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thatrandomidiot182 · 4 days ago

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BODY SNATCHER

K-pop Demon Hunters Female Reader Insert

Warnings. brief mention of alcoholism, reader gets kidnapped, lots of arguing, mild disassociation.

A/N. Reader is referred to by their stage name, Archer, because I tried to avoid using (Y/N) for this fic as I felt like it ruined the immersion, but it is still a reader insert! Nothing else is described or designated.

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Regaining consciousness when you don't even remember losing it in the first place is incredibly disorienting.

The first thing you notice when you come to is the raging migraine that's bouncing around your skull.

The second is the fact that you're uncomfortably strewn out on something cold, hard, and wet.

Lastly, the terrifying realization that you're not alone hits when the unfamiliar voice of a man murmurs, "Why is she still alive?"

The question instantly sends you shooting up in panic, desperately pushing through the rush of vertigo and stumbling to a wobbly stand as you struggle to regain your senses, eyes squinting into the darkness to try and pinpoint the source of the screams that echo around you.

"AAAHHH!!"

"IT'S STANDING UP!"

"DIDN'T WE TAKE THE SOUL!??"

"JINU WHAT THE FU–"

The screams send a wave of pain shooting down your spine and you clutch your head with a groan, inching backward until you meet the rough resistance of what you assume is a wall.

The screaming stops, and after a few painful whimpers, silence fills the night air as you finally stare down the blurry figures standing before you.

"... Is it dying now?"

A quiet 'ow' follows the question as you push further back into the wall, glaring warily at the five men before you.

The five, huge... glowing... purple? Men before you.

"W‐Who are you!? Where am I?" You try your best to sound intimidating but your voice cracks in the middle of your questioning, throat protesting your sudden rise in volume with a painful cough.

"You mean... You don't remember–"

"Shut up, Abby!"

The man in the middle takes a step forward, silencing the rest of the group as he leans further into your vision with a soft smile.

"We found you here– passed out. You must've been pretty tired after that disaster of a concert, huh?" He tilts his head, black bangs falling carefully over his forehead as you furrow your brow in confusion.

"Concert? What–" Suddenly, a flash of pain shoots down your spine, taking root at the base of your skull and causing your head to feel like it's splitting open.

The men make no move to help you as you collapse in on yourself, once again landing on the floor as you begin to seize in pain.

"Woah, is she getting possessed!?"

"C'mon man, you know we don't do possessions–"

"WHAT IF SHE’S A GHOST!?"

"She's not a ghost–"

Just as suddenly as the pain began, it's stops. Leaving your sobbing, heaving figure behind with two lifetimes worth of memories.

Your original memories.... and this body's memories.

Yep.

You've been reincarnated– When you don't even remember dying in the first place!

Not only that, but you've apparently been reincarnated into the last movie you watched on your laptop before falling asleep.

K-Pop Demon Hunters.

Which you only know because you just so happen to have been tossed into the body of Huntrix's non-canon forth member.

Aka a nepo baby with mommy issues and an unhealthy need for praise and attention.

Aka the only human in the group.

Which sucks big time, considering the situation you currently find yourself in.

"That's right... the concert..." You murmur quietly. The concert in celebration of the release of 'Golden.' The concert that Rumi ran out on after realizing her voice was in jeopardy...

The concert that was originally never supposed to happen, because of Rumi's absence... yet, in this world, it did.

After Rumi disappeared, instead of running off after her and canceling the show last minute, Archer, which was apparently this body's stage name, had proposed performing without Rumi.

Bobby had supported the notion, and Zoey and Mira followed suit begrudgingly after being reminded of the thousands of fans waiting just outside the doors.

Thus, the show went on, with the three girls claiming that Rumi was sick and unable to perform, resulting in you and Mira splitting her verses in some of Huntrix's older songs, as none of you felt comfortable singing it for the first time without her.

Once the show was over, Zoey and Mira took off to find Rumi, leaving you behind with Bobby, where you then decided to walk home alone after everything died down...

What the hell was this girl thinking!?

The memory of her reassuring Bobby that she'd be fine sends a rush of anger flooding through your veins.

An idol- a female idol- walking home alone, in the middle of the night, BY HERSELF!!

No wonder you ended up here...

"You're the Saja Boys..." You pale as the realization hits, wide eyes meeting the soulless black gleam of the leaders blank stare as you breathe out a meek, "You're demons..."

A booming, "THERE'S NO WAY SHE FIGURED US OUT–" echoes through the empty alleyway behind Jinu as he smirks down at you, scoffing out a laugh of disbelief as he kneels down to your fallen figure, "You just keep getting more and more interesting, Archer."

Before you could conjure a response, Jinu has you slung over his shoulder and halfway down the street, the others following close behind.

"Wha– What the hell!? Put me down! Where are you taking me!?" You pound your fists on his back to no avail, lifting your head to glare annoyedly at the two trailing directly behind as they laugh at your movement.

"Calm down, we're just going somewhere we can talk."

"Talk!? What is there to talk about!? I swear I won't say anything about- whatever happened in the alley, okay!! We can just pretend this never happened and go our separate ways-" You're frantic now, digging your nails into his broad shoulders in a last ditch attempt to get him to release you.

Jinu doesn't even flinch, "I don't think so, Archer. You're gonna tell us how you knew we were demons, how you still have your soul–"

"–and how you knew we were gonna call ourselves the Saja Boys!" You snap your head up to meet the mischevious teal eyes of Baby as he grins at you ominously.

You swallow nervously at the statement, hesitantly succumbing to Jinu with a stressed sigh, allowing yourself to defeatedly fall limp in his grasp.

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A few minutes and a very confused desk attendant later, you were now sat on a bland black sofa in the middle of an equally bland penthouse with five pairs of beady eyes staring you down.

"Soooooo... Nice place you got here–" You wipe your hands on your legs nervously, desperately avoiding their intese gazes, "Hey, how exactly did you get this place?"

"Ah, ah! We're the ones asking the questions here!" Baby jolts forward, pointing a finger in your face threateningly.

Jinu sighs in annoyance, pushing Baby's arm down as he stalks forward, squatting down to your eye level as you shrink back from his inquisitive glare.

"You don't look like a hunter..." He hums to himself, tilting his head to take in your features scrutinizingly, "And you definitely don't sing like one." You wince at the borderline insult, glaring across at him in offense.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You don't even smell like one, either..." Jinu ignores your question, leaning into your personal bubble and taking a– very creepy –whiff of your hair before you instinctively shove him away with a disgusted grimace.

"Okay, seriously– even for a demon, you're being super creepy right now, dude." You cross your arms defensively as Jinu's gaze darkens, watching cautiously as he rises to his full height to stare down at you.

"Hmmm. As far as I can tell, she's completely human." His statement causes the rest of the boys to break out into hushed whispers, grouping together and taking quick, cautious glances back at you as they converse.

"You mean, she's not a hunter? Then why is she in the group?" Romance is the one to take the lead next, stepping beside Jinu as he eyes you curiously.

Mystery glides up next to the pink haired man with a frown, "And how did she know we were demons?"

It's quiet for a moment as you nervously wait for Jinu to answer. Flitting your eyes around the room axiously, picking at your nail beds and chewing your lip as you idly trail your eyes over the room before realizing that they were all staring at you expectantly, "Oh! uh... I'm just there to... make them seem like an actual idol group... I guess?" Your voice raises in pitch towards the end, as you still find yourself confused with the concept as well.

Apparently, this body originally belonged to the daughter of the CEO of Huntrix's label, Hwang Eunji. Eunji raised Archer in the industry, training her to be an idol since she could walk, grooming her to be the best...

Unfortunately, no matter how much effort she put in and how much talent she had, the original Archer was severely lacking in social awareness and emotional support. She struggled with her self-esteem and making friends as she always felt like she had to compete with her fellow trainess. She had a nasty attitude and simultaneous inferiority and god complexes, making her insufferable and honestly, kind of a bitch.

Growing up under her mom's ideology of becoming the best Idol, caused her to end up with no friends and horrible conversation skills, resulting in her often keeping to herself and staying quiet. Therefore making everyone think she was a snob, when in reality she just had no idea how to talk to people.

All these issues added up and resulted in her being a girl group reject for years. Her mother considered just debuting her solo before Huntrix was formed, but knew that a girl group would do better publicity-wise, so when Celine came to Eunji while pitching Huntrix, she agreed on the one condition that Archer debut with them.

Celine tried to argue, but Eunji, having been the Sunlight Sisters' manager, knew that Huntrix were demon hunters, and convinced Celine that having a normal human would help them 'blend in more,' whatever that meant...

How Celine ever caved, you don't know, but in the end, you got thrown into the girls group, given the name Archer and told to mind your business when it came to the girls and their random dissapearing acts.

You? Her?

Jinu raises an unamused brow, visibly unconvinced, "Right... and you knew we were demons... how?" You scoff, rolling your eyes in a show of annoyance as you lean back into the sofa as casually as you could, hoping they wouldn't see past the lie. "In the alley, you were purple, with stripes, glowing eyes and fangs. Not to mention, Abby said- and I quote-" You lean forward, hands up to demonstrate air quotations as you mimic his shout, "-Didn't we take her soul?"

You raise a pointed brow at Jinu as he turns to glare at said male before turning back to you frustratedly, "You called us the Saja Boys. How do you explain that one?" You can't help but tense up at the question...

How do you explain that one?

"Uh.... I'm...." You fumble to come up with a believable excuse, shriking under Jinu's unwavering glare, and blurting out the most logical conclusion, "I'm psychic."

It's deathly quiet.

Jinu's eyes look like they're going to pop out of his head with the look he's giving you. Somewhere between, astounded, impressed and pissed off, his exhasperation is palpabale as he continues to stare at you in disbelief of your blatant lie, but before he could say anything, the silence is broken by a quiet whisper of, "I knew it." Curtosey of none other than Baby Saja himself.

His triumphant smirk has Jinu groaning, "What do you mean you knew it!? She's obviously lying! Look at her!" He gestures a hand to draw attention to your clammy figure, sweat dripping down your brow and grin eerily wide as you nod in affirmation of Baby's words.

"Yup! You caught me! I'm psychic! I knew you guys were demons because I could sense your malicious aura." You frantically gesture to the air around the group, opening your mouth to continue bullshitting about negative energy and other spiritual nonesense before Jinu scoffs, "That-That doesn't even make sense-"

"-Yes it does!" You cut him off hastily, narrowing your eyes in a stubborn glare as he scowls.

"No it doesn't!"

"And how would you know!? Are you a psychic?"

"Wh-Th- No! but that doesn't-"

Romance interrupts your arguing with a clap, "Right, well, I think we all know there's only one way to settle this..." He trails off ominously and you feel a sense of dread coming down on you as he stalks closer to your seat on the couch, slowly lowering himself down next to you before opening his mouth, "What song are we singing tomorrow?"

All eyes are once again trained on you as you take a moment to think, closing your eyes and taking a few deep breathes to draw it out longer and make them think you were actually... well, thinking about it.

"Soda Pop."

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Jinu stares at your sleeping figure with a contemplative frown, quietly observing the way your chest rises and falls with every soft breath that leaves your mouth.

The way your nose scrunches when you shift your head, the way your fingers twitch when one of the boys moves around you too loudly, it was all so... human.

You were human. Completely and utterly human.

So why couldn't he take your soul?

"Are you just going to watch her sleep all night or are you going to practice with us? Gwi-ma knows you could use it..." Romance's teasing brings him out of his brooding, and he spares you one last glance before pushing past the shorter man with a grimace.

"I wasn't watching her."

Romance scoffs, muttering a snarky reply that doesnt quite catch his attention as he gets into formation, idly wondering what has him so unnerved when it comes to you.

What are you hiding.... why is his mind so quiet when you're around...and why does your soul sing to him the way it does?

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"Awe look, she's drooling..." The coo of affection for your nasty sleep habit has you jolting awake, frantically wiping the drool from your cheek as you glance around your room in panic.

Wait.

This isn't your room.

"Calm down, you passed out when we went to get food." As if sensing your panic, Abby gestures to the sofa you were sprawled out on, reminding you of the nights events.

"Right... Wait- What time is it!? Oh my god, Bobby's probably freaking out!" You frantically stand from the couch, ignoring your aching joints and rumaging through the cushions for your phone.

"Looking for this?" Jinu's annoyingly smooth voice echoes from behind, causing you to swirl on your heels and find him standing in the entryway to the living room, phone dangling from his hand with an evil smirk on his face.

You heave out a sigh of relief, sprinting to his side to yank the phone out of his grasp, letting out a dry sob when it wouldn't turn on.

"Yeah, I'm not surprised. It was going off all night." Romance laughs, peeking over Jinu's shoulder with a smirk.

You groan in frustration, shoving your phone in your jeans pocket as you shove past the two with a scowl, "Well, this has been fun and all but I should get going before-"

You yelp as an arm shoots out in front of you, blocking your path to the exit and jolting you to a stop. "Not so fast little Archer." A voice purrs, drawing your attention to Abby, who smiles down at you condesendingly, "You didn't think we'd just... let you go, did you?" Your heart drops.

"Yeah, sorry to say, but we can't have you running off and telling the rest of Huntrix about us, so...." He shares a mischevious grin with Baby.

"So?" You squeak, body rigid in fight or flight mode as they turn to stare behind you, right before a hand lands heavily on your shoulder.

You jolt, heistantly turning to meet Jinu's stare as he speaks, "So, you're coming with us today, Archer. We're not letting you out of our sight anytime soon." You gulp, shrinking under their grins with a defeated sigh.

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You now find yourself standing front and center to the Saja Boys' debut, watching with flushed cheeks and sweaty palms as they pointedly hold eye contact the entire performance, ensuring st least one of them had eyes on you at all times.

You had tried to sneak away when they went off to 'set up,' which you're pretty sure was when they bumped into the girls, but unfortunately, Jinu had suspected that and stuck his pets on you. Which wasn't all bad, considering the tiger was as soft as a cloud and loved being coddled.

Unfortunately, being distracted by the big kitty left Romance enough time to get you situated before they began, bringing you a hat and face mask to hide your identity and leaving you standing in the middle of the plaze with a snarky, "Stay." before joining the rest of the boys.

"Hey, hey!"

You cough as you accidently inhale the pink smoke, gagging at the rancid sulfur scent, and waving a hand to fan it out of your face as you meet Jinu's smug gaze.

"Hey!"

You laugh at the outburst of shrieks and screams that ring out once they emerge from the cloud of smoke, huffing as the crowd begins to grow around you.

"Don't want you, need you, yeah, I need you to fill me up!"

Suddenly, a group of old ladies shove past you, sending you stumbling backward and effectively cutting off the boys' view of you. You internally celebrate, quickly taking the opportunity to scan the faces around you in hopes of finding the girls.

If your memory serves you right, they should be somewhere close to the front...

Unfortunately, the crowd only grows more and more antsy as the song continues, and it becomes increasingly harder to make your way through. Eventually, you become trapped in-between a bunch of teenagers who were screaming their lungs out at the sight of a giant can rising from the ground.

The sight has you panicking, scrambling to search the heads around you in a last ditch effort to escape before the song ends.

Just as you think you catch a glimpse of Mira's pink pigtails, the music stops, and Jinu's voice is evident despite the sounds of the crowd around you.

"That's it for now. See you tonight on everyones favorite variety show, where we'll be joined by a special guest host. Saja Boys love you!"

The proclamation has you glancing back at the boys in panic, catching Jinu's gaze just as it locks onto your figure, darkening in a way that has your heart sinking. You watch helplessly as they disappear in a cloud of smoke, frozen in your stance as the crowd steadily dissapates, hopelessly searching every face that passes by to no avail.

Huntrix was nowhere to be seen...

and you had just pissed off a group of over 200 year old demons.

You're pulled out of your anxious spiral by a bruising grip on your bicep, yanking you into a pair of arms that wrap around you with a surprising tenderness as Mystery's voice whispers a soft, "Close your eyes."

You follow his instruction with no argument, squeezing your eyes shut as soon as the pink mist slithers into your vision, stomach lurching at the smell as your body suddenly feels weightless.

There's a split second of pure agony, where your body feels suspended in nothing but fire and flame. Your body burns from the inside out, rendering your limbs useless, your jaw clenched so hard it feels like you cracked a tooth and your breath gone, but only for a second. A second that felt like eternity before your feet landed back on solid ground, Mystery's chest rising and falling against your cheek being the only thing grounding you in the moment.

You don't get much of a chance to wonder about what the hell just happened because as soon as you were stable on your feet, a scoff made its way to your ears.

"What part of 'stay' did you not understand?" Jinu's voice is cold, and you hesitantly look away from Mystery's soft silver hair to watch the leader stalk forward with gritted teeth and clenched fists.

"You... didn't actually think I'd listen to that, did you?" Your disbelief is blatant as you stare at him incredulously, still glued to Mystery's side as your response seems to aggravate the ravenette further.

"Well, I had hoped you weren't stupid enough to try and run off by yourself, but apparently I was wrong." He spits the words out like venom, and you can't help but feel unnerved by his drastic change in personality.

He was nothing like his movie counterpart.

"Right, because it's stupid to try and run away from my kidnappers!" You scoff, thoroughly irritated and completely done with the entire situation, ignoring the violent flinch the word causes Mystery to react with, uncaring of their discomfort after all the shit you've had to deal with in the last couple of hours.

First, you somehow switched bodies or reincarnated or transmigrated OR WHATEVER into this movie world.

Then you get kidnapped and interrigated by these assholes AFTER THEY TRIED TO KILL YOU!

Now you're basically being held hostage, AND THEY'RE MAD THAT YOU TRIED TO ESCAPE?!

Jinu's scowl deepens, and Mystery places an arm over your shoulders to pull you away as he inches closer, "Kidnappers!? We didn't kidnap you! You came with us willingly!" He thrusts a finger in your face accusingly, and if it weren't for Mystery's solid grip on you, you'd have stepped up to slap it away.

"Because you picked me up like a sack of potatoes!! I didn't have much of a choice!"

"You could have ran off– screamed for help or called somebody after you woke up, but you didn't, did you? No, because that's what a normal person would do!" His laugh is humorless, "You decided to stay and talk to us. You are the one who trusted a group of demons not to try and kill you again! All we're doing now, is trying to keep you from running off and ruining our plans because if you do, Gwi-Ma's going to–" He abruptly stops himself, scowl faltering as his eyes soften before he shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose as he backs away.

Silence falls as the tension in the room reaches its peak. Mystery's grip remains unfaltering despite his silence, and the other boys are scattered around the room with varying degrees of solemnity on their faces.

"There were other demons there, Archer." Romance breaks the tension, standing next to Jinu with crossed arms and stern eyes, "And let's just say, they aren't as nice as we are." He bares his teeth in a mocking grin, "You've caused us quite the headache little Archer." He sighs, and you watch defensively as he glides over to the couch, plopping down nonchalantly as Jinu storms out of the room.

"Not only are you psychic–" He raises a brow, eyes alight with amusement that let's you know he doesn't believe your story, "–but you also have a... unique soul."

"Unique?" You echo the word unconsciously, eyeing the pink haired man curiously as he hums.

"That's one way of putting it... Though, I'd say weird is more accurate..." Abby snorts, hip popped as he leans casually against the wall by the entryway, a silent way of letting you know that you weren't going anywhere without their permission.

"Whatever word you prefer, the fact is that your soul isn't like any that we've seen before..." He huffs, "It even has the demon lord himself unsettled."

That has you perking up warily.

Gwi-ma was unsettled by your soul...

"Why?" The word blurts out of your mouth before you could stop it, sending Baby into a manic fit of laughter once he spots your panicked face.

He tosses his head back with a wide, toothy grin from his place next to Romance, whose own chuckle has your cheeks flushing in embarrassment, "Well, first off, we couldn't take your soul. That's confusing enough as it is, but then there's also the fact that–"

"Romance." Abby cuts the other man off with wide eyes, tone clipped with something that has him hesitating.

The two pink haired males are caught in a heated staring contest that's eventually interrupted by Baby releasing a groan.

"Ugh, who cares! He's gonna be pissed that we didn't kill her anyways! We might as well tell her!" He turns to you with a cheeky grin, ignoring the glare his exclamation garners from Abby.

"The reason you got Gwi-ma so freaked is because when we're around you–" He leans in conspiratorially, "–it's quiet."

You stare back at him confusedly, but he doesn't expand on his response, simply grinning wider and slumping back in his seat with a sigh.

Irritated, you end up turning to tilt your head back at Mystery, who was still glued to your side, in inquiry. The silver haired demon simply nods in affirmation, quelling your confusion when he speaks, "When you're around... We can't hear him. We... can't even hear the screams either." Taking a glance at the other boys' reactions let's you know that their words were serious.

The information has you short-circuting.

"So... What? I'm like a... demon dead zone?"

"Kind of, yeah..." Abby grimaces, rubbing the back of his neck as he sighs, "We... don't really understand it but... Gwi-ma's freaking out because he can't control us when we're around you... he sees you as a threat... which is why Jinu flipped out earlier."

He offers a sympathetic smile, eyes drifting to where Jinu dissapeared as he let's out a soft sigh, "Since we couldn't take your soul, Gwi-ma wants us to kill you the old fashioned way. Some of us didn't agree with that–" He frowns, and Mystery's arm tightens it's defensive hold as Baby pouts out a quiet, "Buzzkill." In the background.

"–and Jinu's annoyed because he thinks this whole situation is distracting us from destroying the Honmoon." You grimace.

You'd almost forgot about that...

"Right. So he's not actually worried about me. Just that me dying might... make you guys, what– fight?" You scoff.

"Something like that, yeah."

Before anything else could be discussed, the slamming of the front door echoing through the room has everyone turning to watch as Jinu strolls back in, face flushed and puffy. Hardly sparing any of you a glance as he tosses a plastic bag onto the coffee table, swatting Baby's feet off the furniture with a scowl as he speaks, "We need to start getting ready, it's almost time for the game show."

Romance wastes no time, immediately jumping up and out of his seat, clapping his hands excitedly as he bounces out of the room, "Right! Right, we gotta get dressed and then find something for Archer to wear– Baby, hurry up, you're first! Abby, you too, you've got the least layers. " Baby groans, trailing behind the other demon reluctantly as Abby herds him into the next room.

"Wait, what do you mean 'find something for me to wear–' Romance!?" Your panicked question goes unanswered as the door closes, leaving you behind with Jinu and Mystery.

The living room becomes engulfed in an awkward, tense silence as the shorter stands rigid at your side, hand squeezing your arm rhythmically as Jinu turns to adress you, "You're coming with us, as we've discussed–" His pointed glare has your argument dying on your tongue.

He looked tired, and as much as he tried to hide it, it was obvious that he was crying before he came back. He honestly looked so pained and upset that you were afraid of saying anything that might make it worse.

"–you're going to guest host Play Games With Us, so you better prepare yourself to play nice." He sighs, moving to grab the bag he placed down earlier and bring it to you.

"Here, I got you something to eat, I figured your Ramen was good enough–" His movements are abruptly halted as a loud growl echoes through the room.

You jump at the sound, whirling around to watch, dumbfounded, as Mystery continues growling at Jinu. Teeth bared defensively, chest vibrating with the gravelly sound leaving his mouth as his skin glows with the telltale purple patterns that define their demon heritage.

Jinu instantly raises his hands, eyes trained on Mystery's grip on your shoulder as he slowly drops the bag on the couch, backing away until the growling finally subsides, ending up on the opposite side of the room.

The two of you share an alarmed glance over Mystery's head as he moves to grab the bag, pulling out the cup of instant Ramen with your face on it and giving it a thorough sniff down.

He takes a moment, nose scrunched and face twisted as he gives Jinu a skeptical glare before gently handing the cup over to you with a resolute nod.

You can't help but find yourself lost in thought as you stand in the middle of a stare off between the two demons. Standing there, staring at a picture of your face plastered on the front of a cup of Ramen, the weight of your new reality comes crashing down on you, and you can't help but think about how the next couple of weeks are going to go.

Ideally, tonight you'd take the opportunity to escape. If everything goes according to the movie, Huntrix will show up to the studio, giving you the perfect chance to escape the demons clutches.

Then, you'd tell the girls their plan, tell Rumi to reveal her patterns, and help them write a song good enough to seal the Honmoon and defeat Gwi-ma... but...

Then what would happen to the boys?

They'd also be trapped down there, vulnerable to whatever punishment the demon lord has in store for their failure.

The thought has your heart squeezing painfully in your chest.

Call it stockholm syndrome, but... you can't stomach the thought of these guys going down with Gwi-ma.

Despite their... rough edges, they've all risked their lives by saving yours. Sure, maybe not all of them were team 'keep Archer alive,' but none of them have actively tried to murder you either. Besides the incident in the alley, but that doesn't count.

By sparing your life, they've directly disobeyed Gwi-ma's orders, and it's only a matter of time before he finds out. When he does... you don't even want to think about what he'll do to them...

Sometime during your internal monologue, Mystery had taken it upon himself to make your Ramen for you. The warm plastic being gently pressed back into your grasp brings you out of your thoughts, blinking down at the steaming soup with soft eyes as Romance's voice echoes from around the corner.

"Jinu, Mystery! Get in here, it's your turn!"

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When Romance said they had to leave time to find something for you to wear, you had assumed that you'd be making a pit stop at the mall on the way to the studio.

That was not the case.

Now, you stand on stage next to the emcees in a hot pink, sleeveless turtleneck under a white, cropped, off the shoulder sweater, with baby pink jeans and rose colored high tops.

How the hell they magically had clothes that fit both you and their color scheme perfectly, you don't know, but they did, and now you have to suffer through the rumors that it sparked.

The first thing the emcee had pointed out was the matching outfits, a teasing grin on his face as he poked fun, "Oooohhh~ Seems like the Saja Boys already have an honorary member!" Garnering a round of giggles and whispers from the audience as Jinu encouraged them.

"Ah, Archer seonbaenim has been such a welcoming figure during our recent debut. She actually offered to come on this show with us after we told her we were nervous, the matching outfit must be another way of helping us feel more comfortable. We'd be happy to include her as our honorary member– even if she is already part of a group..."

"Awwwweeee!"

His shy smile and honeyed words instantly sent the crowd into an uproar, turning every eye onto you as you struggled to keep your bright smile intact, internally gritting your teeth in anger at the mischievous glint in his black eyes.

Two can play at that game...

"Of course, I'd be happy to be considered an honorary member! I myself know how hard it can be debuting so late in an industry that already has such an established hierarchy." You place a hand over your heart sympathetically, "As some of you may know, I struggled to debut for years. When I finally did it was very sudden and despite all of my training it was incredibly overwhelming–" You blink your eyes, turning your head away from the camera and audience and sniffling before turning back with a soft smile and teary eyes, revealing in Jinus annoyance at the round of sympathetic moans you got from the audience.

"–so I promise to do my best to help my hubae's in their journey." You offer a respectful bow of your head, using the opportunity to hide your satisfied smile as the boys scrambled to follow suit.

The rest of the session went on in a similar fashion, each game a new opportunity opportunity to one up each other in fan service and amount of sympathetic affection earned from the crowd.

Although as the show went on, you couldn't help but eventually let your guard down. Finally relaxing and letting yourself feel at ease for the first time since your arrival, as the excitement of your impending escape was overwhelming. Allowing you to genuinely enjoy your time hosting and interacting with the boys in a more lighthearted scene. Exchanging playful, teasing banter with Baby and Romance and bringing Abby and Jinu's egos down with targeted challenges and games as Mystery stayed in your line of sight with a find smile the entire time.

Eventually, the time for the plot to come back into play came, and after a short commercial break you were stood front and center, watching the boys chug baby bottles full of hot sauce with a wide grin and full hearted laughter.

You'd think for a group of demons, they'd have better spice tolerances, but no.

They dropped like flies, none, save for Baby, lasting longer than half a bottle before tapping out.

Your eyes can't help but drift up the the rafters, watching excitedly as Huntrix slowly crept closer.

"–hard to say goodbye when we're having so much fun!"

You snap back to attention, nodding along with the emcees' as they began to wrap up the show, "Tonight truly was an amazing experience, I had a great time–"

"Then why say goodbye when we have extra special guests coming up?" Jinu frantically lunges forward, ecasing your hand in his own as he pulls your microphone to his mouth with a charming grin, chest brushing against your shoulder as he leans his face down to speak.

"Please welcome–"

"–the rest of my dear members, Huntrix!" You yank the microphone back, pulling Jinus arm along with as as he stares down at you in shock, eyes narrowing at your shit eating grin while the lights and camera focus in on the three girls atop the blank wall behind you.

"W-We just wanted to–"

"I asked my members to join me in making a special appearance tonight as a way to congratulate our hubae's on their debut!" The crowd cheers excitedly as Rumi awkwardly waves, all three girls donning tense, confused smiles as you gesture for them to join you on the ground.

"–and join us for a final game here on–" You jut the mic out to the crowd, encouraging their excited cheers and response of "Play Games With Us!!"

The girls speedily make their appearance, sparking another round of applause as you quietly duck behind set, returning with a wide smile and a pile of folded colored paper you had sneakily asked one of the staff members to prepare beforehand while the boys were busy getting their demon henchmen to paint the ball pit.

"For our final game, we are going to play...." You toss down two squares, one black and one pink, holding up the other two in your hand excitedly, "Ddakji!!"

The crowd cheers, and you happily hum along with them, pointedly ignoring Jinu and Rumi's burning stares.

"Saja Boys are team pink–" You move to gently press the pink square into Romance's hand, leading him forward and to a stop before the black square before moving to Zoeys side, and leading her to the pink square, offering her a reassuring smile as you hand her the black one, "–Huntrix are team black!" You lean to the side, staring down the camera and whispering your the mic conspiratorially, "As you can guess by their outfits tonight, which may or may not be a hint for our next comeback." You wink knowingly, chest puffing pridefully as the crowd once again goes nuts.

"Starting us off! We have Romance versus Rumi!" You gesture for the leader to walk over to the pink haired demon, "and Zoey versus Baby!" You end up having to physically drag the demon to his place.

"We'll be playing simultaneous speed tag team rounds! With the loser immediately swapping out with another member until the timer runs out." You point to the back wall, where a big digital clock emerges, "Whichever team gets the most points after five minutes, wins!" You cheer, "Give us a countdown!"

The crowd enthusiastically complies, counting the timer down with an excited, "Three... Two... One!!"

Once the starting buzzer went off, all hell broke loose.

Romance had effortlessly flipped the black square on his first throw, offering a smug smile as Rumi glared back with an open jaw, absolutely gobsmacked by the accuracy.

Zoey had unfortunately missed her shot, resulting in Baby flipping her square on his turn just as easily as his counterpart.

You and Mira had been hastily ushered in their places by the emcees, who had finally gathered their bearings and seemed just as excited about the sudden crossover as the crowd.

Mira didn't bother hiding her glare as she reached down to pick up her square, staring daggers at Baby's smug smirk as she trembled with rage.

Romance's smile was mocking, eyes meeting yours with a familiar condesendence that had your smile twitching.

"I'm gonna wipe that smug smirk off your face, hubae~" Your confident purr had him shuffling on his feet, face falling into confusion at your lack of nervousness while you steadily line up your throw, garnering a round of screeches from the fans.

"ARCHER YOU'RE SO HOT PLEASE NOTICE MEEEEE!!!"

You grace the crowd with one last cocky grin, revelling in the rise in pitch of their cries before you turn back to the game, absent-mindedly wincing as you hear Mira let out a frustrated groan.

You're sure that Romance and the rest of the boys think that you've managed to sabatoge their plans due to your psychic powers. While they're not completely incorrect, you just wish it were that simple.

In reality, you had to put a lot of effort into getting this plan to work.

You had put it together during the journey to the set, having come to a conclusion after your little crisis at their apartment.

Not only would you help Huntrix seal the Honmoon and defeat Gwi-ma... You'd also save the boys from the demon lord, and allow them to live freely as humans once again.

The first step was ensuring that the fans don't lose their faith and love for Huntix.

So, as soon as you entered the property, you began scheming. While the plan itself wasn't all that elaborate, the timing was crucial. Not only would you have to find someone willing to help you, which had proven to be the most difficult aspect as you had approximately eight minutes to find a staff member and instruct them to ready the ddakji squares before Mystery had retrieved you from you 'bathroom' break.

You'd also have to intervene right before Jinu got the chance to humiliate the girls by making them slide down in their leather outfits. That part had actually gone surprisingly smooth, considering he had superhuman strength and speed.

Now came the easiest part, because despite your original experience or lack of with the game, this body just so happened to belong to a champion drunk ddakji player.

Yeah, turns out Archer had a nasty habit of drowning her sorrows in a bottle of soju and scamming money out of fellow bar flies in a game of ddakji.

Which proved to be unfairly beneficial as you flip Romance's square, first try.

"Archer scores the first point for Team Huntrix!! Saja Boys still hold the lead 2-1, but it looks like this game might end up being more intense than we thought!" The emcees voice echoes in your ears as you revel in Romances shocked stare, offering a cheeky air kiss as he stands aside defeatedly.

You end up solo carrying the game, beating every single one of the boys twice over with the girls cheering you on in the background.

Your skills had worked to fire up the rest of Huntrix, leading to Mira winning once against Abby and Rumi and Jinu going point for point during the last minute.

"Aaaaaand that is time!!" The emcees voice correlates with the buzzer going off, stopping you mid throw, "Now gather around, gather around–" The two usher your groups back together, standing face to face across from each other as the emcees giddily continue "–let's see who the winners are shall we–" Jinu and Rumi are outwardly glaring each other down, Mira and Baby following their leads at their sides as Zoey and Abby pull faces at one another while you and Mystery exchange soft smiles, ignoring Romance's burning stare.

"Huh!?" The sudden outcry has all of you snapping your heads to the emcees, faxes falling as they exclaim, "ITS A TIE!!"

While the information sends the crowd into an uproar, you all release frustrated groans/sighs, where the Saja Boys end up recovering first, taking the opportunity to try and salvage their original plan.

"Oh well. It was still an absolute honor to share the stage with you tonight." Jinu closes his eyes, hand over his heart as he leads the boys into a deep bow.

You pale as you realize what was happening, watching the other girls straighten up defensively, Mira's arm shooting out to drag you into formation as you all bowed back lower.

"Oh no, it was all ours." Rumi responds softly, voice light and airy.

"No, ours"

"No. Ours."

"Ours."

Eventually, right as you forcefully folded yourself in half, the curtains were drawn, and the cameras cut, forcefully ending the competition.

You didn't even have time to properly straighten out before Abby had forcefully slung you over his shoulder, Baby sitting on the other as the group booked it out of the venue.

You can hear the girls gasp in the distance, panicked eyes meeting your wide eyed stare in alarm, "Archer!?"

You begin to genuinely panic.

This was not supposed to happen!

Everything went according to your plan, so why��

You nearly begin to cry as you barely realize the very obvious fact;

Despite being so sure that the game show was your opportunity to escape, you never actually made a plan to escape.

Having been distracted by your plan to save Huntrix's reputation, you had completely forgot to come up with a plan to save yourself.

You're so dumb–

Your self depreciating thoughts are interrupted by Abby abruptly placing you back onto your feet, followed by a hand being slapped over your eyes.

"Ow!? What the–" You move to pry the hand off, only to be met with a sharp 'tsk' of disapproval, "We're in the men's bathhouse, so unless you want to see a bunch of naked, middle aged men–"

"–Okay! Okay, I get it! The hand can stay!" Although your vision was effectively cut off, you could practically feel the amused smirk Baby was giving you.

You can hear shuffling around you, faint splashes and drips as well as you shuffle uncomfortably under Baby's grip, "Listen, guys–" the sound of the door slamming open has you snapping your mouth closed, body tensing in preparation for the upcoming conflict.

"Wow, did you really follow us in here?" Jinu snickers.

"I knew they would, that ones always looking at me." You scoff as Abbys disgusted tone, assumedly drawing attention onto you as the girls cry out, "Let her go!"

"Get your disgusting hands off of her!"

You can hear the sounds of their weapons being drawn, nervously shuffling on your feet as Jinu laughs, "I don't think so... You see, we've taken quite a liking to our little Archer here–" You shiver as his hand ghosts down your spine, "–she's going to be a big help in stealing your fans."

You grit your teeth in annoyance, tugging Baby's hand off of your eyes and spinning around to face the girls, opening your mouth to–

Honestly, you don't really know what you were going to do, but it doesn't really matter considering Jinu had swept you away before you had the chance to even murmer a word. Cradling you close to his chest as he smiled teasingly back at Huntrix, sicking the water demons on them with a childish laugh.

"Jinu, put me down!" You struggle against his hold the entire way down the hallway, squirming and shoving to no avail as he keep his iron tight grip.

You hear the doors burst open, glancing back in alarm as Rumi comes barreling after you, catching up at an alarming speed as you thrash harder, "Jinu, seriously, let me go!!" You plead, panicked eyes meeting Rumi's over his shoulder as she lunges, sword barely missing you leg as Jinu finally drops you, dodging her attacks seamlessly as they dissapear through a wall.

Unfortunately, the relief of being free is short lived, as a hand being placed on your shoulder has you whipping around to find Mystery crouching behind you.

"Mystery, I–" Your breathy whimpers are silenced as the silver haired demon pats your head with a soft smile.

"It's okay, you're safe. I'll get you back to the–"

"No!"

His head tilts confusedly, and you shuffle onto o your knees to reach over and grab his shoulders comfortingly, swallowing nervously before continuing, "I-I can't– I can't go back with you this time."

His bottom lip trembles and you give his shoulders a gentle squeeze as you rush out your words with a breathy grin, eyes wide and dilated as you tremble anxiously, "Look, I have a plan, okay? I can save you– All of you, but I need Huntrix's help to do it."

His mouth falls into a scowl, growl crawling up his throat as he shrugs your hands off of his shoulders, "Of course, that's always how it goes..." He abruptly rises to a stand, and you hastily follow as he takes a few steps back.

"Mystery, I–"

"You want to go running back to those little hunters? Fine. Go ahead! They've never seen you as anything more than a liability, anyway. You're nothing but a burden to them, dead weight they have to csrry around to make themselves look good." He spits, and the venom in his voice has your eyes tearing up.

Out of all of the boys, Mystery had been the kindest to you. The most protective, the clingiest, the quietest... but the kindest.

He had brought you a blanket and pillow when you fell asleep on the couch, let you use his charger when your phone was dead, kept Baby and his homicidal instincts at bay and even defended you from Jinu, his leader.

You had assumed it was all a ploy to gain your affection. A show put on to get you to trust them and let your guard down and use you against the girls... but with the way he was reacting right now, you're not so sure that that's true...

"They don't care about you, Archer! They never have!–" He throws his arm out in agitation, gesturing to the other room where you could hear the clashing of blades and claws.

His statement has you scoffing defensively, arms crossing over your chest as you let out a wet laugh, tears welling in your eyes as you retort, "What, like you do? Mystery you've known me for two days! I've known Huntrix for years! I trust them to help me, to help us!"

Even though you've technically known him longer than the girls, but he doesn't need to know that...

"Whose to say they'll even trust you enough to help you save us, huh?" He scowls, "Why would they even want to save us? I mean, come on! We're demons, they're hunters. They kill us, we kill them, that's how it goes!" He's shouting now, and the patterns on his skin are steadily making their appearance as his agitation rises.

The sight has you swallowing nervously, taking a shaky step closer as you reach out to grasp his hand, "I-I can convince them..." The claim is weak, even to your ears, and it has Mystery releasing another scoff, pulling away and stepping out of your reach as he turns his back to you with a mocking grin.

"Yeah? Well, don't come crying to us when they brush you off, cause I guarantee you, we won't be as stupid as we were this time..." He huffs, dissapearing into a cloud of pink smoke, leaving you alone in the silent hallway with teary eyes and a heavy heart.

"Archer! There you are, are you okay!? Did those disgusting demons do anything to you!?" Zoeys voice echoes faintly in your ears as you keep your gaze trained to the spot where Mystery once stood, tears finally falling just as Rumi takes your cheeks into her palms, worried eyes trailing your face carefully.

"Hey, it's okay now. You're safe, we got you." Her voice is soft, comforting to the point that it has you sobbing, leaning into her embrace as she moves her grip to wrap around your shoulders, pulling you into her her chest as you wail.

Zoey and Mira exchange alarmed glances over your head, thoroughly caught off guard.

It's the first time they've ever seen you cry...

Rumi glares out at the alley she had seen the group run into, vowing that it'd be the last time you ever had to cry because of a demon.

#x reader #reader insert #kpdh #kpop demon hunters x reader #kpdh x reader #rumi kpdh #kpop demon hunters #mira kpdh #zoey kpdh #jinu kpdh #huntrix #saja boys #romance saja #baby saja #abby saja #mystery saja #jinu saja #saja boys x reader #huntrix x reader

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thatrandomidiot182 · 6 days ago

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big fan of this guy. uhh. mac n cheese.

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thatrandomidiot182 · 7 days ago

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Wow! I honestly was not expecting that. I was worried that nobody was gonna be into the idea, but I'm so happy that wasn't the case!! The first chapter is pretty much done, I just need to edit it, so it should be posted by the weekend!!

Fun fact: it was originally supposed to be a one-shot, but I got too carried away with lore and stuff so now it's gonna be a three part series!! Part one is centered around MC and the Saja Boys, part two will be more about MC and Huntrix and Part three.... idk yet, we'll see how it goes lol

I'm trying to post a couple more drafts before classes start and I don't have as much time to write so I thought I'd do a little poll to see what people want to read the most!!! (Outside of my Velaryon! Reader and Batfam series of, bc I try to update those regularly.)

#kpdh #kpop demon hunters #kpop demon hunters x reader #kpdh x reader

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thatrandomidiot182 · 16 days ago

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#jjk x reader #nanami × reader #nanami kento #nanami x reader #nanami kento x reader #jason todd #jason todd x reader #mark grayson x reader #mark grayson #soulmate au #kpdh #kpop demon hunters x reader #kpop demon hunters #batfam x reader #batfam #x reader

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thatrandomidiot182 · 2 months ago

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kento would go all out for your birthday.

he’d take the day off and work on the surprises that he had been planning weeks before your birthday.

serving you breakfast in bed that has a little present next to the plate. he’s gesturing you to open it and when you did, there it was, the necklace that you’ve been eyeing on for god knows how long.

taking the necklace, he goes behind you and clasped the necklace on your neck, giving your nape a quick peck and then your cheeks.

of course, he’s not done yet. he’s a man that’s full of surprise.

throughout the whole day, he had been showering you with gifts, catching you off guard.

when the day was almost at it’s end, he was preparing his last surprise which you are unaware of.

as soon as you both came home, the living room was decorated, flower petals scattered around the floor, there were dimly lit candles, these weren’t here when you and kento left. (gojo and the first years may or may not be at fault :p)

kento stands in front of you, “happy birthday, my sweet. i hope that what i’ve brought you joy today.”

“thank you, ken, i love you so much.” giving him a kiss on the lips.

“i want you to be even happier...” he says as he pulls a box in his pocket and gets down on one knee.

“y/n l/n, will you marry me?”

an: it’s my birthday and i need him so bad.

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thatrandomidiot182 · 2 months ago

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I feel confident enough to post these now. A collection of all the existing posters after some edits from the other post that got 13k notes! These are full size/quality. Go nuts.

You may use them for wallpapers, tabletop campaigns, whatever. Consider tipping me or buying a print or sticker on ko-fi here! If you do use them, let me know what for, or send pictures!

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thatrandomidiot182 · 2 months ago

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“be careful with my emotional baggage,” i say. “it’s designer.”

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thatrandomidiot182 · 2 months ago

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Some wounds don't heal

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thatrandomidiot182 · 2 months ago

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Oh, sweet neighbour.

Author Note: Finally free from this. I love it.

Johnny Mactavish x f!reader. He's your neighbour. You are his new god. First meeting.

18+ CW: the military, while not very detailed it's shit. you're pregnant, that's a warning on its own. please, tell me if I'm missing anything.

Have mercy on my grammar, English is not my first language. Enjoy.

MASTERLIST

You were delighted the first time you understood you would have a new neighbour. The sign left in front of the old house has been hanging there since you arrived three months ago, moving with the weather. When the slight bump of your belly could easily be hidden with a larger sweater.

The nice contractor assigned to the wilderness of your county has been telling you about it when you visited your house, how you wouldn’t have any neighbours for now. It wasn’t exactly surprising; the North of Scotland is not really attractive to most people. The whole world is at least a two-hour drive, and the rain seems to never quite stop, and during the winter, electricity can go out under the strength of the wind.

So, when the nice older woman, Jenny, told you about this serious candidate who was interested in the old wooden home on the other edge of the field, you assumed it was another one, trying to find rest. And from what Jenny revealed to you, your hypothesis is rather truthful. A man older than you, who was just honourably discharged from the British Army, after being severely wounded.

Truly, she shouldn’t tell you any of it, as it is supposed to be confidential information, but who would you tell? The stray cat that slowly invades your porch? The cattle you saved from a cruel death? It reassured you, knowing this information. It was a new adventure starting, having a neighbour in this remote part of the country.

The first time you saw the old truck, it almost made you laugh in amusement. A military man retired, driving the most vintage piece of metal you ever saw, still rolling. The dark green colour seems to turn to grey at the edge, the old thing making a noise close to a dying breath. You find it fitting, somewhat, with the description you have of him.

You are knee-deep into the renovation of your newly acquired stable. It isn’t as if your home is fully finished either, since you’re trying to do it all yourself. But it fills you with purpose, with a sense of belonging you had cruelly missed for the majority of your life, one that you yearned for so strongly it almost broke you before.

A hammer in hand, and the humidity slithering into your rainboots, you watch with slight curiosity the man park on the other side of the river that crossed the field. You can not see anything remotely interesting from where you stand, only the silhouette of him, and quickly your attention goes back to the wall you had taken all the rotten planks out of, before sighing. Your shoulders hurt, and you know you should not do heavy work considering your current state, but it has to be done. You shift on your feet, and the features on your face change to a concentrated expression before your hand raises with a firm grip. You will go greet your new neighbour soon enough, but before that, you have work to do.

The only time you finally found to go present yourself to this stranger was three days later. A plate filled with what you tried to be a warm apple pie; you take your time crossing the distance to their residence. You hesitated between the two of them for a long time, each of the houses had a charm you were weak too. But you decided on the old Cotswolds stone house, which is a type of habitat you typically find in England. The one you were now walking to has a wooden structure, one that makes you feel warmth, where you could drink warm chocolate inside. A beautiful house, you think.

You take a breath, slightly anxious at the now-soon-to-be interaction, feeling your heart thumping in your chest. Question roams in your skull: Is it very smart to inform an adult man, trained to kill, that you lived alone, where no one would ever know if you were to be in danger?

Your hands shake slightly around the plate you’re holding on to, everything you were ever taught against your will, everything you sadly believe in, told you it was a bad idea. But you try, just for a moment, to cease the lessons you painfully learned that paralyse you with fear and press a foot on the first stair. The wooden creak beneath your weight, the roundness of your tummy now showing as it strained beneath your coat.

Before you could even finish graving the steps leading to his front door, it was opening. Surprised at the motion and rather tired from the walk leading you there, your doe eyes find the hardness of a man being invaded in his privacy. It makes you waver momentarily, pregnant form stilling in its walk. The mop of hair on top of his face – rather charming, you must admit – is untidy, straying around until some dark curly strands fall on his forehead. Bright blue eyes that make your breath hitch before he analytically gazes at you in a matter of seconds. It’s rather disturbing to see the threatening presence of his disappear so vividly.

The tightness on him melts away, broad shoulders loosening as his wounded arm falls against his torso. The stance he had taken at the sound of you shift into something approachable, someone really, instead of the weapon he had been groomed to become.

Your eyelashes flutter as he opens the door wider, taking a step on the porch, finally feeling as if the tight hold around your throat is loosening. You resume your movement and offer him a careful smile, slightly disturbed by the first sight of him that he showed you. Droplets of water fall from the edge of your hood as he approaches with firm steps, the hand not pressed into that medical scarf hold out for you to take.

“’ello ma’am.”

The polite and confused tone of his voice widens your smile, the gentlemanly manner putting you at ease as you accept his help, finally reaching the edge of the porch. From close, you’re quite admirative of his features, finding in his eyes a storm that seems a reflection of the sea. You do not say anything, not about the way his fingers are rough around your palm, digging there, and how his ring finger misses a knuckle.

“Hello, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Nae, nae, it’s a’right.” He stumbles on his words with a firm shake of his head, stopping your unnecessary apologies. “Didnae thought anyone would come see me.”

“Well, I did. And I have an apple pie for you, too.” You reply with a smile, raising slightly the covered plate you were holding, which seems to pique his attention as his eyes flicker downward as if seeing it for the first time.

Johnny, you quickly find, hushes you inside with a quickness in his tone that you think is worry, or maybe guilt for frightening you the first second you've seen him. You give a little laugh at his own expression of regret, waving a hand in the air to signify you don't mind.

The warmth of his home makes you sigh while he closes the door behind you, your eyes admiring the entryway quietly before he moves past you with a precision unsettling. In the last three minutes you’ve known him, you can see the military experience he has bleeding out from every one of his actions.

Johnny had been ready to shoot at the intruder the second he sensed your presence. His residence here is only because the British Army made him leave. It was a consequence of betrayal, of disaster, of disarray. Never once, since he left Scotland at age sixteen, running away from the battlefield that was home, did he ever consider the possibility of coming back. But, since the only home he ever had abandoned him, the only other place he could settle on to go back to was here. The Royal Army dismissing him doesn't mean he doesn't have enemies anymore.

After years of sacrifices, weeks of torture, months of the sand and blood invading his senses, they forced him away. He did not even have the time to process it; in a coma for a month, caused by a bullet entering his skull. By some curse, he made it, though the scar hidden beneath his hair says a different story. He awakens in that room, the white lightning cutting through like a knife, unaware of anything, only for, five minutes later, a superior officer he had never seen before telling him he would never be able to come back.

He never imagined that the neighbour Jenny told him about, would come here. Neither did he ever fantasise about how soft and gentle you would be. As he watches you, from the edge of his previously unused kitchen, microwaved dinner is all he has ever known – he is almost distraught by the sight of you.

The dark blue sweater you wear is shifting over your rounded belly each time you move slightly too far. The patch of flesh, strained there, almost feels like a hallucination. He doesn’t process any of the words escaping your lips, and really, he should be more attentive to them. But the warmth in your eyes and the lightness in your voice as you tell him of the surrounding areas, giving him intel on the closest threat around, are unfamiliar.

It has been weeks since his discharge. Weeks of mandatory therapy established by the organisation he surrendered his life for. Of endless pain in his head, like fresh lava melting around his skull every minute of every day. Weeks of wandering aimlessly, a shell of who he once was, blown apart. Stripped away from his sole purpose in life, abducted from the only person he ever cared for since he took control of his life. Only for it all to cease, to be taken away from him. Every scar he had been the victim of over the years, over the last decade of his life, was nothing now that he was in exile. Banished from the only world he knows.

And now, here you are. Standing in the house he bought for barely anything at all, and his mind becomes silent. He looks at you, the soft lines around your mouth as you speak to him, and everything - the past stops his restless assault. A miracle, mirage, it didn’t matter what you are. Of course, you are too perfect to be real. You, and that warm, handmade apple pie. You and your graceful hands, free of any burden in life. You, and the warmth of your soul, he is swallowed by each time you gaze his way.

Johnny is certain he must look completely unhinged, staring too hard from a few steps away. He knows he should interact with you, at least pretend to be normal as he did since he left the military base. But everything in you, every little thing that you are, renders him defenceless. From the comically large slippers he lends you, the curve of your plush thighs, to the way you simply stand there blissfully.

Your voice takes him away from his quiet moment of salvation, and he tilts his chin down to find you closer, a piece of apple pie on a little plate he did not even know he owned.

“You must be tired. I know comin’ all the way here isn’t easy.”

You’re silently wondering how he drives here, with an injured arm, but don’t think on it too long. Looking at him under the light, you can almost sense his tiredness. It’s written all over his broad frame, even as he still tenses when he watches you, the harsh line of his jaw where beard starts to grow. The thunder growling in his eyes. You do not ask, do not even mention it, and settle the plate he keeps looking at on the island counter before, with a heavy sigh, sitting down. One hand comes on the valley of your back as the reprieve of the highchair lightens your troubles.

“You alone here?” He mumbles after a moment, and you see when it comes, the crinkles around his eyes.

There is a moment of silence, as your face hardens, once again pondering the dangerousness of it. Johnny, since you took your first step, never truly intended to hurt you. It was instinct back then, you can tell. It is still as he stays on the edge of the room, close enough to the window and the front door. The only position where he can see the other entry points and you at the same time. Even battered as he appeared to be, there is no way his training could ever be forgotten.

“Can’t say I am.” You settle on with a hint of humour to defuse the slight tension growing in the room.

You, peculiarly, find great pride in the way his face widens at your words, before his eyes shine, watching your hand tap on the baby bump you expose, his way. Your mouth twitches before the grin you’re trying to hide finally breaks free. It is like seeing the sun for the first time, as his broad shoulders tremble under his laugh, the sound radiant as the summer, his head tilting backwards.

Johnny, you understand, is much like the stray animals you scour around the country. You must allow him time to judge you; to feel safe with you in his personal space and prove you would never ever hurt him. Amusingly, he reminds you of the bull you are trying to negotiate with the farmer a little further down the hill. All broad around, with an intimidating physique that leaves you breathless when he struts toward you. Who once offered food is rather fine with your presence.

“Good one, bonnie.” He grumbles again with a chuckle, sitting down in front of you as you fill the second plate. “No one tae look after ya then?”

“I came here so no one would.” You admit, eyes shifting down as you push the tine of your fork into the sweet apple. “Wanted a home for myself.”

“Can understand tha'. Where ya come from then?”

Your eyes glimmer, seeing him inhale the pie, slightly saddened by how starved he looks, groans of contentment leaving him with each bite. The decision is easy to make, even after the scare he gave you when he opened the door.

The loneliness seems to cling to him like a dead lover, like a curse that runs deep into his blood, carving his place into his bones. For a moment, he reminds you of a haunted house after the people who inhabited it died tragically, leaving only the shell of what it was before. You’ll come and offer him food. Make sure he eats, and do not let himself be swallowed by his grief.

You let him interrogate you. He offers answers of his own in return, and while sometimes cryptic, you make do with them. For a man surely as closed as he, he already tells you enough, especially during your first meeting. The questions are relatively innocent, if you don’t think of the ramifications of it all. Why did you decide on coming to Scotland, why the house so far away from everything, Does any of your family come to visit you before – he's searching for information. But with every answer you offer him, not hiding that you came here for freedom and safety, you watch him soften around the edges.

Your fingers stroking along your belly, you smile as you watch his face shift when he tells you all about Scotland, where you should go visit, or where to eat a good meal. With a firm tone, though, and a long stare, he informs you never to go alone by yourself, that he’ll be your guide if you wish for it. Maybe a comparison to a stray hoarding dog would have been more accurate than a bull, you decide, as you giggle.

“Understood, Sir.” You mock with honest gratefulness, already feeling quite comfortable around him.

There is a twitch on the corner of his eyes, a straightening flinch in his shoulders, and you immediately regret it, your eyes widening in worry as his hands curl on the kitchen island around his empty plate.

He shakes his head then, after a moment of watching, unruly curls ruggedly flowing around his face, you are not insensitive to, as he gargles a laugh. Soon, he breaks the cold air, and he tells you to at least raise your hand next time, and you giggle happily, giving him a nod in acceptance.

Well, your new neighbour might not be what you imagined, but he’s perfect as he is. Especially when he walks you back home, his hand out in offering, grasping at your fingers to help you cross the uneven ground of the field.

line dividers by cafekitsune

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thatrandomidiot182 · 2 months ago

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"i could fix him" good for you. im gonna join him in his insanity

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thatrandomidiot182 · 2 months ago

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Blood Ties and Past Lives

Chapter Warnings. mentions of death/murder, vulgar language, childhood trauma, mild paranoia. dialogue heavy!!

As strong as you like to pride yourself on being, you end up breaking down before you can even open your front door.

The day's events, and the emotional turmoil that you've pushed down throughout have finally caught up to you in the dim hallway of your apartment complex, just feet away from the privacy of your living room.

You struggle to jam your key into the lock. Shaking hands and teary eyes make it hard to find the precision you normally have, and eventually you give up. Frustrated, defeated and tired, you release a loud sob as you fall to the floor.

Collapsing on the worn down welcome mat that your landlord gifted you when you first moved in, you slump against the apartment door, trembling hands losing their grip on your keys as you sob.

Your forehead knocks against the cool wood as you do your best to stay quiet, alternating between pursing your lips and holding your breath to muffle your whimpers and heaves. Your hands clutch your shoulders as they shudder, grip tightening the longer you sit there. Your face feels uncomfortably warm and sticky and you eventually get sent into a coughing fit as you choke on your spit, beginning to hyperventilate as you can't seem to catch your breath and the tears just don't stop–

Someone's behind you.

You swing around at the sudden weight on your shoulder, scrambling back into the wall as you all but bear your teeth at the stranger in front of you.

The stranger is quick to raise his hands in a display of innocence, "Easy there tiger, just trying to be a good samaritan..." his voice is soft, pretty brown eyes wide as he takes in your defensive stance.

You're too caught up in the wave of emotions that have overwhelmed you to bother being ashamed at the way you only cried harder at his concern.

The man begins to panic, voice wavering as his hands flail around hesitantly. He slowly crouches next to you, reaching out to place a hand on your knee, "Hey, heyyyy, it's okay– It-It's okay."

You can't even muster a laugh at his stuttering.

"Can you tell me your name? I-Uh, I'm Marcus– Marcus Watts, but everyone calls me MJ so... Just– Call me MJ." He cringes as he stumbles over his words and his awkwardness has your tears gradually slowing as you become distracted by his clamoring.

"I'm your uh... I'm your new neighbor!" He smiles, crooked and wobbly as he sneaks a peak at the number above your head.

You let out a strangled whine at the information, burying your head in your knees in shame.

What a great first impression.

MJ grows frantic at the sound, clumsily moving to sit more comfortably next to you as he gently lays a hand across your shoulders, pulling you to his side as he rubs his fingers soothingly across your muscle.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm so-I'm sorry–" He gently hushes your panicked apologies, tucking your head under his chin. "Don't apologize... Don't apologize, you have nothing to be sorry for. We all have those days." His voice is smooth, not too high or low, but with a comforting roughness that has your heart thrumming in your chest.

"No! No, I sh- I can't be– you don't have to–" he's quick to shut down your sentence, hand curling around your bicep reassuredly as he leans his head back into the wall, throat bobbing against your cheek as he speaks, "I know. But what kind of guy would I be if I let my pretty neighbor sit outside crying."

You laugh at the sentiment, a wet, sad little chuckle that has you cringing afterwards.

MJ's chest rumbles and your cheeks flush as you realize that he's laughing, "Ahhh there you are! I was wondering if I was ever going to hear anything other than sad puppy noises from you."

You let out an embarrassed scoff against his neck, "Sad puppy noises? What??" Your voice is scratchy and almost unintelligible but he somehow understands.

MJ laughs again, much to your offense, and the sound has you unintentionally relaxing further into his hold, "Yeah, you sound like a sad puppy when you cry. It's kinda cute." You pull away from his neck with a frown, squinting at him suspiciously.

"Cute? You're not a weird, creepy sadist are you?"

"Wha-No! NO!" You purse your lips to hide the smile that encases your face at his flustered shout, watching in amusement as his face becomes a similar shade as his hair.

MJ huffs dramatically, "Is this what I get for being a good person? Get called a creep?"

You snort, leaning your head back against the wall as he pulls his hand back to his side, "This is Gotham, you're lucky that I'm a good person, who's thankful..." You smile bashfully, "Really, thank you. For... all of this. I-I promise I'm not always this... uh– dramatic." You wince, thumbing your palm nervously.

MJ offers a small smile, "No problem! Like I said, we all have those days..." He pauses, and you watch anxiously as his face scrunches hesitantly, "Do you... Do you want to talk about it?"

You ponder his offer for a good minute, letting the ambiance of the apartments wash over you.

The sirens in the distance.

The muffled shouts of the single mom at the end of the hallway.

The faint accented voice in your ear encouraging you to open up–

"My tata– My grandfather died... today was his funeral." Your voice is weak and squeaky, but somehow, you don't feel embarrassed by it.

"Oh." It's obvious that your revelation caught him off guard, "I'm sorry."

His empathy is foreign to you, and the entire experience has you thinking that you're dreaming.

After all, he has no reason to be here. Sitting on the grimy floor of your apartment building with his mess of a neighbor who he's never met before. Consoling and empathizing with them as if it was a moment between friends and not someone he just stumbled across.

Yet he is.

And it simultaneously has your heart fluttering with warmth and stomach twisting with paranoia.

Because, why?

Why is he here?

What does he want?

Is this all a ploy? A plot against you?

What if he's with them?

The concept of a stranger being so kind, is just inconceivable. Not just because it's Gotham, and not even because everyone knows the rule of 'stranger danger,' but more so because of the fact that his kindness is aimed towards you.

You haven't done anything to deserve it, so why?

Why is the compassion and concern this complete stranger has offered you in the ten minutes you've known him more than you've gotten from Bruce and his kids in three years?

The realization has your brain stumped between laughing and crying again.

Yet, despite your inner anxieties, your body is completely at ease in his presence.

Instead of being tense and guarded like you should have been, you were completely lax in his embrace.

Oddly enough, despite never having met before, you feel a comfortability around him that you've never felt before. Almost as if you've known him your entire life.

Every molecule of your being is screaming at you to get closer and bury yourself in his warmth once again, as if he himself could singlehandedly free you of your burdens. Your nerves are soothed to a point you haven't felt in years and the voices in your head are finally quiet.

MJ's appearance in your life is as sudden and perplexing as it is welcome.

And once your tears have finally stopped and the single mom down the hall begins yelling at her kids, you realize it's all too good to be true.

You don't deserve such luxuries, not anymore.

So, with a newfound resolve, you offer him one last smile as you rise to finally head into your apartment.

"Thank you, and again, I'm sorry."

It seems like that's the only thing you're able to say anymore.

Your body instantly alerts you to the sound of your living room window being opened.

It's half past midnight, two days after your mortifying first encounter with MJ and you're curled up in bed with a novel and a glass of wine your boss gifted you after you asked for a week off to mourn.

Having been so engrossed in the novel you were reading, you had failed to notice the creaking of your fire escape until your sixth sense suddenly spiked at the clamoring of the rusty latch being opened in the next room.

"What the fuck?" Your concerned whisper breaks the silent ambiance of your room as you hesitantly rise from your bed, tossing your book aside gently. You quickly grab your phone off the nightstand before quietly swinging your bedroom door open, pausing to make sure the intruder stayed unaware of your movements.

Clutching the device to your side, you slowly begin to make your way out into the hall. Years of practice making your steps undetectable as your socked feet lightly ghost along the wooden flooring, carefully avoiding the spots you know would creak and groan.

You focus your hearing on the living room just in time to hear as a body makes its way onto the same floor with a faint thud. A sound so quiet, it immediately had you on guard, with the lack of stomping and clattering alerting you to the fact that this wasn't an ordinary burglar in your apartment.

No, whoever this person is, is light on their feet, meticulously careful in their actions as the window creaking is kept muffled as it's closed and... locked?

The click of the lock has you tense as you peek around the corner of the hallway, your mind runs through a million different possibilities...

A ghost?

An assassin?

Did they finally find you?

Maybe it's one of the capes?

Did Felix somehow manage to track you down?

You raise your hand defensively, fully prepared to web anything that poses a threat as you finally lay eyes on the person–

"Damian?" Your shock is inherently obvious as you murmur the boy's name in confusion, dropping your hand down to your side at the familiar face that greets you.

His head whips towards you, eyes narrowing in his typical glare as his body straightens to his usual posture. "So, you are awake."

You gawk at his confidence, expecting anything but the comfortable ease he exudes as he stalks closer. As if he hadn't just broken into your apartment in the middle of the night. "What the hell are you–"

He's quick to cut you off, whether it's because he knew you were gonna lose your shit or because whatever he needed to say was that important was up for debate.

"You're wrong."

Your brow furrows as you still find yourself reeling in confusion at his sudden appearance, "Wha–I–"

"It was my fault." His voice is hard, eyes trained on the wood beneath your feet as he stands across from you, an arms width away yet closer than he'd ever willingly been before...

"What are you talking about?" You scoff, arms crossing defensively as you eye him suspiciously.

"I disobeyed father." He clenches his fists, "I was stupid and reckless and I got caught and now he's dead." His breath stutters for just a moment, "Alfred's dead because I failed." His face falls, previous bravado of arrogant nonchalance gone as his words settle in your chest.

You purse your lips thoughtfully, face falling as you realize the intent behind his visit. "Damian it's not–"

"I'm Robin."

He meets your eyes heavily as you pause in shock at his sudden revelation. The haunting green hue encapsulates your vision as you stare at him in wide-eyed disbelief.

Of course, you've already known that he was Robin for a while now. In fact, it had only taken you a few weeks of living in the manor to put the pieces together and figure out about all of your family's little nighttime personas. You weren't top of your class for nothing after all, but to hear him admit it so openly– to you of all people– has taken you completely off guard.

You allow yourself a moment of confusion before letting out a sigh, offering a small, awkward smile as your gaze softens, "I know."

He's visibly taken aback by your answer, eyes narrowing as he scoffs, "What do you mean you know?"

You smirk, rolling your eyes lightheartedly as you walk past him to sit on your couch, "Please, I'm not an idiot. I know about all of you."

He crosses his arms, glaring down at you after following to stand before you, "How?"

"Its simple pattern recognition, really." You shrug, counting off your reasoning with your fingers, "You guys were never home at night, always had suspicious bruises and cuts... You never seemed shocked about the stories in the news, never hesitated to suddenly become 'busy' when they'd broadcast an Arkham breakout... Always had somewhere to be or something to do besides lounge around like normal rich people..." You trail off, eyeing him warily as he becomes visibly agitated as you continue.

"You think you're clever because you figured it out? Drake found out fathers identity when he was thirteen, and a stranger. You're not special for catching on after two years in close proximity." His words are venomous and it grants you a sick sense of relief to finally see him behaving the way you'd expected. "Besides, you've never had definitive proof. If I hadn't wanted you to know, you would have lived with baseless assumptions and a foolish, inflated ego." His face resets to that haughty smugness he's known for as he scrunches his nose down at you.

You bristle defensively at his words, glaring back as you scoff, officially done with his sudden hot and cold attitude, "Why are you even here, Damian?" You toss your hands up frustratedly, "Why bother telling me all of this, if you're gonna be mad about me knowing? Seriously, did you come here just to mock me? Why are–"

"Because you don't understand!" He snaps. "Because you need to understand!" His lips curve into a vicious scowl, voice rising in anger as he stalks closer to your seated figure, "It doesn't make sense!"

His voice cracks, "Why!? Why are you the only one who doesn't blame me?!" Your face falls as you watch his eyes well with tears, "Why are you– the one person I've hurt more than anyone else– the only person who understands... Why aren't you angry at me?" His bottom lip quivers and it takes everything in you to stop yourself from pulling him into your arms.

You opt to offer a half-hearted shrug, awkwardly snorting out a small laugh, as you rise from the couch, "Oh, trust me, I am." You pause, placing a hesitant hand on his shoulder, watching as he shrinks under your touch, "Just not for this." You huff, "I'm angry at you because you stabbed me, sure." You shrug, releasing a tense sigh as you avert your gaze to the wall behind him, "But it'd be wrong of me to blame you when I was the one who had the chance to stop Bane and didn't."

Damian's face snaps towards yours, eyes widening as he chokes out a confused, "What?"

You take a breath, squeezing your eyes closed as you speak resolutely, "I was The Spider– The uh– hero, from New York..." You trail off awkwardly, avoiding his befuddled stare with a sigh, "Long story short, shit happened, and I'm done playing hero so..."

"You–" You don't give him the chance to question your sudden confession, gently guiding him to sit next to you on the sofa as you quickly continue.

"The night Alfred died–" You hesitate, swallowing the lump in your throat nervously, "I saw Bane downtown." You let the information settle in the air, watching Damian's reaction carefully as he does the same.

"He... He was monologuing to the rogues, going on and on about something stupid, I can't remember, but he was completely off-guard. Like, totally relaxed. As if he was in his own bed and not in the middle of a crowd of psycho serial killers." Your eyes glaze over as you recall the scene.

"I was walking through an alley, one of the usual shortcuts I take on my way home from work, near the Batburger on tenth... I reach the end and he's just... there, I mean, h–he was right there. Right there!" Your fists shake from their clenched position on your lap, "and I had a chance– I had the chance, the opportunity to end it all." You scowl, "All the torment... All the chaos... All the pain..." You bring your fists up to your face, hiding your frustrated tears behind your palms as you berate yourself, "All I had to do was swing a web and pull and it'd be over..." You laugh humorlessly, "But I didn't. I didn't and Bane went on to kill Alfred that same damn night..."

You grit your teeth, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill as you continue, "I was selfish." Your voice cracks, "I was stupid. Instead of doing the world a favor and putting that piece of shit down, I walked away. Told myself it wasn't my problem– That it wasn't my job to fight the bad guys, to be the hero. Not anymore– I–" You stop yourself, weary of where you were steering the conversation as Damian looms silently beside you.

It's quiet for a second, the only sound being the movement of your hands wiping your tears away from your face as the two of you sit with the weight of your words.

"He wouldn't have wanted that." Damian's voice is softer, but still carries an edge to it that has you wilting at the implications.

"Yeah, why's that?" You barely manage to whisper the words as your throat closes in on itself.

"He always spoke so highly of you." Damian smiles ruefully, "Anytime he mentioned your name it would be followed by praise..." He rolls his eyes with a scowl, "He always said you'd be the one to make something of yourself. To be great..." He sighs, closing his eyes as his face scrunches, almost as if the act of trying to console you pained him.

"He wouldn't want you going down the path of a killer."

The sentence sparks a sharp bark of laughter out of you.

...Little did he know, you already have.

"Trust me–" He pauses, and you watch patiently as he tenses, eyes darting to your face nervously before gluing themselves to your ratty carpet. "–Killing someone, even a murderer, even someone like Bane... It doesn't give you the relief you'd expect." His voice is low, solemn and honest as he speaks and it has you huffing in exasperation.

"You sound experienced..."

He doesn't respond as quickly as you expect, and you can't help but eye him curiously as he moves to sit beside you.

"I am." He inhales deeply, hands folding together on his lap and you can hear his heart thrumming nervously.

"My name is Damian Thomas Al Ghul–Wayne." Your brow furrows in confusion, "I'm the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia Al Gul..." The name is unfamiliar, and it has a pit forming in your gut as he continues, "Grandson of R'as Al Ghul and the Demon Heir of the League of Assassins." His eyes are empty, voice carefully steady and flat as he recites the information as if reading off of a script.

"Since the day of my birth, I was raised to be a weapon. I was–I was handed a sword before I could even walk, taught to eliminate threats before I was able to eat solid foods..." Your heart sinks, "I was made to be the perfect assassin. The perfect heir... and I was." He sighs, "The first time I killed a man, I was eight. My grandfather ordered the execution of a traitor among the league, and saw it as the perfect opportunity to test me." The image sends a wave of nausea rolling through your stomach. Picturing an eight-year old Damian standing before a corpse, bloodied hands and trembling lip as he withheld tears– "I didn't think anything of it. I simply completed the duty I was given... It's how I viewed every mission that came after. A duty. An honor entrusted to me by my grandfather... I wanted to make him proud, for him and Mother to see that I was worthy of my title, of my blood..."

He smiles ruefully, "Then I met father. He brought me to Gotham... to the Manor, and... to Alfred." You offer a reassuring smile, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I was forced to... acclimate to everything so quickly. One minute I was an assassin, and the next, I was being told to never kill anyone again! I was only ten years old, and everyone expected me to just... ignore everything I was previously taught. To abandon my upbringing– abandon my mother– and become a hero... so I did. I-I turned my back on the league, I've forsaken my blood and reshaped myself into a Robin deserving of fighting beside Batman... but it doesn't matter what I do, they all still think of me as a murderer." He hangs his head in shame, and you find yourself sharing the sentiment as you reflect on how you treated him while you lived in the manor.

If you had known any of this then, maybe you guys would have been friends...

He laughs, a cold and humorless sound that has you cringing in remorse, "Ever since I left the league, it feels like I've been under constant surveillance. Like father and Grayson are just waiting for me to screw up. Like at any little inconvenience I'll just turn and kill someone..." his bottom lip trembles, and you rub his shoulder comfortingly as he proceeds to let out a shaky sigh,

"What I'm saying is that the mark of a killer is something that will never leave you, no matter how hard you try... so... don't ever regret walking away... no matter the consequences."

It's quiet once he finishes his speech, the two of you sitting side by side as you wallow in the somber atmosphere.

Your fingers twitch nervously, canines digging into your bottom lip as you breathe through the wave of emotions that crashed over you after Damian's confession.

Confusion, empathy, grief, anger, sorrow...

It all forces you to come to a whole new understanding of the boy sitting next you.

You're honestly just completely taken off guard by everything. This was by far the longest conversation you'd ever had, and it has you reeling. The fact that Damian even appeared before you– willingly– was already jarring, and the way he spoke– open, honest... vulnerable, is so uncharacteristic that it's unnerving.... It all has you contemplating, why?

What changed?

Did Alfred's death really cause such a reaction?

Perhaps Alfred's words of praise were enough to convince Damian that you weren't the villain he had assumed?

Maybe Alfred asked him to reconcile with you while he was alive and now that he's gone Damian feels an obligation to fulfill the elders wish?

You don't know, and you don't think you'll ever know the true reason why Damian decided to approach you tonight, but you'll be damned if you let the opportunity slip through your fingers...

As much as you like to pretend that you're fine on your own... you're lonely.

You miss your family.

You miss the comfort and the love, the loyalty and acceptance. The warmth of your mother's embrace– of your tias singing and grandparents cooking. You miss your cousins and their inside jokes and stupid nicknames that always picked at your worst insecurities. The birthdays and weddings that went on till sunrise, where you'd be lulled to sleep on a plastic white chair by drunken chattering and laughter. The peace that came with waking up in the arms of your step-dad as he spoke his goodbyes. You miss the joy of having someone love you unconditionally, of someone always being there for you, without expecting anything in return...

and Damian may be your last chance at having even a fraction of that again, which is why you're meeting him in the middle.

You close your eyes resolutely, tilting your head back against the couch as you come out of your thoughts, releasing a deep sigh as you begin to speak, "I was twelve when I was bitten by a radioactive spider that escaped containment from my step-dad's lab." Damian's head snaps towards you at the sudden breach of silence, eying you curiously as you adjust your posture to slump back into the cushions more comfortably.

"It was two years after he and my mom were murdered, and we were finally allowed access to clear out his personal items after the lawsuit cleared... That stupid little bug slipped out of the plastic tube, crawled into my sock and bit me right on my achilles!" You scowl, "The pain was excruciating. It felt like fire was flooding through my veins, burning me from the inside out…” You grimace, “I'll never forget the fear on my Tias face when she came into the room and found me on the floor. She thought I was having a seizure... The pain had me convulsing so bad that she had to pin me down to stop me from ripping chunks out of myself.” You smile weakly, “I've never screamed like that in my entire life, I couldn't speak for two weeks afterwards..." You shiver at the memory, beginning to pick idly at a loose thread in the couch cushion.

"I remember waking up in my bed, confused as hell... I honestly thought it was a dream– Well, at least until I accidentally webbed my blanket to myself." You snort, lips quirking into a cringe as you recall the meltdown you had after being unable to disentangle yourself from your nanas rose cobija.

"I was so confused and scared when my powers began to develop. I was terrified the first time I managed to walk on my ceiling!” You grin, “but, I was also an impressionable kid with a sense of justice too big for their tiny body who just got superpowers, so, it's safe to say that it didn't take me very long to put on the suit.” You laugh, "I say suit, but that's just me being generous. It was really just a ski mask with lab goggles and my step-dads old varsity hoodie." You scoff, "I looked so bad, I'm glad the media didn't get any pictures of me until I had a legit suit… Who knows what kind of memes would exist if they had!” Your smile dwindles at the lack of response from Damian, turning to meet his unimpressed gaze with a sad smile, “I also had absolutely no training. No martial arts classes, no self-defense knowledge whatsoever– and I didn't even know how to properly control my powers…” You sigh, “You can imagine how that went.”

Damian winces and you shake your head remorsefully, “Sure, I had a rough start, but when it came down to it, I was a stubborn kid with a bleeding heart who wanted to keep others from the same fate as my mom.” Damian shifts next to you, gaze glued to your face as you continue, “So, every night when my Tia went off to work, I'd sneak out and… do my thing.” Your nose scrunches at your wording, a small laugh slipping out at the awkward phrasing, “I got my ass kicked more times that I can count, almost died on multiple occasions… but I always got back up because there was always someone else to save. Always a bad guy to stop.” You frown.

“It was easy, for the first couple of weeks. Small things, like rescuing cats from trees, stopping pickpockets, webbing some car thieves and roughing up perverts who bothered women on the sidewalks... but then it got real. The threats got bigger, and it got harder to hide what I was doing from those who knew me best.” Your eyes flutter as you blink back tears, “Gwen figured me out within my first couple of weeks as Spider.” A wet laugh sneaks past your lips as you recall her pout, “She was so mad that I didn't tell her. She insisted on designing my suit! She– She even took a fashion class just to make it for me…” You smile, “It didn't come out great, obviously, but… I-It meant so much to me to have her support. I was so scared that she’d be afraid of me, that-that If I told anyone they’d think I was a freak-or-or sell me to the government or something…” You laugh, “But she didn’t, she-she didn’t do any of that she just… she supported me, and she loved me… despite everything that came with being a hero. Throughout all the broken bones and split lips, after all the breakdowns and close-calls. She was there, she was always there… and it got her killed.” Your gaze drifts down to your fingers, nailbeds now swollen and raw from your unintentional picking.

You choke on a whimper, composure slowly slipping as your mind flashes back to the night of her death, “She-She wasn't supposed to be there that night, but she was worried about me… She always worried.” You roll your jaw as you grit out the details, blurry images of rain and smoke flood your brain as you relive it all, “The Green Goblin bombed Oscorp during one of our fights. He was trying to kill me and she got caught in the crossfire…” Damian's gaze was pitying and it sparks a burning wave of nausea to churn in your stomach as your jaw clenches, “The worst part is that it wasn't even the bomb that killed her, it was the shrapnel.” He winces as you laugh angrily, “Her death wasn't quick, and it sure as hell wasn't painless.” You scowl, “She was alive for ten minutes after the explosion. Ten minutes that she spent in agonizing pain, with a piece of metal impaled in her spine! Ten minutes that I spent trying to keep her alive as she bled out in my arms!” Your chest heaves, breath stuttering as your heart thrums in your veins.

Damian's quiet as he watches you overcome your frustration. Soft green eyes never leaving your face as you whimper, “She was only fourteen… She hadn't even started high school.”

You swallow as you gather yourself, wiping away the tears as you rush to continue, “He’s the same man who killed my Tia…” Damian’s eyes widen, “He rigged the bridge to explode, right at the time she was on her way home from work” You eye your peeling wallpaper disinterestedly as you speak, “I tried to save her, but coincidentally there was also a school bus that was falling…” Your jaw clenches as you grip your biceps, desperate for a sense of comfort as you remember her defeated eyes, “I couldn't choose. I tried to stall for as long as possible to figure something out…” You force out a shuddering breath, ”I felt my shoulders dislocate. I felt as all the muscles in my arms were slowly ripped apart over and over as my healing factor struggled to keep up and I panicked… Eventually, I ran out of time, and she chose for me.” You feel the warmth of Damian's arm against your own as your body trembles, “I never even got the chance to tell her, but the look in her eyes as she cut the web told me that she already knew. She had always known, which is why she did what she did.”

You groan, “I was so angry. So blinded by rage, I couldn't even think, I didn't want to think... so I didn't. I just did what I do best... I fought.” You swallow thickly, “I went after the goblin, with no care for myself, no regard for what was gonna happen, I just wanted revenge. Justice.” You can’t help but laugh at the irony, “We fought for two hours before we eventually nosedived into the river. His hovercraft self-destructed on impact, and as far as the rest of the world's concerned, Spider died on that bridge, saving the people of New York like they always had.” You smirk condescendingly, “Good old Spidey got a hero's farewell, and I was finally free to be a normal kid…”

“A normal kid, who lost everyone because they wanted to play hero.” You scowl, “Even going back to a normal life was impossible, because as you said, the mark of a killer can't be erased, and my recklessness and selfish desire for vengeance came back to haunt me.”

Your teeth bear a sharp grin, lacking any humor or comfort as you choke out, “When the man under the mask turned out to be my best friend's father.”

"Let's watch a movie!" was your desperate attempt to lighten the atmosphere after spending close to four hours trading childhood stories of valor and trauma with your younger brother.

It took you another half hour to convince him of the idea and yet another hour to settle on a movie you both found interesting enough.

Halfway through Revenge of the Sith, Damian turns to you, "I... apologize for stabbing you."

You laugh, "It's okay, you're not the first person to try and murder me, and given the circumstances, you don't have the worst reason either."

His confused stare goes ignored as you turn back to the screen of your laptop, tapping his arm excitedly as the orange and red light draws your attention, "Shh! Here comes the best part!"

I HATE YOU!!

You were my brother Anakin! I loved you...

You find yourself quietly mouthing along with Obi-Wan as you drape your throw blanket over Damian's sleeping form.

Taking a step back, your lips quirk in a small smile at the sight of the lanky teenager squished onto your couch, covered by a faded orange blanket with white bunnies sprawled along the fabric like polka dots.

After all the confessions and revelations the night held, it was comforting to see him look like a kid for once.

"Damian! Where have you been, we've been worried sick–" You roll your eyes, cutting Dick off with an overexaggerated sigh, "Not Damian, but he is fine!"

It silent for a moment before he responds, voice clipped and gruff as he questions, "Wha– Who is this!? Why do you have Damian's phone?!"

"Why, it's only your favorite sibling, of course!" You chirp, teeth bared in a sickly sweet smile that matches the over heightened pitch in your voice that has Damian glaring at you from across the room.

Dick stutters out your name nervously and you nod, "Yes, it's me. So, Damian broke into my apartment last night–"

"He what!?" You nearly throw your phone halfway across the room in your haste to draw it away from your ear at his screeching.

"–aaaand we managed not to kill each other! He's fine, just needs a ride home."

The line is silent, and you smirk at the thought of Dick’s terrified face.

"I-I'll be right there."

You and Damian exchange matching grins at the panic in Dicks voice after he hangs up.

"He really has no faith in us, does he?"

Damian scoffs, "Absolutely none, I'm almost offended."

You smirk, "Says the one who pulled a whole ass katana on me the last time we were alone together!"

Damian simply averts his gaze, hiding his shit-eating grin with his mug.

You shake your head with a small laugh.

In the span of one night, you've managed to reconcile and bond with Damian at an astonishing rate.

It's shocking, but as you watch his nose scrunch at the taste of your cheap instant coffee, you find yourself discarding any ill will. After all, he's starting to grow on you.

Taglist <3: @onceinamillionposter @jscrawls @bat1212 , @1abi , @cosmosluckycharms , @homeless-clown , @awawage , @holylonelyponyeatingmacaroni, @zomqiez , @wishesofficial , @itsberrydreemurstuff

If you saw me accidentally post this before it was finished... no you didn't.

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE SUPPORT!! I'M SO HYPED FOR THE FUTURE OF THIS SERIES OMFG...

I know this is tagged as a Venom! Reader, and this is now three chapters with no Venom, so I wanted to quickly address that! Basically, he's not really going to make an appearance until the second arc, about two or three chapters from now. That's because this first arc is mainly world building and setting up the relationships and plot for the second arc which will have more action and spidey shenanigans. Sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear, but it's just the way the story is going rn.

N E WAYZZZ THANK YOU FOR READING HOPE YOU ENJOYEDD <3

#x reader #reader insert #batfam x reader #VENOMOUS THINGS #batman #batfam #spiderman atsv #spiderman itsv #spider!reader #spiderman #dc x marvel au #dc x reader

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