#i know next to nothing of bart

[mochi-kitty]

The fact that Barts scouts are pretty much retired as one of barts skill sets just proves to me that no writing exec had any creative juices flowing in their veins when they had to write him after waids run. What do you mean he no longer uses one of his potentially most op skills a speedster can have? One that NO OTHER speedster has?? Are you kidding??

Off the top of my head during a battle Bart could send his scouts in waves to go into the future by minutes at a time and then have them return to him with the full knowledge of every move his opponent will make. If he repeated that every couple of minutes while going super speedy, he’d be practically unstoppable. Seriously,, time scout abilities, his speed, phasing and an entire library of books in his head AND the fact that he achieved the white flash for a few moments and broke physics between time and space and survived doesn’t make you as a writer think “huh maybe I should write this character as more than just his namesake as a personality” ???

[hauntingblue]

I'm still scared in sabaody

This is crazy...

THS IS LIKE 300 CHAPTERS AWAY!!!!! THE SMILE... and mingo being the owner of the slave house for the tenryuubitos... OF COURSE

Look.... luffy enablers vs normal rational people

I was like yeah sure luffy was saying he wanted to become king of the pirates but rayleigh didn't explicitly say roger wanted to become pirate king just that people called him that so I am SURE shanks is saying luffy has the same dream we don't know about as Roger. Which lines up bc luffy said shanks knew of it and then in wano ace tells yamato and he says roger said the same thing and ace also knew of it!!! Which is crazy that it's set up this early but EVERYTHING is being set up here

I need to frame this btw.

Shakky the mother that stepped up.... also new conspiracy theory shakky is Hancock's mother bc she is a fan of luffy and hancock is too.... she was busy being a pirate to take care of hancock so she feels incredibly guilty about what happened to her so shakky either hasn't told her and hancock doesn't know or they have a difficult relationship. Yeah sure whatever. I dont care if rayleigh is her father or not bc as you know I believe in asexual reproduction in one piece thank you.

🧎🏻‍♀️🧎🏻‍♀️🧎🏻‍♀️what can I say

😳🫣

Here we fucking go again..... I can't do this

Incredible face sanji

SHE KNOWS!!!!!!

Luffy tearing up...... christ

Sanji getting away from his group with nami to save zoro will never get old like jesus christ look at this

CHOPPER 😭😭😭😭😭😭

CRAZYYYYYYY IM GOING CRAZYYYYY

LUFFYYYYYYY NOOOOO

NAMIIIIII NOOOOOOOOOO nami asking for help and luffy not being able to help her this time.... this is so sick and twisted

THE WAY THIS GETS WAY WORSE MAKES ME SICK!!!!!!!!!!! SICK!!!!!! TWISTED!!!!!!!!

[l0s3rd0wnt0wn]

the black reader likes physical contact...except with the batfam (alfred doesn't count)

So real dude

The reader loves hugs, kisses, and any type of affection; they're kind of touch-starved due to being neglected. At first, the reader doesn't know how to deal with a hug; their body just tenses, and it looks like someone hugging a tall tree until they finally accept the affection.

If the reader is working on a mod and, out of nowhere, Bart shows up to give them a kiss on the cheek, they'll fumble.

If Conner kisses the reader's dreadlocks at a gala, they will start speaking gibberish. Or sometimes, in public, he'll kiss the back of your neck, and you'll fold like a lawn chair.

A tight hug from Cassandra when you're having a bad day just feels right. Her strong muscles squeezing you just makes you blush.

But when the Batfam interacts with the reader, the reader is so uncomfortable; it's like getting a hug or kiss from a relative you've never met. Bruce gives you a small kiss on the cheek in front of the paparazzi, and you wipe it off, giving him a glare. The press might think it's a cute little thing kids do, but in reality, you're just disgusted. Sometimes he'll pick you up like someone would their cat, except you're a tall teenager and not a cat; your feet will be two inches off the ground, and you'll be frowning the entire time. Bruce thinks it's cute, but to you, he's damaging your pride.

If big bro Dicky wants to cuddle while watching a movie, you can't say no because "no" means nothing to him. So you're sitting there in the most uncomfortable position, watching some stupid romance. You're going to go crazy by the time the movie is over, and if he falls asleep mid-movie and you try to escape, he will wake up, and you'll get flashes banged by those blue eyes. You have no choice but to stay.

Jason is the type to treat you like a house cat, ruffling your dreads, scratching underneath your chin, fussing over you. Ever since he died, he felt guilty about not giving you any affection when he was younger, so he tried to make up for lost time. Although there was no time to speak, and the way you cringe at his touch, he just thinks of it as you're just not used to this kind of stuff, and he'll make sure to fix that.

Tim is a whole other can of worms. You could be chilling in the living room playing God of War Ragnarok, and if you get stuck on a puzzle, don't worry; Timmy is here to your rescue. He'll put you on his lap and start playing the whole game for you, treating you like a little kid who knows nothing of gaming. He'll bury his face into your neck, and if you jump at the touch, he'll just think you're shy when you're actually trying not to punch him.

Damian, the worst; he demands affection right this instant. Usually, little kids are like, "uppies!" But Damian is like, "Dearest sibling, I would like uppies," which is so weird. You pick him up just to see his little legs tangle; it makes you feel superior. Then, the worst part is cuddling with all of Damian's pets. If you think cuddling with Grayson is bad, just imagine Titus, a 200-pound Great Dane, next to a 140-pound boy laying on your stomach—you're suffering!

Stephanie is really light, so it feels like you're holding a couple of grapes; but if you move just a little, she'll grip you like a vice. Cass and Duke will tag-team you with hugs and kisses; escape is impossible. Try to run away; they'll drag you back and hold you even tighter and stronger. I think you'll pop a shoulder.

[moonydustx]

law x mythical zoan devil fruit eater reader that has some like tiger based devil fruit?💕 law would probably find it cute

Hi! Thanks for the request! I hope you don't mind, but I think that - not on purpose, pinky promise - I focusing more on the zoan side than the mythical one. I hope you can still enjoy it.

✦. 　⁺ 　 . ✦. 　⁺ 　 . ✦. 　⁺ 　 . ✦. 　⁺ 　 . ✦. 　⁺ 　

Law knew it was a very well-planned ambush, but he believed he could handle it. His belief was soon dispelled when he saw the group scatter and your scream echoed throughout the small forest, scaring some birds and causing a tightness in the chest of your crewmates. It was your scream, a pure noise of horror.

"Captain..." Bepo's voice sounded lower than usual, an overwhelming concern crossing the eyes of those present.

"We need to split up and find her." Law replied, releasing the breath he hadn't even realized he had held. "Bart to the south, Bepo to the north and I'll take care of the other corners. Our meeting point is still the polar tang." The other two agreed and left.

You fell from the tree as soon as you felt the bad taste of the fruit on your palate. It lived up to all the complaints you had heard, it was horrible. The pains went away, but you could feel that your body had changed, you had become something new, but something inside you told you that this was something to be checked later.

Running through the trees, it didn't take long for you to find part of your group - more precisely, your captain in trouble. Without thinking much, you threw yourself towards the man who was attacking him, strangely noticing a huge paw coming out of you. What had you become?

As soon as you defeated him, you could see Law looking at you in surprise and it didn't take long for everything to go black.

Your first thought was "can I stay in bed for another five minutes?" and it passed as quickly as it had appeared, after all, you shouldn't even be there. As much as you tried to get up abruptly, two hands stopped you.

"Calm down! Calm down! It's all right, we're back at the polar tang." Law's voice sounded calm, his hands still holding you by the shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"What happened?" The question worked more like rhetoric, with your mind overwhelmed by memories. "Oh shit, what did I become? Your face was terrifying!"

"About that..." he began, seeming to be searching for something. As soon as he reached the book, he turned the image to you.

A white and huge bengal tiger apparently furious. Next to it was some information about what the animal was.

"A tiger?"

"A tiger." Law said and if you didn't know him well enough, you would say he looked dazzled. "You attacked our enemy and then passed out."

"Shit, what do I do now?"

"We can't go back, I think the best scenario is for you to adapt to the fruit, understand how it works." He explained and tried to sound as welcoming as possible. "But before that, you were already injured before you even ingested the fruit, so you're out of commission for a few days."

"Captain, I should..."

"Rest."

"And me too..."

"Complete rest." He said even more firmly. "Two days, I'll reevaluate you and we'll see how we can test your fruit."

The two days dragged on but still passed. As soon as Law said you were free, you ran to the nearest mirror - and somehow, pretended not to see him and the others following you to spy on what you were going to do.

Trying to concentrate, the first thing you managed to do was transform into a hybrid. Black and white stripes adorned your body along with a feline look and sharp claws.

"I don't think that's what I turned into." You said, turning to the small crowd of people at your door.

"Yeah, it really wasn't. Try to concentrate a little more." Law said and again, the curious glint was present in his eyes. Almost like a fascinated child.

Inhale, exhale. You concentrated as much as possible thinking about what had made you transform and nothing came to mind. Your other option to focus was the image Law had shown you. A huge white bengal tiger with black stripes, sharp fangs and an admirable posture.

"This is it." Law's voice caught your attention and when you opened your eyes, you could see the tiger there in the mirror, in your body.

You felt even stronger and more agile, but it was strange to be in that kind of body, that new kind of you.

"Oh look, she's turned into a kitten!" Bepo was the first to approach and even with the screams asking him to wait, he stroked your head and it was strangely comforting. "See? She's still our crewmate.

"I want to pet her too." Some voices said in unison.

Trying to save you from the many hands that wanted to touch you, Law invented that he needed everyone to leave, giving you time to get used to it.

"I can imagine that everything is different." He bent down to the height of your tiger form. "Can you speak?"

When you tested it, only a roar came out of your mouth, which drew a light laugh from the man.

"Okay, I think it's too early for that." He touched your head and slid his fingers to the back of your ear, giving you a brief caress that made you purr involuntarily.

Law just smiled at you and stood up, waving before leaving you alone. He would resist admitting it, but you had become even cuter.

It wasn't long before you returned to human form and established the agreement that you would gradually try stay in your animal form, trying to get used to it and Law couldn't take his eyes off you.

He had already caught you licking your own paws and even trying to nibble Bepo - who ran around the entire submarine - besides Shachi and Penguin having discovered that you would react like any other puppy when seeing a ball or a string hanging down. You had noticed that you had instincts that went beyond your will too.

Law tried to just enjoy it, but it was impossible not to want to pet you as soon as you lay down at the foot of his table for a nap or when you - in your tiger form - tried to steal the snacks from his food plate. It was adorable, but he wouldn't admit it.

On cold nights, the group would cuddle up to you and Bepo trying to find warmth in your fur - even Law would get between the two of you. And in the heat, everyone else had to deal with the tantrums of the two of you too.

And that's why Law would always give you ice chips, and that Bepo would never know that you would earn a little more. And also that Law would always give you some kind of affection whenever he passed by you. Having a tiger on board wasn't as scary as it seemed.

Extra:

With all the tests, changes and incidents that a pirate life can have, you hadn't told your allies about your transformation and that was all Law needed to take away Kid's peace.

While the two were talking, you silently transformed into a tiger and appeared behind him. The man's first reaction was to scream in fright, moving away and cursing Law for not helping him. As soon as he got ready to attack, Law promptly acted, taking you away and placing you next to him while, amid cynical laughter, he explained to Kid that you were his partner. And as always, his tattooed fingers slid through your black and white fur. The gesture becoming a sweet and involuntary habit.

[gatitties]

Oh, oh! I have a idea! Because i was read the new post about reader who didn't mind to eat spicy food made me giggled and gave me a new idea.

How about.. a reader, who is just popping out of nowhere?

Like every time someone doing anything or someone calls their name, they're like "Hello!" and then startling the people in the process. It would be funny!

Can the straw hats, heart pirates, and kid pirates react?

─Heart Pirates & Kid Pirates x reader

─Summary: You appear and disappear like a magician when your name is called, scaring everyone.

─Warnings: none

Strawhats ver.

Oh, I have a similar post with the strawhats, but not for the other two hehehe

─ If you're going to kill the entire crew with a heart attack, you're doing it just fine, Law doesn't even understand how you appear out of nowhere.

─ Do you have some kind of secret power that they don't know about? He really thinks about it seriously.

─ Poor Bepo, no matter how many times it happens, he'll always be startled when he does a double take and finds you in a corner where you definitely weren't just a second ago.

─ As incredible as it may seem, Shachi and Penguin can detect when and where you'll appear, as if they sense the storm brewing with your mere presence.

─ Ikkaku has scolded you so many times for scaring her in the kitchen, more than once she's hit you with a spoon accidentally just like Jean Bart, these two have fragile hearts, give them a break.

─ Law prepares a random object to teleport you somewhere else when he says your name, but you still go back to the room as if he hadn't sent you to the other end of the submarine.

─ He'll send you on all the missions that require a minimum of stealth, or simply if he wants to scare someone he doesn't like.

─ They start to think you live in the walls or something, you don't just appear out of nowhere, you also find out about all the gossip without being present (or that's what they think).

─ Sometimes they blame you if something breaks, even if you have nothing to do with it, since they assume you're everywhere like an omnipotent being, it's more likely that it's your fault.

─ Those days are a chaos of accusations to prove your innocence, because obviously it wasn't you, right? Probably not…

─ It was surprising the first few times, and yes, you scared some of them, but it's a regular thing now.

─ They don't understand where you come from, if it's a power or something, they don't question it either, but what they don't understand is why you just stare at them for a few seconds in silence before disappearing out of nowhere again.

─ Probably some staring contests with Wire until you get tired and disappear (you don't have to admit defeat if you run away before).

─ Whenever Kid needs help in his workshop he just says your name like it was a summons and there you are before he finishes saying your name.

─ Whenever they want to talk about you they call you “the-one-who-must-not-be-named” so you don't appear out of nowhere, it's very difficult to keep secrets from you when you seem to be everywhere at all times.

─ Although it is a plus point, you find out a lot of things, so you have long gossip talks with Heat and Wire.

─ Killer won't be surprised if he finds you in the kitchen at any time of the day having a small snack, you'll be gone in a blink as if you melted into the shadows before he can scold you.

─ They make bets on where or when you will appear in front of them during the day, the one who guesses the most can get out of doing chores the next day.

─ If something explodes out of nowhere, all the blame will be on you and you won't even be able to prove that it wasn't you, you can't fool Killer.

─ They definitely use you as an escape method if they are in a bind, you are a good distraction method against enemies.

[suzukiblu]

Day thirty of “obligatory sugar baby Kon” behind the cut, the final day!! Eyyyyy, gang, we did it! Full month of daily updates for this one, haha. Ended up writing about 24k, give or take a few hundred words. prev: (( chrono || non-chrono ))

The alert on his communicator goes off again, and then again a few seconds later. Tim represses another frown. Nobody double-texts him on Tim Drake’s phone. The only people who ever would are Dick and Steph, and Dick never texts Tim Drake’s phone outside of emergency situations where Tim’s not suited-up and Steph doesn’t have Tim Drake’s number at all; they just use burners and the occassional dead drop. So who . . . ? 

The alert goes off a fourth time. Tim definitely doesn’t panic, but also definitely turns his wrist in his lap underneath the fall of his cape and taps the little armored pocket where he hides one of his micro-receivers for situations where he can’t pull the full-sized one out of his utility belt without being obvious about it. Cissie’s distracted with whatever’s distracting Cassie and neither of them can see his eyes behind the lenses of his mask, so it’s not difficult to slip it into his palm and out from under his cape to glance down at as he thumbs it open to wake up the tiny little screen. Four text alerts, and the caller ID is scrolling “UNKNOWN NUMBER” across the screen. 

Okay, so his civilian number is getting spam texts now. Jesus, he was worried, that’s so–

The actual number of the unknown number scrolls across the screen after the text. Tim . . . blinks. 

. . . that’s Kon’s number. Specifically, the number of the phone he bought Kon. Who is literally right outside, according to Cassie, and . . . texting somebody. While he’s out there. While he’s out there, and Tim is in here, and is being Robin. 

Tim has literally no idea how he feels about this situation, and honestly neither does Robin.

He opens the text log, and there are, in fact, four texts from Kon in it. 

so like 

superweird questin 

liek uh rly superweird tbh but uh 

cn u wish me luck babe??

Tim stares blankly at the messages. “Wish me luck”? That’s–what? 

Good luck, Kon, he texts back after a moment, figuring it’s the logical response anyway and assuming that using the other’s real name will help him feel better about whatever he wants the aforementioned “good luck” for. He’s going to have to try and get a read on him when he comes in, see if he can’t work that out. If it’s something to be concerned about . . . 

thx, Kon sends back with a blue heart emoji and literally nothing else. 

Blue, Tim thinks, yet again having to repress a frown. What the hell does a blue heart mean? Does that mean anything? 

He barely bites back the question, because it’s way too risky to ask even if if anyone knows what different-colored heart emojis mean it is definitely a teenage girl and if he texts Steph with a random question with no context attached and then doesn’t stick around to talk she’ll get annoyed and might leave another glitter bomb in their next dead drop. 

He really doesn’t wanna have to explain glitter in his cape to Bruce again. Or worse, explain glitter in his cape to Alfred. Alfred did not appreciate the glitter tracked all over the cave last time. Very, very much did he not appreciate it. 

Maybe Kon just picked it because he likes blue. Or maybe red seemed like too much to him? Or maybe– 

“I’m back!” Suzie announces excitedly as she spills into the room, and Bart bolts through her smoke trail a moment later and stops on a dime right next to the kitchen table. 

“What’s going on?” he asks, wrinkling his nose down at Cissie and Cassie. “Are you crying? Is it because your wig looks weird? It’s not that weird. I mean, kinda.” 

“That HeroWatch magazine thinks it’s your real hair!” Suzie offers brightly. “So it can’t be that weird.” 

“I am not crying and HeroWatch thinks what?!” Cassie demands, whipping her head up to stare at them both with a horrified expression. “It’s not even real hair! It’s like, synthetic! I buy the stupid things off Amazon!” 

“You should stop doing that,” Tim advises reflexively. There are so many ways for that to end badly for her secret identity. Genuinely so many that he doesn’t even know where to start, in fact. 

“And do what instead, exactly?” Cassie asks with a sullen scowl, leaning back just enough to fold her arms. “I can’t just clear out Spirit Halloween every–” 

She cuts herself off and stiffens, then jerks to her feet very quickly and straightens her wig and jacket even quicker. Tim has half a second to remember that while Cassie’s hearing isn’t super, it’s definitely enhanced, and then Kon walks into the room. 

“Yo,” he says, half-waving a hand at the table and then making a face. “Shit, I’m the last one here? Figures.” 

Tim . . . blinks. Blinks again. Cassie looks downright agonized, and Suzie and Bart both tilt their heads in opposite directions. Cissie raises both eyebrows and looks him up and down. 

“Jesus Christ, Kon, that is borderline indecent expo–” she starts incredulously, and Cassie immediately claps a hand over her mouth and leans down to hiss into her ear: “Cissie, you are my best friend and I love you and shut the hell up right the hell NOW.” 

Tim attempts to make his brain work. It needs to, like–do things. Be usable. Functional. Brain . . . able. 

The problem with that is the fact that Kon is currently wearing the tiny little jean shorts that first made Tim aware of the existence of the other’s thighs and the S-shield crop top that people really should have more respect for Superman than to have made and sold commercially with his usual leather jacket and sunglasses and a pair of heavy black boots that Tim also bought him, plus the sapphire stud earring from their last date with a little bit of eyeliner and chipped black nail polish and . . . thighs. Just–thighs. Kon is very, very much wearing thighs right now. 

. . . thighs.

Tim suddenly understands literally everything about the way Cassie came in acting and literally everything she’d said on top of that. Also, he isn’t sure, but he thinks maybe this is worse than the changing room was? Like, this might be worse than the changing room was. Because Kon’s not posing to show himself off like he was there, and “Tim Drake” isn’t here for him to be showing off for. So Kon is, presumably, wearing this outfit just because he wants to be wearing it. 

Tim needs a minute. Or a year. Or maybe a hard reboot and a new identity and a new reality to move to. Not permanently or anything, just until he can remember how to function like a reasonably-normal person again or he needs to send Kon his allowance, whichever comes first. 

It’s going to be the allowance, he already knows. It’s definitely, definitely going to be the allowance. 

“Huh,” Suzie says, looking a little perplexed. 

“Oh, is that what hormones are?” Bart says, looking surprised. “Weird.”

[aealzx]

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Update Post

Prologue | AO3

Previous Next

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With all the excitement from the Watchtower, Danny had ended up crashing as soon as they got back to the manor. The others had let him sleep, and Bruce had been there to help him get the dinner Alfred had left for him when he woke up in the middle of the night. Yet after eating he was quick to fall asleep again. It was a similar pattern of sleeping, eating, and sleeping more that filled up the entire next day for him. Though he did manage to squeeze in another bath during the most recent stretch of time he’d been awake. That was before he unintentionally knocked out on his stomach while lounging on the couch in the study. It really was a nice room. With the fireplace, and soft cushions. Sam had ended up telling everyone to just let him sleep since he was usually sleep deprived anyway. The rest could only do him some good on catching up on the two years of accumulated sleep debt.

It was only in the afternoon of the second day after meeting with Barry that Danny was staying awake for more than two hours. A checkup from Leslie kept him occupied for an hour, even though it was still odd to him to be getting his health monitored by an actual doctor instead of his family members and a lot of guessing. He currently only had burns in an area slightly bigger than his hand on his ribs, and they arguably weren’t even second degree anymore. Something that made Leslie marvel considering he hadn’t had any kind of skin transplant or the like, but something that was still annoyingly painful if he moved too suddenly or too far.

It was during the check up that Bruce let him know that Barry and Wally had made progress with isolating which realm was theirs, and would probably be over that evening. Part of their validation was for one of them to actually visit the realm, and potentially bring something back that the others would recognize. Danny felt it was a little unfair that one of the Flashes would be able to see his realm before any of them, but it was something he was willing to give up if it meant they could confirm everyone was alright. Barry had already called to check in with Jazz on an item she thought they should try to grab, and because of the conversation with Conner and Bart at the Watchtower she had suggested one of their cellphones or laptops.

It was strange when they were gathered down in the Batcave and Barry didn’t have either of those in his hands. Danny figured maybe he was going to try and surprise them with it since they didn’t know exactly who’s phone he had grabbed, but he also couldn’t help feeling uneasy with Barry’s mannerisms. Something seemed off about him. That smile wasn’t quite right. Even though Barry tried to be as energetic as them while they all clambered into seats, Danny couldn’t help staring at him with increasing unease. Why was he insisting that they were all seated?

Had…. Had the G.I.W. done something worse than they could think of?

Danny felt Jazz start to share his unease when Barry took a seat to face them at eye level, and drew a breath to speak.

“As you know we were able to lock on to your realm’s original location. And as part of the process Wally and I both took a trip there to make sure we could create a connection,” Barry started, giving a summary that was way too quick and caused Danny’s smile of anticipation for the good news to slowly drop. Barry didn’t seem to want to drag this out any longer than necessary though, for after a tense breath and exchanged look with Bruce he finally let his own, forced smile fade. “I’m sorry… This is never easy to say, but… there’s nothing left.”

Danny didn’t fully register standing up. A subconscious need to put himself between the others and what he considered, however momentarily, a threat forcing him to his feet and moving him to stand slightly between Barry and his friends and sisters.

“W’what?”

That was Jazz, of course. Always giving the other side a chance to clarify. To explain more. To maybe correct their statement with the other side’s feelings in consideration the next time.

“I’m sorry,” Barry breathed again, wishing he didn’t have to tell these children their home and everything in it was no longer in existence. “The space where your realm occupied is empty. We’ve seen it a few times before, after something causes the reality of the realm to be broken…. There’s nothing we can do, but we’ll make sure you’re taken care of here.”

Their world had died. While they were gone, something had happened to erase what they had left behind before they could get back to it to protect it. Millions of people were gone, but all Danny could register was a single fact, echoing repeatedly in his mind.

His parents were dead.

His parents were dead, and he hadn’t been there. His own words from before echoed in his brain in a static of spikes as his breathing became semi erratic. None of this mattered if the people he cared about weren’t safe. What did it matter that he was still there- what did it matter that he was almost healed? What did any of it matter if Maddie and Jack weren’t there with him?

His friends and sisters were in an uproar, but it felt so distant from him. He only caught pieces of their outrage.

“What are we supposed to do?”

Sam.

“Says the one whose parents probably left her an entire fortune! I have nothing now!”

Tucker.

“I have nothing either, you ass! Or did you forget none of us exist in this realm! None of us have anything!”

Sam again.

“You will be taken care of. I promise-”

Bruce, interrupted by Danielle before he could finish.

“None of that matters you idiots! Who did it? Who’s the dumbass that killed my mom and dad?! ‘Cause I’m gonna rip them to shreds-”

“Danny?”

The voice from Jazz was strangely soft compared to the others, but shaking so much. He hadn't noticed her stepping in front of him, his brain a static of fuzz and muffled noise. Her poor frame trembled as she gently took Danny’s hands, causing him to flinch and blink for the first time in the past minute. He felt hollow. Like someone had ripped open his chest and scraped it clean, spraying it with disinfectant to the point he was numb from the burn. His throat didn’t want to work, memories of the explosion destroying the Nasty Burger breaking into his memory. Only to be pushed fractionally at bay by Jazz’s warm hands and concerned expression filling his vision. If he could just focus on her, maybe he could get his body moving again. Maybe he could do something. He still had his sisters. Maybe they could keep him going until he could figure out a way to fix this. He did last time. He had to figure something out. He always did.

“Was it because of Danny-?”

The breath to Danny’s lungs cut off harshly as he heard Sam’s words sounding too loud in his ears. He couldn’t breathe, his gaze dragging through eternity to meet her’s as she tried to recover what she’d implied.

“I’I- No- Danny, that’s not what I meant-” Sam stammered around the hand that had flown to her mouth after she realized too late what he question had implied. She had just been listing potential events to consider for the cause of the destruction. The fight against the GIW ending in realm rending explosions that had transported them there in the first place. Explosions that were essentially caused by Danny’s wail.

All Danny could think as his wide eyes stung, blurred, and spilled hot tears down his cheeks, was blame.

It’s my fault.

His thoughts were a whisper in his mind as his hands pulled from Jazz’s grip.

I killed them.

The start of a scream too weak to fully manifest escaping his throat before he smothered his mouth with his hands. He couldn’t be there. He couldn’t deal with all of this on top of them. He couldn’t handle being there when he didn’t know if they wanted to hate him or beg for him to save them.

So he left.

Body becoming intangible and invisible Danny leapt into the air, fleeing the source of the hurt and the confines of the foreign building so he could maybe just get some damn air and quiet. To stop being stared at with pity, and grief, and guilt, and concern, and something his sister gave so freely but he didn’t deserve. How could she still love and care about him after what he’d done? He had to leave so he could figure his own brain out before coming to terms with them, leaving behind even more voices from before yelling in an uproar.

“DANNY!”

How many people had yelled that? The more colorful cussing was easier to pick out individual voices to, but Tim gave his own explicative to the pool.

“Shit! Where’s he going-?” he cursed, eyes locking on Danielle since she was the only one he thought would even have a chance to follow the kid with abilities none of them knew how to deal with yet. They had only caught Danielle before because she had chosen to fight back. When she hadn’t wanted to be found in the past, they couldn’t find her. And Danny was more advanced in his skills than her.

“Don’t look at me! I can’t track him!” Danielle spat, her emotions getting slammed sideways with additional stress over her brother.

“Did you seriously just BLAME DANNY!?” Tucker burst, rounding on Sam.

“I WASN’T BLAMING ANYONE!” Sam roared back, coming back at Tucker with a fist raised only to have Barry snatch her hand.

“I have to go look for him!” Jazz broke, turning to leave, to do something other than stand there unable to get her brother’s soul crushed expression out of her mind.

“ENOUGH!”

Bruce hadn’t raised his voice once since they had been staying with him, and hearing him scold them now caused everyone in the room to freeze and snap their full attention to him. Even Jazz stumbled where she was and stopped.

“No one is going anywhere-” Bruce started, his tone more even, and surprisingly calm once again.

“Do not tell us to let him go, Bruce!” Tim snapped, breaking away from his almost frantic brainstorming with Barbara over the phone. “Being alone is not a good idea right now. He’s an isolated kid that got forced into being the only hero and having everyone rely on him, and just lost two people he loves. You and I both know people can’t deal with that on their own. Not even you,” he spat, rounding on Bruce defiantly.

The outburst caught Bruce only slightly off guard because of the content. But to Tim’s surprise, after flinching back fractionally, Bruce just gave a slightly pained grimace before resting his hand on Tim’s shoulder. “I know, Tim,” Bruce assured. “And likewise, this isn't just on you to take care of.” That caused Tim to flinch this time, having not realized he was falling into that headspace. “No one is going anywhere until we get a plan together to make sure we have the city covered. It’s a big area after all, and Danny can fly. Which means we’ll have to work with everyone. So how about we all get suited up?”

_________________

=7=;a I had this chapter 90% written like two months ago, and because of that I've reached the point where I've worked with it so long I think it's terrible. Also I had such a long break from the holidays I feel like I forgot how to draw X'DDD euuhhhhh I hope Sam looks okay, I'm not all that familiar with that culture so just googled and picked things that I thought suited her

Anyways, enjoy the return of suffering =u=b

___________

Tag list: @galaxy-sharks-and-bottled-ships, @starscreamlover, @nerdynonnativenarnian, @dragongoblet, @megacharizardx99

@bellathecatastrophe, @cj-ghostemoji-destielpie, @asexual-insomniac, @wolfeyedwitch, @tkiesai, 

@fanaroff, @raven1508, @nebulainajar, @serasvictoria02, @oliocelottafanfics,

@honeysuckletook, @omniithe-deer, @wolf-under-the-stars, @gingernutcalo, @that-random-fangirl,

@op-sys-chaos, @kirasigncomics, @ehobep, @paranoid-ira, @nomaru666

[mamawasatesttube]

man... "time machine" by autoheart has me pondering the agonies. like fuck rebirth not doing that, but. a situation in which via magic or something, everyone [temporarily] forgets kon rebirth style. and he has to deal with that. and oops! what's that? oh it's just his suicidal tendencies coming back in FULL force, haha.

like its devastating enough when his friends don't remember him. but john henry? ma kent? clark?

what's he supposed to do with himself now? he has nothing and no one. he knows what he was made for, though. he wants to die a hero. he wants to die a hero. it won't hurt anyone this time because they forgot they love him. why is he here? he's a hero. he wants to die a hero. except heroes are remembered even after they die. what are you when no one remembers you, other than "dead twice over"? and you keep thinking of how unfair it is that the first time you died it hurt everyone you love. and now they forgot you so you may as well be dead. you kind of wish you stayed dead.

so he's not exactly taking it well. and of course ma and clark take it in stride when he shows up at the farm in distress. maybe it's a case of inadvertent dimension travel or something, clark muses, stroking his chin. and kon looks at the notch on the leg of the sofa that krypto accidentally scratched while wrestling on the floor with kon three months ago and says, haha yeah. maybe.

BUT! this time all the discrepancies and all the little things that don't add up? they're the point. kon gets to go to centennial park and point at his statue next to clark and say look. look, i'm real. i lived. you loved me. i died. i'm real. i'm real. i'm real.

and i think clark gets really quiet at that point. and then he's devastated. and furious. because he has a little brother/son/cousin/Little Guy. and someone robbed him of all of his memories of him. he has so few kryptonian family members and someone took one of them from him in the most raw, horrific way possible. they took his little guy from him so thoroughly he isn't even grieving. and isn't that in itself a horror? that there's no grief where he knows grief should be?

and i think kon here just kind of sticks Hard to clark's side at this point. if anyone remembered him or the people he loved, they'd find it odd and notable how conspicuously he's avoiding tim, bart, and cassie. unfortunately, no one knows him anymore, so no one notices. but kon just can't face the complete lack of warmth in their faces when they look at him. and it feels like far too much to explain "sorry, you don't know me, but you're supposed to love me. i love you and it's tearing me apart." so he just needs as much space as he can get.

(there's definitely a subplot of tim's nosy ass going "hey bruce, who was that guy with superman and steel at the jla meeting? what was that about? he looked a lot like superman huh?? hey bruce what's up with that guy? hey bruce what's going on--" and bruce, a paranoid asshole on the best of days, just going "i don't trust him." but tim is a nosy little ferret who will not be deterred and quite possibly pulls bart and cassie in on trying to investigate the guy who looks like superman but isn't superman.)

(however, for some reason, the guy who looks like superman but isn't superman seems to want absolutely nothing to do with the three of them. isn't that weird??)

anyways it has to have a happy ending where the curse is lifted or whatever and everyone gets their memories back and kon gets to have an incredibly cathartic breakdown into ma's lap. but probably not before he nearly gets himself killed at least 4 times first. oops!

[totallynotashieldagent]

Hey! I saw the valentines event and thought I’d request #2 for Damian if possible. I adore ur writing btw ❤️

💕valentine's day drabble special💕

This was supposed to be just an undercover mission. That's it. It was supposed to be an easy in-and-out thing. Pretend to be dignitaries at this masquerade ball, gather intel and then leave. Don't make contact with anyone, stick together, and simply observe.

However, all that had gone to fucking shit the moment one of Bialya's Senators had put his hand on your hip, pulling you a little too close for comfort and tried to get a dance with you.

The next thing you knew was that Damian was throwing a punch and both of you were making a run for it.

And now, you were hiding in a supply closet, bathed in absolute darkness because Damian had to be a chivalrous gentleman.

"What was I supposed to do?" He tutted. Even in the absolute dark, his green eyes seemed to almost glow. "Mother taught me that if a man touches your woman, that hand should be cut off. You're lucky I only broke his nose."

"That's not the point!" You hissed, "You almost blew our cover and extraction is still 20 minutes away."

"You will not tell me to not defend your honour!" He whispered angrily.

You pinched the bridge of your nose. You knew this was a bad idea. Coming here- Doing this mission with your boyfriend. You knew you should've come with Bart or -

Your thoughts were interrupted as the noise outside the door suddenly grew loud. You pulled away from the door and Damian pushed you behind himself. His body taut with his battle-ready stance if anyone came through. Your hands were clenched at his waist, pulling out a weapon from his person. Whilst he was a master assassin, trained in every way possible of fighting. You still needed a blade or a gun.

The noise soon faded and his body slowly relaxed.

After a few beats of silence, you spoke. "I'm not saying don't defend me. But where's the boy who tore down people with words?" You ran your fingers through his hair, fixing the pieces into place. "You didn't have to punch him."

"Tt- I know." He sighed, leaning his forehead against your shoulder. "I thought I grew out of that instinct but when I saw his hand on you, all I saw was red, habibit." He pressed a gentle chaste kiss below your ear. That was as much of an apology as you were ever going to get.

Damian's arms wrapped around your waist and he took a deep breath. One hand was the small of your back, the other trying to find the edge of your dress.

"Dami... What are you doing?" You asked softly with no intention of stopping him. You looked at your watch. Extraction was still 15 minutes out.

"Nothing, azizum." His tone was still so nonchalant. As if his rough hand wasn't slowly working it's way up your thigh.

"We really shouldn't be doing this..." You whispered, letting him hoist you up. Your legs wrapping at his waist as it was the most natural thing to do.

"Mhmm- We really shouldn't." He agreed but his mouth was on your neck. "How long until extraction?" He licked a stripe across your throat.

You gasped, your nails digging into his suit jacket. Fuck. What was the question? You tried hard to focus and looked at the watch again.

"12 minutes." You swallowed, meeting his gaze.

"We can make it work." He smiled, "If you don't make noise."

[speedforce-zoomies]

Y’all wanna know what I think would make a fantastic mini series?

The YJ crew get into some sort of mischief and when the dust settles they all simultaneously look at each other and realize none of them wanna deal with their respective hero families regarding the matter at hand and all take turns hiding each other

Like Bruce would absolutely be the first one to find out about it and so Bart’s just running Tim around every time Bruce zeta tubes to wherever Tim was just at

So of course Bruce calls Barry or Wally or Max or Jay or whoever’s available and then Cassie’s flying Bart or Bart/Tim around because Speedsters can do a lot but they can’t fly or maybe Cassie’s got one and Kon’s got the other

And then just when they’re about to get caught by Wonder Woman Greta’s just out of sight teleporting them away

And so on and so forth until all their respective heroes just give up because man are these kids (they may be young adults now but they’re always gonna be their kids to them) are getting on their last nerves

When the game finally ends everyone’s pretending nothing happened because they don’t want it to start again/are feeling embarrassed-

Except for Bruce… Tim just grins at Bruce and Bruce rolls his eyes but secretly he’s proud just like he was when Tim hired a man to pretend to uncle so Bruce wouldn’t adopt him

They all had a lot of fun and the realized this could be a great regular team bonding experience

They all silently agree The Titans are their next target

Eventually they run out of superhero teams to annoy and then not even their villains are safe from their nonsense

(Cissie and Anita would be brought into the game at least a third of the time lol)

[writing-mlm]

Hi, may I request a Tim Drake x male!reader story ? The reader is androgynous, has a rock/punk style, is a Japanese exorcist who dislikes heroes, and has an impulsive, shameless, and slightly paranoid personality. A fluff piece, please. Sorry for asking a lot, take care of yourself !

Stay for dinner-breakfast

Summary: Tim’s in a situationship with someone who hates heroes, this is just great. Pairing: Tim Drake x Male!Reader Wc: 3.8k tags/warnings: Japanese reader, way too many Blue Exorcist references, small demon fight

When most people familiar enough with demons or even the Justice League mention needing an exorcist, minds immediately go to the infamous John Constantine. The guy who managed to trick God and Satan, making himself nearly immortal. The guy who, admittedly, could probably control most demons with the flick of his cigarette.

Tim’s mind, however, wanders to a guy he met during his time abroad. When he had to do some Red Robin stuff that took him to Japan. He reminisces about it as if it was decades ago, in reality, it was two years ago. Hardly even two years, if he’s being honest. But he rarely is. 

While Bruce and Dick argue about whether or not they should call up John (the last time they did, Constantine ended up summoning more demons to deal with the initial demons and then blew up a building to get rid of the extra demons) (it cost Wayne Enterprises too much to justify asking that man for help again) Tim fishes out his phone. It doesn’t take him long to find the contact; it’s been what… a week since you’ve last spoken. He’s texted exactly three people within that week; Kon, Bart, and Jason. Jason because he wanted to know if he could join a drug bust he knew Jason had coming up. 

The answer was no. 

The phone rings as he spins in the chair, waiting until he hears that it’s connecting. Seriously, it’s already been three whole rings, what’s the hold-up?

“Whaddya want, hero boy?” You ask without looking down at the phone. Probably because you’re jumping from the ledge of a roof to a lamppost and then to the top of a vending machine. 

“You busy?” He asks, looking at the mole underneath your jaw. He hadn’t known that. Your head tilts from side to side as you make a noise. 

“I’ll have to check my calendar,” Glancing down at the phone, you wink and then pocket the phone. 

“There’s a demon in Gotham, could use the help.” He says, barely able to see as you’re fighting a demon. His eyes glance up at the contact name Okumura, unassuming to most because it is someone’s last name but to Tim, it’s so much more. 

He thought it was absolutely hilarious that you were an exorcist from Japan, raised by a priest, with a twin brother, and had the same hobbies as the anime where the main character is an exorcist from Japan, raised by a priest, with a twin brother. You didn’t think it was nearly as funny. The first time he mentioned it you kicked him from a rooftop— it was three stories, he was fine. 

“Like now?” You ask, picking your sword— just like the anime character, he’d gladly remind you— and cutting the demon in half with a mumbled but strong prayer. 

“Yes,” He nods, looking at the live feed of a demon messing up the finance district of Gotham. 

“Fine,” You grumble. “You’re lucky I finished my work for the day. See you in a minute.” 

“Kay, bye!” He hangs up and removes an earbud, calling for Bruce and Dick who haven’t stopped arguing. He wonders how they’d get anything done without him. They stop and look towards him as he waves his phone. “I have someone coming in for the demons.” He announces and Dick just hopes it’s not one of his friends from his YJ time. He cannot deal with those kids after finding out they watched Santa Claus get killed by a sentient meteor and then spent the next five months delivering gifts. 

“It isn’t Constantine, right?” Bruce asks, arms crossed and a disapproving glare ready to be plastered on his face. 

“That white man has nothing on me,” You chuckle, entering the Batcave through the door, spinning a set of skeleton keys on your index finger before putting them back into your pocket. Pointedly, Tim looks off to the wall with a see, anime guy look before turning back to the task at hand. 

“Who…?” Dick slowly asks while Bruce is having second thoughts about letting Tim back into the cave ever again.

“That’s Okumura,” He responds, standing up from the chair to greet you.

You’re wearing a pair of jorts— but the good kind, not the weird-looking ones— with hand-bleach-painted crosses on the leg, chunky beige leg warmers over a pair of shiny black loafers and an extremely large sweater that falls off your shoulder as you run down the stairs overtop a black turtleneck. 

There’s a pair of red shades on the top of your head, they curve at the top in a way that makes it look as though you have horns. Tim decides to not comment on the obvious joke he could make. But you can tell he wants to make it because of the glint in his eyes.

“Hello!” You nod without looking at them, too focused on not tripping over the steps, and give the group a small two-finger wave. “Tim calls me Okumura, it is not my name, though.” The hand that was doing the wave meets his hand and you do a funky little handshake before you look over at them for the first time. You frown, looking at their suits. It’s not even a frown, it’s damn near a scowl. You look at Tim who just shrugs; he would’ve thought you knew he was with his hero family.

“I’ll head out the demon; tell them not to follow me,” You tell Tim and he nods, sending you the location of the fight. While he does that, you look around for a different exit when you see his motorcycle parked, ready to go. “I’m stealing your motorbike again!” You call as you’re rushing over to it. 

“Kay!” He replies, head still buried in his phone. The motorcycle reeves to life as you jump on it; Bruce nearly stops you but the door to the cave is opening and you’re off faster than he can move. Slowly, he turns towards Tim with his arms crossed and a lecture waiting to happen.

“You better have a good explanation for that,” Bruce says once the door closes again. 

“That’s my exorcist friend,” He explains with a shrug. 

“You have friends outside of Kon?” Jason asks, a teasing tone to his voice but Tim can tell it genuinely surprised Dick. He doesn’t know if he should be hurt by that. 

“Yeah,” He shrugs. 

“And he’s an exorcist?” Bruce asks, looking at where the motorcycle once sat. He really hopes you don’t break it.

“Yup.”

“How did he get here so fast?” Dick asks, a little worried Tim was hiding a person in the manor.

“Funny story,” Tim smiles, looking up at them before looking down again, leaving them hanging. Jason grumbles, air strangling him while Bruce just sighs and looks back to the live feed. Thankfully you’d already arrived at the scene and to Tim and your credit, you’re dealing with the demons fairly easily. It’s surprising that your face is hidden from the public’s view, he hadn’t seen a mask but he also hadn’t seen the giant sword so. Probably some magic he won’t care about but probably should learn.

“Let’s go, fifteen Joker goons spotted around the site.” In a fluid motion, Tim puts his mask on and follows Bruce into the Batmobile. 

When Tim gets out of the car, he immediately finds you. You’re on top of a demon, riding it in the air while laughing and stabbing a nearby demon. He stops for a moment, wondering how you managed to wrangle a demon enough to sit on its back as if it were a horse. He then sees the knife in its head and he understands. He’s nearly jealous of the sight. 

Tim finally joins the others in the fight, narrowly avoiding the demons spawning from someplace he hasn’t found out yet. But you have, because you kill the flying horse demon and land softly behind Tim, cutting a demon away before it can sneak up on him. He shouts a thank you, pushing two goons back with his staff.

“I said no heroes!” You shout as you’re running past, heading towards a glowing manhole. How he hadn’t noticed it before; he won’t ever know. 

“Did he say no heroes?” Dick grunts, pushing back two goons that tried to jump him. 

“Yeah, he got issues with them.” Tim laughed before he was punched in the stomach by the goon he’d been fighting. He grumbles, holding the spot for a second before he knocks the goon out. “How many more are left?” He asks.

“Four,” Bruce says as he knocks out one of them. “Three.”

He goes to reply when there’s a loud explosion from the manhole and he looks over. Blue smoke rises out from the holes and he abandons trying to help the others fight the remaining goons in favor of finding you in the chaos. He doesn’t know what the smoke is but he assumes it’s some type of Joker Gas and he knows you’re not used to that. 

Putting a respirator on his face, he moves the manhole cover and jumps down. He squints into the blue fog, listening for noises but there’s a lot. There are hundreds of insect demons scurrying around him, hissing from the pipes, and he stops to really listen. He hears a string of coughs and follows it, the smoke getting thicker but he sees the faint outline of you lying on your back. 

“You don’ need a mask,” You huff, waving your hand in an attempt to move the smoke. “It is not poison.” 

“What is it?” He asks, removing the respirator as the smoke starts to clear, escaping up to the manhole. Your figure gets clearer, he can see your shirt and your hands resting on your stomach. 

“Spell,” You respond. “A… boobtrap for the talisman.”

“Boobytrap.” He corrects, putting the small device back into his pocket.

“That is what I said.” You blink, sitting up. He doesn’t fight you on that and helps you to your feet before he stops, hand still in yours. Now that you’re up close, he can really see you and when his eyes trail down, he inhales sharply and looks away.

“You’re not gonna believe this,” He says, covering his mouth with his free hand. 

“What? Did I get ugly? Do I look like you?” You ask, genuinely concerned as you pat your face but calm down when you feel your features. 

“Worse,” He grins and reaches around to grab your newly formed tail. “You really are Okumura now!” You shout, tugging at the tail only to wince because it’s connected to you. It only makes him laugh harder and you shout again, shaking him.

“This is not funny!” You tell him and then pause. “Thhhis,” You repeat and then cover your mouth. His eyebrows raise and, to his credit, he stops laughing. At least until you remove your hand and open your mouth, showing off the newly formed sharp canines. He barks a laugh and then pushes your hair away from your ear and you watch in horror as he spins on his heel to hide his expression. 

“You two okay down there?” Dick shouts from the top of the manhole.

“Fine!” Tim replies through his laugh. 

“That was one voice!”

“Fine!” You reply, even though you’re freaking out as your fingers trace over the suddenly sharp ears on your head. 

“I'm cursed!” You cry, dropping your head onto Tim’s shoulder, your ear nearly poking him in the eye. “This is your fault.” Pushing him away, you pick up your sword from the floor and resheath it with ease. “Never trust a hero,” You grunt, rushing over to the manhole.

“My fault?” He echos, following you out of the manhole. 

“You called me into your freaky city!” Climbing to the top of the manhole, you sit and kick his face. Not too hard, though. He shouts, holding his nose with one hand and the railing with the other. Standing up, you redo your hair over your ears and try to stuff the tail into your pants but it swings wildly and then wraps around something that’s behind you. 

When you look at what it was holding, you find it’s wrapped around Tim’s hand, helping him out of the manhole. 

“I think it likes you,” You grin despite yourself. 

“So, you like the tail?” He asks, checking his nose through the reflective metal of his staff. Thankfully his nose wasn’t broken, but it was throbbing in pain. Red on the end and he’s rubbing it with his free hand. You shrug, crossing your arms. 

“If it holds you like that,” Winking, he rolls his eyes under the mask and looks over at his family. Your eyes follow and you check your phone; there are no texts from anyone but you pretend that there are. 

“Wow, glad we settled that then.” He hums, smiling at you. 

“Mhmm, well, bye!” 

“Wait—“ He grabs the tail as you’re walking away and you grunt, eyes wide as you turn to look at him. Your eyes dart to and from the tail, watching as his fingers absentmindedly play with the soft furs on the end. “Stay for dinner, you did say I owed you.” When you first met, you’d gotten a glorious dinner and he ran into you, spilling it right into a sewer drain. You still think about that day and get upset. 

“Is it…” You cringe as you can’t find the right word. “American food?” He chuckles, remembering the countless videos you’ve sent him with angry and crying emojis. Hotdogs in jello, white bread soaked in water, mashed potatoes made out of potato chips, and boiled plain, unseasoned chicken with unwashed white rice.

“It’s not the American food you sent me.” He promises. “It’s good, I like it.” Your face scrunches as that’s not much to go off of; the man drinks Monster Energy’s like it's water. You’re sure it’s melted off his taste buds at this point.

“But you also like the vending machine cakes.” 

“It was good.” He defends. “But this is really good, trust me?”

“I wasn’t invited by B,” You glance over at the scowling Batman and glare back. Tim grabs your face, turning you to look back at him. You smile at him in a way that makes his stomach flutter and he clears his throat, dropping his hand. 

“Ugh! B, can he stay for dinner?” He asks, pressing his finger against his earpiece. 

“No.”

“He said yes,” He smiles and you struggle to still say no to him.

“I have to speak to the council about this—“ You gesture to your newly formed tail and ears. “Raincheck.”

Tim sighs but relents. 

“We’ll make your favorite next time; as a thank you.” He promises and you nod, waving before jogging up to a random door. The team watches as you pull out the keys and open the door, showing the headquarters of the council you work for. You wave again, your tail waving along before the door closes. 

“Better than Constantine,” Jason says as he looks at the ash on the ground. 

—

“That skirt does not go with that shirt,” Damian stops at Tim’s door, blinking at the oak door as Tim laughs. “I regret buying you VIP and custom makeup,” Now, Damian’s no idiot. He has friends and Jon, much to his chagrin, has gotten him into Roblox. So he knows very well that Tim is talking about Dress to Impress. 

“What? It looks cute!” Another voice defends, a voice that isn’t one he’s familiar with. He’d assumed Tim was talking to Kon, maybe Bart, or even himself. “You’re the one wearing a neon green fur hat when the theme is Victorian!” Carefully, he grabs onto the brass doorknob, pressing his other hand to the door and slowly turns it. 

“It’s camp,” Tim replies. He’s sitting on his bed with his legs crossed and laptop perched between them. Regrettably, he’s in an old band t-shirt and sweats; not company attire Damian would later remark. Across from him, sitting with their back to the door, Damian stares at the dangling sword earrings and then the tattered Eastern Youth shirt overtop a pair of leather pants. But his focus is on the tail swishing back and forth. 

“It’s ugly, just like your face,” You remark. Tim smiles, still looking down at his laptop, and moves his leg to kick you. You grab his ankle before he can and extend his leg, tossing your own over it. He shifts so both his legs are out and you naturally sit with your legs intertwined. 

Damian turns his nose up and leaves the room, the door softly locking behind him. 

“Pretty sure you weren’t saying that earlier,” Tim chides after the door had closed, watching as Damian’s footsteps leave from his door. 

“I did,” You hum, showing how you’d gotten first place and he’d gotten dead last. He rolls his eyes, leaves the game, and turns off your iPad. Next time he’ll just rig the game, clearly, the lobby didn’t understand his vision. 

“You should stay for dinner,” Your face contorts at the idea and you scoot closer to him until your ankles reach his back and his knees are at your ribs. “They’re not bad, not right now, at least.” He adds, messing with your studded belt. 

“I don’t like heroes, Tim,” You remind him. He frowns, eyes meeting your own. “And Bruce definitely will not welcome me after the curse,” Right, the whole demon curse. His eyes move to your tail that’s now wrapping around his left leg, the soft hairs brushing against his calf. While you’re not wrong, Bruce would have a heart attack if Tim was caught letting a demon (it's temporary, the council assured you) inside his house. 

“Fuck what Bruce has to say; I have my place! I run the company now, too,” He shrugs. 

“So why are we at the manor?” You tilt your head and he shrugs again. 

“Alfred offered to make my favorite for dinner because I haven’t visited since the whole demon thing.” You tut, leaning forward so your head rests on his chest. He looks at your awkwardly folded pose and pushes your legs. Getting the hint, you lift yourself and fold your legs underneath you. He lays his head on top of yours, using his phone behind your back. 

The two of you sit in silence until your legs go numb and you turn around, now watching as he scrolls through his socials. He shifts so one arm holds you close and locks his legs over yours while you hold his hand. 

Now, despite how it may look, you and Tim were not in a relationship. Nearly, you’ll both admit that much. But nothing that ever surpassed longing glances and touching that lasted far too long for the two of you to simply be friends. 

And that was for one simple reason.

Tim was a hero. 

You don’t hate heroes, simply a strong dislike towards them. For a multitude of reasons, enough for a twenty-page paper. Tim would know, he had you make one when you first rejected him. You don’t really trust them, all of them except for Tim. And maybe his strange friend Kon, but that’s about it. All of the rest can leave you the hell alone. 

Your phone buzzes and you spare it a glance; a call from your superior. 

“I gotta go,” You tell him but make no move to leave. He just hums, still scrolling on his phone. “There’s probably an attack and I’m needed.”

“That’s crazy,” He mutters, showing you a video of a cat lying down in an empty fishbowl. 

“And Alfred will probably come up soon,” The time is around when dinner is usually ready.

“Probably,” He agrees. Your phone starts ringing again and you stare at it. 

“I really should be going,” 

“You really shouldn’t.” He drops his phone to hold you with both arms.

“I’ll get in trouble,” You look up at him and he just blinks. “They’ll take my keys away.” He relents and lets you stand but you don’t move. He raises an eyebrow and you smile before flicking him with your tail and getting up. 

He spluttered at the hairs, wiping his mouth as you shoved your feet into your boots. 

“See you,” You wave before opening his bedroom door to your boss's room. He sees the woman sitting on the edge of her desk, dangling her phone. She sees him and you quickly shut the door. 

Flopping onto his back, Tim runs his hands down his face and stares at the ceiling. He rolls over and looks down at your iPad, deciding he’ll just keep it until you notice it’s gone.

—

“Still have an issue with me being a hero?” Tim asks as you’re cooking in his apartment. You’re making breakfast for dinner, considering he’d come back at three in the morning and you’d skipped breakfast in favor of dealing with some demons terrorizing school.

“Yes, Tim.” You reply, setting a third pancake onto the plate. He leans against your back, staring at the side of your face while making sure to be careful of your sharp ear. Your tail pulls him closer and he snickers. “The tail has nothing to do with me,” You grumble, side-glancing at him. 

“Even if I say pretty please?” He bats his long eyelashes, making sure that they tickle your face. 

“You’re making a very convincing argument,” You laugh, pushing his face away. With a small snicker, he pulls his face and adjusts his grip on you. Tim sighs into your shoulder and then steals a piece of bacon, narrowly avoiding the slap from the spatula.

“Can I just be the one hero you like?” He hops onto the counter, watching as you continue to cook. 

“You already are,” You watch from the corner of your eye as he flicks his hair out of his face, studying you. He watches you for another minute or two, offering up forks when it’s time to plate the food. He’s clearly thinking as he pours the cups of juice, smiling while he jumps back on the counter before he eventually speaks up. 

“Can I take you on a date, then?” He asks, eyes flickering from the last pancake to your face. Pausing mid-flip, you shrug. Taking a moment to think about it, Tim watches as your tail slowly moves side to side before it settles on the back of the couch.

“It would be faster if you just kissed me, if I’m being honest.” You chuckle and his eyebrows raise. 

“You’re telling me all of this could’ve been avoided with… a kiss?” He slowly asks and you nod, turning the fire off and then moving to be in front of him. He reaches for you, his fingers curling under your jaw as you stare up at him. Opening his legs, you sit between them and mess with the hair around his face. 

“I just wanted to see some initiative,” You hum and he rolls his eyes before crashing his lips into yours.

[grandline-fics]

Could i ask for a Law x FemReader with the “accidental kiss” prompt?, and if possible, could law have a crush on the reader if you decide to do this ask?

(Love your fics)

-anon

DESCRIPTION: Prompt: Accidental Kiss

WARNINGS:  Fluff

CHARACTERS: Law

WORDS: 1,270

A/N: Hi there, thank you for this prompt based request. I hope you like what I came up with for this one.

*REQUESTS ARE OPEN*

MASTERLIST | PROMPT LIST

———————

The chatter among the crew at the breakfast table was as lively as ever. The meals on the Polar Tang were always savoured for everyone to connect and enjoy the time together before everyone resigned themselves away to take on their tasks for the day. You’d finished your meal but remained sitting, holding your mug of coffee close as you let the heat radiate into your hands, the thought of drinking it gone from your mind as you only focussed on your Captain. Your eyes remained on his and you smiled softly as you listened with keen interest before giving your input to the conversation with Law. 

While other chatter sounded around you, the pair of you were unaware of the looks you were receiving. Penguin and Shachi were trying to hold back their smirks, Bepo and Ikkaku stared with dreamy expressions while the others looked at the scene before them completely baffled. All of them saw how obvious it was you and the Captain shared a deep connection and held even deeper feelings for each other. Why hadn’t either of you noticed or tried to act on those feelings before? In the crew’s eyes the two of you were already a couple in all but name and acknowledgement from you and Law. 

When you finally brought your lips to you mug your gaze broke reluctantly from Law’s face and you caught sight of the time. As much as you could have easily spent the entire day talking to Law about anything and everything you knew your chores wouldn’t do themselves. With a sigh you finished your drink and began to rise, gathering the cleared plates and bowls close to you to take them to the sink. As you leant forward to reach for something just out of your grasp, Jean Bart spoke up to ask Law a question, causing him to turn his head. Then the chatter stopped instantly and the dining hall froze in its entirety, everyone taking in the sight of Law’s lips against yours. 

You didn’t even know how it happened, your mind couldn’t register the odds of this kind of thing happening. One second you were reaching for a bowl, the next your Captain’s lips were against yours and you were unable to move and the look in Law’s eyes told you everything; it was an accident and he seemed just as bewildered by the situation as you were. You couldn’t hold back the heat bursting against your skin or silence the heavy hammering of your heart in your chest. 

It felt like time had stopped when really the whole thing lasted a few seconds. You didn’t even know how either of you managed to find the strength to disengage but you did it. While Law quickly made his way to the safety of his study, away from the prying eyes and excited whispers. You however weren’t so privileged. You spent as long as possible standing at the sink, scrubbing the dishes for as long as you could, keeping your gaze on the water and not on the others of the crew you could feel were lingering in the room. When there was nothing else for you to clean you had no choice but to finally go to your assigned task for the day. Thankfully it was just you and Bepo doing the monthly stock check of the medical supplies which took most of the day and it was thankfully filled with silence due to complete concentration needing to be had. 

However you knew Bepo’s lack of comment on the morning’s incident was too good to be true because when it came to delivering the updated stock numbers to Law, the damned bear was suddenly overcome with one of his stomachaches and needed to lie down immediately. You muttered curses over and over as you made your way to Law’s office. Briskly you knocked on his door and entered when he called for you to enter. At first you thought you could pretend that what had happened never happened but when you walked in and met his gaze you faltered. You couldn’t help but glance at his lips while tightly pressing your own into a tight line. Quickly you inwardly berated yourself for your juvenile reaction. With a sharp clearing of your throat you continued into his office. All you needed to do was give him the papers and leave, it was easy, you’d done it hundreds of times before. 

“No Bepo?” Law asked, trying to find something, anything to speak about to delay talking about the kiss. 

“Stomachache.” You explained, slipping the papers into his hand and then you paused. Normally you would stay and chat but if you did this time would he be thinking you were staying for something else? But if you left immediately then that would be out of character and would make him think something was wrong, that you didn’t want to be around him anymore which couldn’t be further from the truth. What if he wanted you to leave because of what happened? Your mind was spinning and you couldn’t see an answer anywhere. Finally through your thoughts Law’s voice saying your name made you focus. “Yes?” You answered immediately.

“Was he okay?” Law asked, never forgetting his role as a Doctor even though he knew the bear would be more than okay. He highly suspected this was an instance that the navigator was lying, still he had to check. 

“You could offer to kiss him better.” Your joke came before your brain could stop you and you regretted it instantly, hands flying over your mouth as though you could force the words back. You always made jokes like this but given what had happened between you both this morning it just brought the memory and the feeling of his lips on yours flooding back. “Sorry, I’m sorry!” You rambled behind your hands. 

You and Law stared at each other and finally he broke the silence and the tension by laughing, all but relieved that you were just as much as a mess as he was about it all. Seeing him laugh let you join in and it felt as though the weight on your shoulders and anxiety of that accidental kiss possibly ruining everything between you disappeared. It felt like how it normally did and you could breathe easier now. As the laughter eased away you caught your Captain staring at your lips just as you had his when you entered his office. “Permission to say as unexpected as it was, it was a nice kiss, Captain?”

“Permission granted.” Law smirked at you. “Though you must be easily pleased if that impressed you.”

“Wow you’re so arrogant.” You rolled your eyes playfully. “I said it was nice, not that it blew my mind forever. I was just being kind.”

“Not arrogance if it’s fact.” Law replied smoothly as he rose from his seat to stand in front of you, his lips as close as possible without touching. “I can give you a real kiss now and ‘blow your mind forever’ as you phrased it?”

“You’re welcome to try, Captain.” You murmured, leaning your head back just a fraction and grinning in satisfaction to see him respond by leaning in again to maintain the infuriatingly close distance between you. There was a brief beat between you both before the space was closed and your lips met. You all but melted into Law’s touch and he was right. Compared to this kiss right now, what you’d shared in the dining room that morning was nothing but a happy accident.

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[alexa-yukiyu]

Just imagine a child reader with each of the crews (strawhat pirates, heart pirates, whitebeard pirates, kid pirates, and red hair pirates) like 7 or 8 and they are just a menace. Like they have insane adhd and acts like they drank multiple monster energy drinks every morning but they can also be so sweet and adorable sometimes. They just run around and cause chaos but everyone on the crew just takes care of them but they make it so hard. Spontaneous hide and seek? Everybody’s freaking out because they’re missing and all the sudden they will just pop out of the most random place and declare themself the winner and everybody is like huh?? the winner of what?? They’ve been there for a while, and people have grown attached. I can imagine ace just having the most fun with them. And for the strawhats like they joined around when the strawhat crew fist went into the grand line so they have been there from the beginning and all the new crew members are like “why are they still here??” and zoro is like “to be honest i dont know” they are luffy’s best bud on the strawhats Sorry for the rant, i just read a fic and it sparked this idea and reminded me of your writing. I just kind of wrote down my train of thought, congratulations if this makes sense to you thanks for listening. 

Who’s it? ( Law x Adhd!reader)

A/N Hey hey! Here we go, I think we haven’t done a Law/heart pirates in a while so yippee, also i’m sorry nonnie, I couldn't do so many crews at once so if you still want to see the other crews don’t be afraid to send another request! In other news; Guys I start work soon 🥲so i’m not sure what the upload schedule will be like next week

Dividers by @/firefly-graphics

Reader here is replaced by Dokucha which stands for Reader in Japanese for the enjoyment of both reader and oc character readers!

Penguin puffed as he leaned his hands on his knees, trying to recuperate his breath after running multiple laps around the sub. Despite the physical strain his job required on a daily, especially under a Captain such as his, he could never get used to the exhaustion and anxiety that taking care of a tween with adhd brought.

“D-Did you guys find them?” He sputtered out, lifting his head to look at his crew, who sported similar exhaustion

“No. I’m sorry,” Bepo cried, putting his head down in shame. The mink had been the first to realize the child had disappeared as the crew had breakfast. It was not his responsibility alone, but as always, he could not help but think he could have prevented this if he had paid more attention to them.

“There has to be someplace we haven’t looked!”

“Mate, I checked the workshop top to bottom; wherever they are, I know it's not in my bloody workshop,” Ikkaku said, shaking her head.

“I um.. I checked the cockpit. I didn’t see them there,” Hakugan piped up softly.

“Nothing in the map room, I’m sorry,” Bepo added.

“Stop apologizing!” Shachi snarled

“I’m sorry!”

“Nothing in the Kitchen; I thought for sure they would have hidden there,” Bart grumbled out, scratching his head, confused.

“I checked the common rooms, but I couldn’t find them,” Cline reported

“I checked the storage rooms, but nothing,” Shachi sighed, looking toward the Penguin.

“And I just checked our chambers; I was hoping they were sleeping, but no one was there,” Penguin cried.

“Pen, seriously? Of all things, you thought that ankle-biter would be taking a kip? We can’t even get them to sleep, let alone a kip,” Ikkaku scoffed with a roll of her eyes.

“I freaked out! I just don’t know where else we could look.”

“Well, that would leave only one place, doesn’t it?” Clione called nervously

“No way!” Penguin yelled as he straightened up at the insinuation

“It’s true, isn’t it? We have already looked through the whole sub, Penguin! They have to be in the infirmary.” Uni shot back with a frown

“Even if they aren’t, I think we should ask Captain for help.”

“Are you serious, Uni?! He’ll kill us if he hears we lost them again. I don’t want to go another day with switched limbs!” Shachi shuddered, hugging himself tightly

“It’s not like it can be helped; that kid acts as if they were injected with steroids all the time, always berko, we can’t keep up with em” Ikkaku sighed.

“Okay then, who’s going to tell him then because it’s not going to be me” Penguin questioned, looking up at her

“Well, that’s obvious, isn’t it?” Shachi muttered as he and the crew all turned to the navigator, who, upon noticing the attention that had fallen on him shook his head nervously

Despite his meek outer appearance, it was common knowledge aboard the Polar Tang that the singular best way to deliver annoying or bothersome news without suffering punishment or repercussions was to have Bepo deliver the news to the Captain, as even the surgeon of death himself was vulnerable to the mink’s adorable demeanor.

And so, once again, Bepo stood in the infirmary, delivering such news to the Captain. It followed the same pattern when situations such as these occurred: Bepo would enter nervously, Law would instantly realize something went wrong, his anger would spike, Bepo would cry, Law would fall for his cuteness and usually solve the problem quite promptly.

“Room,” Law called. Scanning the submarine with his devil fruit, he took just a few seconds to mutter a small ‘there’ as he managed to locate the child.

“Shambles,” he spoke, throwing a small stone in the air, catching the child that child that replaced it and glaring at them as they began laughing.”

“You found me!”

“Dokucha-ya. What were you doing?”

“We were playing hide and seek, and I was winning! I still won 'cause you used your powers, and that’s cheating, so I’m still the undefeated champion!” They cheered, raising their hands in Victory

“You were playing hide and seek?” Law questioned, looking up at Bepo, an angry, accusing glare on his face at the information

“N-no!” He promised, shaking his head furiously, sighing as Law turned his accusing glare back on the child.

“Oh! I forgot to tell them. Well, now you know, so let's play again!” they grinned, running off again only to be shambled back into Law’s hands once again.

“No. You are going to sleep.” Law told them, standing up and putting his arm around the child’s stomach as he carried them away, rolling his eyes as they let out a slight whine at the news.

“You can go, Bepo. I’ll put them to sleep,” he ordered, waving the bear off, much to the latter’s relief. The bear wasted no time running off.

“You. Sleep,” he instructed, tossing the child into an infirmity bed, turning around, and walking back to his desk to continue the medical journal he had recently found.

“Yepee!” they cheered as they bounced on the bed. Rolling around on their stomachs, they began kicking their feed, letting out a pout.

“Come on, Law! I’m not tired! I want to play a little more, please?”

“No.”

"Talking is fine, too.”

“Alright, Then. " He agreed, shutting the journal and giving the child a smirk as a hopeful and gleeful expression grew on their faces.

“How about we talked about why you skipped your medication again?”

They groaned, getting their body fall into the bed face-first,wishing they hadn’t opened their mouths to avoid the scolding they knew was now invertible.

“Dokucha-ya,” he warned

“No! I want to sleep!” they called, turning away from him.

“Too late, You know I’m not going to let this slide; the sooner you tell me, the sooner I can stop asking you and interrupting your playtime,” he reasoned, turning his chair towards the bed.

“Is it the taste? I can teach you how to swallow the pill; I can mix it into food as well.”

“It’s not that.”

“Then?”

“It’s nothing.”

“If it weren’t nothing, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.Dokucha-ya, listen. If you tell me what is wrong with them, I can fix the problem.”

“They make me feel weird,” they muttered, flipping themselves over to meet his eye, watching as his eyebrows furrowed at the information.

“Weird, how?” he questioned

“It makes me feel yucky; I don’t want to do anything when I eat it.”

Law frowned as he realized what they meant. He had thoroughly researched all of Dokucha’s medicine and potential medicines and was well aware that depression has been previously reported as a side effect for ritalin in some patients. The hard part of medications for conditions like these was that the only way to know the best medicine for them was trial and error, trying different Medicines until they were able to find the one that worked best. His thought process was interrupted as the child let out a small apology.

“it’s not your fault; you can’t control how the medicine will react; thank you for telling me; I will change your medication, alright?” he reassured them as they stood up, walking to the shelf and pulling out a book

“Hmm, we will try Staterra instead. I will give you 0.5g. It’s the lowest dose for your age, and it will help me see how your body reacts.”

“Will… it help me study better again?” they asked nervously, fidgeting. Most of his medical talk was lost to them, but they were able to understand the gist of it: that he was trying to help them fix the problem they were currently experiencing.

“That’s the goal. We will start the medicine tomorrow. If it does well, I will raise the dose in three days, and we will see from there. If it makes you feel weird again, let me know

Dokucha smiled, themedical jargon and what most people would see as an emotionally disconnected doctor Dokucha knew to be the way the man showed that he cared, and although it perhaps wasn’t what other kids might like, it made them feel appreciated and loved. After all, other kids probably have to worry about managing a condition, and not all caretakers are as involved and determined to find a solution as the Captain was, and for them, it was enough.

“Okay!”

Whoop whoop!

[robinvomit]

[ sit. ]

"can this day please be over.."

you sighed as you opened the door, shoulders heavy with defeat and a want for nothing but sleeping for the next three days. your back hurt, your feet ached and quite frankly, you never wanted to go back to that god forsaken job.

stepping inside, you let your bag hit the ground and just stood there for a moment, trying to finally process the fact you were finally home. toeing your shoes off was slow, almost painful, and you were blinking like the lights made everything hurt even more - all of this kept you distracted from the fact you weren't greeted at the door, which was a little strange.

you finally looked up to see bart on the stair case on his back, legs resting up against the wall, head tipped slightly over the side edge. he was already watching, because of course he was, but not just watching - he was studying. the way you moved, the sounds you made, the way you breathed.

your voice didn't even manage to make it out before he was in front of your half shut down frame, causing white noise to fill the space for half a second. you blinked at him through the threat of tears, almost like you weren't even coherent enough to realize how quickly he'd moved or that he was suddenly in front of you.

he was already pushing his hoodie into your hands by the time reality finally hit. "sit down."

your eyebrows pulled together as your fingers curled into the familiar, worn material. "bart, i'm-"

"i wasn't asking," he said, leaving no room for arguement as be shifting to guide you to the couch. he knew better than to ask if you were okay or if you needed anything, not when you came home looking like you barely made the walk.

slowly sinking down to the couch, you mumbled something incoherent as you pulled your shirt off, replacing it with the hoodie before sinking back. your eyes closed, welcoming the plush hold of the couch and trying to let go of the tension in your shoulders.

"you don't have to say anything, just.." he paused, waving a hand like he was trying to find a word that didn't dismiss the stress of your day. "be here. with me."

you did - not that you had a choice - while looking up at him with what had to be the most defeated, pitiful look possible, which he wasn't entirely sure what to do with. he just crouched in front of the couch, hands settling to offer a soft squeeze at your lower thigh. his head tilted a little, just taking another moment to look over you before he spoke again.

"was it that bad?"

you didn't have the energy to talk, so you just gave a short nod.

he frowned. "worse than that?"

you nodded again.

he furrowed his brow before pulling his hands back. "like.. you're never going back or.. you had to fake a smile for the last several hours so you didn't burn the building down bad?"

"yes."

the fact you'd just agreed to both agitated him a little bit, knowing he couldn't really do anything to change what happened or the fact it was just your job. he got lost in thought and you could see it on his face, like he was deciding whether or not he could get away with arson in your place. bart didn't like when things tore you down or hurt you in any way and he definitely didn't like when he couldn't always do something to fix it.

"i don't think i can do it again tomorrow," you finally said, hands coming up to rub over your face before they flopped back into your lap. "it's so.. i feel like my spine is going to snap and my feet are going to fall off."

he didn't argue. didn't give you some speech about quitting, nor did he try to encourage you to work through it. he shifted up onto the couch, dragging the throw off the back as he settled, guiding you to tuck yourself against him.

"that's okay," he mumbled, making sure it draped properly around your shoulders before smoothing a hand over your back. "you don't have to. we'll figure something else out."

[ taggies: @acreativeusername ]

[xetlynn]

Scars and Faint Memories

Vanessa Palmer x Fem! Reader

chapter four<- -> chapter five -> chapter six

warnings: mentions of blood, wounds, drinking and driving. Lottie’s crash out.

1996

You sit with Coach, Misty and Travis inside the cabin as the song “This is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan plays via your walkman in a metal bucket. Mari counts from the start. “One, two, one-two-three-four.” 

And on cue the girls, plus Javi break out into their choreographed dance that they’ve created from being here so long and having nothing better to do. They were grateful for your walkman and extra batteries you brought. As were you since this is one of your enjoyments in life. 

“And running man, running man!” Mari, Akilah, Lottie and Van say so the girls do the next steps in the dance. You cheer for them beside Coach, the two of you grinning at them. You weren’t much of a dancer. As much as you love music you didn’t particularly relish in dancing. You did however appreciate watching the others have fun. 

Jackie, Shauna, Natalie and Laura Lee lead into the next move: the Bart Simpson. “And Javi- Javi, you’re late!” Mari calls out the boy to which you laugh. He hurries to get on beat, Taissa jumping in to assist and the group re-synchronizes. Misty applauds the girls. You peer over to see Travis even grinning at the girls. 

But good things weren’t meant to last, especially out here. The tape begins to struggle and the song slows down, distorting eerily before stopping completely. The girls stand helplessly and you go over to it, along with Van who picks it up. Giving it a few smacks filled with hope but to no avail. You frown. 

“Has hitting something ever fixed it?” The redhead murmurs, mainly to herself. “Maybe try blowing on it.” Mari suggests and you take the small thing from Van and deeply frown. This was your sense of comfort. Something you’ve held onto ever since you got it.  You had no more batteries. You put the last ones in it last week. 

A sustained scraping noise emits from upstairs in the attic and Jackie is the first to speak. “Um. The fuck is that?” 

“You hear it, too?” Lottie asks and you give her a strange expression. “It’s probably just a branch.” Taissa replies, not believing there could be something up there. “Inside? On the floor?” Mari crosses her arms, then a small realization hits her. “What if it’s him?” She motions, bringing up the dead guy. Both you and Taissa snort. 

“You know what it probably was? The dead guys missing fingers… trying to find their way home.” Natalie deadpans and you bump her with your hip, the two of you finding it amusing. This prompts squeals from the girls though and a glare from Taissa. “You really have to encourage them?” 

“You gotta admit, it didn’t sound like it was on the roof.” Akilah says with a shaken expression. “Fine, so it was a rat. Or, a raccoon. Or, I dunno.” Jackie pouts. “Shh! Listen!” Lottie quiets everyone. Everyone pauses, but there’s only silence. “Well I don’t hear it now.” Mari huffs. 

“See?” Taissa rolls her eyes and before it can grow into a debate Coach Scott finally adds into the conversation. “You know what I think? I think the ghost decided it’s time to get some sleep. Maybe we should do the same.” 

This doesn’t lead to an argument, the girls all getting their sleeping equipment out and you cling onto your walkman sadly. Setting up your blankets with your empty hand. “I’m sorry, [Name].” Natalie whispers and you just shrug your shoulders. “It’s fine, I got a bit out of it.” You sigh, gently placing it inside your backpack. 

The two of you set up beside one another like you have been since the beginning. 

Van observes you from afar, the candle light hitting you perfectly. She can’t get over how ethereal you are. How the curvature of your face always captures light and shadows perfectly. It never fails to amaze her. Taissa comes up from behind the redhead, following her eyes and seeing you. She scoffs out a chuckle. Earning Vanessa’s attention and she furrows her brows up at the girl. 

“What?” She whispers and Taissa gives her a “are you serious?” look. “Right.” Van sighs, sitting down on her blankets. “You two seriously aren’t talking still?” Tai joins her on the ground. You glance over to them as you lay in your spot, holding onto Natalie’s hand. Playing with her fingers like you’ve done since the two of you started having sleepovers years ago. 

You wonder what the two are talking about, completely oblivious to the fact that it’s about you. Your jealousy seeps in at the sight of them sitting so close to one another. You wanted to be in Taissa’s place, but the fear of the unknown always crept up whenever you tried to speak to Van. 

The fear of what others would think about you. The fear of the secret you’ve held in for years coming out to people. The fear of rejectment, not only from Van but from others. You’ve spent so much time keeping to yourself, only holding onto your friendship with Natalie that opening yourself up to someone else was scary. 

Walls were built sturdy and you couldn’t let some girl knock them down. 

“No, she avoids me like I’m some kind of plague. I don’t know what I did.” Van runs a hand through her hair, racking her brain for ideas of what she could’ve done to you. “She will stand beside me when we’re with the others but if she finds herself alone with me it’s like I have some sort of repellent on me.” Van vents, staring off at the ground. 

Not seeing the eyes that stay on her from afar. Burning a hole into her head. 

“Try to like… corner her or something.” Taissa mutters, not knowing how to help in this situation to which Van laughs. “Yeah, cause that will really make her want me.” Van shakes her head at the suggestion to which Taissa snickers as well. “I don’t mean like weirdly corner her. Catch her at a good time where the two of you are alone.” 

“That’s the thing, I have done that. Around the time we found this place. We got interrupted and nothing’s been better since.” Van explains and Taissa contorts her face, feeling bad. “Damn… what did you do?” 

Van’s face falls and she snaps her head in the direction of her friend. “Has anyone ever told you how helpful and comforting you are?” Van says with a wooden expression. Taissa presses her lips together at her own amusement. “I don’t think I have.” She admits. “Yeah, no duh.” Van breathes out sharply. 

Adjusting herself so she can lay down dramatically. Taissa sits there, raising a brow down at her. 

In the morning everyone is on the move. Everyone has synched up on their periods so it was cruel living. Pushing yourselves to do the chores that needed to be done with a grudge to the world. 

You were in extreme pain, feeling it in your lower back and legs. Still you pushed yourself to go find wood for a fire alongside Taissa. “Shit.” You stumble, dropping the wood you’ve collected and placing your hands on your hips as pain shoots through you. “You okay?” Taissa comes to your side, picking up what you’ve dropped. 

“Yeah, this just fucking sucks.” You whine, squeezing your eyes shut for a moment before sucking a breath and helping regrab the large wood that needs to be chopped up. “I’m sorry, I remember how bad your cramps were in middle school.” She sympathizes with you. 

“Yeah, and I didn’t bring my pain meds on this stupid trip cause I didn’t know we’d be fucking stuck out here.” You groaned, mainly complaining to yourself but still Taissa listened to you nonetheless. It was rare you vented to anyone and for some reason when you do people treat it as a privilege. “God damn.” You huff, kicking the dirt after standing up straight, moving the wood in your arms so you can grab the others from Tai. 

“I think I have some ibuprofen. If it gets too bad. Same with Misty” She offers and you shake your head. “We should save it for emergencies or the others, God knows how long we’ll fucking be here.” You say in a sad but irritated tone. You knew you could be real with Taissa. With the others you wanted to give them a sense of hope. Sometimes it’s too much though. 

“Oh, no more, don't worry, we’ll be saved in no time. We’re just in the middle of nowhere. It takes time. Coming from you?” She raises a brow trying to bring some sort of humor out which you snort. “We’re older, we gotta comfort them somehow.” You roll your eyes. 

“I mean they’re not that much younger than us. We shouldn’t give them false hope.” She tilts her head and you scrunch your nose at her words. “Probably but also having no hope doesn’t get you anywhere. You’ll get all “pity us, pity me, what’s the point of this if we are never saved.” You mock with a higher pitched voice and this time Taissa lets out a laugh. “Do you believe we’ll be saved? Truly?” The girl goes serious and you stop in your tracks. 

Rubbing your lips together as you think. “I guess, I think we will eventually. Who knows, we could be who saves us.” You shrug your shoulders as if it were a simple answer. Taissa takes in what you say. 

“What about you, Miss Turner?” You nudge her and she laughs in annoyance at your choice of nickname for her. “I want to say yes, that we will be. As the days go on I feel myself getting more restless. More drained emotionally. I want to go home. I want to fucking eat fries or some unhealthy shit.” She rants to which you smile at. 

“I miss my bed for sure.” She glances down to the wood. “I miss not having to chop fucking wood too.” And you chuckle, silently agreeing with her. 

You miss your siblings the most, yeah your bed and maybe even your mom. But your siblings. They’re all you can think about during this time. It keeps you up at night what they’re doing, how they’re processing you not being there. How your mom told them about your plane missing. Or if she told them something else. What kind of lie did she tell them? 

You shake your head, not needing to think about that right now. You feel your heart thudding in your chest and you take a deep breath in. “So… did you have a thing with anyone back home?” Taissa randomly asks and you give her a look. “I’m trying to make conversation here.” She defends herself and you just laugh. 

“No, I didn’t. Never really have had anyone… that way.” You mumble out, pursing your lips out at the thought of a relationship with a man. “You?” You switch it to her and she shakes her head. 

“Nah, not a lot of gay girls around.” She sighs and your eyes widen. Slowly looking at her, her eyes already on you with a smug expression. “You- you’re… gay?” You stammer. 

“Is there something wrong with that?” She inquires and you press your lips together, shaking your head furiously. “Not at all, I just… I don’t know. I wasn’t expecting you to come out to me, I guess.” You breathe out nervously. 

Unbeknownst to you it was a test, not to see if you were homophobic. But maybe if she comes out to you, you’d do the same. Possibly leading to a conversation about crushes… Attempting to be a wingman for Van. 

“Sorry, I mean. I trust you. I had a feeling you weren’t homophobic.” She jokes half-heartedly and you smile. 

“Glad I give off those vibes.” You pretend to sigh in relief, walking ahead of her to get back to the cabin. Disappointing her with your lack of… coming out as well. She thought she set it up so… amazingly!

You toss the wood down beside the stump you guys have been using to chop the wood. Your next activity was cleaning up the cabin a little more so it felt more… home-y? It’s something you briefly mentioned to a few of the girls. Sort of agreeing that you can do it as a chore. As you enter the cabin you see Natalie nudging a sleeping Jackie with her foot. 

“Jackie. Up and at 'em, or something.” She mutters to which Jackie burrows deeper under the blankets with a whine. “It’s so cold. And I have cramps.” She complains to which you snicker. “No shit. We literally all have cramps.” Natalie rolls her eyes, peering over at you with raised eyebrows and you put your hands up in defense. 

Jackie pushes off her blankets, up to her feet begrudgingly. Natalie is already leaving the building to go off doing something else. Jackie looks at you who shrugs simply. 

“I feel your pain. We let you sleep in a little later though.” You give her an empathetic smile to which she tries to do back but frowns instead. You did argue a little bit with the others to just let Jackie sleep longer. Having most of the chores taken care of but of course they’re going to deem it unfair if someone gets special treatment. 

You glance around the kitchen area, humming lowly as you try to think of where to start. Getting rid of the old nasty shit could be best. You open all of the cabinets, observing what you’re working with.The dude that lived here was not very organized… You begin to wonder if the man was always alone out here. 

If he had a wife or a friend. And if not… Why would he want to be isolated? Why would he choose to be alone with his own thoughts? His own being? The thought of being truly alone with no one… ever… is a scary, scary thought. Which is funny because you hated socializing. You hated it with a passion. 

Or you just hated the idea of being judged and picked apart if someone got to know you. 

Nah… it was definitely socialization… 

You head to the pantry that also leads to the attic with a ladder. You look at what you’re dealing with in there as well. All the cans and jars. Either empty or filled with maggots and other bugs you couldn’t name even if you tried. 

And from outside the door of the cabin, there stands a certain redhead. Knocking up the courage to talk to you. Her chance to do so. She sighs at herself, walking over to Taissa. 

“I can’t do it.” She throws her arms in the air and the curly-haired girl makes a confused look. “She’s there, alone in the cabin and I can’t do it. I feel like a little bitch.” She exclaims and Taissa puts the axe down, wiping the sweat from her forehead. 

“I mean you are kind of being one.” Taissa says with no remorse. “Just act like you’re looking for something. I don’t know. If you really want to talk to her you’ll make something up.” She grabs the axe, looking at Van patiently to see what the girl’s going to do. Either bother her some more or go to you. 

“You’re so much help.” 

“So, I’ve been told.” Taissa rolls her eyes with a smirk, commenting back to last night’s conversation. “I tried helping you earlier, came out to her and everything. She did not have much to say.” She lets out a low whistle, looking down at the wood she still has to chop. 

“Why would you coming out to her help me?” Van asks with knitted bros. “I don’t know! Possibly lead to like… a conversation about girls we’ve been interested in! Ya know…” She looks back at how that was probably a stupid decision but at the same time doesn’t regret it very much. 

Van just sits there with a blankless look on her face not even knowing how to respond. “I’m gonna go talk to her…” 

She walks away and Taissa just goes back to doing her chore. Trying to hurry up so she isn’t swinging a heavy axe multiple times. Arms growing sore. 

2021

You felt yourself going crazy, quitting your job not even 72 hours ago. You lay on your couch with an almost empty wine bottle. Hair looks a mess, wearing a tank top with grossly stained sweatpants. Music playing in the background on your record player, specifically Fleetwood Mac. The only thing keeping you somewhat sane. 

You move your foot with the beat of the music, humming along with the lyrics. 

The past couple of days all you’ve been thinking about is the plane crash that happened years ago. You think about everything that went down. Everything you had to endure and experience out there alongside the few you’ve recently had the joy of reconnecting with. 

The anger that seeped through you all over again. As if you were back to where you were when you got rescued. Anger that’s even fresher than that. Losing the love of your life. Betrayed by a person you thought was a close friend.

And of course the most recent events of someone you didn’t care for but survived with, dead. Hung himself. Or to Natalie, your closest friend of them all, convinced that he was murdered. A fucking psychotic woman working with her to figure out if that’s truly the case. You have Shauna down the road who honestly only talks to you when it’s most convenient. Seeing Taissa after 8 years. After what she did. Attempting to give you some meekly apology.

Your younger siblings are out of state, miles away after your mother passed. Using their inheritance to do better for themselves. Sending cards or calling you every now and then, begging you to visit them.

The worst of it though. Is the fact that all of them have lives, living them without you. And you’re stuck in place. Living off money you made in your twenties and your mother’s inheritance. Not saying that they live better, or worse. Just that they’re living and you have no purpose in them anymore. That’s at least what you’ve convinced yourself.

You stand up suddenly from your spot, anxiety hitting you. The feeling of dread overwhelming you. “Shit.” You mumble, grasping at your chest. “Stop, stop, stop.” You plead with nobody, pacing around your living room. 

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” You try to convince yourself, your hands shaking as you take in deep breaths. The feeling of panic wasn’t stopping any time soon though. You grab onto your hair, “Stop it! I’m fucking fine!” You shout into the air, yanking at your hair before hitting yourself in the head a few times. “Fucking please!” You cry out. 

Stumbling around as you’re begging to whoever is out there to stop this feeling. Taking the bottle of wine and smashing it to the ground. “God, what the fuck!” You sob with no tears coming out. 

You couldn’t stop it, after how many years of having these panic attacks you couldn’t stop it without someone else being beside you. A soothing voice or someone cracking a joke. Forcing you to listen to the music or the noises around you. You felt dizzy as you reached down for your phone. Unfortunately slipping on your rug and onto a rather large piece of glass. 

“Fuck!!” You howl in pain, you grip onto the couch, looking down at your calf that has a large chunk of broken glass sticking out. Gushing blood through your grey sweatpants. That sure stopped the panic attack… 

“Are you fucking kidding me!?” You angrily express, glaring at the wound. You stand up with a wince. Forgetting about your phone and heading to the front door with a limp. You were huffing out of breath, stopping yourself before you did anything. You bend over, attempting to take the glass out yourself but you see the blood stain grow bigger on your pants. Along with the pain growing excruciating. “Yup. Hospital… hospital.” You grimace, snatching your keys off the hook. 

You shut the door behind you, practically jumping on one leg to your car, leaning against it as you swing the door open and plop down. Slowly remembering that you’re wine drunk. 

Should you be driving? No probably not but it’s your left leg and you’re not calling the ambulance to get a huge ass bill that you definitely could afford nor are you calling for help. 

You speed on your way to the hospital. Feeling yourself incredibly lightheaded but keeping your eyes open and focused on the road. You’ve been drinking and feeling the blood drain from your body was no help either. 

You pull into the parking lot of the hospital, climbing out and almost falling to the ground as you do so. Slamming the door behind you, you limp to the front doors of the emergency room. “Fucking hell…” You murmur, shoving your keys in your pocket. “Hello?!” You slur out, slumping against the front desk. 

A lady appears and gives you a weird look. “Hi, what can I do for you?” She asks and you laugh. “Um… my leg, I broke some glass, it’s in my leg.” You answer horribly and then point behind you to the blood that has trailed behind you. Her eyes widen and you grin sweetly with half-lidded eyes.

“You think I could see a doctor?” Is the last thing you manage to get out before passing out cold against the desk then your body slipping down to the ground. 

1996

You’re putting jars on one shelf as you put the rest of the cans that weren’t used for the shooting range outside and not in the pantry. Then you can use the jars to collect the berries and nuts, Keeping a neater storage. 

You heard footsteps creaking behind you but you don’t think much of it, continuing your thing. “Need any help?” A voice cuts through your silence and you peep over to see Van standing there. You feel yourself tense up as you shake your head. “No, thank you though.” 

“Can I just… stand here then? Like an idiot of course.” She adds in the last part and you press your lips together as you try to hold in a laugh. “If you have nothing better to do, I guess I can’t stop you.” You shrug your shoulders and she smiles. This is the most you’ve said to her in a while. 

And that’s saying a lot since you’ve only just said 17 words to her. Van patiently stands there, ever so often looking behind her to see if someone was going to head inside. 

“You going to talk at all?” You speak up first, surprisingly. “Being quiet is kind of a part of the whole idiot thing I was going for but you know… I can try talking.” She sarcastically answers and you let out a “pfft.” Looking over at her with a stupid lopsided grin on your face. “So talk, idiot.” You joke and she lands a hand on her heart. 

“Man, harsh.” 

You couldn’t stop smiling at her, trying to get back to your organizing but now all you could feel is her presence. “I really didn’t do anything… right? Like the reason we barely talk isn’t because of me?” She suddenly asks and you drop your hands to your sides with a small sigh. 

You knew you couldn’t keep this going, you couldn’t just continue to ignore her. As much as you wanted to push her away. “Van, I promise you, you did absolutely nothing.” You turn to face her to show you’re sincere. 

“I’m sorry I’ve been acting like this.” You say cautiously, not knowing what your next words are going to be. “I d- I don’t really know what to tell you it was… Other than the fact that you were getting too close to me.” You shyly admit. 

“So… I mean I did do something?” She says in a more inquisitive tone. “No, no, Van.” You laugh, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I got scared once I realized how close you were getting to me. Along with the fact that y’know you caught me fucking looking at a redhead on a porno magazine.” You blurt out, sort of without thinking but for some reason it didn’t hit you. 

Van stands there for a moment. “You’re gay?” She whispers and you let out a loud laugh. “That’s what you take out of that?” You hold your stomach as you can’t stop the giggles. It was probably the anxiety but it was also incredibly amusing. You couldn't believe you were coming out to someone. 

It was humorous because you knew Taissa was trying to get it out of you earlier too. “Well, are you?” She asks and you raise a brow. “Am I?” You tease and she looks expectant, like she needed to hear you say it. “I am.” You breathe out. “You?” You point to her and she purses out her lips. 

“Me? Nah, nah, definitely not.” She sarcastically says and you gently push her. “Okay, sure.” You move past her so you can grab some sort of container for the cans. “So… redheads are something you’re interested in, in a person?” She comes up behind you as you look for a container and you freeze. 

“They’re okay, I guess.” You try not to smile. “Just okay?” She was growing bold in this moment, taking her chance. “I think redheads deserve more love. I’ll admit that.” You pull a large plastic bucket from the bottom cabinet, turning around to face Van. “That we can agree on. The lack of love we receive…” She dramatically sighs and you scoff. 

“You finished your chore already?” You change the subject. “Yeah, just waiting for the laundry to dry now.” She tells you, right behind you as you take the bucket to the pantry. Placing the cans in it. 

“That’s cool, I wish I got laundry, I think I got a few splinters.” You pout out your lips and she makes a face. “I can check for you.” She offers and you place the bucket down. Shoving your hands in her direction. “Mm, you have two. I can get them later if you want?” She glances up at you and you nod. “Sounds like a plan.” You go back to what you’re doing. Van even helps you organize the area. 

Cleaning the cobwebs, and even cleaning out the dirty fridge that’s definitely not usable but it will possibly help get rid of smells. “I’m going to take a second outside, I’ll be back.” You tell the redhead who gives you a thumbs up in return, lifting up a heavy bunch of trash that will be burned by the fire tonight after dinner. 

Taissa comes up to you with a curious expression, nosey about what Van and you talked about. “Hey, [Name]! Wait for me!” She calls and you pause in your steps to look back at her. “Oh, what’s up, Tai?” You wait for her. 

“What’s that?” She asks, motioning to the bucket. “Trash from the fridge and pantry.” You answer, showing it off. “It’s gonna get burned tonight but I don’t want it near here for right now.”

Huffing as you carry it away from the site. “Makes sense, it’s fucking gross.” She gags at it, peering away from it to look ahead. “Yeah, I’m sick of the random scents when we’re going to bed.” You laugh, hefting up the bucket from slipping in your hands. 

“I think this is a good spot.” You call, heading over to a tree and placing it down. 

You wipe sweat from your face with your shirt before standing up straight. “I wish we had ac out here.” You complain, fanning yourself dramatically and Taissa hums in agreement. It’s getting colder out so in the same breath you were fine but the feeling of a fan or ac unit just hits differently. 

As you were going to continue your complaint, walking back to the cabin the two of you pass by the structure that holds the deer carcass. Shauna kneeled down by the blood. Startled by the both of you she hides something behind her back. “Sorry, we were just-” Taissa starts but Shauna shakes her head. “It’s fine.” Bolting out of there before anything else can be said. 

Taissa and you share a look with one another, confused. “That was weird, right?” She inquires with you and you nod your head. “Isn’t she the only one without a period?” You raise a brow and Taissa gasps. “Is she?” 

“I thought so but I don’t know.” You lift your shoulders. Glancing back to where Shauna just was. “Let’s go.” Taissa grabs your wrist and forces you to be a spy with her. 

“Thanks for jinxing me.” Shauna yells to Jackie who glances up. “Welcome to Club Flo. Call me when you’re ready to shake Misty down for Motrin.” 

Jackie holds your walkman, attempting to get it to work again. Something she asked last night before going to bed. She looks hopeful as she fights with the batteries but again nothing comes out. “Ugh. Fucking cocksucker.” You smirk. 

“[Name]! You still cleaning with me!?” Van calls from the cabin, steering your attention away from the captain of your soccer team. “Yeah, yeah!” You excuse yourself from Taissa’s side. She hesitantly lets you go without a smart comment. Giving Van a wink whose face grows warm at the gesture. Once you’re inside the redhead flicks up her middle finger. Tai laughed to herself, moving onto her chore.

 

2021

You wake up groggily with an IV in your arm and a large bandage on your leg. “The fuck?” You murmur, dazed as you blink yourself awake. A body comes to your side, grabbing onto your arm. Startling you, you look up. A glimpse of red hair. “Van?” You breathe out but as you come to, your vision fixes itself. Showing not red hair, but an orange sweater. 

“[Name]? You’re awake, are you okay?” It’s Taissa, you furrow your eyebrows angrily. 

“Are you fucking kidding me!?” You attempt to sit yourself up but you’re still heavily drugged up, grabbing at your IV but Taissa stops you. “Hey, hey, I got the call you were here. I’m still on your fucking emergency contact list. Not that I wanted to be here the day before Halloween or at all.” She explains to you and your chest heaves up and down. 

“What? I changed my- how the fuck?” You question frantically, not understanding what’s happening. You sit there quietly, glaring down at the cast on your leg. Thinking about your emergency contact. You never changed your contact after 8 years of not talking to Taissa. You close your eyes, not irritated with yourself. 

“They told me you had glass so deep in your leg is scratched against your fucking bone. You’re lucky it didn’t hit an important nerve.” She tells you and you side eye her with a childish pout on your lips. “They also said you were drunk, almost hitting the legal limit. How the fuck did you drive here?” Taissa scolds you and you scoff out a laugh. 

“Barely felt a buzz.” You roll your eyes. “You say that and next thing you know you’re throwing up for four fucking hours begging for Vanessa. You’ve done it for years.” She snaps, shutting you up. 

“Look, I need to go home with my family. You have someone I can call?” She asks, folding her arms patiently. You sit there quietly. “I’m fine.” mumble. “Great, so no one. You have no one who can drive you home?” 

Silence. 

“[Name], I can’t just leave you alone, you’re obviously going through some sort of mental crisis or some shit. Who can I call?” She questions and your jaw drops in offense. “I am not going through a mental crisis!” You defend yourself and she deadpans.

“Right, so if I go to your house right now, I won’t find dozens of your favorite wine with Fleetwood Mac or The Smashing Pumpkins playing? I know you better than that.” She spits to which you just “tch” in response. 

“Have you been taking your meds?” She sighs. “No, the pharmacy hasn’t refilled them.” You answer. 

“You’re going through a manic episode. Jesus.” She pinches the bridge of her nose and you grow quiet again. She’s right… you should’ve caught it too. It started with that idiotic hook up. Quitting your job? Oh what the fuck have you been doing? Your heart rate picks up, something Taissa catches. 

“It’s fine, I’ll just have to speak with your doctor. I’ll ask my wife if you can sleep on our couch for a bit.” She tells you and you want to argue with her. Scream at her, that’s not happening. Instead you just lay there, disappointed with yourself. Just like your father you have bipolar disorder. You were diagnosed with it after being rescued from the plane crash. 

It felt like your world was ending when you got that diagnosis. Fearful of ending up like your father. 

Taissa goes to the hall to call her wife. You stare at your bandage cover, all that for some stitches. Dramatic, much? 

Taissa drives you to your house in her large SUV. The two of you exchange glances every now and then with only the faint sound of the music from the radio playing. She pulls into her driveway and you raise a brow seeing your car already there.

“How did Juno get here?” You unbuckle and she stops you.

“I’ll go in for you. And Simone drove it when she heard what happened. Said it was such a piece of junk too.” She jokes and you huff. “You said that, Simone is too nice. And I’m going in whether I have to jump or you help me.” You open the door and she presses her lips together. Rushing out to get to the passenger side and help you down. 

You use her as a crutch, leaning your weight on her. “This take you back to when you broke Allie’s leg?” You smirk and she lets out a large breath in response. “[Name], shut up.” She grunts, helping you to your front door as you’re laughing. “Man, that girl was annoying, still is honestly.” You push through the front door, noticing the hot mess you left behind. 

“Jesus, it’s like a crime scene in here.” Taissa motions to the trail of blood that leads to the broken glass and the small pool of blood your leg left behind. “Fleetwood still going strong.” You hop over to your record player, lifting up the tonearm, stopping the repeated music. Taissa makes a face, knowing that she was right about your mental crisis. 

Well by the looks of your house she was extremely correct. She observes your house as you hop into your bedroom, leaning on your walls and random furniture you have as you pack a bag. 

Taissa looks at the wall above your tv that holds numerous pictures. Pictures of Van Palmer, herself, Natalie and Shauna. Pictures of your siblings and family when you were younger. Nothing has changed in the 8 years that the two of you stopped talking. Except for the layout of your living room or kitchen. Everything is the same though. 

You never got anything new, never threw out clearly broken chairs or the clock on the wall that’s been unticking since 2008. Her gaze softens at these details of your home. You’ve never moved on. 

“Let’s go, Nosey Turner.” You lean against your doorway with a backpack. “I’m not being- Oh hey, there’s your phone.” Taissa carefully goes to the couch, picking it up. “You were being nosey, but it’s okay.” You limp to the front door and she follows behind you. Reaching her arms out just in case you trip. 

Later that night you lay on Taissa and Simone’s couch feeling incredibly out of place. Simone welcomed you with open arms, definitely undeserving of this treatment. Simone remembered you well, she didn’t know what happened between you and her wife. Something you promised Taissa before entering her home that she wouldn’t know. She’d be kept in the dark of her wife’s mistreatment towards you. 

“Do you need anything else?” Simone asks, making sure your leg is elevated and you have water on the coffee table in front of you, the remote to the tv in your lap. “I’m fine, Simone. Thank you, I appreciate you just for opening your home up to me.” You smile softly to which she does the same. Patting your shoulder. 

“Of course, you’re welcome anytime. You were like family years ago and you still are.” She assures you. Taissa comes up behind her wife. “Sammy’s waiting for us.” She whispers and Simone nods her head. “If you need help, call us. We’ll come running.” She says and you give her a thumbs up. Both of them walk upstairs. 

You threw your head back as you stared up at her tall ceiling. Disbelieving that you’re inside Taissa Turner’s out after what happened years ago. Not even that but seeing her not that long ago and telling her you don’t forgive her, she’s still willing to open her home up to you. You hated it. 

“God damn.” You whisper, squeezing your eyes shut and opening them as if you’d wake up from a dream. 

The next day Simone got you your meds from the pharmacy and you wonder if this is the power of being a politician's wife or what. 

Taissa rushes outside of the house and you lift yourself up. Wondering what’s happening. Simone slowly behind her. “What’re you? Did you see someone out there?!” Simone calls after. “Keep the dog inside.” Taissa tells. 

The two have been outside for a bit and you impatiently get up, limping toward the door. “The fuck happened?” You shout, opening the door and the two women look at you.

“Go lay back down!” Taissa orders and you shake your head. “What- oh what the hell?!” You back up from the front door and see it with the word “SPILL” dripping in red paint. You give her a look, and her own are worry-ful but she seems to know where it could’ve come from. 

Nothing comes from that conversation though as you guys go back into the house. You are lectured about getting up by Simone as Taissa is back in her work office. 

Simone and Taissa take Sammy trick or treating after Taissa was stuck in her office before that.  

Leaving you to be obviously stuck on the couch, watching old Halloween movies, giving you nostalgia of when you were younger. 

When the three came home Sammy was bragging about his candy haul. You poke your head up from the couch. “What’d you get?” You ask and he jumps from the sound of your voice. He knew you were there, his mothers told him but it still scared him nonetheless. To which the three of you adults laughed. 

“Sorry, guess you forgot I’m still here.” You chuckle. He shyly nods his head. “What happened?” He suddenly asks and you’re a little shocked by it. 

Simone goes to stop it but Taissa and you stop her. “Fell onto some glass, nothing special.” You wiggle your toes. He seems disappointed by your lack of story but then you change the subject. “So, what you got in there?” You repeat your first question.  “A lot, I can show you.” He goes around the couch and dumps his candy on the coffee table. You re-adjust yourself so you can look. He puts a sucker already in his mouth. 

“Remember what we said, Samwich.” Taissa reminds him as she goes to the kitchen to sort through her mail. “Five pieces. Can I have six?” He doesn’t look back to them as he’s partly showing off his candy to you while also picking out the pieces he wants. 

“Counting what’s in your mouth?” Simone quizzes and he pops the lollipop out of his mouth. “I don’t know how that got there!” He feigns surprise and you smile at him. “And remember, no candy for the dog.” Simone points. Leaving the two of you alone to talk about the candy he got. 

You also eavesdrop to the ladies' conversation in the kitchen. “Speaking of truth, maybe it���s getting time for you to spill about your opponent’s junkie daughter.” You hear Simone say to her wife, you knit your eyebrows together. “Whatever happened to not going low?” Taissa questions. 

“Turns out, when the nut-jobs come to my house, I’m less magnanimous.” She replies. ”The contractor’s sending someone to paint over it tomorrow.” Taissa tells her, but it still doesn’t help Simone’s nerves and even you can feel that. Taissa comes over to her son. “Arms up.” She directs and he reluctantly pauses on his candy sorting to let his mom take off his sandwich costume. 

You turn your movie back on, hanging out with Sammy still who has just finished sorting his candy into different piles, he offers you the ones he doesn’t want and you take it very appreciative. 

Simone and Taissa step in your view of the TV though, Taissa setting down a brush and paint can on the coffee table and Sammy looks up. “What’s that?” He asks. “Maybe you should tell us, Sammy. We found it in your room.” Tai answers and he just shakes his head no. 

“What do you mean, no? You painted a word on the front door. You want to tell us why?” Taissa folds her arms, frustrated with her son as you awkwardly sit there with a sour candy in your mouth. Sammy shakes his head yet again. “Sweetheart, we promise not to be angry, but you need to tell us the truth.” Simone speaks up this time. 

Sammy looks nervous, he avoids eye contact with them.

“I didn’t paint the word.” Sammy tells them. “Sammy, please-” 

“The bad one did it. The lady in the tree.” Sammy tells them with some sort of fear. You furrow your eyebrows. “And did the lady in the tree also leave this paint under your bed? Sammy, you know there isn’t any lady. Please don’t lie to us.” Taissa sternly talks to her son who suddenly explodes, sweeping his candy off of the table. 

“I’m not lying! You’re lying!” He shouts as he runs to his room. 

You tense up, eyes wide as you glance up to his parents who share their own worried look. 

1996

You sit on the porch of the cabin with Van beside you, you’re leaning on her tiredly. All of a sudden Mari is shrieking, rushing out of the building. “Get it off me! Somebody get it off!” She shouts, reaching behind her. Shauna rushes to her as well as Akilah. “Get what off? I don’t see anything.” Akilah says. 

“I don’t know! I was standing under the trapdoor and something crawled down my shirt! Please…” She esaperates, and Shauna inspects her. “There’s nothing on you.” She tells her. 

“Must’ve been the ghost.” Taissa walks up and you smirk. “Don’t say that.” Mari huffs. “You guys… you guys! I just had a brainstorm!” Jackie announces, earning everyone’s attention. “We should do a seance.” 

“That’s a terrible idea. We’re also not in middle school.” Taissa rolls her eyes. “Yeah, but remember how fun this shit used to be? Maybe if we could laugh about this, it would help.” Jackie defends her idea and you knit your eyebrows together as you observe everyone else’s reaction. 

“The occult is no laughing matter.” Laura Lee gravely speaks. “It’s not the occult. It’s a game. Shauna, tell them. It’ll be fun.” Jackie turns to her best friend who’s not on the spot. “I mean… it’s not like we have anything better to do. Besides, maybe the dead guy can give us some life advice.” Shauna shrugs her shoulders, attempting to support Jackie. “It’s settled, then. Tonight, the attic. We make contact.” 

You stand up and look to Van who doesn’t look too displeased with the idea. You don’t really care either way. You don’t have your walkman anymore so like Shauna said no one has anything better to do. Leaning back on the redhead, you place your head on her shoulder. Letting out a yawn. 

“You’re tired?” She quietly asks and you nod. “My period and all the moving around I did I guess wore me out.” You close your eyes, not seeing Taissa who’s making a face at the girl you’re leaning on. Van subtly flicks her off. 

2021

Taissa sits at the kitchen table and you awkwardly watch your movie, trying to pretend like you’re not there as Simone comes back downstairs. “He’s asleep, finally.” She informs her wife. 

Joining her at the table. “I’m worried about him.” Taissa exclaims. “Glad you’re catching up.” Simone scoffs out but it doesn’t seem to be cruelly intent. “I know I’ve been distracted.” Taissa frowns. You glance back at them from the couch. Being incredibly nosey but they don’t seem to care that you’re listening. 

“You’ve been worse than distracted. You’re losing weight, you’re exhausted. You want to know what’s wrong with Sammy? I think a big part of it is that he’s missing the mom he knew. You’ll never get the time back, you know. None of us will.” Simone gives Taissa a speech that seems to have been needed as Tai sits straighter at her words. “All this, just to lose a bid for state senate,” Taissa weakly jokes. 

Simone sits there, not giving a pep talk and you wince at the scene. “You think I should drop out.” 

“I would never ask you to do that. I just don’t want you to have regrets. You have a long career ahead of you. Maybe this just… isn’t the year.” Simone carefully admits how she feels. Taissa takes it in with a grain of salt. 

You anxiously sit there, wondering what her answer will be as if you’ll be affected much. 

You watch as Taissa takes Simone’s hand. “I’ll make an announcement.” Taissa says. 

Your eyes widen but even you can see that glimpse in her eyes where she’s already regretting it. You squint and you worry. This isn’t going to go well. 

1996

You end up falling asleep on the girl’s shoulder without even meaning to. Your head about to fall forward but somehow Van catches it, putting her arm around your torso to keep you still. Jackie and Shauna are already off to set up the seance. 

And when Natalie and Travis get back, Natalie immediately notices your figures with a soft smirk upon her lips. The girls crowd the two, telling them about Jackie’s idea. The two find it idiotic but go along with it nonetheless. Van wakes you up, figuring you’d want to talk to your best friend. 

With a jump your eyes shoot up. “Sorry!” You gasp. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” Tiredly rubbing your eyes as you stretch your arms and automatically Van is missing your warmth.

“It’s fine, Nat’s back.” She points and you thank her before getting up. Hearing all the cracks in your legs from being in the same position for a while. 

“Debrief time?” You grab your best friend’s wrist who only nods, holding a smug look on her face as you drag her off somewhere. “Debrief. A-way!” She laughs and you hit her. 

“I came out to Van!” You spit out and Natalie’s eyes widen. “No fucking way!” She nudges you to which you nod your head. “Yeah way, I don’t even know why!” You groan as you throw your head back. “You’re into her! Just admit it already!” Natalie dramatically motions. 

“Ugh, I can’t hide it, I am. I most definitely am. I’m trying to fight it. I’m trying to put out every excuse there is but I can’t this time!” You cover your face as you feel it warm up. She grins at you, wanting to squeal for you but not wanting to be loud where the girls would hear her. “Finally!” She excitedly says. 

You’ve had attractions but never crushes. Never ones that you’d admit on. “But I can see the eyes you’re giving Travis… so…” You change the subject and her face drops. “What?” 

“Oh don’t even! I might hate the guy- kind of despise him. But I know you.” You cross your arms as she rolls her eyes. “The two of you were laughing before you left. Laughing. I couldn’t even smile in that guy's direction, that's how I know you got it bad.” You tell her earnestly, half-joking. You really didn’t like Travis but that’s for your personal reasons. If Natalie liked him, you would have to get over it. 

“He’s not as bad as he comes off.” She murmurs and you scrunch your nose with a certain smile. “No denying it…” 

“Shut up.” She avoids your eye contact and you clap your hands. “You’re so readable.” You make kissy faces. 

“You’re so fucking annoying.” She shoves you away from her. 

“O, keeper of this wild and hidden place! We anoint ourselves with blood and earth…” Jackie passes the bowl to Travis who makes a disgusted expression. You sit between Natalie and Van. “It’s just dirt and deer blood, classic witch recipe, relax.” She giggles as Travis dabs at it, passing the bowl to Natalie. 

You notice their reactions to their fingers touching and you try not to laugh. “O spirit! We offer our sister as your instrument. Come to us, and speak your peace.” Jackie continues. The bowl given to you. 

You grimace down at the blood, making the cross on your forehead, handing the bowl to Van who matches your facial expression. It’s silent as the bowl is fully paced. 

“It is I, Jacques.” Shauna suddenly speaks as if channeling the ghost. 

This earns laughter from everyone. “Ahem.” She speaks in a lower octave. “Ahem. Jacques. Ask your questions. The pendulum will answer.” 

Van is the first to lean forward with a serious look. “Dear dead hunter guy… Did OJ do it?” She asks, the girls giggle and you nudge her knee with the back of your hand. 

“C’mon you guys, real questions.” Jackie pleads. “The veil is thin between our two planes. Ask what is in your heart.” Shauna re-commences. “I’ll go. Is principal Berzonsky screwing Ms. DeWine?” Mari sits straight.

Arm out, Shauna starts the knife-pendulum swinging and you all watch as the arcs widen, eventually becoming a circle. “It is certain.” 

And now this grows a pique of interest. “If we hadn’t crashed, would we have won nationals?” Akilah speaks up. 

The pendulum swings once again, moving back and forth instead of a circle this time. Boos fill the attic, Lottie even laughs at this. Your eyes flicker to Jackie who beams. Proud of her contribution to the group. 

Making them have a good time. 

The conversation switches as someone brings up a classmate's boobs. “They’re obviously fake, you really need a ghost to tell you that?” Natalie laughs out as Javi wedges himself between her and Travis, waving to you, you do the same with a gentle smile. 

“You think? But who would’ve paid for them? Her parents?” Mari tilts her head curiously. You overhear Travis whispering to his brother. “I told you to stay downstairs.” “Whatever, it’s boring.” Javi responds. 

“I think they got divorced recently. Maybe it was guilt money.” You speak up, not wanting to intervene between brothers. 

“Well that’s just creepy.” Mari says. “You mom and I are splitting up, but don’t worry- your tits are gonna look amazing!” Van grabs onto her own chest and everyone bursts into laughter but the only person she really cared about making laugh was you. Your hand is on your stomach from how hilarious and idiotic this conversation is. 

“Okay guys, focus, next question.” Jackie spots Misty from across the room who’s ecstatic and eager to be chosen to ask a question. “Misty?” 

The curly blonde straightens her posture, avoiding eye contact as she begins. “Dear spirit, I need to know the truth. Does the person I like like me back?” She breathes out and Shauna loops the pendulum, a circle; a yes. 

Misty blushes, grinning ear to ear as the girls all give her an “ooo-ooo.” 

“Who’s next?” 

Javi waves his hand and Jackie gives him the go ahead. “Are we gonna die out here?” 

And just like that, all the fun exits out the room. It was real. Serious, too serious for anyone to want to know. You look at Shauna who hesitates. “What the hell is wrong with you?” Travis hits him and he turns to you, almost for comfort. You give him an empathetic look but you truly didn’t know what to do for him. 

The pendulum moves into an infinity shape. Unsettling to everyone. 

“Eight? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s not an eight, it’s infinity?” 

“Oh, okay Aristotle.” 

As tension grows with the arguing you sit there. Body tensed but still aware. Observing Lottie who is slowly turning her head, staring at the window behind her. Then all of a sudden screaming, full of terror. You, Van and Akilah rush to her side, springing into action. Lottie grabs onto your arms as you try to soothe her. 

The window blows open and the candles are extinguished by the wind. Stopping the girl’s scream but confusion engulfs the room. The three girls cling to you as you stand there. “Hey hey, it’s okay.” You say, letting go of the girls to close and latch the window. 

“Who has the matches?” Jackie asks as you’re trying to calm the girls around you. A flame flicks up by Shauna’s hand as she re-lights the candles on the ground. “There’s something wrong with her.” Van points, her hold on you once again. You bend down, Lottie back to gripping onto your arms. The three of you are attempting to keep her still. 

All eyes on Lottie who slowly opens her mouth. “Oh, I don’t think-” Akilah’s dread washing over everyone else. “It- it… it wants-” Lottie begins to jerk around, letting out a guttural and unintelligible noise that freaks everyone out. 

She pauses, her chest heaving up and down. Her eyes roll back as she twitches with a violent tremor ripping through her. You feel her nails digging into your skin, rubbing against your almost fully healed burn. 

“Should we, uh… Misty?!” Van shouts, the blonde gets up seemingly with delight. She approaches but Lottie goes back to speaking random words. 

“It! Wants!”

“Lottie, I swear to God, if you’re fucking with us…” Mari comments. “Is she, like…” Akilah can’t get the word out, backing away with Misty. Van standing over you with her hold still on you since you can’t move anyways with Lottie’s grip. 

“Lot, what’s going on? What is it?” You mutter out, trying to look her in the eyes. Her thrashing doesn’t help though. “Hungry. Hungry…” She then looks up to you.

“It’s in her already.” Her eyes flicker to Shauna. You follow it and Shauna’s face drops, not understanding what Lottie is talking about at first. 

But you see her small recognition. 

“Alright, Lottie, let’s cut it out now.” You warn her, trying to take your arms back now but she doesn’t let go. Only gripping tighter. Giving you a manic smile.

“You understand. You’ll feel it. I know you will.” She whispers to you, and only you. Your eyebrows knit together. “What?” 

She lets you go, standing up. “Ce n’est pas un jeu.” 

Van helps you stand away from the girl. “Au début, il a pris soin de moi. Je l’ai nourri.” 

“Is that French?” Van looks around. “Il m’a apporté ses cadeaux. Les cadeaux des bois…” 

“Since when does Lottie know French?” Natalie urgently asks. “Mais il avait toujours faim…” Lottie continues in a low voice. “Jackie, aren’t you guys in the same class?” 

“Mes offres étaient trop maigres.” 

“Yeah, but she sucks at French!” Jackie exclaims. “Il voulait du sang.” 

“Well what’s she saying?” Mari inquired, panicked. “I dunno, I suck at French too!” Jackie shrugs her shoulders with wide eyes. “Il veut toujours du sang.” 

“Well damn it, Jackie, try not to!” Van spits out, the two of you holding onto one another. You rub the marks that were made by Lottie, wincing at the pain in your burn mark. “Il veut du sang!” 

“He, no, it- wanted… something.” Jackie attempts to translate. “Il voulait plus de sang.” 

“It… blood? I think she’s saying blood.” Jackie thinks. “Not the word I want to be hearing right now.” Mari frowns deeply. Lottie gets up walking quickly to the window and starts jabbing at the glass. Pointing at something. “Le sang coule ici.” 

“Shit… more blood stuff?” 

“Ici. Ici.” Lottie repeats, pointing with more urgency. “Here? I don’t…” 

“There’s blood where, Lottie?” Van speaks up. “Would you stop encouraging her!?” Taissa shouts only to be ignored. “Here, or out there?” 

“Il faut.” 

“It’s fake?” Jackie asks. “You must spill blood or… or else.” It seemed to be an effort to speak English as if Lottie doesn’t do it on a regular basis. Lottie falls silent, breathing heavily but still pointing at the window.

“Or else what, Lottie?!” Jackie yells but suddenly Lottie smashes her head against the glass. Everyone screams but you rush to her aid. Ripping off your shirt to place over her wound on her head. 

“Help me!” You yell at the girls, Lottie unleashes a long wail. Natalie and Van restraining her as you keep the shirt up to her forehead. Laura Lee appeared from downstairs, beelining for Lottie with her bible in hand. 

“The power of Christ compels you!” She orders. Lottie’s eyes still rolled back, wailing still. “Be gone, Satan! I said the power of Christ compels you!” She shouts, more determined than before. Stern and certain in what she believes in. Lottie continues to wail. Trying to move her head away from your hold. 

“Lottie! Stop!” Laura Lee then chucks her bible right at Lottie’s stomach. Lottie’s eyes focus, confusedly looking up to the blonde. “Ow! What the hell, Laura Lee?” She glares upward. Trying to push you away but you don’t let go of her head. 

Forcing her to look at you instead.The girls stare at each other, hearts pounding but you’re immediately aiding the wound. “Seriously? What the motherfuck just happened?” Mari motions to the room. 

“I need my kit.” You order, Van nods her head, rushing downstairs. “Lottie, I don’t even want to know why you did what you did. But Jesus christ.” You clean up her face a bit harshly. The girl is dazed, not understanding what happened either. What she does notice though are the claw-like marks on your arms. 

Prominently over your burn mark. “Did I do that?” She softly asks, touching them. You glance down and huff. “Yeah, but it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” 

Everyone has gone to their spots for bed, almost instantaneously Lottie is the first one knocked out. Snoring even. 

You set your stuff beside Van, taking in a deep breath. The stinging in your arms not going away, neither is the anxiety you feel from Lottie’s words earlier. You knew Shauna was feeling the same way. 

“At least someone’s getting some rest.” Van comments. “Raise your hand if you’ll never sleep again.” Mari speaks, being the first to do so and it leads to others. Except Taissa who won’t admit she’s afraid.

“Do we think it’s still up there?” Akilah shakily asks, a few eyes seem to look to you for comfort. 

“Guys, I think we need to take a deep breath. Lottie hasn’t been acting well for the past few weeks we’ve been here.” You point out to them, still standing with your hands on your hips. “I promise nothing is up there to get us.” You place a hand on your heart the girls would like to believe it but there’s still discomfort covering the room. 

“I’ll prove it.” Taissa scoffs, gathering her bedding. Heading for the trapdoor. “You’re going to sleep up there??” Akilah furrows. 

“That’s right. Anyone with me?” She shoots a look your way and even to Van. Van shakes her head, still incredibly frightened. But you sigh, gathering up your things as well. Van gasps. Reaching out to stop you. “Are you serious?”

“Van, it’s okay. You don’t have to come but I’m not leaving her alone up there.” You tell her. “Great.” Taissa smiles, heading up the stairs. 

You follow behind quickly in case you change your mind. 

“You didn’t have to come with me, I know you’d rather be with Van.” Taissa quietly says and you snort. “That could be true but I have more nights to do that it seems.” You set your stuff down next to hers and she smirks at you for not denying your feelings. 

Moments later, Shauna is at the top of the stairs. “What’re you doing?” Taissa asks. “Keeping you two company. If that’s okay.” Shauna glances between the both of you. You both nod and she tosses her bedding on the floor. You are in the middle between both of them. 

As you all settle into your spots. Lying there almost awkwardly until Taissa speaks up. “How far along are you?” 

“You are pregnant right?” She asks the question that even you didn’t think would be answered. 

Your heart thumps at the confrontation. Your head turns to look at Shauna who’s frozen in place. “You guys won’t tell anyone, will you?” 

“No. I won’t. But if we’re stuck here long enough, I have a feeling it’ll come out one way or another.” Taissa whispers and you nod your head with a sad expression.

“We’ll stick by you though, if you need anything.” You assure the girl before she rolls onto her back. Staring up at the ceiling. 

2021

You lean on Taissa as you try to keep weight off your leg, the both of you standing in front of a motel door. Taissa knocks one time and the door swings open.

“Since my press conference my phone hasn’t stopped ringing with folks trying to interview me. So tell me: why am I here?” Taissa questions as she helps you inside. Natalie looks confused at the two of you together but decides to ignore it for now. 

Holding up a photo collage of the Symbol. Both of your faces drop. Afraid. 

“What is that?” Taissa asks. “It’s the floor of the barn where they found Travis. The police ruled it a suicide. But there were candles on the floor underneath him. Tai, [Name]. Arranged like this. Someone burned them and then took them away.” She explains to the both of you. And you squint your eyes at it. 

“But who would do that? Why?” Taissa blurts and just then Natalie’s phone buzzes along with Taissas. But yours doesn’t. “Gather 50k cash and await further instructions. Do not discuss this with your teammates- I WILL KNOW.” Natalie reads the message and you give a disgusted look. “What the fuck is happening??” 

“I’m calling Shauna.” Taissa steps further into the motel room as Natalie turns to you. “The fuck happened to you?” 

“I was drunk, slipped on my rug and caught it on glass… that I also broke.” You quickly sum it up. She presses her lips together at you. “Taissa?” She then points back to the woman and you put a finger up. “I’ll explain later.” 

Taissa finally gets Shauna on the phone. “I’m with Natalie and [Name]. You need to get over here. Travis is dead, and-” A beat takes. 

“She says she already knows.” Taissa looks at you two. “What? How?” Natalie quizzes. 

“Misty called her.” Taissa rolls her eyes. “That conniving, poodle-haired little freak. Give me that.” Natalie angrily takes the phone from Taissa’s hand. 

“Shauna, we need you here. Now.”

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[flamingpudding]

Fictober23 Prompt: 7 - "Do you recognise this?"

Fandom: DPxDC

Rating: G

Warnings: -

"So, who did it?" Bruce asked, eyes narrowed at the children before him. Clark was next to him trying once more to persuade Bruce that it was unnecessary to go after the kids like this.

The 'kids' in question were the assembly of three of his children, Clark's child and clone and a couple of their respected friends.

"Father, I do not know what you are talking about." Damian piped up offended and crossed his arms. Next to him Jon scratched the back of his head in mild confusion and Dani despite not knowing what was going on but still glaring in defiance at Bruce.

"If this is about our prank war it was definitely not necessary to interrogate our friends too." Tim added looking every bit like he would be somewhere else than here. Kon and Bart were with him. Kon looked rather unsure while Bart had gone and gotten himself popcorn for whatever was going to happen.

"Look old man, how was I supposed to know Replacement would trigger the glitter bomb inside the Batmobile. I already cleaned that up!" Jason put in his two cents, Roy eyeing the other with a raised eyebrow.

Bruce stared at them quietly, not saying a word as Clark continued to fuss next to him to not make it a big deal and that a deep clean would surely fix everything.

"It's not your prank war I am talking about. Alfred will deal with you about the chaos you caused." The three respected batkids swallowed audibly while their friends chuckled. "No, what I am asking is which one of you decided it was a good idea to dye Clark's hero suit and my cape pink."

"Wait, someone actually did that to Dad?!" Jon piped up wide eyed as Dani broke out laughing causing Damian to eye the ghost girl with narrowed eyes and suspicion.

"Who would…" Tim started but didn't finish as his mind came up with possible suspects. Kon on Bart next to him went onto their phones, trying to search up pictures of Superman in a pink hero suit.

Jason and Roy broke out laughing too, voicing their respect to whoever managed to do that.

Bruce's eye twitch at the children's reaction. He then proceeded to pull out an opened can of pink dye and placed it on the table in perfect view of everyone. "Do you recognise this? Jason? Tim?"

"WHY ME?!" They both cried out in protest and Bruce narrowed his eyes on the two. "Jason, your last prank on Tim involved a glitter bomb with pink dye, the Batmobile's seats are still strained pink. Tim, you dyed Damian's shirts pink a couple days ago at the beginning of your prank war."

"So it was you Drake! You are going to pay for this!"

"And I will do it again if you ever touch my laptop again, Demon Brat!"

"How does that even prove that one of us did it!"

"It doesn't!"

"Do you think there might be someone else that fell victim to the pink dye in the JL?"

"Maybe?"

"Why would someone even go after Clark? He has nothing to do with our prank war."

"Jason, my friend. You are indirectly admitting that you would dye Batman's cape pink."

Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose as the children before him (he ignored that at least two of them were over 20, they were children period) started to argue among themselves while Damian's newest friend the Daughter of Phantom, who recently joined the Justice League Dark, was by now rolling on the ground laughing.

Not far from the interrogation Danny sat by a table next to Alfred snacking on some of the best cookies he had ever gotten to eat. He had originally come by to hang out with Tim, Kon and Bart but now he was threaded to some A+ entertainment, Dani was clearly enjoying.

"You recognize the can, don't you Mr. Daniel? I believe you accidentally left it behind in the cave." Danny side eyed the butler next to him and grinned into his next bite of a cookie. "Supes deserved it."

The man hummed and Danny smiled as he was offered another cookie. "I believe I know why but would you please elaborate on why Master Bruce also got targeted? I will most likely be the one who will have to wash out the cape."

The half ghost didn't say anything at first before shrugging. "Kon wasn't the only one who deserved some Justice for how he had been treated in the past. I know they get along now but still… a little pay back for past mistreatment wouldn't hurt anyone right?"

"Ah, so it was for Mr. Conner and Master Jason." The butler smiled in understanding, pushing over a box of take away cookies to Danny. "May I suggest that next time you seek out justice for the boy, that there are other -embarrassing- ways to achieve it."

Danny only gave the man a feral grin as he hopped off the chair with the box in hand. It was time to release the children of Bruce's interrogation. He would just put the blame on Constantine somehow, like a spell gone wrong instead of actual dye being the cause. The man owned him anyway since he had gotten most of his soul back aside from a couple of pieces he was still negotiating over in the Ghost Zone.