#“HE'S FIFTEEN HE'S A CHILD WHY WON'T THEY LET HIM BE A CHILD”

[sparkles-rule-4eva]

If I see one more post trashing on the Sonic movies just because they're not like the games and because of the human characters I'm going to explode and then punt the sun itself into their faces

GUUUYYYSSSSS. THERE'S THIS MAGIC THING CALLED A MULTIVERSE. THE SONIC MOVIES ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THE GAMES, THEY ARE IN AN ENTIRELY SEPARATE UNIVERSE. YOU SHOULD NOT BE JUDGING THEM BASED ON HOW WELL THEY FOLLOW THE GAME CANON, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT THE GAMES. THE MOVIES AND THE GAMES CAN COEXIST AS SEPARATE UNIVERSES OF THE SAME CHARACTERS LIVING THEIR LIVES IN DIFFERENT WAYS, MKAY??

Once you accept this I can almost guarantee you'll be a much happier fan. I can testify. 😘

Sonic Wachowski ≠ Game!Sonic. Because they grew up in different environments and around different people in different circumstances, and that changed the way they turned out. I believe that if Wachowski grew up the same way Game! did, he would've turned out like Game! did. I also believe that if Game! grew up the same way Wachowski did, he would've turned out like Wachowski did. The core of this character is the same. In both the movies and the games, he's the fastest thing alive, he LOVES running, he loves his friends, he loves chili dogs, he loves living, and he will fight for what he believes is right. 💙

Just take into account the different worlds, the different lives, the different influences, and the fact that the movies are not trying to imitate the games (I thought this was obvious from day 1?) and it'll be a lot more fun in this fandom for you. In fact, you'll find you're a lot happier when you're actually taking time to love and appreciate the things you're interested in rather than just nitpicking about everything. 👌😜

And if you don't like the movies, you can kindly leave them be as well as all those of us who DO enjoy the movies. If you only like the games, stick to the games. 💙

#the movies are also likely partly a result of a buncha people being like #“HE'S FIFTEEN HE'S A CHILD WHY WON'T THEY LET HIM BE A CHILD” #paramount: :)) #paramount: we gotchu #paramount: *makes him even younger and gives him the best parents ever* #sonic wachowski is my blueberry muffin no one touch him #AND TOM WACHOWSKI IS MY BLUEBERRY MUFFIN'S DAD NO ONE TOUCH HIM #MADDIE WACHOWSKI IS MY BLUEBERRY'S MAMA NO ONE TOUCH HER #JOJO IS HIS COUSIN #RACHEL IS HIS AUNT #MKAY? #not to mention all the hate about tom being a cop 😤 #bruh guys i know there are a lot of bad cops but tom is not one of those #was it not obvious #sonic wachowski #scu #sonic cinematic universe #sonic cinematic universe defense #scu defense #defense post #scu love #NO HATE HERE MKAY??? #in FACT DNI IF YOU'RE JUST GONNA HATE #THIS IS A NO HATE ZONE #there's a reason my blog has me titled “positive fangirl” #ain't no complaints or hate around here #NO HATE #sonic the hedgehog #sonic #sth

[skyeslittlecorner]

Omg loveeee your works and the smol kings 😍 Can I have some more plssssss 🥺 Like MC teasing them for being so little (poke and bite those cheeks... 👉👈), then carrying them in their hands for cuddles or some kissie and huggie 🥹🥹🥹 Or any other fluff stuff too!!!!!

Ahhh they're just too precious 🥺 Nobles move aside, it's time to take care of these rascals personally. Little, lovable rascals. The more I see them like this, the more I hope that PB will take the opportunity and turn them into kids one day. Even for a moment. Let me hold and cuddle baby Satan pleeeaseee 🙏🙏

PS. I swear it supposed to be fluff BUT Levi said noooo who need fluff when we can have ✨trauma✨. He doesn't cooperate even in fanfics.

Satan

Remember how Sitri was worried about whether it was good idea to show Satan to people of Gehenna? You found out how wrong he was as soon as the other kids appeared on the horizon. Satan's gaze was glued to them. Silenced by the Paimon’s bubble gum, tearing the teddy bears brought by Leraye, didn't even pay attention to the nobles, he just grabbed your hand and pointed towards the group of kids with sticks.

"Over there! Let’s go!"

You were alone with him for a while, but it wouldn't hurt if you two went out to play, right? He didn't need the nobles' presence. But you? You were supposed to sit with him and the kids. When Satan took a stick they were pretending is a gun, you expected to get one too. Instead, he stood in front of you and stated seriously:

“You're my queen, you don't fight! I'm fighting for you.”

He looked so cute that you burst out laughing and pinched his fluffy cheek. He groaned and pushed your hand away. 

"No! You can't! You don't do that to warriors!”

“Then protect me bravely, my king.”

You moved away to a safe distance so as not to accidentally get hit by a piece of bark or a bullet of the mud. Two women who stood a little further away, apparently the mothers of some kids from group, invited you to join them.

“I didn't know you had children, he looks so sweet…”

“He's really strong! Just like his majesty Satan. Incredible”

You watched tenderly as the little ones rolled in the dust and puddles. Kids. You had to explain everything to the women, but maybe not yet. A family with him… The very idea melted you inside. More and more often you wondered if you really wanted to come back to Earth.

Mammon

You were gone for fifteen minutes at most. It took you a moment of wandering around the gallery to find the bathroom, and then an even longer moment not to get lost in the bathroom itself (why was a sauna there?). As you returned to the alley where you left the nobles with the little king, you heard howling. You had a bad feeling. They were confirmed when you turned between the shelves and a scene straight from Dante's Inferno appeared before your eyes.

Bimet was crouching and waving toy cars, Eligos was swinging a gold-plated candy bar, and Mammon was sitting on the floor and crying. Valefor was the only one who looked conscious, with the phone to his ear.

“There you are,” he smiled with relief as you came closer in your stupor. “I tried to call you. His Majesty… You see what happened as soon as you left us.”

Bimet narrowed his eyes and huffed.

“Come here and fix it.”

You didn't even feel like making fun of them because this sobbing was tearing your heart apart. Mammon was really tiny as a child. You knelt down and gathered him in your arms, his slim body clinging to you with all his frail strength. He calmed down, but only a little.

“Here, here. Everything's fine. What happened?"

“I found… something… for you.” His voice was interrupted by hiccups. "But you were not there…"

You kissed the top of his head, between the curled horns. His head sometimes tilted to the left, where the heavier horn was.

“Shhh, I won't leave you anymore.”

“You promise?”

You nodded, and the kid smiled through his tears. He sniffed and pressed a candy bracelet into your hand. When he grabbed your hand, you felt that he still had some of his adult strength in him. From now on, you were forbidden to leave his side.

Beelzebub

You spent the entire day running back and forth around Avisos after the little king who refused to sit still. You thought your legs were going to fall off. When you were sitting on the couch in the office and the little boy was falling asleep on your lap, you realized that you simply went about it wrong. It was a better idea to take him to the feast immediately. It's true that he ate three pubs, but this bill was nothing compared to his usual conquests. He lay curled up, his head in your lap, holding your hand.

“My tummy hurts.”

Bael, although he took pity enough not to rush him to work, still preferred to have you both with him, in the office.

“So you didn't have to eat that much?”

“I am the king of gluttony.”

“You're a little worm, Beel. This is how you end up mixing newt eyes with Eastern European moonshine. Next time you'll think about what you're cooking."

He was answered by a childish grumble, as Beel squeezed your hand tighter.

“Don't listen to Bael, he's stupid. It tasted so nice…”

"I heard it."

"He worries about you." You stroked the blond hair that you had already braided.

Beel wanted to talk to you again, take you somewhere, but you saw that his eyes were closing completely. You laid down on the couch and let him snuggle against your chest. 

Bael just glanced at you, but soon you were both asleep. He sighed and covered you with the blanket, and now that Beelzebub was asleep, he could stroke his hair a little too. Stupid... but he's still his king. And a friend, after all.

Leviathan

Young Levi was even quieter than usual, and much, much more fearful. He didn't want to have anything to do with anyone. He hid in corners and nooks, and the fact that he was tiny didn't help. You knew that the invisible Foras was watching over him, but that didn't calm you down. A gift for this child came to your mind, when you saw that all the pens were missing from the desk.

You found Levi hidden behind his coffin, with a stack of notes scattered around. All the drawings were black, gloomy and hastily sketched.

“Leviathan?”

He started like a frightened deer ready to run away.

“Don't go, please… it's me. It's just me. I have something for you."

He didn't back down, but he didn't invite you in either. Still, you sat down across from him and placed a new pack of colored pencils next to drawings. He looked at them, his small lips quivering as if he were holding back tears.

“I don't want them.”

"Why?"

“It wasn't… it wasn't colorful there.”

His drawings made it all too clear to you what he was thinking. You saw the castle of Hades and the spindly Levi himself. You could tell by the horns. But other children, with broken horns, with bandages...

“They want you to be happy.” You reached out and wiped away the tears that ran down his pale cheeks. Little fists rubbed eyes in anger. Tears came to your own eyes as you looked at his silent pain.

Leviathan himself must have felt terrified, because he stood up and staggered closer. Trembling fingers grabbed your sleeve. A piercing sob hit you straight in the heart. All you could do was cradle him in your arms. 

You took a new piece of paper, the brightest color you could find, and started to draw. You gently stroked the shaking shoulders and only picked up the paper when you finished.

"Look here."

Your artistic skills left much to be desired, especially that you didn’t draw with your leading hand, because thi one was holding a crying child. The picture of Levi with his nobles and, above all, you, was bursting with colors. Foras must have had a lot of fun seeing this, but you had to swallow your pride.

“It's nasty.” Levi commented through tears. “And Glasyal looks like he has a hump. That's not how it should look."

But you managed to distract him. Now, until he fell asleep in your arms, little Leviathan never left your side.

#whb #what in hell is bad #whb satan #whb beelzebub #whb mammon #whb leviathan #skye's little talk

[bagerfluff]

I Won't Say (I'm In Love)

Nico di Angelo x Son of Eros Reader

Inspiration - I Won't Say (I'm In Love) By Alan Menken and David Zippel

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

AN - If you have any ideas for a story with this reader then ask and you shall receive

Nico stood by his cabin as he watched you talk with some Aphrodite girls. It had been months since you had first came to camp and since Hazel had introduced you two and you were still the gossip of Camp Half-Blood and Nico could see why.

You were found a couple months ago and you hadn’t been claimed yet which was shocking since you had told everyone that you were fifteen. The Gods had said that they would claim any Half-Blood before they turned thirteen.

Chiron had asked you if you had been claimed but after he told you how half-bloods get claimed you sarcastically said “I think I would notice if a giant thing appeared above my head”, which Leo thought was funny.

So you were placed into Hermes cabin for about a week before you were claimed, but everyone was more shocked at that. You were claimed by Eros, or better known as Cupid.

That was a shock.

No one, not even Chiron had heard of this. And that guy was old, really old. It had been months since that happened but people still talked about you. You were in the Hermes cabin since there wasn’t a cabin for you but that only lasted for a month or two because it was getting quite crowded, so they placed you in a cabin that was almost empty.

Hades cabin, Nico’s cabin. This made Nico quite mad. But not for the reasons you think. Nico had nothing against you. You were nice, charming, funny, good looking.

That’s why Nico hated you.

You had tried to befriend him, with lots of flirting that Nico decided to ignore. Although Nico didn’t spend a lot of time at Camp Half-Blood, you still tried to be friends with him. But he never really talked to you, or hung out with you.

He mostly ignored you.

After a couple of weeks you had gotten the message and left him alone. But now Nico had wished that he didn’t act so cold to you. Watching you talk and laugh with other people made Nico feel weird. He didn’t know why he felt this way.

He did not like you.

Nico didn’t not have a crush on you. He had bad experiences with love, especially with Cupid. It never worked out well. So why did he feel his heart flutter when he was near you or when you smiled at him. No, Nico did not have a crush on you. He had too much to worry about in his life.

He was a child of The Big Three, his life was hard. He had to focus on keeping himself alive. But then why did he long to be next to you. You are like that stupid girl with her arms around your shoulder. Nico shook his head and looked away from you.

He should leave, he’s spent too much time at Camp Half-Blood anyway. “Hey Neeks”, Nico looked up to see Hazel running towards him. Nico smiled slightly and waved at her. “What are you doing?” Hazel asked, taking a place next to Nico.

“I was just about to leave, I have stuff to do”. Hazel laughed which confused Nico. “So you weren’t just looking at Y/n?” Hazel asked though it wasn’t a question. Nico blushed and looked away from Hazel but the damage had been done.

Hazel had her answer though Nico suspected that she already knew it. “Why don’t you just tell Y/n that you love him. He’s said he’s pansexual”, Hazel pointed out. Nico knew that, you had told him that when you first tried to talk to him.

Nico never knew why to tell him that, it wasn’t important. “I’m not going to confess to him because I don’t like him”, Nico told Hazel, looking back at her though he couldn’t meet her eyes. Hazel let out another laugh before looking at you.

Nico followed her gaze and he blushed again when he saw you. You weren’t doing anything special, which just made Nico more mad. You were just leaning on the railing for a cabin and talking to an Apollo kid.

Since your father struck people with arrows you were really good with a bow, which made you friends with almost all of the Apollo kids. But the way that the sun was shining on you made your eyes like gems and every once and a while you ran your hands through your hair, which was not helping Nico with his blush.

Hazel let out another laugh and that brought his attention back to her. “Yeah Nico, sure you don’t have a crush on him”, Hazel spoke before placing a kiss on Nico’s cheek and walking away. Nico grunting and muttered some things in Greek before looking back at you.

This time you caught his gaze and you smiled and waved at him. Nico turned away and walked away. Why did you have to look so good? Nico assumed it was because of your father, he was the son of Aphrodite.

But you didn’t change when people looked at you.

Normally the Aphrodite kids changed slightly depending on who looked at them. But you didn’t, which was weird since your father did that. You just looked good no matter what.

Though Nico didn’t know if this was true, this was just what he’s heard. Nico shook his head and looked back. He could see you entering the Hades Cabin and saying goodbye to your friend. You looked amazing.

Nico wished he was your friend, but he was too scared. Too scared of you, and his love for you. So maybe Nico did have a crush on you.

But he would never say that out loud.

#lgbtq #percy jackson x you #percy jackson x reader #percy jackson x male reader #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson and the olympians #pjo hoo toa #pjo fandom #pjo tv show #pjo series #heros of olympus #nico di angelo x male reader #nico di angelo x reader #nico di angelo

[pleasantlycrazyworld]

Oohh, you SO know who I'm asking this for and why 😂😂

15. “do you think we’d still be a couple in an alternate universe?” “go to bed.” “what if we already got married and have five kids.” “go to bed.”

Ps ILY 🩷

This was one of my favorites 🤭If you like this please reblog and comment it means so much more than you think. <3

Eddie never will know what it means to have to take care of him when he gets super high. Now he has a good tolerance but sometimes he plans to get high out of his mind. These days are planned when he knows two things, 1. he has no work that day or the next, and 2. he knows you will be there to take care of him.

You had just arrived from the grocery when you saw Eddie arguing with the cartoons you left on the TV before leaving. "Don't be an idiot the dynamite won't work for that bird YOU KNOW THIS!!" Eddie huffs and sits on the couch muttering about how stupid a coyote can be, but then he lights up seeing you in the doorway. "Baby!" he leaps from his seat and hurries to your side, "I missed you so much! I thought it was just a quick trip?" He pouts and starts to cling to you.

You chuckle at the boys' behavior."It was a quick trip sweetie I was gone for fifteen minutes." Eddie huffs again, "That is forever! You missed so much-" as he trails on and on about the episode of Looney Tunes that his watching you get to put the groceries away. He finally concludes that you'll just have to watch the episode again to understand it all the better, so you agree to watch the show if you get to make his plate of chicken tenders and he happily agrees and sits very patiently for you on the couch.

When you sit next to him with your dinner plates his eyes light up all over again. He fumbles with the remote to start the episode again and you two eat while you listen to his rants about how dumb a coyote can be once again, but there isn't a fiber in your being that minds. Now you don't get to see this side of him often, but when Eddie is like this he gets a child-like sense to him all over again and you vow to protect him with your life.

Eddie ends up getting sleepy after dinner is all over so you awkwardly help him to the bed as he tries to deny his tiredness while he buries his face into your neck. "But babyyyyyy I don't want to sleep! Then who will look at your face?! Someone needs to admire that beauty!" He collapses on the bed and sighs feeling the tiredness settle within his bones. He mumbles into the pillow that maybe you were right and he is sleepy. You roll your eyes and get him out of his jeans before helping him under the covers. Before you can do anything else however he pulls you into his chest and starts to beg for cuddles. "How do you expect me to sleep if you leave?" He pouts and you sigh as you start to take off your jeans. "Okay, baby let's cuddle" He damn near squeals hearing this.

Once you both are nice and comfortable in bed Eddie cuddles into you like usual but this time he just won't stop rambling. "What would you do if I turned to a worm? Would you still love me?" You nod and reassure him you would love him no matter what. "That's disgusting. I would be a WORM! Those things live in the dirt." He scrunched his nose as he starts laughing at the thought of you kissing a worm thinking it was him. "Baby...do you think we’d still be a couple in an alternate universe?”Eddie asks sounding so sincere but you sigh before answering. “Honey let's just go to bed we will talk in the morning about all the important questions.” 

It's quiet for a bit and you really thought he was finally asleep.“But what if we already got married and have like five kids?!” Eddie argues back. “Baby please just go to bed.” He contemplates this request for a bit before kissing the side of your head, "I love you" He mumbles before he finally falls asleep.

tagging: @sweet-villain @bloodthirstybreedingbunny @screammunson @eddiemunsons-missingnipple @zestychili @lofaewrites @h-ness1944 @eiightysixbaby @thefreak0fhawkinshigh @tiannasfanfic @djkeruigbbygirl

#eddie munson #eddie munson fluff #gracie writes #high eddie? #stranger things imagine #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson x reader #stranger things #joseph quinn #eddie munson x you #requested #please request

[natequarter]

you wonder why the scots were so unstable, then you look at their monarchy and realise they had seven child monarchs in a row. oh your king's a twelve-year-old? that sucks. what, he's been assassinated? huh! good thing his heir-- HE'S SIX? good thing he isn't going to die a ridiculous death like getting blown up by a cannon any time soon! BUT NOT FOR LONG! what, he was actually blown up by a cannon? wow. anyway, we're leaving the throne in the capable hands of a nine-year-old. that won't go wrong! OR SO WE THOUGHT! well, at least it wasn't a cannon that took him out this time, just a little bit of rebellion and war. and we're leaving the throne in the capable hands of a competent and popular ruler.

BUT NOT FOR LONG! this idiot gets absolutely wrecked at the hands of the english. and by wrecked, i mean killed. great news for henry viii, terrible news for little one-year-old jamie (his nephew, i should point out), a.k.a. your highness, and fifth in a long line of idiots called james. (you'd think they'd learn to pick another name.) things work out eventually, right up until henry viii's lot come back onto the scene and get into a bunch of fights with the scots. unbelievably, things are about to get so much worse. in a real smart move, james dies at the grand old age of thirty. (i feel the need to point out that none of these jameses lived past the age of forty-two. and that's being generous.)

enter mary. she's catholic! she's not called james! she's the queen of scotland! and guess how old she is? six days! yes, you heard that right - six days. (and you thought six years was bad.) she's eventually whisked away to live in france and later marry the dauphin, handily solving the problem of the english trying to kidnap her and marry her off to edward vi. (she's five at this point. edward is ten. françois, the dauphin, is three. don't think too hard about any of that.)

they grow up. edward dies at fifteen. mary i, best known for her fondness for barbecues, dies five years later. françois, sensing a trend, dies two years after that at sixteen. mary returns to scotland, and all is well.

OR SO WE THOUGHT! whilst england was busy being torn apart by religious matters, scotland was busy being torn apart by religious matters. (you'll never guess what's happening in france.) mary, of course, is a devout catholic. some of the scots, who have spent twelve years without a monarch, let alone a catholic girl raised in france, are... not. rebellions! political instability! back to the status quo, basically. john knox is not happy, but when is he ever? elizabeth i kindly tries to help things by sending her bestie robert dudley (yes, that robert) to marry mary. this, unsurprisingly, does not go down well. fortunately, mary solves all these problems by creating a new one: she marries her half-cousin, henry lord darnley! yuck! i mean, yay! more rebellion (led by mary's half-brother)! henry turns on mary because he wants more power! he allies with the protestant lords, and they stab mary's private secretary to death in front of her whilst she's pregnant! the usual.

BUT NOT FOR LONG! mary and henry escape, they have a lovely little son called james (they still hadn't learn their lesson about scottish jameses), and they all live happily ever after until henry's house is blown up and he's found smothered outside in broad daylight. suspects include: everyone in scotland. but mostly lord bothwell, who proceeds to kidnap mary and marry her. now, you may struggle to believe this, but things go downhill from here. mary is eventually forced to abdicate, and flees to england. bothwell is imprisoned in denmark, and later goes insane. as for james, now the one-year-old james vi (anyone sensing a pattern here?), well, he's probably too busy learning to speak to care. because, you know, he's one. some people never learn.

from this point onwards, mary's kept under house arrest by elizabeth i. in a display of gratitude towards elizabeth, mary promptly spends the rest of her life plotting against her. or being involved in plots. in the meantime, james's regent, also called james stewart (mary's aforementioned half-brother; the name is cursed), earns the dubious honour of being the first head of government to be assassinated with a firearm. eventually, after mary, that virtuous angel, actively tries to kill elizabeth, elizabeth gets fed up and drops a sword on mary's neck. james, who last saw his mother at the age of zero years old, must have been devastated.

you all know what happened next: elizabeth died at the grand old age of sixty-nine, and james inherited the throne. thus followed decades of religious instability, parliamentary infighting, and stubborn monarchs who refused to listen to reason, which were surely new to the elizabethans. james, who was what is commonly known these days as a "hot mess" or "bisexual disaster" - don't quote me on that - was nearly blown up in a plot masterminded by a guy called tosser. sorry, i mean a tosser called guy. he also pissed everyone off by being a bit too buddy-buddy with several men, possibly lovers. (probably lovers.) that was not the end of the curse of james stewart (see: james ii of england), but it did at least put an end to mary queen of scots. oh, and england and scotland were united. that too. cue much chaos with a man you've probably heard of, named oliver cromwell... the rest is history. i mean, all of this is history, but you know what i mean.

and that's the story of why having seven child monarchs in a row is a really fucking bad idea!

#historyposting

[exuberantocean]

Which of the Doctors Can Cook

This popped in my head this morning so I'm throwing it out there to the world.

One - He can do basic indoor cooking but thrives at the grill.

Two - Oh dear Lord no. Don't let this man in your kitchen.

Three - Absolutely. An inspired chef. He can make you anything, even the fanciest of dishes.

Four - He thinks he can cook. And perhaps what he makes is edible to some creature out there in the universe, but certainly not to any that you know.

Five - Kinda? I mean, he can certainly make you a ham sandwich.

Six - He could but he won't.

Seven - He says he can. He says he will. Yet five sentences into the conversation you realize you're making a roux.

Eight - He keeps forgetting what's edible to humans, what he's making, that he's even cooking, who he is...oh look! He's wandered off and your kitchen is on fire.

War - Naturally, though he rarely has time.

Nine - He probably should take up cooking. Perhaps a soothing hobby would help with all that trauma.

Ten - Might be a little controversial, but I think Ten could rustle up a meal if absolutely pressed. It might not be a particularly good meal, but it'll be edible, which is better than most regenerations. But it's much more likely that he'll talk one of his companions (or their mothers) to do it for them.

Eleven - Do not let this man near any of your kitchen appliances.

Twelve - You come home to the smell of something burning. The Doctor is in the other room wearing shades and playing the electric guitar. He has burnt water.

Thirteen - Think if Eleven and Twelve/Eight had a secret love child. That'll be Thirteen in the cooking. Disaster in the kitchen and forgets she was cooking

Fourteen - Why? Why are you making this tired, tired, depressed skinny fellow cook? Sit him in a chair. Have him put up his feet. Feed him.

Fifteen - Yes. And by yes he I mean he knows how to tip the lovely people that deliver takeout appropriately.

#the doctor #doctor who #food #cooking

[bruciemilf]

You and that last anon were so right, like I bet Bruce pays Tim a million every month he keeps the Wayne in his last name—Jason stopped replying to anything but Jason Wayne when he was fourteen and it carried over to when he was revived. Tim comes for family brunch every once in a blue moon and half the time it's because he wants something, and never called to say he won't be there until Jason threatened him.

Tim "why the fuck did Bruce get me anything for my birthday" Drake and Jason "gets fifteen different gifts and five boxes of chocolate and a box case mix and at least thirty different books" Todd are not the same.

YES PLEASE - tim drake who has no idea why Bruce wants to parent him so much; why he insistently invites Tim to his nest of jagged, sharp beaked birds, but a part of him cherishing it and loving it and not wanting it to stop

Give me Tim Drake who DOES show he cares; as much as a child who knew alone before he knew anything else could. He's so frustrated that he can't responds to Bruce's love with his own, because what if his love won't be enough?

What if his love is wrong and misfit to this crooked puzzle of a family? But still. When Jason slaps a stack of photos to his lap, glare hard, more intimidating than Red Hood could hope to be, Tim stares back dumbly.

"... What's this?"

" Your mom. Superman. I want a shit load of data on him, with a side of weak points. Just in case."

This is about Superman inviting their father for a drink after saving him from Condiment King, most surely, but Tim won't add that.

Dick, face mask and towel tied around his head, sing songs " Mommy's boyyy~" as he passes both of them, but clearly aiming at Jason, to paint his face a red hood red.

" I WILL EAT YOU!" He turns to Tim, again, arms crossed and glare dulled, but still stern and impatient. " Can you do it or not, Tweety?"

"... I already did."

"... Did you."

" Yeah, I was worried about Bruce! Superman's like, insufferably perfect, but you just never know. " Jason spares a few more moments staring, something akin to approval growing in his spring green eyes.

Like, God, let Tim realize Jason isn't pissed at him because he was replaced as Robin; Jason is pissed at him because he thinks Tim doesn't care about BRUCE

#bruce wayne #jason todd #tim drake #writing #dc #dc comics #text #text post #batfamily #protective jason todd #fluff

[charlieeenby]

wasn't a fighter 'till somebody told me i had better lean into the punch

he's not coming. he's not coming. he's not coming, he's not coming, he's not coming. he's not coming! (he is, he will, he just won't make it in time to save you)

jason's death and revival

warnings and tags: character death, angst, dick, jason, tim and damian are brothers

title from stay down by boygenius

He’s not coming. He’s not coming. He’s not coming, he’s not coming, he’s not coming. He’s not coming!

(He is, he will, he just won’t make it in time to save you)

She says he didn’t come. She says he replaced you. She says your brother couldn’t be bothered to go to your funeral.

(These are all lies)

She says that he won’t kill the joker.

(He won’t, but someone close to you will)

You want to go home but the green won’t let you. You want to go home but she won’t let you. You want to go home but he needs you.

(You can go home)

You go back. Not home, but to the city. You flood the streets with blood. You just want his attention. You just want to go home.

(It’ll all be okay one day)

He’s angry, he fights you, he hurts you more.

(He doesn’t know it’s you)

He knows it’s you and he begs you to stop. You tell him that he failed you when he didn’t kill that monster.

(He already knows this and it eats him alive)

You fight your brother. You tell him who you are and he falls apart. He sobs and screams and wails. He does not beg.

(He’d do anything for you)

You want to be angry at him. You ask why he didn’t go to your funeral and his eyes go cold. Then he tells you why and you hate your father even more.

(That is his fault)

Your brother tells you he’s sorry. Tells you that he loves you, no matter what. When you ask if he’ll love you if you kill people, he says yes without hesitation.

(He’s telling the truth. He will always love you)

You attack your replacement. He is not your replacement. He’s sorry.

(She lied to you. This is just one of many)

You say sorry and you run away from the broken, bloody bird. The green eats you alive for a while and you let it.

(It’s not your fault)

The monster is dead, torn apart. Your father blames you but you didn’t do it. Your brother appears. He tells your father that he killed the monster that took his brother. He tore him to pieces so he couldn’t hurt anyone else.

(Your brother loves you)

Your father is enraged. He is livid and angry. He yells and he is loud in his anger. You are six years old and the first man that was your father is drunk and beating your mother. She is telling you to run.

(You are twenty now and it feels the same)

The little bird you hurt shows up and tells your father that this is all his fault. He should have just killed the joker or let hi stay dead the first time. Tells him that he’s had enough, he’s done.

(When was the first time? Who killed him the first time?)

Your brother invites you along, tells you that he loves you and they’d be happy to work with him.

(You have two brothers now)

You agree on one condition. They have to help you save the little boy that’s still with her. She’s not going to be good to him and he’s just a child.

(Three becomes four just six months later)

Your father won’t ever forgive you. He blames your for your bothers going ‘rouge’, says it’s all your fault. It is not your fault you died, but he says it is.

(It’s more his fault than yours. You were a child)

You were just a child when you were killed and none of this was your fault. You saved your youngest brother. You reconciled with the one you hurt. He forgives you.

(You were only fifteen)

The world is cruel and dark and mean. She takes without warning, without thought. But she gives as much as she takes and now you have your own family.

(The green is gone)

They are all safe and you are healing together.

#jason todd #dick grayson #tim drake #damian wayne #canon character death #angst #my work

[221beloved]

Warning: child abduction

Just breathe

Sherlock settled on a bench at the playground. He was working on a case of child abduction for the Yard and observing the playground two children had been kidnapped this month. But the second Sherlock had perceived the scenery, he had stiffened. There was John, standing besides the slides and swings, watching his little daughter. For fifteen minutes now, Sherlock was sitting on his bench, watching John watching Rosie. It had been so long since they'd last visited him, almost a whole week... John had a small, loving smile on his face, every time Rosie showed him something, her chest swelled with pride, his smile widened in almost adoration. He truly loved his daughter, wholeheartedly and without restrictions. And Sherlock loved them both. He could feel his chest tighten every time he looked at them. He could feel his defences go down, could feel the desperate wish to make them happy, whatever it will take. He was looking at John, and he wished he could stand beside him, be part of their lives. But maybe it was better this way, watching from far away...

He had watched John since he'd arrived, sometimes turning his gaze to Rosie, but most of the time watching her father, the case forgotten. Until a woman approached John and tried to get his attention. He could see John hesitate a moment, but eventually turning to the woman. Sherlock turned to watch little Watson instead. He couldn't bare the sight of John flirting, laughing and touching other people. He had to search a little to make out the blond curls, and when he saw Rosie, he immediately remembered why he'd come here in the first place. Rosie held the hand of a strange woman, now that her father's attention was elsewhere, and was following her to the gate of the playground.

Sherlock's heart skipped several beats, he felt like his stomach turned upside down and a wave of anger and fear washed over him. From the corners of his eyes he could see John starting to turn his head to find Rosie and the woman at his side disappearing. Sherlock could deal with her later, Rosie had absolute priority, and he thanked a God he didn't believe existed, that he was prepared. He had nicked two pairs of handcuffs from Lestrade in advance and he couldn't be happier about that. He leaped to his feet and made his way to the woman trying to get Rosie away from the area. He was trembling with barely suppressed fury and he had to stop himself from simply grabbing her and beating some sense into her. How could she dare to disturb the utter peace of John and his daughter, to try and separate them, to take the only thing they've got. Instead, he crept up behind her and surprised her by cuffing her free wrist to the iron gate in a single movement. It all happened in the fraction of a second and before the woman could realise what had happened and start to protest, Sherlock was on his knees, talking to an utterly confused Rosie.

“Are you alright, Watson, is everything alright?” Rosie blinked at him, than she grinned. “She-lo'!” The 'R' was still something to work on for her, as was the k, but in this moment, Sherlock couldn't imagine to hear anything more beautiful. Rosie fell forwards and hugged him. “Didn't know you were here. She said there was an eme-gency, but she would bring me to Daddy. Why did she not bring me to you?” Sherlock hugged the little girl in response, desperately holding on to her, taking in her smell, the feel of her soft hair against his nose and cheek. “She didn't know...” he answered, then got to his feet again, not letting Rosie go. He texted Lestrade and talked a random man into having an eye on the woman until the police would arrive, then he lifted Rosie onto his hip and made his way back. “Then I will bring you back to Daddy. He will be worried by now. We won't let him wait, will we?” Rosie shook her head vigorously and grinned.

Sherlock could make out John immediately. He was hurrying from bench to bench, asking random parents whether they had seen his daughter, while searching the playground again and again with his eyes. Even from the distance Sherlock could see his tense body, his utter worry and panic, his erratic breathing. He quickened his steps and as soon as he was near enough, called John by his name. “Daddy!” Rosie called, and John's spine straightened immediately. He turned on his heels and stared at them for a second, then he rushed towards them and almost yanked Rosie out of Sherlocks arms, relieve covering his face. “Oh God, Rosie. Rosie, tell me you're alright, tell me you're fine.” Rosie still seemed confused, but now also annoyed. “I told She-lo', I'm fine!” But despite his relief, John wasn't about to calm down any time soon. Sherlock stepped closer and gently placed a hand on Johns bicep. “You've read the papers?” he asked. John could only manage to nod. “There's no danger any more. They won't take any more children.” John nodded again, staring down at Rosie. “John, Rosie is fine, everything is gonna be okay,” Sherlock tried to soothe him. “Breathe John, it's all fine now.” Slowly John lifted his gaze to Sherlock. “I was- I wasn't looking, I wasn't paying attention. She could-” He sounded like he was barely suppressing a sob. “They could have- Because I didn't-” Sherlock placed his other hand on John's arm. “Shh, hey hey, John.” His voice was gentle, just as he had spoken to Rosie moments before. “John, you were paying attention, perfectly so, you cared much more than any other parents I have seen on this playground. You couldn't have done something. It was their pattern, they distracted you intentionally. But you were fast, you looked out for Rosie way before they expected you to, John. And Rosie is fine, she is good. She is right here now, with you, and nothing will happen.” Rosie was watching the whole exchange with wide eyes, and John's breathing started to calm. “I think,” John said, swallowed, cleared his throat. “I think we're going home for today,” he managed finally. Sherlock nodded. They probably needed some time for their selves in their own home. “It's alright John, go home...” Sherlock said, squeezing John's arms one last time. “Yeah...” John said in a distant tone, already turning to go. “Yeah, let's go home, love,” he murmured in Rosie's hair.

Sherlock watched them leave, and something in his chest clenched at this words and pulsed through his body. He swallowed. How he wished he could bring them to Bakerstreet, to be with them, to be there for them. To soothe them, to give them a warm home. But they weren't his. They needed time, and space, and Sherlock would give it to them. Slowly the shock was leaving his own body. Everything would be alright. He took another deep breath and turned. He could just focus on the kidnappers, it would be something, at least...

Text me your tag preferences

@angstober

@holmesianlove @missdeliadili @kettykika78 @topsyturvy-turtely @safedistancefrombeingsmart @blogstandbygo @7-percent @a-victorian-girl @lisbeth-kk @nathan-no @macgyvershe @whatsgoodmentalhealth @ninasnakie @oetkb12

#angstober 2023 #day 20 #bbc sherlock #sherlock #john watson #rosie watson #sherlock fic

[lara-kaminari]

Does anyone think of Anne Sallow?

Everyone knows how much Sebastian suffered from the death of his parents, his sister's curse and being constantly harassed by his uncle. But what about Anne? She is dying.

She is dying and it's not her first tragedy. She was also a child when her parents died and she was a child when the life she knew was taken from her.

Maybe moving in with her uncle wasn't so bad at first, maybe Solomon could become strict and would fight with Sebastian over nonsense, but he was her father's brother. Different from him in many ways, but Anne could take refuge in the memory. In fact, she could even pretend everything was fine if it weren't for the fights.

Sebastian complains, Sebastian throws tantrums, Sebastian expresses his anger and pain. She doesn't. She is Anne. Anne still mourns, she grieves, but she can't show everything she feels because it only causes fights. So she cries in silence. She cries under the sheets of a bed that is not hers in a bed that does not belong to her and far from what she considered her home.

And that became bearable over time. In fact, she almost got used to it.

At least until the accident.

She stayed. Big mistake, of course. What was she supposed to do? Leave children to die? Separate parents from their children? She had to get involved, she'd never forgive herself for just being the coward who gets to safety.

Her act of bravery had consequences and before she knew it it's like deja vu.

Sebastian cries, screams, whines, throws a tantrum. Solomon has that look and sometimes he explodes too. Death. She's going to die. They repeat it so many times it doesn't even make sense anymore.

Before long again she's out of it. She is not allowed to return to Hogwarts because of her illness, she is no longer able to enjoy any activity, everything she has at hand to distract herself feels empty.

Anne decides to face death with dignity. Fine, she will die. She will be reunited with her parents. It's all over and she's fine with that. Anne has turned fifteen and there is nothing in the future for her. She will never have her first boyfriend, her first kiss, she won't be able to have a career, she won't be able to get married, let alone have children. There is no future. Only the now.

But the now is tainted. Sebastian soils, screams, cries, throws tantrums. Sometimes his optimism is contagious, other times it provokes fear. What was supposed to be his last quiet days turns into a war he can't even participate in.

"I know what's best for Anne."

"You're wrong, I know what's best for Anne."

Has anyone ever asked Anne what is best for her?

Solomon pushes Sebastian away. Sebastian does not learn. Sebastian complains, but doesn't cry or scream or throw a tantrum. He leaves and does not leave in peace.

Sebastian is a murderer.

Death.

Death.

Death.

Why is there always death?

He decided for her. He made his decision. Everyone has been thinking about themselves all along. She thought of others too. Poor Solomon. Poor Sebastian. Poor Ominis. Poor Mom and Dad. May they rest in peace. May she rest in peace.

Yes, peace.

She will go far away and not come back, maybe she will chase peace until she reaches it or peace will reach her while she sleeps. In the meantime she will wonder why no one ever thought of her.

#anne sallow #hogwarts legacy #sebastian sallow #ominis gaunt #solomon sallow #hogwarts legacy headcanons #hogwarts legacy imagine

[rowanwithaz]

The Izuchako problem.

(⚠ I want to make sure everyone knows I'm not hating on anyone or anything,if I say anything negative about Izuchako that's just critiques,and all the negative things I say about Izuchako shippers is just certain people who have been assholes,I'm not hating on anything,just wanted to write some issues on the Izuchako community and issues in some media that the toxic side of the community supports,and,yes,I'm aware every shipping community has toxic shippers,I'll talk in much more detail on that⚠)

⚠WARNING⚠: Contains: Wishing and promoting Suicide,talks about child pregnancy(very brief,) Homophobia,sexism,racism,and fucking talks about TORTURE.

First off,I have talked about Izuchako numerous times,but I've only spoke briefly on...the problems with the community.

Ochaco the baby maker?

Okay,look,I'll get a little "personal" . At a young age (4 or 5) I was told the greatest thing I could do was have children. I was told REGULARLY AS A FOUR YEAR OLD my greatest achievement would be pregnancy and child birth. So,this kinda hits a more...soft spot for me. And,I want to explain why this is so FUCKED up.

Ochaco Is a CHILD. You are saying a fifteen year old girl (17 now) should be impregnated (in this context by Izuku,also a minor) and that would be her GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT. This is pushing a narrative that has been around for hundreds of thousands of years,that a woman's biggest achievement is child barring,like,how can people say everyone is "woke feminists" when people like Matt Walsh want the age of consent laws in marriage to be sixteen ,because woman are more fertile.Weather you like it or not,you remind me of that bastard.

...I-I share a fandom with Matt Walsh wannabes. (I know non of them spoke about "child pregnancy" ,but,they didn't say, "When Ochaco gets older" . Without that context I'm going to assume you're that diluted.)

Death Threats? Who cares?

*Deep inhale* Here we go. I,uh,there is much much more,but,those contained talks about r*pe,and I was recently sexually harassed,(DON'T WORRY,IT WASN'T TOO BAD.He just did some good ol' borderline sexual harassment,so nothing too bad happened,he just sexualized me and wouldn't give me space lol) So,kinda didn't wanna talk about that.

But,yeah,this shit is so disgusting. I don't think I have to explain why this is fucked up,so I won't. Let's go to the most pressing manner,no one but US calls them out. No.One. And,the usual response is "It's just my opinion." What? What's your opinion? People should die because they like two characters that happen to be boys together romantically? But,no one calls them out,because Izuchako is the "normal" or "average viewer " ship. That translates into, "We don't call out people who ship herto ships because it's NORMAL" . Like,I won't deny that GreeNade shippers made mistakes,but,when they DID it wasn't even THIS bad. And,to top it off,all of that stained the ship's reputation,but,Izuchaco shippers can say whatever the hell they want. And NO ONE,will call them out on it.

Hori is middle aged...?(how is that relevant? Uh,let's see)

Okay,I have NO IDEA,what him being middle-aged has to do with this. And,uh,what..? What do you mean Horikoshi doesn't care about gay people? Look,I know a lot of media *cough* Disney *cough* milk gay people for money. But,if you couldn't tell,Hori,y'know has a best selling manga? He has money,and he didn't need to add gay characters for that. This man put two,(Technically three) trans characters,made Mineta bisexual cannon,hinted HEAVILY at Toga being bisexual and also hinted heavily that Mina is Aro. He.Did.Not.Need.To.Do.That.

He didn't just add trans characters and say, "Well,I'm gonna get some money." He gave them backgrounds ,he gave them RESPECT. And,in the episode when Toga and Twice correct Over Haul on Big Sis Mac's pronouns,I cried,because.

Is it Homophobia?

Well,yes and no. No,because not shipping something isn't homophobic,BUT,using a gay ship to...say certain things is.

Yep,it's homophobic,sexist,and racist...damn.

Yeah,and they GET AWAY with this. They don't face ANY repercussions. Look,I blurred out all the names because I didn't want to help spread hate to anyone. Even biggots. I think they need to face some repercussions,but I don't want to help spread hate,I want to spread awareness. So,if you stumble upon someone talking like that,report them,they are saying really really nasty stuff,and because it's a straight ship they get away with it. Unfortunately,that's how it is. And how it will be if we don't spread awareness and try to get these people off the platform,this isn't "saying a opinion" this is hate speech . I believe most of these people are homophobic,sexist,racists assholes who are using a popular BL ship to spread hate to those communities using the Izuchako community as a shield. So,most Izuchakos are being used to spread hate...that sucks,don't it?

Conclusion:

Do not talk about minors getting pregnant,(I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO SAY THAT),on the note,stop supporting a woman's only use being a baby factory,stop sending death threats and using the excuse "my opinion" ,Hori's age and gender have NOTHING to do with his work,Stop using a gay ship to push your homophobic,racist,sexist,views on and defending yourself with an undeveloped relationship to justify yourself from any repercussions.

Let's end this with a high note,yeah?

Mineta calling Katsuki gay :) (only in sub tho,the dub FUCKED that up)

#mha #bkdk #dkbk #bnha #dekubaku #Dekucchan #izukatsu #GreeNade #midoryia izuku #urakara ochako #Bakugo Katsuki #Anti Bakudekus being stupid #Let's make that a tag

[shanastoryteller]

Happy Pride! Thank you for sharing your writing with us. I would do dastardly things for a continuation of the WWX and JYL return with the kids after being supposed dead. If that doesn't spark joy, anything untamed would be amazing. Thank you so much!! I hope you have a wonderful month

a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Jiang Yanli lets her sect effulge her, reaching out her arms for anyone that's straining toward her. The Lan are hanging back, Lan Wangji staring intently at A-Xian as if they're fifteen again, but her brother is too busy being sat on and scolded by a half dozen senior disciples to notice. She cheerfully shoves A-Ling towards his sect brothers and sisters.

He may carry his father's name, but he's still her son, still raised by her and A-Xian. He can't be anything but Jiang.

Too much Jin influence is what had scared her so badly thirteen years ago, after all.

When everyone starts to calm and she's wiped a dozen tearful faces, she catches A-Xian's eye.

He nods, jerking his heads toward the house before shouting to gather the disciples attention on him so she can slip away.

She's so happy to see them all again. But someone is missing.

Jiang Yanli steps slowly through the walls of Lotus Pier. She's looking for what's changed, but it's depressingly little. They are a clan of change, like the ever flowing water of their rivers, and it worries her.

A dam can either make a lake or a swamp.

She steps into the family shrine and sees exactly what she expects to - A-Cheng sitting there, so stiffly that it has to be uncomfortable. "I thought I'd find you here."

He flinches and she's glad that his back is to her so he can't see her mirror it.

"You couldn't stand guilt when we were kids," she murmurs, stepping forward in a way that makes her skirts drag against the floor so it's easy for him to know exactly where she is. "It's why A-Xian's messes used to stress you out so much. Once you were caught, you rushed to be punished because it let you breathe a little easier. No matter how harsh Mother was with you, you always felt better once it was over."

"What sort of punishment does one deserve for killing his family?" A-Cheng asks bitterly. "I've never been able to decide."

Jiang Yanli won't cry. Tears won't help her now. "It was my idea."

His shoulders tense.

"A-Xian saved me. He didn't have a plan beyond that. It was my idea to steal away A-Ling, to fake our deaths, and to run. I was so scared over what had happened, over how close it had all been and how Koi Tower wasn't safe. I was terrified and A-Ling was so young and I couldn't keep myself safe, never mind my son. So I asked A-Xian to run away with me, to someplace I could raise my child without terror. There was fear, still, but it was a manageable weight." She pauses. "It saved all our lives, in more ways than one, and I never would have done it if I'd known you wouldn't get our letters, if I'd known what it would do with you. I would rather live with my terror than your grief."

He jerks, finally turning to face her. His eyes are red.

"What punishment am I owed for abandoning and tormenting my little brother?" she continues, throat tight. "I will take it. I will accept it threefold. I said that we were supposed to be together forever, and I left you behind. I didn't do it on purpose. I thought you were reading our letters. I thought you were still with us, just further away, and I was wrong."

"A-jie!" he says harshly, then doesn't seem to know where to go from there.

She smooths trembling hands over his shoulders, trying to keep it together. "I love you, A-Cheng. A-Xian loves you. We've missed you so much, but we've had each other, and you've been alone. You're not responsible for our deaths, but we're responsible for your loneliness. How will you punish us?"

"A-JIE!" he shouts, pushing himself to his feet so he can tower over her. "Stop - don't - I would never-"

She moves then, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her forehead to his chest.

He still doesn't hug her back, but his chest shakes with silent sobs that even now he can't fully let out.

It's progress.

#prompt answers #prompts are closed #asks #uggabuggawugga #fantastic username #untamed

[kmclaude]

Ive been listening to Jesus He Knows Me lately (Ghost just released the music video for their cover and its great) and its got me thinking of an AU were Tiefer goes on to become like a superstar priest/televangelist. Puts on an act about how Jesus saved him from his terrible childhood abuse, Jehan is his protege who he treats as his own son after his father died, maybe he's even got a wife he pretends to love (only in front of others) Absolute debauchery and abuse out of the public eye of course

not me like 'he could marry his sister' no but he sure could marry a wife that looks like her (honestly she fits the blonde t r a d wife look)

i am devouring this, brilliant, debauched, lovely

(honestly I was thinking about a question @idalwaves asked or reblogged about if being a different flavor of christian would like...how it would change tiefer or jehan's relationship to their sexuality or something -- like would bein southern baptist or fundie work -- and anyway it had me thinking about basically how catholicism is perfect for someone like tiefer who is gay and loathes women, whereas something like fundie or southern baptist that expects a patriarchical figure with a wife and kid, the family man archetype, would be painful for him. like torture to have to fake a loving marriage to a woman.)

BUT IT WOULD BE DECADENT god cuz he can be charming, put on a southern drawl (his accent is southern but different southern, cajun southern, and massaged away by a more new orleanian accent flattened out), lie and lie and lie -- has a wife he fucked (timed it all right and everything, natural family planning and all) until she got pregnant (thankfully quickly) because that's what she wanted, that's what was expected -- and if he works extra hard and after hours and away from her and the home its for god, it's the right thing, it's what she signed up for, of couuuuurse he loves her, ignore that he won't touch her except for briefly in public or when she needles wanting another child (and if he knocks her up enough and then crushes some pills in her food or drink to get rid of it because three's e-fucking-nough, well, hey, what she doesn't know won't hurt her...)

AND JEHAN WELL......things could be the same: dead exlover friend's son is left without a father and, well....wouldn't be too odd for him to offer to a new widow and new mother to take her eldest (his godson) under his wing, later even let him live with them (because he only has daughters so far and one day he won't be around -- makes sense to have someone ready to take over after he's gone -- jehan would be perfect for that -- in fact, it's not his idea's, it's God's even, God put it in his heart that jehan would take up after him -- so why not let him spend a summer with them...and winter...and spring...)

and you KNOW he is fucking jehan -- maybe he waits a bit longer than canonically, properly has him under his thumb until he's fifteen or sixteen (very much the adolescens that he finds attractive) or maybe it starts right after nathan died (he's not even attracted to a 10 year old's body -- not that canonically he's into a 12 year old's body either but at least puberty is hitting and it reminds him of him and nathan in their youth and he's not coping well -- but it's a heady thing, power, and he's been able to get wealth and opened doors and it's a far cry from being a beaten faggot whore on his sister's leash being whored out so why not, why not, it's not like jehan's upset about it, he always gets to cum, and it's not like his wife knows, it's not like anyone knows, why not? who's gonna stop him? God?)

basically tiefer would be soooooo much worse. not that he's great canonically but add wealth and power without rules?! (Catholicism at least has rules.) C H R I S T.

(honestly if you wanted to get real fucked up -- televangelism would probably make this also a modern or modernish AU -- say 80s or 90s at earliest making Tiefer being born....instead of 1930s, probably 1950s or 60s...and well....the implications of being able to take photo or video....well.....well....)

#character stuff #kmclaudereplies #kmclaudereplies to ask

[skyfallslayer]

The Daughter of The (Dare)Devil - Story 10

Series Masterlist

Series Summary: A Series of stories revolving around the MCU timeline of Matt Murdock and his Daughter, Kaila. Being the child of a vigilante can be hard and scary at times, but it doesn’t mean she ain’t going to enjoy the most of it.

(Can be read as Y/N if you’d like)

Story Summary: Relieved that his daughter is finally home safe, Matt makes two life changing moves. First is to stop and help Frank Castle in any way he can; The second one? Finally asked Karen out on a date. A date that might have to get cut short when someone from his past shows up unexpectedly (Set During 2x04 & 2x05, “Penny & Dime” & “Kinbaku”).

Date: 7/26/23

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 14,016 (Ya'll deserve it)

Warning: Possible OOC (?); Karedevil; The Murdocks Are Stubborn People; Angst; Heavy Language; Allusions To Mental Illness; Bullet Wounds/Recovery; Child Abuse; Blood and Gore; Violence; Heavy Injuries; Talks of Death/Murder; The Murdocks Could Use All The Hugs In The World; A Brief Near Death Experience; Matt Being Overprotective (He Needs A Warning, I think?); Past Toxic Relationship(s); Elektra Could Use A Warning Herself; Suggestive 18+ Themes; READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!

- Let me know if I missed anything, please.

A/N: First off, a small apology. Like I was replying to a DM a few days ago, I don't know what really happened. Despite the fact that my laptop took a dive, I ended up on a unexpected hiatus. Which... I think was a good thing for me. It gave me enough time to take a step back after slowly becoming burnt out from writing. But I'm back! I promise I won't go MIA without saying something next time. So, sorry again! But the story you all have been waiting for has returned!

Secondly, Don't let this story fool you, I don't necessarily hate Elektra. I just don't like the fact how toxic she was for Matt and how she tried to change him after finally getting in a good place in his life. So I'm going to change Canon a little bit (Which shouldn't be a surprise since I've been doing that already). Other than that, Enjoy, my loves!

- Fifteen Years Ago -

His only comfort was the pittering of the rain against his window. He sat on his bed, feet touching the ground, his phone in hand; His finger hovered over the voice command. His mind racing over and over and over with the question of– 

Should I? 

He wants answers. Sure they didn’t leave on a good note, but shouldn’t she give him some kind of explanation? It’s only been two weeks, surely she hasn’t left the area already…

Right? But even a part of him knew she probably was long gone just like the cops said, yet he still held on to some kind of hope that’ll he be able just to talk to her at least once. To just ask the “simple” question of… ‘Why?’.

He rubs his face with an open hand, fingers massaging the dark circles under his blind pupils. He didn't need sight to know they were getting worse and worse everyday. 

He sighs.

Loudly.

Heavily.

He let every ounce of emotion into that one. 

He didn’t care.

I’m really drowning right now. And indeed he was, however– 

His thoughts immediately fade away when he hears the familiar cries he’s gotten used to. Out of instinct, Matt lets his phone slip away as he slides down to the end of his bed, shifting his body down to carefully take his baby in his arms from the bassinet. He remembers how he was taught to hold his child properly, a consistent drill from the nurses and Mrs. Nelson badgered him with (mostly from Mrs. Nelson). 

He shushes quietly in the attempts to calm her. “Hey, hey. Shush. You’re okay, you’re okay.” He whispers, exhaustion in his undertone. 

God, he was so tired.

He whispers some more, his daughter starting to calm down into tiny whimpers. His face quirked into something bittersweet. 

“Did you have a nightmare?” He asked, wanting to stroke those little teardrops away, but he was too afraid to free one of his hands out of concern of dropping her. “I have those too sometimes.” He chuckles humorlessly. “I guess those can be hereditary.”

He still has those kinds of dreams. Memories from his childhood. All the dark shit he’s been through, he’ll see them every once a while. His father’s dying day, His time in the orphanage, His roller coaster of past relationships. It’ll take turns haunting him. Taunting him. Egging him to give back in, crawl back into that dark hole. Jump off the edge.

It eats him alive every single time.

Matt’s lip twitched. “Sorry. That was a bad joke.” He admits, trying to look on the positive side. “Although, your Uncle probably would have come up with something more corny than that. Right?”

He could feel her tiny gaze, something he was still trying to picture what it meant. Happiness? Sadness? Confusion? 

He sighs. “I wish I could see you. It’ll make this easier.” So much easier. “It’ll make your life easier. I’m not going to be the… typical parent of the group. So, I’m… sorry.”

How the hell was he going to do this? How was he supposed to help her through life? Through her first steps? Through school? Through any hardships she faces? How was he supposed to help when he feels like he’s drowning?

How am I supposed to be a father when I don’t know what I’m doing? How am I supposed to be a father when I can’t even see your face?

He heard the front door open and close. The person entering was setting their bag aside and kicking off their shoes and heavy jacket before strolling over where he’s been sitting for who knows how long now. Matt could smell the sweat on his friend’s brow and a light drum beat from his chest that told him his friend had been in a hurry to get here.

“Matt?” Foggy said, peeking inside the bedroom. A look of relief crosses his face upon seeing his college buddy. “Sorry I’m late.”

Matt couldn’t help but smile at his consideration. “Nah, you’re good, Foggy.” He said, half heartedly (he just hopes he doesn't have a look of desperation plastered on). He felt those hazel eyes scanning him head to toe, concerned.

“Have you been up since this morning?” Foggy asked, remembering he had called around eight this morning. There was a pause of hesitation from the blind man before he ended up nodding. He frowns worriedly. “Matt–”

“Please, don’t lecture me.” Matt said, sounding like a little kid cowering with fear. 

Foggy felt his heart hurt from it. “I wasn’t.” He promises, his frown deepening. “Have you eaten?”

Another small nod. “Yeah. I ate a little.”

“Showered?”

“No.”

“How come?”

“I…” Matt felt his chest get tight as he stumbled with his words. “Don’t want to leave the room for too long.” 

Foggy couldn’t help but laugh. “Matt, you can take her in the bathroom. Just put the bassinet by the door.”

His face scrunched up. “Isn’t that weird?”

Another laugh. “Okay, how old is she again? Two months old? Even if she sees you naked she’s not going to remember.”

Matt closes his eyes to sigh. “Yeah, yeah. I guess…”

Foggy shakes his head. “You need to sometimes turn that Catholic brain of yours off, Murdock.” He replies, coming to sit down. Upon sitting he felt something underneath him and pulled out his friend’s phone. It didn’t take long to figure out what he was doing. “Did you call Mary?”

“Tried…” Matt chews on his cheek. “I uh… I just want some answers. I mean she’s… the mother so, I would think she would be… more capable at this. I mean why would she give her kid to a blind man who has no idea how–”

“Okay, going to stop you there.” Foggy butts in, hand coming to rest on the troubled man’s shoulder. “Even if you thought Mary was more capable, you’re still the father, you know? Blind or not, parenting isn't easy. Trust me. My own parents made that very clear. I’m sure your dad told you something along those lines too.”

Matt grew quiet for a second, thinking. “Yeah. I guess you have a point.” He shifts his gaze in his direction. “But it’s just… it’s frustrating. I-I can’t see so I… I-I have no idea how she’s feeling half the time. I’m scared that if I get that wrong I’m going to hurt her.”

Foggy squeezes his shoulder comfortably. “I know, man. I know.”

“And she’s… s-so tiny, Foggy.” He whispers, fearfully. “So tiny and I’m… a big guy. I-I feel like I’m… like I’m drowning because I don’t know what to do.”

Now it was his turn to get quiet. Foggy was trying to figure out how to phrase the next few words without striking too deep. “Do you regret your decision to keep her?”

“No, no, no.” Matt shakes his head. “I just… I-I love her, she’s my daughter. But there’s… times I wonder if…” He swallows. “If she would be… better not in my care.”

Those words hurt to even say, but it was true. Maybe this would have all been better if he went through with the adoption.

As the processing time ended, Matt felt Foggy’s arms wrap around his shoulders, cautious of the baby, and placed his head against him. Matt couldn’t help but lean into the touch he felt like he suddenly craved, and tried not to cry.

“Matt–” Foggy begins, his voice full of warmth and love. “You’re going to do great. Sure it’s hard, and it’s always going to be hard, but under all that exhaustion I can see how much you love this kid. You’re going to be an amazing dad.”

Matt chuckles, somewhere between disbelief and relief. “You r-really think so?” He said, swallowing again as his throat tightens.

“I know so.” Foggy pulls back. “Trust me, Buddy. I’ve seen the emotions you pack. I can already picture you picking her up on her first day of school, or helping her get a summer job, or walking her down the aisle for her big day.”

Matt raises an eyebrow. “Who says she’s getting married?”

“See?” Foggy lightly slaps him in the arm, grinning. “You’re already accepting the universal dad laws. Never letting your daughter near a boy her age. You know when my niece was born, my brother was pretty much ready to lock her in a tower far, far away. Surrounded by a dragon that was fifty feet tall, which breathed hot fire.”

Matt laughed again. “Uh, not sure if Amazon sells dragons but… the tower I can find and work with.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m pretty sure New York has some of those.”

“How will I know they do?”

Foggy snorts and gives him a small shove while playfully saying his name. He finally felt a bit of success bloom when he noticed his friend’s happy face staying the same. “You’re doing great, man. But if you ever need help, Me and The Nelsons are here to help.”

Matt’s smile widens genuinely. “Thank you, Foggy.”

“Don’t even mention it.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

-Present Day-

Matt’s eyes open at the shift in the bed, he sets his blind gaze in that direction, quietly listening to see if she is awake. 

She wasn’t. Good.

She needed to sleep.

It’s been about a week since the incident, and they’ve just gotten out of the hospital yesterday, and to his surprise (Well, he really shouldn’t be), his daughter wanted to stay pretty close to him for a while; Not that he was complaining. He wanted this too.

He shifted his own weight too, rolling to his side for a better view. She had gently wrapped herself in his blankets, and had carefully propped her injured leg on a pillow. His daughter finally looked like she was at peace, especially since he could tell she wasn’t suffering anymore night terrors.

Good. She doesn’t need that right now. He remembers she had one after Brett left the hospital room, her body finally giving out after the nightmarish incident. He remembers she bolted up, drenching in sweat as her heart raced a mile a minute. She was hyperventilating in a way he’s never heard before as she started muttering. ‘Where is he?’ or ‘Where am I?’. It broke his soul to her muttering, to feel her shake in his arms as he calmed her down. He never wants to go through that experience again.

I wonder if Brett’s figured anything out? The whole kidnapping situation still wasn’t adding up. Why was this… man who claims to be their first client’s brother kidnap his daughter? Because… what? Nelson and Murdock ‘failed’ him? This just didn’t sit right with him. And Matt recalls when the man said something about a Boss. Boss? What Boss? Who could this Boss be? Who wanted to hurt Matt Murdock more than the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen? It just didn’t make any–

His daughter’s phone chimes loudly, the sound of a notification hit his ears quickly. Despite not being able to see it, he tries his best to reach over to the side table to hit the button to mute the sound. However his speedy actions cause a stir in his bed.

Kaila grumbles in her sleep, eye opening half lid. “Is it morning yet?”

Matt shifts back around, frowning at himself as he shakes his head. “No, no. Not yet.” He replies, gazing at her. “Go back to sleep.”

“Are you going out?”

That was like a little needle in chest, and made his face soften. “No. I’m not going out.”

“Shouldn’t you though?” She asked, dazed and confused.

“No. Not until I know you’re okay.” He brushes some of her stray hair out of her face, tucking it away gently. “Go back to sleep, baby girl.”

She hums at his touch and words, closing her eyes again, snuggling up the mattress some more. “M’kay… love you…”

He smiles. “Love you.” He waits for her to fall back to sleep before he does, closing his own eyes and forcing himself to sleep lightly for obvious reasons.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

He opens the door to the light knocking, a soft smile on his face as he senses who it was. “Hi.”

“Hey.” Karen said, with a small wave and her little quirky bow of her head. 

“I'm just about ready.” Matt explains letting her in and walking towards his living room to finish up.

“Okay.” She closes the door behind him, watching him closely as he struggles to finish his tie. “Uh, here, let me help with that.”

“Oh, thanks.”

She hums in reply, getting real close to help him out. She mentally curses at herself when she could hear her own heart in her ears. Now that she knew his secret, she felt embarrassed by everything she did in the past.

Karen bites the inside of her cheek, keeping her eyes on the fabric in her hand. “You feeling any better?” She asked, knowing the last few nights were rough in the hospital. 

Matt nods. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m good… Now.” He swallows and whispers as she finishes, “With you.” He felt her curious eyes on him, now he felt embarrassed by what he just said. “Uh, not that I can verify, but you seem good at this.”

She brushes off her flustered face with laughter. “Uh, well, my brother wasn't, so that's where I came in.”

“Your brother must have been lucky for you.” He soon regretted saying those words as soon as it rolled off his tongue. Matt didn’t miss the goosebumps suddenly covering her body, and how her heart rate went up three notches. He frowns, concernedly. “Karen… You okay?”

She pales. “Um–”

“I thought I heard Karen.” Kaila says, coming into the room (unknowingly saving the day). She had her backpack in hand while her free one was gripping the crutch she was given for support.

In a motherly way, the blonde comes over to take the bag. “Let me grab that. That looks heavy.” She replies, slinging it over her own shoulder despite the teen’s protests.

“I can carry it.”

“The doctor said nothing too heavy, which…” Karen gestures to the bag and makes a face. “What’s in this?”

Kaila shrugs. “I gotta keep myself entertained somehow, because I ain’t doing you guys’ paperwork when I get there.”

Karen shakes her head, turning away towards the front door. Matt comes over next while sliding his jacket on, worriedness creeping on his face.

“You feeling okay?” He asked, hearing her crack a smile.

“Yes, Dad. I’m good. A little sore, but I’m alright.” Kaila replies, honestly. “So…” Her eyes flickered to the woman by the door before back at her father. “When’s the date?”

His eyebrows shoot up. “The what?”

“The date?” She chuckles at his puzzled expression. “Come on, Dad. I see the googly eyes, and you can cut the sexual tension in here with a knife.” She jabs him in the arm as he mouth becomes agape. “So when is it?”

“There’s no date.” He says, expressionless.

“But you want there to be.”

“Uh, well–”

“She knows you’re the devil, and she didn’t run away. I’d say that’s a keeper.” She walks past him, hand patting him on the arm. “Come on, we’ve got work to do.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“He’s lucky to be alive.” Karen says, as Kaila holds up an x-ray of the Punisher’s skull for them to see. “This is all of the stuff that the DA’s collecting for her case. And most of it’s about the Punisher’s victims. The Dogs of Hell, the cartel... But this was in the middle of it. Not someone he shot, him.”

“He’s insane.” Foggy says, as he, and everyone in the room, looked unwell by the picture. “Maybe he shot himself.”

“But he saved me.” Kaila points out, puzzled and baffled at the same time. When she learned that this was the man that helped save her from Baldy, the man known as ‘Punisher’, she was honestly surprised by how much of a bloody trail he’s really left behind.

“I know, but it doesn’t mean he isn’t.”

“I-I thought about that, but at that close of a range…” Karen trails off, waiting for someone to finish.

Which was Matt with, “Yeah, he’d be dead already.”

“Okay, not to go all tin-foil hat here, but Tower obviously slipped this to me for a reason. What if the Punisher isn’t the worst of it? What if Reyes is trying to cover something up?”

Now it was Foggy’s turn to look surprised. “You think that murderous psychopath isn’t the worst of it?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “And I think our best shot at protecting Nelson and Murdock is to find him.”

“It’s our best shot at career suicide or just getting shot.”

“She kind of has a point, Foggy.” Matt says, hands on his hips.

Foggy blinks in disbelief. “How?”

“I owe it to Frank, alright. He saved my daughter.”

“I know that. But what if he was just trying to get something out of you? Like an IOU? Or maybe he’s trying to pin the blame on you? Have you thought of that?”

“I have. But I don’t think those options are logical.”

“How? In what way is it not?”

Matt frowns. “He told me, ‘He expects me to do the same. Father to Father’. He’s a family man, or at least he was, I get the impression.”

Foggy sighs. “Look. Even if he is, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s a dangerous man that tried to kill our client and a couple other groups of people.” The phone starts ringing and he gets up. “Just think about what I said, okay? I don’t want you getting shot again.”

Karen looks Matt’s way, confused. “Shot again?”

“Uh, he…” He clears his throat, blind gaze going somewhere else. “Kind of shot me in the head when I first met him.”

Her eyes widened. “Huh?”

“It was the day you came for a visit and I was pissed at him.” Kaila replies, setting the x-ray down after gazing at it for so long. “He went temporarily deaf too.”

“You went deaf?!” Karen said, scolding. She watches him shrug sheepishly before sighing. “And I thought I was insane.”

“Welcome to having a Murdock in your life.”

She sighs again, rubbing her face. “Okay, I… I know this Punisher, or Frank, is a lunatic, but–”

“But you care, anyway?” Matt finishes.

“I wouldn’t say that, it’s more like curiosity. In between these files and… Reyes’ obsession and the fact that humans are a pretty complicated species to begin with, I just feel like there’s gotta be more to the story.”

He hums. “I think you are.”

She scoffs. “Oh, my God, you think I'm insane.”

Matt chuckles at her reaction. “I’m kidding. You’re compassionate. It’s a good quality, Karen. Stuff of saints.”

Karen frowns. “Yeah, well, I’m no saint…” She mumbles, looking away (Kaila does too for obvious reasons).

Matt, sensing something was off, replies with, “I can’t tell you how glad I am to hear that.”

“Matt!” Foggy calls from his office. “We have real, live, non-criminal clients who need our help.”

“Excuse me for a second.” He excused himself and entered the room. “Tell me.” 

“Mr. DiPesta defaced the elevator in his building.”

“Which, technically, makes him a criminal.”

“That’s what his slumlord, excuse me, landlord says, but look. He’s got no AC, no hot water. This has Nelson and Murdock written all over it. But we gotta file today. Kar–”

“Dad!” Kaila shouts, and the boys immediately run back to the front at a quick speed. She was standing at the door that was open. “Karen told me she’d drive me home later and then left.”

“Maybe she just stepped out for some fresh air.” Foggy suggested just as Matt suddenly had a sinking feeling.

“Did she take the files?” The blind lawyer asked, worriedly.

“I think so. She grabbed some folder quickly that I didn’t see.” Kai continues, as her father feels around her desk; His head drops immediately while sighing.

“Shit.” Foggy rubs his head.

“I have to find her.” Matt said, already shedding some of his work attire for some street clothes. 

“Find Frank first.”

“Already planning on it.” 

“But, Dad–” Kaila begins, watching him slide a sweatshirt on. “You didn’t bring your suit.”

“I don’t need it.”

She blinks. “Huh?”

“I’ve been waiting to pick up my new one. Reinforced alloy.”

“Which means…?” She trails off with her eyebrow raised.

And with a ghost of a smile he says,

.

.

.

“Which means I won’t get shot again,”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Thanks to Karen’s A+ detective work, she manages to track down George Buck, a nurse with an… interesting past experience. It took a little bit to convince him to walk along the Hudson, just a small bribe of getting coffee.

“You were with him when this was taken?” She asked, ready to jot down the mental notes in her head.

“Yeah.” He replies, nodding. “That bullet tore through his head. Not many people survive that.”

“Well, I’d like to know what you remember.”

“John Doe. Guy was a total vegetable. I guess that’s why they decided he only needed one nurse.”

“Any family or visitors?” She knew Frank was a father judging by what he said to Matt, but still wanted to know if they were still around.

“No. I mean aside from the suits.”

“Suits?”

“Yeah. Uh, sometimes men, sometimes women. You can tell ‘em ‘cause they all wear the same ear pieces. That and the black suits. Kind of like uh…” He trails off while gesturing to the open air, hoping she gets the idea.

“Got any idea who these suits were?” She asked, curiously.

“No.” He shakes his head. “Uh, but they had their run of the place and they were the ones that pushed for the, uh, the DNR.”

She tilts her head. “A ‘do not resuscitate’?” 

“Yeah. They had the paperwork. And I was there when the doctor pulled the plug.”

“I…I’m confused.” This wasn’t making any sense. “You’re saying this guy died?”

“Yeah, for about a minute. It’s crazy, but they say it happens sometimes. You know, one minute, flatline, then boom.” George’s eyes widened with the shock that was still there. “His heart starts back up again. On its own. He just didn’t wanna die. Within ten minutes of being awake… h-he reaches up and grabs my scrubs, yanks me down, and says, real close ‘Take me home’.” He frowns, guilty. “I shouldn’t have done it. I shouldn’t have done it. I should’ve known it’d get me fired.”

Now this got her interest peaked even more. “His home.” She tests out, hopeful. “Do you have an address?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

As the sun finally kissed the sky goodnight, Frank was reliving his gut wretched past. He could still hear the music from the carousel; His children’s laughter; His wife’s beautiful words.

All of it.

The lights of the morbid thing only go off when the ride stops and everyone walks away with a smile on their face. Now all he sees is the silhouette that haunts him in his dreams. And with his extra sense, Frank quickly notices the mysterious man sitting on the next bench over, grinning like the son of a bitch he was.

“Nice night.” Is what he said, causing the ex-soldier some confusion. Before Frank could say anything, the man, who’s name was Rory, flashed the gun in his belt and replied, “I’m not alone.”

Right on cue people were coming in every direction, an expressionless feature greeted him.

Rory continues to boast saying, “You wanna come with us? Or you wanna make a mess?”

Frank, wasting no time, goes for him and starts beating him up, not caring that Rory had stuck some kind of needle into his neck. Rory’s guys move in only for Frank to take them all out with a single bullet each. But as soon as he thought the fight was over, someone knew entered the ring and shot his challenger.

The Punisher stumbled on his own two feet as the sedative kicked in, but his spirit wouldn’t be broken yet until he knew who this other person was. 

The Irish gang leader, Finn, strolls over with his own set of individuals, looking more cocky than the man before. “Well, thanks for thinning out the herd. You’re surrounded, son. Now be a good lad and drop the iron.” He says, just as his men pointed their laser at his prey’s chest. “Come on. You seem like a smart one.”

With strong will, Frank tries to advance, only to be shot with various tasers and rendered unconscious.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Matt waited until he came out from the crime scene from the Irish themed bar. He stayed in the vibrant black and red light, ignoring the gun that was trained on.

“I need to know what happened here.” Sounds more like a demand than a question.

Mahoney looks behind him, nervously. “I’m not telling you shit.” He whispers, harshly. “You helped us catch Fisk, that don’t make us friends.”

“Was this the Punisher?”

“Jesus. The Irish, okay? To find the Punisher. They put a bounty on his head. Now people all over the Kitchen are getting hurt. It’s the goddamn Wild West out there.”

“Have the Irish found him?”

“As long as we keep getting calls like this, I guess not.” Mahoney watches as the vigilante seems satisfied with his answer, and was about to leave, although the cop was concerned for his safety. “Hey, stay out of it. You hear me?”

“I just wanna help, Sergeant.”

“No, you can’t help this one.”

“We’re on the same side, you and I.”

“Listen, You’re–”

‘2-Adam, shots fired. 65th Street transverse, by the carousel. All units to back.’

Mahoney touches his radio, eyes moving away. “Fifteen Sergeant responding, Central.” He replies, just as Matt makes his move to leave. Once seeing this, he couldn’t help but shake his head.

Jesus, Murdock. Stay out of this for once.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The window rolled down completely to see Foggy’s smugged face. “Ah, look who finally showed up. Did Cinderella really want to go to the ball that bad?” He asked as Karen sighed apologetically. 

“I’m really, really sorry, Foggy.” She says, honest.

“It’s okay, just remember, we’re your friends. We worry.” He says, as she apologizes again. “It’s okay. Seriously. But don’t run off like that again. I’m still technically your boss.”

Karen snickers. “Alright, Boss man, I’ll remember to ask.”

“Thank you, my lovely co-worker.” He smiles and gestures for the teenager to come over. “Ready, K-Pop?”

“As I’ll ever be.” Kaila replies as he opens the passenger door. “Thanks.”

“Sure you don’t want a ride?” Karen asked, as he shook his head.

“No thanks. You know I live in the opposite direction.” Foggy said, waving them goodbye. “I’ll see you in the office tomorrow.” 

The girls wave back as he takes a few steps down the sidewalk looking for a cab. As the young Murdock starts putting her seat belt on, she could see the blonde’s mind practically racing over something. It especially was clear when she was gnawing on her bottom lip and her fingers lightly drum the steering wheel.

You can really never turn that Reporter brain of yours off, huh Karen?

“You ready?” The blonde asked with a ghost of a smile.

Kaila tilts her head, feeling her out. “You’re taking me back home, right?” 

“Yeah.” Karen said, nodding.

The teenager raises a knowing eyebrow. “But I can tell you don’t want to.” She says, ignoring Karen’s shocked face. She sighs and rolls the window back down, poking her head out just enough to still see her Uncle. “Hey, Foggy!”

The man perked up at his name just as he was raising his hand for a cab. He wastes no time to jog back over, concern on his features. “What’s up?”

“Get in.” Kaila jerks her head towards the backseat. “We’re breaking and entering.”

Those hazel eyes of his batted quickly, bafflingly. “What?”

“I said, get in the car. We’re going to need a lawyer if this goes south.”

“...What–”

“Just get in the car, Foggy.” Kaila said a bit more stern, which managed to get his ass in the back seat, muttering about what was going on. She pays no heed to him for a second and looks back at Karen who still had the same exact look on her face from a moment ago. “All yours, Cap.”

“Huh?” Karen looks between the teenager and the road ahead of her, debating. “Kai, I really shouldn’t–”

“Listen. I don’t really know who he is, but he saved my life. Whatever you have in mind, we owe it to him.” She smiles bittersweetly. “It’s the least we can do. Right?”

Karen took a minute to let it sink in, before putting her game face back on and taking the car out of park. While she starts pulling away, their guest in the back still seemed clueless about what this really was.

“What exactly is going on here?” Foggy asked, watching as the two girls give each other a look before deciding on a way to spill it to him.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Rory did his best to pretend to be dead, but once the Irish took away the Punisher, he made his move.

Somewhat.

His leg was dead weight from the bullet wound, so his only option was to crawl across the grounds around the carousel. He was using all the adrenaline he had to make his getaway, but that dream seemed short lived when the Devil was suddenly peering down at him. He was soon pinned against the ride, his wrist broken so fast when he tried to use his gun, causing him even more agony than necessary. 

“Who did this?” Daredevil snared, still holding a nice grip on the man’s wrist.

Rory clenches his jaw as he tries to catch his breath. “People you don’t mess with.”

With the subtle tilt of his head, he replies, “You’re bleeding out. And I got all night.”

“Go to hell!!”

Matt twists his arm, getting him to cry again. “Who did this?”

“The one they call Punisher.” 

“Where is he?”

Rory lets out a laugh. “It doesn’t matter ‘cause when we’re done with him, he’s as good as dead.”

Matt mentally sighs, “That’s helpful.” He mumbles, and twists a bit more, causing a louder scream. “But it’s not what I asked.”

His voice grows darker just as the sirens around them become louder and louder; and with a look of fear in his eyes…

Rory spilled everything.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

So this is the Castle family’s house? The trio was thinking as they parked their car across the street before trekking along the darkness to the back door.

“So, what are we doing here again?” Foggy asked, feeling like he was still in the dark about everything.

“We’re going to find anything that can help us with understanding Frank.” Karen explains, surveying the area. 

“And how are we going to find something by looking at a house?”

“Because we’re going to be looking…” She slowly gestures to the back door. “Inside the house.”

His eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“What– Karen, we can’t just–” Foggy trails off when he notices the teenager, crouching down carefully and jiggling a lock with a bobby pin. With a disapproving touch of his hand on her shoulder, he says, “Uh, excuse me, young lady. How do you know how to do this?”

Kaila smirks. “Remember that ‘secret’ candy drawer in your apartment?”

“Yeah…” He gasps quietly. “You were the one stealing from there?! Why?”

“Because–” She shrugs. “I wanted candy and you weren’t giving me any.”

He scoffs and shakes his head. “You’re in so much trouble. I interrogated a lot of people over that!”

“Yeah, and I lied. Sorry,” She pauses for a second. “Huh, and my dad knew the whole time.”

“You’re so grounded.”

She continues jiggling the lock until they hear a small ‘click’. She grins, standing up and grabbing her crutch as she moves inside, the other two following swiftly. The first thing they noticed beside the darkness was how cold the house was, and how you couldn’t hear anything. It made them all get goosebumps and a slight shock up their spines. 

All having the same idea, Karen, Foggy and Kaila slowly start walking around the house with their phones’ flashlights. Going from the kitchen in the back to the main area. When they slowly start to make things out, Karen pulls a tissue from her purse, carefully grabbing and examining things as Foggy looks around, paling.

“This is really eerie, Karen.” Foggy replies, feeling his heart skip a beat.

“Well, I wasn’t really expecting a picnic in here either.” She says, feeling the same way.

But to add more to their emotions, the three of them nearly jolted out of their own skins when Kaila’s crutch hit a small toy frog on the floor, activating it. 

“Jesus…” Kaila muttered, holding her chest before sighing with relief. “What was that?”

Foggy shines the light where he heard it land, frowning. “It’s a wind up toy.” Then the realization hit. “Oh, God… He really was a father.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Matt arrives at the scene just as Frank manages to get himself untied and kill Finn while muttering a very… interesting phrase. He knocks out the two that would have put a few more bullets into Castle’s brain before cautiously walking towards him, but there was still a concerned aura around him.

Frank’s face twitched in anger. “They’re gonna pay. Every single goddamn one of ‘em.” He spews with boiling venom.

“They will.” Matt agrees before shaking his head. “But not tonight. Move. And no killing.”

Frank gives him a glare. “Altar boy.” He replies before grabbing something he could use as a weapon.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

After a while, it was starting to become more and more heavy. It hit even harder when they came across the table filled with very depressing items. It made the whole situation worse than they thought.

Kaila stares at all the bouquets of flowers sent with condolence cards. The cards were addressed to none other than Frank Castle himself. She finds herself feeling very teary eyed.

“This is really…” She trails off, heart hurting. She couldn’t find the right word to say. Losing your entire family? In one night? She could only imagine what this must feel like.

So this is why Frank wanted to help my dad.

“I guess this explains his actions as the Punisher.” Karen said, standing next to her, looking the same. “I guess anyone would do the same thing in his shoes…”

“No shit.” 

“Looks like he was a war hero, too.” Foggy calls out to them, getting them to turn around to face the wall of memorabilias. Sure enough there was Frank in uniform in several pictures, and a couple of his metals were on display. “And this is where his sniper skills come from.”

“Now it all makes sense.” Karen said, looking over them carefully, imprinting the images in her head. 

“True. But–”

On cue, the three of them immediately turned their flashlights off when a vehicle pulled in front of the house. The headlights powered off just as Karen decides to take a peak. And just like the nurse from earlier was describing, here comes both men and women in black suits strolling out of the yellow van.

“Shit…” She whispers, letting go of the curtain.

.

.

.

What the fuck do we do now?

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

On the other side of town, after an intense battle for their lives, Matt found himself carefully setting down a heavily injured Frank Castle against a tombstone. The man grunted at the way his body seemed to mold against it, his adrenaline finally wearing off.

“Hey.” Frank begins, panting. He spares the blind man a glance. “Not bad.”

“Thanks.” Matt said, breathing through his nostrils. 

“I guess I, uh… I guess I was wrong.”

A tilt in his head. “About?”

“About you being a pussy.”

“Don’t get all sweet on me now, Frank.” Matt said, getting a laugh which soon turned into a coughing fit. He frowns worriedly. “Help’s on the way.”

“Nah.” Frank shakes his head. “You should go. I’m past saving. At least I’d have company, right?” A sigh. “I think I might cash out. You’d have made a hell of a Marine, Red.”

There was a twinge of guilt as he could hear the sincerity from his voice. Although Frank was the definition of ‘rough around the edges’, he could still see the soft and wonderful man he really was underneath. 

It made Matt feel like shit to even think about.

“That rhyme. What's it mean?” Matt asked, genuinely curious while crouching down.

This catches Frank off guard for the first time in a while. “What’d you say? …Huh?”

“The thing you say. Right before you pull the trigger.”

“What do you… You heard that?”

“Well, when you’re a blind man, your other senses get heightened so… yeah, I heard it.”

Frank blinks in disbelief. “What the…” He sighs, not even going to question it. “I gotta say, sometimes... Sometimes I think you really just might be the devil.”

Matt nods in agreement. “Sometimes I think I might be, too.”

“It’s, uh…” Frank begins, already getting choked up. “One batch, two batch. Penny and dime, you know. It was her favorite book. You know, you… You gotta cross the ocean… and go fight. You see… whole time you’re thinking you’re gonna be scared, right? But then, you’re not. See, that part of it was always easy for me. Killing. Even watching my buddies die, it just… it didn’t mean nothing.”

His face twitches. “The first time I got scared was on a plane on the way home. I kept thinking God was gonna pull the rug out from under us, you know? Shit, that’s his kind of funny, you know. But the plane landed safe and we were home. Driving through traffic. Yeah, you pass fast food and donut shops and all that… that greasy shit. It’s the shit you fought to protect and then the car stops. We were outside her school. I get to her classroom, right?”

Frank keeps going as Matt slowly sinks himself into the ground, listening wholeheartedly. “She’s in there… but she’s got no idea.” His dark eyes glisten with tears. “She’s got no idea that Daddy’s home. I walk in, these kids, they’re not even studying, they’re–” He chuckles. “Doing some kind of yoga. Yeah. You know? She’s there. She’s doing her poses, you know. She’s bending and, you know, she’s moving. She looks like a flower. Yeah. And, you know, you can’t even understand it, you know, how does something like that have... How does something that beautiful– How does that… does that come from me, you know? I know you probably do. Don’t you?”

Matt nods. “Yeah. I do.” He could relate to that. Sometimes his daughter was so pure compared to him. So innocent despite the things she’s seen. It hurts a lot to think about sometimes.

Frank smiles brightly. “And she looks up and she sees me. I see her. By God, that’s real. That’s real, Red. Boom. In an instant, she’s across that classroom floor, she’s in my arms. She’s squeezing me so tight, I swear I was gonna bust a rib, you know? We just stayed there like that, we’re holding each other. Teacher, she’s filming the whole thing on her phone, you know, she’s gonna put it on YouTube or some shit. She can’t hold the thing steady, because, you know, she’s… she’s bawling so hard, and the kids are all wailing, you know, they’re screaming. And me? Shit, I’m the worst of all. I’m a… I’m a rubber-face clown, you know. I cried so hard.”

He looks up to the sky, trying to hold the floodgates from opening. “But not my baby. Not my girl. You know, she’s my girl. She’s… She’s not crying, she’s holding me up. My girl, she’s keeping me on my feet.” He sucks in a shaky breath. “She says, ‘I knew it, Daddy. I knew it.’ And then we go home. Wife, the boy. Place is the exact same. It’s like it was just holding its breath waiting for me to get back, you know? Then it hit me.”

Now he sounds desperate. “All of it, you know. The first time I felt how tired I was, you know, I was just tired, you know? You… Y-You ever been tired, Red?”

“Yeah.” Matt nods, sadly, knowing that feeling so very well. He’s known it his entire life.

“So, you know. It’s just, I couldn’t do nothing, you know?” Frank's lip quivered. “All the things… I couldn’t take my wife to bed. Ball with the boy. Shit, I was too tired, I couldn’t even drink a goddamn beer, you know. But not her. My girl was up. See, she wanted me to, uh… she wanted me to tuck her in. She… She outgrew it, she knew it, but she didn’t care. She wanted it. She had that book. Her favorite book was out on the pillows.

“‘One Batch, Two Batch Penny and Dime’. Yeah. I read her that book every night before this shit. I read it every single night, but, see, that was over now because Daddy’s home now. She looked at me and she begged me, Red. She begged. She begged. I said, ‘No… Daddy’s too tired, see. But I’ll… I’ll read to you tomorrow night. I’ll read to you tomorrow night, I promise’. Yeah. Never think that… for her there was not gonna be any tomorrow, see. The last time I’d see her, I’d be holding her lifeless body in my arms. Meat was spilling out of her, Red. The place where her face used to be.”

Frank casts a glance at the vigilante, pity on his features. “As much as I hated you for interfering with my work… I couldn’t stand the thought of another father going through that. I don’t think I could stand seeing you holding your daughter in your arms like that. Wailing like a baby, praying that the clock would turn back and the bullets would come for you instead. I didn’t want that for you.” He sighs, letting go of everything. “No. I think I’m done, Red. I think I’m done.”

Matt opens his mouth to speak, but a cop car pulls up with two officers hopping out, drawing their guns from their holsters.

“Police.” Brett said, walking at them at a steady pace. “Don’t move. Hands where I can see ‘em.” He sounded and seemed so disappointed. “Shots fired. Bodies, mayhem and shit. How come I just knew you weren’t going to listen?”

“I have something for you, Sergeant.” Matt said, standing up and giving them a view of the Punisher.

“That’s him?” Brett asked, getting a nod. “Cover him and get EMS.”

“Yep.” His partner replies, and moves around the Daredevil for the other man.

“And you, you incredible pain in my ass.” Brett continues, sheathing his gun as he makes the man before him kneel, hands behind his back. “I really wished you listened.”

“Get him help.” Was Matt’s reply.

“Shut up.” He starts pulling out his handcuffs. “I don’t want to do this.”

“Take the collar.”

Brett falters his movements. “What?”

“You heard me.” Matt replies with a bite. “You caught him, not me. It can’t be me, it has to be you.”

“Why?”

“To protect the Kitchen. For law, for order.”

“You’re telling me how to file a report now?”

“Yeah.” Matt scoffs. “Take the collar. Take the credit. Get a promotion, if you can. You’ve earned it.”

Brett purses his lip. “Bullshit.”

“No, people have to know the system works. Not his justice and not mine. Vigilante days are done in this town. The police are in charge.”

“That’s not how it happened.”

“Then make it how it happened.”

The cop closes his eyes, realizing he is speaking the truth. “Shit…”

“EMT and backup on the way. Two minutes out.” The other officer calls out.

Brett sighs, and pulls Matt up from the ground. “Go. Go!” He shouts, making the devil run off into a sprint, leaving him with a newfound understanding.

Now I really know that’s you, Matt. A smile graced his lips for a split second just as thunder rumbled the sky and rain started to fall.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Miraculously, the troublesome trio somehow got out of the house without being seen. Which ended up being Karen taking Kaila’s crutch from her hand, and Foggy throwing the girl over his shoulder like a shake of potatoes. On the drive back was a mixture of anxiety and small bickering. How in the world are they going to explain this to their vigilante friend? As Foggy puts it, they’re ‘so fucked’. 

But they eventually could release a breath of relief as they arrived back in the city, and back on route to where they were supposed to have gone in the first place. And despite their protests, the exhausted teenager went inside the apartment alone as the adults watched from the car.

“Think she’ll be okay by herself?” Karen asked, being a mother hen she was.

Foggy nods. “She should be fine. She’s just going to sleep.” He sighs, running his fingers through his hair. “Matt’s going to be so pissed when I tell him what she can do. Fuck. He’s going to be pissed at all of us.”

“I’ll take the blame again.”

“Oh, hell yeah you are.”

Suddenly her phone starts to ring, a picture of Matt appears along with his favorite song. 

.

.

.

Oh, yes…

Perfect timing Mr. Daredevil.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

After picking up their important guest, who had slipped a long coat over his costume, he had Karen drive them all back to the same apartment, watching/listening to the “news of the year” on the phone:

‘Frank Castle, the gunman wanted in connection with the Metro-General shooting and linked to dozens of recent gangland-related killings throughout Hell’s Kitchen was apprehended just hours ago outside Saint Michael’s Cemetery. An NYPD spokesman says, “Tonight, New York has Sergeant Brett Mahoney of the 15th Precinct to thank”.’

“Gotta hand it to Brett. He seems to follow you wherever you go.” Foggy replies, sending a look at Matt from the backseat.

Matt ignores that jab and says, “I’m glad people like him are looking out for Hell’s Kitchen.”

Foggy chuckles. “Yeah.”

“And I’m glad someone was looking out for him.”

“Oooh… I wonder who.”

“Press are calling Castle ‘a cold-blooded psychopath’.” Karen said, scoffing. “The DA’s gonna have a hell of a time using his prosecution to turn herself into a hero. It’s all working out perfectly.”

Now it was Matt’s turn to laugh. “Wow, way to bring us down, Ms. Page.” He says, smirking. “I think we've had enough Punisher for one evening. We’ll worry about the rest tomorrow.”

“Amen to that.” Foggy agrees, and Karen sighs again (Only Matt noticed something underlining there).

“You okay?” Matt asks, hearing her shift in her seat.

“Yeah.” She breathes, just as his eyebrows shoot up, not buying it. “Okay, that wasn’t convincing, was it? Um, I don’t know, I just, uh days like today remind me how precious life can be, you know?”

Matt and Karen exchange loving glances and that’s when Foggy, who was grinning like an idiot, made up an excuse to leave.

“You know what? My apartment’s kind of far. I-I should get a cab.” He explains as he starts gathering his things. 

“A cab?” Karen asked, confused. She swears she convinced him earlier it was okay for her to drive him. What changed?

“You know we don’t mind driving you.” Matt adds as his friend shakes his head.

“Nah, that’s okay. Cab’s fine.” Foggy continues.

“It’s raining.”

“A little rain never hurts anyone.” He smiles and clasps a hand on each of their shoulders. “Well, you two have fun, have a drink for me, maybe play a board game, and try to keep it PG with your daughter in there. Okay? Goodnight!”

He wiggles himself out of the car with his belongings, leaving the two of them staring in disbelief…

Before both turning beat red.

Karen buries her face in her hands. “Oh, Foggy…” She said, making them both chuckle. “Uh… should we… um…?

“...ignore… him?” Matt says slowly.

“Uh, y-yes? Maybe?” She starts hearing him laugh again. “I don’t know.”

“Uh, m-me neither. So…”

“You… Um…” She fiddles with her hands. “Actually…”

He tilts his head. “Something you want to tell me?”

She shakes her head. “Oh, I’ll tell you tomorrow. Promise.”

He smiles. “Okay.”

“I’ll walk you inside.”

The two of them get out of the car, Karen taking him by the hand and pulling him towards the door. The warm rain soaking them immediately, but neither of them minded. They walked the concrete path, touching the edge of the steps with their toes when Matt suddenly tugs them both to a stop. The atmosphere was so light and comforting; It made them feel like they were on cloud 9.

Matt’s fingers ghosted her arm, trailing seductively up to her shoulder as she quietly gasped at his touch. Finally he cupped her cheek, some of her golden locks getting entangled, trapping his fingers like a spiderweb. And with hope in both of their eyes, both of them leaned in for a (long overdue) blissful kiss. Short and sweet, but it was breathtaking, exhilarating. And when they broke apart, they let their foreheads rest against each other, smiling.

“Can I take you to dinner?” Matt asks as he couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Yes.” She replies, happily.

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

His smile grew, his chest feeling a thousand times lighter now. “Goodnight, Karen.”

She mimicked him at this very moment as well. “Goodnight, Matt.”

With a new pep in her step, she heads back to her car which was just the cue Matt was waiting for to head back inside. He couldn’t wipe the grin off his face as he climbed the stairs and entered his home. Setting his things by the door, he starts heading in the direction of his room. If his daughter was still up then–

Oh, boy. He thought, only imagining what her reaction would be when he tell her the news.

Kai’s going to have a field day with this one.

But just as his hand was reaching for the door handle, his senses suddenly caught onto something. He jolts in his stance, spinning around with his fists up, ready to fight. He tunes in on a figure -a woman- in his kitchen, twirling with one of his knives. With that sweet, sweet voice of poison he remembers so very well, she says,

“Hello, Matthew.”

With his heart in his throat he croaks, “Elektra.”

Her sharp eyes stayed on him for a while before she stopped her movements to take a swig of the drink she stole from the fridge. “Mmm! German beer. Tastes like piss.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” He says, lowering his hands slightly, focusing completely on her.

“You’ve never been hard to find.” 

He clenches his jaw. “That’s not what I asked.”

“At least your furniture’s improved.” She said in her attempt at small talk. She sets the bottle down and starts making her way over.

“Kinda liked my old futon.”

“I liked breaking it in.” She says, seductively. “Nice place. Too bad about the clothes, though.”

He holds his hand up, a sign she took for her to stop as she entered the living area. “Why are you here?”

She sighs. “Would you believe it if I said I missed you?”

Not missing a beat he says, “No.”

“Smart man. Columbia education really paid off.”

“No thanks to you.” He bites back.

She chuckles. “I’m in New York for a meeting. I thought I’d pop by.”

“Well, you’re not staying here, so…”

“Fine.” She shrugs. “My penthouse in midtown will just have to do, then. We spent some nights there.”

He mentally cusses, holding back an eye twitch. “Look, if you came here to walk down memory lane, I don’t really have the–”

“I’m sorry. I’ve spent years trying to convince myself that things happen for a reason, that you and I were not meant to be. But I know now. That wasn’t fate. It was a choice. My choice. And I’m sorry. I’m alone in the world, Matthew. Do you know what that feels like?”

Matt scoffs in disbelief. “No.”

She seemed disappointed. “Of course you do. You–”

“I really don’t.” He snaps, bitterly, honestly. “Not in a long time I haven’t.”

Elektra sighs. “Well, you must know what it’s like to clean up your father’s messes. A long time ago, before he died, my father did business with the Roxxon Corporation.”

Matt raises an eyebrow. “Roxxon?”

“Energy, cleaning supplies, macaroni and cheese. Child labor, slave trade. They have their fingers in everything. I believe it’s called diversification. And thanks to my father’s shitty investments, they hold most of his wealth.”

“Yeah, okay. I–”

“I have a meeting tomorrow with the board at the Yakatomi Building. And I need your help, Matthew.”

“How am I supposed to help you?” He asked, puzzled. 

“I want you to use that expensive legal training of yours to help me get my money back–”

“See, I’m a defense lawyer.”

“I’ll pay you well.”

Matt laughs, shaking his head. “I’m not taking your money. And, even if I accepted, there’s not enough time.”

“For what?” Elektra asked, confused.

“Oh, just research. Accounts, shareholders, hierarchy of the–”

“You have fifteen hours.”

He blinks. “Fifteen hours, Elektra, are you insane?”

“Matthew.” She sighs his name. “You’re the only person I–”

She trails off like she suddenly listening for something, and Matt was puzzled on what until–

Nobody could miss the way he tenses and holds his hands up. “Elektra.” He starts warning, as he could hear her gripping the kitchen knife. “Wait– Don’t!!”

He manages to snag the knife midair just as the bedroom door slide opens, his quick action startling his poor kid. He winces as soon as the blade makes contact with his skin, and lets it go immediately. 

“Shit!” He cusses, blood pooling from his open palm.

“Are you okay?!” Kaila gasps, shifting her weight onto her good leg as she tries to look at his injury.

“Matthew?” Elektra’s voice broke through making him stiff up again. “Who’s that?”

He hides his pain quickly, and uses his non-injured hand to push his kid behind him. “You need to leave.” He said, stern and underlining cold.

Kai casts a glance at him. “Dad?” She whispers, scared.

Elektra looks between the two, puzzled. “Dad?” She asked, hurt in her face as she looked at her ex. “You have a daughter?”

“Dad, who’s is–”

“You need to leave. Now.” Matt repeats, tougher.

“Since when did you have a kid?” Elektra asked, pain in her voice as steps closer. “And with whom?”

Matt pulls his daughter completely behind, a subtle sign to tell her to stay back. “Does that even matter?” He asked, not even letting her answer. “You have no right to ask me that. Leave.”

“Matthew–”

“Leave.”

If anyone else was in her place they would have trembled under his tone of voice alone; But even Elektra, who claims she knows the real him, seemed taken back. Not even saying another word, she left out the front door like she was a guest and not someone who trespassed (which seemed to piss Matt off more than it should have). Matt almost didn’t want to relax, he knows she’ll come back. She always does. She always seems to–

Kaila nearly fell to the ground if he hadn’t been standing there. Her name passed by his lips quickly as he caught her, leaning her against him.

“Why are you walking on your own? Where’s your crutch?” He asks, getting them both settled down on the bed. 

“I kind of leaped out of bed ‘cause of concern.” She replies, before grabbing a gentle hold onto his wrist. “Your hand.”

“It’s okay. I don’t think I need stitches.”

She stares at his palm, carefully feeling around the cut to confirm his words before asking, “Who is she?”

He frowns, slightly ashamed. “She uh, is an old… flame of mine. Second year. My uh… party boy era.”

“Party boy era?” She watches him nod. “You told me some stories. But you never mention a girlfriend.”

“She’s… not my proudest accomplishment.”

Kaila frowns, sadly. “Was she before my mother?”

“Before Mary, yeah.”

“So what happened with… her?”

He sighs. “After a while, she started doing stuff that… I didn’t like. The last thing she did was pretty awful. When I comforted her about it, she yelled at me and then disappeared. That’s the last time I ever saw her.”

“Damn.” Kaila muttered. “That bad, huh?”

“You have no idea.”

“Well…” She starts leaning forward to grab the first aid kit under the bed. “You might have dodged a bullet there, dad.” She pulls out some disinfectant wipes and a gauze. “She seems… violent.”

Matt chuckles dryly. “Very.” His expression fades back into worriedness. “You’re not going to ask more questions?”

“I’ve heard enough. You told me enough.” She starts looking around for her phone. “Besides–” She snags it off the end of the nightstand. “If there’s more to what you need to tell me you will. But if it doesn’t affect our lives, then I’m not worried about it.” 

She smiles up at him, and he couldn’t help but copy her.

“I really lucked out with you as my daughter, Kai.” Matt said, making her snort.

“Well, that’s good, ‘cause you’re stuck with me. Here–” She hands him her phone that had the flashlight on. “Hold this up for me.”

“Can do.” He lets her do her thing, taking this small moment and cherishing it despite the circumstances leading up to it. “Thank you, Dr. Kaila.”

She smirks. “Hey, that’s Dr. Murdock for you, sir.” Kaila replies, cheeky just finishing up. “‘Least it was your non-dominant hand.”

“And I’m grateful for that.” He says, handing the device to her. Just as he does, the teenager’s phone buzzes and he feels her gaze immediately lock with it, disappointment registering on her face. Matt latches onto this quickly. “What’s wrong?” 

“It’s… nothing.” 

“Doesn’t sound like it. You seem… upset.” He uses his non-injured hand to tilt her head towards him. “What’s wrong?”

She frowns. “It just… I met someone at work–”

“You met someone?”

“A friend. His name is Jayden–”

“His name?”

She rolls her brown eyes. “Dad, stop.”

“Sorry.” He apologizes. “Continue.”

“Anyway, we started talking and texting one another, and we even made plans to hang out, however I got… you know… kidnapped.” Her frown deepens as she crosses her arms. “He texted me if I was okay, I said I was, and then… that’s it. He hasn’t responded to any of my texts. It’s… weird.” A sigh. “Do you think I did something wrong?”

“No.” He shakes his head. “Of course not.”

“Then how come he’s ignoring me?”

“Well… maybe he doesn’t know how to respond after what happened to you. Maybe it just feels awkward for him. It’s not everyday that someone’s friend gets kidnapped.” 

Kaila nods slowly, processing his words. “True.”

“He’s also probably taken back by how you responded. To him, you might have sounded… too okay with a text. It might have been different if you two would have talked on the phone or face-to-face.”

“True.”

“Just give him some time. If he doesn’t respond, maybe try giving him a call. Okay?”

She sighs. “Okay. You’re right.”

“Good.” He says, as a smile starts to grow. “Well, on the bright side–” He nudges her a bit. “I’ve got good news.”

“What?”

“Your old man might have… put a move on a certain blonde tonight.” A gasp. “And I might have asked her to dinner tomorrow.” Another gasp. “And she might have said yes.”

She squeals. “Dad, that’s awesome!” She shouts, making him laugh. “Awe. Do you have something to wear? Or do we need to go shopping? Or–”

 “Kai–”

“We could go to that new tailor store up the road. Or we could go into town square for the day.”

“Kai–”

“What about places to eat? Do you have any idea where you’re going to take her?”

“Kai–” He laughs again at her enthusiasm and grabs her by the forearm to stop her. “Relax. You’re way more excited about this than I am.”

“Sorry.” She said, blushing. “You haven’t been on a date in a long time. One that you actually seem happy for.”

“Well, I…” Now it was his turn to get red. “I like Karen. She makes me feel… good. Happy. Warm.”

“Awe.” Kaila threw her arms around his neck. “I’m glad you feel that way. Although… I can’t believe Karen of all people is trying to take my number one spot with you.”

Another laugh. “Oh… baby girl–” He kisses her temple. “You'll always be my number one.” 

And that was the absolute truth.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Morning.” Kaila said, as she and her father entered the office the very next day.

Foggy smiles, eyes still glued to the newspaper he was currently reading. “Murdocks.”

“We, uh, have anything for breakfast?” Matt asked as he started pouring himself a glass of water from their filter.

Foggy raises an eyebrow. “You hungry or hungover?” 

A brief pause. “Both.”

Kaila gives him a look as she sits down. “Since when did you have a drink last night?” She asked, and got a shrug in return.

Foggy chuckles. “All right, you need some potassium, some electrolytes, and a jolt of caffeine. I’ll give you, uh…” He looks around before snapping his fingers at something. “-The last piece of Mrs. DiNizio’s peach cobbler, which is… the last piece of anything in this office.”

“I guess our finances haven’t improved since last week.” Matt said, frowning.

“Yeah, well, clients don’t respond well to a ‘closed’ sign.”

Kaila looks between the two, concerned. “Should… I be worried?”

Her father sighs and shakes his head. “No, baby girl, don’t… it’s my fault. I’m sorry, Foggy.”

“Don't be.” Foggy replies, taking a seat next to his niece, still reading. “You got Punisher off the street. I’m hoping Reyes will get her jackboot off our neck and this office can go back to normal.”

“Can you though?” Kai said, getting their attention. “I mean with everything we’ve gotten entangled with… can we be normal again?”

Before the boys could process her words, Nelson and Murdock’s last employee finally arrived.

“Matt–” Karen enters the room, startling herself as she tries to balance a tray full of beverages. “Uh, good morning.”

“Hey, Karen.” Matt said, a little smile ghosting his face.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Uh, not so much. You?”

“Me?” She slurred, closing the door with her elbow. “Yeah, sure. Uh, I-I mean–”

“Is that coffee I can smell?” He said, feeling his heart race.

“Hmm?”

“Coffee.”

“Uh, yeah, um… Yeah, arabica for all.” She chuckles and starts handing the cups over. “For everyone.” She hands over the last one for Kai. “Uh, Chai for you.”

The teenager’s eyes light up with happiness. “Thank you, Ma’am.”

“Yeah, Thanks. You’re a goddess.” Matt said, still grinning.

“Okay, you two.” Foggy cuts in, still smiling like a goof. “Let’s talk business. Potential clients. Real ones. With bank in the bank.”

“Uh, actually, yeah, can we, uh, talk about these first?” Karen asked, holding up some paper. The boys follow her as she stands behind her own desk. “The, uh, press is still painting Castle like he’s nothing more than some deranged lunatic.” 

“Well, it’s not like our boy was out collecting for the Red Cross.” Foggy points out, even after knowing what he discovered last night. 

“I know. I know, but–”

“You think there’s more to the story.” Matt finishes, already knowing this was going to be true (everyone did).

“Exactly. I mean, five different papers and not a word about the bullet he took to the brain, or his military record, or his family.” She continues, running a hand through her locks. “So we know what he said last to you about his daughter was true. W-We found this photograph. It’s of him and his wife and kids at the carousel–”

“We?” The Blind man asked, confused. “You mean…” He points between his friends. “The two of you?” He didn’t miss the way their heartbeats flickered. “You guys found it where, exactly?”

“W-We… sort of broke into his house last night.” 

“Broke in? Last night you–” He trails off at a realization, and with a steady expression he turns in his daughter’s direction who was nervously sipping her drink.

She eventually just shrugs. “Murdock curse…?”

“I… shouldn’t even be surprised at this point.” Matt said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Anyway, I get what you were trying to do, but that still was dangerous and illegal.”

“I know, I know. Sorry.” Karen said, apologetically.

“For the record, I didn’t know that’s what we were going to do. I just thought we were going to look at the house from afar.” Foggy said, holding his hands up. “But, I will still take some of the blame… but your daughter knows how to pick locks.”

Matt looks her way again. “You know how to do what?”

“Why are you throwing me into this?” Kaila asked, dumbfounded. “Shouldn’t we be listening to Karen? I mean, I know Frank is a lunatic, but he threw one of his missions away to save me. Shouldn’t Nelson and Murdock at least try to see if they can help him?”

“No.” Foggy shakes his head. “No. I mean, yeah he saved you, but come on, we successfully dodged a metaphorical bullet and quite a few literal ones. We need to be done with the crazy, guys. We need normal.”

And with that said he stormed into his own office.

“I’m sorry.” Karen said, bowing her head. “I’m really sorry if I– I pushed it too far.”

“It’s okay.” Matt said, with a light laugh. “Just Uh, I don’t think you’re wrong about him, I feel the same way too, but it’s really simple, Karen. Just I don’t want you to get hurt. Not like I have…”

She lets those words sink in before deciding to test the waters somewhere else. “So, uh... Last night.”

“Last night?” He pinches his brows together, all tongue and cheek. “I don’t– What happened last night? At Josie’s? With Foggy?”

She giggles. “You…”

“Did something happen?”

“Yeah.”

“Anything else? I don’t–”

“Yeah?”

Matt laughs quietly, softly. “Yeah, it was great. And I like to think I can do better, if we’re still on for dinner.”

“Uh, yeah. It’s a date.”

“Holy shit!” Foggy said, coming back into the room. “That was the bank.”

Karen frowns with dread. “Oh, no.”

“No, it’s all good.” Foggy continues, still stunned by the news. “There was a deposit. A big one.”

“What?”

Kaila’s eyes widened with realization before looking at her Father. “Dad–”

“Uh, actually, do me a favor, don’t spend any of it.” Matt blurts out nervously.

“Dad–”

Foggy gives him a strange look. “Why not?” He asked, concernedly.

“I-I was hit up by a potential client yesterday, so, I just–” Matt tried explaining but his friend was now nervously saying things.

“Is it dirty money? Are we doing that again?”

“No! No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just, um– I’m not sure it’s gonna work out, let me… Let me just–”

“Dad!!” Kaila shouts, getting him to stop. “Enough lying! Just tell them the truth. You promised no more secrets.”

With those words, she trapped her Dad like a deer in a headlight. He felt everyone’s eyes on him, puzzled and on the border of hurt.

“What secret?” Karen asked, with a tilt of her head.

“Okay, who’s this client, Matt?” Foggy asked, bracing himself for the answer.

Matt lets out a sigh knowing he’s been pinned down. And with a small shift in his stance, hands on his hips he says, “It’s… Elektra.” And he didn’t need sight to know that his college roommate’s eyes were slowly bugging out of his head.

“Wait…” Foggy mumbles, hands waving around, grasping something imaginary. “Elektra?” He tests out the name that burns on his tongue. “Psychopath Elektra? Your old girlfriend from college?”

Karen immediately copies his expression. “Old girlfriend?” She asked, looking between the two.

“Yeah!” Foggy boasts, arms flinging out in a dramatic way. “I-I mean she was beautiful, b-but fucking off the walls crazy!” He stares at Matt in disbelief. “You mean she showed up back in your life?”

Matt nods. “S-She… was at my door when I came home last night.”

Karen crosses her arms, intrigued. “W-What did she want?”

“Uh, basically, long story short, she wants to get her father’s wealth back from this company called Roxxon. She wanted me to be her lawyer. I told her no, but apparently she didn’t listen.”

“What do we do?” Foggy asked, while rubbing his tired face.

“I’m going to have to talk to her, I mean we’re defense lawyers. What can we do?” 

“And you’re talking to her as… Matt Murdock? Or the other guy?”

Matt frowns. “Not sure yet. I’ll be back.” He says, making his way where he left his walking stick. His gaze soon leads to Karen. “I’ll make sure to be back for tonight.”

Foggy raises an eyebrow between the two. “What’s tonight?” He asked, confused by this potential memo he missed.

“They’re going on a date.” Kaila sang, grinning ear to ear while making the two adults blushed.

“What?!” Her Uncle said, baffled. “Are you serious?” He gets a quick nod of confirmation from his niece before throwing his arms in the air. “Finally!”

Matt listens to his daughter’s giggle before touching her shoulder, grabbing her attention. “I’ll be back.”

Kaila nods as her expression fades. “Be careful.” 

“I will, but–” He taps the top of her phone, knowing exactly what she was doing on it. “Worry about meeting your friend.”

Her eyes widened. “How did you know I was texting–” But he leaves without another word, and she’s left staring at her device.

Once the door closes, Foggy reverts back to a curious fellow. “Your friend?”

“Uh–” Kaila meets his eyes for a split second before looking away. “I made a friend at work, and I’m… having some trouble with him.”

“Him?” He asked in the same tone of fashion her father had the night before.

She almost visibly eyerolls. “Okay, I don’t need the protective lecture again. He’s just a friend that happens to be a boy. Alright?”

He shakes his head. “Sorry. Habit, you know?”

Suddenly the office phone rings and Foggy excuses himself to go answer it just as Karen takes a seat next to the teenager.

“Need some advice?” She asked, softly.

Kaila shrugs and sighs. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Well… what’s this boy like? Is he nice? How did you meet?”

“I… I met him before the summer, right around the time you guys were about to bring Fisk down. I met him, Jayden, at that coffee shop I like to go to sometimes. We talked, just a short little conversation as we waited for our drinks, then that was it.” Kaila explains slowly, shifting in her seat. “Then, about a month into my job, he started working there. Maybe it was just a weird coincidence, but I took it as a sign that maybe the universe was finally giving me a friend.”

Karen tilts her head again. “Finally?”

The young Murdock shrugged. “I never really had friends growing up. Everyone was also so cliquey. It was strange. I was basically the girl you invited to a party because you felt bad.”

The blonde frowns. “Kai…”

“It’s fine, really. I’m not bothered by it as much as before. I mean, I did have one friend who I considered my best friend in the sixth grade, I mean we did everything together.” She slouches in her chair. “But the day she and her parents met my father, she never spoke to me again. Her parents were the helicopter ones, strict about everything. And… they obviously didn’t like blind people. Rich jackasses.”

“Kai, that’s horrible.”

“Yeah. Anyway, I like Jayden because we have a lot in common. Same music taste, we love scary movies, love books, I could go on. But ever since the kidnapping, he texted me if I was okay, I replied back and that was it. Dead silence.” She continues. “I want to go talk to him, but I don’t know where he lives, and I can’t exactly go back to my job because I’m on temporary leave, and to quote my Boss, he said, ‘If I see you set foot in this store instead of being home healing I’ll fire you’. And I kind of like my job, so… yeah.”

“Huh.” Karen said, thinking. “Have you talked it over with your dad?”

“He suggested I should give him a little bit before calling, but I don’t know. Should I even wait?” 

“Maybe you shouldn’t.” And just before more could be said, a certain DA’s right hand came strolling in. Karen stands up, surprised. “Mr. Tower? I, uh, wish you’d called. I’d have something set up.”

“Are they in?” He asked, quickly. And right on cue, Foggy peaks from his office door.

“Just the Nelson half.” He replies, puzzled as well.

“We need to talk. In private.” Tower replies, ignoring the many jabs the people in the room were giving him as he entered Foggy’s office.

“Asshole.” Kaila said, once the door was closed.  

Karen chuckles. “Can be…”

“Why don’t you do what you have to?” The Murdock gestures towards the exit. “I know that detective brain of yours wants to work on the Castle case.”

The blonde looks surprised again. “You sure?”

“Of course. There’s not much I’ll be able to do since I don’t know what you’re looking for. Besides–” She holds her phone up. “Maybe I should try.”

Karen smiles and grabs her purse. “Good luck.”

“You too.” Kaila waits till she leaves before scrolling to his contact and hitting the phone icon; She lifts it to her ear, waiting to see if it’ll stop ringing.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Hours later after their separate adventures, both Karen and Matt made it on time for their date. The blonde was nervously flipping through the menu as the lawyer stayed silent, just listening.

“D-Do you drink wine?” Karen nervously stutters. “I should know that.”

“I… don’t drink anything they don’t serve at Josie’s.” Was Matt’s answer, which got her to laugh.

“Yeah, well, I don’t see swill on the menu.”

Their eyes locked for a moment before getting preoccupied again. Eventually they both tried to speak at the same time. “So how was–/So what did–” A laugh. “I’m sorry–/I was just gonna–”

Karen smiles, setting the menu down. “Uh, you go ahead. Go, go first.”

Matt copies her. “How was your day?”

“Fine. Uh, yeah, just a regular day at the office.”

“Well, it’s a nice change of pace, right? Not being shot at?” He nervously laughs. “That’s gotta feel good.”

She hums, and takes a sip of water. “Yeah.” She sets the glass down, folding her hands on top of one another. “You, uh… how’s the, uh, new… you know. Elektra.”

Matt inhales deeply, clearly still frustrated over the mess. “Honestly, I didn’t get the chance to talk to her. I kind of…” A slight shrugged. “Eavesdropped on the meeting.”

“Is she… in trouble you think?” Karen asked, genuinely curious.

He sighs. “I don’t know. Maybe. But I don’t want to get involved. Like I told Kai last night, she left many years ago, I’ve forgotten about her, and that’s all I want to do.”

Karen looks at him worriedly, finally seeing the hurt he’s been through appearing on his face. “I’m sorry. It… sucks when your past comes back to bite you. I know I’ve… I’ve had my fair share of that.”

Matt’s heart clenched, frowning sadly. “I’m sorry to hear that.” He whispers, and there was a brief pause before they both recollected themselves. “Well, uh… that covers work.”

She changes her expression to a joyful one like earlier. “Uh, well, it's a start. Um–” She pointed to a corner of the restaurant where the bathroom was. “I’ll be back in just a minute. Order something fantastic.”

“Sure thing.” He says, hearing her leave. Once she does he lets out a sigh, embarrassed how this was going. He thought maybe his struggles would be helped when the waiter suddenly appeared by his side. “Look. If I had to seem like I knew everything there is to know about wines in the next 60 seconds, what would I… what would I order?”

“Matthew Murdock?” The waiter said, sounding all buddy-buddy.

Matt tilts his head in confusion. “Yeah.”

He holds out a phone. “You have a call.”

“Oh.” Matt takes it. “Thanks.” He lifts it to his ear. “This is Murdock.”

‘Sorry to bother you while you're out, but you have a few moments before she returns, right?’

Matt mentally curses as soon as he hears her voice. He clenches the phone, and hiss, “What do you want from me?”

‘You should ask yourself the same question. That rooftop act was cute.’

“Yeah, nothing compared to your damsel-in-distress one.” He grits his teeth as she laughs at his reply.

��Oh, you’re right. I didn’t actually need you. I told you, maybe I just missed you. But don’t worry, you can keep the money.’

Matt chuckles sarcastically. “Aw.. Go to fucking hell.”

‘If you really want to be done, consider this me firing you.’

And then he was met with the dial tone, supposedly ending this ‘nightmare’ (or maybe it was just starting it). 

“Hey.” Karen’s sweet voice broke through, pulling him away from the memories of his past.

He flashes her a reassuring smile. “Hey.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah… th-they ran out of wine.”

She chuckles at what she thought was a joke. “No.” She frowns when she sees he wasn’t laughing back. “Wait, seriously? Matt–”

“I-I don’t I don’t like this place, you know?”

“Is it the place? Or is it–”

“It’s definitely not you.” He quickly says, truthfully.

“You’re sure?” She said, heart skipping a beat.

“Yeah.” He hears his own heart flutter, getting back into the groove. “I’m positive.”

She bites her lip seductively before taking him by the hand. “Come on. I know where we can go.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Thank you.” Karen said to their new waiter at their new date spot. 

“Wow, this smells amazing.” Matt replies, the curry and other spices hitting his nose blissfully. “What is it?”

“Um…” She laughs at herself, not knowing either. “Who cares? They have wine.”

Matt finds himself grinning ear to ear. “Right. That’s…  You know, I’ve always felt more comfortable with the cheap stuff. You know?”

“Yeah? Well, here, I’ll drink to that.” She holds her glass up waiting for Matt to do the same before clicking.

“Cheap stuff.”

She grins too. “Cheap stuff.” She sets her glass down after a sip, grabbing her fork to dig in. “You know, I never even had Indian food until a few months ago.”

“How is that possible?” Matt asked, surprised.

“Well, my hometown in Vermont had about 400 people, so the most ethnic food it offered was French fries.”

“So that’s why you, uh, came to New York? For the food?”

She shakes her head at his cheekiness. “Uh, no. Although, if I knew places like this existed, I’d have left Vermont ages ago.”

“You see, that’s why I love this city.” He says, hearing her hum to continue. “I’ve lived here my whole life, and the place never stops unfolding new secrets.”

She nods in understanding. “Yeah, you know despite the crime, and the darkness, every once in a while, New York makes me feel…

“Like, safe?”

“Yes, is that weird?”

He shrugs. “Well–

“Huh.”

“I get it.”

Another flutter to her heart as she leans in closer. “I wish you could see this place.”

Matt smiles. “I can, if you describe it to me.”

She hums again, setting her fork down and using her hands to speak. “S-So, anyways, my favorite part… is the ceiling. It’s literally dripping with thousands of lights. They’re shaped like chili peppers–” She holds her hand up before he could protest. “Which sounds really tacky, I know, but it’s um, it’s not. Just… It’s magic.”

“Magic?” 

“Yeah.” They lock eyes again. “Magic.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

After dinner, the two of them took a lovely stroll hand and hand. It seems like this wonderful night would last forever, until they arrived just outside the Page residence.

Karen looks torn as she pulls them both to a stop. “This is me.” She said, before laughing nervously.

“Are you sure you don’t… live two more blocks?” Matt asked, feeling the same way. “Maybe three?”

“I wish.” She shifts her towards him. “We could sit.”

“Yeah.” He guides them down on the steps, and he pulls his shades off, taking this moment in. He chuckles, scooting closer. “All right, I’m gonna kiss ya.”

And she lets him.

They both started off sweetly before turning it up a notch, hands gripping onto each other’s clothing like it was a life line. Maybe in some way… it was.

“You can come up… if you like?” Karen asked in between their kisses.

Matt hums against her lips, smiling. “I’d love to.”

And he kisses her again.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Okay, so how many voicemails did you leave?” Foggy asked his Niece as they walked from the office back to her home. He wasn’t surprised when Karen left earlier in the day to do some research, but he was taken back by how his Niece seemed very repetitive with her moves today.

Looking quite embarrassed, and not even looking at him she said, “...Eight.”

“Eight?” He replies, shocked. “Jesus, Kai. I don’t think I’ve seen you stress something over like this before.”

“Yeah, I know.”

He frowns at how disappointed she sounded. “Kaila–”

“It’s okay, Foggy. I’ll be alright.” She says, as she heads up to her apartment entrance, keys in hand.

“Hey.” He says, getting her to finally turn around to look at him. “Try not to stress over it. I’m sure he’ll come around. And if he doesn’t…” He shrugs. “Fuck him. You’re too good for him anyway.”

Kaila cracks a smile. “Thank you, Uncle Foggy. Goodnight. Love you.”

“Love you too, kiddo.”

She unlocks the front door and heads inside, carefully guiding herself to ride the elevator. She sighs after hitting her floor number, a wave of exhaustion hitting her hard.

He’s right. I shouldn’t be stressing over this. And she shouldn’t, but it still hurts to admit that.

I finally found someone that I consider a real friend and he ghosts me. Lucky me…

The elevator dings and opens, and she slowly moves across the hallway to the very end. She fishes around her key ring for the right one–

“Hey, Coffee girl.” A voice erupts behind her, making her nearly jump out of her shoes.

Head whipping around quickly, she blinks upon confusion. “...Jayden?”

The dark haired boy looks nervous, and out of place, but still manages to give her a wave. “Hi.”

“W-What…” She shakes her head, recollecting herself. “What are you doing here?” 

“Uh, I… got your voicemails.” He holds up his phone before putting it back away. “Can we uh… can we talk?”

“Talk…?”

“Yeah. Can we?”

She doesn’t know if this was a dream or not, but if it isn’t, something was telling her to cease this opportunity or else. Finally relaxing her tense body, she replies,

“Sure.”

-Taglist is open if anyone wants to join-

@stinkywhore @invinciblerikkai @glass-ghost

@your-not-invisible-to-me @ohtacosindrome

@mirkwoodshewolf @dreamscandys

@omniromanticbitch @987coley

@hearts4murdock @katnisspeetaprim

@astrobees @cg94 @simpingforpeterparker3000

@cg94 @winterschildren17 @wolfgirl-205 @hallecarey1 @mademoiselle-marquise-blog

@graciegoeskrazy @magsmilk

#daredevil #matt murdock x daughter reader #matt murdock x oc #matt murdock #foggy nelson #karen page #karedevil #mcu stick #kingpin #wilson fisk #claire temple #foggy and nelson #avocados at law #foggy nelson x reader #karen page x reader #marvel fanfiction #mcu daredevil #marvel daredevil #mcu fic #marvel #mcu #my fanfic writing #skyfall writes #peter parker x oc #peter parker x reader #vanessa marianna

[like-rain-or-confetti]

Ok I'm thinking child reader maybe about like 8-10 years old helps them and thinks they are nice and the rouge is nice to them aswell. Untill on day when the reader stops by for there daily little talk and they end up getting arrested by the Batman and the reader is just heartbroken

( maybe them finding the reader like a couple years later. But that's if you wanna right that)

( maybe Mr freeze , the riddler , scarecrow , two face , and Jervis tech )

-anon💜🕷️

Did I just put out CONTENT? WOWZA. It's been 84 years. Some will have the time jump and others won't but I hope you like it! 🥰

The Riddler: "Mr Riddler! Mr Riddler!" You rushed up to him and his friend you had never seen before. "Oh, its you." Edward acknowledged. You clung to Edward's wrist to try and keep up. "What are you doing here today?" You looked up at him. "Watching imminent failure." He replied with a chuckle. "Whats a immi-" You were cut off by the Riddler's friend who turned on his heel making you jump. You had seen a lot of scarred individuals but never one so severe as that man. "You know what, Nygma? How about you go and fu-" Was the last thing you heard before two hands clamped over your ears. You looked up to see Edward with a rather bored expression, covering your ears and making the man's voice muffled into coherent angry mumbles. Edward's eyes shifted towards you and he cracked a smile. Finally, he released your head. "Honestly Harvey and in front of the children too." Edward tutted with a taunting smirk.

"Get off me you simple airhead! Mindless drones! Release me!" The Riddler yelled as he was cuffed. He struggled against the Batman until he caught sight of you. You hugged your father's side, eyes wide as you watched him. The Riddler's jaw clenched before he turned away. He often preached how the truth was under an oblivious Gotham's nose but this time he took no pleasure in you discovering the truth.

Fifteen years later and Edward couldn't help but smile at the nurse who stood before him. He sat with Two-Face and Scarecrow. "What?" The nurse smiled, slightly amused. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Edward hummed and leaned his head against his hand, propped up by the table. "You think I wouldn't recognise my little friend? You're all grown up now." Edward smirked. "Well it has been a while, puzzle man." You reply warmly.

Mister Freeze: Today had to be one of the hottest days in Gotham and Victor was more than eager to get back into the cold. You however caught sight of him and as always insisted on saying hello to him. Victor always humoured you and had asked what you were doing. "Drawing!" You replied. "I made this for you!" You thrust a piece of paper towards him as he gingerly took the paper in his gloved hand. "Thank you." Victor replied quietly. Nora would have loved you. He noticed your pout at the stairs "What is wrong?" He asked. You held out your cup with a frown. "I left it on the step to finish my drawing but it's warm now." You complained. "Give it...here." Victor requested and you passed the cup to him. He pulled out a tube in his arm, shuddering as he did so. With an immediate WHOOSH, the contents in the cup began to freeze. After a couple of seconds, Victor reattached the tube in his arm. "Let it sit for a little in the sun...don't bite it. You'll break your teeth." He passed the cup back to you, your drink now a frozen treat. "Thank you, Mister Freeze!" You smiled cheerfully.

As a child, you told the story of the heartbroken iceman. The world didn't appreciate him and they tucked him away into the cold and the dark, lights blaring red and blue. His fate to he lost like his wife before.

Victor noticed the painting in the art Gallery. It was different to the others, dark yet had the brightest shades of blues. Although it was the note left. The painting was called 'A Timeless Love' painted with shades of blues and greys. A fire red rose in the middle. In the corner of the painting was a message. 'For Nora when her happy ending thaws.' Victor had only mentioned Nora by name a couple of times and to know you still remembered it after all these years. As for his story, Victor assumed you had done some research since. He never knew you by name but remembered the child he told the story of his wife to. The only person he did and that child would be all grown up now.

Scarecrow: Bullying was unfortunately common, and with every year, it seemed those affected get younger and younger. Jonathan knew children could be cruel but wasn't going to stand by and watch as you were pushed to the ground. A boy standing over you and getting ready to throw a nasty punch. Jonathan was quicker, and the other children clambered back. Jonathan grabbed the boy and threw him off of you, much too hard for any child. The boy yelped the heels of his hands and knees skinned. "Do that to them again, and I'll..." Jonathan grabbed the boy by the shirt and whispered in his ear. After a few seconds, the boy cried and pulled away from Jonathan sharply, tears spilling. "Now scram!" Jonathan bellowed at the children who all shrieked and scattered. Jonathan turned back to you and smiled slightly. "Hello, (Y/N)." He reached for your hand and pulled you up as you mumbled your own greeting. "Those mean boys hassling you again?" Jonathan asked as he dusted you off, and you nodded. He bent to your level. "Boys are mean, little (Y/N). You want them to leave you alone." He began and moved your hand into a fist. Pull back and punch them hard in the throat. Understand?" Slowly, you nod, and he grinned. "Hit them in the throat!"

The next you time you saw the Scarecrow was a news report about his arrest. Your parents looked nauseous when you mentioned that was the man who helped you and your friend.

Scarecrow had no idea why this armed guard was grinning at him. They didn't even seem to fear him. They greeted him like an old friend no matter how coldly he spoke to them. Until the guard said something very familiar. "You know an old friend once told me that boys can get really mean and when they do you just gotta punch them in the throat. Best advice I've ever gotten and it still helps me to this day." The guard smiled and Jonathan paused. That was familiar. He looked at the guard in disbelief. That little kid was all grown up now. Even if still very young in his eyes. "You..." Scarecrow said with disbelief. "I'll take you back to your cell, Crane." You smiled warmly. "Some of us still see the human in you."

Two-Face: "Mr Two-Face!" You ran up to him, taking his unscathed hand. "Hey, kid." He replied gruffly. You moved to stand in his way but he quickly tugged you back to his side where his scars couldn't be seen. "You know the rules- you stay on that side." Harvey mumbled. "What are you doing here Mr Two-Face?" You asked eagerly. "Just passing through, kid." Harv'replied. "We had some business to deal with." You caught a glimpse of something in his hand. "What's that?" You tried to peek around him at his other hand which he quickly hid from your view. "Never mind that!" He replied gruffly. "You being good?" You nod frantically. "Yeah!" "Good." He nodded.

You were there when Two-Face was arrested for his latest bank heist. He turned his head catching sight of you, revealing his scarred side. You try to hold in a gasp. It was gruesome for any kid to see. Seeing you had him silent for a moment before he turned away coldly.

Mad Hatter: The temperature began to drop as the season changed. You came from a poor family and so the only solution to the cold was a limited time outside and a hot meal when you were home. In the summer you were allowed out all day long but in the oncoming winter days, you were only allowed out for two hours at most. Just as you were considering going home, the cold getting intolerable, a familiar face headed down the street. "Mr Tetch!" You rushed up to meet him. Jervis jumped before blinking at you in surprise. "Why good evening my young friend!" He grinned. You shivered as the wind blew and Jervis' smile faltered. "You must be cold with such a whimsy jacket!" "I'm okay. I'm going to head home soon." You replied. "Regardless! The time now calls for hats, scarves and gloves, my young friend! It shall not be forgiving if you forget!" Jervis persisted. You shook your head. "I don't have those, sir." You crossed your arms, hugging yourself. Jervis was silent for a moment before he pulled at his scarf. He bent to your level and wrapped it around you. "That won't do! No, not one bit! Here, take mine!" "That's very nice of you, sir." You relaxed, feeling the warmth Jervis had emitted to the scarf. It was enough to slow the effects of the cold. "I have plenty more! Now run along home, my friend!"

Jervis' arrest was very confusing for a child to see but as you got older, you understood better. He wasn't well. He had held a woman hostage, believing she was Alice from Alice in Wonderland. The same woman you saw wrapped in a blanket, sobbing as the police took her out of a nearby basement just a few houses down. The abandoned house specifically. He didn't notice as he rambled incoherently that you were there. A tear rolling down your face.

#request #batman villains #batman #batman scenarios #mister freeze #victor fries #the riddler #edward nygma #scarecrow #jonathan crane #mad hatter #jervis tetch #two face #harvey dent

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

What *are* your more-specific thoughts about what might've happened with regards to Dazai before Mori met him/Dazai and the old boss? Your tags in that timeline post intrigued me.

Oh, thank you! And hello!

Hmm, well I'll say one thing straight up: I don't have much in the way of specifics. I'm the kind of person who finds it really difficult to make theories in the absence of hard evidence (I've gotten that beaten into my skull from my time in the sciences haha...).

Having said that, there are three ideas I have about Dazai's life before meeting Mori: one which is more headcanon than anything but that I believe at least partially resolves some of the contradictions I mentioned earlier and two which are vague but I really think have to be true.

#1: Dazai is the son of wealthy mafia benefactors who was later taken in by the old boss.

This is the more headcanon-y one but it makes a degree of sense to me. If Dazai was the child of the old boss then he would've been involved more directly in mafia business but he wasn't. Fifteen implies he wasn't even around death all that much, which is likely why the old boss's death provoked such a darkening of his eye and why he thanked the GSS soldier for allowing him to witness his death. If he was the child of benefactors, he may have met the old boss and some of the higher ups, and they might've known who he was - he'd be someone relatively trustworthy without any direct relation. Also, if his family were wealthy and mafia-affiliated, they would have had to engage in those kinds of high-class social connection games - you know, gracious manipulation, get the right people on your side, never let people see you without a smile, that sort of thing. Dazai, at age 15, was already capable of this. He didn't learn it from Mori; Mori just honed what was already there. It would be interesting as well if something happened to his family, leaving Dazai to wander alone for a bit before getting picked up by the old boss, who maybe recognized him. Then, as the old boss succumbed further to his paranoia, he might've lashed out at him, he might've been behaviourally unpredictable, he might've decided young Dazai was the only one he could trust... it's hard to say. No matter what happened between them, there must've been some fondness - Dazai is notably more wary than angry or scared when the old boss attacks him in the fight against Rimbaud and then there's what Hirotsu said about Dazai understanding what Mori did - but also something happened between them or adjacent to them to make Dazai slip further into despair, enough that he tried to die multiple times.

#2: Dazai's ability and suicide attempts were triggered by a constant and inescapable lack of control.

Ok, so I don't have a lot of specifics for this one but I really think it must be true by necessity of his characterization. It's implied that abilities have triggers, which is interesting because it ties into that "abilities are trauma responses" theory I've seen around. For Dazai's to negate abilities - a defensive skill that negates often unfair advantages - it really makes me believe that he developed it because he had no power. Maybe there were lots of skill users around him. Maybe they hurt him and he couldn't get away. This is all hypothetical but the point is that constant and inescapable pain leads to what's called learned helplessness.

Learned helplessness is a behaviour that occurs when an individual is repeatedly subjected to something harsh or unpleasant with no means of making it stop - they have no control over when and how long they will be harmed. Eventually, even if you give them an out, they likely won't take it, because they have internalized the belief of "why bother? i can't control what happens to me anyways." It's one of the underpinnings of major depression and c-PTSD.

I find it very interesting that Dazai apparently took no action of his own asides from trying to end his own life until Mori showed up and gave him an out - perhaps that's part of the reason Dazai remained loyal to Mori until he chose to sacrifice Odasaku. I heavily believe Mori, like always, was the preferable alternative to an already horrible situation. I've commented before on how Dazai is not proactive and has to be pushed into doing things. Much of the time, he doesn't seem to see a point to it. Either that, or he's actually got the whole situation under his control already, which ties into the main reason I think he came from this kind of powerless background - he's a huge control freak.

It starts with Mori. Dazai realizes he can threaten Mori into being afraid of him and it works. Then he tries to control Chuuya. That didn't go so well. Very annoying. Also a little bit threatening to him. He continues to try and one-up the guy. He did manage to manipulate the Sheep and then scare other members of the Mafia into fearing him. Good. He is in control. Then he honed his mind under Mori, so that he's always a step ahead. What's more, he already knew how to slap on a smile so everyone thinks he knows more than them even when he might not. He maintains this underlying control not just in his mafia days but also with the agency, which is, in my opinion, one of his major flaws that holds him back from developing as a person.

Thing is, if Dazai just liked feeling superior to others, I would expect his reaction towards being waylaid to be more anger-based. Sure, he can get irritated, but what we typically see more prominently is actually a flash of shock, desperation or fear - think of the Q chapter (shouting and racing back to intercept Atsushi as quickly as he could), 55 Minutes (his shocked and uncoordinated attempt to lash out after being stabbed), Fifteen (his expression at finding out Arahabaki's identity) - before he schools himself back under control. It comes across less as a desire for control and more of a pathological need for it - I wouldn't expect to see this reaction in someone who had control when they were younger.

As an addendum, it's also good to note that Dazai seems to be disgusted and feel more hatred (actually rare to see open expressions of these from him) for people who control others in some way - Fyodor, Q. Moreover, his respect for Chuuya, someone who similarly comes from a background of a lack of personal agency, is to openly offer him a choice in the form of a question. It's more than just performative; he really did try to come up with backup plans so that if Chuuya legitimately wanted an out, he could have it. When you draw the through lines, I think this makes sense.

#3: Dazai was an emotionally neglected child.

Alright, this is the last one and I'll try to be more brief about it. I mentioned that Dazai had to have picked up his ability to read the room and "sweet-talk" people into telling him things long before he met Mori, but I should also note that genuine matters of the heart seem to be incredibly foreign to him - as an example, his inability to understand how Rimbaud's concern for his partner could be such a powerful motivator for his actions. The answer to this is, of course, that one is fake niceties and the other is real connection. Dazai, being hyper-intelligent, likely picked up on social fakery from a young age but did not have the offset of real concern for his feelings or well-being as a necessary balance. It's interesting because Dazai is actually very skilled at picking up on other's feelings and dispositions even if he doesn't necessarily get it - his blind spot is actually his own feelings and how other people relate to him.

Emotional neglect is characterized by the absence of caregiver interactions in nurture, connection and response to distress. The caregiver consistently responds to the child's emotions by ignoring, dismissing or demeaning them, which leads the child to withdraw and believe their feelings are wrong and unimportant. They often struggle with relationships because they feel chronically disconnected, isolated and misunderstood.

Signs and symptoms of neglect include:

Low self-esteem

Odd emotional responses and poor regulation

An inability to ask for or accept support from others

A lack of language for describing feelings

Dissociation and "shutting-down" (lack of emotional responsivity)

Distrust of others

Persistent feelings of loneliness, guilt, and shame

Purposeful sabotaging of relationships in order to avoid rejection and hurt

It is also highly associated with anxiety, dissociative disorders, depressive disorders and c-PTSD. Um. Yeah. I don't think I really need to explain too much here.

Whenever Dazai attempts to be more sincere, it typically comes out kind of awkward. He stumbles over his offer to Rimbaud of fulfilling any last wishes or favours as he lays dying in Fifteen, awkwardly asks if him and Odasaku will meet again in Day I Picked Up Dazai, and hesitates trying to find the right words to reveal the truth to Chuuya about the resetting of his code on activation of Corruption in Stormbringer. It's like he has no frame of reference for how he should act or feel. In these cases, it legitimately comes across as him just not knowing.

More than that, Dazai is very... clingy. Like. When he gets to know someone he needs to invade their space. He needs so much attention. He pokes and prods at Chuuya incessantly. He rambles away to and is always in Oda and Ango's personal space. He annoys Kunikida to no end and is ridiculously happy when the man snaps and attacks him. Pops up behind Atsushi and generally gets in his space. Needs to cause some ruckus daily and have people react to it. Yeah. It's comedic in the context of the series but also... you know... you know.

In summary, I like theories that focus on Dazai as a human being with trauma. While I've seen some cool ones that wonder if he is not human or if he's connected to The Book, they don't sit right with me since I think his arc is all about realizing he is, in fact, human, and the ways in which trauma can mess you up and make you feel like an alien or a ghost or something inhumanly monstrous when you are not.

Dazai's consistent failures to live up to his own and others' standards of humanity become a lot more meaningful to me when he is... just a very screwed up guy who happens to be smart. Get what I mean?

Besides, The Book is already connected to a character here and that character is Atsushi!

I was not more brief about this... Oh well. Those are my thoughts. If you guys had the patience to read this whole thing - WOW! I'd love to know what you think!

Thank you for the question!

#bsd #bsd dazai #bsd meta #dazai theorists i guess you can take a look at this? #maybe? #i have a lot more thoughts about this guy than i realized. huh. #anyways. i'm very tired so i'm going to post this now. #storyrambles #dazai meta