#lil bit of angst

[kotoku]

Hello! Could I request Aventurine with a musician and singer reader? I'm just imagining them singing to him while he rests.

ᴀᴠᴇɴᴛᴜʀɪɴᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ᴍᴜꜱɪᴄɪᴀɴ & ꜱɪɴɢᴇʀ! ꜱ/ᴏ

pairings - aventurine x musician and singer! reader

content - a couple headcanons before the small oneshot at the end, pre-relationship to established relationship, mainly fluff but there is some angst i sprinkled in, aventurine having nightmares about his past/trauma, reader comforting him to sleep, gender-neutral reader, comfort fic (?) for aventurine lol

warnings - none, besides some slight angst

⋘ ʟᴏᴀᴅɪɴɢ... ⋙

↻ Aventurine’s first encounter with you would be an event that is taking place in a casino that he frequents

↺ You know how bars have those karaoke nights where people can come up and sing? Something like that

↻ When he first saw you performing, he could recognize some of the songs that he overheard from his subordinates and coworkers

↺ They seemed to be fangirling over whoever the singer was, gushing about their appearance and music to each other before noticing Aventurine and skittering off to their work

↺ He didn’t question what they were listening to, returning back to whatever he was doing in the first place

↻ When you started singing on stage, he was enamored with your voice, the lighting of the casino complimenting your looks and making you appear ethereal 

↺ Aventurine couldn’t focus on his gambles for the rest of the night and days to come, distracted by your performances

↻ He started going to the casino on days that you were performing, making sure to get a seat near you to be able to have a closer look

↻ Aventurine often times finds himself daydreaming, lost in the movements of your hands as they played to the tune of your voice

↺ He was lovestruck, but he would never admit that to anyone, maybe not even you…

↻ Unbeknownst to Aventurine, you had noticed his frequent appearances during your appearances and were delighted to have someone of his position enjoy your performances

↺ You’d catch his lingering gazes, the flustered look on his face when he caught himself staring for too long, his stuttered movements when he returned to whoever he was milking money from

↺ You decided to wait a little longer, wanting to see just how long it would take for Aventurine to make his move before you do

↻ Honestly, you would have never guessed that you’d bump into Aventurine after one of your performances, spotting him waiting near the back entrance to where you had some of your equipment stored (it seems you needn’t wait longer for your encounter with him)

↺ He was the first to approach you, clapping his hands and giving you a sly smile

↺ “What a performance. You always know how to put on a show.”

↻ From there on, he’d catch you after you had finished your act for the night, striking up a conversation that could last for hours

↺ You’d end up sitting by the bar with him, talking and laughing the night away as the two of you grew closer and learned more about each other

↺ It wasn’t long until Aventurine asked you out to dinner, a much more romantic setting compared to late-night bar trips

↻ Aventurine, despite his cunning attitude and sly looks, had a much softer and clingier side to him, you discovered further down the line 

↻ When the two of you started sharing the same bed, cuddling and holding the other close, you learned of the frequent nightmares he often experienced

↺ He hated to admit it, in fact, he never wanted you to find out about the nightmares he faced each night

↺ Those unforgiving and relentless nightmares that opened wounds of the past, were never meant to be shown to you but alas, it was only a matter of time before you found out

-----

It was another night that Aventurine had grown accustomed to. Those unforgiving nights when his past had come back to haunt him in the form of nightmares, in which he woke up in a cold sweat and felt his heart beating out of his chest. Invisible hands seemed to tighten around his throat, the fading heat on that damned mark on his neck lingering for a second too long. It almost made him want to scream and cry, but he didn’t. He couldn’t. 

Not when you were lying peacefully beside him. 

The steady rise and fall of your chest, your incoherent mumbles, and your body heat reassured him that you were there and that you wouldn’t leave his side anytime soon. Yet the shackles of his past still persisted, dragging him into the depths of his own loneliness and despair. 

Aventurine had quietly shuffled off the bed, sitting on the edge while feeling the cool night air filter through the window. He glanced over at a nearby clock and found it to be 1:24 AM, nowhere near daybreak. His shaky hands ran through his hair, eyes shut closed as he tried to stabilize his breathing. 

To his dismay, he felt you move in your sleep, a groggy voice calling out to him from behind.

“…Aventurine..? Are you okay?” 

Aventurine reluctantly looked over his shoulder, plastering that same smile he gave you when the two of you first met.

“Of course, I just needed to use the bathroom.” He lied, yet he knew that you would see through him as you always did. That was the most damning part about you, your ability to read people’s emotions despite any obstacles. 

“…Aventurine, did you have another nightmare?” He heard you speak, your figure moving to sit beside him. He felt your hand gently touch his shoulder, moving to rub comforting circles on his shoulder blades. Aventurine relaxed at your touch.

“I—..sigh… Yes..I did.” Aventurine admitted, his gaze never meeting your own. “It’s the same damn nightmare, nothing special…” 

When his body turned to face yours, you saw the dark circles that began to form from the countless nights he found himself having trouble falling asleep. Your face softened at his disheveled appearance, hands moving to cup his face which he leaned into.

“Oh Aven, you can always tell me when something is bothering you but I’ll never pressure you.” You hummed, fixing his loose strands of hair. “I’ll never leave you to face your troubles alone.”

Aventurine could feel his eyes start to water, but he blinked them away, turning his face to kiss the palm of your hand. 

“Thank you, my love.” 

“Of course.”

There was a brief silence between the both of you but it wasn’t an awkward one. You had moved to let Aventurine lay down, spooning him in your arms which held him close and played with his hair. Although he’d complain about being the little spoon, he would always sink further into your embrace despite his protests. This time, however, he didn’t say a word. 

Aventurine could hear you start to hum a small song, one which he recognized as the song you first performed at the casino. It was a slow and comforting one. Its tunes melted away his previous stress and allowed him to grow lax in your arms.

Your humming combined with the faint sound of your beating heart slowly lulled him to sleep. His eyes started to grow heavy and his breathing had evened. The light strokes of his hair had him leaning towards your touch.

Aventurine could feel himself slipping into the realm of dreams, which would now be filled with scenarios of you. 

At last, his eyes have closed and your humming never ceased, following him into his slumber.

“My thoughts will follow you into your dreams and soothe your worries. Rest well, my dear.”

⋘ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ! ⋙

note - did you guys get the reference at the end? ( ❛ ͜ʖ ❛ )

[deadlynavigation]

Since I really love the concept of Male Wednesday and how well it works, could you write Wednesday and the Reader attempting to care for a child?

Bad Parenting The Right Way

Warnings: Mentions of abandoning/perishing children, kitchen knives and Wednesday leaning on a doorway

Author's Note: I got one of those huge water bottles the other day and istg it is the most annoying thing

Navigation

“What do we do?”

“I have no experience in this, cara mia”

You both stare at the small bundle on your doorstep, small coos coming from it every so often.

A child has been left at your house.

“Well, we should take it in and start calling people we know, see if they know anything about this.” You attempt to problem-solve.

“You don’t trust yourself with the sink, Y/n.” Wednesday points out, side-eyeing you with bemusement.

“Your point?” You turn to him as your brows furrow, quite confused as to how the conversation led to that.

“You want to trust yourself- no, us- with an infant?”

Yeah, that could pose a problem. But Wednesday doesn’t need to know that, so you huff, turning once more to the baby, who looks at you both with inquisitive eyes.

Wednesday sees exactly what you’re planning. “Cara mia, I adore you, but please-” He’s cut off by you swooping the baby into your arms and marching into the house.

“No one else is going to take care of this child, apparently. And what are we going to do? Leave it out there to perish?” You yell over your shoulder as you descend deeper into your house.

Wednesday contemplates the idea before shrugging it off and reminding himself that the child is obviously important to you, therefore it should not be harmed in any way, shape, or form.

Thank the spirits Pugsley isn’t here to witness his almost embarrassing surrender to you.

After Wednesday has caught up with you in the kitchen, which quickly became your favorite spot in the house, he spies the infant set safely on the counter while you dig through the cabinets for baby-appropriate food.

“Do we just not have any food here?” You mutter, becoming more and more aggravated at the lack of food able to to be blended and fed to a child of that size.

Wednesday just leans against the doorway, watching you in amusement as he accepts his fate with you and the child.

“Wednesday.” You call out, head stuck in a dusty cabinet that probably hasn’t been opened for decades.

“My love.” He calls back, even more amused now. And though he cannot see your beautiful eyes, he can feel the searing look turned his way.

“First of all, get that laughter out of your voice.” You say as you pull yourself out of the cavernous storage.

“Whatever you want, cara mia.” He’s still holding back a laugh, not even trying to cover it up.

You glare at him, pushing up from your kneeling stance and walking over to him. Wednesday snorts- he can’t help it, after all. There is a child on your counter, dust on your hair, and a murderous glint in your eye that will have to be dealt with later. The entire situation is so outlandish and he’s the only one to have realized it so far.

Your glare turns even deadlier. “What. Do we have. To feed. This. Child.”

Wednesday sighs. He levels you with a bored look, staring at you through his lashes. “Nothing, Y/n. And look, it’s asleep. It wouldn’t want food even if you shoved it up its nose.”

You’re about to stab Wednesday with one of the many kitchen knives, until you turn to check in on the child. And he’s right- it’s snuggled into its blanket, all cozy and warm and definitely not waking up for a solid couple of hours.

“One of these days, Wednesday, you’re going to push me off my rocker.” You grumble, trying to remember Morticia’s phone number. Maybe your mother-in-law would take this baby in- she’s been trying for a child, according to your hour-long graveyard’n’tea sessions.

“I already have, cara mia. How else would you have agreed to move in with me?” Wednesday smirks as he wraps his arms around your waist. You begrudgingly give in to his embrace, slowly melting into him.

“We’re calling your mother after the child wakes up. There’s no way we can take care of it for more than a few days without accidentally raising some mortality rate.” You speak into his chest.

“Of course, of course.” Wednesday responds, resting his chin on your shoulder.

__**__

It’s days after you’ve picked up the infant from your doorstep when you find a home for it. Morticia has happily agreed to take it in and care for it as one of her own, as soon as she comes back from the Bermuda Triangle with Gomez.

You think you’ve fared well, especially considering such short notice and limited access to baby stores. And Wednesday, as argumentative as he was with the entire situation, has grown attached to the baby. You’ve even walked in on him singing to the child (simple to get it to fall asleep, he claims) more than once.

And as much as you’re not willing to admit it, you’ve bonded with the little thing as well. So much so that you find yourself cradling it hours before Morticia comes to pick it up, softly cooing at it when it smiles at you or reaches for your face with its tiny hands. You can’t help it- the family room’s rocking chair is just so comfortable, and the child is refusing to be laid in its makeshift bed, so why not? It’s the only reasonable solution you can find.

This is where Wednesday finds you when he comes to fetch the child for his mother. He stops for a moment, shocked at the warm feeling building in his cold chest. Much like the one he gets whenever you lock eyes with him, or kiss him suddenly, or break him away from work with a hug, or exist-

“My love.” He whispers. “It’s time- my mother is here.”

You sigh, taking in one last look of the child before standing and stretching your legs as much as possible with a small bundle occupying both arms.

“If I must.” You say, handing the infant off with a hint of sadness.

Wednesday, of course, picks up on this, and promptly drags you into his arms with the baby locked between you two. “This will blow over, cara mia. And you can always visit him if we make the drive up to my parents’.”

“I know, I know.” You mumble. You allow yourself one more minute pressed against Wednesday and the infant before letting go, knowing it will only be harder the longer you wait.

“I’ll be quick.” And with that, Wednesday leaves you with a kiss to the forehead to drop the child off with his mother.

You watch him go, holding yourself back from running up to him and grabbing the child to hold for another couple minutes. But no, this is for the best.

It was nice while it lasted, and who’s the say there won’t be another child dropped on your doorstep someday?

[goggles-mcgee]

A Little Birdy Told Me 20

AO3

Beginning Last Chapter

Summary: Damian continues to try and get more information about the akuma class and Marinette while Dick is having an off day and just wants it to get better.

Only one brother gets what they want.

CH 20:

Damian may have jumped the gun on that one. 

He admitted that, willingly, in the privacy of his own mind. 

“To Dupain-Cheng? I mean sure but why would you like to know.” Chloe asked with narrowed sharp eyes.

Bourgeois was sharp, as were all his acquaintances so there was no point in lying, though he was confident he could do so flawlessly, his acquaintances had proved to be somewhat trustful. They all kept secrets if asked unless it was something trivial which confused him to no end. Allegra could ask they don’t tell anyone what she shared with them when it came to her having trouble mentally or her parents fighting but the group would tell almost everyone in the group how Claude had a crush on so-and-so from class-whatever. Richard said that is just how teenagers and friends are but it didn’t make sense to Damian and he tried many times to make it make sense. The only thing that made him feel better is the fact his father also didn’t understand. When he was in med school he told him how his study group kept his fear of bats to themselves but when he admitted to not being a fan of some musician that that information was shared and laughed at, but he stated clearly that the laughing wasn’t at him, just at the information as a study group member had explained. Again. It was strange, but Damian felt like this wasn’t one of those moments that they would share his information with others. 

“It goes without saying that what I tell you does not leave this table,” he began, “I know I said that if I knew something I wouldn’t tell, but given Bourgeois’s forthcoming, I too can be a little forthcoming. Dupain-Cheng is now a ward of my Father for the rest of the exchange.”

Vogel nodded and glared at everyone at the table as if to ward them off even thinking of telling anyone what Damian was saying. It was…nice and appreciated. Vogul reminded him of Cassandra sometimes and it always left him feeling warm yet wrongfooted. The blonde wasn’t his sister but sometimes she felt like it and that also confused him. Nonetheless he gave Vogel a small nod of appreciation. “After the events at Wayne Tower and what followed, it was decided that my father take care of Dupain-Cheng for the remainder of the trip and actual chaperones are being flown in. The original plan of having the class merge with ours has been effectively thrown out the window and negotiations are being made where to place everyone as they will be separated. Dupain-Cheng and her friends will join our class but it hasn’t been decided where Rossi and her sycophants will go.” 

Allaway pursed his lips together and looked deep in thought, it was like he was trying to organize everything that was said and unsaid. He was someone who liked puzzles and mysteries. “You guys are building a case?” It was posed as a question but Damian knew the other boy better. It was a statement. Damian simply leaned back in his chair to give Allaway his attention, it took the boy some time to voice his thoughts so Damian waited before responding. “The question is, who is the case against?” 

“I would think that obvious by now Allaway.” Damian scoffed. 

Allaway stared at Damian intensely until he let out a deep sigh, “Yeah, I know, I was saying it to be dramatic.”

“You’re always dramatic.” Damian countered.

“No. That’s Claude.” Allaway shot right back.

“Guilty!” Hardy sing-songed. Damian conceded. Hardy was always dramatic. Every announcement he made to the group or even the school was so rich in dramatics that Damian wondered if the boy practiced what he said every day to make sure it was the perfect amount of dramatic or if it was something instinctual. Damian felt like it was the latter. Sometimes Hardy’s dramatics confused him but Vogel was good at explaining what the dramatic boy was saying, she was basically the Hardy Translator.

“We are getting off topic.” Bourgeois sighed. “You really want to know everything that witch did to Dupain-Cheng, Wayne? Then you better buckle in and take notes.

Damian nodded and pressed the hidden button on his watch that Lucius Fox and his son Lucas upgraded at Bruce’s request, that would record the rest of the conversation. Though he did take out a notebook and pen, he never wrote in pencil, writing in pencil showed you were not confident in your writing or knowledge. He was trying to break out of the habit though as it was one Ra’s made sure ‘stuck’ with his heir. His grandfather would never settle for anything less than perfect and the one time Damian took a test in front of his grandfather and used a pencil, he was punished. Damian hid a wince at the memories of that particular lesson and instead stared at his watch, it was a replica of his Grandfather's watch , the one he wore when he was murdered. It was a bit morbid but it was the thought behind it that made it one of Damian’s most prized possessions. 

It had been a little after he had been…introduced to his father and a little before his father’s seeming demise at Darkseid’s hand that Bruce had taken Damian aside into his study to talk to him. Damian thought it would be another reprimand of his methods but had been surprised when Bruce handed him a small box with a bow on it. He had been so hesitant, so wary, so suspicious that his father had gently taken the box from him and opened it to show a watch. A rather nice watch though Damian had noted its somewhat dated design. Like someone had purposefully made it look vintage.  “ It’s made to look like my father’s watch, your grandfather, though I have no doubt you were…informed of my parents before you came here -”

“ I know everything about you, Father, and my grandparents .” Damian had interrupted, eager to prove his knowledge, his worth. 

“ I don’t doubt that, Damian, but you were told about them by people who did not know them. That makes all the difference. There is time for stories so you get to know them like I knew them but this is the first one I will tell you. ” Bruce had looked sincere yet a bit uncomfortable, Damian had chalked it up to his father’s weakness of not getting over his parent’s death. Such a weakness was not allowed in the League, but Damian had said nothing of the fact even if he could. Richard had been teaching him just because you could doesn’t mean you should. It was confusing but his father seemed to agree with the sentiment so Damian was doing his best to learn it. 

His father continued. “ When my father was ten, his father bought him his first watch. I never met my grandfather, but when I was young, my father told me grandfather wanted to start a new Wayne tradition. When the heir of the family turned ten, they would be gifted a watch. I’m afraid that the reason is lost in time and forgotten memories but my father wanted to continue this tradition. I got my watch on my birthday and 9 days later my parents died. My father had been wearing his birthday watch that night .”

Damian hadn’t wanted to interrupt but he did want to touch the watch and his father seemed to understand that so he passed back the gift and watched as Damian had caressed the face of the watch with his thumb. 

“ I admit that I have bought your brother's watches as well but I know you are struggling to accept them. I won’t lie and say I understand but I want to feel connected to them, to me, to this family. I wasn’t able to give you a watch on your birthday but I am giving it to you now. I had this made for you in the image of your grandfather’s watch because I want to show you how important you are to this family and me. I could have easily given you a new watch as I had your brother’s but you deserve a connection to your roots. I hope you like it. ”

Damian had only nodded but the small smile his father gave in return had filled him with such warmth he hadn’t known what to do other than let his father put the watch on him. Later, Alfred would explain that Bruce had the watch built with many hidden features to keep Damian safe and to make sure his son wouldn’t be without a way out of a situation. The watch was made to resemble the Rolex Submariner that Damian had seen in a case along with a broken pearl necklace and some loose grimy pearls. He knows they were keepsakes of his grandparents that Bruce kept in a protected case in the Cave. He didn’t really believe it would make him feel any more connected to the Wayne name than him already being Bruce Wayne’s biological son but wearing the watch and seeing the original in its case when he was down in the Cave actually did make him feel connected in a way he couldn’t explain. Thus it became one of his most prized possessions much like his first straight double edged sword his mother gave him for the earliest birthdays he could remember. 

Damian inhaled slowly then exhaled to bring himself out of his memory before he looked up at Bourgeois and gave her a short nod. “Proceed.” 

___________________

Dick was doing all he could to relax and show Marinette the company’s botanical gardens as it was something she had wanted to do. It was good to see her smile and flit from plant to plant like a little honey bee or something, but Dick couldn’t get rid of his tension completely. He was always like that after dealing with Two-Face even if it wasn’t the usual confrontation between the two, i.e mask to two faces but it still left him feeling the same. Angry, restless and most annoyingly, scared. He wasn’t the same little scared Robin but dealing with Two-Face always made him feel like he was. He thought he worked past all that! But seeing Marinette in his arms with a gun pressed to her head brought uncomfortable flashbacks of a different tiny black-haired blue-eyed child. A child who got cocky in his skills as Robin and helper of Batman. He could still feel the long-since healed injuries throb in phantom pain. Dick couldn’t help the flash of another black-haired blue-eyed child, older than the first when he learned that being Robin wasn’t magical or whimsical. Thinking of that never did him any good, if anything it brought about an enormous amount of guilt and anger that Dick didn’t know what to do with. 

“Mari-gold?” A very familiar voice pulled Dick out of his thoughts and he cursed himself for being so distracted. 

“Ivy!” Marinette shouted out in glee as she ran to hug the woman she had seen fairly recently. It made Dick smile though, this kid loved with her whole heart and it was something he admired. 

“Now what are you doing here, Sapling?” 

“I came here with Mister Dick and Mister Tim. Though we lost Tim pretty early on.” Oh yeah, they did. Though Dick was willing to bet Tim just went to the coffee shop nearby, he seemed to have a built in radar for knowing where they were no matter what part of town they were in. It was kind of funny though since Tim wasn’t even a big fan of coffee, he more so just needed the caffeine. The guy preferred tea but he was really particular about which places made the best tea, specifically a good ol’ Dirty Chai. 

“And what brings you to the Gardens today, Ive?” Dick asked, deciding to partake in the conversation. 

“Oh just making sure they are doing okay and to give the workers a restock of my special fertilizer.” That made sense, Ivy was, on-the-down low helping the Wayne Botanical Studies team. While Harley helped them more with their night time business, Ivy was content to help in the more official business. With the occasional helping hand stopping a threat if they “got in over their heads.” Her words. 

“You make your own fertilizer?” Marinette asked. Look, Dick was also curious about that but after finding Ivy and Jason talking one night with these big-ass smiles on their faces, all teeth, he was like 80% sure that fertilizer was some of Jason’s…problems. But there was no way in hell that Dick was going to try and confirm that, and he sure as hell would not be telling Bruce that little theory. 

“Yes! It takes time but it-”

“My Passion Lily! I got your Matcha Lemonade and look! I found a wild Wayne.” They were interrupted by Harley, which was not a surprise, and she was dragging a resigned looking Tim with her. 

Ivy merely huffed out a laugh at her wife before taking the offered drink with a kiss to Harley’s cheek. “Thank you, Peanut, I also found a wild Wayne and a little Sapling.”

“Mari-Doll!” Harley squeaked out before almost knocking the poor girl off her feet in her hurry to smother the girl in a hug. Surprisingly they didn’t fall over. 

“Hi Harley!”

“You guys saw each other the other night?” Tim said, confused. 

“And?” Marinette and Harley asked in unison. It made Dick giggle and helped relieve him of more of his pent up tension. 

“Well since we're all here, why don’t we walk around together?” Dick offered. “Bruce wanted Tim to get some fresh air so try not to let him sneak off again.”

Tim gave an offended squawk which had Marinette laughing once more. “I’m fine!”

“Yeah, okay Timmy-Boy.” Harley said with a scoff as she laced her arms together with Ivy and Marinette. “And I’m the Queen of England.”

“You do need some time outside the Manor Tim. It’s not healthy to stay cooped up.” Ivy said as she happily walked with Harley and Marinette. Though she did grab Tim by the scruff of his shirt and manhandled him toward Dick. He looked very much like a cranky kitten. 

“What is this? Pick on Tim day?” 

“I believe Damian has that scheduled for next month.” Dick wished he was joking.

Marinette obviously noticed he wasn’t if her raised brow was anything to go off. “Oh?”

“He stepped on Titus’s tail three months ago, on accident.” Dick explained. “But Damian is very good at keeping grudges and he’s very good on cashing in on favors.” 

Tim merely whined in response and Dick couldn’t help but pity his brother for a second before he remembered how Tim used him as a human meat shield when Condiment King randomly joined in on a fight against some robbers. Apparently he was also planning on robbing the jewelry store after keeping a low profile from his then-recent prison break. Needless to say it took Dick forever trying to get the mustard smell out of his costume once again and had to beg Alfred for help once again. Even though Alfred refused to help with cleaning anything CK contaminated, it spiked his blood pressure or something like that. Dick thinks it’s because of all the first times he helped clean them up when the rogue had been new on the scene. That had been a long month and Dick had seen how Alfred got more and more annoyed each time they came home covered in mustard, ketchup, you name it. It was awful. Truly. So Dick didn’t feel all that bad. Stephanie was already coming up with a list of things to tease Tim about. She specifically waits for the days Damian declares will be Pick-On Drake Days so she has lists on lists compiled for that very reason. She hoards them and never shares until the scheduled day. Duke surprisingly joined in too and started making his own list. 

“He’s very dedicated.” Marinette giggled out.

“That’s one word for it.” Tim grumbled. 

From there they had a good time touring the different gardens with Ivy acting as a somewhat tour guide and Dick could see it was really helping Marinette unwind as well. The interview with Jim and Harvey had really gotten her tense which was totally understandable, it would be intimidating for anyone. Tim tried to escape a couple times but after Dick teasingly asked if he should get Tim a child-leash and Ivy offered to make one out of vines he stopped. He even seemed to be relaxing a small bit. It was nice, really and it seemed to be something that Dick needed too without realizing it. Eventually they went out for lunch and after they went their separate ways. The drive back to the Manor had been nice too, normal traffic and a nice playlist helped. Tim and Marinette had even made some good conversation, though Dick got worried at the mention of PowerPoints. He hoped it was nothing serious, but the fact that Tim found someone as obsessed with planning and making PowerPoints was a little frightening. Maybe more than a little, Dick could only take so many Tim PowerPoints. He loved his brother, dearly, with his whole heart, but his PowerPoints were long and…thorough. He even tested people on the more important ones with a freaking Kahoot match. Cass and surprisingly Damian always won those. 

As they made their way into the manor Dick was pretty much planning on taking a good, lengthy nap to catch up on the sleep he hadn't gotten last night. His brain felt fried and scrambled, like it couldn’t decide whether to sink into the depressing thoughts from before or just remember the good time at the gardens they all had, even Tim surprisingly had a good time. As he sunk into the couch in the family living room his mind seemed to settle on both. His eyes closed and he saw Marinette laughing and smiling at their afternoon activities, then it would flash to her being held against Two-Face. He could hear the rogue’s laugh deep in his bones, then it changed to the Joker’s unique cackle. Marinette changed from her to him to Jason at blinding speeds. He could hear Marinette’s voice firm and confident in contrast to the fear in her eyes when she told him there was no time and that she would lead Scarecrow away. He could hear her yelling and telling Alfred she and they weren’t safe. He heard his own cries and shouts mixed with Two-Face’s voice. He could hear what he imagined Jason sounded like when the Joker beat him to death. He could hear the accusations of others about his jealousy of Jason being adopted. 

That unfortunately brought up memories of the talk he had had with Bruce once upon a time about Jason and adoption. It felt like he had had to fight not only tabloids but even Bruce about nonexistent hatred. Dick never hated Jason, but he had been so caught up in his anger with Bruce that he let it affect his and Jason’s relationship. He had just been so angry and it wasn’t an excuse but sometimes it seemed like he was even trying to justify his actions to himself. Though there was some jealousy and hurt there that he didn’t know what to do with, okay he did know what to do but the fact it would have to involve talking to Bruce and Jason was not something that sounded fun nor easy. He liked a good challenge but that idea sounded impossible. Like yes, he was Bruce’s son now but for so long he was just a ward, like Marinette was now, he called Bruce dad, they lived together, they fought crime together, they took care of each other, and yet it took years for Bruce to adopt him. But Jason? Dick knew Jason was Bruce’s son, his first son, his favorite son. Jason got the Bruce Dick had always wanted and it had hurt. Jason’s death had impacted Bruce more than his parents. That was a fact. 

And…And Dick had no idea where this was all coming from. He knew he didn’t know Marinette well as her class’s tour guide but seeing her held against Two-Face, mere centimeters from danger had thrown him. She reminded him too much of himself and too much like Jason before his death. She wasn’t a Robin, she would never be a Robin, but she had been a hero like one. She saved her people as fiercely as a Robin protected Gotham and its people. She took the weight of her world on her shoulders, much like a Robin. She was a child turned soldier due to circumstance just like a Robin. Marinette was a Robin in soul with no Batman to guide her and maybe that was for the best but looking at how lost she looked when she spoke about the ‘akumatizations’ in Paris, Dick wished she had had her version of Batman. A mentor who could aid in the fight, who shared the knowledge and responsibility. Yes, there were other heroes, they were like her version of Teen Titans, but that’s just it she was just barely a teen, a child, when she took up the mantle of hero. And from the pictures Tim showed the family of the other heroes, it wasn’t hard to guess that the other ‘Holders’ were teens themselves. Seeing as Adrien was also a teen and a former hero. 

Dick, in a weird, roundabout way, felt responsible for Marinette. As soon as she looked at him with hope, determination and fear in her eyes he was hit by a wave of protectiveness for her. She looked at him like Damian did when he first complimented and criticized his work as Robin, he and Marinette had also pulled off a plan as smooth and seamless as Dick and Damian had been when they were the Dynamic Duo. Or as Dick liked to call them, The More Dynamic Duo. He knew his family was kind of freaked out by how well Marinette and Damian seemed to get along, but not him, sure he teased a bit but he just had a feeling they would be friends. Damian had been trying to get himself out there and make friends and he did have some! He just called them acquaintances right now but Dick knew it wouldn’t be long till they were bumped up to friend status. Though Jon would always be Damian’s best friend even if they weren’t in the same school anymore. They still video or phone called every day and they played games with each other online. Which games? Dick could never remember but the point was, Damian had grown and was very capable of making friends, it just took him some time. 

Speaking of time , Dick thought as his gaze lazily glanced at the clock on the wall. If he slept now, he knew he would not go to bed after patrol tonight. So with much reluctance he pushed himself up and off the couch. He figured he could see if Marinette wanted some company and maybe the two of them could get some tea and snacks from Alfred and tour more of the manor when they were done. It would help in the long term of Marinette’s stay so it was productive! When he got to her room he saw that the door was slightly open but it was still he knocked, if he could dodge a Pennyworth Lecture he would even knock his own bedroom door. As he did so though, the door opened more and with it came an overwhelming energy that left him feeling suppressed yet energized. He wasn’t around magic a lot anymore, but it always left him with the same feeling so he ditched being a gentleman and waiting for an answer and just barreled into the room to see what looked like a closing portal. 

“Shit!” That would be a dollar in the Swear Jar, but that wasn’t important. What was important however was the fact Marinette was missing, a portal had seemingly opened in her room and closed, and…and there was a note on the bed? 

‘Dear Any Wayne That Finds This,

Actually, are you all Waynes? I never asked, I should have asked. Anyways, please don’t freak out if you come to my room and I’m not here. Ladybug needed my help back in Paris and opened a portal to get me there. I shouldn’t be too long and hey! Maybe I’ll be back before anyone reads this but if I’m not then just don’t worry. Ladybug will return me once the akuma is dealt with.

 -Marinette who is very sorry if someone does end up reading this and is pleading they don’t worry or get angry.’  

“Double shit.” Dick said as he read over the letter. 

That was another dollar for the Swear Jar. 

_________________

Dick “Flying” Grayson @toflyistofall

Oops.

____

Bruce Wayne @therealbrucewayne

RE: Dick “Flying” Grayson @toflyistofall

       Oops.

Richard John Grayson-Wayne. What did you do?

_____

JBIrd @sidesteppeddeath

RE: Bruce Wayne @therealbrucewayne

       Richard John Grayson-Wayne. What did you do?

Ha! You got full government named Dickie! @toflyistofall

_____

Dick “Flying” Grayson @toflyistofall

RE: JBIrd @sidesteppeddeath

       Ha! You got full government named Dickie! @toflyistofall

Oh come on! I didn’t even add tags! How did he respond so fast?

#hahaimindanger

Next Chapter

[simping-invader]

PART 3~

So not going to lie there's probably a lot of inconsistency throughout the story just because I'm writing each part on a different day and I don't really read through the last part to remember the details I put in so some things are shoehorned in ignore those <3

ANYWAY

Onto part 3

Zims Pov:

Dib's actions make my head spin. does he know what he's doing to me? not to mention how he won't give me my own shirt back! And to make it worse he even has my pac! most confusingly why is he insisting to 'hang out' as he put it.  "You still haven't explained why you think you can just 'hang' around my base, Dib-stink" I huff, having to almost speed walk to keep up with him." Because I'm bored." dib only briefly looks back at me when he speaks, thankfully so. my mind won't get out of the gutter. "How is that my problem, go find some humans to bother. I have much better things to do!"

 hopefully we get to my base soon...these 'swim shorts' are clinging to my skin and driving me mad.  not to mention if Dib keeps being so...Whatever he is! I'll have a... bigger problem other than my antenna.  It's not helping that Dibs shorts are also clinging to his skin, and that on its own is making me feel all sorts of ways. Dib laughs a bit, snaping me out of my filthy thoughts. "Better things like what Zim? it's been years since you've done anything. you're just locked up in your base all the time doing nothing." How DARE this stupid human claim to know what I! ZIM have been doing! " I'll have you know I'm simply waiting for my tallest! soon enough I'll bet off this blasted rock and your EaRtH will be part of the great Irken empire!" I yell, much to my Suprise Dib stops in his track. good. maybe that stupid human is going to beg for Zim's forgiveness.

dibs pov:

Zim's confident proclamation catches me by surprise... there's no way he really believes they're still coming. i turn around, expecting to see some look of sarcasm, but instead Zim's body language actually matches his voice for once. Then smaller alien was glaring at me, his antenna Stright back, and looking sharp enough to stab me if he wanted to. I feel my face Morph from amusement to pity and shock. "You... Zim you actually think they're coming back?" Zims anger only seems to grow from my question, his glare now shooting daggers at me. " OF COURSE, THEY ARE" he yells at me, a real yell, for the first time in years. " My tallest are simply preparing the armada!" I take a step towards him "Zim...I've heard them... On my radio... they're not coming." Zim looks like he's ready to attack me as I get closer to him...Luckly, I have his Pac, so if he decides to lunge, he won't have any machinal advantage. not that he really needs one. I may tower over him Hight wise now, but I know his irken strength can still out match me. " Shut up! you know nothing!" he spits out, his words filled with venom. 

I can't help but sigh, the harsh sun beating down on us starting to annoy me. " Zim, I can prove it to you. when's the last time you even heard from them?"  Zim pauses, clearly having to think about it. " Well, when i last called them was at the Hiskool graduation. I reported that I had collated all the information we needed for the invasion and would stand by for their instructions." I just look at him. god he's fucking oblivious. " That was almost 5 years ago Zim. 5 years. Don't you think they would have at least updated you by now?" Zim's antennae drop down briefly, almost as if he's considering the truth, but they almost immediately shoot back to their angry position. "They're just busy!" His absolute stubborn obviousness' starts to piss me off, the heat not helping. "Zim oh my god. if you're so sure about that, why don't we call them. " Zim seems happy...Ish about that suggestion, his body language relaxing and his antenna going into a more neutral position. "Fine. let's go call them! then you'll see!" I can't help but roll my eyes as we start heading to his base once again. part of me want to laugh at him when his 'beloved tallest' confirm that they want nothing to do with him...the rest of me worries about how this will completely destroy him...

After not too long of a walk we reach his base. Zim wastes no time to push past me once we get inside, almost marching towards the tv.  "Computer!  call the tallest!" with his command, the tv switches from the random show Gir had left on, to a standing image of the irken symbol with 'calling the tallest' in bold letters across it. the line rings for far too long before it's finally picked up and the two leaders of irk appear on screen, immediately looking annoyed to see it was Zim who called. the red one smacked the purple one as Zim turns around to look at me with a ' i told you so' smirk. "What did I tell you about answering transmissions from earth!" red scolds, not even attempting to whisper. Zim doesn't seem to pick up on the clear annoyance towards him, that smirk still on his face.  "My tallest! it is Zim! I'm called to ask about plans for earth, when will i be taken off this soon to be part of our great empire!" I sit back on the couch as the red leader sighs in annoyance "never Zim." his words are short and his tone his blunt.  Zim spins around to face me with a cocky smirk" see Dib! I told you they-" his antennae drop down as his face shifts to one of shock. he slowly turns back to the screen, facing his uncaring leaders. "What?" he mumbles out, only getting two annoyed looks back " we're not coming. stop calling us. you're not an invader and we want nothing to do with that pathetic rock." reds voice was full of hate as he spoke, and with each word Zim seemed to shrivel into himself. "Congrats on at least growing some. " The purple one adds sarcastically. over the past 10ish years Zim has been on earth, he's only grown about 2 and a half feet, still leaving him rather short. both cracking up in laughter before the line is dropped.

My 'I told you so' suddenly self when Zim faces me once more, looking betrayed and crushed. "Zim..." I say softly, wanting to comfort him. "Get out" he utters, his gaze looking towards the floor. "Zim I'm sorry... i tried to war-" Zim cuts me off glaring up at me, his eyes filled with rage and hurt. " I said GET OUT! leave me alone!" my lips part as i go to speak but i decide against it, sighing as i get up, leaving his things on the couch before heading to the front door. before i leave i turn back to him "you know where to find me if you need anything..."  with that I leave, heading back towards my house, feeling guilty about shattering his illusion, even if reality needed to be brought to his attention.

3rd person pov:

A few days pass with neither boys hearing from, or seeing the other. After the reality check from the Tallest, Zim hasn't left his base, nor has he left his private quarters, allowing his s.i.r unit to run rampage around his base. After 5 days of not seeming Zim leave the house, Dib started to get more worried about the alien then he already was, and on the 6th day he decides to go see him. 

Dibs pov;

once again i was woken up before my alarm, my thoughts making it hard for me to sleep. its's been days since last saw Zim...I don't know how he'll react to seeing me, but i just...i need to make sure he's ok. i look out my window, seeing that the sun slowly raising across the Horrison, its golden light softly lighting up the sky. maybe an early morning walk can brighten Zim's mood... yeah...I'll do that. I nod to myself as i swing my legs off the bed before slowly getting up and stretching.  I throw on a random pair of blue jean shorts and a tank top before heading downstairs and out the door. I hope Zim won't attack me on sight... after a short 10-minute walk i find myself at his door, and with a bit of hesitation i knock. much to my surprise the door immediately opens.  when the door opens i can see the absolute mess that is currently Zim's base, and equally messy Gir smiling up at me " HIIIIIIIIIIIIIII." the state of the base makes me more worried for zims mental state. "Hey gir...where's zim?"

 i gently push the robot to the side, letting myself in. almost instantly my nose is assaulted with a combination of smells, almost none of them pleasant. " He's sleeping SHHHHHHHHHHHHHH." i look around at the mess surrounding me " how...long has he been asleep?" Everything about this is..so concerning... " few days. he must be reaaally tired." days?? zim hasn't left his room in days???  I walk past gir, my feet moving on their own as i walk towards zims bedroom. Without knocking i open the door, slightly relieved to find the room clean. The room was completely dark aside from the slivers of sunlight filtering in through the window. in the middle of the room was a large, round green and pink bed. the walls were bare side from the now ripped up irken flags. zim was laying almost lifelessly on the bed, his back towards me.  his irken uniform was thrown onto the floor, and it looked like he was wearing some old gym shorts from skool. "zim..." i speak softly as i walk into the room, slowly approaching the bed. When i don't get a response i get closer. "Zim it's been days...are you ok."

ending this here because its long as shit <3-

Previous Part 👇

[hellcheerficdatabase]

like I’ve been there before

Author: empress_of_snark

Rating/Warning: Teen and up audience

Chapter Count: 15/? (part 1 of shiny happy people series)

Description:

Nancy speaks without thinking. “You can stay with me!”

When Chrissy looks at her, her eyes are wide and grateful. She mouths ‘really?’ and Nancy nods.

Maybe it’s a little impulsive. After all, it’s been six years. Who even knows if she and Chrissy will still have anything in common after such a long time? They might drive each other crazy.

But ever since Robin moved out, she’s been lonely. Sure, Steve and Eddie still abuse their privilege of having a spare key, barging in at all hours to use her phone, borrow her plunger, or (most often) eat everything in her kitchen that isn’t nailed down. But a pair of obnoxious across-the-hall neighbors is not the same thing as a roommate, and she misses having another girl around.

“Yeah,” she answers with a shrug. “Why not? I’ve got the space.”

Tags: Alternate universe- no vecna, 90s au, future fic, Friends AU, found family, mutual pining, slow-burn, fluff, angst, lil bit of angst, a sprinkle if you will, friends to lovers, alternating POV, multiple chapters, status: WIP

[allthesmallthingsgt]

Late night secrets

Just some dumb teens sneaking around at night, will they get caught in the act?? Based around two childhood friend neighbors, light romance not anything spicy, FLUFF, No TWs. First post so may have some slight grammatical errors but whatever. enjoy!

word count:410

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Fuck" She breathed as she heard footsteps approaching the door. Scrambling she looked for where she could hide him, he wasnt supposed to be here. Cody and Summer panically looked at each other as they broke away from their kiss.

"Fuck, Fuck, Fuck." She scrambeled straighting her sheets "Cody where am i going to hide you??"

"The pillow?"

"No, I'm going to act like I'm sleeping i don't want you to suffocate."

"Shoot, under the blanket?"

"Even worse. My dad might want to talk and would probs sit on you."

"ew"

The footsteps became heavier. Summer and Cody were freaking out as she reached to flip the lamp off and position herself so it looked like she was asleep. In a hurry she grabbed him and laid on her stomach, Cody underneath her cocooned between clothed flesh and sheets.

"Humph" Cody whimpered at the sudden movement.

"sorry" she whispered as she put on her best fake sleep face.

The door twisted open.

Cody felt Summers racing heartbeat on top of him. She was afraid of being caught secretly hiding her lover. Though her parents loved Cody but they probably wouldn't appreciate him over without their knowledge, in their daughters bed…

Summers dad walked into the room making his way to the bed where they lay.

Cody could have swore that he could have heard his hummingbird heartbeat and smell the cologne Summer got him for his birthday. He bent leaning over Summer.. this was it this was the part they got caught.. but he smiled.

"goodnight sweetpea" he said leaving a peck on her forehead as he walked away closing the door.

Cody patted her chest asking if the coast was clear. A small "no" groan came from Summer, the footsteps outside became fainter and the lights peeking under the door went out. She pulled up from her position, him beneath her elbows looking down on him.

"Sorry I couldn't think of anything else" she said, Cody's clothes wrinkled and hair a blonde mop, "you look like shit sorry."

Leaning in she ran her finger through his hair trying to make it less messy. His cheeks flushed from the predicament that happened moments ago. They sat in silence for a bit as she messed with his hair.

"You know.."

"huh?"

"I didn't mind it, I felt so comfy and warm." Cody said with a soppy grin.

"Oh. My. Gosh. you Doofus"

They giggled as they went back to laying together.

-----

[typicalopposite]

Because I am she of very little common sense and I (apparently) like being overwhelmed with things to do. All you Gallavich people out there I humbly present you with this

*new Gallavich WIP because I am insane*

[fox-guardian]

hey guys did you know that um. did you know. first of all did you know i'm losing my mind, secondly, do y'all remember in tma how when someone reads a written statement, they don't really Stop unless they're interrupted? and they read the whole thing easy cheesy, no issues with reading whatever words are there? like. jon literally could read french for a whole statement and was Fine. granted, that's Jon, but like nobody else struggled with pronunciations and whatnot (that i can recall)

presumably, this is an eye thing. either as employees of the institute, or because everyone there is just also eye-aligned in some degree (melanie had the ghost hunting show, the eye is fond of martin, etc)

and then there's tim in season 3 ep 86

[Sigh] Statement of… uh, Benjamin Hatendi… Hateendi? Regarding a… [papers rustling] a blanket. Dead friend. Monster. Regarding his unavoidable and gruesome end. How he tried to hide. He couldn’t. Statement is from… 1983, March 2nd. And I guess… [long sigh] I guess I’m doing this one. Tim Stoker. Archival assistant… Archival prisoner at the Magnus Institute.

correct me if im wrong but i don't recall anyone struggling with pronunciations before this bit. but that's not even the biggest thing here, that's just a lil Taste, a lil Flavor.

note the phrasing there. "Regarding his unavoidable and gruesome end." why would he say this when the written text on the statement says this:

Uh, right. Benjamin Hatendi’s account of… [rustling pages] oh for… a, a strange encounter. Er, statement date, March 2nd, 1983. Melanie King recording. Apparently.

"a strange encounter". that's it. nothing about an unavoidable death, just a "strange encounter". Tim Why Did You Say That.

why would our dear timothy bimothy, who is being pushed to the brink, who is becoming rapidly more depressed and losing hope, say this?

this isn't the only time he's said some weirdly grim shit tho (ep 104)

There was never really any hope for me, though, was there? This was how it was always going to go.

and then there's this bit from elias apparently having Looked into tim (also 104)

TIM All right, hit me with your X-ray eyes then, boss. What do you see? ELIAS Disruption. An unpredictable, angry man with nothing left but the desire to feel in some way revenged. TIM [Sarcastic] Ooh, terrifying! Surely only magic could have let you see so deep inside my very soul.

"nothing left" but the desire to feel revenged. and tim doesn't dispute this, because it's true.

when he first joined the institute he did so in order to look for answers about danny, but then he stopped seriously looking. and now that the circus is back, this is all the drive he has left. not looking for answers, just wanting revenge. closure. an end, if you will.

this is Literally It For Him. a couple lines later he suggests elias kill him, he's At The Breaking Point.

he is so tired, he's lost all hope, and he's saying all this grim shit about "unavoidable death" and "this is how it was always going to go" like hmmmm sounds familiar doesn't it. DOESN'T IT (<- is going insane)

(ep 11) [....] despite the rapid response of the paramedics and how much of his medical history I had immediately to hand, there was nothing I could do to save him. (ep 11) I have no responsibility to try and prevent whatever fate is coming for you. Based on my previous experience, such a thing is likely impossible anyway,[....] (ep 121) There. That was it. That was our fate; where we would always be.

hmmmm sounds a bit like oliver huh? everyone's favorite ex-accountant avatar of the end?? right??

but then there's this last bit i have from ep 86.

why did he stop reading the statement

Statement. “My parents never let me have a nightlight. I was always afraid, but they were ju–” Ugh, this is stupid.

why did he do that. again, correct me if im wrong but when else has someone just Stopped Reading like that without someone or something else interrupting them? why could tim just stop himself?

my theory is this: at this point, tim is completely gone from being aligned with the eye. he no longer seeks to know what happened to danny, he just wants closure. he doesn't wanna do any statement work, and he keeps mentioning these tidbits about hopelessness and the inevitability of terrible events, specifically death.

the eye isn't compelling him to read the statements like it does the others, because it doesn't have as strong a hold anymore. the grip is slipping from him. and by the time the unknowing rolls around, maybe it's lost him for good. maybe he finally fell into a different power he never meant to serve, and yet, he does.

and maybe. just maybe. because i'm so not in denial. but MAYBE. he did die in the unknowing. but maybe he got better.

basically end!tim truthers rise up, this is how end!tim kayaking with his bf oliver banks can still win, etc etc I'm Going Feral <3

[bloomellaa]

This shouldn't have happened

[strawberryspence]

Robin "Tired of Pining" Buckley

Steddie Week / Day 1: Pining & Somebody To Love ( @steddie-week )

[samkerrworshipper]

twos a company, threes a crowd pt.4 | alexia putellas x reader x lucy bronze

r is loaned to real madrid and suffers with being away from her partners for so long… when the el clasico rolls around all of her problems are solved… but not without some repercussions for her actions.

warnings: angst, fluff, comfort, sadness, over working, touch deprived, sleep deprived, punishment, safe word use, injury, concussion, so much angst lol but y'all were begging for it.

Getting loaned to Real Madrid was possibly the worst thing that had ever happened to you. 

You’d been blindsided by the request, you were happy at Barcelona, you were Barcelona’s star striker, an indomitable force on the field and you’d just won the Liga F golden boot, you were everything to Barca, until you weren’t. It was astronomical to your teammates that Barcelona would loan you out, seemingly it was for the money and with the hopes that you would learn some leadership skills from being the strongest in a team. Real Madrid was paying a hefty fee for your season with them, but it still hurt knowing that to Barcelona you were a mere transaction. 

Everything you loved and knew were in Barcelona, your family, your girlfriends, your house, your dogs and cat, your friends.

Madrid was great, and there were plenty of upsides to the team, they were all lovely, the coaching staff was great, your new apartment was awesome, but there were things missing, your girlfriends firstly. 

You face timed every day. It had been impossible for the two women helping you pack up and move all of your things across the country. Sure, they were only a six hour drive away and a hour long flight away, but it killed them both nonetheless. 

They saw the way that as the season progressed you began to become more tucked up in your own shell, the bright light in your eyes slowly fading. It killed them, talking to you every night and seeing the way that your eyes struggled to meet their own anymore. 

They loved you more than anything, but you were a person who needed structure, you couldn’t function by yourself. You needed attention, attention that they couldn’t grant you from hundreds of kilometres away, so you started to get cheeky and bratty. Sending them videos of you touching yourself in the shower, or explicitly disregarding text messages they were sending you. Normally, the two older women would be pissed off, and they were, but the underlying theme was that you were struggling, struggling being away and your coping mechanism was to act out for their attention. The more weeks that passed without their presence, the more needy you became for them, the desperation for your two girlfriends growing in your stomach and slowly swallowing up all of the other organs that resided in your body. 

With the El Clasico match quickly approaching though, the women took solace in knowing that you would be able to spend the rest of the weekend after the game, that they’d finally have you in their arms and for even a second they could make you feel loved and less alone. 

You’d agreed that before the game you’d be strictly professional, you’d stay in your hotel room but as soon as the game was over you were heading back to your old house for a few days of peace with your girlfriends. You were a little bit scared, when the facetime request chimed in from your phone the night beforehand, you were lying in your hotel bed and you couldn’t help but feel anxious. Because you knew what you’d been doing to the women the last few weeks, it had been like a game for you, seeing just how much you could push before you found the end to the Barcelona players tethers. 

“Hola Bebita.”

You pushed yourself up from the bed sheets, sitting yourself up against the headboard to get a proper view at Lucy, whose face was directly in front of yours on the phone screen. 

“Hi Luce.”

Your voice was as meek as ever, your throat clearing itself from the sleepy haze you’d been in. 

“How you doing sweetheart?”

Lucy’s voice was so sweet, it was interesting to you, considering the outwardly explicit videos you’d been sending them over the week, progressively getting more scandalous the closer your date came to travelling to Barcelona for the game. You were expecting a angry Lucy, deiniftely an angry Alexia, especially considering that you’d broken her one cardinal rule that she’d given you before you left. 

Do not orgasm without her permission. 

That wasn’t to say that Alexia was expecting you to hold out for months at times, of course not, she just expected you to call or text her, so she could guide you through it, you’d explicitly ignored that rule, and you expected her to be annoyed. 

“I’m okay, tired from the train, how’s Ale’s knee?”

There was worry laced in your words, when you’d received the news that Alexia had a set back with her knee you’d been gutted for her, and worried, because Alexia tended to fall down the rabbit hole when she was injured, and you just hoped that she was doing alright. 

“It’s a minor injury, nothing to do with her ACL, which is good. She’s sitting out tomorrow, so she’s obviously upset, but it’s not her ACL, so that’s what matters the most. She’s in the bathroom right now, but I’ll chuck her on when she’s done. How are you feeling about tomorrow?”

Lucy’s voice was so genuine, so calm, so caring, and if you were feel less insecure you probably would have confessed all of your worries to her, but you felt so fucking desperate for Lucy and Alexia that it was starting to hurt you but you also didn’t want to come across as needy, even if you felt like you were breaking at the seems for them. 

“Okay.”

Your answer was short, and Lucy frowned at it, because she knew that you were most likely feeling anything but okay. She was going to push it, but she was interrupted by Alexia emerging from the bathroom and walking over to join her on the bed, climbing under the sheets and pulling Lucy’s phone from her hands so she could look at you. 

“Hola bebe, how are you?”

Alexia’s voice is gruff, and if you didn’t know her so well you probably wouldn’t have picked up on the slight puffiness to her eyes, that told you she’d probably been crying whilst she was tucked away in the bathroom, you knew her like the back of your palm though. 

“I’m okay, how’s your knee?” There was some obvious tension coming from Alexia, tension that you were sure you’d get to feel in person tomorrow. 

“I’ve had bigger setbacks, we still have to assess the scans indepthly and get a treatment plan in action. It’s probably just a few rough weeks, but I’ll make it.”

You nod, she always does, she never fails to amaze you with her can-do attitude and determination to always be better, to always be at the top of whatever she’s doing. 

“I believe in you.”

Ale gives you a soft smile, and it doesn’t calm all of the nerves contained in you but it does manage to calm your heart down. 

“We’re so excited to see you tomorrow amor, you’re going to make us proud even in that ugly uniform.”

You know that no matter what club you are at, Alexia and Lucy are always going to be your biggest supporters, but you can’t shake the reminder that tomorrow, when you step on the pitch, all of your friends and family are going to be your enemy. 

It plucks at your heartstrings, and almost sends tears to the back of your eyes. 

“How’s the team been? I feel like we haven’t talked about any of it with us all being so busy.”

The team was fine. 

That was the problem, the team was your team, but they weren’t your family, they weren’t the support that you needed and craved. 

“They’re good, Olga’s been nice and me and Raso get along.”

The two women nodded, they knew they weren’t going to get much from you, but this was even less than what they had expected. 

“That’s good, you can tell us all about it tomorrow, hmm? We’re so excited to hear every single detail.”

The way both of their faces were so happy and content made your stomach do front flips. 

“I’m excited to see you guys as well.”

It’s hard for you to admit, because for the last six or so weeks that you’ve been apart, you’ve internally been denying it, trying to convince yourself that you were fine without them, but in reality you were struggling more than ever. 

Alexia gave you a small smile, her lips tightening upwards into a sweet smile. 

“You’ve been taking care of yourself, sí? Getting your sleep and listening to your dietician?”

You don’t like lying to anybody, especially Lucy and Alexia, but in your mind in some situations, there is justification for some white lies, especially when it’s going to benefit the person you’re lying to. 

“Yup.”

Your words are half empty, trying to get this conversation over as soon as possible. 

“Well, we’d better let you get to sleep then, we’ll see you tomorrow bebe, don’t hesitate to call us if anything happens, okay?”

You nodded at the two of them, a little part of your heart begging for them to hang up so you didn’t have to see how happy they were together, how at peace the two of them looked lying in bed together without you. 

“Bye, see you tomorrow.”

They both smiled at you, Lucy pressed a kiss to the camera. 

“We love you amor, good luck tomorrow.”

You gulped, just another reminder of what tomorrow held. 

“Love you guys too, see you tomorrow.”

Before you had to look at them any longer you pressed the red button, dropping your phone onto the duvet and groaning into the pillow behind you. 

You’d never considered yourself as the jealous type, in the beginning of your relationship you’d been the glue that kept it all together, Alexia brought Lucy in for you, not for herself. When you’d been in Barca their relationship had grown slowly, but surely, you encouraged it. 

When you’d left, you’d almost been scared that it would be the end of your relationship with the both of them, you just weren’t sure that they’d be able to sustain it, but you’d watched their relationship strengthen massively, the two of them becoming practically inseparable in your absence. 

You were happy for them, so incredibly happy, but it made you feel a little bit out of place, a little bit like when you returned to Barca everything would be different, maybe all of their love was being used for each other and they didn’t have anymore to give to you. 

It felt like you’d become a chore for them, a scheduled call every few nights, flowers or meals showing up on your doorstep every week from them, texts here and there asking how you were doing. 

You were all trying your best, but they had each other, the both of them got to come home to each other every night, you came home to an empty apartment. 

Your apartment was a shell, exactly the same as when you’d moved in. 

You didn’t put out any pictures, didn’t buy any furniture, it seemed pointless to you, because Real Madrid was supposed to be temporary, you didn’t want to settle down, didn’t want to become at home in a place that you would be leaving as soon as you could. 

You knew it wasn’t exactly healthy, but it worked for you, or it worked for the first little while. 

The hard part though was that you didn’t have a home at all, and a person can only survive so long without having some form of home, some form of comfort. 

You tried your hardest to sleep through the night, to get some rest before the game, but no sleep came to you as you lay in the lump hotel bed trying your very hardest. 

The team all woke up at 7 o'clock and headed down for breakfast, you went with them but kept to yourself, sitting by yourself. 

You weren’t hungry, more emotionally starved than anything. 

You got a few wayward glances, but you ignored them, opting for scrolling through your phone and trying to put yourself in the right headspace to get you ready for the hellish day that was to come. 

It was a 12pm game so as soon as breakfast was done the whole team was being sent to the bus to Camp Nou. 

It was a bittersweet feeling, returning to a place that had so many incredibly positive memories for you, with a completely different group of people, people that you liked but you didn’t love. 

Your anxiety only rose as you got even closer to the stadium, the realisation of what was about to happen setting in for you. 

Stepping off the bus and into the stadium was weird, normally, it would be with your closest friends, Ale by your side as the two of you stepped foot into a place that had been the highlight of so many of your childhood dreams. 

Barca had always been the dream, when the two of you were little kids it had seemed unachievable, a mere figment of your imaginations, and then it had come true, but it wasn’t your life anymore. 

You kept your head down, speed walking into the change rooms and getting into your game kit as quickly as possible before walking out on the pitch to warm up by yourself. 

Instead of being met with an empty pitch, you were met with a lot of your ex teammates already out warming up, and your girlfriends as well as your closest friends loitering by the sidelines. 

It’s impossible to avoid them, they’re standing directly in front of the entrance to the pitch, you wouldn’t put it past Alexia or Lucy to have planned it, planned a little sneak attack on you pre-match. 

You dragged your feet up and out of the tunnel, loitering a little bit as you waited for one of the women to take notice of you. 

It didn’t take long, Ingrid being the first one to spot you, her big green Norwegian eyes lighting up when they landed on you, her arms lighting up almost immediately, a small squeal leaving her lips. 

The whole group was quick to turn to you, both Alexia and Lucy’s faces lighting up as they took you in. 

“Bebita!”

Alexia looked insane for an injured person, the Barca olympic t-shirt and leather jacket hugging her body perfectly and making her look absolutely drop dead gorgeous. 

Alexia’s big arms opened to you, and you allowed yourself the luxury of walking into them. 

You felt so safe, so at home, it made you sort of sick to your stomach, so much so that you forced yourself out of her arms. 

You knew it was only going to be harder the more you integrated yourself with them over the next few days, because it would only make leaving that much harder. 

Alexia frowned a little bit at the way you almost pushed her off of you, it hurt the Catalan woman more than she would ever admit. 

“You oldies ready to get your asses kicked?”

Mapi’s jaw dropped, her arms reaching for you to put you into a headlock, the only thing stopping her being Ingrid. 

“Oldies? Disculpe? It’s called being experienced.”

You smiled a little bit at Mapi, she was like your older sister, the closest you had to one. 

“Sounds like an excuse for being old.”

Mapi just rolled her eyes at you, her arms opening up for a hug and you allowing her to. 

“It’s good to see you, nena.”

Mapi lets you go fairly quickly, letting you take a step back from the group. 

“It’s good to see you all as well, I’ve missed you guys.”

It was murmured under your breath, the loudest you could vocalise without the words hitting you across the chest. 

“We’re going to have to put a stop to your scoring fun tonight I think, 4 braces in a row? Can’t let you get too big for you… what is it the English say? Pants?”

Ingrid rolled her eyes at her girlfriend and her lack of knowledge for English idioms. 

“Britches, but we get your point.”

Mapi nodded, a little sparkle in her eye. 

“Yes, well, me and Lucia will have to work hard to keep your magical feet at bay.”

You laughed humorously, entertaining María. 

“I guess we’ll have to see, you oldies should get to warming up, don’t want to harm those old bones.”

Alexia hit you across the shoulder, rolling her eyes at you before bringing you into a brief hug and then pushing you towards your half of the pitch, where a few of your teammates were already warming up. 

You went through the motions, all of it blurring in your mind as your eyes glazed over the iconic Barcelona stadium, this was once your home, it was the pinnacle of your career, not today though.

Walkingout of the tunnel, and onto the pitch, a crowd full of blue, red and yellow, normally would be the adrenaline hit of a lifetime, enough for you to walk up mount everest, but not today, today it did nothing but make you weak at the knees and sick to your stomach. 

You did your best to avoid your former teammates' eyes as you shook hands before taking your starting positions. 

Mapi was marking you, which wasn’t abnormal for when you were in training, but dealing with it during a game was a whole different playing field. 

She was one of the best centre backs in the game, you knew this, the crowd knew it. 

You were faster though, more agile, quicker on your toes. 

That was your advantage, that was what you had to use against her, and you planned to do so. 

The first thirty minutes saw no shot opportunities for you, Salma and Aitana both managed to slot in their own goals though, leaving Real Madrid and yourself with big room for improvement. 

You put your head down, focused on what you knew you could do, waiting for the opportunity to come, and it finally did in the form of a beautiful cross from Olga that was sent directly to your head and then into the back of the net.

Your team went wild, you were shocked, completely gobsmacked at how the ball managed to somehow slot itself into the corners of the goal, you didn’t have time to wonder though, your whole team engulfed you in a big hug. 

You couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, the crowd booing you as your teammates pushed you back to your position gutted you, never in your life would you have expected to be booed after scoring, but here you were, standing in the stadium of your childhood dreams with a crowd booing at you.

It was then, in that very moment, that everything sort of set in for you, and as Barca kicked off you couldn’t help but find yourself stuck in position, your studs dug into the turf as you willed your legs to move. 

All you could do was sit and watch the ball moving on the other side of the pitch, the blood was rushing to your ears, deafening you of the booing and making you feel like you were in a fishbowl. 

You felt like a spectator, a external part of your body. 

It was only when the ball was being sent your way, in the form of a pass from Bruun that you finally found yourself being able to move, your legs darting towards the ball as you searched for someone in the box, finding Raso and sending the ball soaring towards her before Mapi had the chance to land a tackle against you. 

It was bread and butter, a simple pass, one that you could make in your sleep. 

For whatever reason though, it came off your boot completely wrong, not making the distance nor going remotely anywhere near Hayley. 

You growled in frustration, cursing under your breath as Lucy of all people took possession of the ball and sent it flying as far down the field as her bott could muster. 

Ras sent you a worrying glance, a silent question of what happened, all you could do was shrug and wonder to yourself what was happening? Why was this happening?

You hardly made it to half time, your body just managing to hold itself up long enough to trudge back into the tunnel and down into the Real change rooms, where Alberto was already getting into his half time pep talk. 

You accepted a gatorade and protein bar from one of the trainers, focusing all of your energy on sustaining yourself instead of paying attention. 

You weren’t trying to be respectful, but today, everything was harder than normal, thinking, breathing, moving, living. 

You weren’t sure why, you were fairly sure you didn’t really want to know why, you just knew that today of all days just wasn’t yours, and it made you hate every single part of yourself. 

By the time half time was over and you were making your way back onto the field, your head was somewhere else entirely, everything from the past few weeks playing on repeat in your head. 

You weren’t in the headspace to be doing anything at all, let alone play out a match of football, but it wasn’t like you had a choice. 

It was clear Mapi had picked up on your inattentiveness, her eyebrows furrowed in concern as the both of you tried to watch the ball moving on the other side of the pitch. 

She didn’t push you, she knew better than to, knew from experience that when you got pissed off on the pitch it was a ticking time clock. 

The ball didn’t end up anywhere near your feet until the 80 minute mark, Barca’s midfield managing to stop any attempts at getting the ball into your third. 

It was aggravating, but you were also grateful, because the longer the ball was away from your feet the further your mind began to drift to places you didn’t trust. 

What happened when the game ended?

When you had to go home to Alexia and Lucy and act like all was fine, be their perfect good girl, be whatever they needed or wanted. 

The ball finally made it to your feet, just above the right corner of the penalty box, before you could even look at the goals though, Mapi was edging her feet towards the ball, sending you towards the corner between the baseline and sideline, managing to boot the ball out of bounds. 

You groaned as everybody set up for a corner, slotting yourself into the goals, watching as Robles set up to take the kick, she was searching for you, nestled between Mapi, Sandra and Pina. 

Pina was tugging on your shirt, slowly teetering your off balance and forcing your further forwards then you’d like, closer to the goalpost as every second passed. 

You heard the sound of the ball connecting with Robles foot, all you could do was jump and send your body forward to where the ball was supposed to be heading. 

You closed your eyes and prayed. 

All you felt was an initial contact, it lasted a second at most, the usual length of a header. 

Then you felt your body continuing to propel forwards, and then there was secondary contact. 

This time it was more blunt, harder, more painful, lasting longer, then there was your body thudding against the pitch, your face going down straight into the grass. 

For a few seconds, it was just pure pain, ringing ears, your brain completely unable to process anything more than that. 

It wasn’t until somebody rolled you over and the bright light from the sun started to try and penetrate your eyeballs. 

“Y/n, Y/n, can you hear me?”

You flinched away from the hand that was dusting the turf off of your face, pushing yourself away from whoever was trying to touch you. 

There were more hands though, on your neck and head, preventing you from moving anywhere at all. 

This stressed you out, your ears were still ringing, your head swarming as you tried to focus on the faces hovering above yours. 

“Y/n, keep still, you hit your head pretty hard, nena.”

It’s Mapi’s voice, extra soft and gentle, her head peeking over yours as she pats your hair out of your eyes and the turf off of your face. 

“I’m fine, I’m fine.”

The other people holding your head didn’t give up, holding you still even as you tried to move. 

“Nena, stay, the medics need to check your neck out.”

María’s voice is a little bit sterner, enough for you to let out an annoyed sigh but relax, no longer thrashing against the hands holding your neck and head. 

“Where’s Ale and Luce?”

Your voice is meek and questioning, a little whisper. 

“Lucia is standing a few feet away, Ale is on the sidelines, they’re here for you nena, do you want them?”

Of course you did, they were all you wanted right now, but for whatever reason you shook your head. 

“No, no, no.”

Mapi looked half hurt by your answer, but she didn’t question it. 

“Okay, that’s okay nena, the medics are almost here okay, just stay calm for me.”

Just as the words left María’s mouth a crew of medics were at your side. 

“Hola, how’s your neck and head feeling? You’ve got a nice shiner on your forehead.”

You nodded at the medic, allowing a small smile to fall across your lips. 

“Neck is fine, a little bit stiff, head’s throbbing but it’s fine.”

You knew subconsciously that all of the sub windows for Real had been used, that if you were to leave the pitch your team would be down to ten, and that simply wasn’t an option. 

Barca might have been up by three goals, but there was a part of you that believed that you maybe still had a chance. 

“Okay, well we’re just going to check your neck to be safe, then we’ll concussion test you, sí?”

You shook your head. 

“I’m fine, seriously, it was only a little hit. My head doesn’t even hurt.”

That was a lie, your forehead was throbbing so bad that you were struggling to make out different colours, but there was no way you’d admit that to the team doctor, not if you had any hopes of playing out this match and the ones to come in the next few weeks. 

“Small hit? Your head practically hugged the post.”

That explained the secondary hit. 

“I feel fine, seriously.”

You were doing a piss poor job at trying to be convincing, you knew it, you were fairly sure the medics knew it. 

“We have to clear your c-spine and head for concussion, it’s not up for discussion.”

Your body involuntarily slumped into the turf, as Mapi and whoever else was holding your head moved out of the way for the medics to continue their assessment of you. 

Flash lights shone in your eyes, and your head was tossed in every which way as they assured you that your neck and spine seemed to be intact. 

Once your neck had been checked they allowed you to sit up, painkillers and a drink bottle being forced into your hand. 

“You’ve got a concussion, I’m not sure what stage, you need imaging and a proper examination inside the medical room, you need to come off.”

You shook your head, this was the El Clasico, this was the pinnacle of your season, you weren’t coming off for some collision with a pole. 

“We’re three goals down, I’m not coming off.”

The medic furrowed her brow at you. 

“Two actually, you somehow managed to put the ball in the back of the net, you need to come off.”

Again, you shook your head in complete refusal. 

“Is there a sub window left?”

Your medic bit down on her lip and shook her head, after that your mind was completely made up. 

“So, I’m not going off to leave my team with ten, I’m playing out the next five minutes and stoppage time, I will deal with the repercussions, when we get back to Madrid.”

You didn’t wait for permission, pushed yourself off of the ground, shoving the water bottle into the trainers hands and righting your uniform. 

“Y/n, you need to come off.”

You once again shook your head, sending a thumbs up to the umpire, telling her that you were fine to continue. 

You went back to your position, getting as far away from the yelling from your team doctor. 

Mapi was on your mark, a very concerned look across her face. 

As you took your position beside her, she leant down to whisper in your ear. 

“You should be getting checked out.”

You gritted your teeth, you were so sick of everybody telling you what you were supposed to be doing, what you were supposed to be feeling, it was your call to make, nobody else's. 

“I’m fine.”

The ball kicked off, the sound of the umpires whistle had stars darting across your vision, all of the background noise from the stadium made the pounding in your skull so much worse. 

“That’s bullshit.”

You ran away from María before she had any more of a chance to give her opinion on your current predicament. 

The five minutes were hell, your body was tearing at every seam, the throbbing pain in your head was making it hard for you to breathe, impossible to try and focus on the people around you and where the ball was on the field. 

Mapi was practically dragging you around the field, her hand hovering on your jersey as she directed you around for the last couple of minutes of stoppage time. 

When the final whistle blew, you practically collapsed against your best friend. 

“Hey chica, let’s get you off the pitch, yeah?”

You couldn’t do much more than nod into Mapi’s jersey, allowing her to drag you over to a sideline and into the arms of somebody else, who helped to pull you down into the tunnel and into your locker rooms. 

The Real locker rooms were very quiet, everybody was too bothered in tugging their cleats and kit off as quickly as possible to pay any attention to you, something you were fiercely grateful for. 

You took your time tugging off your uniform, your body slowed down by the blindingly searing headache that was penetrating your head. 

Most of the girls decided against showering in the rooms, there were showers at the hotels and there was an obvious overshadowing feeling that the quicker the girls could leave the stadium, the better. 

You however, were in no rush to leave, so you clawed off your sweaty kit, flinging it into your cubby and then heading towards the showers. 

The hot water against your battered and bruised skin was beautifully painful, it made you feel cleaner, sure your head was pounding but this was like some kind of refuge, at least until Alexia and Lucy came to find you, as soon as that happened you knew you were going to have to put up with two extremely doting and overly-concerned girlfriends. 

You weren’t ready for that, you weren’t ready for the two of them to act like they cared for you, to love you so much for two days all for you to have to leave them once again. 

You couldn’t do it, you couldn’t take up all that love and space all for it to be ripped away, leaving for national camp was hard enough, at least when that happened there was a guarantee you’d see the both of them after it was done. 

You wanted to enjoy their company, how you loved to the most, good, rough, reunion sex. You wanted the two of them to treat you like you were an object, like nothing to them, because that’s how you felt, you felt like just an accessory to their relationship. 

Which was kind of ironic to you, because the relationship had started with just you and Ale, the two of you against the whole world, it was great. Adding Lucy to the equation had been fantastic, she was the missing puzzle piece to every single part of you and Ale’s relationship. 

It just made being apart from the both of them that bit harder when they got to fall into bed with each other every night whilst you were left all alone in your apartment. 

When the boiling water stopped making your skin crawl you stepped out of the shower, drying yourself off procedurally before walking into the empty away rooms and getting yourself changed into a matching plain grey sweatsuit. 

It was neutral, you weren’t going to go home with your Barcelona girlfriends fully kitted in Real hear, but you also didn’t feel up to wearing some of Alexia and Lucy’s clothes, it would break you down well before you were ready for it too. 

Once you were done getting changed you collected up your gear, finally ready to go see Lucy and Alexia, but you were stopped in the doorway by your favourite team doctor. 

“You need scans, and a proper examination.”

You knew theoretically she was right, you did need scans, to make sure that there were no brain bleeds or a significant traumatic injury, but you really didn’t want to either. 

“I’m fine, a big bruise and a concussion but apart from that I’m fine.”

You’d tried your very hardest to cover up the bruise, but it was hopeless. There was a big, red, slowly forming bruise down the left side of your face where you’d made contact with the pole. 

You were honestly unsure so far as to whether your cheek bone or eye socket were broken, they sure felt like they were but you figured at least it wasn’t your nose. You’d dealt with a broken nose and it was probably up there on the list of one of the worst injuries you’d ever dealt with in terms of practicality. 

“You know just as well as I do that you can’t be cleared to leave without an examination.”

You rolled your eyes, an action that hurt a lot more than it probably should have. 

“Maya, c’mon, it’s my few days off, as soon as I’m back in Madrid you can assess me every way you want, but just let me rest for now.”

She didn’t move from the doorway, her stare beating down on you. 

“You’re going to stay with Putellas, sí?”

You nodded your head, trying to hurry the conversation along. 

“I want to speak to her, if you’re going to refuse medical care then the person who you’ll be in company with needs to be aware of the complications that could occur.”

That was almost enough to convince you to get the examination, Alexia was hell when she was aware you were injured, she’d probably make you get the scans and exam. 

“I’ll tell her, it’s not that big of a deal, we both know concussion protocol.”

You were really hoping she’d believe you, but you knew as soon as you saw the look on her face that she could see straight through the lie. 

“If it’s not that big of a deal then you’ll let me accompany you to the Barca rooms and talk to your girlfriend.”

You couldn’t be bothered with the fight, so you just nodded your head, pushing your way through the door and navigating yourself with ease to the home changerooms. 

They were rooms that you were familiar with, you knew Camp Nou like that back of your hand, it was probably your favourite place on earth. 

The atmosphere, the history, everything that resonated in Camp Nou was magical. 

You hesitated before pushing your way through the locker room door, pushing out all of the doubt in your mind when a Rosaliá song hit your ears and the sound of tone deaf singing rang out. 

It was a beautiful sight, watching your ex teammates celebrate a well deserved win, dancing, drinking, singing, it was the magic of the El Clasicó. 

It hurt your head, but it still managed to put a little smile on your face, you shrunk into the doorway, observing the utter excitement and happiness on all of the girls' faces. 

Ingrid was the first to realise you’d joined them all, and before you could even really smile at her she was walking towards you with open arms and wrapping you up in her embrace. 

It was nice, homey, she smelt like sweat, grass clippings and oranges. 

“Hola bebita, how are you feeling?”

Ingrid was probably the best person for you to have initially run into, she was soft and kind and possibly one of the most empathetic and caring people you’d ever met. 

“I’m okay, I miss you guys more than anything.”

Ingrid pulled you out of her arms, only to lean down and press a little chaste kiss to your forehead before wrapping an arm around your shoulders. 

“You know we will always be your home, and you’ll be back soon enough, this Real thing isn’t for forever, you’ll be back with all of us soon enough.”

Soon enough couldn’t come quicker for you, you quite literally were counting down the days before you were finally back in blaugrana. 

“Yes, well I suppose that is the positive.”

Ingrid nodded at you, a big smile on her face as the both of you watched the group of girls. 

“Ale had to go and deal with some press conference things, Lucy should be just finishing up in the showers if you're ready to go. I know the two of them were eager to head home as soon as you showed up.”

You smiled a little bit and nodded, as fun as the celebrations that you knew would come tonight sounded, you definitely weren’t feeling up to it at the minute. 

“That’s fine, I’ll just wait around until they’re done.”

Ingrid nodded, giving you another smile. 

“You’re welcome to sit wherever you’d like, would you like an ice pack for your face?”

You snorted, looking back at Maya, who already had one in her hands. 

“I think we’re all good on the ice situation here, Maya is hell bent on talking to one of my carers, so she’ll be waiting around with me for now.”

Ingrid looked behind you to wave and flash another smile at your doctor. 

“Good, someone needs to look after you, because we all know that you won’t be doing it. Here’s Lucia now, you won’t have to wait long.”

Your eyes locked onto your girlfriend, who had emerged from the showers, her hair damp on her shoulders. She was dressed in pj pants of all things and one of Alexia’s vintage Barca hoodies. 

Her knee was strapped up and already had an icepack secured to it, something that was routine for Lucy after any game. 

“Lucia, your girl is here for you.”

It was the loud and painful voice of Patri that made you roll your eyes, but sure enough it managed to get ahold of Lucy’s attention, her head rising from her phone and searching for you until she located you in the doorway of the rooms. 

Immediately her face lit up, and she was running towards you as quickly as she could with one of her legs so restricted. 

“Nina Bonita!”

Before you could say anything her arms were wrapping around you, bringing you to her chest as she cradled you gently into her. 

“You were magnifico, mi amor, how’s the head?”

You roll your eyes painfully once again at the concern. 

“It’s okay, nothing that some chill time with my favourite girls won’t fix.”

Lucy smirks at you, a big wide grin like the cheshire cat. 

“Well, I think me and Ale are more than happy to amor, but let’s not forget you’ve been misbehaving the last few weeks.”

This was good, this was normal, this wasn’t life being overshadowed by pity. 

“Y/n, I need to talk to a caregiver.”

You were brought out of your happy bubble by the sound of your medic. 

You swivelled on you heel, pinching your face when the rotation hit you and you began to be a little bit dizzy. 

“Lucy, Maya, Maya, Lucy, this is our team doctor, she wants to chat to you about my head injury, which is not major at all, I feel fine.”

Lucy’s face expression changed into something less recognisable, a mixture of concern and something else. 

“Well if it concerns your health then it’s best we have a chat. How about we talk outside then, stay with Ingrid, we’ll be just a minute and once we’re done we can head home little one.”

Lucy patted you on the back, giving you absolutely zero opportunity to argue before she was exiting the change rooms, taking Maya with her. 

It made you frown, but before you could follow them out one of Ingrid’s arms was wrapped around you, followed by Mapi’s, essentially sandwiching you between the couple. 

“Hola, how’s your head, nena, I was worried for a good second, I’m surprised they didn’t veto you on the head injury rule to get you off the pitch.”

Mapi’s voice was a whisper, hard to pick up in the room of cacophonous sound, but you heard it. 

“It’s sore, but I’ll be okay.”

Mapi whispered directly into your ear, to avoid Ingrid. 

“You’re always okay, nena, that’s the problem, it’s eating you up, before you know everything inside you will be gone.”

You tried your best to keep a straight face, it was hard though when what Mapi was saying to you was making you tremble. 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about María.”

She was relentless as always, she was like an annoying younger sister to you, always prodding, even if she was technically older than you. 

“I’ve been where you are, before Ingrid, when I was spiralling, you know it, you saw it all, and now I’m seeing it in you. Telling you from personal experience, hiding from your loved ones only gets you so far, and worrying them only makes it that much worse. Pretending and lying, it only makes everything worse.”

It hurts, because it’s true, but you keep a straight face, determined not to give into Mapi’s games. 

“María, now you’ve actually got no idea what you are talking about.”

Mapi pulls you from Ingrid, who seems a little bit confused but lets it go. 

Mapi pushes you up against the wall gently, right beside the door, her hands pushing on your shoulders to keep you where she's put you. 

“You might be right, I don’t know exactly what’s happening in your life. But I’ve seen the look in your eyes, whatever is going through your head, whatever thoughts your having out there in Madrid, if they aren’t getting back to Ale, then you know you’ll be in trouble, so get your head out of your ass and start to talk about your feelings instead of shoving them down your throat until you are choking on them. That cowboy shit you pulled today to put that ball in the net was stupid, you were asking for a hospital trip, you are lucky you didn’t get stretchered off the pitch, so count your lucky stars because if there is a next time I can guarantee you it will be a far worse outcome.”

Mapi released you from the wall, just in time for the door next to you to open up and Lucy to return inside the rooms. 

“Have you got all your things?”

Lucy’s face was pointed and pinched, and slightly scary. You nodded at her quickly. 

“Wait outside for me, I need to grab my bag.”

It was the kind of voice that Alexia used on you, the mommyish anger that she used when you’d done something to piss her off. 

So, knowing what the most likely consequence of disobeying Lucy would be, you just nodded your head, stepping out of the rooms and finding solace in the silence that hit your ears. 

It made your head hurt far less, the silence highly appreciated inside your brain. 

Lucy took maybe 30 seconds, before she emerged from the rooms, the same solemn look on her face. 

“Let’s go y/n.”

Lucy didn’t refer to you by your name, it was always a variation of some pet name, it burnt you in a way. 

Lucy didn’t wait for you, she marched forward, straight towards the staff car park. 

You struggled to keep up, your sore bones lacking the strength to keep up with her, but you managed well enough. 

When you made it to Lucy’s car she was already seated in the driver's seat, leaving you to sling your bag in the backseat before sliding into the passenger's seat. 

Lucy stayed silent until the two of you had pulled out onto the main road, until you made it to a red light, and then she was turning to you. 

“You didn’t get examined, or scans, we should be going to a hospital, can you imagine what Alexia would say if she knew?”

You’d known this was inevitably coming, you’d just expected it to come from Alexia, not Lucy. 

“Please, don’t tell Ale, she’s mad enough as it is, I feel fine, if I wasn’t one hundred percent sure that it was just a minor concussion I would get the mri or whatever, but they take hours, and then hours to get the result, all I wanted was too come home to you and Ale as soon as possible, I miss you guys.”

Lucy took a deep breath, this situation was no different to all the other times you’d had to convince her to join in on your plans to disobey Alexia. 

“You put yourself in danger, Ale would be furious.”

It’s a deliberation, like Lucy is trying to weigh up the pros and cons in her mind. 

“Exactly, she would be furious, which will do nothing, I’ve already made the decision, if anything feels wrong I’ll let you know, but I feel fine Luce, all I want to do is get what I’m owed from my girlfriends and enjoy you guys’ company whilst I can.”

You know Lucy’s folded when she sighs, her eyes coming off of the road once again, the orbs softening towards you. 

“Alexia’s furious, those little videos and photos have got you deep in the shit, the only thing that’s saving you from that is admitting you're injured. You might be good enough to pretend with me but I know that head of yours can’t handle what she’s ready to give you.”

You knew that Lucy was right, it was one or the other with Alexia. 

“I’m not weak, I knew what I was doing, I can deal with the consequences.”

Your words are said with gritted teeth and furrowed brows. 

“You're a determined little brat aren’t you, if I didn’t know you well I’d think you were fine, but you aren’t, if you were fine you wouldn’t be acting out at every opportunity you could.”

The underlying message is that Lucy isn’t just talking about your injury, which makes you annoyed, because you’d been trying so hard to mask it with defiance and cheekiness, but Lucy’s seen through it, which most likely means that Ale has as well. 

“Can’t you just punish me without all the feelings and shit.”

You’re asking for a reprieve, for a break from all of the concern, all you want is to fall into the arms of your girlfriends without any feelings. 

“I would love to, but that’s Ale’s job, I just get to sit back and enjoy the show.” 

You bite your lip, turning to look out the window as you slowly crawl closer to your girlfriend's shared house, previously it was yours as well, but not anymore. 

“Where is Ale anyways, didn’t you drive together?”

It’s a deflection, one you are fairly proud of. 

“She had some media commitments, she should be home by the time we get there, we drove in by ourselves for convenience.”

It’s said just as you pull into the driveway to see Alexia’s car already parked in front of the house. 

Lucy stops the car, but she doesn’t pull the keys out immediately, just turning off the ignition. 

“Take a breath.”

You nod at Lucy, eyes wide as you take a forced breath. 

“Alexia and I love you, when you are away we miss you more than anything, it’s not the same without you around. If you are feeling like shit because you are injured we want to know, and we won’t be mad at you, I know for a fact that Alexia will be far angrier if you lie to her about it.”

You nodded briefly, trying to absorb Lucy’s words before you opened the car door and grabbed your bag from the backseat. 

When you made it to the front door you hesitated before opening it up, leaving Lucy to lock it behind you. 

You toed your shoes off, stacking them on the rack that Alexia had put at the front door to prevent the mess of shoes that normally accumulated around the apartment. 

You walked slowly down the hallway, into the kitchen, where you found Alexia hunched over the island, looking intently at her phone. 

“Hola.”

Your voice is soft, you don’t want to break the sound barrier but you feel like you have to. 

Alexia looks up and her facial expression scares you a little bit, it’s stern, but you aren’t quite sure what she’s mad about. 

“Come here.”

You bite down on your lip, walking towards Alexia tentatively until you are directly in front of her. 

Her hands go straight to your face, pointing your jaw downwards so she can take a proper look at the damage across your face. 

“You were looking to break your neck on that corner, estúpida.”

Alexia continues her close up examination, studying the bruising and swelling. 

“How bad is it, don’t you dare lie to me.”

Alexia’s face is so stern, it almost scares you into admitting just how horrible you feel, but you can’t, you just can’t.

“It’s sore, but I feel fine, it’ll bruise up a treat but it’s not that bad.”

You pray to whatever god that is listening that Alexia believes you. 

“You feel good enough to take your punishment then?”

There’s something in Alexia’s eyes that you aren’t used to, it makes you a little bit tentative. 

“Yes ma’am.”

Alexia’s eyebrow raises, it’s like a dance between the two of you, the both of you waiting to call each other's bluff. 

“You’ve been misbehaving, sí, I think you’re well overdue, bend over the table for me.”

You force yourself to take a deep breath, it’s unlike Alexia to be so harsh, to be so forward, especially considering that you’ve been gone for so long. 

You look back at Lucy, a little bit of hope in your eyes that she’ll save you with some weak excuse. 

“Ale, I don’t know if that’s a good id-.”

Alexia sent a glare Lucy’s way, her hand pressing itself against your lower back to push you over the table. 

“She says she’s fine, if she wasn’t fine then she’d tell me, right bebita, because we trust each other. We don’t lie to each other.”

Suddenly you feel a wave of guilt deep in your stomach, Alexia knows you’ve lied to her, that’s why she’s mad. 

“Lucia, go and get my belt for me, the thick brown one.”

You blink a few times, unsure if you’ve heard Alexia right, you’ve played around with a belt once or twice, but it’s not something that Alexia regularly punishes you with, more something for a little bit of funishment, a few lashes here and there but nothing truly painful. 

“Alexia-.”

Alexia must give Lucy another look because she stops mid sentence once again. 

“Lucia, don’t make me ask again, or else you’ll be joining her.”

Then there's the sound of footsteps going down the hallway, into the main bedroom, rustling around for ten seconds and then returning. 

You flinch when you hear the sound of Alexia tossing a belt in her hands, the sound of the buckle clinking against the leather. 

She reaches for the hem of your sweatpants, you flinch away from her touch, she doesn’t question it, making quick work of tugging down your pants, leaving you butt naked. 

You shiver from the sudden feeling of cold air brushing down against your skin. 

You hear Alexia fold the belt in two, your senses heightened weirdly from the headache across your temple. 

Then you hear her raise the leather, and suddenly you realise you can’t breathe. 

Just as you hear the sound of leather slicing through the air you realise that you can’t do it, you can’t do this. 

“Red-fuck-red.”

The words are choken between gasps for air and sobs, your body going limp against the counter. 

It’s then that you realise the pain, the feeling, it never comes, the feeling of the belt connecting with your ass never comes, which makes you even more confused. 

“Lucia, bath, now.”

There is urgency in Alexia’s voice, a discomposure that wasn’t there previously. 

Alexia’s hand falls to the lowest point of your back, her other one tugging your sweatpants up. 

“Deep breaths for me nina bonita, big deep breaths.”

Alexia gently flips you over, her face so much kinder and softer than it was a few minutes ago. 

“You-You didn’t hit me, you didn’t punish me.”

Alexia rolls her eyes softly, it’s just like you to be completely stressed out about something that doesn’t really matter that much really. 

“I didn’t need to. You safeworded, which I’m very proud of you for doing, because you weren’t feeling up to it, I just needed to remind you that it’s okay to admit that, you don’t have to be brave all the time, especially when you are injured, now, it’s time to get you into the bath and bed, no screens or lights for you, you’re on concussion protocol for the next few weeks, which means that if I can have it my way you’ll be staying with us for a little bit longer, how does that sound?”

You force yourself to take some deep breaths to calm yourself, you're still crying but the gut wrenching sobs have come to a more steady halt. 

“Don’t want to be a bother, you guys need a break from me.”

Alexia looks at you with hurt in her eyes.

“A bother? Bonita, you are the glue for this whole situation. We need you here, more than anything, we’ve been broken without you here, if I had it my way you would have been on a train home weeks ago, but Jonatan is being an asshole, that cábron will thankfully be gone next year, so at least you’ll be coming home without having to bother with that, hm?”

You don’t really understand what Alexia is saying, suddenly your head is hurting too much for anything to really make sense. 

Alexia seems to understand it, because she leans down to pick you up, you attach yourself to her, koala wrapping yourself around her body, leaning into the warmth that she provides. 

“I’ve got you bonita, not letting go for a long time, you need Lucia and I to remind you just how much we love you, and we’ll spend the next few weeks doing just that okay, no more hiding behind facetime calls and text messages anymore, we’re here for all of it.”

[wearysaer]

"Long ago, the Crystal Pool was infused with crystalline material from an unknown source. Its water has a faint glow, but it’s safe to drink and even serves as the village’s water source. Tales say that gazing upon the glowing water can allow you to meet those who have passed on."

Finding this location in Kitakami and reading the sign there kinda gave me brain worms.

[Some thoughts that include a mild Perrin quest spoiler under the cut]

Kitakami seems to be based on the Tōhoku region, which is right south of Hokkaidō (the equivalent of Hisui/Sinnoh).

This places the regions very close to each other, something that is also confirmed by Perrin when she talks about an Ursaluna having crossed the water long ago to reach Kitakami.

If one was to attempt travel to look for hints at their past, it'd probably be the best place to start.

[hellcheerficdatabase]

Chantilly Lace

Author: @mspoppy9981

Rating/Warning: Explicit

Chapter Count: 1/1 (Part 2 of You Wear it Well series)

Description:

Chrissy knew what she liked…lace. If she could dream up the perfect wedding gown it would definitely have lace. A lovely, unique gown with an intricate lace.

Then she saw it. As if the store read her mind, she pulled the gown from the rack and went to a full length mirror close by. She was in love!

She hunted down the attendant.

“Could I try this on please?” Chrissy asked.

The attendant guided her over to the fitting room.

Once the dress was on, she walked out into the store. There was a sort of stage area, with a platform surrounded by mirrors. All eyes were on Chrissy, she was a vision.

Tags: Alternate Universe- no venca, wedding fluff, fluff, lil bit of angst, thanks laura, happy ending, proposal, we love Wayne here, Chrissy POV, one-shot, part of a series, status: completed

[c-hrona]

A Rough Night

Basically the thought process for this was:

“I really really want to do a comic full manga style” + “I really really want to draw TriStamp again” + “I really really want to draw some Wolfwood’s angst”

And that's it. That's the comic.

[save-the-villainous-cat]

ruthless hero who destroys everyone verbally, doesnt take shit + chatty villain who just grins and loves banter(if its not too much) have a great day!

The hero swallowed.

Although the gun was shaking in their hand, they took in a deep breath and steadied their mind. No time for second thoughts.

This was it. They’d been searching for the villain for weeks now. They’d finally found them and they were not going to let them escape again.

“Oh?” the villain asked. They eyed the hero carefully, as if the hero was the object of their attention instead of the gun. They were sitting on the couch in their lair with all the casualness in the world. “Aren’t you a little too confident for your own good, darling?”

“Aren’t you?”

The villain cocked their head and the grin followed as so often. They stood up slowly and raised their hands but despite their actions of surrender, they were clearly mocking the hero.

“Mhmm. That’s how it is, I see. How spunky you can be…”

Determined, the hero took their handcuffs and threw them into the villain’s direction. Even though the villain seemed to be more confused than intrigued, they caught and inspected them.

“Cuff yourself,” the hero said.

“Gosh, you can be so kinky.”

“And you’ll be bleeding out in a few seconds if you don’t do as I say.” Their grip around the gun tightened. It didn’t matter that the villain had saved them so many times. It didn’t matter that they were occasionally nice.

It didn’t matter because the hero had a job to do.

They had to arrest them.

The villain rolled their eyes.

“All bark, no bite.”

“Would you like to find out? I recall breaking your arm pretty easily,” the hero said. They were aiming at the villain’s shoulder and slowly, very slowly, their anxiousness faded. It was a job like every other.

A villain, just like all the others.

Shooting at them in this moment seemed irrational. They weren’t a threat nor were they extraordinarily provoking them. Of course the hero knew it would be difficult to explain to the team how the villain had surrendered without much of a struggle.

They had to find a solution to that later.

“Mistakes happen in the heat of the moment. I understand you were distracted by my muscles flexing during the fight.” The villain was in a good mood, as so often. But the hero could also sense some sort of uncertainty.

It was in the movement of their fingers that traced the handcuffs. In their restless eyes that went over the hero again and again. If they wanted to admit it or not, the hero had surprised them.

And that was something the villain absolutely despised. Surprises. Not being in control. Not knowing what happens next.

“I can assure you it was intentional. Your muscles aren’t that special.”

“Ouch.” The villain contorted their face as if they were truly hurt. The mockery should’ve made it easier. But it didn’t.

The hero turned off the gun’s safety.

“Handcuffs. Now.”

“Fine.” The villain cuffed themselves, one wrist after the other. Once they were finished, they stretched their arms out and presented themselves. “Am I not the sweetest present?”

“The most annoying, definitely. Sit down.” The villain did as the hero commanded and leaned back, pushing their hips forward. Lounging like that was definitely not what the hero wanted them to do.

They’d been chasing the villain for weeks and they were determined to put them behind bars. Whatever had happened in the past, it was gone now. The hero had let go of it and could only pray the villain had done that too.

“We’ll wait here until my team arrives.”

“I suppose that’s enough time for me to escape. You know you love our little hide-and-seek game.” Their smile was genuine and sweet. The hero didn’t know what to make of that.

“No, this is it. It’s over. I can’t let you go.”

“But you will. You’re still so soft for me.”

“You’re really not as important to me as you think.” Then why are you hesitating?

“You’re not as cold as you think,” the villain said. “Not when it comes to me.”

They jiggled with the handcuffs. The hero could hear their own pulse.

“Just tell your team it was a good fight and I escaped, hm? Just like last time,” the villain suggested. Sweat was running down the hero’s back. Their fingers were ice cold.

“I cannot do that.”

“You’ve done it before, darling,” the villain said. “As long as I can walk, I can still escape. You know I’m skilled enough to do that.”

“Then why are you still here?”

“I enjoy my time with you,” the villain said. They looked at the ground. “…and I still have feelings for you.”

The hero felt sick in their stomach.

“I wish you hadn’t said that.” Suddenly, the hero lowered their gun and pulled the trigger. They couldn’t let them escape again. They couldn’t put their own feelings before their responsibilities. As soon as they pulled the trigger, they regretted it.

Their heavy heart sank fast.

They hoped one day they could forget the villain’s reaction when the bullet entered their knee. That stare of utter fear and betrayal. That scream and those tears of pain.

But that would haunt them forever.

[nebuladreamz]

Part 1: Here

THIS TOOK SO FUCKING LONG MAN IM SORRY FOR TAKING DAYS