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its-time-to-write · 1 year

Note

This may be a bit of a strange idea (Feel free to ignore this request)

But since your about Jaime Tartt baby fic. I had the thought of Jaime trying to give reader a break takes the baby in a stroller to training with Roy and Roy is just kind of like WTF and other hijinks ensue like maybe someone flirts with Jamie with the baby or roy gets left with the baby at somepoint or Reader is freaken out cause the baby is gone. IDK just an idea that has been stuck in my head since I read your baby fic

Dude this request was not strange AT ALL. It was actually nice because it was similar to something I wanted to write, and I haven’t been able to do that because I’ve been doing requests. THANK YOU.

i’ll still be right next to you my dear

Your daughter Bea is five months old. You’re still sleep-deprived, but less than you were a month ago. Jamie does his absolute best as her dad and your husband, but the weight of it still falls to you. Things have gotten considerably less tense, too, since you moved out of the flat and back into your house. It was weird at first, both you and Jamie walking on little eggshells around each other.

The tension was broken with an all-hands-on-deck moment at 1am, when Bea had a stomach bug or something, and you two had no choice but to just laugh in resignation at the sheer enormity of the mess she made. There go the beginnings of sleep training.

Bea had her own schedule, one that involved being an early bird like her dad. She would wake up five to ten minutes before his 3:30 alarm went off, and it got to the point where he barely even set it anymore.

Jamie would get out of bed, throw on some pants, change her, and then zip through his morning routine. He’d put her back to bed, give you a half-awake kiss, then be out the door before Roy could knock.

(Roy made that mistake early on, waking Bea. You thoroughly chewed him out in an exhausted rage. Jamie says it’s the closest thing he’s ever seen to Roy crying).

Anyway, at 3:55 this Saturday morning, Jamie kisses you, says, “I’ve got Bea, so sleep in,” and is gone before you even know what’s happening.

You flop back on the pillow and are out in seconds.

—

“The fuck is this?” Roy says the moment Jamie steps out the door, pushing a happy Bea in her jogging stroller.

“The fuck does it look like?” Jamie replies. “Her mum needed sleep, so Bea’s joining us for training.” He leans over the stroller to look at his daughter and coos, “Isn’t that right, angel?”

Bea makes a delighted gurgle and Roy grunts.

“Oh come on, don’t tell me the great Uncle Roy is daunted by a silly wee baby?” Jamie says, grinning. “You are Bea’s favorite.”

Roy glares at Jamie. “Don’t fucking lie to me, everyone knows Sam’s her fucking favorite. She even likes fucking Isaac better than me.”

Jamie pouts. “Don’t listen to him, Bea. We know you love Uncle Roy, even though he’s being a twat.”

Roy just grunts and looks at Bea. “You know how I feel about you, kid,” he says. She babbles. She knows.

“Alright, come on. Suppose the stroller gives your dad some extra weight while he runs.”

Jamie grins, and starts jogging down the street.

—

You wake up to the sound of silence. No Bea, no Jamie. Just birds chirping and the sun shining. You squint at the clock. 8:37am. You reach for your phone and see a selfie from Jamie of him, Bea, and Roy marked 7:02am with the caption, headed to breakfast!

You now have a hazy recollection of Jamie saying something about taking Bea when he left, but it felt like a dream at the time. The silence makes more sense now.

You smile and send heart emojis. I love you! you type.

love u 2, Jamie replies. Then: I hope that was for me not Roy?

You shake your head. That boy. He thinks he’s a comedian.

You roll out of bed and stretch. Time for a nice, long shower, then a good coffee from Jamie’s complementary espresso machine. You’re not gonna lie, there are certain perks to being married to a footballer.

—

Meanwhile, Jamie and Roy have stopped for breakfast at a café that Roy says fits in with Jamie’s diet. He says no coffee and Jamie makes a disgusted face and replies you’re not the boss of me, which is why they’re letting Bea decide if Jamie gets coffee or not by seeing who will get her to smile first.

Jamie wins, of course. It’s part of being a dad.

They’re sitting at a table outside till 9am, Bea out of her stroller and in Jamie’s arms. They’re on their third cups of coffee and Bea’s draining her bottle of formula like there’s no tomorrow. Jamie is in the middle of stroking Bea’s nose (a miniature version of yours) and watching her eyes blink slow, when two girls walk up to their table.

“Ohmygod, no way, is that your baby?” one girl asks.

Jamie looks up and gives a polite, perfunctory, “yeah,” and turns back to Bea. Roy’s sitting back in his seat, ready to watch this unfold.

“It is like, so totally adorable. There’s something so sweet about a baby, don’t you think?” the other girl says, putting her hand on Jamie’s shoulder. He shifts away as politely as he can.

“I just think that like, men with babies are so much hotter than men without babies,” girl 1 continues, oblivious to Jamie, who has shifted Bea onto his chest and is displaying his left hand as conspicuously as possible. He taps Bea’s back with his ring finger in what he hopes is an absentminded manner.

Roy holds back a snort.

“Especially single dads,” says girl 2. “Soo hot. I’ll give you my number if you ever need a babysitter.”

She’s barely done speaking when Jamie blurts out, “I’m married.” He looks so harried that this time Roy can’t hold back a laugh. The girls turn to him with a glare, then back to Jamie.

“She doesn’t have to know,” says one of them.

“Pretty sure she does,” Jamie replies. “And anyway, I ain’t interested. Have a good morning.”

Bea, the angel that she is chooses that exact moment to start burping.

The girls give her a disgusted look and turn away.

Roy looks at Jamie, eyebrows raised and a ghost of a smile on his face. “Nice fucking move with the ring finger,” he says. “If it were me, I’d’ve fucking given them a different fucking finger.”

“That’s where you and me differ, granddad,” Jamie replies, wiping spit up off his vest (waterproof, thank god), “I’m a gentleman.”

Roy rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

—

The windows are open, the laundry is spinning, and you’re dancing around the house. You love Bea, but god you also love good rest. And a clean house. And Jamie Tartt. Man, you love him. You can’t believe he took Bea out for the whole morning and knowing him and Roy, they’ll be out until at least 11am. You smile. That gives you time to head to the shops and pick up some flowers, which will make you feel like a civilized human being, one who has her life together and can take care of her child and her husband and maybe, just maybe, one who is in the mood to get laid tonight.

—

Jamie and Roy are strolling through Richmond, passing by shops and enjoying what feels like the first lovely day in ages. Jamie hasn’t heard from you since you asked is this shirt clean or dirty? with a picture near the washing machine. He knows Saturday cleaning is like a ritual to you, one you picked up in high school and carried on through college. You have a system and you take your time, windows open and music playing. He can picture you spinning around the house putting things away, and that mental image is enough to make his face split into a smile. He remembers the Saturdays you spent before Bea, you cleaning and dancing, and him, well, not helping but certainly dancing with you and promising that he’ll give you more dirty sheets to wash if you’d just take a tiny little break? In the bedroom? With no clothes on because they need to be washed, wink wink?

It usually worked.

You’d lay in bed for precisely ten minutes afterward, take a no-nonsense shower, then kick him out of the house. He’d be gone for an hour, buying you that chocolate you liked and whatever flowers he thought suited the day. There’s a good thought. He should get you flowers, a reminder of their early days of romance. And maybe, just maybe, Bea can sleep soundly enough that they can revive other traditions, too.

“Roy,” Jamie begins.

“No.”

“Oi, you didn’t even let me finish!” he says indignantly.

“Fine. What do you fucking want.”

“It ain’t for me,” Jamie says, “it’s for Bea. And my wife. I want to get her flowers, but it ain’t easy to push the stroller and look. Can you take Bea around the green? I’ll come find ya when I’m done.”

Roy stares at Jamie, and Jamie is sure he’s going to say no. But then Roy walks around to the front of the stroller and crouches down in front of Bea.

“If your dad fucking goes and gets flowers for your mum, do you promise to be alright for twenty minutes? I know I’m not fucking Sam or Isaac, but Phoebe thinks I’m a good uncle. She’s a proper fucking dweeb, but a good judge of character.”

Bea just stares at him. Roy slaps his thighs and stands up. “Alright,” he says. “Let’s go.”

Jamie grins and says, “Bye, Beatrice. Be good for Uncle Roy.” He gives her a kiss on her forehead, a boop on the nose, and is gone, weaving through Richmond, man on a mission.

“Your mum’s a fucking saint for putting up with him,” Roy says to Bea. Bea says nothing. She’s fallen asleep. Roy shrugs and starts pushing her in the direction of the green. Better asleep than crying.

—

You’re showered, dressed, with just a touch of makeup, and you’re on your way to the flower shop. There’s this little one you and Jamie used to go to. You know the owner a little, but you suppose Jamie knows her better because he’s been in more. She’s about the age of his mum, and has a soft spot for him. He overpays and always leaves one flower for her. He hasn’t had the time to be over since Bea, so you say hello and show her some baby pictures, and then some of Bea and Jamie. You both laugh over your favorite, Jamie passed out on the couch, mouth open, wearing gray sweatpants and a single sock, with Bea on his stomach in a gray onesie and a single sock. She’s drooling on him and his hair’s a mess, but you think it’s adorably hilarious. Like father, like daughter.

Now, you’re perusing the flowers. It smells wonderful, the warm weather diffusing the fragrances through the shop. You turn a corner and bonk straight into a man with his back turned to you. You open your mouth to apologize and he turns, and out comes, “Jamie?”

He smiles and you peer behind him. “Where’s Bea? Oh my god Jamie, did you lose our daughter? She had better be close by, I swear to god, Jamie Tartt, how do you lose an entire baby, especially one as noisy as Bea?!”

You’re oblivious to Jamie’s attempts to interrupt your rant, so when you pause for a breath he says, “love.”

You turn to face him, from where you were trying to stand on your tiptoes hoping for a glimpse of Bea’s stroller.

“I didn’t lose her. She’s with Roy. D’you really think I’m that irresponsible?”

He looks so hurt that you realize what you’ve been saying. Your hands fly up to your mouth. Of course Jamie wouldn’t lose Bea. He loves her. He looks at her as though she makes the stars shine.

“Babe. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. I just wasn’t expecting to see you, and then I wasn’t expecting to see you without Bea, and I thought I’d surprise you by getting flowers before you both got back, and-” you stop. Jamie is gently holding your face and smiling, no longer hurt.

“Babe,” he says, “love of me life and best mum around, it’s ok. I know whatcha mean.” He tucks a stray strand of hair behind your ear. “Bit funny we had the same idea, innit?”

You smile. You’d been so caught up in your split-second worry about Bea, you didn’t even realize what was happening.

“Guess some things don’t change,” you reply. “You pick out any good ones?”

Jamie places his hand over his heart. “Love. I only pick out good ones. I picked you, didn’t I?” You laugh at his sparkling eyes, and put your hands on his waist, pulling him close.

“Pretty sure I picked you,” you reply.

Jamie hums. “That’s a fuckin lie, and you know it.”

Your feeble retort is cut off by his lips on yours.

—

You and Jamie walk toward the green, hand in hand. He’s holding bright yellow daffodils in the other.

Jamie spots Roy first. “Oi!” he yells, “look who I found!”

You wave, jog over to Bea, and crouch down. “Hi baby! I missed you! Did you have fun with Uncle Roy?” Bea babbles at the sound of your voice.

“Oh good,” you reply, “he is your third-favorite uncle, after all.”

Roy nods. “You fucking get it. Jamie tried to feed me this fucking bullshit that I was fucking number one.”

“Jamie!” you say. “Everyone knows it goes Sam, then Isaac, then Roy.”

Jamie puts his hands up defensively.

“Honesty,” Roy says, “Such an admirable quality. Remind me again why you’re with this fucking prick?”

You pretend to think for a moment then say, “For his money.”

Jamie says “Oi!” so you quickly amend, “And his smokin’ hot body.”

Jamie nods, satisfied. “That’s better.”

Roy is looking at Jamie in disgust. “You two are so fucking adorable, it’s fucking disgusting. C’mon Bea. I see Sam over by that bench. Let’s give these fucking idiots some time alone.”

You and Jamie turn to each other.

“He said we’re adorable,” you say, grinning.

“He said we get alone time,” Jamie says, grinning back.

“Roy!” you call, “how much time do we have?”

“Three hours!” Sam yells back. “I want to walk Bea to my restaurant!”

You and Jamie turn back to each other, giddy.

“You know what that means,” you say.

“Sex,” he replies immediately.

You laugh and grab his hand. “C’mon, babe. Let’s enjoy our alone time.”

As you walk away, Jamie says, “Oi, need to tell you about these girls who were trying to flirt with me. But don’t worry, I gave them the finger.” He holds up his ring finger and you slap his arm.

“This is why I love you.”

“Really? And here I only thought you were with me for my money,” he replies.

“And your hot body. Don’t forget that one,” you say.

“How could I forget?” he says. “When we get home, let’s put it to some good use.

#jamie tartt x reader #jamie tartt fanfiction #jamie tartt imagine #jamie tartt x y/n #jamie tartt x you #jamie tartt #ted lasso

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shiny-crocodile · 3 months

Text

the best person i’ve ever met

lucy bronze x ona batlle

Summary:

lucy and ona origin story; semi-slow burn, semi-quick; multi chapters that will get a little smutty

chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 4, chapter 5, chapter 6, chapter 7, chapter 8, chapter 9, chapter 10

CHAPTER 4

Chapter summary: disguises, scarves and a photobooth

Notes: first time writing smut so would love to get feedback (good or bad)

Smut

Over the next few weeks Ona did everything she could to keep the flirting to a minimum, showing real will power to not answer Lucy’s late night face times, knowing if she saw her wrapped up in bed she would not be able to keep up her friendship rule.

The English girl would send sweaty gym selfies, knowing exactly what she was doing. Ona was completely floored every time she saw a new one sent through.

Like how could someone be that attractive? Lucy was regularly in just a sports bra and some short shorts, dripping in sweat that made her baby hairs curl slightly and her face flush in the most cute but sexy way. But it was the ice bath videos that really got Ona. Lucy would send her videos of her entering the tub, abs on full display as she submerged herself in a way that gave Ona all the butterflies.

The Spanish girl often rewatched the videos or zoomed in on the gym photos as she had her “me time” on an evening, imagining it was Lucy’s hands on her.

So of course it would be rude to use Lucy like this and not give anything back. That was true friendship, right?

Lucy never had to know about how Ona used what she sent her, just like Ona never had to know that Lucy regularly found herself with her hand between her legs at the photos she got in return and even just the thoughts of Ona, their kisses on that date replaying over and over in her head.

Lucy loved the chase, she loved slowly bringing down Ona’s walls. But 2 months had passed and she desperately needed more. She finally cracked after being sent a particularly mouth watering selfie of Ona on a jog in a sports bra, the camera angled perfectly to catch her soaked, tanned abs and defined arms.

“Right,” Lucy said to Narla sat beside her on the sofa with her favourite frog toy, “we’ve gotta get out of here.”

Lucy - you look good!!! and I miss you x

Lucy - think it’s time I paid a visit back to Manchester… you free this Saturday?

Ona - Mm, apart from a little game called the Manchester derby

Lucy - ah yes, I remember those. So do you want an extra fan in the crowd?

Ona - you’d support United for me?!?! Wow, you’re down reeeeeeal bad

Lucy - Good point, will have to be something in it for me then…

Lucy - If you let me take you out after the game you have yourself a deal

Ona - well that’s not fair, you know I’d do anything to convert someone from blue to red..

Lucy jumped off the sofa, much to Narla’s alarm, walking back into the room a minute later with her old City top in hand, draping it over Narla’s reluctant head before taking a quick photo and sending it through to Ona.

Lucy - what if I sweetened the deal by adding another city fan into the mix?

Ona - done deal, signing on the dotted line now. I’ll see you Saturday!

Lucy jumped off the sofa again and fist pumped the air, grateful there was no one around to see her embarrassing outburst of joy.

Now she had to book flights and plan. She wasn’t going to let this time be anything like the last, desperate to make sure Ona has a great time and there are zero tears.

Ona on the other hand was feeling apprehensive. Keeping it friendly over messages was one thing, she didn’t know how she was going to cope face to face with Lucy again.

/////

As Lucy rocked up to the game she was geared up in her best undercover look. Black cap pulled low, wide black sunglasses covering half her face, and a black hoodie to match. She looked more like a bank robber than a football fan, but at least she’d go unnoticed.

She didn’t particularly mind fans seeing her or asking for a photo, but she didn’t want to take the attention off the girls or the game today.

She glided through security and made her way up to the concourse before she heard a shout from behind her.

“Lucy Bronze is that you?” Yelled a Dutch accent, and Lucy turned around quickly to see Sarina walking towards her, so much for her amazing disguise.

“Hi Sarina, Hi Anton,” she said, giving her England manager and coach quick hugs in greeting.

“What are you wearing and what are you doing here?” Sarina asked bluntly, in typical Dutch style.

Lucy removed her sunglasses, they seemed silly now she was inside and had been exposed. “Well I thought I’d try go under the radar, and I played yesterday so thought I’d use the weekend to come watch my old team,” Lucy said, her answer seeming rehearsed.

Sarina smiled, knowing all too well that female footballers rarely flew to other countries on their days off just to watch ‘friends’ or ‘old teams’.

“Well I’m sorry for blowing your cover, I’m going to go one further though,” Sarina asserted, “you’ll have to come sit with us, we want to get your thoughts on the players.”

Lucy wanted nothing less than a camera inevitably being pointed at her for 90 mins, but she could never say no to Sarina. She also loved chatting football with Sarina so maybe she would have some fun despite the attention.

As the game kicked off, Lucy had her eyes glued to one player and one player only, even when she was nowhere near the ball, she couldn’t help it. She looked perfect as she moved around the pitch, switching from sprint to jog, everything she did was mesmerising and she was having an amazing game.

Sarina would ask her questions and Lucy would do her best to answer but the answers about her England teammates were pretty generic, as she was hardly watching them.

Midway through the second half, Ona pulled off an incredible sliding tackle on Lauren Hemp, forcing Lucy to clap aggressively loudly. She saw Sarina nudge her assistant manager and say, “so that’s the one then.”

Lucy ignored her, smiling a cheesy grin as she watched Ona’s teammates congratulate her for the tackle.

The English girl loved watching football, she had to watch a lot of it of course, but watching Ona was a whole different experience. She was honestly gutted when the 90 mins were up, until she realised this meant she could go and see the Spanish girl.

Ona collected her Player of the match award and looked over to the seats where Lucy was meant to be sat, but had no luck in finding her.

Lucy felt a warm fuzzy feeling watching Ona look for her, with her confused and searching facial expression. She knew Ona wouldn’t see her thanks to Sarina abducting her, and she watched the Man U player trudge off the pitch to the changing rooms.

Ona picked up her phone as soon as she got back into the changing room, something she usually saves until after the showers.

Ona - did you come?

Lucy - thought you’d save that question for later 😉

Lucy - oh god I’m sorry that was too much 🤦‍♀️ 😂

Lucy - I’m here, want to meet me in the car park? Unless you need help carrying that player of the match award? X

Ona - you are way too much. I’ll see you in the car park in 20mins, just need a shower x

Lucy - yeah, no smelly girls in my rental car thank you. See you in 20 x

Ona laughed as she placed her phone back down and headed towards the showers, trying to make this the quickest turnaround ever so she could go and greet her visitor.

“You coming for celebratory drinks, Ona?” Tooney asked as Ona finished getting dressed.

“Not today, sorry Tooney,” Ona said, picking up her things before heading towards the door, “I’m seeing a friend visiting from Spain.”

Technically it wasn’t a lie, Ona thought as she left the room, saying goodbye to everyone on her way out, as they gave her another congratulation.

/////

As she made her way to the car park in the lift Ona gave herself a pep talk on the descent. She was determined to keep this PG. She obviously fancied Lucy but she wanted to take this extra slow, wanting to make sure Lucy was 100% over the ex and 100% focused on her before pursuing anything.

The pep talk was all for nothing when the lift doors opened to show Lucy leaning against the side of a car, on her phone like something out of a movie. Ona had to catch her breath, she looked insanely good.

Lucy had ditched the hoodie to reveal a well fitted white t-shirt, not too tight but tight enough to show off her torso and chest. To top the outfit off she had a half and half scarf. Half Man United, Half Man City.

“What the hell is that?” Ona called over, giggling away at the sight of the girl at the end of the car park.

Lucy looked up quickly to see the Spanish girl. She could listen to that giggle all day and she wouldn’t mind looking at the wet haired girl all day either, she looked beautiful, even after a 90 minute match for Man U. ( 😉)

“Do you like it?” Lucy asked, taking it off to start waving it above her head, making Ona laugh harder. She started walking towards Ona now to meet her in the middle.

“Not sure about the blue part.”

“It’s the best I can offer, even if it is a footballing sin.”

The girls finally came within a meter of each other.

“Hey,” Lucy said sweetly, tilting her head to the side.

“Hey,” Ona responded, stepping up to Lucy and wrapping her in a tight hug. Lucy smelt as good as she looked and Ona didn’t want to let go, breathing in the floral but woody scent.

Lucy was doing the same to Ona as she was overwhelmed with the smell of peach conditioner. Lucy couldn’t help herself from saying, “you smell so good.”

She felt a bit embarrassed, letting that thought loose.

“I was thinking the same about you,” Ona said, always finding a way to put the northern girl at ease and remove any awkwardness.

They stood back from the hug and Lucy took Ona’s bags from her and slung them over her left shoulder, wrapping her right arm around the smaller girl as they made their way to the car.

“So what do you have planned?” Ona asked as they drove away from the stadium, having no idea what the older girl had arranged.

“Well dinner didn’t go to plan last time so I thought I’d do a 360 and booked an activity bar,” Lucy said, deciding to make light of the last date early into the evening.

Ona laughed, thankfully for Lucy, “Ooo fun, little bit of competition!”

“I know, brave move competing against the best player in Manchester,” Lucy said playfully, smiling over at the girl in the passenger seat. She nearly swerved off the road, unable to take her eyes off Ona as golden hour had well and truly arrived, setting a glow on the Spaniard’s face.

Ona grabbed Lucy’s chin and turned her face back to the road, “killing the competition feels slightly like cheating,” she joked, drawing a belly laugh from Lucy, eyes firmly back on the road.

/////

By the time they parked up at the bar Ona’s hair had pretty much dried. Lucy jumped out quickly to run round to Ona’s side and open the car door, in serious grafting mode as Ona chuckled at her keenness.

The bar had loads going on, from mini golf to arcade games, there was plenty of opportunities for the girls’ competitive sides to come out.

Lucy quickly decided that she would leave the car to pick up tomorrow, in favour of joining Ona on the drinks. They had to celebrate after all and Lucy was told she was extra charming with a bit of liquid confidence, so she headed to the bar and got them two mojitos.

“What’s first then?” Ona asked, looking around at all the options.

“Axe throwing?” Lucy offered.

Ona looked round at her, “got some anger to get out?” She asked, thinking the Keira-Lola situation might still be on her mind.

“Not at all,” Lucy said, because she honestly didn’t, “they don’t let us play that one after our second drink as it’s a deadly weapon. Also I’m good at it and you won’t be able to cope seeing me with an axe in hand.”

Ona laughed, “that sounds like a threat.” She felt slightly scared of the amount of willpower it might take her to resist Lucy for this round.

The younger player was right to be scared. This version of Lucy was proving impossible to resist. The English girl placed her half half scarf around Ona’s neck, now fully showcasing how good she looked in that white t-shirt, the tightness meaning her shoulder and back muscles were now also on full display. Ona’s mouth watered as Lucy threw the first axe, it landing perfectly in the middle, of course it did.

Ona was as competitive as Lucy and she groaned seeing how good Lucy was at this on her first throw. Although she knew losing might not be so hard when she got to drool over Lucy looking that good.

As the Spaniard stepped up to the plate, her first throw went embarrassingly wide, and she turned away in frustration, making Lucy chuckle at her cute annoyed face.

“Here, let’s try another, I’ll show you,” Lucy said, picking up another axe and handing it to Ona.

“No, no, no, I don’t need help,” Ona resisted, “it’s your turn.”

The younger brunette was firstly too stubborn and competitive to receive help, she couldn’t give Lucy that satisfaction. Secondly, she knew that Lucy would make the demonstration as sexy as possible and that would seriously mess with her promise to herself of keeping this PG.

“Suit yourself,” Lucy said, stepping up to the plate to take her second shot, another great one. Ona avoided staring at her this time, instead playing with her straw to occupy the mind.

A few more turns and Ona still wasn’t getting it, getting frustrated with herself while Lucy was keeping up her excellent tally. The older girl leaned herself against the side wall with a cheeky smile as Ona lifted her 6th axe.

“You sure you still don’t want to take me up on that offer?” Lucy asked with a teasing tone.

“Fine,” Ona said, fed up of not being good at this, “but you can instruct from over there.” She wasn’t going to make it that easy for Lucy and needed to keep some distance for her own sake.

Lucy chuckled at the girl’s continued stubbornness, but did her best to direct her from the side.

Ona still wasn’t getting it and her shot still went wide.

“Come on, let me show you,” Lucy insisted.

Ona agreed reluctantly, fully aware of what she was letting herself in for while Lucy bounced over with a spring in her step.

Lucy started the training by working on Ona’s standing position. She moved Ona’s legs, one at a time into a stance that put them level with each other and shoulder width apart, before moving round the back of Ona to work on her posture.

Obviously for this part it was absolutely necessary for Lucy to push her front into Ona’s backside, not being able to see Ona roll her eyes at how obvious she was being, but of course the Spaniard didn’t stop her.

The older girl slowly ran her hands up Ona’s side, from the outer thigh, making her giggle as she went over her armpits to get to the upper arms where she gently lifted Ona’s arms above her head.

Ona was heating up with all this touching and pressing, feeling Lucy’s breath on her neck, nose brushing against her ear as the English girl left a tender kiss on the side of Ona’s neck. “Perfect,” Lucy said, Ona unable to respond and forced to bite her lip at the praise.

Lucy moved around Ona to face her now, not missing how flustered the younger girl looked. She moved Ona’s body as she instructed her. “Right, bring the axe back now and I want you to eye up the mark just above the target rather than the target itself. Then give it what you’ve got, extend your arm half way and release once your elbows pass your ears.”

If Ona was thinking straight she would have admired how Lucy could turn down the flirting for a moment to actually give her decent instructions, but she could still feel Lucy’s mouth on her neck from a few moments ago so she wasn’t thinking straight at all.

Despite that, she followed Lucy’s steps and somehow managed to hit the target!

“MVP! MVP!” Lucy exclaimed as she picked Ona’s lighter frame up and spun her around.

Ona was so happy to hit the target that she just wrapped her legs round Lucy, allowing herself to be lifted before Lucy slowly lowered Ona, the distance between their faces now about 10 centimetres.

“About time,” Ona said, relieved to finally get a point on the board. She stepped back to reestablish the distance between herself and the English player.

They finished their round, Ona never missing now and Lucy looking on as proud as punch before returning to the bar for another drink and looking around to decide their next activity.

They moved from mini golf, to basketball hoops, to shuffle board, Lucy taking any opportunity to get close to and touch Ona. At some point the spaniard stopped even trying to warn Lucy off, the alcohol making it harder and harder.

“Let’s go take some photos in the photo booth,” Ona said, dragging Lucy by the hand to the booth in the corner of the room, both sliding in as Lucy pulled the curtain behind them.

They took some shots in different silly positions before the last couple where Lucy tilted Ona’s face towards her, leaning in extra slowly to give Ona the opportunity to say stop or push her away.

Ona gave a small nod and Lucy took her signal, attaching her lips to the younger girl’s. They both deepened the kiss as the shutter went off for the final photo.

They continued through the sound of the printer, not halted by their time in the booth being over, it wasn’t like there was a queue or anything.

The English girl was the first to slip her tongue in. This kiss was nowhere near as gentle as their first, both feeling equally desperate after the weeks of flirting and working each other up.

It was hot and heavy as the curtain shielded them from the rest of the bar, offering some privacy to let their hands roam.

Lucy bit on Ona’s lip, drawing a moan from the younger girl that Lucy was desperate to hear again and again and again.

She sat back on the seat, gripping the back of Ona’s thighs as she lifted her into her lap so the Spaniard could straddle her. The older girl ran her hands up Ona’s back, removing her top over her head, discarding it along with Lucy’s jacket onto the floor of the booth, leaving Ona in her bra.

Lucy looked up and down the girl in front of her, biting her lip.

As the kissing got steamier both girls were now so wet for the other.

Ona started grinding down on Lucy’s lap, desperate to take this further and find some kind of friction.

The desperation not going unnoticed, Lucy moved Ona’s head to the side and attached her mouth to the younger player’s neck, open mouthed kissing and sucking as Ona let out another moan, louder this time.

“Holy shit,” Ona whispered, she couldn’t get enough of Lucy who hushed her moans while pulling down Ona’s cargo trousers to sit mid-thigh, moving her hand over Ona’s clothed pussy.

While keeping up the attack on Ona’s neck, Lucy slipped her fingers into the Spaniard’s knickers. “You’re so wet,” Lucy whispered, the roughness in her voice only making the younger girl wetter.

“Can you blame me?” Ona asked, gasping as Lucy’s fingers brushed through her folds and up to her throbbing clit.

Both girls were on cloud 9, Ona couldn’t believe she’d gone from a promise of friendship to having Lucy’s hands between her legs in a photo booth in the middle of a bar. But she felt way too good to care.

The Spaniard let out her loudest moan yet as Lucy pushed a finger inside Ona with little resistance and started gently pumping. Lucy halted, remembering they were in a public place and not wanting Ona to be embarrassed later over the sounds she was making. She grabbed the half-half scarf and pushed it into Ona’s mouth to muffle the moans, the taking of control making Ona’s pussy ache.

Ona threw her head back as Lucy picked back up the pace, slipping in the second finger, feeling the tightness this time, Ona’s walls clenching around her.

“You look so fucking good right now, I’m so obsessed with you,” Lucy said, her words making Ona’s head spin and pushing her further to her peak.

Lucy saw the effect her words were having on the younger girl, continuing, “my MVP on the pitch and now in the booth, you’ll never know how perfect you are.”

“Feels so good” Ona mumbled through the scarf as she was hurtling towards her high now, hips bucking as she pushed herself deeper onto Lucy’s hand, but she needed more. She temporarily moved the scarf out of her mouth.

“Lucy, please more, my clit, please.”

So turned on by Ona’s begging, the older girl’s the wet patch was growing between her legs and giving her no choice but to comply. She used her thumb to rub circles around Ona’s clit, applying the perfect amount of pressure.

Ona moaned into the scarf, Lucy could feel how close she was and moved her hand from the younger girls waist and up to her chest, massaging her left boob through the bra as she began sucking on the right.

That was it, Ona was done for. Her head flew back a final time, cries muffled as Lucy helped her ride out her high.

Spitting the scarf out of her mouth, she wrapped herself around Lucy. The English girl slowly removed her fingers while the younger player nuzzled into her neck as they both caught their breath.

“I’m obsessed with you too by the way,” Ona said once she regained a little composure, kissing different areas of Lucy’s face and shoulders in gratitude.

“Yeah?” Lucy asked, a rare moment of self doubt, needing extra reassurance after being the one to do the chasing recently.

Ona brushed the older girl’s hair out of her face as she kissed her lips lovingly.

“Oh completely,” Ona admitted, wanting to make the English girl feel appreciated after the beautiful orgasm she’d just given her, “I so wanted and tried to keep this friendly but it’s kind of impossible when you’re you and I feel like this about you.”

Ona gave Lucy a final kiss on the forehead before removing herself slowly from Lucy’s lap, still feeling sensitive.

Lucy leaned down to give the front of Ona’s knickers a soft kiss before pulling up her cargo pants.

The tenderness didn’t stop there, Lucy helping to put Ona’s top back on, again giving Ona all the butterflies at just how caring the English girl was in everything she did.

The Spaniard took the photos from the tray and laughed, turning them to show Lucy, “I mean I think it’s pretty safe to say from these that we’re both equally obsessed.”

The photos were 1 of them facing the camera, 4 of them taking turns to look at each other lovingly as the other did something silly, 1 of them looking deep into each others eyes, and the final was of course of the kiss.

Lucy whipped her phone out to take a photo of them, smiling like a cheshire cat. “These are amazing,” she said, Ona nodding in agreement.

The taller girl leaned down to give Ona another kiss before taking her by the hand and leaving the photo booth.

As they walked away Ona stopped, remembering something.

“Wait,” Ona said as she turned back to the booth, returning with the scarf. “We’ll need this for later,” she teased, winking at Lucy as she rejoined her and walked them over to the bar.

“Food?” Ona asked, picking up a menu from the bar.

Lucy agreed looking over Ona’s shoulder at the menu, “it’s needed.”

As they perused the menu, neither girl was wowed by the options. “This is all a bit boring, should we go back to mine and get a takeaway?” Ona suggested, “maybe we could try sushi again.”

Lucy chuckled, “yeah let’s do that. Let me just grab my bag out of the car.”

Ona raised her eyebrows, “overnight bag in the car? Pretty presumptuous no? Someone was confident they’d break down these walls.”

“I mean I had hoped so,” Lucy said between laughs, “but I just didn’t have time before the game to drop it at the hotel I’ve booked. Is it good if we swing by there first and I can drop it off?”

Ona shoved her playfully, “don’t be stupid, bring it to mine.”

Lucy couldn’t hide her delight. She was telling the truth about not having time to leave it at the hotel, but was obviously beyond thrilled that she would not have to use that room at all.

#lucy bronze ona batlle #lucy bronze fanfic #lucy bronze #ona batlle #ona batlle fanfic #woso community #woso imagine #woso fanfics #luna fanfic #woso #barca femeni

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writingshushf1 · 1 year

Note

Ooo mick bc I cant find smuts abt him

Bereal

Summary: the app goes off and mick has an idea.

Rating: +18

Warnings: shameless smut, p!rn with a little bit of plot, shibari/restraining, unprotected (wrap it before you tap it!!!)

Word count: 0.6k

Note: god. this is the filthiest thing i've ever written.

masterlist

The room was hot, Mick had a wicked grin on his face, holding the ropes that were tied against your body.

Right after you started your makeout session, he said he wanted to try something new he heard the boys commenting, because of it, the German searched about and bought what needed, now wanting to try it out - he loved to experiment new things, so did you. After a few minutes, he made a star harness with arms shibari, it was not just beautiful, but restrained your movements as well, so he could take more liberty on controlling you.

You had your face against the mattress, while Schumacher thrusted hard inside of you, earning loud whimpers out of your mouth, he was loving every single minute of it. He held the piece of rope that restrained your arms, while the other travelled between your hips to slap your ass harshly, leaving you to whine louder.

If you weren’t already a mess from having him inside of you, the blonde started to kiss your neck, nibbling and giving big hickeys around it, slowly making them go closer to your breasts - avoid getting into the rope, of course, he didn’t want to ruin his beautiful work. When you weren’t looking, he grabbed a bullet vibrator and put it against your core, making you chant his name over and over again.

Out of nowhere, the sound of bereal rang from the driver's mobile phone, which made you two look at each other for a few seconds. He scrunched up his eyebrows, picking up the phone.

“Can I?”

“Just don’t show my tits or any of those parts.”

“I wouldn’t want to, they’re mine and only for me. No one needs to see it.” His face got closer to yours. “Because you’re mine, baby… And I would be very jealous if someone got to see you like that.”

You whimpered with his words, at first, he took a selfie, his face reddened by the heat and if you paid attention very closely, your legs appeared on the back of the picture, who were also tied up. Then, you let him hold your face to the side and show all the bruises on your neck and a part of your naked torso with the rope being very evident - of course, not showing your breasts. He turned off his phone, looking at you again.

“Such a beautiful good girl, letting me show off how good I take care of you.” He muttered, starting to thrust again in an agonising slow pace.

You were getting closer and closer to an orgasm and he kept provoking you, making you get into the edge of it, then slowing down at once so you would never get into your climax.

“Mick… Please.”

“What, baby?”

“I’ve been such a good girl… Please, let me cum.”

“Oh. Do you think so?”

You went quiet, looking at him while holding the most obscene moans. Schumacher chuckled, slapping your thigh and going again at a painful speed - now painfully fast, knowing that after that, it would be very hard to walk.

When you came, your walls squeezed him inside, making him cum too, screaming your name multiple times while he finished inside of you.

After this mind blowing sex, you two were laying together, cuddling naked on the bed when Mick grabbed his phone, seeing multiple notifications from bereal and his friend group chat. As he read the reactions of his friends - many shocked that he was into that sort of thing, the German showed you and you both laughed together at how their friends believed him to be an innocent person.

#mick schumacher x reader #mick schumacher imagine #mick schumacher fanfiction #mick schumacher #mick schumacher smut #mick schumacher x you #mick schumacher x y/n #mick schumacher drabble #mick schumacher blurb #mick schumacher one shot #msc47 #f1 imagine #f1 smut #f1 one shot #f1 fanfiction

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danrifics · 1 month

Note

Genuine question as someone who's been a phannie forever and going to their first dnp M&G: how much time does each person roughly get with them? If you go there with a friend, can you both take a pic with them at the same time? And also!!! I'm not sure if I'm allowed to bring props for the photo is that okay, what are the rules adafsf I know you're not Google but you seem like a phandom wise elder to me in terms of experience

i’ve only had a m&g once and it was with dan at WAD! mine was kinda quick but it’s cos i made the mistake of being the 4th person in the queue and it was my first time ever doing a m&g and it was very last minute so i didn’t do much research about what people do.

basically my biggest tip is do not let dan take your phone until you’re ready he will try and grab it if he sees it to take a pic and when they take the pic the m&g is over. if you have something to say to them that you really need them to shut up and listen say it while they’re signing your stuff cos they’ll start signing and then stop to listen to you and it’ll get you a little more time but obviously don’t take too much time cos otherwise other people might end up getting less!

as for with a friend all i know is from what other people have told me so basically if you want a photo with a friend the biggest advice i’ve seen is to not meet them together. basically one of you film the first persons m&g then the next person films the first persons and then at the end of that you ask if you can quickly get a selfie together and they should let you!

props idk about but i’ve seen people bring in tiaras and flags etc so it probably depends what it is!

if anyone can give any more insight who’s let both dnp at the same time let me know!

#bethanie answers #dan and phil #phan

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earthnashes · 1 year

Photo

We interrupt this artposting program to bring you the super rare progress photos of ya homey. :)

Generally I don’t like posting photos of myself, partly cuz I just don’t wanna (not the best selfie taker, what can I say) and partly cuz this blog is almost entirely my artstuff, but since I do wanna talk about my weightlifting journey sometimes I figured I’d make an exception every now and then. ;w;

More detail under the cut, but for the TL;DRs:

Fitness goal anniversary celebration. 2 years + some change in the making. Initial goals: fatloss, strengthbuilding, repair relationship with food

RED TOP PHOTOS: 220-ish lbs, 33-36% BMI, 2021

PINK AND BACK PHOTOS: 175lbs, 27-28% BMI, 2023

Current notes: Overall healthier and happier in my own body. Food relationship vastly improved. Noticeably stronger, higher energy, and much better asthma management

This one is to essentially celebrate the progress I’ve made thus far! A little late, but last month was my fitness journey’s anniversary. It’s been roughly 2 years since I started being physically active, and 1 year + some months since I’ve consistently weight-trained.

That first pair of photos was me I thiiiiiink like 2 months into the start of all this, back in 2021? I weighed roughly 220-ish lbs at the time, BMI roughly 33-35% and I only note this because fatloss was very much a part of my overarching goals. I won’t lie, some of it was because of aesthetics, but a lot of it was because I felt like shit. As someone who was very sporty as a kid up til college, the change was very noticeable. I was ALWAYS tired no matter how much I slept. I had constant back pain and headaches. My biggest tipoff was the fact that my asthma management got worse. All that plus other factors is what really kicked my butt into gear into this journey.

The 2nd and 3rd sets of photos are from this year (2nd set was today, 3rd set was like 2 weeks ago), nearly 50lbs lighter and at a rough BMI of 27-28%. And I can’t lie I feel fuckin’ good. I can do pullups (couldn’t even do 1 back in the day). Pushups are fucking easy now. I can bench my own bodyweight. I can deadlift almost twice that. I don’t wheeze when I walk up the stairs, I take regular walks, I sleep better, my energy levels are far higher, my moods are overall far better, I have no backpain anymore... MY AFRO GREW AND I GOTS A TATTOO! :D

This is probably the strongest and healthiest I’ve ever been and that’s saying something in my eyes, all things considering. And it was fuckin’ hard for a variety of reasons I won’t talk your ears off about. Sometimes still is, but I feel more prepared and even eager at times to deal with the obstacles.

But yeah! Apologies for breaking from the arts and headcanons, I just wanted to be a lil proud of myself for a sec. :) Whatever journey ya’ll are on I hope you find it in yourself to be proud of the progress you’ve made as well, even with all the ups and downs! :>

#weightlifting #powerlifting #ash talks #earthsong talks

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the1975attheirverybest · 1 year

Text

A/N: sorry about the delay. Todays been hectic. This is day one of promptober

Prompt: meet cute

Warnings: none

——

“Jesus- fuck!! Fuck, fuck, fuck…” Matty hissed, reflexively pulling his hand away, and dropping the remainder of the half empty coffee cup that had not spilled all over him in a splat against the pavement. He leaned against the car, his coffee-soaked gym clothes adhering to his skin.

“Good morning- umm, you need some help?”

He heard a bright voice from behind him and instantly make an effort to put on a smile before turning around. He’d assumed the young lady with the hefty-looking tote bag hanging off her shoulder was a fan. Probably coming over to ask for a quick selfie or an autograph before she’d caught him cursing under his breath. He never wanted his mood or mental state to ever taint a fans experience of him or rub off on anyone else. So, with open arms and deep breaths, he approached her, ready to put aside his troubles and be present in the moment.

“No, I’m just English, and…it’s October. Los Angeles weather makes no sense to me, and-“ when she looked puzzled, stepping away as he got closer, Matty realized she had no idea who he was. “Oh, god. Sorry. I’m a fuckin idiot, aren’t I?”

“I…don’t know you well enough to answer that.” She laughed. “But it does seem like you’re having a morning.”

“It’s just that I’ve rented this car. And it won’t turn on. And I went to pull out my phone, you know, to call the agency but- the coffee shop over there was out of lids, and-“ he gestured vaguely in the air.

She nodded along sympathetically. “Sounds awful; I’m sorry.”

“Thanks.”

“Well, I’ve got…hmm” she glance down at her phone, “fifty minutes. Okay that’s not bad. Let me help you out.”

“You don’t have to. It’s fine I’ll call someone and-“

“I’ve got somewhere you can get cleaned up and I know a guy who’s good with cars. C’mon.” She began walking up the street, taking for granted that Matty would follow her. So, he did.

***

“Let me- umm- help” Matty attempted to hold her tote bag for her as she wrangled her key into the door, but he was too late. She’d pried it open and walked inside.

“Welcome to my humble business.” She announced, feeling around the wall for the light switch. “We don’t behind open for another 45 minutes so please shut the door behind you.”

Matty made sure the “closed” sign was facing outwards before pushing the door shut.

“Alright, let’s see the damage that we’re working with here.” Her eyebrows raised, her head nodding towards his t shirt.

He pulled it over his head, slowly revealing his toned, tattooed torso. She couldn’t help but let her eyes linger for a moment, blushing involuntarily. He was beautiful.

“Thank you for this.” He muttered awkwardly.

“You bet.”

***

She’d finally emerged from the kitchen area of her bakery, smiling as she watched Matty pace around the room nervously. “You can sit down, you know.” She pointed towards one of the serving tables that still hand the chairs hanging upside-down from. “So, I have your t shirt soaking for a bit. I’ll dry it near the oven when it’s ready. But here you go. This is the car guy.”

“Thank you, really. You didn’t have to do all this.” Matty lowered a chair off the table, sinking into it and dialing the number she’d given him.

“Can I get you anything while you wait?”

Matty smiled, genuinely, for the first time this morning. “I could use some coffee actually. You know, one that isn’t being absorbed through the skin of my chest.”

She giggled. “How do you take your coffee? We’ve got fall flavors if you’d like a pumpkin spice.”

Matty rolled his eyes.

“Oh are you one of those men? You think pumpkin spice is girlie or gay or something? Lemme guess….you take your coffee black? Alright, grinch. One black coffee coming right up.”

By the time that she’d brought out his beverage, Matty had finished making his phone call.

“Here you go, sir.”

“Thank you- the grinch is for Christmas by the way. This is autumn.”

She giggled. “Whatever you say, grinch.”

“I never said I hate pumpkin spice.” Matty was on the defensive now. “I love it! It’s just- LA feels like summer. This…is not pumpkin spice weather. Feels wrong.”

“Okay so, you’re English. You hate LA. You…do jiujitsu- your stained shirt? It had the name of a martial arts academy printed on it - what else? You’re not actor are you?”

Matty sipped on his coffee. “Not an actor, no.”

“Thought so. You don’t look like one.”

Matty’s brows furrowed, he set down his coffee mug, resting his elbows on the table as he leaned in. “What’s that supposed to mean? Should I be offended?”

She chuckled, throwing her head back. “No. Trust me. You don’t wanna look like an actor in LA. They’re all over the place.”

“And you? Pumpkin spice is your full time job?” Matty winced at his own words. “Sorry that came out wrong. I’m a nice person, i promise. It’s the heat!”

She shook her head, smiling. “I’m really passionate about pumpkin spice.” She glanced down at her phone, then at the block-long line forming outside.

“Fuck! Oh shoot, shoot, shoot!!!” She jumped to her feet, rushing into the kitchen. “Unlock that door and let people in, would you?”

***

A shirtless Matty had found himself the host of LA’s finest caffeine- deprived bakery customers, eventually settling into his role by finding an apron to cover his nipples with, and working the cash register.

“Thank you for coming, enjoy that muffin, Pamela.” He smiled as the ancient lady with the cane eyed him from head to toes, winking at his biceps. “Watch your step now. Don’t want you falling. You’ve had enough knee surgeries for your age.”

He walked away from the counter once the first morning rush had died down, going into the kitchen. “I don’t think the scones are selling too well. Should I- I think we could start giving some away. With a purchase of large sized beverages.”

She stared at him, her mouth agape. It was difficult to focus on being dumbfounded by him when all she could think about is how beautiful his hair was, and how tightly that apron wrapped around him.

“I’m Matty, by the way.” He stuck his hand out for a handshake.

“Hmm?”

“Don’t think we’ve been properly introduced- like, officially.”

***

“Here you go. T shirt is now coffee free. And wearable again.”

“Sick!”

To her great disappointment, he undid the apron, pulling it off his body and replacing it with his original t shirt.

“Thanks for helping out. I feel bad though. Cuz, like, you could’ve been out there. Dealing with your car situation.”

“Oh, my car was fixed hours ago.”

#promptober75 #matty healy fanfiction #matty healy fluff #matty healy fic #matty healy writing #matty healy one shot #matty healy oneshot #matty healy x reader #matty healy x you #matty healy x y/n

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strawhbrrries · 1 year

Text

Babys Breath, iv

pairing: bob floyd x seresin!florist!reader

summary: Bob stumbles into the nearest florist to the funeral he’s attending and, unknowingly, charms Jake Seresin’s sweet younger sister with all the anxious charm he possesses.

warnings: everyone calls reader “sunshine”, fluff!!!, protective older brother jake??, horrible descriptions of the navy, warnings will differ depending on chapter, no use of y/n or description of reader, not proofread

word count: 886 words

authors note: here's just a short kinda other pov of our sweet babies! as always, please enjoy! mwah!

tag list: @myownworstenemyyy @kloofspeaks @bcon24 @chaosofmanyfandoms @strangerparks

find the masterlist here!

read the previous part here! and the next part here!

“How’d the coffee go?” Phoenix asked, watching Bob walk in with the biggest smile she’d ever seen. “I’m going to assume it went well.”

“I’d say so, thanks for the idea.” He sat in the chair across from her, pulling out his phone to show her a selfie the two of you took. “Apparently, some asshole we work with is her brother. She just doesn’t look like anyone we know.”

Phoenix took the phone from him and stared at the picture, zooming in and out as if it was going to help her recognize the face she was looking for.

“And he’s our age? Man, I’ve got nothing. Gorgeous girl though, let me at her if you fuck up.” She teased, handing the phone back to Bob and hitting his thigh playfully.

“Who’s gorgeous?” Jake asked, walking up to the two and trying to get a peak at the picture but failing when Bob puts his phone away. “Bob’s got a girl? Before me?”

“Asshole, there’s probably a reason for that.” Bob grunted, leaning back in his chair and looking up at Jake. He scanned his face, trying to find any similarities to you. The asshole nature of Jake fit the description but he just didn’t fit the physical criteria Bob had created in his head.

Phoenix walked away from the argument being held by the two boys over a picture, Jake just wanted to see the picture and Bob was standing his ground that it didn’t concern him. She mumbled something about being back later and to cover for her if someone asked about her whereabouts, only getting half of a response from either of them. She’d known about you ever since the receipt was found, he’d needed to confide in someone and that someone was Phoenix. So of course she was just as invested in who your brother was as Bob, maybe even more so.

Ding!

“Welcome! I’m Sunny, how can I help you?” You answered absentmindedly, finishing whatever task you were currently doing before looking up and stopping in your tracks.

“Hey Sunny, I’ve got a few questions.” Phoenix looked around the shop, admiring the flower arrangements you’d made and put out.

“Yeah, uhm? Sure?” You were very confused, this was the first time anyone had ever come into the shop and demanded answers to questions. It was also the first time a naval officer came in and didn’t immediately ask for flowers. All you could think of is if Jake was okay or he did something stupid. “Is Jake okay?”

“Holy fucking shit, no way. Hangman’s your brother?” She slapped her hand over her mouth, reeling in the information you’d just unknowingly given here. “I’ve gotta tell Bob.”

“Please don’t!”

“Can I ask why?”

“Jake’s got this vendetta against other men in the navy, we had this argument over whether or not I ‘could’ text him back. I’d just rather be able to tell both of them at my own pace, y’know?” You pleaded, fidgeting with the extra flower stems in your hand. If you had known she was coming to interrogate you about Bob you wouldn’t have said shit about your brother. Lord knows you’ve got a big mouth, sometimes.

“Understandable, can I ask some other questions?” Phoenix swore up and down she wouldn’t tell Bob or Jake about anything she learned, she had to before you’d answer any of her remaining questions.

It wasn’t until she got a text saying they couldn’t cover for her anymore that she decided to leave, but not before giving you her number and promising to help you cover all your tracks. It felt weird to have someone completely in on the secret but it also felt nice that the weight wasn’t completely on your shoulders anymore, but you couldn’t help but worry that you couldn’t fully trust her. Not that she didn’t seem trustworthy, but it was just a nagging feeling in your gut.

“Where’d you go?” Bob questioned as she came back to the boys, who were still bickering over the picture.

“To see your girlfriend, she’s much prettier in person.” Phoenix teased, sitting back in the chair she was previously in about an hour ago. “Are you two still arguing over a fucking selfie? Aren’t we adults here?”

“I just think it’s a bit unfair that you get to know who his girlfriend is and I don’t.” Jake rolled his eyes, his statement earning a giggle from Phoenix who thought he sounded like a school child.

“It might be a bit closer to home than you think.” Is all she responded, neither boy really understanding what she meant before finding something else to argue about.

Bob’s got a girlfriend, btw. Not to crush whatever dream you had about it.

You giggled at the text, he didn’t know which meant Phoenix kept her word and you would be forever grateful. You’d play this silly game of pretending to be sad, even though you knew he was referring to you, if it meant getting him off your tail. The absolute last thing you needed in your life was the one person you lived with to blow up because of a man, a very sweet handsome man.

i already told you, i didn’t text him

so why does it matter?

Because I don’t believe you.

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scary-event2369 · 1 year

Text

Yandere! Student Council President One-Shot

Yippie! I’m back with another post! I hope y’all enjoy this one also~ I’ve been in such a mood to write, but I am so clueless on what to write. If you have any ideas please request it! I’m desperate… please

The reader and the yandere are both 18+

WARNING: NOT PROOF READ, I wrote this all in one day also… beware! Contents: Fem body reader (no pronouns/gendered terms used), Masturbation, fingering, praise, kinda dub-con; but also not really. —

I was sitting in front of the student council president, Alaric. He was tall with a beige and freckles covered his cheeks. He had dark chocolate brown hair which was always neat and put together. His hazel eyes looked at me with a stern gaze.

I was caught playing on my phone during class. Since our school was so large, the principal had other; more important things to attend to, so during lunch I had to talk to the school’s discipliner… our student council president.

I was known as the average student. Average grades, little friends, never in trouble. This was the first time we ever spoke. I was trembling a bit as I sat in front of him. My head facing down looking at the floor. I was too nervous and scared to look him in the eye.

After what seemed like an eternity he cleared his throat. “Phone in your class, really?” His voice was stern but it wasn’t as angry as I expected. He sighed as he rubbed in between his eyes, “Listen, since this is your first time getting in trouble I punish you.” I turned my head up, finally meeting his gaze. My face had a clear look of relief when he said that. Alaric looked at me for a second before leaning forward, “I want your phone though,” he stretched out his arm waiting for me to give it to him, “Now.” I gulped nervously, my relief faded a bit. I hand him my phone. He looks at it for a moment before he swipes up. “What's your passcode?” he asks. My eyes go wide, “Uhm, what?” I ask nervously. “I’m not playing games here,” he said seriously. It was clear he wasn’t in the mood for me to fight back. “If you want your phone back, you give me the passcode. Now.” I started trembling a bit again. I was nervous, obviously I didn’t want to give him my passcode; but I also wanted my phone back. “It’s uhm, 1256,” I told him reluctantly. I just assumed he would open it and see that I was just playing my game, tell me off, and then just hand it back to me. However he closed the game and started opening my camera roll! I felt my heart drop out of my ass. “W-what are you doing?” I was trembling a bit, I was clearly confused and worried.

"I'm going to make sure you weren't taking any pictures of students or any teachers in... inappropriate positions," he said, looking at the gallery. "You never know what students are up to these days..."

Fuck, that was sort of a good point. I was about to protest when he stopped. His eyes went wide and a dark red hue covered his cheeks. He put the phone down on the desk, I glanced over to see… It was a nude!

I turned bright red as well and quickly reached for my phone. However his reflexes were quicker then mine, he snatched the phone back before I could get to it.

“Wait,” he said quickly. “Is that you or someone else?” he asks. His freckled cheeks are still that bright red. He had a slight smile and his eyes were looking at me, almost hoping it was.

“I-I uhm ah,” I was so flustered I couldn’t say anything. I kept stumbling over my words like a complete idiot. Alaric smiled at me, he continued scrolling, discovering more nudes I completely forgot I took.

He brought the phone close to his face, almost like he was enamored with them. He touched the screen softly. He didn’t say anything, he just kept scrolling. It wasn’t just nudes, some selfies, some random pictures I took; but he skipped past those only to stare and linger on the more risque pictures.

I reached for my phone, “Please give me my phone back,” I pleaded as I tried to grab it from him. I was so embarrassed. I just wanted to run away.

“Not yet,” he said, gripping the phone harder as he leaned back so I couldn’t reach. “I’m not done with this yet.” He stood up and walked around the desk. He loomed over me as he put his hand on my knee. He showed me the picture I took of myself. “ Why are you taking these pictures?” he asked, his voice deep, and he almost sounded… jealous?

I tried reaching for my phone but he pulled it away. “I just thought I looked good!” I admitted with flushed cheeks. I was completely mortified. He smirked as he scrolled again. If the pictures weren’t absolutely embarrassing the next thing was. It was a video.

A video where I was two fingers deep in myself moving them quickly in and out. I was crying out from the pleasure. It was very explicit. My face was clear as day, occasionally I would look directly at the camera. There was no way I could lie and say it wasn’t me or I wasn’t doing what I so obviously was.

Alaric’s smirk grew as he watched the video with me. His eyes dilated, pupils so big it basically covered his light hazel eyes. His hand slowly trailing up from my knee to my thigh. The warmth from his touch only heightened my embarrassment. It seemed like I was stuck in a state of shock. Just completely mortified about everything happening. When the bell rang, signaling lunch was over, is when I came back to my senses. I grabbed my phone out of his hand. Right when I was about to climax. I quickly turned off my phone and stood up from the chair. I backed up towards the door. My cheeks are still hot from everything going on.

He stood up. He looked displeased when I backed away from him. Approaching me, he pinned me against the wall peering down at me. “I want you,” he said in a low but direct tone. Then he leaned in, our noses basically touching as he looked at me with those eyes of his. “And I won’t take no for an answer.” I felt my heart race in my chest. I looked at with wide eyes. “Huh?” I was confused. “We… We have class! We should really head out,” I said quickly. He smiled a bit, shining his perfect teeth down at me. “I don’t care about class,” he said, his voice filled with lust. He then stopped making eye contact and looked me up and down. “Your body is… incredible.” He dropped his arms to my waist. He pulled me closer as he wrapped his arms around me. I was basically squished between his chest and the wall. I was completely engulfed by his scent. My heart was racing more than before, I swear it was about to shatter my ribcage.

Alaric leaned down, pushed his nose into my neck before moving up a bit. I then felt him planting his lips on it. I felt my breath getting taken away. It was such a light and soft one, it held so much care. I knew at this moment he was holding himself back. “A-Alaric,” I squeaked. My voice broke a bit. My hands still on his chest as I tried in vain to still push him away. “Class,” I repeated. I was still a bit breathless from the closeness between us.

“I. Don’t. Care.” he growled into my ear. He was smiling at me, as one of his hands moved from my waist to my chest. Gently trailing between each of my breasts. He was still kissing my neck, this time a bit more aggressive. I let out a soft groan, my whole body felt hot. My body was trembling from the sensations I was feeling.

Alaric still kissed my neck feverishly. He stopped groping me to unbutton my shirt. He slowly unbuttoned one after the other, soon I was shirtless. He leaned back a bit, as he pulled the shirt off me and threw it on the floor. I was wearing a bra, the only thing that prevented me from being completely topless. He looked directly at my cleavage. His smile widened like I’ve never seen before. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered gently. He then leaned in, whispering into my ear. “I’m sure you look amazing without a bra on.” My face blushed even more. My heart was racing, I bit my lip gently. “I-I don’t know…” I whispered shyly. He just laughed gently into my ear as he nibbled on it a bit, causing me to whimper a bit. His hands wrapped around me and he began to undo my bra.

In one swift moment, my bra fell to the floor. His eyes sparkled a bit as he looked at me completely topless. The cold air hardened my nipples, that or just his intense gaze caused them to perk up. Either way Alaric was very pleased. “It’s even better than the photos you took,” he said in a charming, yet lustful way. I blushed, “D-don’t say that!” I say embarrassed. He laughed as his hands gently went up and down the sides of my waist. “You’re beautiful,” he said as his hands went up to my tits. His hands massaging them gently. I let out a pathetic moan as I used my hand to cover my mouth. I knew deep down I should have pushed him away, but it also felt good, like I couldn’t push him away. “Don’t cover your mouth, love,” he said in an excited tone. He was so happy to be the one causing you so much pleasure. “I love the noises you make.” I squeezed my eyes shut as I let out more soft groans. I wasn’t covering my mouth any more, I was just biting on my knuckle gently now. One of his hands was squeezing my boobs gently, the other one gently pinched my nipple, twisting it, causing me to let out more sounds of pleasure.

“So cute,” he whispered as he then started to pinch and tease both of my sensitive nubs. It seemed like he did this for a while, each second longer I let out more sounds of pleasure. I was panting and groaning, I could only hear the involuntary noises coming from my lips, and the racing of my heart.

My eyes were still shut, I didn’t open it until I felt something warm wrap around my erect nubs. They shot open as I looked down, he brought his lips down and was licking and sucking them. My hands went to his shoulders as I dug into them. I was moaning louder than before, however I was biting my lip to be quiet. I could hear students and teachers walk past the office. They were plenty noisy, so it covered up the sounds I was making… but barely. “Mhm~ you taste so sweet,” he said between sucking and licking. “You sure are sensitive, aren’t you?” He teased, gently biting a bit causing me to let out a squeal.

He laughed a bit, the vibrations only serving to cause me more pleasure. “Alaric,” I moaned softly as my fingers dug into his shoulders. “Yes, my love?” he asked as hips lips finally left my sensitive and perky nipple. There was a trail of saliva that still connected the trail though. “You want more?” He asked as he slowly pulled down my skit. “I didn’t say that!” I responded. I didn’t need too, I held such a look of longing and desire, he could tell I wanted more. Alaric just looked up at me with a smile as he unzipped my skirt, letting it fall to the floor.

“Wow, you sure are soaked,” he said, his gaze was directly to my panties which had a large wet stain from being so excited.

His put one of his fingers and touched it. My legs shook as I glanced down at him. “All i did was kiss your neck and tease your breasts,” he said as he trailed his finger up and down my soaked lips through the cloth. “Either you’re really sensitive, or you’re enjoying this as much as I am,” he said with a happy smile. His light eyes looked up at me, they held so much joy and lust. I was whimpering as I threw my head back and pushed it up against the door. His finger still trailing up and down my folds. He was breathing heavily, his cheeks still flushed. He pulled my panties to the side, looking at me directly.

“How pretty,” he said as he brought up two fingers up to my dripping cunt. “So creamy,” he whispered. My knees weakened again as he touched me directly. I felt my face get more flushed by his words. He stopped his fingers on my clit. “This is so hard, it’s eager to be touched.” I was panting softly as I moved my head forward again and looked down at him. He made eye contact with me again. He started to rub my nub between two fingers. I cried out a bit as I slid down the door, now sitting on the floor, legs still spread as he didn’t stop the agonizingly slow rubs. “Wow, you’re much noisier than you where in the video,” he commented. I leaned in and whispered into my ear, “Do my fingers fill you with more pleasure then yours do?” he asked.

I was slurring any possible words I would have as he was still caressing me in my sensitive place. I think he took that an answer of confirmation. “Good. I’m the only one who will be able to give you this much pleasure,” he whispered in my ear. He positioned his hand so his thumb was still rubbing my clit slowly. I then felt him insert two fingers. He laughed roughly, his eyes darkened a bit as he licked my ear lobe. “Good job! You’re so wet that two fingers slipped in like it was nothing!” he praised as he began to move his fingers against my throbbing, clenched walls.

“Stop saying such things,” I said between moans. It was so embarrassing to hear how greedily my body accepted his digits. “I don’t want to stop. I want you to know just how good you’re being for me,” he said as his other hand started to grope my breast again. He was now picking up the pace. The sensation of having both my clit and my pussy stimulated was almost too much for me to handle. “You’re leaking a lot,” he whispered into my ear. “Are you going to come?” he asked. I was moaning, long forgetting to be quiet. I nodded quickly. He bit my ear, “No, you can’t come yet.” “You lasted longer in your video, I'm sure you can hold it in,” he teased, still nibbling. You would think if he didn’t want me to orgasm he would slow down or stop, but he didnt’ He was going faster. Actually he added a third finger. “I-I can’t,” I cried out. I felt my toes clenching as the impending orgasm grew more. The sounds of his fingers rapidly moving in and out of my leaking cunt echoed throughout the room. “Come on, just a bit longer,” he encouraged. He was the student council president for more than just his grades, he was really good at encouraging people, especially right now. Alaric moved his fingers deeper, hitting me in the spot that was more sensitive. “Wow! You’re gripping onto me so much I can barely move my fingers!” He said in a voice that held pride and amazement. He continued to rub against that area, the sensations never leaving, not even for a second. I was moaning louder. It’s lucky no one came by his office normally, or we surely would have gotten caught. “You’ve got it, just a few more seconds,” he said as he brought down his face to my collarbone. Leaving a bunch of small hickeys. I was holding it in, not that it was easy. With his kisses, his groping, and how hard he was finger fucking me it was amazing I held out this long. He did this for a couple more seconds before whispering the words I longed to hear, “You can release now.” And I did. It was a long and hard one, even as I was releasing he didn’t stop his fingers from moving in my dripping hole. This just prolonged my orgasm. Finally, which seemed like forever he finally, but slowly, pulled his fingers out. My whole body was shaking. I was panting and moaning still as my juices poured out of me, leaving a small stain on the floor. He kissed my forehead, “Good job! You held it in perfectly,” he praised. I couldn’t help but feel a bit of joy when he said this. I looked at him again. The bell rang, we missed the entire last period, however he just sat next to me on the floor resting his head on mine. “You should send me those photos and videos.”

#yandere male #yandere writing #male yandere #yandere boyfriend #yandere #yandere oneshot #spicy #tw yandere #yandere student council president #yandere scenarios

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siltyriver · 9 months

Text

Justice is Swift (Vengeance is Sweet) — a DPxDC Dead on Main Fic

chapter two is officially here!

master post || <- ch.1 || ch.2 shitposts || ch.3 ->

CHAPTER TWO — KISS AND TELL

Summary —

Danny starts classes, meets a new friend, makes a trip to the Realms, and has some surprise visitors. Jason and Tim have MUCH to think about and research. So much research…

chapter word count — 9,148

full chapter under the cut, but for the best experience read on ao3 and consider leaving kudos/comments as they fuel me :)

𓆩⟡𓆪

CHAPTER TWO — KISS AND TELL

The first week of classes flew by for Danny and suddenly it was already Thursday and time for his scheduled meeting with Bernard and his mysterious boyfriend at the campus cafe in the two hours before their last lecture of the day.

He was running late, the notes from his last lecture still clutched in his hands and threatening to fly away as he booked his way across the quad towards the central student center building. He managed to slide past the closing door from another student entering and glanced around in search of Bernard’s blonde hair. He had texted Danny that they were there nearly ten minutes ago and sure enough, he spotted Bernard at a table in the corner, sitting across someone with a dark red hoodie and black hair.

He beelined for them and matched Bernard’s friendly grin, plopping down on the seat next to him and across from the guy who looked vaguely familiar but he couldn’t place.

“Hey, you made it!” Bernard laughed at Danny’s disheveled state, scooting a cup of what was hopefully very strong coffee towards him. “I thought Professor Montgomery was gonna try holding you all hostage or something.”

Danny huffed a laugh and started organizing his notes to put them in his bag correctly. “Sure felt like it,” Danny groaned, “man, that guy is the slowest talker I’ve ever heard, it’s excruciating.”

The guy across from him hummed in amusement, eyeing Danny’s sketches and notes, “Advanced Mechanical Engineering?”

Danny sighed, “Yeah, unfortunately.”

The guy hummed again, “You gotta be pretty clever to take that class as a freshman, did you test out or transfer credits from elsewhere?”

Danny shrugged and flushed a little bit, “I tested out but also did my generals online and transferred the credits so I can take more advanced classes earlier. My parents were scientists and I could probably pass intro and beginner mech engineering in my sleep.” He finally managed to get everything in his backpack sorted and turned fully towards him, holding out his hand. “Hi, sorry for being rude. I’m Danny Nightingale.”

The guy smirked a bit and grabbed his hand in a firm grip, “Timothy Drake, pleasure to meet you, Danny.”

Danny’s eyes widened and he glanced from Timothy Fucking Drake to Bernard who’s shit eating grin was growing by the second.

“You wouldn’t happen to be Timothy Drake-Wayne, would you?”

Timothy shrugged. “I prefer to go by Tim.”

Danny barked a laugh and shoved his elbow into Bernard’s side who grunted and shoved him back without much luck. Danny was solid when he wanted to be, thank you very much. “Well, my friend Tucker is going to absolutely lose it when I rub it in his face that I sat at the same table as his idol and had an actual conversation.”

Tim rested his chin in his hand and looked amused. “Oh yeah? Well, make his day and tell him I said hi.”

Danny cackled at that, “I don’t want to be that annoying guy but would you mind taking a selfie for proof? He’s the type to call bullshit without supporting evidence.”

Tim’s eyes actually twinkled at that, “Sounds like a smart guy. Sure.”

Danny grinned and pulled out his Tucker-modified phone, spinning in his seat and pulling Bernard with him so they were facing away from Tim and towards his camera, effectively getting them all in. “Say cheese!”

Tim put on a very obviously media trained smile that Danny now recognized from articles and paparazzi photos, and Bernard held up a peace sign while Danny classily flipped the camera off with a shit eating grin. He laughed and quickly sent it to Tucker with a cheeky ‘my new good friend Tim says hi.’

“Thanks, he’ll probably faint.”

“Well, anything for a fan,” Tim waved it off only half sarcastically, eyes locked on Danny’s phone that was now on the table. “What model is that?”

Bernard sighed ruefully and Danny shot him an amused look before answering Tim. “It was originally an old Wayne Tech, I think. Until Tuck got his hands on it and did whatever magic he does.” Danny gave the dog a bone and slid it over to Tim to inspect. “I don’t know exactly what he did but I think I have the detailed manual he lovingly and painstakingly crafted somewhere if you’re interested. Or I can send you his information and you can absolutely make his life by complimenting his handiwork,” Danny not so subtly suggested. He was a fantastic friend and wing man and if Tucker ever said otherwise he was a dirty rotten liar.

Tim hummed as he fiddled with the hardware and poked around on the lock screen. “Do you have a carrier?” He frowned, poking some more.

Danny shrugged, “I don’t think so? Tucker’s always ranting about them robbing the public blind so I think he made a way around it. Unless someone is mysteriously paying a bill I don’t know about, but I doubt it.” Plus the small fact that he had signal even in the Realms, a feat Danny was positive no regular carrier company could pull off.

“Huh,” Tim stated, fascinated.

Bernard groaned, “Great, now you have him hooked. Make sure you get that thing back from him or he’ll steal it and spend all night reverse engineering it and I’ll have to call Con to help me lure him out of his cave.”

Tim spared a glance to glare at his boyfriend and not so subtly kicked him under the table and Danny laughed, amused at their antics and reminded of his friends. “Who’s Con?”

Bernard lit up and Tim’s face got a little softer around the edges. Danny liked whoever this Con was already. “Our boyfriend! He doesn’t take classes here and is busy with work or else I’d have dragged him along but you’d like him!”

Danny laughed in disbelief and groaned into his hands. “You’re kidding me.”

He could practically feel Tim and Bernard stiffen and looked up quickly to see their stony expressions, a far cry from the light and openness from moments before and Danny kicked himself for ruining it. “You got a problem with that?” Tim asked flatly, eyes narrowed. Danny sensed the underlying danger in it all and held his hands up, blanching.

“No, no! Literally not at all,” he stammered in a rush, trying to bring back the happy feelings from before. “I’m just somehow doomed to be surrounded by poly relationships while my love life continues to be very much a disaster.”

Tim and Bernard shared a look and relaxed minutely but were still guarded so Danny slid his phone back to himself and pulled up his album dedicated solely to his favorite group of lovable idiots. “Here they are,” he said with a fond grin, showing the other two the latest picture of Sam, Val, and Tucker hugging and laughing at some diner or other, clearly lovesick and giddy (even Sam who rarely showed true emotion in photos). Bernard let out a loud, “Aww,” hand over his heart and Tim relaxed fully again, smile back, thank the Ancients.

Danny pointed to Tucker in the middle with fries sticking out of his mouth like fangs (Tucker was absolutely going to murder him—again—for showing Timothy Drake this particular picture, but Danny thought it was worth it). “That’s Tucker Foley, tech extraordinaire and my best friend since we were in diapers,” Tim cocked his head to take in the picture better, assessing, now that he could put a face to the tech. “He’s going to CalTech for Compsci and Engineering and Sam and Val,” he pointed to the two respectively, “are at UCLA for Environmental Sciences and Bio Engineering.”

Bernard let out an appreciative noise, “Tim, I love them already. Enviro Sci and Bio and Tech! They’re basically alternate us! Damn, I wish Con was here,” he pouted and pulled out his phone to presumably text said boyfriend. Danny laughed, and took his phone back, scrolling past other pictures with a smile. Oh how he missed his friends.

Tim slid his phone over and Danny took a look at a picture of the three of them, Bernard and Tim pressed to either side of who Danny presumed to be Con, a tall punk looking guy with circle sunglasses and artfully spiked up black hair. “That’s Conner,” Tim supplied with a smile edging towards fond.

Danny smiled back, “Damn, you guys are adorable.”

Bernard swooned against him and Tim flushed a bit and snatched his phone back. “I know, right,” Bernard cooed, and Danny laughed, shoving him back upright. “I’m like the luckiest guy in the world, somehow snagging a rich genius and a hot punk rocker. My life is like, the best,” Danny fake gagged and Tim rolled his eyes but took his boyfriend’s offered hand across the table.

“Fuck, I really thought I would be free of insufferably sappy trios that make me feel oh so insufferably single,” Danny sighed, thunking his head on the table.

Bernard patted his back in sympathy, “There, there,” he hummed, “I’m sure we can find you your very own harem in no time.”

Danny groaned, “Yeah, no thank you, I could barely handle one person at a time which is why I didn’t join their group in the first place despite their insistence that a ‘polycule’ has a better ring than a ‘tripoly’.”

“Well, then that makes it even easier. I think Tim has a couple spare siblings we can hook you up with — ow! Kidding!”

Tim glared and pointed a stern finger at his boyfriend, “Don’t even joke. Danny doesn’t deserve to be subjected to any of those heathens and you know it. He’d get eaten alive.”

“Hey!” Danny exclaimed, offended. “I’m tougher than I look!”

“No, no,” Bernard patted his shoulder in sympathy, “he’s totally right. I wouldn’t subject you to that realm of chaos.”

Oh, if only they knew that Danny literally ruled over an infinite realm of chaos. He just shook his head in amusement. “Yeah, well, I’ve seen pictures of you Waynes and let’s just say that if any of them made a pass I’d give them the green light, chaos be damned.”

Tim made a sound of disgust as Bernard cackled. “I knew I liked you for a reason, Danny.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Tim shook his head. “Though if you stick around long enough one of them is bound to bite. Or Bruce will take one look at you and try to adopt you, so I hope you’re not too attached to your parents.”

Danny dimmed a bit at the mention of his parents but managed a laugh. “Well he’s welcome to try, I’m sure they wouldn’t put up much of a fuss but he might have to fight my sister, and my money is on her.” Not to mention the fact that Vlad would have a total conniption if another billionaire got their hooks in him — but, on second thought, maybe Jazz's wrath would be worth it to see the fruit loop's expression when he showed up at the next gala that Vlad was always trying to trick him into attending as a Wayne... But no. He wouldn't want to risk Vlad doing something drastic like overshadowing poor Bruce Wayne just because Danny wanted to be an annoying little shit. Damn.

Bernard slung an arm over his shoulder and Tim gave him a calculating look which Danny ignored in favor of taking a sip of his neglected coffee, desperate for a change of subject. “Thanks for this, by the way,” he wiggled the cup. “What do I owe you?”

Bernard waved him off, “Don’t worry about it. Perks of dating a Wayne, they tend to get things for free around here.”

Tim shrugged and Danny wasn’t going to argue about free coffee so he let it drop.

Conversation flowed to lighter topics and soon enough Danny and Bernard had to leave for their Physics lecture. Tim pressed a kiss to Bernard’s cheek and waved goodbye to them both. Danny waved back and waited until he was out of sight before spinning around on Bernard.

“Dude! Timothy Drake-Wayne‽”

Bernard laughed, eyes twinkling, “Please, I knew him long before he got the Wayne name and he’s still as much of a nerd. Now he’s just a rich nerd with a better family.”

Danny blinked at that and huffed out an incredulous laugh, “Okay yeah, I get that. Sam is totally loaded too and she’s like the most unhinged person I know. But still, there’s rich and then there’s Wayne rich.”

Bernard shrugged, “Yeah but in the end it’s the person who matters, and Tim? He’s my best friend. He’s always been my best friend even when we didn’t talk for years and he’ll probably, hopefully, be my best friend forever. And he’s the reason I met Conner, too, and now I have both of them,” he got that stupidly sappy look in his eyes and Danny shoved him playfully.

“Yeah you guys are solid, I can tell. I’m glad I met you, Bernard,” Danny grinned.

Bernard rolled his eyes, “You can call me Berny or Benny or something if you want. Bernard is such a mouthful.”

“Yeah, okay Benny Boo Boo, Boo Boo Bear,” Danny teased, eyes alight with mischief.

“Did you just How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days me, Nightingale?” Benny laughed in shock and Danny cackled. “No way that’s sticking! I take it back, your nickname privilege is revoked, Danny! Danny!” Danny jogged further away, still laughing. “Call me Bernard, I beg! Daniel!”

Yeah, Danny liked his new friends a lot.

—

Saturday morning had Danny prepping for a quick trip to the Realms to check in on things when his phone rang with an incoming video call.

“Hello?” He answered absently around the pen cap he had in between his teeth.

“Danny, you’ve completely fried Tucker’s brain with your Timothy Drake stunt,” Sam glowered back at him and Danny laughed.

“Good to see you too Sam, I hope your first week back to classes have been going well, how’s Val?” Danny teased.

“Classes are as awful as ever and Val is ready to smother Tucker in his sleep if he doesn’t stop gushing over how Timothy Drake-Wayne said hello to him via you, you jerk. Now he’s looking for flights and trying to convince us that he can somehow miraculously miss a week of classes to go on a stalker fanboy trip and it’s all your fault!”

Danny cackled, “Oh that’s even better than I thought! Has he really looked for flights?”

Sam glared, “Yes. We had to hide his credit card. You better tell him not to be an idiot and fly across the country just to try and catch a glimpse of your little friend.”

Danny held his hands up in surrender, “Okay okay, I’ll give him a call and tell him how irresponsible he’d be to ditch his favorite place and people in the world for week to hang out with his literal icon and boy crush that I can most definitely get him in contact with.”

“You’re loving this, aren’t you?” Sam whined.

Danny grinned, “Yep,” popping the P. “But seriously, I’ll tell him to wait until fall break at least. No promises past that.”

“That works for us. We were already talking about hopefully making a trip back home for Thanksgiving so we can probably stop by Gotham without too much hassle.”

“Please do, I miss you guys,” Danny frowned. Sam smiled softly.

“Yeah we miss you too, loser. Whaddya got planned for today?”

Danny sighed, “A trip to the GZ, I gotta make sure everything’s still running and I’ve got a couple scheduled brawls to handle. It’ll be good, I’m getting antsy without the constant barrage of duels. I’m understanding why they visited me in Amity so frequently now.”

Sam laughed, “Ghosts are so weird. Have fun duking it out. Call tomorrow?”

Danny nodded, “Yep, Tucker made sure to put it on my schedule and I still get an annoying amount of reminders for it throughout the week.”

“Good, I’ll see you tomorrow then, stay out of trouble.” He managed to not laugh at the familiar words. Stay safe, Trouble. He so did not need to be thinking of Red Hood right now. The whole vigilante situation was a conversation to bring up when they were all together during their scheduled group call.

“Yeah, yeah, you too. Good luck with Tucker’s obsession and try to remember that you love him and would be devastated if Val actually killed him!”

Sam flipped him off before hanging up and Danny laughed.

He checked over his notes to make sure he wasn’t missing anything important that he had to prepare for and made sure his curtains were closed before transforming and ripping open a portal.

It’d gotten easier and easier over the years with practice and now that he was officially Prince Regent it was almost second nature. He slipped through and flew around leisurely, checking on things as he went until he finally made it to the council hall where the representatives were meeting.

It was a quick session, more to just keep him in the loop of things and keep in touch with his council friends, updating them on his mortal living and showing that he still took his responsibility as Prince Regent and Future King seriously. He wanted to do right by the Realms and he was insistent on proving himself worthy. It helped that he enjoyed spending time among the ghosts, not having to worry about hiding any part of himself and able to show off all of his abilities freely as needed. No carefully pulled punches necessary.

He parted ways with the council after the meeting had long dissolved into more gossip and light conversation than actual business and found Ember already waiting outside the building, leaning against a tree and idly strumming her guitar.

“Hey, Ember, how’s it been?”

Ember smiled at him and nodded, “Not too bad. A bit boring with the main Amity portal gone and our favorite punching bag in a city he banned us from, but we make do.”

Danny winced a little at her words. He knew the decisions to disable the portal and cut them off from Gotham sounded harsh, but he had talked it through with the Council and had all come to the agreement that it would be best. He didn’t want his parents or some other ghost hunting fanatics to go too crazy while he was gone and end up destroying the city or Ancients forbid actually capturing one of his ghosts, and he had no idea how Gotham would handle seeing his ghosts or what the Bat Clan might try and do to them. Until things had settled and he was sure it was safe, it was best to keep things contained to the Realms as much as possible.

“Well, I can help make things a bit more interesting now,” he smirked and she got the hint and swung her guitar at his head. He cackled, ducked, and the brawl began.

The best thing about fighting in the Infinite Realms was that he didn’t have to worry about any collateral damage or civilians getting hurt. He didn’t have to carefully direct the fight to more secluded areas or yell at stupid passerby’s to stop gawking and run. It was so much more fun on equal turf. He should have been doing this for years, really.

After a decent while of back and forth Ember finally called it quits, effectively worn out and seemingly pleased with the sparring. Danny felt better having been able to get some pent up energy out on a being that wouldn’t be completely disfigured by him punching with his full strength and shook out his arms in satisfaction.

“Don’t be a stranger, Phantom! Track me down next time you’re here,” Ember flicked him on the ear and left with him grumbling about normal ways to show affection.

He did track down a few other ghosts, checking in and getting the latest scoop (Elastica and Kitty) or having miniature brawls (Boxy and Johnny) to help relieve the buzzing burn of energy.

He left feeling satisfied and spent, muscles aching in the good, I-just-worked-out kinda way and core humming pleasantly in his chest.

—

Danny could tell someone was following him.

He had gotten pretty good at sensing prying eyes and his hackles were effectively raised, internal warning bells going haywire as he made the walk home from campus.

His last lecture had gotten out later than usual which meant Danny was walking in the dark, the sun setting earlier and earlier already and the dim, gloomy atmosphere of Gotham only enhancing the shadows even as the sun was still setting.

Danny made sure to look all around him, trying to figure out where the eyes were coming from. He debated skipping his normal alleyway shortcuts, seeing as how the last three days he’d had to step in to stop various muggings and drug deals, but he really just wanted to get home.

He toyed with the idea of a ghost being the one who was tracking him, but he knew he would have sensed it if it was. Which left a human or meta, and Danny didn’t like the thought of either.

Maybe it’s just a cute, stray alley cat. He tried to think positively but knew he wasn’t fooling anyone, especially not himself, a known liar.

He sighed and walked through the first alley without any incidents but still felt the eyes pinning him down. His hands were clenched in his hoodie pocket and his feet threatened to leave the ground to just fly him away faster than he could run, but he tamped down the urge. The last thing he needed was attention on him like that.

After making it through the third alley without a confrontation he debated not leading whoever was following him to his apartment, but figured it would be as good a place to kick someone’s ass as any and with a lesser chance of being seen using his powers if needed.

He skipped the elevator and trudged up the three flights of stairs and by the time he got to his apartment door, he knew someone was already inside. He debated turning intangible to see who exactly was waiting, but he didn’t know if they had cameras around and didn’t want to risk it. He took a steadying breath and unlocked his door quickly, flipping on the lights as soon as he got the door open and quickly shutting and locking it behind him.

He blinked at the guy standing in his living room, and then blinked again. “Red Robin?” He asked in shock. Of all the people he expected, one of Batman’s Squad of Vigilantes wasn’t one of them. Which, he really shouldn’t have been that surprised considering his encounter with Red Hood.

“Daniel Fenton,” Red Robin said and Danny flinched at the name.

“Nightingale, actually. I got it changed. And I prefer Danny,” He slowly toed off his sneakers and set his bag on the table. It was only then that he saw Red Hood leaning against his kitchen counter. He sighed resentfully.

“Really? I thought you said you wouldn’t tell your buddies about me,” Danny folded his arms and glared at the masked Vigilante who held up his hands.

“Hey, I don’t kiss and tell.” Danny could swear the guy was smirking under his mask and Red Robin spluttered.

“Kiss? Hood, please tell me you did not kiss a civilian,” he sounded exasperated.

Danny was a little miffed himself. “I don’t think we kissed. I think I would have definitely remembered that happening.”

“Oh trust me, you’ll know when I kiss you,” Red Hood said, voice low and deep, and Red Robin pinched the bridge of his nose as Danny's gut did a little flip.

Huh. He'd have to unpack that later.

“Okay, no more talking about kissing. Ignoring the fact that you somehow already know each other, and yes, Hood, we will be having words about that,” he glared and pointed accusingly at the still-pleased-with-himself vigilante, “I’m here to talk about you, Nightingale. Primarily, why you’re linked to over thirteen mysteriously stopped muggings and drug deals, all of which took place on your routes home from school.”

“Wow, okay, stalker much?” Danny scoffed, crossing his arms and internally panicking. He’d been caught. Somehow. Play it cool, play it cool. “What do you mean, ‘mysteriously stopped'?”

Red Robin sighed, pulling out a folder of something and setting it down beside Danny’s bag, gesturing for him to look through. He did so, flipping through images of what had to be some sort of surveillance videos of what were indeed, very familiar muggers and victims. Danny looked up at Red Robin with an eyebrow raised.

“Aaand,” he drew the word out, “am I supposed to be seeing something here besides some vaguely disturbing crime scene photos? None of these guys are dead, are they? That’d be a kinda fucked up thing to show me, dude.” Not that he was any stranger to death, and he knew for a fact that none of them were dead, but if he was actually a civilian? Yeah, that’d be fucked up.

Red Robin scoffed, “No, none of them are dead. And that’s exactly the point. All of these guys were caught in the act of mugging someone but the person or thing that stopped them never shows up on the cameras. That shouldn’t be possible.”

Danny shrugged for real that time, “And what do I have to do with this? That sounds like a meta with invisibility or something to me and last I checked, I’m definitely not a meta.”

Red Robin pulled out another folder, and Danny was hesitant to flip it open, but forced himself to anyways. He saw pictures of himself walking on the street or down the familiar alleyways. “Holy shit,” he said bluntly, “You really are a fucking stalker. What the hell are you taking pictures of me for?”

Red Robin tapped the top picture of him walking on the street, clearly coming back from school. “Surveillance caught you walking towards the alleyways right around the time of each incident,” Red Robin explained, “You’re seen going in, but never seen coming out on either side, and the muggings all somehow get stopped at the same time.”

Danny’s heart sped up a little bit. Fuck.

“You can see how that looks a little bit suspicious?”

Danny rolled his eyes.

“You don’t think I’ve ever seen something shady happening and gotten the fuck out of dodge? It happens way more often than you think and I try the alleys everyday because it’s so much faster, but sometimes I have to take the long way around instead and leave the crime fighting to creepy assholes like yourself,” Red Hood snorted at that and Red Robin sent him a glare, “If you’re saying that none of you or your little swarm of Bats stopped these guys, maybe you should take that as a sign that you’re not doing your jobs very well and when you find whoever did stop them maybe consider a nice thank you card or a gift basket instead of invading their home and privacy.”

Red Robin sighed in frustration and ignored everything but the first part of Danny’s speech, “See, we’ve checked literally every single angle. We know you couldn’t have left any other way without us seeing you, even with the blind spots! There’s no way for you to not be somehow involved.”

Well, time to do some better bullshitting, then. The mention of blind spots eased some of his worries. It seemed that at least they fortunately hadn’t seen him actively transform, and if Red Hood really hadn’t mentioned what he had seen… Danny sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face as he decided which route he wanted to take with this. Maybe he could clear himself of both instances if he played this right. “You clearly did enough research to figure out my given last name. Did you happen to check out my parents at all?”

Red Robin seemed taken aback by the question. “Drs. Jack and Madeline Fenton. Most of their work and research has been either heavily redacted or taken down completely, but from my understanding they’ve been rather dedicated to the research of the paranormal, correct?” His tone suggested exactly what the thought of that line of research.

Danny shrugged and laughed derisively, “Yeah that’s one way of putting it. I’d just call them rabid ghost hunters and be done with the fancy talk, though.”

Red Robin cocked his head, “Ghost hunters?” He asked, skepticism clear in his voice.

“Yep,” Danny said, popping the P. “Completely obsessed with it since college. Spend their entire lives dedicated to proving the existence of ghosts and planning out experiments they’d do if they ever successfully caught one.” Danny had to take a deep breath and blink away the memories of exactly the type of experiments they had done when they caught him. “I practically grew up in the lab they set up in our basement, surrounded by ghost finders, ghost gloves, ghost vacuums, you name it.”

“Okay,” Red Robin drew out, clearly trying to figure out why Danny was telling them this.

“How much research did you do on Amity Park itself?”

Red Robin shrugged, “Not much, I’ll admit, but nothing of substance stood out to merit further digging.”

Danny scoffed, “You should try again. I think you’ll find it very enlightening if you’re as good as they say. I know they tried their best to bury all the shit with the Guys In White, but they can’t have gotten everything. Try there first.”

“Guys In White?” Red Hood finally chimed in, curious.

Danny shrugged. “Some half-baked government agency. Tried enforcing martial law in Amity for a while, didn’t really stick,” he smirked at the memory, “I think their official agency name was Ghost Investigation Ward or some bullshit, but they dressed in all white and high schoolers are so very creative. I’ll let you figure the rest out, Detective.”

Red Robin was typing furiously on his wrist cuff and Danny assumed it was a list of things to research. “Now, are you guys done with the entering part of the breaking and entering or do you want to steal my leftovers as well, in for a penny and all that?”

“Well, if you’re offering to have me over for dinner,” Red Hood crooned but Red Robin interrupted, rudely. Danny shared a look with Red Hood as his partner paced around Danny’s small living room. Danny noticed the uncomfortable swirling was back in his gut and frowned, trying to pin point when it had started and why.

“Wait, wait, wait! Are you insinuating what I think you are?” Red Robin asked, voice higher than it was a minute ago. Danny turned his attention back to him and shrugged.

“Depends on what you think that is; you know what they say about assuming. But if it’s about getting the fuck out of my apartment, yes, I thought I made that clear enough.”

Red Robin stopped pacing and stared wide-eyed at Danny. “Ghosts. You’re insinuating that there are actual ghosts and that one might be what, lurking around the area, stopping muggings conveniently at the same time you’re walking home from school?”

“I think the correct term is haunt, not lurk,” Danny helpfully corrected.

Red Robin stared at him for a long moment before blinking, “Holy shit you’re serious.”

“Deadly,” Danny joked to himself. Red Hood snorted. Score.

“But! That can’t be it. Ghosts aren’t—“

“What? They aren’t real? The good old JL doesn’t have any files or databases on the subject?” Danny’s voice dripped with venom. He had his opinions on the Justice League and none of them were very flattering.

“They do, but they’re so sparse and the sources are so old they’re hardly credible,” Red Robin resumed pacing, seeming more and more frantic.

“Yeah okay, that sucks for you. Maybe do some more research and get those files updated. Have fun with that.” Danny was done being subtle. He glanced at Red Hood who seemed to catch his vibe.

“Red, time to go.”

Red Robin stopped and stared at them incredulously, “Seriously? Nightingale, I know you have more information. Why not just share it so we can figure out who this person or ghost or whatever is?”

Danny shrugged, “Maybe I don’t kiss and tell either. Maybe this ‘person-ghost-thing’,” he quoted Red’s earlier word when talking about whatever was stopping the muggings, “doesn’t want to be found. I’ve given you plenty to chew on so go have fun and don’t bother me for a while. Maybe learn to knock or call like civilized people while you’re at it.”

“Yep, we’re going. Red, grab your files or lose them,” Red Robin grumbled but reluctantly swiped the photos back into the files and followed Hood to the window they clearly came in through.

Hood made sure Red got all the way out before turning to Danny and giving a two finger salute, “Always a pleasure, Trouble.”

Danny shook his head with a rueful grin, “Likewise, Hood,” and then took a chance, “Does the League keep logs of distress calls?”

Hood’s head cocked to the side but after a moment’s hesitation he nodded, “Yeah. Extensively.”

Danny nodded and then requested, “Look into any calls sent from Amity starting about six years ago. See why no one came to help.”

Hood sucked in a little breath, seemingly surprised, and nodded again. “Will do. I’ll let you know what I find?”

Danny was a bit surprised by the offer, it was more of a concession than he expected from the vigilante with how secure and classified he was sure the League kept their records. His stomach lurched and he swallowed thickly. “Thanks,” and as the vigilante turned to leave he surprised both of them by saying, “Hood?”

The vigilante stopped and turned to him once again. Danny would guess his eyebrow would be raised if he could see it. “The offer for dinner stands if you want it, anytime.”

He didn’t know where the words came from but found himself not regretting them. There was something about the guy that drew Danny in. The swirling intensified.

Danny could have sworn Hood was smiling under his mask when he said, “I’ll make sure to knock, all civilized like.”

Danny laughed as the window shut behind them and he was finally left alone in his apartment.

“Finally! I thought they were going to be here foreverrr,” well, almost alone.

“Hey squirt,” Danny grinned down at the teenager currently hugging him. “How you doing, Ellie? And what took you so long? I told you I was moving weeks ago and you promised to stop by sooner! I had to ask around the GZ to see when the last time anyone saw you semi-alive and well or if I had to track you down in some lab or something.” The words were light, but they both knew they held more serious meaning. After all, ending up in a lab was a genuine concern and possibility for them.

Ellie pulled back and grinned sheepishly, “I know, sorry! I got distracted in Japan and then I lost track of time in the Zone, you know how it is.”

Danny sighed and pulled her back in for a short hug, “Yeah, I know.” Time was a little wonky in the Realms. You had to be careful not to spend too much time or before you know it a week could pass by in the mortal plane. “I’m glad you’re here now, though your timing kind of sucked. How much of all that did you see?”

Ellie snorted, “Oh, all of it. I was here before they decided to break in but I knew you were coming up so I wanted to see what you’d do first when they didn’t start stealing or tearing the place apart. I’m surprised you didn’t sense me.”

Danny shrugged, “I did eventually but I was a bit distracted with them stalking me and all that I didn’t notice at first. I’m not nearly as sensitive to you as I am others unless I’m focusing.”

“Yeah, yeah, shared DNA, yada yada,” she flopped down on his couch and he went to his fridge to pull out a couple containers of leftovers. He was starving. And tired. He paused when he saw a large container with a note on it.

You dropped yours. Forgive me for being rude? — RH

It was from the diner he’d been at before his mugging and first Red Hood encounter. He was oddly touched and chose to ignore the fact that the vigilante had either been observant enough to note the diner’s name on the spilled container or had gone back to check. He was too hungry to care. He pulled another container out for Ellie and grabbed some forks.

He gave the food to Ellie who took it gratefully, not even asking what it was before shoveling it into her mouth. He sat down next to her and she asked him questions while she chewed. He loved the disgusting little gremlin, he reminded himself. A lot. “Soooo,” she drew out, “who were those guys and what was all that about?”

Danny sighed and explained everything that had been going on. She nodded along and by the end she was laughing. “You’re trying to get them to believe that you have a ghost helping you out?”

Danny nodded, “Or that I’m helping Phantom out. Maybe I let him tag along to Gotham to get away from Amity’s ghost hunters,” he shrugged. “I’ll decide depending on what conclusions Red Robin scrounges up I guess.”

“And this Red Hood guy?” She wagged her eyebrows and Danny shoved her over.

“It’s not like that!”

“You invited him for dinner!” She cried, laughter clear in her voice. “And he was obviously flirting with you like every time he spoke! He liiiikes you,” she sang and jumped away as Danny tried to poke her in the side.

“Hey! No he doesn’t! I’m sure he’s like that with everyone!” He tried to defend himself. She stared at him like he was stupid. “What?” He asked defensively.

“You’re joking. Red Hood? The Red Hood? He’s definitely not like that with everybody. I think he’s more prone to murder and shooting first asking questions later, not flirty banter and inviting himself to dinners.”

“Oh yeah?” Danny asked, “And how do you know so much about him? Isn’t this your first time in Gotham?”

Ellie shrugged, “Word spreads around and the internet is very useful.”

Danny had to give that to her. “Fine, but still. I don’t see how he’s serious. Like you said, he’s The Red Hood. Capital ‘The’ and everything.”

“So? You’re The Phantom. Badasses are drawn to each other I guess,” Ellie shrugged all casual like as if the words didn’t make Danny want to cry. His little sister thought he was a badass.

“So how long are you staying?” He deflected, even if it was the answer he was dreading most. Ellie hadn’t stayed anywhere for very long since she escaped from Vlad. Danny and Jazz refused to try and force her to stick around anywhere, letting her have her freedom, but it was hard to let her go sometimes. Okay, every time.

Ellie darted her eyes around and bit her lip. Nervous. Danny braced himself for her to drop the bomb that she was leaving right then, not even staying the night. It wouldn’t be the first time but they always crushed him the most.

“Uh, I was actually hoping to maybe stay with you long-term?” Her voice was small and hopeful and Danny melted.

“Of course, pipsqueak,” he tried not to sound too eager. “You can stay as long as you want.”

She relaxed a little bit but kept fidgeting, “Okay but I’ve been thinking,” she hedged and Danny patted the seat next to him for her to sit down. She did, “I’ve been thinking about school.” She said it in a rush and Danny blinked.

“Okay,” he said easily. It’s not as if he and Jazz hadn’t considered it a possibility before but they hadn’t wanted to try and force her into it.

“Okay?” She asked, eyes large and waiting.

“Okay,” Danny repeated with a smile, “We have all of your documents and we can make either Jazz or I your legal guardian at any time, we were just waiting to see if we’d need to do it. I can get everything ready and we can find somewhere to enroll you in whenever you want.”

She flung her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder, “Thank you.”

He held onto her back just as tightly. “Of course, Ellie. Whatever you need.” He looked around his tiny studio apartment and cringed a little bit. “We might need to go apartment hunting again though, I don’t want you sleeping on the couch forever.”

Ellie shrugged, still not letting go. “I don’t mind,” she said and Danny laughed.

“Sure, but I do. If we’re doing this I want to do it right and give you the best you deserve.”

She pulled back slightly and opted for leaning against him, drawing his arm around her shoulder. He tucked her against his side. “Okay. But you really don’t need to move just for me.”

“Yeah, yeah, let me and Jazz worry about that. We’ll make it all work. I’m just happy to have you around, it was getting kinda lonely here without any other ghosts.”

She smiled and nestled closer, “Yeah, it gets kinda lonely without you or Jazz.”

Danny closed his eyes and willed away the building tears. He wondered how long she’d been feeling like that, but decided not to dwell on it. She was here now, and that’s all that mattered.

𓆩⟡𓆪

Tim frowned, pressed against the bricks outside the window as he waited for Hood, ready to hash out what they had just learned. Danny’s question about the logs made him curious and then his heart had dropped at the insinuation that something bad enough had happened in Amity to warrant the Justice League’s help. Even more concerning that the plea for help had seemingly gone unanswered.

“See why no one came to help.“

He itched to search the logs that very moment, but he focused back on Danny as he stopped Hood again, only this time his words had Tim nearly scoffing in surprise, settling instead on rolling his eyes and wanting to gag. He had been worried about Danny’s involvement in the muggings and possibly being a meta before, but now he was worried for the guy’s sanity. Honestly, inviting Red Hood to dinner, ‘anytime.’

Tim made a mental note to somehow work a discussion about basic safety and stranger danger and maybe not inviting crime lords into your house during their next cafe session.

Tim was absolutely hounding Jason for his apparent already established history with Danny if they were comfortable enough to flirt in front of his face and make plans for a date. (Really, why’d it have to be Jason of all possible vigilantes? What had Tim done to deserve this? Bernard and Con were going to be absolutely insufferable about this. Bart, Jaime, and Cassie were never allowed to know.)

He leveled Hood with a piercing glare as the infuriating vigilante finally swung out of the window, closing it aptly behind him. Before Tim could say anything (primarily: ‘What the fuck?’), Jason had tossed him a mocking salute and grappled away. Tim sighed in frustration and pursued, recognizing immediately that they were not headed to the Cave.

Fine by him, he’d be getting his answers one way or another and if Jason tried to stop him he’d have to face the disappointment of losing because Tim was not in the mood to beat around the bush and play their regular game of cat and mouse (and if Jason ever found out that he viewed him as the mouse Tim would probably be shot somewhere sensitive).

He followed Jason through the city and was a little surprised that they were headed to what Tim knew as his main apartment and not one of his many safe houses that he normally preferred to have any vigilante business talks (not that they had very many anyway, with how much of a point Jason made of not wanting to work with them).

He steeled himself for an aggravating conversation and a sleepless few nights ahead of him and swung through the window that Hood had even had the decency to leave open behind him.

𓆩⟡𓆪

Jason had no intention of following Tim to the Cave but he made no attempt to stop Tim from following him back to his apartment. He knew the conversation was inevitable so may as well bite the bullet and get it over with now and not have to deal with passive aggressive or heaven fucking forbid whiny Tim. Jason shuddered at the thought. No, much better to get it over with then, while it was still fresh.

He crawled through his own window, not wanting to walk through the halls in his suit (not that anyone would be surprised in this particular residence, but still, principles and all that). He almost entertained the idea of slamming the window shut and making Tim work to get himself in but figured the bastard might be in the mood to just break the window to speed things up. Tim was truly no fun like this.

“What the fuck‽” Tim immediately rounded on Jason when the window was firmly closed and the curtains drawn. “You didn’t think to tell me you knew my suspect? Is that why you came along?” It was exactly why Jason went with Tim when he heard about the investigation he and Oracle were doing. It wasn’t his fault Tim didn’t ask better questions before letting him tag along.

Jason shrugged, “Oh, I definitely thought to tell you. But then I thought ‘eh, better not’. Much more fun that way.”

“How do you know him?” Suspicious bastard. “And why didn’t he want you to tell your ‘buddies’ about him?” Jason matched Tim’s disdain for the descriptor, wrinkling his nose before sighing and discarding his helmet and settling in at the island bar.

“I saw him getting mugged,” Jason shrugged. Tim narrowed his eyes.

“And?” He prompted when Jason made no attempt to continue.

“And he took the fucker three times his size down with one well placed hit so I accused him of being a meta, which he didn’t take very well,” he omitted the part about the intangibility or phasing or whatever he'd seen, or thought he'd seen, and he wasn't entirely sure why. Maybe he wanted to protect Danny from the full Bat Battalion if the guy did end up having some extra skill sets that B would see as a potential threat. (Maybe Danny's accusations from their first meeting still stung and he wasn't eager to piss off the possible meta anymore than he already had by spreading the information and therefore breaching his privacy even more.) If Tim was as good of a detective as they all claimed, he'd find out soon enough anyway. No need for Jason to be a snitch about it. He wasn't a fucking cop, after all.

Tim’s eyes widened a bit, clearly surprised at that piece of information but Jason continued before he could interrupt with more useless questions. “Look, I barely had a conversation with the guy,” which, was true. “I recognized him when Babs had his info pulled up and wanted to know what it was all about. Now, what do you have on him?”

Tim looked like he wanted to keep fighting but he deflated and leaned against the wall, “Just— don’t play around with him, Jay.”

Oh, Little Timmy was serious about this. Jason narrowed his eyes. “Why?” Not that he was planning on ‘playing’ with Danny, but he wanted to know why Tim of all people was invested. After all, Danny was his suspect.

Tim sighed dejectedly, as if he was suddenly bone tired. “He’s friends with Berny. They met at orientation and they share some classes. I talked with him for like two hours the other day and he’s —“ Tim ran a hand through his hair, “fuck, he’s nice. He’s funny, he talks about his friends like they’re his whole world and is smart enough to have the best full ride we offer and is taking advanced classes as a freshman. I just — I’m really hoping he’s not actually tied up in something messy that B is gonna have to get involved with and possibly ruin an actual, normal, friendship for Berny. I just don’t know.”

The admission caught Jason a bit off guard. For Tim to admit that he 'didn't know' something was rare and a clear indication that this situation was more serious than Jason had originally anticipated. Mixing personal life and business — how fun. But Jason stared at his replacement brother in a bit of concern. Tim was really, really invested in this kid. And Jason found himself right there with him. Something about Danny just drew him in and kept him there, and with all the new information he was only more intrigued. He sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face.

“Replacement,” Tim scowled at the name but they both knew it didn’t hold the same weight it used to. They had come a long way since Jason had first come back and while there was still the shadow of tension looming over them nearly all the time, they were steadily making progress. That didn’t mean Jason wanted to stop being an asshole (just maybe not a murderous asshole). “I’m not going to fuck around with him. I’ll help ya out, figure out what’s going on with him and try to keep him out of trouble and off of B’s radar for as long as possible.”

Tim looked at him with a bit of hope and bit like he expected Jason to jump out and say ‘Psych! Gotcha!’. It shouldn’t bother Jason as much as it did. “Really?” Tim asked and then immediately seemed to regret it. But Jason just nodded, dead serious (ha).

“Really.”

Tim finally let himself show a ghost of a smile. (Ha. Ghost. Imagine that, ghosts being real all this time. Right under their noses. The Justice League would pitch a fit if it ended up being true, Jason could imagine it now.)

“Okay, then,” he pulled out his files once again and set them in front of Jason to peruse. “I ran a basic background check on him before I knew he was tied up in the muggings case, y’know, since he was hanging out with Bernard so much.”

Jason nodded. They were all paranoid as shit, thanks to both their very public lives and their side work and all knew to run background checks on anyone they’d be spending any amount of time with.

“I clearly need to do more digging and find out more about these ‘Guys in White’ but nothing substantial came up on my first search to raise any red flags besides the name change and his parents' strange research,” Tim sounded troubled and Jason agreed. From the concerns that Danny had brought up with the call logs and his hints at researching the town more, there was clearly something Tim had missed, which raised alarm bells in itself. Tim rarely missed something, especially something as big as Danny insinuated, which either meant things were purposefully buried (concerning) or Tim had been blinded by his personal connection to Danny (unlikely). “Which I clearly need to find the complete versions of. I want to know what exactly has been redacted and why.”

Jason nodded, flipping through the printed research that was indeed heavily blacked out. It all sounded like cooky bullshit to him, but he found himself believing Danny when he said that there was truth behind it and he knew Tim would find out exactly what was hiding in the reports.

“Start with the call logs?” It had been disturbing Jason since Danny had asked about it and he knew Tim had heard the whole thing from outside the window. They shared a serious look about it now.

'See why no one came to help.’ What the fuck happened in Amity?

“Yeah, I’m starting there and looking deeper into Amity as a whole while I’m at it now that I know not to disregard any mention of ghosts as like, a tourist ploy or nut jobs,” Tim confirmed and Jason nodded.

“Keep me updated?”

“Yeah, and if you decide to do any digging yourself we can compare notes.”

“Sure thing, Timberina,” Jason said with a smirk, reveling in the way Tim rolled his eyes.

“Still fucking terrible, you know,” he grouched.

Jason gave him a shit-eating grin, “Oh, I know. Now get the fuck out of here, don’t you have investigating to do or boyfriends to smooch?”

Tim flipped him off before making a swift exit, even closing the window behind him. Maybe there was hope for them yet.

‘The offer for dinner stands if you want it, anytime.’

And there was what he really wanted to think about. Because. Holy fuck. Danny had invited him to have dinner with him. Anytime. He hadn’t even seen his apology leftover note and had already been willing to give Red Hood another chance.

Jesus Christ, what was he, a thirteen year old girl? His heart did not need to be skipping a beat at the thought, thank you very fucking much.

He didn’t even know he could trust the guy yet. Especially with all the information Tim had supplied — Jason had a sneaking suspicion Danny was way more involved in everything then he had let on despite his insistence and deflections. Now with the whole added ghost aspect…

Jason wasn’t the type to trust or take people at their word alone. He was the type to shoot first and contingency plan around possible lies and deception. And yet… Danny was somehow slipping past all of Jason’s defenses and he somehow found himself wanting to trust the man despite it all.

Danny was a mystery wrapped up in an enigma and Jason couldn’t wait to figure him out. He just hoped no one would get burned in the process.

#vee’s writing #vee’s wips #vee’s dpxdc fics #jisvis #jisvis ch.2 #dpxdc #dead on main #dpxdc fic #dead on main fic

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morningsofgold · 7 months

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blue light dreams Velvette-centric with background staticmoth Rating: M Wordcount: 4,524 READ ON A03

Weekly status meetings between the Vees were volatile by nature. Sometimes they were mind-numbingly boring, with Vox going off on a tirade about his newest reality torture show or whatever the hell the radio demon had been up to, or with Valentino singing his own praises and showing off clips from the editing bay of his new favorite star debasing themselves for the sake of money and views.

Sometimes, meetings were considerably more entertaining, like when they brought in underperformers to beg for their lives while the Vees downed drinks from Vox’s private stash of booze. But most often, the trio bickered like children and argued over the budget and took potshots at each other, until they inevitably zoned out and started gossiping about the other overlords or scrolling on their phones.

But this week, Velvette was determined to keep the boys on track. This week, she knew what she wanted, and she intended to get it.

She arrived to the boardroom right on time, and found Vox leaning over a seated Valentino with his hand curled around Valentino’s shoulder. The two men were snickering around something between themselves, red smoke pluming in a heart from Valentino’s ever-lit cigarette. So they were “on” again this week. Fine by her; sometimes it was actually easier when Vox and Val could entertain themselves with each other instead of constantly going for each other’s throats. It usually meant that if she could convince one of them to do something, the other would follow.

“Velvette,” Vox said in that brassy, used-car salesman voice. “You’ve got hellfire in your eyes. Spend your morning dismembering interns or something?”

Velvette spread her hands on the gleaming wooden conference room table, pushing up on her tiptoes as though a few extra inches of height would convey her seriousness.

“Can we cut the chit-chat this time?” She asked, using her most professional voice. She would switch to shouting if she needed to, but it was better to go in with the velvet glove before breaking out the iron first. “I”m on a tight schedule and I’ve got a favor to ask you, Vox.”

“What else is new?” Valentino muttered with a smirk. Oh, he was in fine form today. Sometimes Valentino was tolerable, occasionally even fun to be around, but he was also spectacular at getting under Velvette’s skin when he felt like being a little shit. Which was often. “Little Miss Independent needs help cleaning up her own mess.”

Velvette tipped her chin up and spoke clearly, ignoring the anger bubbling under her skin.

“I need to run updates on Voxtek’s social media algorithm. It’s out of date, and it’s killing our engagement.”

“There’s nothing wrong with the algorithm,” Vox said, steepling his fingers as he sank down in his seat at the head of the table. An LED grin sparked to life on his face, and it could have fooled someone stupider, but Velvette knew when she was being bullshitted, and she knew when Vox was trying to placate her. “Everyone in Pentagram City is plugged into your platform, sweetheart.”

Velvette slammed her phone down onto the table, hard enough to make Valentino roll his eyes but not hard enough to crack the screen. Velvette, who often fell asleep with her phone in her hand and knew from experience exactly how much pressure it took to fracture one of Vox’s shoddily manufactured screens, tried to reign in her temper where her phone was concerned. The interns she reduced to tears were replaceable and so were the runway fashions she occasionally shredded if they fell below her expectations, but her phone was special. Not only did it host all her private dossiers on the other otherlords and plenty of photographic blackmail, it also held all her saved memes and most glamorous selfies.

“Don’t try to sweet-talk me. Do you know what the bounce rate and time-on-site metrics are looking like for the news outlets you own?” Velvette demanded, scrunching up her nose in disgust. “We’re not even close to meeting our KPIs! We’re blowing budget on Val’s porn studio but it’s sure as shit not reflected in ROI. I lost almost 2,000 followers from my personal account last month.”

Val was too busy fiddling with the olive in his martini to look up at Velvette, but not too busy to get in a jibe.

“The only word in that rant I understood was “followers”. It sounds like you’re pissed people are getting tired of looking at your face.” He idly flicked one of the bells hanging from the Fizzaroli bot loitering at this side. “Not our problem.”

Velvette wanted to tear her hair out, but she had just slicked it back into a perfect high pony, and he wasn’t about to sacrifice perfection for the sake of Valentino of all people. She had known him a long time, and if she had any family, he would probably be the closest thing to it, but sometimes he was so stupid.

“How have you gotten this far without even knowing what ROI means?” She demanded.

“I’m an artist,” Val shot back, pressing long fingers over his heart in faux-offense. He had always been a bad actor, even back when he was turning amateur tricks on camcorder for pocket money. “Not a marketer. That’s your job, Vel, and if it’s all getting to be too much for your delicate constitution, why don’t you just lay down and die and spare us the bitching?”

“An artist?” Velvette barked out a laugh, leaning towards Val across the table. She lowered her voice to its most cutting pitch. “You’re just a tacky pimp with a bloated ego, you ignorant, washed-up–”

“Say washed-up again,” Valentino said, eyes narrowing in ruby shards. He drew himself up to his full height and blew his noxious smoke into Velvette’s face. It smelled like strawberry lipgloss and cheap, sweaty latex and desperation. “Go ahead. Say it.”

“I think everyone’s getting a little heated,” Vox said, taking a long gulp from his ever-full coffee mug. “Let’s just sit down and talk this through.”

“If you would just let me patch the algorithm we wouldn’t have to fight about inane shit,” Velvette said, strapping her arms across her chest. She usually got her way by bulldozing everyone who tried to stop her, bloodshed and verbal evisceration included, but sometimes, pouting was more effective. Vox, as much as he liked to pretend that he indulged her antics only as a means to his own ends, was fond of her in his own strange way. He could sometimes be manipulated under the right conditions. Valentino could too, but he was currently staring daggers at her with smoke curling out of his nostrils, so she tried her hand with Vox instead. “Come on. I’ll be in and out in two shakes of an imp’s tail.”

“I somehow doubt that,” Vox said. “Last time I let you root around in the code the whole city went dark for four hours.”

“But that was an accident,” Velvette said, deepening her pout. “It won’t happen again! Just think of the kind of fuck-off money you could make if the alogo worked better! Voxtek ads and product placements at the top of everyone’s feeds, from here to Cannibal Town. You’d double your profit!”

“I’ll admit I don’t hate the sound of that,” Vox said, narrowing his eyes. “You promise you won’t get carried away if I give you access to the mainframe?”

“I promise,” Velvette said, batting her eyelashes for good measure.

Valentino scoffed from across the table, but Velvette ignored him. This was her area of expertise, and the best thing Valentino could do in this situation was shut up. Not that shutting up was one of his areas of expertise.

Vox held up two fingers, and a white-hot spark jumped from one to the other.

“Two hours, Velvette. That’s all I’m giving you. I’ll take socials down for two hours, and if you cant make the updates in that time, it's your head on the platter, got it? I can’t afford to lose any more revenue.”

“Thank you, thank you!” Velvette exclaimed, leaning in to press a black lipsticked kiss to Vox’s screen. He grimaced and wiped the smudge off with a nearby napkin, but he didn’t push Velvette away. Even though her affection swung as wildly as her mood and was usually just there to grease the wheels in getting her what she wanted, Velvette knew that Vox privately appreciated being appreciated. He also no doubt appreciated Valentino’s more…enthusiastic overtures of affection, but Vox and Velvette had never had that sort of relationship. Then again, they didn’t need to be fucking to understand each other perfectly, or to begrudgingly enjoy each other’s company.

“And I’m coming with you,” Vox said.

“I don’t need a chaperone, old man,” Velvette replied, bristling.

“First of all I’m not that old, and secondly, you absolutely do. What if you crash a site or send out some faulty broadcast that requires mass hypnosis to mop up? I’m not leaving you unsupervised.”

“Can I come too?” Valentino asked, blinking those big moth eyes in a way that roughly approximated innocence. “I want to watch Velvette flush her career down the toilet.”

“You can come if you reign in the attitude,” Vox said. “I don’t want any fighting in my control room.”

“Ugh,” Velvette said, scowling. “If you’re going to insist–”

“I am!” Vox sing-songed.

“Then fine. But I don’t want you two breathing down my neck and throwing off my rhythm either. Social media manipulation is a complicated process.”

“Of course, chiquita,” Valentino said in his stickiest sweet voice. “We would never meddle.” HIs smile sharpened, all teeth and malice. “Just don’t choke.”

Velvette wasted no time in goading Vox into making good on his promise, although he insisted she only make updates in the wee hours in the morning when most of the denizens of hell would be either asleep or so plastered and coked out at one of Pentagram City’s many bars that they probably wouldn’t notice a system outage.

So, that night at 3am, Velvette found herself waiting at the control room door for Vox to unlock it and let her in. He was late, as usual, probably caught up in putting out some fire, but Valentino arrived surprisingly on time. There was a sleepy squint behind his huge heart-shaped glasses. Despite being a night creature by nature and by trade, Valentino needed his beauty sleep, and he didn’t get out of bed for anything he didn’t think was going to either entertain him or make him money.

“Come to rain on my parade, pissant?” Velvette said, not bothering to look up from the editorial lingerie shoot she was color-correcting on her phone. Call her a micromanager, but there were some things she didn’t trust her employees to do right.

“I’m too tired to fight,” Valentino said with a yawn, bending from his considerable height so he could rest his chin on Velvette’s shoulder and spy on what she was doing. “Hey, is this that collaboration you did with that succubus influencer who hosts the pop-up orgies? Not bad, not bad…You don’t see many racks like that anymore. She interested in doing a little freelance camming on the side?”

“Not on your life,” Velvette muttered. She wanted to be meaner to him, but she was feeling the late hour as well, and she was more focused on the task at hand than verbally sparring with Valentino. “At least not until her modeling contract is up with me.”

“Suit yourself,” Valentino said, winding a claw through one of Velvette’s curls. “But there’s no harm in slipping her my number, right?”

“Okay you two,” Vox said, appearing around the corner. He looked slightly disheveled from the day, and was wearing his shirt sleeves bunched up around his elbows. Velvette doubted he had been to bed at all that night. “Let’s get this over with. Do you two remember the rules?”

“Yes, Vox,” Valentino and Velvette sighed in longsuffering unison.

“What are the rules?” Vox said, politely but with a menacing flash in his eyes.

“Don’t touch any screens,” Valentino said.

“And don’t push any buttons without your permission,” Velvette put in.

“And don’t broadcast your secret stash of Alastor footage to the whole city,” Valentino sniggered.

“Very funny,” Vox said flatly, his mouth glitching into a perturbed line. “Watch that mouth, Valentino.”

“But you usually love what I do with my mouth,” Valentino said with a wide grin.

“You two are disgusting,” Velvette said. “Just open the door, Vox.”

Vox produced a glowing access card from his breast pocket and slid it into the port on the door. A moment later, the light above their heads flashed green and the heavy metal door slid open with a pneumatic hiss. Inside the control room, wall to wall screens filled the cramped space with an eerie blue glow. The control room hadn’t been designed with multiple people in mind, and there was only one chair in front of the custom display. This was where Vox sat when he spied on the citizens of Pentagram City, or when he overrode the many channels he controlled for an emergency broadcast. It was also where Velvette, with Vox’s express permission, patched up Voxtek’s bloated social media platform when it inevitably crashed, or made her algorithmic updates. Velvette would rather spend her time setting trends and controlling narratives, but sometimes, getting her hands dirty in the digital realm was necessary.

“Tell me again why you’re so obsessed with this?” Vox asked sidelong to Velvette, ushering her into the room. Valentino followed, ducking to avoid hitting his head on the low doorway.

“You just focus on working your magic and I’ll work mine,” Velvette said. She was smiling at him to put him at ease, but privately, the nerves were starting to set in. Calibrating the algorithm wasn’t easy on a good day, when she had unlimited time and wasn’t dealing with an audience, but she wasn’t about to let Vox and Val see her sweat. She was the social media overlord, after all. She hadn’t gotten this far by cracking under pressure.

“Say no more,” Vox said, and snapped his fingers. The largest screen in the room flashed from a screensaver to a secure login page, and Velvette tapped in her password with her manicured nails. Then she took a seat, breathed in deep through her nose, and pulled up the backend of the social media site where she spent most of her work (and leisure) hours.

“Hey,” Valentino said, lighting a new cigarette and squinting at the screen. Even with his glasses on, Velvette doubted he could make out the tiny script. “Think you can bump up the trailer for my newest fetish flick in the algo when you have a second? It keeps getting buried in chatter about the last extermination, and I spent way too much money on all that custom leather gear to have it flop.”

“While you’re at it, Velvette,” Vox put in, “Could you suppress all keywords related to that stupid hotel? I’m tired of hearing about it.”

“No free favors,” Velvette said, tapping away at the keys. She tried to block Val and Vox out, focusing instead on manipulating the complex series of digital commandments that made up the algorithm. She had constructed it herself, with input from the other Vees of course, and it had been designed to speak only in her language.

The algorithm was a complex beast, but it served Velvette’s ultimate end of making sure Voxtek media and products were always trending, that the gossip magazines were always buzzing about Valentino’s favorite show ponies, and, most importantly, that the messaging Velvette devised was absolutely inescapable.

There was no such thing as gospel truth in Hell, but if there was, it might have been written in Velvette’s tidy cursive. From breaking scandals to PR relationships and coverage of tragedies in the other rings, Velvette controlled it all.

Velvette grew increasingly irritated as the new commands she wrote for the website failed to graft onto the existing algorithm. It was part computer program, part living thing, and sometimes, it fought back. The large screen flickered dangerously as she tried to force the commands though, but Velvette kept pushing. She wouldn’t be bested. Not this time.

“Take a breath, pumpkin,” Vox said in a voice he no doubt thought was soothing. “You’ve still got an hour and a half. No need to rush.”

“Could you get off my dick, please?” Velvette responded.

“Whoa!” Valentino said. “No need to get testy. All that frowning is going to give you wrinkles.”

“It’s not listening to me,” Velvette said through grit teeth. “I don’t understand. It should listen to me.”

Vox and Val exchanged a look over Velvette’s shoulder, one they probably hoped she wouldn’t catch. It was a look of genuine concern.

“What’s eating you, Velvette?” Valentino asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said, pulling up yet another window. It promptly crashed. Velvette groaned and smacked the display.

“Easy on the merchandise,” Vox said in warning, but then his voice softened slightly. “Seriously, what’s up with you?”

Velvette said nothing, just tried to force another command through again. And again. And again. Each time, she was met with an error message. When she tried and failed a fourth time, the tears started to sting at her eyes. She pushed away from the sea of screens in Vox’s swivel chair and smacked the escape key, shutting down the whole process and rerouting herself back to the password screen.

“No one is listening to me anymore,” she said, trying to keep the grief and fury out of her voice. She hated crying in front of anyone, especially Vox and Valentino, but they were perhaps the only two people in hell who could witness such a thing and live to tell the tale. Her fingers turned to claws at her side. “No matter what I do. My influence is slipping.”

“Babydoll!” Valentino exclaimed, and the worst part was, he sounded truly appalled to see her so upset. His hands came to rest on her shoulders, rubbing soothing circles into her clavicles. “That’s not true. Everybody loves you. Even better, everybody fears you. You’re the head bitch in charge!”

“My engagement is in the gutter,” she sniffed. “Nobody wants to look at me anymore. They’re bored of me, and they’d rather waste their clicks on whatever new shiny piece of ass is out there strutting around, calling themselves a crime boss and livestreaming their kills. Street criminals, Val; I’m losing to street criminals!”

“Velvette,” Vox said, drawing out her name in that syrupy way that had no doubt convinced hundreds of small-time entertainers to sell their souls away for a shot at a primetime TV slot. “It kills me to see you so down on yourself. So you’ve lost a couple thousand followers, so what? I say fuck em.”

“I’m…” Velvette’s lip wobbled dangerously, and she was sure that the waterworks would unleash with whatever she said next. “I’m going out of fashion.”

Valentino and Vox tutted while she furiously wiped tears off her face, and Vox produced a baby blue handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it into her hands. The Vees might have hated each other some days, and the peace between them might be tenuous at best, worn away by infighting and power-grabs, but underneath it all, they looked out for each other. This was not the first time the boys had talked Velvette down from a complete spiral, which usually happened whenever the internet turned on her. Velvette might be tough as nails, and she knew how to hold her own in a fight, but when it came to the quivering adoration of the masses, she was an addict in need of her fix.

“What if I’m getting too old?” She moaned. “I’m still the youngest overlord, but I’m not as young as I used to be. Maybe I should cut my hair, or get a hellhound as a statement pet.”

“Why don’t you show some tits and ass?” Valentino said brightly, doing his best to be helpful. “Even just a bit of sideboob. I can set up a whole boudoir shoot for you; we’ll keep it classy.”

“No, that’s a last-ditch effort spotlight grab,” Velvette said. “If I bust that out, what have I got left? What’s the point of me if I can’t hold people’s attention? I might as well just retire to fucking Tahiti.”

“Nobody’s going to Tahiti,” Vox said. “We’d be bored out of our minds without you.”

“Yeah?” Velvette asked, daubing her eyes.

“Yeah,” Valentino responded, still rubbing that pressure point on her clavicle. It was surprisingly steadying, and Velvette found herself grateful for the touch. “And you know why? Because you’re goddamn good at your job. You earned your spot. You’re really gonna let some two-bit drug dealers with shaky phone footage take the crown from you?”

“No,” Velvette said, still feeling rotten on the inside.

“I think we’ve all had a long day,” Vox said, stepping into the role of defacto leader, which they all rotated through as necessary. “How about we sleep on this and try again tomorrow?”

“I can’t,” Velvette said, suddenly feeling exhausted to the bone. “I need to check up on the new content mill and make sure they’re still pumping out those phony articles, and then I should probably run through my to-do list for tomorrow because Satan knows my airhead PA can’t be trusted, and then–”

“Velvette,” Val said, as gentle as she had ever heard him. “Wanna sleep in the nest with me and Vox tonight?”

“Bold of you to assume I’m going to end up in your room tonight,” Vox muttered.

“Bold of you to think anyone believes you when you play hard to get,” Val responded breezily, then turned back to Velvette. “Does that sound nice?”

Velvette finished drying her tears, and looked over her shoulder to the looming computer. She probably had about an hour left on the clock per her arrangement with Vox, and maybe, if she tried harder, she could do something with that time. Or maybe, she would just fail again. Either option sounded exhausting.

“Yes,” She admitted. “That sounds nice.”

Valentino’s quarters took up considerable real estate in the Vee complex, with a large sunken living room for entertaining (read: sex parties) a big kitchen for cooking gourmet (read: mixing drinks and reheating delivery) and a massive master bedroom outfitted with dim rosy lighting and a stunning view of the city outside. Valentino’s bed, which Velvette had – at first disparagingly and then with affection – started referring to as his “nest” was a futon the size of a California King swathed in sheets and throw pillows, with a gauzy web strung above and around it. The resulting effect was cocoon-like, and the gauze curtains provided a sense of seclusion from the outside world.

Velvette hauled her pink pinstriped silk pajamas, her matching silk hair wrap, and her toothbrush down from her room, then primped for bed in Valentino’s bathroom while Vox and Val talked in low, unhurried tones outside.

She could pretend all she wanted to be disgusted by her concern for her, but deep down she was grateful that someone cared, and she did feel a little bit lighter after crying out her frustrations. At the end of the day, there was no one nastier and more self-serving than Vox and Valentino than Velvette herself, and there was a strange sense of camaraderie born from that. Sure, they stabbed each other in the back from time to time and they fought often, but who else could possibly understand Velvette’s black heart better than the two demons she had chosen to throw her lot in with?

Velvette emerged from the bathroom to find Vox and Val already in the bed, thankfully keeping the PDA to a minimum. Valentino gave her one of her showman’s grins and held an arm out to her, and moments later, she was nestled between them, her cheek pillowed on Valentino’s chest, one of Vox’s arms draped lightly over her waist.

Neither of them had ever made a pass at her, mostly because they were too busy breaking up and getting back together every ten seconds, and because they knew that Velvette would bite their fingers off if they ever tried. They were two of the most brutal overlords in hell, but sometimes, though she would never admit it, they were the only people Velvette felt safe with.

“Tomorrow,” Velvette said, her words muffled by Valentino’s chest. “Tomorrow I’ll try again. I’ll come up with something spectacular and awful. A gorgeous train wreck nobody can look away from.”

“And I’m sure you’ll be right back on top,” Vox said with a yawn. His display was already dimming.

Velvette mindlessly unlocked her phone and clicked on the search alert she had set up for her name, scowling at the results.

“No doomscrolling before bed,” Vox said, and tapped her screen with a glowing fingertip. The cellular display winked out.

“Hey!” Velvette snapped.

Valentino just pulled her in closer, burrowing down in the expensive sheets.

“If you’re going to sleep over, I don’t want you keeping me awake with all that blue light. And don’t kick me out of my own bed again.”

“No promises,” Velvette said, giving in to drowsiness despite her best efforts. She often ended up tangled in the blankets like a beached starfish, pushing Vox and Valentino to the edge of the bed, but they always forgave her.

“Do you really think people are still scared of me?” Velvette muttered. It was a thought she was almost afraid to voice aloud.

“So scared of you,” Valentino said, turning the lights down even lower. “And I’m sure whatever that twisted little mind comes up with next will be enough to scare the piss out of anyone stupid enough to think they stand a chance against you.”

“Thanks, Val,” Velvette said, so quiet she wasn’t sure he heard her. She didn’t like thanking people, as a general rule.

“Get some sleep, babydoll,” Valentino said. Velvette was aware his ability to soothe her after a spiral was the result of a long career of lying to and manipulating the people who answered to him, but sometimes, Velvette caught a flash of genuineness underneath the facade. And Vox, for all his bluster and bravado, had been known to shut down entire productions when she reached the end of her rope to make sure Velvette got what she needed. Velvette wasn’t grateful for either of them. The only person she was grateful to on any given day was herself. But she had to admit, in times like these, she didn’t hate having them around.

“Goodnight boys,” she said, letting her eyes slide shut. Vox sidled up beside her and switched on his hypnotic screensaver, the one that always knocked her out faster than two benzos and a glass of white wine.

Moments later, Velvette was asleep.

#what if the worst people you ever met were secretly soft for each other I ask #vox and val are the only ones allowed to see Velvette cry #even social media overlords get burned out sometimes #hazbin hotel #staticmoth #velvette #the vees #hazbin hotel fic #spilled ink

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count-alucard-tepes · 3 months

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Headcanons and a short fanfic for Misasa😎

He’s good at cooking and is always elected to cook for the bodyguards when he has time.

He’s the oldest sibling in his family and has two younger sisters that he takes care of.

His favorite food is fried fish and chips.

He travels when ever he gets a few days off with his sisters.

He used to be pretty hot-headed growing up but mellowed down when he realized there’s no reason for him to be that way.

He’s very good with the ladies and often other bodyguards come to him for advice despite him being so young compared to the rest.

An unexpected travel companion

Misasa had the day off and since his sisters were at school, he decided to take a day trip just because he loved traveling and wanted to get out of the city. He couldn’t stop chatting about it and sending selfies on the bodyguards group chat until Retsudo temporarily removed him. He chuckled as he got his meal for the trip and boarded his bullet train.

“7A…7…A”, he said mostly to himself as he walked down the aisle to see row number seven and then his seat but someone was already sitting there.

He looked around awkwardly before smiling weakly, “…excuse me…but you’re in my seat”, he said gently.

Y/N frowned a little before looking at their ticket and then realized they were sitting in the wrong spot, “…I’m so sorry! I’m 7B…I mean my seat is 7B”, Y/N said with a blush before going to move.

“No worries, I’ll just sit right next to you then…”, Misasa said with a warm smile before taking a seat and placed his belongings on the rack above. He then settled down next to them, “…I’m Misasa by the way…nice to meet you, 7B”, he said playfully.

“We can swap seats…it’s my mistake…”, Y/N said with the brightest blush ever.

Misasa waved it off, “…it’s fine, I’m not fussy about it anyway…”.

Y/N smiled a little and looked out of the window for a minute before realizing that he called them ‘7B’ and then blushed again.

“…I’m Y/N by the way…”, Y/N said gently as they offered their hand to him.

He smiled and shook their hand, “…nice to meet you…first time to this city?”, he asked out of curiosity.

“Yes, I’ve been wanting to go for a while but just didn’t have the time…but today’s the day”, Y/N said excitedly.

“It’s my day off too, usually I would travel with my little sisters but they have school today so it’s just a day to myself…this is my second time to the city…”, he said as he began eating his meal.

“Oh? So where do you recommend I go to then?”, Y/N asked gently.

“I would say the parks and lakes to relax or the obvious tourist sites but it depends what you like…my sisters like the shopping malls so I humor them and go with them too but it’s always a happy compromise”, he said gently.

Y/N smiled a little when he talked about his sisters so openly, he must care a lot for them.

“I’ll take your advice then”, Y/N said with a smile.

Misasa smiled a little, “…so what do you do for a living?”, he asked curiously.

“I’m a (insert occupation), what about you?”, Y/N asked gently.

“I work in security services…”, he said to describe his job in the easiest way he could without giving too many details to someone he just met.

“That’s pretty cool, you probably get to meet some pretty interesting people”, Y/N said with a smile.

Oh you have no idea, he was thought to himself as he reflected on all the people he had met over the years.

“Yes, pretty interesting…”, he said with a weak smile.

“Do you enjoy your job?”, Y/N asked gently.

He took a moment to think about that, “…I do, I am grateful to have a job where our boss cares so much for us and I can provide for my family…”.

What an interesting man, Y/N thought to themselves as most would not go into such care when talking to stranger about their job.

They would continue their conversation until it was almost time for them to arrive at the station.

“…say, Y/N, if you feel comfortable, maybe we could go sightseeing together and then grab some lunch…my train back is not too late just in time to pick up my sisters from school”.

Y/N smiled and nodded, “…I’d like that a lot”.

Misasa smiled and nodded, of course he managed to get their number at the end of the day so that they could possibly go out on a date in the future.

Man I love Misasa so much! He’s so freaken cool!!!😍😍😍

#ooc #kengan ashura #kengan omega #Misasa #Misasa kengan ashura #Misasa kengan omega #8th fang of metsudo #fang of metsudo

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ahfrickenfrick · 2 years

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buzzfeed unsolved: The disappearance of Jason Todd

Ryan

Shane

—

This week on Buzzfeed Unsolved we will be discussing the disappearance of Jason Todd-Wayne, which has had updates as recently as last week.

Wait last week? Ryan, if we disappear because of this episode imagine how cool it would be. Maybe we hang with our good pal Jason.

I don’t have time for you being stupid. I have to get this right, because let me be honest. I have a man crush on Bruce Wayne, and if he ends up watching this and you’re being stupid I’ll never forgive you.

Okay, sure. Cause Bruce Wayne is searching the internet for every little thing posted about his dead son.

(wheeze)

We don’t know if he’s dead! And that’s what I’m here to talk about today.

Jason Peter Todd was born August 16th, 2000 in Gotham City, New Jersey, to his mother Dr. Sheila Haywood and his father Willis Todd. However only a few months later did Willis Todd marry Catherine Johnson, forcing Dr. Haywood to have to relinquish custody.

If I ever have a kid-

-they would all have your big head and I’d feel sorry for them.

Ryan. I listen to you ramble about murderers and ghosts. Let me tell my spiel.

(wheeze)

Right, sorry.

If I ever have a kid with someone, I think I’d be really upset if they just kinda made me give my kid to a stranger.

Here’s the thing to that! No one has heard or seen from Dr. Sheila Haywood since, like after her son was born. The only thing that might link back to her is an illegal botched surgery, but most of it was sealed off, and I don’t feel like having the Gotham City Police Department call me up

(ring ring)

Hi yes, are you that idiot from that show? You will be arrested immediately! Batman and his group of… misfits?? I don’t know, but they are on their way!

Moving on from your weird role play, like all the families that live in Park Row, what is deemed “Crime Alley”, the Todd family did not have money.

You could not pay me to go to a place called Crime Alley.

We were actually going to Gotham, scope around, maybe get a selfie with Robin-

-Which one?

I need to do an episode trying to figure out how many Robin’s there actually are… I think there have been five?? Six?? I don’t know… stop distracting me with Batman! We ended up scraping the visitation part because apparently this time of year Arkham breakouts are common, and I don’t want to get fear gassed.

Jason did decent at school, until he stopped showing up, school records are really spotty after third grade. Apparently he was reading and understanding college level stuff, but that’s really all we got on it.

Not a lot on this guys younger life it looks like.

No there isn’t, not any social media posts, or news articles, or anything if that sort about Jason until a few years later in 2012, when Jason became the ward to the one and only, Bruce Wayne.

Ah, Bruce Wayne, you love him, I love him, uhm- I actually don’t know much about Bruce Wayne other than the fact he’s one of the few rich people who give away a shit ton of money.

Bruce Wayne is a billionaire CEO, with a heart of gold, and some say he sleeps around, but as long as he’s not hurting anyone. Also! He’s a dad! Bruce Wayne is a trusted person within the Foster Care over in Gotham. He takes in the extreme cases that would probably leave the kid with a bunch of trauma.

Well, with what I’ve heard about Gotham, he must have like a billion kids with just a bunch of trauma

Let’s see what I remember from research, cause I did not write anything down for this. His first ward was Richard Grayson, who goes by Dick, was taken in after he watched his whole family fall and die on the trapeze.

As I said before, Jason was brought into Mr. Wayne’s custody after the death of both his father and his step mother. His father’s death was unknown, and his step mother died from a drug overdose… in front of Jason.

Uhm- Tim Drake? His was more interesting to watch unfold because there’s a whole other multimillion almost billion dollar company that Tim’s parents owned, and there was a lot covered up by lawyers and stuff, but Tim ended up with the Waynes

Then there’s the only female in the place, Cassandra Wayne, she is selectively mute, and overly protected by her adoptive family, nothing was shared with the media about where she came from.

Damian Wayne is the only blood son to Bruce Wayne, he didn’t even know about the kid until… like last year? Two years ago? Again, not a lot that I remember.

And then there’s been rumors of him taking in another kid, but nothing for sure yet.

Jesus, Ryan take a breath, and go back to Jason, because now I’m hoping I believe your theories about him being alive cause what this family didn’t need is another death.

Look, Shane. I’m going to be straight with you here. There are three possible theories I think could be plausible. So let’s jump right into them.

Theory one, is that Jason Todd is alive and in hiding from The Joker. This is the second most popular idea, and one I hope is true. There really isn’t anything else to this theory, besides a picture of someone that looks a little like Jason in the middle of Asia.

Doppelgänger, probably. Lemme see. I don’t know… this kinda looks like someone edited it.

Yeah, like it looks really distorted. I don’t know if I think it’s real, but it’s what people online were talking about.

Crazy, that people online would doctor fake photos of a kid who had died.

Exactly, which is why people think he’s alive, cause who would do that?

—

Theory two is that Jason Todd died as his family said he did, looking for his birth mother. Apparently he was in the Middle East, found his mother, but then both were found dead in an explosion caused by the Joker.

So the Joker, who is Gotham’s Prince of Crime, was somehow in the Middle East? I don’t buy it

I didn’t either, until I looked just a little deeper, and found that the next week Superman and Batman stopped the Joker from murdering the United Nations. So he was in the area.

Oh my god. If.. I know on this show I try to goof off, but it’s hard when it’s a kid. How old was Jason?

Only 15. He just got back into the swing of things at school, getting all A’s, he was in the Drama program and the Poetry club. If you scroll down a on Dick Grayson’s Instagram you can find a selfie of Dick and Jason, Jason being in his school uniform only a week before he died. The two seemed to be really close, with how much Grayson posted of the two of them, and then it was radio silence from the man until a year after Jason’s death, where he made a memorial post, along with Bruce Wayne, who made the Jason Peter Todd Memorial Foundation, which helps families in Crime Alley.

Look, not okay with the kid dying, but it makes me kinda smile to see that his family got together to do something like this in his name.

I don’t think you understand the length of what this fund does. It provides special housing for single mothers, has opened up two clinics that help with drug abuse and addiction, and keeps kids in warm clothes and in school.

That’s- wow. Okay, you are making this “he’s dead” thing seem like it’s the only thing that happened.

Well, theory 3, is that he died-

Wait what?

He died, and came back to life.

This, I think, is worse than you saying ghosts are real.

We live in a world where someone can run at the speed of light! Yet you draw the line at ghosts and maybe hopefully someone who isn’t dead.

Yeah, but that’s science. Okay whatever where’s the proof of him being alive.

Okay, looking at the timeline. Jason Todd died at 15, in 2015. And the Wayne’s kinda were quiet for a year and a half, besides the foundation they set up, even with Tim, nothing really new was happening.

And then things seemed to go back to normal, they all frequented gala’s again, and all the other social stuff they did-

Yeah, nice choice of wording there

Shut up, anyways, in 2018 a picture appears, not even the front page, of Dick Grayson walking and laughing with someone who looks a lot like if Jason Todd grew up for a few years, and then decided to dye his hair.

Listen, Ryan. People have doppelgängers. We just saw the other picture and it’s clearly fake- Jesus Christ that looks exactly like Jason.

Exactly! And I started looking around more, finding pictures of the Wayne family around Gotham from news sites, and every once in a while, that guy pops up. Never in the picture, but always somewhere in the background like he wasn’t wanting to be seen. Like i mentioned in the beginning, there was a picture from a week ago that looks exactly like him.

Wait, is this a theory from the internet or something you came up with?

Both, kind of? I saw someone make a bad joke about it, and then it kinda stuck in my head as I looked for more information. Apparently there is a mythical pit that could bring someone from the dead.

Okay, yeah. Mythical revival pit. As if any living person wouldn’t be all over that.

Look man, that’s just the information I found. But I really really hope that Jason is alive somewhere safe, or resting peacefully.

The most believable for me is that he did pass away. But I’d love to be wrong.

That being said, I got really sad looking through all of Jason’s life, I felt like I was being more invasive than usual. So I talked with the crew and Buzzfeed, and we are donating all revenue from this video to the Jason Memorial fund in Gotham.

But the mystery of Jason Todd, still remains….

Unsolved

#writing whip #shane and ryan #ryan bergara #shane medej #buzzfeed unsolved #buzzfeed unsolved au #batman #jason todd #red hood #dick grayson #ghoul boys #dc #dc comics #dc jason todd #lazarus pit

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beelzebuddy-catan · 1 year

Text

The Not Entirely Human-Human Exchange Student pt.8

Summary: Diavolo hosts a retreat and formal dance for the exchange students, but there are greater threats in the castle than a giant snake and hidden labyrinth. Sometimes, the worst demons are the ones inside us. Warnings: Swearing, mentions of death and violence, unwanted sexual advances Spoilers: Through Lesson 8, Lilith's status Characters: Cass (OC), Lucifer, Mammon, Levi, Satan, Asmo, Beel, Solomon, Simeon, Luke, Barbatos, Diavolo, Mephisto, Preta (OC) and Nadia (OC). Notes: If you want to skip the part with unwanted sexual advances, it's starts after "He was taking selfies when she found the room he’d retreated to" and ends before "Cass didn't stop when she passed Mammon." Previous Part • Next Part

“You said your father’s advisor?”

“Ah, yes, I suppose you’re not very familiar with how things are structured here. Each King has a council of seven other demons that oversee the eight factions of the Devildom. After the King selects the seven advisors and they’re approved by the House of Lords, the previous King assigns them a faction based on traits they share.”

“So, your father assigned each of the brothers to a faction based on their sins?”

“Yes, but he assigned them even before they were approved due to his council being, we’ll say, disbanded. Aeshma was often referred to the demon of wrath before serving on the council. The faction Satan now rules over was once hers.”

“If I remember correctly,” Simeon chimed in from nearby, “Aeshma was never a fan of yours, was she Lucifer?” Ironic, Cass mused to herself.

“No, I suppose she wasn’t,” Lucifer answered. Cass would have expected him to carry some kind of contempt towards a demon that disliked him, but there didn’t seem to be any. In fact, he looked at the portrait with a sense of appreciation and perhaps admiration before turning away.

As she stared at the painting, a feeling of longing washed over her. For the first time in her short memory, Cass felt homesick. Yet, she couldn’t remember that home. Unconsciously, she grabbed her pendant, the only thing that may connect her to that home.

Asmo started unpacking when they got to their assigned room. While he’d claimed he had packed light and wanted to bring more, Cass couldn’t imagine ever needing half the things he unpacked. Simeon seemed to be sharing her sentiment, but quickly changed his expression.

“I’m excited to be sharing a space with the two of you.”

“Yes, you’re quite lucky to be sharing a space with me,” Asmo responded without looking at him. Simeon shot Cass an amused look but didn’t interrupt Asmo’s rant of why they were so lucky. “You know, Simeon, I’ve been wondering lately, what do you really think of me?”

“I still see you like I did when you were in the Celestial Realm.” Simeon rubbed the back of his neck as he thought about it. “Lucifer, the pride of the Celestial Realm was loved by all and there was one angel that he thought was especially beautiful. An angel whom he praised and kept by his side.”

Cass stole a glance at Asmo. For a moment, the demon looked crestfallen. Even Simeon, who had known him for so long and had seen different sides of him, still saw him for his looks. Then she realized that Asmo had always been told he was worthy because of his beauty. Did he think Lucifer only kept him around for that? That if he didn’t keep his looks up, he wouldn’t be worth anyone’s attention, much less the former pride of the Celestial Realm.

“’Twas, Asmodeus, Jewel of the Heavens!” And in a blink, the mask was on. Asmo winked and grinned at the description. “You’re always someone who works hard to uphold their image so other people appreciate him.”

“So, someone who wants to be loved?”

“Yes,” Simeon answered.

No, Cass wanted to say. It’s someone who needs to be loved. Someone who craves love. Someone who needs to be reminded that they are loved. Someone who wants to be desired but, above all else, desires to be loved.

Asmo tilted his head in thought. “I don’t think that’s quite right. I obviously deserve love, everyone knows that. There probably isn’t anyone who doesn’t love me.”

Simeon laughed. “It’d would be quite interesting to see how you would react around someone you couldn’t charm.”

“What about you, Cass? Do you think there’s someone out there who doesn’t love me?”

Cass stared at him before shrugging. “I think you're conflating love and lust. People aren’t worthy of love because of their looks, and they aren’t unworthy because of them either. Besides, it’s not the quantity of people who love you, but the quality of their love, right? The love from the right person can be worth more than the love of a million others.”

Before either of them could respond, Satan popped his head in the doorway to let them know the tour was starting. Simeon followed him out of the room. Asmo pushed past her, grabbing her hand as he did and tugged her along, but she could tell he wasn’t happy about her answer. Did he think she meant he wasn’t worthy of love despite being beautiful?

“I want to go home,” she heard Luke say before they even entered the room. “Levi made some weird alter for some cartoon character and Beel ATE one of the paintings in our room.”

“The painting was too good. I thought the fruit was real.”

“And you didn’t notice it was a painting before finishing it?”

By the time they joined them, Mammon was defending Luke. He was in a surprisingly in a much better mood than he had been when they got room assignments. Which quickly lead to his plan to steal artifacts around the castle with Solomon and Satan later.

Lucifer arrived just as he finished muttering why he was in a better mood, unaware that the eldest brother’s presence. While the others shifted their teasing to Mammon, a small black ghost that looked like a phantom with golden horns appeared.

“Hello, everyone! I’m Little D. No. 2.”

“Is that a tiny demon?” Luke asked, trying to cover his shock. Beel began drooling and at the same time said, “yummy.”

“I wouldn’t, Beel. Little D. No. 2 would probably make you very sick.”

“I’m sure you’ve all met some of the Little Ds before, if you haven’t met No. 2 since they help with different council tasks including those for the exchange program.”

“Yes, I’ve informally adopted them all,” Cass answered, scratching behind Little D. No. 2’s ear. The small demon practically purred in response.

“Barbatos had some–” there was a miniscule pause in his sentence. Cass wasn’t sure if anyone else caught it, but it seemed like he was hiding something “–student council business to attend to, so I asked Little D. No. 2 to be our guide. He’s small, but helpful.”

“Unlike another number 2 I know,” Lucifer smirked.

Mammon was about to defend himself when Little D. No. 2 interrupted. “Let’s begin with this portrait over here!”

Little D. No. 2 proceeded to walk them through the row of portraits of the Demon Kings in Devildom history. Before taking them to a long hallway full of pictures. Everyone spread out, looking at the different paintings. Mammon and Levi began complaining of boredom and Beel’s stomach continued to growl. Cass stopped in front of a portrait that wasn’t particularly special.

The subject of the portrait was looking slightly to the side. Her eyes were closed, and she had a slight smile. As if it had caught her reaction to a loved one being all too excited about the corny joke they just told. The portrait made it look like their long white hair was reflecting a soft blue light from the moon. Below one eye was a dark black mark that looked like a small, tattooed sigil.

There was something familiar about the person in the picture, but Cass couldn’t place it. She didn’t have to look away to tell that Diavolo had joined her to look at the portrait. He didn’t speak right away, as if remembering her.

“Aeshma of the old council. She’s often cited among some of the most powerful demons in Devildom history.”

“She’s beautiful.” Diavolo hummed in agreement. “It’s odd, if Preta was in their full human form, I feel like they’d look like her.”

“It is their aunt, so it’s not too surprising.” Diavolo chuckled.

“Really?” Cass asked, finally tearing her eyes away from the portrait.

“Aeshma was my father’s most trusted advisor, so I spent a lot of time with her growing up. It’s also why I’m so close to Preta.”

“What happened?”

“She was forfeited. It’s actually one of the reasons Preta stays in an in-between state. I suppose it’d be quite upsetting if whenever they saw their reflection and it mirrored their aunt. Presha adored Aeshma and never really recovered after losing her.”

Cass wanted to ask more, but it seemed Diavolo was also still upset about losing someone he was close to. “You said your father’s advisor?”

“So, your father assigned each of the brothers to a faction based on their sins?”

“If I remember correctly,” Simeon chimed in from nearby, “Aeshma was never a fan of yours, was she Lucifer?” Ironic, Cass mused to herself.

“Cass, are you okay?” Diavolo asked.

“Yeah, sorry. It must be because she looks so much like Preta, but I weirdly feel like I’ve met her before.”

Diavolo didn’t question her, and for that, Cass was grateful. She’s not sure she could explain the feeling. She knew it wasn’t because of the similar looks. Whatever happened before arriving in the Devildom, she’d met that demon before.

“Hey, it’s the Celestial Realm!” Luke called from the other end of the hall. Luckily, he distracted the others, and Cass was able to wipe the tears from her eyes that threatened to fall.

“Ah, yes. That was painted around the first time I met Lucifer.” Diavolo laughed when he looked at the picture. Lucifer groaned, knowing Diavolo was going to share more. “He was so divine and awe-inspiring that he took my breath away. I couldn’t believe how such a beautiful angel existed.”

“Guess we know why he wanted to share a room with Lucifer so bad,” Cass muttered to Mammon who stifled his laugh when Lucifer shot them a glare.

Diavolo continued, unbothered. “You even refused to shake my hand at first.”

Before they could learn more, a horrible shrieking filled the room. Everyone looked around, trying to figure identify the source. Cass brought her hands up, covering her ears, the shrieking only getting louder.

“HELENE!” Asmo yelled, running towards one of the portraits.

“Helene the witch was once known far and wide by her unparalleled beauty. Then, Asmodeus came along and seduced her. In turn, she betrayed her lover to be with him,” Little D. No. 2 explained.

“All surprised, raise your hands,” Solomon laughed.

“War erupted from the event and destroyed the entire country. Afterwards Helene was described only as a horrible woman who sold her soul to a demon.”

“All because Asmo couldn’t keep it in his pants.” Asmo, completely unaware of Little D. No. 2 and Solomon, started trying to reconnect with the witch. “Is, is he really trying to flirt right now?”

“After Asmodeus, I incurred the wrath of my former lover’s nephew. He was a sorcerer who sealed me in this painting,” the portrait spoke.

“That must have been Demetrios. It’s quite impressive he grew up to be a sorcerer capable of trapping you. I imagine he must’ve been quite the man given how his father was a hunk.” Asmo pouted slightly. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have come to help.”

Helene continued yelling at Asmo, nothing she said getting through to the demon as he tried to flirt his way out of her anger. Suddenly, Mammon started being pulled towards the painting. He grabbed onto Levi’s arm trying to ground himself.

“Uh-oh. Watch out, she’s known for dragging viewers in, mmmkay,” Little D. No. 2 laughed.

“Why didn’t say something sooner!” Mammon demanded as he disappeared through the portrait.

Levi was quick to follow, complaining about his lack of muscles. Beel, whom nobody had grabbed onto, didn’t even bother fighting the witch, hunger getting the best of him. Solomon latched onto Asmo, scolding him for the turn of events. The last thing Cass heard as Asmo grabbed onto her and she was pulled through the painting was Little D. No. 2 telling them to always listen to the tour guide.

Cass slammed against a concrete floor, groaning from impact. After the room stopped spinning, she took in her surroundings. She was in an old stone hallway that looked like part of the Demon King’s castle. The hall stretched into darkness with no end in sight, just a few doorways along the way.

“Here me, denizens of darkness, you who are born of shadow and you who give birth to it,” Solomon’s voice echoed around her. “Here me and do as I command! I, King Solomon the Wise, call upon you to send forth one of your numbers! I summon Den of Iniquities’ Master Asmodeus, Avatar of Lust!”

“You can summon demons?”

Asmo landed somewhere down the hall from them, rolling on impact. He looked as confused as Cass felt, trying to get his bearings. Upon seeing them, he stood up and brushed any dirt off his clothes before stomping over to yell at Solomon.

“EXCUSE ME!” He yelled. “I told you to be GENTLE when you summoned me.”

“Oh, like your girlfriend was with us?” Solomon retorted before turning to answer Cass. “Yes, you can summon demons through your pact with them. It’d probably be difficult for you to do since you have almost no magical power.”

“I don’t know where we are or what’s going on, but we need to find Beel and get out of here. Otherwise, he’s going to go on a rampage and destroy the castle like he ruined your room, Cass.”

They chose a path and started walking, deciding to not take any turns that weren’t necessary. Solomon marked the walls as they went, in case they got turned around or came to a dead end and needed to backtrack. As much as she wanted to, Cass refrained from complaining when her feet started to get sore, knowing they were all in the same situation.

Asmo, however, didn’t seem to care. “How much longer does this go on? Are you even sure this is the right way?”

“You’re the reason we’re here, Asmo, so suck it up.”

“Excuse me! Cass, tell him I did nothing wrong.”

“Being a catalyst to the Trojan war is definitely not nothing. Why don’t you just apologize for trying to seduce a married woman?”

“Me? Apologize? It didn’t plan for anything to happen. It’s not like I even manipulated her. I simply gave her an opportunity and she grabbed it. Everyone has lust in their heart. No matter how noble or saintly they pretend to be, they’re keeping it locked up in there.”

“Given the spectrum of sexual attraction, not everyone has lust in their hearts. Are you sure you’re not projecting?”

Asmo stopped her, staring down into her eyes. “As hard as you may try to control it, deep inside you wish you could do and have what you want. You’re just fighting to suppress the urge and desire to be free. Aren’t you, Cass?”

Asmo grabbed her chin, forcing her to maintain eye contact as he moved closer, his voice lowering into a deep whisper. “Who is it you desire? What sort of secret shameful thoughts are hidden inside that heart of yours?” His other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against him. His breath ghosted over her lips. “Why don’t you let me reach inside and unleash it.”

“There’s been a development.”

“We’re having a moment here, Solomon,” Asmo answered, not looking away from Cass.

“Sorry, I just thought you might want to know that Mammon, Levi, and Beel are coming towards us followed by a giant snake.”

Asmo didn’t release her as he looked over Cass’s shoulder to see what Solomon was talking about. He jumped back, finally letting her go, waving his hands frantically as he shouted ew. Cass turned to see Solomon wasn’t joking when he said giant.

“I hate looking at unattractive things. It’s disgusting,” Asmo cringed.

Cass rolled her eyes at his reaction. It was kind of amazing how he could flip that switch so quickly. Mammon reached them first, picking up Cass and giving Asmo a shove. By the time Beel caught up, Solomon had started running in the direction they were going before Asmo distracted them. Cass looked over Mammon’s shoulder to see Levi trailing shortly behind them, the snake getting closer.

They were finally able to lose it and pause to come up with a plan. Mammon set her down with a quick apology, explaining that he figured it be harder for her to keep up being human. They had to figure out something fast. There’s no way the snake was far. Even if it were, Beel’s stomach growling gave their location away to anything in a ten-mile radius.

“Way to go, idiot,” Levi coughed, still trying to breathe.

Asmo, Cass, and Solomon looked around not sure what he meant. “I thought it was a snake’s shed skin that I could take with us and sell. How was I supposed to know it was a friggin’ monster?

“He’s not a monster,” Levi cried, trying to hit Mammon, but not having enough energy. “He’s Henry 1.0. He was down here all along. I never thought I’d see him again.”

“I’m sorry, Henry 1.0?”

“It’s his pet snake. Every time Levi gets a new pet, he names it Henry.”

“You’re onto, what, you’re fourth henry?

“NO! I currently have Henry 2.0. I’m so happy that Henry 1.0 is alive and well! He grew up to be so big. Look at the selfie I took with him!” Levi beamed, turning his phone for them to see.

“You had time to take a fucking selfie? While we were runnin’ for our lives?”

“If he’s your pet, why can’t you pacify him?”

Levi smile fell. “He looked like he’d forgotten about me.”

“Or he’s pissed you replaced him and left him to die.” Levi turned to Cass horrified at even the joke that he would do that.

“Let’s hunt it down, trap it, and eat it,” Beel said, a scary level of determination taking over his features.

“NOOOO,” Levi screamed.

“Plan B?” Mammon asked.

“Well, if it were up to Asmo, he’d be trying to sleep with it.”

“EXCUSE ME?” Asmo yelled at the same time Solomon spoke. “That actually gives me an idea.”

---

After Mammon had distracted the snake, Solomon had been able to amplify Asmo’s powers for him to charm the snake. After being charmed, the snake safely led them to an exit before disappearing down the corridors. Levi’s cries of goodbye following the snake in his tracks.

They’d gotten out in time for Barbatos’s dinner and before Beel’s little remaining self-control left. They had retired earlier, giving Cass some time to unwind after everything happened. That, and time to research the former council.

There had been very little information about them in the final years of their existence. It would have been impossible for her to have met Aeshma, considering she had been forfeited. Not that Cass had been able to figure out what exactly that meant.

With a brief interruption from Mammon trying to start a pillow fight with Asmo, who had been pretending to be asleep, and Lucifer charging into the room, Cass had fallen asleep early. That sleep had gone uninterrupted as Asmo claimed he needed his beauty sleep and Simeon could have been dead with how quiet and unmoving he was once asleep.

Apparently, after being pulled away by Lucifer, Mammon hadn’t gotten much sleep. The following morning, he could barely stand up. His head rested on Beel’s shoulder as he tried to sneak in a quick nap. Levi was live tweeting the conversation, as he had done the day before.

“I’m sure you had a hard time yesterday,” Diavolo laughed, “but it was quite fun to watch.”

“You know,” Asmo started, “I bet–”

Before he had time to continue, both Simeon and Cass rushed to cover Luke’s ears. Cass wasn’t able to catch everything Asmo said, but she was grateful that they’d gotten to Luke before he’d heard any of the vulgarity pouring out of his mouth. Both of them glared at the demon, who shrugged, unbothered.

“Why are you covering my ears? I can’t hear anything,” Luke shouted.

“Why don’t we just get started with the scavenger hunt?” Solomon asked, trying to divert attention away from Asmo.

They divided into teams based on their room pairings. Something seemed off about Asmo, like he was trying to prove something. He kept disappearing during their search and didn’t bother helping. He was being especially aggressive about getting Cass’s attention.

“Did you really hatch a plot to keep us from winning?” Satan demanded, charging up to them.

Simeon and Cass exchanged a look, not sure what he was talking about. “Asmo’s been preventing us from making any progress.”

“He keeps jumpin’ in front of the items when we go to get a picture so we can’t get a clear shot.”

“Why do you even want a picture of some old boring art. Your camera will thank you for taking a picture with such a beautiful subject.”

“SERIOUSLY?” Luke shouted from around the corner.

“Luke?”

“I tried to take a picture of this statue and Asmodeus went and charmed it.”

“I can’t help that I’m so beautiful and charming, plus the rule didn’t say I couldn’t do that.” Mammon and Satan both starting yelling at him. Asmo waved his hand in a shooing motion at them before turning and walking away. “I’m going somewhere where I don’t have to listen to someone lecturing me.”

The others called after him or complained about his attitude. Cass sighed, handed Simeon the paper with their clues, and followed the drama queen they got for a partner. He was taking selfies when she found the room he’d retreated to.

Asmo looked up at the sound of the door closing. Before she knew it, he had backed her against it, placing a hand on her hip. The other reached down and locked the door. There was something different about him. It reminded her of the maze yesterday and when they’d first met.

“Did you follow me for some alone time?”

The way he spoke reminded her of a hypnotist. Even though it was a question, he said it as a statement. His movements strategic, laying the foundation for whatever his goal was. Even without using his powers, there was something hypnotic about the demon.

But she wasn’t going to let herself get pulled in by cheap tricks. “No. I came to get you so we could finish the game. Also, you should apologize to the others, that wasn’t cool.”

Asmo hummed in fake thought, but Cass could tell he wasn’t considering it. The hand on the door went to cup her cheek. She tried to shift out of his grasp, not recognizing his behavior. Normally, he seemed to exude love, making others feel as good as he did. This was too calculated for Asmo, too harsh. The hand on her hip tightened, as he leaned down to speak in her ear.

“Oh, no? Was I being unfair?” He mocked, pulling her even closer. His grip became painful, but he refused to let go despite how much she struggled. “What an odd behavior. Who would have thought a demon would be unfair or unkind? Did you delude yourself into thinking we aren’t the type of beings to take what we want?”

Cass squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to look at him. He pulled away as he tsked, hand moving to her chin and squeezing until she looked at him again. She glared back, knowing it would do very little, but wanting him to see how pissed she was.

“I tried charming you yesterday and again today. But you didn’t feel anything, did you? You’re just some human. Why doesn’t my power work on you?” He became enraged at the very notion, but the soon expression shifted to a ruthless, inhuman one. “Don’t worry though, I can convince you in other ways.”

“This is a really ugly side of you,” Cass spit out.

Asmo’s grip became impossibly tight as he pressed her into the door. His horns sprouted at her words, and she knew she had hit a nerve. He grinned. Unlike his normal smile it was sadistic. When they’d first met, his eyes reminded her of a flickering candle, drawing her in. Now, there was nothing behind the pale saffron hue.

"I don’t have any ugly sides, Cass. I’m happy to take my time and show you that.”

“Knock it off, this isn’t funny.”

“Who said I’m joking? I don’t know why you’re fighting me. Things would go a lot smoother for you if you just agreed. Besides, this is what everyone wants, to be with me. You should consider yourself lucky I find you worthy enough.”

“Fuck you.”

“I’m certainly not surprised to hear that from you. That’s what you’re doing, isn’t it? Sleeping your way through my brothers? Or is it just whoever will agree to it? I suppose it was only a matter of time before you tried to trick me into a pact too. Did you think insulting me yesterday would make me want to prove something to you? I’m not going to let that happen, you’re not going to control me.”

Cass blinked rapidly, trying to clear the tears forming in her eyes. She wasn’t sure if it was from the pain of Asmo’s nails digging into her skin or what he was saying. She needed to get away from him somehow otherwise he might let his sin and insecurities take over completely. How had he gotten into a state of such desperation that he couldn’t control himself?

“Cass?”

She heard someone calling her name. She used the brief window of time Asmo was distracted to shove him away from her. He stumbled backwards, falling into the nearby chair. She threw the door open and glanced back. The feral look in his eyes was gone and a mixture of regret and self-hatred took its place. She didn’t care though, she wanted him to feel that way, at least for now.

Cass didn’t stop when she passed Mammon. He called after her, confusion evident in his voice. She didn’t want to talk to him. She didn’t want to talk to anyone right now. By the time she was back to her room, she couldn’t stop the tears. Her anger only made it worse.

She grabbed her keys, leaving the rest of her belongings. Diavolo would probably let her get them later. If not, they really weren’t worth packing. Cass made it to the front door before someone stopped her. She ripped her arm out of their grasp, not wanting anyone to touch her.

“Where do you think you’re going? Lord Diavolo planned this retreat and we’re staying for the weekend.”

“You go right ahead. I’m not staying here any longer.” Lucifer went to stop her again and she shoved him. “Don’t fucking touch me,” she hissed. She knew he was going to scold her, tell her not to risk harming Diavolo’s image. “Don’t worry about threatening me either, your brother already beat you to it this time.”

Lucifer furrowed his eyebrows, only now taking in her tear-stained face. She could hear Mammon calling her name still. There were a few other voices, but it didn’t matter who right now. Cass pulled open the door before Lucifer could stop her and walked out of the castle.

Only after she was alone did she start to calm down. A weird feeling had settled over her after she started the walk towards town. At first, she’d thought it was Lilith. Then she noticed the difference. Whenever Lilith’s presence appeared, it was like a wall between her and whoever was threatening her.

This feeling only came once any threat had passed. Rather than preventing the danger, it was comforting. Like a blanket draped around her shoulders or hug from a best friend. Whatever, or whoever, this was, Cass was glad to have them on her side.

Cass didn’t have a plan once she made it to town. They’d be looking for her at the House of Lamentation, Purgatory Hall, or one of the restaurants she frequented. There weren’t any places Cass could imagine going to that they wouldn’t think to check.

She sank to the ground, sitting on the edge of the sidewalk. There’s nothing she wanted more than her memory back. Or, at the very least, her memory of one person. She just needed one person she could turn to no matter what.

“Isn’t it dangerous for you to be out here?”

Cass looked up at the person who had stopped in front of her. She wore a large black witch’s hat. If Cass were standing, the brim would cover one of her golden amber eyes where it dipped from the weight. An old scar, likely from an animal’s scratch, ran across one side of her face and a maroon rune was on her forehead. Her hair had been pulled back at one point, but now pieces were falling out and the hair tie close to following.

The oddest thing about the witch was the greyish tone to her skin and the vacant look behind her eyes. Cass wasn’t sure why, but the first word that came to her mind was corpse. Her stare seemed to go right through her, like Cass was a ghost.

“I guess it’ll be easier for you to survive since your only half here.”

“What?” Cass blinked up at the witch.

“Has no one told you yet?” She looked to her right, falling silent. Cass looked down the street, but nothing was there. “I don’t know who called me here, but they weren’t very powerful. You’ll need to find someone stronger next time.”

Cass turned back to the stranger, but she was already gone. A single raven’s feather floated to the ground, a small, rolled piece of paper was tied to the quill. Cass unfurled the paper to reveal a single name, Nadia Kyteler.

“Hell to Cass!” Cass jumped at the voice looking up from the card to see Preta leaning over her. “I’ve been calling your name from down the block. What are you doing here?”

“Oh, sorry. I, um, I was supposed to be at the Demon Lord’s castle, but something happened and I kind of ran away?”

“Just when I think you can’t be any more amazing,” Preta laughed. “Do you want to talk about it?” Cass shook her head. “Well, I have to go to some stupid dance in about four hours. Do you want to get drunk and come with me to get ready?”

---

“What’s it like when you get hungry?” Cass asked. Preta gave her a quizzical look. “Obviously I know what it feels like to be hungry. I meant, what does it feel like after you get past the typical feelings, when it starts to take over your thoughts?”

“It’s hard to know when that is, really, because I’m always hungry, I’ve always been hungry. I don’t know what it’s like to not be hungry, just what it’s like to be less hungry. That feeling’s just part of me and it’ll never really be gone.

“It’s like a headache. If it’s not bad, you ignore it. But you can only do that so long before it starts to impact your thoughts and actions. Eventually, it becomes all consuming. Every sound, every movement, every little thing is about the headache. And you’ll do anything to get rid of it, but at some point, it’s not really you making those decisions. Something else takes control because you can’t fight it anymore.”

It made sense, she’d seen all the brothers go through something similar. Countless times Lucifer looked like he wanted to apologize, but couldn’t say the words or when he did, they always came with a warning. Mammon had called her outside of the casino having been ripped away from the table because he couldn’t leave. Levi almost killed her because of it. Satan and Beel had destroyed parts of the house on several occasions. And now, with Asmo.

“You’re really going to go?” Preta asked, when Cass didn’t say anything. After she’d told them about what happened, Preta kept asking her that.

Cass sighed, looking up at the ceiling. The dance Preta had mentioned turned out to be the formal ball Diavolo was hosting for the exchange program. It made sense given their family’s connection to the House of Lords and Royal family. As much as she didn’t want to see Asmo, she knew it wasn’t an option.

“Yeah, it’s not Diavolo’s fault. Regardless of how many times Lucifer threatens me, I don’t want the exchange program to fail either.”

“Alright but say the word and I will break every one of that fucker’s nails and then pull them off one by one.”

Cass, who’d taken a sip of her drink at that moment, started coughing. The image of Asmo having each nail broken made her feel better than it probably should have. The stylist Preta had managed to hire at the last minute looked more concerned about Cass than Preta did. After she made sure Cass was fine, she went back to finishing her hair.

Preta picked up their phone, rolling their eyes at Cass. “Hello?...Do I look like I run a service for runaway humans?...Maybe she doesn’t want to talk to you, and that’s why she’s not answering...I will immediately check on that for you.” They ended the call and set their phone back down.

“What are you checking on?”

“I’m not. He’ll get his answer when you get to the ball, I’m not his secretary.” Before Cass could respond, they changed the subject. “Do you even have something to wear for this?”

Preta groaned as their phone rang again. Cass shook her head in response to the question. “Hey, Dia!...I hung up on him because he’s an arrogant ass...I’d say he should learn some manners, but he doesn’t really need anything else to warrant his ego...Yes, she’ll be at the caste, safe and sound and the envy of all...Goodbye.”

“Good news, a dress will be waiting for you at my apartment. If you hate it, I probably have something you can wear. Bad news, the dress they sent has reds, so those won’t work.”

Cass turned to see the stylist holding flowers with a magenta hue. She hadn’t even realized the stylist was there. Preta took a sip of their drink, already scrolling through their phone. After a beat they held it up to the stylist, showing her some different pictures. The stylist went into the back, returning with gold laurel branches and flowers of a pale azureish seafoam.

“How do you make your freckles glow?”

“My what?”

“When you were sitting outside, your freckles looked like they were almost glowing. Kind of like pact marks in use. Did you make another pact?”

“No,” Cass muttered, staring into the mirror.

She traced over the dusting of freckles on her cheeks. They didn’t look any different than usual. Despite their being black, they were usually easy enough to cover with some light make-up, if she chose to hide them. They couldn’t be a pact mark, right? They weren’t even sigils, just random dots, like stars in a constellation.

“It was probably just my eyes playing tricks or residual magic, I wouldn’t worry about it,” they added after noticing Cass’s reaction. “Just thought it was a cool party trick for a human.”

By the time they made it to Preta’s apartment, they were both tipsy. So much so, that when Cass saw the heels shoes that accompanied the dress, she almost cried. Despite wearing heels most of the time, they weren’t usually this tall. She’d struggle walking in them even if she hadn’t had anything to drink.

It was only after Preta stopped laughing and ate enough food to satisfy a family of four that they announced there was a spell to help. Of course, there was a spell for that. The more time she spent in the Devildom, the more she wished she could perform some magic.

“That bitch! Of all the times Asmo has seen me in heels.”

“Say the word and I’ll do it. One nail at a time.”

Cass laughed, swaying where she stood. Okay, okay, okay, Cass. She thought to herself, or maybe she said the words out loud. Either way, she needed to focus and finish getting ready. She was fortunate enough that liquor in the Devildom didn’t affect her as much as it did demons. It did, however, make her feel cross-faded. By the time she started taking out the dress that had been sent for her, Preta had already changed.

Their hair was pulled back into a slick ponytail making their horns appear even more prominent. They were wearing a formal suit. The fitted, cropped white top contrasting the oversized black jacket and high-rise pants. While it wasn’t unusual for Preta to wear black and white, the whole ensemble showcased how well they could fit in around Diavolo and Mephisto.

“You need to hurry, or we’ll be late,” Preta said, mouth full of the bread they’d taken a bite of.

Moving as fast as she could, Cass started changing. The dress had clearly been designed with her in mind. The dark mahogany lace bodice was so dark that it looked black at certain angles. Sigils of the brothers she’d made pacts with made up the lace design.

Each layer of the gathered skirt was a lighter color. There was a slit in the dress that showed peaks of the bold blood red of the bottom layer when she walked. The heels laced in a way that went all the way up her leg. Even with the heels, the skirt trailed behind her while she walked.

Cass spun once the dress was on, unable to look away. Somehow, the fabric had been embedded with magic to reflect lights like gold sparkles. There was a single elbow length glove that she debated wearing but decided that whoever designed the dress knew best. Mammon and Levi’s pact marks would have been hidden with the matching glove. The gold jewelry included in the package matched the clips in her hair.

“Wow, you look stunning.”

Preta was close enough to examine the details of the dress. Cass, distracted by the sparkles, hadn’t noticed someone entered the apartment. They both jumped at the sound of a throat clearing. Mephisto stood in the doorway looking unamused.

“How many times must I tell you not to eat after you’ve gotten ready?” He grumbled, walking up to Preta to wipe the crumbs off their shirt. “Cass, you look presentable, surprisingly.”

“Did you hear that, Cass? Presentable. He’s absolutely swooning.”

Cass giggled at the impression Preta started doing of the demon, grabbing his arm to keep her balance. Mephisto rolled his eyes, before pausing to appraise both of them. His eyes narrowed after a moment, and he inhaled sharply.

“Did you really get drunk again? As associates of Lord Diavolo, we owe it to him–”

“When did you become such a lame ass, Phitsy?” Preta interrupted, grabbing their keys.

“Excuse me? Do you really think Aeshma would be proud of this behavior? Or that you got one of the guests of honors drunk?”

“Do you really think you’d get away with admonishing Aeshma?” Preta bit out, pushing past him. “Don’t act like you’re above me. Pointy boot shoe bitch.”

Cass watched the interaction with wide eyes, afraid to interrupt or move. Even though this is how the two always interacted, the demonus made her hesitant. After Preta left, Mephisto looked down at her. Only then did she realize she was still holding onto his arm.

Cass let him guide her into the hall so he could close the door. “I am but an inozent human was cor-” she hiccupped “-rupted by a demon.”

---

Luckily, Mephisto’s driver was able to get them there on time. Still affected by the demonus, Cass tried to stay towards the back of the room. Solomon was the first one to approach her, linking arms and pulling her in line with the other exchange students and the student council.

“If you get any more radiant, people are going to start thinking you’re an angel.”

“If you get any creepier, people are going to start thinking you’re a demon,” Cass retorted, trying to appear normal, but the blush that had appeared at his words quickly gave her away.

How long had they been standing there? She knew someone was giving them instructions, but all she could think about was dinner. Solomon was clearly amused by her behavior, probably well aware of her inebriated state.

She jumped when she felt his breath hit her ear, unaware that he’d leaned down to speak. “You’re lucky most demons aren’t familiar of human behavior, or you might have more to worry about than Lucifer knowing you showed up drunk.”

“What’s he going to do kill me?”

Solomon snorted in response, trying not to laugh too loud. “They’re just going to introduce us and then you can go back to hiding in the shadows.”

As they approached the top of the stairs, Cass was able to hear the announcer better. It was the first time she’d heard the brothers’ full titles. Except when Solomon summoned Asmo. As each name was announced, she became more and more excited about what her own would be.

Archdemon Lucifer the Morning Star, Avatar of Pride...Count Mammon of Wealth, Avatar of Greed...Grand Admiral Leviathan, Avatar of Envy...Prince Satan of Darkness, Avatar of Wrath...Den of Iniquities Master Asmodeus, Avatar of Lust...Lord Beelzebub of Flies, Avatar of Gluttony...Chief Demon Belphegor, Avatar of Sloth.

Even the Angels’ and Solomon’s titles were formidable. Archangel Simeon, Principality of Kindness... Angel Luke, Disciple of the Archangel Michael... King Solomon the Wise, Son of David. Which may be why it was so disappointing to hear her introduction as Exchange Student Cass of the Human Realm.

“What a fucking disappointment,” she whispered as Solomon and her stepped to the edge of the stairs.

She didn’t miss the smirk he wore as they waited for the signal they could proceed towards the main floor. Cass thanked whoever was listening that Preta had used that spell on her shoes because she was certain she would have fallen down the stairs without it.

Solomon should have thanked them too because had she been a little more certain of her steps, she probably would have shoved him when he told her to do something more interesting if she wanted a better title.

The ballroom of the Castle was as extraordinary as the rest of the place. Cass had to remind herself to act natural, paranoid someone would wonder why she kept staring at the chandeliers. The jewels that hung from them may be common in the Devildom, but she was certain they weren’t crystal or diamonds, and she couldn’t figure out what they were.

Her paranoia wasn’t helped by the fact everyone seemed to be following her movements. She should have borrowed a different dress from Preta to blend in more. The sparkles only attracted more attention than she wanted.

It wasn’t long before Mammon, Satan, and Levi had found their way to her. Though she’d seen them in their demon forms before, it was rare to see them dressed in formal wear at the same time. Just as Preta seemed transformed, so did the brothers. For the first time, she saw them as others may, imposing members of the ruling council.

Cass was certain Mammon wasn’t acting any different. Try as she might, though, she couldn’t keep up with his stuttering to string together any meaning. Satan and Levi settling into the role of commentators, never ones to pass up the opportunity to poke fun at Mammon.

“You’re talking so fast,” Cass finally said.

She put her hand on his arm, looking up at him with tired eyes. She smiled, waiting for him to continue at a slower rate, but his brain seemed to stop at the action. Mammon was blushing so hard, he could have matched the color of her skirt.

“Cass,” a voice interrupted them. She turned to see Lucifer standing behind her. “Come dance with me.”

Without giving her a chance to respond, he grasped her hand and pulled her to the dance floor. The chandeliers looked even more amazing looking up from the dance floor. It wasn’t until Lucifer squeezed her hand that whatever trance she’d been in snapped.

“What happened with Asmo?” Cass stumbled over her feet at the question. “He hasn’t spoken to anyone since you disappeared earlier. As I’ve said before, I respect my brother’s wishes, but if you ever become a threat–”

“You sound like a broken record,” Cass interrupted. Lucifer clenched his jaw. “I get it, if I ever hurt you or your brothers, you’ll kill me, and no one will find the body.”

Lucifer quickly dipped her before pulling her close. Her head was still spinning as he continued speaking. “You seem to have a hard time remember that.”

“And what makes you so certain your brother was the one in danger earlier?” Lucifer didn’t answer, tension hanging between them as the song came to an end. “If you want to dance with me, you can do that without the threat. I won’t judge you.”

Cass barely caught the slight blush at her words as Lucifer dropped her hands. He stepped back, allowing Solomon to swoop in before the next song started, and she was stuck with Lucifer as her dance partner once again. The sorcerer’s grip on her hand was far gentler than the demon’s.

“How are you holding up?” Cass shrugged, not sure how to answer. “I’m not sure what happened with Asmo earlier, and it may not be my place, but I think you should speak with him once you’re ready.”

“You’re right, it’s not your place.” A sigh quickly followed her words, knowing the anger was misplaced. “Where is he anyways? I’d have thought he’d vying for center of attention.”

Solomon raised his eyebrows, only humming in response. That’s all he needed to do though. If he hadn’t spoken with anyone, he obviously wasn’t in the place to dazzle a crowd. While she felt guilty, she was also relieved Asmo at least realized he’d gone too far.

“You know, I find it a bit odd you haven’t manifested any magic.” Cass glanced at Solomon, wondering where the change of subject was leading. “I’m curious to know what would happen if you could take control command demons with your pacts. How would you feel about borrowing mine?”

Cass stilled. He was going to come up with a reason why he was offering that, because Solomon would never admit the truth. He wanted to lend them to her, so she felt safe enough to approach Asmo now. No matter how he acted, Solomon really did care about him.

“And why would you do that?” Cass asked, playing into it. “Do you have a booty call and want to hide it?”

Solomon laughed, the music loud enough it didn’t draw any attention to their conversation. “You know, if your magic is strong enough, you can make it so demons don’t have that feeling.”

“So why is it that Asmo is so familiar with that feeling when it comes to you?”

“I said you can, not that I did.” Solomon winked like the cheeky bastard he was. “How would you like to experiment a bit and know what it’s like to have magic and possibly control a demon? We wouldn’t want to waste the opportunity since it’s a retreat.”

Once the song ended, Diavolo started introducing her to what felt like everyone. By the time the dance was over, she was ready to spend the next few days in solitude. Before anyone could stop her, Cass slipped away down the first empty hall, wandering the castle for a moment’s peace.

She didn’t have many options. Preta had disappeared halfway through the dance, sending her a text later that an emergency had come up. It was passed the point she felt comfortable venturing down the streets alone.

While there were plenty of rooms at the castle, there’s no telling what hid behind some of the doors. Even with Solomon’s magic, she’d rather avoid being thrown back into the underground labyrinth, especially alone.

Cass debated whether to just find a safe enough area to sleep or risk going to the room she’d been assigned to and coming across Asmo. There was a chance they’d rearranged sleeping arrangements because of this afternoon. Before making up her mind, however, she stumbled across Mammon.

He was pointing at the doors he passed, as if counting them from the corner he’d just rounded. Like her, he was still dressed in his outfit from the dance though his horns and wings were out of sight. It didn’t take a genius to figure out he was doing something he wasn’t supposed to be.

“Whatever you’re planning, I’d reconsider.”

Cass had never seen anyone jump the way did Mammon had. He’s lucky it was her that had come across him, considering he hadn’t been aware of his surroundings. His hand went to his heart to calm down before he started muttering under his breath.

“I’m not doing anything bad,” he whispered once she was close. She glared at him. “Okay, fine. I saw something in Lucifer’s room last night that would be really easy to steal. Nobody will even notice it’s missing. I’ll be so fast, they won’t even know I was here.”

Mammon opened the door, holding his finger to his lips to signal she needed to stay quiet. Mammon didn’t give her an option to follow or not. He grabbed her arm, pulling her into the pitch-black room, letting the door close softly behind them.

Cass squinted trying to adjust to the darkness. Something was wrong, that much was clear. The room was damp, as if someone had been stuck inside panting. A soft breeze blew through the room, but it carried the same warm, damp feeling. There was nothing refreshing about the air or the smell of death it carried.

“Shit,” Mammon whispered, grabbing onto her arm. “There’s something slippery on the floor.”

Before Cass could get more information, a loud grumble echoed around them. The sound was not unlike Beel when he hadn’t eaten enough. Had Mammon got confused and ended up in Beel’s room? Whatever was in the room shifted, and three pairs of eyes narrowed in on Mammon and Cass.

“Aw, it’s just a dog!” Cass practically squealed, rushing forward to pet the multiheaded animal.

The dog growled when Mammon grabbed her arm, pulling her back. “What the hell are you thinking? That’s Cerberus. We’ve got to get the hell out of here.”

“What? No, I think he’s just lonely.”

Mammon released her arm, frantically looking for a door. When he was distracted, Cass reached up, scratching beneath one of the dog’s chins. Even in the dark, she could see his tail wagging. While still loud enough to be terrifying, a deep satisfied rumble came from the dog.

“There’s another door here,” Mammon announced.

He picked her up by the waist, ignoring her protests and ran through the doorway without hesitating. They started falling, surrounded by darkness before crashing onto the stone floor of the labyrinth. Mammon cursed, taking the brunt of the fall since he was still holding Cass. She dusted off her clothes, helping him stand.

“We’re back in the labyrinth,” Cass groaned, stating the obvious.

“Yup.”

“Do you also think that noise is Henry 1.0 making his way towards us?”

“Most likely.”

“Bring it on.”

“We should be fine, Asmo charmed it.”

At the very far end of the corridor, Henry 1.0 started slithering towards them. Whatever charm the snake had been under before, it clearly had been lifted. Mammon was yelling at her to run, but she knew there was no point. If they were going to get out of this, they needed Asmo. As much as she didn't want to summon him, thinking it would only push them further apart, it was a last resort. Hopefully he’d understand.

She really should have paid more attention to Solomon earlier. She fumbled through the words, hoping it was close enough. “Denizens of darkness, those born of shadow and those who birth it. Here me, Cass, as I call to summon Den of Iniquities’ Master Asmodeus, Avatar of Lust!”

Magic swirled around them. This hadn’t happened when Solomon summoned Asmo yesterday. Was she too far off with the words that it went horribly wrong? Before her, Asmo materialized, confusion evident on his features. He started criticizing Solomon before he even saw Mammon or Cass.

Much like Mammon, he was still wearing his formal wear, but no longer had his demon features visible. The static caused by the magic didn’t dissipate. The charge only increased Cass’s adrenaline as the snake was almost too them.

“Cass?” Asmo’s eyes lit up, a mixture of emotion behind the initial relief. “I’m so happy to see you, I really wanted to talk to you abou–”

“And I would love to talk to you too,” Cass interrupted, “but we’ve got a much more pressing matter.”

Asmo pivoted, taking in the snake. Cass repeated the chant to help supplement Asmo’s powers to the best of his ability. Within no time, the snake was once again docile, waiting on Asmo to make a command.

“How? When? You can summon people?” Mammon yelled. “Did you make a pact with Asmo? Is that why you ran off or somethin’?”

“No, we didn’t,” Asmo answered, appraising Cass. “Not only did you summon me, but you drew my power out in a way that Solomon has never been able to. Who exactly are you, Cass?”

---

Lucifer was pacing in front of the three of them. Cass wasn’t sure why Asmo and her were being included in this lecture when they hadn’t done anything but get swept up in Mammon’s plans. Granted, Lucifer did seem to favor collective punishment.

“Why the hell was Cerberus in your room anyways? Huh?” Mammon demanded.

“I cursed the door to prevent a certain someone from stealing any pieces to sell. Anyone who opened the door without knocking first would go to Cerberus’s room.”

“Why are you locking up that precious animal anyways?”

Cass crossed her arms, huffing as she leaned back onto the couch. Several of the brothers exchanged looks while Levi and Mammon stared in disbelief. Lucifer rubbed his temple and muttered something under his breath.

“Precious?” Diavolo asked when nobody continued.

“Yeah! He let me walk right up and pet him. When was the last time you let him out? Or gave him a treat? Or spent time with him?”

“I’ve never heard anyone describe a hellhound, much less Cerberus, as precious,” Diavolo laughed. “And he let you pet him?”

Cass withdrew slightly, wondering why they were acting like the dog was vicious. “It’s not like I was a threat to him, why would he attack me? I obviously don’t know him personally, but in mythology, isn’t he just a guard dog that prevents mortals from entering the underworld and souls from leaving?”

“That’s just mythos though,” Barbatos answered, “those stories were made up. Hellhounds have a variety of skills and duties. One of the few truths about him is that he is a guard dog, though what he guards varies.”

“Maybe you all should try being nicer to him,” Cass shrugged.

“Regardless, it seems someone kindly lent you their powers. Very fortunate you had those when you ran into Henry 1.0 again. Don’t you agree Solomon?”

“What? Someone did that? What a kind and selfless act. Truly a rarity here in the Devildom,” Solomon mused in false sincerity.

Asmo, who had been silent since he charmed the snake apart from sharing directions out of the labyrinth cleared his throat. “May Cass and I be excused? I’d like to speak with her in private.”

Everyone’s eyes were suddenly on her, mostly out of concern. “What’s he going to do kill me?” She laughed but the joke was met with silence. “One of these days, you all will find that funny.”

With that she stood up, brushing off anyone’s concerns and followed Asmo out of the room. They walked in silence for a while, making random turns before Asmo came to a stop. Cass knew he was trying to make sure nobody heard their conversation while also making sure they were in a hallway so she felt like she could escape.

Asmo took a step towards her after a moment, lifting a hand. Cass flinched, withdrawing at the action. His hand tensed before falling back to his side. She crossed her arms, trying to calm down. While she did feel safer knowing she still had Solomon’s powers and could stop him from doing anything, she didn’t want to do that.

Even when she’d summoned him and helped when he’d charmed Henry 1.0, Cass couldn’t help thinking about what he’d said earlier. I’m not going to let that happen, you’re not going to control me. It was the same sentiment Mammon had expressed after they made a pact. Just because may be in control of my body doesn’t mean you own my mind.

“Simeon wondered how I would react if I couldn’t charm someone,” Asmo finally spoke. “I panicked, that’s what happened. You said that was an ugly side of me, but it’s not a side of me. That is me.” His voice fell into a whisper, so quiet she almost missed the next part. “I’m ugly. I’ve been ugly since I fell.”

“No one is one thing and one thing only. Yeah, that was you earlier, you’re right, but that’s not all you are. Just like Satan is so much more than his wrath. It’s a disservice to yourself to think that.”

“I could have hurt you. I kept thinking, if I can’t charm her, there might be others I can’t charm. And if I can’t charm people, they’ll leave me when they see what I really am.”

“Then let them.”

“I can’t live like that, abandoned, alone,” Asmo said, his eyes glassy.

“You won’t be.”

Asmo didn’t answer. He was looking off to the side, as if considering Cass’s words and how to respond. She was finally able to take in his appearance. At first glance, it was likely nobody would notice something was wrong. But the little details that were so important to him were missing. A piece of hair or two in the wrong place, make up not as perfect, wrinkles on his jacket.

“There are a few things I want to say, and I don’t want to be interrupted. Is that okay?” The question was met with another long silence before Asmo nodded.

“I know that whatever happened wasn’t something you could control. It’d be hypocritical of me to hate you for that since I’ve been threatened or attacked by all of your brothers when their sin takes over. That doesn’t mean I have to be okay with it and brush it off though.

“I know you’re a demon and think that because I’m human you can just do whatever. But I’m not letting anyone, demon or not, push me around. You said you didn’t want to be controlled. Neither do I. I can respect your wish if you can respect mine.

“I’m also sorry.” Asmo’s head snapped up at the words. “What I said hurt you, regardless of what I meant, and you had a natural reaction. I don’t want to be the type of person that hurts people, especially people I care about.

“I don’t know what you thought I meant when I said that people aren’t worthy of love because of their looks. But I didn’t mean that you weren’t worthy of love. Anyone who doesn’t love you is a fool, Asmo. That may be because you are incredibly beautiful, but who you are isn’t what you look like.

“Who you are is inside of you, flaws and all. Even that side of you earlier, that’s part of you. Pretending it’s not or hiding that is only going to make it harder for you to love yourself and accept love given to you. But you deserve to be loved and are worthy of that, sin and all. Don’t let anyone make you believe differently.”

“Nobody could love who I was earlier, not even me.”

“We don’t have to love every part of someone to love them, not even ourselves.”

She stayed silent, not sure where to go from here. Regardless of what she said, the only person that could change his mind was him. She just hoped she could help him on his way.

“When you’re ready, if you’re ever ready,” Asmo finally spoke. “I want to make a pact with you.”

“What?”

“I've known Solomon for millennia and I’m not sure he sees me the way you do. I think that’s why you were able to pull such power out of me. You said you didn’t want to control me, and I believe you.” Asmo hadn’t tried to move closer to her since the start of their conversation. Even now, he stayed outside of arms reach. “I’ll spend however long it takes proving that I’m as worthy as you think.”

“You don’t have to prove anything to me,” Cass sighed.

“I know, but I have to prove it to myself.”

---

Cass stared out the window, taking a deep breath. It was surprisingly warm outside compared to how cold it’d been the last few weeks. She let the breeze blow over her, as if blowing away the stress of the day. For some reason, she wasn’t tired, even after everything that had happened.

Asmo had gone to bed after their talk. He seemed lighter when he’d turned to leave. Before he could, Cass had wrapped her arms around him. The demon stiffened for a moment, before placing his hands on top of hers. He glanced over his shoulder at her. She returned the gentle smile before letting him go. One day, they might both be ready to make a pact.

“I think he might.”

Almost out of sight, tucked away in the garden, she saw Lucifer and Diavolo. Their voices were so faint, it’s possible they’d been talking since she sat down. Diavolo, not surprisingly, was smiling. His smiles always seemed more genuine when he was away from the public eye, especially around Lucifer.

“It’s good though, isn’t it? From what I can tell, Cass and your brothers seem to be form real bonds. This was the goal from the beginning.”

“It should be. They trust her and are changing because of it. Yet, there’s something about her that’s not letting me put aside my concerns. What if they get hurt again?”

Diavolo didn’t respond to his question. Cass wondered the same thing. She was only here for a year, really. Lucifer had certainly reminded her of that. The three brothers she had pacts with didn’t have pacts with other humans. What would happen when she left if she couldn’t summon them?

“If she and Asmo do make a pact, that’ll be four in a few months. An average human dropped here with no memory and yet she’s been able to win over almost half your council. It’d be difficult to make that many pacts with lower-tier demons, let alone my brothers.”

“She certainly is an enigma.”

“I can’t say I approve of your eavesdropping, Cass.”

She jumped at the Barbatos’s comment. How long had he been standing there? “Were you not listening also?”

“It’s my job to stay close to Lord Diavolo so I can best serve him.”

“Do you think there’s something else going on? A reason I was chosen for the program or why I have no memory, but have been able to make these pacts?” Cass changed the subject, knowing Barbatos wouldn’t budge.

“There may not even be a greater plan that brought you to us. Perhaps it’s not an accident either. There are things in this world that are inevitable, no matter how much we try to change time.”

Spoken like someone who had tried to change something in the past and failed. “Yesterday, Diavolo said you were running errands for the student council, but I could tell he wasn’t telling the truth. You were looking into my history, weren’t you?”

“Has anyone told you that you may be far too perceptive for your own safety?”

Cass released a breathy laugh. “Usually too nosy.” Barbatos smiled. “Were you able to find anything?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I’m afraid of the same thing Lucifer is, that they’ll get hurt. I don’t know who I was or what will happen at the end of the year, but at least knowing could help prevent that. Or lessen the pain if it is an inevitability.”

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