#whatever tim said to set him off like this is sadly lost to time

[superoscars]

hot dog idiots

[cocastyle]

Robin — TWO

Pairing - Joel Dawson x reader

Word Count - 4,476

A/N - new update for Robin!! yay!! this series as been so much fun writing so far and I’m overwhelmed by the unexpected love for this series so far! I hope you all continue to enjoy it as much as I! I have a lot in store for our very own Batman and Robin duo :))

if you would like to be added to the tag list, let me know!

R O B I N

Robin Series Masterlist

⭒❃.✮:▹  TWO   ◃:✮.❃⭒

Dear Aimee,

This week has been especially shitty.

We lost Connor to what looked like a really big ant. It helps me to draw them. I try to capture their essence, scribble down some notes on how to kill them.

Turns out Robin's katanas can pretty much solve anything. Although, I'm pretty sure it's just because Robin's the one wielding them.

Sometimes I think drawing them is the only way I know how to cope with these things. That and having Y/N. She helps me a lot more than I give her credit for.

I owe her my life.

We've lost a lot of people over the years. You'd think you'd get numb to it after a certain point.

You don't.

- - -

Y/N walked through the hallway with a small skip in her step. Despite everything that had happened in the past week, she still managed to feel happy just at the thought of being with her best friend. With her activities for the morning already done, she was determined to spend some time with Joel who she knew was still a bit down on himself about what had happened during the breach.

She had set up the target in the room where Gertie and Mav1s were, knowing that the boy had been begging her to teach him how to shoot for a while now. She had about a half an hour before she had to be back with the hunting squad, so she was hurrying to get to Joel so that they could have more time working with the crossbow.

She was almost to his room when she heard his voice echoing down the hall. Furrowing her eyebrows, she picked up her speed and went pass his bedroom until she was at the radio room. She poked her head inside, her eyes landing on the boy who sat at the desk with the radio turned on.

"This is 7045. Come in, 3022. I repeat, come in, 3022. Over," Joel said, his eyes flickering over the map in front of him where he had 'X's marked everywhere except for the circle around their bunker and 3022.

"This is 3022. What is it now, Ray?" a voice replied over the radio making Joel sit up a bit more.

"Hey, Janice. No, it's actually. . .It's, uh, Joel," he told her making Y/N smile softly as she watched the boy.

There was a long moment of silence before the woman chuckled, "Oh. Joel."

"Yeah," he replied, smiling slightly.

"All right. Hold on one second," Janice said. "Aimee, it's Ray!"

Y/N’s smile faltered at that, muttering softly to herself, "Aimee, of course."

"Joel," the boy corrected with a small sigh into the radio. "Thanks, Janice."

"Joel! Hey!" a new voice said, instantly making the boy perk up as a big grin took over his features.

"Hey, Aimee! Hi!" Joel exclaimed. "How are you?"

"Hi. Yeah. I, uh. . .I'm good," Aimee told him.

"It's so good to hear your voice," Joel admitted, relaxing a bit at finally being able to hear her voice once again.

Y/N watched him for a moment longer before smiling sadly and turning to walk away. She knew how much getting to talk to Aimee meant to him, so she wasn't about to interrupt him with something he honestly probably didn't care to do. Besides, she wanted to give him some privacy to talk to the girl he was in love with. After all, that's what she would've wanted if it were her having to talk to Joel over the radio.

The girl walked aimlessly down the hallway, lost in her own thoughts about Joel before she was snapped back to attention when a voice softly called out, "Y/N, are you alright?"

She came to a stop, her head lifting up to notice Kala standing in front of the memorial they had for all the lost colony members. The girl's eyes were on her, concern evident despite the sadness in her eyes.

Y/N gave her a forced smile and said, "I'm fine, Kala."

Kala just stared at her before giving her a sad smile and whispering, "Joel's talking with Aimee again, isn't he?"

Y/N looked away at that, swallowing thickly before asking, "How. . .how are you?"

Kala went quiet and glanced down at the hat in her hands that had belonged to Connor. When she continued to not respond, Y/N walked across the room and pulled the girl in for a hug. Kala melted into her embrace, her body shaking a bit as she softly cried.

"I know," Y/N whispered, holding onto the girl tightly in hopes she would realize she was no alone. "Connor. . ." She trailed off as she felt her own sadness bubbling into her throat. After all, Connor and her had been close. He was a part of the hunting team with her. He had been like brother to her and she had lost him. "He was a great person and he loved you so much. He died protecting you."

Kala sniffled and nodded her head. "I know," she said, her voice cracking a bit.

The sound of footsteps approaching pulled the two apart and they turned to see Joel walking in. He plopped down on a seat beside one of the tables, a numb and upset look on his face that made Y/N’s heart break.

"I'm going to go put Connor's hat up," Kala muttered, her hand gently squeezing Y/N’s arm in order to pull the girl's attention back to her. "Thank you."

Y/N nodded and Kala gave her a small smile before walking back over to the memorial while Y/N walked over to Joel. She sat down in the seat beside him, the boy instantly looking her way while she offered him a small smile.

"Hey," she whispered. "How are you?" Joel looked away at that and Y/N sighed, "Joel, you need to put the breach thing behind you, okay? No one was expecting it, so you can’t blame yourself for being scared."

"But you're not scared," Joel retorted, his head still hung low.

"Are you kidding me? I'm always scared," Y/N told him, her words making him look up at her. "It's my fear that keeps me going.It's my fear that pushes me through whatever challenges may come my way."

Y/N didn't go into the fact that her fear was never truly about herself. Her fear had always and would always be for Joel's life. For if she died, then that meant Joel could die simply because she wouldn't be there to protect her. And that's what scared her more than anything in the world.

The thought of Joel dying.

So in her mind, she survived for him. She survived so that Joel would survive.

The boy was looking at her, still not saying anything. Sighing, the girl reached out and placed a hand on top of his own. She gave him a reassuring smile before saying, "Even Batman was afraid every once in a while, Joel. That's what makes him human."

Joel smiled a little at that, squeezing her hand and rubbing his thumb over the top of her skin while Y/N smiled back.

She let go of his hand and leaned back in her chair, propping her feet up on the table as she looked to the boy. "How's Aimee?" she asked.

Joel looked at her in surprise, not sure how she could've known he was talking to the girl, before saying, "I think she's fine. We. . .we didn't get to talk much before the radio cut off."

Y/N frowned, "I'm sorry, Joel."

Joel smiled weakly and looked down at the table before whispering, "I just miss her."

Y/N felt her heart ache at the sight of him and she quickly dropped her feet to the ground before wrapping an arm around his shoulders and leaning her head against him. "I know," she whispered softly, ignoring the way her heart slightly broke knowing that even after seven years of not seeing her, Joel still loved Aimee.

Y/N had gone through seven years of watching him pine after a girl who barely even seemed to understand what she had when he was her boyfriend. Yet she still stuck by his side even though she found herself falling in love with him even more with each second that passed.

Joel let out a soft sigh and leaned his head against her own, relishing in the comfort of his best friend while his heart ached for the girl he loved.

Still oblivious to the fact that the girl holding onto him loved him more than Aimee ever could.

- - -

"I wanna know how it got in," Karen demanded, frowning from where she sat down at the table. The whole colony was there, the discussion about how the monster had gotten in finally being brought up after giving everyone enough time to mourn.

Y/N was watching Joel, her eyes flickering over the boy who sat on the opposite end of the table with his gaze on the table and a numb look upon his face. Frowning, she pulled her gaze away and looked to Karen. "You sure about that?" Y/N asked. "Sometimes it's better not knowing."

Karen was hesitant, knowing that what the girl said was true. After all, the hunting team didn't always tell them what went on unless everyone agreed on it. It was better for some people to have to worry about certain things over others. When she gave a small nod in response, Y/N looked to Tim and gestured for him to go ahead.

With Connor gone, Y/N was one of the designated leaders at the moment. She had a bit of a reputation in the colony anyways, having worked her way to top hunter on their squad within a matter of weeks. So Tim didn't hesitate to comply to her orders, looking around at the others as he explained, "It appears to have ripped through one of our perimeter defenses."

"What, it ripped through steel?" Anna Lucia asked, having not known that bit of information.

"Y/N, Anderson, and I resealed the breach point and the vent. Nothing's getting in that way again," Tim assured them.

"And if they do, we'll be ready. I set up triggers around possible breach points to help alert us when something's attempting to get in. Next time one tries to strike, the team and I will be out there ready to take it down," Y/N said.

"But why did it happen?" Karen asked.

"It was a freak occurrence," Ray told her. "There's no reason to think it'll happen again."

"Ray's right. We only took precautions just to be safe," Y/N spoke up. "We should try to stay calm. There's no use worrying—"

"How far away is Aimee's colony?" Joel spoke up, his voice making them all go silent while the boy looked over at them.

"What?" Tim asked.

"Aimee's colony," Joel repeated, ignoring the fact that everyone's eyes were now on him including Y/N who looked like she didn't understand what was happening. "How far away is it?"

"About eighty five miles," Ray answered.

"How long does that take to get there?" Joel questioned. Y/N sat up a bit, her feet that she had propped up on the table falling to the ground as she stared at her best friend.

"Joel, you're not actually thinking of going?" Tim said confused.

"Tim, just. . .humor me," Joel pleaded. "How long?"

"Seven days," Y/N spoke up, causing the boy to look her way. She was watching him, her eyes flickering over his face while she had a completely blank look upon her face. It was enough to make Joel still, for he had never seen her act that way, but he was too focused on her words to speak up about it. "Minimum."

"An armed and trained hunting party would be lucky to last fifty miles on the surface," Anna Lucia said, the others all looking at each other and mumbling in agreement while Joel looked off in thought and Y/N continued to study him with narrowed eyes. "But you, Joel. . ."

"All right," Tim spoke up, noticing the way Y/N had obviously gotten distracted by what her best friend was saying. "Now I need volunteers to help reinforce some of the outer perimeter."

Everyone began to speak up, agreeing to help out, but Joel spoke out again, his voice making everyone freeze as he said, "I'm gonna go."

Everyone was dead silent as they looked to him, Y/N’s face growing a bit pale while Joel ignored her gaze. "It's an impossible journey, Joel," Tim told him.

Joel shook his head and stood up. "No, I'm serious," he said. "I love you guys, but Aimee is one of the only people in this world who ever truly made me happy, and she's only eighty five miles away. And I'm gonna go see her." He let out a breath he had been holding before smiling slightly. "That felt awesome." He then turned and walked out of the room, leaving everyone staring after him.

All eyes turned to Y/N who was staring at the place Joel had just been with tears in her eyes. All she could hear were Joel's words playing over and over in her head.

Aimee is one of the only people in this world who ever truly made me happy.

Aimee is one of the only people in this world who ever truly made me happy.

It took her a moment, but Y/N was up and out of her seat without a second thought. She ran out of the room, leaving the others to sigh and exchange a look for they knew Joel's words had hit her harder than he meant to let them.

By the time she reached Joel's room, her tears were long gone and her mind was already made up. She appeared in the doorway, her eyes instantly locking on Joel who was shoving his few belongings into his backpack. He glanced up at her, his eyes hesitating on her form for a moment before he looked back down.

"I have to go, Robin. I can't stay here anymore and just wait for something to happen. I'm done waiting," he told her, shoving his journal and pencils into his backpack as he did so.

"I know," Y/N replied. "You have to do this. You should go." Joel looked up to her at that, his face displaying a look of shock for a small second. She smiled softly at him before walking towards him and saying, "But I'm coming too."

"You're. . .you're what?" Joel asked in surprise, his eyes flickering over her face as she came to stop in front of him.

"Joel, you're the only person who makes me happy," she began, her words making his heart skip a beat which he quickly pushed aside as nothing. "I can't let you just leave without me."

Joel was reminded of what he said earlier and his face softened as he reached out and cupped her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. "You know I didn't mean that you don't make me happy, right?" he eyes searching her own to make sure she understood what he was saying. "Cause you do, Robin. You're the one that keeps me going every day."

He let go of her and turned to his backpack which he zipped up, missing the way Y/N’s face heated up for a second due to his words and display of affection. She quickly pushed her feelings aside, knowing Joel always had been an affectionate person. It was just how their friendship worked.

"But I have to go see Aimee," Joel continued, letting his gaze fall back upon his best friend. "And I can't just make you come with."

"You're not making me do anything," Y/N assured him. "I'm coming. We stick together through everything, remember?" She took a step forward before holding her hand out to the boy. "Batman and Robin, right?"

Joel hesitated as he looked to her, a smile slowly making its way onto his face while he felt his heart swell with an emotion that he pushed aside as nothing else but relief in getting to keep her by his side.

"Batman and Robin," he agreed, clasping his hand in her own while they exchanged small smiles.

Y/N gave him a short nod before taking a step back which caused Joel to frown because it suddenly felt like he was missing a warmth he hadn't known had been there when she was right in front of him.

"I'm going to go grab my things," Y/N said. "I'll meet you by the exit." And with that, she ran out of the room, leaving Joel to stare after her. He was a bit confused as to what he had just felt, but didn't think much of it as he turned back to his bag and smiled.

"I'm coming, Aimee," he whispered, thoughts of reuniting with the love of his life running through his head.

- - -

Dear Aimee,

I am done hiding. I am done waiting for things to get better.

It's time to take matters into my own hands. Time to let someone else make the minestrone.

I'm taking a radio, even though it doesn't have power. But I'm gonna take it anyway.

Robin's coming with me. She's just the best, you know?

I didn't want to admit it, but the thought of leaving her behind had scared me. Knowing she'll be there with me every step of the way, it provides me a sort of comfort that I can't even begin to describe.

I can do anything if I have her with me. Walking eighty five miles through a monster infested world will be a piece of cake.

- - -

When Y/N was done packing, she went off to find the rest of the colony, knowing she would have to explain to them that she was going with Joel even if they might not want her to. Muttering rehearsed lines to herself, Y/N walked into the main room where the colony was all huddled around a map and writing things down.

"Guys," Y/N began, letting out a shaky breath. "I'm—"

However, she didn't get a chance to finish before she was being tackled in a hug by Kala. Y/N fell into a stunned silence, hesitantly hugging the girl back in confusion before Kala pulled away to look at her.

"You're going with him," Kala stated. "We know." Y/N blinked in surprise before looking around at the others who all just nodded softly despite the sad smiles on their faces. The girl looked back to Kala who just smiled softly. "It's okay, Y/N. We knew you would."

"I didn't want to do this to you guys," Y/N admitted. "I know we just lost Connor and losing another person on the hunting team isn't ideal, but I have to go with him. He's my best friend."

They all nodded in understanding before Tim reached out to clap a hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to explain to us, Y/N," he told her. "We get it. Just know that we'll be waiting for you two when you get back."

Y/N smiled softly at that, falling into Tim's embrace while everyone smiled at the exchange. "So," Y/N began as she pulled away from the man, "what are you guys doing?"

"Attempting to make a map for the two of you. Well. . .mostly for Joel in case he somehow gets lost," Anna Lucia said making Y/N chuckle softly before she walked over to the table.

She smiled softly at the sight of all the notes on the front before noticing that there seemed to be something on the back. She flipped the paper over, her smile growing even more at the notes the crew had all written on the back for the boy.

"We were going to make one for you too," Kala spoke up. "But I think Joel needs more of a reminder of how much we love him than you do. I have a feeling you already know that."

Y/N smiled and looked up at the people who had become her family. "I know," she whispered making them all smile before she looked down at the paper snd grabbed ahold of one of the pens. She scribbled down a small note on the back to go along with the others before Karen folded the map up.

It was when she was almost finished folding it that they heard Ray call out, "He's not joking."

They all walked out of the room at that, Y/N catching sight of Joel making his way over towards them with his backpack on and two crossbows and her katanas in hand. His eyes locked with hers and he smiled before holding out her weapons. "I think you may have forgotten something," he mused making the girl roll her eyes.

"Thanks, Joel," she said before grabbing the katanas and strapping them into her back and under her backpack. She then took the crossbow and the two turned to head towards the ladder that led to up above when Tim stepped in their way.

"We're not letting you two leave. You're needed here," Tim told them, even though Y/N knew that he understood he wasn't going to be able to stop them.

"Tim, Y/N may be, but I'm not. Come on. I don't do anything," Joel said.

"Joel, that's not true. You fix the radio. You make the minestrone," Tim stopped after that and winced slightly at his own words. "Okay. Doesn't sound as important when I say it out loud."

"I appreciate you trying," Joel assured him. "Really, I do. I just don't feel like I belong anywhere. I don't really wanna die all alone at the end of the world, so. . ."

Tim stared at the boy for a moment, his eyes flickering over to Y/N who gently shook her head at him to let him know he shouldn't say anything about her feelings for the boy. Tim sighed and turned away, allowing the two to walk by.

Joel moved forward, but paused before looking back at the others. "Look, I know you guys all just think of me as, like, some little, pathetic, adorable hedgehog. But I can take care of myself. I'm actually probably a lot stronger than you might think," he told them.

Y/N smiled softly at the boy's words, knowing how badly he wanted to prove to them all that he could do this. She placed a hand on his arm and Joel looked her way, smiling as she squeezed his arm before looking to the others. "We'll take care of each other," she assured them. "We've survived seven years. We can survive seven days."

The colony didn't say anything until finally Karen stepped forward and held the map out to Joel. "We made you a map," Karen told him.

"Thanks, Karen," Joel whispered before the girl reached up to hug him. Joel hugged her back and Karen pulled away with a sad smile before going over to Y/N and hugging her as well.

"Just. . .take care," Karen whispered before she pulled away and backed up to join the others. Y/N stared out at the people who had become her family, her eyes tearing up a bit as she knew that there was a possibility she would never see them again.

She felt a hand latch onto her own and Y/N looked to her left to see Joel giving her a reassuring smile as his fingers intertwined with her own. Y/N gave him a shaky smile in return while Joel rubbed his thumb across the skin on top of her hand.

"Everything will try to kill you," Ray told them.

"Oh," Joel muttered, making a small face which made Y/N chuckle softly.

"Be observant. Use the advantages that you have. You're fast and small and Y/N is one of our best hunters, so, Joel, don't fight. Just run and hide. Y/N, you should do that too, but if you need to, use those katanas and crossbow like your life depends on it cause it does," Ray said.

"Don't fight," Joel repeated, making another face before looking to Y/N. "So Robin fights, but Batman doesn't?" he whispered to her. She just smiled shyly at him.

Ray reached out and pulled the two into a hug, Joel and Y/N hugging him back while their intertwined hands still stayed by their side.

"You're both assholes if you get eaten," Ray told them.

Y/N smiled at that before saying, "And you all are douchebags if you don't answer our call when we get there."

The group all chuckled while Joel went to hook his crossbow to his backpack. Everyone fell silent as they watched him, their smiled falling as he struggled to simply latch the crossbow to his back. Y/N sighed and brought her free hand up to facepalm herself while Joel just awkwardly laughed and tried to latch the crossbow one more time.

This time it latched into place and he smiled before saying, "Okay."

"Nice," Ava muttered.

Joel ignored her comment and squeezed Y/N’s hand before turning to climb up the ladder. "I love you guys. Tell Aimee I'll see her in seven days," he said before climbing up the ladder.

"We believe in you," Karen called after him.

"Love you, buddy," Tim said.

Y/N walked over to the ladder before hesitating at the bottom. She glanced back at the colony, her eyes flickering over each of them. Karen and Kala were softly crying as they hugged each other, the others all looking at her sadly before Tim just gave her a small nod.

"Take care of him," Tim said before hesitating. "And yourself."

"I will," Y/N whispered, smiling at the group one last time. "I love you guys."

"Love you too," they all chorused as she began to climb up the ladder like Joel had. The latch was already open by the time she reached the top and she was blinded by the sunlight until Joel moved himself above the hole and looked down at her.

"You sure about this?" he asked, his eyes flickering over her face for any signs of hesitation.

Y/N smiled softly, "I'm sure."

Joel smiled at that before holding his hand out, the girl looking to it for a moment as she realized just what it is they were doing. Was she really about to help the boy she loved reunite with the girl he was in love with? It was crazy. She knew that. Yet seeing that smile on Joel's face and knowing that this was what he wanted, what he needed, to be happy was enough for her to know this was the right thing to do.

Then, without another second thinking about it, Y/N took ahold of the boy's hand and he pulled her into the world above.

- - -

Tag List

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[dccomicsimagines]

What’s Lost is Found - Batfamily Imagine - Part Seven

Warning - Depressive Thoughts, Angst Content

Note from Anon - I absolutely love your writing! You're definitely one of my favorite fanfic writers. I love What's Lost Is Found, but I just thought I might suggest adding some sort of warning for depressive thoughts or something. I really love how your writings are realistic and that I can relate to them, but it was so similar to the depression I had a couple years ago, I felt myself become a little depressed for a couple days afterward. Either way, it's still amazing and I can't wait for the next part! ❤❤❤

Author’s Note - I am truly sorry for any harm that this story might have caused due to the lack of a warning of depressive thoughts. I will try to include these warnings on the other parts as well and I’m sorry they weren’t there in the first place.

Part One  Part Two  Part Three Part Four  Part Five  Part Six  Part Six.Five  Part Eight  Part Nine  Part Ten  Part Eleven

Requested by Anon -  I love your work! Can the next part of What’s lost is found be her first encounter with Jason tim and Damien! Love the series

Requested by multifandoms916 -  Can you write a part 7 for what’s lost is found where the reader gets closure from Bruce’s death All so where the adults and Lian actually apologizes like genuine

Requested by Anon -  part seven of what’s lost is found? where the reader and damian finally meet again? and the reader gets like injured and he freaks? i love ur stories!

Requested by many other Anons as well.

***

You flipped over the last mugger and wrapped your legs around his neck. He choked. You chuckled, using the momentum to flip him onto the ground. 

“I wish I could do that,” Jon laughed, flying over to scoop you up into his arms. He soared into the sky as the cops arrived on the scene. 

“You could if you worked on your flexibility.” Your arms wrapped around his neck as you kissed his cheek. His cologne tickled your nose. 

“Will you help me with that?” Jon smirked.

You nuzzled his cheek. “Maybe.” Your phone beeped from your pocket. Jon landed on the roof of a office building and set you down. Only then, did you take your phone out of your pocket. One phone dropped forty feet was enough. “Crap, I’m supposed to be home in ten minutes. Dick texted me a warning.” 

“Well, we will have to fly fast then.” Jon took off his coat. “It’s only like fifty miles.” He wrapped the coat around you. You smiled, putting your arms through once your phone was safely back in your pocket. 

“Remember we went to see the new Disney movie,” you warned as Jon scooped you up again. You snuggled into his chest, loving how warm he was.

“Yep, and it was okay. We went to pizza afterwards.” Jon floated off the roof and high into the sky. “At least that’s not a lie.” 

You snorted, but stayed quiet. Jon picked up speed, flying faster than what was comfortable for you. You hid your face into his shoulder so the wind wouldn’t bite your face.

A few months had passed since Christmas break. You went back to school, and the normal humdrum of life. However, this time you had a spark of excitement. A spark named Jon.

Jon and you had dates every weekend. They started out slow as Dick had a crisis with the idea of you dating. Those first few dates were at the house under Dick’s watchful and annoying eye. Eventually, with Kori’s support, the dates were allowed to be out of the house and without supervision. 

Thus, without supervision, the dates took a different turn. Jon and you would often go on patrol in different cities, stopping for dinner at some point during the night. You never went far from home, but far enough that your activities wouldn’t appear in local papers for Dick or Kori to see. 

You dared to say that these patrol nights with Jon were the first times you felt like yourself since your dad died. 

Jon slowed down. You looked out to see the big top of Dick’s circus in the distance. “Are you cold?” Jon whispered as he floated down to land in the woods a few blocks down from your house.

“Nah.” You kissed his lips before he set you down. Your lips tingled at the pressure. Jon pulled the mask off your eyes. “You’re keeping me warm.” 

He smirked, leaning down to kiss you again, but you took the opportunity to rip off his mask. The two of you had a debate about what to patrol in. Jon wanted to be Superboy and you Robin, but when you informed him about the price on Robin’s head, he changed his mind. Therefore, you settled with plain civvies and simple face masks.

“No fair.” Jon pouted. You kissed him on the lips to wipe the pout off his face. “That’s better.” He panted slightly. 

You took off Jon’s jacket and handed it back to him. “Come on, we don’t want to be late.” The mask went into the secret pocket you had sewn into your jeans. Luckily, you did your own laundry, so you didn’t have to worry about Dick or Kori finding out. 

“You’re so paranoid.” Jon put on his jacket before taking your hand to lead you out of the woods. 

“Better paranoid than dead,” you said automatically. Jon flinched, looking at you in surprise. You realized what you said, swallowing hard. “Sorry, it’s something Dad always said.”

Jon smiled at you sadly. He kissed your temple. “That’s okay.” He squeezed your hand. How could he be so warm all the time? You wondered if it was a Jon thing or a Kryptonian thing. “So are you worried what people will think if they catch us leaving the woods all the time?” 

“Yes, but I’d rather have people thinking we’re messing around in the woods than...doing what we’re doing.” The two of you walked down the street. You could see the front light was on at your house. Dick would be watching. “Have you asked your parents about spring break?” 

“I’ve mentioned it. Apparently, they’re talking it over with Dick and Kori.” Jon swung your arm playfully. “I let them know how much I would like to go, even if it’s mostly to see you.” 

You snorted. “I know you want to go to Disney World too. You’ve been talking about the new Star Wars ride all the time.” Jon kissed your cheek.

“True, but I think it’s funny you want me to go so bad.” Jon winked at you. The blood burned to your face.

“Well, I don’t want to get trapped there with just Dick and Kori.” You shivered. “Kori is planning everything, because she’s determined to get the most of her first time at ‘the Disney World’.” Jon chuckled. “She wants me to wear ears, Jon. Like mouse ears.” Horror chilled your heart. What would your dad think of such a thing? “Even Dick didn’t try to put those on me last time we went.” 

“I don’t know.” Jon shrugged, smiling at you teasingly. “I think you’d look cute.” 

You smacked his arm. He laughed. Your hand stung as the hit hurt you more than him. “Watch it, Superboy or no more kisses.” You narrowed your eyes into a batglare. 

Jon bit his lip, trying to stop laughing. The two of you finally reached the front steps of your house. You could see the shadow of Dick watching from the window. “I’ll text you when I get home,” Jon whispered, tensing as he sensed Dick’s eyes on him. 

“You better.” You pressed a quick kiss to his lips before going into the house. Once at the door, you blew him one last kiss. Jon caught it with his hand and pressed it to his heart. Then he jogged away until he was in a safe place to fly home.

Three, two, one. “How was the movie?” Dick asked, hovering behind you. You sighed.

“It was okay.” You took off your coat and shoes. “How was your date night?” 

“Good. Got home before you.” Dick crossed his arms. You could feel him studying you. 

“Wouldn’t be you if you didn’t,” you muttered, getting some water from the fridge. 

Dick frowned. “What was that?” He closed the front door and locked it securely. 

“Nothing.” You headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs. 

“Remember we have that meeting with the guidance counselor tomorrow,” Dick said, following you up. You hummed. When you were almost to your room, Dick caught your arm. He kissed your forehead. “Good night, honey.” 

“Good night.” You pulled away. “Good night, Kori,” you said, raising your voice to be heard through the bathroom door. 

“Sleep well, baby,” Kori shouted back. You went into your room. The click of the door was soothing. You leaned against the door and sank to the floor. Your phone beeped. 

“I’m home,” Jon texted. You smiled.

“Good. I was getting worried.” You slowly got to your feet and dressed in your pajamas. Once you were settled into bed, you went back to your phone.

A smile pulled at your lips. “Dad says it’s a go.”

“Awesome. I won’t have to suffer alone.” You added a relieved emoji. “Good night, Jon.” 

Jon sent a picture of the night sky. You smiled when you could recognize the stars due to the star chart Jon had given you for Christmas.  “Good night, (Y/N). Pretty, beautiful you.”

You blushed. “Damn you,” you whispered. He could make you blush even though text. You heard Kori leave the bathroom and got up to brush your teeth.

***

“I don’t like this,” Dick said as he moped to the car. “(Y/N) should stay in high school at least another year.” 

“Dick, you remember what the guidance counselor said. The school can’t offer the academic challenge (Y/N) needs, besides, (Y/N) wants this.” Kori soothed, taking his hand. 

Meanwhile, you trailed behind them. You wanted to cheer, jump around, maybe do a backflip. It was the first time in a long time you felt so happy. You were going to graduate this spring, and then you could do whatever you wanted. Dick looked back at you and you did your best not to appear like you had won the lottery. 

“This doesn’t mean you’re an adult.” Dick narrowed his eyes, hurt. “And you’re still going to school nearby.”

“Aww, no Yale?” you teased, taking out your phone to text Jon the news. 

Dick opened his mouth, but Kori cut him off. “Not yet. Maybe after a year or two?” Kori rubbed Dick’s back. She gave you a look to tell you to take it easy. You pouted slightly. Why couldn’t you be happy about getting what you want?

You all got into the car. Dick shook his head as he drove out of the parking lot. He came to his own conclusion. “No, (Y/N) is not going to college. They’re too young.” 

“I’m not too young.” You scowled at him when he glanced at you through the rearview mirror. “I want to go, Dick. Why do you have to hold me back all the time?” 

“I do not hold you back.” Dick turned into the driveway quickly. “You don’t know what’s best for you.” 

Rage filled you. “I know what’s best for me.” Your voice took a dangerous tone. Kori peered back at you worriedly. Dick spun to face you. 

“No, you don’t. Damn it. You aren’t ready.” Dick’s mouth twitched, temper flaring. What right did he have to get mad over this? You were finally getting what you wanted. More freedom. 

“Shut up!” You exploded, barely stopping yourself from punching Dick in the nose. Dick’s eyes widened in slight surprise when you jumped out of the car. You needed to get away from him. 

“(Y/N).” Kori got out of the car and put a twenty in your hand. “Go get some ice cream and come back later. We’ll all talk once we have cooler heads.” She gave Dick a pointed look. Dick had gotten out of the car, ready for a battle of wills. His shoulders sank at her look. 

“Fine.” You spun on your heel and walked down the street, not actually going toward the ice cream place. Dick started to follow you, but Kori stopped him. You broke out into a run as your heart boiled with frustration. You had never wanted to go to school, and the only reason you didn’t throw more of a fuss is because you knew you could graduate this year. Now that it was decided for sure, Dick  threatened to take it away.

Tears stun your eyes as you ran faster. A car honked at you when you ran out into the middle of the street. However, you kept running until you reached the woods where Jon always took off from. Once inside, you took out your phone and dialed Jon’s number.

“Hello, beautiful.” Jon laughed. Your lips pulled into a smile at the sound of his voice. You sank down to sit against a tree. 

“Hi.” You sniffled, brushing away tears with your hands.

“Woah, hey. What’s wrong?” Jon’s voice instantly turned into that soothing soft tone he always took when you cried. Embarrassingly, Jon saw you cry a lot. 

You swallowed hard. “You got my text about how I’m graduating, right?” 

Jon chuckled. “Yeah, congratulations. I know you wanted to.” He paused. “Don’t tell me you’re going to miss high school?” 

“No.” You laughed a little. “Dick didn’t like that I’m graduating. He said I’m too young and that I don’t know what’s best for me.” You picked at a piece of grass. “I almost punch him, but I walked away before I did. Kori told me to go get ice cream.” 

“Ooo, what flavor did you get?” Jon asked, excited like a little puppy. “I’m trapped at school for another hour.” 

“Why?” You giggled. Your stomach buzzed happily.

“I got detention for skipping class.” Jon snorted. “It’s not my fault. There was a car who’s brakes gave out and was about to crash into a crowd of people.” He sighed like he was dying. “Life is so unfair. Mom already sent me a “we’re going to talk when you get home” text.” 

You relaxed. The anger slipped away. “As long as you can still come for spring break, you’ll survive.” 

Jon laughed. “Yeah, and we can ride the new Star Wars ride every day.” 

“Well, there’s is a catch with the new Star Wars ride, but we’ll try to ride it when we can.” You remembered Kori explaining how it worked. It seemed like a lot of work, but for Jon, it was worth it. 

“As long as I get to ride it once, I’ll be happy.” Someone snapped at him in the background. “Oops, got to go. It’s time for me to sit and think about what I did.” 

“You bad boy.” You blushed as you said it.

Jon choked slightly. “Yeah, says the naughty little bat.” He chuckled. “I lo...” You froze, eyes wide in surprise. Jon stopped, clearing his throat. “I look forward to see you later.” 

You sighed in somewhat relief. “Bye Jon.” Was he about to say he loved you? It kinda sounded like it. You shivered, putting your phone back in your pocket. Were you ready for him to say that? Would you be able to say it back to him?

Your mind went around and around for a while until you forced yourself up to go home. When you reached the front steps of your house, you realized that you could indeed say it back to him. However, you were too scared to be the one to say it first. You would wait for Jon to say it.

Kori was in the kitchen, frowning at the pot on the stove. “Oh good you’re home.” She took the pot off the heat. “I think I messed up.” You frowned, taking off your coat and shoes before going over. There was noodles in the pot that were black, burnt to a crisp. 

“Oh.” You pursed your lips. “Yeah, that’s not good.” Kori sighed, her eyes filled with tears. “How about you clean that out and I’ll make dinner?” 

“Thank you, baby.” Kori kissed your cheek happily. “Dick went in to work, but he’ll be back for dinner. We’ll talk during dinner about everything.” She went to try to scrape out the burnt noodles. 

You watched her, confused. Why would Kori cry over burnt noodles? A twang of guilt hit your heart. You must have stressed her out too much. “Are you okay?” you asked quietly, moving to check the fridge to see if you could throw something together. 

“What?” Kori looked back at you with a tear running down her cheek. “Oh, it’s nothing, baby. Don’t worry about me.” She came over to kiss your cheek again. “I’m going to lay down for a while.” You watched as she went to lay down on the couch with her hand over her eyes. 

She was emotional and tired. You eyed the pot with burnt noodles. She was also forgetful as she must have left the pot on the stove for quite some time for it to burn like that. If you didn’t know any better, you would say she was pregnant. Your eyes widened. Oh god, she was pregnant. You shook your head. No wonder Dick was stressed. You started to pull out ingredients to make stir fry. Dick should be happy you were graduating. You could move out then. They would need your room for the baby.

Your eyes burned with tears at the thought of leaving, but then you thought about how you could go to school near Jon. A smile pulled at your lips. Maybe the talk over dinner wouldn’t so bad. 

***

“I’m sorry,” Dick said softly. He wrapped his arms around you, pushing your face into his chest. “I just can’t stand seeing you grow up so fast.” 

You grunted. “Fine.” Dick let you go, studying you.

“What’s wrong?” He ran his hand through your hair. Kori smiled at the two of you as she took another serving of stir fry. That was her third plate. 

“I was thinking I should try to apply to Gotham U or Metropolis U. They are still accepting applications.” Gotham would be a long shot as you were sure Tim or Damian would do everything in their power to block your application. You eyed Kori. Kori noticed your look, swallowing wrong. She coughed hard. 

“Woah, Kori. Slow down.” Dick rubbed her back. Once she recovered, Dick moved his attention back to you. “Honey, we want you to stay here.” 

You frowned. It didn’t make sense. He should want you to leave with a baby on the way. You met Kori’s eye, and the realization chilled you like a bucket of cold water. Dick didn’t know yet. “Why don’t you think about it?” You said, looking Dick in the eye. “I’ll apply and then we’ll decide.” 

Dick raised an eyebrow, sitting down at his seat to finish eating. “As long as you apply to some schools nearby.” You stayed standing. “Sit down. You aren’t done already, are you?” Dick nodded to your chair. You looked at Kori for a long moment. She wouldn’t meet your eye. 

“I’m done.” You took your dish to the sink. “I want to start on applications.” 

“Okay, but like I said, apply to places close by too,” Dick reminded, making the ‘you’re so difficult when I’m being nice’ face. You admitted you would be happy to get away from his guilt-causing face. 

“Sure.” You quickly left the room and went upstairs. Dick talked to Kori, expressing his concerns about you. It only confirmed that Dick didn’t know. He would be more focused on the future if he knew he was about to have a baby. You fought the urge to text Jon about it, but you stopped yourself. It was possible you were mistaken.

***

Your applications were in by the end of the week. As you said, you did apply to Gotham and Metropolis as well as two local colleges only twenty to thirty miles away. Dick seemed satisfied. Kori kept her secret, but the signs were becoming more clear as the days went on. You couldn’t believe Dick didn’t notice yet, but then again, Dick was always blind to the obvious.

Meanwhile, you started to have nightmares again. One night, you woke from a nasty one involving your father and Bane. So deeply disturbed and needing to escape, you started packing up your room. You reasoned to yourself that you were going to be leaving soon, so you might as well be packed. 

“Honey, what are you doing up?” Dick asked, knocking on your door. You froze, just about to place a shirt into a box. The light was off, and you were moving as quietly as possible. How did he know?

You wiped the sweat from your brow with a shaky hand. The nightmare was only a few thoughts away. Your eyes widened when you realized you didn’t answer soon enough and Dick opened the door. He turned on the light, blinding you momentary. The tense silence that followed make your hands shake harder. Your carefully folded shirt fell to the floor in a heap. You couldn’t look at him.

Dick took several deep breaths before coming over to you. “What’s all this about?” he soothed, picking up your shirt from the floor. You eyed him, flinching when you saw how calm he was. 

You opened your mouth to speak, but only a whimper came out. A tear ran down your cheek. Your eyes stayed on the floor.

“You’re okay.” Suddenly, Dick’s warm arms wrapped around you. He rocked you back and forth. Sobs ripped out of you. The nightmare took over your thoughts again. “Hush, I’m here. You’re okay.” 

“No, I have to go.” Your voice broke. “I need to leave.” 

“Honey, you don’t have to go. We want you here.” Dick rested his cheek on your head. His arms tightened around you. “You said you’d stay, so you’re going to stay, okay?” 

Everything was so confusing. Why were you crying? The nightmare flashed in front of your eyes. You screamed, flinching at the sight of the light leaving Bane’s eyes. 

Dick jumped at the scream. His arms pulled you even closer to him. “No, it’s not here. Whatever you’re seeing isn’t here. You’re okay. I’m here. Nothing is going to get you.” 

Your body trembled. You closed your eyes, turning to hide your face into Dick’s shoulder. Dick kept soothing you. His hand ran through your hair in a gentle rhythm. Time passed before you finally stopped shaking. Dick’s shirt had a giant wet spot from your tears, but he didn’t care. You wondered how many of his shirts you had done that to. 

“Here you go, love.” Kori came into the room with a cup of tea. Dick took it and held it to your lips. You drank it. The smell of it warned you it was Alfred’s special tea. The one that could knock your father out for hours. 

The drowsiness hit you almost immediately. “I’m sorry,” you mumbled, slumping against Dick. Dick scooped you up and tucked you back into bed.

“No need to be sorry, sweetheart.” He kissed your forehead before the tea dragged you into a dreamless slumber. 

***

You woke to find your room back to it’s pre-packed state. The sun streamed through the window, meaning you must have missed school for the day. You sighed, rubbing your eyes that were slightly swollen. It was the last day before spring break anyway.

Slowly, you got yourself ready for the day and stumbled down the stairs. People were talking in the kitchen. You went in, rubbing your eyes again. 

“Well, look who’s awake?” Jon teased, getting up from the table. You froze, eyes wide.

“Jon?” You ran to him and jumped into his arms. He laughed, spinning you around. “What are you doing here?” 

“We’re here for spring break.” Jon kissed your cheek after he set you down. Your eyes widened at the “we”. 

You spun to see Lois and Clark sitting at the table with little smug smiles on their faces. “Hi.” Your cheeks burned in embarrassment. “Where are Dick and Kori?” 

“Dick had to go to work, and I believe Kori is running errands.” Lois got to her feet to get more coffee for herself. You wondered if Kori was at a doctor appointment. “Do you want something to eat? We have leftover pizza from lunch.”

You smiled, going to get a plate. “Wait, so you’re letting (Y/N) eat pizza for breakfast? Why is it when I want to eat pizza for breakfast, I get shamed and told to go eat oatmeal or something?” Jon whined. 

Clark sent him a warning look. “Because (Y/N) was raised by Alfred. We already know they know that pizza for breakfast everyday isn’t a good thing.” 

You took a slice from the box on the table and heated it up in the microwave. “So why are you all here so early? I thought you were supposed to meet us at Disney World?” 

The Kents all shared looks with each other. You shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. “We figured we’d come early before Clark had to stop a forest fire or something,” Lois teased, trying to lighten the mood. 

The microwave beeped. You took out your slice of pizza, no longer hungry. “Well, I still need to pack.” You headed upstairs with your pizza in hand. 

“I’ll help.” Jon followed like an excited puppy. 

“Remember I have super-hearing,” Clark called after Jon. 

“I swear they have dirtier minds than we do,” you mumbled, smiling to cheer Jon up. 

Jon chuckled. “They do.” You reached your room and set the pizza on your desk. Jon looked around your room with interest. “Is this new?” He pointed to a picture of the Gotham Skyline. 

“Yeah, I found it when I went shopping with Kori.” You pulled the suitcase from under your bed and started to pack. Memories of last night triggered a tiny headache in your temple. 

Jon wandered around your room, looking at things as you packed. You noticed things were in the wrong places, meaning Dick and Kori must have put all your things back after you packed them last night. Jon remarked on a book on your bed stand.

“Jon, you’ve seen everything in here. Stop acting like you haven’t been here before,” you said. Irritation sparked. Your headache throbbed. You hoped you weren’t getting sick again. Biting your lip, you were determined to not get sick again. 

“Sorry.” Jon sat on your bed next to your suitcase. “I’m nervous, I guess.” He studied you. You sighed, knowing what was coming. “Dick told us about last night.” 

“I don’t know why he thought it was okay to tell you my business,” You snapped harshly. Jon flinched. A wave of guilt crashed into you. “Sorry.” You looked back down at your suitcase. 

“It’s okay.” Jon pursed his lips. “I’m here if you want to talk about it though.” 

“Why does everyone always want to talk?” You ran a hand through your hair. “My dad never wanted to talk, and it was great. We would deal with things on our own.” 

Jon’s eyes followed you as you went to grab a sweatshirt out of your closet. “Yeah, but you don’t have to do that anymore.” The glare you sent him made him choke. “Sorry...I just want you to know I’m here for you.” 

You felt like you had been punched hard in the stomach. “No, I’m sorry.” Hugging the sweatshirt, you finally faced him. He gave you sad little puppy dog eyes. It was worse than Dick’s ‘you’re being so mean when I’m trying to be nice’ face. You swallowed hard. A traitorous tear slipped down your cheek. “I don’t want to put that burden on you. I’m a mess, Jon.” 

“(Y/N), beautiful. I already took that burden when I kissed you for the first time.” Jon came over to kiss you gently on the lips. Your entire body tingled like an electrical current zapped through you. His arms slipped around you, pulling you into his warm body. Warm as if you curled up in a patch of sunshine. 

“I love how warm you are.” You nuzzled into his chest. Contentment filled you, safe and secure in his arms.

***

“That was amazing,” Jon gasped, shaking his head in amazement. “My mind is blown.” 

“Of course it is.” You laughed, taking his hand as you both exited the new Star Wars ride Jon had been talking about. 

“Now he can stop talking about it,” Clark said from behind you. 

Lois laughed, leaning into Clark. “No, now he’ll talk about it nonstop.” 

“But it was so cool.” Jon turned back to face his parents.

“I do admit it was cool,” Lois said, kissing Jon’s cheek as they past. “We’re going to find Dick and Kori. Remember we’re meeting for lunch in about an hour.”

“Don’t eat everything,” Clark said with a wink. They disappeared in the crowd. Dick and Kori slept late. You happened to know that Kori was sick this morning from the vomiting sounds you heard coming from the bathroom. Part of you wondered if Dick knew yet or did he think she had the flu?

Jon looked around the Star Wars area eagerly. “So what now?” He squeezed your hand. 

You shrugged. “This is your thing. You go and I’ll follow.”

“I knew I loved you for some reason,” he said naturally. Your heart skipped a beat. Jon’s eyes widened a millisecond later. He looked at you. “You...I mean I like...I can’t fix that, can I?” 

“I love you too.” You laughed when Jon’s jaw dropped open. “I just didn’t expect you to say it now.” You kissed his cheek. “Come on, we only have an hour before we have to meet the adults.” 

Jon blushed before a big dopey smile grew upon his lips. “Yeah, only an hour.” He laughed and pulled you off into the direction of the other Star Wars ride. You squeezed his hand, floating on air.

***

“I want you back by midnight,” Dick insisted as he buttoned up his shirt in the hotel room mirror.

“We’ll leave when the park closes, but I can’t promise we’ll be on time. The buses are slow,” you said. You were sitting on the foldout couch that was your bed, putting on your shoes. 

Dick frowned. “(Y/N), midnight.” 

“Dick, I’ll try.” You narrowed your eyes at him. He glared back at you. Just when he was about to scold you, Kori came out of the bathroom. She was beautiful, wearing the fancy dress she had bought the day before. Dick lost his breath. You smiled, glad for the Kori distraction again.

They were going out to a special dinner alone. You suspected Kori was going to drop the baby bomb, and you didn’t want to be around for the aftermath. “Let (Y/N) stay out. They’ll be with the Kents,” Kori soothed, adjusting Dick’s collar. 

And Dick instantly changed his tone. “Okay. Just make sure you stay with the Kents.” He kept looking at Kori with compete adoration. You hoped you never looked at Jon like that. It was embarrassing enough seeing Dick do it. 

“Fine by me. Have fun you two.” You waved and rushed out of the room. A funny feeling settled in your stomach. Would that be the last time you would feel like a family with Dick and Kori? You quickly forced those thoughts away as you hurried to meet Jon by the bus station.

***

Jon and you headed out of the park toward the buses alone. Clark and Lois left earlier, trusting the two of you. You wondered if they informed Dick that they would be doing so. 

“Oh no,” Jon whispered, tilting his head like a dog trying to listen for something. 

You blinked. “What?” You pulled Jon out of the crowd that was heading to the buses. 

“I think my dad just flew off somewhere.” Jon smirked. 

“So?” You raised an eyebrow.

“Well, we can go patrol a little bit. I mean you have your mask.” His eyes went to your jeans. You smacked his arm. Your hand throbbed at the impact. “Come on. We’re at Disney World.” 

You snorted, looking around. The crowd was dying out. “Okay, fine.” Jon pulled you off to a private place and scooped you into his arms. “But only for a half an hour and if you hear your dad, you have to zoom us back here. We can’t get caught.” You stole a quick kiss. Jon chuckled into the kiss and flew up into the air. 

***

After three muggings and one car chase, you were two hours overdue. Jon kept convincing you to stay out longer. You knew you were risking it, but then you thought about how Dick and Kori were probably celebrating. The urge to go back disappeared. Eventually though, Jon and you landed in the woods a little ways from the hotel.

“That was fun,” Jon whispered, kissing you sweetly. “Love you.” 

“Love you too.” You ran your fingers through his soft hair. It took so much willpower to pull away from him. You took off the mask and hid it back in the secret pocket of your jeans. Jon did the same with his. 

“It’s so dark.” You stumbled over a stick. Jon caught your elbow. 

“Let me float us out of here.” Jon put his hand around your waist and floated you safely out of the woods. The hotel shined in the distance. He set you on the ground, but kept his arm around your waist. 

“Did your dad come back yet?” You leaned into him, his warmth seeping into you. 

Jon shook his head. “No. Mom’s asleep.” He closed his eyes. “Dick and Kori are asleep too, I think.” 

“I hope so. He’s going to kill me,” you muttered, shaking slightly. “Kori was going to tell him she’s pregnant tonight.” 

“What?!” Jon jumped away from you. 

You rolled your eyes. “Come on, Jon. You’re telling me you haven’t notice how Kori is sick every morning. She cried yesterday, because her ice cream started to melt.” 

The blush on Jon’s cheeks showed you he didn’t. “Well, no. I thought maybe it was that time of the month.” 

“Are you kidding me?!” You narrowed your eyes into your best impression of your father’s batglare. Jon paled. “I’m telling your mother you said that.” He stopped in his tracks. You kept walking, shaking your head in disgust.

“Wait, I’m sorry. Don’t tell my mom.” Jon ran to catch up to you as you reached the lobby. The desk attendant frowned at the two of you. You sensed they were judging you for coming in so late. “I’m not the detective you are.” 

You snorted. “I’m not really a detective. Dad and Tim are better at it.” You stopped at the elevator. The Kents’ room was on the second floor while yours was on the first. “Good night, Jon, and never assume that again.” 

“Yes, boss.” He saluted you, laughing in relief. You kissed the corner of his mouth before slipping away. “Good night, beautiful.” 

Your heart glowed, heading down the hall to your room. Slowly to a tiptoe, you unlocked the door and slipped inside. The room was dark, but enough light came through the window to reveal where you were going. 

You got undressed quickly and slipped on your pajamas. Just when you were about to crawl into your bed, Dick sat up and clicked on the light. 

“Where the hell have you been?” Dick hissed. He got to his feet and came over to you. You sighed, cursing how he was a light sleeper. At least Kori was still fast asleep. 

“Dick, come back to bed,” Kori moaned. You looked over to her only to see her naked breast. Your face burned, quickly looking away. 

“It’s three in the morning. I told you to be home by midnight.” Dick grabbed your shoulders, shaking you. “Lois told me they left you and Jon alone. What did you do?” 

You groaned. “No, no, no. We didn’t do anything. We were hungry, so we went to Denny’s.” Luckily, you and Jon settled on a story. “I would have called you, but I didn’t want to wake you up.” You pulled away from Dick. “I know tonight was a big deal for you and Kori, so I didn’t want to interfere.” 

Dick blinked, glancing at Kori. He blushed when he saw her bare breast. “So you knew this whole time?” His eyes shot back to you. 

“It was kinda obvious.” You climbed into bed, dismissing him. “Good night, Dick.” 

“This isn’t over,” Dick whispered with a sigh. He sat down on the edge of your bed. “You know that Kori being pregnant doesn’t mean you have to leave, right?” 

You hummed, keeping your back to him. Dick’s hand rubbed your side. 

“I love you. Nothing will ever change that.” Dick’s other hand ran through your hair. You closed your eyes, having a flash of your father doing the same thing. A hole pierced through your heart. “You’re still my kid, even if another kiddo is on the way.” 

“I know.” You suddenly felt better, even though your heart ached. 

“Good.” He kissed your temple. “But I still want you to call me if you’re going to be late like that.” 

“Okay.” You felt yourself drift off. Dick got to his feet and soon the light clicked off. Keeping the memory of Jon’s I love you in your head, you fell into a blissful sleep.

***

If you learned one lesson the next morning, it’s that you should have never listened to Jon. 

Dick, Kori, you, and the Kents were sitting down to breakfast in a restaurant somewhere in Disney World. Jon sat next to you, giving you looks that you could only describe as stressed. 

“You know what’s funny,” Lois began, a dangerous glint came to her eye. “I heard on the news this morning that two superheros stopped a car chase last night.” Your stomach dropped to your feet. That’s what Jon was trying to warn you about.

Dick and Kori shared a look. “That wasn’t you, was it?” Dick whispered rather loudly to Clark.

Clark cleared his throat. “No.” He eyed you carefully. “Do you know something about that, (Y/N)?” All the adults turned to look at you. You took a deep breath, playing it cool. Although, Jon was quickly losing his cool in the corner of your eye.

“No, we didn’t see anything when we went to Denny’s.” You took a sip of water. Dick’s face went blank, his month twitched in anger. Kori was close to tears, having to dry her eyes with a napkin. Oh dear. 

“Oh look at this.” Lois took out her phone. “I happen to have the clip the news showed.” She stuck it in your face. You could see a person with a body shape similar to Jon’s jumping in front of the car. Another figure quadruple somersaulted over the other and crashed through the windshield to kick out the driver. Damn, Dick would recognize that move. Anyone who knows anything would recognize that move. How could you be so dumb?

“It was me.” Jon had his honest face on. You kinda wanted to kill him. “I convinced (Y/N) to come out with me.” However, judging by the look Dick gave him, Dick might beat you to it. Jon pressed a hand to his chest. “Blame me, not them. (Y/N) was safe the whole time.” 

You rolled your eyes. “Jon, shut up.” 

Jon looked at you. The hurt little puppy dog look. “How about we talk about this after breakfast?” Clark suggested, ever the peacemaker. The waiter came over to take orders. You only ordered toast, your appetite gone. Jon tried to take your hand, but you pulled away from him. The only thing you felt was exhaustion.  

***

“What were you thinking?!” Dick screamed at you once you all got back to the hotel room. He shook your shoulders violently. “You have a price on your head! Someone is going to recognize that move and know you’re in the area!”  He stopped only because his phone rang. “It’s Tim. He’s probably already seen the footage.” Dick went out into the hallway to talk to him. 

You sat on your bed, staring blankly ahead. Jon was next to you, pale. He took your hand. Clark and Lois were talking among themselves while Kori sobbed away.

“So much for spring break fun, huh?” Jon teased halfheartedly. You didn’t react. Your body felt lifeless.

“Jon, we are disappointed in you,” Clark said. They came over to stand over Jon with frowns. “We told you that (Y/N) couldn’t be involved in hero life anymore. It could endanger their life.” 

“Who’s gonna notice that, Dad?” Jon squeezed your hand hard. “I mean a lot of people can flip like that.” 

You found yourself shaking your head. “No.” They looked to you. “That was a quadruple somersault. Only a few people in the world can do it. Dick can, so can I.”  You wish you could be proud like you were when you first mastered the quadruple somersault. No other Robin had besides Dick. Unfortunately, it felt like you weren’t allowed to be proud of anything. “Tim noticed. That’s why he’s calling Dick.” 

Lois laid a hand on your knee. You looked at her, surprised by the sympathy in her eyes. “I know it’s hard. You were trained to help the world in a way that most people don’t and now you aren’t allowed to do that anymore.” She paused, cut off by Kori’s sob. You saw Kori make a run to the bathroom which was followed by gagging sounds. Lois winced. “I know it hurts, but you need to know that everyone here wants to keep you safe, (Y/N). This isn’t punishment.” 

“Everyone says that, but it is punishment.” You looked back at her emotionless. The worried looks from Jon and Clark pounded into you, but you ignored them. Damian’s words fell out of your mouth. “I broke Father’s one rule. The one he held throughout his life and to make it worse, he died the night I broke that rule. I murdered Bane, and by default, what my father stood for.” 

Silence filled the room. You looked away from Lois to see Dick standing in the doorway. His jaw dropped open. “Did Damian tell you that?” he whispered. The blood drained from his face. All the anger from before was gone.

You blinked, dumbfounded by his reaction. Of course, you knew Dick didn’t agree with the others, but he knew what they thought. Why was he so shocked? “What do you think?” you said. A familiar headache blossomed in your temple. You were getting sick again, and you weren’t sure you could push it away this time.

The smell of smoke and rotting fish consumed your nose. Your hands shook. “No, no you don’t. Don’t go there.” Suddenly, Dick’s hands cupped your face, looking you in the eye. “Honey, stay with us. I know it seems bad right now, but it’s not your fault. Remember what your father’s letter said, it’s not your fault.” The sickening crack echoed in your ears along with a scream that sounded like your own. “(Y/N). Don’t make me do this.” 

Slap

Your cheek stun. The smell and the sound disappeared in an instant. “Ouch.” You touched your cheek, knowing there was an imprint of Dick’s hand.

Dick sighed in relief. “Did you just hit them?” Jon pushed Dick away from you, hovering protectively in front of you. Dick fell onto the other bed. “How dare you?!”

“Jon,” Clark warned, stepping in front of Dick. “Calm down.” 

“You don’t hit them. Everyone hurts them, but not anymore. I won’t let it.” Jon reached back to take your hand. You held his, trembling. 

Kori came back into the room. She saw the situation and you knew what was coming. Letting go of Jon’s hand, you grabbed Lois and pulled her and yourself over the bed. You both crashed onto the floor on the other side just to hear a star bolt hit Jon in the chest. 

“Thank you,” Lois said, getting to her feet. She put two fingers in her mouth and whistled. Everyone froze. “Calm down. Let’s focus on the main issue here.” She helped you up. Jon was rubbing his chest. The star bolt left a smoky hole in his shirt. Clark and Kori were standing off again. Dick sat with his face in his hands.

“Right.” Dick pushed himself to his feet, looking older than his years. “The issue is that (Y/N) exposed themselves to assassins that will come for the price on Robin’s head.” He took out his phone. “Luckily, the footage is from Jacksonville, so they won’t be looking for Robin here or at home.” 

“That’s a relief,” Kori said, breaking her stand off with Superman to come over to you. She hugged you tightly. “You scared me, baby.” You melted into her arms.

“However, you went against our rules, broke our trust,” Lois added, judging Jon seriously. Jon grimaced. 

Clark relaxed and went over to check Jon’s chest. “What were you thinking, Dick? We’ll follow your lead on this.”

Dick exhaled slowly. He regarded you with exhausted eyes. “No more unsupervised dates.” Jon started to protest, but a look from Clark shut him up. “No more leaving the house without someone with you. You go to school and you come home. That’s it. Nothing else.”

He stopped, waiting for you to speak. “Fine.” Your cheek throbbed from the slap. Jon’s eyes met yours, still hopeful. Somehow, that look made you love him even more.

***

A month later on a Saturday, Jon’s head was in your lap as you both lounged on the couch. Kori was banging things around in the kitchen, attempting to deep clean the fridge.

“I still can’t believe how many movies you haven’t seen.” Jon wrinkled his nose when you tapped it.

“Well, I didn’t have time to watch movies until now.” You glanced back at the TV and started to search through Netflix again. “What do you want to watch?” 

“Indiana Jones.” Jon smirked at you. You tapped his nose again. “I can’t believe I made you go see the stunt show before seeing any of the movies.” 

You rolled your eyes. “It’s fine. I don’t remember that much anyway.” Your relationship with Jon suffered for the first week, but soon you were back to the way you were before. Jon sat up to kiss your lips. You sighed, enjoying how soft his lips were on yours. 

The doorbell rang. “(Y/N), can you get that? I can’t get up,” Kori called. Both you and Jon sighed at the same time. He moved so you could stand up. 

“I got it.” You shuffled to the door and checked the new peephole Dick installed. The sight of a worn, brown leather jacket made your heart skip a beat. You opened the door to see Jason Todd on your doorstep with a duffel over his shoulder. 

“Hey, (Y/N). Long time no see.” 

***

Part Eight will be coming soon!

[internalsealpanic]

Fabulous Friday Evenings

Summary: You were having a really bad day.  Conner decides to help cheer you up and make sure your drunk ass doesn’t face plant on the side walk.

masterlist 

word count:  2,652

a/n: Special thanks to @anothertimdrakestan for helping with the ending and helping with editing! Love you, Elle!

warnings: alcohol and swearing and author does not know how alcohol works.  No one is under the drinking age. This may benefit from more editing. 

"Mosht people are jusht the careful scaffolding of complexshesh," you slurred, your face red, head half buried in your arms, and golden ear cuffs winking under the dim bar lights.

"You somehow still sound like a fucking nerd even you're when drunk," Conner laughed throwing his head back, handsome face stretched with a cheeky smile.  "You look like a mess," he said softly, reaching out for your cheek.

"Fuhk you! Not eberyone can be born too pretty for their own guhd- how did yah evehn know I was here? It was Tim wasn't it! "

"Good guess buuuut it was actually Bart" Conner explained casually taking a seat next to you as you lifted your head momentarily before plopping it back down to stare at the amber gloss of the drink. The light from the ceiling seemed to dance so elegantly in your eyes even as you wrinkled your brows. "That rat," you cursed miserably into your arm. 

Across from you, a pretty brunette shot you two a wink and without looking you could tell Conner flirted in kind. Normally, you'd have the audacity to steal the girl's attention away before Conner could even make a proper move but tonight you were in absolutely no mood to be charming. In fact, you were sloshed. You didn't know whether it was the fourth or fifth drink that did it but there you were sitting next to one of the most attractive people he knew with your makeup smeared and  eyes still swollen and puffy. You kind of just want a portal to open up and swallow you.

 The brunette made a motion to her friends which indicated that she was gonna try her luck and you wished her the best of luck. You bit your soft lips before pressing them into a pout. It took everything in Conner not to kiss you on the spot. Be the responsible one they said. It would be fun, they said. 

"We should go. You're-"

"Have fun," you said, patting him on the shoulder, cutting him off curtly; placing some cash on the bar before leaving. The buxom brunette approached Conner placing a hand on the shoulder you’d just touched moments before. He didn’t seem to notice her, his mind still lingering on the warmth of your hand.  Before she can say anything, he pivots and runs towards you .

The casual slump in your shoulders in place of your usual elegance was a pretty good indication that you would probably fall in a gutter before you got home. Conner highly doubted  you could see straight. 

"I can’t believe Roz let you get this sloshed without checking on you," He joked bringing one of your arms over his shoulder and slinging his own arm around you for balance. You walked like a newborn horse. It was incredibly embarrassing and you wanted to die. Conner, on the other hand, just found it incredibly hilarious.

 "She's out getting into her own brand of sloshed at a bachelorette party,"

"Huh. Didn't know she was the wedding type. Thought she hated going to those,"

"She's the stripper," You deadpanned, sounding abnormally sober.  With that Conner let out a genuinely hearty laugh. You would trade all the martinis, dackories, and margaritas in the world just to get drunk on that laugh. 

"That reminds me," Conner drawled, adjusting his hold feeling just how shaky you were from the late October Metropolis weather pressing you closer to his warm body. You kind of wanted to melt into his side but you had too much pride. "Bart never said why you were out here getting shit faced," You frowned at him but couldn't really muster any sharpness into your expression.

 There were lots of reasons to get 'shit faced' even in shiny Metropolis. You twitched your nose and mouth side to side gathering the makings of a sentence. Where do you even start? Your little sister got suspended, your mother (who somehow found out you were in Metropolis) is either demanding money or for you to drop everything to go back home to help around the house (translation: help out with the bills while babysitting your siblings), Bats and some other league members were on your ass for the last mission (probably the only thing on this list you found reasonable),  this morning, you got fired from your library job so they could hire Marco's girlfriend (who is in fact a perfectly nice person which means you can't really hate her), or the dozens of little annoyances such as Bart not being able to keep his trap shut. 

"This week was just a little much," 

A long moment of silence passes between you. Uncharacteristic for Conner but it was cute that he thought silence would make you fess up. 

"You know I could have gone home on my own. That brunette looked like she was up for a good time," 

"Yeah right. Also you're welcome." 

"You're right. Thank you for getting blue balled this fine evening to escort me" you didn't want to be prickly but Conner was being too nice and that made your skin crawl. Why couldn’t he be mean to you right now like a normal person? 

"First off, she wasn't even my type-" You raised a brow. 

"Kon, her tits were the size of Jupiter-" 

"Did you really  just say 'tits'?" 

You threw him a scowl clearly sobering up from irritation.

"Shut up. Point iiiis, you didn't have to-"

"You just said-"

"Oh for the love of- yes, I said tits. Speaking of which you should be staring at some instead of having to lug my sorry ass around on this fabulous Friday evening."  Your hand fluttering, gesturing vaguely in the air.

"Eh. There'll be other Fridays" Kon shrugged.  Pulling you closer and some selfish part of you felt relieved. 

----------

Much to your surprise (you really ought not to be), Roz wasn't home yet which meant you had to dig out the keys from the secret hiding spot- another hassle. You reached out peeling a hilariously well concealed hole in the wall and fished out the set of jingling keys. Conner looked like he was between amusement and bewilderment. Good enough.  At least, this stopped Conner's 30 minute TED Talk about the new 70s sitcom he'd found. 

You two entered the shoe box apartment clumsily thanks to your disastrous limbs. 

You blew out a breath and muttered a thanks as Conner helped you plop onto the couch.  Though, it was more like gravity decided to magnetize your body to the couch and Conner just let it happen. 

You shut his eyes for a moment wrapping a ragged blanket around you. You made a mental note to raid the thrift store for a new one. Preferably one void of holes. 

"So what's up and don't you dare say it was nothing. I've never seen you this hammered before," He said handing you a mug of steaming hot chocolate. 

"Does it occur to you that I might get hammered like this often and you might just not see it? Who knows maybe I'm actually a functional alcoholic?" 

"Ok, first off, you are barely functional. Second, that might be your weakest deflection yet.  Try again," 

"Ok... did it occur-" 

"I didn't mean it lite- just tell me what happened. Everyone's worried," 

You stared at the steam rising from the fresh cup of cocoa. It was none of Conner's business. It was no one’s business.  Your friends were too goddamn nice. Blowing out another breath, you said "You might wanna sit down too," 

Conner takes his own mug of hot cocoa and sits next to you because for some reason eye contact made you a better liar and Conner for all his dumb decisions wasn't gonna let  you off the hook that easily.  You shifted uncomfortably and muttered about either Cassie or Roz ratting you out. He assumed it was the eye contact thing. Conner felt a little offended. He might not be Tim but he’s smart enough to figure it out on his own. Despite his hurt feelings and bruised ego, he decided to table that and focus on the current issue or, likely, issues.

 "Do you want it in alphabetical order?" 

"Please tell me you can actually do that," Conner teased with a wide grin. You couldn’t fight off a smile forming on your face. "Sadly, I am not Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne. My brain cells work like a normal person's,"

"Didn't you die?" 

"Death only fixes stupid when you stay dead. You've seen Red Hood and whichever other Ex-Robin has been to the pearly gates,"

"You say that as if Jason wouldn't tell the big man to fuck off," 

You blinked and turned your head up to the ceiling. "Ok that's true," You conceded, your mouth twitching rapidly from side to side making you look like an exasperated rabbit.  Cute.

"So what's up?" 

 All the good mood from the past few minutes dissipated in an instant. You looked down solemnly at the still steaming mug. You were silent for what felt like an eternity. 

 "It's family- Immediate.  And the source of all evil-"  

 "Lex Corp?" 

You snorted a shy tired smile cracked across your face.  You shook your head. Those little gestures just make Conner feel a little warmer. You, on the other hand, cursed at how easily Conner could make you laugh. You were  supposed to be sad damn it. 

"Money," Conner knew immediate family was always a sore spot for you. No one knew the specifics except Roz but that was inevitable when you're cousins.  Money was also a sore spot and based on your near dead tone. You’ve either lost a lot of it or you’re in a tight spot but not ready to elaborate. 

"Wanna try buying a lottery ticket?"

"What?"

"Who knows you might get lucky?" 

"You could have gotten lucky you if you-" 

"Are you seriously gonna keep bringing that up?" 

"Yes, most likely. Depends," 

"On what?!" 

"On whether I can think of something funnier to give you shit about or if you can convince me-whatever the fuck you're thinking of doing stop!"Conner's cheeky grin did not disappear nor did the faint flush on your cheeks. 

"I wasn't thinking of anything, you sick pervert" he laughed. You really should have been exasperated with Conner. You tried damn it. You looked at him skeptically before violently letting his head rest on Conner’s shoulder causing the other boy to fall over. 

"Aaaaaaawwwww babe , if you wanted to cuddle you could have just said so," 

You wanted to. In fact,  both of you wanted to. But unfortunately neither of you were martian and neither of you was willing to say jack.  You closed your eyes trying to pretend Conner wasn't a little shit. Conner radiated too much smug for that though. 

"Shut up," You mumbled into Conner's shoulder already feeling sleep pull him under. You clung to him. Maybe just for tonight you can indulge in this. Just for a little while you can cling to Conner's warmth. Maybe in the morning your head will ache too much to remember this. Waking up alone wouldn't be too painful then. Hopefully. 

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

You woke up feeling like a troop of Can Caning hippos decided to host a live performance all over your head. You sighed remembering that you had in fact run out of Aspirin just days before so you decided on just lying there and praying that Roz also needed Aspirin and  had more energy to run to the store. 

You settled in nuzzling in to the warm- 

Wait. It was October. 

Nothing in the apartment should be warm. 

NOTHING. 

Then, you heard it.  A LOUD snore. It honestly sounded more like the roar of an engine than anything.  Everything else followed. The slow rising and falling of the chest beneath you, the press of stubble against your forehead, and the strong arms loosely wrapped around you. 

Yeah. You died again. Yeah. You finally went to heaven. Yup. You were ok with that. You were  definitely 100% A Ok with this if this was heaven. Being held tenderly by the guy you liked while you got a good night’s sleep was definitely heaven. God, you were such a sap.  

How the hell you missed all of that baffled you.

 Oh wait. Dancing hippos. Fuck. 

Your head felt like it was threatening to crack open but somehow you honestly could not mind even if you tried. You were  laying on top of a hot (literally and metaphorically) guy mutually cuddling. You nuzzled into the junction between Conner’s neck and shoulder in an attempt to steal more warmth. Sure, you were probably gonna go deaf from the snoring. Sure, you were definitely irritated by the stubble pressed against your face. And sure, you would probably die of embarrassment once Conner woke up. You could worry about all that later. All you could think about was how nicely your arms fit around Conner’s neck and how Conner’s arms wrap around you a little tighter in return. 

Click. 

Click. 

You could hear the distinct sound of your own camera shutter. Each sound chipped away at your peace of mind. You lifted your head only to see Roz holding your camera. 

TAKING PICTURES. 

Your cousin was nothing if not a petty opportunist. 

“I would tell you to get a room buuuut the only bedroom iiiiis preeeeeeetty occupied,” Roz drawled  smugly way too pleased with herself. You opened his mouth to ask but you’d already made the mistake of walking in on Roz and a guest once and you were  pretty sure you needed more therapy for that than you did for your murder. You just sighed as Roz took another picture.

“Come on, (y/n), smile a little,”

“I’m not smiling for your blackmail material,”

Roz gasped trying to sound scandalized. She failed, only sounding amused beyond belief. “It’s only blackmail if you’re ashamed of it. Personally, I think you’re scoring big time,”

“Roz please just fuck off before you wake him up,”

“Too fuckin’ late for that. He’s been awake for awhile,” 

You could  feel Conner smiling into your hair and his arms wrap around you  a little tighter. You tried to straighten up. To tower over him. To look intimidating. 

But…. you couldn’t. You were kind of trapped because, yanno,  super strength.

 You were seething and threw a scowl at Conner who only chuckled at you in response.  

“You’re never gonna let me live this down, are you?” You snarled, clearly exasperated and feeling the hippos start their encore performance. 

“ Mmmmmm, it depends,” Nope. The hippos did not only come back for an encore. They brought friends. Based on the absolutely smug look on Conner’s face, you were in for an entire parade. 

You let out a breath not sure if you wanted to play this game but not really seeing any other options.  “On what?“

Conner paused and hummed and hummed and hummed some more as if he was actually thinking but you knew from the crook of his lips that he had this planned out. Maybe not this exact scenario but something close“Go out on a date with me,”

You blinked then rolled your eyes theatrically enough that your head rolled along with it.   “And be seen with you in public?” You teased, an almost sheepish smile tugging at your features.

Yeah, Conner wasn’t exactly expecting you to say yes.

 “Yeah. Sure. Why not?” You said playing it off as casually as possible but you couldn’t help but mirror the absolutely goofy grin plastered on Conner’s face.  His happiness was infectious. You felt weightless. It was probably the fact that you were floating with him but you were pretty sure you were just on cloud nine. You were doomed. Definitely, inevitable, indubitably doomed. Even though everything has been shit up to now. The happiness radiating off of Conner was enough to make everything feel a little better.  

Thank you so much for reading!

tag list: 

@idkmanicantenglish

@batarella (I thought you might like it?)

[hansolmates]

jjk; angel’s trumpet [07]

summary; one second, your life is flashing before your eyes and the next, you’re transported into a world exactly like your own. but the jungkook you meet in this world isn’t a renowned singer or your former almost-lover, in fact he has no clue who you are and why you know him so well. as you work to find your way home lost and confused, you conclude that you’re either dead or in the middle of the most wicked drug trip of your life. pairing; idol!jk x reader (f), alternatively film producer!jk x reader genre/warnings; fluff, angst, supernatural, idol!au, non-idol!au, alternate universes, themes of fate, language, alcohol consumption w.c; 3.5k a/n; the beginning of the end! like my mama said while i was cleaning my room, it has to get messy before it gets clean! that being said this is a series for @btsghostiewritersnet​ BGW Bingo Bash! now that we’ve gotten this far, would you say our heroine has truly lost her mind? 

[06] [07] [08] -> masterpost

Something is off and Jungkook doesn’t know exactly what, and therefore he has no way to approach it. 

HIs knee is bobbing uncontrollably as he throws his phone back and forth from one palm to another. He’s in a recording studio downtown, in an unfamiliar area that made Jungkook thankful that he decided to leave an hour early. He hears some hushed voices from another room, and he tries not to fiddle around too much as the chair in the waiting area is rickety and on its last limb. 

You texted him this morning with your usual pleasantries, saying you had a fun lesson to teach today and you couldn’t wait to set up your classroom. You’re also equally excited for Jungkook’s first recording session, and you urge him to “knock the socks off this producer guy.” 

But since that night you slept over, you haven’t brought up the tears you shed in his sheet. You’ve been painfully amicable, insisting that you’ll tell him when the time is right. 

Jungkook wants to be patient for you, and he will be. But he doesn’t know how to help you, help the two of you move forward without any context. He gets that the memories that are holding you back are painful, but he wishes to help ease that burden. Jungkook’s head starts to spin at all the possibilities that he could get you to feel comfortable enough to talk.��

“Hey,” Jungkook’s reverie shatters when a small guy in all black comes up to meet him. Jungkook shoots up, hand immediately darting out to shake the older one’s hand. He chuckles, “Jihoon sent me your demo last week. You have some killer vocals.” 

“Thanks,” he replies bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck, “I’m Jungkook, by the way.” 

“Right,” the producer nods, gesturing for him to follow him down the hall. “I’m Min Yoongi.” 

Jungkook nearly trips over himself. He’s heard that name before, he’s sure of it. He tries to wrack his brain for the memory, something he’s brushed to the side after so long.

“Jungkook!” you cried. He was paralyzed when you first met, a frazzled woman shoving herself on him like you’ve known him his entire life. He didn’t know why you were trying to hide him, but you looked so terrified he couldn’t formulate a quick enough response. “Kook, what the fuck? It’s broad daylight, you can’t be out like this without a mask! Where on earth did you hide that bike? Dispatch will have your ass and the devil Min Yoongi’ll kill you again for sneaking out—” 

“Uh, Yoongi?” the pair step inside his little studio, neat and monochromatic. There’s a comfy couch in the corner, and Jungkook seats himself there while Yoongi slides into his rolling chair. “Do you by any chance know someone named y/n?

Yoongi shrugs, too busy going through his computer files to take notice of Jungkook’s wheels turning. “No, should I?” 

“Guess not,” Jungkook mutters, “what about Dispatch? Are you involved with them?” 

The older one swirls around in his chair, knuckles nestled in his milky cheeks. “Is this an interrogation?” 

Suddenly feeling hot, Jungkook shakes his head. “Sorry.” 

“But to answer your question, thankfully no,” Yoongi leans back in his seat, staring at the ceiling, “thankfully they’ve been smoked out ever since they got sued for defamation against that SNSD member, among dozens of other women. That was what, two years ago? But my artists are always squeaky clean.” 

Jungkook grapples the pieces in his brain, feeling the sudden itch to text you. 

“You’re askin’ a lot of weird questions, kid,” Yoongi says simply, “but since you have the voice of a fuckin’ angel on Cloud 9, I’m willing to overlook it.” 

The younger one nods wordlessly, letting Yoongi go on a tangent as he describes the song he has in mind and how he wants to approach it. He tries to focus, and intermittently fails as he falls in and out of thought, always coming back to you. 

•━━━━━━»•»💮💮💮«•«━━•••

“Hoseok, I feel it.” 

“Feel what, nausea? Heartburn, indigestion? Upset stomach? Diarrhea?” 

“Is that supposed to be a joke, Noona?” Bogum is sitting next to you on the picnic blanket laid out for the both of you. Today was supposed to be Hoseok’s off day, but Bogum’s mom offered Hoseok a pretty penny to take Bogum for the day while she had to attend a last-minute work project. 

“Yes, Bogummie. Although it was a terrible joke,” you admonish, sending a playful grin to Hoseok. 

“Do you like my new shoes?” with the attention span of a squirrel, Bogum hops up and jumps up and down on the grass. His new Elmo sneakers light up and make little squeaking sounds, “isn’t it cool! My shoes talk while I walk!” 

You giggle, “Yeah, now we’ll never lose you when you go off to the bathroom,” you reach for his sippy cup and instruct him to drink water, “go play on the slide, we’ll watch you from here!” 

Bogum immediately agrees, shuffling away with rhythmic squeaks from his sneakers as he bumbles over to the small playground on campus. Without the presence of children, you feel Hoseok’s eyes train on you as you try to formulate a response. 

“I don’t know, I woke up this morning and I felt a little too… settled?” you taste the word on your tongue, hoping it matches with the turmoil going through your brain. You continue to stare at Bogum, not a care in the world as he goes down the slide for the nth time, “my life isn’t moving forward anymore. It’s so, peaceful?” you nod at your question, then turn to smile sadly at Hoseok. 

“This might be the last time we see each other.” 

While you don’t know the rules and regulations of whatever fate or magic that brought you here, you always knew that this time had to end. You feel like you’ve experienced enough in this small lifetime to feel this kind of contentment. Any further into this life and you could change it however way you wanted to. 

You didn’t want to do that. You wanted to go home. 

Hoseok’s smile is equally sombre, but he plays it off with a scoff. “I guess this is the part where you leave me and I have to go on with the rest of my life questioning whether these past two months were real or a crazy drug trip while I spend nighttimes TL;DR-ing our story on Reddit.” 

You break into laughter, clutching your stomach as you try your hardest not to think too heavily of this moment. “Hobi, you won’t be alone in this. I’m going to tell Jungkook tonight,” you confess, “I don’t know how he’s gonna take it, but try to be there for him. For me?” 

Hoseok tilts his head to the side, “In your world, were me and Jungkook close?” 

You hide your grin by taking a sip of your water bottle, “Very close. He sobbed himself a river when you wanted to quit the group.” 

“Hm, maybe we’ll be close someday too.” 

“Maybe,” you pull out your phone, instructing Hoseok to do the same as he waits for whatever you’re about to send him. 

Hoseok phone pings and he opens the document you just shared with him. His brows knit at the neat notes, zooming in the small font. “What is this?” 

“For when the other me comes back in my place,” you lean over him to point out the details highlighted in light blue on your digital document. There’s addresses, student details, lesson agendas, even the money you spent while you used the bank account. “it’s in her drive, but I think she might… freak out regardless. If I really got hit by that oncoming truck, I don’t know what she’s going to be feeling. At least this is a quick cheat-sheet, so she can catch up on the past two months and continue on with her life.” 

You try to tamp down the guilt that you feel, knowing your alter-self could be in a far more dangerous situation than you right now. 

“So if you can stop by the apartment tomorrow—Taehyung and I changed the keycode a couple days ago, maybe bring over some coffee so you two can talk it out?” 

“Of course, don’t worry about us,” and Hoseok starts to get teary, which makes you get teary as he says his next words, “once you go back, I want you to be happy, okay? We can’t exactly text or—or F-Facetime like we always—oh shit,” he shoves the sleeve of his hoodie in his eyes, “w-why does it feel like you’re dying or something?” 

You throw your arms around him, letting him cry on your shoulder. You sigh into his amber bangs, his long fingers digging into your wrist but you don’t care. Knowing letting go was going to be hard, you’ve emotionally prepped yourself since this morning, but it doesn’t hurt any less when you’ve become so close with Hoseok. 

“Who knows?” you run your fingers through his hair, in an attempt to soothe him, “maybe I’ll have another taste of that angel wine. You’ll show up in my dreams or something.” 

He shakes his head, “Hell no. What if Jungkook really decks you with his motorcycle the second time around?” 

“True,” you say, “I’ll miss you, Hobi.” 

“Do me a favor when you get back, yeah?” he breaks apart from your embrace, squeezing your shoulders. “Go find me and try harder to be my friend, alright?” 

You deflate a little, “But you’re so cool, I’m a little intimidated. It’s different when you’re surrounded by kids like a mama duck.” 

“I know I’m cool, but just try,” he says, “and I’ll try to be your friend again, too.” 

The two of you hug again, this time not saying anything. At this time Bogum waddles up to the two of you, sweaty and damp as he collapses onto the blanket. The two of you laugh as Hoseok presses a paper towel to the boy’s head. 

Bogum scrunches his nose, “Why are you crying?” 

You sigh, reaching to lightly pinch his forearm. “I’m going to be gone for a little bit. So take care of Hoseok while I’m gone, okay?” 

Bogum frowns, but puffs his chest out and nods, “When will I see you again?” 

Instead of you answering, Hoseok cuts in for you. “Soon,” he says with finality, eyes darting between you and a satisfied Bogum. He looks at you and mouths, we’ll figure it out. 

This time around, you know you don’t have to worry. 

•━━━━━━»•»💮💮💮«•«━━•••

“Jungkook’s waiting in your room,” Taehyung jabs a thumb in the direction of your shared hallway. “Probably passed out and took a nap.” 

“Oh?” you check your phone, “he’s early then.” 

Taehyung shrugs, the strap off his backpack sliding down to his elbows. “Looked a little frazzled. Maybe he had a long day.” 

“Yeah, he said he had his first recording session. Maybe it was overwhelming.” 

Taehyung nods, moving past you to get to the door. “I gotta go back to the studio,” he grimaces, slipping on his loafers, “literally don’t give two fucks about Tiffany’s seniority. Her fashion taste is complete garbage and I’m ready to spend the rest of the night fighting her for it.”

“Good luck,” and in your haste, you wrap your arms around his waist. 

Taehyung’s surprised by the sudden bout of affection, but he returns eagerly as he squeezes you back. “See you in the morning, we’ll go finish that Kim Seokjin drama we started.” 

You force a smile back, “Yeah, see you.” 

You don’t leave the little space by the door until you’re sure that Taehyung is completely gone from your vicinity. Relaxing your shoulders, you pull off your layers and bag and place them on your corner of the living room. 

Padding quietly, you take your time in turning the doorknob to your bedroom in case Jungkook is still sleeping. 

To your surprise Jungkook is not sleeping, however. He’s hovered over your desk, looking up at you from your yellow notebook. 

“Y’know,” he says, tone sharp, “you really shouldn’t just leave your stuff laying out here like this. Anyone can read it.” 

You bristle, shutting the door behind you even though Taehyung was already long gone. Maybe you wanted to contain everything in your room, hoping Jungkook wouldn’t run away at the story you had behind this. 

“Usually people don’t come into my room to read stuff off my desk.” 

“What is this?” he asks, “some sci-fi novel you’re concocting? Why do you have so much information about me?” 

Over the course of your two months, you’ve added more and more to your logbook. It was the little things at first, like the differences between the Hoseoks and the Jimins. But then you felt like you were starting to forget your life back in W1, so you got to writing memories. Stupid, little tidbits about your relationship with Jungkook. Or the brands of wine you and Sehlyung would fawn over during your nights out. 

But Jungkook is pointing to a particular page in your notebook, fingers digging so hard that his nails are turning white. You step further into the bedroom, taking slow steps as you approach your desk. 

One sleepless night, you took it upon yourself to write the lyrics to Still With You. The lyrics are written plain as day, glittered with star and moon designs and a little air conditioner decorating the margins.  

Your heart drops as you see the hurt marring Jungkook’s features. 

“I haven’t told anyone about the songs I’ve written,” he says, pain dripping from his voice, “not even Yoongi. How on earth could you have found my song? How could you have known that I wrote it one night against my air conditioner?” 

You feel like cotton is blocking your throat, “Jungkook, I wanted to tell you tonight—” 

“What, that you really are a crazy stalker?” he steps back, whirling around so now he’s the one in the direction of the door. He takes two steps back, closer to the exit. “That I’ve been so dumb to believe your lies? That I should’ve left you on the street? That you still see me in whatever Jungkook you once knew and now you’re taking it out on me?” 

“Jungkook, please listen—” 

“Because now I know you and I can’t work out,” he spits with finality, hands finally finding the doorknob, “we will never work out—” 

“I know!” you finally scream, and Jungkook falters. You’re shaking, but not erratically. You’re sobbing, shoulders wracking as you let your body collapse against the desk chair. This conversation feels startlingly familiar, as if you’re back to square one. “Dammit Jungkook, why won’t you listen? I knew we would never work out.” 

Jungkook itches to hold you, and comfort you. Instead he sticks by the doorknob, feeling true to his findings. After all, the evidence is all in your notebook. While hard to decipher, it’s clear as day that you always knew a lot more than you’ve led on. He wants to ask more, but he’s far too hurt to continue tonight. 

“I’m sorry, y/n,” he whispers, and slams the door to your bedroom shut. 

Your body gives out, and you feel two tons heavier as you sink into your uncomfortable desk chair. Jungkook’s gone. Your heart’s not so much broken, but you feel awful for getting him mixed up into this. Seeing the betrayal and pain in his eyes is heartbreaking, especially coming from you, someone who doesn’t even belong here. 

The whole room seems to be suffocating you, swallowing you whole. A shelf filled with medical textbooks and science jargon. A corkboard filled with pictures of your friends and family, all memories that don’t belong to you. This isn’t your life. 

You need to get out of here, now. 

•━━━━━━»•»💮💮💮«•«━━•••

W1, four months before. 

Namjoon is sitting between Jungkook and you, like two children and a parent having to intervene. Only this time, you two are being child-like adults and Namjoon is taking up all the leg space sitting in the middle of the back row. 

Jungkook feels like he’s being squeezed through the open window, Namjoon refusing to adjust to his equally large size. He glares over his shoulder, finding you are paying no mind. He scoffs when he sees you nuzzled up against Namjoon’s blazer, babbling like a brook because you’re too wasted to form coherent sentences. 

“What were you going to achieve by doing that, huh?” Namjoon’s voice is devastatingly low, not bothering to look at the younger man. 

He sighs, letting the night breeze tickle his loose strands as he recalls what he did do. It’s all too clear on his end. Entering the bar was easy, after a few rounds with the gang Jungkook decided it was time to mingle. It doesn’t take long for a pretty girl to slide up next to him, with practiced ease finding her way to slot herself between his stretched out legs. And he let her. 

And you? You were livid, of course. He could practically feel the burn of your gaze singing at the back of his head. But you weren’t going to cause a scene, instead you favored Taehyung’s inability to relent and inhiberation to the highest degree. 

Which is why you’re all going home early, before it got too messy. 

Jungkook doesn’t answer in the quiet car, but your soft sobs do. 

You probably haven’t even registered that Jungkook is in the same vehicle. After all, they had to haul your deadweight into the seat because you could barely walk. 

“Why, wh-why Joonie?” your voice is muffled by the thick fabric of Namjoon’s tweed overcoat, nails digging into the seams. 

“Why what, bub?” 

“Why doesn’t he want me?” 

Jungkook’s throat clenches. 

“He’s just stupid,” Jungkook feels dumb, listening to Namjoon and you speak as if they’re all not pressed up against each other like skinny sardines in a too-hot van. “Not to be intrusive, but the two of you are in a complicated relationship.” 

You hum in agreement, your previous drunkenness mellowing out and turning into a tired haze. When you finally arrive at the apartment complex, Namjoon doesn’t hesitate to be the one to carry you upstairs. He barely gives Jungkook the opportunity as he sweeps you into his arms, making the way to your room. Jungkook follows the both of you like a stubborn duckling. 

When Namjoon manages to get the door unlocked, he turns to Jungkook. “You should go up with everyone else. Don’t bother coming in here unless you’re gonna apologize.” 

The door is wide open, and Namjoon straightens up as you float away to your bathroom, insisting you can wobble your way to get your makeup and clothes off. Jungkook tries his best to look confident in front of his elder, steeling his features. 

“I’ll apologize, you go up first.” 

Namjoon pulls his wristwatch out, “You got fifteen minutes. You can’t stay here tonight.” 

Jungkook flinches when he coolly brushes past him, slamming the door on his way out. He then busies himself in your small kitchenette, finding your favorite Hello Kitty mug and pouring you a glass of water. He places aspirin and the water next to your bedside table, ready when you need it. 

It’s been ten minutes since then, and he’s running out of time. Standing in front of your bathroom, he makes a move to knock. No answer. He can’t hear the water running, or faint lo-fi hip hop that you always liked to listen to before getting ready for bed. 

Taking a chance, he turns the knob only to find it unlocked. You’re sitting on the floor, knees hugged and only in a long t-shirt. 

“You can go,” you mumble into your knees, not wanting to make eye contact. “I’m fine.” 

Instead he fits himself into your bathroom, sitting next to you. You don’t bother to move and make room, so Jungkook has to squish himself to fit. “Listen, pretty girl–” 

“Don’t call me that.” 

He sighs, “I’m sorry. I was being a dick and you don’t deserve that. I disregarded our feelings and that isn’t fair to either of us.” 

“I said it was fine,” he sees how hard you’re glaring at the tile on your wall, nothing interesting but your eyes are ablaze. “I know why you did it.” 

He stays silent. 

“You want to push me away before we get hurt,” you state, “but you don’t get to decide that on your own, Jungkook. I’ll give you time, but don’t wag yourself in front of my face like I’m some shameless puppy begging for attention,” you get up shakily, and you hold out a hand in refusal to Jungkook’s immediate reaction, “it’s either all of me or none of me.” 

And for the second time that night the door slams in Jungkook’s face, forcing himself to make a decision. 

[a-marlene-s]

Futuristic Miraculous: Part 1

Couple: TerRI, Terry Mcginnis x Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug/Batman Beyond

Genre: Salt, hurt/comfort, friendship, and possibly more.

Summary: With her childhood friends close by, Marinette knew she could take on the world, even when dealing with a certain lair. It all first started with taking a job for being Jagged Stone’s personal designer and that resulted with her being in Neo-Gotham. All the while Terry is facing the fact he is the new Batman and dealing with all the past Robins wondering what Bruce was thinking in taking in a new kid into the cruel world that is of Superheroes.

Terry McGinnis x Marinette Dupain-Cheng: Futuristic            

Tag List: @battysorciere​

TerRi Sever: https://discord.gg/2qCNdjs

Age List: 

Bruce: 60

Dick: 43

Barbara: 42

Jason 39

Tim: 37

Damian: 34

Terry: 16

Marinette: 16

Penny R.: 32

Marinette refused to cry or look away as her classmates waiting to be picked up to go to the local airport. She could see many of them sneering, glaring or just giving her looks of pity. Then there was Lila… just giving a look that reminded Marinette of a cat that caught the canary.

At her right, Nino held back a snarl that threatened to escape his lips at the sight of Liar mocking his friend. At Marinette’s left, Kim is trying his hardest to hold back his own anger at what was happening. It’s completely unfair how things had turned out for Marinette. She had done everything she could for this trip to happen Neo-Gotham and for it to blow up in her face has become the last straw for her.

Marinette tried so hard to take the high road that the only thing she got out of it is broken friendships. Along with just seeing how depressing the world could be. It has been well over a year since Lila came to Paris and destroyed her life to the best of her abilities. Unfortunately for the Liar, Marinette has two best friends that managed to see through the lies and are now stand by her side through it all. Even going as far too foregoing Neo-Gotham for her.

With everyone’s back turn, Lila took the chance to send a menacing smirk to Marinette before boarding the bus with the rest of the class. Marinette’s eyes narrowed as everyone ignored them as the bus drove off, leaving them in its dust. This hurts.

Not as much as seeing the hurt in their faces when Lila’s reign over them comes tumbling down.

“Kim, Marinette, Nino, I have your work packets for the year.”  Ms. Mendeleiev approached the three students with three large packets of work. “I stapled my contact information in each packet. I will have the rest of your work on my website by the end of the month. The packets should be more than enough until then.”

“Thank you, Ms. Mendeleiev for your help.” Marinette thanked her instructor as she and her friends took their respective packets.

“If it means undermining, Miss Bustier, they by all means.” Ms. Mendeleiev snorted, she looked at her students, seeing the determination in their eyes. “If I was your homeroom instructor… things would have never gotten this far, I hope the three of you know this.”

“We know, Ms. Mendeleiev.” Marinette smiled sadly before she started to smirk. “I suppose we should be heading to the airport too if we want to catch our flight.”

“Penny said that a limo will be picking us up as soon as we give her a call.” Nino mentioned.

“Yeah, let’s call her! I want to see the looks on their faces when they see us flying first class!!!” Kim laughed.

Ms. Mendeleiev could only shake her head before she turned on her heal to leave. “Keep up with your work and keep me posted on your work.”

“Thank you, Ms. Mendeleiev.”  

-.-

Tim drank what feels like his hundredth cup of coffee in the past hour, it might as well be his hundredth cup of coffee at this point. He was supposed to be in Paris for just a simple and much needed vacation. But of course work has to come first before anything. This resulted with him waiting in the airport with a bunch of high school students that are to go back to Neo-Gotham with him as part of an exchange program set up by his associates and his old Alma mater.

Now… this wouldn’t be an issue. The actual issue being the fact that the one that did most of the work to make this program possible isn’t even here. Tim doesn’t buy that whole, ‘disciplinary actions’ and all that other crap the teacher tries to shove down his throat.  He ignored the rest of it and had emailed the associate that had put this together to send him the report from the missing student.

What Tim read made him wonder what the hell is going on in Paris. It makes it appear that they made the poor girl do all the dirty work and pushed her out of her own project at the last minute. As much he wants to forgo this trip, he has to keep up appearances as a CEO. Plus, who knows… maybe the kid will finally get a break from them.

Win-Win? No… it’s a lost for the girl that did everything she could to get her class to go on this trip. For nothing on her end.

“I happen to know Dick Grayson’s daughter, Mar’i Grayson! We are the closes of friends you know~”

Tim’s neck nearly snapped when he turned his attention to one of the French students. Once look over, and he could tell right off the bat she’s lying. First off… he knows all of Mar’i’s friends, safety precautions and to weed of anyone that wants to use her for connections. Second… this brat never spends a single day in the Manor and knew his own kids!!!! Tim guesses that the fact no one recognize him and assumed he’s some random employee that was supposed to be their guide or something.

Otherwise, the liar wouldn’t be spinning her tales otherwise.

“Why the hell are you here!!!”

Tim turned around to see three teens talking animated to a pink haired adult that is showing them a pamphlet. Considering they were all in the waiting terminal to catch the next plane, the four were blissfully unaware of their surroundings. That was until Miss Bustier approached the group but the woman that was holding the pamphlet pushed the teens behind her. Whatever was said by both adults, clearly made the teacher go on edge and the pink haired woman to smirk smugly at her.

With a heavy sigh, Tim drowned down his hundredth cup of coffee and headed towards what he suspects to be trouble.

“Marinette, Nino and Kim are under my supervision.” Penny stated, her expression neutral to hide her contempt. “I have their parents’ permission, the school is notified and that is all you need to know.”

Bustier’s mouth went agape at the woman’s words, even more so at the sight of her student’s smirks that were directed her way. Those three were supposed to be back at the school, not here in the airport. Not being here, waiting for the same plane as they are. She shook her head and tried to say something when it was announced that their flight is about ready to board, informing everyone to get to their spots.

“We must get going.” Penny said, pushing past Bustier and the rest of the students that decided to surround them. “We to get in line.”

Kim and Nino took hold of Marinette and pushed through the crowd as it appeared their fellow classmates were not planning on letting them through. The last thing they needed is more fuel to the fire by having Marinette being singled out for something she didn’t do. Again. Marinette for her own part, ignored the glares and everyone’s attempt to get her attention. As of now, they are not worth her time.

Marinette did however stick out her tongue out at Lila when she caught the other teen glaring at her. Might as well have some fun for now.

Tim, who had been watching, watched as the Marinette Dupain-Cheng be pulled away by her friends by her… friends? Classmates? Whatever she considers them, considering how majority of them were not comforting the now crying Liar. The Liar kept crying on and on how Marinette supposedly had stepped on her foot on purpose.

“Miss Bustier, is there a problem?” Tim asked, causing the French teacher to suck in a deep breath. Ah, she forgot about him. Figures. “Well?”

“Just a miscommunication is all.” Bustier tried to say.

“I assume that was Miss Dupain-Cheng?” Tim asked, raising an eyebrow at Bustier. “The one that is supposed to be dealing with disciplinary problems?”

“She chopped off Lila’s hair!” One of the teens seethed out as she tried to sooth the Lair’s tears away. “And she just stepped on her foot.”

Tim looked at Lila to see that her shoes were scruff free, her hair… well, it’s in a bob. He could only shake his head. Oh, how much he wants to cancel this trip. He’s close to doing it too. Taking in a deep breath, he looked back at Bustier. “Far as I am concerned, she is not part of this trip. You have no control over them. You, however, have control over the rest of your students. Now go get in line, we are about to board.”

-.-

Tim sat in his first class seat, asking the stewardess for a large cup of coffee. When he gets back home, he’s going to apologize to Bruce for all the shit he ever pulled on him throughout the years. This doesn’t include his own kids, but that is beside the point of it all. He had to deal with a bunch of whiny teens that are going on and on how the evil Marinette getting first class seats while they all have coach. Evil this, evil that, and here he was talking with said evil person, chatting away on her dream of becoming a fashion designer and how the Jagged Stone has hired her personally to design his clothes while he’s on tour.

It also helps that the woman from earlier, Penny Rolling is Jagged’s agent and confirmed her story. From what Tim could summarize what had happened was that Lila Rossi had cut her own hair to the point it was unsalvageable and blamed it on Marinette, claiming the designer did it. No one took Marinette’s side except for her two friends, Kim and Nino.

Despite the fact that Marinette was with Kim and Nino when this… accident had occurred, no one bothered to listen to reason. This caused Tim really regret not canceling the trip for the other Parisians. That was until Penny made mention that there was no point in going up against the girl… at that instant. If the girl wants a to be the center of attention, oh, she will get it.

Tim couldn’t help but laugh at the agent’s words before he quickly sobered up. Despite the fact Marinette and her friends are still going to Neo-Gotham, but they won’t have the same experience as the others… although, thinking further into it, it wouldn’t be all that great of a trip for them if Rossi keeps trying to sabotage them at every step.

At least they found a way to enjoy their time in the city…

“Excuse me, Mr. Drake…?”

Tim looked up at one of the stewardess to see her holding a note. “Is something the matter?”

“You have a message from one… Dick Grayson” The stewardess replied uncertainty, handing over the note to Tim.

Tim took the note and a raised eye brow. He watched as the stewardess scurry of before looking down at the note. Unfolding it to see what was written on it only caused both eyebrows to shot up.

Check the Neo-Gotham news!

Tim pulled out his cellphone and turned it back on. By the time his phone had booted up, he was bombarded by many missed texts, lost calls, and many news notifications all stemming from his home city. When he went to check on the latest text, he got another notification from a news station he follows.

Tapping on the notification and the headline of the article has him quickly making a group call with all the former batboys.

Tomorrow is Here, The Return of Batman!

“Okay, which one of you did it. Which one of you is the new Batman… What did you expect, Jason! I haven’t been in the same country, let alone continent… I don’t know, Damian! Bruce prefers to be alone and hardly bothers to talk to anyone outside of the family… Thanks Dick…  Let’s get this straight, whoever this new Batman is, is none of us… That’s what I thought.” Tim pulled his phone away from his ear as Dick, Jason and Damian started to argue among themselves on whatever is going on in Neo-Gotham. Apparently, there’s a new Batman and they have no clue who took on the old mantle of the Dark Night. Or as the Tomorrow Knight as people are taking to call him as now. Taking in a deep breath, Tim put the phone back by his ear. “I’m on a plan heading back home. I’ll talk to Bruce about this… What do you guys mean you won’t be here until then?… Just get here as soon as possible.”

-.-

Terry double checked that he has all of Bruce’s medications counted before placing them all in a small plant along with a sandwich and a steaming cup of tea. If he’s going to be dubbed Bruce Wayne’s part-time assistant, he might as well play the part. He has nothing against it, the old man is giving him the opportunity in becoming the new Batman. Plus, but the looks of it, there was really no one there to help Bruce as often as needed. Mainly making sure the guy doesn’t have a heart attack by doing the simplest of tasks… like saving him.

Terry shook his head as he picked up the tray and headed towards the room where Bruce is with Ace. Taking in a deep breath, he made his way to his new mentor.

Pushing the door open, Terry caught Bruce putting something away in his coat. He raised an eyebrow but made no comment. For all he knew it was other medication Bruce doesn’t want him to know about. “Remind me to go grocery shopping later. For a rich guy, your pantry is pretty bare.”

“Alfred used to keep the place stock…” Bruce briefly mentioned, reaching over to Ace to scratch his head. “Tim mainly just whatever he thinks is best for me…which isn’t much.”

“Tim?”

“One of my sons. You will be seeing him often as he pops by to make sure I’m properly taking care of myself.” Terry could hear the eye roll Bruce did at the mention of taking care of himself. “If you see a thirty something year old male that looks like he’s on the verge of collapsing… it’s him.”

“Is… is this the same man that took over Wayne Enterprises?” Terry enquired, placing the tray on a small table next to Bruce’s chair.

“He is. Out of my four sons, he took the most interest in taking over the company.”

“Got it.” Terry grumbled, taking a seat opposite of Bruce. He watched as the older male take his sandwich and eat it uninterestingly. A thought popped through his head suddenly, causing him to tense. “All your sons were past Robins and the occasional Batman… right?”

Bruce eyed Terry suspiciously before nodding, taking another bite from his food. “Your point?”

“Did you tell any of them about me?” Terry asked.

“I did not. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them barges through that door… right about now.”

Slam!

The doors of the room slammed open to reveal a very sleep deprived male, frantically looking around for who knows what. When his eyes landed on Terry, his slowly blinked over to Bruce and back at Terry before leaving the room. An awkward silence filled the air when the sound of the front door being slammed open and shut.

Terry looked over at Bruce just to see the man still munching on his sandwich. “Who was that?”

“That would be Tim.” Bruce said without missing a beat.

Terry looked taken aback at that statement. The same guy that’s supposed to look after Bruce, the same guy that looks like he’s going to keel over? Yeah, no. Tim looks like he hasn’t slept in months and is need of a proper meal. “…And he now the head of Wayne Enterprise?”

“I’m one of the chairmen.” Bruce stated.

The sound of the front door being slammed open reverberated throughout the seemingly quiet manor. Stomping all the way to the room Terry and Bruce are in. Tim came back, staring at Terry with a wide variety of emotions. “Who are you? Did Bruce adopt you? What’s your backstory? What’s your name…?”

Terry looked taken aback, he looked over at Bruce, hoping for some sort of help. Nope. The old man just took his medication and used his tea to drink it down. “…”

“Well?” Tim questioned, storming into the room. He now stood in between Bruce and Terry, waiting for the teen to answer his questions. “Who are you?”

“His father used to work for Wayne Enterprises.” Bruce butted in, emphasizing on a particular word.  

This only caused Tim to raise his hands into the air in defeat as he caught drift on Bruce’s meaning of the words, used to. “Great…. He did take in another one… If you’ll excuse me, I need to talk to my brothers.”

With that, Tim one again left the room leaving being a very perplexed Terry and annoyed Bruce.

“What the hell was that?” Terry questioned.

“…He gets like that whenever he’s off his coffee.”

-.-

Marinette, Nino and Kim did their best to ignore how Neo-Gotham gave them the creeps. It was clear the city needed massive cleaning up when it comes to crime. From what they had gathered, things had deteriorated since Batman had hung his cape for good. Shortly being followed by his former sidekicks. Since then, crime has risen to the point it makes them wonder if the city will ever be crime-free.

Maybe they’ll help while they are in the city for the time being.

“Spots On!”

“Shell On!”

“Show Time!”

-.-

Tim sat in front of the computer mainframe inside the Batcave, on a multi-line video chat with Dick, Barbara, Jason and Damian. “You know him, Barbs?”

“Terrence ‘Terry’ McGinnis has multiple run ins with the GCPD. Even serving a three-month stint in juvie for running with a street gang.” Commissioner Barbara Gordon said, her expression stern and not at all liking the fact that Bruce had managed to find someone to take over the mantle of Batman.

Jason whistled at that. “Damn. What this kids’ home life like?”

“His father was murdered the other night… in order to keep him quiet.” Barbara said, her eyes narrowed down onto Tim. For his own part, Tim wanted to earth to swallow him up. “Something about one of your business partners, by the name of Derek Powers, was creating a formula and one Warren McGinnis was a part of the research division of it.”

Once more, Tim slumped further into his chair as he thought over the business deal he had with Derek Powers. It was nothing out of the ordinary really. They both had something the other needed, and Powers just wanted to use the Wayne’s Labs for further research on a formula. Nothing out of the norm really! This has been done multiple times with different companies in the past. But it appears this time around… it was anything but the norm.

“Powers had Warren killed. Terry found out, and wanted payback. What’s new?” Damian rolled his eyes not at all amused by the entire situation. “I just want to know how he managed to get the suit.”

“Bruce is refusing to tell me anything and all of you know how he is.” Tim said, fixing himself back into the seat before he had the chance to fall off it.

“Does he gave a family?” Dick asked quietly, almost being talked over by Jason demanding Tim to demand for more answers.

Once again, Barbara answered. “He’s now living with his mother and had a younger brother.”

“Do they get along?” Jason asked.

“They do. More so after Terry’s return from juvie.”

“You know something…” Jason mused, he wasn’t facing the screen anymore, paying more attention to whatever was on his phone. “If I didn’t know any better…”

“Which you don’t.” Damian butted in.

“Shut it squirt!” Jason shot back.

“I’m not a child anymore, Todd!”

“That’s enough!” Dick said, breaking up a possible fight. “No more fighting. We’re not children anymore.”

Jason tsk’ed but continued with his train of thought. “The kid looks a lot like Damian when he was around that age.”

At this, everyone turned their attention to Damian who’s eyes nearly popped out of his head, nearly choking on a beverage he was drinking. “Let me assure you, I am not like father who sleeps with random women.”

“…You got to admit… Terry has Bruce’s chin…” Dick pointed out.

Silence…

“Who wants to bet Bruce didn’t wear a condom?”

A sharp ring interrupted any possible bets, Tim reached up and started to figure out what set off the alarm. Pulling up a screen that showed something… really, really… really odd. “So… a ladybug, a turtle and a monkey walked into a movie theater that’s being held up in gun point…”

TBC.

If anyone wants to be part of the tag list, don’t hesitate to ask

[fiendfluid]

it is an unmooring of the mind

Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan Sims, Jonathan Sims & Daisy Tonner, Martin Blackwood & Daisy Tonner Characters: Martin Blackwood, Jonathan Sims, Daisy Tonner, Peter Lukas, Tim Stoker, Background & Cameo Characters Additional Tags: Selkies, Drowning, Lonely Typical Depression And Manipulation, Hurt/Comfort, Body Horror, Touch-Starved, Casual Physical Affection, Blood and Gore, Hopeful Ending, Fluff and Angst Chapters: 7/10

“Persistent bastards.”

Jon pulls the binoculars away from his face, his mouth set in a grim line. 

They had to leave port without Daisy, with the Tundra looming ominously in the horizon--drawing closer with every panicked minute of unmooring and setting off. Jon had insisted she would be able to track them down, but even he had looked worried, which of course set Martin off in turn. 

They set off, staying as close to shore as they dared, something about being in the open water without her set Jon on edge, though nowadays anything did, really. Not that he was paying attention.

“Your lot must have finally killed one too many of their playthings.” Martin mutters coldly.

In the six days of speedy travel away from the Tundra, nothing had been done to improve the strain between them--not that either of them have tried to fix anything; Jon just hovers around, like some kind of nervous moth, drawn toward the light but unsure what to do once it got there--and frankly Martin isn’t in the trying mood. 

“Martin,” Jon says slowly, staring in that way he does often; usually when he thinks Martin’s being a moron. “the Tundra was never chasing after me, they’ve been looking for you.”

Martin scoffs, frowning. “What? No it’s not. They dragged you onto the ship in the first place, Lukas has been trying to kill you!” 

The clouds overhead crackle with ill temper, casting the boat in strange, draining grey light. It makes Jon appear more gaunt, haggard as he slides into the chair across from Martin. He hasn’t been sleeping, that much is clear from the shadows under his eyes, the lifeless sheen to his skin--and even if he hadn’t been looking, the nightmares are enough of a tell themselves. Martin stamps down the spark of pity he feels.

“While you’re right that Peter Lukas has never turned down a chance to hurt us, he’s never gone out of his way to seek us out until now.” Jon clarifies. “He’s--he’s probably not even allowed to kill me.”

“What does that mean?” Martin asks, and Jon twitches uncomfortably. 

“It’s a long story.” Jon deflects, fumbling blindly for his lighter as he lights up yet another cigarette. But Martin isn’t in the mood. 

“No, sorry, you don’t get to do that.” Martin says, stabbing an accusing finger toward Jon. “Now isn’t the time for secrets or being cryptic. No more games, so just talk like a normal person.”

Jon doesn’t so much as flinch, matching Martin’s stony gaze with one of his own. He has never been one to push, or walk directly into conflict, but he holds his ground now, and it doesn’t take long before Jon relents, letting out a long, frustrated noise akin to a growl alongside a billow of smoke. 

"You’re right…” Jon concedes, like he’s been forced to swallow glass. “listen, things have happened with Lukas in the past, terrible things I don't ever wish to repeat--you don't know what he is, the friends he keeps."

“Then tell me.”

“Fine.” Jon starts, his voice adopting a tone of professional distance, his eyes fixed at a point just past Martin's shoulder. “I have not been, nor will I ever be safe as long as I live this life as a creature such as I am. I have spent years avoiding the nets and collars of every monster worse than I that wishes to claim me or my skin. But the Tundra has always been one step ahead of me...”

Jon trails off, lost in thought. He smiles so sadly that Martin almost asks him to stop, but curiosity keeps him quiet. 

“I was so cocky, so sure of myself and my abilities. But you can't avoid a cage when it is shrouded in fog.” Jon continues, “I was caught--Lukas wanted to give me back to the Institute, as a gift, probably. I had to fight tooth and bloody nail to get away before that happened. By the time that damn ship finally vanished from the horizon, I was just angry.

“I met Daisy, and she was willing to help me…deal with the Tundra. So I tried to hurt him. Whatever he wanted I took before he could have it. Whether that be potential victims turned proteges or damaging the ship, it didn't matter. We were riding the world of monsters, at least, that's how it felt...but well, you know.”

His eyes flit up to catch Martin's gaze before shying away. “Things...changed.”

His voice warps and changes, fraying at the edges of control. Martin can feel the way his own face turns down in a grimace, unable to keep his horror from manifesting. Not when Jon bares his soul, albeit reluctantly. 

“But he never retaliated against us,” Jon frowns, with a very unsubtle clearing of his throat, “he’s never batted an eye until now.”

“The Institute you mentioned,” he starts softly, wary of Jon’s responding flinch. “does Lukas have a hand in that as well?”

Jon shakes his head, gathering his arms close around himself. “Not entirely. He supplies them with money and other such things. No, that place is...someone else’s doing.”

“And they hurt you too? They did--” Martin cuts himself off. He weakly gestures toward the whole of Jon. 

“Not all of it.” Jon says, rubbing at a couple of his scars. “But yes.”

“And have you hurt them? Has it even helped at all?”

“No. No it hasn’t.”

“Well.”

“Like I said, I'm not trying to justify my-my monstrosity.” 

“You aren’t a monster, Jon. But I don’t understand why you chose now to run away from everything.”

“Because I’m scared, Martin!” Jon snaps, his voice loud like an explosion between them. “I don’t ever want to set foot on that ship again, and I won’t go back to whatever hellish games await me inland. But Lukas wants you--for what I don’t know, could be something to do with the mark Gerry mentioned or simply just being a part of the Tundra, but that could mean anything. So if it means I have to run to protect us, then I will.”

Martin takes him in, all harsh edges and deranged eyes; biting at his lip with single minded doggedness, nails scraping skin as if to rip up every one of his imperfections up from the root with little care for the damage he’ll leave in its wake. 

“You don’t have to fight the world alone,” he says at last, though he isn’t surprised when Jon just shakes his head in instantaneous refusal.  “I’m scared too, for what it’s worth.”

Jon jerks as if struck. The look on his face shatters the distance between them just as swiftly as it shatters Martin into a million tiny pieces. He meant it to pacify, to calm the turmoil raging away in Jon's mind so plainly. But Jon just looks as if the world crashed around his shoulders, the wall he had been building back up between them falling to the wayside, leaving him small, fragile. 

“I'm sorry.” he says, with such sincerity and grief it stabs a shard of pity deep into his chest, that Jon would assume it was him Martin was afraid of. Maybe in the past that would have rang true, that his deeds would have proven too damning. 

“Just promise you won’t do that again.” Martin says, holding his gaze without flinch. 

Jon bristles immediately, predictably, despite all his claims against defending himself. His face does an interesting dance, twisting an array of emotions too quickly for Martin to truly parse until he lands on something weary, accepting. 

His voice is small, a croak of noise in the hollow of his throat. “Alright.”

“Alright?”

“Yes, okay.”

“Just to clarify, you know I mean the drowning--”

“Yes, Martin. I understand, thank you.” He snorts, a humorless sound but a step in the right direction. 

Martin ducks his head, hiding the small, blooming smile spreading across his lips. He reaches out between them, plucking the cigarette from Jon’s unsteady fingers, ignoring the absolutely pissy look it earns him. Depositing it into the bin where it belongs, he turns back to face Jon, daring him to argue. 

Jon scowls, albeit softly, something turning it wobbly. He raises the binoculars back up to scan the empty yet teeming wake they leave behind, not saying another word.

(LINK TO READ THE REST IN THE REBLOGS)

[nickysurfer28]

Summary:Halloween masquerade is turning up the heat...is there another ? Denise run off with Tim?

Word count: over 1k

Warning ⚠️: 18+ only

Characters: Dr.Nicky Ransom x Chris Evans , Judith, Denise Ames (cousin), Tim (hot high school teacher) , mystery guest (possibly the twin)?? Pretending to be Chris!???....

Chapter 8:

“Mind if I cut in?” Mystery guest answered.

“Oh”,Nicky answered in shock.

“I’ve been watching you since you arrived,and I have to admit that I’m captivated.” Guest answered.

He’s been...watching me? That’s a little creepy.

“So how about a dance?” Guest answered.

You blink rapidly at the stranger, then turn to Chris. He watching the newcomer with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh...no thanks.” Nicky answered. “I’m a little tired.”

“Come on. Just one little dance?” Guest answered.

“No. No, thank you.” Nicky answered.

“Just one.” Guest answered.

The man steps closer, his polite smile becoming a little more insincere.

He’s not backing off. What should I do?

You step closer to the man with a glare.

“I said no. So back off.” Nicky answered angrily.

The man’s eyes flash angrily, and only then do you smell the alcohol on his breath.

“What’s your deal? I just want a dance.” Guest answered.

Then, he reaches out as if to grab you.

“That’s enough.” Chris answered.

Chris steps between you both, catching the man’s wrist before he can touch you.

“What the hell?” Guest answered. “Ow! Hey, back off, man.”

“No.” Chris answered.

You Chris’s hand tighten on the man’s wrist, making him wince. Then, Chris turns to you, his grip still on the other man’s wrist.

“Nicky,I’m sorry for my rude behavior. I’ll stop if you’d rather dance with man.” Chris answered.

“Hah. Yeah, that’s right.” Guest answered.

“No. I’d much rather be with you, Chris.” Nicky answered.

Chris offers you a small smile. Then, he turns sharp blue eyes back to the man.

“You heard her.” Chris answered. “The lady has made it perfectly clear that she’s to interested. She’s taken, so back off.”

His grip tightens yet again, and the man let’s out a small cry of pain.

“Fine. Fine! Just let go of me. That bitch isn’t worth it.” Guest answered.

“What did you say?” Chris answered.

“Chris...it’s okay.” Nicky answered in shock. “He’s the one who isn’t worth it.”

Chris sighs.

“You’re right. My apologies Nicky.” Chris answered.

Reluctantly, he releases the man.

“Leave. Now. Before I have you removed.” Chris answered.

“Tch. Whatever.” Guest answered.

And with that, the man leaves.

“Are you all right?” Chris answered with concern.

Chris faces you, his eyes shining with concern.

“I’m...fine.” Nicky answered. “That guy was a jerk, but he was harmless.”

“Let’s hope so, anyway.” Chris answered.

“Chris, darling!” Female guest sequels.

Just then, a beautiful woman sweeps up to the two of you.

Now what?

“I just saw the whole thing. Is everything all right? Would you like to have that man evicted from the building?” Female guest answered.

“No, it’s fine, Carla.” Chris answers.

“If you’re sure.” Carla answers.

The woman puts her hand on Chris’s arm and leans close to him.

I guess they know each other.

“Um...who is this?” Nicky answered.

Chris clears his throat.

“Ah, how rude of me.” Chris answered. “Nicky, this is Carla, one of the Dreamseekers Foundation’s most generous donors. Carla, this is Nicky.”

“Oh, I didn’t see you there.” Carla answers.

She gives you a smile that seems almost a little too wide.

“And how do you know each other?” Carla answers.

“Nicky and I are friends.” Chris answered.

“Oh, is that right?” Carla answers in shock.

They both turn to you.

“Chris is...right. We’re friends.” Nicky answered.

“Indeed we are.” Chris answered.

Chris’s smile widens into something open and genuine. He moves closer to you, placing a hand on the small of your back.

“Goodness.” Carla answers in shock. “ oh, I see. You’re “friends.”

She gives a knowing smile and steps back.

“Well, I won’t intrude any longer. I’m glad you’re both all right after that horrible display.” Carla answers.

“Oh. Thank you. “ Nicky answered.

She’s not so bad, I guess.

“Thank you, Carla. And thank you for coming tonight.” Chris answered.

“Anything for you, Chris.” Carla answers with a smile.

She turns to you with a sweeter smile than before.

“It’s was lovely meeting you, Nicky. Hold on to him.”Carla answered.

And, with a smile and a wink, she leaves.

“Well, that was interesting.” Nicky answered.

“Quite a sequence of events.” Chris answered. “Ah, but now I have to leave you.”

“Oh. You do?” Nicky answered sadly.

“I’m on the board, remember? I have to ensure the donors are happy.” Chris answered.

Then, gently, he takes your hand in his, leans down, and kisses your knuckles.

“Thank you for the dance, Nicky. I’ll see you soon.” Chris answered with a smile.

Another guest swoops in after Chris leaves, politely asking you to dance. You accept.

You make polite conversation as you try to subtly keep your eye on Chris.

Where did he get off too?

At one point you think you see him at opposite ends of the ballroom, but you shrug it off.

Chris and I hardly the only people wearing Regency- era costumes.

The song ends, and you’re left on your own.

I think I’ll look for...refreshments.

You head over to the buffet table.

Hmm.. what am I craving?

You bite into a plump,juicy strawberry enrobed in decadent dark chocolate.

Yeah, this place is basically heaven.

But then you find yourself at a loss once more.

I wish I could find-

You feel a light touch at the small of your back.

“There you are.” Chris answered.

He gives you a small kiss on the cheek.

“Chris!” Nicky squealed. “Eck!”

You step away from him, your heart pounding.

“Whoa there.” Nicky answered.

“Did I frighten you?” Chris answered.

You lay a hand over your pounding heart.

“What do you think?” Nicky answered.

“My sincerest apologies. Please. Allow me to make it up to you.” Chris answered

He extends his hand.

“May I have this dance?” Chris answered.

“Of course.” Nicky answered.

He leads you onto the dance floor and sweeps you into a waltz. He steps are quicker than they were before, and find yourself struggling to keep up.

“Chris! Have you forgotten you’re dealing with an extreme novice here?” Nicky answered.

“I’m afraid I did. Forgive me.” Chris answered.

“You’re forgiven, but please slow down before I fall!” Nicky answers.

He slows to a manageable pace, and you’re able to match his steps once more.

“Much better. Thank you.” Nicky answered.

“You’re welcome.” Chris answered.

He smiles, his bright eyes sparkling, his hair falling in his eyes.

Huh. His hair is longer. That’s...weird. Am I remembering wrong?

“You look distracted. Is something the matter?” Chris answered.

“No, it’s just...your hair. Did you style it differently in the past hour?”Nicky answered.

“Ah, all the excitement must have messed it up a little.” Chris answered.

“That must be it.” Nicky answered.

You relax into the waltz, savoring the feel of Chris’s arm at your waist, his hand in yours. A strange sadness comes over you as the song draws to a finish.

I don’t want this to end.

And deep down, you wonder if is has too.

“Chris, I-“ Nicky answers.

He steps away, his eyes glittering with mirth.

“You truly are something special, Nicky.” Chris answered.

Your cheeks warm as he raises your,knuckles to his lips.

“If you’ll excuse me.” Chris answered.

And then he’s gone, leaving you with a faint, nagging sense of wrongness. You don’t , however, have long to dwell on it.

“Nicky! Come on! Time for tequila shots! “Denise yells over.

“Shots? I’m in ! “ Nicky answered with a smile. “Just one, though.”

“Ugh, you are such an adult.” Denise answers with a smile.

“Yeah, that’s what happens when you’re careening toward 30!” Nicky answers.

She grabs your arm and drags you to the bar, where Tim is waiting.

“Nicky! Are you doing shots with us?” Tim answers with a big smile.

“A shot. Singular.” Nicky answered.

“You’re such an adult.” Tim answered.

“That’s what i said! Nicky!, tell him that’s exactly what I said!” Denise answers.

The three of you laugh as the bartender sets salt, lime wedges, and three shots of Patron in front of you. You lick salt from your hand, toss back the shot, and suck the juice from the lime wedge.

Denise cheers.

“Woo! You’re a wild woman, Nicky!” Denise answers.

You laugh, wiping your mouth.

“Don’t get used to it. I’ll be boring and responsible again tomorrow.” Nicky answered.

The merriment carries on well into the night. By the time the ball ends at 3 AM, you’re one of the few guests left.

I haven’t seen much of Chris since our second dance, but I guess it only makes sense that a trustee would have to work the room.

You sink into a chair next to Judith near the lobby, stifling a yawn.

“Man, when you guys throw a party, you go hard. I haven’t stayed up this late since grad school” Nicky answered.

“We hold this ball every year, and I feel like sleeping for a week after each and every one!” Judith answered. “Worth it, though.”

“No kidding. I’m exhausted, but this is the most fun I’ve had in ages.” Nicky answered.

Judith glances around the emptying ballroom.

“Where did Denise get to?” Judith answers.

“She left a couple hours ago. With Tim.” Nicky answers.

Judith laughs.

“You little scamp!” Judith answers. “Oh, but Tim drove you here! You’ve lost your ride!”

“Honestly...I’m completely cool with that.” Nicky answered. “All the cab fare in the world couldn’t make me regret the way this night played out! I can’t believe how well they hit it off.”

“I noticed! I don’t think they left each other’s side all night.” Judith answered. “And Tim does seem like such a nice boy.”

She squeezes your hand.

“It’s good of you to look out for Denise the way you do.” Judith answered.

“Denise and I are all the family we have left. She means the world to me.” Nicky answered.

“She’s lucky to have you, honey.” Judith answered.

“And you. And Chris.” Nicky answered.

“We do make a good team, don’t we?” Judith answers.

“The best.” Nicky answered smiling.

Chris approaches you through the dwindling crowd, rolling his shoulders stiffly.

“Ladies.” Chris answered.

“You look dog tired.” Judith answered.

“I am, but wealthy donors aren’t going to butter themselves up.” Chris answered.

He smiles at you.

“I confess, Nicky, I didn’t expect to still see you here at this hour.”Chris answered.

“I might have tapped out sooner, but my cousin seems to have absconded with my ride.” Nicky answered.

Judith pipes up immediately.

“You two could share a cab! You’re headed to the same side of town. Why don’t you go flag one down, Chris?” Judith answered. “My Uber is about five minutes away, so I’m headed out soon, too.”

Chris blinks. Then he laughs.

“How do you adjust to new technology so much faster than I do?” Chris answered with a smile.

“Grit and determination. Now shoo!” Judith answered.

“Yes, ma’am. At once.” Chris answered.

Chris heads outside and you shoot Judith a sidelong look.

“That was...masterful.” Nicky answered.”You truly are an artist.”

“I like to think so.” Judith answered.

Then she sobers.

“You know, I wasn’t completely honest with you before when I told you Chris was a trustee of the Dreamseekers Foundation.” Judith answered. “The truth is, he founded it. From the ground up.”

“Seriously?” Nicky answered.

Judith nods.

“It was a passion project. Well, is a passion project.” Judith answered.

Wow. That must have been...hard.

“ I can’t imagine how much work must’ve gone into building this entire charity from scratch!” Nicky answers.”He must be super invested in the arts.”

“He is. I don’t think there’s anything he’s prouder of than his charity work.” Judith answered.

She sighs.

“Unfortunately, he doesn’t let himself have much of a life outside of it. Sometimes I worry that I’m the closest friend he has.” Judith answered.

“Why is that, do you think ?” Nicky answered.

“He has hard time opening up to people, and it makes home lonely.” Judith answers. “But you...you’re different. I’ve never seen him take to someone so quickly. I think you might just be the special woman who can get past his defenses.”

“Judith...that’s a a lot of pressure to put on me.” Nicky answers. “I barely know Chris. I certainly don’t know whether I can do...whatever is that he needs.”

“All I’m asking is for you to give me a chance.” Judith answers. “Can you, Nicky? Give him a chance? He’s a good man. He deserves so much more than he thinks he does.”

“I... would like to give Chris a chance.” Nicky answered.

“ I’m glad to hear that,Nicky!” Judith answered.

“Yeah.” Nicky answered. “I mean, after we get to know each other. Sometimes he still feels a little bit like a stranger to me.”

“How so?” Judith answered.

You think to your last dance with Chris with a frown.

“I don’t know. He just. Does.” Nicky answered. “But...I like him a lot, and I-I would like to give him a chance.”

Judith smiles and lays a hand on your shoulder.

“You’re a good person, Nicky.” Judith answers with a smile. “And I’m rooting for you kids.”

“Judith-“ Nicky answered surprised.

“One taxi at your service,Dr. Ransom! Judith, I believe your driver is out there, too.”Chris answered.

How much of our conversation did he overhear?

Judith glances at her phone.

“So he is!” Judith answered.

The three of you exit the Barbary Towers Hotel and say your goodbyes as the cars idle at the curb.

You give a casual wave of your hand to say goodbye.

“Have a safe drive, Nicky.” Judith answers.

Judith ducks into the Uber, and you and Chris climb into the taxi.

“Where to?” Cab driver answered.

After determining between you that Chris’s house is closer, he gives the driver his address, and you’re on your way.

“I’m glad I came tonight. I’m totally wiped,but I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun.” Nicky answered.

“I’m glad you came, too. And I’m sorry we weren’t able to spend more time together.” Chris answers.

“It’s all right. Duty called.” Nicky answered.

A huge yawn escapes before you can say any more.

“Excuse me.” Nicky answered blushing.

“Why don’t you try to get a nap in? It’s a good half hour to my house from here. I’ll wake you when we get there.” Chris answers.

Oh my God, nap sounds amazing right now. And Chris’s shoulder looks so warm and comfortable.

You snuggle into Chris’s side, resting your head on his shoulder.

“Comfortable?” Chris answers.

“Mmmmhmm...” Nicky answered.

He wraps his arm around you, enveloping you in his warmth.

Safe. This is what being safe feels like.

And as Chris lays his cheek against your hair, you think it’s a feeling you could get used to.

“Sleep, Nicky. I’ll wake you when we’re near.” Chris answered.

“Okay.” Nicky answered.

You nod off, lulled to sleep by the steady motion of the car and the comfort of Chris’s presence. You’re awakened a short time later by Chris calling you name shortly.

“Nicky? Nicky, it’s time to wake up.” Chris answered softly.

You blink groggily, lifting your head from his shoulder.

“We’re here.” Chris answered.

The cab is parked outside the wrought- iron gate of the magnificent Neoclassical mansion. Recognition hits you like a bolt of lightning. Chris pays the driver and slides out of the car. Then he hesitates.

“Nicky...would you like to come in?” Chris answered.

Tags: @denisemarieangelina @joannaliceevans-fanficblog @ohmy-captain @pine-fresh-kirk @star-spangled-beard-burn @daliaevans @patzammit @worksby-d @waywardodysseys @what-is-your-plan-today @kirstie-evans-writes @chris-butt @littlefiercequeen @shadowcatsworld @captain-rogers-beard @captainchrisstan @captainchrisfics @wintrcaptn @jms358 @thatgirly81 @katiew1973 @kailyndavillier @kelbabyblue @kellyn1604 @sweater-daddiesdumbdork @captainevans @captaincrazyexlover @thatsxamericasxass @americasass91 @comebackandhauntme21 @trishevans @brilliantkey @bellaireland1981 @branflakes82 @oddsnendsfanfics @amazonx @nbarnes @my-favorite-fics-and-imagines @enigma2112 @imanuglywombat @mery-be @artemisrogersbarnes @artisticrogers1972 @onetwo3000 @imma-new-soul @twittytelly @gothamlovr91 @jennmurawski13 @official-and-unstable-satan @ok-buchanan

[cardandpixel]

9 Board Game YouTubers I Follow & Why (plus a few others)

In the literal dim and distant past when I started boardgaming (honestly, the biggest threat was tallow wax on your board), the internet was still accessed by whatever IP address you could remember off the top of your head (there’s no place like 127.0.0.1 as they sayI) - and the only TikTok was the clock ticking, waiting for half of Louise Nurding’s left leg to download only to realise it was Anne Widdecombe and you’d hit the wrong link on a BB. Boardgames had some quiet and shady corners of the internet, in those same Bulletin Boards, there was one for HeroQuest and Space Crusade when they came out. But sadly, if you wanted to see a boardgame being played or learn the rules, you either had to go round to your friend Tim’s house where he had a new chits-for-days wargame going, or sit down and actually read the rulebook yourself. As a result, I bought some interesting games in my time, including a game called Operation Overlord - a mighty chit-tastic WW2 N African campaign monster that I bought in desperation from the Games Workshop in Manchester on the first morning that it opened in 1979 (?) as we were so far back in the queue that there wasn’t a space marine to be had for miles. But now, we have a plethora of kindly folk available on our blistering shiny Windows NT 486sx machines to inform and delight us in full 8-bit glory. Everything from reviews, buying guides, rules tutorials and even painting & crafting guides, we can be bathing in just about whatever aspect of board or wargaming we so desire in an effort to stave off the clattering realisation that it’s been over 3 months since we spent any quality time with another breathing soul outside our houses. The question gets frequently asked on boardgame FaceAche forums “What YouTube channels are worth my time and why?” so in an effort to throw my own towel into that controversial ring, here’s my pick of probably 9ish, maybe more by the end, but let’s start with 9 in no particular order..... 1) 3 MINUTE BOARDGAMES

One of the first board games ‘er across the table (TM) and I bought together was a copy of Gloom from a little games and comic shop halfway round the world in Hamilton NZ, Mark 1 Comics. As we were achingly close to moving to NZ a few years ago, we’ve kept up with many aspects of what might have been our life over there, so it was a delight to discover Jarrod (and now Stephanie) on YouTube, a friendly and familiar accent reviewing board games. But it’s not just the NZ vibe that I love, Jarrod does a great job of cutting thru the hyperbole and bloat often associated with trying to keep YouTube vids ‘long for the algorithm’ (ugh) and just gives very pragmatic reasons for a game either joining or leaving his collection. He has a great approach, and it’s nice to see him finally on camera instead of the disembodied voice. Great reviewer, and Stephanie is utterly hilarious. 2) THE BROTHERS MURPH

Mike & Nick are two of the most engaging brothers on YouTube let alone just in the boardgaming community. Their series on thrift shop finds has dredged up some hilarious and often tragic specimens from the grand days of Palitoy, MB and Parker Games.  They are also masters at ‘speed reviewing’ often piling reviews of 50 or 60 games into the same number of minutes. I think I favour the ‘don’t outstay your welcome’ approach to YouTube in general, and the Brothers Murph are at great ease with this philosophy and yet they take on simple party games thru to the heaviest euros with the same distillation equipment, and yet their reviews are never trivial or throw away. We had the chance to chat to Nick at Airecon this year and he was a lovely guy, slightly blown away by the fact that people liked his channel. He’s also an awesome artist too.

3) ACTUALOL

There are many reviewers on the web who have cost me a fair amount of money, the worst being Zee Garcia, however, a close second is Jon Purkiss aka Actualol. Jon has a terrifying gift for finding games, and especially ridiculously affordable games, that I buy on spec and then end up absolutely loving. Jon has a light and breezy style which is instantly engaging - I also really want his comfy chair (surely in exchange for a nice review on here Jon???). His videos are tidy and concise and yet still convey a deep enthusiasm and joy for games. His reviews very clearly portray what the setting of the game is and what you’ll be doing, without getting embroilled in the rules. He always has great footage of the game on the table (please reviewers - look at the ratio of your face to the game you’re talking about - less than 10% game and i’m walkin’) and often favours the less pricey end of the market which suits me fine. Brilliant games I love thanks to Jon include: Second Chance, Magic Maze and Ninja Academy

4) OUR FAMILY PLAYS GAMES

There’s not much to be said about Mik & Starla Fitch that cannot be gained from watching a mere 3-4 minutes of their channel. For sheer exuberance aimed squarely at a love for bringing families together via our glorious hobby, you cannot top these guys. If you are ever - EVER - feeling slightly lacklustre about gaming or losing your mojo for whatever reason - heck if you are just feeling slightly down, treat yourself to 10 minutes in the company of these two excellent human beings. Their reviews and playthru’s have all the humanity you need in a game and after five minutes you are thinking “Is the US too far to go just for a gaming evening?” We’d both utterly love to sit across the table from these lovely people and just play, and I can’t say that about every reviewer, I’ll be honest. Their reviews are often centred around unloved classics (watch their vid dedicated to why they love Catan as an example - you’ll be clicking Buy Now before your know it) and also some great quirky unknowns that I’m trying to hunt down even now. They’ve just had a brilliant couple of boosts from both a spot of Good Morning America recently, and becoming reviewers for the mighty Dice Tower. I’m immensely grateful for a tweet by Rodney Smith for pointing me in their direction, my social media is a much brighter place with the Fitch family in it.

5) RAHDO RUNS THROUGH

“Heeeeey Everybody”. One of the first board game reviewers I ever caught on YouTube was the inimitable Richard Ham aka Rahdo. And I’m so glad I did. I would genuinely never sit down and try and learn a game from one of Rahdo’s playthrus, they are what I imagine being in a wind tunnel full of 50 tonnes of feathers is like. BUT and this is crucial - if I want an idea of what a game is going to feel like to play, there is no finer deliverer of the remote game experience than Mr Richard Ham. His unique ability to explain how a game is going to work, turn by turn; the decisions you will make; the things you’ll have to consider; the short and long term goals; are all brilliantly covered in one of Rahdo’s videos. His ability to make different choices for his ‘ghost partner’ Jen (who does exist in real life, we have bought jewelry off her, she’s lovely) also adds a real dynamism to the games, showcasing the flexibility in a design for different play strategies. Rahdo tends towards 2 player games and usually at the heavier end of the scale, but if there’s a game you are thinking of buying, check Mr Ham out first! 

6) WATCH IT PLAYED

It’s often been said that Canadians are some of the politest folk on the planet, but when it comes to ranking Canadians, well, I’m sure they’d be too humble to rank each other so I’ll have to. Rodney Smith is the loveliest man in the world. There, end of article. But it’s true. We’ve been watching Rodney since we first got confused about the rules for Mice & Mystics (which we still got wrong but that wasn’t Rodney’s fault) and his ever chirpy, ever positive approach to his rules rundowns is utterly remarkable and frankly, enviable. And it’s his attention to detail and clarity for explaining rules that have rightly made Rodney one of the most important resources in the gaming hobby. If you have ever struggled over a rulebook and haven’t raced to Watch It Played, I will guarantee you will have spent far longer on that rulebook and lost way more hair than you ever needed to. We had the great honour of playing Rajas of the Ganges with Rodney at Airecon in 2019, and I mugged up on the rules sooo much. Regular imbibers of this rag will know my sloth for reading rulebooks is legendary but fortunately ‘er across the table (TM) loves them. But, for the 3 days running up to our trip to Harrogate, I did nothing but read that rulebook - this was THE Rodney Smith, you can’t get a rule wrong with Rodney. But of course, nerves kicked in and I could barely remember the rules of Snap, but the nicest man in the world could not have been nicer. Really, quantum mechanics has proved it. He was just the same man off the computer telly. Funny, engaging, warm and happy to chat as well as play (which I was also really nervous about doing!), if you don’t watch Rodney, are you really internetting?

7) TABLETOP MINIONS

“Pachow” From boardgames to wargames. As well as my slight addiction to cardboard, my other opiate overlord is 28mm plastic miniatures. Specifically those involved in tabletop skirmish games like Malifaux, 7TV, Fallout Wasteland Warfare, GuildBall and a smattering of others. Though recently more focused on the frankly insane amount of content being released by Games Workshop, Tabletop Minions is presented by the splendid Uncle Atom. (In fact, I identify his content so much as Uncle Atom’s stuff that I honestly had to double check the name of the channel for this article!). My plastic habit uncle (sounds so wrong, but so true) has possibly the gentlest delivery of anyone on the internet. It’s not so much content, as therapy. I know the net is awash with AMSR channels at the mo, but if you don’t want to listen to some overmonetized southern californian with some bubble wrap and a large capsule condenser mic, just hop over to TTM and listen to the Uncle for 5 minutes. He’s like a soothing bubble bath of content about painting figures, philosophy of the hobby, general art & design principles, and great life advice. He also wears a fez.

8) GIRL PAINTING

“Hello Tchoobies!” I painted my first 28mm figure when i was about 12ish - it was, ironically, a space marine of some sort - the old clunky Ral Partha ones. It looked terrible, but each model got a bit better till I stopped for some reason a few years later. When I got into Malifaux a few years ago (ie decades, several of them, later), I knew I was going to have to get back into painting; heaps of grey plastic does not a skirmish game make. (Little did I know I would have to revisit my microscopy days either when assembling damn Bayou Gremlins!)  Two channels were recommended to me, the Esoteric Order of Gamers (more later) and Girl Painting. EOG put me on the path to believing I could paint again, but Alexandra at Girl Painting actually made me believe I could learn to do it well. GP’s approach to painting figures, terrain and vehicles is based on solid art theory. Her explanation of colour relationships and the colour wheel is something I can quote to this day. All of the techniques that I lean on so heavily in day to day painting both for table and display I learnt from Girl Painting. Correct use of washes, wet blending,  non-metallic metals, shading, drybrushing, highlighting, model reading, all of it from studying intently, often with a brush actually in my hand while watching the channel. I cannot recommend GP enough if you want to put paint to plastic. Whatever your ability, you will learn something from this hidden gem of a channel.

9) ESOTERIC ORDER OF GAMERS

Another dang fine antipodean and another slightly unusual channel. I have a terrible, terrible memory when it comes to rules. In our early days, we also had a a lot of games with seemingly very over-bloated rulebooks - FFG games basically. I suddenly realised what I wanted was to lift the lid of a box and find in the lid, a summary of the important stuff i needed to remember about the game. Apparently I was not the only one. In 2013 a chap known as Universal Head started publishing an amazing series of rules summaries which condensed down some of the bloatiest rulesbooks down to often one or 2 pages of A4. It was a (pardon the pun) gamechanger for me. I can’t count the number of games in our collection that have a friendly sheet of A4 now as the first thing you see when you open the box. They are brilliant. And he’s still doing it to this day. I would argue that the more useful leg to his activities is the website rather than YouTube channel, but his channel does have the aforementioned brilliant figure painting tutorials, unboxing videos and some crafting stuff. The website is definitely the place for the rules summaries and also a fantastic resource for build-it-yourself foamcore box inserts. Though Folded Space have now made box inserts pretty affordable, there’s still no feeling like the satisfaction of building your own, and I would argue that some of EoG’s designs actually make more sense than some of the Folded Space ones anyway. AND THE OTHER ONES (Who probably don’t really need the exposure, but hey, only 11 people probably read this so......)  Why aren’t these on the list above? Just because I wanted to highlight some of the more marginal channels above or more specialist rather than the pure reviewers. SHUT UP & SIT DOWN Possibly my favourite channel on YouTube, whose name sounds more like a menacing Yorkshire greeting than a boardgame channel. SU&SD seem to be a real Marmite issue on the board game communities. And I genuinely don’t understand it. Yes, their reviews are often really funny but honestly, if that’s all you take away then you are missing some amazingly detailed and thought provoking work. Quinns and crew’s reviews are some of the most measured and balanced reviews in the gameyverse. Their reasoning for the conclusions they come to are incredibly well thought through and often very surprising based on the tone of the rest of the review. They have steered me to some games I would never have looked twice at and steered me away from some very shiny games that I might have blown a lot of money on otherwise. Flagposting great alternatives is also a signature of their reviews, and that again has often lead me to some fantastic games. We don’t always agree (their recent review of 10 Oink Games was savage imho) but we always disagree for the right reasons. Again, I would argue their website is actually a better overall resource, especially their podcasts which are superb, but all their content is fantastic.

in a highly similar vein I would add NO PUN INCLUDED. Efka & Elaine produce some of the most thoughtful and intelligent boardgame review content today, and often for some of the deepest and most complex games. The joy of boardgaming is that it is highly subjective and there are lots of times when NPI like/dislike a game that I do/don’t, but they are engaging and warm enough as presenters to hit you with a gentle subtext that says “It’s ok - I know we like this game, we get that you don’t, it doesn’t make any of us bad people, just people y’know, have a sandwich with us”  Efka criticising a game reminds me of when Dennis Healey once described an argument with Geoffrey Howe as being ‘savaged by a dead sheep’, though not in the cynical manner of the original. The criticism is loaded with that crucial dose of ‘hear me out’ that is sadly lacking in 90% of all other reviewers out there. Efka & Elaine are no GoggleBox reviewers, they are the real deal - they genuinely understand how games work and why. The sheer moral turmoil that Efka expressed over the cultural issues in Rising Sun was some of the most thoughtful YouTube content I have ever seen. I just wanted to do a little shout out to Johannes & Sunniva at BOARD GAMING RAMBLINGS - I don’t have as much to say as they are relatively new on my radar, but I have really enjoyed their content so far and find them to be like one of those adorable gaming couples that you might see every once in a while at your gaming group and have a blast with, and then not see for months and go “Awh - I really miss Johannes & Sunniva - where’d they go?” that feeling, you know the one. Adorable, with a hint of the esoteric. Also, a quick but important mention to the other titan of boardgame rules explanation that is Paul Grogan of GAMING RULES!. Like Rodney Smith, Paul is meticulous about rules explanation and is really clear and simple to follow, even for very heavy games, which Paul tends to do more of than Rodney, which is probably why I end up watching Paul slightly less, but certainly not for any less quality. Paul has such a reputation in the industry that he now works closely with many designers and publishers to help craft the best rulebooks around as a consultant. So that’s it - congrats for making it through folks. Didn’t think it was going to run this long, but turns out.... I quite like a lot of the YouTubers I watch - who knew? Until next time... happy gaming y’all.

[incoherentbabblings]

On the Twelfth Day (1/2)

AO3 Link Here.  TimSteph Christmas Fluff.

It had been an experiment, or so Tim had said. He’d wanted to try actually going for the Twelve Days of Christmas with Stephanie. Six gifts each, one a day, alternating until the 6th of January. He’d had enough foresight to bring it up to Stephanie back in November. She had narrowed her eyes suspiciously but had acquiesced.

“Okay, fine. But I get to decorate the flat as obnoxiously as I want?”

“Sure.”

Stephanie had been building up a steady supply of tinsel, paper, baubles and lights the whole year round. She had an excellent eye for deals, and was the most aggressive haggler Tim had ever seen. He was kind of dreading seeing what the end result would be.  Tasteful festive cheer was in doubt.

“From December first to January sixth?”

“December fourteenth.” He countered.

“Hmph. Seventh.”

“Deal.”

“So, we give six presents total. No more?”

“No more.” Tim prodded her shoulder then. “And no fussing over price. Buy what you can afford, I’ll do the same.”

“But that’s not –” She cut herself off, tutting and watching him, knowing he would immediately start arguing back. She was in her final year of college and part time library worker, he was on his third year of being a WE board member. Budgets were going to vary wildly. Still, she had that thing... and she had been working on...

Her blue eyes had glimmered with ideas, and she smiled.

-1-

On Christmas day itself, Tim immediately broke the agreement. They had invited Crystal to spend the day with them, to which she had agreed, but before they could sit down to the dinner Tim had obsessed and sweated over she hadn’t received a call from the hospital, requiring her to come in. Tim had flipped over his card to Stephanie once Crystal had left, in which a book voucher had fallen out.

“Tim!”

“This doesn’t count!” He’d pushed. She’d sneered, then kissed him, dropping the first 'real' gift in his lap. Holding out the first gift, Tim noted that this one was severally lumpy, and covered head to toe with tape. He ripped into it, Steph chewing her lip anxiously. Bubble wrap greeted him then, so he looked her in the eye as he continued to tug off extortionate amounts of plastic.

Two fat European robins, made of painted plaster, lay within. One wore a red and white scarf, the other a similar pair of earmuffs. Tim smiled. They were adorable.

“This us?”

“Maybe. They can sit on the windowsill. Watching over the city.”

Tim stood up and did as she suggested, the two birds looking out from the fifth floor where their apartment was. It was a dark and dank Christmas day, and as per the rules of the Gotham criminal underworld, Tim and Stephanie would have to head out in the evening. For the moment, within their overly warm apartment, with its bright lights and decorations, Tim and Stephanie didn’t mind so much. Tim squished his girlfriend’s cheeks and kissed her puckered lips.

“Merry Christmas.” She tooted, face still cradled tightly.

-2-

The day after Christmas, Alfred insisted on putting on a large family dinner for Boxing Day, whatever that was, which had resulted in the entire family being present at the manor for one meal. It had gone as smoothly as to be expected, with many a bickering, slapping and food flinging ensuing during the meal. Alfred had sighed sadly, Bruce had glared holes into the turkey and ham. Otherwise, it had actually gone fairly smoothly.

Cassandra had insisted on ‘helping’ Stephanie open her gift of the day. Sat on the marble floor underneath the eighteen foot Christmas tree within in the entrance hall, Tim paced back and forth and Cassandra snatched the neatly wrapped box from Stephanie’s arms.

“I can open it Cass.”

She only hummed in response, ripping the paper off the reveal a cardboard box. Growing frantic at being denied Stephanie's gift, Cassandra tugged and tore and the brown tape sealing it shut, more desperate to see what was inside then Steph was.  

“Oh! Pretty!” She cried out when she finally broke through. More than a little miffed, Stephanie took the box out of Cassandra's hands, huffing and puffing. Peering in, her foul mood was forgotten, and she squeaked.

“Roller skates!”

Ripping then out the box, protective paper flying, she held their weight in her hands, looking at the dark blue leather, beaming. Her head whirled upwards to Tim, and she shook with happiness.

“Put them on.” Cassandra insisted.

Tim shook his head. “Uh, maybe outside.”

“No. It’s raining. Here’s fine.” Grabbing Stephanie’s foot, Cassandra yoinked her leg upwards, tugging off her fluffy slippers. Stephanie lay on the floor, more than a little taken aback at Cassandra’s aggressive man handling. Tim side-eyed the entrances to the main hall, fearful that either Bruce of Alfred would walk in at precisely the wrong moment.

Cassandra laced on the boots then pushed Stephanie’s legs down. She was smiling, but the manic look in her eyes told Tim that she was knowingly going to get them both in trouble. He sighed. The present had been for when the weather improved.

Still, Stephanie got to her feet and pushed off, rolling along the main hall with a practised grace. She stumbled every now and then, simply not used to the weight or dimension of the shoe yet. Cassandra clapped her hands in joy, hooting at Stephanie as she began to show off. Skating backwards and doing little jumps, she whirled around on the marble floor.

“Good present, Tim!” His sister exclaimed.

“I love them!” Stephanie called out.

Tim was about reply that she was welcome, but Bruce instead had appeared at the top of the stairs, and so Tim could only yelp Bruce’s name instead.

Stephanie tried to turn to see where Bruce was but lost of her footing, falling flat on her face.

Bruce watched and Tim and Cassandra rushed over to pull Stephanie to her feet. Pulling her up by an arm each, Stephanie whipped her hair back, laughing loudly.

“These are so great Tim! Thank you!”

“Welcome.”

She laughed a bit more, stumbling as she did so, feeling nervous with Bruce’s wordless gaze on her. Finally, her laughter died down, and she hung from Tim and Cass’ arms, legs splayed out in front of her, bum several inches off the floor.

“Please help me take them off.”

-3-

“My turn today.”

Tim opened up a squishy packet to find a dark blue body warmer within. He looked up at Steph. She shrugged, taking it from him and holding it up. He slid his arms in and she zipped it up.

“You always look cold to me in winter. You don’t wrap up enough.”

He threw the hood up, which was lined with faux fur.

“Thanks, mom.”

“Hah!”

-4-

It was another card this time, and when she opened it, the card contained a printout of an email.

She frowned at she read it, not entirely comprehending. She looked back at the top of the page, and her mouth dropped open.

“Uh! This place is fancy. And you got a table for New Year’s Eve?”

“Ohhhhh, yeah. Who’d you think you’re dating?”

Lowering the piece of paper, she looked at their wardrobe. “I’ll need a new dress for dinner…”

Tim shrugged unhelpfully. “Maybe.”

She gulped.

-5-

The New Year was only two days away, and Steph was sat in her usual work space, on the floor of the living room, peering at her college notes. She was honestly trying to be good, to revise over the Christmas period, but it wasn’t really going in. Honestly, she was just feeling sleepy, but in a content, happy sort of way, rather than grouchy and stiff. Blinking, she welcomed the distraction of Tim moving over to sit next to her on the rug. He was holding her gift to him. This one was much more neatly wrapped than the first, in another cardboard box.

“Any hints?” Tim asked, picking at the corners.

Steph smiled, resting a hand on her chin and her elbow on the table.

“It’s something I thought you’d maybe want to pick up again. Like you did for me with the skates.”

Tim opened the box to see a small instant camera in a bright shade of red gleaming up at him.

“Oh! No way!”

Pulling it out, he flipped through the instructions and set it up while Stephanie watched patiently. He turned the lens towards her. She smiled with her mouth shut, and the flash lit up the room. From the top emerged the print showing Stephanie looking dishevelled, with her blonde hair in a messy bun and wearing an oversized jumper and leggings.  

“Perfect.” Tim smiled at the image, reaching for a pen to date it.

-6-

“So!” Tim started, hopping over the back of the sofa. Steph blinked, looking up from the book she had bought with Tim’s voucher. A cup of tea lay untouched on the table. Tim was holding another present. “This is also for tomorrow.”

Excited at the thought of the promised fancy dinner, Steph ripped off the wrapping with fervour, and squealed at the dress that was within. She threw aside her book and sprinted out of the room to try it on.

Tim waited a painfully long minute. He stared at the tea and thoughtlessly picked it up and gulped it down.

“It fit?” He yelled.

Stephanie kicked the living room door open, having gone the whole way by putting on a pair of heels and quickly pinning up her hair. It was a green tartan dress, with a little bow on the waist and a puffy skirt. Kara had suggested it.  Stephanie rocked back and forth, holding her arms wide.

“Ta da! It’s so cute! Thank you, Tim!”

Tim tried not to squeal. She did look very pretty.

[worldcakecakecake]

The Red Mask

In 18th century Valencia, Spain, thrives the legend of the Red Mask, a character with stories of bravery and heroism that have enchanted Lovino Valenti since he was a young child. On a new business deal, his family moves from Naples and Lovino finds himself wishing for adventure and action away from his duties in this new Spanish city. He is given that chance when he joins a group of masked heroes that fall under the command of the famed Red Mask. He grows a close and fiery relationship with the masked man of his tales and dreams, and without knowing his identity, he lets himself be swayed by his seduction, trust and daringness, to passions surely forbidden when he doesn’t even know his actual name or who he really is.

                                                              Prolouge III 

The morning in the convent went on as per usual, albeit some watched any new stirring from the hall as most were excited to meet the newest member. No other showed it more than one of the Jansen siblings, Laura Jansen.

 The small blond girl had kept by the hall, ready to be the first to help and befriend the weak boy she had seen the night before. Her other two brothers, Tim and Louis, stayed by the table focused on their finished breakfast, eyes conversing on how to get their sister on other things. They didn’t know what this new boy was affected with and how weakened he was. He could pretty much decide to be in the room for days and it was probably best for her not to get her hopes too high. They stood, ready to suggest her in a joining of their chores, when suddenly they heard the hinge and opening of that furthest door, Laura instantly perking.

 It took a long while for the boy to move enough as to be shown, his entire being down casted, like a darkened ghost that was failing at a simple haunting.

 Laura was impatient and would not have this. She rushed and pulled him the rest of the way, in an instant bringing him to the table, not a minute passing and already placing a plate with a loaf of bread and a glass of milk. Antonio remained frozen, startled at this very quick array that was not in his mood and his mind wasn’t quickly thinking to.

 “Come on, eat. You have to start on chores and you’re lucky that my brothers and I are willing to wait for you.” She really tried to be harsh, bossy, but instead she blushed and gave quite an adorable pout that Antonio couldn’t find it possible to remain expressionless at.

 A laugh erupted, loud and ringing, unsuspected, less by this drowsy boy they had seen earlier and the night before. He banged the table, in wild hysterics letting his laughter continue to ring across the hall.

 The two brothers decided that he had to be crazy and the poor girl blushed deeper in embarrassment.

 “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He whipped the small tears that had formed, sitting straight and taking the breaths that finally made him calm down, instead presenting quite a beautiful and natural smile. This made the room fall more at ease, Laura finding it quite beautiful and fitting to the boy.

 “I think it would be great to join you. Just don’t threaten me like…that, and let me have my breakfast first,” he joked, in an easy friendly way that the girl found herself smiling back at.

 Comfortable, she took a sitting beside him, not minding on the silence as he ate on, the other brothers watchful from their side of the dining room.

 “How are you feeling?” Laura asked once Antonio took the last sip of his milk.

 “Uh…okay, I guess. I can do something though,” he still confided, standing, strong and ready for whatever that could have his use and help.

 “That’s great! I’m sure you’ll have some fun with us! And we can help you and become good friends! We’re sure you’ll like it here!” Laura happily exclaimed, ready to lead him to meet her brothers.

 “That’s exceptionally kind of you, Laura. But Antonio just arrived, and he still needs his rest.” Patricio entered the dining room, emitting a fatherly aura as ever, one that Laura knew she couldn’t speak against. “How about you and your brothers go on and do the drying. I’ll see if I can get Antonio to join you later.”

 The girl nodded and joined her brothers’ side. With her adding they headed off to start with the given job.

 “They seem really nice,” Antonio noted.

 It made Patricio smile, assuring him that perhaps Antonio can find easy fitting with their people.

 “They are. You will have your chance to befriend them later, but for now, I must show you your new home.”

 Antonio saw the entirety of the living quarters. Other rooms where they could read, write or play in, bathrooms, kitchen, terrace, garden, stable and even the holy church. It was tall, magnificent, quite a richness compared to the humbler areas of where Antonio would be staying, but it was admirable, and it had his steps slowing as he took in more of it.

 The touring had been done by the early afternoon, with time to spare and Antonio quite eager to join the Jansen brothers in the garden, where they worked on hanging wet fabrics to dry, conversing, laughing and joking as children should. Patricio smiled from his sitting, taking parts of his reading, Laura beside her as company, surprisingly not taking part in the activities with her brothers and the newest member.

 “Antonio?” She asked to the priest.

 “Yes, that is his name.”

 “Why is he here? Did he lose his parents too?”

 “He lost his father long ago, his mother recently.”

 “How did he know about you and the church?”

 “I raised his parents under my supervision here as I do you and the rest long ago. Both excellent people and I used to think bright futures awaited them. I was delighted to find out they had been courting and I had already agreed to wed them. But…” solemn he turned, hurt already at his next words while Laura stared on in both worry and curiosity. “Diego…his father, was in a terrible fight, not by his doing, he was just in the wrong place when it happened…he lost his life there and Joaquina…grew vengeful, maddened, more so when she found out she was with child and her beloved never got the chance to know. The fight was between two families, one of them the Montaje, the patriarch man who had killed Diego. Pregnant, Joaquina came for compensation and so the leader Montaje set up a match where they put at stake horrible prizes.” Patricio silenced at the harsh remembrance, but Laura gazed on still expecting his continuing. “If Joaquina won, she will receive a large sum of money to be able to live and take care of her son, if Montaje won…she will relinquish her sword and find servitude in his own mansion.” He sighed, not liking the turn it then took. “To this day I believe something went wrong in the match. Joaquina was a good swordswoman, enough to participate in the highest tournaments of the kingdom and beat all. Yet…this match did not prove it so and so she left to the other side of the kingdom to work for him. It was all disastrous, horrible, she was never meant to serve such a devil man.” His breaths were harsh, being chocked by only thoughts of what he wondered she must have gone through. “For years she took his abuse, worst, she had her son go through it as well and it was only recently that they managed an escape. Sadly, she was caught and well…only Antonio reached our church.” They both raised their gazes to him, who was happily chatting with the other two Jansen brothers, all that misery and turmoil disappeared.

 “Will he stay with us then?”

 “Until he decides so, yes, we will take him,” Patricio adopted him with those words.

 Laura smiled and was giddy in her seat. “It’s like having another brother!” She excited.

 “It will be, so I’m counting on you and your brothers to make this the best stay possible. Help him, talk to him, play with him, invite him to whatever any of you concoct. It will help him better and I will really appreciate it.”

 Laura smiled back, determined to fulfill that promise.

  In the passing weeks, that belonging that all had spoken and wanted for Antonio seemed a brighter possibility. Antonio settled well into the routine, found the jobs that all depended on him and Patricio adored that he was a devoted catholic as the rest of the kids there. He joined in the altar serving, every mass there with Patricio and the rest of the priests. It was a process he enjoyed being a part of and didn’t serve any complains as some of the other children did. The only dilemma was that he hadn’t had a proper outing into the city. Laura, who had quickly become a dear friend to Antonio, provided him that, waking him up in a rather harsh force in the morning and then getting him into proper wear for the streets. Of course, they were provided by Patricio.

 The markets in the city were full, which assured a populace that met them as soon as they headed, baskets in their holds to get the things Tim had specified well that morning. Both of them stayed together in their stroll through the streets, Laura being extra attentive that Antonio wouldn’t be easily distracted and loose himself in another direction. No matter, it would happen, which meant random runs getting him back or trying to get him away from buying many tomatoes from different stands.

 “Antonio, we go all we needed, we don’t nee more,” Laura told him after yet another pulling from another stand.

 “But they were so pretty! I’m sure Patricio and the nuns wouldn’t mind more,” Antonio convinced.

 “Best we just keep with what they said. After all we-” Laura was suddenly pushed to the side, a sure hit to the near hardened wall if Antonio hadn’t caught her on time. The men to blame had rushed off, escaping well between the crowds like they were flying, almost unnoticed to others. Later, a woman tried to rush at their pace, but she stood near Antonio and Laura exhausted, hand extending as if hoping it could do the reaching she wanted.

 “No…” she devasted, knowing that they were lost. She trembled, tears coating her eyes and showing her in such a weakness that Antonio couldn’t leave her alone in. He came forward, offering a straightening hand and comforting eyes.

 “Señora, what is wrong?”

 “They…they took my bag! I-I had papers there concerning my move to France. Without them, I won’t be able to go, I’ll lose my position, loose everything.” She started a heavy breathing. “I need those, I need those. Without them I might as well be left on the streets. I have a son, I can’t let him live like this, I can’t!” The tears now fell, depending on the hold she had of Antonio.

 He had no way of responding, all the words were sparking repeated horror images that he tried hard to erase from his mind the last few days. His mother, his own escape from the Montaje mansion, her death, nothing to be done but fight.

 “Oh, miss, I’m so sorry for this. I really wish there was something that could be done.”

 In Antonio’s blankness, Laura decided to take the woman and offer her own comfort how she could. Whatever cries and words were only murmurs, Antonio now switching his attention to the direction the felons ran off. The people that walked on were uncaring, greyed and silent as Antonio surely stood in the center for them. He thought…and even saw how he could run between, what moves he could easily use to ground and defeat them. It wouldn’t be hard, he could go right now, nothing to stop them but perhaps Laura’s confusions and shouts. Before his thoughts continued any other hindrances, he took that sprint, forward trying to find their trace, between carts, rushing people and carriages. Finding recent commotion, he took deep secretive alleyways. A red flag reminded him of his own familiar red, always hidden well in his pockets. He took it out, the holes that were meant to showcase his mother’s green, reminding him, telling him of a trade that had to pass, that he could take. As he gripped it stronger in his hold, he was decided to move on that fire, for his father, and now his mother. Taking that responsibility, accepting everything that would come from there on, he tied it around him, as sure and ready as he would help his mother. It fitted him like it was meant, like it was always for him and with it he felt the strength that pushed him faster down the alley. As he was draped by a sudden red cloak, surely a sheet from a resident in the area, he took it with him, the cape that will hide his body well, ripping then a part to cover his head as he couldn’t find the proper hat.

 He was dressed well in the imaginary hero of his mother and her stories, publicly shown as he exited the alley, jumping high in light that none could miss, none couldn’t hold their startling, pointing and gasps. Antonio flew by them uncaring, not when he could catch a glimpse of the running thieves, almost disappearing in the distance. He used the top of carts, stands, even that of low buildings to make his way between this extensive crowd that filled this particular square. Thanks to the movements under him, that he used to propel himself, he managed a quick catching, until he could see the cloaks on the others, even the bag they stole, clear. He smirked at how easy it would be after this…even without a sword tucked in a scabbard at his hip.

 A particular jump from a hanged cloth, a made aim, and he landed with a harsh kick on the sole who held the bag. He hurled in pain, one that the others tuned to in shocking halt, confused that…something, dressed in red, just stopped their friend in an easy grasp. Antonio kept using him as his standing, maintaining a force that let him take the bag and place it on himself safely.

 He might have it back, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to leave it easy for them after what they did. While they were distracted in impression, Antonio drove himself forward and started with his known tactics of kicks and punches, bringing them to an unconscious level that they couldn’t respond to any longer. A space was left for him and his prey while others ran or cowered to the sides. It granted Antonio the sight to see three small logs of wood thrown from some pass mess. It was exactly what he needed. He brought the three to a stoned wall, using the wood to hold them there from there cloaks. The guards will deal with them, but Antonio considered his job done. He ran away swiftly, disappearing to all their eyes, some even daring to follow him and question, but none was fast or attentive enough.

 Antonio moved between the shadows and whatever hiding in between with less crowds and people. He managed a return to the area where he started his run, Laura still comforting the victim. Antonio wondered if she had noticed he left. From his hidden heights, he dropped the bag before her, then rushing off elsewhere, plotting some new way to get to Laura without giving suspicion. The woman shrilled and hugged the bag, bringing then Laura close as if she were her angel that brought it forward. She shouted all kinds of thanks to the heavens and even the girl who had done nothing else but remain with her. Laura stood in deep question, not understanding the events that passed so quickly, hoping for Antonio to give some sort of explanation. That’s when she noticed he was gone, in no vicinity, leaving her alone to deal with an aftermath he created.

 After the woman had relaxed enough, Laura had let her go her way, now with a new search for the new boy. She was almost close to the church when he heard his shouts, running to meet her down this street she walked on. He seemed exhausted, strained, sweating away a big load from what surely must have been a harshened job.

 “Where were you?” She scolded, angered and Antonio feared she was to inflict punishment that instant.

 “I…I…tried to find the thieves that took her bag. I lost them…and then I got lost myself. What happened?” He feigned.

 “Well, after you darted out like that, someone actually got it back and brought it.”

 “Really?” Antonio alighted grandiosely. “Who did?”

 “I…don’t know…whoever did just dropped it between us and left. I couldn’t catch them. She was really happy though…she wouldn’t let go of me and I’m wondering if she thought I did it.”

 Antonio chuckled, dusting away whatever was on him, striding beside her with their baskets of produces, aiming their way back to the church like nothing had occurred.

 Laura rolled her eyes and didn’t pay much mind…but she did notice the red cloth hanging from Antonio’s back pocket.

  From that day on, news and stories scurried around the city about a hero dressed all in red, guarding, protecting and acting against all selfish and heinous crimes that disruptive peace. It was the kind of tales that kept all the children in the church awake, wanting to hear anything new that occurred. Laura loved them just as much as her brothers and the rest, but her suspicions, her worries, didn’t let her showcase her true excitement.

 Antonio had lately taken to disappearing. Absent from most work, from their fun, arriving at late nights with bruises, blood, strained, wanting immediate food and water to recover the energy he had used. At first, she had wondered if he had been participating in some sort of sports event in the city, but even so he would have told them and he would have had to ask permission from Patricio and in turn the friar would have told them. But with every news, every reading and hearing, Laura would assimilate with the state Antonio would arrive each time.

 It was too obvious, it was too coincidental, and Laura couldn’t continue to be ignorant about this.

 She had decided to remain awake, in yet another late night that Antonio had yet to show his presence. She had taken a sitting in Antonio’s room, something that was well against the rules Patricio had placed for them, but Antonio was well disobeying them as well. She heard his familiar steps, still so clear to her even though she knew he was trying to pass by as quietly as possible. She could tell his relief once he entered, shone by the candle he held, but once he turned, shinning that very light on her as well, he jumped and almost dropped it. Luckily, he didn’t shout, petrified in his spot, afraid of any little extra movement that would get her to befall on him harsh words.

 “Are you the Red Mask?” Laura instantly asked, no hesitation, no fear, no other thought to interrupt.

 “The what?” Antonio’s question was true.

 “La Mascara Roja. The hero that everyone is talking about! The guy who’s out doing good, saving lives, dressed completely in red. There’s been stories about him across Spain, particularly in places you went through when you came here with your mom,” she eyed in accusation, Antonio starting to understand, his nervousness shown with the sweat that began to grow and how he adverted his eyes.

 “They’re especially common here in Valencia, during times you are not here in the convent. When you come back, you’re wounded in ways that are exactly like the Red Mask has in his recent stories. Also…I’ve seen you with that,” she pointed to the red cloth, now obvious on his hip. In his shock with her presence he had forgotten to hide it.

 “So, I repeat myself, and I want your honesty. Are you the Red Mask?” The flare she had in her eyes were ready to attack for if he omitted lies.

 He stood on in silence, his eyes continuing their aversion, as if looking for some kind of escape.

 “Come on, just tell me! I’m your friend and you can trust me with this!” She eased close, but yet with a still present beg.

 “Okay, okay, if I’m going to tell you this, just please, keep your voice down and you have to promise to not let a single word out!”

 Antonio pushed them to a further corner of the room, trying to make their words even more hidden. Laura excited, giving little jumps, such an assuring nod that made Antonio smile, knowing well that he could indeed trust her.

 “Yes, fine, I am the Red Mask,” he gave up, huffing, hands on his hips, a tinge of embarrassment and blush over letting someone find out so easily and to having been forced to expose it all.

 “I knew it!” She shouted, with a jump that almost hurled her all unto him.

 Antonio quickly shushed her and pushed her back to the wall. “Not a single word can escape about this! Do you have any idea in how much trouble I’ll get with Patricio?” He pointed and feared. “And not just Patricio, but perhaps every single thief in Spain who wants revenge! Protecting my identity is for my own protection as well as the people that surround me. I lose that, I put the entire convent in an unbelievable risk,” Antonio wanted Laura to know well before anything.

 Antonio could tell Laura understood well with her shocked and feared eyes, surely imagining the horror of that probability. “Oh…I understand then…don’t worry. I won’t tell absolutely anybody, I promise,” she acclaimed.

 “Good…then, you should be heading to sleep and-”

 “Wait, what, right now? I just found out something incredible and you just want me to head out and go to sleep just like that.”

 “Well, yeah, I was kind of hoping you would.” Antonio had even gone to the door ready to open it for her.

 “No! I mean! You have to tell me everything! How did you start? Why are you doing this? Do you get something if you do? Are you planning to continue? What if Patricio finds out? What if the wrong person does? You have to tell me everything!” Laura quickened so much that Antonio was easily overwhelmed, startling and not being sure of which question to answer and which to hope she could forget as he answered the other.

 He sighed and prepared himself to talk. “Well…my mom, for as long as I can remember, used to tell me these stories about a red masked hero that went out saving the day in the most amazing ways possible. I…noticed well that she made the stories surrounding how awfully our master would treat us, the servants and anyone around him, the hero in her mind saving this person through her tale. Part of me always wanted to take this persona to save these people that I saw everyday be treated so harshly. I…never really thought it possible until well…I saw my own mom do it.” He took a sitting on the bed, a true wonder in his eyes that Laura found beautiful and more fitting to him. “She started it as a disguise to win a big price back where I’m from without letting our old master see us, using that money to runaway here. Truthfully, she was the one that did the majority of the saving when we were crossing Spain. After she died, I though that no such hope would be left again…until I realized I could do it myself.” Laura watched as he took out the red mask, confidently showing it clear, for her to wonder and awe, tempted even to touch it. “This cloth…used to belong to my father, part of a cape he always wore for sword practicing with my mom. She kept is a reminder of him and for a way to have my own connection to him.” He always saddened at the fact that he never got to meet the inspiration that even brought these stories to start. “I really cannot stand to watch people be mistreated, captive and used. If I can do something to change it, if I know I can do it, that I have the skill, then I will risk whatever possible until I know people are freed and happy.” He tightened his grip on the mask, in a noble decree that made Laura even more wondered. It was indeed like a romantic tale of a gallant hero.

 “Antonio, I absolutely admire what you’re doing. It’s much more than what the aristocrats that came to mass every Sunday do, I’ll admit even the very guards of the city. I’ll worry, I’ll stay up late waiting for you. It’s not exactly something easy to deal with and I am terrified that it can end worse than what you deserve,” she sighed, worried at those images, taking Antonio’s hands in comfort. “I wish you luck in your continuous missions…but I wish to help, so…I ask from you a condition.”

 Antonio huffed and was ready to anger, but Laura was quick to interrupt and say it.

 “Let me join you!”

 Antonio was stunned, having to shake his face to really let the words repeat well, making sure he really heard them. “You…want to join?”

 “Yes! Take me the next calling! I’ll…fight or-or just an extra hand if you need to beat someone and I have to take someone elsewhere!”

 “Laura, I cannot simply risk your life like that!”

 “Teach me to fight if you have to! We’ll practice! Meet up somewhere every day! I’ll wear my own mask and disguise if I have to!” She was determined, a perseveration that Antonio knew there was nothing he could do to stop.

 “Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please!” She continued to beg, tightening the hold of their hand.

 “Laura, Laura, Laura, quiet!” He still worried.

 “If you don’t let me, I’ll just get louder!” She really wanted to do this.

 Antonio gave up, giving a harsh sigh. “Fine, fine, we’ll do something!”

 “Yes!” Laura excited in whisper, embracing Antonio, glowing at the sure adventure that was to come.

< prolouge II                                                                                                                     prolouge IV >

[sanjayyyy-13]

The Heist

‘Ello Dudes! This was requested. It is influenced by the Brooklyn Nine-Nine Halloween episodes. I enjoyed making it. It is pretty long and I hope you guys enjoy!

It was a relaxing day at the manor with Damian laying his head on your lap and reading whilst you played with his hair and scrolled through Instagram. You sat in the living room on a beautiful victorian era couch that you were sure the queen had sat on. The high sun was streaming through the open windows and allowing the cool, fresh air to waft inside. Damian looked up at you and gave you a serene smile. He put his book on the side and said “Beloved, when was the last time we… you know?”. You blushed and asked “had sex?”. He nodded and pushed you down on the couch as his body hovered over yours. He sexily smirked and closed his lips over yours. It became really hot, really fast and the fresh air did nothing to cool your skin. He began kissing your neck and you tried your hardest to keep quiet.

You were enjoying the moment when you heard two loud voices coming from the hallway. You got up quickly and pushed Damian off of you, ultimately pushing him on the floor with a thud.“Ow” you heard him whimper as he got up and scowled at the two boys who walked in shouting at each other. “Sorry” you winced.  You felt really bad but got distracted by Dick and Jason yelling at each other.

“Jason, you are like a fucking elephant. You can’t stealth for shit” Dick yelled throwing his hands in the air. “You little shit. I can fucking stealth the fuck out of you” he replied back angrily. You were utterly confused and turned to Damian for an explanation but he just shrugged. “Guys, Whats the problem?” You ask curiously. “This asshole completely ruined our operation because he couldn’t sneak into the warehouse without letting everybody know we were there” Dick clarified. “I caused a distraction so you could get the information faster” Jason butt in furiously. “Boys, I am sure that we can work this out. Jay, just apologize for ruining the operation and Dick say sorry for saying he can’t stealth.” You say. Damian turned at you with a glare because he hated it when you called Jason, Jay. You glanced apologetically at him and turned your attention back to the mess in front of you.

“I’ll only apologize when he proves that he can actually stealth. I bet he can’t even steal Tims prized computer mouse without him noticing” Dick says confidently. “Oh you wanna bet? I swear. If I get that stupid mouse before the sun sets and before you, you have to embarrass yourself in front of the members of Young Justice” Jason says maliciously. “Pfft, I bet I can get it. And if I win then you have to embarrass YOURself in front of Young Justice” Dick says nonchalantly. “Deal” Jason replies.

You glance at Damian and he just shrugs and picks up his book to continue reading. “Wait, but we can’t do this by ourself, I want teams. And I get first pick because I proposed the idea.” Jason says. “I want (Y/N)” he continued. Damian glared menacingly at him and said “(Y/N) and I will not be taking any part of this incompetent game”. He pulled you toward him and whispered so only you can hear “Come on. Let’s continue what they interrupted in my bedroom. You clenched your thighs.  “Dami, it’s fun. Just play along” you said. “I will not be taking part of this incompetent game. This is absolute insanity.” Damian said lowly. “Let’s go partner we have an ass we need to kick.

-Time Skip-

Jason managed to recruit Cassandra on his team unbeknownst to Dick. However you were pretty sure Dick had Barbra and Stephanie. You were glad you had Cassie because you knew she was much more skilled than all of the combined. When Jason was trying to recruit her he was legit begging on his knees and holding her hands in his saying “Please, Kit Kat. I promise I will let you use my motorcycle whenever you want.” You stood back and watched whilst Cassie pleaded to you through her eyes to get him off of her. “Jason will promise to stop calling you Kit Kat, if you join our team” you said. “Fine! Just get him off of me” Cassandra said impatiently.

That ultimately brought you here, in front of Tim’s room. You were supposed to be the distraction and lure him out the room whilst Casandra came through the window you would open and steal the mouse. It was a good plan and Jason said he would join at the end where he would hide the mouse in a secret place only he knew. You knocked on his door and walked in to see Tim hunched over his computer with the room completely dark and eerie. “Hey, Timmy.” You said cheerfully. He looked up from his computer and said “Oh hey there (Y/N). Didn’t know you were here.” You smiled and walked in, closing the door behind you. “Why is it so dark in here? It smells like week old coffee. You should let some fresh air” you stated as you opened the curtains and cracked open the window.  He hissed at the unwelcome sunlight and screeched “No! Oh man the smell of coffee was keeping me up.” You rolled your eyes and said “Tim, you should probably go and have a shower. Take a break man”. “I-I suppose I can do that.” He says. You were surprised it was that easy. He got up from the bed and walked towards his bathroom. He turned around and said “But if you even think about taking my computer mouse, just know I can ruin your life in a matter of seconds”. You gulped and he continued to make his way to the bathroom, closing the door and locking it. You wondered how he even knew about that but just shrugged because what harm could poor little Timmy do. You were lost in thought when you completely forgot to leave after you saw Cassie prying the window open. Your part of the deal was done, you were free to do whatever you wanted now.

Leaving the room quietly you began walking down the hallway and saw Stephanie walking towards Tims room. Fuck. Cassie is probably not done yet. You stepped in front of her and said excitedly “Hey! Steph. How are you? I haven’t seen you in ages.”. She smiled mischievously and said “Don’t even try distracting me. I have a mission and I intend on completing it.”. She started speed walking to his room and you had to jog to catch up with her. “Oh please, I just want to catch up” you said. She stopped unexpectedly and said “You know, Damian is looking for you. He seems pretty pissed so good luck”. “Lies” you said dangerously. She shrugged and continued walking, “believe what you wanna believe (Y/N)” she threw over her shoulder. You didn’t want to risk it so you began searching for Damian throughout the manor.

-30 minutes later-

You glanced at your phone and realized you have been looking for Damian for 30 minutes and it was nearing the deadline for the heist. You sighed and began calling Damian’s phone, unfortunately he didn’t pick up. God damnit. Where could he be? Your phone began ringing and you excitedly thought it was Damian however it was Jason calling you. You answered saying “What’s up?”. “(Y/N), where are you? We were supposed to meet in the kitchen! We have 10 minutes left” he said hurriedly. “All right I am on my way” you replied. You made your way to the kitchen and saw everyone crowded in there. Dick, Barbra and Stephanie were on one side of the counters whilst Jason and Cassie were waiting for you on the other side. Both of them looked pretty smug so you wondered which team actually had Tims prized mouse.

“Ahh, (Y/N) how nice of you to join us” Dick said. You rolled your eyes and took your place next to Cassie. Leaning against the counter behind you, you glanced at Jason who was smirking at Dick. “Jason, you have proved your incompetence by not having the mouse.” Dick said confidently. He pulled out a black mouse with green stripes on the side. You began to chuckle because you knew that that wasn’t his “prized” mouse. It was just his regular mouse. “You fool! That isn’t his favorite mouse. This is” Jason proclaimed pulling a green mouse with a cool design on the top. You glanced at the clock and realized there was only 1 minute left. “You both are retards! Those are not my favorite mouses. The golden one is. It is right behind my computer stand.” Tim said as he walked in from the side door, smirking. Everyone turned to look at him in surprise.

Jason and Dick looked at each other and an unspoken race began. Dick threw the mouse at Jason to startle him and ran for the exit. Jason recovered and glared at Dick whilst going for the exit it front of him. Both ultimately failed when they realized the door was locked. Everyone glanced at each other in confusion. “I suppose I win.” Damian said unexpectedly coming from the same entrance Tim did. Everyone brought their attention on Damian and gasped as he pulled out the golden mouse from his pocket. He was smirking big time and looked super smug about it. Jason and Dick both glared at him and ran for him. Jason said “(Y/N) is on our side. And you love her right. Give it to me then”. Dick said “Oh baby bird. I’m your favorite brother. Come on and give it to me!”. Damian scoffed and looked at the time realizing there was 5 seconds left. “I guess since your both sore losers, you can both embarrass yourselves in front of the league” Damian proclaimed. They both sighed and groaned sadly.

-Time Skip-

“Why did you let yourself be dragged away, (Y/N)?” Damian said softly. You guys were currently sitting in the living room of the young justice compound waiting for the others to shown up for their embarrassment. “I’m truly sorry Damian. I wish I could change that” you replied sadly. He pulled you to sit on top of him and said “It’s okay beloved. I love you”. You smiled and gave him a passionate kiss. His hands to your hips to keep you balanced as he began kissing you back. He pulled back and you saw lust misting over his emerald hues. “You know, we never really got to finish what we started at the manor” he whispered seductively. You clenched your thighs and started kissing him back with a new hunger. But ultimately was once again disturbed by the sound of footsteps coming through the hall. You pushed yourself off of him hurriedly and ended up hurting his arm in the process. “Ow” he said holding his arm. You chuckled and said “I’m really sorry. Deja vu. It’s like living rooms are bad luck”. He smiled.

The members of the young justice filed in the living room and sat in their seats waiting for a supposed performance by Jason and Dick. Dick said he wanted it to be classy embarrassment when you asked what he was gonna do. Everyone greeted you and Damian. Everyone was there, M’gann, Artemis, Wally, Conner, Tim, Steph, Barbra, Cassie, Kaldur and Zatanna. “Ladies and gentleman, welcome to our fabulous play, Romeo and Juliet” Dick’s voice echoed. Everyone began laughing. The fake curtains rolled open revealing Jason wearing a olden era dress looking out his balcony. All the girl began hollering and whistling at him. He seemed pretty miserable and uncomfortable and he had a look that roughly translated to “I hate everybody”. He began flatly saying “Oh Romeo, oh Romeo. Where art thou, thy Romeo”. Dick came out of nowhere wearing pretty tight tights and a fluffy top that looked ridiculous. Everyone began dying of laughter. “I am here my Juliet” he said dramatically.

You laughed so hard and Damian was chuckling along with you. You looked up at him from your position and gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Hey! This is our love story you love birds” Jason yelled pointing at you and Damian. Damian stopped laughing and began blushing furiously at the attention everyone was giving him. “Shut it Todd and keep in character” he growled. You laughed and the show continued. The whole night was dedicated to the hilarious embarrassment of Jason and Dick. After the show you and Damian retired to his room… not to sleep though *wink* *wink*.

[capsoff2]

An Evening With The Bats(Wouldn’t Protest If Someone Filmed This And Sent It To Me On Here)

It’s a typical night at Wayne Manor, full of family arguments, family love, and avoiding the katanas held by a 10 year old boy.

JASON: (walks into the living room) Demon spawn, have you seen my, woah!

(he has to duck to avoid the pillow being chucked at his head)

DAMIAN: (shutting the TV off) Leave at once, Todd. No I have not seen any of your weapons.

JASON:(walking out of the room) Fine, guess I’ll check the other 50 assorted rooms of this place. (sticks his head back in) Wait, were you watching My Little Pony?

DAMIAN: N-no!

JASON: (gleefully) Demon watchs MLP, Demon watches MLP!

DAMIAN:(getting up and grabbing his katanas) I’ll teach you not to mock me Todd!

JASON: Oh hell naw..

(Jason runs out of the room faster than the nope train, followed by Damian screaming curses at him)

TIM: (sticking his head out of his bedroom door) Hey what’s going on...nope

(Tim slams his door shut, already preparing an escape route)

Now, Jason, like all the other Bat Family members, has very high endurance and stamina, but he is running out of steam

JASON: Gotta find a, gotta find a(sees his AK-47) gun, yes!

(Jason grabs the gun, and loading a clip into it. He cocks it and turns to face Damian, pointing the gun at him. Damian stops)

JASON: What’s the matter hellspawn, afraid of a gun?

DAMIAN: No, it’s just that my father is standing right behind you.

(Jason turns slowly, making a “meep” sound when he sees Bruce)

JASON: Oh.. hey, B-man….

BRUCE: (rubbing his temples) Jason, what have I told you about trying to murder Damian…

JASON: But I didn’t! BRUCE: And you wouldn’t have if I hadn’t been here?

JASON: No...well..ok fine, but he started it! DAMIAN: t-t, you sound like a whiny little child Todd, (mockingly) he started it Daddy, he started it, wa, wa, wah.

JASON:(ticked off) Why you little…umph!

(He is cut off as Nightwing drops down from above and lands on him)

RICHARD: Jason, what have I told you, Damian swears enough as it is, please don’t encourage him.

(He waits for an answer, before remembering that he is on top of Jason, and gets off)

RICHARD: Oh, sorry little wing.

JASON: How many times have I told you, don’t call me that?!

RICHARD:(counting off fingers) I’d say it's going on 100 now, but I just pretend not to notice.

TIM:(coming down the hallway) You guys seriously have got to stop fighting...one day you’re gonna cause some serious damage….to the house.

JASON: You’re more worried about the house than either of us?!

TIM: (shrugging) Property damage is a big pain, lots of paperwork, and usually you guys argue with Bruce when he grounds you..

JASON: I’m a grown adult! He can’t ground me!

DAMIAN:(smirking)Yet, you allow him to.

JASON: I….(realizing he can’t deny it, he stops)Ugh..whatever

ALFRED:(calmly walks down the hall, dusting a vase) Masters, dinner is awaiting you.

BRUCE:Yes, thank you, Alfred, we will be there in a moment.

ALFRED: And?

(the look he gives Bruce makes the younger man sigh, before handing over $20)

ALFRED: Thank you, Master Bruce(he walks briskly back down the hallway)

DAMIAN: Father, you and Pennyworth were betting on us?

BRUCE: Yes, and sadly, I lost. Now boys, we are not leaving this hallway until you both apologize to each other.

(Both boys begin to protest, but one quick bat glare stops them)

JASON: Fine...Demon...Damian, I am sorry for possibly trying to murder you if your father wasn’t there.

DAMIAN:Todd....Jason, I am sorry for attempting to murder you.

Bruce: There, now was that so hard?

(Both of them turn and give him a look)

Bruce: (sighs)I’m pushing my luck...well then I suggest we get dinner while its warm

(With that, the family walks down the hallway together towards the dining room, all conflict temporarily forgotten. Until of course, dinner is served)

Act II

Bruce barely stopped a fight between the most aggressive members of his family, but hw will he fare during….dinner?! A temporarily quiet dining room is entered by our five Waynes, as Alfred is placing down the food on an elegant, candlelit dining table

ALFRED: (setting down the food) Here you are, Masters Bruce, Grayson, Todd, Drake, and Wayne

BRUCE: Thank you, Alfred, this looks amazing(under his breath)Let’s see how long it lasts.

ALFRED: $20 it lasts an hour? Or do you think you can control them for longer?

BRUCE: I bet $50 on 2 hours!

ALFRED: Deal.

(The two shake hands and Alfred turns and leaves)

As the food is passed out, Bruce begins to reconsider his bet

BRUCE: Dang it Bruce what were you thinking? Two hours? More like two minutes. Alright, calm down Bruce, you can do this. Ok, here we go…

BRUCE: So...Damian…..how was school?

DAMIAN: It was the same as always, Father. Some dumb adults believing themselves to be the Albert Einstein's of our generation trying to cram useless knowledge into our minds. I had to correct several of them, even my honors English teacher who somehow confused Mark Twain with Shakespeare. I do not understand HOW, they pick the teachers but I’ll have a word with them about it, so help me….

BRUCE: Alright then….Note to self, talk with the Board of Education about replacing the 10th grade English Honors teacher...Honestly, Shakespeare with Twain? How, just how?

JASON: (who happens to enjoy Shakespeare, nearly chokes on his water) Shakespeare with Twain, why I outta….

Nightwing claps a hand over his mouth, muffling Jason’s obvious swear words

NIGHTWING: (pulling his hand off quickly) Did you just lick my hand?

JASON: I had to, I was dying with it there.

DAMIAN: Quick, Grayson, do it again! BRUCE: Damian…

JASON: Oh you wanna go, hellspawn(standing up, reaching for his gun)

BRUCE: (standing up, slapping the table) Everyone sit down!

Jason promptly ignores him, pulling out his gun and aiming it at Damian, who pulls out his katanas

DAMIAN: Bring it on, zombie boy.

JASON: Why you…

He shoots the gun twice at Damian, who promptly blocks both shots. Then, the fight truly develops, with the two of them running at each other, with Tim running to the kitchen for some popcorn, and Bruce putting his head in his hands, while Nightwing is ready to intervene if things get too ugly(ie. Someone loses a limb)

After a bit of fighting, Damian manages to get the gun away from Jason, and stabs his katanas non lethally through his arms, pinning him to the ground.

DAMIAN:(as Jason is on the floor in obvious pain) I don’t know why Father even bothered taking you back. If it were me, I would’ve shot you then and there and buried you in an unmarked grave.

BRUCE: Damian….

DAMIAN: (continuing) You couldn’t even stop yourself from getting blown up, could you! No, it was your own fault anyway. You’re a weak, good for nothing waste of space, and I wish you had never been born. You’re a freak, a worthless creature that even hell doesn’t want. You, Jason Peter Todd, are nothing. You always have been, and you always will be!

With that he walks away from Jason, leaving him pinned to the ground.

BRUCE: (roars, furious)Damian!!

Damian turns, and his eyes widen for a second when he sees how livid his father looks.

BRUCE: Never, in my however many years I’ve lived with you, have I….

But he cuts himself off as his head snaps to look at Jason, who’s breathing heavily. Nightwing is kneeling by him, along with Tim

NIGHTWING: Damian, you better have not hit anything important or so help me...

DAMIAN: Relax Grayson, I made sure to avoid any life threatening wounds. What’s wrong with him?

NIGHTWING: His eyes are wide, and they’re darting around. He looks….afraid….

He trails off as he realizes what is going on at the same time that Bruce does, and the two exchange glances, before the elder man walks briskly over and kneels next to Tim

DAMIAN: What’s going on?

BRUCE: Panic attack (to Jason) Jason, can you hear me? Ja…

But he’s cut off as Jason screams, thrashing around, trying desperately to get free

JASON: No… please….please stop! It hurts, it hurts so much! (softer)  I….I don’t wanna die….(loud again) Bruce, Bruce where are you? Bruce! Please! Make him stop! I can’t take it anymore!

He goes back to just screaming, but with noticeable tears in his eyes now

BRUCE: Damian, the med kit in the cave, bring it here. Now!

Damian, understanding that this is not a good time to argue, runs out to get it

BRUCE: Alright….now we have to wait

Bruce holds Jason still, and Nightwing and Tim gently, slowly pull out the katanas from Jason’s arms. Jason whimpers in pain and fear, and Bruce holds his head in his lap, stroking his hair out of his face

BRUCE: (to himself) It’s going to be alright Jason. I’m here. I will never leave you again. You are my son. I failed you once, I won’t do it again.

DAMIAN: (running back in with the kit) Here it is.

Bruce takes it and injects Jason, who is screaming less now but still thrashing, with a syringe full of sedatives. Jason flails for a few more minutes before going limp, unconscious.

DAMIAN: Will Todd be...alright?

BRUCE: He should be….Damian….

DAMIAN: I have one question: Did I trigger this?

BRUCE: It’s possible that your actions led up to it. We still don’t know the full extent of the torture that Jason went through, so we can’t be sure. It would be best if you leave now, Damian, we’ll talk more soon.

DAMIAN: I….yes, Father.

He turns and leaves, as Nightwing and Tim gently clean and bandage Jason’s katana wounds, before carrying him out the other door to bring him to his room.

Bruce sighs, and he too leaves the room, to head to his study.

DAMIAN:(In his room) Did I go too far? I mean, he tried to kill me, and it’s not like I haven’t insulted him before, but did I go too far? Did I trigger a memory, or possibly memories? I didn’t...I didn’t want for….mean for this to happen. My actions were possibly too harsh, and how could I call him that after all I went through with all different people saying things like that, even a few of the ones I said, to me? This made me no better than them. If I argue that I had a reason, well then so can they, and I don’t want that. Ugh.. I need to sleep on this.

With that, the youngest Wayne gets ready for bed and climbs in, waiting for sleep to overtake him.

[bat-losers-inc]

Collisions in the Dark (Ch 12): Play By Hand

Summary: Tim’s world comes crashing down around him and now it’s time for him to make the ultimate decision, one he’ll have to live with for the rest of his days.

Pairings: Tim Drake/Jason Todd

Chapter Notes: Play By Hand: To make a move intuitively and without analyzing the move.

“You felt no reality, no knife of sorrow cut your intestines to bits. Only a weariness, a longing for a shoulder to sleep on, a pair of arms to curl up in – and a lack of that now.” — “ The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath ”, Sylvia Plath

The pond water was a murky brown, stems of grass and broken twigs bobbing on the surface. Tim watched the water swirl into a deeper shade of brown as he washed the residue off  his hands and arms. By the time he’d finished his fingers were stiff with cold and blue at the tips, but he stayed crouched at the edge of the water. His fingers threaded the surface.

Tim closed his eyes briefly and listened to the quietness around him. The soothing sound of foreign bird calls. The wind through the trees. The water splashing up against the muddy edge.

He hated the peacefulness of the day, the way it did not stop when Tim’s own world had come to a crashing halt. The way it didn’t storm, dark clouds rolling over the plain, thunder booming like the coming of the apocalypse, lightning striking at trees and setting them ablaze. Why was the world so calm? Didn’t it care for the life it had just taken, the life that would soon be placed into the heavy embrace of the earth?

Tim wanted chaos. He wanted broken.

He plunged his arm into the water coming up with a handful of stones. He shifted, his knees splashing into the water as he fell off balance in his hurry, the foul smelling water soaking into his jeans. The rocks he hurled one, two, three as far as he could across the pond with a savage scream.

Tim reached for more, finding only the soft earth under his fingers. Tim snarled and pounded the water with his fists, his fury breaking down to show what it truly masked… a painful sense of loneliness. Always alone… was his touch truly so poisonous? Was he only meant for men like Ra’s al Ghul? As cold and ancient as the earth itself.

Tim sobbed and burrowed his fingers into the mud. He curled inwards.

“Why him?” he whispered to the earth. “Why are you always trying to bury him? Were you angry at him for cheating death? Was this some kind of revenge?”

Cold and cruel and silent. Tim would never know the answer to his questions or that of the ones he’d asked before.

He rose to his feet in his mud covered jeans and trudged back towards the car, his feet as heavy as his heart. The slip of paper he’d burned days ago but he still longed to know who their would-be-savior was. Not that it mattered anymore.

Tim stared at Jason’s body propped up against the wheel of the car, his head lolling to the side.

Jason’s body… it hadn’t been more than a few days ago that Tim had expected to see such a sight. Back when Tim was on the floor staring at a blank screen, Jason’s hacking breaths and sputtered words echoing in his ears. How quick his heart had stiched itself back together when they were reunited and how quick the cruelties of the world were to tear those stitches open anew.

Tim was glad he couldn’t see Jason’s eyes glazed over in death. No, the worst sight was the blood and bile that stained Jason’s chin and shirt collar. The same that had stained Tim’s hands only moments ago. Tim had shifted him up when Jason started coughing blood. Choking on it. He’d shoved Jason up against his shoulder, hands fisted tightly in his hair and shirt as he tried to get Jason to draw a clean breath, pleas of please, God, please on his lips.

Despite what they’d both hoped for, Jason had not passed away quickly. Useless… he’d been utterly useless in saving Jason’s life. All he could do was hold him tight until Jason fell limp into his arms.

He needed to move the body. Despite how much Tim wanted to walk away and let someone else do the job, he knew that there was no one here to take up the task. Tim forced himself to move, he headed to the trunk and opened it up. The supplies that he could do without landed in a pile in the dirt. It was quite a lot as there was only him now. By the time he was done a large chunk of space had been cleared in the back.

Tim took the blanket from the passenger seat and spread it out on the ground. With a pang he realized it was the one Jason had burrowed into while Tim filled up the tank the day before. He swallowed thickly and gripped Jason under the arms, dragging him over and onto the blanket. Tim made sure to keep his eyes averted as he folded Jason’s arms against his chest and tucked the blanket around him. It wasn’t until Jason’s face was covered that Tim’s eyes shifted upwards.

Then it was more dragging, around the car and into the trunk. Tim opened the driver door and fell into the front seat.

Tim pulled the comm out of his pocket and stared at it. He should call the cave… his family deserved to know. They needed to bring Tim home. But how was Tim supposed to tell them that he had Jason’s body in the trunk of his car? How was he supposed to tell them that he’d screwed up the mission and gotten Jason killed as a result?

They’d come so close to their destination, only for Tim to let Jason die. He’d stayed put so as not to cause Jason anymore pain, but this felt so much worse. It felt like giving up.

Tim looked up at the rear view mirror. Jason’s body was just visible in the corner. Tim had taken the passenger seat in his own life for a week now, being push and pulled in any direction. Too afraid to fight back. Not anymore, he needed to know that he’d done all that he could, fought against death until the very end, before he could make peace with himself. Jason had forced an unreasonable promise on Tim. One he couldn’t expect Tim to keep after all he’d been through. If Jason truly wanted to keep Tim away from Ra’s al Ghul he’d know that the only way to do that was to stay by his side.

Tim keyed the engine and drove the rest of the way towards his destination.  

Tim leaned against the parked car and stared across the street at the Yellow River, its strong current pulling along clay and silt, lending it its muddy brown color. He reached back through the open window of the passenger side and pulled the weather-worn map out, opening it against his body as the wind threatened to yank it from between his fingers. Tim traced a dirt caked finger down the long spindly path of the river until he reached the given coordinates. Tim circled the spot in pen and jogged across the street towards the line of boats docked against the riverbank.

At first, the sailor that Tim approached thought he was another tourist wanting a private transport to the grottoes. Apparently the location was a religious site, a popular attraction on the river tour route. Tim assumed the man’s eagerness to help him had something to do with Tim’s lost expression and the handful of crumpled bills he carried.

The smile slipped off his face, however, when Tim convinced him to walk with him to his car and showed him the body laid out in his trunk.

The man’s hands went up hurriedly, keeping Tim at a distance. He shook his head quickly speaking in accented English. “No— no ride. I don’t go there for that. Not to lady. I don’t go there.”

It had to be the same woman that Tim had heard talk of before.

“To the lady? You know about her?”

“Everybody knows. People bring dead and they come back alive. But not the same. Bad spirits in them.”

Tim thought back to what he’d heard of Jason’s resurrection. The pit rage that had made him into no more than a zombie before Talia brought him back to himself. Yes… Tim could definitely see why they would say the people came back with bad spirits in them. Jason had once told him you lose something in that water. You come back to life but a piece of you doesn’t come with you.

“Please,” Tim begged, he dug out whatever cash he had left and extended it towards the man. “I need you to take me there.”

He gestured between himself and Jason’s prone form, wondering how he could convey what he needed to say to this man. “I need to bring him back.”

Tim crushed his handful of crinkled bills against his chest, his eyes watering at the freshness of the wound he was poking at. “Please, he’s all I have. I— I can’t do it anymore. Not without him.”

The sailor looked at him like Tim was a wounded animal, exposed on the ground, in need of saving. He placed his hand on top of Tim’s own and pulled the bills free from Tim’s clutches. The man stood there and counted the bills, pulled out a few and stacked the rest neatly into a pile. He slipped the stack back into Tim’s pants pocket.

He smiled sadly at Tim. “Stay. I buy cart.”  

Tim watched him walk up the street towards the street market full of fish and meat vendors. The man came back ten minutes later with a rolling cart stained with fish guts like the man had convinced a vendor to part with it for a high price that would cover the day’s sales. Tim disliked the idea of placing Jason’s body on it, but knew he didn’t have any better options. They couldn’t just carry him like a rolled up carpet across the street and into the boat. It would cause a panic.

Together they shifted Jason onto the cart and threw a blanket over top.  Tim pushed from behind, with the man walking along the side of it, his hand keeping it on the correct path. There were some curious glances from other sailors who were tying up their boats on the dock as Tim helped lift Jason off the cart and into the bed of the boat. One of the onlookers called out, an obvious question not matter the language being spoken. Whatever Tim’s new friend said in reply seemed sufficient enough to dispel the man’s curiosity.

It wasn’t long until they were pulling out from the dock and merging with the traffic of the other boats heading downriver. The wind was stronger out on the water and Tim yanked his jacket closed, fending of the cold from his hunched position at the front, his feet planted on either side of Jason’s head. At the back of the boat, the man navigated them with one hand on the motor.

No words were spoken during the ride, though Tim’s navigator did start humming a tune low in his throat. Tim listened for a while. He could only pick out the low notes over the wind in his ears and the churn of the motor. The carefree tune of it had Tim’s thoughts slipping back to his last night with Jason. No surprise there… Jason’s death was a fresh wound in Tim’s gut and anything that he seemed to do afterwards only caused a little more blood to seep out.

He saw Jason everywhere around him, except for the cold body that lay between his feet. Though that body had Jason’s face, Tim knew that it wasn’t him… couldn’t be him. For Jason was warm hands that seemed to alternate between holding you like he was afraid of breaking you and gripping you too tight like you might slip away. He was clear eyes that saw too much of you, the parts you thought you’d hidden. His words as rough as his stubble scraping against your neck.

That was Jason. Physical. Alive. Not this corpse beside Tim.

The world around Tim grew darker, as if someone had put their hand up to blot out the sky. Tim looked up towards the sky and was surprised to see rocks, twin pillars of stone jutting up into the sky to form an entrance into the channel they were now sailing down.

The man grunted to get Tim’s attention and pointed towards land.

Tour boats were docked up against the river’s edge where a set of wide steps were carved into the ruddy colored rock. Along the rough slabs of rocks that walled them in, enormous  Buddha statues stared down on them in quiet contemplation.

The sight of it all was daunting for more than one reason. The place where Tim was going to raise Jason from the dead was a tourist trap? Tim thought trying to navigate the fish market with Jason’s body was bad enough, but this…

The man seemed to read Tim’s thoughts. “The lady, she is not here. Further on. A place that only locals know about.”

Tim could only give a shaky nod in response. He was finally here, but he still wasn’t sure he was ready for what came next. There was no way to predict the outcome. Tim was literally going in blind and he didn’t want to think about all of the bad outcomes… and perhaps the worse outcome of all, that nothing would change. That he’d still be the boy with the dead bodies weighing him down.

The boat bumped against rock and the motor was cut.

Tim blinked at the alcove in front of him. After a moment his eyes found the steps leading down into darkness.

The man helped Tim lift the body out of the boat but did nothing more than that. Tim understood well enough. He would be going the rest of the way alone, as it was meant to be. Whatever happened after this moment, it was on his hands alone.

“Thank you,” said Tim.

The man started the boat motor with a tug. The only indication he gave of hearing Tim was a slight tip of his head. Then he was shoving off the wall and turning back the way they’d come.

Tim watching him until the boat was out of sight and the ripples that trailed behind it had smoothed out to the regular flow of the current.

There was heat against Tim’s back, a sensation he noticed too late as a knife pressed against his throat. Tim stepped back, coming up against the hard outline of another figure.

“Don’t move,” The knife jerked sharply under Tim’s chin.

Tim squeezed his eyes shut tight.

[singledarkshade]

Under The Sea

From the TARDIS to the SeaQuest, Rip begins to realise getting home isn't going to be as easy as he first thought. Now he has to persuade a new group of people he isn't crazy while trying to work out a way back to his Universe. Assuming he survives the Seaquest's mission.

Second in the series Rip Hunter – Unstuck In Time And Space Author’s Note: Thanks to unaspectre for allowing me to borrow the character of Kate Foster from her ‘The Captain's Niece' story for this.

If you've haven't read it the basic facts are Kate was a thief and con artist who was taken in by Bridger after her step-father tried to kill her. She is now the only civilian engineer on the Seaquest but her other skills are used by Nathan at times. This is set at the end of The Captain’s Niece so only Bridger and Ford know her real background.

Part One

“Why are you making me do this, Nathan?”

Nathan Bridger, Captain of the SeaQuest sighed as they walked through the corridors of the boat towards the moon pool, “Because I need one more person to help with the training exercise and O’Neill asked for you, Kate.”

“I thought the whole point of me being here was to hide who I am and what I do,” Kate Foster, engineer and annoyance extraordinaire on certain days, replied.

Nathan frowned correcting, “What you used to do.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she waved him away, “Surely having me involved in this isn’t a good idea.”

“Kate,” he let out an annoyed sigh, “I am asking you to assist in the training of our security team as an engineer. Not your other skills. Will you, for once, not start an argument with me?”

She chuckled and patted his arm, “Where would the fun be in that, Nathan?”

Shaking his head Nathan watched her wander over to join O’Neill and Ortiz who instantly brought her into whatever they were discussing. He smiled as he watched the former thief talk with her two friends. After everything recently with a trip to another planet, it was nice to see that everything was back to normal. Or as normal as it got around here.

He should have known better.

Tim O’Neill smiled when Kate appeared at his side and joined in their conversation easily. They waited while Captain Bridger spoke quickly with Commander Ford before starting the training exercise.

Bridger stepped forward but the moment he opened his mouth to start a bright light filled the room and a man appeared from nowhere, slamming onto the grating beside the moon pool. Instantly the security teams turned, weapons aimed at their visitor.

The man looked up and swore in an English accent, “Bollocks.”

Slowly the man stood and looked around warily. He was slim wearing dark denims, jacket with a white shirt below it and a long brown coat. He had a sharp face with a Romanesque nose, his green eyes darted around the room taking everything in before they settled on Bridger.

“I’m guessing you’re in charge,” the man said softly to their Captain.

Bridger stepped forward, “I’m Nathan Bridger, Captain of the SeaQuest. And you are?”

“Rip Hunter,” the man introduced himself, “Captain of nothing anymore.”

“How did you get onto my boat?” Bridger demanded.

Hunter grimaced rubbing a hand through his hair, “That is a bit of a long, complicated story.”

“Captain,” Brody spoke up suddenly, suspiciously watching their visitor, “I suggest we put him in the brig until we know more.”

Hunter turned a cold gaze on Brody who Tim could see shifted ever so slightly back away from the man.

“Captain,” Brody started again only for Bridger to hold his hand up to stop him.

“Considering your entrance, Mr Hunter,” Bridger said, “I want you to be examined by our doctor before you tell me your story.”

Hunter shrugged, “It’s your boat.”

Ford took over and motioned Hunter to follow him, their visitor shrugged and followed the Commander out the room with several guards walking behind him.

“I’m afraid our training exercise is now cancelled,” Bridger said, “Everyone back to your stations.”

There were several sighs of annoyance as everyone left the moon pool. Many bets had been made over who would win and Tim could hear Tony assuring everyone all bets would be held onto until it was rescheduled.

  Rip walked through the corridors of the boat he was now on wondering when this was where he was and taking in everything around him. There appeared to be water in tubes along the bulkhead and Rip stared in surprise when a dolphin swam past. The technology looked akin to where he’d lived while creating the Time Bureau but he didn’t recognise the uniforms or the logo that he saw.

“Doctor,” the man who had introduced himself as Ford said making Rip turn to where a woman stood. She had brown hair and an air of professionalism as she stood in the infirmary of the boat.

“You would be our mystery visitor,” she said, “I’m Doctor Smith.”

“Rip Hunter,” he replied cordially, frowning at the nudge on the edge of his consciousness and stating coldly, “And I don’t like people trying to read my mind.”

Surprise covered her face that he’d felt her gentle scan, “My apologies,” Dr Smith said, “It was a basic scan to check your intentions here on the boat. Nothing intrusive but standard protocol for someone such as yourself who appears from nowhere.”

Rip frowned at her, “Anything where I did not consent to you touching my consciousness is intrusive no matter the reason. I have an extreme dislike of people messing with my mind.”

“I understand,” Smith said softly, “Please take a seat on the bed. I just want to do a few standard tests on your health.”

Knowing he had no choice, considering the guards standing outside the room, Rip slid onto the bed. While the doctor checked his health, Rip wondered if Gideon would find him here or if he was now truly alone.

                                  *********************************************

  “Why am I here?” Kate asked as she took a seat at the conference table.

Nathan smiled handing her a glass of water, “I want your other talents while I speak to our guest.”

“No problem,” she replied, “Although people will be suspicious.”

He chuckled, “Kate, everyone knows how good a poker player you are. Which is one of the reasons I’ve got you here for the conversation.”

“To see if he’s bluffing,” Kate smiled slightly, she took a quick drink leaning back in her seat waiting. Finally the door opened and Ford guided their guest in.

The man took the seat across from Nathan when offered, poised and cool as he waited. Nathan frowned realising whoever this man was, he wasn’t going to be easily intimidated.

“Mr Hunter,” Nathan greeted him, “Can I get you a drink?”

Hunter let out a wry chuckle, “You wouldn’t happen to have some scotch?”

“No alcohol on board,” Nathan replied, seeing Kate smirk slightly making him wonder if she did have a secret stash. He wouldn’t put it past her.

“That’s a pity,” Hunter shrugged, “Water then.”

Placing a glass of water in front of the man, Nathan took his own seat, “Alright, how did you get onto my boat?”

Hunter took a long drink of the water before he started to speak. Nathan listened in amazement as the Englishman told them his story about time travel, time demons and universe hopping. Nathan glanced over to Kate who was leaning forward listening with an intrigued look on her face. When he finished speaking Hunter took another drink of water and waited.

“That’s,” Nathan started, not quite sure what to say before finally managing, “An interesting tale.”

Hunter shrugged, “Possibly what should go on my gravestone.”

Glancing at his resident con artist for an opinion he was surprised when she nodded.

“Commander Ford is going to escort you to a room,” Nathan told their guest, “It will have a guard so if you need anything just ask.”

Hunter stood and but his relief that he wasn’t being treated like a criminal was clear, “Thank you, Captain.”

Nathan waited until Ford left with their guest before turning to Kate, “Well?”

“If he was lying then he is one of the best liars I have ever come across,” she noted, “There were none of the tell-tale signs that what he was saying wasn’t the truth. But, that doesn’t mean he’s not just a complete lunatic.”

Nathan chuckled, “Do you think he is because I don’t.”

“Considering everything we’ve encountered in the past I wouldn’t discount his story,” Kate reminded him, “Especially considering his entrance.”

Sighing in thought Nathan leaned back in his chair, “Alright. We have a mission so once we’ve completed that we’ll drop him off at the closest UEO base and it can be their problem.”

  Rip entered the small room which only had a bed and a small desk in it. Turning to the commander, Rip nodded before he closed the door and dropped onto the bed.

He counted to twenty before asking, “Gideon?”

Silence answered him and he sighed sadly, it looked like he had lost her after all. There was also no sign of the shard from the core. Rip knew that touching it had been the catalyst for him moving universes, or he assumed it was a different universe but considering the TARDIS capabilities it might not be.

“What were you thinking?” the annoyed voice made him smile. Looking up he found Gideon sitting on the desk, glaring at him.

“I thought I’d lost you again,” he sighed.

Gideon frowned at him, “You almost did. It has taken some time for me to find you this time.”

“I’m really sorry,” he told her contritely, “I just…”

“Could not stop yourself from doing yet another stupid and reckless thing,” Gideon finished for him sharply.

Rip grimaced, “I just wanted to get home and I thought it would do that for me.”

“Captain, I want you home with me also,” she sighed softly, “But you have to be patient and not leap before you look. Honestly you are worse than a child sometimes.”

He winced, “I am sorry, Gideon.”

“I know, Rip,” she gave him a fond smile, “So, where are we?”

Feeling better that she appeared to have forgiven him, Rip smiled, “We are currently in a huge submarine somewhere beneath an ocean. No one has told me which one though.”

Gideon mused on this.

“Can you link with the technology?” Rip asked.

Rolling her eyes, Gideon gave him another look of disappointment, “I am only here through a telepathic link, Captain. I have no way to access anything.”

Rip grimaced, “I didn’t think about that.”

“That was very obvious,” Gideon retorted.

Letting out an annoyed sigh Rip began to pace, “Gideon, I am sorry. I hate that I am not on the Waverider with you. I have hated being apart from you but can you please stop making me feel bad.”

She moved to stand in front of him and rested her hand just at his cheek, “I am just worried, Rip that one day you will be lost to me forever.”

“Hey,” he breathed, “I will get home to you, Gideon. I believe that.”

“How?”

“Because you’re here,” Rip whispered softly, “Because I am so far from the Waverider, but you are here. My best friend, my safety, the only home I have left. I am going to make it back to you. We just have to believe in that. Okay?”

Gideon nodded, “Okay.”

Smiling Rip returned to sit on the bed.

“But this time listen to me before you do something reckless,” Gideon stated.

Sighing annoyed Rip dropped his head onto the pillow, she always got the last word.

Part Two

[nessiefromspace]

vaugust or timhelm with 22 >:3c

He tapped on the door to the man’s dressing room. “Vaughn? It’s August.”

There was a long pause. “Uh… Yeah…?”

August’s stomach fluttered annoyingly. “I was sent to check up on you?”

He heard a soft swear and his lips twitched. He’d never heard Vaughn say that before. Vaughn’s voice broke a little. “Look… I… I’m… uh… fine, I’ll…”

More silence followed. August sighed. “Just let me in… Please?”

Here’s some Vaugust with some Timhelm on the side! This is an NSFW post!

This can also be read on my AO3!!

August wanted to leave the wedding before he got to the front door of his house that morning, but he’d promised to be an usher for the happy couple. So he was there early, listening to Timothy prattle on for the hundredth time about what he was supposed to do. He shouldn’t have even been at this wedding, he wasn’t friends with Rhys of Jack, Sasha, his ex was. They’d been together when the wedding had started and August had wanted to back out when they’d split, but he couldn’t. That would’ve meant telling Tim and Tim was so high strung, the guy probably would have murdered August. And there was always that other thing that kept August there. That had been the reason for the breakup, but he was pretty sure he’d screwed that up too.

His phone beeped as he waited at his post. It was Sasha. His gut clenched. She was asking him to check in on Vaughn. He sighed, his chest suddenly heavy as he typed in a short ‘yes’ and headed off. He tapped on the door to the man’s dressing room. “Vaughn? It’s August.”

There was a long pause. “Uh… Yeah…?”

August’s stomach fluttered annoyingly. “I was sent to check up on you?”

He heard a soft swear and his lips twitched. He’d never heard Vaughn say that before. Vaughn’s voice broke a little. “Look… I… I’m… uh… fine, I’ll…”

More silence followed. August sighed. “Just let me in… Please?”

After another long moment, August heard the lock turn on the door, but Vaughn did not open it. August took initiative and stepped in, closing and locking it behind him. He stared for a long moment at Vaughn. He was standing just in his tight, thin underwear, holding his arms and looking everywhere except August. August stared at him, taken by the hard muscle everywhere. The tight shorts, clung to his body, leaving next to nothing to the imagination and it dried August’s throat. He’d had no idea Vaughn was even more… hot under the vest and button down shirts. Sasha had poked at him many times about it. She’d seen the flush in August’s cheeks and how his eyes trailed after the man. He’d felt extremely guilty, but he and Sasha had parted respectfully.

Vaughn held his arms and stammered. “I… Like I said… I’m…”

“What’s wrong?” August asked, looking at Vaughn and pretending nothing else existed.

A strangled noise came from Vaughn and August followed his eyes to a dress, laying across a chair. August remembered the dress code now. The bridesmaids were required to wear a dress, and the groomsmen a suit, no matter who was on either side. He remembered Athena was wearing a suit.

“Oh,” August said.

That single word opened the floodgates of Vaughn’s nerves. “It’s a stupid rule! I could have found a yellow suit, but Rhys absolutely refused! Everything has to match! I’m the maid of honor, so I have to set an example.” Vaughn grunted. “It’s easy for Rhys to say, he looks fabulous in anything! He doesn’t have to deal with awkward limbs and an uneven body that’s too broad for that… He’s going to look great in his dress…”

August smiled. He couldn’t help it. The man’s insecurities were extremely adorable and endearing. His throat clenched and he grew angry with himself. He’d made a mess of things with Vaughn and he needed to make it right. But the sight of Vaughn in distress tickled August.

Vaughn glared at the small chuckle.

He rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly. “Sorry… It’s just I’ve never found you awkward. Incredibly cute and sexy, but not awkward.”

Vaughn’s brows rose. August had taken a chance, flirting to see how Vaughn would respond. The man turned pink. “That makes it even worse now!” He glared at the dress.

It put a permanent smile on August. He hadn’t lost his chance. He moved to the dress and picked it up. “It’s not… horrible… It’s just not your style.” He handed it to Vaughn. “Let me see it on you?”

The man groaned and grudgingly slipped it on. August helped zip it up and then took a step back. It definitely wasn’t Vaughn’s style and reeked of Rhys. The dress was a candy yellow and very form-fitting, hugging all of Vaughn’s curves. It was tailored to him, though, and fit extremely well, but the tight mini-skirt cut into his muscles, pinching at his legs just a little. The upper part was separated with a belt, the top portion a sleeveless, lace see-through. The only thing that was covered was his chest, where breasts would be.

“I look hideous!” Vaughn cried in horror as he looked at himself in the mirror. “I can’t… I can’t go out there, August! All the others are women, I’m going to stick out like a sore thumb! I’ve never looked good in dresses or skirts despite Rhys’ attempts!”

“It does look awful on you,” August admitted as he looked over Vaughn’s shoulder at his reflection. There was no use denying it.

“I know!” he cried, his voice thin and full of panic.

Turning him around, August looked him over, keeping his hand on Vaughn’s bare shoulder. His voice was low, so only Vaughn could hear. “I gotta admit though, seeing this lace over these abs is really hot.”

Their eyes met. Vaughn swallowed.

He was the only thing that had made sticking around worth it. He’d always made sure August had felt welcome, especially when Sasha had ditched him to hang out with the others. He’d gotten close to Vaughn, only to pull away in pride and fear before August had said how he’d felt.

Vaughn looked down at his chest and stomach. “R-really?”

“Mhmm,” August hummed. He did not feel that fear anymore. Now, when he confronted his true feelings, he felt light and excited. Vaughn was not angry with him and he still had a chance to grab his missed opportunity. He was not going to let it slip away again. He shrugged, smirking wide. “But then again, I’ve always found you hot.”

A nervous breath left Vaughn and he smiled sadly. “I wasn’t sure…”

“Sorry about that,” August said. “I’m an asshole.”

Vaughn thought for a moment. “I wouldn’t say that. You were a dummy, though.”

“Sorry,” August said more seriously. His thumb trailed around Vaughn’s neck. “I got scared when I realized that I really, really didn’t want to screw this up.”

“I’m scared too, August,” Vaughn said. “And not just of this dress.”

August laughed and pulled Vaughn into a kiss. He gained confidence as seconds passed, pulling Vaughn fully into his arms. Vaughn’s kisses were nervous, but they calmed as August continued.

A harsh rapping on the door made them pull away just barely.

“Vaughn!” Tim called through the door, knocking quickly once more. “Vaughn, is August in there with you!? He’s not at his post! He’s never not where he’s supposed to be and he’s not there!”

“Tim,” they heard a male voice mutter, annoyed. August recognized it as Wilhelm. “Let the man have a chance to answer.”

“I am, Wil, but he’s not answering!” Tim hissed and knocked again on the door.

“I guess I should go, huh? Before Tim has an aneurysm, though I bet a crumb on a clean table would cause that right now.” August said quietly.

Vaughn snickered. “Poor guy.”

August kissed him slowly as Tim knocked on the door again. He whispered to Vaughn, squeezing his ass. “I’m nowhere near finished with you, though. And don’t even think of having someone else as a dance partner.”

August held Vaughn’s hand as he pulled him away from the reception. All the things Vaughn needed to participate in were accomplished and August was whisking him away. Vaughn blushed at the implication.

“This isn’t really that sneaky, ya know? This dress is an eyesore.”

“No one’s paying any attention,” August said, smirking devilishly.

Vaughn flushed.

August smirked wider, leading them to the back of the building and into a closet he’d scoped out earlier. He shut them in, the scent of cleaning supplies circling. He pressed close to Vaughn, his hands automatically reaching to grope his ass. “This dress has been a tease all day,” August said. It may not have been suited for Vaughn, but it had hugged him just right. He’d been surprised how much it had distracted him and he could no longer wait. He kissed Vaughn.

“Should we really be doing this here?”

“Here, home, whatever, but we’d better leave now.” August gripped Vaughn’s thigh, lifting it over his hip, pushing the dress higher. August let his hands roam over that leg as he kissed down Vaughn’s neck. He felt the man swallow hard. He pressed into Vaughn’s tight booty shorts, groaning when the thin, mesh material did nothing to shield his advances.

“Yeah… Okay, screw it!” Vaughn wrapped his arms around August’s neck, relenting and encouraging the man. August unzipped his suit pants, letting them sag just enough to free himself. He pulled Vaughn’s underwear over his ass, feeling over the soft, supple flesh. He dragged it off, letting it slide down Vaughn’s other leg. Vaughn ground his dick into August’s, both moaning and clawing each other closer. Vaughn breathed heavily into August’s ear, rocking with him.

August smirked. “You are so fucking sexy, ya know that?” His sweet nerd giggled. It tore his resolve just a little more, but he reached into his pocket and produced a small test packet of lube. He smirked. “A party favor from Jack.”

Vaughn snickered. “Of course.”

After applying it, he pulled Vaughn’s thigh back up to his waist and rubbed the tip of his dick against him. August kissed him, muffling Vaughn’s moan when he sank into the man, pushing his dick the full extent he could. Vaughn panted, pressing his face into August’s neck and hugging him tight. August made slow rhythms, taking his time, listening to the man’s soft pants that burned into his skin. He loved that Vaughn held him tight, his body gripping around August. He kissed August’s neck, his fingers tangling in the blonde hair.

August teased him, slowly pulling out and then thrusting in with just as much care, reveling in the mewls it drew from Vaughn. He pressed Vaughn against the wall, continuing his slow motions, hand bracing him against the wall, driving the cute nerd crazy. Vaughn clung to August’s back, gripping his jacket in fists.

“I’m just double checking that we’re not going to run out of food!” Tim snapped quietly, walking down the hall outside of the closet.

Vaughn stiffened, but August kept going, they were quiet, they would not be noticed. And he couldn’t resist teasing Vaughn even further. He was biting into August, holding him tighter as he tried to stay silent.

“You checked before it was served. We missed the damn toasts because of it,” Wilhelm grumbled. “I know you’re the wedding planner, but you’re driving me nuts.”

Gripping, Vaughn’s ass he thrust in quickly and deep, making Vaughn gasp into August’s neck. He pulled out and drove in again, delightfully hearing Vaughn grunt with each hard thrust. August was careful, though, he was not going to let anything disturb them.

“Then quit following me around,” Tim snapped.

There was a low growl before Tim exclaimed. “What are you doing!?” They heard Tim cry. “Put me down, Wil!”

“No, you’re too high strung, I’m going to fuck it out of you. We’ve already missed everything.”

Tim gasped. “We’re at a wedding!”

“There’s a closet in the kitchen.”

“There’s food in there, Wilhelm, don’t you dare!” Tim’s words were murderous, but his voice got quieter as they walked by.

August smirked momentarily before turning his attention back to Vaughn. “Turn around,” he whispered.

Vaughn stood on his feet. “You didn’t consider that closet did you? In the kitchen?” He faced the wall.

Pulling his hips towards him, August wasted no time in plunging into Vaughn and pushing him against the wall. He sank hard and deep, letting them make a little noise. “Nah, too risky, babe.” He thrust with measured rhythm. He’d thought about this all day and he wanted to remember it.

Vaughn moaned louder than he should have. “Shit,” he moaned, wincing. “Sorry… It’s… The dress is so tight…” His hips bucked against August. His dick was rubbing against the satin of the dress from August’s thrusts and it was short circuiting Vaughn. He tried to keep quiet but he was getting closer and closer. August kept up with him, pounding into him, driving him higher and higher until Vaughn had to shove his fist in his mouth as he came, his cum soaking into the dress.

August pulled Vaughn away from the wall to stand, his arm across Vaughn’s chest and neck, lunging rapidly. Vaughn panted loudly with each erratic thrust, faster and louder until August dug deep, pulling Vaughn against him. They stood there for a long moment, ears perking for any sound. When none was found August eased away from Vaughn, but turned him around and kissed him hard.

Vaughn was putty in his hands, his fingers kneading. “Do you think Rhys would notice if we just left?”

“Hmm, probably, but just shoot him a text, he’ll understand.” August pulled his phone out and handed it to Vaughn.

Giggling, Vaughn took it, pausing a moment to look at his dress. There was a spot right over Vaughn’s crotch. “Ew.”

“I like it,” August said easily.

“Yeah, you would,” Vaughn said, smacking his chest. He kept it there as he texted Rhys. “I need to pack my things up, which means I can changed out of this.”

“Oooh, I can help.”

Vaughn laughed, kissing the lazy smirk stretched wonderfully across August’s lips.