#restabilize

[rslashrats]

everyone is sending me the woolly mice. everyone knows me like an open book

[mint-ty]

I need to unclog my brain from work for a bit. Tell me what Bojere AU's you're deeply missing and your thoughts about what type of story it could be 👀✨️

[nights-at-crystarium]

Y'know, every once in a while someone manages to make a laser-precise observation about the comic, and this time it's tumblr user starlightstripes 😤🖤🖤🖤

I could never tell if I managed to draw a complex expression just so, unless you tell me, so thank you, this's so emotionally rewarding for me. This definitely isn't the sharpest Vivi's looked, no thoughts are found in this elezen head. But it's okay, he's okay, genuinely, ShB gives him everything he's ever needed (sans the Light corruption but he shakes that off with no issue)

Hopefully his behavior in previous episodes makes more sense now.

Feo Ul sorta happens to be around most of the time when he's chilling, they turned out to be a reliable new friend and a repellent for the other humans :'>

[elvenferretots]

Here's to the last disc event of the season. And here's to hoping he gets at least one more season playing rollers.

[freebooter4ever]

my heart rate has gone soooo low i think i need to call the cardiologist again :(

[ghostgirlcara]

Persian for the ask game?

【Persian】 - What's the weirdest habit you have?

Sometimes, when I feel stressed, or disoriented, or like the things around me aren't real, I'll start spinning around. I don't know why it helps, but it does. Maybe it's because when you spin around, everything in your vision gets blurred together, and then when you stop, it's not blurry anymore. Making the problem worse to make it better once you stop. I don't know, it just helps me feel grounded. I guess this could be my answer for Meowstic too, hehe.

[deforest]

please stop consuming animals and their byproducts oh my god i’m begging you i’m gonna fuckjng die this season do you have any idea how bad this is

[vampirecatprince]

I've had a vendetta against the man for over a decade now, but that's because I live near the Nevada Tesla Gigafactory and have had to live through just how badly it fucked the economy and people here

Do you know what this site thought of Elon Musk before he started supporting Trump and gave that Nazi Salute?

Going how far back? Ten years ago, we didn't talk about him and nobody cared. He was not in the wider public consciousness. Those who knew who he was mostly thought "oh yeah he's that rich guy who wants to look smart" and nothing much else was said. I think his first bump in popularity was when he married Grimes, and then he was just the weird rich dude Grimes married. I did not know who Grimes was and still kinda don't. She had a Tumblr blog and then made some music and had a baby with a weird name and then vanished kinda post-divorce afaik.

Then I think maybe five years ago ish he sort of started showing up more as a sort of weaboo man-baby deal? Pictures of him in Les Mis cosplay, dressed as a furby, and showing off empty Diet Coke cans and a fake replica gun on his nightstand circulated.

My impression was that he was just like. If that creepy awkward guy in class who unironically does the Naruto run and thinks katanas are magic was spawned out of the ether with infinite money.

And then I think maybe after that was how stupid he is? That became public knowledge shortly after-like how the safety vests in some of his factories are in washed-out neutral colours cause he doesn't like neons. Or like... how he seemed to be giving off the impression that he was a genius inventor, despite not actually making anything or having any kind of education se can speak of? All I know is like. He was an owner with PayPal and then bought Tesla?

And simultaneously if I remember correctly he was kind of always about "if we don't let the nazis talk on twitter then we're basically á dictatorship" or whatever, banging on the free speech drum and going on about how jokes used to be funny, then bluffed about buying twitter and somehow got legally shoehorned into ponying up and actually doing it for WAY more than it was worth, almost immediately making it worse and tanking its value.

Now it seems kind of like an Emporer's clothes situation where everyone knows the Emporer is naked, but instead of getting embarrassed and covering up, the emperor just keeps doubling down harder. Meanwhile his whole entire ass is just. Out

[kill-vonkarma-again]

YOU MEAN EDGEWORTH HAS TO DEAL WITH TWO FUCKEN INTERNATIONAL INCIDENTS IN LIKE 3 DAYS

[radioconstructed]

⌖ This is a request for NORMAL MESSAGES!

[lariumbreon]

URGENT EMERGENCY

My wife just lost her job, and while I do have a full time job lined up to start soon, it won't start in time for us to make rent and won't be enough to fully cover us until she starts work again. I know I pretty frequently ask for financial help, but this time it's extremely dire. We need to be able to afford to make rent before we end up homeless. My bank account is severely in the red still, and all the ways I usually make money online just aren't enough to support me, my wife, and my disabled younger sister. Please help and share as much as possible so that I can have some peace of mind while we try to restabilize our life.

[spatialwave]

Jayce Talis as a Husband & Father | Headcanons

➸ ask: "hiii i was wondering if you could do post s2 arcane headcanons for Jayce?? like jayce x wife!reader that have a newborn baby??" ➸ pairing: jayce talis x wife!reader ➸ word count: 923 words ➸ tags: mdni! sfw, fluff, comfort, mentions of jayce’s trauma, pregnancy, headcanons, childbirth, parenthood, canon-divergent ending. ➸ notes: i went really poetic with this idk why. also this definitely heightened my already terrible baby fever……. please for the love of god send me more asks about girldad jayce, i am begging you. i love writing these.

When you met Jayce Talis, you fell madly in love with him almost instantly—as did he with you. Within the first six months of your relationship, he proposed to you with a ring that he’d smithed himself, adorned with a hextech gemstone that sparkled unlike anything you’d ever seen. Of course, you said yes… and moved in within that same week.

Living with Jayce Talis meant dealing with the aftershocks of what he’d gone through during his time in the arcane and subsequent war. With a permanently injured leg and mental wounds that left him cursed by night terrors, you were they by his side to help him overcome his past. You were the rock he hadn’t known he needed, the one who encouraged him to keep fixing what he’d broken (and not without his partner, Viktor.)

Although he’d gone through hell and back, he found joy and happiness in you again. No longer was he filled with anger and guilt for allowing his naivety to take control of what was right—all Jayce wanted was to be happy. With you. 

When you found out you were pregnant, Jayce was over the moon, excited and horribly nervous. He constantly worried whether or not he’d be a good father, and the absence of his own in his life made him uncertain. He would spend countless evenings with his mother, asking her hundreds of questions about parenthood, which either made it better or worse depending on what he wanted to know.

However, the worry washed away when he held his little girl in his arms—weighing shy of six pounds and so tiny in his arms. It was a beautiful sight, a rugged man with messy hair, scarred arms, and calloused hands holding the love of his life.

Your daughter brings out a side of Jayce that Viktor told you is reminiscent of his life when they first met all those years ago: gentle, curious, nervous and much too excited. 

Jayce is messy and clumsy in his parenting, learning as he goes, but he is so dedicated. He’s used to being covered in stains but no longer in oil and soot from his work. Now it’s spit-up and dried milk… among other things. And to you, he’s never looked sexier than when he’s a mess.

Even though he’s still a councillor and working with Viktor on restabilizing hextech, he makes time for his family. The days of late-night tinkering in the lab or long council meetings are in the past because there is nothing more important to him than you two.

He is a very overprotective dad, constantly worrying about the little things and often getting sleepless nights because he checks on her one too many times to make sure sleeping soundly in her crib. He baby-proofs your home with everything he can make—doorstops, locks for the cabinets and removing any of his work from his home to the lab so there are no accidents. It’s cute, but considering that your daughter is shy of two months old, the baby-proofing tends to get in the way, but you let him. ‘Father knows best’ is a term he coins and uses, much to your annoyance.

Jayce always splits the tasks of parenting between you two but is never opposed to taking on more than you if you need the rest. As you slowly transition to include bottle feeding in your routine, he takes on nightly shifts for you. You find him asleep a few times, sitting up against the crib with a blanket covered in spit-up draped over his shoulder and an empty bottle in his hand.

He is a sentimental man. He makes a locket that he wears as a necklace every day, tucked beneath his clothing, and shows it off to anyone that he can—a photo of you and your daughter inside it.

You swear you’ve never been more in love with Jayce than you are now. A loving father and husband who doesn’t let his new role as a parent overshadow his love for you.

He’s just as romantic as he was the first time he took you on a date. A month after you gave birth and were far too stir-crazy to be at home any longer, Ximena watched your daughter, and he took you out on a date that reminded you of simpler times. Showering you with gentle touches and kisses that set your heart on fire and reignited your passion.

Jayce noticed how your confidence dropped since the pregnancy. He finds you looking at yourself in the mirror and trying to love the body that grew your daughter, hands over your still-rounded stomach and tracing the stretchmarks. Changes that look so large in your eyes go unnoticed by him, and he makes sure to cherish your body as a reminder that his love for you hasn’t changed.

Every night in bed, he kisses your stomach, your hips, your thighs—peppering your body with kisses and massaging you as he worships your strength and beauty, silently thanking you for bringing your daughter into the world. 

As with any relationship, there are good days and bad. Some days go so smoothly that you wonder if you both were naturally inclined to be the perfect parents. Then come the days when all you can do is argue, overcome with the stress, fears and worries of marriage and parenthood.

But you make it through because to be loved by Jayce Talis is to feel love unlike anything you have experienced before, and that is worth the hardships.

[krsonmar]

::glares at Florida. All of it.::

so many areas have been un-wetlanded and we need to re-wet them. if there is an area that makes a big puddle for days every time it rains everyone wants to make a channel to make the water go away faster. but actually that solution creates muddy polluted water flowing rapidly into the streams. the real solution is to dig a wide shallow pit to become a pond and make the water hang out for longer so it can become the cattails' and rushes' home. make sure to make the edges a gradual slope so the frogs can get in easily btw

[that-weird-thing-in-the-woods]

Heyyy so if you’ve been around here long enough and payed attention to some of my hints about future posts so here you go!

🦭🌊Selkie au🦭🌊

===================================

So Danny with Jazz are looking through some old family books while Jack and Maddie are at a ghost Hunter convention or something and after like 30 minutes of this Danny finds a very old book, Danny and Jazz weren’t going to read it but the title and a note on the front got there attention

The title itself looks like it was scratched out and is unreadable but the note on the front says ‘For future generations of the Nightingale family’ while Danny is a bit confused about who the Nightingale family is but Jazz looks intrigued and when Danny asks her to explain Jazz says that the Nightingales were their dads OG family name so now their both interested in this book

So they read it and find out that their blood line from their dads side is full of selkie blood and that the ones who found this out hid it from the others in the family and next to the book was a box with a integrate design of seals and waves marked out by silver -{ Plot Convenience }- and as they open it they find three pelts, two fit them perfectly but there is a anther one that is much MUCH smaller than theirs and they just think is was a old relatives and just keeps it in the box

And a few weeks later they are still trying to figure out what to do with this stuff but they hid the book under Jazz’s bed under some extra blankets she keeps under there for winter or blackouts when their parents experiments cutout the houses power and hid the box under Danny’s bed behind of some old stuff so that if Maddie or Jack find something under one of their beds they don’t find the rest and it was easier from them due to their parents being tired from the Conversation and not really paying attention to what they were doing

But they had to put plans on hold for what to do as Jazz was going to go look at some colleges that she may want to attend for a few days so she leaves but not before she and Danny take out a piece from the portal so they don’t have any emergency’s while Jazz is gone and can’t help

And while Jazz is gone, Maddie and Jack catches Danny changing from ghost to human and Maddie knocks him out and Jack brings him down to the lab and while Maddie is getting things ready for the experiments and stuff, Jack is putting on the restraints and that’s when Danny wakes up and he start to move and try get out while pleading for them to let him go and that’s when Maddie and Jack do what the people here in the Dc x Dp love to do traumatize the fuck out of this boy

And a few days before Jazz is supposed to came back Dani goes to the Fenton home so jazz and Danny can explain what they wanted to ( they texted her saying they wanted to tell her something very important because since she’s Danny’s clone daughter and has his DNA she should have some selkie blood in her and want her opinion on this ) so when she doesn’t see Danny Mama and that’s when Maddie finds her and knocks her out like she did with Danny

As jazz comes home and sees an empty house she just thinks Danny is out with Sam and tuck and her parents are doing something and as she just abouts finishes unpacking she hears a wail and cries that she recognizes as Danny’s voice and big sister instincts ( and a bit of selkie instincts ) kick in and she goes running to the lab

She finds Danny pined down to the table and Dani’s body next to him her body looks like it is going to destabilize any second and that’s when Maddie and Jack notices her and they all start to fight and Jazz manages to knock out her parents and get Danny out of his restraints and he goes to Dani but not before grabbing one of the ecto injections and helping her restabilize but due to the damage Jack and Maddie did, she de-ages to about a 2-3 year old

And now that Dani isn’t going to die, Danny and Jazz start running to their rooms so they can grab the box and book and some money because they can’t really grab to many things to where their going and run out of the house to a bus stop at the edge of town, where no one goes but buses still stop and they get on and they do this a few more times until they are at a port town and managed to get on one of the fairies is going to a remote island where there is only about 70 people total and as they get there they hide until it is late at night so no one sees them

And they open the box and wrap the pelt around themselves and helping little Dani with hers and as they do a pod of seals come closer to them and start making barking and roaring at them almost like their call them back into the water, back home…

And as they start to walk into the water and swim to the pod they know they made the right decision and maybe they can be around humans again

Someday…

——————————————————————————

And now onto the DC part of this thing!

So while on a mission to a remote fishing island because something the fishermen seeing at night and Damian was sent out because the Batfam got mad at him due to him seriously injuring a mugger who was injuring a small animal who was defenseless against the man and now he’s here.

As he walks around the island it is around 1 in the morning he notices some sounds around a part of the island no one goes to due to sharp rocks around and as he climbs down that’s when he sees them a seal and their pup swimming around until a large wave causes by one of the boats in the water hit the pup and send them up on the beach and almost immediately Damien goes to help the pup back into the water back to their mother who is swimming close and watching him help their pup.

And as he puts the pup back into the water they swim back to their mother and he calls this a good day.

The next day around that area he comes back and sees the mother and pup again who seem happy to see him.

And this goes on for a few days until a few days before he’s supposed to go back to Gotham he goes to the area to see the mother-pup duo and that’s when he sees them a person around his age with a toddler around 2-3 years old as he is standing there he makes eye contact with the person and…he recognizes those eyes as the seal mothers eyes and they smile at him as the little girl who he now knows as the little seal pup and runs or well waddles her way up to him and holds her arms up at him expectantly and who is he to deny her so he picks her up and walks over to the mother and now that he is closer he notices the brownish red seal that sometimes came around this here but as a very tall woman who looks to be 18-19.

And they explain who they are ( while Damian is internally simping over the pretty selkie boy, Damian called dips this is his beloved now ) and what brought them here and stuff and Damian makes it his mission to protect them ( and get into a relationship with the pretty boy ) so he stays for a bit longer than the OG mission needed too but the Batfam sent him here so they didn’t have to deal with his actions so if here for a bit longer why would they care.

Meanwhile, at the Batcave : running around the headless chickens trying to find out why there youngest isn’t coming back in Gotham when he should have.

——————————————————————————

And now on to the details!

For Danny’s I’m thinking something like this

And for his pelt

Mixed with this

-{ I refuse to believe Danny isn’t a dramatic ass bitch when it comes to fashion }-and here is the hair I’m thinking for him

And for Jazz I’m thinking this

And for her pelt this is what I’m thinking

And hair

===================================

And that’s it! This is inspired my the movie “Song of the sea” that movie has me in a chokehold anyway I hope you guys like it -{ also tumblr kinda kicked me out well I was writing this so if some part are weird that’s why}- Byeeeee

[azen13]

hello hello! This is my first time doing this but uhh could you make a yandere Jing Yuan where reader is his spouse but disappears out of fucking nowhere (Did reader get isekai'd to Teyvat or something) for damn centuries— No matter how much time has passed, he is still waiting, and waiting, and waiting... And yea, and then reader randomly gets back on a tuesday afternoon who looks absolutely fucking tired btw

"I'm back my homie"

"Yippeee :3 I missed you!!"

Sorry if my English is bad, it's my 2nd language. Also have a great day!

CW: Yandere Themes, Non-Sexual Intimacy

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

I love this idea Anon! I think that it genuinely works fantastically with Jing Yuan's character as a sort of inciting incident for his more possessive tendencies to emerge. Before you disappear, there are some glimpses of it: how he keeps you close to his chest at all times everywhere, from the bustling streets of Aurum Alley to the soothing sheets of the bed you share with him.

The scene was set so serenely. Lan THEMSELVES would have been enticed to lower THEIR bow and take in the fresh air. It was one of Jing Yuan's rare days of rest, when he could indulge in your presence more than he already did. A picnic in a garden, what could be more peaceful? Perhaps it was the way the air stilled when you simply snapped out of existence. There was no time for tearful goodbyes, no last words or final kisses. It was as though every atom in your body simply phased away, defying any natural principles. Jing Yuan wasn't able to even conceptualize it. The moment wasn't tragedy. Tragedy tightened the heartstrings so grief could play a mournful song. He knew tragedy well: Baiheng, Dan Feng, Yingxing, Jingliu, tragedy after tragedy.

But this feeling was not that. Instead, he felt his love—vast and radiant and bright—beginning to collapse upon itself. Without a center, it was simply a force pulling inward, until inward was outward and back again; eventually, every other feeling was lost in the implosion.

He tried to flee from its pull, reasoning that if he could find the center of his love again, it would restabilize. Fleets of Cloud Knights scoured the site of the disappearance, members of the Intelligentsia Guild were contacted. Jing Yuan even personally discussed the matter with several members of the Genius Society, desperate for any sort of purchase. Some explanation, however vague or improbable. Some way.

Try as he might, every road led back into that cool, weightless oblivion. He allowed himself to sink into a pool of it as the world went on. The Xianzhou Luofu needed its General, and this was nothing new. It was simply another loss, and after so many, they began to lose their meaning. It was as though Jing Yuan sat in a small glass tank. Each time he lost someone dear to his heart, the tank filled up to a certain point with water. By this point, he had already been drowning in desolation. But when you had wormed your way into his life, suddenly the walls had begun to crack. In little trickling streams, all his grief began to leave him. When you disappeared, the glass reformed, the tank refilled. Escape was impossible, he conjectured. This was his burden to carry as a Xianzhou General.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

Years later, Jing Yuan still can't sleep in his own bed. The sheets, once a delicate dark red, have now begun to go grey with how much dust they are collecting. His home has become a mausoleum of your spirit, a museum of the last remaining marks of your existence. A book on the table. A half-empty cup of coffee. The bedsheets are pushed back in such a way that if Jing Yuan tries hard enough, he can conjure your image, sleepily clambering out of bed. The mental hologram lurches to the bathroom; after a few minutes, they walk back out. Some days you would climb back into bed, other days you would start cooking breakfast.

He performs this ritual every night before going to bed on the couch, and tries to remember every detail as exact as possible. But memories only fade. They are ephemeral, like autumn leaves and evening light. Their existence can be prolonged, but never immortalized.

In the middle of the night, Jing Yuan stirs.

"...Yuan?"

"Jing Yuan? Why are you sleeping on the couch?"

You. For a moment, the realization is so powerful, of such high dimensionality, it doesn't fully register in Jing Yuan's mind. He can only comprehend sections and slices of it. You're here. You're here with him.

The rest of the night is spent on the couch, as you hold Jing Yuan close. He stays awake for hours, afraid that he might lose you again if he falls asleep. When he wakes up with you by his side, the tank shatters. But the hole in his heart remains. It cannot return to its original state, cannot expand outwards; it can only draw its center inwards, and keep it there.

For the first few days, you understand why Jing Yuan is so protective, why he doesn't let you leave him for even a moment. You have no recollection of suddenly disappearing. Your mind fabricated events: after your picnic, you went home and fell asleep. Then you woke up in the middle of the night. If you had lost Jing Yuan for years, you would certainly be clingy.

But time leaks by quicker and quicker, like a dam slowly breaching, before you realize it's been months and you've hardly left your home. You've gone on a few walks, but those have been only on sparse streets. Though, with the way Jing Yuan clutches you so tightly, you'd think you're in the middle of a battleground.

When you pose the question to Jing Yuan, he only smiles and waves off your concerns. He assumed that with how long you've been gone, you needed some time to get reacclimated to life. You remind him that to you, there was no period between your disappearance and reappearance. Jing Yuan hums and draws you closer, placing a hand on your cheek. His thumb reaches up to your lip, gently brushing against it.

"I understand, dearest. But in any case, you must understand how...alarming the situation was for me. I simply fear I may lose you again and wish to keep you safe. Will you let me do that, my love?"

Suddenly, you find your question ricocheting straight back to you. Jing Yuan's hand squeezes gently, his eyes gazing at you with such placid fondness. But beneath the static surface, you can see the turbulence in his soul. There is something different about your husband, something deeply wrong. What is challenging is that you can't find any loose threads in Jing Yuan's logic. You understand how difficult it must have been for him. That doesn't mean his overprotectiveness is right either.

Even so, you find yourself acquiescing.

"Good," Jing Yuan praises. His other hand reaches against your back, pushing you into him. "I'm glad you agree with me. I would hate to have to make you understand." Despite how his voice coos like a sparrow, his eyes are as sharp as a hawk's, ready to swoop down and catch its prey.

And so the days continue to pass by in an unchanging domesticity. Jing Yuan takes you on more walks and gives you more freedom, but despite how far you wander, you can always feel the gravity of his love, pulling you back into his orbit.

[er-osion]

Stay (in my life)

pairing: Jason Todd x gn!Reader

summary: Red Hood comes back to your apartment for a patch job again, but his injuries are a bit more severe this time so he accepts your offer to stay over

word count: 4.3k

warnings: blood, fairly detailed descriptions of injuries, fluff

author’s note: sorry this one’s a little long ya’ll, i got a bit carried away. hope you guys enjoy. you can read part one here.

⋄∘∗⋅⋆≁≁⋆⋅∗∘⋄

“Holy shit, you look terrible!” You gasp as you take in Red Hood’s battered form as he clumsily steps over to your couch.

“Thanks, you look great too.” Hood grits out in reply as he slumps into the cushions. You hurry to grab your med kit and rush over beside him.

“You’re getting blood all over my couch, Hood.”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’m really good at getting stains out.”

“I hope you’re also really good at surviving what appears to be multiple stab wounds and severe burns.”

“You’d laugh at that statement if you knew my background.”

“We’re gonna have to move this to the bathroom, I need better lighting and access to the sink.”

“I just sat down.” Hood exasperated.

“You know it’s not far.” You rolled your eyes at his words but couldn’t fight the rising anxiety at his condition. On instinct, you got up and held out your hand for him to take. Hood moved his head to look at your hand.

“Considering my size and condition, I don’t think you’re gonna be much help getting me off this couch by yourself.” He noted, unimpressed.

You narrowed your eyes at him but kept your hand where it was, “It’s more the sentiment. However, in your condition you might very well need all the help you can get walking the short distance to my bathroom.” Hood paused but set his gloved hand in yours. It was dirty with dust and what you assumed was blood and gripped tightly, probably more so than he realized, but you paid no mind with your thoughts wrapped up in Hood’s less than favorable state. The vigilante got up slowly from your couch and he wobbled to and fro once he was on his feet. The two of you started to move carefully to your bathroom, which was just down the hall, but Hood seemed to be more injured than you initially thought because his knees suddenly became weak and you both had to make a combined effort to catch him.

“Did you hit your head tonight?” You ask as Hood tried to restabilize himself.

“You asking if I have a concussion?” Hood responded.

“That’s exactly what I’m asking, yes.”

“It’s highly probable. I was thrown against a cement wall pretty hard.” Hood moved and wrapped one of his large arms around your shoulder for more support, immediately putting more of his weight onto you. The man was heavy beyond belief, but he did his best not to pile his muscle mass on top of you. The arm around your shoulders was secure and his hand gripped the fabric of your t-shirt tightly. Hood groaned while he settled more into you and you began walking again. Despite your rampant mind, your heart hammered in your chest at the contact and you felt the skin touching his arm dance. By some miracle, the two of you made it to your bathroom, and you did your best to help Red Hood down onto the floor in front of your bathtub.

“Can you just start listing off all your possible injuries while I get all my supplies out?” You asked Hood while you opened the first aid kit. Hood complied, and started listing off all the places he suspected was injured during his patrol tonight. You noticed, though, that his words sometimes got slurred and his sentences kept drifting off —in other words, he didn’t seem all there. “Are you sure you don’t have a concussion?” You probed.

“Told you, it’s very possible. What do you think, doc?” Hood shot back.

“In all honesty, I suspect you have a concussion. Maybe not a severe one, but a concussion is still bad no matter the level. How does your head feel, where it got hit?”

“It hurts.”

“No shit Sherlock, but I was hoping for a more detailed answer.”

“I guess it’s kind of a dull pain? Not like a migraine, but it also hurts in my neck and back of the head.”

“Okay, I think we need to deal with your head first.” You stopped when you realized the implications of your words. You’d need his helmet off to examine his head for any open wounds, you’d never seen Red Hood with his helmet off. Hood seemed to realize this at the same time since you saw him tense suddenly. Neither of you moved or said anything for a couple seconds, trying to figure out how to proceed. You quickly tried to remedy the awkwardness, “Look, I know I’m not supposed to see your face, I’m just concerned about your head but the last thing I want to do right now is push your boundaries, so if taking off the helmet is a no-go we’ll figure something else out.”

Red Hood shook his head, “No, you’re right, as usual. I trust you won’t go mouthing off about what the Red Hood’s face looks like.” He teased as he moved his hand up toward his helmet. You heard a clicking noise and a quiet hiss and felt your body still with anticipation. Hood slowly removed the helmet and you saw him peel off a domino mask underneath.

When his face was bare and uncovered in front of you, you let out a breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding. He’s beautiful. Red Hood was the most gorgeous man you’d ever seen. His eyes a mystifying swirl of green and blue, dim with exhaustion but there was still this inexplicable unnatural glow to them. His hair —while slightly matted from the helmet— looked deliciously soft, the color of the night sky with a bold white streak at the front. There was a long thin scar connecting one of his eyebrows to his pale pink lips. You were speechless as you took in Hood’s face, trying to wrap your head around how someone could look that goddamn beautiful. It really wasn’t fair. Your heart was racing out of your chest and you were having trouble maintaining a steady breath while you gazed at his features. Red Hood noticed your stare and shifted a little uncomfortably under your gaze, his gemstone eyes gluing themselves to the ground.

“You gonna stare at my face all night, or are you gonna fix me up?” His voice snapped you back to reality.

“Right right, sorry. I just… wasn’t expecting to finally learn what you looked like tonight… got caught up in the surprise I guess.” You tried to cover your embarrassment and scooched closer so you could examine his head. You looked around and felt very gently for any bumps or wounds. “Hood, you’re bleeding at the back of your head.” The worry in your voice was prominent.

“That would help explain the dizziness.”

Your lips pulled into a line and you started to clean his head wound as carefully as you could, and then wrapped it gently with a bandage. You then made the vigilante promise not to fall asleep on you while you worked on the rest of his injuries. The rest of his body made the head injury look like a splinter. Multiple abrasions were littered across his torso, the molested skin was red with blood and irritation. You could see small bits of debris lodged in the surface of his cuts and abdomen. The slashes on his arms were in a similar state. As if the knife assaults weren’t enough, spots of his body were marred with blistering burns the color of bright red and white. Your heart stung at the obvious pain your hero must be in. No one deserved this, especially not Hood. Your eyebrows furrowed deeper with concern and your frown carved further into your face.

You were startled out of your thoughts when a thumb brushed between your eyebrows, forcing the furrow to even out. You blinked, and shot your gaze up to the owner of the hand. Hood was looking at you with green eyes that were clouded with emotions you couldn’t pinpoint. He had been frowning, but when you locked eyes, the edge of his lips quirked upward ever so slightly. “Keep that face up and you’ll get wrinkles before you’re thirty.” He teased as his thumb once again brushed between your brows, to further his point.

You huffed and shook your head slightly, but not too much to force his hand off of your face. “Keep coming here on the brink of death at 2 am and I definitely will.” You fired back with the ghost of a smirk. Neither of you felt the need to say anything more, Hood’s hand lingered at the top of your head for a brief moment before he retracted it back to his side. You instantly missed the contact. But, you turned your attention back to the task at hand and began caring for Hood’s various other injuries. You used tweezers to fish out the pebbles that had burrowed into his skin and then cleaned the subsequent areas with water and your saline solution. You looked at each cut to determine if it needed stitches or not. For the ones that did, you warned Hood of your plans each time and made extra careful work of numbing the areas before stitching his wounds neatly and efficiently.

Jason watched you in a daze. He could never get over how well you handled everything. Even though he knew you were worried and filled with anxiety, you worked calmly and with composure. You were focused and didn’t let your fears rule your movements, something he greatly appreciated as the one with the injuries. Jason hadn’t planned for any of this to happen. He hadn’t planned for tonight’s ambush to go so wrong, he hadn’t planned to hobble into your apartment nearly blind with pain and dizziness, and he certainly hadn’t planned to take both of his masks off in front of you. Sure, the two of you had been getting closer as of late. After your offer to host him even on nights he wasn’t injured, Jason had been showing up to your apartment a couple nights out of the week to make dinner and watch tv with you. In the past few weeks, Jason had been relishing in the change in your dynamic. Just existing in the same space as you put Jason’s head into a flurry, but in the most exciting way. The best part of his day has been visiting you these last few weeks. And of course, each time he’s entered your place he’s thought about removing the helmet and allowing you to get closer to him in a way he hasn’t let anyone in years. But each time, he’s stopped himself in fear. Fear of what exactly? Fear of putting you in danger, fear of scaring you, fear of disappointing you. Jason Tood would not be able to handle it if any of those things occurred. But there’s no time like the present, as they say. At least you didn’t flinch when you saw him. He couldn’t exactly figure out what you were thinking (whether it was positive or negative) but it wasn’t disgust he saw on your face, so a win is a win.

The black-haired man is suddenly overtaken with words and spits out without realizing, “I’m Jason, by the way.”

You freeze and look up at him questioningly. “I’m sorry?”

“My name, it’s Jason.”

“Oh! Okay, Jason…” You test the weight of his name on your tongue, “Jason, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” You conclude with a genuine smile.

Jason’s entire stomach has just done at least 20 flips. His heart is beating so hard and loud in his chest he hopes you don’t hear it. The man never knew a person could say his name so sweetly. He never knew his name could be uttered without any hint of malice by someone outside of his family. Your pronunciation of his name is echoing in his mind like bells to a dizzying effect. He’s been a fool. He’s been such an idiot. How could he let fear prevent him from lifting his helmet and telling you his name, when he could’ve been hearing the beautiful way you say it all this time? Jason realizes he’s left you verbally hanging for a good minute just staring, so he clears his throat and adverts his eyes. “The pleasure is all mine.” When Jason looks back at you, he sees your smile is still plastered on your face and it gives him a strange sense of pride.

“I want you to know though, I know the mask was probably a lot tonight. I don’t want to force you to say or give up anything for my sake, I’m the one treating you. I’m so glad you trust me enough with your face and name, but I don’t want you to think I need it to help you, Jason. I’d fix you up even if you came in here one day as a bat-Frankenstein.” You’re worried you might’ve pushed him too far tonight. You don’t want Ho—Jason, to think you’re only out to discover his secret identity. You want him to understand that you’d care for him no matter the circumstances, whether you knew his face and name or not.

All at once, Jason felt his throat close up and tears brimming his eyes. Do you know what your words mean to him? Do you know how instantly you make him feel loved? Jason is so certain he is undeserving of your kindness and understanding, but here you are giving it to him freely. Will you ever understand the effect you have on him? How you heal pieces of his soul he thought long shattered. Jason’s full, pink lips quiver into a small smile. A smile of profound gratitude, appreciation, and sadness.

“Angel, it’s long overdue. You’re right on one thing though, I do trust you. I trust you far more than my colleagues would probably advise, but I do so anyway because I can’t do anything else. I keep invading your life in sharp broken pieces and asking you to pick me up off the floor, even at risk of hurting yourself. Yet, you do it each time with a grace Shakespeare wishes he could write about. The fact I want you to understand is that; if I didn’t want you to see my face or know my name, you wouldn’t. End of story. But that’s not the case, so it isn’t the end of the story. You’re not pushing me. And to know that you’d fix me up even if I did end up a bat-Frankenstein, is some of the most relieving news I’ve had all month.” Jason had to end his monologue with a small tease, worried his vulnerability would be too obvious without it. You listen to his words with so much intent you’ve forgotten the rest of the world. An invisible hand is squeezing your heart to the point it hurts. You can only take shallow breaths and you feel as though you might tear up.

“Well then, let’s finish fixing you up.” Your words come out barely a whisper and you go back to tending to his wounds. But neither of you can ignore the change in the air. The swift shift into a heavy lull that keeps a smile on both of your faces. You realize you’ll be done treating him soon and a wave of panic rises in you. He can’t leave now, not after everything we just left unsaid. But he leaves every time I finish taking care of him, without wasting a second. Then, an idea comes to mind. One you’ve conjured up multiple times in the past but never really entertained because of its unlikeliness to occur. It’s a risk, for sure. It’s very possible you mess it up and ruin the evening, but things have gone smoothly thus far and the success has given you a boost in confidence. Plus, you are still majorly concerned for his health, so you brave the question once you’ve completed the last bandage.

“I’m done wrapping your injuries, but that in no way means you’re recovered. I know you’re probably anxious to get back to your safe house or whatever, but you’re a severe liability in your condition.”

“So what do you suggest?” Jason asks with a skeptically raised eyebrow.

“…Um well, I was going to offer —and it’s perfectly acceptable if you say no— but I was going to offer you stay over here for the night, to have somewhere to lie down without having to brave Gotham at night with a concussion and several broken ribs.” You refused to meet Jason’s eyes as you offered him to stay the night, so you missed how they widened in surprise and then lit with anticipation.

“Yeah that— um, I—” Jason coughed awkwardly, something you’ve never seen him do but find endearing, “I mean yeah, that’s probably a good idea. Not sure I could make it a block without collapsing. But you uh— you sure you don’t mind?” Jason’s voice softens in volume at the end of his query.

“I wouldn’t be offering if I did.”

“Fair point.” You smiled at his acceptance of your invitation, secretly giddy at the idea of him spending the night. “But um, I don’t really have anything for you to change into.”

“Understandable. I have my compression shorts on though so I’ll be fine.” Jason assures you and you nod your head. You then help him up off of the bathroom floor. Jason once again lays his arm around your shoulders for support and your stomach twists into knots. The two of you say nothing as you move toward your bedroom. Jason helps open the door with his free arm so you can shimmy your two bodies through the opening. Jason suddenly feels very awkward and misplaced inside. He’s never seen your room before, and to do so now feels so intimate it makes him light headed. This is the most personal space in your entire apartment and it is just now striking Jason that this is where he’ll be sleeping since you don’t have a guest room. Too lost in his racing thoughts, the vigilante doesn’t notice you’ve helped him to sit down on the edge of your bed. You reluctantly pull away from his grip around your shoulders to go turn on your bedside lamp, immediately feeling the absence of his body heat. Jason is pulled back into reality at the loss of contact and is hit with the need to say something but he searches for words with no avail.

It’s you who breaks the silence in a quiet but firm voice, instinctively not wanting to ruin the quiet air of the room. “You can sleep in here tonight. I’ll be in the living room if you need anything. If you get thirsty or hungry please help yourself to anything in my kitchen. The bedroom door locks too, just in case that’d make you more comfortable. Like I said though, if you need anything just come grab me, I’ll be on the couch.” You turn to leave him in privacy, but Jason quickly speaks up.

“You’re gonna sleep on the couch?” He asks incredulously.

“Well that is the only other option.” You affirmed with a raised eyebrow.

“No no no. It’s your house, you can sleep in your bed. I’ll take the couch.” Jason started to get up, but you could see him straining with each movement. You rushed over and gently but forcefully pushed him to sit back on the bed.

“Yeah, no. You are the one who’s severely injured, I’m not letting you sleep on a couch in your state. I really don’t mind anyways, it’s just one night.”

“Well I refuse to make you sleep on a couch in your own home, you already sacrifice enough just letting me in here.” You were about to protest his use of the word ‘sacrifice’ before Jason continued, with a suggestion that made you still. “We could… we could share the bed? I mean— it’s big enough for two people and we’re both apparently too stubborn to let the other one sleep in the living room.” Jason’s lake green eyes scanned your face for any sign of disgust or hesitation, his palms felt sweaty and he suddenly felt like an idiot for even suggesting such a thing.

You were frozen, the cogs turning in your head at the implications of his offer. Your heart was racing. The two of you sleep in the same bed? You had just learned his name, and now you two would be sharing a bed? You tried to stop yourself from feeling so excited at the idea. Jason took your silence for uncertainty and continued blabbering, “We’re both adults, right? I don’t mean anything by it, I just— I don’t want you getting a bad night's sleep on your couch, and your stubborn ass clearly won’t let me sleep anywhere that isn’t a real bed so… I don’t know, maybe it was a dumb suggestion. You can forget about it, I’ll take the couch—”

You interrupted him with a burst, shaking your hands in front of you to keep Jason from getting up. “Oh, no no no. It’s fine, it's fine. Really, it’s cool. We can— we can share the bed I don’t mind. It’s a smart idea. Just, ya know, be careful with your stitches and bandages. I’d hate for you to worsen any injuries in your sleep.” You tried to sound calm and collected, but really you were shaking with excitement and nerves. Jason just nodded slowly, still looking a little unsure at your agreement, but he moved to step out of his armor anyway.

You walked over to your side of the bed, and started fiddling with random nick nacks on your nightstand to try and appear busy while Jason got undressed behind you. Lord almighty, it was taking every ounce of your strength not to look behind you and oogle at what you knew were rippling muscles. “Focus, gotta get through this night without making a fool of yourself.” You thought as you felt the bed dip on the other side, signaling Jason was ready to sleep.

With that, you turned the lamp off and slipped underneath the covers. Jason copied you wordlessly and you both laid in the dark, staring at the ceiling in silence. The air was so thick with tension it was near suffocating, but the two of you were too scared to speak and break the spell of the night. You unconsciously let out a little sigh and turned on your side so your back was facing Jason. You closed your eyes to try and force yourself to sleep, but your mind was hyper vigilant at this point. You could feel the bed dipping to accommodate Jason’s gigantic form on the other side. You weren’t used to sharing this space with anyone, and the fact that you could feel his breath through the mattress had your mind in a frenzy. You were fighting every fiber of your being that was telling you —no, begging you to move closer to the man beside you.

Jason was pleading with the universe in hopes that you couldn’t hear how his heart was thundering in his chest. For someone who’s lying down, his breathing sure is quick. Jason thought this would be enough. Just having you near by, occupying the same space, he thought that’d be enough to satisfy his urge to be near you. But for some goddamn reason, it’s making it worse. How can you be so close yet so far? How much closer can he get before he crosses a line? Jason blames his exhaustion for his next move.

Out of nowhere, you feel something heavy curl around your waist. Your eyes pop open in surprise, and you have to force your body to be still. Jason uses the arm draped across your middle to pull you closer to him. Your back presses against his solid chest and you forget what it was ever like to be cold. You can feel warmth seeping into your skin from every point of contact between the two of you. You can feel each breath Jason takes pushing into your back and you can feel the speeding rhythm of his heart, which you’re sure is close to the speed of your own. Your lips have curled into a smile and you’re fighting off a sigh of contentment.

“Is—is this okay?” Jason’s question comes out in an unsure whisper. If you hadn’t been so close you wouldn’t have heard him.

“Yeah, this is okay.” You reassure at an equal volume, worried that being any louder would shatter the moment. Your smile has evolved into a full on grin.

“Okay.” Jason mutters and then presses his head into the curve of your neck. His muscular arm tightens around your waist and his hand grips your shirt gently. You subconsciously shuffle further into him, though, you didn’t think there was anyway you could physically get any closer. Still, any space left between the two of you was eliminated. Your two breaths became one as your heartbeats synced up. You could feel Jason’s warm breath against your neck and it sent shivers down your spine. Jason felt so warm and happy, here with you in his arms. Holding you felt like a reward he didn’t deserve. He only hopes he’ll be able to do this again…and again, and again, and again.

You’ve never felt so safe as you do in Jason’s arms. It’s almost euphoric, being like this with him. You never want this moment to end, but the warmth of Jason’s embrace is quickly dragging you under the spell of sleep. You hope you wake up with him in the morning, you hope this isn’t a dream. You two have probably crossed some sort of line tonight, not that either of you care right now. The unclear nature of your relationship with the vigilante is something for you to wrestle with in the morning. For now, you’ll fall asleep wrapped in Jason’s arms, with the happy thought that he’ll surely be coming back to do this again.