#and you hear harvey's heartbeat or something.

[katierosefun]

kind of hilarious that there's apparently a suits kdrama adaptation . . . the way i know that no one will ever be able to beat patrick j adams' and gabriel macht's chemistry but also what i would give to really have marvey played with kdrama tropes

[happy74827]

Late Night Serenity

[Harvey Specter x Female!Reader]

Synopsis: Harvey doesn’t particularly let out his feelings much, so when you get a call in the middle of the night, completely unannounced, it’s safe to say you’re there within a heartbeat.

WC: 1134

Category: Slight Angst, Comfort

I wrote this at 3am after watching an edit... yeah, not my brightest moment. But hey, this beauty came out of it :)

『••✎••』

“Harvey…?” You spoke into the phone, a little concerned as to why he called you at such a late hour. You were already in bed and about to fall asleep.

There was a short silence before he answered, almost as if he was waiting for the right words.

Finally, he replied, and you heard the slight hesitation in his voice, the uncertainty, and the exhaustion.

"Yeah?"

You were instantly on alert, but you made your voice calm and soft so he wouldn't hear your worry. "Is everything okay? Do you need me to come over?"

There was another pause, this one longer than the first. Your worry increased. You sat up, already pulling on a sweater, trying to get ready to go to Harvey's.

"No. No, it's alright. I just wanted to hear your voice. Sorry to wake you."

Your mind raced, trying to decipher Harvey's words and the hidden meaning behind them. His tone wasn't right; it was too quiet and too sad, nothing like the normal cocky, self-assured, sometimes slightly arrogant tone.

"You didn't wake me. Is something wrong, Harvey?"

You heard him sigh, then the sound of a door shutting and the muffled sounds of the city streets. He must have stepped out of his office, maybe gone outside.

"No. Everything is fine; It's okay. Go back to bed."

He didn't sound okay. In fact, he sounded a bit upset, though not like he was angry, more like he was frustrated.

You slipped on your shoes and coat, grabbed your keys and wallet, and quietly opened the door.

"Where are you? Home? I'll meet you there."

"What? No, no, that's not-"

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Wait for me, okay? Don't go anywhere."

You could almost hear him frown through the phone. "I can't ask you to do that. You don't have to.”

"Harvey," you interrupted him again. "I'm coming, alright? See you soon."

You hung up before he could protest more and drove as fast as you could to his apartment.

Once you arrived, you saw that Harvey was waiting for you outside. He looked exhausted and was staring up at the sky, his hands in his pockets. He was still in his work suit but had taken off his tie and jacket, leaving his top few buttons undone and his sleeves rolled up.

"Harvey?"

He jumped slightly and looked over at you. The moment he saw you, he relaxed and gave a half smile, but you could tell he was still worried.

“Hey, Bumblebee,” His nickname for you. You had told him how you hated bees when you were younger and had a fear of being stung, and ever since, he had called you Bumblebee, telling you that you were the cutest little bumblebee. It was definitely meant to be teasing, but somehow, the way he said it was never mean or rude, and you secretly loved it no matter how much you’d deny it.

“What was it? Mike?” You guessed, referring to Harvey's associate, whom he had taken under his wing a while back. Harvey shook his head.

"Jessica, actually."

You raised an eyebrow.

"She found out and wants me to fire him. But I can't, I just can't, not now."

"I’m sorry, Harv, but you knew it was a risk, right? She had to have found out eventually.”

"Yeah, I know, I just thought maybe... maybe I wouldn't have to, and we could figure something out. He’s got so much potential.”

Harvey looked down and sighed. He looked so tired, but you knew his mind was racing, always trying to find a way to fix things. He had been working with Mike for a while now, and even though he would never admit it, you knew Harvey cared about him and had grown attached to his presence.

And when Harvey gets attached, he hates to lose.

Your hands found his arms, and you squeezed gently, trying to reassure him. You had done this plenty of times in the past, and you knew it worked.

"Look at me," you told him, and he did. His dark brown eyes met yours, and you were almost startled by the amount of emotion in them. He was always good at hiding how he felt, but you could see through his mask, and you saw how upset he was.

"You’ll figure it out; you always do. And even if somehow you don't, it's not the end of the world. He could always… you know, actually, go to law school."

Harvey laughed quietly, and the sound warmed your heart. He was finally relaxing, slowly calming down.

"No, that's not an option," he replied.

"Right. I forgot how stubborn you both are."

You smiled, and Harvey smiled back. He had the most wonderful smile, the kind that always made you happy no matter what was happening.

"I'm glad you came," Harvey said, taking a step closer. His hands found your waist, and yours reached up to wrap around his neck. You could feel the warmth from his body through your clothes, and you leaned in, resting your head against his chest.

"Me too. Especially when you’re in a mellow mood," you teased. Harvey chuckled and rubbed your back. “That's rare."

"Hey," Harvey replied, feigning offense. "I'm not always a dick, you know."

"About eighty percent of the time," you grinned, looking up at him. Harvey's smile faded, and his eyes locked on yours, gazing at you with a certain intensity that made your breath catch.

You stared at each other for a few moments, neither one of you moving, until Harvey suddenly leaned down and pressed his lips against yours, his hand cupping your cheek and the other wrapped tightly around your waist, pulling you against him.

The kiss was slow and sweet but full of all the emotions that neither of you could say. There was no rush, no desperate passion or need, just the two of you together.

After a while, Harvey pulled away but kept his forehead pressed against yours, his breath warm against your skin.

He didn’t say anything, but you knew exactly what he was thinking. You had spent enough time with him to be able to read him perfectly.

Thank you.

Thank you for being here.

Thank you for caring.

Thank you for being mine.

You reached up and kissed his nose.

"Love you," you whispered.

"I know," Harvey replied. His lips turned up into a smirk, and you rolled your eyes, trying to act annoyed but not doing a very good job of it.

“You’re proving my point, Harv.”

Harvey shrugged. "But you love me anyway, right?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I really do."

“Good,” His lips brushed against yours, and his smile was still there, but his eyes were serious. “Glad to know we feel the same way.”

[fluffyfluffyscarecrow]

Cuddling headcanons with my favorite rogues <3

Penguin

I'm not even exaggerating when I say Oswald gives the best cuddles ever.

He's a little spoon and LOVES being held and he's like a soft, warm pillow in your arms.

However, he can be the big spoon if you really want him to.

Please kiss his nose and run your fingers through his hair, he'll melt.

He's never felt so loved before.

Scarecrow

I think we can all agree this man is touch starved af so he's awkward the first few times you try to cuddle him.

Just be patient, he'll hug you back in no time.

When he does, his hugs are AMAZING. He's so soft and cuddly you might even forget he's the master of fear.

He alternates, but he prefers being the little spoon. There's just something about being wrapped up in your arms that makes him feel so loved.

He absolutely loves when you stroke his hair. And it feels like a fluffy blanket to touch so of course you give him all the headpats he needs and then some.

Tickle him a bit, his laugh is the sweetest sound you'll ever hear.

Two Face

These two NEED your cuddles.

Harvey is a bit gentler when it comes to cuddling, he'll wrap his arms around you as you lay on his chest and listen to his heartbeat.

Two Face wants to squeeze you as tight as he can, and for you to squeeze him back.

They alternate spoons as well. Harvey loves holding you and watching you fall asleep in his arms, but he also adores when you wrap your arms around him and use him as a human pillow. Two Face is kinda the same except he prefers being the little spoon.

They both love it when you pet their hair or stroke their scars, it makes them feel so loved.

Please give them kisses and tell them you love them, it means so much to them.

[stardewstardropthoughts]

How Shane reacts to finding you passed out in the mines

Panic

He had started to get worried when you weren’t home by six when you had said you would be

Gave you a grace period of like half an hour before he went looking for you

Can’t stop himself from thinking of the worse possible outcomes, dudes sweating

He finds you passed out outside the mines with a few cuts and bruises

Panic intensifies

Carries you to Harvey’s and practically banged the doctors door down so he would take a look at you

You woke up in a bed in Harvey’s clinic a few hours later, Shane’s head rested on your lap while he sleeps, hand holding yours

You run your hands through his hair and he wakes up

“Yoba I thought you were dead! Don’t do that to me again please”

Takes you home, runs you a hot bath

Gets you some leftovers out of the fridge so you can eat something, rubs your sore muscles

You guys cuddle in bed after and he’s still shaking

He lays his head on your chest to hear your heartbeat as you card your fingers through his hair soothingly

“I’m sorry Shane, I didn’t mean to upset you. The red slime came out of no where and I wasn’t expecting it, I’ll be more careful”

He asks if you can take a few days off from going into the mines and you agree

Mans hardly letting you out if his sight for the next day since he doesn’t want you to over exert yourself or strain your healing injury’s

Endless cuddles and he will bring a blue chicken Inside to snuggle with y’all if you don’t stop him

He loves you please don’t die on him, he can’t afford for his whole world to go black again, you keep him afloat in a very stormy ocean and he wants to do the same for you

[lomlkenji]

༊*·˚ whatever it takes | sky

★ summary : sky will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. 

★ warning : mature language, mentions of death, angst if you squint <3

MAIN MASTELIST

★ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

Sky felt this heart drop when got news that you got hurt by the burned one alongside Silva. You weren't supposed to actually go with him but being the stubborn little shit you are, you convinced Silva to take one of his 'favourite soldiers' with him. 

The hurt was unbearable, you felt like your skin was shredding little by little everyday, and when you winced or had trouble getting up or going somewhere Sky felt a little bit of his heart break. 

He was being such a good boyfriend you could cry. Always making sure you're okay, kissing you every so often showering you with all the love he can. He was an absolute dream—although sometimes it's a bit much—you love the extra attention. 

He never left your side, he even showered with you when you're comfortable with it and claimed that he 'wants to make sure you're safe.' 

In a sense it was true, he was just taking care of you, but it's also because he loves being as close to you as possible. 

• • •

Today was your normal check up with Professor Harvey for him to clear the wound on your side. You weren't getting any better and you knew that. Sky knew that, and it terrified the shit of him. 

He can't move his eyes from the blood that was rushing out of your wound, he can't imagine what you must be going through right now. 

Sky didn't even notice his eyes start to water until you cup his face in your hands wiping the tears that escaped his eyes. 

"Sky," you sighed sadly, moving your hands to play with his hair. He leaned into your touch a sense of comfort he was grateful he had even in the worse time. "Hey, it's gonna be alright." you assured him. You didn't know if it would be better, but in a sense, assuring him was like assuring yourself. 

Sky's face turned hard in milliseconds. "Yeah, yeah it is." he mumbled before capturing your lips in a kiss, knocking the air out of you. 

He loved you more than anything in the world and he will not just sit by and do nothing. 

You knew Sky like the back of your hand, you can practically hear his thoughts screaming at him. "Sky don't do anything stupid." you said firmly as you guys broke off from the kiss. 

He met your eyes, looking at you with so much worry. He pulled a small smile, that you knew damn well was fake and said, "I won't." 

• • •

Sky did something stupid.

It was dangerous and full on dumb but for what it's worth it saved you and Silva from becoming worse. 

Sniffles filled the room as you waited for Sky to come back. He was getting scolded by Silva and you were practically waiting for your moment to scold him. 

The door creaked open and it revealed a tired looking Sky, his clothes were filthy with dirt and there were some cuts in his face and hands. 

Sky knew what was going to happen when he went into the woods, but knowing that you were safe, he would do it over and over again in a heartbeat. 

You didn't say anything when Sky made his way to you. Again, sniffles were heard and it made the boy felt guilty seeing that it was because of him. 

"Love-" 

"You could've died, Sky." you deadpanned looking at him with glazing eyes before looking back down and started fiddling with your fingers. 

Sky sighed, "Love, I can't just watch you suffer everyday." he said taking your chin tilting it upwards meeting his eyes once again. 

He took notice of your puffy red eyes and kissed your forehead. You leaned away from and mumbled. "I could've lost you." 

He scoffed, "And if I didn't do anything I could've lost you." 

You bit your lip from slapping but also smiling at your dumb boyfriend. "You're so stupid, I love you so much." 

Sky smirked in triumph, "Mhm, yeah you do." he said, leaning forwards to capture your lips. But you were too fast and backed away, again. 

"You an arsehole." you said, slapping his chest. 

"Love you too angel." he smiled, and grabbed your neck kissing your lips deeply. 

Yeah, everything turned out okay. 

reblog for a kiss <3

[lily-alphonse]

sam and maru? when u think about it the vision is kinda there

Dear Anon, I want you to know out of the like 20 or so rarepair challenge asks I have gotten so far, this one stumped me the hardest I think. It’s been taunting me. Sitting in my inbox while I stare at it only to give up and come back later.

So gg on that lmao I’m not easily stumped.

It’s not like it’s hard to come up with something because there’s nothing there, it’s hard to come up with something because nuance. It also doesn’t mesh with my headcanons like Maru being lesbian and/or ace which is another mental hurdle.

Then there’s the issue that she is his best friend’s younger sister. That’s bro code. But also a little icky if he’s straightup watched her grow up (which, I'm not opposed to icky, I have a whole alt account on ao3 for that lmao but I'm trying to keep these ideas sweet).

So I guess what I'm thinking is Maru used to have a crush on Sam when she was younger. She looked up to her brother and his friends and he was just so damn pretty.

And then she grew up and hated herself for being such a cliché, pining after her older brother’s friend like that.

Then she grew up more and got past it, got serious in life and dove into her real passions head-on with no time for the more fickle passions involved with dating and crushes.

Despite how seriously she takes her career though, there’s a hidden goofiness to Maru. Sometimes, when she can get away with it, she wears fun little earrings to the clinic that the kids like to point out. Sometimes, (though she’d never admit it) she sneaks one of the toys from the prize chest to play with. She tells herself it’s a fidget device, not a slinky. It may as well be a stress ball.

A man comes into the clinic she hasn’t spoken to in years. He looks different now with his facial hair filling out, his hair long enough to pull back. It looks unfairly good on him.

He looks surprised to see her, actually blushing. Damn if that didn’t make him even more attractive.

But she keeps her cool. And he doesn’t.

Sam is stunned. He’d barely recognized the hottie behind the desk as Maru. And the way she looked right through him over her glasses and kept things professional made him wish there wasn’t a desk between them.

“I like your slinky,” he blurted before needing to go back with Harvey.

A crack appeared in her facade. She stammered, knocking the slinky off the desk in a panic, and he laughed.

And suddenly she was a teenager again, hearing his laugh through Sebastian’s door only to be eclipsed by the pounding of her heartbeat.

Fuck.

--

Send me any Stardew Valley rarepair and I will tell you how I would make them work! (Even non-marriage npcs) If youre lucky you may get a mini fic out of it. Check the list below to see if Ive already answered yours

Rarepair Masterlist

[paradox-n-bedrock]

A Gentlebeard Playlist

Tracklist (and specific lyrics that make me think of these babes):

imagine - Ben Platt Your eyes give life a new meaning / It's like I found the north light / I never knew what I needed / Until I felt your hand holding mine

Remind Me - Emily King You remind me of something / Something that I used to feel myself /Something that I used to feel / Like a heartbeat racing / Like a new beginning

Wicked Game - Chris Isaak The world was on fire and no one could save me but you / Strange what desire will make foolish people do / I never dreamed that I'd love somebody like you

On + Off - Maggie Rogers Take me through this wild time / Stay with me through all of time / I'm drenched in madness, dangled blue / Won't you, won't you? / Take me to that place where you always go

Hungry Eyes - Eric Carmen One look at you and I can't disguise / I've got hungry eyes / I feel the magic between you and I / I wanna hold you so hear me out / I wanna show you what love's all about

Can't Help Falling In Love - Perfume Genius Like the river flows, Surely to the sea / Darling, so it goes / Some things are meant to be / Take my hand, take my whole life too

I'm Your Man - Mitski You believe me like a God / I destroy you like I am / I'm sorry I'm the one you love / No-one will ever love me like you again / So when you leave me, I should die

First Time - Hozier Remember once I told you 'bout / How before I heard it from your mouth / My name would always hit my ears / As such an awful sound

The Stranger - Melissa Ferrick So let me in now / I am ready to move / And here comes fear and resistance from you / And for once I am willing and now what i've got to wait?

I'll Be with You - Pawns or Kings Spend too much of my time alone / wondering about my friends back home / thinking if they are having more fun / without me

Thirsty Dog - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds I'm sorry about all your friends / I hope they'll speak to me again / I said before I'd pay for all the damages / I'm sorry it's just rotten luck / I'm sorry I've forgotten how to fuck / It's just that I think my heart / and soul are kind of famished

10,000 Emerald Pools - BØRNS I'll dive in deeper, deeper for you / Down to the bottom, 10,000 emerald pools / Under water / Time is standing still / You're the treasure

j's lullaby (darlin' i'd wait for you) - Delaney Bailey I'd give you the sun if you asked me / You could have all of the time / You could have the stars and the trees / When dividin' up the universe / You could have mine

To Bring You My Love - PJ Harvey I think my time is near / And I've traveled over / Dry earth and floods / Hell and high water / To bring you my love

Hold You in My Arms - Ray LaMontagne Weapons of war / Symptoms of madness / Don't let your eyes refuse to see / Don't let your ears refuse to hear / Or you ain't never going to shake / This sense of sadness

Grow as We Go - Ben Platt If to change is what you need / You can change right next to me / When you're high, I'll take the lows / You can ebb and I can flow / And we'll take it slow

First Light - Hozier One bright morning goes so easy / Darkness always finds you either way / It creeps into the corners as the moment fades / A voice your body jumps to calling out your name / But after this I'm never gonna be the same / And I am never going back again

[ursulanoodles]

You know how I feel about that Harvey/Haley one shot. You already know 😭

Alright. 😅

Here ya go. I’ll share a wee snippet of my Harvey/Haley. It’s very much an unedited WIP, so keep that in mind and be kind 🙈

Also excuse formatting because tumblr sucks butt

18+ Please! Minors DNI

Harvey sat hunched over the bar at the Stardop Saloon, his nose in a book as he sipped a large glass of Zinfandel, trying to unwind from a stressful week at the clinic. He would have liked to take a walk and clear his head, but given the heavy summer rains that were pummeling Pelican Town at the present moment, he settled for a quiet evening instead. Never mind that his blood was boiling.

At the beginning of the week, Skye, the strange farmer Harvey had grown to be friends with, pulled him aside in confidence and showed him a photo of a burn book. She said she couldn’t keep it to herself and wanted him to know what Haley had said about him. While he adored Skye, she could be a bit immature, and he really wished she had kept it to herself because now he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Anxious and weak. Brilliant. A great reputation for the town doctor and a single man… and here I am reading a book in a saloon full of people.

Just then, the door to the Stardrop creaked open, and footsteps sounded across the creaky, old floorboards behind him. Emily, the cheerful, blue-haired bartender, perked up and sighed with relief. Haley stomped over to the end of the bar and tossed a wadded-up piece of clothing at Emily.

“Oh, thank you, Haley! I can’t believe I left my apron at home. It would have been a long night without it.”

“Whatever,” Haley scoffed, rolling her eyes. “You owe me. I ruined my hair walking here in the rain.”

“Jeez, lighten up, grumpy pants,” Emily said playfully, her cheeks crimson.

“Not feeling in the best of moods after you know who found my book,” she hissed. “She’s been showing it to everyone!”

“Perhaps you shouldn’t write rude things about people, and you wouldn’t have anything to worry about, hm?” The words flew out of Harvey’s mouth before he could stop himself, and he was kicking himself, his pulse skyrocketing as her piercing blue eyes met his gaze. As pissed off as he was, he couldn’t deny that she was breathtakingly beautiful, her doe eyes, button nose, and pink pouty lips, and what he wouldn’t do to have his hands around her pretty throat.

Haley’s eyes narrowed on him as if she couldn’t believe he had the audacity to speak to her, and she looked him up and down, picking him apart. “Excuse me? Was I talking to you? Mind your own business.”

“Oh, well, you seem to think it’s your business to write about half the town in your little book…” The saloon had gone dead silent, and Harvey broke into a sweat when he realized all eyes were on him. Hell, even Shane, who had never so much as acknowledged Harvey, set down his beer and piece of pizza and was staring at him with his mouth open.

“What’re you going to do about it?” Haley stared back at him, her arms crossed as she nonchalantly checked out her pink acrylic nails. Harvey tried to come up with something, anything, to say, but he fell silent as he stared at her over his glasses. “That’s what I thought,” she sneered. She turned heel and strutted out of the bar with a flick of her bouncy bottle-blonde waves, and Harvey could hear nothing except for his heartbeat in his ears. He shook with rage.

“I’m so sorry for my sister’s behavior, Doctor Harvey. She had no business writing those things about you,” Emily said softly.

Harvey glanced at her kind face and shook his head, snapping his book shut. “It’s fine,” he mumbled, slipping her a twenty for the two glasses of wine he’d had as he got to his feet. “Keep the change.” He strode across the saloon, fuming, and ducked out of the door frame. The night was still miserable and damp, though the rain had let up a bit, and he hastily made his way across the dark and dreary town square toward the clinic.

He froze when he noticed a shadow to the left of his door and fumbled in his pocket for his keys, imagining all sorts of ridiculous circumstances in which he was robbed or murdered.

“So, you never answered my question,” Haley said, stepping into the glow of the streetlight.

“Yoba!” Harvey yelped, staring down at Haley as she took another step toward him.

“Like I said, what are you gonna do about it?” Her tone was sultry, her words drawn out, and the look in her eyes playful and lust-filled. “Are you going to teach me a lesson?”

“Someone has to,” Harvey growled back as he pushed her up against the clinic wall. His breath caught in his throat as Haley cupped his balls over his trousers, then began stroking his hard cock. Harvey closed his eyes and swallowed hard, reigning himself in, though he wanted to tear her apart. “Good girls have patience,” he said in a low, steady voice, dropping his eyes to her lips as they parted in anticipation.

“What if I’m not a good girl?” Haley giggled up at him with a look of pure defiance, and he was suddenly rock-hard for her.

“You will be when I’m done with you.” He reached out a shaking hand and placed it around her throat, lightly digging his fingertips into the delicate skin as he squeezed from the sides. His lips were on hers seconds later, caught in open-mouthed kisses as he pushed his knee firmly between her thighs. They were both panting as he tore himself away and tangled a hand in her hair, nudging her into the dark clinic. “Through the double doors and up the stairs. Go,” he panted, and they scrambled up the creaky wooden stairs and through the door to his apartment.

[thegrandharveyspecter]

Slip Up; a Harvey & Scott Drabble

[@ask-scott-lang-whatever I couldn't help myself lmao. Apologies in advance for messing up Scott ;_;.]

Harvey had no idea how he got in this situation.

Well, he did, he just didn’t believe it. He was just minding his own business when Scott suddenly dropped by. Harvey refused to admit the little ant scared the hell out of him when he grew from an inch to normal size. That didn’t do anything for his heart.

Scott said, “We need to do something.”

Harvey said, “Something like what?”

Then Scott got That Look on his face and Harvey knew he was going to get screwed over in some way.

And now here he was, a half hour later, standing on the side of a mountain. Scott lost his footing and slid down the side. His safety rope had gotten cut on the way down and he barely managed to grip onto an edge. He got so damaged on the way down that he couldn’t pull himself back up.

So it was up to Harvey to climb down and get him. He had to move carefully and avoid any spots Scott had hit or he’d end up in the same position. So Scott had warned him.

While Harvey was slowly making his way down, Scott started complaining. “Harvey, my fingers are getting sore! Hurry up!”

“Next time watch where you’re going,” Harvey scoffed, unphased by Scott’s whining.

“Next time get me a sturdier safety rope!”

“Next time pick it out yourself.”

The closer Harvey got, the more his own hands started buzzing. His heartbeat was obnoxiously loud and the corners of his vision were becoming black. He paused to try and calm his anxiety, but then the mountain shook and the anxiety spiked.

“Harvey!”

“Yeah, yeah, just give me a minute!”

Harvey sighed, waited for the mountain to stop its vibrations and continued his way down. Freaking Scott Lang, Evel Knievel knock-off…By the time Harvey got to the edge, all he could hear was his heartbeat and his hands didn’t stop shaking. His vision didn’t clear either.

“Hold still,” Harvey said, reaching down slowly.

“I’ve been holding still for the past five minutes,” Scott groaned. “Why are you so slow?”

“Did you want me to get both of us killed?” Harvey asked, rhetorically. “No? Then shut up and stop whining.”

The moment Harvey finally took hold of Scott’s hand, his vision started to clear and his heartbeat slowly started to go back to normal. It was even more so once Scott was on his feet. The shaking in his hands stopped.

“Oh, thank god! Finally!” Scott cheered, relief all over his face.

Scott dropped the controller in his lap and rubbed his thumbs. Harvey paused their game and put his own controller down. He snickered as he watched Scott massage his hands.

“I almost died and you’re laughing?!”

“I can’t help it. You made it seem like you were really hanging off the edge of a cliff,” Harvey said, laughing.

“I felt like I was! Do you have any idea how tiring it is to smash your thumb on the same button repeatedly? If I let up for a second, I would’ve fallen off and it’d be game over.”

“You told me you were good at survival games,” Harvey commented. “Guess you’re not.”

“I am good at survival games. I just usually have better partners,” Scott huffed. “This is the last time I’m playing this with you.”

“Good, because survival games are annoying. I prefer something more old school.”

“‘Old school’,” Scott repeated, attempting to mimic Harvey’s voice.

Harvey casually cuffed Scott up the side of his head, ignored his sound of protest and took a drink.

“What’s old school for you?” Scott asked, rubbing his head.

“Well, I beat Mike at Mario Kart the other day,” Harvey replied.

Scott’s brows rose, his annoyed expression being replaced by a more curious, surprised one.

“Twice,” Harvey added.

“I don’t believe it!”

“Believe it.”

Scott started laughing and Harvey followed soon after.

“Okay, let’s throw it on. I bet I’ll get you three times in a row,” Scott said, smirking.

“Bring it on, little man.”

[acidcaught-a]

“i love you.”

she says it one morning when they're still lying in the bed. the sun hasn't filled the sky yet and harvey's drifting in and out of sleep. the night before was quiet in a sense he didn't understand but liked. he remembers tidying up the dishes from another experimental meal from his lover's wild imagination. ( but damn , he thinks , if it wasn't delicious. )

late-night talk shows on the flatscreen fill the silence, but the pair had long stopped listening to the host. he had noticed her slowed breathing and managed to turn the tech off without her waking. it was too bad ( or was it? ) that she woke when he carried her off to bed.

harvey almost doesn't recognize himself in her eyes. her lips on his as he savors her flesh with worshipping hands. a slow and gentle pace not like the rough nights before. this wasn't the same - a session of passion and love to fill the sheets and pass the time. it's when she dozes off to sleep that he watches her chest rise and fall with the softness of her breathing. his hand cups her hips farthest from him, pulling her against his chest.

she says something in her sleep that he can't understand. but it's said with a smile and a sigh and he finds himself loving the smell of him on her breath. he wants to know the words of her favorite song, wants to make sure the kitchen is stacked with her favorite spices, her favorite colors, flowers, type of ammo...

he's restless for another few hours until sleep finally claims him. maybe she thinks he's still asleep when she says it. he hopes his breath hitching at the sound of the string of three little words doesn't tell on him. he hopes it doesn't tell her how he's wanted to say it for a while now, how he's gone to gilda to ask both forgiveness and permission to finally move on. hopes that it doesn't show his disappointment that he didn't say it first.

the clock ticks louder and louder until he rolls over with both eyes wide open and a smile that spreads from one half of his face to the other. lips and muscles upturned when he catches her gaze. his hand pulls her towards him again, regretting that he had turned his back in the middle of the night, and locks her next to his chest. she could hear his heartbeat and how its sped up. she could feel his gentle kiss on her forehead, the soft whisper of the gruffness of his voice saying he loves her too.

[cas-kingdom]

‘5-line’ fic Masterpost

Here are all the fics I’ve written in response to this challenge. Happy reading!

Main Masterpost

- M A R V E L

Tony x Peter (“I’m proud of you, kid.”)

Tony x reader (“Can I have a go in the suit?”)

Clint x reader (“No, no, don’t worry—it’s fine.”)

Zemo x reader (“I apologise. I did not mean to wake you.”)

Steve x reader (“It’s three am! Where have you been?”)

Tony x reader (“Can I hug you?”)

Steve x reader (“Say that again looking at my face.”)

Tony x Peter (“C’mere, kid.”)

Peter P x reader (“Honour is dead but I’ll see what I can do.”)

Sam x reader (“You lose. I tickle. Deal?”)

Bucky x reader (“Don’t make me chase you.”)

Bucky x reader (“I couldn’t sleep by myself.”)

Bucky x reader (“Wait, what are you going to do with that?”)  

Bucky x reader (“I may have accidentally adopted a dog. Don’t be mad?”)

- T H E  W I T C H E R

Geralt x Lambert x OC (Geralt was beginning to think he should never have introduced Akela to the other witchers.)

Geralt x Lambert x reader (“Poke me again and see what happens.”)

Geralt x Jaskier x OC (“For someone who’s totally selling the monster-killing, impassive mystique, you’re surprisingly kid-friendly.”)

Geralt x Jaskier x reader (“For the first time in my life, I genuinely want to thow my lute in the ocean.”)

Geralt x reader (Waking up face down in the dirt didn’t surprise him. The fact that said dirt was in a rose garden, did.)

Geralt x reader (“I’m bleeding!”)

Jaskier x reader (“I’ll always be there for you.”)

Geralt x reader (“Hear my heartbeat? Just focus on that.”)

Geralt x reader (“Where’s Roach?”)

Geralt x reader (”What the hell are you holding and why is it... wriggling?”)

Geralt x reader (“You have a stick in your hair.”)

Geralt x reader (“You know I love you.”)

- C H I C A G O  F I R E

Kelly x reader (“I didn’t mean to make you cry!”)

Kelly x reader (“Did you just throw that at my head?”)

Sylvie x Stella x Gabby x reader (“You are being stupid and reckless.”)

Kelly x reader (“What is this?”)

Otis x Cruz x Hermann x Boden x OC (“Am I interrupting something?”)

Matt x reader (It was a child this time.)

- S T R A N G E R  T H I N G S

Hopper x reader (“I don’t like that look. What happened?”)

Eddie x reader (“Dads are overrated.”)

- D O C T O R  W H O

Twelve x reader (“Stop throwing books at me!”)

Nine x reader (“Why did you lie?”)

- S U I T S

Harvey x reader (“I can’t believe you just said that.”)

Harvey x Mike x reader (“Someone come get their kid!”)

Harvey x reader (“It’s not bragging if it’s true.”)

- T H E  U M B R E L L A  A C A D E M Y

Five x reader (“I was looking for you.”)

Diego x reader (“What does the winner get?”)

- S U P E R N A T U R A L

John x reader (“You did this to get my attention and now you fully have it. Let’s hear it.”)

Dean x Sam (“You’re okay, Sammy.”)

Dean x reader (“I love you.”)

Dean x John x reader (“Are you really reading right now?”)

- G R E Y ‘ S  A N A T O M Y

Alex x reader (“That wasn’t a very good idea, was it?”)

Derek x reader (“Am I in trouble?”)

Owen x reader (“Ouch. That must’ve hurt.”)

Derek x reader (“What did I say about sneaking into the OR gallery?”)

Mark x reader (“Not if you can’t catch me.”)

George x reader (“Stop poking me!”)

Derek x Addison x reader (“I’m not going.”)

- B R I D G E R T O N

Anthony x reader (“You told me you’d teach me how to shoot. This isn’t teaching.”)

Anthony x Benedict x Colin x Eloise x reader (“That’s as big as my balls!”)

Benedict x reader (“She says you’re ignoring her.”)

- T H E  W A L K I N G  D E A D

Daryl x reader (“What’re you doing in my room?” “You’re literally in my bed.”)

Daryl x reader (“What if I can’t do it?”)

Negan x reader (“You know, this is not what I imagined when you asked me to pose for you.”)

Daryl x reader (“I’m just disappointed.”)

- D A R E D E V I L

Matt x reader (“Do you want this soup or not?”)

Matt x reader (“He felt lucky tonight.”)

- P E A K Y  B L I N D E R S

Tommy x reader (“Talk to me, okay? I need to know what’s going on.”)

Ada x reader (“How do you deal with it? All this shit?”)

Tommy x reader (“Oh my God, do you ever stop talking?”)

Arthur x reader (“We really gonna have to do this again, little girl?”)

- W H I T E  C O L L A R 

Neal x reader (“You have got to stop doing this.”)

Neal x reader (“Yay! You came home!”)

- T R U E  B L O O D

Eric x reader (“I thought you didn’t like Christmas.”)

Eric x reader (“Can I show you something?”)

Eric x reader (“At what point did you think stealing my car would be a good idea?”)

- T W I L I G H T

Carlisle x Emmett x reader (“There’s an art to getting your way, and spitting watermelon seeds across the table isn’t it.”)

Emmett x reader (“What the hell did you… on second thought, I don’t wanna know.”)

Jasper x reader (“Just because you’re a vampire, it doesn’t mean you can automatically win.”)

Carlisle x reader (“You look nice.”)

- A Q U A M A N

Orm x reader (“Why do you care?”)

Arthur x reader (”Go away. I’m not five and I don’t have to listen to you.”)

-  T H E  M U M M Y

Rick x Ardeth x reader (“If I walk any further, my legs will fall off.”)

- O U T L A N D E R

Claire x reader (“On a scale of one to ten, how do you feel about wigs right now?”)

- V I R G I N  R I V E R

Jack x OC (“You aren’t allowed to hit me. Stop it.”)

- S H E R L O C K

Sherlock x reader (“Hey! I’m not that small! Anymore.”)

- E N O L A  H O L M E S

Sherlock x Enola x reader (“Don’t start something you can’t finish.”)

- P I R A T E S  O F  T H E  C A R I B B E A N

Jack x reader (“I’m not afraid to die.”)

- F U L L  H O U S E

Jesse x reader (“I told you not to come, Uncle Jesse.”)

- S T A R  T R E K

Jim x reader (“I swear I won’t break anything.”)

- T H E  V A M P I R E  D I A R I E S

Damon x Stefan x reader (“Humans are dispensable.”)

- X - M E N

Charles x reader (“Did you just say ‘fight me’ to a wall?”)

Erik x reader (Mutations are a bitch.)

- T R A N S F O R M E R S

Optimus x reader (“If you don’t know how to follow an order, perhaps you shouldn’t be here.”)

- T O L K I E N

Aragorn x Merry x Pippin (“Aragorn, do you think elves are ticklish?”)

- D I V E R G E N T

Four x reader (“I think I sprained my ankle.”)

- V  F O R  V E N D E T T A

V x reader (“I’m brushing your hair. It’s a mess.”)

- G A M E  O F  T H R O N E S

Jorah x reader (“Do you feel better?”)

[dracowars]

Hii if your requests are open can u do one where the reader and draco are married and he wants to have kids but she keeps avoiding it and saying they should wait a bit longer. And then they end up talking and the reader confesses she scared of going through pregnancy because it just sounds so painful and that when she was younger she was a little chubby and it took her forever to lose that weight so she’s also scared of gaining weight and being undesirable after? Just some cute fluff and maybe dad!draco

founding of a family | draco malfoy

pairing: draco x reader

word count: 1,7k

summary: where draco wants to have children, but y/n doesn’t

a/n: uni starts again next week so i try to work on as many requests as i can before that! <3

warnings: angst, mentions of pregnancy, mentions of insecurities regarding weight

universe: harry potter

Draco’s return is announced by the opening and the following closing of the front door and not a second later, he walks over to you into the kitchen, where you are currently busy preparing your dinner. When you hear his footsteps behind you, you turn to him with a smile on your face, even though you briefly get startled at the sight of him. It must have been a very tough day considering the exhausted expression on his handsome face.

“Good evening, darling”, you greet him warmly and put your arms gently on his shoulders, looking deep into his gray eyes that are surrounded by emerging dark circles. Despite everything, he smiles back, exhausted but genuine.

“Hi”, he softly whispers to you and gives you a kiss to greet you while his arms wrap around your waist, pulling you closer to him, the tips of your noses almost touching after the kiss.

“Exhausting day?”, you carefully ask, already searching for an answer in his eyes.

“Yeah, you could say that”, Draco sighs but quickly puts a smile back on again in order to not unsettle you in any way. “Do not look at me like I am about to pass out. Don’t worry, I really am fine. At least now that I am reunited with you. I will be better in no time.”

“Then I will do my best to fulfill my job as a wife today”, you playfully tease him and give him a quick kiss before you go back to making dinner for the both of you, giving him the time he probably needs for himself after a tough day, letting him arrive at home entirely.

He has been coming back stressed and tense from his work as a healer for several weeks now. Apparently, it is the month when most magicians decide to get involved in accidents or need medical treatment. In any case, you do your best to at least relieve him of the burden in the short time you have together.

While you are serving the dinner for tonight – Draco’s favorite meal – he quickly sets up the table and lights the candle in the middle of it next to the bouquet he brought you last week. Even when he is not feeling well, he still manages to bring a smile to your face every day.

You sit down together and enjoy your time, in which you try to not remind him of his work. At least at home he should be allowed to relax and calm down after a stressful day.

“Now that you mention it.. Unfortunately, Harvey is absent next week and I have to double my shifts in the hospital”, Draco explains after listening to you intently about your plans for the upcoming week. The name makes you widen your eyes slightly since Harvey is one of the leading healers at the St Mungo’s Hospital, who has also become a good colleague and friend of Draco.

“Oh, why is that? Is he alright?”

“Yes, his wife is pregnant and they will probably welcome their newborn next week”, Draco says, finishing his plate while noticing out of the corner of his eye how your fork immediately sinks down.

There it is again: the topic. The topic that you absolutely want to avoid, but it feels like you get confronted with it every single week. And each time it ends up with two people getting hurt.

“Oh.. how-how nice”, you put on a fake smile and poke around your food, breaking eye contact with your husband.

“Right? Next week their life will change forever. I bet they can’t wait to welcome their child. Just imagine how their son or daughter will frolic around them, learning something new every day”, Draco enthuses and you can’t tell whether he even notices how much this topic bothers you. Did he not learn anything from your last arguments about pregnancy?

“Draco, please.”

“What?”

“Please stop talking about this again”, you almost beg him, and your heartbeat accelerates in fear that this conversation will soon escalate again.

“What is wrong about it? Every time I want to talk to you about it normally, you immediately become so dismissive, Y/N”, Draco confronts you and you can feel his piercing gaze on you, your hands clenching into fists under the table.

“That’s exactly it! We have talked about it a lot, it is enough”, you counter him, your words coming out harder than you expected.

“We have been married for two years now. Do you not want to see little versions of us walking around here? Or do you just.. do not want to have children with me?”, Draco asks and your head shoots up in an instant, your eyes meeting.

“What? No! It is not that, Draco.”

“Then what is it? I do not feel like arguing about it every single time. I do not want my parents to ask me whether you are already pregnant every time we visit them!”, Draco’s voice gets louder all of a sudden and you can no longer hold back the tears that are forming in your eyes.

“Because I am not ready!”, you yell at him and angrily get up from the table, tears now streaming down your cheeks as you run out of the dining room and into your shared bedroom, loudly slamming the door close behind you. Laying down in bed and snuggling under the thick covers, you let your tears and sobs run free. You press your trembling hands against your chest, feeling your pounding heart against it from the other side. Your blurry gaze falls on your bedside table where your moving wedding photo is placed. Grinning broadly, your former self smiles at the camera and you remember that this must have been the best and happiest day of your life so far.

With a loud sniff, you reach for it and lay it down to save yourself the sight of it. Then, you turn on your back and blankly stare at the ceiling. Until you hear a gentle knock on the door and quickly turn your back towards it.

“Leave me alone.”

“Please, babe. I am sorry.”

The quiet squeaking of the doors tells you that he has come into your bedroom nevertheless, and shortly afterwards you can feel the mattress next to you sink as he sits on it. Not giving him an answer, you hide your face in your hands.

Draco’s heart, on the other hand, breaks at the sight of you. He did not know that this topic really did bother you this much. To say he feels bad is an understatement.

Not quite knowing what he should do, he strokes your back very slowly and carefully, trying to calm you down somehow. While doing so, he does not miss that you turned your wedding photo around.

Although you do not want to admit it and he is actually the person you want to see the least right now, he manages to calm you down and your loud sobs slowly disappear. After he has handed you a handkerchief, you sit up and lean your back against the headboard while his guilty gaze follows your every move.

“I did not mean to hurt you”, Draco begins and even though you avoid his gaze on purpose, you can tell from his voice that he is serious.

“I know. I did not mean to freak out, but this topic.. I am just so incredibly scared, Draco”, you admit, nervously fidgeting with your fingers on your lap, not sure how he will react.

“What? You do not need to be afraid, baby. I am with you”, he assures you and takes your hand in his, briefly letting your wedding rings meet.

“You do not know how a pregnancy works. How much pain and problems it involves. The thought of being pregnant scares me. I can’t take responsibility for such a small human being, I am not in the right position to do so. I know how much you want children, but I just can’t”, you sob, suppressing your re-emerging tears.

“What are you even talking about? Are you listening to what you are saying? Of course you can! You are such a strong woman”, Draco reassures you, but his mere words can’t calm your thoughts either.

“Even if that is the case. Even if I get pregnant, Draco, it will not get any better after that. Then I have to put this tiny little being first and even if I can cope with this, then my body would still be deformed. Pregnancy can do so much damage to the body and.. what if you do not want me anymore? What if am undesirable for you afterwards?”, you explain to him honestly and he listens to you very carefully, now understanding your inner conflict much better than before. He knew about your insecurities.

“You are afraid that I would not love you anymore?”, he repeats your words, not understanding them correctly. “If you would get pregnant, I would love you even more afterwards. I could not think of anything more beautiful than you, no matter what. The way you would hold our child in your arms. It would be the most wonderful moment and you would look gorgeous and so stunning.”

When you suddenly throw yourself around his neck in relief, Draco can barely keep his balance and falls back onto the mattress with you on top of him. He hugs you tight, so tight that he is afraid of crushing you.

“I love you”, you whisper in his ear and by your soft voice he notices that you feel much better than before. Now that you have finally told him. Taking your face in his hands, he looks you straight in the eyes.

“No matter what happens, I will always love you, do you understand?”, Draco makes clear and you nod with a small smile on your lips before gently connecting your lips in a kiss.

“Maybe I am ready for it after all”, you say against his lips and the sudden speechless expression on Draco’s face that follows your words makes you giggle and blush. He crashes his lips against yours right away and turns you around, you now lying under his body. Feeling his smile against your lips, the heavy burden suddenly vanishes from your shoulders and the thought of pregnancy no longer scares you. It suddenly sounds more like something you really want to experience.

With Draco by your side.

Together.

[jadegrey711]

It’s your Voodoo Working

Caliban x Fem!Reader

A/N: Hello my loves. I’m slowly getting through my requests and one of them requested I do another Caliban oneshot. Which i was more than happy to do since there is so little of him. I tried making it passionate but then a song gave me this other idea for him and i just love writing him as a mischievous little shit. 

Also apparently making something passionate means long as fuck. Also by the end of this I just wasn’t feeling the smut so i kind of cut it out. I’m not really feeling my writing very much these days but I hope you guys still enjoy this. 

Word Count: 2787

*NOT MY GIF*

Anon: Can you pls do another Caliban smut but maybe this time it’s like passionate as shit? Thank you, love your writing!!

Song Inspiration:

It’s your voodoo working - Charles Sheffield 

Feel Me - Mecca Kalani 

If you like my stories you can check out my sideblog @jadegreywriting​​ to see all of them and my masterlist without filtering through my main blog.

I own all rights to this story and do not give permission for my stories to be published, translated or reposted anywhere else. The only places I have published my stories is here on Tumblr and on my AO3 account (LadyAuthor711) 

This story is for 18+ ONLY. It contains sexual themes that are not suited for younger audiences so if you’re under 18 my blog and this story is not for you. Please make sure to read at your own discretion and remember that you are solely responsible for your content intake. 

The very first time you laid your eyes on him, you had to admit he was breathtaking. You stood there in awe as he appeared before you and the rest of the Fright Club in a ball of whirling fire. Once he fully materialized in front of all of you, he immediately turned to Sabrina.

“Sabrina.” He regarded her with an easy smile.

“Caliban.” She regarded him in turn, her voice laced with ice. But his smile never wavered.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of you summoning me here, Sabrina?”

“My friends and I need your help, Caliban; in defeating a most foul eldritch beast.” Sabrina said, before she gestured towards us and you watched as Caliban regarded each of you. Starting with Roz, Harvey, Theo and then he turned his attention towards you; his mossy green eyes met yours and that lazy smile returned to his handsome face.

“Enchanted.” He purred as he drank you in and let the room sit in silence for a beat before he continued, looking away from you and back to Sabrina.

“You know my help doesn’t come free Sabrina.”

Sabrina outwardly groaned. “Name your price.” She said with a wave of her hand as if that’ll make him spit out his demands faster so she can move on with her life.

“I don’t require much. All I require is your name, fair maiden.” He purred, taking your hand in his before he placed a kiss upon your knuckles.

“Oh damn.” You heard Roz whisper beside you.

Sabrina however, looked extremely irritated. “Come on Caliban you expect me to believe that all you want in exchange for your help is my friend’s name? You must want something else. You can’t have Y/-” Just as Sabrina was about to say your name Caliban cut her off.

“I want her name and I want it from her own lips.” he said an edge of danger in his voice, before he looked back to you, his hand still holding yours in his grasp.

You felt your heart flutter in your chest like a bird in a cage and wet your lips with your tongue before you spoke. “Y/N. My name is Y/N.”

“Y/N.” He whispered your name almost reverently, letting your name roll across his tongue. “It suits you.” He smiled, and that smile made you feel like you had just made the biggest mistake telling him your name.

That first encounter was over a month ago and in that time Caliban was true to his word to his word. He had helped in any capacity he could to aid you in defeating this horror you all were facing. However, in that same amount of time Sabrina had figured out his true intentions for being so helpful. Word on the hellish grapevine was that hell had been lonely for the new king, since he and Sabrina had locked up dear old dad and he wanted a queen for himself, and was setting his eyes upon you.

Sabrina warned you, to stay away that he was the definition of a bastard and to not put it past him that he would not simply take his mortal bride like Hades did to Persephone. You tried to shake off the chill as you imagined Caliban rising from the cracked earth, his strong hands gripping you closely to his body as he dragged you to his kingdom of nightmares.

Also within that month you tried avoiding him like the plague, but it seemed no use; Caliban was everywhere you turned, like gum stuck on your shoe. He would meet you outside of your lecture halls, stay close to you at the academy’s library brushing his hands against yours, sometimes leaning in to whisper something close to your ear.

It was starting to become so difficult to keep your blood from not warming at the smallest of his touches, or even just the feeling of his presence as he walked into a room. You felt yourself going mad at each of those little touches and how when he would walk up behind you, leaning over your shoulder to see what your were doing; you found the temptation to just push your body back into his achingly warm one harder to resist. It was like he was working some kind of voodoo on your body, making it so you craved him, wanted him with every fiber of your being; until he didn’t need to wrap his arms around you and steal you away to his kingdom. No. You were going to throw yourself into his arms at the very mention of taking you away.

*****

Today he was working his voodoo again, he came up behind you and placed his hands on your hips. You tried not to moan out right at the feeling of his large warm hands on your waist, making you immediately conjure up images of what he could do with those hands.

“How are you today, lovely Y/N?” He whispered in your ear.

You steeled yourself before your answered him. “I’ll be better when you get your hands off of me.” you tried to say it with menace but there was no bite in your voice.

“Why would I want to do that?” he nuzzled his nose in your hair just behind your ear before he whispered. “I think my hands belong here and I think your hands belong on me. Don’t you agree?”

“No.” you said shakily. You looked around the academy’s library but no one was here, not even Sabrina. No one was here to save you from the eclipsing fog filling your head that was Caliban.

“Come on Y/N.” he said nuzzling your hair again, making goosebumps run down your arms and your back erupt with a spine tingling shiver. “Why do you keep denying what we have here? I’ve seen the carnal lust in your eyes from the very moment that we met, just as you’ve seen it in mine. So, why fight it?”

You steeled yourself as your turned in Caliban’s arms, facing him now; those moss green eyes focused acutely on your body. Taking in the way your chest heaved up and down with each deep steadying breath you took, your breasts barely brushing against his chest with every breath. He took in the sound of your heartbeat rapidly increasing as he kept staring at you, observing you, devouring the image of you.

“I know what you want from me. And it’s not just carnal, as you love to say.” You said, trying not to notice the heat radiating from his body, or the way your nipples were aching peaks as you gazed back into those jade eyes.

Caliban licked his lips, stepping just a hair closer to you and closing the small space between your bodies. “And what is it that I truly want from you Y/N?” he asked as he reached up and tucked a piece of your hair behind your ear.

“Sabrina told me about you and your desire for some meek mortal bride. Someone to use and frighten for eons.” You said, trying to calm your increasing heartbeat.

“Do I frighten you Y/N?” he asked, his eyebrow quirked up in question.

“No.” You said, feeling the truth of it ring out in your voice.

“I’m glad to hear that.” He said before pausing for a breath, leaning down to place a small kiss against your cheek, and felt that small kiss shoot through your entire body like a lightning strike. “Sabrina has heard right, I am looking for a queen. But, you’re wrong about wanting a meek woman by my side, someone like that wouldn’t last five seconds. No.” he said as he placed another kiss but this time on the other cheek.

You should push him away from you, wipe his gentle kisses off with disgust but you couldn’t fight the increasing warmth that seemed to radiate deeper into your bones and soul with each small kiss he gave you.

“I wanted someone strong and fiery. Someone who would defy me at every turn.” He placed a kiss against your neck on your rapid pulse, making you gasp. “This makes me a bit of a masochist I know this. But, I wanted a woman, not a girl and when I first saw you Y/N, I knew instantly that you were that woman and from that moment on I’ve desperately wanted to see a crown placed on your head.” He finished, placing a kiss on the other side of your neck.

“Caliban.” You whispered, biting your bottom lip hard.

“You don’t have to love me Y/N, not now that’ll come in time” Caliban said breathily as his soft kisses on your neck became more desperate, and started to feel your resolve weaken as Caliban’s spell on your was finally working it’s magic on you. “Just let me love you right now.” Caliban said his voice husky. “Please Y/N.” That’s when you realized he was asking your permission. His hands were starting to roam over your body, igniting your even hotter as they lifted up your shirt slightly in their exploration, and skin touched skin.

But with one word from you, he’d stop; you knew that. But did you actually want him to stop? His large hands grabbed your ass by the handfuls and you knew that was most definitely not the case.

You reached up with trembling hands and dug your fingers into those luscious blonde locks, hearing Caliban moan as you gently pulled on them. His eyes never left yours as you nodded slowly to him, telling him exactly what you wanted; that you wanted him as much as he wanted you.

Caliban’s lips crashed against yours, and you felt his heat fully envelope you as you opened your mouth to his invading tongue, letting yours meet his in a dance of dominance. With your hands still deep in his blonde locks, you pulled him closer to you, wanting to feel every part of his body against yours.

Caliban’s hands roamed back down your back and ass until they reached the back of your thighs and you took that as a signal to jump and wrap your legs around his waist. He smiled against your lips and starting walking away from the table you were originally by and closer towards the massive fireplace in the library. Without breaking the kiss Caliban brought the both of you in front of the fireplace and sat down on the rug in front of it, having you straddle his lap.

Caliban’s lips pulled away from yours only so they could attach themselves to your neck, placing soft kisses there before those soft kisses turned to harsh sucks. You craned your neck to the side to give him more access as you delved your fingers into his luscious locks. You felt Caliban’s hands roam down your back and gently squeezed your ass, making you smile before you felt his fingers grab the edges of your shirt and as they roamed back up your back he was bringing up your shirt. You helped him out by bringing up your arms and then your shirt was on the floor next to you.

You watched as Caliban took in the sight of your exposed body with such an intensity in his eyes that it made you blush all over. You watched with equal intensity as Caliban lowered his head to your breasts and kissed the tops of them, his hands reaching behind you once again to undo the clasp of your bra with ease. He looked mesmerizing as he watched it slip from your shoulders and you placed it with your shirt.  

Caliban started to lower his head again but you stopped him. “Wait.” You said biting your lip. “I want to see you.” You said as you grabbed the edge of his shirt and lifted it off of him and watched as his shirt joined yours in the ever growing pile of clothes next to you.

You reach your hands out hesitantly to touch him, and heard a low groan come from between his plush lips as your hands rested at the top of his chest. You ran your hands down him feeling every muscle tighten as you explored his grooves and scars.

“You’re beautiful.” You whispered. “If you truly were made from clay as Sabrina says, I think you were perfectly sculpted.”

“Oh, Y/N. I think you’ll be the death of me.” he groaned and suddenly you felt the sensation of falling and your head met with the soft rug underneath you. You watched as Caliban hovered over you, situating himself between your legs and drinking you in.

Caliban let out a small sigh. “I may be beautiful yes this is true.” He said, a small smirk growing on his face and you smiled at his arrogance, fighting the urge to give his arm a smack. “But my beauty is nothing compared to you and especially to you in this moment laid out before me like a goddess. I pale in comparison.” He said and lowered his head back to you neck and you instinctively moved it to the side to giving him more access to you. You watched in wonder as Caliban’s kisses started moving lower, kissing the tops of your collarbones, his tongue tracing down your sternum and to the valley of your breasts, his hair all the while tickling you as he moved lower.

You let out a gasp as you felt Caliban’s tongue trace circles around your harden nipple before bringing it into his mouth and sucking. The sensation of his mouth around you and his tongue flicking at your nipple made your back arch into his mouth, desperately wanting more.

Suddenly, you felt Caliban’s hands on the tops of your jeans and began unbuttoning them as he began lavishing your other breast with the same devotion.

His hands were agile and he finished undoing the buttons of your jeans and began pulling them down; at the same time his lips were beginning to move further down your body.

You felt the heat in your body spike as you realized what Caliban was planning to do to you next. “Caliban.” You sounded breathy, as his name came out almost as a plea. You wanted him to end his slow methodical torture and just wanted to take you, make you his. But as Caliban pulled away from you and brought your legs up to start pulling off your jeans, you realized he had other plans for you.

He gently pulled away your jeans and panties all at once, being so gentle as he took your feet out of each one of the pant legs, before tossing your panties and jeans both to the side; leaving you completely bare under him. He kept your legs up and by his face and never broke eye contact with you as he took one leg and began kissing you, starting from your ankle and working down till he got to your inner thigh.

“Caliban, please.” You heard yourself beg. But beg for what? Him to stop or for him to never stop?

“What do you want princess?” he asked his voice a low growl, as he started kissing your other leg, working down it slowly placing kisses on your ankles, behind your knees, working to your inner thighs again.

“I feel like you’re torturing me. You’ve been torturing me this whole month and now now you’re killing me.”

You watched as he lowered himself to settle in between your thighs, feeling breathless and needy.

He smiled at you his eyes locking onto yours as you felt those soft lips kiss you intimately. “There’ll be no more torture Y/N. Once you’ve given yourself fully over to me you will only know bliss.” He murmured against your inner thighs, kissing down both of them before he continued licking at you; his tongue flicked your clit and you felt your back lift from the ground.

“Caliban.” You pleaded, digging your fingers in his hair, almost as if you wanted to pull him away or push him closer to you. “Caliban, I need you, I want you, I want to give in to you.”

With that Caliban stopped and pulled away from your quaking center, making you whimper from the loss of contact. His eyes seemed to glow with the intensity they held in them. “Do you mean it? Because if you do, there’s no going back. You’re mine and I am yours.”

“I mean it.” You say with a sincerity that surprised you and felt a smile bloom across your face as Caliban wrapped you up in him and sealed your fate.

[it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream]

Silva Lining (Saul Silva x Reader) Chapter 5

Warnings: Mentions of blood/swearing

Word count: 2.2k

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-Unknown POV-

“Y/N! Y/N, wake up, it’s not your time yet. There’s much to be done! Dangers are close. They won’t be able to stop the danger without you. You must wake up, for you are the key to it all, you hold the dragon soul.” 

-Saul’s POV-

“Where the fuck is she?” Saul screamed out, partly because he was in pain from his wounds, partly because he’d just seen the girl he loved fall like a sack of bricks to the ground with blood gushing from her mouth and nose. A couple of Specialists had helped to drag Saul to Mr Harveys lab, he’d been there for all of 20 minutes when he regained consciousness and started flailing around like a mad man, the only thought on his mind, you. He’d passed out when he watched you fall through the portal, only to wake up with the professor poking and prodding at his burned one wound. He couldn’t help but scream in pain, the infection spreading through his body, crawling through him like he was covered in thousands of ants. His veins black, filled with the dark disease. 

“Saul, she’s fine, she’s in the medical wing, in a secluded room, i’ve had to suspend her body in a comma like state for the time being.” Farah stroked Saul’s head as he lay getting his wounds tended. She could see the pain and shock flutter across his face. “She will be okay Saul I promise, it’s just a precaution while her powers regenerate, she should be awake by the end of the day.” Farah looked at him sadly.

“You know? How?” Saul could tell that Farah knew about his and Y/N relationship, but how? For how long? 

“It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. How long have we known you Saul? We’ve seen the way you look at her, the burning desire you have to always protect her. God, if I wasn’t mistaken i’d even say sometimes I can physically see the energy between the both of you. You’ve never looked at anyone like that in the years i’ve known you, not once.” Ben smiled and Farah frowned. Saul couldn’t believe that both of his friends knew and yet, they hadn’t done anything about it. 

“Please Farah, i’m sorry, I never wanted to keep it a secret, I didn’t meant for it to happen, it just did.” He placed his hand over his heart, worried that now the secret was out, things were about to change and not for the better. 

“Mate, you don’t have to worry, your secret is safe with us. We just want you to be happy, you can’t help who you love.” Ben finished cleaning the wound and helped Saul lay down fully, patting him on the shoulder. 

“I need to see her, Please, you should have seen what she did out there, it was scary, amazing, i’ve never seen anything like it before. She looked so fragile Farah, please I have to see her.” Farah patted Saul on the hand, explaining that Y/N needed rest and so did he, it wouldn’t be a good time and a good thing for him to see her the way she was. He tried to fight it he did, but before he could fight any more, the medicine Ben had given him started to kick in and the world faded into a blur of colours and objects and eventually, nothing. 

-Your POV-

You groaned. What a weird dream you’d had. Your eyes flickered catching glimpses of a fluttery sparkly, silver force surrounding your body, then they closed again, your body still tired from your excessive use of magic. 

They opened. Again, the same fluttering force surrounded you, it felt almost warm, powerful, like a battery, charging you, regenerating your life force. The sky outside was lighter now, but your eyes still fluttered, closing for a second time, your body still not ready to awaken.

It was light again by the time your eyes opened all the way and open they stayed. The fluttering force field of energy was replaced by black tendrils of your magic wrapped around yourself like a cocoon. You reeled them back in and winced as you sat up, your throat dry like sandpaper. You saw movement from the corner of your eye, then a glass of water was handed to you by a familiar pair of hands. Silva. His eyes were still tinted with black, he looked tired and his face was pale. Taking the water you drank greedily then set it to the side, you couldn’t help the sob that escaped your lips, Silva moved you over and lay down on the bed with you taking you in his arms, you didn’t fail to notice the wince he gave when he lay down. He was still infected. He was your safety blanket, your safe haven, your home and he was dying. 

“How long was I out? How long has it been?” Saul kissed your hair, his other hand tracing circles on the skin exposed on your hip. 

“You’ve been in a coma for a week Y/N, I thought i’d lost you, Farah said you would have been awake by the end of the day, when you didn’t come round, we feared the worst.” He nuzzled your hair with his nose, breathing deeply, holding you a little tighter, happy that you’d finally woken. 

“You’re still infected? Why haven’t they killed the burned one yet.” You sat up slightly craning your neck to look at Saul, he sighed and his head fell into the crook of your neck. 

“Sweetheart, the problem is a lot bigger than we initially thought, there wasn’t just one burned one, there’s a whole group of them.. fighters killed one this morning, but as you can see, it wasn’t the one that got me.” Your jaw clenched, gritting your teeth to hold back the tears. 

“I won’t let you die Saul, you can’t leave me, you’re all I have in the world.” Your arms wrapped around him tighter and you snuggled down, listening to your mans steady heartbeat. 

-Later that night- 

After the morning spent with Saul, after him telling you that Farah and Ben knew about your relationship and they were going to keep in hush hush, you were given the all clear and were aloud to leave the medical bay. It hadn’t taken long for you to get roped into going to the Specialists party, and you couldn’t help but notice the stares and smiles people gave you in the hall, which you later found out was a new found appreciation for your powers and the fact you saved Silva from a worser fate. 

The party was in full swing but you didn’t feel like drinking, just incase anything happened to Silva, you wanted to be able to help if it came to it. He had reassured you that he would be spending the evening with Farah and Ben, reminiscing about the days when he trained at Alfea, telling you that he was one that started the annual Specialist keg party, but that was apparently a story for another time. 

Looking across the crowded room, you noticed Sky wasn’t drinking either. He was looking around, then caught your eye, suddenly making his way towards you. All of a sudden you were scooped up into a hug, by the taller Blonde guy. You laughed shocked and awkwardly hugged him back. 

“You saved him, you got him out of there, thank you.” You smiled. “I always knew there was something between you two, he never shuts up about you, you make him so happy.” You blushed. 

“God it seems that everyone knows about us when we were trying to keep it a secret the whole time, is it really that obvious?” He laughed and shook his head, his har falling in front of his eyes slightly. 

“No, only the people who know Saul best, so now that me, Headmistress Dowling and Prof Harvey know, I think your secret is safe.” Sky leant against the brick wall, taking a look around the room, a slight frown on his face. He still had a lot on his mind. Stella was across the other side, she noticed the two of you talking but all she did was raise her cup and nod in your direction, knowing that nothing would ever happen between you and the guy she loved. 

“Y/N, he’s dying you know. You’ve been out for a week so you won’t have been able to see the difference. He was better at the start, he’s just gone down hill from here. He didn’t want me to tell you but he tried to tell me goodbye earlier, just incase things went wrong, he didn’t want to worry you. We have to do something.” Well shit. Way to ruin the party mood you thought. Your heart felt like it was squeezed in a vice, your stomach tied in nots and all the air seemed to leave your lungs. It was really that bad? You knew that something had to be done, and that’s when you and Sky came up with your plan. 

It was around midnight when you met Sky at the edge of the barrier. Accompanied by Bloom? You didn’t ask.. the more the merrier you guessed, you needed all the help you could get and you knew that for some reason Bloom was able to sense the Burned Ones near, it was like having your own sniffer Fairy, you snickered to yourself which landed you strange looks from the pair. 

To say you were nervous was an understatement, you’ve seen first hand what the masters are capable of, but you also knew how much you were capable of, your powers sometimes making you feel untouchable. Bloom had lead you into the middle of the woods, she could hear it. It wasn’t until you saw the red eyes and heard it’s cry that you jumped into action. The three of you were pushed back, you hit the floor with a thud, the wind knocked out of you. 

“Close your eyes!” Stella? You turned and caught a glimpse of her before you closed your eyes. Even behind your eyelids you saw the forrest come to life with the light of Stella’s powers. Great, now it really was the more the merrier, you should have known that your roommates would come to the rescue, you were grateful, but you also feared for their safety. 

Stella and Musa helped you stand while Bloom hit the monster with the force of of her fire powers, Aisha hit it next sending the thing crashing to the floor where Sky finished it off with his sword. You winced, noticing you’d bumped your head on a rock when pushed back, blood matted in your hair, but you’d live. 

“I don’t think its dea-“ Musa started but never got to finish her sentence when the burned one burst into pieces. You all turned slowly when you heard the pissed off voice of Headmistress Dowling. 

Walking back in silence was weird. You still had a shit eating grin plastered on your face though. What if this was the one? The one that had got Saul. He’d be saved. You practically ran with Sky when you got to the barrier. Both of you walked cautiously through the green house doors, Ben was taking off Sauls bandages, you felt like you’d been holding your breath for hours. Letting Sky go in first, you felt a little dizzy, so tried to catch your breath. 

“You are an idiot, a stupid, impulsive, reckless idiot!” Well, he sure did sound like the old Saul you know and loved. 

“Is it better?” Sky asked in a frantic voice. You held your breath again. At this rate, you’d be able to give Aisha a run for her money at swimming with the amount of breath holding you had going on.

“Don’t smile at him” Ben laughed as Saul told him off and you peaked your head around the door to see Saul and Sky hugging. Happy tears ran down your face, it felt like a weight had been lifted off your shoulders. You coughed a little to gain their attention. Saul’s face flickered with a load of emotions, anger, surprise, happiness, love… then worry as he noticed the blood matted in your hair. 

“I had some help.” Sky pat Saul on the shoulder and left the room, giving your shoulder a pat too. Ben noticed you and took it as his cue to leave and give you both some much needed privacy. Then it was just the two of you. 

“Before you say anything I know it was stupid I know, I just couldn’t stand back and watch you die!” You’d barely pushed yourself off the edge of the door before Silva was in front of you, hand on the side of your face, drawing you in for a kiss that made you almost grateful that you didn’t have wings because the feeling he gave you in that kiss, would have had you soaring up into outer space. 

“So, you’re feeling better then?”

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Okay so I feel like this is slightly filler? IDK. I just hope you guys enjoy it, I can't believe the amount of support i’ve been getting over this story... im so grateful you don't even know! Let me know what you think in the comments... what you think should happen next, what you like/don't like.

Chapter 6 pt1 ------- CLICK HERE 

Tag List:

@kingunder221b

@anreeixcobra

@lllyyysss02

@azure23x

@codykosuckmytoe

@alexiapayne12

@music-of-melody

@tinktohispan

@sporadicsaladcloudgoop

@janelongxox

@lflores2008

[imkylotrash]

Make You Feel My Love

Pairing: Saul Silva x reader

Request: Silva is dying and the reader goes after the burned one as Sky stays with him, and have Silva die then them comforting each other cause of Sky’s loss and the reader feeling like they failed him (so Sky isn’t mad that they couldn’t kill it/killed it too late). Anonymous.

Warnings: Angst, death. 

Tagging: @grey-girl​ @intoanothermind​ @artsyle​ @baueoud​ @anreeixcobra​ @kingunder221b​ @lflores2008​ @alexiapayne12​ @quuenofblacks​ @quarterback-5​ @estelmei @bitchwhytho​ @music-of-melody​ 

“I will make this better,” you whisper holding his hand in both of yours and hoping he can hear you. At first, you had thought there was plenty of time and that Markus would find the Burned One, but now you were running out of time and you didn’t feel nearly as confident things would have a happy ending. 

“You’ll stay with him?” you ask looking at Sky who’s been watching over Saul for the past three days just waiting for good news. He wants to come with you but it’s too dangerous. And someone needs to stay here to check if you get the right one.

“You have to hurry.” You know. You know you get one chance to find the right one before it’s too late. You place a gentle kiss on his forehead taking a moment to hear his breathing. It’s rattled and weak but it’s there. Your hand comes to rest on his chest feeling his feeble heartbeat. Even in his fever dream, you can feel his mind clear as day. He hasn’t been conscious for the past few hours which only made it clearer to you that you would have to act now. 

“You stay alive for me, okay?” you whisper holding back tears. You will not cry when you have every intention of returning to Saul having fixed this mess. It’s just that you don’t. You find a Burned One easily but it’s not the Burned One. By then you’ve been tracking it for far too long and there’s not enough time. Saul dies before you get back to school. You feel it in your bones the moment he slips away leaving this world behind. A crushing weight comes to land on your shoulders forcing you down on your knees. The sound that leaves your body doesn’t sound anywhere close to humane as you feel your soul being ripped apart. 

Returning to the school, you head straight for the greenhouse where you know he’ll be. They won’t have moved him before you came back. You see Sky first eyes red and puffy clinging onto his still body. 

“Oh God.” You feel like you’re going to be sick as you watch his pale skin knowing it’s only a matter of time before it’ll start to decay. 

“Sky, you have to let go,” you say gently grabbing his arms in an attempt to drag him away. You failed him. Not only Saul, but Sky. Once again, Sky had to lose a parent and once again, it left him alone. You failed him. 

“Let go of me!” he yells desperately trying to hold on to Saul’s body, but you know Harvey is waiting outside ready to start the preparations for the burial. You can’t let yourself fall apart right now because if you truly let yourself feel the excruciating agony that’s waiting in the dark corners of your heart, you don’t think you’ll ever recover. So, you have to stay strong for Sky as you refuse to fail him once more. He needs you now more than ever. 

“Sky, listen to me. He’s gone. He doesn’t have a heartbeat.” You try your hardest not to look at Saul’s body but it’s like it’s screaming for you - demanding your attention. It looks so wrong. 

“You said you were going to fix this,” Sky cries out. You failed him. You can’t let go of the feeling that Sky trusted you with the most important task and you failed him. Worst of all, you failed Saul. He was supposed to see Sky graduate, you had plans involving a white dress and a ceremony. God, you were supposed to grow old and grey together. 

“I know. I’m so sorry.” Something breaks inside of you as you try to convince Sky that you have to go so that Harvey can begin. A string rips that you just know can’t ever be fixed. He spins around abandoning his attempt to hold onto Saul and instead clings onto you. 

“I’m so sorry,” you repeat wishing you could change the outcome. Wishing Saul was still here even though you know it’s futile thinking. Nothing can bring him back. 

“Sky. let’s get some fresh air.” You look to the door where Riven is standing. He locks eyes with you and gives you a little nod. He knows you need to say goodbye too and Sky can’t be there for that. Very slowly, Riven coaxes Sky outside and you allow yourself five minutes to fall apart. 

“I love you,” you whisper placing a kiss on his forehead but this time his skin is clammy and cold. It’s only been a few hours but his body has already begun to smell. You can’t stop crying long enough to say anything else but Saul already knows. He knows just how much you love him and that you wish you could’ve saved him.

“I’ll take care of him,” you croak right before Harvey enters the room. He doesn’t say a word but just hugs you to let you know that he’s here. It’ll take a few hours to get everything ready for the ceremony. Time you spend walking the grounds of the school. You don’t want to think about how quiet the world has gone without his heartbeat. You don’t want to remember him lying in that greenhouse but alive and vibrant with that serious look on his face during practice. You want to remember the nights wrapped in each other’s arms under the moonlight and sweaty bodies colliding in embrace. That’s how you want to remember Saul. 

“I took him to his room to cool down before the ceremony,” Riven says making you jump. You’d been too caught up in your thoughts to notice him approaching. 

“Thank you.” You find a log to sit on watching the school from afar. How are you going to return to the school knowing that he’s not there anymore? 

“Do you think he blames us?” Riven asks sitting down next to you. Riven and you have always been friendly with each other. You were a sort of mentor to him but now it just felt like talking to an old friend. 

“Why would he blame you? This wasn’t your fault,” you say shocked that he’d even think like that. If Sky should blame anyone, it should be you. You were the one that failed to kill the Burned One. 

“I didn’t do anything. I wasn’t even there until after the fact because I was too busy with Beatrix. I wasn’t there.” You take Riven’s hand in yours knowing you’re seconds away from completely falling apart. 

“You didn’t know. But you came as soon as you heard, right?” you ask and he nods with tears streaming down his face, “then you have nothing to be sorry for. You were there for him and you’ll continue to be for as long as he needs it. We both will.” 

“But what if he hates us now? What if we’re just a remember of what he lost?” You can’t help the tears escaping your eyes this time. Losing Sky at the same time as losing Saul is too much for you to handle. You have to believe that he’ll understand you did everything you could but that voice in your head won’t stop whispering. You failed him. 

“Then we give him space. And make sure to be there when he needs us again.” You both walk back to the school not wanting to miss anything. Seeing Farah somehow makes everything worse. You’ve known her for over a decade now and you’ve never ever seen her cry. It’s too much for you to handle right now. You head straight outside again feeling like you can’t catch your breath. That’s where you spot Sky and Riven. Both dressed in battle gear same as you to give Saul a proper goodbye. 

“Stay close, please,” Sky whispers when you walk over to him and you feel his sorrow as if it were your own. There’s no hatred or anger towards you but you still can’t help but feel as though you failed him. Your broken promise served as a cruel reminder of what you had failed to do and what it had cost you. 

“Of course,” you say vowing to always take care of Sky no matter what. You’ll make sure Saul is proud of you both. You don’t pay attention to the ceremony or the beautiful speeches. You already know Saul was the greatest soldier and a caring teacher. They can’t tell you anything you don’t already know. Every last student is crying mourning the loss of their teacher and the weight of their emotions almost kills you. It’s suffocating but you promised Sky to stay close and you have every intention of staying true to your word. 

“We’ll give everyone a moment to say goodbye before we lower the casket.” It seems a cruel torment to have Saul be so close but still a million lifetimes away. You put your hand on the casket letting your powers search for his mind one last time but the nothingness steals the air from your lungs. 

You can’t feel him anymore. 

[batfamscreaming]

Winter Break in Kansas [80s AU] 1/2

Bruce bade goodbye to Tommy and Harvey without telling them anything of his own plans for the holiday break.

(....both of them looked gaunt. Holidays hadn’t even begun. They didn’t muster much enthusiasm for the goodbye, and Bruce didn’t make them.)

He didn’t put on the hat or scarf until they were a good distance out of the building, where the other two wouldn’t see, and bundled himself up unrecognizably as best he could.

Nodded.

“Let’s go.”

--

Clark slung his backpack over his shoulder and started down the stairs where they could get a cab to the bus stop.

“Have you ever been to Kansas before?”

--

Bruce shook his head.

“No,” he said, tugging out a few dollars from his pocket and shoving them towards Clark.

He’d pay.

--

Clark took them without argument after seeing how that worked during Halloween.

Into the cab they went.

“Don’t blame you. Nothin’ there.” He joked, and away they went.

A cab to the bus station.

Then the bus to Kansas.

It would be a day’s ride.

--

Bruce had packed books.

...they had agreed, even if silently and grudgingly, that they would just have to give up on their research for the duration of the break.

...on the up side, they would finally have a little time to read what they wanted to, at least.

He tugged out two crime thrillers, passing one to Clark, along with one of the lunches-to-go he’d bought at the cafeteria for the trip.

For the first hour or so, he sat up primly, despite his disguise.

And then, as the bus ride kept going…

He tugged his legs up under himself and curled up in the seat with his book, letting himself lean a little into Clark’s shoulder when the seat was cramped, finally looking content.

--

Clark let him lean into him as much as he wanted, especially considering the crampedness of the seats.

He read a little and ate some of their packed lunch, and then for a lot of the ride he dozed. Riding in a bus or car had that constant hum that drowned a lot out that was easy to focus on and sleep to. It was better than the erratic noise of the city, that was for sure.

As they went on, the bus taking occasional breaks at rest stops, the hills died down and things became increasingly flat.

And then, early the next morning, they pulled in to their stop.

“Here we are.” Clark mumbled, grabbing their bags from overhead and passing Bruce his as they climbed off.

--

...it was surreal.

Absolutely surreal.

For someone like Bruce who had grown up with always something blocking the horizon, the sheer flatness of the world around him left him feeling a little… disoriented.

Vulnerable, even.

But he kept the hat and scarf on, holding his bags and exhausted from the bumpy ride, and followed Clark closely as he climbed off the bus.

--

Clark barely had to even look around before he motioned for Bruce to follow, ducking around the other people climbing off the bus. He went right to an old station wagon with a man stood leaning on the hood, arms crossed to keep in the warmth and an old truckers cap on his head. When he saw them he stood and waved.

“Hey Pa.” Clark smiled, and hugged him as a woman with dirty blonde hair opened the door and stepped out of the passenger side.

“There’s my baby boy.” She cooed, already grabbing Clark and kissing his cheeks while he groaned and protested.

“You must be Bruce?” Jon said, extending a rough hand towards him. “You can call me Jon. Clark’s father.”

His face was sun scorned and wrinkled less from age and more from working outside every day of his life, his hair cut short and dark brown.

--

He had that feeling again. Like he was floating, somewhere else entirely, only partly aware of what was happening in front of him. Only sort-of involved.

It was a familiar one, even if school sometimes lessened it. Sometimes.

He was hoping it would leave if he left Gotham. But here it was. Right away. Watching Clark run to his mother or her run to him, and his dad, and hugging--

He took the father’s hand, shook it, and said, “Bruce Wayne,” in the voice that was bigger than he felt in his head.

--

“So Clark tells me. Quite the name back out East.” He said, giving Bruce a firm handshake.

When Martha was finished embarrassing her son she walked over to Bruce. “I'm Martha, now let's get you boys where it's warm.” She put an arm around Bruce and gestured for him to get into the back where Clark was already piling in.

--

Oh.

He felt dizzy. And tight. His jaw tightened the smile onto his face to keep it there, even as his heartbeat rocketed up, until it was pounding in his ears.

(Waking nightmare)

He stumbled forward over his own feet, but followed where the arm took him, same as he did when Alfred started trying to guide him away from paparazzi anytime they glimpsed him. Anytime they got an excuse.

He held his bag tight and piled in beside Clark, regretting every step that took him to this conclusion.

--

While his parents got back in Clark looked over at Bruce with concern. His heart was like a drum suddenly.

“You okay?” he whispered.

--

Bruce’s face had fallen into a brutal neutrality once the eyes weren’t on him anymore. Blank and stiff.

But he nodded faintly, lying.

--

“... Okay.” Clark said, not believing it at all, but not prying further.

“So is it just as cold out there as it is here?” His dad asked.

Typical banter.

--

Him. It was him. He was being talked to.

Talk.

“Haven’t been here long enough to say,” Bruce said, lost somewhere over the horizon with no buildings to stop him.

--

“It’s colder in Gotham.” Clark added as they started to move once everyone was buckled up.

“We’re pretty tired from the trip though. Is the guest room ready?”

“Oh yeah it’s all waiting for you. Will you two want breakfast or you gonna collapse into bed?” Martha asked.

--

“Bed,” Bruce managed, even though he knew he should’ve said more than that.

But in his head he was already at a family breakfast. Staring at them over a meal. Having to talk more before he could think or control his heart or breathe and actually feel it filling his lungs, not just faintly keeping him conscious by a thread.

--

“Yeah we’re beat.” Clark said, although he wasn’t very tired. This was mostly for Bruce’s sake.

“We’ll just get some rest and then we can have lunch and stuff, okay?”

“Okay, that sounds good. I still need to run out and grab a few things anyway.” Martha said, and with that the conversation would taper off and away from the boys.

Clark did pass a look over to Bruce though, just to check on him.

--

...gradually, Bruce’s heartbeat started to slow again as the conversation moved away, and he didn’t have to drag himself to pay attention to it. Didn’t live scared of the response he missed. He could just stare blankly forwards and hover for a while.

But that was it, too.

He just… hovered.

The usual awareness wasn’t in his eyes. And he knew it wasn’t there.

And the part of him that wasn’t in front, that wasn’t keeping them in society, breathing, not being kicked out of the car of the only people he knew for miles and miles--

That part of him was screaming. A sound not even Clark could hear.

Wake up. Pay attention. It’ll happen while you’re not paying attention. It’s going to go wrong. If you don’t pay attention everything will go wrong.

But he couldn’t drag himself to the front yet.

He couldn’t do it that fast.

--

They drive for awhile before turning into a tiny little town that was just starting to wake up, and then they even drove away from that and down long barren roads onto a long dirt driveway, the farmhouse soon coming into view.

“Home sweet home.” Jon said as he pulled up to a stop.

“We’re here, Bruce.” Clark said quietly, trying to get his attention so they could climb out of the car.

--

It helped. His name. Instruction.

He shuffled out of the car, pulling his backpack back on, and at the very least managed to glance at the small farmhouse and and and

(he counted exits)

Before following Clark inside, looking dazed.

Like he did definitely need the bed.

--

“I’ll show Bruce to his room, he’s pretty wiped.” Clark said, leading his friend up the steps and… maybe putting an arm around his shoulders to guide him a little better.

“It’s up the steps. C’mon.”

--

He made a small confirming sound at his name, and

Arm.

Followed the arm. Pressed into it.

(Tommy guided him like this, sometimes. Alfred did. Away from the worst of things. Back to the manor, or their room, or--)

He was lost in three places at once. The farmhouse here, and the manor, and the academy and coming out of the alleyway under a policeman’s coat.

But he could make it up the stairs, and be guided to the guest room, at the very least.

--

Clark got him up the steps, paused only for a moment to point at the bathroom. “Bathroom is here. And this is the guest room.”

He opened it up to reveal a very old, dated looking bed with an empty dresser and bedside table with a lamp. Floral comforter and frilled pillow cover.

“Sorry it’s… very grandma.” He huffed. “But, uh, you get comfortable. You want something to drink?”

--

Looked fine. Normal, even.

He shook his head.

“...how long?” he asked.

--

“... How long what?”

--

...fuck. The word. Didn’t she say lunch?

“Til lunch,” he said.

How long to recover.

--

“Oh, like, uh… you still got awhile. It’s only eight right now so four hours? Ish? And if you need to chill in here longer you can.” Clark said, looking at an old clock over the door.

--

Four hours sounded like both an eternity and no time at all.

Bruce set down his bag and nodded, not sure what to say.

Not sure how to ask to start.

Alone.

Rest.

Privacy.

Please.

--

“I'm gonna bring you something to drink and then you can sleep or whatever.” Clark said, turning away and heading downstairs.

He came back a moment later with a cup of warm tea.

“Here. Just yell if you need anything.”

And then he would leave Bruce to recover.

--

“Okay. Thanks,” he said, letting the hot tea sit.

...he held it in his hands.

….the heat helped.

He could smell it.

...once he was alone, he closed his eyes and sat on the floor, holding the cup between his hands and just… breathing it in deeply.

He took a drink. Followed the heat as it traveled down his throat.

….

It was sort of like Alfred’s tea.

Two places, now. Only lost in two. That was manageable.

A little more color came back to him. He finished the tea. The cup cooled and it didn’t help anymore. But he was a little better.

...he didn’t have the energy to do much, though.

So he kicked off his shoes and climbed onto the unfamiliar bed, biting down on his hand as hard as he could, and once all he could think about was his hand, he closed his eyes on the pillow and let go.

And he would go to sleep.

And in four hours, he would be fine again.

--

In four hours or so, Clark would knock on his door.

“Bruce? You awake? We're gonna have some lunch now.”

--

There was a jump in heartrate as Bruce jerked awake, but he still understood well enough what had been said to him.

“Y-yeah-- just let me get to the bathroom.”

--

“Okay, just come down to the kitchen when you're ready.” Clark said, leaving him be. His footsteps could be heard going down the stairs.

--

...Bruce waited until the footsteps were down the stairs and a little fainter before crawling out of bed.

His clothing was wrinkled from sleeping in it.

He grabbed a new shirt and set of pants, and folded the two he’d been wearing on the bus. Grabbed his comb.

Bathroom.

He washed his face and combed his hair back, the way he always wore it, unless he ended up shoved under a John Deere hat. Made sure his shirt was flat and his clothing straight. Tied his shoes back on.

He hurried down the stairs.

This time, he was Braced for It.

--

Now that he was more aware of his surroundings he could take in the details.

Worn furniture. Warm. Lived in. Family pictures on the mantle over the TV that was playing The Price Is Right. Noises from the kitchen.

Clark and Martha were there, Clark over a bowl of soup and Martha watching the TV from her position in front of the stove.

“Well don't you look nice.” she grinned. “You hungry?”

--

Maybe ironically, Bruce wasn’t used to being complimented on his appearance.

Maybe because he grew up with Alfred, and he was wearing the bare minimum to please Alfred.

“Thanks,” he said, voice a little steadier than it had been that morning. “Yes, ma’am.”

--

“You like chicken corn soup?” She asked.

Clark was eating the same thing that was on the stove in a large pot; a homemade soup with bits of chicken, corn, and other things to make a hearty, white soup.

Without being asked Clark got up and started to get Bruce something to drink.

--

“I don’t think I’ve ever had it before,” he said honestly, watching Clark out of the corner of his eye.

--

“Well if you don't like it you don't have to eat it, okay?” Martha said, getting out a bowl and filling it with soup. She set it down in front of him with a spoon.

“We got tea, milk, or OJ.” Clark said, looking over at Bruce.

--

“Thank you,” he said again, sitting where she set it, and glanced back at Clark. “Tea?”

“...oh. I forgot the cup upstairs--”

--

“That's okay, just bring it down later.” Martha said.

“This is iced tea, but if you want more hot tea I can make that too.” Clark said, pulling out the jug to show Bruce.

--

Bruce blinked blankly at him, as if just confronted with something he had no idea about.

“Iced tea?”

--

The two looked at each other like Bruce was the alien.

Clark poured him a glass of iced tea and set it in front of him.

“Wondered why I didn't see it anywhere at school.”

--

Bruce looked down at the cup like it was a challenge.

“...”

He kept eye contact with Clark as he sipped it.

--

It didn't taste anything like hot tea. It was sweet with a tiny hint of lemon.

Clark stared him right back.

“... Well?”

--

…

Bruce stared down at it.

“...I think I felt one of Alfred’s ancestors disown me just now,” he said, and took another sip.

--

Clark laughed, “But do you like it?”

--

Bruce nodded.

“It’s good.”

It was a little like a flat soda, almost?

--

“Good.” Clark grinned and sat back down to finish eating. Martha looked to be scooping the soup that was left over into freezing containers and labeling them.

“You gonna give Bruce a tour of the farm when you're done?”

Clark looked over at him, “You want one?”

--

“Sure?” Bruce said, “Whatever the plan is.”

He had no idea if there even was a plan. He’d focused so hard on getting here he wasn’t really sure what to do otherwise.

Even Clark had admitted there wasn’t much to do besides bowling.

So his only plan right now was to run with manners and hope it got him somewhere.

He ate the soup and drank the tea, not finding it quite his taste, but eating and finishing it all the same.

--

Clark didn't really have a plan either. He had just heard his friend had what sounded like a really lonely holiday and invited him along.

So they finished their soup and set the dishes in the sink before bundling up to take the tour.

“You ever been on a farm?” He asked while walking down the front steps. The third one creaked.

--

He followed Clark’s lead. Ran upstairs to bring down the cup and wrap his own scarf (thick and dark) around his neck as they headed out.

“Gardens don’t count?” he asked rhetorically. “Then no.”

--

Clark chuckled, “No. Gardens don’t count.”

A man was pulled up in their driveway in a tractor with a plow hooked to the front talking to his dad, and Clark waved but didn’t go over. Instead he lead Bruce towards the barn.

“All the corn is down now since it’s winter, but we still got the cows I can show ya.”

--

Bruce nodded, following along behind him.

“Okay?”

He’d never seen a cow before.

...the sight and smell of them stopped him dead.

“...that’s huge.”

--

“How big did you think cows were, Bruce?” Clark laughed, closing the barn door behind them.

The cows were in their stalls for the winter, some laying down to sleep while others had their heads stuck through the bars to feed from their trough.

It did smell pretty bad, but Clark didn’t seem to mind. He walked over to one and pet between its eyes.

--

Bruce honestly didn’t know how the cows stood the smell.

...he followed up behind Clark, watching him pet the cow, though his curiosity was focused a bit more on the petter than the pet-ee.

--

“They’re nice once you know how to act around them.” Clark said, looking at Bruce. “Just, y’know, gotta be aware they can break your foot. Here-” He reached out to take the other boy’s hand and place it gently on the cow’s head where he had been petting it.

The fur was course almost. Rough. Not really soft but not really wiry either.

--

Bruce was honestly not even really thinking about petting the cows--

...but Clark’s hand was warm, and it startled him into complacency, hand being pulled out of his pocket like that and held, even just for a moment.

…

The fur was coarse. But she was warm. The cow. And even though the fur was coarse, the skin under it was soft as Clark’s hand on top of his.

… “Wow,” he said, knowing he had to say something.

--

“See? They’re nice.” Clark said, oblivious to what was going on in Bruce’s head right now.

“C’mon.” He said, leading him out of the barn and towards the backyard.

“That’s our own little garden even though it’s just a patch of frozen mud right now. We grow tomatoes, zucchini, strawberries, tons of stuff. Mom makes jam. I’ll have her give you a jar to take back if you want. It’s really good.”

He lead him into a smaller barn after that. It had a four-wheeler and a few tractors inside.

“This is where we keep some of the equipment.”

--

Bruce followed Clark around the farm, feeling a little dumb and dumbfounded, and not sure what to feel the rest of the time. The farm life was… very different from the world he knew. And he respected it, he was pretty sure--but he didn’t really know much about it.

So he followed politely, looking around.

He pretty readily agreed to the jam.

“Alfred will like it,” he said.

--

“Cool. Y’know you gotta show me around your mansion or whatever sometime.”

A dog barked and soon a dog with black and white splotches was running up to them.

“Oh, and that’s Daisy.”

She tried to jump up at Bruce in excitement, tag wagging.

--

“Woah--” Bruce took a step back as Daisy jumped up at him, but--

...it was a dog.

Bruce bent down a moment later and was scratching her behind the ears.

--

Daisy put on that ‘thats the spot’ face and leaned into it, grumbling happily.

“I don’t think I’ve ever asked, do you have any pets?”

--

Bruce… made a bit of a face. And shook his head.

“No. Not anymore.”

...he was content to keep scratching the dog behind the ear as long as she’d lean in.

--

Clark stood and just sort’ve… watched him for a moment.

It was nice to see him content like this. Away from pressure.

“You feeling better than you were earlier?” He asked, as though he somehow knew.

--

…

“Yeah. ...sorry about that. It won’t happen again.”

He’d bite it back as often as he had to.

--

“It’s okay, dude.” Clark shrugged. “You don’t have to pretend you’re okay when you’re around me. It happens.”

--

Bruce just… focused on the dog.

Clicked his fingers at her.

“I am fine, though,” he said, not even fooling himself. “...you didn’t tell me that’s what your mom’s name was.”

--

… It took him a moment. He looked confused, then his eyes went big.

“Oh. Oh, damn. I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about it.” He looked ashamed and ran a hand through the curls in his hair.

--

Bruce shook his head, not… looking at him, for that. “It’s fine. You shouldn’t have to.”

He should’ve been able to handle this on his own. It had been years. (six years.) He should be fine.

But his throat was dry, even after draining the whole glass of ice tea, and his fingers were getting cold, even in the warmth of Daisy’s fur.

Why was he still talking?

“Dad didn’t die first,” he said. “He kept calling her name.”

--

Daisy tried to lick his face, tail wagging.

“... I’m sorry, Bruce.” Clark said quietly. “Must be hard.”

He had never lost someone before.

He didn’t know how it felt.

--

He’d said it wouldn’t happen again, but he felt that creeping chill on the edge of his consciousness, threatening to drag him out of Smallville again. It wasn’t there yet. It hadn’t yanked him in violently like back at the bus station. But he could feel the prickle of it; the threat.

He sat down crosslegged in the field, and let the dog lick him.

When she stopped he just… shook his head.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” ‘it must be hard’ wasn’t… something he was used to hearing. “I’ve got money and Alfred to take care of me. I’m fine.”

--

Clark sat down with him on the cold, frozen dirt.

“Yeah but that’s just money and Alfred ain’t your dad. You might have what you need but not what you want. ‘N money can’t buy that.”

“So, like… are you fine?”

He looked over at him and tried to meet his eyes with his own bright blue gaze that somehow stood out even more than Bruce’s. The sun was high in the sky and there weren’t as many clouds to hide him like their were in Gotham, and you could see how much his skin almost glowed in the sunlight.

--

That wasn’t what people were supposed to say, and the urge to argue Kent down made a thousand things meant to be kept secret bubble up on his tongue.

But he swallowed them down.

...he seemed much smaller out here, under the big, clear sky. In Gotham, in its narrow streets and foggy skies, he stretched up and could fill a room. Here he was just a small, lost shadow: dark clothes, pale skin.

And when Clark tried to meet his eyes, they were glazed wet, and in the process of being blinked away, even as Bruce’s voice said, steadily, “Yeah. I’m fine.”

…

…

“When I’m eighteen,” he said, guiding Daisy down to lie in his lap for a belly rub, “I inherit everything they left behind. And I’m going to take it and run away, until not even you’d be able to find me.”

--

Daisy rolled into him and was very happy for the belly rub.

“... Why?” Clark asked, sounding sad. “Just to get away?”

--

...at least someone understood.

Bruce nodded.

--

Clark nodded too.

…

“Where you gonna go?”

--

Bruce shrugged.

He didn't know. He didn't care much.

--

“Okay.”

…

“Well-” Clark nudged him a little. “-I’d like it if ya kept in touch at least a little.”

He gave him an award-winning smile.

--

...Bruce found himself looking at that smile, and… it was hard not to feel some guilt.

“We’ll see,” he compromised.

--

Clark went quiet and just sat with him then.

…

After a few minutes though he blinked and stood up, looking down at his driveway.

--

Bruce looked up.

Glanced down the driveway. Saw nothing.

But he looked back up at Clark without any doubt. “What do you see?”

--

“It’s Pete ‘n Kenny.” Clark said just as you could start to hear the car. He offered a hand down to help Bruce to his feet.

“Friends of mine. Guess mom told ‘em I was coming home.”

--

Bruce didn't need the help, but he took the hand anyway, pushing Daisy off his lap carefully as he went.

“Yeah…?”

He was a little anxious about meeting Clark’s friends.

He was bad with people. And caring about Clark made things suddenly infinitely more complicated if he failed to make a good impression.

--

“Yeah. Don’t worry about ‘em, they’re good people.”

Clark lead him over to the car as it slid to a stop, two boys sat in the front.

“You’re back!” The passenger shouted.

“Yeah, for winter break.” Clark said, then gestured to them. “Kenny, Pete. Pete, Kenny, this is Bruce. Friend of mine from school.”

“Yo.” Kenny waved from the driver’s seat, Pete from the passenger’s side.

--

Bruce waved back with a “nice to meet you,” and hung back, not willing to overstep. He was already looking at Pete and Kenny’s haircuts and their clothes, and starting to get an idea how Clark must've felt, standing out in school.

--

They dressed a lot like Clark did. Layers. Worn clothes. Mud around the ankles and hand-me-down jackets.

“Get in, both of ya, we’re heading down to the tracks.” Kenny said, pointing to the back seat.

“Uh.” Clark looked at Bruce. “You cool with tagging along?”

He looked hopeful.

--

Bruce shrugged and--well. He had no reason not to?

“Sure.”

He climbed into the back with Clark.

--

“Nice.” Pete grinned, and once they were in, Kenny started to back up and turn around to head out.

…

At first they didn’t really talk to Bruce. They just filled Clark in on all the town gossip. Who was boning who, who was getting knocked up, who had fallen out or gotten in trouble.

But soon that did come around as they pulled into a gravel spot by some train tracks. Pete leaned back and looked at Bruce. “He tell ya why he ran off to Gotham?”

Clark might’ve gone a little pale. “Pete.”

--

“Said he was layin’ low,” Bruce said, picking up Pete’s accent a little bit from being surrounded by it for a little. He crossed his arms on the seat in front of him and leaned forward, asking for more without saying anything.

--

“I’ll kill you, Pete.” Clark warned.

“Yeah. Layin’ low after blastin’ a guys arms off with his eyes.” Pete grinned.

Clark threatened to climb over the seat and smack him, and Pete just kept laughing.

“Pete you fuckin’ dumbass, you know he can actually kill you, right?” Kenny huffed.

--

Bruce just… looked sort of confused for a bit at that.

What did that mean? If it was an in-joke would Clark be that upset, but if it was leaning closer to real, what did that even mean?

He knew Clark… was different.

But he didn't realize he hadn't seen half of it yet.

“...what?”

--

“You didn’t tell him?” Kenny said, a little surprised.

Clark stopped smacking Pete, who was laughing his ass off. “Kenny! What do you think laying low means?!”

“Well I mean, c’mon man, you brought him here. Damn near everyone knows you’re an alien.” Kenny said, unintimidated.

Clark just… slumped back into the seat, as far away from everyone as possible, and shoved his face in his hands.

--

…

…

You know what?

Bruce was going to unpack all of this later.

Right now, all he could do was turn, look Clark dead in the eye, and say, “suddenly I understand why you had such a hard time with ‘snitches get stitches’ with friends like these.”

--

Clark was rubbing his eyes. “God.”

“Ah c’mon Clark. We gotta embarrass our buddy in front of his new friend.” Pete grinned.

Clark glared at him. “You’re honestly lucky I trust Bruce not to say anything. You know how much shit I could get in if everyone in Gotham knew? Area 51??” He gestured wildly to himself.

“If it makes you feel better people are starting to say those three were just tripping on something and imagined the whole thing.” Kenny said.

--

Bruce was still just… running with this. As it happened.

Unpack later. Survive right now.

(From his position, he could get an arm around Kenny’s neck and choke him as payback for Clark’s trust being violated)

(There was a red mark against Kenny from this, against Pete. Snitches get stitches. Silence was golden. Loose lips sank ships.

Trust no one.)

(‘You’re honestly lucky I trust Bruce not to say anything.’ When-- when had that-- when had he earned that?)

“What did happen?” Bruce asked instead.

He was ten places in his head, and lost in none of them.

--

They all looked at Clark.

…

Clark sighed and rubbed his head.

“Some assholes shot up the gas station last year. Killed like five people. I knew where he’d gone, I could hear the yelling, so I tracked them down. One guy shot me in the face with a revolver. I tossed him through the front of the house. Next guy shot me in the chest with a shotgun. I ended up burning his arms off. Then Pete came around and ended up clocking the last one with a shovel.”

He said it all so… numbly. Like he had unpacked in awhile ago and could now just… recite it.

--

“They lived?” he said, deciding not to question the… burning. The being followed. The shotgun.

--

“... Yeah.” Clark said quietly.

--

Bruce had gone back to his Gotham accent. His voice had been falling into his harder, more serious tone.

Pete and Kenny called this story embarrassing to Clark.

“But you did it?”

--

Kenny and Pete were looking at one another, watching this unfold after they had set it into motion.

“... Yeah?” Clark said again. “I can do… a lot of weird shit.”

--

Maybe the new fragile city kid going hard and cold wasn't what they'd expected when they started talking about small town maiming.

“Yeah, no shit, you beat my mile,” Bruce said. “...but you burnt their arms off.”

…he waited for one more confirmation, looking Clark in the eye just as Clark had done with him half an hour earlier.

But once he got it--even just a flash of a ‘yes’ in a look between them, Bruce said, “Good.”

--

And Clark did say ‘yes’.

But then he looked confused.

“Good?”

That was the first time anyone had said that.

--

And Bruce said it again.

Firmer.

“Good.”

--

Clark blinked and stared at him, like a whole other option had opened up to him.

…

“Damn,” Kenny said. “Hardass Gotham.”

--

Kenny still had a mark against him, and he wasn't helping himself, so Bruce didn't feel bad when he turned the full weight of a glare on him.

Maybe his eyes couldn't ‘burn off’ anyone’s arms, but that just meant that his blue eyes were cold and hard as ice.

“They shot five people? They deserve what's coming to them.”

--

… Kenny backed up and put his hands up. “Not sayin’ they didn’t.”

“Yeah, no one is saying that.” Pete added. “I mean, if he hadn’t showed up then they were gonna kill like their whole family.”

Clark still didn’t say anything. He was looking down, like he had never been told that what he had done was good. Not really. Whenever they had mentioned how he had done well it was also interlaced with ‘but what could have happened to you’.

--

They were going to kill their whole family.

They were going to kill their whole family?

That part hadn't been said. Just: Clark tracked them down. Clark fought them. Clark got shot.

Clark lived.

(They were going to kill a family, and Bruce, already mentally exhausted from the morning, from bracing himself against names, from coping, found himself seeing it happen in an alleyway unlike anything he'd seen in Smallville, and he was so tired of spending the day in that place.)

“Cool. Cool, so… fuck this,” he said, and turned to Clark, seeing him spaced out. “Hey. Kent. Snap out of it. You said you guys got out more than us, right? Time to prove it.”

Find somewhere else to go.

Somewhere to lose this conversation entirely, before they got lost in it.

--

“Uhhhh fine.” Clark groaned and sat up. “Let’s go.”

Pete put the car in reverse. “Where to?”

“... Bowling?” Clark shrugged and looked at Bruce.

--

“I'll pay,” Bruce said, fine with that.

“See you throw every single ball down the gutter again.”

--

“You were last!” Clark pointed out.

--

“Yeah. I have nothing to prove,” he said, straight faced.

“But I might try harder out of revenge now that I know I wasn't wrong about my mile.”

--

“I was gonna apologize but I thought that would be saying too much!” Clark pleaded with him.

“They makin’ you take gym, Clark?” Kenny asked as they drove.

“Yes.”

“Oof.”

--

Bruce-- Bruce wasn't angry at Clark for it, not really. He'd been the one playing mediator at the time. Half of him just… needed something to keep going. To be huffy about--something that didn't matter--so he wouldn't be huffy about things that did.

“Tommy and Harv aren't gonna say anything even if they’ve figured something out,” he said, finally leaning back some and trying to uncoil the tight knot in his shoulders. “I told them not to that day.”

And no matter how loud Tommy was, no matter how much the teachers liked Harvey-- at the end of the day, Bruce was the one in charge. He didn't say much, but when he told them to not pry or talk, neither of the other boys would.

That weight didn't transfer to Kansas well, but after that conversation-- it lingered on him, some, in the back of the car, in his nice dark clothes, and the cold exhaustion in his eyes.

“They've been letting him skip for asthma, but running a four minute mile blew that out of the water some.”

--

“... Thanks.” Clark said, looking over at him.

“Guess since no one is in on it over there things are kinda hard.” Pete said.

“You have no idea.” Clark mumbled.

…

“This is kinda a relief. You knowing now.”

--

...he relaxed a little more.

“...I'm gonna be processing this for a while still,” he said. “...but I guess it at least makes sense now why you didn't think I was insane about the Talons being real.”

….somehow, the thought that Clark hadn't just been humoring him the last few months took precedence.

--

Clark huffed a laugh.

“Talons?” One in the front asked.

“Nah we’re not talking about that shit with you two.” Clark said firmly.

No way.

--

…

Bruce found himself smiling a little.

Mentioning it had been a kind-of permission, but… he was glad it wasn't taken.

Clark kept their secrets.

“So,” he leaned forward onto the front chair again. “Clark said something about corn demons?”

--

“What?” Kenny said.

“What?” Clark said too, then paused. “Oh, there's uh, that hell gateway over in Stull I think I mentioned.” Clark said.

“Eh, people just like to bullshit about angry ghosts that come out around Halloween.” Pete said.

--

“Our murder rate just spikes on Halloween,” Bruce said. “Why’s it a hell gateway?”

Said the Jewish boy.

--

“I have no idea.” Clark admitted.

“Isn't Gotham like one of the biggest crime places in the US?” Pete asked.

--

“Recently, yeah,” Bruce said, keeping it steady.

--

“What's it like there?” Pete asked.

“Ever been stabbed?” Kenny followed.

“Jesus, guys.” Clark sighed.

--

“I would probably not be walking around so great if I'd been stabbed,” Bruce said flatly, thinking of the caning in school, and the dread Tommy and Harv had of going home, and grisly pictures on the front page.

“You two sound like you watch way too much tv.”

--

“They do.” Clark said flatly.

They pulled into the bowling alley.

It was… very empty. The inside only had two people in staff with the radio playing and an arcade tucked in the corner.

--

“Same show that told you we were supposed to be out partying when we just snuck out for ice cream?”

Bruce pulled out a handful of bills and handed them to Clark mostly out of habit.

He could probably actually… buy things here without being recognized, maybe. But habit still won this round.

--

Clark didn't mind, walking up and paying. “Absolutely.”

“Snuck out for ice cream?”

“Didn't think you could get any lamer, Clark.” Kenny chuckled.

--

...it did make him think, though. A connection he hadn't been able to make, but that he'd made sure to hold onto the pieces, just in case.

“...what they said earlier doesn't happen to have anything to with how easy scaling the wall was for you, right?”

--

Clark waited until they were away from other prying ears to answer.

“Um, yeah. I might've been kinda… flying. For that.”

--

Bruce turned and stared at him again.

“What?” He whispered back.

--

Clark cleared his throat as if embarrassed. “I can fly.”

--

Bruce is going to need a long time to work through all this.

But right now, he's compartmentalizing like a pro.

“...what else can you do?”

--

“Uh,” Clark mumbled as he tied his bowling shoes. “I can see through things. Like x-ray vision? And can hear really far. Like--”

He looked up and his eyes glowed blue. “I can see one of the employees back behind the counter picking his nose. And he's humming that really annoying country song that won't stop playing on the radio.”

--

There was something in that which nagged Bruce. Being watched without being able to tell. Being heard. But--

But he had something to soothe it, a little bit. And confirm.

“I can hear the humming, too,” he said.

Not as a challenge.

But.

He believed Clark.

This was something most people couldn't hear.

And if he could hear that, Bruce would also believe the sight.

--

Clark looked a little surprised, happy even.

“Really?” He smiled a little, like he suddenly felt less alone.

“And, uh, I try hard to not listen in on private conversations and stuff if it makes you feel better. I don't want to hear everything. It just happens. I have to focus to pay attention to what close.”

--

...the apology was fine, but the second part still kept him a little on guard.

“Like the teachers meeting with students after class,” he said, and trying to not think of how close some private discussions had been to Clark. “...how far away?”

--

Clark made a face as though the answer pained him.

“Miles. Like… three miles? More if I focus.”

--

...not even Bruce’s razor hearing did that.

He felt the knot in his chest tighten almost imperceptibly.

“...but you don't.”

--

“No. I try to ground myself and focus on what's next to me.” He got up to get a bowling ball. Picked out the heaviest one and twirled it in his hands idly like it didn't weigh a thing.

“I try to keep it to like… a few rooms away sort of hearing. That's the smallest I can get without having to strain myself.”

--

A few rooms away.

A few rooms away.

(Kisses don't make sounds, Bruce told himself, but all the same, felt his heart speed up a bit at the memory.)

“A few rooms clearly?” he said, watching how Clark spun the bowling ball as if it were just a basket ball, meant to be tossed around in the air.

He picked up his own ball to wait his turn. It was lighter. But it was still heavy in his lap.

--

Clark made a face again. Guilty.

“I… I can hear your heartbeat through walls, so. Yeah. Clearly.”

He looked at Bruce, apologetic.

“I'm-- I'm sorry.”

--

...that.

That was… too much.

He could only hear his own heartbeat in his ears and thundering in his chest, and it was too much for him.

But he couldn't have this conversation here.

He couldn't have it anywhere, maybe.

He couldn't think too hard on that, on his very heartbeat always being listened to, on the illusion of privacy, and the thought of--

He picked up his bowling ball, numb and dead to the world, and with no distractions and a mechanicalness to his movements, he rolled a strike.

They weren't talking about this anymore.

--

… Clark looked down, not saying a word as Kenny and Pete 'oooed’ over the strike and wrote it down.

They wouldn't bring it up again, talking about random things and trying to nudge Clark back into the conversation. But he didn't say much. He just… rolled his ball a little too fast a little too hard until he got the hang of it again.

And when it was over, no matter who won, they would drive the two back out to the farm.

--

Bruce kept up what amounted to polite conversation if he was pulled in.

He didn't remember who won.

He didn't remember what they said, or if he shook anyone’s hands as they dropped them off back at the Kent farm.

He wasn't as cold and detached as he'd been that morning, but he knew he was wading further from shore, and that he should pull himself back.

But he didn't want to do that around Clark right now.

Hot tea wouldn't pull back this.

--

When they pulled back into the farm Clark hung back at the car, if only for a minute.

…

“Thanks assholes, now he hates me.” He hissed and slammed the door a little too hard. It rocked the car and they yelled, but he didn't care.

He walked in behind Bruce and tried to tell his parents yes, they had fun, went bowling, tired now.

Up to his room.

--

….

Bruce followed.

Up to his room. Guest room. It wasn’t lavish or high quality, but it smelled a little dusty, like the manor, and he could choke on that a little and feel a bit better in the familiar prison of old and carefully preserved items.

‘Granny’ Clark had called it.

(Bruce’s grandparents had died by the time he was born. Parents married late by parents who married late by parents who married late.)

…

He managed to sit on the bed for a full five minutes, hands held carefully in each other and breathing slowly, heart steadying, before he locked it in place.

And he left the room, footsteps quiet as he could make them on the carpet, and went back downstairs.