#so is the league gonna expand or ....

[music-traveler]

CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT OVER 160 PLAYERS HAVE DECLARED FOR THE PWHL DRAFT?!?!

[no1ryomafan]

In my constant brain rotations of “why are people in the west so hard on mecha aside from the fandom can be a bit unfriendly” I think one thing I realized as much as I hate to say is how mecha is sometimes treated remind me of the constant hatred superhero stuff gets.

It’s such a weird comparison because with mecha I do not know what the root of it was-and I’d love to know why but I feel there’s either no clear answer or there is one and it’s stupid-where as for superheroes in the west while there’s still a dedicated community the mainstream audiences have become tired of them due to over-saturation, which I understand, but it’s caused such a massive dismal to the entire genre of it much like mecha.

People think superhero stories can’t have any substance because it’s all about fighting and not about the characters- yet forget the SIGNIFICANT impact they had to so much pop culture. How superhero stories were rooted within comic popularity, how superheroes inspired countless of stories, even so far as reaching japan since so much early anime was taken off of western media which birthed its own genre of superheroes. It’s no different to how mecha help started up the anime industry making it one of the most important genres to japans history, yet most people don’t know it and belittle it.

Yet in superhero story cases it’s even WORSE when people are against it yet then go to see one superhero movie because it’s animated and put it on a pedestal and don’t bother to try other superhero content even though they consumed is no different from the norm. It’s the exact same shit when people watch eva and then think all other mechas don’t compare to it, when the genre always had darker, mature and emotional elements, just only a select few decide to canter to a audience who doesn’t even accept what genre it’s from which makes it all the more frustrating to deal with.

I’m someone who’s hardly into superhero stuff even if some of it catches my eye but it sucks to see that the situation is pretty identical to how mecha is seen, that I can’t help to feel sympathetic whenever I see some comic book fans upset at the mainstream audience even if they too can be a little hostile.

[evilminji]

...Wait. ACTUALLY???

The Portal is basically a doorway right? Big ol solid and sustained gateway from Realm A to Universe B? Unlike the brief blips of natural portals?

As IN... a Ring could therefore, theoretically, send out it's Search For Willpower. EXE vibes? Hit the portal -> go THROUGH the portal -> and continue expanding as the search continued until it hit a Confirmed Match(tm)?

You know... somebody INCREDIBLY SUPER LIKELY to match? Like... say... a Dead Green Lantern who? Had the WILL to continue on as a Ghost? Probably would get priority over any untested "new" Lantern candidates? Since they are somehow both in the system and not?

Recognized, yet a different species somehow?

The Rings records mark them deceased. Yet here they are, without a Ring. Which they OBVIOUSLY need, as Lanterns. Because once a Lantern, always a Lantern. Nyooom~ off it goes.

Off? Probably a whole SHIT TON of them go. Like? A truely, TRUELY alarming amount.

Think hundreds of thousands, suddenly wrenching themselves free of their stands and SHOOTING into the sky. Yes, a few at a time is normal. Day in, day out. Hundreds a day.

Not upwards of millions.

Not all at once.

A SEA of green orbs shooting up into the night sky like shooting stars. So many it chokes the sky. Drives everything to a stand still. All of them going the same direction. Some... EVENT... has just happened and no one knows what it is.

You have no choice but to follow them. Figure out where they are going and what's DRAWING them. You fly for weeks. Take shifts, following them. Alarm countless innocent people and more then a few governments.

It's....? Earth? Fuck. Of COURSE it had to be that God forsaken rock. EVERYTHING seems to come from there! Do you have ANY IDEA how many Lanterns they have stationed there by now? Multiple times the amount ENTIRE QUADRENTS usually take.

Why is it ALWAYS that planet?? Someone call Hal and his merry band of migraines. They're coming in hot. And NO, we CANT stop them. Don't bother asking. We ALSO have no idea where they're headed.

Think about being in Amity. Quiet day for once. You don't trust it. Something gonna happen, you can FEEL it.

A ring shoots past you. Then another. And another. Then dozens. Hundreds. THOUSANDS. Green, glowing, and like they were shot from a gun. The sky hailing ghost jewelry because God hate Amity specifically, apparently, and FUCK your premiums. You dive for your car.

Watch, baffled, at the Fenton house is SWARMED. The local crack pots are trying to shoot at RINGS. Failing to hit a single one. The swarm organized, writhing, and gracefully ALIVE somehow.

Aliens shoot past your car. They're wearing LANTERN get ups. Fighting the local crackpots. The sky is FULL of Lanterns now. Oh god, first Ghosts, now Aliens. Your mother was right. You SHOULD have stayed in Ohio with her sister.

The Rings break the Fenton's door down. The clattering is CACOPHONOUS as they push and shove to race inside. You watch the doorway. Some instinct telling you not to look away. Even as Lanterns and crazy people are shooting at each other not yards away.

Watch. The. Door.

Ghosts come back out. ALIEN Ghosts. Wearing LANTERN rings. Your jaw drops as they just... just KEEP coming. Every last one of them wearing a ring. You struggle to remember how many there WERE. As the sky turns GREEN. As Amity truely DOES become the most haunted place... anywhere.

You're pretty sure in the oceans of GREEN you spot the Justice League. You DEFINITELY spot Phantom. Thank god. No Spooks ever get away with shady nonsense on HIS watch, so whatever happening? 'S gonna get sorted.

And JUST? As you think... maybe, JUST maybe... you could just? Inch your car into drive, and sloooowly get the fuck out of whatever THIS mess it? Those white suited crazy people from the Feds show up and start trying to ARREST the SPACE COPS. For not letting them take unprovoked attacks on OTHER Space Cops!

Oh Shit(tm).

@hdgnj @ailithnight @hypewinter @nerdpoe @lolottes

[with-my-calamitous-love]

heyy i just found your blog and read your stuff about touya/dabi and i actually love all of that, do you write headcannons too? because your way of playing dabi is so unique and canon. if you do i was thinking about his s/o being part of the LOV, like last joined. thank u so much if you’re gonna take it!!

yes i can! hope this is what you imagined non 💌 thank you for the love

DABI HEADCANONS !

touya tdrk x reader

headcanons for his s/o being apart of the league with him

not inspired by a particular song :(

- touya definitely doesn’t bat you match of an eye when you first join. he figures that everyone has their reasons for joining the league. you don’t get in the way of his, and he won’t give a rats ass about yours.

- it was never apart of his plan to care about someone the way he cares about you. he’s the type to care but show it in small ways. he gave you his coat once when you came back from the pouring rain, and claimed he didn’t want to hear any annoying coughs or sniffles from you the next day.

- you confuse his heart and he hates it. you two find yourself on some rooftop, talking about your reasons, your life and how you ended up here. you fully expect him to be an asshole- and he is- shrugging and telling you that thats how life is. but he also has enough grace to tell you that you didn’t deserve it, and that part he means.

- one day, you come back injured, small burns from a certain flame hero that certainly catch his eye. he crudely drags your arm over to the nearest sink, running your burns under cold water and bandages them. he makes sure to specify for the nonstick, sterile bandges after he’s applied a damp cloth to your injuries. he claims its because he hates the smell of burnt flesh, and knows you probably take shit care of yourself. (much to your chagrin.)

- the answer was simple. dabi gets burned by his own quirk, so he knows how to take care of burns. but something in your gut told you it was a lot deeper than that. the way this asshole cared for your injuries seemed more personal. it takes a lot of contemplation, and you fully expect a jerkass response when you ask him how he knows how to do this.

- he scoffs, and gives you the reaction everyone would have expected before he answers with something simple: “..my mom taught me.”

- in a small way, he’s shown you a side of him you never thought to see. and its the start of something beautiful.

hope you liked this anon! i’ll definitely be expanding on this idea in the future 🤍 thank you for the love

[starry-bi-sky]

Who is the more well-adjusted twin; Damian, or Danyal? Why, it's Damian, of course!

And I have an explanation for this! But first I wanna preface this that this is just me like, rambling about this thought I have and it's not an attack on the trope as a whole. I love the Danyal Al Ghul au which is why i'm so deeply passionate about it, because I think it has a lot of potential to be explored. It's no secret that I've mentioned before that I think Danny's psychological development tends to get overlooked and underutilized in DAG aus, and the impact that growing up in an assassin league often goes ignored. This is just me further expanding on that.

Now lets set the stage! This is specifically for Danny who is adopted by the Fentons later down in life. Lets go twin au. At 10 years old, Damian goes to the Wayne Family, Danny is adopted by the Fentons (regardless of their affiliation with the League). By 14 years old, who ends up the better adjusted, more socially aware, spiritually in-tune with themselves, sibling? Why, Damian is! Why is that?

Because he has the actual support he needs compared to Danny. And I'm not talking about good or bad parents Fentons, because either way my opinion doesn't change. Damian would end up the better off twin, because, frankly, his family knows his background. They know he grew up in the League, they know what the League's teachings are, and they know he's a born and raised assassin. Knowing this, they can then help tackle and dismantle the teachings and lessons he has been given and ingrained into by the League. They may be a dysfunctional family, but they're functional enough to at least actively help deprogram all of the League's teachings that have been ingrained in Damian throughout his childhood.

Can't say the same for Danny.

Lets say Fentons here don't know his background -- and even if they do, the results may just stay the same if they play their cards wrong, -- Danny's now just been thrown into the deep end of a pool and is essentially being told sink or swim. Regardless of how he got there -- undercover, faked death, etc -- he has no proper support. He knows the League is meant to be secret, he's not gonna speak on it for various reasons. Whether it be some still lingering loyalty, fear of harm, or whatever. Whatever the reason is, he does not have a proper support system in the Fentons, no matter how nice they are. They can only tackle the surface level stuff and whatever Danny allows them to see -- if Danny ever lets them see it at all. For what do assassins do when they don't want to be caught? They hide. Sometimes in plain sight.

"But Jazz--" Jazz is a child. She is 2 years older than Danyal and no better at giving him a proper support system than the two adult Fenton parents, even with parentification. We don't know when she got into psychology or how long she'd been studying it by the time Danny's 14. We just know she's really into it. Even then, Jazz is not a licensed or reliable therapist, or even an experienced or implied good therapist, and should not be used as one either. It's a disservice to her character to reduce her down to 'supporting female emotional crutch'. Besides, therapy only works on people who want to get better. Danny, who'd be hiding who he really is, has very little incentive to want to, or to even think something is wrong with his way of thinking, even with exposure to the outside world.

When people's beliefs are outright challenged, they tend to double down on them, and Jazz canonically has a habit of psychoanalyzing her family and declaring what she thinks is the problem -- regardless of whether or not she's right about it. Jazz would get into psychology, try and psychoanalyze Danny, and all it would do is cause him to clam up, shut into himself further, and throw up even more walls so that she can't figure out that he has been lying this whole time. It would do more harm than good, and would actively hinder any progress he'd make in trying to open up to them. Roads and good intentions and all that.

That being said, I think Danny's development and dismantling of the League's teachings would be slower than Damian's. Much slower. Because he would be the one having to pick apart everything and figure out what is right, what is wrong, what he wants to keep, and what he wants to toss. Everything he unlearns would be stuff he has to unlearn himself. If he even gets to that point at all -- depending on his experiences, he very well could not change at all, or change very little. The League acts as a purge for humanity, meant to reign in their hubris and retain balance, they just also happen to be assassins for hire. Danny's time spent in Amity Park could as well strengthen his belief in their teachings just as much as it could weaken it, especially if it goes as canon and he gets bullied.

Regardless, being tossed to a civilian family as someone who is very much not a civilian, without any support, would be actively detrimental to Danny's overall mental health and development. Especially to strangers like the Fentons. Damian was closed off and standoffish even with blood family, and it took him time to open up to them -- Danny, with the Fentons, would be even more so. He doesn't know them, he doesn't trust them, he has no rhyme or reason to open up to them, and since the Fentons don't actually know him, they can't help him the way he needs. Once "Danny Fenton" is made, he has even less reason to open up. So long as Danyal allows it, they will only ever know Danny, and they'll never know Danyal.

TL:DR the Fentons aren't the better family option just because they're civilians, and actually that makes them the worser option between the two because they can't give Danny the proper support he needs. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

[adascore]

Have I Not Given Enough

pairings: arsenal wfc x young!reader

warnings: crying. self-blaming. teen!reader reacting to losing against wolfsburg.

author's note: oh to be comforted by the arsenal girlies...

masterlist

•••••••

''We'll come back stronger, kid. Only the start for you.'' Caitlin patted her back before making her way to congratulate the Wolfsburg players.

The Arsenal striker stood on her own now, bathing in the misery of defeat. The worn pitch beneath Y/N's boots felt colder, a stark contrast to the warmth of anticipation that had filled the air just hours ago.

This wasn't how it was supposed to end. The set-up was perfect; Arsenal making it into the Champions League finals for the first time in over 15 years at a sold-out Emirates Stadium.

Bremer's extra time goal had ruined it all. The cheers had been replaced by a haunting silence, broken only by distant celebrations from the victorious Wolfsburg team.

The teenager was a sad sight as she tried not to burst out in tears, standing all on her own by the opposition's goalposts. The gravity of the loss weighed on her shoulders

Somehow she managed to move her feet towards the other players, going through the post-match routine: congratulating the Wolfsburg players, who in return offered their solace.

It was nice to have players like Popp express their admiration for the youngster, but in the moment she couldn't bring herself to care one bit.

''Nice goal, kid.'' Ewa Pajor patted her head, praising her opening goal of the match, the one that had kickstarted the long, grueling fight between the German and English team.

Y/N managed a weak smile, grateful for the acknowledgment.

''Hey, hey, Boneca!'' Rafaelle approached her. ''You should be proud of yourself, okay? Remember the noise in the stadium when you made that goal? Savor that feeling.'' Her Brazilian teammate told her, holding her close.

Katie noticed the interaction and decided to join them, leaving Teyah and Lia behind. ''Hey, girlie. Why the sad face? You've just made yourself a legend.'' The Irishwoman managed to genuinely laugh.

''We lost, Macca.'' A few tears escaped, but they were immediately wiped away by Katie and Rafa.

''Yeah, and it hurts. But you, baby goat, just scored in a Champions League semifinal against a club that has won this thing 2 times.'' She grinned, the pride she felt beaming off of her face as she used the playful nickname.

Y/N was pulled into a supportive hug by Katie, providing much comfort. Rafa affectionately pinched her cheek before making her way towards their other teammates.

As the huddle expanded, more teammates joined them, forming a circle of support around the young player who felt this loss harder than anyone else.

Jen held her close to her body, as if shielding her from the harsh reality of the defeat. The Scott wasn't telling her anything, just holding her as their teammates tried getting a smile out of her.

''I was like ''Yeah! Woo!'' The atmosphere was insane!'' Manu did an impression of her reaction to Y/N's opening goal.

''It's like the stadium came alive, it was so fucking crazy!'' Kaylan exclaimed, with animated hand gestures.

Y/N appreciated her teammates and their consolations. However, she couldn't escape the weight of disappointment that she felt within her. Despite their genuine efforts to coax a smile, the young player found herself unable to entertain them.

''Oh my god, you did so well, Y/N. You were amazing.'' Victoria hugged her as Jen let her go.

''Thanks, Vic.'' She mumbled on the Dutchwoman's shoulder.

The midfielder swung her from side to side. ''Don't cry, it's okay.'' She tried to comfort her younger friend.

Y/N felt another pair of hands on her back, hands that belonged to another Dutchwoman, although, this time it was not a teammate.

''Hey, meid.'' Jill greeted her, and Y/N pulled away from Vic, who said something in Dutch to her patriot.

''There's gonna come a day where you're gonna lift that trophy, okay? You've grown so much.'' Her former teammate praised her.

The teenager nodded. ''Thanks, Jilly.''

Jill planted a kiss on her head, bidding goodbye as she joined her teammates again in their celebrations.

As Victoria pulled Y/N back into her embrace, the teenager's gaze caught sight of the approaching figures of Kim, Leah, Beth, and Vivianne.

The teenager skillfully transitioned from hugging Victoria, gently slipping away as the crowd dispersed. She made her way to the bench, where the atmosphere was more peaceful as most people were scattered around the pitch.

As she settled on the bench, Y/N took a deep breath, her emotions threatening to surface. Before she could fully let herself go, a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.

''Hey, what's going on?'' Steph, observant as ever, approached with concern etched on her face.

The striker tried to mask her emotions with a forced smile. ''Just disappointed.''

Steph nodded understandingly. ''I get it. But you got us through this match, and I'm very proud of you.''

''Thanks, Stephy- you were amazing too.'' Y/N quickly reciprocated the compliment, her eyes darting around.

The Australian noticed a frown on her face. ''Hey… you okay? You look like you're having panic attack.''

At her words, Y/N looked her straight in the eyes. ''No, no! I just wanna go home, to be honest.'' It wasn't a lie. All she wanted to do was to get in the car, and lie in her bed until it was time for the next match.

Steph nodded. ''Take your time, sweetie.'' The defender joined the squad on the pitch again, leaving the young one alone.

In the distance, Beth approached Jen, her expression reflecting concern. ''Hey, Jen, have you seen Y/N?''

Jen furrowed her brow, scanning the surroundings. ''Uh, she was with Vic like a minute ago.''

''Oh, alright. How was she doing?''

The Scott pouted. ''Looked pretty torn up, as you'd expect. Some of us were trying to cheer her up, but you know the kid…'' She made some sort of gesture that indicated she was not taking it well.

''Poor thing.'' The Brit sighed.

Back on the bench, Y/N remained in solitude, staring mindlessly at nothing.

''Hiding?'' The sudden voice of Rose, their physiotherapist, made the youngster flinch.

''Jesus, Rose!'' Y/N exclaimed, her hand on her heart.

Rose chuckled, unfazed by the reaction. ''Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. You looked like you needed a moment.''

''Yeah…''

The older woman nodded at her lack of words. ''It's okay. Take all the time you need. We're doing the huddle in a minute, though, so you might want to join that.''

''Yeah, I will.'' Y/N replied.

Contemplating the upcoming huddle, Y/N's unease heightened when her eyes locked with Kim's on the pitch. The captain started walking over to her with an unreadable expression.

Unable to face the captain she respected so much, she rose from the bench, pretending she hadn't noticed Kim's approach.

Rose watched as Y/N escaped from the interaction with Kim, giving the captain a sad smile.

The teenager's eyes scanned the pitch, Gio's friendly wave caught Y/N's attention, and she decided to make her way towards her friend.

''Tough match, huh?'' She said, trying to offer some solace.

''To say the least.'' The Brit sighed, glancing down at the ground.

''You okay?'' The Brazilian asked, Y/N's darting eyes were anything but subtle.

''Yeah, I just… yeah, I'm fine.'' She stuttered, not having the heart to actually say what she was doing.

Gio could sense Y/N's unease. ''Should I get Beth or Viv?''

''No, no! Just… I don't wanna face them right now.'' She admitted.

''Why?'' The forward didn't understand, knowing how close she was with the couple.

''I just… I- I can't do it.''

Gio nodded anyway. ''Okay, stay with me then. We'll hang back a bit.''

Kathrine joined them as well, the three youngsters keeping each other company while waiting for the entire squad.

In the huddle, Y/N strategically averted her gaze, fixating on the ground beneath her feet.

As Jonas addressed the team, the weight of disappointment pressed heavily on her shoulders, and she struggled to engage fully in the moment.

''I'm proud of this team. We're standing here in a sold-out stadium, and we gave them a fight. We didn't give up and we gave our everything until the end.''

The Swede's words were a mere distant hum. Her mind replayed all the crucial moments of the match, each missed opportunity being screened in her mind.

While the team absorbed Jonas's encouragement, Y/N continued to bear the weight of her perceived failure, the applause and cheers around her a muffled backdrop to the cacophony of self-critical thoughts.

Afterwards, Lotte pulled her in an embrace. Her England teammate's presence being a source of comfort.

The Arsenal homegrowns' moment was interjected by someone grabbing Y/N's arm.

''A goal against Wolfsburg or what?'' The England captain said.

The attempt at light banter didn't quite reach her heavy heart, the teenager simply shrugging her shoulders.

Leah, perceptive as ever, sensed her teammate's unease and tried to give a sense of perspective. ''Hey, you have so much to be proud of. Look at this stadium! This is only the beginning.''

Despite the skipper's encouraging words, tears welled up in Y/N's eyes once again. The disappointment was cemented in her mind.

In the midst of her emotional turmoil, Vivianne and Beth approached, their expressions reflecting heavy concern.

Beth's eyes softened as she pulled Y/N into a gentle hug, aware of the unspoken pain lingering in the air. Vivianne placed a reassuring hand on her back, silently offering support.

''Hey, kiddo, you were absolutely brilliant.'' The elder of the two said, caressing the back of her head.

At the lack of response, she continued. ''It's okay to be upset, sweetheart. You're feeling a lot, aren't you?''

Y/N nodded, her voice catching as she struggled to articulate her feelings. The couple exchanged worried glances, realizing the impact the loss had on their young teammate.

''I'm so proud of you, you gave it your all.'' As Vivianne expressed her pride, Y/N's emotions reached a breaking point.

Sobs escaped her, and she clung tightly to her mentor, seeking refuge in the strength she had always admired.

The Dutchwoman took over from Beth, pulling the youngster even closer to her.

''I'm so sorry, Viv.'' Y/N apologized, full of guilt for not bringing the team to the Champions League final.

As she continued to apologize, Vivianne gently cupped her face and whispered reassuring words. ''Don't apologize. It's not about the result on the scoreboard. You played with your heart, and that's the most important thing.''

Y/N, overwhelmed by emotions, couldn't shake the feeling of letting down those she admired the most. ''I wanted us to win, especially for all of you who couldn't play.'' She mumbled.

''You've made all of us super proud, lieverd. It's a journey, remember? You still have a long way.'' She whispered, her own tears betraying the depth of her emotions.

Leah reached out to rest a hand on the teenager's shoulder. ''Darling, you were without a doubt one of the best players on the pitch.''

''I missed so many shots.'' Y/N stated through a sob.

''And so did the others. Don't carry this on your own, my girl.'' Leah retorted.

Beth and Lotte, recognizing the rawness of Y/N's emotions, instinctively moved to shield her from the intrusive gaze of the cameraman. ''Can you not?'' The defender furrowed her eyebrows.

The players didn't want their teammate's vulnerable moment to be exploited. Fortunately, the crew listened and moved further onto the pitch.

''I made so many mistakes.'' She continued crying. The floodgates had opened and closing them would be a difficult task.

''You didn't, darling. Like Beth said, you were brilliant.'' Leah's own eyes were now being filled with tears, Y/N's self-blame making her emotional.

Y/N shook her head at the skipper's words, hiding her face in Vivianne's neck. ''You were, listen to Leah.'' The Dutchwoman muttered, caressing her back.

''Hey, Y/N. Hey.'' Kim's voice sounded out of, seemingly, nowhere. Leah moved out of the way so the captain could get closer to the teenager. ''You've got nothing to be sad about. You played a fantastic match. Yeah, we didn't get the win, but you've made the club so proud.''

Her voice was stern, but it was a loving sternness. ''Let's go and thank the fans now. They deserve a proper thanks.'' She urged the entire group to do a lap of the pitch.

As the squad gathered together and walked around, the players waved and applauded the fans. The defeat stung, but the bond, not just between the players, but also between the players and the supporters is something special and unbreakable.

Regardless of the result, they're celebrating the players as if they did win and Y/N felt herself smile as she looked into the crowd, and seeing the Gooners experience this with them, with her.

In a quiet moment, Kim approached her again. ''You're creating something special here, Y/N. The way you've got the fans behind you… you're like their own personal star girl. Please, enjoy it,'' the midfielder patted her back, ''because this is what I want you to remember from this match.''

A teary-eyed Y/N, managed to nod her head in appreciation. ''Thanks, Kimmy.''

The pair found themselves holding hands as they continued thanking the fans. It was a beautiful image as it represented the older and new generation of Arsenal; Kim, a captain with years of experience, comforting Y/N, someone who undoubtedly was the future of the Gunners, and could potentially become a skipper in the distant future.

[thevoidstaredback]

You know what a potentially hilarious story idea would be?

I saw this post a while ago and have no hope of finding the original again, but I remember something about the world finding out that Bruce Wayne funds the Justice League, and there was an uproar. Why does one man, no matter how beloved by his home, get to have any say in with the JL does with the money he gives them? B then has to outsource so much money through off-shores and charity just to keep the JL at the same level of funds because property damage and equipment is expensive.

That post, as my memory distracts me from my current task, inspired this.

Everyone knows that Batman is strict about identities, more so than literally everyone else. Because of that, he refuses to give up anything other than being born and raised in Gotham. That's fine because none of the others really jump at the chance to tell each other their real names until the Watchtower goes up, anyway.

None of the heroes know that he funds everything the JL does/is/has. But, what if he planned ahead? He knew that people were gonna eventually find out that Bruce Wayne basically owns the Justice League (he also owns the trademark), so he had a plan in place. It was just a matter of waiting to enact it, maybe see if any more players would need to be added.

Before the Justice League is announced by the public, Bruce Wayne funds them through Batman. When the group expands and the Hall of Justice is built, Bruce Wayne approaches Oliver Queen and Arthur Curry. He explains the public outcry of a single person privately funding the World's Heroes and asks if they'll split the bill with him three ways.

Naturally, he knows Oliver is Green Arrow and Arthur is Aquaman.

They're reluctant to agree, though Bruce knows they will in the end. They ask why he's so invested, why he'd come to them. After all, Bruce Wayne's a bimbo on his beast days, a whore on his worst days; Oliver's still relearning to navigate the world after being missing for five years; and Arthur's a lighthouse keeper in Maine. Not really the best choices to fund heroes, let alone make any financial decisions.

Bruce, because he's a dramatic bitch, drops into his Batman Persona - sans the entire costume - and says, "Because you're Green Arrow, you're Aquaman," his voice also drops to his Batman voice here, "and I'm Batman."

[sleepy-writes-stuff]

(short continuation to the prompt I wrote, which is linked below. I thought I was done with this, but then @victoria-has-no-secret and @bluerosefox had some ideas to incorporate into it. Screenshots of said ideas are also below but are sprinkled throughout the post too.)

(*) = Me building off of other ideas

TW: mentions of animal death

← previous

✦

After the whole fiasco with the Justice League, Danny gets an idea. Not very many people actually know about Laika, at least from what he could see of the majority of the Justice League who had never learned about her. Although, to be fair, a lot of them come from different planets. Either way, it gives Danny the idea to create a YouTube channel starring Laika to teach the people of Earth about the pup.

The channel immediately garners attention from all around the world, and even winds up on a couple of news stations too! It grows so much that Danny decides to expand further than just Laika, but to the other things that were sent into space in the quest for knowledge: The space rovers as well as many other animals.

Laika even leads Danny to them as he ventures further into space with a specially made camera that can withstand traversing space and the differing atmosphereic conditions of other planets. He manages to find every single one of them, discovering that maybe Laika hadn't been as alone as he'd first thought as he watches and records her playing with the spirits (imprints?) of the rovers, chimps, mice, and many other animals haunting the endless void of the cosmos.

People back on earth are going wild with the knowledge that their hopes, thoughts, and feelings helped to give life to beings that had long been dead/stopped working. They have no idea what to feel about this new information except an amalgamation of pure awe, curiosity, joy, guilt, and sadness. They still mourned the loss of Laika, the rovers, and everyone before and after them, but knowing that their existence wasn't completely lost soothed an ache many didn't know they carried with them when they were there to witness the beginning of such astronomical leaps in technology.

To also know that out of the many stars shooting across the sky, one of them might be Laika happily racing amongst the stars with her friends brought many to tears. At every opportunity, they wished for the sweet pup's happiness and the continuing health of their own furry companions down on Earth with them. They also wished that upon the eventuality that they have to part with their companions that maybe a few of them would join Laika and her friends in stars to keep them company for many years to come.

Although many of these wishes were heard by Desiree, she refused to touch such hopeful and well-meaning wishes for fear of twisting them in unseemly ways, allowing them to form on their own. The other ghosts among Danny's rouges even made a deal with each other to not interfere or attack the town when Danny was recording his videos out in space.

It was beyond bad manners to interfere with another ghost's obsession, after all.

✦

I'm gonna go cry some more. I've learned more about the progress of space exploration in the past couple hours than I probably should. This is the last thing I'm adding onto this prompt. If any of y'all wanna continue it, be my guest!

Notes:

(*) One more thing to add. Where are the ghost hunters/Guys in White during all of this? If they start making a fuss over Phantom and all the ghost animals, do they get a bunch of civilians raiding their government facilities and causing them bodily harm? What's happening with the Justice League? Are they sitting back and eating popcorn while all this goes down? Who knows. :)

[ectoentity]

So, the Haunting Heroes server did a Who Wrote That game with the theme of "wingfic" a while back. I did an entry and I liked it enough that I decided to expand on it. Gonna start posting scenes here whenever I get them done, and eventually piece it together for ao3. This first part is the intro, but the rest probably won't actually be in order.

Update Mar 11, 2024: Here is the Subscription Post

Ectoplasm Gives You Wings

(Working title)

DPxDC, T-rated genfic.

Everyone knew ghosts had wings. It was in every ghost story throughout history, regardless of culture. It was one of their defining traits, like going through walls or fading into invisibility. The unquiet dead soared through the night on birdlike wings, occasionally leaving unnaturally large feathers as an omen of impending death.

As soon as the newly-working portal spat Danny out, he knew there would be no hiding what had happened. His ghostly form came with a pair of large wings that didn't go away when he turned back human. In his ghost form, they were mostly black with bars of white near the bottom edge. The reverse was true when he was human. It was an indication of what had happened to him that he couldn't escape.

Tucker and Sam tried to play it off to his parents as a meta mutation that had suddenly appeared. They'd heard of it happening before on TV and through the internet. Besides, there were winged people in the Justice League. Danny's parents had never talked about them being secret ghosts.

Danny would never forget his parents' horrified faces as they came downstairs and found him. The way their eyes skipped over his face entirely and focused on the wings behind him. His dad frozen in place, expression slack with shock. His mom's face going from horror to determination as she set her jaw and reached for a bazooka.

Danny and his friends managed to escape them and run all the way to Tucker's house. Running was harder with a new pair of limbs hanging off his back like so much dead (hah) weight. It was clear that Danny couldn't stay here. His parents might be cranks, but once they realized the portal worked they would have evidence to prove Danny was a ghost. At least, sort of. Would they try to experiment on him, or just try to help him pass on? Danny assumed it would be the latter, but he had also assumed his mom wouldn't ever draw a weapon on him.

Tucker and Sam helped him to pack a camping backpack full of spare clothes he'd left at Tucker's, a handful of important essentials like a first aid kit, and a sleeping bag. They left for a while and came back with a cheap cellphone, a handful of prepaid phone cards, and a surprising amount of cash. Who would have thought Sam was secretly loaded?

They argued all night about where he should go. Danny barely knew his Dad's side of the family, let alone whether they'd take him in. His mom's sister Alicia was somewhere in Arkansas, but Danny couldn't remember the name of the town. Besides, he hadn't seen her since he was about nine. What if she believed Maddie over him? Tucker and Sam suggested their own family members. Danny turned them down. He didn't want to be a burden to his friends' families.

In the end, they decided that he would blend in best in a big city far away from Amity. The next day, Danny climbed on a Greyhound bus headed to the East Coast. He couldn't hide the wings, no matter what he did. The best he could do was wrap the sleeping bag around himself like a blanket. Thankfully, no one on the bus seemed to care. They all had their own issues to worry about. Most seemed content to watch their phones or the scenery instead of looking too closely at the weird kid wrapped in a big, lumpy sleeping bag.

As the hours dragged on, Danny was increasingly greatful that everyone was minding their own business. There was something else wrong with him. His hands kept slipping through the sleeping bag. Going through solid objects, like a ghost.

The plan was to find a place in Metropolis that provided resources to meta kids. But by the time the bus reached Gotham Danny was exhausted and anxious. His hands had started to go through things. What if he went straight through the bus while it was driving? He had to get a handle on this. He could always go to Metropolis the next day.

Danny got off the bus. The city around him was gray and dreary, from the concrete sidewalks up to the cloud-covered sky. It felt like the sky was too close, more of a ceiling than an open expanse. Something about it gave Danny a strangely claustrophobic feeling. He tried to shrug it off as the lack of sleep catching up to him. The last time Danny slept was the night before the portal accident. That had been well over twenty-four hours ago. He needed to find a safe place to sleep.

[metalotaku-da]

So many cross overs so narrow of common hero choices. Let's expand a little.

"Rip what the hell is that?"

"It appears sir, to be a small human child. Around the developmental stage of 4-5"

"Even you know better than to cuss infront of kids.

"I was gone for five minutes."

"Actually I snapped you back to a minute after you left."

"Are You misser booser gol?"

"Yeah kid that's me. You a fan or something who got into something you shouldn't to find me?"

"No. Clockie said tis for you." Hands a sticky note to booster.

Note reads: this is Danny. You will care for him from now on. See this as payment for resetting your time line safely. If you even try pass him off to Bruce wayne/batman, I will ensure your entire familial line never touched time traversing. And you stayed forever trapped in the 31st century. -clockwork master ancient of all time. P.s. there is not conning your way out of this. I will hunt down every ancestor or decendant for all time.

"This looks very serious sir. Congratulations sir you are a father Now"

"Wow kid. Clockie must hate you. I'm so sorry."

"I'm not that bad of an option. Obviously I was judged better that batsy."

"Clockie ass hero I want to say wiff."

"OH kiddo and you asked for the greatest hero boostergold?"

"I wike space. He say geen lanern is space. He take care of me."

"I'm so sorry sir, you have already disappointed your new child. Should I take a commemorative photo of this milestone moment for you?"

"No" "yes skeets"

Camera flashes.

"I shall add this photo to a new album labeled baby book. It is labeled Danny's first disappointment, sir."

"Thank you skeets." X2 one sarcastic one pleased.

"I wan geen lanern."

"Think you're gonna need help anyway Micheal. Call one of them. Not guy."

"I would never co-parent with guy. What kind of idiot do you take me for?"

"Rip takes you as the utmost idiot sir. As does most of the justice league sir."

"Thanks skeets."

"You are most welcome sir."

"Can I pay wif the talking space ship?"

"Sure kid." Pushes skeets into the kids hands.

"I do not believe I am rated for physical interaction by children under 10 sir."

"To bad skeets." Picks up Danny who looks up at him instead of at skeets to smile all teeth. "Holy shit are those fangs? We are going to go see my friend Ted now. He will know what to do."

"He will atleast know not to cuss infront of kids. Don't know about the rest."

"Is ted geen lanern?"

Cue shenanigans. They were roommates, but adopted a child.

"Does Batman know you stole a child from him?" <- Jaime when he visits.

"Do not even joke like that. My existence is at stake."

"Batsy is the new beetle juice. In this house."

"Are You geen lanern?"

"Sorry kid I am blue beetle."

"Should I take a picture for Danny's third disappointment since becoming your child sir?"

"No skeets."

"3rd? How long you had him?"

"A week"

"Ouch. Hey kiddo why do you want to meet green lantern? Aren't these guys just as cool?"

"Considering the average human body temperature is 98.6 degrees I do not believe they qualify as cool sir." Jaime is picking up danny to hold on his hip.

"Clockie says geen lanern is space." Danny smiles.

"Are those fangs? Is this a meta kid? You like space? My scarab is from space. Isn't that just as... Oh My, no scarab!" Scarab starts to go into protect host mode while screaming danger desteoy threat in Jaime head just as Danny's eyes start to glow green at the statement and his mouth splits inhumanly wide with even more teeth. Ted and Michael scramble to grab Danny and move him away from Jaime till he gets control of the scarab again. But Danny has a death grip and won't let go of his new friend.

"I do believe sir that your new child qualifies as a meta. Should I take a picture to commemorate your child's first power demonstration sir?"

[that-spider-fan-over-there]

BNHA 430: This wasn’t very “My Hero Academia” of you I’ll be honest—

Okay, where do I begin? Uh. So the story reached its conclusion. Congratulations, and all the best to Horikoshi-san for telling the story he wanted to tell for ten years, loved the characters, the little world he created after the cancellation of his previous works, I will cherish it for the rest of my life.

... but in my opinion: the last seven chapters were so bad- I don't think I can see this ending as anything other than a contradiction of what we were shown. Like, I thought we'd get a twist, everyone would be fine, something would change. I'm wearing the clown shoes already.

So, I'm just gonna treat this as a normal chapter, and not a final one, because I'll be here for days if I open this can of worms, which, I will not lie, is very bad (I'll open it at some point, not now.) I'm posting this on the.. 6th? Because apparently there's an announcement in the 5th and I don't wanna spoil the fun.

So, uh, under the read more are my thoughts on the ending, be warned I'm very, very negative about it.

*sigh* Oh boi, how killing the League made this go from an "underwhelming" to a "tone-deaf" chapter- I mean, Jesus fuck, leaving things open-ended don't erase the fact they can't make a single appearence to prove me wrong, if they were alive, the last five chapters were a waste of emotions and keeping them hidden was a stupidly cruel move.

Funny the narration is just "people aren't equal but it's because of these differences that people find common ground to get along"- THE VILLAINS WERE KILLED OFF FOR BEING DIFFERENT BRO WHAT DO YOU MEAN- "if lending a hand and caring is being a hero then we all became the greatest heroes". Izuku, whatever you're drinking, I'm taking it and drinking it all by myself. You may have cared. But Tenko died. On accident. Because you gave him OFA.

I liked the "Midoriya-Sensei" part. For 5 seconds. It's fitting, he loves learning stuff, he's good with kids, until you say it's only because his embers were gone. Then why use it as a tease for seven chapters only to just get rid of them at the end? Is running to Ochako really the last we get to see him use it? Not even as a part-time hero? (not that it matters at the end-)

Ragdoll works with the WWP, Tsukuachi was head strategist in the final battle, Hawks is the (H)PSC president, why wasn't Izuku hired at an agency? Intelligence was a huge part of his character, yet the moment he was fully Quirkless again, he was out? Men truly aren't created equal...

"Cursed power", "blessing", "special" — the only thing special about OFA was being haunted by a guy whose brother was insane enough to hunt it down for generations. A Quirk's a Quirk; having multiple people/powers in one body isn’t special, Tokoyami and Shoto exist. Izuku made it special using it on his terms. But I guess "meant to save, not kill" was a lie, as eight out of ten people who had it died. Nine out of eleven, counting BNHA: HR. Tenko died because his body couldn't handle the Quirk, but I guess Izuku isn't gonna think about any of it? Katsuki was right about this too, holy shit.

Spinner wrote a book (not a comic, guess he took offense to Izuku. Fair, actually). Mr. Compress got a panel, but no real mention of the LoV? They broke the status quo for months (in-universe), and after all of that, nothing changes? Did Spinner know about Tenko, how he became Tomura? And the people who will read it and pull an MLA? TomurAFO had followers, now he's martyr a lá Re-Destro, I’m hoping Spinner didn’t commit suicide like that guy.

Ochako’s expanding Quirk Counseling. Reform’s implied (it only said expansion), but Himiko still became what Curious wanted her to be: A cautionary tale. And I’m still asking how Ochako knows Himiko went what through, she only told Ochako she was hated because of her Quirk and how she loves. I wanna think she’s reforming it, but nothing else changed, why should I think she’s the exception?

(At least she's seen as a hero on her rights… even if it took 429 chapters, messy writing, her face looking like rubber, and still being a girl recognized as a "caretaker", not a kickass hero).

Shoji's travelling through Japan to solve discrimination and got a prize for it. No foundations or mentions of Spinner being the main reason he did it, just "standing atop those who rose up eight years ago", just solving it peacefully, you sure are, buddy. Like, I'm sure you are being successful but how exactly are you solving this? I mean, you "solved" the hospital fight by fighting Spinner with Koda- Oh wait, time constraints, we can't elaborate how.

Shirakumo showed the noumu state could've been reversed, yet Katsuki, who never killed someone aside from AFO (and he was gonna die anyway), fatally exploded him. I hoped it was a misunderstood panel but no. He died because he wanted to save Tenko. Even fucking Gran Torino was alive by the end of this. Why.

I think Shoto is the only main character I’m not really having a problem with (Ochako's ending required Himiko for it to feel somewhat complete. Sorry, Ochako). I’m weirded out that they mentioned the billboard using the guy whose life was ruined by it as an example, but other than that, he’s doing fine. Wish we saw him talking to his siblings though. But alas. No mention of Fuyumi and Natsuo. And Rei's with Endeavor. Fuck.

Inko got so sidelined when Mitsuki and Masaru got half a chapter, by the way. Just one panel for her, the protagonist's mother.

Schedules not aligning is one thing, but Class A not opening an agency together? They survived two wars together and you're telling me they wouldn't say "WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER AND WE'RE TAKING MIDORIYA WITH US"? Also, where’s the "world where heroes have time to spare" when they look so busy? Were they understaffed or working as celebrities? (if someone says it was for the suit I will point out to the three nepo babies of Class A, Katsuki’s a dumbass if he forgot that detail).

Dude. We wasted pages on a kid that can throw plates from his hair. To tell him he can be a hero. Coming from the guy who had to go when he lost OFA. I'm not taking this parallel seriously.

I wish Izuku wasn't in "everything’s fine" mode until the end. We're really gonna leave him at "implied" mode, not confirm if his mental state's fine? Being open and emotional was an appealing part of him and now we just get “Yeah that’s just how it is”.

This one's petty and irrational, I know, but since I'm letting some of the steam out: I hate Izuku's new design; face scars (the constant "HE FAILED" reminder makes my eye twitch and I wish that was a joke, but also so many characters in BNHA got face scars, it doesn't even stand out), "perfect tie", normal formal attire- where's the character highlights? The things that make Izuku stand out?

But hey: He gets to be a hero again! Not with skills, heart, intelligence, strength, in spite of Quirklessness. No, he has an Iron Man suit! That Class A paid billions for. The government should be paying Class A and B (and Shiketsu and Ketsubutsu) instead, but all they get is a pat on the back. If the suit broke down, hurt or killed him while in it I'd laugh (Hatsume and Melissa worked on it? Oh it's gonna happen). And Toshinori, what happened to him, did he hit his head when he landed on that building!?

Went from: Smiles cover his fear and reassure people, believed saving is about saving body and soul, wanted to help Tenko, only didn't because Gran Torino said it wasn't a good idea. Disliked people were being heroes for fame and not because it's the right thing to do, only used support items as reinforcement and a precaution, never as a full solution, even Iron Might was so he’d have a chance to fight, not a solution.

To: If Tenko died smiling, it wasn't resignation, he was saved, even though he died. Didn't care AFO killed the Shimura - his mentor's - bloodline. Is fine with the billboards existing, even though it caused things like the Todoroki plotline. Now he's giving Izuku a suit, when the last time he did it himself, it didn't save him and his spine was almost snapped? Dude, what?

Also I thought he was paralyzed but I guess he just had a bad back.

... I hated BKDK's conclusion. It's actually so laughable how much I hate it. If it had another outcome, I'd probably be overjoyed. But:

Thematically, Tenko wasn't rescued, it wasn't a perfect victory because AFO still got away with what he did to him. "End of an Era and The Beginning" is hollow, nothing changed for the world they lived in, and it doesn’t look like they stand out among other heroes (these are AM’s successors. How.) What new era is this, really?

Their resolutions and relationship rebuild? Offscreen, but Katsuki was the one with the Iron Man suit idea for Izuku and apparently that compensates for it. Because he’s the one who can solve all of Izuku’s problems now, not motivate him to be better anymore. It wasn’t even Izuku’ idea, it was Class A, and sure it’s a nice gesture but we’ve seen Toshinori barely come out alive even with one.

Izuku barely batted an eye to any of the things he went through - losing his arms and/or OFA? Seeing Spinner's breakdown? Lady Nagant!? Katsuki or Tenko dying!? SOME INTROSPECTION, PLEASE IT’S BEEN OVER 100 CHAPTERS SINCE YOU’VE BEEN THE EMOTIONAL MC—

Katsuki's insecurities were for nothing by the way! Izuku's empathy and heart never mattered, a Quirk was more important to be a hero in the end. BULLIED HIM FOR NOTHING BUDDY- shouldn't have done it at all but wow did it become even more pointless in hindsight. Like Twice's death. Or Katsuki’s death, since “Control Your Heart” meant nothing as well.

Izuku still remembers Tenko, but has he done anything about it? No one wants to remember him, Himiko or Touya. Spinner's book will not be taken seriously, Mr. Compress was sidelined, Twice's death was pointless. They didn't change society, they've returned to the status quo. Pointless as Izuku losing his arms.

That fucking suit- Wow, he really couldn't be a Quirkless hero, the casual rivalry was just erased for an easy way out of Izuku's consequences, there's no catching up because Katsuki paid for Izuku a way to be a hero. He went full on-simp in the most disrespectful way.

And it ends with Izuku seeing Tenko's... Ghost? Hallucination? Vestige? I guess we’ll never know, because Izuku’s following his dreams again! Let's ignore he's doing this during class hours and he definitely should be in UA but who cares, he probably quit and we'd never know, as aside for the BKDK/DKBK fics, being a teacher was clearly a inferior choice for him and he can't do both ignore Aizawa and Present Mic look at him being the world's greatest hero!

It just took 1 year of trauma, scars, following on his mentor's mistakes, losing the thing that "actually" made him be a hero, having the first and the last people he tried to save dying because of his existence (one literally by his hands), proving anyone can be a hero! By ignoring the guilt of those you failed, give hands and sparing your thoughts, having superpowers and/or connections who'll give you a suit! Fuck this shit I swear-

A story about hope bent itself over to give the protagonist an unearned happy ending, when it said it was for every character who wants to connect to that hope, who wants to give that hope. Izuku went from "wanting to be a beacon of hope and save people" to "talk about beacons of hope, but in the end, others are doing this better than you. You had none of the willpower to be one." He's not hope or unity. Act 3!Izuku is just a plot device, I feel nothing for his ending other than irritation.

You could’ve had the BKDK proposal with a double spread handhold, and I'd still think Izuku's ending isn't earned anymore. His "happy ending— actually. BKDK crumbs are compensation for this ending, I feel cheated out of this ship (I feel like I'm shipping the version of them in my head, nott the canon one 424 onwards, and it only got worse from there-)

So. Yeah, those are my thoughts about the ending. I think. I don't know if these are all of them. I feel horrible about hating it, but I've sat on this chapter for days and right now, not a lot can make me like it, especially with the timeskip, which made this "open ending" a rushed and incomplete mess. If you disagree with me, honestly, that is very fair. I'm glad for you if you liked the ending. I'm just disappointed, and wanted to share my opinions. (and I do have more stuff to say about it but I think I've been negative enough)

But for the weeks I spent hoping this wouldn't slap a classic shonen ending in this catasthrophic mess and for making me feel like a dumbass after what we got in the end: Everything after 410 that isn't 421 and 422 is non-existent to me, this epilogue was a freaking waste.

Thank you for reading.

[bibibbon]

Characters with wasted potential: takami kegio

Oh hawks and the debates I have seen circulating around his character. He could of been a well written and thoroughly interesting and complex character but we know where that went.

I have got my own problems with hawks in canon. This is gonna be more of a ramble than anything else so enjoy.

His interactions with characters. A lot of the interactions that hawks has with different characters could of been so complex and intriguing if done right sadly MHA fails at that. Hawks views Enji todoroki the number two hero as his saviour from his abusive father so obviously hawks is a huge Endeavour fan who puts him on a pedestal. So we expect him to face an internal conflict when he finds out that his own saviour is an abuser to his own family but NOPE WE GET NOTHING. Hawks is physically not allowed to change or think about this and stays as a static character. Hawks and lady nagant have a lot of parallels and I found it Hella confusing when I learnt that lady nagant WASN'T hawk's former mentor and if she was that would of added a lot more depth to them in the vigilante arc. Hawks and tokoyami, look I love their mentor and mentoee relationship and how hawks actively encourages tokoyami to do things also it's Hella implied that the two are close and end up doing silly things on internships which I think is really fun. However I think the bit in the vigilante arc when hawks isn't answering tokoyamis calls and tokoyami is worried about him was handled poorly. I also think tokoyamis reaction to hawks being a killer is handled poorly. Hawk's actions during the first war arc and him killing twice could of been complex to him if handled well but we are led to believe that he was in the right in killing twice when hawks had the power to easily knock out twice, transport him to a jail cell and destroy all the clones before anything bad happens considering that hawks is known for his fastness, strength and agility .

Wasted potential in introduced plot aspects about him. Hawks is introduced as the 3rd top hero and compared to those before him he is young. He has a very charismatic and two faced nature that he has sharpened and learnt to use with the training the HPSC gave him. Hawks is a spy assassin that is supposed to act as a charismatic hero celebrity. In a way after all mights retirement hawks and enji became the most popular faces in Japan. Hawks was bred for this position yet that isn't expanded on neither is it developed well on. Hawk's actions during MVA and the first war arc are complex as they're coming from both genuine truth and lie. Hawks feels trapped literally and metaphorically having to live a life that isn't his and entertain people, always being watched from a cage. That's the story he tells the league and some of it to tokoyami and this is the truth to him. Hawks also killed twice BECAUSE HE BELIEVED it was the only option he had when in fact IT WASNT THE ONLY OPTION and by hawks trying to escape the cage and differentiate himself from the HPSC he ends up following and obeying them all along.

Lack of agency. As a character hawks lacks agency to do things or act. There are things that hawks isn't allowed to do even though it fits his narrative clearly. Hawks isnt allowed to have any negative feelings towards enji todoroki and what he did, heck he isn't even allowed to INTROPSECT on such a thing. Hawks isn't allowed to fully be developed or have any source of introspection, it would of been great if we saw more of what hawks thought about what he did to twice and what toga is trying to do. Hawks also doesn't say much when it comes to the HPSC and how they treated him the closest thing we get to intropsection in that case is him telling lady nagant that he is an extremely optimistic guy.

These are my main problems with hawks, Iam aware that there may be more.

I actually enjoyed hawk's introduction in the manga which was chapter 185 during the changing of the hero popularity polls. Hawks was presented as this complex character who isn't what he seems from the beginning. The first few panels we see him and he is comedically exaggerating his actions aka zipping his mouth and not talking or being overall very expressive however, when he does start to talk he is shown to cleary express his views and has stated that he hates the general bs thay heroes sprout about them wanting to uphold the law more than enjoying the luxuries that hero work gives them. He then takes the mic and proceeds to 'spice things up' by calling out enji on how disliked he is by the civilians. He claims this is something he did to help enji when in fact it didn't help him at all. To me this first interaction already establishes him as a walking contradiction.

His relationship with tokoyami. Their relationship first started in a way for hawks to gain information about 1A and he definitely wasn't being sneaky about it considering that tokoyami could see right through him. Tokoyami at the time only wanted to learn from hawks and was heavily upset and confused as to why hawks taught him nothing and was only using him. However, as time passed by they actually started to form a proper mentor and student relationship which I really enjoyed. When hawks was asked why he chose tokoyami he said that they are from the same feather, basically insinuating that he felt like it was somewhat his duty since he and tokoyami are both bird mutants to a certain extent. As a mentor hawks taught his student to have fun and chill out as tokoyami is a very grounded person (literally and metaphorically). Hawks inspired tokoyami to fly and majority of tokoyamis moves are some stuff that he either learnt or was inspired from with hawks. There's also the fact that it's heavily implied that a lot of the time hawks and tokoyami did goof out a bit considering that tokoyami has 'scandalous pictures' of hawks. However, I wish we actually got more of this relationship especially after tokoyami finds out that hawks killed twice. In the manga when tokoyami finds out of such a thing he automatically protects hawks and thinks he is in the right. I disagree with that and I think it would of been better to have it so that tokoyami protects hawks from Dabi not because he is a hero who done no wrong but because he is his mentor who he deeply cares for. I would also have it so that tokoyami starts to question who hawks really is?, is he a good person?, did tokoyami do the right thing helping hawks? Etc etc. in the vigilante arc, it's stated that tokoyami tried to contact hawks multiple times to no avail however this isn't expanded on. I would have it so that hawks is avoiding tokoyami on purpose because he is ashamed and scared of what his student will think of him. At the end they have a conversation and talk it out with tokoyami understanding that what hawks did was wrong but he deeply cares for him whereas hawks understands just how valuable his relationship with tokoyami really is. In the end, I ended up liking what happend with hawks and tokoyami both protecting eachother in the final arc and growing stronger as a mentor and student. Hawks learns to protect the youth and break the cycle that he was trapped in while learning what a hero means to others from tokoyamis perspective.

Hawks and twice . Hawks managed to build a good relationship with twice as the dumb and overly optimistic MVA member. Twice had potential to be saved but hawks ended up killing him. I have reread this part of the manga and I have my mixed opinions on this however, there are two ways I would change this 1) have hawks kill toga instead and have twice and toga switch places as it makes way more sense or 2) have hawks try to quickly take down twice by knocking him out and trying to transport him somewhere get before he can achieve that Dabi comes in and intervenes finally making hawks too slow to do anything and having him end up killing twice. Option 2 is what happend in the manga with hawks being too slow (ironic considering that hawks is praised on speed) to truly save twice and ends up taking his life so twice doesn't escape and doom them all. The problem is that hawks starts on the offensive (something I like), hawks thinks that killing twice is the only way to avoid everything or at least massively injuring him would stop it. Sadly, hawks could of easily convinced twice to back down considering how easily swayed twice is and that he only did the things he did because he thought there was no way out or wanted to help his friends. Before their fight begins however, hawks talks about not being swayed by nice words and connections he built with twice which makes me think that he didn't want to kill him but due to his mindset and pov he ended up killing him because HE THOUGHT IT WAS THE ONLY OPTION HE HAD (It wasn't)

His involvement in the MVA. Hawks first starts as a double spy for the HPSC. Through the MVA arc we see him do questionable things in the name of other people safety however, we see his actions backfire badly. Hawks tries to quickly and swiftly gain the leagues trust yet he isn't fast enough, he tries to quickly inform the heroes and the HPSC of how dangerous and out of hand this situation yet he fails and many things are caused by him (the fastest hero alive) not being quick enough to do anything. He 'kills' beat jeanist in the name of gaining the trust of the MVA yet that does nothing to get him up the system and just makes it that best jeanists help is out of the table for the majority of the arc. Hawks joining the MVA was useful for the league as they were going to parade him around so people can join him yet I still wonder how the mainstream media didnt catch a whiff of what hawks was up to or how he simply abandoned hero society (even though he was a double spy). Hawks also talks to the league why he joined the MVA and uses his own story (somewhat of the truth of his life) how he feels like a bird trapped in a cage one that can't fly freely this can be interpreted in many ways. 1) he doesn't have the right to freely use his quirk to any extent he wants which is something that MVA stands for or 2) he feels trapped by his own life choices, him becoming a hero especially the number 2 and has a lot of eyes on him watching him like a circus animal with every move he makes so he puts on an act and never drops the mask.

Hawks and toga himiko . Toga himiko should of either been killed by hawks in place of twice which would of made him get more backlash by the public and make tokoyami question him even more considering that hawks somewhat mercilessly killed a 16 year old (the same age as tokoyami) in cold blood for justice so he could also do it to him. Or we should of gotten a hawks Vs toga battle in the final arc instead of a afo Vs hawks one. It would of made way more sense. Considering that hawks killed twice who is very dear to toga she should of had her eyes set on hawks death the minute she chose to join the lov and the final war. We should of gotten an intense and emotional battle between them were hawks has to come to terms that he didn't need to kill twice but he thought that it was the only option he had and he watches as toga uses twices quirk knowing that twices death was meaningless as toga is using his quirk in the way he feared it would be used. Hawks would be almost killed until ochako intervenes and has her battle with toga while hawks goes and fights alongside tokoyami.

Hawk's views on lady nagant. Lady nagant should of been hawk's mentor and he should of been her replacement. In canon hawks is only her replacement and I think it would of added more nuance and overall better writing if she was his mentor. I absolutely loved the parallels that those two shared and how they came out on different side of things however, I do think that we should of seen more of hawks getting the backhand treatment from the public considering that him killing twice was on live television. Honestly it surprised me that hawks killing twice isn't what the public was most upset with him about but they were upset with him having an abusive and villain father which honestly says a lot. I also think that they should of had more screentime to talk, hawks helped save lady nagant and she ended up asking him how he still has hope while he says that he is "optimistic". Iam not a huge fan of this moment and I think it could of been written better. Hawks and lady nagant are two sides of the same coin but dam did I hate hawks holding her burnt body and telling her that he was her replacement, it could of been handled better with hawks and her actually having somewhat of a fight and then some of the conversation happening after the explosion.

Hawks and the todoroki family . Oh boy I can feel that this is gonna be a long one. I found it interesting that hawks actually looked up and admired endeavour and I loved the parallels it gave both hawks and Dabi. However, I hated that hawks wasn't allowed to think or have any intropsection after hearing about what enji did or that he didn't go through a bit of a crisis over it. The fact that hawk's character has simply been reduced to enji Todorokis biggest supporter is my biggest problem with hawks. Dabi and hawks were very interesting to me (no I don't ship them) they're simply two sides of the same coin especially in the ways they act. Dabi is consistent on revenge whereas hawks is the opposite, Dabi hates enji whereas hawks admires enji and so on and so on. I do think that it would of been way more interesting if touya and kegio had actual history behind everything going on so I have always liked the HC that they met in the HPSC training scheme and became friends. It's plausible and makes Dabi saying hawk's real name way more meaningful than Dabi finding it out by threatening hawk's mother. I also think that both of them sharing a form of history yet not trusting eachother is hella interesting. Dabi was probably one of the only characters (aside from Izuku and tokoyami) that could see through some of hawks actions. Dabi knew what hawks will do yet never tried to intervene until it benefited him of course in true icon fashion that is. I also find hawk's relationship with the youngest todoroki interesting but I think it was done horribly. I would of liked to see more scenes with hawks and shoto talking about enji and touya or just scene of them that draw the similarities they have.

I would also have hawks be semi involved in the whole mutant racism plot because we need that to be fleshed out. Does hawks help donate to charities that help mutants? Is he against such people? Or doe hawks himself face such discrimination? To be honest I doubt it considering that his mutation is on the "prettier side" of the mutations and wouldn't face discrimination like shoji did

Hawks also had potential to interact with other characters like todoroki which would of highlighted his thoughts and development on the families matter. There is also Izuku midoriya who in a way is in somewhat of a similar circumstance to hawks and they could of had that whole is there another way to save villains like twice and shigaraki without killing them or is death the only way or just general conversation between the two considering that tokoyami was stated to praise izuku so much that hawks considered taking him as an intern. In one of the side comics you also had Izuku be somewhat suspicious of hawks and his abilities and it's also somewhat hinted in the main manga so it's interesting to have them have a conversation about that.

I personally think that hawks should of received concequences for his actions and one of them being hindered quirk use aka his wings don't grow back properly or everytime he uses them he can't use them to their fullest potential due to how injured he was by Dabis fire. Also, I hate how hawks being used by the commission is almost brought as a second thought, like when the HPSC fell we really didn't get much of hawk's personal reaction or thoughts or anything on the matter it seems like a quite empty point even though it had its potential to Futher develop hawks

In conclusion, hawks character introduction was pretty solid and I really liked some of the aspects that the series gave him like making him a walking contradiction to a certain extent but I do think that horikoshi development of hawks character was horrible and the fact that hawks lacks agency to do many things or reflect on things irritates me very much.

[spacedace]

Fuck whatever DC is doing with the al Ghul's characterizations and story lines, I've decided that from now on the al Ghul's are gonna be DC's version of the Addams Family instead.

Now I don't mean just give the various al Ghul's the exact personalities of the various Addams and call it a day. That's boring, that erases all the interesting parts of the al Ghuls, that's just using "find & replace" and not actually adding anything. I mean give them the vibes of the Addams Family.

Keep the al Ghul's as the al Ghul's with all their scheming and machinations and world domination attempts but give them all the unhinged energy, the casually insane view of the world, the deranged levels of love and devotion for family. Make them that group where objectively they are batshit insane but also you cannot argue with the fact that they are indisputably the most stable and functional family in the entire universe.

They're creepy, they're kooky, they're mysterious and spooky. Ra's many opulent homes and impenetrable fortresses are a museum and the al Ghul's really are a screa-um whenever people come to see-um (or when they lay waste upon their enemies in a surprise attack that has been planned for months and is just the first domino in a series that will ultimately lead to achieving a far greater goal).

They all love each other and want each other to be happy, they express this primarily with stabbing and murder attempts (its fine, death is a thing that happens to other people).

And forget the League of Assassins being a cult. Just make the whole vast globe spanning organization a collection of cousins/aunts/uncles/dear old friends ect. No one (not even the al Ghuls, if they cared to keep track of such things) is sure who is actually related to them and who just got absorbed into the ever expanding family tree based on their vibes being right.

(Is Sensei Ra's father you ask? Well he's certainly someone's father - probably.

Anyway have you heard about Cousin Cheshire? Despicable poisoner of a young woman, capable of the most horrific things imaginable - yes she is the sweetest dear. Like I was saying though, she just had a baby!

Everyone in the family is just so excited to throw a baby shower to celebrate! Ubu has really gone all out with the spike traps, he does so love getting to welcome a new addition to the family.

Talia of course has cultivated a brand new strain of the most toxic plants imaginable to make a brand new kind of necrotizing poison. You know, as a nice little romantic gift for Cousin Cheshire and that young man of hers. It really is so important to make sure you take time for you and your partner to go on dates and have a few pitched battles to the death on dark rooftops in the pounding rain when you have children.

Now there is some to-do about it all of course, you know how family get together can be. Everyone is arguing over who should get to give little Lian her first weapon and what it should be. Nyssa is pushing for grenades but Ra's is insisting on a sword - he's traditional like that you know - but Dusan has the vote so far on throwing knives. You know the kind that have the little divots along the edges of the blades them to make it easier to get the poison you dip them in to stick.)

I'm just saying that the al Ghuls should be a delightful cross between the Bond Villains they were originally conceived as and the lovingly unhinged Addams Family. It just feels correct in my heart.

(Again keep the interesting aspects of the characters and the nuances of who each of them are like their drive to save the world through destroying humanity and their strong environmentalist leanings and their constantly playing 5D chess and everything, but like, take away the racism and the cartoonishly evil for no reason bullshit and give them some fun feral energy to go along with it).

[suzukiblu]

Expanded version of the "the Core Four gangs up on Kon's objectification kink" WIP, including a read-more because it's up to like 2k now, hah.

It's nice to all be alive and in the same reality and time period with the guys, which should really be easier to arrange than it actually is. Cassie had an easier time getting Cissie and Greta and Anita all together for a two-week road trip last summer than she has ever had getting Tim and Kon and Bart all alive and local and not replaced by a clone with fucked-up ethics for five fucking minutes. 

Last time she'd thought she'd managed that, Match and Thad had shown up, plus Tim'd had to cancel last-minute for an Arkham breakout anyway. 

It was so annoying that she hadn't even bothered telling Match and Thad that she'd known they were them until they'd both let her get to second base. Like, she wasn't actually gonna fuck them, obviously, they're supervillains and also she doesn't want to give either Kon or Bart any weird complexes or anything like that, but second base had seemed fair. Just for the inconvenience and all.

Also they'd both clearly needed more practice at making time anyway. Like–definitely. So really she'd figured she was doing them a favor. 

They'd been hilariously shy about touching each other, for guys who'd been pretending to be Conner "No Regrets" Kent and Bart "No Restraint" Allen. Cassie had politely pretended not to find it adorable, because supervillains, and had just given some helpful tips disguised as voyeuristic requests. 

And like, well, third base had been fine for them, she'd reasoned, since they were both supervillains. 

They both blush way, way more easily than Kon and Bart do, she has learned. 

Also if they're dating now, that's her bad and she probably owes the superhero community some very serious apologies for it? But like, she's not gonna be the one to bring it up. So as long as Cissie doesn't break the Sis Code about their last dish session, it'll be fine. 

Though she does expect invited to that particular wedding, if it ever comes up. 

Anyway. Off-topic. 

Cassie spent three full days and a favor from both Oracle and Supergirl arranging this date night, so she has no intention of it going to waste or getting interrupted. She was not fool enough to plan an event or activity outside where criminals and idiots and idiot criminals and, worse, people they know abound; she'd just told the boys all when to be at her apartment and then very theatrically locked the door once she'd gotten them all inside. 

Said lock is made of promethium and also full of godly magic, because fuck interruptions. 

Aphrodite understands when a girl just really needs to get some with her sort-of boyfriends/ride-or-die teammates, thankfully. 

Technically Young Justice is a situationship more than a superhero team these days, but they are just not gonna be explaining that to the Justice League. Like ever. 

Maybe at their wedding. 

Kon had suggested Netflix. Bart had suggested getting delivery. Tim had suggested a card game. 

Cassie had taken her pants off, which had fortunately gotten them all on the same page. 

So that’s how they’re here right now, with her straddling a half-naked Tim on the couch in just her shirt and panties and Kon and Bart on the other side of the coffee table and all tangled up together fully naked, because the bastards both have ridiculous amounts of super-speed and can therefore cheat their way out of their clothes and through the prep stage and foreplay without even letting her and Tim get a show, the brats.

And also because Kon can fly, so he doesn't really have to “weigh” all that much. 

So that's how he's currently completely wrapped around Bart and being held up in his arms like he doesn't weigh a thing at all so Bart can fuck him standing. Cassie can fly too, obviously, but she doesn't like being held up like that without an anchor point or any contact with the ground or at least a wall–it makes her feel unbalanced, distracted, vulnerable. 

Kon, apparently, really likes it. 

Well, he was born able to fly, so maybe that's part of that. For her, the ability was a later development. For Kon, it's as natural and normal as walking or running. 

Probably more so, actually. 

And the visual of Kon's whole big broad body being held up in Bart's lithe, narrow arms like that, of him deliberately making the effort to keep himself there, to keep himself on Bart's cock–well, she likes that. 

"Holy Hera," she mutters, and even the direct stimulation of Tim's dick rubbing up just-right against her cunt through their underwear and his hands on her hips pales a little in comparison to the show. 

Look, she's just the visual type, okay? 

"Don't take this the wrong way, but this feels kinda like I'm just using a toy, not holding a whole person," Bart says distractedly, his voice and hips both practically a blur. Cassie and Tim both bristle reflexively against each other, because that has got to be just about the stupidest possible thing he could've said to–

And Kon–bites his lip, a little, and shudders. 

"A–toy?" he repeats unevenly. 

"Oh," Bart says, freezing in place and then blinking lightning-fast a few dozen times, or maybe just once or twice. It's hard to tell, with Bart. "I mean, not like–well, yeah? I don't mean I think you're–" 

"It's okay if you do," Kon blurts, his face flushing. Cassie kind of forgets she was about to get on Tim's dick and nearly falls off him. Tim nearly falls off the couch, so at least she's not alone there. 

Bart's a lot faster on the uptake than any of the rest of them, though, so he just blinks one more time and then tilts his head. And then, casually–

"You would make a pretty good toy," he says. "We could pass you around a lot easier. And maybe you'd stop running off and getting lost on us all the time, too." 

"Ngh," Kon says, ducking his head as his face gets even redder. 

"I don't really have a toybox, though," Bart muses absentmindedly, watching Kon's face intently. "Might just have to leave you in my bed when we weren't using you. But then you'd be easy-access for playtime anyway, so–" 

"Bart," Kon chokes, and Cassie sees the very obvious way his whole body clenches up. 

"That setting's too tight. Go back to the last one," Bart says in that same casual, matter-of-fact tone from before, and Kon makes a strangled noise and visibly forces himself to relax again, just barely trembling. 

"Well, this is a development," Cassie manages, which is more than Tim's apparently got; he's just staring. 

"Kon–" he starts just a little warily, and Kon just shakes his head mutely. 

"The off button's 'friction', if you run out of battery," Bart says, stroking up the small of Kon's back. "Got it?" 

Kon nods, snapping his eyes shut, and still doesn't say a word. 

"Good toy," Bart says, and Kon shudders. Bart stares at him for one last very, very intent microsecond that probably lasts about forty minutes in subjective time, then turns his head to look over at Cassie and Tim instead. And then he goes back to fucking Kon, but this time he isn't moving his own hips at all–just moving Kon by his grip on his, like he really is just holding a toy and using it how he pleases. 

Kon lets him. 

Cassie is going to spontaneously combust, she's pretty sure, and Tim looks like he might just keel over and die. 

"Its hole feels pretty good," Bart tells them instead of Kon, his tone a little breathless but mostly just conversational. Kon digs his teeth into his lip with a strangled noise and his dick twitches sharply; outright spits precome. So apparently Cassie is going to spontaneously combust and Tim is going to keel over and die and Kon is probably going to do both, fucking hell, Bart is trying to kill them all, the little bastard. 

"Does it?" Cassie manages only a bit faintly, because if they're doing this they're at least gonna do it right. Generally speaking Kon's the one with the most submissive tendencies, though they've all tried it at least a couple times. Cassie just doesn't really like the way subbing makes her feel and Bart gets restless and Tim gets neurotic, though every now and then one or the other of them is in the mood for a bit of it. 

Kon will do it whenever one of them asks, though, and Cassie's pretty sure he'd do it even more often if he felt comfortable asking for it himself. Like–they talk about sex a lot, and Kon has to talk around the things he likes or wants a lot. Even more than Tim does, really. Tim can treat it like a mission report and Bart just has no shame and Cassie–well, it still takes some effort, but she's getting better at it, at least. 

Kon just doesn't seem to be able to say the words at all, though, which considering his usual tendency to charge face-first at every single obstacle is . . . notable, maybe. 

Cassie's never been sure if it's that he just doesn't feel safe asking for things he thinks he wants "too much", or if it's that he feels comfortable enough with them to not have to demand space and attention, and can just wait for it to come to him. 

Kon's only ever full-stop safeworded when he was Domming, though. Never as a sub. He's used "yellow" a few times when he was getting overwhelmed or needed a little reassurance, yeah, but never once called a full stop to a scene. 

That's not a thing any of them has ever pointed out, but Cassie's pretty sure they've all noticed it. 

Maybe not Kon himself, but . . . 

"Yeah," Bart says. "It can take a lot, too. I mean, duh, it's a toy, but still. Sturdy thing, y'know?" 

"How much is 'a lot'?" Tim says, sounding not unlike he's been punched in the diaphragm. Cassie was definitely doing something with him a minute or three ago, but fuck if she remembers what it was. They've both got their pants off, that's her only clue here. 

"Like, a lot," Bart says. "See?" 

Then he tightens his grip on Kon's hips and they blur, electric and barely visible and crackling with the Speed Force's lightning. Faster than he can fuck Tim or even her–much faster than he can fuck Tim or her. Kryptonians are built for super-speed too, after all. 

But not quite as much of it as a dedicated speedster is. 

Cassie can't imagine how overwhelming that actually feels, come to think of it. 

Kon just stutters out the quietest sound she thinks she's ever heard him make. It sounds like a sob, almost. 

He doesn't say "friction", though. Doesn't even say "yellow". 

He doesn't do anything at all, except keep himself in Bart's arms and keep letting Bart use him. 

Cassie is never, ever going to remember what she and Tim were doing. 

"That's a lot, yeah," she manages. Bart's the best at doing scenes, really, but he's played a lot of games and thinks very fast and has very little sense of self-consciousness, so no surprise there. But Tim is a Bat-trained–and Pennyworth-trained–natural liar, so he's no slouch either. Cassie usually feels a little awkward getting into a scene herself, especially compared to those two's respective experience and Kon's own eternal teen-idol levels of putting on a show and commitment to literally any bit, but right now, she could not care less about "awkward". She just wants to see Kon get taken apart. 

She wants to help take Kon apart.

[the-anonmaton]

Whatever Feels Right

Chapter 4 / 4 - Reality

Relationships : Sevika x Reader Characters : Sevika, Original Female Character Rating: Explicit Tags : Kissing, Making Out, Nipple Play, Biting, Fluff, Smut, Fluff and Smut, Light Dom/sub, Dom Sevika (Arcane: League of Legends), Body Worship, Nudity, Consent, Enthusiastic Consent, Safe Sane and Consensual, Aftercare, Gentle Kissing, Undressing, Licking, Foreplay, First Time, bottom reader, Virgin Reader, Anxiety, Soft Sevika (Arcane: League of Legends), Angst, Light Angst, Fluff and Angst, Panic Attacks, Awkward Conversations, Angst and Humor, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort Chapters : 4 ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ) Words : 17,331

Summary:

What about your first time with Sevika?

CONTENT WARNING: This fic is about an inexperienced reader and the need to stop during her first time, since she’s not ready. Chapter 4 is where some second thoughts are expressed and some anxiety-heavy stuff and panic, but Sevika is a thoughtful lover, so everything is fine.

**********

What the hell.

**********

She was now below your navel, kissing and nipping at the swell of your stomach, her arms resting over your thighs and her hands gripping at your hips, your legs open for her to lie between them. You could feel her palms over the sides of your underwear, and her fingers just above them, burning your skin where they were touching.

And with every other nip and lick and open-mouthed kiss she would move just a little lower. And with every little bit of distance that she was closing, you could feel your heart rate increasing, and your breathing becoming faster.

Is this happening?

Your nerves were once again back. But the feeling was different from your previous overwhelming excitement.

This is happening.

Her fingers were now hooked at the sides of your underwear.

S-shit.

You could feel the catch in your breath from your sharp inhale and the tightening of your stomach.

Calm down.

You tried taking a deep breath, your chest rising and expanding, and suddenly you were reminded of your exposed breasts, wet nipples cooling uncomfortably.

I’m okay.

You tried pressing your forearms harder against your eyes.

It’s gonna be okay.

You tried calming yourself down. You wanted this. You loved her and you wanted to share this with her. Everything she was doing to you was amazing.

She knows what she’s doing.

You tried to focus on her thumbs, now smoothing gentle circles over the fabric and whatever skin of your hips they could reach.

She's done this before.

But you haven't.

But I haven't.

The position of your forearms over your eyes allowed for each hand to grip at your elbows, so you tried once again to calm yourself by holding on tighter.

I’m okay.

Her mouth reached the seam of your last clothing barrier and started to pepper little kisses from left to right and you would occasionally feel teeth grazing your skin.

That's okay.

You remembered that you asked for her teeth a few minutes ago, but now they didn’t bring goosebumps like before.

"Can I take this off?" Even her soft voice would have startled you, if not for all the loud thoughts occupying your mind. You felt her chin touching your lower stomach, just above your panties, and moving. It was obvious that she had lifted her head to look at you and ask for your permission.

N-not yet.

She gripped a little harder at where she was holding onto your underwear, as if to get a reaction from you, to spur you on.

No.

You inhaled, held your breath, clenched your stomach and your hips jerked and instinctively pulled away.

Fuck!

And then you felt her hands starting to lose their grip on you.

No, I can keep going.

You tried to lift your hips towards her, to make her continue what she was doing.

I can fix this.

"Baby?" Her hands were now gone and you felt her weight starting to shift from where she was resting between your legs.

You swallowed hard.

I need a minute.

"Keep going." You answered, trying not to let your voice betray your anxiety. Your forearms were still covering your eyes and your fingertips had turned white from where you were holding your elbows.

"Are you okay?" You heard the worry in her voice, and you held your breath again, not trusting yourself to speak.

And then she was gone.

You felt her rising, no longer between your legs, but rather to her previous position, straddling a thigh without touching you, and you immediately exhaled through your nose, relief at your newfound sliver of freedom.

Her metal hand once again was placed near your head at your right, although a little further away than before. You didn’t feel her right hand anywhere, not even the mattress shifting from its weight, so she must have had it hovering somewhere.

"Please, look at me." You heard her soft voice right above you, speaking calmly at you.

I'm sorry.

You fucked up. You took it this far only to back down. Why was she so calm? Why wasn’t she mad? She was always so gentle with you and so mindful and you loved her for it. But how would you know that you were wrong when she would always talk softly at you and never get angry or raise her voice? You sure as hell watched her do it to other assholes.

"I'm sorry." You whispered. Your voice so small that you thought she wouldn't catch it. But of course she did.

"What? No, baby, please look at me." That soft voice again, albeit a little hurried.

Why are you so nice?

You were wrong though, right? She should be mad, right?

You didn't dare move or speak.

"I'm gonna touch your hand, okay?"

Her touch, you loved her touch, you would always surrender to it. You did just a few moments ago. You wanted to surrender further to her. But you got overwhelmed. The feeling was too new and it came too fast. But that shouldn't matter, right? She was with you, it should be fine. You shouldn't feel this way, right? You wanted this. Right? You know you wanted this.

But now she was asking for your permission again. For just your hand. And now that there wasn't even a sliver of contact between the two of you, you wanted something to ground you. You wanted her. You missed her touch. Gods, you loved her touch.

So you took a shaky deep breath through your nose and you nodded.

You felt a gentle warm hand caressing the back of yours with a thumb, and you immediately exhaled in relief and relaxed your grip on your elbow. You allowed her to pull it away and place it on the bed with slow movements. She repeated the same with your other hand, coaxing your arm away from your eyes. And now you were lying down, sprawled on the bed, half naked underneath her, not daring to open your eyes. You even squeezed them harder for good measure.

"Baby, look at me." Suddenly you felt that warm hand cradling your face.

"Please?" A thumb stroking your cheek.

Your initial thought was to pull away, but you couldn't. You wanted her touch. But why was it so difficult to accept it a few seconds ago? As soon as you heard her begging again you knew you had lost the game. Anyone who would dare to hear her begging would be dead by their next sentence. But not you. Not only were you the only one to hear her beg, you were also the one that her plea was directed to.

She allowed herself to be vulnerable with you, for you to see her hidden, softer side. It was only fair to let her know you heard her. So you brought your left hand to grip around her wrist and opened your eyes, letting her see them welling up.

You were expecting a serious, angry, mad and annoyed face above you for the inconvenience you caused.

Why am I thinking this way?

But what you were met with was just calm relief, worried eyes and a soft smile.

"There you are." She softly spoke.

"I'm sorry."

"Are you okay?" She ignored your whispered apologies.

"Y-yeah, I don’t know, I'm s-sorry, I-'' You closed your eyes again, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill, and you tried a controlled inhale, while squeezing her wrist. You brought your right hand to grip at her forearm for good measure, not sure if it was for you to ground yourself or for her to not leave you.

“I’m here, baby, it’s okay, breathe.”

So you did.

You tried to focus on her touch, on her thumb smoothing circles on your cheek, under your eye, collecting any betraying tears. You tried to focus on the rest of her fingers, scratching and soothing every little spot they could reach behind your ear. You tried to focus on her, a rock above you, always ready to protect you, a blanket of comfort hovering, not at all imposing, even now after what transpired. You tried to focus on where your hands were touching her, your grip still insistent as you were trying to calm your breaths.

“Everything is fine, take your time.”

No.

You shouldn’t take your time. You caused enough drama, so you just had to hurry this up and calm down so you both could finally call it a day and move on. You couldn’t even dare to think what she might be thinking. She always had to stop during any heated make-out sessions with you because you couldn’t keep up and chickened out. Certainly no one working in the brothels would act like this. They could give her what she wanted. They could be there for her instead of you. They could make her feel good and treat her like she deserved, since you were unable to. You have heard all the rumors about Sevika and you always feared that you couldn’t provide what she was used to.

“Baby?”

Your mind was getting foggy, and the overthinking was making it harder for you to focus. You felt as if you were underwater, only buzzing in your ears instead of her voice, only numbing in your hands instead of her.

“Hey, hey, hey, easy.”

You suddenly felt the hand on your face more insistent, trying to get your attention, and the abrupt movement thankfully made you jerk and fly your eyes open. It only took a second to grasp at what was happening. You realized that you were still gripping at her, but now the force of your grasp was making your hands and arms tremble. You felt dried paths at the sides of your face where tears escaped from the corners of your eyes and made their way to the mattress. You also felt a heavy knot in your chest, and you caught yourself holding a breath that was begging to be released.

“Easy there, baby, relax and breathe for me.”

From the second you were pulled from your spiraling thoughts, you were frantically trying to look everywhere you could, eyes searching with no clue where to land. But the moment you heard her speak, as if on autopilot, you turned to look at her. That was the power she held over you, even when you were not entirely present. You would always go to her, and as soon as your eyes met, you took in her furrowed brows and her intense and worried expression, which it was clear that she was trying, and failing, to hide, for your sake, to not further alarm you.

“Good, now breathe.” Her thumb once again started to stroke your cheek.

“Please.” Not but a moment later.

Another plea from her, intended only for you, and you could only obey.

So you forced that breath out, albeit in a few shaky parts and gasps. But as soon as it was out, the knot in your chest lessened, and you felt confident to start breathing again.

“That’s it, just like any other time.” The relief in her voice was evident.

Just like any other time indeed. There were a few times when you got overwhelmed and needed some guidance to come back to yourself, and she was always there to help. Although today it was different, how could it not be, and how could you know. Should you know?

You felt yourself starting to spiral again, so you closed your eyes, eyelids impossibly tight and tried to take a deep breath hoping it would be enough to keep you focused.

“Just keep breathing, okay?”

You felt your breaths coming easier.

“I’m here, I promise.”

You felt your face relaxing.

“You’re doing great, baby.”

You felt your grip on her loosening to just a gentle hold.

“That’s my good girl, stay with me.”

So with her soothing words and gentle touch you managed to calm yourself. Or better, she managed to calm you down. Was she even aware of the extent of her power over you?

And then, after minutes that felt like hours, you finally felt confident to open your eyes.

And the soft relieved smile that you were met with only made you respond with your own sad one, but a smile nonetheless.

“Hey there. How are you feeling?” She asked with expectant eyebrows.

“I'm…” You didn’t know how to respond, and your answer fell short.

And then you took in your state of undress and instinctively you released her forearm and brought your right hand over your exposed chest, trying to cover yourself, with the feeling of embarrassment looming, making you once again unable to look up at her.

“I’m…” You repeated, not knowing what you wanted to say, just to fill the silence around you.

If you were to look up you would see Sevika doing a double take, realizing what you needed in the blink of an eye, and the anxiety all over her face for the second it took her to formulate her hasty plan to help you.

“I’m coming back in a second, okay?”

She once again tried to get your attention with her warm hand against your cheek and searched your eyes, but you still didn’t dare look up. You could only nod and release her wrist from your grip, which earned you another gentle thumb stroke.

“I promise.”

You just nodded again. She was a woman of her word. She never once broke a promise to you. Since she promised, she was coming back.

You felt the mattress shift and you saw her standing up and going over to your shared dresser. And only now you realized that she was still naked. She was naked above you the whole time while she was calming you down and only now your brain managed to register the details of what had transpired. It would be scary, it was scary, but the fact that it was her here with you made that thought bearable. So you just let your head fall back, squeezed your eyes shut and took another deep calming breath to try and piece together all the little things that happened.

You could hear the comforting shuffling of clothes, a drawer opening and closing, then footsteps getting closer. You now had both your arms over your chest to better cover yourself and took a chance to look over at the presence approaching you. Sevika had put on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt she normally used for sleeping and was holding your favorite gray fluffy blanket.

“Come here.” She said with a calm and focused expression as soon as your eyes met, and with a relaxed gesture of her hand she instructed you to sit up.

So as best as you could and to not further expose yourself, you tried to push against the mattress and sit upright. She immediately sat beside you, put the blanket over you, covering you up, and smoothed it over your shoulders and arms. You started feeling yourself again, and melting at her gentle ministrations.

“Thank you.” You said softly and let your head hang, closed your eyes and enjoyed her gently rubbing your back, over the blanket, which you pulled tighter around you, something that always calmed you down and your thoughtful girlfriend knew that.

“Feeling better?” She asked and you could feel her eyes burning a hole to the side of your head. Shit, you worried her over nothing.

Shit.

“Uh, yeah.” You answered, trying to will away your unhelpful intrusive thoughts.

“Does anything hurt?” Another check-in. How could she ever hurt you? She was always so gentle with you, and her asking only made your lips pull up in a smile.

“No, I- I’m okay.” And you took a deep breath again through your nose.

“Need some water?” She asked and before you had the time to think about your answer, she bent to the side to reach at her nightstand and pulled a water bottle from the drawer, all the while her hand never relinquishing its tether to your back.

“There.” She added as she turned back, before offering it to you.

Your eyes only opened when you felt her turning to reach for the water, and all you saw was her moving and then a metal hand offering you the now opened bottle. The moment it was in front of you, you realized how dry your mouth was and how thirsty you really felt. Of course, she was always one step ahead.

“Actually, yeah.” You said after a hard swallow, before maneuvering an arm and snaking it over the blanket to take the bottle, exposing your left shoulder.

You must have needed it more than you thought, because you managed to finish all at once what was left of it.

“Shit, thanks.” You said after you downed the whole thing and you heard a chuckle at your left, which left you confused.

“Feeling better?” Sevika added with clear amusement in her voice, which made you further furrow your brows in question and at last turn to face her.

You were not expecting her to give you a lopsided smile and expectant eyes, patiently waiting for your answer. You also could see the worry as well as the admiration in her eyes while she was looking at you.

The whole point of keeping up with the logistics of Silco’s business was to be able to negotiate and persuade people to do your bidding. And that meant for you to always be in tune with everybody’s expressions and mannerisms, to read them and make them hear the right words. And now that ability was being tested against your girlfriend, who could school her expression to not give anything away, but who would always be an open book for you to read. And that’s what she was doing right now, which only added to your confusion. Also, her warm hand still making soothing circles on your back wasn’t helping.

So in an act of frustration, you abruptly shifted in place on the bed and turned towards her, making her jerk away with a surprised look and drop her hand from your back, which you immediately missed.

“Aren’t you mad?” You asked.

“What? Should I be?” She answered, and by reading her face you could see only her confusion, which made you realize the abrupt way of your question and the fact that it came out of nowhere, in a relaxed moment and without any context, apart from whatever thoughts were swimming inside your poor mind.

Fuck.

So you pinched the bridge of your nose, and exhaled before explaining yourself.

“Look, I’m sorry, I thought you would be mad, because we were in the middle of something, and it looked like you were having fun, but we had to stop again because of me and-”

“Hey, hey, hey, stop stop.” She tried to catch your eyes and to stop your rambling but you wouldn’t have it. You needed to explain and let her know that you could stop being a burden and that you were willing to let her go if she wanted.

“Look, if you want to find someone else I-” You tried to continue.

“What? No! No, no, please stop.” She cut you off again, and now she was shifting on the bed so she could face you better.

And now you had to stop talking. You caught the hurry and the worry in her voice, and once again you heard her begging. Once again you heard her plea to you. You had to stop.

So you did.

You stopped and even dared to look in front of you, where she now was, looking at you intently with furrowed brows.

“Good, now tell me what’s wrong.” She talked slowly and as soft as she could, but you understood her need to get to the bottom of what was going on.

“We- we stopped.”

“Okay, and?” She wasn’t forceful in her questioning, just strategic, her expression calm with curious eyes.

“And aren’t you mad?” Your voice was almost pleading at this point. You wanted to make her understand, to make her see that she could do better. And the more it was taking to get the point across, the more you had to feel the unbearable heaviness of your slowly breaking heart.

“Well now I’m mad at whoever made you think that we shouldn’t stop.” She said before a sigh.

And that sigh spoke volumes. It surely reminded you both of some of your exes, or whatever information you had shared with her, mainly their insistence on the subject of sex. The fact that they were still alive was only because you were the only one that could calm Sevika down and not let her go on a rampage.

But you needn’t think about them right now, in fact it was the last thing you wanted occupying your mind. You didn’t want another reminder of you disappointing your partners, of disappointing her, so you tried to keep the conversation going and get it over with.

“Look, we both know your reputation. And what if I can’t give you what you want, or-” This time you cut yourself off. Not because of your embarrassment, which was at a record high right now, but because of the hurt you saw slowly making its way on her face. You were hurting her, which was not even on any of the lists of things you wanted to do, so you had to stop and just wait. Wait for her to hurt you back, or punch you, or kill you for what you dared to utter.

But she did none of those things.

She would never hurt you.

She just exhaled, let her shoulders fall and extended her warm hand towards you. After a few seconds of confusion you realized that she was asking for your hand, which was still over the blanket. So you obeyed and gave it to her, and as soon as you felt her touch you released a relieved sob.

You were supposed to be the brains, but it turned out you were pretty stupid.

“First of all…” She began, but she stopped to trace the back of a metal finger over your cheek and collect an errand tear.

“Did you feel good?” She continued, with a thumb starting the same soothing patterns over the back of your hand.

“Yes.” An easy answer. It was more than good. It was exciting, but tenfold. The feeling was new and amazing and you reveled in it and its intimacy, especially since she was the one you were experiencing it with.

“But at one point it didn’t, right?” Up until this point you held your head up, eyes locked with hers, but now you couldn’t take it anymore, so you opted to focus on her thumb slowly stroking your hand.

No, it didn’t.

“No, it didn’t.” And as if it was possible, her touch became more gentle as soon as she heard your whispering answer.

“And what did I tell you before we started this?”

“Umm… To tell you if it doesn’t feel right?”

“Exactly.” She doubled down with a gentle squeeze of your hand.

And only now you realized that you didn’t even tell her anything. You just froze. She was the one who caught it, again. You would always freeze up and she was there to catch you and bring you back, no matter what.

“I’m sorry.” You closed your eyes and furrowed your brows. At this point you didn’t even know what you were apologizing for.

“You don’t have to apologize.” She immediately continued. And you felt cold metal below your chin, gently moving your head up, making you open your teary eyes and look at her kind ones.

“My point is, this was about you.” She finished the sentence by emphasizing the last word and she retracted her hand, but not before smoothing the back of her cold fingers over your warm cheek again.

“This was supposed to make you feel good, and it wasn’t about you giving me what I wanted.” She was speaking softly and slowly and sternly, trying to make her point as clear as day. You could see her struggling to find the right words. Always so thoughtful for you. Always going against her nature, or the character that the harshness of Zaun made her to be.

“The moment it stops feeling good, then that is the moment to take a break.” She continued.

“I- I wanted it, I want you.” You had to let her know that it wasn’t your intention to reject her, that you still loved her.

“I love you.” You added not but a moment later and you saw her smile.

“I love you, too, baby.” She said with another gentle squeeze of her warm hand to yours.

“And I know you wanted it. It was just not the time to go all the way.” She said as she shifted closer to you on the mattress. “And it’s fine.” She searched for your eyes again.

“Okay?” She asked when she was sure she had your full attention.

“Okay.” You exhaled with a nod.

“So you’re not mad?” You added. You had to be sure.

“Can I hug you?” Her only response after a chuckle.

Gods, you missed her. Of course you would allow her to hug you, and of course she asked for your permission first, and of course she would patiently wait for you to give it to her.

So you nodded and immediately saw her shuffling forward. The positioning was a little awkward with both of you sitting facing each other, but as soon as she brought you into her arms you melted against her.

She placed her metal hand on your back, caressing you over the blanket with slow movements, while she brought her warm hand to the back of your head and guided you to the crook of her neck. As soon as you were there you closed your eyes and inhaled. Her scent was enough to make you relax, so you let her hold your weight and brought your own arm around her, to keep her there, close to you.

She held you for a while, occasionally squeezing you, as if to make sure that you knew she was still there. She held you until your breathing came back to normal, until your eyes stopped watering, until your racing thoughts died down. She helped you calm down completely with soothing circles on your back, with gentle scratches on the back of your head, with occasional kisses on the top of your head.

“So, how about some cards?” She finally broke the silence.

“Huh?” You pulled back, confused, and she loosened her hug to let you move.

“Well, it’s still early, and you have a lead of three wins over me, so I’d like to get to it at some point.” She explained.

What did your little competitive card game have to do with anything?

“There are some leftovers from Jericho’s if you're hungry.” She continued.

What brought this up out of nowhere?

“I also stole some peanuts from the bar to go with my whiskey, but I’ll let you have some.”

What?

“Or I can prepare a bath for you if you want.”

And then it clicked.

“Or we can just stay here and cuddle.”

Shit, I’m stupid.

For all your smarts, once again you proved yourself to be pretty dense. It was even worse since you would be the one to call her dense at times, after a few particularly obvious situations. Turns out it came to bite you in the ass.

You could only shake your head and laugh at the absurdity of it all.

You leaned forward with a smile to rest your forehead on her shoulder, and after a second you pulled back to see her own smile directed at you.

“So?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Cards sound good.” You told her with a smile and saw her beaming.

“Okay, I’ll go and get everything ready. Take your time.” She said and gestured with her head to the blanket.

It was clear that she wanted to give you the space and time to dress yourself without the embarrassment of her being here. But as she brought up your state of undress, embarrassment was the last thing you felt. Only the love for your girlfriend was there. Her calm demeanor, her making sure to reassure you when your mind was playing tricks on you, her thoughtfulness to keep you busy after a mentally taxing night.

So you nodded, let her steal a soft kiss on your cheek, and watched her leaving the room, but not before throwing a wink at you, making you chuckle.

You still couldn’t believe that she was yours.

**********

“Well, I did like how you talked to me”

“Mhmm.” The only sign that she heard you.

It had been a few games since you sat down to enjoy the rest of your night. Both of you were now relaxed and felt confident enough to discuss how the good things of the night felt to you, what you both had liked or disliked.

“With that voice.” You added while playing the card you decided was better for your turn.

“This voice, babygirl?” She made sure to bring the husk up a few notches, which made you bite your lip and shake your head.

“Yes, that voice.” You responded in a chastising manner, although your poorly concealed smile betrayed the effect that her little antic had on you.

“Well I figured.” She said with a smirk, while looking at the stack of opened cards on the table before playing her own.

“I also figured that you would like my teeth.” She looked up at you.

“Oh, Gods!” You immediately exclaimed and brought your free hand up to cover your eyes.

“What, it was sexy!”

You felt the air around you getting hotter.

“And your tits are amazing.”

You felt your ears burning up.

“And tasty.”

“Please stop.” You tried to cut her off, before leaving the cards you were holding onto the table and bringing your other hand to cover your eyes, too.

“But you’re so cute when you get embarrassed.” Oh how this woman could taunt you.

You only lowered your hands and let your eyes do the talking, while also exposing your now reddened cheeks of your face, in the sight of which she only smiled a cocky grin. Clearly, she achieved her goal with her graphic descriptions.

“Okay, okay, but I have more if you change your mind.” You heard the amusement in her voice.

“Thank you.”

“Come on, your turn.” And as if nothing had happened she turned to look at her cards, seemingly contemplating her next play.

“Give me a minute, you distracted me!” Your hand was pretty unlucky tonight, your lead was down to two wins and she was not helping at all, fucking up your concentration.

“No worries.” She just relaxed in her chair, took a bite of her food and downed a few sips of whiskey.

As you were thinking about your next card you happened to take a glimpse at her, sitting on the opposite side of the table. You caught her looking over at you, relaxed body, arms in front of her, one hand holding the cards, the other playing with her glass, calm expression, amused smile, the corners of her mouth pulling upwards just so. Your reddened cheeks had just started to cool, but as soon as you saw her looking at you, you felt them getting hot again.

“What is it?” You asked just to fill the silence.

“What else did you like?” She asked after a beat with a lopsided smile.

And once again, the cards were abandoned as you put them down and crossed your hands in front of you, in thought of what to tell her. Honestly, you liked everything she did, and she had a good feeling of what you preferred, since you had discussed boundaries for your make-out sessions. But now this conversation felt different, not in a bad way though.

“Well you do know that I like it when you are in control.” And just like that your ears started burning again.

“When you make me do things.” You added, as your mind drifted back to her forcing your mouth open, to your tongue submitting to hers, to all the times she has bitten your lip and kept you there unable to move, gasping. You tried with all your might to not lick your lips at those thoughts.

Focus.

“Do you like being in control?” You asked her this time, to try and keep the conversation going. Also, you wanted to get ahead of any taunting comments she might have prepared.

“Hmm.” She seemed to think for a second, before taking another sip of her drink, her own cards also forgotten on the table.

“I do like it.” She admitted, while looking at her almost empty drink.

“And I like that you like it, too.” Her eyes were now on yours.

“That it makes you feel good.” She continued in a soft and raspy voice.

“Okay.” You acknowledged for the sake of responding.

And then you saw her looking down at the cards, furrowing her eyebrows, chewing the inside of her cheek. You also caught the same hurt expression that crossed her face just a couple hours ago, when you were rambling about stupid things that you couldn’t even remember.

“Sevika?” The silence was deafening.

You saw her licking her lip in thought and just extending her flesh hand towards you, which you immediately took in yours, allowing her to also hold you. You wanted to let her take her time, but your impatience made you squeeze her hand, to keep her going.

She finally looked up at you with those furrowed brows and you only responded with your expectant ones. She sighed and you could swear that you felt her squeezing your hand.

“You mentioned about me finding someone else, and my reputation.” Her voice was almost pensive and you hated it. You also hated the course that this conversation could take, but you tried to keep calm and let her tell you what she wanted.

“I know people talk, and I know what many of these stories are about.” Her thumb started the same soothing motions on the back of your hand, but this time it felt more for her sake instead for yours.

“And I also understand that you may have heard some things.” And that’s when she decided to lower her head and look down at the patterns her thumb was making on your hand.

It was true. Even before coming under Silco’s employment you knew about her and her reputation. In terms of violence, by this point you were accustomed to it. You were working together after all. You’ve seen her cracking skulls and giving bruises to anyone who deserved it. But that’s not what she was referring to, and you both knew it.

She was talking about the topic on which you had almost no experience. It was also one of the reasons you tried to steer clear from her when you first got the job. Word had it then that she was the talk of the brothel. She knew what she wanted and she was really good at taking it however, whenever and from whoever she wanted, and she would fuck hard and fast and deep and rough, leaving any girl blissfully unable to walk.

She would never boast about anything, though. Her business was her business and she was ever the professional, never commenting on anything. So everyone, including you, relied only on the rumors. And often these rumors would be accompanied with words like ‘restrains’ and ‘strap-on’ and ‘spent whores’ and by very explicitly described acts.

But eventually, mutual assignments forced you two closer, and now here you were, madly in love with each other, bearing your vulnerabilities for the other to see.

And now it was her turn.

“I know some things might be scary, or-” She cut herself off this time.

She took a moment to take a deep breath and the seconds that passed felt like hours.

“I- I would never hurt you.” She just said, and this time she looked up.

“I- ” And now it was your time to see her eyes tearing up.

She opened her mouth to speak, but after a few tries she didn’t have anything to say. But that was okay. You could read everything just by looking at her eyes. It was your job after all, and she was never hiding from you.

You could see the anxiety on her face of what she had just shared, of reminding you of all the rumors that you must have heard. You could see the fear in her eyes of how you would react. Fear of bombarding you with a sensitive subject after what happened just a couple hours ago in your bedroom. You could see and feel her flesh hand, still holding yours, trembling and cold with sweat, surely adding to the fear of her losing you, of you deciding that you would be better off with a more sensitive and gentle person.

No.

You didn’t dare to believe that there was a person more gentle than her. It didn’t even cross your mind that she would knowingly hurt you. It was clear as day in your mind, the rumors didn’t scare you one bit. The only fear right now was that you wouldn’t be able to bring her back from the hurt she was feeling.

So, you left her hand and stood up, chastising yourself after seeing her wide eyes, clearly thinking that you were done with her and were ready to leave. Your only goal was to get closer to her, so you tried to remedy the hurtful implications of your actions by hurriedly walking towards her.

When you finally closed the distance, you straddled her lap, sat on top of her thighs and brought both of your hands up to smooth her hair behind her ears. After that gesture, which you only hoped that helped her calm down, you kept your hands at the sides of her face, cradling her, with your eyes never leaving her confused ones.

You opened your mouth to say something, to reassure her, to let her know that you loved her, but words were not enough to express the amount of adoration and love you had for her. So you just leaned forward, while cradling her face, and brought your soft lips together in a gentle kiss, trying to pour into it all the words that you wanted her to know.

As soon as your lips met, you felt her sharp inhale, and not but a moment later you felt her pushing up against you, reciprocating the kiss with the same gentleness, as if she was trying to make known all the thoughts you needed to hear, too.

She was the one to break the kiss. You would feel disappointed, if not for her arms coming around you, hugging you close, and her burying her face in the crook of your neck. You took advantage of your raised position on her lap and Immediately you snaked your own arms over her strong shoulders and held her, as tight as you could.

You could feel her gentle breaths on your neck, as well as her torso expanding with every inhale, and her hands caressing your back. You didn’t want to leave her embrace, you were confident she could keep you on her lap indefinitely. So you let your head fall against hers and enjoyed the moment.

Although, it didn’t feel enough. You had to find the words. So you decided to start with the most confident phrase you knew to be true.

“I love you.” You said and turned to give her a kiss on the forehead.

You heard her take a deep breath, letting it out through her nose, tickling the spot on your neck where she was nestling, before pulling back and looking up at you.

“I love you, too.” The relief in her voice couldn’t hide the still lingering worry.

So you sighed through a timid smile and brought your hands back to the sides of her face.

“Rumors are just that, rumors.” She made to lower her head, but you held her there, making her keep looking up at you and she allowed it.

“I don’t care if they are true.” She furrowed her brows at that, confused at where you were going with this.

“I trust you.” Your voice even softer now.

“And I know you would never hurt me.” You continued.

“I would never.” She immediately added, and she tried to make sure that you heard her by bringing her hands from your back to your waist and gripping a little tighter, which only made you huff a smile.

It’s true that some of these rumors scared you, and maybe that was one of the reasons you froze up tonight, or all the other times after any heated make-out. But the more you got to think about it with a clearer mind, the more you realized that you were thinking irrationally. Maybe you both tried to take your relationship to the next step without either of you being ready, ready for yourselves and for each other. Maybe you were both horny and quick to act without discussing any lingering reservations.

Gods, what a day.

“Look, clearly this is something that we should discuss.” And now it was your turn to soothe her with gentle thumbs on her cheeks. “But I want you to know that I’m not going anywhere, okay?”

“Me neither.” The fact that her responses were leaving her lips this fast was making your heart skip a few beats, and making you fall in love with her thoughtfulness all over again.

I love her so much.

You could only smile at this point.

“Well, we’ll see about that, once I take back my three-win lead in a few moves.” You said as you let your hands reluctantly drop from her face and onto the tops of your legs, and gestured with your head behind you, where the cards were still waiting for the two of you.

It only took a second for her dumbfounded expression to be replaced by amused realization, as soon as she managed to process your words.

“Is that so?” She finally said with a breathy chuckle.

It was clear that she was thankful for the change of conversation. You both reached your limit for tonight and really needed to end on a happy note.

“Yeap, so can you let me go?” You gestured with your hands to where she was holding your waist, and you would swear that she gripped you a little tighter, making you arch a questioning eyebrow at her.

“I don’t know, you just said that you were ready to win.” She gave you a challenging eyebrow of her own.

You shook your head in amusement, ignoring her antics, and tried to get up from where you were straddling her, only for her to pull you back down on her lap.

“Okay, that’s cheating.” You crossed your arms in front of your chest.

“Oh, is it?” She was such a menace.

“Clearly.” Your stern voice did nothing to wipe the smile off her face. Especially when your own smile was so poorly hidden.

“Well, you could at least say the magic word.” She said with a smirk.

Such a menace.

Since you had to say the magic word, then that’s what you would do.

So, you uncrossed your arms and brought your hands to her shoulders, gliding them towards her neck, and finally resting them on the sides of her face, cradling her once again. Then you leaned forward, brought your nose to hers, gently nudging it, and finally you let your lips hover over her own, so that you could taste the whiskey in her breath.

“Can you please let me get up so I can win this game?” You pleaded with a saccharine voice and you felt really proud of yourself when you heard her audibly swallow, before pulling back to better look at her.

And what a sight she was.

Hooded eyes, an almost open mouth, wet lips and breathing heavy.

“Anything for you, baby.” Her only husky response as she took her hands off of you.

You tried not to show your disappointment or let your resolve falter as you stood up and made your way to your chair.

As soon as you took the cards in your hands you took a glance at her, only to find her still in the same place, relaxed in her chair, hands resting at the tops of her legs, not at all moving to pick her cards up. Only tired eyes and an adoring look on her face as she was looking over at you, once again an open book for you to read.

You chuckled, tilted your head, let your shoulders fall and returned the same adoring look, before gently coaxing her to pick up her cards, and her stalling by pouring another drink and lighting a cigar.

It may have taken a few minutes to get back to your game, but those moments were worth all the wait.

You didn’t get back your three-win lead that night, but you decided that you were looking forward to all the nights with her, trying to take those wins back, with warm leftovers and strong drinks and stolen peanuts.

**********

taglist : @opropheticsoul @archangeldyke-all

Thanks for reading! :)

[huntingingoodwill]

personal shopping (d.b.)

masterlist

pairing: dieter bravo x personal shopper! reader

desc: your newest client, dieter bravo, braves the outside world to flirt with you at the farmer’s market. though it defeats the point of hiring a personal shopper, you’ll let him, ‘cuz he’s cute. you’ll play hard to get though. (and mention that javi gutierrez is your favourite celeb client, just to make him jealous)

“He said he needs someone to ‘deal with groceries and shit’ so he can ‘meditate on his art’, which is probably a euphemism for doing coke and wearing the same sweatpants for a week. Don’t tell him I said that.” Lia sighed.

She had introduced herself as Dieter’s personal assistant’s assistant, which you thought was slight overkill, but you weren’t in any position to judge. You had now joined her in Dieter’s league of many ‘personals’. He had a personal assistant, a personal chef, a personal trainer, and now you were his personal shopper.

She led you through his mansion in the hills, thrusting you into the nucleus of his ‘meditation’: a cavernous living room cluttered with empty liquor bottles and designer furniture covered in paint splatter.

“Lee-uhhhhhhh.” Dieter lay face down on the plush carpet, which you thought was quite an unconventional meditation position. “What time is it?”

You watched as he nuzzled his head into the crook of his elbow, trying to block out the rays of sun that shot through the windows. His soft, unruly curls caught the light, glowing warm in the sun as the nape of his neck prickled with sweat.

“10:30, Mr. Bravo.” Lia said, her voice artificially chipper.

“In the morning?” He grumbled, rolling onto his back.

You caught sight of his face, the skin dipping between his brow as he furrowed it, rubbing a hand across the stubble peppered across his jaw. Despite looking an absolute mess, he still looked cuter than he did in his shitty movies. You admired the curve of his nose and his disgruntled, sleepy profile as he kept his eyes closed against the sun. The tan skin of his bare torso was visible beneath an oversized teddy jacket, paired with sweatpants slung low on his hips.

“Was it really necessary to wake me up at this ungodly hour?“ He blinked sleep from his eyes, the irises dark and honeyed as they glimmered in the light.

He caught sight of you, a sudden glint sparking alight in his eyes. His mouth, set with displeasure only a moment ago, began to break out in a smile. He looked up at you, dishevelled and adoring. “Oh. Hello.”

“Hello, Mr. Bravo.” You smirked, watching him scramble to his feet amongst the clutter of crushed paint tubes. You held out your hand.

“Call me Dieter. All my friends call me Dieter.” He intercepted your hand, fingers lingering appreciatively. “We’re gonna be friends, aren’t we?”

You tried to stifle a laugh. As soon as he looked at you you knew he’d be a relentless flirt. It was cute, in a pathetic way.

“I think I’m gonna be your employee, Mr. Bravo.” You corrected, ever the professional. He was cute, but there was no harm in making him work for it a little. “I was just about to head to the market, so I wanted to ask if you have a budget, or any dietary restrictions-”

“Let Mr. Bravo get back to his painting, I can fill you in on the details-” Lia began.

“I can explain everything.” Dieter interrupted. “I’ll even come along.” He said, shoving off his jacket. You felt heat creep up your cheeks as you eyed the broad expanse of his back, the muscle beneath the skin pulling taut as he searched for a clean shirt, pulling it over his head.

“Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of hiring a personal shopper?”

“We’ll call it a trial run. Just so you know what I like. Or we could call it something else. ‘First date’ has a nice ring to it.” He grinned, slinging an arm around your shoulder, a sensation that felt nicer than you cared to admit.

“You come on strong, don’t you?” You mumbled through a derisive smile, feeling his ego expand as you allowed him to keep his arm around you.

“Always.”

“Don’t you have some artistic meditation to do? Lia said you weren’t interested in ‘groceries and shit’.” You said, sidling through the stalls of the farmer’s market.

The cramped little lanes were filled with people, recognition flashing in their eyes as they caught sight of Dieter, who trailed after you.

“This is artistic meditation. I’m watching my new muse at work.” He said matter-of-factly, swinging your basket, which he had offered to carry for you, in his hand. His rings stood out starkly, flashing against the wicker handle.

You rolled your eyes, biting back a grin.

“Lia gave me a list of ingredients your personal chef needs, but do you have any other requests? Any ingredients for when your chef has an off day?”

“I don’t cook. When he has an off day, I just deliver.” Dieter adjusted his sunglasses, which you were starting to believe were less of a means to disguise himself from the prying eyes of the public and more because his hangover couldn’t bear the light. “Just buy me whatever, as long as it’s organic, cage free, GMO free, chemical free…” He said, taking a sip of water from his bottle.

You internally groaned. Though you were used to these buzzwords being haphazardly thrown about by your other clients without really knowing what they meant, you were hoping he’d be exempt.

“Water is a chemical compound.” You muttered, stopping in front of a produce stall, fruits and vegetables enticingly overflowing from the crates before you.

You could see his eyes widening behind the dark lenses of his shades from the corner of your eye as he spat the water back into its bottle.

“Water is a chemical?!” He spluttered.

You arched an eyebrow. “And I saw five KitKat wrappers on your carpet this morning.”

“We all make mistakes.” He chuckled, wicking away water from his mouth as he watched you reach for a lemon, its peel a vibrant yellow. “But that’s unimportant. Will you go out with me?”

A smile broke out across your face, unable to hide your amusement at his direct nature. You handed him the lemon, admiring the black ink of his tattoos etched across his skin as he extended his arm to place it in the basket.

“I don’t date men who can’t cook.”

“You’ll have to teach me then. It can be our second date.” He ran his hand through his hair, teeth flashing in a smile. His hair, already tousled, seemed to become even more unruly, and you resisted the urge to run your hand through it to help him fix it.

“Not part of my job description. I just help my clients buy what they need. Groceries, furniture, clothes… but I doubt you’re very interested in the last one.” You smirked, pointedly looking at his feet, clad in crocs and socks.

He looked down at the fashion offence he was adorned with, shrugging. “Fashion is a social construct. I’d wear a different pair of shoes if you’d go out with me, though.”

“I don’t go out with my clients.” You said, voice bubbling with laughter.

“But if you had to go out with any of your clients, it’d be me, right?”

“It’d probably be…” You wracked your mind, going through your list of clients to find a suitable candidate. “Javi Gutierrez.”

“That hack?”

“I don’t think he’s a hack!” You laughed, defensive. “He’s a good actor.”

“I’m a good actor.” He exclaimed, only to be met with your raised eyebrows and a shrug as you turned toward the next stall.

“Your silence speaks volumes.” He mumbled, faking a hurt tone as he followed close behind you.

“If you like him so much, some people say I look like Javi. We could always play pretend.” He smirked.

You put down the jar of honey you were examining, scanning Dieter up and down, as if trying to look for a resemblance.

“Hmm… don’t see it.” You sighed nonchalantly, refocusing your attention on the neatly stacked rows of jars before you.

“Since you think so highly of Javi, what do you think of me?” Dieter said, a crush of people moving through the lane forcing him close to you. You tried to keep your cool as you held his intense gaze, the cologne he spritzed on before he left the house deep and musky, the vivid scent clouding your senses. You swallowed thickly.

“I think you’re pretentious and hedonistic.”

“I have no idea what you mean.” He smiled, feigning innocence.

“Are you in denial, or do you just have a small vocabulary?”

“Can’t it be both?” He laughed. He looked around, making sure no one was watching, before dipping toward you, his lips barely ghosting the curve of your ear, his husky voice ringing in your head. “If you think using your big words to insult me will scare me off, you’re wrong. It just makes me more attracted to you.”

“Good.” You said, praying he wouldn’t feel the heat radiating off you, a blush blooming across your jaw. You ignored the playful smile on his face, keeping your hands busy as you aimlessly picked through produce. You bought a ripe apple, wiping it clean on your shirt.

Dieter’s eyes lingered on your lips as you took a bite, the crisp skin breaking beneath your teeth.

“So, you’ll go out with me?” He asked.

He held out his hand, and before you even registered what was happening, you had given him the apple, the red, glossy skin gleaming against his rough palm. He took a bite, the fruit’s flesh crunching as juice dribbled down his forearm, tracing the veins beneath his skin.

“Not happening.”