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yandere-writer-momo · 7 months

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Yandere Baki Short Stories: Paparazzi

Yandere Hanayama Kaoru x Idol! Afab Reader

Author’s note: this is a social experiment and a bit different than what I normally write. If it takes off, I’ll write another part to it

Buy me a coffee? 💕

“Cause you know that, baby, I… I’m your biggest fan, I’ll follow you until you love me.”

Slam! Hanayama slammed the door open when he finally made it up to his room. His eyes nervously glanced around to make sure none of his subordinates followed him here.

Once he noticed no one was around, he scurried into his room and quietly shut the door behind him.

Hanayama Kaoru had a secret, the type of secret he’d kill anyone if they found out. Hanayama was a wota and he was obsessed with a pop idol by the name of (your name).

And today, he was able to get Kizaki to buy her latest merch drop… a poster. Hanayama carefully unwrapped the cling wrap off the poster so his eyes could admire the excellent photo of his oshi. She was so pretty…

Hanayama glanced at his bedroom walls that were covered in postures and various collectible merch. He didn’t have any wall space but he hasn’t put any postures on the ceiling so that should work. Honestly, that made it even better.

Hanayama grabbed some tape off his dresser and got to work. The posture now hung on his ceiling so he could admire his idol’s magnificence before he went to sleep and when he woke up. Perfect.

Hanayama flopped onto his bed, his arms clutched the body pillow of (your name) in his arms. He’s had the biggest crush on her since high school…

Hanayama closed his eyes and reminenced the moment he first heard her music when he was younger… it was when one of his classmates loaned him their ear buds and her music played. (Your name) wasn’t very big yet, she just came onto the pop scene. But her voice was what drew him in.

Hanayama rushed home that day and told Kizaki to buy him (your name)‘s CDs. That was the start of his journey of being her biggest fan.

Now Hanayama was 25. He tried to have a few relationships but he couldn’t tear away from his idol. Not even when he bedded other women. (Your name) was always on his mind. Hanayama felt like he was being disloyal to her… even though (your name) probably didn’t even know his existence.

Hanayama wanted her more than anything. Despite his stoic exterior, he was full of emotions… but only for his idol and his handful of friends.

Hanayama shot upright in his bed in realization. He almost missed her interview today! Today, they were going to get (your name) to talk about her ideal man and Hanayama could not miss it. And how would he know that? That’s because Hanayama paid this specific interview station to ask his question because he had submitted it for years. He need to know…

Hanayama turned his tv on, his large body scrunched up into a ball. His arms held the body pillow close to his form for comfort. He was a bit afraid of what she’d say… what if he didn’t meet those standards? Would he be able to move on and live a normal life?

Hanayama silently watched the interview. His eyes sparkled as he watched the young woman smile and wave into the camera, her soft voice soothed him… how could someone be so pretty?

“Despite being a foreigner, you’ve really made a name for yourself, miss (your name)!” The interviewer beamed at the young idol, her smile never left her face.

“I couldn’t have gotten this far without my fans.” Hanayama almost squealed in excitement when she made a little finger heart to the camera. She was so cute! How could someone be so cute?

“Now this is a long awaited question for you, miss (your name).” The interviewer smiled at the young woman. “One your number one fan has been dying to know.”

(Your name) giggled, which made Hanayama’s heart soar. This was it! He would finally have his answer soon…

“And what do they want to know?” (Your name) smiled ever so sweetly, she bat her eyelashes a bit. Hanayama nearly fainted on the spot.

“What is your ideal man, miss (your name)?” The interviewer asked, which made (your name)’s eyes widen in surprise.

“Oh wow… I don’t think I’ve ever been asked that on such a big platform.” Hanayama blushed at how flustered (your name) was. Gosh his idol was so cute…

(Your name) took in a deep breath. “I like a man who is well dressed and preferably taller than me…” (Your name) smiled sheepishly before she continued, “I think id like them to be strong to, I’d like to be carried like a princess.”

Hanayama stopped breathing, his whole body trembled. Well dressed, tall, and strong? That was him… he was her type.

“Carried like a princess?!” The interviewer laughed which only made (your name) more flustered.

“I always dreamed of that… I’d like to be taken care of like a dainty little doll.”

Hanayama rose up from his bed and pumped his fist in the air. His body filled with excitement. He was her type!

Hanayama would care for her and carry her around everywhere if she asked! Whatever she wanted-

Hanayama turned his head to see Kizaki standing in the door way. His right hand man cleared his throat.

“I’m so sorry to bother… whatever this is but you have a letter from the venue (your name) is performing at-“ Kizaki sighed when the letter was snatched out of his hand. Hanayama was such a child sometimes… despite him being a grown man now.

Hanayama opened the envelope and smiled at its contents. He had successfully booked the entire VIP section… which would keep his identity a secret.

“I heard you’ll be dropping new merch tonight. What are you going to be dropping today?” The interviewer draw Hanayama’s attention back on the screen. New merch?

“It’s some limited edition photo cards!” (Your name) smiled at the interviewer. “It’s just a few pictures of me and my group.”

Hanayama turned to Kizaki who sighed. Kizaki could tell by Hanayama’s face that he wanted that book.

Kizaki nervously glanced around Hanayama’s room. Where was he even going to put it?

Hanayama continued to stare at Kizaki until the man bowed in defeat. It was time to make a trip to the store.

“Alright… I’ll go get it.” Kizaki then left Hanayama to his own devices. The yakuza boss turned his attention fully back into the tv.

Hanayama reached a finger out to touch (your name)’s face. What he wouldn’t give to finally touch her in real life…

This was going to be the first time he’d be able to see her in person… he was so excited to see her.

He could not wait…

“Here for the latest drop? I saved you a set, specifically just of (your name). ” The store manager asked Kizaki, which made the older man sigh. The manager chuckled. “You’re such a great dad. You’ve been here consistently for over ten years. Your son must be a huge fan!”

More like a huge pain in the- Kizaki shook that thought from his head. Hanayama was a great leader, he was just a bit… odd when it came to this particular woman. Perhaps that was just Hanayama’s generation of being obsessed with celebrities. It hurt Kizaki’s head to think about it.

“He is…” The manager nodded and handed Kizaki the set of photo cards.

“Well he must be grateful to have you! Please enjoy.” Kizaki nodded stiffly. He hated this so much… “I’ll see you next week for the next drop!l

Kizaki hated that everyone in this store knew who he was. Hanayama was lucky Kizaki looked like a civilian. Otherwise they’d be in a mess if people were aware they were yakuza.

“Have a great day! See you next week!”

Kizaki grumbled a bit. This was an abuse of power… He deserved a raise.

Hanayama nervously sat in the VIP. He had it all blocked off so no one could see him other than (your name) and her group from the main stage.

He nervously fiddled with the backstage pass around his neck as well as the jacket to his white suit. Hanayama made sure to wear one of his best suits, no matter how tempted he was to wear merch. Hanayama had to maintain his ‘cool’ image despite the raging fan from within.

Hanayama adjusted his glasses, a round hand fan tightly clenched in his hand with (your name)’s smiling face on it. This was the smallest pleasure he’d allow himself…

Hanayama’s breath hitched when he saw (your name) get onto stage with her group, her smiled looked even more beautiful in person…

Hanayama watched her start to perform, his complete attention on her jovial form. Hanayama could tell she enjoyed what she did for a living… it’s another reason why he adored her so much.

Hanayama held out his palm and imagined her dancing on his palm. His body relaxed at that thought. He wished they could be together so desperately but their worlds were so very different…

Hanayama froze when (your name) made her way over towards the VIP, his heart drummed in his chest when their eyes locked on one another. Hanayama stood up and automatically went towards the stage. (Your name)’s presence was magnetic.

The world felt as if it stopped when her entire attention was on him while she sung and danced. It was just him and her despite the sold out stadium… him and his idol.

Hanayama flipped over the fan to show off the back of it that said, “will you be my onee-chan?”

(Your name) paused for a second, but then she gave him a smile so sweet that it could make teeth rot. Her hand went up and gave him a finger heart.

Hanayama fell to his knees when she sauntered away to continue her performance. His hand clutched his heart to try to calm the drumming of her heart that begged to burst from his chest to dance with her. His cheeks burned like a fire from how hot they were.

(Your name) was the only woman in the world who had such an effect on the normally stoic man.

After a decade, he finally was able to see his idol in real life… and it was more magical than he could have ever imagined.

Soon… he’d get to speak with her.

(Your name) adjusted her appearance in the mirror of her dressing room. Her body trembled a bit in anxiousness.

When they told her that her number on fan had rented out the entire VIP section, she had assumed they were an older woman or man… not a crime boss.

(Your name) shivered at how scary he was. His face was littered in scars and he was as big as a barn. She had snuck a glance at the receipt in her manager’s hand and found out his name was Hanayama Kaoru and he was twenty five years old.

Despite his mature appearance, he was a year younger than her, which fascinated her a bit. Hanayama seemed like such a no nonsense man… why on earth was he here to see her perform?

“(Your name), your number one fan is here.” (Your name) tried her best not to role her eyes at the sarcasm one of her group members exuded.

(Your name) took in a deep breath and put on her game face. It was fine… she could do this.

(Your name) rose from the vanity chair to go greet Hanayama. The giant man awkwardly stood outside the room, he looked so out of place that it was almost comical.

“Hello, are you Hanayama?” (Your name) smiled at him, his red cheeks and ears made him slightly endearing. He was kind of cute in a way…

Hanayama bent down a bit until he was her height, his large hand scooped up hers and gave the back of her knuckles a tender kiss.

“My name is Hanayama Kaoru,” Hanayama looked up, his obsidian eyes now visible since she was up close. “And I’m your biggest fan.”

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miguelswifey04 · 9 months

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Miguel saving the multiverse but his spider wife dying in his arms and everyone’s celebrating until they see Miguel with his wife in his arms sobbing

dude this is the saddest thing i have ever read…i even have tears in my eyes because i can envision it ☹️

miguel o’hara x wife! spider-reader

summary: everyone was blinded by their own victory when miguel’s crying over his dying wife in his arms…

cw: reader’s death, angst, grief & trauma

what was a man to do when all he could do is cry watching his love of his life slip away from his fingers. “y-youre gonna be okay! i-i promise i’m gonna save you!” miguel’s body violent shook as he cradled your body so close to his as if to give you his very own soul to keep you alive. but, he felt the way your heart beat was slowing down and your breathing had become more shallow, “mi vida, please, please hold on i’m gonna call the emergency evac!” miguel with one arm clutched you to his body as he typed away on his watch. everyone else around him were too busy celebrating in their latest mission. everyone was rejoicing while also busy talking amongst themselves but nobody bothered to even look at you or miguel in agony. until he screamed.

tears streamed down his face when you had whispered “it’s okay miguel, i’ll always be with you in your heart,” it took every strength in you to use your delicate voice. miguel couldn’t lose someone again, especially his wife. but at last, things don’t turn out the way he wanted too. your body went limp. he face fell to one of horrors that he had witness pass through his mind all at once. he shook you..tried to wake you up. he wanted to tell himself that you just passed out, but, no, you died right in his arms.

the cheers and jubilation faded as the heroes, now victorious, witnessed miguel’s profound grief. the heartache and devastation etched on his face were a stark reminder of the sacrifices made for the greater good. one by one, the spider people approached miguel, their expressions changing from jubilation to sorrow. they realized that, amid their triumph, miguel had experienced an irreplaceable loss. sympathy washed over them as they joined him in his moment of grief, their cheers silenced by the weight of the tragedy. his sobs would be very etched in everyone’s brain. a distraught and melancholic miguel. the man who never showed much emotions but deep down he was overcame with every human emotion. he is spider-man 2099 and that was the burden he’d carry for the rest of his life.

tags 🏷️!! @kairiscorner @obi-mom-kenobi @emiemiemiii @sabcandoit @astro1bloom @meeom

#spiderman atsv #spider man: across the spider verse #miguel o'hara #atsv x reader #🌱 lin writes #miguel o’hara x reader #miguel spiderman #miguel o’hara x y/n #spider person #lin’s asks #♡´･ᴗ･`♡ lin answers #miguel o’hara x yn #miguel o’hara angst #miguel o’hara imagine #miguel o’hara x wife!reader #spiderman 2099 #spiderman2099

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hells-wasabii · 2 months

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A/N: hey guys, I wanted to apologize for the lack of content first and foremost, my head has been a total asshole which makes it a little hard to write sometimes. So here’s a little something I wrote on a whim in an effort to get some feelings out. You're more than welcome to continue on to my other works that'll hopefully come out today. sorry for any mistakes, I didn't really feel like proofreading.

Character: Emily

Type: One Shot (Emily x depressed!reader, Angst, Hurt/Comfort)

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Inhale. Exhale.

It was a simple exercise that you had been tought in life when the clouds in your head began to thunder.

All you wanted was to calm the voices in your mind. You closed your eyes, letting the calming air of heaven fill your lungs. But it wasn’t enough. It never was, was it?

Maybe you were foolish to have thought that things would get better once you made it to heaven. Now, several years down the line you weren’t so sure that was the case anymore.

You were brought back to the reality around you when the bench on which you sat shook as the other occupant shifted. She had been talking quite animately about something that you had unintentionally began to tune out, lost in your thoughts. Something about an upcoming meeting with the daughter of the morningstar, whatever that meant. You were sure that she had explained

God, how had you managed to keep the conversation going with your bullshitted half-answers?

You didn’t deserve her.

You didn’t deserve any of this.

This was the most constant line from the little devil on your shoulder, repeating itself time and time again.

Emily was like a star that burned bright in a sea of darkness. A literal angel with a smile that shone just as bright as the sun. She was a Seraphim, a Joy Bringer at that. And you were... you.

You weren’t entirely sure how, but she had found you again. Though you supposed it wasn’t too hard to find sitting on some random bench in the middle of one of the numerous parks in heaven.

A hand on your arm pulls you out of your thoughts. Her touch felt light the sunlight on a cool autumn day, soothing, warm. More than you deserved.

“Hey, are you okay?”

No. Not at all, you wanted to say. But instead, you let your mask fall back into place, a small smile taking to your lips.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

You didn’t want to lie, but what else could you say?

The Joy Bringer seemed to accept this, as she turned her attention to a group of angels chatting at a picnic nearby. You watched them as well, welcoming the distraction

“Y’know,” Once more you glanced over to the usually beaming angel. You were greeted by a sad smile that made your stomach churn. “You don’t always have to lie.”

How-

Had you really been that obvious? How could you have let yourself be so stupid?

“I’m not completely naive.” Emily reminded, finally looking back at you. You knew she meant nothing by it, but even still you shrunk into yourself. Of course, she knew. It seemed you had been the naive one

"I just don’t get it.” You admitted, shoulders saggingas you finally looked back at her. Ever constant, the seraphim offered you a gentle smile, reassuring. It nearly broke your heart, you’re voice wavering as you continued on. “Why do you care so much? Why do you always go out of your way to come find me?"

And, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, the young seraphim answered. "Because I love you." And just like that, your vision began to blur.

You hadn’t even realized your unshed tears had spilled over onto your cheeks, not until the joy bringer gingerly brushed them away with a steady d hand. Unconsciously you leaned into the touch before a sudden sob wracked your shoulders, warmth radiating from her hand. It felt as if a dam within you had been opened and suddenly, you were weeping.

Emily was quick to react, wrapping you in a hug. Clutching to the back of the angel’s dress you felt as if a dam within you had begun to crumble.

The seraphim's voice came out as a whisper as her wings settled around you. "It's okay, I'm here for you."

#hazbin hotel #hazbin imagine #hazbin headcanons #hazbin hotel x reader #emily x reader #emily hazbin hotel

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callmeklair · 5 months

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unrequited. [part 1]

«this takes place after Shu's DF manservant end because I was craving some angst. though this part might not be that angsty»

this was like a novel idea I got in my mind a few weeks ago but as I'm already slow with declaration (sorry 🏃🏻‍♀️), I knew two novels together would have been hell so I converted this into like a summary-ish type shot. from past 10 days

*cries in incomplete drafts of my upcoming novel chapter, headcanons and other various oneshots*

«is it because of his strong fondness

towards her?»

even though she doesn't show it, he knows. he can see it. the pained expression every time her heart wrenched at his unfamiliarness towards her. the depression she was falling into. the timid smile she tries so hard to put on even when she is suffering from inside. everything is going the same as he remembers except her. she. she deserves better.

Reiji has been watching Yui from afar for a few days now and his throat always turns dry whenever he sees that darkened expression on her face. everytime his good-for-nothing brother gives her that cold unknown look after filling her up with so much hope previously. it's weird. why does things have to turn out like this? shouldn't Shu have remembered everything, if Yui does? then why him? why Reiji remembers everything that happened?

her gloomy expression frustrates him.

is it because of his strong fondness towards her?

days turns into weeks and there's no development between Yui and Shu. Reiji has tried to comfort her, trying his best to hide the fact that he remembers… because if he tells her, he is afraid she'll have those hopeful eyes again, just like she had when Shu promised her, only to be broken again if he is not able to successfully rejoice them.

at first that's how Reiji validated his reasoning in his mind about not telling her anything, but as he spent tea times with her to calm her down and ease her, he realized something. maybe he was being selfish? maybe he doesn't want Shu to remember that's why he is concealing everything? why is he even holding such hope for someone who is already out of his reach? who is already someone's.

and as much as he knows, someone loyal like Yui would rather die with Shu having no memories of them then to fall for someone else just because he doesn't remember her anymore.

weird. a vampire’s heart never beats then why does he feel that his heart that was beating(?) has stopped with this wrenching pain clutching him aggressively from top to bottom.

still, he suppressed himself. still he acted coldly towards her like usual but never crossing the boundaries unlike previously. it was better for both of them. after all, he has always remained in the shadows.

but one day, everything changed. the moment he saw her sobbing constantly in her room with various scars and one deep painful bite mark, he knew. he knew he had enough.

Shu. it was Shu's doing. that was the last straw for Yui. she kept hoping and believing that one day Shu will remember, one day her strong unfazed love for him will bring him back. days and days she kept spending time with him to re-create the memories but it was to no avail. he really has forgotten her from the roots. she knew he always kept himself away from everyone, especially mortals, due to his past but still… she had a hope, which shouldn't have ever existed from the beginning.

she was already having a hard time healing those internal scars that he gave her for forgetting about her, but today he didn't just extend those to paint them externally on her body, he broke her.

he crossed the line.

Reiji took a deep breath as he slowly picked her up and took her to his room to tend her. Yui, who was still in a broken state, didn't even realize when Reiji teleported them, when he patched her up, and when he gave her anesthesia to calm her down and make her fall asleep.

Having enough, Reiji casted a barrier around his room for Yui's protection, hoping she won't wake up before he returns as he quickly leaves to finish off what he is about to do. he wanted to take her with him as at no cost he is leaving her alone, especially at this state of hers, but things will get more difficult for Yui if she ends up regaining her senses in the other world.

Eden, the castle of the great king Karlheinz, the ruler of Makai, and his father.

He went in to find the answers he needed. but it wasn't easy as his father refused to converse until the right time comes.

but Reiji didn't have much time. Yui is alone. and at the same time he can't give up so easily and go back without answers, it would lead nowhere and they will just keep going around in circles. He took off to the pharmaceutical institute inside his father's castle where he kept notes of his research.

his finger brushed through various books, some old, some new, until it stopped on one specific one ‘The apple of the Adam’

he flipped through it and stopped at one page, struck melancholy. there it was, the result of his father's experiment marked with a red pen, in his beautiful clear handwriting “failed”

failed? what failed? he doesn't understand!

at this point Reiji was getting angry and having second thoughts about his father after seeing those red words.

from what he saw, Shu went through all the lengths to protect Yui, he even chopped off demon lord burai’s head to protect Yui from the founders. yet, failed!?

he doesn't understand. taking a deep breath, Reiji calmed himself down to think rationally and take in everything that is written in his father's notes about Yui to get more clues.

He squinted his eyes to check around the page for some more pointers on why Shu failed.

there he found it. “even though he went through all the extents, still their love wasn't that strong to remember each other when things went back to square one. only Eve remembers. a true Adam would have remembered his true love for his Eve no matter the circumstances, led by his strong fondness and desire for her.”

…

could it be…? no. no. maybe he is thinking too much into it. there's no way.

he definitely remembers only to help Shu, just like he has been told from his childhood and about his future as his elder brother's right hand man.

Reiji took the diary with him and again stood in front of his father's mysterious room door. he isn't budging before getting the answers, but to his surprise, the door was opened immediately.

Reiji stepped in to see his father smiling and mentioning how finally it's the right time. but he remained silent, though that didn't stop Karlheinz from continuing as he repeated what Reiji read in the notes, totally conscious of his son's awareness on the said matter.

“I'm pretty sure you already figured it out but my son, you are the true Adam. I'm proud of it.”

“no. Adam is chosen by Eve, didn't you say it yourself in your notes? so there's no way I'm Adam when Yui is obviously in love with Shu. there's more to it, isn't it, father?” even though Reiji was aware that his perseverance of memory was his father's doing, he still can't speak it out loud, after all no matter what he is their father.

Karlheinz laughed as he commented on his son's intelligence as to be expected. he agreed that it was his doing.

With the truth in his hand, Reiji was completely speechless, not sure what to say. Karlheinz's smile dropped as he realized that his son has no intention of accepting the truth of becoming Adam.

“you should return back my son, she is alone isn't she? your anxiousness is way too obvious. we'll talk another time”

and in the next snap, Reiji was back in his room with Yui still asleep peacefully in his bed but with a darkened expression. crying in her sleep calling Shu's name and muttering why here and there in mid.

that's when he swore he was going to heal her. he is going to help her. he will help her to make Shu remember, even if he has to do it indirectly to keep his remembrance secret. even if his love is unrequited until the end.

#reiyui #shuyui #yui x reiji #yui x shu #diabolik lovers #yui komori #komori yui #shu sakamaki #reiji sakamaki #diabolik lovers fandom #dialovers #diabolik lovers yui #unrequited #unrequited reiyui

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kissitbttr · 2 years

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how eddie and mean!cheerleader ‘s relationship started(sort of)

eddie hates parties. he hates seeing bunch of horny kids’ sweaty bodies grinding up against each other, acting recklessly on the dance floor. the broken glasses spilling all over and not to mention, the sight of puke that’s making him nauseous. he fucking hates it.

and yet here he is, standing in the corner of a room with a red solo cup in his hand. slowly sipping his beer in disgust as he lets his eyes wanders around the crowd. if it wasn’t for steve and robin begging for him to go, he wouldn’t. he’d rather lounge around in his own sacred place, getting high and jacking off to some nude model from one of those centerfolds.

“munson!” he hears someone call out his name, seeing steve himself walking over to him with a big smile on his face. “why aren’t you having fun? come on man, this is supposed to be a party!”

“yeah not feeling it right now, thanks.” eddie rolls his eyes, “I don’t get how you like this shit. they’re basically going shitfaced every minute, doing beer chugs until one of them passes out and i saw one dude getting butt naked by the pool. and what the fuck is up with the drinks? this beer smells like gasoline.”

“it’s just people having fun” steve states, brows furrowing at eddie’s lack of excitement. “come on man, you deserve this! you killed all those demo bats at the upside down, you saved the day! you should be celebrating.”

“one, that was nearly a month ago. and two, that shit i went through, nearly buried me 6 feet under Harrington. and they took a huge chunk out of my guts to prove it. but thanks for the reminder” he rolls his eyes, chugging down the drink before throwing the cup away. “i’m gonna go and get freshen up.”

as he walks away, he hears steve saying something along like ‘don’t be a pussy and go get drunk, munson!’ making him smile while shaking his head. he’s definitely not getting wasted tonight. not in a place like this at least.

after 10 minutes of shoving a few bodies and trying to find the bathroom, he finally gets to breathe. cursing to himself due to the full packed house.

“jesus, can’t believe people enjoy this type of thing” he mutters, opening the bathroom door before kicking it close with his leg. “I’m definitely killing harrington and buckley tomorrow.”

eddie leans himself back against the sink, rummaging through the pocket of his denim vest trying to find the pre-rolled blunt he did. he sighs in relief when he realizes he hasn’t lost it. putting it between his lips and lighting it before inhaling the earthy smoke of the joint.

“so glad that i brought you” he breathes out, eyeing the blunt between his fingers with a smile.

this is heaven for him. being alone and away from stupid people. just smoking up a good quality of weed without anyone bothering him. the only thing missing is his music tapes and magazines to skim through. but at least he has the bathroom all for himself.

or at least, that’s what he thinks.

the door suddenly bursts open, making him startle as he chokes, coughing rather loudly. eddie quickly waves the smoke away with his hands—obviously it’s not doing anything— before sneaking the light back into his pocket before crouching down next to the toilet to put the weed out,

“don’t any of you ever learn how to knock?” he grumbles, mainly upset because he only took one hit of the blunt. as he dusts the ashes with the sleeve of his t shirt, he hears a chuckle from behind.

“at least you weren’t getting your dick sucked when i walked in.”

eddie quickly turns around, nearly knocking his head against the sink. and his heart almost falls completely down to his ass. it’s her. y/n y/l/n. standing before him with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face. wearing the shortest pink dress he has ever seen on a person. he looks up to her with eyes widen in shock.

he’s going to pass out.

“shit, s-sorry y/n. i thought you were someone else” he chuckles nervously, slowly standing up to face her. clutching the back of his neck,

scoffing, she closes the door behind her before locking it. moving to stand in front of the dirty mirror perched on the wall, pulling out a pink tube. “you thought i was an asshole with a penis?”

he laughs a bit, nodding. “yeah. wouldn’t end well if it were.”

“why?” she asks, puckering her lips to swipe the gloss across it.

he shrugs, “cause they’ll probably beat me till I’m unconscious. knowing that the freak of hawkins went to their party.” eddie keeps his eyes down, afraid that if he looks at her, he’d be stuttering like crazy

“those morons?” she points her manicured finger towards the door, eyes turning around to look at the long haired boy. “you don’t have to be scared of them you know? they have micro dicks for a brain. bet can’t even throw a good punch. you okay, though?”

eddie slowly tears his gaze away from the floor, eyes squinting in curiosity. why is the hottest girl in school trying to make a conversation with him? isn’t she dating one of jason’s goons? is this some sort of a sick prank so she can tell it to her boyfriend that he tries to make a move on her? millions of thoughts running through his mind and he can’t seem to think.

“uh sorry y/n, I don’t mean to be rude but why are you talking to me?” he stares at her, who keeps eyeing on him like a hawk, making it impossible for him to act like a normal person. he’s really trying.

she cocks an eyebrow. “am i not allowed to do that, eddie?”

dear fucking ozzy. she knows his name?!

“n-no! i mean yes! well not really. it’s just that-“ he cuts himself off by leaning a bit closer to her. “you’re dating one of jason’s friends aren’t you? if he found out that we’re talking, I’m screwed princess.”

“oh that” she rolls her eyes feeling disinterested, turning around before jumping herself up to sit on the sink. “we broke up.”

“really?” eddie’s eyes bug out hearing it. she lets out a ‘yup’ for confirmation. “sorry to hear that. what happened?”

“i found him fucking another girl in his car just last week.” she sighs, lips turning into a frown. “and as a revenge, i ruined his car with a crowbar”

she smiles proudly at him few seconds after, legs are swinging back and forth in happiness making his heart skips a beat. how does she looks so cute and hot at the same time while doing it? it doesn’t make any sense to him!

“no shit! you serious?” he laughs out loud, hands clapping as if he had just witnessed an amazing performance. “hands down, metal shit I’ve ever heard.”

“metal?” she tilts her head to the side,

“oh it just means crazy. . . what you did.” he replies, mentally slapping himself on the forehead for saying such thing. “pretty cool”

“metal, huh?” she grins, finding him to be looking a bit shy so damn cute. he’s probably feeling stupid after that thing he just said. but she doesn’t think that. she’s met more stupid men in her life. “that’s adorable. I’m putting that on the dictionary.”

he cannot believe what he’s hearing. did his super hot, long time cheerleader crush just call him adorable?? sure, she probably wasn’t actually complimenting him but it’s still the same thing right?

“so uh” he begins, clearing his throat, trying to ignore how red she makes his cheeks go. “why are you here and not out at there? not that I mind!”

“it’s getting way too stuffy out there.” she flips her hair back, tongue clicking against her teeth. “and the beer tastes like shit. it felt like i was downing a gasoline.”

“right” he agrees, pulling off a soft smile. remembering the exact thing he had described about it. “so fucking cheap too i bet. you’re telling me a guy who lives in a place like this couldn’t at least buy a decent drink.”

hearing that makes her giggle, sending butterflies straight to eddie’s stomach. proud of himself for making her laugh.

“very accurate” she responds, tapping her pink nails against the sink.

eddie learns that she likes to keep her focus on someone when she talks. and in this context, she keeps looking at him. wether it’s because she’s interested in what he is saying or that she wants him to keep up the conversation.

either way, he has no idea what to say. he blames it on the weed and that weird-ass beer he had earlier for making him feel like this.

or it could be just her, and that look she has going on. causing his cock to twitch a bit under his jeans.

“you do know that this isn’t the first time we talked, right?” he asks, crossing his arms as he stands before her, leaning himself back against the wall. “I don’t know if you remembered this but in soph-“

“ sophomore year. chemistry class. yeah you almost burned down the whole class with that experiment shit you had going on and i nursed your hand before it came out looking like freddy krueger.” she cuts him off, nodding in affirmation

“exactly” he bites his lip, trying to hide the grin at the fact she remembers at the memory. even his burnt finger. “and your ex almost killed me when he saw you holding my hand”

“oh god” she groans, hands going up to cover her face. “don’t remind me. he’s basically 99% jackass. i didn’t even know why i ever went out with him. he treated me like a fucking object.”

“then why did you?” he can’t help but ask, searching for an answer on her face.

sighing, her eyes going a little bit sad as her shoulders start to slump forward. hesitating to tell him the truth. he notices and quickly starts to apologize,

“i’m sorry I didn’t mean to pry. you don’t have to if you don't wanna.” he doesn’t like seeing her upset, especially because of him.

with a wave of her hand, she tells him it’s no big deal. “well.. i think” she begins with a sigh, trying to find the perfect words for it. “i needed someone to pay attention to me. . . I don’t care how they see me as to what, i just wanted it. i craved it. wether as a bed warmer or as someone they wanted to spend the rest of their life with. it’s pathetic i know.” a humorless laugh escapes her mouth,

eddie listens. he carefully listens to every single word she’s saying as he stares at her intently. deep down, he wants to tell her that he could be that person. to love and protect her

“but all of that, it’s because i don’t think i will ever be good enough for the kind of love that makes me feel safe and happy. so i take what i can get.” she’s embarrassed to admit that. because it’s the one thing that she has been hiding for a long time. refusing to let anyone see her weakness. even her friends,

and eddie’s heart just breaks at the last sentence. how could she ever think that? whoever broke her heart in the first place for making her feel like that deserves a special place in hell. it irks him for her to think that she’s not good enough for anyone, and how she’s willing to sacrifice her own happiness for someone completely heartless. who doesn’t even give a shit about her.

he shares the same mutual feeling when it comes to love. insecurity. perhaps even more than what she’s feeling. because who in this school actually wanted to care for a freak? he tries to cover all these feelings with a facade so that people won’t figure out how much they actually hurt him. but he doesn’t mind. he’s used to it by now.

“and i get it. it took a long while but i get it now. maybe it’s what i deserve. at least that’s what Brandon told me every time we had a fight. yet somehow, i kept crawling back to his ass”

now he really wants to smash her ex boyfriend in the face.

he looks at her quizzically, finding it hard to believe every word that comes out of her mouth.” that’s not true.” he replies, shaking his head in disagreement. “y/n, you don’t know how much of a good person you really are, do you?”

she frowns. “I don’t think so.”

“well, i beg to differ. you’re actually the coolest and most fun person I’ve ever known and I’m not just talking about what you did to your ex’s car.”

“really?” she softly asks, eyes hopeful,

he nods vigorously. “really.” eddie still could see that she’s doubtful so he continues, “i see how you look out for your friends. protecting them to the extend is truly something I’ve always admired about you. also you’re not afraid to use violence for that matter. because i remember perfectly what you did to a girl back in middle school which terrifies the fuck out of me to be honest. so remind me to never get on your bad side.”

with an eye roll, she kicks him lightly with her heel earning a small laugh from him. “i’m not violent.” she disagrees. clueless to why he thinks that

“oh yeah sure” he put his hands up with a sarcastic look, “also . . . you’re really really fucking gorgeous.”

y/n notices how he quickly looks down when he says it, almost like too shy to meet her eyes. toeing the floor with the heel of his shoe, something he does when he gets nervous. and how could he not? especially knowing for sure that her eyes remain stuck on his figure.

but he knows that being embarrassed is such a wasted emotion. so with that, he glances back at her. catching a smirk on her face while she’s chewing down her bottom lip, and he regrets it instantly.

“okay you know what, you need to stop looking at me like that, i can’t focus for shit.” he states, finger pointing at her in a playful way, not liking how easy it is for him to mold in front of her. but his eyes can't help to flicker down her lips every now and then.

“me?” she asks playfully, showing off a toothy grin as he sends her a look. “aw. you’re not so bad yourself, eddie. when you got on top of that table in the cafeteria, calling jason’s ass out and telling the rest of the basketball team to fuck off? gold.”

“I thought we’re only talking about you?” he jokes, “well, i live to please others. thank you.” he bows, hearing her giggle more at his cute self.

“no but seriously, you’re so handsome. you know that, right? and cute, funny, outspoken” she reaches out to twirl her finger around his soft curls, making him halt. “and you play guitar so well! are you and your band, the corroded coffin is it? do you guys still play?”

“w-wait” he blinks rapidly to make sure this isn’t a dream. “you remember?”

“of course i do. you performed at the talent show. singing one of your favorite song from that one metal band I forgot the name of.” she replies as a matter of factly, “i like your dimples, by the way.”

he gulps when she pokes his cheek, she doesn’t truly realize the effect she has on him. it’s driving him crazy. and how her finger slowly starts to trail down his washed denim vest, grazing against the ‘black sabbath’s enamel he has pinned on the top left breast.

“i uh” he responds in his neutral face—or at least trying— but fail miserably to hide the shy glint across his face. “i mean what i said y/n”

“about?”

“you, obviously.” he looks at her, finding the confidence in his voice. stepping a bit closer towards the girl.“you’re good enough. for everything and for anyone. especially for the kind of love that you’ve been longing for. please don’t let him or anyone at all tell you differently. you deserve everything good”

her heart begins to melt after hearing the genuineness laced in his tone. never once did she ever hear that coming from a guy’s mouth, even the guys she used to date. and to see eddie’s eyes looking deeply into hers as if he’s looking for some sort of certainty just makes her want to pull him in for a kiss.

it’s like he’s refusing to look away until she knows that she’s good enough.

“you mean that?” she hopefully asks, seeing him nod. “you’re so …. sweet, eddie.”

“yeah well i try” he laughs softly, shrugging his shoulders. “another thing, you’re crazy fucking sexy. the fact that you’re the only cheerleader who cut her skirt shorter than the rest just seems badass. but I’m not a pervert okay! i just happen to be observant. so obvious every time i see you perform.”

“oh my god” she throws her head back in laughter, trying not to let his words affect the rhythm of her heartbeat. when in reality, the moment he spoke to her, she has been trying to keep a subtle composure. “you thought of me then?”

the cute voice when she asked the question, nearly draws his knees down to the floor. he’s starting to love the comfort and safe space she gives him. something that he has been searching for in a while. a long while

“i think everyone in this school has. you’re like a walking dream. every single guy i know wants to be with you.” he blurts out, stepping closer towards her but just enough to leave a space between them. “can you do something for me, y/l/n?”

“ and what’s that?” she smiles graciously at him, crossing her legs together

“promise yourself that you won’t go back to him? promise yourself that you will no longer sacrifice your own happiness for anyone that ever does you wrong”

with that, she turns speechless. but for a good reason. she has only spent less than an hour with him and yet, he cares about her like he has known her forever. it seems like eddie genuinely cares about her, especially her feelings.

eddie wants nothing but the best for her and it makes her feel so. . . good and warm on the inside. now, she’s no mind reader, but something tells her that eddie munson is not a bad person. he’s not manipulative like 99% of the male population in school.

this is the man that the whole town painted as a satanic cult leader?

“oh eddie“ she inhales a sharp breath, lips pouting at how adorable he looks. do his eyes have always been that chocolate?“i promise.”

he puffs out a breathe of relief. “good. you deserve more than whatever that asshole could give you.” his fingers softly tucking a hair behind her ear, grazing his knuckles gently against her bare arm. “now, I think we’ve been cooped up in this bathroom far too long. let’s go back to the party shall we?”

he unlocks the door, ready to go back out there but not after he lets her leave first. because eddie doesn’t want to risk anyone catching the two of them being together.

“actually” he hears her say, jumping off the sink before looking up at him. eyes glinting with excitement. “wanna grab some eats? we can go to a diner and order some burgers and fries, perhaps some pretzels too. I’m not supposed to eat carbs till next week but I’m fucking starving.” she groans, her stomach grumbling,

“you asking me out or what, princess?” he asks cockily, arms crossed. seeing her intertwining her own hands while giving a small shrug,

“maybeee” she sings, giving him a subtle wink before reaching out to grab his hand. “come on, do you want to or not? scratch that, i know you do. this fucking party blows. so let’s go!”

he chuckles when she grips his hand—almost possessively—while guiding him out of the bathroom. then he stops after realizing what she’s doing. his eyes searching around to see if anyone sees them yet, making her turn to him with a confused look.

“what’s wrong?”

“people will notice,” he mumbles to her, “and jason wouldn’t like it if he saw this.” eddie gestures their interlock hands

“oh wow, look at how much i gave an actual fuck" she sasses in a monotone voice. "listen, i’ve kicked jason’s balls before, twice. i would kick some more of his friends’s if i have to. they can stare all they want.” her tone sounds threatening, but she does it only to let him know that no one is going to hurt him, “plus I’m starting to like you eddie. and you are not going anywhere from now on. that’s facts.”

he swears if god is really up there, he needs to thank him for creating an angel like herself. who’s willing to beat someone up for him. he’s never had that before. he doesn’t think even his friends are willing to do that.

and when she mentioned about her liking him? yeah, that’s enough for him to follow wherever she wants to take him. he just hopes that this thing between the two of them could turn into something good.

with a smile, eddie extends his other hand. “lead the way then, beautiful.”

i know this is too simple but I didn't want to overcomplicate it. hope you guys like it!

#eddie munson blurbs #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x mean!cheerleader #eddie munson smut #eddie things

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sentientgolfball · 7 months

Note

Hello! Sorry to do this on anon 😅 I had a fic request!! I’ve been going through a really really rough time recently and all I’ve been needing is a Mountain/GN!Reader/Rain comfort fic with a reader with chronic pain 🥺 I appreciate you reading and, no matter what, thank you for your time!!

aw I am very sorry to hear that :(( I hope this can make you feel just a lil bit better <3

Enjoy some soft Mountain and Rain

My requests are open !

You crack open your eyes and immediately know what kind of day it’s going to be. You can feel the chill of the room on your face. You can hear the rain pouring down outside. You can feel the deep ache of your joints and you haven’t even moved yet. You thought maybe if you just laid in bed a little bit longer then the pain would go away, that you were just sore from sleeping in a weird position. When the pain persists you completely flipped your thinking, maybe you actually needed to get up and stretch. Yea that was definitely it. You sit up and quickly realize that was a mistake. It feels like there are a million tiny shards of glass trying to worm their way into your brain.

You clutch your head and groan, screwing your eyes shut at the pain. You lay back down and bury your head under the pillows. You breathe deeply through your nose waiting for the pain to dull down. While you wait you do the only thing you can. You get upset. At everything. You curse the summer for dying away into autumn. You hate the feeling of the cold seeping deep within your body. You hate the rain for deciding to come now that the warm weather is over. You curse your body for reacting this way. You hate that you can’t enjoy the changing of the season because with every change in temperature comes days like these. Days where it’s too hard for you to move, to think, to just be able to function.

A sharp throb pulses through your whole body and you whine realizing you definitely weren’t going to be able to work today. You blindly reach for your phone, not even bothering to remove your head from the pillows. You look at the screen when you grab it and it hurts. You quickly text the head librarian your situation and throw your phone back on your nightstand not even bothering to wait for a response. The longer you looked at the screen the more sick you felt.

You laid like that for hours. You didn’t have the energy to even attempt to get up and do anything that might help with the ache. There were a couple times you tried to move when the ache seemed to die down, but doing so only made it flare right back up. So you stayed there with your head buried under pillows barely able to think. And then you heard your phone buzz. You ignored it the first time, but then it kept going off. You were starting to get annoyed at the noise. You reached up and grabbed it with the intent to put it on do not disturb. That was until you saw who was blowing up your phone. It was Rain.

Did you stay up too late lol you weren’t here to greet me

Decided to skip work? Can’t blame you it’s nice outside

Are you alive?

…No seriously I’m worried are you ok?

You wanted to reply but just as you tapped on the messages your head exploded in a thumping ache. You cursed and threw your phone day willing to settle just long enough to type a coherent sentence back to the water ghoul. You crack your eyes open when you feel your phone buzz again.

I’m on my way.

You slump back down and groan. You hated making him worry. You hated making any of the Siblings or ghouls worry. You wanted so badly to be able to just push all the pain away and get through your day with a smile. But the logical side of you screamed and begged to let them help you, let them worry and care for you.

That side ended up winning when you heard a soft knock at your door. You mumbled a half hearted ‘come in’ and hissed when the light were turned on.

“Shit sorry.” You heard Rain say before the lights were flicked off once more.

You hear him walk over before the mattress dips with his added weight. You feel his hand start to rub firm but soothing circles into your back.

“Bad day?”

“You have no idea.”

“Have you eaten?”

You shake your head

“Drank?”

You shake your head

“Moved at all?”

You shake your head

He sighs and there's a moment of silence as he pulls out his phone and quickly types something. When he’s done he sits it on the nightstand next to yours before standing. He carefully removes the pillow from your head and peels the blankets off of you. He gently hooks his arms under you and picks you up with ease holding you close to him. He carries you to the bathroom and puts you down on the edge of the tub. He makes sure you're stable enough before pulling away and gently placing a kiss on your forehead.

He quickly lights a few non-scented candles before gathering various soaps and other care products. He begins to fill the tub adding a few cups of bath salts to the water. You can already feel the heat coming off the water as Rain crouches in front of you. He slowly brings his hands to the bottom of your shirt and waits for your permission. You run a hand through his hair and nod. He smiles affectionately at you as he carefully undresses you and then himself.

He dips into the tub first, settling back against the tile before gently pulling you in with him. You sigh heavily, feeling the hot water envelop you as you lean against Rain’s chest. You sit heavily against him putting all your weight on him as he begins to slowly massage your shoulders, working his way down your arms. You feel his tail squeeze around one of your legs and the pressure feels amazing.

After a while of just sitting there, letting the water cradle you as Rain works his hands over every joint, he eventually scoops some water to pour over your hair. He gently runs his claws against your scalp when he’s satisfied before grabbing your favorite shampoo and lathering it into your hair. You hum in gratitude as he works his hands through, being sure to rub some gentle circles against your temples. When he’s finished he once again scoops some water into his hands to rinse the soap out.

As he’s doing this you hear a knock on the bathroom door.

“Right on time.” Rain says repositioning you so he can hop out of the bath.

You watch bleary eyed as he wraps a towel around his waist and cracks open the door. He whispers something you can’t make out and nods his head with a slight smile. When he turns around after closing the door he has some clothes. One bundle is lounge wear you’ve seen the water ghoul wear hundreds of times, but the other is a massive sweatshirt and an extra pair of Rain’s sweatpants. Rain sets them down on the counter before walking over to the bath and hoisting you up.

“Mountains waiting for us” he whispers and presses a kiss to your cheek “he brought something special for you.”

You allow Rain to dry you off before you get dressed in the clothes brought for you. Moutain’s sweater and Rain’s sweatpants. When you’re ready he takes your hand and walks with you back to your bedroom. You’re greeted to the sight of Mounatin sitting on your bed smiling softly. There’s a tray on your nightstand with three mugs, steam rolling off of them. You can smell the herbaceous scent from where you stand. You notice there’s an added blanket on your bed and you nearly cry when you realize it’s heated.

You practically slump against the earth ghoul who carefully pulls you against him as he leans back and against the headboard. He pulls the blanket over you as Rain hands you and Mountain your respective mugs. He takes his own before walking around to the other side of the bed to get under the covers. He slides in right next to Mountain who pulls him closer to you two, wrapping a massive arm around his shoulders.

You take a sip of the tea and practically moan at the taste. Mountain chuckles and takes a sip from his own mug.

“Like it? It’s a new blend I’m testing. Rain said it helped him so I thought you’d want some.”

“It’s perfect Mounty.” You hum taking another long drink.

When you finish Mountain takes the empty mug from you and lays off to the side. He holds you close to him letting the pressure of his arms wrap around you. The combination of the tea, the heated blanket, and two ghouls happily purring away make your eyes feel heavy.

“Tired?” Rain says snuggling in closer, giving you a few soft kisses before nuzzling his head into the crook of your neck.

You nod, pulling Mountain’s arm tighter around you, resting your head on his chest. He kisses the top of your head.

“Go to sleep, wildflower. Rain and I will stay as long as you need us.”

You and mutter an incoherent form of ‘thank you’ before closing your eyes. The two ghouls laugh and twine their tails together, resting them on top of you.

“Sleep well.”

“We’ll be right here whenever you need us.”

#the band ghost #ghost bc #nameless ghouls #i hope you like it anon <3 #rain x reader #mountain ghoul #mountain x reader #nameless ghoul x reader #rain ghoul #golfball writes

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xxsycamore · 2 months

Note

👔 with fenrir please~ congrats on your milestone!

Do I have to say how excited I got because of this? Thank you!

[👔] 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙵𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚒𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚌𝚞𝚍𝚍𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚓𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚝…

FENRIR:

The joy of clearing off his schedule for the rest of his day almost makes Fenrir burst through the door of his bedroom with a thud, in sync with the tune he's humming... but thankfully he doesn't, because he finds you curled up on his bed taking a nap.

"Awwwww look at you... I don't have the heart to wake you up."

It's such a loss that you're facing the wall and Fen won't be able to catch a glimpse of your sleeping expression, but perhaps it's for the best - his heart is surely going to burst from the cuteness. Boom! Ka-pow!

For now, he resorts to changing from his uniform. Opening his closet, he picks the elements of his usual fit of casual wear: a pair of dark trousers, a plain white t-shirt, and his favorite khaki jacket.

...Strangely the jacket is nowhere to be found.

By the time Fenrir goes (haphazardly) through the contents of his closet for the third time and tells himself another two times that he hasn't thrown it together with the other stuff for the laundry, he hears you awakening from your slumber with a groan.

You surprisedly but sluggishly raise your head to greet Fenrir, and Fenrir just smirks at you; the type of smirk that is both smug but giddy with traces of embarrassment, the "you didn't!" kind of smirk. That's when you realize he can probably see the piece of clothing clutched in your arms.

Seems like the khaki jacket is not just Fenrir's favorite.

∎ Steal My Heart!! - xxsycamore’s 1500 followers celebration event | 💌 event masterlist

#ikemen revolution #ikerev #ikemen revolution fenrir #ikerev fenrir #fenrir godspeed #ikemen revolution fenrir g odspeed #ikemen fenrir #steal my heart!! xxsycamore's 1500 followers celebration event

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webslinger-holland · 10 months

Text

The Emperor of Magic | Part 5

Summary: Now trapped inside their worst nightmares, the crows need to find a way out in order to stop the emperor. Thankfully, Kaz is always one step ahead and figures out a solution.

Warning: +18 Warning, verbally and mentally abusive parent, deceased relatives, blood, gore, many mentions of death, working in the menagerie, choking, attempted murder and suicide

Pairing: Kaz Brekker x Fem!Reader

Type: Series

Word Count: 6.8k

Author’s Note: This is the end of the series! I really hoped you enjoyed reading this because I have had this story concept in my drafts for a long time. Let me know your thoughts and have a great week!!!

Series Masterlist

The emperor of magic stood in the center of six fallen bodies. She could feel a single bead of sweat rolling down the side of her temple, uncertain if it was from the blazing hot heat waves or if it was from mental strain. Her eyes remained shut as she struggled to keep the six crows under the veil of darkness.

Normally, it wasn’t hard to get inside someone’s head and drive them towards the point of insanity. But this time was different. She needed to take all six crows down, which was no easy task at hand. It didn’t help that they were all incredibly clever and intelligent; they weren't just dumb witted folk. This made the mental battle all the more challenging for her.

Despite this, the emperor was determined to succeed. She needed to keep them unconscious, forcing them captive within their worst memories and nightmares. With great struggle, the emperor managed to break the chains that bound her. She also was able to get loose from the customized straight jacket that had failed to hinder her powerless. She threw those to the side.

Afterwards, the emperor pulled the bag off her head. She discarded it by tossing into the heap of sand. She removed the final eye covering and ear pieces strapped around her head. She was now finally met with the blinding rays of the sun for the first time in nearly three years.

Wylan’s Nightmare:

As soon as his eyes changed black, Wylan’s body succumbed to a dream-like or comatose state. When he managed to regain consciousness, his eyes began to flutter open and he could see a completely different atmosphere. He quickly sat up upon realizing where he was.

The mansion was known to be one of the most beautifully constructed and decorated house in all of Ketterdam. It belonged to the a well-respected member of the Merchant Council which just so happened to be Jan Van Eck himself.

Naturally, Wylan recognized the house that he had spent his early childhood years in. It all came flooding back into his memory; the marble floors sparkled as they must have been polished to perfection and the high wooden beams that stretched across the ceiling held brilliant chandeliers. The furniture was the most expensive thing on the market at the time. The mansion couldn’t be anything less than perfect.

Now looking down, Wylan saw that he was dressed in one of his old beige suits which now explained why his collar felt so tight around his neck. He went ahead and loosened it immediately. He also realized that his wild hair was tamed and combed down like it always had been when he was a young boy.

In the short distance, Wylan heard a voice talking in the other room. He carefully rose to his feet and made it way over to the door that was slightly cracked open. Peering through the crack, Wylan’s eyes fell on the man he once called ‘father.’ And his breath caught in the back of his throat.

“You stupid, stupid boy.” Jan Van Eck said with a shake of his head.

That familiar pang of guilt shot straight to his heart; he had gotten too squinted with those words in his childhood. His father always shaming him, calling him stupid or worthless. He clutched the frame around the door, squeezing his eyes shut to keep the tears at bay.

“You’re a disgrace!”

All of the sudden, Jan Van Eck slammed his hands down and discarded everything that lay on the desk which included books, pens, and papers of the sort. The burst of fury only caused Wylan to flinch something terrible; something else that he still hadn’t grown accustomed to.

“Can’t read, can’t write.” Jan Van Eck scoffed to himself. He gritted his teeth together. “You’re absolutely worthless!”

Without thinking, Wylan burst through the slightly open door in a rage of fury. For once in his life, he was going to tell it straight to his father and he wasn’t going to let him push him around anymore. His fists were clenched at his sides and his jaw was locked.

Upon hearing the door slamming against the wall, Jan Van Eck turned to face his disgrace of a so-called son. He narrowed his eyes at his approaching figure, not expecting much from him anyways.

“You...” Wylan began, but he struggled to find his voice as it was laced with red hot anger. He pointed a finger at him accusingly. “You do not know me,” Wylan claimed with tears pricking the corners of his eyes.

“I know you’ll never evolve,” Van Eck spat. “Spent years trying to change you, trying to shape you.”

“I don’t need to be changed!” Wylan yelled back. His face turned beat red in his fit of rage.

“You weren’t enough,” Van Eck said with a shake of the head. “You could have been so much, but you're worthless.”

“We never were the same person,” Wylan seethed. He jammed a finger directly into the man’s chest. “I am not you and I was never going to live up to your name.”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Van Eck’s lips shifted into a sinister smile. “Because I’ll still always be there to haunt your nightmares.”

Very slowly, Wylan took a step backwards in his place upon coming to the realization that he wouldn’t be able to get rid of the image of his father in his mind. It will always haunt him and he can’t change that. He suddenly became aware of the situation; that he was living his worst nightmare. And his worst nightmare was being stuck with Jan Van Eck.

Backing away, Wylan wanted nothing more than to leave. He hurried out of the room, charging upstairs to escape to the place where his old bedroom was. He closed the door behind him, twisting the lock in its place. He moved away from the door then. But he didn’t know of the dark figure that stood behind him, watching his every move.

Back in reality, the emperor was left standing and staring directly at Wylan’s limp body in the sand. She studied him carefully. She caught a glimpse of a small tear escaping the corner of his eye and rolling down his cheek.

Jesper’s Memory

When Jesper finally awoke from his unconscious state, he too was most surprised with his surroundings. He shifted into a sitting position, rubbing the back of his neck as if he had a kink in it. He came to realize that he wasn’t in Ketterdam and he wasn't in Ravka either. It almost looked like...

Upon further inspection, Jesper found himself in the middle of a field. He rose to his feet slowly. His long trench coat danced in the breeze. His heart sank in his chest. The memories of his childhood came flooding back into his mind.

These fields were all too familiar to him. Amid the wheat, amid the soft golden ears, moved the unseen wind. The wheels of straw rested on their earthen bed, soaking in the brilliant sunshine. Under the sky that is made all the more pretty for the scattered clouds, the white puffs that radiate white light. It was a simple scene.

His softened gaze fell on the small little house in the short distance. It looked like something from an old photograph; a deep memory that he had almost forgotten. His feet began to carry him to the house. The dark figure followed after him without his knowledge.

Coming to the house, Jesper lifted a hand to pull the colorful blanket away from the doorway. He stepped into the entrance. His hand fell to his side and his heart had never felt more heavy.

It was a small house in the sense that it was all one room. The ground was made of fresh orange dirt and the walls had been lifted by his father at one time. A small stove sat in the corner. And there was a little wooden table for eating. Two beds lay on either side of the room. One of them had an occupant.

“Mama?” Jesper asked just as horrified as the moment he had found her years ago.

His mother always wore the most magnificent colors that made her complexion glow. Her favorite color was yellow in which she was dressed in. She wore these orange and yellow heavy beads around her neck. And her hands rested on her chest. She must have been asleep.

“Mama,” Jesper called again. He felt the tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. He approached her bedside, dropping to his knees to be at her side.“Mama, wake up. I’m here,” Jesper pleaded.

He took her hand in his own, bringing it up to his lips to press a firm kiss to it. He failed to keep his tears at bay, feeling them now cascading down the sides of his face. He shook her hand gently as if half expecting her to wake up and rid him of this horrid nightmare.

“Mama. Wake up. I need you,” Jesper cried. The dark figure stood looming over him as he was forced to once again grieve the loss of his mother.

Leaving the memory, the emperor of magic shifted her gaze away in order to face her next victim. The heartrender lay motionless in the sand with a hand near the side of her face. She looked so peaceful in the moment, but she knew she was already experiencing the worst thing she could imagine.

Nina’s Nightmare:

The Little Palace had been home for so many years. All the Grisha were sent to live at the palace after they had been tested for powers at a young age. Depending on which order one was classified into, they would be dressed in the appropriate color coordination.

Every room was created by the most beautiful and delicate hand. The hallway floors were made from the finest marble, sparkling in the early morning hours. Grand oil paintings hung on the craved marble walls. The quartz pillars upheld the vast ceilings in the grand staircase.

For some reason, Nina found herself walking through those hallways she used to call home. She felt a little disoriented because, with every turn, the palace just seemed so empty. She’d peek into rooms and poke around a corridor, but still, nobody was in sight.

She called out for others. “Zoya? Alina? Where is everyone?”

When Nina finally approached her old bedroom, she saw that the door was already cracked open and a blood stain painted the once golden knob. She pushed the door open gently, cautiously stepping into the old room. Her breath caught in her throat.

Because what Nina saw was something she hoped she would never have to see. All of the Grisha she had once known and who she had grown up with were laid lifelessly on the floor. Their colored uniforms were burnt, torn, destroyed, and soaked in blood. She couldn’t tell if it was their blood or soemone else’s.

Glancing past the bodies, Nina named every single face she saw. Her heart never felt so heavy and burdened. She choked back a sob because even though she had left the little palace long ago, she still called it home. The Grisha were her people; nothing would ever change that. But now, they all lay dead in front of her.

At one point, Nina’s eyes settled on the still body of her old friend Zoya. She rushed to be at her side, dropping to her knees. Her hands went to hover over her heart with every intention of helping her. But Zoya’s hand came up to clasp her wrist to stop her. Her pained eyes shifted to face the heartrender beside her.

“Y-You,” Zoya grunted through her teeth. She felt blood seeping past her lips. “Y-Y..You left us,” Zoya claimed.

“I-I didn’t want to,” Nina said with a swift shake of the head. “I never wanted to leave you behind.”

“But you did,” Zoya pointed out. “You abandoned us. And for what? A Fjerdan who only murders your people.”

“H-He’s not like that,” Nina insisted. She felt tears streaming down her cheeks. “No, Matthias would never hurt me.”

“It’s because of his people that we are left scarce,” Zoya said. “They came in the night. They slaughtered us.”

This comment made the heartrender glance around once more to see the familiar faces that surrounded her. She saw the red blood that painted so many faces. She felt only one heartbeat in the room besides her own.

“I didn’t know,” Nina claimed.

“No,” Zoya shook her head. “No, you knew. You’ve always known that they hunt people like us. That they kill people like us. You’ve known, but you chose to ignore it.”

“I-I’m so sorry, Zoya.”

“And now, you will have to live with the fact that you got us killed. You let them in and made us vulnerable,” Zoya claimed. “Y-You are the reason the Grisha will be extinct,” Zoya finished.

All of the sudden, Zoya began choking on her own blood. It spilled out of her mouth in waves. Though Nina tried to help her, it was already too late. Her body became relaxed after the coughing came to a halt. Her eyes were glassed over in a haze. And her breathing came to a final halt.

All at once, Nina felt an overwhelming amount of shame and guilt in her heart. She dropped her head down, feeling the tears streaming out of her eyes at a fast rate. She raised a shaky hand to cover her mouth in hopes of muffling her sobs. She squeezed her eyes shut, struggling to regain composure.

The dark figure that stood behind her took one final glance around the room. It took a single step backwards before choosing to return back to reality. Her eyes fixed on the person laying beside the heartrender.

Matthias’s Nightmare:

For some reason, Matthias thought he was dreaming again. He only thought this because he always saw her in his dreams. His dreams were quite often unsatisfying since he never really knew what he wanted. There were times that he dreamed of finally killing the heartrender that tormented him and then there were times he dreamed about how her lips felt when he kissed her. She was always a mystery to him, which made him realize that he didn’t know what he wanted.

Now Matthias didn’t know where he was or where he was going. He had a feeling that he must have been within Fjerdan territory since there was a blizzard waging around him. He could barely see in front of him from all the snow and wind blasting in his face.

For a moment, Matthias shifted his focus to his footing. He watched himself lift each foot in front of the other, trudging forward through the heaps of snow. That’s when he saw red.

The dark figure had been following him this whole time. She watched carefully for his reaction. The splotch of red in the snow must have been blood. He followed the trail of blood until his eyes fell on a body laying in the snow a couple feet ahead of him. His heart sank.

“Nina!” Matthias called out.

He hurried to her side, basically collapsing beside her in the snow. He was able to pull her body to lay on her backside before taking a look at her wounds. His hands hovered over her lifeless body, unsure of what to do in the moment.

Her face was so pale; her lips were already blue from the cold. Her eyes remained shut since they had been closed long ago. Her hair was frozen from the blood that leaked from her head. In fact, Nina’s body was covered with various wounds. She must have bled out from them.

His eyes fell on a particular wound near the junction of her neck. It honestly looked like some creature had taken a large bite out of her neck, which ultimately caused her to bleed to death. But those bite marks looked all too familiar.

When Matthias lifted his head, there was a grand grey wolf standing in the short distance. It stood calmly as the wind brushed past it’s striking grey and black fur. However, the wolf’s mouth was dripping with the blood of its victim. It was in that moment that Matthias realized wolves might not have been as tame as his people once believed.

“You did this?” Matthias said in utter disbelief. He stared at the wolf blankly. “W-Why? She didn’t do anything. She didn’t deserve to die like this.”

Slowly, Matthias looked back down to the beautifully calm woman in his arms. He held her tightly in fear of letting her go forever. He lowered his head to press it against her own. He rocked back and forth with his love in his arms, crying quietly to himself.

“She was all I had left. She was the only one to love me for who I was,” Matthias sobbed. “She loved me even though she wasn’t supposed to,” Matthias whispered.

All Matthias could do was press a soft kiss to the center of her forehead. He stared off into the distance for he was unable to look at the wolf the same again. He cried for what felt like hours on end and he refused to leave her side.

Inej’s Memory:

The Menagerie was most commonly known as the House of Exotics. This was mainly because the menagerie advertised the exotic beauties of foreign women. They always dressed as specific animals that came from their country or region.

The House of Exotics was almost always filled to the brim with men looking for a good time. They often smoked which filled the house with a thick cloud. There was always heavy liquor seeping from their lips, which made their breath smell awful and their discernment rather thin. The men were able to do whatever they pleased as long as they paid the right price.

During Inej’s time at the Menagerie, she had never felt so low and empty in her life. Now she stood there once again. She wore her old clothes which painted her out to look like a lynx. Her soft brown skin reflexed wonderfully against the brilliant purple silks that hugged her body.

With each step, Inej heard the little bells that wrapped around her ankles. She maneuvered her way through the heavy crowd, passing by drunks and other girls dressed to impress. She didn’t think to question how she got back there or the fact that she was just relieving her worst memory.

When she was there, she felt numb to the rest of the world. And she entirely was right then and there.

For the moment, Inej was leading this half drunk man upstairs to the private rooms. He had already paid her for her time spent with him. She felt the kruge jingling in her pocket. She brought him to one of the rooms, letting him inside before closing the door behind them.

It didn’t take more than five minutes for the man to emerge from the private room, still in the process of buckling his pants back together. He closed the door with a satisfied smirk on his face before heading back downstairs to the bar for another round.

Back in the room, Inej lay on the soft bed in a heap of sheets. Her beautiful purple silks had been discarded on the floor. She stare blankly at the ceiling, feeling entirely numb. She felt a single tear seep out of the corner of her eye.

Her core was filled with a sense of shame. Her legs felt weak as if she already knew she’d have trouble walking. Even her shoulder ached slightly since he had bitten down during their time together. She pulled the sheets to cover her bare body, shivering at the memory engraved into her mind.

For a second, Inej closed her eyes as if to wish she could just disappear into the next life. She hated being there. She hated the things she was forced to undergo. She just wanted to be free. Why couldn’t she be free?

The dark figure that stood by the window was looking directly at the saddened woman laying in bed. She even went to turn away from the scene, because it was too much, even for the emperor herself.

Back in reality, the emperor was truly struggling to keep all six of the crows under their own spell. She only needed to hold off for a little longer because they’d eventually discover that they’ll be stuck. They won’t be able to escape those nightmares. That is, not unless...

Kaz’s Nightmare:

When the black clouds came to settle around him, Kaz Brekker was able to get a sense of his surroundings. He had come face to face with his greatest demon. The familiar eyes of his dear deceased brother were staring right back at him.

Very slowly, Kaz found himself rising to his feet with the help of his cane. He stared at his brother blankly as if he wasn’t at all surprised to see him after all this time. He observed him ever so carefully because one wrong step could be the end for him.

“Hello Kaz,” Jordie said. His lips curved into a mischievous smile.

When Kaz didn’t say anything or do anything in particular, Jordie furrowed his eyebrows in slight confusion. He took a single step forward. He raised his hands in defeat.

“What? No hello for your long lost brother?” Jordie questioned.

“I know you are not real,” Kaz claimed. He still wore a blank stare on his face.

“Oh, aren't you the clever one?” Jordie almost mocked him. “Even if you think this isn’t real, you're trapped here with me until your brain starts to rot. You’ll never find the way out,” Jordie laughed.

Kaz’s lips twitched into a wicked smile. “Won’t I?”

Just then, Jordie’s face fell blank. He looked at his younger brother with a hint of confusion behind his eyes. He shifted nervously from one foot to the other. “Whatever do you mean?” Jordie laughed cautiously.

“You made one vital mistake,” Kaz claimed.

Though this time, Kaz wasn’t speaking to the image of his brother. More so, to the dark figure that stood behind him. In a slow manner, Kaz had turned around to face the emperor of magic herself who had been watching the conversation all along. Out of all the crows, Kaz had been the only one clever enough to notice her presence. She was slightly impressed.

“What mistake did I make?” The emperor of magic spoke through slightly gritted teeth. She clenched her fists at her sides to contain her anger because she hated being outsmarted by others.

“You discovered all our names,” Kaz began. He tipped his head to the side. “Through the same memory,” Kaz added.

Now the emperor tried her hardest to keep a straight face, but he could already see the small sense of panic hiding behind her eyes. She shifted from one foot to another in a nervous manner. She held his gaze strictly.

“Which means, all of these nightmares are connected in some way or another.” Kaz noted. He went to look at some of his surroundings, not necessarily recognizing where he was at the moment. “I wonder if they can hear me,” Kaz said mostly to himself.

“Who?” The emperor asked curiously.

“The other crows,” Kaz seethed through his teeth. He lifted his head to look towards the sky once more. “Jesper, Inej, Nina--” Kaz called for his crows loudly.

“You can’t get out,” the emperor said rather hastily. He directed his attention back to her.

Despite this, Jesper heard the message through his own memory. He raised his head and looked into the distance. All of the other crows were able to hear their boss too. Though it sounded more like a distance echo than anything else. They listened carefully to the conversation that followed.

“You're trapped here. You’ll never figure out how to get out,” the emperor claimed. She breathed a nervous laugh to cover up her slight fear.

“You underestimate me,” Kaz spoke. “Another mistake.”

Just then, Kaz took a single stride forward in his place. In a way, it was almost like he was taunting her or challenging her with knowledge of his own. Because if anyone knew something, it was that Kaz Brekker was always one step ahead of the game. He knew this was going to happen all along.

“Let me ask you something: when do you wake up from a dream?” Kaz questioned. He now stood directly in front of her, staring down at her through hooded eyes. “It’s always right before something terrible happens,” Kaz stated plainly.

The emperor couldn’t have predicted his next move. He immediately seized her throat with his glove clothed hand. She breathed a small gasp of shock as his digits began tightening around her neck. She clawed at his hand, desperate for some form of release.

“Sometimes, you get shot at. Sometimes, there is an accident. And sometimes, you fall.” Kaz recalled some of the dreams he once had and the ways he managed to wake up from them. “But you always wake up,” Kaz said while tightening his grip.

“And my guess is that if you die in this dream, you wake up. Is that right?” Kaz wondered. When the emperor said nothing, Kaz went to tighten his grip again. She winced at the contact. “Is that right?” Kaz repeated himself.

“Y-Ye-s-s,” the emperor struggled. “Y-You’ll w-wa-wake u-up.”

In the meantime, the other crows heard the entire conversation between the two of them in the distance. They finally understood what was happening and what they needed to do in order to get out of their nightmares. There was only one solution to waking up.

Without hesitation, Wylan found his old stash of chemicals in the floorboards of his bedroom. He riffled through various glass vials, searching for two in particular. He raised the two glass vials in his hands, seeing the bright colored liquid that they contained. If mixed together, those chemicals would create a deadly explosion. He popped the corks off them.

In the other dream, Jesper had been slow to rise to his feet. He looked down at the body of his deceased mother, still feeling the tears coming out of his eyes. He reluctantly pulled one of his shiny pearly guns out of his holster at his side. He cautiously raised the gun to the side of his head, squeezing his eyes shut in preparation for what was to come.

Now Nina was still sitting amongst the bodies of her dearest friends. She contemplated things for a moment, basking in the reality of the situation. She raised her hands in a particular manner, focusing all of her attention on the speed of her own heartbeat.

Meanwhile, Matthias discovered that he was moving towards the wolf that stared directly at him. He forced himself to place one foot in front of the other. He heard the wolf growling in a threatening manner. He knelt into the snow as if ready to accept his fate. He closed his eyes just as the wolf lunged for his throat.

In the menagerie, Inej had climbed to the rooftop of the institution. She peered over the edge, looking to see several stories below her. She climbed onto the ledge, keeping her arms out at her sides for balance. She put one step forward before falling to her death.

Back in his own nightmare, Kaz carried the emperor’s face a little closer to his own. He studied her carefully as if searching for any sense of faulty. He narrowed his eyes at her. He kept his grip firm, despite her desperately grabbing at the lapels of his trench coat. She was begging for release.

“B-Bu--t I’ll be l-long gone by then,” the emperor claimed. Her lips curved upwards into a smile. “Y-You’ll ne-never catch u-up to me.”

“You’re bluffing,” Kaz called it. Her smile fell. “You haven’t left yet. You’re keeping us under as long as you can. And once we are lost, then you’ll make your escape.”

And indeed he did call it.

“Y-You have n-no idea what y-your up a-against,” the emperor struggled to speak. She was quick to send a firm gab into his stomach, which caused him to release his grip on her neck. She ran past him as quickly as she could.

With the nightmares being connected, the emperor was able to open a portal into one of the first nightmares. She jumped through the portal, taking a brief moment to look at the scene in front of her. It was the old mansion.

But the once pristine bedroom was now covered in a thick layer of blackened ash and dust. The soft brown floorboard had been burnt, laced with an unknown chemical burning through the wood itself. The velvet curtains had caught on fire. And the wallpaper had been destroyed beyond repair. Amongst the destroyed scene was the small lifeless body of the demolitions expert.

“No,” the emperor whispered to herself. “He’s gone already.”

Which only meant that Wylan was awake in reality. In haste, the emperor went to open another portal into the next nightmare with every intention of stopping the next crow from waking up. All she was able to find was a limp body laying on the ground. The sharpshooter still held one of his guns in his hand, but a bullet had already entered his skull. He lay there as the blood spilled from the headshot.

The panic began to take over. The emperor dream hopped to the next one through the access of another portal. Amongst the bodies of deceased Grisha was the familiar heartrender. She lay peacefully amongst her own people, having chosen to slow and stop her own heart.

Now the emperor was growing agitated and frustrated. She went to open another portal which led her to the ice cold lands. She squinted through the blizzard storm only to find a wolf feasting on the body of a unmoving druskelle. The wolf raised its head and bared its now blood stained teeth.

Finally, the emperor forced herself to run as fast as she could through the final portal. She hurried to the edge of the building, being quick to peer over the edge. She spotted a motionless body nearly six stories below the building. She had jumped.

The emperor of magic had failed to keep them at bay. They all managed to escape their worst nightmares, which meant that they were all awake and ready to take her on in the real world. She needed to get out of this dream.

“You’ve lost. Admit it,” a familiar voice said from behind her.

When the emperor turned around in her place, Kaz Brekker was looking directly at her. He wore an infamous smirk on his face. He had followed her through every single portal, dream hopping right behind her. This also meant that he had seen each of his crows dead which couldn’t have been easy.

“They are back in reality by now. Getting ready to put a stop to you,” Kaz stated as a matter of fact.

“What about you? You can’t leave unless you die,” the emperor took notice.

“That was never part of the plan,” Kaz claimed. Her face fell. “The plan was to keep you under as long as possible because that is the only way you can be stopped from the outside. You can’t fight me in here and them out there at the same time,” Kaz explained.

Back in the desert, the five crows came to surround the emperor who stood in the center of them. The others turned to face the heartrender amongst them, giving her the signal through the form of a single nod. She raised her hands in a particular motion, slowing the heart rate of the emperor of magic.

In the dream sequence, the emperor grunted at the feeling of her heart being squeezed and slowed down. She clutched at her chest in attempts to stop what she felt. She lifted her head to look directly at the man himself. Realizing that she had been bested, the emperor was quick to turn around in her place and charge towards the edge of the building.

Without hesitation, Kaz followed directly behind her with every intention of stopping her from jumping over the side and waking up from this nightmare. Just as the emperor leaped from the ledge, Kaz grasped onto the emperor’s forearm to stop her.

From the mere pull of gravity, the emperor’s body slammed against the brick wall of the institution. He had been pulled down slightly, but he was still able to keep a firm grasp on her while hanging over the side of the ledge. She fought against his tight grip, trying to get loose so she could fall.

“I won’t let you,” Kaz grunted. He struggled to maintain his hold on her, but he shook his head at her careless behavior. “I can’t let you hurt them.”

“Then you’ll just have to come with me,” the emperor told him. She pushed off the brick wall with both of her feet. She used all of her strength to pull him over the edge of the building.

Together, both bodies began to plummet to the ground from the force of gravity. The two of them stared at one another, sensing that familiar feeling of falling to the ground with no control whatsoever. Just as the two of them would hit the ground, their bodies jolted awake back in reality. And the real challenge began.

It was rather odd. It was almost like the heartrender was holding the heart with her own two hands, forcing the heart rate to slow down. Just as Nina thought the heartbeat would come to a final halt, it was like she felt two hands envelope her own from within the chest.

Those invisible hands holding her own began to pry her fingers off of the heart itself. She eventually realized she didn’t have a grasp on the heart anymore; that it was probably back to its normal self in terms of heart rate. The feeling of those hands covering her own began to close in.

In a split second, Nina let out a terrible scream of pain as her hands got crushed by the ones that kept hers captive. The emperor of magic kept her hands clenched into tight fists as she broke every bone in the heartrender’s hands.

Naturally, Nina ended up dropping to her knees on the ground. She clutched her hands close to her chest for some form of comfort, but she wasn’t able to stop she blood from spewing from the joints in her fingers or the bones from poking out of the back of her hands. She never felt so much pain in her life.

“Nina,” Matthias called out to her.

Though part of him wanted to rush to her side, a bigger part of him wanted nothing more than to stop the emperor once and for all. With a mighty war yell, Matthias charged towards the emperor of magic who kept her back to him. He raised his two fists above his head and brought them barreling down.

But at the last second, the emperor spun around on the heels of her feet to surprise him. She drew her own fist back and sent it directly into the center of his chest. With the force of her magic, Matthias was forced backwards in his place. His body dragged across the desert sands as he felt the wind truly knocked out of his chest. His chest burned painfully.

Now the emperor went to face the other three crows standing amongst her. With Jesper drawing his two guns out of his holsters and Inej wielding her precious knives, Kaz waited to signal them to attack her with his cane. She went to take a step towards them, but was stopped when something hit the side of her head.

A bright pink powder escaped from the small glass vial that hit the side of her head. The powder sparkled in the bright sunbeams that beat down on them. She didn’t even realize that she managed to breathe the powder in, but it began to greatly affect her senses. She turned towards the small person who had through that at her.

In the short distance, Wylan went to grab another vial from his pouch. He hoped to hit her with something to make her sense weaken so it might be easier to take her down. Just as Wylan pulled the vial out, he felt an invisible hand wrap around the expanse of his neck. He was dragged forward by an unforeseen force until his neck made contact with the emperor’s cupped hand.

Without warning, Wylan’s body was slammed to the ground by the emperor. She went to straddle his chest, keeping him pinned to the ground. He grasped at the hands wrapped around his neck, desperately trying to loosen her grip on him. He gasped her air. He felt the life being squeezed out of him.

Before Wylan lost the oxygen in his chest, a gunshot rang through the air. The bullet managed to lodge itself directly into the emperor’s shoulder, which caused her to release her grasp on the boy’s neck. She slumped backwards in her place, reaching up to grasp the wound on her shoulder.

The emperor scurried to stand to her feet with every intention of finishing off these crows. Her vision began to blur and her head felt dizzy. Despite this, the emperor managed to raise her hands to put up a fight.

The three crows worked in a synchronous harmony, taking timed turns to throw different strikes. Now Inej was the first one to step forward with her knives drawn at her sides. She took a couple swipes which the emperor managed to dodge barely. Then Jesper fired a couple rounds from his pearly guns. He manipulated the bullets to fly exactly where he wanted, but the emperor waved her hands to direct the bullets elsewhere. Finally, Kaz went to step up. He raised his cane and swung with all his might. He struck her once or twice, but it wasn’t enough to take her down.

Suddenly, the emperor felt a large arm wrap around her backside which put her into a tight headlock. Her knees were knocked out from behind, forcing her to drop to her knees. Behind her, Matthias tried to maintain a tight grip on the smaller body. He grunted upon feeling her fight against him.

Slowly, Kaz went to approach her. He raised his cane in the air, bringing it towards her face. He stared her down carefully.

“Admit it,” Kaz repeated himself. “You’ve lost. We’ve bested you.”

The emperor choked upon feeling the grip tighten around her neck. “B-But I haven’t lost,” the emperor claimed.

“We’ll kill you,” Jesper explained. He came to stand beside his boss. He raised his guns to point directly at her head. “No hesitation,” Jesper stated firmly.

“And it will be slow,” Inej added. She pressed the edge of her knife against the emperor's check, swiping it away to leave a sharp mark. “And painful,” Inej said.

“You can kill me,” the emperor of magic told them. Her voice grew heavier as if the demon inside her was speaking. “But it will be your mistake because I always come back.”

Before the emperor could say another word, Kaz raised his golden cane above his head and brought it barreling down into her skull. The body ended up collapsing to the ground from the mere force of the swing. He continued to beat in her skull until there was nothing left, but a pool of blood and brain. The blood painted his face in a gruesome manner.

“Kaz!” Inej called out. She had hoped to bring him back to reality. He finally stopped beating the body to death. “It’s done,” Inej claimed.

The crows had gone through so much within the past few days. They had schemed their way back into the court and somehow managed to escape. They ended up having to relive their worst memories and became temporarily trapped in their own nightmares. They needed to escape those nightmares in the form of killing themselves. And they had to defeat the emperor after taking some heavy hits from her. Despite all this, they managed to survive, just like they always did.

But for some reason, Kaz just had a feeling that she’d be back just like she said.

THAT IS THE END OF THE SERIES! PLEASE TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS! SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO POST.

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rubydubydoo122 · 19 days

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In every universe Jason Peter Todd dies young. It’s a fate sealed across the multiverse. Maybe he could hope that there’s one universe where he doesn’t. aka, Jason, Dick, and Bruce go multiverse hopping, and are not having a fun time. (Ps, when I started writing this fic I hced Jason as Latino, but I don't really believe in that hc anymore, so just a heads up if you don't like that hc)

TRIGGER WARNING -> Child Death (it's Jason)

Jason woke up in a daze. There was shouting, and arguing, but he couldn’t really make out the words. Something about ‘ Why is this the first time I’m learning about Jason’s soul sucking swords??!!’ and ‘It’s in his files–’ and ‘Not the magic sword part, the part where he uses them and ALMOST DIES AGAIN!!’ and ‘Do I look like a magic expert to you, Dick?’ and ‘No, but you could’ve asked ANY of the handful of magicians–’

Jason stopped listening. Why are Dick and Bruce arguing? Must be about the Titans or something.

He felt a hand card through his hair.

Oh. That’s nice.

He fell back asleep.

The next time he woke up, there was the bone deep numbness that was so numb, it hurt. In his shoulders, his knees, his hips. His fingers felt stiff. His whole body was screaming.

Jason really hates that crowbar.

Slowly, he flexed each and every joint. Curling his fingers, curving his shoulders, bending his knees and shifting his hips until the screaming pain turned into a synchronized throb.

Sometimes, Jason really loathed being brought back to life.

He laid on his back, staring at the ceiling. He doesn’t like laying on his back. It reminds him too much of waking up in a suit and tie. Inside of a box. Dark and cold, breathing in stale air–

He curled back onto his side.

That was better.

Jason realized Bruce and Dick were staring at him with that look . With how much they look at him like that, they should trademark it. Right along with Alfred’s I’m very disappointed in you look ™ and the Batglare ™. Though, Jason didn’t really know how to describe it. Kinda like a you’re still alive? Look.

It was too much work to read into whatever Bruce and Dick were thinking under their carefully crafted masks, and frankly, Jason was tired, so he closed his eyes.

But every single bone in his body was pulsing in pain to the beat of his heart.

A hand grabbed his, and traced tiny circles into the space between his thumb and pointer finger.

“Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be, For my unconquerable soul.

“In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance, My head is bloody, but unbowed.

“Beyond this place of wrath and tears, Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years, Finds and shall find me unafraid.

‘It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.”

There was a weight on his chest that was shifting around, until he was face to face with…

Damian.

But something about him was making some very dim light bulbs in the back of his head turn on. Wait. Talia was there, right? He remembers seeing Talia. Were they at the League?

“ Little Prince–” he started in the League dialect.

“Are you really Jay-Akhi when he grows big?” And that completely threw Jason. Because Damian said it in English– and not in the crisp accent or tone Damian used to have when he was younger. Lowkey, it had a bit of Alley in it, which was really throwing Jason for a loop.

So… maybe they weren’t in the league. “Uh… I guess?” He sat up, “Not exactly… I’m not your Jason, but I’m kinda like him.”

Damian grinned– aww, now that was just adorable– he was missing his two front teeth, “That’s mir-macu- wacu-louis. Now I have three Akhis!” then he gasped, “No, four!”

Jason chuckled, “Miraculous.” Damian couldn’t be more than, what? Five? Six? “Alrighty kiddo, is there a reason you woke me up? Cus I’m pretty sure I need my beauty sleep in all universes.”

“Um…” Damian put a finger to his chin and looked up, and then leaned in close, speaking in a stage whisper, “My reason was Cookies.”

“Do you mean you want to make ‘em or eat ‘em?” Jason raised an eyebrow conspiratorially, “Or do you need help stealing ‘em? ‘Cus, I dunno about you, but I may know a thing or two about that.”

Damian spread his arms out wide, and wrapped them around Jason’s neck, “I wanna make ‘em, steal ‘em, then eat ‘em. Like the Cookie Monster!”

There were footsteps racing down the hall, “Habiiiiiibat!” Damian immediately perked up, and looked to the door, “Damian?” Jay peaked his head through the door, and then seemed to realize Jason was awake and straightened up, “Oh. uh, Hi! I’m sorry if he woke you up.” Damian immediately ran to Jay and jumped into his arms.

Jason laughed at the sight. Dick is probably going to melt once he sees the pair. “Trust me, I’m used to it. He comes to my apartment at 2 a.m. demanding food.” Everyone does and it’s annoying. Like, Dick can cook too. So can Steph and Duke, and even Damian depending on the food. Why would they go to someone they don’t really like? Or trust? Jason shook his head, “How long have I been out?”

“A little over two days. Your Bruce and Dick wouldn’t leave your side, until Alfred had to shoo them away to get some food and sleep.” Jay chewed the inside of his cheek. “They, uh, they were looking at him kinda funny. Is… nevermind.” For all Jason’s faults, he was usually really good at reading people. He wasn’t as good as Cass, but he was pretty good. He had to be, otherwise he wouldn’t have survived as long as he did on the streets. If only he was able to read Sheila “Alfred left some clothes out for you. He’s in the kitchen right now, so once you’re done… yeah.” Jay turned to leave.

That was a lot more awkward than the last Jason they met who was this age. Actually, he was pretty sure this Jason was older. Though, he always felt more confident as Robin. He could always pretend to be more outgoing while dressed like a traffic light.

Jason was a bit wobbly on his feet, but he found the clothes Alfred laid out for him. They were probably Bruce's if he wasn’t mistaken.

Then he realized what sweatshirt specifically had been laid out for him.

It was a vintage Gotham Knight’s sweatshirt that Jason remembered wearing all the time in the cave. It had always been way too big on him, and Bruce tried to buy him one that would fit better, but there was something about Bruce’s sweatshirt specifically– maybe because it was vintage, or maybe because it was Bruce’s– that was comforting.

He tried to find it once when he went back to the cave, usually he kept it in his locker, but he had found it empty. With no trace that Jason was once Robin, besides that stupid memorial. He assumed Bruce threw everything out.

While Jason took a shower, he debated wearing the sweatshirt, but ultimately decided against it. Jason’s was long gone. And he was fine with that. He had his own time with his. This one belonged to Jay.

And then, it hit him like a freight train.

Alfred.

Alfred was here. Alfred was alive .

And, he made it to the kitchen, but… he couldn’t make it past the door. Not when the scene looked like it was pulled directly from his childhood. Jay on a stepstool so he could comfortably reach the counter, Alfred next to him giving him nods every time Jay looked to him for confirmation. The Beatles playing in the background.

And just seeing Alfred reminded him of how much he missed him.

Damian was sitting on one of the bar stools with a bunch of colored pencils and paper spread out in front of him.

Alfred finally seemed to notice him, “Ah, Master Jason. Glad to see you awake and about.” Even his voice was the same.

That was the thing about Alfred, no matter how much time had passed, he still stayed the same. The way he stood, the way he spoke. Every hair on his head, every line in his face. Jason had genuinely thought Alfred was immortal. Guess he was wrong .

Alfred moved to the fridge and pulled out a glass container of pasta salad. “Dinner is at six, though since you missed the last few meals, I would be amenable to fixing up something you would like.”

Jason placed the Gotham Knights sweatshirt on the backrest of the chair next to Damian, and sat in the next seat, glancing at the clock. It was currently 3:00, “I think I’ll be good for now, Alfred. Thank you.” Though, Jason wasn’t just saying thank you for the food. He was saying, thank you for all the years you’ve taken care of me, thank you for giving me a real childhood, thank you for being someone who believed in me.

Alfred gave him a knowing smile, as he scooped out some pasta into a bowl. Because maybe Alfred was a mind reader. Jason was pretty sure that held true across universes.

Jason started eating as he made a mental note of things. They’d already been in this universe for a lot longer than the other ones. They were even at the Wings Universe for noticeably longer. And then he stopped mid bite.

Alternate reality Jason had Seraphim Wings.

Maybe… No. Jason couldn’t’ve been an angel, especially not a seraphim. Not before he died, and definitely not after. It was just a different reality. It wasn’t even him .

Little Damian poked Jason’s cheek, “Big Jay-Akhi?”

Oh, this child was too cute. “Hm?”

“Can I see your magical swords?”

Jason scratched the back of his neck, “Uh, sorry kiddo. I can’t exactly summon them without the presence of pure evil. But I can tell you how your Umi was the one who brought me to this place called the Acres of All where I learned how to use it.”

He saw Jay’s mouth drop, “Wait, seriously? When?”

Egh.. that was a foggy time period, “I think I was… 17? Yeah, because I was 18 by the time I was back in Gotham, and that was after… yeah, I should’ve been 17.”

Jay beamed, and leapt off the stool he was on, darting towards the kitchen entrance, because Bruce(the younger one) was leaning against the doorframe, “Ya hear that, Old Man? I’m gonna get magical swords of my own! Oh my god, I’m gonna have to make up a new vigilante name! Wait–” Jay looked back at Jason, “What do you go by? What does your suit look like? Do you still stay in Gotham? Or do you work from wherever you go to college? Where do you go to college? Cus I’ve been thinking of Princeton since I could still come back to Gotham every weekend to see Damian and I would be close enough to help if there was an Arkham breakout, but I was also thinking NYU because then I could see Dick more often, and maybe help out the Titans. Am I aiming too high? I mean, afterall I didn’t really go to middle school, but my grades have been really good, and obviously you know that, you’re me, and I’ve been thinking if I had a really good essay, I could probably get into any good school. Not to mention Bruce said he’d pay for tuition, but I wanna know that I got into the school because I was good, not because Bruce has a lot of money, ya know?”

“Um…” Static filled Jason’s ears. He had to sit on his hands because they had gone cold. His whole body had gone cold, why was the manor so cold?

He was also sweating. Why was he sweating if he was so cold? His heart was pounding. Did he just come back from patrol?

He huffed out a breath and closed his eyes. He knew himself. He knew that school and college, and a future was something every version of himself would’ve wanted.

Yeah, no, Jason’s not gonna think about that. He’s gonna go back to making a mental checklist. He no longer had his kris. That was embedded in a hyena’s forehead.

Did his Bruce still have the duffel with their suits in it? Or were they just running around in civvies from here on out?

Jason no longer had his helmet or gloves. He had left those behind when he was holding a crying Tim. Which honestly sucked because if they got stuck in a reality that dropped below freezing, his fingers were going to be useless and in pain for the next 24 hours after that.

Alfred placed a grounding hand on Jason’s elbow, “I believe we should hold off on interrogating the older Master Jason until he fully wakes up.”

Jason snapped back into the real world and realized everyone was looking at him funny.

No clue why though. He was perfectly fine.

But his Bruce and Dick were now in the room, and so was Talia, so he looked to her, “You wouldn’t happen to have any spare knives on you? I kinda lost mine a couple dimensions ago.”

Talia gave him a fond smile, and then a pointed look towards Alternate reality Bruce, “I was told not to give you anymore blades that weren’t approved by your father beforehand.”

Jay sat in the seat in between Jason and Damian, “She gave me a squiggly knife for my birthday. And then Bruce had a cow.”

Jason nodded, “Batcow.” And then blinked, “Oh, wait, you were talking about the expression. Not Damian’s pet. I thought you meant Bruce took away the kris and got you a cow instead.”

Suddenly Bruce was faced with a pair of double puppy eyes from both Damian and Jay, and Jason realized the chaos he had caused.

Jay sat on his hands and kicked his legs, tripling the cuteness factor, “Maybe not a cow, but at least a dog?”

Damian got off his chair and gave Bruce the drawing he was working on, “Please, Baba ? We can also get a pony in case the dog gets lonely. Like Dickie-Akhi and Jay-Akhi. We can then get a kitten when the doggy leaves because dogs don’t like cats.”

He saw both Bruce's fold, and Bruce had better hope their Damian never asks to get a pony, because Jason will bring up this moment.

“Wait, why am I the pony?” Jay had his head tilted to the side.

“Because you’re Ponyboy! From the story!”

The Outsiders?

Jay hummed, “I always saw myself in Johnny.”

Jason shoveled the rest of the pasta into his mouth, even though all it tasted like was ash. He could only half pay attention to what the rest of the conversation was.

“…Wasn’t that the one who killed someone?”

“It was an accident, and it was also in self defense.”

“Jay-Akhi, you can’t be Johnny. He dies.”

“Saving kids from a fire wouldn’t be the worst way to go out.”

Jason’s ears were ringing.

His heart dropped. Just like Garzonas over the edge of a balcony. A man he didn’t push, but he didn’t save.

A shiver ran up his spine, yet his ears felt like they were on fire. His whole body felt like it was on fire. He was trapped under a smoldering rebar, and the only thing he could smell was smoke and burning flesh.

Abruptly he stood up, “I’m… gonna… go back to bed.” He was about to bolt out of the room when he turned back to Alfred, and offered him a tight smile. “Thank you.”

And he stumbled out of the kitchen.

Jason was bundled up in three blankets, but his chest wouldn’t expand, his heart was now pulsing in his throat, and he still felt cold. Too cold. He was on fire, he was covered with burns. He was riddled with frostbite. Every bone in his body was crushed. He was bleeding. Bleeding out of his neck. His hands were coated with sticky red. Red, red, red. The air was too thick– He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe.

There was laughing, laughing, laughing, something was eating him alive, but he wasn’t alive. He was just a doll. A doll with a voice box that sang, ‘only the good die young, only the good die young! Onlythegooddieyoung! ONLYTHEGOODDIEYOUNG!’ over and over and over again dissonant against the laughter that wouldn’t stop.

Nope.

Jason does not have to deal with this. They were currently on a mission. A really long mission, sure, but they were on a mission. He didn’t have time to panic. In fact, the only reason he was currently panicking about a book was because he was just tired. Even though he slept for two days. Though, in his defense, his soul almost decided to Houdini out of…existence.

His soul.

His wings.

They had completely wrecked Angel Jason’s wings. They had broken his soul. Even if the angel had survived, who knew if he would ever be the same again.

Either way his soul was shattered into too many pieces. His soul. He was broken .

He felt the corner of his bed dip, the sweet smell of jasmine filling the air, as fingers ran through his hair.

Talia.

Safety.

‘Ana huna

“You have always said Robin was magic. Though, Richard always said that magic came from you. I guess he was right.” Talia puffed out a soft breath that could only be heard as fond.

It tickled the back of his brain. The part that would always be frozen in time. Watching the last second on the timer. The part that knew something came after that and before that Halloween, but he could not remember what was there. The part that knew there was something in between the coffin and the Lazarus pit, but the pieces were too fractured to put together.

“Jason, tayirati alsaghira,” My little bird, “You still make the same face when you are trying not to think of something that haunts you. I will not pretend to know you as I know my Jason…” She trailed off, as she thought carefully of her next words, “just know I do not plan on letting anything happen to my sons. None of them, no matter the Universe.” She continued to brush his hair behind his ear, “You are safe as long as I am here.”

Jason curled in on himself, “‘Ana huna.” I am here.

It was a phrase buried deep within his mind.

“Yes, ‘ana huna.” He could almost hear Talia’s fond smile, “ ‘Ana huna.”

And if Jason let himself zone out, he could almost picture himself back at the league.

A husk of a boy. Sitting in a grass field while the promise of ‘ana huna was softly whispered in his ear. A time when he was too hollow to hurt. Too hurt to feel. Oddly, it was probably the best period of his post-mortem life. Mainly because he didn’t remember it at all.

And with Talia there, whispering ‘ana huna, Jason could just forget.

He could forget.

Jason ended up coming down to help Alfred make dinner. They were making Biryani– Jason’s idea– and it was weird.

It was weird because Jason knew this wasn’t his Alfred. He had to keep reminding himself of that. He had to keep reminding himself that his Alfred was no longer able to cook besides him in this kitchen because of Bane.

Yet, cooking alongside Alfred always felt comfortable. It always felt right . He never felt like he had to live up to any expectations whenever he was around Alfred.

He knew he could just be.

Except, Alfred was giving him that look that meant he knew something was up, and was waiting patiently for Jason to tell him. Honestly, it was a near constant look on Alfred’s face– whether that be towards Bruce, or Dick, or anyone.

When Jason was younger, he used to wonder if Alfred was a time traveler. Since he died, he just thinks Alfred could read minds.

Or Alfred just knows them all really well.

The rice was already cooking and Jason started frying the onions in a pan alongside the spices. He and Alfred worked well in silence, it’s just that, Jason wanted to say something. He just didn’t know what.

“Alfred?”

Alfred handed Jason the chopped tomatoes, “Yes, my boy?”

“If–” Jason cut himself off and frowned as he slid the tomatoes into the pan, “Nothin’.” and then he realized that it would be a bit too obvious if Jason wanted Alfred to drop the look. “I was just wondering if you could eat at the table with us tonight?”

Alfred gave him that smile that meant he wouldn’t normally do what Jason’s asking him to, but will because he knows Jason needs it. “Just tonight.”

Dinner was… interesting.

Jason could tell that both Bruces wanted to talk about interdimensional travel, but Alfred had a strict no cave work in the manor policy. (the policy had been tossed out the window by the time he came back from the dead, but oh well.)

Jason was sitting next to Talia who was feeding Damian as he babbled about different animals and people named the Kratt brothers? Though, it was really sweet to watch. Mainly because he knew this wasn’t something that would happen between their Talia and Damian.

Dick was looking down at his plate, like it had personally offended him, and Alfred was sitting at the head of the table with both Jasons to either side of him.

Jay was looking at Jason with a question on his face, “How come your Bruce lets you get away with the white streak?”

Out of all the Jasons who were Robins, he’s surprised he hasn’t been asked that question earlier, “As if Bruce has any control over me.” Jason glanced to Dick and back to Jay, hopefully projecting, He still doesn’t know about the vitiligo, as much as he could, “I also wear a helmet.”

Jay also glanced at Dick and grinned, “Is it because of your magical swords? Or do you just dye it? Ya know, you should dye it a different color. Like… I was gonna say green, but it’ll look horrible once it fades, but maybe… purple.”

Jason hummed, “Maybe.” He looked to Dick, “Ya think I could get Steph in on it too?”

Dick glared at Jason. It was a glare filled with such temperance, Jason had to hold back a flinch.

Jay turned to face Dick, while leaning slightly back. “Who’s Steph?”

Like a lightswitch, Dick’s glare softened, “She’s our current Batgirl.”

So he was angry with Jason. Why was he angry with him? He thought they were getting better.

The Batgirl comment seemed to deflate Jay’s mood, “So Babs doesn’t…”

“No, she doesn’t.” A flurry of emotions seemed to pass over Jay’s face before settling on worry, “But honestly, she’s much more bada–” Dick glanced at Damian, “-wesome. Awesome, she’s much more awesome now. She’s basically our eyes and ears. She mans the coms, and sends us to wherever we’re needed. She’s kinda our guardian… angel now.” Dick looked back at his plate, pushing around some rice.

Jay rolled his eyes, sensing the tone shift at the end, “Please tell me you two aren’t also fighting. Because I came off of a phone call a couple days ago with my big brother telling him how much of a big idiot he was, and I really don’t feel like repeating myself.”

Dick gave him a little chuckle, and ruffled Jay’s hair, “Nah, kiddo, we’ve been just friends for the better part of the decade.”

“That’s what you say about Wally and Roy, yet I still see both of their clothes in your room.”

“Everyone’s clothes are everywhere in Titans Tower. You know that.” Jay looked like he wanted to continue to poke fun at Dick and his relationships, but Dick cut him off, “Steph! Is actually really cool. She was her own hero for a time, and then she was Robin, and then went on to be Batgirl. She’s basically Damian’s big sister, but Bruce won’t adopt her.”

Jay nodded, “So like…Babs but blonde?” and then paused, “I don’t treat Steph how you treat Babs, right?”

Jason grimaced, “Nah, I could never pull a Tim. She deserves better.”

“Who’s Tim?”

Bruce (the old man,) finally pitched into the conversation, “Do you have a small kid with a camera who follows you around as Robin?”

Jay nodded.

Jason blinked, “Hold up, is Tim a little stalker in every universe except for ours?”

Bruce’s face twisted like he was adding something to his mental tally, “No. Ours did too. You were the one who told me about him. Though, I didn’t believe you, until Tim showed up on our doorstep.”

“Huh. I guess I forgot.” Jason scratched his head and frowned. How could he have forgotten? Jason hasn’t forgotten any of the alley kids he meets on patrol, or the people he’s saved from muggings, or anything. He might not know some of their names, but he could never forget their faces. How in tarnation did he forget Tim running around from roof to roof with a camera?

What else does he not remember?

The rest of dinner passed, Jay offered to get Damian ready for bed, while Alfred washed the dishes. The rest of them headed down to the cave.

Jason had to do a double take, because this cave was nothing like their cave, and it definitely didn’t look like the cave he knew when he was younger.

First off, there was a swing near the computer. There was also the normal batcomputer chair, but Jason just wasn’t expecting there to be a swing. Vaguely, in the back of his mind he remembered sitting on a swing with a sleeping kid leaning on him as the sun set. Second, there were no weapons out on racks, and most of the sharp corners were either blunted or covered with foam. Third, there was one of those toy cars that a kid could ride in, that was painted to look like the batmobile. Along with a pretty large Thomas the Train track set, and a bin of legos.

So, really the main difference between this batcave and their batcave, was that this one was baby proofed.

“Jason, would you mind if I took a sample of your blood? Just a blood test, nothing else.” Young Bruce led them towards the medbay, while Talia, Dick and Older Bruce made their way to the computer

Jason frowned, “Why… didn’t you do that when I was unconscious?” He figured Mr. Paranoid would’ve done that already.

“You passed out due to magical interference. I did not want to… complicate your status.” Bruce opened a drawer and pulled out a sterile needle, tube, and tourniquet. “And I know you don’t like having needles placed in you without your knowledge. Unless that’s just something my Jason doesn’t appreciate.”

Jason sat on the cot and rolled up his sleeve, “Nah, you’re right. I’m just… I’m fine if it’s you.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow, while grabbing a bandaid (Wonder Woman themed) and an alcohol wipe, “What about Alfred? Or Leslie?”

“They go without saying.” They were the ones who figured it’d be better to make a routine while bringing needles around Jason. It’s not a distraction, just reassurance nothing’s been tampered with. Jason doesn’t really need people to do that for him anymore, not since he’s had more traumas that have made unsterile needles seem juvenile, but the thought is still nice.

“What about Talia and Dick.” Bruce tied the tourniquet around Jason’s upper arm.

“Dick hasn’t tried in… a really long time. He tried to distract me, and I kicked him in the face. Though, I dunno about Talia. I trust her with my life, but I don’t remember how that trust was built.”

“Hnm.” That was his mentally tally for something off grunt.

Bruce started putting together the needle and tube in front of Jason. He felt around for his vein, then disinfected Jason’s arm, “One… Two… Three.”

There was a slight pinch, but other than that, Jason was fine.

Jason’s fears were weird like that. He’s not afraid of the Joker, but his heart stops whenever he sees a blonde with a bob on the streets. He’s not claustrophobic from the coffin, but the feeling of dirt under his fingernails sends a shudder throughout his whole body. He’s not afraid of needles, he’s afraid of what’s attached to it.

Bruce took the needle out, stuck the bandaid on, and disposed of the gloves he was using. Then he offered Jason a smile, “I like that you decided to grow the white out. Reminds me of a tiny little boy who hit me with a tire iron and called me a big boob.”

Jason opened his mouth and then closed it, Not his Bruce He hopped off the cot. Jason gave him a little smile back, as they both headed back to the batcomputer.

They were planning on building a beacon of sorts. Older Bruce already had a couple of designs sketched out, and had made a list of materials that would be needed to make said device. Most of them they could find, but some of them Jason knew they wouldn’t be able to get their hands on unless the universe was a couple years in the future. Or they went on a deep space adventure, which they couldn’t because that would take too much time. Time they didn’t know they had.

Jason was currently sitting in the study, across from Bruce. It was just them in the manor. Talia had left for work at Wayne Enterprises, Alfred was currently dropping off Jason and Damian at school. Dick and Younger Bruce were out gathering materials.

Dick, who was still upset with Jason. What did he do? Dick hasn’t been this mad at Jason since Jason was in his villain arc. As far as Jason knew, they were fine back in the Wings universe. And he was concked for the past two days, and Dick’s been avoiding him since then, so it had to be something that happened over there.

Unless he said something wrong while he was asleep– but he doesn’t sleep talk. Maybe it was something he did?

Since no one else was in the manor with them, they decided to update the chart of Universes they’ve been to. On a real piece of paper.

This time they were just titled Jason 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. He couldn’t find it in him to give each of them snarky nicknames.

Most of it stayed the same, if they were Robin or not, their Age, the place where they died, how they died. Though they decided to add the differences between each of the universes, and how long they were in each universe.

“Got any theories on why we’ve been in this universe much longer than the other ones?” Sure, they had also been in the Wings Universe longer than the other universes, six hours, though that’s still a lot less than three days.

“Dick seems to think that because the beam directly hit you, where we go is somewhat attached to you.”

Jason nodded. It made sense… but at the same time it didn’t. If the beam was magic, it would make more sense, but it seemed to be just tech gone wrong, “And you?”

Bruce looked at him, but too many years of miscommunication must have passed between them, because the only thing he could read on Bruce’s face was a mixture of grief and relief, “Jason hasn’t…”

“Well, Sherlock, couldn't've figured that one out.” Jason tapped the pen on the table, “but usually we’re sent back a little before the incident starts. The first one we were in the warehouse a couple minutes before Robin arrived. The second Jason was actively freezing to death, the third Jason was an hour before he got hit by the car, tops. The fourth one was also a little under an hour before the manor got swarmed, the fifth one was seconds before I came back to life. The sixth one was– we were in the room while… The lamb was an active member of-of the food chain, while we just sat there . And baby Jay was probably spooning cocaine into his mout h as we– as she –” Jason shut his mouth. He felt like he was going to throw up. “She didn’t even care.” Jason underlined the age of baby Jay on their list. “She left her four year old son alone . In the apartment. With drugs in reach . She didn’t care , Bruce.” He chewed the inside of his cheek, but it still didn’t stop his mouth from twitching downwards, so he let out a little laugh. “I’ve– I’ve spent the last eight years trying to make excuses for her. That she was being blackmailed by the Joker, she was young and wasn’t ready to be a- a mother, that the world was just out to get her, but she– my mom – Catherine, the one who raised me– she would’ve never let that happen. Any of it. She wouldn’t’ve– up until the very end she didn’t even let me near– ” Jason pressed his lips together, his eyes burning with shame at the stupid, naive, fifteen year old version of himself who was desperately clawing at any ounce of acceptance he could find. “ Mami wouldn’t have sold me out.” it came out barely above a whisper.

Bruce reached his hand across the desk, “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

Jason shook his head, “I want to tell you. God, Bruce I’ve wanted to tell you for so long. But at the same time, I didn’t?” He set down the pen and looked into Bruce’s eyes. They used to be a brighter blue. The color of the sky on a good day in Gotham. Now they've turned gray. Jason doesn’t know when it happened. He just knows it was sometime while he was gone. He looked back down at the pen, “Sometimes, it’s just really hard to talk to you. There are so many times that I want to talk to you . To Bruce . Except ever since I’ve come back, it feels like I have to fight Batman just to do that.” Jason shook his head, he knew he had Bruce right now. If he had Batman, he’d be interrogating Jason instead of letting him speak. “Every single day since I could think straight, I’ve regretted how– how desperate I was to meet her. How I didn’t even do any background checks on her or how I didn’t even tell Alfred about it, I just found out and… left. ”

“Jason–”

“Let me finish.” He took in a breath, “It was reckless, it wasn’t thought through, I was so… willing to trust her even though that was the worst mistake of my life. It was the worst mistake of my life.”

“Jason, she led you into a false sense of security, it wasn’t your fault–”

“It wasn’t my fault? Bruce, I knew better than that! The first thing you learn as a Alley kid is don’t talk to people you don’t know or you’ll end up dead in a ditch . I literally found three contacts in Papi’s phone with names I didn’t even know, and left halfway across the world to ask a secret agent– Who I didn’t even know– if she was my mother, and I should’ve stopped then, but I then asked Lady Shiva ? What the fuck was I thinking?”

Bruce stood up and rounded the table until he was kneeling in front of him. “Jason, it was not your fault. I’m sorry for ever believing otherwise.”

He shook his head, “I never blamed you for my death. I’ve told you this. You don’t have to apologize for that.”

“I’m apologizing for turning you into a cautionary tale. For assuming things about your death.”

Jason looked anywhere but the the man in front of him, “Bruce–”

“Jason, you were 15 years old. You just wanted to get to know a mother you never knew you had. That’s understandable. It is comparatively more tame to what your siblings were doing around that age.” He locked eyes with Jason, “It wasn’t your fault. You were just a child. A child who had to grow up too quickly because none of the adults in your life could give you what you needed. And that includes me.” Bruce held both of Jason’s hands in his. An action that used to completely bury Jason’s hands, but now, both of their hands were relatively the same size. “I know you don’t like it when I… lament over your death, though it’s not just about not making it there in time. It’s because I left you alone with her, it’s because I let you track down Lady Shiva. It’s because I should’ve told you to take a break from Robin in a different way, because I knew you were hurting, but I didn’t know how to help you.”

Jason knew his mouth was hanging agape. And then he shut it, “I feel like that’s a recurring theme between us.”

Bruce offered him a small smile. One he hasn’t seen in a while, “We’ll figure it out eventually.”

And Jason knows that Bruce will try. He will try to reach Jason, try to figure out how to get back to him. But there's always that one day. That one day when he feels like they’re almost back to where they were before he died. There’ll always be something . Something that sends it all crashing down. And that something is usually Batman.

He knows that Bruce can never put the cowl down. It’s the same reason why the rest of them can’t either. It’s a special mix of adrenaline and guilt that keeps drawing them back to protecting people. In ways, it’s an addiction of sorts. And Bruce will always choose the addiction of being a hero over any of them.

Still, Jason nods whenever Bruce says he'll try harder. Because Jason is the moon. A cold and dry desolate landscape, and when water-the building block of life- when the oceans try to reach him, he can only try to reach back. He’ll always be grasping for something he’ll never be big enough to pull towards him.

“The real thing we should figure out… eventually, is why in the world did my dad have Lady Shiva in his contacts.”

It didn’t take long for Alfred to come home after that, and Dick and Younger Bruce came home around noon. Both Bruce's got to work on the beacon, while Jason and Dick help Alfred with chores around the house. It definitely made the top three most awkward moments of his life, death and life. Since he was actively trying to ignore the fact that their Alfred was dead and Dick was upset with him.

Jason spared a glance at Dick and found him staring again.

Furious.

Though Alfred definitely knew something Jason didn’t, because he was giving Dick his I know what you’re thinking, but not everyone can read your mind look that he usually reserved for Bruce. Dick glanced from Jason to Alfred, his face contorting into that weird mixture of grief and relief.

Oh.

Jason wasn’t the only one who lost Alfred. So did Dick, and he knew Alfred for much longer than Jason had. Alfred was more of Dick’s constant, than Jason’s. And Dick only seemed angry at Jason after he and Alfred had made dinner together.

He finished vacuuming the living room carpet, “I think I’m gonna head to the library.” and to the library he went.

The first book Jason was about to pick up was the Iliad. Then he remembered where the story of Icarus was from. And Icarus had wings and so do angels–

And they both fell.

They both died.

He shook his head and went to the Jane Austen section, and grabbed Sense and Sensibility. He went to the papasan chair he used to curl up in when he was younger. The one in their manor was gone. He’s now too grown to sit with his legs underneath him, without tipping over the chair, but still, being there in the library, with only a book for company, let him drift to the land of 19th century literature, without worrying about what was going on around them.

He was halfway through the book when Alfred came in, looking more tense than Jason’s ever seen him “the Joker is out of Arkham.”

Naturally . Jason went to put away the book he was reading, “Do we know where–”

“Gotham City Elementary.”

Jason stilled before practically running out of the library and to the cave, Alfred keeping pace with him. Gotham City High School was only a couple blocks away from the Elementary school. And he knew he kept a spare suit in his backpack when he was in high school, just in case a rogue attacked. There was no way he would stay behind if he knew, especially since Damian went to the elementary school.

Jason leaped down the stairs to get to where Younger Bruce was suiting up, and Dick and older Bruce were putting on spare dominoes. Jason reached to grab one too, but Dick swatted his hand away.

Jason reached again, “I’m sorry if you didn’t catch on, but I lost my helmet four realities ago.”

“No.” Dick slapped his hand away again, and fixed Jason with a hard glare, “You’re staying here.”

He blinked, “Excuse me?”

“You’re staying here. That’s final.” Dick strode towards the batmobile.

So Dick was still mad at him. Why was he still upset with him? It couldn’t’ve been the Alfred thing, because he gave them their time. It had to be something before that, “If you’re upset with me for… taking down those wing smugglers, just know the All Blades don’t work on anything that isn’t true evil–”

“I know that. That’s not– we don’t have time for this.”

“Exactly. We don’t have time for this. I’m coming.” Jason opened the drawer to grab a domino, and marched after him.

Dick scoffed, “No, you’re not.”

“Is it because I killed that Hyena version of the Joker ?”

He turned to face him, “No–”

“Then why? Do you not trust me or–”

“I could see you fading, Jason! You almost died! Again! Ok? And you keep dying! Ever since I got back from space and saw on the news that you were dead, I fucking thought that if I was there then–” Dick cut himself off, took a deep breath “Every single universe we go to, you keep dying, and we’re right there, but we can never do anything about it! And it’s not fine, but the only reason I’m not losing my mind over their deaths is that I keep telling myself that you are alive. That they’re not you, because you are my little brother. You keep dying. I can’t lose you. I can’t lose you.”

Jason shook his head, “Dick… You know I can’t promise you that. Not with our line of work. You couldn’t even keep that promise.”

Dick leveled him with a glare.

This was a losing battle, wasn’t it? Jason went to sit on the swing. “I’ll stay.” they were probably going to leave this universe soon anyway.

He heard their footsteps leave the cave, and the sound of the batmobile driving off.

He knew Alfred sat down next to him, but he didn’t look. They watched the news play from the batcomputer. They watched as Robin led groups of classes out of the school. And then they couldn’t see the little boy dressed in traffic colors.

Alfred grasped his hand

They couldn’t see Batman, or Bruce and Dick enter the building, but he knew more groups of kids were making their way out of the building.

Jason leaned his head against Alfred’s shoulder, as they saw Batman rush out of the roof of the school with a bundle of yellow cradled to his chest. They watched as he grappled away.

Alfred went to prep the Medbay, while Jason knew where this was headed.

So he started collecting their things. Which, throughout their journey had dwindled down to very few things. Jason’s leather jacket. Dick’s phone. Bruce’s wallet. He also gathered some things he thought they would need. The list they made of each universe they’d been to. A copy of the blueprints of the beacon. He had to wander around to find the hidden weapon racks, but he stocked up on shurikens, and grabbed a pair of escrima sticks for Dick. stuffing them in various pockets of his leather jacket.

The engine of the Batmobile sounded through the cave, and before they heard the breaks of the car, they heard the doors swinging open.

And screaming. Blood curdling screams, but it wasn’t coming from Jay. Jason made his way to the batmobile, to find older Bruce sitting with his head against the wheel while Dick held a squirming Damian while sitting in the passenger seat.

“ AKHI! AKHI!! I WANT MY AKHI!”

Dick was attempting to rock Damian, lightly hushing him, but it wasn’t working.

“ Damian .” Bruce said it in a tone that was stern, yet soft. “Damian, your brother is really hurt right now. I know you want to see him, but your father and Alfred are working hard on trying to make him feel better.”

“B-but I want Jay-Akhi !” Damian squirmed again, but with significantly less effort.

They heard the doors to the cave fling open, as heels clacked against the stairs, and then across the floor. There was also the squeak of sneakers,

“Doctor Tompkins, the medbay,” Talia made her way to the batmobile, scooped Damian out of Dick’s arms and made her way over to the swing, setting Damian down, holding his face with both her hand, wiping away his tears, speaking in Arabic “Habibi, I am going to help with Jay-Akhi. Big Jay and Dickie will stay with you here, ok?”

“Is Jay-Akhi gonna be ok?”

“We will see.” Talia placed a kiss on Damian’s forehead, and motioned for older Bruce to follow her.

Jason moved to the batcomputer to play music to distract the boy. There was already a playlist for the boy, filled with mostly lullabies and slower Disney songs. He hit shuffle, and the first song was ‘Ma Belle, Evangeline’ from Princess and the Frog.

Dick sat down next to Damian, as Damian rested his head on Dick’s chest. He held the kid close, and rested his head on top of Damian’s.

The kid had a far off look in his eyes. Like he wasn’t really there with them. It was a look he saw in so many of the kids on the streets of crime alley. He wondered if he had that look when Bruce found him. If he thought being Robin would fix it in the same way it seemed to fix Dick. Being Robin never really fixed any of them though. It just gave them something else to focus on.

Jason grabbed a sticky note that was next to the batcomputer, and wrote Damian’s disassociating. Make sure he has someone to talk to. If not a league therapist, Elaine Thomas is a good option in Gotham. She’s also the mother of a kid you foster in the future. ~JTW

Jason went to sit on the opposite side of Damian, lightly rocking the swing with his foot. Thinking for a moment before asking in French, “ What happened?” Jason was 80 percent sure Damian wasn’t paying attention, but he didn’t want to accidentally trigger him.

Their Damian knew French, and this Damian was probably multilingual, but Jason was certain it was just the main languages spoken in the house. English, Arabic, Spanish, and Romanian.

“ The rest of the class was already out. The… monster made him watch as he beat robin with a crowbar. It was a trap.”

Jason frowned, “How did he know?”

“I don’t know. But he also knew about the lamb.”

Jason stilled. Was the Joker traveling from universe to universe with them? No, because he killed that version.

The heart monitor let out a high pitched whine. Jay was flatlining. Dick looked back to Damian who didn’t have any reaction to the noise. “The crazy man split open his skull and he made him watch.”

Jason leaned his head on Dick’s shoulder. “Talia’s going to kill him.”

“I know.”

The lights to the batcave seemed to get brighter and brighter. Until they were gone.

#jason todd #batman #batfam #dc comics #red hood #dick grayson #bruce wayne #damian wayne #talia al ghul #bruce and talia #alternate universe #dimensional travel #robin jason todd

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scyllas-revenge · 28 days

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I've been encountering post comments of people flipping out over the Bridgerton S3 teaser clip where Anthony sneaks a kiss on Kate while dancing in front of the ton. It made me realize that Boromir was quite bold and brazen with the way he interacted with Reader (Aerdis) in "Breathe".

Getting so close and intimate, publicly, with a lady who was not his wife or even anything?? All the pearl clutching!! 👀😂

Real question, though: what are your thoughts, opinions, or headcanons about social protocols and restrictions in Gondor/Minas Tirith regarding interactions between unmarried men and women? Do you see it as a climate similar to the Regency Era, or something less restrictive? I guess it wasn't super conservative, considering the Farawyn public canoodling... unless that was a great scandal in itself. 😂

Oooh I love this question! (and I'm so excited for Bridgerton S3!!) Here are entirely too many of my thoughts XD

You know how much I love your Breathe fic, and I think acting a bit outside of social norms fits Boromir very well- he seems like the type to feel every emotion very intensely, and while he's very aware of social norms, he's not going to let them get in his way for long. (be still my heart, fetch me my smelling salts at once)

That being said I don't personally imagine Gondorian society to be quite as restrictive as regency-era England, just because the regency era was SO restrictive. There were SO many social taboos and particular ways you had to navigate social settings, and while I'm not an expert on them all, a lot of aspects of Jane Austen's books still stand out to me as just insane, like never referring to your spouse by their first name, even when you're just chilling at home with your kids. No hand touching if you're not wearing gloves, no dancing with someone more than twice in one setting (unless you're making your intentions VERY clear), etc. And alongside that, you get a lot of class restrictions too, like only certain pastimes being considered "proper," and everything from manners of speaking and sitting and chewing your food can mark you as uncouth and poor (I'm thinking of Emma here, and all the minute ways Emma has to teach Harriet to be an upstanding member of society. It's exhausting!).

I think some of these taboos would carry over to Gondor, like needing a chaperone to hang out with a person of the opposite sex before you're engaged, and minimal touching or displays of affection (and yes, I think the Farawyn kiss was VERY scandalous, people were probably gossiping about that one for ages lol). But some of the smaller more restrictive social norms of regency society probably don't apply (unless I want them to, for heightened drama).

Overall, I'm going to say that 1. social norms probably are bent out of whack a bit both during and a while after the war, just because people had more important things to worry about, and 2. Boromir and Faramir are a half-step away from royalty in Gondor, so their behavior probably gets a pass most of the time anyway.

As for the class restrictions, I think once again Boromir gets to bend a lot of rules here- he's probably very aware of how other nobles behave vs commoners, but I don't think he cares much and is probably a bit sick of all the hoops higher-class people have to jump through just to navigate a basic social situation. I also think that, because he's a soldier, he's more attuned to the rest of his citizens than other nobles might be. Plus he's had to cook his own meals, take care of his own horse, clean and sharpen his own weapons, mend his own clothes while on the road, etc. Nothing is beneath him by now. That was probably true for a lot of people during the war regardless of wealth or class, so I'm imagining a bit of the class division kind of dissolving, at least temporarily, after the war. Everyone emerged from it in different places with a different view of the world than when they started.

Finally, I personally really like the idea of some Ancient Roman influence on Gondor (they have aqueducts, I just know it! And I love the idea of Gondorian women wearing those Ancient Roman woven hairstyles) but unfortunately I haven't been able to find much on Ancient Roman societal norms online outside of how they approach meals (which we can tell from the books and films doesn't really apply anyway). So that idea might be a bit of a dead end.

Anyway, thanks for the ask!!! And sorry I wrote such a long rambling response, but you hit me with such an interesting question XD I couldn't help it!

#answered!#boromir

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demonic0angel · 4 months

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Chapter 7 of Ghost Games is out!

(Please start subscribing, I'll stop posting chapters on tumblr after the first arc)

Sparrow followed Robin quietly. He felt like worms were squirming through his stomach and he wanted to go back and hug Nightingale. Robin continued to walk in front of him, but somehow, he seemed to notice his nervousness and he said without turning around, "Nervous?"

Sparrow blinked at the question, slightly startled by it, before he nodded. Then realizing that Robin couldn't see him, he said, "Yeah. Are we sure that Nightingale should've been left alone?"

"She's smart," Robin said quietly. "She'll be just fine."

Sparrow observed him but didn't say anything. The air around them seemed very ambiguous and cautious.

They continued to travel through the halls and finally ended up in front of the principal's doors. The two boys glanced at each other and without hesitation, Robin pulled out a paper clip from his pocket and began picking the lock.

Sparrow sometimes wondered if Robin was secretly a super spy or something, because this type of stuff was just not normal.

He waited and watched their surroundings before Robin was able to unlock it. He slowly pushed it open, and then they slid inside, careful to not jostle the door and make it creak. The office was empty, but there was a single door ahead that had its lights on. There were also sounds of crying and muttering. It was a terrifying sound.

Sparrow took the lead this time and they both slinked closer to the door, where they leaned forward to look into the small window.

The principal was inside, crying noisily, muttering to herself as she bit on her thumb nail and used the other free hand to go through her hair as she paced the office floor. She looked insane, madness in her eyes as tears dropped down her cheeks and streaked her gaudy makeup.

It was a scene of a woman who was at her breaking point.

"He's going to kill me... he'll kill me! I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to, I really just wanted to protect the reputation of the school, it's not just fault! It's not my fault, it's not me, he's going to kill me!" She muttered it over and over like it was some sort of protective chant.

"He"?

Sparrow glanced at Robin and when Robin looked over, he mouthed, "What now?"

Robin glanced at the entrance again and suddenly, there was a loud creak and the door behind them opened further with the help of an invisible wind.

The principal inside froze.

Both Robin and Sparrow's eyes widened. They were separated on two sides of the wall but in an instant, Sparrow flew to Robin's side and grabbed his arm.

A tingle ran through his spine and he knew immediately what he had to do.

He held tight onto Robin, preventing him from leaving as the door opened and the principal marched through, her eyes wide and bloodshot. "Who's there?!" She hissed. Her ruined makeup made her look even more eerie, as the light from her room contrasted with the rest of the office space's darkness.

Sparrow could almost hear Robin's heart skip a beat as the principal stood in front of them but didn't see them at all. Robin grabbed his hands and clutched tightly.

Sparrow looked down at his own hands, which were spreading some sort of strange power from him to Robin, turning them invisible. He could faintly see the carpet floors through his own feet.

Robin shuddered hard in his grip but stayed silent.

The principal laughed and mumbled to herself crazily, cried some more messy tears, and then trodded back to her office, shaking like an electrocuted cat.

Sparrow watched her go with growing disgust and apprehension but he quickly turned his eyes back to the darkness, where the door had opened. The scene past the door was pitch darkness.

Nothing could be seen beyond that door.

In the dead of night, with murderers on the loose, any of them could pop out at any moment and kill them.

Sparrow stared back into the eyes of darkness.

Sparrow silently wrapped himself securely around Robin. Power streamed through his body, something familiar growing in his mind as green faintly filled his vision. He needed to be ready.

He could do it.

Sparrow was strong. He would protect Robin and he would help Nightingale.

Robin was silent. Sparrow only had enough mind to take a glance at him to make sure he was fine before there was a long scratching noise.

The two of them stiffened in silence once more and brought their gaze to the open door.

There, a wriggling figure could be faintly seen in the darkness. It was like seeing heat waves, except in darkness. It was so deep and black that it seemed to suck all traces of light. It slowly walked over to them with something held in its hands and dragged across the wall. It made a shrill noise as the shadow moved closer and closer to the door.

There was silence within the principal's office. Then she gave a loud scream and said, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—!! I just wanted to protect the school!!"

She opened the door to run, and Robin grabbed her, just as the shadow lunged forward with the kitchen knife. The principal gave a shrill cry and they were barely able to dodge it.

The shadow screamed as well, though its sound was a cry of fury. It darted forward again and Sparrow let go of Robin to jump forward. He kicked away the ghost, who wasn't able to dodge in time and was thrown into a wall. The shadow screeched, writhing and wriggling in its own darkness before it righted itself and ran forward.

Robin cried out as well, "Sparrow!"

"I'm fine!" Sparrow said, confidently dodging a swipe of the knife. The shadowy ghost didn't seem to care about him too much. It still moved towards the principal, who couldn't stand on her own two feet and had to be supported by Robin.

Robin grit his teeth the moment he saw the shadow coming towards near him and the sobbing principal.

But just before Robin had to become a self-sacrificial idiot, Sparrow once again jumped in front of him and fought back the ghost. His fist flickered briefly with emerald sparks, but he didn't notice as he punched the shadow in the... face? Sparrow didn't pay attention to many things, only knowing that he had to keep Robin safe and that meant that he had to get that shadow away now.

"Sparrow!" Robin hissed. "I was supposed to fight them!" He was holding down the hysterical principal, who was crying and screaming and sobbing.

If the fight between Sparrow and the shadow wasn't loud enough, then surely this crazy woman's screaming was enough to wake up the entire school and get them in trouble.

"Just protect the principal!" Sparrow replied back.

He fought the shadow back, but the more the shadow was pushed back, the crazier it became. It was clearly furious that it was being held back from killing the principal and although Sparrow sympathized with it heavily, he couldn't let it hurt Robin too.

Sparrow focused on his fight, trying his best to beat down the shadow enough that it couldn't come back up. He didn't have a way to capture it, so he would just beat it up.

Pencils and knives and papers and all sorts of office supplies came flying towards Sparrow. He dodged them, but then remembered that he was protecting Robin.

He turned around to check on him, but Robin was relatively fine. His eyes widened and he pointed and shouted, "Sparrow! Behind you!"

A knife left a gash on his shoulder as he turned to dodge. The shadow laughed mockingly and pushed past him. It punched him too. Pain blossomed from his cheek and Sparrow growled audibly as it seemed to take pleasure from it.

Before Sparrow could do anything, pencils flew out and nailed him to the floor, only barely missing his flesh. Sparrow struggled and almost wanted to complain about his tracksuit's durability. He didn't wear his uniform when he snuck out, and now he couldn't break free from the pencils because his tracksuit didn't easily rip.

Robin shielded the principal but because she was so agitated, she had been fighting him the entire time Sparrow was protecting them. Robin was already exhausted trying to keep a crazy lady safe but also from trying to protect himself.

The shadow flew forward, claws stretched out.

Just as Sparrow thought they would fail the scenario and all die, the shadow froze.

It tensed and then bristled like a furious porcupine before shrieking in rage. Then it flew off.

Robin immediately turned around to kick the principal away from him. Sparrow pulled out a pencil and threw it at him and Robin snatched it out of the air to turn the principal over and stake her to the floor with a pencil through her shirt.

The woman shrieked and cried but Robin scoffed.

"The only reason we protected you is because of the scenario. Don't push your luck, murderer."

Sparrow was vaguely intimidated by Robin's harsh demeanor and his cheek was throbbing from the punch but he didn't say anything as Robin pulled out the other pencils and set him free.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine," Sparrow reassured him. "We have to get to Nightingale! Before she's in danger!"

————

Nightingale stared at the hallway monitor, completely and utterly helpless.

She didn't know what to do. If Robin was here, he could probably create a plan. If Sparrow was here, he'd probably fight his way out or something...

Nightingale paused, considering her options before she stood up from her crouch and then clenched her fists.

She wasn't a helpless damsel, so that meant that she had to do this on her own. She was scared, but she knew she could do it.

She took a deep breath and recalled what the map of the school looked like. If all went well, she could probably get away with it.

Nightingale decisively nodded to herself and left her hiding spot, immediately catching the hallway monitor's attention.

His sunken eyes bored into her with a terrifying intensity before he smiled chillingly. "A student out of bed?" He lifted his bat.

Nightingale took a few steps back.

The hallway monitor followed her a few steps.

Nightingale took more steps back.

Once again, the hallway monitor followed her, seemingly waiting for her to run so he could give chase.

Nightingale turned and then ran.

Immediately, thuds echoed in the silent hallways and they were catching up fast.

Nightingale instinctively swerved to dodge a swing from the bat. She cartwheeled away from another attack and continued running. Her heart beat out of her chest and she continued to run and dodge. Her shoes slid on the smooth floors of the school and she continued to run and weave through its endless hallways.

She even went down two flights of stairs with the hallway monitor slowly but surely catching up to her, laughing all the while. Her feet never stopped moving in fear that she would be caught and killed.

If that happened, what would Sparrow do? He only had her...

She didn't pay attention to that strange fleeting thought as she continued to try and run away from the supernatural being trying to kill her. She continued to dodge the swings from the bat.

Nightingale finally met a dead end. She turned, meeting the hallway monitor's eyes.

He sneered at her and then smiled with big, bloody teeth. His mouth seemed to contain too much teeth all at once and his face and shoulders bulged with barely contained malice.

"Little student..." he growled in a low voice as he began to loom over her. "Are you ready to face consequences?"

Nightingale eyed behind the hallway monitor and then snapped, "Come and get me."

He immediately charged, raising his bat high above his head. Nightingale broke into a run and slide under his legs before jumping up and running faster than before.

Her hands met the doors and she immediately pushed them closed.

Before he could even comprehend the fact that she had locked him inside of the hallway, she had already escaped.

He roared furiously, banging on the doors.

Nightingale had never been so thankful for the way this stupid, inconvenient school was built.

She didn't stop to catch her breath, but she tried to control it and calm herself as she avoided the suspicious elevator and went back up the stairs. When she arrived back at the supply closet, the hallway was quiet from any lumbering hallway monitors or shrieking ghosts.

She had ran for so long that her thighs burned but she sucked it up and went to unlock the door.

"Hello?" She called when she entered. "Marina, are you there?"

Marina lifted her head but she looked sad and a little afraid.

"You... Y-You're back?"

Nightingale smiled. "I said I'd let you down, right? Are you okay? Do you still want me to let you down?"

"... please." Marina whispered and Nightingale softened up immediately.

Nightingale quickly pulled out a pair of scissors from her pocket that she picked up in the morning. Marina flinched hard, her expression twisting into one of great fear. Nightingale shushed her gently, "It's okay, I promise. I'm just going to cut off the rope. I'll catch you, don't worry."

Marina didn't relax but Nightingale also didn't relent. She needed to get her down. Even if it was a trap, Nightingale felt confident that Marina was a good person.

Nightingale approached her with soothing sounds. She cut through the rope, holding Marina in the other. The moment Nightingale cut off the rope and then untied the remaining noose around her neck, the rope disappeared into sparkling green particles.

The moment Nightingale placed Marina on the floor, she sank to her knees and clutched her throat. "Are you alright?" Nightingale asked.

"... I'm f-fine." Marina replied. "Just t-t-tired."

She lifted her head and said softly, "Your f-friends are... coming."

But the moment the door opened, it wasn't Robin and Sparrow who strode through, but the black shadowy ghost. They screamed furiously, immediately lunging forward with their claws stretched out, ready to tear Nightingale apart when Marina moved forward and stopped them.

"Ollie!" She cried out.

It was like a gunshot. The shadow stopped immediately in front of Marina.

Nightingale was horrified, but Marina didn't get hurt. The shadow was silent. If they had seemed like a hostile cat with their hackles raised before, now it felt like their owner had returned home and stroked down their back to put down the bristles.

It was a very odd feeling, especially as Nightingale tried hard to relax, trusting Marina.

"Ollie," she said softly, a small smile flitting over her face. "Calm d-down. She h-helped me."

Nightingale's heart had jumped into her throat so she was a bit speechless as she watched Marina hold the shadow's hand and smile at it sweetly. The shadow towered over her, but its faintly discernible silhouette began to relax and open up. It too, sank to the floor, and it curled its body around Marina. The door opened again and Sparrow and Robin threw themselves inside frantically.

"Nightingale!" They cried out.

The shadow bristled with resurgent hostility and Nightingale quickly found her voice again and called, "I'm here! I'm here, I'm fine. I got Marina."

The two boys crossed the supply closet to come closer to her. Sparrow glared at the shadow on the floor, who was hugging a quiet but tense Marina, while Robin sighed in relief. "I'm glad you're okay," he said, and Nightingale blushed a little at his concern.

"I'm fine," she reassured again. She turned to Marina and said, "These are my friends. Robin and Sparrow."

Nightingale noticed Sparrow's injuries and she frowned, but couldn't say anything. He didn't seem to be in danger of dying, but she still reached out to pull him to her side. Sparrow willingly went and nuzzled her.

Marina stared at them, gave a nod in response to Nightingale's introduction, and didn't speak.

Robin stared at her and then asked, "So who is this? What happened to you? Who killed you?"

Marina paused and then turned to Nightingale. Nightingale smiled gently and repeated the questions, before ending it with, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Sparrow huffed but didn't say anything.

Marina patted the shadow's head. "Go... go on," she said softly and the black shadows began to peel back, revealing a school uniform on top of pale skin and blonde hair.

A handsome boy with blonde hair and sharp, blue eyes glared at them.

Nightingale instantly recalled who he was.

He was a boy within 2-B. She silently pulled out the photo and both Robin and Sparrow looked over her shoulder, where they immediately noticed him.

Before, they hadn't noticed him in the midst of the malicious other students, but now they could clearly identify him as different. Although he was also staring at her with intensity, he stood behind Marina with an expression of clear gentleness. The rest of the students' cruel smiles contrasted with his own adoring one.

The three of them slowly lifted their heads to look back at him. He glared at them cooly, his eyes narrowed. In particular, his gaze seemed to want to tear Sparrow apart.

"My name is Oleander." He said, his voice smooth and layered with venom. Clearly, he hated their guts no matter what Marina said. "And I'm Marina's boyfriend."

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Did anybody guess it?

I was struggling on how to use dialogue during fights but then I realized that I'm not cut out for witty banter so... yeah :/

#dc x dp #dp x dc #jazz fenton #danny phantom x dc #danny fenton #dp x dc crossover #dpxdc #dcxdp #jason todd #ghost game au

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prythianpages · 3 months

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ACOSM Headcanons | Rhy's Sis x Azriel

a/n: This is based off of this request here. You can find the masterlist of imagines here. I actually had more planned for Val's early life but I didn't get to writing them but I was going to mention them in future parts as flashbacks. Here's a few of them/ideas I didn't get to write out:

Shortly after Az arriving to the little house in Windhaven, Val insists that he learns how to play piano, "if you won't sing from your mouth, you should at least learn how to sing from your heart, shadowsinger."

Unbeknownst to him, Val had overheard one of the camp's healers tell her mother that Azriel should exercise and stretch his hands to prevent further stiffness. He was hesitant to learn at first due to his hands but Val was always patient. She was also just happy to have a new friend as Rhys and Cas often stuck to each other more at this point. (I feel like she's the type to enjoy taking care of others, acts of service and quality time are her love languages. She's so used to being taken care of by her mother and Rhys that whenever she can return the favor, she's happy to do so.)

There's one night where Val wakes up to a shadow tugging on her arm and it guides her to Azriel, who had snuck out and was sitting on the small porch, looking up at the moon. Poor Az had to suffer through a lot at such a young age ): so he's obviously still struggling. Though Val is his friend at this point, she can sense he doesn't want to talk about it.

"She's my friend, too. The moon. You can talk to her about anything and she'll listen," Val tells him and then moves to leave to give him his space only to be stopped by Az who tells her to stay. So they sit beside each other that night in silence until her mother wakes up and forces them back inside. A couple of nights after this, she finds Azriel staring back at the moon with a smile.

It's shortly after this that Val suggests for them to fly and they all learn that Az doesn't know how. "What do you mean you don't know how to fly??" Rhys blinks back at Az. They then decide to teach him and you can read more about here.

The three teaching Az how to fly is what kickstarts his friendships with Cas and Rhys. They realize how much better and stronger they'd be as a trio and the bat boys club is formed lol.

Of course, Val starts to feel left out. She no longer has her coloring partner (bc Cas much prefers wrestling in the living room with Rhys) and now no longer has her piano partner (bc Az would rather play cards with Cas and Rhys.) They start hanging out more and even sneaking out more to fly at night without Val.

This leads to her seeking out Rhys's attention because she misses having a friend only for it to turn into a fight. "Can you shut up?" "I'm not saying anything!" "You're thinking so loud!"

Their fight spirals out of control and ends with Rhys calling her weak. "If you're so strong, then why do you still play with that ugly doll?" "She's not ugly and her name is Darla!" This fight turns physical and leads to them wrestling on the dining room floor and ends with her doll being torn. It's the first time Rhys makes Val cry and she runs into her room, clutching the pieces of her doll to her chest.

"She doesn't have any friends, Rhys," their mother scolds him. Rhys blinks back at her, "she has us," to which their mother replies "You three have been excluding her more often. She just wanted your attention."

All three boys immediately feel guilty. Rhys asks his mother to teach him how to sew her doll back together. Though he does a terrible job and the doll looks absolutely terrifying after he's done. "Umm...why does Darla have her leg coming out of her arm socket?" Val asks when Rhys finally returns the doll to her. "It gives her character," Rhys grins sheepishly and Val is just so happy to have her brother back, she can't find herself to care. Cas and Az also apologize to her and they all make a note to include her more often whenever they can.

In fact, it gets a little overbearing as whenever Rhys gets bored, he decides to annoy her. He randomly walks into her room just to look at himself in her mirror. Sometimes, Cas joins him. They also like using her lotions and often tend to steal them lol along with her books and any little trinkets she has. It's usually Az who drags them both out her room and returns her stolen items.

On one Solstice, Cas gifts Val a tiny violin (like the one Mr. Krab from Spongebob had) and of course, she plays it for Rhys when he gets rejected by a girl or loses in a sparring match during training just to annoy/spite him.

When Rhys dares Val to go find Bryaxis, Cas valiantly offers to go with her. As they approach the darkness within the depths of the library, it's Cas who's shaking and absolutely terrified and nearly pisses himself. Val is also scared but she hides it better and when they meet Bryaxis, she finds her curiosity overcoming the fear. "You do not fear me?" "My brother taught me not to fear the darkness." in relation to one of the scenes from this imagine

*mini spoiler but not really for a future part* Years later, when they're adults, Val goes to meet Bryaxis in search of some answers. She doesn’t want to go alone but during this time, her and Az aren’t speaking. So she drags Cas along but he doesn’t go all the way down. “I got your back…from right here.”

Around the age of 15, Val gets her first period. Their mother happens to be away so of course she freaks out. Cas is the one to notice her weird behavior and panics "what do you mean you're bleeding??" "Shut up and help me!"

Val is more concerned over what this means because she's of age now and not only does she fear for her wings to be clipped but also the prospect of her father marrying her off.

She asks Cas to get Rhys but much to her horror, he brings Azriel instead, who is just as clueless as Cas. But with their three brain cells, they manage to find where her mother keeps supplies and make her some tea.

Still, Val is freaking out because she doesn't want anyone else to find out so Cas comes up with the lovely idea of masking her shift in scent by covering her in mud from where Windhaven keeps their livestock. That's how Rhys finds them and when Val learns the magic of ✨glamors✨ which later comes in handy when her and Az spend the night together 😉

After finding about the Valkyries and sneaking out info from Cas, she decides to pay them a visit. She asks them to train her and they're a bit hesitant because she's the High Lord's daughter and they sense he has no clue she came to them. However, Zeila, one of the leaders, also senses her strength and determination. She decides to take her under her wing and Val asks Tanwyn to not say anything to Cas.

It's when Cas is visiting Tanwyn at the Valkyries camp, three months later, that he spots Val on accident. She usually is good about hiding from him. "Mother's tits! What the hell are you doing here, Val??" "You say anything and I'll tell Rhys and Az you pissed yourself the night we met Bryaxis." "Fine." Your deal is sealed with a tattoo.

Cas doesn't really care that Val is training. If anything, he encourages it but this promise keeps him from gossiping to Rhys and Az about on accident. He usually is the one to tend to any injury or wounds she gets from her training session until the night he's not there and it's Az who finds her injured instead.

a/n: Here are some headcanons that may have tiny spoilers for future parts so please don't read, unless you really want to! I only put a few as I'm still working out some details:

The year Val joins the bloodrite is also the same year that Lord Devlon's son does. During this week, is where Val finds out that the reason why Damien doesn't even look her way anymore is because Azriel scared him away the night Damien broke her heart. Damien is with a group of "friends" but decides to spare her the first night he runs into her because he doesn't think she'll survive much after that.

She also sees the little gravesite made of tree branches and stones the guys made for her friend, Mal ♡ (I don't know if Illyrians go back for their dead but considering the location is sacred and kept secret, I imagine they just leave their bodies there?)Val going through the blood rite is also a way of her being able to pay her respect to where Mal's body rests and she's determined to get through the week for not just her but in memory of Mal too.

It's a hard week for her, both mentally and physically, but she manages to pull through. Of course, the moon gives her comfort at night and she finds herself talking to the moon a lot. (Meanwhile, Az also talks to the moon at night, a habit that she got him into, because he's worried about her. They both realize this when they reunite after the bloodrite.)

On the last day, just as she's starting her climb to the mountain, she encounters Damien again. He's still with that same group of allies but notices their group has decreased in numbers. She also hears them turn on him. She has a little "not my circus, not my monkey" moment where she tells herself to just go on and keep climbing but she ends up helping Damien and saving his life. It's her way of giving thanks to Lord Devlon for allowing her to join the bloodrite. and below is a little snippet of a scene of their reunion after the bloodrite:

Her violet eyes scanned the faces of the three males before her. “Would you have stopped me if I told you?”

“Yes.”

“Maybe.”

“No.”

She raised a brow at Rhysand and Azriel before turning to Cassian with a look of appreciation. “Thank you, Cas. At least someone here believed in me.”

“Whatever. So what? I may have stopped you.” Rhysand huffed, giving a playful tug at her braid, earning a glare in return. “But it’s not because I doubt your skill. It’s because I’m your older brother and it’s my responsibility to protect you.”

“I’m proud of you,” Rhysand added, giving her a small but genuine smile. “Truly.”

His smile fell as his gaze drifted to something behind her. She followed it to find Damien, Lord Devlon’s son. Azriel shifted beside her and in the blink of an eye, Damien tore his gaze away and turned back around.

“What was that all about?” Rhysand asked, glaring after the younger male.

“I have so much to tell you,” Valeria replied with a sigh, stretching out her wings. She grimaced as dirt fell off them. “But first, I need a bath.”

#azriel x oc #rhysand's sister x azriel #azriel x rhysand's sister #acotar headcanons #acosm

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