#JASON REALLY LIKES TO TOOT HIS OWN HORN | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

robinofgothamcity · 3 years

Text

♡ scenario: you meet roy harper for the first time

♡ pairing: roy harper ( arsenal ) x fem! reader

♡ note: not checked for grammar or spelling mistakes / look, finally a fic that doesn't have anything to do with the Super family LMAOOO. i was listening to fun by coldplay and tove lo while writing this fic so it kinda goes based off that song in a way.

you were a successful adopted daughter of Bruce Wayne. you went to college, graduated, got a job in your fathers company, and helped with vigilante work on the side. not to toot your own horn but although you had the privilege of your dad being the Bruce Wayne, you were living a lot more comfortably than people your age.

"coming down to the manor for brunch tomorrow? your brothers are attending it," Bruce asked he put a few things away into his bag. you nodded excitedly, "I'm actually crashing at your place tonight. don't really feel like going home and having to drive all the back up to uptown Gotham tomorrow in the morning," you explained. Bruce shook his head before murmuring that he was heading home.

you still had a few things to put back in files before going back to the manor. you really didn't want to have to do it first thing Monday morning so you walked back to your office, blaring some music in your headphones while you got the filing done. this was the first weekend in what felt like years that all of your siblings were attending brunch. someone was always missing and that usually happened to be Jason. your favorite brother.

"what're we doing here again?" Roy asked Jason as the two of them walked inside of Wayne Enterprises. Jason rolled his eyes, "I have to talk to the bat about something and I don't wanna wait till tomorrow."

Jason walked right in, not bothering to even get an ID checked as the front workers knew all of the Wayne kids by heart. he and Roy made their way to the top floor, passing yours in the process before barging inside. the office was dead silent as the only noise coming in was from the clocks in the hallways. Jason rolled his eyes before going down the hall and reaching your office.

your front door had your name on a gold plate. he always felt a bit envious that you, Tim, and even Damian already had their foot inside of the WE business. he didn't want to work a regular nine to five like all of you did but he did envy that small bit of normalcy you had. outside of the vigilante business, you were a normal person with their life together. he just always wondered why you hadn't brought anyone home yet. you did have your few share of high school boyfriends but nothing that screamed marriage or settling down.

Jason opened the door to see you singing into your phone as you put files into a manila folder. Roy had never met his best friends sister. sure he had heard stories about you from Jason but there was no face to the stories. the two of them chuckled at the way you were dancing as you still hadn't realized that you were being watched.

"ahem!" Jason practically screamed. you felt yourself jump at least fifty feet in the air as you heard the clearing of someones throat. you whipped your head around and nearly felt yourself want to punch Jason for scaring you that way, "fuck you, Todd. at least knock before scaring the shit out of me," you yelled, a few of your coworkers pulling their head inside of your office to make sure their bosses daughter was okay.

you turned to Roy and smiled, "oh, nice to meet you Roy," you said, pulling your hand out for him to shake. Roy's eyebrows fluttered in confusion as he wondered how you knew him, "it's my job to know who my brothers are friends with plus, my dad doesn't really know how to keep his computers closed," you added on.

"speaking of your dad, where's Bruce?" he asked. you jiggled your car keys, "on his way home. I had to stay back to put back a few files but he should be home by now if you wanted to talk to him," you explained. Jason nodded as Roy pulled his head out of the clouds, "so, why is it that this is the first time I'm meeting you?" Roy asked, placing himself in front of your brother.

you giggled, "I work in the vigilante business but I don't actually fight. why? do you think I'm cute or something?" you asked, not really caring that you were full on flirting with Roy. Jason stared at you and Roy with absolute disgust, "if you're going to flirt with my sister and vice versa, at least have the common decency to do it while I'm not here," he said through fake gags.

Jason grabbed Roy by the hair and dragged him out of the office, "see you tomorrow at brunch," you waved bye to Roy who tried to pull himself back to the office to say goodbye but Jason quickly pulled him away from the door again to make sure that he didn't have to hear your flirting with Roy.

the night crawled in as you had made it inside of the manor and up to your childhood bedroom. you were a bit disappointed to see that Roy hadn't shown up with Jason when he finally arrived. you had heard of his past from Bruce. his fight with addiction and the situation with his daughter Lian. you knew Roy had it rough but that didn't take away from his looks or his seemingly funny personality.

you were playing on your phone, scrolling through Jason's social media to see if maybe Roy had some kind of account somewhere but much to your dismay, you couldn't find any trace of Roy on any app. that was until you heard a tapping of rocks at your door. you grabbed one of Damian's katanas's and braced yourself to fight.

"Roy?" you whisper-yelled as you saw the familiar red hair. he gave you the shit eating grin as he motioned you to come down, "are you insane? I'll kill myself if I jump," you exclaimed. he waved you off, "not if I catch you! I felt like your brother was cock blocking us today," he replied. you couldn't help but laugh. it had been years since you've snuck away but thankfully, Alfred had kept the small ladder next to your room so you could crawl back inside when you were done talking with Roy.

you pulled yourself onto the ledge of the window before jumping down. you felt the embrace of Roy's arms on your upper body as he laughed, "told ya I'd catch you!" he said as he placed you back on the ground. you shook your head dismissively, "well, you got me down so what're your plans with me?" you asked, realizing that it was colder than you had expected.

"Wayne Manor has a Burger King near here so I'm figuring like midnight food run?" he asked, shaking his wallet. you agreed as the two of you walked away and jumping the Wayne Manor fence. "Jason would kill you if he knew you snuck me out of my house," you laughed as Roy shrugged, "Jason wants to kill me for something every week, what else is new."

you knew the Burger King was a bit farther down the road but with Roy keeping the conversation light hearted and playful, it felt like only a few mere minutes. "so, what did you mean by you working in the vigilante business but not actually fighting?" Roy asked. "I help Bruce and Damian locations and coordinates when they're on patrol. I'll even help Dick and Tim when they need it," you explained.

Roy nodded, a bit disappointed that you hardly worked with Jason. he could get used to seeing you around. maybe even settling his crazy ass down if you could. "do you think you'd ever work with the Outlaws?" he asked, playing with his fingers. you shrugged, "Jason never asks for my help. he claims he doesn't want his favorite sister being tainted with the gruesome work y'all do," Roy couldn't help but agree. the work Jason and the Outlaws did was a lot different compared to what Batman and his Gotham family did and he doubted that you have seen any kind of bloodshed the way they have.

"I guess your brother maybe has a point," Roy responded as the two of you saw the huge Burger King sign coming your way. for knowing Roy for only a few hours, the two of you got along great, "not really. it's not like I haven't seen bloodshed before. seeing your parents getting shot in the head really traumatizes someone," you half joked. Roy stared at you, mortified, "okay...maybe Jaybird doesn't haven't a point," he tried to say without sounding insensitive.

you both entered the building and quickly ordered piles of food, much to the dismay of the workers. you figured since no one was inside of the building, you could eat inside rather than on the sidewalk. after you got handed the food, you and Roy sat at the table farthest from the workers and dug into it, "if I had known Jay had a very cute sister, I would have stopped by a long time ago," Roy joked.

"I mean, what's stopping you now?" you playfully said, giving the red head a wink.

the following morning, you had the pleasure of being waken up to Damian and Tim arguing from his bedroom as you tried to catch even a few more minutes of sleep. you didn't get back inside of your room until the crack of dawn and had told Roy to crash in your room for the night but he ultimately refused, saying he'd try to catch you tomorrow or even Monday after your shift ended.

Roy hadn't had a night like that in what felt like forever. he had constant karma with bullshit hitting him left and right and for the first time, being with you felt like nothing was wrong. the last time he had felt true happiness like this was when he finally had Lian. his only problem was that he felt like he didn't deserve you.

you had your life together, you weren't constantly running from the police, and that was something Roy wasn't but he couldn't shake you off.

"why the fuck did you get in so late?" Jason asked Roy as he could see the small under bags beneath his eyes. Roy bit his lip, not replying as he texted you back, "on a date," was all he managed to murmur before going back to his room. Jason gave his friend a look, shrugging him off before going to his cycle.

by the time he arrived, you were dragging yourself down the stairs, your eyes locked on your phone as Alfred set everything down on the table. "what's so entertaining?" Dick asked, peering over your phone to see who it was you were texting. before you could even try and cover it, Dick stared at you, surprised, "really? HIM?" he exclaimed, catching everyone's attention.

"wait, who?" Tim asked, suddenly interested. you instantly tackled Dick down as Cass took the chance to grab your phone. you pushed Dick off and ran towards Cass who then handed the phone to Damian, "don't you dare say a word you gremlin," you threatened, trying to snatch your phone. Damian gave you a smirk as he cleared his throat, "it's the one and only Roy Harper!" he yelled.

Cass and Steph stared at you, shock written across their face as Dick, Tim, and even Bruce stared at Jason right away. if you were properly trained enough, you would have grabbed Damian by his stubby legs and dragged him away but much to your dismay, you weren't, "no wonder Roy wouldn't stop looking at his phone this morning," Jason replied. you tried to hide your face as they all questioned you over brunch but nothing stopped them. even Alfred tried wrangling them in a few times but they couldn't fathom that the token Wayne sister was dating someone far out his league.

Roy on the other hand shrugged in relief. at least that beat having to tell Jason later on. all he feared was having to face Jason later today but you had messaged him, telling him you were heading back to your apartment after brunch if he wanted to stop by for dinner.

as you were getting ready to leave, Jason saw the way you were constantly laughing down at your phone. he had no idea that Roy had that much of an affect in such a little time that the two of you were together but maybe it was a good thing that Jason didn't know about the little hangout you and Roy went on last night. it would save you a lot of time than having to explain it to them.

you got out of your dads house, screaming to him that you'd see him on Monday as Jason followed behind you, "were you ever going to tell me?" he asked as he watched you get into your car. you smiled, a bit nervously, "I wasn't but Roy was," with that, you quickly started your car as you left a very uninterested Jason in the parking lot. you figured that if you and Roy got farther into a friendship that turned into a relationship, you'd make him do the talking to everyone.

Roy was waiting outside of your apartment building, in absolute awe of the place that you called home. he was holding a few grocery bags, claiming he wanted to help you out with making food but you knew that Roy did not look like the type to know how to cook...at all. it made you wonder how he even did it with Lian when she got hungry or if they just constantly went out to eat.

"so was your brother mad?" Roy asked, as he stared at your very lavish apartment. you shrugged, "not really? he was just surprised that we got along so well for the few minutes we were around each other," Roy laughed, "so you didn't tell him about last night?" he asked, playing with your hand softly.

"he'd murder you then me if he found out you snuck me out last night," he agreed knowing that Kori would probably have to be the one to break up the fight if Jason found out his favorite sister snuck out to meet his best friend, "well, what he won't know won't kill him," you winked as you headed towards the kitchen to start on a few preparations for dinner.

Jason had the gut feeling that since Roy wasn't home, he had probably snuck away early enough to make it to your place before he got home. Jason didn't mind the fact that you were seeing Roy, a part of him was glad that he met someone that could keep him grounded but that didn't mean that he was going to let Roy go off easy. hell, you were still his little sister.

"really? you snuck all of us out to see if Roy was with ( your name )," Damian asked as Dick agreed. Jason shushed them as he took out his binoculars. he just wanted to confirm his feeling before leaving, "he's with her," Jason murmured, seeing the way you and Roy were sitting down on your couch, laughing about something as Roy was holding you onto his side.

Dick and Damian stayed quiet as they watched Jason continue to peek into your apartment. they had no idea what he was thinking but they knew he wasn't as mad as they thought he would've been. maybe this wasn't a bad thing after all?

#dc x reader #dc imagine #dc comics #dc #roy harper #roy harper imagine #roy harper x reader #arsenal #arsenal imagine #arsenal x reader #red arrow #speedy

187 notes · View notes

3d-wifey · 3 years

Text

NSFW Alphabet: JD Edition

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

Pillow talk galore. And he's surprisingly cuddly afterward.

B = Body Part (Their favorite body part of theirs and also their partners)

He's pretty proud of his brain. Not to toot his own horn, but he's a pretty clever guy. He's a quick thinker and he managed to plan and execute three murders while making them look like suicides.

He's awfully fond of your hips. How nicely they fit your jeans, how his hands look on them, the noises you make when he squeezes them a little too tightly.

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum, basically)

I can't see him ever remembering to wear a condom and having a kid is not in his cards (yet), so he's definitely pulling out. He likes to finish on your face or your stomach. It's almost like he's marking you. But, if you're fucking in public, he'll cum in your panties and he expects you to walk around in them.

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Not inherently sexual, but he's been looking for ways to tie you to him since he met you. He always thought marriage was a shame, too easily broken. So getting you pregnant after high school seems like the perfect plan. Of course, he's not getting your opinion on it beforehand. That's why it's a secret.

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

None, considering he was a virgin before you. Surprising since he's so good-looking, but he's not the type to be attracted to people he can barely stand. You're the only person he actually liked being around in, well, ever. So, anything he does sexually is based purely on instinct and what you tell him you like.

F = Favorite Position (This goes without saying)

Any position where he can have a good look at your face. He's pretty partial to you being on top of him though.

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment? Are they humorous? etc.)

Jason's a pretty intense guy with a dry sense of humor, so I can't see him making any jokes during it.

H = Hair (How well-groomed are they? Does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Hates being clean-shaven. Something about being bald down there doesn't sit right with him, and it's way too much work. He doesn't grow a lot of hair in the first place, but he'll trim it down if it bothers you so much. But not without some bitching on his part.

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment? The romantic aspect.)

Jason isn't a romantic person by nature, at least not in the traditional sense. However, he's very attentive in his own way. If it's anything other than a quickie, you'll find he's pretty focused on your pleasure, your reactions. Some might even say obsessed.

J = Jack off (Masturbation Headcanon)

He doesn't really have a reason to when he could just pull you into an empty classroom or something. However, he'll do it if you're nowhere around and he can't, for some reason, sneak over to your place. But considering he's around you almost 24/7, it happens less and less.

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

Blood. Not your own, but he likes seeing other people's blood on you. I could totally see him fucking you in front of a dead body if it didn't get incriminating fluids all over the crime scene.

Choking. Going both ways. Not to the point where you might pass out, but he's aiming to leave bruises. He definitely wants you to wrap your hand around his throat until he goes lightheaded.

Hickeys. I know what you're thinking and I want you to stop thinking it because you're wrong. He wants you to mark him up. He's a very pale boy and he bruises easily, so you can apply the slightest pressure and he'll look like a leopard. He likes to show them off and the dull pain that comes when he presses on them shoots straight to his dick.

L = Location (Favorite places to do the do)

Anywhere, anytime. He doesn't much care about getting caught. And it's not like he can't take care of anyone who saw something they shouldn't have.

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

You, wholly and completely. He's a teenage boy in love, you could wear a nun outfit and he'd still find it sexy.

N = No (Something they wouldn’t do, turn-offs)

He's a part of the anti-mommy/daddy kink club. His mommy and daddy issues are both too strong for him to view those words in a sexual light. Just the thought of them is boner repellent.

He's also not doing anything that could seriously wound you, on purpose or by accident. So, knives are out of the picture.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Likes giving and receiving pretty equally. However, there's something about being in between your legs and knowing that he's the one pulling those sounds and reactions from you.

It's borderline euphoric.

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

He doesn't really have a set pace. It usually depends on his mood, which is ever-changing.

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Like I said in the Stamina part, he has a stupid high sex drive, so quickies are his best friends. In your car during lunch, in storage closets in between classes, etc. Name a place and he's doing you there.

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment? Do they take risks? etc.)

He'd do just about anything you asked of him. He's a murderer, there's no bigger risk than that.

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for? How long do they last?)

I'd say 2 rounds (3 max if you're riding him). And how long each round lasts depends on the pace he's going. All in all, definitely nothing to spit at.

T = Toys (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

He definitely doesn't own any toys of his own, his hand gets the job done just fine, thank you very much. But I can see him using toys on you if you ask. He's really only doing it to humor you.

U = Unfair (How much they like to tease)

He can't dish it or take it. He thinks he's a totally tease, and he does so good at first, but he always gets too horny to actually go through with the plan. He gives in too easily.

Teasing doesn't work on him either, because as soon as you make the smallest hint that you're in the mood, he's ready to go. Whenever, wherever.

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

He doesn't moan often, more into groaning and grunting. But the man is a talker.

W = Wild Card (A random headcanon for the character)

Something about you acting aggressive or violent really gets him going. Murder's his foreplay, babe.

X = X-ray (Let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Above-average at about 7-7.5 inches with a slight curve to the left. He's longer than he is thick and he has a cute beauty mark at the base of his shaft. Like I said earlier, he's not clean-shaven but he'll reluctantly trim for you if you want him to.

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

He's a healthy, teenage boy. And like most teenage boys, he has an overactive libido. So, he's ready anyplace, anytime.

Z = Zzz (How quickly they fall asleep afterward)

He actually isn't that tired after, assuming you've only gone one round. But if you're both pushing into oversensitivity, he's cuddling up to you and passing out right after.

#jd x reader #jd heathers #heathers #jason dean x reader #jason dean #smut

1K notes · View notes

idkthisisjustforfanfic · 2 years

Note

Please always be on my dash.

Tell us your fave Not A Date detail - whether about the characters, their story, an interaction they had - what's a tiny detail you've added you love and are proud of regardless of whether anyone else notices.

okay I love that you asked me this and I’m gonna take a second to be proud and toot my own horn!!

The entirety of parts 1 and 2 give me butterflies every time I read them. I tried really hard to capture the whole “new love interest” vibe when your heart flutters when their text lights up your screen or you wake up and think about them. And I feel like I did a good job with that. I don’t write the whole flirty angsty banter vibe all the time but I went for it with this and had so much fun writing it.

BUT more specifically I really love the scene in part 1 when they go back to Jason’s. I basically was like “okay let’s ramp up the flirting here.” Everything in that scene makes me wish I was MC so hard.

AND the most specific detail I will say makes me smile every time I read it, after MC asks him why he asked her on a date:

He shook the mixer, looked up and shrugged. “One second,” he feigned guilt. “I can’t hear you over the shaking.”

I mean can you not imagine him shaking it by his own ear and pretending he couldn’t hear her just cause he didn’t want to answer? Ugh.

#not a date #not me admitting that I too #am a NAD stan

8 notes · View notes

thepurplebutterflythings · 5 years

Text

Damsel in Distress (Part 2) - Jason Todd

Gif: Dxnninja on Tenor

Word Count: 2.6K

Paring: Jason Todd (Titans) x (f)Reader

Summary: Y/N gets closer with Robin and Jason, not realising the connection between the two of them.

Warnings: N/A

A/N: This is a little series I am doing about Jason Todd in Titans. I don’t know Comic!Jason very well so I’m taking all of this from the show, and at the moment he hasn’t been in very often, so please forgive any mischaracterizations.

Damsel in Distress Part 1 | Masterlist | Damsel in Distress Part 3

________________________________________________________________

It was all against Jason’s better judgement, talking to Y/N about Friday. He didn’t want to give her any hint that it was himself who saved her that night, not only that but he didn’t want to upset her by reminding her or forcing her to relive that night, but every time he looked at Y/N all that was in his mind was when he held her in his arms to comfort her and how distressed she was – he just had to make sure everything was alright with her, and then he’d go back to normal he told himself. That seemingly all went out the window the moment he was within a metre of her. Suddenly Jason became overwhelmed and his heart jumped in his chest when looking at her.

“Hey,” he said quietly when he found her in the library. Her back was to him and her nose was buried in the textbook they were using for their assignment. Y/N sat upright at the sound of his voice and for a second he panicked, thinking she recognised it as the voice of Robin, but those concerns vanished when she turned around and gave him a small smile.

“Hey.”

“I saw the footage from Friday, about you being saved by Batman and Robin,” he said, “It’s viral, trending number one on Twitter.” He told her. The moment he said it, Jason felt like a complete idiot. Why wouldn’t she know that? It was about her.

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you, Y/N.” He said. All Jason wanted to do in that moment was hug her and pull her close to him like he did as Robin, to tell her that he knew how upset and scared she was and that he would do anything to stop her feeling like that.

“It’s okay, Dad is making sure the guy never sees the outside world again,” Y/N told him.

“I would too if that was my kid.”

“And people are finally listening that those like Batman and Robin are actually needed in the world.”

“But it shouldn’t be at your expense,” Jason shook his head, “How are you?”

“I’m good.” Y/N nodded, “I was lucky that Robin was in the area.”

“No, Y/N,” Jason said, “How are you? I mean it.”

Y/N sighed and leaned back in her seat as she looked around. Had he pushed the line? Was she catching on to the fact that he was Robin? He should have listened to Bruce and kept his distance, but Jason was never one for listening to the rules. Anyway, Y/N was always someone he couldn’t help but look at, even if she never noticed. Jason always sat a few rows behind her in Physics to watch her. He glanced at her laughing with her friends. Heck, even the night of the party he stayed closer to that area hoping to catch a glance of her leaving with her friends, only to come across something else, something he wanted to kill a man for. Jason acted distant and offish around her at first because he was nervous, which he didn’t like, but Y/N was from the Y/L/N’s, what chance did he have with a girl like that? So he thought it better to cut his losses, yet that night he let his guard down a little and now he was hooked. Hearing her say how lucky she was with Robin being in the area made him shudder. What if he hadn’t been in the area? Jason thought after he watched her go into her building that night. He didn’t dare continue that thought as he knew he’d break into where that man was being held and finish the job that Y/N stopped him from.

“I feel like everyone, except my parents, keep asking me about Batman and Robin,” Y/N said, “and not about me, and how I am. Not in a vain way, but I just want one person to pause and say ‘I’m glad you’re okay, Y/N’, but not a single person outside of my family has said that to me.”

“Well, I hope you know I’m not just saying this, but…” Jason took the seat next to her. “I am so glad that you are okay.” He placed a hand on her upper arm and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Thank you, Jason,” Y/N smiled, placing her hand on top of his.

“If you wanna talk, about anything, don’t hesitate,” he offered.

“Okay, who are you and what have you done with the Jason Todd, I know?”

“You don’t know me, Ivory Tower,” Jason teased.

“And you don’t know me,” Y/N smiled back.

“I hope to change that.”

So much for going back to normal.

_____________________________________________________________

It was near on a week from that Friday night and Y/N had spent that past week doing her work and listening to her parents on the phone saying their daughter would not be giving any interviews about the incident, and it was her right to reject them.

Y/N sat in the chair on her balcony connected to her bedroom and stared out over Gotham. For the first time in a week, Y/N had peace and quiet. Now that she was alone, Y/N found herself feeling drained and so tired, but she didn’t want to sleep, because when she woke up, she’d have to deal with the questions and phone calls again. So she stayed up. According to her phone, it was about half past one in the morning.

“Everything alright?” called a voice from above her. Y/N stood up and looked at her roof. Robin was crouching on the edge of the building’s roof with a grin.

“Hey,” Y/N said.

“Hey yourself, Damsel,” Robin sat on the edge now, leaning back on his hands, “now, are you gonna answer my question?” Y/N nodded, “everything alright?”

“It’s been weird.”

“Yeah, I saw the video,” Robin said. Y/N leaned against the railings of the balcony and looked up at Robin. “I am quite dashing in action, aren’t I?” He winked and Y/N started laughing with her head shaking in disbelief, “come on, you know I make girls swoon. You nearly crumbled to your knees that night.”

“Yeah, had nothing to do with the gun pressed against my back, it was all those grins you flashed,” Y/N teased, “nearly dropped my panties too.”

Robin burst out laughing and hopped down to the balcony, stepping towards Y/N. He was grinning the whole time. It was that charming, boyish grin that made Y/N blush and look to the ground. Why the hell was she acting like this? She couldn’t really be developing a crush on a guy whose real name she didn’t even know, could she? No. That would be stupid, ridiculous, totally crazy. Robin placed his hands either side of Y/N on the railings and looked her in the eye. Yep, she was getting a crush on Robin.

“Would you have invited me up under different circumstances?” He wasn’t invading her space, he wasn’t making her uncomfortable and he wasn’t propositioning her. It was just a guy asking a girl ‘if it wasn’t this if it was just me and just you, no secret identity, no crime, would you have liked me?’

“I think I would’ve,” Y/N nodded. Robin smiled and pulled back, taking the other chair on the balcony and gesturing for Y/N to do the same. Y/N sat down and pulled her legs to her chest, resting her cheek on her knees and looked at Robin.

“What?” He asked.

“Do you check in on all the girls you rescue?”

“Just you,” Robin admitted, “not everyone I rescue goes viral on Twitter.”

Y/N nodded and smiled tightly as she thought the reason Robin solely came to check on her regarding the aftermath of their encounter. It made her feel a little stupid. Here she was hoping Robin had just come by to see her, but that was a foolish notion really.

“Oh.”

“But I also wanted to see you.”

“Oh!”

“I enjoyed chatting with you,” Robin stated, “you’re interesting.”

Y/N blushed again and looked down to hide the redness of her cheeks, but Robin caught it and grinned widely. Robin thought she was interesting, Y/N couldn’t help but find herself smiling gleefully. Y/N looked back at Robin.

“You’re not too bad yourself.”

“Thanks,” he chuckled, “I heard that your family is taking the guy to court.”

“Dad doesn’t want any girl to get hurt.”

“I get that.”

“People are starting to listen a little bit more, about why you and Batman and others like you are needed… to an extent at least,” Y/N explained, “hopefully they won’t be harassing you that much.”

“Public has never been a problem,” Robin told her, “not to toot my own horn, but I know that people like me are kinda celebrities. The police though, that's a different thing altogether.”

“Is it bad?”

“They kick my ass every night,” Robin lowered the collar of his suit down to reveal a large bruise on his collarbone. Y/N leaned over to his seat and gently placed her fingers on the bruise. Robin winced a little at the contact.

“Sorry!”

“It’s alright, Damsel,” Robin assured her. Y/N then stroked the bruise carefully and Robin relaxed a little at her touch, almost sighing. “It’s not the worst I’ve gotten,” he said. Y/N then looked up at him.

“What is?”

“That’s more of a fourth date conversation, Damsel,” Robin chuckled, leaning back and putting his collar back up. Y/N smiled and fiddled with her fingers.

“So…” Y/N scratched just underneath her ear and cocked her head to the side, “you wanna see me again?”

“If you don’t object.”

“I’d really like that,” Y/N nodded.

Robin smiled and stood up. He just stared at Y/N for a moment, taking her all in. Y/N wasn’t wearing any makeup, but that didn’t bother her. When they first met, she had mascara streaks down her face. Her clothes were a pair of jogging bottoms, a deep navy blue and most likely her older brothers which got mixed up with hers in the wash based on how baggy and unflattering they were. Her top of just a long-sleeved top with horizontal stripes decorating it, grey and black stripes. She wore large white fluffy socks.

“I’d really like that too,” he said, “I gotta go, but I’ll come by again soon, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Y/N smiled and nodded. She watched as Robin climbed back up to her roof and then run and leap onto the next building. When she saw him jump, Y/N inadvertently let out a small yelp. Robin heard and turned round to give her a thumbs up, assuring her everything was alright, then he waved goodbye. Y/N waved back and watched him run off into the night.

__________________________________________________________

“Morning, Y/N,” Jason Todd plopped into the seat next to Y/N and smiled at her on the following Monday.

“Morning, Jason,” Y/N nodded in response.

Jason seemed to have grown fonder of Y/N and had been very nice to her, and Y/N in response had been a lot nicer back. They were friendly to each other and got along quite well. He came and spoke with her in the library and she would sit with him in classes now, and when not in the university building, the pair would be texting.

“Have you heard about the Gala for the Gotham City Police Department next month?”

“Yeah, I’m being forced into going.” Y/N said with a roll of the eye. She hated the Gala’s she had to attend, they were always stuffy and she had to wear horribly uncomfortable dresses, but she went anyway because it was part of her responsibility as a member of the Y/L/N family. “You?”

“Likewise,” Jason nodded, seeming just as despondent of the idea as Y/N did. “Maybe we can make the best of a less than appealing idea,” he offered.

“And do what?”

“I’m thinking we stand together, drink and then we bitch to each other about the people there. What’d you say?”

Y/N looked at Jason. He gave her a large grin and his eyes sparkled with the prospects about what could happen with them hanging at the Gala. Y/N started thinking too. She kinda liked the idea of hanging with Jason the whole night.

“Yeah. Sounds fun, or at least bearable.”

“Oh, you wound me, Da- Darling.” Jason chuckled, “I’m lovely company for a night. There are many who can vouch for me.”

“Are these P.G. evenings, Todd, or 18?”

“Mixture. But I never disappoint.”

“Oh my god!” Y/N laughed.

“You’ve got a nice laugh,” Jason told her, “I like hearing it.”

“Is that why you joke so much with me?”

“That,” he nodded, “and you have a good sense of humour. Why you hanging with me then?” He asked. Y/N frowned in confusion, “come on, I told you I like your humour, why’d you like being around me? Or am I a pity case for the Y/N Y/L/N?” He teased.

“You’re easy on the eyes,” Y/N grinned.

“Oh, so I’m not a pity case, just a nice piece of eye candy for you.”

“Exactly!” Y/N poked him with her pen, “I mean, you’re alright at talking too, I guess,” It was her turn to tease now and Jason laughed, throwing his head back before looking at her intensely.

“Let me know what colour dress your wearing and I’ll get a matching tie,” he told her.

“It’s a Gala, not a prom.”

“We’re going to be standing around and bitching about everyone – this is the closest thing to prom we’ll get at our age.”

“Wanna get me a corsage too?”

“Don’t tempt me.”

__________________________________________________________

Y/N knew Robin would be dropping by her building that night by the little gift he left on her balcony the night before. The night before every visit, Robin would place a red feather on her balcony as a calling card, so he wouldn’t be unexpected. Every time Robin visited, Y/N would get two cans of coke out from the fridge and a snack, tonight it was Oreos.

“How can you have Oreos without milk?” Robin asked as he opened his can.

“I just don’t like it with milk,” Y/N shrugged.

“I knew you were too good to be true, there had to be something wrong with you,” Robin sat down with a shaking head but still took one of the cookies.

“I don’t see you rejecting them though.”

“It’s free food from a pretty girl, I’m not stupid.”

“Pretty?”

“Drop dead gorgeous.”

“I just need to learn how to love Milk and Oreos, huh?”

“Then you’ll be the complete package,” Robin spoke with a mouth full of Oreos. There had been a question in Y/N’s mind since Robin first started visiting her, one which she had to ask.

“What does Batman say to you dropping in like this?” She asked. Robin became awkward and rigid, “come on, one of us had to bring it up eventually.”

“He doesn’t know,” Robin explained, “even vigilantes have nights off.”

“And this is what you do with yours?”

“Can’t think of anything better,” he shrugged, “food, drink, good company, conversation and an incredible view.”

Y/N nodded and looked over her balcony taking in the view. It was a view of all of Gotham, and from this viewpoint, you could trick yourself into thinking that there was no bad in Gotham, that it was a lovely safe city. But it wasn’t.

“It is a lovely view.”

“I’m not talking about the city,” Robin said. She heard him stand and place his can down, then Robin walked over, his chest against her back, placing his arms on the railing either side of her. “City is nothing compared to the view I’ve got,” he whispered in her ear. Y/N blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear. Robin then placed a kiss on her cheek before hugging her close to him. “This alright?”

“This is perfect,” Y/N sighed, leaning back into him.

#Jason Todd #Jason Todd Titans #Titans #Titans DC #Titans Imagine #Jason Todd imagine #Jason Todd x reader #Robin #Jason Todd Robin #Robin imagine #Robin x reader #jason todd x y/n #imagines #oneshot #fanfiction #queue me up scotty

176 notes · View notes

professionallyunprofessional · 4 years

Text

The Cats Motion Picture soundtrack

Before I get into this, I want to preface it by saying the following- I have not seen the movie yet. This review is purely for the soundtrack, which I have listened to in its entirety purely for the purpose of reviewing it. I don’t like to review something unless I’ve seen/read/listened to it all the way through. Also, there will be potentially unpopular opinions. Now, let’s get on with it, shall we?

Overall, I thought that the soundtrack for the movie was interesting. Not terrible (I’ve heard way worse), not fantastic (I’ve heard way better), but interesting. There were some bright spots on it and some spots that, for me, were very ‘what were they thinking’.

The Overture

They shortened it, chopping about a minute and a half in various places. No idea why this was done, but the transitions are not nearly as smooth as they might have thought. It’s kinda jarring.

Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats

The pacing of this song (most of the songs, actually) was reminiscent of the original Broadway version. In my opinion, that’s not a good thing. I’ve always thought that the songs in the OBC felt very rushed, and this one also feels very rushed. Also, I’m not sure how I feel about the solos on the chorus at the beginning. It’s definitely different, I’ll say that.

The Old Gumbie Cat

This one started off very promising. That said, I almost didn’t finish it because it’s really rough. Robbie Fairchild as Munkustrap is actually quite nice to listen to. Not as nice, I thought, was Rebel Wilson’s Jennyanydots. Her voice sounds very shrill. Also, it’s very off-putting hearing this song and other songs in this from first-person perspective. Rather than other people singing the praises of such a well-respected character, she’s just tooting her own horn.

The Rum Tum Tugger

I actually liked this one. A lot. The guitar riffs, the brass section, it all *works* really well. There were a few spots where Jason Derulo’s Tugger sounded off to me, but overall I enjoyed this version of the song way more than I expected to.

Bustopher Jones: The Cat About Town

Again, the whole ‘the character sings about themselves’ thing is a strange choice. And, again, it’s for the same reason. Like Jennyanydots, Bustopher is a very well-respected character. In this, he sounds...kind of buffoonish.

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteaser

This one caught me off-guard at first, because I’d never heard the original London version of the song before. I have to say, though, I think it works well here. I’ve heard that Mungo and Rumple are much more devious and villainous in the movie, and something about this version feels much more like an actual villain song.

Old Deuteronomy

It’s strange not hearing the first half of this song as a duet between Munkustrap and RTT. Stranger still are the changes made to accommodate the fact that Old D is female in the movie (I think they could’ve kept the ‘buried 9 wives’ line, but....eh). Overall, though, not bad.

Beautiful Ghosts

I’m so very on-the-fence about this song. I’ve never been a fan of remakes of musicals that randomly add songs that weren’t in the original. Especially when the new song doesn’t quite fit the style of the rest of the songs. Francesca Hayward’s voice is gorgeous, though, and the song really is quite good if you ignore the fact that it’s shameless ‘Best Song’ bait thrown into a musical that didn’t really *need* a new song.

Magical Gus/Gus The Theatre Cat

Combining my thoughts about these two into one blurb, since the former is only 36 seconds long. Having not seen the movie yet, I have no idea of the context behind ‘Magical Gus’, but it’s quite pretty. As for ‘Gus the Theatre Cat’, I’m once again conflicted. The first-person POV that the movie keeps using is still very jarring here. That said, Sir Ian McKellen as Gus was possibly one of the best casting choices of this entire thing. I miss it being Jellylorum telling the other cats about his awesome and illustrious career, though.

Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat

Skimble sings most of the song anyway, so it was slightly less jarring to hear him singing a few more lines than he maybe should have in this one. What threw me off, though, was the change of verb tense and the fact that they cut a few bits from this song. Being that it’s always been one of my favorites, I was sad about that. Overall, though? Not terrible.

Macavity, The Mystery Cat

Like Old Gumbie Cat, this is one that I almost didn’t finish listening to. From the moment I heard that Taylor Swift had been cast as Bombalurina, I was skeptical, and this kind of confirmed my worries. While I do like some of Swift’s songs, she was not the right person for this role. The singing was very overly breathy, which I think might have been an attempt to be sultry but just kind of sounded more like she’d sung it after running a mile and hadn’t stopped to catch her breath in between. The music was nice, though, and Macavity coming in at the end was...unexpected, but I’m into it.

Mr. Mistoffelees

While I do miss this one being primarily sung by RTT, Misto singing about himself almost works for me. Even without having seen the movie, it sounds like he’s trying to build up his courage rather than bragging about himself.

Memory

Here we go. The song that, even if you’ve never seen Cats, chances are you’ve heard it. It’s been covered over 600 times in countries all over the world. The movie’s version is, in my opinion, not bad at all. If anyone should have played Bombalurina, it’s Jennifer Hudson. She can belt, but she also knows how to dial it back for the quieter moments. Her voice does come off a bit warbly at times, but you can feel the raw emotion in it.

The Ad-dressing of Cats

Having seen various productions of the stage version throughout the years, I can say that no two Old Deuteronomys perform the role the same way, and this version is no excception. Dame Judi’s Old D felt somewhat reminiscent of Rex Harrison’s style of speak-singing as Professor Higgins. My feelings about this song are pretty much the same as my feelings about the soundtrack overall- Not terrible, not fantastic. Just...interesting.

#Cats the movie #Cats 2019 #professionally unprofessional

2 notes · View notes

1dffexchange · 5 years

Photo

i know the feeling

To: Fran @fromherlips

From: Eriza @booksncoffee

Summary: Nina is taught to believe that everything happens for a reason and whilst she does believe it, that doesn’t stop her from complaining about how much she hates her job and how at only 23 and a half, her life has already reached a plateau. She wishes time would fly by faster because she wants nothing more than for this confusing part of her life to end.

Meanwhile Niall thinks there’s not enough time in a day because there are so many - not particularly good - things happening in his life. He barely has time to meet someone new and when he does make time for it, something embarrassing happens, making him want to give up altogether. Maybe he isn’t cut out for life outside of grad school.

In which sometimes all you need is the right person to help you overcome the struggles of being an adult.

Nina hated her job.

It’s supposed to be a temporary job whilst she waited for another job (one that would pay her better, wouldn't give her a splitting headache, wouldn't make her clothes and hair smell like coffee by the end of her shift, and definitely one that she would love) and yet she’s still here at The Brew, serving coffee and occasionally pastries to the customers.

Seven months had passed since she started actively applying for jobs that were related or remotely related to her job, and she’d been unlucky so far. The companies she applied to either went quiet after her interviews or would give her the devastating news: we were impressed by you but unfortunately we are unable to offer you the job or we are afraid that we require someone with more experience, but please do not be discouraged by that.

How was she supposed to not feel discouraged? She got rejected, for God’s sake. Who, in the right mind, would jump in joy when they got rejected for a job? Did they expect her to be happy when she didn’t get the job? If they did then they’re mental.

Nina had lost count on how many times she’d been rejected and it’s beginning to take a toll on her self confidence. Not wanting to feel like a complete failure, she decided to apply for a job at the coffee shop a couple of blocks away from her flat and she was accepted straightaway -- the fact that the manager contacted her less than 24 hours later to tell her that she’s accepted gave her confidence the boost it desperately needed.

“Your time will come,” her friend, Elaine, assured her for the tenth time this week as she refilled the coffee grinder with arabica beans, her words nearly muffled by the sound of the beans rushing out of the packaging and into the machine. “I mean, if Rachel could do it so can you. At least you can get people’s orders right and you make a good cup of coffee.”

“Tell that to everyone who came in here and complained about my coffee.”

“What do they know about coffee?” Elaine scoffed, making Nina chuckle. Most of the times, their customers knew nothing about coffee but pretended like they’re experts. “If I didn't know you, Nins, I’d say you love this job. You’re bloody brilliant at it.”

Nina wasn't one to toot her own horn, but Elaine was right about that. Whereas Rachel was shockingly bad at her waitressing job, Nina was shockingly good at it. She didn't think she’d be good at it considering that she had never worked in the food and beverages industry before and almost everyone who worked here had. Elaine worked part time as a waitress at a restaurant during her undergraduate studies and so did Jason. She supposed she’s a fast learner so it only took her three days of training to learn everything that needed to be learned. Three months later, she’s practically a pro and fellow baristas agreed with that because they’d tasted her coffee, and yet according to their customers, she didn’t know how to make the right coffee. Nina wanted so badly to ask them to define what right coffee meant to them, but she’d rather not create a scene. Like she said earlier, this wasn’t even supposed to be her permanent job so why bother, right?

“Maybe you should quit.” Elaine continued.

Nina was about to ask her friend if she’d lost her mind but she clamped her mouth shut when she saw where this conversation was going. She must have spent her free time binge-watching Friends again -- the mention of Rachel Green’s name earlier gave it away. Elaine had the tendency to reference the tv shows she was currently watching. Like when she used to watch Parks and Recreation, and she’d say things that the characters said in the show or like when she used to watch Grey’s Anatomy and she thought she’d become one of the doctors.

Being someone who regularly binge-watched Friends too, Nina knew straightaway that Elaine was referring to the episode where Chandler and Joey talked Rachel into quitting her job at the coffee house.

“So you know,” she paused to give Nina a look, “You’ll have thefear.”

“I don’t need to quit to have the fear, El.” Nina said flatly.

“Then why’re you still working here?”

“Can’t leave you alone,” Nina replied without missing a beat. Elaine scoffed and rolled her eyes. “No, I’m serious. Who’s going to scare those college boys away if I’m not here?”

“I can scare them myself, thank you very much.”

Nina had to laugh at that. Elaine was the nicest person she’d ever met and she had the patience of a saint, which made her perfect for this job. Their customers could be complaining about the littlest and most ridiculous thing ever, and Elaine wouldn't get mad like Nina would. Like when a middle-aged woman walked up to the counter, fuming because her cappuccino had too much foam when in reality it had enough foam and demanded a new one with less foam. Nina tried explaining to her but logic went over her head so Elaine stepped in, talked to the woman and made a cup of latte instead. Before leaving, the older woman complimented Elaine and shot Nina a sideway glance.

“What’re you gonna tell them?” Nina quizzed, chuckling to herself as she recalled what Elaine always said to people who flirt with her. “Please stop flirting with me?”

Elaine was too polite for her own good sometimes. “There’s nothing wrong with saying please stop flirting with me,” she said with a frown.

“Hi,” a voice interrupted the girls’ conversation. Nina turned away from the espresso machine and found a man standing in front of the counter. When his eyes met hers, a look of recognition crossed his face. “Hey, aren’t you, uh, Nina, right?“

“Yeah?” Nina squinted her eyes suspiciously at the newcomer. She’s about to ask him how’d he know her name when he said,

“I’m Niall. Think we used to have a class together.”

Nina scanned his face as she tried to figure out which class he could’ve taken that she did too. It couldn't have been International Political Theory – he didn't seem like someone who’d major in International Relations.

Nina then racked her brain for compulsory courses that she had to take during her undergraduate studies and she remembered one:

“World History, is it?”

“Yeah, that’s it!” He exclaimed and his excitement put a smile on Nina’s face. It’s refreshing, the complete opposite of the customer she had earlier who walked in with a gloomy cloud above his head. He didn’t even look at her in the eye, simply ordered a black coffee to go and left as soon as he got his drink. “Glad that’s cleared up. It would’ve bugged me for the rest of the day.”

“Same.” Her reply held no truth to it. She probably would forget all about this incident the moment he walked out of the coffee shop had he not mention that they used to have a class together. “So, what can I get for you, Niall?”

He eyed the menu. Normally Nina would sigh because she hated it when customers held up the line by looking at the menu when they could’ve decided what they wanted before they lined up – she knew other customers hated that too. But since there’s no one behind him as it’s not the peak hours, Nina let him take his time deciding.

“Is it okay if I order later?” he asked, unsure. He looked almost afraid to ask that question and it’s then that Nina realised that she’d been sporting her scowl so she relaxed her face. She didn't have the friendliest of face, which probably explained why most customers preferred sweet, sweet Elaine to her. Scratching his jaw, he sheepishly added, “I’m supposed to meet my date later so I don’t want to, you know, drink before she gets here.”

“Right,” Nina nodded. That made sense. “Yeah sure.”

“Yeah?” He looked surprised. “So it’s okay if I sit without ordering anything?”

“If it’s the peak hours I would’ve asked you to come back later but since the place’s practically empty, go ahead.”

“Alright, that’s fair.” He smiled, chuckling to himself as he rubbed his nose once, twice. “Thank you.”

He looked around the place, probably to decide which table was the best for him and his date, before deciding on the one at the corner. Classic, popular choice. Nina had seen a fair share of couples sitting there and today she’s about to witness another one.

As soon as he’s out of their hearings, Elaine sidled up to her and asked, “You know him?”

“I think so?”

Elaine frowned. “What do you mean you think so?”

“I know we had a class together but dunno, I don’t remember him.”

“You don’t remember anyone,” Elaine countered. Nina simply shrugged because her friend’s right. Elaine took another look at Niall, not doing a really good job at being subtle as he caught her eyes a moment later. She smiled at him and then pretended to wipe a cup. “Maybe he looked different back then.”

Nina chanced a glance at Niall and when she saw that he’s looking at his phone, she took that as an opportunity for her to study him. She tried to figure out why she couldn't remember him. Sure she blocked out all memories back in her undergraduate studies – except for the important things, of course – but if Niall could recognise her, maybe they’re somewhat close in that class. She was the least memorable person ever so it’s a wonder that he could remember her face, let alone her name.

“Or maybe his hair’s longer?” Elaine said. She’s a firm believer that all guys, at some point in their lives, went through a phase where they thought they looked good with long hair -- oftentimes, they’re wrong.

“That’s not it.” Nina shook her head. He didn’t have longer hair but there was something different about his hair now that she’d thought about it. She took another look at Niall and it was then that she remembered a rather major detail about him that had slipped her mind: “He was blond.”

Her memory must’ve been really bad for her to not recognise someone simply because they changed their hair colour and started wearing glasses. Especially when that someone was the guy who always sat behind her in class and the guy whom she partnered up with for a group project with two other students.

“There you have it. He went through a phase where he dyed his hair like you did,” Elaine gave Nina a pointed look. She did go through that phase and in her defence, she was still in high school and she thought it’s cool to have lighter coloured hair. “Wait, unless he’s a natural blond -- is he a natural blond?”

Nina didn’t get to answer that question. Their conversation was put to an end when a customer, one that she saw twice or thrice in a week, walked up to the counter and ordered her usual.

An hour had passed and Niall’s date still hadn’t showed up.

Nina had never been one to stick her nose in someone else’s business so instead of speculating about the absence of his date, she continued her work of cleaning the espresso machine. Her shift would be ending soon so all she could think about was her bed and how badly she wanted to lie in it. Her back was beginning to kill her from standing too long and the thought of being able to relieve that sore soon pushed her to power through the rough time -- it’s not the most comfortable bed, but Nina was taught to make do with what she had.

Elaine, on the other hand, had always been one to let curiosity get the best of her. There’s nothing wrong with being curious was something she’d say to justify herself.

“Do you think he got stood up?”

“Hmm?”

“Niall,” Elaine said. “Do you think his date’s late or he got stood up?”

Nina took a quick look at Niall, who was looking out the window, his knees bouncing up and down, up and down. Nina had spent enough times people-watching when there weren’t many customers around to know that he was anxious, and the way his eyes continuously darted between the exit and his phone told her that he was trying to decide if he should stay or leave. Even from afar, she could see how red his ears and cheeks are.

“I don’t know,” Nina replied as she tore her gaze from Niall. She didn’t want to pry and she certainly didn’t want to make assumptions.

“If he’s my date I’d never bail on him. He’s really cute.”

“What would Zac say about that?”

Elaine simply snorted at that. ”As if he never looks at girls and thinks they’re cute.”

Zac was Elaine’s boyfriend of six years whom she loved very much, though she liked to make everyone believe that she didn’t. They met during their senior year of high school and had been together ever since. It blew Nina’s mind how someone could be together that long. The longest relationship she’d ever had was with Ervin and it only lasted for eleven months -- they couldn’t even make it to a year. After that relationship Nina’s status remained unchanged, which most of the times she’s fine with.

“He’s coming,” Elaine whispered before she hastily left the counter to check on the inventory. It’s an excuse because Nina saw her doing that exactly twenty minutes ago.

“Hi.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, he glanced at the menu behind Nina. She knew he was just doing that to avoid her eyes because she might or might have caught him doing that -- reading the menu -- a lot whilst he waited for his date.

“So, uh, my date didn’t show up,” he said as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark blue jeans.

Nina really didn’t know what to say in reply. Should she tell him she’s sorry? Would he like to hear that or would that only make him feel worse? Nina didn’t know because none of her customers had ever walked up to the counter and told her that they got stood up. That they hadn’t slept for 24 hours or more, now that she’d heard plenty of times before.

“I’ll have a, uh, flat white.” He told her when she didn’t say anything else.

When he handed her his money, Nina shook her head. “It’s okay. It’s on the house.”

“No, no, please accept my money.” He insisted. “I didn’t tell you that so you’d feel sorry for me and give me free coffee.”

“Then consider it a free coffee from your old classmate.”

“But--”

Nina didn’t give him a chance to say anything else as she cut him off by telling him to return to his seat and wait for his drink there. Flustered, he did as told and she began preparing his coffee. In the midst of pouring frothed milk into the espresso, Elaine reappeared from the back to join Nina.

“So? What’s the verdict?”

“He got stood up.” Nina hated saying those four words.

“Oh no, that’s too bad.”

Gossiping was something Nina and Elaine did to pass the time so they -- mostly Nina -- wouldn’t feel like the day was dragging and her shift wasn’t ending. Of course they only did that when there weren’t many customers around. They couldn’t risk getting reported to the store manager although their manager happened to be Elaine’s cousin, Stephan, and he probably wouldn’t say anything to them.

Gossiping was fun. Well, usually it was. It’d make them laugh and it’d make them not look at the time. But not this time. It didn’t feel right to Nina that she and Elaine were talking about Niall, who clearly was not having the best time of his life. She knew that if the roles were reversed, she wouldn’t appreciate the baristas chatting about her whilst she waited for her coffee.

Nina wiped the brim of the cup with a small towel and then stepped out from behind the counter. As she made her way to Niall’s table, she caught him talking on the phone with his friend.

“Why would I lie about that?” Nina heard him say to the phone. “Jesus, Liam, I’m sure she just stood me up.”

Whilst that wasn’t news to Nina because he literally told her that a few minutes ago, Nina still felt bad for him. No one deserved to be stood up. Unless they’re complete douchebags. They didn’t deserve dates at all -- period. Niall didn’t seem like a douchebag and so far, he hadn’t given off vibes that he’s one of them. She usually could tell when a guy turned out to be an arsehole -- it’s a gift, that’s what her friends kept telling her because her predictions were always right. Like when her friend Toni was seeing a guy named Mark and Toni refused to believe Nina when she told her that Mark seemed fishy. Three dates later, Toni found out that Mark had already had a wife.

Anyway, the point was, Nina was convinced that Niall didn’t deserve to be stood up.

“I literally just saw her walking into the pub across the street five seconds after she told me she’s not feeling well. She probably saw me by the window and decided she’s not interested.”

And she’s also convinced that she wasn’t supposed to hear that. But before she could turn around, Niall caught her and ended the phone call. She placed his coffee on the table and offered him an awkward smile.

“Sorry,” she apologised, cheeks heating up with embarrassment. “Didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”

“S’fine,” he waved her apology off with a hand. “Would you like to join me? Could use a company right now. I’m not in the mood to go home and get back to my reading materials.”

Nina glanced at the counter, at Elaine who was giving her the thumbs up, before she pulled out the chair and took a seat.

“Thank you for the coffee.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied. Niall took a sip of the coffee and let out a relieved sigh. She felt a smile touching her lips when she didn’t hear a complaint coming afterwards.

“This coffee is probably the only good thing in my life right now,” he said.

Nina wanted to prod but she held herself back from doing so. Whilst she did know him, they weren’t close enough for her to be nosy. If this conversation were between her and her friends, she’d definitely ask them what’s going on. As it was, this was a conversation between her and her ex-classmate whom she didn’t remember at first.

Niall must’ve sensed her awkwardness because he shifted the conversation to something else after that, something that didn’t revolve around what he’d just admitted. “So, how long have you worked here?”

“A few months,” she answered. “But it’s not my permanent job.”

“Shame. You make a good cup of coffee.”

Nina couldn’t help but to laugh at his compliment. If her mother were here, she’d chastise her. She should thank him not laugh. “You’re the first to say that.”

“That can’t be right.” He quirked an eyebrow as he looked at her in disbelief.

“Well, some customers can be… unkind.”

“You mean they’re arseholes?” Niall could read her mind, she swore. “I’ve worked at a coffee shop before.”

“You have?”

“Yeah,” he nodded before he took a sip of his flat white, “before school takes over my life.”

Nina remembered then that he mentioned reading materials when he invited her to join him, so she had to ask, “You’re still in school?”

“I am,” he answered. Before she could ask what course he’s taking, he added, “Biological Science.”

“Biological Science?” Nina leaned forward, curiosity lilting her voice. “What’s it about?”

Nina had always admired people who found Science to be interesting enough that they’d want to major in it. She had never liked Science, mostly because she couldn’t seem to wrap her head around everything that she learned back in school and because no matter how hard she tried, she didn’t find it interesting at all. She was lucky that despite her dislike, she always got a B during her tests and examinations, and never an F -- her mother chalked it up to her having a smart brain.

Convinced that she had a smart brain, Nina’s mother encouraged her to continue her studies until she earned her PhD, but she didn’t want it. Nina had another plan: she wanted to get a job first, save some money, get some experience and if after a year or so, she felt like studying again, at least she would have money in her bank.

So far, nothing seemed to go according to her plan.

It took her months to finally land a job and even when she did, she ended up with a job she hated, which her parents didn’t know about. They thought she’s happy with her job -- she never complained in front of them -- and that’s all because she’s too proud to raise the white flag and tell her mother that she’d made a mistake when she turned down the postgraduate study offer from her previous university. The overconfident part of Nina had made her believe that she’d be able to get a job as soon as she graduated, that she wouldn’t have to wait long before she got a job offer. If she could turn back the time, she’d yell at herself for having that mindset.

But then again, like Nina’s parents had always told her: everything happens for a reason. That belief was the only thing keeping Nina from losing her mind because damn it, life after school was so, so much harder than she’d ever imagined. Back then, she only had to worry about her grades. And sometimes whether or not her allowance could last until the end of the month. Now she had a lot of things to worry about and she couldn’t even bring herself to think about it.

“I feel like I’ve been in school for a very, very long time,” Niall concluded after he’d finished talking about the course he took.

“But you’re almost done, right, with your master?”

“Well, yeah,” he nodded, “but I’ll probably continue my PhD and that’ll take like another, what, 3 to 4 years. Like I said, I’m gonna be in school forever.”

“Wow.”

“I know.” He chuckled.

“But you love it, yeah?”

“Yeah, I guess.” His words didn’t sound convincing as he said them out loud, his eyes fixed on the nearly empty glass in front of him.

Unlike earlier, instead of holding herself back from prodding, Nina asked, “But?”

He looked up, surprised clear in his blue eyes. He must’ve not expected her to pick up on his less than enthusiastic answer. Straightening his back, Niall cleared his throat before he spoke, “I hardly have free time. There’s my thesis that I have no fuckin’ clue what’s going to happen to it and then I’ve to go to some seminars every now and then ‘cause my supervisor thinks I need them, which I know he’s right, but it’s-- Jesus, I’m talking your ears off, aren’t I? So sorry, didn’t mean to load off my burden to you.”

“It’s fine,” Nina told him. Hearing him talk about his busy life distracted her from her dull life that consisted of the same routine every single day. Hearing him talk also made Nina miss life in school. She swore she’s not a nerd but she enjoyed studying. And especially right now, she’d rather study than serve coffee, which back then she thought she’d rather do the latter instead of the former.

“So, you mentioned earlier that this isn’t your permanent job,” he recalled. Nina nodded, suddenly feeling like she’s talking to an interviewer whom she’d likely fail to impress. “What job are you looking for?”

“I’d love to be social research officer,” she answered. Whilst she talked about the job she’s interested in, he looked at her with an impressed look on his face. Nina didn’t think he would be impressed considering that once he graduated, he’d be able to do something a lot cooler. He could be a lecturer or he could be a researcher -- both sounded amazing. “I don’t know, I like doing a research.”

“Trade places with me, then.”

“I know nothing about your course and I suck at Science so I’d probably ruin your thesis.”

“Hey, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous enough for it to work?”

They both laughed because they knew that it wouldn’t work.

“I think I know someone who works in your field,” he mentioned after he’d finished his coffee. “I can ask him if there’s an opening if you’d like?”

The polite reply would be: no, you don’t have to do that. But Nina was desperate to get out of The Brew so she couldn’t exactly let the opportunity go to waste. Don’t get her wrong, the place wasn’t bad at all. It’s a great coffee shop but she’d like it better if she wasn’t the one serving coffee.

So, she said, “Yeah, that’d be great. Thank you.”

Niall opened his mouth to say something but the sound of his phone ringing interrupted him. He picked up his phone from the table and looked at the caller ID. “It’s my friend, s’it okay if I--”

“Sure, go ahead.” Nina nodded before he could finish his sentence.

He smiled at her before he answered the call. “Hey, Liam. What’s up?”

Whilst he talked to his friend, Nina looked at the time. She didn’t even realise that her shift had ended fifteen minutes ago. Usually she’d already be on her way home by now and when she reached home, she would spend the rest of the night on her couch catching up with her flatmate, Toni, before she eventually excused herself to get some sleep.

Nina didn’t even realise that Niall’s phone call had ended until he cleared his throat and said, “So that’s my friend Liam. He’s at a pub a block away from here and he wanted me to meet him there.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Hey, thank you so much for keeping me company. It’s… It’s nice to see you again.”

“Likewise,” Nina replied with a smile. It was nice to see him again — he’s one of the few people that she didn’t find annoying back then.

He got up from his seat, then, and Nina did the same. Dread surged through her at the prospect of this meeting being their first and last meeting post-school. She enjoyed talking to him, enjoyed hearing him talk — Nina didn’t enjoy many things these days but this she did.

“Can I, uh, have your numbers?” He asked. “In case there’s an opening at my friend’s office so I have a way of contacting you.”

“Sure,” Nina smiled. She usually hesitated when people asked for her numbers, but not this time. She took his phone from his hand and typed her number, saving it under her name. When she handed the device back to him, he grinned, tapping it against his palm.

“Thank you, again, for everything,” he said as he kept his phone. He pushed the chair forward, his movements slow like he didn’t want to leave. Surprisingly, Nina didn’t want him to leave either. An hour ago she was so looking forward to going home but now she wanted to stay here. Something’s wrong with her. “Tonight could’ve easily been the worst night of my life but it ended up being pretty good.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

He glanced over his shoulder at the exit and then returned his gaze back to Nina. “I should go before my friends call me again. They can be really annoying sometimes.”

“Friends,” Nina said understandingly and somehow that one word could make him laugh. His laughter filled her with delight and her lips curved into a smile.

“Right.” He’s about to head to the exit when he suddenly stopped. “Is it okay if I text you? Like, not about the job.”

Nina laughed softly and nodded, her heart swelling against her ribcage. “I’d like that.”

Niall finally headed for the exit and moments before he stepped out into the sidewalk, he waved at her, his smile the last thing she saw before she turned around and returned to the counter. Elaine was looking at her with a funny look on her face.

“What?”

“You gave him your numbers.” Elaine said, giving away the fact that she had been eyeing them whilst she stood behind the counter. When Nina didn’t say anything else, she added, “Are you two gonna see each other again?”

Nina rolled her eyes, though it was pretty difficult for her to suppress the smile. She liked the idea of them seeing each other again but she didn’t want to get her hopes up. He did say that he hardly have free time so that could very well be the only time she got to see him.

“Dunno. Don’t think he’d even text me.”

“Nonsense,” Elaine shook her head, “I bet he’ll text you by the end of the night.”

“Heh.”

“You know, Jason fell sick at the right time.”

“What?” Nina distinctly remembered how awful Elaine felt when she found out Jason had fallen sick. She believed that it’s all because of her because she came to work with runny nose and sore throat last week, and this week Jason caught the flu.

Elaine shrugged. “If he didn’t fall sick and you didn’t cover his shift, you wouldn’t have met Niall again. Oh and if his date showed up, you two wouldn’t have ended up talking and exchanging numbers--”

“We didn’t exchange numbers,” Nina felt the need to correct that statement. “He has my numbers but I don’t have his.”

“You will soon,” Elaine said as though she could predict the future. “Anyway my point is: everything happens for a reason, remember?”

Huh.

/////

“You look happy for someone who just got stood up,” was the first thing Liam said to Niall as he approached his friends at their table and took a seat at the only empty chair. That’s a brave thing to say considering that he’s the one who set Niall up with Anna, the girl from his office, whom he thought was the great match for his friend. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah,” Niall replied. He didn’t think he’d say that an hour ago, but things changed when he started talking to Nina. He wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole when he saw Anna walking into a pub after telling him that she wasn’t feeling well. He was mortified, even more so because it happened in front of Nina and her friend.

“Told you, mate,” Louis piped in, nudging Liam in the rib, “You should’ve set him up with Jess not Anna. Jess is the right one.”

“No,” Niall shook his head as he put down his beer. He needed to put a stop to this. His friends had been trying to set him up with girls from their office for months and he’d grown tired of it. He knew his friends meant well -- they wanted him to live a little, that’s what they always said, but he didn’t need that right now. What he needed was for the time to stop so he could catch a breath and not feel like he’s behind on everything. “No more setting me up with anyone. I don’t have time for it.”

“Oh here we fucking go again,” Louis grumbled as he rolled his eyes and shook his head. Taking a sip of his beer, he pointed a finger at Niall. “All you talk about is how you don’t have time for fucking anything. Make time, then!”

Niall let out a scoff. He’d lost count on how many times he’s told to make time for something other than school. “Easy for you to say,” he said to his friend.

Liam, noticing the tension in the air, interjected. “Hey, let’s talk about something else.” Turning to Niall, he asked, “You mentioned you’re with someone at the coffee shop. Who was it?”

“Nina.”

“Nina as in the girl you used to have a crush on?” Liam asked.

Niall’s cheeks reddened at the reminder. He did have a crush on her back then. He thought she was cool, incredibly smart and annoyingly beautiful. Annoyingly, he thought, because he had a hard time taking his eyes off of her -- read: the back of her head -- in class and she didn’t realise how beautiful she really was.

Louis’ ears perked up at the mention of the word ‘crush’, his annoyance from earlier dissipated into thin air. “Niall had a crush on someone? Niall ‘I don’t have time for anything’ Horan actually had time for crush back then?”

“Fuck off,” Niall gave his friend the bird.

“Who’s this Nina girl, anyway?” Louis asked, curiosity lilting his voice.

“Niall partnered up with her for a project in-- what class was it?”

“World History,” Niall mumbled, unwilling to share that piece of information because he knew Liam was going to embarrass him so why help him, right?

“Yeah, that’s it.” Liam grinned. “They worked together quite a lot and he had a huuuuge crush on her--”

“You’re exaggerating,” Niall interrupted. Maybe it’s a bad idea to mention Nina in front of his friends who’d take any chance they could get to embarrass him.

“Am I?” Liam kinked an eyebrow at him. Niall simply rolled his eyes. “But true to Niall Horan’s fashion, he never told her that he liked her.”

Louis let out a loud groan as he slapped Niall on the back.

“Wha-What the fuck was that for?”

“You’re a fucking idiot, do you know that?”

Turning to Liam, he frowned, “And what do you mean true to Niall Horan’s fashion?”

“It’s what you do, mate. You wait until it’s too late.” Liam said as he gave his friend a sympathetic pat on the back. Niall slapped his away, his frown deepening. “Remember Julia?”

“Yes?” Of course Niall remembered her. Julia was his crush back in high school. They were close, always spending time with each other and at some point, he thought that there’s a chance that she liked him back, but he never had the guts to tell her that he liked her, too afraid he’d ruin their friendship. With few months left in their senior year, Julia told him that she’s dating Colin. He couldn’t help but wonder if they’re still together or not.

“Well you liked her but you never told her you did and she ended up with Colin.”

The best (worst) part was, she told him that she did like him but he was taking too long to confess and she got tired of waiting around for him.

“Ooof,” Louis remarked, to which Niall scowled at him.

“That’s one time,” Niall said to defend himself.

Liam gave him another look. “Alice? Emily?”

“Okay, okay. I get your point.” Niall said and that stopped his friend from listing out the names of girls he used to like. He got it: he never had the guts to admit his feelings and he ended up with nothing. When asked to choose between go big and go home, he always chose go home. He always chose the safest option. Except when it came to his academic -- he’s only brave when it came to school.

“Wait, this happens a lot of times?” Louis questioned.

Liam nodded. “Anyway, how’s she like?”

“She’s still the same,” Niall told him. Still like the girl he used to have a crush on. Talking to her earlier brought back feelings he thought had gone away when he never saw her again after they’re done with World History. He never saw her after that and it didn’t help that they were in different courses. But it did help with him getting over his crush. Seeing her standing behind the counter when he walked into The Brew reminded him that some crushes never really went away.

“Tell me you have her numbers,” Louis said, interrupting his train of thoughts.

“I have.”

“That’s my boy!” Louis exclaimed, slapping his back out of excitement. “You need to man up and tell her you like her.”

A frown materialised between Niall’s brows. “Why would I do that?”

“Because I think you still like her,” Liam said.

“How--”

“How’d I know that?” Liam quirked an eyebrow at him. Niall nodded sheepishly. “Give me some credits, mate. I’ve been your friends for over a decade and what kind of a friend would I be if I can’t tell when you like someone and when you don’t?”

Niall didn’t say anything as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes with his fingers.

Even if he still liked Nina, that didn’t mean he should tell her about it. Before today, Nina didn’t even remember he existed. In fact, he could tell that when he walked up to her earlier, she didn’t recognise him at all. So why would he embarrass himself by admitting to her that he liked her when clearly she didn’t feel the same way? He had embarrassed himself enough in front of her today and he’s not going to do that again.

Niall had been staring at the screen of his phone, unsure if he should text Nina or not. He hadn’t done this in a while and he didn’t know the protocol when it came to texting the girl one liked. How long must he wait before he texted her? A day? Two days? Three days? A week?

“I’ve gone mad,” Niall muttered to himself as he put his phone down and threw his body onto his bed. His book fell down to the floor and he didn’t bother to pick it up. He’s too tired to do so.

Niall picked up his phone again. Hi, this is Niall -- he stared at the text for a few seconds before he erased it. Hi, it’s late and you’re probably sleeping but -- nope, too long. Nina, hey, it’s Niall -- okay maybe that’s better. Before he could change his mind for the tenth time, Niall clicked the send button.

Sitting up, he looked at the situation in his room. Aside from the book on the floor and a pair of socks near his laundry bag, his room was spotless. Unlike his mess of a mind.

Niall’s about to take off his glasses when his phone vibrated next to his thigh. He looked at it for a good five seconds before he picked it up.

Hi Niall :)

“Shit.” He didn’t think she’d reply because it’s pretty late and he thought he would at least have until next morning to think of a reply in case she did reply whilst he slept.

Can’t sleep? -- Niall figured that’d be a great opening for a conversation so with his eyes closed, he sent that message. A few seconds later, he saw three dots appearing on the screen. He held his breath.

Nope. My friend made me watch a horror movie so now i can’t close my eyes without seeing the ghost

Niall found himself laughing, no longer feeling tensed. He couldn’t even remember why he was so worried about texting Nina.

How ‘bout you? Studying?

He did plan on studying but Liam and Louis kept him out late and now he’s too tired to even pick up his book. Besides, he’s a bit tipsy from the drinks he had earlier, which explained why he had the guts to text Nina at nearly 2 in the morning.

Just got home actually.

Fun night?

Niall’s heart was pounding against his chest as he read her reply. He had never considered himself as someone who’s good at small talks, especially through text messages, but as he typed his reply, he realised that what you thought was difficult could be easy when you’re doing it with the right person. Their conversation flowed effortlessly. He told her that he had a pretty good night and that he couldn’t stop thinking about her coffee -- read: just her -- and she told him that he could come to The Brew from here on out to get his coffee fix. He usually just made his own because that saved him a lot of money but after tonight he considered getting coffee at the coffee shop.

Then they talked about their family and Niall found out that they’re both an only child. He also found out that she got offered to continue her postgrad study earlier this year but she turned it down because she was hoping to get a job first but so far she hadn’t gotten the job she wanted and that’s how she ended up working at The Brew.

In return, he told her that initially, he only accepted the master’s degree offer because he wasn’t ready for life out of collegiate atmosphere. Over time, he realised that it’s the right thing to do and that he’d made the right choice even though oftentimes he felt like he didn’t. Nina then asked her what he’d like to be once he graduated and Niall had to stop for a while to consider his answer. He’d never really thought that far. He’d been so caught up with the things he had to do daily that he hadn’t gotten the chance to step back and look at the bigger picture. He should really start thinking about that.

I think you’d be a great lecturer.

Niall didn’t get to finish typing his reply -- i don’t know -- because Nina’s caller ID took over the screen of his phone. He frowned, his heartbeat fast.

“Hello?”

“Hey.”

She sounded tired. Niall instantly felt bad for texting her in the first place. Maybe she was just being polite when she told her that she couldn’t sleep.

“Sorry for calling you out of nowhere. My fingers are tired.”

“Your fingers are tired?” Niall laughed. That’s the first time he heard someone say this.

“It’s a real thing,” she countered.

“I believe you.”

“Good,” she replied and Niall could see her smiling face behind his closed eyes. “Hey, can I be honest with you?”

Niall swallowed the lump in his throat. “Yeah sure.”

“I didn’t think you’d text me.”

“Really? Why?”

“Dunno. I just, I didn’t think you’d text me ‘cause you said you hardly have free time so why would you text me, right?” Her laugh was short and awkward. “But I’m glad you did.”

Niall felt a smile forming on his lips. “I’m glad I did too. I didn’t think I’d have the guts to do it, to be honest.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s… I don’t know. My friends got to me, I guess.” Niall couldn’t stop thinking about what Liam and Louis said to him earlier. Mostly what Liam said about how he had the tendency to wait too long to admit his feeling and by the time he’s ready, it’s already too late.

“What’d they say?”

Niall pursed his lips. “They, uh, pointed out my flaw.”

“That’s what friends do,” she chuckled. Niall pressed his phone closer to his ear, wanting to hear that sound loud and clear. What had gotten into him? “Are you going to tell me what that flaw is or are we going to forget about that and pretend we never talk about it?”

This could be Niall’s chance to come clean about his feeling for her. He screwed his eyes shut as indecisiveness took over. On one hand, he wanted to wait before he told her that he used to like her because they just met again today and he didn’t want to freak her out but on the other hand, waiting had never worked out for him. He always ended up waiting too long. He’s bad at this, so embarrassingly bad.

“Hello?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Niall spluttered.

“S’fine. If you’re tired we can--”

“No. I, uh, I’m going to tell you what the flaw is,” Niall said.

“Okay.”

Niall took a deep breath. He couldn’t believe that he’s doing this. Must be the drinks he had a few hours ago and must be Louis’ annoying voice taunting him about how he needed to man up and tell Nina he liked her. “I have the tendency to wait too long until it’s already too late. Like, uh, back when we had a class together I had a crush on you but I didn’t say anything to you ‘cause I wanted to wait for the right time but then the semester ended and we never saw each other again.”

It felt simultaneously good and bad to let that out. Good because he finally got to admit his feeling and let Nina know about it instead of keeping it to himself. Bad because she hadn’t said anything in the last fifty seconds.

“Jesus. I’ve made things awkward, haven’t I?” Niall closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Why’d he take an advice from Louis? That guy hadn’t been in a committed relationship in years so his advice was the last thing he should listen to. “Please just forget--”

“I-wow, you liked me?”

“Why’re you so surprised?” He couldn’t be the first one to tell her that he liked her.

“Dunno, it’s just… I’m me.”

Niall let out a laugh. “I’m aware of that.”

“Well, thanks…” she trailed off. “Thanks for telling me, I guess. It’s nothing we can do about it because it’s in the past but yeah--”

“See, there’s a possibility that it’s not in the past.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t like doing this through phone but I don’t wait to wait either.” Because he’d probably lose the guts to do it come morning time. He’s choosing go big this time instead of going down the same route which was go home. Maybe his life wouldn’t be so boring if he started taking risks outside of school. “So I’m gonna do it right now.”

“Do what?” She sounded confused. Rightly so.

Niall cleared his throat. “Would you like to, maybe, grab a dinner with me soon? I know this might be too soon but--”

“Would you have time for that?” She interrupted him before he could finish his sentence. “I mean, you hardly have free time.”

“What? Of course--”

“I’m just teasing you.”

He laughed. He didn’t think it’s possible for him to like her even more but he just did.

“Right.” She and Louis were going to get along so well if they were to meet each other. He should hold that meeting off for as long as he could. “So, what do you say?”

“I’d like that.”

When Niall woke up the next morning, his mind immediately drifted to the conversation he had with Nina last night not his research -- it’s a first. He couldn’t believe that he confessed to her, couldn’t believe that he asked her out and most of all, he couldn’t believe that she agreed to it. And it all happened in one night.

Everything felt too good to be true. Needing a confirmation that last night did happen, Niall picked up his phone from his nightstand and scrolled through his text messages and then his phone calls list. Nina’s name was there and he let out a relieved sigh. Whilst that was enough to convince him that he wasn’t dreaming, he needed a verbal confirmation. He needed to see Nina even though the prospect of seeing her again made him feel excited and terrified at the same time.

Instead of jumping straight into the shower so he could study afterwards, he stayed in bed and checked on his Instagram and Facebook, something he didn’t allow himself to do often because he always worried that he’s wasting his time doing so when he could’ve been working on his research. He figured after the week he had, he deserved this. He deserved to relax and not do anything for an hour or two.

It’s nearly afternoon when he finally decided to leave his bed and his friends had just texted him to let him know that they’re coming over to his place in twenty minutes.

“Have you told Nina you like her?” Louis asked as he threw himself onto the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table. He took a sip of the beer he brought and let out a relieved sigh. “Did you text her like you said you would?”

Niall rolled his eyes at his friend. Of course that’s what he wanted to know first when he got here.

“Give him a break,” Liam stepped in as he handed Niall a bottle of beer before he took a seat next to Louis. Niall shot him a grateful look but that look immediately turned into a scowl when he asked, “What’d you two talk about last night?”

“Stuff,” Niall replied, not loving his friends’ inquisitiveness. He opened the cap of his beer and took a few sips. When Louis and Liam told him half an hour ago that they’re coming over to watch a football match between Derby County and Southampton, he knew that they’re going to question him about Nina. He’d decided, before they arrived, that he was going to be tight-lipped about it. He didn’t want to jinx it.

“You asked her out, didn’t you?” Liam asked, eyes squinted as he studied his friend’s face.

Louis sat up straighter, his eyes widening. “You did?”

Niall let out a groan. He couldn’t keep anything from his friends even if his life depended on it because even if he kept his mouth shut, they’d know what’s going on with him. If he didn’t know them better he’d think their full time job was studying him.

“I did,” Niall answered reluctantly.

“Attaboy!” Louis cheered as he leaned against Liam so he could reach for Niall and patted his back, his beer sloshing in his bottle with his every movement.

“So when’s the date?”

Niall shrugged. Whilst he and Nina did agree on grabbing dinner soon, they never did decide on the time and day. He didn’t want to seem pushy, though the uncertainty was killing him. A part of him, the paranoid part, was scared that she might change her mind so he decided that going with the flow was the right thing to do here. Worrying about it would do him no good.

So with that thought in mind, he leaned against the couch and picked up his remote control before he turned up the volume. “Derby’s gonna win,” he said to his friends.

“No way. Nuh uh.” Louis shook his head. “Southampton will.”

Ten days had passed since Niall got stood up at The Brew, which meant ten days had passed since he started talking to Nina and asked her out. They talked regularly via text messages, but that’s about it. They hadn’t seen each other and they still hadn’t decided when they’re going to grab dinner together.

Niall didn’t have much time to think about that because he’d been busy with his research since his supervisor told him that he needed to see his final draft by the end of the month. Niall had about three days left for that and he’s freaking out. Couple with the fact that he hadn’t gotten enough sleep in the last ten days, he’s also so close to losing his mind.

The more past researches he read to support his findings, the more he realised that he knew nothing. And it didn’t help that time seemed to fly really quickly. How was he supposed to learn everything there was to learn when there wasn’t enough time in the world for that?

Okay, maybe he’d already lost his mind.

“When’s the last time you slept for longer than 2 hours?”

“Dunno,” Niall answered as he fastened his pace so he could get to the coffee shop faster. He was getting frustrated with his research that he ended up slamming his laptop shut -- he knew he’d regret it later. He grabbed his coat, then, and left his flat without thinking twice. He needed to be elsewhere, he needed a distraction even though that’s the last thing he needed.

So he figured there’s one place he should go to.

“Where’re you?” Liam asked, concern in his voice.

“I just got off the tube,” he told his friend. “Going to The Brew.”

“If you needed coffee you could’ve just told me. I would’ve brought some for you.”

Coffee wasn’t the only thing he needed. He needed to talk to Nina, to see her in person.

“S’fine. I needed to get some fresh air, anyway.”

“You wanted to see Nina, didn’t you?”

“Maybe,” Niall replied before he ended the call a few seconds later when he arrived at the coffee shop.

But Nina wasn’t at The Brew when he stepped in. His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach when he realised that he came all the way here for nothing. Well, not exactly nothing because he could still get coffee but--

“Niall?” Niall glanced over his shoulder and there she was. She walked over to him, brows furrowing. “Are you okay? You look…”

“Awful?” He finished the sentence for her. He saw his reflection on the tube earlier and it nearly frightened him. His hair was disheveled and the dark circles under his eyes were becoming more and more prominent.

“I was gonna say tired,” she told him with a small smile on her lips. She touched his arm and cocked her head to the side. “Let’s head inside. My shift isn’t starting for another twenty minutes so we could sit down and have a drink.”

“That sounds good.” They walked into The Brew and Nina led him to the table he sat at over a week ago. Whilst he sat, she ordered coffee for them and returned a few minutes later. “Let me pay for that.”

“You don’t have to.”

Niall shook his head. He couldn’t let Nina give him free coffee again so he slid some money to her. “Please accept it.”

Nina looked at him and at the pleading look on his face, and took his money. “You haven’t answered my question. Are you okay?”

Niall shrugged. To other people he’d lie and say that he’s okay because he didn’t want them to offer him their sympathy but with Nina he felt like he could tell her anything and she wouldn’t make him feel awful about it.

“Dunno. Think I’m losing my mind,” he said, his voice small and timid.

Admitting that to himself is one thing, but admitting it to other people? That’s another thing. He’s used to keeping his feelings to himself that he found it hard to voice it out. And that’s mostly because he’d made himself believe that no one cared what he felt. No one cared if he’s so tired that he felt like there were heavy bricks on his shoulders and chest. No one cared if he hadn’t been getting enough sleep because his nose had been buried in books and past researches. No one cared if he’s losing his mind because he didn’t think he’s going to ever finish his research.

“Why do you think so?” Nina asked as she placed her hand on top of his and squeezed it. He looked up at her and caught her smiling encouragingly at him.

“Everything’s just… so difficult. So frustrating. My supervisor wanted to see the final draft this Thursday and I’m only like 40% done with it. I’m not gonna make it.”

“Hey,” she nudged his foot. “You will make it. I know it feels like everything’s against you right now, trust me I know how that feels, but you’ll figure everything out. You’ve come so far; you can’t give up now.”

“Can I figure everything out now? I have three days before I have to see him again and he’ll bite my head off if I show him nothing.”

“You won’t show him nothing.” She said confidently. Niall looked at her in awe. Her confidence in him blew his mind. “You’ll have your final draft ready by Thursday. I believe in you. You’re a smart person and you will make it. Now drink your coffee before it gets cold.”

Niall let out a chuckle. He picked up the cup and took a few sips. Warmth spread across his chest. “You’re amazing, do you know that?”

Her cheeks flushed. “What?”

“You… I don’t know, you just know what to say and it blows my mind.”

“It’s nothing.”

“No,” he shook his head, refused to let her downplay this. Her words of encouragement were what Niall needed to hear and it could very well help him finish his final draft. “It’s not nothing. You’ve no idea how badly I wanted to hear what you just said to me. You just… understand me.”

Niall didn’t realise up until recently how important it was to have someone who understands you in your corner. He loved his friends, he really did, and he didn’t know what he’d do without them in his life, but they didn’t get him the way Nina did. Their priority wasn’t the same as his. Whereas they worried about not reaching their monthly target at work, Niall worried that he might not be able to finish his research on time.

“Everyone needs someone who understands them,” she smiled at him as she patted his hand.

“You’re right.” Niall agreed. “Enough about me. How are you?”

“I’m good,” she replied. “I might have an interview in two days so, I’m nervous about that.”

“Really?” Niall’s eyes widened. He’d give her a hug but there’s a table separating them. “That’s great!”

“Well, I wouldn’t put my hopes up. I’ll probably not get the job.”

For someone who had pretty much restored his belief in himself, Nina didn’t have much confidence in herself. She didn’t realise how amazing she really was, didn’t realise how smart he thought she was.

“Don’t say that,” he said to her. “You’ll do great and you’ll impress all of them. It’d be their loss if they don’t hire you.”

A hint of a smile touched her lips. “Well, I hope you’re right.”

The two of them continued to talk about Nina’s interview until eventually she had to leave him as her shift was starting. Niall stayed for another ten minutes before he left and when he’s home he went straight to his laptop and continued working on his research. By the time he decided to take a break because his back was killing him from hunching in front of the laptop, he’d already finished 80% of his research.

Who would’ve thought that all he needed was a trip to The Brew and twenty minutes with Nina to get his brain to start working again?

/////

Nina got the job.

She was grocery shopping, not at all thinking about the job interview she had a couple of days ago, when she got the email stating that she was the perfect candidate for the position she applied for so they’re hiring her. She couldn’t believe her eyes at first so she stopped by the cereal aisle and reread the email. She didn’t misread it. She really did get the job.

Her hands were shaking as she composed a text message to Niall to inform him of the news. She’d like to think that had it not been for his words of encouragement, she wouldn’t have walked into the interview with confidence in her steps. She didn’t stutter, not even once. She was able to answer all questions thrown at her and got positive reactions and responds from the interviewer.

It felt natural to text Niall. They did that a lot, more so after Niall’s short trip to The Brew the other day he had a little meltdown. Soon after that, she’s the one who had a meltdown, via text messages, because she was anxious about her interview. He didn’t reply straight away because he was meeting his supervisor at that moment but he called her as soon as he read her text.

Ever since then, Nina found herself texting him whenever something happened because he’s the first person she wanted to talk to.

Knew you could do it. Congratulations, nina -- she had the biggest smile on her face as she read Niall’s reply. She didn’t think it’s possible but her smile turned bigger when he sent another message: we should celebrate! I’ve submitted my final draft & you got a job. There’s still hope for all of us.

Nina laughed. She told him that they definitely should celebrate before she put her phone away. Toni was going to start calling her if she didn’t come home soon because this was supposed to be a quick grocery run. They ran out of milk, cereal and bread so Nina volunteered to buy them -- it’s her turn to do the grocery, anyway.

After checking out her items, Nina headed home. Just as she was about to open the door, Toni called her. She didn’t pick it up.

“I’m here, I’m here,” Nina announced her presence as she walked straight to their open kitchen.

“Finally! I’m starving.” Toni took out milk from the grocery bag and poured some into her bowl. Next, she took out the cereal box and poured some cereal. Nina scrunched her nose at Toni because she’s one of those weird people who poured milk before cereal. “I can feel you judging me.”

“Only because you’re a weirdo.”

Toni ignored her remark as she picked up a spoon and started eating her cereal whilst standing in the kitchen.

Nina wanted to wait but her excitement took over and she found herself yelling, “I got the job!”

Toni’s eyes widened. “Oh my God!”

“I know.”

“Holy shit. Congratulations!” She put down the bowl and pulled her friend into a hug. “When’re you starting?”

“They told me to start in two weeks so I’ll have to give my two weeks’ notice tomorrow.”

Nina was going to miss The Brew, she really was, especially Elaine whom she hadn’t told the news to yet. She decided it’s better if she broke it in person. Telling her through text message didn’t feel right.

“So, are we celebrating?” Toni asked, wriggling her eyebrows. “Unless you’ll be celebrating with a certain someone?”

“Dunno what you’re talking about, Toni.”

Toni rolled her eyes. “Don’t play dumb. I know you’ve been talking to that Niall guy. When are you two going on that date, anyway?”

Nina shrugged. Whilst they did talk a lot, the date was something they hadn’t talked about. She figured that since he’s busy with his research and she’s busy with work, it’s best if they waited a little.

The sound of Nina’s phone ringing broke the silence between her and Toni. She looked at the caller ID, her heart pounding against her chest when she saw Niall’s name on the screen.

“Oooh lover boy’s calling you. I’m gonna give you some privacy.” Toni grinned and winked before she made her way to the living room. Technically, she could still listen in on Nina’s conversation because there’s no wall dividing them.

Nina took a deep breath before she answered the call. “Hello.”

“Nina, hey.” He sounded out of breath like he’d just finished running.

“Hey, everything alright?”

“Yeah, yeah. I just… Are you free this evening?”

“I… am. Yeah, I am.”

“Great. That’s really great. What do you say we finally go on a date?” Niall asked before he quickly added, “Sorry, that’s not the most romantic way of asking you out but--”

“This evening sounds good.”

“Yeah? You think so?”

“It’s long overdue, don’t you think?” Her question was met with a laughter.

“You’re right. I’m sorry it took me so long to do this.”

“You have nothing to apologise for.” The fact that he still remembered the date surprised her. She thought that since over two weeks had passed, the date was never going to happen. Niall continued to surprise her.

“I’ll pick you up at 5?”

“Sounds perfect. I’ll text you the address.”

“Can’t wait to see you.”

They bid their goodbye after that and Nina had a huge smile plastered across her face as she ended the call and texted Niall her address.

“Someone scored herself a job and a date,” Toni commented from the couch. “Lucky.”

Lucky indeed. But then again, it’s about time something good happened to her.

Nina was worried about not being able to get ready on time so she decided to get ready an hour and a half earlier. It turned out that she didn’t need that much time. Less than an hour later her hair’s done -- she didn’t do much to it, simply clipped half of her hair to the back -- and her makeup’s done too -- she followed a tutorial she saw on Youtube, one that wouldn’t make it seem like she’s trying so hard.

Not wanting to overdress and underdress at the same time, she put on a wrap dress she wore to her cousin’s beach wedding last year and threw on a jacket over it. Then, she finished her look with a pair of flats. She’s not one to wear heels, unless she really needed to.

“You look gorg,” Toni commented as she leaned against the doorway, arms crossed in front of her chest. “When’s the last time you went on a date?”

“Can’t remember,” Nina replied. She really couldn’t. “Do you think I look okay?”

“I literally just told you that you look gorg.”

Nina didn’t hear the compliment. She was busy staring at her reflection, trying to figure out if she’s wearing the right outfit. She’s suddenly having second thoughts about her outfit. “Sorry, must’ve not heard that.”

“Well, you look gorgeous. More than okay. Niall’s jaw will be on the floor the entire time.”

“Thank you,” Nina smiled.

“Did he tell you where he’s taking you?”

Nina shook her head. She didn’t even ask him about it, but maybe he would tell her when he got here. “Is it normal to be nervous?” She asked Toni as she cracked her knuckles, something she often did when she’s nervous.

“Of course. Especially when you really like that person.” Toni gave her a knowing smile before she left her alone with her thoughts.

It hit her then how much she liked Niall, how strongly she felt for him. It’s crazy because they just met. But then again, did time really matter? Because when she talked to him or when she’s around him, it felt like she’d known him forever. And as cheesy as it sounded, it’s like she’d been waiting her whole life for him. Except it took her a little while to realise that because the first time she met him, he was just her classmate whom she hoped would cooperate well with her because they needed to do a project together. Now, they’re more than that. Maybe, just maybe, the universe decided to throw them together again because they needed each other to go through the confusing part of their lives. Niall with his research and Nina with her job.

“Nins, your date’s here!”

Nina could feel her breath leaving her lungs. She took one last look at the mirror before she left her room.

“Have fun.”

“Thanks, Toni.”

Nina took a few deep breaths before she opened the door. Niall was wearing a dark blue button up with a pair of jeans that matched his shirt and a pair of dark boots. He looked amazing. Nina couldn’t believe that she’s going on a date with him.

“Hi,” he smiled. He leaned forward and pulled her in for a half hug. Before he pulled away, he pressed a kiss on her cheek. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” Her cheeks warmed up at the compliment. “You look great too.”

“Are we ready to go?”

Nina nodded as she stepped out of her flat and closed the door behind. “Where are we going?”

“How do you feel about mini golf?”

“I’ve never played it but it sounds fun.”

“Then that’s what we’re doing,” he grinned. “Fair warning: I’m extremely good at it.”

Nina let out a laugh. “We’ll see about that.”

Niall wasn’t lying when he said he’s good at it. There’s only one hole left and Nina’s scores were far behind his. There’s no way of catching up, which was why she had already admitted defeat ten minutes ago.

“Do you do this often?” Nina asked as they made their way to their last hole.

“Not really.”

“Then how’re you so good at it?” Nina frowned. It didn’t make sense that he’s good at it if he didn’t play this often.

“Well I did go mini-golfing a lot when I was a kid but this is my first time in, erm, four years.”

“So you haven’t played since you started uni?” Niall nodded. He’s so dedicated to his academic and Nina found that admirable. But even the smartest person on earth needed a break sometimes. You couldn’t focus on one thing and one thing only. So she decided to propose something. “We should do this a regular thing. Once a week? Once in two weeks?”

Niall looked at her, brows furrowing in confusion at the sudden suggestion.

“I mean, I gotta do this a lot if I want to beat your score someday.”

He laughed. “Once a week sounds good.”

“Awesome. I’ll be able to top your score in no time.”

Niall gave her a look. Okay maybe she was exaggerating. She’s going to need at least a year of practice before she could be as good as Niall because when it came to sports, she wasn’t a fast learner. Shame. She could really use that trait of hers for this.

“Alright. Here we are.” Niall stopped at their 18th hole and put down the ball. There’s a small fountain next to them and a family of three taking a picture of it. It made her miss her family suddenly. She hadn’t told her parents that she got a new job but she planned on doing so tomorrow morning. She owed them a video call, after all. “Nina?”

“Hmm?”

“You okay?”

Nina removed her gaze from the family to look at Niall. “Yeah,” she told him. She didn’t want to dampen the mood by talking about her parents. “My turn?”

Niall nodded.

Nina took her place in front of the ball and took a deep breath. “Here goes nothing,” she said as she hit the ball. She watched, with bated breath, as the ball hit all the right places and eventually fell into the hole. Her eyes widened. “Wait, no way.” She didn’t just do that, did she? A few minutes ago she hit the ball into the lake but now.

“You did it!”

“I did it? I did it!”

Nina jumped in excitement and threw her arms around Niall who dropped his golf club onto the grass so he could wrap his arms around her waist and lift her off the ground. Nina didn’t realise what she’s doing until her nose bumped against Niall’s when she pulled back. Time stopped, she swore, when their eyes met. As if on instinct, her gaze dropped to his mouth. Had it not been for the sound of laughter interrupting their moment, reminding them that they’re in public and there were families around them, she had a feeling she would’ve been kissing him by now.

She cleared her throat and stepped away from him. “I, uh, it’s your turn.”

“Right, right.” Niall nodded as he picked up his golf club. He hit the ball with precision and unsurprisingly, it went into the hole on one try. “So, that’s the last one.”

“Mhmm, mhmm.”

“We should return these.”

“Mhmm.”

The two of them made their way to the return counter in silence, unsure if they should talk about what nearly happened a few minutes ago. So they decided that it’s best if they kept their mouth shut. Nina waited on the bench as Niall returned the equipments they used earlier.

Nina was just about to wrap her head around what happened back there when Niall returned from the counter. He took a seat next to her.

“I, uh, want to be clear about something.” He started. He sounded nervous and unsure. Nina looked at him, scared to hear what he’s going to say next. “We almost kissed, didn’t we?”

She didn’t know what was she expecting, but this wasn’t it.

“I wasn’t imagining that?”

Nina shook her head. “No, you weren’t.”

“Oh great.” He let out a relieved sigh. He heaved himself off of the bench and offered Nina his hand.

“Great?” Nina kinked an eyebrow at him. She accepted his hand and he helped her stand on her feet.

“You know I like you, yeah?” He quizzed. “Really like you?”

“I… I like you too.” Nina said. This was her first time admitting it out loud and strangely, it felt good to do so. She was always scared that when she did tell someone she liked them, she’d get a thank you or silence in return -- it’s one of her biggest fears. But what she got was a smile. A huge one. “Really like you.”

Feeling an invisible pull towards each other, they both shifted closer and closer until there’s no gap between them and until the only thing left to do was for them to kiss, to continue what they nearly did a few minutes ago.

Nina didn’t remember who made the first move. It could be her, it could be Niall, or it could be the both of them -- not that it mattered because when their lips met, the only thing that they could think about was how this was just the beginning and how, for once, they weren’t scared of what the future had in store for them because they had each other.

#1dff #exchanges

180 notes · View notes

jaybeartodd · 6 years

Text

Colleagues Pt. 15/17 -- Jason Todd x fem. reader

Warnings: some cursing, mostly just a fluff monster before I ruin everyone’s lives with the finale (jk well maybe not sure yet)

Tags: @sarcasmismyfirstlove @tsctd @multi-fandom-dumpster @wordsmusicandchocolate @cattwomannn @itstoastytodd @nicunt @browneyedangel @amnahs9695 @mad-hatter-has-nothing-on-me @prancingdestiel

Permanent Tags: @vividmjs @alohabucky

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17

A/N: As per usual, I want to thank everyone for the amazing support. You are amazing and I hope everyone is doing great and I love you bunches <3<3 Enjoy!

“What do you mean it isn’t as impressive? We are literally underneath the police station. For months they were up there searching for me and I hid underneath them. Not to toot my own horn but that is pretty damn cool.” Jay declares waving his arm. His other arm is tucked under your head creating a barrier between you and the harsh concrete floor. You curl in closer to him feeling exhaustion press at your eyelids.

“I am just saying, the Batcave has more shock factor,” you mumble poking at his ego. “Also, it is at least attached to a house he can sleep in.”

“Y/N, I have an apartment. I am not a complete animal.” he laughs and it reverberates through his chest. A smile stretches its way across your face in response to a sound you never wanted to lose again.

“Could have fooled me,” you mutter into his chest. Your mind starts to drift along with your eyes as you slowly fall...You jerk yourself awake out of habit and his arm tightens around you.

“Wow, Y/N? You okay there?” Jason asks concerned. You sit up and blink your eyes.

“Yeah, I, um, just almost fell asleep. I really should be getting back. It’s late,” you say and start to gather your things.

“Stay with me tonight,” Jason proposes. You bite your lip pondering the situation. He sits up on his elbows and strokes your cheek with the back of his hand.

“Come on, Dopey. You look like Mr. Sandman dragged you through hell and back. And I know you sleep on that dingy-ass sofa. I have a real bed and I am so great at fighting nightmares. Expert, really.” he flashes his pearly whites and raises his eyebrows.

Your fatigued body screams at the opportunity and your brain has given up its fight a while back.

“Yeah, sure, that actually sounds really nice,” you say with a sigh. His eyes grow wide and he grabs your chin gently.

“Damn, you must be really tired. Not a single argument?” he kisses your cheek and stands up fist pumping the air.

“Jay, don’t make me change my mind...”

“Exactly! I didn’t have to! That is what is so astounding.” he says giving you a sly grin as he shrugs his shirt on.

You shrug Jason’s leather jacket closer to your body as you both walk hand-in-hand in the cool Gotham night air. Your sling makes it harder to wear the right sleeve so he zipped it up front to keep heat from escaping.

“I’m so used to seeing the city at night through a helmet. It’s...” he looks up thoughtfully and a pang hits your heart at the relaxed expression on his face.

“Peaceful.” You say quietly. He turns towards you with sparkling eyes. You yawn and lean your head against his bulky arm.

“Almost there, Doll,” he says softly. His lips curl into a grin at what you said. Peaceful. He hadn’t felt that in so long. But that is just it. Having your red cheeks pressed against his arm meant you were here. With him. Safely. And he felt a deep reassuring sense of peace.

You finally arrive and you are genuinely impressed by his apartment. You toss your stuff on the couch and rub your bloodshot eyes.

“Bed is in there, feel free to borrow my clothes,” you nod sleepily and make your way towards his bedroom. When you don’t notice him behind you, you turn around.

“Are you not coming?” you ask and he nods.

“Just give me a sec,” he says. You wave your hand not awake enough for further inquiry. You saunter in and after foraging for a clean shirt you exchange your own clothes.

Your brain can’t process anything except for how amazingly soft his bed is and before you know it you drift off. Only to be struck with a nightmare moments later. Jason enters the room and crawls in next to you.

“Shh, Doll. It’s okay. It’s only a bad dream. They are only scary if you let them be,” he whispers in your ear and pulls you close. You rest your head against his chest as your breathing slows back down and let yourself fall back to sleep.

The sweet smell of cooking wafts through the room and wakes you up. You blink your eyes open and feel around the unusual softness of your couch. Once you realize where you are, you stare wide-eyed at the previously occupied area of the bed next to you and the events of the night before come flooding in.

“Seriously Y/N? All it took was seeing him one more time?” you groan standing up. You rub the bandage on your arm wincing slightly at the pain. It does admittedly feel slightly better than yesterday. You grab the sling and wrap it around your neck.

All-too-aware of the conversation needed this morning, you take your sweet loving time padding over to the door. You peek outside to see Jason pouring batter into a pan explaining the enticing smell that you woke you to. He looks very concentrated with his spatula as he watches the pancakes sizzle.

Taking a deep breath you open up the door and step out. He looks over his shoulder at the noise. His eyes take you in greedily at the sight of your sleepy eyes, tousled hair and your body being swallowed up by his shirt.

“Morning Dopey. Pancakes?” he gives a boyish smile while holding up a plate stacked high with pancakes.

You look at him amusedly. “Sure but don’t be disappointed when I can’t scarf down all five pounds of them.“

He flips the last one onto the plate and sets them in front of you as you take a seat on a barstool.

“I have seen you eat, remember? Plus I can pick up your slack,” he says handing you a plate and fork. You dish off two from the top and take a bite. Surprisingly good.

“You should really put an apron on. Cooking etiquette and all that,” you say with a smile while pointing with your fork at his sweatpants and lack of shirt.

“Alright, Gordon Ramsay. Would you sit there and just eat,” he says rolling his eyes. He stands there with his fingers clutching the counter staring at you.

“Are you going to come sit?” you ask curiously. He sighs and reaches down.

“Actually I was thinking since I have your attention,” he tosses folders at you, “You could explain this.”

You stop chewing and set down your fork when you recognize the evidence you have been collecting.

“How did-” you search for your bookbag and see it lying at his feet, “Did you go through my stuff?!”

“You are avoiding the question, Y/N.”

“And you are ignoring mine.” You both stand there defiantly until you sigh and finally look away.

“You didn’t honestly think I would just lay back and do nothing.”

“Of course not, hence why I went through your stuff. But Y/N,” he pushes the papers towards you, “This is a little extreme even for you. What were you planning on doing with all of this evidence? Maybe tell Bruce his employees are working behind his back?”

You scoff at the irony of this.

“Says the boy who goes out of his way to disobey his orders.” Jay picks up the spatula and points it at himself.

“Yes, because I am the impulsive one who makes questionable decisions. You,” he points the spatula at you, “are the responsible one.”

You open your mouth to defend yourself but your phone starts vibrating in your bookbag holding off the conversation for the moment. You pick it up and the caller I.D. reads Nick’s name.

“Nick, hey,” you say into it and are immediately bombarded with questions.

“Y/N! Are you okay? Where are you? Why did you call? Is everything okay?”

“Nick, chill. I am fine. And I called because I was stranded but I was, uh, helped,” you glance at Jason to see him on a barstool shoveling pancakes into his mouth,” by someone so I am good. I am sorry I didn’t come home last night but I will be home in a bit.”

“Okay, I’m here so I will see you then.” You take another look at Jason and he looks up with a mouthful of food and curious eyes.

“Hey, Nick. Make sure you are free for dinner tonight.” Jay’s eyes narrow catching on quickly.

“Uh, okay, sure,” he says and you say your goodbyes before hanging up.

“Y/N, what is churning in that pretty head of yours?” Jason asks suspiciously.

“We are all going to have dinner tonight, together,” you say and shush him before he can protest, “You guys have to get along.”

You walk over to him and straddle his lap. He grabs ahold of your hips while you wrap your arms around his neck. His lips are set in a hard line of skepticism.

“You are the most important men in my life. I need you to get along. And he hasn’t done anything else for Mask, ” you press your forehead to his, “So, please do this for me.” You bat your eyes for extra measure and he blows out a puff of air in resignation.

“Fine, I will be civil,” you smile and peck him on the lips.

“Now we can enjoy our pancakes,” you chirp and start to slide off his lap secretly cheering on the fact that you distracted him from the previous conversation.

“Oh no, I don’t care how adorable you are,” his hands tighten on your waist, “We are talking about this. What was the plan, Nancy Drew?”

You brush a stray lock of hair from his face and look into the probing blue eyes.

“Fine, I was planning on exposing them in an article, Lois Lane style,” his face scrunches up at this, “Oh ok and breaking every bone in their bodies is a much more reasonable alternative.“

He shakes his head, “No, I am sure this will be effective. I personally believe that breaking bones is always the answer but that isn’t my problem with this plan.” His eyes grow dark and he gently holds both sides of your face.

“I am worried about you. There will have to be an investigation before anything legal will happen and that will be a window of opportunity to retaliate against you. And I already failed to protect you once,” you grab his arm and stroke it tenderly.

“Jay,” you begin softly, “I know you are worried but I can publish it anonymously which will give me time. And honestly, there isn’t much stopping him from attacking me again now.” Jason flinches at this and his hands slide back down to your thighs.

“This is the only way to put an end to all of it,” you whisper and tilt his chin up to look at you. “And you didn’t fail anyone. Don’t you dare blame yourself Jason Todd.” Your voice becomes stern and the left side of his mouth turns up in amusement.

“Or what?” he teases your leg and you kiss him hard while sliding off his lap.

“Easy there tiger. We have some pancakes to eat.” you say and plop down in the seat next to him.

“Yes, I suppose we do,” he grumbles and you laugh at his pouty face.

“I don’t know, Y/N. The guy obviously doesn’t like me. He freaking attacked me,” Nick whines and you rub your face in exhaustion.

“Nick, it was in a moment of anger. And he feels bad about it,” not exactly true, “Please. You both mean a lot to me and I need you to get along. Can you just do this one thing for me. You owe me.”

He turns sorrowful eyes towards you but your gaze remains unrelenting.

“Fine. Where are we going?” he mutters.

“We are going to a restaurant with a bar so there will be plenty of opportunities to drink.” you say patting him on the shoulder.

“Hey, did Clarissa call you?” he asks quietly and you stop on your way towards the shower.

“No, not yet Nickie,” you say gently and walk back towards him. His face falls and he rests his head in his hand. You take a seat next to him and pull him in for a hug.

“I really screwed up Y/N. Now I’ll never see Trey again.” he cries into your shoulder and you rub his back comfortingly.

“I’m sure she will come around. We will see him again.” you whisper reassuringly. But doubt lingers behind your words and you fight back tears of your own.

Noise from the enormous Saturday night crowd overwhelms you as you step into the restaurant with a reluctant Nick following closely behind. A crowd is laughing at a bar while couples dance in the open space next to them. Eventually your eyes wander over to the collection of tables and you see a familiar leather clad man tapping his fingers anxiously on the table. You start towards him and he looks up matching your smile with his own. He stands up awkwardly and you give him a peck before sitting down. He sticks his hand out towards Nick who takes it hesitantly.

“Good to see you man. I am really sorry for what happened in the hospital.” Jason says as if he is reading off lines. You can picture him rehearsing it and the gesture makes you smile.

“Um, no need to apology. I have made a lot of mistakes,” Nick says clearing his throat. You grab his hand and give him a heartwarming smile.

“But we are all safe and healthy and together now. And that is a win in my book,” you beam. Jason smiles down at you and the boys take a seat.

Jason’s hand grasps yours on the table as he talks animatedly about some movie he and Nick both happen to love. You feel a sense of calm rush over you as Jason and Nick carry easy conversation. No fists through walls or through each other’s faces so silent applause.

“I have to use the bathroom, I’ll be right back.” Nick says rising from his seat. You smile at his departing figure.

“Thank you, Jay. It really means a lot,” you gleam at him and his heart gives a pang at your genuine radiance.

“Anytime Doll,” he whispers and kisses your hand. You both jump at the abrupt ringing coming from Nick’s coat.

“Oh, that might be Clarissa about Trey!” you say excitedly and reach into his pocket.

Your fingers clasp around the buzzing phone and your face pales at the blocked number written across the screen.

“Y/N, what is it?” Jason asks concerned.

“It’s him,” you say between gritted teeth. Before you can think about it you slide open the phone.

“What the hell do you want?”

“Ah, nice to hear from you Y/N. How’s the arm?” he asks and your fingers tighten around the phone.

“What the hell do you want?” you enunciate the words this time hoping to really convey your message.

“Or more importantly, how are the nightmares? Are they everything they are hyped up to be?”

“Stop calling. My family is not helping you anymore.” you speak firmly and hear chuckling in response. You end the call and it immediately begins buzzing in your fingers again so you slam it down on the table.

“Y/N? What did he say?” Jason asks with anger lacing his words to match your own.

“Nothing, we aren’t doing this anymore.” You stand up abruptly. “I am ending this now.”

“Wow, Y/N, let’s pull a brake before you do something stupid.” Jason says following suit and grabbing your arm gently.

“No. I am tired of overthinking. I am tired of taking the long way. And I am tired of it never actually mattering. I am ending this and you are either with me or not.” You fix a hard glare to indicate no budging and he lets go of your arm to run a frustrated hand through his hair. He groans in exasperation knowing firsthand how stubborn you are. You are doing this whether he likes it or not.

“What is going on?” Nick’s hesitant voice approaches from behind. You grab his hand.

“We are going home.” you take a step but Jason’s strides outmatch yours and he steps in front of you impeding your path.

“No,” he says and you open your mouth for an angry retort but he interrupts, “No, I mean you are going to do this, nothing on this forsaken planet will stop you, but I am not letting you out of my sight anytime soon.”

“Well there isn’t exactly room in our apartment for a third person. There’s barely enough room for the two of us.”

“I wasn’t talking about your apartment,” You scrunch your nose.

“Us three in your apartment?”

“Not exactly,” he says with a sly grin that never measures up to any good.

“I cannot believe I agreed to this,” You say with a duffel bag slung over your uninjured shoulder while standing in easily the biggest apartment you have ever been in. One hallway leads into another which leads to another and the amount of space is honestly dizzying. Bruce gave it to the two of you promising security but forgetting to provide a map of how to navigate the damn place.

"Home sweet home baby,” Jason yells dropping the heaping mass of bags he refused to make a second trip for on the ground. You wince at the echo of his voice and the bags smacking the ground. This place is ridiculous.

“Bruce seriously didn’t have a smaller hideout?” you ask slightly irritable. You are not upset at the size of the place you are just upset you aren’t with Nick and Trey. Especially when they are in danger.

“Look, I know you are frustrated with the situation,” Jason says and saunters up behind you. He wraps his arms around your waist and puts his head on your shoulder. “But Nick is incredibly safe with Roy and we have someone looking out for Trey. They will be fine and we get some quality time in a huge ass apartment. And”

“We are better off separated because it means more work for Mask’s, what did you call them-”

“Murderous Roadies,” he responds diligently.

“Yeah, whatever. I get it just doesn’t mean I like it.” Jason chuckles tickling your ear.

“Alright, Grumpypants let’s get cracking on your story,” he says and kisses your cheek before plopping down on the couch.

The rest of the night ends with you both sprawled out on the floor with your laptop and various notes in an array. With only a brief intermission to see how many pieces of popcorn Jay can catch with his mouth, you worked relentlessly on the article with Jay filling in some gaps of your story.

“Are you nervous?” Jason’s voice grows husky with exhaustion. You are resting comfortably in the crook of his arm. You have just finished reviewing the article for the last time and hit the send button but neither one of you has made a move towards a bed.

You ponder his question for a split second.

“Actually, no. I mean I am nervous the newspaper won’t take it but once they do, I don’t know. I will just be...”

“Relieved” Jason finishes for you. You snuggle closer to him and let out a deep breath.

“Yes, relieved.” you tilt your head up so you can see his face. “Do you think this will end it, honestly?”

Jason sighs and looks off absently.

“I sure hope so Doll.”

#red hood #jason todd x reader #red hood x reader #red hood x you #Red Hood X y/n #Jason Todd #jason todd x you #jason todd x y/n #batman #BatFam #batman imagine

195 notes · View notes

the-voice-of-hell · 4 years

Text

The Septagram

- Previous - First -

***

Iphigenia took the flashlight out and ambled downhill over the chunks of rocks, earth, plants. Some parts were fairly dry, but others were drenched or held deep puddles. The aftermath of hoisting a city park with a reservoir and water tower two thousand feet in the air, then knocking it down. The wet parts sparkled in the weak electric light and were easily avoided.

Up ahead, she saw a pink light. A flame licking out of a crack in the ruins. It cast its faint light up on the unevenly collapsed slabs that constituted the roof of this passage. She didn’t think much of it until she got closer. There were six eyes floating in it, circling each other.

“What are you?,” she asked.

“The question,” the fire responded in a woman’s voice, “Is where am I?”

Ippy crumpled her face in anger, then figured it out. “You’re in my mind. There aren’t no six eyes floating in a pink fire in front of me.”

“That’s right. You’re coming to see me, Iphigenia, with violence in your heart. When we meet, it could be over very quickly. But before we meet, we can take a little time. Get to know each other.”

“Eeyeah, I don’t think so.” She started walking again - toward the weak flame, but intent on stepping right past it.

“Please, my sister. If you don’t tarry with me, then you will see him, and be overwhelmed with hatred.”

She shook her head. “What does it matter?”

“It matters to me,” said the woman.

Iphigenia was given a moment of pause. It reminded her of talking to the cop, Park. She knew better than to trust a cop, but he seemed quite genuine. Still, a six-eyed fire had to be less trustworthy than a pig.

Ippy reached a dark filthy pool, and there would be no way past it but wading. Orange fires sprang up at the corners of the pool, drizzling black smoke into the wreckage above. She had plenty of room to wade between the little hazards, and did so.

But they began to rotate. Slow at first but then becoming a spinning wheel of fire around her. There were eyes in this fire - more than in the last, red like rubies - and a man’s voice. Abalaam.

“Iphigenia. I understand you’re coming to kill me. I told you that you would have your vengeance. And now it lies ahead of you, simple and pure.”

“So why you holdin’ me up?” She wagged her hammer at the fire.

“Far be it from me to stand in the way of fate. But I want you to consider what you’ll find when you come to me. I am with Queen Bymaan - the architect of all this ruin, of this Hell on Earth. Between the two of us, how can you stand?”

“You both gonna try to kill me? Or fuck me? Because it kinda sounds like you both wanna fuck me. I’m not really into that, dude.”

“Hahaha, you are magnificent. But that’s not what I’m after. I want your fire, hot enough to burn us both to ash. I don’t mind dying. It’s been long thousands of years. But I don’t want to leave the Earth in that bitch’s hands. Kill us both, Iphigenia!”

“This is some bullshit reverse psychology, because you know I hate you enough I ain’t gonna do what you want. So I’m just gonna kill you and let her live. That’s obvious. But why would you want that?”

“Are you that simple? You’d let your world burn under the reign of Lucifer’s bitch, just to spite me?”

“You know how hard it is up here? Most Americans don’t give a fuck about the world. It’s like, I got mine, fuck you. Seriously, what did you hope to achieve by this? Get me riled, hope it’ll put me off my game?”

“You don’t even expect to live through the fight, do you?”

“You’re a fucking genius.”

“Fine. But don’t listen to her. She’ll have you in her thrall, believe me.”

“FUCK YOU! If I get this thing through your skull, I’ll kill myself with a smile. I’m fuckin’ DONE!”

“Such a waste.” The fires dissipated.

***

Park walked toward the pink light, wondered what he’d even do when he got there. He wasn’t a nephilim like Infante or Iphigenia. He didn’t even have a pointed stick at the moment. The pink light ahead was so faint, but he was sure it was his goal - his destiny. He wasn’t going to die before the scene in the throne room after all.

The oracles song was starting to pick up in his head again. He knew if he resisted it, he’d get a headache, but he figured out how to let it slide by him. A strange feeling. He let the sound be, but unfocused his mind, letting him see past it. Only one thing he needed - that pink fire.

An orange light emerged from the pink, and slipped toward him across the stone, in a serpentine motion. As it drew closer he could see it was an actual serpent, made of gold.

It was on him before he could think, sliding in circles around his body until it was on his hands like cat’s cradle. It was thin as a whip, with ruby-red eyes on its face and down its back.

“Detective Park!” It was Abalaam’s voice. Or Abraham’s, perhaps. Less depth.

“Gah! This is grody, even for you.”

“You don’t like snakes?” It disappeared in a burst of golden light, and SAC Abraham stood before him, translucent like those ghosts in Star Wars - but with a golden tinge to the light. “We can do it like this. It’s all in your head.”

“Yeah, that’s better. If we hafta do this, we can do it like this.”

“You’re a human being. Hardly a trace of angelic contamination in your noble blood - the favored race of God in Heaven.”

“What does that matter to you? Jealous?”

“Yes, in fact. But the important thing is that you’re so much more sensible than these nephilim.”

“Why do you need sensibility?”

“Iphigenia is still coming, specifically to kill me.”

“That’s fine by me.”

“Fine, but consider this. Bymaan is far more powerful than I am. I can even the odds with a little help from some nephilim, but if one stands with her against me, the fight is not so sure.”

“Again..?”

“If I lose and Bymaan wins, you will never be able to defeat her. If I win, you may yet have a chance to defeat me. The lesser evil should prevail, if humanity is to prevail in the long run.”

“So I’m supposed to use my sense to convince Iphigenia not to kill you, until the Queen is dead?”

“You’ve got it.”

“Not really convinced, Abe.”

“She isn’t even going to come to you.”

“What does that mean?” Park resumed walking, and the phantom remained in front of him receding at the same pace he advanced.

“She is in Iphigenia’s mind, and another nephilim as well. She doesn’t believe you matter - that humanity can make a difference. I’m coming to you because I believe there is a reason God favors you. Show your worth, Ji-hyung.”

“Christ, you demons are creepy.”

“You don’t have much longer to decide. The time is nearly upon you.”

“I know.”

The phantom disintegrated, replaced with a more solid form. It was a lurching human form that crashed into him, and they fell apart in a tangle of limbs, gasps, and panic.

***

“Jennifer. You’re awfully happy, considering the current state of your lover.”

Jen shook her head.

“Hey, that’s ticklin’ my nose, kid.” Jason rode behind her on the unicorn.

“Sorry, the evil Queen is trying to mind control me right now. Toots, I’ve got things to do. Gimme a break!” She kicked the unicorn’s sides gently and it ran at the wall, up to the corner, then sprang away.

Jason hung on for dear life. There wasn’t a good reason for him to be on the beast’s back yet. Jen hadn’t found a way out, but was so confident it would happen quickly that she’d convinced him to mount up. They’d been running up walls and kicking at cracks, by the light of the monster’s horn.

Bymaan was a pink haze in the corners of Jen’s vision. “I’m not trying to control you. You saw what happened. My treacherous servant Abalaam snatched up your Sergio to empower himself. You’ll see when you get to us.”

“That’s right. You came to Seattle and thought you could take over, subject us to your laws. But we’re free! Anarchy now, baby!”

Jason quibbled, only hearing half the conversation. “Maybe I should get off this ride, kiddo. I’m no rabble-rouser. I just wanna find my girl and get outta the pokey.”

“HYAH!” Jen rode the unicorn up another wall and bashed through the roof in a shower of small rocks. Tangled buddy roots roughly brushed over their flesh as they clambered through to the next good stopping place.

The pink haze fell away, but now an orange light crowded the corners of her sight. They were in a much taller pocket of ruin now, the lambent unicorn’s radiance barely reaching the top crevice where the slabs had crushed together. The beast tapped its hooves impatiently, feeling out the new environment.

Abalaam’s voice came to Jen. “You’re coming to find us, to set your man free.”

“Sergio’s his own man, demon voice.”

Jason said, “That’s it, I’m getting down. Thanks for the ride, unicorn.”

He awkwardly dismounted and staggered to the side. The unicorn whuffed at him, and went back to its work.

“Jennifer, I will gladly free Sergio, and this other one beside him. But I need all the power I can muster to throw down the despot that oppresses us both. Queen Bymaan has taken over your precious city. I don’t care about The Septagram. A demon lord reigning in open sight is a target. Help me defeat her, and I will release these men, then release Seattle itself.”

“Golly, pal. That sure sounds reasonable.” She rolled her eyes.

“The only reason I needed Sergio was to defeat my Queen. If she is gone, I have no need for him. You’ll see, whether you help me or not.”

“So why tell me about it?”

“Because it will be easier if you join me. Maybe you’ll see sense when you get here. She’s too powerful, and has to be stopped.”

“You’re the one that brought the building down. Who’s too powerful?”

“And after her tower fell, she isn’t dead yet. What does that tell you?”

“Get out of my head, guy. I’m gonna do whatever I want.”

“We both know that. It’s why we’re making our cases.”

“Uh-huh. Are you done yet?”

The fiery glow dissipated like someone blew out a candle. She turned the unicorn in place with gentle pushes at his shoulders, pleased how smart he was about following her instruction, and surveyed the chamber. There was Jason, hands in his pockets, wondering what would come next, but not wanting to get back on the creature. He flashed a polite smile at her, but looked away, making it clear he was looking for his own way out now.

She rode the unicorn around the uneven mounds of ruin, looking for weak corners or halls that hadn’t been ruined - any kind of way out. Then again, if the demon bosses had reached her with their minds, they were probably trapped as well. Should she be trying to escape, or trying to find them?

Jen grew impatient and picked up speed, driving the unicorn around and around the chamber, up and down walls. I’m the greatest hipster that ever lived. Nothing can stop me.

***

Maddy figured out she wasn’t being attacked and embraced the strange man. He was a tall handsome sort, but mostly it was a relief to be around any humans that had lived through that mess. “Oh, mister! You’re alive!”

“Uh, yeah, sorry.” Park pushed her gently out to arm’s length. “I’m glad to see somebody else alive in here, too. But I need to find somebody in particular. Have you seen a big red demon with a wheel on his back?”

She shook her head. “Yes, but why? Why go there?”

“My man is his prisoner.” A moment of reflexive internalized homophobia pushed this out his mouth, “We’re cops.” That’s right. He’s your man because he’s under your command.

“There’s no way your man is alive. That monster...” She shook her head. “We need to get out of here! The demons will kill each other and bring the place down on our heads! I know it!” She covered her face with her hands. “We need to get out of The Septagram. Out of Seattle.”

“Ma’am, look. I don’t know if there’s a way out of here until some kind of rescue digs us out. If you can find some water, do it. At least there’s a lot of trapped air and not many people sharing it.”

“You’re going to leave me?” She was miserable again.

“I need to find my man.”

“Fine, I’ll take you there. You damned macho bastard.” Her words faded into grunting silence. She gestured back the way she came - toward the faint pink light. Park helped support her so she could stop hopping everywhere. They went to see the Queen.

Park and Maddy came out behind the camel and carefully maneuvered around it. Maddy clung to Park all the way up until they were standing right beside the great demons, forming a triangle. She gestured at the weird scene. “Queen Bymaan. Your wheel, your man. Are you satisfied?”

Park’s gaze was transfixed. “Infante! Are you..?”

The broken remains of Abalaam’s wheel provided the stationary track for a wheel of fiery energy, with men for spokes. They spun endlessly - too fast to see their faces clearly through the flames. They didn’t speak, but the eyeballs on the wheel track flashed, and focused on Park.

The big demon spoke. “She doesn’t care about you, Ji-hyung. Madison. You’re merely humans.”

Park grunted. “Like the men in your wheel. Let them go!”

“These aren’t humans like you, like Madison. These are nephilim, and my only advantage over the Queen - the only thing keeping her bound to the circle.”

Maddy cried quietly into Park’s shoulder while he spoke with the thing.

“And we’re supposed to believe you’ll let them go when you take her down?”

Abalaam’s voice seemed to come from nowhere, his expression still as he faced off with the Queen. “It won’t be up to you to decide. Unless you can influence the will of the other nephilim who are coming to the battle - Jennifer and Iphigenia.”

“Two. One for each of you.”

“And I have two in my corner already.”

Park thought her heard the woman say “Daddy” and became too distracted to retort.

***

Iphigenia came to a long even slab leading down into darkness. There was a lot more soil and stone in the mix here - and among it, headstones and coffins. This must have slid down from the graveyard. She felt a little bad for the dead, but kept on.

Then orange willowisps trickled out of the rocks and came to rest on two particular coffins. Skeletons bashed their way out.

“Skeletons, oh no.” She wasn’t impressed, holding a very useful tool for crushing bone. She tucked the flashlight into her shirt pocket again and readied the weapon.

The skeletons looked confused for a moment, like they were trying to recover their minds, their identities. But then an orange light flashed in their eye sockets, and they fell in line. They leapt to the ground and ran toward her.

She was ready for the attack, but then they broke to the sides, started weaving and dipping like boxers. She tried to get out from in between them, but they were too deft.

“Fighters, huh?” She tried a little feint toward one, then came at the other with the hammer. It rolled out of the way and bashed her in the hip with a crescent kick. She grunted and didn’t have time to react before the other came at her with a familiar looking step side kick. She was tossed hard to the rocks. The other leapt in with a stomp to her gut.

Reflexively she lashed out with the hammer in a great sweeping arc. They both jumped back in unison, went to the boxing stance. She groaned and stood, keeping her back to the rocks. “Alright. What is this? Orange light, must be Abalaam. Didn’t know you had kung fu.”

The skeletons came back at her. She dove between them and caught more brutal kicks, rolling across the rocks. When she managed to face them again, she was rewarded with a kick to the face. It hurt like hell, but a kick from the other one to the side of her head was less bad.

They kept doing all these fancy little moves, spinning and weaving and snapping. But she realized they had very little strength - no muscle moving these bones, and the magic working in place of that was weaker. It was only direct hits with the right force behind that did proper damage.

She dropped the hammer and grabbed the leg of the tall one as it kicked at her, rushing forward until she slammed its body into a big rock. Her body was the weapon, and she crushed the fragile bones. She’d been cut up in the process, but it was worth it to have one less nuisance. Then she rolled to the side, to face the shorter one.

Ippy had turned just in time to see it had made itself a lot more dangerous, whacking at her with her own hammer. She barely dodged, got out of the way, and came up to face the Harryhausen creation.

It held the hammer across its hands, displaying it as if on offer. Letting her get the advantage back? A sense of honor? No, it was just being fancy before launching into a kata where it whirled the hammer all about like nunchaku.

“Damn, Boney Maloney. You come straight out of a kung fu movie.” She found herself unconsciously bobbing and weaving like they had done before, hoping to be ready for the attack when it came.

One quick hammer lash. She flinched out of the way and it was only a glancing blow. The skeleton seamlessly went back into the kata, the weapon twirling all about, daring her to try a move.

She stepped to the side, paced down to flatter rocks, and back a step. She had both fists up, one leg forward and one back, but tried to keep her stance as loose as possible. She needed to be ready for anything.

The skeleton seemed to prefer defensive moves - intercepting attacks and such. It also stepped back a pace, caught the twirling hammer under its right arm, and gestured to her with the other hand. Beckoning.

She shook her head. “Do I look stupid?”

It caught her in the middle of the last syllable, lashing out in the space between her breaths, when she’d be slowest to react. The hammer came so fast, crashing brutally into her arms where she blocked it, then snapped back to twirl in for another hit.

Ippy took advantage of the wind up and sprang forward with a short leaping kick to the chest. The skeleton blasted to pieces and her hammer clattered to the ground beside her.

The skeletons had done a number on her. She was scratched and scraped in so many ways, all of her clothes bloody, save where being pre-soaked with water made it harder for the claret to seep in. The worst were bone bruises on her arms, ribs, and jaw - and that her jaw was jammed up. She couldn’t open her mouth far without making the pain worse - and it was already quite bad, radiating from her throat up to her temple on that side.

She slumped to the grass, loosely drawing the hammer toward her lap.

More skeletons and a few withered corpses besides. No kung fu stances on the rest of them, at least. She rubbed sweat out of her eyes and tensed her grip on the hammer.

The assault began, orange light in their eyes. Abalaam knew she was coming for him, first and foremost. Could she really do this? Kill a powerful demon, like Infante had?

It was easy to feel powerful bashing apart these less impressive foes, but the demon had admitted the only reason they could be killed was due to Jelly Sue’s influence. As easy as it had been for him to destroy her, that vampiric power somehow had some power over him. Once she was out of the picture, Infante’s bullets did nothing.

Even with several corpses attacking her at once now, the fight was much easier. So much so that her mind was able to drift. There was an image there in pink light - a piece of paper floating down from above. More bullshit from the Queen. While part of Iphigenia’s mind battled the creatures around her, part of it read the page.

“The seventh spirit in order is Bymaan, a great Monarch, and very obedient to Lucifer. Bymaan is constrained by divine virtue to stand before the conjurer, where they putteth on the likeness of man or woman: they sitteth on a dromedary which is a swift runner, and weareth a glorious crown. There goeth before them an Host of spirits with trumpets and well sounding cymbals, and all musical instruments.

At first they appeareth with a great cry and roaring, that the conjurer will understand them not. But when the conjurer hath delivered them the first obligation to observe their desire, they must answer him distinctly and plainly to all questions asked - of all philosophy, wisdom, and science, and of all other secret things. And if he willeth to know the disposition of the world, and what the Earth is, or what holdeth it up in the water, or any other thing, or what is the Abyss, or where the wind is, or from whence it cometh, they will teach him abundantly.

Consecrations as well as sacrifices may be reckoned. Bymaan giveth dignities and confirmations - they bindeth them that resist him in chains and subjecteth them to the conjurer. They prepareth good familiars, can raiseth the dead for a time of seven years, and hath the understanding of all arts. Note that at the calling up of them, the conjurer must look towards the northwest, because there is their house…”

***

Maddy and Park were knocked to the floor with the force of a shockwave. A unicorn smashed through the wall and tried to drive its horn into Abalaam’s wheel, but was held at bay by the magic circle below him. The protective energies clashed with the unicorn’s powers, and threw it back. It hit the ground and bounced like a heavy sausage.

There was that young white lady from before, no doubt here to rescue Sergio, now fallen from the unicorn and utterly dazed. A man came up from the tunnel behind her, and beheld the scene in wonderment.

“Daddy?”

Jason cast about in the darkness, the only light sources the aurae of rituals and magical beasts. Then he saw Maddy, sprawled on the floor, reaching toward him with one hand. “Maddy!”

Park was very glad to not be ‘Daddy’, but he was occupied trying to understand the new situation - and still had an instinct to try to keep people safe as possible. He put himself between the lady and the magical fireworks - still sparking around Abalaam.

Abalaam’s voice rumbled, again disembodied. “Amduscias! Stay out of this! It is a family affair. No concern of yours.”

The unicorn took note of his commands, and got to its feet. Jen’s glasses were finally wrecked and she took in the scene impressionistically. “Amduscias? Is that your name, boy?”

He nodded to her, then turned his attention to the circle, stamping a hoof. He must not have the power to penetrate the magic circle, Jen reasoned.

She walked along the periphery on the far side from Maddy and Park, while Jason hustled the other direction, rushing to embrace his daughter. Jen looked at the spinning men hopelessly. They were a blur in a ring of fire. “Sergio!”

He couldn’t respond.

Abalaam spoke again. “You’ve arrived Jennifer. I did not expect you to bring help. Strange we can be nearly omniscient and still get broadsided by circumstance. Have you met my friend Ji-hyung Park? He’s a detective from Tacoma.”

“That’s great.”

“Not his friend!” Park was yelling from the other side of the wheel.

“I guessed.”

“Jennifer. You still have time to decide. Unlike your new friend, you can pass the circle - try to lay hands upon me in violence. You won’t be able to harm me yet - perhaps when the second nephilim arrives. In the meantime, consider my words.”

“Man, why should I believe you? Maybe I can kill you right now, and you’re just biding time!”

“Hahaha… You’re welcome to try. Just keep in mind the fair lady in front of me is made of softer stuff - and it would be a far better use of your energies to take her down.”

She regarded the Queen. What a strange figure she cut, like a statue of the Virgin Mary, crying. Just to look at her, it was hard to hate her. But she had to remember the cruelty of the invading army, making Rosemarie get that crappy tattoo, killing those guys. The cruelty with which they’d jailed her and Sergio in that little cage. And why was Amduscias trapped with Jason at the bottom of the pit? Who could do that to a unicorn?

Amduscias spoke, “You’re thinking about it. Good.”

She shook off the haze. “Like fuck I am.” She pointed angrily at Abalaam, who still was not looking at her, except with the eyes of his wheel. “Let’s do this thing!”

Park felt useless. He was holding his arms at his sides, as if he’d have to use them somehow to protect Maddy and her Daddy. Surely neither of them was stupid enough to get into the fight. And what was the goddamned unicorn going to do? It was pacing near Abalaam’s back - a lot smaller than the camel in the Queen’s corner, but armed.

Jen charged at the Queen, ran up her fleshy body, did an extremely powerful backflip off her forehead, coming at Abalaam with pointy boot heels to the eyes. She bounced away and her fall was broken by a big white lap. It jiggled with her impact.

She felt the Queen’s soothing presence in her mind, like big white hands helping her back to her feet, though the actual hands remained still at her sides. She looked up at Abalaam, still sitting impassive. No. He was smiling now, the prick!

“I’ve had about enough of you,” she said.

“You can feel how soft she is. Strike her down, and Sergio will be freed. Officer Infante as well… Strange, how much love is in this fallen temple tonight. But can the lovers bring themselves to do what is best for them?”

Jason got Park’s attention with an arm on the shoulder. Park jumped. “Sorry, officer, I just… do you know if there’s a way outta here for the civilians?”

“I’m sorry. I really wish I did.”

“Thank you.” He stepped back to Maddy and slouched down at the wall beside her. “Hey Princess, how are you holdin’ up?”

“It’s a miracle! You’re alive.”

“You and me both, Baby.”

“No, I mean it! I tried really hard, I prayed so many times. And you came riding in on a - a unicorn! It’s Jesus!”

“I think its name is Amduscias, Honey.”

She punched his arm. “You know what I mean!”

“Uh, yeah, I guess I do. Well, I wasn’t praying when Jen and Amduscias busted me outta the pit, but you were. Maybe if we’re both praying now, it’ll help out a lot?”

“I love you, Daddy.”

He held her close and kissed her temple, then quietly said anything holy he could remember. “Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name...”

Jen clambered out of the Queen’s lap and stood between the monsters. Fallen angels. Demons. She could feel the energy between them as they struggled for dominance, and something else too - more subtle. She felt it in her pelvis and thought of Sergio. His energy was caught up in this mix too. She got mad and started stomping and kicking at Abalaam’s annoyingly bulletproof legs.

***

The demons atop the mess had developed a good strategy for finding the Queen. Shiny Dan - a Satanist with a drafting degree - worked with the tiniest demons they could find and a lot of wire to start mapping the wreckage. Cariamon - the main demon on the scene - kept the less ruly types out of the way while he processed the intelligence.

The building had been made of a very particular kind of black stone, which was fairly resilient to the kind of damage being done. While the whole structure had fallen to pieces, large slabs of it had not - some hundreds of feet long. They were stacked irregularly, like a pile of driftwood that hadn’t been cemented fully by tides yet, leaving pockets of air - caverns, mostly sealed off from each other, but some more connected than others. The little demons squeezed in the less accessible cracks and crevices to help map out the interior.

Cariamon shoved a monkey-like demon aside with his copper-plated rod of authority, then pointed it at the six inch demon giving his report. “Be specific. Was it more of an acute angle, or obtuse?”

Its fish face was panicked. “What does that mean, boss?”

Shiny Dan said, “Was it steep? Did you have a hard time standing on it, where it sloped down?”

“Yeah! Yeah, real steep.”

“Thank you.” He adjusted the angle of a chunk of polygons in his 3D program. “Master Cariamon, with a few more hours of this, I really believe we can pinpoint where the temple ended up.”

“Mm, it may have to do, but I wonder if we can hasten the discovery. She doesn’t need to breathe, but if she’s … in a bad state, Lucifer will be most vexed.”

Shiny Dan pushed his ponytail back from his shoulder again, and looked at the fallen angel with sensitive eyes. “I will do whatever it takes for my Infernal Lord!” He contemplated the screen again. “We can really rule out all of these areas. These slabs suggest that interior vertical stayed intact after these floors collapsed, which would force it to stay on this side of the wall. See?”

“I do see. This technology is remarkable.”

“Vinimus, Terigius, and that one that looked like… a mushroom with a human foot?”

“Grotus.”

“Those guys did some serious rappelling here. Said it was a fifty foot drop, which for them is mountain climbing.”

“Why do you mention this?”

“The horizontals - the floors and ceilings - crumbled much more thoroughly than the verticals. If it’s weak enough and you ran some guys down that shaft, they might be able to find the temple. Unless it ended up in this spot, or this one. Or if it was smashed completely.”

“You have served Hell well, Shiny Dan. Keep up this work. I’m going to get that endeavor underway.” He turned to another legionnaire. “Ardigon, keep this lot in line while I’m gone.”

“Aye, Master Centurion.”

Cariamon ascended the ridge grabbing the attention of his subordinates with waves of the scepter, pulling them into his orbit. At the top he pointed to a small hole in the rubble, only a foot and a half across. “We need this hole wide enough to send down legionnaires, explore anything you can get past with picks. The bricks of the pavilion had a wavy cut. Keep your eyes out for those in particular.”

An elderly man crested the opposite ridge and looked down at them with a hand on his hip. “Heya. Heard the Queen ended up inside this mess.”

Cariamon cocked an eyebrow at him. “Another fake legionnaire?”

“I never fake it. Anyway, I’d love to meet the lady in charge. Is this way down a hot ticket?”

“Could be. Grab a pick, old fellow.”

“Mmm, too slow.” He slid down the slab he was on, did a little hop, and crashed through the hole - widening it on the way down. He was out of sight.

Cariamon jabbed a goat boy in the arm with his rod. “Don’t let that man find her first. Get in the hole. All of you!”

***

#The Septagram

0 notes

alexanderwrites · 7 years

Text

Thoughts Roundup - Twin Peaks: The Return, Part 13

“What Story is That, Charlie?”

Last week, when we were given an episode that was slow, withholding with its information, and for many, very frustrating, I wasn’t worried. I wasn’t worried, because I knew it was just a strange, brief detour and that we should focus on the journey rather than the destination. I also didn’t worry because I thought the next episode would be better, and thankfully I was right. I’m no Angelo Badalamenti, so I won’t toot my own horn too much but I think now, hours after watching it, I’m realising that I was very right, because this isn’t just a better episode, but is one of the all time best Twin Peaks episodes. It keeps that steady pace, but there’s an alchemy of all the ingredients that’ve made this season so great, which tonight forms a cohesive, exciting and deeply involving hour of television.

. It’s party time for the Mitchum brothers, and party time for the soundtrack producers who give us one of the wildest and weirdest cuts yet. I don’t know how to describe it other than it being a demented casino style nonsense song, and I might be wrong, but the percussion pattern sounds a lot like a sped up version of the drumming in The Bookhouse Boys, a track from the Season 1 soundtrack. It’s nice seeing Coop enjoying himself, and it’s funny how happy he has made the Mitchum brothers, Janey-E, and his boss. The fact that he can still manage this despite being a silent, largely unresponsive man who walks into glass doors, speaks to the innate happiness that Cooper has always brought people, only this time it’s accidental. People want him around, and I think it’d be quite a bittersweet ending if he does wake up and leave for Twin Peaks. Yes, it’d be satisfying for us, but Janey-E wouldn’t have her husband anymore, Sonny Jim wouldn’t have a dad, and The Mitchum Brothers wouldn’t have anyone to buy pie for. Before it becomes the Everybody Loves Dougie show, Anthony steps in to put an end to him, but even he can’t bring himself to poison Dougie to death! So Dougie-Coop has his sharp black suit, a black coffee and a piece of cherry pie. Whereas we once would’ve said “THIS will be what wakes him up!”, we’ve stopped expecting it and instead learned to enjoy the pleasure he takes in scoffing the stuff down. While it can feel melancholy when signifiers from his past edge him towards who he used to be, some of these episodes hint at the idea that maybe he’s happy where he is. We want him to get back to his old self, but do we want that for him or for us? He’s had the food and drink that he loves, he’s walking around amazed by everything, and even uncovered a considerable crime. Everything about him is there, really. And I’m beginning to feel like that’s enough for me. Then the Fusco Brothers attain a crucial piece of the puzzle that’d help get Cooper back home, decide to throw it out, and I laugh “FOR FUCK’S SAKE”. Dougie’s prints reveal that he was an FBI Agent and broke out of a maximum security prison, and away this is tossed because of its unlikeliness. It’s funny, really. Because it is unlikely, it is absurd, and that such an important fact has been discovered and thrown out immediately by the police is hilariously frustrating. I loved this moment, Eric Edelstein’s weird and distinctive laugh commenting on how ridiculous this all is.

. I love how adoringly Janey E looks at Cooper when she opens the car door for him. They’ve come a long way since she was angrily cramming him into the car, and it’s nice to see her not suffering the financial burden that the original Dougie left her in. Naomi Watts is really effective when painting Janey E as someone rediscovering feelings for her husband, and it’s actually kind of touching. And Sonny Jim’s Gym is so fucking bizarre. Why does it play music-box versions of Tchaikovsky? Why does it have a prison-style search light? Why anything? I love it.

Continuing in the lovey-dovey, not-so-bad-after-all vein of things, this season has had a lot of characters turn out to be not quite as awful as you expect them to be. The Mitchum Brothers showed a kind of generosity, Ben Horne is an altruist, and Anthony has a breakdown in front of his boss and Dougie, claiming he wants to be a better man. I mean, you can’t call him a good person just because he didn’t MURDER COOPER, but it’s nice to get a variety of technically bad people who, when it boils down to it, don’t really want to be that bad. It’s not such a bad world after all, hey?

. Actually yes it because fucking Doppelcoop is on the warpath again, and this time he’s getting what he wants via arm wrestling, just like Sylvester Stallone in Over the Top. And just like Sly claims himself to be in Over The Top, Doppelcoop is a machine, and the amount of control he displays in this scene is really quite frightening. “It hurts when you had my arm like this. Let’s go back to starting position. It’s really much more comfortable”, he says, arm-wrestling a boss of a bunch of bastards so that he can get to bad old Ray. He demonstrates that he has the entire arm-wrestle under his control, and can position his arm wherever he wants without exerting force. He can win, and kill, without trying. This is who Doppelcooper is, and why he is such a formidable force. He rarely exerts power, but when he does it is effortless and unstoppable. He will get what he wants, and every piece of his journey has been carefully manipulated and decided by him, and that’s what this scene shows. The gang watching on heavily resemble the spirits above the convenience store in FWWM, and I think this is a purposeful visual metaphor, a way to tie them visually to the evil that lurks upstairs. When Doppelcoop wins, he gets Ray and the scene that follows is an immensely satisfying one.

The ring that we’ve seen numerous times gets a visual explanation, sort of. Ray wears it when he is killed by Doppelcoop. It then disappears to the black lodge, where his soul shows up shortly after. It seems to say quite clearly that wear the ring when you die, and you end up on that famous zig zag floor, with fucking Mike. What a bummer he’d be to spend eternity with. Before Ray snuffs it, he talks about Phillip Jeffries, who sent Ray to kill Doppelcoop because he has something he wants, which is Bob, who is in hot demand this season. I’m glad to hear Jeffries mentioned again, and part of me still holds out hope that David Bowie filmed a super duper secret cameo before he passed away, but i’m not counting on it. Maybe the closest we’ll get to seeing him is that mysterious blinking box all those episodes ago. But, Ray claims that he was last seen at a place called The Dutchman’s, and this is all Doppelcoop needs to hear. Ray’s death feels big, not necessarily because he was an important character, but because they discuss Jeffries, the ring and Major Briggs, which all ties into the mythology of the show, a mythology which was also discussed last week with Albert. Now listen, i’m easily pleased when it comes to the Twin Peaks lore - say the words ‘lodge’, ‘blue book’ or even ‘Owl’ to me and i’ll begin jittering in excitement. I may even sick up. But this is more important and integral to the storyline that simply chucking out bits of lore, and that makes it so much fucking cooler. Doppelcoop is working towards it, the Bookhouse Boys are heading towards it and the FBI are heading towards it. The idea of them converging is too fucking exciting to process. So. Ray is dead (Nobody Loved Raymond), and Doppelcoop is on his way to either Twin Peaks via the coordinates that Ray gave him, or The Dutchman’s, wherever the hell that is.

. Tim Roth and Jennifer Jason Leigh are still driving around and i’m guessing, will hook back up with Doppelcoop soon. Their scenes are usually very short, but they’re both such great actors that i’m fine to just hear them shoot the shit for a couple of minutes.

. Back in Twin Peaks, Becky is still having domestic issues, and Shelly is still being a warm and kind Mum, telling Becky to get to the Double R and have some pie. It’s strange seeing her serving there all these years on, and strange seeing Bobby at the counter, especially because all the camera angles that used to capture the diner are absent, and we’re seeing the place in a completely different visual manner. It feels much more like a legitimate restaurant now, and this is developed with Norma discussing business options with who seems to be her boyfriend. So, no. She didn’t end up with Big Ed, and like Bobby watching Shelly and wondering what might’ve been, Ed watches Norma from a booth further down. He can see her clearly, but she’s a world away. There’s a deep melancholy in seeing Big Ed alone, things clearly not having worked out with either Norma or Nadine. The past, when things looked hopeful, feel like a million years ago, and everything has changed since then. Except for him. Bobby has grown up and become someone his father would’ve been proud of, Norma is franchising, Nadine has perfected the silent drapes. But Big Ed is still pining across the shiny tables for Norma like it’s 1990.

And Norma is trying to keep things as they are, too. She’s encouraged to change the name of the restaurant, but she wants to keep it as it is, the way people know it. It’s an argument that summarises the attitude of The Return: do you give in and listen to what you’re being told people want, or do you follow your gut and make choices you are passionate about, in the way that you decide? Thank god Lynch and Frost didn’t listen to anyone. Norma knows what the Double R means to the people of the town, and she knows how much people need it, as a source of comfort and of solace. And she can franchise, and have restaurants popping up that try to be the real deal, but there’s really only one Double R, and there’s only one Twin Peaks. And in these scenes, that feeling of solace and comfort feels close yet a million miles away: unmistakably warm, but shot through with that heartrending, small town melancholy. There’s nothing quite like it.

(A little thing I noticed about Bobby - he says he found his dad’s old stuff “today” - but they found his stuff several episode ago, and since then Bobby has been seen at night. So is this Double R scene not chronological, and is actually set a few days back?)

. The reason that the comfort of the Double R feels somehow distant, unattainable and kind of false is because of scenes like Audrey’s in this episode. We can’t sit in the diner and pretend everything is okay in the town, when we know a storm is brewing outside. The argument has moved on between her and Charlie, from being about what has happened to how Audrey feels. And how she feels is heartbreaking. Like she’s not herself and that she doesn’t know who she is, and Charlie’s reaction? Scorn. Condescension. Treating her like the teenager she was when we last saw her. The scene has moved away from feeling frustrating and into nightmarish territory, the wood panelling of the walls making the room feel like a cabin in purgatory, or a real life black lodge. And Charlie’s words become more vague, and more frightening. He speaks of ‘ending her story’, and the discomfort of this scene really brings into the question the dynamics between the two, who he really is, and where they really are. The scene develops an emotional core to the storyline, and we begin to desperately want Audrey to get out from between these two worlds that she’s stuck in, and to leave that horrible room. Like Big Ed, like Cooper and like so many others, she is trying to return, but is stuck.

. How they’ve managed to make the Palmer living room look more frightening than it did before is beyond me. Sarah drinks and smokes in the sickly darkness, watching a 15 second loop of an ancient boxing match which repeats ad nauseum, like the electric bear that spoke the words “Hello Johnny, how are you today?” endlessly a few episodes back. It feels nightmarish, and you want it to end. But it is stuck. Are we sensing the theme in play here again? The room feels angry and oppressive, and it’s reasonable to expect something evil and awful to materialise in it at any moment. But the horror is not Bob, or the ceiling fan, but the situation of Sarah: a woman who has lost everything, and whose life is full of dread and solitude.

. Nadine and Dr Jacoby’s interaction is lovely, and feels like a genuine moment between two old friends who haven’t seen each other for many years. Except one has an eyepatch and a silent drape running shop and the other sells golden shit shovels via his angry livestreams. The point is, it feels real, and Wendy Robie still beautifully imbues Nadine with that almost schoolgirlish nervousness and innocence. She is pure in her exuberance towards Jacoby and her drapes, and she seems star struck by her former doctor. I’m so fond of Nadine, and there is a moment that hints at a sadness or darkness in her past, when Jacoby remembers seeing her on her hands and knees in a supermarket trying to pick up a potato. “There was a storm that night”, he says, and she looks afraid, and sad. What happened to her? What happened to all these people in this town? What has time done to them, and why do they all have to live with such pain?

. And before we know it, we’re back at the Roadhouse, and this week we have probably the most divisive (read: unpopular) performer yet. Yes, it’s James Forehead Hurley, singing Just You and I. I can’t pretend to feel how i’m supposed to feel as a Twin Peaks fan and hate on this, because truly, I loved this moment. I loved it more than any roadhouse scene yet, and I have a big soft spot for James. The poor bastard had a rough time of it, and yes, he was a moody mope, but I feel for him. I was moved by seeing him received so well by the audience, and seeing him perform that song (which I will now have in my head for the next fortnight) made him look young and happy again, and I found it massively touching. It was a bittersweet moment of nostalgic melancholy, elevated by the image of Big Ed back at the Gas Farm, eating his Double R soup all alone.

There Ed sits, thinking about how things were, and how they are now. Or maybe it’s us that’s thinking about it. Because we can listen to old songs, and sit in the Double R eating cherry pie, but we know evil forces are on their way to town, and already exist there. There is a goodness too, in the log lady, the bookhouse boys, in Ed, Norma, and Nadine. But they’ve been through too much to have that innocence, and the questions that The Return brings us is how can we ever go back to the way things were? And how much power do we have to prevent the bad things from happening again? I’ve been thinking of the song Ohm by Yo La Tengo, where they sing:

“Sometimes the bad days maintain their grip Sometimes the good days fade...

But nothing ever stays the same Nothing's explained”

That feeling, that we might never get back the good days, and that it doesn’t always happen for a clear reason, is prevalent in tonight’s episode, which explores how the characters that populate the show feel. It might not be explained exactly what has happened, but as well as starting to piece together the mystery, Part 13 interrogates the deepest emotional wells of the show, and it results in a moving and beautiful episode that deftly blends darkly satisfying plot progression and emotional complexity (I know it’s weird to call an episode where someone is punched in the face to death “beautiful”, but i’m sticking with it).

“I’m not sure who I am, but I’m not me”

#twin peaks spoilers #twin peaks #twin peaks: the return #david lynch #kyle maclachlan #dale cooper

12 notes · View notes