,” Tim muttered.

“Shut up, Spoiler’s a pro at this pregnancy, honestly, Star was blasting me every five minutes or crying,” Dick snapped.

“Cheshire threw things at me, or cried,” Roy pointed out.

“Hood?” everyone prompted.

“Aren’t we spying on your two idiots’ daughters!?” Jason snapped.

“Actually, just Nightwing’s, but now that I see my daughter with Green Arrow’s son…” Roy growled. Jason was really glad Lilith had Raven’s interest in dating at fifteen (none).

“The kid is nothing like Green Arrow,” Dick pointed out.

“NOT THE POINT!” Roy growled.

“Both of you shut up, focus,” Jason snapped. Fucking batshit batty dads! If he ever went this crazy Artemis was allowed to punch him around the world. Jason frowned seeing Mar'i walking out on the arm of Clark’s third son, Jordan Thomas Kent smiling as they kissed. Dick growled.

“Get over it,” Jason snapped.

“I can’t wait for Nightingale to start dating and see how you handle it.” Dick spat at him.

“See, I don’t have to do that, Nightingale is like me and her mother, and isn’t boy crazy!” Jason pointed out maliciously. Besides, he doubted Lilith would waste her time on an idiot like Thomas Logan or Jordan. Lilith was smart, and he had confirmed her interested in guys, just not interested in dating.

“Strive to be more like Hood!” Damian’s voice snapped over the comms.

“Wow, I never thought I’d hear that from the demon spawn,” Jason said.

“Neither did I,” Dick omitted. Jason sniggered then, oh boy, Damian was never living this down! EVER!

“I hate you all,” the new Batman snapped, Jason laughed all out then, it couldn’t be helped. Lilith materialized behind him and hugged him.

“Hey daddy! Who you and bigbird spying on!?” she asked as she looked over her shoulder.

“Dickhead is spying on Nightstar,” Jason answered.

“How’d you know we were here!?” Nightwing balked. Lilith and he gave Dick a level blank stare then. “Oh right, empathy, you are too much like your mother for our good.”

“I take that as a compliment,” Lilith decided.

“On a scale of one to ten how serious is the Nightfire and Superbrat dating?” Nightwing asked.

“About a six and a half right now, steadily moving to seven unless Superidiot does something stupid like his brothers,” Lilith answered as she tugged at her cloak.

“Fuck!” Dick hissed.

“Language!” Jason and Lilith sang as they both looked over the city.

“That’s rich coming from the two of you,” Tim stated in the comms.

“Hey!” they both protested, but Jason had to agree.

“When’s Arty coming for training again?” Lilith asked as she floated there in a meditative stated.

“Dunno, Arty has a life outside of us, you know that, right?” he asked his teenager.

“I know, but there’s this chick at the Tower Bats 1 said was okay and she’s not as fun to train with as Arty,” Lilith said.

“And what’s the name of this person who dare to bore my daughter?” he asked dryly as he continued surveilling Mar'i.

“Ravager,” she answered and he stiffened slightly. His wedding band now felt heavy and constricting, and he was a bit angry hearing Rose was here without telling him. “She’s not bad, but I don’t know, I like training with Arty better.”

“Huh, we’ll haven’t you just tried calling Artemis?” he asked.

“No, I was afraid she was busy,” Lilith admitted.

“Arty always answers your calls,” Jason and Dick said in unison.

“Love you dad, good luck spying on Nightfire, she told me to tell you to knock it off by the way,” Lilith said as she stood, and Jason laughed. Dick gawked like a fish out of water and Lilith smiled as she walked into the shadows and disappeared.

“That’s cheating,” Dick hissed.

“Whatever, you heard the kid, let’s move out, and I’m sure Red’s anxious to be home with Spoiler,” Jason said as he stood up. Stephanie and Tim were engaged, their wedding was coming after the birth of their child, Tim wanted a son, Stephanie wanted a daughter. It’d been an argument since Stephanie had announced she was pregnant in front of the entire family. Jason however was planning to be coming back here for a little heart to heart with Rose and warning Rose off whatever mission she was on.

The chance to talk to Rose presented itself when he got a call about Lilith being in the hospital, she’d been struck by a vehical according to the civilian report. According to her uncle Victor she’d been attacked by what appeared to be Trigon minions. Jason was at the hospital as fast as he could get there and sitting with Victor in Lilith’s hospital room when Rose appeared.

Jason dragged Rose away from his comatose daughter and ended up in the cafeteria.

“I don’t know what you’re up to but if you mess with my daughter Rose there is no measure to the wrath I will rain down upon you,” Jason warned coldly.

“I didn’t come here for her,” Rose snapped. He lifted a brow.

“Alright, completely for her. I was offered a job, a contract, by one Sebastian Blood, he wanted me to kidnap Lilith; specifically he wanted me to kidnap ‘Raven’s daughter’. I’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you for a month! In the mean time I thought if I was close to keep an eye on her…” Rose trailed off.

“Sebastian Blood?” Jason growled lowly.

“Yes,” Rose nodded.

“The same fucker who tried to marry my wife?” Jason snarled.

“One in the same, he wants to marry Lilith now and use her for the vessel of greatness Trigon promised them,” Rose said slowly.

“Oh Fuck No!” Jason roared. “When she’s all better Blood is dying! My daughter is off limits!” he snarled as he stalked back to the hospital room where Lilith was healing. The good thing about her being a quarter demon and having her mother’s powers was she healed like her mother too. Quickly.

Lilith woke three days after her attempted murder, not happy, and in pain, after he had managed to calm his daughter down; luckily before her powers and emotions started breaking things he talked to her calmly. Explained why Rose had been there and asked her if she wanted him to read to her. Lilith had nodded and he started reading the book off her nightstand, Emma. Jason had several nurses swooning reading the book to his daughter but he didn’t care about them.

When Lilith was moved to the Tower in perfect health (the doctor praising it to be a miracle, Jason just thanking Raven’s demon physiology on saving Lilith) he told her he had a job and would be gone for a bit. When he returned though, they were going to the movies and having a father-daughter day.

He found Blood in Phoenix, Arizona hiding in the center of his cult. There was no holding back as Jason tore the cult apart and got to the leader, killing the fucker with the simple warning that his daughter was off limits.

Jason returned before the winter solstice, Lilith’s birthday was the winter solstice like her mother’s had been the summer solstice. They ended up going to three action movies, 5A5 Steak Lounge, and ice cream for her sixteenth birthday.

“Think mom would be proud of me?” Lilith asked as she munch on the cookie-dough Blizzard she’d ordered from Dairy Queen.

“Yeah,” he answered as he sipped his milk shake; yeah, it was fucking December, on the docks, by the bay, in freezing weather and he was eating ice cream with his daughter. In-fucking-sanity! He was freezing! But this was worth it.

“I know I never knew her, but I miss her,” Lilith said softly. Jason stopped as he stared down at his daughter.

“I do to,” he replied.

“You know, when I used to be mad at you I would sit in my room, and pretend I had a mom, pretend she’d have all the right things to say, and she’d do my hair properly, not like you did, and she’d be… my mom,” Lilith shrugged.

“She would have adored being your mom,” Jason smirked.

“Really?”

“Yeah, but you might have always had short hair, kid, Raven didn’t play hair or dress up,” he chuckled.

“Rats,” Lilith mused. “You’re the best dad ever,” Lilith decide and he wrapped his arm around her as he pulled her close. This was his kid, his fucking kid, and she was perfect, there was nothing better in his life, Lilith was perfect.

“What brought this on, squirt?” he asked.

“I was just… I met that demon and he said how his father would be most pleased…” Lilith said.

“Uh-huh, pleased about what?” Jason prompted.

“You know how you talk about the Pit being in your head?” she asked uncertainly.

“Yeah.”

“Well, it was like that, but this voice… it wasn’t a part of me, it was so angry and hateful and demanding I do things that weren’t… me,” Lilith admitted. “Then there was a calm voice in my head, and I don’t… this wave of power?... and it knocked me back, it came from here,” she gestured to her chest.

“Your soul form?” he suggested.

“No, mine’s a nightingale, hence… Nightingale, but the calm voice… I think it was mom’s, I swear I hear ‘you’ll never touch my daughter’ as the blackness emerged when the demon lunged for me, it was a raven,” she said.

“A raven?” he asked, his voice tight.

“Yeah, think…”

“Lilith, your mom was… amazing, if you say it was a raven, then I can fully believe that it’s Raven looking out for you, your mom was capable of so much…” Jason shook his head. “If she could defend you from beyond the grave, then she’d do it.”

“You think?”

“I know,” he countered. “She loved you so much, sunshine, so much, just as much as I love you, and she’d have done whatever was needed to keep you safe.”

“I miss her dad,” Lilith whispered as she hugged his waist.

“Me too, kiddo, me too,” he promised.

It was late at night, after Lilith was sound asleep that Jason walked through the Tower. He found Victor’s wall of the fallen, stuffing his hands in his pockets he slowly walked down it as he looked for Raven’s picture and paused when he reached it.

It was a picture of their wedding day, she was dressed in something simple and white, black pearls from Bruce as his truce were around her neck and she was smiling her ghost smile. Jason had this picture tucked in his jacket, however the other picture he had tucked away for the just him moments was his favorite. Raven straddling his bike wearing jeans, boots, his red t-shirt, and his favorite leather jacket reading The Odyssey.

Jason just stood there for a long time staring at the photo.

“Do you miss me as much as I miss you?” he whispered to her photo. “Sixteen years later and some days I have to remind myself to breath I miss you so fucking much. Why’d you of all the fucking people in this wretched world have to go?

“You should be here, with Lilith and I, you’d probably know what to do, what to say, how to help her, because I have no clue what I’m doing Raven. None,” he looked down. “She’s all you, she’s got my mouth and probably picked up my surly attitude but she’s all you. I don’t know how I’ve gotten this far without eternally fucking her up or damning her to hell, but I think that’s you.

“I just wish you were here to see her, Raven. She loves cars, motorcycles, planes, she’s Artemis’ favorite, she’s advanced her magic and honed her criminology skills, she’s an amazing acrobat, a marksman, and the best fighter I’ve seen of her generation, and yeah, I’m a bit biased, I’m her dad. She’s smart, Raven, really fucking smart, and she’s amazing.

“And you should be here with us,” he muttered. He felt it then, it felt like something warm and cool wrapping around him and he closed his eyes as he remembered for a moment how it felt to have Raven with him. beside him, around him, near him, where she belonged.

‘I’m still with you,’ a smoky, flat voice whispered in his heart and his eyes snapped open as he found himself standing alone again. Tiredly he sighed and walked back to room which had once been Raven’s, a room he’d used to try to break into. Stripping he fell on her bed in nothing but sweats as he looked at his ring.

“I still love you, Raven,” he murmured and let the sleep which normally eluded him drag him under.

Tomorrow he had to get up and make waffles for his daughter.

Tonight he was a tired, broken hearted man who missed his wife.

And Jason found he could live with that. He could continue living like this because Raven would want him to live and be here for their daughter.

So Jason would wake up in the fucking morning after a heavenly dream which would break his heart, and he’d smile for Lilith and make her waffles.

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ladyfogg · 7 years

Text

China Shop

Fic Summary: John visits you at work hoping for a little information, and perhaps some special attention. Constantine Oneshot Masterpost.

A/N: It’s been a really long time and it feels good to be writing again. This one came to me out of the blue and I ended up writing the whole first draft in like, two hours. So, yay me! Fic Song.

Fic Rating: NC-17

Fic Pairing: John Constantine/Female Reader

Fic Warnings: Language & Smut

The air is thick with the scent of smoke, musk, and alcohol. Lights are dim and the slow sensual music sets the mood. Nearly every seat is filled with someone: a demon here, a sorceress there, the occasional vampire or human…

At least, that’s what you can gather from your spot onstage. As you swing your hips and twirl around the pole, you get a better view of the room. A familiar face catches your attention, though you’re too professional to let it throw you off. You don’t remember seeing him arrive, and yet there he is. Really, you shouldn’t be so surprised.

John Constantine always pops up when you least expect him.

He leans back in his seat, surveying you with those watchful eyes. A nearly finished cigarette dangles from his lips, which are turned up at the corners, fixing you with his ever present smirk.

Focusing back on the task at hand, you make your way around the stage, giving each patron their own small show. John’s is the only regular you recognize. Their cash either falls at your feet or is tucked into your g-string, when you get close enough to let them that is. Of course then you have to coyly dance away from those looking to cop a feel. When you get to John, he removes his cigarette briefly to exhale smoke, before slipping it back in.

You crawl toward him, breasts barely contained by your too small bra.

John’s smirk widens and you bite your lip, raising your eyebrow questioningly. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a twenty, offering it to you. Really? A twenty? That’s laughable. You give him a pointed look, but then he fans the bill ever so slightly and now you see two more twenties with it.

Throwing him a wink, you take the cash between your teeth, gently pulling it out of his hand as you sit back on your heels. Gaze firmly fixated on his, you tuck the money into the small pocket in your bra as you carefully slide off the stage. Other patrons hiss and make noises of disappointment at the show’s abrupt end, which you ignore in favor of taking John’s offered hand.

With a sultry smile and promising hip sway, you lead him through the throngs of people, to the private rooms in the back. He slips past you into the tiny booth and you turn to close the curtain, taking a quick look to make sure no one is watching or following. Only a security guard takes notice, though he doesn’t seem particularly interested.

Once you draw the curtains, you glance over your shoulder at John. “Wasn’t expecting you tonight, sweets,” you drawl, slowly turning around. He’s closer than you anticipate and you have to stop short so you don’t collide with him. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Oh trust me, love. The pleasure is all mine,” John smirks. He removes his cigarette and puts it out in the nearby ashtray.

As he reaches to touch you, you place a hand on his chest and shove him so he’s sitting down. “Cameras, lovely,” you say, reaching behind you to undo the clasp of your bra. The strip of fabric falls to the floor. “No audio, but plenty of visuals.”

John gives a nod of understanding, chancing a quick glance around. You see him note where the cameras are before his attention returns to you. “How’ve you been, love?”

“Oh, you know me,” you grin, slowly swaying to the music. “What can I do for you then? You only pay for a private dance when you want something.”

“As much as I would love for this to be a social visit, sadly I am on a case,” John says, watching every movement. You step in a little closer so he’s forced to crane his neck up to look at you. “Got a few questions I’m hoping you can answer.”

“Ask away,” you say, straddling his lap, your knees pressing into the soft cushions. You can feel the heat from his skin through the thin cotton of his pants and it’s tantalizing. It conjures all sorts of memories from your past exploits.

“Looking for a bloke who comes here often,” John says. He lean back to enjoy the sight of your rolling hips. “Little blighter by the name of Anton.”

“Why? Did he cross you?” you ask.

John chuckles. “Something like that,” he says. “Had a run in a few years ago and he may know where I can find his former boss. Didn’t properly scare him off last time, so it seems he’s still skulking about.”

“Well that’s too bad,” you lament, drawing in closer. You nearly press your chest to his, but then his warm hands are slowly trailing up your thighs and you have to knock them away. “No touching, remember? Not here.”

“Sorry, love,” John grins. “Force of habit. It’s so hard not to.”

It’s your turn to laugh slightly, getting off his lap, only to turn and roll your hips backwards, taunting him. You swear you hear a sharp inhale. “Is it, Johnny?” you tease. “Is it hard?”

“Getting harder by the second. Maybe I can show you later when you get off work,” is his gruff response.

“Maybe,” you say. “So, what’s this Anton look like?”

“I’ve got a picture on my phone—”

Hearing the rustling of his pants, you turn back around and straddle his lap again. “Don’t take the phone out,” you hiss in a low voice. “Cameras, John. If they know I’m feeding you information, they’ll kill us both.”

John sighs. “You need to find a new club, love,” he says.

“Not what we’re discussing,” you remind him, placing your hands on the wall behind his head, effectively trapping his body with yours. “Describe the guy.”

“Thin, messy hair, bug eyes, twitchy,” John lists.

“That’s nearly everyone who looks humanoid,” you say.

“He’s a soul broker,” John says, though he’s become distracted by the sight of your breasts which are currently eye-level. He follows their bounce as if hypnotized. “I suspect he’s on the run from the man downstairs after he broke a contract.”

Now that does ring a bell. You vaguely recall hearing him talk to some of the other patrons about it, trying to find someone interested in hiring him so he could get back into the First’s good graces. “Oh yeah, I’ve seen him,” you say, leaning down so your forehead brushes John’s. Without warning you briefly grind down on his lap, making him gasp. His hips buck, seeking more friction, but you’re already gone, sitting up straight and raising your arms over your head. “Actually, he should be coming in soon. Want me to lure him outside for you?”

“Could you?” John asks. You see him grip the seat to keep from grabbing you like he so desperately wants. “Really need that information from him.”

“Sure thing,” you purr, spinning quickly so you can brush the front of his black pants with your backside. You glance over your shoulder to watch the expression on his face. His pupils are blown wide and his tongue darts out to wet his dry lips. “It’s going to cost you of course.”

“I thought that’s what this dance was for,” John teases.

You chuckle. “Conspiracy to interrogate a customer isn’t included,” you tell him.

“Bollocks. You’re gonna drain me dry, you are.”

You turn back to face him, this time getting closer than you’ve gotten all night. His breath practically tickles your lips as you lean in. “That’s the plan, Johnny,” you whisper. “Also, wouldn’t be the first time. Come home with me after the job and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

John’s smirk is back and he wiggles his eyebrows. “Guess that’s a ‘yes’ instead of just a maybe? I’d be a bloody lunatic to say no,” he says.

“Yes, yes you would,” you agree. “So, I’ll dance for this Anton, ask him to meet me out back, and when he shows up you do your thing. Seems straightforward.”

“You should know by now, love,” John says. “Nothing I do is ever ‘straight’.”

Laughing, you slink off his lap and extend your hand to help him to his feet. “Likewise, Johnny,” you say. “Likewise.”

Luring Anton is way easier than it probably should have been. The scrawny man is practically drooling by the time you whisper in his ear and you swear he’s going to cream himself right then. He doesn’t (you hope) and you saunter away, catching John’s eye from across the room. He throws you a wink and slips out through one of the side doors.

Once your shift is over, you head backstage to get dressed and count your tips. It takes you a while to gather yourself, so by the time you leave, it’s extremely late. Anton is waiting exactly where you told him to, and you almost feel sorry for the bastard.

Stalking towards him, you smile. “Hey there, handsome,” you say.

“Hey,” Anton says excitedly. “So we gonna do this here? I think the alley’s pretty empty. We may want to go around the corner so no one can see. How much do you want?”

You shove your hands into the pockets of your jacket, cocking your head to the side. “Oh, you poor sap,” you say, shaking your head. “I’m sort of sorry about this.”

Anton’s eyes widen and he spins around just as John shows himself. “Hello, Anton,” he grins around a fresh cigarette. “Been a long time.”

Anton turns back to you, anger in his eyes. “You, bitch!” he snaps, and takes a swing.

Without so much as blinking, you dodge it, hands still in your pockets. “John, did you see that?” you say, eyes never leaving Anton’s face. “I think he just tried to assault me.”

Anton’s anger fades and he suddenly looks terrified, as if he just realizes the mistake he’s made. His eyes dart around the alley, looking for any means of escape and unfortunately finding none.

“That he did, love,” John says. “Really stupid idea if you ask me. And a surprising move. You must have grown some stones since the last time I saw you. Wouldn’t peg you for someone to try to take a swing, especially at a woman.”

It’s comical how quickly Anton goes down when you sink your fist into his jaw. It’s even funnier when your knee breaks his nose and he collapses in a heap on the ground. Grabbing him by the hair, you hold him up as John casually strolls forward, sending cigarette ash on the pavement with a flick of his wrist.

“What do you want from me?” Anton asks, whimpering as blood runs out of his nose. “I already did what you asked. I ate that contract.”

“That was three years ago, mate,” John says. “Water under the bridge. I do need some information from you though.”

“I don’t know anything!” Anton immediately denies, shaking his head as much as you’ll let him. Your nails are digging into his scalp and you flex your fingers threatening. He whimpers louder. “I swear I don’t!”

John laughs as he squats down to be face-to-face. “I haven’t even asked any questions, Anton,” he says. “Which leads me to believe you’re already lying to me.” He puts the cigarette back into his mouth. “Where’s Midnite? How did he contact you for a deal?”

“I don’t remember! That was years ago!” Anton babbles. “And I’m sure as hell not in touch with him. Not after you blew my deal! No one will do business with me anymore!”

“Oh boo hoo,” you mock. “Poor soul broker can’t take advantage of desperate people anymore. What a shame.”

“Says the stripper...” Anton mutters.

Anger flaring, you kneel down, grabbing his wrist with your free hand and twisting it behind his back. “Don’t you ever compare yourself to me!” you snap. “People know what they’re getting into when they watch me dance. You prey on people who are waiting for a miracle. People who don’t understand just what selling their souls mean. Because of you, they’re ripped away from their lives and sent down to hell.”

“Listen, Anton,” John snaps, grabbing the front of the man’s shirt and forcing him to look at him. “Answer my bloody questions and I won’t have my friend remove your entrails. I’ve seen her do it before. She’s lured many a men to their deaths.”

“W-What do you mean?”

“It used to be my thing,” you tell him. “Granted, they all deserved it one way or another. It’s amazing what you can do with a melodic voice and swaying hips.”

“S-She’s a S-Siren?” Anton asks fearfully.

“Ex-Siren,” you say, with a shrug. “See, Johnny here helped me escape that life. So I owe him pretty big. Especially after we had that amazing weekend together.”

“And a fair few since then.”

“Very true,” you say. You dig your nails harder into Anton’s head. “Although I may not be in that life anymore, every now and then, Anton, I get that urge—”

“Alright, alright!” Anton squeaks. “I-I-I really don’t know where Midnite is. No one has seen him in a long time. I tried to reach out hoping to beg for another job but haven’t heard anything. He gave me a burner phone eons ago that I kept just in case. But that’s all I know. I swear!”

“Where’s the phone?” John demands.

“In my pocket!” Anton exclaims.

John digs his hands into the pockets of the dirty jacket, drawing out a phone and some more cash. He tucks both into his trench coat and gives Anton a wide grin, letting smoke blow into his face. “Good boy,” he says, patting his cheek.

You slowly release Anton and just when the soul broker relaxes, you punch him hard enough to knock him out. Getting to your feet, you smile at John. “Got everything you needed?” you ask.

“And then some,” John comments, patting his pocket where the money is. He stands with a slight groan, dropping his cigarette on the ground and crushing it with his shoe. “Hungry, love? My treat.”

“Save your money. I’ve got food at home,” you say, linking your arm with his as you step over Anton’s unconscious frame. “Let’s go. I’ve got a large apartment and a brand new shower I want to show you.”

“I am all yours, love,” John says, drawing you closer.

You live quite a ways away from the club, but you don’t mind the drive this time. John can’t seem to stop grinning, regaling you with tales of his recent exploits. There’s that familiar energy in the air, the kind that lets you know you’re about to have an evening of fun.

John lets out a low whistle when he sees your place. “Just how much are you making at that club?” he asks as you drag him towards the bathroom.

“Enough,” you say. “Come on. I want to see you naked and covered with soap.”

Chuckling at your enthusiasm, John hangs back for a second, giving your hand a squeeze. “Hold on, love. Let me just call Chas real quick so he knows I’ve got the info.”

“Suit yourself,” you say, letting go of his hand and removing your jacket. It falls to the floor while you kick out of your shoes. “I’ll just start without you then.”

Clothes are stripped off and forgotten as you start the shower. The hot water feels spectacular and you take a few minutes to just stand under the spray, letting the sweat and smell of that place wash away. John’s right, you should find another club. Maybe one closer to home so you don’t have to drive across town in the dead of night. Enjoying the peace and quiet for a moment, you hum softly to yourself as you wash your hair. Eventually the humming turns into soft singing as you rinse away the suds.

The door to the bathroom opens and you glance through the glass doors as John’s warped figure makes its way towards you. Smirking to yourself, you’re pleased that your songs still call him, even if he doesn’t realize it. He wastes no time removing his clothes and slipping into the shower. Now that you’re not at work, his hands immediately reach out to slide around you, pulling your back flush against his chest.

“Bloody hell, you feel marvelous,” he coos in your ear, nuzzling your neck.

You slide a hand in his hair and turn your face to capture his lips. He tastes of cigarettes per usual, and it takes some getting used to. But his quick tongue stroking yours more than makes up for it, as do his hands as they slide up to cup your breasts. Breaking the kiss, you present your neck to him while passing the bar of soap across yourself.

He rubs the suds into a rich lather, fingers tweaking and tugging your nipples into hard nubs. You place the soap on the shelf, before covering his hands with your own to help. His mouth has found your neck and he laps away the water, one of his hands dropping between your legs.

Gasping at the touch, you grind back against him, feeling the weight of his cock pressing into the back of your thigh. Two fingers spread your slit open so a third can teasingly press inside. Instantly your knees buckle and you have to grip the shelf to keep yourself from falling. He fingers you with practiced ease, occasionally pressing down on your clit. Soon, the wetness between your thighs isn't just from the shower.

“Always so maddening when I can’t touch you proper,” John grunts.

“That’s the point,” you smirk. Turning to face him, you fling your arms around his neck, pushing until his back is pressed against the wall. “But we’re not at work anymore. You can touch me all you want. You can even fuck me. Which I highly suggest you do right this second.”

“Don’t want to play a bit first?” John teases.

“Nope, did that already,” you say. You lift your foot onto the ledge of the tub, pressing your pelvis to his. His cock jumps and brushes your folds, forcing you to bite back a whimper. “We’ll have plenty of time to play later.”

John kisses you roughly, both hands reaching down to grab your ass. Every nerve is on fire and you're so ready to let it consume you. He grinds himself between your legs vigorously, seeking the friction you so brutally denied him earlier. Suddenly, you find your roles reversed and you’re the one against the wall.

It's always such a fun game. You love how you both try to wrestle dominance from the other, pushing the other until they submit. Which never takes long, because you both enjoy it way too much.

John grips your thighs and you follow through, lifting your legs to wrap around his waist. He works his cock into you with small, careful thrusts, shifting to make sure he doesn’t slip.

Gradually you feel him fill you and it’s deliciously torturous. Your hand tangles in his wet hair as you smash your mouth to his. Tongues dancing, your bodies rock together as he starts to thrust. The weight of his body against yours makes your skin tingle, especially when those firm hands grab your hips. He withdraws a bit, only to bury himself all the way. You moan loudly, head thrown back.

John takes you against the tile, each thrust deep and oh so satisfying. But you know he can’t hold you up for very long, so before he drops you, you lower your legs to stand. The loss of him is sad, but immediately remedied when he spins you around. You bend over slightly, hands resting on the wall as John grips your waist again. He practically slams himself into you, hips making a loud slap. Water is pouring over both of you, making your movements slick and fluid.

You can’t stop your noises as John fucks you from behind. He’s also grunting, alternating between quick and drawn out thrusts. One moment he’s pounding you with animalistic ferocity, and the next he grinding into you so he’s as deep as he possibly can be. Your hands are slipping on the wet tile, but you don’t want to stop. Especially when two fingers start to furiously rub your clit.

Your vision starts to blur and you can feel your body tensing as the pleasure continues to build. His free hand slides down the dip of your spine, lifting to give your ass cheek a brief, wet slap. The prickle of pain only adds to the feeling of slick fingers tugging on your nub. Without warning, his thumb circles your pucker and with the tiniest amount of pressure, you tumble into oblivion, eyes closed as you come hard.

Body locked in place as you ride the waves of pleasure, you’re powerless to do anything other than moan while John continues to take you. It’s nearly a full two minutes before he withdraws suddenly, and you feel the warmth of his relief coat the back of your thighs, immediately washed away by the shower.

Shaking, you sink onto the floor of tub along with John, both trying to remember how to breathe properly. His kisses are sloppy and open-mouthed, but you accept them regardless, body tingling with the after effects of his talented hands and cock.

“Mmmm, that was divine,” you purr, throwing your leg over his waist.

John grins lazily, giving your backside another slap. “Always is, love,” he pants. “Always is.”

#ladyfoggdrabbles #constantine tv show fanfic #john constantine fanfic

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