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cheriecelestial · 2 months

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Angel Pt.1

pairing*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ Red Hood!Jason Todd X fem!reader

disclaimer*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ fluff. slight suggestive content (?). swearing. canon typical violence. kinda long. not proofread !

a/n*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ based on that one prompt “Wow ! You’ve grown so much since I last babysat you” “I want to rail you so bad”. Reader is like 26 and Jason is 19-20. Set in the WFA verse + joyfire are a team. Kinda non canon complacent. Smut in part II

Part II

Under the nocturnal skyline of Gotham perched on a towering building was the vigilante anti- hero Red Hood watching, observing the city like a hunter stalking its next prey. His jacket whipped against the wind of the boisterous and animated city. He closed his eyes and listened to song of wailing sirens and the distant cries of people, ready to respond to the city's calls for help.

Gotham was a city that, much like its vigilantes, thrived in the night. The city was hued in the rapturous and vivacious of the nightlife. Neon signs flickered casting flashes of colours across the pavements of the night clubs. People scattered across the pavements like ants, some making their way home from a tiring day of work, others more aimless and leisure - their destinations less defined and indulgent. He pulled out his grapple hook gun and shot to a building a few blocks away from where his bike was parked.

In the shadowed alleyways, Red Hood felt a sinister presence stir. He kept walking without letting them know that he noticed their presence. By the footsteps, he could tell six no.. seven. Four of medium build and three a bit more burly. Judging by their lack of ability to mask their footsteps, he could guess they're amateurs. Well in all honesty, almost everyone was an amateur compared to him. Slowing his pace, Red Hood's hands instinctively moved to his holster, anticipating a potential confrontation. Nothing beat the thrill of beating up bad guys. However, amid the approaching group, he discerned another set of footsteps — urgent, lighter, tinged with fear, and most importantly heading directly toward him.

He felt someone clutch the lapel of his jacket desperately. "You're a vigilante, aren't you ? Please help me sir. I think there are bad people following me." Red Hood looked to his side and saw a woman much shorter than him and shaking like a leaf in wind. His breath caught in his throat as he stared at her. It had been almost a decade since he had gazed into those warm large eyes—a fragment of his childhood that he had long relegated to oblivion. Jason Todd had what most would call a troubled childhood. Abandoned by his birth mother and the only other one he had dead from drug abuse and an even worse father who died the hands of Two Face. Tossed through the foster system, he eventually found himself on the unforgiving streets of Gotham. Amid the darkest moments of his youth, one saving grace remained —his angel,Y/N L/N. One he completely forgot about when he assumed the mantle of Robin.

"Help me please." She implored, her voice trembling and on the verge of breaking - the same one who would calm his raging storm on bad nights and tell him that he was going to be okay, and in the moment he swore he was. Her gaze shifted between the men and the vigilante, moving closer to him without realizing to shield herself from the villains in the shadows. Almost as if in a trance, he raised his gloved hand to caress her cheek as if to check if she was real or not. "Just follow my lead." He spoke in a low tone and the woman nodded frantically. His hand encircled her wrist and he started running, dragging her behind him the second he heard the thugs charge. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't think twice before starting a fight and having it his way. But he couldn't bear endangering her in the slightest so getting her to safety was the only viable option.

Her breath came in rapid gasps, and beads of sweat glistened on side of her forehead as they navigated the maze of alleyways in their path. The flickering glow of distant streetlights created fleeting glimpses of their pursuers. Her heart pounded in her chest like the strumming of a frantic drum as adrenaline pumped poisoned her veins. Jason noticed that she couldn't run fast enough to outrun the thugs with her stamina. "Sorry about what I'm about to do”,he warned in a hushed whisper and without hesitation, he lifted her over his shoulder and began running. Y/N gasped, clutching onto the vigilante for dear life. Wind ruffled her hair as she watched the vigilante leave behind their pursuers effortlessly. "You know if this vigilante thing doesn't work out you could try out for the Olympics." She muttered not realizing she said it out loud. Red Hood let out a gruff laugh, "I could but I like beating up bad guys and saving people such as yourself just a tad bit more angel." Y/N blushed at the nickname but waved it off as commonplace banter.

He set her down next to his bike. And took off his chocolate coloured jacket and draped it around her shoulders. "How could I ever thank you?" The h/c haired woman smiled at him with a smile so infectious that the corners of Jason's lips curled up without his realising under his mask. "Don't thank me just yet princess. They aren't near done." Y/N blinked in confusion and followed Red Hood's line of sight where she saw three black cars racing towards them. Her features morphed from relief to horror and alarm in the blink of an eye.The vigilante revved his bike and looked at her,"What are you waiting for?" The woman looks at the approaching cars and back at the vigilante, contemplating her options and got on the back of his bike. His hand envelops her and plants it onto his waist as if silently asking her to hold onto him. Y/N flinches at the contact as it she touched something really hot and retracted her hand.

The masked vigilante plucks a helmet out of the saddlebag and strapped it on her head."You might want to hold on angel." Y/N hums in acknowledgment and holds the grab handle behind the seat. Jason rolled his eyes at her refusal to hold onto him and revves the engine making her lurch forward and crash into his back. Realising that doing this any other way apart from his was futile, Y/N timidly encircled her arms around his waist.

The vibrations of the engine shook her whole being as he raced down the streets. The streets, trees, people blurred in her peripheral vision and she started feeling light-headed. Gathering all the morsels of courage she could find, she looked behind her to see the thugs chasing them. They hadn't lost the three cars and things just got worse when she saw a man peek his head out of the window with a fun in his hand. I'm so dying today. She clasped her hands tighter around him and pressed her face against his rigid muscular back in fear.

Sensing her unease, he looped his arm around her waist and pulled her infront of him. Y/N let out a yelp from the suddenness of the contact.

"What are you -"

"You don’t want your back facing them when they start shooting soon." Y/N looked over his shoulder to the thugs and then sunk back into and then sank back against his chest.

"You know if it makes you feel better just know this is an average Tuesday for me." Y/N blinked at him incredulously and in a small voice muttered,"It's Thursday today." A nonchalant shrug was all the answer he decided to give her. How the hell does he manage to remain calm through it? I'm on the verge of a panic attack and he's swerving as if this is a joyride in his kingdom. And in that moment if someone said that he was the king of Gotham, Y/N would find it hard to refute it.

The bike picked up speed causing the h/c haired woman to crash against his chest harshly. It was as if the pressure of the wind glued her against him. To calm herself, she decided to try concentrating elsewhere. Absentmindedly trailing the ridges of his armour and the red bat symbol on his chest. She heard whispers and rumours about Red Hood, the prince of crime, the scourge of the underworld—an outlaw employing more lethal methods against crime than Batman. Despite initial conflicts with Batman, he was acknowledged as a Bat vigilante some time ago. This man was dangerous and unpredictable then why did he feel so familiar to her ?

“I know I have god-tier pectoral muscles but I’d appreciate if you stopped distracting me like that.” Red Hood quipped, sounding almost smug at her fascination. Heat rushed into her cheeks and she quickly withdrew her hand, realising how inappropriate that must’ve felt and hastily clarified,“ I’m so sorry, I’m not a pervert I swear.” Y/N felt his chest rumble with a chuckle.

“Hold on.” Red Hood skidded the bike across the road with a loud screech, making Y/N wince at the sound of the metal scratching against the gravel. He loaded his gun with one hand still wrapped around Y/N protectively and aimed at the tires of the approaching car. “I’d suggest for you to not look at it.”Y/N averted her gaze and moments later, she heard a series of crashes and explosions.

“Jesus Christ I thought I was going to die !” She exhaled in relief. Red Hood turned his face towards her slowly and looked at her as if deadpanning through the mask,“ I’m here you know. What makes you think I’d let you die ?” He retorted taking full offence of her words. “I- I didn’t mean it like that -” she stammered, partly scared to offend the vigilante.

"Whatever I'll drop you off." Jason rolled his eyes and patted the seat behind him. Y/N hesitated, remembering her mother's warning about getting on bikes with strange men, but given her current situation, she realized it was too late to dwell on that now. With no one pursuing them, the ride felt much more pleasant. The speed and the wind against her hair seemed to turn her blood to gasoline as the air dissipated from her lungs. Adrenaline fueled activities weren't for her, at least that's what her sense of self preservation told her. Y/ N pressed her cheek against Red Hood's back. Vigilantes had a symbiotic relationship with the city and as was a common saying in Gotham "The less bats you run into the happier your life is." She knew that this encounter might be a fleeting one, so she decided to relish the moment for now.

Feelings and thoughts were long forgotten, where everything faded into the background and only her physical self exists and the dancing lights at the hazy edges of her vision offered an intoxicating taste of freedom that was indescribable — stripped of obligations, responsibilities and consequences.

Y/N almost doesn’t notice when he stopped the bike. “Do you plan on holding onto me for long ? Not that I mind but we’re here.” Red Hood hopped off the bike and Y/N took off her helmet and hung it onto the handlebar. She scanned her surroundings, they were in front of a five star hotel with sports cars parked on either side of of the road. “Why are we here ?” The woman asked following behind the masked vigilante. “Well for one I don’t know your address so I can’t drop you home and second it’s too late so you should stay the night at a hotel and go home in the morning. It’s safer that way.” Y/N stared at him in disbelief,“ But I don’t have the kind of money to rent a room in a place like this.” Red Hood retrieved a key card from his pocket and placed it on her palm,“Who said anything about paying ?” The h/c haired took it reluctantly and slowly walked to the entrance of the hotel, looking back at him again and again. It wasn’t until she was inside the hotel that she saw him drive off. Y/N walked to the concierge desk and showed her the card. The receptionist eyed her with suspicion considering how she looked so out of place compared to her opulent setting. “Please fill this form. It’s for security purposes.”

The form asked things like her address and her phone number. As reluctant as she was, the receptionist looked like she wasn’t letting her through unless she filled it. Wary of the dangers of misuse of information, Y/N tried to keep her responses as brief as possible. Paranoia was the best friend of a Gothamite considering everything that went down in this hellhole. It was good to always assume the worse and subsequently prepare for it.

The receptionist offered her a tight smile and walked her to the suite. Calling it a suite was an understatement since it was the penthouse on top of the hotel. Just how rich is this guy ? Y/N assumed that the house was a property he didn’t live in because the place lacked personal touch. Either that or he was a real minimalist which was unlikely considering bat vigilantes’ love for theatrics. Y/N wondered if all the bat vigilantes were like a huge family with Batman as papa bat. Where would Red Hood fall in the hierarchy ? If she were to guess, she’d say he was probably the black sheep of the family. Y/N looked around the house, it was one straight out of architectural digests with its high ceilings and cool grey and white interior. She looked at the time and decided it was best if she hit the shower and go to bed and finally put an end to this crazy day.

Jason Todd checked into the hotel the next morning and was greeted by the overly friendly receptionist, personally he didn’t mind fangirls but anyone with even half a braincell knew the risks of being a vigilante groupie. She passed him the form that Y/N filled. He couldn’t help but smile at the form. Filling her work address and a phone number both which were most likely false give the conspicuous number of 7’s in the number ? She’s smarter than most civilians, he’d give her that. The penthouse looked almost unhampered with. His jacket was neatly folded on the dining table with a note reading “Thank you so much for saving me. Regards.” The tone of the note was clear ‘I appreciate you saving me but I hope we never meet again.’ Jason pocketed the note and left the penthouse. Fates had been kind enough to reunite him with his angel and he’d be damned if he let her get away .

“Yoohoo Y/N to earth. Anybody home ?”Y/N’s coworker snapped her fingers in front her face, snapping her out of her reverie. “Sorry about that Steph.” Y/N apologised with an awkward laugh. Stephanie Brown, albeit several years younger, was one of Y/N’s closest friends. She was a bubbly and cheerful soul anyone could tell that by the first impression she projected.

Since the night almost a week ago with the mysterious vigilante, Y/N often found her thoughts plagued by him. Curiosity of where he would be or what he would be doing right now. Her eyes often looked for any news of him while watching the news. I really have to stop thinking about him, even though they lived in the same city, the odds of them running into each other were minute.

The door opened and the bell on top of it clanged, announcing the arrival of a customer. “Mornin’ ladies.” The customer greeted. Y/N turned her attention at the newcomer at the counter. “Good morning detective !” she greeted the customer with a bright smile.

Dick Grayson served as a police officer under the GCPD and was one of the cafe’s frequents. From experiences of her own childhood, Y/N consider the police nothing but corrupt individuals on payroll of powerful people who bullied those weaker than them. But detective Grayson was one of the good and honest ones. He played a massive role in restoring Y/N’s faith that there were those in the police force who could be relied upon and ones that fought for a better Gotham.

"I'll go with the..." he glanced at the menu, a ritual he often performed. "the regular?" Y/N finished his sentence. He responded with a smile, revealing his dimples. "I never understand why you bother with the menu when you always order the same thing," she remarked. He shrugged nonchalantly, as if saying 'who knows.' A smile crept onto her face as she made his order.

“So how’s everything with the family ?” Y/N asked, making small talk. Beyond his consistent ordering and punctual 9:00 AM café visits, he frequently shared his sibling issues. "Oh, where do I begin? My brother is acting up, yet again. He pulled some crap about a week ago. He broke one of Dad’s rules, even though he said he did it to help someone but Dad was just not having it."

“ Which one ? The cool rebellious one or the little gremlin one ?” Y/N laughed sympathetically. She didn’t feel the need to probe and ask much but she always lent an ear to a friend so naturally she knew them by characteristics and not by name. From what she knew, Dick Grayson had three younger brothers - the broody rebellious one, the caffein addict smartass and the 4 foot gremlin edgelord from hell.

“The rebellious one.” he sighed wearily. Y/N placed his order on the counter, including a small pack of cookies. “On the house. You could use some sugar anyway. They’re free testers before we put them on the menu.” Dick accepted the coffee and cookie packet, flashing a bright smile. “Thank you so much. You’re an angel.” An odd feeling resonated within her when Dick called her that. That’s what Red Hood called her. Somehow the way the word rolled off his tongue seemed so different compared to when anyone else said it.

“Hey Dick do you mind if I ask you something ?” Dick nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. “What do you know about the Red Hood ?”

Dick choked on his drink and burst into a fit of coughs. It took him a while to compose himself. “He’s alright. I mean he does help the GCPD I guess but he’s too unpredictable and we don’t exactly approve of his methods. He doesn’t hurt innocents but he’s bad news. Why do you ask ?”

“No reason.”Y/N brushed off the inquiry, and although Dick seemed skeptical, he left after leaving a tip. There. Is your curiosity satiated ? Even Dick said he’s bad news now can we stop thinking about him ? Her inner conscience reprimanded her.

Y/N's weary steps echoed in the quiet street as she walked home from work at night. The flickering light from the street lights streetlights casted long almost sentient looking shadows. Her thoughts — a mix of the day's challenges, the longing for the comfort of home blurred into oblivion when a strange chill crept up her spine with a sense of foreboding. Cautious of her surroundings, Y/N constantly kept watch around herself. Just a few yards before her apartment building, she heard their neighbourhood strays agitatedly hiss to something near the dumpster. Not wanting to get involved in whatever trouble Gotham had brought to her feet, she fastened her pace. Suddenly, a flash of vibrant red —the same shade she had been secretly craving to see in the past week, caught her eye.

“Red Hood ?” Y/N stepped into the shadows cautiously as if ready to flee at the first signs of trouble.

“Angel ?” He asked gruffly. Y/N walked closer and found him against the wall, clutching his side. His wound wasn’t a death sentence but needed to be tended to quickly. Her eyes widened in horror when she noticed the crimson coating his fingers,“You’re hurt !”

“ ‘Tis but a scratch m’lady.” He let out a pained laugh seeming to ease her nerves. “We need to get that treated.” Y/N urged. She knew that vigilantes couldn’t just walked into hospitals to get patched up because of the whole secret identity thing. And she also knew that taking it upon herself to treat him would go against every plan of self preservation she had. But she owed him his life. I’ll pay off my debt and we’ll never meet again. Y/N mentally decided and looked at him with newfound determination in her eyes. “My apartment is just upstairs. I have a first aid kit. Come with me.”

Red Hood gazed at her, momentarily lost in thought, then lifted his other hand to gently stroke her cheek. Y/N flinched at his touch, making him withdraw his hand. “Sorry I thought I was hallucinating you because from the blood loss. ” He admitted meekly. Y/N sighed and placed his hand over her shoulder. “Can you stand?” The masked vigilante nodded, rising slowly with a grunt.

Swallowing her rising concern, she brought him to her house and beckoned him towards her couch. Red Hood’s every step betrayed a hint of discomfort, his grimace almost visible even behind that signature mask. The second he dropped on her couch, she disappeared. He caught flashes of her running around the house like a busy bee at work. In seconds, she produced a first-aid kit and knelt next to him. “Lift your shirt.” She maintained her clinical tone, but the concern was evident with her eyes trained on the wound.

“Angel you know if you wanted to –” Jason started with a cheeky tone but was cut off by a stern glare, “Ahem yes ma’am”

Y/N breath hitched every so slightly when she saw the injury. It didn’t look like a bullet wound, the malformed spindle shape resembled a stab wound. “I’m sorry I don’t have any anaesthetic.” She didn’t look up from the wound as her cotton swab glided over the grevions injury. Shifting her elbow to his other hand on his thigh, Red Hood tilted his head seemingly questioning her,“ You can hold my arm and squeeze it if it hurts. I’ve heard that helps.”

“Appreciate the gesture angel but I’m pretty sure I’d snap your arm in half if I did.” His tone was both dismissive and endearing. Y/N didn’t insist, given his strength what he said was probably true. Vigilantes were exceptionally trained, surpassing conventional human limits. Unlike the caped metahuman from Metropolis, the bat vigilantes were more cryptid in nature. None would be where they came from and where they went. Invulnerable and insurmountable. Despite him being in a position that would render others vulnerable, he appeared unfazed, akin to a wounded yet formidable beast. There was a natural aura of dominance and power about him. They don’t call him the Prince of Gotham for no reason that’s for sure.

“You’re good at this. Like one of the best I’ve seen.” He spoke up, seemingly trying to come off as capable of being civil. “Well three years of med school. Some stitching is the least I can do.” She explained. Red Hood visible froze for a good second and inquired,“ You’re a doctor ?”

Y/N scoffed,“ Look around. Do I look like one ?” Red Hood looked around her apartment. Although well maintained, an ode to her efforts, the apartment was old and almost pitiful . Most of the furniture looked second hand and cheap. The curtain rods were rusted and the paint was peeling off from the walls with damp spots on the ceilings.

“You dropped out ?” He guessed. “Yeah. Couldn’t afford it.” She chuckled bitterly.

“Didn’t they offer scholarships or something ?” Jason was aware of Wayne Enterprises’ scholarship programs for talented students. When Bruce took him in, he assured Jason that if Y/N met the criteria, she would be enrolled in the program. Y/N’s intellect had always impressed Jason since childhood, he remembered that she would often sneak into libraries and memorise books worth of stories to recite them to Jason to help him sleep. There was just no way she wouldn’t be accepted into the program.

“They did but that didn’t pay bills. I needed to find a job to pay for my mom’s hospital bills.” She kept her response short, clearly not wanting to delve deep into the topic. “Work for me.” The statement was like a whiplash for Y/N. Work for him ? There weren’t many things Y/N had to take a double take for but this proposition was entirely unexpected. It caught her off guard, she stared at him incredulously with widened eyes. Red Hood was know for operating in the gray areas between legality and criminality and wasn’t exactly your quintessential example of a righteous lawful hero.

“Not in the way you’re imagining.” He hooked his free hand under her chin, gently closing her agape mouth. His tone was soft and reassuring,“ I’ve been meaning to find a backstreet surgeon to stitch me up. Comes in handy for a guy like me. I’m sure you understand angel.”

“B-but why me ?”Y/N stuttered, avoiding eye contact as her nerves threatened to overwhelm her. She could feel a chill of nervousness and panic creep up her spine. What if he got angry if she refused ? Jason noticed the change in the air around her and the stiffening of her muscles in panic that she was clearly trying to hide from him.

“Because you’re convenient. Your place is easy to get in and out of undetected, you’re talented and most of all —“ He gently lifted her chin to meet his gaze. Y/N let out a shuddered breath as Red Hood stroked her cheek with the back of his gloved hand. “— you fear me enough to not go around squeaking to the wrong people about me. No ?” Jason couldn’t help but relish in the reaction he elicited to the feeling of the leather gliding against her cheek in a silken featherlight touch. How adorable.

Y/N swallowed nervously before nodding slowly. A beat of silence passed and she let out a small sigh, recollecting herself and weighing her options. “How much are we talking ?” She asked him in a low voice. Jason could hardly contain his excitement, grinning wildly under his mask. A sense of pride washed over him as her first question after his offer focused on the financial aspect.

“Let’s see how about 2 grand a month ? Too less ? 3 grand ? 3.5 ? That enough ?”he suggested eagerly. Y/N’s eyes widened in disbelief, almost bulging from their sockets. Without waiting for her response, he added, “Plus, there’ll be extra incentives when I’m feeling generous.”

“All that for some stitching ? There has to be a catch.” She reasoned. It seemed implausible that he would offer such a substantial sum for such a minor task. Jason chuckled," You’re smart. I like that in a woman. And to answer your question, it’s not just stitching. It’s about your discretion and loyalty. It’s a complete package. Plus that sort of money is pretty much pocket change to me.”

“And if I were to betray your trust ?” Y/N asked in a hypothetical sense, of course she had more sense than to betray someone of his stature and power. “Do you really want me to answer that ?” He countered sounding equal parts smug and menacing. Y/N shook her head in negation and continued stitching his wound. The process of stitching became a meditative rhythm - the needle piercing the skin, the pull of the thread, the knotting, and the slight twitch of Red Hood’s muscles with each stitch.

“I’ll take it.” She muttered. Jason was grateful for his mask and injury otherwise, he might have been unable to hide his urge to jump up and punch air in celebration. Agreeing to his proposition marked just the beginning of his grand plan for making Y/N his and for now, everything unfolded according to his wishes and he couldn’t be happier.

Y/N wrapped gauze around the wound and secured it with a metal clip. “Normally I’d suggest a few days’ rest but I have a feeling there’s no point in saying.” Red Hood commented with a shrug as he inspected the injury. Y/N rose and fetched him a glass of water from the kitchen, setting it on the table. “If you’re trying to get me to remove my helmet, it won’t work.” he remarked. As much as his distrust stung, Y/N rationalised that it was typical for someone like him.

She retrieved a scarf from the coat rack, folded it and tied it around her eyes before taking a seat on the edge of the couch, keeping a respectable distance from the masked vigilante. "What's with the blindfold angel ?" Red Hood asked, his tone tinged with amusement.

"Isn't trust earned through actions?" she responded. Y/N heard the thud of his helmet being placed on the table. Jason seemed genuinely impressed by her gesture. His gaze lingered on her figure as she remained motionless, noting how much she had changed since his childhood memory. Yet her kindness to those in need while still keeping herself guarded from those who would abuse it still remained unchanged. Jason’s hand twitched with the impulse to touch her. To hold her. He wondered how her face would look in his palms with her bare body melded against his own.

“ ‘Suppose it is.” Jason chuckled as he downed the glass of water and put his helmet back on. “I’m finished. You can remove that blindfold now, although it does look adorable on you.” He noticed her chest rise with a sudden hitch, and her cheeks flush red. Y/N couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed, knowing the other implications blindfolds carried. As she removed the scarf and looked around, Red Hood had vanished without a trace. Her window was open and it was as if disappeared into the wind just as he came. She got why the bat vigilantes were often likened to cryptid beings and phantoms. Y/N was left to ponder over the events that had unfolded. Under the glass of water she offered him three hundred dollar bills were tucked. “I suppose I’m now working for the Prince of Gotham now.” Y/N mused to herself, realizing her attempt to avoid getting involved had failed miserably.

Jason's parents engaged in another round of screaming matches, this time he decided he’d had enough and thought of running away. Despite previous fleeting thoughts of escape, each time night fell — he faced the harsh reality of lacking sustenance and shelter. Convinced that the streets offered a marginally preferable refuge to the shithole he was force to call home, he wandered aimlessly till he found himself at the dumpster of a bakery. He knew shops like those threw away left overs even though they could’ve given them out — Jason saw it as a glaring manifestation of selfishness of adults.

He hid behind the dumpster and waited for someone to come and throw away the leftovers. After waiting for almost half an hour, the sound of the door opening caught his attention. Glancing cautiously from his hiding spot, Jason spotted a young waitress walking out. She was likely just a few years older than himself, a middle school or a high school student maybe, he thought to himself. As she approached to dispose of the food, she paused midway. No way did she see him ? Jason shrank back against a cardboard box, hoping she wouldn’t notice him.

“Hey kid you can come out. I already saw you.” the waitress said softly. Jason slowly crawled out and approached her. He eyed the tray of leftovers in her hand, wondering if he could snatch them and escape quickly enough ? The waitress seemed to notice this and raised the tray above his reach. “Against bakery policies kid. Where are your parents ?” She asked. Of course she wouldn't be generous enough to offer him any. In his mind, all adults were rotten to the core and selfish —why would she be any different ?

Jason scoffed,“ Does it matter ?” His statement was met with a sigh from the waitress, her expression conveying annoyance, a scene all too familiar to him. Bracing himself he said,“ Just do it already. I’ve had it from guys thrice your size.” Jason was well acquainted with the drill with diner employees — catch a few shoves and slaps, pretend to go away and wait for them to leave and then come back pick up the food.

He shut his eyes and waited for her to slap and swear at him to drive him away like everyone else. Yet moments passed but the expected blow never came. Instead, Jason felt a gentle pat on his head and looked up to see her smiling empathetically, though her eyes betrayed a hint of sadness. Wondering why she seemed so melancholic, he accepted the loaf of bread she offered and wolfed it down. “Won’t you get in trouble for this ?” He asked. With a forced laugh she admitted,“ I probably will but I can’t let a kid hungry now can I ?”

“I won’t tell anyone.” The young boy promised earnestly and she returned his smile. His gaze fell upon her nametag—Y/N L/N. Maybe not all adults are bad.

It had been barely four days since she last saw him that she heard from him again. In the dead of night, her doorbell rang. She approached the door cautiously and grabbed a baseball bat from the umbrella rack as a just in case. She didn’t hear any movement on the other side of the door so she cautiously opened the door, peering out. To her surprise, she found only a small, shoddily wrapped parcel resting on the floor with her name written in red.

There was no one except a small poorly wrapped parcel on floor with her name on it. Retrieving it, she carried it inside. Within the parcel lay a modest yet exquisite golden necklace accompanied by a handwritten instruction manual. Observing it she realised it was one of those necklaces that acted as an SOS signal. The parcel also contained a big folded piece of paper. Unfolding it, she discovered a map of Gotham City with specific locations ominously marked in red and the stark warning “DO NOT GO” emblazoned in bold letters. Y/N couldn’t help but smile at his thoughtful gesture, maybe this is not all that bad.

Over the following days, Red Hood would appear unannounced giving Y/N enough jumpscares for lifetime, when she would walk into her living room and find him bleeding out on her couch. He wasn’t much of a talker which wasn’t a surprise.

His injuries presented a variety of shapes and sizes each time he visited, but recently, his injuries bore uncanny resemblance the markings of knife wounds. Some were superficial, while others cut deeper. However, considering the depth, placement, and angles, Y/N questioned whether they were the result of his typical fights. "Are you testing my loyalty? Seeing if I'll betray you?" Y/N clenched her teeth with silvers of anger and frustration glinting in her eyes. Red Hood appeared slightly taken aback but remained silent in response to her outburst. "Do you really think I wouldn't notice ? Either that certain type of knife has become Gotham’s thugs number one choice or you're doing this to yourself. Why ?" She pressed further.

“ I knew I shouldn’t have made it so obvious.”Jason wasn’t accustomed to others fussing over his safety. Typically he received, at most a pat on the back from those who worked alongside him, knowing he had endured much worse and could handle it. Her anger and frustration hinted at concern, echoing the tone when he would go and pick fights with boys twice his size.

“What’s that supposed to mean ?”

Red Hood let out a sigh and awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. “Listen, I enjoy spending time with you and I wouldn’t bother coming unless I needed medical attention. So you know —"

“— So you cut yourself ? To hang out with me ? What’s wrong with you ? What if you actually got into a fight with those injuries ? What if you got hurt for real ? You could really get hurt. How could you do that to yourself ? ”

Jason lowered his head in remorse, realizing he hadn't fully considered his actions. Despite understanding her perspective and acknowledging the wrong in purposefully hurting himself for her attention, he couldn't deny a secret sense of satisfaction. "I’m so sorry," he muttered his apology, genuinely meaning every word. Y/N released an exasperated sigh and took a moment to compose herself before speaking again. "Next time, just ask. It's not that complicated."

Jason's head lifted with hopeful curiosity, resembling a puppy eager for a treat. " I can do that ?" he asked tentatively, unsure if her words were genuine. Jason blinks, and then smiles. Her words cause something to stir within him, a sensation of warmth and affection he hasn't felt in a while. Y/N nodded and got up to dispose of the bloody cotton swabs in the kitchen. Jason’s eyes followed her eyes, watching closely and to see if she was still mad at him. Y/N was a pretty forgiving person but in all honesty, he did mess up pretty bad. She returned and settled back down with a sigh, causing a slight nervous flutter in Jason. “So what do vigilantes when they’re not fighting bad guys ?” Y/N initiated as an icebreaker, much to Jason’s relief. It’s not like he could say ‘hey I’m in love with you please hang out with me with marriage in mind’. Wait marriage ? Where did that come from ? Images of Y/N in a white gown walking down an isle flashed through his mind. Y/N Todd. That had a nice ring to it, Jason mused silently. He had heard that Bali was a popular honeymoon destination but Y/N once told him that she always wanted to see the stargazing so the Atacama desert isn’t a bad destination either.

“Um earth to Red. You still here ?” Y/N waved her hand in front of Jason who seemed to have spaced out.

“Red ?”Jason asked sounding positively amused by the unexpected nickname. She shrugged and replied,“ Calling you Red Hood seemed too long, so Red it is. Not very creative, I know.”

Jason chuckled,“ I’ll allow it. And to answer your question, vigilantes don't have much time for leisure. When we're not fighting, we’re either training or passed the fuck out from exhaustion.” Y/N felt tired just hearing that, understanding the reasoning behind it, but the question remained: he wasn’t wasting time by being here, was he ?

“Seems like there’s no room for hobbies?” Y/N quipped, eliciting another soft laugh from Jason as he visibly relaxed. "I suppose so but pros can squeeze in time for special things here and there." he replied, his voice still quiet but now tinged with a smile. His body language seemed brighter and happier, and for the first time since she saw him actually looking relaxed.

Y/N reached for the TV remote, flipping through channels before tossing it onto his lap and standing up. “I’m going to fix myself something. Do you want anything?” she asked politely. Jason shook his head, declining, “I’m good.” Y/N walked to the kitchen and started making herself popcorn. What sort of movies and tv shows would vigilantes enjoy ? She guessed they might lean towards crime-related or action-packed content, but then remembered her friends’ complaints about the inaccuracy of such portrayals.

“Seriously Janet ?! There’s no way you’re picking that dress. Just cuz it would look good on Jessica doesn’t mean it would suit you ! I can hear the wails of the colour theory all the way from here.” Jason shook his head, sounding genuinely disappointed. He probably didn’t even notice Y/N shuffling closer to the television, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. So I guess that answers my question.

“That’s an interesting choice.”

Jason rolled his eyes and diverted his attention back to the television again. “What ? Can’t a man enjoy some good entertainment ?” He retorted. Y/N laughed lightly dismissing his remark,” No no it’s not that. Personally I’m more of a k-drama and anime girlie but I hold nothing against reality tv.” He nodded in acknowledgment of her preferences and resumed watching. Sitting beside him, Y/N observed as he commented on almost everything the people on TV said, finding herself amused by how much more entertaining his live commentary was compared to the actual show.

Minutes rolled by and after almost a couple hours, Y/N got up to go use the washroom and when she returned he had vanished once again, as was his habit. A small note lay where he had sat on her couch earlier. She picked it up and read, “Had a great time. Thanks for today - R” Y/N chuckled and shook her head, Damn these bats and their theatrics.

Jason would show up every three four days, most of the time unharmed thankfully. The two would do a variety of things like watching movies and tv shows together, playing board games and video games and just talking in general. At first it was just discussing their common interests but eventually he would sporadically divulged minor, unimportant details about himself. Some things she was able to piece together were that one, the bat vigilantes was a dysfunctional family with Batman as their patriarch. Second, the Red Hood worked alongside Starfire and Arsenal as his teammates. And third, that he had to be the biggest classic literature nerd she had come across.

“What do you mean your best friend tried to set you on fire while you were taking a shower ?! Didn’t you like lock the door or something ?”

“Locked doors don’t really do much to people like us angel.”

“So who’s your favourite bat sibling ?” Jason fell silent at her question, contemplating the answer. “Well that’s a tough question. I have my set of challenges and grudges with all of them. We’ve tried to kill each other atleast once. More so with my brothers than the girls. I’d say I get along pretty well with spoiler and batgirl. And if you ask about my brothers, I’d say Nightwing. He’s the funny nice one, Red Robin’s the smart, loyal one and Robin is the little obnoxious one.”

Y/N chuckled,“ Guess the article checks out.”

“What article ?” Jason asked curiously. Most of his intel came from law enforcement agencies databases, informants, surveillance technology, his fellow vigilantes and his own investigative work so he didn’t really feel the need to keep up with the cheesy articles in Gazette.

“The cinnamon roll tier list !” Y/N’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

“The what now ?”

“So there’s this popular meme going online,”she started to explain,“ so there are four categories - first, looks like a cinnamon roll, is a cinnamon roll. In that category are the signal, the spoiler and nightwing. Second, looks like a cinnamon roll, could kill you. That one is for Red Robin and the Robin. Third, looks like could kill you but is a cinnamon roll, that one is for Batgirl and the last is -” she paused because she knew the next tier on the list might potentially sting him.

“Looks like could kill you and would kill you ? Let me guess that’s one for me ?” Jason chuckled humorlessly, fully aware of the kind of reputation that preceded him. He wondered if she held the same perception of him. Y/N remained silent, neither confirming nor denying his statement.

"You know, you don't need to constantly worry about offending me. Believe me, I've heard far worse than anything your pretty mouth could say to me." Y/N couldn't help but feel upset, while his words were true, there was more to it than that. She wanted to express that she wasn't entirely afraid of him, but that wasn't entirely true either.

“Anyways – ”She interjected, clapping her hands once to shift the flow of the conversation,“ I got a new video game from a friend. Let me go get it. DO NOT DISAPPEAR. I’m serious it’s creepy.” Jason responded with her a cheeky salute,“ Yes ma’am.” Y/N disappeared into the bedroom briefly and returned with the DVD. When she came back she noticed Jason had reclined on the couch, appearing to have dozed off.

“Red ?” she asked softly, approaching him. She tried to get his attention again, but he remained unresponsive. He must’ve fallen asleep, she figured remembering what he said about his schedule. Retrieving a blanket from the side of the couch, she gently covered him. She sat there for a while, observing him as he slept. Watching him like this felt natural and familiar. Leaning back on the couch herself, she tried to unwind in the peaceful silence. Y/N couldn't help but admire him and all that he had achieved. Finding a friend in such an extraordinary circumstance was something she had never anticipated.

After a while, a somewhat wicked notion crept into her mind. She tried to shush the voice. Hanging out with Stephanie was sure working its magic, she thought to herself. It was a harmless little prank really, surely he wouldn’t mind. Against all logic and rationale, she decided entertained the idea. Tiptoeing to her closet, she retrieved the item from her closet and cautiously returned, double-checking if he was asleep. Here goes nothing.

#dc #batboys #batman #jason todd #jason todd smut #jason todd x reader #red hood #red hood x reader #red hood smut #dc smut #batfam #yandere jason todd #jason todd x y/n #red hood x y/n #dc comics

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willtheweaver · 4 months

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Details below:

Mari Lwyd- Likely a holdover from Wales’s Celtic past, Mari Lwyd is a skeletal horse who goes door to door, challenging people to a duel of verses. Should the homeowner run out of poetry, they must let Mari Lwyd in and treat the specter to the best booze.

Yule Goat- This lone wanderer of Nordic origins takes the form of a goat and travels from house to house, telling rude stories, and hard truths about the people inside. The Yule goat and their ill words can be removed from the house with an offering of food and drink. Today most people will only encounter straw goat effigies, such as the Gavlebocken( which will likely not burn this year, but it is currently being devoured by birds)

Mummers- Masked vagabonds, Mummers communicate either with mumbles, or in song and rhyme. They would ‘entertain’ homeowners with music, or by playing rigged games (gambling with loaded dice is a popular option). These shadowy characters can be placated with food and drink.

Wren hunters- seeing a pattern here? Many of these figures associated with Christmas have their roots in Europe’s pagan traditions. These figures often are associated with death and darkness-two things in abundance in winter. Offerings are made in hope that they and all bad things will go away, and that brighter times will come .The wren hunters are no exception. Coming from Ireland, this would be a group of people who go out hunting for the ‘king of birds’. Afterwards, they go door to door singing and begging for a penny, and (you guessed it), food and drink.

Lord of Misrule- Enough with all the dark thoughts; this last Christmas figure is much more cheerful. Medieval and Tudor England had the tradition of appointing one individual to be in charge of the celebrations. Everyone, from the royal court to the humblest village would have a Lord of Misrule, and being appointed was a great honor (not to mention naughtily subversive in a time where the social hierarchy was strictly enforced)

#poll #christmas season #mari lwyd #yule goat #gavlebocken #Mummers #wren hunters #lord of misrule

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apocalypseornaw · 5 months

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Don't Blame Me (Pt 2/5)

Dean Winchester x Reader

What exactly happened to you?

"NO!" You screamed but knew you couldn't move fast enough. The Okami was faster and stronger than you. You watched in horror as her claws ripped into Dean's chest, him jumping in front of the intended target.

Your hands shook as you buried the small box in the dirt. He'd never forgive you, neither would Bobby or Sam but you couldn't let him go. He was stronger and more important than to be ripped from the world by one damn Okami. You took a deep breath then spoke the few words needed aloud. Within moments a guy wearing a black suit and a wicked looking grin stood not three feet from you "Am I really looking at Dean Winchester's better half?:"

You swallowed your nerves before saying "I want to make a deal"

The flight was supposed to land in Dublin where you were meeting a couple of hunters Bobby knew. It wasn't a case she and her wife had offered to show you around and to help you do some research and chase down a few things you couldn't find on your end of the world.

The first bout of turbulence hadn't bothered you, neither had the third but when the masks came down from the ceiling you knew it was bad.

The first thing you could remember after the crash was pain, crippling burning all consuming pain. Even in the state you were in it didn't take a lot to piece together what had happened. The plane had crashed, you were dead and considering your contract you were in hell and on the racks.

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

You weren't sure how long you'd been in hell, how many demons had dug their claws into you or how you still had any consciousness left at all. You could feel yourself slipping away. Dean's face was harder to imagine, the shade of his eyes was slipping away.

The torture was never ending. Everyone knew who you had been engaged to, you were Dean's which meant you had a target and even the flunkies were getting a go at you. You couldn't handle it much longer. You'd snap and eventually your soul would die, burnt away to consume any of you that was left.

You couldn't pinpoint Crowleys first visit to your rack. You just knew when you could hear his voice the pain would stop. He had a proposition for you, he wanted you as one of his right hand demons. All he had to do was finish twisting your soul just enough to break it.

You refused him for three hundred years until one day you couldn't take another moment. "What's the offer?" You'd asked and he'd been damn near giddy "Why you were a hunter darling. You'd well versed in killing demons and other gruesome things, I need that"

"You want me to hunt?" You'd been confused but he'd shrugged "In a way. I want you to be my threat I can make good on. If other demons see I took someone who was once such a strong enemy and turned them to my side. It would make a good argument for me"

"You want me to be your attack dog?" You'd asked with a weak laugh and he nodded "Or I can snap my fingers and let them get back to work" you'd nodded slowly, whispering a final goodbye to Dean and the life you once lived before saying "Do it"

"Dammit Crowley" Dean growled when the demon wouldn't answer his call. "Are you sure this is where he said to meet the contact?" Sam asked and Dean nodded "Yeah, from the looks of it he didn't tell them that"

Dean tried calling Crowley again and this time the demon appeared in front of Dean "Calm down squirrel. I'm a man of my word" Dean rolled his eyes then motioned around "Where's the damn scroll you said you could get your hands on" "Don't worry she's coming" "She who?" Sam asked about the time the door to the old house swung open.

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

You couldn't believe Crowley had you popping all over the world to collect the pieces of a scroll. The damn little leprechaun got on your nerves at times even if you had to admit being his attack dog wasn't that bad. The black eyes on the other hand had taken getting used to.

You landed at the house he'd told you to meet at and pushed the door open.

----------

Dean felt like he'd been dipped in ice. "Y/N" he breathed your name aloud for the first time in years. You'd frozen in the threshold staring at him. "Crowley what is this" when you spoke he felt his heart flip. He took a step towards you but your eyes flicked from the color he'd always loved to black.

He moved without hesitation. Your body was slammed against a wall, the demon blade at the neck. He'd be damned if some demon would be using you as a meatsuit. "HOW DID YOU GET HER BODY?" He demanded.

Your eyes met his and flicked back to the natural color. He felt his grip loosen as you looked into his eyes. He wanted to believe it was you, would give anything for it to be you but he knew there was no way. You swallowed before letting a small smile slip onto your "Dean it's me"

He let you go suddenly, stumbling back from you as he shook his head. "No, y-youve been dead for years. The plane...there was no recovery of bodies...any of the bodies" he looked from you to Crowley "What is this?"

The moment Dean turned his eyes to Crowley you blinked out of there and back to your car that was in Washington state. You fell heavily against it and slid down to the cool dirt. Oh look, demons could indeed cry.

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

The horror in his eyes, the hatred and anger. You'd avoided him for so long, you'd rather he mourn you and still love you then know you were alive or well sort of alive and hate you. You'd kill Crowley for this, he had known what he was doing the moment he came to your rack in hell that this would happen.

Now Dean wouldn't even love the memory of you. Your deal that saved his life way back had just made certain of the fact that he'd never love you again.

@lacilou @suckitands33 @lyarr24 @decadentstrangernacho @nix-rose @irgendwas122 @deans-baby-momma @deans-spinster-witch @tas898 @starkleila

#dean winchester x reader #dean winchester x female!reader #supernatural fanfiction #spn fanfiction #dean winchester fanfiction #dont blame me mini series

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lexosaurus · 9 months

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Keep Your Enemies Closer

A little Tech Hunter AU oneshot I wrote for DP Angstfest 2023! I based this off of @kinglazrus' AU fic for the @dpauzine in which Tucker is the Red Hunter. It's been stuck in my brain ever since, so I couldn't resist writing her AU for this event!

[ao3]

****

Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

That's what people always said, anyway. It's what actors spouted in Hollywood blockbusters as their characters sipped their old fashioned in the dimly lit bar. It's what people typed in their chat logs online, thinking of themselves as high and mighty, very cool, not to be messed with, while they cracked open their fifth serving-sized bag of Doritos that day.

But this wasn't a Hollywood blockbuster. It wasn't Tucker talking up himself to random usernames online.

As he looked at Danny, who was animatedly chatting to Sam about some recently released video game that Tucker couldn’t pretend to care about anymore, he knew that this wasn't just a cool verse. It was real, at least to him.

“The final boss was way too easy,” Sam was saying. “It's like the devs weren't even trying.”

“I beat it in like five seconds flat,” Danny agreed.

“Yeah, because you exploited the armor glitch,” Sam said. “If you played the game like it was supposed to be played, the final boss would have taken at least a little longer.”

Danny tsked his tongue. “It’s not my fault that I’m obviously just one step ahead of the devs. And you, actually.”

“Come on,” Sam laughed, catching onto the mood. “Stop messing with me.”

Danny grinned back at her, his fangs poking out over his lips. “Samantha Manson, when have I ever messed with you?”

Tucker ducked his head before his face could show. Though, each day that passed seemed to allow that quiet mask to slip over his face far more easily than the day before. And he wasn't even talking about the little yellow mask that lived under his skin.

He remembered the day he'd pieced it all together. The day all the lies, all the little breadcrumb clues, suddenly snapped into place.

He'd been home, as usual, watching videos of the rapidly increasing ghost attacks targeting the city. And of course, at the epicenter of it all was Phantom.

Danny fucking Phantom.

He remembered Danny calling him, his face popping up on Tucker’s home screen, and Tucker pausing the video and holding up his phone to see the two faces side by side. The same smile, the same freckles, the same jaw and haircut and they were the same.

He couldn’t believe it. But…it made sense. And maybe that was the worst part because it meant that his friend, his best friend, was dead. And worse, he’d turned into a monster.

But when? When had he died? Was it that “accident” that he sometimes referenced? The day he’d gotten hurt by some of his parents’ equipment?

It didn’t matter. Because now, he was Phantom. But how was he Phantom? The ghost that Tucker loathed. The ghost that Tucker had long since blamed for turning their safe city into a fucking warzone.

How did his best friend turn into…that? Was death really so horrible that it completely changed a person?

Or was this always inside Danny, deep down in the recess of his subconscious? So deep, so hidden, that Tucker had never noticed till now.

Some people saw Phantom as a hero, and he seemed to revel in it. His cockiness was overflowing, and he took great pride in arriving at every scene precisely when the new ghost of the week would show up. He'd throw a few puns, assure the crowd that, “Don't worry, citizens! I've got this!”, and then he'd beat the ghost up, suck them in his thermos, and would disappear until the next attack.

Phantom had fooled many of the masses. But despite what Dash's stupid nicknames would suggest, Tucker was no sucker. Even if everyone else had their heads up their ass, he didn't.

Tucker didn’t do anything at first. Maybe he’d just been in too deep of a denial. After all, who wanted to pin the destruction of their city on their fucking best friend?

But then, he started paying attention. To Danny, the “human,” more. All his little quirks, his habits. The way he seemed to jump when Sam casually put a hand on his shoulder (he’d never used to do that), the way his teeth started to sharpen (humans don’t have fangs), the way his eyes would spark green sometimes (it wasn’t a trick of the light), or how he’d always disappear right before a ghost attack (almost like he knew they were coming).

But Tucker stayed silent. Because if Danny was Phantom, then Danny was dangerous. Who knew what Phantom would do if Tucker revealed that he knew? No, it was better to stay docile, not rock the boat, not put his life at risk. Just play it cool.

That plan only worked for so long.

The breaking point wasn’t an explosion of flashy lights so much as it was a seed, planted, but not yet even watered. It was Tucker booting up his virtual computer and opening Tor after school like any other day.

The usual usernames were chatting in his group. People working on their various projects, coming to the chat room for tips or just talking about whatever other topic was on their mind. This was typical—welcome, even—after the confusing mess that had been Tucker’s every other waking moment as of late.

And then the conversation took a turn.

To Phantom.

Sporksmith: I haven't wrapped my head around whether Phantom is a good guy or not. ChaseK: It's sus that as soon as the ghosts started showing up, so did he. Sporksmith: That's what I'm thinking, but the guy takes so many beatings a week. I feel like it's more likely that he's crawling out of the same dimensional holes that they are because the dude has family here or something. Mole: That's probably it. He uses modern slang, so it's pretty obvious he died recently.

This wasn’t the first time they’d talked about Phantom. He was a fascinating subject and under much national scrutiny. But this time, Tucker finally stepped in.

GoldenFryer: You guys don't know what you're talking about. ChaseK: You know something then? GoldenFryer: Yeah, I have some inside info. Can't say much, but Phantom isn't who he seems. He's dangerous. Sporksmith: You sound like a guy who's got something up his sleeve.

He hadn't, at that point. But still, it needled his mind. He was closest to Phantom, wasn't he? Even if Danny himself didn't know. Of everyone, wasn't it Tucker’s responsibility to do something about this?

To set the soul of his dead best friend free?

GoldenFryer: Not yet, but maybe I should.

Of course, he couldn't do it by himself, but there was someone who could help. Someone with money, power, and a vocal hatred for ghostly invaders.

“Tucker Foley,” Vladimir Masters said, opening his door. His hair was pulled back in his signature ponytail, and he wore a gaudy green Packers bathrobe. “You’re awake early on a Saturday for a teenager. My, where's your other half?”

“No Danny today. Just me,” he said, keeping his tone casual despite the sudden anxiety spike in his gut.

Vlad grinned and stepped aside, sweeping his arm over the now open doorway. “Excellent, why don't you come in?”

Tucker followed the gesture and stepped through the door, trying to ignore the guilt that was clawing at him. Danny always talked about how much he hated Vlad, and how creepy the guy was. And while Tucker agreed that Vlad was more than a little slimy, Vlad was a businessman, and more importantly, a billionaire. Being slimy kinda came with the territory.

And besides, Vlad had only moved into the town a year ago, after Danny had already turned into Phantom. So, it wasn't Danny who hated Vlad, not really.

“Come, make yourself comfortable. You're a bit too young for me to offer you a drink, but maybe some water, perhaps?”

“I'm fine,” Tucker said. His voice echoed around the empty house.

“Then sit.” Vlad pulled out a seat at the bar. “I just brewed myself a pot of tea. Maybe you'd care for some of that?”

“No thanks,” Tucker said, his voice jilted as he forcefully remembered his manners. Even if it was Phantom who hated Vlad, Tucker wasn't too keen on being behind closed doors with the man any longer than necessary either.

Vlad paid him no mind, of course, and poured his tea into a fancy china cup. He brought the cup up to his nose, sniffed, and then smiled, setting it down on a small plate on the counter and settling into a seat for himself. “So,” he started, clasping his hands together. “What do I owe the pleasure of seeing you on this fine day?”

Tucker blew a breath out, trying to expel the mounting anxiety in his system. “Okay, I realize what I'm about to say sounds absolutely insane. I get that, but I just need you to let me explain.”

That slimy smirk was back on Vlad's lips. “Oh? Do tell.”

“Okay.” Tucker wrung his hands in his lap. “Okay, just—just hear me out. Trust me, nobody wants to say this less than me.”

“But of course, my dear boy.”

Tucker exhaled one last time and then began. “So, I know who Phantom is. You know, the ghost? I—he's disguising himself as a teenager, and I know who it is.”

“Oh, really? My, that doesn't sound good.”

“It's not.” Tucker closed his eyes, covering his forehead with his hand. “It's the worst, really. Because the person that Phantom is pretending to be—and I know, I know, just let me explain—but it's Danny. Danny Fenton.”

Tucker peeked through his hand to see the smile on Vlad's lips widen.

“Daniel Fenton, my godson, you mean?” Vlad said. “That's quite the accusation.”

“I know it is. Trust me,” Tucker said. “But—okay, so basically, I think what happened was that Danny was in some sort of lab accident, and it killed him. He talks about it sometimes, but he doesn't give any details. But I'm pretty sure that was it. Because only like a month after that happened, all the ghosts started appearing. And Phantom too. I—uh, here. Hang on, let me show you...” Tucker leaned over and pulled his tablet from his backpack. He opened it and went to his files, opening a pdf of his comparison photos. He handed the tablet to Vlad, saying, “This is them side by side in different positions. You can really see it there, when the photos are lined up like this. They look exactly the same. But that's not all! Obviously.”

“Obviously,” Vlad said, swiping through the pdf.

“Look, I don't really know how to explain it, but Danny's just...he's different now. He disappears before ghosts attack, he comes back all beat and sometimes bloody. He's cold, way colder than normal, and sometimes I see him—when someone's annoying him or if he's pissed—where it's almost like...like he can't even contain his human form anymore. His eyes get green, and sometimes ectoplasm sparks in his palms. It's not human.”

“And you see this as...a problem?” Vlad looked up from the tablet. “If Daniel was Phantom?”

“Why wouldn't it be? Don't you have this whole initiative to get rid of ghosts?” Tucker argued.

If anything, that seemed to amuse Vlad more. He set the tablet down and said, “But of course, I wasn't insinuating anything. I merely just acknowledge that Daniel is your best friend and that most of you youths enjoy Phantom's presence in this city.”

“Only the blind ones do. I know better. Phantom is bringing the ghosts into this town. Mr. Masters, you know how all ghosts have Obsessions?”

“Yes, I am aware.”

“Well, Phantom’s Obsession is being a hero, right? What's more heroic than setting up a bunch of ghost fights to 'save' people from?”

Vlad's smile was almost impossibly wide now. “Yes, I understand.”

Something was amusing to that billionaire creep, but Tucker hardly had time to figure out what before Vlad was up out of his seat, pacing around his kitchen.

“You see, I already know all this. You understand, I'm the one funding this city's anti-ghost initiative. And I also know that young Daniel is Phantom.”

Tucker's jaw dropped. “You do?”

“But of course, I do!” Vlad pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped on it for a minute before passing it off to Tucker. In an encrypted app that Tucker didn't recognize was a video.

“Well, go on,” Vlad said.

Tucker pressed play on the video to see a dimly lit alley with Phantom standing at the end of it. He glanced around, and then white rings appeared, passing over his body. A white T-shirt and jeans replaced a black suit, and black hair replaced white hair.

The rings disappeared, and the person that remained was none other than Danny Fenton.

Tucker blinked, and his head snapped out of the memory. His eyes refocused, and Danny Fenton sat in front of him, still talking to Sam, his posture still far too easygoing for someone who wasn't even human.

His human form was impressively detailed. His unruly black hair, dash of freckles on his cheeks, blue eyes, and pointed nose—all signature traits of Danny. He had gotten it almost perfect.

Almost.

It made Tucker's blood boil, and he struggled to push it down, keep it in check. Ghosts could feel intense emotions.

The calm mask slipped over him once more, and Tucker was empty. Just empty.

Just how, when he stared into Danny's eyes, he could see that same emptiness too. There was no humanity left. No, that'd died almost two years ago now. All that remained was a ghost.

He wanted his friend back. But that was impossible. The only thing that he could do now was wipe all ghosts out so no one ever suffered the way Tucker was right now.

He was a hacker, so once he got the tech, programming it was a piece of cake. Okay, so maybe it was a little bit harder than that, but he was nothing if not determined.

And he was nothing if not a damn good programmer.

And now he had the power to fix this, end the ghostly invasion in Amity, end Phantom's terrorizing reign, and set his former friend free.

“What do you think, Tuck?” Danny turned to face Tucker.

“Huh?” Tucker grunted, his elbow nearly slipping from his desk. “Sorry, what are we talking about?”

Sam rolled her eyes. “Jeez, you really have been spacey today. Sleep well last night?”

No, he hadn't, actually. Because Phantom had set up another attack at 2 a.m. and so Tucker had to intervene.

Danny was wearing long sleeves today. Good. It meant that Tucker's shot really had nailed his bicep.

“No, sorry,” Tucker chuckled. “Was rushing to get Lancer's essay done. I can't work on it this weekend; my cousins are coming to town.”

“Again?” Sam asked.

No, they weren't. Tucker hadn't seen his cousins since Christmas.

“Yeah, my aunt and my mom are in this whole midlife crisis thing right now. Want to make sure we all bond properly or something.” Tucker waved his hand haphazardly. “You know how moms are.”

That was the perfect trigger for Sam, who huffed expectantly. “Oh yeah, don't even get me started. My mom is still trying to make me bond with Kate. Kate's two years older than me and was the head of her cheer team. Like, hello? You can only imagine what her playlists are like.”

“You should blast some death metal next time,” Danny said.

“Trust me, I have. It's the only way to get her to shut up.”

“Must not be death enough.” Danny flashed his teeth in a mischievous smile. “I’m sure I can help put together a playlist if you want.”

That cocky motherfucker…

Did he enjoy gloating over everyone? Did he really laugh at them when he was alone, all the stupid, idiotic, airhead humans who he thought didn’t notice anything?

Squashing his emotions was suddenly too difficult, and just before the internal tea kettle was able to whistle, Tucker was saved by the bell.

Oh, thank god.

Tucker was out of his seat before anyone else, scooping his notebook from his desk, throwing his bag over his shoulder, and racing out the door before Sam or Danny could catch up.

Still, when against his better conscience he glanced over to his friends, he didn’t miss the subtle look Danny gave him or the green glint in the corner of his eye…

Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

If only it was easy.

****

[read more of my work]

#danny phantom #angstfest2023 #tech hunter AU #phicc #my writing #no one knows AU

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itsscromp · 10 months

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Platonic Miguel O'Hara X reader

Hello and welcome all to my first official story. I hope you enjoy it, once again criticism is appreciated to help me learn and grow. I will be using a gender neutral reader too.

WARNING IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE LAST CHANCE TO TURN AWAY AS THIS WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS.

Also @callofdudes your added to my first tag list 😊

Other than that let's begin :)

1.8k words

Backstory:

"Ok people lets go over this one more time, my name is y/n l/n and for almost a year I have been New York's only Spider-Man. I was bitten by a radioactive spider yada yada yada you get the picture, but it was one day my whole world changed."

Present:

Y/n was on a mission to hunt down Kraven the hunter after their dad's police communicator went off with the location of him, their dad had an interesting view of Spider-Man. One of which Y/n didn't agree with, they reached the location of Kraven seeing all the destruction he had caused.

"Tread carefully." Y/n thought to themself.

As they swung into the building they made sure to web the officers to the cars to make sure they don't get hurt.

"Sorry officers !!" Y/n spoke in a deep voice as to not alert their dad.

Once inside they scoped out the building making sure no one else was inside or hurt, whatever kraven did he sure did a number on the place, But as they were investigating their spider-sense started to tingle.

"Spider-man !!!!" A thick russian accent yelled out.

Y/n then dodged an incoming boulder that Kraven attempted to crush them with and leapt to the wall.

"Woah woah easy their crocodile hunter." But as y/n looked at him, something was different. this was not the Kraven they knew.

"Another spider ???, no matter you'll die like the rest !!!"

A fight ensued with this Kraven and y/n, a copycat was all you could think of.

Then a loud bang was heard and Kraven turned around, your dad had freed himself from the web to stop kraven.

"Officer get out of here it's too dangerous !!!" y/n yelled out to him.

"you !!!!' Kraven then lunged himself at y/n's dad and tossed him like a ragdoll despite his best attempts, he hit the concrete rubble really hard causing a big thud to be heard.

"No !!!!!" Y/n then swung and knocked back Kraven temporarily knocking him out, they rushed over to their dad and helped him out of the rubble, but it didn't look to good, He looked like he was growing weak by the minute. without thinking y/n slipped off their mask.

"Dad no no no, I'll find help ok just stay with me !!"

"Shhh Shhh It's ok y/n......"

"Dad hang on !!!"

Their dad gently and shakily brought his hand to their face gently caressing their cheek. Tears filling y/n's eyes.

"Dad......"

"My little superhero......" Y/n saw the life drain from his eyes, the next he was gone. Devastated y/n froze, their dad gone. It was then they were tossed away from him as Kraven has recovered.

"Now you !!"

"oh yeah ??" y/n got up and another fight ensued, landing punch after punch, after kick after kick. they were angry and sad. this Kraven took their dad away from them. He had to pay, you did get a fair beating too. it wasn't until this Kraven started to glitch out that he was then restrained, You took such a heavy beating that your body couldn't even continue anymore, the last thing you saw before you passed out was 3 people, one with a red and blur silhouette, a woman and another person with a hoodie.

Later:

Y/n woke up to the blinding lights and a machine beeping, as they gently sat up a doctor quickly came to their side. She looked a spider person.

"Your awake, just take it easy you've put a good fight" the spider doctor gently laid you back down.

"Where.... am I ?"

"Your in the hospital other spider kid" the man in the blue hoodie came up to him. he had long blond hair and was really muscular.

Y/n's spider sense went nuts as did the person's

"Your.. like me.."

"And I thought my past was weird" the man does some emo hair flip.

"Name's ben or the scarlet spider."

Y/n then noticed a bracelet on their wrist and tried to take it off.

"I wouldn't do that, it'll make you all glitchy like that kraven."

"what ??"

"Miguel will explain, He has told me but I was distracted by my biceps."

"Right.."

Y/n got up and followed Ben outside, they were shocked to find what they saw, many many many spider-people

"What is this place ??"

"Spider-society" a woman followed you and ben, Y/n then noticed she was pregnant

"Your.."

"I know, we don't know the gender yet. we want to keep it a surprise, come on now Miguel is waiting for you."

The three then reached the main building of spider-society and went into an dark almost empty room

"Miguel their here" jess called out

a platform was slowly coming down to reveal the same red and blue silhouette like last time, the platform was still moving ever so slowly.

"Uhhhh"

"I know its slow but its kinda his thing." ben said before the platform fully stopped and Miguel turned around.

"Hey kid, your awake"

"What am I doing here ??"

"Obviously we couldn't leave you out their. with your injury's and everything. but also you have questions about what happened."

"How did you.."

"I know a lot of things kid, Lyla do the thing."

a small hologram of a woman came up near Miguel's shoulder."

"Huh what thing ??"

"Wha, what do you mean what thing, the information explaining thing."

"Oh right."

The entire room darkened further and then a small droplet like hologram slowly came down.

"What is this ??"

"This.. is everything"

As Miguel finished that word, the droplet hit the floor and bloomed a tree like system before turning into a system of red strings, almost forming like a web.

"This is everything, all of our lives woven together like a beautiful web with life and destiny."

"Woah...." Y/n was in awe of what they are seeing

"It's called the arachnid humanoid poly multiverse, which sounds.... long and stupid"

Y/n noticed a screen on the web that showed multiple spider-people.

"They are the canon, chapters that are apart of every spider's story, every time. Some good, some bad, some very bad."

Miguel then brought a small orb in his hand and the web's went upwards, Revealing all the different spider people who lost their loved ones, including y/n's dad.

"My little superhero.." the hologram said

"Dad..." tears filled your eyes

"This one, event ASN-90, a police captain close to Spider-Man dies saving a kid from falling rubble while fighting a nemesis."

The hologram replayed the events, seeing this Spider-Man broke y/n's heart.

"This happened to you ??"

y/n turned around to ben after seeing his hologram, he looked saddened by it.

"And me." jess spoke up

"That's how story is supposed to go, the canon events are the connection that binds our lives together and those connections can be broken, And that's why anomaly's are so dangerous, like how you experienced with that kraven. he was a threat to you universe."

the webs then disappeared and the room lit up again. y/n grew sadder and slightly angrier

"So.... your saying.. my dad's death.. was a canon event"

"Unfortunately yes, even if you tried to change it, it wouldn't help in the long run. Believe me kid I tried" Miguel's voice suddenly turned cold.

"So I just had to watch my dad die for the sake of the multiverse !!!"

"y/n calm down.."

"No screw all of you !!"

y/n immediately ran outside, tears now flowing down their face, blurring where they ran. they then leapt off the balcony and began swinging around spider-society. They found the tallest building and landed on the roof, letting out the most heartbreaking scream.

Miguel didn't seem bothered by how y/n bolted out. yes they lost a loved one and it was a canon event, the multiverse would collapse if something happened. Ben and Jess were worried for y/n, they have experienced something like this.

"Uhhh boss don't you think you should check on them ??" ben said

"They'll be fine ben"

"Miguel come on" jess spoke up

"Why me, why not you two ??"

lyla then popped up again.

"They've lost a father figure, you would understand that !!'

"Don't you ever bring that up !!!" Miguel yelled

"Miguel... just check on them"

Miguel pinched the edge of his eyes and started muttering in Spanish.

"Fine fine, lyla find y/n"

"On it boss"

On the rooftop:

y/n was sitting on the edge of the balcony scrolling their phone through videos and photos of them and their dad.

"I gotcha daddy !!" a video your dad sent you when your grandpa recorded you acting like a superhero and him the villain, you were no more than 5 at the time.

"Come here my little superhero." your dad smiled and brought you into a tight loving hug. loving and protected. now you had no one. you were on you own.

They heard a slight thud and footsteps approaching them.

"Kid...." Miguel gently sat beside them

"I don't want the whole he died for a reason for the sake of the multiverse."

"It's not that"

"Then what do you want !!!"

"I.... I came to check on you"

y/n stopped and then gently looked back out into spider society, going quiet again.

"y/n... I get it, I..... I lost my daughter. I know what its like.

they gently looked at him

"She said I was her whole world, I would do anything to see her again. but I can't."

y/n remained quiet as he explained.

"If's theirs anyone who understands this the most it's me, And I may not look like it but...... If you need someone to talk to I'm here"

"thanks Miguel" y/n nodded and looked back out into the distance.

Miguel then looked at y/n and hesitantly patted their shoulder, Y/n started to feel at ease with Miguel's presence.

"Give me your hand" Miguel gestured them to do so

y/n then held out their hand for Miguel to place a device in their hand.

"This is a dimension traveling device, but its also a welcoming, y/n I know your lost right now but i want to give you a place to belong"

"Miguel..." y/n looked at the device

"Welcome to spider-society y/n"

y/n then gave Miguel a big hug, he tensed up for a little bit but slowly relaxed into it and wrapped his arms around them. Miguel felt something he hadn't felt in a long time, all he knew is that he will help and train y/n to become the best they can be. To look after them when things were getting rocky. y/n felt happy that they made a good friend, one who will pick them up when they fall. this was the start of an amazing friendship.

#miguel o'hara #spider man 2099 #across the spiderverse #platonic #miguel x reader #platonic Miguel o’hara #reader insert

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lovesqueaky123 · 4 months

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Age: young adult

Rank: blooded

Height: 7 feet, 6 inches

Gear: wristblades (left gauntlet) : two serrated knives : cloaking field : plasmacaster : wrist shield (right gauntlet) : combi-stick : flechette grenades

Bio: Lamaya was born into a badblood clan, a band of murderous and dishonourable marauders. Lamaya never displayed the violent madness her clan were known for. After maiming a lecherous older warrior in her teens, Lamaya fled by stealing a ship. With little idea on how to actually pilot the vehicle, she ended up crashing on the blue-green world her clan often visited their viciousness upon.

Earth.

Lamaya found herself in the Rocky mountains, armed only with her mother's serrated knives and a stolen bio-mask. With an entire world to explore, without the risk of being attacked by a larger male, lamaya set out to investigate her surroundings.

Ultimately, her hunger drew her towards humanity. The smell of food lured her down towards a farmer's house, where she encountered the hunter's son. After getting over his initial nervousness, the boy brought her some food, thus gaining her trust. She decided that humans weren't acceptable prey, but decided that there's plenty of other things to kill. Her theory was confirmed when she found a dead cow that had been ripped open from the inside, and a dead facehugger nearby. Despite her slave-like position in her clan, even she had heard stories of the "hard meat" and that her race viewed them as the worthiest of prey. Desiring her blood mark and unwilling to allow them to run rampant, Lamaya decided to hunt down the Xenomorph.

Lamaya was able to track down the Xenomorph nest within a few hours, but the arrival of other Yautja, 6 hunters from her clan looking for her, had considerably complicated things, as did an unrelated Yautja enforcer here to kill them and deal with the Xenomorph infestation.

Lamaya managed to overpower and kill one of the badbloods, and took his gear which she used to make her first Xenomorph kill, saving the enforcer from a Xenomorph ambush. Grateful for her potentially saving his life, the enforcer, kataashak, offered to train her in the ways of battle.

Lamaya proved to be a quick learner, and through Kataashak's trial-by-fire tutelage, she quickly racked up an impressive number of Xenomorph kills, including two Praetorians and later disemboweled the Xenomorph queen so Kataashak could kill it.

Even after the Xenomorphs were dealt with, kataashak stayed to continue training lamaya, honing her into a deadly warrior. She tracked down and killed the other badbloods, taking both heads and weapons as trophies. Kataashak eventually left for other fights, but Lamaya decided to stay, having befriended some humans (and liking the meats they fed her) However she soon turned her attention to the darker Elements of humanity. Serial Killers, war criminals and other villains became her prey, and word soon spread of an unseen assassin, an invisible executioner who would appear, dispense swift and brutal justice upon the guilty, and leave with their severed heads. Using a small ship that kataashak left for her, Lamaya travels the globe, ever seeking to wet her blades with the blood of the monstrous and murderous.

Personality: like most Yautja, Lamaya is a strong-willed and ruthless hunter, well-versed in the ways of battle and willing to fight for any reason she thinks is good enough. Fearsome, headstrong and dominant, Lamaya tolerates no insult and seldom backs down from a challenge. Unlike many of her kind, however, lamaya is quite friendly with humans once she knows them, and is polite and respectful towards those she decides to trust and speak to, even learning more than one human language so she can communicate easier. She won't hesitate to kill anyone who threatens the innocent. Since she's only interested in obtaining trophies, Lamaya often gives any victim's wealth to those she thinks needs it, or at least leaves it where it can be found.

#yautja #predator #muscle #muscle girls #alien #xenomorph

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rainydaydream-gal18 · 2 years

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(The Bad Batch) He Reminds You To Eat

Author's Note: In NO WAY do I wish to glorify not eating with these preferences. My anxiety has caused some issues with eating, so I understand the struggle and know it is not fun. Please, please, please, remember to take care of yourself. My beliefs are based on the Bible, and there are actually verses about treating the body well. Anyway, I hope that you're all doing alright and that you enjoy this!

Hunter: He doesn't miss the fact that you skipped lunch, too preoccupied with tasks around the ship. He doesn't miss how your stomach growls or when you fumble your words or miss a detail because you're lacking in sustenance. The last thing he wants is to embarrass you in away way, or come across as a nag, so when there's a quiet moment he'll just quietly slide a plate over to you across the work desk, flashing you a pointed look with lifted brows. He won't take "no" for an answer. In the end, you're grateful he gave you that extra nudge.

Wrecker: His concern is not very masked. Though he won't point anything out in front of the squad, he'll still spend the whole day offering you food. It may get annoying because no matter how many times you refuse and insist that you're fine, he won't give up and keeps asking in a good-natured way. Wrecker will come out and say that he's just worried and mumbles that he cares very much for you. He will gladly dine with you when you decide to have something.

Tech: Notices and goes into medic mode, gently reminding you that it's important to eat and stay hydrated. His concern increases the longer you go without heeding his advice to try and have something. He is a bit of a nag in the end, but he nags you with facts, so it's hard to argue. He'll eventually get you something anyway even if you refuse enough times.

Echo: He'll take note, but will wait for an opportune moment to speak to you about it later. He gets it, he really does. He's had days where it's tough to take care of himself, but you're there to help him out in those times. He doesn't want to get all up in your business, but he does care and wants you to at least have a little something. He offers to go get you something to eat that you'd be more in the mood to have.

Crosshair: Nothing escapes those sharp eyes. He quietly notices, but won't say anything right away. He won't try and plead with you or negotiate. At the end of the day, he just gives you food that he knows you'll want and stares at you with narrowed eyes like, "that's right, I'm onto you" while he chews on a toothpick. He will sit there the whole time and make sure you have something before he's satisfied.

#bad batch #the bad batch #bad batch echo #bad batch reader insert #bad batch x reader #bad batch wrecker #bad batch tech #bad batch croshair #bad batch headcanons #the bad batch preferences #the bad batch x reader #the bad batch imagine #tbb #star wars the bad batch #bad batch hunter #star wars tbb

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spnbabe67 · 6 months

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Comfortember Day 1: You're Safe

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Fem Original Character (Sort of Friends, Sort of Lovers)

Warnings: Nightmares (Fire, smoke inhalation, near-death experience)

Summary: When Tori wakes up from a nightmare in the dead of night, Dean is there to calm her down.

Word Count: 883

This is my (late) contribution to @comfortember's November Challenge with the prompt "Safe".

Forgive me if I didn't tag/give credit right. This is really my first time doing any of this lol

Fear choked Tori like an icy hot hand around her neck, smoke thick like water prevented her from inhaling properly and left her with wracking coughs. The splinter-heavy floorboards dug into her knees, and the inferno raged around her, flames licking like the devil's tongue that left dark marks on her flushed olive skin. She tried to scream, but only a hoarse whisper passed her lips. Blunt nails scratched at her throat, trying in vain to flood her lungs with the sweet spring air that seemed to exist outside the house fire she found herself trapped in.

Tori's throat seemed to close even further like a boa constrictor around its prey with each attempt at an inhale longer than a millisecond; all Tori could manage was a feeble cough. The walls were slowly looming in, it was harder and harder to keep her eyes open, to keep fighting to breathe. Tori vaguely felt her body slump to the floor, curled into the fetal position, gasping for air. The vision at the corner of her eyes faded, a dark veil growing as the lack of oxygen slowly suffocated her.

As her vision went fully dark, Tori found herself jolting straight up in her bed, hand clutching her throat. She gasped, the euphoric feeling of cool air filling her aching lungs, an ache that receded in tandem with the terrors that drove her from slumber. Slowly, Tori's surroundings became known to her. She was in her room at the Men of Letters bunker, the only light in the otherwise dark room filtered from the hallway under her door. The flimsy material of her tank top was soaked with sweat, clinging to her dewy skin. She sucked in a shuddering breath, dropping her hand from around her throat, fisting it in the bedsheets by her side.

Tori was the furthest thing from surprised when the door to her bedroom creaked open. She had refused when Dean and Sam offered to oil the hinges; even though they ensured her the bunker was warded against anything and everything, the creaky hinge added her own personal brand of protection. The green-eyed hunter had some freaky, sixth sense thing going on, showing up at her door in the immediate aftermath or sometimes in the throws of her night terrors. She supposed he was well-versed enough in the phenomenon to notice the small tells that even Tori couldn't mask with well-placed jokes and sarcasm.

Tori looked up from where her head hung between her knees that she had propped up to her chest, dark brown eyes catching on the eldest Winchester's form, following him as he shut the door again. No words were exchanged, none were needed as Dean rounded the foot of the bed, sliding onto the mattress beside Tori. No words were needed as a warm hand laid against the feverish skin of her bicep, Tori followed the non-verbal instruction, letting her body relax back onto the bed. Tori slowly felt the tension that was wound like a spring start to dissipate as the hand Dean had on her arm found its place on her waist, pulling her back flush against his chest, fingers slipping under the damp cloth of her shirt to trace soothing circles on her stomach.

After a couple minutes of silence, Dean spoke. "Wanna talk about it?"

Tori's tongue flicked out, wetting her lips and buying herself time to decide to share the particular memory preventing her from sleeping through the night.

"It was that hunt in Cali. When that demon set fire to the house with me still in it." Tori whispered, shifting under the covers further as her body temp fell back to normal, her damp clothes cool against her skin. "Only this time, you and Sam weren't there to save me."

Dean's arm tightened around her waist, a clear indication that he remembered it. The demon they were hunting had gotten the drop on them, taking Tori and sending the brothers on a wild goose chase. By the time Dean and Sam found the house Tori was being held hostage in, it was already up in flames. Dean, against his better judgment and Sam's cries of protest, sprinted headfirst into the inferno. Tori was seconds away from death, but Dean had managed to get them both out.

"You're safe now, Tor." Dean breathed into Tori's hair, lips pressed against the downy soft strands. "I gotcha."

Tori swallowed hard against the lump in her throat and the salt water that threatened to spill down her cheeks. A shuddering sigh left her as she curled further into Dean's embrace like if she molded her body into his just right, she could hide away from the world in the primordial embrace of love and safety she craved each time the terrors reared their ugly heads. And Dean, the damn candy apple green-eyed hunter, poured that feeling from a never-ending pitcher originating in his heart.

"I know." Tori breathed, resting her head on Dean's bicep, his pulse thrumming under her ear.

Curled in on each other like kittens, they both found sleep easier than normal, basking in the comfort they provided for the other. Whenever day breaks, they know that at even at the end of the world, they can count on the other to keep them safe.

#dean winchester fanfiction #dean winchester fanfic #spn fanfic #supernatural dean #dean winchester imagine #supernatural fanfiction #spn fanfiction

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kynimdraws · 2 months

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TFW you like a charcacter so much you draw a hc fan design of their unnamed parents....again!!!!

Kinda a lore explanation under cut lol

I initially had thought he just had a mom and a parent of unknown gender bc K'sante only mentions a mom in his ingame quotes...but Riot said K'sante has a dad and mom in their bio. Because I sort of found the latter part after I had already designed everything, gonna just say Kaya transitioned late to being a mom...which is also a way to explain why K'sante doesn't mention a dad out of respect for his mama.

Besides Riot is apparently resetting lore again so who tf knows anymore if that universe site will be canon now RIP....free real estate for me

#kyleeart #k'sante #kaya #ma'hari #league of legends oc #lol oc #league of legends #hunter and the mask verse

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neige-de-mars · 1 year

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"What I wanted was to die among strangers, untroubled, beneath a cloudless sky. And yet my desire differed from the sentiments of that ancient Greek who wanted to die under the brilliant sun. What I wanted was some natural, spontaneous suicide. I wanted a death like that of a fox, not yet well versed in cunning, that walks carelessly along a mountain path and is shot by a hunter because of its own stupidity…"

- Yukio Mishima, Confessions of a Mask

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i-bring-crack · 8 months

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[Deal with the Devil]

TLDR : Regressor! Cha Hae-In / E Rank Sung Jin-Woo

[Thirty-third Regression.]

Her eyes clear off the tears that have been piling up just now. Hae-In doesn’t spend her time crying anymore, just sobbing. In a few years, even the tears themselves would also dry up.

The phone watch rings again. At the same time. Same place. Same routine that she follows every single decade.

[The ■ wishes you good luck this time.]

[■ warns, you only have 50 turns left.]

Hae-In changes clothes, pulls up a mask and a cap before heading out. She doesn’t have to see this world for the next 10 years again.

This time–She thinks in a void of other sleepless thoughts as she vagabonds the streets—it will work out. The plan was working fine in the last timeline until Choi Jong-In died under a trap made by the Queen of Bugs.

[The Plague Monarch.]

If she can get him to evade all of those traps, then the next fight with the Dragon General: Eclipse will be far less risky to survive from. Then there are other things Hae-In wants to be careful of.

The Echo Forest.

The Chambers of Poison.

The Cannabis Fields.

She has a lot more to do after the war than she expected in her last regressions. Hae-In takes out the sword from the Guild’s armory and puts it inside her bag, placing the Juk-To in the sword’s holder instead. Zips it right up and counts the seconds before another person tries to come inside.

Hae-In’s smell and her constant knowledge of the future had kept her well versed in everyone’s actions, at least for the first two years. From slight movements to the bigger actions that could lead South Korea into a catastrophe. Her eyes and smell are as careful and aware of their surroundings as those of a cat.

The door closes, and another soon opens. No one knows what happened inside.

***

The red gate opens, cracks of lightning striking the earth and leaving cracks of mana all around them. She can feel the horrid mana coming out from the gate, her sense pick it up from memory even though she is standing in the subway now. Her body mentally prepares itself to bring the fight as Hae-In checks her armor again.

Gems of the Astir Orc tribe. She embedded her sword with some mana stones to gather more magic in any emergency case. The satchel by her waist has Nycro bandages. Velvet medicine from the Sparkling moons made by her mixing in the last materials she had. Everything was just dull work compared to what the proper army had, but she didn’t care, it was enough.

Leaning back in her chair, Hae-In smelled the surrounding air again. An atmosphere free from the polluting mana.

It’s 3 am.

No one is here.

Or so she thinks.

The doors open. Someone sits on the subway to the other side. Hae-In doesn’t move from her seat. The hearing heightens as the small set of footsteps enters the subway. The head tilts and freezes when he looks at her before going back to look around the place and quietly sit on the other side.

Passing by, she can smell something, but even her senses aren’t able to pick it up by much. Her nose wrinkles as she can feel the air change a little. Yet she can’t feel any hunters around this place. She also knows there wouldn’t be any kind of hunter coming here to begin with.

The subway moves again. Only when the train passes through the tunnel does she open her eyes and set her sight straight.

The pupils widen.

330 years is enough to tell her what kind of people are mentally prepared for the future. From a glance she can perceive those who will manage to survive through the apocalypse, or at least see the very end of it. Her mind doesn’t doubt it when she meets them. After all, she has seen the world’s strongest crumble and the weakest live through another awful day. She has seen the death of humans and monsters, killed by their own kind as well as herself.

This man, her eyes flash with a bright glowing iris as the mana around them rises and the boy still doesn’t notice her powerful presence around him...

He will be the first to die.

Maybe he has even died beforehand. She doesn’t remember seeing him in the past timelines, as well as hearing of any other non-awaken survive in the first three months. It takes a moment for her to notice then that the man —who could pass for a high-schooler— sitting at the front, is a hunter due to the tiniest of smells that her body almost misses for a normal human’s scent.

D, maybe E. she can’t think of many hunters who will be weak enough to get hurt as much over a raid. He doesn't seem like the type to even do it for fun either or a risk-taker that learned his lesson the hard way. The man had his shoes burnt, a cheap pair bandaged over time and time again. Street lights disappeared from time to time like a flickering bulb inside a moving train. His eyes slowly moved to look at the pants, in some parts stitched up, in others the dirt still tainted on it. His body leaned closer to the side, almost falling before flinching and coming back up again.

Hae-In kept her eyes slightly closed so as to not let the man think he had seen him. Her hair resting on the side of the cushioned cloak. She still got a good grasp of the rest of his clothes. Rags of white and a blue jacket left with deep holes while his skin remained intact. Either his clothes are horrible or there was a healer around to help him get out of trouble.

It could be both.

¡Clink!

Hae-In stood up in the middle of the train, her head still covered by the mask and the blue hat. Before she grabbed something from the satchel and handed it over to the seat of the boy.

She didn’t need this anyways.

“Ah… I—”

“Keep it.”

His eyes finally met her’s, a pair of gray with a hint of more darkness, due to the night, widening as he moved to look at the dagger and then at her. “But this…”

She didn’t care for what he would say anymore, hours and days are counted. She had no more time to waste around like this. With her bags inside, she walked out of the subway and the young man was left there to ponder over the sight of the new dagger.

Their meeting would remain silent until the apocalypse reached the borders of South Korea.

***

“Sir, was this a good idea?”

Go Gun-Hee could feel his heart stumble, the sickness overwhelming him as he looked on at the remaining corpses of the S rank hunters, all except three people who had walked out of there alive. The fourth raid was a massive success, just as she had known it to be so, but by bringing Min Byung-Gyu and Choi Jong-In alive, as well as letting Goto escape, it was good enough.

She didn’t care anymore at the sight of Jong-In and Byung-gyu holding back their tears. In her fifth regression, she had broken down when all of them had died except her. In the twelfth, she had chosen to stay back and let them all escape. None of them survived.

Gun-Hee quietly watched them. His lips turn into a frown and a sigh escapes him again, the acid lumps of his stomach take a hold of his heavy heart. Tears grow on everyone’s eyes except hers.

On her 20th regression, she had learned to fake the cries for the news and outlets as they talked about the destruction of Jeju, and how she ‘wished it could have been her' instead of everyone else’. She doesn’t care anymore, sorrows are long gone. Hae-In is the first to walk out of there even as Gun-Hee tries to call her back, asking—

“There are gates that have yet to be closed. I won’t attend the funerals either. I have work to do.”

—the same things as always, to the point she had memorized her answer.

“She must really be going through it, too.” Jong-In tries to take away the attention, as he had done for these past few months. He is just as quick to notice her attitude change by a wide margin as he had been in the other timelines. Neither of them says it, but they are thankful for each other’s quickwittedness.

***

"¡AGH!"

The monster pushes her to the ground, it tears away one of her fingers, coughing up the blood from her chest, she suddenly sprints away and looks back at the cut of her finger. In a cave nearby made from an apartment’s rubble she burrows inside and takes out a bandage from her waist. easily tearing it down and cutting off the blood circulation from her finger.

Out of nowhere, an earthquake found its place around her, and she quickly grabbed her sword before jumping away from the collapsing building.

Now outside of the place, she could see the giant banging his hands as he lost the ability to see and was trying to find her so as to eat her whole.

That was how Hae-In had almost lost a leg were it not for her shielding her body with the sword, and from the recoil of that pressure as Hae-in held most of her force in one hand, a finger was sliced off instead.

Hae-In looks around the place quickly, more giants are out there to hunt her down, she needs a tunnel, a safescape, a burrow. Her eyes quickly land on a certain destroyed school burned up in flames.

The ground shatters as Hae-In breaks into another tunnel. These escape routes were once made for students during a dungeon break, now all of it was littered with human remains and the casual hunter crying among them or hoping not to die. Hae-In wrapped the handkerchief around her face. The small footsteps run through the bloody floor before debris falls on her.By the look of it, there must have been some people alive before they were found out… Lizards? or maybe the people had gone crazy and killed themselves. Everything here seems like a bloody waste, beasts would have eaten the leftover skin, lizards would have looted all the trays of food and clothes here. Whatever happened here, she had been late to save them, again. Hae-In takes leap after leap to avoid it all, her eyes scanning the last remains of visible light before the entire hall collapses.

Little more, just a little more—

She falls on her step, slipping in the blood of a middle schooler, falling hands first on the corpses of the youths as the rocks smash her face. Hae-In takes another jump as the rocks fall to the ground. Her hands just barely make it to the light, the even ground.

Gardens, paradise, shelter. Four fingers stretching out to the rubble only to end up grazing the floor.

Again. It was time to repeat this world again. She will hit the ground, shatter her skull and let her soul return back to another lost decade. The 34th Regression will start soon, waking up by the same clock, on the same bed. It's been so long since she had a good night sleep, should she just stay in there a little more before it's all destroyed—

"Ah!"

Two bandaged hands held out her arm. Small debris crumbles as the person holding her hand almost falls to the ends of the earth too. Hae-In looked back at the guy as he grunted and breathed heavy chunks of air in order to pull her back.

Once she could see the platform close enough for her other fingers to reach, she pulled herself off and let the guy take a break as she stood on even ground.

His eyes widened like those of a rabbit when they met hers.

"..."

"Thanks." Hae-In soon got up from where she almost died, in an instant she was back to her normal routine, with a cool headed expression and a rough voice. There was not much time to hang around here anyways.

"W-wait—" The guy tried to grab a hold of her but she moved with such simple ease that he almost tripped on his own feet before jolting on to the cuff of her sleeves.

Hae-In turned her head around.

"I... thank you."

Her head tilted to the side.

"Do I know you?"

The man felt quiet before shaking his head and grabbing the dagger on his waist.

"I... some time ago you—" He took a deep breath. "You gave me this a long time ago. Although you probably don't remember and I– I wanted to thank you since."

Hae-In looked at the dagger with frowned eyebrows, still trying to remember when she gave away that dagger.

"Can I go with you?"

Her lips moved into a frown. "There is a refuge for Hunters in the North. You can reach it through the sewage tunnels." They are the last place where the magic beasts would appear. They were also the only place that one could seek refuge. Most underwater monsters weren't big enough to begin with or wouldn't have a capable means to survive in those places. If the man was smart enough to survive through these three years, then she wouldn't doubt that he would be fine going through the canals in a week and finding his own help there.

"The lines made by the A and S rankers will guide you."

Choi Jong-In should be there too. Alongside Byung-Gu, those two could hold out the fort between Korea all the way to China for a good amount of time. So long as the ant king didn't destroy them.

Hae-In turned around to leave again.

"You aren't going to the fort?"

"No."

"Wait wait!" This time he launched on to her arm as if he was just witnessing a suicide plan in his very own eyes. Hae-In wasn't planning to die right away, obviously, but he didn't know that. She didn't want to think much of the thoughts that were running through his mind either as he noticed as he paled upon seeing the cuts and bruises that surrounded her. The bandages almost showed even deeper wounds that would make the man gag.

"¡Why?!"

"...I have to do some things."

"Ah…"

The man pulled her again, this time Hae-In didn't hide the frown that was forming on her face.

"T-Then can I– Can I go with you."

"You can't."

"But it'll be dangerous to go alone…" To whoever she was going to. But she also wasn't someone who would be easily killed by magic beasts like him. If there was any place in this world that was the safest to be in, it would be next to her, next to an S rank.

Hae-In looked at the time of her watch, the long arduous journey that was about to come when she stepped outside of the tunnels. She, somewhat, understood why he wanted to latch on to someone here. In her first Regression she did almost everything to make sure every person in this world survived. The second Regression she simply hid away and let the world rot. Coming back to those times, someone as desperate to survive would also be yearning for the comfort of not dying alone.

She grabbed the man, clenching his shoulders and pulling him close so as to smell the mana that he emitted.

As if she had just been hit by an arrow, her eyes opened wide and she pulled away with an amused look on her face. The other was just as confused and a bit embarrassed by her closeness as well but only the flushed face was shown.

"Who— What's your name and rank?"

"Sung Jin-Woo. E rank!"

An E rank.

Alive.

What a miracle.

What a curse as well.

Hae-In couldn’t possibly think of any way he could have easily survived through all of this, especially when E ranks were the first to be killed during this war. Neither does she think it would be easy for her to take care of him, as lucky as he has been all his life. However if he were to just be left here…

No, Jong-In, Byung-Gu, even Jin-Chul would be a better safer choice for him. Hae-In had as many enemies as she had wounds. He would be in danger. Both of them will.

"I can cook! And I can help you out with your wounds!"

She blinked, the guy didn't say anything else and simply lowered his head again.

"You will be safer anywhere without me."

"...Maybe." It was a hard take, she was the one who knew best actually, just from a mere glance he could already tell the many battles she survived, even her smallest cut on her face would have been lethal for him. "But at least it's better to have someone to help you out, right? I won't try to be a burden… This time… Please… You can just throw me out whenever you wish but please I—"

I don't want to be alone anymore.

***

Sung Jin-Woo, an E rank, about 25 years old when the apocalypse descended, since then he doesn't remember how many days have passed since then. Maybe he is 28 now then, but Hae-In doesn't care to tell him, it's nothing of importance since they will all die either way. Anyways the man apparently has had an awful life even before the apocalypse began and he awakened as an E rank. Since Hae-In had forgotten how to talk to people in so long, Jin-Woo would offer up to fill in that space with his own talks. With that is how she came to know a lot more about him than what that feeble body of his let to be known.

For starters, she had guessed he was just awfully lucky and probably a rich man’s son, as he was one of the people that survived his catastrophe inside that school. Now she got to hear that he was there to guard that school since one of her sister’s friends and him were the only hunters out there. But slowly, the food became scarce and other people began to kill each other for what little was left. aAt the end he was the only one alive because he ran away to another building nearby and ate what the other beasts left.

Before all of this though, he was a hunter, a man nicknamed the weakest hunter of all mankind. He was useless everywhere he went and would constantly get hurt trying to make ends meet. The only reason he did this for? His sickly mother, now dead, and his sister in highschool, now dead too.

The rest of his family had never been a part of his life, and his father, he was just a man that got stuck inside a gate 10, no, 13 years ago.

“After that, why did you keep surviving?”

“...That’s quite a hard question to ask someone Hunter-nim.”

Before she could apologize, the young man got to her

“... Why do you still live here too?”

Hae-In became speechless, not because she didn't have an answer, but because such a reason wouldn't be believed.

“It's the same reason too Hunter-nim, why I keep living.”

Back to the present, Jin-Woo stopped at the sight of some mana infused plants, making Hae-In also stop her tracks as soon as his faint smell was nowhere to be seen from him.

"These plants aren't all that tasty at first but they help clean away any toxins inside a Werecat's meat."

"How do you know that?"

Jin-Woo turned his eyes away from the long leaves that grew on these new trees, all filled with a wave of pure mana around them, their colors fragmenting into a clear emerald and glassy blue.

He smiled. "I saw some smaller beasts wrap the intestines of a dead jackal once." Then he tried to cut some of those leaves with the dagger Hae-In once gave him. It was his now, he seemed to have made it truly his. "I admit, I was scared of it at first, but I was really hungry and I didn't know what else to do, so I wiped the blood very thoroughly and then grabbed some fire from outside."

Hae-In took a few of Jin-Woo's leaves from his hands, wrapping them in a cylinder shape to make more space for other things.

"It's actually quite tasty. If there was some salt right now it would taste like a normal steak."

"Hm." She could guess in the next Regression she could compare them so as to see if Jin-Woo was right about that. For now, they just gathered all the food around here. Who knows if the next day everything would be taken by other magical beasts. Now was the best time to hoard as much as one could.

"Hunter-nim."

"Hm?" Hae-In didn't look at him, she was busy turning her mana into a light that would let her see which eggs had an edible substance to them and which were entirely empty.

"Do you think that one could tame a magic beast?"

Her stare was as cold as the ice from South Korea’s mainland that never escaped to the outer reaches. "They aren't dogs, Sung."

"I know but—"

"They will kill you when they grow up."

His own face seemed like that of a wet puppy, it would be a miracle if he managed to actually tame one. Although, everything he does is already a surprise, Hae-In probably wouldn't find it odd if all the sudden he wanted to take care of a small werewolf out there. Still, it was better to not take a risk like that.

The rest of the day was spent in silence as Jin-Woo gathered all the things in his backpack and put the yolk of the babies inside a vase, it was better than carrying those shells after all.

"...How have you been?"

Hae-In tilted her head as they both sat down on a broken home. The building nearby was a maze of broken metals and floors that were held by the last firmament of the walls. Only tiny beasts would walk around here, those that would only be a terror to someone like Jin-Woo, and roaches to Hae-In.

"I mean if your wounds are fine now." Jin-Woo said as he showed an awkward smile.

"They are fine now."

"Oh. That's good. We still have more of the paste so if you want to use more of it so that your wound can heal faster…"

"It's alright." Hae-In pulled out the sword from her waist instead and took off some of her armor to lean next to a destroyed cushion. Jin-Woo on the other hand grabbed a small coat made from a werewolf's skin. He then wrapped his body around it and headed over to her side.

The closeness was more for survival means than anything else, although Jin-Woo easily had grown to like in less than a day as he would finally feel a deep wave of mana that doesn't threaten him in the least. Instead of the aura hunting him down like the chills of a rabbit hopping the fangs of a wolf don't eat him away, he felt secured. He felt as though the wolf had come to care for him instead and could now lay next to him with any problems.

Still, Jin-Woo didn't try to touch even the smallest graze of her fingers, and he was fine with that. It would be too selfish of him to try and get close, to try and hold her hand as she sleeps so that his nightmares fade away. Even when they were in the same room, trying to bandage up his wounds and callously working on other things for the day, he felt as though his presence was too much. A burden. Always a burden since the first day his father died.

Gently, he covered himself with the gift of his savior and glanced back at her one last time.

"Why don't you use the cape as a sheet?"

"It's inconvenient." Hae-In had muttered to him the first few days. He kept trying again and again tso that she could be the most comfortable out of the two while sleeping, but she shook her head in disapproval everytime. Three excuses always came when he asked why.

"It hinders my movement." In the case that any beast would attack, but Jin-Woo didn't believe it really since he was fine getting up quickly inside the wolf's skin.

"This place is hot." It was hard to attest it since Hae-In did have half a point. During the day the weather would be so hot that even the places were not able to dissipate from all that heat. However in the night it was quite cold.

"My body can resist these weathers" Ah. Well she was an S rank. It still didn't mean Jin-Woo felt bad about her not using the wolf skin instead, especially when they were heading to the north, and the poles would likely have extended their snow to long distances. Or maybe have banished completely. There was also the cold air that came from Seoul.

Looking towards the length of her shoulders and measuring the distance of her neck to her legs, Jin-Woo thought that, maybe, he could do something to help her with that place.

Then something else caught his eyes and deprived him of any sleep instantly.

"Your head."

Hae-In looked at the ruined cushions and put one on her head before looking back at him. As if asking if this what made his eyes go wide like those of a rabbit. Jin-Woo had a hard time speak instead, swallowing some of his saliva and then jumping straight to where the backpack was.

“What…” Hae-In touched her head, the long fingers running through her putrid, cut short hair, and discovering something among the dust, dirt and blood that piled up.

“oh.”

The metallic smell and constant punctures to her face was something she was used to, so sometimes she would end up not noticing some of her wounds around her body unless another person pointed it out to her about it or she knew it when it was too late.

Hae-In turned to Jin-Woo who was already coming close but didn't try to touch her or the wounds unless she let him.

“It's fine.”

Jin-Woo formed a face of disgust as she kept touching the wound, trying to get a feel for the magnitude of it.

“Stop touching it, hunter-nim, it will get infected.” He tried holding back from taking her arm away and raising his voice, his nerves wishing to jump straight to her aid. Maybe he should. “Please stop touching it.”

“No.” She saw the man had almost the same attitude of caring for medical treatment as Byung-Gyu, however, this really wasn't much, and she didn't want him to still look at her like that. “Really, it's fine.” His muscles relaxed when she started speaking in a softer voice than normal, only for his stress to come back again as she finished her sentence.

“I can just peel my skin off when we get to the base. Healer Han would be able to take of this–”

“Hunter Cha, please take this seriously!”

Cha blinked at the sudden outcry.

“Last time it was the same thing!.. I let it go because you did eventually heal with no infections–but what if we don't find them there!? What if no one can heal you the next day!?” Tears almost fell from his face.

The place suddenly became cold as Jin-Woo realized what he had just done. Yell, once, twice. His hands trembled alongside his lips but those eyes didn't take their gaze away from her own.

Hae-In looked at the blood in her hand, wet and sticky, now that it reached her neck and she focused her senses, she could feel the sensation of it similar to a wall leak. Jin-Woo didn't move from his spot.

The hunter closed her eyes for a long time before opening them and turning to the other side, her face invisible from Jin-Woo’s angle.

“Do what you wish.”

“Hunter Cha…”

“You can bandage me.” It doesn't matter either way. As long as he's the one that doesn't get it, then its fine.

Unlike her, he isn't trapped forever in this hellfire.

As Hae-In closed her eyes, Jin-Woo’s careful hands, filled with so many cuts and wrapped bandages everywhere, started to work on her head, softly shifting the strand of blonde away from her wound.

“This will be done quickly. I promise.”

***

“You came back. You actually managed to come back.”

Jong-In no longer had any flare in his eyes, one of his arms was still holding an orb and the other…

“Min Byung-Gyu is dead.” He said as soon as he noticed Hae-In’s eyes trail towards his left side.

“Ah.”

“Han Se-Mi is still recovering so you can't ask for her healing either.”

“Recovering from?” Her dead eyes met him again.

“That big Ice Elf wiped half of our group out. We couldn't reach Russia in time.”

“Ah.”

It was all she knew what to say. It truly irritated him.

“By the way, what is up with that dagger?”

For a second, Jong-In almost saw her eyes tremble before going back to that numb state.

“Nothing. “

It couldn't be nothing.

“Is everyone here?”

“Yes–”

“Alright let's go.”

“Go where?” Jong-In stopped her from going to the back door, his anger piling up again. “The blocks are filled with monsters! All our escape routes are closed! Where the hell do you think we can even go anymore!? No one is safe anymore, no place is free from those fucking silver wings and monsters fighting each other and killing us in the middle of it!! So WHERE ELSE CAN WE GO?!?!”

“The ocean is clear.” Hae-In’s tone was somewhat dazed and deep.

“There is that fucking demon of an ant out there–”

“No.”

His voice fell in disbelief. “...No?” Could it be that he has been killed by a passing giant? No, even then he was stronger than most of them. So “How…”

“I killed him.” She was almost about to choke on her words.

“Wh..what.. How..” When none of them managed to win, when almost 15 S rankers appeared on that raid and none of them managed to…

Her eyes were back on the dagger.

And he was quick to understand that expression again, the same one she had when she had to make a choice between saving Jong-In or Yoon-Ho.

You had to sacrifice someone again.

#HELLO ANGST #yeah this p robably has a part two who knowssss #cha hae in #solo leveling #solo leveling au #regressor cha hae in au #'people be going though shit'#the fic #choi jong in #baek yoon ho #min byung gyu #sung jin woo #jinhae #angsty jinhae #possible hinted choibaek who knows really

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