#good lord this au has occupied my brain for so long i gotta get going with it 🚶

[princekirijo]

Every time I think I've finally settled on a Pimpernel design there's always this little voice in the back of my head going "wow it took you three years to come up with that? Lame lol"

[adorkabletodd]

Red as Ruby (Jason Todd x Reader)

 This is part 2 of my first fanfic called Green as Emerald if you’d like to, go ahead and read the first part

I was feeling a little inspired so I decided to sketch my man

 Soulmate AU! Whenever you lose something it’ll end up in your soulmate’s hands/possession. You’ll never find it again until you find your soulmate. Things you forgot existed also goes to your soulmate and vice versa.

Warnings: more curse words than before Word count: 1680

---

It’s been 3 days since my encounter with the famous Red Hood, and so far I’ve tried my best to avoid alleyways that reek of mob gangs. 

Lately, I’ve been occupying myself with twice the amount of work. I kept telling my brain that it’s for the good of my job but I know deep down it’s just an excuse to make me forget about that stone Red Hood was wearing.

Honestly, I shouldn’t believe that he really is wearing my stone, right? Lots of people probably own the same green emerald that I used to have! Though I couldn’t help but wonder.

Besides my parents, only a few of my friends would confirm that they do believe in the miracles of finding a soulmate but some hadn’t had the opportunity to ever experience them. 

...What are the odds of Red Hood being mine?

“You seem to be deep in thought, (Y/N).” I turn my head to the source of that voice and saw Garrick, my co-worker. A good guy, though I wouldn’t say we’re anything more than friends.

“Hey. Sorry, been doing a lot of thinking lately. What’s up?”

“Package just arrived for you in the mail. Sent all the way from Star City by someone named Connor Hawke” Garrick handed me a small packaged. 

“Thanks, Garrick,” I gave him a smile as I take the package from his hands. I didn’t think Connor would reach out to me so soon. Connor was one of my closest friends back home, we went to the same high school together and I always find myself comforting him whenever he had trouble with his dad. He in return helped me throughout the loss of my parents. There’s a lot of mystery to that guy after he dropped out of school I rarely get to see him but there are times where he would always find me in the most unexpected times.

Grabbing a scissor from my desk, I rip the package open and was astonished to the remaining things inside. There were a bunch of old pictures of us together back in our high school days, and a note from Connor. 

‘ Found these old photos of us when I cleaned your old apartment, I thought you might want it back. Good luck in Gotham (L/N), seriously, you’re gonna need it. Don’t be a stranger.

 PS. I also found this little treasure of yours.

- Connor H.‘

One item that stood out was what looked like a tip of a familiar pocket knife buried beneath the photographs. I held my breath once I cleared away the photos.

The pocket knife was a beautiful ruby red with a single black streak printed on the back. The handle still has those rough scratches and a couple of marks that resembles the letter ‘J’ at the bottom. God, I can’t believe I accidentally left this behind. I used to bring this everywhere I go. It became a handy tool though I don’t recall how I gain the possession of it in the first place.

By the time I didn’t realize it was already half past 5 pm. I’ve completed all of my assignments, would love to get an early leave before it gets dark.

---

On my way home I remembered that I haven’t restocked my fridge yet, right on queue: my stomach grumbled. Guess I accidentally skipped lunch again. Just across the street, I saw a fast food restaurant called the Bat Burger.

“…”

Ah hell, why not? I mean it’s not like Red Hood would mindlessly hang out in a food joint named after him and his vigilante group.

When I entered, the place seemed so flashy and colorful. Like straight out of a comic book kind of atmosphere. A lot of pop art style no doubt. Once I finally ordered I made my way near a windowed booth. A sigh of exhaustion escaped my lips, I was ready to dig into my dinner when suddenly a man sat across from me.

Startled, he seemed to be in alert. This man wore a black shirt underneath his dark gray jacket and a red cap. Even though he seems to be hiding his face with that cap, I can see the clear blue of his eyes.

“Um... Can I help you?”

When he noticed my presence, he hunches over his shoulder attempting to hide his face even further. “Sorry, didn’t mean to invade your space but could you pretend like we’re a couple of friends having dinner for just 2 minutes? Then I’ll go and you can just pretend I was never here.” Before I could even question what he meant two other men barge in from the entrance. The man in front of me held his breath waiting for an impasse. I tried my best to avert my gaze away from their peering eyes. Sliding my fries over to him slowly.

The two goons didn’t seem to notice the man in front of me before heading back outside. Once they’re gone the man made a cautious check over his shoulder before exhaling a sigh of relief. “Thanks for playing along.” He was about to reach over my fries and quickly I slap his hands away.

“Just because I helped you doesn’t mean you can actually take my food.”

He raised both of his hands in defense before letting out a soft chuckle. “Well, sliding your fries over to me, I thought you sincerely meant to share me some food.”

“What exactly was all that about?” I found myself saying the question out loud.

“Let’s just say I had a job that I needed to take care of, wasn’t as sneaky as I turned out to be.”

His hand started to fidget on the knot of his jacket string. “This your first time eating here?”

“Oh let me guess, you’re a regular here.”

“My brothers and I always come here to mock our dad, a lot of our... inside jokes came from this place.” The man took off his cap and rake his fingers through his messy hair. I notice the white streak on his jet black hair and the look just made him stood out.

“I’m Jason, by the way. Jason Todd.”

“(Y/N) (L/N).”

Normally I wouldn’t get too comfortable with sketchy guys who came to me for cover. But I gotta admit, this man is ridiculously handsome. “Not that it’s any of my business but, it’s not really safe to be alone at night in Gotham.”

“When isn’t it good time to be safe in Gotham, honestly? And I can take care of myself if that’s what you mean.”

“Oh, I have no doubt about that,” Jason smirked, his eyes gleamed with mischief.

I didn’t know how but the conversation between us continued naturally. It’s rare to find a guy like him to connect with. He’s not like anyone I’ve ever met before and from a glance, you can tell what a sly asshole of guy he can be, weirdly I don’t mind getting to know that part of him. If he’ll let me.

When I finished my burger, I wiped my lips with the napkin and slide the remainings of my french fries left to him. “Here, I’m too full to finish this, you can have the rest.” Jason looked at me doubtingly. “Seriously. Here, you’ve been a good company.”

“Well, it’s nice to know you don’t hate me yet.”

“Keep that annoying face of yours and we’ll see.”

I grab hold of my bag and place my phone inside. “Nice knowing you, Jason.” I gave him a small smile before sliding out of the booth. To my satisfaction, Jason smiled back.

Walking towards the exit, I was about to reach my hand to the door when I heard Jason’s voice.

“(Y/N), wait. You dropped – ...This.”

Turning back I saw Jason lean down grabbing something, in his hand was the red pocket knife Connor sent me. 

“Oh! good lord, not again!” I really need to keep an eye on this thing. I don’t want to lose it for the second time. “Thanks. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I lost this.”

“Does it mean that much to you?”

“Well... Not really, this thing helped me out when I needed a little tinkering. It’s one of those stuff where you can’t really let go when you have it, you know?”

“Yeah... I do.” Jason looked at me, surprised.

He looked at me as if I made him realize something, the way his eyes softens as my fingers traced the small scratches of this red pocket knife.

“You should head back. It’s getting late.” Jason said quietly.

A part of me didn’t want to leave him behind, but another part told me that I should be on my way. “Yeah... Thanks again for this, see you around Jay.”

With that, I made my way out. Urging myself not to look back. Though my eyes couldn’t help but glance back to the restaurant window, I noticed. The time I spent talking with Jason felt like we were the only ones in the room. And we were.

---

The sound of jingling key echoed the empty hallway as I unlock my door. Once I entered I turned the lights on and place my bag on the kitchen island. I made my way to the fridge to grab myself a bottle of water when I suddenly heard a single tap sound from my window.

I became anxious with the thought of someone breaking in. Cautiously I close the fridge and try to reach into my bag to grab the pepper spray. Every second I feel my heart race faster and my eyes scanned on the darker parts of my living room waiting for something to strike.

I came closer, and closer to my bag when suddenly a figure emerges from the shadow.

My mind became blank and the bottle dropped from the numb feeling in my hand.

I was face to face with Red Hood.

“Hello, angel. I believe you have something of mine.” 

---

Oof I had to cut that cuz it’s getting way too long.

Hope you enjoyed it and I have a feeling I’ll be writing part 3 to conclude this Soulmate AU. 

[jamest-kirk]

Mckirk Fantasy AU where Bones is a Magician or a Healer as you prefer and Jim is a Paladin or a knight whatever you think it would fit better... Thank you 😆

I’m not gonna lie, I played this out in Skyrim many times and it’s my guilty pleasure. I realize the whole “plot” doesn’t fit in one part, but their relationship does. 😆

Jim Kirk hates magic. Magic is for Elves, with their pointy ears and tall figures - heads up the clouds. Magic has no place in the kingdom. Or so he’s told, anyway. Because Jim has never exactly seen magic happen, nor has he read about it, because Jim can’t read. He knows letters individually, but struggles to focus on actual reading. The letters in words just kind of jump in front of his eyes, and he just can’t concentrate. Not like he needs a lot of reading in his life, anyway. He spent most of his younger years on his family’s farm, but after his father died in a raider attack, he chose to become a guard. At first he’s stationed in the city, which is fun enough. He gets to patrol, chase and capture thieves, and stop bandit raids from surrounding farms. But then he gets sent to one of the nearby towns, and that’s the most boring thing ever. There’s a few saw mills, an old mine, and a few small shops. There’s little happening, to the point Jim almost misses farming.

He finds Leonard out in the woods a few hundred feet away from the town. On the ground, unconscious, pretty badly mauled up. When Jim kneels down next to him, he’s fairly sure the other’s dead. He turns the body around, and nearly jumps backwards when the other suddenly gasps for air.  "Hey, hey, it’s okay,“ Jim says, “stay calm, okay? I’ll take you to the town healer. Can you talk?” “Yeah,” the other says, though he sounds awfully weak. “What’s your name?” Jim continues, picking up the stranger in his arms and stumbling back towards the town. He tries to keep the other man conscious by making him talk, though the fact that his uniform is rapidly stained red is worrisome. “Dragon,” the other says softly, and Jim frowns. “Huh?” “I was attacked… by a dragon.” “O…kay,” Jim says, “sounds like you hit your head.” “Stop. Put me down,” the other says, and though Jim advices him not to, the man insists. The moment Jim puts him back up on his feet, the other presses a hand to his wounds and mumbles a soft spell under his breath. His hands light up, and when Jim catches on, he retracts his hands from the stranger immediately. “You use magic.” “Yeah.” “Magic,” Jim continues dramatically, “why didn’t you do that beforehand?” “Because,” the other says, “I was knocked out. Almost shredded to death by the damn dragon.” Jim raises an eyebrow. “I think the fumes of your potions have gone to your head,” he says. “You do realize there’s a difference between alchemists and wizards? Of course you don’t. Simpleton.” “I saved you,” Jim says, crossing his arms, “you better show me some respect.” “You’re just a guard,” Leonard replies, “You didn’t save me, you just carried me a few feet. I’m forever grateful.” He throws Jim a small smile, not particularly genuine, and then he turns around and stumbles away. What a prick. At least Jim’s never gotta deal with them anymore.

But then a dragon attacks a nearby village overnight, completely burning it down to the ground. Jim thinks that’s just spooked townspeople talk. It must’ve been a bandit raid. Others say they’ve actually seen said dragon fly. Jim’s present at the hearing as a guard, and Leonard is there, too. Trying to explain to the local Lord that he saw that dragon, too. Jim scoffs. A little too loud, possibly, because it catches the attention of the Lord. “Is there something you wish to say, Kirk?” Pike asks, and Jim shakes his head. “Nope. No sir. I’m sure you’re perfectly capable of drawing your own sane conclusions.” Pike raises an eyebrow at that, but Jim knows he can speak his mind around Pike. Mostly privately, though, not usually in such a formal setting. But then another guard stumbles in, swearing to seeing this dragon, too, and that it burned and ate a few other guards he was patrolling with, so then Pike isn’t really left with much choice. “You, wizard, do you think you can defeat this dragon?” Pike asks, turning to Leonard. “Me? No,” Leonard replies, “not now, at least.” “What do you need to stop it?” Pike continues. “I know it’s a fire breathing dragon,” Leonard says, “so if we can obtain a strong ice spell-” “Okay” Pike replies, “go for it. I’ll give you the gold you need to get going. And a bodyguard.” “What? Sir, my Lord, I work fine on my own,” Leonard says. Pike, instead, nods towards Jim. “James, make sure our wizard here returns in one piece. With the spell.” “What?” Jim says. “What? No, I don’t need him-” Leonard says, but Pike waves his hand. “Pack what you need, leave at dawn. You’re both dismissed.“ 

They leave at dawn, in complete and utter silence because they have nothing to say to each other. Of course, that silence doesn’t last very long. "Are we there yet?“ Jim asks, looking over his shoulder at Leonard, who’s a few feet behind him trying to make sense of a locally bought map. “No,” Leonard replies. “What d'you need for a spell, anyway?” “Books, most and foremost,” Leonard says, “and time to practice.” “That sounds boring,” Jim says, ignoring the deathly stare he receives from Leonard. “Can you tell me if we’re heading towards Forstmarch?” “I dunno,” Jim replies. “What do you mean you don’t know?” Leonard asks. “I mean: I don’t know,” Jim repeats, “I know we’re heading north. But we’re as far away from the Capital as I’ve ever been in my life.” “By the Gods,” Leonard mumbles, rubbing his temples, “they’ve sent me on a quest with a jester.” 

They don’t agree on anything. Two hours before dusk, Jim insists they set up camp for the night. Leonard argues that according to the map, they should be near a small settlement where they could sleep in an actual inn, rather than under the stars. Come sunset, there’s still not a settlement in sight. “The map is wrong,” Leonard concludes, and Jim scoffs. “You just can’t read it.” “You read it, then,” Leonard replies. “No,” Jim says, “I don’t need to read your stupid map. I’m from this land. That’s more than I can say about you and your Elves magic.” “Elves’ magic?” Leonard asks. “Magic isn’t for humans,” Jim says, “it is dangerous, it is evil, and it will backfire at you.” “Says who? Where did you read this?” Leonard asks. “I didn’t read it anywhere, I’ve been told,” Jim says, continuing to walk down the cobblestone road they’ve been following all day. It’s rapidly getting more cold, his feet hurt, he’s definitely hungry. “There’s your problem, kid,” Leonard says, “don’t believe everything your hay-for-brain farmer folks are saying.” “Oh, but it’s written in a book, so it must be true?” Jim counters. “Also, call my family hay-for-brains again, and I’ll give you a one way ticket down the nearest waterfall.” Leonard chuckles at that threat, but he leaves it be.

They take a break near the riverbed. Jim tries setting up a campfire to keep warm. Bones uses a spell to set the wood on fire, to which Jim grits his teeth and refuses to drink the tea Leonard’s brewed. He wants none of that witchcraft water. But then when they’re both almost asleep, Jim hears footsteps approaching. Jim opens his eyes again, and is just in time to roll away and prevent his head being chopped off. “Bandits!” He calls out quickly, and loudly, and he uses his feet to kick the man closest to him backwards so he can safely get on his feet and draw his sword. Leonard’s up in a second, too. Generally, they defend themselves just fine until Jim’s face to face with another wizard. She uses a strange spell, and it makes Jim’s sword cold to the touch. Too cold to hold on to, and even after he’s dropped it, he feels it in his bones. An ice cold chill that makes him shiver and sluggish in his moves. Leonard knocks one of the bandits down with a spell, and is able to get close enough to the witch to struggle her to the ground. “Jim! There’s a truth spell in my book, read it to me, please. She might be able to tell me where to learn this magic,” Leonard says, grabbing the girl’s arms and twisting them behind her back. Jim reaches out in Leonard’s backpack and he finds the book, but he hesitates. “Here,” he says, stepping closer. “I’m a little occupied,” Leonard says, “just read it to me, you’re not suddenly a wizard for saying those words out loud.“ “I can’t read,” Jim says, and Leonard’s grip on the woman briefly falters. “What?” “I can’t read,” Jim admits, both embarrassed and annoyed. Leonard rolls his eyes, using his elbow to hit the girl in the head and knock her out. “Okay,” Leonard sighs, getting off her and snatching the book from Jim’s hands, “tie her up to the nearest tree. I’ll do this myself, then.”

Based on the witch’ information, they make it to the next town late morning. There, they take their much deserved rest. They eat. Jim talks rumors with the local guards while Leonard shops for herbs and potions. They’re bound to leave again the next morning, so they spend the evening in the bar. “How come you can’t read?” Leonard asks, “I’m sure the capital city had decent schools. Even for poorer lads such as yourself.” That last sentence earns him a narrowed frown from Jim. “I can read letters separately,” Jim says, “just not together. It’s like, they kind of jump out at me when I try to read words. I don’t know,” Jim continues, letting out a long sigh and shrugging as casually as he can, “I guess I just wasn’t smart enough for school.” “No,” Leonard says, and it’s surprising enough that it makes Jim frown. “No?” “No, you remind me of my daughter,” Leonard says. “Uh, is that… good?” “Yeah,” Leonard replies, “she’s smart. Has the vocabulary of someone who should be literate. But just can’t seem to focus on words. Takes extra practice and a lot of patience,” Leonard explains. Jim listens, quietly sipping his drink. He watches Leonard reach out in his bag. “That a spellbook?” Jim asks, scrunching up his nose. Leonard scoffs, nudging Jim’s elbow. “Not everything I read is spellbooks and witchcraft,” he replies, “this is A History for Kids. I carry it because it was my daughter’s favorite. Let’s give this a try?”

They still don’t particularly agree on which road to take, but at least things are easier now. They walk most of the day. Come afternoon, Jim teaches Leonard how to hunt with weapons. Bow and arrow, how to wield a sword, and how to strip the skin off fish and rabbit. At night, Leonard teaches him to focus on reading. Smaller words, then bigger ones. Jim still struggles, but he’s actually fascinated by the content of books. 

They reach the cold lands, and both carry the heavy extra weight of warm capes, fur and blankets. They can’t find an inn, but they seek refuge in the stables of an old mill. It’s cold, but at least the hay provides some warmth. Jim tries to read one of Leonard’s books, but it’s dark and it’s cold. Leonard lifts up one hand, a subtle flame dancing in the palm of his hand. “Get that out of here,” Jim says. “Are you serious? After all this time, how can you still think magic’s bad?” “Magic’s for elves,” Jim says, and Leonard huffs. “No. Magic is for everyone. Everyone has magic,” Leonard explains. “I don’t. I don’t need your magic here.” “It’s warm and it’s light, stop acting like I’m summoning the black plague,” Leonard counters. “Magic is bad,” Jim says stubbornly. Leonard grits his teeth, the flame disappearing when his hand folds into a fist. “You– are you mentally deficient? You do realize the quest that we’re on?” Leonard asks. “That doesn’t make it any better-” “This spell is gonna save your stupid kingdom, and–” Jim reaches out, half annoyed, but not nearly as much as Leonard, and he presses his lips against the other’s. Leonard grunts, taking a few seconds to actually pulling away. “What are you-” “Gotta shut you up somehow,” Jim says, and Leonard frowns, leaning in to kiss that stupid smug smile from Jim’s lips now, too.  

It's a little later in the morning than usual when Jim wakes up, but he's comfortably warm under many blankets, and Leonard is right next to him. Closer than ever, and Jim can't help but smile fondly at him now that the other's keeping his mouth shut. Leonard turns around, slowly opening his eyes. "Hey," he says softly, and Jim smiles, too. "Hey. You're finally awake." "You don't look any more ready to leave than I do," Leonard says. Jim opens his mouth to protest that, but instead, he just smiles lightly, reaching out to run his fingers over Leonard's cheeks. "Listen, what I said last night about the magic... I know it's not all evil," Jim says slowly, "I know you're not evil." "If I were, you'd be dead already," Leonard replies, and Jim huffs. "Don't overestimate yourself now," Jim laughs. He sits up straight, grabbing his clothes and gathering his stuff while Leonard gets dressed, too. "You ready to get back on the road?" Jim asks, reaching out his hand towards Leonard. Leonard sighs, grabbing Jim's hand and throwing him a small smile, too. "Finding a spell that can kill a dragon with someone who hates magic, in a cold forest full of giant spiders and angry trolls - what could go wrong?"