#okay done yelling at my characters now lol

[crimezi]

I just came from your Last of Us uquiz, and your playlists are amazing! You have such great taste in music, and listening to them, especially Bill's (who has fast become my special favorite) has been incredibly fun.

This is currently my first playthrough of the game, and having these playlists is adding an extra layer of enjoyment to an already enjoyable activity.

(And you have one for the Bad Kids, too!!)

Anyway, super cool, have a great day!

AGHJDHGHFJKDJD THAT'S AMAZING I'M SO HAPPY THAT YOU LIKE MY PLAYLISTS ENOUGH TO LISTEN TO THEM WHILE PLAYING TOO I MADE THEM FOR ME TO DO THE SAME ON MY 29TH PLAYTHROUGH AND THE IDEA THEY CAN ENHANCE A FIRST-TIME IS INSANE. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING AND LIKING THEM!!! <3

okay, i legit had to walk away because i was like bright red with glee. uh yeah, im really proud of tlou playlists since i think about the characters practically all the time, and im desperate for all my playlists to feel like the characters they're for so i get to listen to amazing music and think of my blorbos. hope you have a great day too!!

[rivatar]

Do you still hate me?

MDNI!!🔞

w/c: 2.7k

Pairing: Aged!Up!Neteyam x Fem!Omatikaya!Reader

Warnings: explicit smut, enemies to lovers, reference of rape, fist fighting, mean Neteyam, dominant Neteyam, cussing, some degrading/dirty talk, porn w plot, I think that’s it??

Summary: enemies to loverssss w Neteyam! Lo’ak is your best friend and it’s caused a rift between you and Neteyam. Hatefulness turns into desire.

A/n: Hey guys! Just wanna let everyone know that I’m only gonna be writing porn w plot lol. So all my character are aged up. I like to have a backstory that builds up the tension, I think it’s so much better but I’m sorry if you think it’s too long or it’s not your thing! Also PLEASE send me ALL your requests and I will do them but please note that I’m only gonna be doing pairings with Jake, Neteyam, and Lo’ak. Enjoy!! 😘

“Hey, wait up!” you call out to Lo’ak. You two were exploring the forest of Pandora, a pastime you’ve both always enjoyed since you were little kids.

“Keep up loser! Not waiting on your skxawng ass!” he yells, not looking back and continuing to run and leap along the terrain.

You and Lo’ak were best friends, platonic soulmates really. Y’all were known for your mischievous behavior and carefreeness, though it’s toned down a lot now at your ages, you being 20 and him being 21. He liked to tease you and call you a baby although he was only older by a few months. Typical Lo’ak behavior.

Growing up you could always count on him for a good time, he was always making you laugh and cutting up with you after your daily schooling and duties were done. The grown ups and your parents would tease you both that you would grow up to be mates. You both thought ‘ewwww’ to that and still do. You loved him very much but not in that way. You were never jealous over each other, you both could talk about your crushes and so forth. There was a sense of respect in your friendship, and being okay that you were just friends and y’all truly didn’t want to ruin that friendship with anything romantic.

Now huffing and puffing and hunching over to catch your breath, you finally caught up to him since y’all were at the edge of the cliff now, right beside a waterfall. It was beautiful.

You stepped to the edge and he playfully tapped you as if pretending to push you off. You get into a play stance and aim to grab his tail. “Skxawng!” you laugh.

“Coming from you?!” he counters. “Hey, mom said she was making teylu tonight, your favorite. Come eat?”

You consider it for a second. Your parents often complained you were at the Sully’s too much, especially when Lo’ak invited you for dinner. And there was also gonna be Neteyam over there… the grumpiest asshole who often tested your patience. But you thought of the mouth-watering teylu and forgot about everything else.

“I guess so. Not because you asked but because I want teylu.” you teased. He just rolled his eyes with a smile and you two headed back to the Sully’s hut.

…

Back at the hut, you and Lo’ak entered in. “Y/n! I’m glad to see you, will you help me finish dinner?” Neytiri asked. She’s always liked you. “Of course!” you smiled.

After you two finished making dinner, she called everyone to come gather to eat in a circle. You took your usual place next to Lo’ak. Then Neteyam walks into the room. He makes eye contact with you and instantly tenses up. He looks away and resumes his broodiness. He was always like this around you. You would catch him laughing and being carefree around others, but it seemed like he absolutely hated you. Like your presence just sickened him. You couldn’t understand why though, all you ever were was nice to him. So now you do hold a grudge against him as all your efforts to be nice have done nothing.

Everyone ate dinner and made small talk about their days. You avoided eye contact with Neteyam of course. “Thank you for dinner mom, it’s delicious.” Neteyam says. “Thank you son but y/n helped me with it, she deserves some appreciation too!” Neytiri chirps.

Neteyam slowed his chewing and looked over at you. “Thank you, y/n” he mumbles. The tension is palpable and the silence is awkward. Everyone knows Neteyam doesn’t take well to you, though they don’t understand why.

After dinner, everyone starts cleaning and doing their own thing as they get ready for bed and settle down. You were looking for Lo’ak and about to cut the corner as you heard him and Neteyam speaking. You freeze and listen closely.

“Why do you always bring her for dinner? You know it’s family time. And plus don’t you ever get tired of being with her all the time?” Neteyam spits.

“Bro, why do you hate her so much? She’s done nothing to you and she’s my friend. Get over yourself,” Lo’ak storms away and before you can move your hiding spot, he runs right into you. You were definitely caught listening and he sees your hurt face. He ushers you away where Neteyam can’t hear or see you and starts trying to calm you. It doesn’t work much and you decide to just head home since you feel so unwanted there. Lo’ak offers to walk you back but you decline and say you want to blow off some steam on your walk by yourself.

…

As you were walking, all these thoughts were going through your head. You were distracted and not paying attention to your surroundings. Then you hear chuckling and low voices. You turn around and see two guys who you recognize but don’t know their names.

“Hey pretty girl, what’re you doing out here so late and all alone?”

The other one approaches you and you try to back up but are backed into a tree. He slides his finger underneath the strap of your top and smiles menacingly at you. “It seems like she wants some attention, huh? Like she’s asking for it..” they chuckle.

Your eyes are wide with fear and adrenaline is coursing through your veins as the realization sets in that you are in serious danger. You regret not letting Lo’ak walk you home.

Then suddenly the one closest to you is stripped away and falls to the ground. It takes you a minute to recognize who it is now punching him ruthlessly and you see that it’s… Neteyam?

The other one tries to get Neteyam off his friend but then he gets sucker punched into the oblivion. You’re just gawking but then finally snap into reality. “Neteyam, stop!!”

He hears your plead and stops. He raised up slowly and is peering down at the guys with their faces bleeding now. “Stay the fuck away from her or next time I’ll kill you both.”

They scatter off and don’t say a word. You’re breathing heavy because a lot just happened. You glance at Neteyam and he holds your gaze as his chest heaves up and down. He turns and starts walking away. Where is he going after what just happened??

“Neteyam, wait!” You run up and grab his arm to turn him to you. His eyes bore into your soul. There’s just a moment of silence as you try to think of the words to say.

“T-thank you for saving me… from those guys” You look down at the ground because you can’t hold his intense eye contact.

He barely nods his head in response and backs away. “You shouldn’t be out here alone this late. Stupid girl. And maybe you should put some more clothes on, you leave nothing to the imagination” He scolds.

Stupid? This was his fault! And commenting on your lack of clothes?? Hell no. “Then next time don’t save me, mighty warrior.” You mocked. “I don’t need you and you don’t impress me like you do everyone else. And you’re not the boss of me”

He just chuckled. “No but if you were mine you would know who was boss.” He towered over you.

Huh? This is outrageous and the most you and Neteyam have ever talked and this is how it goes??

“You’re CRAZY” you shout and push him hard on his chest. “I hate you.” You push him again.

His ears fold back. He can’t hold back anymore.

He grabs both your forearms and pulls you all the way to him and bends down to your ear. “You know what, sevin? I hate you too.” He pulls back and his eyes lock on yours. “I hate how bad I’ve wanted you for so long and you would never even look my way. Too occupied with my brother. I bet you’ve already let him fuck you. I could almost kill him for the fact you’ve always chosen him and not me.” He’s near trembling from a mixture of anger, hurt, and desire.

The truth was he hated seeing you with Lo’ak so much because it was a constant reminder that you weren’t with him. It frustrated him that Lo’ak was the one who got to spend time with you and make you laugh. It should be him, not his baby brother.

His confession has you dizzy, confused and breathless. You couldn’t believe what he just said and questioned if you were in a dream for a second. But no, this was real. Your body was betraying you by being hot all over from his scent in your nose and his breath falling on your skin.

His eyes are searching yours for answer, for anything. You really are just speechless though. He sighs and let’s go of you, ashamed. He goes to walk away and you grab him again to swing him around toward you.

“I’m sorry…” you reach up to hold his cheek with a light touch. “I didn’t know…” your voice cracks a little. “You should’ve told me, you idiot.” You pause for a second, “Lo’ak has not had me. Nobody has.” You confess.

You feel like you’re having an out of body experience but it feels so right. Maybe you were too tired but you honestly felt that Neteyam was being genuine. This realization quickly turned into need.

You go up on your toes to surprise him with a kiss. It’s sweet and warm. You loved the taste of him. You wanted more.

“I’m so sorry, y/n. I have handled this wrong and I am an idiot.”

He swooped back down to press another kiss on you. You open your mouth a little to let his tongue swipe in. The feeling goes straight down to your core that’s gaining more and more slick.

He pulls back and takes a deep breath in. “I smell you, tiyawn. You smell like heaven.” You blush at the fact that your body can’t lie to him. You do want him, want him bad. Even after all his bullshit. But you decided to put your pride aside.

“I need you, Neteyam. Please” you beg. His eyes turn from gentle to dark. Not in the way you’re used to seeing, but dark in a way that was primal. Like a predator watching it’s prey.

“Are you sure?”

You nod yes. He wastes no time and swoops you up bridal style. You look at him with questioning eyes as to where you’re going. “What’s the matter, sevin? Thought I was gonna take you right here for everyone to hear and see?”

…

Once he finds a nice secluded spot with cushiony moss, he lays you down swiftly on it.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this,” he lowers himself on you and plants sloppy kisses on your neck and collar bone. Your breath quickens.

“You’ve no idea how long you’ve visited me in my dreams” he kisses lower, hand snaking up under your top to reveal your breasts.

“Fuck” he breathes. He squeezes his eyes shut and his head drops down. “I could almost cum at the sight of you”

He latched onto one nipple, gently nibbling on it with his teeth. He takes the other in his finger and starts pulling, pinching, rolling.

“Oh!” You cry out and arch back.

“That’s right, syulang. Gonna make you feel so fucking good”

He starts kissing down your stomach and around your hips as he unties your loincloth and slides it down.

“Fuckkk. You’re soaked, y/n. All for me?”

You nod frantically. He grins and gathers some slick from your aching cunt. It glistens on his fingers as he admires it. He sucks them clean.

“So sweet. So fucking sweet”

He lowers himself down to let his face hover over your sex, pulling your soft, plush thighs on top of his shoulders. He looks up at you through his eyebrows and starts feasting.

Electricity courses through your veins and you feel high. “Neteyammm” you whine pathetically. He continues lapping you up and the sounds are straight up sinful. You didn’t want it to ever end.

“Don’t stop!!” You cry. He just moans and groans on you, sending vibrations through you, hitting the spot.

You feel the high coming, it feels overwhelming and all consuming. You have no control over your body now, he has you completely.

“Gonna cum!! Neteyam!!” You pant and squirm, trying to get out of his hold.

He inserts a finger into your hole, “Cum on my face, pretty girl”. His low voice and words send you over the edge. You see stars and your eyes roll back to your head.

“HOLY FUCK!” You scream. He lets you ride out your orgasm on his fingers and face. He’s now covered in all your juices and licks up as much as he can.

“Shit, y/n. Wanna taste you forever” he groans.

You’re panting trying to catch your breath. Eyes half lidded and looking delirious. He raises up and you shift your gaze down to his tented bulge. “Show me” you point with a weak finger.

He flashes a big grin. “Being bossy are we? Who’d I tell you was the boss around here?”

You roll your eyes and softly chuckle. “Please Neteyam. Don’t tease me.” You wiggle towards him and open wide. You look up at him with siren eyes. The playfulness in him goes away and is replaced with hunger once again. He unties his loincloth and tossed it to the side. You bite your lip in anticipation.

He lines up his cock with your entrance and pushes in. The stretch was so good, as he brushed past all the right places. You looked at him and you both held eye contact, staring into each others souls. As he pushed and pushed you both shared looks of pain and pleasure, mouths agape and eyes fixated on the other. He finally bottomed out as far he could go, you couldn’t believe how full you were. Full of Neteyam, your worst enemy. Or so you had thought.

“Ready tìyawn?”

“Yes!! Go!!” You beg. He pulls out and slams back in.

“Oh, fuck!!” You yell. He starts a pace that has you losing your mind. He lowly groans and occasionally grunts.

“I wonder what your best friend Lo’ak would think about you under me, huh?”

You can only manage to moan in response. You can’t think about anything but your pleasure and Neteyam’s dick stuffed inside you.

He grabs your face and gets nose to nose. “Tell me, will Lo’ak ever get to see you so needy under him like this?” He never stops with his pace, skin steadily slapping and breaths and whines collecting in the air.

“N-no. We’re just friends” you whisper.

“Promise??”

“Yes!!! Please Neteyam!”

“Please what?”

“Make me cum!!”

He growls at your needy plea and fucked out appearance. He speeds up and buries his face in your neck. He’s losing it and feels his own release approaching.

“Shittttt, y/n. You feel so damn good. Please don’t let this be the last time I ever get to be in this pussy” he breathes on you.

You’re so fucked out you can barely form a complete thought but you understand his request. “It’s yours Neteyam! All yours!!”

He moans in appreciation. You feel the coil about to burst and hold onto him tight as he rocks into you ruthlessly.

“Neteyam!!”

“Mmmmmmm” he’s muffled from being in the crook of your neck.

You both cum at the same time, spasming on each other. He releases his load inside you and you take it in greedily while you come down from your climax. He stills and goes limp on you.

“Do you still hate me?” He jokes.

You roll your eyes and swat him playfully. “The bigger question is how are we gonna tell Lo’ak?”

“We’ll worry about that later. For now, sleep.” He kisses your head and you both fall asleep on each other peacefully surrounded by the forest.

[cozage]

Hey hey hey! It's me again XD I'm here to send you another angst request and you can write it with any OP charaters that you like! The request is how they would react to their s/o dying unexpectedly from an illness but when they kissed them goodbye on the lips, their s/o came back to life and said 'your love is my cure' or other cheesy phrases cuz Idk what to write lol ?

A/N: RAINBOWSTAR HI IVE MISSED YOU I HOPE YOU ARE WELL

Characters: reader x Law, Luffy, Zoro

Cw: reader death, angst

Total word count: 800

True Love's Kiss

Law

He can’t figure out why your heart rate is dropping so fast. He’s done everything he could to try and help you, but nothing is working. 

Your heart stops, and he’s in a full panic now. Immediately starting CPR. Praying to anything and anyone to let you live somehow.

When he presses his lips to yours, he’s desperately hoping for a miracle.

He hesitates just a moment before breathing air into your lungs, and he’s startled to see your eyes fly open.

A gasp escapes your mouth, and he looks at you, unbelieving that you’re really still alive. 

He buries his face in your chest, taking a few uneasy breaths and trying not to cry from the relief of you being okay. 

You comb your fingers through his hair and steady yourself, trying to recall what happened or why he’s reacting this way, until he finally speaks. 

“You died,” he says. His voice is thick with tears, which you try your best to ignore. If Law is crying, then it must’ve been serious. 

“You saved me,” you reply. You don’t feel like you have just died. Just like you woke up from a really long nap. 

“No, I couldn’t. I couldn’t do any-“

“I’m alive now aren’t I?” You ask. “I guess your lips really can heal anything”.

He’s so thankful that you’re alive, he doesn’t even respond to your stupid joke 

Luffy

He’s shaking you, begging you to come back to him. He’s screaming and sobbing and impossible to console.

Zoro tries to pull him away so Chopper can treat you, but Luffy knows. He’s been here before. 

Chopper knows too. Everyone knows. So they just sit and watch their captain fall apart. 

He’s clutching you to his chest, he doesn’t want anyone else near you or touching you. He’s still sobbing, but it’s growing softer into whimpers.

He gives you soft kisses across your face, silent pleas for you to wake up. His lips finally meet yours, a final goodbye to you.

A soft gasp escapes your lips, and the entire crew takes back a step in shock. 

“Luffy?” You groan, still pressed against him so tightly it hurts. “You’re crushing me.”

He just holds you tighter, returning to hard sobbing again. “Stay with me,” he chokes out. “Please don’t die.”

“That’s impossible,” Chopper whispers. “Y/N was dead.”

You take a second to process. “I guess a true love's kiss brought me back.”

“If I give you more, you better live forever,” Luffy says, covering you in even more kisses. 

Zoro

He carries your limp body to Chopper, begging him to fix you. But he knows it’s too late. He doesn’t know what you were hit by, but he knew when he pressed his head against your chest, your heart was still. 

He lays you on the ground for Chopper to run an examination. Chopper confirms his worst fear. It was too late.

He holds you, running his hands through your hair, whispering words of apologies to you. He blames himself, of course. He wasn’t strong enough to keep you safe. 

He presses his lips into your forehead first, taking a deep inhale to try and remember your smell. He’s having trouble accepting the fact he’ll never smell your shampoo again, never see your smile. 

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles, tears pricking at the corner of his eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

He moves his lips down to yours, giving you one last kiss as a goodbye. He pulls away to find your eyes staring at him, scared to see him so sad.

He drops you in shock, his face contorting into a weird mix of confusion and joy. He doesn’t know how to feel or what’s going on, and you're just as confused. 

“What the hell?” he yelled, prompting Chopper to look up and see you alive and well. The reindeer screams while you look at your boyfriend in confusion. 

“What?” you ask, irritated that was his reaction to kissing you.

Zoro just stares at you, mouth agape. You can see his eyes are still watery, and the two of you stare at each other for a few seconds until Chopper screams. “You were dead, Y/N! Really dead!”

“No I wasn’t,” you shoot back, trying to hide your panic. 

“You were,” Zoro whispered. He lunged at you, his lips pressing against yours for a long time. 

You finally push him off of you, gasping for air. “Damn, Zoro! Don’t kill me again!” you said, feigning a coughing fit. “Although, I guess you could, as long as you bring me back with another kiss, mmkay?”

Before he has the chance to say something snarky back, you lean in for another kiss, and he happily accepts it. 

[lowkeyrobin]

Mcyt with an s/o who's a voice acter for video game characters? They mostly do voice characters in horror games n stuff(like until dawn, where the characters are also modeled after the voice after if I remember correctly)

I just think their faces would be hilarious if the choice they make in the game ends up with y/n getting killed lol

OH MY GOD YESSSSS ; also tried to use different games and not the same for everyone but I'm not the heaviest story game gamer LMFAO ; also don't talk about how timeliness wouldn't make sense shhhhhh

MCYT ; video game voice actor

includes ; tommyinnit, ranboo, badlinu, nihachu, quackity, & foolish gamers

warnings ; language & fictional violence and death/murder

masterlist

TOMMYINNIT

somehow the topic of mc story mode came up and how you actually voice acted a few characters + one of the Jessie variants (whichever you picked as a kid 🙏)

"WHAT? WHY DIDNT I KNOW ABOUT THIS?"

"I mean I was like, fourteen. I don't think I even knew you yet"

"absolute betrayal"

he literally speeds to his office, downloads the first game and proceeds to stream for three hours playing it (he selects whichever Jessie you voiced of course)

"OH MY GOD THAT IS MY PARTNER, HOLY SHIT, LISTEN TO THEIR BABY VOICE!"

the tweets never end

"spot the difference" and its an old/new pic of you compared to jessie

💀💀💀💀

once he gets to the save Petra or Lukas scene he straight up pauses and playfully yells at you like you made the game?? 💀🙏

he dies so many times it's not even funny

love him tho

RANBOO

Detroit become human

the moment he finds out you voiced a minor character he speedruns trying to find you

the character is also modeled after you, so he's begging chat to keep an eye out for you too

you're basically just some very friendly person trying to help Connor but no matter what route he/the player takes, you wind up dead for the angst

ouuuu the heartbreak, the angst

if it's by being shot, betrayed, or committing your own death, you're gone bro

"y/n why the fuck does your character die in the worst ways possible?"

you shrug

"that genuinley hurt my feelings. I don't wanna play this anymore"

"you didn't get to Connors possible death scene yet!"

"WHAT?"

FREDDIE BADLINU

TLOU 2 (I don't support the makers zionist views, I just thought this fit. free Palestine and do your daily clicks)

was literally cheering you on the whole time when you were bts for voice acting your character

you had to take like scream classes to upgrade your screaming abilities lmao

you gave the voice to a character modeled after you, an infected teen who runs into ellie on her way through the game

she/the player is forced to put you down because you're not immune

L

he plays through the game and turns to you like "dude do I actually have to kill you to progress?"

you just nod

"I'm sorry, I didn't wanna do this"

THE DESPERATE SCREAMING GOT HIM

literally looked at you in horror

"...are you okay?"

you smile and nod

NIKI NIHACHU

life is strange

mf you would've been like 16?? damn get ur bag, okay

she plays through and you va (whoever you choose) and everytime she hears your voice she smiles

"omg that's my partner! that's y/n, you guys!! :D"

the cutest

literallt cries at the end of the game

"y/n, were you in life is strange two?"

"why?"

"Cause I wanna play it but I don't wanna get my hopes up about you being there"

"just play it, just play it. trust me"

ALEX QUACKITY

twdg s4

basically clem/the player gets really close to your character and ends up having to kill them after they turn into a walker

the angst, the heartbreak

he's never done a full let's play / game play like that before and especially with a full game series

when he got to s4 and heard you for the first time he literally started jumping around and screaming

now when you die... it's jumping and screaming alright (in anger and sadness)

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? I PLAYED ALL THOSE GAMES JUST FOR YOU TO DIE?"

"I mean there's an option to prevent me turning, you're just a dumbass"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN? IM RESTARTING"

FOOLISH GAMERS

dead by daylight

you va'd multiple characters/killers

and the devs wanted to show appreciation by giving you your own playable character with your natural voice

when foolish finds out, he gets tubbo, quackity, tina & niki in a call to play dbd + stream for like 6 hours

loves seeing all the death animations you'd be given and all your voicelines

"OH MY GOD! guys this is my partner, they're so instantly talented at voice acting, holy shit!"

"we get it foolish, you love y/n"

"It's more than love, quackity, it's an obsession"

"my brother in christ, calm down"

[graceraindrops-blog]

How much of a terrible mom was Cordelia? A full explanation.

It's a shame that the first post of my blog is dedicated to a rather ''interesting'' take @yuikomorii showed me, but taking into account that I've done my research involving the mothers, I find it a perfect opportunity to make a full explanation of Cordelia's abusive behavior.

Before I start, I would like to talk about why Cordelia acted the way she did (I AM NOT JUSTIFYING HER ACTIONS).

We know that Cordelia's father was neglectful towards her after the death of her mother which made her lack the ability to understand love.

Karlheinz manipulated Cordelia into marrying him and giving him children FORCEFULLY (because Cordelia did not want to have children). He also convinced Cordelia that it was okay for her to have many lovers and to have sexual relationships with FAMILY members

Cordelia's abusive behavior towards the triplets also comes over the fact of her jealousy and obsession with Karlheinz and surpassing Beatrix and Christa.

Getting this out of the way I will now start explaining why Cordelia was NOT a good mother despite her traumas.

It's not strange to view Cordelia negatively if she's one of the antagonists of the franchise. NEVER did Diabolik lovers ever paint Cordelia as a good person and constantly tell us about how shitty she was towards her children and how much it affected them.

2. I'm not denying the fact that around those times parenting was more strict, however, you're forgetting that Cordelia didn't just slap, ground, or yell at her children, she put intense waves of pressure on Ayato, and drowned him, she sexually abused Laito, manipulated him and groomed him when he was a KID, forced Kanato to sing until he bled and made him watch her have intercourse with other men. This was the abuse the triplets went through until they finally had enough and attempted to kill Cordelia, which they succeeded.

3. Yes, it's true that Beatrix wouldn't give the triplets much attention or love, she would probably neglect them due to not being her biological children and belonging to her rival, however, Beatrix WOULD NEVER do the messed up stuff Cordelia did. Yes, she was a terrible mother to Shu and Reiji, yet she would've never stepped down at Cordelia's level.

4. A normal mother doesn't drown and threaten her child due to personal issues, A normal mother doesn't sexually abuse her child and grooms him to make him depend on her, and a normal mother doesn't force her child to watch her have sex with men and doesn't use his singing voice to get horny. If she was an affectionate mother ayato wouldn't have found the need to HIDE himself from her and the triplets wouldn't have considered killing her.

5. I would also like to add, that no matter how badly influenced Cordelia was, and no matter how much childhood trauma she went through, that would never be a justification for the way she treated her children. This does not only apply to Cordelia, this applies to every character and to real people as well. It's a reason why they behave that way, but never a justification. Also, Cordelia doing the bare minimum and behaving like an actual mother for a few moments does not mean she cares about her children. I don't think this is explicitly told, but I believe in those particular scenes she's grooming Kanato to become dependent on her like she did with Laito and Ayato.

6. ''She never spoke that way to her children'' I'm sorry but I have to laugh?? I would've understood if you were an anime only (not really) but taking into account that you do know about the games this is really really wrong lol. I don't why it's difficult to understand that Cordelia didn't love her children. Cordelia is such a bad mother that when she was resurrected in Ayato's DF route, she didn't even apologize to him or to his siblings, and yet he still forgave her! She even told Ayato to APOLOGIZE to her and continued to insult him

(Credits to @dialovers-translations)

I understand (I think everyone in the fandom does) that Cordelia had her reasons to behave this way (childhood trauma and manipulation) but that doesn't excuse her actions. I don't agree with people hating on Cordelia and loving Karlheinz but I also don't agree with people defending Cordelia and saying she did nothing wrong when she did.

Cordelia isn't a black-and-white character and she's not a bad character either, she's very well-written for her purpose (an antagonist) but she's not a good person or mother. She never regretted what she did and if she was still alive during HDB she would've still been abusive to the triplets.

This is my problem with morally grey characters/Evil characters. They can't exist in media if people ignore their wrongdoings and actions and try to justify said actions. I'm not saying that they shouldn't exist but I'm tired of people painting them as good people or justifying their actions when their whole purpose as a character is to show that they're not good people and their actions are/were wrong.

To finish off the post I would like to say that I love Cordelia's character and I consider her to be one of the best-written characters in Diabolik Lovers. In my opinion, I would've liked to know more about her in further games but even if I feel this way about her I don't justify her actions and that's something we should all do. I'm glad the fandom no longer justifies the actions of the characters (with some obvious exceptions). And even if I like Cordelia as a character I don't shame others for not liking her, at the end of the day she was a horrible person lol.

[slut4thebroken]

Exposure Therapy pt. 5

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Pairing | Jonathan Crane × reader

Summary | Dr. Crane apologizes and shows you an unusual amount of kindness.

Warnings | 18+, sexual content, smut, p in v sex, unprotected sex, after care? (kind of), kissing, hickeys, cunnilingus, comfort, he stops being an asshole lol, crying.

Words | 3.5k

Notes | Okay I’m trying to make the switch realistic with his character but it’s hard portraying someone so cold who’s trying not to show any emotion at all lmao while still portraying to the reader that the shift is there.

Ao3 link | <3

Fic Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Part 4

Almost two weeks went by before you saw him again. With a clear head, you tried to replay it and figure out what you could’ve done, but as you were doing that, it didn’t occur to you that you’re not supposed to care- that you don’t want to care. So why were those two weeks so agonizing? 

You were nervous to see him again. Would he still be mean and cold toward you? Should you confront him or pretend nothing happened? You didn’t have time to choose before you were at his door, being pushed in by the orderly. You kept your head down, not wanting to face him if he’s still acting the same. 

“Sit.” It didn't sound mean? At least you’re pretty sure it didn’t. You tentatively walked toward your chair, then sat down, leg bouncing incessantly. “Something on your mind?” He asked, making you stiffen slightly. 

“No.” You said quietly, but loud enough where he wouldn’t get upset with you for not speaking clearly. 

“Is there a reason you won’t look at me?” Yeah, I’m worried I’m going to find that same look of hatred that brought me to tears. 

“No.” 

“Then will you look at me?” You sighed quietly and bit your lip, then lifted your head. He wasn’t visibly upset, but you were still wary. You couldn’t hold his gaze for long, having to look at the wall behind him or at his desk. 

“I apologize for my… unprofessional behavior last time we met.” He said calmly. Always so fucking calm. Or, mostly. 

“It’s okay.” You muttered, looking down at your hands as you anxiously picked at your cuticles, wincing when one started to bleed. 

“Then can you explain why you’re behaving differently?” You swore he almost started to sound annoyed. 

“Just tired today.” You shrugged. 

“Now you’re lying too?” 

“No- I’m sorry. I really am just tired.” You said, forcing yourself to look at him to seem more convincing. He eyed you skeptically for a moment before sighing and taking off his glasses. 

“Your embittered attitude is fallacious, it was nothing you did.” He said indifferently. You looked away from him again, definitely not feeling better than before his explanation, especially because you barely understood half of it. 

“You hurt me.” You whispered, making him sigh. 

“What?” 

“You yelled at me and grabbed me. The bruise only went away a couple days ago.” You said quietly, then swallowed the lump in your throat. “I don’t-“ Your voice cut off as you got choked up, but you forced yourself to continue. “I don’t understand why you did that if it wasn’t something I did.” You whimpered, letting out a shaky breath. 

“I’m sorry.” He said, but you didn’t believe it. You didn’t believe that he was apologizing for any reason other than soothing you so you’ll go back to normal and he can get on with everything. 

“It’s fine.” You whispered, not letting yourself audibly cry even though the tears already started falling. 

“I’m sorry.” He said again, firmer this time. “The drugs in your system made you more sensitive to any kind of negative feedback and I didn’t keep that in mind when I got upset.” 

“I still don’t understand why you got upset though.” You kept your eyes on your lap as you sniffled, the tears calming down a bit. 

“You were right. When you said I need to be in control- you were right. I knew what was going to happen and what I was going to do, but- I changed it because of you. And the realization upset me. That’s why I behaved the way I did.” 

“…So it was my fault?” You whimpered, making him sigh. You heard his chair move back and his footsteps, then he was dropping down in front of you, gently tilting your head up by your chin. 

“It was mine. And I’m sorry.” He said, never breaking eye contact. 

“Oh… I’m sorry I made you change it.” You said quietly, making him scoff a laugh as he brushed away the lingering tears on your cheeks. 

“You feel better now?” He asked, but it was genuine, not him just trying to move on. You nodded and he gave you a small smile that you couldn’t help but return. When your eyes followed the movement though, you suddenly realized that you’ve never even kissed him yet. The thought was… disappointing? You’re not sure what the right word is. 

“Good.” He said, placing a hand on your thigh. “Would you like to continue your treatment today? Or not yet.” Your brows furrowed at the question. Why is he letting you choose? Is it a trick question?

“Um… I- I don’t…” He seemed to pick up on your confusion. 

“I’m not going to be upset if you say no. I’m genuinely asking.” He said, keeping any emotion in his tone to a minimum. You stared into pale blue eyes as you thought.

“I just don’t wanna do anything like last time.” You said tentatively. 

“Last time was a punishment. You’re not being punished today.” 

“Okay… Then, yes.” He seemed pleased by your answer and he moved onto his knees, placing both hands on your thighs. 

“I want to do something we’ve only done once before.” He started sliding his hands up and down your covered thighs, making you squirm in your seat. “Can I take these off?” He asked, gesturing to your pants. You nodded and lifted your hips off the chair enough for him to slide them down your legs. He continued teasingly dragging his hands up and down your thighs, never getting close to where you wanted him. You whined and squirmed under him, making him look up at you with a teasing glint in his eyes. He moved his hands to the outside of your thighs then snaked them up to your hips, resting them on your underwear. 

“Can I take these off too?” You nodded, breathless. He quickly pulled them down your legs, discarding them with your pants, then spread your legs. You blushed as he stared at your sex, but it got even darker when he pulled your hips forward to the edge of the chair and tilted them up more. He snaked a hand up your thigh until he could lightly brush his thumb over your clit. When your breath hitched he looked up at you again.  

“Tell me what you want.” He rasped, eyes trailing down your body. When he saw your covered chest be pulled away and took your shirt off, then continued the feather light touch. 

“I- I want…” 

“Use your words. C’mon I know you can.” You whined, resisting burying your face in your hands. 

“Want your mouth…” You said quietly, just barely audible. 

“Yeah? Where?” He moved down and placed open mouthed kisses on your inner thigh, then moved to the other one. “Here?” He asked, kissing up your thigh to your hip, but he skipped over your core and went to your stomach. “Or maybe here?” You whined and he kissed up to your breasts, letting his breath fan over your nipple. “What about here?” He rasped, sucking it into his mouth. You let out a shaky breath at the feeling, not used to him being so soft with you. When another needy whine slipped out, he moved to the other one, working it over in his mouth until it hardened. 

“Please.” You pouted, making him pull back to look at you. 

“Please what? I’m giving you my mouth like you wanted.” He said coyly and you frowned. 

“Want it on my- my… cunt.” You whispered, tears welling in your eyes from the humiliation. He didn’t bother with a response before moving back down between your legs and spreading them even wider. He placed a light kiss on your clit, making your hips buck toward the stimulation. When he licked a long stripe up your folds, you let out a loud moan, quickly placing your hand over your mouth to silence yourself. 

“Keep that up and I’ll stop.” He warned, making you slowly lower your hand. He dove back in, sucking your clit into his mouth, letting out a muffled chuckle when you gasped out and bucked your hips again. Moving down to your hole, he fucked his tongue inside of you and your hips started rutting against his face as you placed your hands in his hair, gasping and pulling away once you realized. 

“I- I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” You rushed out, worried you had set him off. Instead, he grabbed your hands and placed them back on his head, never removing his mouth from your cunt. Threading your fingers through his hair, you marveled at how soft it was. When you gave an experimental tug, he moaned against you, making you do it even harder without thinking. 

He lapped up your arousal, the noise obscene in the otherwise quiet room, then moved to your clit, flicking his tongue over it before sucking it into his mouth. 

“Oh god,” You sobbed out. Because you haven’t had an orgasm in over two weeks, you were already getting close. He slipped two fingers inside your eager hole and immediately started curling them against your walls, making you let out a loud moan. Your grip tightened on his hair as your hips started bucking against his face, chasing the pleasure. 

“Dr. Crane, I- I’m…” You trailed off into a moan and waited as long as you could for him to reply to your warning with denial, but he never did. If anything, that made him work harder until he pushed you over the edge. You sobbed out a moan, feeling overwhelmed by the intense pleasure as he never even slowed during your orgasm. When you sagged into the chair and relaxed your grip on his hair, he pulled back, removing his fingers and sucking your arousal off them. 

“Do you want me to fuck you?” He rasped and you nodded, staring down at him with dazed, half lidded eyes. “If you want something, you need to ask nicely.” Part of you missed when he wouldn’t humiliate you by making you say it, but another part understood the significance. He wasn’t threatening or coercing you like last time, he was truly wanting your consent. 

“Yes.” You whispered. 

“I said nicely.”

“Please.” You whined and he continued waiting. “Please fuck me.” You pouted, just wanting him inside you already. He stood up and held his hand out for you to take, helping you out of the chair then maneuvering you in front of his desk. 

“Up.” He said softly. You lifted yourself onto the desk and waited eagerly as he worked on freeing his length. He stepped between your open legs and held one over his hip while lining his cock up with your entrance. When he slowly pushed in, you both took in sharp breaths. He didn’t stop until he was completely buried inside, letting you have a moment to adjust. 

“Ready?” His voice was strained with arousal. 

“Please.” He slowly pulled out, then pushed back in at the same speed, making you whine impatiently. He ignored you and continued slowly rocking his hips into yours. 

Wrapping one hand around the small of your back and the other in your hair, he pushed you forward onto his cock and he pulled your head back, making you gasp. You wrapped your arms over his shoulders as he leaned into your neck, sucking the delicate skin in his mouth until he was satisfied with the mark, then moving to a new place. You held him tightly, locking your legs around his body and trying to move your hips to get more, but he wouldn’t allow it. He just maintained the same, slow rhythm. 

“Please.” You whined, making him pull back to look at you. You tried not to shrink under his gaze, but he seemed to enjoy watching you break. He sped up a little, the first thrust knocking the breath out of you from the intensity, and you clung to his body, fingers digging into his clothed back. His gaze moved from your eyes to your lips, then stayed there for a long time as he got lost in thought. 

“Please?” You whispered, eyes fluttering down to his own lips. You waited for so long that you thought you might’ve gotten yourself in trouble again, but he just cursed under his breath and moved forward, holding your head still by your hair as he kissed you. You let out a startled moan, not expecting him to actually do it. 

His lips were soft and they still faintly tasted of you. Relaxing his hand in your hair, he used it to instead hold the back of your neck, keeping your lips pressed to his- not that you would’ve tried to pull away. He sped up his thrusts even more and you moaned into the kiss, snaking one hand up to his head to pull his hair. To retaliate, he bit your bottom lip and you hissed at the sudden pain, but you couldn’t taste any blood at least. 

His hand moved from your neck to between your bodies, rubbing fast circles over your clit, making you let out a muffled whine. As your walls spasmed around his length, he let out an almost animalistic groan, pulling back to look at you. 

“Can I please come?” You whimpered. 

“Not yet.” You let out a low, needy whine at his answer. “Wait for me, you can do that right?” He asked softly, making your stomach flutter. 

“I- I think so. Are you close?” You said through a breath, quickly nearing your orgasm. 

“So close, just a little longer.” He was panting almost as heavily as you were, but even though you still hadn’t caught your breath yet, you pulled him into another kiss. You tried to stave off your orgasm, but as he got close, his thrusts became wilder— harder— and you could feel the knot of arousal in your stomach so close to snapping. 

“Come.” He muttered against your lips. “Come now,” You didn’t have to be told a third time before your orgasm was crashing over you, making you tremble in his grasp as he eagerly swallowed down your moans. His hips stuttered before he finally stilled with a low groan, never stopping his fingers on your clit. “Good girl. Good fucking girl.” He said through a moan, just barely pulling away from the kiss enough to get the words out. You clenched down on him from his words, making him hiss as his hips flinched forward. 

When you both came down from your orgasms, he pulled back, nose brushing yours as you both panted, still high from the pleasure. Eventually, he reluctantly pulled out, then slipped your underwear and pants on before helping you stand on shaky legs to pull them up the rest of the way. He did the same with your shirt, helping it over your head and arms before stepping back. 

“You can return to your room once your endorphin levels have normalized. Until then, you may stay in my office.” His use of the word ‘room’ instead of ‘cell’ was not lost on you, nor was the meaning behind his statement. This was the closest he’s ever gotten to giving you any kind of aftercare rather than making you be alone right after. 

“Are you sure?” You asked, not wanting to impose on his work space. 

“It is not in your best interest to be alone right now.” The way he worded it was almost menacing, but you knew what he meant. 

“Thank you.” You gave him a smile and in return, you received a curt nod. So you walked over and sat on the sofa. It was more comfortable than you imagined it’d be and part of you wondered why he hasn’t used this piece of furniture during your… treatment? Can I even call it that anymore? You thought, going over the most recent events in your head. It wasn’t a demand, it was an offer. An offer that you accepted. And he didn’t hurt you, he made you feel good, praised you. Did he only do that because he felt bad about his previous behavior? Is that the only reason he’s letting you stay here?

Not wanting to be consumed by your thoughts, you looked around the room for something to do. Eventually your gaze settled on Dr. Crane who was completely absorbed in something else. 

“Do you need help?” You weren't sure what you would help with, but you figured it couldn’t hurt to ask… probably. 

“Do you have a PhD in chemistry?” He asked, not looking up from his work. 

“…No.”

“Then no I don’t need your help.” His tone wasn’t exactly mean, but it was stern and a little patronizing— maybe it could hurt to ask… 

“Oh. Okay, sorry.” You said quietly, looking away from him for something else to do. There was a bookshelf across from you— none of the books looked remotely interesting, but maybe if you read a chemistry book or two, he’d let you help. So you got up and walked over, standing in front of it as you examined all the different titles. 

“What are you doing?” His voice startled you and you turned around to face him, almost feeling guilty. 

“I- I was just wanting to read something to pass the time, but I don’t have to.” 

“Nothing there will be of interest to you.” His voice was almost laced with… curiosity? It’s hard to tell. 

“I know.” You shrugged, awkwardly waiting by the bookshelf for him to snap at you and tell you not to touch his stuff. Instead, he gave you a teasing smile. 

“If you’re so eager for an activity, I can give you a pencil and some paper. Maybe a puzzle?” He was making fun of you, that much was obvious, but it was light hearted- something you’re not very used to yet. 

“A pencil and paper sounds much better actually.” That wasn’t a lie. You’d rather doodle than read about chemistry or psychiatry. He examined you, an amused expression on his face, then opened one of his desk drawers. You walked over to him when he pulled out a notepad and a pencil, holding it out for you. 

This was much better. The drawing pushed the overwhelming thoughts to the back of your head, muffling them a little. When you ran out of room on the page, you turned it around and started again. This time, he was the one to interrupt the silence. 

“Are you enjoying yourself?” 

“Yes, thank you.” You said, not looking up from the paper. 

“How are you feeling otherwise?” You knew that by otherwise, he meant in terms of you leaving and the thought make your smile fall into a frown. 

“Um… better I guess.” You said quietly. 

“Look at me.” His tone was gentle and you couldn’t help but obey. “Are you lying to me?” He didn’t seem mad, if anything he seemed almost amused that you continued trying to deceive him.

“No. I am feeling better, I just- I don’t like it there.” You muttered, averting your gaze. 

“Why not?” He didn’t seem upset or annoyed yet, so you continued being honest. 

“I’m bored. There’s nothing to do and the only time I leave there is to eat, shower, and come here.” 

“I see.” You dared a glance at him, finding his eyes away from you as he thought. “Would you be more comfortable if I provided some drawing tools, maybe even a book or two that will interest you?” You stared at him in shock, barely comprehending the question. 

“Is- is that allowed?” He raised his brows and the more you thought about the question, the more you realized it was dumb. Not much that goes on in here is probably within the rules, so a sketch pad shouldn’t be a problem. “Right. That would be nice, yes.” You were scared that if you seemed too eager or greedy, he’d change his mind. 

“Good. You can take that for now,” He motioned to the notepad and pencil in your lap, “and tomorrow I will return with a few more items.” 

“Thank you.” You wanted to ask why he was suddenly caring about if you were comfortable or not, but you didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize his kindness so you stayed silent. He glanced at the clock before looking back at you. 

“I have to leave in half an hour, you may remain here until then if you’d prefer.” You nodded and went back to your drawing, but all you could think about was his strange behavior. You found yourself struggling to understand why he would do this— why he would ask for your consent, let you stay in his office, give you a notebook to draw in, promise to give you even more supplies later— it was… weird. And you feared his kindness was due to something other than pure intentions. 

Part 6

[anthonys237thfreckle]

I've been NEEDING some Javi & Scott angst, like the first night when Javi and Kate didn't set up the panel? (feel free to do romantic or platonic 🙏🙏)

I WROTE THIS BUT I DIDNT SAVE THE DRAFT

anyways here it is! i dont really write for scott but after a lot of research, i finally did! i rly hope this is okay lmao. Not the best at character x character, but theres a first time for everything!

i’m pretty inspired so i’ll write some javi x reader angst after this lol (i have sm free time until august 12th guys KEEP EM COMING)

please read the plot modification below, enjoy!

I love you, it’s ruining my life - Javier ‘Javi’ Rivera x Scott

prompt: Javi and Scott get into a heated argument

plot modification: Javi and Scott are still dating here!

TW: argument, mention of PTSD, getting shamed for PSTD, an explicit hand gesture, swearing

On the way to meeting Marshall Riggs, Javi and Scott’s investor, the tension in the car was thicker than the humid air in Oklahoma this summer. Neither said a word, Javi had his jaw clenched as he gripped the steering wheel, tight as a vice, his veins on his forearms showing. Scott looked out the window, chewing on his bottom lip, fiddling with the sunglasses in his hand, trying not to snap them out of pure impulse.

Scott’s mood was as sour as the unripe blueberries he’d grow to resent at the supermarket, chiding Javi for not being able to pick out produce; it was these little things that made him toxic - Javi was growing irritated.

Though, he was no saint either. Often biting back in arguments on how Scott grew to despise homosexual couples who lived perfect, happy lives with accepting parents in an accepting environment, how he can ‘never truly be happy for people who deserve it’.

Their relationship was hanging by a thread, and it was being teased by a razor.

Kate Carter.

“I still think we should head to El Reno” Javi said, shattering the silence “You know, Kate and I were talking-”

“Oh my god, do you ever shut up about her?” Scott snapped, turning his head sharply to meet his even sharper gaze. Javi looked at him with bewilderment, and Scott rolled his eyes

“You really trust her word after she lost that picture perfect storm, Javi?” Scott said bitterly

“It wasn’t her fault” Javi said firmly, turning to meet Scotts gaze with his own equally sharp one.

“She got super overwhelmed, that storm brought out some bad memories for her” Javi explained for what felt like the hundredth time for him. He was tired of having to defend his best friend from his boyfriend, and Scott had been getting on his nerves more than he cared to admit. Just as he thought Scott was done being a prick, he only proved he wasn’t.

“Well, someone should keep their emotions in check” He scoffed, rolling his eyes. Javi looked at him, a storm in his eyes.

“Okay, Scott, what the fuck.” Javi said, having enough of him. The anger and hurt was coursing through his veins, slipping into his tone.

“She has no goddamn ‘instincts’” Scott said with air quotes “She used a god damned dandelion to track our first storm.” He said, Kate’s more traditional ways clearly being judged by his more scientific ones.

“She grew up here, she knows what she’s doing” Javi defended “You know, Scott, you’re being a dick to her” Javi said, unimpressed. he turned his attention back to the road.

“We were real close in college. I know Kate, she has a god awful lot of potential” Javi said in a low tone, his message almost a threat.

“You should just date her at this point” Scott replied coldly. Javi was hot with rage. “Why is it whenever some straight, pretty girl comes along in my life you get so goddamn jealous?!” Javi snapped “She’s my best friend for god’s sake. We’ve been through some serious shit together” “So you think she’s pretty?!” Scott said, equally mad now.

“You know what?” Javi yelled, in a dangerous fury “Fuck you, Scott. I’m done. With you, with Storm Par, with exploiting innocent lives and being unethical.” He slammed on the breaks, unbuckled his seatbelt and left the car, not sparing a glance at Scott, who was surprised, but didn’t fight it. The relationship wasn’t worth fighting anymore.

It was ruining their lives

“Yeah, go run off to your girlfriend!” Scott yelled back at Javi, who winced. He wanted to say that his relationship with Kate was purely platonic, but he didn’t want to give Scott the satisfaction of pissing him off with his remark. But then again, by yelling back, he’d get the satisfaction of making Javi defensive.

So without looking back, Javi raised his fist, lifted his middle finger, and held it out for Scott, walking away on the dirt road in the opposite direction. He didn’t know where, he didn’t know for how long, he just knew he needed the air.

[cosmicstarlatte]

Manhandling Them (Obey Me!)

━━━━━━━━━━ ✦ ━━━━━━━━━━

Look at you manhandling your favorite demon. Nice.

»Characters: Demon Bros

»Tags: Shitpost, Mildly Suggestive, Jealousy, Dom vibes I guess lol , GN Reader/MC

»Notes: I had my OC in mind for this since he's a big guy but this could work for anyone, bc hc in a hc, you're super strong in this world OKAY!?!?♡

Lucifer:

This old man never takes a fucking break. You find him working late into the night, fighting the sleep he very much needs. You tell him to go rest and continue the work tomorrow. He refuses of course because why would he ever take an order from you? "Oh? Nope! You're done for tonight. Up we go!" You say as you pull him out from his office chair and toss him over your shoulder.

What...what is happening?

[Fighting Status: Engaged]

Shifts into demon form and starts flailing around, yet it does nothing to you

"Put me down this instant!"

You just pat his wings down soothingly trying to calm him down

"Dont ruffle your feathers Luci, this is for your own good. Also if you continue like that, your brothers will come investigate."

He stopped flailing and looked torn: continue to fight or be seen in such a position? There's also the third option, your death

While he was thinking you continued to pat his wings and heard a small purr

winner winner chicken dinnerrrr what have we here!?

"Aw see I knew you'd like it! Alright off to bed!" You say carrying him to his room

"...Maybe I am a little tired...and this might not be the worst thing in the world." He said, absolutely defeated

Since then, it doesn't happen often, but he will let you carry him to bed if he's absolutely drained and no one else is around to see

[Taming the beast: Achieved]

Mammon:

"Mammon we need to go now or we will be late for dinner!" You yelled at him as he continued to bargain with the shopkeeper. He yelled back saying it would only be another minute...taking another 5 minutes. Enough is enough. You grab him and carry him out, bridal style.

One second he's talking to the shopkeeper, the next he's being lifted into the air

"AH! HEY!"

Shifts into demon form and notices it's you and not some stranger

Shifts back into his human form

🍅.jpg

"W-what is this!? P-put me down!" He said as he wrapped his arms tighter around your neck

"Mm, maybe if you kiss me on the cheek?"

"ARE YOU CRAZY!? THE GREAT MAMMON OBEYS NO ONE!"

He continued to complain but did absolutely nothing to try to get out of your arms

He let out an annoyed huff when you guys got home...you were sure it was because he didn't want to come down

Now, he occasionally takes long at places so you could carry him...it's obvious when he keeps looking back to check if you'll get him

You caught on of course, but hey, he's your little tsundere demon

Levi:

"I'm not going to RAD today!" He yelled from his room. The hell he is, you kicked his door down and he screamed. You roughly pulled him from his tub and tossed him over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes, heading towards his closet.

"WWWWHAAAAAATISGOINGONNNN!?"

[Levi demon thrasher mode activated]

He was so confused and turned on by the sudden morning events

"Hey, hey! LEVI, stop it!"

He complied immediately and stopped struggling, you pat him gently while he still tried to understand what made you come in there so rough today

"That's a good demon!"

His tail swished around excitedly at your praise...this morning was something he never expected in his wildest dreams

Subby boy is subby™️

"Oh you like this a lot don't you? I guess I'll come get you more often."

"W-will this be an everyday thing!?" say yes say yes say yes say-

After that day, he still hesitated to ask for piggyback rides or anything else but you know the look and happily scoop him up every time

Please toss him around more, he loves it

Especially when you're rough

Satan:

Lucifer and Satan fighting was nothing new, but you just didn't have the energy to hear them today. So what better way than to just take one of them from the other? "Come here kitty!" You say, wrapping your arms around Satan and pulling him up against your body, carrying him to the manor library. 

He shifted into demon form in an instant

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!? LET ME DOWN!"

He wasn't sure how your grip was so strong as he continued to try to pull away from you

And he also didn't understand why it felt so good to be carried by you

You patted him and told him to let the anger go and just enjoy the rest of the night with you

He stopped struggling but felt conflicted by what he was feeling especially since Lucifer looked so pleased when you two left

But this does feel good...and you chose him to hang out with

"Tch."

"Fine I'll put you down and-"

"No. You brought this upon yourself. Now continue to the library." He held on tighter

You smirked and he opened his mouth to argue but huffed instead

He was...actually impressed by your boldness and wouldn't mind being manhandled like that again

Just not when he's fighting with Lucifer please

Asmo:

Everyday his fans crowded him and 80% of the time, it was okay with you. Today though you just really wanted to go home quickly with him but his fans intercepted. Yeah no, you just weren't having it today. "Sorry guys we have to go home now." You say and tug on Asmo's hand. "Mm I don't know, it shouldn't take too long-" he starts. You raise an eyebrow at Asmo and end up tossing the Avatar of Lust over your shoulder, jogging away from the gawking crowd.

What just happened?

He squeals excitedly

"Oh I like this!♡"

He was surprised by your sudden action as you've never carried him before

Especially something so...possessive? In front of other RAD students!?

He was gushing

"Should I expect this more often!?"

"Yeah, probably. I should've done this a while ago." You admitted

Devildom Pictures Presents: Asmo, the Avatar of Blushing

He made himself comfortable and chatted with you while on the way home

The two of you ignored the looks of others but photos were definitely taken and posted to gossip sites

After that day he loved asking for piggyback rides and being carried around, he let you know how much he loved it every time

Beel:

Lucifer entrusted you to guard the fridge from Beel and so you did. "Sorry, Beel!" You tell the gluttonous beast. "Eh? I'm hungry now...I just want a little food..." He tried to walk around you to reach the fridge and that's when you scoop him up flawlessly, bridal style. You carried him away from the kitchen.

???

He did not foresee this ever happening

He could only blankly stare at you as you carried him further and further away from the kitchen

He actually really liked it but was worried about his weight

"You should put me down. You might get hurt."

"Did you not see how easily I scooped you up? This is nothing."

Beel smiled and went with it, completely forgetting about the fridge

"Can we do this more often?"

"Was already planning on it big guy!"

His heart flipped! After all, no one, even in the celestial realm, ever held him like this

And the fact that it was you, made it a million times better

The two of you settled on the couch while he stayed in your lap and cuddled with you until dinner time

(1) New Text from Lucifer : You did well. I'm counting on you for next time.

Belphie:

"You can't make me move!" Belphie muttered half asleep. He had a habit of falling asleep in weird places around the house and for some reason he chose the front of your bedroom door. You nudged him with your foot and he went back to snoozing on his cow print pillow. Okay, bet. You leaned over him and swiftly picked him up, wrapping his legs around your waist and holding him securely. You finally entered your room.

???

"You're not Beel!?" He said bewildered (and slightly embarrassed) by the sudden realization

"No I'm not and you were blocking my door."

"This feels nice from you. I could get use to this." He murmured happily at the sudden closeness

You roughly toss him onto your bed and he complained about demon abuse and rights

"Ugh! More gently next time!?"

He was still impressed by your use of force, you always surprised him which is why you're his favorite human

Was happy you decided to take a quick nap with him but upset you kicked him out after

"Hmph. You haven't seen the last of me!"

And it was true, he made it more of a habit to sleep in front of your door so you'd carry him inside, sometimes he got you to cuddle with him

He freely asks for piggyback rides if he's particularly drained

⬦You might also like: Flirting With Others︱You ARE The Father

[tinkerbelle05]

Maybe We Will Get Through This Together Part 2

Characters: Jaime Reyes x Fem!reader

Genre: Angst, hopeful ending

Summary: You find out that you pregnant while Jaime is at college and, you have yet to tell him.

Warnings: alludes to past sexual experiences, talks of pregnancy, adoption, and abortion, talks about financial insecurity, arguing, lying, mentions of miscarriage

Special thanks to @scryarchives once again for their help!

Part 1 (you should probably read this lol)

-

You took a deep breath, “Jaime, I'm pregnant.”

He laughed, “What? What do you mean you're pregnant?”

You swallowed, “I am not joking. I've done all the tests. I am definitely pregnant.”

“We should give this time some privacy,” Nana proposed, and the rest of the family exited the restaurant and left you two alone.

Jaime blinked several times, trying to wrap his mind around this. You felt bad, this was a lot of information in just a few short moments.

“Um…um okay, how far along you? Wait…wait a minute,” he said suddenly with a confused look on his face. “How…how are you pregnant? We haven't had sex in months?”

Right, that part. You grimaced at this and started to explain yourself to the best of you ability.

“Um, okay so I’ve known I was pregnant for awhile. Um for about 3 months,” you admitted and hung your head in shame.

At the time, it seemed like a good idea. To hold off telling Jaime but right now, it didn’t feel like a good idea.

“So you lied?” Jaime asked bluntly and his eyes burning into your soul. “You lied, to my face. For months?”

Tears started to prickle into your eyes as you looked away from him, “I’m so, so sorry Jaime. I…I thought…”

“You thought it would be a good idea to lie to my face! To hide something like this from me?! How could you do that?! Why would you do that?! Every face time, every text message. You knew and just didn’t tell me,” Over the loud yelling and scathing glare, you could see his eyes becoming glossy.

Saying sorry was all you could do. The confidence you had that this was the right choice was completely shattered when you saw how upset Jaime was.

And wasn’t that just cruel irony. You chose to do something to make sure Jaime didn’t get hurt, but you ended up doing it anyway.

Jaime held his face in his hands, taking deep breathes to calm himself down.

“How far along?” He asked again.

“4 months,” you answered.

“4 months? I…I missed that much,” he mutter under his breath, lost in thought.

“Jaime, really I’m sorry. I….I just didn’t know how to tell you, and you were busy with school so I didn’t want to bother you,” you started rambling off an explanation but no matter what you said, it still didn’t seem right.

He looked at you in shock, “Bother me? How…how would telling me that your pregnant with my child is bothering me? How?!”

“Well you worked really hard to get into that college, and I thought knowing I was pregnant could distract you. And I didn’t want that so…”

Jaime looked at her, “So you lied to me for months because you decided that it would be best for me? Do you know how messed up that sounds?”

You sniffed, “Yes, I do, and I’m so, so, sorry.”

Jaime cleared his throat, “Well…is the baby alright?”

You numbly nodded. Jaime had a change the topic of the conversation, asking questions about the baby. But you could still feel the tension simmering around you, and could tell that he's obviously still mad.

After that you two walled home in utter silence. When you came home, the questions on the family’s face was obvious but they didn't speak it. Jaime didn't speak either, a small greeting and he went to his room.

God, where were you going to sleep tonight?

You don't think Jaime would ever kick you out but well you don't know exactly how he would react. You both had your fair share of arguments but they were never silent.

Cold, even.

For the next few weeks, you and Jaime co-existed in silence. You would sleep in the same bed with your backs turned to each other. You would eat the same dinner table but never talked directly to each other.

You were fixing your hair and getting your clothes on when Jamie entered the room. It was awkward staring and then silence, as usual.

“Where are you going?” he asked, noting your appearance.

“I have a doctor’s appointment,” you answered. You looked at the open dresser, none of shirts would fit you right now.

Jaime’s would though.

Before you would take the shirt without asking, but with how your relationship is, it felt like an overstep.

“Um, Jaime?” you turned around to see him getting dressed too. “What are you doing?”

“Going to the appointment with you,” he answered. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

You winced, “Well…I didn’t think you would want to go with. Oh, and can I wear one of your shirts? None of my fit.”

Jaime stared at you, “Of course I want to go with, it’s my kid too. And since when have you ever asked for my shirts?”

You were struggling to come up with an answer, you hoped it was a rhetorical one but Jaime had an expectant gaze on you.

Jaime sighed when you didn’t speak and came closer to you, “Listen, I’m…I’m still angry with you, at you. But I still love and care for you, that will never change.”

You sniffed and hastily wiped your eyes, “Hormones,” you said and he nodded.

You quickly got dressed and you both went to your doctor’s appointment together.

You were nervous but excited, like you were for every appointment. You hoped for good news but always prepared yourself for the worst.

Though it was nice to have someone to go with you this time, maybe it’ll stop all of those judgmental stares that people think are not noticeable.

You settled into the bed while Jaime sat on the chair, holding your bag. It was quiet in the room and you didn’t know how to break the silence.

Even though Jaime expressed he still loved for you, it was still rather awkward.

The sonographer walked with a small smile on her face and a cheerful voice, “Hi, how are we doing today?”

Both you and Jaime answered a “Fine” and the woman sat in the chair.

“And who are you?” She asked Jaime.

“Oh, I’m Jaime Reyes, her boyfriend. Nice to meet you,” he introduced himself and shook her hand.

She smiled, “Nice to meet you too, my name’s Katie.”

You’ve been through this process before, you answered all of her questions on autopilot and didn’t even flinched when the cold goop was placed on your belly.

You saw Jaime intensively watching though, his eyes never leaving you or the multiple instruments.

“And here’s the fetus,” Katie pointed to the screen, using her finger she pointed out all of the features that your baby had.

You smiled softly and felt yourself tearing up, you looked at Jaime and saw him staring at the screen in wonder.

“Would you like to see the gender?” She asked.

“We can find that out this early?” Jaime marveled with hopeful eyes.

Eyes you haven’t seen in a while, it made you happy.

She nodded and moved the joystick around a bit and then stopped with a quiet gasped. “There, your having a little boy.”

“Really?” Jaime asked in a quiet voice and glossy eyes.

Katie smiles and the rest of the appointment goes by smoothly. She prints out copies of the ultrasound for you guys and soon you left the doctor’s office.

“God, he’s beautiful.” Jaime said, touching the picture delicately.

You chucked, “You can’t even see most of the baby’s features.”

“They are our baby. They’re gonna be beautiful, no matter what,” Jaime said and you smiled at him.

You felt things were getting better, slowly but surely.

Of course, it hurts not having Jaime’s complete trust but, well you made your own bed and now you must lie in it.

You just hoped that one day Jaime’s trust you again. You’ll do whatever it takes and wait as long as it takes to gain it back.

Maybe, you’ll get through this.

-

Sorry this is a day late lol.

Like and Reblog if you like to! It helps a lot.

Tags: @marmar-c, @renaimel, @asvterias, @alexa-33, @dcnerd98, @allthingsvicf, @losingmywayyyy, @nightwingandhissquad, @wintersdeadd, @sodacatz, @louiesdaydream, @zerosinterweb, @conicoroahre, @1clownette1, @fullsiinner, @bluecray0nn, @asvterias, @shslsimpette, @starii-light, @writing-fanics, @alienstardust, @silvermagnolias, @flyingmushroomss, @sarahbutnot, @theblackestvalkyrie

Taglist & Masterlist & Anonlist & Reqs Info

[vee-beeee]

The Tent

Okay this is a change from dbh LOL

So im figuring out how to write for these characters, and its going to be harder because its 4 people so PLEASE forgive me.

Warnings: Tents, enclosed spaces with 4 boys

Chocobros x reader (can be taken as platonic)

Im sorry for any spelling errors or plot holess

SORRY IF THIS HAS BEEN DONE BEFORE

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

You woke up

And then wished you didn't.

It smelt like sweaty socks and boys.

Someone had shoved your back into their front, and was snoring VERY loudly. Another person had his socks in your face, sprawled out over what looked to be Noctis himself. So the case of the smelly socks was solved, that had to be Prompto. You didn't see anyone else in your line of vision, but guessing at how strong and muscular the arm around you was...

Gladio had turned you into his own personal teddy bear.

You gently tried to roll out of his grip, but he grunted and held on to you with a stronger grasp. You sighed and searched for another way out, you need air and to be away from this tent.

You briefly wondered if tickling Prom would wake him up so he could help, but you didn't really want to touch his feet.

So you sat, starting at the tent walls and daring to breathe through your mouth.

You thought about falling asleep again but whenever you tried, Gladio's snoring woke you up just as you were on the cusp of the dream realm.

What a terrible way to start your morning.

Finally, FINALLY you heard someone stir. You turned your body as much as you could in Gladio's grip and saw Ignis's hair over a massive leg.

"Ignis!" you whisper-yelled, hoping to get his attention. He turned around, sleep very much apparent on his face, and looked the entirety of the tent until his eyes caught yours.

"Miss Y/N?" He mumbled, raising an eyebrow at your position, Gladio crowding your back and Proms feet in your face. You had also felt Noctis was really close to your knees, you could feel his hair whispering against your skin. It was ticklish and uncomfortable.

Ignis huffed out a laugh, and you proceeded to beg him to help you.

"Why of course, Dear Y/N. However, I believe Gladio is going to kill me in his sleep if I remove you from his hold. I can help with Prompto and Noct however."

You sighed, sad he wouldn't even TRY not to get killed by Gladio. You watched him as he harshly rolled Prompto off of Noctis, and you were briefly worried that he would awake.

He just snorted and continued sleeping.

Ignis next went to Noctis to gently move his head away from your leg. Of course, Noct slept like a corpse so he didn't even notice. You took your chance to thank him, and ask a favor

"Can you leave the tent flap open I need air please."

Ignis nodded, and exited the tent, leaving the flap open. You started to bask in fresh air and morning light, but then the world turned upside down.

Gladio was rolling over, treating your body like you were an actual teddy bear.

He was now slightly under you, both arms surrounding you with the literal strength of a Titan.

And you were suffocating in his chest.

In ANY other scenario you would have been like "nice" . But in this one you could not breathe. And that was a problem. So you started gently saying his name.

Gladio groaned, but stayed asleep. You tried wrestling your arms out from his iron grip, but no use.

So you did the only thing you could think of.

Loud enough for him to clearly hear you, you poked the bear

"Ooo this book of gladios looks so good, im going to read it while eating chips and wipe my fingers on the pages and fold the edges to mark where i am. Surely he wont mind"

Suddenly you were shoved as his eyes shot open and he released you, sitting up to look around huffing.

"NO THATS MY COLLECTORS EDITION!" you breathed and rolled over as he looked around and found his book by his belongings.

Then he turned to you, brows furrowed and irritation clear on his features for 1. being woken up and 2. having his most prized book threatened.

"What the hell was that for?"

You moved onto your back and stuck your tongue out at him

"You were suffocating me in your pecs, I had to get free some how"

His anger faded into an embarrassed smile, and then a smug smirk.

"A lot of girls would pay real money to get suffocated in these pecs."

You rolled your eyes as hard as you could and he let out a hardy laugh, which accidently woke Prompto.

He snorted as he awoke, leaning on his elbows before asking "uh whats slo funmny?" and then promptly fell flat on his face, going back to his dreamless sleep.

You and Gladio stayed quiet before looking at each other and chuckling quietly. Gladio winked at you and turned to leave the tent. You watched his huge shadow as it moved across the tent, and then it disappeared.

After a couple of minutes, you heard Gladio and Ignis in the camp talking, and saw an opportunity to get more sleep. So you found your original spot and comfy sleeping bag, and settled in.

(A couple hours later)

You woke up, blinking your eyes slowly, feeling that you had gotten a good rest. You looked around and saw the Prompto had seemingly left, and you didn't see anyone else so that must mean Noct left too.

You closed your eyes again, resting them for a moment before you felt something moving around your front. You jumped and accidently smacked your elbow against the something. And that something groaned.

You looked down to see a mess of black hair nuzzling into YOUR blanket.

"Noct?" You leaned on your elbows and he looked up at you sleepily before groaning out a response

"you have the good blankets."

and then he was gone. But luckily, you had help to wake him back up.

Ignis had heard your surprised yelp, and knew it was time for Noct to get up. He had been chatting with Gladio and Prompto about how to pay for more car renovations, but that conversation could be put on hold.

Ignis grabbed a pot and one of his spatulas, before leaning down into the tent flap.

And then he started hitting them repeatedly together.

He saw you cry out and put your hands over your ears, and Noct just sat up slowly and glared at him.

Ignis smirked and left the tent when he saw Noct leaving, and you followed shortly after.

You watched Iggy put his utensils away and you went straight for the middle of the circle of chairs you all had put together the night before. Noct had just slumped down his camping chair when you started talking.

"Why do you guys love piling on me so much when we sleep? Like I wake up and your all over me."

You stood stalk still and waited for a response. You heard groaning and looked over to see Noct open one eye and looking at you.

"Smell nice and warm"

and then he was asleep.

Ignis sighed and walked over to shake him awake and you turned to see Gladio and Prompto nodding their heads. Gladio was the first to say something.

"I think he's right. Your a little babe space heater." You flushed, and he and Prompto laughed seeing your face.

"Yeah and you uhh, kinda smell a lot like roses." was Proms response, and now you watched him go red. Gladio slapped him on the back and Ignis chuckled quietly, continuing to try and wake Noctis up.

So your consensus was to buy more blankets, and an air freshener.

Fair enough.

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

THANKS FOR READING

I dont know if this is cringe or how I did, but I hope I did good on my first time writing these guys.

Hope you enjoyeddd

[jasntodds]

Petrichor [11]

Pairing: Jason Todd x Fem!Powered!Reader (little bit of fwb)

Words: 19,142

Chapter Warnings: Swearing, angst, canon drug use, canon violence, blood, bruises, manipulation, canon manipulation, canon character death, mentions of the wolf story from the cabin (it's not detailed like in the show), mentions of PTSD (canon), mentions of abuse

Summary: ❝Pylades: I’ll take care of you. Orestes: It’s rotten work. Pylades: Not to me. Not if it’s you.❞

Gotham is home, not just for Jason but for you, too. And now that you’re both finally back home, together, you’re ready to see where this next chapter brings the two of you. He’s your best friend and you’re his. And you both might want a little something more with being back home, the place you both feel most comfortable. Surely, nothing could possibly go wrong now.

A/N: Fun fact: Scarecrow is actually my second favorite Batman villain (second to the Riddler of course) so I had fun writing Crane a little bit lol I am so sorry this is so late. I ended up busy for once so lol but it is a long chapter to make up for it!! You can add yourself to the tag list below, ask me to be tagged, or you can follow my library blog @jasntoddslibrary  and turn on notifications if you prefer that!! I love feedback, I swear it keeps me posting on a weekly basis 😭

series masterlist | masterlist | tag list

You come to half an hour later, your eyes peeking open slowly. Your head is in a haze like when a sudden nap happens and you wake up confused what day it is and how long you've been asleep. Your eyes scan around, spotting Jason sitting on the floor a few feet away from you cleaning one of his guns. He's still in the Red Hood suit with his helmet off to the side and there's a blotch of light red on his jaw, right where your fist connected with his face. And the guilt hits like a freight train. You clear your throat making Jason look up to you and you think you just saw his face relax.

“What the fuck just happened?” Your throat is raw and you can't tell if that's some weird after-effect of the drug or if it's from all the yelling.

Maybe it's both.

Jason looks up to you and his stomach starts to twist into knots. The guilt is dulled but it's that echo that's annoying, like a headache that just won't quit. He's been sitting here the entire time, looking to you to make sure you're okay and wondering what he's supposed to say when you come to. He wishes he knew but he doesn't.

He can't take back what he said and he can't back you fighting. Drug or not, it never should have happened. None of it. It never should have involved you. But, now it's messier than ever and Jason desperately wants to leave it all in the shadows and creaky floorboards of this room. He doesn't want it on his shoulders or lingering on his skin or his tongue anymore. But, maybe he doesn't want you to know that just yet.

He's high but he always cares about you. And maybe, letting himself be cold about everything will be better. Maybe you'll finally leave. It'd be better for you if you did anyway.

“Exhaustion is a side effect of the comedown. The only way around it is to sleep or take more and I wasn’t gonna give you mine.” Jason states casually, going back to cleaning.

You furrow your brows. You keep coming back to wondering how you missed him taking this. It all seems so obvious and you feel so guilty about it. Maybe you were so wrapped in the sort of fantasy of being happy, with him, that you willfully ignored every warning sign. That isn't entirely true. You knew something was going on, but maybe if you looked harder, went back to your pessimism, you wouldn't have missed it.

“So, you just…let me sleep? After that?” You scoff, trying desperately to figure out which side his logic is landing at the moment.

“Cleaned the cut on your head and made sure you were fine.” Jason shrugs, his eyes glancing to you for just a second.

As soon as Jason got Hank done and into a cab back to Wayne Manor, he cleaned the blood and cut off of you. He definitely followed it with another hit from an inhaler but he helped you anyway. At the end of the day, at the end of all of this, he just wants you to be safe. Crane might be trying to fill his head with lies and it might be working, but Jason knows in the very center of his chest, you don’t deserve anything bad to happen to you ever again. You might not be entirely on the same side, but Jason isn’t going to just throw you to the side. He won’t do it. It's why he pulled his punches and he never pulls his punches.

“What about Hank?” You ask softly, your eyes never leaving him.

You're pretty sure he's still high.

Jason pulls out his phone, checking the time. “He has a few hours.”

You roll your eyes. Now that you aren’t high on the drug, your thoughts are more logical, no longer fueled by anger. You watch Jason and you remember Hank saying he’d kill Jason if given the chance. It’s not that you agree with Jason killing him, but maybe it’s kill or be killed.

“Why Hank? Like what made you do that?” You question, earning a side eye from Jason. He doesn't want you involved in any of this which also means you don't get to know the reason. Not from his mouth. “Okay, you’re not gonna put a bomb in my chest. Gar is your friend. You don’t stand a chance against Kory or Conner. Dawn is Dawn. You like to fuck with Dick. That leaves Hank, right?”

Jason offers you a grin before he chuckles. “He’s also a fucking prick and you know it.” Jason gestures a lazy free hand at you and something about the grin and the gesture, almost seems normal.

You shake off the familiarity of it because at the end of the day, you don't think Hank deserves to die, not if he didn't come here with the intent to kill Jason. “Yeah….but what? Did you lure him here or?”

Jason can tell you're digging but he can't tell for what. His reasoning why Hank and how he got him here, isn't important. It's not even relevant to really anything. But, Jason knows you and he's starting to think maybe you're digging to see if you should be on his side. That's what you usually did for things that didn't really matter. Get his side of the story so you can side with him.

“Why do you wanna know so damn bad?”

“I wanna know how mad I need to be.” Your shoulders feel heavy with the shrug.

Jason scoffs and even if he doesn't want you involved, he wants you on his side. If you're on his side, you'll back off and let the plan fall into place. “I didn’t make him come. I asked to and he did, without backup.”

“How’d you get him to show up, Jason?” You almost groan because getting answers out of him sometimes is like pulling teeth.

“Said Dick would kill me and I just wanted to come home.” Jason can't help the chuckle that falls from his throat.

Something about it is amusing.

You nod your head and maybe you feel a little less bad. You know Jason had some sort of ploy to get him here. Hank was just dumb enough to fall for it. After everything, apparently, he didn’t learn not to go headfirst into something without backup. That was just stupid. But, that also makes you question Hank’s intentions.

You don’t believe for even one second Hank showed up alone with the intention to help Jason. He was pissed earlier and he’s an ass. If Hank told any of the Titans, they would have come with him and none of them wanted Jason dead. Maybe Jason told Hank he was watching him but you figure if anyone would know how to get around being watched in Gotham, it would have been you or Dick. Yet, Hank didn't go to either of you. On top of that, why would Jason call Hank if he wanted to come home and not you or Gar? Maybe Hank wanted to be the one to either kill Jason or bring him down himself. Maybe you feel a little less bad about it.

Kill or be killed.

“Asshole.” You huff.

You watch Jason carefully, an easy smirk dancing across his lips but it never reaches his eyes. You're sober now, remembering everything that happened and you can feel the guilt washing over your insides like charcoal. None of it is true. And you hate that any of it was even said. If you didn’t mean it, neither did Jason. It was the drug and you're positive of that. And you're thinking the drug is the entire reason Jason is trying to kill Hank.

A very large part of you is wondering if you would helped Jason had you not been so mad at him. You actually think you would have and that is something you would never do. Hank is a Titan and he didn’t do anything to warrant his death sentence. You wouldn’t normally kill him but you're almost positive you would have had you not been mad at Jason. And you think, maybe that’s the reason Crane helped Jason make the drug, to weaponize him and at this moment, you swear his days are numbered. But, before you seek your revenge, you want Jason back.

Getting him back is going to be a lot more difficult because even you're sitting here itching for another hit of an inhaler. You can’t imagine how Jason is feeling the second it starts to wear off. But you want him back and you're not going to rest until you get him back.

“He probably came to kill you.” You state.

Jason snaps his attention to you, his brows furrowing. “What?” Jason huffs.

“Yeah, Titans are pissed. Well, Hank. Everyone else is just confused how the hell you’re alive and with the shit you’re doing. But Hank said if he came to it, he’d kill you so.” You let out a breath and you swear his expression just deflated.

“And you fucking fought me over that shit?”

“I was high.” You huff. “Which you know damn well if it weren’t for that shit you’re also on, by the way, I never would have. But you get the cure to fear and you lie to me and you don’t even share.” You spit back while Jason dodges your eyes this time, going back to cleaning the gun you think has to be clean by now.

“I don’t want you involved.”

“Okay.” You let out a sigh. "Why not?" You ask, Jason glancing up to you, the white strands of hair falling onto his forehead. "Is it Crane or is it me? Is it the drug? Why don't you want me involved, Jay? Because you keep fucking saying that shit with no explanation."

Jason opens his mouth to fight back, to tell you to let it rest and he doesn't have to tell you anything. But, his eyes land on the cut on your forehead and the bruising near your cheek and he caves.

"Do you really want to work with Jonathan fucking Crane?" Jason spits, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"You never gave me the choice to." You state.

"I knew you wouldn't go for it." Jason shrugs, looking back to the gun because that seems a lot easier than looking at your face now.

"Okay." You let out a sigh of defeat.

There’s no point in talking about it. He’s clearly high. You can tell by the coldness that surrounds his voice. He’s going to believe whatever Crane has to say to him because that’s the drug, you're almost certain. And Crane gave him something to cure him. Jason's in debt to him. He sees him as a savior of sorts and you desperately wish you could get through to him. But at least you understand it now.

A part of you don’t think anything could have gotten through to you while you were high. It’s powerful and strong, all-consuming. You were only high for two hours and you hate that version of yourself but there is this twitch through your bones that almost wants to ask Jason for his. It’s like a sudden vibration starting in your bone marrow and radiating through your head and your chest. And you can even feel the lingering tinge of anger like the very end of a fire.

Whatever insane shit Crane had Jason cook up, is fucked. You hope it’s not too late to talk some sense into Jason but you have to catch him when he’s not high. You aren't now and it was only one dose anyway but you swear, you feel normal. It's just that small twitch in your bones that feels uncomfortable. But, that's it. You feel like you never took it in the first place and maybe it's not too late for him. It might be a waste of breath to try when he's high, but you have to try anyway. He would for you.

You scoot closer to Jason until you're right in front of him. Jason pauses his movements, looking over your face. He felt the guilt creeping in before he took the inhaler again. He knows he’ll never forgive himself.

You place your hands on his cheeks and Jason’s face softens and you know he’s there somewhere. But you don’t feel his hands move to you and you feel like you're losing him slowly.

Maybe that’s worse than him being ripped away.

Jason’s eyes dodge yours and he wants to peel his skin off his bones. It feels wrong for you to touch him. It feels all wrong. He can’t bring his hands to your hips or to your hands or anywhere. You don’t feel like you're his anymore and it’s all his fault. He told you you were a mistake. You always deserved better than him but not a single part of him can bring himself to push again. Because you look at him with soft eyes as if you didn’t just explode on each other and have a real fight. You look at him like he’s still the only person you could ever love wholly and solely.

“You're gonna regret it, Jay. Hank fucking sucks and I don’t fucking like him either. But you’re gonna regret it.”

“Why did you fight me over him? You said he was gonna kill me.” Jason asks, his voice is soft.

Jason knows if he weren't high, that part of everything would hurt, too. A lot more than it does right now. And he is so thankful he doesn't have to deal with that pain. He's so tired of pain.

“You wouldn’t let me kill Jerry. And I knew it’d piss you off if I stopped you.” You move your hands to his legs. "And Hank isn't Jerry." You shake your head softly. "If you kill him, that'll be it and I don't want that for you, Jay."

You watch Jason hang his head, highlights from the light in the room bouncing off the white streak of hair. You know you can’t really get through to him, not right now but you want to believe you can. It makes it easier.

Jason just finds it hard to look at you. And he wants to know how you can do that. The drug still wins and he is sturdy in the plan, unmoving and relentless. But, he listens anyway and you make his chest hurt. The guilt and shame are thundering and ramming the jail bars in the back of his head as hard as they can. He doesn’t know why you're still here. Maybe it’d be easier if he believed you were working another angle. And for a second, he starts to talk himself into it, the drug encouraging him.

Maybe you're just trying to get inside of his head so the other Titans can finish him off. Maybe you're just using him, like Crane said. Maybe you want to the drug all for yourself now. Maybe you're waiting for your own moment to finish him off, he falls into your criteria now, doesn’t he?

But his eyes back to yours and all the fight he has is shaken loose, scattering through his chest as an apology breaks through.

“Sorry for what I said and for fighting you.” Jason says quietly.

Your face softens and you think maybe it's working, just a little bit. “Yeah, me too.” You nod softly.

Jason puts the gun off to the side, making sure the barrel is facing away from both of you. He finally finds it himself to bring his hands to your waist. They’re shaking and hesitant, his grip not nearly as strong as it usually is.

“No, I mean it. I don’t mean any of that shit. I don’t want you involved.” Jason's voice becomes barely a whisper. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

“Jay, I am fucking terrified for you.” You place your hands over his. “I know you don’t see it, but this is going to get fucking bad and I am scared, I know you’re not. But I am. Deactivate that bomb and come home, Jay, please.” You clear your throat. “I’m not mad…I get it. I know you didn’t mean it. I didn't either.”

“I can’t.” Jason drops his hands, shaking his head. “This is me. Gotham needs someone who can control the crime and do the hard shit. We have a plan and it’ll work out, alright? You just have to trust me.” A piece of the real Jason finds a way to break through as his jaw clenches and his brows furrow with the sudden shake his of his head. “Please.”

“I trust you more than anyone but I don’t trust Crane. You can still do this Red Hood stuff. You don’t need Crane. You never fucking needed Bruce either. You don’t need Dick. You don’t need any of them, Jay. You can just do your own thing and protect Gotham the way you want to. All you and I’ll stand beside you if you want me to. You don’t need him.”

“Yeah, I do.” Jason keeps it short.

“Okay.” You nod your head and it actually burns as if acid is being poured down your throat.

It has to be the drug. That has to be how Crane has been able to manipulate him so well. But, it is nearly paralyzing because for some reason, Crane asking Jason to do all of this, is more important than you asking him to come home. With you. Somehow, staying loyal to Crane is more important to him right now. Jason on the anti-fear drug is not the Jason you know and love.

“Deactivate the bomb. I’m asking nicely and then just beat the shit out of Hank if that’s what you want to do. I’ll get some popcorn and watch. You can’t come back from that, okay? Like you said.”

“It’s done.”

“Alright, Jay.” You let out a sigh.

You tried your best and you want him back. You don’t want him to wake up when this is over and deal with the fact he killed Hank. It’s going to destroy him. The guilt will finish him off and you hate the very idea of that. He’s not too far gone but you're terrified he will be soon. So, you move your hands to his cheeks again and press your lips to his.

Jason freezes, bits of shock taking over his body because in no world did he expect you to kiss him. But you do and you kiss him with all of the strength you can muster as Jason squeezes your hips and kisses you back. You kiss him with everything in you as if that’s enough to suck out the drug from his bloodstream and bring him back home. You kiss him as if it’s enough to make everything better again like putting a bandaid on a bruise to trick your mind into thinking it doesn’t hurt. But you pull away and his eyes are still dilated and he lacks that cheesy but lazy grin he would normally have. And you hate this.

“I’m going back to the manor.” You pause, lingering for a few seconds as if to be hoping Jason would ask you to stay but the words never leave his lips. You don’t know it, but he almost says them. He doesn’t want you here but you still feel like home and he really misses the warmth of home. Jason doesn’t like feeling so cold all the time. “I hope you can live with this when you have a comedown. I hope you snap out of it. I don’t know what I’m gonna do if you go through with this. You’re really pushing the line, Jay.” Jason watches you carefully as you start to leave. “Be careful and just fucking think about it. Let yourself be sober for an hour, okay? Love you.” You let out a sigh before you head out of the room before Jason can even reply.

Jason keeps his stare on the doorway before he lets out a breath. He is begging you to understand and just trust him. You always said you trust him more than anyone and this is the one time he desperately needs you to trust him. It’ll get messier if you keep trying to get him to be a Titan again and in his impaired state, it pisses him off.

The Titans have always treated him as lesser and leftovers. He was the replacement for Dick. That’s all he ever was and he was expendable, Deathstroke proved that. And he’s better, how they handle Hank is going to more proof. The only people who didn’t treat Jason like that are you and Gar. That’s it. The Titans are the enemy and he just wants you to see through their bullshit the same way you're trying to get Jason to see through Crane’s bullshit. He just wants you to trust him.

You get back to the Manor, standing outside and looking at the entrance. The guilt is chewing at you, slowly eating you whole. You hate Hank, especially with the threat of killing Jason. But, you don’t think he deserves to die. Not unles he was really going to kill Jason when he went to meet him today. Then, at that point, he got what was coming. But you aren’t sure that’s really what the plan was and you feel horrible you couldn’t do anything to stop it.

You tried, you pulled your punches, but you tried and it wasn’t good enough. Hank might die today because you weren’t good enough. You hate him but you think about Dawn. Dawn doesn’t deserve to lose him. She loves him for reasons you will never understand but she doesn’t deserve to lose him. You know what it feels like. It’s not fair. And you feel guilty and it’s heavy and you hate you fought Jason, too. Every piece of today lays heavy on your chest and all you want to do is run out of Gotham. You don’t want to deal with any of it. But that’s not an option so you move forward, opening the door and entering the manor.

On top of the guilt over Jason, you also know you can't tell any of them what you found out. If you tell them, they'll know he's working with Crane. Jason didn't even want you to know and he even looked worried when you did figure it out. What if them knowing Crane is the partner puts Jason's life at risk? What if Crane has more than Jason on the outside? If you tell them, what if it gets him killed? And then it's your fault. Maybe it's wrong to keep it from the Titans, but you don't want to risk him getting killed again. Not if you don't have to and maybe, just maybe, Jason will change his mind last minute. You hope against hope, he will change his mind.

You head to the Batcave, not seeing any Titans around the manor. When you reach the cave, you see everyone around Hank looking worried. This is the moment for you where you know you’ll need to pick a side. If Jason goes through with this, you can’t sit in the middle and hope for the best. You’ll need to choose who you're working with. And at this point, you aren’t sure you want to work with any of them.

“You're okay!” Gar chimes as he spots you coming into view.

Your brows furrow. “Uh…yeah? Why wouldn’t I be?” You ask, looking around the room as the Titans put their eyes on you.

“Well…I mean…Hank.” Gar gestures and moves slightly, giving you a better view of Hank lying in a bed with the bomb on full display. “You also have a cut on your head and a bruise on your cheek.” Gar gestures a finger, mirroring where the bruise sits.

“Yeah, it’s fine.” You shake it off, finishing your walk to the Titans.

The Titans turn to look at you and suddenly, you feel like a spotlight has just found you in the middle of a hidden forest after committing mass murder. Dick looks disappointed which you think might actually be worse than him just being mad. Same with Kory. Conner looks confused. But Hank and Dawn look pissed and you don’t so much blame them. If you were Dawn and Hank were Jason, you’d be pissed, too. But it does make you stop in your tracks.

“Oh, now you’re gonna show your face around here!?” Hank yells.

“Uh…I-I…live…here?” You question but the manor hasn't really felt like home since Jason died anyway.

“And I have a fucking bomb in my chest!” Hank yells. “You were there!”

“We know you and Jason are close, but you have to see this isn’t right.” Dawn crosses her arms.

You blink at them and suddenly you're back at the tower. Suddenly, you're in Jason’s shoes. You never understood where their issue was with him then and you never ever got to understand. But, you tried. You tried to rationalize why Jason. Why did they pick him to target? Rachel was the good kid and Jason was the troublemaker. Jason was an asshole. Maybe. But you're looking at the two of them with a cut on your forehead and bruised knuckles, knowing you passed out and you're being blamed for something you didn’t even do. It was never Jason. It was always just someone to blame.

“W-what?” You ask as you feel the lump grow in your throat.

“Hank said he saw you there.” Kory explains.

“Why were you there?” Dick asks, his voice sterner than Kory but he wants to believe Sam didn't have anything to do with this.

It's actually breaking a part of you with everyone looking at you like that. They're pointing the finger at you and it hurts. You're supposed to trust them but they didn't even ask. You were passed out on the fucking floor and Hank assumes you took a nap, apparently, and they all just believe that. You might side with Jason but they can't really believe you would help him put a bomb in Hank's chest or even let him do it.

“I…I…I can’t….I can’t tell you.” You sputter as you shake your head. “But I didn’t know that’s what he was doing. You-you have to believe me.” You croak out as your eyes start to turn glassy.

“Just like we should believe you didn’t know he was alive?” Hank barks.

“You need to calm down.” Dawn whispers to him.

“Fuck that shit! She’s in on this! I bet he sent her here to make sure I die!”

“You guys can’t really believe she would do that, right?” Gar finally pipes up. He remembers what happened with Jason and he knows you're always on the edge of something terrible. He doesn’t want that edge to become literal.

“Why else would she have been there?” Dawn asks.

"Does it matter?" Gar asks but he keeps his voice soft and gentle because he still hates arguing. "She's hurt and that should mean something, right? You guys didn't ask, just jumped to conclusions." Gar's voice starts to go quiet. "Like with Jason."

You snap your attention to him as Gar's stare goes to the floor. Your heart breaks for him but you owe him for trying to defend you. You know how much he hates it. And you think maybe you'll tell him because he deserves it.

"It all seems real fucking convenient doesn't it?" Hank barks back, not falling for Gar siding with you. "It was all a set-up!"

“I went to fucking confront him.” You scoff but it comes out weak. “Are we really doing this? I didn’t fucking know about the fucking bomb or that Hank was even going to be there.”

“Bullshit! I said I’d kill him. I bet you tipped him off and that’s why this happened.” Hank gestures aggressively to his chest.

You grit your teeth as you look desperately to Dick before looking back to Hank. “Fuck you.” You sniffle. “You know what, fine. You wanna know what happened? I went to confront him high as fuck and I saw you. We fucking fought because while high, I knew I couldn’t let him kill you because he wouldn’t let me kill Jerry and I knew it’d piss him off.”

“Wow.” Kory huffs softly as she looks to the ground, placing a hand on her hip. But, she looks up quickly at you. "Wait, you were high?" Kory asks with confusion.

Your eyes glance to Gar and then Dick before landing on Kory. "I'm tired of feeling like this." Desperation coats your words. The comedown sucked and being angry also sucked, but maybe Jason's right. Maybe that is better than feeling like this and scared and paranoid. Maybe he's right. “Look, we fucking fought, I passed out and I came back here when I came to. So, fuck you." You look back to Hank.”

“Right, but you’re killing—“ Dawn tries to argue.

“Critiera. I have a criteria and Hank doesn’t fucking meet it. I can’t let my personal bias come in the fucking way." You turn your attention back to Hank. "You don’t meet it. You don’t deserve to fucking die even though you’re a piece of fucking shit who doesn’t learn from his mistakes.” You bark. “You figure out the bomb yet?” You look to Dick.

“No, just that it’s counting down his heartbeats.” Dick answers plainly.

“Wayne Enterprises.” You state. “I saw the blueprints before I passed out. Bet if you look into it, you can find a way to build a deactivator or whatever.” You look back to Hank. “I hope you live so Jason doesn’t have to deal with the guilt. And I did tell him you were gonna kill him…. after he had the bomb in your chest. Let me know if dies, I guess.” You scoff as you turn around and start to head out of the Batcave.

Gar looks at all of the Titans and he doesn't like seeing his friends targeted. He knows that Hank was just targeted by his best friend but you didn't do anything. It's not your fault what Jason does. You don't control him and Gar thinks it's wrong for them to attack you for it. So, he follows you up to the main living room.

You suck in a deep breath as your hands shake at your sides. Dick, Kory, and Conner didn't accuse you of anything but they weren't really on your side either. And it feels like you're being abandoned and you're reminded why you always left first. It was so much easier than feeling like this. It doesn't hurt when you're the one that leaves. It doesn't hurt like this. So, your fists ball at your sides as your nails dig into your palms and your jaw clenches. All you want is to go back to before and pause time. Why is that so much to ask for?

"Are you okay?" Gar asks quietly from behind you.

You hang your head and at least you have Gar. He might not always get it but he at least tries to. And you really hope, after all of this, you don't lose him either. You want to tell him but then you'd put him in the middle. You're standing in the middle of it all right now and it is absolute hell. You can't put that on Gar. But, you can vent and you say a little bit of what happened so you turn around to face him with the shake of your head.

"No! I had to fucking fight Jason because of fucking Hank!" You scrunch your nose in disgust. "That's fucking stupid! And I can't even fucking say how the hell that shit happened or what happened because I am terrified if I tell anyone knew what the fuck I know it could get him killed." You pause as you watch Gar's face soften. "But, he put a bomb in Hank's chest and he's an ass but he doesn't deserve to die." You suck in a ragged breath. "So, I fought him and we were both fucking high and we said some really horrible shit to each other and I have no idea how we're supposed to come back from that or how he's ever going to forgive me."

Gar nods with understanding and he really wishes he knew what was going on. "What did you guys say to each other?"

"I asked him where Rose was and, uh, maybe that's why she left him...to protect herself because takes low blows. He said I was using him, we were a mistake, I made him worse. Just... we both said a to."

Gar shakes his head, trying to process what he's being told. That doesn't sound like either of you. "Why would you guys even say that stuff to each other? I mean...Jason could be an asshole but he didn't say that kind to stuff to you."

"Yeah," You nod. "The, uh, the drug. It's the one he made and uh...it's not a normal drug like...it, uh, it makes people do things I think that they wouldn't normally. I think that's why Hank has a bomb in his chest. It's why we fought, too." You confess, figuring maybe that's enough of an explanation to clue Gar in a little bit but not too much that he immediately goes to Dick.

But Gar is just growing more confused. The two of you have talked about addiction before. You had stories like the one time with your dad and your dad being an addict. But, you talked about other kids on the streets. Gar kind of thought maybe everything that happened to you made you never want to take anything but now you're out here not only taking a drug but making it. Just like Jason. None of it makes sense.

"Why would you take it?"

"I can't tell you." You mutter as you hang your head. "I won't again, promise. It was for science." You suck in a breath as Gar scrunches his face in more confusion. "But...I know if we can get him off of it, we'll get him back."

"So, the Jason we know is still there?" Gar asks with hope in his eyes.

"Yeah, as if you really lost faith in him anyway." You manage a weak laugh earning you a soft smile from Gar.

"I have to believe he's in there somewhere. Even if no one else but you does." Gar nods his head softly.

"Yeah," You suck in a breath. "I know it's weird to think, now, I guess but...if we get him back...how do we come back from that?" You ask as you furrow your brows. "I mean, what we said, what he thinks of me." You watch Gar's brows furrow. "I think his partner is manipulating him and using Jason's trust in me against him. Just...based on what he said." You shake your head. "It's nothing but...ya know? Fought each other."

"Well, everyone tried to kill me once and we're all okay now." Gar tries to chuckle softly. "If the drug is what you say it is, maybe that's the end of it. We all know that's not really Jason. He would never hurt you, on accident or on purpose. And you wouldn't either. Maybe you guys just talk. You always got Jason to." Gar offers a soft smile.

"Yeah," You smile weakly. "I guess that's true."

"I'm sorry you guys fought though." Gar offers a sympathetic look just as Dick comes rushing through the clock, coming to a dead stop as he sees you both.

You readjust your stance as you look to the floor.

Dick lets out a sigh and he does not have time for this but he has to ask. "Did you know?" 

You shake your head as your eyes meet his. "I fucking swear I didn't. I would have called you."

Dick nods and he believes you. He doesn't agree with your morals but killing Hank seems a little off even for you. Even when it comes to Jason. When you explained your criteria to him, it seemed to matter enough to you. You mentioned it downstairs. You're not lying.

"Okay. You guys go back to the Cave once Dawn and Kory have Hank in a room. Help Conner if you can and just stay away from Hank." Dick goes to walk away but then stops, looking back at you. "Did you find anything out?"

You nod hesitantly. "I, uh, I don't think it'd help with Hank though. If I thought so I'd tell you."

"Alright." Dick lets out a sigh before he heads off.

"Well," You clear your throat. "That fucking sucks." You state as you can hear Kory, Dawn, and Hank coming from the Batcave. "I'm gonna grab something from my room and I'll meet you downstairs." You offer a soft nod to Gar before you head down the hallway.

As the next three hours go by, Dawn takes off to steal the gold bars and give them to Jason. Dick goes after Dawn to try to stop her. Kory doesn't have any more answers about who brought Jason back from the dead which is a relief on your end. But, Connor still doesn't have the deactivor ready. It has to reach a 0% failure rate and he hasn't gotten that far yet.

You really hoped Jason would back out of it or he was just trying to get under the Titans' skin and none of it was real. But, as Hank's heartbeats dwindle down, you're starting to think he's really going to go through with this. He'll kill Hank and he can't just come back from that like he can with everything else. No one is going to care if Crane had him do it or not. It won't matter because Hank is a Titan. And you wonder what you're supposed to do.

If everything that happened today doesn't snap some sense into him, nothing you say or do will. It'll be up to Jason or the Titans to get him to stop taking the drug. Those will be the options. And you think maybe your only option will be to tell Dick everything you know. If anyone is going to know what to do, especially dealing with Jonathan Crane, it's going to be Dick. Maybe Crane will believe Dick figured it out on his own anyway. If Jason kills Hank, you don't think you can stand on his side anymore. It's the last thing you want to do but if he's willing to kill Hank, who knows what else he's willing to do and who else he's willing to kill. He will need to be stopped and you can't do it alone.

With only a few minutes left, Gar and you are seated watching Connor and the screen intently while you all have Dick on the comms. He found Dawn and she's with Jason. Jason tells Dawn all she has to do is shoot him and it'll save Hank. But, Dick is trying to convince her not to do it because Connor is almost there.

It comes down to just seconds when Connor finally gets the failure rate to 0%. He uses superspeed to rush through the manor while Gar and you get to your feet to watch on the monitor to Hank's room. But, just before Connor gets there, there's a thunder through the manor and the cameras go dead.

Gar and you keep your eyes on the screen as Kory runs up behind you both and pulls you both into a hug. Jason just killed Hank in cold blood. What are any of you even supposed to do now?

That night, no one has much to say. Dick informed everyone what actually happened. Jason set Dawn up so when she pulled the trigger, it detonated the bomb. It's uncomfortable listening to it.  You listen but the only thing you really hear is that Jason just put Dawn through when you went through when Jason died. He knew what it did to you and then Jason still went and decided Dawn should deal with that pain and the guilt of it really being her fault. You're appalled and disgusted even though you know it's not really him. You just find yourself in a state of disbelief and fury. How could he do that to someone? After everything?

You were high and while you know, maybe you would have helped, you find it hard to believe you would. The drug is powerful and all-consuming but it was Jason's choice to take it. It was Jason's choice to go to Crane for help. It was all his choice. He had a choice here. And it lead him to kill Hank and put his blood on Dawn's hands. Crane might be manipulating him but between him and the drug, Jason is turning into a shell of someone you used to know and you're thinking you don't want to know this version of him. And you think about the pit and maybe that's why it's so easy for Jason to bypass every moral he's ever had. Maybe the pit did take a part of his soul that day and that's just making it easier for Crane to turn him into this. Maybe this is who he is now.

And because of that, you know you have no other choice but to go to Dick.

You love Jason more than anything on the planet but that wasn't enough for him and maybe it's not enough for you either. You love the Titans, too and he's killing Hank and putting it on Dawn, maybe he is going to pick you all off one by one. You aren't going to sit here and watch it happen. You're not going to let him do it.

"Hey." Gar says quietly as he walks into the Batcave where you're staring, looking at the Robin suit.

"Hey, how you holding up?" You look back to him with sympathy. Gar was friends with Hank.

"Uh...ya know." Gar shrugs, standing beside you. "Sucks." Gar lets out a breath, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah." You answer shortly. "I'm sorry, Gar."

"It's not your fault." Gar lets out a sigh, looking to the ground and back to the suit. Bruce didn't get all of the blood out of it. There are still blotches of blood covering the R blade and the torso. He's tired of losing people, too. "What's wrong?" Gar asks, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. "You only look at the suits when you're thinking." Gar glances to you but you keep your eyes on the bloodstains.

You shake your head. "He killed Hank by making Dawn pull the trigger. That's kind of fucked...so," You shrug your shoulders. "Guess I'm just...I'm gonna have to come clean to Dick and throw Jason under the bus which also sucks." The words stick to your tongue like shards of glass.

Gar shakes his head quickly, knitting his brows together as he snaps his attention to you. "What do you mean? You said you'd always be on his side."

One of the things that kept Gar hopeful was that you were at least still on Jason's side. As long as you believed in him, Gar knew Jason had to still be there. But, if you're willing to throw in the towel after everything, that means that's it. It can't be it.

"He killed Hank." You look at Gar as you shrug. "He can't just kill innocent people."

"Yeah but..." Gar pauses, trying to figure out how he's going to argue with that. He agrees but if you give up, who does Jason have? Maybe he still needs someone in his corner. "You said he's still there. We just have to get through to him."

"Yeah, and then he did this. I begged him not to and that wasn't enough to get through to him." You argue. "So, I give up." 

Gar doesn't get it. You're the one person who's always on Jason's side. He knows this is fucked up. But he still believes his best friend is in there somewhere. Someone like Jason doesn't just go bad. They lived down the hall from each other and Gar knows him, too. Jason Todd is in there someone and he has to believe that. But you don't and it hurts. How can you give up?

"You love him. You can't...you can't really be giving up on him." Gar stutters as his heart breaks. "You always said you wouldn't and...I don't know. I get it but..." Gar shakes his head.

Gar's words strike a nerve. It's hard enough. It's not that you're giving up because you're not. You're going to Dick and that is to get him back. You can't do it on your own and you can't keep Jason's secrets for him anymore. It's not helping him, you, or the Titans. All it's doing is getting everyone else hurt or killed. You aren't giving up entirely but the idea that you shouldn't just because you love him pisses you off because it wasn't enough for Jason.

He gave up on you long before you ever had the chance to give up on him.

"Yeah—" You bite down, crunching your teeth together so hard you swear your teeth are going to shatter through your lips. "What if loving him isn't fucking enough, Gar!? Cause it sure as shit wasn't enough for him."

It wasn't enough to keep him here with you. It wasn't enough to keep him on solid ground. You know you will never be the same as Bruce or Dick. Their approval meant something different to him and that is fine. You accept that. But you don't know how your love for him wasn't enough to keep him at least trying to be safe. At least trying to just exist. You want to know why your love for him wasn't enough for him to consider your feelings. You want to know why love just wasn't enough. It should have been but it wasn't. It was always enough for you to not give up even when you wanted to. So, why the fuck wasn't it enough for him?

"I know you can't believe that. It's always been you and him." Gar shakes his head. "He's going through some shit. I don't think that's what it was. You said it was his partner and the drug. We just have to get him off it and away from them."

"Yeah, but..." Sam's bottom lip starts to quiver. "But why wasn't me loving him enough?" Her words break and tears leak from her eyes like a warm down faucet. Steady drops of broken. "Why wasn't my love for him enough?" You pause as you take a deep breath. "He did all of this!" You throw your hands out. "Without me. Without ever telling me shit and we were supposed to be a fucking team. Me loving him isn't fucking enough and it wasn't enough for him to fucking stay alive or say goodbye or come home when he had the chance."

Gar hangs his head and he wishes he had an answer but he doesn't. "I don't know but Jason has always been Jason." Gar's voice is quiet. "Maybe it was enough for him but he has more going on. I think you know why it wasn't enough but you don't want to admit it." Gar snips slightly. "You always knew whatever he was thinking and he did with you. That's why you know how to get him back!" Gar protests. "It's why Dick hasn't been fighting you and why Kory hasn't. We know that you can get him back and it sucks that you have to deal with it. But, it's Jason." Gart shakes his head. "We just have to get him away from his partner and the drug. We can get him back."

You look back to the suit because you know he's right. It's not fair to stand here and point a finger saying he doesn't love you enough. You know it's ridiculous but you're hurt and you want the blame off of your own shoulders. But, deep down you already think you know why it feels the way it does.

Things get good and it's a lot easier to run away from them and hurt them first before they ever have the chance to hurt you. Maybe that is what it boils down to. Jason got traumatized and doesn't know how to handle his problems. Bruce made him feel like Robin was the only thing he'd ever be good at and he was nothing without that mantle. So, it gets taken away and Jason's back to being that kid on the streets with nothing but a list of people who throw in the towel when things get a little too hard. Maybe he did it to protect you sure, but maybe it was also easier keeping you in the dark so you'd leave if you were going to anyway. He did what he always does. This time though, it's more than pushing one person away. It was desperation to be better, to heal his own mental illness by taking a shortcut and sacrificing pieces of himself. It's not about you, you were just collateral damage and you know that. And you aren't sure that makes it any better.

"I have been trying desperately to get through to him and it doesn't fucking work. He's stubborn as all fucking hell and he's really digging his feet in and I think he's doing on purpose. Jason Todd was always really good at self-destruction so maybe we fucking let him. Maybe we just let him blow himself up and see where that gets him. Maybe he needs to hit fucking rock bottom where his partner turns on him. Maybe he needs it. If me begging him and fighting him isn't enough, then he's on his own. I can't bail him out of this one."

"I don't want you to regret it though." Gar shakes his head. "And I don't want to lose him. Just yesterday you were the one that said you were scared to tell Dick in case it got him killed." Gar nearly pleads with you.

"I know but I am also worried that he's going to pick you guys off one by one. And..." You shake your head. "That's not fair to you guys. I am scared he's going to get himself killed but I can't just...watch him do this shit and not do anything. We're supposed to protect people." You urge. "We are supposed to protect people and right now, the Titans are the ones who need to be protected from him. Jason needs help, too but I don't know what else to do unless you have a better idea. You know Dick doesn't want him dead."

"It sucks, okay? All of this sucks!" Gar yells. "Losing Hank, Rachel is off trying to bring Donna back and I don't even know if she can do that, Donna is dead. Dawn is leaving forever. Jason is losing his mind and now you're giving up! This sucks! We're supposed to be a team and we're supposed to help each other. But, now Jason is killing Hank and everyone else wants to go after Jason. And now you want to help! I don't want to lose more of you guys. You guys are the only family I have." Gar's voice grows defeated and he didn't think being a Titan would look like this.

You pause for a few seconds and Gar never yells. "You know I wouldn't do anything involving Jason without thinking it through. Dick will know what to do and I'll make him promise not to kill him. We go after Jason to get to his partner. We get the partner and we get Jason. I have a plan."

"You do?" Gar asks cautiously, unsure if you're just saying it to make him feel better.

"Of course, I do." You huff. "I didn't sleep. I was thinking. Dick is not going to like my plan and neither are you. But I have a plan. You guys are my only family, plus Molly, I get it. Fuck Hank, ya know? But he was one of the Titans." You shake your head. "I give up on bailing him out of this shit but I'm not giving up on trying to help." You suck in a breath. "He wouldn't if it were me."

"Yeah, true." Gar nods softly. "So, you're just...going to tell Dick about the drug and his partner?" Gar asks.

"Yep." You nod. "That is going to be a fun conversation." You roll your eyes. "Wonder if he'll lecture me then or later about the drug." You offer a soft smile to Gar who just glares. "Yeah, yeah, yeah I know. It was dumb." You mock. 

"Yeah, seriously, please don't go do that again." Gar states softly.

"Of course, not. We see where that leads us." You widen your eyes, looking back to the suit. 

"Right." Gar nods slowly before taking in a deep breath. "I'm...I'm gonna make a pizza, do you wanna help?" Gar asks.

"Uh, I'm okay. I'm just gonna wait for Dick to get back. Rip the band-aid off type of deal."

Gar nods softly. "Let me know how it goes." Gar smiles softly before he heads out of the Batcave.

You sit on the front steps of the manor, waiting for Dick to get home from taking Dawn to the airport. You run through a whole speech to give to Dick. There is still that fear that if you tell Dick about Crane, maybe Crane will snap and think Jason turned on him and he'll have him killed. Crane is completely insane and that could happen. But, you know it's the right thing to do anyway. It might feel like a betrayal and it is. But, you have to do it. You just hope that when Jason finds out you went to Dick, one day he'll understand. Maybe when he's sober he'll understand. Jason can be really understanding and forgiving. You beg he'll understand one day.

The black car pulls right up to the manor and Dick spots you as you straighten your posture. He shuts the car off and sucks in a deep breath. You sitting on the front steps, seemingly waiting for him, seems like it's going to be bad news. Anytime you want to talk to him, it's usually something not good. Dick lets out a sigh, hanging his head for a second before pulling the keys from the ignition and exiting the vehicle. He walks up to the front steps, looking down at you as you offer him a nervous grin.

"Hey." You state cautiously.

"What's going on?" Dick asks.

You clear your throat as you get to your feet. "If I tell you who Jason is working with and what the drug does....can you promise me something?" You ask as Dick's eyes widen slightly.

Of all people, he didn't ever really expect you to come clean with anything.

"What is it?" Dick asks.

"Um...can you promise you won't kill him and that Kory and Conner won't either?" You ask as you tug your sleeves over your hands. "I know, okay? I know what he just did was fucking fucked, okay? I know. But...it's not...it's not really all him and I just...he's your brother and you took me in. And I...I don't..." You shake your head. "I can't lose him again, okay? So, you gotta promise you guys won't kill him and that we'll do everything in the world to make sure this shit doesn't get him killed again, okay? That's the only way I can tell you anything."

"I don't want to kill him." Dick's words are stern. "He just killed Hank." Dick pauses and he sees your eyes water and your weight shift between your feet. Jason was Dick's responsibility and some of this is still on Dick. "Okay." Dick nods. "I won't kill him and I'll talk to Kory."

That's all you needed to start talking. All you needed was the confirmation that they're going to make sure Jason doesn't die again. Jason still deserves a chance here. Everything is a mess and he's really messed up big time but that doesn't mean he shouldn't get a chance at something better. And at the end of it all, you still think Jason deserves his chance at being happy and safe and healthy. He just needs to get through this shit.

"Okay." You say hesitantly. "Um...so, you know Jason likes to play games." You states. "Well, the formula, the reason you didn't know what it was, it was coded. It was just a game. I think he expected you to find it." You explain. "But, then you gave it to me and I brought to a friend of mine who's a genius and he helped me crack it."

"He coded the damn formula and you figured it out?" Dick questions.

"Yes, he did and no, Tim did which by the way," You laugh softly. "Good luck with that one. He knows you're Nightwing, Robin 1.0. Jason was Robin 2.0. I'm Bluejay and Bruce is Batman. I denied it but he's got research on all of us and the Titans. He knows. So, good luck with that, dumbass."

Dick blinks at you for a second. He was so careful, how could someone figure out who he is? Bruce was even more careful than he was. No one has ever figured it out and now you suddenly know someone who knows? How did that even happen? Dick really does not have time for this.

"What? How does he know?" Dick almost demands.

"Yeah, uh, you can perform a trapeze trick that only you and your dad could perform. Nightwing also performs that same trick. Like I said, figure out you're Robin and the other pieces just come together." You shrug. "Which is how he figured the rest of us out. So, good job. I denied it of course but let me tell you, he's a genius and he definitely isn't going to let it rest. We used to guess who Robin and Batman were. He had theories and so did I. So, good luck dealing with that."

"Great." Dick scoffs. Dick can't help but think coming back to Gotham might have been a little bit of a bad idea. How he is stuck dealing with all of this at the same time? Can't he just catch a break? "Continue."

"Right, so he cracked it for me and it's fear. So, naturally, I go to his lab and make the drug and I take it."

Dick lets out a sigh as he looks to the ground. "I can't believe you went and made and then took Jason's drug. What if it were a setup?" Dick places a hand on his hip and you almost laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, don't do drugs and that's bad science. Lecture me later. That's not the point of this." You scrunch your nose. "Well, I didn't feel scared or paranoid or worried. I didn't feel much of anything besides anger. That was still there. So, Jason made a drug that cures fear."

Dick watches you carefully and he only knows one person that could make a drug that could cure fear. "You've got to be kidding me." Dick holds the bridge of his nose. "Jonathan Crane." Dick scoffs. "He's working with Jonathan Crane?" Dick nearly starts yelling.

"Yep." You roll your eyes. "So I confronted him. That's when I found Hank and I yelled at him and questioned why he'd work with Crane. He said Crane helped him and made him better, that Crane actually cares about him unlike you, Bruce, and me. So, he's been working with Crane and making an anti-fear drug and Crane is manipulating him and doing a damn good job." You explain. "He was high the day he went after the Joker. It's what got him killed. I think Crane probably planned for it. Expected Jason to die that night and the only one not in the loop was Jason."

"So, Crane could use the excuse of him bringing Jason back." Dick finishes. "Why would Jason go to Crane in the first place?" Dick asks and for the life of him, he can't figure out what would lead Jason to Crane.

Jason has always been troubled and had his issues but this just seems crazy. Jason knows the risks of Jonathan Crane, Dick does. At least Jason going after the Joker finally makes sense. Dick knows Jason wasn't that reckless but working with Crane?

"He was freezing on patrol. Getting hurt all the time. Nightmares, shaking hands. His leg pain was still there. Bruce took Robin away. Dick, it was bad for him. Like...really fucking bad. I guess he was desperate enough. I had no idea he was doing this shit. I was ready to call you and come back, with him."

Dick pauses for a few seconds as he starts to think and he knows why Crane has been so helpful now. It's to put the entire target on Jason and keep Crane out of the limelight until the time is right. It's how Crane always functioned and Jason and Dick fell right into the trap.

"Okay, so, why did he target Hank and not you? You know. You took his drug. Crane is going want to seclude him from everyone that cares about him. That's not Hank, that's you." Dick points out and he's also trying to make sure you're really coming clean. At the end of the day, you've been the one on Jason's side and it's hard for Dick to believe you're just turning over a new leaf over Hank Hall.

"Oh, have no fear, Dickolas, thought of that, too." You state. "Hank was enough to set the Titans off. Piss everyone off and target Jason entirely, leaves Crane out of it. As for me, though, I think Jason still has a line and I'm the line. I threw the first punch yesterday, not him. We both know if Jason didn't pull his punches, I'd have more than a few bruises. But, I think Crane is trying to turn him against me, too. Like you said, seclude him."

"What did he say?" Dick asks.

"Um...that I liked him better before? That Crane was right about me. Whatever the fuck that means. He also said I was using him?" You roll your eyes. "I think Crane is trying but there's a part of Jason that knows it's bullshit."

"Right, okay." Dick nods. "So, how does the drug work? If he can refrain from hurting you, couldn't he refrain from killing Hank?"

"I don't think it works like that. He asked me if I wanted to help and I almost did because I was already mad at Hank. I would never do that otherwise. It's like the only thing you want to do is hurt someone else because it's thrilling. You don't feel much of anything but anger when something sets you off. And it can be something small that sends you into a rage, it did for me. I'm thinking it works the same for Jason. I didn't care that I was hurting him or that we were fighting. I didn't care. I didn't even care that he was gonna kill Hank. But, I still didn't want to hurt him. There was something that still kept me from actually physically hurting him. I could have but I didn't. I think he has some restraint but I think if Crane picks at those parts of him, he'll crack."

"It's the exact opposite of the fear gas while still letting Crane reap the benefits." Dick lets out a scoff, almost mad at himself he didn't figure it out sooner. "Jason said Crane was right about you." Dick states. "Did Jason tell him about all of us?"

"I don't know. We didn't really talk about it but I'm guessing he did. I'm not sure what else he would mean by Crane being right about us."

"That's why Crane is helping him. Jason gets the cure to fear and Crane gets information on all of us and Bruce." Dick shakes his head. "It's a mutual benefit." Dick scoffs and he's growing more mad at Jason for going to Crane in the first place. If Jason wanted to fuck up his life, that's on him but now he's dragged everyone else down with him. And for what?

"Yep." You nod your head. "Look, Crane is gonna lose it eventually, it's what he does. We gotta get to Jason before that happens. I don't know how to do that alone. It's one of the reasons I'm telling you."

"I'm guessing you have an idea though."

"Well, if we break into Arkham and kill Crane..."

"No." Dick states. "We're not going to kill him."

"But, literally all of our problems would be solved if you let me do it." You nod. "Like, ya know, in and out. Boom, dead. Jason comes back home. It's a win."

"We're not killing people." Dick states. "Besides, we'll need Jason first. If he's as far gone as it sounds, he'll think we're doing it to spite him and then what? We need to know what Crane has planned. The last time Crane was up to something, he had the entire system rigged with his fear gas. If you go and kill him before we know the plan, he could release the new drug and then what happens?"

You narrow your eyes but nod. "Yeah, that's true. I didn't think of that. So, what do we do then?" 

"Well, I'll need to get to Crane." Dick states.

"We." You correct him as you cross your arms. "You're not gonna do this alone. It involves Jason so you involve me. If not, any new information I get, I keep to myself."

Dick doesn't want you involved. None of this should even be the Titans business. This should remain between him and Jason. Based on everything Crane has already told Dick, putting this on Jason, it does seem as though Dick is supposed to be Jason's target somewhere down the line. It's supposed to be between them. But, you've lodged yourself in the middle of it and he remembers San Francisco.

"Fine, but you do what I say." Dick warns.

"Deal." You mock him with wide eyes.

Just then Dick gets a phone call from Babs. Apparently, there was a targeted attack on Crane last night in Arkham by Red Hood. For his own safety, he's being transferred today to Blackgate. And Dick thinks you don't have to break him out. He'll already be accessible.

"Go get your suit. I have a plan." Dick states as he turns back towards the car.

"Uh...yeah, okay?" You question quickly before you spin around and dart into the manor before Dick can change his mind.

Dick and you head off to Arkham Asylum as you wait for Crane to be transferred. On the way, Dick clued you in on what was going on and what Babs told him. Dick's new plan is actually to kidnap Crane and hold him hostage. You and Dick are going to lure Jason out to the cabin where some of their Robin training took place. It's secluded, away from everyone else who could get hurt and Jason will know exactly where to go. Dick knows those woods like the back of his hand. It's an even playing field for the two of them. And you're thrilled.

You have yet to meet Crane face to face but you already hate him. You hate what he did to the city even if you admire the creativity of a fear gas. But, he's insane and you've got a real problem with anyone who turns other innocent people into monsters, especially by using their own pain against them. It's exactly what he's been doing to Jason. Holding Crane hostage, might be fun for you. And at the end of this, maybe it'll work and you'll get Jason back. But, you're trying not to bank on that. The plans don't always seem to go as planned.

The two of you watch as the guards bring out Crane and that's when Dick gives you the all-clear. The two of you head off towards the transport van, sneaking around pillars and other cars to remain undetected. Dick is the first to make the move and grab the guard near the driver's side of the van. You then go after the one coming from the back of them. Dick and you both knock the two men unconscious and leave them on the ground before heading to the back of the van.

Dick takes down the last guard before he opens the back of the van to reveal Jonathan Crane looking somewhere between confused and worried. Your fists ball at your sides as your teeth grit and he's definitely made his way to the top of your list.

"Let's go." Dick states turning around and walking away.

You glare at him for a few more seconds and you debate for just a split second on shooting acid at him or throwing a knife. One swift move and it'd be over for him. It would be over for Jason. But Dick is right. If he has something planned to poison the city, you need to know. So, you roll your eyes and turn around, following Dick to the car while Crane scurries out of the van to follow the two of you. 

Dick opens the passenger door for Crane while you get in the back. Crane offers you a displeased smile as you grimace at him. Dick gets back in the car, sending you a quick but warning glance before he starts the car again.

The drive is quiet at first, Dick and you wanting to not say a word to Crane or each other with him in the car. Instead, Dick focuses on just getting you all to the cabin and how he'll handle the aftermath of everything. You, on the other hand, think about how mad Jason is going to be when he finds out you're here. It's going to be another problem to sort out but he'll understand later because he has to. And you focus all of your anger and worry on Crane. The hit was on purpose so Jason could break him out which means some part of their plan is coming together and you focus your anger on that. It's a lot easier to be angry with Crane than worry about Jason and how this plan could go south.

After awhile though, apparently, Crane gets tired of the quiet.

"I'm an Alfa man myself. Those Italians, those lines, that flair...the sprezzatura. It's a term. It means the art of making something complicated look easy. Like that trail of bodies you guys left back there. You didn't even break a sweat, did you? Like old pros. See, now that is sprezzatura." Crane states with ease but he pauses for a second, looking over to Dick and spotting a gun. "Look, I don't need to worry about that piece you nicked from the B.O.P. back there, do I? I mean you wouldn't shoot a bound and defenseless man now, would you?"

"Depends." Dick keeps his eyes on the road, offering Crane no emotion.

"I would." You state with enthusiasm from the backseat.

Crane looks back at you with a slight scowl. "That is not very nice."

"I'm not nice." You quip with a chortle.

"So, just bad cop and bad cop, huh?" Crane asks but all he gets is a shrug and an eyebrow raise from you. "Are you his little sidekick?"

"No." You scoff. "Shut the fuck up before I make you."

Dick glances in the mirror, giving you another warning look. You mock the look right back.

"She is a feisty one, isn't she?" Crane looks at Dick.

"Shut up." Dick groans.

Jason saw you with Dick as you left Arkham. That little voice is the back of head that Crane has triggered gets a little bit louder. Of all people, you're going to work with Dick. He's told you to stay out of it but you won't. You know Jason is going to go after Dick and yet here you are, kidnapping his new mentor who actually cares about him with Dick. With his older brother. The original Robin. That's when Jason is piecing together maybe you have ditched your loyalty to him and moved with the Titans. You swore you wouldn't and he is ready to explode.

Jason: teaming up with Dick now?

He doesn't know why he texts it. He doesn't know exactly why he's going to bother because you'll lie to him anyway. You always swore you wouldn't but he knows if you are working with him, you'll lie to him. But, there's something inside of him that has to ask you anyway. He wants to know why. You hated Hank, too. And in that moment of being high, you understood it. That can't be the only reason you'd suddenly be on Dick's side. You're never on his side.

You: no.

Jason nearly groans out loud with the simple response.

Jason: why are you with him then? kidnapping crane?

You: involves you, Dick is pissed about Hank just making sure you don't kill each other

Jason doesn't buy it. It is never as simple as making sure people get along with you. That was always Gar's job. If it were about making sure they don't kill each other, you'd have Gar. That's not it. Jason is starting to wonder if you're just going after Crane. Maybe Crane is your target and Jason is Dick's. Maybe you're in this together. You and Dick have to be.

You: maybe I want a shot Crane

Jason grins softly at his phone as he looks up the gloomy sky above Gotham. Jason isn't going to let you kill Crane and he's betting Dick won't either. Dick is smarter than that and he'll know there's a bigger plan and Crane won't give it up. But, he finds it amusing because maybe that is just your motive. It is a very you motive to have in order to tag along.

Jason: you won't kill him

You: lol that a bet?

Jason: I'm serious

You: So am I

Jason: be careful

You: you be careful

Jason: this is between us not you Jason: if you're there for Crane leave dick to me

He says it on purpose. Fine, if you want your shot at Crane, you can take it. Jason knows you won't do it. You didn't get to kill the Joker and you think Crane is bad for Jason and he's turning Jason into something he's not. Jason firmly believes you'd offer Jason the shot instead of taking it yourself. So, he says it on purpose just to see if you'll actually go after Crane or if you'll go against Jason and protect Dick. He says it just to see which side you're really on. If you protect Dick, he has his answer and Crane is right.

You: involves you so it does involve me and yeah that wasn't convincing. Don't kill him that's tragic just like I said in San Fran two Robins fighting 

Jason: stay out of it

You: don't fucking shoot me

Jason: how do you know I'll show up?

You: revenge on Dick, we have Crane, I'm here, you can't resist a good challenge

Jason: lol yeah

You put your phone back in your pocket and keep your conversation between you, just that. Crane doesn't need to know he texted you. That might be bad. But, you already have a feeling what Jason is doing. Ever since he came back, it's been about what side you're on. He's making you choose and while you're here with Dick, you're just trying to do what's in Jason's best interest. Despite your conversation with Gar, you aren't giving up. You aren't completely picking sides. If this blows up and Jason gets away, you can always keep to the story that you were just there to make sure they didn't kill each other. What Jason doesn't know, can't hurt him.

The speakers start ringing through the car as Dick glances to the screen. Dick's lets out a sigh before he tabs the answer button on the screen.

"Hello?" Dick states.

"Where are you, Dick?" Barbara asks.

"Change of plans." Dick states and you want to know how he's able to remain so emotionless.

"Bring Crane back." Barbara demands.

"I will." Dick states casually.

"I'd get that in writing if I were you." Crane states.

"Shut up!" You groan.

"You brought Y/n with you, seriously? And is that him listening?"

"I volunteered." You chime.

"Yo, Babs." Crane chimes back.

"Jesus, Dick. I need Crane back here right now."

Dick looks to Crane and he's definitely not bringing Crane back. "Gotta go." Dick states before he hangs up, earning a snort from you.

"She's gonna kill you." You chuckle.

"I overheard the police talking about what happened...to that Hawk fellow." Crane states.

Dick scrunches his face, taking a harsh turn around a corner, you grabbing the Oh Shit handle from the back.

"Red Hood is a monster. We've both got proof of that now. But I can still help you. You know, just let me know what I can do."

"You can shut up." Dick states. "Enjoy the sprezzatura."

You smile widely from the back seat. You like this version of Dick. It's more fun.

After a while longer in the car, you finally start to pull into the woods. You adjust yourself to look out of the window as Dick drives. He's driving through a clearing but it is surrounded by trees and overgrown grass. Sometimes, you forget the insanity Bruce put Jason and Dick through in order to let them be Robin but as you watch the trees grow thicker the further Dick drives, you remember. Jason didn't talk much about the cabin. The most he said was that it was brutal. Maybe a part of you doesn't want to know what he went through.

Dick finally stops the car outside of a chain that's chained to two posts, blocking off the rest of the path.

"Let me go." Crane states.

"Not gonna happen." Dick says.

Dick gets out of the car, leaving Crane and you. Dick unlocks the chain while Crane decides he's going to try and make a run for it. He glances back to you before quickly unlocking the door and bolting out of the car as quickly as he can with his hands still cuffed in front of him. You start laughing as you get out of the back of the car, resting your arm on the open door.

"Oh, so he's stupid, stupid?" You cackle as you look over to Dick.

"Guess so." Dick chuckles, jerking his head toward the woods. "Bruce has the place rigged. He has to know that." Dick says, amusement in his voice as you btoh start walking in the direction Crane ran.

"Yeah, that's what Jason said." You laugh softly. "Part of your training was to avoid them." You mock softly as you hear Crane yell from a few yards ahead of you. "So, Crane failed."

"Jason told you about this place?"

"Just that and that it was brutal. He told me about the other stuff, not really this." You suck in a breath, watching the leaves crunch beneath your shoes. 

The two of you find Crane strung up in a net in the trees. Dick sticks his hands in his pockets looking only mildly amused while you're on the verge of bursting into a fit of laughter. If it were up to you, you'd just leave him there and let the birds of prey get to him. A slow and painful death sounds perfect for him.

"You're supposed to be smart but you didn't think there would be a trap?" You question as you look up to Crane who just glares down at you.

"Are you done now?" Dick asks, looking up to Crane.

Crane scowls at you btoh. Dick goes to cut him down and offers no warning before Crane falls right to the ground. You start laughing as you watch Crane groan from the ground.

"I find that funny." You beam down at him.

"You're not pleasant." Crane glares back at you.

"I know." Sam shrugs cheerfully. "Neither are you." You widen your eyes to mock him.

"Get up." Dick grabs Crane by the arm, dragging him to his feet. "Are you having fun?" Dick asks you.

"Yes, yes I am." You basically skip as the three of you start walking.

"Ah, is this where you carve up your victims?" Crane asks after a few minutes of walking, Dick pushing him from the back.

"Just keep walking." Dick states.

"Dick wouldn't make a good Leatherface. He's too nice." You grin wildly back at Crane before you gain a pep in your step. You don't see it but Dick almost grins.

The three of you get to the cabin and Dick plops Crane in a chair at the table before he chains him to the table. You take a seat at a chair to the left of Crane, mostly so he's in hitting distance in case he tries something again.

"It's not what you think it is." Crane warns. "Look, I had nothing to with what happened to your friend. What's his name, Hawk?"

"You don't get to talk about him." Dick threatens.

"It was Red Hood who did it. The kid's a monster."

You grit your teeth as Crane speaks. Jason isn't a fucking monster. He was never a monster. He was never a poison. He was never bad. He was always just a victim of everything around him and you're sick of people making him out to be this horrible, no good, and irredeemable person because that is not Jason Todd. And it shouldn't ever be.

"Bullshit! You were the one that made Jason into a monster." Dick yells back and a part of you almost lets out a breath of relief because finally, someone else sees it. "The attack at Arkham was a phony. It wasn't a hit. It was just an excuse to get your ass out of Blackgate. Red Hood's your protege. And I know he's coming here to save you."

"You may be overestimating him."

"He'll come. He knows this place." Dick states. "Bruce took him here, too. It's where he trained us." Dick says before he opens one of the cabinets, revealing monitors with feeds to cameras around the property. "We'll see him coming a mile away."

It's as if every time you find something more about Bruce, the more you think he's insane. You're pretty sure he didn't really need that many monitors or need to throw kids into the woods to train them.

"So, why would he walk into a trap?" Crane asks.

"Because he can't help himself. Because you made him feel invincible. Because I brought her." Dick glances to you and you almost scoff. You're only here because you have information and the ability to continue to get information.

"You think I changed him? Oh, buddy, no. I got news for you. That kid came to me broken, okay? All I did was rebuild him. And it was easy, too after what you did to him in SF. And that Titans business, what a twisted mind-fuck. I kind of wish I'd actually thought of that myself." Crane looks to you. "And you're using another kid. How did that work out last time?"

"He's not using me you fucking prick. He didn't want me to come." You grit your teeth at him. "Jason was never fucking broken."

That's the thing that even Jason never got. He was never broken. He wasn't damaged goods and he wasn't a poison. He was just Jason Todd and he had his problems but he wasn't broken. He was hurt and there is a very big difference between being broken and damaged and just being hurt. He never needed to be fixed.

"You didn't fucking fix him. He never needed to be fucking fixed. You just made him worse and then convinced him he was fixed." You bite back.

"Oh, is that right? Tell me, why didn't he come to you? He's better now, isn't he? He told me all about you." Crane taunts in a way that is almost effortless.

"No, he's not better and I'm willing to bet he didn't." You suck in a breath, trying desperately not to let Crane win. But, you really were never good about maintaining your temper when it comes to people you love.

"Acid generation, held captive, tortured. Dick found you. All that SF stuff, you were there. Right with him. You couldn't save him then."

Dick almost expects you to finally snap. Jason told Crane about you and that should have been his line to never cross. You have done everything in your power not to cross the line to loop Dick in and Dick actually wants to help. But then you just start grinning because if that's all Crane knows then he doesn't know everything. Which means, Jason was always just trying to keep you at a distance from him. A part of him didn't trust Crane enough and you're hoping you can peck at that like Crane's been doing to every other part of Jason.

"Yeah, all true." You nod your head. "But, you're wrong about him. And you're wrong about Dick, too." You deflect, trying not to give away Jason hiding something from him.

Dick takes his chance to get the conversation away from you. You shouldn't be bullied by Crane and you might snap if Crane continues. "It's not true. Whatever Jason told you."

"Isn't it? Isn't that what you do to all the young people that you fail? Abandon them. Or kill them. How is that little witch girl, by the way?" Crane questions. "Or the mute boy. Oh." Crane scoffs. "You must be so sorry about all of that now."

Dick isn't going to play into Crane's hand, it's what he wants. "Time to eat." Dick tosses him an unopened can of food "Watch him. I'm gonna get some wood." Dick states as he puts on his coat and heads out.

You watch as Crane looks at the label and rolls his eyes. As far as you're concerned, he should be thankful Dick tossed him any type of food to begin with. You wouldn't be feeding him. But you admire Dick's ability to stay calm and not feed into Crane's bullshit.

On the way to Arkham to grab him, Dick gave you an entire run down of dos and don'ts. Your research into him is just what Bruce had but it's nothing compared to actually meeting him as he tries to get inside of everyone's heads. Dick made it clear that Crane would try to say anything to convince you to side with him. He warned you about him being charismatic and a master manipulator, even though that part was in Bruce's file. And while you're listening to him, you do wonder why Dick is so good at it or at least pretending to be good at it.

"So, whose side are you really on?" Crane asks. "I find it hard to believe you're really working with Dick here."

"I guess you'll find out, won't you? Or does it matter? I'm guessing you told Jason I wasn't on his side anyway." You lean back in your chair as you cross your arms.

"Aren't you?" Crane asks. "You're here with him. Trying to use me to capture him. That does not sound like you're on his side." Crane raises his brows as if he's trying to seem innocent in his reasoning.

"I'm always on his side. You just like to manipulate people. Saving him from you is on his side. Me and Dick just have a mutual interest in the situation." You keep your voice level, trying to mimic Dick.

"Do you think he'll believe you? He hasn't taken your side yet. Like I said, he's a monster." Crane offers a delicate shrug of his shoulder and it almost sets you off. And Crane knows it because calling Jason broken already did.

"He's not a monster. You are. People who are manipulated and drugged into doing monstrous things are not monsters. But good try." You quip back.

"Drugged?" Crane questions, acting confused and you know you slipped.

How does Dick deal with him without giving anything away? But you're also good on your feet. You've always been good at thinking of lies and believable ones.

"Don't play dumb. That's how you got to him, right? Has to be. There's no other reason he'd be doing all of this. Jason gets tortured and ends up with PTSD. He dies, comes back, and works with you and now he's suddenly not having any PTSD symptoms. It's a drug, right? You said you fixed him." You shrug your shoulders as Crane gains a cornered grin.

"You are confident, aren't you? Tell me, what do you think he'll do when he sees you here? Do you think he will really just walk away from it all? I have news for you, you're not that important to him." Crane sneers back as you're starting to get under his skin.

"I know." You state, letting yourself hurt. If you don't sound hurt, he can go back and tell Jason you don't care. "But it's worth a shot anyway. And I want you to know, you are only alive right now because Dick is here. You're on my list."

"That's right. Bluejay, the hero turns killer. Sound familiar? You birds think you're above people like me but three of the four of you are killers now. Look how similar we are."

"Bruce killed a homicidal psychopathic sadist. I kill people who kill and hurt kids. You turned Jason into a killer. We are not the same."

"Are you making the rules for killing now? Oh, that's good. How's that working out for you? Do you think after this is over, Dick will let it slide? All the Titans? I think you'll be in a cell right next to mine."

"Nope. Nice try though. You can't manipulate me as much as you try." You offer him a sarcastic grin.

"How's this: your boyfriend came to me instead of you. He trusts me with his secrets more than you. He hasn't even looped you in or tried to get you on our side. He told me all about how you got together, too. He told me about your little friend Gar. The green fella. How you picked him over Jason. That's a cruel thing you did." Crane explains as you can feel your blood start to boil. "Honestly, he does deserve so much better than you just for that alone. You know, he hasn't mentioned you since. Looks like he means more to you than you do to him. Maybe he was the one using you." Crane shrugs his shoulders easily.

It shouldn't bother you because Crane is just doing what he does. He's trying to get under your skin to get you to snap or side with him. He's trying to get you to reveal your weaknesses so he can use them against you. You know. But, it's really difficult because even Crane saying it is confirmation to you. You know Jason deserves better. It was always a thought you had the entire time. But, it was the fact Jason chose you anyway and you chose him. Now, you're here though where it feels more like Crane might have a point. You aren't going to give that away though.

You lean forward towards Crane. "Look, I need you to understand this: I am coming for you. You can say whatever you want about Jason and why he came to you and whatever you wanna think. But one thing is certain, you are not going to make it out of this alive, Crane. I made a promise the day he died. I was going to come for every single person that made Jason Todd feel like he was not good enough, that he had something to prove, that made him believe he were a monster. I'm coming for you. You're alive now because of Dick, that is it. But once Dick gets what he wants, I'm going to kill you. Your days are numbered." You huff as you lean back in your seat.

"You won't do it." Crane taunts. "I matter to that boy of yours. You won't want him to leave you based on you not being able to control your killer instincts. I helped him with a cure. Do you think he'll forget that?"

"Then I'll live with the consequences. He'll understand one day and if I lose him, fine. But at least you can't fucking hurt him anymore."

"Like you have? It seems you've hurt him the most by not trusting him. I bet he's just devasted by you being here with Dick."

"Fuck you." You scoff.

"Yeah, that's right. You pretend to talk a big game but I know who you really are. You only look out for yourself. I get it. I really do. You had no choice out there on the streets and with your abusive foster father. It's your defense mechanism. Killing me isn't for Jason, it's for you. You can claim you saved him from me, a way to get to him and control him, use him the way you always have. Whenever something goes wrong, you go to him, don't you? You used him for the manor and the money. The weapons."

You suck in a breath and you think maybe Dick is just a better person than you are. He is, at the very least, more patient.

You get up and take a right hook to Crane's face as Crane yells out. You lean down, putting your hands on your knees. "You don't know who the fuck I am. Stop pretending like you do. Everything I do is not for me."

Crane spits blood onto the floor. "Really? Because this whole conversation you haven't said a word on how you feel about our boy. It's been about what you're going to do."

"Do you think I'm stupid enough to tell you how I feel about Jason? Or any details about us? You'll use it against me and him and I'm not desperate. I'm not falling for it. You don't get to know a damn thing about us from me."

"I already do." Crane grins wildly. "And I know how to get him to turn on you. I really hoped maybe you would come around to our side but...Jason will figure it out. I'll make sure of that."

You shouldn't do it and you know you shouldn't but you straighten your stance, pull your fist back, and punch him in the face again.

"You are so annoying." You groan as you take a step back just as the door opens.

Dick spots Crane hunched over in pain, spitting more blood onto the floor and you looking significantly more annoyed than when he left.

"Really?" Dick questions as he walks back in carrying firewood.

"If you didn't see that coming, that's on you, Dickolas." You sigh as you sit back down. "It was two punches, he's fine."

"I'm in pain!" Crane yells, gesturing with his cuffed hands.

"Oh, boo-hoo." You scrunch your face. "You're fine." You roll your eyes as you lean back in your chair, crossing your arms.

Dick ignores the bickering as he gets the fire going. The room starts to fall silent but with Jonathan Crane around, the room can't remain quiet for very long. Apparently, Crane wants to try and work Dick again.

"So, what's your plan here?" Crane asks.

"I told you. Wait for Red Hood and take him out."

"No, I mean, I mean in Gotham. You stepping into Daddy's shoes? Now don't get me wrong, I mean, you know, we all want to please our parents. That's why I became a doctor. You see how well that worked out, right?" Crane chuckles softly.

"You actually think we're the same?" Dick asks as he takes off his coat.

"No, no, no. What I'm saying is that we all get stuck on this hamster wheel," Crane sighs. "Trying to live up to the expectations of others. We always think that it's gonna turn out...different but the outcome is somehow always the same."

"And is that what you told Jason?" Dick asks.

"No, I'm talking about you. You come back here and you wanna bathe Gotham in blood as if that's somehow a better outcome than anything that Batman ever did. Bruce was a psychopath. He was using fear to control everyone, including his sons. I mean, he did it to Jason and he did it to you. And you and Jason, you both use that fear. You wield it like a weapon, but it hurts people, right? It hurts people that you care about. Like Hawk. It's still Bruce's game. Isn't it? It always has been." Crane pauses as the room goes silent. "Is there something on your mind?"

Dick chuckles softly. "Fear is your friend."

"What's that?"

"Bruce used to say it." Dick states. "He said, 'Fear reveals your weakness...and it gives you the chance to make it your strength."

"Hmm." Crane hums. "And him being the man that is, he...needed to make sure that you were afraid, didn't he?"

"I was out here all alone once. Bruce made me go out into the forest by myself for the first time. I had no idea what was out there." Dick starts as he tells the story about being chased by a wolf and being terrified he was going to be eaten alive, Bruce nowhere to help him.

"You were just a boy and those were the lessons that he taught you." Crane lets out a sigh as he shakes his head. "It's not your fault. But you need to make sure that this doesn't happen to someone else. That it stops with you. Now you let Gotham take care of Gotham. The water will find its level. Stop trying to prove something here."

Before Dick can respond, the alarm starts going off about a perimeter break. Your heart sinks with the alarm. Jason really just can't help himself. He has to come and prove something. Maybe, just maybe, Crane might have a point about that, actually. You hate to even think that but...Jason just showed up to prove something. He went to Crane to prove to Bruce he was good enough. Crane might be an asshole but he is making a little bit of a point, actually.

"But, the thing about that is, I've already proved myself." Dick states. "That night when I was a kid...without Bruce." Dick finishes the story, saying he was the one that killed the wolf with all the gory details. "I shouldn't have been afraid of the wolf. The wolf should have been afraid of me. Now, let's get you all fixed up. Company's coming." Dick starts undoing Crane's chains as you sit with wide eyes.

Maybe everyone is a monster. Or capable of being one. Maybe everyone has a monster inside of them but it's about what they use the monster for that actually makes them monstrous or not. Dick had no choice, do or die.

You know the wolf probably just wanted him out of its territory. Wolves have only attacked twice in North America since the early 1900s. Wolves aren't animals to typically fear. He didn't know any better but he was a monster that night to the wolf. And you know Dick isn't a monster. Not at his core. And you aren't either. And you know Jason isn't. But you've all done monstrous things out of self-preservation. Out of fear.

Maybe how people use that fear and those ideas is what makes them a monster. And if that's true, maybe most people can be saved. Maybe the monster just needs to know other ways to deal with the fear that fuels it.

You and Dick suit up once Crane is ready and you both head out to the woods. The plan is to subdue Jason, not kill him and then bring him back. That's it. You'll have him detox from the drug at the manor where it's safe. It'll be a two-on-one fight. And Dick is still a better fighter than Jason. You should be able to do this. So, you both head to the woods and you spot Jason down looking through the scope of a gun. 

Dick and you tread lightly, you staying further off to the side and behind Dick. You don't particularly want to fight Jason again if you don't have to, especially since you're sober. You know you actually might be here more to make sure they don't kill each other and just in case. Which is fine with you. But, as the two of you start to close in on Jason, Crane cuts the lights and Dick steps on a twig making Jason spin around immediately, blocking Dick's first hit. 

Dick tackles Jason, sending the two of them down a small hill. You follow the two of them just in time to see them both get back to their feet. Dick gets his enigma sticks in hand while Jason pulls out two pistols. The two of them start throwing hits using their weapons but the second Jason starts actually firing his gun, you step in.

You come in from the side, taking a kick to Jason's arm which gives Dick the opportunity to hit Jason in the knee. The hit sends Jason to the ground as he kneels, looking up to Dick as you walk beside him.

"Wow, classic moves. You even fight like Bats, huh?" Jason quips.

"Let it rest, Jay." You state and you can't see it, but he's surprised you're here fighting him. With Dick. And he's pissed. He really hoped you would take your shot at Crane even though he knew you wouldn't. You're just on Dick's side, lying to him.

"Not a chance, babe." Jason states. "Thought you wanted your shot at Crane, huh?"

"Yeah, I do but you're the one shooting the gun so." You shrug. "Not worth it." You shake your head softly as Jason grits his teeth under his helmet.

"We'll see." Jason says before quickly taking another shot at Dick, just as Dick moves out of the way.

You kick Jason just as Dick spins around and electrocutes Jason with his enigma stick. Jason falls back to the ground but only for a few seconds before he's back on his feet. He starts firing, trying to follow where Dick is going while you throw a knife, blade towards you at Jason's arm. It knocks his aim off just enough and Dick takes a shot with one of the enigma sticks. He uses it like a boomerang as it flies past Jason and hits his arm on the way back. 

The three of you continue to fight, Jason mostly trying to target Dick and only defending himself against you. But, it's two to one and Jason is growing more annoyed at the entire situation. You know when he's going to fight back and Dick is flipping around. But, he's trying until Dick gets a good hit to his arm, knocking it useless for a few minutes.

Jason is hunched over, holding his arm against his torso while you and Dick stand in front of him. You never wanted him to get hurt here. None of you should be getting hurt, especially at the hands of each other.

"You told Crane everything?" Dick questions. "Everything!?" Dick yells. "This ends here."

"What did you think was gonna happen?" Jason straightens his stance. "After what you did to me. After what you let happen!"

"This isn't on me! You made your own choices."

You take a step back and this is definitely their fight. You were always on Jason's side with what happened. But, it's been hashed out. It was talked through months ago. Whatever mind game Crane played for all of this to resurface is insane. But, you suck in a breath because while the stuff that happened in San Francisco is Dicks' fault, the stuff that's happened here isn't. Not really. It's more Bruce's fault but Bruce is nowhere to be found so you figure Dick is just an easy target. Jason, clearly, doesn't see the irony in that one.

"Like you made yours? Come on, dude, you're just like the old man. A copy. Everything you do. Everything is because of him." Jason says as he throws something at Dick and shoots it sending off a flash bang.

Dick and you get blinded which gives Jason the oppurtunity to take several swings at Dick before he has him in a choke hold, Dick on his knees. Jason holds a gun to his head and for a second, he thinks he's finally won.

"But not for long."

After all of this torturous hell, he's won. This can be the endgame. He gets Dick and he gets to snuff out the person he thinks is responsible for all of his pain. That's what this was about. But, you come back into view with the flashbang wearing off and you stand directly in front of Jason just a few feet away from him.

"Put the gun down, Jason." You grit your teeth.

"You on his side now?" Jason asks.

"Fuck." You groan. "No, but I fucking told you, you're not killing him." You seethe as you pull out a knife. "Let him fucking go, Jason."

"You know what he did!" Jason yells.

"No, I know what he did then and you squashed that shit. The shit that happened here isn't on him. You wanna blame someone then blame me." You shrug as you hold the knife steady and ready to be thrown in a split second.

The words catch Jason off guard. Crane has been telling him this whole time that you're the reason he suffered here. You're one of the reasons. If it weren't for you, it would have just been him getting to be Robin. You were good at it. Maybe Bruce saw you as a way to replace Jason. He never had any problems overcoming anything but you get in the picture and he can't even sleep at night. It all came back to you and now you're standing in front of him taking the blame.

"So, you are with him then, right?" Jason asks and Dick can feel Jason's grip starting to loosen. "You're just like him. You got a suit and now you think you're another bat. Dick's right, this ends here."

"I am always with you." You urge. "But, if you wanna blame someone for the shit here, then it should be me and Bruce, not Dick. So, let him go. You know I won't miss."

"So, try it." Jason threatens, he knows you won't. You would never throw a knife directly at him in case you do miss or he moves or you hit Dick. You wouldn't take the risk with them involved.

"Gotham PD! Drop your weapons!" You all hear from a helicopter above you.

The three of you look up to a spotlight on them. Dick takes the opportunity to grab Jason's arm, the gun firing as Dick grabs him. The gun fires directly at you but luckily, it misses as you dodge it just in time thanks to throbbing in the front of your head. The boys don't notice as they continue their fight and at this point, you're fed up with the two of them. 

"You almost shot me!" You yell and for a second, the two of them freeze, looking at you. "I've had it with you two idiots." You lunge forward and join the fight with the two of them.

The three of you end up fighting each other, you unsure of whose side you're on now. Dick pulled his arm so the gun would aim at you and Jason managed to pull the trigger in the struggle. It's ridiculous but as you all fight each other, a shot goes off from above you and it comes down right in the middle of the chaos, sending Dick off to the left and you and Jason off to the right.

Jason is the first to his feet and he sees you struggling to breathe after having the wind knocked out of you. Despite it all, that voice that tells him to side with you, is louder than usual. Something about seeing you possibly hurt sends his head into a static panic. So, grabs you and starts pulling you into the woods and away from Dick. You groan and you can see Dick still on the ground. If he's not on his feet now but Jason is, you're starting to think he was the one shot in this mess. This whole thing went to shit real fucking quick.

"Let go of me!" You yell, wiggling out of his grasp.

Jason takes a step back, putting his hands up and away from you. "Are you okay?" Jason asks as he takes his helmet off.

You spin around on your butt, eyes wide in disbelief. "Seriously!?" You get to your feet and rip off your mask. "No! I'm not okay! You two almost shot me. You killed Hank. This shit sucks! You're trying to kill Dick and you're thinking I'm turning on you, for fucks sake. What do I have to do to prove to you that I'm not everyone else!?"

It's wearing off, he can feel it off. The guilt is washing over him slowly and he hates this feeling. The withdrawal is starting to kick in and he wants to start ripping his hair out. Everything starts to hurt, slowly and steadily.

"Get out of here then." Jason turns around to walk away.

You run up behind him and grab him. He doesn't get to off so easily this time. "Get the fuck off of that drug for one fucking day and tell me Crane is on your damn side. I'm sick of this shit, Jason."

"So, stop following me." Jason turns to face you. 

"Come home." You grit your teeth and you know it's a waste of breath but you try anyway. After talking with Crane and seeing how easy it is to manipulate people, you're more afraid for him than you were before.

"I can't!" Panic seeps into his voice and he hates the way it sounds.

"Bullshit! Yes, you can!" Your voice starts to tremble as your nose scrunches.

He can't. He doesn't belong there. It was never home. They don't want him there. They don't get it. No one believes in him and they don't care about him. Crane has shown that he does. Crane has to be right about them. Jason can't afford for Crane to be wrong. He can't just go home. It doesn't work like that.

"No! Get out of here before Crane finds us! Go!"

The wording catches you off guard. He is worried what Crane will think if you're together. Crane said Jason hasn't mentioned you once and you didn't think too much of it, assuming it was because Jason just had his sight set on whatever the hell Crane wanted him to do. But, maybe Jason just left your name out of it the same way you just did. To protect each other. You need to find a way to work with that. Jason knows, deep down, something is off and you have to get through to that part of him but you don't know how. For the first time since meeting him, you don't know what will work with him.

"Jay," You plead with him. "He's not on your side. He is using you! Just like Bruce did. Please, come with me." You reach for his hand but Jason pulls it away. "Please."

He shakes his head. It's not worn off nearly enough for that to work. It has worn enough though for him to feel for you. "I'm sorry." Jason puts his free hand on your shoulder, searching your face but all he sees is the water brimming in your eyes. "I'm sorry I almost shot you. But, go. Get out of here." His voice is stern but there's a slight quiver to his words.

You shake your head softly as your heart breaks and you wonder how much more your heart can take before it finally just gives up. "Watch your back, Jay." You state softly, lacking any and all venom that should come with those words. "With Crane. I got the Titans, okay? If you have ever trusted me at all, watch your back, please."

"What do you mean you have the Titans?" Jason asks, his brows furrowing as he drops his hand.

"I got them covered, don't worry about them. Worry about Crane." You nod your head softly as you place your hand on his cheek. "Seriously, Jay, be careful." You nod once before you slide your hand from his face and turn around, making your way through the trees and back to where Dick was.

Jason watches you leave and he can't help but wonder what the hell you mean by watching himself with Crane. Of course, he knows you don't trust him. You wouldn't trust anyone like Crane, it's one of the reasons Jason never looped you in before he died. But, this feels different and he doesn't know why. Crane wouldn't tell you anything but you seem genuinely worried and maybe Jason should be questioning Crane a little more. He hasn't told Jason the entire plan yet anyway.

You get back to the clearing but Dick is nowhere to be found. You let out a sigh of relief figuring Dick must be okay if he's not here. So, you start your walk back to the cabin. When you get back, you find Dick standing in the doorway, holding his shoulder.

"You okay?" You ask from behind him.

Dick turns around quickly and for a second, he was worried they took you. You're the one who says you have a habit of being kidnapped. It was that or maybe you did side with them in the end. But, here you are looking absolutely defeated.

"Yeah, you?"

"You're bleeding." You state as you point to the blood leaking around his hand holding his shoulder.

"It's nothing. Are you okay?" Dick questions again.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You two morons missed me." You quip back as you roll your eyes. "You got shot though so that's a problem."

"It's fine." Dick states and suddenly you know where Jason gets it from. They aren't even blood-related and it's always 'it's fine' and 'I'm fine'. "Crane is gone so we need to get back."

"Good luck explaining that to Babs." You suck in a breath, pushing past Dick to grab your things from the cabin. "Sorry." You offer a yikes look based on the scowl you're receiving from Dick.

"Come on, let's go." Dick nods his head towards the door before the two of you head back to the car to get back to the manor.

As you head back to the manor, you're stuck hoping against everything in you that tonight was enough for Jason. It has to be enough to convince him. It has to.

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series masterlist | masterlist | tag list

A/n: There's more Jason in the next chapter and in the rest of the chapters lol I am going into season 4. I have a plan lol We also do circle back to the whole fight between him and the reader later!!

Tag list: @fairyofshampoo // @italiana-20 // @jasontoddsmentaldisorders // @purplerose291 // @lovelessamai  // @makaelaseresin // @lenidaslenchen // @mayfieldss  // @ghostkingblake // @im-done-with-this-im-out // @velvetskies // @lilylovelyxo // @cryinghotmess // @yesimwriting // @vivian-555 // @stainedstardom // @baebeepeach // @legend-o-zelda // @harleycao // @somehow-lovable-trash  // @xx-all-purpose-nerd-xx // @deyja-the-duck // @jasontoddslover //  @captainmarvels-blog // @totallynotkaibiased // @scarlovesyou // @whydoyoucare866 // @littlemeowmeow1000 // @ginger24880 // @septixtrash // @kplatzman // @urmomsgayforme5

[shiemori-writes]

Can I request about them doing pocky stuff,almost kiss each other but MC just stop right there?(About Ace,Deuce,Riddle and Idia)

"Hey hey! Wanna do the pocky challenge?"

—In which MC decides to do the pocky challenge~

CHARACTERS: Riddle, Ace, Deuce, Idia

INCLUDES: gender-neutral reader, sfw, fluff

notes: trying a different format! honestly im rlly indecisive 😞 nayways, enjoy reader! hope this request was to your liking~ also i made dif endings based on the characs, hope thats ok! Also whoa i just found out it was pocky day today lol since my country doesnt celebrate it hehe- its a bit late since its prob not gonna be pocky day when i post this but student things😞

"...The WHAT!?!?"

Okay he didnt mean to yell, he really didnt, but seriously mc do you know how inappropriate this is all the sudden?!

His cheeks flushed, were you really trying to fluster him? Good cuz it's working, and he hates it

He's pretty aware of the challenge since he sees Cater scrolling through some once in awhile, and it makes his head spin

It was pretty cute watching him go through the 5 stages of grief just from your question alone

though you'd never say that, you'd rather not get collared right now hehe

If it was anyone else he would have collared them immediately for making such ridiculous requests but...If it was you, he supposed he could be a bit lenient, but- just this once okay!

He sighed, I mean, it wouldn't hurt, right? He supposed you deserved to be indulged every once in a while, after all he always did have a soft spot for you (not that he'd ever admit that)

His face felt hot as you explained the rules, listening intently while nodding, his cheeks flushed

"I don't see the appeal of this challenge..." he muttered under his breath, but decided to accept your challenge nonetheless, after all, he isnt one to lose, and judging by your teasing grin right now, he'd have to win. (also he may or may not wanted a kiss)

Shakily taking the pocky from his hand he bit a piece, watching you do the same

His heart was doing backflips with how closer and closer you were getting

Your face was barely an inch away from him, and it was making him crazy

You leaned in closer, deciding to tease him, just a bit

His eyes widened, closing his eyes as he anticipated for a kiss when—

CHOMP!

"I win Riddle~!" you declared, grinning at your victory while Riddle just stares at you in disbelief

D-did you just?!

He looked away from you, crossing his arms as he shakily replied

"Th-that wasnt fair!"

Really, he"ll get you back for this, but for now..He'll just enjoy the look of adoration you give him and your laughter.

It was his favorite sight to see, afterall.

"OHOHO- BET."

His ego just inflated by tenfolds what have you done /j

No but he's actually really thrilled, after all, his bestfriend, his bestie, his partner-in-crime wants to do this cute challenge? With him?? Haha you must be so smitten with him!

^ Is what he tells himself but hes actually giggling on the inside like a little schoolgirl dont let that teasing grin fool you

He knew that often the challenge end in the two winning by kissing, so he was really smug about it

Ohoho sweet mc, you were just oh so in love with him werent you?

^ You threatened to do it with someone else when u got fed up with his smugness so he stopped a bit (he wants that kiss after all)

Anyways for him you didn't really need to explain the rules since compared to Riddle hes a little (a lot) more aware of the challenge, which brings us to the current predicament

Him happily taking the end of the pocky stick while waiting for you to do the same

When you did take a bite he started getting a bit (alot) flustered when you got closer and closer..and..

....Seriously prefect!! hes supposed to be teasing YOU not the other way around!! You're stealing his thunder y'know!!!

He decided he needs to be more bold if he wants the last laugh so he holds your chin with his finger as he went closer until..

Smooch! ♡︎

He closed the distance between you, not even hiding the smile that was forming in his face while doing so, time seemed to slow down, as cliche as it sounded, being greted with the sweet taste of your lips on his, a sweet short peck

A kiss was stolen that day, not that any of you were complaining to be honest, it was pure bliss (and rlly sweet too, literally.)

"Heh! guess this means I win (name)~ What's the prize? Your heart?" he joked and you punched him playfully

"don't ask for something you already have, idiot"

He really couldnt wipe the smile of his face that day

"H-huh??? Really- ah alright!!"

AW MC HE'D BE HONORED TO PLS

Now ... What was that challenge again-?

He was pretty thrilled to be able to spend some quality time with you since you both were pretty busy that week (he misses u a lot) so without thinking much about it he accepted the offer but..

Cue flustered boy #2 oh boy here we go

W-well he supposes...No- he cant back out now!! Alright mc he'll do the challenge and you'll have the time of your life he swears!

He doesn't really care much about winning, honestly as long as he gets to see you laugh its enough for him :)

Sweet boiyo <3

The smile you sent his way has his head spinning

The challenge hasn't even started yet and his hearts already beating like crazy

You decided to take initiative and grabbed your pocky stick and hummed for him to do the same

He nervously bit the end of the pocky stick, a look of determination on his face as he got closer, until—

CRUNCH!

....He bit too hard on the stick DAMN IT-

HE WAS SO NERVOUS HE BIT TOO HARD

YOUVE MESSED UP DEUCE is what he tells himself until he heard you giggling quietly to yourself, eventually the giggling turned into full blown laughter

He pouted, mc its not funny :(

You patted his back in reassurance because oh god that was so cute pls Deuce its okay

"It's okay Deuce! we can always have another round!"

CUE ROUNDD #2

He swears he wont mess up this time!

You grab another stick and both bit the ends, both laughing quietly at your muffled teasing on who'll win this time

He didn't notice how close you've gotten until he could feel the hot fanning of your breath on his cheek

He felt his face heat up, (it really did not help that he had a major crush on you)

startled by the sudden closeness of the two of you, closing his eyes instinctively when you went closer, just about to kiss when you stopped

Huh-?

You bit the stick in half, humming in victory while Deuce just kinda 🧍 kinda stands there awkwardly

"O-oh..Yep! you won prefect..good job- ahaha.."

He tried and failed to hide the embarrassment evident in his voice, avoiding your gaze while he tried to calm his heartbeat

Expect a very shy Deuce for the rest of the day, and mayhaps a conffesion too? hehe..

"IEEEHHH?!?!?!"

It was a peaceful evening (cough 11pm) And you just decided to oh-so-graciously ruin said peace with your fits of giggles in the room, he didnt pay much mind to bc he was doing quests but then you just had to ask that question..

Congrats! you broke him /h

ok but like getting asked to do such a "normie" challenge out of the sudden?? Really mc he expected better from you...He did not pause his game for this mc smh..

^ Hes lying hes in denial hes rlly flustered

His heartbeat highkey skyrocketted off the roof (so much so ortho was vv concerned cuz, is he dying???)

Turns out he isnt!!..Not yet anyways! he feels like passing out <3 (just like me fr)

He'd sputter out numerous snarky complaints through it all saying that there's no point and he's not a normie yk yk but he rlly cant deny you when you keep hugging him like that...dear lord youre gonna be the death of him someday, he swears.

Anyways, he's another one who rlly doesnt need you to explain the rules since yk hes a weeb, man knows everything /hj COUGH

Which now brings us here to the present, Idia pausing his game and shakily bringing his face to the stick, jumping slightly at any movement, hair flaming pink and- oh god why were you getting closer mc, no- sTOP

You decided to tease him a bit and go the closest you can manage, (barely 1 inch away from his face now)

Yep hes gonna die annndd-

CHOMP!

"Hehehe,! guess I'm the pro gamer now huh Idia? I win~!"

K.O! MC used tease, it was very effective! -10000 hp

He burried his face in your neck in a desperate attempt to get you to stop cooing at his blushy state..mc pls his heart cant take this

Expect him to get you back the next time you play a game mc.. For now he's just gonna..sit there and try to endure your teasings

[m00nlight-ramblings]

Me and the Devil

While in the upside down, Eddie and the crew meet Death herself.

Pairings: Eddie x female (even though she's ethereal?) character

Warnings: talks of death, general spooky gothic stuff?, swearing. MINORS DNI

Requested: yes

Word Count: 3.8k

A/N: The entire crew is in the Upside Down for this one, let's bend the canon a little lol. Graphic and story made my by me. I do not give permission for my work to shared or re-posted. Pictures in graphic found on Pinterest, I do not own them. Thank you!

Eddie's chest heaved as the final bat (hell-bat? What the hell even were these things?) slammed into the ground, a high-pitched squeal escaping its body before he met it with his wooden bat, blood spilling on the ground.

"Oh god, Steve! Steve are you okay?" Nancy rushed to his side as he gently laid his back on the ground, his open wounds noticeable from multiple feet away. The sound of Nancy yelling Steve's name sent Dustin and Mike running to him to inspect. Eddie dropped his bat and ran walked over, almost afraid to get too close.

"Yeah, I'm...fine? No, I mean I'm not but, I-"

"Shut up for a second. Here, let's help. Will someone help him up with me?" Robin said, slinging one of his arms over her shoulder. Nancy took the other, propping him up gently as Steve groaned in pain.

Everyone seemingly sprang into action at the same time - trying to clear and clean an area for Steve, squawking over what we could do to help, ripping of clothes to create makeshift wrappings.

Eddie's head began to spin, sending a dizzy spell through him. So, just to get it straight, not only did the entire town of Hawkins hate him and want him dead for something he didn't even do, but now he was in Hell (sorry, the "Upside Down"), and was fighting a supernatural entity in order to save the planet - no, the universe? And on top of that, one of his friends almost met his end right in front of him?

Okay...so, this was overwhelming.

The voices from the group barking over each other made sweat break out on Eddie's forehead, and Steve's groaning wasn't making it any better. Panic started to rise in Eddie's stomach as his heart raced and wait a minute, when did he start pacing? Ringing his hands to try and expunge some of his excess anxiety, Eddie's mouth couldn't stop from moving:

"Oh god, oh god, oh fuck, oh Jesus Christ! Oh shit, okay, oh shit-"

And suddenly, a whistle.

A whistle so clear, and so loud, it silenced the group instantly. Eddie's anxiety ceased at once as he met the faces of the others - everyone's brows an identical shade of furrowed and confused.

"What the hell is that?" Dustin murmured, staying completely still. His eyes shifted around him, trying to find the source of the whistle. The whistle, that, somehow, had shushed the thunder and lightning of the Upside Down.

As the whistle grew louder, the group knitted closer around Steve (and each other) - even though they didn't know who or what it was, somehow the closeness made them feel more secure. Eddie's eyes met Steve's, which were unreadable.

Suddenly, a woman stepped out from a cluster of rocks a few feet away. As she stepped out, the air seemed to get sucked out from under them, and a bolt of lightening struck ways away; lighting up the sky, but having no noise.

The woman, dressed in an all black - perhaps a shroud that was tightly wrapped around her body - was the source of the whistling. As she stepped out and closer to the group, the sound got louder, sending shivers down Eddie's back. Her dark eyes danced and she smirked.

A hunter playing with their prey.

The group collectively stepped back as she moved forward.

"Well, hello." She purred, stopping and scanning the group. She removed the hood that encapsulated her face, sliding it down to her shoulders, revealing a swath of dark hair. “It seems I’ve been...called.”

“No!” Robin immediately shouted, unable to keep her mouth shut, “No calling done here! No one here called you, you must have the wrong number! A-a-actually, we don’t even have a phone down here!”

“Robin shut up.” Mike hissed, keeping his eyes on the woman and not moving her lips.

The woman laughed, which sent another shiver down Eddie’s spine. He eyed the wooden bat that he had left on the ground, a mere inches away from this woman’s foot.

Fuck, he thought, I’m such a fucking idiot. The woman took another step forward and smiled fully now, showing her impeccably white teeth. Whoever this woman was, she wasn't good news.

"No, no no..." She started to circle the group slowly, eyeing each one of us individually. The pause she was taking in her speech made us all even more uneasy. Finally, she looked at Steve, "A phone, dear, is not how I'm called. Think of it as..." She breathed in deeply, as if we were in some beautiful wildflower field and not the hellscape of the Upside Down, "A universal call. Psychic or..." She waved a hand in the air, "Whatever. Anyway-"

She took a large step in to Steve and looked at him, starting at his feet, "The universe called, and I answered."

"And what...exactly are you here to do?" Nancy protectively stepped out from under Steve's arm, earning a muted groan from him, "Who even are you?"

The woman made a small O with her mouth, nodding her head slowly, "Oh well, I'm Death, darling."

"WHAT?!" Dustin, Robin, Mike, and Eddie screamed out, taking a comically large step back from her.

"Oh come now, friends, it's just my job. And everyone's gotta work, right? So...just let me do my job and I'll be on my way and -" Suddenly, Death stopped. She tilted her head and bit the inside of her cheek, examining something.

Eddie couldn't help but follow her gaze, straight to El.

"My, my, my..." She finally spoke. She waved a finger, pushing Mike to the side without even touching them. "Do my eyes deceive me, or are you who I think you are?"

El, obviously terrified, stayed still as a statue as Death examined her. Eddie couldn't help but move closer, almost involuntarily.

"My, yes, I think you are," Death extended a finger (with a long, black-painted nail) and brushed a piece of El's hair behind her ear, "It is an honor to meet you. Forgive me but, you are a bit of a...legend...in these parts. You have been the talk of the town for quite some time, you know." Death clicked behind her teeth and smiled, "I was sent here for one person, but if my boss knows of your presence, well then-"

"Absolutely not," Eddie said, stepping in between Death and El, "Like fuck you are. You aren't taking anyone today. Move the fuck along, or we'll make you."

"Eds, you're literally talking to Death herself. I don't know if you'd be able to take her." Robin grumbled, "I certainly can't..."

"Oh, my love, I'm so sorry. But if I turned my back on every single person that their friend told me not to take, I wouldn't have a job!" Death chuckled a bit, eyeing Eddie. As Eddie looked at her, he realized she looked about their age. A...teenager? Was Death? Was it a trick of the mind, or did she just present herself that way?

Eddie shook his head at this ridiculous thought - how did he get to the point where he was trying to figure the schematics of Death's age...DEATH?!

"I do admit though," Death said, smiling at Eddie, "Most people go running for the hills once they figure out who I am. It's nice to have a proper conversation every once and a while," She turned and went back to circling the group again, "So thanks, for that."

"Well - well how about we continue the...fun? Conversation!" Argyle offered, "Right? Because you...lack...stimulating conversation so much..." Argyle's voice wavered as Death turned back and started to make her way towards him. Once they were eye to eye, Argyle let out a shaky breath, "Okay, yeah. I can see why people go running for the hills. You're terrifying."

Every head in the group turned to Argyle and Nancy hissed, "Argyle!" The air was still as no one moved. Suddenly, Death laughed.

Hard.

"Holy shit, you're funny!" She pointed at Argyle, "You're very funny! Oh fuck, I wish all my clients were like you all!" She turned to the group and smiled again, "It really is a shame I'll have to take Steve and El back with me, because you seem to all have a...good dynamic going on."

"Wait, you're here for me?" Steve suddenly asked, his eyes half open.

"Yeah you idiot, you're just realizing this?" Dustin looked at him, incredulous.

"Holy shit, that is terrifying." Steve spoke again.

"Dude, she's literally Death, what do you think she's here for?!"

"Hi, sorry to break this up," Death spoke again, interrupting Dustin and Steve's banter, "But can we wrap this up? I have a job to do."

"No! You can't!" Nancy shrieked, turning to Death as if she was an annoying sibling rather than, well...Death.

"Listen, Vecna isn't going to be too pleased when I don't return with at least ONE of the people I was called for, so-"

"Sorry, did you just say Vecna?! Your boss is Vecna?!" Mike hollered.

"Oh my god, we are so fucked." Dustin finished.

"We were so fucked before we found out her boss is Vecna, Dustin, WE ARE LITERALLY TALKING TO DEATH!" Eddie yelled, taking Dustin's shoulders and shaking them.

"Oh my god." Death rolled her eyes and walked away, sitting on a nearby rock. If they needed time to argue, then fine. She could let them argue. She had all the time in the world - she was Death, after all. As she watched a giant argument unfold between all members of the party, the feeling of annoyance that was once blooming in her chest was replaced by something else.

...sadness, was it?

No, that couldn't be. She hadn't felt sad in years...decades, centuries.

She had seen hundreds of thousands of groups of friends in the last moments of their lives - the crying, the screaming, the anger, the frightened feelings in their hearts. And the memories - the joy, the laughter, the happiness...she had experienced all the emotions with her clients. And 99.99% of the time, she was unaffected, just there to do her job.

So why was this group of seemingly giant bratty babies tugging at her heartstrings?

As she eyed the one with curly brown hair - Eddie, she remembers - she cocks her head to the side. The group's gravitational pull seemed to be much more than just this particular earthly plane - something about their dynamic, their love (and seemingly, anger) for one another made Death realize that this group was a group of soulmates. Destined to be in one another's lives in every lifetime, every dimension. And the fact that they were so young...

She had seen a few soulmate groups over her career, but never this young.

When she died (well, technically reborn as Death, according to the Devil himself) at 18-years-old, she had never had friends. Or love. Jealousy and loneliness weren't emotions that she necessarily felt from that point forward, but seeing this group together...something stirred within her.

What was it like to feel love? To feel...happy? To feel anything at all?

"Oh, fuck..." Death murmured, the pang in her heart growing. Her brain started to repeat the gnawing thought that had sparked inside of her years ago. Usually, she could shoo it away. But seeing this group...she couldn't help it.

What would life be like if she could start all over? Be normal again?

She stood, crossing her arms. "Hey," She spoke to the group.

They kept arguing.

"Hey..." She raised her voice a little louder.

Nothing.

"HEY. ASSHOLES." She shouted, silencing them. They all turned at once. "I'm going to make a deal with you," Getting up from the rock, she strode over to them, "I...will not take Steve. Or her." She pointed to El. The group all collectively sighed in relief.

"Oh, thank god." Nancy said. Death put a finger up to Nancy's face to quiet her.

"But...you have to do something for me."

"Of course..." Eddie murmured, looking at the ground.

Ignoring him, Death continued, "I became the collector of souls by a contract. Life-binding, in a sense. But..." Her voice trailed off, trying to find the right words to speak, "I...know I can leave this life behind. Get a second chance. I can become...well, not Death anymore. And I think if anyone can help me do it, it will be you all."

The group was silent. Finally, Dustin spoke, "So, like...take away all your hellish Death powers and you'd just be...human again?"

She nods, "Yes. We just need to kill Vecna, for the contract states I am indebted to him for as long as he is alive. If we kill him, and complete the ritual needed to turn me - I can handle the ritual part, don't worry - I can become human again and will start right back at my 18-year-old self."

"Oh that's it?" Dustin retorted sarcastically, "Just a simple 'kill Vecna' and boom we're good?"

"Well, I mean...we were already going to do that...so it doesn't seem like too far of a stretch..." Jonathan considered it for a moment.

"Dude are you really suggesting we let a she-devil into our group? You're suggesting we just let DEATH waltz into our group like she didn't come here to kill Steve?!" Robin shouted.

"To be fair, I could have easily killed all of you by this point if I wanted to." Death offered.

"NOT HELPING!" Robin and Will shouted to Death.

"O...kay..." Death huffed, shutting up.

"I say we do it. We don't have anything else to lose. I mean, we're in the Upside Down for fuck's sake. We're already going to kill Vecna so why not?" Eddie offered, shrugging. Death smiled at him.

She was starting to like him.

"Because this could be a trick!" Robin yelled, causing Eddie to jump, "She could be lying!"

"Um, actually, I can't lie. Since death in itself is an absolute truth, I therefore, literally cannot lie. I have to tell the truth at all times. Like...it's in my other-worldly make-up, or something." Death put a finger up to interrupt Robin.

Everyone stopped and stared at Death. There was silence for a moment, and then everyone looked at Robin. Robin made eye contact with everyone before she groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Whatever."

"Oh, yay. Thank you so much, you won't regret it!" Death purred. She sighed happily and shrugged expectantly. She spoke again, unable to contain her smile,

"So, what do we do now?"

An hour later, with the group travelling the Upside Down, Death had fallen in line with Eddie.

"So...what's your real name? You couldn't have been born Death, right?" He asked, thinking about actually, how metal would it be if she was born "Death"?

Death shrugged, "I don't remember. I honestly don't remember much about my old life since I was turned."

"Turned?"

She nodded, "Into Death. I was just a normal, boring girl. I got into an accident - I was attacked by wolves outside of my village. I was so scared...so terrified of what had happened, and of dying, that when my soul was to be collected, the Devil made a deal with me. I became Death - I was to collect the souls of those about to die, do his dirty work - and I would never have to experience death. Eventually I was passed to many different masters - 'bosses', if you will - until I landed with Vecna. That I do remember."

Eddie whistled, "That sounds...intense."

"it was. If i knew the things I know about death now, back then, I would've died. It's a much better situation than...whatever mess I've gotten myself into."

"What are the secrets of death?"

"Ah..." Death laughed, "That's for me to know. I don't want to spoil the fun."

Eddie smiled at her and looked down at his feet. You know, for a she-devil, she wasn't so bad. "How old were you when you turned?"

"18," Death said, "For a long time, I was okay with what I was doing. I felt nothing, I had a higher purpose. Get in, collect, get out. But..." Her voice trailed off, looking into the distance in front of them, "I started to observe people in their final moments. I was able to see the memories of their life, of their family, of their relationships...and I realized I would never have that," She shook her head, "Which for a while was fine. But...centuries of never feeling can take a toll on you, I guess."

"So when you turn back..." Eddie said after a moment, "Like, when we kill Vecna and you do your ritual and whatever...what happens?"

"I turn back to a human. I start at 18 again. I get a second chance. I scoured that contract for a loophole, and when I found it...I felt the first glimmer of hope I had felt in forever. It would be re-written every time I changed masters...Vecna thinks he can never be killed. But I know he can," Death looked at Eddie with...softness in her eyes? "And whatever is happening in your world will restore itself, and I can get a second chance."

"Why the change of heart?" Eddie's voice was soft, barely above a whisper. He had stopped walking, causing Death to pause. When their eyes met again, his were filled with sadness, she noticed.

"I saw all of your arguing..." She stopped to laugh to herself, "And realized I wanted the chance to argue with friends. I wanted friends again. I want...to fall in love. Once, I had to find the soul of someone who died at a rock concert because he had overdosed. And even though that is of course, incredibly sad...it made me realize I want to experience a rock concert. Stupid, silly things like that."

Eddie blushed and started walking again, "I'm in a band. I play concerts."

Death smiled, "Do you now?"

He nodded, "Yep. I play guitar. And it's rock...well, metal. But...once this all gets squared away and you're human again, you should come to one of our shows."

Death giggled, a blush rising on her cheeks. (A blush?! Since when did she blush?) "I'd love that."

A moment of silence passed between them as the air felt hot. "Won't...your bosses be mad that you just...leave? Like, who else is gonna be Death? That's a pretty important role."

"Think of it as me quitting, without putting my two weeks in...they'll find someone else, quickly. The fear of death is not uncommon, by any means. Someone will want to 'live' forever, no matter the cost. The poor soul..." Death's voice trailed off as she thought about the person who would be replacing her.

"I'm...sorry...by the way..." Eddie started, his voice low. He looked Death in her eyes as she scrunched her face, "I'm sorry that this entire thing happened to you. It doesn't sound...fun. By any means," He sighed, one of his hands reaching to scratch the back of his head, "Actually, it sucks. But...we'll get him. And you'll be able to go back to normal. And you'll be able to go to a rock concert. I promise." He offered a smile, causing Death to smile as well.

Another blush rose on her cheeks.

"I hope so."

*3 Months After the Saving of Hawkins*

"If you guys don't hurry up now, I'm leaving you home and you won't be able to get a ride with me, so move it!" Steve shouted into the Wheeler's house, leaning on the doorframe of their front door. He sighed and checked his watch and yep, just like he thought - 15 minutes behind schedule.

Dustin, Mike, Will, and Lucas were the first to scamper out of basement, yelling and shouting about their current D&D campaign. Steve ushered them into the car with a smattering of "go, go, go!" Before Mike got into the car, Steve grabbed him by his collar.

"Do we have to wait for your sister or is she taking her own car?"

Mike shook his head, "No, she's taking the girls, so Max, El and Jennifer are going with her. Something about 'No Boys Allowed' when they were doing their hair and makeup or something?"

Steve rolled his eyes, "Ugh okay fine. Let's go. We're gonna be late - I don't even want to go to this show and here I am, driving you guys around AGAIN."

Steve shut the Wheeler's door just as Nancy was opening her bedroom door, the girls spilling out, giggling. Max fluffed El's hair as she walked behind her, and Nancy was re-applying her lipgloss.

"So, are you just so excited to see Eddie play tonight, Jen?" Nancy asked, teasing her innocently, "Rockstar boyfriend and all?"

Jennifer - formally "Death" - giggled and could feel the blush rising to her cheeks. "Enouuggghhh...of course I am," She giggled again, but it turned into a sigh, "Except I got a pimple for the first time in like, literally 350 years last night, like, of course the night before Eddie's big show."

"Yeah, well, you wanted to be human. Welcome to womanhood, toots!" Max said, slinging an arm around Jennifer.

~*~

As the group made their way and enjoyed Corroded Coffin's first concert since Hawkins (and the world) was saved (Steve enjoyed it, he just didn't want to admit it), they found their way over to the band at the bar. Eddie couldn't have taken his eyes off of Jennifer the entire time, no matter how hard he tried. And as he watched her walk over to him, it wasn't every different. Immediately he hopped off of his stool and wrapped his arms around her, breathing in her scent.

"Hi babe," He murmured into her ear, placing a kiss on her temple. Jennifer couldn't help by smile.

"Hi, babe. You were so good. I loved it!" She pulled away and looked at the rest of the band to compliment them. The group started to intermingle and Eddie took her hand, leading her a little bit away from the group.

"So...enjoy your first rock concert?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow. She smiled and nodded, hooking one of her fingers into his jean's belt loop.

"I wouldn't have wanted it any other way." She leaned in to kiss him, the butterflies fluttering in her chest. After killing Vecna, when she had completed the ritual and saw Eddie for the first time after, she had experience butterflies for the first time in 350 years.

And since them, they didn't seem to stop.

Eddie smiled into the kiss and strengthened it, cupping her cheeks with feverish hands, "I'm so happy you're here."

Jennifer nodded. It had been 3 months since she was able to turn back to a human, leaving the life of Death behind her. And with it came emotions, and schoolwork, and navigating human life...pimples, periods, sad songs, even being made fun of.

But there was also love, and her new friends, and her new "family" (being "adopted" by Hopper and pretending to be a high school student again), kissing Eddie, passing notes to Nancy in classes, popcorn, going to the mall, watching movies on the couch, the promise of a rollercoaster of a normal, human life.

She looked Eddie in the eyes, grabbing his hands again. "I'm happy I'm here, too."

-----

Will I ever be able to write a short oneshot again? Who knows. But I had so much fun writing this one! What did you guys think?!

Reminder: my inbox is open for requests to head over there and fill it, I'm itching to write!

[misc-obeyme]

The Scroll of Thirst. Are they even serious with this?

Spoilers below!

Is it supposed to be a pun? Like we know you guys are thirsty but also you're in a desert? I just...

ANYWAY.

I have thoughts about this event.

It isn't a spotlight event. It doesn't say it's spotlighting anybody. But this event was very much Solomon centered. So why aren't they saying it's a spotlight event for him? I honestly feel like he got more of a spotlight in this event than other characters have had when they were listed as spotlights. I just don't understand the distinction?

Okay so the story of this event was obviously just an excuse to let you kiss Solomon at the end. And listen I'm not exactly COMPLAINING about that lol.

Actually, I liked the set up. The sorcerer who wrote the scroll recreating his story because he didn't know that his lover was unable to save him and all that? So tragic! So romantic! Now MC and Solomon have to stand in for them!

Though the shorter route was complete nonsense I am always here for Diavolo and Barbatos being completely ridiculous. Also Barb in that outfit is just... dlkfsajdfklf.

This happens right after Barbatos realizes he has to hold Solomon's hand lol. I love him so much.

And I know we've all seen the screenshot of Solomon's response when MC asks him if he's done anything evil lately. Like c'mon man, you're not helping your own case here.

However, it does make me wonder if they deliberately created an event like this in an attempt to indicate that Solomon, despite being perceived as evil by everybody, is not actually evil at all and is in fact completely innocent. I mean in the context of the main game. I know I myself have been like I dunno... he's acting suspicious... and I just felt like this event was yelling at me to knock it off lol. Like okay I can take a hint! Not that it'd take much convincing because I'm obviously in love with Solomon, so. There's that.

Anyway, this event was enjoyable for a Solomon lover like myself. And even if that wasn't the case, Barbatos in that outfit would have made it all worth my while lol.

I leave you with one last screenshot because I also love Simeon.

Gosh! Lol they're so cute.

[realcube]

˖°.𓆩♡𓆪 .°˖ TROPEOLOGY for @stars-tonight

𓆩♡𓆪 part of my lovers level — 3k follower event

𓆩♡𓆪 chosen character: oikawa toru

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ YOUR TROPES ARE...

LOVE MARTYR

okay so there isn't a specific trope name for what i'm thinking of. but basically a similar dynamic to that of kiyoko and tanaka, where he is just gonna keep asking you out and you say no every single time despite actually having feelings for him that build over time. however, the difference is that kiyoko keeps rejecting tanaka for whatever reason, bc you keep rejecting oikawa bc you know he's a player and naturally flirtatious and you're convinced that he's only asking you out playfully/jokingly so you respond accordingly. but one day he makes some big grand gesture to prove that he's being serious and that's when you say yes.

FAILED SECRET RELATIONSHIP

oikawa is so convinced that because of his fangirls, y'all need to keep your relationship out of the spotlight, otherwise this random girls that think they have a chance with him with develop animosity towards the two of you. and you admittedly think he's being a bit dramatic but since he is so insistent, you agree to try and keep your relationship secret. and the funny part is that you do a good job of it, generally just avoiding him in favour of being with your friends and when you do socialise with him, it's very covert. however, despite the whole 'private relationship' thing being his idea, he's so terrible at it. he'll slip you romantic notes during class (and he thinks he's being slick about it but he's not); he'll wink at you in the hallways and blow you kisses and he'll text you constantly duirng lunch and not-so-subtly glance at you. sometimes you wonder if he's even trying. and the whole thing comes crumbling down one day, after winning one a game, out of instinct he decides to run up to you and give you a big hug and everyone sees. and when he realises what he does he expects everyone to be shocked but like.. nobody is.. because they all already knew you two were a couple lol.

LAB PARTNERS/FORCED PROXIMITY

omg this trope is so over-done and personally i usually don't like it but i think in the case of you and kawa it would be so cute. like two classmates who barely know anything about each other are paired up to do an assignment together and learn that they have more in common than they initially thought 🥺 i imagine you two would be in the library and it would the classic situation where he is more focused on you than the actual assignment (but he's not completely useless because he is actually pretty smart; it's just a matter of actually getting him to do the work). and you had already heard of him before bc he's the captain of the volleyball team n all. maybe you thought he was a vain playboy and you learn he's actually kinda a sweetie pie. he didn't know much about you but he's charmed when he finds out you're a setter and you both eagerly talk about volleyball for ages, forgetting all about the assignment you're supposed to be doing.

BODY SWAP AU!

this is kinda a random wild-card one but if you were already friends with oikawa this would be so hilarious. actually it would still be hilarious if there was an established relationship. but i imagine it would happen at the most inconvenient time, like he has a big game coming up so he has to spend every moment of his free time training you so you can compete in his body and win. and that's when his inner diva comes out because he is such a harsh coach 😩 especially because you're in his body like when y'all trained together before he body swap, yeah he was a bit strict but he was never that bad solely because there is no way he could ever say anything mean to your sweet face but now that you are in his body it's different because he is more than capable of yelling at himself lol. but overall it makes for a funny bonding and training experience. and y'all begin to understand each other better when going through life in the other's shoes.

for @stars-tonight: you and kawa are suchhh an otp!! anyway thank youu for participating in my event and i hoped you enjoyed these 🙏

[ch3rriewine]

Pink in the night ♡ {R.L}

summary: Remus drunkenly confesses his feelings, romance ensues

warnings(?): 1.6k words, idk like fluff, loosely based off of the mitski song "pink in the night", little bad idk how i feel about this one, i wrote this with fem!reader in mind, reader has hair long enough to be tucked back lol, reader has a cat:D, remus is a cutie as always, remus is a clingy drunk, theyre at a party and drinking alcohol, like one mention of a weed smell, the time it takes for the pain meds to kick in is a tad unrealistic but it's fiction so who cares, i'll add more when i think of more

authors note: ahhh!!!!! second fic thing idk tell me what u think :p also tell me what else u want writing wise im trying to write more

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

Remus needs to talk to you, even standing near you would be great. You might as well be glowing pink, and the alcohol makes you look no less than a ray of sunlight. In a little black dress and some kitten heels, you stand close to Emmaline. That dress does wonders for your already lovely self, he thinks. You arrived a little later than everyone else, so you only had a few sips of some cocktail in you. He stumbles over to you, okay maybe he's drunk, not tipsy. Still, he managed to get over to you. Your perfume hits his senses and suddenly he’s forgotten why he’s over there. Oh yeah,

“Hey” you speak up first glancing at him with furrowed brows accompanied by a concerned smile.

“H-hey!” he yells, maybe a bit too loud, over the music. You're still smiling, now it’s not in concern, it's in fondness. He hopes you never stop.

“Having fun?” you chide, cocking your head a bit to the side. The smell of vodka and a small hint of cologne is eminent on him.

“No, not really” he slurs his words ever so slightly, grinning the smallest bit of pearly whites showing and something glinting in his eyes that you can't quite place.

Small talk ensues, and then he starts following you around the flat, chatting about nothing. Soon enough you're sat on a couch that smells faintly of booze and weed with Remus playing with a small lock of your hair. The strands twirl through his fingers, he seems oddly entertained by it, how much alcohol had Sirius given him?

“Rem, you look tired, you wanna stay the night at my place?” you ask, worried he’d pass out in this sticky mess. It’s only a friendly worry, not I secretly want to take care of you because I like you a whole lot worry, totally not.

“If it’s not too much of a hassle, sure” he mumbles, apparently too tired to speak up. Thankfully, your flat isn’t that far within walking distance. You two eventually make it back with no problems, other than Remus would occasionally trip on nothing. You lead him to your couch and sit him down, he’s already half asleep and he doesn't notice you taking off his coat for him and his shoes. You drag him back onto his feet and lead him to your bedroom, a lot harder than it sounds when it's a six-foot drunk man you're dragging. He plops down onto your bed, sighing at the feeling of your blankets and pillows surrounding him. You get a glass of water and some paracetamol on your bedside table for his oncoming hangover, then leave to change into your pajamas. He slowly assesses your bedroom, your bookshelves, the color of the walls, to your photos hanging up. It’s so you, everything just fits in perfectly with your character. You emerge from your bathroom changed and cleaned.

You're so lovely, he thinks. With your sleep shorts and an oversized shirt, you make your way over to your bed. “Get some rest, please, you had a lot to drink” ending your sentence with a small smile. That damn smile again.

“You’re so beautiful” he admires while sitting up, his face flushed from the alcohol and maybe something more. He eyed your lips with hazy eyes. “I really like you, as I think of you all day, it's hard to get stuff done. I really want to kiss you right now.”

“You’re drunk, get some rest and drink water” you insist.

“I’m serious!” he presses “you're so lovely” he sighs and falls back down onto the mattress.

“Scooch” you push him lightly so he moves over to the other side of the bed. “You won't feel like this in the morning, you're drunk.” you look into his eyes in the dim room, his dark brown irises looking almost black in the dark.

“I will,” he says before closing his eyes “I always will”. After a while, his breathing deepens and he's snoring lightly. He was saying that you were the one that was beautiful but look at him. His fluffed-up yet put-together hair, his bushy eyebrows, and the small, sparse freckles dotting his face, I mean come on. You fall asleep with your body turned towards him.

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

Remus awakes with meowing in his face. He blinks his eyes open slowly, looking at the black cat staring back at him. It was a small thing, with big yellow eyes and a pudgy figure. For a moment he was incredibly confused, he didn’t have a cat. He looked around to find that he wasn’t in his flat and he had a raging headache. His head was pounding and the shrill meowing wasn't helping. He looked over to his left seeing you. You were so peaceful like this, hair a mess, face completely relaxed, and hand resting on his chest.

He put the pieces together, he was in your flat after Sirius’ party, God did he say anything weird? Being too tired to think about it, he looks to his side to find water and some paracetamol. Downing the water, he turns toward your cat. Sashimi, he thinks is the name. Sashimi is sitting at the end of the bed now waiting patiently for his breakfast. Remus would feed him if he knew where you kept the cat food, so he has to wake you up. He dreads it, he'd rather not take you out of your peaceful state, but it’s for your son, as you call him.

“Hey, your cats hungry” he shakes you awake softly. “I'd feed him but I don't know where the food is”

You mumble something incoherent into your pillow, rolling into it. He laughs. That stupid, gorgeous laugh. “Ugh ok, I’ll feed him,” you say, not putting in any effort to get up. He rubs your arm comforting, the paracetamol already taking its effect.

You fight off the sleep still in your system and sit up. “Ok I’m awake, stay here if you want” Finally sitting up and getting out of bed. You smooth your hair, trying to salvage your appearance in any way possible. He follows close behind, walking out into your kitchen/living room, actually getting a good look at your living space. Your fake plants, your photos with your friends, and even a photo of you two. The photo is slightly blurry with you on his lap laughing wildly at something he said, a quaint smile spreading across his face at your reaction. It’s cute. He remembers that night, the party you guys were at, the smell of your perfume, the glitter coating your eyelids, the heels you took off halfway through the night, everything about you he remembers, yet he can't, for the life of him, remember what he said to make you laugh that hard.

The sound of a can opening pulls him back to the moment. Your cat meows at your feet, incessant with his demands for his breakfast. “Here you go, sweet boy,” you say to Sashimi while plopping the wet food into his bowl. Crouching to pet the cat’s soft fur, you turn your head and smile at Remus. “You want to go out for breakfast? There's a diner right around the corner.”

You sit opposite each other, him still in his alcohol-smelling clothes from the night before and you in sweats and a tank top with a flannel thrown over. The coffee is burnt and the bacon is too salty, but you couldn't be more content, what can you really expect from a diner whose main consumers are people like you, fighting hangovers with greasy food and coffee. “How're your eggs?” you ask, still kind of groggy.

“Rubbery,” he says around a mouthful of said eggs. “How’re your waffles?”

“Eh, they're ok,” you say moving your cut-up waffles around the plate with your fork, mind occupied.

“Are you ok? Something on your mind, lovely?” he asks. Of course, he can tell when you're out of sorts. Stupid, smart, amazing boy.

“You said, uhm, you said something last night.” you say “I just-I’m just thinking about it” you give him a small smile.

Oh God, what did he say? Did he mess it all up before he could even make a move? The poor boy looked mortified. It all came back to him, shit. He really said that to you? Drunkenly no less?

“I’m-I’m so sorry, genuinely. I was drunk and wasn't thinking and I should've expressed myself in a better way! I'll make it up to you! We can forget I said it or-” he rambles on.

“Did you mean it? Do you still feel the same way?” you stare at him anxiously, waiting for an answer.

“Do I-what?” he stares dubiously “Of course I do! How could I not? I meant every word I swear.” he takes your hands in his. This is all happening in a corner booth of a run-down diner, by the way. How romantic.

“Can I kiss you now?” he says, sincerely. Remus Lupin wants to kiss you, what a dream.

“Mhm,” you nod leaning over the table already. He laughs, shaking his head, then winces as his headache is coming back. You chuckle a little, it’s endearing in some odd way. He meets you halfway, putting a hand on your cheek and rubbing small circles with his thumb. His lips meet yours softly, just barely brushing over yours before you take the notion to deepen it. He smiles into the kiss, grabbing your face with both hands now. You break away after a while, smiling and on the verge of giggling like a schoolgirl.

“I think I didn't do it right,” he says tucking hair behind your ear "Maybe I'm still a little bit drunk," a knowing smirk ghosted his mouth.

“Oh yeah?” you question him.

“Yeah,” he nods “Can I try again?” a kiss “and again?” another “and again?” one last for good measure.