#like who can round up the most knocked out goons before one of them wakes up

[batbabydamian]

What’s ur idea of how Damian and Tim bond as siblings?

i like to think after the whole Gotham War fiasco, Damian would randomly hang out at Tim's boat - besides silent parallel play lol, they could bond over their vehicles! like, tinker on Tim's Robin Cycle and go over old Redbird blueprints. if Tim's visiting the brownstone, same thing with Damian's Robin Mobile!

otherwise, based on DC Pride 2023, the most i can see them bond would be during vigilante activities haha

they'd try to make the cleanup process less tedious through silly competitions 😆

[longitudinalwaveme]

Longitudinalwaveme Reviews Some More Old Comics (and One New One), Part 2

Batman #321, “Dreadful Birthday, Dear Joker...!” 

The story opens with Commissioner Gordon receiving an invitation to the Joker’s birthday party. “Black tie optional, funny hats mandatory”. A few seconds later, everyone in police headquarters doubles over laughing, the victims of Joker’s, well, Joker gas. 

Batman is on the scene only a few seconds later, and starts punching out Joker’s goons. Unfortunately, by the time he’s finished doing this, both Joker and Commissioner Gordon have disappeared. 

Eminently Quotable Joker: “Ah---the Batman! What an expected surprise! And what a waste of a perfectly good window! Couldn’t you have used the door?” 

As Joker leaves in his Jokermobile, the police officers tell Batman that the Joker also captured Robin earlier that day (by pretending to be a woman with car problems!) 

Meanwhile, Selina Kyle, Lucius Fox, and Alfred are talking when the Joker bursts in and kidnaps them as well. Notably, Selina mentions that she’s been having terrible headaches. 

Selina Kyle wakes up in a room with Batman; the other kidnapees wake up in the Joker’s “Ha-Hacienda” on his “victim-go-round”. 

Eminently Quotable Joker: “Tomorrow is my birthday, and by way of celebration, I intend to eliminate all you who’ve crossed me, while all of Gotham watches! It’s not exactly the catcher’s mitt I really wanted...but it’s a pretty fair second place! HAHAHAHAHAHA!” 

Hawkman stars in a Hostess cupcake ad! 

The Joker murders one of his own henchman with his “BANG!” flag gun for not laughing at his joke. 

Eminently Quotable Joker (in response to Robin saying “You’re out of your mind!”): “Gloriously so! Isn’t it wonderful?” 

In order to get his audience, the Joker put an ad in the newspaper that states that the “Harlequin Baking Company” will be inviting all of Gotham to  sample its wares at the Seaside Coliseum. AND IT WORKS, because everyone in Gotham has the IQ of turnips. A bazillion people come to the Coliseum to get free food. 

Joker dramatically reveals himself to everyone and explains that he’s going to blow up all the people he hates with a giant cake bomb. Then Batman arrives and offers himself in exchange for the other hostages. This goes exactly how you’d expect it to go, but Batman manages Batman his way out of the trap, saving both himself and all of his friends. 

Joker runs away and jumps into a boat. Batman follows him, they fight for a bit, and then the Joker apparently blows himself up. But he’s not dead, because nothing can kill the Joker. Batman even says so. 

This would’ve made a great episode of B:TAS. 

Batman #322, “Chaos--Coming and Going!” 

And now for something completely different! 

Catwoman looks at a bunch of old newspaper clippings of herself, as the comic hints fairly subtly that she might be unwell (just as her headaches last issue did). 

Meanwhile, a van is delivering issues of the tabloid The Gotham Guardian...when a thrown bundle of newspapers is intercepted by a boomerang! Captain Boomerang is in Gotham City! 

The two men in the van react by promptly trying to run Digger over....only for him to slice their van in half with a boomerang!

Digger yells at them to tell their boss that this was only a warning: the mysterious boss owes him a million dollars, and he wants it in 24 hours or else. 

Then Batman shows up out of nowhere and he and Boomerang get into a fight. Digger distracts Batman by using his exploding boomerang to damage a nearby building. This causes some rubble to fall on one of the drivers. Batman goes to rescue him, and Digger vanishes. 

Green Arrow stars in a Hostess fruit pie ad! 

Batman talks to Alfred about Captain Boomerang, telling him to ask Lucius Fox to find out who owns the Guardian, since he’s probably Boomerang’s next target. He also refuses to call the Flash in for help. “The night I can’t handle a punk like Boomerang is the night I hang up my cowl!” 

Catwoman goes to a doctor and it’s confirmed that she is, in fact, dying. She has less than a month to live and the only cure is some Egyptian herbs that have been lost to time. 

Meanwhile, Captain Boomerang lets us know that he hates Gotham. “Lor’, but I hate this cronky town! I never would’ve come her from Central City if it wasn’t for my million quid!” 

Apparently, Captain Boomerang set up a retirment fund for himself and is ticked off that has money was subsequently stolen. 

“It’s really rum--downright ironic! The one time I play the game by their rules--and it’s me who gets taken for a sucker! Well, nobody crosses “Digger” Harkness--and gets away with it intact!” That’s our Digger! 

Also, he has a giant boomerang hidden under a tarp. 

Catwoman goes to the museum to see a display about cats...and conveniently, some ancient Egyptian medicinal herbs are there. Catwoman determines to take them so she can save herself. 

Batman asks the most Irish Irishman to ever walk the pages of the comic book about where he might be able to find Captain Boomerang, but he hasn’t heard anything. Then Alfred calls Batman and tells him that Lucius has discovered that the Gotham Guardian is owned by a corporation which serves as a front for a guy named Gregorian Falstaff. 

The man in question is eating dinner at a hotel when he is rudely interrupted by Captain Boomerang, who knocks out Falstaff’s bodyguard and demands his money. Falstaff plays dumb, claiming that the whole thing was an unfortunate accident and offering to write him a check. Boomerang insists that it’s cash or nothing (since he doesn’t trust Falstaff). Then Batman shows up, and Digger throws a smoke bomb boomerang that distracts Batman long enough for him to knock him out with another boomerang. 

“You gave it a fair dinkum try, cobber-but fair ain’t enough when  you’re dealin’ with the likes of me!’” Didgeridoo! Crikey! Steve Irwin! Can you tell I’m Australian yet? 

Selina Kyle tries to call Bruce but can’t get ahold of him, so she decides to take matters into her own hands and pulls out her Catwoman costume. 

When Batman comes to, he’s been tied to the giant boomerang. 

“Nothin’ permanent, mate--you’re simply tied to my giant rocket-powered boomerang! Only Flash’s super-speed saved him from the original--and without super-powers you’ll never escape this improved version!” So...which one of the giant boomerangs you used to launch the Flash into space are we talking about here, Digger? Because there’ve been at least four at this point. 

Boomerang launches the boomerang into the air and it explodes. Digger is naturally convinced that he’s killed Batman, only for Batman to promptly prove him wrong by showing up alive and well. “Nobody could possibly survive a flight on my Doomerang!” Oh, Digger...

Batman explains that he survived by “maneuvering my bonds toward the Doomerang’s rocket-jets--and the ignition-flames freed me! Then I simply slipped away under the cover of all that smoke before the Doomerang took off!” I love that Batman also calls the thing a Doomerang (with a totally straight face, mind you.) 

Then Digger throws a boomerang at Batman at the same time Batman throws a Batarang at him. But because Batman is Batman, he wins the boomerang duel and knocks Digger out. Way to take away Digger’s only accomplishment there, Batman. It’s like if Superman won any of his races against the Flash. 

Batman decides to investigate Falstaff. 

Meanwhile, at the museum, someone who looks like Catwoman is stealing one of the exhibits....

Flash #286, “The Color Schemes of the Rainbow Raider”

This issue introduces the greatest villain of all time...the dreaded Rainbow Raider! 

After a long day at work, Barry Allen is heading home...only for an alarm to go off at the Centrex Art Museum! Barry has to promptly go into action as the Flash as Barry thinks about how tired he is. Apparently, his new police chief, Darryl Frye, has made him work overtime three times in one week alone. 

Suddenly, a rainbow appears, bewildering Barry, as it hasn’t rained for the past week. Barry runs inside the museum to find the guards crying inexplicably. Barry deduces that the thief has been altering their emotions and realizes that this is probably not one of his established Rogues. 

Sure enough, he soon comes face-to-face with the Rainbow Raider!

“Welcome, Flash! I didn’t think you and I would be meeting so soon...but sooner or later we were bound to clash! Allow me to introduce myself! I am the Rainbow Raider---the most colorful criminal this city’s ever seen!” Oh, Roy. You’re so amazingly silly, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Roy shoots a beam of blue light at Barry, who somehow deduces that this was what enabled him to mess with the emotions of the guards. Barry dodges the blast of blue light, but it hit and knocked out by a blast of black light. 

The police are suitably baffled by the Rainbow Raider, who, incidentally, signed his crime scene with “The Rainbow Raider was here!” That’s amazing. 

Meanwhile, the Flash runs home, for the Rainbow Raider has...uh....sucked all of the color out of his body! Somehow! Wha? 

Meanwhile, in a mobile trailer, Roy is gloating to himself. “Now I know I’m ready for the big leagues--on a par with seasoned criminals like Captain Cold and Mirror Master!” Uh...sure, Roy. 

Batman and Catman star in a Hostess cupcake ad! 

“Roy G. Bivolo is compelled by higher motivations--like art appreciation!” 

Roy reveals that he suffers from achromotopsia, a rare form of colorblindness that means he sees the world entirely in greyscale. This fact apparently scuppered his burgeoning artistic career, because the art critics of Central City have never heard of black-and-white artwork even though it totally exists. 

Also, Roy’s dad was apparently a, quote, “leading world-renowned optometrist”, and he tried to create goggles that would allow Roy to see color. He passed away shortly after Roy turned 21; having finished the googles just days before. 

When Roy tested them a few weeks later, he found that they hadn’t cured his colorblindness...but that they could shoot out “bands of multi-colored solid light particles that I could literally “ride” through the sky”. Roy then uses his father’s notes to unlock even more abilities with his goggles. Eventually, his mother also passed away, and Roy decided to turn to crime. 

“Since I was robbed of a brilliant art career as a painter--I think it’s only fitting that I rob others....rob them of the pleasure they’ve derived all these years from priceless works of art I myself have never been able to enjoy! If I can’t see them in all their glory---then neither will anyone else!” Roy...that’s insane. 

Barry Allen fails in his attempt to flirt with Fiona Webb, then exposits about pseudoscience. “The color black appears black because it absorbs the light waves of all other colors...without reflecting them! Those black beams the Rainbow Raider enveloped me with must’ve had a similar effect--saturating my body with radiation that prevents me from reflecting any and all light-waves...leaving me totally colorless!” SCIENCE! 

Barry uses makeup and hair day to make himself look normal. As a result, he’s 20 minutes late to work and gets chewed out by his boss. 

Also: “The unnatural inner-vibrations from this color drain are steadily sapping more and more energy from my molecules by the minute!” More SCIENCE! 

Barry is about to get to work when he hears about the opening of the Skytop Art Gallery. Assuming that this would be an ideal target for the Rainbow Raider, he goes into action as the Flash. 

Roy has created a distraction by using his emotional manipulation powers to get all of the art patrons to fight each other while he escapes. Barry runs up a building and onto Rainbow Raider’s rainbow...whereupon Raider shoots a blinding light at him, causin him to slip off the rainbow and almost fall to his doom. Luckily, his ability to vibrate through anything saves his life, as he manages to vibrate through a green car he was about to land on. 

Barry then finds that he’s turned totally green. ‘I must’ve been vibrating on the precise wavelength of the color green when I passed through this heap--somehow allowing me to regain my capacity to absorb green light-waves!” SCIENCE! He then starts running through vehicles of other colors to regain his capacity to absorb those light-waves, too. Since Raider is colorblind, he can’t figure out what the Flash is up to. 

When Raider takes one last blast at the Flash, the effects restore him to normal, and Flash is able to make quick work of the Rainbow Raider. 

I love the Rainbow Raider so much.

[thedyingwriter]

BTS hybrid X Reader AU

Part 1 | Part 2

Character (age)

Kim Seokjin- Fox hybrid (28)

Min Yoongi- Jaguar hybrid (27)

Jung Hoseok- G. Retriever hybrid (26)

Kim Namjoon- Wolf hybrid (26)

Park Jimin- Cat hybrid (25)

Kim Taehyung- Panther hybrid (25)

Jeon Jungkook- Rabbit hybrid (23)

Reader- Dr Kang Seo Yoon (27)

Jaehyun- Seo Yoon's best friend and coworker. (25 for the sake of the Story)

Summary

{ Dr Kang Seo Yoon was a very successful researcher and doctor of the hybrids and worked at the hybrid welfare center. She lived with her six hybrids- Jin, Yoongi, Namjoon, Hoseok, Jimin and Jungkook- who had grown up on her through the years when she found them at the rescue shelters. She was a kind and empathetic person who had used all her resources and knowledge for the betterment of the hybrid species. What will happen when she comes across an injured Panther hybrid Taehyung outside her house and decides to help him regardless of him being hardly human towards her. Will she take him in? Will he become a part of her sweet happy family? }

Chapter 1

The Injured Hybrid

" Wake up noona" Seo Yoon heard the voice of Jungkook shaking her from slumber. He nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck tickling her with his soft ears. She chuckled at his action and finally got up.

"Aish, kookie where do you get so much energy at 5 in the morning." You said gently rubbing his bunny ears. He purred.

"Noona everyone is sleeping and I have been up for a while. I didn't want to disturb you but you said you have to wake up early for your work today so I thought I should come and see" He said his cute smile on full display a faint shade of red on his cheeks.

"Let's go and make some breakfast for everyone then, you can help me" She said getting down from her bed and following Jungkook towards the kitchen. The 23 year old was always cheerful making sure everyone around him is happy too. For his age he definitely acts like a cute lil toddler but she loved him dearly.

"Kookie I plan on making fried rice and omelette for breakfast. I'll start with the rice could you whisk me some eggs?" She told him and he nodded while grabbing a large bowl and a crate of egg from the fridge.

Seo Yoon was cutting the vegetable when Jin walked in the kitchen his hair a mess. "Good morning Jin oppa" "Good morning hyung" You and Jungkook said at the same time.

She felt gentle hands at your back, untying your apron. “I can take over Y/N, why don’t you go take a bath? You have to be at the center early for the rounds right? " Jin said shaking your hair.

“Thank you oppa, what Would I do without you” she said, stepping away from the stove. If Seo Yoon weren’t cooking, Jin was. He loved the activity ever since you taught him how. Soon enough he surpassed her skills, creating mouth-watering dishes. In thanks, she rubbed his dark fox ears. He leaned into your touch, fluffy tail swaying.

"Noona shall I go and wake all the hyung while you get ready? " Jungkook asked.

"Yes kookie that would be really helpful. Tell them all to brush their teeth and come for breakfast. " She said and walked back to her room to get ready for the day. Seo Yoon and Jaehyun had to work hard today. It was an open out patient day and different shelters were bringing their hybrids for checkups. She took a shower and dressed up in jeans and a formal shirt tying her hair in a ponytail her beautiful bangs covering her forehead. She could hear the commotion of the boys from the kitchen. She took her white coat and some files and walked out towards them.

All of them were sitting on the counter eating their food. All the 6 hybrids looked cute in messy hairs and pyjamas while stuffing their mouths with food. She took out your phone and clicked a picture. The sound of the shutter gathering everyone's attention. Despite most of them being younger than her, she insisted on them calling her by her name as she felt really old though Jungkook still called her noona because he always wanted an elder sister.

" Aahh Seo Yoon, you look so pretty. Come join us for breakfast " Hobi said wagging his tail happily. She went to sit with them patting each of their hair as they smiled at her. Yoongi took her in a hug and passed her a travel coffee container filled with her favorite drink which he made each morning for her. She took a sip and groaned in pleasure while everyone laughed at her love for coffee which she shared with Yoongi. " What would I do without you Yoongi oppa. I can hardly work without your coffee. " She said and sat down to eat her breakfast.

*****

After breakfast Jimin went and kept her files and coat inside her car and Jin packed her lunch. She picked her bag and was ready to leave. Namjoon came to her and gave her a hug. It was their thing. Every hybrid hugged her before she went out showing affection. She kissed Joonie's cheeks and then hugged Hobi. Jimin and Jungkook group hugged her nearly trampling her on the floor with so much force and enthusiasm. Yoongi kissed her cheek as she went out to her car where Jin was ready to drive her to the center. He liked driving her and would spend an hr with shelter kids helping around and come back in an hour. His dark green silk scarf which acted as a collar sat perfectly on his neck. Jin dropped her at her office saying goodbye and going towards the shelters behind the building.

Seo Yoon entered her building and was immediately met with the strong smell of hospital which she has grown to call home now. She went to her locker and changed into her scrubs and came to her office which she shared with her best friend Jaehyun who as usual was late as always. 10 minutes later you heard the door open and a panting Jaehyun in his scrubs appeared before you.

"I'm sorry I'm late, before you say anything Seo Yoon, Ik it's third time this week and today we have a busy day ahead of us but what can I do I was watching a drama at night and couldn't get up early because of lack of sleep. " He ranted in a breath going on and on about how the protagonist if the drama was so stupid for not understanding the guy loves her.

She shook her head. " Aeyah!! stop talking Jae before I murder you. One day I'll give you a nice trashing for how casually you take me. " She said with a pout. He laughed at her and hugged her as she melted into giggles. She can never be mad at the kid. He was way too sweet and cute.

Somebody knocked at the door and a nurse appeared. " Dr Kang and Dr Jaehyun, the patients are here. We can start with the day. " She said and left.

******

Jae and Seo Yoon sat at the table and opened their lunches. Jin always packed food for your best friend who loved his food even though Jaehyun himself was an excellent cook.

"I'm coming to your place for the weekend. I really miss the boys. It's been a while. And this week we even have the Saturday off from shelter duty" Jae said with his mouth stuffed. She has lived so much around boys now that it's hard for her to remember what sophisticated people looked like.

"Why don't you just move in with me. You already live at my place nearly all the time when we aren't working" I scoffed. Her place is more or less like an open motel for her friends to stay in whenever they want considering the size of her big real estate. After her father's demise when she inherited his wealth. She decided to make a big place where she can adopt some hybrids and live happily. It had literally all the required materials a person could need to survive in luxury. She really had spoiled all the boys with 24x7 wifi and gaming.

Jaehyun shook his head and laughed at her scowled face. He loved teasing the older girl.

"Why noona that's an excellent idea. I'll have an amazing time with the boys and get free food. " She got up and punched his arm. She absolutely did not liked being called noona.

"I told you not to call me noona or I'll give you a good trashing. " She angrily chewed on her fish.

"Ayee you are biased Seo Yoon, why does jungkook gets to call you noona and all of us don't. " He teased her further.

"Well if you really want an answer he is more cuter, is good at everything, doesn't gives me a headache every 10 minute and definitely isn't a constant pain in my ass. " She said laughing and Jaehyun threw her a dirty look.

*******

When Seo Yoon left the hospital in the evening it was quite late then usual. Jaehyun had left half an hour ago but she stayed looking at the shelter kids who ran around each other enjoying life without a worry. She had a smile on her face and a tear in her eyes as she walked back to her home. She always liked walking back to home and it wasn't an issue as it was a highly safe residential society with great love for people and hybrid. She felt someone's presence behind her and immediately knew who it was.

"Jin oppa you didn't have to come I was on my way. " She said and turned to see a flustered Jin caught following her. He was worried that she was coming home alone so late and thought to accompany her.

"How did you know it was me? Do you have a secret third eye behind your head or something? " He said and took your backpack from you holding your hands firmly.

"Well I have been around you since the beginning. It's easy to feel your presence. It's a girl thing. " She said and looked in the front. They were very close to their home.

A young man clad in black outfit was walking in front of them. He had a slight limp and looked almost drunk from pain. As if he was drowning his sorrows. He was limping towards the other side when he suddenly disappeared from their eye sight.

"Oppa did you see that? " She asked Jin. Jin pulled her behind him and they both walked quietly towards the road crossing. A black van was parked ans the man from earlier was being pushed inside it. He was being abducted. 2 men pushing him inside. Jin quickly rushed towards the van. He pulled the man from the goons hold and layed the now almost unconscious man on the road side. This gave the goons time to flee. Jin was about to go after them when Seo Yoon stopped him.

She immediately knelt beside the man. He wasn't drunk. He was badly injured. His abdomen was bleeding and his legs were tampered. She tried helping him.

He groaned as she touched him to treat his wounds. He immediately backed up at an inhuman speed. This shook both of them.

"He's a hybrid oppa. We need to help him. " Seo Yoon said and Jin immediately called Yoongi to keep first aid ready.

The hybrid's cap fell from his face revealing two soft black cat like ears. His tale was brilliantly tucked in his pants not giving anything away that he wasn't human. He immediately tried fleeing from the human who looked at her with her almost teary eyes but he couldn't. He did not have the strength. He collapsed in her arms his world going black as the last thing he saw was the beautiful face of a teary eyed angel who somehow did not look like she wanted to harm him like other humans.

Seo Yoon was almost gonna cry after seeing the hybrid. He fell in her arms. His life almost slipping away. Jin picked him up and they rushed inside the house towards the guest room. Yoongi and the boys had kept all necessary medical aid that they know Seo Yoon kept for emergency on a table nearby. They were as astonished as the duo seeing how badly injured this hybrid was.

"What happened to you" Seo Yoon wondered out loud.

A/N: this is my first hybrid au. I hope you all enjoyed this. Please like comment and reblog if you liked it. I'll post next part soon. Put your name in the comment section below to get tagged in the next part.

[thetriggeredhappy]

you said age twelve little scout pointed (/shot?) a goon who broke into their hotel room, was he scared? was spy there too? did he get hurt?

know what i just wrote a fic abt it.

(warnings for canon-typical violence, guns, blood, severe injury, and use of tranquilizer. any of that makes you worry, this is gonna be bad for you.)

-

Jeremy hovered by the door to the bathroom, fidgeting with his hat restlessly. “Do you need me to help?” he asked quietly, trying really hard not to let his voice shake.

Dad looked up at him with a tight smile and a slowly-blackening eye, hands momentarily pausing where he was unwrapping a roll of gauze. “Non, mon lapin, I think I can do this one on my own, thank you,” he replied, voice a little stiff.

“You got shot,” he said carefully, gaze drifting briefly to the wound on his leg that had seeped through the gauze before snapping away again as his throat tightened at the sight of it.

“It’s only a leg wound, this won’t kill me,” Dad assured calmly, starting to wrap the wound in quick motions. “That sort of wound rarely does, although I will admit that I’m a bit shaken up by it, and most likely concussed. A very rude man decided to hit me in the head with a plank of wood today. That was by far a more concerning wound. You’ve packed your bag already?”

“Yeah,” he agreed, fidgeting with his hat again.

“Good,” his Dad nodded, starting to tie off the gauze, breathing carefully. “You can take that to the car if you would like, and then you can help me with my own, oui?”

“Okay,” Jeremy nodded, and put his hat on and dashed off to get his backpack, pulling it off and scooping up the keys from the table before dashing down the stairs and out to the car.

He dumped his bag in the back seat and glanced up at the door, wondering if he should just take Dad’s bag down on his own, and froze mid-thought.

He’d closed the door behind him, hadn’t he? He was sure he did.

He tugged the brim of his cap.

He was much quieter going back up the stairs, kept close to the wall and tried to peer in through the door.

He heard two voices. He felt his hands starting to shake.

“I’m afraid I must have forgotten my manners,” Dad said in a voice he didn’t hear very much. He sounded pretty calm, but Jeremy knew he had to be really, really mad. “I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced.”

“Well, personally I don’t think we’ve got much else to say,” the other voice said. It was a little deeper, and had a twang to it. “Here’s how this is going to work.”

“Or how you think this is going to work,” his Dad said.

Jeremy peered carefully around the doorframe. He could see just the very back of someone much taller and broader than his dad. Just the shoulders were visible. He was stood in the doorway into the bathroom, in a tense posture, and based on the fact that he was still standing there, he was probably armed.

And Dad had nowhere to go. He didn’t have a weapon in the bathroom with him.

Oh god.

“I’d quit trying to be so damn smart if I were you,” the man said, and took another step into the bathroom, and Jeremy started creeping forward, sneakers silent on the motel carpet. “Here’s what we’re gonna do. You’re gonna tell me where the boy is, and both of you are gonna get in the car, and you’re gonna have a little chat with my current employer about what exactly you’ve been up to for the past week and a half.”

“What boy?” his Dad asked quizzically, and Jeremy crept forward just enough to get the guy back in his line of sight again. He had a hat on, and a lot of hair besides. Jeremy couldn’t see his face.

“Don’t play dumb with me. The boy you’re traveling with,” the guy sneered. He could see his lip pulling back over his teeth, and it made his hands shake all the worse. “You’re gonna tell me where he is, because if you do, I won’t just shoot him as soon as I find him.”

Jeremy leaned forward just a bit further and could see that he was, in fact, holding a gun in one hand. And he had something in the other, too, something he couldn’t quite make out. Just a little further, and he could see his Dad. He didn’t so much as look at him.

“What a generous offer, there. I take it killing children is a hobby of yours?” Dad asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Do you really wanna play games right now, or are you going to answer my question?” the man asked back.

“Courez vers la voiture. I can assure you, I am not traveling with any sort of boy,” Dad laughed.

Jeremy frowned. He’d said the phrase like a sort of insulting nickname, but it wasn’t a name at all. He was panicking so hard that it took him a long few seconds to decipher the phrase.

‘Run to the car.’

They’d talked about this. There was a compartment in the car that was just big enough to fit him. If someone ever tried to attack him, and he didn’t think that wherever they were staying was safe, he was meant to run to the car and hide in there for as long as he thought he needed.

His hands were shaking. He made a choice.

“This is your last warning,” the man said, and clearly meant it.

“And this is the last time I’ll tell you, I have no idea what child you’re talking about,” Dad said firmly, not looking at Jeremy as he crept past the door to the room proper.

“Alright,” the man shrugged, and lifted his other hand, and Jeremy spotted some kind of syringe. “No skin off my back. You made your choice.”

He hurried as best he could to Dad’s bag, digging through it as fast as possible as he heard the sound of a struggle. There was a shout, the sound of some kind of close combat, a crunch, swearing, a second more panicked shout. He found what he needed and checked it over, hoped, hoped.

“You’ll go unconscious within a few minutes, with that,” the man’s voice came, underlined with anger but overall more smug than anything else. “I wouldn’t fight it if I were you. I’m only gonna wait a few minutes, and then if you aren’t under, I’ll do it with the butt of that there gun.”

“And I’ll knock another one of your teeth out, does that sound fair?” Dad said, and Jeremy peered back through the doorway again. He’d been knocked back into the bathtub, and was bleeding from the nose, and at some point around his hairline. And the man was facing towards him, and the handgun was on the counter just out of arm’s reach.

“H-hey,” Jeremy managed to squeak, and the man turned around, and his eyes landed on the handgun that was pointed straight at his head.

A brief pause. “Oh, isn’t this intimidating,” the man drawled. “A nine year old with a gun.”

“I-I-I’m twelve,” Jeremy choked out, and wished he could keep his voice steady, wished he wasn’t on the verge of tears. “Y-you get away from my Papa right now.”

“Or what?” the man asked, laughing a little.

“Or else I’m gonna shoot you with this fucking gun, dumbass, what, are you stupid?” he spat, trying hard to put bite into his words  and the man laughed again.

“You’re shaking in your boots,” he scoffed, and Jeremy looked at his Dad, not sure how to get this man to stop laughing at him. Dad looked terrified, even more than he had when he was the one with a gun pointed at his head.

“Papa, th-this is the man who hit you earlier?” he asked, just for confirmation. Dad nodded after a moment, but it was slow, foggy. He seemed sluggish, confused, like he was having trouble keeping his eyes open.

Dad wasn’t gonna be able to save him from this. He  couldn’t even help. He was all alone.

He blinked, and felt tears rolling down his cheeks. The man laughed again. “Oh, look, now the kid is crying. And you think that’s intimidating?”

Jeremy wished he wasn’t crying. It was making his eyesight blurry. At this rate, it was gonna fuck up his shot. A leg wound wouldn’t kill him, but it would make a point.

He aimed the gun and pulled the trigger.

It kicked back hard, and he winced at it, wanting to rub the shock out of his arms, but he didn’t, knew he couldn’t lower the weapon. The man, meanwhile, shouted, hands immediately going to the point of impact, mirth gone in an instant. “You little son of a fucking bitch! You fucking SHOT me!” he hollered, gripping at his knee, blood starting to leak through his fingers rapidly.

“I’m not saying it again,” Jeremy spat, lip pulling back in a sneer. “Get away from my Papa or lose the other goddamn kneecap.”

A pause as he took great, heaving, shuddering breaths, and then he was trying to stagger forward. Jeremy stepped back to maintain the distance between them, and the man paused at the doorframe to glare at him with the most venom and rage he’d ever seen on a human face before. Then he was staggering forward further, leaning heavily on anything he could get within reach of. Jeremy followed him out the door, kept the gun trained on him as he went down the stairs to his car. He paused at the car door, and Jeremy fired a round into the car to make a point. It shattered the passenger side window, and that made his point, and the man scrambled into his seat and peeled out of the parking lot before the door was even shut properly.

He sprinted back into the room, discarding the gun on the counter and going to his Dad. “Papa?” he tried, voice pleading, and damn it, he was crying again, because his eyes were closed and the bruise looked so much worse than it did before. “Papa, c’mon, please wake up. Please!”

He had to shake him by the shoulders pretty hard before he blearily blinked his eyes open. “A-ah, mon lapin, I am, very sorry,” he managed to wheeze, so weakly. “This man... caught me, off guard, a bit. I’m not sure what was... in the syringe. Some sort, of... somnifère. What is the word?”

“Knocks you out?”

“Nearly,” Dad agreed. “Nearly. I’m... going to be... weak, for a while. I... need you to, do something for me.”

“Y-yeah?”

“I need... you to continue, to be very brave. And I need, for you to keep that gun. And lock the door. And make sure that... nobody else breaks in. And as soon as I’m... alright again. We will leave. And... talk about things. You are... very brave, and I’m proud of you, and... I’m sorry, that this happened.”

“Are you gonna be okay?” he asked quietly.

“Oui. I will... be fine.”

“Promise?”

“Promise,” he agreed right away, and Jeremy sniffled and leaned in for a hug. Dad tried to hug him back, even if it was weak and a little awkward. “It will be alright.”

“I was really scared,” he admitted, voice tight.

“Are you scared now?” Dad asked quietly.

He thought about it. “...Not really.”

“Good.” He shifted, and Jeremy pulled back. “Will you be able to do what I asked?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright.” Dad flashed him a tight smile. “You’ll do just fine, Jeremy.”

“Okay,” he said, and inhaled, and exhaled, and picked up the gun again.

[gotmilk5101520]

Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia Watch Episode 21 Party Monster (Part 1)

“Party Monster”? This sounds like Claire’s type of party. Then again, Jim’s not here so...

“Okay. We wait until he’s asleep”

“I use my Shadow Staff to get us in”

“And i ever so gently remove the ring from his finger” “Hold up there, Mr. Storyteller”

“Do changelings even sleep?”

“Good point, Tobes. New plan”

“We spike his coffee with extra strength cold medicine”

“I use the Shadow Staff”

“And i bring my Warhammer in case that doesn’t knock him out”

“And i ever so gently...” “Wait”

“What if he’s not alone? His office was guarded last time”

“Chaka!”

“Okay, fine”

“We spike the coffee”

“Shadow Staff”

“I use my Warhammer to take out his goons”

“Then, i ever so gently remove the ring”

“But what if it doesn’t come off?”

“Why would it not come off?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s glued on, or he added a few pounds”

“Why would it be glued on, you dingus?”

“You said be ready for every precaution”

“He’s waking up!”

“Oh, how is he waking up? This isn’t even really happening!”

“Cut off his hand!”

“What?” “Use your sword. Hurry! Do it!”

“No, i’m not gonna cut-”

“Do it! Do it! Before it’s too late!”

“Stop! Stop! Stop!”

“If you chop his hand off, you chop your mom’s hand off too, remember?” This whole beginning bit is 1 minute, and it uses 40 images. And for what? For this scene to reveal that there is one brain cell and it switches between these three, and also the reason why this is 2 parts? Yeah, it was worth it.

“You sure you don’t wanna come?”

“Sorry. Parents are on a weekend trip”

“So Mary and Darc are coming over for girls night”

“Just keeping up appearances”

“You know what i mean” Yeah, that’s what it’s like to have friends, who don’t know what’s going on. Something Jim and Toby don’t have.

“Ooh, girls?”

“I love a good pillow fight” We don’t do pillow fights. Then again i’ve never been to a sleep over, or a girls night out.

“I had it with you”

“Fudgeknuckle” What an odd way to say crap.

“I told you. Not me scruff!” NotEnrique’s scruff getting grabbed count: 2

“And don’t ever ask me to do the favor of letting you see your brother again!”

“Fine!”

“I hate you. I hate you. I hate you”

*Cries in Troll*

Wait how do trolls have services? How do they have a phone?

“What about a magical super magnet?”

“Oh! Definitely got one of those!”

“Doesn’t work great. Just grabs snails” So it’s a Snail Magnet?

“So where do we find the right tool?”

“I know just the place!”

“Are you ready, young wards”

“To embark with me on the greatest adventure?”

“Oh, yeah!”

“Where? Where?”

“The adventure of reading!”

“Hours upon hours of research awaits you”

“Avante!” He got them in the first half not gonna lie.

“My brother spent centuries”

“curating our kind’s most exotic collection”

“of scrolls, tomes and texts”

”If the answer is anywhere, it’s here”

“I didn’t know you have a brother”

“Had a brother”

“Dictatious Maximus Galadrigal”

“These books are all that i have left of him”

“If he were here to see me now...” “Quit telling everyone i’m dead!” “Sometimes, i can still hear his voice”

“Uh... Gotta go”

“Just leaving”

“Hey, wingman. What’s-” “Fine”

”Bye”

This is how i am when i want to leave.

“Don’t touch me scruff!” Wait is that “Turned down for what?”

Hey, Claire. Remember that one time you thought Jim had a party at your house? Well, here it is.

“Don’t eat that!”

“Phone tasty” Claire is not making a phone count for herself.

Hey guys, look. Claire just came out of the closet! Yeah terrible i’m leaving now.

“3 meals a day”

“8 glasses of water”

“8 minutes of sleep” Remember kids, always have 8 minutes of sleep.

“Maddrux the Many triumphed in the battle of Doomscavern”

“defeating his greatest enemy”

“Himself” Yeah... little did we know about that.

“Spit that out, now!”

Just eat the lightbulb, like Draal did, no one will notice.

“Round and round it goes“

“Who ya smooch?”

“Nobody knows!”

“Now, that’s gross. Then again monster fucking is one of her kink” “You read my list did you?” “All 101 of your favorite kinks? Yep”

And, there goes the door again.

“Aaarrrgghh!”

“Finally someone sane”

“I’m glad you’re here”

“Uh, yes”

“Is that Glug?”

“Aaarrrgghh! Seriously?” Yeah, he won’t help. Now if Draal were here- No never mind. Okay if Vendel was- Nah he won’t help either.

“I’ve never seen him like this”

“Give the big lug a break”

“Even he needs to blow off some steam”

“Aaarrrgghh! Aaarrrgghh! Aaarrrgghh! Aaarrrgghh!”

*Burps in Troll*

“Oh, yeah!”

“A lotta steam apparently” Wait, this implies NotEnrique noticed the Creeper’s Sun. So how come Claire didn’t see?

“So, what do you do?”

“Oh. The strong silent type. I see”

“Say, what does a girl got to do to get that mask off?” What an odd way to say- Never mind.

Do You Wanna Build A Snowtroll?

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!” If you listen closely you can hear the steam coming out of her ears.

To be continued.

Part 2

[scaredofheroin]

Captain N - Chapter 19: Punching In

A sudden and loud knocking on the door jerked Captain N awake from his slumber, where he tumbled off of the rickety cot in surprise. He was able to shield his head with his arms from impacting the hard floor, where he slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He had been using his varsity jacket as a cover, which fell onto the floor as he regained his bearings. The lights in the gym were off and the sun had not yet risen outside, so he couldn't see neither the three others who were sleeping, nor the person outside. As he noticed the clock read 6:58, the person on the other side knocked on the door again. His first instinct was to open the door, as Doc Louis said he would return early in the morning. But it was two minutes earlier than 7 AM. Was it really Doc Louis? Or was it a Koopa or Waddle Dee? He did spend all of yesterday not in disguise, he remembered. It's likely he was spotted in the middle of the giant crowds crowding the streets of New Donk City. As his heart began to race with the possibility of his journey ending so soon, he heard Pit sneak up next to him, barely able to make him out in the darkness.

"You heard it too?" Captain N whispered to Pit, his eyes locked on the door. "Sure did." He answered, carefully eyeing the door. Once again, the sound of the mystery newcomer knocking on the door rang throughout the small gym, this time with the sound of the person jiggling the door handle. Captain N carefully drew his Zapper and as he considered approaching the door, Pit drew his two blades and tip-toed towards the door. Captain N quietly hissed at him, whispering "What if it's one of the three king's forces?". "We've dealt with plenty of those guys before, we'll be fine." Pit whispered back reassuringly.

"Those guys are patrolling every roof in the city, what if more of them hear us?"

"Then we'll fight them too!"

"Easy for you to say! This is all still new to me!"

As the two were whispering their debate on the best course of action, Zelda casually walked up to the door, unlocked it, and opened it to greet the guest. Before either of them could try to stop her, they found that the mystery person was, in fact, Doc Louis holding a small pile of green gym clothes. "Good morning, Princess." He politely greeted her, which she returned. Her hair was slightly messy, but she made the effort to make herself presentable enough. Sharing an awkward look with each other, Pit and Captain N holstered their weapons and got up off the floor. "And good morning to you two." Doc Louis greeted the drowsy pair behind Zelda. "G'morning." Captain N drowsily waved to him as he stuffed the Zapper back into his pocket. "Sorry for keeping you waiting, we thought you were one of Bowser's minions." Pit explained to him, standing up straight and stretching his arms. Doc Louis waved that off, replying "No worries, makes sense to worry about those guys.". Just then, Falco joined the group, switching the lights to the gym on without warning anyone. The sudden bright lights seared the eyes of the unsuspecting four, who quickly covered their eyes to shield their vision. "Geez, how about a warning next time?" Captain N groaned. "Yeah, good morning to you too." Falco sarcastically answered as he idly scratched himself. "I should get those checked out, things've been too bright for some time now." Doc Louis noted, adjusting more easily to the light. "Forgive me, he's usually not so brash." Zelda apologized for him, making Captain N and Pit share a small, knowing laugh. "No worries, helps wake me up." Doc Louis dismissed, his positive demeanor unchanged.

"So... do we head out now for the arena?" Captain N asked him. "Yup, gotta get there early to warm up and scope out the competition. Ryu and Little Mac are already there, you just need to officially sign in and you'll be ready to rumble." He explained, taking a chocolate bar out of his pocket and taking a bite. "Don't you think it's a little risky for him to keep walking through New Donk City without any disguise?" Falco asked as he leaned against the ring, farther away from the group. "That's why I brought you these." Doc Louis said as he tossed the gym clothes to Captain N, which he was barely able to catch in a graceful manner. The hesitation he held for holding gym clothes of unknown status was slightly visible on his face, as Doc Louis chuckled heartily and assured him "Don't worry, they were washed last night.". Captain N nervously laughed, holding out the sweater to compare its size to him. When held out lengthwise, the arms stretched out further than his own, and the sweater was long enough to pass his waist. The sweatpants were about as large, but both were manageable to wear. As he slipped on the two articles of clothing over his usual clothes, Falco snickered at the sight of him in the oversized clothes. "Good thinking, Doc. Nobody'll suspect this pile of green mush." He joked, earning some giggling from Pit. Zelda turned away, partially in attempt to hide a small smile. Captain N's cheeks felt slightly warmer at this attention, but laughed along goodhearted. "I've never been particularly fond of professional combat. I can hardly stomach such brutality." Zelda admitted, readjusting her sunhat. "Come on, seeing Ryu unleash the Shoryuken or the Hadouken? Seeing the strongest, toughest guys on the planet go toe-to-toe? That stuff's awesome!" Pit excitedly tried to persuade her. "I bet it's a lot more cool when WATCHING the fight." Captain N remarked, feeling his nose to ensure it was still attached to his face after his last fight. "Oh! Before I forget!" He suddenly realized, going back to pick up his varsity jacket off the floor. "Don't wanna forget that." Noted Pit. "Yeah, it's one of a kind." Captain N added jokingly. "You about ready, Mr. History-in-the-making?" Doc Louis asked him after taking a bite from his chocolate bar. Captain N puffed up his chest and took on a more bold stance for effect. "I feel like I could take on the world!" He answered, masking his inner turmoil about the competition. "Luckily you won't have to take on the entire world, just five of the most skilled fighters in the world. No pressure, though." Falco reminded him.

He felt the pressure.

"Well then, let's hit the road!" Doc Louis declared, stepping out of the doorway. When the four stepped out of the gym, they found an average sized car that, like everything else Captain N had seen in Yamajiro, was similar to the cars he was used to back on Earth, but different enough to be alien to him. The car was painted silver, had a much more rounded chassis, was noticeably older, and had four seats, with two in the front and two in the back. "After you, your majesty." Doc Louis graciously helped Zelda, opening the front door on the passenger side for her. She thanked him once again and carefully got into the car while managing her hat and sundress. "Quite the set of wheels you've got here." Falco noted, commenting on the car's aged nature. "Yup, she's needed some work done, but she's as reliable as ever." Doc Louis assured him pridefully after closing the door for Zelda. "So... how are the three of us gonna fit in there?" Pit asked him. He chuckled heartily and, motioning to Pit and Falco, answered "You two are gonna sit back here, Cap's gonna get more training in!". Captain N laughed nervously and asked "What do you mean?". "It's early in the morning, the air's crisp, and you've got your big fights today. You gotta get your heart pumping!" Doc Louis answered. "You mean I'm gonna run ALL THE WAY to the arena?" Captain N worriedly asked him, stepping back slightly. "Don't worry, it's not too far and I've got plenty of water in the trunk." Doc Louis assured him, tapping the trunk of the car. "Good luck with that." Falco flatly said to him before getting into the car, sliding into the seat directly behind Zelda. Unimpressed with Falco's lack of helpfulness, Captain N turned to Pit, hoping he could offer assistance. "The arena's not TOO far away, and we'll be right beside you if anything happens." Pit said, grabbing his shoulder reassuringly. Taking a moment to think, Captain N slowly became more okay with the idea. As long as he paces himself, he should be good.

Looks like all those Pacer Tests in Gym class were about to pay off.

"Alright, I'm ready." He declared. "That's the spirit! Let's get moving!" Doc Louis chimed in as Pit got into the seat directly behind the driver's seat. Captain N observed the surrounding streets as Doc Louis locked the door to the gym and . The foot and road traffic was significantly lighter compared to yesterday, and even though the sun had not yet fully risen, he could spot the vague outlines of the Koopa, Waddle Dees and Kremlings patrolling each and every rooftop lining the streets. Doc Louis's disguise had proven effective, as not one of the goons above paid much attention to him or the car before him. After the engine whirring for a moment, the car started up, the headlights now illuminating the road ahead. Doc Louis nodded at Captain N from inside the car. He took in a deep breath, mentally braced himself for the run and broke into a light jog. Doc Louis drove the car slowly beside him, matching his pace. Remembering his time in gym class, Captain N paced himself by jogging slower than he was capable of running. After all, there's more than a comparison to the national average lying ahead of him. The car drove slightly ahead of Captain N, guiding him throughout the concrete maze of the city. Thankfully, the jog to the arena was much less intense than sprinting through Castlevania or dodging blasts from airship cannons. His lungs thanked him for his slower pace, and enjoyed the jog while he ran. While he ran, his mind gradually phased the armed minions atop the buildings and even the threat of Bowser, King Dedede and King K. Rool. Captain N's mind savored only thinking about what was right in front of him. Right here, right now, all that mattered was the run. The roads and cars that passed him by started to feel more natural surrounding him. The sun slowly peeked over the buildings blocking out the horizon, gracing his face with the welcoming warmth of the morning rays. All that was missing was his music, he thought to himself. More and more people started to populate the sidewalks, but not too many to make jogging more troublesome than it already was. Doc Louis drove the car away from main street, as to not get in the way of the ordinary people trying to get around.

Despite the more relaxed nature of his jog, his lungs did have a limit. His legs started to slow their pace, slowly falling behind the car. If only he went out for football as a Freshman, maybe he'd be more prepared for the battles ahead. The rear left window lowered and Pit held his head out. "Catch!" Was the only warning Pit gave right before he tossed Captain N a plastic water bottle. Catching the bottle while running was almost enough to make him fall on his face, but he maintained enough grace to keep going. After rapidly gulping down the cool contents of the bottle, his first instinct was to toss the bottle over his shoulder like all those marathon runners in the Olympics. But environmental health was important to him, so he clutched the bottle as he jogged, tossing it into the first trash can he could see. That trash can was in the middle of being emptied into a large vehicle that he assumed to be a dump truck, and almost missed his opportunity. The run continued for about fifteen more minutes, by Captain N's measure. The buildings suddenly cleared up, allowing the sun's rays to pour over Captain N's body and revealing a huge field surrounding a massive, modern-looking stadium decorated with immense banners flowing in the wind, reading "WORLD WARRIOR TOURNAMENT". Energetic music like no other he had heard before could be heard from inside the stadium. An incredibly long line of cars crowded the road leading to the stadium's parking lot and entrance, all sitting still and waiting for something to happen beside the water fountains lining the entrance path. More R.O.B. workers moved in perfect formation on the opposite side of the arena, carrying crates of varying size into the rear entrance. Captain N couldn't help but be amazed by the scale of the arena, and even a little intimidated. Doc Louis took the opposite path away from the main entrance, and drove towards where the R.O.B.s were working. The rear entrance wasn't as nicely presented as the front, as Captain N noticed more trash lying around on the ground. After finding an appropriate place to park, Doc Louis got out of the car with the other three follow him. "So... how'd I... do?" Captain N panted, finally coming to a stop. "Not bad, son!" Doc Louis answered. "Yeah, coulda been worse." Falco added, surprisingly non-sarcastically. "Given the circumstances, I would say your efforts were admirable." Zelda noted, leaving Captain N not knowing how he should feel about that. "Here, have another!" Pit said to him, tossing another water bottle his way. The cold condensation forming outside the bottle proved to serve as a decent enough ice pack, which he drank from after applying it to his forehead. Doc Louis walked up to the attendant by the loading bay, who was overseeing the R.O.B.s. "Good to see you, Doc Louis." The man greeted him, seeming to not recognize Falco, Pit or Zelda in her disguise. "Good to see you, this here's the man that's taking Ryu's place." He said to him, patting Captain N on the shoulder. His stance wasn't entirely solid, and Doc Louis almost knocked him over with his gesture. Captain N awkwardly waved at the man, who didn't seem impressed by Ryu's replacement.

"Well, let's hope there's more to him than meets the eye." He shrugged, opening the door leading inside the arena. "Thanks, I guess." Captain N muttered as he walked inside with Doc Louis, with Zelda, Falco and Pit following closely. It was a strange feeling for Captain N to be "backstage" at such a big event, hearing the muffled sounds of excited audience members and energetic music. "First, we gotta get you checked in." Doc Louis said to him, leading on. None of the organizers or staff members paid Captain N much mind, apart from idle glances. The R.O.B.s passed by, focused purely on their assigned task. Soon enough, Captain N found himself at a receptionist's table with the rest of the group. "I assume you're the last minute addition?" The receptionist asked, a hint of impatience in her voice. "Y-Yeah, that's me." Captain N answered, feeling unwelcome. She pulls up a window on her computer and moves over to a blank space in the massive bracket of names. "So what do you call yourself?" She asked him. He put his fists on his hips and stands up straighter. "I'm Captain N." He boldly introduced himself. She didn't notice the Zapper holstered in his pocket, so she idly nodded and typed his name into the bracket. "Locker room's down the hall to the right. Your first match is in about two hours." She flatly states, pointing in the general direction of the locker room. "Great, thanks." He thanked her, and headed off down the hall. Falco looked like he wanted to make a rude comment to the receptionist, but Zelda stopped him. Pit quickly walked alongside Doc Louis taking in the atmosphere. "Oh man, oh man, oh man, this is so cool!" He giddily said, his eyes darting around the halls. Captain N found the doors that seemingly led inside the men's locker rooms. Inside he was assaulted with the scent of intense sweat. Fortunately this stench was consistent with what he experienced in gym class. Once his nostrils recovered, he saw Little Mac and Ryu sitting on a nearby bench, who look up to see Captain N.

"About time you got here, we were starting to worry you bailed on us." Little Mac said to him, while Ryu simply nodded at him. "Hey, come on, it's not like I had anywhere else to go." Captain N reminded him. "It's still admirable of you to rise to the challenge." Ryu assured him. "He wouldn't have to if you just told us where the castle is." Falco bitterly reminded him, suddenly walking into the room with Pit and Doc Louis. Ryu paid him no mind. "So this is the famous locker room!" Pit quietly said, dazzled as he looked around the room. "Yep, kinda gets old after a while. It IS a locker room, after all." Little Mac said with a smile. "But how!? So many awesome fighters stood where we're standing now!" Pit went on. "Once you've met them once or twice, you realize they're people just like you or me." Doc Louis chuckled. "Say, where's Zelda?" Falco asked, noticing she wasn't with the rest of the group. "I'd rather wait out here, don't mind me." Zelda spoke up from outside, not feeling entirely welcome in the men's locker room. Captain N shrugged and turned back to the two. "So how're you feeling?" Little Mac asked him. "Ready as I'll ever be." he answered, still not entirely confident in his ability to win an actual fight. "Come sit next me." Ryu invited him. Once he was seated, Ryu closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. "Close your eyes and breathe in and out steadily. Peace of mind is crucial to overcoming your opponents." Ryu stated. He followed his instruction, and tried to get into a peaceful state of mind. This proved somewhat troublesome for him, as his mind was more preoccupied with worrying about the fights that drew ever closer. Every time he tried to shove those thoughts out of his mind, they barged their way back in. Just as he was starting to relax, Falco interrupted with an annoyed groan. "When's the fight gonna start?" He impatiently asked anyone who would know. "They'll let us know over the intercom, now will you lighten up?" Doc Louis said back to him, and knowing that was the best response he was gonna get, Falco rolled his eyes and leaned back against the row of lockers. Pit pulled Little Mac away and the two started chatting about his fighting career, allowing Captain N to focus on his meditation. Ryu was undisturbed by the commotion, and remained at peace. Closing his eyes, Captain N forced himself to maintain a slow, deep breathing rhythm. It required some work on his part, but he actually managed to achieve a level of zen. Bringing his mind back to where it was while he was jogging, he was able to bring his mind to a more peaceful state. He spent the next few minutes like this, savoring the peace and quiet, even ignoring the odor of countless sweaty garments.

"Captain N to arena entrance B." Suddenly came a voice over the intercom.

He opened his eyes, his inner fear returning.

"Well, showtime, Cap. Knock 'em dead!" Doc Louis cheered him on. Reluctantly, he stood up and looked back at the group. "We can watch the match from in here. If anything happens, we'll come running." Zelda assured, peeking from outside the room. Nodding gratefully at her, he steeled his nerve and walked down the hall to his first real fight.

[wellthatjusthappend]

hey there, if your still taking prompts can you do bane/jason for your villain story? There's so few for that pairing and i neeeeeeeed some.

Oh man, Jason getting caught under Bane is a bit of a terrifying thought. But here's a short little something.

(From Dick’s POV since I really wanted his reaction for this)

“Hood, what are you doing here?! ” Dick hissed as he and Jason ducked behind some crates that avoid a spray of gunfire.

“In case you forgot, we’re in my territory tonight,” Jason shot back, “if anything, I should be asking you that question.”

The real reason Dick didn’t want Jason there was because the thugs shooting at them were hired by Black Mask. If there was a chance the gang leader was anywhere nearby, he didn’t want Jason within a mile of the creep. Every time they met, the villain made it abundantly clear that he’d like to do things to Jason that made Dick’s stomach turn over in horror and his blood boil with rage.

Not that Jason would accept that as an answer.

“This is my case,” Dick said instead.

“Yeah? And why do you keep taking cases in my territory Nightwing ?” Jason said mockingly, “Careful now, some people might think you’re trying to get my attention.”

He was not.

Probably.

“Hood-”

“Stay out of my way, Big Bird,” Jason said shoving him aside as the gunfire died down, “You’re bad for business.”

Before Dick could reply, Jason was throwing what looked like a granade out from their hiding spot and then dashing out guns blazing as things exploded and people shouted. Dick tried to follow after him, but another group of goons had snuck around to their hiding place and instead he had to leap out of the way of another round of gunfire and work on subduing them.

“Someone has been eating their wheaties,” Dick commented with a grunt as one thug tried to plough straight into him. This group wasn’t the regular set of false facer’s he was used to. They were a lot burlier for one, and although they had guns they seemed far more interested in pummeling him with their fists.

Unfortunately for them, Dick was even more deadly at close range than he was at a distance.

“Down you go,” Dick said, flashing a grin as he helped trip one of the goons down a set of stairs while the other’s ignored their fallen comrade and kept coming after him.

Ah, such camaraderie.

Speaking of camaraderie, he really needed to regroup with Jason. Their was still a lot shouting and gunshots at the front of the building, so he figured he was still doing fine, but Dick would rather be safe than sorry.

Dick tasered the thug closest to him, but he just flinched before continuing to come after him.

He frowned, were they on drugs or something? With the amount of strength they were putting behind every punch, Dick decided he didn’t care to drag the fight out.

“You know, this has been real fun, but you know me: busy, busy, busy. What say we wrap this up?” Dick said covering his mouth before dropping a sleeper bomb.

Even with that, it still took the goons ages to go down.

Something funny was going on. Black Mask might run a good portion of the drug trade, but his muscle wasn’t usually pumped up on anything too dangerous.

All of a sudden, the ground beneath him shook and there was a cracking sound as loud as a gunshot…. Something that sounded extra loud because in its wake, the sound of gunfire from out front went silent.

Dick took off in that direction at a run.

He froze as he caught sight of Bane , lifting Jason’s limp body out of the slight crater where the supervillain must have slammed him down.

“Ay, it is no wonder Black Mask paid a high price from you to be brought to him. Mmm, but now that I see you, I might just keep you to myself, mi hijito,” hummed Bane.

Dick saw red.

A part of his brain was putting together the fact that Black Mask must have hired outside help to take care of Red Hood. That the reason’s that so many of the thugs had been so difficult to take down is that they must have been pumped full of venom.

Most of Dick could only process the shattered bits of Jason’s helmet, the blood streaking the cracked pavement, and that massive paw of a hand slipped not so innocently underneath Jason’s jacket.

Dick thinks he might have screamed. He knows that he jumped onto Bane’s back and brought down his escrima sticks with the highest volt of electricity he had. Unfortunately, just like his men, Bane didn’t go down. He did drop Jason though with a roar and slammed himself- and thus Dick- back against the wall.

He heard several things crack- possibly the building, probably mostly him- but rage made him feel almost numb as he brought the stick that hadn’t been knocked out of his hand down into Bane shocking him over and over again. Seeing as that just made Bane more angry, he switched tactics, grabbing a fistful of tubes pumping venom into the monster of a man and pulling .

Unfortunately, only some of them came loose.

This time when Bane slammed Dick back, it was much more deliberate and damaging. His vision whited out and he lost a good few seconds as his grip slackened without his permission and Dick slumped to the ground.

“Oh I remember you,” Bane growled, “I should have killed you when you were just a fly buzzing around my head. I won’t make that mistake again.”

Dick could see Jason laying far too still and vulnerable a few feet away. There was too much blood on the ground Dick didn’t like the angle one of Jason’s legs were sitting at. He liked the blood sneaking out from beneath his curls even less. If Dick went down, there was no one who would be able to save Jason in time.

“Any last words, el mosca?”

Dick closed his eyes.

“M, help.”

“I thought you’d never ask, darling,” M said in his ear as a door opened behind his back and Bane roared in fury.

[mizmahlia]

From the shadows, she brings light

Summary: The last thing Jason should be doing is fighting after being injured in a dust-up on a job with Roy and Kori. But the thing about Batkids is, when family is on the line? They don’t care.

AO3 

Jason hadn’t meant to stumble into Bruce’s business, but as luck would have it, that’s exactly what happened.

He was only in town to check in with several of his paid informants and recover for a few days after the latest job with Roy and Kori. The job went a bit sideways and he and Roy were a little worse for wear, but it was nothing that some ibuprofen and a few nights’ sleep in his own bed couldn’t fix. He lost track of how many ribs he’d bruised over the years, but if he had to guess, his answer would be north of three dozen.

The small tear in one of the muscles in his rotator cuff, however, was another story. As long as he wasn’t doing any heavy lifting, that would heal on its own in a couple of months.

So imagine his surprise when he came across a brawl on his way back from the grocery store, one involving Batman and a dozen members of Black Mask’s merry band of morons. They were in the lobby of Gotham First National Bank across the street and Jason watched as Bruce took down two men who’d raised shotguns in his direction, two perfectly aimed batarangs embedding themselves deep into the biceps of both men. The guns fell to the floor and Bruce carried on dealing with the other men who were still conscious.

Jason willed his feet to get moving again, but his gut feeling kept him planted where he stood.

Not your problem, Jason. He’s a grown-up and can handle himself.

One of the goons tumbled through the plate glass window and landed on the sidewalk, groaning before he fell unconscious.

See? He’s only got what- six men left?

He knew Bruce hadn’t seen him yet, and he turned to continue walking home when a white panel van turned the corner, rubber squealing on asphalt. He ducked into the entryway to the post office and stood in the shadows, watching. Four men got out, two of them carrying a heavy box between them.

“Hurry up, Sal! We gotta get this inside. Grab the detonator and follow us. The guys have Batman busy.”

Jason narrowed his eyes as he watched the first two carry the explosive device into the bank, setting it in the middle of the lobby. Idiots three and four followed right behind with the detonator cord and switch.

“C’mon, B. Turn around and catch these guys before they set it up,” he muttered. Bruce was still tied up with four or five men across the lobby, though they were taking longer and longer to get back up after he’d knocked them down. Ten years ago, this fight would have ended before Jason even got there. But now? Now things took a little longer.

He heard the beep of the timer being switched on. His jaw clenched and a knot formed in his stomach immediately.

He instantly made up his mind and set down his bag of groceries. There was a spare domino in the lining of his civilian jacket and he never left his apartment unarmed, so while he wasn’t necessarily battle ready? He had the basics and could hold his own. He chambered a round in his .45, fixed the domino over his eyes and stalked across the street.

The men with the explosive didn’t hear him approach and with the electricity out, they didn’t see him, either. He cracked one of them across the back of the head with the butt of his gun and when another turned to throw a punch, Jason caught the arm and twisted. He fell to the floor with a shriek, cradling his broken arm, and that’s what got Batman’s attention.

Bruce turned and when he saw Jason standing there, he tried to hide his surprise, giving Jason a tight nod and gesturing to the vault with his head. Jason reciprocated and nodded toward the explosive device, watching Bruce turn on his heel and sprint toward the vault in the back. Jason knelt next to the device and looked for a way to disarm it. He holstered his gun and sighed to calm himself down, tracing the wires from the explosive to the detonator. The tangle of wires and switches he saw meant one thing.

“Oh, fuck me.”

Whoever these idiots were, they had someone incredibly intelligent help them construct the bomb. The circuits were collapsible, and if he tampered with any of them, it would go off and kill anyone left in the bank. There were three minutes left on the timer and no sign of Bruce, though he could hear the fight even from the lobby.

He’d give him two minutes, max, before he went back and hauled Bruce out himself.

Jason focused on dragging the unconscious men outside and across the street, securing them to light posts and parking meters with zip ties. Once the lobby was clear and the timer was down to a minute and forty-five seconds, he jogged back into the bank.

“Bats? C’mon, old man. We’ve gotta get out of here.”

There was nothing but silence and Jason felt his blood turn to ice in his veins. By his count, they had less than ninety seconds now.

He rounded a corner and the vault came into view, and with it, he saw Batman lying on the floor. There was a broken office chair next to him and the cowl had a nice crack along the back of it. He jogged down the hall and rolled Bruce over, wincing at the bruise along his jaw. He was out cold and nothing Jason could do would wake him up.

Under normal circumstances, he would have simply picked Bruce up and hauled him out of the bank in a firemen’s carry, but with his injured ribs and shoulder, there was no way in hell he’d be able to heft all of Bruce’s 220 pound frame, plus another thirty pounds of armor and equipment, up off the floor.

As quickly as he could, he ripped the cape off Bruce’s back and rolled him onto the leather side of it. The smooth side that faced inward would slide easily across the floor.

Jason held his breath and dragged him back down the hall and out into the lobby. The timer was down to thirty seconds and he started to panic. He wasn’t going fast enough to get them clear. Even if he left Bruce behind, he likely still wouldn’t get out in time.

The edges of his vision began to darken, and his hands went numb as the panic attack started. He kept dragging Bruce across the lobby, ignoring the pain in his shoulder as the effort tore muscle fiber even further. It gave way with a loud pop and Jason cried out, collapsing in a heap twenty feet from the door.

Twenty seconds.

“FUCK!” he screamed.

He did his best to cover Bruce’s head and torso with his own body, hoping he could take the majority of the blast. Jason tucked his face into Bruce’s shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut.

Not again notagainnotagain…

He yelped and bolted upright when a small hand tapped his shoulder.

“Brother. Let me help.”

Jason turned to see Cass, in full Black Bat regalia, crouched in front of him. He bit his tongue to stifle a sob as he nodded, crawling to his feet. With his good arm he helped Cass drag Bruce out of the bank and across the street as the timer hit ten seconds.

Cass drew a batarang from her belt, tapped a button and threw it into the bank. Jason frowned.

“What the hell was that for?”

He could tell Cass was smiling beneath her mask, and he turned to see the steel security shutters slam shut. Seconds later the bomb went off and the building shook, but the shutters contained most of the explosion.

“Why didn’t I think of that?” he muttered. He leaned against the building and tilted his head down, trying to catch his breath. He still held his arm against his torso.

“You’re hurt,” Cass said. He shrugged the uninjured shoulder.

“He’s hurt worse.”

Bruce groaned, but remained unconscious. Jason could hear sirens in the near distance and wanted to get the hell out of there before they arrived.

“No, stay. Come home with us.”

Jason shook his head softly and turned toward his safe house. The absolute last place he wanted to be right then was the Manor.

“No thanks, kiddo. Call the batmobile and get him home. I’ll be fine.”

Cass moved and stood between Jason and his exit, her hands on her hips, chin tilted defiantly.

“Wasn’t a request.”

Jason raised an eyebrow, knowing full-well she’d kick his ass six ways from Sunday if he tried anything, injured shoulder be damned.

“It’s not home for me.”

Cass reached forward and took Jason’s hand, squeezing hard.

“Can be, if you want it to. He needs you. We all do.”

Jason turned his head as the car came around the corner, stopping at the curb. She nodded her head and he helped her get Bruce into the car. She stood back as the door closed, pointing to the driver’s side.

“I’ll stay. You go. Meet you there.”

Jason folded himself into the driver’s seat, leaning back against the head rest. A weary smile stretched its way across his face and he sighed. His shoulder hurt like hell, but he and Bruce were both alive, thanks to Cass.

Even if she couldn’t have beaten him in a fight, he still wouldn’t ever be able to say no to his little sister.

When he finally got back to his safe house the next evening, there was a surprise waiting for him on his kitchen counter with a note on the paper bag. The childlike handwriting made Jason smile.

Not only had she saved his life and Bruce’s, she’d also brought him the bag of groceries he’d left behind.

[littlemissvincentvega]

How do you think Eddie and The dogs would react to their girl being M.I.A for a few days after a little disagreement? ( Not answering their phone, cars not in the driveway kinda ) thing ) maybe a lil makeup smut if you’re feeling it ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

ooOOooh (thatsabingo) i never thought of doing this thank u honeybun!!!!!! and yes i’m always feeling smutty :^^^))) i know it’s not technically smut but u have an imagination ok

nice guy eddie:

this guy makes his daddy put all the fucking jobs he’s involved in on hold

he makes a lot of calls. he’s so worried

also he calls vic over to vent/cry-- “i got no fuckin’ idea where she’s gone, man, what the fuck am i supposed to do?”

he paces his office, running his hands through his hair

we know he’s pretty placid all in all but his temper is a little short since you’ve gone missing. you mean the world to him

he & vic ride around town together, trying to find you

when they’re unsuccessful again, he returns to joe’s office to find you two having a lovely conversation, joe chuckling at one of your remarks

as he spots you, you quickly get up and hug him, seeing the worry in his eyes-- “i’m so sorry, ed, i was just annoyed”

“you have nothin’ to apologise for, princess, come here”

he wraps his arms around you, picks you up and takes you into his own office, cupping your cheek and kissing you deeply

as he pulls away, he gazes at your features, mindlessly stroking your thigh

after a moment, you pull him back in for another kiss, and things become a little steamy #ifuknowwhatimean

he ends up kicking the door shut

the two of you have a pretty romantic quickie, with you riding him on his desk chair

after you both finish, he gazes into your eyes tiredly -- “i’m sorry ‘bout all this, sweetheart, i love you”

he spoils you extra hard over the next week

mr. pink:

he hasn’t slept properly, he’s been pacing his bedroom every night worrying about you

self hate??? multiplied 100x

he relies on coffee more than ever to keep him sane

the two of you met at uncle bob’s pancake house, so you go there one morning to see if he’s there

as he walks in, he almost trips over his own feet when he sees you

he’s the type to yell at you about how worried he’s been– “baby, i’ve been callin’ all the guys, even gettin’ joe involved ‘cause i was so fuckin’ worried!!”

like he’ll yell first and THEN hug you

by that i mean he hugs you tighter than ever, face buried in your shoulder, stroking your hair

his eyes will be closed too. slow temple kisses

also he cries but he doesn’t want to talk about it

if you point that out he blames his allergies

“i’m allergic to my girl pullin’ that shit on me”

later that night he definitely eats you out to try and make up for it

it works because we all know this boy is a fucking professional at his job ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

mr. white:

he got a little hot-headed with joe because he wasn’t taking it as seriously as white wanted him to when he asked for his help finding you

like, protective daddy as FUCK

on the day he gets mad at joe, you arrive outside his office talking to eddie, assuming white is with joe. he bursts out not long after, frowning

when he sees you, his face softens and he hugs you super tight, his arms wrapped firmly around you– “jesus h. christ, sweetheart, i’ve been worried sick, why’d you do that, huh? i thought somethin’ real bad happened”

he doesn’t blame you for doing it

“i’m so sorry, baby girl, i’m so so sorry i made you feel that way”

honestly he’s just glad you’re safe, that’s all he wants

you can see how fragile he is in his eyes. his worst nightmare is losing you

he takes you back to his, makes you a lovely dinner and looks after you even better than he usually does (if that’s possible) to try and make up for what happened

you can tell he feels terrible for what happened and how protective he is of you that night is pretty sexy tbh. so naturally you end up riding him sorry i don’t make the rules

during that, he mumbles what a special girl you are to him

afterwards, you huddle up to him in bed and he trails his fingertips along your bare skin as you fall asleep

mr. brown:

he’s distraught when he first realises you’re gone and he doesn’t know what the fuck to do so he calls pink (who doesn’t appreciate the phone ringing. ever)

he’ll go round asking your neighbours if they’ve seen you every day

one day while he’s asking, you pull up in your driveway

as soon as he sees you he grabs you and pulls you into a hug

also he starts crying shamelessly

“i was so fuckin’ worried, angel, are you okay?”

as he says this he pulls away, tears in his eyes, and checks you over for any sign of injury etc

when he realises you’re alright he continues hugging you

“i’m so sorry, baby, i was such an asshole, i–”

like he rambles on and on apologising, he feels so guilty about it all

he whips an old chocolate bar out of his pocket that just happens to be there and hands it to you– “would that make you feel better?”

you giggle, unable to stay mad at this fucking goon

he really does mean well. he’s a sweetheart and he loves you to bits

like he’s infatuated with you and 

you two get takeaway and watch movies all night, him repeatedly telling you he loves you, it’s wholesome ♥

mr. orange:

scared out of his fucking mind that you’re in danger

he calls white for help, who may or may not get the other dogs involved

white is his shoulder to cry on. he’s so worried about you

although he’s a bit dumb like he doesn’t fully understand why you’re gone

it’s his ego, that’s literally it

either way he feels bad about it and he spends most of his time with white, the two of them trying to figure out where you might be

he calls you each morning when he wakes up and each night before he sleeps (and by sleeps, i mean lying in bed sobbing because he misses you)

he’ll walk around town trying to find you and visit your place each day too in hopes that you’ll be there, without luck

but when he gets back home he finds you waiting at his front door 

he fills up immediately with tears and hugs you, his arms around your waist-- “i’ve been worried sick, baby, where were you?”

as he pulls away, he kisses you, cupping your cheek gently

tells you he loves you approximately 3849082409 times that night

the two of you watch batman under blankets, eating popcorn he’s done on the stove

it definitely ends in cosy, kissykissy sex

he falls asleep afterwards it’s so cute

mr. blonde:

definitely goes off the rails a bit with his already fragile self control. he ends up hurting more innocents on his jobs than he usually does

that is, if he even attends the jobs. if he doesn’t feel up to it he just won’t show up

we know this boy’s a bit craycray but he’s torn 

he even cries to eddie about how worried he is– “she’s different, man, i think i fucked it all up”

he lays in bed listening to your favourite songs to try and calm his nerve, when you knock on his front door, hands trembling slightly

his face drops when he opens it and sees you

without hesitation, he picks you up, hugging you as tight as he can– “i’m so so sorry, baby girl, i was such a fuckin’ asshole”

he doesn’t often cry full stop, never mind in front of you, but he actually lets himself cry into your shoulder

even if you assure him that it’s okay and you’re sorry you went m.i.a, he’s still convinced it’s all his fault and is determined to make it up to you

he runs you a luxurious bath and sits beside you while you take it

like not in a weird way. he’ll light a few scented candles and make sure it’s a lovely warm temperature and hold your hand while you relax, kissing it every so often and gazing at your beautiful features– “such a pretty girl”

also, makeup sex. he’ll probably eat you out it’s all up to you

[ks-caster]

One Last

Fandom: One Piece

Characters: Tashigi, Zoro, Strawhats

Notes: This story centers on the idea that Tashigi looks like Kuina because she’s basically inhabiting her body - the corpse was reanimated through science. Discovering that she’s basically a zombie, Tashigi attempts to kill herself, only to fail repeatedly due to her excellent design. She is adopted/kidnapped by the strawhats and attempts to deal with her ensuing depression and identity crisis.

First chapter and outline are under the cut.

Roranoa Zoro was having a very bad day. He had gotten lost and had to ask for directions three times in the so far, as he wandered around on the rather uninteresting spring island, where they had docked to resupply. He had been searching for most of the morning, and still hadn’t been successful at locating a good bar that sold drinks for less than the ridiculous prices being charged everywhere he looked. He had run into Luffy twice, who was also short on cash, and looking just as unsuccessfully for cheap food. He had failed to convince Nami that three-hundred percent interest was unfair. He had been forced to knock out a troop of Navy goons and a police-man. He didn’t know what he wanted more: a drink or a nap.

Roranoa Zoro was having a very bad day, and in the course of half a second as he caught sight of a particular face, it got a whole lot worse.

“Hello Zoro,” Tashigi greeted him civilly, if perhaps with a degree of frostiness that he assumed meant she wished she has her sword with her. Her Shigure was nowhere in sight, and she was dressed in a pink and gold sundress that looked like it had been sewn out of an enormous handkerchief. It had one strap over her right shoulder, and came down to either just above or just below her knees, depending on which part of the uneven hemline was being measured.

She was wearing high-heeled strappy sandals much like Nami’s and she looked a lot prettier than he remembered. He blinked hard.

“Hello, Navy girl,” he responded a bit more waspishly than he had intended. She looked at him disconcertingly over the tops of her glasses.

“Are you busy?” she inquired unexpectedly. He shook his head, a bit thrown. She jerked her thumb toward a bar and grill behind her. 

“Come and have a drink with me then,” she invited, sounding rather offhand.

“Uh,” he started, unsure what to make of her weird change in character.

“My treat,” she offered, slightly altering the angle of her head and the shape of her eyes until her expression conveyed that she really did want him to have a drink with her.

“Alright then,” he responded guardedly, just as Nami and Robin strode up, arms full of shopping bags from clothing stores.

“Oh hey Zoro!” exclaimed Nami, “come over here and help us carry these!”

“Not now!” he shouted in irritation. 

“Oh, are you busy?” Nami all but squealed, noticing Tashigi for the first time, but apparently not recognizing her.

“We were just going for a drink!” Tashigi called to her. “Come join us, if you like. I’m buying.”

Nami did like; free drinks were always categorized under ‘like,’ and Robin brought up the rear as the four of them filed into the restaurant.

To general surprise, the rest of the crew was already seated at a large corner table, Luffy scarfing down snacks like there was no tomorrow, and Sangi flirting with a curly-haired barmaid. Tashigi strode over to them and plopped down in an empty chair, and Zoro, Nami and Robin took their seats as well.

“Hey,” Tashigi called to a man who appeared to be in charge. She handed him a stack of bills and told him to take anything they all ate or drank from that money until it ran out, and then cut them off. 

“Whoa, really?” exclaimed Luffy.

“When it’s gone, it’s gone though,” she warned him.

“Hey, thanks lady!” he said with a grin, and after that, there was a scramble of everyone placing orders so they’d get what they wanted before Luffy ate his weight in Tashigi’s gift money. Zoro wasn’t shy about ordering a whole keg; after all, regardless of her motives, he planned on having his much-wanted drink now that he had the opportunity.

 Tashigi didn’t seem to mind either, because when they had emptied the keg, she ordered another, and then a third. She, Zoro, Nami and Sangi all got rather tipsy, and Luffy Chopper and Usopp, though drinking soda, were acting equally silly, with chopsticks up Chopper’s nose as per usual, and Sangi trying to get Robin to drink more. Robin, oddly considering she was drinking the same beverage as Tashigi, Zoro, Nami and Sangi, did not seem any different than usual.

“So what’s with the free booze?” Zoro asked, much more warmly now that the party atmosphere had gotten into his blood with the alcohol. 

“I didn’t feel like drinkin’ alone,” the naval officer slurred as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, raising her mug a bit shakily to toast.

“And you’re not arresting us because…?” Robin prompted, sipping daintily at her drink.

“I’m on vacation,” Tashigi replied, waving her hand around nonchalantly, “so I don’t have to, and I couldn’t if I wanted to andIdon’twanttosothere! Cheers to the yummy food!”

“Here, here!” bellowed Luffy, Usopp and Sangi, and everything continued as before, with Nami absently counting up what their refreshments cost and wondering just how much Tashigi had forked over if they hadn’t been cut off yet. The only noticeable difference was that Robin suddenly seemed as drunk as any of them, and thus the one party-pooper was now part of the fun. 

Time flew by and the sun climbed to its zenith. Nobody asked what their balance was, though really, the money had to run out some time, didn’t it?

Did it?

Luffy was in the middle of stuffing his face when the bartender finally came over looking slightly uncomfortable. He hadn’t even finished speaking when Tashigi whipped out her wallet.

“Another round!” she bellowed, thoroughly soused, and rather shakily threw it, only to have it caught by Zoro.

“Hold up a minute,” he cautioned, his voice not entirely steady either, but apparently more able to hold his liquor than his companion. “Don’t spend every cent!”

“Why not?” she wined, face flushed and mouth firmly pouting. Her glasses were a little askew, and to Zoro’s surprise, he saw that a pin was lose in her hair, letting a long black lock fall down almost to her elbow.

“You have long hair?” he asked, distracted.

“Yup,” she replied, completely forgetting the matter of the money. “A bit bending of the ol’ regulations and all that, but…” her eyes drifted to Luffy and Chopper, who were dancing on the tabletop. “I didn’t see them drink at all,” she mused.

“They don’t need to,” Zoro groused. “Everyone on this crew can act drunk on a moment’s notice without drinking anything stronger than lemonade. Well, except Robin.” The two of them stared as Robin and Nami were trying to make a house of cards out of the menus, laughing madly and building more out of Robin’s hands than anything else.

“Huh,” Tashigi grunted. “Well, I bet no one’s ever bored, at least.” Abruptly she stood, handed the bartender a fat tip.

“Thanks for the grub and booze,” she said amiably, and turned to the pirate crew, who mostly acknowledged her, if perhaps distractedly. After deliberating for a time and starting and stopping a few times to speak, she finally came out with, “Enjoy the rest of the eats,” and swept quickly from the building.

Outline

Chapter 1) Tashigi’s last drink

Chapter 2) Attempted suicide

Tashigi attempts to shoot herself in the head

She wakes up the next morning and thinks she missed; she even finds the hole in her ceiling.

She goes to a seedy potion shop and buys poison.

She drinks the poison and is puking up her guts, but then her body metabolizes it and she’s fine.

Frenzied, she slits her wrists and runs, bleeding, off the edge of a cliff.

Chapter 3) Rescue

Zoro finds her while he’s lost trying to get to the ship. It’s raining so he has Kuina’s funeral on the brain, and he’s really freaked when he finds her in a pool of her own blood. He convinces himself that the only reason he’s so desperate is because of Kuina.

He (with Sangi giving him directions) takes her back to the ship where Chopper looks her over and sees that her wounds are healed. She has a fever though.

She wakes up and doesn’t remember anything besides “I want to die.”

Chapter 4) Waking Up

She bonds with the crew little by little; they all grow attached to amnesia girl.

She can’t get used to being called Tashigi, since it’s not familiar to her. Zoro somehow says “Kuina,” and she likes it a lot, so she decides to name herself that. She does ask his permission though.

A man claiming to be her father comes along and asks her to go home with him. (He is really the creepy doctor who created her.)

Chapter 5) Past

She says she doesn’t want to hurt him by refusing to come with him, but she doesn’t even know him, so she asks if he wants to do dinner or something.

They go out to dinner and Sangi follows them and makes a row in the kitchen.

The doctor eventually gets fed up with her continually suggesting that she stay with the pirates and loses his temper, first shouting at her, then proclaiming her status as his finest creation, his last symphony, his magnum opus…

Sangi senses a damsel in distress from several rooms away and runs to the rescue, followed by Luffy who came to eat and Nami who came to make sure the boys didn’t cause trouble and Chopper and Zoro who came to look after Tashigi and everyone else who just came. 

The pirates run the evil doctor off, but Tashigi faints.

She remembers everything.

Chapter 6) Truth

They bring her back to the ship and nobody knows she has her memories back.

She says goodbye to Zoro.

She leaves a note for everyone else.

They search for her but the trail goes cold.

Chapter 7) 

Eventually they find her by chance waiting tables in a restaurant, and Zoro chases her.

She tells him everything.

He says his bit about it’s her body now and her life to live and everything.

They come back to the others and Tashigi is welcomed back into the crew.

[diigbydog]

you answered my riddle

Riddler (x Female!reader?) oneshot 

word count: 1842

A/N: hi guys! this is my first time writing ed, and first in a long time writing a fic, so i am looking forward to what you all think! i hope you all enjoy! it dosnt get very romantic but there is scenes of tension and implied interest! i may do a follow up if people want one!

It had been a normal day at the club. It was around 9pm on a friday night and the club was packed with patrons, tables were full and the dancefloor was lively. I had worked there for around 3 months now and every day was the same, different people but same routine. My colleagues are nice, and we tend to joke about particularly extravagant customers. The customers usually behaved themselves, even the criminal ones. A local band was playing on stage, they were better than most acts we've had in the past, But unfortunately they were interupted by 3 loud gunshots coming from backstage.

Suddenly, four armed men wearing masks charged onto stage pushing the performers onto the dancefloor  "Alright, everyone stay where you are! dont move!" one of them demanded as he pointed his gun to the ceiling and let off a few more warning shots. Their guns turned to the crowd of terrified gothamites. A chuckle could be heard, followed by "good evening, ladies and gentlemen! Im afraid tonights entertainment has been altered slightly!" I focused on the figure walking onto stage, it was a tall man in a stunning green suit and black bowler hat, the riddler, without a doubt. "- you're all going to be my entertainment now!" He chuckled into the microphone. I hadnt moved from the spot i was in when the first gunshot was fired. I couldnt seem to move yet my eyes were fixated on him. He continued to spew his selfcentered nonsense, carelessly waving around the pistol in his hand "now i dont want to hurt any of you lovely people, but im affraid unless the bar staff give me all of the cash out of the register, oh and answer my riddle, well you will all have to die, and we dont want that now, do we?"

I felt my heart beat faster as he jumped off the stage and started to carve a path through the crowd, directly towards me, one of his masked goons following close behind, empty  cloth bag in hand. As he got closer i slowly raised the empty tray, that i was holding, to my chest, clutching it with both hands. A smirk spread accross his face as he pointed the gun at me and purred "c'mon now dear. Dont keep me waiting." 

Nodding, i backed up towards the bar, placing the tray down next to the register. Riddler hopped up and sat on the countertop, speaking once again into the microphone as i opened the cash register and stepped aside to let the goon do his work. "Now whilst this lovely young lady is getting my money. Lets see if any of you can answer my riddle! Three tries to get it right! and if you dont?" Another gunshot into the ceiling. 

By this time it was just plain irritating, so i plucked up some courage and interupted before he sould announce his riddle "Y'know riddler if you wanna leave here alive you might want to stop shooting the bloody ceiling, it'll fall down before you've finished running your mouth" i instantly regreted speaking as his head spun violently to stare at me, a look of suprise on his face. I could see his teeth grinding, as if he wanted to say something horrible, but he just smiled sarcastically and muttered "thanks for the heads up, darling," 

  "now where was i, ah yes! my riddle!" he said, slowly turned his head back to the crowd "A most delicious thing, it can be given but cannot be kept. Some awake from it after they've slept. It is the moistest and softest butterfly wing, But when it is the last even it can sting." 

He looked at the faces of the crowd. Confused, fearful, and contemplating their careful answers, whispering between eachother. I watched as the masked man took out the last of the cash from the register. The riddle wouldnt stop repeating in my head. As I looked to the crowd to see if anyone had an answer, a man stood up and raised his hand. "You sir! What may your answer be! Remember, you all only get three tries!"

"Cake? The answer is cake." The man stuttered "its delicous and soft. But can be bitter if its a leaving present!" 

The riddlers face turned from an amused smirk to pure anger "NO!" He widely strode over to the man who had now fallen to his knees in fear "CAKE?! WHO WAKES UP DUE TO CAKE?!" I look away as he strikes the man over the head with the base of his gun, knocking him out.

Riddler brushed himself off, sighing in frustration, slowly striding back to the counter, making eyecontact with me. I felt deep down that i knew the answer, and i couldnt let these people die, i could wait until someone else goes to answer, but then if i was wrong i would have to watch him shoot up the building, atleast if i got this wrong he would knock me unconcious. so i timidly raised my hand. 

"so, you think you know the answer, 'ey?" He grinned as he leant over the counter, resting his hands under his chin. 

"Yes. I think i do." "Well then, please, " he continues to repeat his riddle once more, making sure to emphasise each word of importance. "what. am. i?" "a kiss. Thats my answer, a kiss" 

a long pause ensued as he turned round, straightening himself up and adjusting his hat. i felt as if i couldn't breath, i had no idea what would happen if i was wrong. then he spoke up.

"well, you are all safe, congratulations!" i let out a relieved sigh, i could breath again. Police sirens could start to be heard in the distance, riddler and his men start to head back to the stage "aaaand that is our call to go boys! I bid you all farewell! sorry for the inconvenience" And with that, riddler and his goons dissapeared backstage.

-1 week later-

Everything was back in order. The ceiling had been fixed and our doors were open once again. The only thing that was different was that the manager provided all employees with switchblades, for self defence of course. 

Today it was my job to clean out the storage room(aka the basement). we store everything down there, from non perishable food to extra seating, and it was my turn to organise it. "Now where to start" i muttered to myself, deciding after some contemplating to start with the largest items and making my way to the smaller ones. 

Around 2 hours into my mission, i heard the door to the basement creak open, i thought nothing of it as it was probably one of my co-workers looking for a new chair, it wasnt uncommon for a customer to request an extra one. But as the footsteps got closer i realised i didnt recognise the click of heels on the stone floor (no one i work with wears heels, were on our feet all day, why would we suffer through heels!) Fearing the worst i grabbed my blade out of my back pocket and turned round, pointing it at the unknown figure.

As i focused, i realised that edward nygma, the riddler, had returned once again. Although this time, instead of his dazzling green suit, he was sporting some matte black heeled dress shoes, fitting black trousers, a shirt with rolled up sleves and a form fitting waistcoat. Not to mention the extravigant black tie, deccorated with green question marks.

"Riddler" i shakily said, standing my ground as he walked towards me, stopping just infront of the blade i was holding . 

"Hello again-" he glanced down, his hands reaching up to gently prise the blade out of my hand, admitely i was not fighting back, i was far too intimidated to fight back. "Thats enough of that. Im not here to harm you, y'know" he said, in a somewhat comforting tone. I took one step back, distancing myself as he was admiring the blade "atleast your boss isnt cheap, this is a nicely made knife" he looked up at me "now, if i give you this back, you promise to calm down?" He softly asked, gently holding the now closed switchblade out to me. 

I hesitated, but nodded and accepted his offer, letting out a small sigh as i put the blade back into my pocket.  Riddler calmly sat down on a nearby chair, crossing his legs, making himself comfortable "Now, isnt that better" he smiled. I stay silent. "you can talk yknow, im not going to bite!" "I just still dont quite understand why you are here..." i paused, not knowing how to reffer to him "Please, call me edward" "right, edward, why come back alone?" "well, to see you of couse!" "but....why? that dosnt explain anything" "you answered my riddle, plus, ive been fascinated with you since you started working here." me? yes i have seen edward in our club with oswald cobblepot in the past, and i have served him but fascinated? "well...im flattered, i really am, but fascinated? how?"

"well ive never seen you loose your temper, even with oswald and his demands, its quite impressive" he explained, uncrossing his legs and leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees "i wandered if you would tell me more about yourself?" i smiled and blushed, slowly starting to get back to my work, talking as i go "im afraid there isnt much to tell, im not that interesting, deffinately not compared to you and your company" 

Ed pulled himself out of his chair to stand close besides me, handing me a fork to add to my pile "oh quite the contrary, anyone with saint's patience like you must have something interesting to tell" looking up into his eyes i saw the determination he had to make me talk, i knew we couldnt talk here, there was too much risk, considering the camera that was placed in the far corner of the room, currently not capturing eds presence. i turned my body to face him as i took the fork out of his hand, thumb slightly brushing his fingertips.

"well,ed, if you really want to know more, i think we should meet some other time, im sure you wouldnt want anyone knowing you were here, would we?" i said, gesturing over to the camera. 

His face dropped as he realised the risk "i suppose you are right, give me a time and place and i'll be there." 

"wow, you are determinded, aren't you? fine, meet me near the lake in the park, tomorrow at 7:30, deal?" i cannot belive i just suggested that. "we have a deal. i shall see you then" i cannot belive he just agreed to that. and with that, he skipped up the stairs, 2 steps at a time, stopping at the top to turn round, smirking at me once more before shutting the door behind him. 

Until then, Mr.nygma.

[littlecrookedheart]

Imagine • Prompt Request One Shot

Prompt : “You come to my room and wake me up at 4am, to cuddle?” / “You’re getting crumbs all over my bed”

Requested by some anons!

Pairing : Maxwell x Farrah

Rating : None! Pure fluff.

Word Count : 2,561

Author’s Note : This variates from canon but...most of my stuff does? I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer : I do not own these characters. I’ve added a bit of a flare to them for the sake of this piece, but they do not belong to me.

Typically, during these hours the castle was still, even the staff remained quiet as they dozed off sitting upright at their stations, security being the only select few ridden with energy. But tonight, as it had been for nearing a week, one man roamed the halls, clanking around the kitchen for a late night snack, slipping across the polished floor on the balls of his feet.

At the foot of the staircase, just before the turn into the kitchen, a stout man with graying hair and a long moustache sat at his position, shining a row of shoes.

"Lord Beaumont," he nodded, his nose whistling as he breathed.

"Just Maxwell, Grover. No formalities necessary."

"As you wish, 'Just Maxwell.' May I suggest something?"

Maxwell raised an eyebrow and smiled to the man, who looked up to him over thinly rimmed copper frames.

"If you'd like to continue these midnight walks through the halls, perhaps you'll wear shoes. You slide so quickly 'round the corners, I fear you'll knock your head into the wall."

Maxwell chuckled softly, sticking one foot into the air, admiring his doughnut printed socks.

"They're so fashionable, though."

"It would be more so a tragedy if their owner could only wear them while in an infirmary, yes?"

"Good point, Groves," Maxwell said, giving him a small salute. He peeled his socks off, leaving them in a bundle at the bottom step, making his way into the kitchen.

"What's for breakfast, Marjorie?"

Marjorie, a young girl with braided blonde hair, blushed from behind a large bag of flour, slowly peeking around to see his face. She was small and likely ten years his junior, but there was no doubt she awaited his company each day. She never said much, and neither did he, but he made it a point to share a smile with her as often as possible.

"Can you believe it, Maxwell? Queen Mother has requested berries and waffles yet again."

Maxwell hopped onto the counter, grabbing a handful of chocolate chips from a nearby tin.

"I don't mind that, so long as I get some, too."

Marjorie's lips curved into a small smile, looking away as she said, "Yes, but you aren't the one who leaves for the day smelling of frying oil."

"You fry the waffles?"

"Yes?"

Maxwell's forehead creased, a grin spreading across his face as he shrugged. "You learn something new every day." He slid off the counter, walking over to the pantry doors. "But you know why I'm here. Do you mind, Marjorie?"

"Of course not. Just be sure to let King Liam know to clear my panel so I'm not accused of stealing."

"Have I ever forgotten?" Maxwell smiled, grabbing a plate of saran wrapped cookies from a higher shelf. "Are these fresh?"

"They're from this evening, yes."

"I'll take these. Thanks, Marj. Gotta take these to Farrah."

"Lady Farrah is up so early? Today's festivities don't begin for six more hours."

"She's an early riser," he lied, rushing out of the kitchen and up the stairway, handing Grover a cookie as he passed by.

Farrah's room was second to the end of the hall, a far walk, one that socks helped speed up. The sound of Maxwell's feet on the floor made him cringe, but he didn't care enough to back track to his own room for slippers. He knocked four times, nearing a fifth before the door flew open, Farrah's face riddled in confusion.

"Morning, sunshine!" He said, squeezing in through the crack in the door. Farrah rolled her eyes, locking the door behind him and flipping on the switch to her bedside lamp. Maxwell had already propped himself in her bed, unwrapping the cookies.

"What time is it, Max?"

"Late. Or early, depending on how you'd like to see it."

"What I'd like to see is me asleep in that bed."

Maxwell smiled at her, gazing at her in awe. He adored the way the waves in her hair scattered across her shoulders, a few flyaway strands poking up from her head. She always seemed to glow in the morning, so soft and beautiful he couldn't believe it.

"Come sleep, then." He patted the bed beside him. "Or have a cookie. I grabbed these for us."

"What did you need, Max?" She asked, climbing into bed next to him.

"The truth or a lie?"

She glared at him and he laughed, ruffling her feathery locks in his hand. She grabbed his arm, reading the watch fastened around his wrist.

"I just kinda...wanted to cuddle."

"You come to my room and wake me up at four in the morning...to cuddle?"

He nodded, eyes widened like a puppy dog, lower lip pouting. Farrah drowsily smiled, handing Maxwell the plate of cookies and sliding over to him. She lay her arm across his chest, head on his shoulder, lulling herself to sleep to the sound of his heart beat.

And then a crunch, cookie crumbs raining down his shirt and onto her sheets.

"Aw, damn it, Max. You're getting crumbs all over my bed."

"Sorry," he mumbled, holding a hand to his lip.

"Bite it?"

He nodded, wincing. Farrah got up and made her way to her en suite, gathering a warm washcloth and healing salve from the cabinet. She sat next to him, soothing and tending to his bloody lip.

Maxwell caught the hazel reflections in her eyes, holding in a dreamy sigh as she softly dabbed his lip with the tip of her thumb. Her lips looked like roses, supple with morning dew, shining in the lamplight as she spoke to him.

"Next time, come to bed with me, and you won't have to sneak around so late for a cuddle."

"Maybe I like the sneaking," he teased, pulling her to him.

"I mean it. Come to bed with me."

"Farrah...you know the castle will be in talks the moment the lock clicks."

"So let them be," she whispered, drawing his lips to hers in a tender kiss.

"We aren't in New York. Cordonia...expects...more from us."

"Can I be honest?" She asked, Maxwell's hand caressing her hair.

"Of course."

"I hate that."

"Me too." Maxwell sighed, breathing in the fresh coconut scent of her hair. "If I could write our story, there would be so many nights where I just held you."

"Why can't we? I mean.. I know why. But convince me to believe it."

"There's nothing that can convince you. Nothing convinces me. But we do what we have to."

"Don't you get sick of playing by these rules?"

"I'm sick of anything that prevents me from loving you to the fullest."

Maxwell held her close to him, draping a knit quilt around her shoulders.

"Let's play the imagine game," he whispered, leaving a kiss on the tip of her nose.

"You first."

His fingers ran along the length of her back and to her neck again, gentle yet secure.

"Okay. Imagine...we could skip festivities today."

"Oh my god, please. What would we do?"

"Play cards in the sitting room at the Beaumont estate. You could teach me how to bake. I could give you my best Jerry Maguire impression."

"I've seen that impression, I think."

"Would you say it's...impressive?"

"Well, now I'm not going to."

"Wow! Sometimes, Farrah, I don't know how I fell in love with a bully like you."

Farrah laughed, nuzzling her face into his neck.

"Imagine we could buy a little house somewhere far away. Somewhere on the beach, maybe."

"We could watch the turtles."

"And eat so much ice cream."

"In fairness, I already eat a lot of ice cream," Maxwell said, reaching to grab another cookie. This time, Farrah grabbed it away from him, shoving the whole thing into her mouth. Maxwell bent his brows and burst into laughter before saying, "They're really good, right?"

"Does Marjorie still have a crush on you?" She asked, leaning to her bedside stand for a drink of water.

"Are you still jealous?"

"I've never been jealous, you goon, just observant. I think she made these cookies for you, they might be perfect."

"I've never met a cookie that I didn't like."

"True," Farrah smiled, "This could be pre-made dough and you'd love it."

"What?"

"It's a joke, Max."

"Pre-made?"

"You know, the tube kind."

Maxwell looked into space, a confused expression on his face.

"Tube cookies?"

"You can't be serious! You've never seen pre-made cookie dough?"

"What does that even mean!" Maxwell cried, dramatically chomping two cookies at once.

"Imagine a life where my fiancé didn't litter my silk sheets with cookie crumbs."

“Imagine a boring life, why don’t you?”

Farrah took the plate of cookies and walked them to the other side of the room, jumping on the bed, Maxwell’s strong hands catching her mid air. She pulled his shirt off and nestled her head on his chest, meeting his gaze.

“Hi,” he whispered, kissing her forehead sweetly.

“Hey,” Farrah sighed, filling the spaces between his fingers with her own.

“Imagine sitting in a cute little café where nobody recognized either of us.”

“Or how about…adopting a sibling for Chance?”

Maxwell’s face lit up at the idea. “How about two?!”

“Dare I say three?”

“Dare. But not four, that’s so much puppy love. I don’t know if I could keep up.”

“I have no doubts. Hmm, what if we went in one of those underwater tunnels to watch the fish swim all around us?”

“We could order pizza and watch reruns of Fresh Prince all day.”

“That sounds like a dream.”

Farrah listened to Maxwell ramble off ideas for while before drifting to sleep, the sound of his voice carrying her off like a lullaby.

Maxwell looked down, hazily brushing fallen strands of hair from her eyes before closing his as well.

–

In the morning, a quiet, repetitive knocking sound came from the door. Maxwell clamored over, opening it to reveal Marjorie.

“Maxwell, you’ve missed all of your morning calls, breakfast, and your ride. Your brother was so preoccupied with a phone conversation that I’m not so sure he noticed. I’ve let you sleep a bit, but I thought I’d try to let you know.”

“What? What time is it?”

“Nearing noon.”

“We slept…two hours…past time to leave?”

Marjorie nodded, a solemn look on her face.

“Thanks, Marj. You’re the best.” He closed to door, hopping into bed next to Farrah.

Her eyes opened slowly, becoming more alert when she noticed the amount of sun soaking through the curtains.

“What time is it?”

“Time to skip today’s festivities.”

“Good one. How behind are we?”

“Farrah, I’m serious. We’re not going. I have a better idea.”

Farrah sat up, checking the time on her phone, swiping through dozens of missed calls and messages.

“Max, what have we done?”

He was profusely padding away at the keypad on his phone, grinning as he looked up.

“We overslept. And I hearby decree that today we have an imagine day.”

“Have you lost your mind?”

“Never had one to begin with, baby. Put on your best pajamas.”

–

Marjorie handed Maxwell and Farrah each a small packed linen bag, nodding toward an empty hallway.

“Head straight out. Just beyond the trees.”

“Thank you, Marjorie,” Farrah said, a warm smile on her lips.

Maxwell took her hand, running out the door and past the trees, surprised that no security had returned to their postings yet. There was a parked car with tinted windows and civilian license plates, a set of keys tucked under the driver’s side tire. He unlocked the doors and got in, Farrah’s face lit up in excitement as he started the engine.

“Where are we going?”

“Anywhere but here.”

Farrah connected her phone’s output to the radio, playing a throwback playlist from when they were growing up.

“Oh, make sure our locations are turned off,” Maxwell suggested, knocking his knee gently against the center console.

“You’re brilliant.”

“Tell me something I don’t already know.”

–

After belting out ‘Bye Bye Bye,’ and a few handfuls of other classic 90s songs, Maxwell turned down an unmarked road. Farrah straightened her posture as they approached a modest yet grand looking house with old Victorian architecture.

“Whoa,” she exlaimed, looking to Maxwell with curiosity gleaming in her eyes.

“Welcome to tiny House Beaumont.”

“What? What is this place?”

“Come on,” he chuckled, elbowing her playfully. He walked to her door, opening it for her and taking her hand, unlocking the entrance with a small iron key from his pocket.

The foyer was dark but inviting, like a cozy house you’d see in a film. The wallpaper was ancient but beautiful, colorful florals strewn with vines and hummingbirds with more detail than anything you’d find in modern time. Maxwell locked the four steel locks on the door, turning into the sitting room and drawing two sets of curtains hanging over large bay windows. Along the walls were built in bookshelves, a dark oak shade, the scent of antique pages lingering in the air. Farrah sat back on a large sofa, its high back comforting her bones after the car ride.

“Maxwell, this is incredible.”

“Wanna know a secret? It’s mine.”

“What?” She leaned forward, grabbing his wrist and pulling him to her. “How?”

“I bought it during an auction a few years ago. I was sick of Bertrand and needed a break.”

“And it’s just been empty since?”

“I came here a few times since then. But there’s a staff that tends to it bimonthly.”

“How does nobody know about this?”

“I know how to cover my tracks when needed. Plus, the staff doesn’t know I’m who owns the place. They think the guy’s name is, 'Reed Starling.’”

“Thank you for bringing me here.”

“Not necessary, baby. Sometimes we all need a break. Plus, I did promise you an imagine day.”

“There will be chaos at the castle when they realize we aren’t there.”

“I called in a favor. Liam…he gets it. He will keep this a secret for us.”

“How long do we have?”

“Until morning. It’s as good as I could do,” he said, frowning.

“That’s perfect. So which one are we having, then?”

“Hmm?”

“Imagine day. What are we doing?”

“Well…Reed Starling may have placed an online order for pizza delivery.”

“Don’t tell me-”

“And my collection of Fresh Prince happens to be in that bag Marjorie packed for me-”

“Maxwell!” Farrah shouted, climbing onto his lap, scattering kisses over his face. She met his lips with intensity, fingers in his hair and happiness in her heart. She could feel him smiling against her, which made her do the same, leaning into the couch as they gleefully held one another.

“You deserve this, Farrah.”

“We deserve this. There is no 'me,’ when it comes to my happiness.”

“Maybe our life won’t be like this every day. Maybe when we marry and we reside in the duchy, things will be a little bland and a lot busy. But you’ll be with me and I’ll be with you, and that’s the happiest thing I’ve ever realized.”

“As if anything could be bland with you next to me,” she said, pressing a kiss to his cheek, “Imagine being so in love you didn’t know how to comprehend it. So in love your heart could burst.”

“Imagine being in love with someone who loves you even more than that.”

[fairyshuuu]

Lucky Clover Part 3

Genre: Mafia!Exo, Hitman!AU Length: 4.6k Main pairing: Jongdae x Reader Warnings: Language, violence, blood (M)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 |

You wake up again later, though you don’t know how much later. Feels like a few hours later. On the end of your bed lay some clothes, something you are very grateful for. You notice that your legs and hands feel a lot less stiff now, so you hop of the bed, shuffling over to the clothes. A black hoodie that was no doubt a man’s, considering it was almost a blanket to you, and some sweatpants. You look down at your dress. The black, long, flowy fabric that normally just reached the floor pulled over your head, you quickly throw on the sweatshirt and pants, burying yourself in the warm fabric. 

You walk over to the door with soft feet, just to check. They wouldn’t be so stupid to actually leave the door open. You waddle in front of the door, pulling your hands free from beneath the fabric. With your hand on the doorknob, you push down. Click. The door pushes open, the new gray hallway in front of you, empty. You pause, your mouth falling open at the sight. You stand in the doorframe for a second, frozen in surprise and confusion, before peeking around the door. The infirmary was the intersection of two halls, one to the left and one to the front. Slowly, your feet push to move. 

You walk around the door and into the left hallway, silently moving along. What kind of people leave their captives unattended, in an unlocked room? You shake your head. Injured or not, you could still take them down if you needed to, of that much, you were sure. The hallway was long, with metal doors either side, and a double door at the end. You slowly sneak past the doors, your weight shifting to make your footsteps completely silent. The double door on the end seemed like the safest bet. Bigger doors mean more people who need to use them. You push yourself against the cold metal, listening for a sound. 

There was the sound of some movement behind the door, so you quickly look down. You had no external weapons, so you would have to sneak around. You could take them down in hand to hand combat, but they would shoot you down before you had the chance. Taking a deep breath, you duck down, slowly pushing the handle down a tiny piece at the time, making sure you were quiet. The door glides open easily, just enough for you to peek through. There was some sort of common room, some metal tables and chairs scattered along the walls. You saw one guy, dressed in complete black, facing away from you. 

Taking a deep breath, you consider. You couldn’t be sure if he was alone in the room, but you were willing to take the chance. When would such a perfect opportunity come around again? You push open the door enough to slip your body through, closing it in the same fashion. You almost release a relieved breath as you see the guy is indeed alone, before focussing. The dude was a lot taller than you, and a lot heavier too. He had a handgun on his belt, but was distracted with … his phone. How professional. Without a sound, you kick him in the back of the knee, making him fall forward with a surprised grunt. You grab hold of his chin with one hand, grabbing his gun with the other. In less then a second, you had the gun pressed against his temple, while you pull his face towards you. 

The movements he was about to make still as he notices the cold feeling of the barrel against his head. You don’t waste any time, knocking the handle against his head quickly, making him slump against you. You scan him quickly, somewhat relieved that you don’t recognize him. You put the gun in the band of your pants, hidden for now, but in reach. You don’t take the clothes of the guy, but do take the knife strapped to his boot, taking a steady hold on it. A gun would be to loud right now, that would lure all of them like cockroaches. You want to walk away, but a glint from the corner of your eye, makes you stop. You quickly bend down and pick up the phone that he had dropped. A sms conversation was still open.

>> 14:00 All clear. T6 is coming to cover soon.

<< Copy that.

>> I’m coming round now, T6 is walking the halls.

>> 16:00 In station 3. Everything clear.

<< 16:30 Report.

The next message was half typed. You send a quick response back, to not raise any suspicion.

>> 16:30 Clear.

Making sure the volume is turned off, you tuck the phone in the pocket of your hoodie, before making your way across the room. There were two doors, but only one was unlocked. The walls in the next hall were concrete. It started looking less like a lab and more like a bunker. Whether that was good or bad, you were not sure. The ceiling was very high, making the every step echo. You hold your breath as you notice a vent shaft at the far end of the hall. Sneaking over quietly, you let out a relieved breath. The vent was small, but you should be able to fit. As quickly as you can, you bend down and unscrew the bolts at each corner of the vent. The vent cover pops off without a problem. 

You squeeze inside. The space was small, barely fitting your shoulders, but you don’t give yourself time to panic about that. You pull the cover in again, the bolts were still out there, but when they found the bolts, you would be long gone. You waste no time, crawling through the metal pipe as quietly as possible. You get out the other end of the pipe, kicking the vent lock open and drop into what seems to be a mechanical room. Well, room is not really the word. The space you were in was only about a meter high, some sort of crawl space between the room below and the ceiling. There were wires running everywhere, that seemed to be powering all of the lights. 

The ‘floor’ you were on, was a tight metal grid, leaving small spaces to look down below. The room below seemed to be the common room of the building. You hold your breath as you notice that in the room below, there are people resting on the dark brown couches, sounds of television and shouting not bothering them. You almost gasp as your eyes catch a familiar figure. Sunshine was laying on his back on one of the couches, eyes closed and hands resting on his chest. This must be where the most important headpieces hang out. You carefully crawl on on hands and knees, ignoring the pain it causes. You crawl on and on until- someone opens the door below with a loud bang, rushing in with hasty steps.

“Uh… guys?”

Sehun’s voice breaks up the discussion from below, the room shifting their attention to him.

“What?”

This voice was new, it was very deep and a little raspy. You couldn’t see the person who was speaking, though.

“She’s gone.”

“What do you mean, she’s gone?”

“The captive. She’s gone.”

“How can she be gone, she was locked in the infirmary.”

“I- I might have forgot to lock the door again after Ghost called me for lunch.”

“You forgot to lock the door.”

“Yes.”

“And now, she’s gone.”

“Yes.”

“Where the fuck did she go, we have guards in every station?”

Another new voice. This one was lighter, bubbly and bright. How many people are involved in this shit?

“She’s a trained spy, you moron. She knows how to take someone down.”

That sounded like Chen’s voice, though you couldn’t be too sure since you couldn’t see him either.

“Right. Sehun, you check the hallways surrounding the infirmary again. Ghost, check the cams.”

The person with the deep voice seemed to be in charge. Noted. Sehun nods, walking out of the door again. Sunshine stands up too.

“I’ll help too, it was getting a bit to stuffy in here anyway.”

“Fine. Check station 2 and 6. She can’t have gone far.”

“Beta, what are we supposed to do?” The one called Ghost asks.

“You guys sit tight. She’ll turn up soon enough. I’m going to inform Alpha.”

Correction, he’s second in command. Noted. You see Sunshine leave the room, as well as another set of boots that leaves through another door, leaving the rest in silence.

“What’s that look you got, Ghost?”

“I’m so done with this fucking shit all the fucking time. Can’t we just have a normal afternoon without someone escaping or trying to breach our firewall?”

“Stop complaining. It makes you look like Suho.”

“Shut up, Chen.”

“Just tell us what you see, whiny.”

“Station 2 is clear. Sehun is making his way to 3 now. I-”

“What?”

“Shit.”

“What?!”

“She took out one of the goons.”

“I knew they weren’t worth shit, we should just handle this ourselves.”

“Not now, Kai. Ghost, where the fuck is Suho? He’s never around when we-”

“Top floor.”

“I’m going to get him. Kai, cover me. She has a gun. Everyone on stand-by.”

“Yes, chef.”

“Just do as I tell you…”

“Fine.”

You silently crawl on, in hopes of finding a breach. As soon as they would start mobilizing the area, you were done. The crawl space runs over the wall, opening up into a new room. You drop down, hiding behind the door. You didn’t have much time left. Shit. You open the door, wanting to hit yourself at the situation you’ve just walked in on. Two goons, both looking at you in surprise before reaching for their guns. Time feels like it’s going in slow motion as you launch at one of them, your hands grabbing his neck while you kick his gun away. The man grabs your arm but you swing your leg around to kick the other guard in the face. With your legs, you wrap around his head and make your weight pull him down, his face hitting the floor with a crack. 

The other man had now took hold of your one wrist, trying to grab the other, so you turn to him and kick him in the knee, making him let go of you. While he falls on his knees, you grab his face and pull it to your knee, breaking his nose. You turn around to see the other guy reach for his gun again, but you grab his wrist and pull it down harshly, breaking his wrist. You quickly pick up both guns, fingers tight on the triggers. You still had 13 bullets. Sadly, before you can use them, 6 barrels are aimed at your face, 6 different men looking down at you. 

You hold your guns at two of them in particular, Sunshine and a tall guy with fiery red hair. You recognize some faces. Chen, Suho and Sehun were also here. The last guy was tall too, not as tall as the redhead, but taller then Chen, his skin a warm honey color. You sigh as all men keep their guns aimed at you, ready to shoot. You would be able to take out two or three before they had the chance to blink, but the others probably wouldn’t appreciate that. So, slowly, you lower your guns to the floor.

“Hey, Boss, nice to see you again.”

Suho smiles, his white teeth on display. The tall one scoffs, but you decide to ignore him. Turning slightly, tipping an imaginary hat at Sehun.

“Sehun, Chen.”

Sehun grins wide at you, his gun lowering to the floor.

“Hey, darling. How you holding up?”

“Just fine, thank you. Though I seem to be a bit outnumbered.”

“I found the bolts of the vent.”

“I figured.”

The tall one steps forward. He was at least two heads taller than you, so you have to look up slightly.

“Drop your weapons, nice and slow.”

So this is Beta. With a huff, you flick a strand of hair out of your face and lower your guns to the floor, the metal tapping on the cement. Then you straighten up again, giving him a soft smile. He shakes his head with disbelief.

“All of them.”

Chen is now smiling too, as well as Sehun, who seems to having a blast with someone playing smart with their leader. With a small pout, you reach under your sweatshirt, pulling out the third gun and popping out the bullets, before throwing it to the floor too.

“All.”

Now you full on frown at him, taking out the knife from your pocket and sliding it towards the rest of the men.

“Good now?”

“Yes.”

With a flick of the Beta’s hand, the tanned man walks forward, picking up the guns, his eyes still on you. He was eyeing you with care, even now without weapons. You smile at the sight of it.

“I don’t bite… ” You grin at him, lowering your voice to a whisper. “Hard.”

Sehun and Suho have to hold back a giggle, but the man just keeps a stone cold expression and walks back to his spot, his gun still aimed at your heart. You shake your head but turn back to Beta.

“Alright, what now, princess?”

Sehun laughs out loud at that, quickly biting his cheek to quiet down again.

“Let’s go.”

Sunshine walks forward, putting his gun back on his belt, and grabs hold of your arm very tightly again.

“Jesus, again? Can’t you hold my arm with a normal strength, instead of this iron grip?”

“Just walk.”

You giggle at Sunshine’s bored expression, walking between the men nicely. They lead you out of the room, leaving the two unconscious men on the floor. Another grey walled hallway. As you walk, you take a good look at the two new men. They had put their guns away now. The tall one walking in front of everyone, Beta, had bright red hair, pushed away from his face, but some strands still falling forward. His dark eyes and eyebrows gave his face a stern look, though he did have some chubby cheeks. Despite being tall, he wasn’t lanky, rather wide shoulders and muscular thighs visible through his black clothes. 

Sadly, he had long sleeves, so you couldn’t see any tattoo’s. He wasn’t wearing a gun belt around his waist, so his gun was just resting in his hand. He only seemed to be 23-24 years old, but his attitude made him seem a lot older. The way he carried himself was that of a man with a lot of power. You had noticed earlier too, the way he was scanning every detail in the room with great care, analyzing. He must have been in this world for a while. Your eyes shift to your side. While he wasn’t holding on to you, the tanned man next to you kept you from trying to break free. His eyes were cold, despite their warm chocolate color. His entire presence screamed danger, something you didn’t get to notice earlier. 

Right now though, it was almost tangible. He had this way of moving that made you shiver. His movements were smooth, almost gliding, despite being so tall and muscular. He seemed to be the most trained one out of all of them, his sleeveless hood showing off his muscular arms and hands. His hands were surprisingly clean in comparison to the rest of them. No blood, his knuckles weren’t too bruised. But the palms of his hands were littered with fine lines, scars. Knives. You recognized the lines to be practicing scars from knives. They were familiar, since you have them too. You try to put the face to the name. 

This must be Kai. Early twenties. Older sisters. His hair was an artificial blonde color, falling in strands around his face. You stare at him, suddenly noticing a slightly pink shade on his cheeks. It was barely visible, but since you were staring so hard, you caught it. He was shy. How sweet. Your attention now gets pulled to his arm. His tattoo was strange. There was a figure, a woman, but she was pictured double. Like they took the same overlay and copied it twice, moving a couple of millimeters over. The bottom figure seemed half faded, shifting into the figure in the front. The number one with the stripes was woven into the background of the figures, between the ripples around the woman. 

His bicep had two black stripes going all the way around. When Sunshine stops, you look back to the front. You had come to a long staircase, a large black door at the top. You had no idea where they had walked you to, too distracted with inspecting the new men to notice. They all seem to get some sort of command through their headpieces, since they all nod at one another. Sunshine hands you over to Chen. He, Kai, Suho and Sehun all turn away from the staircase, turning into the other connecting hall instead. Sehun turns around once more before leaving, winking at you and mouthing a ‘have fun’. You glare at him but he’s already too far, so you turn to the front.

“What are we doing?”

“You get to meet the boss.” Beta answers, his low voice resounding through the now empty halls.

“And what then?”

“We’ll see. If you behave…” He trails off, walking up the stairs with you and Chen in tow.

Chen leans over, a grin on his lips.

“Don’t you always…”

At the top of the staircase, Beta waits in front of the door for a second, then turning to the camera in the corner.

“Ghost, open the fucking door. I swear, if you make me come get you-”

The door opens with a click, so Beta opens it, letting both you and Chen inside. The room you walk into is big, a giant skylight lighting up the place. It seems like a normal apartment, something that is both surprising and not at all . People can get to know a ton about another if you know where to look. Whoever lives here is organised, determined and attentive. They care about details, most likely a good planner. Smart too, by the looks of the amount of heavy literature on the coffee table. Chen leads you to follow Beta, to a door at the far end of the room. It seems to be an office room. The room is significantly darker when you enter, so your eyes have to adjust for a bit. The room is indeed and office. There is a desk and a large black desk chair, but it is empty.

“Alpha, we’ve located the captive.”

The room stays silent for a bit, but it seems that Beta is getting a command in his headpiece.  Suddenly, a door that was hidden in the wall pops open. The man that walks through has you staring. He’s not tall or extremely short, not extremely outstanding from any of the other men here. It’s his eyes. His eyes are sharp, ice-cold when they meet yours. His black eyes make goosebumps appear on your arms before you can help it. He’s, of course, super handsome, but your eyes glide down from the moment he steps into the office. 

He’s rubbing his knuckles, his hands bloody and chafed. Some drops of blood drip onto the wooden floor. Without sparing you a glance, he pops down in the chair. He didn’t scare you, but he was more than intimidating to say the least. He, unlike the others, was wearing a more fancy attire. He wore a white button down and black suit pants. His sleeves were rolled up, showing off his tattoo. His tattoo was that of a snowflake, it was very big, wrapping around his entire arm. You couldn’t see the number one with how his arm was positioned, but it was probably on the inside of his arm. 

He was very trained, the muscles in his hands and arms still strained from his earlier activity. Whatever it was, the person on the other side was unlucky, that much was clear. His brown hair was styled up and out of his face. For a moment, it stays silent in the room, but then his eyes make his way up your body, to meet yours. You want to recoil under his gaze, but you will your body to stay where it is. He doesn’t talk to you, just keeps regarding you for what feels like ages, before his eyes move over to Beta.

“Yes?”

His voice is a little raspy, but above anything, dripping with authority.

“Here she is.”

Chen let’s go of your arm, his hands dropping by his sides while Alpha now looks at you in great detail. You can tell that he is reading you like you do with other people, but he won’t be able to find much. He bites his lip, seemingly a habit, standing up from his chair and walking around, to the front of the desk. He rests against it, not taking his eyes from yours. Instead, he reaches his bloody hand up and presses a button on his headset.

“Ghost? Send Sehun this way.”

His hand drops again, but he starts walking around you, like a lion and his prey. You keep strong, not letting his gaze do anything to you. When he stands behind you, you hold in a shiver. You can feel his body closing in on you, his warm chest pressed against your back as his lips hover over your ear.

“So, you knock some of our guards out and get to a door, what then?”

You swallow slowly as his lips now are gently touching your ear.

“You don’t know where you are, baby girl. Don’t be stupid.”

He stays like that for another second before he peels himself off you and you have to resist a shudder. Chen clears his throat next to you and grabs hold of you again. Alpha walks back to his chair and plops down, weaving his fingers together and resting them over his thighs. Despite his bluffing stance, his threat didn’t feel empty, something that made you wonder. Who was this man? You hear two strong knocks against the door before Sehun’s tall figure walks through the door.

“Alpha?”

“Are the generators up and running now?”

“Yes.”

Alpha nods, looking over to you again.

“I hope you had fun. But playtime is over now.”

“The bomb and tracker need a couple of hours to activate and be traceable. That’s why we couldn’t immediately find you earlier. But, they are active now, so…”

Alpha stands up again, walking over to you.

“I’ll say this once, and once only. If I want you dead, all I need to do is snap my fingers. You don’t want to play games with me. Now-”

He looks over to Beta, focussing his attention on him.

“I want you to prepare her.”

Beta looks shocked, almost as shocked as you and he opens his mouth.

“But-”

Alpha turns away from him, walking over to the door he came out of earlier, his hand resting on the doorframe.

“If we are done here, I have a guest that I’d rather not let wait for too long.”

Just before he can walk away again, Beta takes a step forward.

“Alpha, you can’t be serious. What are we supposed to do with her?”

Sehun snickers, turning his attention to the older man.

“I could think of some things to do.”

Alpha turns to the four of you again, shrugging in genuine disinterest.

“Figure something out, let Sehun play with her, I don’t care. Don’t kill her without my order, that’s all.”

Something dangerous flickers in Sehun’s eyes as he looks at you, fading quickly, but not fast enough and you bite the inside of your cheek to hold in any snarky remarks.

“Dismissed.”

Alpha walks away, not a care in the world as Beta groans and rubs his face for a second. He then turns to you.

“You-” He points a finger at you, before looking to the men beside you. “Just take her with you, I don’t-”

“I’ll lead her around, don’t worry.” Chen lets your arm loose a bit, before dragging you toward the door. While passing Sehun, you hold in a shiver that passes through you, his icy blue eyes now making you feel very exposed as they skim over your body. When the door falls shut behind you, you let out a tense sigh, letting your weight shift to your right leg. Chen seems strangely similar in his expression, his face smoothing out from a frown.

“If I let go of you, will you try to kill me?”

“I might.” 

He hums, running his fingers through his hair, brushing it away from his face. “I think I’ll take that chance.” He carefully lets go of your arm, keeping his eyes on you for a bit, making you bite your lip to hold back a smile.

“Boo.” Chen flinches with a frown, before a huge smile is painted on his lips.

“Let’s go.”

[saviourfinn]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Relationships: Finn/Rey,  Poe Dameron & Finn Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates Summary:

Trapped in a life he never wanted, Finn decides to right his wrongs and take a stand against his former employers.

He just never expected to meet his soulmate along the way.

 For a long time, Finn thought he would grow up to become a thief.

Maybe growing up in an abusive orphanage, mistreated by adults who only saw him as a number, and ostracized by his peers who considered him weak, helped enforce the idea that his future would be bleak and hopeless enough for him to turn to a life of petty crime. But what convinced him of the certainty of his fate was the sentence written across his hipbone, a messy handwriting spelling the words “What’s your hurry, thief ?”.

He was five at the time and, having just learned how to read, he was very excited to finally be able to decipher his soulmate’s first words to him. There were a lot of stories about soulmates, about the romantic words etched on people’s skin, and Finn, who was never given any love or affection, was eager to read the sweet sentence destined to him. But when he read the words, slowly spelling the syllables aloud to better understand them, his heart shattered. His soulmate’s first words weren’t loving or sweet or even funny. They were disdainful - just like every other person he had ever known in his short life - and they were calling him “thief”.

Finn cried every night for weeks, muffling his sobs into his thin pillow by fear of Mrs Phasma punishing him for making too much noise at night. But eventually, he decided that even though no one would ever love him, at least he could keep being himself and keep doing the few things he enjoyed. He kept reading and learning, stoically ignoring the other kids calling him “nerd” and “suck-up” and far less pleasant names. He kept helping Slip every time the latter broke something, or wet his bed (the trick was to change the sheets before any adult noticed, or Slip would be punished and publicly humiliated). He kept acing all the exams at school, becoming a straight-A student and making the other kids resent him even more.

Years passed and he went on bettering himself, Mrs Phasma even telling him he “had potential” - the only compliment he ever heard her utter. The First Order Orphanage had a partnership with a company called Empire, which had agreed to give a job to the most promising kid of the orphanage each year. At the end of his senior year, Finn was offered the job and took it : it was a low-paid, dull, dreadful job with awful colleagues and even more awful bosses, but what else was he going to do ? He would have liked to go to college (his grades were good enough to get into an excellent one) but he had no money or resources, no friends, and had been clearly told by Mr Hux that if he dared to reject the offer he would be thrown out on the street (”What could you even do besides this job ?” Hux had sneered. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a low-life like you. Far better than you deserve, if you want my opinion”).

So here Finn is, at 23, working for a terrible company who makes money by ruining people’s lives, stuck in a routine that is starting to make him lose his mind. He hates his life, and pointedly ignores the words still written on his hipbone - he isn’t a thief per se, but the Empire is and since he works for them, what does that make him ? However, he still hopes that one day, a stroke of luck will give him the opportunity to change his life.

————————-

 Luck comes under the form of a disheveled and dashing man known as Poe Dameron, top reporter working for the famous Resistance, a newspaper founded by Leia Organa and specialized in exposing the illegal maneuvers of corrupt firms and politicians.

He is caught investigating the Empire’s headquarters by Vice President Kylo Ren, who punches him and locks him in a closet before leaving to consult with Chairman Snoke, probably to figure out what to do with Dameron and the dangerous secrets he managed to uncover.

Finn witnesses the entire scene and secretly records the assault and the kidnapping on his phone, the other employees too engrossed in the altercation to notice him. His mind is racing with what he has to do - the right thing - and his heart is painfully hammering in his chest because he has never been good at keeping his anxiety at bay. He has been thinking about quitting his job for months now, he couldn’t stand having a hand - even indirectly - in destroying people’s lives anymore. But Finn is no fool, and quitting like this would have made him homeless and unable to find a new job, the Empire being powerful and resentful enough to prevent him from getting hired by someone else.

But with what’s happening right now, he has an opportunity. He can help Poe Dameron escape, and even help him take down the Empire with his inside knowledge of their illegal activities. If the Empire’s influence is diminished by scandals and lawsuits, then maybe he has a chance of escaping their clutch. He can’t bear to work for them any longer anyway.

And this is how Finn finds himself on a motorbike with Poe Dameron after breaking him out, chased by the grey cars of the Empire who seem very intent on stopping them. They eventually manage to shake them off by racing across narrow streets, but then they lose control of the bike and end up driving off the road and into a wall. Finn gets hurled meters away and knocked out by the impact.

When he wakes up, sporting only a few bruises thanks to his helmet and his too-thick Empire uniform, the bike is destroyed and Dameron is nowhere to be found. The only thing left of him is his very distinguishable brown leather jacket laying among the rubble. Finn picks it up, and puts it on after shedding his uniform vest. He can hear police sirens coming closer, and the Empire goons are probably still around, so the best thing to do is to lay low and disappear in the crowded streets.

————————-

 Two hours later, Finn is still walking aimlessly around the city. Things didn’t go as planned and he has no idea what to do now. He has no money on him, he is wanted by the Empire, and can’t go back to his tiny room because they are probably waiting for him there. Dameron has vanished (is he even okay ?) and he has no idea of how to contact the Resistance. Would they even believe him anyway ? After all, he worked for the very people they are trying to take down. Another thing adding to his anxiety is the USB stick he found in the pocket of Poe Dameron’s jacket. It’s round and white and orange, with “BB-8″ engraved on the side. Finn supposes this stick contains important information, perhaps even a lot of evidence against the Empire. But what is he going to do with it ?

Finn wanders into a busy market, still trying to blend in while gathering his thoughts, when he hears a commotion. He turns around and sees a girl being pushed around by two men. Finn is about to intervene (you don’t survive in the First Order Orphanage without learning how to use your fists), but stops dead in his tracks when the girl gets rid of her aggressors by herself. In a truly impressive move, she grabs one of them by the collar and collides his nose with her knee, then punches the other so hard in the jaw Finn hears a cracking sound from where he’s standing.

The girl towers over the two men sprawled on the floor. She’s red in the face with anger, loose strands of hair escaping her buns, and her hazel eyes are shining with rightful fury. Finn thinks she’s breathtaking… until she snaps her head up and directs her glare toward him. They look at each other for a few seconds, then she squints and seems to become even angrier. Only now, Finn is the target. She suddenly starts running toward him, murder written all over her face, so Finn turns on his heels and runs away.

Well, he tries to.

The girl clearly knows the market’s complex alleys better than he does, and suddenly she’s in front of him, kicking his legs from under him and making him fall hard on his back. This is truly the worst day of my life, he mournfully thinks.

“What’s your hurry, thief ?” she spits.

Finn’s mind goes blank. Of all the times and places, he would have never thought to hear these words right now. Is this girl his soulmate ? Why would she call him that when he didn’t steal anything ? Did he even hear the words right ? He probably didn’t, there’s no way this is actually happening… Confused and with his thoughts racing as fast as his heart, Finn can only utter :

“What ? Thief ?”

The girl goes very still. A myriad of complex emotions washes over her face, and she opens up and closes her mouth several times as if she was trying to speak but was unable to.

Uh. This girl might actually be his soulmate after all.

Eventually, the girl seems to shake off her stunned behavior. Her mouth sets into a thin bitter line and her eyes harden again.

“Yes, thief,” she says through clenched teeth. “I know this jacket, it’s one of a kind. I would recognize it anywhere. I also know the owner, and he would never willingly separate from it. So give me back what you stole, thief, and maybe I’ll let you walk away unscathed.”

“W-wait,” Finn says while scrambling up to his feet, “don’t tell me you actually know Dameron ? Poe Dameron ?”

“Yes,” she answers slowly, eyeing him with even more suspicion than before.

“Oh thank god ! Listen– there is a misunderstanding here, ok ? I didn’t steal this jacket. You say you know Dameron– did you know he was investigating the Empire company ?”

“…Yes.”

“Well they caught him, and I helped him escape. But they followed us and then we crashed, and when I woke up Dameron was gone. He left his jacket and this USB stick behind. To be honest I wasn’t sure what to do with it, but since you know him you can probably help me get it back to him ?”

The girl stays silent for a few minutes, apparently processing all the information. She seems to believe him, though, because her eyes become kinder, and her mouth stretches into a small but soft smile. It’s very endearing, and Finn feels himself fluster. The girl seems to become quite embarrassed, too, as she ducks her head and shifts on her feet.

“It’s quite a misunderstanding, indeed. Sorry for knocking you down.”

“It’s okay. I understand, you were just trying to protect a friend. By the way, are you okay ? I saw these guys attack you. I also saw you kick their asses, but getting jumped is never a good experience.”

At these words, she snaps her head up and looks at him with a surprised, then intrigued but soft expression, as if she is starting to figure him out and likes what she is discovering. Finn is himself quite fascinated by this girl, by her fierceness and the softness laying underneath, by all the emotions she experiences and can’t always conceal. Finn, who always felt alienated, somehow feels immediately connected to this stranger. They barely know each other, but when he looks into her eyes it’s like he’s meeting an old friend for the first time in decades, foreign but so familiar at the same time. Is this what meeting your soulmate feels like ?

“I’m fine,” she says slowly. Then, remembering the question he initially asked her, she adds “Ah, yes, I’ll bring you to the Resistance. Follow me.”

She starts walking and Finn falls in step besides her.

“So, do you also work with the Resistance ? Since you helped Poe escape and all.”

Finn’s throat is suddenly dry. The moment she learns the truth, she’ll hate him, he’s sure of that. But he doesn’t want to lie, especially not to her.

“Not at all. I worked for the Empire until, well, a few hours ago. I hated it, really, but a boy’s gotta eat. I saw them detain Poe though, and I was sick of working for these monsters, so I broke him out. I also wanted to give the Resistance some intel I have on their illegal activities, but things didn’t go as planned.”

Finn keeps looking at his boots, not daring to face Rey’s judgmental eyes. However, he turns toward her when she says :

“That’s really brave of you.”

He’s so surprised he misses a step. Rey isn’t judging him, she actually seems impressed.

“Really,” she goes on, smiling broadly (and oh, isn’t it the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen), “everyone knows that those who dare oppose the Empire get destroyed. It’s why none of their employees ever betrayed them, and why even powerful people don’t get in their way. But you ! You decided that helping a stranger and trying to stop them was worth risking everything. That’s… that’s really something, you know.”

And Finn doesn’t know what to say to this fierce girl calling him brave, especially that she’s now looking at him with fondness and admiration and– no one ever looked at him this way. Finn goes back to staring at his boots, he can feel his eyes prickle and right now isn’t a good time to get emotional. So instead he says :

“I didn’t catch your name, by the way.”

“It’s Rey.”

“That’s a pretty name. I’m Finn.”

“That’s a pretty name, too.”

Finn isn’t sure if she’s saying that to be polite - he has a feeling she never lies out of politeness - but when he looks at her she’s still smiling and her eyes are bright and sparkling. A Rey of light, indeed. Finn can’t help but smile as big as her, and feels butterflies swooping in his stomach.

————————-

 They keep talking during the rest of their walk to the Resistance. The conversation flows easily, as if they’ve been best friends their entire lives. Finn learns that Rey doesn’t work for the Resistance, but as a mechanic in a repair shop. However her boss is married to Leia Organa, so she knows some Resistance employees quite well. He learns that she is an orphan like him, and that the various foster homes she was dropped in during her childhood rarely bothered to feed her correctly. She eventually started to provide for herself by taking odd jobs in repair shops, until she met Han Solo who, impressed by her passion and talent for mechanics, offered her a real, well-paid job.

In turn, he tells her about his life in the First Order, how their “caretakers” didn’t even bother to call them by their names, to the point of him believing for most of his childhood that FN-2187, his file number, was his actual name. He tells her about his work at the Empire, how much it revolted him and how trapped he felt, and how even if his future is now scary and uncertain, he’s sure he made the right decision.

Finn doesn’t really know why he’s telling her so much about his life, things he never told anyone before, and he is also sure that Rey doesn’t usually open up to strangers. It is scary and overwhelming but good, this natural trust he can feel growing between them.

However, he also knows they are purposefully talking about everything but the obvious fact that they are soulmates. He has her handwriting etched on his skin, and she has his somewhere on her body. But for two people who have been alone - and lonely - for most of their lives, being faced with the reality that they are forever linked to each other can be terrifying. Finn doesn’t know how he feels about all that, and he doesn’t want to bring it up in case it freaks Rey out and she decides she doesn’t want to have anything to do with him anymore.

————————-

 They eventually arrive to the Resistance’s headquarters. The building is huge, wider than tall, and bustling with energy. Dozens of people run across the hallways, carrying stacks of papers and typing on their tablets with a phone stuck between an ear and a shoulder. A loud burst of laughter startles Finn : he turns around and spots a few employees chatting and laughing next to the coffee machine, seemingly taking a break amidst the ambient chaos. He’s baffled by how relaxed they are : in the Empire company the concept of “break” doesn’t exist, and interrupting your work to talk about something other than, well, work, puts you in serious trouble. Things are apparently different at the Resistance, and most employees seem to actually enjoy their jobs.

Rey finally stops before a secretary at his desk. They’re at the building’s highest floor, and things are quieter here. There are less people, less running, and more hushed conversations.

“Hi there,” Rey says.

“Hi, Rey ! It’s been a while. What can I do for you ?”

“I need to speak to Mrs Organa, it’s quite urgent.”

“I’m afraid it’ll have to wait. Her whole afternoon is booked. Maybe I can slip you in her schedule tomorrow ?”

“No, you don’t understand. I need to speak with her immediately. It’s about the Empire.”

“Still, you can’t talk to her right now. And who is this young man ? I–”

Finn can only watch as Rey, annoyed, rolls her eyes and pushes open the big doors behind the desk, motioning him to follow her.

“Wait ! You can’t just barge in her office like that, she’s in the middle of an important meet–”

Rey closes the doors shut on the poor secretary’s face. Finn is already panicked - what is she doing, she’s supposed to help him not get them kicked out of here - but his heart stops when an unimpressed voice asks :

“What is the meaning of all this ?”

Finn slowly turns around. Leia Organa is standing in front of him. The Leia Organa, former Senator and current defender of truth and justice, one of the most powerful and influential women in the world. She’s small, smaller than he thought she would be, but her presence is huge and commanding. She radiates charisma, and Finn finds himself straightening his back without really meaning to. She’s still looking at them with a piercing gaze and– oh god he just got into trouble with Leia freaking Organa. He’s about to apologize and drag Rey out of the office, when another voice catches his attention.

“Finn ! Buddy, you’re okay !”

“Poe Dameron ??”

Finn had been so fixated on Leia that he hadn’t even noticed Dameron, standing next to her. The reporter is still sporting the purple bruise he got from Kylo Ren’s punch, and has a few scratches on his face and hands - probably from the accident - but he seems okay. Finn is incredibly relieved.

“How ?” he says, baffled. “When I woke up you were gone. I was worried that–”

“Yeah I know, I’m sorry about that,” Dameron says as he steps closer. He looks really regretful. “I had a bug on me in case things went wrong, and right after we crashed some of my colleagues found me and rushed me to the hospital. But in the panic I don’t think they saw you, and I was too far out to notice what the hell was going on. I’m really sorry, you saved me and yet when you needed help I wasn’t there for you. Are you okay ? How bad are you hurt ? Did you get checked out by a doctor ?”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Finn says before Poe can keep fussing over him. It feels strange - but good - that someone he barely knows worries so much about him. “I’m fine, don’t worry about it.”

Then he suddenly remembers why he’s here in the first place :

“Ah ! I found your jacket after the crash, with this USB stick in one of the pockets.”

“You found BB-8 ? That’s amazing !”

“It’s nothing, really. Here– your jacket,” he offers, starting to shrug the clothes off. But Poe puts a hand on his shoulder and declares with a warm smile :

“No, keep it. It suits you. You’re a good man, Finn, you rescued me and even completed my mission.”

“He’s right,” intervenes Leia, who was quietly talking with Rey a little further in the room. “Rey just told me what happened, and what you did was nothing short of incredible, young man. I know how much the Empire crushes their employees and how hard it is to stand up to them, and yet you risked everything to save a complete stranger. And now you’re bringing us the only thing able to take them down. Thank you, Finn.”

Finn feels himself flush. He has received more praises in the last 3 hours than during the rest of his entire life and he doesn’t quite know how to react. How come they all seem to find him amazing when he doesn’t even know what he is doing, where he is going ? The First Order taught him to always think logically, without emotions, to always stay in the ranks and never stand out. And yet, he’s been acting on impulses since this morning, led by his emotions, and he’s scared out of his mind but he knows he’s doing the right thing. He feels like a bird raised in captivity whose cage was too small to ever fly, but one day the door opens and there is a void beneath, and the bird jumps toward freedom without knowing if he’ll end up flying or falling, and all he can feel in that moment is both terror and exhilaration.

Finn catches Rey’s gaze from the corner of his eyes. Once again she’s looking at him with a fond smile and kind eyes, and seems to understand him without words. And once again, he can’t help but mirror her smile. God, he’s probably acting like those teenagers with a crush in silly high school movies.

Leia clears her throat, startling Finn and Rey, who both blush when they realize that they’ve been staring at each other for a little too long. Poe is trying - and failing - to hide an amused smile.

“Let us see what BB-8 has to offer,” Leia proposes with a wry smile.

They plug the USB stick into her computer and read all the information displayed on screen, dozens of documents attesting to illegal financial transactions, corruption, threats, theft, violations of human rights and other crimes committed by the Empire. Poe explains how he gathered all these proofs over the last months, and everyone is impressed by his work. He really is the best reporter in the country, Finn thinks.

Leia and Poe keep going over the documents while Rey and Finn sit back in the office’s couch. Leia’s secretary briefly enters to give them some coffee, glaring at Rey who offers him a barely apologetic smile. Finn snorts at her attitude, and she turns toward him with a mischievous and delighted grin when she realizes she’s the cause of his barely contained laughter. However, he must also look tired, because Rey’s smile weakens and she quietly asks him if he’s okay.

Finn takes his time before answering. He has run around since morning, survived a bike crash, walked for hours in the city, got knocked down by a girl he realized was his soulmate - not to mention his psychological and emotional stress due to the fact that he’s going against everything he has ever been taught in his life, gave up his only source of income by betraying one of the most powerful companies in the world, and has no idea what his future will be like. And now that the adrenaline rush is finally coming down, he’s exhausted. But he’s sitting on a comfy couch with a warm cup of coffee in his hands, and the most fierce, beautiful girl he’s ever seen is smiling at him, and he’s surrounded by people he helped and who are grateful for it, people who turned “doing the right thing” into a profession, a cause, people who might help him, and for the first time in years he feels hope. So he grins and says :

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

Rey seems pleased with his answer, and her smile is soft and blinding like the morning sun peaking out from under the horizon, and he swears her eyes are brighter than the galaxy. Oh boy, is he already that far gone ?

————————-

 Tiredness must have won him over, though, because when Finn wakes up with a start, he realizes he’s been dozing off. He squints a little, his eyes adjusting to the room’s brightness. He notices with confusion that someone covered him with a plaid, and when he looks out the window he realizes night has already fallen. He sits up, alarmed : how long has he been asleep ? why did no one wake him up ? He looks around him and notices that both Poe and Leia aren’t there anymore.

Rey, still sitting next to him and looking seconds away from falling asleep herself, blinks up at him when she feels him move.

“Feeling better ?”

“I fell asleep,” Finn whispers, mortified. “I fell asleep in Leia Organa’s office and no one woke me up !”

“Of course,” Rey answers, apparently amused. She doesn’t seem to get the gravity of the situation at all. “You were exhausted and after everything you went through today, you deserved a break. So we all agreed to let you rest for a while.”

“Oh. That’s– that’s nice.”

It’s quite unsettling to have strangers care more about his well-being than his caretakers did during his childhood, but Finn could get used to it. He shouldn’t, though. He’s helping them against the Empire, but it would be silly to think that they would want him to stick around after everything is over.

“I used to be in your place, you know,” Rey says quietly, interrupting his depressing train of thought. “And I kind of still am.”

“What do you mean ?”

“Being utterly alone. Feeling like you’d never belong anywhere, like no one could ever care about you.”

She’s looking him straight in the eye, and Finn’s breath is taken away by the raw emotion held in her voice. Once again he can feel this connection between them, how deep they understand each other.

Rey just spelled out loud how he felt during most of his life, her words echoing around his heart and digging out his deepest fears and insecurities : the excruciating pain of being abandoned and, worse, unwanted, the nagging feeling of alienation following him everywhere, the pain of not being loved and having no one to love, the distrust of others that ensues. And he can see in Rey’s watery gaze that she felt the same, still feels the same.

Finn can feel himself tear up and on an impulse, he grabs Rey’s hand - maybe he’s seeking comfort, maybe he’s giving it, but he mostly does it because it feels natural. He feels her stiffen at the contact, though, and he’s about to retrieve his hand and profusely apologize when she relaxes under his fingers. She squeezes his hand and Finn intertwines their fingers, relishing in the warm contact. When he glances up at her, Rey is blushing and looking at their joined hands. Holding hands is a simple gesture, yet so powerful and intimate, especially for two love-starved people like them. Rey’s palm is firm and callous under his own, and it helps him speak around the lump in his throat.

“I just… I just don’t want to get my hopes up, you know,” he says, hating how rough and shaky his voice sounds. “It never ends well.”

“I know,” she answers with a sad smile. “But… you don’t have to do this alone anymore. Leia, Han, Poe… they’re all amazing people and I can assure you they won’t ditch you like that. When I had nothing and was no one, they gave me a chance and stood by me. And they’ll do the same with you.”

“Why would they ? They won’t be needing me anymore. There’s no reason to put up with me if I’m useless.”

“Put up with–” Rey looks revolted, and squeezes his hand harder. “Finn. No. You don’t have to be “useful” for people to want to be around you ! You helped Poe and Leia a lot, but they care more about the fact that you’re brave, and kind, and amazing, than what you can or can’t do for them.”

“And what about you ?”

“What about me ?”

“You said they would stand by me. Do you plan to do the same ? It’s totally fine if you don’t, I mean we barely know each other–,” Finn trails, realizing he’s rambling. He’s so nervous he could die, but he needs to know. He needs to know if Rey wants to stick around, or if even his soulmate doesn’t want to have anything to do with him.

Rey keeps their hands intertwined, but turns her face away from him. Finn’s heart sinks, but her next words catch him off guard.

“Do you want me to stick around ?” she asks in a small, insecure voice.

Oh, thinks Finn. He has been so engrossed in his own insecurities that he’s forgotten about Rey’s. He had just assumed that she knew how much he already liked her, but apparently he had been wrong.

“Yeah. Yeah, I do,” he says with conviction.

“Even if I called you a thief and knocked you down ?”

“Yes.”

She slightly turns her head, still not looking at him but rather at their joined hands. She’s grinning, but then her smile turns sad.

“I’m not… the nicest person. I can be rough, and abrasive, and–” she falls silent, then adds very quietly “I wish my first words to you had been different. Having them tattooed on your skin for so long, it must have been awful.”

Finn isn’t about to tell her how much these words plagued him during his life, especially that he now knows she was just looking out for a friend.

“Hey, don’t beat you up too much about this ok ? It’s all about context. Speaking of, my first words to you weren’t the most eloquent,” he chuckles.

“True,” she snorts. “I spent quite some time wondering why would my soulmate tell me “What ? Thief ?” as an introduction.”

It’s the first time she directly refers to him as her soulmate, and it makes Finn weirdly happy.

“You still haven’t answered my question, though.”

Rey finally turns toward him, blushing.

“I’m not really good at all this… emotional stuff but. Yeah, I’d like to stand by you. I’ve never met someone like you, someone who makes me feel the way I feel around you.”

“Safe and trusting,” he says, because he now knows they feel the same about this.

“Yes,” she answers with a tiny smile.

“You know, I never met someone like you either. Up until now, everyone around me either didn’t care about other people hurting, or were straight up cruel. There was no friendship, no mutual aid. But you’re not like that. You didn’t hesitate to chase down a stranger to get back your friend’s jacket. You dropped everything to help me with this Empire stuff. And you’ve been nothing but supportive. I’m glad we met.”

“I’m glad we met, too. And– not just because of the soulmates thing. You’re genuinely an amazing person, Finn.”

Finn’s heart seems to expand in his chest, and he feels warm all over. Rey’s smile is probably as big as his own, and he doesn’t know how long they stay there, hand in hand, looking into each other’s eyes.

————————-

 The doors suddenly open, giving way to Leia and Poe. The somber look on their faces alarms Finn.

“What is going on ?” he and Rey ask at the same time, rising from the couch. They drop hands, and Finn immediately misses the contact.

Leia sits down on her desk chair, looking tired but furious. Poe mostly looks frustrated. He seems two seconds away to actually start pacing.

“We just came back from talking with our experts and lawyers,” he explains. “We have enough evidence to expose the Empire company, but not enough for it to have real consequences. A lot of powerful people support them, and unless we have something more concrete than administrative documents and a reporter’s investigation reports, they’ll be able to cover it up.”

“But these documents prove they’re criminals,” Rey protests, “how come it’s not enough ?”

“The general public usually doesn’t bother reading articles covering complicated documents and reports,” Leia says. “It will make a little noise then fade into nothing. But unless the Empire’s crimes cause a mass outrage, leading people into openly boycotting them, they’ll be able to sneak around police investigations and other consequences of their actions.”

“We’d need to literally catch them red-handed for them to actually be in trouble”, Poe mutters.

“Well, maybe I can help you with that.”

They all turn toward Finn, intrigued by his words. He takes a deep breath. It’s time to strike down the Empire for good, and he has something that might just be able to do that.

“I recorded a video of Kylo Ren, the Empire’s Vice President, hitting Poe and locking him in a closet against his will. A man as powerful and known as Ren, one of the figureheads of the Empire, attacking and literally kidnapping a journalist ? That’s going to cause a lot of noise.”

“You recorded it ? Finn, you’re a genius !” Poe hugs him and Finn lets out a startled laugh.

“Hey, I’m not even done yet. I worked for this awful company for 5 years. I was low in the chain of command, but I saw and heard most of the nasty things that are going down there. Embezzlement, illegal contracts, bribes to famous politicians… I know details and names. Not to mention the awful and frankly illegal conditions in which their employees have to work. Be it in an article or in court, I can testify. I want to.”

“I won’t lie to you, Finn.” Leia is looking at him with serious but kind eyes. “On top of Poe’s work, this video and your testimony as a former employee will most certainly be enough to take down the firm, at least for a good while. But testifying against them is a big deal, and it could bring you more problems than you already have. So I want you to know that you’re not in any way obliged to do it. You have already done so much for us.”

“Thank you for your concern, Mrs Organa, but I know the Empire better than anyone and this is exactly why I want to testify against them. They’ve hurt so many people and will keep doing it unless someone stops them. I want to help take them down.”

Leia smiles, broad but secretive, and nods.

“Alright. You know, you’d make a good reporter, young man.”

Finn grins at the compliment.

“So ! Does that mean we’re kicking some Empire butt tonight ? Should I call the others to start working on a first draft ?” Poe asks cheerfully.

“Not tonight, no. It’s getting late, and everyone in this office has had a rough day - especially you and Finn. Get a full night of rest, and we’ll start working on it tomorrow morning. Dismiss.”

Poe, Finn and Rey all look at each other, then slowly exit the office. Finn notices with amusement that Poe is actually pouting. He quickly sobers up when he realizes he has nowhere to spend the night, though. He still can’t go back to his room, and he can’t afford to rent anything in a motel. Fortunately, Poe seems to follow the same train of thought.

“You can crash at my place if you want, buddy !”

“Are you sure ? I wouldn’t want to intrude…”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s the least I can do after you saved my ass today. You can stay as long as you want.” He claps a hand on Finn’s shoulder. “Meet me downstairs, I’m gonna get a cab. Goodnight, Rey ! I guess you’ll swing by the office tomorrow ?”

“You’re guessing right. Goodnight, Poe.”

Poe jogs down the stairs, leaving them waiting for the elevator. Rey nudges him with her shoulder.

“I should have known you had more than one trick up your sleeve.”

“You make me sound like someone who actually knows what he’s doing,” Finn chuckles.

“Well, Mr I-don’t-know-what-I’m-doing, when everything is over I bet people will start calling you ‘the Empire Slayer’. I’ll make sure of that,” she smirks.

Finn bursts into laughter.

“That’s a terrible nickname !”

“It’s a great nickname !” she says in an offended tone, but her bright smile is betraying her. “I came up with it myself.”

“And that’s exactly why it’s terrible.”

They’re still laughing when they get into the elevator, and Rey grabs his hand. Finn brushes his thumb over her knuckles, and she tightens her grip on his palm. They only let go of each other once they’re outside and exchanging their phone numbers. Finn opens the door of the cab Poe is already in while Rey gets on her motorbike.

“See you tomorrow ?” he asks with a grin.

“See you tomorrow.”

Her voice is firm and her words sound like a promise. She gives him a last smile, her eyes twinkling, then she puts on her helmet and goes off into the night. Finn gets into the cab and Poe, bless him, smirks but doesn’t comment.

————————-

 They settle for the night. Poe’s apartment is messy but comfy, stacks of paper and boards with articles and pictures pinned on it scattered around the living room. Finn takes the guest room and Poe lends him some clothes - thankfully they are roughly the same size. They eat dinner and spend a few hours chatting easily, Poe being funny and warm and already feeling like a friend.

“I think Rey is head over heels for you,” Poe says with a grin when they’re washing the dishes.

Finn startles and almost drops the plate he’s holding.

“Wh– why would you say that ?”

“I’ve known her for a couple of years, but I’ve never seen her behave the way she does around you. She’s always a little guarded around people, especially strangers, but she’s not like that with you. She’s all open and chatty when you’re around, and god, I never saw her smile as much as today.”

“Really ?”

“Yup. Close that mouth, you look like a fish. And you’re not so much better yourself, I swear there are actual hearts in your eyes every time you look at her.”

“Shut up,” he grumbles, his face hot, and Poe laughs heartily.

Finn eventually goes to bed, exhausted after such a day, but he’s pretty sure Poe stays up most of the night to start writing the rough draft of the Resistance’s paper exposing the Empire. Finn falls asleep easily, dreaming of a warm hand in his own and bright, hazel eyes creasing with laughter.

————————-

 The next two days pass in a frenzied blur.

The Resistance’s best journalists - Poe, a woman named Jessika Pava, and Leia Organa herself - get together to write a scalding article exposing the Empire’s illegal maneuvers, piecing together evidence, Poe’s investigation reports and Finn’s testimony. Although not a journalist, Finn helps a lot, and hours pass by quickly, paced by short coffee breaks and Rey’s visits. She swings by between fixing two engines, her overalls still stained with oil and grease under her fingernails, handing out donuts to the hard working reporters (”It’s Han who’s paying for these” she admits with a wink). She always gives Finn an extra doughnut - the strawberry frosted one, his favorite - and he always makes her a cup of coffee. They talk and joke around, but she never stays long because they both have a lot of work to do. Finn thinks he could live like this, working for the right cause in a stimulating environment, with friendly and dedicated colleagues, and Rey swinging by from time to time or texting him silly emoticons.

Eventually, everything is ready. They unleash the video of Kylo Ren assaulting Poe on both YouTube and the Resistance website, and post the article denouncing the Empire minutes after. The hard copies of the newspaper are already printed and on their way to be delivered.

The reaction is immediate. In an hour, the video already has dozens of thousands of views, and the article has been linked and shared thousands of times. People talk about it on every social media, other newspapers have already started writing on the subject, TV channels are covering it and broadcasting the video, and the scandal keeps on blowing up.

The general public is shocked by Ren’s violent behavior, the company’s violations of human rights and their multiple cases of embezzlement. Drowned in calls by journalists and citizens asking if they intend to do anything about it, the police officially declares that they’re starting an investigation on the Empire. Victims of threats, brutality, expulsion, fraud and more, who were previously too scared to take action against the Empire, start filing lawsuits after lawsuits, supported by the public. It gets squirmy in the political sphere, mayors and ministers previously supporting the company not wanting to be associated with them anymore, and disowning them in official press releases. Other powerful firms turn their back on the Empire, already talking about cancelling contracts with them in fear of a potential backlash. By the end of the day, the Empire has lost millions of dollars and thousands of actions in the stock exchange - and it’s just starting.

Finn, Leia, Poe, Jessika and the other journalists monitor everything the entire time, Finn’s enthusiasm and glee growing at every new backlash against the Empire. For the first time he truly is proud of himself, proud of having helped so many people. Hundreds of people call the Resistance, asking for more information about the case and wanting to get interviews with the mysterious ex-employee who had the guts to defy the Empire.

In the evening, everyone at the Resistance takes a break to celebrate. They know the fight is far from over, a company that powerful can’t be destroyed that easily, but this time they’ll be out of the game for a while. Not to mention that with the police investigating them and Leia bent on keeping on digging out dirt on them, their problems are far from over. So the employees pull out some wine and beer to congratulate themselves, and Leia makes a short speech thanking Poe for his hard work and Finn for his vital help, and everyone claps and whoops. A lot of people come up to him to thank him personally, and Finn is embarrassed to be the center of attention, but also happy to have done something great.

Rey is there too, having arrived with Han after closing the shop. Han Solo is a gruff old man who doesn’t seem to like many people aside from Leia, Rey and Chewie (a tall and hairy man who seems to be his best friend), but he claps Finn on the shoulder and tells him “Good job, kid. But don’t get too cocky”.

Both Finn and Rey aren’t that comfortable being surrounded by so many people, so they eventually move to an isolated corner of the room.

“So you did it, uh,” she says with a smile.

“Looks like I did.”

“So, how does it feel ? To beat those who hurt you, who hurt so many people ?”

“It feels great, actually. I feel like for the first time in my life, I made a difference. I did the right thing. I’m… proud of myself. Of all of us.”

“I’m proud of you, too,” she grins.

She has leaned against him and they’re pressed together from shoulder to thigh, and Finn suddenly realizes how close they are. He feels her breath ghosting on his cheek, and can’t help but stare at her mouth. Her lips are pink and still stretched into a smile, and Finn realizes he desperately wants to kiss her. His gaze flickers back to her eyes, and she’s looking at him with intensity, her pupils blown up. His heart beating hard and his stomach twisting in anticipation, Finn leans toward Rey, cupping her jaw with a hand, his thumb gently stroking her cheek. He half expects her to push him back, but she leans into his contact, her lips parting slightly and her eyes fixated on his mouth. They keep getting closer and all Finn can hear is the beating of his own heart, all he can feel is her pulse under his fingers and the pure magnetism between them. He closes his eyes and their lips brush against each other and—

A loud crash suddenly echoes in the room, startling them both. They jump apart, turning toward the commotion. A tall man dressed in black just forcefully entered the room, knocking over a table in a fit of rage. When he turns around, Finn feels his heart stop for a second. The man is none other than Kylo Ren.

————————-

 Finn thankfully never worked directly under Kylo Ren, but the Vice President had always been known within the company for his cruel behavior and his violent outbursts. His visits were always dreaded by the employees, and he managed the company with cold ruthlessness. Finn could remember one of the many instances when the Empire had forcefully acquired a site inhabited by poor families, with the intent of building a new mall on it, but the residents had refused to leave their homes. So Kylo Ren had sent his henchmen to kick them out, brutalizing men and women before demolishing their houses just in front of them. They were sent away with little belongings and money, and nowhere to go even though the Empire had originally promised to grant them temporary housings in light of the site being taken.

And now the same merciless man is in the Resistance’s headquarters, yelling and toppling over furniture in front of the bemused employees.

“Enough !”

Leia has just yelled, startling everyone. If looks could kill, Kylo Ren would be dead meat.

“How dare you storm into my office like that, breaking my shit and threatening my employees ?” she goes on, her voice low but shaking with anger. Finn has never seen her so upset.

“How dare you slander my company like that,” Ren answers in a loud voice. “Do you know how hard I worked for it ? How powerful we had managed to become ? And you just ruined everything !”

“Do not raise your voice at me, Ben ! You made your own choices, bad ones, and it’s time you reap what you sowed.”

“My name is Kylo Ren”, he says slowly, burning with rage. “When will you get that into your damn head ?”

“Show some respect to your mother, you punk !” Han intervenes, placing himself in front of Leia who seems on the verge of losing her calm and slapping Kylo– no, Ben.

Finn has never been so confused. Kylo Ren, the son of the great Leia Organa ? He would have never seen that one coming. He turns toward Rey.

“Did you know about that ?”

“Not really,” she shrugs. “I mean, I knew they had a son. But the few times they talked about him, they always referred to him as Ben. I didn’t know Ben Solo and Kylo Ren were the same person.”

“Damn.”

“He’s such a jerk. If he keeps yelling at Leia I’m going to kick his ass.”

Finn can only agree with her. He has feared Ren for a long time, but now all he feels toward him is disdain and anger. The man is selfish and evil, and as an orphan Finn can’t fathom how he could have turned his back on his family just to seek more power.

It’s as if Kylo Ren heard them talking about him though, because he suddenly snaps his head toward them and spots Finn in the crowd. His face twists in fury.

“You !” he yells, pointing a shaking finger at him. “Traitor !!”

He stomps to Finn, stopping just in front of him. Finn feels Rey tense next to him, and briefly touches her arm to tell her to calm down. Out of the corner of his eye he can see Poe making his way toward them, looking equally furious. Everyone is watching them, waiting for something to happen. Some people even whipped out their phone and are filming the whole scene, and a few journalists who seem to have followed Ren all day slip into the room, mics and cameras at the ready. Finn knows shit is about to go down, and he’s ready for it.

“You have something to say to me ?” he asks, lifting his chin. This Kylo dude is really tall.

“After everything the Empire did for you,” Ren spits, “this is how you thank us ? With betrayal and collusion ?”

“What should I thank you for ? For the crushing work, the constant psychological pressure, the illegally small pay ? For threatening me and other employees into doing your dirty work ? For ruining everyone’s lives just to gain more money and power ?”

“You pathetic, little–”

“It’s over, Ren. You’re done. Even if the Empire survives, your reputation as an influential man is tarnished forever thanks to that video. You should really watch that temper of yours. I heard Snoke is already considering dropping you,” he adds with a smirk. “Now that you don’t have any political or financial influence, I guess he doesn’t need you anymore.”

Kylo Ren finally loses it and lashes out, grabbing him by the collar. He tries to punch him but Finn grabs his fist, twisting it painfully until Kylo loses balance and falls hard on the floor. He tries to get up, though, still wanting to hurt Finn, but Rey viciously pushes him back on the floor.

“Touch him and you’re a dead man,” she says through clenched teeth, looking more furious than Finn has ever seen her.

The police suddenly barges into the room, making their way to Kylo Ren and lifting him up before handcuffing him.

“Wh– what are you doing ??�� he screams, trashing against them. “Do you know who I am ?”

“We know exactly who you are. Kylo Ren, or should I say Ben Solo, you are under arrest for multiple crimes. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and may be used against you,” recites one of the policemen while dragging him away.

“You can’t do this ! Mom ! Please, you can’t let them do this !”

Leia only sighs and sits down on a chair, looking weary. She doesn’t say anything as the police finally gets Kylo out of the room, a trail of journalists following them to record everything. A few of them even stay behind to ask Leia and Han questions about their son, but are quickly chased away by Poe.

“Damn,” Poe says, standing next to Finn and Rey. “I would’ve liked to hit him in the face, but watching him get arrested just after his company crumbled down is also a nice payback.”

Finn blinks, then starts laughing, and laughing, and laughing. Poe and Rey eye him with concern, but he can’t seem to stop. He feels like the heavy burden that weighted on his shoulders for the last few years has been lifted up - and it’s a dazing sensation.

“I’m free from the Empire,” he eventually declares, still chuckling. “I’m free.”

“Yes you are,” says Rey.

She’s looking at him with fondness and adoration, and he feels like his heart is about to burst. Elated, he suddenly picks her up by the waist and spins her around, making her laugh. Then he puts her down and kisses her full on the mouth.

Rey’s lips are soft and she tastes like black coffee, and it’s the most wonderful sensation Finn has ever experienced. Rey grabs him by the collar without breaking the kiss, pulling him even closer. She kisses like she behaves, sometimes hard and rough, sometimes slow and sweet, and Finn feels light-headed. He doesn’t know how long they kiss, but he eventually hears Jessika Pava yell :

“Get a room, lovebirds !”

They finally separate, blushing and smiling, and a couple of employees whistle. Then Finn notices Leia walking toward them.

“I see you’re having fun, you two,” she says with a smirk, making them squirm in embarrassment under her gaze. “It’s good. You deserve each other.”

“Um, thank you Mrs Organa,” he answers, not really knowing what to say.

“How many times did I tell you to call me Leia ?” she gently chides him. “Rey, excuse us a moment but I need to talk to Finn privately.”

“Okay. I’ll be here when you come back,” Rey tells him.

He nods and follows Leia out of the room, into the quiet corridor. He’s quite anxious about what she has to tell him. Is she about to send him away, now that he has done his part ?

“Once again, I want to thank you for your precious help, Finn. You were in no obligation to help, but you put yourself in danger to rescue Poe, and without your testimony and the video you recorded the Empire would still be strong today.”

“I did what I had to do, no need to thank me for that. Most people would have done the same.”

“No, they wouldn’t have.” Leia shakes her head. “Believe me, it’s way easier to let something bad happen in front of us than actually try to do something about it. You know, we could use someone like you around here.”

“What do you mean ?”

“You have a lot of potential, Finn. The need to expose the truth, to re-establish justice, to help people, it’s what makes a good journalist. Diving head first into danger to get sensitive information, and never stepping back in front of powerful adversaries… that’s what makes a great reporter. And you have all these qualities. So, Finn. Would you like to work for the Resistance ?”

Finn blinks. Blinks again. Leia Organa can’t possibly be offering him a job right now.

“Um. Is this… is this a serious offer ?”

“Yes it is. I think you would be a great addition to our team. Dameron and Pava agree, they said that you had great input for the article, and that they never saw someone learn the job so fast. I also looked at your résumé–”

“You did ??”

“– and it is very impressive,” she goes on, ignoring his interruption. “You results in high school are exceptional and all your teachers describe you as hard-working and dedicated. I would be glad to offer you a paid internship, which might lead to a permanent contract if things go well - and I don’t doubt they will.”

Finn stays quiet, his mind whirring. Can he work for the Resistance ? Should he ? Leia keeps talking, maybe misinterpreting his silence.

“Of course, this is not an obligation. Maybe you would want to go to college instead, or take a well-deserved break from all of this - I don’t know. But know that the choice is yours.”

It’s a lot to take in and Finn gives himself a few minutes to ponder, even if he already knows what he wants to do. He’s been told earlier that he would get paid for his contribution to the Resistance’s case against the Empire, enough money for him to rent a new place and go on vacation for a while, something he never had the luxury to do. But his life completely turned around in a few days, and he doesn’t feel like resting just yet. He wants to discover more things, to right his wrongs, to spend more time with Rey and Poe. For the first time, he thinks he could actually belong somewhere. He has never felt more in his element than during the couple of days he spent working with the Resistance, and he wants to keep on doing that.

“I want to take the paid internship,” he finally says. “But I’ve also always wanted to go to college. I want to do both, actually.”

“It won’t be a problem, we’ll just have to adjust schedules.” Leia smiles. “Welcome to the Resistance, young man.”

Finn grins and nods.

“Thank you, Leia.”

————————-

 He’s on the roof of the Resistance’s building, Rey by his side. From where they’re standing, the view of the city is breathtaking, the setting sun drowning the landscape in a golden light. For the first time, Finn feels at peace.

Rey has her eyes closed, head slightly tipped back to better feel the warmth of the sun. Finn can’t help but stare, taking in everything : her messy buns, her fluttering eyelids, the slender line of her throat, her small but strong hands gripping the railing. She opens her eyes and looks straight at him, grinning, and Finn flusters.

“What are you smiling at ?” he asks.

“You,” she answers, brushing his fingers with her own. “What are you looking at ?”

“You.”

She blushes and he smiles. Her hand is still tentatively skimming over his own, so he grabs it, intertwining their fingers. They lean against each other, warm and pliant, and for the first time in his life, Finn is truly, blissfully happy.

He has hope.