recreateurself

[ariel26c]

🎀Things I’ve learned about Shifting 🎀

1. Background noise doesn’t matter. I come from a Hispanic family household and let me tell you hun it’s freaking loud as hell. It’s like a zoo lol but guess what? I still shifted. At some point you will start to feel your CR kinda “fade away”. I have been in this state where I am in between my CR and DR. I can hear background noise from my CR but I still feel like I’m in a different room or I hear sounds from my DR as well. Has anyone experienced this?? Let me know, I’m curious 🤨

2. Have patience. Allow yourself to relax and naturally connect to your DR. Don’t stress about having random thoughts or having an itch or things like that. Have patience with yourself like seriously you got this babe. Sometimes for me it’s feels like it’s takes 1 or 2 hours until I feel fully connected to my DR. (It’s different for everyone btw) you may take less time than I do. Those things don’t matter if you decide that those things don’t matter.

3. Methods really aren’t needed. If you think about it all methods consist of the same thing usually. It usually consists of affirmations, visualization, subliminal audios, meditation, counting, blah blah blah. If you want to use a method, then do that but don’t force yourself to do a method that doesn’t resonate with you. If you don’t like counting, then don’t count. If you don’t like visualizing, then don’t visualize. Change things up a bit and listen to music that reminds you of your DR or do something that you think is fun.

4. Just because some people like to lie about their shifting experiences doesn’t mean that shifting is fake. Just like in every community there is going to be people that are dishonest or don’t have the best intentions but that doesn’t mean that shifting is a big inside joke. Don’t allow these people to discourage you from shifting to your DR or make you doubt in its existence. Don’t depend on other people's content to feel motivated or believe in shifting. Just KNOW it’s real and motivate yourself to shift. (even though motivation isn’t needed to shift)

5. Shifting is Real. I think we all should know this by now, but I don’t think people really fully understand just how REAL shifting is. I mean you are going to be able to use all of your senses. You will be able to taste food, see your reflection in the mirror, talk to people that may be considered as fictional in this reality, etc. The process of shifting is safe but if you are shifting somewhere that has violence or gore make sure you script your own well-being. High pain tolerance, no trauma, etc.

6. Time isn't important. Just because it's been 4 years or 5 doesn't mean you can't do it. Time doesn't apply to shifting because time is just man-made thing. We created the concept of time not the Universe. Don't blame the Universe for your "Failure". (Spoiler alert: it's not failure) You just need to realize that no matter what, it will happen. It is completely inevitable. Some people have shifted after 5 years so don't give up! It will be worth it.

7. You can't fail at shifting. When you do your method, you will shift to your DR or shift to your CR. You shift all the time. We are constantly shifting consciously or unconsciously. Manifestation and shifting are very much closely related. (But that's another discussion for another time) Just like how we are manifesting on autopilot we are also shifting on autopilot. So, when you do a sleep method, and you wake up in this reality instead of your DR you still shifted. (Just not to your DR) (Get it?)

I hope you found this post helpful! :)

[onlybeeewrites]

The Valley Song

Requested: nope, I just wanted to write this

TW: just Coriolanus’ being himself.

Pairing: possible Coriolanus x reader, Sejanus x reader, Lucy gray x platonic!reader

Authors note: Listen to this for the story. I imagine this is what the reader sounds like when singing <3, I’m also changing the lore a little to the reader wrote the valley song to fit the story :)

The Valley Song Series: Part 2 -> Part 3

The Hob was filled with people as usual. The crowd of people made the heat even more unbearable, but everyone arrived to hear the Covey preform as always. The summer heat caused sweat to drip down everyone’s faces, but no one seemed to mind as they awaited the Covery to preform.

Drinks were being passed sound eagerly as the members of the district awaited the sound of the music and voices that allowed them to escape just for a few hours.

Coriolanus Snow stood towards the back of the Hob, Sejanus by his side as they spoke to his bunkmates, what were their names? Smiley and Bug. Such stupid names, Coriolanus thought he to himself as he leaned against the back, unsecured wall of the hob.

It wasn’t always his first idea of what to do in their night off, but then again they were in District Twelve…there wasn’t much to do to begin with.

Coriolanus’ attention was turned back to the stage as eager whoops and applause filled the Hob as Lucy Gray and the rest of the Covey made their way on stage.

With their clothes and make up, the girls had flowers entangled in their hair. It made it seem like they had rolled around in a field before coming up on stage. It was intriguing, but very much district, and it made Coriolanus internally scowl.

The covey continued to play for a few hours, rotating songs and singers. Giving each other a break, Maude Ivory sang for a while before Lucy Gray returned. Of course she held the audience in a captivated gaze at the sound of her voice.

Coriolanus and the other off duty peacekeepers were no exception as she twirled around the stage with her black guitar in hand. It was a sight, certainly one that would make her plenty of money if she came with him back to the capital. She would make a pretty capital girl, once she was cleaned up and better fed at least, Coriolanus thought.

The end of the night was winding down, and everyone was exhausted from the dancing over the last few hours. Lucy Gray panted softly before approaching the microphone once more.

“District Twelve ya’ll have been amazing as always,” she said with the biggest grin, like it was a privilege to be preforming at the Hob in the lowest district in Panem.

“And just before we go for the night we got a special treat. My cousin Y/N Rose Baird! She got an awful special song for y’all tonight to finish us off.. y/n!” Lucy gray turned and beckoned her cousin up front.

A girl, maybe not much older than Lucy Gray, maybe a year or two stepped up wearing a pink blouse and off white skirt, her hair was done half up, help of what looked like baby’s breath through her hair.

Coriolanus’ eyes widened a bit at the side of her, the soft rouge on her cheeks and pink on her lips. It was soft. Not harsh make up like Lucy gray had worn, but very little.

“Oh wow…” he heard Sejanus’ voice beside him, and for a moment he had completely forgotten he was there, “she’s beautiful,”

Sejanus was right though. This Y/N Rose was beautiful. Even from the way that she held the old brown guitar in her hands, everything about her intrigued him. The softness in her eyes and expression. Glancing around the room, he felt a hot jealously spring through him as he saw many of the other men looking at her the same way.

They didn’t deserve to look at you that way. You were too gentle, too soft and vulnerable. He could tell by just looking at you. The shy way you were glancing around the room. You preferred the background, and he liked that.

Lucy gray was always upfront, bold. Abrasive. But that wasn’t you. You weren’t like your cousin, who had killed in the games, you would never hurt anyone. And you needed protecting. He could do that.

“Thank y’all for comin’” Y/N’s voice rang into the microphone and he couldn’t help but stare. In the corner of his eye he could see Sejanus almost making heart eyes.

“This is a song I wrote a little while ago. Lost someone as we all have. Hope y’all like it,” she said nervously before she gently began to strum the guitar in her hands. One note after another. Then she began to sing.

“Down in the valley, valley so low,

Late in the evening, hear the train blow.

The train, love, hear the train blow.

Late in the evening, hear the train blow.”

Coriolanus felt like he was in a trance as she began to sing. Her voice was soft and airy, almost shy. It was so different to Lucy Gray. Though his mind snapped out of his thoughts as Lucy Gray found her way over to him with a grin.

“Hi! Good ain’t she?” She asked happily, rather proud of her cousin.

“Good isn’t the word for it,” Sejanus said, his cheek flushing a bit as he looked from Lucy Gray back to the stage.

Coriolanus cleared his throat, “yes, she’s quite good. But most of the Covey is,” he said, listening as Y/N continued.

“Go build me a mansion, build it so high,

So I can see my true love go by.

See him go by, love, see him go by.

So I can see my true love go by.”

“She was always shyer than most,” Lucy Gray said, “prefers the background. But I couldn’t let her not sing this one,” she said, and it make Coriolanus think….who was it about? Was this recent?

“Go write a letter, send it by mail.

Bake it and stamp it to the Capitol jail.

Capitol jail, love, to the Capitol jail.”

“Who is it about?” Coriolanus asked, he couldn’t help himself.

Lucy gray let out a small sigh, “someone she was with about a year ago. He was the bakers son. Honestly I never seen someone so smitten before,” she said fondly, remembering how Y/N was with the boy before shaking her head,

“but he got himself into some bad trouble with the peacekeepers. Attempted to bribe one of the commanders. They thought he was all involved with the rebels and then he was sent off to the capital jail. Never seen someone so heart broken before.” Lucy gray shook her head, her messy black curls moving as she did so.

“But anyway, she wrote this a while ago. But just finished coming up with the music. I think it’s a hit with the district. Many people lost a lot of loved ones. For things like stealing and illegal trading,” she finished explaining.

“Roses are red, love; violets are blue.

Birds in the heavens know I love you.

Know I love you, oh, know I love you,

Birds in the heavens know I love you.”

Coriolanus’ head snapped back as she continued to sing the last verses of her song. It reminded him of his mother, she would sing those same lines to him. And it made his stomach flutter. Nerves? Anxiety? He couldn’t tell.

Sejanus cleared his throat, “Lucy Gray….do you think you could introduce us?” He asked hopefully, and Lucy Gray gave a knowing grin.

“Why of course. Once the crowd clears,” Lucy Gray said.

Coriolanus couldn’t help but internally scoff at Sejanus. What could he do for a sweet shy girl like you? Sejanus was just as weak. You needed someone to protect you, who knew better. Sejanus couldn’t do that to you. But Coriolanus could. And he wouldn’t lose to someone like Sejanus.

His pale eyes moved from Sejanus as the crowd erupted into applause, and watched as Y/N gave a bashful smile and a cute little bow.

Yes.

He couldn’t lose you to anyone.

[lodisama]

RIDICULOUS (x.t)

xavier thorpe x reader (no pronouns mentioned)

summary: reader is wednesday's cousin, or rather, uncle fester's child. you have transferred to nevermore, and on your first week, you meet someone. this turns into forming a secret alliance wednesday can't know.

reader has the same powers as uncle fester (electricity)

Being around people who stare at you like your some animal zoo wasn’t really on my list, especially when they’re the same kind as you. An outcast or, a so called freak. I would’ve enjoyed this more if I did something terrible. But for some reason these people love peculiar blood lines.

I exit the door to the school indoors, and there I enter the quad. Where every student of monsters imaginable hang out. I loathe the gossips, but love the stares. Everyone turned their heads to me, then there was silence. I look around to muster in the atmosphere. It’s not that I think highly of myself. It’s just they make me feel highly than what they are. I felt a dark aura behind me, making its way next to me. I turn to my side, “Wednesday, my beloved cousin.” I turn my head back to the students, smiling, not at them but at her presence.

She has always made me feel wanted and seen, though we had different interests, she never failed to make me feel fit in.

“Y/n, it’s lovely to see you again.” Her hands clinged together, hanging down.

Her voice monotone, though I know her words were sincere. “How is the first week in this hellhole full of surprises?” She asked, sounding almost displeased. I sigh, not upset in any case. “Surprisingly good. Though my roommate appears to be a no-sleep enjoyer.” She hums, raising her eyebrows.

Silence fell after that, but then a familiar platinum blond, with colorful tips comes hopping our way. “Y/n, hope you don’t mind me borrowing Wednesday from you.” She smiles excitedly.

I return her kind smile, “No not at all, you may take her.” I see Wednesday look uncomfortable, but she let it happen. “Thank you!” Edin holds Wednesday by her shoulder, as they walk away to a bench. I walk to a pillar next to a wall art, standing beside the pillar. I felt electricity fuzz on my shoulder, making me flinch. I step back to see who it was

“What the…”— He looks down my size.—“Oh”

I hum, seeing the man. Tall, tall enough to be a tree, hair tied up, miserable eye bags, chiseled face. “No sorry? I apologize, I didn’t see you’s?” He raises his eyebrows, with a confused yet maintained calm tone. “Have you heard me say anything?” I respond, which he raises his eyebrows at this. He licks the inside of his cheek, muttering a silent Alright. He seemed used to it.

He turns around, and continued on painting the wall, the crow impressively detailed. He coated its background with a different shade of blue. I stare, blankly following his every move. “Please stop looking, I can feel your eyes,” The man lets out a breathy chuckle, still focused on the painting. My face hardens by the feeling of getting caught.

“My apologies.” I clutch on the bind of the book I was holding.

I didn’t give him time to say something, not that I was expecting him to. I turned around and went in a different turn of the quad.

Though I didn’t see it, he smiled unevenly when I apologized.

━ ━ ━✦❘༻༺❘✦━ ━ ━

"Do you know where it is?" Wednesday ask in a stern, yet eager voice. "Of course. Dad always told me stories about this school." Her eyes practically glew when I said that. "Will you please show me?" She blurted. "It's in that secret headquarters full of Nightshade wanna be's. " I slowly walk up the stairs, making sure my voice was low. She nods, satisfied with my answer. "I need you and Thing to get it for me. Weems has me on a radar right now." She stops next to the railings, looking at me. "Do you mind?" I smile at her, shaking my head a no "I don't mind , Wednesday". "Thank you." She whispers. As I look around, I saw Xavier looking at the both of us from the other side of the railings. My face turns stoic, as I inhale sharply.

"So I just snap two times?" I asked Wednesday. "Yes, you'll need this." She confirms, handing me a flashlight. Thing crawls on my shoulder, giving me a thumbs up. Got it I responded. I face the statue, snapping two times. The statue slowly moved backwards, revealing a spiral staircase on the right side. I checked to look at my back. Wednesday was already gone. I exhale, walking to the stairs, the dark room full of paintings and the smell of old books greeted me. I point my flashlight to the wall, seeing every painting of whom I assume to be the parents of these students, which I familiarly recognize.

Unfortunately my father, didn’t possess the academic aptitude to be here, but I am grateful to be filled with his knowledge about this school, and letting me experience it at least.

My whole body shivers in joy seeing the Nightshade logo on the floor. Pure ecstasy erupted in me. Finally happy to see one of the best stories my father has ever told me, right in front of me. I keep my pace slow, paranoid by the idea of getting caught, but either way, what bliss. I could feel Thing patiently waiting on my shoulder. Suddenly, I hear something shift behind me. I had the instinct to turn around and flash out electricity on my finger, not yet zapping the said noise. "Woah━ woah." The man raises his arms up in the air, moving backwards. "Xavier?" I say breathly, whilst my eyes wide open. I slowly lower my hand, the electricity disappearing on my finger tips. We both pause. A minute of taking heavy breaths. Now that we're all alone, under this dim light, he looks good. Genuinely good. His hair not tied up in a man bun was a foreign sight to see. He was the first one to break the silence. "What are you doing here?" Brows furrowed, voice shaky. I blink profusely, thinking of an answer. Usually I'm great with lying, even at the most unbelievable situations. But right now, I can't just discard him away or say that I was exploring the school. Fuck.

My mouth opens, then it closes again. "Exploring. I couldn't sleep." I say. I try to ignore his eyes. Clearly doubting my excuse. "How did you get in? Not many people can." He asks. I subtly smile "Do you think of me as stupid?" I muse, tilting my head. He stiffens in his position "No━I just━ Forget it, I'm sorry." He rubs the back of his neck. "No worries," I blankly say, hiding my laugh. My eyes look around the room, seeing the painting that hides the treasure Wednesday desires. I make my way to it, not caring that he was still behind me. "What are you looking for?" He follows behind me. "This is none of your business." I hold the side of the painting, opening it like a door. "What the hell.." He says in awe. I hadn't even realize it, but Thing was now nowhere in my sight. "Thing?" I call out for him. "Wait, what? What are really here for, Y/n?" His voice now serious. I inhale deeply in exasperation. Turning around, I fuse electricity on my finger, pointing it at him. "Dare to speak a word of this and I will electrocute you in your bath." I threatened, slowly walk towards him. He looks at the blue fuzzing thing on my finger. "Okay, I won't. What can I do to help?" I sigh in annoyance once again, and I think he got the idea, but still stayed. "I prefer to commit theif crime alone." Thing signed, agreeing with me. "Would you rather me tell on Weems?" It's his turn to threaten me now. Though it didn't do much. "She'll lose one of the most rarest outcast, then." I smugly reply. "Trust me no one here needs you," I could hear his smile through those words. I ignore him, and proceeded to do what I was told to do. "Thing, open the safe please." I ordered Thing, and like that he obliged. "Hey, I don't think we're supposed to open that safe." Xavier peers, concerned of some sort. "Then leave." I bent down to the size of the painting or rather, safe. It opened swiftly, revealing the book I needed. I softly gasp, grabbing the book. Flipping through the pages. The pages contain different kinds of beasts. The man behind me slowly made his way next to me, interested in my discovery. My eyes widen as I saw the beast my cousin has been obsessed with. "That's the thing I keep on dreaming about," His voice low. My brows knit together, turning my head to his face level. "You've seen this before?" I ask in curiosity. He nods, "Yeah. I've been drawing them too, it's been on my mind for so long. It's fucking me up." He covers his mouth, faltering his eyes at mine. There was a pause, but then I turned around to look back at the book. I sharply close it, emitting a sound. I grab my bag, putting the book inside. "Thank you, Thing." I looked at the moving hand. Thing crawls back on my shoulder, making himself comfy. "Y'know, you might get caught, right?" Xavier puts his hands inside his jean pockets. "Yes, and the idea excites me." I reply coldly. Xavier snickers at this. "Let's go before anyone notices we're gone." I said. He nods, letting me walk up the stairs first, his tall figure following me behind. We made it out the underground place, and I immediately turn to a different path, but I was abruptly stopped by a hand holding tightly on my wrist. I look at his hand and up at him. "What?" I ask. "Do you have a phone, or are you just like your cousin?" He chuckles lowly. I straighten my position, raising my eyebrows. 'I prefer to be old schooled." I replied. "Letters?" He breathed. Well he catch on quick. "Yes. Why?" pure confusion runs my head. "Expect letters under your door." He drops my hand, now pointing at me. "I'll be ready with a lighter to burn them." I muse once again. "Is that a yes?" He pushed further on. This boy is ridiculous. I nod slowly, I could see and hear his smile through the darkness. "Goodnight Y/n."

[cyberl6ve]

𝐒𝐎𝐅𝐓! 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒 — 𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄

CHECK 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 FOR MORE!! (SFW!!)

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀𓇬⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

── .✦ : The Sturniolo triplets had bought out a zoo for a day. Around the campfire, Chris strummed his guitar and serenaded Y/N with "Can't Help Falling in Love" while Matt and Nick were away. It was a moment of shy confession and budding romance, captured under the stars.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

⊱ ۫ ׅ ✧ : 𝐀𝐬 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬, I couldn't help but feel a flutter of anticipation. The night sky was clear and the sound of Chris's guitar filled the air.

“We'll be back soon,” Nick assured me with a smile before he and Matt disappeared into the darkness.

I turned my attention to Chris, his nimble fingers skillfully tuning the acoustic guitar that he'd apparently retrieved from somewhere. As he strummed a few experimental chords, I couldn't help but ask, “Where did you get that from?” I chuckled.

Chris looked up at me with a grin, his fingers still busy tweaking the guitar's tuning. He gestured vaguely over his shoulder, replying, “It was somewhere over there.”He chuckled at my wide-eyed expression, the sound of the strings twanging softly in the night air.

I couldn't help but laugh at the casual way he dismissed my question. “Over there” wasn't exactly a precise answer, but it was typical Chris— always doing his own thing, effortlessly cool.

As he continued to tune the guitar, I found myself watching his fingers, the way they moved over the instrument with practiced ease.

The flickering firelight cast shadows on his face, accentuating the sharp angles of his jaw and the dark sweep of his eyelashes.

He struck a chord, the sound of it soft yet clear in the quiet of the night. He looked up and caught me staring, a hint of a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

“See something you like?” he teased, his eyes glittering with amusement. I quickly looked away, feeling my cheeks grow warm.

I hadn't meant to be caught staring, but there was something about him in this moment— the way he seemed so at ease with the guitar, his easy confidenc— that was disarmingly attractive.

I tried to salvage my dignity, replying with a dismissive shrug, “I was just trying to see if you can actually play.”

His response was a low, rumbling chuckle that sent a shiver down my spine. “Come here and find out,” he offered, patting the seat beside him.

Reluctantly, I made my way over to where he sat and lowered myself into the seat. He shifted the guitar in his lap, his knee brushing against mine. There was something strangely intimate about being this close to him, his body heat mingling with my own.

He looked at me, his expression a mix of challenge and amusement. “What do you want to hear?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.

I found myself tongue-tied for a moment, his gaze making it difficult to concentrate. “U-um... anything,” I managed to say, my voice a little breathless.

Chris settled the guitar onto his lap, his fingers beginning to glide over the strings in a gentle melody. As the opening chords echoed around the campsite, he cleared his throat softly and began to sing.

“Wise men say... only fools rush in...”

The lyrics wove a spell around us, his voice, usually used for banter and laughter, suddenly soft and tender. The song continued, his eyes never leaving mine.

“But I can't help falling in love with you.”

I couldn't help but let a small smile tug at the corners of my mouth. His voice, while usually used for jest and joking, had taken on a new tone— a soft, tender lilt that sent a flutter through my heart.

The fire crackled quietly in the background, the sounds of the night melting away as I was completely enthralled by his singing. The lyrics were about love, yes, but in this moment, they seemed to be about something else entirely— unvoiced feelings and unspoken hopes.

Chris continued to sing, his eyes now tracing the lines of my face, his voice lowering to a softer note as he strummed the guitar.

“Shall I stay?”

The words hung in the air, each syllable carrying a weight I'd never noticed before. The firelight cast a warm glow over everything, the shadows playing across his face as his lips shaped the lyrics.

“Would it be a sin”

The guitar strings thrummed under his fingers, and it was as if with each chord, he was pulling me in further, his voice wrapping around me like a caress.

“If I can't help falling in love with you...”

His gaze was unwavering, pinning me in place as the final notes of the song seemed to linger in the air.

Chris's voice was now barely above a whisper, the words more of a confession than a song.

“Take my hand... take my whole life, too.”

His voice seemed fraught with an odd vulnerability, a vulnerability I'd never seen before. He continued to look at me, his gaze almost a plea.

“For I can't help falling in love with you,”

The last word, “you”, was whispered so quietly, it was barely audible. It sounded like a secret, something only meant for me to hear.

He stared straight at me, his gaze so intense, it was like he was trying to tell me something without quite saying the words aloud.

The silence that followed was deafening. My heart was pounding in my chest, the air practically thrumming with tension. The song had been so intimate, so filled with a quiet intensity, that it felt like a silent conversation that went beyond words.

Chris was still looking at me, his expression a mix of determination and vulnerability. The firelight played across his features, giving the moment a dreamlike quality.

A sudden, intense urge compelled me to reach out, my fingers brushing lightly against his cheek. He didn't startle; in fact, he almost seemed to lean into my touch, his eyelids lowering slightly as if he were savoring the feeling.

His skin was warm under my fingertips, the faintest hint of stubble scratching against my palm. The moment felt fragile, like a bubble that could burst at any moment.

As I pulled my hand back, his hand shot up, capturing my wrist in a loose grip. Our gazes locked, and something in his eyes changed. The vulnerability was replaced with something darker, a look I'd never seen on him before.

He tugged me forward, closing the distance between us in an instant. His lips met mine in a bruising kiss, a wave of heat and sensation that left me reeling.

His lips were shockingly hot against mine, the kiss intense yet somehow soft and loving simultaneously. It was like a storm and a caress all at once, his mouth moving against mine with a raw, unbridled passion.

I was lost in the sensation of it, the kiss consuming my every thought, every sense. It was as if the world had fallen away, leaving only the two of us and the fire heating our skin.

He shifted forward, his free hand moving to cup my face, gentle fingers tilting my head back to give him better access to my mouth. His thumbs traced my jawline, the touch both tender and possessive.

The kiss continued, each kiss a claiming, a silent declaration of an unnamed emotion. My fingers clutched at the fabric of his brown hoodie, grounding me amidst the whirlwind of sensations.

The kiss continued, his mouth moving against mine with a familiar ease that I hadn't expected. It was clear he'd done this before, but there was a passion and a tenderness to this kiss that felt new.

His hand was still around my wrist, keeping me close, his thumb tracing gentle circles against my heated skin. I clung to his hoodie, my fingers gripping the fabric tightly as if he were the only solid thing in a world that felt like it was spinning out of control.

Finally, he broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against mine as we both struggled to catch our breath. His eyes were half-lidded, darkened with an emotion I couldn't quite identify.

His chest was heaving, the rise and fall of it pressed against me. The night air seemed cool against my wet lips, a stark contrast to the heat that still rolled off his body.

Chris's grip on my hand tightened, his fingers squeezing mine slightly. He took a deep breath, his gaze still trained on me.

“I'm in love with you,” he confessed, his voice soft and yet somehow firm.

My heart skipped a beat, the words sinking in and sending a fresh wave of emotions coursing through me. “I'm in love with you too,” I replied, the truth spoken aloud for the first time.

Chris's face broke into a smile, a real, genuine smile that lit up his eyes. He let out a shaky breath, his thumb rubbing against my knuckles.

But just as the moment of stillness settled around us, two familiar voices shattered the quiet.

“Finally!”

Matt and Nick burst into our view, their faces filled with glee. They'd clearly been watching the whole scene unfold, and judging by the obnoxious grins on their faces, they were ecstatic.

“Only took you guys long enough,” Matt said, slapping Chris on the back, hard enough to earn a grunt.

Nick nodded, looking far too pleased with himself. “We were taking bets on how long it'd take you to confess” he admitted, his smirk widening.

Matt turned to Nick with a sly smirk. “You owe me” he said, holding out his palm expectantly.

Nick rolled his eyes but fished a twenty dollar bill out of his pocket and handed it over begrudgingly. “You're lucky I'm a man of my word,” he grumbled.

We all laughed, the tension from the confession broken by the absurdity of the moment. I couldn't help but lean into Chris's shoulder, suddenly feeling a little shy. He wrapped an arm around me, pulling me closer, our bodies fitting together like pieces of a puzzle.

It was later in the night. The fire was low, the embers smoldering in the pit as Matt and Nick gathered materials for s'mores. Chris stood next to me, carefully laying marshmallows on skewers. I was watching him, amused, when I suddenly held up my phone.

“Smile for the camera,” I instructed, a smirk tugging at his lips.

Chris looked up, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Did you take it?” he teased, looking amused. I nodded, my thumb poised over the screen.

“Yeah. It’s Proof that the great Chris Sturniolo can make a perfect s'more.” I chuckled using the picture as my new lock screen.

Chris chuckled, his eyes dancing with amusement as he looked at me. He leaned closer, closing the distance between us.

“You’re incredible,” he murmured, his words a whisper against my lips. Before I could even respond, he leaned in and kissed me, the touch soft yet tinged with a hint of possessiveness, as if he were claiming me as his own.

The night deepened, the sound of laughter and crackling fire mixing in a chorus that echoed through the zoo. Chris and I sat close, our bodies pressed against each other's, a silent understanding hanging in the air. The warm light from the fire cast a golden hue over us, the shadows dancing on Chris's face and the planes of his body.

As the night continued to weave its spell, it felt like something had irrevocably shifted. There was no need for words— the quiet, tender moment was enough.

Authors Note: Decided to take a break from the smut today. This story is literally so adorable i love it so much :,)

updating another ‘Heartbreak Race’ chapter today or might make a short story for Matt OR maybe both, i’m not sure yet but be on the look out ! :)

HAPPY FRIDAY!! REMEMBER YOURE LOVED AND APPRECIATED!!

© CYBERL6VE

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒 (⭑.ᐟ) — @st6rify @lovekaiya @b2cute @stvrnioloxz @yourfavadri56

[hunieday]

Yamato, Sougo, Momo 2024 Shuffle talk RabbiTV Episode 1

Episode 1 - Episode 2 - Episode 3

Please note that I am not a professional translator and I'm only doing this to share the side materials to those who cannot access them, if you notice any mistakes please let me know nicely. Enjoy!

*Doors opens*

Momo: Good morning~! You two are already here! You’re early~!

Nikaido Yamato: Good morning, Momo-san. We just got here a little bit ago.

Osaka Sougo: Good morning, Momo-san.

Osaka Sougo: It’s an honor for me to be able to join you on this "Monthly World Travel" special series. I know I greeted you at the raffle drawing, but I would like to thank you again!

Momo: No no, I'm the one who’s super happy to travel with you to Australia! I may be a bit clumsy, but I’m looking forward to working with you.

Nikaido Yamato: No no no no. I’m still inexperienced, so I would appreciate your guidance and support, Momo-san...

Momo: Ahaha! Everyone's being so humble!!

Momo: It’s gonna be just the three of us on this trip, so you can be more relaxed!

Osaka Sougo: I’m sorry for being so formal... Even Tamaki-kun tells me I’m too stiff a lot of times.

Momo: Oh, then how about you try talking more like Tamaki? Maybe you’ll sound a bit more casual!

Nikaido Yamato: Sou’s gonna call you “Momorin”?

Momo: Yup! Give it a try!

Osaka Sougo: Mo, mo... Momo... Mo...

Osaka Sougo: I’m sorry! I really still can’t do it after all...

Momo: Ahaha! You’re so cute! Thanks for trying your best to call me by that name!

Momo: Well, looks like this project’s gonna be quite relaxed so let’s take it easy. Yuki said there would be photo shoots and missions, but also plenty of free time!

Osaka Sougo: You’re right. I’ll try to take it more easy!

Nikaido Yamato: Looks like the weather will be nice too, so I’m looking forward to it.

Momo: It’s winter over there, isn’t it? I was considering going to the ocean for a swim but that might be impossible.

Nikaido Yamato: That’s true. It’s warm enough to wear short sleeves during the day though.

Osaka Sougo: Melbourne has many tourist attractions such as the Royal Botanic Gardens and zoos, so there should be plenty more to enjoy aside from the beach.

Momo: Aren’t you two a little too well-informed? Did you already do your research!?

Osaka Sougo: Yes, I was so excited that I ended up researching a lot of things.

Nikaido Yamato: He ordered all sorts of books. From travel magazines to Australian history.

Osaka Sougo: I thought I would appreciate the trip more if I understood its historical background... Yamato-san, you were also studying common English conversation phrases at the dorm so you could use them during the trip, right?

Nikaido Yamato: Just a little bit. I can speak English pretty well, but if you don’t use it you’ll forget it.

Momo: Having two capable little juniors is so reassuring!

Momo: I usually push myself real hard, but Momo-chan can probably just take it easy and enjoy himself this time!?

Nikaido Yamato: Re:vale works a lot overseas, right?... Must be hard to work together with that guy.

Momo: Ahaha! I’m used to it by now!

Momo: I always think about Yuki whenever I’m planning a trip and ask myself if he would enjoy it.

Momo: Thanks to that, I fully prepare everything from in-flight entertainment to what drinks to order at the hotel!

Nikaido Yamato: Oh, sounds good~ I’d like to try some of the local Australian beers.

Osaka Sougo: It seems like they tend to have a lower alcohol content and are easy to drink.

Momo: Sounds good! Let’s clear the missions and enjoy some delicious drinks together as a reward!

Momo: Wow, so this is Brighton Beach! Those colorful warehouses are so cute!

Osaka Sougo: Everyone’s taking pictures here and there.

Nikaido Yamato: Should we take a pic too?

Osaka Sougo & Momo: Yaaay!

*Camera shutter*

Momo: Yup! All of us have nice smiles!

Osaka Sougo: This will be a great memory of our trip!

Nikaido Yamato: How nice would it be if we completed the mission by spending time on the beach.

Momo: Things would be boring if it ends this quickly! Let’s enjoy the mission too~!

Accompanying Staff: Thank you everyone for traveling this far!

Accompanying Staff: Here’s the card with your mission written on it. Please take a look at the hint and the exploration map as well!

Osaka Sougo: Thank you. Um, for starters, the mission is... “Let’s meet a mermaid!”

Nikaido Yamato: And the hint is, “Under the water.”

Momo: A mermaid... under the water... Maybe we can swim to an underwater palace from this beach!?

Nikaido Yamato: That’s more like Urashima Taro than a mermaid, isn’t it? (1)

Momo: Haha! Nice one, Yamato!

Osaka Sougo: Hmm, I can’t make anything out of the hint being under the water.

Osaka Sougo: Shall we start by looking for clues around here?

Momo: Ah! Then it’s time for this!

Momo: Tadah! I brought soap bubbles from Japan!

Osaka Sougo: Momo-san, you went through the trouble of preparing this for us...!

Momo: I thought it would be fun to do this at the beach! Aren’t these containers so colorful and cute?

Momo: I’ve got four colors for each member, ones in Yamato’s and Sougo’s colors, as well as Yuki’s and mine!

Nikaido Yamato: You even brought one in Yuki-san’s color.

Momo: They were sold in packs of two and I felt bad leaving Yuki back home, so I brought his.

Momo: Here, the green one for Yamato and purple for Sougo!

Osaka Sougo: Thank you very much.

Nikaido Yamato: Wow, I remember blowing into the hole at the tip of the stick as a kid, how nostalgic.

Osaka Sougo: It’s been so long since I did something like this. It’s kind of exciting.

Momo: Alright! Let’s make some big soap bubbles!

Osaka Sougo & Nikaido Yamato: Yeah!

End of Episode 1.

Urashima Taro: A fairy-tale of a fisherman who, after visiting the underwater Palace of the Dragon King, returns centuries later​.

[ughgoaway]

need to see how teacher!reader met ross and hann

Omg yeah, I can't believe I haven't discussed this at length yet??

Hann’s story is very boring (sorry, bro), baby Hann goes to Annie’s school, and you once worked as a teaching assistant in his class! It was whilst you were still training, so you were just a helper, but you sometimes did hand off at the end of the day, so you spoke to Carly and Adam regularly. As well as being there on parents' evenings and things, so they just know you through school.

Ross is a little more interesting story though…

✿❀✿✿❀✿✿❀✿✿❀✿✿❀✿✿❀✿✿❀✿✿❀✿

You met Ross a few months into your intense crush on Matty. You knew who he was after some intense stalking of Matty’s social media and some googling. But Ross had no idea what you looked like.

He knew Matty was falling in love with his daughter's teacher, and he told him over and over again that it was a bad idea. So he did no research into you, not wanting to encourage Matty into a relationship that didn't sound so sensible.

You blink heavily a few times, trying to process whether this man in front of you is actually the man you thought he was. But when you saw a flash of his phone background and saw a picture of all the boys and Annie at the zoo, you knew he was indeed the very same Ross you'd seen in many late-night stalking sessions.

So when he saw a pretty girl in a club, he didn't think twice before going up to her and offering to buy a drink. “Hi, bit of a boring pickup line, but I saw you from across the bar and thought you were beautiful. Can I buy you a drink?”

Ross decided to go simple that night after having spent too long chatting up a girl just for her to slink off with another guy at the end of the night (usually Matty…)

Whilst you were processing, however, you were silent. Which isn't exactly encouraging when it comes to picking girls up at bars. Ross starts to nervously move around, pulling at his shirt and fiddling with his hair. You can feel the nervousness radiating off of him, and you don't quite know what to do.

Part of you wants to be honest right away, tell him your Annie's teacher and you recognise him from her many drawings, all of which you now know are quite accurate as you stare up at Ross. But also, you know that as soon as you mention Matty, you'll get that stupid lovesick look on your face, and you can't risk Ross telling Matty that. You could try and hide it, but your face said everything your words didn't.

Ross can sense your hesitation and starts talking again before you can respond, “Let me guess, pretty girl like you has a boyfriend already, huh?” he laughs. You can tell he isn't putting too much pressure on this conversation, so you feel okay lying to him, just this once.

“Ah, thank you for the offer, but I do indeed have a boyfriend, I'm afraid. I would normally take the free drink, but you seem like a nice guy, so I'll let spend your money on a single girl, yeah?” You giggle at Ross and shoot him a wink, and you can't help but brighten even more when you see a blush come across his cheeks.

Luckily, Ross doesn't take it too hard and thanks you for your honesty before moving back across the bar. You don't pay too much attention to him for the rest of the night, dancing with your friends and trying to drink your feelings for Matty away (it doesn't work, and you start stalking his Instagram at 3 am until your friend forcibly removes your phone.)

But just before you leave the club you flick your eyes around the room looking for Ross, and you couldn't be happier than when you see a redheaded girl practically on his lap in the corner of the room. 

But the second his eyes meet yours, they widen and you can see all the memories flooding back. You consider pretending to meet all over again to avoid the awkwardness, but you can't lie to Matty like that so you decide to just be upfront with it.

You don't cross paths again until after you and Matty are finally together! After breaking the news to the boys and diffusing the small bit of tension, you re-meet them all.

No part of your brain thinks Ross remembers you, you assume he's tried to pick up many girls at many clubs over the years, and you remember Matty saying he's been in a relationship for a few months now so there's no way he knows your face.

“Nice to see you again Ross, heard you finally found a pretty single girl, huh?” You tease, and you can see his muscles relax when you make a joke of it, every bit of nervousness in him melting away.

“Yup, found her the same night I met you actually, guess you having a boyfriend worked out quite well in the end,” he smiles softly as he speaks about his girlfriend, and you assume the redhead you saw with her tongue down his throat that night is the very same one that you see flash up as his phone background.

Before you can respond, Matty is jumping in with questions, “Do you two know each other already? And what do you mean, boyfriend? I thought you hadn't had one in years before you met me?” Matty's face is doing that scrunchy thing he does when he feels confused and left out at the same time, and whilst it is cute, you put him out of his misery pretty quick.

“I didn't. Ross and I met at a club months ago. He tried to buy me a drink, and I was so hung up on you that I lied and said I had a boyfriend. Worked out well in the end, though, didn't it?” You slide into Matty’s side as you speak, placing your hand on his chest gently.

“Wait, so did you already know who I was that night?” Ross asks before Matty can cut in and ask 100 more questions.

“Mate, no need to get all alpha male on me. Never even bought her a drink, used that fiver to buy one for Hazel instead. She literally said no to me because she was in love with you, don't think I had much of a chance. You always ended up with the girls I went for first anyway.” Ross jokes.

“Oh I absolutely did, I must have seen about 100 photos of you across all of Matty’s socials.” You laughed as you spoke and hoped the mention of your late-night stalking would distract Matty from everything, but it didn't.

You could see he was feeling weird about it. He felt jealous but was not quite sure why? You had turned Ross down that night because you liked him, but he's still annoyed at the idea of anyone hitting on you, especially one of his best friends.

This makes Matty move on quickly, and soon enough you're grilling all the boys about Matty’s supposed “slut era” and getting all the juicy details of all those girls in the back of his van.

You and Ross make jokes about it from time to time, whenever you're at a bar as a group he asks if you have a boyfriend when he buys a round, and you ask if he's single when you buy them too.

Matty rolls his eyes every time, but he always fights a smile when you press a kiss to his cheek to confirm you do, in fact, have a boyfriend. And he smiles even bigger when it turns from a peck on the cheek to a kiss on the mouth and the wiggle of a wedding ring, telling Ross that you don't have a boyfriend, but you do have a husband.

[steviewashere]

here's some modern au/no upside down au/no supernatural elements au head canons of mine that are kind of stupid Stobin Edition (this is all to get in the minds of their characters in my text fics lol) a list:

Steve and Robin are sending each other selfies while on the toilet. They are having in-depth conversations about their bathroom breaks. They are having a phone, speaker on, conversation while using the toilet. One of them's already in the bathroom? The other is barging into that unlocked bathroom to continue a conversation. "Hey, Steve, hand me that new roll of tp?" Steve tosses it with a quick shout of, "Alley-oop!"

They are watching Chopped while eating dinner (a frozen meal they added garlic seasoning to). They are criticizing every last little detail.

Robin helps Steve with his frosted highlights. He touches up her roots. They are gossiping about their neighbors and their on-again, off-again marriage.

Robin is constantly criticizing Steve for using an Elf bar. They will, however, throw back enough shots to consider themselves hazards.

They are karaoke partners. Even when they're in relationships with their respective partners (Eddie and Chrissy in this AU), they always perform with each other. Robin makes Steve sing some Chappell Roan, he knows none of the lyrics, he ends up just being her hype-man.

Steve is a big Stardew Valley and The Sims 4 fan. Robin indulges in Animal Crossing. Eventually, Steve forces Robin to play Stardew with him and Robin does the same with Animal Crossing. (They both enjoy their games).

They have matching build-a-bear stuffies that they dressed up to look like each other. Each with a sound button that plays out an "I love you" from the other + them breaking down into giggles in the background (they were there with each other when they recorded the voice boxes, they simply couldn't stop snickering each time they tried to get the messages recorded).

When they're drunk at home, they are curling up on the couch to watch reruns of Friends and to eat straight out of a tub of butterscotch ice cream. They fall asleep curled into each other and their respective partners (Eddie and Chrissy again) take care of them; Chrissy covers them with a blanket and Eddie takes a photo that will eventually be printed and go up on the wall (to sit with the other ones already pristinely framed).

Steve sometimes goes into Robin's room and just face plants into her bedding and screams. Robin comforts him by petting his hair and prompting, "Another stupid customer?" And Steve just goes off. Robin does the same to him from time to time, but she does it significantly less so.

They go to the zoo/aquarium and point at all the paired animals and say, "That's us." Their favorite pairing is a platonic set of sea otters that are constantly holding hands or helping the other retrieve food. (Sometimes they leave crying).

They go on plenty of 3am drives when the other can't sleep. Blasting music and laughing the entire time. Stopping at a gas station to get slurpees. Going home when the sun is up and then falling asleep in one of their beds.

Constantly giving each other the weirdest nicknames possible. At one point, Robin was just Bobby Flay for two weeks straight.

They buy a whole cheesecake from Wal-Mart and then go drive around town, while eating slices the entire time. (Totally not based on experience lol)

Robin always throws Steve a little birthday party because it's the one thing he never really got with his parents and he never knows what he actually wants to do on his birthday.

Steve takes Robin out for birthday pancakes and fro-yo. And then always finds an antique mall to let her loose in (she spends an hour inside just the first three booths).

On that last note, Robin is an antique mall girly, always looking for mugs, sweaters, vinyls, and horror novellas. Steve likes going into collector's shops for three things: baseball cards, Funko Pops, and Amazing Spider-Man comics.

Robin drags Steve to the local soccer/football team's games. Steve takes her to hockey games.

They paint each other's nails and gossip. Steve picks out a pale orange and Robin goes for a dark purple.

Matching costumes on Halloween (even if they've got their partners). Ketchup and mustard. Scarecrow and Tin Man. Batman and Robin (you know who's who). Their best ones were Peter Pan and Tinerbell (guess who was Tinkerbell)

Instead of how they met in the show, they met in high school. In detention of all places. Robin was tardy for the third time that week to her third period class. And Steve was caught trying to leave campus to get lunch. They still have that very emotional bathroom scene, just in a public high school men's bathroom (disgusting, I know).

Steve doesn't come out to Robin until he's like twenty-one/twenty-two. It takes him being on his own for three/four years at that point to finally feel safe enough to come out. His parents are very conservative. (Also, for extra angst on this one, his family eventually finds out at Thanksgiving—where he is then told to leave and then he's shunned. He becomes a Buckley that same day when he goes to Robin's parents' house to seek her out. It's the first Thanksgiving where he's allowed to be himself.) Also...Steve is gay. Comphet Steve Harrington...yeah. Yeah.

Brunch at a Mexican restaurant: margarita pitcher, sizzling fajitas, and people watching. The perfect best friend date to them.

Still work at Scoops Ahoy! just after they meet in school.

Instead of Family Video, they end up working at a local music shop. That's where Steve meets Eddie, browsing through the Metallica tapes for his refurbished Walkman. Chrissy is hanging out with Eddie the next time he comes in. Robin then meets Chrissy, who is searching for a girl in red vinyl (she gets so excited to lead Chrissy over there. and to then recommend her a bunch of artists. she nearly faints when she gets Chrissy's number)

Okay. That's all I've got for now. Maybe more later.

[spaghettiisinmysoul]

Since you asked so nicely: D-Delicate pleasures with Poolverine. uwu

I did it I did it! I finished the fic!!!! 🤩 this is also probably gonna go on my ao3 (skettibiscuit) so go ahead and follow me on there if you like how this one is written!!! Update: IT HAS BEEN POSTED!! I have two other poolverine fics in the works cause I can’t get them out of my brain lmao

Without further ado, Delicate Pleasures, a prompt from this post! (Thank you zaynie ily)

They’d just gotten done infiltrating some Big Bad Guy’s Big Bad Hideout with his little Bad goons all running around trying to kill them. Emphasis on trying. You’d be amazed at the wonders Adamantium blades do on the bones of two hundred or so scrawny guys in matching outfits. There was even an incredibly catchy 80s ballad playing in the background (probably only in Wade’s head, but you get it,) while it happened. You really had to be there…

But now, here they are, having just barely caught their breath and taking a break before heading home to their shitty apartment. At least they’d get to see the dog again once they get there.

Once the stars start to get boring to stare at, Wade turns his head to look at his counterpart. Sitting against the wall with his eyes closed and legs spread wide the fuck open. Wade’s got the best view in the house, and he doesn’t even know if it was on purpose. But Logan looks so peaceful right now, he could very well be asleep for all he knows…

He carefully, quietly gets up. Tiptoeing crouch to get next to Logan. He looks like a baboon trying to steal treats from the bigger baboons at the zoo. It’s wild shit, he’s seen it. If they’re not quick enough the bigger one will just beat the shit out of ‘em.

…That metaphor works a little too well in this situation, doesn’t it?

He gets close enough without a scratch. Logan hasn’t even moved. Now what? He got this close. He didn’t have any plans for what comes next.

…His hair looks soft. The sweat and blood dried from the wind up here on top of this building, and it’s a little poofier than usual. He could try something very funny and very stupid.

He gets up to sit on the ledge, and gently scratches the top of Logan’s head. You know those little metal things on a stick that you push onto your head and it makes your bones rattle? He’s trying to get that kind of effect.

Logan growls a little, but it’s quiet, and maybe a little inviting. Oh, it definitely is, because he tilts his head back and upwards, silently asking for more.

Wade’s eyes go wide and, well, he can’t stop now. So now he’s stuck here, petting his teammate like he’s a dog. He basically is. Sleepy little guy…

They’re sat like this for a while. Wade with his fingers all up in this gorgeous head of hair, and Logan making quiet little noises of approval that almost sound like one wrong move will make Wade lose his fingers. But it’s worth it to hear those noises, and they’ll grow back anyway.

It’s quiet, and soft, and delicate, which isn’t a word often used to describe anything these two do together. Usually it’s manic and violent and utterly batshit insane, the kinds of things they get up to. But no, here they are, peaceful. For once.

He continues for a while, until his hand starts to get tired, and slows to a stop, with his hand just planted on top of Logan’s head. Another growl comes from him in a moment, and he looks up at Wade. Not necessarily mad, but maybe a little annoyed. “Why’d ya stop?”

“Got tired.” He smiles down at him. “I can do it some more at home. We should probably get going, huh big guy?” He scratches his head a little more roughly, but Logan doesn’t seem to mind the difference and closes his eyes again.

“Mm… Yeah, good idea.”

[lily-of-the-valley72]

Zoo Trip!

Shoto x reader Warnings: amateur writer, may be shitty, short.

You wanted to bring Shoto to the zoo and today was the perfect day, warm weather, a little breeze, even better since it was the weekend. 

As you were driving there. You both sat in a comfortable silence. The radio playing in the background. Before Shoto turned to you.

“How come you want me to go to the zoo?” he asked out of curiosity.

“Cause I want you to experience it. It'll be fun Sho.” you said, glancing at him.

After a while you both got into the zoo.

“Where do you wanna go first Sho?” You spoke up.

He shrugged. “Maybe the aquarium..”

“Sounds good.” you responded.

You took his hand smiling when he intertwined his fingers with yours.

There were quite a few people here today but that was okay. You and Shoto made your way to the aquarium and walked in. Visited by some fish as the first viewing,  and the salty smell of it.

You could see a smile come across his face. The kid inside him coming out. You both kept walking together greeted by the many species of fish in the oceans.

Eventually you both got to the penguin exhibit. You both went up to the glass. Shoto looks almost mesmerized by them.

“They're so cute..like you..” he mumbled as a genuinely happy smile came onto his face which was normally serious. You had to admit you loved this side of him when he got all soft. 

“You really think so?” you said with a smile.

“Totally.” he said firmly.

“Mm.. lets keep going so we can see some other animals.” 

“Fine..” he said with a pout he obviously liked the penguins a lot. He let you drag him along as you both went through the aquarium seeing many different sea creatures such as stingrays, jellyfish, and more.

Once you got out of there you looked over at him. “What now Sho? It's your pick.”

[shelbystales]

Ceramic Lessons - Part Three

Cillian Murphy X Reader - Masterlist

Previous parts: 1 - 2

Summary: after much insistence from his sister, Cillian attends a ceramics class with her. To his surprise, he feels a connection to the teacher, you. Will this connection go any further or will it be smashed like a bad ceramic project?

Warning: smut smut smut. Mention of abusive relatjonship

A/N: this is my first time writing for Cillian, so a small reminder that this has nothing to do with his real life.

English is my second language, so I apologize in advance for any grammar mistake

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

The next day, you were getting ready for your date with Cillian. You felt a bit nervous, a flutter in your stomach, and an excitement you hadn't felt in a while. After taking a long shower, you went through your usual skincare routine, applied your lavender-scented lotion, did your skincare routine, styled your hair, and now you were sitting on your bed, staring at your closet, thinking about what to wear. In the end, you decided on a black midi slip dress with a crochet cardigan.

Once you picked out your accessories, your phone buzzed with a notification from Cillian. "Hey, I'm leaving. I’ll be there in 15 min"

"okk" you sent back. You had exchanged a few messages after he got your number.

You took a deep breath and glanced at the mirror one last time. You looked good and you felt good.

As you stepped outside, you noticed the weather was a bit colder than expected. Soon enough, Cillian arrived, his car pulling up by the curb. He stepped out, looking charming in a simple beige linen button-down shirt and black jeans. He looked so charming. As he approached you he had a warm smile, his hands slightly shoved into his pockets.

"Hey," he greeted, his eyes locking onto yours, and you felt a tingling sensation in your chest.

"Hi," you replied, returning his smile.

He left a kiss on your cheek and said, "You look stunning," making you feel even better about yourself.

"Thank you. You look good too... very handsome," you praised him, playfully tugging on the middle of his shirt where the buttons were.

"Thank you. Shall we?" he said, motioning toward his car. You nodded and followed him in.

The car ride was short and accompanied by easy conversation and laughter. He was so easy to talk to. He asked about your day, and you told him you spent most of it making a series of kitchen utensils for a restaurant.

You arrived at a restaurant you had never heard of before, but it had a nice appearance. The interior was cozy and dimly lit with many candles, with soft music playing in the background. As you were led to your table, you couldn't help but admire the charming decor and the warm atmosphere. Arriving at your table, Cillian pulled out your chair, a gesture that made you smile.

The waiter handed you the menu and left, giving you both the chance to browse through the options. You were pleasantly surprised by the variety of vegetarian choices available.

“This is a lovely, place,” you said

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it. The food looks good” he said, with a cute smile. You both continued perusing the menu, occasionally sharing a comment or two about the dishes that caught your eye.

“So, I didn't get a chance to ask in the car. How was your day?” you asked starting the conversation

“Good. Nothing too special spent the day with my son. Took him to the zoo” he answered making you smile

“Your son? didn't know you had a son, tell me more about him” you asked genuinely interested

Cillian's smile grew as he began to share. "Yeah, I have a son. His name is Lukas. He's eight years old, and he's the most energetic and curious kid you'll ever meet” You smiled seeing how he talked about his boy “I was surprised to see how many random facts he knew about the animals in the zoo today” he chuckled

“He sounds adorable,” you said, imagining a young boy enthusiastically rattling off animal facts.

Cillian nodded, his eyes lighting up with fondness. "He definitely is. He keeps me on my toes, that's for sure. But I wouldn't have it any other way."

“If you don’t mind me asking, why didn’t things work out between you and his mom?” you asked a bit unsure about the question

Cillian's expression turned more serious as he considered your question. "No, I don't mind at all. We're getting to know each other,” he smiled, making you feel less inquisitive. “It's a long story, but in short, we just grew apart over time. Our priorities and goals shifted, and we realized that we were heading in different directions." He sighed softly, his gaze briefly distant.

“So you guys went your separate ways friendly?” you asked, and he chuckled, shaking his head.

“No… that didn’t happen. It wasn't an easy divorce."

“Oh, sorry about that. we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to” you said giving him a way out if he wanted to. The waiter came and took your orders, forcing a pause in the conversation. Cillian ordered an expensive bottle of wine as well.

"It's alright," Cillian replied, offering you a small smile. "I don't mind talking about it. It's a part of my life, after all. She had an affair while I was away shooting"

“Oh, I am sorry,” you said

“You have nothing to be sorry about” he gave you a gentle smile “She wanted to make things work, but I didn't. She didn't let us go easily, made it tough for me to leave. Put Lukas in the spot and that wasn't nice," he explained, and you listened with a caring and understanding look. But then Cillian's smile returned. "So, tell me more about your day. Making kitchen utensils, was it?"

You chuckled, relieved to switch to a lighter topic.

"Yeah, besides the classes, I take some orders from places like restaurants, hotels... anywhere, really," you smiled.

"That's nice, I must say you are very good at it," he said, making you blush.

"Thank you, you're very kind."

The waiter brought the wine, and when he inquired who would sample it first, Cillian volunteered you, making you smile. What a kind gentleman, you thought as you took the initial sip. After your approval, the waiter proceeded to pour the wine into your glass and then into Cillian's.

"So it's your turn," he said after sipping his wine. You cocked one eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. "Have you ever been married?"

You nervously smiled. "Ugh, no. But I've been engaged."

"What happened?" he asked.

"Sure, let's talk about it," you said, preparing yourself. "He was abusive."

"Oh," his smile transformed into a concerned face. "We don't have to go there if you don't want to."

"It's okay, as you said, we are getting to know each other," you smiled and continued. "Okay, are you ready?" you asked, and he nodded. "We broke up around three years ago. Like any normal relationship, it started well. He was kind at first, treated me like a queen until he had me. After we started dating, he began showing tiny red flags that I ignored because I was in love with him. Eventually, those tiny flags weren't so tiny anymore. He became jealous and aggressive, especially around the time he proposed. And after about half a year, I think, everything's a bit confusing from that time, he started hitting me whenever he got angry. That was the red flag I couldn't ignore. So, I broke things off, and he almost killed me because of that. He's in jail now," you finished, and Cillian took a sip of his wine.

"That's awful, y/n. I'm sorry you had to go through that," he said with genuine sympathy.

"Yeah, me too. But hey, after that, I went through a lot of therapy, and that's when I fell in love with ceramics. I went on a very long journey of getting to know myself. I guess that was the silver lining," you said with a small smile. “Now, I guess I can affirm that I am my best self,” you said confidently. Cillian nodded, a look of admiration in his eyes.

“Yes, you can,” he smiled. “You're very strong," his statement, though already familiar to you, made you blush. It's always nice to be recognized. “How did you end up not eating meat?”

"Political statement," you answered, a curious look forming on his face.

"Oh really? Tell me more," he said, his curiosity piqued, making you chuckle.

“hum, ok. First, meat is a very expensive resource and consumes a significant amount of resources – water, grains, and land. We could definitely put those resources to better use, perhaps even tackling hunger issues. And we have all that save water, reduce usage, turn off your faucets while you brush your teeth… while one cow drinks up to 64 liters of water per day. And its exploitation of animals’ lives I don’t agree. I think it's a bit cruel”

“Wow, you have some fair points. Never thought much about it. Was it hard, giving up meat?” he said

“Yeah… I loved a good steak” you chuckled “but I transitioned slowly and sometimes I crave it, and I must admit once in a while I give into my cravings” you smiled shyly

“You do enough, what's once in a while, right?”

“Right” you chuckled

The waiter arrived with the food, the aroma filled the air, making your stomach growl in anticipation. The two of you exchanged a knowing glance and thanked the waiter before digging into your meals.

As you savored the flavors of the dish, you realized that despite the heavy topic of conversation earlier, the atmosphere between you and Cillian remained light and comfortable.

“This is really good,” you said and he smiled

“Yeah, it’s very flavorful,” he said

As you ate, the conversation continued to flow effortlessly between you, touching on various topics from hobbies to travel aspirations. He told you about his projects and you told yours.

The more you talked, the more you felt a genuine connection forming. It was refreshing to be with someone who was not only easy to talk to but also genuinely interested in getting to know you.

After finishing your meal, the waiter came to clear the table and offered dessert options. You both declined, feeling content with the satisfying dinner you had just enjoyed. Cillian leaned back in his chair, a relaxed smile on his face.

"I have to admit, this has been a really wonderful evening," he said, his eyes meeting yours.

"I feel the same way," you agreed, genuinely pleased with how the evening had turned out.

As the waiter brought the check, you reached for it, but he stopped you with a playful smile. "Oh no, this one's on me," he insisted, taking the bill from the waiter.

You chuckled, shaking your head. "Alright then, I won't argue. Thank you."

With the bill settled, you both stood up from the table and made your way outside. The night air was colder than before, but your cardigan was doing a good enough job of keeping you warm. You followed Cillian to his car, and as you reached it, he went to open the door for you. Your bodies closed in on each other, and in a bold move, you placed a hand on his chest and leaned closer. He responded by leaning in as well, and your lips met.

The kiss was soft and gentle, as your lips touched, you felt a warmth spread from the point of contact, igniting a spark of electricity that seemed to course through your veins. the soft pressure of his lips against yours, the faint taste of the wine you had shared lingering on both of your mouths.

You felt his hand on your waist, pushing you closer to him. His other hand rested on your neck, holding your face gently.

As the kiss gradually ended, your face remained close, his nose brushing against yours. A contented sigh escaped your lips as the excitement of the kiss lingered in the air. "Hm, I hope that was ok," you mumbled, feeling a bit flustered.

"More than okay," he replied with a smile, and you couldn't help but grin, your heart racing. With that, he opened the car door for you, and you got in, your cheeks still flushed from the wonderful kiss. As he started to drive, you couldn't help but replay the kiss in your mind.

“Here we are,” he said as he pulled up in front of your apartment.

“Thank you, I had a wonderful night,” you said, unbuckling your seatbelt.

“Me too,” he said with a smile.

You leaned in for a hug, but as you pulled away, your lips seemed to gravitate toward each other. His gaze was intense, his desire palpable. The kiss that followed was more intense than the last, his hand rested on your thigh, pressuring it the right amount. A tingling sensation coursed through your body, anticipation growing with every second.

“Hm, do you want to… go up?” you asked, your voice laced with a mix of desire and uncertainty.

Cillian's eyes held a mix of longing and respect as he looked at you, his hand still resting on your thigh. He nodded slowly, his voice low and husky. "If you're comfortable with it, then yes." his thumb brushed against your thigh in a reassuring gesture.

You felt your heart race, a combination of excitement and nervousness flooding your senses. With a small smile, you nodded back, your hand finding its way to his cheek as you leaned in to kiss him a short kiss.

A mixture of emotions swirling within you as you both got out of the car. Walking into your apartment building, Cillian's hand found yours, and you intertwined your fingers.

Your apartment building is a bit old and does not have an elevator. You live on the third floor and the stairs are the only way up.

“Here we are,” you said as you reached your door. Opening the door, you led him inside, your hands still intertwined.

Your apartment was a simple, cozy, and inviting space, designed with a mix of modern simplicity and urban jungle aesthetics. The open layout of the loft allowed for an easy flow between the different areas.

The furniture was a blend of neutral tones and natural textures, with comfortable cushions and throws strewn across the seating areas. A variety of potted plants and hanging vines added a touch of lushness to the urban atmosphere, giving your space a calming and earthy vibe. The rich green hues of the plants contrasted beautifully with the muted color palette of the walls and furnishings.

The kitchen area was sleek and modern, with stainless steel appliances and marble countertops. A few ceramic pieces that you had crafted adorned the shelves, showcasing your creative touch.

Cillian's gaze swept over the space, and a smile tugged at his lips. "You have a beautiful home," he remarked, his voice sincere.

"Thank you," you replied, warmth spreading through you. "Do you want something to drink? Water? Or wine?" you offered with a smile.

He took a few steps towards you, his hand finding its place on your waist. "Thanks, I'm good," he said, his voice hoarse, leaning in to kiss you. Your arms wrapped loosely around his neck. His fingers trailed gently down your spine, reaching your lower back and pushing you against him. "If you say stop, anytime, we stop. If you say it in thirty seconds or an hour, we stop, ok?" he asked, breaking the contact, and as soon as he did, you found yourself desperately wanting him again.

"Ok," you replied almost in a whisper and leaned in to kiss him.

The kiss deepened, a surge of intensity passing between you. Your fingers entwined in his hair, pulling him closer as you arch your lower back.

You could feel his heartbeat, steady and strong, beneath your chest pressed to his.

His hand moved from your lower back to your ass, squeezing it. Your hips moved forward, drawing you closer to him, and you could feel his hardness pressing against you.

Shit, your legs felt weaker than normal. You were overwhelmed by the sensation of being desired and so horny for him.

One of his hands went to your hair, his fingers tangling in the strands before he firmly, yet gently, pulled it, tilting your head back, granting him access to your neck.

"Fuck," you sighed, feeling a wave of desire wash over you as his movement consumed you.

His lips began to trail down the soft, lavender-scented skin, leaving soft kisses and gentle bites. Eventually, his lips reached your ear, and the sensation and sound of his breath made you shiver.

“Should we go to your room?” he asked, and you sighed, nodding.

You led him to your room, feeling a mixture of anticipation and nervous excitement. As you entered, his eyes scanned the space, taking in the details of your urban jungle-themed decor. The room was softly illuminated by the warm glow of string lights hung around the bed frame and as the living room, you had many potted plants scattered around.

He closed the door behind him, his eyes locking onto yours with a mix of desire and tenderness.

His hand found yours, fingers intertwining as he pulled you closer. The distance between you disappeared, and his lips met yours once again in a passionate kiss. Your heart raced as his hands roamed over your body, his touch igniting a fire within you. His fingers danced along the edges of your clothing, fingers grazing your skin, making your cardigan slip from your shoulders and fall to the ground.

Embracing the same fervor, your hands found the hem of his shirt, slipping underneath the fabric to explore his abdomen and back. A soft moan escaped his lips as you traced the contours of his body. The anticipation between you both grew as his shirt joined your cardigan on the floor. His bare chest was revealed to your hungry gaze, and the desire in his eyes mirrored your own.

Your gaze was intense, and as your lips met again, his hands caressed your skin while he gently pulled up your midi dress. The soft fabric slid over your body, revealing more of your bare skin to him.

“You’re so beautiful” he whispered, as his lips left a trail of kisses from your neck down to your collarbone.

He took a few small and slow steps towards your bed, all the while maintaining the contact of your bodies.

His hands continued their exploration, tracing the curves of your body. As his fingers worked to unhook your bra, you found yourself lost in the moment, completely caught up in the intoxicating chemistry between you two.

His lips left your collarbone to give your breasts some attention, kissing, nibbling, and sucking at them. The sensations he evoked were electrifying, and you couldn't help but let out a soft moan as he pressed his body against yours, the heat radiating between you.

You moved your hand to his belt and began to unbuckle it, then you undid the button and the zip of his fly, sliding his pants down.

He gently pushed you to lay on the bed, his body hovering over yours. Kissing you tenderly from your lips to your chest, then around your belly, finally reaching your panty. He pushed your legs apart and kissed you through your panty making you let out a moan, making more and more turned on. He left wet kisses on your inner thighs, eventually brushing his teeth, taking his time on making you ready for him.

You were growing impatience and rather desperate for his touch, you buckled up your hips, hoping he would get the message. You felt the vibration of his chuckle and he looked up at you.

“You’re being impatient,” he said, his voice making waves of pleasure rush over you.

“I am,” you said and he smirked

“Well, I’m not,” he said as he brushed his lips around your inner thighs.

he moved up, kissing your lower abdomen, kissing all around your panty. You could feel your juices leaving you and wetting your panty. One of his hands reached up to your breasts, squeezing it as he kissed you over your panty again. His other hand squeezed your inner thigh and brushed his finger over your panty.

“Jesus, Cillian. You’re going to kill me” you said out of breath, hazed with desire and he chuckled

His finger found the hem of your panty, sliding it to the side. His eyes locked on your face as he slid his finger between your folds.

“You are so wet,” he said as a praise

“After all of that, impossible not to,” you said chuckling, making him smile. He moved to take your panty out and tossed it on the floor.

he kissed one of your toes and trailed kisses up to your inner thigh.

You let out a moan as you felt his tongue on your clit, arching your back but he stilled you, holding your hips firmly. He began to alternate the movement of his tongue between light and intense strokes, adjusting according to your responses. He could hear your breathing harder and faster, assuming you were getting closer. Your moans began to sound more labored.

His lips closed on your clit, as sucked it, making you feel a shock of pleasure never felt before

“Fuck!” you let out, groaning deep in your throat, setting your head back into the pillow

You didn't know how he did but, in a matter of seconds you felt your abdomen burst into an incredible feeling, you arched your back again as the orgasm washed over your body. His tongue only stopped its movements when you stopped your erratic moves.

He then moved up, his lips meeting yours.

“Shit, that was something…” you said out of breath, he smiled

“Do you have a condom?” he asked and you nodded

“Top drawer” you indicated to your bedside table. He stood up to take his briefs out and search for the condom. As soon as he opened the drawer he saw not only condoms but a few sex toys. He smiled and looked at you, you sat on the bed and gave him a playful smile

“I’m single,” you said and he chuckled, picking up the condom and making his way back to you.

“Next time we could ask them to join,” he said, kissing you.

“Oh, that sounds like a party,” you said smiling as your hand cupped his cock and you started to stroke him gently. H

e sat down on the bed, his back resting against the headboard. He was about to open the condom but stopped when your lips touched the tip of his length. Your tongue flickering around the tip, salty precum leaking out of him. You slowly stroke his hard cock while your tongue continues to tease. Your eyes locked on his as you finally took him into your mouth.

His hand cups your hair, getting it out of the way as you teased him, licking his entire length, from tip to bottom, from bottom to tip. Licking, kissing, and sucking at the head.

Eventually taking his hardness into your mouth.

You started pumping your head, each time taking his cock deeper into your mouth. He dropped his head back, a deep groan leaving his lips.

you continued pumping, your head doing your best not to gag, as your hand held his length, stroking the rhythm of your pumping. His hand eventually wrapped around yours, putting some pressure on it.

“You can hold it harder” he encouraged you. You tightened your grip and continued to pump your head. You eventually used your other hand to cup his balls, caressing and massaging them gently. “fuck, yeah. That’s good” he praised, the grip he had on your hair getting stronger.

You were glad he was responding to your touch, letting you know what he liked, how he liked it.

As you looked at him, you saw fire in his eyes. The way his gaze burned into you, making you crave for him. “Stop, stop, stop,” he said, and you stopped, looking at him a bit confused

“Did I hurt you?” you asked and he shook his head, cupping your face and pushing you into a kiss.

“No, you were amazing” he smiled moving on top of you, making you lay back. He kissed your collarbone and the skin of your chest and breasts.

He took the condom wrap to his mouth and opened it with his teeth so that he could put it on.

You felt him sliding the head of his cock between your entrance, His eyes were locked onto your every reaction. You held his gaze, one hand resting on his back, the other gently cradling the back of his neck. The tension in the air was palpable, the anticipation growing with every passing moment.

He pressured against you, slowly sliding inside. You gasped at the feeling.

You wrapped your legs around his lower back and he started to thrust gently and slowly into you. His mouth wrapped yours, kissing you with the same intensity of his thrusts, slowly, savoring every feeling.

“Feels so good” you moaned against his lips

“So fucking good” he agreed, speeding up, every thrust going deeper, you matching his moves, pulling your hip up at every move. You both rocking together.

he ran his hands through your hair, caressing you as he smiled at you, kissing your lips. He was so kind, so caring and you loved it… but you wanted him to be a bit more.. intense.

“Harder” you whispered against his lips.

He looked at you with a smirk, his thrusts intensifying, making you moan louder. digging your nails into his skin at every thrust hitting you deeper and deeper. One of his hands cupped your breasts, pinching at your nipples.

Then, his fingers went to your clit, rubbing it intensively. He didn’t have to do much, you were so turned on, so ready that you quickly felt that knot in your stomach grow and another orgasm washed over you, making you loudly moan, your nails scratching the skin on his back.

“Fuck” you moaned breathlessly, recovering from your orgasm. “let me ride you,” you said and he simply turned you both on the bed, you ending on top.

There’s something about being on top that just turns you on. You feel like you are on top of the world. you rocked your hips back and forward, hands resting on his chest, his lips half open, small sighs leaving.

You let your head fall back, delighting at the feeling of his cock so deep inside you.

His hands held both sides of your hips, following and encouraging your hip movement. Cillian thought you’ve never looked prettier, the soft light of the room made every curve of your body prettier. He loved how your breasts bounced as you moved, how your lips looked as your moans trailed off them, the sexy pleasure in your face you made every time you lowered your body against his… you looked perfect.

“I’m a bit tired,” you said kissing him, after riding him for a long time

“Let me fuck you from behind,” he said and you smiled, getting off him and getting on all fours.

you felt his hand slide over your spine, resting at your lower back as he lined himself against you before thrusting into you. Both your skins were now glowing with sweat.

As he started thrusting, both his hands squeezed your asscheeks, spreading them apart as he watched his dick disappear inside of you. A gentle slap followed as his movements got faster.

“You feel so good, Cillian. Fuck me harder” you said, thinking he was holding back, being afraid to hurt you… and you were right.

he squeezed your ass again and his thrusts began to be so intense you had to hold into the bedsheets not to fall. You moaned loudly as he did. He slapped your ass again, now a slap that burned on your skin, but at the same time, didn't hurt. Just that right delicious incentive.

“Fuck, y/n” he growled. He was close, you could tell by how his movements began to lose rhythm. And after a few hard thrusts, he came. A loud sighed left his lips as he dropped his body on the bed.

you shifted to lie beside him, your breaths gradually slowing down as you both recovered. He raised one of his arms, inviting you to lay close to him. And so you did. Cillian turned his head to look at you, a genuine smile gracing his lips.

"That was..." he began, his voice still a bit husky, "...incredible." He reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, his fingers trailing down your cheek in a tender gesture.

You returned his smile, feeling a warmth spread through you. "Yeah," you agreed softly, your heart still racing.

He pulled you closer, his arm wrapping around you, and you nestled against his chest, your head resting on his shoulder.

You felt relieved you were able to go all the way with him. You felt a bit scared that it would end up like your previous date, but being with Cillian felt different.

His fingers traded random patterns in your back, as both your breathing were now normal. You lifted your head to look at him and smiled.

Cillian gently brushed his fingers through your hair, and you moved to place a kiss on his lips.

“Thank you for today” you said and he smiled

“Did you have a good time?” he said

“You bet I did” you chuckled

“Good, let's do it again then”

“Absolutely” you said and kissed his lips again.

He looked at his wristwatch and sighed “I have to go. Sile has Lukas for the night”

“Ok” you both sat up and began the search for the clothes around the room.

After getting dressed you accompanied him to the entrance of your building and you said goodbye with a gentle kiss.

Tags: I am currently working on the taglist for this series. If you want to get tagged leave a comment letting me know 😘

[allbluemin]

Results and responses from the survey on the divergent opinions regarding the human/ape ship of the Planet of the Apes franchise.

🔍How old are you?

🔍Do you consume monster/human content?

🔍Fiction is a term that designates imaginary and unreal narratives, which is why many people tend to defend their works using this term. They state that everything is nothing more than fiction, so, as in the case in question, the ape/human relationship should not be problematized as it should not be compared to the real world. Do you agree with this statement?

🔍Leave a comment delving deeper into your previous answer.

🍎It should not be compared to the real world because anthropomorphized apes that talk and have human intelligence and characteristics are not real. We created them. A lot of fandom's arguments against a human/ape romance use real life morality, but they forget these are fictional humanized apes in a scifi/fantasy story. A story whose narrative and overall themes will inevitably force us to ask hard questions and explore weird ideas. And yes, that includes asking: "What would it mean for a human and ape in this story to get together?"🍎

🌼In general, I agree with the statement above, however, I think that any problem in literature can be considered as a possible problem in real life. Perhaps metaphorical or something else. So. I agree that it can be compared to real life, but I am against giving too much meaning to fictional reality. Literature is a way to speculate “what if?”, limiting this is stupid and harmful. It also indicates some problem or set of problems in real life and society.🌼

🌻Fiction shouldn't be trated with the same moral or ethical compass as reality. With this I don't mean fiction doesn't impact reality, but just that we can't treat them equally. Ficition impacts reality, but at the end of the day, apes like the ones in the movie aren't real, so there's not really a morally good or morally bad thing to want to fuck them (or not fuck them), and same with a ship involving apes.🌻

🍓Statement about that instance, yes but we can clearly see how fiction is affected by who its made of and how it in turn affects us. Women (characters) barely having roles in the past or having to fit into a certain mold and still doing so for example. Fiction does not exist in a vaccum.🍓

🍒I believe that while the kind of fiction that does affect reality, things such as racism and stereotypes, are a problem. Many works of fiction are simply fiction and do not affect reality in the way many assume it does.🍒

🍑Fiction is a great way to explore themes, metaphors, What Ifs, and a whole slew of situations. It doesn’t need to be good and pure—in fact, the really interesting stuff happens beyond that. Also, it’s just fun.🍑

🌷Literally nothing even close to resembling this ship could ever or will ever happen in real life. They’re literally not real. They don’t look like, talk like, think like real apes. How is it even problematic??🌷

🍁I don’t think that the statement “is just fiction” is legit everytime. But in this case i don’t see anythib wrong with that ship.🍁

🌾The apes aren't just regular apes like at a zoo, they have achieved sentience and have a whole society.🌾

🥑There are human ape kisses in the classic movies and nobody cared idk why people care now🥑

🥀Depends how unrealistic the ape is, too real ape is icky, king kong? perfectly fine🥀

🍇Apes are not fictional🍇

🔍Do you think the ape/human ship is different from a monster/human ship?

🔍Could you elaborate on an answer to the previous question?

🌼I think that the ape/human ship is xenophilia. I don't think the apes in the film can fit into the term "monster", so I refuse to consider this pairing as a monster/human. However, I come from a different cultural background than the typical American/English person, so I apologize if my opinion sounds offensive. In my circle, “xenophilia” refers to any craving for something unknown and alien, the term covers relationships with a wide variety of fictional intelligent beings (the spectrum is extremely wide) and is even sometimes (extremely rarely) used in the context of relationships between two people from very different cultures (for example a modern person or a person from a world with magic). Although it is still believed that one partner must NOT be a person in the classical sense.🌼

🍒The kind of apes, in both the old planet of the apes and the reboot, are in fact not like everyday apes. They've created cultures and languages and are closer to homo sapiens than those of apes now. Even their appearances are also changing. Some shapes to their faces, the way they stand, and even their eyes. They are fictional/mythical creatures that while having similarities to actual creatures the same could say about centaurs, etc.🍒

🥑The apes in the POTA franchise are evolved physically and mentally enough to be functionally alien. They’re not only sentient, they’re sapient. They’re capable of communication, love, care, connection. There’s nothing weird about it, just like there’s nothing weird about a story about a human romancing a big monster or a slimy alien. It’s all fair game. The original 1968 movie pitches the apes like they’re aliens anyway.🥑

🍑It’s a human with a “non-human sentient Other” and comes with similar baggage as your typical monster pairings (the differences, the fear, the awkwardness, the unexpected similarities). Just because the uncanny valley isn’t that deep (as it would be with, I don’t know, The Predator alien or an Uruk Hai) doesn’t mean it’s not a monster. Like, human/vampire counts, and that can be presented as barely nonhuman.🍑

🌻Apes like the ones in the movies are the same as monsters bc they are a different species and have special characteristics that makes them "monstruous" enough. An ape can be a monster as long as you consider "monsters" like vampires to be that.🌻

🌾They aren't just apes, they've been genetically modified. But they aren't full monsters either. It'd be like fucking Scooby-Doo, he's a dog but he's a sentient dog that isn't really a dog anymore. But is still a recognizable animal.🌾

🍓The apes in this universe are monsters. While I'm not one who indulges in this type of shipping, I don't think the apes are animals in this fiction verse so they fit in the category of monsters.🍓

🌷I guess you could call it that, but the monster fiction trope has developed into its own sub genre that I don’t think Noa and Mae fall into. It’s the two lead characters in a blockbuster movie.🌷

🍉In the context of the POTA films, I don't.🍉

🍇An animal is not a monster.🍇

🥀Again, depends on the ape🥀

🔍If you want to comment on something other than the previous questions and/or add more arguments to your opinion, feel free...

🌾Things written in fiction don't have to be morally okay in real life. That's one of the reasons we write fiction. You aren't a bad person for shipping an ape and a human as long as you can fully realize that a real life ape would never be a consenting safe partner for anyone but another ape. The idea that everything written should be morally okay is harmful for a lot of people. Fantasy has its place and should never be held up to reality's standards of ethics. That path leads to shame and repression that could seriously impact the mental health of generations.🌾

🍑I have been in this fandom on and off for literal decades and human/ape pairings have always been a thing. They have even been suggested in canon (kisses in both Tim Burton’s remake and in two of the original films: the first one and in Escape From…). This isn’t new, and it used to be embraced as part of the fandom. The vitriol and hatred in the current fandom is an unexpected switch for me, but sadly, the way fandom in general has been trending (“purity culture” where only morally good things are allowed), I can’t say I am too surprised.🍑

🌼I think the term "monsterfucking" is pretty fun and I have nothing against it, but I think for the sake of convenience a new, more inclusive term should be popularized. That is, is it possible to consider, for example, aliens as monsters and read pairings with them as a monster/human? What about a human/vampire? And so on and so forth. To my surprise, I see such discussions relatively often. Although perhaps I am biased and that is the only reason I see this as a problem.🌼

🍓I would like to add that the shipping here is fiction, yes, so I agree with that part of it but I also do not think fiction in general exists in a vacum. Sorry for any mistakes, English is not my first language either.🍓

🌷Free yourself from the thought police. Thinking is not a crime. Nothing about shipping two characters is a crime.🌷

🌻Almost anything fictional can be considered a monster if you think about it long enough.🌻

The results of the poll at the moment.

(I didn't know I wouldn't have access to the answers so I had to vote, sorry😭)

Thanks to everyone who participated! 🥰

[nelkcats]

Hood Assistant

Prompt Part 1 Part 6 Part 7 Ao3

Part 8

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We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be

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

"Danny's sleeping so talk Dickhead," Jason said over the comms. Since last night he had noticed that the boy was a heavy sleeper, so it was unlikely that he would wake up during their conversation.

"Talk? We have nothing to talk about" Dick feigned innocence, although neither of them believed it.

"Of course, why did you come to my apartment then? And don't say you were worried about me" Jason stopped him, although it was possible that this was the reason, he was sure there was a bigger one.

"I was worried about you!" Dick shot back, sounding offended by the conversation.

"Sure, sure, now talk about your fight and why you didn't ask Kori to cook" Jason rolled his eyes, not caring that his brother wasn't looking at him.

"Kori is an amazing girl, and you know I'm very much in love with her" The vigilante in blue started.

"I know there's a but, keep going," Jason encouraged.

"Well, she's been using materials from her planet again," Dick finally said, sounding like he was about to cry, "I love Kori but if I have to eat slime one more time I'm going to throw up."

"And that's why you were going to ask Alfred for food but Bruce was inside the mansion?" Jason theorized. Dick and Bruce didn't have as good of a relationship as they had in the past. After all the misunderstandings and situations it was noticeable.

"You're right, I argued with him again but I still think Dami totally deserved to go to the zoo, and he's always so caught up in his own thoughts that he forgets that people don't work like the code in his head" Dick complained grumbling.

"As much as I love to complain about Bruce I'm going to stop you there, right now I need to know what you were looking for inside my apartment" Jason sighed, though he'd probably call later to find out everything the old man had gotten wrong, a bit of gossip didn't hurt anyone.

"Oh that, it's just that Pitter-" Dick started but was immediately interrupted.

"Don't call me that, my name is Peter" Jason growled under his breath but Dick seemed to ignore his complaints as he continued talking.

"Pitter seemed very possessive of the boy and that made me curious, okay? And when I went to your apartment I realized that you like him too, are you in love with him, Little Wing?" His older brother's tone turned playful and Jason could perfectly imagine his smile from the other side of the line.

"I'm not in love, and don't you dare tell them about him" Jason complained, he knew that Dick was the gossip in the whole mansion even if he didn't live inside it, but he still had a trick up his sleeve.

"My silence has a price" Dick said, faking an old man's voice and stroking his imaginary beard. He had forgotten they weren't making a video call but no one was going to judge him for it.

"Yeah, Roy and I will teach Kori how to cook, so she'll stop poisoning you" Jason said with a growl as Dick began to celebrate in the background. All his complaints had disappeared from one second to another.

He didn't mind teaching Kori how to cook, she was one of his best friends and it was always quite fun to do something with her. After all, even if he spent a lot of time organizing his own faction in Crime Alley, the Outlaws would always be his family.

They were just taking a vacation while guarding his territory and Roy was having an existential crisis with Lian entering preschool. Jason had tried very hard to ignore the messages in the group chat because he knew that 80% of them were audios of Roy crying over his baby growing.

Curiously, he had no idea what Kori was doing during that period of time. Apparently using her cooking knowledge to accidentally poison his brother. Or he was hoping it was accidental.

Kori was one of the best chefs on her home planet, the only problem was that they weren't on her home planet and she had forgotten that the earth uses very different ingredients. She probably still hadn't gotten used to it, but an evening with friends cooking sounded pretty good to correct that. He might even invite Danny.

Jason stopped his train of thought at that moment. Since when did he think of Danny as a friend? And that it was safe to be with him? He was still getting updates of Babs screaming in rage while she was trying to hack Amity every couple of days, and the boy was definitely extremely suspicious.

It was just that since he'd given him the benefit of the doubt he'd been having fun. And the cute boy who had called him on his phone one day to get the most dangerous job ever had been slowly but surely stealing his heart. Jason had never felt so relaxed in years.

He shifted his gaze to the boy who was fast asleep hugging his arm, he was pretty sure he was drooling at that moment and he could feel that Danny was seconds away from biting him. Jason wondered if he was hungry.

"Yeah, I think I am," he muttered before hanging up. Ignoring the cries of confusion that his brother was throwing at him. Not that he could help it anyway, he was well aware that Nightwing would be visiting them the next day.

He sadly knew that he couldn't escape a late-night visit from Blueheaven's vigilante but he could stay with Danny until then, and maybe dance one more time. That was fun.

───────────────

"I understand that you can't present yourself in front of Danny as Danny, however" Johnny took a deep breath, seeing Amorpho's new form.

He exhale, closed his eyes and opened them again, no, the appearance was still there. It wasn't a bad dream after all.

"What? I think the cover is perfect" Amorpho complained adjusting his skirt "Although the clothes are uncomfortable"

"Amorpho" Johnny said feigning calm "DON'T MORPH INTO MY GIRLFRIEND"

Facing Johnny was Kitty without green skin and wearing sunglasses, but definitely Kitty, Johnny wanted to bang his head against the wall.

"Why not? I look fabulous." Amorpho modeled his new look as if he were in a fashion show and blew Johnny a kiss, who squashed his kiss in frustration.

"No, I refuse to play along with you on this" the blond complained, crossing his arms. Though he was sure if he sent Kitty a picture about it she would start laughing and agree with the ghost about looking good as a human.

Not that Johnny was going to tell her, the situation was humiliating enough as it was. He stared at Shadow, daring them to say something but his friend shook their head before going back into the shadows.

"Come on honey, don't be such a killjoy, we have to find our son" Amorpho put an arm around the blond's shoulder, grinning widely.

"I'm doing it so I don't get eaten and don't say it's our son, it's extremely awkward" Johnny winced, it was definitely weird.

"Why? It's not like you guys dated or anything" the ghost sneered, but at the sudden silence his jaw dropped "DID YOU GO OUT WITH HIM? YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!"

"Dammit, don't start yelling, Kitty dated him too," Johnny grumbled with a frown. "And of course we dated, did you think we called each other exes for the joke or something?"

"Probably, teenagers are weird" Amorpho shrugged, Johnny ignored how much he physically resembled his girlfriend with an attitude so different from hers.

"Remind me to never ask you how old you are," Johnny said huffily as he walked out of the apartment. He looked at an old woman who was coming out of one of the nearby apartments. He was about to greet her but she gave him a dirty look before leaving.

"What? I didn't even do anything" Johnny was stunned at the kind old lady's reaction before remembering that Amorpho had definitely yelled earlier "Damn Amorpho, I didn't need you to make my non-existent reputation any worse than it already was."

Amorpho simply ignored the blonde as he kept looking for something on his phone. Johnny approached out of curiosity, wondering since when the ghost knew how to use phones until he saw that Amorpho was sending a message to Technus.

"Seriously? I just told you!" Johnny complained as he pointed to the techie ghost's gossip blog. It was obvious that Amorpho was telling him about his failed threesome relationship.

"Yes, but Technus didn't know and that can't be, he has to know everything" Amorpho complained. He didn't get along so well with the Ghost of technology but he was his main purveyor of gossip in and out of the Infinite Realms.

He was pretty sure that was one of the main reasons why Technus had created phones in the first place and had dedicated himself to expanding its use throughout the dimension. He just liked to know everything. At least he hadn't discovered yet that he could overstep personal boundaries.

Although Technus loved gossip he was quite respectful of personal space, of course, he didn't refuse to check news of his new followers either.

Amorpho wondered if he could merge the new applications that his theater friends had taught him with the ones Technus had created for the Realms. It would be fun to see them interact with each other but those would be plans for another time; When a hungry halfa was not lost.

"Okay then, if you were an starving and definitely not kidnapped halfa where would you hide?" Amorpho questioned as they left the apartment.

Shadow came out of the shadows to look at both of them with annoyance while they pointed insistently at the apartment. Cujo continued to lie in the living room, paying no attention to the two ghosts who had definitely forgotten that dogs existed.

"I have no idea" Johnny denied as he looked at Shadow with confusion, he didn't quite understand what the other ghost meant. Shadow hid in his shadow again while they snorted in annoyance, their partner was an idiot.

"Perhaps my theater friends can help?" Amorpho questioned aloud as they walked through the streets.

"No, you were disguised as Danny, their help is completely useless, on the other hand" Johnny looked at the road "We could explore a bit, I always see colorful people and I'm sure they will help us"

"It's not like I had a better plan so sure" Amorpho shrugged as they headed towards the first person they saw.

Potential Help #1

Strangely, the first person they managed to see was a man flying a kite in the sky. Johnny supposed he couldn't judge considering it was early in the morning and they had seen stranger things in Amity Park.

"I'm judging him" Amorpho said, definitely not sharing his thoughts "Mr. Comet?"

"My name is Kite Man!" The man on the kite happily declared. Amorpho wondered why he was so proud. Perhaps the air had reached his brain.

"Well, Kitty Man" Amorpho interrupted him, the man seemed a bit offended by the comment but the ghost kept talking "Have you seen a boy with black hair? He's my boyfriend's ex and it seems he was recently kidnapped"

Johnny tried to retort by saying that he definitely wasn't his boyfriend but Amorpho shut him up before he could say anything.

"You know, I think there are a lot of people with black hair in Gotham, and a lot of them get kidnapped daily, you could ask the Waynes" Kite Man replied with a snort, if they were trying to find someone with such a vague description they were definitely lost.

"Okay, a boy with black hair and blue eyes" Amorpho tried again. Johnny was considering whether he should bite his hand.

"He could definitely be at Wayne Manor" Kite Man shrugged, it would be no surprise with the number of children Bruce Wayne adopted. Some Rogues even had a competition over whether he would transform into an adoption villain.

This might not make sense, but Bruce Wayne despite his idiotic attitude had a PhD, a motive and most importantly, money. The three most important factors in becoming a villain within Gotham.

Although maybe stealing children from orphanages wasn't so bad, it could get them out of poor living conditions and so on. It would be worth it if it wasn't so morally questionable and Brucie didn't have such an obvious preference when it came to foster children.

"Okay, where is- OW-" Amorpho removed his hand from Johnny's mouth as he saw the obvious bite on it "Did you just bite me!?"

"I'm sorry honey, you were suffocating me" Johnny said innocently. Their fake relationship was definitely suffocating him at the moment "Where's Wayne manor anyway?"

Kite Man simply pointed at the obvious mansion located in the center of Gotham and Johnny definitely turned around as he walked away.

"No, we're not messing with millionaires" the blond grumbled as he walked away from the strange comet man "I don't want another Vlad masters breathing down our necks"

"We agree on something" Amorpho grumbled as they continued on their way. They didn't need more millionaires in their lives, nor more halfas, two and a half was enough of a headache.

As they walked away from the site neither of them noticed a boy with a Katana complaining as he fought Kite man. They didn't care very much and had left it as some kind of background noise.

Potential Help #2

"I'm hungry" Amorpho complained as they continued walking, they had forgotten to eat breakfast before leaving and that wasn't doing them any good.

"You're a ghost, you spent years in the Realms without eating anything" Johnny said, shooting him a stink-eye. Even if he was friends with Lunch Lady, which he doubted, it was impossible for him to have a constant food source in the Realms.

"Yeah, but that was there, now that I'm here I'm not going to miss any food, ecto or not" Amorpho frowned and took Johnny's hand as he led them towards an establishment.

Above them the "Batburger" sign could be seen glowing. The blonde assumed that the workers at the restaurant would be able to help with the search. After all, the red girl at Amity always answered a few questions when she was working.

Of course she was aggressive and with a weapon, but she always ended up answering in one way or another.

To both ghost disappointment the workers couldn't help as they were being held back by a man in a strange suit with guns full of condiments? Well, better than nothing

"Hey, do you work here?"  Amorpho ignored all the commotion and headed towards the man with the strange weapons. Surely the ketchup and mustard guns were to prepare the burgers faster or something.  The city was that weird.

"Me? No! I'm the great Condiment King and I'm here to steal-" the man was about to say his speech but was stopped by one of the ghosts.

"The secret formula for the Krabby Patty?" Johnny was quick to guess, he had been watching some TV shows since he arrived at the apartment, which miraculously had a connection thanks to Technus. Shadow seemed to strongly disagree with his deduction but didn't say anything.

.

Similarly, the crows outside the restaurant seemed to be disappointed. Although the blond was sure that what he said was correct.

"No, this is a Batburger, we don't sell Krabby patties here" the restaurant manager answered, forgetting about the hostage situation, he seemed pretty tired of the whole situation.

"Too bad," Johnny shrugged as Amorpho waved beside him as if to say see what I have to live with?

"Now, if you and your girlfriend don't want to end up with a mustard shot to the head, you'd better sit quietly there" Condiment King pointed to the corner of the Batburger.

"She's not my-" Johnny tried to correct the supposed villain but Amorpho beat him to it.

"Excuse me!? Are you going to stain my beautiful clothes with that thing?" He protested in offense, ignoring the fact that it wasn't even his clothes in the first place.

"Sure girl, so sit still and-" the man tried to say but was interrupted again.

Of course, this ended badly for the rogue because before he knew it he had "Kitty's" handbag in his face, which seemed to be full of bricks as he blew it off the wall. Amorpho lowered his glasses showing him his angry red eyes before making a "hmp" sound and heading to the cash register, looking offended..

The ghost dusted his skirt as he addressed the employees who looked at him doubtfully "Two #3 orders with Jokerized fries to go please"

The employees rushed to place the orders as Condiment King held his head from where he had landed on one of the restaurant's tables. The Gothamites were getting more and more savage.

"You could have gone intangible if he threw the mustard, dammit" Johnny complained about his partner's drama as he picked up the orders. The workers seemed too scared to charge. "And you forgot to ask about Danny!"

"Oh right" Amorpho went back to the establishment where the employees were trying to pick up Condiment King "Have you seen a boy with black hair and blue eyes?"

Both the dizzy Condiment King and the employees pointed towards Wayne Manor, so Amorpho only frowned as he walked back to Johnny.

"Well?" The blonde asked, raising an eyebrow as he ate the fries from one of the orders.

"Creepy mansion again" Amorpho grumbled, snatching the bag from the other's hands and eating his burger.

Possible help #3

With full stomachs and renewed energy, they both returned to the streets of Gotham. Not noticing the red vigilante looking at them weird as he was on his way to Batburger.

"Okay, what weirdo are we asking now?" Amorpho complained, looking down the street. It didn't take long for them to find a calendar salesman, or that's what they assumed he was.

Johnny pointed to the strange man who had a calendar on his shoulders and Amorpho reluctantly agreed, he didn't see any other options.

"Your time is running out! The end of Gotham is near!" The man laughed as he held a gun in his hands and pointed it at both ghosts who looked unimpressed.

Calendar Man was excited, he had barely started his plan and two idiot Gothamites had bumped into him. He would show them to fear his name, it would be the worst day of their lives!

“He reminds me of someone" the blonde whispered, ignoring the drama as he thought about the legend of a ghost with many clocks that was extremely cryptic.

"Yes, he looks familiar to me too" Amorpho circled the villain curiously. Calendar Man looked offended by the lack of fear in both of them.

"Didn't you hear me? Your end is near!" Calendar Man repeated, but the dramatic effect in his voice was gone.

"Yeah, yeah, end of the world, end of our lives, blah blah blah" Johnny repeated unimpressed. They were ghosts, they couldn't be less scared by that threat.

"You guys notice the gun in my hand right? I could kill you at any moment" Calendar Man pointed to the gun that was pointed directly at the boy and his girlfriend "You should be begging for your life!"

"There are things more terrifying than death" Amorpho smiled widely as he lowered his glasses, exposing his red eyes. He had noticed that this scared most people and made them answer his questions faster.

"Things that can't wait to meet you," Johnny teased as Shadow got up and surrounded them "Now, do you have time to answer a few questions?"

Calendar Man had a feeling they weren't normal Gothamites as his own shadow rose up to snatch the weapon from him and toss it aside. Would that be all? The end of his days terrorizing Gotham?

He closed his eyes waiting for his end but nothing happened. When he opened them again, the two Gothamites were in the same place, looking the same as at the beginning of the conversation. Although definitely more annoying than before.

"You could have just said no" Johnny complained with a frown. Amorpho stared at him as he waved the rogue away. Which Calendar Man took advantage of before running off.

Orphan watched from the ceiling as Calendar Man ran off yelling about the "Monsters that have come to Gotham".

Possible help #4

"That guy was useless and these heels are killing me" Amorpho complained as they continued walking.

"You could just take off the heels or you know, change your shoes, stop being my girlfriend" Johnny listed the options hoping the ghost would accept the last offer.

"No, as I told you at the beginning, I look fabulous this way" Amorpho pointed at himself "and beauty hurts"

"Then suffer in silence" Johnny said unimpressed as he entered what appeared to be the local Gotham park. Plants were everywhere, which definitely reminded him of something or rather someone.

"Everyone will surrender towards the green!" A woman on a picnic blanket exclaimed. A girl with clown-like makeup seemed to be cheering right next to her.

"This scene looks familiar" Amorpho muttered, to which Johnny agreed "Oh, I remember."

"It's like Sam!" Johnny yelled..

"It's like Undergrowth!" Amorpho yelled at the same time as the blond. They both looked at each other with a frown.

"It's obviously like the time Sam got possessed," Johnny grumbled as he pointed at the plants littering the park.

"But she was possessed by Undergrowth," Amorpho pointed out in an attempt to cut the argument off.

"Maybe Undergrowth is trying to have kids?" Johnny muttered as he watched Ivy, he could see the family resemblance.

"Or maybe they're illegitimate children he doesn't know about," Amorpho said happily. Shadow was wondering why they didn't stay with Cujo.

"Anyway, if anyone knows where to find Danny it's probably her right?" Johnny pointed to the picnic blanket. Amorpho nodded and they both headed off to probably break up a romantic date.

"Those heels look fa-bu-lous on you!" Harley exclaimed with happiness as she saw a young couple approaching them. Though Ivy didn't look thrilled by the interruption.

"Thank you! Your makeup is magnificent" Amorpho exclaimed happily, perhaps they had made new friends.

"Don't get distracted" Johnny growled at his partner as he complained about the blond not understanding the importance of fashion.

"Oh right, sorry for the interruption" Amorpho cleared his throat "Our friend is lost and we wanted to know if you know where to find him?"

"We're kind of busy right now," Ivy pointed at the picnic. Although she was curious as to how the couple went through all the plants without alerting her.

"It sure is a lovely evening" Johnny nodded "and I'm sorry to interrupt your date, it's something that's happened to me a lot so I understand how frustrating it can be but we really need to find our friend."

Johnny was already thinking about how to make up for the interruption to the date while he was at it. Obviously they had prepared everything: plants that gave a romantic atmosphere, homemade food, hostages, nosy bats behind the plants. It was beautiful!

"If you understand why interrupt?" Ivy raised an eyebrow.

"Our friend has a very special diet and if we don't find him soon all of Gotham could turn into a zombie movie" Amorpho tried to explain. Although obviously the zombie part was only for them.

"We're not getting into another weird drama-" Ivy said with a frown but was interrupted by Harley.

"That's terrible, we also have a friend with a strange diet so we'd love to help!" Harley nodded thinking of Waylon as Ivy heaved a defeated sigh beside her.

"Excellent, he's quite short and always wears the same jacket" Johnny described the clothes the halfa was wearing the last time he saw him "the most important thing is that he has black hair and blue eyes"

Harley & Ivy looked at each other before grimacing at the last description. They hoped that Bruce had avoided that bullet.

"Did you search at Wayne Manor?" Harley questioned after a few seconds of silence.

"No, but we're pretty sure he's not there, he hates millionaires" Amorpho hastened to assert.

"You should check, that's where all the boys with that description end up" Ivy frowned "but we'll keep our eyes open, what's your friend's name?"

"His name is Danny! Thank you very much, we promise to make up your date" Johnny brightened as Amorpho exchanged his number with Harley, they seemed to have become friends.

"I hope so," Ivy snorted as she watched the lively couple walk away, "although I still wonder how they got through the floral barrier”

"Uh, that's weird" Harley mumbled looking at her new contact. The name and photo were definitely different from what she had expected.

"What's wrong honey?" Ivy approached the girl looking at her phone. In it you could see the profile of "Amorpho" shining as an added contact.

"Looks like our new friends have more than one surprise up their sleeves." Harley smiled as she put her phone down and focused on her date. She hoped to find them again, that was for sure.

Spoiler looked at the interaction between the four of them with doubt but ignored how both civilians walked away while she focused on telling Ivy to let the other people enter the park.

Amorpho and Johnny just went intangible to get through the flowers as they headed back to Crime Alley, maybe Danny's crush lived in the same neighborhood if they were lucky.

Possible help #5

In the middle of the street was a rather strong man with a gas mask over his face, which seemed to be connected to tubes on his back. Bane looked at them and walked past them.

"Hey! Don't be rude!" Amorpho complained putting himself in front of the man "It seems that you are not having a good day but this will only take a few minutes"

"My time is precious and I won't waste it on you," Bane growled, trying to push the woman out of his way but she didn't move.

"It will only take a few minutes" Amorpho planted his heels on the cement, leaving a hole. Bane raised an eyebrow curiously.

"What do you want?" Bane crossed his arms, still annoyed by the interaction.

"Thanks, we're looking for our friend," Johnny said, finally catching up with them.

"Your friend?" Bane did not hide the doubt in his tone. Were they causing him so much trouble to ask something so pointless? Why would he know about a random guy in the first place?

"Yeah, he's got blue eyes, black hair, he's kind of goofy and probably has white hair on his head if you look closely," Johnny hastened to describe.

Bane hummed "maybe I know where he is"

"Oh really!?" Both ghosts cheered up seeing the one who was finally giving them an answer.

"Yes, but you have to beat me for that" Bane challenged them both. Considering the strange strength of the girl it was obvious that they were not normal people.

Bane didn't really know where the boy they were looking for was, but he needed some training and if all he needed was a little bribing then he would do it. It wasn't every day that two interesting metas stood in the way.

"We don't have time for a fight" Johnny grumbled but Amorpho stepped forward.

"Hold my bag honey" Amorpho handed his handbag to the blond ghost with a grunt "I've been in these heels all damn day, my feet hurt and all the information we collected was totally useless, if you think I'm going to let go the opportunity to hit someone today you are wrong"

Bane smirked as Amorpho tossed his glasses aside and charged at him in utter rage. After the fight all that was left were broken pieces of the street. Something that was carefully observed by Signal, who was stopping himself from entering Red Hood's territory.

"What do you mean the mansion!?" Amorpho yelled at Bane chuckling on the ground.

"Even though you are a strong opponent, all children with that description end up in the mansion, if he's not there then I don't know where he is" The villain sneered standing up.

"What? Is the show over?" The blond complained putting away his popcorn "I thought it would last longer"

"That was a good fight though, we should do it again sometime," Bane commented as he stretched, ignoring the blond's words. He wondered if he would have special abilities like his mate.

Bane sized up the blonde but his eyes were caught on his shadow, was it moving or was it a trick of the light? Maybe he should do more research on Gotham's new people, these new players were definitely interesting. Of course, that would happen after recovering from the fight and getting more poison. His had run out but it was worth it.

"Yeah, yeah, next time, we have to go get our friend" Amorpho growled, pulling Johnny towards the creepy mansion. He wasn't going to tolerate any more people leading them there again without checking. And if the halfa was inside that damn mansion he was going to figure out how to double kill the biker.

"That's too long, why don't we just use my motorcycle?" The blond asked curiously as he measured the distance to the creepy mansion located in the middle of the city, walking was relaxing for a few hours but he missed his motorcycle.

"WE WERE ABLE TO USE YOUR MOTORCYCLE ALL THE TIME!?" Amorpho's scream was heard throughout the street. To which Johnny shrugged. Bane's laughter was audible in the distance.

───────────────

When Jason woke up it wasn't a surprise that Danny was biting his arm. He still considered that it had something to do with the boy being starved for his whole life, but he found the little fangs a little adorable.

They were less adorable when he realized that they were taking blood from his arm, and that his blood had green drops inside it. Jason blinked a few times trying to get the sleep out of his eyes but the green spots were still there.

"Danny, Doll wake up" Jason waved him worriedly, partly because he didn't think drinking blood, even accidentally, wouldn't be poisonous. And on the other hand he was afraid that it had something to do with the Pits.

Danny just growled as he bit his arm a little harder, probably trying to shut up whatever was disturbing his sleep.

"Danny no!" Jason screeched as the boy bit him again, the new vampiric tendencies of his new love interest were becoming extremely worrisome.

Not knowing what else to do, Jason began to wave his arm in an attempt to pull the boy away, but the boy clung on again and the vigilante swore Danny had grown claws because it was impossible for him to stay in the same place without moving an inch.

"Doll, you have to get off, you're not a cat!" Jason got up from the bed but the boy had gone from just biting his arm to completely clinging to him as he kept biting.

Jason ran into the kitchen and tried to bribe the boy with some food he had left in the microwave, if he was hungry that would surely help.

His plan obviously didn't work, the boy seemed quite comfortable still biting his arm. Jason wondered if the toxic blood was going to kill him, if it was really part of the Lazarus Pits.

"Come on Doll, you can't die after I just accepted that I like you" Jason grumbled as he sat down on the couch. He stroked the halfa's hair lovingly as he sighed. The boy was extremely troublesome but he had come to love him, a special kind of love that he hadn't given to many people and that was terrifying.

"Love" Poe sang happily as he landed on Jason's head. Who was having an existential crisis.

If his blood had some of the fluid from the pits in it, why hadn't it come out until now? Was it toxic? Was he killing Danny!?

He hadn't even asked him on a date and he had already killed him! He was the worst boyfriend candidate ever.

While he continued lost in his thoughts he didn't notice how the boy slowly detached himself from his arm and the green color on his blood disappeared.

The halfa seemed to have consumed all the corrupted ectoplasm available in the boy, whether that was a good or a bad thing was hard to say. The boy would probably end up with side effects from the corrupted ectoplasm though. On the other hand, Jason's corrupted core might be healing now that he had a source of natural ectoplasm in the air, and perhaps he would find some surprises soon.

Oblivious to everything that had just changed, Danny continued fast asleep, happily clinging to Jason's arm. The vigilante began to wonder if the boy would stay after the whole gas disaster was over. He slowly started to fall asleep, so much excitement so early in the morning had definitely left him tired. Or maybe it was just the missing blood.

───────────────

"I'm telling you Kori, Jay is completely in love, he looks at him the way I look at you" Dick murmured as he lay on his girlfriend's lap, he hadn't slept all night thinking about the meaning of his younger brother's last words " I'm so proud of him"

"Okay, now say what you're really thinking" Kori replied with a smirk. She knew her boyfriend too well to believe that.

"I'm so scared" Dick said in a teary tone "my baby brother is growing up, and he's falling in love, what am I going to do if he gets his heart broken?"

I think that should be his concern" Kori raised an eyebrow "Besides, if something happens I'm sure Roy and I can take care of it"

"Oh, so you think I should spy on his future boyfriend?" Dick questioned happily as he thought about the amazing idea his girlfriend was suggesting. 

"I never said that" Kori replied with a snort even though she was aware that her boyfriend wouldn't listen to her and would go bother his brother "In fact, I'm pretty sure it's the opposite of what I told you"

"No, I heard you perfectly, you said it should be my concern so I'll make it my concern" Dick nodded misunderstanding the message "Thank you honey"

"I know you won't listen to me no matter what I say so if Jason gets mad at you I had nothing to do with it, I discouraged you from doing whatever you're thinking" Kori said, sometimes your boyfriend and your best friend being brothers had its disadvantages. Like getting into family fights for example.

"Yes ma'am, I haven't heard anything from you" Dick gave her a military salute before thinking of something else to do while visiting his brother "Maybe I can even find something to tease Jay with while I'm at it."

"I don't know if you want to protect him or make his life miserable" Kori replied doubtfully "But well, have fun"

"Oh by the way" Dick mumbled remembering something at the last moment "Jason said he would teach you how to cook with things from Earth during the call"

"That's wonderful, will Roy join?" Kori asked, at Dick's nod she clapped her hands happily "We could invite his future boyfriend to join"

"How do you know he can't cook?" Dick questioned curiously. He had noticed that while he was trying hard to make the potatoes, Danny hadn't managed to get the cuts right. Jason had definitely been helping him.

"I didn't know, besides, this isn't a course for people who cook badly, is it?" Kori's eyes flashed with annoyance as Dick scrambled to come up with an excuse. In the end, he settled on the truth.

"You know it's not, but I don't know how many otherworldly ingredients my stomach can handle," Dick murmured sadly, "I love that you're trying, and I'm the one who lives on takeout so I can't say anything, but- "

"You're not adapted, I understand" The anger on Kori's face softened "Sorry, I forgot that our dietary needs are not the same"

"It's okay Kori, you were really trying" Dick said "Do you want to plan my fabulous entrance as Nightwing?"

Kori simply denied with a smile and they both ended up talking about different things throughout the night. Their main topic of discussion, though, was Jason's new boyfriend. Kori didn't say it out loud but she was also thinking about the future consequences that his boyfriend's antics would bring her.

───────────────

When Jason woke up again, it was noon. He wondered if what had happened in the morning had been imagined somehow. It was quite likely since green blood didn't exist if you weren't an alien or a meta. And as far as he knew he wasn't either of them.

He sighed as he checked the bite marks on his arm. Although they were present they were very light and were not bleeding. One more point to his theory about him having a strange nightmare. He didn't have an enhanced healing factor and the bite marks were too light to have drawn blood.

However, he felt that he should ask. Even though the wound didn't appear to have drawn blood it could still be a concern.

"Danny, do you have rabies?" Jason asked moving to the boy who was opening an eye next to him. It probably wasn't the most polite way to ask, but he woke up with his arm bitten off, sue him!

"What's with that comment?"  The halfa frowned grumpily "I was hoping for a good morning"

It was definitely a unique way of waking up though. Opening your eyes to see the face of your crush with a contemplative expression and the most random question ever.

Danny sighed, why did he like eccentrics? At least Jason didn't have a secret identity with a red mask. Though he couldn't say the same for Red Hood. Damn gene Fenton with peculiar tastes!

"Well, considering you bit my arm, I wanted to know if there was anything I should worry about." Jason pointed to what the halfa was hugging. As Danny got closer he looked at the small bite marks and winced.

Frostbite's thousands of scoldings about how ghosts should protect themselves against diseases and how dangerous it could be to bite the living flashed through his mind, but Jason looked pretty good.

"Not at all" he answered with a nervous laugh "Besides, I'm not a dog"

"I'm aware, just making sure" Jason ruffled his hair affectionately "by the way, Nightwing is coming to visit today, Officer Grayson left a very upsetting message about it"

"Oh, I didn't know you were that close. Do you like him?" Danny teased raising both eyebrows, though wishing that wasn't the case.

Apparently it wasn't, because Jason's face twisted in horror at the implication and he looked at Danny with betrayal. That was a mental image that he wished to get out of his head.

"NO!" Jason yelled completely offended "he's almost my brother, please don't ever say that again"

Plus, there was something definitely painful about your love interest asking if you had a crush on someone. It's not like he could kiss him, that would be going too fast.

"Okay, okay, sorry, I was really kidding" Danny hoped Jason didn't notice how relieved he was by his reaction, "but while we're on the subject, can I ask something?"

"About Officer Grayson?" Jason asked curiously, at Danny's assent he looked at him with a bit of doubt but decided to accept "as long as it's not about our non-existent relationship, go ahead"

"So, do you think Nightwing is dating Officer Grayson?"  Danny whispered curiously, looking at a poster of the vigilante in the living room. He wouldn't be surprised if Jason was a fan of his boyfriend's friends.

"I'm pretty sure one of them is dating Strarfire" Jason raised an eyebrow not knowing where such a theory came from. Wasn't he asking if he was dating one of them a minute ago?

"They must be in a polycule" Danny nodded wisely, while Jason looked at him confused.

"If you believe that, why did you ask me if I was dating him?" Jason questioned curiously.

"I wanted to see you nervous," Danny shrugged, "No offense, but the way the officer spoke of Nightwing betrayed a very obvious love"

Probably because he was talking about himself

Jason refrained from commenting, frowning. He turned to ask what the halfa meant by making him nervous when Danny kissed his nose by mistake; he was definitely aiming for his cheek, it was only his reflections that kept him from kissing him directly.

"What was that for, Doll!?" The vigilante stepped away, the action had made him nervous, and he wouldn't admit how flustered the action had left him.

"Actually, I wanted to blow your nose but it was a miscalculation" Danny shrugged sheepishly, the smile not leaving his face "It was worth it though."

───────────────

"Well, we only have one place left to go" Amorpho pointed to the creepy mansion that was visible from the other side of the street "most people told us that he could be here, we have to check"

"Danny would never be there, you know very well his contempt for people with money" Johnny immediately denied "he would have run away"

"Not if he was weak and lacking ectoplasm" Amorpho grumbled "come on, we look like idiots standing in the middle of the street and I have classes at night"

"Since when have you become a responsible student?" Johnny stared at him in disbelief, it had only been two days.

"Yeah, I can't lower my grades or I'll get kicked out of drama club" Amorpho shrugged "I'm lucky Danny has perfect attendance"

"Speaking of which, maybe we should save this creepy adventure for later," the blonde muttered, looking at his phone, "we've been on this all day and Kitty is going to call me in a few minutes."

"I thought Kitty would call you about 10 minutes before my classes started, she's pretty punctual" Amorpho muttered. He had noticed that pattern quickly.

"She does," Johnny agreed happily "and I really don't want her to see you in that outfit, or appearance"

Amorpho looked at him incredulously and checked the time on his own watch, indeed there was the alarm for the start of classes. He stopped himself from choking the blonde and ran into one of the alleys, he needed to change quickly. The skirt definitely looked fabulous on him though.

"Rude" Johnny muttered with a frown as he watched Amorpho leave. He noticed a burst of light coming from a nearby alleyway before "Danny" emerged with a backpack (which definitely wasn't there before) running towards the university.

───────────────

Because unfortunately they couldn't sleep all day, they both decided to do something productive. At first Jason had suggested that they have a relaxing day, maybe read a couple of books and try to learn something new in the kitchen.

Unfortunately the day turned into the opposite of relaxed when the kitchen became a mess of ingredients. Although it had been a very fun experience, cleaning it up wouldn't be so much.

"Okay, maybe we should find something else to do, Doll," Jason admitted as he stood on his tiptoes to clean up the mess that was left on the ceiling.

How had it gotten there? They weren't even cooking anything that required dough!

"Yeah, probably," Danny admitted with a small laugh. Despite how embarrassed he felt about the whole situation he had to admit it was fun "Dance?"

"As much as I love dancing, my muscles are killing me" Jason refused. Plus, he didn't want Nightwing to find them dancing.

It felt like something private. Something that needed to be hidden since it was theirs alone. Jason felt like that little action belonged to him.

The images of them swaying, laughing, expressing their emotions openly. They were his, and he wouldn't hand them over to any of the bats, no matter how curious they were.

“How do you feel about a movie marathon?" The halfa finally asked happily. Whenever he had some free time he would watch one or another interesting movie.

It was a bit sad but since he had arrived in Gotham he had lost the habit. He still remembered the day where Ellie forced him to watch a whole Disney marathon and although he thought it would be tedious he ended up crying with her.

"It depends, what movie are we watching?" Jason raised an eyebrow curiously. Not that he had a preference, family nights included movies of all genres due to the differences between each family member so he wasn't picky.

Danny didn't know that, he wondered what was the correct answer in this situation. Maybe Jason didn't like ghost or zombie parodies with bad death jokes the way he did. He could be an action guy, or a romance guy considering all the books he saw on his bookshelf.

He turned on the TV wondering what he should answer when a movie poster appeared in front of him and he knew. That was always the correct answer.

"Barbie!" The halfa pointed at the screen completely proud. A wide smile on his face.

"I thought you'd never say it" Jason smiled as the movie Barbie and the Twelve Dancing Princesses played on the screen.

That was how Nightwing found them hours later. Cuddled up while singing nursery rhymes out loud.

The vigilante wondered if he should let them know he was in the room but decided to enjoy the view a little longer.

He took a photo of the two of them singing with a wide smile and sent it to Tim.

DiscoWing: Don't tell B but Jay is in love~

DiscoWing: Aren't they cute!? I trust you to keep the secret but watch them! This is the perfect blackmail!

Followed by lots of surprise stickers performed by Nightwing

DiscoWing: It was worth stealing the Helicood for this!

Dick decided to ignore the Restauran't is typing as he approached his brother. Jason was in love with his new helicopter, he had built and modified it until it was perfect and even named it "Helicood" after himself.

But Dick was sure Jason would forgive him for stealing his new helicopter. And maybe crash it slightly, after all he can fix it! He just needed to sneak a few minutes into the batcave.

"HERE I AM, BEING WHO I WANT~" Dick sang the line from the movie scaring the two people on the couch.

"WHAT THE FUCK WING!?" Jason yelled seeing the vigilante hanging from his window.

"Wait! I came with a peace offering!" Nightwing raised both arms swinging to keep from falling. In his hands could be seen a…duck candle?

"Watch out! You could fall!"  Danny yelled worried, he didn't want to see a vigilante pancake. What would he say to Starfire and Officer Grayson!?

"I wish so" Jason snorted watching the vigilante do a flip and land next to them "he's an acrobat, don't worry."

"Oh, so we don't have to inform Dick and Starfire about his death?" Danny asked, relieved.

"Inform who about my what?" Nightwing asked confused while Jason shook his head, it was better for him to let the topic slide "Besides, don't worry! If I fall I can always fly!"

"Just because your name has the word Wing doesn't mean you can fly a birdbrain" Jason grumbled, maybe a squashed Nightwing wouldn't be so bad.

"I'm pretty sure I can fly" the vigilante grumbled "anyway, here"

Nightwing handed Danny a red duck candle.  Danny stared at the candle before looking up at the vigilante and muttering "thank you."

"A nice civilian gave it to me to ward off evil spirits, she's pretty sure the ghosts of the dead just came to Gotham or something." Nightwing shrugged. He didn't believe the story but it was good to be grateful to those who wish to protect you.

"Evil spirits in Gotham?" Jason raised an eyebrow, they had enough rogues to consider a new one.

"Spirits in general: ghosts, shadows, shapeshifters and stuff," Nightwing explained, "Jessica was pretty sure about that so it's best to be cautious!"

Danny chuckled as he continued to stare at the candle, surely the girl wasn't referring to him and his friends?

"It's very kind of you to want to protect us" The halfa laughed nervously as he placed the candle on the nightstand.

"Yeah, she said the candle warded off evil spirits, and what's better than supporting local businesses?" Nightwing nodded, happy that they both liked his gift. "We should buy more!"

"Maybe later, weren't you here for a reason?" Jason reminded his brother.

"Oh sure the cure" Dick nodded, he had stopped by the cave but they seemed to be discussing strange sightings all over the city: red eyes, super strength, shadows and the end of the world.

Dick wondered if his other siblings had copied Tim and needed a few hours of sleep.

But at the end he managed to see Steph and the progress of the cure.

"Good and bad news on that one," Nightwing cleared his throat "we have a cure!"

"That's great!"  Danny said, though it was strange to think that the days of him living with Jason were coming to an end, "Where is it?"

"I dropped it on my way here!"  Dick gave them jazz hands as he watched their reaction, Jason seemed minutes away from declaring himself an orphan.

"Explain." Jason sighed, maybe he was jumping to conclusions and his brother had a good reason.

"It was my first time driving the helicopter," Dick explained sadly, "and it was modified in a way I didn't know about"

On second thought, his conclusions were completely correct and Jason hoped that Dick wasn't referring to the Helicood. Because he would have twice the reasons to remove him from the family tree.

"Sacrifice, sacrifice," Poe said, coming out of his hiding place in Jason's hair.

"Besides! Since you are the only human affected we didn't know if it would work since we only tried it on crows" Dick hastened to find an excuse "and as a responsible hero I thought we needed another test before applying it on you"

"I guess I can see the logic in that" Danny frowned thinking he wasn't even human, how could a cure intended for humans work on him?

"No, don't listen to him Doll" Jason complained "he's just an idiot who steals helicopters"

Dick was very offended by that comment.

"Anyway, since it was the only sample" Nightwing continued his explanation, ignoring Jason's gasp about the only sample!? "We have to wait another 3 days"

Dick winked at his brother. Completely ignoring the fact that he was still wearing the mask and therefore it wouldn't show.

Unfortunately Jason was well aware of what his nosy older brother was up to.

"That means the safest thing for you is to stay with Jason and Hood for another three days," Nightwing stated, looking at the boy.

"I guess we can catch up on Disney movies" Danny muttered doubtfully, then looked at Nightwing trying to climb on the table and decided to invite him to join.

Jason stared at Danny in horror, well aware of the suggestion he would make to the vigilante and denied multiple times but his pleas went unheeded. The halfa looked at Nightwing and asked anyway.

"Do you want to watch some movies with us?" Danny asked, pointing to the TV.

Nightwing launched himself onto the couch happily, agreeing with an excited “Yes!”. Maybe his brother's future boyfriend wouldn't be so bad after all.

He decided to write to Tim about the antidote which he had definitely broken accidentally and not to save Jason's love life. In addition to sending more photos of the two boys while they were distracted. They looked quite adorable.

Maybe he should set up a movie date with Kori. It looked like a pretty relaxing activity; after only a few minutes he was carried away by Barbie's voice.

Danny didn't think it was strange that the vigilante was talking so comfortably with Jason. Jason told him that bats were considered family (or friends?) when he asked so they would be something like Jay brothers-in-law, right? It was only natural to invite Hood's brother to hang out with them. Maybe he could convince Nightwing to help him get Hood and Jay back together!

───────────────

When Tim volunteered to review Wayne Enterprises scholarships to various universities he didn't expect to see the boy who was supposedly still affected by Scarecrow gas in class.

He looked more animated than a recently attacked boy should be and seemed to be in the middle of leaving his night classes. Tim raised an eyebrow as he looked over the photo Dick had sent him a few minutes ago.

Restauran't: Is that image recent?

DiscoWing: Yes, it was taken a few minutes ago, why?

Restauran't: And you're still at Jason's?

DiscoWing: Yup, you're not thinking of telling B are you? I only told you because of the antidote and the blackmail

Tim considered his options as he looked up at the boy. He was wearing dark glasses, definitely weird in the middle of the night but not alarming.

Restauran't: No, but can you send me another photo?

The photo his older brother sent him screamed sugar. Jason was practically laying on the boy. Which seemed to be talking about something very lively. It was obvious Jason wasn't happy with his older brother from the photos if the scowl had anything to say about it.

Tim picked up his phone and compared both photos. Definitely the same guy, but something weird was going on. If Dick's observations were true then the victim couldn't stay away from Jason for long without going crazy. He also doubted that he could be in two places at once.

Restauran't: Do you trust me?

Tim bit his lip, it was definitely a risky plan and if Jason found out the assassination attempts on him wouldn't fail this time but he needed to prove it somehow. If it was a duplication skill then surely something would happen.

Dick's response took a few seconds to come, probably because he was distracted by bothering his little brother.

DiscoWing: Sure, what do you need me to do?

Tim was at least relieved that his older brother knew him well enough to know that he was planning something. He at least knew he had a purpose for all the disaster he was about to unleash.

Restauran't: Separate them, I need to check something.

Question marks appeared in the chat window along with a sticker of a sad Nightwing but Dick ended up agreeing. Tim sighed, figuring if the plan worked he could ask Jason for a quick funeral. If Dick was right and he was in love he was about to walk into the lion's den.

He fixed his sight on the boy who may or may not be a clone, better to watch him like a hawk until Dick sends a confirmation message.

───────────────

After another quick Karaoke session with the boy where they both ignored the blue vigilante who had decided to crash their movie marathon Jason and Danny stared at each other, mirroring the scene in front of them where Odette was looking up at the prince.

They were grinning, obviously tired after singing the sixth song of the Barbie movie. And although Jason was sure that some video of him would end up in the family chat, he didn't really care, he felt calm, happy.

He quickly looked over at Nightwing but he seemed quite distracted by his phone so he guessed that he wasn't paying attention to them.

Come on Jason, this is no time to be a wimp.

He took a deep breath, remembering all the laughs Danny had brought him in the few days of meeting him, his clumsy attempts at cooking, his misplaced heroic streak, his bad bedtime habits and his knack for attracting strange situations. 

And although his head was also thinking about the consequences that the action he was about to do would bring him, or how he was rushing to conclusions and it was not the time, he didn't listen to it. Danny had earned the right to be considered more than a suspect.

Damn, don't think about it just do it!

He did so, he took a leap of faith and leaned into the boy who had been stealing his heart. He felt the increase in his heartbeat as he closed his eyes and hoped that this was the perfect moment, maybe Danny would even kiss him back. 

Of course, all his fantasies were interrupted when he felt a hand blocking his path and decided to open his eyes to confirm what was happening...

"Jay, you are a wonderful boy and these days with you have been amazing but I have to stop you here" Danny said, placing a hand over Jason's mouth, who looked very confused.

Jason tried to speak but Danny immediately silenced him again.

"Unless you're considering a polyamorous route I think you should consider your boyfriend's feelings on this" Danny said "Please think about it."

Jason just stared at him in confusion, but his mind just repeated the words "your boyfriend" like a broken record until he could finally process it.

Sorry, his what now-?

SINCE WHEN HE HAD A BOYFRIEND!?

He was about to ask the boy about it when he looked at his brother and frowned. Dick looked a bit nervous, which was a bit obvious when you considered how animated he had been all night. Being a nuisance in general.

He hadn't even commented on Danny mentioning his supposed boyfriend which made him doubly suspicious.

“Danger, danger!” The little crow warned him.

He got the answer quickly when Dick approached them and taking advantage of the confusion separated the union in their hands, pushing them away and grabbing Danny to put distance between them

He didn't know whether to feel angry or betrayed. His brother knew very well that Danny wasn't pretending and he really needed the contact, didn't he believe in him? He was about to approach them when he saw the doubtful expression on his brother's face.

"I'm sorry" Dick whispered as he held the boy in his arms. Danny was trying to break free of the vigilante's grip. The boy seemed very busy fighting Nightwing, desperately looking for Jason. Jason expected the fury of the pits but instead he felt fire in his soul, something strange considering how much the sensation was like the All-blades.

But he didn't have time to think about it. A few seconds had passed but it was obvious that the separation was hurting the halfa. When Jason looked at the boy he saw green.

───────────────

Danny was scared. He had forgotten that the gas was still in his blood and everything around him began to go dark. He needed to know that Jason was okay but he couldn't hurt the Gotham vigilante while he was at it, as easy as it was for him to become intangible or crush bones his awareness was screaming at him that this was not the time.

But in his head the memories and harmful comments began to play, playing with his memories over and over again. He had felt so secure before but all his confidence was shattered in seconds.

Inevitable

You can't escape your destiny!

Creepy boy with creepy powers

You hurt everyone around you!

You didn't protect us!

GET AWAY

What he felt the most was the need to get away, hide, and hide everyone he still had where no one could find them. Protect them from everything and everyone.

Before he knew it, his eyes were glowing and all he could feel was despair and fear.

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

I think a lot happened in this chapter but it was honestly quite fun to write so I hope you enjoyed it!

In case anyone's curious, yes, Danny just healed Jason (and got sick at the same time?), so Jason might develop some changes. Tim is making bad decisions but Dick trusts him! On the other hand, no matter how easy it is for the halfa to use his powers, remember that he wants to be just Danny :)

And yes, they both accepted their feelings but whoops, it looks like Danny misunderstood something?

@skulld3mort-1fan@sorryiwonnoob@idfk-man10@avelnfear@criticaloverthinker@confusedandghostly @lunadoll36 @spidey29phangirl @suppengott @yjfk@apointlessbox@mimilikey@thegatorsgoose@jaggedheart11@dyinggirldied@pyramaniac@akikkobara@thedragonqueen1998@lostlightandfoundcrazy@xye-chan@saltyladynightmare @ashleysmshly @thewondersoflebanon@illusionwolfwriter24r8@littlefeather345@asphyxia778@amercurio@leftmiraclechaos @dixiwoods @satoshy12@lyra689@meira-3919@quietlyscared@plotwholls @kyrianclawraith @blacksea21090@basilf1res @flowers-n-fauna @8-29pm@phantom-dc@luer-mirin@taniaundertaleau@cloriform@readerkayden@oddlydrawnpuppets@basementloser@little-green-asparagus@echoednonny@yummy-yummy-mmmbones@confusionchaos@ectoplasm024@autumnwulf@666deaddash999@redhoneysugarorange@blue-avis@sailor-goddess@satanicrutialspecialist

[professorhayforbreath]

so episode 5. all my thoughts

we picked up where the last one left off, good start

annabeth saying she knows percy isn't dead... how. to annabeth and grover there should have been no way percy was alive and finding out he was should've been so emotional but instead she was like dw i know he's not dead lol. it's kind of... lazy writing? like how are you gonna write a scene as gut wrenching as percy trapping himself with a monster and telling his friends to complete the quest without him because he's actively dying and has no reason to believe he'll survive, and then make the fallout of that so... nonchalant? idk if it's a time limit thing but that was so underwhelming to me

annabeth being the one to see the fates... no

fugitive percy enjoyers at least we won!!!!

the trio peeking over the road barrier at ares was cute goofy silly i liked that :)

gabe on the news shit talking percy i'm hooting and hollering!! "i really-- WE really loved that car" and "i'm gonna kill him". excellent. now put percy on the news fake crying about his "loving" stepfather i believe in you

i did want them to acknowledge annabeth's lack of experience with the world outside camp but having her say "i've never seen any kind of movie" has gotta be one of the weirdest ways they could've done that

the turnstile scene was cool i guess but as we go on i'm more and more conscious of how many episodes are left and how much plot there is to get through and idk i feel like this scene could've hit the cutting room floor and we wouldn't have lost anything

i do love the ambience of the park though. maybe i'm easy to impress because the aesthetic of an abandoned amusement park is just fantastic on its own but the set was very cool. wish it wasn't so dark so i could've actually seen it ❤️

percy and annabeth having a serious conversation with 'what is love' blaring in the background is sending me

first ever seaweed brain dropped! i liked the way they did it, it felt natural

actually back to the "i've never seen a movie" thing. you're telling me that in this version of the story, in which frederick chase was apparently a great dad who treated annabeth like a gift, he never took her to the movies? or she never watched one on tv? she had a whole seven years of life in the real world before going to camp and she's never seen a movie

annabeth isn't allowed to have fears she's too smart for that apparently

i think the scene with the chair was overall well executed with some great lines and fantastic acting but... idk. they really scrapped the original scene just to do what they already did last episode. i miss the spiders i miss hephaestus tv. it felt redundant to have percy sacrifice himself again. percy this is the second time today you've been like "no dw i'll just die" do you need to talk to someone

annabeth disillusionment arc complete already? calm down guys this is season one

ZOO TRUCK ZOO TRUCK ZOO TR

so it's confirmed the reason they go into the lotus casino is BECAUSE hermes is there :/ they said these literal children cannot fall for tricks and traps it's too unrealistic

not much to say about the grover and ares scenes bc i don't know what to make of them. i didn't mind them. ares had some funny lines. i guess my only complaint is that the grover i know would not have been so calm talking to the god of war. i'm curious to see where that cliffhanger leads

is it just me or did the pacing improve a little bit this episode?

despite how negative i sound i enjoyed episode 5 a lot more than episode 4. there are still so many weird changes, additions, and omissions though. honestly i think a big part of the reason i enjoyed this one is because i'm not expecting anything anymore. i'm not getting my hopes up about them adapting the book normally i'm just intrigued by this thing like a scientist observing an experiment. like hmm what are they doing now? fascinating *takes notes*

[talltalesandbedtimestories]

Save A Tree, Eat A Beaver - Priestly x Rowena

“Save a Tree, Eat a Beaver” - Priestly x Rowena

Part 1 of Pets4Punks

Rating Teen (Part 1)

Priestly x Rowena

Tags: Mild Angst, Fluff and Flirting, Owls Go Bad, Zoo Shenanigans, Homage to Betty White, Spell Casting, A Comedy of Errors

Word Count: 3800

Priestly’s nursing a broken heart. Rowena’s exacting some magical revenge. What will unfold when these two meet at a Beastly Ball?

I'm participating in @jacklesversebingo and this part will fill my "Flirtation-Whiskey-A Mistake At A Zoo" square.

Image created in Canva (credit for photos used: “Ten Inch Hero”; movietvtechgeeks.com)

“Would that be an invitation, there, then?”

Priestly dabbed his brow with a kitchen towel slung over his shoulder. It was hot in the food tent. Even if Beach City Grill was serving up pre-made hero sandwiches, bookending vendors grilled and fried their fare with furious abandon. Other heat factors included portable spotlights and generators. The warm night breeze created a tiny suffocating vortex under the tent for Priestly to inhabit.

Priestly panted. Hot didn’t seem like an accurate description. 

No. When you added in the thousand or so bodies at The LA Zoo’s 37th Beastly Ball, the temperature downright sizzled. 

Priestly attempted to blink away his discomfort. A cacophony dialed his irritation up to ten. People chattered. A DJ spun another record through an obnoxious sound system with speakers the size of refrigerators. Even if the funds being raised tonight benefitted the zoo, he couldn’t imagine a bear or lion being okay with any of this. If there weren’t barriers in the way, he was pretty sure this entire crowd would be mauled to death by some very irate mammals. He only had so much patience for the human race of which he was unfortunately a part.

At least he’d get to see Betty White in person tonight. She was the Beastly Ball Chairman. That woman was a national treasure. And probably the only one that would be spared if the animals rose up.

He sliced up another of the more popular menu items being gobbled up by donors. The Mane Attraction hero had been a hit with the carnivores as suspected. Despite the surging heat, he’d kept his nose down and worked in the background the entire evening. Piper and Jen were the all-smiles servers, front and center, greeting the deep-pockets milling about the food tent.

“‘Scuse me, lad?”

It was the addition of ‘lad’ to the second question from a very Scottish sounding woman that had him look up.

Turned out, he didn’t need to look up very high. An elegant, petite wisp of a porcelain lady stared up at him. One of her copper-tinted brows arched. Lush, fiery red ringlets cascaded from the top of her head to her pointy elbows. A dusty peach wrap made of silk hung and clung to a body made for ballet. The chunky black vinyl belt with a sequin studded buckle cinched the dress in at the waist.

She was magically delicious.

Priestly smiled and wiped the roast beef gravy from his hands. He then pointed to Jen manning the front table. “One of our lovely servers will be able to plate up anything you’d like to try, Miss.”

“Including you?” Her coral stained lips curled up into a grin.

Priestly froze. He had to have heard her wrong in the middle of all the noise. “I-I’m sorry, what?”

One of the woman’s expertly manicured fingers pointed at his chest. “Are you being canny with that shirt? Or, would that be an actual invitation, there, then?”

Priestly gulped. “Um…”

The woman offered a playful frown. “Well, when you get your voice back, you let me know the answer, aye?”

*

Rowena didn’t have time to wait for the pretty punk boy to remember how to form sentences. So, she’d sampled the vegetarian sandwich the mousy haired twenty-something called The Panda Munch and then it was off toward the animal habitats.

She had work to do and little patience.

The rowdy bunch of guests, chatting and being all kinds of obnoxious for over ten minutes, had taken root by a particular set of sanctuaries that held her interest. 

She stood by the guard rail on the opposite side of the walkway, sipping from a champagne flute. Her fingernails tapped the top of the fence. She gazed over at a nearby pond. The current inner debate in her head was whether she should ignite the shoes aflame of the loudest person in the group or temporarily immobilize his tongue.

The ticket to attend this pathetic attempt at a soiree had been overpriced. Good cause her arse. A good cause was exacting any bit of covert revenge she could toward the Grand Coven. An even better cause was finding a way to unshackle her powers.

And what she currently required –to fund the greatest cause, which was herself– could be pilfered more easily under the veil of night. Amid distracted security, overworked zoo staff, and intoxicated guests, what could go wrong?

Rowena sighed and eavesdropped on the eejit in the lavender polo shirt drone on about the Lakers. She watched him pretend to dribble out of the corner of her eye.

A majority of the upper echelon of Angelenos could be trite and vapid. All surface, no substance. But that also made them easy to grift. If she stayed under the radar for another year or two, her little shop might be a very lucrative business.    

An announcement interrupted the awful excuse for music emanating from the stage some ways off where most of the guests congregated. Betty White would be giving a speech in about ten minutes.

That got the group moving.

“Finally,” Rowena murmured. She abandoned the glass atop the guard rail and sashayed toward her target. Her gaze landed on a security camera high atop a lamp post. She whispered, “Confractus.” A satisfied smile emerged at the subsequent sizzle and crack from the surveillance equipment.  

*

“Go, take a break.” Jen shooed Priestly with her hands. “Betty’ll be on soon. I don’t want to hear you complain later about missing that.”

“Are you sure?” Priestly untied the black waist apron.

Jen nodded. “Anything that makes you smile should not be denied.”

Priestly knew Jen really wanted to say, “We’re sick and tired of seeing you all mopey since Tish moved to New York.”

“Maybe you can get her to autograph your shirt,” Piper added with a giggle.

“Betty appreciates a dirty joke.” Priestly nodded with certainty.

Jen cleared her throat. “You’re definitely making a statement with it.”

“Oh! Don’t forget that dude at the Whiskey distillery stand said to stop by and get us some samples in exchange for these.” Piper shoved three wrapped sandwiches in Priestly’s hands.

“Right, I’ll go do that before Betty. Back faster than The Flash.”

*

Rowena had gotten turned around more than twice on the Employees Only path. Nestled amid the Night Wing area terrain, the dirt walk lacked signage for the untrained. A paltry number of floodlights scattered warm amber streaks here and there to guide the way.

Why didn’t the coordinators of this benefit include a flashlight in their extra large swag bag? “Buncha beetroots,” Rowena mumbled, hefting the cumbersome tote over her shoulder. At least she could have both hands free when needed later, what with her tiny clutch now in the bag’s bottom.

To add to the indecency of the two other cameras she had to decommission along the path, a staff member had chanced upon her stumbling through foliage in black vinyl thigh high boots. Steel nerves she’d forged over a few centuries rattled only for a second. The young male, whose time on this planet tallied up to nothing more than a couple decades, had been quite amicable. He’d politely offered to escort her to the main path. 

Rowena thanked him and followed his lead for a few yards while he made small talk. She fished out her clutch, found a hex bag, slipped it into his jacket pocket, and then glamoured him. He rotated slow and turned to face her. 

With syrupy sweetness, Rowena asked to be directed to the owl habitat entrance and unlock it. He stammered, with dilated pupils and enamored smile, that it was only his third day on the job and he didn’t know which gate that was. 

“Well, there shan’t be any harm in you opening up a gate or two for lil ole me, would there?” She batted her long lashes even though there was no need. Rowena did enjoy leaning into theatrics.

The junior zookeeper bobbed his head, turned, and floated back the way he came. “Follow me.”

*

The abrupt temperature change required Priestly to slip on his tartan plaid vest over his t-shirt. Away from the benefit crowd, the night air cooled slick spots of sweaty skin.

Listening to Betty White wax poetic about her love of animals had made all the hard work worthwhile. She’d even given him a cheeky little wink from the stage. Seriously, Priestly thought he might have a major crush on the woman. She was even funnier and more radiant in person than he’d expected. She could be his Golden Girl any damn day of the week.

After he, Jen, and Piper toasted with Whiskey samples to a job well done, he’d been released from cleanup duty. Excitement filled the segment of his brain in which the still six-year-old part of him resided. Okay, so it wasn’t like he was sneaking through the zoo. Staff members stationed at various checkpoints and exhibits nodded in greeting as he passed. But the grounds, typically experienced in the light and warmth of sunshine, now crackled with a forbidden energy.

It was nice to feel some excitement. His emotional state of late had been devastated. He hadn’t been able to shake himself out of the volley between self-pity and feeling responsible for Tish’s move. Maybe if he’d been more (more what, though), she would have stayed and they could have worked things out.

The three shots of whiskey had not helped the spiral of self-doubt. He hadn’t been enough. Pure and simple. Had it been juvenile to think his “normal” makeover would have been the key to winning over the girl of his dreams? Of course. Did that make it hurt any less that it hadn’t worked out? Of course not.

He recalled the flirty, testy banter with Tish over the years. She could slap him onto a sizzling griddle or submerge him in a bucket of ice with that sharp tongue and flippant hair toss. That drew him to her even more. He admitted to himself early on that he really liked how she took charge of a situation and gave zero fucks. That was what she presented to everyone on the surface, anyway. She’d been hurt. Sensitive. Cautious to risk any more of her heart. The armor had thickened. Just like him.

In the end, they’d been pretty compatible. But, in hindsight, most of that had been due to his ability to bend and compromise. She didn’t tell him much about what she wanted. He had to guess. Trial and error. And that attitude had transferred to what happened in the bedroom.

Priestly wasn’t a fucking mind reader. He didn’t have a clue. He figured she liked confidence and showmanship between the sheets. The kind that could run a porn marathon without breaking a sweat.

But that wasn’t him. And he could only keep that up (heh, child) for so long.

The same went for the preppie exterior he tried on to win her over. A few weeks after their first kiss, he snuck back on one of his piercings. Then another. And another. And another. Then the hair got dyed (fuschia). Then spiked up with gel. Next, he sported some eyeliner. He pulled out a signature statement t-shirt here and there. Dusting off the kilt might have been the last straw for Tish.

But he wanted to like the reflection in the mirror. All that skin-shedding pleased Tish. Not him.

So, the relationship met its inevitable conclusion and broke his heart. They’d agreed to revert to friendship status. He hadn’t expected Tish to up and leave a couple of months after that, though.

Jen had said it best one day. Tish probably couldn’t piece herself back together again here, around him. Fresh start and all. Finding your fucking self and all that bullshit.

That was all fine and good for everybody else. How was he supposed to figure that out for himself? Would he ever find someone that was willing to learn that along with him?

*

The zoo minion had been quite helpful for Rowena. Three gates unlocked in total. He’d made suggestions on the best direction to begin the owl search after her explanation on where they liked to hide. She’d thanked him kindly, pilfered his tiny flashlight, and then wafted a Forget Me spell over the man. “You won’t remember me or any of this. In fact, why don’t you take the rest of the night off? You deserve it for being soooo helpful.”

He toddled off repeating, “Sooo helpful.”

Times like this, an assistant in the dark arts would be a boon. This kind of menial labor, well, it was beneath her to be honest. Having to scour grasslands for a hole in the ground? She might as well be a pig, snout covered in dirt, snuffling for truffles.

Though truffles were delicious, she was in search of a Burrowing Owl. She’d done her research of course. No self-respecting witch starts something without the proper information. Sourcing all the ingredients for this divination spell –one of her own crafting– was a daunting task. But, what was the saying these Americans liked to bandy about? Go big or go home?

And one didn’t diddle with the Grand Coven without a well thought out plan. One required impregnable magic that a dozen of the most powerful witches on the planet would attempt to untangle.

Rowena held more power in her pinky finger than any of them before the Coven had punished her egotism and shackled her abilities. She needed to get that power back and back at them in the process. But in order to find what would cut right to the core, divide and conquer, would require eavesdropping. The divination spell would uncover the cloaked locations for those she needed to sentence for their condemnation.

Rowena’s eyes had adjusted to the dark. Silhouettes danced around the beam of white cast by the flashlight. Flying insects sparkled in the halo of light like falling snow. Her toe boots dug into the dirt here and there.

What would she do if this didn’t work as she hoped? She’d paid a high price for what she’d been told were the feathers of a Burrowing Owl on the black market. When the spell fell flat the only thing that could have been incorrect were the bloody feathers. But who would she complain to or demand a refund? Boris, or whatever his name was, wasn’t registered with the Better Business Bureau. She already had enough enemies.

So, it appeared serendipitous when an invitation for the Beastly Ball landed in her mailbox. She’d made a call to the LA Zoo’s information center and chatted with a lovely woman. The tale of having a daughter obsessed with owls spilled with ease and believability. This made-up child had been going on and on about an owl that squatted in another animal’s home in the dirt. They were in luck. It just so happened the zoo had a burrowing owl in their exhibit. The woman on the other end did warn Rowena her daughter might be disappointed, though. The chances of seeing one during the day were quite rare. 

Oh well, it wouldn’t be the first time she’d disappointed an offspring. 

More importantly, the universe sent her a clear message.

Take matters into your own hands.

Several minutes passed. A strong breeze rustled swaths of grass. Lots of ginger steps and toe boot shovels later, she came across a promising hole. Her heart raced. She bent down to inspect with a ruffle of fingers along the grass. A sharp quill pricked her thumb. Her hand cascaded over the soft frills of a feather. Then another. And another.

Hopefully, the feathers belonged to an owl that had fit itself into the burrow of another animal (or a facsimile of one made by a staff person). It had to be a Burrower!

Three feathers snatched off the ground were stuffed into her swag bag. Rowena surmised they would have fit into her little clutch as well. However, the bag proved an auspicious benefit souvenir.

She rose and dusted off her hands. Eyes closed, she inhaled deep, then exhaled. When she opened her eyes, she oriented her direction as best she could. She could reverse-track the way she came. A sigh released from her throat, satisfied. One step closer. She began the journey.

She passed once again through the forested area of the exhibit, which, in her opinion, better-suited owls. The sharp smell of pine filled her nose.

Her steps halted at the alien chuckling right above her head. Rowena stared up and squinted. She debated for a moment before shining the flashlight upon the sound source.

A set of bright yellow eyes peered back at her. It chuckled again. The tiniest owl Rowena had ever seen wasn’t spooked by the light. It couldn’t have been any bigger in stature than her hand.

“Aren’t you a curious little thing?”

It tilted its head as if answering in the affirmative. Rowena could make out expertly lined white eyebrows created by its feathers.

Rowena had always wanted an owl.

Was this another message from the universe?

Rowena pursed her lips.

There was only one way to find out.

*

Priestly stood under the spotlight by the Night Wing exhibit map. He’d learned a few new interesting facts about bats and owls as he continued to read.

A commotion within the fenced area pulled his attention from the signage. A figure bursted from the tree line a couple of yards away. He jumped back in surprise. “What the…”

He squinted. Crouched on the ground, the person gasped, almost hyperventilating.

He blinked in recognition. It was the red-headed woman earlier from the food tent who’d made quite an impression. “Are you alright?” he stammered out the question.

Her head shot up. Wide eyes stared back framed in a wild mess of curls. He gulped at the skin on display under the lamp post light. Tiny red marks crosshatched along her arms and bare back. She clutched a tote over her chest. The top half of her dress hung in tatters over her belt.

Priestly raised his hands and approached slow. “What happened?” He knelt beside her.

“I-I-” She waved a hand, arms tight to her sides so the flimsy bag’s material could preserve some modesty. “I went down that path” –she pointed back from where she appeared– “and, a bunch of the exhibit gates were opened.” Her voice cracked. “Before I knew it, there were owls and bats, everywhere, and I-I got caught in this awful melee.”

Priestly wanted to pat her in comfort. But, considering she was half-naked, he thought better of it. “The gates were opened?” he asked, incredulous. He scanned the path as far as he could in both directions. “Where the hell’s an employee when you need one? Is this Best Buy? They were everywhere a little while ago.” He muttered to himself before gazing at the woman. “You’re hurt. I’m gonna go get some help.”

He rose, only to be snatched up into a fierce embrace. She fisted his vest with both hands. The tote’s canvas material, which held some stiff objects, smushed tight between their bodies. “No,” she begged. “Please, don’t get anyone. I’m in such a state. I’ll be mortified.”

Priestly lifted his hands up and away so there was no chance of an accidental brush or touch. He felt like the one in trouble at the moment. “Um,” he thought out loud. An idea formed. “Listen, you need to get looked at by someone. But let’s work on getting you out of here first. Okay?”

She nodded into his chest. He inhaled. Her scent was rather pleasant. Spicy and sharp. 

“Why don’t you go behind that sign there? I’ll give you my shirt to put on.”

“Alright.”

He breathed in relief when she released him. A fast blur scurried around the area map. Without wasting time, he peeled off his vest, dropped it to the ground, and then tugged the T-shirt over his head by the collar. He turned around and stepped backward until his side hit the hardwood of the sign. “Here.” Eager fingers snatched the material from his hand.

“Thank you.” 

The lilt in her voice fluttered Priestly’s heartbeat. Goosebumps formed on the back of his neck. He wanted to blame it on the cool air skirting along his bare chest. “No problem,” he said. He tried again. “Are you sure I can’t go and look for some help? I think I saw a medical tent near the stage.”

“No!” She expelled the word with force from her throat that time.

“Sure. Sure.” He mumbled as his gaze scoured the ground. He picked up the discarded vest and plunged his arms through the openings. The benefit coordinators probably wouldn’t appreciate a punk Tarzan impersonation.

“I’m very grateful for this. Truly.” The woman called out. “What can I call you, besides my knight in shining armor?”

He chuckled. “Um, Priestly.”

“Presley?”

“No, Priestly.” He emphasized the “t”.

“Oh. Priestly,” she repeated. “I’m Rowena.” Her voice was closer now, no barrier between them.

Cautious, Priestly looked up. He couldn’t help but smile at the vision before him. She stuffed the remnants of her dress in the big bag. The forest green shirt, slightly roomy on him, swallowed up her slight frame. She’d wrapped the big black belt around it. The bottom hem fell just above the top of her thigh high boots. Her fingers threaded through the mane of hair to wrangle it in place. “I wish we could have met under better circumstances, Rowena.”

She sighed and grinned at him. “Aye. But, we might not have met again if not for this.”

He recalled her flirtation from earlier. He stared at the design and text on the shirt he had custom made for the Beastly Ball. A cartoon panda munched away on some bamboo. A text bubble above the panda’s head declared in big, bold font: Raw Dog Me, I’m a Bottom.

She strolled over and rested a hand on his vest. “How can I ever repay such chivalry?” She whispered something else after the question… something he couldn’t make out.

Before he could ask her to repeat what she’d said, his thoughts clouded. Nothing seemed very important at the moment. A sense of relaxation washed over him.

“I would very much appreciate a walk back to my car, Priestly. And, I promise I’ll make sure I get myself straight to a hospital.”

He nodded. His head bobbed and swayed. “Good idea. I mean, yeah, bats and owls. You probably need a rabies shot.”

“Probably so.” She nodded in agreement. Her grin reached her ears. She held up a business card and tucked it in another one of his vest pockets. “But, you. You’re going to stop by my shop soon to pick up this shirt, aye?”

He smiled, then nodded. “Aye.”

~~To Be Continued~~

Story Notes: Google pics of a Burrowing Owl and the absolutely adorable Elf Owl. I have plans for this story to fill four bingo squares over as many parts. Things are gonna go off the rails (and probably quite smutty). Will see how my first foray into writing for Priestly goes. Also, so many thanks to @sam-is-my-safe-word for brainstorming all the chaos and kink with me.

[renlyslittlerose]

I'm gonna sound like a deeply neurotic individual but I cannot explain to you guys how many levels in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty have tapped into legitimate recurring nightmares of mine

One of my recurring nightmares involves me going through a dark, dimly light museum with realistic dinosaur displays on either side of me. Like statues of Albertasaurous and Plesiosaurus. And the museum text panels are always back lit, with black backgrounds and white letters - the kind of shit you encountered from any museum built/updated in the 80s.

(You're probably asking yourself why I hold such deep trauma regarding this, and it's because of the Dino Park at my local zoo, a fear of things "lurking", and submechanophobia.)

And guess what level I had to do in my game. I HAD TO RUN AROUND IN AN ABANDONED DINO MUSEUM. WITH TREX AND MOSASAUR FOSSILS/REPLICAS. AND TEXT PANELS THAT CAME STRAIGHT OUT OF MY NIGHTMARE.

And if that unpleasant experience wasn't enough!!!!!! Now I gotta swim around in a dark sewer tunnel!!!!! Triggering my fear of enclosed spaces and the underwater!!!! OH JOY OF JOYS

Witness the moment where I realize I'm a PUSSY

[sergeantsporks]

Dadrius Week Day 2: Fashion

“Are you ready to go?”

“Go?” Hunter echoed. Darius held his cake on a plate, fully iced and covered to protect it from the elements. He’d been in the kitchen all morning and afternoon, yelping incomprehensible squawks of indignation and anger at tiny mistakes and blunders. Whatever standard he’d held himself up to, the cake looked perfect to Hunter, icing forming curvy, creamy borders around the edge and delicate script reading Happy Father’s Day.

“Yes. Go. For Father’s Day.”

“I thought you said we weren’t doing anything?” Hunter yelped. The card had probably gotten crunched in his belt pouch, and now Darius had made the food? Hunter might have only heard of the concept last night, but he was relatively certain that wasn’t right.

“I said you didn’t have to do anything,” Darius corrected, “You don’t have to come, you just seemed interested last night, so I thought you might want to.”

Hunter’s heart thumped in his chest, and he scrambled to his feet, tugging his boots on his feet. Darius being fine to go off by himself for father’s day and making a whole cake for it seemed a little strange, but Gus HAD said some dads wanted to be left alone. However, if Darius wanted to celebrate… “Yes! I do! I want to come! Let’s go!”

“Good. Excellent.”

Abomination matter swirled around them, and when it died down, they stood outside an unfamiliar house—a manor, really, big and grand enough to rival even Amity’s house. Darius took a deep breath, patting his hair, straightening his clothes, and then finally, finally, ringing the doorbell.

Hunter glanced around at the perfectly manicured lawn and flowers. “Where are w—”

The door opened, and behind it stood a woman who shared Darius’ height, build and approximate age, but wore bright yellows rather than purple. “Darius?”

“Jasmin?”

She didn’t say anything for a long moment, just looked at him and the cake, and, for long enough that he started to feel a bit like a zoo exhibit, at Hunter. She finally broke off eye contact to turn to the house behind her. “HEY!” she yelled, “Darius is here!” She eyed Hunter again. “And some kid!”

Thud.

Footsteps thumped down the hallway towards them.

“I didn’t know you would be here,” Darius muttered.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Jasmin said blankly, “It’s Father’s Day. I brought a present. For my father. We’re having dinner.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you had something planned?!”

“Because I didn’t think you would come! You always say no when we invite you!”

“Because I was always—”

“Busy with coven head responsibilities,” Jasmin said with him, “Yeah, yeah.”

An older woman appeared in the doorway behind Jasmin. She stood at the same height as Darius and Jasmin, but was thinner, making her look taller. She wore mostly red, and Hunter wondered idly if she and Jasmin’s color choices were from their coven backgrounds, or purely aesthetic. “Darius! Well, hello!”

Darius broke off his argument with Jasmin to turn towards the older woman, his back straightening, and his shoulders pushing back, as if he didn’t already usually have perfect posture. “Hello, Mom.”

“Oh.” The pieces clicked in Hunter’s mind, and he couldn’t help speaking out loud. “Oh! Father’s Day for your father! You have a dad?!” Of course Hunter had known Darius must have had parents at some point, but he’d sort of assumed they must be dead. Darius hadn’t mentioned them once.

Darius gave him a quizzical look. “Yes? I told you we were coming here.”

“No, you didn’t! You just suddenly decided to bake a cake and then said we were going out!”

“I could swear that I told you.”

Jasmin laughed. “Sounds like you to just kidnap the poor kid without telling him what he’s getting into. Who is this, anyway?”

“Ah. Right. Hunter, this is my sister, Jasmin, and my mother, Ariana Deamonne. Jasmin. Mother. This is Hunter. He is my… ward.”

The word fell cold and flat, almost as impersonal as “coworker.” Although, judging the way he seemed to feel about Hunter doing something for him for Father’s Day, maybe that was right.

Darius’ mother smiled warmly at him. “Hello, Hunter. Welcome to our home.”

“Your ward,” Jasmin sighed, “Okay.” Jasmin grabbed the cake out of Darius’ hands. “C’mon in, Hunter. Lets give Darius and our mom a bit to catch up.”

Hunter started to ask Darius if it was alright, but Jasmin took his arm before he could. “Nope, don’t look at him, just come with me.” She tugged him down the hallway into a kitchen, sliding the cake onto the counter. “Ward,” she snorted, “That boy.”

Hunter coughed at the descriptor of Darius as ‘boy.’ “Did we come at a bad time?”

“What? No, no. Actually, you came at a perfect time, we haven’t even started cooking dinner yet.” Jasmin peered at the cake. “How long did he spend obsessing over this being perfect?”

Hunter coughed again. “Half the day.”

“Haha. Of course he did. Well, we’ll see if it passes muster. Of course, she’ll tell him it’s delicious no matter what.” Jasmin must have caught his questioning look, because she shook her head. “Our mother? Ariana Deamonne? Ran a cooking competition? One of the highest rated chefs in the Isles?”

“Oh.” Hunter searched for the right word. “Congratulations?”

Jasmin’s face lit up. “No way,” she breathed, “Please, please, please—how about Pops? Designer? I think the only famous outfit he didn’t design was the emperor’s?”

“I… don’t know a lot about fashion?”

Jasmin leaned her elbows on the kitchen counter, putting her chin in her hands. “Incredible. Question, do you know who it is that adopted you?”

Hunter flushed. “Of course I do. He was the abomination coven head.”

“Oh well, would have been funny. Aw, don’t be embarrassed. I’m not surprised he doesn’t talk about us.” She glanced at the door and leaned in conspiratorially. “Between you and me, Darius is the red ratworm of the family. Went into politics, by titan. For shame.”

Hunter coughed, desperate to change the subject from Darius gossip. “What is it you do?”

Jasmin gave him an amused look. “Large-scale architecture. I designed the remodel of the emperor’s keep after the fire of ’99.” She snickered. “There was a brick in one of the bathrooms with my name carved in it. I put it in the one near the abomination head office so Darius would see it. Kinda tempted to go through the rubble and find it.”

“Oh.”

Jasmin’s face softened. “Don’t feel bad for not knowing. It was before you were born, I’m betting, and I’m not surprised Darius never mentioned it. He always did prefer the way the keep looked when his mentor was still walking through it.” She drummed her perfectly manicured fingers against the countertop, looking Hunter up and down. “Boy, he really must have been in a hurry if he didn’t even make you get changed.”

Hunter tugged on his T-shirt self-consciously. “What’s wrong with this?”

“Nothing!” Jasmin said quickly, “There’s nothing wrong with it! It’s just very… hanging out with your friends and going to the library, you know?” She gestured to her own yellow outfit, a flowy tunic over a set of leggings. “VS Nice Family Dinner.”

Hunter’s ears started to burn again, and his hand hovered over the belt pouch where the father’s day card sat. “I didn’t know—and honestly, I don’t know if I’m supposed to be here, I mean, I’m just sort of living in Darius’ extra room, I’m hardly fam—”

Jasmin smacked her hands down on the counter, cutting him off. “Darius,” she growled. “Hunter, I promise, you would not be here if he did not want you here. He’s just… frazzled. We haven’t seen him in a while. His fault, by the way.”

“And he forgot today was Father’s Day,” Hunter couldn’t help himself from adding.

Jasmin snickered. “Of course he did. Well. Don’t worry, Aunt Jasmin’s gonna find you the perfect party outfit. I wouldn’t bring it up if I wasn’t going to do something to help you with it, geeze, how mean do you think I am?”

Hunter had stopped processing what she said after “Aunt Jasmin,” but the rest of her statement caught up just as she put a hand on his shoulder. “What?!”

Jasmin steered him up the stairs. “What’s your preferred style?” she pressed, “Form fitting? Loose and flowy? Pants? Skirt? Cape, or no cape?”

“Um—I don’t know?” Hunter tugged on his shirt again. “Loose, I guess?”

“Gotcha.” She eyed him up and down. “I think we still have some of Darius’ clothes from when he was your size. And I know some of mine are floating around.” She ducked into a closet, pulling out hangers of clothes and holding them up, squinting at him. “Hmmm. I think you’d look good in gold.” She gave him a toothy grin. “Match me. Aw, hey, this is one Dad designed for Darius when he was just obsessed with the golden guard. Obviously it’s an ‘inspired by’ design, not real armor, but what do you think?” She held up a soft yellow tunic, embroidered subtly so that it flashed like gold in the light and emulated armor plating. “We can even put your belt over it so you can keep your stuff with you.”

Hunter’s heart beat in his throat as the tunic glistened menacingly. He’d drowned his own armor in a river, watching it sink to the muddy bottom, but now it seemed like the outfit was back to haunt him.

A heavy hand clasped his shoulder. “Hunter prefers blues, blacks, and browns,” Darius rumbled, “Not gold. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t kidnap my guest, Jasmin.”

Jasmin gave Darius a cool look, but disappeared back into the closet without a word. Funny. She’d been overly friendly only seconds ago. What was it about Darius that made her so standoffish? Darius sighed. “I’m sorry about her. I thought we would just be meeting with my parents, who are a lot… less.”

A blue tunic sailed out of the closet, fwapping into Darius’ face.

“You are proving my point, Jasmin!”

“And you don’t get to act like you have any sort of moral high ground over me! You show up after years of minimal contact and expect no hard feelings?! I’ve done father’s day and mother’s day on my own for the past twenty years, and now you just pop over with a cake and a kid?” This time, a pair of pants flew out, smacking Darius in the chest. “You missed mother’s day this year, by the way. You better come for her birthday, or she’ll think you’re avoiding her specifically.”

“Jasmine, look, I…” Darius glanced at Hunter. “…I’ve realized some things. About who I want to be, and what is important to me. And I know I’ve been… absent… for the past couple of decades, but I’m trying to reach out. I’m sorry that I left you, and I’m sorry I gave you all the responsibilities for holidays and birthdays and family get togethers. I had my reasons, of course, but that doesn’t make it fair. Not to Mom and Dad. Not to you. But I’m here now, and I want to try the whole… family thing again.”

Jasmin poked her head out of the closet. “So you skipped right to the ‘give mom and dad a grandchild’ thing to make up for twenty years of nothing, huh? For someone who wants to try family again, you sure did an awful job of telling your new kiddo about the rest of us.”

Darius spluttered. “Grandch—that’s not why I—oh, forget that part. You’re right.” He turned to face Hunter. “I didn’t give you much warning, Hunter, and for that, I apologize. I should have let you know what my plans were.” A small, amused smile crept onto his face, and he tilted his head at the closet. “And I certainly should have prepared you for dealing with this one.”

Jasmin crinkled her nose at him.

“A heads up would have been appreciated,” Hunter agreed, “I thought…” He didn’t finish the sentence. He’d thought, what, that they were going to do some father-son bonding? Go play catch in the park or something corny like that? Darius wasn’t the only one who kept skirting around the adoption papers. It seemed like whenever Hunter wanted to sign them, Darius wasn’t ready, and the days when Darius thought it was a good idea, Hunter was having second thoughts. Of course Darius didn’t want him to do anything for Father’s day when he wasn’t even sure if he wanted it to be official.

Darius sighed. “I gave up my family to become a coven head; it was a mistake. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my lifetime, and I’m attempting to rectify them now. So. Hunter. Let me start over. It would be an honor to introduce you to my family. If you are willing.”

“Ooo! I’ve got it!” Jasmin backed out of the closet. She held a blue shirt with billowy, loose sleeves, a pair of black pants, a silver belt, and a pleated blue half-cape, designed to be worn at the hip. She eyed Darius, then Hunter, then the outfit. “Hm. Yeah. Purple and blue. Good. Excellent. You two will match next to each other.”

Darius nodded. “It looks wonderful. Thank you, Jasmin.” He faced Hunter, and for just a second, Hunter thought he saw uncertainty and worry behind his usually aloof gaze. “Hunter? What do you want to do? Do you want to stay, or go?”

What did he want to do? He hadn’t had any real plans for father’s day. Just snippets of what Gus was going to do for his dad. He wasn’t even sure if “dad” was a role he wanted Darius to have in his life—or if Darius wanted to take it. But Darius wanted Hunter to meet his family—and surely that had to mean something, right? Besides, if it was father’s day, then didn’t Darius deserve to spend time with his father?

“I want to stay,” he said slowly, “I want to meet them.”

“Are you sure?”

Hunter took the clothes from Jasmin. “Positive.”