#finished reading under the red hood last night

[binary-bird]

jay

[vln-vibes]

Heroes Hunted

(I need to finish my other fics before thinking of others Q^Q)

Basically we've seen quite a few Danny getting hunted down by the GIW and ending up in Gotham resulting in him warning certain Bats (mainly just Jason) that hes in danger as well--- but what if the GIW decided to target 'smaller fish' in order to train themselves against Phantom; their main target.

Unfortunately Team Phantom is too busy trying to keep the calm around Amity Park and don't realize it until they're too late.

The JL never see them coming.

The Bats are frantically looking for what should be their literal assassin trained Robin, Red Hood and Black Bat.

Supers are flying around the area looking for any trace of Supergirl and Superboy (I). Not even Tim's trackers on Conner show anything (just like the ones he had on his fellow Bats).

Arrows had sent Green Arrow and Arsenal to help with the search of the Bats, Roy leaving Lian behind with Dinah, only to drop off the face of the Earth.

The Flash, Blue Beetle and Hawkwoman are all reported as MIA.

An Emergency Meeting is announced and trying to get into contact with all the other fellow heroes. Some were known to be off planet but there were a few who'd failed to respond at all...

Batman is the first to realize a common factor to all those who've disappeared as most had concluded something or someone was targeting heroes.

They'd all died.

Diana was the one to bring forward worst news; the hunt wasn't done.

Impulse, Red Robin, Cyborg, Hawkman, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman herself were possible targets as well.

Cyborg was able to recover and corrupted and dropped emergency call from Barry "Those weirdos in white from earlier are attacking downtown, could use some backup asap. Something about Anti-Ecto Acts or whate-- Hey! Ugh"

A shiver went down their spines as they collectively told stories about spotting men in white suits walk around their cities. Some had brushed them off whilst others had kept tabs but the guys seemed to have lost interest and left.

It was a terrible oversight.

"Looks like some assholes are digging their noses into my turf, gonna stake them out tonight" Jason had told Bruce the last night they'd seen each other, "My guys they were wearing white suits, terrible choice for Crime Alley or Gotham"

Red Hood had said he didn't need backup as he would just gather intel, still that was also the night Black Bat and Robin were paired for patrol and she'd indicated she'd check in on him before the end of the night. The three never got to call in for the night.

Oracle had informed him that Red Hood's helmet had detonated, fortunately without him in it, its location the last place his children had pinged in the scanners.

The only audio they managed to recover from the device was "---Control Act, Article 1, Subse---Under Arrest---Questioning... And experimenting lots---"

Oracle had finally found the 'Anti-Ecto Acts', formally known as the Federal Anti-Ecto Control Act hidden along laws against the privatization of new green energy sources; Anything that was made off of or produced this so called 'ectoplasm' was to be handed over to the federal government's Ghost Investigation Ward for imprisonment, experimentation and finally termination.

"What the hell even is ectoplasm?"

"Its the source of all ghosts" Zatanna spoke up, repulsion clear as she read and reread the acts words, "Their body and souls are made up of the energy much like atoms make up all things in the physical world. The energy of the dead"

"According to these documents" Red Robin pulled up a research paper around two decades old from some students of the University of Wisconsin, "Ectoentities or ghosts are unfeeling, nonsentient echoes of their formerly living selves. They'd even theorized a means to access their home dimension they call the Ghost Zone"

"Ghost are made of bloody emotions" Constantine rolled his eyes "What kind of idiot would think otherwise? And don't get me started on a 'home dimension'--unless?"

"John, you don't think?"

"I sure as bloody hell hope not"

"The Infinite Realms!?"

Which only proved the situation more dire; a potential for a dimension that glued the multiverse and their afterlives, whose beings all had potential of rivaling the strength of a Super when provoked, their noted territorial nature making that a given if a portal happened upon them.

They were on a ticking time bomb to rescue their fellow heroes but they didn't even know where to start. Luckily they weren't the Justice League for nothing---

Potential locations scouted, teams made and buddy systems enacted for those potentially targeted.

Batman and his team headed to Amity Park to check on the three researchers of those papers-- Madeline Walker, Jack Fenton and Vladimir Masters. Background search revealed that Madeline and Jack had gotten married and had two children Jasmine and Daniel.

It wasn't until they crossed the town border in the dead of the night that their systems pinged the Fenton children were reported as runaways-- and not just them. The local high school had shut down as children were reported missing or also runaways from their parents. Even the faculty and some parents had begun to disappear.

Those that remained were kept under strict curfew by marshal law-- the GIW had the town under their control.

Just what exactly had they stumbled upon? Could their comrades be hidden somewhere in this small midwestern town?

Their theories were proven right the following night when tapping into their communication line about the 'aggressive subject G-02' and how 'it' had managed to break some arms when it had been relocated to the Fenton's personal lab. The 'unfortunate' Agent H who'd tried to yank it by its black and white contaminated hair had gotten his nose broken for it. It was scheduled for biopsy tonight.

Batman couldn't help but taste the bile make his way up fearing/knowing who G-02 was.

His Team was right behind him in the change of plans as they made their way across town as covertly as they could; it seemed as though after finding out about G-02 (it couldn't be him, he couldn't put a name to him lest he let his fear override everything) Batman pinged on more and more of their ghost detectors.

Disabling was taking too long, loathe he admit, as they devolved to destroying as discreetly as they could.

Finally they could see the garish neon of the FentonWorks logo, the steps and door to the house were covered in ectoplasm and another familiar substance-- handmarks, clawmarks, clear signs of resistance could be made out.

And then Fentonworks went up in a flame and red and green.

Batman couldn't keep in his desperate cry. Not again! Please not again...

[threestarsinline]

Children's Books and Leather Jackets (Part II)

Jason Todd x reader one-shot

Summary: You couldn't love your job more. Or at least, that's what you thought, until Jason Todd started coming into the bookshop every week without fail, like clockwork. And then you form a connection that tilts your whole world on its axis.

Word Count: 15.5K (total of 29.2K)

Category: More fluff for you all (yes, more jsjs), (plus slight angst related to mutual pining, idiots in love, friends to lovers and typical Gotham villain stuff)

Warnings: Jason stealing your heart (and you stealing his)

Author’s note: Well, here you go babes, the second (and final) part to what once was just a one-shot but that became so long that I had to split it up (despite how much it broke my heart to do so). Hope you enjoy it!

<Part I

After that night at the dinner (that you didn’t ever want to end, though of course, sadly, it had to), everything stayed more or less the same. Jason kept coming into the bookshop several times a week, buying books and checking out some others.

Except that now, while you scanned the children’s books, as you knew what they were for now, you asked how the kids were doing.

Except that now, a lot of times when he came in the afternoons, Jason stayed in the bookshop with you until you closed, keeping you company.

Except that now, sometimes Jason brought food with him and had lunch with you.

Except that now, you texted each other practically everyday, carrying on conversations from the bookshop and talking about everything.

Except that now, your heart, instead of giving little jumps, it run whole laps every time you saw him.

And right now, you’re buzzing with nerves.

Because you don’t know where the line stands anymore, having become blurrier and blurrier with each smile, every longing look and every soft touch on his arm or the small of your back when you pass each other a lot closer than what is necessary.

And now you’re bouncing behind the counter, wondering if what you are about to do today is too much.

When that white streak that you love so much makes its way through the door, you can hardly wait to show him what you’ve found. Jason, like always, greets you with a smile and goes directly to the counter, not bothering with excuses anymore.

“There you are!” You exclaim, barely containing your excitement.

“Hi to you too.” He chuckles at your warm welcome as he finishes approaching the counter.

“I found it.” You say with a grin. Surprise makes its way across Jason’s features, immediately knowing what you were talking about.

“You did?” He asks in disbelief. You nod proudly and from under the counter, you slip out the third and last installment of a book series about the adventures of Daisy the giraffe. In the store you only had the first and the second one and the kids loved them. They had read both several times but were unable to see how the story ended since the books were quite old and very hard to find.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe it.” Jason continues as he takes the book from your hands that are extending it to him. “You’re amazing, Y/N.” He looks back up at you with shining eyes. “How did you do it?” You shrug your shoulders.

“I just tracked it down.” You answer. The truth was that it had taken a lot of time and effort to find it but the kids’ joy and how happy you felt right now made it all worth it.

“You did a lot more than that, believe me. The kids are going to love it.” Jason says, glancing back at the book and then at you once again, his eyes full of admiration. “Thank you.” He adds almost breathlessly.

You nod in acknowledgement with a bright smile.

Jason had faced a lot of impossible situations during his life. Hardships that proved difficult to endure. From his days in the streets, to his Robin training and to his patrols as Red Hood.

But right now Jason feared that he may have found his greatest enemy. A problem hard to solve. A feat that will not be easy to achieve.

These damn braids.

Jason’s eyebrows are furrowed and he clenches his jaw in concentration. Despite having asked for help and Cass and Steph having taught him, he still was having trouble french braiding Lily’s hair.

He was in the area and decided to check on the kids, even though they didn't have a reading scheduled. After greeting the few that were there, Lily grabbed his hand and monopolized him.

She had asked him a few times to do her hair and he had tried but without much knowledge it had proved to be a disaster. At least now, even though it still felt a bit like an uphill climb, it seemed that his new skills were getting him somewhere.

They were sitting on some crates on the floor, Lily in front of him playing with her teddy and telling him his latest adventures as Batbear, making him chuckle at her great imagination.

He was working on the second braid when suddenly Lily fell into silence, deep in thought. He was about to ask her what was wrong when she finally spoke up.

“Do you like Y/N?” Lily asked, with the blunt curiosity characteristic of children her age.

Jason’s hands freeze on her blonde hair.

“Why do you ask?” Jason asks back nervously, afraid to give a clear response, as if after hearing it, Lily would run over to wherever you were to tell you. But she just shrugs her shoulders, lifting Batbear in her arms and examining his button-like eyes.

“She’s nice and funny.”

“Yeah, she is.” He coincides while slowly continuing to work on the braid.

“I like her. The other day she brought us all cookies from a bakery. They were delicious.” Lily continues, her voice acquiring a dreamy tone at the delightful memory.

Jason’s hands freeze once again. He had no idea you had done that. You hadn’t mentioned it to him. You had gone out of your way to buy treats for the kids and come here on your own on a non reading day.

Jason stands still on his seat, his gaze lost and thoughts clouded with you. He didn’t think that he could admire you more than what he already did, yet here he was, even more entranced by your kind nature.

“So you like her then?” Lily insists. She says it more in an innocent way rather than in the romantic sense, like when you meet a friend of a friend and they asked you if you liked hanging out with them. Just as Lily finishes her question, he ties up her braid and Lily turns her head, feeling him finish his work.

She catches sight of her reflection on a dirty window and lets out a delightful squeal that makes Jason jump in surprise. In an instant, the little girl is on her feet and admiring her hair from side to side, Batbear still in her grip.

Jason grimaces when he sees how the top of one of the braids is already starting to loosen and worries about what Lily will say. He still clearly needs more practice. But then-

“I love it!” Lily screams and Jason grins at her happiness. Ha, success. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” She says in quick succession in a way in which the words jumble together and turns to give him a bone crushing hug, surprising for how little she is, and a sounding kiss on his cheek.

Then Lily sets off running, probably to show her friends her new hair, laughing all the way, completely forgetting about her earlier question. Jason can’t help but laugh under his breath too. He loves those kids.

He stands up and shakes his hands over his jeans to get rid of any possible dirt from the crate.

“Yeah, I like her very much.” Jason whispers, answering Lily’s question. His thoughts, as they usually tended to do, drifting back to you.

“Oh my god, what happened to you?” You ask him another day when he enters the bookshop with a black eye. He opens his mouth to answer but you interrupt him. “Let me guess, boxing again?” You say with eyebrows raised in a playful manner so that he doesn’t need to worry about a fake excuse. But he chuckles and shakes his head.

“Not this time, no.”

“No? Impossible.”

“Okay so, turns out that Damian, for whatever reason that I still cannot comprehend, threw his phone at Tim. But Tim ducked and guess who was passing behind him in that exact moment just peacefully enjoying his bowl of cereal?”

“No way.” You say breathlessly, a smile already pulling at your lips and a laugh making its way up your throat.

He nods and sees you put a hand over your mouth, trying to conceal your laughter. The sight makes him smile, despite the fact that the movement pulls at the swelling of his cheek under his eye, making him wince slightly at the pain.

“Sorry.” You say, failing miserably in containing your laughter.

“It’s okay, go ahead. It is funny.”

You then finally burst out laughing and Jason feels his heart swell, the sound having become his favorite in the whole world, like listening to his favorite song. And he can’t help but join in your laughter too.

“Though I did drop my precious bowl of cereal.” He adds with an exaggerated pout and you laugh even more, making him feel a radiating warmth that not even the sun could equal to.

“Oh, poor Jason.” You say.

As your laughters finally slowly die down, you round the counter and lift your hands to hold the sides of his face, turning him to see the eye better in the light.

“Are you okay though?” You ask in a low voice, serious now, almost like a whisper.

And with your hands holding him, Jason thinks that he will always be okay, no matter if he's drowning or bleeding to death.

“Yeah.” He whispers back.

Were you this close just a second before? He can clearly see how the lights of the bookshop reflect in your eyes now.

“Did you put something over it?” He nods. You tilt your head, not sure to believe him with how he hadn’t really treated the wounds on his knuckles that one time.

“Some ice.” You manage to coax out of him and you shake your head and click your tongue in slight disappointment. 

“Not enough.” You say, and just like that one time, with the bookshop empty except for you two, you guide him into the break room by his hand, sit him down and bring the first aid kit. You take an ointment from it and stand in front of him. You look down at him, asking for permission with your eyes and he gives an almost imperceptible nod.

One of your hands takes hold of his face to tilt him to the light and the tips of your fingers on the other start applying the ointment softly to help with the swelling.

Jason’s hands twitch to place themselves on your hips to bring you even closer but he grabs his own knees instead. He doesn’t have the right to do something like that. It’s not like he’s your boyfriend.

No matter how much he might want to.

So he contents himself with looking into your eyes that are concentrated on his wound.

He can feel the warmth of your body seeping into his with how close you are and he can’t help but close his eyes to savor it even further. 

He has never felt safer.

The silence of the intimate moment is deafening in the best of ways. He would gladly stay like this forever.

But then, just like a crack of thunder, cold surrounds him once again as you whisper that you’re done and retract your hands from him. You wash your hands in the faucet of the kitchen part of the break room and Jason follows your every movement hypnotized.

“Better?” You say as you return and sit in front of him.

With you? Always.

“Yeah.” He breathes out and he isn’t lying. He can already feel the swelling going down. “Thank you.” 

“It’s nothing.” You say, shaking your head and shrugging your shoulders.

It’s like you don’t see how much you do for him, and not just for tending his wounds. Just everything in general. Your laugh. Your long conversations. And it kills him. It kills him that you may not know just how much he cares about you.

And it kills him even more that he doesn’t have the courage to tell you.

“Oh, I almost forgot.” You say and quickly get up to grab a heavy looking bag from the corner before coming back. “I went to my parents’ last weekend and I got these books that I thought the kids might like.” You start as you take the contents of the bag out and put them on the table for him to see.

He notices how you worry your lip and how your shoulders tense and he wonders why you’re suddenly like that. He then looks towards the several books displayed on the table in front of you two.

“Most of them are bedtime stories. My mom used to read them to me.” You start and then your small posture and uncertain tone clicks. You’re shy about this. Almost ashamed that he might think that this is something ridiculous.

As if he could think anything negative about you.

“They’re not much but I loved them when I was little.” You continue and as you tell him more about them, he can see with how much fondness you remember them and how excited you are to talk about them. The insecurity seems to leave your whole body as you get lost in your explanation of the books. 

Two of them are quite thick and you tell him that they have several different stories, from a prince and a princess that could only meet at sunrise or sunset since one of them could only be in the light of the moon and the other in the light of the sun. And that if they were exposed to the other light, due to a spell, they would die; to a story about a mother reading to his son.

Another couple of them follow the adventures of a mole at his house and at the beach and the books include a small mole cut-out that you move across the pages to make him follow the story. Another one is about a boy and his dog that go on a great adventure thanks to a magical blue balloon.

As he listens intently, he marvels at you. You really were the most thoughtful, kind and beautiful person that he had ever met and he couldn’t get enough of it.

He has to resist the urge to close the space between you and kiss you right there and then. But he decides against it. He liked how everything was going with you and he didn’t want to ruin it by suddenly rushing and risking everything.

Aside from the fact that you still didn’t know about a part of his life that he’s sure would make you push him away and send you running. Even though every time that he thinks about it, he’s considering telling you more and more, wanting to be completely sincere and honest with you, knowing how much you valued that.

“Sorry, that was a lot. This probably was a bad idea.” You say after you finish explaining all the books. You’re about to start picking them up to put them back in the bag when you feel his hand enclosing over one of your own, softly stopping you.

Your breath catches in your throat.

“No. These are great, Y/N. I love them and I’m sure that the kids will too. Thank you for sharing them.” He says looking into your eyes. You were sharing with him and the kids a very personal part of you that you held very close to your heart. And he wanted you to know how much he appreciated it.

He also gives your hand a small squeeze to show you how much he means his words and to encourage you. After a moment, you smile and nod.

“Tell me more.” He says.

At his genuine petition, you can’t do anything but carry on, your radiant smile matching his. “Okay.”

It had been a long time since you had played any of these types of games. But you really do not remember being so bad at it.

After the reading that day, the kids had suggested (or rather insisted) on playing hide and seek.

So here you were, running around the playground trying to find a good place to hide all while questioning your life choices.

Had you really been this bad at hide and seek as a kid? Then again, it is quite easier when you’re much smaller and you can fit almost anywhere. Try doing that as an adult.

You turn a corner of the nearby buildings, entering into a small passage between the back of it and a wall separating the playground zone from the rest of the block. You know that Lily has had to have finished counting already. You don’t have much time left.

In the passage there are some piled up crates leaning against the wall. You consider hiding behind them though you know that it’s not the best hiding place. However, you’re already here and you can’t risk going back into the open space of the playground if you don’t want to get caught.

Just as you start moving towards them a voice whispers your name.

You turn and find that the building has a small space that cuts into it with a back door. Due to the afternoon light, the space is covered in shadows and leaning against the wall you find Jason, hiding. 

You can’t believe that you missed him with his impressive build.

But the place seems to work as a great hiding place, almost in plain sight yet easy to miss. So, when Jason extends a hand inviting you into it, you don’t think twice before taking it.

Next thing you know, your back rests in one of the walls carved into the building that lead to the door and Jason is positioned in front of you in a way that, even if Lily were to pass by and notice you, she would only see him. At least at first.

Jason leans his head out of the space for a second to check if anyone is coming and then he comes back in front of you.

And then your breathing hitches in your throat when you realize just how close you are, even though there is plenty of space in the small opening of the building for you two to stand next to each other without problem. Yet both of you remain in your current position, not daring (nor wanting) to move a muscle.

Suddenly all your nerves are alive and buzzing, your senses heightened and all you can see, hear and feel, is him.

You're hyper aware of everywhere that he’s touching you.

His left hand on your waist.

His right arm at your side, brushing up against yours, shielding you from view.

Your chests almost touching each other.

Your hands on his shoulders, even though you have no idea how they ended up there. The urge to bring him even closer to you, practically irresistible.

You look up to find that his green gaze is already on you. Up this close you notice that there is a slight shade of aquamarine blue in them.

You feel lightheaded and dizzy but in the best of ways. It’s like you’re drunk, even though you have never actually drunk enough to feel like this.

You realize then that you’re drunk on him. You want to drown in him.

Then the scent of his cologne reaches you and you know that you’re intoxicated with this man in front of you.

And the best part is that he seems just as intoxicated with you.

You don’t know how you two get even closer but then his nose is brushing up against yours, your breaths mixing together.

He’s leaning a bit over you so maybe you should feel a bit crowded but you don’t.

You feel safe.

The safest that you have ever been. And the thing is that it doesn't even surprise you. Everything feels easy and safe and warm with him.

Like nothing could ever happen to you with him by your side.

And you’re absolutely addicted to the feeling.

Jason is breathless, as if he has just run a marathon. His breathing as heavy as yours.

Your heart feels like it’s going to beat out of your chest with how fast it’s going, thrill and anticipation pumping through your veins instead of blood.

Your gaze drops and you suck in a breath when he wets his lips.

Your own tongue darts out to mimic his movement on your own, when you realize that they’re already wet and that he was the one mirroring your previous action.

Your eyes go back up to his and notice that his pupils are dilated. You can’t help but think that yours look probably the same.

It seems like he’s asking a question with that mesmerizing gaze of his and your throat feels dry, as if you haven’t been able to drink water in days and the only person that can alleviate it is Jason Todd.

His gaze flits to your lips once again and returns to your eyes just as fast and they seem to be pleading you.

You can feel yourself nodding almost imperceptibly.

You’re not sure you have wanted anything more in your life. Your stomach flips.

You close your eyes, feeling the ghost of his lips on yours.

And then-

“Got you!” Lily’s voice rings out, like shattering glass, breaking the spell and bursting the perfect bubble that you two were in, before your lips are able to make any real contact.

And just like that, you deflate like an old balloon forgotten by a kid in a fair.

You have never been more frustrated in your entire life.

You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to regain your senses, letting your pounding heart beat out the drug that the proximity to Jason Todd is, in order to come back to reality.

When you finally open your eyes, Jason looks just as frustrated and disappointed as you.

Your faces part, putting distance once again between them though your hands remain on his shoulders and his remain on your waist. Part of yourselves still refusing to let go of what had been about to happen, both of your breathings still heavy and deep.

“Come on, it’s your turn now!” Lily exclaims impatiently. She’s too excited about being able to hide now to really notice what was going on between you two.

“We-” Jason stops at how hoarse his voice is and clears his throat. “We’ll be right there.” He finally continues, though his gaze is still fixed on you.

“Great!” Lily chirps and she leaves the way she came, Batbear like always, tight in her grip.

You watch her go and when you look back up at Jason both of you have shy and embarrassed smiles. Sad for the moment that has left and unsure of how to proceed now.

You both suppose that keeping things how they are is the best course of action so very slowly and very reluctantly your hands leave each other. Not sure what to do with them now, since they still feel like magnets being pulled towards each other, Jason runs his hands through his hair and you fix your already perfectly placed clothes.

But as you two make your way towards the center of the playground, you both are hopeful that the moment will come again.

The road might have a few bumps on the way but it still goes on.

Jason didn’t know how it had gotten so late. He had meant to stop by the bookshop earlier and hopefully, after you closed, go grab dinner with you, as you two sometimes did now. But he had got caught up with patrol stuff with Bruce and now he would be lucky if he managed to catch you before you left.

Thankfully, he’s able to reach the bookshop twenty minutes before you close. But when he enters, you are nowhere to be seen. 

Rose and Jimmy are behind the counter, chattering between them and just like every time that he went into the bookshop and you weren’t there, he felt his whole body deflate. The idea of seeing you always being his driving force.

But just like that other time when he entered knowing that you worked that day but Rose had greeted him, worry begins to settle in him. Had something happened that had made you change your shift? Were you sick?

“Hello, Jason!” Jimmy says when he and Rose notice him.

“Good evening, dear.” Greets Rose.

“Hello. Sorry, didn’t mean to bother, I know you’re about to close.”

“It’s okay, you’re always welcomed.” Jimmy answers.

“It’ll be quick. I just wanted to see if Y/N was here, I-”

“Does this look right, Rose? I feel like-” You say, emerging from the bathroom but then you freeze in your step when you spot him. “Oh, hi, Jason.”

But Jason is unable to answer, in fact, he’s pretty sure that he has forgotten how to breathe because he’s stunned looking at you.

You’re wearing a very nice dress that you must have changed into in the bathroom, and it’s clear that you’ve dressed up for something.

You look beautiful.

You always do but Jason has never seen you so formal and it stirs up something in him. For a second, he can imagine that he’s come to pick you up for a date.

But the joy of seeing you doesn’t last long as he feels his throat dry and he swears that he can feel sweat begin to form at the back of his neck and run down his back. It takes him a second to understand those symptoms and the unsettling feeling in his stomach.

Dread. Panic.

Because what if you actually do have a date?

Had he waited too long? Neither of you were any experts on relationships but it really felt like you two were working towards something. But what if it was too late now? What if he had let time drag on too much and now he was forever stuck in some kind of friend stage? Just like when he didn’t tell you about why he checked out so many children’s books and then it had passed so much time that it became awkward for him to do so.

His mind is in a spiral now, racing with thoughts. In one of your many conversations and hangouts after the very first reading with the kids and the diner, you both had mentioned that neither of you were seeing anybody. It was an off comment, something that you tell a friend without thinking too much about the implications of it.

But the idea hung in the air. The idea that the persons that you two were seeing were each other.

But still, neither of you had said that out loud.

And the thing was that you two weren’t just friends. Or at least that’s what Jason felt like and he thought that you probably thought the same. You two had a connection there and you were heading towards being something else. Slowly but steadily and surely, you were building something.

Right?

Suddenly, he finds himself revisiting every interaction that the two of you have ever had. Every longing look, every soft touch and that oh so wonderful moment while playing hide and seek where you two had almost kissed.

He couldn’t have possibly imagined all of that on his own, could he?

If he thought that the memory of holding your hand while he helped you down the ladder that one time had been haunting, it was nothing compared to that moment.

That moment that had plagued his mind every damn day since.

Everything about it, how you had looked at him, the smell of your hair, your hands on his shoulders, your slightly parted lips, added to everything about you from the very first time he met you, like your smile or the soft tone of your voice, creeping onto his skin and taking a resident place there. Like ivy, carving marks into him, down his arms and up his back, clasping and biting into him, leaving him red and scarred forever.

The difference of those imprints with the scars that he had gained over the years of crime-fighting and suffering was that they didn’t hurt nor weighed him down. Instead, they lifted him up, invigorated him and softly caressed his skin, like your hands taking care of his wounds, reassuring him that everything would be okay. That with you, everything will always be okay. They showed how much someone cared about him and valued him.

The difference being that he would wear your marks proudly. 

And Jason finally decides that he doesn’t want to walk on the tightrope anymore. He wants to let go and fall into the void, take a leap of faith and come clean to you. Tell you that he’s in love with you and that he wants to be yours.

He can only hope that you may lay a safety net beneath him to fall into.

And if he’s not that lucky, he would have another invisible scar added to him, from both crashing into the ground and from having at least tried. And even though that one would hurt, more deeply and a lot longer than any physical one that he may have, you would have given it to him, and he would welcome anything that came from you with open arms.

He doesn’t know how he’s going to do all of that but what he does know is that before anything, he wants to be honest with you. Tell you about being Red Hood. You deserve to know what you’re going to get into (if you even decide that you want to), before you two delve into something deeper.

The only thing is that you two are already there. Too far gone for each other, even though Jason doesn’t know that you are. The one thing that he is certain about is that when he tells you, it will change the foundations of the road that you have been building together.

What Jason isn’t so sure of is if it will destroy them, or make them even stronger.

But something that he does know, is that right now is not the moment for any of that.

So, for the time being, he settles with greeting you back and eventually saying:

“You look… You look great.” Even though that is an understatement.

You smile and shyly look down, your fingers playing with the skirt of your dress.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” He says, and while you two are busy looking at each other, you both miss Rose and Jimmy’s knowing looks and smiles. And before he can help it, he’s opening his mouth again. “So, uhm, do you have a date or something?” He tries to say nonchalantly, not wanting to sound too obtrusive, but the doubt killing him.

Your eyes widen and you chuckle, shaking your head.

“What? God no, just fancy family dinner. It’s my parents' anniversary. Since they’re visiting they decided to celebrate together.” You explain, and Jason can feel a wash of relief going over him, his racing heart calming down.

He hasn’t lost his chance.

“Oh, that’s nice. Congrats.”

You nod and grab your things, getting ready to leave before turning to Jimmy and Rose.

“Thanks again for letting me go early.”

“Of course, dear. And don’t worry about the dress, it looks perfect. You look lovely.”

“No problem, sweetie.” Jimmy adds before complimenting you too.

You kiss the couple’s cheeks in thanks before bidding them goodbye, Jason copying your words before opening the door for you.

As you two leave, you see Jimmy whisper something into Rose’s ear while putting an arm around her waist, bringing her closer to him. She chuckles and she kisses his cheek and Jimmy kisses her forehead in return.

Jason smiles at the fond interaction.

“They’re lovely, aren’t they?” You say, still looking at the couple.

“They are.” Jason says, already looking at you. You’re lovely too. “You’re going to the restaurant with your family now?”

“Yeah, I didn’t have enough time to spare after the shift to go back home so I had to change in the bookshop. My parents lend me their car in order to make it.”

Jason nods, trying not to look too disappointed at the fact that he can’t even offer to drive you there, and a comfortable silence settles between you, neither of you wanting to part ways yet.

But you have to go if you don’t want to be late so you sigh before speaking once again.

“I have to go.”

“Yeah.” Jason says, hands in his pockets. “See you soon then.”

“Bye.” You say and you haven’t taken two steps before Jason calls your name. You turn.

“You look very beautiful.” He can’t help but compliment you again.

You feel your whole face heat up.

“Thanks.”

You think about him the whole way to the restaurant but then again, when aren’t you not thinking about Jason Todd?

Jason has never been more scared in his life. Well, maybe he had, when he was in that damned warehouse. And then later, when he woke up after that without being able to recall who he was or where he was.

But this other type of fear... It's almost paralyzing, threathening to swallow him whole.

He runs as fast as he can, taking long strides, his rugged breathing making him have tunnel vision and only allowing him to focus on one thing.

You.

He hadn’t liked how close the situation had been to the bookshop from the very first moment that they had received the alert. Worry tight in his throat since he had always hoped not to ever have this kind of situation this close to you.

The bookshop’s neighborhood had always been one of the safest in Gotham, there were certain minor crimes, yes, which part of the city didn’t have them? But none of the rogues had ever attacked there.

You had once joked that you thought that the reason for it might be that some of the villains had family living there. You once even said that you could have sworn to have seen the Penguin accompanying an old lady that might have been his mother crossing the street.

Yet still, now an ACE Chemicals truck had been assaulted by Scarecrow and his henchmen. The truck wasn’t even supposed to be in the neighborhood in the first place, but the company and the police had received some information that an attack was being planned and they had decided to detour it.

And now you were in danger.

Jason keeps running with his hands clenched into fists that were turning tighter and tighter by the second.

He can feel sweat gathering on his forehead and he can almost hear a ticking clock hanging over his head as he puts some distance between him and the sickeningly looking mist of muddy green gas that had exploded in the truck.

The very same gas that was quickly spreading along the streets and that would reach the bookshop in a matter of minutes.

The first ones to arrive at the scene had been him and Tim, trying to control the situation until backup could arrive.

Scarecrow’s men were taking over the truck and before leaping into action, Jason threw Tim a look that even with the helmet on, Tim could perfectly understand.

If anything starts going sideways, I’m out of here. Going to her.

Going to you.

Tim was also aware of the fact of how close it all was to the bookshop and he just nodded, knowing how much you mattered to Jason.

They had been able to control the situation more or less as more and more police cars gathered around the truck. But then Scarecrow had finally made his appearance and everything derailed. At first, it seemed like they just wanted to steal from the truck but then something happened and the truck exploded.

Between the chemicals from inside the truck and whatever other things the villain and his gang always brought with them, the gas set off along with the explosion.

Scarecrow and his men scurried off immediately after, giving the feeling that that had certainly not been their desired outcome.

But the gas started spreading and they had no idea what chemicals were inside the truck or what the effects of it could be, but Jason wasn’t going to risk it.

And so, he took a quick glance at Tim, who already had his gas mask on, helping people on the street, and returning his gaze, Tim just nodded.

Go. We handle this here.

And with that, Jason set off.

The bookshop wasn’t actually that far away, just a few blocks, but Jason feels like he’s doing the longest run of his life and that time itself is slowing him down. He has also tried calling you but the line was already overloaded with all the emergency calls.

As he runs, he can hear through his intercom Tim and Steph shouting instructions to everyone nearby and Barbara guiding Bruce to track down Scarecrow.

His heart’s racing and when he finally catches sight of the bookshop, he feels like it’s going to jump out of his chest.

The sound of the door slamming open startles you in your place behind the counter. You turn your head to tell the person that had entered to mind their manners when you are met with a red stare that you had only seen in blurry pictures on the news and heard rumors about.

You take in a sharp breath as Red Hood closes the door and approaches you in quick strides. You freeze in your place, not because you are scared of him but because of the surprise of it. Especially when you look him over and your gaze can’t tear away from the brown leather jacket that felt so familiar to you.

Red Hood grabs your wrist, bringing you with him hurriedly into the break room. And though his grip is strong, you’re surprised to find that it doesn’t hurt at all. You can hear him talking and you know that his presence here can’t mean anything good, though not for you of course, you know that Red Hood wouldn’t hurt you, he didn’t hurt innocent people, but something must have happened.

However, you can’t seem to register any of his words, it’s like he’s saying something but you’re underwater, his words sounding muffled and jammed together.

Because for some strange reason you’re still fixated on his jacket.

He sets you down on the floor next to the sofa in the break room and crouches down in front of you. And then he does something that makes your brows furrow in confusion.

He calls you by your name.

How does he even know your name?

You want to ask him but everything feels so confusing right now, like a tornado spinning around you. You only manage to utter a weak “What…?”, before you can’t help it and your hands, with a life of their own, run over his arms, feeling the fabric of the jacket until they reach the lapels and grip them.

Your heart was already racing and your breathing labored from the whole situation but it seemed like they hadn’t reached their limit yet. Though you feel like they are surely about to do so. You can feel your heart go even faster as your mind begins spiraling with thoughts and you suck in a breath when the realization hits you.

Because this… This piece of clothing so characteristic of the vigilante in front of you, you had spent an awful lot of time staring and gawking over the man that wore it several times in your bookshop.

Because this… This is the very same fabric that your hands had touched while you had been inches away from kissing that very same man in an alley while you were playing hide and seek.

Because now that you were able to see it up close, you instantly recognize it.

How could you not? When you had spent so much time with its owner, laughing while you two ate lunch; admiring him when he found an interesting book on the bookshelves; feeling understood when you shared your worries with him; taking the opportunity to touch his arm anytime that you could, covered in this very same jacket, one of the few of this type that he owned; hoping that if you were to tell him how you feel, he would feel the same way; and wishing that you could kiss him without having to worry about the consequences?

Because this jacket belongs to the man that you’re in love with.

Because this jacket… This jacket belongs to Jason Todd.

And then everything clicks, how he works nights, the wounds on his knuckles, his occasional and strange run offs. Suddenly it all feels so blatantly obvious that you wonder how you didn’t see it before.

You know in your gut what it means but your brain is still catching up with everything going on around you to fully make sense of what your heart already knows.

For a quick second, the thought that maybe he shouldn’t wear the same jacket while patrolling and during his day to day, makes you want to start laughing. Though it’s true that unless you saw it more than once, several times and very close, no one would realize that they were the same jacket. But the reality of the situation around you helps you to rein in the inappropriate laugh.

And then your name being called again finally breaks you out of your thoughts, and the only thing that you can focus on is him.

Jason’s gripping your shoulders now, willing you to focus on him and needing to have some kind of contact with you to make sure that you’re okay. He moves frantically, his eyes quickly checking the front door of the bookshop through one of the break room’s windows that look into the main part of the shop, already seeing the mist of gas slipping under it, trying to calculate how much time he has left.

He’s been asking you if you’re okay and trying to explain what has happened but the sentences come out stumbled, his brain going faster than what his mouth can follow.

In his haste he doesn’t even register the change in the look of your eyes at your realization.

He knows what he has to do but he’s afraid of what it will entail. He wanted to sit down with you, tell you about being Red Hood and explain everything to you. He wanted to be hopeful that you may understand but now he doesn’t have the chance to let you know how he would have wanted to.

It feels like someone has pushed him from the tightrope beneath him, directly cutting it, or rather, that it has snapped over his own weight, not able to hold him and his secrets anymore, and now he’s falling and he can’t do anything about it.

And if you would have ever laid a net beneath him, he’s sure that you would cut a hole open in it now.

He’s about to break everything that you two have been working towards, a shattering earthquake destroying what once was a strong and beautiful road.

But it’s the only way to keep you safe.

And he would cut the rope sustaining him himself and willingly fall into the abyss if he had to to make sure that you’re safe. That’s the only thing that matters to him right now.

And that’s exactly what he does.

You watch perplexed as Red Hood takes the helmet off and you’re met with the sharp features and white streak that you love so much.

It really is him.

He’s Red Hood.

Jason is Red Hood.

Jason, who always seemed to be checking out children’s books, wearing leather jackets and making you smile like no one has ever done before.

Your Jason.

Out of the corner of your eye you see a weird mist start to seep through under the door to the break room that Red Hood- no, Jason, had closed after you two entered.

“Jason?” You whisper. He lifts his head up from where he’s been fidgeting with the helmet since he took it off to meet your gaze, and the broken look in his eyes makes your heart feel like it has been stabbed. “What’s going on?” He follows your line of sight and his eyes grow with worry.

“Scarecrow.” He mutters while turning back to the helmet, he pushes a few hidden buttons in it and you’re surprised to see how its panels shift, changing its shape slightly but still having a head-like form.

And then Jason turns to you, his hands lifting with the helmet towards your head.

Your face contorts with horror when you realize what he wants to do.

You immediately grab his forearms, pushing them down and therefore, the helmet too.

“What are you doing?” You say.

“I have to protect you. And we don’t know what the gas does yet so I’m not taking any risks.” He pushes the helmet towards your head once again but you repeat your previous action, preventing him from doing so.

“And you? What about you?” You ask desperately, the gas coming closer and closer towards you both.

Jason’s lips pull into a sad smile. “I’ll be fine.” He whispers. It’s like he has already resigned himself to something. You shake your head.

“No. I’m not taking it.”

“I have a spare small mask, don’t worry.”

You’re still so in shock from everything that you don’t realize that he’s lying, yet in the pit of your stomach you can already feel a pool of dread forming.

“But-” You start but he cuts you off.

“Y/N, listen to me. We don’t have much time. Do you trust me?”

Even with everything that has just happened, you don’t hesitate.

“Always.”

Jason nods and puts the red helmet over your head, the shifted panels allowing it to fit your head perfectly. Jason sighs with relief and looks at you fondly, his hands still on either side of your head.

Your hands come up to cover his own and he nods reassuringly. “You okay?” He whispers, and you nod.

Everything is going to be okay.

But then Jason starts coughing.

The gas has already reached you both and gathers at your ankles.

Your eyes widen and you reach for him as his hands let go of your head to support himself when he begins lulling to one side. “Jason!” You shout.

You can see his eyes losing focus, starting to get dizzy. While your breathing keeps coming in deep and clean thanks to the regulator built in the helmet, Jason seems to be gasping for air, like he isn’t getting enough oxygen or like his lungs are refusing what’s going in them.

And you finally realize that there never was a spare mask.

How could you have been so foolish?

You try to take the helmet off to give it back to him but it’s like it’s closed off. You press the buttons that you find on the underside at the back but nothing happens. You try everything but it just won’t come off.

Nothing.

You can’t take it off.

He must have locked it somehow, almost as if he knew what you would try to do.

You can’t protect him.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. I’m so sorry.” A cough. “ I swear I wanted to tell you.” Another one. “ I was going to.” He says between short breaths before finally collapsing onto the floor.

You grab him before his head hits the ground and you hush him gently.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry, it’s okay.” Now it’s you the one holding the sides of his face softly.

One of his hands comes up to hold one of your own, and you can’t stand the look of utter adoration and affection with which he gazes at you.

Because you can’t help him.

And his look is as if he would be content to go this way, knowing that at least you’re safe.

And your heart breaks all over again.

The room is covered in gas now and it’s not until your vision becomes slightly blurry that you register the tears welling up in your eyes.

You cry for help but there’s nothing that can be done now. You also try calling 911, not caring what will happen if someone sees that he’s Red Hood. You just need him to be safe. But the line doesn't work. Jason begins to close his eyes.

“Hey, hey, no.” You urge. “Stay with me, stay with me.” Jason opens his eyes once more, fighting to stay awake, but you can see in them how he’s almost gone, his consciousness slipping away from him.

“Please.” You whisper, fighting the tears.

And then his hand holding yours falls limp.

And with it, your heart does too.

You shake him, call him, scream at him to wake up but it’s no use. Tears run down your cheeks now, raked sobs breaking though your chest.

You even try to take off the helmet again but of course, nothing happens.

You feel for his heartbeat, it takes you an agonizing second to feel it but it's there.

Weak and slow, barely perceptible, but it’s there.

Although you fear that probably not for much longer.

Fear and dread run through you, you don’t know how to fix this. You don’t want to let him go but he’s being pulled away from you.

And then the door to the break room bursts open.

You look up and there Red Robin stands.

And the way in which he shakes his hair away from his eyes with a movement of his head while looking around the room frantically, trying to locate you through the mist, makes your breath hitch in realization for the second time in the last few minutes.

Tim.

Then he notices Jason’s unconscious body in your arms and when his gaze meets yours, even with the helmet on he knows what you want to say.

Save him.

Your shifts at the bookstore have never felt longer. You had become so used to him and come to rely on his visits so much that now, without him, they only drag on and on and on, something that had never even happened before.

Even before him.

Your only solace being that he’s alive.

You often have to remind yourself of that fact when the memory of the fear of losing him claws back at you.

Jason is alive. He is okay.

After Tim found you two, he launched towards Jason, checking his vitals and addressing his state.

He told you that he needed to bring Jason to the batcave as soon as possible and you had immediately grabbed Jason’s hand, refusing to let go of him and profusely saying that you were going with him.

But Tim had only shook his head, explaining how Jason would kill him if he ever allowed you to not go to the hospital for a check up.

But you had fought him with tooth and nails, saying that you weren’t leaving his side anytime soon and Tim had no other option but to give up.

However, just as Tim was calling for Steph to come and help him with Jason quickly, you passed out.

Whether because of all the emotions and stress of those five minutes (because yes, since Jason first entered into the bookshop to protect you, it had only been five minutes, maybe even less), or because due to the shifted panels in the helmet, some gas had managed to slip in, you didn’t know.

Probably more the later than the former but still.

Next thing you knew, you woke up in the hospital. Thankfully without the helmet, Tim having probably managed to unlock it.

Through the doctors, nurses, and the news on the TV in the ER, you learned that the gas was dangerous but thankfully non-lethal. In most cases, like yours, people in the neighborhood who had only inhaled a bit just felt dizzy for a few hours or passed out for a bit.

In other cases, the most serious ones, like Jason’s, people were put into a coma-like state, with the lungs rendered to a point of near-exhaustion. But with good rest and the appropriate care, they would recover soon with no side effects.

Batman had managed to apprehend Scarecrow and just like the vigilantes had suspected from the beginning, it wasn’t a deliberate attack but a robbery gone wrong.

They let you go of the hospital that very same afternoon, with instructions that if you felt any kind of dizziness to come back. After your family (and Rose and Jimmy of course) checked in with you, you were finally able to grab a hold of your phone that had been left in the bookshop.

You were met with a text from Tim, how he had managed to get your number, you didn’t know, but it probably had something to do with the fact that all the Waynes were part of the Batfamily.

Or at least, that’s what you figured, once you were finally able to think with a clear head and digest all of your recent discoveries.

The text said that Jason had made it to the batcave safely, that he had been treated immediately and that he was resting now.

You have never been more grateful for anything in your life.

But that had been a week and a half ago. And you hadn’t seen Jason since.

You felt like a part of you had been ripped out and taken along with him. The absence of a vital organ leaving you empty.

Probably your heart, since it had left your chest and leaped itself into Jason’s hands a long time ago.

The neighborhood had been deemed safe after the gas dissipated and you were back to your job like nothing had ever happened, just like how it often was after any incident with a rogue in Gotham.

Life just went on. Gotham and its residents as resilient as ever. The fight and survival etched onto their DNA.

If there ever was something to admire Gotham for, its survival skills were definitely it.

You had wanted to see Jason immediately, and you had even called Tim so that he could tell you more about Jason’s state and tried to see when you could go see him but then your mother had called.

Your uncle had had an accident at work and he would need surgery.

Though there was some risk, it wasn’t a extremely dangerous procedure. But if there was something that all of your family had in common and that was characteristic of all of you, was that if something happened to someone, every single member of the family would come running to be there.

And you knew that you had to be there, you wanted to be there, but it still tore at your insides having had to leave without having being able to see Jason. But your uncle lived on the other side of the country and you had to take a plane that very same night to be able to arrive before the surgery the next day.

So, you had called Tim back, telling him that you had to leave, how bad you felt, how sorry you were and that you would try to come back as soon as possible. But Tim assured you that it was okay, that they would all take care of Jason, that it would take him a couple of days to wake up and be fully conscious and that he understood (and that Jason would too) that you had to go.

You nodded, trying to hold back tears and muff your sniffling due to all the stress that had taken a hold of you due to all the recent events. Tim had calmed you down and promised you to keep you updated. Helping you just like you had done when you met him.

Thank god for Tim Drake. You’re pretty sure that you would have lost it if it weren’t because of him. His reassurance a sign of a friendship for a lifetime.

And so, you left. Everything went well with your uncle and you were glad to have been able to see your family for a few days since quite a long time ago.

But when you came back, Jason wouldn’t see you.

It took Jason two days to wake up from the coma-like state, though he had been getting better and better with each passing hour, and a full day of only eating and sleeping before he was able to return to normalcy.

Still, when he first woke up, the only thing in his foggy brain was you. He asked about you as soon as he opened his eyes and Tim told him that you were okay but that you had to leave for a few days due to a family emergency, and that you had called every day several times to check in.

Jason let out a sigh of relief. Both because you were safe and because he didn’t know how he would have faced you if you had been there.

He was sure that you hated him now. Despised him. Sure, you had called to see how he was, but that’s just how you were, caring and protective. But deep down, he knew that you had to resent him for having hidden being Red Hood from you.

He was sure that if he saw you, the first thing that you would do was scream at him and tell him that you didn’t want him in your life anymore.

And he wouldn’t be able to bear that.

He didn’t know how he could ever go back to a life without you.

That’s why he refused to see you everytime that you reached out after you came back. Letting his phone ring out when you called, later just sending a quick text saying that he was fine, that he was just busy with some things in order to not worry you. He knew that it was unfair and that he was being an idiot but he didn’t know what he would do if he saw you, even though he knew that he eventually would have to.

And yet, despite all of that, he still couldn’t bring himself to fully cut ties with you. He simply couldn’t. Needing you at least in some way in his life just as much as he needed air. As well as the fact that he knew that he couldn't do something like that to you, at least not without explaining.

It wasn’t until Tim cornered him and talked some sense into him that he realized that he couldn’t put it off any longer. 

When Jason enters the bookshop, a chill runs through him as he shakes the drops of water from his hair. He had dreaded every single step that he took towards the bookshop, a cloud of shame hanging over his head. And then the universe had decided that he wasn’t miserable enough and so that cloud of shame had quite literally started to pour on him. He couldn’t help but think that he deserved it but still, it sucked.

He usually liked rain. Just not when he didn’t have an umbrella and was tethering on the edge of sanity while trying to hold the composure that he had created to give him the strength necessary to face you. And certainly not when he was holding a hot chocolate that he had bought for you; having already lost count of how many times he had previously done so when he came to visit you, in a sad attempt at a peace offering, even though he was sure that you would dump it on him; but that now surely was just cold chocolate.

Shit. He really was going to look like even more of an idiot than he already was.

“Jason?” Your soft voice comes through, like an antidote calming him instantly and soothing all his worries. Your presence, like always, making all of his dark thoughts go away.

Though that peace didn’t last long because you were here now and he couldn’t run now. He had to do what he had come to do.

Even though he still wasn’t sure what exactly that was, no matter how much he had tried to prepare himself. Had he come to apologize? Explain? Beg for your forgiveness? He had no idea.

It didn’t matter anymore because as usual, all his thoughts and working brain cells flew out of the window when he was near you. This time even more so than usual since he had never gone this long without seeing you. He just stands there, soaked from the rain on the entrance doormat, like a wet cat begging to be let home again after causing trouble and running out.

And you’re just standing there, in the doorway of the break room, looking at him like you couldn’t believe what you were seeing, as if he was some mythological creature and you didn’t dare to move an inch, either in order not to scare him away or because you were petrified in fear, Jason didn’t know.

And he’s just rendered speechless. His breath taken away from him as he takes you in for what possibly is the last time, trying to commit every part of your beautiful self to memory, all of those parts that he already knows by heart, before you kick him out of the bookshop and out of your life forever.

“Yeah.” He finally responds.

Great, Jason. Very eloquent.

No turning back now.

He gulps.

“Hi.” He adds, trying to act with normalcy but he winces when he realizes that it doesn’t match the situation at all. There really is no way of making this any easier, is there?

He expects you to start yelling at him, push him, anything. But you just keep staring at him. And then:

“God, you’re drenched. Wait here.” You disappear for a second and Jason can’t believe what has just happened, a bewildered look in his eyes. He expected anything but that. But he obeys, doing whatever you asked of him in his very nature, trying to move as little as possible so that he would only drop water onto the doormat. You return quickly and hand him a towel after taking the hot (cold) chocolate from his hands so that he can dry up a bit. 

You put the cup onto the counter as he shakes his boots on the mat, dries his face and ruffles the towel through his hair. When he finishes you approach him once again.

“Here, let me take your jacket. You're going to freeze.” Jason feels like he’s on autopilot as he follows your every direction, like a sailor the call of a siren. Not daring to move a single muscle or do any abrupt movement other than what’s necessary, afraid of breaking whatever is happening right now.

You hang his jacket on the coat rack by the door to dry a bit and then you turn back to him.

There’s a moment of silence, the only noise being the rain’s soft pattering against the windows, the dark clouds filtering the setting sun, casting the bookstore in a gloomy atmosphere though the place still maintains its warm glow from the few lamps turned on with a yellow and orange glow.

The place is quiet, not a single soul in the bookshop except you two. Jason made sure of coming around closing time so that you could be alone, without any other customers interrupting and, even though he wouldn’t admit it out loud, the small hope of finding the bookshop closed and therefore having the perfect excuse to delay this another day.

But of course, the universe wasn’t going to have it. He never was that lucky.

Jason is so stupefied that he doesn’t move from the doormat as you take a couple of steps closer to him and look him over. Assessing him. Studying him. He avoids your gaze, not knowing what to do under your scrutiny.

He might as well be a cactus now with how rooted he is to the goddamn doormat. And then he sees how your feet join his on it and he can’t help the chill that runs through him once again, but not from the cold this time, but from your intoxicating proximity, so reminiscent of the one from the ghost kiss in the alley.

This is it, he thinks. This is when you finally push him from your life forever.

But then you surprise him once again, when without any trace of hesitation nor fear you touch his face. Sofly cradling it as if you might still care about him.

He doesn’t understand anything that’s going on right now. He has never been more confused in his entire life.

After so many months, Jason had come to know you in such a way, so intricately well, that he could read you like a book. Just like you with him. But now, Jason is seriously questioning that because he has no idea what is going through your mind right now.

He finally gathers the courage to look at you, still afraid of what he’s going to find, but you’re not even looking at him.

Your gaze is fixated upon the small cut at the end of his left eyebrow.

A reminder of the Red Hood duty from the night before. How he had managed to get a wound there even with the helmet on, he had no idea.

He sees your eyebrows furrow and your expression change to one of worry.

And then your hands run down his sides until they take a hold of his, inspecting them over after taking the towel from them.

And you sigh, disappointed in finding what you hoped not to be there. The skin on his knuckles broken once again.

Jason feels like a stranded boat, lost at sea, the water around him lulling him to its will.

That’s you.

The rain continues on as you turn slightly and flip the sign of the bookshop to closed before locking the door.

As a lightning strikes in the distance, flashing momentaneous light into the bookshop and illuminating your soft features, you take Jason’s hand and just like several times before, you drag him to the break room, but this time, instead of on a chair by the table, you sit him down on the sofa.

And he lets you. He gladly lets the sea take his boat wherever it wants to. Even if it’s to his own demise.

You take the blanket resting on the arm of the couch and drape it over him, making sure that it stays on his shoulders before you take the towel back to the bathroom and for the third time, you grab the first aid kit there.

You return to the break room and not even your shuffling steps make his lost gaze go towards you.

Despite his big frame you had never seen him so small, curled onto himself, head hung in shame; and it makes your heart clench. He looks deep in thought, grabbing the edges of the blanket so that it stays wrapped around him, as if he’s contemplating how to say whatever he has come to say to you.

But you don’t care. He could stay quiet the whole time if he wanted to.

Because at least he was here.

And honestly, your first instinct at seeing him back in the bookshop had been to run to him and hug him like your life depended on it and never let him go. But you had ultimately decided against it, not wanting to scare him away.

His presence there still felt almost like a mirage to you, after having gone so long without seeing him for the first time ever since you met him.

So, it was a very welcomed step from just sending you short texts letting you know he was still alive and well.

And you couldn’t blame him. Like always, you two worked by taking your own time, giving each other space.

And you knew that Jason had a lot on his mind after the gas incident. In the chaos of it all, he had told you that he had wanted to tell you about being Red Hood before and you wholeheartedly believed him, knowing that it wasn’t something that you could just tell anyone at any given moment. And now he had to deal with the reality that now you knew about that part of his life.

And you had a feeling that he thought that you would push him away for it. Resent him. When it couldn’t be further from the truth.

Because now you saw the whole picture that Jason Todd was.

And you know what?

He still was your Jason.

He still was the man that you were in love with.

Someone to whom you felt connected in a way that you had never felt before. Someone that was your friend and that always managed to make you smile. Someone that was always there for you when you had a bad day. Someone that reads to kids in his free time. Someone that tries to make this city better and protects its people as a vigilante. Someone who goes out of his way to visit you, a completely normal and ordinary woman who runs a simple bookshop. Someone that didn’t hesitate in sacrificing his own safety for yours.

Yeah, you were still very much in love with that man.

And if he needed some time to come back to you, that was fine with you because you knew that he wouldn’t just leave you like that. During the last few days you could even have sworn to have seen him peering through the windows into the bookshop in passing, but when you focused a bit more, he was gone. Or at least that’s what you hoped, the string pulling you two together too strong. 

No matter how much it had pained you to have the person holding your heart keeping you at arm’s length.

Because a day or two more of waiting and you would have stormed into wherever Jason was and told him how much he meant to you until that stubborn head of his realized how you weren’t ever letting him go.

You also hoped that he didn’t resent you, for not having been able to be at his side when he woke up. Something that you will never forgive yourself for, no matter how you knew that it couldn’t have been any other way.

You sit down next to him and place the first aid kit on the coffee table in front of the sofa, getting all that you will need to heal his wounds ready. You take one more look at them and your heart clenches.

You don’t like how he doesn’t seem to take full care of himself.

Because to you, Jason Todd was a treasure. A treasure that you will never be sure how you had managed to be able to find.

And he should be treated just like one.

And that’s exactly what you intend to do.

You follow the same process as the last time to take care of his knuckles, Jason quiet and avoiding your gaze the whole time, before moving onto the cut on his brow.

You raise your hand with a cotton patch to put some antiseptic on it and your eyes finally meet his. The green in them, like always, lighting up your insides, a forest in which you would gladly get lost in.

Jason looks at you as one of your hands takes a hold of his chin to tilt his head while the other one begins treating the cut.

And Jason feels like dying when he sees the flash of pain that crosses your eyes because he knows that he’s the one who put it there.

From the very first time that you healed him, he could see how you didn’t like seeing him hurt. Yet he still had let you see his wounds and tend to them more times after that.

He really usually does tend to his wounds. Except that very first time with his knuckles that he had been so tired he had only cleaned them. But after feeling your soft hands taking care of him for the first time, it was like he didn’t want his wounds healed anymore unless it was you the one who did it.

And so, subconsciously, selfishly and guiltily, he barely tended to them, just what was strictly necessary, a desperate attempt and blind hope of you maybe wanting to heal him in order to feel your delicate touch, that Jason was sure did a lot more for his wounds than whatever any kind of medicine could do.

Your touch not only mending his wounds but also healing his soul and soothing all the bad thoughts in his mind.

But right now, Jason wants nothing more than to get on his knees and do whatever you ask of him. Anything to make the slight hurt that briefly passes your eyes go away. Beg if it's necessary.

He thinks that apologizing may be a good starting point.

“Y/N…” He begins but before he can go on any further you hush him, almost like you want to enjoy the silence and this moment of intimacy as much as possible.

Then you reach for the first aid kit again, taking a steri-strip from a pack that you had bought, along with some other extra items, knowing that the basics of a normal first aid weren’t going to be enough now that you knew that he was Red Hood.

You put it on the cut, careful of not hurting him. Jason watches you mesmerized, still not believing that you haven’t kicked him out yet.

Then, you take a normal band-aid to put over the strip, just to be extra safe but mainly because you want to see him smile.

“Is that a Hello Kitty band-aid?” He asks in disbelief, breaking the silence, as he watches you open the band-aid with the pink, red and white doodles.

“Yup.” You say as you put it, covering the cut and fully hiding it from view, Jason not putting any kind of resistance to it. And your heart clenches blissfully at the small smile that pulls at Jason’s lips. Oh, how much you had missed it, your own personal kind of drug. And you can’t help but mirror him too.

“Thanks.” He whispers once you’re done patching him up. You give a slight nod in return.

You pass your thumb softly over the band-aid to make sure that it doesn’t fall off and then you meet Jason’s eyes again, that look just like a kicked puppy’s. Shining with oncoming tears and wide in fear of what is going to come next.

“I owe you an explanation.” He finally says with a sigh of resignation and you shake your head.

“Jason, you don’t-”

“No, let me do this. I need to do this. It’s the least I can do, I owe it to you.” He says, taking your hands in his, one of which still was caressing his eyebrow and stares at them as he can’t help but begin to rub soft circles into the back of them.

Goosebumps raise all over your skin.

Jason takes a deep breath before he starts talking. It seemed like you still cared about him but would you still do so once he finally explained everything and told you the truth?

He didn’t want to get his hopes up. But he knows that he can’t delay this anymore. He doesn’t want to.

As he begins, a cracking thunder sounds in the distance, shaking the foundations of the road that you two have been building together to its core.

The question being, would it stand the storm?

You listen to him intently. He doesn’t look at you once, instead deciding to focus on your joined hands. Grabbing onto a last part of you before he lets you go forever.

“And I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you. I totally understand that you may not want to see me anymore. I betrayed your trust and that’s unforgivable. Some of the things that I’ve done…” He shakes his head. “I want you to know that I never meant to hurt you. Please know that. You mean so much to me. And even though it breaks me having to remove myself from your life, I know that it’s for the best.”

“Jason, I-”

“No, no. Let me finish please.” He continues ranting. “I promise you that I won’t let the feelings that I have for you get in the way. I will go out that door tonight and never come back again. I’ll let you get on with your life.”

You’re fairly sure that he doesn’t even realize half the things that he’s saying. It’s like he has opened a gate and now not only is he apologizing and telling you the truth about everything, but he’s also letting his feelings for you finally come to the surface, unable to stop himself. He’s so caught up in everything that he leaves them out in the open without even realizing it.

And you just want to smile. Because Jason Todd has feelings for you too. And he has just said it out loud. You try to conceal your beaming smile to not scare him away. He’s way too much into his own head now, spiraling around the fact that he has to remove himself from your life as some sort of self-imposed punishment and in order to at least spare himself a part of the pain that would come from you outright kicking him away.

But you would never do that. Because even with everything that he has just told you and the things that he hasn’t yet, because you know that his story is a lot longer than what an evening can hold and holds a lot more things and very much darker ones than what he has revealed for the moment, you still want to be here with him. You still want him in your life.

Nothing could make you want to stay away from Jason Todd.

Not even himself.

And if there’s one thing that you’re stubborn about is that you’re always there for the people that you care about.

You just need to make him see that. To make him see how important he is to you. And you’re going to do everything you can so that he does.

You call his name again, trying to center his attention back to you but he keeps rambling.

You can only think of one thing that might finally make him stop and listen to you while also making him realize how you feel about him.

You have never done something as bold as this before. And there’s still a knick of doubt in the back of your mind, but the mere possibility of Jason leaving and the fact that the safety line that you two had drawn about your friendship and your feelings is fully difuminated now after his unintentional confession, almost as if it had never actually been there, has you determined. You want to think that it would turn out right.

And if not, at least you would get to do something that you had wanted to do for a very long time.

So, after firmly saying his name once more, and one of your hands getting out of his hold and tilting his head towards you, just when his eyes finally, finally, lock with yours for a quick second, you press your lips to his.

It’s not a long kiss and there isn’t much movement but you hope that you’re conveying everything that you feel for him and more. You can tell that Jason’s caught by surprise but it doesn’t take long at all for him to slowly press his lips against yours, returning your kiss. He lets himself melt into it and you do too. You feel warm all over and then you both sigh against each other, the two of you having fallen off the tightrope and finding that not only there’s a safety net beneath you, but an infinite number under it, one after the other, in the impossible case that one might break.

A soft place to land, a warm embrace.

You think that you could die happily right now.

You part, not wanting to overwhelm him but just from that taste you can already feel yourself slightly dizzy in the best kind of way. You slowly open your eyes and see Jason already looking at you, not believing what has just happened. You take a deep breath. Might as well put the nail in the coffin now. Cement the road.

“I’m in love with you Jason. All that makes you be you. Including being Red Hood. And I’m not going anywhere. And I really, really hope that you aren’t either.” You whisper.

“I’m a mess.”

You tilt your head with a small smile. “Aren’t we all?”

“Are you sure?” He whispers back, caressing your hair, still giving you an out, a last chance for you to escape him and all his problems, before his instincts take over and he latches himself onto you forever and never lets you go.

You nod, not faltering in your resolve. “Yes.”

“I’m in love with you too. I love you.” He says next and nothing has ever felt so liberating. Jason feels light, floating. And all he wants to do now is say it over and over again, just in case that you might still not be aware of how much he loves you.

“Good. That’s very, very good. I love you too.” You giggle, pressing your forehead to his, your noses brushing each other. Jason grins.

“Can you do that again?” He asks, his gaze dropping to your lips, already knowing that the day that he goes by without tasting them will be torture.

Your smile widens even more, if that’s even possible, and you kiss him once again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

After that, everything stayed more or less the same. Jason kept coming into the bookshop several times a week, buying books and checking out some others.

Except that now, he also kissed you everytime he did so.

Except that now, you went on very official dates, not ones that could be mistaken by a friendly hangout.

Except that now, you paid a lot more attention to any news about Red Hood.

Except that now, you always patched him up.

Except that now, you spent nights in each other's beds.

And right now, you’re very confused.

Your brows knit as you try to understand what is in front of you. The computer screen showing the details of a book order that you had made for the bookshop a while ago but that hadn’t arrived, not making any sense.

You’re so concentrated that you barely register the jingle of the bell above the entrance door. Out of the corner of your eye you feel a figure come to stand in front of the counter.

“Just a second, please. I’ll be right with you.” You say almost automatically, trying to see if you can just wrap your head around what you’re reading on the screen, though you doubt that a few more seconds will make any difference. But still, you’re adamant to try.

“It’s okay. I’m just looking for my girlfriend.” The figure says and your head lifts up so fast at the voice that you should be worried about getting whiplash. But you don’t care.

Because there he is.

Jason Todd.

Your boyfriend.

You still feel giddy inside every time that you think about it.

You let out a small gasp before your lips twist into a wide smile and you might as well be The Flash with how quickly you round the counter and wrap your arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

Jason’s smile is just as radiant as yours as he watches you come to him and gets ready for when you crash into him, wrapping his arms tightly around your waist and giving you a slight spin when your feet lift off the floor due to the force of your hug.

He closes his eyes and breathes you in while he hugs you and brings you even closer to him, if that’s even possible. Your bodies merged into one in your embrace.

Never in his wildest dreams would Jason have ever thought that he would find himself in this situation. One in which you rush to meet him glowing with happiness. One in which he gets to kiss you without the fear of being rejected and one in which he’s able to call himself yours. He never would have believed any of that when he stepped foot into the bookshop that fateful night, which he was sure would be the last time he would ever get to see you.

He still can’t believe how lucky he is to have you. He just can’t wrap his head around the fact that you want him. That you accept all of his demons and that you help him fight them. That you love him. He will never take it for granted.

God, he loves you so much.

Your feet touch the floor once again but he doesn’t let go. He lets his senses overwhelm with you, everything about you enveloping him and not letting him feel anything that isn’t you. Your scent, the feel of your hair tickling his cheek, your arms around him. He doesn’t want to ever let you go.

He’s finally home.

Two weeks and a half is too long without you.

You think the very same about him as you do the exact same with him, your senses taking every part of him in, committing him to memory once again, even though you already know them like the back of your hand.

The feel of his soft hair as you run your fingers through it, just like you had dreamed so many times before, the scent and feel of his leather jacket beneath your arms.

God, you love him so much.

You finally pull back and look up at him with stars in your eyes. And then, without sparing another second, he dips down to kiss you. Or you pull up to kiss him, you’re not sure.

The only thing that matters is that his lips are finally back on yours and that’s all you need to know. You kiss him deeply, savoring him after being apart for so long and he kisses you back just as eagerly, loving the feeling of finally having you back in his arms.

And just like everytime that you kissed, like the very first time, it feels like a dream. Because you still can’t believe that he’s yours and that you’re his.

It was a long time coming.

But it turns out that you two are still human and therefore still need to breathe, so you both pull away but only what is strictly necessary to regain your breaths. Your chests and foreheads are still pressed together and lips inches from each other, so close that you can’t tell which breaths are his and which breaths are yours.

Your fast beating hearts falling into the same rhythm, syncing once again, going as one.

One of your hands holds the side of his face, softly caressing his cheek, so smooth that he must have shaved that very same morning. You feel his grip on your waist tighten.

“What are you doing here?” You finally say between giggles, the drug of his proximity, like always, making pure happiness run through your veins.

“Wrapped the case early.” He answers breathlessly before not being able to resist anymore and kissing you again.

You can’t help the smile on your lips while you kiss him and you can feel another one pulling at his own. When you separate once again you smile at each other, your eyes shining with love and affection for one another.

Jason had left earlier that month to help Dick with a case in Blüdhaven for a few days but then the thing had gotten bigger and dragged them all the way to Metropolis, making his trip longer than what he had first anticipated.

And then earlier in the week he had told you that he wouldn’t be able to return until the end of it. But here he was. Holding you in his arms and kissing you on a peaceful Wednesday afternoon.

“Everything went well?” You ask, not daring to tear your eyes away from his, only perhaps to steal a quick look at his lips.

“Yeah. All good.”

Before either of you can say anything else or even try to kiss each other again, Rose, Jimmy and Charlie, all of whom had been chatting over coffee in the break room, emerge at all the fuss.

“What’s all this?” Says Charlie with a smile as you and Jason disentangle, though he keeps you tucked into his side with a respectful arm around your waist.

“Just a young lovers reunion, Charlie.” Answers Rose.

“Sorry for intruding on, kiddos.” Adds Jimmy.

“It’s okay.” You say.

“You must be this Jason that I’ve heard so much about.” Charlie comments.

“Yes, sir. And you must be the famous Charlie. Nice to meet you.” Jason answers while shaking his hand, though not before throwing you a glance that makes your cheeks heat up in embarrassment and hide your face in his shoulder for a second. So you talked about me too huh?

“You too. My grandchildren are going to be devastated that you’re with someone now, darling.” Charlie says jokingly towards you now.

“Sorry, Charlie.” You respond with an apologetic smile.

“It’s good to see you, sweetie.” Says Rose to Jason to which Jimmy nods in agreement.

“It’s great to be back home.” He answers and you feel his hand give your waist a slight squeeze.

Shivers run down your spine.

You look up at Jason lovingly, a gaze that he returns, and you’re so lost in each other that neither of you see the smiles and look of recognition that the elders have in their faces, having themselves experienced a love like yours that still lasted to this day.

“Go, honey. Take the rest of the day.” Rose offers. You turn to her surprised but you can’t help but to also be excited at the possibility of going out with Jason already. Maybe to see Lily and the other kids, since Jason hadn’t seen them since he left, though you had of course shown up to check on them and continue with the readings, or maybe to eat something at Millie and Ruby’s.

But you don’t care as long as Jason’s with you. There were so many possibilities and you two had all the time in the world. And you were going to seize every single second of it. You two had wasted enough time already.

You also already know that Jason’s either spending the rest of the week at your apartment or you’re spending it at his.

“Are you sure?” You ask Rose.

“Yeah, go have fun, kids.” Jimmy confirms. You thank them before smiling brightly at Jason and then going to get your bag and coat.

As you and Jason make your way towards the door, Charlie speaks up once again.

“You’re treating her right, I suppose.”

Jason looks at you as he opens the door of the bookshop before turning back to Charlie.

“Always.” He says without hesitating and Charlie nods, glad with his answer.

The elders watch you go, happy that you two have each other. They watch how Jason moves the hand on the small of your back to take your hands between his and blow into them to warm them up in the cold Gotham air. And how you then zip his jacket all the way up, adjusting the collar so that it would protect him as much as possible, both of you smiling and looking at each other fondly, before you disappear from their view hand in hand.

Because as it turns out, it isn’t really a surprise when the road stays as strong and sturdy as ever after that cracking thunder.

Because that night, the days after and over time, Jason told you everything. About his past, about his family. And over time all that you did was fall even more for him, loving every part, every scar that he decided to show you. And he did the exact same for you.

Because in the end, he still was your Jason, the kind and handsome young man who always checked out children’s books and wore leather jackets.

Please let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!

[mastercucco]

Hateno Boy - Part 1 - Link x Reader

The Calamity is gone, but so is Link’s purpose. He feels completely lost in post-Calamity Hyrule where everyone but him seem to have found their new place.

It certainly doesn’t help his restless nights that you, a young Hylian whom Zelda has hired as the new teacher at Hateno School, are slowly taking up more and more of his headspace with each conversation you two have.

Fandom: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom Pairing: Link x fem!Reader Raiting: Mature (might go up, might go down, let's see) Contains: feel-good, slow burn romance; platonic Link/Zelda; Link being an angsty retired hero Chapter Index | Read on Ao3 A/N: Very excited to write something possibly disgustingly cute. The story takes place after the events in BotW but before the beginning of TotK. All characters are adults! I hope you enjoy the story! xx

Chapter 1 - Purpose

Contains: Link being an angsty retired hero; Zelda being embarrassed by Link's inability to talk to girls (or other human beings in general) Word count: ~1,3k A/N: Please look past any weird sentences, English isn't my first language :p

A breath of warm air blows from the sea, gentle on skin and smelling of sea salt. The wind hurries over the hills of Necluda, tall grass bowing before it like waves on an emerald green ocean. Once it reaches Link sitting on top of the hills, it gently tugs on his hair and pushes his hood down.

He has been sitting there for quite some time now – so long that the tips of his ears are starting to redden from the wind, as gentle as it is. The sun that was high up when he arrived at the hills, is now hanging low over the horizon. It is soon time for him to go; Zelda asked him in the morning to stop by the school before sundown.

He is alone, as he is on most days nowadays. There isn’t much for him to do: Zelda is busy rebuilding Hateno, the recently finished village school her new pride and joy. And when she isn’t mingling with the villagers, she’s kept busy with her research at the Tech Lab. She doesn’t require an escort anymore, not after Purah hired a young researcher to assist them decipher ancient Zonai texts anyway. The man rarely leaves Zelda’s side when the two of them are together – which is often. Very often.

Link was jealous at first. After all, he is the Princess’ appointed knight, and he is the one who wields the Master Sword, and he is the one who saved Zelda’s life – not some overly excited, self-proclaimed explorer with a stupidly tall frame and an apparent distaste for wearing upper garments that hide his muscles.

Eventually, his jealousy morphed into loneliness – something he did a terrible job of hiding from Zelda. She asked him if he wanted to return to Hyrule Castle to help the Royal Guard in training new soldiers. Link said no, that he likes it here in Hateno.

“I wouldn’t mind if you go,” Zelda said, gently placing her hand on top of his, “I can see how lost you are here.”

Somehow, Zelda seeing straight through his lies and offering him kindness hurt more than her asking Link to leave in the first place. After that, Link couldn’t help but feel even more uncertain and disconnected. Everyone had seemingly moved on, everyone but him. While he still remains close with Zelda, honoring his duty, accompanying her whenever she travels outside of Hateno, even living with her, he knows deep down that she doesn’t need him anymore. The Calamity is gone, and so is his purpose.

The sun hangs low when Link arrives at Hateno School. The sky is flaring in shades of red, reminding Link of a cozy fire under a cooking pot – somewhere he would much prefer to be. The school’s front doors are open, but the playground is silent and the windows are dark, all except one. It has been a while since Link last visited the school. The children adore him, which is exactly why he prefers to stay away. Their looks of admiration and curious questions make him uneasy. Ever since moving to Hateno, all he has wanted is to lay low, going as far as to hide his head-turning Champion’s tunic in the bottom of his drawer. He wanted to throw the tunic away, but Zelda wouldn’t let him.

He can already hear Zelda’s excited chattering when he reaches the open doors and quietly steps inside. Zelda is having an eager conversation with a young Hylian woman – you – whom Link doesn’t remember seeing before. He does remember Zelda telling him about a new teacher she hired a few months back, and he figures it must be you.

You notice Link arriving before Zelda does and give him a polite smile in greeting. Only when he lightly taps on Zelda’s shoulder does she stop talking and turn around.

“Oh, Link,” she smiles. “You have impeccable timing. We were just talking about you!”

Link furrows his brow. Great, just great, he thinks, already feeling the tips of his ears growing warmer.

“Only good things,” you assure with an awkward laugh. “The Princess told me you made the apple pie she brought the other day.”

Link hopes that the dim light of the oil lamps is enough to hide his red ears. He clears his throat, though not even intending to say anything.

“I don’t think you two have met before, have you?” Zelda says, giving Link an encouraging nudge.

Even after all the years spent in royal banquets practicing formal pleasantries with Hyrule’s nobility, Link still feels awkward having to introduce himself. Nonetheless, he extends his hand for a greeting. When you offer him yours, he brings it to his lips and gives your knuckles a polite kiss. Your skin feels soft and pleasant, he thinks, now horribly self-aware of just how sweaty his own palm is.

When he looks back at you, even he can pick up the awkward tension in your smile and words as you introduce yourself. He feels his whole face heat up, not really understanding what he did wrong but knowing he must have, because even Zelda has the same tension in her smile as you do.

“He is very accustomed to his formal greetings from his days at the Castle,” Zelda says with a forced smile and gives Link a look. Only then does he realize that a hand kiss, though adequate in greeting a noble woman, is not something you, a village school teacher, was expecting from a Royal Knight. He would apologize, but his mouth is dry and no words come out.

“And, well, you probably already know of Link,” Zelda breaks the uncomfortable silence after it becomes clear Link isn’t going to introduce himself.

“The Hero of Hyrule,” you say, knowingly. “We have actually met before.”

We have? Link thinks, the heat of embarrassment getting unbearable. All he wants to do is run home and hide under his bed covers for the rest of eternity. This is why he rarely leaves their home or willingly socializes with the villagers. He would cringe if he wasn’t too embarrassed to move his face muscles.

“You have?” asks Zelda out loud, her disapproving eyes boring into Link’s.

“It was years ago,” you are quick to add. “He took refuge in our family home once. I wouldn’t blame him for not remembering.”

Zelda doesn’t appear quite as understanding when she shoots another scolding look at Link, the pink in her own cheeks deepening as well. “Please,” she says as she turns back to you, “accept my apology. Link can be awfully forgetful sometimes.” She gives him a final glare that, at last, makes him drop his head. He’s not sure if dying of embarrassment is a real occurrence, but if it is, then he must be very close to leaving Hyrule for good.

“It’s quite alright, Your Highness,” you say with a slightly uneasy laugh that fails to fully mask your discomfort. “I don’t mind it, really. Like I said, it was years ago.”

There is an uncomfortable silence between the three of you. Then Zelda claps her hands, and the tension breaks like a taut rubber band. Link sighs, relieved.

“Well,” Zelda says, “now that we are done with introductions, perhaps we can show Link the curriculum we’ve been working on? I’m sure he can give us his opinion on the section about monster parts and their usage in elixirs.”

When you turn to look for something from your writing table’s drawers, Link grabs Zelda’s sleeve and gives her a pleading look. Zelda narrows her eyes and shakes her head.

“Do not even think of fleeing” she hisses in his ear before she hurries over to you to help you with a pile of scrolls close to toppling over. Link lets out a silent grunt and looks longingly at the open doors. The sun has gone down, the sky now the same shade as embers cooling down under a cooking pot – somewhere he would much prefer to be.

Chapter 2 - Heromania »

[iwaasfairy]

ETCHED IN RED | RUST Part 2

tw. dubcon, yandere, kidnapping, mention of murder, power imbalance wordcount. 1.5k

read part 1 here or see the valentine's masterlist

millions knives x reader

Everything else has an almost imperceptible coat of dust— it’s in the air, in the way the sand and dirt creeps through the crevices and lingers. You push yourself up from the warm bed to peer through the spaces between the rickety shack. Your sister still sleeps tight, with her pillow wrapped tight under her arms— and the soft snoring of your parents in the other room also stays steady. One split second you choose against better judgment not to wake her. Have you ever seen a God?

The blanket clings to you while you stir, but slips off when you get onto your knees. A small sliver of light whips around in the distance, quiet, as a hum fills the air. It flickers distractingly through the narrow windows, breaking through the cracks in the door.

It looks almost biblical.

The light that shines above the town, as the earth rattles beneath. You softly tiptoe around the sleeping person as you rub the sleep out of your eyes, open the door to the cold midnight air. Something’s in the distance. Vague and big, it coils in the darkness as if looking for something, and a heaviness settles into your stomach. Have you ever met a God? 

Without a single thought, you set off towards the tower, trying to quiet your steps so as not to attract attention. It’s not a stretch to guess that whatever it is, it’s here for your plant. One you, and all the people nearby, need. The heavy rattling, the drilling noise gets louder and louder, until you’re sure that it’s right upon the town.

You slip through the door and sprint up three steps at a time until you reach the platform, taking a single deep breath as you take in the faint glow. The plant’s tired, you know this. She’s uncurled herself just barely, face hidden within her hands— sometimes you try to reach out to her. You place your hands on the tank, press your head against the glass. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” you promise, and as if hearing you, understanding you; the beautiful leaves slowly seem to bloom a little more.

A frightening mechanic screech fills the night, and whoever wasn’t awake before, surely startles as the entire town shakes. The building with it. You stumble to your knees and turn, just in time to watch the metal roof being ripped off and the bladed, robotic arms to slither in. The man lands with no sound, and blue eyes zero in on you— as you stand to place yourself between him and the plant. The whirring appendages sprouting from his back drip in blood, and it’s only then that you can hear the screaming and crying from outside.

“You can’t take her- she’s sick,” you say, wrapping your arms around it as if in a desperate embrace. Your bottom lip wobbles in the silence, one you fill with a plea. “She’ll die if you take her.” Barely half of his face is visible from underneath the hood, but he towers, and his mouth corners flatten when you shake your head. “Please don’t hurt her.” Crying continues, as your palms heat up. As light gets brighter and brighter in the cold room, and your eyes widen.

You turn to see that the plant’s opened up, and her hands are pressed back against the glass in response to yours— heat surging through your body as you gasp. Though your body stands between him and his prize, he too drops his shoulders, and the mean snarl that was on his face vanishes. It doesn’t last long, before she tuckers out— but it’s enough for you to stare back at him in shock, mouth falling open at the stunning display. Small orbs of light still rain down around you. “The plant—” You don’t get to finish, before one of the arms wraps around you and yanks you towards him; not disemboweling you in the process. The other arms pick up the plant and pull you all out of the building, through the mess of shacks he’s destroyed.

“Wait, please! I-” you try to fight against the blades, but it’s no use. You only cut your skin open further, being dragged through the street kicking and screaming. “Stop, my family! Let me go!” Your arm is caught within a hand, as your sister hangs on with all her weight and almost pulls your hand clean off, planting her feet. She’s crying, and her eyes are bloodshot and frightened. You’re hurting. “Aw, aw!” You say her name, try to cling onto her fingers as hard as you can. Until you go blue. But it’s no fair fight— and as soon as sweat makes you slip, you’re out of her reach.

As you watch her wipe blood splatters off of her cheeks, crying out for you.

He’s moving too fast. The image of your destroyed town doesn’t stay for long enough for you to print it into your mind.

+

The furniture is cold when you touch them, dragging yourself around the room with a monotone sigh. Aside from that blue haired freak who glares, or the Doctor, Knives doesn’t get a lot of company. They rushed off in some state earlier, where Nai had barked at you to stay where you were— but you don’t doubt they’ll be back soon. You’ve seen what the blond can do. You’ve seen what’s left behind when someone tries to steal his precious plants. The camp is cold and metallic and clean, and you’ve learned that he doesn’t feel these things the way you do.

Instead you’re stuck in this room, and wait for the alarm to stop blaring soon. You place yourself on the well-kept leather seat, and softly press a few keys of the organ— jumping when the door slams open too violently. You cling onto the instrument as you turn, only to stare in confusion. Your mouth cracks open, and you frown. “Where’s master Knives? Are you here for the plants?”

He’s got almost the same face, but it’s not him. Hair too long, eyes too gentle. He’s got mechanical parts where Nai doesn’t— as he stands in the door disarmed. “I’m here for-”

“Vash, step aside.” The deep voice fills the room, and the golden blond aims his gun now at Nai. You can’t help it, you hurry over to his side. Knives at least, has shown that he doesn’t have the intent to harm you. This stranger however, keeps glancing between the two of you with frightening precision. Nai’s quick to pull you behind him out of direct reach, and tangles his hand with yours as you stare. They must be twins, your mind supplies. He squeezes your smaller, softer hand in his, then glances over at you. “Are you hurt?”

“N-no, I’m fine.” When you manage to get over your shock at the intrusion, you want to pout. It’s not like you trust him. He stole you, locked you up- you have every right to be angry. But still. He’s kept you from the Doctor’s experiments. And if Legato or any of the other ones had their way, you probably wouldn’t be so cared for. Dolled up. How should you understand this? You cling to his arm, as you peek your face from behind him. “What’s happening?”

The deep voice sounds again, and then the extra appendages come out gleaming in the low light, careful not to nick you in the process. “Vash is just leaving, pretty. Don’t worry.” He brushes a quick hand over your head, before pushing you down to the floor behind the couch. “Stay there.” They’re both back down the hall quicker than you can blink, leaving you behind in the otherwise empty room with only your heart thumping in your chest.

+

Your legs get yanked further down the bed, as almost luminescent eyes stare down at you. You wish you could say you were asleep, but Legato turned out to be right. Even master Knives has urges— that are now being inflicted upon your body as he nestles between your legs again. “Nai, promise me- I want you to go check on my family. I want to make sure they’re safe.” He’s ignoring you, circling your nipples with playful fingers before he leans down to kiss you all over. “Knives~”

After he sucks another hickey into you, he gets nose to nose with you, before dipping to kiss you there too- and biting your bottom lip as he groans. “You’re so whiny.”

“You promised. If I stayed with you… you’d take care of them. My sister and my parents will worry.”

His handsome face is always so awfully blank. In sharp contrast with the brightness of his eyes, and all that you can convince yourself to see in them. It’s so much easier to sacrifice yourself, when you know that you’re doing the right thing. You dig your nails into his shoulders, and pout. “You took the plant… All I want is for them to be okay.”

“They’re taken care of,” he mumbles robotically, before raising a brow. “I promise. Wouldn’t lie to you.” The hands instantly start roaming again, as his thighs push yours open to create more room for his hips, and the way he’s pushing inside you ever so slowly. The low groan he lets out is rumbly, cockhead stretching you around him so that your back arches. The wetness between your legs is hot, and ever since the first time, he’s wanted to be inside you as much as possible. The slick sounds fill the room as he sits back and watches his cock slide into you, squeezing your hips tight.

You cling onto him when he bottoms out, and forces another kiss onto your mouth. Whispers your name as he pulls out, and fucks back into you with a grunt. You can’t help but be grateful that master Knives isn’t all that bad.

All Rights Reserved © IWAASFAIRY 2024. Works are exclusive to this Tumblr.

[bluerosefox]

Bio!Dad Jason and Bio!Mom Jazz (With Oc!Kid or Kid!Danny)

I really, really wanna write a bio!dad Jason story but I should really finish the Twins au first. So I'm gonna be very brief with it before I get sucked into a ramble (it didnt work, I rambled.)

It's a little out of left field due to how much an AU it gets but like hear me out.

Bio!dad Jason (who finished High School and starts going to community college in Gotham)

Bio!mom Jazz (whose going to a fancy college in Gotham for psychology)

They talk, click with each other, date, sleep with each other. Etc. But due to Jason's night life, and Jazz wanting to pretend nothing was weird about Jason (she wants something normal) they break up not to long after. She returns back to Amity Park for summer and finds out she's pregnant, tries to call Jason but his phones been disconnected. Some intense Red Hood things went down and he had to put himself into hiding. He thought he'll see her again for the next school year but she never came back.

(Due to Jason having been dead and Jazz being exposed to ectoplasm all her life they both kinda seek each other out in the city)

Or they meet in High School, before Jason dies, due to an exchange program. They meet, find things in common, debate over Jane Austin works, fall for each other as their frists, and be dumb kids in a big city one night when Jazz tells him she has to go back to Amity soon (aka going out, drink a few drinks, slept with each other)

(Due to Jazz exposure to ectoplasm and something in Jason's bloodline (before death) that let him come back from the dead they were both drawn to each other in ways they couldn't explain.)

She goes home, they keep in contact for a few weeks before it suddenly stops. Jazz finds out she pregnant not long after, she didnt think she was pregnant for a while due to cycle always being off due to ectoplasm exposure. Tries to contact Jason but no luck. During her pregnancy she tries a more few times but when news announced Jason Todd Wayne's death she is hurt and devastated (she knows Jason's wishes, they spoke about maybe a future one night cuddled together after reading books, to be a better man than his birth father ever was if he had kids). She tries getting into contact with Bruce but due to his own grief he refuses to speak with her until she gets a cease and desist.

She gives birth to their kid. And sends one last update, she's been using his old email address as a diary/emotional support for her grief, telling Jason about their kid. How much they look like him. How she wishes he'd be there to see them grow up. She finishes high school even while pregnant (if anyone can do it, it's Jazz) and goes to a college for psychology while taking care of her kid. (She tries not to leave her kid with her parents for too long, she loves them but she knows how they are)

Few years later, Jazz and her kid return to Gotham under fake names, hiding from her parents. Due to both Jason and Jazz's unique blood work their kid is very... ghostly so to speak and Jazz had found her parents trying to experiment on her kid after they saw them using ghost powers. Needless to say she got them out and ran. Jason has no clue they're in the city until he saves them one night from a mugging... and that same phantom call of otherworldly hits them and their kid hard.

Now as for Danny in this, he could be the cool uncle that's been teaching his nephew/niece how to control their powers, also helped them escape from Jack and Maddie and is keeping them off Jazz and her kids heels. And he totally punches Jason when he meets the guy who got his sister pregnant and ghosted her.

OR

DANNY IS THEIR KID. Either one works. :]

Danny being Jason's son, Danny being Jazz's son! If we go this route we can have Sam and Tucker keeping the elder Fentons off their tail cause Jazz tutored them in exchange for babysitting Danny, whom they both liked cause he was a funny kid and saw his powers a few times. (Sam always fighting for peoples/animal rights against discrimination and Tucker emotionally seeing Danny as his nephew and both were angry that the Fentons tried to hurt this kid for being partly Ghostly)

Jason finding out about the kid being ghostly and about Jazz trying to contact him after finally logging into his old email (he's pissed at Bruce when he finds out everything), Bruce FINDING OUT he's got a grandson and missed out on being a granddad for so long due to him not wanting face the person who made Jason smile so much before his death, Dick and Danny being punny with each other, Danny asking Tim about the stars cause he's been to space before and asking if he could teach him how to skateboard (he also tries to steal Tim’s teenage year clothes cause I feel like his and Danny’s taste are very close out of them all), Damian and Danny bonding over Cujo who followed Jazz and him from Amity Park! (Damian totally does the, "I've had Danny for a few hours, if anything happens to him I'll end everyone in this room. Then myself." After a few hours) Little Danny bonding with Alfred at every chance! Danny taking naps with Cass and trying to copy her silent movements! Having fun with Steph! Bonding with Duke for being the only super powered batfam!

.... then Vlad comes looking for Jazz and Danny/her kid cause Jack and Maddie told him about what happened and he has plans to take the young halfa and raise him as his evil heir. Cause you know, he's an old fruitloop that wants an heir just like him.. the Batfam won't be happy about that though.

[klbwriting]

Our Strange Duet

Chapter 1: Getting Out of Bed

Fandom: Red Hood

Pairing: Jason Todd x f!reader

Warnings: none

Summary: Sequel to Not Romeo, Not Juliet - Jason Todd is off to Gotham U to make sure he has a life outside of being a vigilante. He wasn't expecting someone from his past to show up, but there she is on the first day and things have changed

Notes: Well, I was going to wait until tomorrow but I can't, I like this too much, I hope you guys enjoy!

Taglist: @deans-spinster-witch

It's the bitch of living, just getting out of bed - Spring Awakening

               “Jason, get up, you have class in half an hour,” Dick called up to the loft as he finished setting out the terrible eggs he made whenever Jason slept late.  He sat up in bed, looking at his phone, sighing as it had no notifications, well it had one text but not from the person he wanted one from.  Sydney wished him a happy first day of classes and he answered before getting dressed.  He skipped the eggs, grabbing an apple and throwing out a quick bye to his brother as he headed down to the garage for his bike. 

               He had finished high school and after a long and drawn argument with Dick about not just living as a vigilante his whole life and maybe having some kind of day job for when his knees finally buckled under the weight of trying to save an entire city.  So here he was driving his bike towards Gotham University, taking all general education courses because he had no idea what he wanted to try and do for a career.  He did know that he was going to be in theater, his director from Bludhaven Prep had written him a great recommendation letter, but only if he continued to act, and honestly, he wanted to act.  It was nice to become someone else, take a break from his brain.  His therapist liked it also, said it helped Jason get out of his head.  What he didn’t expect was walking into his first class, Modern Literature 101 and sitting by the window in the front corner, was YN. 

               She wasn’t looking at him, reading one of the books for the class, doing notations.  After a second Jason realized he was blocking the door so he slid around to the back corner of the class, sitting before she could look up.  He watched her, concentrating on her book and every single emotion he felt last year came flooding back.  She had left, they kept in touch until around May and then she had vanished.  He didn’t know why but he had a bad feeling about it.  He wouldn’t confront her now, but he hoped he could snag her after class, speak with her, just see how she was.  He stared at her until he heard his name, looking up to the professor.

               “Mr. Todd?” she repeated.  He smiled awkwardly, clearly having missed the first time she said his name.

               “Ya that’s me,” he said.  He looked down and then looked at YN who was staring back at him, eyes wide.  He waved a little and she turned, facing forward again, leg starting to bounce like it did when she was anxious.  The syllabus was handed out and he proceeded to ignore his teacher, instead categorizing how YN had changed in the last eight months.  Hair was longer, she leaned on her hand, eyes looking tired, she had car keys sitting on her desk, so she drove now.  She glanced back at him, and he tore his eyes away from her, trying to focus on class.  As soon as they were dismissed he tried to bounce up and catch her but two people in front of him started talking and he couldn’t get around them fast enough.  By the time he got into the hallways she was gone. 

               He had two other classes that day, but YN wasn’t in either of them.  The only hope he had was the theater meeting that night for the Gotham U Players.  They were doing a sign up and talking about their productions that year, so Jason got there early, signed up quickly and then looked around the room.  He was first beside the upper classmen advisors, so he took a seat near the door.  She would be here, and she wasn’t going to sneak by him again.  He waited, the place filling up with other university students.  They started and about three minutes into the meeting YN came in, signing up quick and sitting down two rows in front of Jason, once again preventing him from talking to her. 

               This was pathetic, was he going to just chase her around all year until she talked to him?  He wasn’t a stalker, but he was considering seeing if Dick could get her address before he got home so that he could go knock on her door.  But that would be bad.  He shook himself, coming back to the meeting where they announced that the first production this year was going to be a musical.  Jason’s eyebrows rose so high they probably disappeared into his hair.  He had not considered a musical, ever.  He looked down at YN, catching her turning to look back at him, whipping her head forward when she saw him watching.

               “Auditions for Phantom of the Opera are next week, come with a song prepared and remember, if you are not cast you are part of the stage crew and we will be having you learn to be directors, sound techs, light techs, and set design so don’t be discouraged.  And in the spring we will do a play so those who can’t sing will still get time on stage,” the club president announced before dismissing them.  Jason once again jumped up, ready to grab her but this time she swerved him by taking a side door.  He jumped a couple rows, racing out the door after her, probably looking insane, but he didn’t care.

               “YN!” he called, chasing after her as she walked towards the parking lot.  She took a couple steps before stopping.  He ran around in front of her, panting a little from running to catch her.  Why did cardio only work when he was chasing criminals?

               “Hi Jason,” she said, and he could have sworn he heard angels singing in her voice.  He missed it so much.  “Didn’t know you were coming here.”

               “Ya, well, here I am, why you trying to get away from me?” he asked.  She chuckled a little, always right to the point, no small talk for him.

               “I wasn’t trying to get away from you, I was surprised and was trying to figure out if you hated me.  The way you were staring in class I was freaked out, you used to give that look to Chelsea and them when they annoyed you, its so intense,” she said.  Jason blushed some, shrugging.

               “I didn’t mean to look like that, I just…well you did kind of ghost me and it is a bit annoying,” he said.  She looked down and he could have kicked himself.  “But I mean, I know you probably had a reason…”

               “My mom died,” she said.  He froze.  “The treatment in Singapore, it didn’t take.  We stayed there because it would have been too destabilizing for her to travel home so the donor made sure she was comfortable there until the end and then I came back in May.”

               “Why didn’t you call me?” he asked.  She bit her lip, wiping her eyes quick.

               “I wasn’t in a good headspace at the time.  I came back and I thought about calling you, but then I found Sydney’s social media and saw you guys together and figured you didn’t need me coming in and ruining that with my grief.  I figured you had moved on I should too,” she explained.  O no.  He hung his head a little.

               “I was never dating Sydney,” he said.  “She um, is not exactly into guys.”  Her eyes looked up at him.  “She mostly posted pictures with me to make Jackson leave her alone until graduation.”  YN blushed.

               “Well don’t I feel petty, jealous, and stupid,” she said.  Jason laughed.  “Well, either way I still wasn’t in a good headspace, I needed counseling and to figure myself out before school started.  I promised my mom I would go to school no matter what, so here I am.”

               “Where are you staying?” he asked. 

               “I have an apartment off campus in Old Gotham, the grant money from the Leading Lady award should pay for it and my school for a year and then I’ll figure something else out,” she explained.  “What about you?  Still living with Dick?”

               “Ya, still living with Dick,” he said.  “Um, would you maybe want to hang out sometime?”  She looked worried, biting her lip.  He was tempted to kiss her but had to pull himself back.  She was different now, he was different now, who knows how much that changed how they felt about each other. 

               “Sure, I’m free this weekend, still trying to get a new job since the pool I worked at in the summer is closed now,” she said.  He nodded.  “Let me give you my new number, I had to change it because Maroni kept calling.”

               “So, you’re not next in line in the family yet?” he asked as she put her number into his phone.

               “God no, he contacted me, tried to convince me to join him but had no leverage since my mom was being taken care of,” she said.  Jason motioned for her to walk to the lot, walking with her to her car.  It looked a bit like a death trap.  “Its not much but it runs.  You still on the bikes?”  He pointed to his bike a few spaces down.  “Thought that was yours when I got here.  Do you still do the other stuff you did?”  She tapped her head and he assumed she meant being Red Hood.

               “Ya, nightly,” he answered.  She smirked a little.  “But now I have to have Dick stitch me up, so much less cool scars.” 

               “You needed someone better than me for that,” she said.  He shrugged.  “Well, I guess I’ll see you around.  Text me, ok?” He nodded and watched her drive away.  His heart sped up a little when he thought about the fact that he was going to be able to see her at least a few times a week, maybe every day.  He hadn’t thought college would be that exciting, but things were about to change, he could feel it. 

[chameleon66]

Sanders sides Valentine’s Day headcanons

Author’s note: I decided to do Valentine's day headcanons on some of Sanders Sides' ships. I'm sorry if I didn’t include your favorite ship but there are only so many things I could think and write at the time. I promise I will write something new soon and please give me your thoughts on my headcanons. Happy Reading!

Logicality (Logan x Patton)

Patton spent most of his day in the kitchen cooking a special dinner for him and Logan which is about 40% actual food and 60% sweets because both of them have sweet tooths but Logan doesn’t usually allow himself to have any so Patton decided to spoil him

Logan bought Patton a shark Blanket for his bed with a hood and mittens sewn into it (Because believe it or not Patton’s favorite characters in Finding Nemo are the sharks)

Patton sets up the dinner in the imagination and Logan is so flattered that Patton put in all this time and effort into his gift and he’s also flustered because of how cute and affectionate Patton is being with him

After they finished eating they decided to go home and watch Big Hero 6 and Toy Story 2 on Logan’s laptop before they cuddled up in Logan’s bed and fell asleep

Roceit (Janus x Roman)

Janus gets Roman a new 300 page notebook to write all his award winning ideas in and spent a few days customizing it with all of Roman’s favorite musicals on the cover

On Valentine's day Janus couldn’t find Roman all day but in the afternoon he found a mysterious letter on his pillow inviting him to a ball in the imagination that night (I’ll give you three guesses who the letter is from)

That night Janus went into the imagination in a snake skin print suit and finds part of the imagination has been transformed into a huge ball room with a glass ceiling showing the night sky a self playing grand piano and Roman waiting for him in a bright red ballgown dress

That night the two of them danced, exchanged sweet words, recreated Disney princess and Disney prince scenes with each other and came back home around 7 a.m and fell asleep in Roman’s room

Dukexeity (Remus x Virgil)

Since both Remus and Virgil have problems with giving and accepting love they decide to do what they both do best, make everyone in the mind palace suffer (Playing pranks on the others) one example is them taking Logan’s stuff from where he last put them and putting them somewhere different (It made Logan think he was going crazy)

They also tainted Janus’s face mask with marker ink which caused Janus’s scales to be stained bright pink for almost a whole week after Valentine's day

But both of them targeted Roman the most, between placing a bucket of slime above his door which fell on him when he opened it or drawing on his face when he took a nap, they did it all to him (They didn’t prank Patton because Virgil refused to because Virgil doesn’t want to hurt a soul as pure as him)

After they were done pranking the others they hid under Virgil’s bed and watched youtube to avoid the others until they fell asleep under the bed together

Logince (Logan x Roman)

Logan spent most of the week before Valentine's day a stressed mess trying to figure out the perfect gift to give Roman because nothing he found ever seemed to be good enough for Roman so in the end he went with making something for him, a list of 101 things he loved about Roman

On Valentine's day morning he woke up for breakfast only to find Patton there not cooking but just sitting there as if waiting for Logan and when Logan asked Patton what he was up to, Patton just smiled and said “Not what I’m up to.”

Patton then handed a envelope to Logan and snuck out with a wink, Roman had planned Logan a scavenger hunt with riddles which then led Logan to Roman in the imagination who made a breakfast picnic for both of them with toast, muffins and Crofters jam

After they finished Breakfast Logan gave Roman his gift that Roman broke into happy tears at and they spent the whole day in the imagination hanging out with each other and experimenting with crazy ideas

Dukeceit (Janus x Remus)

Neither of them like Valentine's day, Remus because it’s a holiday dedicated to lovey dovey mushy gushy stuff and Janus because it’s such a commercial holiday that really serves no well known purpose

So instead they treat it like any other day but both of them kept subtly being a little more affectionate with each other like Janus making Remus a sandwich while Remus is busy making Thomas consider stupid things or Remus holding Janus’s hand under the table at breakfast

That night since everyone else is out of the house they cuddle up on the couch with wine and have a SAW movie marathon (Janus likes SAW because of the thought put into each trap and Remus just loves the idea of each trap and sometimes tests them on himself because he’s not real so he can’t die)

The both fall asleep on the couch in a wine induced sleep coma with Janus’s head on Remus’s chest and when Patton comes home and finds them he gently covers them with a blanket and switched off the TV (But not before being traumatized by a woman having her stomach cut open by a buzz saw)

Intrulogical (Remus x Logan)

Together they plan a full day’s worth of activities that start with a nice breakfast they made together early in the morning before Patton had woken up to make them breakfast, after Breakfast they went into the part imagination that Remus had full control over and they spent the whole day answering questions and experimenting

Since Remus has questions and Logan loves answers they came up with a full list of questions like “What would happen if you turned a human inside out?”, “Can sharks smell fear?”, “What acid dissolves human flesh the fastest?”, “Is it possible to jump from one plane to another and live?” just to name a few, they thought they’d try and answer them all

They came home in the evening covered in blood with ripped clothes, messy hair, and some mild(ish) injuries which scared the heck out of the others

After they lost consciousness Virgil, Patton, Janus and Roman took care of their injuries and put them to bed and both say they still would consider it a great day

Moceit (Janus x Patton)

Patton woke Janus up with breakfast in bed and bouquet of a dozen roses and they cuddled in bed until the afternoon afterwards

After they got up and ready Janus gave Patton his gift, a scrapbook of all the sides and pictures of all the fun moments they had together, the squeal Patton let out could shatter glass and then Janus was squished in bone crushing hug

What Patton finally let Janus go they went off on their planned date only to find Remus lurking around every corner and trying to but in on everything they were doing like the very intentionally third wheel he was trying to be (He didn’t have a reason for doing this other than just being bored and it was fun to watch Janus get angry) so they spent most of their date trying to hide from Remus and failing horribly to do so

Once they got home Janus locked him and Patton in the bathroom just so they could be alone for a while and not be third wheeled, so they ended their Valentine's day cuddling on the title of the bathroom with noise canceling headphones on to block out the sound of Remus banging on the door

Prinxiety (Roman x Virgil)

Virgil told Roman he didn’t want anything super grand for Valentine's day and that he wanted to keep everything lowkey which Roman surprisingly agreed to

On Valentine's day Patton took Virgil out for what he called “Friendintine’s day” but Virgil saw it was a poorly devised excuse to keep him out of the house while Roman was without a doubt setting up a surprise for him but he pretended to be unaware as Patton and him hung out in the imagination with Patton coming up with one excuse after another to keep them from going home

Once they got back to the Mind palace Virgil went to his room to find a pillow fort had been made on top of his bed and a tray of snacks had also been set out with Roman waiting for him his Beast onesie, Virgil was speechless but extremely happy that was made very clear by how his eyeshadow changed from back to a bright shimmery purple when he saw the display

After Virgil got changed into his skeleton onesie they took turns picking out movies to watch (Mostly Disney movies) and fell asleep around 2 am

Second Author’s note: Thank you for reading and whether you’re spending Valentine's day with a partner or alone, remember to take time to do something you love doing.

[breadandblankets]

9 people you would like to get to know better

Tagged by @andyboops

Three ships: For the moment (cause me staying on one place is impossible) Marc/Layla/Steven (Marvel), Mobei-jun/Shang Qinghua/Liu Qingge (Scum Villain), Cass/Steph (DC) [Also doing an honorable mention for tim/ber/kon and jay/roy but ya know]

First ship: oh lord, probably Doctor/River? this is bold of anyone to assume i have a memory

Last song: Bang The Doldrums - Fall Out Boy

Last movie: The Lego Batman Movie (my partner hadn't seen it before so we had to fix that)

Currently Reading: I'm re-reading Under the Red Hood while i write my calamity!jason au, but i just finished Batman: Hush for the same reason lmao

Currently watching: Just finished rewatching Moon Knight last night so i don't have anything tv wise unless you count this video essay im watching at this moment

Currently consuming: a large mug of green tea and sour cream and onion chips

Currently craving: to become a cyborg, failing that one of those huge cattle salt licks, or failing that, someone to match my energy as i bounce on the walls talking about my aus, or failing that my headache to go away, you know, normal wants

Tagging (if you want! i know i just tagged some of yall in smthin else lmao): @crimsonrainseekingflower, @owldork1998, @livingmeatloaf, @localizationed, @h-y-p-h-e-n-d-o-t-s, @enbycupcake, @bingheluvr69, @junodoesworldbuilding, @krchov

[doctorbrown]

TAG NINE PEOPLE YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW BETTER!

I. favourite colours: red, silver, black, purple.

II. favourite flavours: coffee, chocolate orange, peppermint mocha, pistachio.

III. favourite genres: sci-fi, horror (both cosmic and supernatural horror), thriller, psychological horror, cyberpunk, historical fiction.

IV. favourite music: rock, metal, synthwave, electroswing, folk music.

V. favourite movies: in no particular order: the back to the future trilogy, star trek '09, star trek: vengeance, the one with the whales, godzilla minus one, any godzilla movie ever tbh (not including legendary's monsterverse), kung fury, hipsters, major grom: plague doctor, company business, deep blue sea.

VI. favourite series: again in no particular order: uhm star trek tos, x-files, steins;gate, fringe, higurashi & umineko, law and order: svu, the witcher (books), night watch (book series).

VII. last song: Беспокойник - Без Конкретики

VIII. last series: uhhhh battlestar galactica i think. i need to finish it and i need to start so many things.

IX. last movie: godzilla minus one (again).

X. currently reading: fantastic numbers and where to find them, the order of time, the man who folded himself, delicate condition, 20,000 leagues under the sea.

XI. currently watching: a playthrough of eternal sonata from way back when, con man.

XII. currently working on: finishing the hood of my godzilla kigu.

stolen from @beyondthescully, so steal from me!

[istumpysk]

hello! i’ve been reading some of your reread stuff and i noticed a bunch of references/you pointing missandei sneaking up on dany and connecting that to arya but i’m having a hard time connecting the dots. would you be willing to explain it (like a 5 year old lol) or is it a theory you’ve only just started piecing together? thank you!! i’d never noticed how many times missandei sneaks up on people until you pointed it out and it’s got me intrigued bc i’ve been obsessing over what her role will be since the show Did All That lol

Why yes, I absolutely can!

Daenerys has a habit of being snuck up on.

Sometimes it's Quaithe -

She is standing over me. "Who's there?" Dany peered into the darkness. She thought she could see a shadow, the faintest outline of a shape. [...] "A dream." Dany shook her head. "I dreamed a dream, no more. - Daenerys III, ASOS

Sometimes it's Quaithe again -

A soft rustle made her open them again. She sat up with a soft splash. "Missandei?" she called. "Irri? Jhiqui?"

"They sleep," came the answer.

A woman stood under the persimmon tree, clad in a hooded robe that brushed the grass. Beneath the hood, her face seemed hard and shiny. She is wearing a mask, Dany knew, a wooden mask finished in dark red lacquer. "Quaithe? Am I dreaming?" She pinched her ear and winced at the pain. "I dreamt of you on Balerion, when first we came to Astapor."

"You did not dream. Then or now."

"What are you doing here? How did you get past my guards?"

"I came another way. Your guards never saw me."

[...]

Dany glanced back toward the persimmon tree. There was no woman there. No hooded robe, no lacquer mask, no Quaithe.

A shadow. A memory. No one. - Daenerys II, ADWD

Sometimes it's Missandei -

"My queen?" said a soft voice in the darkness.

Dany flinched. "Who is there?"

"Only Missandei." The Naathi scribe moved closer to the bed. "This one heard you crying." - Daenerys VIII, ADWD

Sometimes it's Missandei surprising the queen's personal guard, Barristan Selmy -

"No," murmured a soft voice behind him. "She would not do that, ser. She would not go home without us."

Ser Barristan turned. "Missandei. Child. How long have you been standing there?" - The Queensguard, ADWD

Sometimes Missandei's even doing it in old drafts that were later rewritten (thank you to @powderpowderblue for sharing) -

"My queen?" said a soft voice in the darkness.

Dany flinched, imagining pale skin, blue lips, a twisted blade. "Who is there?"

"Only Missandei."

And sometimes you even get mirrored text, and fun mad queen parallels -

His merriment still echoed in her ears when she felt a light touch on her shoulder, and woke suddenly. For half a heartbeat the hand seemed part of the nightmare, and Cersei cried out, but it was only Senelle. The maid's face was white and frightened.

We are not alone, the queen realized. Shadows loomed around her bed, tall shapes with chain mail glimmering beneath their cloaks. Armed men had no business here. Where are my guards? 

[...]

A dream, that's all it was, a dream.  [...] She imagined Tyrion creeping between the walls like some monstrous rat. - Cersei I, AFFC

So, what's going on here? Clearly something.

Well, it's foreshadowing how Daenerys will die.

I won't get into every parallel, chapter transition, or piece of evidence, but here's a quick rundown.

Someone (a rat!) will surprise Daenerys, and like Maegor the Cruel, she will be attacked and killed in the throne room immediately after she takes King's Landing -

All day the lords made plans, and late into the night. It was the hour of the wolf when at last Maegor allowed them to take their leave. The king remained behind, brooding on the Iron Throne as they departed. Lord Towers and Lord Rosby were the last to see His Grace.

Hours later, as dawn was breaking, the last of Maegor's queens came seeking after him. Queen Elinor found him still upon the Iron Throne, pale and dead, his robes soaked through with blood. His arms had been slashed open from wrist to elbow on jagged barbs, and another blade had gone through his neck to emerge beneath his chin.

Man to this day believe it was the Iron Throne itself that killed him.

[...] It might also have been a person or persons unknown, entering and leaving the throne room through some hidden passage. The Red Keep has its secrets, known only to the dead. - Fire & Blood

It's something that's hinted at in a very prophetic Daenerys chapter, among other places -

Dany could hear sounds within the walls, a faint scurrying and scrabbling that made her think of rats. Drogon heard them too. His head moved as he followed the sounds, and when they stopped he gave an angry scream. - Daenerys IV, ACOK

Funny enough, the hidden passages of the Red Keep tend to be a source of paranoia amongst notable Targaryens -

But when he closed his eyes, it was Aerys Targaryen he saw, pacing alone in his throne room, picking at his scabbed and bleeding hands. The fool was always cutting himself on the blades and barbs of the Iron Throne. Jaime had slipped in through the king's door, clad in his golden armor, sword in hand. [...] When Aerys saw the blood on his blade, he demanded to know if it was Lord Tywin's. "I want him dead, the traitor. I want his head, you'll bring me his head, or you'll burn with all the rest. All the traitors. Rossart says they are inside the walls! He's gone to make them a warm welcome. Whose blood? Whose?" - Jaime II, ASOS

x

Varys wrung his hands. "Oh, my lord, nothing would please me more, but . . . King Maegor wanted no rats in his own walls, if you take my meaning. He did require a means of secret egress, should he ever be trapped by his enemies, but that door does not connect with any other passages. - Tyrion II, ASOS

Of course I also have to mention it was harbor rats within the Red Keep that killed little princess Daenerys -

The princess was six, and years past being weaned, but a wet nurse was summoned, for there were some who believed that mother's milk could cure Shivers. Maesters came and went, septons and septas prayed, the king commanded that a hundred new ratcatchers be hired at once, and offered a silver stag for every dead rat, grey or black. - Fire & Blood

So is 11-year-old orphan Missandei, who speaks many languages and keeps collecting dead brothers the rat in the wall who will creep up on Daenerys?

No, it's not sweet little Missandei. Missandei is a stand-in for another character in the story -

Lord Renly stifled his laughter. "My brother is too kind. I can find the door myself." He bowed to Joffrey. "Perchance later you'll tell me how a nine-year-old girl the size of a wet rat managed to disarm you with a broom handle and throw your sword in the river." - Eddard III, AGOT

x

The old fat septa moved forward. "Boy, how did you come here? You have no business in this part of the castle."

"You can't keep this sort out," one of the red cloaks said. "Like trying to keep out rats." - Arya III, AGOT

x

The older scowled. "Who's this father of yours, boy, the city ratcatcher?" - Arya III, AGOT

x

"You be keepin' your filthy hands off. The gold cloaks know how to deal with thieving little gutter rats, that they do." - Arya V, AGOT

x

When he laughed he brayed like the donkeys they were riding. "Where's a gutter rat like Lumpyhead get him a sword?" - Arya I, ACOK

x

The Bull scowled at her. "Why should she want you? You're nothing but a little gutter rat!" - Arya II, ACOK

x

He probably won't even know me. She looked more like a drowned rat than a lord's cupbearer these days. A drowned boy rat. - Arya X, ASOS

Tall order, am I right? Good thing Arya spent half of AGOT in the underground tunnels of the Red Keep training for this very moment!

Quiet as a shadow, she told herself. She wondered where she was. When they had first come to King's Landing, she used to have bad dreams about getting lost in the castle. Father said the Red Keep was smaller than Winterfell, but in her dreams it had been immense, an endless stone maze with walls that seemed to shift and change behind her. - Arya III, AGOT

x

This time the monsters did not frighten her. They seemed almost old friends. Arya held the candle over her head. With each step she took, the shadows moved against the walls, as if they were turning to watch her pass. "Dragons," she whispered. She slid Needle out from under her cloak. The slender blade seemed very small and the dragons very big, yet somehow Arya felt better with steel in her hand.

The long windowless hall beyond the door was as black as she remembered. She held Needle in her left hand, her sword hand, the candle in her right fist. Hot wax ran down across her knuckles. The entrance to the well had been to the left, so Arya went right. Part of her wanted to run, but she was afraid of snuffing out her candle. She heard the faint squeaking of rats and glimpsed a pair of tiny glowing eyes on the edge of the light, but rats did not scare her. - Arya IV, AGOT

I hope this helps, anon! There's so much more, but it's too many words to share here. :)

[venusianelf]

Equals

Pairing: Titans! Jason Todd x F! Reader

Genre: Smut, Strangers/Rivals to Lovers, Fluff at the end

Summary: You’re a new villain in Gotham and Jason gets sent by Scarecrow to get you under his control like everyone else, but you won’t do it. Months of fights and tension lead up to an interesting night when you were just trying to relax.

Warnings: Canon level violence, Swearing obvs, Arguing, Choking kink, Reader drinks alcohol, A couple uses of Y/N, Possible OOC Titans!Jason

Word Count: ~3,200

A/N: So this is my thanks for 100 followers fic except I’m a bit late now, whoops! So thank you for 100 followers and I hope you enjoy my first smut fic :) Reminder I take requests but not smut/lemon requests.

!!By clicking read more you are agreeing you are 18+!!

It hadn’t been long since you began your operation but you had quickly grown in power and infamy. Everyone was talking about the newcomer in town. How you went from a nobody to an instant somebody. This news had even hit the radar of Scarecrow. Of course, he didn’t want any competition so he made up his mind on how to get you into a deal with him. Not a fair or balanced deal obviously, but a deal nonetheless. So he sent Red Hood to act as his representative. What he wasn’t counting on though is your ability to see right through Jason and your stunning looks.

As you finished commanding your minions to their current mission, you felt a new presence in the room. When the last of your crew left the room, you turned to the presence and smiled. “Welcome, I was wondering when you’d show up,” You said as he stepped out of the shadows. The golden glow from sunset struck his crimson helmet and you watched as he quirked his head. “Expecting me, huh?” He chuckled as you went to pour yourself a glass of wine. “Why, of course. Almost everyone in this town is under Crow’s thumb. So I figured it would only be a matter of time until he sent you,” You replied teasingly as you looked over your shoulder at him. “Want some?” You asked as he shook his head. “More for me then,” You laughed as you took a seat.

“You’re not wrong about him not liking newcomers, but you’ve shown that you have the skills and brain to be useful,” He said dryly as you smiled flirtatiously at him. “Oh? Well, it’s nice to be appreciated,” You responded before you took a sip of your drink. “Since you’re aware of my reputation, I take it I won’t have to give you a demonstration of what happens to those who decline his offers,” He replied darkly as you chuckled at him. “Oh, yes I’m quite aware of what happens to them,” You replied as you stood and walked towards him pressing one finger against his chest and leaning in near where his ear would be. “On the contrary though, I won’t be accepting the offer,” You said softly and darkly before pulling back and running your finger down his chest. 

“I prefer to keep myself independent,” You chuckled before looking up at him and smiling. “I’m sure you understand,” You said before turning away from him and heading back towards your seat. Hearing a slight movement you quickly shot magic at where a bullet was headed towards you. Pausing it mid-air you plucked it and smiled at him. “Good try, but that’s not going to work,” You teased as he holstered his gun. “Maybe not now, but you will work with us or suffer the consequences,” He responded as you stepped close to him. “Unlikely, I do what I want. Not what anyone else wants,” You teased darkly as you placed your palm on his chest. At the contact, you felt butterflies flutter in your stomach. Ignoring it, you stared at him as you watched him process that you would be a harder target than expected.

Smiling warmly again you pushed him slightly as you pulled back. “But should you want to work as equal partners, you know where I’ll be,” You offered, stressing the you part as you didn’t respect Crow and his work, but Red Hood you could work with. You turned back around and went to grab your glass and when you turned around you saw he was gone. Sighing to yourself you took a long sip of your drink and went to relax.

Over the next few months, you received many more threats from Red Hood, plus a few actual attempts but nothing ever worked. You were always prepared and it infuriated him. Not only your defiance against his enforcements but also the tension that always hung in the air when you were around. He couldn’t tell if he wanted to fight you or push you up against a wall and kiss you until you lost your breath. As he looked over the pictures of you from his surveillance he couldn’t help but feel himself growing hard. The way your dress clung to your curves in just the right way in one picture. Or the way your makeup was smudged after a particularly rough fight in another picture. 

The more he gazed at the pictures the harder it was for Jason to not touch himself. Deciding fuck it, he unzipped his pants and began palming his dick through his pants. As he did he imagined you climbing on his lap and grinding on him in that red dress that he loved so much. The way your breaths would come out in pants, or the way your pupils would get blown out. Jason pushed his boxers down and fucked himself on his hand as he imagined the heavenly sounds that would push past your lips. Would you beg for him? Would you be a brat and he’d have to punish you? 

As the images flooded his head, he got closer and closer to his peak. He swore under his breath as he imagined how it’d feel to have you lower yourself onto him, how tight and warm you’d be. How you’d have a hard time keeping yourself up and you’d lean on him as he thrust up into you. How you’d whimper and moan for him as he hit your sweet spot. He panted as he felt the electricity in his veins grow to a peak as he coated his hand in his cum. He sat there for a minute afterward contemplating what he’d done. He didn’t find it gross or embarrassing. If anything, he felt determined to get his daydream to become reality.

A week later and he hadn’t decided how he wanted to go about it but it was about due for him and you to have your routine fight over him wanting you to accept the offer. You walked back into your apartment as you shrugged off your coat and went to wash your hands. Today had been a long day and you were ready to take the night to relax, maybe have a nice bubble bath. Until a small movement alerted you to his presence in the shadow of your living room. Sighing you called out to him, “Red? I’m really not in the mood today. Can we have your stupid little territory fight tomorrow?” You asked as you spared him no glance and continued to the kitchen sink.

“Oh? I thought you were always in the mood to punch me in the face? Or has something changed?” He asked teasingly as you shook your head. “Not that you care but today’s been a mess and I’d rather not deal with you tonight,” You replied dryly as you heard him step closer to you. “Hm, well no dice. You can’t reschedule something you have no say in,” He chuckled as you tried to calm yourself. You just needed to get him out and then you could relax and forget about all this until tomorrow. But god you really wanted to punch him in his face and crack his stupid helmet. Not that you wanted to give him exactly what he was looking for though. Still, you pondered for a moment what he might look like under there, would he be as attractive as he sounds? Or would he just be some average guy?

Shaking yourself out of it, you grabbed a towel and dried your hands off as he stood suspiciously close behind you. “So? You want to fuck up your apartment or shall we take this to the roof?” He asked as you turned around. Raising your eyebrow at him he just stood there waiting for your response. Aggravated, you pushed him out of your way and went to sit on the couch. Catching himself before he stumbled he followed after you. This wasn’t how you usually responded to his challenges. 

“Will you just leave already?” You huffed as you saw him walk over to you again. “No, you either need to accept my offer or stave me off with a fight,” He replied as you rolled your eyes. “Neither, now fuck off,” You replied as you went to turn on the tv. Instinctually, he pulled out one of his guns and shot your tv remote before you could switch on the tv. “You dick!” You screamed at him before chucking the remote at his head with the full force of your powers. Not expecting much, you were surprised when it cracked his helmet. Covering your mouth, he chuckled. “Guess I’ll be needing a new one of these,” He said as he took off his helmet and placed it on your coffee table. 

Getting a good look at him for the first time, you took in his features, the color of his eyes, the fluffiness of his hair. You hadn’t realized how long you had been staring until he smirked at you. “Like what you see?” He teased as you turned away from him and ran a hand through your hair. You heard him step closer to you but you didn’t register it until you felt the couch dip from his weight. Turning back towards him, you were surprised by the closeness. You two had been this close before but never without the barrier of the helmet.

Your gaze dipped from his eyes to his mouth as you imagined how soft his lips would be. Would he kiss you roughly or gently? You were willing to bet he’d be a passionate kisser. Breaking out of your thoughts you noticed he had an eyebrow raised as he waited for you to say something. “So, not going to kick me out then, huh? If I knew taking off the helmet would’ve gotten that reaction, then I would’ve done it a lot earlier,” He chuckled before you surprised him by grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him down to crash your lips to his. 

Once he got over his shock, you felt him return your kiss as he began to deepen it. You felt his hands roam over your waist as you moved your hands to hang over his shoulders. As you kissed you felt him urge you to move into his lap so you did. One of his hands roamed upward as you felt him palm one of your breasts. As he played with it you moaned into the kiss which he eagerly devoured. One of your hands tangled into his hair as you gently pulled on it and heard him groan. Parting for air for a minute you panted as you felt him press a kiss to the side of your mouth then several more across your jaw. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do this,” He groaned as you giggled. “I could say the same but this is so much better than I could’ve imagined,” You replied as he pressed open mouth kisses to your neck and collarbone. 

Your giggles quickly turned into a moan as he sucked a hickey on your neck. Reactively you ground down onto him, feeling him grow hard beneath you. He groaned as he continued with his hands again. He rolled and played with your nipple as you squirmed under his touch. After a minute he moved his hand slowly towards your leggings. “May I?” He asked between hickeys as you nodded. “Use your words, baby,” He encouraged as your cheeks flushed. “Please Red, touch me,” You begged as you felt him smile against your skin. 

Moving his hand past your leggings and into your underwear he ran a finger through you and collected your slick. “Fuck, you’re so wet for me princess,” He groaned as you squirmed under him. He continued by rubbing slow circles around your clit as you moaned. “Please, Red, faster,” You pleaded as he tightened his other hand on your hip. “Hush, baby, take what I give you. You want to be my good girl don’t you?” He asked as he moved away from your neck to look at you. “Yes, wanna be good,” You moaned as he smirked at you. “That’s what I thought,” He replied as he captured your lips in another kiss. 

As he deepened the kiss his fingers sped up. You moaned into his mouth as he swallowed down all of your sweet sounds. Once he felt his fingers were soaked enough he dipped a finger into you. You whimpered into him as you clutched onto his shirt and you felt him smirk into the kiss. He worked you open as he continued to rub your clit with his thumb. He pulled back from you as you panted and whimpered and he watched you hungrily. Studying you closely he thrust another finger in as you moaned and leaned into him. 

Groaning as he felt how tight and wet you were he used his hand on your hip to help you grind into his hand. Resting your head on his shoulder you panted and moaned as he brought you closer and closer to your peak. Feeling you get close he continued his ministrations but leaned in close to you and began whispering to you. “Just like that baby, you feel so tight around my fingers. You’re doing so good,” He whispered as you felt the wave of pleasure coming. “Red, gonna come,” You choked out as you panted. “Give it to me princess, cum for me,” He continued as you bit your lip and let the wave crash over you.

He groaned as you squeezed his fingers and covered his hand in your juice. Letting you ride out your orgasm, he placed soft kisses on your jaw. Once he saw you were done and pulled his fingers out of you and brought them up to his lips. You watched as he licked them clean and groaned at the taste. “Fuck baby, you taste so good. I’ve got to eat you out sometime,” He commented as you flushed and tried to look away from him. Catching you, he placed his clean hand under your chin and turned you to look at him. “No need to shy away princess, you wouldn’t want to deny me of your perfect self, now would you?” He chuckled as he placed a gentle kiss on your mouth. As you looked up to him you smiled, “If this is our new fighting, count me in,” You joked as you both laughed. 

He quickly caught you off guard as he pushed you down onto the couch and went to begin kissing your neck again. Stopping him by gently grabbing his hair and pulling him up, you saw him look at you questioningly. “Bedroom,” You commented as he smiled and nodded. He signaled for you to wrap your legs around his waist and as you did he picked you up and let you guide him to your bedroom. Once he entered and kicked the door closed behind him, he placed you down on the bed as he backed up and began taking his shirt off. Following his lead, you pulled your top off and then your bra as you admired him and he stared hungrily at your chest. Giggling, you continued by shimmying out of your leggings as he quickly discarded the rest of his clothes. 

He sat on the end of the bed before crawling up to you and slowly pulling your panties off and throwing them into the pile of discarded clothes. After that, he began pressing kisses everywhere from your neck to just above your center. Stopping him you pulled him back up and kissed him deeply and passionately. “I’m ready, Red,” You told him as he made a pleased noise and nodded. “Do you have a condom?” He asked as you nodded in return and pulled one out from your bedside. “Thanks,” He commented as he rolled it on and lined himself up to you. As he did he began sucking marks on your collarbones and upper chest. You tangled your hand back in his hair as he teased his tip against your clit and you whimpered. “Please, Red, stop teasing,” You pleaded as he looked up at you and smirked. “As you wish, princess,” He said before quickly sheathing himself inside you. You cried out as you adjusted to his size. You both sat there for a moment panting as he waited for you to get comfortable. “Move, please,” You whimpered as he began to set a slow but deep pace.

“Fuck, you’re so tight, baby. Squeezing my dick like that,” He groaned as you moaned and dragged your nails across his back. He picked up his pace as you moaned and he buried his head in your neck. As he did he brought one of his hands to play with your clit causing your body to teeter closer to the edge. You babbled as you got closer and closer, only knowing the words ‘Red,’ ‘Please,’ and ‘More.’ He made a noise similar to a growl as he felt himself getting closer. “C’mon princess, give me another one. I know you can,” He urged on as he pulled back and watched as you began to fall apart. 

You felt white-hot pleasure course through your veins as you let yourself fall over the edge. “Fuck baby, I’m gonna cum,” He panted out as he brought a hand up to your neck and squeezed gently. Feeling you tighten even more around him he fell apart. Riding you both through it he eventually slowed. Gently turning you both over he rested you on top of him. “Hmm, I just fucked someone who’s real name I don’t even know,” You laughed as he chuckled with you. “For the record, it’s Jason,” He replied as you hummed. “I like it, I’m Y/N,” You responded as he stroked your hair. “A pretty name for a pretty girl,” He teased as you giggled. “Thanks, Jay,” You replied as he tilted your head up to capture you in a gentle kiss.

“As lovely as this is, I should get us cleaned up,” He commented as you parted. Giggling, you nodded, “The bathroom’s right there and some washcloths should be in the second drawer to the left,” You commented as he gently got out of bed and went to get some. When he came back he cleaned you up and offered to get you some water. Getting back in the bed and handing you a water bottle, you smiled and thanked him. “So, how do you feel about the equal partnership I mentioned forever ago,” You teased as he pretended to be in mock thought. “I think we could give it a go, but only if it means we can do this more and I can take you out to dinner this weekend,” He replied as you giggled. “I’m not opposed to that,” You teased as he smiled. “Good, then we can figure out the details tomorrow,” He replied as he kissed you on your forehead and moved the water bottle to the side table.

“Mhm,” You hummed as he turned back to you. He laid back down and pulled you on top of him again. He stroked your hair as you drew small symbols on his chest as the both of you closed your eyes. Turns out you didn’t need to kick him out to have a good night.

[iriswords]

Febuwhump Day 19 - “You deserve this”

You can also read this on ao3 and find the rest of my febuwhump fics here    

tw: victim blaming

Fandom: Batman

Words: 1716

Jason comes back to the Cave after a smooth night of patrol. But his good mood doesn’t last, shot down by his family’s unusually hurtful words. 

-- 

“I fucking hate Scarecrow wannabes,” grumbles Jason as he slams his foot in the chest of one of said wannabes. 

“That makes two of us,” Nightwing chimes in cheerfully. 

Scarecrow is annoying and dangerous enough by himself, Gotham doesn’t also need delusional men who know nothing about chemistry, and fancy themselves brilliant and misunderstood doctors when in reality all they do is risk poisoning the people they test their products on. 

The fight dies down soon enough, the goons nowhere near skilled enough to pose a real challenge to Nightwing and the Red Hood. All their toxin has been contained, too; the two vigilantes arrived before the goons had the time to release it in the city. The only close call they had was a thug who had tried to inject the product in Jason while he was fighting someone else, but Jason had sent him to the ground before the syringe could get too close to his skin.

“Batman is waiting for us with the Batmobile,” says Nightwing as they finish tying the goons’ wrists, all ready to be picked up by the police. “You’re coming back to the Cave with us?”

Jason considers the offer. He has been on better terms with the whole family these days, and though their relationship still isn’t perfect, all of them are making efforts to improve it. 

“Sure,” he says. 

 “Are you sure you got them all?” is the first thing Batman says when Nightwing and Jason enter the Batmobile. Jason cannot tell if he is imagining the underlying disappointment in his voice or not. 

“All of them,” answers Nightwing from the front seat, which he stole from Jason. At the back of the car, Jason remains quiet as his skin prickles with a strange unease. Maybe he should have just gone back to his safehouse. Maybe he is pushing his luck and this night will end badly, and his relationship with the family will be ruined. 

“And the toxin?” continues Batman. “Did you contain all of it?” 

Nightwing scoffs. “There wasn’t even a need for containing, B. Really, they didn’t stand a chance. We only got one close call with Jason, but we handled it.” Jason barely listens as Dick explains what the close call was. 

“Of course,” replies Batman when Dick finishes his explanation. His voice drips with unusual disdain. “Figures Hood would find a way to get close calls even in the easiest situations.”

Anger simmers under Jason’s skin, tinted Lazarus green, but he reigns it in and doesn’t reply to Batman’s taunt. 

The rest of the ride passes in silence. Jason doesn’t even know what he did wrong. He hasn’t killed anyone in months, hasn’t gotten into an argument with any member of the family, hasn’t ignored them just because he didn’t feel like dealing with them. Yet he cannot shake the feeling that Bruce is angry at him and that it is all his fault. It always is, after all, isn’t it? It’s Jason’s own fault if he got killed, it’s his fault if he doesn’t get along with the family, his fault if he and Bruce have screaming matches so often. His fault, his fault, his fault. 

Batman stops the car in the Cave, and Jason gets out immediately, putting on a mask of indifference. Tim and Damian are already in the Cave, bickering, as always, though it has been less heated lately and more good-hearted. Cass watches them silently, perched on the back of a chair. Jason nods at her when he catches her gaze, and heads for the showers. If Bruce is angry at him, the less time spent in his company, the better. Once he’s showered, Jason can go upstairs and see if Alfred made any cookies. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” asks Bruce. 

Jason stops in his tracks and turns around. It is indeed him Bruce is talking to, the man’s face free of the cowl and his features carved into anger. 

“Showering,” answers Jason, his voice as level as possible. The boy inside him, the one who died too young and was never avenged, shrinks in fear learned in Crime Alley. The other part of him, the one tainted by the Pit, surges up and urges him to violence and vitriol. Jason listens to neither. He stands his ground as he waits for Bruce to spit out what is bothering him. 

“Do you really think I’m going to let you go and shower without debriefing after that mess of a night?”

Jason rolls his eyes, but the Pit seeps into his veins drop by drop. “It was nowhere near a mess. Actually, it even went very smoothly. I don’t know why you’re being dramatic.” 

“I’m not being dramatic. I’m berating you because you never do anything right.” 

Jason hardens his face so his emotions cannot show. Under his armor, Bruce’s words are like a tempest, ravaging all the hard-won progress Jason had made to defeat his self-doubt and self-hatred. “Is that so?” he asks. 

“Father is right, Todd,” answers Damian in the stead of his father. His snippy, holier-than-thou voice grates on Jason’s nerves, but, again, the words aim too close to his heart. “You always find a way to ruin everything. Cases, relationships, families. Your own life. It is your fault if you died, after all.”

And the thing is, Jason knows this. He knows. But no one has ever told him, no one has ever accused him of his own torture and death, and he cannot handle it. He takes a stumbling step back, his eyes fleeting between the members of his family. They look at him distantly, their faces twisted in similar expressions of faint disgust, akin to the one people wear when they spot a nasty bug. 

“That’s not— I didn’t—”

“Yes, you did,” says Dick. “You’ve always been a hothead, always acting before thinking. Too impulsive, too abrasive, too stupid. And so entitled. You stole Robin from me and you still had the guts to think yourself better than me. You deserved your death.”

No. No, no, no, no, no. Jason falls to his knees. His family comes closer to him, crowding him, like predators watching their prey and waiting for it to keel over so they can eat it whole. This cannot be real. It can’t.

“And then you came back,” continues Tim. His voice is loaded with venom, his eyes alight with hatred. “You came back and everything good in you stayed in your grave. You came back and all the wrong parts surged up. And god knows there are many wrong parts to you. You are made only of wrongness, now, Jason. And yet, somehow, you thought you had the right to try and take Robin away from me too. You couldn’t even keep yourself alive but you think you could keep Robin? Do you know how much you hurt me? Do you know how terrified I was?” Tim leans forward, his cold and slender fingers pressing against Jason’s chin. “Do you know how much of a monster you’ve become?” 

Jason chokes on a sob, his breath rattling in his lungs. It isn’t true. It isn’t real. This is all in his mind, and he’ll wake up and everything will be back to normal. He looks up at his family, his eyes frantically searching for any form of support. They fall on Cass, standing amidst the others. Cass, who hasn’t said a word. Jason’s hopes shatter when his sister opens her mouth. “Murderer,” she says. “Traitor. Better dead than alive.” 

Jason can’t stay here. He needs to get out before he does something stupid. Before their hatred kills him. He pushes himself to his feet shakily, but his family grabs onto him, their hands like claws digging into his arms. He cries harder and struggles against their grip. 

“You should have stayed dead,” they chant, “you shouldn’t have come back.” 

“Please, stop,” he begs them. “I’m sorry, I’ll go. You won’t see me ever again. But please, stop.” They don’t listen to him, tugging harder on his arms to bring him back down to the ground.

“I never loved you, Jason,” says Bruce, and it is the last straw. Jason falls back against Dick’s chest, his limbs limp like that of a puppet. Tears stream down his face and soak the hem of his shirt. Something sharp pricks the skin on his neck. The last thing he hears is his family’s chant. 

You should have stayed dead. You shouldn’t have come back. 

 Jason wakes up on a cot in the Medbay. Hushed voices stream to him from somewhere in the room. Jason doesn’t open his eyes. Maybe if he pretends to still be asleep they’ll leave him alone. Maybe then he’ll be able to sneak out and never come back. Tears push past his closed eyelids and Jason prays no one is paying attention to him. He cannot handle their words right now, cannot know how pathetic they find him.

“Jay?” asks Bruce, shooting his hopes down. “Are you awake? Is there something wrong?”

Jason turns his face away and presses it against his pillow. “Please,” he says. “Don’t. I’ll go, I promise. I’ll leave. You won’t see me again.  Just don’t start again, please.” 

A large hand cards through his hair. More tears escape Jason’s eyes. The hand is far too gentle for the words that were thrown at him earlier. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jaylad. You were injected with a toxin, but it’s out of your system, now. We’re not quite certain about what you saw but you were… upset, to say the least.” 

Jason opens his eyes and turns to Bruce, whose face bears nothing but genuineness. 

“A toxin?”

“It turns out the goon with the syringe did get you,” says Dick softly. All of Jason’s siblings are looking at him with solemn worry. Jason looks down at his hands, his throat closing up. 

“So you don’t hate me?” he asks in a whisper. 

“Is that what you saw?” replies Bruce, and engulfs Jason in a hug. His siblings pile up on the bed and Alfred arrives at the same time with a plate full of freshly baked cookies. His family spends the rest of the day convincing him they love him. 

@febuwhump

[spacetime1969]

Are we still Heroes?  Jasonette July 11: Replacement

Masterlist | AO3

Marinette is alone and hurting, her partner is gone, and now the Kwami have taken her all the way across the ocean to Gotham City, where she crashes into the back of the infamous Red Hood, the 19-year-old once vigilante now crime lord.

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Their new alliance is a shaky one at first. Neither totally trusts the other, but they are both trying to help the people of Crime Alley and avoid the Bats. Their methods are so different though that it’s a rocky path. The compromise they end up with happens almost completely on accident.

After one too many arguments about just how necessary it is to remove those who won’t follow the rules permanently, Hood decides to prove to her that just turning the crooks into the police is useless. The next time he hears that someone has decided to break one of his rules, he turns them over to her, and she takes them to the police. Sure enough, a handful of greased palms and crooked cops later, they’re back on the street.

Lady Chance and the Red Hood are standing outside the station when they walk out. Watching as they walk free only a few hours after they went in.

“See Chance, the system doesn’t work, not in Gotham at least.” She turns away as he pulls his guns and shoots the man. “So I’ve made my own system. One that’s harsh, but one that works.”

She looks at him for a long moment before shaking her head. “No, I don’t believe you. Let me try it again, I can’t believe this is the only way.”

He scowls at her under his helmet, but says he’ll let her. Eventually she’ll admit that he’s right, and in the meantime he’s just as able to shoot them here as in any Gotham back alley. They swing away, the people who've gathered around the dead man below watching them swing away.

——————————————

It turns out that they were both wrong. The system is just as corrupt as it’s always been, but it turns out that all the back doors in the world don’t matter if the person doesn’t want to leave. It starts with the rumors that Lady Chance works for The Red Hood now, followed by the whispers that she doesn’t kill, but that if you try and escape her, The Red Hood will finish the job. It’s not long before the underworld of Gotham has spread the word that any arrest made by The Lady Chance is a choice between her justice and The Red Hood’s, and they all know just what his justice looks like.

——————————————

Commissioner Gordon is finding that suddenly many of the criminals arrested from crime alley, whether professionals or just from off the street, are actually being prosecuted, confessing to their crimes and cooperating with the police. He wants to know exactly what changed, but when he tries to get more information, the criminals clam up. But there’s something going on here, and Gordon is determined to find out just what it is.

It’s weeks before he gets a lead, and it’s from one of the several drug dealers who were sentenced to life in Blackgate after confessing to dealing drugs to children. He’s at the woman’s trial and as she stands and is led out by the police, she stops next to him and whispers two names. “The Red Hood and The Lady Chance. They’re the ones you're looking for.” And then she’s led out of the building. Leaving Gordon with the first lead in his mystery.

A few nights later, he stands on the roof of the GCPD, the bat signal glowing next to him.

A voice comes out of the shadows behind him. “Commissioner.”

He turns around and looks at the vigilante behind him. “Robin. Just you tonight?”

Robin nods. “Yeah. If it’s something big I’ll let Batman know, but otherwise it’s just me.”

Gordon nods, pulling out a folder and handing it to the teen. “Something’s happening in Crime alley. Over the last couple of months there’s been an increase in the number of arrests made.”

Robin takes the folder and begins reading through it. “Okay, that sounds like a good thing, what’s the catch.”

“Almost all the criminals arrested confessed without any push, and after diving a little deeper I found some who were arrested on very similar charges but were let off on ‘not enough evidence’.” The contempt in his voice is obvious.

Robin looks up from the folder. “You’re saying they bribed their way out.”

Gordon shrugs. “It certainly looks that way, not that it matters. All of them were shot almost immediately afterward. Some of them as they were leaving the station.”

“Any suspects?”

“Two. A new player, and The Red Hood.”

The boy’s head jerks up, the white eyes of his mask staring at him critically. “So you think that the criminals are turning themselves in to avoid being killed by Red Hood?”

Gordon nods. “Possibly, but there’s also this new player, Lady Chance.” He gestures to the folder. “Looks like she stared out as a regular street vigilante, but now there’s rumors of her working as The Red Hoods enforcer, or even his partner. She’s the one who actually turned most of the criminals in.”

Robin ponders that for a moment, before flipping the folder closed and tucking it into his suit. “Thank you, commissioner. I’ll bring this up to Batman. Have a good night.”

“You too, kid. Stay safe out there.

——————————————

Tim was going to do what he said he was going to, and head back to tell batman about the Commissioner’s suspicions about what Jason was up to now. A new player in Gotham, especially one that was willing to work with a crime boss, wasn’t good news. But, his path back to the bat cave passed through crime alley, and he happened to spot a woman in a black suit with red spots standing on a roof. Lady Chance.

He swung up behind her almost silently, but she still noticed him and dropped into a defensive stance. “Who are you?”

He analyzed her. Her stance was a little off, like she’d only had some basic training, and her suit seemed too thin to be providing proper protection, but there was something off about her features. Even as he tried to analyze her he couldn’t seem to get a feel for her age, or even any distinguishing features, not in a way that suggested she didn’t have any, more like his mind wasn’t able to focus on them. “I’m Robin, my question is who you are, Lady Chance.”

She tensed up further when he mentioned her name. “That’s none of your business, kid.”

He ignored the dig at his age. “I beg to differ. You’re in Gotham and working with a crime lord, that makes you my business.”

She glared at him. “I’m in Gotham to help, and that’s all you need to know.”

“So then why work with Red Hood?”

“If I can do more to help the people here by working with someone else, even if I don’t always agree with how they do things, then that’s what I’ll do.”

“I’m sorry if I don’t think that working with a crime boss is the way to do that.”

“You might not see it, but Hood is helping the people here. Maybe it’s not a perfect solution, but I gave up on perfect solutions a long time ago. He’s trying to help here, and it’s working. That’s enough for me.”

“Aw, I appreciate it Chance.” Robin spins to confront the new voice, and sees Hood standing behind him. “As for you, replacement, it’s time for you to leave.”

Robin reaches for his staff and hood reaches for his gun, before glancing over at Lady Chance and sighing, letting his hand drop from his holster and grab a grapple instead. “Go home replacement. Batman doesn’t need another dead sidekick.” Red Hood grapples away into the night, and Robin turns to look at the other person on the roof with him, only to find that Lady Chance used his distraction to disappear as well. He’s all alone on the roof.

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@maribat-calendar-events

[drkcnry67]

series/general masterlist

A/N: this is the list i am compiling of EVERYTHING i've written. so its all easy to find later on or if anyone is interested... the series dont have a general series title so i will kinda go by pairing or just use the title of the first part if there is multiple of the same pairing for multiple series. If the story is apart of a different challenge I will mark it as such... And at the bottom of this list of series is the masterlist for the rest of my stories. enjoy and happy reading. Also it's not finished yet no links have been inserted yet... I will add links as I go along...

JUST TO BE SAFE DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 CAUSE I CAN'T FOR THE LIFE OF ME REMEMBER WHAT THE HECK I WROTE... ITS BEEN TOO MANY STORIES TO REMEMBER WHAT EACH ONE IS...

total number of stories written and composed=

legend:

if marked with a star☆ its apart of a challenge

if marked with a diamond◇ its part of a bingo

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

~twisted supernatural fairy tales~

red riding hood

cinderella

sleeping beauty

aladdin

beauty and the beast

snow white

~MCU~

The proposition

want to do something crazy? -part 1 -part2

confessions while on vacation

i'll always save you

teaching time

you're my barista

thunderstorm wedding

is it him or me

what do i get if i win

you fight well & i like you alot, lets bang

i will find you and be with you evermore

living the elevator fantasy

one guy, one girl, one voice, one song

i have loved you forever, let's see where this goes.

~DC~

you are -part 1 -part 2

united as legends -part 1 -part 2

dark arts -part 1 -part 2

reveal for the sake of love

is it true

take it off

the canary and the siren

omg im on fire

☆3 little words i love you

☆i did this to protect you

☆my sister my submissive

~SUPERNATURAL~

◇That was the best night of my life

◇your demons are my darkness

scratch'd or bitten?

do not stay late with your boss

to find what you were missing

are you the other half of my tattoo

you are my alpha

you are in my heart forever

how to recognize the other half of your heart

summertime blues, love and hunts

submit to us B**** or die

you killed my love

what happens when you bring home an unknown substance

all i wanted is for you to be happy

oops sorry wrong boy toy

my alpha my omega

is this where you spent 6 months

when you call my name

from siren to professor

this choice affects not just your present but your future as well

◇thunder like a gunshot

◇please dont make me do this

◇you always save me, let me save you

◇you know i'm pretty sure guns and water dont mix

◇your breathing makes me weak

◇show and oops you dont have a choice

◇let me be your saving grace

◇come back to me

◇age doesnt matter, i love you for you

◇you're the other half of my soul

my secret is

◇you're me+i'm you=sexual desires

◇Our beginning

◇Show me

◇You don't have to do this

◇i want you to be my queen

i dont mind if we share clothes

◇how embarassing -part 1 -part 2 -part 3 -part4

castle full of legend -☆part 1 -part 2

☆should something happen to me -part 1 -part 2

☆Do you have any clue -part1 -part2 -part3

i know not who you are but dance with me -part 1 -part 2

☆I think we are meant to be -part1 -part2 -part3

☆Unexpected love -part1 -part2

Just an ordinary girl -☆part1 -☆part2 -part3

At long last I found -☆part1 -part2

☆supernatural christmas part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 7 part 8 part 9 part 10 part 11 part 12

the bite

the vow

good doggy

i did it

i figured it was time for this

be unknown to rise the phoenix

arranged to keep her safe

rebellion

when you call my name

take our place

not here, not now, this is too public

are you the other half of my tattoo

christmas teasers

christmas truth or dare

christmas role reversal

~HARRY POTTER UNIVERSE~

together forever -part 1 -part 2 -part 3

You think I want to -part1 -part2

☆hogwarts christmas -part 1 -part 2 -part 3 -part 4 -part 5 -part 6 part 7 part 8 part 9 part 10 part 11 part 12 part 13 part 14 part 15 part 16 part 17 part 18 part 19 part 20 part 21 part 22 part 23 part 24 part 25

~OTHER~

☆one night -part 1 -part 2

we have a secret -part 1 -part 2

Never let me go -part1 -part2

princess in the wrong place -part 1 -part 2

do not stand at my grave and cry (DC/SPN)

[stranger-awakening]

chucking this under a read more for obvious reasons but for the sake of prosperity and tbh just for myself: a list of my fave moments from the 5sos show last night in no particular order

- The ridiculously cool visuals of stars, the colour purple, neon blue and red, and like pop art bright ass colours (and the desert for Complete Mess!!). Sexy

- Person in the crowd who was wrapped in a trans flag the whole show. I love you with my whole heart

- Luke starting his speech with “How the bloody hell are you!?” and then proceeding to sound the most Australian anyone ever has :’)

- “We have a lot of friends and family that have been with us the whole time here tonight. So you guys have to make us look good” *ridiculous screaming in response*

- The motherfucking harmonies during both Take My Hand and the start of Red Desert (Speaking of the fact that they only played the start of Red Desert lmao)

- Luke introducing Calum first and then introducing Michael by saying “Calum Hood! Just kidding Michael Gordon Clifford!” and saying “I got you good” while the crowd cheered and Michael laughed his head off 🥺

- Michael talking about his wife and rambling about the band and how grateful he is and how surreal it is to be there and then saying “I’m rambling. Sorry, we have a hard 10pm curfew so we have to finish the show by then. We’ll be finished don’t worry” while people were booing the curfew (so true)

- Oh, and Michael talking about their first show and saying “I knew we would end up here! No, I didn’t. I thought that would be our last show” to a passionate crowd of like 6,000 people man ... I’m ...

- Calum yelling “what a beautiful night to be alive!” in the middle of Wildflower 💜💜💜

- The fact that they played Bad Omens and Easy For You to Say back to back like that was for me

- Michael asking if anyone had seen Luke’s Opportunity cover on Youtube and then saying “And they still came!” while Luke laughed his head off 🥺

- Calum asking “anyone live around here?” and then saying “Parents drive a BMV, huh?” King shit.

- The fact that they played Amnesia and introduced it by saying “We haven’t played a slow song from the first album in a while” so everyone Knew and went Crazy

- “Where my westies at!?” *loud ass screaming*

- The boys repeatedly asking how the people in the back were doing first and Michael saying “Just because you’re sitting down doesn’t mean we can’t feel you back there.” Bless

- Luke saying “If you’ve been with us for 11 years, or two weeks, or you just got dragged here tonight. I don’t care. We’re all here together!” Literally ... Y e a h

- Honestly, the fact that they were all so visibly emotional and kept saying it was the best show they’ve played in a while and how all of them were talking about how far they’d come and how amazing it was to be there. I love them so so much actually

- My friend yelling “I forgot this song existed!” at the start of Teeth and then going ridiculously hard. So fucking true of her.

- “Are there any 5sos fans here tonight!?” *loud screaming* “Sorry are there any Real 5sos fans here tonight?!” *louder screaming as the band starts Jet Black Heart*

- The mosh chanting “Heartbreak! Heartbreak!” before the last song and Luke saying “We have one more song, but it’s not whatever the hell you guys are saying” and then playing Youngblood instead as a final encore

- Songs that they didn’t play but Should Have: Heartbreak Girl (obviously), Try Hard (I’m so fucking serious), She’s so Hot (Banger), HAZE (one of my personal faves off 5sos5)