#i dont have an excuse for tim in short shorts

[saym0-0]

censorship 😔

i just think jonny would wear a 'modified' fish fear me shirt (ashes did it) over a tassled bikini. .. ..with jorts

[samwise1548]

SHORT HAIR GPT (2014)!!!!!

[hypocriticaltypwriter]

A random ask for mi wifey👀✨

For chrysta and the boys how did they know they were ready to have kids? Who wanted to have kids in the first place? Was it planned and talked about? And how was chrysta during each of her pregnancy’s? ((Moods,cravings,etc)) who did she tend to cling onto more???

Bonus: was there a lullaby/song that she sang her babies to sleep???🥺

GUYS.... I NEED A MINUTE MJ IS LETTING ME INFODUMP I- ✋️✋️✋️😔😔😔 OUUUGHHH

OK ILL TRY NOT TO RAMBLE TOO LONG I PROMMI ILY 🙏🙏🙏 💙🩷💙🩷💙🩷💙🩷

SO, Let's see where we should start first... >:]

The idea of kids between the boys was one that actually wasn't mentioned a lot... And if it was, it would probably be dropped after a minute or two of the conversation. One of the biggest concerns with it all was the fact Chrysta was still human at this point, (Fun fact, she was human for both Anastasia AND Jennifers births, she turned after some issues with Jenny's brith that the guys just couldnt risk again) and she wasn't really prepared to take the next step and enter through the Veil of immortality.

It wasn't like anything truly onsided! (Like Chrysta wanted kids, and the guys didn't, or vice versa.) Simply the life and hassle of chasing baby vampires around the Boardwalk just didn't seem like something in the cards for the coven.

Oh... But then there was that weird maternal smell starting to linger around the cave - almost similar to the one that'd hang around Star when she was left as Laddie's caretaker. And that murmur in Chrysta's heartbeat began to become way too distinct to be a murmur as the sound grew stronger... Especially to David.

While the other guys could smell and hear just enough to start panicking and getting a little nervous, it was 10× stronger for David, which made him catch on real quick that Chrysta was pregnant, and it was with his kid.

Now, the only problem they were trying to figure out before going into full panic mode was... Did she herself know?

Short answer? Yes. 🫣

After like- 2 months in of acting as though everything was all good and normal, the nights on the back of bikes was starting to become too risky and wreckless to take chances, and the smells adorning the boardwalk were too strong to just run straight to a restroom to throw up that evenings meal and excuse it with having to freshen up makeup in the bathroom.

She knew it was only a matter of a few more days till she broke the second the boys had come to her window late at night and saw Chrysta hurriedly shove a bunch of her old scrapbooks of her as a baby with her mom and any other childhood memories glued into the pages for whenever she got homesick in the summers.

David looked right her the second they were invited in and stated blunt and with no room for argument: "You're hiding something from me, aren't you Chrysta?"

Didn't take long for the poor thing to burst into tears, stating in between sobs that she was scared but she was prepared to take the next step and become a Mama, and she felt damn ready to leave Santa Carla and do it herself if she had to.

Dont worry David got her to calm down and reassured her she wasn't about to leave Santa Carla, and she was definitely not having and raising a kid (let alone a VAMPIRE) by herself. And she's got four daddy's to help her out. 🥺🥺🥺 She just cried harder after that LMAOOO

So then after sweet Annie was born, it wasn't long until the baby fever kicked in for the rest of the boys, and they started realizing they wanted a chubby, green-eyed bundle of fangs and giggles resembling themselves to give a little more lovin' to. 🫠💜💜💜 Chrysta had fight them off with a stake for a good while there BAHAHAHA

And how was each of her pregnancies?

About six months in Chrysta actually felt pretty good! It was just the normal pregnancy things you'd expect and nothing she was too worried about that she hadn't read about in the baby books... But those last two months were rough.

Given she was a human, it wasn't a surprise that her body had a hard time taking the energy it did to prepare herself for a baby vampire, so instead of taking just half the energy it would, it took ALL if her energy and health and pretty much left her super sick those last two months.

Her legs hurt, her ankles were sore, everything was too hot, her back and abdomen ached, and for some reason she really wanted to eat/craved raw meat. 😬😬

Of course things went pretty smooth during the birth, and Chrysta only took a few weeks to recover and get back to her old self! It wasn't until the second pregnancy that the scary stuff happened.

What Chrysta went through her last two months during Anastasia lasted the whole nine months with Jennifer. It left her in some nasty shape afyer the birth so much so that Max had to tell his boys if they planned to add any more to the little pack, Chrysta was gonna have to become a vampire.

It didn't take much convincing, Chrysta felt ready for it at that point, wanting to take that final step and spend an eternity with her mates and especially her kids.

So after becoming a creature of the night, Chrysta had normal and easy pregnancies+ births for Tiff, Kat and Chris! Still got the last two months sickies tho...

The cravings overall just extended to meat or anything with blood- even as a human if she pricked her finger with a needle or got a papercut she found herself sucking on her finger draining the cut a little too long for comfort. And if the boys decided their little Mama needed to be spoiled, she'd always request stake as rare cooked as it could get-like, this girl would beg for it, clapsed hands, puppy-dog-eyes and everything.

And who she clinged to the most during the nine months was probably whoever the dad was. Given a birthing bond was between them, whichever one of the boys baby Chrysta was having was gonna be watched over by the biological papa.

During the day (or a few of the nights when Chrysta was getting used to it still) the one singular boy would break off from sleeping in the rafters with the rest if the family and stay on level ground to watch over and protect Chrysta given the vulnerable state she's in- and she can't exactly sleep upside down in her condition.

... But it wasn't rare her go-to's for when she just felt clingy was probably Dwayne or David. Not that Paul or Marko weren't treating her less or anything! But sometimes she just needed to hug an arm or lean against a back to ease her sore one without any questions asked. 💜💜💜💜

EDIT: OML AND FIR THE LULLABY QUESTION:

She hummed or sang to the tune 'Still Loving You' by the Scoprions 🥺🥺🥺

[woahajimes]

So this is more of a personal opinion but the Teen Titans run in 2003 is... really painful to read as someone who got really attached to the Young Justice (98) run. For a whooole number of reasons.. but today I will concentrate on bart (because like for the past three days al ive talked about is bart) 

Because the first issues are all “Impulse you’re so fucking useless” and “ew don’t touch me” and “Oh my god conner i missed you so much” and absolutely nobody believes in Bart. And it pisses me off. 

Wally was written as such a fucking asshole. “I took things seriously” OH IM SORRY MR PERFECT THAT NEVER FUCKING GOOFED AROUND AND HAD FRIENDS AND GOT EXCITED AND USED HIS POWERS TO HIS ADVANTAGE???? and suddenly bart does it and he’s such a fucking failure and he’s not good enough???? Give me a fucking BREAK. “I founded the titans” okay yes do you want a gold star??? So petty and for what smh

And I mean... bart is so... he’s bart. and I absolutely love him. He’s just excited, and people take this as ridiculously stupid and immature. And YES i have read the issues where bart spends three solid minutes talking to a cardboard cut-out of the flash, but he’s just a kid... he deserves better than whatever the fuck this run is

.... let that one linger. I mean I’m no Bart but hearing that hurts. A lot. 

And Cassandra (i refuse to call whoever she is ‘cassie’) was such a bitch to him?? i get that she got expelled from school but the rest is all bullshit (cassandra here got expulsed because she threw a tantrum and gave out her secret idenity to the whole school and used her powers, which already tells you that this is out of character- although she might have done something similar but she wouldn’t go as far as she did)

You can’t even blame Bart for being ‘immature’ and ‘childish’ here because they’re literally 16???? 17 at most and Cassandra is written as such a fucking bitchhh in the whole runnn and im pretty sure all my mutuals hate me for saying it so often but it makes me so angry (as you probably noticed). And I’m not talking about the costume design (although, if you ask me it’s really out of character and also its ugly and my baby cassie would have done waay better than that. I mean she had biker shorts because they were good to kick in and now she has JEANS???? and a belt to top that WITH A HEADBAND???? cassie is a barette bitch and her hair is short because she likes it like that and she would rather die than get bangs). And I don’t know what’s going on with her, but what the fuck is up with tim?? I’m sure he’s got his shit going on at home with batsy but like.... fuck you

they’re all being such assholes to bart, but he’s there nonetheless, energetic and bubbly, as if nothing’s happened. He even had a heart-to-back with Cassandra (you can guess who spilled their heart and who gave their back)

Oh and don’t let me forget that after this, Cassandra still thinks on leaving. But then cOnNeR goes “no you belong here” and cassandra goes “aw youre right lets kiss now” (not that i have anything against kon or the ship but it was just taken to extremes in this run, because conner this and conner that and lets clone my dead best friend and your boyfriend oh and lets kiss too because we totally dont do that enough)

Now they’re at this prison of sorts and there’s a fire, and there’s smoke and Bart takes in consideration that he might hurt someone if he goes too fast (because of the smoke) 

And oh im sorry okay cassie no need to use THAT tone (although ill let it slide, it’s cool i get it- sorta)

AND THEN BECAUSE ITS TOTALLY NOT MOTHERFUCKING ENOUGH BECAUSE NOBODY HAS NEGLECTED BART ENOUGH ALREADY THIS HAPPENS

“help out impulse” NO FUCK YOU???? ‘Oh impulse the smoke just magically cleared stop being so useless” EXCUSE YOU???? and may i add that kori is also... not that nice to bart...

OH AND MAY I ADD THAT AS BART WENT IN THE BUILDING (because KORY told him to) HE GOT SHOT WITH A TRANQUILIZER THAT IMMOBILIZED HIM FOR A FUCKING HALF MINUTE AND THEN SLADE BLEW HIS KNEECAP OFF??? AND IT DIDN’T OCCUR TO FUCKING KORY THAT IT WAS HER THAT TOLD HIM TO GO IN THE FIRST PLACE???? hhh

call me insane but this is just.... really out of character (then again almost the whole thing is) because you can’t tell me that Cassie and Kon (and tim and cissie and greta and literally anyone that bart has ever interacted with because that’s the effect that he has on people) wouldn’t destroy every piece of shit in their way to blow off slade’s other eye. and after this they do go after slade but like hhhhhhhhhhhhh my boy deserves better okay reading these issues is just liek pouring bleach in my eyes its just... sigh

OH AND THEN BART GOT AGED UP AND IM LIKE OKAY AND THNE HE DIED RIGHT AND THEY GRIEVED HIM FOR LIKE TWO MINUTES AND THEN THEY WENT BACK TO CLONING CONNER AND IM JUST LIKE???????

[thoriffix]

i rly dont have an excuse for this @vanillaa-sky n i jus think tma deserves more fun fashion i guess n tim and martin especially <3

[image description: a digital drawing of tim and martin from the magnus archives, drawn in a very simplistic style with watercolour-style colouring. tim is a tall white man with short dark hair in a quiff. he is wearing a pink and black plaid dress, with lots of frills and bows and an attached choker, and black leather platform boots with heart shaped buckles. martin is a fat, slightly smaller white man with brown curly hair and red heart shaped glasses. he is wearing a yellow fur coat, leather trousers with a cow print, and red heeled boots. they have matching red streaks in their hair. tim is leaning on martin’s shoulder and looking at him with a smile. martin is holding his coat closed with one hand and has his eyes closed with a big grin. end id]

[alphinias]

Do you think theyre baiting us with Tim amd Lucy in The Rookie? I havent watched the latest eps since i dont like the direction of the show, but im invested in these two. It's just that my trust issues run deep and im getting bellarke war flashbacks, so i dont know what to think. Honestly, rn im like "call me when they get together". Seriously, i cannot bear another disappointement

Complicated question, isn’t it? Lol. Something the fandom is definitely super divided on.

Look, I’m not 100% sure what they’re trying to do with Chenford right now. I will say that I have not been as impressed with their writing and the show as a whole since maybe 3x01, and I also have not watched in several weeks. It feels like it’s lost a lot of direction and the storyline is uneven. They have random moments with unrealistic/no real follow through in the storyline, like they are a little afraid to hit the gas too soon and a little unsure about what exactly qualifies as a realistic scenario that would fundamentally alter a relationship. I don’t like that I feel like I have not been presented with a clear vision of what either character is thinking, and it’s not consistent.

Had this happened before Bellarke when I lost a certain amount of trust in television producers, I would have probably said “oh meh it’s fine” because common sense says Chenford has to happen at some point. It should be obvious. Now, I don’t love what I’ve been presented with and I don’t feel the need to stick around because it’s triggered my fight or flight a little bit, I must admit. The committing just enough but not really in the storyline reminds me way too much of Bellarke.

I don’t think it’s that Alexi is totally baiting us or doesn’t intend to most likely let chenford happen eventually, per say. I still think most likely they will get together at some point, but I also think chenford is not a priority to him the way it is to the audience, which is scary. I don’t feel like I would be totally shocked if they don’t happen for this excuse or that excuse. It’s apparent they want their Nathan Fillion show, and right now I just think the Chenford relationship feels stalled/unrealistic and has lost a lot of what made them special for me. It’s sad to see!

In short, anon, I do think they’ll probably be endgame, but I also do not trust this show anymore the way I once did. It triggered my Bellarke trauma as well.

[jasperswh0re]

Savior [Raylan Givens x reader]

Part four! Sorry this is so late. Also sorry it’s kinda short. Gender neutral reader as always :D also I finally realized a good ending to this series, there might be only a few more parts left

Summary: Raylan finds out why you’re in Kentucky. And it seems that you’re the calm before the storm.

Word count: 1,446

Warnings: Alludes to sexy times but its skipped over (i dont write smut, sorry)

part three

---

You were forced into protection by the U.S. Marshall service the morning after the attack. Raylan didn’t give you much of a choice. The unanswered question still lingered in the air. 

You never answered him. You’ve been dead silent since the night before. It was starting to give him a headache. Actually, maybe that was the hangover.

Raylan was pacing around his workspace, waiting for your interview with his coworkers to end. He didn’t have the opportunity to sit in on the interview since Art said it was a conflict of interest.

Eventually, Rachel and Tim left the conference room simultaneously. You stayed in your seat while thinking over everything. Raylan wanted to go and comfort you but he needed answers.

The look in his eyes was enough for Rachel to skip past him, throwing some excuse to grab a coffee. Tim attempted to do the same but Raylan placed a hand on his coworker’s chest and stopped him in his place.

“Why are they here?” Tim remained silent. “Tim-” He said slowly, keeping his eyes on the ground- “If I don’t know why they’re here... Then I can’t help them. Any information you give me can save their life.”

The deputy looked to the side and sighed, “They’re in Kentucky because of some sort of family thing.”

“Family thing?”

Tim met his friend’s eyes, “They’re distantly related to the Crowder’s. They suspect that Bo Crowder is after them.”

Raylan was frozen where he stood. His eyes flickered to you in the conference room. The rim of his hat barely hid his deadly glance. 

You were messing with a dent on the table. You could feel his stare. All you wanted to do was melt away forever.

“Alright,” Raylan held his composure. “I’m taking them out of town.”

“Art knew you would say that. I’m coming with you.”

The majority of the car ride was silent and Tim could feel the tension in the air. As he sat in the passenger’s seat, his eyes would dart between you and Raylan.

You were comfortable in the backseat. Tim was kind enough to get you coffee from the office, as crappy as it was. As usual, you were unnervingly calm.

Raylan tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, biting down on his lower lip. Everything he wanted to let out he held in for as long as he could.

The two marshalls came to the conclusion that it would be best if you stayed at Raylan’s motel. Your room was next door and easy access for both of them. But the three of you stayed in Raylan’s room for the time being. You still never spoke.

“Well, I’m gonna turn in,” Tim stood. “Raylan, are you taking the bed or will you be a gracious host?”

Raylan threw a playful glare at his coworker and gestured towards the bed. You stood from your seat across from him.

“I’ll walk you back to your room,” Raylan stood up quicker than any bullet shot from his gun. You held up a hand to stop him but he followed anyway.

“Goodnight, Raylan,” You said, facing the doorway and clutching the knob. Raylan flipped you around by the shoulder, keeping you against the wooden frame.

“What is the matter with you?”

“Excuse me?” You stared at him with a certain harshness. His brown eyes were desperate.

“You’re- ...You’re insane! You’re completely insane, (Y/n),” Raylan whined. “Someone is after you and you’re sitting like a duck. A duck waiting to be shot.”

“I am not a duck, Raylan.”

“You know that’s not the point,” He stuck his finger at you.

"Then what is the point?”

Raylan’s voice went up in volume. “The point is that you’re not afraid!” 

“Why should I be?” You matched his voice.

“Because you could die!” Raylan lifted his hands as if he was about to cup your face but didn’t. His large hands dropped while he stared at the floor, trying to wipe the stress off of his face. 

“The fact is you nearly died,” He talked slowly. “...And with your lack of a response to the situation... I am inclined to believe that you’re not bothered by that fact.”

It took a while for you to respond.

“I’m not.”

“Why?” He whined. “Why in the world are you okay with that?”

You looked away from his face, afraid of what you could say when staring into his eyes. “I’m not okay with it. It’s just... complicated.”

“Try me.”

You looked back at him after a moment passed. It dawned on you that he hadn’t stopped staring at you in the past thirty-six hours. Like you would vanish at any second.

The Kentucky breeze flew by your figures. A cool comparison to the heat your bodies shared. 

Raylan was so worried. You hated to see him like this. If he knew the truth, would it make everything better or worse?

You drew a long sigh and pushed Raylan onto the outdoor furniture on the porch. His hard gaze remained.

“Assuming you know I’m related to the Crowder’s,” You began. “Only distantly... But not distant enough.”

“I’m aware of the Crowders,” Raylan said. “I didn’t know you were from Harlan.”

“I’m not,” You said. “Not really. My parents had me in Louisiana, but when I was three I moved to Kentucky. In another small town not far from Harlan... We visited often.”

You scratched your forearm, suddenly nervous. Raylan had never seen you like this. You continued.

“Long story short, my parents got involved in the drug business that Bo Crowder was in charge of. They never repaid their debts and...” You could feel yourself tearing up. “Now they’re gone. They had someone sent up to Oregon to off them... Honestly, the Crowder’s have been tormenting my life since.”

You didn’t dare look him in the eye as he placed a comforting hand on your back. 

“I figured I would just get it over with... I have no money to spare so-”

“So you just offer yourself up... Like- like... Some sort of sacrifice?” Raylan stared at you wildly.

“I have nothing to lose, Raylan,” You met his furious eyes. “I have nothing left in my life. The only family I had left in the world is gone.”

All Raylan could do was stare at you. He watched as silent tears trickled down your cheeks. He inched towards your figure and inclined his head to place a subtle kiss on your cheek, where the tear streaks ran.

You looked at him dumbfounded and found yourself unable to speak. Raylan gently kissed your other cheek, then continued to do this until his lips met yours. They were hesitant. Gentle. You leaned into his body, finally allowing him in. 

Your hands lifted to his cheeks. You could feel the stubble on his skin as you inhaled his scent. He tasted like whiskey but smelled like Cypress. 

Somewhere along the lines of this, you found yourself pressed against the cushiony duvet of your motel bed. Raylan’s large hands trailed all over your body as you did your best to rip off his extra clothing. 

By the end of the night, you both were cozied under the covers. Raylan’s grasp on you was tight. With one arm under and another over your torso, his head rested comfortably on your own, you stayed in a spooning position. Neither of you spoke for a long time but remained awake.

“I’m here,” Raylan finally said.

You hummed in response, too tired to speak. 

“You said everyone was gone... Well... I’m here,” His southern drawl was deep and full of compassion. 

“Raylan...”

“No, no... You had your time to speak,” He said. “...You know... I’ve been running around this damned state for weeks. Hell of a lot longer before you came along.”

You stayed silent.

“And I get it. I know how easy it is to give up. I don’t love it here, not as much as the next person,” He chuckled. “But laying eyes on you, that day we met... Life felt a little different in Kentucky. I found myself involuntarily looking for you... How weird is that?”

You gave a tiny laugh, holding Raylan’s hand against your beating heart. “Kinda weird...”

He sighed, “Then I saw you in that bar again. For a split second, it was like I could breathe. It was like I was drowning and you were the breath of fresh air.”

Taking in Raylan’s words, you didn’t say a thing. You slowly kissed his fingertips before falling into a deep sleep. When your breathing steadied, Raylan nestled his face into the crook of your neck. He slept peacefully for the first time in weeks. 

[janekfan]

hi mom! quick update: i had a panic attack at work the other day. luckily my coworker/manager knew what it was and helped me out but i still had to do the rest of my shift but at least i got the next day off. hours are still bad but everyone around me is talking about how proud they are of me... i just barely managed to scrape up a 50 cent raise... im one of three people on my shift... i cant take time off. i know you already did one for me but... i dont have much else to bring comfort

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27072691

My darling child! <3 <3 <3 This is inadequate! And I shall do better soon! But I love you and hope this offers a little comfort!

When asked later if he’d known, Tim lied. Of course not. He hadn’t realized just how sick Jon had been, certainly didn’t know how long it’d been. After all, no one really saw him most days, skulking as he did around the archives, a flickering, limping shadow among the stacks. Jon didn’t have use for them and Tim didn’t have use for him. Not until they enacted their plan of attack and finished things once and for all.

So no. When he’d dropped by to toss Martin’s research at him he ignored the pallor, the beads of sweat dotted along his forehead and matting his curls. He paid no mind to the dark flush high in his face, the glazed distance in his eyes, the shortness of his breath as he fought to form one coherent thought. A plea veiled in a request and it gave Tim all the excuse he needed to conveniently forget to fetch Martin for him.

“T’Tim...could, could you ask Martin to, to.” Jon could barely finish a thought. Exhausted, he’d been under so much stress, running himself ragged on adrenaline and awful, terrible statements, and he just wanted to see someone kind. Someone who might help him instead of hate him. Someone who maybe didn’t want to hurt him or kill him. Or worse. “I’d like t’to speak with him? P’please?”

“Sure, Boss.”

Martin wasn’t coming.

Martin wasn’t coming and Jon was miserable. But he didn’t blame Martin for staying away. It was alright. He was probably upset with him or angry or had a hundred other reasons to avoid seeing him and it was fine.

Jon let his cheek collide with the tea-stained blotter and slow tears slipped down to join the other watermarks, the rust traces of his blood. With a thin, trembling finger he connected the scars etched into the surface like constellations, each one tied to a memory; some he remembered, some he’d forgotten, some he wished he could forget. Why the old desk even had this second skin he would never know; it was already damaged and scratched and why bother protecting it when it could never go back to the way it was before? Heaving a shaky breath that didn’t give him near enough air to sustain him, Jon closed his eyes. It would be a lovely thing if sleep restored anything or made him feel anything other than relief for the blissful span of unmeasured time he spent not feeling. Floating, dizzy and suspended here in the dark, so tired it seemed like the room was expanding around him with every hard won exhale, shrinking to crush him with every inhale.

It didn’t seem worth it.

Like he wasn’t worth it.

When Jon was asleep, he drifted along unfamiliar currents, memories that didn’t belong to him or anyone that he knew from hundreds of years ago, from mere months ago. From far underwater he listened to the sounds of the office fade away through a closed door that may as well have been a kilometer away for all the strength he had left. Everyone was leaving for the weekend and he wasn’t able to stand. Everyone was leaving and he wasn’t able to call out, snared in these fathomless depths and sinking fast.

Silence.

Thick. Blanketing. Suffocating.

He was drowning in it. Struggling to breach the surface only seconds at a time to snatch at sips of air and seawater.

The safety lights cast shadows that slipped along the floor like oil, into the cracks, up the walls Jon clung to, casting just enough light to see by and aggravating his head. He wanted to sleep. He needed water and it was how he found himself in the dingy break room leaning heavily on the sink, holding on for dear life as he weathered the salt swells, the tilting of the room and the vertigo swirling up, up, up. The first glass met its end on the floor when it slipped from Jon’s grip and he could have sobbed from the loss, from how hard he’d worked for it only to let it go. The next he cradled close in both hands, sitting at the rickety table and gulping down close to half before coming up to breathe. Cool rivulets trickled down his throat, soaked into the neck of his borrowed tee and he shivered. It was always cool down here. For the documents. Only now he was freezing, longing to fall into the cot, just rest, but it was too far away. He’d never make it as he was. He drank the rest of the water and went through the trouble of a second glass. There were no bottles in the fridge, none in the cupboards. He’d never be able to carry it back to his office. Tears prickled in the corners of his eyes. Why was this so hard? Laying his head on folded arms, Jon let the frustration come, shoulders shaking, and when he woke again he forced more water on himself and limped to the doorway.

Which way?

This time, a cough bubbling up in his lungs jerked him out of the deep. It was harsh, painful, and he lost the remaining water in his stomach from the force of it, tasted iron behind his tongue. Groaning, clutching at his aching chest, Jon realized he was on the floor in the hallway. Not even halfway to his goal and he didn’t remember collapsing. His limbs were lead, movement sluggish because of it, and he only managed to drag himself another meter before the spiraling of the corridor forced him to close his eyes. The fever was relentless, sapping him of everything, throbbing in his bones and boiling in his blood. Jon coughed again. The hot, tight tangle in the center of him drew tighter, a noose, instead of giving way and the black lurking at the edges of his vision swallowed the rest of it.

Martin adjusted the blanket in his arms, thinking again that it would have been easier to have put it in his bag for the walk from the train. He didn’t regret his choice though. He remembered how cold it could get down in the archives and Jon looked like he could do with a bit of comfort these days. Maybe being wrapped up in this monster would do it. Shouldering it, he took the narrow stairs, surprised that no one else was here yet. But considering none of them really wanted to do much actual work these days it made sense. Martin got his things situated at his desk, leaving the comforter overflowing in his chair before heading off to start the tea kettle warming. Glass crunched under his shoes and when Martin turned on the light it was clear Jon had dropped it. What was confusing was that he had left it. He wasn’t the most fastidious about his appearance or his surroundings but even he wouldn’t leave broken glass just lying around. WIth a crease in his brow, Martin swept it up, dumping it in the bin before turning off the squealing kettle. He prepared two mugs as usual and the only reason he didn’t drop them upon seeing Jon crumpled up in the hall was because he froze stock still.

“J’Jon?” He abandoned the tea on a desk, skidding on his knees to a stop at his side. “Jon! Oh, no, no. Jon, wake up.” Ashen, burning up under Martin’s fluttering hands, chest stuttering with half breaths. Had he been like this all weekend? Had he been like this before they all left? How did, why didn’t he check on him? Only when Martin slid his arms beneath his body did Jon stir at all, a pitiful sound of pain pulled from between his lips when he was lifted. A halfhearted cough ending in a moan. “It’s alright, Jon. You’re alright. I’ve got you.” He should call 999. That’s what he should do but with all that had been happening, was that the right choice?

“Mmar’in…” He toed open the door to document storage and laid him down, brushed back his curls and took up the cold hand Jon was reaching with. “Ma--” His grip was barely there when the deep, damp coughing jag stole the air right out of him, so strong Martin levered him forward, worried he would choke. Days. Days alone like this. He swept the tears away with careful fingers, traced the shadows like bruises beneath his eyes.

“It’s alright.” He propped him up against the corner, wishing there were more pillows to make him comfortable and pulled away, heart twisting up when Jon whimpered at the loss. “Hush, now. I’ll be back, I won’t leave you.” Quick as he could Martin gathered supplies, medicine for the raging fever, the blanket he’d brought along, a thermos of tea, checking on Jon in his fitful sleep with each trip. He sounded bad, he was having too much trouble breathing and the crackling wheeze was terrifying. The next time he came back it was with a basin of hot water and a towel. He placed it in Jon’s lap, sliding behind him to steady both him and the bowl, gentling him when he startled. “Just breathe, Jon. This, this should help.” The steam rose, bathing his face with humidity and it was probably wishful thinking but Martin thought each breath came a little easier. When Jon coughed Martin pressed a handful of tissue against his mouth, tossing the mess into the bin and letting him curl up against him for just a few moments. He was so warm. Too warm and Martin plied him with paracetamol and tea, as much as he would take before letting him fall back to sleep, smoothing a damp flannel over his forehead and leaving him to rest.

Soft, cool hands, kind, reassuring words. Jon drank them in like a desert after the rain, let them flood him, take away all the fear and loneliness he was holding onto. Martin was here. Martin was helping. Martin was holding him, saying things he didn’t quite understand in a steady voice. He wanted to cry from the relief of it, of having someone, of not being alone and he thought he might have but there was no teasing or threatening. Nothing he did made him hurt more. Everything he did made him hurt less. There was tea and pillows and blankets, warmth to replace the memory of lying on a cold floor and drifting in and out.

But he was gone now. He’d left him alone and Jon wanted him here. Struggling to his trembling legs he gave himself time to steady, limping out of the room and following the familiar voices and latching onto Martin’s. He sounded upset and Jon wondered if it was because of him. Most people were upset with him these days. He heard Basira and Melanie and Tim and he didn’t want to see them but Martin was with them and he wanted to see Martin. Martin with his kindness he didn’t deserve. He was cold. He was shaking.

Tim was yelling.

It made something in him afraid.

It made his chest hurt. It made it harder to breathe. It made him want to hide. And when he became even louder, Jon shrank into himself. He didn’t want to be alone. He didn’t.

“And speak of the devil!” Tim’s mocking tone rang in his head like a bell. “He shall appear.”

“Tim!”

“I’m. M’Martin? I.”

“What, Boss? What else could you possibly take that you haven’t already?”

“J’just--” Still human enough to want, too much a monster that he wasn’t allowed to have. Tim took a threatening step forward, and Jon forgot what he was going to say in favor of stumbling backwards, falling to the ground and knocking the air out of himself. He clawed at his neck, suddenly completely unable to breathe when Tim stood over him, towering and tall and seconds later Martin was taking up the whole of his horizon. Just Martin.

“It’s alright, Jon. Let’s get you back to bed, hm?”

“W’will you stay?” He regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth, the sniggering coming from behind the larger man confirming what he already knew. Martin had already helped him. He had no right to ask for more. But again Martin carried him to document storage and again he placed him on the cot and this time, he stayed with him, wrapping him up warm and safe and tucking his head beneath his chin. Jon shuddered, the aftershocks of his panic and embarrassment still rocketing through him. “Martin...don’t. Don’t feel well…”

“I know.” Martin pet his head slowly and Jon relished it, pressing his ear against his broad chest and listening to the rhythm of his beating heart. He probably wouldn’t remember this anyway, not with a fever like this already making everything so fuzzy, and he wanted, just for a little while, to feel safe. “I’m sorry.” It was nice to hear even though Martin had nothing to apologize for. It was still nice that someone would say sorry to him. Exhausted all over again, the space between blinks stretched longer and longer. “You can sleep, Jon.” But what if he left? He didn’t want him to leave, the thought of it wetting his face and just like before Martin wiped the tears away. “It’s okay, just close your eyes. I’m not going anywhere.”

[applejee]

hi!! tim or bruce headcanons for the ask game??

u kno what, ill do both

tim:

REALISTIC:

he’s not obsessed w coffee, thats based off a single panel one time, i think instead he has a soda addiction. he drinks nothing but zesti. sure he’ll drink water and gatorade and coffee if hes desperate and he’ll join alfred for a cuppa when hes having afternoon tea but 98% of the time tim will pick up a zesti. usually grape flavour. he thinks soder is fucking disgusting

HILARIOUS:

modern tim would have a vine or tiktok depending on the era and its entirely him fucking up parkour or skateboard tricks. it started cause he stacked by accident when ives was helping him film one but it did numbers so he kept doing it and now he has a valid excuse for any robin injury. his most popular one is him trying to jump off his skateboard and parkour over the balcony at the manor but instead it ends with a broken wrist

HEART-WRENCHING:

some mornings tim wakes up and remembers that all his family and friends who died, died, and then is so relieved to remember they’re alive. except for his mum and dad. and that always hurts the most

WHATS NOT CANON (BUT SHOULD BE):

he’s gay. tim is gay. comphet tim stuck in the closet cause deecee are COWARDS

k now bruce:

REALISTIC:

clark is his best friend for a reason, they catch up out of costume at least once a month at a diner in metropolis and talk about inconsequential stuff that doesnt matter and just chill. they dont worry about batman or superman. theyre just bruce and clark, friends, catching up for lunch. clark pays more often than not jsut cause bruce pays for everything else and its nice to treat him for once

HILARIOUS:

bruce understands memes. he has too many kids not to. but he pretends he doesnt know what they are just so he can properly drop a fully comprehensive reference when they least expect it. using yeet in every day language would be too easy, bruce will wait until he’s driving jason back to his apartment with his broken leg and see a sign and go “road work ahead? i sure hope it does” and jason is forced to accept no one will believe him

HEART-WRENCHING:

bruce sometimes lets himself think of alfred as his father because he raised him, but alfred can never truly fill that hole in his life and bruce feels its a betrayal to thomas any time he thinks as much.

WHATS NOT CANON (BUT SHOULD BE):

obviously bruce is bi. hes bisexual. he and harvey were in love and he had a short fling with clark. maybe bruce lowkey had a thing for commissioner gordon once. lets not get started on selina and her strap on and lois’ jokes about threesomes with her and bruce. bruce is bi.

character headcanon ask game!

[creepyimagines]

Me Rating the Creepypasta's and Marble Hornets Characters based on Fan Interpretation and content of character

《《 Because im original like that. Long-ish post warning.

Lemme know if you want a part 2 bc I can't do all the popular creepypasta's in one post》》

Jeff the Killer~ 6/10

Buff asshole who you wished you hated. Got some style to him, longer hair you dont see often. Interpreted as punk rock and I love that. -4 points for being emo

BEN Drowned~ 8/10

Love this boy. I love Legend of Zelda, especially Majora's mask, but that has nothing to do with this rating scale. He's always drawn and written as a punk-y gamer and lemme tell you when I said "mood" I meant "kin". But yeah glitchy aesthetic, cool ass tunic, and a short king. -2 points for age discourse :/

Eyeless Jack~ 9/10

Demon man go brrrr

but in all honesty, I can't find much wrong with him. Loner wolf style but medical genius, has some humor, but the tongue headcanons get weird. Love his mask though. Blue is his color. Also, "bUfF deMon mAn tAke mE by tHe hANd leAd ME to The lAnd-"

Laughing Jack~ 2/10

Bastard clown. Do not like. Not a fan. Im sorry all the clown simps for follow me. Keeps 2 points for being a weird and pretty original character all around. His goth clown aesthetic is pretty killer but I Do Not Like.

Jane the Killer~ 11/10

Crispy, iconic lesbian out for revenge. I cannot and will not go into more detail because she's perfect the way she is. Next.

Nina the Killer~ 4/10

We do be loving simps, but she's just a bit.... Eh. I love how the fandom reclaimed her and I absolutely adore her scene aesthetic, I just cannot get over the whole Jeff Simp thing. so -6 points for bad taste

Slender~ 8/10

Tired eldritch father trying to keep his homicidal kids alive. He tries his best and he hates his job. -2 points for not having a "Best Boss D A D" Mug.

Im not bothering with the other slender brothers sorry

⚠️MARBLE HORNETS SPOILERS⚠️

The Operator~ 5/10

Not exactly slendy in the sense you'd think but the more Marble Hornets centered fandoms interpretation of him. I personally like him as he's a force of nature that has no care of human emotions or lives. He is manipulative and power hungry. A good villian. -5 points choosing Alex to corrupt.

Alex~ 8/10

Craft bastard. I like his character for a few reasons. None of which I'll get into now but might later some other time. Fandom portrays him as some kind of mastermind and I love that no matter what. -2 points for incel vibes

[Lolol THE funniest thing to me is Joseph canonically saying, "Ah yeah, Alex fucks." on a stream]

Tim~ 10/10

College dude with PTSD just trying to have a normal life. He never got the ending he DESERVED but the fandom is merciful and so many fix-it fics exist. Tim is absolutely 100% a wonderful character.

Masky~ -100/10

WHAT HAPPENED DURING THAT TIME WHEN EVERYONE COLLECTIVELY WENT "OH YEAH HED A TWINK" AND NO ONE SAID ANYTHING???

Brian~ 3/10

Hes baby but everyone likes to forget that he's also bastard who can and has taken Alex down. He might not have been in co-con but he buff boy.

Hoodie~ 5/10

[siezure mention TW]

Bastard man who everyone loves. But the more cp part of the fandom is like "UwU he's quiet shy boy" forgetting that yeah he almost shot Alex and yeah he broke into Tim's home to steal his pills and watch him seize, knowing it would happen. But I digress. Still a complicated character that I do like.

Jay~ 8/10

My analysis on him is too extensive, excuse me while I go die. -2 for being dead but also Skully?

[hpfannons]

Oh la la! Thats a fine choice of specimen. Thank you. :) lol. I only ask about the jealousy thing because I remember that Dick said one time that they only get to see him 2 months a year or something... I probably meant the batfam side i guess... lol but its good most Harry’s friend are okay or just roll with it... maybe I should asked some batfam moments during their stay in order hq... I really love that scene where Harry was on Dick’s lap and and the rest are just with them... I kinda want a scene with the same feeling...if you dont mind. xD thank you very much! glad to hear ur answer about fudge and umbridge. thank you so much... im really immersed in this au... looking forward to part 7. >_< thanks and stay safe y’all.

Glad you like my batfam! My best friend and I spent way too long going back and forth on people we could agree on for different characters (I think Tim and Alfred were the hardest… but it was years ago, so don’t quote me on that lol)

Sorry about the jealousy thing though, miscommunication on my part. I blame that for answering at 3 am on my phone XD

Yes, there is a lot of buried jealousy with the Batfam. Though surprisingly, most of it comes from Harry. That’s mostly because all these new family members come in while he’s at school, so it kind of feels like they’re all much more close knit with each other than with him because he’s not there for the large portion of the year.

They’re all happy to include him and catch him up with things he missed while he was at school… But there are some things you just have to be there in the moment for, because retelling the story just isn’t quite the same.

That’s not to say that the rest of the Batfam don’t have the same feelings as well, I think I’ve mentioned before that Tim and Harry especially are very close (actually best friends, on the same level as Harry and Ron) so Tim is definitely one of those people who feels Harry’s lost during the year the most.

Add on the fact it’s not really that easy to keep in touch with him while he’s at school, and it really is just hard on everyone.

As a side note, I fully believe the family would find some kind of way to make alterations to a communicator that will work at Hogwarts. Considering how many people who both use magic and have been involved with the Justice League in some way or the other, I find it hard to believe they haven’t found a work around for the whole magic screws with tech problem. At the very least, Harry would have a way to check his email from family, b/c making Headwig carry letters from Scotland to New Jersey and back is just cruel.

As far as the Batfam hanging out around 12 Grimmauld Place… They’re trying to be as non-confrontational as possible, even if there’s still some ruffled feathers from the first night. So the boys mostly go along with helping clean out the place under Molly’s orders - Jason was originally kind of prickly about it because he’s not a child (certainly not her child), so he found getting ordered around kind of insulting… Until his inner clean freak won out and yeah, this place does need a lot of work. Alfred has taught them all well, and it shows.

Tim mostly hauls himself up in the library when he can get away from clearing out pixies and de-gnoming the garden. He’s got like four notebooks full of information and Ron is a little shocked to find out Harry wasn’t kidding when he said Tim was worse than Percy and Hermione together when it came to information gathering.

Damian has less than stellar people skills at the best of times, and here he’s decided he doesn’t care very much for anybody over the age of seventeen (that’s not family anyway), so most of Dick’s time has been dedicated to keeping the youngest away from most of the Order. Not that he really blames him, Dick isn’t nearly as vocal about it as Damian, but he is also just completely done with all of them. He’s only playing nice because they’re here for Harry.

Bruce has also posted himself up in the library, reading everything he can get ahold of in regards to the history of the wizarding world trying to understand exactly what he’s son has gotten wrapped up in. Because lord knows nobody in this house is going to explain it to him… At this point he’s about one wrong comment away from telling them exactly where they can shove their ‘muggle’ excuses.

There was one notable evening though, when the boys as well as the Weasleys and Hermione were just hanging out in a parlor or sitting room or whatever it was supposed to be. Jason had been messing around with an old radio he found the other day and between him and Tim, they managed to get it working. The minute they recognized Britney Spears’s voice, there were four sets of eyes immediately on Dick who gave all of twenty seconds of resistance before he was up and dragging people along to dance with him. The impromptu party had ended up going on for hours, Tonks getting roped into the fun with them while Sirius and Remus smiled fondly from the doorway. Molly made a passing comment about bedtime, but didn’t argue back when that was quickly shot down by the other adults. Let the kids be kids while they could.

As far as soft moment’s for the Batfam… there are two that really come to mind, though they’re kind of sad though.

The first is really kind of short, but it’s after the battle of Hogwarts, and Harry’s come back from his final fight with Voldemort, and there’s just people everywhere in the great hall, but Harry knows exactly where he’s going. Bruce is standing to the side, watching while Jason’s getting patched up, and trying to keep an eye on his other kids as well. Everyone's a little banged up and bruised, but they’re all alive, and that’s the important part right now.

And then he sees Harry and there’s this almost tangible sense of relief because now all of his kids are present and accounted for, and Bruce feels like he can finally breathe again. And Harry just like collapses into Bruce who has to scramble a little bit to catch him, but then just stands there and holds him, because Harry is just completely exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally. And all Bruce hears is “I want to go home Dad.”, and honest to god Batman almost starts crying in the middle of the great hall in front of everyone.

The other is after the Triwizard Tournament, and everything with Mad-Eye Crouch, when Harry’s in the hospital wing. Everyone’s standing around trying to figure out what the hell just happened, and Harry wakes up still kind of groggy from whatever Madam Pomfrey gave him to knock him out, and he ends up breaking down crying in front of everyone.

Dick doesn’t even hesitate, he’s on Harry before the first tear even really starts rolling and just tucks him into the crook of his neck and let’s him cry it out. Except Harry’s been traumatized and he’s like full-on sobbing, almost wailing, and that just stabs everyone straight through the heart. Tim’s next, doesn’t say anything, just sits down behind Harry and tucks himself up against his brother’s back. Damian and Jason join in as well, Damian sitting on Harry’s other side and just quietly putting his head on Harry’s shoulder; while Jason sit’s down a little farther away, reaching out to put a hand on the back of Harry’s neck. Bruce is standing on the other side of the bed, and just runs a hand through Harry’s hair while they let him get it out and calm down.

And once he’s down to hiccups and kind of stuttery breaths, Dumbledore says something about leaving him be, and if looks could kill… Jason’s still armed, and he almost, almost goes for the gun. Bruce head’s it off at the pass though, saying he’ll go with them to discuss things further and also inform the league about what’s happened, but the rest of the boys will be staying.

Madam Pomfry insists on dosing Harry again, and after some reassurances that his brother’s aren't going anywhere, they get him to drink the potion. That’s as far as they indulge the mediwitch though. Tim and Damian both try to settle down in the bed on either side of their brother, though after some jostling around and being unable to really fit two teenagers and a ten year old comfortably in a hospital cot; Dick and Jason move another bed over flush against Harry’s and Dick manages to coax Damian into it with him, as long as the younger is able to keep hold of Harry’s arm. Jason retakes the seat he’d pulled up to the bedside, kick’s his feet up on the cot and settles in to keep watch over the lot of them for the night. And that is exactly where and how Bruce finds them the next morning.

[squeeneyart]

Breathe in the Salt - Chapter 7

AO3

Beta read by @thesnadger who does a great job

Tim and Martin sit out the nausea.

Martin talks to himself.

“You sure you don’t want to head home for the day?” Tim asked, picking at the grass beside him. He and Martin sat with their backs pressed against the cliff railing, facing away from the steep drop. The lighthouse loomed in front of them, barely casting a shadow as morning ticked closer to noon.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Martin replied. He rested his arms on his knees, his chin buried into the fabric of his coat sleeves. “I don’t really feel like walking down the hill yet? I’ll at least wait for the others to get back.”

“Well, they should be here soon, unless the place Simon pointed us toward is yet another weird building that makes you feel like you’re falling into a big hole.” Tim squinted up at the sky and immediately seemed to regret it, leaning forward to drop his face between his knees. “Ugh, the Fairchild place was almost as bad as here. I’m surprised we survived the walk back down. If we didn’t have someone leading us out, we’d probably be swallowed up by the carpet! Sorry to say, but I think your whole town is fucked. Or any place owned by the weird old guy club, I guess.”

Martin grimaced. “I don’t get how Jon and Sasha seem so unbothered by it. If it were just me, I’d chalk it up to stress or something, but, well.”

Tim nodded in solemn understanding. “‘But, well’.’” He lifted his head and squinted in the sunlight. “It could be they’re faking it and I’m the only one willing to ‘fess up. If that’s the case, they’ve been really good at pretending their stomachs haven’t been dropping straight into the sea all weekend. But, between you and me, Jon can’t act for shit.”

Martin’s shoulders bobbed with silent laughter. “He seems very easy to read, yeah.”

“Oh yeah, I don’t think he’s ever successfully lied in his life, unless you count avoiding a subject altogether.” Tim smiled and leaned back against the railing, brushing a hand over his hair. “Glad you two are getting on, by the way. I’m sure Sasha already talked to you about it, but the turnaround really was impressive. I was concerned he’d just be pissy this whole week over some spilt tea.”

Martin buried the bottom of his face a degree further into his coat. “Please don’t remind me. Anyway, I’m sure having something weird to chase after helped. Means this place wasn’t a total waste of time for you.”

“Hey, it wasn’t gonna be a total waste. I can’t speak for him, but I for one love to make new connections.” He waggled his eyebrow, making Martin snort and turn a brighter shade of red. “Really, though, you’ve been a lot of help. If the walk home is that bad, you should just stay up where the sun actually hits for a while. None of us will mind if you hang around, and I need someone here to prove that my dizzy spells aren’t just me being ridiculous.”

Martin’s mouth sunk into a frown. “No, once they get back I’ll head home. Lunch won’t make itself.”

“What, don’t want to grab something with us nerds?” Tim asked, smiling broadly.

“N-No, I just, y’know, I bought groceries yesterday, and if I eat out too much, I’ll end up wasting some of it, and-” Martin searched for more excuses that wouldn’t bring his mother into the picture and failed.

Tim scrunched his eyebrows together in thought, then took out his phone and asked, “What’s your number?”

“What?”

“Your mobile? In case we need to reach you. And so I can send you dumb shit in my down time that I’ve already sent to Sasha.”

For a moment, Martin sat in stunned silence. “Um. Okay?” He said, his voice cracking in the most embarrassing way possible. Then, slowly, he took an old phone out of his coat pocket, technically a smart phone but just barely. They exchanged numbers, and Martin stared at the new contact before slipping the phone back into place.

“There, now you’re stuck with me. I’ll keep you updated if Sasha and Jon do in fact decide to do something stupid that gets us all disappeared. Speaking of,” Tim said, shading his eyes with a hand. “Here they come now, and Jon looks especially irritated.” They both stood up, grasping at the railing and sharing a weary look.

“Come on, guys,” Sasha yelled from the bottom of the steps. “Break time’s over.”

Back inside, the four of them sat around the table. From the looks on their faces, Jon and Sasha had been disappointed by their short venture. “So, how are you two doing?” Sasha asked. “How’s the nausea?

“Oh, just fine. We can almost get up without losing breakfast.” Tim said. “How was the place?”

Jon crossed his arms. “Unsurprisingly, Simon Fairchild sent us to an inaccessible piece of private property owned by the Lukas family. We couldn’t even get anyone to come to the door. For now, it may be a dead end.”

“I could try to get Peter to let us in?” Martin suggested with little enthusiasm.

Sasha looked at his obviously pained expression and shook her head. “No, bad idea. Simon was pretty clear on Peter not knowing we went to his home. I’d guess that extends to any of us going into this other place. If what you said happened back at the house is true, I don’t want that kind of risk. We’ll have to try it later and hope for an answer.”

Martin let out a relieved sigh and stood. “Good, good idea. I’ll be going then. I guess if you need me for… questions? Updates? Tim has my number.”

Sasha raised her eyebrows at Tim in amusement, while Jon rolled his eyes and scowled. With a lopsided smile, Tim shrugged and said, “What? The guy lives at the bottom of the world. We can’t drag him up and down that hill all day.”

Perhaps quicker than necessary, Martin excused himself and walked out of the building. The last bit of conversation he heard was Jon complaining about a lack of workplace professionalism, followed by Tim making a mocking comment that Martin couldn’t quite hear.

Once he had walked a little ways away, he relaxed. They really did balance each other out, the three of them. He could imagine Sasha breaking them apart in a little while, then getting them on task like before.

His hand brushed against the phone in his pocket, and he felt a little pang in his throat. He pushed the sensation down. Chances were, they wouldn’t need to call him, and it would be best to pay as little attention to his phone as he always had.

--

After the usual walk home, Martin approached his mother in front of the television. There was one of her Christian programs playing, the kind with the television preacher. “Hi, Mum.”

“You took much longer than usual,” she said stiffly. He could see her attempting to swallow and went toward the kitchen.

“Sorry, work ran long today. I’ll get lunch going.” He began to look through the fridge, considering his options.

“I’m not hungry. Just want a glass of water,” she said, her voice hoarse. Martin winced.

“One second.” He quickly filled a glass from the tap and brought it to her. “You will need to eat something to get your medication down. I’ll make something for both of us and we’ll see how you’re feeling then.”

She huffed in response, taking a sip of water and clearing her throat. Once food was ready, she did eat enough for her medication and then some, setting Martin at ease.

“It’s sunny today, if you’d like to sit out front,” he suggested after cleaning up the tray in front of her. She sniffed and otherwise stayed silent. “Okay… let me know if you change your mind. The fog even cleared out a bit-”

“I am not going outside today.”

“Okay.”

Martin left her alone and went back to the kitchen and set some chicken in the fridge to defrost. His future self would thank him later, he thought, and he went upstairs to figure out the rest of his Sunday.

The first order of business was to lay down and sleep for a while. Two busy mornings in a row and he was exhausted, the muscles in his legs finally catching up to all of the extra walking. As he lay down, he thanked his walls, bed, and windows for staying in place and gently drifted off to sleep.

Several hours later, Martin woke to find the sun had retreated back behind clouds and a familiar layer of fog. He reached for his phone on the bedside table to check the time. 4:30 pm. It was almost time to get dinner started, but before he could move to set the phone down, he saw there was text notification. Without his glasses, he had to squint and hold the phone close to his face. The brightness stung his eyes. The messages were from about fifteen minutes ago.

Tim: hey Tim: what do these weird knobs and buttons do anyway

Attached was a distorted photo, apparently of the upstairs console in the lighthouse.

“Shit,” Martin mumbled, tapping out an answer.

Martin: dont know, peter never told me. work the lighthouse i guess, make sure the big light is running. Martin: also what does all the static mean

Almost immediately, he got a response.

Tim: is that how lighthouses work? Tim: means its weird shit. weird shit hates digital

Martin: its the only lighthouse ive ever worked in, your guess is as good as mine Martin: oh good

No response came for a bit, and Martin took the pause to get out of bed. Halfway down the stairs, his phone buzzed.

Tim: update, stairs still bad Tim: arseholes who don’t get spooky vertigo club

Attached was another photo, still fuzzy, this time of Jon and Sasha walking ahead with Tim’s hand just barely in frame, clutching the rail. Jon was looking at the camera with a stern expression, his mouth open in the middle of saying something. Martin laughed quietly and continued walking.

In the time it took to prepare the chicken for baking, his phone vibrated in his pocket a few times. With his hands coated, there was no way to check until he slid the chicken into the oven twenty minutes later.

Tim: dont think anything stupid will happen tonight Tim: no one’s gotten too desperate yet but tomorrow is a new day Tim: will let you know if we end up getting arrested in the middle of the night for trespassing tho

Martin: haha, very funny

Tim: give it until tuesday

Martin’s eyebrow twitched, unsure of how seriously to respond.

Martin: please dont get me fired?

Tim: no promises! ;)

It felt like a lighthearted enough response to put Martin at ease. Tim liked joking. Martin knew that by now. If Tim was saying it, then it was a joke. Plus, it was clear Sasha and Jon were very by-the-books. If Jon would lecture Tim about texting, he certainly wasn’t the type to do anything illegal.

Still, the number of times Tim had joked about it made Martin irrationally nervous. That and Simon being cryptic and threatening. And the buildings trying to make him sick. And Jon-

Sliding his phone into his back pocket, Martin distracted himself with preparing the rest of their dinner. It wasn’t the time to spiral. He had chicken in the oven and vegetables to steam.

Dinner was made and eaten within the hour, and Martin’s phone stayed silent for the duration. When his mother asked to go outside after dinner, he did his best not to be outwardly irritated at her change of mind and did as she requested, covering his face to protect himself against the night wind.

It wasn’t until later when he had just about settled down for bed that Martin checked his phone, under the pretense that he was setting his alarm for the morning. There were no unread messages, so he set his phone down onto the side table to charge.

The fog rolled outside his window, illuminated by the weak light of the front porch. When sleep eventually took him, he dreamed of nothing.

--

When 6 am came, Martin found himself in an empty lighthouse. Under his arm was the expected box of documents he was to work with for the week, which he set on his desk. He then dragged his chair back over from the folding table, which was still littered with loose papers and three used mugs.

“Right, right. Library day. They could’ve at least remembered to clean up a bit.” Martin brought the dirty dishware to the kitchen and placed them in the sink to soak, then looked around for something clean to use for himself. He managed to find a kitschy one he’d always liked, with a tiny, smiling whale on the side.

“Looks like it’s just you and me.”

His voice echoed through the building, the final ‘me’ stretching on much too long.

Martin glared out into the main room. “Yeah, yeah, I’m alone, laugh it up.”

Again, the last ‘up’ lingered and drifted up the stairs, and he wanted to slap himself for walking right into that one. There was no point in talking back to a possibly haunted building.

He settled on silently making himself some tea, then dove into the week’s work. It was mind-numbing, as expected, but after a while it grew to be calming and familiar. The weird ache in his chest gave way to distraction, and hours ticked by without interruption. Martin began to feel normal, or his version of normal before things started to be poked and prodded. Before he knew it, he had eaten lunch and was on his way to the second half of his shift.

“...up.”

Martin jumped, almost knocking over his tea. That had been his voice. Just a single noise that hung in the air with no echo to be heard. No, he thought, no, no, no, he was not going to take any bait in this place. He righted himself in his chair and reached for the pen he had dropped.

“Me. Up.” Even with his original tone resting in those syllables, the new sense of urgency was unmistakable.

Against every part of his brain screaming at him, he took a step toward the stairs. Before he could go any further the front door swung open.

“Hey, Martin, we’re back,” Sasha said, carrying a file folder. “We- woah, are you okay?”

Martin stopped and stared at her, his jaw clenched to the point of pain. “Um. Define okay.”

The three researchers stopped and shared a concerned look. Sasha walked over to set her things on the table. “Okay, okay, clearly something happened.”

“What’s going on?” Jon asked, looking around warily.

Before Martin could open his mouth, his voice came from above. “Up.”

Everyone froze, holding their breath for a moment. Jon was first to break the silence, his voice filled with disdain. “Good. It can record us now.”

“Up. Now.”

“Oh, shut up.”

Tim gripped Jon’s shoulder and gestured insistently to the front door. They all vacated the building and stopped on the front steps, finally letting out a collective breath.

“Have you all, um, dealt with ghosts? Directly?” Martin sat on the bottom step, rubbing his hands over each other. “Ones that take the last word you said?”

“We don’t know if it’s a ghost, but no, not personally,” Jon replied, sitting a few steps up and typing on his laptop. “Can’t say I really believe in them, either.”

Tim snorted. “Yeah, sure, definitely not a ghost in there.”

“I’m inclined to suspect something more concrete. Somehow, the lighthouse was trapping the sound of our voices. According to Martin it only used the last words he uttered, and the same happened with me. With only a few things to work with, it wouldn’t be hard to-”

“To accidentally order us up the creepy staircase of the creepy lighthouse.” Tim stood, hands in his pockets.

“If it’s using ‘me’, ‘up’, and ‘now’, what else could it say? Otherwise, there was just ‘back’ and okay’ as far as I can tell.”

They continued to go back and forth, Jon being much more stubborn about the whole thing than Martin would’ve expected from a paranormal researcher. Maybe ghosts were an especially contended subject? It didn’t seem like it from Tim and Sasha’s reactions, but Martin was out of his depth. People turning into seals was a far cry from specters and mind-bending architecture.

Still, it being a ghost sounded right. There were meaning and intent behind the words repeated back to him, he was certain of it. If that was the case, maybe there was someone or something in this place trying to talk to him. That’s what ghosts did, right? Reach out to the living?

“Then we’ll just have Martin stay outside for a bit,” Jon said, closing his laptop decisively.

Martin found himself back in the conversation. “What?”

“We’re going to try the place Simon pointed us toward again. Hopefully, we’ll be let in this time and get some answers. The library didn’t have much in terms of useful information, I’m afraid.”

Sputtering, Martin replied, “So, what, I’m just going to wait out here? I still have work to do!”

Jon stared at him and sighed. “Bring it outside then. It shouldn’t rain today, and we don’t want to risk anything now that we know something is… active. You’re sure nothing like this has ever happened?”

“No, this is... new.”

“Then the safest thing is to avoid whatever is going on. It’s for your own well-being, and since we’re probably the cause of it, I don’t want to be in the business of putting people in danger.” Jon said. Martin was at a loss for arguments and nodded. “Good. If our luck hasn’t changed, we’ll be back soon. Otherwise, I suppose Tim will text you the good news.” There was a slight, acidic turn to Jon’s voice near the end that Martin couldn’t place.

Martin pushed himself onto his feet. “Okay… good luck? I guess? I’ll go get my work, then.”

Apparently satisfied, Jon placed his laptop into its case and motioned for the other two to follow him. As they left, Tim shot Martin a worried thumbs up.

When Martin walked back inside, he stopped halfway to the desk, eyes glued to the staircase. He had told Jon he would get his things and go outside.

“Hello?” Martin waited and got no response. “If you’re a ghost, now’s the time to say so.” Still nothing. He let out a noise of frustration. “Say something? Please?”

“Hello? Up. Please?”

Taking a glance back at his desk, Martin bit his tongue and internally berated himself. No use giving the place a name to call him. He really was an idiot, he thought, creeping up the staircase as if the ghost might hear his footfalls. Why had he taught it to be polite?

[original-idiots]

Party at Wally’s: Waynes Social Media (Jason x OC)

“Augh!” Duke coughs as the alcohol burns a line down his throat. The others around him laugh, Tim patting his back and Cass holds out a bottle of water for him. “Why do you guys like that stuff so much?!”

Roy downs another cup next to him. “Are you kidding me? This watered down piss is better than the finest wine around technobat.” He grabs another cup and points at Duke. “Because you’re drinking it with friends and not some rich assholes.”

“Anything gets better when you’re not doing it at some stuffy-ass gala full of high society snobs.” Jason says into his cup and Dick coughs into his cup, spluttering and laughing, soaking himself with alcohol to mix in to the sharp scent of chlorine still sticking to him. It isn’t even that funny but at this point the chaotic energy bouncing between them is enough to make anyone of them break into fits of pure, delighted laughter.

Steph raises a brow at Jason as she hands Babs a towel for Dick and takes one for herself. The hem of her shirt and jeans are still dripping. “You guys belong to a family that sits at the top of snobby high society.”

“We’re adopted,”

Dick does another spit take but Wally’s darts forward, turning him around to direct the spray on the grass instead. “Easy Jay, you’re gonna break him.” Wally laughs.

“Tim and Adri?” Cass asks, so quiet before now that Roy jumps and spews his drink when her voice comes from over his shoulder. Wally is just as surprised, not fast enough to move before he takes the brunt of the shitty dollar store liquor to the face. “They’re high society.”

Jason considers it. “Well I dont know about the coffee gremlin-“

“Fuck you Jay.”

“But,” Jason trails off, spotting Adri as she comes out of Wally’s house. As she passes people she greets them or stops for short moments to exhange pleasantries, ever the image of a perfect socialite even in a rowdy house party. Her conversation is perfect no doubt, her smile as genuine as the one creeping onto Jason’s face, beyond his awareness. The other exchange a knowing look.

Adri is an exception.

Jason pulls her to his side the moment she’s near, kissing her hair. “You took too long.”

“Missed me so soon?” Adri asks, giving out the water. She gives them all a curious look. “What did you guys talk about?”

Wally shrugs. “Oh nothing.”

“Just the fact that Dick can’t hold his alcohol.” Babs saves them, smiling at Dick as he feigns disbelief and hurt.

Dick puts a hand over his heart. “Excuse you. It’s not my fault I like to laugh Barbara!” He pouts and if they didn’t know him well enough they’d attribute the childishness to intoxication; but this is Dick Grayson. “I’m pretty sure I’m a better drinker than most- no, all of you.”

“Them’s fightin words there circus boy,” Stephanie starts to grin, a glint in her eye and a challenge on the tip of her tongue. “I propose a bet!”

Tim shakes his head. “Nope.”

“Sans Tim!” Steph raises a finger, issuing a decree. “And Wally because of speedster metabolism- no arguments- we have a competition to see who’s the best drinker slash partier! Questions?”

Adri raises a hand. “Is this really a good idea?”

“Of course not but we’re a bunch of uber competitive fucks with nothing better to do. Who’s in?!”

Dick puts a hand down. “Can’t back down now that it’s a bet. Especially since I know I’m gonna win.”

“You’re gonna eat those words Dickiebird,” Jason grins, putting his own hand in.

Babs joins in next, Roy abstains with the reasoning that he has patrol in a few hours then Tim (“whatever, might as well”), Cass, Adri hesitates, and Stephanie swats Duke’s hand away before he can. “Ow!”

“Sorry Duke. Bruce will already be pissed at us, he’ll be doubly pissed if we get you drunk before you’re legal.” Steph doesn’t apologize, just explains the rules and assigns him as judge and watcher to make sure they follow. “And, you get to do documentation.”

That catches his attention. “You mean take pictures of all of you wasted? Deal.”

“That’s the spirit!” Jason claps him on the shoulder before grinning at Adri. “You’re gonna keep me in check, yeah love?

“Not if she’s joining us, she isn’t.” Dick raises a brow at her. “Whaddaya say song bird? You in?”

Adri looks between them. Their smiles are eager, goading, save for Jason‘s that is more asking than challenging. Regardless she sighs, putting her hand in.

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

The Aftermath

[tellmesomethinggg]

****

linking this here bc it was technically a journal? i just don’t want it on my notes anymore and if i ever (likely not to) want to re-read for whatever reason. please note that i knew people would read this so things are censored and are the basic version. also there was a switch at one point from **** to chris because i didn’t want things to be read

(for later when i got time lmao)

Matt is a piece of shit that just wants to fuck -Chloe

well fuck

here goes nothing

the plan: don’t get drunk bc i got shit to do early next morning and ill tell him tomorrow when i do get drunk. spoiler alert that didn’t work

Gaby (coles gf) came too btw

so i had a smirnoff ice and said no more than two shots after so id be buzzed but not fully drunk (i ended up having three and was very much drunk)

me jon and gaby we’re talking about guys and i mentioned something about liking a guy or some shit and gaby looks at matt and then me and confirms it with me. then she tells me that apparently when she met me and a few other friends at the beach last quarter, that she predicted the two of us would end up together and told cole this. im like wtf how and she claims she’s psychic lol

later, Matt and i are on the sack and he looks at me and goes do you like me and im thinking well fuck so i say yes and he’s like well shit sorry but (and then i forgot exactly what he said) something along the lines of it’s not mutual or it’s not the right timing (i forgot okay) and then he gets up after a bit to go to the bathroom (I’m pretty sure cole went out too) and then me gaby and Jon have a chisme session and they think that he does like me but whatever

so the guys come back and at this point i really need to pee again so matt offers to take me and we start talking and he’s all, oh im sorry if i led you on and shit and im like it’s alright ill get over it, it just might be a bit awkward for me for a bit. but then on our way back from the bathroom he asks me , do you wanna at least kiss your crush at least one time and im like uhh yeah so he kisses me and then we start talking but i forgot about what and im kinda dizzy so he says, oh let’s sit on the couches for a bit before we go back, so we do and somehow we kiss again and then start making out

and at this point im like bitch there’s no way you don’t like me like why would you do that if you didn’t

so we finally go back and it’s been some time so the rest of em are obviously curious

matt goes with cole to the bathroom again and the three of us have a chisme session otra vez and they’re like yeah he fucking likes you he’s prob just scared bc of his last relationship

cole comes back in and basically backs up their side based on his convo he just had with matt

and so it’s decided that we’ll both sleep on the sack, Jon sleeps on his bed and the other two together in coles bed

he comes back and we all “go to sleep” but I push for him to hold me like he usually does whenever we sleep together and around like 2,3 am we both start making out again and just like uhhhh

also we’re both very much drunk but of course i tend to remember things whenever ive gotten drunk, however, he did not and so now we gotta talk and figure shit out and go from there

also im not telling Emilou or Hanna yet until we figure things out so

yeah

fuck

alrighty, so after last night, ive decided to do absolutely nothing about it and decided to just let things play out the way things do. i don’t wanna say something and ruin our friendship that we have bc i trust him a lot and like hanging out with him, so, i guess the end of this note for now, unless the situation changes anytime soon

Can Tim see what I write on this?     -Chloe

Yes -Janet

Hi Tim!

-Chloe

Tim pls respond.

-Chloe

Hi Chloe! Sorry I have been busy at home LOL

He responded I’m so happy!

-Chloe

FYI im just going to add things at the top of the note so that its easiwr to see stuff when i add it bc then otherwise youd have to scroll a ton

and I’m dating shit so i know when I wrote stuff and my memory and yeahhh

FEB 15 1 pm

chillin in alp so lets get this chisme

alrighty so last night i stayed the night in pratts but it wasnt just me so calmate, it was me and jon bc long story short i was too lazy/dizzy to get up and jons roommate had her bf over. basically we both shared the bed, not a lot of physical contact but whateva

brb

anyways, there was also one point where he was watching a movie from his childhood and idk what tf it was but he was shocked that i havent seen those movies, so apparently now im gonna watch them so i told him for payback we gotta watch disney movies lmao

oh also! i fucking got back to my room and took a shower to get ready for class, and when hanna gets back from class shes all like oh you slept in HiS rOoM huh and i was like uhhh yeah and told her the truth like i was too lazy and dizzy to get up and then she didnt really say anything but uhhhh yikes

and then i mentioned this to emilou later when we were walking to class and shes like yeah idk why she did that that was weird and i was thinking like thank God she doesnt think the same as hanna bc shes also slept in his room on the bean bag a few times

FEB 14 2pm

heyyy its valentines day and guess whos still single and workinggg

so uhhh last night, around 1, both me and pratt finished our shit (hw and studying) and im wide awake so im like hey, brooklyn 99? (because i got him into the show and i love rewatching the show bc its sooo good) and hes down so we start watching in his room. were both on his bed but were sitting (for the tie being) and eventually i decide to lay down and use one of his pillows but its the flat pillow so i attempt to steal his other one, which he protests and we lowkey wrestle over it and eventually i fail ugh and i fall over in frustration and land my head on his knee and then just quit and stay there, but get this, he just deals with it and lays on top of me, like his head is on my side. granted we both also have pillows so like his pillow is in between me and him and same for me but like ughhh

and eventually i fall asleep for like an episode (?) and wake up right before 3 am, and then decide hey sleep sounds important bc i have an 8 am and so does he, so i sit up but im too lazy to get up right away so i sit and go through twitter and shit so chris just lays down with his head on my leg and i set my arm down on his chest and he falls asleep for a few minutes and then i finish going through my social media and every part of me doesnt wanna move, but im also in a position that would be uncomfortable to fall asleep in so i wake him up and then go back to my room

oh and the other thing i forgot was that for a good couple hours we were texting and joking around and yeahhh

i feel like im reading a lot into what happens but at the same time, like i doubt id be this comfortable doing shit with guys like this and idk about him, but like sometimes i wonder you know?

also, saturday night, as far as i know, its just me and him going to the basketball game bc idk who else is going (eye emoji insert here bc im on my computer lmao) so we'll see what happens

FEB 10 11am

okay soooo last night,

the plan was to get buzzed, just me and matt and watch Brooklyn 9-9 but then Anthony and emilou joined us so never mind. after a bit, Anthony leaves so he can answer a phone call and pratt offers me shot #1 and not emilou (she’s laying on the bean bag, I’m on his roommates bed chillin behind her so she can’t see what’s up)

we take two and im slightly buzzed but i think “hey lets see how much we can take before she notices” and he’s down so uhhh let’s get this

later we have to include Anthony and he’s down to see how much we can take and he just lets us continue, i get to 4 shots and he finishes the bottle so i can’t have a 5th

brb im gonna go eat with him

okay im back now...

anyways were both pretty out of it, emilou still hasnt noticed and anthony finds this all funny i assume and so do i , and eventually she finds out and then the two of them leave i guess around 2 am and the two of us are both on the bean bag and were both tired and drunk and drunk me like petting his hair and apparently holding his hand and well yeah i kinda hate drunk me bc if that wasnt obvious enough lmao :/

continuin, we basically end up cuddled together most of the night until we both kind of sober up hella early in the morning and kind of separate a bit

and so in the morning guess who brought it uppp and i at least have an excuse that i was drunk and not thinking and just kinda doing whatever drunk me wanted to do (but omggg his hair is so fucking nice to play with omg) anyways imma just die real quick bc idk what happens now

also since no one else was in the room literally no one else knows about this and i think were keeping it that way bc lets be honest if anyone found out about that i think id be screwed for secret keeping and then well yeah

FEB 8 1AM

i remembered:

sunday 2-3

i forgot this happened but before I ended up in chris’s room i was chillin upstairs watching tv and then he came out on the phone with some one and long story short he said something on the phone to his friend along the lines of “you’re gonna have me in your life for a long time” and when he was saying that i was looking at him bc soy chismosa and i was curious and he winked at me and I died

Monday 2-4

so the other thing that happened was I had lunch/dinner with him before my writing class and no recuerdo que decimos, but uhhhh yeah

i like hanging out with him

also, just got back from his room and am more convinced that he may not like me but actually just sees me as a friend but at the same time maybe he does but IDK

i hate feelings and it’d be so much easier if i didn’t have them sometimes lmaooo

FEB 7 5-7 PM

so im currently in the room rn so im gonna try to make this as chronological as possible

saturday 2-2

alrighty so mind you this is the day ive volunteered with ship and have spent the whole day there, (i dont remember why i thought this was relevant :/)

so saturday night, i go to work in his room around 8 (?) so i can work on my essay and finish my shit bc he has a bean bag thats hella comfy to work on

andd so later on, jocelyn comes in to watch anime with him and then after i finish we all decide to watch gabriel iglesias and ended up squishing together on the bean bag with me in the middle of the two of them

and so were all chillin there, laughing whatever and at one point chris fucking pratt puts his head on my shoulder for a little bit and i dIeDddd

and eventually i fall asleep when we start watching emperors new groove and mind you im fucking next to chris pratt like uhhhh my GOD

so i wake up once the movies over and then go to the bathroom and come back and by then he has taken over the whole bean bag and im sad that i cant just get back and go back to sleep so i go back to my room

(hanna doesnt know what time i get back i think and im pretty sure it was around4 am) (emilous also not here bc she went home for the weekend)

sunday 2-3

so i decide hey i was productive yesterday and decide to return to his room to work on shit and try to get as much done before work in theevening

i finish around 1/2? and then i tell him im bored and i wanna do something before work but idk what so he says lets go to the rec room and its just the two of us and its chillin and he puts me on his story playing pool lmao

and then i go to work :(

but then THEN later after work i go for a run and end up back in his room and theres a couple other people there and so were all chilling (mind you this is around midnight)

and somehow i end up falling asleep on the bean bag next to this girl jon from my hall and (this is a secret in a secret) but i hear her get up at one point and then chris pratt then joins me and during the night im tossing and turning and leaning on him a bit (ughhhh i died a shit ton)

monday 2-4

so in the morning around 720 or so i wake up pay dumb and am like oh whend you get here and he explains and then hes like yeah i dont really know the girl who slept in my bed (one of jons friends) and i figured since im more comfortable with you id just move here (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! fuck me upppp) [please note that when i say fuck me up i dont mean that type of fuck]

alrighty thats what i remember that i havent told you, and then the other bit from the screen record was tuesday and now its thursday and here i am in guess whos room again

possibly staying the night lmao

but jons also here so its not like im staying the night staying the night

[marbleaide]

Okay don't att me but what if you did a short abo story of tim and dick together and trying to have a kid, but during a mission tim was harmed and as a consequence he can have kid. Sorry I forgot to say tim is the omega and dick is the alpha, but dick in the beginning is really sad and slowly detaches from Tim until he cheats on Tim. And since they are bounded tim can of course feel it and he does something. I dont know what but it's your preference. Thanks and I love your writing!!!

The coffee is so hot in the mug, pressed between Tim’s hands, that his palms burn. The soft skin of his fingers are red hot. He doesn’t notice. He can’t feel it. He’s been staring at a spot on the kitchen wall for a long time now.

It’s not until Dick comes out into the kitchen, curses under his breathe, and tears Tim’s hands away from the ceramic mug that he finally realizes. His fingerprints feel too rough under all the heat.

“Tim, christ, are you okay?” Dick kneels down beside him still holding his hands, blowing softly against his skin. It sends a chill up Tim’s spine with a knot forming right after in his stomach.

Maybe a month ago he’d appreciate it. Maybe even last week he’d just smile and shake his head and tell Dick he’s worrying too much. Maybe he should really, really, just forget about it all.

Dick...I have to tell you something. 

He feels hollow and numb staring at Dick and he tries, he really tries, to keep all that feeling inside. He can’t lose control, let it go, he doesn’t want Dick to feel it too. Even after it all, he doesn’t want Dick to hurt anymore.

“Sorry,” Tim says and there’s something else in that word he tries to say. “I zoned out there for a second.” He tries for a smile.

It’s not his fault.

I’m sorry. I know-- I know. We wanted--

“You’ve been zoning out a lot these past few days. Everything alright?”

Tim looks at him. Stares. He feels his stomach coil even tighter to the point he’s nauseous, he feels like he’s going to actually puke. He doesn’t understand how Dick can just stand there. How he can ask if it’s alright when clearly everything’s not. When he can just lie straight to Tim’s face without a care in the world.

Tim told himself it was fine. He said he understood. He didn’t want this to be a thing; said he could get over it all and move on. They’d still be happy together. He swore. He promised. It didn’t matter.

Tears burned at the corners of his eyes.

Alpha.

“If you don’t want me anymore you can just say it.”

His voice doesn’t sound like his own. He feels detached. It hurts more saying it then he ever realized and the feelings gets worse as soon as he sees Dick’s face drop, his skin does pale and the grip on his hands loosens.

He got into this knowing Dick wanted kids. Tim grew to want them too. He just never thought--

“Tim, it’s not--”

He can’t handle another lie. “Please don’t. I know what happened. You’ve never been good with the bond.” He tries for another smile like it would help his heart to break less. It makes everything worse, like he’s still covering it up. Making excuses. Christ above, he never thought he’d be one of these Omegas.

“It was only--”

“I know you’re upset.” Tim pulls his hands away, drops them to his sides. He nearly touches down towards his abdomen. The tissue is still pink and delicate and raw. “I know it’s not like we planned, but I never thought you’d go and sleep with someone else.”

This time, Dick doesn’t try to deny it. He doesn’t meet Tim’s eyes. It’s fine, in a way, knowing it’s the truth, even if he thinks it would have been better to just act like it never happened. Act like it was fine. Act like Dick hadn’t stopped pulling him closet in bed. Act like he was still looking at passing children with a longing instead of a jealousy.

Tim can’t handle it. Everything aches. He can barely smell Dick on his skin anymore. They haven’t scented each other in days. He tries very, very, hard not to hold on too tight to Dick’s pillow when he’s left in the mornings.

“I’m going to stay at the manor for a little while.”

“Right.”

He doesn’t deny it. Doesn’t fight. Tim feels numb and cold and hollow and suddenly wonders how much of that is from him and how much of that is through their bond.

Tim wonders if it would be better if he felt guilt instead.

[shauds-archived]

I really enjoyed your JaySteph fic - Simplicity. Have you read any other JaySteph fics? Do you have any favorites that you might rec to someone wanting to read more for this rarepair?

Sorry this took me a couple days, I was looking for all those tumblr fics I used to adore, but either the search features really messed up, or they’re all just… gone (TT_TT) sadness.

Anyway, these are some of my favourite completed JaySteph fics, all alphabetised to get you deeper into rarepair hell. (There are a lot of good incomplete ones too, but I won’t go so far as to torture you further :).)

Aftermath by @mysticalmeowler : Jason and Stephanie room together and bond over things. Eighteen chapters long, really sweet.

Anticipation by Notaparty: Jason and Steph work a case together and hit it off. Now, I am the most squeamish people on the face of this Earth, so I entirely skipped over the more explicit bits and can’t speak for them, but the voices in this fic were very, very well done. Nine chapters.

Bad life decisions by Hinn-Raven: Jason and Stephanie get drunk one night and decide that fake dating would be a fun way to mess with people. The only ones they mess with are Tim and Damian, and of course themselves when everyone else thinks they’re perfect for each other. One-shot.

Don’t be suspicious by Nokomis: Jason asks Stephanie for help with a case. I especially loved how jealous Jason was of Stephanie having homework in this, just let that poor boy go to college. One-shot, but like, a long one-shot.

Meet cute by Sagnessagiel: Very short, and nothing really romantic happens despite the tags, but definitely check it out, Jason is adorable and I loved this one enough that I drew a fanart for it. (I should draw more arts for fics now that I think about it). One-shot, very short one-shot.

Nice to meet you too Sunshine by tonytonesphoneroo5000: (Almost couldn’t find this one again due to username changes) This fic? This fic messed me up. Similar to Aftermath in that Jason goes to room with Steph, but set in the Arkham Knight verse. Jason’s trying really hard to get better and Dick points him to Steph whose also struggling with he traumas. The author does a really good job of showing how badly they’ve been screwed over by life. That part in AK where Jason kicks Black Mask out a window is for Steph in this verse. Five chapters, you might cry.

Unfairness of life by Vampykitty-kun: Jason gets drunk (who doesn’t love that?) and gushes to Dick about how cool Steph is.

And that’s about it for now, thanks a lot for this ask, it gave me an excuse to go back and re-read a bunch of these :D. And if anyone has more to rec, feel free, spread the JayStephness.