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oathkeeper-of-tarth · 3 years

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The d’Avenir Treatise on the Essentials of Monster Hunting (Vol I) - Preface and Introduction

The timing of this whole thing with the campaign is pretty amazing, as it turns out. In the middle of absolute work hell and attempts to sort out my general apartment/living situation, a little while ago I entered a fic into the /r/CurseOfStrahd second annual fanfic contest. It was one of my attempts to kind of write out and process the way our own run through the module went, stretch out some poor, suffering, unused writing muscles, and it was also super duper self-indulgent. So I'm very, very proud to say it won first place amidst some really great competition, and super happy to rep my best girl Ez.

Summary: In the aftermath of Strahd's destruction and the not-quite-loss of her mentor, Ezmerelda d'Avenir sets out to tie up loose ends and lay some ghosts to rest, and continues carving out a path for herself in the Domains of Dread.

Word count: 9999, as there was a 10k limit. I had fun.

Rating/Warnings: T, with canon-typical violence, and dealing with death and loss in a general gothic horror setting. Spoilers for the Curse of Strahd module.

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The d’Avenir Treatise on the Essentials of Monster Hunting (Vol I) - Preface and Introduction

Being a compendium of successes, failures, tricks, and warnings relating to detecting, tracking, fighting, and ultimately destroying undead, fiends, lycanthropes, and assorted monstrosities.

1.1. Introductory remarks

Their ride back to town is a quiet one. The silence is broken only once they are sitting, their hunting and travelling gear half-unpacked and strewn about, in the library just above van Richten's herbalist shop.

"Were we in any other profession, this would be a cause for celebration," van Richten's lips twist into a bittersweet wisp of a smile, and he pushes a warm cup of tea into her hands. "A demonstration of pride in an apprentice's first job well done, for all to see and revel in."

Ezmerelda tries to look up at him and meet his gaze properly, but her shoulders, her head, her eyes all feel too heavy. A leaden weight seems to have settled on every bit of her. She is tired, bone-deep, but the very thought of lying down and closing her eyes to attempt to sleep fills her with disgust and no small amount of dread. She knows exactly what she will see. The man, just on the cusp of middle age, entirely unremarkable at first... features quickly twisting into a mask of monstrous hunger, then to wide-eyed horror, and, finally, resorting to desperate pleas for mercy as the stake hits home and his screeching form dissolves to ash.

It feels like the ash still coats the back of her mouth. The tea smells of strong herbs, with just a whiff of something even stronger that van Richten must have snuck in from the liquor cabinet. Her hands clench around the cup, and a burning need to justify and defend herself drives her to finally speak up.

"I was ready," she insists. "I am ready."

"I know," van Richten replies, softly, sadly.

The tea scalds her tongue, but she drinks it anyway.

---

Getting up from the damp, cold floor of the tomb again feels like an impossibility. She can barely keep her head above the ground, eyes stinging with a mixture of blood and sweat and the glare of pure, magical sunlight. The clawed gashes on her ribcage burn with every weak, hard-won breath, and a metallic taste coats the back of her tongue.

But she is not done yet. She has one last lightning bolt left in her, and Strahd and his dusk elf lackey are so beautifully, perfectly aligned. Ezmerelda can't keep her lips from curling up into a smirk as she raises an arm and mutters her incantation, feeling that familiar tickle of static rising all around her.

She holds on, builds it up as much as she can, teeth grinding together, ears buzzing - until she can hold on no longer, and the energy flies from her, the flash near-blinding, the roar of accompanying thunder ringing in her ears.

She sees it hit home, the first traces of foggy vapour swirling around Strahd's convulsing form, and a beautiful satisfaction fills her.

Then, she lets herself go.

An instant or an eternity later someone is shaking her into jarring and painful wakefulness, jostling her head against the rough floor. Her mouth is filled with the bitter aftertaste of a potion, and she grimaces as she feels the familiar residue on her lips and chin.

"Fine, fine, old man, relax, I'm up," she manages, slurring the words, struggling to blink her eyes open and into focus. "I'm awake. Stop it."

But it's not him.

It is Ireena, wide-eyed gaze somehow growing wider still at her words. The reason for this becomes abundantly and agonisingly clear as she points to somewhere behind Ezmerelda... to where Rudolph van Richten lies, very pale and very still, a greater and more profound calm upon him than she has ever witnessed.

"No."

She didn't even see him fall.

"Why didn't you help him?" Ezmerelda knocks the empty potion bottle away, and it clatters loudly against the stone, finally finding rest near a streak of dark ashes. "What are you waiting for, what--"

"I tried. It was... it's too late," Ireena whispers, "I'm sorry."

Ezmerelda feels shame flood her immediately at the misaimed anger. "No. No, I'm sorry. It's not your fault. I'm sorry. I just-- wait." Awareness of just where they are and what they were in the middle of doing suddenly overwhelms her, and she feels panic crawl up her spine. "Is it over? Did you stake that bastard once and for all?"

Ireena nods, mouth curling in visible distaste. "I did, just like you said to. Your last hit - it was enough to force him to turn into mist, and then, when... when he reformed in the coffin, I did it."

The relief Ezmerelda feels at that is so bitter it burns. "I missed it, then," she murmurs, and feels ridiculous immediately afterwards. Ireena shakes her head, and helps her sit up.

She allows herself a few precious moments of rest against the cold, damp wall of the crypt, eyes painfully locked on van Richten's still, still form. As soon as she feels half-capable of moving, she all but drags herself to his side. Feeling for a pulse, a breath, anything at all to help her disbelieve what is plainly before her eyes.

She finds no such thing. He's dead, and it feels like a stake through her own heart. After all her efforts, after getting into Barovia just to get the damned foolish old man off his self-destructive warpath and out, only to lose him now, to fail right at the end...

A pale shimmer falls over the scene before her, like a curtain right before her eyes. Ezmerelda blinks and shakes her head, but can't make it go away. She reaches up, and--

Erasmus all but swoops down to be face to face with her.

It takes her a moment to properly grasp what she is seeing. Erasmus. Somehow still there, his ghostly form hovering over his father's body. Gesturing at her wildly, pointing down at something, and, finally, using his ectoplasmic paint to draw... a circle within a circle, hanging in mid-air.

She follows his wordless instructions to the best of her current ability and, with some painfully suppressed reluctance, looks down at van Richten. And there on his finger is a ring that was certainly not there before.

Erasmus seems insistent and quite unusually agitated, so Ezmerelda takes the ring, trying not to register the coldness of the hand it was on, and puts it on numbly, feeling utterly beyond thought.

Suddenly, cutting through the fog that seems to have descended upon her mind, bubbling up like an idea from her own consciousness, a thought - a voice. A familiar voice.

'Ezmerelda? Ah. I see. Well, that could have gone decidedly better.'

She feels tears welling up in her eyes, an unstoppable burning in her chest. She wants to laugh until she can't breathe, or sob her lungs raw.

Instead, she sits back against the cool stone wall. As the adrenaline wears off, she becomes more aware of the extent of her injuries: the sting where foul claws raked across her midsection and upwards; the burns of magical fire on her palms. She fishes out the last potion from her pocket, and downs it in one greedy gulp. The relief is near-instant.

Her faculties at least somewhat returned to her, she opts for a laugh as she recognises the ring for what it is. Ireena looks at her with some concern, but Ezmerelda waves it away.

"A ring of mind shielding. Protect the mind, and store the soul, should the worst happen. Of course you of all people would come so prepared."

Ezmerelda twists the ring on her finger, marvels at the detailed engraving.

"Should I... we could... there's ways. To get you back. I mean..."

She trails off, and there is a brief pause before the voice in her mind pipes up again. 'No. No, I think, at long last, it is time for me to stop. And rest.'

Even though her entire being wishes to rail against this, to insist on the need for Rudolph van Richten to exist, and protest the injustice (just when she'd gotten him back!), Ezmerelda manages, barely, a soft, "I understand."

'There is still some work to do before that, though, no? Loose ends for us to take care of before, well...'

That, she feels far more comfortable with. It almost comes as a relief. "Yes, of course. First order of business, we will sit down, and we will work out a plan. And we will stick to that plan."

There is a soft chuckle in her mind.

"What's so funny? You love plans."

She imagines, in better, happier days, the old man - only slightly less old - shaking his head at her with a long-suffering smile.

'Thank you for humoring me, is all I'll say. Now, go handle things here properly and finish up, while I think of a list of priorities for us. Miss Kolyana is waiting for you.'

1.2. A brief reflection on personal experience

Ezmerelda is pulled into a room, hand clamped over her mouth. The door slams shut, and she almost stumbles as she is suddenly released.

"What in all the realms are you doing here?" The colourful half-elf carnival master hisses at her in a voice decidedly unlike the one he was just using in the downstairs taproom. Now that they are close, she can see the magical disguise of the Great Rictavio is utterly impeccable, but the eyes... the eyes are unmistakable.

They are also flooded with the closest thing to panic Ezmerelda has ever seen in them.

"I'm here to help you. You don't stand a chance on your own."

"How did you find me?"

Ezmerelda shrugs noncommittally, and doesn't look behind him. "I have my ways."

He shakes his head. "That isn't good enough. If his agents - and there are many, I assure you! - catch even a whiff--"

She finally glances at the ghostly form of Erasmus, just barely visible over Rictavio's shoulder, unable to be perceived by the one man he wishes he could reach out to and reassure. He meets her eyes and holds his finger up to his lips.

"I recognised your horse," she says, at long last.

"Dear Drusilla? Oh..." Rictavio seems to almost deflate at that, though his nervous pacing doesn't slow.

Erasmus' visage shows what has to be gratitude, or relief, or both. Then he closes his eyes, seemingly tired, and the shimmering remnants of him disappear from view.

"Damned stubborn, foolish girl..." Rictavio moves deftly around the small room, securing the shutters on its single window, locking the door from the inside, gaze darting around wildly. Then he reaches up and removes his hat, and Rudolph van Richten, looking more old and more worn than Ezmerelda was perhaps ever prepared to see, stands in his place.

"I had a plan, you know," he sighs, tossing the hat onto the bed. "One that I can now no doubt forget about entirely."

"There's no time for your endless preparation and planning. Any waiting game we try to play is a losing one. There's a young woman who desperately needs our help, a legendary weapon to be found, and there's a monster to hunt, feeding on an entire land. I've been to the castle, scouted out--"

"You've done what?"

Ezmerelda doesn't look at him and chooses to pace a small circle around the room herself. "The castle. Ravenloft. Getting in was a breeze - getting out was the hard part." She suppresses a brief shudder at the memory of her invisibility spell running out and Strahd's eyes boring directly into hers, as if he'd known she was there all along. "But, well, I managed. And more importantly, I found a way into his crypt."

Van Richten sits down on the bed, rubbing circles into his forehead.

"Ezmerelda, you can't be here." His voice sounds pained, almost. "You know you are not safe near me. My curse--"

"Sincerely, fuck your curse," Ezmerelda spits. "After all these years, it can wait a few days before striking. Can't be worse than what will happen to both of us and anyone involved if we can't manage to work together on this. We have to. I tried, by myself, but..."

She tries not to dwell on the terribly brief confrontation, the bite of the cold, cold grasp that seemed to steal the very life out of her, and her rather desperate escape.

"Ezmerelda," van Richten starts again, then pauses, and just looks at her - a long, heavy look. "Why?"

"There are still people who care about your well-being," she replies simply and softly, "no matter what you may believe."

Then she straightens her shoulders and allows the steel back into her voice. "So listen to me. We are going to stake that devil in his lair, and we are going to get out of this cursed land. Together."

For once, he doesn't argue.

---

Their lord and master may be gone, but there are plenty of foul things still crawling around Castle Ravenloft - and occasionally crawling out of it as well.

How lucky for the Village of Barovia, then, to have a monster hunter visiting.

"...so I think that should do it for that particular area of the barracks," Ezmerelda flicks a stray bit of zombie gunk off of her bracer, then casts an apologetic look at Ireena. "But who knows what else he has buried under there."

Ireena Kolyana, the girl haunted, hunted, and tormented by the vampire, deciding she's had enough of running, turning on him and wielding a sword of pure sunlight against him. Poetic justice, if Ezmerelda fancied herself a poet.

Ireena Kolyana, looking exhausted in a very different way, now caught up in burgomaster duties, barely finding time in her overstuffed schedule to hear about the results of Ezmerelda's latest expedition to the castle.

"You know," Ezmerelda begins, eyeing the stacks of papers and growing chaos on the desk between them, "if you ever get really tired of this, and miss life on the road..." she nods towards the window, and the wagon just outside it. "I have room for one more. And could always use a deft hand with a sword."

Ireena smiles, but the sadness underpinning it is palpable. "I can't, not now at least. There is too much to take care of here. And without Ismark..." a shadow falls briefly over her face, then she visibly forces it back. "Some day, maybe. I would honestly love to."

Ezmerelda nods, then moves to stand up, and holds out a hand expectantly. "Come on, you have time for a walk. A minute to escort me out and say goodbye, at least."

Ireena chuckles quietly and shakes her head, but pushes away from the desk and takes the proffered arm.

The sunlight is bright, tempered only by a wisp of white cloud here and there. Ezmerelda feels a light pull on her arm as Ireena stops on the threshold of the house for just a fraction of a moment. The hesitation is brief, barely noticeable, but the pause as if needing to catch her breath and the subsequent dawning joy - pure, almost radiant by itself - as the sunlight hits her skin--

Ezmerelda realises she's staring, blinks, and makes herself look away.

Their stroll is indeed brief, and as soon as they turn the corner and reach the parked wagon, Ireena sighs and stands half-ready to hurry back to her office and her duties.

"Hey," Ezmerelda puts what she hopes is a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I know you can handle all of this. Never doubt that."

This wins her a sincere smile. "Thank you."

Knowing there's no more point in delaying, Ezmerelda pulls away, moves to arrange her things around the wagon and prepare to leave.

"The offer stands," she says as she climbs into the driver's seat. "Keep it in mind."

"Maybe next time," Ireena replies with another sad smile. But then she pauses for a moment, almost as if thinking something over. Then she darts in quickly, and kisses Ezmerelda's cheek.

"Don't stay away too long," she says, quietly, then draws away again. Ezmerelda nods her agreement, and takes up the reins of her conjured horses.

Ireena waves her goodbye, and stands, looking on, bathed in sunlight.

And then the road turns, and she disappears from Ezmerelda's view.

'Well.'

"Shut up." Ezmerelda can feel her face burning. "Absolutely no need to read into things."

'You know I mean no offense. I only want the best for you.'

"I am perfectly fine," Ezmerelda grumbles. "Besides, this is the last thing she needs right now."

'You don't know that. Ask her sometime, perhaps, to tell you herself. Too many people have assumed too much about that young lady, I think. Myself included.'

"Oh, what do you know..."

There is a distinct sensation of stinging grief, never quite healed, as the voice comes again. 'You seem to forget I was young once. In love once. More... than once. And though it never ended well, like few things in my life did, the only thing I have ever regretted was not acting sooner. And regret is...'

"... the enemy of progress. I know." Ezmerelda sighs, the old man's oft-repeated saying rattling around in her mind as she snaps the reins and takes them down the road westward. "Maybe next time."

1.3. Materials and methods, an overview

Her balance is off still, but the past few weeks have brought incredible improvement. She flicks her rapier upwards, then lunges - back, forth, back, forth, fully and properly bearing weight on her right side in the training yard for the first time in months. The new prosthetic is truly a work of art and a masterful display of craftsmanship. Ezmerelda feels almost giddy at the sensation of ducking and weaving under the wooden limbs of the training dummy, feinting deftly, ignoring the burn in her arm and shoulder. The maneuvers are not yet close to her peak speed and fluidity and elegance, not after the long, arduous recovery she is only now reaching the end of. But it is all so very, very promising.

It also brings to mind - because how could it not, when for the better part of the past half-year she has had more time to think, and remember, and reflect than in her entire life? - van Richten's drills. He was always far more of a theoretician than practitioner of swordfighting, but he was certainly no slouch with a blade. The precision and perfection of form he insisted on instilling in her initially seemed to clash with her more free, improvisational, off-the-cuff approach, but ended up blending with it to great effect in ways that occasionally surprised them both.

She goes through attack patterns he's drilled into her and realises she misses him, the cantankerous old man and all his frustrating ways, and suddenly finds herself fervently wishing she wasn't doing this alone. She spares a moment to imagine the amount of fussing over her he would likely have insisted on, with his overprotective bedside manner that she used to chafe and scoff at whenever one of their hunts went badly for her. She thinks of all the lovely, fleeting drawings Erasmus would have made for her.

Her next step is careless, thoughtless, distracted, and as a result only a little off. The lunge is misaimed, unbalanced, and her knee twists unpleasantly. For the briefest flash of a moment she could swear she can feel the teeth sinking in again, and the horrible tearing.

Ezmerelda winces, fingers clenched around the rapier's handle, knuckles white. Her teeth grit as the wave of pain subsides so very, very slowly, but doesn't quite go away. She remembers, belatedly, that she has an audience.

"Ah, almost there," she calls back to the artisan eagerly awaiting her feedback, voice forcefully kept steady, without turning to face them, and taps her rapier on the metal plating running up from the heel. "We'll need to make another slight adjustment to the ankle joint, I think. But this is definitely and by far the best one yet. Let me get some more practice first, and we can go over the details in the afternoon."

Ezmerelda doesn't wait to see if her words are acknowledged. She hefts the rapier back up.

---

Before she reaches the first crossroads west of Vallaki, she turns the wagon south and into the woods.

"I have some unfinished business of my own to settle first," Ezmerelda states very matter-of-factly, preempting any interrogation from the ring's general direction.

The wagon trail to the top of the hill is easier to navigate than ever, and the camp is abuzz with activity, as it usually is. But this time the feel of it all is a bit different.

Ezmerelda knows it well; the air of a caravan packing up to leave.

Arabelle sees her weaving through the horses, strolling towards the large central tent, and darts towards her immediately, then freezes not three feet away. Ezmerelda can tell plain as the new Barovian day that she is torn between looking dignified and throwing herself at her in a hug.

So she crouches down and opens her arms first, and is almost knocked over when Arabelle rushes in.

"I want to show you something I've been practicing," Arabelle whispers conspiratorially, "but you'll need to lend me a dagger."

Ezmerelda's eyebrows shoot up in surprise, but she obliges the girl after only a moment's contemplation, still crouched down and one arm around her narrow shoulders.

The dagger is one of the smaller ones she usually keeps concealed, but even so it seems far too large in Arabelle's hands. Nevertheless, in a few surprisingly dextrous motions with only a couple of moments of hesitation, she seems to make it disappear - then produces it again as if out of thin air.

"Huh. Impressive. Did your uncle teach you that little trick?"

Arabelle nods, but her pride is palpable. "Papa was so mad! He says that both him and you are a bad influence and I am far too young to be handling blades."

"There's no such thing," Ezmerelda scoffs, but motions for her dagger back and tucks it away safely. "Where is your father? I wanted to speak with him."

"Luvash is busy," another voice cuts in cooly, and Arrigal steps out of the fading, scarce shadows, somehow slipping under her notice even with the bright streams of sunlight all around. "But you can speak with me."

Ezmerelda stands up slowly, and can see him sizing her up.

"Run along now, Arabelle," Arrigal says in a much warmer tone of voice, but without taking his eyes off Ezmerelda for even a moment.

Arabelle gives her one last look as she turns to leave, and Ezmerelda tries to give her a reassuring smile - but then she realises Arabelle doesn't seem concerned or reluctant or... anything at all. She seems supremely calm, and not seven years old at all.

Arrigal steps forward and, even as uncannily quiet as he always is, it startles her back into the moment. Then, he reaches out a hand.

Ezmerelda meets his gaze, steps forward, and takes it. The handshake is firm, and she smirks. "Looks like you backed the losing side, cousin."

The term of address rolls off her tongue with some bite of irony in it. Arrigal inclines his head in acknowledgement. "You can't say it wasn't a fairly sure bet. A matter of survival, of course. We do what we must to keep our people safe. But," and he draws a bit closer, as if letting her in on a secret. "I'm glad he didn't send me after you."

Ezmerelda nods, and decides she isn't in the mood for a debate. "You know, so am I. I would have hated having to kill you. Instead, here you are, in an excellent position for a little introspection, changing your ways... much better this way, isn't it?"

He shakes his head with a grin, and finally lets go of her hand. "You are a menace. But we follow the traditions, and you have a place here. Where are you going?"

"Borca," she says, and pointedly doesn't elaborate further.

Arrigal laughs. "Off to more of your grim business right away! Well, one has to admire your tenacity. You can stay, of course, and leave with us tomorrow. We will share the road at least part of the way."

So Ezmerelda stays, and exchanges news of recent caravan routes and planned Mist-traversal with Luvash. The fire roars to life as the sun sets. Tales are told, and she contributes some of her own.

"Regale us, cousin," Arrigal says, grinning wolf-sharp, arms open wide as if to encompass the entire camp, "with the story of the fall of the devil Strahd."

Arabelle is a delight, as always. The truce with Arrigal, if it can be called that, is uneasy, but holds. The ring is quiet.

Arabelle insists on riding with her in the morning ("You did fish her out of that lake... brought her back to us," Luvash grumbles. "I suppose there's no harm... I'll have none of that monster-hunting nonsense, though!"). Her delight at the summoned magical horses is palpable, even as she tries to hide it. Ezmerelda gives her the reins until they need to enter the Mists, and is only slightly surprised to see her managing well, with just a few pointers here and there.

The whole way, Arabelle demands stories of her and van Richten's exploits very matter-of-factly - interrogates, almost, at times. Her eyes are large, intent, focused, as Ezmerelda obliges, for hours.

"I knew you would win," Arabelle says at one point, breaking a rare longer stretch of silence between them. "Uncle didn't want to listen to me, but I knew."

Ezmerelda looks at her, matches her seriousness. "I hope he will learn to listen, one day soon."

1.4. Common pitfalls

Ezmerelda inches back to consciousness more than wakes, and hisses as she almost reflexively tries and fails to sit up. She recognises her own bed in the former guest room above the herbalist shop, but the details of how she got there are fuzzy at best, completely absent at worst. She is, however, very aware of a merciless pounding in her head and that she has most certainly just pulled some fresh stitches.

A swirl of colourful ectoplasm greets her when she next opens her eyes, Erasmus' fleeting but always lovely and cheerful greetings hovering above her.

Well. Ezmerelda forces a pained smile at him, knowing that if he is here, his father cannot be far, and--

Ah. Familiar footsteps on the stairs, and the distinct creak of the second one from the top, as Rudolph van Richten enters the room with uncanny timing.

He doesn't seem to be surprised to see her awake as he gives her a quick look-over, even as concern and frustration clearly war on his face.

"I thought we had reached an agreement," he begins at last, very deliberately calmly.

Ezmerelda doesn't reply.

"I thought," he continues with that same calm tone, "that we had made a plan. That was my distinct impression of our last conversation."

Ezmerelda clenches her teeth, then grinds out, "I couldn't just stand by and let that beast--"

"You could have voiced your disagreements with the plan and brought your concerns to me, instead of running off on your own in the middle of the night," van Richten is clearly struggling to keep his voice level. "You almost died."

"Fine, I am voicing my disagreements. We know it's a wereboar. Just go at it with our silvered weapons, set up an ambush where we found its lair... why wait? Why give it more chances to hurt people?"

"To be absolutely certain we have all the information. That we have looked at it from every angle, that we have not overlooked a crucial detail. Minimise its chances to hurt us."

"But by then it might have mauled half the village to death, or worse!"

Van Richten's gaze on her is sharp. "And if we get ourselves pointlessly killed, are the villagers any safer for our hasty, brash, ill-thought sacrifice?"

"Hasty, brash, and ill-thought. Fine, if that’s how it is, how you think of me," Ezmerelda throws her hands up, and wishes she could march off, slamming a door shut behind her for good measure, as childish as the thought makes her feel.

Van Richten sighs deeply, and pulls up a chair to sit next to her bed. Ezmerelda recognises it as one from downstairs, and feels a small stab of guilt at the thought of him setting up a vigil at her bedside.

"We can't go rushing in on half-checked information," van Richten begins, after a brief silence, looking down at his hands. "We can't, because... because I have done that, in the past. And people - good, brave, dedicated people who chose to stand against evil, people who trusted me - died as a result."

"I have been wrong," he continues, still not looking up. "I have followed faulty sources without the due diligence of thorough enough vetting. I have overlooked things, and I have lost many. I will not and cannot allow that to happen again. We have to be careful, patient, and vigilant, always."

"I'm not advocating for blindly rushing in," Ezmerelda protests, "I'm merely--"

"I won't have you on my soul as well. I have far too many already."

"And I won't have any more innocents on mine! We had all the relevant information two days ago. Four people could have been alive today if we had acted on time. We were right."

"And what about when you aren't, Ezmerelda? What about when you aren't?"

Ezmerelda looks him right in the eyes, steely. "Then I will make sure I am the one who pays the price for my own mistakes."

"Oh," van Richten smiles sadly, "If only that were possible."

---

The letter arrives just as she is preparing, to her great relief, to leave Port-à-Lucine for good. It is hand-delivered by an ostentatiously dressed man in a stylised fox mask, entirely - and Ezmerelda feels her lips curl in annoyance - unassuming and usual for the land of outrageous pretense that is Dementlieu. The way he seems to disappear in the moment it takes for her to glance down at what he has thrust into her hands is also something Ezmerelda finds hard to marvel at anymore.

Overjoyed to be able to return to the relative privacy and safety of her wagon, she tosses away her old harlequin mask in the sincere hopes of never having to put the damn thing on again. Then she throws herself on the bed and focuses on tearing into the sealed envelope, absorbing its mysterious contents.

After she reaches the end of the letter's brief text, she stays very still for a long while.

'Not a name I thought I would see again, if I am to be honest,' van Richten's voice comes slowly, sounding very wary.

Ezmerelda breathes out a frustrated sigh, an unidentifiable jumble of feelings warring in her chest and burning up her throat. She tries to reply several times, then stops, and closes her eyes. Collects herself, at least somewhat, and decides to focus on the practical. "How do we even know this isn't a forgery, or some sort of trap?"

'We don't. But it is a loose end I, for one, am not prepared to simply overlook.'

"She's tried before, but I never... I don't have time for this right now, I--," she throws the letter and the shredded envelope onto the chest at her bedside, and runs an annoyed hand through her hair, again, and again, and again. Thinking, or at least trying to.

'We have time. You and I both know it's not time that is the problem.'

They are nearing the end of their planned journey, finishing up their business with Alanik Ray and Arthur Sedgwick's latest investigations and bidding farewell to Dementlieu. And then it was supposed to be on to Mordent, to call in at the Mordentshire shop briefly, and afterwards to Darkon - to Rivalis, and the villages surrounding the old Richten estate. Some ghouls to fight off, wraiths to purge, ghosts to lay to rest, to help the villagers out, before... well. They'll come to that when they do.

Ezmerelda can't deny the detour would only be a brief one.

"A 'loose end'," she huffs. "Really."

'I am just trying to help you. Don't waste years of your life like I have, either bitter or wondering or fleeing. Confront your - our - past, at least this part. Lay it to rest, if you can.'

"The past does not lie behind us. It is part of what we are, and part of what we always will be," Ezmerelda recites, then sighs again. "Old Vistani saying."

A moment of silence. 'Make sure it is a good part, then.'

Ezmerelda's memory of her mother feels... not fuzzy, but perhaps a bit tweaked and twisted over the years, more by feelings overtaking it than by any fault of recall. The images of what she remembers and what now stands before her don't match, but have a strange, dissonant overlap, leaving visible in the centre a woman Ezmerelda could almost, almost imagine seeing in the mirror. One she hoped to never see again after that night of wordless parting, many years ago.

Years of imprisonment seem to have been surprisingly kind to Madame Irena Radanavich. She has wormed her way into some kind of favour with someone powerful here, no doubt, as has always been her utterly unscrupulous way. The cell is clearly a formality, more of an office than anything, a parlour for receiving agents and lackeys, as well as bosses. There is even a chair - a worn, old wooden frame with faded red upholstery - placed a little ways away from the bars, facing them. Ezmerelda also gets a distinct impression that the guard standing in the corner is not there for any visitor's safety or protection.

The woman in the cell seems to light up the moment she sets eyes on Ezmerelda strolling into the cell space with a pretense of casualness.

"My, how you've grown! My, and yet-- oh, darling," concern seems to flood her face and voice, and - there, a subtle, wry twist - Ezmerelda thinks she catches a false, even mocking undertone to it. A flash, and it’s gone, and perhaps she merely imagined it, or even wanted it to be there, an ache for some semblance of simplicity to box this woman in. "There's both more and less of you than last time I saw you."

"Really?" Ezmerelda scoffs, and almost wants to laugh. "All those tales I've heard of your vicious, clever, insidious scheming, and that's the best you can come up with?" She crosses her arms, and clicks her metal heel against the floor loudly. "Not an angle you can use against me, I'm afraid. Try again."

"You wound me!" A dramatic hand placed over her chest. "Treating your own mother like that, who has never had anything but your best interests at heart. Who you've never even come to visit."

Ezmerelda slips the opened letter through the bars, letting it land on the hewn stone on the other side. Then she moves to sit down on the solitary chair.

"I'm only here because I got your letter."

"Oh! Good. My dearest Ezmerelda, I was--"

"I am here to tell you I want you to leave me alone," Ezmerelda continues, acting as if she hasn't heard a word. "For good. Forget I exist, preferably. I want nothing to do with you, and I never will. And the only thing I might want to do with your plotting and scheming is foiling it, so it is in your best interest to leave me out of it all. And van Richten..."

The saccharine smile dips down, almost into a scowl. "And here I'd heard you'd finally seen sense and parted ways with that old fool."

"You hear much, I see," Ezmerelda replies, cooly.

"I have my ways. My sources. People loyal to me, who have yet to abandon me."

Ezmerelda feels the swipe like an airy almost-cut of a dagger that just barely misses. "Well, here's something new for you, then. Something your little web-weaving spiders seem to have missed. You'll be happy to hear he's dead."

"And right away you come back to me! Time to end your silly games, eh, Ezme? Good, good. A start--"

"You have no right to call me that," Ezmerelda cuts her off, rapidly losing her will to restrain herself.

"Come now, dear. That's no way to talk to your mother, your own flesh and blood. It's about time we set all this nonsense aside, don't you think? Your family--"

"You're no family of mine."

"Please," she scoffs loudly. "You sound like an angry child. And... oh, really, what kind of name is 'd'Avenir' even?"

"My name," Ezmerelda replies, perfectly matter-of-fact, and refuses to even entertain further discussion of the matter.

"I wonder how you'll do," Madame Radanavich smiles, but this time the threatening edge is obvious, pretense briefly abandoned, "all alone. Playing your little games of pretend with your make-believe name. You'll come crawling back to me yet."

Ezmerelda finds herself thinking of Erasmus, and almost believes she can see him, out of the corner of her eye. Tries not to think of what this confrontation might be bringing back for him. Thinks of the Martikovs welcoming her with open arms and offering shelter even in the darkest and dourest and most dangerous of days; thinks of Ireena with the sunsword and an entire wealth of feeling tangled in a tired, relieved smile somehow brighter than the blazing sunlight itself. Of nights around the fire in the camp outside Vallaki, and little Arabelle pulling on her coat, extorting promises of lessons in both swordfighting and divining. Of Arthur Sedgwick and his honest, caring eyes, and his patient instruction in properly using a flintlock, as his husband gleefully offers detailed scientific explanations of the weapon's workings from the side. She twists the ring on her finger.

"I'm not alone," Ezmerelda says simply, and feels resolute steel pouring back. She stops to consider her next words more carefully.

"I watched your actions and your curse destroy a good man's life. But I want you to know that you wanted to take from him, and in the end you took from me, the daughter you profess to care about so much. And now you crow at me about flesh and blood and expect me to, what? Beg you to let me come back? Back to what? A mouldy cell and as short a leash as the current master feels like giving you?"

"Bold words for one given to following an old wretch around like a sad pup, even as he keeps trying to kick you away," Radanavich sneers, then shifts back to sad pity in the blink of an eye. "Oh, yes, my dear, it's so very tragic... I've heard it all. Look at you - you're wasted on him."

"Oh?" Ezmerelda raises an eyebrow cooly, clamps down on the sting to her pride and the deliberate scrape against old wounds, and almost wanting to scream you are the reason he feared that daring to care about someone would be a death sentence for them. "And what would you prefer to be using me for?"

"How dare you! After all I've done for our family, while you throw your lot in with the man who killed your brother and imprisoned your mother!"

Ezmerelda feels suddenly tired, more than anything. "You know he did no such thing. And I've done very well for myself, despite you."

"Have you, now? What price have you paid for your... profession? What has it cost you already?"

"Nothing I wouldn't be ready to pay ten times over if it meant ensuring the safety of an innocent, or beating back those such as you. You still don't understand," Ezmerelda just smiles sadly, allowing only the slightest undercurrent of danger. "I'm neither lost, nor settling for anything, nor desperately grasping at a chance, nor tragically misguided. This is what I want. This-- this cause, this fight, this is exactly what I was meant to do. And I am very, very good at it."

"Oh, Ezmerelda, if excitement and adventure and glory is what you are after, I know of much that you could do! So many causes that your... talents... would be an excellent match for. You do have a certain reputation, and I know several highly influential actors who'd know exactly where to put your skills to use, no matter how they were acquired. You could do so well for yourself! Rise right to the top of the ranks in the blink of an eye, become truly great."

Ezmerelda shakes her head, and sighs, and moves to get up from the sad, solitary seat.

"Ezmerelda--"

She quickly turns towards the bars and leans in, baring her teeth and grinning widely. "I killed the devil Strahd," Ezmerelda smirks at the look of shock she gets in response. "I think your petty schemes are a little below me, don't you?"

She turns to leave, not waiting for a response. The guard leans back in his corner as she moves away from the bars, waving him off.

"Oh, do feel free to let your masters know," she tosses over her shoulder nonchalantly as she makes her way out. "Though I have to say I haven't really looked into whose lapdog you are nowadays."

Ezmerelda hears a frustrated growl behind her as the sickeningly sweet, pleasant mask falls for good. As the door slams shut behind her, she doesn't look back.

She lets the noise of the city drown out her thoughts as she slowly makes her way back to her wagon, more than ready to be on her way elsewhere. Until, after a while, a familiar voice comes swimming up through her mind.

'How do you feel?'

"I don't know," Ezmerelda murmurs, after a long silence. "Ask me tomorrow."

1.5. Notes on useful classification and categorisation

As she finishes rattling off the information she's gathered on a series of apparent annis hag encounters that van Richten asked her for, he looks-- well, 'impressed' is the only word Ezmerelda can think of to describe it.

In the ensuing moment of quiet, he takes off his spectacles, fidgets with them briefly, polishes off a smudge with his handkerchief. Then, he looks her right in the eye. "You, girl, are a veritable sponge."

Ezmerelda flashes him a smug smile, then remembers the other matter she wanted to bring to his attention. She clears her throat, and begins, with uncharacteristic hesitance. "I've also been looking into some... other things. Another way I can contribute, I think."

The only reply is a raised eyebrow, so Ezmerelda steels herself and decides to go forward with her planned demonstration. She quells the nervous fluttering in her stomach, and instead focuses on the points of her own fingers as they trace well-practiced patterns in the air. With a final flick and a quick mutter of the incantation she's quietly recited so, so many nights in her room when she was supposed to be asleep, the very air around her right hand shimmers with heat. A few tense moments later, a small mote of flame appears in her palm.

Ezmerelda bites back an exclamation of joy at the success, tries to keep her expression fairly neutral, and looks to van Richten expectantly.

His eyebrows are, very amusingly, trying to climb into his hairline. "Where in the world did you learn to do that?"

She lets the little flame dance between her hands, casually skip from one to the other, flickering giddily, and feels an odd sense of relief wash over her.

"I saw it in one of your books. Almost by accident, and it... it just made a lot of sense to me, even just skimming over it. So I thought, why not? If I could get a handle on a few of the spells, I could complement your arsenal quite well. Bring more to the fight."

Van Richten nods, but there is a wary undertone to his words. "As long as you aren't making any ill-advised deals and pacts - which, I'll remind you--"

"-- are all of them. I know. Don't worry. I'm only interested in things I can glean by myself."

"Well, I'm not much of an arcane practitioner, though I am quite familiar with a lot of theory. I'm afraid I won't be able to provide any elaborate training or instruction--"

"That's fine," Ezmerelda rushes to say. "I can continue like this. The research, the books - it's..."

She trails off, not quite knowing how and what to explain. Arcane magic is fascinating, surprisingly enjoyable, and strikes a deeply satisfying balance between being hard-won and feeling like it comes naturally to her.

It also feels... hers.

"It's very engaging material," she finishes after a little while. She moves to close her fist and extinguish the tiny fire, but something stops her at the very last moment.

"Indeed," van Richten replies simply, and gets up from his seat. "Well, I do need to go tend to the shop, but rest assured we will discuss the tactical applications of this later today."

Just as he is out the study door and about to start down the stairs, he pauses, and turns back to look at her, a bright and sincere smile on his face. "Very well done, Ezmerelda."

The flame flickers, ready to fly from her fingers, bursting with potential.

"Thank you," she murmurs long after he is gone.

---

It is deep nighttime when Ezmerelda shakes off the last tendrils of the Mists and sets eyes on the cliffs of Mordentshire. The wagon's wheels clatter over rain-slick cobblestones as she navigates the still-familiar streets of the seemingly unchanging harbour town. The cold sea wind makes her tighten her coat around herself, to very little avail.

She can't say she's missed the weather.

By the time she spies the sign neatly painted with the words Herbalist - Dr. Rudolph van Richten, she feels soaked through and entirely miserable, and spends only a moment giving the place a quick look-over.

The shop is in fine shape - if she didn't know better, Ezmerelda could easily believe its owner closed it up for the night and left just yesterday. The wolfsbane and garlic in the planters underneath each window are flourishing. She makes a mental note to make her first order of business in the morning calling in on the neighbors and discussing further arrangements with Mrs. Polk, in whose capable hands van Richten has been leaving things for years.

In the meantime, she fervently hopes for dry clothes and a workable fireplace.

A quick rummage between two bushy wolfsbane plants - the second and third one on the right - produces a spare key, and Ezmerelda remembers with mild amusement her shock at this mundane weakness in van Richten's usually impeccable and overthought defenses, years ago.

"Keys," he'd looked at her over the rim of his spectacles, "are hardly a problem for things that truly want to harm me."

The little bell chimes as she opens the door. Catching a glimpse of herself in the very precisely placed full-length mirror just opposite the entrance, she wastes no time before going upstairs. The second stair from the top creaks its old, familiar reassurance.

Ezmerelda enters the room that used to be hers, in between harrowing hunting trips and trying adventures, during her years training with van Richten. It doesn't seem to have changed much - nor does it seem to be in use as anything but spare storage space.

She does her best not to think about how empty and quiet the house is, or how she's never truly been alone in it. Instead, she hangs up her coat, rolls up her shirt sleeves, unpacks some of her things, and, by the time she gets a proper fire going, realises sleep is the very last thing she feels like doing. Her eyes alight on the small desk in the corner, and she instead decides to do something she hasn't in a while.

She sits down to write.

First, Ezmerelda takes off the ring and sets it aside, muttering a quick good night, Doctor under her breath. Then she takes out some of her collection, observations accumulated over the years - jotted down on everything from thick parchment to old wrapping paper. Combining it with the wealth of van Richten's remaining material and into something eventually coherent will no doubt be a challenge, but a challenge is not something Ezmerelda d'Avenir has ever shied away from.

It is just haphazard, quick notes on anything of consequence that comes to mind at first, carried by an odd nervous energy. A more systematic approach will have to come at some later point.

While knowledge is a key weapon in any hunter's arsenal, honing one's body as well as mind is absolutely necessary, she writes, tapping her foot on the wooden floor in a way that often drove van Richten to distraction. Many of the creatures of the night become, in their cursed states, inhumanly strong, and in such instances one must be particularly careful of engaging them in close quarters, for even the greatest strongman would be at a disadvantage.

However, not all of these encounters need be solved by violence. Many ghosts

She pauses, pen slowly dripping ink onto the half-filled page before her, and sees Erasmus out of the corner of her eye. She turns her head to face him, and for once in their long and unusual life-and-afterlife-spanning acquaintance, she finds she can't quite read him.

Many ghosts are held in their in-between existence due to unfinished business. Tethered to some regret or incomplete task from their mortal lives, they seek resolution and closure. Many hauntings can thus be resolved by investigation, and what I must term a primarily sympathetic approach. Of course, one must also always be wary and on the lookout for deliberately misguiding spectres who seek to play upon one's pity.

The first signs of dawn creep into the room by the time she has moved on from ghosts to wraiths to trying to sort out her notes about creatures that lurk underwater - old notes that have been, to her chagrin, very appropriately and unsalvageably waterlogged.

Ezmerelda manages to light another candle just before her current one sputters out, and rubs at her tired eyes. Then she pauses, gazing idly at the ink stains on her fingers.

She reaches over for a new page, setting her current work aside. There is something else she wants and needs to write, something other than dry facts or hopefully helpful guidelines. The first few sentences come in fits and starts, but soon enough she finds them flowing out of her pen almost of their own accord.

What I would like to make clear is that this is not an inherently bad place. The lands themselves can be beautiful - wondrous, even. Worth living in, and worth fighting for. And the people who live in them do not deserve to live in fear. I, and many others, could simply leave for some better, tamer prospects, yes - but then what? Nothing is gained if we merely surrender an entire world, a collection of lands so fantastically varied and so full of promise, to a cruel, merciless, hungry night. It can't all be abandoned as collateral damage in a great punishment intended for a horrible few. I can't, and won't, allow this to happen.

Maybe the foes are overwhelming, and the fight endless. But a life saved is a life saved. A victory is a victory. One innocent snatched away from a grim fate, one tendril of darkness beaten back - that is enough. But only if we persist at it, day after day after day. And evil may be impossible to ever completely destroy, but it is far weaker and less widespread than it could and doubtlessly wants to be, in at least some small part thanks to our continued efforts.

A dour prospect? Perhaps, for some. Ezmerelda smirks to herself, and gazes down at her veritable manifesto, and thinks back to that cell in Il Aluk.

What better life is there to lead? None, for her.

I, for one, don't intend to give up anytime soon. I hope that in you, dear reader, I can find one of like mind. And perhaps one day we shall find ourselves standing together.

She lights another candle, and continues.

1.6. Conclusions and remarks on future work

She clenches her hands as she steps into the sitting room that morning, decisions made after a long, sleepless night of contemplation. As if fate is conspiring against her, the first thing she sees is Erasmus, hovering over his father's shoulder. He turns to face her as soon as he notices her, a bright smile he saves just for her on his pale, ghostly face. She knows what a struggle it is for him to manifest this way, how much it takes out of him. The thought of his precious few minutes today being this...

It takes immense effort to speak up, interrupting van Richten's apparent focus on the post strewn about the table in front of him.

"I think... I think it's time for me to go."

"Go? Where?" He blinks, looking up from his papers.

Ezmerelda swallows, but hesitates only for a moment. "I don't know," she answers, chin tilted up, almost proud. "But I know we can't go on like this. I don't want to go on like this."

They butt heads and scrape against each other constantly. Chafe and grate and, and, and. She can't remember the last time they agreed on even the most cursory thing. It has reached a level where she fears his presence will become intolerable, and anything binding the two of them together become irreparably soured and tainted.

She refuses to allow this to happen.

Erasmus has drawn a coin. Two sides. He indulges in a small, semi-teasing pantomime, pointing at the two of them as his shimmering, ectoplasmic drawings hover briefly before vanishing like so much smoke, and Ezmerelda shakes her head sadly.

"I don't want to come to resent you, that is all. I don't think I could bear it if I did."

"If you think it for the best, by all means," van Richten says simply, and leaves it at that. He never turns to fully look at her. There is an undercurrent to his voice Ezmerelda can't quite place - something deeply tired, and far more complicated than plain sadness.

It rains heavily that morning as she sets off, as if the world itself wants her to rethink this. The muddy road squelches almost threateningly under her horse's hooves as she leads him forward.

Van Richten doesn't come out to see her off.

"I'll miss you," she breathes to herself, and half-hopes it somehow reaches both of the companions she is leaving behind. But she has only the rain and her horse's steady trot on the trail for company.

It is quiet.

---

Finally, the familiar mists of Darkon, and the countryside of Rivalis, lie before them. The inevitable, at a familiar estate fallen into quite a state of disrepair.

'No, leave it be,' van Richten said, at her hesitantly presented idea of including returning Richten House to at least some of its former glory on their list of unfinished business and loose ends.

Still, this is where he wanted to come. At the end.

Ezmerelda never saw it in its prime. She was a mere child then, kept well away from her family's machinations. Until she was (inevitably, irrevocably) drawn in, her fate forever entangled with that of the van Richten family. But even now, in all its disrepair, rich traces of what the gardens, the orchard, and the house itself used to be permeate the atmosphere, like ghosts themselves.

She walks across the hills of the grounds, all the way around the mansion to the family cemetery. She slows as she moves up to the two most recent graves, so easy to find, and thinks, briefly, of the body van Richten insisted on being burned before they left Barovia, just in case.

Just in case, she agreed, knowing all he knew about what foul magic and foul intentions could do to physical remains in the wrong hands, and built him a pyre.

The headstones before her are simple but elegant, as is the tidily engraved lettering on them.

Ingrid van Richten

Erasmus van Richten

'Well, here we are.' For a disembodied voice softly projecting into her mind, almost as through a mild haze or over some great distance, it is one of the heaviest things Ezmerelda has ever heard.

'A few words, if I may,' van Richten's request comes, gentle, and she nods, finding herself oddly wordless.

'I am so proud of you,' he begins, and the ferocity of it almost startles her. 'I hope you know this, always. If I have ever made you doubt this, as I pushed you away - I am sorry. I regret many things in my life, as one does, no matter what I like to say - but most of all I regret that I didn't tell you this sooner.

You are the best of my life. But more than that, you have grown far beyond me, into a finer person than most could dream of being. And I am sorry I wasn't there for you, that you had to do so much of it on your own. But know that when I see you... I couldn't be happier, or more in awe.'

There is a very brief pause, and then the voice softens again.

'I love you as my own, and am deeply honoured you would consider me, and that I get to consider you, family.'

Ezmerelda swallows once, twice, struggles, then finally lets her tears fall freely.

'Look at you. You don't need me anymore. And I can only hope your legend will far surpass anything I have ever done - there is so much ahead of you! Your light stands so very bright against the darkness. But I am glad, so very glad - selfishly, perhaps - that we were there together, at the end.'

"So am I," she manages a whisper. "Love you too, old man."

'Now I suppose it is time for me to go.'

Erasmus looks at her, bittersweet pouring from him in waves, and he gives a small nod. His form flickers, and then disappears, and Ezmerelda knows she will never see him again.

She knows how the ring works, too. The soul within it can choose to depart whenever it wants to. She knows she doesn't need to do anything - that she couldn't, even if she wanted to. It brings with it a strange sort of peace.

Ezmerelda inclines her head. "I hope you see them soon." Tell Erasmus I'll miss him, she wishes she could say.

She spins the now-inert ring around on her finger, a habit she will need to break. She wants to tear it off, and throw it as far away from herself as she can. She wants to never take it off as long as she lives.

A soft rain starts up, and Ezmerelda feels oddly grateful for the feel of it on her face, even as she knows there is no one here but her.

It is quiet.

---

With gratitude to the notes and tutelage of the esteemed Dr. Rudolph van Richten, whose guidance and wealth of knowledge have proved invaluable on countless occasions, and whose friendship changed the course of my life more than once.

#ezmerelda d'avenir #rudolph van richten #curse of strahd #dnd #dungeons and dragons #fanfiction #my fic #oathkeeper writes things #erasmus van richten #ravenloft #gonna take my horse to the old svalich road #tabletop

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captainsimagines · 3 years

Text

“I Could Fall in Love”

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I hope you enjoy this little drabble as much as I enjoyed writing it. Cutting it close to midnight on Valentine’s Day but hey, it still counts. xx Moni

BUCKY BARNES X READER DRABBLE

Warnings: none, simply fluff!

Word Count: 3000+

Song Fanfic: Listen and enjoy!

It wasn’t that you hated Valentine’s Day, you just didn’t see it as purely romantic. In your opinion, it was supposed to represent so much more than just romantic love. Friendships, beginnings and endings, the actual historical event, elementary school card giving, baked goods, and a nice dinner for either yourself or in the presence of others. So, no - you didn’t hate it. In fact, you actually quite enjoyed the giddy feeling of seeing other couples go all out for a single day, the sweets that were always available, and the awesome discounts.

“Come with us!” Natasha whined, filling up her glass with some oat milk and passing Steve some utensils at the same time. She wasn’t whining excessively, as that wasn’t in her nature, but she did raise her voice as her tone shifted from playful to annoyance. You rolled your eyes and chewed on your bagel, shaking your head dramatically. You plastered on your best grin, but it was overpowered by the massive chunk of bagel in your mouth. So you sat there, stupid bagel-filled grin covering your face, and tiny giggles threatening to escape as Natasha’s face also dropped into a silly one.

The rest of the crew was planning on attending a private Valentine’s Day party hosted by a close business partner of Tony’s. It sounded like a lot of fun and a perfect excuse to dress-up, but you had a tiny mission to go on before it. It was not a ‘mission-mission’ so to say- more like a ‘get in, get out, this will literally take two seconds and I could do this any other day’ type of mission. Natasha had given you such a disapproving look when you told her what your actual plans were for tonight, but she expected nothing less. You always had something else up your sleeve.

And that you did.

Since your mission was a quickie, you would be able to return to the compound before everyone else and bake your special pink cupcakes they all knew and loved. A sweet mixture of vanilla and strawberry, no flavor overpowering the other. You had recently perfected the recipe, only having Natasha and Bucky taste the final product, and because of their genuine surprise and praise, you were ready to bake dozens for everyone proudly.

She finished her glass and went to wash it. “Still, I think you’re missing out! I hear the food is gonna be great!”

You shrugged, “Eh, we have food here.”

You heard Natasha release a tiny scoff, “Please tell me your actual reason before I laugh too loudly and wake everyone up.”

“I swear, I’ve been putting off this mission for so long that tonight just seemed like the perfect time. Everyone’s occupied- I don’t know. I mean, criminals gotta get laid too, right?”

Natasha snorted, “That’s very true.” She eyed you suspiciously while drying her glass.

“You know, you and Barnes are the only one’s not attending. Obviously, his excuse is that he’s literally on a mission right now but you see my point.”

“No, I don’t see your point.”

Natasha smiled, as if secretly knowing your other very valid reason for not attending the party. “We all have dates. You know that if he were here you would be going with him, even as friends. But since you would literally be the only one of us without a date, it seems reasonable you wouldn’t want to attend.”

Okay, she hit that spot-on.

You groaned and lay your arms across the counter dramatically, “Stop, it’s scary how right you are all the time.”

Natasha laughed and rounded the counter, going over to pat your shoulders. “I’m not making you go. Don’t worry. Just give yourself some self-care and I’ll see you tonight to let you know I got home safe.”

You nodded and waved goodbye to her, ready to finish the everything bagel you had abandoned.

Bucky wasn’t one to dress-up for a night out anymore. He just didn’t have the motivation to do anything unless it involved stake-outs, knitting, painting, and binge-watching some stupid series you were watching. It always happened the same way, too. You would be casually chilling in the main common room of the compound, barely starting the first episode of a new series with stacks of junk food ready for your eager taste buds, when Bucky would randomly come in and ask what you were watching. And the next thing Bucky knew, you two were discussing the hidden elements of The Crown and debating whether a scene actually happened the way it was portrayed. By God, how much Bucky absolutely detested Prince Charles.

And you were so determined to knit that sweater for Natasha by her birthday that you came to Bucky’s room five times a day now rather than your usual three. But Bucky was extremely patient, helping you hook the remaining yarn that kept falling off your needles. Each time you pouted over the ‘horrible knot you made’ or when the yarn would tangle, Bucky would grin and tease you about, his stomach twisting pleasurably.

And each time he would reach over to help you fix it, your heart fluttered ever so slightly.

Bucky had actually planned on taking you to that Valentine’s Day party but his mission carried on longer than it was supposed to. Rather than returning a day before the party, he would now be returning towards the middle of it. He wondered if you were still going to go, but he highly doubted it. Not because you had told him explicitly, but because you had joked that if he wasn’t able to go, then ‘why would you bother?’.

To see you in that red dress you had jokingly placed over your already clothed body and modeled for him - Yeah, he absolutely hated he was missing this party tonight.

His mission had just ended and he was currently on the flight home, resting in his tactical gear but with the headphones you let him borrow in each ear. He chuckled lowly, realizing that most things he had in his possession, whether that be the headphones, hair bands, lotion, and Spotify account, all belonged to you. It brought him some comfort as he fixed himself in his seat, settling on your ‘Love me please?’ playlist to match the special holiday.

Lovebug by the Jonas Brothers. Tonight by FM Static. Oh, dozens by Taylor Swift. You’ll Be In My Heart by Phil Collins. And a whole lot of Selena songs.

There was one song that caught his attention, as if the title spoke to him. It just made sense. He clicked it, surprised by the upbeat beginning and rhythm of the drums, finally closing his eyes as he heard the melody from the acoustic guitar.

He lost count of how many times he replayed that one song as his plane touched land. He quickly woke himself up and gathered his things, ready to jump into a warm shower and watch an episode of The Crown behind your back. The drive to the compound was short and he entered the living quarters somewhat alert. There were no sounds his super soldier ears could hear besides the clicks of keyboards by overtime workers and computers humming. Kind of sad and joyful at once, Bucky realized he was alone for the first time in a long time. Maybe he would try that face mask you had urged him to buy tonight. And those very comfortable pajamas.

Ever the procrastinator, you never did go on that mission.

You were humming along to your Valentine’s playlist as you cracked the eggs into your bowl. You stirred quickly, bowl in your arms and a strike of flour along your unknowing cheek. You had your earphones in, enjoying the solace of such a peaceful night. The mix was coming together nicely and as you waited for the oven to preheat, you took out all of your cupcake supplies to set on the kitchen counter.

You could have sworn you heard some noises a few doors down so you took one earphone out to listen closely. At first you heard nothing, but you could have sworn you heard the likes of a toothbrush tapping against a bathroom counter. But as you stood there comically, bowl in your arms and whisk held up like a weapon, you settled on no disturbance.

You set the bowl down quietly and ran over to the door, looking down the hallway. Once you saw it was completely empty, you couldn’t contain the grin that spread across your face. You raced back to the kitchen and called for Friday.

“Friday? Could you please connect my phone to the living room speakers, please?”

“Done.”

You scrolled through your playlist and settled on a song that would for sure damage your vocal cords but delight you nonetheless.

“I could lose my heart tonight

If you don’t turn and walk away

You swayed around the kitchen as you traveled to grab each new ingredient, singing at the appropriate level the song called for.

Because the way I feel I might

Lose control and let you stay

Bucky had just finished brushing his teeth and putting a warm pair of socks on when he heard Friday play the exact song he had been listening to for the past two hours. At first he wondered if Friday had mistakenly connected his phone to the speakers but realized his phone didn’t even have the Spotify app open. He quickly walked down the cold floors of the hallway, his warm socks somewhat doing their job. He stopped at the living room entrance and leaned his shoulder on the doorway, beaming with a huge grin.

Because I could, take you in my arms

And never let go

You twirled around and used the whisk as a microphone, and to both your and Bucky’s surprise, hit every note perfectly. Bucky knew you were a great singer and although he would never admit it, he had heard you singing in the shower quite a few times. It was impossible not to at the level of volume you sang, but each time he would come into your room to grab something random or to ask you a question, he would sit outside the shower door and listen to your angelic voice as it sailed through the steamy air and into Bucky’s ears. But here you were, belting out the exact song Bucky had just learned all the lyrics for on his way home.

I could fall, in love, with you

It was in that moment that Bucky realized he was in his ‘comfortable pajamas’, which consisted of a loose long sleeve and bottoms set, with a nice dark blue color and white stitching along the pockets and buttons. But the sleeves, incredibly so, were far too long for his arms so he would crunch them up in his palms. And his socks had stripes on them. But he remained still on the door frame, watching you sway to the music and enjoying the scent of your first batch of cupcakes already in the oven.

I could only wonder how touching you

Would make me feel

You halted immediately when you saw his tall form resting on the door frame, a giant grin plastered on his newly shaven face. You yelped in surprise, putting down the whisk and patting your hands on your little green apron.

“Bucky, oh my god! Say something if you’re going to enter a room!”

Bucky just shrugged, walking over to the kitchen counter, eyes never leaving yours. He leaned over and placed his chin in both his palms, smiling as the music continued playing in the background. “I like this song.”

You squinted at him, “You know this song?”

Bucky nodded, holding his hand out now for you to take. “Like I said, I like this song.”

But if I take that chance right now

Tomorrow will you want me still?

You reached over hesitantly and let Bucky lead you over to the carpet. He wrapped one arm around your waist and rested the other higher up on your back. You wrapped your arms around his neck, allowing for his large frame to sway you both to the rhythm of the song.

“Nice pajamas.”

“Shut up.”

The room was dimly lit, cupcake aroma circling you two, and his snuggly pajamas seemed to also provide you the warmth you were previously getting from the oven. You smiled up at him, low giggles emitting from your lips. He did the same, enjoying the feel of your body pressed up against his.

So I should, keep this to myself

And never let you know

“When did you get back?” you asked, reaching up to touch his shaven cheek. You were undoubtedly curious about the feeling.

Bucky let you roam your hand all over, “About an hour ago. I didn’t think anyone was here.”

You chuckled, “I am! I told you I wasn’t going to bother going to that party if my plus one wasn’t coming!”

Bucky lifted his arm and twirled you slowly, happy that you followed his lead. “So, I’m your plus one now?”

You rolled your eyes, “Always.”

I could fall, in love, with you

“How did you even hear about this song?” you asked, hands now resting comfortably on Bucky’s chest. He had his arms wrapped around you, hugging you to his chest as you two swayed.

“We share a Spotify account, doll.”

“Yeah, but it’s a love playlist. Were you just in the mood for some ballads and stumbled across this one?”

“Exactly. It’s quite the tearjerker.”

And I know it’s not right

And I guess I should try

To do what I should do

He looked so relaxed at this moment, fresh and calm, enjoying the dance he pulled you into. He was resting his chin on the top of your head so you felt his little puffs of air escape his nostrils. And as he breathed in, you could feel his chest rise and lower below your palms. You were tempted to reach up and grab his face, pull him into yourself and share a sweet kiss, but you decided against it. For some reason you knew that this was different. You had snuggled before during naps or binge watching, but they never had a romantic undertone. And if you acted upon your desires, you were frightened it just might ruin your friendship. It took you two years to build up such a rapport with this man, and dare you say you were extremely proud to harbor some of his deepest secrets, and him yours. But his breathing calmed you immensely, as if the gentle rhythm was enough to put you to sleep, and you wondered if he was thinking about the same thing.

But I fall in love, with you

So I should, keep this to myself

And never let you know

Bucky seemed to hug you tighter as the lyrics encircled the room. Over the last few weeks he had felt a shift in your relationship, where sharing food was no longer as innocent as it seemed, barging into each other’s room was not seen as drastic, and partaking in each other’s hobbies was never a bore. Steve had commented on it before, asking Bucky if there was something between you two. And Bucky confided in both Steve and Sam, hands pulling at his hair as he paced in a safe room and his friends sitting patiently on the lone couch. They let him act out his worries in peace, and once Bucky tired himself out they both explained how he should ask you out or how to bring up the topic with you. Bucky listened intently and pushed down the tiny voice in his head that joked about Steve being the one to give him romantic advice. But if he ended up with you on his arm after this little pep talk, it would all be worth it.

But now the song was coming closer to its end, and he knew that if he didn’t act now then he probably wouldn’t have the courage to bring it up ever again. He leaned down to your left ear, and whispered the lyrics to you. In Spanish.

Siempre estoy soñando en ti

Besando mis labios, acariciando mi piel

Abrazándome con ansias locas

Imaginando que me amas

Como yo podía amar a ti

[I am always dreaming of you

Kissing my lips and touching my skin

Anxiously hugging me

Imagining that you love me

Like how I love you]

You knew Bucky knew several languages. You knew. But it made you incredibly excited and hot that he specifically knew Spanish. He spoke in such a gentle manner, breath hitting your skin and voice practically drowning your mind. It was all foggy for a moment, but you quickly refocused your attention on his face.

“Oh, wow.”

Bucky smiled, “What?”

You scoffed and swatted his chest lightly, “Don’t ‘what’ me! You just confessed you like me!”

Bucky pushed you away for another twirl under his arm, but kept you at arms length once you turned around. “No, I confessed I love you.”

You stumbled slightly, staring at him with wide eyes. You thought about how absurd that confession was, but as quickly as that thought entered your mind, it left - because let’s face it, you did know each other for over two years and were best friends. This was right. This felt right.

“You love me?”

Bucky breathed in deeply but your reaction didn’t change his mind. It was now or never. “Yeah, I do. Seemed like the moment to tell you.”

You grinned, pushing your body forward to be engulfed by his strong arms once more. “And to think you could have just told me at this damn party when I was looking all hot without freaking flour on my face.”

Bucky let out a loud laugh that originated from the pit of his stomach and reached his hands up to your face. He pulled you in and kissed you sweetly, the taste of your lip gloss driving him wild. He tasted like toothpaste and chapstick, a perfect combination for your superhero.

“I love you, too.” Bucky let his eyes close in complete bliss.

You could have stayed like that forever, but as you left his lips and looked up at him, you suddenly remembered you never set a timer.

You pushed Bucky away, your sudden strength sending him backwards onto the couch. “My cupcakes!”

And as you rushed to pull the burnt tops from the oven, you could hear Bucky slide off the couch and hit the floor, his laugh louder than the speakers.

I could fall, in love

With you.”

Happy Valentine’s Day. All the love. xxMoni

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not-the-teen-witch · 4 years

Text

Daddy Issues Lucius Malfoy x Daughter! Reader

Tiktok has done its magic and my obsession with Lucius Malfoy has sparked. Or it might just be my daddy issues acting up again, who know lol. Anyways, reader is Draco’s twin, a Gryffindor, and is basically the Sirius Black of the Malfoy family. She/her pronouns used. No warnings. Though you should know this is my first fanfic after going MIA on Wattpad and Quotev for a few years whoopsies.

Takes place over the course of first year. Listen to “Daddy Issues” by the Neighbourhood while reading to set the mood.

I might make this into a multiple part story. But not follow the scenes strictly, just random drabbles here and there?? Idk, hopefully this won’t flop lol.

Daddy Issues

You ask me what I'm thinking about I'll tell you that I'm thinking about Whatever you're thinking about Tell me something that I'll forget And you might have to tell me again It's crazy what you'll do for a friend

“Now, Y/N. Just like your brother did it. Just run straight through that brick wall, and you’ve made.” Your mother, Narcissa, says gently patting you on the back to motivate you.

You bit your lips to hide your nerves. Straight through it, huh? Oh, merlin. What if it decides I’m not good enough for it. I’ll surely make a fool out of myself.

You grip tightly around your trolley, “Are you sur-”

“We don’t have all day now, darling. The train leaves at eleven, sharp. Enough twisting with your thumbs and get a move on.” Your father cuts you off.

You grimace. Your relationship with your father, the oh so great Lucius Malfoy, wasn’t the best, at least at the moment. Don’t get it wrong, you’re his precious baby girl, the absolute apple of his eye, but you have a few, in his words, tweaks in your personality that his purist mindset just did not share.

Go ahead and cry, little girl Nobody does it like you do I know how much it matters to you I know that you got daddy issues And if you were my little girl I'd do whatever I could do I'd run away and hide with you I love that you got daddy issues And I do too

It began when you received your Hogwarts letter on your 11th birthday earlier that summer.

“Dad! I got my letter!” You say, racing down the steps of the Malfoy Manner to see your father.

He replies from his study room with a, “Don’t run, you’ll fall, Y/N.”

You roll your eyes, always so overprotective. When you reach him you wave the letter in front of him, “Look! I finally got it!”

He stops reading his book and looks up, all while shifting from his area on the velvet green armchair to make room for you. You immediately take a seat in the small space.

“Let’s see what we have here now, shall?” You nod your head at him as he opens the letter. “Ah yes, Hogwarts. Truly shocking how they want someone with the likes of you on their grounds.”

He has a twinkly in his eye when he says this. You know he’s joking though, that’s just the interactions between you two.

You grab his face with your hands to get his attention, “Are you going to miss me?”

“Miss you? My own and only daughter who wakes up every morning with a mission to have my hair turn grey early. Miss you, you say?”

“Dad,” you groan.

He hides a smirk, “Happy birthday, my dear. You’ll make a wonderful Slytherin and teach those mudbloods who’s in charge.”

About that..... “Dad, no.”

“Pardon?”

“Stop that, don’t call them mudbloods. And what makes you so sure I’ll be put in Slytherin?”

“Ha,” he lets out a bark of laughter. “There’s never been a Malfoy that fit in any other house. That’s absurd.”

I tried to write your name in the rain But the rain never came So I made with the sun The shame always comes at the worst time

You look down.

“Y/N.” You look back at your father.

His grey eyes that mirror yours perfectly, look at you coldly “Don’t bring shame to the Malfoy family. Remember that.”

“Make me proud.” Your father says, right before you enter the train.

He flashes you one of his rare, genuine smiles and kisses you on the forehead.

You heard him, Y/N. Make father proud.

Go ahead and cry, little girl Nobody does it like you do I know how much it matters to you

You find the first empty compartment you see on the train. Your brother already went off with some of the other pureblood children. And you’re not exactly fond of them.

There’s a boy with glasses and another with red hair when you enter.

“Ehm, hi...” You awkwardly say.

The boy with glasses smiles at you. “Hi there.”

“Would it be alright if I sat here?”

“Sure, take a seat.”

I know that you got daddy issues And if you were my little girl I'd do whatever I could do I'd run away and hide with you I love that you got daddy issues

You learn the two boys you sat with were Harry Potter and a Weasley named Ron. They were charming, although you were sure your father would disagree. Luckily you didn’t tell them your last name. Who knows what outburst that’d cause from the redhead.

You stand next to them as students get called up to get sorted.

Your stomach feels like it’s being shaken by mountain trolls and you try to control your breathing.

“GRYFFINDOR”

“RAVENCLAW”

“HUFFLEPUFF”

The sorting hat continues to call out the names of the houses as the students go up, one by one.

Your twin gets called.

Just as Draco takes a seat, the hat doesn’t even touch his head when it yells-

“SLYTHERIN”

Draco has a look of pride on his face. Typical.

“As expected,” mutters Ron to you and Harry.

“Y/N Malfoy”

Oh dear. Your turn.

“ -wait you’re his twin?” Harry look sat you confused.

You see your twin brother flash you a thumbs up.

You ignore them both and step forward.

“Another Malfoy I see. But you’re more interesting than the rest. Unexpected. Ambitious? Yes, very much so but there’s also bravery. Lots of it too.” The sorting hat says.

No! You’re yelling in your head. Bravery? That’s Gryffindor. Please no. Father would disown me.

“Slytherin then? No, no no. Tell daddy he’s in for a surprise because Slytherin not fit for you. You fit in-”

“GRYFFINDOR!” The hat exclaims.

The whole hall murmurs. “A Malfoy? Not in Slytherin?” “Gryffindor? Merlin, someone alert the Daily Prophet.”

You get nudged towards the Gryffindor table, slowly you make your way.

You hear a voice, “Well Fred, you know what this means.”

“I sure do, George.”

“WE GOT A MALFOY! WE GOT A MALFOY!” They chant and slowly the rest of the table begins to cheer loudly. The Slytherin’s table watches in awe.

Your brother refuses to make eye contact with you. Your stomach drop at that.

I keep on tryin' to let you go I'm dyin' to let you know How I'm getting on I didn't cry when you left at first But now that you're dead, it hurts This time, I gotta know Where did my daddy go?

“First years! Follow me!”

You begin to line up with the other first years. You stand near Ron and Harry. Ron gives you a suspicious look.

“I’m sorry.” You blurt out. “I should have told you I’m a Malfoy.”

“You really shou-” Ron begins to say.

“No, it’s alright.” Says Harry. “You had your reasonings. Besides the point” he give Ron a sharp look, “You’re in Gryffindor now, that’s all that matters.”

“All that matters?” Uh oh, it’s your brother. “Wait until father hears about this. He’ll be mortified. You can kiss your spot on the family tree goodbye Y/N.” He looks disgusted at you.

“Leave her alone!” A first year girl with puffy hair and large teeth says.

“And what are you going to do about it, mudblood.”

That sits off a rage off anger in you.

“Oh shut it you prick!” Your brother looks at you, shocked. “I’ve had enough with your bigotry. Go ahead, tell father. We all know how much you want to be his favorite child, you kiss up!” You let out a angry sigh at that.

“Well then, keep an eye out for a letter tomorrow morning by him. How does a Howler sound?”

The girl with the puffy hair grabs your arm. “Come on”

“You know, I think you and I will get along just great.”

I'm not entirely here Half of me has disappeared

It had been a few days since the sorting ceremony. Classes were already in full swing.

You became very close friends with Hermione Granger, the girl who helped you out when your brother was acting like a complete, wild ferret. However, you and her got along quite well. You two had similar interests and were very dedicated in your classes. Granted you knew a bit more than her since you were taught were carefully by your father.

Speaking of father, you haven’t heard from him yet. But there’s no doubt in your mind that Draco hasn’t sent a letter yet.

You shake out of your thought and make your way to the great hall. You spot the Weasleys and Harry and make a bee-line to them.

“Hey there, mate!” One of the twins nod in your direction.

“No mail yet?” You immediately ask the lot.

“Blimey, at least eat something first before you start interrogating us.” Ron mumbles, his cheeks filled with food.

Harry shakes his head, “Not yet, expecting a letter?”

“You could say that.” You groan.

You grab a piece of toast and spread butter over it when you hear the sounds of the owls flying into the great hall. You quickly scan them over, keeping your eyes peeled for any Malfoy family owls.

You look over to your twin, an owl drops a package of goodies. Must be from mother, you think bitterly in your head. You didn’t get a package.

The thought makes your stomach drop. They must know then.

“Huh, would you look at that. It’s a howler!” Percy Weasley points out.

The twins glace at you.

“Y/N....” One of the twins begin to say.

The howler drops right in front of you. Oh grandfather Abraxas, please help me.

In fancy calligraphy that you recognize very well, the name Lucius Malfoy is written.

“So... are you going to open that?” George asks with an eyebrow raised.

“The longer you wait, the louder it’ll be. But hey this is Lucius Malfoy so you don’t really have much luck any way.” Fred jokes, trying to lighten the mood.

You hands shake as you hold it, “Should- should i open it?”

“It’s going to burst any second, no need for that.” Harry look bewildered.

“Oh to hell with it.“ You open the letter.

“Y/N NARCISSA MALFOY!” Your father’s voice booms, the great hall quiets down to listen in. “A GRYFFINDOR?? NEVER IN THE MALFOY FAMILY NAME HAS THIS HAPPENED BEFORE. A BLOOD TRAITOR IS WHAT YOU ARE. IT DISGUSTS ME TO CALL YOU A CHILD OF MINE.”

Your face turns an unnatural shade of red but the howler continues in a calmer voice. “My own child, my little girl. Tarnishing the family name like this. Absurd. Don’t even think about coming home this winter. And enjoying the company of Mudbloods and other blood traitors? Tsk, a shame. Such a great shame. Don’t bother sending any letters, they will immediately be discarded of.”

The letter explodes and the only evidence that it even happened it the looks of pity you getting from the three other houses. The Slytherin table is bursting with laughter.

“Ignore them Y/N. Not worth your time. The Slytherin gits and your father. If you could even call a man like that a dad.” Ron shakes his head.

You catch your brother’s eyes, he has a soft, sad look but quickly switches when he catches you looking.

“Did you bloody hear that? I could never be such an embarrassment to the wizarding name.” Your brother boasts.

Your friends try to divert your attention but all you can think of is your dad.

No. Don’t be sad Y/N, you say to yourself. You’re meant to be a Gryffindor, and you’ll prove daddy wrong. Right? You’re a Malfoy after all.

Go ahead and cry, little girl Nobody does it like you do I know how much it matters to you I know that you got daddy issues

#lucius malfoy x daughter!reader #lucius malfoy x reader #harry potter #lucius malfoy #malfoy #malfoy x reader #lucius malfoy x you #x daughter!reader

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gr0vndz3ro · 4 years

Text

Ghost of You

Bakugou x reader

Warnings: angst, mentions of character death

Word count: 2,798

Crossed off: Dancing in the Kitchen

Tag list: @sadistiks @unbreakableeiji @fanfic-me-up @gallickingun @keigod

A/N: I may or may not have cried writing this that is besides the point. I want bakugou forehead kisses ): but I hope that you guys enjoy this piece I did for the @bnhabookclub bingo event! Also may have loosely based this off the song Ghost of You by 5sos

You were always the more cheerful one of the two. Katsuki knew this from the first time he met you and was one of things he loved you for. The way you were able to light up a room with just the sound of your voice, and how you were the only one who could cheer him up after a long day at work.

He treasured how you always found a way to put him first in everything you did. Waking up with him to join him for a cup of coffee before he left for work. Making sure that his plate of food was always warm when he got home. Massaging his shoulders and arms as you two cuddle on the couch watching movies. Over the 6 years you had been together he still managed to find new ways to love you.

It was in the way your eyes lit up when your favorite song came on the radio. In the way you laughed at all of his little snide remarks that he never meant. How your hand fit perfectly into his, as if your hand had been sculpted to fit perfectly into his own. Even in your little snores that fell from your lips when ever you were extremely tired. He fell in love with how clingy you got whenever you got sick, wanting nothing more then for him to play with your hair till you fell asleep.

But his favorite thing that he grew to love the most was something he only discovered after you moved in together. He had only managed to find out by accident as it was your little secret. He had never meant to find out, but when he had came home early from work, flowers in hand, to find the music blasting and you dancing your heart out in the middle of your kitchen, he found himself absolutely smitten. That was the day he knew he wanted to marry you.

Seeing you throw yourself haphazardly around the room in a vague attempt at dancing, he couldn’t stop the smile that took over him as he watched. Hair going everywhere, hips swaying and feet stomping. To anyone else they would have thought you had went insane, if he wasn’t dating you, Katsuki would have thought the same. But seeing you absolutely carefree as your favorite artist blasts through the speaker on the table made him feel so much love for you. He couldn’t explain it, but he feel the need to either. He never confronted you about your kitchen concert. You probably didn’t want him to know and he never wanted to make you feel uncomfortable, so that day he left the house and waited outside of the door until he heard the song finish and made sure you could hear him when he came in.

He found himself coming home more and more in any attempt to see you doing your little dances. On his lunch break he would stop by the house and lean on the front door to see if could hear the light thumping of your many songs blasting throughout your shared home. Whenever he heard it he couldn’t help but sneak inside and watch the show you put on for absolutely no one. Today was no different from any other. It was his lunch break and he made his way to the door, hearing the soundtrack blast through the speakers, he quietly slipped in through the door. He made sure to close the door behind him as softly as he could before tip toeing through the house to where he knew he would find you dancing like your life depended on it. But when he turned the corner and you weren’t there he became confused. She always dances in the kitchen, where could she- his thoughts were cut off by the sound of you clearing your throat behind him, freezing him in place. Turning around, he sees you standing behind him with your arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

“Heyyy babe, I wanted to surprise you and spend lunch together.” He tried playing it off while walking over to where you were, wrapping his arms around you in a warm embrace. Your arms find their way around his torso as you feel him dip down to kiss your forehead.

“Oh is that so.. is that why you’ve been stopping by all week?” His breath hitches in his throat. He had been caught like a deer in head lights.

“Wait, I-I can explain it’s not like I was-”

“Come dance with me Katsu” A smile covering your face as you grab your boyfriend's hand and drag him into the kitchen. You let go of your hold and throw your hands up into the air as the beat drops in the song that was filling the room. He stood there in a state of confusion and awe as he watched you fling your arms all around.

“I don’t know how.. to do.... that” He looked down to the ground, a slight tint of pink covering his face in embarrassment.

“Nonsense. You don't need to know how to dance to dance, just move how ever the music makes you feel. Here” You take his hands in your own and sway them back and forth to the beat of the music. After a few minutes and a lot of convincing him to stay, you both stood in the middle of the kitchen, holding each other in your arms, swaying to the soft song that played in the back ground. You pulled yourself away from him slightly to look him in the eyes, the soft smile that finds it’s way to your lips unknown to you. “Look at you, your dancing.” He can’t help but suck his teeth at you and turn his head, but he knew in his heart he was just as happy.

The only time he ever danced infront of anyone besides you was at your wedding after you dragged him to the middle of the floor. All of your friends surround the two of you but his focus was only on you. You had looked stunning that night. Not that he didn’t think you looked stunning everyday. It was just the fact that you were finally his, and only his forever. Through everything you had to put up with, you still came back to him, time and time again, your love for him never faltering. You were his rock and his person. Over the years you spent together he learned that it was okay to open up to you and that you wouldn’t think he was weak when he felt venerable. You meant so much to him he couldn’t begin to put into words, so he had felt no hesitation when your pretty little hands dragged him out of his chair to the middle of the dance floor to dance to the same song you had taught him to so long ago.

As you swayed in the middle of the floor your high school friends watched in shock at how calm their once hot headed friend now was in your arms. They smiled at how perfect the two of you were together and how you managed to bring out the softer, nicer side of Katsuki. They’d never say it to him in person in fear of an explosion to the face, but it was nice to see that he found someone to trust enough to feel completely at peace around.

Things in your life seemed to always go smoothly. Sure he’d start fights every once in a while but you’d roll your eyes and ask him what was really bothering him, and after some time he’d finally confess about what plagued his mind. Any problems the two of you faced, you faced together. Some times the missions he went on haunted him at night. He would toss and turn through out the night and you would wake up and pull him close to you. Running your hands through his hair as you speak soothing words to him. But you never brought up the sleepless nights to him, he would talk to you about it when he was ready, he always did. So for the mean while, you would just do your best to lull him back to sleep and comfort him through the night. He would never tell you but he was always awake as you whispered sweet nothings to him, the way you tell him you love him still making his heart flutter like it did the first time you had said it to him back in high school.

But the time he needed your comfort the most, you hadn’t been there. It wasn’t your fault. It was the monster of a man who you had bumped into on your way to the grocery store. It seemed like it was just yesterday.

The two of you were sitting in the living room when you had got up to go to the kitchen to grab a snack for the both of you. When you got to the fridge you opened it, looking around to find something but failing miserably. You went to the pantry and searched the cupboards but when you weren’t able to find anything you let out a sigh before heading back to the living room.

“Hey Katsu we’re out of snacks so I’m just going to head to the store really quick and grab us some stuff.” You started heading toward the front door but was stopped by his hand on your wrist.

“Here wait and I’ll go with you. Let me just go put on some clothes.” He turned to go to bedroom but it was your turn to grab his wrist. A look of confusion on his face as he turned around to meet your gaze.

“No don’t worry about it, you had a long day at work go relax.” You smile at him trying to convince him to try to rest and enjoy the evening.

“It’ll only take me like 5 minutes, Hell I’ll go without the shirt it’s fine” He goes to put on his shoes, completely shirtless, yet still willing to go dressed in what little he was in to join you to the small trip.

“Baby, I mean it. You’ve had a really rough few days, please go sit down and try to relax. I wont be gone for more than 20 minutes tops. You can go take your shower and then by the time you’re done I’ll be back. Sound like a plan?” Holding his hands in your own you look him in the eyes hoping you’d be able to convince your husband to slow down and take a breather. He paused before letting out a sigh and grabbing your face in between his hands.

“I’m not going to win this am I?” You shook your head and he let out a sigh giving up. “Alright but don’t take to long okay, oh and make sure you get those one chips. The spicy ones I like, you know what they’re called.” You let out a giggle at the small request.

“Of course. I love you” You lean forward and give him a quick kiss before grabbing your keys and heading out the door. The door clicks behind you as you leave to the store.

“I love you too” He says to a now empty room before making his way back to the couch. He’d soon regret not saying those words to your face before you left, and would regret not forcing himself to join you even more. Because maybe if he had been just a little bit more stubborn you would have been able to join him for the rest of that movie that he has still yet to finish.

It had been a year.

A year.

Katsuki walk into the apartment after a long day at work placing his keys and wallet in the bowl next to the door. He had called out into the house like he used too out of habit but it wasn’t the same. There wasn’t any response to his call. He honestly hated coming home because it didn’t feel warm like it used to. It was to quiet here. He walked into the kitchen and glanced at the calendar, before realizing the date and his breath caught in his throat. How had he forgot. He turned out of the room and grabbed his keys and left.

As he drove around in his car, he found himself stopping at the store. It was the same one. The same one you were supposed to go to before he had gotten the call. Thinking back he remember the feeling of how his heart broke. He always thought that people exaggerated when they said that but he finally understood. But god he wished he didn’t. He wished he could return to the time when he was oblivious to how it felt to have a gapping hole where he once felt happiness. Back to when picture of your smile would make his heart fill with joy instead of making his eye fill with tears.

He pulled over the car and stood in front of the store. He hadn’t came back here since the incident, but he thought that it was only fitting that he had today. After all this was were the two of you had first met. Granted you had class together, Katsuki being who we was, never noticed you were in the class until you had physically bumped into each other. He yelled at you for making him spill the chips he had just bought and you just returned his anger with your famous smile, apologizing and buying him 2 more as an offering of peace. After that day you found a way bothered him everyday, mostly bringing him snacks. Some of which you knew he would like, some that you liked and sometimes brand new ones that you wanted to try with him. You quickly stole the blond’s heart, but for some reason he was completely fine with it.

So here he stood. In front of the store you both deemed as your store. It wasn’t a big store, it was family owned, a nice elderly couple ran it. They teased the two of you for being a couple long before the thought of even dating had crossed either of your minds. You had grown fond of them and had even invited them to your wedding saying that if it wasn’t for them you guys wouldn’t have been together. Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door, the bell ringing throughout the shop.

“Good evening, welcome to- Bakugou?” The elderly woman stops dead in her tracks at the sight of the young man. She almost doesn’t speak again, a sad smile on her lips as she walks over to him. “What brings you to the store? I haven’t seen you since.. well in a while.”

“I needed to get some flowers if that's alright.” His eyes glued to the floor, unable to hold eye contact. He wouldn't let anyone see him this vulnerable. With a small sigh she places a hand on his shoulder and gestures over to where the bouquets where at. He raised his head and his eyes fell on one in particular. With slow steps he reaches his hand out taking a hold of the bundle before bringing it to his nose and inhaling the sent. They smelled like her. “These are... these were her favorite.” He pauses looking at the perfectly arranged flowers, a small tear managing to fall from his cheek, hitting one of the petals.

“It’s on the house. Be sure to tell her I said hi.” The woman makes her way toward the back of the store, looking back at him before disappearing “And don't be a stranger alright?” He nods before thanking her and heading out of the store and taking off in his car again.

After driving for what seemed like hours he finally makes it to his destination. Parking the car, he steps out. He walks down the gravel path and all he can think of is that you shouldn’t be here. This place was so cold and bland. It was nothing like you. You deserved to be somewhere so full of life it was that it was almost suffocating. You deserved to there with him. But when he arrived at the spot he had travel here for, he bent down and sat on his knees. He placed the flowers at the edge of your stone and wiped the tears off his face that had some how managed to sneak out. Taking a deep breath he spoke.

“Happy anniversary my little ballerina.”

546 notes · View notes

captainkappa · 3 years

Text

Fanfic:: Hunter and Prey

To be a Mandalorian pirate is to be both hunter and prey. This, Din understood after being taken into their care as a child.

Now he is hunting a Mandalorian artifact to deliver his charge to the aquatic sorcerers in order to teach him how to handle his magic. His quest brings him to a sandy stretch of shore, Mos Pelgo.

Link to AO3

For Day 4 of @dincobbweek aka AU day!

The prophecy as foretold; I have a hyperfixation, therefore I must write a pirate AU. And oh my god, I loved writing this fic so so much.

Huge shout out to @staranon95 for betaing and @ayantiel for providing the needed inspiration to get this thing going!

-=-=-=-

Mayfeld took in a deep breath, letting the salty air fill his lungs. There was a lot riding on today, his reputation, Ran’s reputation, but with the Empire’s finest knelt at his feet, all of their note-worthy possessions, he thought he was doing pretty well.

“No one makes any dumb decisions and you all will get to live,” he called out, voice carrying over the wind so even the poor bastards at the end would be able to hear. “We’re just here for what’s ours and then we’ll leave you be. You’ll never have seen us.”

Xi’an was getting her brother from the prisoners down below and Burg was raiding the captain’s office. Sure, the objective was to get Xi’an’s brother before he made it to the Empire’s colonies, but this was an Imperial vessel. The three of them would have to be stupid not to rob the Imps blind when they had the opportunity. Plus, their informant assured them that not only was this a prisoner’s vessel, it was a transport vessel, moving a map that led to a whole lot of Mandalorian gold.

It was the perfect plan; do a job for Ran, undermine Ran, get filthy rich, and live the rest of their days on an island in the Outer Isles.

And everything was going great, when Burg burst through the captain’s doors, startling everyone on board. Everyone jumped, bar Mayfeld. Burg cut an intimidating figure, a mountain of a man, horns poking through holes he made in his hat so he had to crouch to get into most places. His sudden presence didn’t startle Migs. What was a surprise was the concern on his face.

“Migs! The captain is dead!”

He rolled his eyes. “And? Do you want me to pay you back for the ammo it took to do that?”

“No, he was already dead! And the map’s gone too!”

His blood ran cold. He gave up the act and ran into the room, grabbing onto his hat so it wouldn’t fly away. His eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. He couldn’t tell if there had been a scuffle or it had been Burg who had torn up the room. Drawers were half open, hanging out, papers scattered, a blood-spatter, maybe, but there was so little Migs couldn’t tell if it was recent.

And in the center of it all, the captain, dead in his chair. His body was cool, so Burg wasn’t bluffing in saying someone had shot him before. There had been a lot of commotion when they had first boarded the ship, could the thief have entered then?

“You swear he was like this when you got in?”

Burg nodded.

“And he wasn’t holding a pistol?”

Burg nodded again and the evidence confirmed it. There was only one pistol in the room, halfway across the floor. That didn’t happen when someone tried to off themself for fear of the pirates coming on board.

Migs pushed the body to the floor, getting on his knees to root through the drawers, hoping to find the map, to be able to smack Burg upside the head, but there was nothing. He ripped them out of the desk, holding them upside down and shaking them, but still nothing. Just useless documentation with Imperial seals splayed everywhere.

He slammed the top of the desk as he stood up.

“Did you check everywhere?! Every possible drawer, false drawer, any of that bullshit?”

“Yeah! But it ain’t here!”

Migs pulled off his hat, balling up the rim in fist before throwing it back on.

Ran would tell him not to get greedy. There was an unknown element at play now, so focus on getting Qin out and run. With the group back to what it was before Mando sold them out, they could rob big ships again, but who the fuck cared about that. If Ran knew about the map, he would’ve said to hell with Qin, focus on the pay-out.

Migs stormed out of the quarters and back onto the deck. It was too sunny to see, but that didn’t stop his furious walk back to the line of Imperials on the ship. He grabbed the one in the fanciest looking clothing, who he could only assume was the quartermaster or second mate, and hauled him to his feet by his collar.

The man made a choking sound and face-to-face, looked at Migs with terror.

“Where the fuck is it?”

“Wh-Wh-Wh-?”

“The fucking map! Lost Mandalorian treasure? I need it, and if you don’t, Burg here will make sure you meet those fucking dead ass Mandalorians that hid it in the first place.”

Something must’ve gotten the man brave, because he said, “I thought Mandalorians were extinct, like you pirates are going to be.”

And as if signing his death wish, he spat on the floorboards near his feet.

Well, Migs wanted a nice clean run, but he had a reputation to uphold.

He threw the man back down to the floor and before he could get his arms out from under him, Migs pulled out his flintlock pistol and aimed it at him.

He was a second away from painting the floor with this asshole, when Xi’an ran out from under the deck, her brother trailing behind.

“Captain! It’s Mando!”

That made Migs whip his head up. “Mando? Here?”

She nodded. “We saw him climbing down. Port side, now!”

The four of them raced to the railing, watching as the small craft sped away, faster than any ship could hope to move. She flew familiar colors, the flag of someone who had sold Qin out in the first place.

Migs thought today couldn’t get any worse.

Then the flare went out, bright and brilliant even in the daytime sky. An Imperial flare, that would’ve had to have come from the captain’s quarters, that they wouldn’t have been able to spot in the chaos of the room, that was absolutely going to call every Imperial ship in a hundred miles radius.

Fuck.

Fucker didn’t even have the decency to flip them off as he sailed away.

-=-

Din keeps his eyes low to the ground, brim of his hat pulled low over his head, scarf pulled round his face as he weaves in the crowd. It’s Nevarro, so he knows he blends in with the rest of the criminals that inhabit the port town, but he finds himself more cautious these days.

Especially with the small cargo at his side.

It’s only when he takes a corner into a dark alley, down a set of stairs just off the tavern, into the gloom, does he look at the bag at his side.

As they passed a torch on the wall, the Child looked up at him and beamed, his pointy teeth just coming in, ears unfurling as he lifted the flap.

“You doing ok?”

The child babbled in reply.

“Good, we’ll be there soon.”

For what was basically an underground network for a bunch of criminals, it was surprisingly clean. There were puddles of brackish water that Din stepped around to avoid, along with passing others, but it wasn’t as piss-soaked as Nevarro was up top.

Hiding a whole community under a criminal network didn’t seem like the smartest idea at first, but the thing about criminals is they can either be paid off or disappeared with little problem. As he stepped around a pair of running children, he hoped there would be one day Mandalorians wouldn’t have to hide. He had no idea how that would happen, but no one had ever died on hope.

They finally arrived at their destination, a door on the far side of the hallway. He knocked on the door and opened it when he heard the familiar voice say, “Enter.”

She was already sitting at a table, a bottle of rum in front of her, a candle burning, doing its best to light up the space. Her hat was beside her, feathers drooping so they touched the brim. He made a mental note to pick up more on his next supply run.

He took off his hat as he shut the door behind him, keeping his bandana firmly in place.

“How was your trip?” the Quartermaster asked coolly, picking up the bottle to pour him a drink. It had been years since she had manned a ship, but the title still carries in their community.

He pulled out both the kid and treasure from the bag, setting the kid down on the ground to run around the space before sitting across from her.

“Successful.”

He spread out the map in front of the Quartermaster. He heard those fools talking about Mandalorian gold, and it wasn’t entirely true. It was a map to a compass that would reveal what the holder most desired, which for some might be Mandalorian pirate gold or power or love.

Or the location of the aquatic sorcerers the child needed.

The child wasn’t fully human. He needed to spend a lot of time in water in order to spend time on land, which meant a lot of time spent swimming alongside the Razor Crest. He could also shoot water up out of the ocean, a gift Din was well acquainted with, it being one of the child’s favorite games to play.

Since he had failed to fully deliver the child to the Empire, he had had privateers and other pirates on their tail for months. This map was their last hope to make sure the child got back with his people and then…

And then Din would go back to what he did best; providing for a people now scattered by his actions.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of the Quartermaster’s chair scraping back. She stood up, only to bow over again, her back parallel to the table. She moved her scarf to the side so her lips could ghost over the map as she spoke words of power into the paper.

She stood back up fully as the ink on the map shifted and moved. Waves rolled in place, sea serpents dipped in and out of the surface, all the while the path moved like an eel, slippery and changing, until everything at last was at rest and the ink seeped back into the page.

All three bowed their heads over the map. The starting point of the path was now the tiny cluster of islands of Nevarro and the end point was…

“Tatooine?” he asked out loud. “They’re basically land locked. What would a Mandalorian be doing there?”

Tatooine was a coastal stretch of land, surrounded by jagged rocks and ship-wrecks on one side and impassable mountains on the other, with desert in the valley.

She raised her head, scarf now back in place. “I suspect you’ll find out when you go there.”

He nodded and the child cooed. Din looked over at the child grabbing at the map, hands scratching at the lines like he could pick them back up.

“Come on, little one. We have a long journey ahead of us.”

-=-

Din sailed into Mos Pelgo, following the instructions Peli had given him.

“You have to arrive at low tide, that’s the only way you’ll see all the shit you have to get through. If you haven’t decided to turn tail and leave, you have to keep to the south. If you go north, you’re dead. Last I heard, there’s a pile of sticks they call a dock if you keep going south.”

The dock was a simple thing, as she’d said. Rotten wood, with just one post tall enough to hold the rope to the ship. Din was half tempted to jump straight into the water and swim to shore rather than test the strength of the wood, but resisted the urge with the Child in his bag.

He could see the town in the distance and set off on the beach, letting the Child out to stomp around on the beach.

The town was small, a couple of shacks on stilts for the stormy season. Few people were out, and those that were openly stared at the two of them. Din paid them no mind, one goal in his head.

He walked into the cantina, knowing if there ever was a way to learn about a town, it was going to their cantina first.

And not half a minute of talking with the Weequay bartender, the “Captain” walked in. The man wasn’t a Mandalorian, his face was bare, showing off white hair, sun-freckled pale skin, and a well-trimmed beard. His coat was sturdy, but patched to high heaven, with a bright red scarf around his neck. He wore the compass on his belt like he was flaunting it. It made Din’s blood boil. If Din were a younger man, he would’ve shot him right there for it.

But he tried talking. The compass should be in the hands of a Mandalorian. The Captain swore up and down he had gotten it fairly and therefore it should be his.

“I’ve given you an easy out already. Take it off,” Din said, “Or I will.”

“We gonna do this in front of the kid?”

“He’s seen worse.”

The Captain stood, fingers already itching for the flintlock on his hip, no doubt preloaded like Din’s were. They were interrupted by cries from outside. The Captain holds up a hand before smoothly exiting the cantina. Din follows, but stops in the doorframe to take it all in.

There were several broken fishing boats being led through the rocky shores, dragged onto the sands, people shouting, people carrying others. The Captain was in the middle of it all, shouting orders, trying to bring organization to the chaos.

In the distance, was the unmistakable view of a large tentacle slipping beneath the waves.

Din didn’t want to get in the way of this organized chaos, but then a twi’lek with scarred lekku was shoving bandages into his arms and gesturing over to a house across the way. Din wasn’t going to say no to that.

The house was quieter than outside, only pained whimpers and soft, hushed voices. A collection of wooden splinters already piled beside the bed as the doctor continued to take tweezers to one of the people who came in. Din placed the bandages by their side before stepping back, nearly colliding with the Captain.

He looked at the scene with a pensive expression. Immediately, Din could see that his care for his people went further than words. There was corded energy in those shoulders, anger that wanted to be released at the creature that did this to his people.

The Captain ushered him out of the room.

As they walked back to the cantina, the Captain said, “How about this; you help me with the kraken, I give you back your compass.”

“Deal.”

-=-

The Captain led him past the edge of town to the cliff’s edge. On the journey he told his name was Cobb Vanth; Din held off on his own introduction.

“None of us are much for traveling,” Cobb said, “but the kraken planted itself right where we normally fish. Even when I send people to fish in a different spot, the damn thing follows after. We’ll be starved out sooner rather than later.”

They crested over the hill and the expanse of ocean fell before them. The kraken was visible from the cliffs, a dark mark under the waters, swimming languidly around the coast.

Din did a mental inventory of what he had on the Razor Crest; a handful of spears, a harpoon, some rope. Cobb had shown him the town’s stores before they left. It wasn’t going to be enough.

He stepped back from the ledge, back where Cobb is. “Is there a Tusken encampment nearby?”

Cobb raised an eyebrow. “The Tuskens? But they’re-”

“They know the coast and water better than anyone. We can’t kill it with just the two of us.”

“If they know the area then won’t they want to… I don’t know, not kill it?”

“Then, we’ll just have to ask.”

“Ask? You don’t ask a Tusken anything.”

He could, in fact, ask a Tusken for things. Din was thankful for the cloth in front of his face, masking most of his pride as he watched Cobb’s jaw drop as he asked the Tuskens for their help. It turned out, they did want help in defeating the kraken. Its sudden appearance had also affected their fishing.

They had to travel further to where the kraken had made his home. Din stayed in the back with Cobb, where he seemed more comfortable.

Cobb also apparently liked to talk when he’s nervous.

“So, you spend your days on the ocean? All the time?”

“Mhm. Do you spend all your days on land?”

“Mostly. I used to be on a ship, but not like you. I was a galley slave on an Imperial ship, but before then I had dreams of being as free as you, traveling the waters on a boat with a crew of my own.” His face fell. “Haven’t thought about that dream… for a while.”

To have something that should have meant freedom be taken away from you, Din couldn’t imagine.

“But you escaped?”

“Kriff, yes. Raised a mutiny, sunk those fuckers to the bottom of the sea. I found the compass in the captain’s drawers and it pointed us here. Few more people joined, some left, but it’s as home as we can get.”

Din could only nod. He found himself surprised with the thought that he was glad that Cobb got the compass. He had no idea what the Empire was doing with a Mandalorian artifact, but it was definitely put to better use finding people a home.

They made camp up in the dunes. Din had to waste a bullet, firing into the air to disrupt the startings of a fight between Cobb and the Tuskens. Planning was slightly easier after that.

He took off his coat, bundling it up into a nest for the child to sit in. He rolled up his sleeves to free up his arms as he continued translating. He noticed Cobb looking at the tattoos that traveled up his arms. He doesn’t comment on it.

-=-

Small boats littered the coastline the next day. The plan was for people from both the Tusken band and Mos Pelgo would distract the kraken long enough for a boat of explosives to be set up and ignited close enough to kill it but not the people.

It doesn’t go great.

There were enough boats in the water to pick up people who capsized in the wake of the monster’s waves, the thing lashing out as folks took pot shots with pistols and arrows. They managed to set the boat laden with explosives off in its direction, but when the time came to ignite, the explosion happened, but it just managed to scratch the beast.

Din reached for the harpoons he brought as backup. He and Cobb try firing at the kraken, but they skim off its skin.

The Tuskens were still firing their weapons at the creature. Mos Pelgans took turns firing guns and reloading in turn. All it did was keep the creature at bay, which wouldn’t last long at all. He needed to think of something to kill the creature or everyone here would die.

He furtively scanned around the deck for something, anything. His gaze landed on the extra explosives they had kept on hand. The monster’s skin was too thick for the explosions to take but elsewhere…

Din doesn’t think, he just moves. He grabbed as many sticks of dynamite as he could, stuffing them in the pockets of his coat. There was a coil of rope tied off to the railing, which he took and wrapped around his waist. Even after years of living on ships, his hands shook as he tried to tie it. Suddenly, Cobb was in front of him, taking the rope from his hands and tying it tight around his midsection.

He pulled it hard, once, twice, and it wasn’t going anywhere.

“What are you gonna do?” Cobb asked.

“I’m not sure,” Din said, pulling the rope tighter around his waist.

“Then what should I do?”

Din looked at him, really looked at this man who was willing to do so much for his community in light of so much hardship in his own life. He looked back at the dark shape in the water racing for their boats

He took off his hat and tossed it at Cobb. “Take care of the Child.”

And before Cobb could do anything beyond catch the hat, Din leaped off the side of the ship. He couldn’t tell if Cobb shouted anything after him as the kraken burst from the water. He forced himself to keep his eyes open as he fell straight into the kraken’s maw.

-=-

It was nothing but darkness inside the beast. Even with the scarf over his nose, the scent of salt water and death was everywhere. He dug himself in the mouth of the beast, boots scraping against bony protuberances in the things throat. He emptied his pockets as fast as he could while holding on for dear life as the monster bucked and screamed.

He hoped the kraken was out of range of the boat.

When he was left with one explosive left, he fished around in his pockets for his matchbook. He struck the match and lit the explosive before chucking it down with all the others like it.

He turned and clawed at the kraken’s beak, heart pounding in his chest. If he doesn’t get out of here before the explosion goes off-

Suddenly, a roaring filled his ears and a mass of hot air flung him out of the monster. His scarf twists around his head and he can’t see anything as he flails. He landed hard in the water and then it was silent as the dark water pulled him down.

He wasn’t sure how long he drifted. The shock of cold water and the heaviness of his coat made movement impossible.

He didn’t regret asking Cobb to take care of the child, he’d be in good hands.

Something wrapped around his waist and pulled. Din tried to resist, not sure if he was being dragged toward air or to his death, but his arms were useless, heavy and leaden. He had no strength and so he let it happen.

And then they broke through the surface of the water, a cool wind icing his skin instantly. He took a shuddering breath and nearly choked on water and his sopping wet scarf. Hands came up and pulled the scarf off his face. He coughed, chest shuddering with each intake of breath. He realized he’s being held, arms around his waist, and it isn’t until he can take a full breath did he finally bother to wipe salt water from his eyes and look at who was holding him.

It was Cobb. His hat and coat were off, red shirt darkened to maroon with all the water. He was searching his face for… something.

Din took a breath, resisting the urge to cough again. “I thought I said- you need to take care of the kid!”

“I am!” Cobb said, holding his head up to avoid a passing wave. “By making sure his daddy lives!”

Cobb maneuvers his arms so he’s gripping a floating piece of rowboat. It’s thankfully big enough that when Din leans his whole weight on it, he doesn’t sink back into the ocean.

“Everyone okay?”

Cobb gave him a look that Din thinks means he’s stupid. “Yes, thanks to you, partner.”

They only have to tread water for a couple of minutes before a rowboat headed by the twi’lek Issa-Or arrives. Cobb makes sure Din is pulled aboard before climbing in himself.

-=-

They stayed the night. Din isn’t in any position to argue with Cobb’s hospitality. He didn’t think he’d be able to turn the wheel on the Razor Crest let alone sail it out of harbor.

Cobb opened his house to them. It was a small abode, raised off the ground like the others. Its small size made it even more obvious the telescope and sextant were on display on the only table in the main room.

Din wanted to pass out then and there, but Cobb firmly set him in one of the wooden chairs before disappearing behind the one door in the house. He returned with a roll of bandages and water. He thought it was to drink, until Cobb started peeling back the wet layers of Din’s clothes to reveal burns and scratches he hadn’t even felt. Cobb dips a rag into the freshwater, rinsing out the salt and detritus from the wounds.

He worked in silence, both too exhausted from the day to say much. They could hear the sounds of the party outside, Tusken and Mos Pelgan alike celebrating the death of the beast.

A drunken group walked past and the two of them can hear the butchered shanty they sing. They glanced to the window then to each other, sharing hidden smiles.

All patched up, Cobb gave him the bed and set something up for the child. Din knew he should be aware of his host, should know where his host himself is sleeping the night, but he couldn’t bring himself to care with exhaustion tugging him into the bed.

Voices from the other room kept him up, cracking one eye open to focus on the now familiar drawl.

“You know, in the past few days, whenever I looked at the compass for a sign of how to kill the kraken, it always pointed out to sea. I didn’t know what that meant, if I had to go sailing for a kraken expert or find a sunken treasure that would kill the kraken. I don’t know, I was getting desperate. But now… I’m thinking it might’ve been pointing to your dad.”

He heard the child’s burbles of delight and finally, finally, he slid into unconsciousness.

-=-

Din woke up to the sun shining in his eyes, light reflecting off the compass placed on the pillow that wasn’t there last night. Any lingering drowsiness left him when he realized what it is.

The Mandalorian compass.

He grabbed it and opened it up, thinking about Grogu and the teacher he needed. The arrow spun around, until stopping, hovering at a point out back toward the ocean.

A heading. He had a heading.

He fell back into the bed, just staring at the compass. It was embedded in a box made of dark wood, carvings all around the edges, Mando’a script, if he had to guess. It’s incomprehensible, chipped to the point of being illegible.

Something in the bed crinkled as he shifted. He turned and searched for the source and founda scrap of paper. It took a moment for him to parse, but it was just Cobb letting him know he had business to attend to and he would be back when Din left.

Right... they had to leave this town to continue their quest.

He reminded himself of that as he went out to find the child. The house sounded suspiciously quiet for all the mischief the child got into.

-=-

They got their affairs in order quicker than expected. Some people had spent the night alongside the Tuskens preparing the kraken meat to distribute to the rest of the town – and Din, apparently.

It seemed like the whole town had come out to see them off. They apparently had held off giving their thanks until they knew he was conscious. Din looked over the grateful townspeople’s heads to see Issa talking intently with Cobb. When Cobb glanced over his way, he ducked his head back down.

Normally he would sneak out of this kind of attention, but the kid was eating it up, beaming like he was the one who took down the beast, so Din went down the line, nodding respectfully at every given comment.

By the time he got to the end of the line, he was already ready to take a nap, but he raised a hand to bid them all good-bye and turned to walk out of town.

“Mando!”

Din turned around to see Cobb running after him, heel kicking up sand.

He stops in front of him. “Do you- do you need help on your quest?”

“Are you offering? Thought you had a town to look after.”

He scratched the back of his neck. “Well, the kraken was our biggest threat, and with the peace brokered with the Tuskens, there’s not much for me here.”

Din tried to tamp down his excitement, not believing what he was hearing. “You still have your sea legs?”

“Long as you don’t lock me up below deck, I should get them just fine.”

“I’d never,” he said quickly.

Cobb smiled. “Well then, permission to come aboard?”

Din hoped Cobb could tell he was smiling behind the bandana. “Granted.”

-=-

As they sailed out of port, Din kept glancing at Cobb, who was fidgeting up a storm. He kept tapping his fingers against the railing, glancing out at the disappearing coastline.

Finally, after even the Child was tapping on his pant leg to point out Cobb’s unease for him, he hatched a plan. He affixed the wheel so it wouldn’t turn on its own. Then he went about setting the sails and ropes for the same task, keeping them on course while Din took care of Cobb.

“We can still head back if you want to,” he said as he approached the other man.

Cobb turned over his shoulder. “No, I’m not having second thoughts. I’ve… My friends know I’m not exactly made for land.”

“Oh?”

Cobb flipped his scarf up to wipe at his head. “Before we made landfall at Mos Pelgo, we took out a few Imperial ports. Small things that we only noticed because of the ships with galley slaves, but… I ain’t felt that alive in a while.”

Din fished the compass out from his pocket, flicking it open. The arrow spun lazily, pointing back to Cobb for a second before spinning around in the direction they were sailing, the same direction it had pointed when he thought about what Grogu needed.

He snapped it shut, coming up to stand beside Cobb.

“I’m sure we’ll run into something along the way. Here, I’ve got something to show you.”

Cobb raised an eyebrow. “Alright, I’ll bite. What is it?”

Din bit his lip, glad for the bandana. “Do you trust me?”

Cobb chuckled. “I would have to be an idiot to sail out to who knows where with a man I didn’t trust.”

Din nodded. “Then let it be a surprise.”

Cobb acquiesced, letting himself be led to the middle of the deck. When they were under the main mast, Din grabbed the main line in one hand, pulling Cobb close with the other. He ignored how his cheeks flushed with the sudden closeness.

“Hold on tight,” he said.

“Wha-?” That’s all Cobb got out before Din flicked the switch with his foot and the two of them went rocketing up toward the crow’s nest. Cobb’s arms circled around him like a vice, his shouts lost in the wind.

Din made sure Cobb got in the basket before he did, especially when he realized his eyes were shut.

“Cobb, open your eyes.”

Cobb cracked one eye open and then both flew open as he realized what he was seeing. Glittering blue ocean, as far as the eye could see. There were two dots in the far distance, ships of some sort.

There was no better way to experience the vastness of it all, than looking at it from above.

He glanced at Cobb and saw his eyes tearing up a bit.

He doesn’t say anything for a long moment, letting Cobb take it all in. This was what being on the ocean was supposed to mean, freedom and possibility, beauty and wonder. Din didn’t expect to do much in laying a balm over Cobb’s past, but he hoped he could communicate with this view that he wanted to help when he could.

Cobb turned to face him and Din knew he understood.

“Thank you, Mando.”

“Din, my name is Din Djarin.”

“Then thank you, Din.” And to his surprise, he leaned over and kissed him just above where the scarf covered his face.

Neither of them acknowledged it, except for an exchange of eye contact. Neither could contain the mirth in the crinkles of their eyes.

“We should start plotting a course, shouldn’t we, Captain?” Cobb asked.

“Yes, Captain.”

#dincobbweek2021 #dincobb #marshmando #cobbdin #dincobbweek #pirate aus my beloved #cant get enough of them #so many times i was like 'oh shit that translates so well into pirate au!!!'#it was just a joy to write #as you can probably tell by how fucking long it is #esp compared to the other fics of sensible lengths for this week #kappa talks #my fanfic

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feather-dancer · 3 years

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Tales of Arcadia Fanfic Recommendations - Part 5

Can you believe we’re here again? I certainly can’t, five fanfic recommend lists is getting a bit on the silly side and yet here we are! This one started building within 24 hours of the last one and it seems about the right time to chuck it into the wilds for peeps to enjoy.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

If at all interested in my own writing you can find it here!

General Trollhunters

Falling in the black - Jim had accepted his fate the moment he began pouring out the elixir Merlin made into the bathtub, all that was left now was to go through with it and hope he was doing the right thing.

Night of the CreepSlayerz - Morgana was defeated and the Trollhunter left Arcadia with many of it’s former residents in search of a brand new Heartstone thus the protection of the town fell to those left behind. It is not quiet though, far from it in fact, for in the fallen Market an evil yet stirs with a siren’s song...

and in the dark i can hear your heartbeat - It’s a long trip to New Jersey and for the only human not the easiest on her feet, still she has Jim with her. Jilaire fluff.

Champion - Angor ponders over what became of the troll he once was after he was forced into servitude by the Pale Lady.

A Mutually Beneficial Relationship - By chance, Angor Rot meets the Trollhunter Tellad-Urr.

General Wizards

A wizards associate - A lovely little tale of how Archie and Douxie possibly met for the first time. You never know what your kindness might produce.

Saudade - There was always gonna be an After when the Order had been temporarily beaten back and the successor to Merlin was forced to flee to keep Nari safe but this was never going to be an easy thing to bear. Follows multiple characters including stop offs with Jim n Co. and Zoe picking up the pieces of suddenly not being in the same town as her centuries long best friend. Does eventually go Zouxie!

Eye of the Hurricane - A lost moment after arriving at Hex tech, Douxie goes to take a breather and is given the chance to chat to Zoe, freshen up and wonder what on earth they’re gonna do now Jim has been captured. Zouxie fluff.

A Bit of Simple Magic - Technically before Wizards but since it has a couple mentions directly from Wizards I’m popping it here. This is shameless Zouxie fluff based on Teny’s artwork and I am HERE for it.

afterimage - An unusual one. A popular take is that certainly Skrael and Bellroc might have been human before becoming what we know them as now and this is a little bit of dabbling with young Bells who is figuring out they don’t appreciate gender nor long hair with the expectations it brings very much.

When You Least Expect - Panic attacks can happen to anybody and if Wizards had anything to say, Douxie has an awful lot of material should one be triggered.

Cantus In Memoriam - Some mercies are gifted like a blessing but to the hands that take it, it's a lie they need more than anything. The Arcane Order has lost, it’s true, but Douxie will take no joy in ending their long vigil.

alight - I may be a tiny bit biased here because there’s a reference to Ghost!AU but you know what screw it the author is great and deserves the love. Jim wants to go back to his second life, the one he thought would have been forever before he was revived into softer flesh but there is no guarantee he will be the same as he was then. Sometimes the possible comforts are worth the leap of faith it will take to get there.

Jim the Baby-Handed - Jim is home again, human and there is no getting around how things have shifted in his absence. Sometimes however, all you need to do is ask.

Stricklake

Strange Treasures - There is an aftermath to everything, even the Eternal Night and one that leaves Barbara wondering how she stands in it and particularly with regards to a certain changeling adrift himself who had once upon a time tried to kill her son.

The Only Constant - If Walter was offered the chance access his human appearance again after the Eternal Night, would he do it for her despite it would literally be walking into the unknown?

Tumblr Drabbles - He loves Barbara, he truly does, but after everything he had done to the final insult of Angor Rot coming for his own life and in turn threatening her in the process perhaps walking away is for the best. A broken heart in exchange for her life. The second one is an entirely different and is almost innocent Strickmar fluff, almost.

Alternate Universe

Another Dark Prince (Working Title) - Fate can be a strange thing sometimes. Gunmar could have escaped the Darklands far sooner but in lacking the army to go forth with his conquest is relegated to the shadows with his son and the changelings minding them whilst seeking the reopening on the Bridge for the third time. Following this thought further, perhaps a fatal accident could have led to the death of Barbara and a five year old Jim swept into the arms of a troll he would kill in another life on a promise to the deceased to keep him safe. Wouldn’t that have been a thing?

Arcane Blight - Another horror fic! There is something rather unsettling going on in Arcadia, one that contains no trolls in the conventional sense but doesn’t stop them being here, and the household the Lakes moved into seems to be treated with fear and distrust. That said there is the chance it’s more the location that’s the issue particularly with a school existing in fear of a certain ginger haired lad...

Mohs Scale - The fantastic Don't Listen to Kafka series got a new update! Sometimes you just want to help out your bestie who is going through very weird changes as his body is slowly becoming less and less human by giving him a pedicure.

Eternal Night - Gunmar was defeated at the Eternal Night but did not die, no he survived blinded and bound in chains by the mercy of the formerly human Trollhunter. Beware, even the presumed subdued still have their teeth.

Amnesia - Jim is in a blue body that cannot be quite right but he doesn’t know why, found half drowned by trolls and taking into their care. Cut off from those who might have known his old life and flung into a new strange one without his memories this boy is in for a ride while he tries to piece back together anything that makes sense.

Hope Dies Last - Nari said they would rip his soul to shreds if they caught him during her rescue from the Order’s stronghold, she spoke a very nearly fatal truth.

Fear of Fears - An AU of an AU in a sense, an alternate take of the fabulous Sunshine series and somewhat darker as the situation that starts far more innocently rapidly spirals out of control when Jim attempts to sneak out for Halloween but even then nobody could have expected the result. Heed the warnings in the tags they’re there for a reason.

Moirai - There is a danger when you take up the Skathe-Hrün that you may gain the attentions of eyes you would much rather did not and in Claire’s case, it is the notice of the assassin Angor Rot.

He lay dreaming - A follow up in a sense to the above, sometimes on rare occasions Angor by choice or not begins to dream.

The Pursuit of Stone; A Chance Meeting - Another part of the highly recommended The Heart of Janus series that has lore threads spread far and wide, a fine example both of why I adore Sam in his chaotic... Samness and another beat in the story of Otto Scaarbach’s rise to Grand Commandant in that even in the most unlikely places you may still find an ally, a future tool to be ultilised.

The OP in the very second of typing this had a sudden realisation that when the author sees this post will no doubt start laughing for. It’s for a good reason tho, promise.

The completely unrelated to this fandom fic

hell calls hell - This Overwatch R76 fic is an absolute bruiser of a read set in an alternate universe of royalty and political intrigue that I started reading blind and... Could not stop. The summary simply is A trained assassin sent to kill an emperor and his son encounters more than he bargained for and while true, does not do justice for the sheer amount of world building bursting from every seam being as much part of the plot as the very fabric the entire thing is soaked in.

#trollhunters #Wizards #ToAWizards #Tales of Arcadia

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dccomicsimagines · 4 years

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What’s Lost is Found - Batfamily Imagine - Part Seven

Warning - Depressive Thoughts, Angst Content

Note from Anon - I absolutely love your writing! You're definitely one of my favorite fanfic writers. I love What's Lost Is Found, but I just thought I might suggest adding some sort of warning for depressive thoughts or something. I really love how your writings are realistic and that I can relate to them, but it was so similar to the depression I had a couple years ago, I felt myself become a little depressed for a couple days afterward. Either way, it's still amazing and I can't wait for the next part! ❤❤❤

Author’s Note - I am truly sorry for any harm that this story might have caused due to the lack of a warning of depressive thoughts. I will try to include these warnings on the other parts as well and I’m sorry they weren’t there in the first place.

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Six.Five Part Eight Part Nine Part Ten Part Eleven

Requested by Anon - I love your work! Can the next part of What’s lost is found be her first encounter with Jason tim and Damien! Love the series

Requested by multifandoms916 - Can you write a part 7 for what’s lost is found where the reader gets closure from Bruce’s death All so where the adults and Lian actually apologizes like genuine

Requested by Anon - part seven of what’s lost is found? where the reader and damian finally meet again? and the reader gets like injured and he freaks? i love ur stories!

Requested by many other Anons as well.

***

You flipped over the last mugger and wrapped your legs around his neck. He choked. You chuckled, using the momentum to flip him onto the ground.

“I wish I could do that,” Jon laughed, flying over to scoop you up into his arms. He soared into the sky as the cops arrived on the scene.

“You could if you worked on your flexibility.” Your arms wrapped around his neck as you kissed his cheek. His cologne tickled your nose.

“Will you help me with that?” Jon smirked.

You nuzzled his cheek. “Maybe.” Your phone beeped from your pocket. Jon landed on the roof of a office building and set you down. Only then, did you take your phone out of your pocket. One phone dropped forty feet was enough. “Crap, I’m supposed to be home in ten minutes. Dick texted me a warning.”

“Well, we will have to fly fast then.” Jon took off his coat. “It’s only like fifty miles.” He wrapped the coat around you. You smiled, putting your arms through once your phone was safely back in your pocket.

“Remember we went to see the new Disney movie,” you warned as Jon scooped you up again. You snuggled into his chest, loving how warm he was.

“Yep, and it was okay. We went to pizza afterwards.” Jon floated off the roof and high into the sky. “At least that’s not a lie.”

You snorted, but stayed quiet. Jon picked up speed, flying faster than what was comfortable for you. You hid your face into his shoulder so the wind wouldn’t bite your face.

A few months had passed since Christmas break. You went back to school, and the normal humdrum of life. However, this time you had a spark of excitement. A spark named Jon.

Jon and you had dates every weekend. They started out slow as Dick had a crisis with the idea of you dating. Those first few dates were at the house under Dick’s watchful and annoying eye. Eventually, with Kori’s support, the dates were allowed to be out of the house and without supervision.

Thus, without supervision, the dates took a different turn. Jon and you would often go on patrol in different cities, stopping for dinner at some point during the night. You never went far from home, but far enough that your activities wouldn’t appear in local papers for Dick or Kori to see.

You dared to say that these patrol nights with Jon were the first times you felt like yourself since your dad died.

Jon slowed down. You looked out to see the big top of Dick’s circus in the distance. “Are you cold?” Jon whispered as he floated down to land in the woods a few blocks down from your house.

“Nah.” You kissed his lips before he set you down. Your lips tingled at the pressure. Jon pulled the mask off your eyes. “You’re keeping me warm.”

He smirked, leaning down to kiss you again, but you took the opportunity to rip off his mask. The two of you had a debate about what to patrol in. Jon wanted to be Superboy and you Robin, but when you informed him about the price on Robin’s head, he changed his mind. Therefore, you settled with plain civvies and simple face masks.

“No fair.” Jon pouted. You kissed him on the lips to wipe the pout off his face. “That’s better.” He panted slightly.

You took off Jon’s jacket and handed it back to him. “Come on, we don’t want to be late.” The mask went into the secret pocket you had sewn into your jeans. Luckily, you did your own laundry, so you didn’t have to worry about Dick or Kori finding out.

“You’re so paranoid.” Jon put on his jacket before taking your hand to lead you out of the woods.

“Better paranoid than dead,” you said automatically. Jon flinched, looking at you in surprise. You realized what you said, swallowing hard. “Sorry, it’s something Dad always said.”

Jon smiled at you sadly. He kissed your temple. “That’s okay.” He squeezed your hand. How could he be so warm all the time? You wondered if it was a Jon thing or a Kryptonian thing. “So are you worried what people will think if they catch us leaving the woods all the time?”

“Yes, but I’d rather have people thinking we’re messing around in the woods than...doing what we’re doing.” The two of you walked down the street. You could see the front light was on at your house. Dick would be watching. “Have you asked your parents about spring break?”

“I’ve mentioned it. Apparently, they’re talking it over with Dick and Kori.” Jon swung your arm playfully. “I let them know how much I would like to go, even if it’s mostly to see you.”

You snorted. “I know you want to go to Disney World too. You’ve been talking about the new Star Wars ride all the time.” Jon kissed your cheek.

“True, but I think it’s funny you want me to go so bad.” Jon winked at you. The blood burned to your face.

“Well, I don’t want to get trapped there with just Dick and Kori.” You shivered. “Kori is planning everything, because she’s determined to get the most of her first time at ‘the Disney World’.” Jon chuckled. “She wants me to wear ears, Jon. Like mouse ears.” Horror chilled your heart. What would your dad think of such a thing? “Even Dick didn’t try to put those on me last time we went.”

“I don’t know.” Jon shrugged, smiling at you teasingly. “I think you’d look cute.”

You smacked his arm. He laughed. Your hand stung as the hit hurt you more than him. “Watch it, Superboy or no more kisses.” You narrowed your eyes into a batglare.

Jon bit his lip, trying to stop laughing. The two of you finally reached the front steps of your house. You could see the shadow of Dick watching from the window. “I’ll text you when I get home,” Jon whispered, tensing as he sensed Dick’s eyes on him.

“You better.” You pressed a quick kiss to his lips before going into the house. Once at the door, you blew him one last kiss. Jon caught it with his hand and pressed it to his heart. Then he jogged away until he was in a safe place to fly home.

Three, two, one. “How was the movie?” Dick asked, hovering behind you. You sighed.

“It was okay.” You took off your coat and shoes. “How was your date night?”

“Good. Got home before you.” Dick crossed his arms. You could feel him studying you.

“Wouldn’t be you if you didn’t,” you muttered, getting some water from the fridge.

Dick frowned. “What was that?” He closed the front door and locked it securely.

“Nothing.” You headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

“Remember we have that meeting with the guidance counselor tomorrow,” Dick said, following you up. You hummed. When you were almost to your room, Dick caught your arm. He kissed your forehead. “Good night, honey.”

“Good night.” You pulled away. “Good night, Kori,” you said, raising your voice to be heard through the bathroom door.

“Sleep well, baby,” Kori shouted back. You went into your room. The click of the door was soothing. You leaned against the door and sank to the floor. Your phone beeped.

“I’m home,” Jon texted. You smiled.

“Good. I was getting worried.” You slowly got to your feet and dressed in your pajamas. Once you were settled into bed, you went back to your phone.

A smile pulled at your lips. “Dad says it’s a go.”

“Awesome. I won’t have to suffer alone.” You added a relieved emoji. “Good night, Jon.”

Jon sent a picture of the night sky. You smiled when you could recognize the stars due to the star chart Jon had given you for Christmas. “Good night, (Y/N). Pretty, beautiful you.”

You blushed. “Damn you,” you whispered. He could make you blush even though text. You heard Kori leave the bathroom and got up to brush your teeth.

***

“I don’t like this,” Dick said as he moped to the car. “(Y/N) should stay in high school at least another year.”

“Dick, you remember what the guidance counselor said. The school can’t offer the academic challenge (Y/N) needs, besides, (Y/N) wants this.” Kori soothed, taking his hand.

Meanwhile, you trailed behind them. You wanted to cheer, jump around, maybe do a backflip. It was the first time in a long time you felt so happy. You were going to graduate this spring, and then you could do whatever you wanted. Dick looked back at you and you did your best not to appear like you had won the lottery.

“This doesn’t mean you’re an adult.” Dick narrowed his eyes, hurt. “And you’re still going to school nearby.”

“Aww, no Yale?” you teased, taking out your phone to text Jon the news.

Dick opened his mouth, but Kori cut him off. “Not yet. Maybe after a year or two?” Kori rubbed Dick’s back. She gave you a look to tell you to take it easy. You pouted slightly. Why couldn’t you be happy about getting what you want?

You all got into the car. Dick shook his head as he drove out of the parking lot. He came to his own conclusion. “No, (Y/N) is not going to college. They’re too young.”

“I’m not too young.” You scowled at him when he glanced at you through the rearview mirror. “I want to go, Dick. Why do you have to hold me back all the time?”

“I do not hold you back.” Dick turned into the driveway quickly. “You don’t know what’s best for you.”

Rage filled you. “I know what’s best for me.” Your voice took a dangerous tone. Kori peered back at you worriedly. Dick spun to face you.

“No, you don’t. Damn it. You aren’t ready.” Dick’s mouth twitched, temper flaring. What right did he have to get mad over this? You were finally getting what you wanted. More freedom.

“Shut up!” You exploded, barely stopping yourself from punching Dick in the nose. Dick’s eyes widened in slight surprise when you jumped out of the car. You needed to get away from him.

“(Y/N).” Kori got out of the car and put a twenty in your hand. “Go get some ice cream and come back later. We’ll all talk once we have cooler heads.” She gave Dick a pointed look. Dick had gotten out of the car, ready for a battle of wills. His shoulders sank at her look.

“Fine.” You spun on your heel and walked down the street, not actually going toward the ice cream place. Dick started to follow you, but Kori stopped him. You broke out into a run as your heart boiled with frustration. You had never wanted to go to school, and the only reason you didn’t throw more of a fuss is because you knew you could graduate this year. Now that it was decided for sure, Dick threatened to take it away.

Tears stun your eyes as you ran faster. A car honked at you when you ran out into the middle of the street. However, you kept running until you reached the woods where Jon always took off from. Once inside, you took out your phone and dialed Jon’s number.

“Hello, beautiful.” Jon laughed. Your lips pulled into a smile at the sound of his voice. You sank down to sit against a tree.

“Hi.” You sniffled, brushing away tears with your hands.

“Woah, hey. What’s wrong?” Jon’s voice instantly turned into that soothing soft tone he always took when you cried. Embarrassingly, Jon saw you cry a lot.

You swallowed hard. “You got my text about how I’m graduating, right?”

Jon chuckled. “Yeah, congratulations. I know you wanted to.” He paused. “Don’t tell me you’re going to miss high school?”

“No.” You laughed a little. “Dick didn’t like that I’m graduating. He said I’m too young and that I don’t know what’s best for me.” You picked at a piece of grass. “I almost punch him, but I walked away before I did. Kori told me to go get ice cream.”

“Ooo, what flavor did you get?” Jon asked, excited like a little puppy. “I’m trapped at school for another hour.”

“Why?” You giggled. Your stomach buzzed happily.

“I got detention for skipping class.” Jon snorted. “It’s not my fault. There was a car who’s brakes gave out and was about to crash into a crowd of people.” He sighed like he was dying. “Life is so unfair. Mom already sent me a “we’re going to talk when you get home” text.”

You relaxed. The anger slipped away. “As long as you can still come for spring break, you’ll survive.”

Jon laughed. “Yeah, and we can ride the new Star Wars ride every day.”

“Well, there’s is a catch with the new Star Wars ride, but we’ll try to ride it when we can.” You remembered Kori explaining how it worked. It seemed like a lot of work, but for Jon, it was worth it.

“As long as I get to ride it once, I’ll be happy.” Someone snapped at him in the background. “Oops, got to go. It’s time for me to sit and think about what I did.”

“You bad boy.” You blushed as you said it.

Jon choked slightly. “Yeah, says the naughty little bat.” He chuckled. “I lo...” You froze, eyes wide in surprise. Jon stopped, clearing his throat. “I look forward to see you later.”

You sighed in somewhat relief. “Bye Jon.” Was he about to say he loved you? It kinda sounded like it. You shivered, putting your phone back in your pocket. Were you ready for him to say that? Would you be able to say it back to him?

Your mind went around and around for a while until you forced yourself up to go home. When you reached the front steps of your house, you realized that you could indeed say it back to him. However, you were too scared to be the one to say it first. You would wait for Jon to say it.

Kori was in the kitchen, frowning at the pot on the stove. “Oh good you’re home.” She took the pot off the heat. “I think I messed up.” You frowned, taking off your coat and shoes before going over. There was noodles in the pot that were black, burnt to a crisp.

“Oh.” You pursed your lips. “Yeah, that’s not good.” Kori sighed, her eyes filled with tears. “How about you clean that out and I’ll make dinner?”

“Thank you, baby.” Kori kissed your cheek happily. “Dick went in to work, but he’ll be back for dinner. We’ll talk during dinner about everything.” She went to try to scrape out the burnt noodles.

You watched her, confused. Why would Kori cry over burnt noodles? A twang of guilt hit your heart. You must have stressed her out too much. “Are you okay?” you asked quietly, moving to check the fridge to see if you could throw something together.

“What?” Kori looked back at you with a tear running down her cheek. “Oh, it’s nothing, baby. Don’t worry about me.” She came over to kiss your cheek again. “I’m going to lay down for a while.” You watched as she went to lay down on the couch with her hand over her eyes.

She was emotional and tired. You eyed the pot with burnt noodles. She was also forgetful as she must have left the pot on the stove for quite some time for it to burn like that. If you didn’t know any better, you would say she was pregnant. Your eyes widened. Oh god, she was pregnant. You shook your head. No wonder Dick was stressed. You started to pull out ingredients to make stir fry. Dick should be happy you were graduating. You could move out then. They would need your room for the baby.

Your eyes burned with tears at the thought of leaving, but then you thought about how you could go to school near Jon. A smile pulled at your lips. Maybe the talk over dinner wouldn’t so bad.

***

“I’m sorry,” Dick said softly. He wrapped his arms around you, pushing your face into his chest. “I just can’t stand seeing you grow up so fast.”

You grunted. “Fine.” Dick let you go, studying you.

“What’s wrong?” He ran his hand through your hair. Kori smiled at the two of you as she took another serving of stir fry. That was her third plate.

“I was thinking I should try to apply to Gotham U or Metropolis U. They are still accepting applications.” Gotham would be a long shot as you were sure Tim or Damian would do everything in their power to block your application. You eyed Kori. Kori noticed your look, swallowing wrong. She coughed hard.

“Woah, Kori. Slow down.” Dick rubbed her back. Once she recovered, Dick moved his attention back to you. “Honey, we want you to stay here.”

You frowned. It didn’t make sense. He should want you to leave with a baby on the way. You met Kori’s eye, and the realization chilled you like a bucket of cold water. Dick didn’t know yet. “Why don’t you think about it?” You said, looking Dick in the eye. “I’ll apply and then we’ll decide.”

Dick raised an eyebrow, sitting down at his seat to finish eating. “As long as you apply to some schools nearby.” You stayed standing. “Sit down. You aren’t done already, are you?” Dick nodded to your chair. You looked at Kori for a long moment. She wouldn’t meet your eye.

“I’m done.” You took your dish to the sink. “I want to start on applications.”

“Okay, but like I said, apply to places close by too,” Dick reminded, making the ‘you’re so difficult when I’m being nice’ face. You admitted you would be happy to get away from his guilt-causing face.

“Sure.” You quickly left the room and went upstairs. Dick talked to Kori, expressing his concerns about you. It only confirmed that Dick didn’t know. He would be more focused on the future if he knew he was about to have a baby. You fought the urge to text Jon about it, but you stopped yourself. It was possible you were mistaken.

***

Your applications were in by the end of the week. As you said, you did apply to Gotham and Metropolis as well as two local colleges only twenty to thirty miles away. Dick seemed satisfied. Kori kept her secret, but the signs were becoming more clear as the days went on. You couldn’t believe Dick didn’t notice yet, but then again, Dick was always blind to the obvious.

Meanwhile, you started to have nightmares again. One night, you woke from a nasty one involving your father and Bane. So deeply disturbed and needing to escape, you started packing up your room. You reasoned to yourself that you were going to be leaving soon, so you might as well be packed.

“Honey, what are you doing up?” Dick asked, knocking on your door. You froze, just about to place a shirt into a box. The light was off, and you were moving as quietly as possible. How did he know?

You wiped the sweat from your brow with a shaky hand. The nightmare was only a few thoughts away. Your eyes widened when you realized you didn’t answer soon enough and Dick opened the door. He turned on the light, blinding you momentary. The tense silence that followed make your hands shake harder. Your carefully folded shirt fell to the floor in a heap. You couldn’t look at him.

Dick took several deep breaths before coming over to you. “What’s all this about?” he soothed, picking up your shirt from the floor. You eyed him, flinching when you saw how calm he was.

You opened your mouth to speak, but only a whimper came out. A tear ran down your cheek. Your eyes stayed on the floor.

“You’re okay.” Suddenly, Dick’s warm arms wrapped around you. He rocked you back and forth. Sobs ripped out of you. The nightmare took over your thoughts again. “Hush, I’m here. You’re okay.”

“No, I have to go.” Your voice broke. “I need to leave.”

“Honey, you don’t have to go. We want you here.” Dick rested his cheek on your head. His arms tightened around you. “You said you’d stay, so you’re going to stay, okay?”

Everything was so confusing. Why were you crying? The nightmare flashed in front of your eyes. You screamed, flinching at the sight of the light leaving Bane’s eyes.

Dick jumped at the scream. His arms pulled you even closer to him. “No, it’s not here. Whatever you’re seeing isn’t here. You’re okay. I’m here. Nothing is going to get you.”

Your body trembled. You closed your eyes, turning to hide your face into Dick’s shoulder. Dick kept soothing you. His hand ran through your hair in a gentle rhythm. Time passed before you finally stopped shaking. Dick’s shirt had a giant wet spot from your tears, but he didn’t care. You wondered how many of his shirts you had done that to.

“Here you go, love.” Kori came into the room with a cup of tea. Dick took it and held it to your lips. You drank it. The smell of it warned you it was Alfred’s special tea. The one that could knock your father out for hours.

The drowsiness hit you almost immediately. “I’m sorry,” you mumbled, slumping against Dick. Dick scooped you up and tucked you back into bed.

“No need to be sorry, sweetheart.” He kissed your forehead before the tea dragged you into a dreamless slumber.

***

You woke to find your room back to it’s pre-packed state. The sun streamed through the window, meaning you must have missed school for the day. You sighed, rubbing your eyes that were slightly swollen. It was the last day before spring break anyway.

Slowly, you got yourself ready for the day and stumbled down the stairs. People were talking in the kitchen. You went in, rubbing your eyes again.

“Well, look who’s awake?” Jon teased, getting up from the table. You froze, eyes wide.

“Jon?” You ran to him and jumped into his arms. He laughed, spinning you around. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re here for spring break.” Jon kissed your cheek after he set you down. Your eyes widened at the “we”.

You spun to see Lois and Clark sitting at the table with little smug smiles on their faces. “Hi.” Your cheeks burned in embarrassment. “Where are Dick and Kori?”

“Dick had to go to work, and I believe Kori is running errands.” Lois got to her feet to get more coffee for herself. You wondered if Kori was at a doctor appointment. “Do you want something to eat? We have leftover pizza from lunch.”

You smiled, going to get a plate. “Wait, so you’re letting (Y/N) eat pizza for breakfast? Why is it when I want to eat pizza for breakfast, I get shamed and told to go eat oatmeal or something?” Jon whined.

Clark sent him a warning look. “Because (Y/N) was raised by Alfred. We already know they know that pizza for breakfast everyday isn’t a good thing.”

You took a slice from the box on the table and heated it up in the microwave. “So why are you all here so early? I thought you were supposed to meet us at Disney World?”

The Kents all shared looks with each other. You shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. “We figured we’d come early before Clark had to stop a forest fire or something,” Lois teased, trying to lighten the mood.

The microwave beeped. You took out your slice of pizza, no longer hungry. “Well, I still need to pack.” You headed upstairs with your pizza in hand.

“I’ll help.” Jon followed like an excited puppy.

“Remember I have super-hearing,” Clark called after Jon.

“I swear they have dirtier minds than we do,” you mumbled, smiling to cheer Jon up.

Jon chuckled. “They do.” You reached your room and set the pizza on your desk. Jon looked around your room with interest. “Is this new?” He pointed to a picture of the Gotham Skyline.

“Yeah, I found it when I went shopping with Kori.” You pulled the suitcase from under your bed and started to pack. Memories of last night triggered a tiny headache in your temple.

Jon wandered around your room, looking at things as you packed. You noticed things were in the wrong places, meaning Dick and Kori must have put all your things back after you packed them last night. Jon remarked on a book on your bed stand.

“Jon, you’ve seen everything in here. Stop acting like you haven’t been here before,” you said. Irritation sparked. Your headache throbbed. You hoped you weren’t getting sick again. Biting your lip, you were determined to not get sick again.

“Sorry.” Jon sat on your bed next to your suitcase. “I’m nervous, I guess.” He studied you. You sighed, knowing what was coming. “Dick told us about last night.”

“I don’t know why he thought it was okay to tell you my business,” You snapped harshly. Jon flinched. A wave of guilt crashed into you. “Sorry.” You looked back down at your suitcase.

“It’s okay.” Jon pursed his lips. “I’m here if you want to talk about it though.”

“Why does everyone always want to talk?” You ran a hand through your hair. “My dad never wanted to talk, and it was great. We would deal with things on our own.”

Jon’s eyes followed you as you went to grab a sweatshirt out of your closet. “Yeah, but you don’t have to do that anymore.” The glare you sent him made him choke. “Sorry...I just want you to know I’m here for you.”

You felt like you had been punched hard in the stomach. “No, I’m sorry.” Hugging the sweatshirt, you finally faced him. He gave you sad little puppy dog eyes. It was worse than Dick’s ‘you’re being so mean when I’m trying to be nice’ face. You swallowed hard. A traitorous tear slipped down your cheek. “I don’t want to put that burden on you. I’m a mess, Jon.”

“(Y/N), beautiful. I already took that burden when I kissed you for the first time.” Jon came over to kiss you gently on the lips. Your entire body tingled like an electrical current zapped through you. His arms slipped around you, pulling you into his warm body. Warm as if you curled up in a patch of sunshine.

“I love how warm you are.” You nuzzled into his chest. Contentment filled you, safe and secure in his arms.

***

“That was amazing,” Jon gasped, shaking his head in amazement. “My mind is blown.”

“Of course it is.” You laughed, taking his hand as you both exited the new Star Wars ride Jon had been talking about.

“Now he can stop talking about it,” Clark said from behind you.

Lois laughed, leaning into Clark. “No, now he’ll talk about it nonstop.”

“But it was so cool.” Jon turned back to face his parents.

“I do admit it was cool,” Lois said, kissing Jon’s cheek as they past. “We’re going to find Dick and Kori. Remember we’re meeting for lunch in about an hour.”

“Don’t eat everything,” Clark said with a wink. They disappeared in the crowd. Dick and Kori slept late. You happened to know that Kori was sick this morning from the vomiting sounds you heard coming from the bathroom. Part of you wondered if Dick knew yet or did he think she had the flu?

Jon looked around the Star Wars area eagerly. “So what now?” He squeezed your hand.

You shrugged. “This is your thing. You go and I’ll follow.”

“I knew I loved you for some reason,” he said naturally. Your heart skipped a beat. Jon’s eyes widened a millisecond later. He looked at you. “You...I mean I like...I can’t fix that, can I?”

“I love you too.” You laughed when Jon’s jaw dropped open. “I just didn’t expect you to say it now.” You kissed his cheek. “Come on, we only have an hour before we have to meet the adults.”

Jon blushed before a big dopey smile grew upon his lips. “Yeah, only an hour.” He laughed and pulled you off into the direction of the other Star Wars ride. You squeezed his hand, floating on air.

***

“I want you back by midnight,” Dick insisted as he buttoned up his shirt in the hotel room mirror.

“We’ll leave when the park closes, but I can’t promise we’ll be on time. The buses are slow,” you said. You were sitting on the foldout couch that was your bed, putting on your shoes.

Dick frowned. “(Y/N), midnight.”

“Dick, I’ll try.” You narrowed your eyes at him. He glared back at you. Just when he was about to scold you, Kori came out of the bathroom. She was beautiful, wearing the fancy dress she had bought the day before. Dick lost his breath. You smiled, glad for the Kori distraction again.

They were going out to a special dinner alone. You suspected Kori was going to drop the baby bomb, and you didn’t want to be around for the aftermath. “Let (Y/N) stay out. They’ll be with the Kents,” Kori soothed, adjusting Dick’s collar.

And Dick instantly changed his tone. “Okay. Just make sure you stay with the Kents.” He kept looking at Kori with compete adoration. You hoped you never looked at Jon like that. It was embarrassing enough seeing Dick do it.

“Fine by me. Have fun you two.” You waved and rushed out of the room. A funny feeling settled in your stomach. Would that be the last time you would feel like a family with Dick and Kori? You quickly forced those thoughts away as you hurried to meet Jon by the bus station.

***

Jon and you headed out of the park toward the buses alone. Clark and Lois left earlier, trusting the two of you. You wondered if they informed Dick that they would be doing so.

“Oh no,” Jon whispered, tilting his head like a dog trying to listen for something.

You blinked. “What?” You pulled Jon out of the crowd that was heading to the buses.

“I think my dad just flew off somewhere.” Jon smirked.

“So?” You raised an eyebrow.

“Well, we can go patrol a little bit. I mean you have your mask.” His eyes went to your jeans. You smacked his arm. Your hand throbbed at the impact. “Come on. We’re at Disney World.”

You snorted, looking around. The crowd was dying out. “Okay, fine.” Jon pulled you off to a private place and scooped you into his arms. “But only for a half an hour and if you hear your dad, you have to zoom us back here. We can’t get caught.” You stole a quick kiss. Jon chuckled into the kiss and flew up into the air.

***

After three muggings and one car chase, you were two hours overdue. Jon kept convincing you to stay out longer. You knew you were risking it, but then you thought about how Dick and Kori were probably celebrating. The urge to go back disappeared. Eventually though, Jon and you landed in the woods a little ways from the hotel.

“That was fun,” Jon whispered, kissing you sweetly. “Love you.”

“Love you too.” You ran your fingers through his soft hair. It took so much willpower to pull away from him. You took off the mask and hid it back in the secret pocket of your jeans. Jon did the same with his.

“It’s so dark.” You stumbled over a stick. Jon caught your elbow.

“Let me float us out of here.” Jon put his hand around your waist and floated you safely out of the woods. The hotel shined in the distance. He set you on the ground, but kept his arm around your waist.

“Did your dad come back yet?” You leaned into him, his warmth seeping into you.

Jon shook his head. “No. Mom’s asleep.” He closed his eyes. “Dick and Kori are asleep too, I think.”

“I hope so. He’s going to kill me,” you muttered, shaking slightly. “Kori was going to tell him she’s pregnant tonight.”

“What?!” Jon jumped away from you.

You rolled your eyes. “Come on, Jon. You’re telling me you haven’t notice how Kori is sick every morning. She cried yesterday, because her ice cream started to melt.”

The blush on Jon’s cheeks showed you he didn’t. “Well, no. I thought maybe it was that time of the month.”

“Are you kidding me?!” You narrowed your eyes into your best impression of your father’s batglare. Jon paled. “I’m telling your mother you said that.” He stopped in his tracks. You kept walking, shaking your head in disgust.

“Wait, I’m sorry. Don’t tell my mom.” Jon ran to catch up to you as you reached the lobby. The desk attendant frowned at the two of you. You sensed they were judging you for coming in so late. “I’m not the detective you are.”

You snorted. “I’m not really a detective. Dad and Tim are better at it.” You stopped at the elevator. The Kents’ room was on the second floor while yours was on the first. “Good night, Jon, and never assume that again.”

“Yes, boss.” He saluted you, laughing in relief. You kissed the corner of his mouth before slipping away. “Good night, beautiful.”

Your heart glowed, heading down the hall to your room. Slowly to a tiptoe, you unlocked the door and slipped inside. The room was dark, but enough light came through the window to reveal where you were going.

You got undressed quickly and slipped on your pajamas. Just when you were about to crawl into your bed, Dick sat up and clicked on the light.

“Where the hell have you been?” Dick hissed. He got to his feet and came over to you. You sighed, cursing how he was a light sleeper. At least Kori was still fast asleep.

“Dick, come back to bed,” Kori moaned. You looked over to her only to see her naked breast. Your face burned, quickly looking away.

“It’s three in the morning. I told you to be home by midnight.” Dick grabbed your shoulders, shaking you. “Lois told me they left you and Jon alone. What did you do?”

You groaned. “No, no, no. We didn’t do anything. We were hungry, so we went to Denny’s.” Luckily, you and Jon settled on a story. “I would have called you, but I didn’t want to wake you up.�� You pulled away from Dick. “I know tonight was a big deal for you and Kori, so I didn’t want to interfere.”

Dick blinked, glancing at Kori. He blushed when he saw her bare breast. “So you knew this whole time?” His eyes shot back to you.

“It was kinda obvious.” You climbed into bed, dismissing him. “Good night, Dick.”

“This isn’t over,” Dick whispered with a sigh. He sat down on the edge of your bed. “You know that Kori being pregnant doesn’t mean you have to leave, right?”

You hummed, keeping your back to him. Dick’s hand rubbed your side.

“I love you. Nothing will ever change that.” Dick’s other hand ran through your hair. You closed your eyes, having a flash of your father doing the same thing. A hole pierced through your heart. “You’re still my kid, even if another kiddo is on the way.”

“I know.” You suddenly felt better, even though your heart ached.

“Good.” He kissed your temple. “But I still want you to call me if you’re going to be late like that.”

“Okay.” You felt yourself drift off. Dick got to his feet and soon the light clicked off. Keeping the memory of Jon’s I love you in your head, you fell into a blissful sleep.

***

If you learned one lesson the next morning, it’s that you should have never listened to Jon.

Dick, Kori, you, and the Kents were sitting down to breakfast in a restaurant somewhere in Disney World. Jon sat next to you, giving you looks that you could only describe as stressed.

“You know what’s funny,” Lois began, a dangerous glint came to her eye. “I heard on the news this morning that two superheros stopped a car chase last night.” Your stomach dropped to your feet. That’s what Jon was trying to warn you about.

Dick and Kori shared a look. “That wasn’t you, was it?” Dick whispered rather loudly to Clark.

Clark cleared his throat. “No.” He eyed you carefully. “Do you know something about that, (Y/N)?” All the adults turned to look at you. You took a deep breath, playing it cool. Although, Jon was quickly losing his cool in the corner of your eye.

“No, we didn’t see anything when we went to Denny’s.” You took a sip of water. Dick’s face went blank, his month twitched in anger. Kori was close to tears, having to dry her eyes with a napkin. Oh dear.

“Oh look at this.” Lois took out her phone. “I happen to have the clip the news showed.” She stuck it in your face. You could see a person with a body shape similar to Jon’s jumping in front of the car. Another figure quadruple somersaulted over the other and crashed through the windshield to kick out the driver. Damn, Dick would recognize that move. Anyone who knows anything would recognize that move. How could you be so dumb?

“It was me.” Jon had his honest face on. You kinda wanted to kill him. “I convinced (Y/N) to come out with me.” However, judging by the look Dick gave him, Dick might beat you to it. Jon pressed a hand to his chest. “Blame me, not them. (Y/N) was safe the whole time.”

You rolled your eyes. “Jon, shut up.”

Jon looked at you. The hurt little puppy dog look. “How about we talk about this after breakfast?” Clark suggested, ever the peacemaker. The waiter came over to take orders. You only ordered toast, your appetite gone. Jon tried to take your hand, but you pulled away from him. The only thing you felt was exhaustion.

***

“What were you thinking?!” Dick screamed at you once you all got back to the hotel room. He shook your shoulders violently. “You have a price on your head! Someone is going to recognize that move and know you’re in the area!” He stopped only because his phone rang. “It’s Tim. He’s probably already seen the footage.” Dick went out into the hallway to talk to him.

You sat on your bed, staring blankly ahead. Jon was next to you, pale. He took your hand. Clark and Lois were talking among themselves while Kori sobbed away.

“So much for spring break fun, huh?” Jon teased halfheartedly. You didn’t react. Your body felt lifeless.

“Jon, we are disappointed in you,” Clark said. They came over to stand over Jon with frowns. “We told you that (Y/N) couldn’t be involved in hero life anymore. It could endanger their life.”

“Who’s gonna notice that, Dad?” Jon squeezed your hand hard. “I mean a lot of people can flip like that.”

You found yourself shaking your head. “No.” They looked to you. “That was a quadruple somersault. Only a few people in the world can do it. Dick can, so can I.” You wish you could be proud like you were when you first mastered the quadruple somersault. No other Robin had besides Dick. Unfortunately, it felt like you weren’t allowed to be proud of anything. “Tim noticed. That’s why he’s calling Dick.”

Lois laid a hand on your knee. You looked at her, surprised by the sympathy in her eyes. “I know it’s hard. You were trained to help the world in a way that most people don’t and now you aren’t allowed to do that anymore.” She paused, cut off by Kori’s sob. You saw Kori make a run to the bathroom which was followed by gagging sounds. Lois winced. “I know it hurts, but you need to know that everyone here wants to keep you safe, (Y/N). This isn’t punishment.”

“Everyone says that, but it is punishment.” You looked back at her emotionless. The worried looks from Jon and Clark pounded into you, but you ignored them. Damian’s words fell out of your mouth. “I broke Father’s one rule. The one he held throughout his life and to make it worse, he died the night I broke that rule. I murdered Bane, and by default, what my father stood for.”

Silence filled the room. You looked away from Lois to see Dick standing in the doorway. His jaw dropped open. “Did Damian tell you that?” he whispered. The blood drained from his face. All the anger from before was gone.

You blinked, dumbfounded by his reaction. Of course, you knew Dick didn’t agree with the others, but he knew what they thought. Why was he so shocked? “What do you think?” you said. A familiar headache blossomed in your temple. You were getting sick again, and you weren’t sure you could push it away this time.

The smell of smoke and rotting fish consumed your nose. Your hands shook. “No, no you don’t. Don’t go there.” Suddenly, Dick’s hands cupped your face, looking you in the eye. “Honey, stay with us. I know it seems bad right now, but it’s not your fault. Remember what your father’s letter said, it’s not your fault.” The sickening crack echoed in your ears along with a scream that sounded like your own. “(Y/N). Don’t make me do this.”

Slap

Your cheek stun. The smell and the sound disappeared in an instant. “Ouch.” You touched your cheek, knowing there was an imprint of Dick’s hand.

Dick sighed in relief. “Did you just hit them?” Jon pushed Dick away from you, hovering protectively in front of you. Dick fell onto the other bed. “How dare you?!”

“Jon,” Clark warned, stepping in front of Dick. “Calm down.”

“You don’t hit them. Everyone hurts them, but not anymore. I won’t let it.” Jon reached back to take your hand. You held his, trembling.

Kori came back into the room. She saw the situation and you knew what was coming. Letting go of Jon’s hand, you grabbed Lois and pulled her and yourself over the bed. You both crashed onto the floor on the other side just to hear a star bolt hit Jon in the chest.

“Thank you,” Lois said, getting to her feet. She put two fingers in her mouth and whistled. Everyone froze. “Calm down. Let’s focus on the main issue here.” She helped you up. Jon was rubbing his chest. The star bolt left a smoky hole in his shirt. Clark and Kori were standing off again. Dick sat with his face in his hands.

“Right.” Dick pushed himself to his feet, looking older than his years. “The issue is that (Y/N) exposed themselves to assassins that will come for the price on Robin’s head.” He took out his phone. “Luckily, the footage is from Jacksonville, so they won’t be looking for Robin here or at home.”

“That’s a relief,” Kori said, breaking her stand off with Superman to come over to you. She hugged you tightly. “You scared me, baby.” You melted into her arms.

“However, you went against our rules, broke our trust,” Lois added, judging Jon seriously. Jon grimaced.

Clark relaxed and went over to check Jon’s chest. “What were you thinking, Dick? We’ll follow your lead on this.”

Dick exhaled slowly. He regarded you with exhausted eyes. “No more unsupervised dates.” Jon started to protest, but a look from Clark shut him up. “No more leaving the house without someone with you. You go to school and you come home. That’s it. Nothing else.”

He stopped, waiting for you to speak. “Fine.” Your cheek throbbed from the slap. Jon’s eyes met yours, still hopeful. Somehow, that look made you love him even more.

***

A month later on a Saturday, Jon’s head was in your lap as you both lounged on the couch. Kori was banging things around in the kitchen, attempting to deep clean the fridge.

“I still can’t believe how many movies you haven’t seen.” Jon wrinkled his nose when you tapped it.

“Well, I didn’t have time to watch movies until now.” You glanced back at the TV and started to search through Netflix again. “What do you want to watch?”

“Indiana Jones.” Jon smirked at you. You tapped his nose again. “I can’t believe I made you go see the stunt show before seeing any of the movies.”

You rolled your eyes. “It’s fine. I don’t remember that much anyway.” Your relationship with Jon suffered for the first week, but soon you were back to the way you were before. Jon sat up to kiss your lips. You sighed, enjoying how soft his lips were on yours.

The doorbell rang. “(Y/N), can you get that? I can’t get up,” Kori called. Both you and Jon sighed at the same time. He moved so you could stand up.

“I got it.” You shuffled to the door and checked the new peephole Dick installed. The sight of a worn, brown leather jacket made your heart skip a beat. You opened the door to see Jason Todd on your doorstep with a duffel over his shoulder.

“Hey, (Y/N). Long time no see.”

***

Part Eight will be coming soon!

#what's lost is found #batfamily #batfamily imagine #batfamily imagines #batman #batman imagines #dc comics imagines #dc reader insert #jon kent #jon kent x reader #jon kent imagine #dick grayson #dick grayson imagine #kori anders #kori anders imagine #koriand'r #koriand'r imagine #nightwing #nightwing imagine

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insaneasgardian · 3 years

Text

Anushka's Wild Day

Based off this crazy dream of mine

Ty @bionic-staring-machine for giving me the idea to turn it into a fanfic.

I don't know what the heck I wrote, it's trash, but I'm willing to roll with it if you will.

"Would you look at the time Anu! It's late, you should probably get home before your parents start to think I kidnapped you." Tony Stark chuckled at his intern.

Anushka smiled and nodded, grabbing her small bag that sat on one of the work benches in the lab. "Today was great Mr Stark, thank you so much!" The girl chirped, giving the man a small wave before she turned towards the exit of the lab.

"Bye kid" he said, still engrossed in his work.

Suddenly, a red light flashed throughout the lab, and a loud, high pitched siren sounded through the compound. Anushka stopped in her tracks, dropping her bag to shield her ears from the terrible sound.

"There's been a breach in the compound! Someone broke in!" Tony shouted, throwing aside whatever small gizmo he'd been working on.

"I'll initiate lockdown protocol" he hurriedly rushed over to one of the many computers and began to rapidly type away.

Anushka knew she should be helping her boss, but she stood grounded in pure fear, as she saw two figures enter the lab. They wore dark, black ski masks that covered their faces, and she could see their white teeth flashing at her in a creepy smile.

She shrieked as one of them raised a gun at her. She ducked behind a table just as a bullet almost pierced her.

This earned Tony's attention immediately, he looked to see his intern crouching frightenedly behind a work table and he turned to glare at the two men, who had now turned to him.

The taller of the two pulled off his ski mask, and Tony got a good look at him. He had long bright red hair, and a wicked grin, enough to make any person cower and shrink away. However, Anushka knew that Tony wasn't any person he was fricking ironman. So she looked at him hopefully, absolutely certain he would blast the asses of these guys.

The billionaire looked at the teenager and shot her a reassuring smile, before stepping forward. Unarmed.

The other intruder pulled his mask off too, exposing his jet black hair, and green eyes, he had a scar on his forehead in the shape of a lightning bolt, it gave Anushka an unnerving feeling.

"I'm Harry Potter, this is Bill Weasley, it's a pleasure good sir" this man said in a British accent, gesturing to himself and his red headed colleague.

"OH, FLIBBTIY GIBBIT YOU HARRY, JUST SHOOT THE BUGGERS!" Bill cried.

"Errr, right, sorry" Harry apologized, rubbing the back of his neck before sending a flurry of bullets onto Tony.

Anushka almost cried out for her possibly dead boss, but much to her shock, Mr Stark stood just as tall and proud as he was before. No bullet wounds or blood were present anywhere on his body!

"Huh?" Anushka breathed out, very confused at the moment.

Out of nowhere, Tony ripped of his skin as if it was a mere piece of paper. He literally RIPPED it off, and underneath that skin, was none other than the Vision.

"Pleasure to meet you Harry and Bill, I am Vision" he said politely, and Anushka almost rolled her eyes, before remembering the odd situation.

When it finally sunk in, some tears left her eyes and she let out a loud sob, attracting everyone's attention. "You killed Mr Stark, didn't you? Now you're wearing his skin!" She bawled.

Vision rapidly shook his head, "No! Don't cry! Tony Stark is very safe!" he assured.

"Well where is he?" The girl questioned.

Before Vision could respond, Captain America's shield came flying into the room, hitting Bill, bouncing off his head, then hitting Harry, killing them both before finally returning to Steve Rogers who had just entered the room.

"Here I am kid" Steve said, ripping off his own skin as well, revealing Tony underneath it. Honestly, for some reason, Anushka wasn't surprised.

"If you're in Steve's skin, where's Steve?" Anushka pried.

"He's in Thor's skin, don't worry" Tony said, "But you're in danger Anu, we have to get you to safety".

"How exactly am I in danger?" the teenage girl asked, lightly jogging behind Tony as he walked out of the lab, the both of them leaving a very lonely and friendless Vision behind.

"Uhhh.... I don't know, all I know is I have to get you somewhere safe, so I'm taking you to my best friend Todd's house" Tony told her as he chose out a car in his garage for the both of them to take.

Anushka narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "Sounds sketchy, but okay" she said, "Also, I thought Rhodey was your best friend, who the heck is Todd?".

Tony sighed, "Ever since Rhodey stole Pepper's skin and pretended to be my wife, I cut ties with him".

The two of them then climbed into a huge truck and drove to Todd's place.

When they finally got there, Anushka stepped out and Tony drove away instantly, leaving her in the dust.

"Oof" she said as one of the tires ran over her foot, crushing all the bones inside.

Reluctantly, the girl trudged to the house in front of her and knocked on the door. It opened immediately, and a handsome man stood there, looking at her with a smile.

"Loki?!" Anushka exclaimed.

"My dear child, my name is Todd" the man said.

But Anushka wasn't convinced. She'd come across Loki many times, and would recognize him anywhere. This man wore glasses, and had light brown hair with a reddish tint, but it was obviously a wig because strands of black hair could be seen poking out the side. He shared Loki's green eyes as well.

"Mhmmm, whatever you say Loki Doki" Anushka said, pushing past the man and walking into his house uninvited.

"Rude mortal child" she heard him mumble behind her, before he shut the door and turned to her with a sigh.

"If you aren't Loki, why are there so many knives in your house?" Anushka asked as she looked around.

"Uhhh... because... I'm a murderer... A HUMAN ONE!" Todd said hurriedly.

"Understandable" Anushka said, strolling around the house.

"If you aren't Loki, why do you have so many cats?" Anushka asked again, stroking a ginger kitten.

"Because I am an old, crazy cat lady wearing Todd's skin"

"If you aren't Loki, why do you have the tesseract on display in your living room?"

"THAT'S ENOUGH QUESTIONS!" Todd (Loki) screeched, startling Anushka.

"Ehehe..." he nervously laughed, before darting into his kitchen and coming out with a platter of cookies.

"Would you like one?" he asked, pushing the plate in her face.

Anushka eyed the treats warily, they were covered in green icing, with gold lettering that said "Loki is low-key".

She snorted, "You really aren't low-key".

"Yes I am, you have no idea that I'm Loki of Asgard about to poison you with my cookies, you think I'm Todd".

"..."

"Crap" Now confirmed Loki muttered.

"Thanks for the cookies, but I'd rather wake up, bye bye" Anushka said before vanishing before a very astonished Loki.

The End

What the hell did I write

24 notes · View notes

princpiration · 4 years

Text

Kingdom of Losers

A Creativitwins Oneshot

Word count: 2,065

Summary: Remus finds something unexpected in his side of the Imagination

Warnings: mention of injury, blood, disturbing imagery, Remus being Remus, alcohol mention, self deprecation, Roman angst, morally grey Remus (he’s not very empathetic and maybe even a little mean? But in a way that siblings tend to be imo), if there’s something you want tagged feel free to ask me

A/N:This has been in my drafts forever, I wrote it basically as practice and it’s the first fanfic I’ve ever completed. I had fun while writing it but I’m honestly not sure how I feel about it now? I might as well publish it anyway as a rite of passage, critique is welcome? (Set after POF but doesn’t reference it directly (Please don’t tag as r//mr//m))

Remus was in the Imagination, doing cartwheels on a trail of broken glass through a dank forest when he found something he didn’t recall having made.

That in and of itself wasn’t particularly strange, as most of his creations were done spontaneously in a frenzy of inspiration and then quickly forgotten about as he inevitably got distracted by something else.

But the thing-he-didn’t-remember-making stood out enough to catch him off-guard, and he stumbled, falling face first into the broken glass and sliding a few yards, leaving a messy trail of blood and teeth behind him. He lifted his head, blinked the shards out of his eyes, and looked at the thing.

It was a castle, or the ruined remains of one at least, surrounded by thorns and brambles. There was a distinct lack of entrails and body parts skewered on the foliage, and no blood or ichor seeping from the castle walls, so it couldn’t be one of Remus’ creations.

Must be Roman’s, he thought to himself, face splitting into a manic grin. He jumped to his feet, wiped his bloody hands on his pants, and his bloody face with his sleeve as he began to look for a way in.

The two Creativities tended to keep to their own parts of the Imagination, Roman especially preferring to stay as far away as possible from his twin’s domain, so seeing him essentially trespassing like this was exceedingly intriguing.

As well as a rare opportunity for some brotherly bonding, though the Duke’s idea of it usually included a lot more violence. Or maybe not that much more violence, sibling-relationships were weird like that.

He circled the structure twice but was unable to find an entrance, so he shrugged his shoulders and just dove straight into the thorny vines, using them as a makeshift ladder to climb the castle wall.

Prince Philip ain’t got nothing on me! he snickered to himself as he flung himself on top of the wall, perching like a gargoyle statue upon it and surveying the area.

The roof was completely gone, as were most of the inner walls. The floor was covered in fallen leaves and there was this pristine gloominess that permeated the place, like something from a gothic romance novel.

Remus scrunched his nose and stuck out his tongue at it, thinking Yeah, this place could definitely use a few mutilated corpses.

Something caught his eye then, in the middle of what seemed to have once been a throne room.

Was that … a Chaise Lounge?

It was. In the middle of the ruined throne room, standing on the leaf-covered floor, was a single maroon-colored Chaise Lounge. And lying recumbent upon it was Prince Roman, wine glass in hand and gaze pointed up at the grey skies above him.

Normally Remus would’ve launched himself from the wall by now, screeching like a demon as he descended upon his unsuspecting brother to try and claw his eyes out. You know, as one usually does when finding their sibling trespassing in their domain.

But something about the way that Roman was just lying there, still as a statue, made Remus hesitate.

He blinked once, then slithered down the wall and proceeded to sneak into the throne room, unheeded by his brother who kept his gaze locked at the cloud-covered sky. As he got closer he could see the dark crescents under the Prince’s eyes, and the dull, faraway look in them as well. The Duke contemplated the best way to get his twin’s attention, settling for the most straightforward one.

“INTRUDER!” Remus shrieked, startling Roman and making him nearly drop his wineglass. He shot up and looked around frantically before spotting his brother. He rolled his eyes, slumped back into the sofa and let out a deep sigh.

“Announcing yourself now, Remus?” he muttered, taking a minuscule sip of his beverage. “What are you even doing here?” he asked, giving his twin a tired look. Remus blinked back at him.

“What am I doing here?” he replied, pointing to himself with all fingers. “I’m the one who should be asking you that! In fact, I think I will! What are you doing here Pecorino Romano?” Remus asked, pointing at his twin. Roman stared at his brother perplexedly.

“What do you mean? This is my castle,” he said and looked around, “or what’s left of it anyway…”

“I know that, Roma-nobody-likes-you! I meant what are you and your once-cast-ler doing in my side of the Imagination?” Remus shot back, seeing Roman wince at the nickname. Remus mentally pumped his fist in victory, he had to remember that one for later.

Roman frowned and swirled his glass, watching the red liquid slosh around as he seemed to mull over the question. “I…” he started, clearing his throat, “I hadn’t realized I’d gotten this close to the border, I guess…” he finished, eyes downcast.

Remus perched himself on one of the armrests, leaning his head in one hand, and Roman silently adjusted his position to make room for him, or at least get his legs out of the way of any Duke related mischiefs.

“Border, huh?” Remus thought out loud, picking his nose and relishing in the disgusted look Roman gave him. “I guess the divide was blurrier than we thought,” he cocked his head and stared at his twin, who hummed noncommittally.

“Guess so,” Roman replied, tracing the rim of his wineglass with his finger, producing a single note he unconsciously began to harmonize with.

Remus’s eyes started to twitch and he closed them, sliding himself down the armrest to properly slouch on the sofa, finger still buried in his nostril. “So technically we’re in neither’s domain, a no-man’s-land of the Imagination! A Kingdom of Losers!” he hollered proudly. “Guess I don’t need to kill you for trespassing then!”

He flicked his booger at his brother, who managed to dodge it despite his reclined position. It landed on the floor and bounced several feet before disappearing amongst the leaves.

Pity, Remus thought, but it was worth it for the absolute scandalized look that graced Roman’s features. The Duke leaned back in his seat, putting both of his hands behind his head as he squinted at the Prince.

“I could still do it though, for fun. Killing you, that is,” he added, looking up at the sky. “You wish,” Roman scoffed back. Remus flipped him off, not taking his eyes from the clouds, and they lapsed into silence halfway between awkward and comfortable, both brothers gazing at the grey above.

What if it started raining blood and teeth?

The Duke grinned as he saw, and felt, the tell-tale signs of blood-rain (or hemo-rain if you will) mixed with human teeth. Unfortunately, his prissy brother kept it from hitting either him or the furniture, which was pretty lame and boring if you asked him (no one ever did).

The pitter-patter of the hemo-rain faded, leaving only the sound of Roman tapping his nails against his glass.

“What’s in that glass of yours anyway?” Remus asked, spreading his arms behind the back of the sofa. “Gatorade? Soup? Blood?”

“It’s a Cabernet Sauvignon, thank you very much,” Roman replied haughtily.

“Sounds fake.”

“It is not! It’s one of the most widely used grapes for red wine!”

Remus tapped a finger against his chin. “So, it sounds super fancy and shit, but it’s actually pretty basic? Fits you perfectly then!” he cackled, casting a sidelong glance at Roman.

Said Side lifted his hand, finger pointing upwards like he was about to come up with a witty retort when he suddenly froze. The fire in his eyes died out, replaced by that same dull faraway look from before. He let his hand fall limp to his side, as he all but collapsed back into the sofa. He let out a long, beleaguered sigh, and his eyelids fell shut.

“Yeah, maybe it does…” he murmured, voice small and quiet.

Remus frowned. Well, that was no fun. He tilted his head and looked at Roman, who still held the wineglass loosely in his grip.

“Didn’t take you for a wine drinker, honestly,” he stated simply, sniffing loudly. Roman let out a breath that had the shape of a laugh but not the joy of one.

“I’m not, really, it’s just been…” he let out another sigh, “…a day,” he finished flatly.

Yeesh, Remus did not like this version of Roman, he was way too boring. He was about to tell him just that but got cut off by his brother blurting out:

“Do you ever wonder what it was like?”

The Duke blinked one eye at a time. “Like what?”

“You know, back then, before the uhm,” Roman waved his hand aimlessly, “before the… split,” he finished, curling his index- and middle-finger halfheartedly on the last word.

“You mean when Thomas had just one Creativity?” Remus questioned, and Roman nodded.

Huh. Hm. Remus scratched his head, dandruff falling from it like snow.

If he was honest, there was a lot about the whole split-thing that was a bit hazy, as it ostensibly happened before any of them had a physical form, let alone awareness of their own existence.

How had four-eyes put it? They had been like an ovum, or zygote or whatever, split in the middle, two not-so-identical halves of an alleged whole.

It was stupid. As far as Remus was concerned, he had always been Remus, and Roman had always been Roman, and that was that. He made a fart noise with his mouth.

“Nope!” he said easily, crossing one leg over the other, dangling his foot. Roman looked up at him, surprise painting his otherwise blank expression.

“Why not?” he asked, sitting up slightly. “You mean you never feel incomplete-” he started, but flinched at his choice of word. Roman looked up at his brother, eyes glassy and unfocused.

“Don’t you want to be… whole again?” he all but whispered and looked away. Remus pretended to think for a second.

“Hell no!” he exclaimed, putting his hands back behind his head. Roman whipped his head around to stare at his twin brother incredulously. Remus gave him his smuggest smile.

“Full offense, but you’re kinda lame Ro,” he said, stretching languidly on the Chaise Lounge, “and it would totally ruin my whole vibe if we became one Creativity again or whatever, so no thanks, I’m good! Or, well, you know what I mean!” He winked at Roman, who just stared back at him with a blank face.

“There’s no going back to what was before, Bro-man, sucks for you maybe, but I happen to like being myself!” he finished, gesturing one hand over his reclined form.

He expected Roman to roll his eyes at his antics, to frown at his insults or sigh dramatically.

He did not expect the slight curl to the side of Roman’s mouth, his face lighting up in a tiny smile.

“That’s… good,” he said softly, tilting his wineglass to his lips, “that’s good to hear.”

He took a swig of his wine, the small smile still there on his face, looking happier than he’d been for a long time.

Remus gagged. “Ugh. If you’re gonna be this gross about it then I’m out!” he announced, sprang up from the sofa and began strutting out of the room with his hands in the air.

“See you around, Prince of Losers!” he shouted, his voice echoing in the throne room.

“I sincerely hope not, Duke of Losers!” came Romans reply, sounding a bit more like his usual pompous self.

Remus gave his brother a backward-double-bird-salute as he rounded the corner.

As soon as he was out of sight he took a running start, hurled himself onto the wall, and scrambled up it like a human-sized gecko. When he was about to leap off the top and back into the dank woods on his part of the Imagination, he hesitated again and turned back to look at his twin.

Roman was still lying in his Chaise Lounge, wineglass in his hand. But he wasn’t looking at the grey sky above him anymore, he was looking at Remus, his twin, his brother, his co-ruler of this Kingdom of Losers.

The Duke pulled a face on the Prince and blew a raspberry before he jumped off the castle walls and scurried on all fours back into the forest.

———

Thank you for reading!

#sanders sides #sanders sides fanfiction #ts fanfic #creativitwins #remus sanders #roman sanders #roman angst #tw blood #tw injury #intrusive thot #fanfic #thomas sanders #my writing #ts remus #ts roman #my stuff

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afterglowlws · 4 years

Text

Lily Luthor

(I never write fanfics, nor really read them, so sorry if this idea has been done before. I started writing out of boredom in quarantine and figured I’d share it. So enjoy some Supercorp ❤️)

Kara gasps for breath as her eyes fly wide open, her vision slowly focusing in on the flickering lights on the ceiling above her. She feels the cold ground beneath her, but when she sits up and looks around she can’t quite place where she is. As she scans the room she finds its mostly empty and abandoned with not a soul in sight.

She had chains around her wrists that were bolted to the floor, and just long enough for her to stand up and move around a little. They were lined in Kryptonite, so there was no point in trying to break free. The lights abruptly cut off before coming back on a moment later, Lex appearing a few feet away from her.

She can already feel the rage taking over. Had he drugged her? Knocked her out? She couldn’t recall how she got there. All she knew is that she wanted to freeze breath him until he slipped into a hypothermic coma. She was still groggy so Lex kicked things off.

“Supergirl, fancy meeting you here.” He said with his signature, smug smirk.

“What do you want?” Kara spit out through clenched teeth.

“Actually, I think I have something you may want.” His tone was a bit less playful this time, business-like almost.

“What could I possibly want from you?”

“Information.”

There was a brief pause and she looked at him inquisitively, not exactly sure what game he was trying to play.

“I don’t trust any information that comes from a Luthor.” She stated sharp and firmly.

“Even if it’s Lena?” He questioned, knowing it would absolutely strike a nerve. He saw the fire practically light up in her eyes at the mere mention of her name.

“Don’t you dare bring her into this.” Kara warned, her glare becoming unnerving even to Lex.

“Have I struck a nerve, Supergirl? She is my sister after all. It’s my job to protect her. Especially from Kryptonians like you.” His remark caused her cheeks to display a bright shade of pink, he assumed it was the rage showing itself.

“You lost the right to call her your sister the moment you decided to hurt and manipulate her. She has a family now, and it’s not the Luthors. So don’t you dare talk to me about keeping my Lena safe. I’d die for her, and we both know it, don’t we?” She had stepped closer to him during her furious rant, she was practically yelling in his face. It only infuriated her more that he seemed somewhat amused by it.

“I know you would. It’s sad really..that you’d give up everything for her while she’s still lying to you. Unrequited love is truly one of life’s greatest travesties isn’t it?” He said, obviously amused with himself.

“I’m not that naive, Lex. If anyone is lying, it’s you to yourself. She killed you for me, remember? You don’t know anything about us, she loves me with her entire heart.” Lex was annoyed by the arrogance of her statement, she was going to be harder to manipulate than he anticipated. He hoped that after all the lying and fighting they did, that she’d still be really skeptical and on edge when it came to Lena. But on the contrary, she had more faith in her than ever. He should’ve known Kara would dive straight back into her blind and unwavering love for Lena, she could never help herself. He just didn’t expect her to be completely and totally wrapped back around her finger already.

“She may have killed me for you, but that was before she knew you betrayed her. She never stopped working with me. She’s been lying to you all this time, and really it wasn’t hard. I mean how long did it take for you to forgive her after all that she did to you, like one day? You make it way too easy, Kara.” He let out a haunting chuckle, and she was equally as annoyed as she was irritated now.

“I don’t believe you.” Was all she cared to say, she didn’t have to explain her reasons to a psychopath.

However, he already knew why. He had held this card for a long time but he was about to play it, she needed to be thrown off her game. “Of course you don’t. Why would you want to believe the woman you’re in love with is deceiving you?”

Kara just froze, not even knowing how to react to what he just said. “I..I..what? I’m not in love with her. She’s my best friend.” She tried not to seem shocked, but the stuttering and the bewildered look on her face betrayed her.

“Is that what you tell yourself? Red Daughter read your diaries and she seemed to think otherwise. In fact, Red Daughter was weirdly obsessed with Lena. I didn’t quite understand it at first until I realized she’s just a blank-slated copy of you. And it finally made sense.”

Kara never trusted a word out of this mans mouth, but for some reason she could tell he was telling the truth on this one.

“I’m not gonna argue with you, Lex. You’d say anything to divide us and I won’t let that happen. So you might as well let me go.” She huffed out, just bored of his antics at this point.

“Fine. I didn’t want to have to do this, but I guess you leave me no choice.” He paused for dramatic effect before continuing, he always liked to put on a show. “Lily, come on out.” He called out. A very strikingly beautiful girl walked into sight, she looked like a teenager.

Kara looked at the girl and immediatley sensed something familiar about her. It wasn’t until she locked eyes with her that she started to peice some things together and she just wanted to burst into tears, but she tried to keep her composure as much as possible. Although she knew the look on her face had to be giving her shock and confusion away. When she looked into this girls eyes she just froze dead in her tracks, the same way she did when she first locked eyes with Lena that day at L-Corp all those years ago.

Lily had Lena’s eyes, there was absolutely no doubting that. Kara had stared just a little too deeply into Lena’s eyes just a little too often to not see it. They were big, bright, and round, but more distinctly she had one eye that was green and one that was more blue. She couldn’t even find the words to say to Lex. She wasn’t even sure exactly what this situation was, but what she knew without a doubt was that this girl was a Luthor.

“Who...who is this? Do you have a daughter? Or another sister I didn’t know about?” Kara questioned, a puzzled look still on her face.

“No, no. I don’t have a daughter. But you do now.” He motioned to Lily with his eyes and Kara’s mind was racing so fast she was pretty sure she almost passed out from forgetting to breathe. The echo of Lex’s thunderous tone bounced off the walls and back to Kara, but the word daughter would’ve still been ringing in her ears anyways, though. She was flooded with a myriad of emotions that she couldn’t seem distinguish from each other.

“Lex, what the hell are you talking about? What did you do?” Her tone was demanding but her face was pleading for answers.

“I did what I needed to do. I needed an enemy that even the girl of steel couldn’t defeat. You have two weaknesses in this world, Kara, your family and Lena. So I figured..why not combine the two? So I stole a DNA sample from you and Lena both and voila..the first lab grown baby was made.”

She tried so hard to push the tears back but some of them surfaced anyways. She was trying really hard not to look at Lily, it only made it worse. She wanted to scream at him. She wanted to tell him that he had no right to violate their privacy and steal DNA. That he had no right to have a child for them. As much as she daydreamed every single day that Lena would marry her someday and have adorable half kryptonian babies with her..she wanted Lena to choose to do that with her. She felt like she had been stripped of any ounce of free will she had.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed Lex but that is no baby. This doesn’t make any sense.” Kara said trying to make any sense out of this situation at all but failing.

“Well a baby wouldn’t be of much use to me. I may have stolen some tech during my brief visit to the waveraider during the last crisis, so I was able to go to the future and get Lily once she turned 16. But don’t worry, baby Lily is still safe in the lab. For now.” His haunting revelation sent chills up Kara’s spine. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She already dreaded the fact that she had to find a way to tell Lena all of this.

“Lex, I swear to god if you’re telling the truth and you hurt our baby..I will show you no mercy.” Kara growled menacingly. She looked at Lily again, more tears threatening to spill. It blew her mind that the girl standing before her was half herself, and half the woman she’d been in love with for years now. She’d always viewed Lena as such a pure soul despite the darkness she’d experienced all her life, so the thought of something happening to the girl that shared half of her DNA..it made Kara’s blood boil.

“Well, Lily was alive and well with her siblings when I went to the future. That means if you do everything I say, she’ll be perfectly fine.” He threatened, his tone was sadistic in nature. Kara was stunned when she heard the word ‘siblings’ but she honestly didn’t want to know anything more, this was all too much already.

“Lily, why are you working with him?” She questioned, looking at the girl with pleading eyes. The girl, however, stayed stone faced.

“Don’t bother, Kara. Sweet Lily here only does what I tell her she can do. Q Waves are a very wonderful thing.” The words spilled happily from his mouth, this is the exact exasperated reaction he’d hoped to get from the Kryptonian.

He took a few more jabs at the girl of steel just for fun before finally letting her go, of course not releasing her until he was somewhere out of sight and safe. Coward, was the only word Kara was thinking. He may have let her go, but it was on one condition: she goes to tell Lena the information she just learned. The thought of the conversation had Kara in tears already. There were so many thoughts swirling through her head that she could barley fly back to the DEO without running into a few buildings. Nothing about this was right. What if Lena was upset they had a baby together because she didn’t love her back? Knowing that this meant the world to her, but could possibly mean nothing to Lena terrified her. She obviously wanted kids under extremely different circumstances...but once again she couldn’t not love anything with Lena’s DNA in it.

She landed on the DEO balcony and just stood there frozen for a moment. Alex and Lena, who were conversing nearby, noticed Kara standing out there in deep thought. She looked conflicted and upset. They both stopped their conversation to walk over to her worriedly. Kara looked up and locked eyes with Lena as they made their way over, and Lena noticed her eyes started to water more. Seeing Lily’s eyes only moments before, and seeing the way they paralleled with Lena’s, made her feel like she was going to break down before she even got to start.

“Kara, what’s wrong?” Alex queried with her signature sisterly concern. “I, um..Can I get a moment alone with Lena?” Kara fidgeted nervously, she looked like she was ready to crawl out of her own skin. Now Lena was even more concerned than before. “Yeah. Of course.” Alex was just more worried now than she was, but she’d just have to wait for an explanation.

“Kara, you’re worrying me. You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” Lena took a step closer to her, it always made Kara feel weak in the knee’s when Lena got that serious look on her face, or just got anywhere in her personal space at all. It took her a solid few months of friendship to learn to form a coherent sentence with Lena that close to her.

“Not a ghost...your brother. He..Lena he went to the future.” Kara’s anxiety was spiking by the second.

“To the future? What could he possibly want there?” The inquisitive look on Lena’s face started to contort into pure concern, especially because Kara looked like she might faint once the words finally left her mouth.

“Kara, what did Lex take from the future?” Lena pressed harder, her unease taking over her normally stoic exterior.

“Our daughter.” Kara finally spit out, she almost dropped from relief until she saw the puzzled look occupying Lena’s face.

“What? We don’t have a daughter?” Lena was trying to make sense of this in any way she could, she was being flooded with a lot of the same emotions Kara was now.

“Not yet.” Kara gulped and studied Lena’s face, trying to figure out what she was thinking, but to no avail. Her face was too many things at once to pinpoint.

“We..if we have a daughter does that mean we...?” Lena motioned between the two of them before she trailed off, but it still sounded like a question she expected Kara to answer. Kara wishes she didn’t know exactly what she was talking about. But she did. She was being confronted with the thing that terrified her more than anything else in the world: admitting her feelings to Lena. Maybe she could beat around the bush and avoid it, but she knew that at some point during this situation it would come out, even if it wasn’t right at this moment. She had a decision to make. It didn’t help that Lena was staring at her with those eyes that made her absolutely melt.

“Um, I..uh..I don’t know. He used our DNA to make her in a lab. But he did mention Lily had other siblings in the future.” A soft smile dared to surface on Kara’s lips at the thought of raising a family with Lena.

“Lily?” Lena asked, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth too. She knew she should probably be freaking out at the whole lab baby revelation, but all she could think about was how cute a baby that was half Kara had to be. She was also smiling at the fact that she’d always wanted to name her first born Lily. She was glad to know her future self got to do that, even if it wasn’t in the most conventional way. It made Kara give a real, big smile this time. “Yeah. She’s beautiful, Lena. She looks just like you.” Kara grinned with a softness that gave Lena way too many butterflies.

“Really?” Lena questioned with a slight blush.

“Mhm. I don’t know where she got the auburn hair, but she has your eyes. I knew she was related to you before Lex ever even opened his mouth. I could recognize those eyes anywhere.” Kara heard Lena’s breath hitch and her heart rate increase. That tended to happen when Kara complimented her.

“Is she as sweet as you are?” Lena flirtingly grinned at her, grinning even bigger when she saw Kara blushing.

“I would hope so. But I didn’t get to talk to her. Lex is controlling her using Q waves, so she just stood there silently.”

“So he’s turned our daughter into his personal robot? Why?”

“Because he wants to take me down. That’s why he went to the future and got her once she turned 16. He wants to use her as a weapon, and he knows that the second I look into her eyes.. I won’t be able to fight her.” Kara’s admission made Lena want to melt into a puddle of emotions.

“I know you don’t want to hurt your own blood Kara, but we have to be prepared for the fact that he will make her hurt you.” Lena’s tone was soft and sympathetic.

“It’s not that, Lena. I...Can I admit something to you? So you can understand why I’m so worried?”

“Of course.” The intensity of her gaze made Kara’s entire body feel like it was on fire.

“Several months ago when we were still fighting, I got another visit from Mxyzptlk..he told me he could send me back in time to try telling you my secret earlier, to fix things. But it seemed like no matter when I told you, things always went wrong. So I thought maybe you’d be better off if you had just never met me. But when I went to that timeline.. you were a dictator. You’re family had kidnapped and tortured you and you went down a really dark path. You had a Kryptonite heart and you were blasting me with it. But I...I just took it. The second I looked into your eyes..I couldn’t make myself fight you. Even though it wasn’t the real you I just couldn’t do it. I would’ve died if Mxy hadn’t of gotten me out of there in time.” Admitting this made Kara want to fall over and die in this timeline too, but she needed Lena to understand why she was so worried. Because no matter how much she didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of her crush, they were in this together. Lena was the only one that truly understood the weight of this situation.

Lena just stood there stunned. “Wow..I-I don’t know what to say. I think I’m flattered?”

“You should be, I wouldn’t have done that for anyone else.” A blush was rising in both of their cheeks now. Lena tried to hide it by changing the subject back, but the smile on her face spoke volumes

“So if he got her from the future then where is baby Lily?” Lena always enjoyed flirting with Kara, but right now her worry for her daughter was plaguing her mind.

“He said he has her in his lab.”

“What? We have to go get her! We might not be able to take down teenage Lily right now, but we cannot let Lex near our baby.” Lena was slightly panicked now that she realized Lex had baby Lily too.

Lena was taken back by the grin on Kara’s face, so she spoke up again. “Kara, he has our baby, how are you not panicking right now?”

“Sorry, I am. I just.. Im not used to hearing that.” She still couldn’t wipe the grin off her face, even as panicked as she was.

“What?”

“Our baby.” Now Kara wasn’t the only one smiling.

“Yeah, it has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?” Lena didn’t understand how she was so excited and so terrified at the same time. She was terrified at the thought of being a mother, because she never had an example of what a good mother looks like. But the thought of having Kara to figure it out with? That made her stomach erupt with butterflies.

“It does. We need to go let the team know what’s going on so we can come up with a plan. And then you and I have a lot to talk about.” Kara’s tone was more serious this time, she was in mission mode now.

They went and gathered the team together and gave them a run down of the situation. Their faces looked just as shocked as Kara and Lena’s did at first. Most of them knew Kara and Lena were in love with each other, but they didn’t expect their first child to happen this way.

“Brainy?” Lena asked as they were all gathered around the table brainstorming.

“Yes Ms. Luthor?”

“Did you know?” Lena’s tone wasn’t accusing, just genuinely curious.

“I was aware that in the future L-Corp created the technology to create offspring from two female organisms, however I was not aware that Lex was responsible for Lily’s conception. I was not entirely sure how she was conceived until now, actually. I was afraid to ask.” Brainy wished so badly he could comfort them by telling them the truth about the future. That they end up having the cutest wedding he’d ever witnessed, and had 3 beautiful daughters together. Kara had insisted they all take on the Luthor name, to show how proud she was to help her rebrand it as a source of good. To show her how proud she was to be with her. They were the true definition of happily ever after.

“He..he’s not responsible for the others right?” Kara was embarrassed to even ask for a multitude of reasons, but she had to know.

“Wait, others?” A confused look was evident on Alex’s face.

“You don’t have to worry, Ms. Danvers. Lucian and Lexa Luthor were entirely your own doing.” Brainy’s answer cleared up Alex’s question while also raising about 50 more.

“I have about a million questions and as much as I want to unpack this, we need to start moving within the hour. I’ll be damned if I let Lex hurt my neice.” Lena and Kara recognized Alex’s protectiveness, they’d seen it with Ruby many times before. It made Lena so happy to know that Alex would be an amazing enough aunt to Lily to make up for the fact that her uncle was insane.

They all came up with a game plan and we’re getting ready to move soon. At this point Kara was just a bundle of nerves. Lena noticed, so she went and got a peice of tech she’d been working on. It only took about 15 minutes of tinkering to code it to what Kara needed specifically.

“Hey Kara, before you go..” Lena pulled the small peice of tech from her pocket and presented it to Kara. “I know you’re worried that you won’t be able to fight her if you have to see her eyes, so I made you this.”

“What is it?”

“It’s called ArkAngel. It’s still in its trial run stage, but it’s normally for parents who want to censor obscenity from their children. It blocks out stressful stimuli from the users vision. I wired it to block out Lily’s eyes. You’ll be able to see her, but from the nose up she’ll be blurry.” Lena explained.

“Wow, thank you. You’re a life saver.” Kara said grabbing it from her.

“I just need you and Lily to make it home safe. I can’t lose you again, Kara. And I can’t lose our daughter before I’ve even gotten the chance to meet her.” Kara could see the emotion swelling up in Lena’s eyes. Lena tried to present herself as cold and stoic, but Kara saw the real her. The Lena that was sensitive and compassionate and loving. Seeing that side of Lena for the first time all those years ago is what changed her small crush into being full on in love with her.

Kara engulfed her in a tight hug. “You won’t lose me, Lena. I will always come home to you. And from now on so will Lily. I swear to you I will protect you both til the very end.”

Lena was so consumed with emotion she didn’t even know what to do with herself other than just cling as tightly to Kara as she could. “You’re still my hero, Kara Danvers, I hope you know that.“ Kara thought her heart was gonna explode. All she wanted to do in that moment was pull away from the hug, grab her face, and kiss her like she’d never been kissed before. But she knew it would leave her dizzy, and the last thing she needed to do before a mission was distract herself. So she settled for a sweet and loving kiss on the forehead. Lena pulled away to give her one last longing glance before she inevitably had to leave.

Kara flew to Lex’s lab and it was much bigger than she expected. She wandered around for what felt like an enternity trying to figure out where Lily might be, but in reality it was only a few minutes. She finally saw a sector of the building that was completely shut off by a big steel door. She knew that’s where she had to be. She walked up to it and saw a keypad that prompted the user for a 5 digit code. She knew it would take forever to try every 5 digit combination imaginable, so she asked for Brainys help over comm’s. He was able to disable it so it didn’t trigger any alarms. However, Kara wasn’t prepared for the fact that Lex had a failsafe. The minute she walked through the door an alarm starting blaring, announcing that Kryptonian DNA had been detected. First Clark had a Luthor protocol at the fortress, and now Lex had a Super protocol at his lab. ‘What is wrong with these guys?’ Was Kara’s first thought. Her second thought was pure panic. She knew she needed to find the baby and get out as quickly as possible. Teenage Lily would surely show up at any minute now.

After walking further down the hall, she heard a baby cry. Bingo! She knew which room she was in now. She went to bust through the door when she was flung back by a whirl of cold breath. Crap, Lily had the same superpowers as she did. “Not so fast, mom.” Lily called out menacingly. Kara had to keep reminding herself that this wasn’t the real Lily, this was all Lex.

“I know he’s controlling you, Lily, but you have to fight it. I don’t know you yet, but if you’re anything like Lena then I know you’re strong. You can beat this.”

The pep talk didn’t help, and Lily started charging at her. Kara had to pretend that she was some random villain to keep herself from breaking down. The fact that she was hurting her own daughter made her want to cry on the spot. But she knew it needed to be done. She finally had her pinned down and was about to knock her out when it happened. Lily smiled at her..and Kara froze. She wishes now that Arkangel had blurred out her entire face. She had Lena’s smile and dimples too. Crap.

In the few moments Kara hesitated, Lily was able to wrestle out from underneath her mothers strong grip to try and attack her one last time. As much as Kara wanted to break down and cry, she thought of her baby sitting in the other room alone and scared, and it gave her a second wind. She gave Lily one last devastating blow, enough to knock her out. It gave her enough time to go grab the baby and get out.

It didn’t fully register that she was holding a baby, her own baby, in her arms until after she was flying towards the DEO and out of harms way. She finally sighed a breath of relief and looked down at her baby for the first time. Even as a baby she looked so much like Lena. Her eyes were teary already. Partly because she just harmed her older daughter, and partly because her baby daughter was now safe and in her arms. Lily had stopped crying and was much calmer now, flying seemed to soothe her. Kara was just in awe.

She landed on the DEO balcony for the second time today, but this time she landed as a mother. She wasn’t sure what to make of that, but she couldn’t wait to see the look on Lena’s face when she saw their daughter for the first time.

Everyone came running up, but they stopped once they reached the door and let Lena have her moment with Kara first. “Kara you’re bleeding, what happened?” Lena said placing a hand on Kara’s cheek and stroking it gently.

“She apparently has your smile and dimples too, is what happened.” She grinned a little before more tears swelled up in her eyes.

“Even as a baby, she’s just as beautiful as her mother.” Kara added and now Lena was teary eyed too. She looked down at the baby in Kara’s arms and was just instantly infatuated. “Wow..” Was all that managed to escape her lips.

Both of their hearts were so full in that moment, it was a feeling neither of them had quite experienced before. While it may not have been the most conventional way to have a child, it still felt like the happiest day of their lives. Everyone was watching from afar, just absolutely swooning at how adorable this was.

“I love her already.” Kara was absolutely beaming now. “And I love you too, Lena Luthor. More than I’d like to admit.”

“Well I think finding out we have children together in the future kind of takes the surprise out of it but.. I love you too, Kara. I’ve been in love with you from the start.”

Kara looked up and locked eyes with her, her gaze was more intense than she’d ever seen it. This was it, she thought, it looked like the woman of her dreams was about to do what she’d been fantasizing about for years now. Lena gently grabbed her face and kissed her, and suddenly it felt like everything was right in the world. Kissing her soulmate made it feel like she was surrounded by magic. Like symphonies were playing and folktales were being written about their love.

The kiss was soft, loving, and sweet. Kara had never been kissed quite like that before. She just melted into it. When Lena pulled away she craved her taste her for just a second longer, but she was quickly snapped back into reality when she heard everyone awe’ing in the doorway. It just made Kara and Lena smile at each other. “Come on over, guys.” They said and everyone ran over to see the baby excitedly.

They spent several hours out buying baby stuff to take back to Lena’s apartment, and before Kara knew it she was agreeing to move in with her. She knew she still had to worry about teenage Lily tomorrow, but for the night she was just soaking up her newfound motherhood with the love of her life, who was now officially her girlfriend. She couldn’t have been happier.

After some long nights and tiring days, they eventually took Lex down and returned Lily safely to the future. Over the next 5 or so years, they added two additions to their family just like Brainy had said. Lexa and Lucian Luthor brought even more joy to their lives than they could’ve imagined. They were insanely, grossly happy. After everything they’d sacrificed and been though and lost, they were finally getting their fairytale ending.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading and I really hope you enjoyed it! Did anyone catch the Black Mirror reference? 😅

#otp #wlw #lgbt #lgbt pride #lgbtq #supercorp #kara x lena #supergirl #lena luthor #kara danvers #kara zor el #fanfic #fanfiction #first attempt lol

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browneyedhimbo · 4 years

Note

I love you mom and I'm so happy you're back ❤❤❤ for a request: can I request any plot with protective!beefy!Bucky? 😍

Thank you for the request mija!! 💛💛 I don’t know why my mind immediately goes to alcohol when “protective” comes into play. Plus I was listening to Bad Bunny’s new album so that’s probably another good reason lol. But anywho! Hope you enjoy it!

Warnings: Alcohol, foul language (cause if I say dirty talk minds go somewhere else) and an asshole who needs to be taught a lesson in manners

Word Count: 1.7k

Running a hand through your hair you let out the million sigh of the hour. You stared at the blank document in front of you, the little line thing blinking back at you.

“Alright alright, I got this,” you said to yourself. You sat up straight, cracked your knuckles and brought the laptop closer to you on your lap. You bit your bottom lip and hovered your hands over the keyboard.

“Nope. Never mind.” You deflated, leaning back against the bed. You shoved the laptop off your lap to the side and groaned.

Writer’s block, your real enemy. You were an avenger by day, fanfic writer by night. At first you thought it was weird and embarrassing, but soon you felt more and more comfortable. You were able to release and pour your emotions into writing. Well, at least that’s when your brain actually cooperated with you.

“Ugh. Stupid fucking brain, stupid words, stupid fucking argh!” You groaned into a pillow. With another heavy sigh, you stood up and placed your laptop back on your desk. You glared at it before flopping on your bed face first. A knock sounded on the door a few moments later.

“Y/N, you good?” You heard Sam’s muffled voice from the other side. You went and opened the door seeing your best friend with a concerned look on his face. “I was headed to the kitchen when I heard you cursing out.”

“Yeah, I was just trying to write but my brain can’t come up with anything.” You pouted. “I know what you’re gonna say, ‘don’t overwork yourself with writing when you just got back from a mission a few days ago.” You lowered your voice, trying and failing to mimic him.

“Actually I was gonna ask where Bucky is so he can help you out,” he chuckled, “Help you with your frustrations.” He threw a wink at you earning a roll of your eyes. You were going to say something before he cut you off. “Actually, I know what you need.” His smirk grew and you found yourself getting a little nervous. What did this lunatic have planned now?

“Do I dare ask?” You bit your bottom lip. He chuckled and leaned against the frame.

“You might wanna change. I’ll be back in ten,” he said before walking away leaving you very confused. You shook your head and closed the door. You quickly changed out of your pajamas and stood in front of your closet. He never said where you’re going so settled into wearing jeans, a nice dressy shirt, and your booties. You grabbed your purse when, true to his word, ten minutes later Sam was knocking.

“No hint?” You asked while he was driving you both to this mystery destination. He chuckled earning a swat to the arm.

“Take it easy, I’m driving!” He laughed. “I’m not saying anything. Only that Natasha, Wanda, and Clint are already there.”

««««»»»»

“Just one dance Y/N!” Wanda was practically begging at this point. When you first arrived at the bar you found that they already had a shot and a few drinks each. Now half an hour later, they were trashed, and by they it was Wanda and Clint.

“Okay okay fine! You win,” you giggled. You had enough liquid courage to dance a few songs but not enough to dance all night.

“Yes!” She squealed before dragging you over to the dance floor of the bar. She was quick in her actions resulting in you not seeing a certain blue eyed super soldier stepping next to Sam.

“Why am I here Sam?” Bucky asked already getting uncomfortable. He didn’t get a verbal response, just a nod in the direction Wanda had pulled you off to. He scanned the crowd before his eyes landed on you. His heart thumped faster seeing the way you smiled and laughed so carefree. He was whipped and he knew it, just not how he was ever going to tell you. A sigh broke past his lips as he sat down at the table Clint and Natasha were at.

You don’t know how long you were dancing but you were starting to feel it. You looked at Wanda who wasn’t showing signs of letting up. With a shake of your head you started back towards the group. You saw Nat and Clint arm wrestling with Sam cheering them on, and then you made eye contact with the blue eyed beauty.

Your smile matched your bright eyes and you started walking faster, eager to get engulfed in his hug and familiar scent. Though you couldn’t hear it, you knew he was chuckling by the way his shoulder shook a little and his smirk grew into a smile. God you loved him, but you couldn’t tell him.

Only a couple tables away. Your eyes never left his. Until some douchebag decided to smack your ass while passing him.

“Hey what the fuck?” You turned to him, anger surging through your body. He was leaning against a bar stool, a disgusting smirk playing on his lips. You swallowed, suddenly feeling very small. Damn alcohol, you thought.

“Where ya headed to so fast sweetheart?” He bit his bottom lip seductively.

“Fuck off,” you tried to sound intimidating, you really did, but it came out more wobbly than you wanted it to. Again, damn alcohol.

“You can fuck me right now.” He chuckled and gave you a wink. You felt your skin crawl and your stomach churn. You were going to say something else before you felt two hands on your shoulders and that familiar scent of cologne and gunpowder.

“She said fuck off, so why don’t you do that?” You looked up and saw Bucky’s jaw set and his eyes trained on the dude. The only other times you’ve seen him with that look was when he was in ‘soldier mode’ (as you called it) during missions.

“What are you? Her ward?” He laughed despicably. You heard Bucky growl low in your ear. At any other given time you’d enjoy it, but now wasn’t one of them.

“Bucky…” you trailed, desperately trying to make eye contact with him. He clenched his teeth and his metal arm wrapped around your waist.

“If you ever play a finger on her again and I’ll-”

“Is she your girl?“

"W-what?” Bucky was taken aback by the question, too heated another man dare lay a hand on you in such a manner and talk to you in such a way.

“Is she your girl? Cause if she’s not then…” the guy looked you up and down as if a predator. Your hand went to the arm Bucky had around and squeezed.

“She’s my girl so back the fuck off or so help me, they’ll never find your body.” Bucky’s grip on your waist tightened a little bit and his other hand grabbed the collar of the dude’s shirt. His voice was husky and deeper than you’ve ever heard it before, hints of a promise laced with his words.

The dude paled and gulped before nodding his head. Bucky let him go and walked you both to where the others sat at the table.

“Heeeyyy!!! There’s ya ats! Was were you?” Clint swayed in his seat looking at the two of you.

“Easy there,” Sam said helping him to his feet. “We got an uber to take these lightweights home. You can take the car, no rush. See you guys at home.” Sam handed Bucky the keys before walking out with Clint ticked to his side and Nat helping Wanda.

“We need to talk,” you looked back up to Bucky. He sighed and led you out the doors, arm still around your waist. It wasn’t until you got to the car he let go.

“I uh, I-I didn’t hurt you, did I?” He asked, hands stuffed in his pockets, his gaze to the floor. You smiled softly at him.

“No.” He glanced up making eye contact. He shuffled on his feet before sighing.

“M'sorry Y/N/N. I-I know you don’t need to be saved ‘n I know I probably embarrassed you.” He scratched the back of his neck, finally meeting your eyes. “I jus’, he was being disrespectful-”

"Buck-” you tried getting a word in.

“-and a dick and I can’t stand someone doing that to you and -” he started getting louder.

“Buck-”

“It just makes me mad because I’m so in love with you!” His eyes grew wide at what he just shouted at you. “I-” he felt the tears welling up in his eyes and his rate sky rocket. This is not how he imagined this night going.

“You what?” Are your ears deceiving you? Or were plastered and didn’t know it?

“Oh god, Y/N this isn’t- I wanted- it’s.” The panic was oozing out from his chest. “Y-yes I love you but I didn’t want- I- please don’t be mad.” He pleaded.

“Why would I be mad? Bucky-”

“In there I said you were my girl and you’re not and now I’m tellin you I love you and-” you cut him off with your hand on his mouth and a chuckle.

“If you’d let me talk Buck,” you giggled, “I love you too you dummy. And,” you pressed a finger to his lips, “before you ask I didn’t drink too much so I’m telling you this completely sober.” You removed your finger from his lips and held onto his broad shoulders.

Speechless is what he was. But he couldn’t hold back his emotions anymore. Calloused hands ghosted up your arms and cupped your cheeks. He looked down at your lips before meeting your eyes, almost as if asking for permission. A slight nod from you and his lips were on yours.

You felt fireworks go off in your belly. Everything in the world blurred out as you tugged him closer. Your hands found their way into his long hair as his found your waist. Though too soon, you had to pull away for oxygen.

A laughed escapes your lips as you though about how this came about.

“Maybe I should go back and thank that asshole.” You chuckled, a smirk dancing on your lips.

“No! Nope! Not happening! Absolutely not!”

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Permanent tags: @becausewhyknotme @katbtracy @imma-new-soul @justmebeingtheweirdmeiam @officialtonystarkprotectionsquad @theladyoffangorn @itsunclebucky @mushyjellybeans @writing-for-hours-on-end @this-kitten-is-smitten @agentpeggybarnes

Bucky Barnes tags: @sebbbystaaan @wemisshim3000 @dianadov @nerdy-bookworm-1998

@stuckonjbbarnes @disaffectedbarnes @cosmicbucky @ninjabucky Hope you won’t mind me tagging you

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes #bucky x reader #winter soldier #protective!bucky x reader #protective!bucky #mel answers

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thisisgonnafuxkinkillme · 3 years

Note

Hii! Could you write a one or two chaptered fanfic on Bakugou x Mina? Scenarios: she is drunk and he takes care of her/ she pushes him out of the way and gets injured instead/ she starts flirting as a joke but then he flirts back and oh god does she like it and kisses him.

Absolutely!

Bubblegum

A Bakugou x Mina Drabble

Warnings: alcohol use, cursing

Chapter 1...........

They weren’t friends. Well, they weren’t exactly not friends, either. Mina always found friends, whether she wanted to find them or not.

To her, a stranger was just a friend she hadn’t met yet.

And that was sort of how she viewed the spiky blond who sat in front of her in class.

He didn’t talk much. When he did speak, he could be heard throughout the whole damn school building, and it was usually because Kirishima had pulled a dumb prank on him.

Mina often held back her giggles, not wanting to upset him further, but one day she made a fatal mistake of chuckling to herself.

“Do ya fuckin’ think this is funny?” he growled, glaring down at her. She straighened her back, cocking an eyebrow.

“Sure do!” she smiled sweetly. He huffed, sitting back down, to the suprise of literally everyone who noticed.

Usually, Bakugo would have spat and sputtered at the comeback, but this time, he simply backed down. That just wasn’t like him.

What Mina never knew was how her attitude completely broke him. Fuck, he wished that he could get along with people like she did. She didn’t even have to try; all she had to do was be her happy go lucky self and people just...flocked to her.

Even him.

He hated to admit defeat, and rarely did, if ever. But he couldn’t deny that he definately had a crush on the bubblegum pink girl.

He just wished he knew how to tell her.

Could he even tell her?

Friday Night, weeks later........

Denki’s parents were out of town, and being the crackhead that he is, threw a spontaneous party at his house. Of course, everyone in class 1A was invited. Mina was one of the first people to show up, and she helped get the snacks and drinks together.

Sero giggled as he walked into the kitchen, a bag in his hand. It was clinking, as if it were filled with glass bottles.

“Whatcha got there?” she inquired, pointing towards the mysterious bag.

He stopped laughing for a moment, flashing Denki a confused look.

“Uhh, I thought it was just gonna be the boys, man. Can...we even trust her?” Sero asked, gesturing towards her.

“Hey! I’m right here, you know! And yeah, you can trust me. Come on, you gotta tell me what it is now!” She frowned, crossing her arms. Sero sighed, pulling out the bottles. Alcohol.

She stared wide eyed, but excited. She’d never drank anything before, but it sure did look fun! She took a bottle of clear liquid in her hand, opening it up.

“Whoa, there! You won’t like it like that!” Denki warned. She pouted, closing it back.

“Well, fine then. I’m gonna make a punch or something then. Should I make some for everyone or?” she asked, grabbing what she needed from the cupboards.

“uh...sure. Just don’t tell Midoriya, he’s definately a little snitch,” Sero mumbled.

“Ya think so?” she asked, standing up on the counter to reach for some sugar.

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

The punch bowl was the centerpiece of the table. People came in and out, grabbing a cupful for themselves or a friend. Mina was on her third glass by the time everyone showed up.

Bakugo, on the other hand, skipped on the punch. He was content with sitting himself in a corner, nodding to the music and stealing glances at Mina. She didn’t even notice. She was much too busy laughing at tiktoks with Uraraka.

He sighed, sipping on a glass of soda.

Soon, the party began to wind down as the punch kicked in. Some people retreated to the bedrooms (for various reasons), while others crashed on the couch or on the floor.

Bakugo turned the music down as he stood up. He got into a semi-heated debate with a drunken Sero about something stupid, and lost track of Mina. He shrugged it off. Maybe she just went home.

He headed upstairs to the bathroom to take a quick piss before heading back to his dorm. He didn’t feel like cleaning up after the people who carelessly threw their trash on the floor, and he didn’t care to babysit anyone who got too drunk to stand.

As he approached the door, he heard something.

Someone was in there, retching and lightly crying.

Usually in situations like this, he would’ve just minded his business and walked away.

But his gut told him that he just...couldn’t do that. Not this time.

He gently knocked on the door. No response. He went ahead and tried to open it. To his suprise, it was unlocked.

His eyes widened as he realized who it was behind that door.

Mina.

Her makeup was ruined, running down her cheeks in streaks. She wiped her mouth quickly as she noticed him walk in.

He didn’t say anything. He just stared for a moment.

She slurred, “Do you...do ya think this is fucking funny? huh?”

He shook his head.

She began to cry again, covering her face. He grabbed a washcloth, wetting it under icy cold water in the sink before placing it on the back of her neck. She flinched at the sudden sensation.

“How much did’ja have to drink?”

“6,” she muttered, hovering over the toilet bowl.

“Dumbass...” he scoffed, rubbing her back.

She heaved, emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet. She groaned, holding her stomach.

“It’ll go away...just...” he tried his best to comfort her, but he genuinely did not know how to.

“shut up. just...ugh!” she spat, sitting up. He backed away from her a little bit. She glared at him, gritting her teeth. The rag was thrown across the bathroom, hitting the wall with a smack.

“I’m just tryna fuckin help you? What’s your problem?” He spat. She stood up. Moonlight shined on her back through the large frosted window that faced beautiful woods.

“m-m...my problem? you...ya...you’ve gotta be kidding, right?” she stammered out. Her knees shook and her stomach churned from the pressure of her standing up, but she didn’t care.

“You...you’re the one with the fuckin issues here, you weirdo...why do you even want....wanna help me?? You hate me!” she yelled. Tears pricked at the back of her eyes.

“Mina...I...I don’t...” Bakugo argued, taking a step towards her. She took a step back.

“Get...go away...” she warned.

Bakugo took another step, trying to get her away from the window.

But it was too late.

The floor was wet and slick, and she was barely able to stand as it was. Those two factors mixed together meant that she lost her footing. Fast.

Her petite body crashed through the window backwards. Shattered glass rained down to earth as she screamed. Luckily, Uraraka and Hatsume were on their way out of the house and towards their uber when she was falling. Uraraka wasn’t able to stop her fall, as she hadn’t touched her before it happened. The two girls sreamed, rushing towards Mina and hurridly calling 911. Hatsume looked up to see Bakugo at the window.

He could only stare down at her limp body, wide eyed and in shock.

“This is just too far! Why? Why?!” Hatsume screeched. Uraraka couldn’t even bring herself to look at him.

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

When Mina woke up, she was surrounded by all of her closest friends.

Everyone was throwing questions at her. A police officer stood in the corner, notebook in hand.

“Did he do it on purpose?” asked one person.

Another questioned, “Was he drunk?”

“Is this the first time he’s hit you?” a third quizzed.

She answered none of these questions. All she could do was stare at the ceiling in silence.

“Where is he?” she asked, her voice stoic and monotone. Everyone was silent at that.

“He’s...not here.” Uraraka answered finally. Mina nodded, wiping away a stray tear.

“Thanks for showing up, guys...but, can you give me some time? Please?” she requested meekly.

“I’ll buy lunch,” Tenya offered, breaking the silence that filled the room.

Soon, Mina was alone.

She sighed, inspecting the room she was in. White. Sterile. Boring. All except for a lovely boquet sat on the table next to her bed. She picked it up, looking at each flower. Most were pink, matching her skin, but others were yellow and orange. She smiled at the cute colors.

She turned the vase around, not seeing any note or indication of who they were from.

“Like em?” a voice asked from the doorway. Mina jumped, looking up.

It was Bakugo.

“Yeah,” is all she could manage to say. She cursed herself for not saying some nasty comback.

He approached the bed, sitting gently on the edge. He was silent for a good while, looking at the floor.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t tell the cops that you pushed me out of the window or anything,” she scowled, placing the vase back onto the table and crossing her arms.

He shook his head, sighing deeply.

“Thats...not it...”

She scoffed.

“You hate me, don’t you?” Bakugo spat.

“What?”

“Just be honest with me. Please.”

She sat, wideeyed and dumbfounded for a good few seconds. She always thought he was the one who hated her.

“I...” she scrunched up her face, thinking of what to say.

But she knew words wouldn’t cut it at this point.

She sat up in the bed. He looked over at her as she leaned forward, gently taking his cheek in her hand.

His face began to heat up. He looked away. However, his attention was brought back to her when she placed her other hand on his cheek and brought him in for a kiss.

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we-always-hit-our-ass · 4 years

Text

Dance Freely, Love (Joe Toye x Reader)

a/n- another one of my random ideas, thanks @radiantcade for motivating me to do this, what would i do without you??

once again, im procrastinating on the long fanfic by writing shorter ones. oops

Description- You wake up to see a note that your long-time boyfriend has left for you on a drawer. After reading it, it’s contents leave you heartbroken. Time passes by and word gets by of your boyfriend in the hospital. You decide to visit him. Tears and fufilled promises ensue.

Words- 4.9k (i was intending for it to be short but... i got carried away??)

Warnings- angst, angst, angst, but there’s fluff tho

Angst with happy ending, love those-

btw listen to these songs while reading this:

The End of the Word- https://youtu.be/xHa6a3FtPJg

It’s Been a Long, Long Time- https://youtu.be/iP0tHmoc1rs

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

The sun beams peek through the gap of your white curtains, shielding your (E/C) from their brightness. That was what you found strange.

Usually Joe would wake up earlier than you and he’d open the curtains right after he woke up and got up from your comfy bed. So when you’d open your eyes, the light would just be as gleaming and bright as Joe’s smile.

Maybe finally he listened to you and decided to give your eyes a rest. You groggily stretched your body, the blankets falling off your shoulders dropping slowly towards your lap.

Stiff arms raise up and a content groan leaves your lips as you stretch them out. Those tired arms then reach up to rub at your eyes and you feel a yawn creeping by.

You then make your way off the bed, slightly disappointed by the loss of warmth those covers provided you with. After your eyesight was clear, you hobbled your way around the room while putting on your slippers.

You walked up to a small table with a record player, something you and Joe were lucky to have. You pulled out a disc and set the record player up. Soon enough, you and Joe’s favorite music to slow dance to plays.

It soothed your muscles and you could almost fall asleep again if you tried hard enough. You bopped your head up and down and hummed softly to the melody. There was a slight bounce in your step as the song kept playing and a tiny grin was on your face.

After a few moments of swaying along to the music you noticed the absence of the handsome, dark-haired man you called your boyfriend.

“Joe…”

Your tired, breathy voice rang throughout your shared bedroom, but no voice rang back.

You assumed it might’ve been one of those rare days where Joe went the extra mile to make breakfast.

But once again, there was no waft of food or smoke reaching your nose.

“...Joe…?”

The question was asked louder, but no response. The tweeting of the birds felt deafening in the quiet house, and the soothing voice of your lover wasn’t heard at all. You still stood at the foot of your bed, slightly dazed and confused as to where Joe was.

You opened the door to your bedroom and quickly made your way throughout the house to look for him. You fail to see the crisp, white note laying quietly on your dresser and waiting to be read.

The faint thumping your footsteps echoed throughout the house, and he was nowhere to be found.

You even went as far to go to the attic(which you absolutely hated going into ever since Joe said that it was haunted). You rushed through each room, opening the door roughly before slamming it back shut once you saw that he wasn’t there.

You sped along, your speed rivaling that of light’s. You even caught yourself lifting up one of the cushions of the sofa.

When you returned to the room you were a panting mess, and you were sure that you checked every inch of the house at least 7 times while calling out his name and telling him to cut the joke.

Your search was futile and you walked groggily up the wooden stairs so you can lie down on your bed. (S/C) hands gingerly turn the doorknob and you amble your way slowly to the comfy bed.

You heave a sigh as you plop yourself into the mattress, your head nestled between the pillows and the still-tousled blanket. Your head turns and your eyes land on the piece of paper resting flat against the wooden surface of the dresser.

You were suddenly alert and your body shot up in the blink of an eye. You swear that you hadn’t seen this note before. For someone who apparently checked the house from top-to-bottom, you were sure pretty blind.

You put your legs up on the bed, and you leaned over to reach the mysterious note. You leaned back and scooted up until your back was flush against the fluffy pillows.

The folded paper was opened to reveal the familiar and neat handwriting of your love. Your eyes lit up in recognition. Your eyes skimmed over the word-filled page before actually deciding to read it the ink.

“Dear (Y/N),

I hope you read this letter with a clear mind and heart, for I am truly sorry for doing this to you. (Y/N), I am so sorry for leaving you like this.

I planned to tell you the night before, but I couldn’t bring myself to break the news after seeing you so happy last night. I couldn’t do that to myself, and especially you.

Before you can say that I should have told you, please try to understand that this way is the best way. It’s the best option and I think it would also be the one that hurt you the less.

(Y/N), please know that I have good intentions and that I really don’t mean to bring you harm in any way, shape, or form.

Your tear-stained face would’ve broken me and I am slightly glad that I would not be there to see your reaction. I couldn’t live with that.

(Y/N), I promise you only a few things:

1. I will return to you, no matter how injured I am.

2. When I do return, the first thing I will do is to scoop you up into my arms.

3. I will give you the best kisses that you’ve ever dreamed of.

4. I will make the best goddamn dinner that has ever existed.

5. We will dance, and dance to that record we always play until the night slowly fades into day, and I promise you, that I still wouldn’t be stopping.

6. I will always, and forever love you.

(Y/N), please know that this would've happened someday, and that again, this is the best option for both of us. After this war, I SWEAR, that I will do everything I put on that list of promises.

You have my word and heart, (Y/N). I love you. I love you very much… Please let me see your face when I return.

Love,

Your ever loving boyfriend, Joe”

Streams of salty tears were unknowingly rushing out of your eyes like mini waterfalls. You only started to feel them when you slowly brought your fingers to your face.

The wet sensation against your fingertips brought you back to reality, and you only started sobbing louder. You talked to him about it, of course, but you just thought…You just thought that maybe, just maybe, he would’ve given you a head’s up.

Of course you knew he was going to fight the war, but not like this. This would be the last thing you expected. Sobs, whimpers, and whispers of his name fell out of your lips. The trembling never stopping.

You quickly put your lip between your teeth to stop any more sounds from coming out, but the action was futile. Your fists clenched the now flimsy piece of paper, crumpling the edges and almost ripping the sides of the papers off.

The sounds of your tears plopping against the paper didn’t bring you back from your tear-filled stupor. The whimpering didn’t stop and you looked down to your lap to read the paper once again, just to make sure that you weren’t, in fact, dreaming.

Your red and already swollen (E/C) eyes glance down at the paper only to see that your tears have smudged and already washed some of the words. The once legible words were reduced to only a small puddle of black ink.

The tears in your eyes stopped for a brief moment before they started streaming down your red cheeks and down your throat. A small, wet stain formed at top of your blouse, the never-ending river of your woe soaking it more and more.

You were still as you could be, only light tremors shook your body as you sniffed and whimpered some more. Your throat ached, your mouth was parched, and your eyes lost tears to cry a long time ago.

The aching of your legs made your whole lower body feel numb and you soon felt how sore your face felt. Your fingers begged to be unfurled, the joints already crying out in mercy, but you couldn’t care less.

Crescent moon shapes were indented against the soft skin of your palm, but you didn’t pay them any mind. Hiccups now filled the air, but you were still glued to that very same spot you had ages ago.

Your tired body slowly leaned forward until your forehead and wet cheeks touched the cold sheets of your bed. Soft whimpers were muffled and your hand clutched and pulled the once neat and pristine piece of paper towards your chest.

Wet ink was transferred onto your blouse, and the damp fabric stuck to your feverish skin without a hitch. Everything hurt. Eyes, nose, throat, back, fingers, thighs, toes, and your heart.

Oh, especially your heart. It felt like it’s been cut, torn, and smashed into oblivion. Like it was whipped and the wounds had salt poured on them. Then it was burned, chewed up, and run over by 4 dozen cars. Then the whole process repeated again and again.

The pain was agonizing, and you would do anything to make it stop for even just a second. That was all you could focus on. You still didn’t get it.

Nothing made sense to you at the moment and you had the overwhelming urge to destroy everything around you. To rip that damned piece of paper that brought you this pain in the first place.

As anger and many more emotions coursed through you, you stopped to look at the piece of paper for the tenth time this hour. Your hardened glare turned into a loving look after your (E/C) eyes looked at the words ‘I love you’.

Tears threatened to burst through your sensitive eyes but your ability to produce tears ran out forever ago. So instead, you raised your fist to pound it against the mattress.

You tried to let out a scream but no sound came out. The dull sound consumed your head and you stopped shortly. You felt so vulnerable. So utterly helpless without him.

You never even got to say goodbye. To kiss him lovingly, to hug him with all your strength, and to say infinite declarations of love. If you'd known that last night was the final night that you would see him, you would’ve never have let him go and never stopped saying your adoration in his ear.

If you missed him this much already, how were you to act without him for years? How were you to react if he never came back? You forcefully diverted yourself from thinking that, you would be better if you don’t think of that.

Just when you thought you can now fully function, scenes of Joe bleeding out from a shot or shrapnel wound prevented you from doing so. Your parted lips stretched to a frown and you gripped your head between your hands, your fingers digging themselves deep into your scalp.

What have you done to deserve this? Why was this happening to you?

Why you?

Why Joe?

Painful questions mixed with past memories of happy times between you and Joe swirled around in your head. You thought that focusing on the joyful memories you had together but that made things worse, for they reminded you of the things you will surely miss.

Exhaustion and fatigue glide over you and you start to realize the ache of every muscle in your body. For now, all you desired was to close you red and swollen (E/C) and to float away to dreamland.

You didn’t care if it was only the afternoon, the day’s previous events left you spent and wanting to rest.You prayed that you didn’t have any dreams of him, your fragile heart couldn’t take anymore. It had enough in just a few hours.

Your sore and weak body raised itself up from it’s bent position, some of your backbones cracking at the action. You released a shaky sigh as your back hit the mattress, your throbbing head feeling only just a tiny bit relaxed as it hit the cloud-like pillows.

The lingering scent of his shampoo and soap on the pillow covers and blankets hugged you tightly, almost suffocating you. It was overwhelming, but you decided to relish one of the few things he actually left behind.

The bedroom blurred around you, black spots appearing in your vision as your eyelids drooped down.You curled up into a fetal position, face almost buried in the pillows. Your nose was clogged and almost silent sniffles were all you could offer.

The faint sound of the record player lulling you to sleep by the second as you let it play its tune.

You clutched the letter in your hand towards your chest like earlier. You were holding on to it like your life depended on it(your life didn’t but your heart sure did).

Before blacking out you wished that maybe this dream would provide temporary comfort, that maybe you’d forget about Joe and his leave. Perhaps, you might get it all of your head in just one sleep. But you knew it didn’t work like that.

Nothing did.

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

You really didn’t know how you continued to live your life without Joe by your side. How you missed his jokes, gentle touch, tender kisses, and bone-crushing yet loving hugs throughout the day.

Sometimes you could still hear his voice calling out so sweetly to you. The way your name rolled so right on his tongue. It really drove you wild. On other days, you would open your mouth to respond to him but the reality falls down on you like a pile of bricks. You would hurriedly shut your mouth and a deep frown etches itself on your face.

It’s been years since he left for the army without a word. The only thing he left for you was that letter. The now crumpled piece of paper containing Joe’s words was placed on top of the dresser, where it previously was.

Even though you couldn’t read the words anymore, you cherished and hated it all at the same time. The day after you cried and sobbed your heart out, you decided to send him letters.

Letters saying how you felt, how life was without him, and letters pleading for him to come back to you. Each letter had bucketfuls of your love and care put into them.

You’d even go as far as to buy the now rare chocolate candies. You saved every penny just to buy a piece. Then you’d carefully wrap them in small squares of parchment paper and taping the ends to make a little make-shift present.

You’d carefully press the paper and tuck it carefully into the envelope, sealing it when you were done.Then your eyes would well up as you held it in your shaking, (S/C) hands.

Tender kisses were pressed into every surface of the envelope before you’d send it away. You never really got anything back though. Hours were spent looking outside your window or going out to check your mailbox.

There was nothing, but you never gave up.

So you kept sending him letters, assuring yourself that he’ll reply to at least one of them. You grew tired of waiting, but you were ever so hopeful, thinking that this would be the day he’d respond.

Or maybe the next, or the day after that. Perhaps maybe a week after that one. Wishful thinking never got you anywhere, but it sure helped you in your broken state.

The clanging sound of the metal mailbox outside your home shutting grew redundant. But you still waited for something. Your cheerful smiles faded by the day and you were again reminded of how he just left you.

It even got to the point where even your neighbors started noticing and taking notice of your melancholy behavior. It has been weeks since you sent out your most recent letter and, once again, no response or word of your boyfriend.

You were completely left in the dark as to how he was doing. At this point, you didn’t even know if he was alive or not. You stopped sending him letters after the 12th or 13th one. You knew it was a lost cause and you gave up on it.

There would be moments where rage and bitterness bubbled inside you, but that was washed away by feelings of sadness, regret, and guilt. Sometimes you would find yourself crying in the middle of the hallway, but you would have no recollection whatsoever of you tearing up.

The sobbing just found its way to you, no matter what you were doing. You would be fine and the next moment you would clutch your head while seated on the tiled, kitchen floor with your back against the wooden cupboards, the river slowly streaming again.

You thought you could live without him, that you would be better off anyway. You were wrong. Very wrong. How many times have you wailed his name loudly during the night?

How many times have you clutched the ruined letter against your palms and chest? Just how many? Frustration welled within every part of your being and it grew tiring. You hated it.

You hated everything in this situation.

Why couldn’t Joe just tell you ahead of time? Anything would’ve been better than this. You didn’t know how his mind worked when he wrote you that letter, when it said that this was the best way.

It was anything but.

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

The deep pit of your stomach fell instantaneously when the name of your boyfriend fell from your neighbor’s lips. Your mind was blank, still trying to comprehend their words.

Sputters and incomplete sentences left your mouth as you questioned them for more details. You didn't know how you felt after one of your neighbors had told you the news of Joe being in a hospital.

How come they knew before you did?

Your fists clenched at your sides before they gripped the hem of your skirt, the loose fabric soon feeling uncomfortable in your (S/C) hands. It all felt like a fever dream and you just assumed that none of this was even happening. It couldn’t be.

Wide, (E/C) eyes stared into the distance, not really focusing on the words and presence of your neighbor. A loud voice called out of your name and your dazed eyes and head snapped to your neighbor, a worried expression plastered on their face.

Your feet were glued to the ground and you switched between looking at the ground and your neighbor’s face. The sounds of your heavy breathing were all you could hear. You could see the shadow of your neighbor inching closer towards your still body.

“(Y/N)... Are you alright, dear?”

“I- I’m… I’m fine. Just…” A stagnant pause rang throughout the air, and you were brought back by a steady hand resting on your shoulder.

“Surprised?” Your neighbor completed your thought for you, a questioning and worried tone lacing their voice.

“A little more than that.”

A dry chuckle left your lips as a feeble attempt to loosen the tense atmosphere. Questions like the ones that appeared on the day he left arose, making an unwelcome cameo in your brain.

The feeling of shock rushed through like a bolt of literal lightning. Fire burned your nerves and you were you looked stupid with your mouth gaping so big.

You had no words except a thanks to your neighbor before rushing back to your house, quickly opening the door and locking it before slowly walking over to the nearest seat.

You fell onto the cushion immediately, leaning forward with your head in the clutches of your hands. You were very relieved. You finally got to know how he was doing. You finally got to know that he was actually alive and not another body resting on the open field.

What you were experiencing was indescribable. It was a mysterious amalgamation of intense and soft emotions, all rolled up into one. But Joe’s alive…That was all you were thankful for.

He’s alive and you were going to pay him a visit.

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

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

So that’s where you found yourself…Standing in front of the pale white door that served as a temporary barrier between you and the man you still loved after all of these years. You fumbled with your skirt, bunching up the fabric in your hands and causing them to wrinkle.

A few good minutes were spent in the hallway as you mouthed the words you were going to say to him. Another couple of minutes were spent mentally preparing yourself.

You rubbed your temples raw and rubbed your forearms at least 20 times in only just a few seconds.Your knuckles gently yet firmly tapped against the wood, the thumping sound of your skin hitting wood was brief and slightly muffled.

Your breathing stopped and you definitely knew that your breath was caught in your throat. Seconds felt like forever in this situation and you slowly let your raised arm drop to your sides. Your body was practically tense and stiff, almost resembling the door in front of you.

“Come in…”

As if time stopped itself, you found yourself staying still once again. Your palms flew to your lips to stop you from crying right then and there. You collected yourself before it all hit you. He sounded so broken… It wasn’t like him at all.

There were no signs of the man you once knew. It reminded you of yourself when you broke down after reading his little note. Who would've known that a tiny piece of paper could ruin your life…

Shaking fingers reached for the brass doorknob and you turned it slowly. Anticipation was everywhere and you opened the door to enter his room. Lo and behold, there he was.

Joe Toye.

You haven’t seen him for four and a half years. It’s been so long since you actually saw him in person. Your (E/C) eyes ran over his body. He still looked the same- Soft and dark locks of hair were the same.

His wide dark brown eyes held surprise and love in them drew you in. His skin was paler than you remember, plus the addition of a few scars and wounds. Your eyes zoomed back to his face, and he looked just as surprised as you.

“(Y/N)...?”

“Who else would it be, Joe?”

“I don’t get it, why are you here…? All of the sudden and out of the blue…”

But you could tell that as soon as he saw you, his tone of voice got quieter. More gentle. And more loving.

The soft sounds of your footsteps against the polished wooden floors were loud and replaced the silence that ensued. You sat, the mattress dipping from your weight.

Tears suddenly erupted from your eyes, the feeling already too familiar with you. Joe immediately sprang up to wrap his arms around you. As he sat up, you failed to notice the slight wince he let out. Words left his lips to console you.

“(Y/N)- Babe… It’s alright, i’m here now.”

Sobs wracked your whole body, and you would shake in his embrace.

“Why Joe? Why did you do that to me? It’s been years Joe… Years. Can you believe that.”

Joe ran his hands up and down the small of your back, offering you slight comfort as you wailed words into his neck.

“I- I just couldn’t let myself see your face if I told you… You have to understand that it’d be worse if I actually told you-”

“But it hurt more, Joe… It hurt so much more…”

The soft rubbing on your back slowed and stopped after a few moments. Joe let your words sink slowly into him, the way you said it embedding itself into his mind, and his brain played it over and over again.

His brown eyes were close to tears, feeling too watery. Joe turns his head to look at your face. How he missed you so. If only he knew how much pain he caused you.

A comfortable silence covered the room, and you two remained in each other’s arms, an occasional sniffle or word would be heard. Joe’s fingers twirled locks of your hair, and regret pooled in his stomach as he imagined your tear-stricken face after reading the letter.

“I’m so sorry… I’m so fucking sorry (Y/N).”

He dove down to bury his face in the side of your neck, his tears leaving a cool feeling against your skin. It was your turn to comfort him, and you wrapped your arms around him tighter, trying to make him feel more secure.

“How could you ever forgive me… How could- How could you ever forgive me for this… For what I did to you..”

“Joe… I already have.”

His shut eyes opened and he pulled away from the tender embrace you both shared. His eyes locked onto yours and his lips parted in shock.

“Why…? After all this?”

“Because I love you, Joe… I love you so much…”

“I love you too, (Y/N).”

Your eyes were still locked, and you could see how his eyes would quickly drift over to your lips. A soft smile blossomed on your face as you sniffled. Your smile fell as you remembered the nurse’s words.

“I heard about what happened, Joe… To your leg… I’m so sorry…”

“(Y/N), hey… I’m fine now remember. I’m alive.”

“But Joe-”

“And don’t apologize… It wasn’t your fault.”

You quieted down, and the comfortable silence took over once again. The sun was slowly setting as you could see from the windows. The mellow atmosphere calmed both you and Joe significantly.

Joe suddenly pulled you against his chest, and he hummed a song into your ear. The familiar tune of your favorite song greeted you, and your eyes lit up in response. Joe rubbed your upper arms slowly as you two swayed slowly to the tune.

You found yourself humming along slowly, your humming complimenting his. The end of the song came and you hummed the final note while looking into his eyes.

“(Y/N)?”

“Mm?”

“Do you still remember those promises I wrote to you?”

“Of course, how could I forget? What about them?”

“I intend on fulfilling at least one today…”

Joe’s eyes scanned and looked deeply into your eyes for approval. You consented with a slight nod of your head and that was all it took for him to kiss you. You have waited for so long, but his kiss made all of it worth it. The two of you did anything to deepen the kiss just a bit more. It was passionate and so full of want.

It completely encapsulated what both of you wanted ever since the war started. Fleeting touches exchanged during the kiss were replaced with intense ones. Your fists grabbing at his hair and him doing the same.

One of your hands reaches over to push him more against you and one of his grabs the collar of your blouse to pull you towards him.You were left breathless after the kiss, your hair was slightly disheveled and both of your faces flushed and feeling warm.

Joe was gasping for air and he couldn’t get enough as your swollen lips were practically calling out to be kissed again. After a few moments of kissing and fond touches, you leaned your head on his broad shoulder, hand stroking his chest.

Your eyes drifted down to his blanket covered lower half and you stared at where his leg used to be. His eyes soften as he catches you looking. Joe’s mouth opens to ask you something but you beat him to it.

"So I guess we're not having that dance, huh?"

That was the first thing that came to your mind.

There was undoubtedly a hint of sadness as you thought of what could have been. You were slightly disappointed and sad, but you couldn’t have been more glad to have Joe right here with you right now.

Melancholy thoughts were interrupted by Joe’s hearty chuckle. He pulls you into his lap, making you straddle him. Joe’s hands brush any stray hairs in the way of your face and his fingers gently brush a few locks of your (H/C) hair behind your ear.

A soft peck was placed on your lips, and a smile was brought back on your face, a flush also deciding to make an appearance. Joe’s warm eyes examine your features and he places his much bigger hands on your hips to keep you steady.

Another tender peck was felt, now on your cheek. Joe pulls away, his eyes cherishing the very sight of you. Joe flashes you bright, gleaming smile and it was accompanied by a few of his chuckles before he responded.

“Bullshit... Of course we're still having that dance."

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

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ahhhh im finally finished with one of my fics-

hope you enjoy this one loves 💕💕💕💕

btw loves, its like 1 am here and im woa-

btw sorry for any mistakes i was tired-

#band of brothers #band of brothers fic #band of brothers fanfic #band of brothers fanfiction #band of brothers imagine #joe toye #joseph toye #joe toye fic #joe toye fanfic #joe toye fanfiction #joe toye imagine #joe toye drabble #hbo war #hbo war fanfic #hbo war imagine #hbo war request #band of brothers x reader #joe toye x reader #joseph toye x reader

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1800redpop · 4 years

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ao3 homestuck literature roundup

ok so honestly some of the most impactful pieces of literature I’ve ever consumed... have been fanworks for the web comic Homestuck. while fanfiction in general has the potential for greatness, and there are definitely some non-homestuck works out there i that i’ve enjoyed, Homestuck has a unique potential for spawning creative, original and daring stuff! and there are so many new fans who didn’t even experience the first wave of ao3 webcontent. sadly the site has not proved archival quality when it comes to preserving content, and many fics I’m linking feature broken links/images or have been orphaned by their authors. I’m posting only what I consider to be Good Literature. these are pieces of writing that have struck me, haunted me, and made me cry. Thank you to the writers, and please enjoy! the full rec list is under the cut >:)

old but gold

The Serendipity Gospels by urbanAnchorite (tzm) M

What is there to be said about The Serendipity Gospels? this illustrated fanfiction epic is a true classic. The use of Homestuck language and troll terminology on this fic is exploited to its utmost poetic potential, and every sentence is lyrical. While the story itself is original (and extremely well plotted!), events from the plot of Homestuck are echoed throughout, and it makes for a really satisfying read. This fic was published before Gamrezi was something that happened in the webcomic and gamzee had his downfall, if you’re hesitant to read it on account of the Gamzee<3<Terezi tag. Both of them are extremely well characterized. man... serendipity gospels gamzee is the best gamzee you can find on the market. definitely better than canon gamzee. And the pairing really works. The sad part is that this thing was supposed to be in three acts, and only two have been published. Since 2013... this shit sucks. i want act 3 so bad i’d commit heinous acts to receive it >:0

Cities in Dust (shit let's be hardboiled) by Cephied_Variable T

I’m not finished reading this yet but by now the ao3 handle Cephied_Variable has become a household name. This fic is... heterosexual. and where there were once illustrations, now there are empty white boxes. But the noir setting is played juuuust right, the soundtrack goes hard and it’s really fun to play the music in the next tab while you read, the writing is amazing (obviously) and... not to spoil anything, but it isn’t as much of an AU as it seems. really wish i could see the illustrations, bc the story is told through chatlogs like the source material.

Rule #2 by universe_c E (you can skip the sex scenes tho)

A super imaginative take on what Earth C might have been like. this fic was published while the comic was still updating, so earth c was a very distant possibility in the minds of fans, and in this work, all the players (every single troll, dancestor, human and cherub) are dropped on an uninhabited planet as an entirely new species with varying levels of godpowers, and they have to build civilization from scratch. It’s such an ambitious idea, and it was pulled of brilliantly! the author has more fanfiction online in that takes place in this universe, as well as selections featuring pairings such as Caliborn/Kurloz, an unexpected delight, and GamTav, a charming holdover from simpler times. This story in particular however focuses on Caliborn right after he passes through the gate. He doesn’t have a very easy time adjusting, poor guy. The narrative follows him as he rage-flees from his emotions to nonlinear points on the timeline of Universe C. Along the way he meets the family who he will someday love, learns about the civilization that will develop on their planet, gets laid, and matures a whole lot as a person. This fic is just.. really amazing. Read it!!!

Lost Teeth Like White Jewels by roachpatrol, urbanAnchorite (tzm)

Ok, so roachpatrol used to be a really big name in Homestuck fanfiction, but her stuff has... not aged well, and generally she is regarded (or at least she is regarded by me) as a pedophilic porn peddler, and she’s written a lot of nasty, scandalous smut. but you don’t have to read that stuff! This fic and this fic ONLY (don’t even read the other ones in the series, bro) is just a really nice soap opera. Bodices are ripped, eyes are gazed into in close proximity to an ocean. And the hemospectrum has been inverted. All in all, if you want something dramatic and romantic to read on a rainy day, this fic is where it’s at.

signalbeam is an author that wrote a lot of lesbian fanfiction in 2012. I haven’t personally read all their stuff but it’s all f/f and it’s fun to browse :~)

****DIRKJAKE CORNER******

a thousand years by venusianEye (orphan_account) T

Everything’s set for the surviving players to pass through the gate and claim their Reward... the only problem is, dirk has lost the will to live and is in some kind of mystical coma. Jake is the only person who can save him, by venturing into his mind-palace and solving puzzles that serve as metaphors for everything Dirk can’t express. It’s kind of like inception wrt to the dream mechanics, but the author uses folk tales as settings, and it’s all very poetic, and very well done. this author deleted her account. i watched all the drama. however all her work is still online on the orphan_account. she wrote this series (people who like dirkjake and artistic pornography, give it a read!) and also a medievalstuck au i remember reading and loving, but cannot for the life of me seem to find :( it was about eridan and kanaya and it was good. rest in peace, venusianEye!

A Spark, A Flame, A Fire by callmearcturus E (one skippable sex scene)

The best kingdomstuck ever!!! \(^o^)/ ugh this fic is everything... the author has another kingdomstuck dirkjake multichapter novella online that is also very good, but this one’s my absolute fave :,] the strilonde fam is so cute, and dirk&jake’s blossoming romance (oh, yeah, you BET it’s an arranged marriage AU!) is so romantic it literally makes me clutch my chest and sigh. also the writing and worldbuilding are just IMPECCABLE. another lovely romance for a cozy night.

***JOHNKAT CORNER****

remember johnkat? well,. it’s good.

General Vantas Gets Hitched, or, The Limits Of Bilateral Diplomacy: A Black Powder Romance by JumpingJackFlash M

another arranged marriage fic! seriously, when it’s done right, there can be nothing better. John is the king of Skaia and Karkat is a political insult disguised as a peace offering. No better way to ruin your chances at diplomacy than offer an arranged political marriage between the literal king and a mutant military grunt who isn’t even the right gender. But... what if the king accepts??? omg guys they fall in love... and everyone’s a badass. another notable johnkat offering from his author would b Hurricane , wherein everyone’s punks and dave and tavros are gay rappers. there’s also Space Bro and California Dreaming , which feature karkat/sollux and eridan/equius respectively, and are humanstuck au with vague game memories and are both very sweet and romantic <3

The Only Recipe For Lasagna You'll Ever Need by urbanAnchorite (t_ZM) G

Oh man.. this one’s just really cute.

No Quiet Sleeper by cest_what T

The premise of this fic is a stable little timeloop, so homestuck i could cry, and what occurs therein is extremely adorable :3c

modern fanfiction (post epilogues)

Pilot Light, Pale Rapture by purplebard G

Excellent post-epilogues Jade fic! The writing is beautiful, it’s a really genuine and melancholy work. A masterpiece in JadeDavepeta. I also give a blanket recommendation for all of this author’s fanfic -- it’s deeply original and flawlessly written, every piece!

House of Dirk by IMAC T

If you haven’t read House of Dirk... seriously, read House of Dirk. It’s a modern classic. A dadaist, genre-reconstructive, trope-subverting and absolutely hilarious MASTERPIECE!!! and the characterizations are pitch-perfect. this fanfiction can be cited as the spark which ignited the roaring inferno of Dirk/Caliborn shippers who can now be found online ^__^

mare in ossibus nostris dormit (in our bones sleeps the sea) by liobi

Just some really awesome scourge sisters :,) i love a nice romp through troll mother planet, and this is a flawlessly executed no-game AU.

JADE ROUTE by spicyyeti/muthahomestuckah T

Not technically a fanfiction, because this is 100% a comic, but if you want to read about Homestuck characters in a way that is engaging, innovative, touching and hilarious, you gotta read Jade Route! It’s the best thing that happened to jade since squiddles! the art is REALLY GOOD the characterization is REALLY GOOD god.. i love jade route.

BONES OF BLACK MARROW by oxfordRoulette E

an innovation in dirkjake pornography. this fic will make your head split open, and most of it is pornography of an exceptionally raunchy color. Basically, Dirk summons a demon (Jake) for stupid reasons and it fucks both of their lives up. Incredible work with formatting by the author, seriously who can even code like that, and i love the magical mechanics :) it’s very well researched and it really tears both Dirk and Jake to pieces psychologically. through porn.

Timaeus, Testified by sendificating NR

another fic that uses experimental formatting. It’s all about Dirk and it’s REALLY SO AMAZING.... a detailed and inventive psychological opus.

Also.... i write fanfiction. sometimes. can’t vouch for the quality but i would be remiss as an author if i didn’t plug . well, that’s all for tonight, folks! hope u find something to read!

#homestuck #fanfiction

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writinglionqueen · 4 years

Text

Thistle

Summary: Drew McIntyre is a rich businessman and the reader is a sugar baby. She likes to tease her Daddy until he gets home to take care of his little princess. A thistle flower smells so sweet…if you dare get close to her thorns. Pairing: Drew McIntyre x Reader Word Count: 4,626 Warnings: smut, sugar baby au, daddy kink (ultimate daddy kink), so...a bunch of smut. Special Thanks: To my inspiration and motivation to writing fanfic @writing-reigns! Happy birthday lovely! Thanks for being my shining light and the person who influenced me into posting my works online. This one is for you because I love you. Thank you for sticking with me always. You are an amazing friend. ~Bri💛🖤

~18+ only please. Smut below the cut~

Sometimes, being a tease is the best part of your job. Well, when it’s a client like Drew McIntyre. There’s more of a thrill to tease the Scotsman...why....well;

You could blame it on the fact that he’s probably one of your more attractive clients, if not the most attractive.

You could blame it on his 9 to 5 job; leaving you waiting and wanting in his home until he gets back. Which was great for you. You had time to kill. You had time to plan. You had time to tease.

And Drew....he was none the wiser...even by now. He should know his little Princess’ habits and antics. Whether you were a brat or not. By now, he should know so he’s really much to blame. Which lead you to your current situation.

You smiled to yourself as you tried to get the angle of your phone just right to snap a picture of the lingerie set you had slipped into. Something black. Something with lace. Nothing to fancy. Nothing to simple either. You looked like money and that’s what you liked.

Drew also liked it but, then again, he likes you in anything; whether he buys it for you, whether it’s something classy or lewd and provocative, he likes it.

Obviously, he always liked you in the pretty little lingerie sets you buy yourself. But more so the lingerie sets he buys for you. He buys them because he wants to see you in them. He’s already imagined how you looked in them, but he wants those little daydreams to come to life and sit on his lap, rock and roll for him while moaning his name.

However, while he’s away, his little minx liked to play. Teasing him was always fun and easy. It didn’t take much. You gave him cute little morning pictures that were very tasteful and cute...until you’ve already had lunch and you knew the man wouldn’t be back for several more hours.

You knew what would get his mind racing, get him hard at work, and get him to absolutely ruin you when he gets home.

So, sending him a picture of you wearing the cute lace he’d bought you, sporting makeup and a pout and asking when he’ll get home, like you didn’t know, got your heart racing as well. You could feel the slick start to dampen the lace of the panties you wore. But that was the point. That was the game. Two had to play.

And play they did.

6 like always, princess.

The text was quick. The text held the little nickname he gave you when you knew you were going to get it. It made you shiver in lusty anticipation.

And make sure you’re wearing that when Daddy gets home.

Your heart leapt in anticipation and you couldn’t help but smile at the text you received.

You were going to get it. You were definitely going to get it.

The thought of what Drew must be trying to do to not try and peek at the photo you sent, to make it less obvious that his cock was hard in his pants for the rest of the day -come on, he must’ve been- because he had hours to cultivate what he planned to do to you when he gets home. You had the same amount of time to make a worthy excuse and make up for it.

You set out to rectify it...the only way you knew how. You stayed in the little lingerie set, only covered by a robe as you lounged around his place. You made sure you told your other, few clients that you were going to be busy for the next couple of days. If Drew was going to be in a mood when he got home....you were sure to need the recovery time.

Drew paid you handsomely for the time you spent either with him or in his home so you couldn’t complain about not being able to see other clients. Not that you had a whole lot of other clients either because of Drew. Not that he got jealous...but...he can...it was beside the point. Drew always paid you well enough to exceed what you would need for rent money, but he would pay you well enough to have money to practically spend on whatever you wanted. It was a nice deal so you couldn’t be upset at not being able to see your few, other clients.

Drew was hotter anyway...much better in bed, a lot more experienced and way more into your pleasure above his own...plus...he wasn’t into fucked up shit like one of your other clients are. It always made you shudder to think about.

However, Drew was amazing. Every aspect of him was amazing; his looks, his accent, his bank account, his size.

Which was why you liked being around him longer. So, taking these couple of days to spend some time with him was going to be the best thing for you, even if you had to wait for the Scotsman who was stewing in lust, as were you.

You tried going about your day like you usually would, but you had to stop every now and again because the anticipation that thrummed through you made you shiver in delight. The thought of Drew coming home to find you, with his sexy shit-eating grin and all, made your body downright shake. Any thought of Drew always made you quiver.

Especially knowing there was a bit of a punishment coming your way tonight.

You felt the hot slick coating the lace of the panties you wore...and it didn’t lessen as time progressed through the day. Eating lunch was hard because you just couldn’t sit still. Even as you wrapped yourself in an outrageously expensive silk robe, it didn’t lessen the torture you were providing for yourself.

You knew what Drew would do. Teasing and frustrating little ministrations until you beg him to fuck you. That’s what he wants. It’s always what he wants. He wants you begging and needy under him. He liked you needy. You were more vocal when you were needy.

The torture got to a point that you even leaned against the polished marble island counter to cool yourself off. You wouldn't even try to touch yourself. Not yet. You didn't want the anticipation to lessen. The cold of the stone was helping, though, that was until your phone buzzed. You looked to the device, finding a text from Drew telling you he was just getting out of the office. You looked at the text with a smile before your teeth sunk into your bottom.

God, you couldn’t wait for him to get home.

“Fuck,” you whispered to yourself as you slipped your eyes clothes to imagine what his reaction would be once he was through the door.

He could be stoic and calm when he punishes you for sending him those pics....

Or....

He could be downright feral, full of grunts and growls and pent up sexual frustration.

Either way....it was going to lead to mind blowing sex that would leave you sore in a good way. Bow-legged and feeling him for the next day and a half...if you were that lucky.

Sighing, you pushed yourself away from the island counter. You rounded it to scrounge up some wine. Something sweet to settle your mood so you were more mellow.

You poured yourself a quick glass to sip on while you paced the expensive house. You’ve seen a lot of the house already, but you liked to imagine spending your time with Drew in every room. Especially while you wear what you currently had on.

So far, your favorite rooms were the library and the office. You liked Drew’s extensive book collection for one....but he’s also had fucked you against his desk before. You were never going to forget that night. Which is where your feet took you, into his little office space, complete with his desk and a few bookcases of old looking books. You felt along the polished mahogany of the desk, smiling because you knew which drawer holds the tie he used to bound your wrists together. You longed to do it again.

You downed the rest of your wine, settling the glass on the desk. One of Drew’s cleaning ladies would take care of it. You would’ve done it yourself but....you wanted to bask in the thoughts of wanting another office time with Drew.

You heard the front door open and your heart kickstarted into action.

“Princess?” his voice called out throughout his home and you hustled yourself down to greet him. Your silk robe flowed behind you as you loosened it at the cleavage, trying to be a tease before Drew could even get his hands on you. You moved around a corner of the hallway that lead off the entryway to find your Scotsman there.

He looked good, as always. He wore a light blue dress shirt covered in a navy suit with his matching navy dress pants and his black dress shoes. His long, dark hair was tied back neatly, and you couldn’t wait to feel his hair between your fingers. The only thing “out of place” was his dress shirt. The top two buttons were undone, and he forgone a tie. So, there was the tantalizing view of his tan skin, just waiting for you.

You smiled at him before you moved into his body, feeling his strong arms wrap around you.

“Hi Daddy,” you said innocently while your arms wrapped around his neck and he leant in to kiss you. You let him but, at the same time, you felt his large hand slip across the silk robe to cup your backside. A gasp left your lips.

“Hi baby,” he murmured while smirking down at you; his dimple prominent. “Are we still wearing those knickers?” You smiled at him, catching the way his wondering grey eyes took in your form.

“Why don’t you see for yourself,” you said to him, running a hand down from his neck to tease at the open part of his dress shirt.

His head tilted in playful curiosity as he used a hand to untie the silk robe. His eyes were focused on the way the material fell open, revealing the lace that clung to your body. Drew said nothing but you caught the way his tongue poked out to wet his lips for only a sliver of a second. His large hand moved to cup your hip, drawing his thumb across your hip bone as he took in all of you.

“Damn, princess,” he said in awe. His voice had gotten deep with lust and you shivered in its aftermath. His hand moved around your hip to cup your ass. “I knew this set would look amazing on you. I didn't realize it would look downright perfect on you.” Your cheeks heated at that. Drew was a man who lived to compliment and spoil you. It was amazing to hear his praises for you.

He leaned down to kiss along your neck as his large hand danced across your skin. His fingers skimmed the lace, leading to the front before he cupped your sex through the lace at the same moment he nipped at a sensitive spot.

A gasp left you before a whimper tumbled after as his large fingers felt at the dampened spot of the panties.

“You’re so wet,” he commented. “Have you been waiting like this since you took those pictures for me, little one?” You nodded. Your voice was going to fail you if you tried to tell him. Drew hummed against your skin as his thick finger pressed against your clit through the lace of the panties. Your hips buckled but Drew was quick to hold you, tightly, around the waist. You were panting, holding onto Drew with your face tucked under his chin as he continued to rub you out.

With a growl, Drew stopped to grip you by the back of the thighs before lifting you up. You whimpered as you wrapped your legs around his waist and held him close. You tried to rut against the prominent bulge you can feel through his pants. Drew carried you to his room before depositing you on the grand bed. He smirked down at you, lifting the left side of his mouth, making his dimple prominent as he looked down your lace and silk covered form. Under his watchful eyes, you rubbed your thighs together and across the soft sheet, reveling in the way they felt against your sensitive skin. Your fingers toyed at the silk robe and the lace of your bra. It caught Drew’s eyes.

Good.

He tilted his head back just a bit.

“Take it off for me, princess,” he said to you. “Put on a show for Daddy.”

You smiled at him as he took a step back. You rose to your knees. With light touches across your heated skin, you teased yourself as you slid the silk robe off your form. It fell away to gather at your knees, but you didn’t stop there. Oh no. You rose a hand to cup the back of your head as your other hand roamed down the front of the lace bra, across your tummy and down past the lace knickers to feel at your thigh, close to where you were soaking wet for Drew’s attention.

You made your hands trade places, not lifting either from your skin though. You let them slide down your skin, thinking in the back of your head that they were Drew’s hands on you.

“Come on, little one, take it all off,” Drew urged you. You didn’t realize you slipped your eyes closed until you, smirked and looked up at Drew. Slowly, though, you slipped your hands to the clasp of the bra. You slowly unhooked it, making Drew wait and be patient as you held the cup of the bra, so it didn’t slip off completely.

Biting your lip, you let the lace bra fall to the bed. Your eyes went to ensure Drew was watching while you uncovered yourself for him. He gave an appreciative hum and his lips twitched into a smirk. A smile graced your lips as you reached your hands up to cup and play with your breasts. You squeezed the supple flesh, letting your mouth fall open and a soft ‘oh’ to leave your parted lips before you pinched and rolled your left nipple. Drew’s smirk only grew, but you knew you had to move on.

You still wanted the thing you sought for when you sent him those naughty pictures.

Slowly, you released your breasts and ran your hands down your sides while your hips swayed from side to side, slowly. You dipped your thumbs into the waist band of the lace panties before you started to roll the panties down just a bit. Teasingly, though, you pulled them back up with a giggle. A shiver sparked down your spine because you heard Drew growl at that.

“Enough teasing, princess,” Drew said to you. “Let me see the mess you made.” That made your heart skip a couple of beats and a gasp to tumble from your lips. With excitement shaking you to your core, you reached for the waistband of the lace once more to draw the material down your thighs.

Drew gave a sudden curse. He could see your panties glistening with the wet mess you left in them. You smirked at him as you removed the panties from your legs.

“Jesus Christ, baby girl,” Drew said in awe. “Looks like you worked yourself up for me.” You bit your lip, suppressing a giggle as you waited for Drew to give you your next bit of instructions. Drew moved closer to the bed while he started to slide off his overcoat. “Why don’t you play with yourself for Daddy? Let me see how wet you are for me.”

You were quick to comply to his wish. You wasted no time in lying back against the bed, a smirk on your features as you spread your legs for Drew. With nimble, shaky fingers, you teased your clit, watching the Scotsman undo the buttons of his shirt, one by one. He watched you play with yourself; a smirk toyed at his lips and made his dimple prominent. He moved closer to the bed, making no move to fully take off his dress shirt or pants.

A thought raced through your mind and sent a thrill throughout your body as he didn't even try to take off his pants; did he plan to fuck you with his clothes still on?

“No,” you whined, batting your foot against his clothed thigh. “Take it all off.” Drew smiled.

“Princess,” Drew teased you, pulling the ends of his shirt from his dress pants. “You teased me at work. Sent me naughty pictures. What makes you think I don’t get to tease you now?” You said nothing at that. So, his punishment for you was to tease you, not getting the things you want...he was evil.

You gave a whine, spreading your legs a little more, toying your clit to watch his storm-grey eyes peer down at your self-ministrations.

“I’m sorry Daddy,” you said. “I just thought you liked it when I wear my lingerie.” This was a simple game you were playing. Play around with him to get exactly what you wanted. Give him what he wanted so you can get what you desired from him. Which was saying sorry now, ask him nicely to get his clothes off, be good so he’ll fuck you.

Drew smirked.

He knew your game well. He reached for your leg, gripping you by the ankle to pull you to the end of the bed where he was standing. A gasp left you as you slid across the sheets. He made sure to situate your legs on either side of his broad hips while he stood at the edge of the bed.

“Oh, I love you in lingerie, princess,” Drew said. “But, sending me pictures while I’m at work...now that was you being a brat. What makes you think I’m going to give you what you want when you were being naughty?”

“I’ll be good,” you said with a pout, jutting out your bottom lip in mock innocence. Drew leaned over you, pressing his large hands down against the bed, both on either side of your head.

“Should’ve been good to start out with, princess,” he teased before one of his hands lifted, trailing down your body before he freed his cock from his pants, gripping it in a firm hand. A whimper left you as he stroked the tip along your slick folds, bumping your fingers out of the way. He pressed his cock against your soaking slit, and you felt your body ease him in slowly because of how wet you were. The feeling of his thick shaft slipping inside of you made your toes curl, make your whimper catch in your throat, and made your thighs tense around his waist.

“Now,” Drew grunted before he bottomed out inside of you. His large hips pressed against yours as you took all of him. “If you make a mess on these pants, little one, I’m gonna take you over my knee.” You shivered at that. Your cunt clenched around Drew who growled at the pleasure of it. “Understand?” You nodded.

“Yes, daddy,” you whimpered, knowing he wanted to hear you say it. Drew smirked down at you, rolling his hips against yours so you could feel his cock shift deep within you. It felt like your eyes rolled into the back of your head at the feeling of being so full.

“Good girl,” he murmured before rolling his hips away, before shoving himself forward. You let out a strangled whimper to feel him so deep inside of you.

“Oh, Daddy,” you bit out a whimper. Drew growled quietly as his hips started to pump a steady rhythm into you. It started to rock the bed. It started to make your body jolt and jump. Your breasts bouncing ever so slightly with every thrust.

“You like that princess?” he asked, stilling himself when he was pressed as deep as he could go inside of you. The wet noise of your cunt made you clench your eyes closed, ignoring the roaring sound of endorphin-filled blood rush to your ears because you were absolutely filled by Drew. You pawed at Drew’s chest, your fingers trying to splay against the furred skin, trying to hold onto something, anything, to make you feel grounded. So, the pleasure didn’t build up too fast and you’d become Drew’s naughty girl again. You wanted to be good now. You didn’t want to cum without permission. Especially as he started up his rhythm again, like he never lost it.

But Drew scooped your wrists up in a large hand before pinning them above you head. A whine left you as you tried to writhe in his hold, effectively lost in the pleasure of his hips rutting into yours. But you wanted more. You always did. Being the teasing brat you were, there was more to be had in this situation.

“Daddy let me touch you,” you cried to Drew. Your eyes opened to see his smirking face as he fucked down into you. “Please, please, please, please.” You begged on every thrust. “Please I’ll be a good girl. Let me touch you.” Drew’s smirk was devilish. It made your head spin. Drew let your wrists go in a moment and you didn’t waste a second. You reached out to feel at the open slit of Drew’s shirt. Your fingered at his heated skin before your hands roamed up to Drew’s head. With quick ease, you pulled the hair tie keeping his hair in a ponytail, allowing the dark strands to cascade down so you can feel it.

But a harsh thrust against your g-spot made you curl your fingers in his hair, gripping them and pulling. You let out a whining gasp and Drew growled. With your head thrown back in pleasure as the Scotsman above you rammed into your g-spot over and over again, he took advantage of your exposed flesh, to nip and suck and mark your skin.

Usually you had a rule against hickeys....but everything has always been thrown out of the window if Drew was involved. Your hands released some of his hair, but they moved down to the back of his neck and to the collar of his shirt. You gave little whimpers and whines as you tried to push the material off the man above you.

Drew growled as he stopped mid-thrust. Your hands fell away from his collar as he went to straighten up. The Scotsman pushed off the shirt before fixing your legs around his hips.

“Daddy,” you whined, “take your pants off.” Drew smirked. Instead of giving you what you want, the man pushed himself inside of you and stilled there. One of his large hands pressed under your hips and moved you across the bed so he could crawl onto the duvet as well. Drew elevated your hips just slightly, keeping your legs wrapped around his waist as he started up his rhythm once more. “Fu-uck!” The new position allowed the Scotsman to rut against your g-spot while he brought his thumb to stroke your clit. Your hips went wild for it; rocking up to meet his hips and hand, again and again. Gasps fell from your lips as your eyes clenched shut in pleasure. “Yes, yes, yes....please Daddy?”

“What is it you want, baby girl?” Drew asked you. There was teasing uplift in his voice. Like he was amused by your begging nature.

You knew what you wanted. It’s what you always wanted; more.

“Please.....faster. Please fuck me faster.”

“Always so needy for Daddy,” Drew said down to you. But his hips picked up speed like you wanted them to. You cried out, reaching for Drew and he bent down to hover over you. You grabbed at his shoulders, trying to just hold on. “Look at you.” His husky voice made you shudder down the length of our spine. With your heart hammering away and your body trembling with your building pleasure, your head spun. You probably looked so fucked out, with the sweat that glistened on your body, your eyes unable to keep open as Drew fucked down into you.

Euphoria roared in your ears, swam in the fog of your sensual contentment, lit your nerves on a live wire of ecstasy that had you singing and whimpering under Drew.

Your tummy kept clenching and unclenching in your pleasure that was building and building to a jumping point, one you wanted to run to head on. Drew just had to get you there. You were so close.

“Daddy, I’m gonna cum,” you whimpered out, looking up onto the storm-grey eyes of Drew. He smirked.

“Are you, Princess?” Drew asked. “You’re gonna cum for me?” You could only nod, clenching your hands against the strong muscles of Drew’s shoulder. The pleasure felt like it was crawling up your throat, forming into a whine that tried to escape but was cute off by a cry as Drew nipped at your collarbones with a growl. “Then cum for me. Cum for me right now, baby girl.” With a whimpering cry, you let go, letting your pleasure wash over you and crash through you.

Your climax drawing your body taught around him, your spine and back lifting off the bed as Drew growled and fucked you through it.

“Daddy,” you cried to him. “Daddy please cum.” You watched the Scotsman’s eyes clench shut as he did such that. A groan left his lips while his heat seeped inside of you.

The man gave you a few more thrusts before stilling above you. It left the two of you panting, the two of you feverish as you tried to calm down.

With quiet ease, Drew pulled out of you, leaving you whimpering atop the duvet. Drew moved off the bed quickly before stripping himself of his pants. He went to the bathroom connected to the bedroom. With a happy sigh, you slipped your eyes closed. You listened to the tap running from the bathroom’s sink for only a moment before the bed dipped and Drew was there, wiping you down. You watched him as he did so, his hair fell into his face until he was finished. He flung the washcloth he used to the floor before flicking his hair back out of his face. He looked to you with a soft smile before he settled beside you in bed.

You were quick to curl into his side, throwing your leg over him. His hands fell on your hips while you tucked your head under his chin.

“Thank you, Daddy,” you murmured to Drew, giggling after. “Guess I'll send you more pictures if it means you’ll come home and fuck just like this.” Drew chuckled. It was deep and it made you shiver.

“Don’t forget, princess, I can and will put you over my knee if you do, and teach you a lesson, the hard way,” Drew said to you. Even as your eyes closed, you smiled instead. You knew he was good for his word.

“Ooh,” you teased. “I’m scared.” Drew’s chest jumped with a laugh and he squeezed your hip.

“Believe me, my Thistle,” Drew said to you, using a nickname he only uses when you really pushed his buttons. “You should be.” You bit your lip.

Your Daddy was good to his word.

Tag: @adriennegabriella @alwaysbenhardysgirl @amariemoore @andie01 @annoyingasian @artemisapalla316 @aspiringhorrorfilmmaker @balorstrowmanblackmurphy @baronsbelleevangeline @baysexuality @biforbecky2belts @blackmoonrising @burning-coco @calicina @calwitch @claymoreme @darlingambrose @dcnmarvelgamergeek @demonqueen29 @drewmcintyreinarefereeoutfit @fireyegale @fivefootxo @flawlessglamazon @haharollins @hardcoresweet45 @heel-rollins @homeorbust @i-have-saracasm @itsicantbelievethis666 @kalliravenne @lilred91 @littlesuperstar @lolorockstar101boom @madamaholmes @madebypointlesswerewolves @meishaabae @meremaidqueen @moxleysbaby @moxley-unhinged @mox-made-me-do-it @moxtiel @neversatisfiedgirl @new-zealand-chic @nicolewoo @nothinginlifebutgreif @number1120 @ofbeornandbjorn @psychic-angus @queenofthearchitect @reigns420 @sassymox @sassyspacedust @savemeroman @scuzmunkie @shieldgirl18 @slytherinyourrpants @snowtroopergirl @softmoxymuffin @superrezzy00 @svnflowrs @taryn-dibiase @thatpanpal @the-beastslayers-queen @thehoundsofjustice @thewrestlingwarehouse @theworldofotps @trashofambrolleigns @twistedbeautifully @undeadspazzattack @unprettypeony @voidstrugh @wrestlersownmyheart @writing-reigns @writtingrose @xbreezymeadowsx @xladyxfatex @xprincessofthefallenangels @yaint-me @youcantreignonmyparade

#drew mcintyre #drew mcintyre x reader #smut #such mass #something new #oof that gif though

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