#because the screens were either short enough or allowed me to pause for enough of a nanosecond for me to make out where i am

[mydisenchantedeulogy]

Confessions [Chapter One] Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire [Kaiou Retsu]

A/n: this is the first time I've written for Retsu, so please excuse any mess-ups. I'm mostly writing this to show my love for the character and the series.

Warning(s): implied animal death, anxiety, blood and violence, martial arts, original character, 3rd POV, mild language.

No Minors Allowed!!

Shinshinkai Headquarters.

Minatsuki averted her curious eyes from the screen of her prepaid cell phone to the massive structure in front of her. It wasn't what she thought, exceeding her expectations by a lot, but it was promising. A little unsettling too, but when was a new job not. 

The vivid sign above the entrance depicted a bald man with a muscular build, slaying a massive Siberian tiger with a karate chop to the neck; a true story, Minatsuki was told. It was barbaric, but this was precisely how she would characterize Doppo Orochi, a strong and devoted man of the martial arts.

He honestly frightened her, but he was generous enough to give her a job at the dojo, pressured into it by his wife no doubt. She only hoped that it would be cleaner than her last job; cleaner in the sense that she wouldn't have to clean up massive amounts of blood and bone. 

Minatsuki took an uneasy breath. 

You can do this. 

She turned and leaned down in the window of the taxi, fishing for some money from the pocket of her jeans to give to the driver. The notes were a bit wrinkled and sweaty from the summer heat, but it was all she had at the moment. Transitioning from one job to the next left her a bit short on currency, but at least her bills were caught up at the moment. 

Her brown hair, tied in a low ponytail, swung over her shoulder as she turned and sauntered into the dojo. The cool air bit at her heated skin, soothing her. She wasn't certain, but it felt like the weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Minatsuki was still a bit anxious, but she pressed on, taking in the clean and serene environment around her. 

At the bottom of a set of stairs, she recognized a familiar face. He noticed her as quickly and smiled in response. 

"Minatsuki…welcome," Katsumi greeted her. "It's been a while."

Since the Maximum Tournament a month ago. She was working for Mitsunari Tokugawa at the time, the man who ran the Underground Arena in which the tournament took place. 

"I appreciate the opportunity," Minatsuki retorted.

She would thank Doppo personally, but he was away training. No one knew when he would be back. All Minatsuki had heard was that his wife, Natsue had spoken to him and opted to leave her in the capable hands of their stepson, Katsumi. 

The said man hummed. 

"It's not a problem. We are happy to have you." He paused for a moment to look her over. "The clothes you are wearing should be fine, but I have to ask that you wear the slippers the karateka's wear inside the dojo. I'd advise against shirts with logos or jewelry. And it's a rule to take off your shoes before stepping onto the training floor, even if you aren't here to learn. No food or phones either, but water bottles are allowed."

"I understand," Minatsuki replied. She made sure to make a mental note of the changes. 

Her previous job had lax rules but only because of the type of venue it was. The arena didn't need to be cleaned because the sand that served as the mat could be used as a weapon, especially if it was mixed with the teeth and nails of the competitors.

"Let me show you around before you get started," Katsumi stated, motioning for Minatsuki to follow him. 

She nodded, anxiously walking with him up the set of stairs. For the next 20 minutes, Katsumi showed her the dojo and its many rooms and equipment. He took her to the storage room to collect her slippers and supplies then led her to an empty room.

"Normally the disciples clean the gear and the floor when they are done, but since you are here, I'll leave it up to you." Kasumi slid off his slippers and took the mop and bucket from her before he stepped onto the floor. "You can use the rag to wipe down the gear and windows, then mop the floor. Once you are done, empty out the bucket and start again in the next room." 

"Sounds easy enough," Minatsuki uttered.

Katsumi agreed with a nod.

"If that's too easy for you, I can show you the traditional way to do it."

"A mop and bucket are fine with me," Minatsuki retorted with a laugh.

She had a feeling the traditional way meant sliding a rag across the floor with her back arched, which is what she assumed the disciples did regularly. 

The pleading look in her light brown eyes made Katsumi laugh. 

"Suit yourself." He sat the bucket and mop down, then walked over to her, sliding back on his slippers. "If you need me, I'll be upstairs in the first training room."

With a farewell, he left the room, but no sooner had Minatsuki slipped off her shoes had he stuck his head back into the room.

"And if you want, a friend is arriving around noon or so for a rematch. You can drop in and watch."

A rematch? Minatsuki hummed. She was aware of how strong the fighters of the Shinshinkai were. Any fighters who competed in the Maximum Tournament were masters in the art of fighting. She wasn't a big fan, but she had to admit that the matches were thrilling to watch. 

"I'll be there."

What harm could a rematch be? 

Katsumi grinned and excused himself again, leaving Minatsuki to her work. She took a brief look around the room and sighed deeply. 

I can do this. No problem. 

For the next hour or so she cleaned, finishing as many rooms as she could before the rematch. Minatsuki quickly emptied her mop bucket, put away her gear, and washed her hands before she hurried to the room Katsumi told about. 

She feared as though she was late, but as she quietly entered and took off her slippers, she noticed that everyone was just getting seated. A few sets of curious eyes turned to her, including Katsumi and his opponent, a well-built man whose black hair was tied in a pigtail braid, but she ignored them and sat in the back of the room on her knees. 

A disciple wearing a black belt stood in front of a large taiko drum and took a deep breath. 

"Before the Gods bow! Together bow!"

Both Katsumi and his opponent did as ordered, bowing in their respective ways. 

"Ready!" The black belt shouted. Both adjusted their stances. "Begin!"

The thunderous sound of the taiko drum signaled the start of the fight. Minatsuki tightened her jaw and waited for the first move, watching as Katsumi opened his right hand. It was, however, his opponent who closed the gap, tossing a side kick at him, to which the former countered with the same.

The man with the braid then quickly spun on the other foot and dropped down to sweep Katsumi off his feet, but the karateka was quicker, leaping back into the air. With an impressive midair side flip, he landed elegantly on his hands and rotated so fast that Minatsuki could not follow. Somehow he managed to transition flawlessly back onto his feet and leaped at his opponent with his fist drawn. However, the other man blocked it with his foot.

The sheer force made him slide back, or so it seemed to Minatsuki, but without missing a beat, he launched Katsumi across the room with an open palm strike, putting his body into it. The latter caught his footing on the wall and used it to propel himself back toward the man, attempting to kick him in the face. It looked like a sure hit, but it wasn't. Not even close. The man with the braid dodged to the side and then dodged again as Katsumi aimed another kick at his face with the opposite foot. 

To her shock, Minatsuki watched him loop his braid around the karateka's foot and toss him toward the floor; the sheer force he put into this maneuver broke the floor at his foot. As Katsumi fell, not able to stop his descent, his opponent slammed his foot into the former's side. Katsumi shouted in pain but managed to cartwheel back onto his feet.

A thunderous bang from the taiko drum quickly ended the fight and for a moment, Minatsuki was shocked. What did she just witness? It was like something out of an action film.

That was…impressive. 

"3 minutes," Katsumi declared. To his shock, his nose began to bleed. It wasn't a lot, but he admitted defeat and motioned to his friend as the victor. 

The entire room erupted in applause; even Minatsuki brought her hands together in cheer. 

"I think everybody knows," Katsumi interrupted. "But Retsu and I fought and I lost in one hit."

This was plain to see. But how did Katsumi feel about it? Minatsuki knew that proving one's strength was important to a fighter like him, but he seemed neither mad nor disappointed by his loss. 

"I say we steal their 4000 years. That's why I got Retsu to come here," Katsumi stated. 

What did he mean by 4000 years? Minatsuki raised a curious brow.

"Can you believe that when the Kantou Plain was still under water they were already developing fighting?" He asked. His tone was thick with astonishment; an emotion the dojo disciples seemed to share. "We're going to harvest the fruits of their labor and perfect a modern age of combat! That's my 'Karate Way'!" 

Minatsuki understood now. She wasn't sure what style of fighting Retsu - the man with the braid - had mastered, but it seemed to be around far longer than karate. And Katsumi wanted to honor it by having Retsu pass it on to his disciples. 

How noble of him to–

"Excuse me," a voice interrupted. An elderly man with large muscles and long gray hair walked into the room. He was so tall that his head touched the ceiling; a clear 200 centimeters at least. "I'd like to talk to Mr. Orochi Doppo."

"Sure…just take off those filthy shoes," Katsumi retorted, facing him. 

The man hummed. His calm demeanor never changed.

"Please excuse me."

Leaning down, he removed the dirty boots from his feet but as he rose, he tossed them quickly at Katsumi. This took him off guard for a moment, allowing the man to land a solid kick on Katsumi. The latter was knocked into the air, but he managed to right his position and went into a backflip, missing the landing. 

Minatsuki was in shock, watching him hit the floor. Had the kick been harder than it looked? On pure instinct, Katsumi leaped back onto his feet, but he was like a statue. 

The elderly man leaned down and rested his massive hand on Katsumi's shoulder. 

"Sorry, are you OK?" He asked. 

What was with this guy? Was he mocking Katsumi? 

"By the way."

Lifting his arm, he jabbed the karateka in the eyes and as Katsumi stumbled back in pain, the man yanked the black belt from his waist and looped it around his neck, lifting him into the air. 

"Katsumi!" Minatsuki called out in fear. 

The man glanced at her, paying no mind to the struggling twenty-one-year-old.

"My apologies, misses."

He averted his eyes from Minatsuki and hummed. 

"Why do you keep weapons around your waist that can be used against you?" 

Katsumi tightened his jaw, then swung with a kick and hit the man in the face. He released him, giving Katsumi the chance to retrieve his belt and knee the hunched-over man 3 times, aiming for areas that would cause him terrible pain; the groin included. 

"The 'Middle Pressure Points Rapid Fire Attack'," a disciple declared. 

Whatever it was called, it looked effective and painful. The elderly man slammed to the ground with a loud thump, groaning, but Katsumi wasn't done with him. However, before the latter could make a move, his opponent tossed the flooring that Retsu had broken at him, stabbing Katsumi in the throat. The sound alone was enough to make Minatsuki's stomach churn. Was he trying to kill him? 

Blood gushed from the wound and splattered across the floor. As Katsumi fell, Minatsuki hurried to his side. She wasn't faint around blood due to her previous job, but her heart was frantic. If she didn't do something, Katsumi might bleed out and die. There was only one person she knew to call. 

Yanking her phone from her pocket, she ignored the standdown between Retsu and the elderly man, as the former blocked him from leaving the room. It was against the rules to have her phone on her, but it was a good thing she had it. 

A familiar voice greeted her on the 3rd ring. 

"I wasn't expecting to hear from you," Kureha Shinogi uttered.

"Can you hurry to the Shinshinkai Headquarters? Katsumi Orochi was terribly hurt and–"

Her plea was interrupted as Retsu slammed both his feet into his opponent's throat, knocking him back. Was he insane?

"Miss Oyamada?" Kureha called out to her. "How bad is he–"

"Just hurry, damn it!" she shouted, ending the call. 

She understood his reasoning but his questions were irrelevant considering he was more curious about how strong the opponent was than Katsumi. It was all the same with fighters like him.

Averting her concerned eyes from the karateka to the two men in front of her, she watched in horror as the elderly man poured something from a flask onto the floor and then set Retsu on fire. The heat was intense. And to make matters worse, the man who caused it had quickly disappeared in its wake.

"Get a fire extinguisher!" Someone shouted. The same black belt grabbed Minatsuki around the waist and yanked her up from the floor away from the spreading fire. 

Some of the disciples had rushed from the room to chase after the man who had escaped. But she paid them no mind as Retsu let out an irritated shout, breaking the floor with his sheer strength. The flames quickly vanished without a trace. How was this possible?

She allowed the disciple to lead her outside the room and once he left her with a brief nod, she slid down the wall and sat on the floor in disbelief. 

For fuck's sake. 

What a first day. It felt like she had escaped the frying pan only to be devoured by the flames.

[traaanskimkitsuragi]

alright im giving up on 7c fuck this

[bitsandbobsofwriting]

5 times Arthur sees Merlin doing more and more ridiculous shit for him,

and +1 time, said shit is so ridiculous that Arthur feels the need to make him promise to let Arthur come next time.

TW: uuuh blood and gore, Nobles (including Uther) being dicks?

1)

Arthur is having a terrible day, and it’s only noon.

First, there was the early morning council meeting, in which some posh ponce—who was demeaning to Arthur and cruel to the servants—was allowed to run rampant with no consequences because of his supposed “friendship with Uther”, who was coincidentally not attending this specific meeting. Then training, which had been nothing short of disappointing; the new recruits barely knew which end of the sword was the sharp bit, never mind the basic skills that their rich, powerful parents had promised him they’d possessed. And now, Arthur can’t find his stupid manservant.

He’s due some lunch, having chosen to skip out on breakfast this morning; he’s starving, and Merlin is no where to be found. The Prince storms into his room, startling the guards in the corridor who’d tried to bow and wish him a good afternoon, with clenched fists and grinding teeth. Merlin isn’t here either, though to be fair to the servant, Arthur had only checked the armoury before he came here; he finds himself stopping in shock, anger draining from him slightly. 

He had almost been hoping to find Merlin lazing about so he had an excuse to shout and yell and throw things, but... his room has been tidied and cleaned, his desk has been reorganised so he knows what work is a priority and what can wait, his bed has been made, dirty laundry is missing, and his favoured banquet outfit has been returned from the tailor and hung over his changing screen. Merlin had... apparently, been hard at work for he last few hours.

No lunch though.

He makes his way from the room, slightly calmer than he had been moments before, though still tetchy with hunger as he decides to just go straight to the kitchens himself. If he has to get his own food because Merlin had failed to, well, that’s definitely excuse enough to yell, and that will definitely make Arthur feel better.

The Prince makes quick work of his journey down to the kitchens, but stops just outside the door, a familiar voice catching his ear:

“Please? Come on, you must have heard how terrible the new recruits were, and he looked like he was going to punch someone when Lord Arsehole started yanking George around this morning. He’s going to be a in a foul mood, so will you just do this for me?? Your tarts always make him feel better, and he’s going to need a pick-me-up before this afternoon.”

Arthur’s face pulls down into a curious little frown; from the tone of Merlin’s voice, he wouldn’t be surprised if he walked in to see the servant on his knees begging. Before he can entertain that idea, Cook answers:

“Fine, just this once, Merlin. And what’s so horrible about this afternoon?”

Merlin sighs and lets out a quiet, grateful “Gods, thank you,-” before continuing, a little louder:

“-I sorted through his desk this morning, and he’s got a mountain of paperwork to do. He always runs himself ragged with all that shit, so I figured he could do with something nice for once.”

Arthur’s anger is long forgotten, and his curious frown morphs, out of his control, into a small smile as he slowly steps closer to the door, intent on listening for as long as he can:

“Hmm. No wonder the boy likes you so much, you’re the only servant he’s ever had who actually knows what he needs, I’m sure of it.-”

There’s a short pause, in which Merlin openly snorts at Cook’s assertion, and Arthur frowns and pouts. He is not a boy, and he does not like Merlin so much. He barely tolerates him. He’s an annoyance, that’s all.

“-Now here, off with you, or he’ll be grumpy that you’re late.”

“Yes, yes, I know, thank you. I owe you one.”

Arthur’s eyes go wide and he quickly speed walks back down the corridor, turning the corner and rushing off to take an alternative route back to his rooms so he doesn’t run into Merlin somewhere along the way. His thoughts run a mile a minute as he stalks through the castle, but he finds, when he eventually gets back to his rooms, that all he can think of is Merlin, and how Cook is right: he does always seem to know what Arthur needs, even if it’s not what he wants.

Merlin is already there when he finally goes in, laying the tray out on the table and humming something nonsensical under his breath:

“Sire! Just in time, I worried I was late.”

Arthur almost says something, but finds his anger sorely lacking as he glances around the room at the comforting neatness:

“...No, no you’re fine, Merlin. Thank you.”

Merlin frowns and pauses at Arthur’s thanks, only momentarily, but it’s said so casually, and Arthur doesn’t look at him again as he sits down to eat, that he decides to let the oddness of the Prince’s gratitude slide. He just begins humming again and steps away, towards Arthur’s desk, where he sifts through the various papers. His jaw twitches as he frowns and picks a quill up, quickly taking notes and signing and circling various things on Arthur’s behalf. 

The Prince finds that he doesn’t mind that much, he finds that he trusts Merlin’s judgment, and he finds that Merlin was right, the tart really is making him feel better.

2)

If Arthur had to listen to one more damn courtier yammer on about something or other entirely irrelevant, he’d combust.

He’s sick. He’s tired. He’s already had to listen to four entirely baseless complaints of supposed disrespect, three terrible, terrible tax reform ideas, and six (six) subtle-but-completely-unsubtle marriage proposals from various young Ladies and Lords. The Prince doesn’t understand how his father deals with this all day everyday, and with The King sick and bedridden with this year’s strain of flu, Arthur is going to have to deal with it all for at least another week yet.

Arthur knows he’s sick too, but he’s younger and fitter than his father, and if both of them get sick, then there’s no one bar Morgana to look after the Kingdom, and though Arthur trusts her implicitly, he knows that trying to rein in the council is not all Morgana thinks it’s cracked up to be. 

He can feel his headache getting deeper and deeper, and full body aches had prompted him to skip out on training this morning, lest he make it worse. Leon had covered for him, thankfully, but at this point he’s fairly certain he’d preferred to have taken two hours of training over two hours of courtiers being... courtiers.

Merlin is acting like a cool balm through the process, not that Arthur would admit it, but he’s keeping the Prince topped up on medication from Gaius, and is filling his study with pleasant smells and low lighting to avoid making things worse. A knock at the door doesn’t catch Arthur’s attention, despite its insistence, but it does catch Merlin’s, and the servant removes himself from his armour polishing without the other man noticing. He opens the door only a crack, going out into the corridor and shutting the door behind him when he sees who it is; it’s the quiet click of the door latch that finally draws Arthur out of his head.

The Prince stands on stiff, sore legs, and walks towards the door so he can make out what Merlin's soft voice is saying:

“I apologise Lord Dagon, but the Prince is currently unavailable for any audiences.”

Arthur frowns at that, technically he is available, he’s supposed to be available, but he doesn’t want to give the Lord a reason to smack Merlin upside he head, so he stays quiet, and stays where he is:

“What do you mean he isn’t available? I know he’s in there, I demand to speak to-”

“Once again, My Lord,-”

Merlin’s voice is hard now, hard and cold and commanding, and Arthur wonders just why he never uses that voice on him when he’s being a prat:

“-the Prince is currently unavailable. If it is an absolute emergency, akin to an invasion or similar, then I can pass the message along to him whilst you wait out here, otherwise, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Arthur isn’t sure what Merlin does, if he gives a look, or waves hand, but the Prince hears the distinct sound of two pairs of armoured feet walking closer. He quirks an eyebrow; though he is surprised, he isn’t too worried about that fact that the castle’s guards apparently trust Merlin’s word and orders above that of a demanding Lord. He hears said Lord splutter and stutter for a moment or two, before huffing and stomping off again, down the corridor and out of earshot.

Arthur quickly sits down again, but can still hear Merlin’s sigh of relief, and soft “thanks guys, appreciate it” and one of the guards’ responding “no problem, Prince looks in a proper state, and we figured you was giving him some peace for a reason”.

Arthur is fast to look back down to his work, furrowing his brow as his eyes struggle to focus on the words in front of him, but he looks up again when, out the corner of his eye, he sees Merlin shut the door behind him:

“Who was that?”

Merlin smiles softly and shakes his head as he wanders over, looking over Arthur’s shoulder and raising his eyebrow at the single sentence that he’s managed to write in the last hour:

“No one important. Come on, I set the sofa up earlier so you can take a power nap. I’ll ward off any visitors and finish off some of this for you whilst you sleep.”

Arthur shakes his head and rubs his eyes, first at Merlin’s quick lie, and then at his offer for sleep:

“No, no, I have to get all of this done before tomorrow.”

Merlin tuts and rolls his eyes, snatching the quill from the Prince’s tired hand and pointing it at the sofa across the room:

“Sleep, you idiot. I’ll do the paperwork, I’ll even leave it for you to check over, if you really want me to, but we both know I can imitate your hand writing and signature perfectly.”

Arthur sighs but nods, standing and wandering over to the sofa, eyes closing before he’s even collapsed on the soft seating. Merlin chuckles to himself and tucks the quill away before following, kneeling down in front of the Prince to remove his boots, then his jacket; he pushes him back to lay down before covering him in the blanket and brushing his hair away from his face. Almost all of which Arthur is completely unaware of, already having succumbed to his previously unknown desperate need for sleep.

~

When the Prince wakes, what must be several hours later, his paperwork is finished, a note on his desk tells him dinner is waiting in his chambers, and the guards outside tell him that Merlin had scared off at least six more unwanted visitors.

He smiles to himself, shakes his head, doesn’t bother checking the paperwork, and heads to meet Merlin in his chambers.

3)

He’s running late. He knows he’s running late.

Fuck, his father is going to kill him.

Arthur pulls his clothes around as he rushes down the hall, trying desperately to look as though he hadn’t just forgotten the meeting, and had in fact been up to something very important that couldn’t be avoided that he is still trying to come up with a name for. He’s failing miserably, on all levels, and he doesn’t even have enough energy to be annoyed at the sympathetic frowns the passing guards are giving him.

He finally pulls himself to a stop outside the council chamber, trying to catch his breath and fan away the redness of his cheeks, thankful beyond anything that there aren’t any guards stationed at the doors at the minute. The Prince takes a deep breath, hand hovering over the doorknob as he prepares to go in and receive a verbal lashing in front of a crowd when he hears a familiar voice pipe up:

“I apologise, Sire, I’m sure the Prince will be along shortly. There was... there were some oversights in the knights patrol rota that had to be seen to immediately. No one’s fault, of course, just unexpected illness that left some rather demanding gaps.”

He pauses, frowning slightly at the blatant lie that Merlin had just told The King, straight to his face. If there were any knights in there, like there should be, then.... well.

He hears the distinct sound of Leon, clearing his voice as though to say something, and Arthur presses his eyes shut, begging that now not be the time for Leon’s otherworldly loyalty to The King to shine through:

“He’s correct, My Lord, I’m sure Prince Arthur won’t be long.”

Arthur lets out a breath, a breath that he’s sure Merlin is letting out as well. Stupid man, where does he get off, lying to The King like that?? Arthur wonders briefly if Merlin has ever lied to him like that, and then he remembers that ninety percent of the stupid shit he’s caught Merlin doing has been either completely nonsensical and harmless, or harmful only to himself, and in defence of others; he decides very quickly, and rather horrifyingly, that he doesn’t think he minds if Merlin lies to him. He takes in one last deep breath as he hears his father grumble, straightening his hair before walking into the room briskly:

“I apologise father, I-”

Uther cuts him off, sitting down and speaking strongly:

“There’s no need. Sit, and we can finally begin.”

He’s annoyed still, but after spending so many years berating Arthur for not taking his duties seriously, for not working hard enough, he can hardly start yelling now, not over this. Arthur tries to subtly glance over his shoulder to nod at Merlin, but the servant is too busy doing the same to Sir Leon, stood on the opposite side of the room, and so Arthur leaves it, joining in on the meeting without another distracting thought.

4)

It had been stupid really, for Arthur to wander off, but they’d needed more firewood, and Merlin had looked so miserable that The new King had been loathed to send him into the cold forest alone. The servant had been soaked to the bone in the day’s earlier downpour, whilst Arthur had been reasonably well protected by his many layers, so The King left Merlin to hopefully keep at least a little warmer by what’s left of the campfire whilst he ventures away from their dreary set up to look for more fuel.

He’d assumed he’d only be gone for ten minutes, at most, but half an hour soon passes and he barely has a handful of dry wood; it seems his servant is not the only thing the earlier flash flood had soaked through. He returns eventually with a few damp logs that he hopes will dry quickly, held tightly under his arms, and a large handful of dry kindling that he’s praying will keep the fire burning long enough for that to happen, but he finds himself dropping it all to the floor silently and lowering himself to a crouch just beyond the edge of the camp.

He hears multiple voices, and considering none of them sound friendly, and the only person who should be at the camp is Merlin, he thinks it’s reasonable for him to be cautious. The King draws his sword and creeps closer, peeking from behind a tree to see if he can figure out what’s going on. His blood runs cold and his hand tightens around the hilt of weapon when he sees a group of three bandits surrounding Merlin, dirty grins on their faces:

“This is quite the big camp for one person, hey? Two ponies, two bedrolls... tell me, where’s your friend?”

Arthur expects Merlin to point him out and braces himself, ready for a fight. What he doesn’t expect, is for Merlin to scoff derisively and lie as thoroughly as he’s able:

“I’m camping alone. There’s no one else, just me, so take my coin and fuck off.”

The servant slowly reaches a hand to his hip, but is stopped when a blade presses to his throat:

“Watch it, pretty boy, I’m feeling rather twitchy, and you don’t want me... twitching, do ya?-”

As he says it, he pulls the sword to one side slightly, making a small cut at the base of Merlin’s throat that the servant barely even flinches at. The other two men laugh, but don’t lower their weapons quite yet, still looking around as though they expect someone else to jump at them. Arthur’s blood boils, but he doesn’t reveal himself just yet:

“-And don’t lie, pretty, there’s two of everything.”

Merlin rolls his eyes so hard Arthur’s sure it must’ve hurt, and continues to reach for his hip, ignoring the bandit’s slight growl. Arthur gulps, hoping to God he wasn’t going for a weapon, but relaxes when he pulls out what appears to be a small pouch of cones:

“I’m on my way to pick someone up from a village, that way,-”

He nods his head to the opposite side of the circle to Arthur, but the bandits don’t look away long enough for the King to be able to do anything:

“-so like I said, take my coin and fuck off. I’m a physician, I don’t have the time or the energy for this.”

If Arthur hadn’t seen it a million times before, he’d be impressed with Merlin’s brazenness, as it is, he just rolls his eyes and prepares to lunge; Merlin doesn’t even glance in his direction, but Arthur knows, he knows, that the servant is aware of his presence. He trusts. Merlin throws the pouch of coins to the side, and when the bandits turn, when they stare, obviously thinking it over for some reason, Merlin shuffles back, just a few inches, and Arthur runs.

The largest of the bandits, the one that Merlin had been in the most danger from, is taken care of first. Merlin hurls himself at another, tackling him to the floor before kicking burning embers at his face; the bandit’s screams distract his friend, and Arthur quickly despatches him, before silencing the screaming one. The whole fight is over in a matter of seconds, and Merlin sighs, hands on his hips, before picking up his coin pouch and then staring despondently at the sad remains of the fire. His hand absent-mindedly reaches up to wipe away the blood from his neck; the cut has already stopped weeping though, so neither of them are overly worried by it.

Arthur rolls his eyes and before frowning at him:

“What the hell was that about?!”

Merlin shrugs and gets to work on dragging the bodies away from the camp, and Arthur casually wonders just when the servant had gotten so used to dealing with such morbid things:

“I couldn’t exactly tell them that I was travelling with the King, without any guards or knights, and that he was wandering the forest alone, could I?-”

He comes back for the second body:

“-And anyway, we managed, didn’t we?”

Arthur stares at him for a few more moments before hooking his hands under the arms of the last bandit, and dragging him over to where Merlin had been piling them. He doesn’t respond, just hums vaguely before joining his servant by the side of the dying fire:

“I did have wood.-”

Merlin just hums:

“-I could go get it again?”

Merlin hums again, but it’s shorter, lower, and Arthur nods, turning to gather their bedrolls from their packs and laying them together. He grabs his spare cloak from his bag, as well as both blankets and their spare tunics. They layer up before getting into the bed rolls and shuffling to be pressed together; it happens more often than they’d care to admit to anyone, but they don’t really care anymore. Body warmth is best way to stave off hypothermia, after all, and Arthur is glad Merlin doesn’t want him to go hunting for the wood. He can’t quite remember where he’d dropped it, and he’d be loathed to leave Merlin at the camp alone whilst he wandered off.

5)

When he’d first heard them, Arthur had had absolute faith that the rumours were false.

After all, how many other times had someone whispered something about an assassination attempt to him, for the whole castle to go into lockdown, for nothing to then happen?

Merlin had rolled his eyes and Lancelot had coughed in a manner that sounded suspiciously like a snigger when he’d expression that particular sentiment to the council earlier in the day, but he hadn’t had the time, or the patience, honestly, to question it. Now though, he’s starting to think that perhaps he should have.

He had just about managed to lose his guard dog (he hadn’t asked for it, but Leon had taken to unsubtly following him around, hand on the hilt of his sword at all times), and had opened a door into a dark corner of the library only to spy something rather odd through the dusty shelves. He shuts the door softly behind him, sending thanks to whoever had recently oiled the hinges, and sneaks closer, keeping his knees bent and his hands held out for balance. 

The sound of rather furious whispering comes into focus, and if he squints through the dust, he can see... Merlin... holding a grubby looking man against the wall... with a dagger to his throat. He blinks rapidly, certain at first the the dust was distorting the image, but when he opens his eyes once more, the sight before him is the same. He blinks again, forcing himself to take deep, slow breaths through his open mouth, and listen:

“...Now. I’m going to ask one more time, or things are going to get a hell of a lot worse for you. Who sent you, and how many partners do you have?”

The man growls, the vitriol dripping from his words as he harshly responds:

“Fuck you, I ain’t saying nothing, you’re just a fucking servant.”

From his angle, Arthur can see the bone chilling smile on Merlin’s face, and he gulps:

“Let’s see how long you stick to that, sunshine.”

In any other circumstances, The King might think that Merlin calling someone sunshine would be incredibly endearing and morale boosting and all sorts of lovely, but in that cold tone of voice, with that creepy smile, he knows it means no good. What comes next is a squelching sound, then a surprised squeal that is quickly cut off by Merlin’s hand pressing harshly over the man’s mouth, then a snapping, then more suppressed screeching, then more squelching.

Arthur allows his gaze to slip lower, and he suddenly understands, with a growing nausea deep in his stomach, why the man had tried to scream and wriggle away; there on the wall is his hand with another dagger cutting straight through it, pinning it palm first to the brickwork. Merlin’s other hand is still pressed to the man’s mouth, the sharp point of the dagger held in those fingers barely an inch from the other’s eye. He speaks again, his voice low, and slow, and commanding in a way that Arthur has never heard before, not with annoying courtiers, not with twitchy bandits:

“When I take my hand away, you’re not going to scream, you’re not even going to squeal. When I take my hand away, you’re going to speak very calmly, and clearly, and quietly. When I take my hand away, you’re going to tell me exactly what I want to know, or instead of putting a few extra holes in you, I’ll start cutting things off, starting with your fingers, moving on to your dick, and ending with your eyelids. Do you understand? Nod.”

The man is shaking by the time Merlin has finished, but he nods nonetheless, and Arthur gulps as Merlin smiles again:

“Good. Now, who sent you?”

He slowly moves the hand away from the man’s mouth, and though he whimpers quietly, he is evidently trying very hard not to make too much noise. He pants, but at Merlin’s raised eyebrow, he begins to slowly speak, as calmly as he’s able and with only a slight stutter:

“Ki- King Lot. He p-p-paid me half before, said there was-was more after Pen-Pendragon was dead.”

Merlin nods, as though the information is unsurprising to him, but Arthur scowls. He’d known that tensions with Lot were bad, but bad enough to start sending assassins? That, he was unaware of. Before he can think on it further, Merlin speaks again:

“And how may people are working with you?”

The man doesn’t even hesitate this time, obviously somewhat used to the pain, though he’s still shaking and stuttering like his life depends on it. Arthur wonders if it does, he wonders if Merlin plans on... on killing this man:

“None at-at the moment. There were f-five to start, but Lot only sent-only sent one at a time. I’m the-the first, if I fail-”

Merlin interrupts him, so quietly Arthur has to strain to hear it, as if he’s just talking to himself:

“Then more will follow...-”

The man nods, but doesn’t say anything, not until Merlin looks back to him again:

“-How long until someone else comes?”

“Two-two weeks.”

Merlin nods this time, considering the information carefully as he looks around, like he’s chasing all his thoughts into one corner of his mind. He nods once more, more decisively this time, and steps away from the man, leaving the dagger imbedded in the stone so he can’t move lest he cause himself quite a lot of pain:

“Thanks for that, and sorry for this. Well... not really, you’re a danger to Arthur and I really can’t be having that, but you know, my mam raised me with manners.”

With that, Merlin steps forward once again, whipping his other hand up and pushing his second dagger up through the man’s chin, into his brain. He flails for barely a moment before sagging down, the weight of his body finally pulling the hand from the wall. He’s dead, Arthur is certain of it, and The King struggles to keep his breathing even, more so when he sees the steely look of determination on his friend’s face and the slow trickle of blood from the assassin’s wound and mouth and nose.

It’s late at night, so it’s a complete coincidence that Arthur had stumbled upon the scene (yes, Leon had even stationed himself outside of Arthur’s chambers, and had followed him on his midnight stroll. Yes, the knight is probably besides himself with worry, but that is a problem for another time. He wonders if the knight would even believe him, if he told him where he’d been, what he’d seen), but Merlin still glances around the library, just to make sure no one else was there. He bends over to pull the two blades from the body and tucks them into a pocket, before hoisting the corpse up to flop over his shoulder.

The servant circles around the shelves Arthur is hiding behind, and Arthur follows him quietly, so he isn’t spotted, and watches as Merlin leaves through the same door The King had entered through, silently pushing it closed behind him. 

Arthur allows himself a moment to breathe, not quite sure what to think, other than the fact that Merlin is a lot scarier than he lets on, and actually has the skills to back up what Arthur had previously thought was a funky, but ultimately useless protective streak. He glances to the blood staining the wall and floor for a few seconds, and then follows Merlin out the door as quietly as he can; it takes a few minutes of silently jogging the castle halls, occasionally following trails of blood and occasionally listening out for soft footsteps or the swish of fabric, before he finally spies Merlin entering one of the lesser used back doors to the dungeons.

The door doesn’t shut properly, and Arthur sneaks up to the wall so he can listening in (sending thanks to whoever hadn’t fixed the latch on this door). He hears the voice of a guard that he vaguely recognises; he's confident that he could point him out in a crowd, as one of Merlin’s friends, and one of the captains of the guard, but he couldn’t recite his name:

“Merlin? What are you doing up so- bloody hell! Is that another one??”

A thump echoes from the room, a rather harsh one, and Arthur guesses that Merlin must’ve dropped the body:

“Yeah, the first of five from King Lot, apparently. The King isn’t going to sort out his own security, not until he has proof, and I don’t plan on letting them get that close, not yet, anyway, so can you up the guard rotations and keep an eye on Essetirian nationals? Nothing too overt, but I can’t have eyes on Arthur every hour of the day, so I could use some help.”

Arthur hears the jangle of armour, and what sounds like a ring of keys:

“Yeah, yeah sure, I’ll have a chat with the boys. Want me to let them in on it, or just tell them it’s because of the rumours?”

There’s a pause, and Arthur finds himself a little surprised at how he can picture the exact thinking face Merlin is pulling right now; the one where his mouth thins because he’s biting the inside of his lips, and there’s a slight crease in his brow as he looks down and to the right:

“Hmm. No, just blame the rumours. I’ll tell Lance, George, and maybe Cook what’s going on, but I don’t want anything to get too far out of my hands. Keep an eye out for me whilst I’m in there?”

“Sure, I’ll sort it in the morning. And yeah, I know the drill. Do you need a hand, or can you manage?”

There’s a slight groan, a flapping of fabric, the sound of a door being unlocked and opened, and then a wave of heated air that can only be from the incinerator, almost permanently lit in winter to keep the lower levels from freezing. Arthur feels the nausea increase:

“Nah, I’m fine.”

The door shuts, and Arthur waits. Maybe ten minutes pass before the door opens and closes again and the sound of a lock being turned reaches The King’s ears:

“Anything interesting?”

“Meh, an unsigned letter with instructions, from Lot, no doubt, and a few coins, nothing concrete. Everything’s in there, bar any metal he had on him. I’ll keep a hold of it for a while then send it out of the Kingdom to be sold on. Nothing to connect anyone, unless Lot fancies stepping forward to say that the assassin he sent to kill Arthur never returned, and he’d like to accuse us of something.”

The guard chuckles, but doesn’t say anything, and Merlin just mutters a quiet “goodnight, see you in the morning” before making his way to the unclosed door that Arthur is hiding behind. The King quickly presses himself into the shadows, knowing that unless Merlin decided to stick his hand in the corner of the hallway, he’d remain unseen. He waits for the servant to pass him, then waits for five more minutes, and only then does he make his way back into the main part of the castle. 

He wanders aimlessly for a little while, feeling somewhat relaxed considering everything. He supposes that Merlin being cold-hearted and vicious when it comes to protecting the people he cares about... shouldn’t surprise him, and it doesn’t, for the most part. But the daggers and the threats and the secrecy and the incinerator sure as hell had.

He eventually finds Leon, pacing up and down the corridor outside The King’s chambers, and though the First Knight sends him a despairing look, Arthur just smiles, rolls his eyes, and quietly dismisses him for the second time that night, rather more forcefully this time. He seems reluctant, but goes eventually, and Arthur waits until he’s out of sight before he turns back around, and heads to the library again. He’s not even sure what he wants to accomplish, what he wants to find, but he sees it when he gets there: a far too clean, far too dust free patch on the wall and floor right at the back of Geoffrey’s domain. There’s not a speck of blood to be seen, and as far as Arthur’s memory can recall, he hadn’t seen any in the hallways either.

He takes a deep breath, blinks away his quiet surprise, gulps, and goes back to his rooms.

He doesn’t sleep much that night, as he thinks on all the things Merlin had done for him over the years. The paperwork and pick-me-ups can be counted in his duties. But the lying, the excuses, the aggressive, apparently extremely aggressive, protectiveness... Arthur isn’t quite sure what to make of it all. He finds himself unworried about Merlin’s loyalty, after all, if it was one big trick to gain Arthur’s trust, then Merlin would make a show of it. As it is, as far as the servant is concerned, Arthur is entirely unaware just how far Merlin will go to protect his King. 

Arthur wonders if he is aware, or if there’s more. There always seems to be more, with Merlin.

+1)

After the first assassin incident, Arthur had taken to keeping a closer eye on Merlin. He’d watched the servant secretly despatch of two more of the assassins, and then tactically lead a group of knights and guards to one, and Gwaine and Percival to the other. Arthur had marvelled at that, but hadn’t said anything. It’s obvious now he knows what to look for, the pointers in the way Merlin moves and speaks, the way he controls every situation he finds himself in, and eight out of ten times, gets exactly what he wants out of them. Arthur would normally be very wary of that, but considering it’s his own safety and happiness that Merlin wants, he can’t exactly be mad about it. And besides, it’s Merlin. Arthur thinks he might be physically incapable of losing trust in the man.

He’s also learned that Merlin is not quite as alone as he’d feared. Sir Lancelot is definitely in on it, this whole... “making Arthur’s life easier” scheme, most of the time, and the guard, whose name Arthur now knows is Gavin, is in on the majority of it as well. The servant, George, seems to be in on at least half of it, though Arthur gets the impression that, like Merlin, he’s smarter than he looks; he always happens to walk past, always happens to make himself suspiciously available, whenever Merlin and Lance need an extra pair of hands. The Cook too, is made aware of the validity of the assassination rumours, and Arthur correctly figures that’s mostly down to the possibility of poison.

All of this just means that Arthur is suddenly very aware of the shadows that Merlin moves in, and that when he turns around to find the servant not in his, he knows exactly where to look.

So far, Arthur has only had to follow Merlin out of the city once, and when he does, it turns out that the servant really was just picking herbs for Gaius. The King had gotten fairly bored of that fairly quickly, and went home after barely twenty minutes, which is lucky really, because about ten minutes later the Druids that Merlin had been waiting for finally showed up to tell their Lord all about the horrific beast that had been destroying their camps and hunting in local villages.

The next time The King follows Merlin beyond the city walls, Gaius had said the servant was spending his afternoon off in the tavern, so Arthur knows that he’s on track to see Merlin doing something wacky. He’s a few minutes behind the servant, following his tracks through the underbrush as opposed to Merlin himself, to stop himself being spotted; when he finally catches up, spurred on by the sounds of an entirely unnatural fight, what he sees takes his breath away.

He seems to have stumbled upon the scene during a lull in the battle, and he gapes from behind a tree at a giant, grotesque... monster. It looks sort of like the troll that his father had once married—Arthur momentarily shudders at the reminder—but much larger, and wearing significantly fewer clothes. His mind supplies the word “ogre” with an image of a picture book he’d had as a child; he’d honestly never believed in such things before, but then again, if Griffins and Lamiae and Unicorns and trolls exist, then why can’t ogres?

The lull doesn’t last long, and with a mighty roar that shakes the ground, the beast charges at Merlin. He stands in the centre of the clearing with no armour or weapon to speak of, but his wide-legged stance doesn’t falter, and Arthur watches in frozen horror as the servant flexes his hands and clicks his neck from side to side. Arthur can’t move, no matter how much he wants to draw his sword and rush to Merlin’s defence, and he can’t even whisper, no matter how much he wants to scream at Merlin to run. But then the unthinkable happens, the unexpected. Though at this point, Arthur thinks his surprise is his own fault, and he really should’ve seen this coming.

Merlin stretches his arms out in front of him, roars something that sounds unintelligible to Arthur, but clearly has a purpose, and pushes a writhing, storming stream of fire out from his hands. Arthur lets out a breath and sags against the tree as Merlin controls it with ease, dancing around the clearing to stay out of the ogre’s reach as the beast screeches. Arthur figures he must have arrived near the beginning of the fight, because with the way it’s going... Merlin really has got it down pat.

A few more streams of fire, a few thrown boulders (both by the ogre and by Merlin’s waving, powerful hands), and a strike of lightening that Arthur feels in his bones, the ogre lies dead, off to the side, and Merlin pants, his hands on his knees as he catches his breath. His eyes still glow golden, and Arthur finds himself staring at them, not quite certain whether he is awed or a little afraid. Perhaps a mix of the two.

Before he even makes the conscious decision, Arthur’s legs are moving him out from behind the tree and walking him towards his servant. It takes a moment or two for Merlin to notice him, but when he does, the gold zaps from his wide, suddenly frightened eyes quicker than The King can blink, and he stumbles back, his hands held out defensively in front of him as if Arthur hadn’t just seen him massacre a giant magical beast:

“Arthur? What are you... I can explain just... just give me... just let me explain!”

Arthur stops and frowns at Merlin’s fear, and then suddenly remembers that yes, the purge had been a thing that had happened, and yes, Arthur had been spouting his father’s beliefs since before he could walk, and yes, he himself had been enforcing the illegality of magic. He blinks and opens and closes his mouth a few times, trying to find the words, but before he can, Merlin’s fear drains a little, to be replaced with concern. The servant still doesn’t step any closer, but he frowns and lowers his hands slightly:

“Arthur... are you alright?”

The King blinks and shakes his head, though not in disagreement, more to just try and rid his mind of the guilty fog that had stopped him from speaking:

“Uh... yes, yeah, I’m fine. Just... processing. Give me a moment.”

He doesn’t sound all that angry, but to be fair, he doesn’t sound all that anything. Merlin jumps to his own defence, desperately trying to explain everything at once before Arthur has a chance to realise how furious he is:

“I’m not evil! I use my magic to protect you, and Camelot, and I swear on my life I have never acted against you! Please, Arthur you have to believe me, I’m still the same man you know, and I’m not-”

Arthur waves away his words and untenses his shoulders with rolled eyes:

“Calm down Merlin, you dolt, I’m not angry. Well, I am, but not about the magic. I’m very much aware of how much you do for me: all the lying and the excuses and the... assassination of assassins. Which honestly somehow caught me more off guard than this did.”

He gestures vaguely to the smouldering corpse of the ogre, and Merlin glances at it before whipping his head back to Arthur, eyes wide:

“You knew about that?!”

Arthur raises an eyebrow:

“Yes, Merlin, I knew about that. I saw you... deal, with the first of Lot’s five, and as disturbing as it was, began following you around to see what else you get up to when you think no one is watching. Which brings me back to my anger, actually.-”

Merlin gulps, but seems to understand that he isn’t in any actual danger from The King. Arthur puts his hands on his hips and narrows his eyes at the servant:

“-You’re never doing this alone again. First of all, it’s dangerous, and I don’t want you wandering off to deal with Camelot’s latest disaster and then not coming back because you’ve been skewered or... or squished and eaten-”

He nods at the dead ogre again:

“-without anyone knowing what’s happened to you. And second off,-”

At this he gets visibly more annoyed, and Merlin cringes slightly as Arthur gestures wildly with his hands:

“-how dare you leave me out of this! That fight looked incredible, and you left me at home! You’ve deprived me of one hell of a tavern story, and I fully expect you make up for that by not leaving me behind next time. Dick.”

Merlin freezes and narrows his eyes in confusion, before all the tension drains from his body and he stares at Arthur incredulously:

“That’s what you’re mad about?! I almost died, and you’re mad that you didn’t get to join in on the fun??”

Arthur blinks and purses his lips, allowing his gaze to wander the clearing as he momentarily thinks, before looking back to the servant and nodding decisively:

“Yes.-”

He abruptly turns as Merlin sputters and waves his arm for the servant to follow him:

“-Now come on,-”

He turns, frowning in confusion as he looks between Merlin and the ogre’s corpse:

“-or do we have to... do something, about that?”

Merlin just wordlessly shakes his head, and Arthur smiles and turns away again, walking in the direction of the castle. The Warlock stays where he is for a few moments, confusion freezing his legs and muddling his mind, but Arthur calls out from ahead of him:

“Come on then, slow poke. It’s late, I’m tired, we can work on the repeal tomorrow.”

The King’s words nudge Merlin into a jog so he can catch up, but he doesn’t respond, just blinks, shrugs his shoulders, and decides that, in the grand scheme of things, it could have been a hell of a lot worse.

~

The End!!!

That was fun to write! Definitely not my favourite, but I hope y’all enjoy it!!

Head over to This List and let me know which you’d like me to prioritise! :D

[landinoandco]

Hey could you do one with max verstappen, where the reader a fight about him not helping around the house (witch he doesnt do because he is just tired from working hard but the reader dont know) so they yell at max and he suddenly walks away but then they find him crying in bed, because hes overworked and feels like hes never gonna be good enough at being a driver and the readers boyfriend. And feels like he can only dissapoint the reader, his dad and cristian. But the reader comforts him. Tnx

Because I'm not good enough...

Max Verstappen x Reader

Warnings: angsty

Word count: 2 k

Requests are open :)

You were sat at the dining room table, staring out at the empty seat in front of you. Your arms crossed across your chest and your lip in between your teeth. You had been sat there for an hour - in the grand scheme of things an hour didn’t seem like such a long time but it was his final warning and an hour was just long enough to allow for your anger to boil over.

Dinner was in the fridge - the same dinner you had cooked an hour ago, your phone lay screen up on the table - the same phone you used to call Max two hours and a half hours ago, he told you he was on his way home. Home whilst you were in the UK was 25 minutes away from the Redbull HQ. This was becoming a regular occurrence, some nights he would come home so late that you had already taken yourself to bed. The atmosphere in the house seemed to freeze over whenever he was around even though you were yet to come out of summer, there was something hanging over the pair of you - unspoken feelings and as of now a red hot anger that threatened to escape from your usually composed nature.

Ever since the championship had taken a turn in the favour of Redbull, Max had started to become much more distant. It started off with him not inviting you along to the races, leaving on the Wednesday before race weekend and sometimes not seeing him until the following Tuesday and that was on a stand alone race weekend. On the triple headers, it could be nearing two weeks until you two were spared 5 minutes alone and even then it was a brief conversation before he rushed back to the factory or to train.

You thought you knew what you signed up for and since yours and Max’s relationship and that was three years ago so you thought you had seen it all - been through it all with him, witnessed every high and every low. This was a new territory and you knew that if it wasn’t tackled soon -

The click of the door lock echoed in the hallway, you straightened in your seat - eyes locked ahead of you and your knee bouncing.

Max sighed loudly and wiped his hand over his face, it had been a long day - he had been at the factory up until Christian had invited him out to lunch, it was nice to catch up with his boss and Max felt like he owed the man so much; guiding him through the years that had led up to the moment they found themselves in. Max felt like over the past years he had matured as a person, sometimes still short tempered but being an F1 driver it wasn’t necessarily a bad trait. After his lunch with Christian, his dad had called him - the less said about the conversation the better. By the time you had called, the last thing he wanted to do was come home and risk upsetting you. He had taken himself on a run - to clear his head and focus on what he was going to say to you because he felt like something definitely needed to be said.

He also owed a lot to you, you had put up with so much over the years and standing by his side even when he had made a mistake - although you were very quick to tell him when he was in the wrong. You seemed to be on his level, a blunt and forward look at life - there was no time for dawdling about when you had things to be done. Life was short and there was no time to waste.

Recently however, he was putting so much pressure and stress on himself about work that the hours slipped away from him and so did the time spent with you. He felt the atmosphere change around the pair of you - as though he was always walking on thin ice, the cracks beginning to show. The guilt he felt was nothing like he had ever felt before, all he wanted to do was talk to you but he was scared of pushing you away - which is ironic because not talking and letting the pent up anger build up was having the same effect. He was never that good when it came to talking about how he felt - as much as he wanted to he felt as though he would be a burden and that he would put too much pressure on you. He could never tell you what he really felt like inside. It was embarrassing, he knew that a professional athlete should never feel what he felt. It weakened him and having weaknesses in a sport like Formula 1 was not an option.

Max shrugged his coat off and walked through to the main room of the apartment - the room where you were sat waiting to pounce as though he was your unsuspecting prey.

He offered a tired smile, in response he got a sneer. Swallowing hard, you felt the anger take over, like some monster escaping from a cage.

“I have been sitting here for an hour, Max -” You shot to your feet, pointing at the table, your voice cracked slightly. “For months, you’ve been leaving me - it’s me who’s been cooking for us both, cleaning, washing - everything, Max. By myself.” You were shouting now, your heart threatening to break free from your chest. Max just stood there, a blank expression on his face - his gaze fixed to the ground. “I don’t understand what went wrong, Max. We were happy, hell, we spoke to each other. Now, I’m alone. In fact, I may as well be alone if this doesn’t change.” The words had fallen out of your mouth before you had any time to consider them - or the consequences. Your eyes went round with shock and you fell back to your seat. A loud silence filled the room.

Max, too, had not expected the words that had initiated the silence. He opened his mouth, eyes still on the ground, then closed it again before raising his head and looking you dead in the eye.

“You don’t mean that.” He managed to mutter, barely being able to raise his voice any louder. He felt a tired emptiness, this was the last thing he had wanted to happen.

“That’s all you have to say to me.” You rounded on him again, angry tears threatening to fall from your eyes.

“No - I -” He stuttered, then closed his eyes, inhaling slowly, “I just don’t think we should talk things through whilst you’re angry -” He saw you about to interject, when he raised his hands. “You have every right to be. That’s not what I’m saying. I think we should wait to talk about it so we don’t say things we are going to regret later.” Max could feel his throat constricting, he was battling to keep his emotions at bay.

You sniffed and nodded slowly, placing your head in your hands - hot tears escaping and shoulders tensed.

Max swallowed thickly, his eyes swimming with tears. He made a move and after no interruption left the room. He had only made it to the stairs before he collapsed, the fatigue getting the better of him. He was such an idiot, a fact he was certainly aware of now, how could he have let things get this bad. Did that make him a selfish person?

He couldn’t hold it in any longer, a harsh sob escaping from his mouth - fingers shaking and his head a loud mess.

As soon as Max had left the room, you had gotten up to get some water - when you paused, a sound catching your attention - a deep sounding sob. You waited, a line appeared between your brows. Slowly and carefully, you inched towards the door - waiting with baited breath for the sound again.

It was coming from the stairs and there was only one person it could be. Regret instantly pooled in the pit of your stomach, you hadn’t meant for him to cry. You were just so angry and he needed to know that.

“Max.” You called out softly, unsurprisingly there was no response. You went in the direction of the stairs and hunched over in front of you was your boyfriend - attempting to stifle his sobs. You rushed forwards, placing your arms around his shoulders and pulled his body into yours. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around your waist. You kissed the top of his head, stroking his hair as he continued to cry - you allowed him to empty his emotions out; some tears of your own betraying you entirely.

“I’m sorry, I really am.” Came a muffled voice. Pausing, you released your hold of him and placed your hands either side of his face - offering him a watery smile. Then, using your sleeves you wiped his tears away - he watched your every move, waiting for you to say something. When you didn’t, he braced himself - lips trembling; he knew it was now or never. He had to tell you how he really felt.

“I’m not good enough.” He stated simply, his eyes glossy. Your forehead furrowed. “I’m never going to be good enough to take the championship, I’m going to let everyone down. Everyone that has ever believed in me - it doesn’t matter what I do, how much work I put in - I’m never good enough. And you -” He paused, meeting your gaze, a lump forming in the back of your throat. “I keep letting you down, time and time again. I was the one who caused this, I’m never going to be good enough for you.”

“If you believe that -” You began, kissing the newly formed tears away, “Then I will eat your race shoe.” You moved to sit next to him on the stairs, pulling him into your side. “Why didn’t you tell me that’s how you felt.”

You felt Max shrug, the side of his head resting on yours. “I didn’t want to burden you with all of my problems, you already put up with so much.”

“I will always have time for you, Max.” Grasping his hand in yours, “You are enough, you are more than enough. You are Max Verstappen, the fastest, strongest guy I know.” You chuckled lightly, “I know it may sometimes feel like that and that’s ok. You are putting yourself through so much - maybe, it’s time to give some consideration for your personal life. It’s unhealthy to work all of the time - then we run into issues like these.” You spoke softly, almost whispering but you could tell he was hanging onto every word you spoke. “I love you, Max. I don’t know what I would do without you.” You admitted, turning your head to look at him. He chewed on his bottom lip, processing your words.

“I love you too, more than anything.” He murmured, placing his forehead on yours. You lifted your head slightly to leave a soft kiss on his nose, earning the corners of his lips to quirk up.

Closing your eyes, you relished being in his arms again, to have him close to you. You had missed it. You had missed him. Both of you knew you had a lot to work through, that it wouldn’t simply disappear but both of you were going to do it together. Hand in hand. And that was more than enough.

[ragingbookdragon]

The Best Of Us

Batfamily x M!Reader

Word Count: 3,035 Warnings: Angst

Author's Note: And here we are with a Batbrother fic! Enjoy! -Thorne

It wasn’t an inferiority complex. Not really. He wasn’t prone to anger or any of the other symptoms listed under it—and he checked. Multiple times. But there was something about being the only non-vigilante in his family of vigilantes that made him feel inadequate compared to the rest. Bruce had the Justice League, Dick and Jason had their own fantastic groups that saved the day, and Tim and Damian were still in school, but even they had their groups too. Hell, even Alfred still had contacts from his days in MI-5. And yet, he had none of the skills his brothers or father had, no extensive martial arts training, master detective skills, or weapon mastery. He was completely normal—or maybe abnormal in this case. And on some level, he resented that he couldn’t be like his family—maybe he did have an inferiority complex.

***

The greatest thing in (Y/N)’s mind about still being allowed to live at home was that no matter what, there was always food around to eat—Alfred saw to it that every growing man in the house had enough to eat—that being said, their grocery bills were outrageouslyexpensive.

He balanced his tablet in one hand, the other hand adjusting the tie around his neck as he stepped into the kitchen, quick to raise the tablet in time to avoid whacking his youngest brother in the head.

“Morning,” he greeted, taking his seat at the table, just after Jason’s. A chorus of tired, ‘mornings’ came back at him and he quirked an eyebrow. “Wow, loving the enthusiasm this morning, guys.”

Jason snorted and propped his chin on his palm, watching (Y/N) for a moment. “I seriously don’t understand how you’re always so chipper in the morning.”

He huffed a laugh and took a sip of the coffee that Alfred set down. “Someone has to be the ray of sunshine in this group of gray clouds.” (Y/N) cast a glance at Dick who was shoveling eggs into his mouth. “And it seems like our eldest is busy feeding his bottomless pit.” Dick was fast to shoot him a glare, that he returned with a smile.

Just then, Tim trudged into the kitchen in an oversized hoodie and plopped down in his seat, immediately shoving the plate in front of him to drop his head onto the table.

“Jesus Christ, you guys,” (Y/N) sighed, flicking at his tablet for a moment. “You’ve seriously gotta take a day off to recuperate.”

“What do you think we do during the day?” Dick retorted, taking a swig of milk.

“Okay I think you’re confusing the entire day with the first half,” he reasoned. “When I say take a day off, I mean the whole twenty-four hours.” He glanced at everyone, and the only person who seemed to not be tired was Alfred, and that’s partly because (Y/N) believed he was immortal. “You guys are gonna run yourselves into the ground,” he said. “I just don’t think—”

“We know what we are doing, (Y/N),” Damian interrupted with a glare. “We know our limits better than you do.”

He let out a sigh and shook his head. This conversation had happened many times before and it wasn’t anything new.

“I’m not saying I know them better than you Damian, I’m simply saying that you guys should take a day to relax so that something doesn’t happen on the job that you can’t control.”

(Y/N) glanced at his father. “Dad, c’mon, you know I’ve got a point.”

Bruce hummed and flipped the page of the newspaper. “So does Damian.” He met (Y/N)’s eyes and nodded. “You don’t have to worry so much, (Y/N). We know what we can handle.”

He stared at Bruce for a moment then scowled. “I don’t even know why I bother,” he muttered, and Damian was fast to chase his comment.

“I don’t know why you bother either. You’ve never once experienced what we do every night.”

(Y/N) met his youngest sibling’s glare. “Just because I don’t stick my neck out for each person in this city night after night doesn’t mean that I don’t know what it’s like to be exhausted.”

Damian crossed his arms over his chest. “So, you know what it’s like to be exhausted from blood loss because you’ve been stabbed or shot? Or to be exhausted from saving the lives of innocent people? You do?”

“I—” (Y/N)’s mouth opened, then he snapped it shut and looked away with a darkened expression, tasting something sour in his mouth. “No, I don’t.”

“That’s what I thought,” Damian finalized, and in the wake of the uncomfortable tension, a cellphone went off.

Everyone started looking for theirs, but (Y/N) muttered, “It’s mine.”

He picked it up and put on a cheerful voice. “Good morning Angela…yes, I just got the floor plan…” he tapped at the screen on his tablet. “Do me a favor and move the people from table eight to table three. Mr. Robinson is better friends with Mrs. Grace and will certainly give us a warmer atmosphere in that area.”

(Y/N) paused and listened, then he stood from the table and pushed his chair in. “Let me get to the office and we can situate the rest of the guests for tonight…alright, see you soon. Bye.”

He pulled the phone from his ear and ended the call, then took the black backpack that Alfred was holding to him. “Thanks Alfred.”

“Of course, Master (Y/N). Have a pleasant day at work.”

He huffed a laugh, but it was anything but amused. “I have to give a speech tonight in front of the entire company and three different magazines.” He glanced at Bruce. “Think you’ll be able to attend tonight? It’d mean a lot to me.” Bruce grunted, his way of telling (Y/N) that he’d try, but to not hope for a miracle.

It was fine, he was used to parentless ceremonies and events. He cleared his throat and shrugged on the backpack, making his way to the garage door.

“See you guys later.”

***

He’d given a few speeches in his short twenty-four years, and while he’d never say he was an expert on public speaking, he did know his way around a podium. That being said, every time he had to do a speech, he felt like vomiting—nerves he chocked it up to.

(Y/N) cast a glance around the packed ballroom, quietly groaning at the massive amount of people. His own table was empty, save for Angela and thank god for him, Lucius. He couldn’t help but frown at the name tags sitting in front of the empty seats.

“Wondering where the rest of the gang is?”

He met Lucius’ eyes and gave a halfhearted smile. “I’d like to think they took my advice and took the night off but…something tells me that the night called to them.” His lips pulled downwards. “I’m not going to act like this is a surprise, Lucius. I couldn’t even get them to show up for my university graduation.”

(Y/N) smiled and stood up, grabbing the notecards beside him. “What makes you think I could get them to show up to this?” He left the table and moved to the side of the stage, waiting for his name to be called. His fingers briefly shifted to his chest, feeling his heart fluttering beneath chest, nerves causing his breathing to come in short bursts. (Y/N) shut his eyes and took a deep breath, letting a pleasant smile cross his face as the presenter called his name, and walked up the steps.

The bright flash of photography momentarily blinded him, but he smiled through it. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us tonight at the Centennial Inside Alliance Award Ceremony.” He flashed everyone a million-watt smile. “My name is (Y/N) Wayne, and as many of you know, I am a senior editor for Inside Alliance. It is my pleasure tonight to recognize Inside Alliance’s top writer for the year.”

(Y/N) glanced around the room, making sure to catch the eyes of the hundreds of guests.

“Inside Alliance was created on August fourteenth, nineteen-twenty by a group of immigrant mothers and fathers who wanted to bring knowledge of their homes and cultures to the rest of world. Some of those countries being Germany, Romania, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Israel, and many, many others.”

“The production of their valuable time and extensive care created one of the greatest magazines that is still in business today, that brings attention to the worldwide issues that many groups face, while still connecting to their roots of educating the public on cultures and groups.”

He smiled. “It is with my upmost honor that I congratulate and introduce Miss Flora Janaliyeva, one of our newest and greatest writers that has joined Inside Alliance, and the winner of tonight’s Inside Alliance Award.”

(Y/N) turned to the side and grinned at Flora as she ascended the stairs. Her long black hair was braided down the length of her back and she wore a bright and floral-patterned gown. She reached (Y/N) and he reached with his right, shaking her hand, and handed her the glass award with the other.

“Miss Janaliyeva, it is with honor and congratulations that I give you this award for your excellent talent and recognition of ability from Inside Alliance.”

She smiled brightly and accepted the award. “Thank you, Mister Wayne, the honor is mine.” He nodded politely once more and descended the stairs as she began her speech, quietly taking his place back at the table.

“Well done, Mister Wayne,” Lucius smiled and (Y/N) let out a deep breath.

“I’m just surprised I was able to do that without stuttering or panicking.” He glanced over, smile lowering slightly. “Lucius, are you alright?”

The older man dabbed at his forehead and nodded, though when he breathed, it sounded labored. “I’m fine,” he assured, then reached up to rub at his chest.

(Y/N) shifted. “I don’t think you’re alright Lucius.” He leaned over. “Are you having chest pain?”

“I—yes,” he grit out then met (Y/N)’s gaze. “My chest is getting—tight and I…and I—”

He started to slump over and (Y/N) shot to his feet, eyes widening with fear. “Lucius!” The yell startled the crowd and Flora, who all looked over at the two.

(Y/N) pulled the older man back and pressed his ear to his chest, listening. He pulled away and yelled, “Someone call an ambulance! I think he’s having a heart attack!”

He helped Lucius to the floor and immediately pressed his palms to the man’s chest, starting compressions. His breath came in panicked spurts and he kept looking at Lucius’ face.

“Just hand on Lucius. You’re going to be okay.” (Y/N) kept at it until the EMT’s arrived and they knelt beside them.

“Let us take over.”

For a moment, he didn’t move, too afraid that if he did, Lucius would die, but one of the EMT’s placed a hand on his shoulder while the other slide their hands underneath (Y/N)’s.

“Son, we’ll take it from here.”

(Y/N)’s arms went slack, and he let the medic pull him away, watching as they took over and started moving him onto the stretcher.

“Please, save him. He’s—he’s friends with my family I—”

The medic nodded firmly. “We’ll do all we can.”

And all (Y/N) remembered was someone ushering him into a taxi heading for the hospital.

***

The first people that arrived were Lucius’ family who were grateful for (Y/N)’s actions, but the young man could barely grimace as they disappeared into the hospital room, leaving him sitting outside, his head in his hands. Tears gathered in his eyes as he thought back to what the ER doctor told him.

***

“Mister Fox is in a stable condition, but you have to understand, Mister Wayne, his heart is very weak.”

“But—but he’ll be okay right?”

“Based on Mister Fox’s past conditions, he’s verging into heart failure. His heart is too weak to keep up with what the body needs.”

“And…and what does his body need at this point?”

“At this point? A new heart.”

***

He sucked in a breath and fought to keep the sob from escaping his throat, just as heard, “(Y/N)!”

His head shot up and he saw his father and older brothers coming down the hallway. (Y/N) clambered to his feet.

“Dad I—” he started, but cut off as he choked on a sob, and Bruce pulled him into a hug, holding (Y/N) as he sobbed. “I’m sorry,” he cried. “I tried my best but—”

“Shh,” Bruce hushed, a firm, but gentle hand coming to rest at the back of his son’s neck. “You did all that you could.”

He pulled back and wiped his face. “But Lucius needs a new heart, and I don’t know what to do. I should’ve seen this coming. He hasn’t been feeling well the past few weeks and I—”

“(Y/N),” his father said firmly, hands coming to rest on his shoulders. He met Bruce’s eyes. “This wasn’t your fault.”

His libs wobbled and he whispered, “But if I were like you guys, I would’ve seen something earlier. I didn’t and now…” sighing, he added, “and now Lucius needs a new heart, or he’ll die.”

Bruce’s sigh was heavier than (Y/N)’s and it made his chest heavy. “We’ll get Lucius a new heart, (Y/N).”

He lowered his head and lamented, “I’m sorry, dad.”

His father squeezed his shoulder then lead him towards Dick and Jason. “Take (Y/N) back home for the night. I’ll stay here with Lucius’ family.”

They nodded and led their brother down the hall, arms firm across his shoulders in a comforting way. They didn’t say anything, knowing that there wasn’t much to offer, but their support was enough for (Y/N), even if he felt horrible.

***

For being the World’s Greatest Detective, his son was evidently the World Best Hider, because it took Bruce a long time to finally find (Y/N). He stepped quietly over to the form sitting on the ledge and took a seat beside him, silently gazing out at the backyard. A bottle appeared in his vision and he focused on it as the smell of whiskey reached his nose.

“Where’d you get that?” he asked but took the bottle anyway.

“Jason gave it to me earlier.” He watched Bruce take a sip. “Figured it fit the occasion.”

Bruce chuckled. “That sounds like Jason’s way of dealing with a problem.”

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, passing the bottle back and forth, simply enjoying the calm around the manor and night.

“You know it wasn’t your fault, right?” Bruce suddenly said.

(Y/N) sighed and set the bottle down, kicking his legs out off the roof. “Lucius said he hadn’t been feeling well recently. And I just passed it up to getting older.” He looked at his father. “If I’d actually paid attention, then I would’ve seen the symptoms.”

“Do you actually know what the symptoms of heart failure and heart attack are?”

“I…no, not really.”

“Then you couldn’t’ve known.” He looked at (Y/N). “Lucius works in my office every day. If anyone should’ve known and seen it, it should’ve been me.” Bruce shook his head. “But you did everything you could at the awards ceremony, and that saved Lucius’ life tonight. You did good.”

“I could’ve done better.” (Y/N) muttered. “I should’ve. I’m your son and I’m practically useless to the family but—”

“Woah, woah,” Bruce interrupted, brows furrowing as he asked, “What are you talking about?”

(Y/N) turned to him. “I am the least useful person in this family. I mean you and the guys are these crazy intelligent, vigilante master detectives and I’m just me.” He wiped away a tear that fell from his eye. “I can’t speak seven different languages or solve murder cases with a single strand of DNA left at the scene of a crime. Hell, I can’t even throw a punch.” He sighed heavily. “The last time I tried, I broke my hand.”

Meeting his father’s gaze, he said, “I just want to be like you guys.” He lowered his head. “I just want to be normal and not an outlier in the family.”

Bruce simply stared at him for a long moment, and while he’d never been privy to let his emotions show on his face, he let them this time—shock and shame. Shame that he didn’t see his greatest achievement suffering.

“(Y/N).”

He didn’t look up at first, but then he did. “Yes sir?”

“How long have you felt like this?”

(Y/N) shrugged. “Forever?”

His father sighed. “Son, I…I never wanted you to be like us.”

He gaped at Bruce. “What?”

“(Y/N), every person in this family is driven to do what we do because of our childhoods. You’re the only one who doesn’thave any skeletons in his closet.” He stared at him. “We wish every day that we could be like you and not a day goes by that we don’t think that.”

“I…what?” he floundered, absolutely bewildered at the idea that his father and brothers wanted to be the most boring person ever. “There’s no way that’s true.”

“It is.”

“No.” (Y/N) huffed. “I’m me. I’m plain and boring, work a nine to five job me. I mean I write for a magazine for god sakes! And you guys save the world!”

Bruce chuckled. “And what we wouldn’t give to be just a bit more normal like you, son.” He shrugged. “You think you’re inferior because you’re not a vigilante, but you’re the one thing that keeps us all sane. You give us the perspective of someone who isn’t what we are. Of someone who’s completely normal.”

He reached over and placed a hand on (Y/N)’s shoulder. “And being normal? Being you?” Bruce squeezed firmly. “I don’t want you to be anyone else.”

(Y/N) gazed at him, and though he felt tears in his eyes, he didn’t blink, didn’t let them fall. “I’ve only ever wanted to make you proud.”

Bruce smiled heartfully. “You do, (Y/N). Everyday. Because you’ve always been the best of us.”

[blu-joons]

When Their Best Friend Suddenly Holds Their Hand ~ Ateez Reaction

Seonghwa:

Your eyes looked across at Seonghwa as the nominees were read out for the award. You could see how nervous Seonghwa was, leaning across to him.

Instinctively, your hand rested against his, squeezing the back of it gently. “Don’t worry,” you whispered as his head span around to look at you.

“I’m not,” he smiled, staring down at the hold you had on him, feeling a heavy breath run down his throat. “Are you nervous?”

Your head shook, squeezing his hand once again, “I know that you’ll win, so there’s no need for me to worry about anything. I’m just here to support you.”

“I’m glad I’ve got you to support me,” he responded, altering his glance so that he looked across at you, “what would I do without you supporting me?”

“I reckon you’d be just fine,” you chuckled, tapping against the back of his hand.

His head shook as the VT ended playing out all of the nominees. The two of you sat closely to each other as there was a short pause before Ateez were read out as the winners.

“I told you,” you smiled, feeling Seonghwa squeeze your hand, “I knew you’d win.”

“You must be my good luck charm.”

Hongjoong:

Your body jumped yet again as the movie played out, Hongjoong had warned you the movie had several jump scares, but you never imagined it would be this bad.

As another one came, you reached across to hold onto his hand, trying to hide your face. “I don’t like it,” you whined, turning your face away from the screen.

“Y/N,” he whispered, unable to take his eyes off the tight grip you held onto his hand. “If you’re that scared then we can just turn it off.”

Your head shook, reluctantly turning back around to watch the screen. “I’m fine, we don’t need to turn it off, I just wish you’d warned me about all the scares.”

“I didn’t think you’d be this scared,” he chuckled, brushing his thumb over the back of your hand, “none of this is real though, it’s all just a movie.”

“If I have nightmares tonight, you’re the one to blame,” you scolded.

Hongjoong chuckled, nodding his head back at you. “I’ll look after you,” he assured, “you can just sleep with your hand in mine and I’ll be able to keep you nice and safe.”

“Oh,” you muttered, as you’d realised what you’d done, “do you want me to let go?”

“No, don’t be silly, I don’t mind.”

Yunho:

Your heart broke as Yunho let go of yet another sigh as he messed up his routine. You stood up from your chair, walking over to him before he could try again.

You reached out to take a hold of his hand, stopping him from moving. “Just take a moment,” you instructed, keeping a tight hold on him.

“It’s impossible,” he whispered, glancing down to your hand in his, enjoying the warm feeling it brought. “Nothing is working.”

Your head shook, smiling widely up at him. “You’re just having a bit of a rough day. Why don’t you just come back tomorrow and do something else today?”

“What do you suggest?” He quizzed, raising a questionable glance at you. You tightened your grip on his hand and pulled him towards the studio door.

“Let’s head out somewhere, grab something to eat,” you suggested, tugging him along.

His head nodded, happily being pulled in the direction that you led him. “That might be the best idea you’ve come up with in a long time, I swear you can read my mind sometimes.”

“See,” you laughed, “I know you a lot better than you think I do.”

“Maybe you do know me well after all.”

Yeosang:

Yeosang groaned at the loud squeal you let go of as you reached the shopping centre, looking around at all the open shops you would spend the next few hours browsing.

In your sudden excitement, you held onto Yeosang’s hand to try and make him smile. “I promise, shopping with me won’t be as bad as you think it is.”

“You’ve trapped me now,” he joked, lifting your intertwined hands into the air. “I wouldn’t even be able to escape if I wanted.”

Your hip stretched across to nudge into his, “we can go to a few places for you too, but I really need to find some new outfits, and you are here to carry my bags.”

“I’m just a slave,” he clarified as your head quickly shook. “The only reason you’ve invited me here is because everyone else was too busy, or not stupid enough to say yes.”

“Stop making this sound like a chore,” you teased, squeezing tightly onto his hand.

Yeosang groaned, rolling his eyes across at you. “I know at the end of today I’m definitely going to end up agreeing to ever come shopping with you.”

“You’ll have fun,” you smiled, “time with me is never boring, I promise.”

“We’ll soon see about that.”

San:

Your stomach dropped as the rollercoaster went up, barely able to open your eyes and look down at just how high the carriage was taking the two of you.

San smiled as he glanced across at you as you reached the top. “I don’t like it,” you whined as the ride paused before tilting you closer to the drop.

“Just let yourself go,” San laughed. You reached across to hold his hand at the sound of his voice, holding onto him for dear life.

Your body tensed up as the ride finally flew, feeling San lift your connected hands into the air. “No!” You yelled, screwing your eyes tightly shut as it fell.

“You’re alright,” San chuckled, as the ride slowly came to an end, allowing your eyes to open. “Were you really that scared you had to hold onto me.”

“Well, there’s nothing else to hold onto that high up,” you groaned in response.

San frowned, keeping his hold on you as you climbed out of the carriage. “Why did you agree to go on it if you were that nervous, you should have just said no.”

“I didn’t want to disappoint you,” you sighed, as his eyes widened at your honesty.

“You never disappoint me, ever.”

Mingi:

Your eyes lit up as the boys all ran off the stage, glancing around straight away for Mingi. As soon as he saw you, he ran down to you, pulling you into a hug.

Just as he stepped away, you grabbed onto his hand to pull him back. “You can’t walk away without letting me tell you how amazing that concert was.”

“I don’t need you to tell me we’re amazing,” he teased, nudging your hip with his free hand. “Am I not allowed to go and see anyone else now?”

Your hand quickly let go of his as he nodded down to the grip you had on him. “I don’t know what I was thinking, sorry, it just felt like the right thing to do.”

“Don’t apologise,” he joked, moving his hand to rest against your shoulder. “I’m not complaining, you just took me by surprise, that’s all.”

“I didn’t want you to walk away from me just yet,” you whispered down to the floor.

Mingi frowned, taking your hand once again. “I didn’t ask you to let go either, in fact, I want you to hold onto me for the rest of the night so I can keep you nice and close to me.”

“Seriously,” you chuckled, as he held onto you tightly, “you’re not going to let go?”

“No way, you’re staying right here with me.”

Wooyoung:

Your feet stopped as you reached the large step up to the arena. Wooyoung leapt up with ease, glancing back at you still stood in front of the hurdle.

Without thought, your hand reached out for him to take to pull you up. “There’s no way I’m going to be able to pull myself up this, give me a hand up, please.”

“Hold tightly,” Wooyoung instructed, offering his hand out for you to take, pulling you up the step with ease, catching you as you stumbled.

You smiled across at him, carrying on walking without much thought. “Steps like that aren’t built for people like me, they’re for strong people like you.”

“Yeah,” he whispered, noticing that your hand was still firmly holding onto yours. “I’ve got you up the step now though, do you still want to hold onto me.”

“Do you want me to still hold onto you?” You queried, taking him by surprise.

His head shook, squeezing your hand gently. “It’s actually not, weirdly it feels quite normal to just hold your hand,” he smiled, carrying on walking down the street with you.

“I never realised how big your hands were,” you joked, “I’ve never held it before.”

“There’s a lot that you don’t know about me.”

Jongho:

The room erupted into laughter as Jongho told the group the joke he’d been dying to share for most of the afternoon, sending everyone into fits of giggles.

You threw your head back as you felt your stomach hurt, gripping onto his hand to steady yourself. “That was such a stupid joke, it’s not even that funny.”

“Y/N,” he sniggered, noticing your hand resting over his. “If you didn’t find it that funny then why are you sitting in tears right now?”

Your head shook, barely able to look across at him as a result of the tears in your eyes. “It was just so dumb, that’s why it’s funny. I don’t even get the joke.”

“You’re impossible,” Jongho grumbled, trying to subtly move his hand away from yours, but instead you kept a strong hold around him. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” you stuttered, as you suddenly realised what he was trying to do. “Sorry.”

His head shook, grabbing your hand as you tried to move it away. “It just took me by surprise, that’s all. You’ve never really held onto my hand like that before.”

“You’ve never been funny before,” you teased, “I can let go, it’s no big deal.”

“Don’t, you just do what makes you comfortable.”

---

Masterlist

[just-my-fandom]

Rocky Road P1 (JJ Maybank x Routeledge! Reader)

This is a test chapter. If it gets the attention I want it to, we’ll continue. If not, this will be the only chapter, mainly because of the time each chapter takes since each episode ranges between 40 to 50 minutes.

Chapter 1

Word count: 3,538

Summary; After a hurricane, John B, Y/N, JJ, Pope, and Kiara plunge headlong into danger and adventure when they find a mysterious sunken wreck.

Pairing(s); John B Routledge x Twin Sister! Reader, JJ Maybank x Girlfriend! Reader, Pope and Kiara x Best Friend! Reader

Tag list; Currently None.

“We’re the Pogues, and our misson this summer is to have a good time, all the time,”

“That’s what, a three-story fall to the deck?” The dark male at the bottom of the house, Pope Heyward, looks up at the brunette boy balancing on the roof before him, “I give you a one-in-three chance of survival,”

John B hums in thought, licking his finger before raising it to the sky, allowing the wind to hit said finger, “Should I do it?”

“Yeah,” A girl with (hair/color) locks and warm, (skin/tone) skin dangles her legs from the roof next to her twin brother, body leant up against the blonde male beside her, “You should definitely jump,”

“I’ll shoot you on the way down,” Pope promises, raising the staple gun in his hand so John B raised his eyebrows, pointing two fingers in a gun motion,

“They’re gonna have Japanese toilets with towe warmers,” A female with dark hair and dark skin climbs out of the unfinished home, looking up at her group of friends, “This used to be a turtle habitat, but, who cares about the turtles, I guess?”

“I care about the turtles, Kiara,” You fake a small pout to your best friend, reaching a hand over the railing to grab her fingers and squeeze,

“Can you please not kill yourself?” Kiara looks up and squints at your brother,

“Don’t spill that beer!” JJ calls up, one arm draped at your shoulders as the other raises his can to his lips, “I’m not giving you another one,”

On cue, John B lets out a curse as the beer can slips from his fingers, dropping and clashing onto the porch of the unfinished home beneath him,

“Smooth,” Kiara mumbles, looking over at a distant shout,

“Hey, uh, security’s here,” Pope states, and you clap your hands, sliding beneath the railing to jump down next to Kiara, JJs hand tapping your back thigh in a motion for you to start running,

“Boys are early today,” John B hops down, feet taking off into a sprint,

Your lips pull into a grin as you follow after your twin brother, pushing past shelves and jumping over paint cans through the constructed house,

“Hey, Gary!” You call, skidding past the older, bigger man, “No hugs for you today!”

You giggle as JJs hands lift your hips to raise you above the gate, his body dropping next to you before his hand takes yours and squeezes, allowing you to hop into the van before he follows after you, laughing,

“Hey, there’s Gary!” Pope calls, JJ leaning out the vans door to hold out a beer can to Gary’s running figure,

“You’re so close! You can do it, there you go!” With a toss, JJ watches the can hit Gary upside the head, “They don’t pay you enough, bro,”

“Okay, that’s enough,” You snort, tugging JJ into the van so the door shut, JJs body dropping next to yours with an excited breath of rushed adrenaline.

“The Outer Banks, Paradise on Earth. It’s the sort of place you either have two jobs or two houses. Two tribes, one island,”

“Alright, this is Figure Eight, the rich side of the island. Home of the Kooks. So guess where we don’t live. And then this is the South Side, or the Cut. Home of the working class who make a living busing tables, natural habit of, drumroll please,”

“The Pogues,”

You lift up the hook to the HMS Pogue, turning to shield the sun from your eyes with your hand. Moving across the boat, you move into where the steering wheel took place, JJ looking at you past his sunglasses and sliding a hand to your bare back,

“That’s Y/N,” John B introduces, “My twin sister and my pain in the ass. Or, blue bird as our father used to call her. Y/N is our mom of the group, somehow keeps us stable and in check from getting arrested three or four times a day,”

“And that’s JJ. My best friend since the third grade. He’s about as local as they come. Latest in a long line of fishing, drinking, smuggling, vendetta-holding salt-lifers who made their living off the water. Best surfer I know. Just, don’t tell him I said that,”

You yelp as your body drops into the water, awaiting for the wave above you to settle before rising above the surface. You snort, JJ stepping off his board playfully so he landed beside you with a hard splash,

“Together they’re known as Outer Banks’ OTP, as Kiara puts it. Been together since seventh grade and still going strong. Of course even with JJ as my best friend, I still gotta hand his ass to himself sometimes,”

“Don’t even get me started on micro plastic,” Sitting at the bonfire, Kiara is quick to shove John B away from the choke hold he puts her in,

“And that’s Kiara, or Kie, as we call her. When she’s not saving turtles or getting a dolphin tattoo with Y/N, she hangs out with us. I’m not really sure why, though. Pope thinks she’s secretly madly in love with my sister and uses us to get to her, but, I can’t see Y/N leaving JJ for even Chris Hemsworth, and that’s saying something,”

“And that’s Pope, the brains of the operation, finalist for the Lucas T. Vanderhorst Merit Scholarship, and the smartest person I know. His fathers this legendary character, Heyward. Anything you wanted on the island, Heyward could get for you,”

“So, that’s my crew,”

“John, Y/N, it’s come to our attention that you both are unemancipated minors living on your own,” The social worker in front of you at her desk sighs,

“No,” You and John B instantly respond, sharing glances before you grimace, “No,”

“I need honesty to help you,” The woman responds, eyebrow raised, “That’s what we want, right?”

“Yeah,” You nod, shrugging, “But we’re being honest,”

“Okay,” The woman leans back, “When was the last time either of you spoke to your uncle,”

You look at your wrist- with no watch- glancing at John B who shifts in his seat, “Uh, thirty-four minutes ago,”

“When was the last time you saw him?”

John B looks at you this time. “Two hours and,” You pause, “Fourty-three minutes ago?”

“Kids, we’re gonna come out there tomorrow to talk to your uncle,” The worker sighs, again, “If he’s not there, we’re gonna move forward with foster care,”

You exhale a sharp breath, hand running down your face.

“Keep an eye for Hurricane Agatha. She’s coming hard and heavy tonight,”

“No phone service?” John B groans as he raises to his feet, body heavy with sleep. His finger flicks the light switch. Nothing. “No power?”

John B exits his bedroom to depart to the living area. On the pull out couch, laid his sister and best friend. While you laid on your back, breaths even, JJ laid on his stomach, arm draped across your tank-top covered chest with his head beside yours,

“Yo, JJ,” John B calls, hand smacking JJs upper back so JJs head snapped up, his movement startling you to lift your own head, “You been outside?”

“I have polio, bro,” JJ mumbles, lips pressed to your shoulder, “I can’t walk,”

You heave a laugh, turning to curl into JJ so his arm slid around your hip and pulled you closer. You finally heave a breath, pulling away from JJ so he moaned in protest, your grin tired as you grab his hand and pull him up with you,

“Agatha did some work, huh?” JJ calls out to John B in the front yard, leaning against the open screen door with a found beer in his hand, and looking at the time, you choose not to scold him for his choice of drink as soon as he woke up,

“Yeah she did,” John B hums, tossing a branch off the boat that was brought out to shore.

“C’mon,” You call, pulling your tank top off so you were left in the bikini you fell asleep in, “Gods telling us to fish,”

“What do we have here?” You lift a hand to shield your eyes, watching Pope turn to look at you from his deck,

“We have a safety meeting,” John B calls, hand at his shoulder in a fake walkie-talkie, “Attendance mandatory,”

“Cant, Pops got me on lockdown,” Pope frowns, JJ scoffing,

“Your dads a pussy, over,”

“Oh I heard that, you little bastard,” Heyward snaps, and you raise your chin with a smile,

“We need your son,”

“And hurricane days a free day,” JJ reminds,

“Who the hell made that up?” Heyward questions, and you furrow your brows in pretend thought,

“Pentagon, I think,” You grin, “We have security clearance,”

“You think I’m stupid?” Heyward questions, stepping forward when Pope drops the hose in his hand and lunges off the porch, landing on the HMS boat with a stumble so your arm wrapped around his shoulders, laughing,

“When you get back, you gonna clean your dirty ass room!” Heyward demands, as you wave, “And I don’t like your friends!”

“Hello, princess,” You lean on the edge of the boat, smiling dreamily at Kiara as she moves to the edge of her boat deck. You extend a hand, helping her step down before turning to look at JJ,

“One day, she’s going to take you from me, I know it,” JJ pouts, and you smirk, leaning sideways so your lips pecked his,

“Nah, I like blondes more,” You grin against his mouth, JJs hand coming up to cup the back of your neck,

“Take your beer before I barf,” Kiara cuts, shoving two beer bottles between you so you leaned back and took one, narrowing your eyes,

“Okay, okay,” JJ stands up, popping the top to his bottle and moving to stand on the edge, “I got this,”

“No, you tried this six thousand times and you failed every time,” You remind, leaning back so the beer that missed his mouth flew past you, John B groaning in disgust.

You reach up to tug at JJs shorts in an attempt to pull him back down, the sudden jerk of the boat forcing JJ off the ledge, your body lurching forward so you hit the edge of the boat- hard- groaning at the pain in your muscles,

“Pope, what the hell?” John B calls, as you lift you head, watching JJ resurface from the water,

“J, you okay?”

“I think my heels touched the back of my head,”

Pope snorts, stepping up, face dropping as he looks down into the water, “Guys,”

“What?” You finally sit up, following your gaze so you cursed, “Holy shit, there’s a boat,”

“No way,” Kiara moves next to you, “Holy shit,” She repeats, “There is,”

John B tugs off his shirt, your legs leading you off the edge so you dropped into the water beside JJ, hand over your nose.

Sure as shit, a boat. An expensive one, that is. Rising for air, you watch your friends talk all at once in hysterics for your finding,

“Did you see that?” JJ calls to everyone, Kiara nodding with a short, “Yeah, I did,”

“That’s a Grady White,” JJ swims up to the HMS boat, heaving himself up before twisting and taking your hand, “A new one of those is like five hundred Gs, easy,”

“That’s the boat I saw when I surfed the surge,” John B states, as you twist the water out of your hair, “Maybe it hit the jetty or something,”

“You surfed the surge?” Kiara asks, roughly, and you squint your eyes with a grin

“You didn’t?”

“Do we know whose boat that is?” Pope asks, heaving a breath of air from how long he held it underwater,

“No, but we’re about to find out,” John B picks up the anchor, saluting you before he jumps back off the boat, allowing the weight of the anchor to pull him down.

He comes back up in short time, hand raising to show you the yellow key in his hand, “I found this motel key,”

“A key,” Your smile drops into irritation, pushing away from the edge to sit down, the adrenaline quick to leave your system,

“Yes, a key, Y/N,” John B lifts himself up,

“Guys, we should report the wreck to the coast guard,” Kiara states, as the boat begins to speed off, “Maybe we’ll get a finders fee,”

“Yeah and not work all summer,” You hum, letting the wind blow dry your hair, “Maybe we should just go find out ourselves. Go to this motel, does it have a name?”

You reach out, taking the key from John B and reading the name before handing it back, “Let’s go lady and gents,”

A sharp whistle, and you look up at the damaged motel, “I thought the Chateau looked bad,” You raise to stand up, waiting for the boat to stop on the edge of the grass before hopping off, “Kie, Pope, keep a lookout,”

“Shouldn’t you stay here?” Kiara asks, eyes glancing to JJ jumping beside you,

“Are you kidding?” You grin, JJs arm sliding around your shoulders before he points up to the motel,

“Let me take you on a tour, sweetheart,” He teases, pulling you towards the steps with John B quick behind you,

“Just be so careful, John B,” JJ turns to grab John Bs jaw, mocking Kiaras demand to your twin brother,

“God, you’re so weird,” John B shoved him away, JJ scoffing as he looks at you,

“What was that about?” He asks your brother,

“I don’t know, maybe she wants us to be careful,” John B protests, and you roll your eyes,

“Or maybe Kiara loves you,” You tease, sliding your own arm around JJs torso as you walked in sync, “Come on, big brother, Kiara totally likes you,”

“If Kiara likes anyone it’s you, babe,” JJ states, “C’mon, we all know she’s secretly gay for you,”

“Maybe,” You hum, grinning as he removes his arm to send a light knock to the door on the key,

“Housekeeping,” He speaks in a high-pitch voice, receiving no answer,

John B unlocks the door, and you pear over JJs shoulder, body slumping in disappointment at the empty, boring hotel room,

“Check the bag,” John B orders, JJ unzipping it, “See if there’s a name on there somewhere,”

“Nope,” You lift the jacket on the stool, “No name,”

John B kneels down, your eyes watching as he pressed random buttons on the safe, “John, try this,” You hold out the sticky note with numbers, and he hums in thanks,

The safe opens with a short hiss, John B cheering out a small “yay” as he pulls it wide,

“Whoa,” You mutter, watching John B pull out a wad of cash and a small hand gun, “Holy shit,”

“What?” JJ steps up, instantly taking the gun and grinning,

“Put the gun back,” John B hisses, raising to his feet, “JJ, seriously!”

“This is a fucking spend gatt, man. Just... bam! Bam!” JJ pretends to shoot, your eyes snapping to the door upon hearing keys,

“Guys- cops!” You hiss, JJ looking at you before following John B to the window,

“Get it open,” John B presses, and the window opens wide, “Go,” You move out and onto the small roof under the window. JJ is quick to follow after, body pressing you against the side of the motel beside the window,

“Can they see us?” You whisper yell, JJs head barely shaking as he turns his head, silently staring at John B on the other side of the window,

A moments pause, JJs hand suddenly dropping the gun in his grip so it clattered off the roof and into the grass. Your jaw clenched as JJ presses himself harder against you, arms tight around your waist so you were nearly invisible to the window,

“You should have forgotten the stupid gun,” You hiss, lowly, JJ shushing you as his eyes flick between yours, then tilts his head to look at John B again. Your head leans forward into JJs chest, eyes watching in terror as Chief Shoupe peered out the window, then leaned away back into the motel room,

Your eyes flutter shut in relief, JJs hands loosening at your hips as your head leans back against the wall, looking back up to meet his gaze, “You’re an idiot,”

“Well that was fun,” JJ comments fifteen minutes later, your body laid across the front of the HMS Pogue, “Could have warned us sooner though,”

“We would have, except Pope was on the math team,” Kiara comments, showing Pope had failed to throw a rock at the window to alarm you,

“You were on the math team?” You glance at Pope, who rolls his eyes,

“The cops took everything like it was a crime scene,” John B speaks up,

“Did you guys find anything?” Pope questions, JJ raising his head before his hands, showing off the gun and the wad of cash,

“Dude, why take that from a crime scene?” Kiara hisses, and your eyes squint as Pope begins to panic about losing his scholarship,

“So it turns out, Scooter is the Grady White owner,” Pope shows up at the Chateau an hour later, pacing in front of you curled in the corner chair, JJ in the recline beside you, “We need to have total and complete amnesia,”

“For once, Popes right,” JJ speaks up, hand leaving your thigh to stand up, “See, I agree with you sometimes, deny, deny, deny,”

“Guys, we can’t keep that money,” Kiara speaks, and you lift your head off your hand,

“I agree with Kiara,” You nod, “We have to pass that off to Lana Grubbs,”

“I agree,” John B echoes, and you raise your eyebrows at your twin brother, “This dude has never had more than forty bucks in his pocket, and all of a sudden he has a Grady White?” John B raises his hands, stepping into the house, “Just sayin’,”

Keggers. A party that brings Tourons, Pogues, and Kooks all together, somehow. They always seem to end with a fight, though. The one thing you looked forward to.

Except when it’s your own idiots who start the fight.

“Did I offer this to you?” JJ raises his eyebrows along with the red solo cup, blue eyes harsh on Topper, the Kook princess’ boyfriend, “Didn’t think so, run along,”

In swift motions, Topper has smacked the beer into JJs face, JJ has lunged at Topper, and within seconds, Topper is drowning John B in the ocean and JJ is shooting a gun into the air.

“That’s enough!” Your shout silences the group. Huh. Okay. “Kooks, onto your side, Pogues!” You jab a finger towards Pope pulling John B up, “Let’s fucking go,”

“Youre not still mad at me, are you?”

Your eyes shift over to the blonde next to you. Hair blowing in the wind, your mind runs over last night events. Today’s event- John B searching the Grady White using stolen scuba gear,

“You brought out a gun, at a party,” You remind, head tilted to look at him,

“Okay, I was saving your brothers ass, just so you know,” JJ leans back, and your eyes run over his face, wide,

“My brother wouldn’t have almost been drowned if you weren’t arguing with Topper,” You protest, voice snipping, “So don’t bring this around on him,”

“Guys,” Kiara cuts, your eyes narrowing in irritation as you look at her, “Someone’s following us,”

“There’s two of them,” Pope squints, staring at the two figures on the boat behind, “And one of thems got a gun- holy shit!”

JJ is quick to grab your arm and tug you into him, free hand grabbing the edge of the boat as you drop onto the floor of said boat, your eyes wide in alert,

“Holy shit guys!” Kiara panics, your eyes pinching shut as JJs hand slid up to your head, his own lifting to look over at the two men shooting constant bullets,

“Damn it, move,” Kiara steps over Pope, picking up the fishing next piled at your feet,

“Kiara, get down!” You squeak, eyes tearing as she threw the net, cutting the second boats engine so John B is able to steer away,

“Oh my god,” You panic, sitting up as JJ follows, his hand sliding from your shoulder to your hip to check for any injuries,

“Okay okay okay. Can you please open the bag? We almost died over this shit,”

You kneel down in front of John B opening the bag, pulling out a container that held a compass,

“Great,” Pope steps back, shaking his head, “We found a compass,”

Your brows furrow as you take the compass, flicking it open so your eyes widened and looked up at John B,

“Dude, what?” JJ asks, “It’s not worth anything,”

“This was dads,” You exhale, throat suddenly tight as JJs face fell and his eyes searched your face, “This- this is dads compass, John B,”

John Bs eyes raise to yours, then up to the group behind you.

Could Big John still be alive?

[jelly-drabble]

Secret Admirer pt2

Continuation of Secret Admirer Synopsis: It’s time you and your gentleman caller take it a step further Warnings: NSFW; rough sex, creampie Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28436301

The fact that until now, your brain hadn’t stopped and decided this was going too far, was more unsettling to you than the situation you found yourself in. The only thing separating you two was a thin sheet of glass and a wire screen. If he really wanted to put a rock through it, he could. You just stare at each other for a while though. Even this close, you can’t see the eyes behind the mask, but you can feel them boring into you. The initial shock of it all had caused you to let your hand fall slack at your side, but the crackling of a voice on the other end was calling you back.

“Hello?? Is everything okay?”

You clear your throat, eyes still locked on the plastic mask. It’s cheap looking, you can imagine exactly what it smells like.

“Yeah-... Yeah, sorry. I think it was an animal getting into the trash. I’m alright.”

The pause on the other end comes off as irritated. The superficially sweet tone that returns adds to this.

“Alright, honey. I’m gonna get some sleep, call me if you need anything else.”

“Goodnight,” you want this call to end just as badly as she does.

The line dies and you drop your phone on your bed. The figure hasn’t left. Or moved at all. You imagine he heard your conversation to some extent. A gloved hand gestures to his left.

Stupid. So fucking stupid.

Yet you find yourself walking to the back door. Possessed by… who knows. A high sex drive you suppose.

The back door is wide open by the time you reach it, grounding you instantly. What the fuck were you thinking? You had the chance to call for help and you just threw it away.

Without thinking, you close the door, and immediately your attention is drawn down the hall again. A door slammed shut behind you. Unarmed, and apparently out of your mind, you take a few drawn-out steps down the hallway.

Correction. Your door had slammed shut. You could see it clearly now. You could hear your phone ringing from inside.

Well. He’d suggested taking things a step further. Though, at the time you’d assumed it was just dirty talk. The thought of him fucking you himself was just a way to help you get off.

The swirling mix of excitement and fear is enough to make you dizzy, and it’s the driving force that makes you twist the doorknob with an albeit shaky hand.

There isn’t a mask waiting for you on the other side, which is what you’d expected. There isn’t much of anything, except your still-buzzing phone sitting in the middle of your bed.

From where you’re standing, you can’t see the caller ID, and you allow yourself to take the bait. You made it all the way to the bed before the call stopped, and as you lean onto the bed, one knee up, the flash of a camera alerts you to his position. You whip around, eyes wide, only to be met with another blinding flash of light.

“Strip,” he says plainly, muffled by the mask.

You’re dumbfounded, but you don’t test his patience. First, you start to pull your shirt over your head.

“Slowly,” he hisses, but you’re already halfway out of the shirt.

You try to make more of a show out of taking off your pajama bottoms, having turned around to face the bed while you do it. Another flash.

“Stop there. Get on the bed.”

He seems a lot pushier this time around. Not that you mind. You crawl onto the bed, settling on your knees and resting your hands a little too politely in your lap. In all honesty, you’re not sure what to do with them. Or yourself for that matter.

“Spread ‘em.”

You part your knees, running your hands down either thigh.

Two flashes.

“Take those off, and-“

He cuts himself short as you turn around and promptly get into what you assume is his favorite position (face down into the mattress), making an agonizingly slow spectacle of pulling down your underwear.

The camera clicks a few times but when the room falls silent again, you turn to ask for further instructions.

A leather-clad hand pushes your face back down into the comforter. The other lightly grazes it’s fingertips over the bare skin of your lower back and over to your hip before gripping it roughly. You wince and squirm, and you’re almost certain you can hear a soft sigh.

Both of his shins pin down your calves.

“You’re already wet.”

There was a change in his tone. It was slight, like he was fighting hard not to let it show, but it was there. He was getting excited.

This is the exact image you’d been playing over in your head for a few weeks now, you could only imagine he’d been daydreaming about it too.

The sound of his zipper makes your heart start to pound in your chest. Just like he promised the first time you’d spoken over the phone, he presses his shaft flat against your ass. There isn’t much preparation beyond that though, he’s eager to press the head against your entrance, and even more so to completely sheath himself inside of you.

There’s a long grumblr in his chest, you can feel it as he leans down against you. It seems like it’s taking all his energy to take it as slowly as he is, which isn’t saying much.

He doesn’t offer you the courtesy of asking if you’re ready, once you’re totally filled up, he pulls almost all the way out before thrusting back into you. His pace is relentless right from the rip. His palm moves from your face and yanks you back by your hair.

Now without a buffer, your moans cut through the previously still house. Every so often he tugs at your hair to get you to yelp, but you find yourself getting pushed a little closer every time.

Your scalp burned as he suddenly yanked you back against him, his hips slapping against your ass. The cold plastic of the mask startled you as it touched your neck.

“I want you to cum all over my cock,” he whispers, his grip on your hair making you cringe, but his voice made your cunt twitch.

Who were you to deny him that request? Only after a few more pumps the spark shot down through your body, causing you to tense up before shuddering and spitting out obscenities. The show you put on must have helped him reach that mental peak too, because before you’d even stopped spasming his hips jerked up against you one final time and he let out a guttural, shaky moan.

You could feel the cum dripping down your thighs already, his cock was still twitching inside of you. Finally he let go of your hair, and you collapse onto the bed in front of him. You couldn’t even find the energy left in you to raise any questions, not even about his decision to finish inside of you. He doesn't seem quite as drained, as he zips his pants back up and collects his camera.

“I’ll call you,” he assures you on his way out.

You can’t help but snort, but it’s probably safe to assume that he isn’t joking.

[ador3rin]

act four : can't see? | just watch the movie | act five : you know her?

note : I WROTE TOO MUCH PLS IM SO SORRY 😹I ik i said the hangout will be this act but since i have sm to say it'll be in the next one M SORRY I PROMISE <333

your early morning mission to snatch up a good seat for your first literature class was a success! sitting a few rows back from the front so you didn’t seem too nerdy, but not far back enough to send the wrong message--the perfect spot. fortune also seemed to be in your favor considering no one had sat in front of you obstructing your view, leaving you with a clear line of sight to your professor at the front of the room.

this victory lasted until around 20 minutes after class had begun. you were busy hastily scribbling down the names of books your professor had either recommended or mentioned that you would be looking at for the semester, too engrossed in your note-taking to notice the raven haired figure who had just entered the room. your ears only perking up in curiosity at the sound of gruntled apologies, hand pausing as you looked up from your page. allowing your eyes to flicker over to the latecomer, you couldn’t help but ogle at the tall male for a minute longer than you probably should’ve. clad in a white hoodie and denim jeans, both hands stuffed into his pocket with a nonchalant form, his face bore an uninterested expression as he awaited the teacher’s response.

his cat like gaze immediately reciprocated your staring, prompting your eyes to dart back to the screen besides your professor and a slight warm heat to crawl up your neck. your luck had seemingly begun to run out, starting with you getting caught staring at your criminally attractive classmate, who then thought that out of all the possible seating options in the room, the perfect spot would be right in front of you. refusing to make the same mistake twice, you kept your eyes glued to the board as he settled down into his seat.

however, your vision was quickly invaded with a mop of black hair, brows furrowing as you lean this way and that to reclaim your once unobstructed view. a quiet huff of annoyance spilling past your lips as you had half a mind to confront the stranger, before considering the less combative option of simply just moving over a seat to avoid any unnecessary interactions.

the sound of an irritated huff amused rintarō to no end, straightening his back further as if he wasn’t already completely blocking your view. he was already having to take this stupid course involuntarily, so he most definitely would jump at any chance to make this whole experience any less miserable. starting with a little mischief.

after a while of you no doubt stewing in frustration, he decides to speak up. “can’t see?” he mused with a grin, mostly expecting you to either not hear him, or to ignore him completely.

“i can see fine.” a short, stubborn response. you arrived to class early to get this seat, and you sure as hell were not going to give it up for a man, no matter how unattractive. and one certainly not one who seemed to be enjoying this no less!

“you sure? because i-” he was cut off by the sound of your professor dismissing the class, and you rushed to gather your belongings and hightail it out of there before having to hear the rest of his sentence. suna watched your retreating form with a curious glint in his eyes and a slight upturn to his lips, before sliding out of his seat and leaving the classroom himself.

# ange's comments

suna menace to society arc

yn also isn't super mad, she's just dramatic

atsumu (and i) are being so srs pls answer

kenma did in fact open the door

tags : @call-me-lulu @achoomoos @chirity-chu @moonlit-island @yourlocalbabybird @tsukkisboo @sunarinsbubs @sunasbadposturelmao @kamryn865 @beidouluvr @stffychn @pagkaiin @daphnxy

[yoichichi]

To Call You Mine

college!tsuki x reader series

Ch. 3 - not a buddy, just a tutor

warning(s): toxic relationship behavior, toxic mindset, loneliness ☹️, kind of some Angst 😶

a/n: hehehehe I loved the way some of y’all were reacting about the boyfriend part LMAO , I hope you enjoy this ch!! And you know I love love love hearing from you guys :)

Ch. 1 Ch. 2

“Tomorrow, we’ll be sure to review…”

You couldn’t focus on what your professor said as you left the classroom, thumbs moving at the speed of light as you texted Tsukishima back urgently.

Wednesday 12:02 pm

- ‘Omg, I seriously owe you sm. Class wasn’t perfect but it kind of made SENSE! Ty fr :)’

You probably looked like an idiot smiling so big down at your phone but you couldn’t fathom how relieved you felt versus the usual existential dread that hung over you nearly every other day after Calc.

You turn your ringer back on as you shove your phone into your pocket, remnants of a small smile resting on your face. Still reeling from your accomplished high, you figured some celebratory coffee would-

ding

You think the speed at which you snatched your phone back out, almost fumbling it in the process, was more embarrassing than how you were smiling earlier. It just felt nice to hear some validation from Tsuki, you haven’t known him long - at all - but it didn’t feel like a regular occurrence with him. And it kind of made you feel special if you were being honest.

Kai💗😩🥳

- ‘Still down to hang?’

Your cheeks began to hurt with how often you were smiling today. Not who you were expecting, but it made you pleased nonetheless to see your boyfriends contact pop up onto your screen. You clicked on the message and unlocked your phone, typing your response chalk full of cheesy emojis.

ding

ding

ding

ding

The notifications momentarily pause your movements as you read the banners quickly and quietly to yourself.

Tsukishima :)

- ‘sounds like you still need a tutor 🙄’

- ‘and np’

- ‘if you need to go over today’s lesson before Sunday just text me and we’ll figure something out.’

- ‘but we’re still on for Sunday so no there’s no getting out of that.’

You made a mental note to finish your text to Kai in a moment, swiping to get to Tsuki’s messages.

- ‘that eager to see me again? Aren’t you sweet 😌 I’m getting coffee as a gift for myself, if you’re not busy ig I could get you one too as a thanks 🙄’

You clicked your phone off once more, ignoring the string of sounds coming from your back pocket, instead choosing to focus on the walk there and mentally check your schedule to see when you were free. Maybe you’d take him up on his offer.

The walk was short enough to not have to worry about warming back up when you got inside, which really meant you could have an iced coffee without the consequences of a cold drink during the chilly autumn weather.

Walking up to wait in line, you debated between choosing your regular order or trying something new. Your eyes bore into the menu with an intensity comparable to someone like Kai on the court. You giggled quietly to yourself at such a clever thought before going back to deciding what you wanted before it was your turn to order.

“Hmm, blatantly ignoring me and giggling to yourself about it? You certainly are in a mood, aren’t you?”

You nearly jumped out of your skin at the sound of a familiar cocky voice behind you, warmth emitting from his chest that almost had you backing into it.

You huffed and turned your head over your shoulder to see Tsuki, the man of the hour, looming over you with that shit eating grin.

“You think you’re cute sneaking up on me like that?” You squinted your eyes and reached out to lightly smack his, surprisingly quite firm, chest.

“Adorable, actually.” His smile got even wider when you rolled your eyes and tried not to smile yourself, turning your attention back to the menu.

“You know, if you would’ve answered my texts you would’ve had a coffee waiting for you already.” Tsuki commented and sighed, feigning annoyance with you as he watched you glance between him and your phone, now in your hand, in confusion.

Tsukishima :)

- ‘not eager to see you, eager to tutor you more so I get to see you less ❤️’

- ‘and now you’re offering to buy me a drink? Who really wants to see who’

- ‘I’m already here anyway, just text me what you want.’

- ‘you’re offer expires in about 39 seconds.’

- ‘😐’

- ‘sucks for you ig.’

You chuckle and put your phone away, cooing playfully about how sweet he is as you watch his arrogant smile slowly fade away from his face. It wasn’t until you gained the attention of a couple people around you that he had enough, muttering about how annoying you are and how he can’t wait to get rid of you as he nudges you up to the cashier.

Placing your order, you step to the side and wait - and apparently Tsukishima was going to be waiting with you.

“So, you said you felt more comfortable in class?”

His face was more serious now as he asked you the question, no playful smiles or a snarky demeanor. You could tell he was just waiting for a genuine answer.

His eyebrows rested softly on his face as you spoke. They sat not too far above his eyes that were slightly wider than normal, occasionally raising in response to the lilts in your voice. His lips were only slightly parted, resting in a fine line. He looked, contemplative.

“Oh, hey babe!”

A familiar booming voice cuts you off mid rant, your face and body twisting into it’s direction.

“I thought you were maybe talking to your calc professor or somethin’ since you didn’t answer my text right away like you usually do.” Kai, your boyfriend, was right next to you now. His long, strong arm pulling you into his side to keep you there, pressing a kiss to the side of your head in the process.

He turned his attention to Tsukishima now, eyeing him up and down before offering him his own signature grin: all toothy, bright, and fake.

“I’m Kai, her boyfriend, nice to meet you.”

You internally screamed at the way he had to emphasize the fact that he was your boyfriend, and then internally screamed even louder at the way Tsukishima chuckled - no scoffed - at what Kai said.

Not every person to ever be in your presence was a threat to the security of your relationship.

You hated how over protective he could be sometimes, even if he means well. Deciding now wasn’t the time to mull over your recent relationship troubles, you gave Tsuki an “I’m sorry he can be like that sometimes” glance.

Squeezing quickly onto Kai’s arm, you took your turn to speak before either of them could.

“This is Tsukishima, my frien-“

“What’s so funny?” Kai had that smile still, but tilted his head just enough to show he wasn’t really smiling.

“I’m Tsukishima Kei, her tutor, nice to meet you. I just think it’s funny our names are so similar, that’s all.”

Tsuki’s smirk screamed “I’m a liar and that’s most definitely not what I’m laughing about”, and his eyes gleamed with playfulness, toying with the limits of your boyfriends patience.

Kai was a well built man. 6’2”, not too lean but not too big, and a wide frame. And when you pair that with his resting face and his usual, presence, he likes to carry, he’s not always the most approachable person. And he certainly doesn’t make it easy when he’s actively trying to be intimidating, or whatever it is he does. But thankfully Tsukishima’s either too stupid to notice or simply doesn’t care; either way you appreciate the consistency in his attitude.

What you didn’t appreciate was being cut off.

“Like I was trying to say, Tsukishima’s a friend. M-“

“Oh, so we’re friends now? I wouldn’t say a single tutoring session makes us friends.” Tsuki’s silly little smirk was short lived as he met your eyes.

You really didn’t appreciate being cut off. Twice. And maybe you didn’t appreciate this little attitude of his.

“Oh? Well I didn’t know acquaintances offered to buy the other coffee.” Your eyes bore into his with a harsh stare, making the tips of his ears start to turn red before he did his best to make up for himself.

“They do when they’re trying to get to know them better. I mean, if that’s allowed?” The expectant glare Tsukishima gave Kai made your blood run cold.

Such an asshole.

You clenched your jaw and huffed, but before you or Kai could get to speak, Tsuki beat you both to it.

“Just text me and we’ll figure something out, see you Sunday if not sooner.”

And with that he was gone, snatching his bag up and shoving his belongings into it carelessly before pushing through the door.

The gust of wind that blew through was appropriately cold for the situation.

“Order for (y/n)!”

—

“How am I the dick here?” Kai’s voice bounced off the walls in your cramped dorm, his harsh tone echoing from all corners of the space.

Thankfully, most people were probably out in a class or eating lunch at this time like Bonnie was.

“Why do you have to make everything a pissing contest between you and any man in my general vicinity? I don’t know Kai, maybe I’d like to fucking have another friend besides Bo-“

“Oh don’t guilt trip m-“

Interrupted, again.

“Quit doing that! Quit cutting me off just let me speak!”

You felt your voice crack from the extensive length the two of you have been going at it, just trying to get a word out. The tension was high in the room as you calmed yourself down and caught your breath, doing your best to swallow the growing lump in your throat.

“Just,”, you groaned and covered your face with your hands for a brief moment before continuing,

“We’re supposed to be working on our trust, Kai.”

It was quiet for a few seconds before he spoke up softly.

“Babe, it’s not you that I don’t trust.”

You sighed deeply as you felt the hot tears that had been waiting to spill run down your cheeks.

“Kai. That’s bullshit. It doesn’t matter that you don’t trust other people or whatever the hell you’re saying, cause I’m the one being affected by your feelings and actions. I’m the one who might lose a possible friend because you’re insecure.”

That must’ve been his last straw. Because instead of another sharp response, it was silent. The sound of the door clicking open making noise rather than him himself.

It caught your attention as you looked up to watch Kai begin to leave just barely hearing him say,

“I’ll talk to you later.”

The silence that filled the space after he left was suffocating. You wanted to scream, cry, and go to bed all at once. And the latter didn’t sound like such a bad idea.

You rolled onto your bed and clutched onto your blanket tight, not wanting to let your feelings fester and think about how angry you were right now. But you couldn’t stop yourself when your chest grew heavy as you began to sob, you hated how often he’d just avoid an issue. But right now, that’s exactly what you felt like doing, too.

Sitting up, you changed and crawled under the covers, deciding a nap was the only way you were gonna be able to give yourself a break right now. And you were completely right.

Not before changing his contact to just, “Kai”, of course.

He doesn’t deserve the emojis right now.

—

It was dark and your skin was clammy when you woke up, your head pounding. You were in desperate need of a drink of water. Sitting up slowly, rubbing your face in a desperate attempt to smooth away your grogginess, you hopped off your bed towards your desk.

Why does being with him have to be so draining?

You’ve never felt like your relationship was perfect or easy, but you’ve also never felt like it wasn’t worth it. How often does someone stay with their high school sweetheart - albeit off and on - until their second year in college? And besides, you were both trying to make it easy for each other at the least.

Making friends was easy for you, it was keeping them that was hard. Remembering to set aside time to make plans, or even remember to make them in the first place. Or even doing something simple like shooting them a text, whether it was your nerves or not you’ve always just told yourself you’re too busy and too focused to spend time creating a bunch of lasting friendships.

But Kai? Kai’s always stuck around, no matter how many times he’s reminded you how often you’ve made things difficult for the two of you. Even when he’s left he’s come back, willing to listen and figure it all out. He’s always been your one and only. But that’s also the problem;

He’s always been your one and only.

Recently it’s felt like no matter what you do, he’s the reason you can’t keep a friend.

Why need a friend when you have Kai, he’s basically your friend, too, right? They want too much of your time, they’re too touchy, they’re too pushy, shouldn’t you be studying? Shouldn’t you be hanging out with him?

You plopped down into your desk chair and placed your head in your hands, your thoughts beginning to overwhelm you again.

ding

Peeking an eye over to your phone, still sitting on your nightstand from where you left it earlier, you reluctantly made your way over to see who was bothering you.

Bon Bon 🥐💗

- ‘Ahhhhh! Sorry I’m not back yet (even though I don’t think you and Kai will mind lolol) I’m just gonna stay at my friends house for the night so don’t worry bout me! Just a late night study sesh gone too long is all :) love ya girlie!’

A sudden wave of loneliness washed over you as you tried not to cry again, you were getting annoyed at how many times you felt like crying tonight.

You stared at her message for a few more moments before finally sending your reply.

- ‘you’re good :) we’re having a late night movie sesh so I’m gonna get back to that! ily 2 see u tmrw ❤️’

You don’t know why you felt like you had to lie, maybe you just didn’t want to have to explain it all right now, or worry her.

You noticed you had a few more messages waiting to be read, too. Although none were from Kai.

Tsukishima :)

4:32 pm

- ‘sorry if I came off weird earlier. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or upset, I just didn’t like how Kai was acting.’

5:01 pm

- ‘by how Kai was acting I mean he just acted like he had a problem with me when we’ve never even met before. I know I antagonized him too though so to be more specific I’m sorry about that.’

- ‘I’m also sorry if I caused friction between you two, let me know if you’re still comfortable with me tutoring you or if you’d rather me find you someone else. I know some pretty nice ones.’

- ‘just to clarify though I personally don’t have a problem continuing to tutor. Don’t want you to think you did anything to upset me.’

You sniffled and glanced up to the small digits in the upper left hand corner of your screen.

11:56 pm

Jesus.

You stared at his texts for a while, unsure of what to say but also relieved at the fact he texted you. Seems like you were worried about Kai spoiling this budding friendship for you more than you thought.

Thursday 12:03 am

- ‘ty for the apology I really appreciate that. It was kind of awkward but Kai also really played into the whole situation so I’m sorry for how he acted too. I’m very okay with you being my tutor still but ty for asking’

- ‘I’m actually free to even study now lol’

- ‘you do still owe me that coffee’

You felt the tiniest of weights lift off your shoulders as you sent your messages. It felt nice knowing-

ding

..

There’s no way he should be up this late. Doesn’t he have crazy early workouts for volleyball or something?

Tsukishima :)

- ‘ofc. I’m actually at the library now if you want to join me :) same spot as last time’

The fact he replied so quickly was surprising, and his seemingly equal eagerness to see you surprised you even more. But, in a pleasantly surprised kind of way.

You smiled down at your phone, sitting up and slipping your slides on at a lethal pace. It felt good to smile a little bit.

And really, it’s not like you had anything better to do. Plus, being alone right now doesn’t exactly sound like too much fun.

You texted him a quick, “omw!”, before slipping out of your dorm.

You could guess Tsukishima is just as lonely as you are with how quick he seemed to invite you to a study session.

Hmph. Acquaintances my ass.

—————————

Any thoughts on Kai? On y/n and their relationship? ?Any thoughts at all??? Send em my way :)

taglist for series: @plutowrites @c0rncheez @ruetaro @toyas-wife @devilkou @anime-and-kpop-trash @haley-talks-too-much @jiungsfav @sergeant102105 (if you’d like to be added or removed let me know!)

[milfnearyou]

                𝐨𝐡 𝐬𝐞𝐡𝐮𝐧: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥.

 “𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: 2.4K | 𝐎𝐇 𝐒𝐄𝐇𝐔𝐍 𝐗 𝐅𝐄𝐌!𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: ANGST. CHEATING. BETRAYAL. SUGGESTIVE. THATS PRETTY MUCH IT THIS TIME AROUND. NGL THIS ISN’T MY BEST WORK AND IS A SHORT ONE SHOT, SORRY! CLICK HEADER FOR HIGHER RESOLUTION BC TUMBLR IS STUPID.

VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

“So you just woke up one day and decided you loved me?!” 

Your voice was painfully shrill, bouncing against the metal walls and echoing through the elevator shaft. If you hadn't been so furious, you would've cringed at the way you sounded. Considering your behaviour to be completely out of character and rather petty. But it was impossible to think straight. With all the sirens in your mind screaming 'Alert!' causing you to grow defensive. You saw everything as red, wrapped in a series of warning signs. Eager to protect yourself you grew aggressive, fury coursing through your veins and laced with disgust. 

The disbelief was evident in your tone, accompanied by the extremely annoyed look plastered on your face. Your eyebrows were contorted together, lightly creasing your forehead as you anxiously chewed on your bottom lip. Your hands were balled into tight fists trembling at your sides as you fought the urge to beat the living crap out of him. 

"Fucking answer me Sehun!" You exclaim, throwing your hands in the air. You didn't understand him, not taking any of his bullshit words seriously as a result. Had he been telling the truth, had he truly meant every word he said. Sehun wouldn't have just stood there in front of you with nothing to say. The silence he offered simply adding more fuel to the fire that raged inside of you. 

"So now you're silent? You weren't this fucking quiet back when you were professing your so-called love to me?! What's gotten into you now?"

Again, nothing but silence. The tall man simply stands there in front of you with his hands shoved into the pockets of his pants as the elevator continues to rise higher and higher. With every floor, the elevator cabinet passed, the angrier you got and it didn't help that you lived in a high rise apartment. If he continued to act this way you'd be fuming, steam emitting from your body by the time you'd reach your floor.

“Do you even know what it means to love someone? Or do you just throw yourself in any direction that proves beneficial to your selfish well being?” The questions flew past your lips one after another. You weren’t going to hold back either. Pushing yourself towards him, forcing him to explain himself. 

You didn't deserve the silence. You deserved proper answers, ones that were absent from the immature man in front of you. 

"Answer me right now or I swear to god I'm cutting you off forever," Warning him, you take a step forward to face him closer. Invading his personal space as you stare at him, craning your neck upwards with your arms crossed. 

Watching him like a hawk, you attentively wait. Noticing how he seems to take a slight step back, his broad chest heaving up and down slowly. He seems to be nervous or perhaps, flustered? It was hard for you to believe that with all the ways he could've handled the situation this was what he opted for.

Step by step, you get closer and closer towards Sehun until he's got his back pressed against the metal walls of the elevator. It was hard to believe that someone who looked dominant most of the time could be so cowardly. 

"I'm not asking again," You state, pressing your index finger roughly against his chest. Physically pushing him around until he's finally had enough. His large hands pressing against your shoulders as he shoves you back, regaining his confidence. Finally, he refutes, silence no longer being an option for him.

“Fuck off! Do you want an answer? Fine, but you don't have to act like such an invasive bitch about things!" 

Stunned your eyes widen. You can't tell if you should be offended or impressed with just how much you pushed him but you let him speak. Not saying anything even though he had just called you a bitch. 

"No, I didn’t just wake up one morning and decide that I’d fall in love with you! It took me countless days and nights, essentially adding up into months of thinking about nothing except you! Do you know how painful it felt for me? Do you not understand how guilty I felt?!” The tone in his voice is dangerously low as he narrows his eyes at you. It's his turn to match your attitude, fixing his posture and standing tall. 

"Oh really? So you only thought about how you felt and not how I would feel knowing about your feelings for me? Sehun, how selfish can you be? You aren't the only person on this godforsaken planet!" 

"You don't think I knew that? I know you wouldn't be happy with this but you have to understand that had I kept everything to myself and continued to hang out around you; it would've been both disrespectful to you but also incredibly torturous to me. It was worth gambling my feelings and confessing with the consequence of potentially losing a friend instead of hiding it."  

Taken aback, you feel yourself pause and you hate yourself for it. Sehun has a point, he's valid for being upfront about things but there was just one thing that didn't sit right with you. Despite wanting an answer and getting it you curse yourself for falling silent. The hypocrisy of your silence hitting you square in the face but you're not done. You still have one more thing to say.

"What about the fact that you're still dating my best friend? Did you think about how much this would hurt her? No, let me guess, I bet you haven't even mentioned anything to her," Bringing your best friend up seemed to be the major thing standing in between both of you.

Sehun stares at you like he's been frozen in time. His features completely poised and monotone as your eyes scan his face for any sign of emotion. It was still much too hard to accept his words, to trust them and understand that it came from the bottom of his heart. Your anger was now replaced with complete confusion, perhaps even denial as you scoff at him. He was crazy to think you'd ditch your best friend for a man like him.

Sehun only stood there with his shoulders pushed back, his posture relaxed. His orange tufts of hair making him look like a complete clown. His current demeanour was very different in comparison to how defensive he was earlier.

How could he be so hot and cold? None of it made sense with his face being completely unreadable, everything felt bland like a black and white movie. Sehun could scream as much as he wanted but his words would never get through, bouncing behind the screen, staying unheard from the crowd. All these things made it impossible to find the sincerity he had in his words represented in his body language. 

The elevator came to a stop with a rather loud ding notifying you that it had arrived on your floor. You take one last look at Sehun battling with yourself on whether or not someone as selfish as him was worth entangling yourself with. But no matter how you thought of it you couldn't accept him. With Sehun came consequences, ones that you weren't willing to risk getting into and that being losing your best friend. Someone who was there for you through thick and thin could never be replaced with a man you'd only known for roughly a year.

He didn't mean anything to you and he wasn't allowed to have any meaning in your life, it just wasn't okay. Betrayal had a greater impact than love, you would be foolish to accept the latter. 

Leaving him behind, you step outside of the elevator. Realizing just how much more breathable the air outside the shaft was in comparison to being back inside holed up with your worst nightmare. Your moment of freedom is cut short when you feel his lean arms wrap around your waist pulling you back inside.

He's clinging onto you like a child refusing to let go as he rests his head next to your shoulder. His hot breath brushing against your neck, making you uncomfortable for many reasons that were quite obvious. He just wasn't single nor available and you couldn't let yourself be the other girl. 

“Please just—take a chance. I'm willing to cross oceans for you, tear apart anything that stands in my way because I love you. I'll break up with her, she's nothing like you. Why can't you see that I love you?” He rambles, his voice falling soft. Sehun sounds like he's about to fall apart as he speaks into the crook of your neck. 

His voice vibrating against your skin, echoing through your mind. Despite his tone being no louder than a whisper, his message came loud and clear. Slowly his plump, soft lips make contact with your skin as you freeze in place watching as the elevator doors slam shut. Moving downwards again you feel like you're slowly descending to hell. 

His actions gave you goosebumps as he peppered kisses against your neck. Using one hand to grasp your waist, holding you close to him. While the other cupped your cheek, tilting your head slightly so he could gain better access to your body, his kisses moving down south and landing onto your shoulder. Pushing your shirt slightly aside before gently biting down on your skin causing you to gasp. 

Sehun's touch was electrifying and almost hypnotizing, you felt yourself growing dizzy and out of touch with your surrounding. As he continued using his lips to convey how much you meant to him against your screaming mind that yelled at you not to do this to your best friend. But like a fool, you melt into his touch. Lips falling apart, as your chest heaves up and down. The air feels intoxicating as he rotates your head towards him. His lips crashing against yours as you feel like you're about to pass out. 

You can't give in, you can't betray your best friend and yet, you feel yourself kissing him back. Your tongue tangling with his, exchanging dirty, secretive kisses. Turning around to face him better you fall into all the places you knew weren't right and that was right into the arms of Sehun's. Intertwining your fingers with his, holding onto him tightly as if the only chance you'd have with him would be taken away. 

Now you knew what it meant to be selfish and just how delicious it tasted. 

The elevator is filled with the lewd, smacking of the shared kisses between you both. His body grinding into yours as you feel yourself growing heavy. Developing a strong heartbeat where your filthy desires lay. You felt yourself growing wet, shifting your thighs uncomfortably together. Feeling his hand snake down towards the waistline of your skirt, tugging on them. 

"You just have to say the word and I'm dropping everything and everyone for you," He says in between kisses as you tilt your head back in pleasure when you feel his fingers slipping past your skirt. Hovering dangerously over your soaked heat. "Do you want to run away with me?" He asks. 

You want to say yes. Your body having a mind of its own would rather speak for you but you just can't bring yourself to go through with it. The image of your best friend is hung up in your mind and even though the damage has already been done, you still don't think it's too late to stop. 

“I can’t and you know I won’t,” You reply, wincing at how your voice cracks. You didn’t want to seem weak in front of him, you needed to show him you had control over how you felt. That you were sure you didn't want him but it was all a lie. A lie you told yourself and in return had the truth spoken out loud by the actions of your body. 

Sehun knew of this and yet, his peppered kisses come to a halt. The grip he's got around you loosening as his hand slips out of your skirt. You step out of his grasp feeling ashamed, not daring to look at him. Turning around and staring at the doors instead. Fixing your shirt you crane your neck from side to side trying your best to calm down. Bringing a shaky hand towards the elevator buttons and clicking for your floor. 

You can feel Sehun's gaze boring holes into the back of your head. 

"I don't understand. Why can't you just let me love you? It's not that hard to just give me a shot. I can give you the world, give you all the happiness and security you need in life."

"--Let me be the man that protects you, that cherishes you. I know it's hard because of her but...don't we deserve to be happy?" He pleads, his voice wavering. If you had turned around to face him you'd see his lips quivering. His dark, brown eyes are glossy with tears threatening to escape from the tiny apertures of his tear ducts. 

But currently, it's your turn to fall silent. All because you know that despite him falling at the seams, begging you to love him you know that he'll only go back to being the same once he's got you twirling around his dainty fingers. His norm being the same silent person as always, emotionally unavailable and confusing as always. Plus, who's to say he won't just ditch you like he's doing to your best friend? 

"It's your turn to answer me," He pleads but you ignore him. Thanking the timing of the elevator for opening right at the end of his sentence. 

Quickly stepping off you pray that he doesn't snake himself around you again because if he does, you don't know if you had the power inside to fight him off again and thankfully he doesn't. Sehun leaves you alone watching you get out of his view, the sound of your Chelsea boots clicking against the hallway floors until suddenly you're just gone. A wave of heartbreak washing over his feelings as he realizes that he just can't sit here and do nothing. 

He won't go back to your best friend, he doesn't love her and in fact, he never did. It wasn't his choice to hurt her like this but he couldn't help but fall in love with the wrong person. So he chases you, chases the love of his life eager to satisfy his selfishness and have you by his side. 

The consequence of dealing with your best friend could come later but first, he needed to convince you once and for all that he was the only good thing in his life. Your best friend was to be replaced. 

   𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐃: 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐅𝐍𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐘𝐎𝐔©︎

[fruitcoops]

I was watching this video w Megan Rapinoe & Sue Bird (tumblr won’t let me link but it’s from 2 days ago on GQ- they ask each other questions but it’s like quiz style?) and didn’t know if you would want to do something similar for coops? Some of the stuff they said/how they acted reminded me of coops’ dynamic

Anon, this video was the perfect way to spend an evening. Both these women are my role models and they’re unbelievably cute together--go check out the video here if you have the chance! Their dynamic is a lot like how I imagine Coops, too! Sweater Weather credit goes to @lumosinlove!

“Hey, Lions, we’re back!” Sirius waved at the camera and tapped a short stack on notecards on his thighs. “I’m Captain Sirius Black of the Gryffindor Lions and I’m here with my fiancé, Remus Lupin, to do another couple game.”

“The response to our last few interviews was incredible and we had a great time,” Remus continued. “Miss Marlene McKinnon was kind enough to drag us back in here to answer even more questions!”

“Do you want to go first?”

“Sure.” Remus cleared his throat and pulled the first card. “What are my parents’ first names?”

“Hope and Lyall.”

“Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. What’s my hidden talent?”

“You can sing.”

“Does that count? I feel like most people know that now.”

“Hmm.” Sirius thought for a moment, drumming his fingers on his knees. “You can cook really well.”

“Thank you, baby. What’s my favorite accessory?”

Sirius brightened. “Your watch!”

“Yes!” Remus held it up to the camera—it was simple and elegant, with a leather band and a small face. He wore it with the clock against the inside of his wrist, just above his pulse point. “What is my dream travel destination or vacation?”

“Oh, that’s tough.” Sirius bit his lip in thought. “Seattle? Paris?”

“I do want to go to Seattle, but I’ve always wanted to go to Montreal,” Remus said. “You’ve seen my hometown, but I’ve never been to yours.”

Sirius frowned. “Really?”

“Really. What am I most afraid of?”

“I think…I think you’re most afraid of not being useful,” Sirius said after a moment. “For six years, your job was all about helping people, and it’s not now.”

Remus raised his eyebrows at the camera. “I was going to say the dentist’s office. Goddamn.”

“Sorry,” Sirius laughed. “Yeah, you don’t like medical facilities.”

“I mean, you weren’t wrong about the useful thing,” Remus said. “You still get a point for that. What’s my favorite music, song, or artist to listen to before a game?”

“You don’t have one.”

“That was quick. Half a bonus point for speed. When was our first date and what did we do?”

“Our first official date was just after All-Stars and we went to Sid’s, but we had been together for about three months at that point and just hung out at each other’s houses.”

Remus grinned. “Do you remember what day it was?”

“January 28th.” Sirius gave him a look. “I know for a fact you don’t know what day it was.”

“January 28th.”

“You only know that because I just said it!” Sirius smacked him playfully with his cards. “Next question.”

“What’s my favorite movie and TV show?”

“Jurassic Park and Avatar: The Last Airbender.”

He whistled the first part of the theme song as Sirius did the hand motions. “What’s my shoe size?”

“Oh, god,” Sirius muttered, staring down at the floor. “Eleven? Eleven and a half? You have smaller feet than I do, but not by much.”

“I’m a size ten.”

“Are you really?”

Remus pulled one sneaker off and handed it to him with a laugh. “Check for yourself. Oh, I’d love to know the answer to this one. How do you know when I’m mad at you?”

Sirius tossed his shoe back with a snort. “You make faces.”

Remus seemed surprised. “Do I?”

“Yeah. You’ve got a very expressive face and the second you’re pissed, it’s written all over it. It’s like—” Sirius pursed his lips and scrunched his nose slightly. “I can’t really do it, but anytime I see that I’m like, ‘oh, shit, what did I do?’ Also, you stop calling me baby.”

“That’s what I was going to say. What’s my favorite city to play in?”

“Not Florida.”

“Not fucking Florida,” Remus agreed with a grin.

“Gryffindor for sure.”

“Where was I born?” He gave Sirius a teasing look. “Do you know this time, or should I get my mom on the line?”

Sirius stuck his tongue out. “Madison, Wisconsin.”

Remus glanced at the camera. “We got asked this question in an interview a few months ago and he had to call my mom afterward because he forgot.”

“She made fun of me the whole time,” Sirius pouted.

“What is my favorite food? Oh, you’ll get this one for sure.” Sirius hesitated and Remus’ eyes widened. “Really?”

“I’m a little torn. It’s either my grilled cheese or your dad’s turkey-cranberry thing. Actually, I don’t think you know what your favorite food is.”

Remus nodded slowly. “That’s a really good point. My first thought was grilled cheese, but my dad makes the best postgame sandwiches. I’ll give you that. What’s my favorite hobby?”

“Reading.”

“What did I want to be when I was a kid?”

“A librarian, until you started playing hockey.”

Remus leaned over and high-fived him. “You’re on a roll, baby. What was my jersey number in college?”

“Number six.”

“The transition was so fucking easy,” Remus laughed. “Coach literally came up to me a month before practices started and went ‘hey, what was your old number?’ and I told him, and he looked down at his clipboard and went, ‘cool.’. I got my jersey two weeks later.”

“Is this your last question?”

“It is, indeed. What’s my full birth name?”

“Remus Jehosephat Lupin.”

“That is incorrect.”

“Close enough. It’s Remus John Lupin, which I find endlessly funny.”

“Why is it funny?” Marlene asked off-screen. Remus hid his face behind his notecards as Sirius laughed.

“Because it’s such a basic middle name! I love Hope and Lyall with my entire heart and they’re wonderful people, but they named their sons Remus and Julian and then I think they got stuck. Like, you’ve got these two very uncommon first names and they sort of went ‘fuck it. John and Michael. We’re done.’ It’s just so funny.”

“Whereas your parents went the extra mile and gave you and Reg goddamn supervillain names,” Remus snorted. “The drama of it all, my god.”

“Alright, alright, my turn.” Sirius leaned his elbows on his knees. “What is my favorite color?”

“Blue.”

“How do I like my coffee?”

Remus hissed between his teeth. “Ah, shit, you always make the coffee. With a lot of sugar, right? It’s black with sugar?”

“It can’t be black if it has sugar in it,” Sirius laughed. “But yes, I do put sugar in my coffee. What are three things I never leave the house without?”

“Keys, wallet, phone.”

“My favorite TV show?”

“Why are you going through these so fast? Uh, Avatar.”

“Did I ever have a job that wasn’t playing hockey?”

“Nope.” Remus frowned. “Were you allowed to get a job as a kid?”

“I was not. What’s my favorite ice cream flavor?”

“Cookies and cream.”

Sirius made a buzzer noise. “Incorrect.”

“Is it chocolate?”

“Yep. You get half a point for that. What’s the first meal I ever cooked for you?”

Remus gave him a look. “You don’t remember what you cooked for me, do you?”

“Refresh my memory?”

“No way!” He punched him lightly on the arm. “I’m not falling for my own tricks. Next question.”

“It’s kind of a repeat from earlier. How do you know when I’m mad at you?”

Remus fiddled with the edges of his cards. “You act all weird and Captain-y, and then you get quiet. Just cranky vibes all around.”

“Cranky vibes,” Sirius laughed. “Good to know. What are my favorite movie-watching snacks?”

“Popcorn and…Sweet Tarts?”

“Yes!” Sirius gave him a high-five. “Do you know what I like on my popcorn?”

“Butter and enough salt to kill a Victorian child.”

“Bonus point! What is—oh, shit!” He nearly fumbled the cards onto the floor. “What is my favorite movie of all time?”

“Indiana Jones.”

“Which one?”

“The one with Marian, because she reminds you of me.” Remus looked over at the camera. “I really don’t like snakes.”

“What is the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning?”

“Oh, I think this requires a demonstration. C’mere.”

“Does it really?” Sirius sighed as he laid down next to him.

“For sure.” Remus cuddled into his side and laid his head on his shoulder. “Alright, the key to a true Sirius Black wake-up is getting all four limbs wrapped around the other person like you’re trying to suffocate them with affection.”

“Okay—”

“And then,” Remus continued with a grin. “I go, ‘honey, wake up’—”

“You absolutely do not.”

“In my head, that’s what I say. It’s very sweet. To answer the question, the first thing Sirius does is this.” He buried his face in Sirius’ chest and groaned loudly, then dissolved into snickering as Sirius’ chest began to shake with suppressed laughter. “Stop it, you’re ruining the demonstration!”

“You forgot the part where I have to peel you off me with pliers and grease,” Sirius teased as they stood up, dusting themselves off. The camera crew applauded and they both bowed. “Alright, where were we? What am I most scared of?”

“Losing your friends and family,” Remus said. “Also, spiders and most bugs.”

“You forgot one.”

“Which one? The dish soap bubbles?”

“Losing you.”

A vibrant blush tinted Remus’ cheeks and ears, and he floundered for words. “Oh.”

“You still get the points, though,” Sirius said mildly. “What city do I like playing in the most?”

Remus paused for a moment longer, then shook his head to clear his thoughts. “Uh, Gryffindor. You like the crowd.”

“I do.” Sirius smiled at the camera. “To all the fans out there: you are incredible and there is nothing like skating out with everybody roaring so loud the windows shake. Who is my biggest hockey influence?”

“Now, or when you were younger?”

“Now.”

“It’s Dumo, right?”

Sirius nodded. “On and off the ice. What’s my proudest career moment?”

“Hmm, I wonder,” Remus said sarcastically. “Could it possibly be winning the Stanley Cup?”

“Just maybe,” Sirius laughed. “What’s my most famous celly, and which one’s my favorite?”

Remus grinned. “Lightning McQueen.”

“I hate it when you call it that.” Despite his words, Sirius was smiling. “It’s supposed to be cool!”

“Can you elaborate?” Marlene asked.

“I mean, most people who have seen him play know what I’m talking about,” Remus said, gesturing to the camera. “But Sirius’ famous celly is a double fist pump, and I call it the Lightning McQueen because it’s like ka-chow! It’s also his favorite one, though he dances when we’re skating alone or with a couple of the guys.”

“Shhh, they aren’t supposed to know that!” Sirius covered Remus’ mouth with his notecard. “This is the very last one. What is my biggest pet peeve?”

“When I leave my socks laying around the house.”

“Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner! That drives me fucking bonkers. Marley, who won?”

“It wasn’t a competition,” she said off-screen. “Just a Q & A.”

“Who got the most right?” Remus asked.

“You two are hopeless,” she muttered. There were a few beats of silence. “Remus won, with sixteen and a half out of seventeen. Sirius, you had fifteen and a half.”

“No.” Sirius groaned and dropped his head into his hands as Remus whooped.

“Hell yes!”

“My bonus points let you win.” He shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe this.”

Remus faced the camera with a victorious smile. “Thanks for joining us to witness my landslide victory—”

“It was one point.”

“And make sure to like and subscribe for more Lion Pride content! See you around, Lions.” They both mock-saluted, and the video ended.

[five-rivers]

Danger First

Chapter 4

Hiya @pocketramblr

.

While the other ghosts watched poor Izuku more and more, Yoichi gathered a pile of pillows and beanbags, and a small container of popcorn, then dropped unceremoniously onto the pile, ready to watch a bunch of teens beat the tar out of each other. En noticed this, glanced at him, and did a double-take.

"Since when do you have popcorn? How do you have popcorn? Where did you get it? Have you been holding out on me? Can I have some? I'll fight you!"

"Uh... it isn't real," said Yoichi.

"Neither are we!"

"No, I mean, you can't taste it. Or smell it. It's just a construct. For the aesthetic." Something none of them really bothered with, lately, but Yoichi wanted to put the effort in for Izuku. Even if Izuku probably would never be aware of it.

"But... popcorn..."

"Shhh! It's starting!"

.

The first round was Kouda and Satou vs Yaoyorzu and Kirishima.

If he had to guess, he'd say Yaoyorozu and Kirishima would win. Yaoyorozu's quirk was perfect for setting up quick and simple barriers and traps, and Kirishima's was good for defense as well.

That wasn't to say Kouda and Satou couldn't win as well... Satou had what seemed to be a fairly powerful strength enhancer, perfect for ripping through hastily constructed defenses, and Izuku didn't know if Kirishima would be able to completely counter him.

Izuku also wasn't entirely sure what Kouda's quirk was. His first guess would have been a physical mutation, given his appearance, but thinking back, it didn't seem like he'd used anything like that during the quirk assessment, so those features were most likely vestigial, like Izuku's hair color, which suggested a less physical quirk. It had to be something that could be applied in combat against robots, though. Izuku was the only one who'd passed without villain points.

So, it could go either way.

He could continue to analyze, but his attention was drawn back to the team he'd be facing. Hagakure and Monoma.

A blush rose up in his cheeks. It had to be Hagakure. He still hadn't apologized for running into her during the entrance exam. Hand to hand against her was going to be tough- he could only hope the support department had given her an invisible costume, and she wasn't... well... uncostumed. Again.

But, beyond that, not being able to see her would be a problem. She could get to the fake bomb without him even noticing.

Monoma would be a challenge, too. Given the number of pocket watches on his costume, Izuku suspected he had a time limit for how long he could copy a quirk. But he had no idea how long that could be, and it could be misdirection, too. Izuku certainly wouldn't want to telegraph a weakness like that if he had that kind of quirk.

Another option could be that he could only hold one quirk copy at a time. That'd be trickier for Izuku to deal with. Either way, he doubted Monoma could permanently hold an unlimited number of quirk copies. Monoma's personality was all wrong for that, and he didn't have Iida's engines anymore- unless he could choose to dump quirks? But why would he do that? Izuku's (formerly) quirkless sensibilities rebelled against the very thought.

He was overthinking this. He'd have to assume that Monoma could come at him with any quirk in the class. So. What would be the most inconvenient? All Might's, except Izuku had All Might's, and Monoma wasn't able to use it.

(Oh, and that could be a problem, couldn't it? Could Monoma be able to tell All Might didn't have a quirk anymore?)

Well, judging from what he was seeing right now, Izuku really didn't want him to take Yaoyorozu's quirk. It was sort of terrifying.

Other scary ones would be Todoroki (he'd launched that ball with a glacier) and Tokoyami (a sentient quirk! So cool!) but he thought Monoma would avoid Shouji and Asui (full body mutations). Other than that... Monoma would probably wait and see who did the best, or which quirk would work best with Hagakure's.

He'd have to take Hagakure's quirk into account, too. What if they both came at him invisibly (and naked)? Izuku would die...

Each battle lasted for up to fifteen minutes, not counting the ten minutes the villain team had to set up. That's how long Izuku had to defend the fake bomb. As the defender, Izuku had another handicap. He only had to fail once to fail entirely...

No. Stop that. This was a school exercise, and All Might wasn't going to expell him. Losing would suck, but he'd be together with half the class on that front. The important thing was learning from the experience. And not getting too hurt.

Right. He returned his gaze to the screen as the match started.

.

"We're a sentient quirk, too," said Banjo. "Aren't we cool?"

"He doesn't know we're sentient, though," said Yoichi. "Also, he spent like two months straight gushing about how cool One for All was when we were with Eighth. Didn't you get enough?"

Banjo sulked. "It isn't the same."

"Speaking of Monoma," said En, "why didn't you slap his little grabby hands away from One for All yesterday?"

"Because a late bloomer is one thing, but someone confirmed not to have a quirk suddenly having bone-breaking super strength? Yeah. No. Yagi might have beaten my brother, but that doesn't mean everyone who worked for him is gone. Eight never knew about Garaki at all."

"Way to bring down the mood, En," said Banjo, elbowing the younger ghost.

"The mood was already brought down by the fake popcorn."

.

Izuku wrote furiously in his notebook, trying to record every detail of the match. He pulled one of his gloves off with his teeth to get a better grip on his pencil. He'd need to practice writing with gloves on. He was missing important notes. Speaking of which...

"Can we get copies of these recordings?"

"You should be able to access them through your Ultra Account on the school website!"

Izuku nodded and continued writing. As expected, Kirishima and Satou had gotten into a one on one fight down the hallway from the bomb room. Unexpectedly, however, they had seemed rather hesitant to hit each other. At least, until Satou dumped a packet of white powder (sugar according to All Might) into his mouth and started smacking at Kirishima indiscriminately. Kouda, meanwhile, had sent a small army of mice (animal control! Very cool) at Yaoyorozu, who had responded with mousetraps.

The clock ran out, to the villains' victory.

.

"It was surprisingly hard to hit someone," admitted Kirishima in the debrief.

"We've been socialized to avoid violence," said All Might, nodding. "Overcoming that hesitation is part of our training. As is when not to use force."

.

Next up were Kaminari and Sero vs Aoyama and Jirou.

Kaminari entered the building first, quickly engaging Aoyama, who had been directed towards Kaminari by Jirou. That fight got loud quickly. Sero, meanwhile, scaled the outside of the building with his tape.

Kaminari ultimately defeated himself with his own quirk (that was a pretty severe drawback- maybe Kaminari should consider other fighting styles?), which allowed Jirou to hear Sero climbing up the wall. But Aoyama couldn't get back fast enough to prevent Jirou from being captured by Sero.

.

"I think Kaminari was the MVP," said Izuku. "He did hurt himself, which was bad, but his sacrifice allowed his teammate to safely reach the objective. If he hadn't, um, shorted out...? It would have been better, of course, but..."

Yaoyorozu shook her head. "Sero managed to capture one of the villains and safely reach the bomb. Additionally, he's the one who came up with the plan of attack."

"Ah," said Izuku, "that's- that's true..."

"Regardless, it is a plan that only bore fruit due to teamwork! Excellent work! Jirou, Aoyama, your division of labor was also a good plan, but don't forget the enemies you don't see! Time for our next match!"

.

This time, Asui and Tokoyami were defending against Todoroki and Uraraka.

"Good luck," Izuku said, waving slightly to Uraraka.

"Thanks!" She gave him two thumbs up as she trailed slightly behind Todoroki. "So," she said, as they walked out through the door, "how are we doing-?"

The door closed. Izuku winced. Surely, they had strategized beforehand...

.

"Young Todoroki," said All Might, somewhat sternly, "you... that was certainly an impressive display, but even when dealing with real villains, a hero has to be conscious of the damage they may do. A large number of villains are only minor criminals, or even otherwise ordinary citizens having a bad day."

"That's not what the media says," mumbled Todoroki, though he looked pale as medi-bots carried Asui from the scene.

"The media is full of sensationalists. And even if it weren't, Asui isn't a real villain. There is a difference," he said, very gently, "between going beyond and going too far."

All Might paused. Todoroki hunched his shoulders. There was something familiar about his posture, something that made Izuku's stomach knot.

All Might continued. "It was a good strategy. Against another team, or against real villains, it would have been a more than appropriate strategy. In fact, it was even an appropriate strategy in this case, since you didn't know Asui had trouble with cold temperatures. But when you encountered her in the hall and noticed how poorly she was doing, you should have hit the emergency stop button."

Instead of laying down mode ice when Asui struggled to get free, which was what actually happened.

"Why didn't you stop the match?" He didn't sound accusatory. Just flat and resigned.

All Might made a face and gestured to the screens on the wall. About half of them showed static and the rest blurry shades of white and gray. Like the rest of the building, they had been iced over.

Todoroki sighed. "How much trouble am I in?"

"You aren't," replied All Might. "In trouble, that is. As your teacher, this is entirely my responsibility. I shouldn't have set you against Asui or should have gone over safety concerns more clearly..." All Might paused, his face that of someone who knew they weren't getting their point across but didn't quite know what the problem was. "Injuries are inevitable in heroics and hero training, but you don't want to maim your classmates. Or minor villains, really, if you can help it. So... consider this a learning moment."

"But it was just ice," said Kaminari.

"Cold kills people frequently," said All Might. "People lose fingers and toes to frostbite regularly. Again, for anyone but Asui, this level of ice for such a short time period wouldn't have caused lasting damage, but it is something to be mindful of. Does... that make sense, young Todoroki?"

"Yes," said Todoroki, head bowed.

"All right. Young Uraraka, thank you for hitting the emergency stop button. It showed good thinking and good awareness. Young Tokoyami, your decision to hide the bomb in the basement was a good one, complimentary to your quirk."

Izuku glanced over at Monoma. He had a sinking suspicion he knew what quirk he would copy.

.

After moving to a new building, Iida and Ashido managed to pull a win as heroes from Ojiro and Shouji by melting a hole in the ceiling above the bomb and then jumping through to tag it after Iida confirmed its location with a scouting run. The general consensus of the class was that it was surprisingly clever and out of the box, but that it probably wouldn't have been feasible in real life. Ashido had then sheepishly admitted that she'd come up with the idea after hearing Izuku mumble about it.

This, of course, made Izuku blush. Strawberry would probably bee his nickname from now on.

Better than Deku.

It was his turn to go set up, now.

He was unlikely to be able to beat Hagakure and Monoma at the same time, even if Monoma didn't copy any quirks at all. Assuming they didn't split up, a ridiculous course of action, he'd have to find a way to protect the bomb other than physically defending it.

This was the problem that had been plaguing him all afternoon.

He had to hide it. Then, he either had to hide himself or use his location to steer them away from where the bomb really was. His capture would also lose him the match, so he had to be careful.

He carried the bomb to the top floor. Uraraka's quirk could get them up there, but Izuku didn't think Monoma could handle the nausea. And if he did have a time limit, he wouldn't want to be airborne when it ran out. Sero had demonstrated his quirk could get him up the side of the building, but that had clearly also required a lot of skill in climbing, not just the quirk itself.

Iida's quirk would get Monoma to the top of the building fast, but since he'd have to go room by room... Either way, the top floor would slow them down the most, buy Izuku the most time.

The room he picked was full of prop boxes. Izuku had to rearrange them to completely hide the bomb, and there was a chance Monoma and Hagakure would remember what it looked like before, from the camera feeds, but he hoped they'd overlook it.

He still had time. Next...

The second floor had office equipment in it. Clearly old junk the school didn't mind loosing. Izuku pulled as much of it out into the hallway as he could, his experience from the beach helping him maneuver quickly. He dumped a lot of it into the stairwell. The rest he left in the hallways.

How much time did he have?

Not long.

He ran up the stairs, to the fourth floor, where Ashido had melted a hole in the floor. Here, he had multiple egress points. It would be harder for them to corner him. Also...

He randomly closed half the doors on the floor. He could pretend to be guarding one of them. Delay them. How much longer?

No time at all.

Right on schedule, the air went dry and cold. Izuku, having planned for this, leapt for one of the door frames and held on. A thin layer of ice, not as thick as the one on the floor, crusted over his gloved fingers.

Izuku counted to five, then let his hands slip out of his gloves and dropped to the floor. Then he reached up and tugged his now empty gloves out of the ice.

He inspected the ice momentarily, and tested his ability to move on it. It wasn't as even or as thick as it had been when Todoroki used it, and the surface was a difficult and unpredictable mixture of smooth and rough... but it would become slicker as it melted.

Good. Izuku had predicted this. It made his closed doors and stacked boxes much more formidable obstacles. The ice wouldn't allow doors to open easily, and the boxes would also be reinforced and hard to move.

Izuku was glad for the conversation All Might had with Todoroki. Although it probably hadn't been his intention, the way he had phrased his commentary on Todoroki's freezing strategy had made it seem like an automatic win, given that it wasn't used against someone who'd be seriously injured by it.

Izuku hadn't been sure they'd do it, since it would handicap Hagakure so much. She couldn't walk around on ice barefoot. Unless she had a secondary mutation that made her skin tougher, or less sensitive to temperature- that would be so cool! No, focus, focus.

Monoma wouldn't have Iida's quirk, either with this strategy. Even if was unfamiliar with speed quirks, he would know that high speeds and ice didn't mix... Unless you were a speed skater, Izuku supposed. But Monoma didn't have ice skates- Unless, unless he took Yaoyorozu's quirk and made ice skates. But that would be horribly impractical with this uneven ice, and probably wouldn't work with Iida's quirk at all. So.

He'd probably have Yaoyorozu's quirk anyway. And after that, for this exercise, Jirou's would be the most valuable. With Jirou's quirk, Monoma would be able to locate Izuku quickly.

Another reason to separate himself from the bomb.

They were coming.

He hid himself out of immediate sight, in the room with the hole, on the off chance that Monoma couldn't hold that many quirks.

There was a clatter from the stairwell.

They were coming.

Muffled voices. A louder thump.

"Maybe if you hadn't frozen everything-"

A sort of fwoosh brought an oddly warm breeze and Izuku hissed. Todoroki's quirk must be more than ice. Given his overall appearance... Fire? Izuku was screwed.

Well. Hopefully his precautions would at least get him a good grade.

There were more scrapes and clatters as Hagakure and Monoma forced their way through the stairwell. Then, relative silence.

They were coming.

"I thought you said he was on this floor," said Hagakure, plaintively.

"He must have gotten free," said Monoma.

"Can't you listen for him again?"

There was a pause. Monoma must have responded nonverbally.

"We'll just have to be careful checking everything out," said Hagakure. "The bomb must be on this floor, after all."

Okay. Okay, great, this was good news for Izuku. He eyed the hole in the floor. Part of him really didn't want to jump through. His brain was supplying him with all the things that could go wrong with such a jump. Especially with the layer of ice. Ugh, he should have dragged one of the office desks up underneath it.

Too late now.

Minding his visibility, Izuku crept over to the side of the hole and lowered himself until he was hanging by his finger tips.

It was still a long fall. Monoma and Hagakure's footsteps were growing closer.

He let go.

He tried to hit the ground properly, but his roll turned into a slide, and he hit a wall at a higher speed than he would have liked. Reflexively he grabbed at his left arm. Ow.

He knew this was going to happen.

"He's on the third floor!"

"What?"

"He jumped through Ashido's hole!"

Izuku forced himself to his feet and sprinted towards the stairs. The second floor had more hiding places than the third. At the last minute, something twinged in the back of his mind, and he tried to stop. Tried. The ice made this difficult.

His legs went out from underneath him, and he went skidding down the hallway on his back, taking a mercifully, mercifully, clothed Hagakure out at the ankles. They slid together into the bottom of the stairs descending from the fourth floor, further battering Izuku's poor arm.

He dodged Hagakure's capture tape and briefly considered pulling out his own, but there was Monoma, cautiously coming down the icy stairs.

Icy stairs.

It seemed neither Izuku nor Monoma had fully considered the obstacles that would result from coating a building like this in ice. Todoroki's ability to maneuver easily on this terrain was, in retrospect, a keystone of the 'freeze everything' strategy, not incidental.

He needed to get away.

He pushed Hagakure off of himself (and noted that she was just as muscular as he was) and slid on his knees to the banister. He pulled himself up and slid down the rail, using the ice to his benefit. Using his uninjured arm, he gripped the end of the banister connected to the wall to slingshot himself down the second floor hallway.

... and almost right into a desk he'd half forgotten he'd put there. He dodged it and recovered quickly before scrambling over the other obstacles in the hallway. He came to a scraping halt and tucked himself into the leg well of one of the desks. A convenient bar meant he could keep his feet off the ground and out of sight as well.

Just like hiding from bullies. Only less dangerous and more fun.

How much time was left?

It had taken them about five minutes to get past the desks on the stairs, then maybe two or three to get to the fourth floor? They hadn't been moving quickly, probably because of the ice. Then, they'd been on the fourth floor for another couple of minutes before Izuku dropped to the third, even if it had felt longer to Izuku. The tussle on the third had taken a minute, tops, so he had... Four minutes left? Less, now.

He could win this. He could run out the clock. Maybe it wasn't the most heroic way to win, but he was supposed to be playing the villain, and he hoped Mr. Yagi would be proud of him anyway.

"Show yourself!" called Monoma. "Or I'll freeze you out."

Could he do that? Maybe he had Jirou's quirk at first, but switched to Todoroki's later, and lost access to Jirou's? If only he knew more about how Monoma's quirk worked... It could be a bluff, too. Even if it wasn't, why would he reveal himself? This late in the game, even if he was frozen in place, he could still win.

And winning... it wasn't something he got to do very often.

A buzz signaled the end of the match. "Villains win! Or, rather villain wins? Good job everyone! Come on out for the final debrief."

.

"MVP, MVP, MVP," chanted Yoichi, Banjo, and En, arms slung around each others' shoulders.

"Our boy is MVP!" cried Banjo.

"You know what this means, of course," said Hikage during a pause in the noise. The other ghosts looked at him. "It means, my quirk is the most valuable. The greatest power in the universe is the power of anxiety."

"Take that back!" said Yoichu, throwing an imaginary kazoo at Hikage. "The most powerful thing in the universe is the power of friendship. Everyone knows that!"

"What about those two?" asked Hikage, pointing at Second and Third.

"Unfortunately, the power of spite is also great," said Yoichi. "Even so, they will soon find themselves defeated."

Nana rubbed her temples. "If I hadn't given up on sanity within ten minutes of waking up in here, this would be what did me in."

.

After an intense practical, the next stop was the nurse's office. There, the class found Asui already mostly recovered, and Izuku found out that he had, in fact broken his arm.

"Are you sure it isn't just a sprain? It is broken?"

"A fracture, and, yes, quite sure. But a sprain can actually be worse than a break- many true sprains never quite heal correctly... either way, with my quirk you don't have to worry about it." She pressed her lips to Izuku's forehead. He felt his energy ebb to a new low. "You should talk to Mr. Aizawa about falling techniques. Your body type is more like his than your other mentor's."

"I- I will," promised Izuku.

"Good. You can go get changed, now."

"Thanks," said Izuku, not quite wobbling out of the room.

"Midoriya!"

He almost jumped out of his skin. "A-ah! Uraraka!"

"Sorry to startle you!"

"No, no, it's fine. What is it?"

"Oh, well, Iida and I were wondering if you'd like to come out with use to a café after school? It's nearby and apparently it has discounts for UA students?"

"Indeed! My older brother talked about it frequently when he was a student here!"

"W-well," said Izuku. He looked at All Might, who was awkwardly supervising and directing other students in the hallway to the locker rooms. All Might caught his eye and nodded. "Sure! That sounds like fun!"

.

This would be the last time Shouta would have to nap after school for a while. From tomorrow on, he'd be alternating quirk counseling with Midoriya with hero work. Why did he agree to do this again?

Kan opened the door to the break room. With him came the acrid smell of smoke and hot dust. "Which companies did the first year costumes this year?" he asked, voice dangerously soft enough to impress Aizawa.

"Why?" asked Hizashi.

"Because I want to... talk to whoever thought it was a good idea to give a fifteen-year-old with no training in demolition not one, but two weapons that could level buildings at full charge. I just want to talk."

Judging by the expression on Kan's face, Shouta seriously doubted that.

Kan took a deep breath. "What about your hellions?"

"Don't know. Yagi had them today."

"And you didn't watch?"

"I was in court."

"What's wrong with Yagi, anyway?"

Shouta, Hizashi, and Kan all turned to where Yagi was splayed in a chair. If the scene were a painting, it could easily be titled 'depression.'

"I'm a failure as a teacher and a hero," he moaned.

"Huh?" said Hizashi. "Why?"

"Young Asui nearly became hypothermic, and young Midoriya fractured his arm."

There was a beat of silence as the others waited for him to go on.

"What?" Kan asked. "Is that it?"

[bluegarners]

“I have your loved one” with Dick and Jason?

heyyy, it's finally here haha! i'm slowly getting to each request lol

here it is on ao3

I Have Your Loved One

It’s Thursday.

Time: 23:47, or 11:47 p.m.

Bludhaven has hit a rough patch in its weather, a vicious storm battering against thin windows and overflowing gutters and drains. It’s one of those storms that brings in the water but no lightning, dark clouds blanketing the entire sky, remorseless and relentless in its pursuit of smothering any light from escaping. The clouds don’t muffle anything though, perhaps amplifying instead the downpour that floods through Bludhaven’s streets and alleyways. Its citizens like to think this is a New Jersey hurricane, freshly mutated and traveled from the east coast into their humble, mildew covered city.

Dick likes the rain. Likes the way it pounds against his apartment, screaming to be let in but just barely warded off by seven inches of concrete and steel. The blinds are closed against the windows, and he has towels pushed up against the sills just in case the sealing lets up. Even if they were open, Dick is sure all he would see is another wall of gray and black, dozens of delicate raindrops splattered against his windows.

Because of the storm currently wreaking havoc in his city, Dick has elected to stay indoors for the time being. Eventually, the rain will let up, its pattern being close to about 05:00, and then he’ll suit up and do a quick patrol before work. For now, he’s content with sitting on his couch and listening to the water smack against the old building and run rivers down the sides. He’d like to sleep through it, a free white noise service at the ready, but his mind simply refuses to allow him to rest just yet. In a few hours, he’s sure he’ll come to hate himself for not taking NyQuil or some other drug to help him fall asleep, but for now… Well, it’s nice. The rain is nice. It’s also very loud.

He misses the first call.

His phone is face down on the kitchen table, about eight feet away from where he lays on the couch, mindlessly staring up at the ceiling. It vibrates, buzzing for thirty seconds, before falling silent.

He misses the second call too.

Thunder rumbles through the black sky, its force shaking the windows and only encouraging the downpour. His phone buzzes again during it, quieting after another thirty seconds.

Dick hears the third call. Hears the tail-end of the buzzing, getting up from his position on the couch and padding over to pick up his phone only to miss the last few seconds. He unlocks his phone, checking the number, and feels something cold settle into his gut when he sees no caller ID. It’s the same person though, all three times, but no voicemail.

He’s about to call the number back, just in case it’s someone he knows and they’re ringing from a payphone or something else, when the no caller ID flashes across his screen for the fourth time.

Dick answers on the second ring. “Hello?”

“Is this Richard Grayson?”

“Yes, that’s me. Who is this?”

The voice is feminine, a slight, western accent, longer o’s and a faint drawl. Somewhere from Arizona most likely. Lower register too. Older woman, mid-to-late fifties. Smoker.

“That’s good. I was starting to think I had the wrong number, Richard.”

“Yeah, sorry, I just didn’t have my phone on me. You didn’t say earlier, but who is this?”

“That doesn’t matter too much right now. What does matter, though, is this.”

She pauses. There’s shuffling he can hear on the other side. A faint, second voice in the background. No, three voices. At least two others in the room with the woman. He can hear the sounds of an air condition unit rattling.

“I think you might’ve cut off there. What were—”

“I have your loved one, Richard.”

Lightning cracks through Bludhaven.

His stomach falls onto the floor, pooling around his ankles. The storm outside grinds to a halt, the quiet louder than any thunder it’s ever managed to produce, and there’s a high pitched ringing reverberating inside his skull. Dick thinks he might be sick.

“What?” he chokes, the air in the room suffocating and weighing down his lungs. “What did you say?”

“I have your loved one,” the woman repeats, calm and slow. “Your brother, actually. Then again, he tells me you aren’t related by name nor blood, so we’ll settle for a loved one.”

“What do you want?” Dick demands, already scrambling to get to his computer, find where they’ve taken Jason. Find his brother.

“He did say you weren’t one for small talk,” the woman carries on, unhurried and unconcerned. “Your brother isn’t either, hardly said a word all this time.”

“Can I speak to him?”

There’s a small huff on the other end of the call, exhalation and a sigh leaving the woman’s mouth. A cigarette. She’s smoking during this conversation, blowing the smoke into the receiver.

“I don’t know,” she finally answers. There. Dick has his general location. Still in Gotham. He needs the tracker to be more precise though. It’s taking time though. Too much. “Your brother here was pretty convinced you wouldn’t answer after his daddy didn’t pick up. Cried pretty hard about it too.”

“What are you talking about?” Dick grounds out, fearing his phone will crack with how tightly he’s gripping it.

“Well, you weren’t our first choice to call, Richard. I’m sure you understand.”

Dick says nothing, focused on the computer screen in front of him. He should contact Barbara. This would be faster with her. Faster to find Jason.

“We called about seven times,” the woman continues, blowing another puff of smoke out into the phone. “Isn’t that right, boy? We called and called and called. His daddy didn’t pick up once, went straight to voicemail each time. A shame, really.”

There’s a sniffle on the other side of the call and Dick’s heart seizes when he realizes it’s probably Jason.

Batman was currently off-world, all communication with him being strictly between Justice League lines. Bruce Wayne was somewhere in the Bahamas, partying with Italian models and Spanish actresses.

Of course he wouldn’t pick up.

“Can I please talk to him?” Dick asks for the second time, fisting a hand into the couch cushions. “Please, I just want to make sure he’s okay.”

More smoke. “I’ll ask him.”

There’s a muffled thud, the phone most likely having been put down, and quiet voices filter through the line. He can’t hear much of what they’re saying, short bursts of comprehensible syllables before fading back to unintelligible noises. His computer dings with a response from Barbara. She’s going to use one of the J.L satellites to better pin-point Jason’s location. She’s also in communication with the police, reporting a child-abduction.

Keep them talking, she writes. Everything is going to be okay, Dick.

It feels like his heart is beating in his throat and his tongue has swollen to the size of a bowling ball. The storm outside is unrelenting. Lightning hasn’t struck again.

There’s more movement on the other side, clattering and scattered noises. The phone’s been picked up.

“Alright,” the woman says, raspy and uncaring. “The boy says he wants to talk to you, Richard.”

Dick holds his breath, waiting. There’s more noises, a transfer he thinks, and another sniffle interrupts it.

“Hello?” a shaky voice asks into the receiver. Dick feels like crying.

“Jason,” he breathes. “We’re going to get you out of there, alright? You’re going to be okay.”

“I’m sorry,” his brother rattles, a sob latching onto the end. “I’m so sorry, Dick. I-I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s okay,” Dick shushes, feeling himself get choked up at the fear in the younger boy’s voice. “I know you didn’t, bud. Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

“No, not really. I didn’t think you were gonna pick up,” he admits, voice cracking. “B-Bruce didn’t. He didn’t answer, Dick, and I-I thought you weren’t gonna either. I-I thought—”

“I’ll always answer, Jason, I promise. I’m coming for you, okay? I’m going to come get you and we’ll both go home together. Does that sound good, Jay? You’re going to be fine.”

“Okay,” the thirteen year old relents. “You promise though, right? You’re not gonna leave me here?”

“No, Jay, of course not. I’m not going to leave you there, I’m coming to get you. Right now. I promise, okay? Jason, I would never abandon you. You’re my kid-brother and I love you. I’m not going to-”

“As touching as this is,” the woman interrupts, “I think that’s enough.”

“Put Jason back on the phone,” Dick snarls. “I swear, if you lay a hand on him, if you even touch him, I will end you.”

“Sure, honey,” the woman drawls, puffing into the receiver. “Here’s what’s going to happen, so I want you to listen to me.”

His computer dings. It’s Barbara. She’s got the location. It’s close. Not even twenty minutes away. Border between Bludhaven and Gotham. Motel next to the gas station connecting the freeways. Room 13.

He’s out the door and revving up his motorcycle before the woman has even taken a second drag from her cigarette. The rain is beating against him, gloomy street lights flickering through the shrouded dark of the storm. Thank god for Bludhaven sewers, only slightly better than Gotham’s. The water level is only a few millimetres high.

“Now, I don’t want to keep this kid anymore than you want him to stay here with me,” the woman drones. The streets are empty. Dick blows through every red light he comes across. The tires are new, the grip is fine. “So, I think we can make this simple.”

“What do you want?” Dick growls, transferring the call into his helmet. He prays she can’t hear the rain battering against it. “Just tell me what you want already and I’ll give it to you.”

“Don’t rush me,” the woman snaps, and it is then that Dick realizes that this is all probably by chance. This isn’t some criminal mastermind who plotted to find and kidnap the son of a billionaire. This isn’t a case of a rogue villain piecing together vague details and figuring out Batman and company’s identities. It’s simply someone desperate. Someone who saw the opening and took it. The poor planning is evident, practically spelled out in bold print that these people have no real idea what they’re doing.

“Sorry,” Dick bites out, veering through a short-cut that says, in neon orange, Danger. Construction Zone. “Please continue.”

The woman on the line is vindictive though, choosing to remain quiet as the sound of a lighter clicking open tinnies through the call. She takes her time lighting a new cigarette, taking a long, slow drag and holding it in for a few seconds. Dick jerks his bike to the right, narrowly avoiding a large pothole. A passing car blares its horn at him. Finally, the woman exhales. He can hear Jason cough in the background.

“What I want,” she starts, a new color of intrigue hitting the back of her throat. He’s barely ten minutes away now. Could probably half it if he took more backstreets and increased his speed. “Is for my son to be released from prison.”

“Who is your son?” Dick asks, cursing silently as his back tire skids, hydro-planing for a moment. Thunder crashes above him and the rain continues to pelt at his body. It feels like getting hit with a paint-ball gun.

“Landon Jennings. I want you to get him released. I know you have the access to lawyers, probably have debts owed to you from people in high places. I want him released tonight.”

Time: 00:14.

01:14 a.m standard time.

“I can do that,” Dick says, heart beating faster as he sees the sign for the motel, dim in the gray, “but I’ll need a few hours. I need to contact my lawyers. Where is your son stationed?”

An icon appears in the front of his digitized visor. It’s Barbara. She sees him closing in. Police are on route. Seven minutes out. He has the option to wait on them and keep the kidnappers on the line.

“Same place they all go,” the woman barks. “Use that head of yours and figure it out. I want my son out by tonight, or you’re not going to see your brother again. And,” she rushes, “I don’t want the police involved. If you call them, I’ll know, you understand? I don’t want to hurt the kid, but I’m not scared to. My husband is here with me too, so if you try and—”

Okay, so waiting isn’t an option. He’s going in.

“No police,” Dick interrupts. “I understand. Please, don’t hurt him.”

“If you just do what you’re told, then I won’t have to.”

“Thank you,” Dick whispers, gently getting off of his bike and leaving it on the side of the road. He can’t chance them seeing him pulling into the motel lot. “You said your son’s name was Landon? If you don’t mind me asking, what is he charged with?”

“Why do you need to know?”

Dick jogs towards the motel, careful to stay out of direct light. The general office looks closed. Most of the windows facing the lot are shielded by salmon colored curtains. There’s only one floor, thankfully. Dick sees door 13. He’s shaking. His fingers are numb.

“My lawyers said they need to know in order to file for a judge to repeal his sentence.”

“Is that so?” the woman asks, suspicion tailing her voice. She takes a drag from her cigarette, contemplating. Dick’s clothes are soaking wet and he cringes every time his shoes squelch against the concrete. He decides crawling is best, ducking under windows and avoiding peepholes. “Fine then. Landon got falsely accused of statutory rape and breaking and entering. Is that what your damn lawyers are looking for?”

“Yes,” Dick breathes. He’s at door 10. He can see a faint glow coming from behind the curtains of room 13. He’s so close. “Thank you.”

He taps on the side of his helmet, sending a series of numbers that he’s sure Barbara will understand.

23-26-8-37

E-N-T-R

He can’t wait any longer.

While crawling, Dick made sure to get a good look at the motel’s doors and hinges. They’re standard, and though both Gotham and Bludhaven tend to have better locks than most other cities, Dick recognizes the model of the door and the wood it’s made out of. They’re thin enough for him to ram through. The hinges on the sides are rusted over as well, and Dick thinks they might just be weak enough to break. The windows however. The windows are his best bet. He doubts this kind of motel invests in bullet proof glass, and on some of the sills, he can see water damage. They leak. Poorly made. Meaning, if he ran at them, he could break through pretty easily.

But, if that doesn’t work. Or if he’s not fast enough to get on his feet once in. Or if the window is directly in front of Jason and the glass breaks all over him. Or if—

Stop. He can’t think about the what-ifs right now. Dick knows he can do this. Knows how to do this. There isn’t any more time to wait. He promised he would get Jason out of there, and goddamnit, he’s going to keep his promise.

“You’re being really quiet,” the woman mutters. “What’s going—”

Dick takes a deep breath and tenses. The light behind the curtain flickers. He needs to move. Now. Now.

Lightning splits across the sky and Dick can’t tell if it’s the glass shattering or the thunder that makes the other-worldly crack but it doesn’t matter because Dick lands feet first and is tucking and rolling before the occupants have a chance to react.

“Oh my god!” someone screams, but Dick isn’t paying attention to them because his gaze zeroes in on his brother, tiny, thirteen year old Jason, who’s tied up on one of the beds and staring right at him.

He can’t linger long though because he hears the words, “Get the gun!”, and he’s up on his feet again, rushing the closest person. It turns out to be the husband, a balding man with a patchy neck-beard, and Dick bunches up his fist and swings, socking the man in the stomach. He doubles over, wheezing, and Dick can see the small pistol in the man’s right hand, and Dick strikes down on his shoulder, kneeing him simultaneously. The pistol drops and so does the man, groaning, and Dick turns to the woman, who is staring at him like an animal cornered.

“Don’t come any closer!” she yells, pocket knife trembling in her grip as she shoves it in Jason’s face. “I’ll stab him, I will!”

Dick holds up his hands, sidestepping the groaning man. “Put the knife down.”

“No!” the woman argues, a strand of black hair falling into her mouth. “Now I told you- stay there! Don’t fucking move or I’ll kill this kid, you hear! I’ll fucking slice his throat open!”

With how scared the woman is, and how precarious she holds the pocket knife, which Dick can see is dull even from where he’s standing, he knows it’s not an idle threat. Scared people will do anything to get out of the situation they’re in. Scared people are unpredictable and dangerous.

But so is Dick.

So is Jason.

“I’m not going to move,” Dick reassures, eyes flickering towards his brother, “so, please, drop the knife. We can talk this out.”

“Talk?” the woman shrills, jerking the knife closer to Jason’s jawline. “You just killed my husband!”

“I didn’t kill him,” Dick corrects. “He’s just unconscious. Come on now. It’s just you and me. Let’s talk this over. I can still get Landon out if you give me back my brother. It’s as easy as that, alright? Just put down the knife, and we’ll talk. Does that sound okay?”

The woman looks like she’s considering it, the hand holding the knife still trembling, when the first sirens enter the lot. Red and blue light flash through the broken window as rain seeps into the curtains.

“You rat!” she screams, furious and terrified and desperate all at once. “You fucking called the cops! You broke—”

She doesn’t get a chance to finish before Jason snaps his head back, headbutting the woman directly in the nose. He falls to the side, getting out of range of the knife, and Dick takes his cue, leaping forwards and gripping the woman’s wrist and squeezing, weapon falling from her grasp. There’s blood spurting from her nose and Dick throws her to the floor, getting her on her stomach and hands behind her back. He sits on top of her, his weight overpowering any strength she has left, and in the next few seconds, police are banging on the door.

“This is the GCPD! Open up and put your weapons down!”

“You can come in!” Dick shouts, holding the squirming woman in place. “We’re unarmed!”

Things happen quickly after the door bangs open, several officers pouring in like the Bludhaven storm. As soon as an officer handcuffs the woman he’s on top of, Dick is rushing to Jason’s side, another officer cutting away his bindings. His younger brother turns to him, about to say something, but Dick cuts him off with a crushing hug, cradling the back of Jason’s head to rest against his shoulder.

“I’m so sorry,” Dick whispers, gathering his brother more fully into his arms. “I should’ve been there sooner. God, Jason, I’m so sorry.”

“I-I thought you weren’t going to come for me,” Jason confesses, hiccuping. “When Bruce didn’t pick up, I thought it was because he didn’t want me anymore. I-I told her that, I told her Bruce wasn’t coming but she wouldn’t listen and-and I—”

Dick wraps his arms more securely around the sobbing preteen in response, gently rocking back and forth as the mattress springs squealed under the pressure.

“I know I haven’t always been around,” he says, uncaring about the snot dribbling into his shirt, “and I’m sorry you thought you couldn’t rely on me to come and get you. You’re my brother, though, and I will always come running when you call. No matter what. I promise, Jay. Anywhere, anytime, I promise I’ll be there. Okay?”

“Okay,” Jason wheezes, the adrenaline from before slowly releasing its hold. “I trust you.”

Dick presses his face into his brother’s hair, relief washing over him as his heart slows. He’s never had a sibling before. Things were still tense with Bruce, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be a big brother. There isn’t a thing in the world he wouldn’t do for this kid in his arms right now.

“What’re brothers for, right?” he mumbles.

The rain doesn’t stop and pours and pours and pours. Dick just holds Jason tighter.

The real storm was over.

Five months later

It’s Thursday.

Time: 11:47 a.m.

The stone is nice. White marble. Shiny. Expensive.

There are fresh flowers. Roses and yellow daisies. The dirt is still new too. Evidence of freshly upturned earth. Dick reaches down and pulls out a weed that’s sprung up at the corner of the stone. Tosses it away.

He doesn’t have flowers. He has a newspaper in his left hand. Reads: Mourning billionaire sets off on trip to Europe.

Jason died a month before he got back from across the universe.

Anywhere, he had said. Anytime. I promise I’ll be there.

He crumples the newspaper into a tight ball and shoves it into his pocket. Stares at the stone. The sun is out. There are no clouds in the sky. It’s nice.

It’s a nice day.

“Fuck,” Dick mutters, a familiar burn in the back of his eyes. “Fuck.”

Anywhere, anytime.

Dick Grayson is an only child once again.

[quillsareswords]

Could you do something with Damian and a really cuddly, clingy, touchy-feely reader? I feel like his brothers would be v confused about the whole situation bc Damian's just chillin and always seems neutral to what's happening while reader is just like, koala bear hugging him and stuff all the time.

Firstly. I love this concept with every fiber of my being because, oh good god, it's me. Thank you so much for bringing this to inbox, because I've been lacking on inspiration lately, and this is just what I need right now. Thanks doll!!

Prompt List // Masterlist (in bio)

Tim stops dead in his tracks, cereal bowl nearly slipping from his hand as he halts in the doorway to the huge living room. He pauses, before cautiously asking, "What is this? What am I looking at?"

Damian's arm twitches against your back, the only give away that he's been caught off guard. You seem just as relaxed, sprawled on top of him like you've been there your whole life.

You don't even look at him, eyes still glued to the phone screen shining up at you from the floor, which you're facing with your face pressed against Damian's shoulder. "You've known me for five years and you still haven't learned my name? Rude."

He blinks. "Sure, sure. Right. Because it's absolutely normal for anyone to successfully get within a foot of Damian and not get knocked out."

You snort, but it still isn't enough to pry your attention away from your phone. Damian either, as he reads a book over your shoulder, which is settled under his chin. He must be tired or in a terrifyingly good mood, if he hasn't shoved you off in hopes of hiding emotions from his family. That's what he usually does when he gets caught with you, anyway.

He's been tiptoeing around the subject of you for a solid year and half now. It wasn't exactly easy, seeing as you're also a family friend, what with being a vigilante and all. You're Damian's partner, have been for three years, and you're in the manor often enough that you have your own room, right next to Damian's.

Still, even with no clear answers from either of you, the whole family has suspected a relationship for a long time.

But Damian isn't very touch oriented. In fact, he's been known to go to nearly astonishing lengths to avoid being touched at all.

And now here he is, you laying on top of him, out in the open, absolutely unbothered by Tim catching it.

Tim decides quickly not to risk Damian's mood spoiling while he's around, so he backpedals and heads for his room.

• • •

Jason doesn't come to the manor often, but when he does, there's usually a decently concerning reason for it. This time, he's waiting out a possible kidnapping by one king pin or another. You haven't been paying as much attention as you probably should.

Now, he's trotting down the steps from Bruce's office to fix a suspicious rattling noise his motorcycle has been making for a shameful period of time.

However, he stops beside the super computer, looking a little aghast and far too dramatic for the sight.

Damian side-eyes him, still typing away, but his head doesn't move. It really can't, because you're resting your head on top of it.

You're resting your full weight on the back of the chair, which Jason now realizes isn't the tall backed chair that usual sits there, with your cheek buried in the soft looking bush that is Damian's hair. Your eyes are closed, and your arms and draped over his shoulders, hands laying on his chest.

Jason catches himself staring when Damian's side-eyeing turns into a curious glare. Tentatively, Jason points to you, and raises an eyebrow.

Lowly, Damian somewhat patiently answers, "She's half asleep."

Your eyebrows slant together. "Hmm?"

Jason's expression becomes more confused. "She sleeps standing up?"

"Apparently," Damian mumbles.

Jason, more than a little perturbed but Damian's oddly placid demeanor and your absurd sleeping habits, shuffles the rest if the way to his bike, grabbing the toolbox on his way.

• • •

Dick sitting on the floor, wrapped in a blanket—correction, three blankets, facing the rest of the living room, where Damian sits on one couch, and Duke occupies the other.

"No no, I'm not saying Bella wasn't smokin, I'm just saying that those facial expressions and life decisions were questionable enough to make a guy think twice," Dick tries to reason.

Duke makes a face. "Bro, are you kidding? If a chick stares at you from across a lunch room and you've never spoke to her, you don't even try."

Damian scoffs. Duke raises an eyebrow, and just when he's about to beg for the story of who tied him to a steel chair and forced him to watch Twilight, you shoulder the double door open.

Damian doesn't look up from his newest book, which could be deemed rude if you weren't so close and comfortable with one another. "Evening, Beloved, how was your drive?"

You say nothing. You drop your bag by his feet, crawl the rest of the way onto the couch, and collapse. Your head in on a pillow between Damian's thighs and the arm of the couch, the rest of you divided unevenly between his lap and the rest of the couch.

He glances away from the pages briefly. "Traffic?" His hand slips under your shirt to gently run blunt nails up and down your spine.

For a moment, you're quiet, and neither of the two older men know how to react.

Then, without warning, you wail into the pillow. "Who the everloving fuck drives a Winnebago through central Gotham at six o'clock going fourteen miles an hour?"

Duke barks a loud laugh, before he claps a hand over his mouth in fear of a punishment. But a man can only do so much, so he sits with his hand over his mouth, giggling like a fifteen year old listening to a dirty joke with his parents in the room.

Damian chuckles lightly, white teeth peeking through a little smile that he's trying to suppress, much for the same reason Duke is doing his best not to let you hear him laugh.

Dick is more focused on the two of you, and the fact that his baby brother has grown up and changed for the better so much—

• • •

Cassandra climbs the stairs with some difficulty, thanks to two new sets of stitches and a few too many fresh bruises.

It's nothing a few days of relaxation won't fix. It was worth it, to see Poison Ivy put back behind bars—even if it did take four of you.

Shortly after arriving back, you and Damian had disappeared up to his room, after you'd both been checked over by Alfred. Aside from some intense bruising and a fee cuts and scrapes, you'd both been spared.

She knocks on his door a few times. With no answer, she loudly turns the handle and pushes the door open slowly, giving you enough time to correct her if need be. She knows at least one of you are in here, because the light is on. "Alfred sent me to tell you that there's dinner, if you want–"

She stops. You are, in fact, both in the room. However, neither of you are conscious.

Damian is sprawled haphazardly across his bed, face half squished into a pillow.

You're flopped across his back, horizontal across his bed, likely also with a pillow, but she can't see your face to be sure.

For a moment that feels a little intrusive, she stares, eyes wide. Not because he's in only boxers and you're in shorts and a sports bra (neither are necessarily a new sight, with one makeshift locker room in the Cave and a city with way too many privacy-surpassing emergencies), but because she's never witnessed Damian allowing another person to be so close to him while asleep.

Even on week long stakeouts that confine them to one room, he claims one corner for himself and doesn't tolerate that invisible boundary to be broken, especially when he's asleep.

She wouldn't even be so surprised if you were passed out in his reading chair, or even on a pile of blankets in the floor, or hell, even if you were on opposite sides of the bed. But you're literally as close to him as you could possibly be. And he's still sound asleep.

She closes the door and backs away slowly, a little smile on her face, even though she was too tired to laugh at the joke Bruce tried to crack a few minutes ago.

• • •

Bruce sits, almost impatiently, on a stone bench by the fountain the middle of Gotham City Gardens. The whole family had come here for the day, on invitation of the organization's owners. Of course, not everyone was officially recognized as family by anyone outside the Manor, so there were quite a few plus ones—you being one of them.

Of course you were. You're always invited. Over the years, it's become a running joke. A trip to the grocery store? (Y/N) must be invited. Walking from the W.I. building to an ice cream parlor and back? I bet (Y/N) is invited. At one point, Damian became so simultaneously annoyed and amused by it that for a week, you really did join him on every single outing. No one knows how exactly you made it across Gotham in six minutes flat to help him pick up cereal but by golly you managed it.

Bruce is currently waiting on you and Damian, who swore to meet him here for a few pictures (at Alfred's request). The pair of you had gone off on your own after about an hour of meandering around with his family, and no one has heard from either of you since. He would be worried, but you were both too excited about this to get into any trouble that would risk being sent home early.

Your laughter finds him before you do. It comes from around a corner of tall hedges, and shortly after, so do you.

You're smiling ear to ear, giggling like a school girl, elbows balanced on Damian's shoulders, about as precariously as you are on his back. That is to say, quite stable. Damian is grinning as well, his arms linked around you're knees at his sides to keep you as stable as you are. You've got an ice cream cone in each hand, one obviously having had more attention than the other.

Bruce's heart swells in his chest at the absolute joy on his son's face.

Damian stops not too far, shifting your weight to free one hand. You help, carefully resituating yourself to hold yourself up easily. You hand him the neglected ice cream, resting your now free hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry, Father," Damian sounds a little winded, and Bruce wonders if the running he heard earlier had been you two. "Somebody found an ice cream bar and insisted we stop before meeting you." He doesn't sound apologetic in the least.

"Hey!" You laugh, flicking the back of his ear as payback.

As payback for payback, he takes the edge of his cone between his teeth, and uses his free hand to give the back of your knee a quick pinch, before he occupies his hand again to tilt the odds in his favor.

You squeal and jerk. "Damian! You're gonna make me fall, and if I go down, you're coming with me!"

Bruce laughs loudly.

• • •

Alfred is on his way to the library to finish the afternoon chores. All he needs to do is straighten up in there, and he can call it an evening. Just in time, too, as one of the local channels is running a Downton Abbey marathon tonight that he doesn't particularly want to miss.

He pushes open the doors to get a little extra fresh air, but pauses just inside the doorway.

Damian is stretched out in one of the plush leather chairs, his long legs propped up by his ankles on the coffee table, head resting limply on the back of the chair. You're curled up in his lap, head on his shoulder, legs folded up on either side of his thighs, arms wound around his back. His hands are folded together on your back. You're both fast asleep.

The elder man is suddenly flooded with memories of the boy's first few months in this manor. In this room, even. He was politely feral, as Bruce had once put it. He was so uncomfortable all the time, though he fought not to show it. It was so new to him, to be openly cared for the way his family tried to care for him. Most people he met back then treated him as the cold, rude, trained assassin that he presented himself as.

So many overlooked the terrified ten year old boy that shook beneath the armor and the weight of the mantels he was expected to take up in so few years.

Of course Alfred had been paying attention to him all this time, all the growing he's done and the man he's becoming. He's always been proud.

But it's here, in this exact moment, that Alfred really takes in how different he is now, compared to then.

Not only did he find the strength and the trust to forge a close bond with you, one that would arguably outlast just about anything it was forced to endure, but he'd fostered such a sweet affection for you. He's found the space within himself to make room for a great love for you, and his family, and his friends.

And you're so good for him. You remind him of the things he could be, if he wanted, and not of what he should be or could have been. You provide him a sense of normalcy when he needs it, and battle ready companion when he needs that.

You look past the blazing armor of controlled aggression and lessons learned to reach the beautiful soul he is. And most importantly, you love him for all of it. You manage to dig so far beyond what he's been taught and the walls he's put up, that you look at what was meant to be the perfect soldier and you see a pillow to sleep on. You trust him with everything, including your vulnerability, just as he trusts you.

Alfred marks the page of the open book on the floor, closes it, and leaves it in the table for you later. He leaves as quietly as he came, in hopes of leaving the two of you undisturbed.

[astralpenguin]

@transnaturalweek day 6: euphoria

1.9k, ao3 link

“I want to do something to my hair.”

Jack and Kaia looked up from the puzzle they’d been slowly working on together. Claire was standing in the doorway, breathing heavily as if they’d been running.

“I thought you liked your hair long,” said Kaia.

“I do,” said Claire. They stepped into the lounge and collapsed onto the sofa nearest the door. “Well,” they said, “it’s not that I like it long so much as I don’t like it short.”

“Why don’t you like it short?” asked Jack. “I think you’d look great!”

Claire shrugged. “You’re not wrong,” they said. “I cut it short when I was like fourteen and it looked pretty good, except for how I looked almost exactly like my dad did when he was fourteen.”

Kaia winced.

“Yeah,” said Claire. “I’m not risking that happening again. No way.”

“But you still want to do something with your hair?” asked Kaia.

Claire groaned. “Yeah, something,” they said. “Mostly I just want people to stop looking at me and assuming I’m cis. Doing something to my hair might work, but I don’t know what.”

“You could dye it?” said Jack as he placed a piece of the puzzle down. His head then snapped up and his eyes shone with excitement. “Can I help you dye it?”

“Aren’t you God?” asked Kaia. “Couldn’t you just snap your fingers and make their hair a different color?”

Jack’s face fell into a slight pout. “I guess, but that wouldn’t be as fun.”

Claire laughed. “Sure,” they said. “Let’s dye my hair.”

Jack’s smile reappeared on his face. He jumped to his feet and ran from the room. “I’ll ask the others if they want in on this too!”

Kaia rolled xir eyes and smiled as xe stood. “He’s like an excitable puppy.”

“He’s three,” said Claire.

“And God.”

“And God,” agreed Claire. “And he wants to help me dye my hair.” Claire shook their head and smiled. 

Claire and Kaia waited by the front door for Jack to come back downstairs. They only had to wait a couple of minutes before he was bounding down the stairs so fast that he almost ran right into them, only just managing to stop himself in time.

“Alex said to leave her alone and let him sleep.”

Claire snorted. “Of course he did.”

Kaia elbowed them in the ribs. “She’s been on call for three days, don’t be mean.”

Claire gasped. “Me? Mean? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“What about the others?” Kaia asked Jack.

“Patience said that they think it’s a great idea, and Magda said to get her some pink dye as well as whatever other color you end up choosing.”

Claire frowned. “I hadn’t decided on a color yet. I could’ve gone for pink. They don’t know. I don’t even know yet.”

“Claire,” said Jack, an overly patient tone to his voice, “Magda is psychic.”

Claire blinked.

They flung the front door open and stode out.

“I’m going to dye my hair pink just to spite her.”

Kaia caught Jack’s eye. They grinned at each other, and they both followed.

Claire did not, in the end, choose to dye their hair pink.

The store they went to to pick out the hair dye had a huge range of colors, and the trio spent nearly an hour wandering up and down the aisle and debating the pros and cons of each option. Claire wanted something bright, that couldn’t possibly be mistaken for being a natural hair color even at a distance, and even though they’d declared that they were going to choose pink in order to prove the psychics wrong, they ended up more drawn to some of the other options.

Kaia made sure to grab a bottle of pink dye for Magda.

Eventually Claire settled on purple.

When they got home, Claire and Jack raced to the bathroom, eager to get started. Kaia hung back, detouring to Magda’s room to deliver the pink dye she wanted. Magda and Patience were both lying on their fronts on Magda’s bed, watching something on one of their phones.

“You want us to let you know when the bathroom’s free?” xe asked as xe handed the bottle over.

“No, that’s okay,” said Magda. She put the bottle to one side and smiled up at Kaia. “I need to bleach my hair before this will show up.”

“Normally you would,” said Kaia. “But we’ve got literal God here with us, and he’s very excited about dyeing people’s hair. He’d probably be happy to help you skip the boring step.”

“It still weirds me out that Jack is God,” said Patience, not taking their eyes off the screen.

“Honestly, same,” said Kaia.

A muffled yelp came from the bathroom, followed by the sound of two people bursting into laughter.

“I’d better go supervise,” said Kaia, glancing around behind xem. Xe looked back at Magda. “I’ll let you know when we’re done, but there’s no pressure to do it today.”

Magda nodded.

Kaia closed the door to Magda’s room behind xem and went into the bathroom without pausing to knock.

Claire’s shirt had been dropped on the floor and kicked to the side. They were sitting up against the bathtub with their head tilted over the edge and hair loose inside of it. Jack was standing next to them and holding the showerhead close to Claire’s hair, running the water across Claire’s scalp.

“Hey,” said Claire as Kaia walked in. “Jack’s giving me the proper salon experience!”

“Why screaming?” asked Kaia. “Alex is still trying to sleep.”

Claire grinned. “He forgot to wait for the water to warm up first, so I basically got an ice blast aimed at my head.”

“The water’s warm now though!” said Jack, looking proud of himself. “I was able to make it warm up faster so we could get on with washing Claire’s hair, and so Claire wouldn’t be cold for too long.”

Kaia closed the bathroom door and leaned back on it. “Isn’t that an abuse of your God powers?”

Jack shrugged. “Maybe,” he said. “I don’t care though.”

Claire’s grin grew even wider. “That’s the best attitude to have! What’s the point of having powers if you don’t use them?”

“There’s no point at all,” said Jack, almost as if he was reciting something that he’d been told before.

Kaia couldn’t stop xirself from smiling as xe said, “Okay, but when his dads inevitably asks who the bad influence was, I’m pointing them at you.”

Claire blew Kaia a kiss in response.

Once Claire’s hair had been washed and the dye had been applied, they were faced with some time to kill before they could wash the dye out.

“We could dye your hair purple too?” said Jack.

“We can’t,” said Kaia. “My hair’s too dark for it.”

“Oh, that doesn’t matter. I can make it so the dye works anyway.”

Kaia laughed. “I told Magda you’d say that. Thanks, but it’s okay. I don’t want to dye my hair today.”

“What about you?” said Claire. “We could do your hair.”

Jack thought about it for a few moments. “I don’t want purple hair,” he said. “I think I like my hair the way that it is. I would like to paint my nails purple though.”

“That, we can do,” said Claire. They looked over at Kaia. “Babe, do you have purple nail polish?”

Kaia shook xir head. “I can ask the others if they have some?”

“Don’t bother asking Alex,” said Claire. “If you disturb his beauty sleep, she might bite you.”

Kaia paused with xir hand on the doorknob. “Are you speaking from experience?”

Claire nodded sagely. “If I didn’t know what actual demons are like then I’d swear he was one.”

“She didn’t try to bite me earlier,” said Jack. He seemed genuinely confused about the direction that the conversation had taken.

“That’s because you’re the baby of the family,” said Claire, as if it were obvious, “and nobody’s allowed to be mean to the baby.”

The look of delight on Jack’s face was almost blinding.

“Family?”

As Claire stammered out a response, Kaia took the opportunity to slip out of the bathroom. Xe knocked on Magda’s door and waited to be called in.

“Do either of you have any purple nail polish? We’re painting Jack’s nails.”

Magda paused the video they were watching as Patience stood. “Yeah I do,” said Patience. “Let me go grab it.”

As they left the room, Kaia turned to Magda and said, “He did end up offering to skip the lightening-my-hair step if I wanted to dye my hair too. So the option’s there for you if you want it.”

“Thanks,” said Magda

“Here you go,” said Patience, walking back into the room and holding the small bottle out to Kaia. “One condition.”

“What is it?” asked Kaia, taking the bottle.

“Don’t let Claire do the painting.” They smiled and shrugged. “I’ve seen what their nail polish looks like, and I actually try to keep mine neat.”

Claire only owned a single bottle of silver nail polish. It was only ever applied to the nails on their toes, and the bottle was covered in splashes of nail polish from the many times that Claire had not been paying close enough attention to what they were doing when using it.

“You’ve got it,” said Kaia.

Claire only grumbled a little when Kaia relayed Patience’s condition to them. They couldn’t deny that Patience had a point. The minor disaster zone that was Claire’s single bottle of nail polish spoke for itself.

Kaia and Jack sat cross legged in front of each other, and Jack held his hands perfectly still while Kaia painted his nails. Once xe was done, xe handed the bottle over to Jack and he painted xirs. Xe didn’t manage to hold xir hands as still as Jack had held his, but Jack managed to paint xir nails perfectly anyway. Once he was done he closed the bottle, put it to one side, and snapped his fingers.

“What was that for?” asked Claire.

“Our nails are dry now,” said Jack. “That way we won’t end up smudging them.” He held his hands up in front of his face and smiled. “I really like this!”

Kaia sighed fondly and stood. “Definite abuse of God powers.”

“And I didn’t even have to directly encourage it this time!” Claire said. “He just did it! I’m so proud!”

Kaia returned the nail polish bottle to Patience, who was glad to see that it was undamaged.

The three in the bathroom then only had to wait a little longer before it was time to wash the excess dye out of Claire’s hair. Kaia took charge this time. Xe spent longer washing Claire’s hair than was strictly necessary, but as Claire’s eyes slipped shut as xe ran xir hands through their hair and over their scalp, xe knew that Claire didn’t mind.

And, finally, it was done.

Just like he’d done for his and Kaia’s nails, Jack clicked his fingers and Claire’s hair was suddenly dry.

They stared at themself in the mirror in silence for long enough that Kaia began to wonder if xe needed to start worrying, but xe abandoned that train of thought when xe saw Claire start to smile.

“I love it!” they said. They turned around and pulled Jack and Kaia into a hug. “Thank you for helping me with this.”

“It’s nothing,” said Kaia.

“Thank you for wanting this,” said Jack. “I had fun!”

“Technically you suggested it, Jack.” Claire squeezed them both tighter before letting them go. “And you’re a little genius.”

Kaia didn’t know if xe’d ever seen Jack smile so much in such a short space of time before.

And Kaia knew that xe was biased, and that Claire always looked amazing to xem, but they really did look beautiful with their new purple hair.