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five-rivers · 2 months

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Chance and the Community Chest

@bellsandmischief phic phight phic!

“I don't know, Tuck.”

“Come on, Danny. You said it yourself. There's not much else to do on a Friday night since ghosts trashed the mall. And the arcade. And the theater. And the mini-golf course. And the bowling alley. And the ice rink. And the roller rink.”

“You don't even like skating.”

“And Floody Waters. And the park. And the Nasty Burger. Both of them. And the McMasters.”

“We wouldn't be able to hang out in a McMasters anyway.”

“It's the principle of the thing. The park is closed, too–”

“The park isn't closed. It's just that the Amity Park New Religion Convention is happening there.”

“Do you really want to go to the park when it's full of cultists?”

“I don't know that it's fair to call them cultists–”

“One of the groups literally calls themselves the Coalition of Universally Lateral Thinkers.”

“No. That has to be a joke.”

“It isn’t. I've looked them up. They've got some kind of Scientology-level crap going on. They're convinced that you can astral project yourself to the Ghost Zone and travel to other realities that way.”

“Well, I mean, you can, but–”

“Wait, what? Stop. Stop walking. What do you mean, ‘you can?’ Are you saying that astral projection is an actual thing?”

“Yeah? Is that not what I said?”

“Right. So. Should we, uh, stop them? Is that why you've been so weird about coming?”

“I haven't been weird about coming. I've been questioning your decision to bring a dozen binders full of rules for a game when we've never been here before.”

“Excuse you, these are the latest Dragonpath PDFs that I got for the low, low price of free. And there are thirteen of them, not twelve.”

“Yeah, and then you made up the price difference by making color copies. Seriously, Tucker, I think community board game night is more like Monopoly and Scrabble, not, uh. Something with fifty pounds of rules. And no board.”

“Actually,” said Chance Counter, unable to resist butting in despite his eavesdropping being quite successful so far, “‘board game’ in this case is more shorthand for– What is that?”

He’d been listening in, but he’d thought the teens were exaggerating, as teens tended to do. Nothing had prepared him for the enormous stacks of white plastic three ring binders.

“Fifty pounds of rules for Dragonpath,” said the white one, deadpan. He was the one carrying most of the books. “Weren’t you listening?”

“Oh,” said Chance. “Yeah. Are you the only ones planning on playing… that.”

“I wasn’t planning on playing anything in particular, Tucker just needed help bringing them over from his house. I’d be perfectly happy with Monopoly or, I don’t know, that one where you’re building stuff on an island.”

“Catan?” suggested Chance.

“Could be,” said the boy. Thinking back on the overheard conversation, Chance was pretty sure his name was Danny.

“I can’t believe it,” said Tucker. “I’ve been abandoned. Abandoned by my own friend. Abandoned! For what’s objectively the worst board game ever.” He almost dropped the binders, but his friend shored up his stack with his hip.

“What, why is Catan the worst?”

“Not Catan! Monopoly!”

“Why is Monopoly the worst?”

“Because, as our dear friend Sam would say, it signifies and symbolizes the ultimate capitalist hellscape. And also it causes fights.”

“I don’t think Sam would say that.”

“You don’t think I’d say what?” asked a girl who had just walked through the door of the community center. “Oh, hi. Are you one of the organizers?”

“I sure am,” said Chance, smiling. “My name is Chance Counter. We’re right in here.” He gestured behind himself, into the room where he’d just finished setting up the last of the old folding tables. He hoped they’d withstand Tucker’s massive tomes. “You three are a little on the early side, but our regulars should start coming in soon enough.”

“You might get some extras,” said Sam, walking past him. “Basically everywhere else is torched. Ghosts.”

“It’s not only the ghosts. There’s also the construction and the convention–”

“But it’s mostly the ghosts. By the way did you see that one of the groups set up in the park has an acronym that literally spells ‘cult.’”

“Did everyone know this before me?” asked Danny. He circled Chance and deposited his load on the nearest table. It creaked alarmingly. “How much math do you need to know in order to play this, anyway?”

“Less than Monopoly,” said Tucker, also dropping his binders on the table. “Look, man, we can basically play Doomed with these rules.”

“Why would we do that when we can already, you know, just play Doomed?”

“Because we can do things that we can’t do in Doomed. Trust me, it’s going to be great.”

Danny blinked down at the books. “Look, I like a good TTRPG as much as the next guy, but this is a bit extreme. Sam, will you play Monopoly with me?”

“Sure,” said Sam, sliding the box out from the stack of games on the central table.

“Sam! You were supposed to rail against the greed and corruption of capitalist states where monopolies are allowed to form!”

“I can do that and still enjoy a fictional monopoly,” said Sam. “I get to be the race car.”

“I want the dog, then.”

“You two are horrible.”

“And our battle will be glorious,” said Danny. “Should we wait for the other people, or will they not want to play Monopoly?”

“Oh, our regulars are very easy-going. Most of them will go with whatever is set up, although we do have an RPG group that meets every other week. They mostly play Eldritch Endeavors, though.”

Tucker groaned. “I want the boot.”

“I sense a butt kicking joke approaching, but would you really kick a dog? A doggy? A cute little puppy?”

“I hate you.”

Chance heard the community center door open again. He poked his head back out into the hallway. “Andrew!” he said, as the teens mumbled something about sense. “Great to see you. We don’t usually get you on the first Friday.”

Andrew, who was tall, thin, and sported a goatee, paused. “The first Friday?”

“Lost track of the days, huh? Well, might as well make the most of it. We’ve got some kids setting up a game of Monopoly back there.”

“Yes, I suppose I might as well,” said Andrew. He pulled off his coat, folded it over his arm, and stopped halfway into the room. “You!”

“You!” replied Danny.

“Chance, you really can’t allow this poetry-destroying hoodlum in here!”

“I said I was sorry! And then you attacked me!”

“It was my magnum opus!”

“Hey! Hey! This is a community game night,” said Chance. “The center policy is that everyone is welcome here unless they start something here, okay?”

“What about restraining orders?” asked Danny.

“Do you have one?”

“... No.”

“Then I don’t see how that matters. Now, you don’t have to play together–”

“Oh, but I will,” said Andrew, pulling a chair up to the table. “I’ll take any avenue to give this brat the beating he so richly deserves.”

“Oh, it’s on.”

“Uh, could we maybe tone down the smack talk as well? Maybe to something that wouldn’t get you arrested when taken out of context?”

Andrew simmered. Danny glared.

“Hi, Chance, what’ve we got– What are you doing here?”

“Star?” asked Sam, incredulously.

“Mikey?” asked Tucker, more incredulously.

“Oh, uh, hi, guys,” said Mikey, shyly.

Danny looked between the two of them. “Did you guys not know that they’re dating or something?”

“How do you know that we’re dating?” demanded Star.

“We’re keeping it secret!” said Mikey, horrified and loud enough that any secrecy was most likely moot.

“Not very well.”

Star swallowed visibly. “If you tell anyone–”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, no threats during community game night, please,” said Chance. “My heart can’t take it.”

“Who would we even tell?” asked Tucker. “We’re social pariahs. Hey, Mikey, how do you feel about Dragonpath?”

“Third edition is better. And Eldritch Endeavor is better than all of them.”

“You’re dead to me.”

“Aw, Tucker, I thought I was dead to you.”

“Anyway, this is the first Friday,” said Star. “Not RPG night. Is this the set with the purse?”

“Don’t think so,” said Danny, peering into the box.”

“I’ll get it,” said Mikey, moving towards the stack of game boxes where the second Monopoly set was hiding. “Is anyone the iron yet?”

“The what?” asked Tucker.

“The clothes iron,” said Mikey. “I like the irony.”

“Oh, you mean the useless technological throwback.”

“I iron some of my clothes,” said Sam.

“Of course you do,” said Tucker, shaking his head. “Of course you do.”

“I would like to play the game, now,” said Andrew.

Chance clapped his hands together. “So, Danny, why don’t you start us off, since you were the first one in?”

“Mm, yeah,” said Danny. “Let me just finish dealing out Mikey’s money.” He set down a few more bills, then shoved them over to where Mikey had just sat down. “Okay. Dice?” Tucker handed them over, muttering imprecations. “And… seven. That’s… one… two… three… four… five… six… seven. Chance. Erm. Chance card, I mean. So, let’s see here… ‘Take a walk on the Boardwalk. Advance token to Boardwalk.’”

There was a wave of quiet as Danny happily paid the bank four hundred Monopoly dollars and set the Boardwalk deed card down in front of himself. He looked up. “What?”

“Danny,” said Sam. “This is nothing personal, but you know that we all have to destroy you now, right?”

Danny’s eyes narrowed. “Bring it.”

#danny phantom #phic phight #fic

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armpirate · 14 days

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Anti-romantic || JJk | Ch. 19

Pairings: Boxer!Jungkook x fem!reader || Enemies to lovers, neighbors

Genre: smut, angst, fluff, curse, illegal boxing, violence

Warnings: fuckboy!Jungkook x reader, smut, dirty talk, curse, mention of tarot and fate

Summary: Jungkook had always been carefree when it came to love. He always believed he was worth sharing himself with everyone, and thought it was selfish of him to ever think of keeping himself exclusive to just one person.

And maybe that was exactly what got him into the big problem he was in.

A curse that kept him away from love didn't seem an issue for him. The fact that his ex-girlfriend thought he'd be affected by the idea of the girls he slept with running away from him after sex was ridiculous. She actually did him a favor, and took a burden away from him.

At least that was what he thought at first.

He had never found himself thinking of the possibility of repeating with neither of his hook ups, because they disappeared before he was able to even think about it. But when he makes the mistake of sleeping with the sexy neighbor that lives in front of him, he finds himself hoping to get the chance for a second round every time their paths cross.

Y/n hated him the second he set foot inside the building by the way he started making her life a miserable mess for no reason. Sleeping with him was a big mistake she wasn't thinking of repeating. At least not until he came up with the excuse that she rejected him for a curse. Not only she thought he was annoying, but she was also convinced he was crazy.

There was no way she could take him seriously.

Aprox. time of reading: 13 minutes

Previous || Next

MASTERLIST

Those four days were like hell.

It didn't matter how many times they came across each other on the common landing, or how he tried to smile at her every time their eyes met. Her answer was always the same: silence. Putting all of her strength to simply ignore him and just be as friendly as she could, while trying to fight that side of her that was urging her to make a comment that'd unchain the bickering between them like it had been happening since he moved into the building.

She was convinced she needed to get out more. It could be that sudden need only came from the fact that she could be feeling lonely, which was a relief for her. At least that was better than even thinking of her liking Jungkook somehow.

Her steps were stopped as she approached Donna, Alma and Jackie, regretting her decision on getting closer to them as soon as she was getting herself to do it. She had already tried many times before, and it was always the same thing. It wasn't that she didn't like them, she just wasn't able to click with them, there wasn't anything they could have in common. But being fair with herself, there was nothing she had in common with the group of friends she hung out with when they were able to.

—Oh, Y/n —Donna called her from afar, lifting her hand to motion her to walk to them—. Come sit with us. We're taking a sip of coffee.

As usual...

One thing about Donna, Y/n would never find her at her desk, she was always in the cafeteria or somewhere in the resting areas of the office -which made her wonder how she managed to write her articles, and do her research when she never worked in her workplace.

Not like it mattered, but it just made her curious.

—Look who's joining our dark side —Jackie giggled, smiling so wide that she could see her light pink gums.

—Well, I'm quite busy usually —Y/n answered, carefully sitting on the free chair in front of Donna—. I'm currently working on some coverages, I'm also still working on my article...

—Oh right, the one you couldn't tell anyone about? —Donna interrupted her, smiling.

—Yeah, that one —Y/n nodded.

—How long has it been since you started working on it? I guess they should be hurrying you up to publish it —of course she was going to drop that type of comment.

—Well, I'm taking my time. I've had some problems getting inside the biggest issue...

—Maybe you should change it and write about something else —Y/n's tongue was trapped between her lips when she was interrupted by Donna's advice filled with poison—. It's just an advice from a more experienced colleague —she tried to justify when the other two glanced at her.

—Don't drop it —Alma encouraged her—. Were you given a due date?

—No, no —her head shook—. I was even told to take my time to make it as perfect as possible.

—Then that's it! —Jackie clapped— Take it easy. And if you need help, just tell us. I'm good with photographs, so if you ever need a good shot, just let me know.

As much as Y/n was grateful for Jackie's kindness, she couldn't imagine her and her colorful clothes among the type of crowd that was formed by those boxing parties.

—Yeah, we're here to help —Alma seconded—. I know we didn't get close, but we love to help and enlighten you whenever you need it —she assured, placing her hand over Y/n's—. And Donna can also help you, right?

—Right —she forced a smile—. Of course.

There was no lie in admitting Donna was forced to say she was going to help, when at first she just wanted to mock Y/n -for some reason she didn't care about-, but there also was no point in focusing on that when two people she never gave a chance to were being so nice and good to her after barely spending any time together, despite sitting two desks away.

After that, she was able to look at the rest of the day in a different way, she felt happy, her mood went through a high boost after talking with Jackie and Alma, and not only because they encouraged her to go on with the article -which she had no idea how she'd continue writing after she dumped Jungkook. She also felt like a whole new possibility was opened after speaking to them, like she had a new place to go to whenever she felt like work was getting to the best side of her. It made her feel like she drew a safe line between them and her because she felt attacked, when they both were accepting and friendly.

It was amazing the effect one small detail could have on the other things. She didn't care about how crowded the subway was, or how tired she felt to walk back home, she just didn't mind it.

Just like she didn't mind finding Jungkook waiting for her in front of her door, while he stared at her doormat.

He was going insane.

Jungkook couldn't understand what was happening, but he was sure he couldn't go on that way. If anyone else had told him before that he'd be looking for someone else's attention, waiting for the exact time to meet up with her, he'd have cackled in the loudest way possible.

It was so bad that even Jimin noticed the change in him.

Normally, his attitude was chill and careless. Their dynamic worked because his friend was too emotional, and Jungkook was the one that lacked that sense. His nickname as they both grew closer together was Iron Man, but those few days he walked around like he was missing something.

He kept checking his phone, for no logical reason -because the only times Y/n had texted him was to tell him to lower the volume or shut up. But he still looked every once in a while, thinking her message would find its way into his device.

He was missing her, and he just couldn't accept it. Jungkook needed to solve it all out before it went worse, and the only way to sort it out was to have her going back to her petty responses and bad looks. He was convinced the only real problem was the fact that he wasn't the one rejecting her. That was it.

—What are you doing there? —she sounded tired, dropping the smile that adorned her face the second she set foot outside of the lift.

—I need to talk with you.

—Again? —she sighed— What is it now? They'll come to check your router? Will the plumber show up?

—Seriously? I come to speak with you and you only think that I want something from you? What image do you have of me?

—The image that you earned with passion —she answered immediately after.

Jungkook looked away, tilting his head as he tried to find the words to speak. Sentences were mixing together, the sounds were rolling around his tongue, and he was sure that he wasn't going to be able to form a proper phrase while she looked at him that way.

—Okay, then —she finished, turning to her door to open it.

Jungkook stopped her from closing the door behind her by speaking again, placing his palm on the exterior door knob, earning another exhausted sigh from her.

—You can't ignore me.

—Excuse me? —she chuckled, raising both of her eyebrows at the order.

—We're neighbors, you just can't act like I'm not living next to you.

—Unfortunately, it's a reality. That's why I have no other choice but to pretend you aren't there.

—I know I've done things wrong, but... let's make it up?

—No —she firmly said, crossing her arms on her chest.

—Is this because of the article? I told you I was going to do it.

—It's not because of the article, it's because of the way you dealt with the whole thing —she confessed—. You just can't ignore people when you don't want to do something, you speak with them. That's what adults do.

—So would you have accepted my decision if I had told you that I didn't want to help you? —he fought back— You mean you wouldn't have acted annoying and petty about it.

—No —she answered again—. I probably would've get mad. But I would have been on the wrong because I can't force people into doing things I want —she explained—. That's not the problem now, because you always find a way to make me mad and make it valid.

—Y/n...

—Didn't you want me to leave you alone? —she cut him off— I'm leaving you alone. Live your life, do your things... But don't bother me or I'll make you regret it —she threatened, pointing her index finger at him—. Get lost now.

—How can you tell me to get lost?

—Well, like I've just done it now —she shrugged—. It's a two-word sentence, pretty simple to say and understand.

—Okay, I'll tell you why I didn't want to do the article.

—That's literally not what I said —she mumbled.

—... but you can't judge me.

—Too late —she rested her arm on the door frame.

—This goes back to some time ago —he exaggerated the move of his hand—. An ex, that wasn't really an ex, cursed me. She promised I wouldn't have a stable relationship, and it had been working until now. I went to a tarot reader, and she confirmed everything that was happening, until she told me that a woman would come to break the curse. She said that I'd fall for her after she appeared, and told me that it'd be made through some work. You showed up in the middle of nowhere, you're the only woman who's still in my life when the rest of the flings disappear the morning after, and you're the only one I was going to do some work with.

Y/n completely lost the plot of the story at the mention of a curse. She couldn't believe he really believed she was going to fall for such a lame story. But it was even crazier that he spotted her as his savior, or the person that would break the curse. What fairytale did he escape from?

—So I wanted to avoid you, because I didn't want that change to happen —he continued—. I'm really happy with the way my life is going right now, okay? I don't need anyone to put everything upside down.

—Wow, you're really creative with excuses —she tilted her head—. Ever thought of leaving boxing and becoming a writer?

—I'm telling the truth.

When she was going to speak, he sighed loudly, throwing his head back while causing her eyes to open wide in surprise to the sudden sound coming from him.

—Okay... —she smiled nervously— So how does that curse break? With a real love kiss? Maybe a magic spell? Oh, I know, the power of love!

—It doesn't seem like you're taking it seriously.

—Look, I don't know what excuses you've made up to get girls to forgive you, and I have no idea how they could've worked, but all of this is a bit too much.

—I'm being honest.

—Sure you are —she shrugged.

—And it's also an explanation why you reject me every single time.

—Because your attitude can't be a valid explanation to you —her eyes squinted at his comment.

—It now makes sense!

Y/n just couldn't go past the fact that Jungkook did in fact believe the story he was telling her, and even was able to find some sense in something that seemed to be taken out of the wildest fantasies he could've read about -if he had read any book at all. At first she just thought he was recurring to his long list of excuses to justify his actions, and that only made her angry, with the only wish to crash the door against his face while he spoke. But the longest he went, the more she was convinced that the man in front of her needed psychological help. Urgently.

—You're scaring me a bit —Y/n admitted, looking around for the nearest exit to ask for help in case she'd need it.

—It's weird you slept with me a second time, but I guess the curse works differently since we see each other every day? Now it's one of those moments where I wished Carly didn't block me so I could ask her —he kept thinking out loud, moving his eyes away from her and losing the focus of the conversation.

—That many blows on your head have officially fucked up with your sanity —she mumbled, seeing her neighbor having a full on conversation with himself—. Instead of wasting money on a tarot reader, why don't you pay for a good therapist?

—Y/n, it's serious. My ex-girlfriend went crazy after I cheated on her —Y/n scoffed at that detail—, which isn't relevant now, and she cursed me before leaving my house. What was what she said? —his eyes moved to the top of his head as he tried to bring back the exact words Carly used— Something that I treated people badly, and that I was going to suffer the same thing or something like that.

—Are you hearing yourself? How do you pretend me to believe you, for fuck's sake? —Y/n insisted, controlling her big wish to roll her eyes in front of him.

—How many times have I lied to you?

—Do you really want me to answer that question? —her ironic tone was challenging, making Jungkook regret that question almost immediately.

—I promise I'm telling the truth.

—Okay, let's say I believe you. What do you want me to do with that information? —her lips puckered, before she continued speaking— Everything's okay, and everything you do is valid, only because you were cursed for not being able to keep your dick in your pants?

—But...

—You were cursed because you are a fifteen year old trapped in the body of a twenty six year old, and you aren't able to keep a woman exactly for that reason.

—Well, look who's talking, are you going to call me immature? You?

—Are you going to attack me?

—No, I'm saying that someone that drills a hole in a wall, because of a little noise, can't speak of others.

—A little noise?

—You're just as immature as me, but you disguise it with that serious facade thinking you're fooling anyone. Spoiler alert: you don't.

—Spoiler alert? See how you're a horny teenager? The only reason you don't want to commit to a relationship is because you have the Peter Pan syndrome.

—Here comes the smart ass with her bit of information taken from the short research she does for her articles... And what if I have the Peter Pan syndrome?

—You're nearing thirty, as much as it hurts you.

—I know, and do you know how attractive that is to women? I'll be a bomb when I turn forty.

Y/n rolled her eyes again, almost giving up the argument because there was no way any bit of common sense would kick inside his brain.

—I can't believe I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you right now.

—Because you like me, as much as it hurts you —he mocked her—. And the only reason you're willing to believe the curse thing is because you want to give me a free pass.

—No, the only reason I'm pretending I believe you is because I don't know if you're going to have a psychosis and do something crazy.

—Look who's coming up with an excuse now —he chuckled.

At that point her hand was tickling, reviving how it'd feel if she crashed her palm against his face. She could lie and justify herself by saying she did it in her defense because her neighbor's brain wasn't working right, which at that point wasn't really a lie.

—You could only wish. At the end of the day, I'm not the one scared of falling —she defended herself.

For the first time, Jungkook was the one nervous and speechless, opening his eyes a bit wider and parting his lips to speak, but not letting a word come out from them.

—You're sure because you haven't spent enough time with me.

—That means I'm so attractive that you fell for me barely spending any time together?

—No, that's not what I meant.

—But that's what you said —she rushed to say, keeping him from going on speaking.

—I'm sure that if I spent more time with you, I'd probably end up sick of you.

—Yet you had the chance, and you didn't take it. That's a bit contradicting —she fought back.

She left him stuck, between two options that he couldn't escape. One was a lie, and the other one was the brutal truth, and he was still fighting to confirm what belonged to each one of them.

—Don't worry though. There's no way I'd ever spend any more time with you than what we already did.

Y/n shouldn't have tempted the universe that way, and dragged it to a challenge that she wasn't going to like.

Not even a second after that sentence left her filthy lips, a huge noise interrupted their casual bickering, making them wonder what was happening.

Taglist: @jk97bam @ttanniett

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fangirlwriting-stories · 9 months

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First Blood

Summary: Danny should have expected that he wouldn't be able to do this ghost fighting thing by himself forever. Though admittedly, he didn't expect things to go quite like this.

Author's Note:

My brain: Hey you should write a Danny Phantom AU

Me: Wtf? Why?

My brain: I wanna

Me:

Anyway I do partly blame this fic on AO3 by artistfingers for giving me the inspiration.

…

He’d meant to tell them, was the thing. It was entirely a coincidence that they weren’t there when it happened in the first place.

Sam had been the one to first have the idea of checking out the ghost zone, even if Danny had been desperately curious before that too. But she’d been the one to convince him to try it, and he’d even gotten into the suit his parents had designated for this purpose (thankfully with a thought from Sam to pull his Dad’s face off his chest), but before he could actually go in the portal and turn it on, Sam’s parents showed up and dragged her and Tucker home.

They had never been the biggest fans of Danny or his parents, and weren’t super happy when they learned Sam was there. Tucker had tried to protest against getting dragged along, but Sam’s parents kind of had a presence you couldn’t stand up to for very long, so they’d both left eventually.

But Danny was only more desperately curious after almost going in, and he couldn’t know when his parents would both be out like this again. So, he’d gone back an hour later and turned the portal on. And then…

Well.

Then he’d started trying to come up with a way to say “hey guys I’m sort of half ghost now” without sounding like a total lunatic.

And then the ghost fights had started, and Danny Phantom became well known before Danny Fenton could come up with a way to explain it to them. And then he didn’t want them to get hurt. The fights were hard enough on him, and he had superpowers.

He’s… definitely regretting that decision now. He should have known eventually he’d come across something he couldn’t defeat on his own, for one reason or another. But he’d always assumed if that came up it would be a ghost that was just too powerful, and he could ask someone for help. Hard to do that when the problem is an evil but human ringmaster with a ghost-controlling crystal ball. Admittedly, he hadn’t thought that far ahead.

He’s not quite sure what’s going on when he comes to, but the crystal ball is shattered in pieces at his feet and the other ghosts he’s become familiar with are blinking in the space across from him. Freakshow himself is in between them all, staring at the crystal ball like he’s trying to process what’s happening.

Danny’s doing the same thing. This isn’t Amity Park, that’s clear enough, but he doesn’t know where he is. He doesn’t know what’s just happened, though he has a vague memory of an overwhelming sense of anger giving him enough force to throw the crystal ball to the ground.

“You know,” Freakshow says, looking up with a terrified grin. “When I called you, uh, ‘minions,’ it was really a term of endearment, like, ‘Oh, I love my minions!’”

Danny scoffs, meets eyes with the other ghosts, and finds them in agreement.

They drag Freakshow to the haul he’s made them all put together, call the cops, and fly off into the night.

But while the three of them go who-knows-where, Danny changes forms and heads for a grocery store or a gas station, any place where he can find a newspaper and hopefully figure out the date or his location. Preferably both.

…It’s been weeks. It’s been weeks and he’s halfway across the country.

Danny sits on the ground outside of the gas station and drops his head in his hands. The homework alone is going to be a nightmare.

His stomach growls. He’s been in his ghost form for who knows how long, and it’s probably been just as long since he ate, but he doesn’t have any money on him.

So, in a move he’s not exactly proud of, he steals a couple apples and bags of chips from the gas station and practically inhales them. He sits on a bench for another hour or so before he realizes he probably can’t put off the inevitable anymore.

He switches forms again and starts flying home.

He’s pretty fast at this point, so it takes him no more than a couple hours to get there, but he has no idea what he’ll find when he arrives. The past couple weeks get blurrier the closer the time gets to the present, but he has the feeling he’s done some bad stuff. He doesn’t know what his public image in Amity Park is anymore, but he has an inkling it’s not exactly great.

And that’s just the Phantom side of things. He’s going to have to deal with the Fenton side first, and that almost sounds worse.

First, however, he’s exhausted, and still hungry, and he can’t deal with this tonight. So he resigns himself to worrying everyone for one more night, grabs some stuff from the fridge, and flies silently up to his bedroom. He eats handfuls of whatever food he grabbed with his back to the door, and then leans back against it and breathes, taking in the feeling of at least being home.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem he’s going to get even a night of reprieve, because the next second someone bangs on the door he’s leaning against, and he splays forward on the ground with a surprised yelp.

He turns to see Jazz forcing the door open. She freezes when she sees Danny, and for a couple seconds, they stare at each other.

“Uh,” Danny says. “Hi?”

Jazz blinks. “Hi?”

Danny swallows. “Yeah?”

Jazz balls her hands into fists and glares at him. “Where have you been?”

“Um.”

Jazz buries her hands in her hair and pulls on it, giving a frustrated scream. “Danny! Do you have any idea how worried we’ve been?”

“Sorry,” Danny mutters, not sure what else to say. He still has no idea what’s happened the past few weeks.

Jazz runs her hands over her hair, smoothing it down, and takes a deep breath. Then she kneels down and pulls Danny into a crushing hug.

“Why would you run away like that?” Jazz says, but there’s something else in her voice, like she’s trying to get at something. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Do you want to—” she pulls back, and looks Danny in the eyes with a very pointed expression. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asks, her voice suddenly very soft and gentle.

Danny stares at her for a second, not sure where the sudden shifting emotions from her came from. Either way, he shakes his head. He doesn’t even know what he’d say. He’s going to have to come up with some kind of story, but how is he supposed to do that without contradicting something he doesn’t remember happening?

“Are you sure?” Jazz says, still looking at him intentionally, and Danny does not understand what she’s trying to say. He’ll blame the exhaustion and brain fog.

Jazz sighs, and pulls him back into a hug. “Okay. But you’re going to have to explain to Mom and Dad why you’ve been missing for weeks. Uh… for exactly three weeks and four days, as we both know very well of course. And you’ll also have to explain why no one knows anything at all about where you’ve been or what you’ve been doing— as far as I know that is.”

Danny pulls back and gives her a baffled look. “Why are you talking like that?”

“Excuse me! You’re the one who runs away for, just to reiterate, exactly three weeks and four days to an unknown location, and you’re asking me why I’m being weird?”

Danny stares at her. “Uh, I mean I kind of am now?”

“I can’t believe you!” Jazz exclaims, waving her arms up without actually looking that exasperated. Then she leans forward and wraps her arms around Danny again.

“I’m really glad you’re okay,” she whispers, with a suspicious sniff that Danny doesn’t acknowledge. “Please don’t scare me like that again.”

Danny reaches up and wraps his arms weakly around her. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs, which is all he can say, because he can’t exactly guarantee that nothing like this will happen again, can he?

For a minute, they both just sit there, and Danny tries to ignore how good it feels to be hugged by his sister, because that’s a totally lame realization to have, and he doesn’t need any more reasons for people to beat him up.

But then another familiar voice comes from behind them.

“Jazz? What are you doing up—”

Danny jerks around and meets eyes with his mother, who stares wide-eyed back at him.

After a second, she turns and screams, “JACK!” then rushes forward and pulls Danny towards her.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” She takes his face in her hands, turning it back and forth. “What were you thinking, you’re grounded for a month! You look terrible, when did you eat last? When did you shower? Do you have any idea how worried sick we were? I’m never letting you out of my sight again! Was it ghosts? What can you tell us about them?”

Danny laughs despite himself. His mom is being so incredibly normal (well, normal by her standards) that it immediately brushes away quite a few of his worries.

Then he remembers what his best option for a cover story is, and his smile fades. His dad shows up in the doorway a second later, looking half-asleep.

“It… it wasn’t ghosts, Mom,” he says, and at least that part is true, if misleading. “I just… I’m sorry.”

His mom presses a hand to her forehead, looking like Danny’s taken about ten years off her life. “You’re grounded for two months,” she amends. “What were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t,” Danny says, which is also true, if… also misleading.

“You got that right,” his dad said, putting his hands on his hips in what looked like his best impression of a stern father. “You’re grounded for three months, mister.”

“That’s just going to keep going up, isn’t it,” Danny says with a sigh.

Jazz reaches over and gives him a side hug and a sympathetic smile, and Danny really isn’t sure what’s going on with her right now.

But honestly, for the moment, he’s just glad to be home.

…

Danny still isn’t quite sure how he manages to get out of giving any details to the police, but he does it. He’s given back to his parents to decide his punishment, meaning he’s confined to house arrest for the next five months (it did keep going up). That’s going to make ghost hunting a little bit difficult, but he’ll burn that bridge when he gets to it.

The one exception to grounding, obviously, is school, which Danny is equal parts dreading and looking forward to. It was a Saturday when he got back, and of course Sam and Tucker know he’s returned, but he hasn’t gotten to see either of them. He doubts he’ll be able to see them much outside of school or the occasional study party.

Stupid Freakshow. This is going to ruin his life until Christmas.

Either way, Monday comes. And Danny walks into the school and over to his locker and tries to ignore everyone staring at him.

A loud bang at his left causes him to jump and turn to see Sam leaning against the lockers, looking none too pleased.

“So,” she says. “Have you finally decided the rest of us are worthy of your presence again?”

“Come on, Sam,” Tucker says, walking up behind her. “You said you weren’t gonna be like that.”

“Sorry, he just screws off to nowhere and you expect me to not be upset?” Sam asks with a glare at Tucker before turning back around. “Honestly Danny, you know I’m all for escaping awful parents, but you didn’t even tell us where you were going! We didn’t know if you were okay!”

“My parents aren’t awful,” Danny mutters as he looks down at his feet, all he can think to say.

“Then why did you leave?” Sam snaps, leaning into his face.

Danny winces, leaning back. “Do we have to do this out here in the hallway?”

Sam huffs, standing up straight and glaring away. “Fine. Whatever. I’m going to class.” She stalks off without another word.

Danny sighs and turns to his locker so he can put the textbooks he needs into his backpack. It’s not his fault, and he knows that, but he still feels like the worst person on the face of the planet for making them worry.

“So…” Tucker says slowly, leaning back against the locker much less angrily than Sam. “Why did you leave?”

Danny closes his locker and swings his bag over his shoulder. “Doesn’t matter. I’m back, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, except it kind of does, though? Dude, if you feel like leaving again, I want to help you.”

Danny turns to look at him and sees nothing but honest concern in Tucker’s eyes.

He wishes it was that easy.

“You can’t,” he says.

“Why not?”

“It’s not—” Danny sighs, looking around to make sure no one’s listening.

Everyone is listening.

“Not here,” he says, turning back to Tucker. “And not now.”

Tucker looks at him for another second. “Okay,” he says finally. “But don’t think I’m letting up on this.”

Danny smiles just a little bit. “I know you’re not,” he says.

The warning bell rings.

“I have to go,” Danny says. “If I cut first period on my first day back after running away, I think my parents will actually kill me.”

Tucker smirks. “Sounds like you brought that one on yourself, dude,” he says. “But sure. See ya at lunch.”

“See ya,” Danny says, and turns to walk the other way.

The day is about what he expects. Mocking and socks in the stomach from Dash, dry remarks and glares along with piles of makeup work from teachers. He’s exhausted, but he deals with all of it and prepares to work through it until things are at least marginally back to normal.

He can’t wait for Sam and Tucker to not be mad at him. That would help a ton.

There doesn’t seem to be much of a chance of that when lunch arrives, however, because Sam starts glaring at him the second he sits down, and Tucker just gives him that same concerned look that Danny is pretty sure he can’t make go away without spilling his guts.

…Well, not that “hey Tucker I was actually being mind controlled by that ringmaster from Circus Gothica” would make him less concerned. If he believed him in the first place, that is.

Danny doesn’t know what to say to break the awkward silence, but apparently Sam has that covered.

“So, Tucker,” she says, very loudly. “Are we still on for Nasty Burger after school?”

Ouch. Fair enough.

“Uh,” Tucker says, rubbing the back of his neck. “Maybe that’s not such a great idea anymore?”

“Why? Are we supposed to drop our plans the second Danny decides to stop being childish?”

“Okay,” Danny says, turning to face her. He’s positive he doesn’t have the energy to deal with an angry Sam for the weeks it takes her to forgive him. “What do you want me to say to you, Sam?”

Sam turns her glare on him. “I want you to tell me why on earth you left with no notice of when you’d be back or whether or not you were okay or why you were leaving,” she snaps. “Why the fuck would you do that to us?”

“I wasn’t trying to,” Danny says, looking down as guilt stabs him in the chest. “I’m sorry.”

“What do you mean you weren’t trying to? What were you trying to do?”

“I don’t know,” Danny says, because it’s true. He doesn’t really remember the exact specifics of when and where and why he left Amity Park with Freakshow. He is pretty sure he wasn’t around as Danny Fenton for at least a couple days before that, though, meaning Jazz’s random ‘three weeks and four days’ comment was probably more accurate than the one he’d worked out from the newspaper.

“I really don’t know what I was thinking,” he reiterates, forcing himself to turn and look at Sam. “I don’t know what else to say. I’m sorry.”

He watches anger and concern and something else war on Sam’s face for a second before she scoffs and glares away. “You’re really not going to tell us what happened?” she asks.

“I… don’t know if you’d believe me,” Danny says quietly, looking down at his awful school lunch that is leagues better than the almost nothing he’s probably eaten the past couple weeks.

Sam gives a bitter laugh, shaking her head. “Oh my god.”

“Sam,” Tucker says, narrowing his eyes at her.

“What?” Sam asks, turning her glare to him again. “Are you trying to pretend you haven’t spent the last three weeks terrified out of your mind too?”

Danny fights to not hunch over on himself.

“I’m sorry,” he says instead, turning to look at Sam. “I really am. I didn’t want to scare you. I’m sorry.”

Sam looks at him firmly for a long second, and she must see something in his face that makes her believe him, because she stabs at the limp broccoli on her tray without looking at it and says, “You gonna do it again?”

Danny shakes his head and prays to whatever’s out there listening that he’s not lying right now. If Desiree was around, he might even make a wish on it.

Sam seems to accept that at least a little bit. She turns and takes a bite of her vegetables. “If you do I’ll murder you,” she says.

You’re a couple months late for that, Danny doesn’t say. Instead he just nods.

“So,” Tucker says, drawing both of their attentions with a much more easygoing smile on his face. “I imagine you’ve got a lot of homework to make up, Danny. You want to move our hangouts to after school while you’re doing that at least?”

Danny smiles gratefully at him, and Sam sighs and mutters, “Yeah, sure, whatever.”

So that’s where they end up, and Danny immediately appreciates how almost-normal it feels. One of the last clear memories he has before things start getting fuzzy is studying in the same library with Sam and Tucker, so in a way it feels like picking up where he left off— with some unwelcome tension added to the air.

Danny spends the first half hour or so doing homework while Tucker and Sam talk idly next to him about things they’ve done in the past three weeks that he’s apparently missed out on. Unlike lunch, there’s no anger involved, just awkwardness and hesitation, which is… better, he supposes.

Finally after an hour, when he’s only finished a tiny bit of homework for one of his classes, he sits back in his chair and massages his temples. “This is gonna take me a month.”

“Well, you did miss almost a month of work,” Sam says, with a not-very-sympathetic smile. “You don’t really have anyone to blame but yourself.”

“I’m gonna get so tired of that sentiment,” Danny says, dropping his head into an open textbook.

“It’s true.”

“I know,” Danny mutters without lifting his head.

“Did you at least have fun while you were on your runaway vacation?” Tucker asks.

Danny pulls his head up and finds Tucker now leaning on the table in front of him.

“No,” he says, because he’s sick of lying.

Tucker winces. “Ouch.”

Sam snorts. “Serves you right.”

“Sam,” Tucker says, at the same time Danny waves her off with “I know, I know, I get it.”

Sam sighs, and pushes herself up on the table. “Alright, look. You should probably lie low for the first month or two. But when your parents eventually stop watching you closer I can help you sneak out for a little fun from time to time.”

Danny gives her a grateful smile. “Thanks, Sam.”

“Yeah, yeah. You owe me one.”

“I already owe you one,” Danny says.

“You got that right,” Sam says, crossing her arms with a smirk. She probably thinks he means her forgiving him so quickly. He doesn’t.

They don’t stay much longer, because the hour after school in the library is the only time his parents gave him before he has to go home.

As soon as he gets a free moment, when his parents are busy making dinner, he sneaks downstairs and looks up Danny Phantom on the computer.

Just as he expected, it’s not great. Most of the things it lists Phantom as doing are robberies and property damage, about what he expects. But there’s also quite a few mentions of him being cruel to the other ghosts in Freakshow’s circus, and he… cannot figure out how he feels about that.

Fighting ghosts is nothing new, obviously. But the ghosts in Freakshow’s circus didn’t choose to be there. He didn’t choose to hurt them either, but he still feels kind of uncomfortable with it, with the idea that it happened and he doesn’t even remember it.

“Danny?”

Danny yelps and closes the window on the computer, spinning around to see Jazz standing there.

“Jazz,” he says weakly. “I uh, I didn’t hear you come down here.”

“Dinner’s ready,” Jazz says, giving him a look he can’t read.

She looks at the computer, and it’s way too obvious she saw what he was looking at.

“You know,” she says, turning back to him. “Unless you’re just catching up on the ghost fighting from the past couple weeks, I wouldn’t put too much thought into Phantom.”

Danny blinks. “Uh, why?”

Jazz rolls her eyes. “He was so obviously under the control of that Freakshow guy,” she says. “Don’t you think?”

“What?” Danny stares at her. “How would you know that?”

Jazz gives him a soft smile and leans forward to kiss the top of his head. “Just a hunch I have,” she says.

“Gross, get off me,” Danny says, though he can’t put any real bite into it and he’s pretty sure Jazz can tell.

“I pay attention, you know,” Jazz says, stepping back.

Danny swallows. “Yeah? How much?”

“Enough to know that robbery and property damage isn’t Phantom’s MO,” Jazz says with a roll of her eyes. “And that those reports aren’t gonna say anything about what he’s actually like.” She pauses and looks at Danny for a minute, then clears her throat and looks away. “You know, just in case you’re curious about that kind of thing. You should find better sources.”

“And what are you, a journalist?” Danny asks.

“I’m just… concerned,” Jazz says hesitantly. “I hope that… wherever Phantom is, he’s doing okay. I hope he knows it’s not his fault.”

Danny doesn’t say anything, and he and Jazz stare at each other for a minute.

They’re interrupted by their mom calling from upstairs, “Kids, are you coming or not?”

“We’re coming Mom!” Jazz calls back. She looks back at Danny and nods her head up the steps, and Danny shuts off the computer and follows her up.

…

He’s not that shocked when he gets nightmares about Freakshow, but it’s definitely inconvenient. If he can think of one thing that won’t help with getting things back to normal, it’s being consistently sleep deprived.

The worst part is that he can’t really be sure which of the nightmares are his brain throwing his worries back in his face, and which parts are actually his brain putting together things that have happened that he can’t remember right.

Honestly, maybe it doesn’t matter that much. Either way, he doesn’t get a full night of sleep once for the first week he’s back. He can tell Jazz notices, though he’s pretty sure his parents aren’t picking up on anything, and none of them say anything. He tries his hardest to pay attention at school, because he really can’t afford to fall behind due to falling asleep in class.

Unfortunately, between trying to act normal around his family and pay attention during school, that means he usually spends the first half hour with Sam and Tucker passed out asleep on top of his textbooks.

“Dude,” Tucker says, after the fifth school day in a row of waking him up so he can do at least some of the homework he’s missed. “What time are you going to bed?”

“Yeah Danny, I never thought I’d be the one to say this, but maybe you need to go to sleep a little bit earlier,” Sam says, raising an eyebrow.

“You act like I’m not trying that,” Danny mutters, rubbing at his eyes.

“What’s stopping you?” Sam asks.

“Uh,” Danny says, not having thought that far ahead.

“Danny, seriously, on top of being the only time you can get your homework done, this is also the only time we get to hang out with you for a while,” Sam says. “I’d appreciate it if you could stay awake for all of it.”

“I’m trying, honestly,” Danny says, leaning back in his chair. “It’s not like I don’t care. I do.”

“Then what’s going on, Danny?” Tucker asks. “You know you can still talk to us, right? You can always talk to us.”

Danny winces.

Well, maybe he can start small.

“I… I’ve had a couple nightmares,” he admits, running a hand through his hair as he sits up. He pulls his homework closer so he doesn’t have to look either of them in the eyes. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Nightmares about what?” Sam asks, giving him a look he can feel without looking back. “Did something happen?”

“I really don’t want to talk about it,” Danny says. “Can we just acknowledge it and move on?”

“Uh, no?” Sam says, reaching forward and pulling the homework away from him.

“Hey!” Danny says, turning to her.

“You can’t just say something like that and not expect followup questions,” Sam says, crossing her arms. “Nightmares about what happened while you were gone?”

Danny sighs. “Maybe.”

“What happened?” Tucker asks, obvious concern in his voice and on his face.

Danny looks up at him, not having a clue what to say. Should he explain the one about blasting all of the other ghosts into the concrete hard enough to cause a dent, or the one about terrorizing a small child and her mother to get them away from the paintings they were trying to steal?

Neither of those sound like they’ll come without follow up questions.

Danny reaches over and pulls his homework back over in front of him. “There just wasn’t a lot of food going around,” he says, settling on the one human experience he can reliably count on.

There’s a couple seconds of silence, and then Tucker gives a long sigh. “Dude,” he says. “Why did it take you so long to come back?”

“I need to get this science homework done,” Danny says in lieu of a reply.

Neither of them say anything back to him.

Strangely enough, the first one who comes up with something that’s actually helpful in regards to the nightmares is Jazz. And she seems to do it unintentionally, like she’s been doing a lot lately. She very casually at dinner one night brings up an article she’s read about how rewriting the endings of nightmares can sometimes be a good way for someone to calm down after having them, then starts discussing the science of dreams and sleep and how both of them are important and how to make sure both of them are going as smoothly as they can.

…Okay, maybe this time it’s a little more intentional than she wants to let on.

That doesn’t mean her ideas aren’t worth trying, though, so Danny gets a notebook to keep on the nightstand for alternate endings to write down. (He’ll destroy the pages every morning for privacy purposes, but he draws the line at getting a night light.)

It ends up being helpful enough that he can at least fall back asleep, which is a big improvement, if the ideas he writes down seem a little unrealistic, with how hard it actually was to break out of Freakshow’s control. Either way, he’s not so tired, and despite how loathe he is to admit it, he has Jazz to thank for that.

Not that he’ll ever tell her that, of course.

…

It’s a week and a half after he returns that things change in a meaningful way. He hasn’t had any ghost fighting to do since getting back, but that changes during lunch on Monday. Not anything he can’t handle, just a quick eye roll with the Box Ghost, but it apparently means something very different to the rest of Amity Park, and, more important to him personally, to Sam and Tucker.

“I mean honestly,” Sam is saying when Danny shows up at the library after school. She’s pacing back and forth across the library, and though Tucker waves at him when he notices him, Sam continues marching angrily in front of the table.

“Who does he think he is, showing up like nothing’s different? First of all, he ruined Circus Gothica, and then he just shows up expecting everyone to still see him as the hero? That’s not how that works!”

“Hey Danny,” Tucker says as he approaches. “Don’t mind Sam, she’s pissed off about the ghost fight today.”

“Why?” Danny asks, setting his bag down on the table. “I didn’t think that was really your scene.”

“Not until that Invis-o-Bill idiot made it personal by messing with my circus,” Sam says, rolling her eyes with obvious anger. “And then expects everything he’s done in the past couple weeks to just be brushed off.”

Danny sighs, reaching inside his backpack for his homework. “Yeah, that figures.”

“What figures?” Tucker asks in confusion.

“Math figures,” Danny says, dropping his notebook on the table. “Gonna try and knock out a lot of the math homework today.”

“Uh, fair enough?” Tucker says, still sounding confused. “But honestly Sam, at least he seems to have gotten over whatever’s been going on and isn't actively being malicious anymore.”

“Great, so we’re supposed to reward him for the bare minimum?”

“Do we have to talk about this right now?” Danny asks, looking up with what he hopes comes off as annoyance. “I get enough of ghosts from my parents, I was kind of appreciating you guys actually being a break from all of that.”

“Look, you don’t get it,” Sam says. “I don’t imagine you’ve been following ghost news for the past couple weeks, but he’s—”

“I don’t want to talk about him,” Danny snaps, giving Sam as firm a glare as he dares to right now.

Sam raises her eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

“Sam, honestly, I’ll let you be as mad at me as you need for as long as you want,” Danny says. “But please, can you back off with the ghosts? My parents already think I was kidnapped by them or something, I don’t want to talk about them during the only time of the day I can actually relax for a little bit. Okay?”

Thankfully, Sam and Tucker both go quiet. Now he’ll just have to hope that neither of them actually ask his parents about that excuse and realize he already told them that’s not what happened.

But apparently he’s misjudged their silence, because after a minute Tucker taps his textbook with a pencil, drawing his attention.

He looks up and finds Tucker and Sam both looking at him like they’re trying to come up with the right way to say something.

He blinks. “What?”

“Danny,” Tucker says slowly. “If I ask you something, can you promise not to freak out?”

“No,” Danny says honestly.

Tucker considers this for a second. “Fair. I’m gonna ask anyway. Did you actually run away of your own free will?”

Danny goes stiller than, well, a dead person. “What?”

“Did you actually run away?”

Danny looks back and forth between him, and then Sam, and then back. “Why are you asking me that?”

“Dude,” Tucker says, leaning closer. “You’re not acting like yourself. Even ‘just made a huge mistake and now everyone’s mad at you’ yourself. You’re having nightmares, and you don’t want to talk about what’s causing them. Did you actually run away?”

Danny opens his mouth, shuts it, and looks down at his math textbook.

“…Danny,” Sam says, sounding baffled and angry but also more concerned than he’s heard from her since he got back. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because that’s something you just say in the middle of the hallway,” Danny snaps despite himself.

“Danny, come on,” Sam says. “Why are you just letting everyone be mad at you then? You need to tell someone—”

“No,” Danny says.

“What? Dude,” Tucker says, leaning forward with obvious worry. “They could go after someone else, or come after you again—”

“He won’t.”

“You can’t know that!”

“Yeah, well, I do,” Danny says, keeping his gaze very firmly on his math homework. “And I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You know what? Fine,” Sam snaps, pushing her chair back and grabbing her bag. “Because you’re being ridiculous.”

With that, she turns and marches out of the library.

Danny doesn’t say anything in protest and starts working on the first math problem on the sheet.

“You know,” Tucker says quietly. “She was really really scared when you weren’t here.”

Danny keeps writing.

“She was worried something was gonna happen to you and she’d never see you again,” Tucker continues. “I…” there’s a pause, and then he sighs.

“I’m not gonna make you talk about anything you don’t want to, dude,” he says. “Just… know that she’s not actually mad at you. She’s just still scared.”

Danny sighs and puts his pencil down. “Yeah,” he says. “I know.”

Tucker reaches out and puts a hand on Danny’s shoulder, in a way that should feel really awkward but somehow doesn’t. “You know you can tell me anything,” he says. “Right?”

Danny looks away.

“Okay,” Tucker sighs. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He picks up his stuff and leaves.

…

Danny spends the night laying on his bed tossing a ball up in the air and trying to catch it. He has to get up and chase it down more often than he’d like, he’s not exactly the most athletic person out there.

He ignores his growing stomach and skips dinner, telling his mom he’s not feeling well. He can always go down and grab something after everyone else falls asleep.

After dinner, however, he hears a knock on his door.

“What?”

“Can I come in?” Jazz asks.

Danny pauses in tossing the ball in the air and considers for a moment. “Yeah.”

The door opens as Danny resumes tossing the ball. Jazz walks in, then closes the door behind her and heads over towards the bed, already looking concerned.

“Are you doing okay?” she asks. “You were upset about something when I came to pick you up, and now you’ve been up here for hours.”

Danny manages to actually catch the ball and sits up, setting it down next to him. “Okay, what is with you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been acting like, aggressively supportive since I got back,” Danny says. “Sam is angrier at me than you. Mom and Dad are angrier at me than you.”

“I’m your sister,” Jazz says. “It’s not my job to get angry at you. It’s my job to support you.”

“No, you’re my sister,” Danny says. “It’s your job to tease me relentlessly and make my life way harder.”

Jazz gives him a look. “You really don’t need that right now.”

“And why should you care?” Danny snaps. “I brought this on myself, remember?”

Jazz doesn’t say anything.

“I just, I’m trying to understand what your deal is,” Danny says. “Do you want something? Are you trying to butter me up for some reason? What are you getting out of this?”

Jazz gives him what almost seems like a sad look, then reaches forward and squeezes Danny’s hand. “I’m worried about you,” she says quietly.

“Why?” Danny says, pulling his hand away.

Jazz sighs, looking down at the bed. “Because we both know you didn’t run away, Danny.”

Danny throws his hands up. “This again? I’m fine. No one died, no one hurt me, I didn’t have to hurt— people, so I’m fine!”

Jazz gives him a look. “That is in no way how that works.”

Danny shakes his head, glaring down at the covers.

Jazz nudges him gently in the side. “I’m not going to make you say something you’re not ready to,” she says. “Just know that you can tell me anything, Danny.”

With that, she stands and starts to walk out, and Danny feels a weight press down on his chest, one he’s barely sure he can take anymore.

“Jazz, wait,” he says, reaching out and catching her arm.

Jazz pauses and turns back around. “Yeah?”

“I—” Danny says, and stops. Nerves start to crawl up his throat. He half expects his ghost sense to go off, but it’s not that kind of anxiety.

He takes a deep breath. “If I tell you something,” he says. “Can you promise to let me explain everything before you make any kind of judgment?”

Jazz smiles at him. “I promise,” she says with a nod.

Danny takes a shaky breath. “I, um.” He stops.

“Yeah?” Jazz probes gently.

“Sorry,” he mutters, looking down and clenching his hands around his blankets. “I don’t think I’ve ever actually said it out loud before.”

Jazz reaches out and puts her hand over his. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” she says. “I… already know.”

Danny jerks his head up. “What?”

By the look on her face, he can tell they both mean exactly the same thing.

“You…” Danny says weakly. “How long?”

“Uh, since the Spectra thing,” Jazz says, rubbing the back of her neck with a sheepish smile. “I wanted to give you a chance to tell me yourself.”

Danny gapes at her for a second, Jazz gives him a soft smile.

“And you…” he says finally. “You don’t care?”

“Of course I care,” Jazz says, crossing her arms. “I care that you’re safe. I care that if you don’t want someone to know, they don’t find out. I care that you’re my brother and you’ve been trying to do this all alone. I care that some jerk ran off with you and has been forcing you to do things you clearly don’t want to do for the past month.”

Danny winces and looks down.

“Are you okay?” Jazz says, sitting down on the bed next to him.

“Not… really,” Danny says.

Jazz wraps her arms around him and pulls him over towards her, and this time he doesn’t pull away.

“I don’t like watching you do this all by yourself,” Jazz says. “Can I help you?”

Now Danny does pull away, if just to stare at her in bafflement. “You want to help?”

“Of course I want to help,” Jazz says, like that’s obvious. “If anything, the past month is a clear sign that you shouldn’t be doing this by yourself.”

Well, he can’t exactly argue with her there. Still…

“It’s dangerous, Jazz,” he says.

Jazz raises her eyebrows. “All the more reason I don’t want you rushing into danger without backup.”

“I can handle it,” he says. “That’s what the ghost powers are for.”

“Danny.” Jazz leans forward, giving him a pointed look. “I want to help you. Okay?”

Danny looks at her for a minute. He takes a breath. “Okay.”

Jazz leans forward and pulls him into another hug, and for once, Danny can know she means it. His brain can’t make any arguments about how she wouldn’t be doing this if she knew, because she does know.

And, well.

He could get used to that.

#danny phantom #danny fenton #jazz fenton #sam manson #tucker foley #look don't ask me I haven't watched this show in 10 years #no one knows au #tw kidnapping #it probably counts as that honestly #my fic

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laughhardrunfastbekindsblog · 4 days

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One of my few disappointments about Bad Batch season 3 when first watching it was how Tech's death and the aftermath is handled - namely, that his death doesn't seem to really have much impact on his family (besides creating some inconvenience when it comes to decryption). I couldn't help but think that if the season had included even just one moment of the squad (more specifically the brothers, not just Omega) actually honoring Tech, it would have not only helped drive home once and for all how important Tech was to them, but also provided some desperately needed closure and catharsis for this clone family that had already suffered so much (and, incidentally, provided some closure for the audience, too). This is especially important considering that the Batch's actions in season 3, especially at the beginning, are likely informed by Omega's capture as much as by Tech's death - and while Omega's rescue should be of utmost importance, it ends up seeming to sideline Tech's sacrifice in the narrative.

After rewatching, my view has shifted slightly, though I still firmly believe the show should have included at least one scene - even if it was at the end of the finale - of the brothers acknowledging Tech's influence and honoring him.

- Echo's story is the least impacted by Tech's death: he wanted to stay in the fight before Tech died, and he did so afterwards. He looks sadly at the empty pilot seat in "Plan 99," and he name drops Tech once in season 3. I can understand Echo having this reaction, though: unlike the other Bad Batch members, he has lost brothers before and therefore likely knows how to adjust more quickly. (You know what would have provided a nice contrast between how Echo and the rest of the squad handles the death? A moment to honor Tech: for example, a scene at any point in season 3 where Echo mentions a memory of him.)

- Hunter's decision to finally retire on Pabu comes before Omega is captured, and therefore must have been determined primarily by the loss of Tech. All through seasons 1 and 2, Hunter's desire to keep his squad and Omega safe eventually evolved to wanting to give Omega a childhood away from fighting and war, but even then he still hedged on settling down permanently on Pabu (see: the discussion between Hunter and Shep in "Turning Point"). It wasn't until after losing Tech that Hunter abruptly made the decision that it was time to stop being soldiers... And given that we never see Hunter actually interact with Tech's goggles in season 3 or mention him by name even once, I'm not convinced Hunter ever really got over the loss of his brother, even as he (very in character for him) focused on more pressing matters by (often recklessly) charging onward to ensure Omega's safety. (You know what would have tied off this plot thread nicely? A moment to honor Tech: for example, a brief scene at the end of the show where Hunter acknowledges that Tech's sacrifice made their life on Pabu possible.)

- Wrecker cries over Tech in the season 2 finale, alludes to him twice and mentions him by name once; and honestly, as little as this is, it is enough to convince me that Wrecker is and always will be grieved by Tech's death but has emotionally processed it and come to terms with it, much like Echo. His development seems to be driven more by being the last man standing between Hunter and a reckless demise, rather than being driven by the loss of Tech specifically, but... nuance. (You know what would have given us a point of comparison regarding how different people process loss in different ways? A moment to honor Tech: for example, maybe Wrecker joins Omega in honoring Tech at the impromptu memorial and insists on his other brothers joining them.)

- Crosshair's redemption in season 3 is largely driven by Omega. Looking back on season 3, I am increasingly convinced that Crosshair felt immense guilt and blamed himself for Tech's death, and therefore he avoided the subject. His "let me go on a suicide mission because I deserve it" speech in the finale only confirms my opinion on this. I guess Crosshair being partially driven by guilt over Tech's loss is one way of showing Tech's impact on his family, but I don't find it a satisfying note to end the show on. (You know what would have concluded this plot point perfectly? ... You already know what I'm going to say.)

#tech shouldn't have been killed off at all #all of them should have survived to the end of the finale #but if star wars is going to kill off a main character midway through a show i do recommend taking notes on how kanan's death was handled #the bad batch #star wars the bad batch #tbb spoilers #tbb season 3 #clone force 99 #tbb tech #tbb hunter #tbb wrecker #tbb crosshair #tbb echo

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hangmanssunnies · 2 years

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They All Know, He's In Love With You.

Summary: From the night you first set eyes on Jake “Hangman” Seresin, and went home with him from the bar, you knew that there wasn’t ever going to be anything serious between you two. You just wish you could figure out why he keeps acting the opposite, and everyone thinks you are together.

Pairings: Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Fem! Civilian!Reader

Fandom: Top Gun: Maverick

Word count: 4.3k

Warnings: slight angst, miscommunication trope.

A/N: Just a random thing that I came up with over the weekend. The reader is pretty oblivious, and maybe Jake needs to be a bit better about communication. I hope you like it. Also i gave Jake a promotion because he deserves it. A brief cameo for my darling Coyote. Also, it turned out weird on this, but Hangman's text is italics, and readers should be bolded.

"So, I like your new boyfriend."

The word boyfriend makes you laugh. "He isn't my boyfriend, Zali," you corrected your friend.

The two of you had met up for tapas and drinks. You had asked your current fling to drop you off since you had been at his house the night before and all morning. Hangman lived on base. So, it was always easier for him to pick you up and drive on base. The one time you tried to deal with the mess of getting your car and base clearance and registering yourself all alone, you had gotten so anxious you had just driven home. Ever since then, Hangman had dutifully picked you up from your house anytime you wanted to go over to his house. That choice, though, left you needing a ride off base this morning. However, when he dropped you off at the restaurant, your friend, Zali, had invited him to join you two. An invitation he had gladly excepted with a wink and smile.

"Are you sure about that one?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"It's a pretty boyfriend thing to grab our drinks," she said. Then she nodded her head over to where Jake was at the bar.

"He is just being nice. He likes people to think about him as a gentleman." You laughed, shaking your head a bit.

"Fine," she conceded, but you could tell she wasn't convinced. "How long has it been going on then?"

"We have been sleeping together for a few months now."

"That's a long time to be friends with benefits. It is exclusive?"

"I don't think so. Jake and I are just fuck buddies."

"You don't know if it's exclusive, and you don't even want to call it friends with benefits. But he is still getting a round of drinks and drove you here. I don't know, Y/N. That sounds messy."

"It's not messy, and friends with benefits might also just be too strong a phrase for what we are."

Zali's eyes cut their eyes over again, and you followed them, seeing Jake standing at the edge of your table. He was holding the drinks y'all had requested and a beer for himself. He had an odd look on his face, but it quickly faded, and he threw a smile on.

"Drinks for the ladies," He passed each of you your drinks before taking the seat next to you.

You all made some conversation, and then once Jake had finished his beer, but before y'all had ordered food, he stood up. "Well I don't want to crash y'all's date, but I appreciate you indulging me for a bit."

You didn't like the way he said indulging and furrowed your brows staring up at him. Zali beat you to questioning, though. "Leaving already? No, you aren't crashing anything, just a friend's lunch. Please stay, Jake."

He looked at you then, like you held the answer to all his questions and should make this decision for him. Which considering it was your friend, you figured you actually probably should make the choice. He was giving you an easy out if you wanted to take it.

"Yeah, don't live up to your call sign today. You are my ride home," You finally said. Jake grinned, hearing your words. It was his real smile, too, not just that confident aviator one. Then he settled back in his chair.

"What's a call sign?" Zali asked.

"Silly professional nicknames all these pilots have for each other." You told her, laughing.

"What's your callsign?" She asked Jake.

"You're going to have to buy me a beer if you want to know," Jake said with a wink. You shook your head and rolled your eyes at that typical answer. Then decided to immediately fill her in.

"They call him Hangman." And Jake didn't protest you giving away his call sign so easily. Instead, his hand made its' way to rest on your thigh a little above your knee as he started to explain a bit more about flying to Zali. The rest of lunch went by without a hitch.

——-

"I never thought I would live to see the day Hangman brought his girlfriend to meet all of us. Especially when drinking and talking were the two main events. It really gives him no opportunity to show off," Javy "Coyote" Machado told you once Jake had left your side to go greet a friend.

You were at a beach bonfire that a bunch of Jake's coworkers had thrown together. You hadn't planned on coming and originally didn't think that you would be invited. However, a few hours ago, forgetting the date you had, text Jake wondering if you two could meet up that night.

He had seemed more than enthusiastic but told you that y'all had to make a stop before he was able to go back to his place. Of course, you had not anticipated that stop was the cookout he and his friends had been planning and talking about for the last several weeks.

"Well, I'm not his girlfriend, but I appreciate being involved in the party. It's been really fun so far. I'm very honored to be included."

Coyote looked confused, narrowing his eyes at you. "You are Y/N? Right?" he asked, his voice seeming unsure.

"Yeah, I'm Y/N," You bit your lip, trying to think of something that might be identifying about you. "I'm sure it's confusing, but Hangman might have mentioned I'm the one who makes him drive me all over. Especially if we are going to his place on base." You hoped the detail would jog his memory. You weren't sure how many other girls on Jake's roster would do that to him or how much he actually would mention you to his best friend.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. It's not confusing." Coyote still didn't look like he was completely getting at what you were saying.

"Well, I wouldn't blame you if it was confusing. But, it's nice for y'all to include me since I just came by unofficially invited."

"Y/N, of course, we wanted you to come. Did you have something else to be doing with your Sunday afternoon?"

"No, I didn't. I was just shocked because, well, it is Sunday. I used to be the Wednesday Thursday girl, but now I'm usually around more on the Friday Saturday train."

"Yeah. Y/N, I promise I know exactly who you are. You make those delicious crepes." Javy said. He shook his head at you, and you couldn't help but still feel like you were missing something but decided to brush it off.

"Yeah, I like to make them sometimes."

"Hangman brought some in for his lunch a few weeks ago and almost murdered me when I stole a bite."

You laughed at this, picturing the two aviators. "Well, if you liked them, I would be more than happy to make you some sometime."

"Make what?" You heard Jake's voice ask from next to you.

You turned to the spot he had appeared and gave him a soft smile. The wind had tousled his hair, and his sunglasses were precariously perched on his head. You automatically reached up and pulled them off Jake's head, tucking them into the white v-neck he was wearing before they could fall off his head and take damage in the sand. His eyes filled with affection at your action, and the edge of his lip quirked up.

"Y/N was just offering to make me crepes sometime," Coyote filled in.

The warm look in Jake's sea glass eyes disappeared, and he cut his gaze to look at Coyote instead of you. "Oh really? Wow."

"Yeah, I was telling her how good those ones I stole a few weeks ago were."

"It wouldn't be that much trouble to make them. That way you don't have to get murdered," you joked.

"You've only ever made me crepes when I beg for them. You said you only make them for special people." Jake said, a small frown on his face. You looked over at him, confused, and cocked an eyebrow.

"All my friends are special people, Jake." You shot Coyote a wink and a small smile, not wanting to make things too weird with Jake's wingman. "My new friends are obviously included on that list, even if they haven't been friends with me as long as you have, Hangman."

He looked like he wanted to say something, but before he could get the words out, Javy jumped in and changed the subject.

Jake didn't leave your side the rest of the party after that, making sure he was involved in all your conversations. Then, when things had started to wind down, and you were helping clean up a bit, he slipped away from you. You saw him having a conversation with Coyote again. When you caught the two men staring at you during their conversation, you had given them a small wave. Javy had given you a kind smile back, but the knit in-between Jake's eyebrows only got deeper.

In fact, you didn't see him smile again until you were driving back to his place on base, humming along with the music he had playing. Spending time with his friends and the slight buzz from the alcohol made you feel bold, so you took his right hand in your left and intertwined your fingers. The smile on his face was so bright; he probably could have turned off the headlights, and y'all would have been just fine.

——-

You had offhandedly mentioned something about the day being hot and perfect for ice cream while checking the weather app in bed that morning. You thought Jake had still been half asleep when you brought it up because he hadn't even made a sound of acknowledgment. Instead, all he did was nuzzle your neck and tighten the arm he wrapped around your waist.

That's why it was a surprise when he had pulled his truck into a parking spot near the beach while driving you home in the early afternoon. He further surprised you by taking your hand in his and not letting go until after you had both gotten ice cream, which he had insisted on paying for.

From there, he led you to the park by the beach, wandering through the different pathways. The two of you were making general conversation. It shocked you how fast Jake demolished his ice cream. Then suddenly, he was looking at you with puppy eyes.

"Can I try some of yours?" He asked sweetly.

"No, you had your own! This is mine."

"Please, baby, just a little taste," Jake even went as far as to stick out his bottom lip a little bit.

You pretended like you were considering it and then finally nodded, holding out your ice cream cone. Jake leaned forward to take a small taste, but you pushed it further into his face. It smooshed all over his mouth and nose. The look of shock on his face, combined with the ice cream, made you giggle, having to hold your side from the laughter coming from you.

"Oh no, baby. You're going to have to pay for that." Jake whipped his face off on the sleeve of the teeshirt he was wearing and glared up at you. Then he started towards you, his hands reaching out to snatch you. You clutched what was left of your ice cream and escaped Jake's searching grasp. You started running away from him, but he was right on your heel.

It didn't take him more than a moment to catch you and sweep you off your feet. He twirled you around twice before setting you on the ground again, both of you laughing. Jake's hands not moving from where they were circled around your waist.

You tried to pull away from his embrace when you caught your breath. This only forced him to tighten his arms around you more so that you were now essentially pressed flush to his chest.

Your eyes roamed his face, and one of your hands clutched his neck. You were tempted to kiss him then, but this whole outing really went against your fuck buddies, friends with benefits, situation you had going on. In fact, most of the things the two of you did together anymore didn't fit into that category. However, before you could commit to pressing your lips together, an elderly couple approached the two of you.

"You two are such a sweet couple," the old woman said with a twinkle in her eye.

"Oh, we aren't," you started to say, but you were cut off by Hangman interrupting you.

"Thank you so much," Jake said with a smile.

"Now, you two never stop having fun. It'll keep you young," The older gentleman said. The couple smiled at you once more before continuing to walk through the park.

"I can't wait to be old and happy like that. They were so adorable," Jake said, staring after the two retreating figures. The quiet affection that he was openly showing startling you. You were so caught up in staring at him that you forgot the question on the tip of your tongue about why didn't he let you correct the couple. It was even further pushed to the side when you noticed your melted ice cream dripping. Down your hand and on to Jake again.

"I think I might need to shower now, and yours is so much bigger than mine," Jake told you, also noticing the mess you two made. He wasn't upset and didn't even seem a little bit bothered by how sticky you two were.

"I think that can be arranged, Lieutenant Commander Seresin."

----

After that, it never seemed to be the right time to bring up the couple thing since the moment had passed. However, it was all starting to bother you. Everything you did together felt like a small barb to your heart. The nights spent in his arms, paired with how sweet and affectionate Jake would be. The constant use of pet names. How you spent time with his friends, and that he had started meeting yours. The way that he knew your order at half the restaurants you went to anymore and how you liked to take your morning drink. The way it felt like second nature to hold hands, or for him to grab your thigh when you were driving together in his truck. It was all too familiar, too sweet.

In your mind, you were thinking about him, wondering how he was doing, planning your weeks and weekends around the time you would spend withJake. But, it had started to become very apparent that your heart was going to get broken. You had let yourself get way too involved with the aviator. So, you decided to hurt yourself a little bit before he could hurt your feelings a lot.

The next week when Jake texted you asking if you wanted a ride to the bar, you had texted him a kind reply that you weren't planning on going out that night. He had immediately fired back another message asking if you wanted him to pick up take out and come over instead. You again said no and told him to have fun at the bar. Given your rebuffs, it was even more surprising to get text messages from him the next morning. You had fully expected Hangman to still be wrapped around whichever beautiful girl you knew he took home from the bar.

Saturday market this morning?

Fresh mini-donuts, on me.

I can pick you up whenever you're ready.

Your heart clenched reading the messages, but you decided not to respond. Best to leave it, then try and spend another hour crafting something that made it seem like you didn't care about the offer. So, you decided to jump in the shower and pick how you were going to spend your first Saturday in what felt like a long time without Hangman. However, when you finished your shower and checked your phone, there was a missed call and another message from him.

Beach day, if you don't want to do the market?

I'm open to suggestions.

You stared at the messages; you wanted to say yes, but you knew you had to say no. The more time you spent with him, the more in love you knew you would fall. You were stopping this in its tracks. You had to be strong.

Great suggestions. I can't today I'm not feeling super great.

Do you need anything? Medicine? Soup? Cuddles?

No, I am good. Thanks Hangman!

You had almost sent a heart emoji but caught yourself before you did. You did spend the rest of the day doing chores and chilling, watching Netflix. You also spent the day ignoring the memes and check-in messages Hangman was sending you. He was texting you all week, and you stopped responding to him entirely on Wednesday. It wasn't quite ghosting, but you expected him to take the hint and leave you alone. You did seem to forget that persistence and consistency were a staple of Jake's personality.

He hadn't stopped messaging you all week. On Friday, like clockwork, you got a message from Jake as he was getting off shift.

How are you feeling today, sweetheart?

What are we doing tonight?

You left his text messages to sit. You had no idea how he hadn't picked up that you weren't talking to him. You had even gone as far as making sure that your read receipts were on for him. An hour passed before your phone pinged again.

I'm worried. Are you okay?

Send a random emoji if you've been kidnapped.

Not kidnapped.

Busy. Can't see you anymore.

Glad you aren't dead.

What about tomorrow?

When I said can't see you anymore. I didn't mean just tonight.

I can't see you again, at all Jake. I was trying to give you hints.

I've had a lot of fun with you, but I'm done now.

Please stay safe out there.

The three dots indicating he was typing immediately popped up, and you waited. After five minutes, you were worried about what kind of paragraph you were going to get convincing to keep being his friends with benefits, but it never came. Instead, the three dots disappeared, and you didn't get any response back.

Even though this is what you had wanted, what you decided was best. The urge to cry and throw your phone across your room was bubbling in you. It wasn't fair for you not to be direct with him anymore. The small part of you that was hoping he would have some sort of reaction was crushed. But it was done now, over. You could finally start to move on from whatever it was you had with Jake. Let your heart start to stitch itself back together.

That manifested as yourself wearing pajamas wrapped up in a blanket and watching your favorite comfort movie. You were only about halfway through it when there was a knock at your door, followed by your doorbell being rung twice in a row. You wanted to ignore it, but when the doorbell rang again, you paused your movie and pulled yourself to the door.

Before opening the door, you grabbed the baseball bat you kept for safety and slowly opened it. The sight before you made you drop your bat, it clanging loudly on the ground. Jake "Hangman" Seresin was on your front step, holding a massive bouquet of seasonal flowers and wearing his dress whites. Your jaw dropped, and you were half tempted to close the door because you had to be hallucinating.

"I don't know what I did wrong, but whatever it was, I am so sorry." He held the flowers out in front of him like some kind of offering, wiggling them slightly like that would get you to spring into action and accept his apology. Your tongue felt like it had swollen, and you were still in too much shock to respond.

Jake moved in closer, so he was practically in your doorway now. "Can you forgive me? I haven't seen you in two weeks, and I miss my girl so much."

His phrasing snapped you out of the mindset you were in, and your grip tightened on the door. "I'm not your girl."

"I'm not letting you break up with me over text Y/N."

"Break up with you?" you asked, confused.

"What else would you call that text? I thought everything was going great, but clearly, I was wrong. We can talk this out, maybe if you let me inside?" His voice remained level and calm, but you could tell that he was a boiling pot of emotions on the inside. His posture was a little too straight, the grip on the flowers almost too tight.

You stepped to the side to let him into your house. Before coming in, he stooped down to grab a vase that you hadn't noticed until now on the ground before slipping past you. He made a b-line to your kitchen, and you stumbled to put away your baseball bat and close the door. You followed after him hearing water running in your sink.

"I knew you didn't have any vases big enough for this arrangement." Jake emptied the long-lasting flower food pack that came with the bouquet into the vase and water. He didn't look at you until the flowers were properly settled on your counter and leaned back next to them. You were still lingering in the doorway to your tiny kitchen.

"I definitely wouldn't have, thank you."

"I hope you like them."

"They are beautiful."

Silence stretched out between you and him. He was waiting patiently, his arms crossed over his chest. It provided an ample distraction to your nerves, eyes tracing the strain of his muscles against the white of his shirt.

"Okay, we got to get this over with and talk. What did I do?" Jake asked, finally breaking the silence between you two.

"You didn't do anything wrong or bad."

"How could that be possible? You don't break up with someone for no reason. Or ignore them and leave them on read."

You let out a frustrated huff and crossed your own arms staring down the aviator. "I realized I couldn't just sit around and wait for you to break my heart."

"I wasn't planning on breaking your heart, baby."

"Well, I'm sure you wouldn't have done it on purpose."

"If we are talking about broken hearts, maybe we should be talking about mine. The one you have been stepping all over for months now."

"I've been stepping all over your heart?" You asked him in disbelief, pointing at yourself like there was anyone else in the room.

"Yes!" Jake's hands came down to grip the edge of your kitchen counter. "We have been dating for months, and you have refused to tell anyone. Denying at every turn. You acted like we weren't even together when you were hanging out with my friends. You flirted with Coyote and said you would make him crepes!"

"I was trying to be nice to your wingman. I was not flirting." Hangman rolled his eyes at you, saying that. "Plus," you continued on, ignoring his eye roll. "We aren't together. We aren't dating. I'm just one of your fuck buddies."

His eyes widened, and he stared at you in shock. "Oh my god," he breathed out. "You really haven't thought we are dating?"

"No?" You told him. Not sure why he seemed so confused by this.

"We spend almost every weekend together, and we talk every day."

"Yeah, I know. Why do you think I," You couldn't even finish your sentence, though.

"I don't know where our miscommunication happened," Jake told you, stepping away from the counter and slowly pacing towards you in the doorway. "But I am stopping it right now in its tracks. And I will say this, I have been under the impression you were my girlfriend since I took you sailing. I asked you if there was anyone else in the picture, and you said no. Then when I asked if I could be in the picture, you said I could be the whole picture."

"That was like the fourth time we hung out, Jake."

"Yeah, I know," he breathed, and he was only a few feet away from you now.

"I don't know what to say." Your mind was spinning. You were so confused you thought Jake had been seeing other people this whole time. You had not interpreted that conversation to mean you were dating or exclusive. He just hummed and stepped closer to you so that you were now inches apart.

"There hasn't been anyone else?"

"No. No one else. Not even in the start. It has only been you, baby girl."

"I thought."

His lips ghosted over yours, then taking your breath away. "Stop thinking so much. I love you. Do you love me?" He asked, his hand coming up to cup your face and tip your head slightly so your eyes could meet his. You took a bated breath, mind whirling a million miles an hour before you could respond.

"I love you too, Jake."

"Good," Jake said, grinning. "Now, will you be my exclusive girlfriend, my other half, and continue to be my favorite person I spend all my weekends with?"

"Yes, I would like that very much."

That was what it took for Jake to finally kiss you. His hand cupping your cheek, pressing you in close to the wall pinned there with his own body. And there was absolutely nowhere else you wanted to be, except maybe in bed with this man. Something that was quickly remedied only a few minutes later.

#jake seresin x reader #hangman x you #hangman x reader

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citrusy-lemons · 1 year

Text

pancake-cakes

tasm!peter x reader

summary: late night cravings bring out some deeper feelings.

author's note: HOLY SHIT, count on me to go MIA for a month after posting. honestly tho i'm so sorry, i've got school and extracurriculars and projects and shit and i haven't really gotten time to write and my schedule is still super hectic, hopefully i'll be able to get other stuff out soon but no promises :/

let me know what you think? constructive criticism is welcome and please be nice :)

see, the middle of the night wasn't meant for this. it's to sleep and dream and pee.

not for baking a cake without having most ingredients of the cake. but you'd gotten a sudden craving and it was a weekend tomorrow, so bad decisions were inevitable.

did you have a million assignments to do? maybe. but peter also had a million assignments to do and he was still here, so technically, he's also making bad decisions. he was aware of that fact.

mind you he did try to convince you to go back to sleep at first but you wore him down. he didn't put up a big fight, he never did, against you.

he's convinced himself that he was only there to watch over you and make sure you didn't slice a finger or spill the flour, not to help you out with your late night shenanigans. but he was cutting up the strawberries so, really, he didn't have a strong resolve.

"you know, i think that when the box says 'pancake mix' you're supposed to make pancakes," he said, turning to you, who was reading the back of said box.

were you trying to bake a cake in the middle of the night with pancake batter cuz you didn't have the stuff for the cake and didn't want to go to the grocery store to get it? kinda. would peter have gone and got the stuff himself if you'd asked? yes.

"i didn't listen to you the last 17 times, i'm not gonna listen to you now, and besides," you said, pouring the mix into a bowl, "a pancake is just a cake but made on a pan instead of an oven. we're just changing the recipe a bit," you shrugged, like it was obvious and he was the stupid one.

"there are so many things wrong with that sentence, i dont even know where to begin,"

"here's a hint, don't."

you were being mean, you knew that. you didn't mean it. peter knew that. and you knew that peter knew that but you would apologize later. he knew that. he sighed dramatically.

"you wound me,"

you rolled your eyes at that. pretending to be annoyed at him was easy. wiping the smile away from your face when you were around him wasn't.

"if i had a dollar for every time you're wounded, i'd be filthy rich."

he glanced up at you. he knew that that wasn't completely a joke, it had a bittersweet tone to it. was that the reason why you were up at this ungodly hour? peter knew that you'd been stressed lately, he didn't know he had a hand in that.

"hey, you wanna tell me what's up?"

you didn't meet his eye, but you did stop fiddling with the bowl. almost immediately, you grabbed the knife out of his hand, mumbling, "you're cutting them all wrong,"

you both knew that wasn't true. one of the perks of having grown up with may was that peter was a fantastic cook. he'd been doing this sort of stuff forever. you needed to get better at excuses.

he gently laid his hand over yours to stop you and said your name softly, pleadingly. a long pause. you complied.

"it's just that," you started with a sigh, and dropped the knife, "you're my best friend peter, and i know that being spiderman means a lot to you," hesitation creeps up as you get to the actual issue. peter senses a 'but' coming. you look at him.

"but you come home every night with bruises everywhere, in pain, and i know you say that they'll go away in the morning and they do but," you're rambling now, he doesn't stop you.

"you have to see it from my perspective, i-" another sigh, you look away, "i get scared, peter."

oh. you were worried for him. he wonders how he didn't realise that before. that time he came home with a stab wound and you looked like you were going to cry he thought you were nauseous at the sight of blood. peter was an idiot.

"i know i shouldn't but i dont like the thought of you getting beat up every night." you were talking with your hands now, "imagine how you would feel if i came home with bruises all over my body and told you not to worry and that i'll be fine in a couple hours." you looked at him again. there was a sort of pain in your eyes. peter wishes it weren't there.

"it doesn't feel good peter. and you assume that i'm supposed to be okay with it?" you took a deep breath and closed your eyes, turning back to the strawberries. your hands were shaking.

peter thought about it. about what you'd said. you were scared for him and he understood that. it couldn't have been easy to be with someone like him. but he couldn't very well abandon spiderman. it was a part of him now. he knew that you knew that, but at the same time, he understood your point.

he thought about how he'd feel if the roles were reversed. if you came home with the type of wounds he did every night, he would be terrified. he couldn't blame you, of course he couldn't.

but he was spiderman, he had a responsibility, an unspoken vow to this city. he had opportunities and powers that no one else did, and he wanted to do good with it.

he hadn't asked for it, but he still had it. if he gave up being spiderman, he didn't think his conscience would let him live with it.

"i'm not asking you not to be spiderman," you spoke, finding your voice, "of course i won't do that. i'm just saying..." you trailed off, unsure of what you wanted and whether you were allowed to have it.

peter took both your hands into his, silently begging you to look at him. you did.

"i know what you're saying, and i understand. i don't blame you, i get where you're coming from and i promise, i'll be fine," he said, softly. he knew you were anxious about his safety.

"i can't give up being spiderman, and i know that's not what you're saying, but you have to understand, i can't not do it, it's a part of me, and i swear i will be more careful," his brown eyes bore into yours, willing you to understand. you blinked and unconsciously looked to the floor.

"but what if, being careful isn't enough one day? what if it isn't just some robbers or burglars but some other things? what if it's one of those aliens or mutants or something and you can't defend yourself? what am i supposed to do then, pete?"

you closed your eyes again, trying to stop the tears. peter's heart was tearing itself knowing that he was the reason for them. how could he tell you that him being the cause for your tears hurt more than any knife in the world?

"hey, look at me," he said, searching for your eyes. you shook your head but looked up at him anyway, the tears in your lashes resolutely not giving in to gravity.

"nothing is going to happen to me. i've handled stuff like that, you know. i know you're worried and upset but i promise, nothing will happen. you need to trust me, okay? we're going to be fine. please, I need you to trust me."

he said your name like it's the last time he'll ever get to, not in a way a friend is supposed to.

you sniffed, "i trust you, i do. it's this city that i don't trust," you steeled yourself, "but if you're sure, and you believe we'll be fine, then i do too."

he cracked a smile then, and pulled you in for a hug. a tight one. neither of you let go for quite a few minutes. you relished in it.

"god, okay i know i'm being silly, i'm sorry," you said after you'd pulled away, rubbing at your eyes.

"you're not being silly, don't be sorry. it's completely okay and valid. don't ridicule your thoughts, you're allowed to feel," peter said, in a scold-ish manner that he'd no doubt learnt from may.

"and please step away from the strawberries, and go back to butchering your so-called 'cake'," he said with a teasing smile, bumping his hips into yours to move you back to the bowl of pancake mix.

you scoffed incredulously, back into your playful demeanor, "excuse you, i would have perfected this pancake-cake if i weren't feeling sleepy right now, so, unfortunately for you, you won't get to taste this deliciousness, whenever i do get to make it,"

"oh, what a tragedy, i won't get to torture my tastebuds with whatever concoction you manage to brew up,"

you shoved at him, not that he moved an inch, and grabbed the plate of cut strawberries.

"just for that, i'm gonna eat these strawberries in bed using your pillow as a table, and you know i can be a very messy eater," you laughed like an evil sorcerer and ran towards the bedroom.

peter, horrified at the thought of sleeping on a sticky pillow, ran after you, forgetting that he had sticky hands himself. (pun intended, i'm sorry i couldn't not do it)

"come back here you!"

the pancake mix in the bowl, the half pack of strawberries waiting to be cut, and the anxiety were all left forgotten back in the kitchen.

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vampykween · 6 months

Note

mic i need to know. how vampire!ghost and vampire!price spend their individual time w pet (nickname ?:3) does pet have a favorite…

how does pet warm up to them!! 🧛🏽‍♀️🧛🏽‍♀️ literally kept captive like a bird but ghost and price are so so offputting but nice at the same time.. hmm…

im convinced you hacked into my brain because i was just drawing up ideas on how pet (love the nickname) has a different relationship with each of the boys hehe. i hope this suits ur fancy, i started running away with it like always oops! <3

price shows you to your quarters on the first night after the wooziness of being bitten (by an actual vampire!!!!) wears off. the space is grand and luxurious, and if you weren't so shaken up you'd marvel more at the beautiful window seat with gorgeous bay windows - the perfect spot to curl up with a good book.

once price leaves you alone in your room, you hastily lock the door and sob. what the hell has your life become?! for the first week, you don't dare leave your room in hopes of being able to avoid the creatures holding you captive. price is amused at your little attitude; how cute that you think a little door lock would stop him from being with his pet.

your relationship with price is weird, you're grateful he saved you from the woods, but you also hate him for keeping you in this stupid castle all alone. in an attempt to lower your hackles, price comes with breakfast for you each morning, he knocks as if to give you the illusion of choice whether you want him in your space or not, he unlocks the door and barges in no matter what you say anyway.

he insists on feeding you breakfast himself, you bristled at the idea at first because is he serious?! he offers you a simple shrug and a curt "amuse me, pet." and after realizing it was more of an order than a suggestion you concede.

you hate that price treats you like your his prized possession, it makes it so much harder to hate him. perhaps that was his goal really. it starts to work because eventually, you relax as he pops strawberries and decadent french toast in your mouth one morning - and when he leans in and licks the sweet juices from your lips, you feel warmth blooming in you. suddenly, you can't help but imagine him in between your legs licking over you reverently.

with ghost, things are so vastly different. you don't even see him until you finally work up the courage to leave your quarters. you're exploring the entirety of the manor and stumble upon the most impressive library you've ever seen. flitting between bookshelves silently until you're startled by a looming figure in the corner.

you realize it's ghost and are frozen with the decision on whether to leave him be or go over and try to talk to him. there's something so odd about him, but that only makes you want to figure him out more.

the library becomes you and ghost’s little meeting spot. he’s different when he’s not under the supervision of price, still very much reserved. but unlike price ghost avoids making any advances towards you, in fact, it was you that made the first move.

ghost had been dropping little tidbits about his life before he was turned and your heart ached painfully for him. he was curating a pile of his favorite books for you, and when he leaned into your space unintentionally, you place as shaky hand on his face in an attempt to drag him into a kiss.

ghost concedes and kisses you back with a passion you weren’t expecting. when you pull away and search his eyes for any sort of explanation, he simply shrugs and says he has to leave you for now. you’re left reeling from the magical kiss you two shared, surprised at much more you want from him.

#mic answers #vampire!au #vampire!ghost x reader #vampire!price x reader #vampire!price #vampire!ghost #fem reader

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klausmikaelsonsmommy · 1 year

Note

can you make headcanons about dating sub klaus x fem reader

Headcanons: Dating Sub Klaus

what a wonderful thing it is dating the original hybrid

An even more wonderful thing?

He trusts you enough to be submissive to you.

Trust is definitely a BIG thing in your relationship

Like MAJOR

Baby boy can't be submissive to you if the trust isn't there

He probably had a submissive side he heavily suppressed in his previous relationships

After he subjugated you to a multitude of tests and trials to ensure your loyalty to him and him solely was true he started bringing it up

Only he didn't ACTUALLY bring it up

He just did little things to see if you would catch on and do the hard part for him

He didn't pull your body to his like he usually did when the two of you cuddled

He just sort of laid there until one day you finally asked him if everything was alright

He of course said it was but you knew him, knew it wasn't

But you dropped it anyways

He all but slapped himself in the face for not telling you then and there what was so bothering him but he couldn't

It was bugging him not being able to express his desire for submission to you

He just wanted you to hold him and tell him he was pretty okay!? Was that really too much to ask?

No, it wasn't. But he wouldn't ask, he couldn't. Couldn't face the embarrassment of the possible rejection.

Did he really think you'd say no, probably not, was the slightest chance of you saying no keeping him from asking? Yes

He wasn't even dominant like he was with his past partners he figures that would've told you what he wanted but alas you're not a mind reader, much to his chagrin, that would make things much easier

When he found out from Damon you had been the dominant one in your relationship with both him and his brother Stefan he got the courage to ask you to be on top of him during sex

You were naturally dominant in the bedroom and in most other aspects of life as well so this was no big deal... until you saw how nervous Klaus was

You asked if he was sure and he had never nodded his head so fast but the look you gave him told him you weren't fully convinced so he told you what he wanted

"Yes, I'm sure love. I want you on top of me. I want you on top of me all the time."

You chuckled at him and whispered a small "Baby, I know." before pushing him to his back and climbing on top of him

• From then on your relationship naturally progressed with you being in control

Not just in the bedroom either

You cooked for him

Even fed him sometimes, that confused him a bit considering he didn't ask but it was nice

You cleaned him of blood and dirt when you showered even though he was perfectly capable of doing it himself

It was truly lovely to have someone that took care of him, and loved him, and protected him

It was definitely freeing, not having to feel the pressure of making decisions

He trusted you to do that for him

He still put his input in because he is Klaus and he demands to be seen and heard

But ultimately you make the decisions and you haven't made a bad one yet

After the adjustment and power switch things were much easier for the both of you

Klaus found he enjoyed doing simple mundane things with you such as washing laundry and folding it

He didn't so much enjoy doing the dishes though but he always did them anyway because he enjoyed the way you'd watch him and laugh lightly to yourself when he frowned at the bubbles and water getting all over his shirt

He especially liked the way you'd come up behind him and wrap your hands around his waist The way you ran your hands under his damp shirt and and rubbed your thumbs lightly across his stomach had his tummy twisting in knots

Then he had a problem because he completely melted and got soft and hard at the same time

He turned around and whimpered at you so you pressed a kiss to his lips and let him cling to you and rut his cock against your thigh while you finished the dishes for him

Klaus has this thing where even when your arms are wrapped as tight as they possibly can be around him when you're cuddling, he has to hold your arms and hands

He has to make sure you're not going to leave him in the middle of the night

If you move a lot in your sleep never fear because Klaus will find a way to still be all wrapped up in your arms by the time you both awake

Klaus can't handle dirty talk...like at all he gets all hot, and red, and he blushes like crazy

When he goes down on you he just gets so excited, he can't help it he loves being between your thighs more than anything you've learned to not make a sound while you orgasm because of how often he begged to be in between your legs

You like to read a lot so you learned how not to make noise so you could focus on your reading, you still haven't found out how to stop the words from blearing together when you orgasm though

Orgasms while reading your favorite book>>>

Orgasms while watching your favorite show>>>

Almost choking on your food because Klaus decides that because you're eating he needs to be eating you<<<

Klaus just gets so excited when he's between your legs he bites not in a bad way though, he just kinda nibbles but sometimes it's a bit too hard

He feels so bad after though, like dips his head down in shame feels bad

Kisses to make him feel better

Klaus goes completely dumb when you go down on him

His brain gets sucked out through his head

You like being inbetween his legs just as much as he likes being in yours

Fighting over who gets to spend the day in between each other's legs

Can't function when you're mad at him

Always apologies first

Cheek kisses for you

Forehead kisses for the lil prince

Seriously they make him so soft

The King of New Orleans is also Mommy's Perfect Little Prince

The praise kink runs deep with this one

Call him a good boy and he's a goner

Tell him how pretty he is believe it or not he's insecure

Tell him you love him all the time or he'll think you don't anymore, seriously

TELL HIM

HOURLY

"Love?

"Yes Klaus"

"Do you love me still?

"Of course Nik"

"Then why must you pay more attention to that book than me"

Crawling in between your legs to lay his head down in your lap

He needs all the attention all the time

Clingiest mf ever

Prefers when you intiate things

Dates in little coffee shops and art galleries

Kissing his tattoos

Sex

All the time

Like seven times a day

Klaus actually having a lot of power in the relationship

You'll do anything for him if he wears those boxers that fit him like a second skin and those jeans that are so fucking deliciously tight

His ass>>>>

You are no better than a man

Dominant as you are it was weird not being in control but you had a feeling of you waited awhile you'd have a pretty little puppy who lives to please

In the end you were right

He's a puppy and he likes it

He mainly likes it because you call him a good boy and because you pet his cock

But that's not important

You're what's important

Always remember you're this man's everything so treat him like he's yours

#klaus mikaelson #klaus mikaelson x reader smut #klaus mikaelson smut #klaus mikaelson x y/n #klaus mikaelson x you #klaus mikealson smut #klaus mikealson x reader #klaus x reader #sub klaus mikaelson #male sub #the mikaelsons #the vampire diaries imagine #the originals #the vampire diaries #the originals imagine #the originals x reader #klaus mikaelson headcanons

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safetycar-restart · 8 months

Note

I love your poly!piarles' fics sm <3. I was wondering if u could do a follow-up to the previous 💧💧with them.

Where Pierre didn't wear a diaper after a very intense scene because he didn't want Charles to find out, but then he had an accident. I just need a fluffy ending to that with obv Charles be OK with it and pierre just being reassured <3

Oh my god I had actually completely forgotten about that? And yeah we really need to discuss it more I can't believe I forgot about it. Also, all watersports thoughts are tagged with 💧 💧 and all diaper thoughts are tagged with 🧴 so block those if either of those things are not your vibe.

For context, this is in reference to something I wrote a while ago with poly!piarles. Pierre enjoys very intense scenes with painplay that sends him into subspace for the next day or two. During those days, he's so vulnerable and reliant on you, and he needs those days to properly rest and he feels amazing afterwards. While you're looking after him, he wears diapers, because he's just floating in subspace so deep and lovely that he can't control anything. He adores it.

But then Charles joins the relationship and suddenly Pierre is not just a sub anymore he's now also charles's dom. Make no mistake, he ADORES that. As a switch, he thrives when he can both dom and sub, but because of charles's involvement he's scared to bring diapers back into the equation.

Even though Charles has no interest in those intense pain play scenes, he loves coming in for aftercare to help you take care of Pierre. Pierre loves having his bunny there for cuddles and reassurance for the less intense pain play aftercare, but he's terrified of doing the type of intense scenes that will require days of aftercare and him wearing diapers because he doesn't want his sub to see him like that.

But he needs those scenes, and so eventually he tells you to do it anyway and just not diaper him after. And it goes about as badly as expected with Pierre wetting himself out of nowhere and going right into subdrop after because he feels like he's disappointed you.

Charles has no idea what just happened, so confused about why Pierre had an accident, but he's more worried about Pierre than anything else. He doesn't at all care that Pierre wet the bed, that can be handled, but Pierre is crying and begging for forgiveness and he doesn't know what to do.

You know why this happened, of course, but you promised to keep Pierre's secret. So you just pull Pierre into your arms and kiss his head, promise him that you and Charles arent upset with him. Charles hugs Pierre from behind, trying to give Pierre as much comfort as he can.

You take Pierre to the bathroom, clean him up and get him in fresh clothes while Charles changes the sheets. Maybe you put a diaper on him? Even though you had promised you wouldn't, he's deep in subdrop and you don't want to imagine what might happen if he has another accident. You make an executive decision as his dom to put one on him anyway, and you know you've made the right call when he relaxes as he feels it put on him.

Charles is confused when he sees the diaper, but you subtly shake your head at him. Charles nods and doesn't say a thing, understanding that now is not the time.

You and Charles take care of Pierre as best you can until he's out of the drop and can talk to you two properly. He cries again when he comes up, realising what he did and he's convinced that Charles will hate him for it.

Except Charles looks at him with only love and concern, taking his head and begging to find out what he can do to help and make him feel better.

Pierre has you explain to him what happened, and why, and charles's heart just breaks. Charles actually feels like he's failed in some way, because he made Pierre feel like he couldn't be honest about what he needed.

Charles thinks about all the things he gets from Pierre, all the times he's ugly cried and been carried to the bath and had his hair washed and been hand fed. Pierre did all of that and more for him, and yet Pierre couldnt tell him what he needed?

It's a very tough thing to work through because they both feel inadequate, and I think the thing that might get them straight is you admitting that you feel like a bad dom? Because you knew doing that scene with Pierre and not diapering him afterward wouldn't end well, but you agreed to it anyway. You shouldn't have done that.

When you say that, Pierre and Charles both jump and instantly start going on and on about how it isnt your fault. They say how they both made mistakes and how they both feel and why.

And then suddenly they just turn to each other and then they're both hugging and crying, promising this will never happen again.

(And now this is already too long so I won't go into the first aftercare with Charles where you do diaper Pierre, but I would love to talk about that so if anyone wants to see it then let me know!!)

#poly!piarles #sub!pierre #sub!charles #cl #pg #nsfw.#f!reader #🧴#💧 💧

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sitp-recs · 11 months

Note

Hi! Thank you so much for your continuous hard work and absolutely amazing recs! You’re my safe heaven. 💖💖💖 I was wondering if you have any recs about addiction? Harry or Draco being addicted to a potion and the other is helping them to recover? I know it might be a strange concept but I thought if anyone would know stories like this, it would be you. Thank you ❤️

Hi anon, you’re very welcome! Your kind words made my day, thank you 💜 addiction is a heavy theme for me so I don’t read it often but I’m listing a few fics I’ve really enjoyed below. I’m sure my followers will add more. Check the tags and stay safe!

again, for the first time by @aibidil (E, 14k)

Five times Draco lied about why he wasn't drinking, and one time he gave an honest answer. Or, a love letter to sobriety.

Between Myth and Man by @slytherco (E, 16k)

Draco, lost and a little broken, navigates post-war reality convinced that people like him should not be allowed to make their own choices. To solve the problem of his self-sabotaging tendencies, he starts taking a few drops of Veritaserum every morning. A story about the complexity of choices, repressed desires that come to the surface when we least expect them, and the utter hopelessness of truths built on a foundation of lies.

Thunder by keyflight790 (E, 21k)

The storm will disappear; the rain will subside; but what's left in its wake will last forever. A story of love and loss, redemption and thunder.

Strange Bedfellows by ravenclawsquill (E, 30k)

When Harry encounters a frail and fidgety Draco Malfoy at the Ministry, he just knows something is wrong and he’s determined to get to the bottom of it. A story about Deadly Nightshade, crippling insomnia, excellent wine … and finding what you need in the strangest of circumstances.

Dreaming Darkly by @quicksilvermaid (E, 40k)

It's five years after the war, and Harry is not okay. He hates his job. He hates Robards. He hates Ron's promotions and Hermione's concern. He chases oblivion in booze and weed and quick dirty fucks, but it's never enough. Then Draco Malfoy's face comes up on the case board as a murder suspect and Harry is thrown into an investigation that will take him to dark and dangerous places.

Super Rich Kids by @thusspoketrish (E, 81k)

Draco Malfoy has become disillusioned by the glitz and glamour of the scandalous lives of the Post-Second Wizarding War Pureblood Elite. Enter: one existential crisis, one group of thieving cynical friends, and several terrible, terrible decisions.

Nor All That Glisters by @sweet-s0rr0w (E, 110k)

Lonely and frustrated on house arrest, with no prospects for the future, Draco begins brewing Felix Felicis in an attempt to improve his lot. Just in the short term, of course. He isn’t a total idiot. But before long he finds himself with a thriving business, a nice flat, some actual (albeit irritatingly Gryffindor) friends, and a very satisfying sex life. What’s more, no-one is hexing him in the street. And Harry Potter is single, and gorgeous, and giving Draco decidedly interested looks. Stop taking the Felix? You must be joking…

#asks #anon #drarry reclist #addiction

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wheredafandomat · 1 year

Text

For Better or For Worse

Chapter 6 Next Chapter Series masterlist

Loki x female reader

18+ | this fic contains angst, swearing, adult themes

The tears had subsided, your head still pounding as you dried your eyes. Your body felt weak, you felt defeated. You wondered why you even came back, it wasn’t worth it, none of this was. It felt like you had just fucked everything up. You wished you had just stayed home, continued putting Loki to the back of your mind because despite how harsh he had treated you since you arrived, you still felt giddy when your eyes would meet. You still felt his voice reverberate around your body. You still had goosebumps whenever his skin touched yours. You felt safe in his arms when he helped you up in the garden, a safeness you hadn’t felt since you were married. He made you feel secure, worthy, loved. You had convinced yourself that you didn’t need these feelings, that they were futile but it was because you were alone. Being back only made you realise you missed them, craved them, you missed Loki, you craved love.

You decided it was time to go. Perhaps this trip could just have been for closure. You managed to see Loki again and his knew beau, despite how unhappy they looked together. You saw Thor again and Frigga which was good. Hopefully this was enough, enough to stop the nightmares, the dwelling, the regret, the pain. This had to be enough because once you left today, you were closing this chapter of your life, forcing yourself to forget Loki. You knew deep down you’d always love him but you couldn’t let that longing consume you any longer. He had moved on, why couldn’t you? This was the end now. You’d carry the pain of your love with you forever but this couldn’t go on so you packed your things.

Loki stood silent, staring at the spot you were just standing in once you left. He regretted his words, wished he had bit his tongue. He wished you hadn’t come back in the first place so he could at least pretend to forget. You being here was a constant reminder of the betrayal. The loss. When you first walked into the room at the will reading, he wanted you to hurt, how he hurt, but seeing the expression on your face, he knew his words were heinous, malicious and he knew that you did hurt. They were horrible and yet he still said them.

Finally leaving the attic, he made his way downstairs, entering the kitchen before raiding the liquor cabinet and settling for a whisky as he mulled over the events. As he thought, he realised that he had never truly seen it from your prospective, the fact that maybe you wished you hadn’t practically given up your child, he was too self absorbed. At the time, his heart was shattered but as time went on and he weighed up the variables, he realised that perhaps there were other reasons for your decision, maybe you couldn’t face your mistake so he stopped hating you or at least tried to and yet he still spoke to you so harshly, treated you so harshly. Sometimes he hated himself too. Despite his progress, something about actually being in your presence again irked him. When you were gone, it was easier to hate you but seeing you again, he couldn’t bring himself to and so he forced it. Emotions were confusing, he confused himself with them. He brought the glass to his lips again and realised that this anger towards you, this resentment was a deep seated love, a love for you that had never quite left him. A love that he tried to recreate with Rose but she just wasn’t you.

After you packed your things, you swung the door open to leave only to be met by an angry faced Rose. You couldn’t be bothered to give her the time of day and so you simply pushed past her and made your way down the hallway.

“Don’t just ignore me you bitch.” She hollered after you, following you down the hall.

“Just leave it Rose.” You huffed, not turning to look at her.

“I’m talking to you.” She spoke, placing her hand on your shoulder to stop your movements before you dropped your bag onto the floor and turned to her.

“What?”

As Loki poured another drink, his eyes glanced up at Thor who walked in. Thor took a seat before pouring himself a drink too. Despite Thors downfalls and how much Loki despised him, Loki still sought a confidante in his older brother, particularly when he was inebriated like he was now. He began to speak, Thor nodding along as Loki explained what happened in the attic.

“I don’t know why I said it, maybe I wanted a reaction or I wanted her to feel something—I don’t know, she just seemed so unbothered when she first arrived.” Loki explained, now knowing that he was wrong.

“You think she doesn’t hurt Loki?” Thor queried, brows knitting.

“I-I”

“She mourns Loki, more than you’d ever know.” Thor shook his head, Loki slightly confused at Thors choice of words. “She lost two people.” He mumbled.

“So did I” Loki exclaimed “and not by choice unlike her.”

“No Loki you left” Thor argued “you left her and she had to pick up all the pieces.”

Loki felt his heart hammering for a moment at the realisation of his speedy departure, he didn’t even give you a chance to speak to him, to explain, he was so angry. He felt himself slouching before he remembered his late fathers words and sat straighter. She found out so she had to get rid of it. She couldn’t face the consequences. With a newfound determination, a newfound bitterness, Loki spoke again.

“And you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you. I bet you helped her pick the pieces up good and thorough.” Loki spat.

“Loki?” Thor replied, almost questioning.

“I’ve seen the way you look at her, the way you’ve always looked at her, you think I didn’t know.” Loki continued, gritting his teeth as he thought about whether Thor even knew what he did.

“Loki stop.” Thor tried to calm him down.

“You care for her deeply, too deeply.”

“That’s enough!” Thor insisted, smacking his palm against the table.

“Is it love? Do you love her? You do don’t you? I knew it!”

“Have you gone quite mad?” Thor shouted, standing to his feet.

“You’ve ruined everything!” Rose shouted, pulling your hair as you struggled to break away from her, she was crazy. She practically launched at you when you turned around and now she was fighting you.

“Get off of me.” You screeched, managing to nestle your hand into her hair too as you yanked her off.

“I hate you.” She roared, charging at you again as you pushed her away. The both of you drew further down the hallway as you steadied yourself on the railing on the landing.

“Loki, you need to calm down.” Thor tried to manage the situation, Loki angry as he threw his glass against the cabinet, the sound of it shattering reverberating in the room.

“Just leave me alone!” Loki yelled before storming out of the room.

“You think you’re so prissy with your stupid pictures and that ridiculous—”

“Bitch.” You cut her off, slapping her across the cheek when you realised she was referring to the picture she found in Lokis pocket. That picture was precious.

“Do not call me a bitch!” She roared, pushing you against the low railing, leaning over you as the back of your legs pressed against it. “I don’t know what he ever saw in you.” She scoffed as you tried to push back against her only for her to push you again, rougher this time as your eyes widened as if you knew the outcome of this situation before it happened.

“Rose” you gasped, time speeding up as well as slowing at the same time as you were pushed over the edge, eyes closing as you began to fall.

“What a cun—Y/N!” Loki gasped, seeing the struggle as he sped towards you, knowing you were about to fall. He raced towards the bottom of the landing, falling against the floor as you crashed into his arms.

Anyone else a little confused? I’m a tiny confused 😂 not a tiny bit just a tiny confused. It’s also 3am and it’s been a busy day already 😂 what are you guys thinking? Despite my tiny confusion I know what’s going on. Anyways goodnight or good morning wherever you are. Have a great day! 💚

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